Monarchia.

King Me is a sandbox multiplayer RPG set in a fictional medieval land called Monarchia where role playing is encouraged, farming means working the field, and the word grinding is only used when sharpening one's blade. Players can enjoy the hustle and bustle of city life, working as a blacksmith, tailor, or merchant. Ambitious players can form factions and take over a city, placing one of their own as the king and filling the ranks of nobility. In King Me if you can think it you can do it, or at least die trying.

King me could be compared to a hybrid of Rust and Medieval Engineers. Like in Rust, characters sleep when they log out and there is no leveling system. The aspects of King Me that set it apart from other games are: There are no mindless "mobs" to farm; when/if you kill a bear, it's going to drop meat, bones, and a bearskin, not a bow or a silver coin; NPCs are much more interactive; players are allowed to raise a family; a player can become king and make laws and hold real power and responsibility; players can sail the open water on great galleys and fishing ships; there are no hit points, weapons don't do "damage", and there is no "healing"; and finally and most importantly, the game is built around building relationships, role-playing, and creating your own adventure in a world that is yours for the taking. Players can communicate to each other by typing in chat channels and by using built in voice chat when talking to people in their vicinity. The game would be designed in Alpha and Beta as a single player game with the option for players to connect peer to peer for multiplayer experiences. The ultimate goal is that King Me would be a server based MMORPG.

As an MMORPG, King Me would be sold as a hybrid between the F2P and P2P models. To combat the problems F2P models have with hackers and account abusers, King Me would have a low monthly subscription cost estimated at ~$4.00/month. Players would be able to purchase in game benefits at an additional cost. These benefits haven't been decided but at this point it would be special recipes for special clothing, armors, and weapons; ability to insert custom insignias on clothing, flags, and banners; and possibly the ability to vote on content, and submit ideas. The pay to win model would be avoided at all cost.

There is no leveling system in King Me. All characters have the same combat and crafting abilities, although crafting requires the use of recipes. Player characters spawn at the age of 16. Player characters age at a rate of 1 year per 15 hours in-game. NPCs age at a rate of 1 year per 2 real-time months.

Strength is a % based system. A newly spawned character starts at 60% strength and can gain strength up to 120%. Strength affects sprinting endurance, combat, and ability to pick up and drag items such as logs, rocks, etc..

Strength is gained and lost over time and is a product of activity and diet. To gain strength, a character has to be properly fed and partake in physical activities such as; combat, blacksmithing, lumberjacking, carpentry, digging, mining, rowing, or carrying heavy objects. Characters can only lose strength from inactivity (during online time only) if they are above 100%. Characters at any strength will lose strength if they become malnourished. If a character is eating an adequate, balanced diet they will never drop below 100% strength.

Certain foods that can be prepared will help a character to gain strength faster. Gaining strength is not a laborious process. With proper activity and diet, a character will increase from 60% to 100% in one hour of game time. As you gain strength your character will aesthetically show the change. Eating too much without enough activity however will lead to extra padding on the midsection.

There is a university located in each of the four major cities. At a university characters can pay to take classes to: become a master engineer, blacksmith, or tailor; learn how to compose and write sheet music, learn how to tame wild animals, and more. Free classes are also offered to teach basic skills such as starting fires, building structures, how to craft various items, how to play a musical instrument, and more (All characters can do these skills without instruction, they are offered for the benefit of new players).

In Monarchia there are no "mobs" standing around waiting to be slaughtered. There are no bosses or battlegrounds and wild animals would sooner shy away than attack you. Combat however still plays an integral role to survival when there are outlaws and barbarians on the loose. Characters who seek combat have many choices: they can join the king's army, participate in tournaments around the realm, fight in fighting arenas, join a group of outlaws or pirates, or even try to gain favor with the barbarians and join their raiding parties. Characters who want to avoid combat however may find some level of safety by staying in the capital cities where guards maintain order.

Characters who join the king's army have the option of staying in the city and training, and holding the peace, joining the royal navy to combat pirates, or being deployed to a campaign to fight against barbarians or even other kingdoms. Characters who serve well will be promoted and eventually given their own men to command.

Combat is based on the timing of attacks and defensive moves, combined with character strength and weight. There are no levels or proficiencies in combat. The strength and weight of the competing characters are the only attributes that affect combat. From character creation, every character has a full arsenal of combat moves. Combat moves vary based on the type of weapon being held. A lunging attack is activated when a skill is used when a character has forward momentum. When two attackers use an attack move simultaneously, their weapons will glance off each other. When an attack move is parried or blocked, the attacker's weapon will glance off the defender's weapons if the defender is successful. The interaction between weapons is determined by the strength of the attacker vs. defender, the weight of the weapons/shields, and in the case of lunging attacks, the weight of the attacker vs. strength of defender. A character can be knocked down by a lunging attack or a shove and the chance of being knocked down is determined by strength and weight of the attacker vs. the defender.

