Lifepaths of the Realm

The Realm is home to about one-hundred-million people, and about one-percent of them make up the noble classes. Scholars estimate that roughly one in ten-thousand will exalt as a Dragon-Blood. But in the Realm, that number is a lot higher due to their intense marriage traditions that keep the dynastic bloodlines strong. So there are about one-hundred-thousand dynasts, and up to a quarter of them are Dragon-Blooded exalts.

The Blessed Isle is vast and well-settled. It covers an area of about five-million square miles (about the size of Russia), and about a third of it is arable land. There are countless villages, logging towns, fisheries, trading ports, quarries, and outbacks. There are thousands of unique locations, manors, stately homes, manses, and castles; some are old and abandoned, some are brand new. There are hundreds of ruins from the first age, archeological digs, areas of forbidden entry, monster dens, and caverns. There are dozens of large cities, and in the largest of them all—the Imperial City, home to over a million souls—there is an endless amount of paperwork, intrigue, and bureaucracy.

The Realm is a prime location to set a roleplay-heavy political game, there is also a brewing civil war between the dynastic houses that could be played out, and the scarlet throne still stands empty. But the Realm can just as easily work as the backdrop of a more lighthearted adventure too. From the outside looking in, the realm is a paradise empire that has dominated Creation with a jade-fist, controlled by the same Empress and her Dragon-Blooded dynasty, for over seven-hundred years! But the grass isn’t always greener… Note: Characters with an ‘Anathema’ trait can never take lead to the Realm, except to a jail cell. Though most are executed on sight by the Wyld Hunt, instead of being captured.
 * What follows is my breakdown of the Realm, as I see it, with appropriate lifepath changes or additions when necessary. For the most part it is largely the same as all the standard mannish lifepaths. It is here in this appendix to serve as an example of how to carve out a part of Creation for your own game.
 * It's also possible to use some of ‘the Blossoms are Falling’ lifepaths for the Realm, with the GM's permission, to fill in any appropriate “missing” lifestyles. But be careful if you do, because not all of the skills/ traits from tBaF are applicable to Creation. And the settings are all different, so some hand-waving may be required.

Peasant, Villager and City Settings
The primary crop of the Realm’s numerous farms is rice. The Blessed Isle is temperate enough that some farms can reap five full harvests per year, so the peasants are kept busy all year by their work. It is therefore appropriate to replace the ‘Hoarding’ trait for Farmer with ‘Weary’.

The police and city guards of the Realm are known as ‘Black Helms’ because of their military-grade stained-black steel armour and helmets. They are trained to use batons as their Appropriate Weapons (and the captains may learn Crossbows).

Homosexuality isn’t as frowned upon in the Realm as it might be in other parts of Creation (in fact, in some cases, it’s encouraged; since a homosexual relationship can’t accidentally produce dynastic children with bad bloodlines!), so the ‘Catamite’ trait should be removed from all Realm lifepaths.

Gender matters a lot less in Dynastic society than it might anywhere else in the world, so there are no gender restrictions, except biological ones, just rename appropriately.

Noble Setting
If you want to be born into a dynastic house replace the Mark of Privilege trait in the born noble lifepath with the Dynast trait. Each dynastic house can be considered as a separate class of nobility with its own internal hierarchy, court, and sometimes their own military or navy (and their own cultural traits too).

If you are a Found Egg, and want to be adopted into a dynastic household, then take the Bastard lifepath (ignoring it’s usual restrictions), and replace the required Bastard trait with the Low Born trait (BWC pg 522).

Within the Realm's Noble and Noble Court settings, Read and Write are taught as one skill called Literacy. If either appears as a lifepath skill then replace it with Literacy. Born Dynasts may open this skill for free. It is rooted in Perception and Agility and uses the Obs of both skills.

As a dynast, you can circle up anyone within your house or any patrician clan member at no additional Ob, but circling up someone from another house comes at a +1 Ob penalty for specific disposition (or +2 Ob if your houses are declared rivals).

Consider the following recontextualizations for some of the other noble lifepaths:
 * Young Lady/ Man: Young Dynast who stays on a little longer in their household. Honorific: None
 * Lady/ Gentleman: One who has married up to higher stature. Typically only taken by mortal dynasts. Honorific: None
 * Lord/ Dame: Probably just looks after a small estate or minor manse, owned by their house, in a minor prefecture. Honorific: ‘Lord/ Lady’
 * Baron/ Baroness: Mayor of a large town or small city. Honorific: ‘Lord/ Lady’
 * Viscount/ Viscountess: Minor Prefect or Satrap. (This is the highest position a mortal dynast can typically hold, unless they marry up.) Honorific: ‘Honorable Lord/ Lady’
 * Count/ Countess: A major Prefect or Satrap, or the Mayor of a large or important city. Honorific: ‘Esteemed Lord/ Lady’
 * Duke/ Duchess: Governor of a Dominion or City-State, or head of a minor household. Honorific: ‘His/ Her Grace’
 * Noble Prince/ Princess: Viceroy of a region, or head of a major household. Honorific: ‘His/ Her Highness’
 * Prince/ Princess of the Blood: Head of a dynastic house, and an eligible candidate for the succession to the throne. Honorific: ‘His/ Her Royal Highness’
 * Empress: The Scarlet Empress. (Not a lifepath!) Honorific: ‘Her Imperial Majesty’

