New Party: Faery courts

[benlk]

Central setting: Diplomatic talks

Scouts have found a new Human land on the borders of known space, and established economic treaties require the Faery Courts to determine the apportionment of its contents through diplomatic meetings. And by longstanding tradition, these talks may last no longer than one dinner party: If terms are not agreed upon, then the land is accounted for and divided evenly between all signatory courts.

The Red and Blue Courts are major world powers in this era, and wish to remain so.

Other Courts would gain from failed talks.

Unknown to the Courts, practically unthinkable, the Human land is aware of these developments, and is working with established rebellious Human groups in all Courts to subvert the process even further, so that the Humans have a side at the diplomatic table.

Key mechanic: Armbands

• Armbands signify courtly alliance
• Headbands for humans
  • Headbands are neckbands when they're not currently tasked by one of their faery courts
  • Headbands are headbands when actively running a task for a fae
  • Humans cannot remove their own headbands, only move them around.
  • Headbands can only be removed by fae of a party that have the same color
  • There are non-allied humans with fake headbands, who choose to obey the headband rules but are not bound by them.
• Armbands for fae
  • Bands can be removed, but why would a fae ever want to? A fae without an armband is indistinguishable from a human, and might be taken as a servant
  • Fae can play as humans by moving an armband to a headband, but they would need a partner faery to remove the headband: the headbands in this case

    Parties:

• Red Court
• Blue Court
• Other Courts (at least two, one should be open to humans)
• Human servants of each
• Non-servant humans

[benlk]

Red Court and Blue Court will play the exciting human game of "chess" to determine who gets apportionment duties. The non-bordering Yellow Court will serve as moderator and refugee.

The two chess-players and one chess-referee will be the ranking members of the respective courts, none of whom know how to play chess. Each player will be assisted by one elven researcher of chess and one human. It is assumed that all humans know how to play chess. The players of the elves will have been encouraged to research chess, and should be drawn from players with experience in chess.

The game will take place in three three-turn rounds, with the game called at a concluding fourth round.

The organizer of this treaty negotiation is enamored of humans, and thus has decided to host the treaty negotiation in an average human house on the border of the conquered lands. The organizer is a non-referee member of the Yellow Court.

[benlk]

Characters may die, so how should the scenario handle the difference between elves and humans? Human characters are dressed differently than elvish characters, and adding a suit jacket to standard human costume isn't going to cut it unless the elves have elected to wear human garb as a lark, or in response to a request from the host.

If the costume difference between elves and humans is to be slight:

• Elvish characters are instructed to wear normal human clothes, and then put a suit jacket on over top of that, to distinguish them from the humans.
• Human characters are instructed to wear normal human clothes
• When a player changes species, they will don or doff their jacket.

if the costume difference is significant

• Human characters are instructed to wear normal human clothes (less formal than business casual)
• Elvish characters are instructed to wear business-casual or more formal, with accent colors in the color of their court.
• When an elvish character "dies", being an elf, they do not in fact die. They become a shadow, free to lie and deceive. They are free of their obligations to their court; and other courts can claim them by resurrecting them, but there are no court members present at this event with the power to perform resurrections.
  • [ ] What power level is required to perform resurrections? Why is such an elf not present?
  • [ ] Who are the diplomats, what is their rank, and why are they not the highest rank of the court? Is there a taboo about talking to elves of other Courts?