Shove - Jab left - Cross right - Uppercut right - Uppercut left - Slap right - Slap left - Block high - Block low - Kick - Lunging kick - Lunging jab.

Kick - Lunging kick, Weapon Hand: Slash right - Slash left - Stab - Parry right - Parry left - Parry high - Overhand slash - Lunging overhand slash - Lunging stab. Offhand: Cross punch - Shove - Slap.

Kick - Lunging kick - Slash right - Slash left - Stab right - Stab left - Parry right - Parry left - Parry high - Overhand slash right - Overhand slash left - Lunging overhand slash right - Lunging overhand slash left - Lunging stab right - Lunging stab left.

Kick - Lunging kick, Weapon Hand: Slash right - Slash left - Stab - Parry right - Parry left - Parry high - Overhand slash - Lunging overhand slash - Lunging stab. Shield Hand: Block high - Block low - Forward bash - Lunging bash - Side swipe

Kick - Lunging kick - Slash right - Slash left - Stab - Parry right - Parry left - Parry high - Overhand slash - Lunging overhand slash - Lunging stab.

Kick - Lunging kick, Knife Hand: Slash - Stab - Lunging Stab - Jab

Many things can be used as weapons and any character can use any weapon that he/she finds. Heavier weapons are more likely to break bones and are more effective at overpowering parries and blocks. The heavier a weapon is however, the slower it is to wield. A ten pound hammer can blow right through most parries but is slow to swing. A stronger character will be faster and more adept with heavy weapons than a weaker character. Archery is also an option. Arrow paths are based on realistic physics and take into account wind speed and direction, the quality and material of the bow and string, and the quality and material of the arrow. A good bow is a rare find and difficult to produce and good arrows are rarer still. There are rumors of crossbows which may be longer ranged and more accurate, but would take longer to reload.

There are no health points in King Me. Each character has a health percentage. When a character reaches 0%, they die. When a character is injured in combat, they will bleed and may even lose limbs. Bleeding out is the most common cause of death on the battle field. Decapitation and major torso injuries also result in rapid, if not sudden death. Blows from blunt objects can take away large portions of health. A solid blow to the chest or head from a heavy hammer would result in instant death. A blow to a leg or arm may break the bones and render that limb useless.

Characters are governed by the laws of the kingdom. Certain laws are set in stone and not even a king can change. It is forbidden to murder, kidnap, trespass, and steal. In cities, characters are not allowed to unsheathe a weapon. If a guard sees someone with an unsheathed weapon, they will warn the character and if the character does not respond, they will be given a fine. If they still do not respond the guards will arrest them and throw them in jail.

The king sets the law on how criminals are punished, but the most common sentence is death in the arena. Players who have been thrown into jail will be queued to fight in the arena. When it's their turn, they will be escorted out and will have to face their opponent who is either a volunteer, a slave, or a prisoner like themselves. The king will set how many victories a prisoner needs before he is released as a free man, but the default is 5 victories. Other characters can sit in the stadium seating and watch the melee and even place bets before each round. When a volunteer or slave is victorious five times, they are rewarded in coin, and the slave of course pays it to his master. Characters can earn reputation as a gladiator in the arena.

The economy is run by default by NPCs that fill every role from lumberjacks, miners, chefs, traveling merchants, hunters, blacksmiths, mercenaries, and engineers. As players take over the market they will set the tone for the economy. The currency is copper, silver, and gold coins. There is no magic counter that keeps track of how much money you have. If you have money with you, it will be coins that you are carrying; whether that be in your coin purse, your burlap sack, or in the palm of your hand. Gold and coins are not easy to come by in King Me, a player is not going to find wealth sitting in any old urn, or attached to the corpse of a wolf he just slew. If you want to acquire wealth, you have to earn it or take it, and be wary that it is not taken from you. There are banks in each main city where your money will be relatively safe, for a minor fee of course. If you don't trust banks with your gold, then make a shovel and bury it, just don't forget where it is.

Players can buy shops in the city or plots in the central marketplace where they can sell their goods, gathered or created. They can hire workers to man their shops or purchase slaves.

All five kingdoms in each continent contain the resources needed for most endeavors. There are forests full of wood, animals, shrubs, and herbs. There are mines for iron, copper, zinc, and stone. Each realm has it's unique resources however, there is only a single mine in Monarchia for salt, gold, silver, precious stones, and nickel, making each of these resources particularly valuable. Each mine is a property of its respective kingdom (unless claimed by a conquering kingdom). It is therefore likely to be well guarded and only authorized workers would be allowed to mine its wealth.

Crafting is a general term for the creation of any product. In King Me there are seven categories of crafting: Carpentry, Engineering, Blacksmithing, Medicince, Cooking, Jewelery Smithing, and Tailoring. Of these trades, any character is able to create anything that the character has a recipe for, or has crafted 20 times already (after 20 times, the character memorizes the recipe). After a recipe is memorized it will never be forgotten, even after death.