Noble Court Subsetting
The Realm has many noble courts. There is likely one for each dynastic house, one in each major city, and several dozen patrician courts. There’s is also the imperial court of the Scarlet Empress, and the greater and lesser chambers of the deliberative. Specifying which court you worked in is advised, but they’re all more-or-less mechanically the same, except for some flavour.


 * For example, you may treat both positions of lesser and greater deliberative senators as being ‘Advisors to the Court’, except that to be a greater deliberative senator you must also be a dynastic Dragon-Blooded exalted, and the terms of tenure are 3 to 6 years instead.

Within a house’s court, the bailiff’s are referred to as ‘Lictors’. They are a house’s personal assassins, manhunters, and thieves. Thus add the Executioner character trait and the Stealthy skill as options.

Constable’s are often retired veterans or captains who have taken up positions in the courts as military advisors and protectors. Some even serve their given house’s head directly. In other courts they may simply serve the mayor, the prefect, the governor, the viceroy, or a member of the deliberative. They may even serve the Empress herself—quite the honour… until she disappeared. Constable’s therefore add the Loyal die trait, and the Armour Training skills as options.

The Justicars are referred to as ‘Magistrates’. Increase their rps by 10. Magistrates are the public security dicks. Everyone hates them—often including their own court—and many are being bought-out by the various houses to backstab each other. Replace Circuit-Wise with Intrigue-Wise. Within a house court, a couple of Lictors are often put under the service of a Magistrate, to help them with their duties (but also to help keep them in check).

Religious Subsetting
Treat the Tonsured trait in the Immaculate Order as the process for becoming a so-called ‘first coil’ monk. That is: The head is completely shaved; a vow of celibacy is made; diet is restricted to not include red meat, narcotic drugs or alcohol; and their name is often changed to remove familial ties.

The Vested trait for an Immaculate Order Priest (or ‘Sunìm’) can be treated as the second coil. Then an Archpriest (or ‘Róngxìng’) is a third coil monk, a Bishop (or ‘Panchen’) and an Abbott (or ‘Pakmó’) are types of fourth coil monk (Bishops do not require the Your Grace trait), and an Archbishop (or ‘Lama’) is a fifth coil monk. The Mouth of Peace and the Five Immaculate Paragons are chosen from the elder fifth coil Dragon-Blooded lamas. The higher coils have more intense lifestyle restrictions (see here for more).

The ‘Appropriate Weapons’ in the order are Staves or—with the GMs permission—the Wǔshù (or Boxing) martial arts skill. Add the Meditation skill as the first skill for all Immaculate ‘acolyte’ type lifepaths. Also, remember to replace the Faithful trait with the Believer trait. Finally, add the following lifepath options to the subsetting:


 * Realm Religious Subsetting Additional Notes:
 * 1: For mortals this LP only gives +1 P and they may not choose the Down to Earth trait.
 * 2: Requires Bishop, and at least 50 years of age.

The Wyld Hunt
The Wyld Hunt is a military order with chapter houses and fortresses hidden in the outbacks and wilderness of Realm-owned territories. As with all other sects, classes, and organisations in the Realm, being part of the wyld hunt is simply represented by affiliations, reputations, and relationships. Within the Wyld Hunt there are five major ranks: Shikari (errant or hosted), Amercer, Venerer, Ostiary, and Exarch. Being tonsured or vested with the Wyld Hunt gives you a different affiliation (because the wyld hunt is only half-religious and half-secular, funded by the Immaculate Order and the All-Seeing Eye) and their vows and rituals are different (there’s no head shaving, or diet restrictions, for example).

A typical wyld hunt cadre consists of several Shikari (scouts/ acolytes), a few Venerer’s (holy knights/ monster hunters), and one or two Amercers (ritualists/ monks/ exorcists). If it’s a very important mission then an Ostiary (inquisitor/ commander) is sent too. The highest position in the Wyld Hunt, represented by a 3D affiliation, is the Exarch (abbot/ canon/ theologian) who very rarely—if ever—leave their chapter houses to go on missions, though they may help with local recruitment (see here for more details).

