Belstead
A Burning Wheel PBP game that is about to start.
Background[edit]
The mist clung to Belstead, even though the sun was already some way into its journey across the sky. It was a damp, unpleasant morning, with most of the activity staying inside the wooden houses, the only people out in this weather were those on urgent business. It was so quiet, not even the birds sang in the trees.
And then, footsteps, and a voice. Loud, agitated.
"The King is dead! The King is dead without a heir!" the messenger shouts while running through the small village, bringing restlesness where there was quiet, as people pour out into the streets to confirm what they heard.
But before anyone can even give their opinion on the monarch's death, a very different screamcuts through the winter mists, a voice full of fear.
"Soldiers! An army! An army over the hills! The Baron Harlech marches on Belstead!"
And then, panic.
The town of Belstead once did a great favor for the King, and in exchange, the King declared that, for as long as his line reigned over the land, Belstead would be a free town, no taxes would be levvied, and only the King's authority would be recognized within its borders. Thanks to this, Belstead prospered for generations, not worrying about the changes in the world around it. But today it changes. The King has died with no heir, and assassination is suspected, the higher nobility is in disarray, with accusations flying everywhere. In the confusion, a few ambitious Barons, some of the few nobles to actually maintain standing armies, have siezed the opportunity to carve their personal kingdom from the remains of the old, setting Belstead in the middle of the bloodiest civil war in recorded history.
And it's up to you to make things right, of course, but what is right? Will you support the old King's family against all odds and hope Belstead remains free, or pursue personal power with one of the Barons? Or maybe the future of Bernstead, and the entire Kingdom, lies in another direction altogether..
