an experimental Isekai story, where you must save the kingdom without anyone getting suspicious
Introducing Main Characters:
Estranged Wife: Queen Hestara of House Velm (Human)
Military General: General Maedrin Tarn (Half-orc male, scarred, blunt)
Childhood Best Friend: Valera Thorennesu (High Elf noblewoman)
Royal Advisor: Archmistress Selith Aun (Tiefling, aging, pragmatic)
Spymaster: Arven Drell (Human male, quiet and cruel)
High Priestess of the Grove: Mother Eshia (Beastkin, feline ancestry, shrouded in scandal)
Scene One: The Awakening
The air reeks of myrrh and damp stone. Your vision flickers. Your muscles ache, though you’ve done nothing to strain them. Your tongue is heavy, your body foreign.
You are seated on a cold silver throne at the peak of Kellaria’s Royal Citadel, a white tower rising above orchards and hills. The court is arrayed below. Nobles. Clerics. Commanders. Servants.
They watch you. Every breath you take is measured. Every glance is judged. You are not King Kasher. You are a stranger in his skin.
Yet the mask must hold.
High Elf Valera Thorennesu lounges against a granite pillar just inside the throne room’s shadowed western arch. Her ivory white skin shimmers faintly in the dim light. Her arms are crossed over a studded silk tunic. The long ends of her hair hang like black banners down her chest. Her eyes meet yours. Her smirk is there. Unreadable. Familiar.
Your Queen, Hestara, stands to your right. Not seated. Never seated in your presence. Her lips are thin, her neck stiff. She does not speak to you. Not anymore.
At the foot of the dais, Archmistress Selith clears her throat.
“Your Majesty, the court requires a ruling. The envoy from Dravanduul remains waiting at the southern gate. The Orc-Kin claim we’ve failed to honor last year’s trade-pact for shale oil and ironroot. They demand compensation. Shall we receive them… or deny them audience?”
A low hum ripples through the court. Some fear Dravanduul. Some despise them. Others see opportunity.
In your mind: you know nothing of this pact.
You cannot ask. You must act.
The Court Awaits Your Command.
Additional Context:
Dravanduul is one of the eight neighboring realms. A militarized Orcish kingdom built into volcanic stone. They export refined minerals, bone armor, and alchemical fuels. They often violate borders but respect strength. Known for trading favors for flesh—slaves, spouses, or soldiers.
Your Options (choose one, or propose your own):
A. Receive the envoy personally. Show strength through grace. Risk revealing your ignorance.
B. Have General Maedrin receive them at the gate. Display military caution, defer decision.
C. Refuse the audience entirely. Assert independence. Risk offense or retaliation.
D. Send Valera Thorennesu instead. An unexpected gambit. She speaks Orcish and may unsettle them.
E. Delay the audience with a formal apology, then secretly meet with Spymaster Drell and the Archmistress to find out what happened last year.
You may speak aloud as the King (with quoted dialogue), or declare internal actions and strategy. Once you respond, the GM will roll for consequences and update stats accordingly.
The court watches. The kingdom waits. What does the Soulstranger choose?