Appropriately, those within the Wyld Hunt should also have some traits that represent their experience on previous missions, which may include (but are not limited to): Curious, Superstitious, Indoctrinated, Harrowed, Maimed, Missing Eye or Limb, Lame, Loyal, Light Sleeper, Seen Some Shit, Righteous, Sworn to the Order, Merciless, Cold-Blooded, Dedicated

Similarly, here are some suggested additional skills wises: Skirmish Tactics, Wǔshù (or Boxing), Orienteering, Observation, Disguise, Hunting, Trapper, Arson, Tracking, Monsters-wise, Anathema-wise, Wilderness-wise, Wild Animals-wise, Ambushes-wise, Fair Folk-wise, Apocalypse-wise, Travel-wise, Ghosts-wise, Heretics-wise

Discuss with your GM whether you can swap out some of these traits and skills with other ones in your lifepaths if they were taken explicitly in service of the Wyld Hunt. Otherwise such traits and skills would have to be bought with leftover trait points, and general skill points, as per the usual rules.

Secondary School Subsetting
If you have the Dynast trait then the ‘Secondary School’ lead is available from the Bastard, Page, Student, Squire, Arcane Devotee, Religious Acolyte, and Young Man/ Lady lifepaths in the Noble setting. A secondary school lifepath must be taken early in life (around the 2nd to 4th LP mark) and none may be taken more than once. Once you leave this setting you cannot ever return to it. Only with the GM’s and other player’s permission may you stay in the setting and visit more than one school before leaving.


 * Realm Secondary School Subsetting Additional Notes:
 * 1: Must be taken together. That is, to enter the Hall of of Terrestrial Puissance, you must be Gifted.
 * 2: Requires Heptagram Student, the Sorcery skill, and Dragon-Blooded or Sidereal exaltation.
 * 3: Training skill. Costs 2 pts to open and does not advance.
 * 4: Requires House of Bells Cadet, or a Veteran or Captain lifepath, and Dragon-Blooded exaltation.
 * 5: Literacy counts as both the Read and Write skill. If you already have these skills open, close them and put the points into Literacy instead.
 * 6: Cloister of Wisdom Monk and Dragon-Blooded or Sidereal exaltation.
 * 7: Only available if you are male and have a trait that emphasises your attractiveness.
 * 8: Only by mastering the curriculum (by at least opening all four of the '8-marked' skills) can a student leave the palace of the tamed storm; how long that takes is up to them (2-8 years).

Footnote: There are many other schools in the Realm, but most of them are treated like one of the various ‘Student’ or 'Apprentice' lifepaths with one or two major topics changed.

DoF for School Traits
The die of fate roll for these lifepaths represents their difficult nature, and the fact that everyone takes away something different. If you don’t like the result of your DoF roll you may choose a different trait instead, but at the cost of the stat point given by the lifepath.

Soldier Subsetting
Add 1 skill pt and the Formation Fighting training skill to the Footsoldier lifepath and add Thousand Correct Actions-Wise (the legion’s training manual—kind of like Sun Tzu’s ‘The Art of War’) to the Sergeant Lifepath. Appropriate weapons for the imperial legion's footmen are: Spear, Sword, Axe, and Knives.

If you are mortal, you must have at least one other martial lifepath before you can become a Bannerman (or ‘Scalelord’). Similarly, mortal Sergeants (or ‘Talonlords’) must have been Bannermen first. If you are Dragon-Blooded and a Veteran (or ‘Winglord’) then you may take the Captain (or ‘Dragonlord’) lifepath—else, if you are mortal, it is practically impossible to become a Captain in the imperial legions unless you were born noble.

Above the Captains are the Generals (or ‘Legionlords’). Of course, all of the Realm’s legions and naval fleets are at the supreme command of the Empress herself, but many have been sold off to the various dynastic houses now.
 * Realm Professional Soldier/Seafarer Subsetting Additional Notes:
 * 1: Requires the Captain lifepath (from the Soldier subsetting).
 * 2: Requires the Captain lifepath (from the Seafarer subsetting).

Servitude Setting
By the Empress’s official decree, no Realm born citizen or immigrant with legitimate citizenship will ever be enslaved by the Realm. So servitude leads from other lifepaths in the Realm are open, but must be taken in another part of the world. Therefore, slaves of the Realm must be born outside of the Realm.

Typically, only the prettiest boys and girls are taken by Dynasts as sex slaves, but they’re also treated a little better, so add 1 more trait point and make ‘Comely’ the required trait for the Harem Slave lifepath in the Realm.

Outcaste Subsetting
Being an outcaste on the Blessed Isle is the Empress’s little loophole. Outcastes are called ‘Disenfranchised’, their citizenship is effectively revoked, but they’re not deported. They’re shunned by all normal folks on the Isle, and have to make do in the wilderness or the city gutters. Therefore, if you are Realm born and enter the Outcaste setting, you can never lead back to the other settings in the Realm (except via the Servitude setting) unless you are a Dragon-Blooded exalt or join the wyld hunt.

Consider the normal outcaste Freebooter lifepath within the Realm to be an ‘Itinerant Magistrate’. That is, a privateer or Realm hired thug who was caught but offered redemption through doing the empire's dirty work in the outbacks rather than being executed. Their understanding of the rules and laws of the land are very loose, and liberally interpreted; nevertheless add the Rule of Law skill as an option.