Blacksmithing and Tailoring are the only two skills that advance with practice. Crafting starts at 1% skill and caps at 100% skill. A sword made by a master blacksmith will hold it's edge longer and be less susceptible to bending or shattering, so long as the player follows the proper procedure. It takes discipline when crafting a sword out of steel, a skilled blacksmith must give attention to the temperature of the ingredients, know when to mix the ingredients, and be skilled with his hammer as he refolds the blade upon itself. Crafting in King Me is not an "AFK" experience. To combat botters and to hold the value of rare weapons, armors, clothing, jewellery, and structures, long cool-downs are implemented on the crafting of certain items. A player could make 50 iron swords in a day, but only one custom forged-steel longsword, its grip wrapped in stag leather with emeralds set in the silver lined hilt and the sword's name inscribed in the blade. Both swords may cut the same, but the steel will last longer and the beauty of the sword will bring pride to her owner.

Examples of craftable products include: all sorts of weapons and armors, tools such as shovels, ropes, and wagons, boats and rafts, battering rams, stone and palisade walls, log cabins, first aid bandages, potions to cure infection, dirt and stone roads, lookout towers, torches, campfires, ladders, jewellery, and more. Beware that any construction without a permit from the sheriff could end poorly. All wooden structures are susceptible to being burnt or beaten down with a ram, and stone construction can only be destroyed by rams.

Barring engine obstacles, King Me would use a unique system of crafting, and operating in general. Players will interact with the world as if they were actually in it. When crafting a shovel for instance, a person would cut down a small tree, and shave it into a handle. They would then purchase (or make themselves) a shovel head, which they would then pound onto the handle. There is no progress bar, just progress.

When a character wants to get a log to town, he can cut it small enough to be able to drag it to a river, and then float it down the river. Or if he has an ox he can tie several logs together and have the ox drag them.

Characters don't have "inventories". When a character wants to carry something, he has to carry it in his hand unless he is carrying some type of bag. Larger objects take up more space in bags and the more a person is carrying, the slower they move. In combat a player can drop his backpack or bag and move more lightly on his feet. When a player wants his character to use the candle that's in his bag, the character has to open the bag so the player can see its contents. Then the player can tell the character to grab the candle, at which point the character will reach in the bag and pull out the candle. Then, if there is no fire present, the character will have to reach in his bag or pocket for his flint and use it to light the candle. This adds a lot more realism than the right click-use we see in today's RPGs.

Ideally, King Me would use voice recognition for players to be able to talk to NPCs. In the user interface, there is a place where players can look up every phrase that elicits a response from NPCs. Once getting a NPC’s attention, in addition to being able to type the phrase, the player would be able to say the phrase into the mic and the NPC would respond.

When a character dies, the player loses everything they are carrying, including clothing and currency.

Characters begin with 100% health. Health will diminish from malnourishment, starvation, dehydration, blood loss, the breaking of bones, or from poisons. There are various ways to stop bleeding, mend bones, and stop the effects of poisons, but the only way to recover lost health is by regenerating it over time with food in your system. After eating a well cooked meal a player will regain his health faster than after eating a basket full of berries or a pound of salted meat.

When a character dies, the player is given the option to "Continue the Legacy". At this point they will spawn a new character that will be a continuation of their deceased character. The name will be the same except with a roman numeral suffix. For example, if a character named Frolicks was killed, the new character would be called Frolicks II, and if he were killed the new character would be Frolicks III, so on and so forth. The default appearance would be identical to the character's predecessor, but would be customizable before the character's initial spawn. The legacy character starts with 60% strength at the bed or sleeping bag owned by the player.

When spawning as a legacy character, the player has a .1% chance of spawning in a character with either dwarfism or gigantism. Characters with dwarfism are 60% of the height of typical characters. They are spawned at 40% strength and max out at 80%. Characters with gigantism are 140% of the height of typical characters. They are spawned at 90% strength and max out at 160%. To avoid players mass suiciding to respawn as either a dwarf or a giant, players only have the .1% chance to deviate on their first respawn in any 24 hour day.

If a player's deceased character has a child/children, the player would have the option to take control of a child and make them into the player's new character. When a player respawns as either a legacy character or as one of their character's children, they retain any crafting recipes their previous character had memorized. The player's new character will also retain their smithing/tailoring experience, their reputation, and any title they may have had (with the exception of king).

There are five kingdoms on each continent. To become king of even the least of the kingdoms is no small undertaking. The king is the most powerful man in his realm. He is in charge of everything that he sees as worth his time.

At his disposal, a king has many subordinates to assist him in running his kingdom, including a Master of Coin, Scribe (keeps track of polls, puts new laws into effect, communicates to the people on behalf of the king), Captain of the Guard, Chief Engineer, General, Spymaster, Grand Vizier, Royal Physician, Sheriff, and Archduke (second in command, can be given variety of responsibilities, and takes charge when the King is sleeping/offline). The king can provide specific instructions to his staff or delegate control to them. These positions are held by NPCs by default but a player can be appointed by the king to take over any of these positions.

A king may appoint anyone who he chooses to be nobleman/women in his court. The titles of nobility include Archduke - Duke - Count - Baron - Knight. Each kingdom, outside of the capital city, is split into territories where a King assigns authority to his Nobles. A king has the authority to knight those who deems worthy. He can appoint anyone who has been knighted to a position of power in his kingdom and grant them territory. When a new king seizes power from the previous king (usually through uprising), the new king may give the ruling nobles the option to keep their authority and lands, or he may replace them with characters of his choosing. A nobleman who has been removed from their position will lose their ruling title, but they will retain their knighthood.

Kings decide how far their kingdom reaches. In the king's strategy room he has a map where he communicates to his general, captain of the guard, sheriff, and engineer. He can tell them where he wants to set up outposts to expand his kingdom, where he wants patrols, where defenses should be fortified or where he wants to attack. Here a king can also set the boundaries of the duchies and baronies where his nobles rule.

A king of one city can decide that he is not content ruling just one city, and declare war on another city. When at war, factions that are only allied to one of the opposing king's factions are automatically allied with that king. Factions that are allied with both kings however will have to choose a side or declare neutrality. Either king can surrender at any point. If the attacking king gives up, he can retreat his armies back to his kingdom at which point the defender can choose whether or not to pursue (at which point the war would go on but the positions would switch).

If the defending king surrenders he is at the mercy of his attacker. The conquering king can kill him and appoint someone new to the throne, or let the king reign but demand ransom in gold or slaves. If the defending king stays on his throne, he is required to submit his faction to the faction of the conquering king. He would still rule but may have to pay tribute to and obey any demands that the conquering king makes. The conquering king has the power to promote his own men, not only as king of his new realm, but also as Dukes, Counts, and Barons, giving them authority over the conquered land. If either king is killed during the conflict, there will likely be a struggle for the crown to determine the new king. When a new king emerges, he has the choice to keep fighting or to retreat or surrender.

War is costly and a huge risk for any king who dares declare it. The people are often against war and the king may lose his support and even risk rebellion. Because of these things, outright war is not something to be taken lightly.

If there multiple kings that are part of the same faction, one of the kings will be the High King (he is either appointed by the others or is the first one to be king from his faction). The High King has authority over anyone in any territory that is ruled by a king in his faction.

Public Approval is a big part of staying King. It is possible to rule the masses through intimidation and viciousness, but you will have no shortage of enemies. It is a king's job to keep his people satisfied. The royal scribe will conduct polls of players as well of NPCs to evaluate a king's popularity, and in what ways he's lacking. A king needs to protect his people from barbarians and criminals, ensure economic stability, and maintain the infrastructure, all while not taxing his subjects to mutiny. A king that allows members of his faction to get away with breaking the law will upset his subjects. When the people are upset with the king, it is very easy for another faction to start a rebellion. When a king logs out of the game, like any other character, his character will sleep. This leaves him vulnerable, so even a loved king would be advised to keep many loyal friends and many well equipped guards.

If the King dies of causes either natural or unknown, his Archduke will take over his position. If a King is killed by a player or NPC, the character that slew the king would have the opportunity to become the new king,(so long as the character was not a member of the King's faction: if a character kills a king and is a member of that king's faction, the character will be marked as a traitor and be removed from the faction). If the character that killed the king wears his crown, he will be the new king, so long as he wears it. Note that a King can at any time abdicate and pass his crown to someone else, appointing them as the new king.

When a king has been slain, the allegiance of the guards will be with the Captain of the Guard and the soldiers' allegiance will be with their General. If a Captain of the Guard surrenders (typing "I surrender" in chat brings guards to a defensive stance and brings up the console menu for faction allegiance) his guards will also surrender, and the CotG has the option to ally himself and his guards with the new king. The same thing goes for the General. When a General or CotG has been slain, the soldiers/guards will ally themselves with the faction of the king, and if the king is killed they will ally themselves with the new king and his faction.

For those of you who love to pillage, murder, steal, connive, scam, and bamboozle, King Me has plenty of options. All of these options are of course frowned upon, but still viable nonetheless. Any character can set out on his own with ill intent, or alternatively, risk joining up with bands of pirates, outlaws, or even barbarians.

There are NPCs doing just about everything in King Me. They are kings, assassins, farmers, blacksmiths, ship builders, barbarians, and outlaws. It's possible to gain the favor of many NPCs based off of the reputation of your guild and of your faction. You can interact with NPCs with an extensive chat menu, or by typing out specific commands in the chat. Each NPC has programmed responses for each command, which may be elaborate, or may be as simple as, I don't want to talk to you. Additionally, you can ask NPCs "Tell me about <insert player name>". Example, You: "Tell me about Sir No Scopes." NPC: "I heard he murdered 4 people. I saw him in town one hour ago." or NPC: "Sir No Scopes is my friend, I won't tell you anymore than that."

In the user interface is a copy of the following list of phrases that can be said to NPCs in order to elicit a response.

General: Hi, Hello, Good morning, Good night, Yes, No, Ask me later, How are you doing?, I’m glad you’re my friend, Tell me about <insert player name>, Have you seen <insert player name>?, Can I help you with anything?, What do you think of the king?, I like your hair, I think you smell like mud, What do you think of my faction?, Do you want to join my faction, I challenge you to a duel to the death, Fight me you coward, You look nice today, Do you have anything for me?, What can you do for me? (opens interface with options specific to the NPC’s vocation), We need a new king, Let’s start a rebellion, Join the rebellion, I am setting you free, Can you give me some food please?, You have served me well, What do you want to do today?, Will you marry me?, Let's make a child (only works on spouse, screen goes dark, picture the Fable love scene),

Commands: Leave me alone, Go home, Go to sleep, Take a break, Don’t talk to me like that, Give me money or I’ll kill you, Follow me, Be on your guard, Run away, Attack, Kill them all, Leave no survivors, Take them alive, Swear fealty to me or die, Work faster slave, Move peasant, Bow to your king, Guard this spot, Patrol from here. To here and. To here. (multiple sentences, “Patrol from here” sets waypoint A at the point the command is issued; “To here and” sets waypoint B and leaves the command open to additional waypoints; and the closing command “To here.” sets the final waypoint for the patrol,

Specific for sailing: Ahoy, Walk the plank ye scalawag, Batten down the hatches, Swab the deck, Forward row, Aftward row, Port side about face, Starboard side about face, All hands on deck, All hands to stations, There's our target (this command marks a ship or structure as an enemy, alerting NPCs in the character's party), Man the helm, Prepare to board (alerts NPCs to throw grappling hooks when in range), Board her, Set the sails, Weigh Anchor, Halt Oars, Hoist the Jack (flag), Lower the gangplank, Raise the gangplank, Give chase, I like the cut of your jib, Arrr (pirates respond to this with "Arrr!"),

Certain phrases only elicit responses from certain NPCs, “Do you have anything for me?” will only do something for servants, slaves, or friends of the character. Also, commanding phrases such as “Go to sleep” or "Give me money or I'll kill you" only work on servants, NPCs in “follow” mode, slaves, spouses, and characters begging for mercy. Additionally, some phrases will only work if the speaking character has some sort of status: “Move peasant” and “bow to your king” will only work if the character speaking is a noble or royalty.

Players are also able to use console commands in chat. For example: when a captain of a pirate ship is preparing for a raid and wants to give a dramatic speech, he can call all hands on deck and use the command (exclusive to those with the title "Captain") "/piratecaptainspeech1" and his character will begin a charismatic speech to inspire his crew.

Much trade occurs between the great capital cities of Monarchia, and most of it by sea. This means there is of course plenty of sailors with ill-intent. If a character were to fall in with the wrong crowd, he might be able to join a crew and pillage the seas. As always, when dealing with bad guys one has to be careful of being double crossed for a double share of the treasure.

Any character with a reputation as an outlaw will be hunted by bounty hunters and driven away from cities by the guards and good folk. Outlaws make their residence in the wilderness and prey on the weak. If a character meets a band of outlaws, they may have a chance at not being killed and joining the group, for a small price of course. Once banded as an outlaw, the only way a character can lose the reputation is to be pardoned by the king.

The people of Monarchia are generally a civilized people, but deep in the wilderness their lives a community of nomadic barbarians. They sacrifice children to their gods and eat their flesh. They are always on the move, raiding villages and towns as they go. Protecting his people from barbarians is every king's problem in Monarchia. If someone meets a band of these barbarians, it will likely be there death. However, at times they have accepted outsiders into their community.

Spies are uncommon and generally employed by a Royal Spymaster. They are useful for locating people, either friend or foe; finding out a character's reputation; and finding out useful information about another kingdom's resources, fortifications, and military status (how many men are in the army, how many war galleys they have, how many horses, what sort of weaponry they have, etc.). Only those with noble or royal authority have access to the Spymaster's resources.

In Monarchia are a variety of musical instruments that can crafted. Characters can learn to play songs by acquiring and memorizing sheet music. At a university, characters can learn to compose using an instrument and then record their composition on new sheet music. Using the in game mic and their musical instrument, players can sing while they play music, whether it's original or an old favorite. This gives players the option to role play as a minstrel or to just enjoy a little music while sitting around a campfire.

Factions are organizations of characters with similar goals. A character must be in a faction to hold any position of authority. Any character can start his own faction. When leaders of two factions get together, they're able to create an alliance between their factions. NPCs can be recruited to factions if the NPCs have a favorable attitude towards the faction and the faction has enough fame.

Both individual characters and factions have reputations. A character can earn a reputation as loyal/treacherous (for betraying or standing by members of their faction), dangerous (for killing many people, even enemies of the realm), wealthy, or as a famous gladiator, thief, or murderer. NPCs will treat you differently based on your reputation. A character's reputation is only viewable to other players if the character is high in a particular category. A character who has been witnessed murdering people will show up as a murderer to all, but a character who murdered one person in the woods with no witnesses may gain a small amount of reputation as a murderer (from suspicion and gossip) but would not show as a known murderer. Characters with known reputations for evil are wanted by the law and thus have a general reputation as an outlaw. The king's spies are good at finding out a person's true reputation which is helpful when a king is trying to judge the character of a stranger.

Characters are able to get married and have children in King Me. Characters can even marry NPCs if the NPC has a high enough opinion of the player's reputation. The children will grow into adults over time. If a female player character has a child, the child will sleep with the mother when she logs out until he is 8 years old.

Newly made characters are able to register themselves as family members of existing characters. The player of the existing character must accept. In case of death, if Phillip is registered as the son of Frank and Denice, if Phillip respawns as the legacy character "Phillip II", he will still be regarded as Frank and Denice's son, not as their grandson. If Phillip were to have a child named Greg, and he spawned as Greg instead of continuing his legacy, he would be registered as Frank and Denise's grandson.

Male and female characters are not created equally. Female characters are shorter than males and are not as strong. They can still be dangerous combatants however because combat is more dependent on player skill and strategy than on the strength of the character. However, reflective of medieval times, female NPCs will tend to shy away from combat and will not be common in armies or raiding parties. Female characters can wear armor, but it will not change the appearance of the armor. Recipes for armor designed for the female body will be rare but accessible. Additionally, a female character cannot be king, just as a male character cannot be queen. An unmarried queen can rule the realm without a partner, but she will have a much harder time holding the respect of her people. If a queen marries, her husband will become the king and assume all the formal power that comes with the title. It is however more acceptable for a Duchess or Baroness to hold govern a duchy or barony under the jurisdiction of a king. A Duchess or Baroness can maintain their authority, even when married. The developers of King Me do not wish to promote sexism, but to create a realistic experience. They do not believe it is sexism to limit characters based on sex, when players of either sex are welcome to play a character of whichever sex they choose.

Located in each city is a quest board where players can find quests and post their own quests. There will be random quests posted by NPCs as well. Players can post quests using an interface with options such as: bring me the head of x (player or npc), x number of logs, x pounds of iron ore, x number of steel swords, etc.) .

Great war ships and merchant vessels travel the waters in King Me. Ships are crafted by NPCs at the ship yard, but they are always looking for laborers and for buyers. A wealthy man can buy a ship or ten of his own. Surrounding the mainland of Monarchia are many islands waiting to be explored. Ships use a realistic sailing method depending on wind speed and direction (fortunately it's always breezy in Monarchia). The most common ships are galleys, ships that use both sails as well as oars. When operating a ship, the captain generally mans the helm while his lesser shipmates man the sails and oars.

Ships can be used in combat. Since no cannons exist in the land of Monarchia, an attacking ship has to catch their victim and hook them with grappling hooks, bringing the ships together and boarding the target ship with planks and by swinging from ropes to commandeer the ship in man to man combat. Bows are of course utilized as well.

The lands of Monarchia are filled with deer, bear, moose, rabbits, wild horses, lynx, fox, mink, harris hawks, sparrows, and peregrine falcons. Usually, wild animals tend to shy away from humans, but can be quite deadly when cornered. Hunters on foot generally will have trouble killing large game, unless in a party. Hunters have traps at their disposal however, to aid in the process. A player is able to tame horses and raptors (hawks and falcons). Catching and taming is a tedious process but can be quite rewarding. Domesticated animals in Monrachia include cattle, sheep, goats, oxen, chickens, horses, ponies, camels, raptors, cats, and dogs. Pets can be quite useful: raptors can be used to hunt small game and dogs can be used in hunting game as well as tracking down fugitives once they get the smell.

There are 5 capital cities on each continent, and the barbarian infested wildernesses on their outskirts. Each continent is identical and is based on a separate server and therefore would normally be called a "world". In King Me, they are only continents. Set out on a ship, stocked with plenty of water and food, and you will eventually (prepare for at least a 2 hour tour) reach the waters of another continent, so long as you do not sink.

Monarchia is full of secrets, secrets that will not be posted on fan sites or wikis because players who discover them are sworn to secrecy. Below is information that will never fully be released to the public. They will know of wizards, and there may be hints of assassins and treasure, but only hints.

In Monarchia, a select few will be chosen by the stars to walk the path of the enlightened. As a wizard a player will have mysterious powers, but also a responsibility to serve the people of Monarchia. Wizards are rumored to have the power to turn themselves into a tree or a wolf, to read minds and tell the future, and to brew potions that grant the drinker immortality, or allow the drinker to appear as another player or NPC, and more (the drinker would display the faction and reputation of the impersonated character as well). Wizards don't have offensive spells to help them in combat but they're very useful to have around, and any king would be lucky to have one at his disposal.

The fact that there are wizards who guard Monarchia is no secret. Wizards however take vows to never reveal ceratin secrets to ordinary folk unless the hour is dire. Wizards are encouraged to help people and can use their abilities whenever they see fit, but showing off and revealing secrets unnecessarily is not the way of the wizard.

In every city there is an antique shop with a creepy looking shop keeper. When a character says the right thing to the shopkeeper he will be invited to take a look at the "merchandise" in the cellar. Down in the cellar is where the members of the Night meet and plan their hits. The Night is a guild of assassins but even as assassins, they are held to a strict code of honor. In charge of the Night is the Council of Elders. The council is made up of a group of experienced wizards across the land of Monarchia. They direct the Night on which targets need to be eliminated for the greater good of the realm.

In Monarchia there are great treasures that have been lost and are just waiting to be found. Like many of Monarchia's secrets, the clues can be found in various books and journals spread throughout her lands.

Found on a piece of parchment the following code may hold clues to a great treasure:

icstmlooaoeaisoeue tttiorhaaeeeaaeiisoouuaueriaee kcijnaauoneswaat fiineateeeaeload mwmsoietrtneehaeeiaol sgtihrhsooeavuaeeneildias hshmaeeernradde fawfrnaoedtosaedhar aawinnoaddraaekieoeuiareois swimwiaaelekalier yramoiaaucaneh igwyaiooevnuiet tbdihueaettaaeaieoiuialeois atijmhnaaeeriaoauealeiil itooshnnleaeeaees wcthiahutmemheapeliaos stmmeeeennand asmtnuahdrkeaeey aymcroeaeunn tffrriieulllslllteeiarrf -Sir Eamonn

The following is found on random piece of parchment:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P RQ R S T U V W X Y Z

I lack long legs to leep over little lakes.

My name is Jak Grassen and I m lurning to rite cus Im a very lucky boy, or so my uncle keeps sayin.

one two three for fife six seven ait nine ten elevan tewwelf firteen.

“Firteen paces in”, thats what my pap always told me and his pap before him. Its became sort o a famly sayin. Our famly has other words too. We say “aflicks aflikshun is our frend” and “Graasens beelong in the midle of misery”. We been sayin em for so long and I ain even sure why but I know Ill keep sayin em cause thats what we Graasens do.

Green grass grows great with irri gation

I ain know why I am lurning to rite cus I ain never gonna be a noob nobelman or a smart man. Ever since my mum died Iv ben livin with my uncle and he is wicked harsh and he keeps makin me lurn stuff. If he finds out I hafen been stickin to my writin drills I know hes gonna woop me good. Im gonna haf to hide this parchment somewherst he won find it. I wish my pap wood come home.

Of Diamonds and Steel

Chapter 4

After sinking two war galleys of the royal fleet of Bahlvar who had been set to guard a merchant vessel loaded with diamonds, silk, and the infamous blade “The Render”, the pirate Jarkov Redmount caught the merchant ship and commandeered it. He manned it’s riggings with three of his most trusted men and told the rest of his crew to stay on the Rum Fellow (the name of his ship) and follow him to where they would divvy the loot. What his crew didn’t realize is that he had put a hole in the bottom of the Rum Fellow. His crew didn’t make it three leagues before the Rum Fellow sank, taking the lives of 30 or more men. No one knows what happened after that but Jarkov’s body was found two weeks later, washed up on shore a mile northwest of Greyholm. He had an arrow through his stomach and his bloodstained cutlass clenched in his hand. No one has seen the treasure or the Render since.

The treasure went missing the fourth year of the reign of King Yarsbin of Aalvog. Seventy years later, something happened that sparked a man named Sir Eamonn Magrow to disgrace himself to go searching for Jarkov’s fabled treasure. He abandoned his position as the Baron of Lysendul even leaving behind his wife. The king of Bahlvar, King Tormine was very close to Sir Eamonn so he let him go without chase and appointed his wife Sylanne Magrow to rule Greyholm as its Baroness. She was the first Baroness to rule Greyholm in at least a thousand years.

Kings of Monarchia: A Recent History

Chapter 1

The beginning of the fifth age of Monarchia began with the end of Emperor Melkarnin. Melkarnin IV also known as Melkarnin the Malicious, ruled all of Monarchia from his fortress on Lake Bynne. He was born to Sir Melkarnin III, the Duke of Grelinkomph which is known today as Greyholm. When he was still a lad of 14, Melkarnin killed his father by putting a sword through his chest. He had interrupted his father during court and his father rebuked him. Melkarnin became enraged and knocked over a guard, taking his sword. He stabbed his father and after throwing him to the ground, sat on his father’s seat, or so the tale goes.

Not much is known about how Melkarnin IV did it, but he acquired a formidable fighting force. He was also said to have made a deal with the pirate lord Buzzanacus who agreed to fight for him in exchange for certain leeway when Melkarnin was ruler of the land. With his fighting force and cunning strategy, Melkarnin conquered all of Monarchia and executed the three kings of the time. He built a palace in the centre of Bynne, which was a thriving city on the eastern shore of Lake Bynne and proclaimed himself the Emperor of Monarchia.

Emperor Melkarnin IV reigned sovereign for 17 years before Sir Elwat Piar, a knight and former Baron of Veriston (he had lost his position and was forced into hiding during Melkarnin’s conquest) incited a rebellion that sparked a bloody war that raged on for two years. In the end both Sir Elwat and Melkarnin lay dead, the city of Bynne burnt to the ground. Sir Elwat’s youngest and only surviving son, Varlonne became the leader of the prevailing side and anointed himself as the king of Aalvog, which he pronounced as the capital of Monarchia. He appointed kings to rule over the cities of Sev Lohtan, Urbem Litore, Bahlvar, and Karnova, over whom he reigned as the High King.

Chapter 2

Since the beginning of the fifth age of Monarchia, time has been kept with the rise and fall of the kings of Aalvog. From the first High King, King Varlonne, there was Varlonne II, and Varlonne III. He was killed in an uprising and replaced by King Ost of the name Quierce. King Ost was succeeded by his son Ostmar who was succeeded by Ostmar II who was succeeded by Ostmar III who was succeeded by Ostmar IV who was succeeded by Ostmar V who was the last High King of Monarchia. He was killed in the great War of Gold when King Louque of Sev Lohtan declared his sovereignty from High King of Aalvog. Ostmar V’s son, Grieslief of Quierce, remained on the throne of Aalvog after his father’s death in battle, and absolved the title of High King. From then onward the five kingdoms cities of Monarchia have remained sovereign.

King Grieslief ruled Aalvog for 63 years until he died of pneumonia at the age of 87. He is remembered as the most loved king in the history of Monarchia. The house of Quierce continued its legacy as King Grieslief’s son Lymkrodezzar took the throne after his death. King Lymkrodezzar’s reign was short lived, he died of yellow fever at the age of 59, a mere seven months after his father’s death. From King Lymkrodezzar’s was succeeded by his son Garlamb who was succeeded by his son Garlamb II who was succeeded by his son Garlamb III who was succeeded by his son Garlamb IIV who was succeeded by his son Garlamb V, and so A Garlamb of the name Quierce held the throne at Aalvog until King Garlamb XXVI’s resignation. This ended the longest period of time that one family has held a throne in Monarchia. Over a span of what most historians place between 600-650 years, 34 different monarchs ruled Aalvog from the house of Quierce.

Chapter 3

There has only been one resignation by a king in the history of Monarchia and it was King Garlamb XXVI of Aalvog.

The fog settled in thick as dusk fell upon us. It obscures my vision but it’s preferable to the rain. It’s been raining all day and I’m completely soaked through my leathers and wool, right down to the bone. Plount, a boy of 14 and Sir Barlin’s squire, was able to get a fire going and the three of us are sitting around it now and the chills are beginning to subside. Now that the feeling is coming back to my fingers I am able to write down what I saw.

We set out from Veriston early yesterday morn. We have been traveling inland of the road to avoid being seen. After the rebellion and King Pontref’s beheading, Sir Barlin has been a wanted man and was driven from his keep in Jauntee and barely escaped with his life. We are heading north to Sir Barlin is hoping to find a spot in King Darran’s court up in Sev Lohtan. Yesterday our journey was tedious and the going was slow but I’m sure that we were not spotted. We stayed the night in the northern stretch of Veris Forest and crossed Sídweg Road at the beginning of dawn. That was when the storm hit, a stroke of luck. It was a cold rain but it helped us move unnoticed.

The terror began shortly after entering the Swígae Wood. Up on a hill in a clearing there was what looked like an old man, clothed in ragged robes, Plount spotted him first. We dropped to the ground, watching and listening. It was hard to see through the rain but what I write next I swear is the truth. The man drank out of his wineskin and his body began to change. It was unlike anything I’ve ever seen, the man changed into the body of a great wolf, jet black in color. The wolf turned and looked down the hill in our direction. We were hidden in the thicket but when his pure blue eyes turned on us, I knew he could see us. I’m no fighting man but I’ve been in a few skirmishes and I’ve even killed a man; but I’ve never been as afraid as I was then. The wolf looked at us for a minute, then turned around and ran in the opposite direction, silent as the Night. Sir Barlin won’t even talk about it, afterward he said my eyes were playing tricks on me, but I knew he saw it. I could see he was scared. At first Plount claimed he saw it too, but now he won’t speak of it, when I ask him what he saw he just shakes his head. I must get to the library in Sev Lohtan, I need to find out what I saw.