Plot-

It’s 1097, two years after Pope Urban II called upon the Christian faith to join a war against the Turks. The Siege of Antioch has begun and isn’t predicted to end anytime soon. Despite this, members of the Church are confident of victory. The Crusade has progressed slowly but surely and Jerusalem, the holy city, is predicted to fall in the next few years.
Due to the Crusade, new wealth has flooded into the European nations. New lands have fostered great material wealth and agriculture has exploded in an effort to feed the warring armies. New families have been founded; castles abandoned by their previous Lords, who have died in the Crusade or just never returned, have been “acquisitioned” by nobles newly risen to power as well as questing knights returning from war.
It is a time of great change, where the middle-classes and noble-classes have blended together and anyone, at any moment, can rise to the top.
You are one such newly established noble. Whether you are a knight, a caretaker, a rival noble, or even a simple merchant, risen to new heights by the trade brought in from the middle east, you have recently acquired a new castle from a Lord who has been forgotten with time. Your subjects are unruly, the peasantry lacking direction since their Lord has been away. Military strength is at an all-time low, as most of the armies have been called away to the Crusades. The nobles who inhabit your recently acquired land plot your demise and seek to supplant you. Will you rule through military might, creating an order of ruthless knights who follow your every command without question? Will you choose a diplomatic path, negotiation your way into the political fray to acquire newfound riches? Or will you make your own path, something no one has ever seen before?
As you sit in your newly acquired throne, you know it will not be easy. Whatever your choices, you must act quickly for there are whispers of something dark brewing in the east, that the sins of man have opened the gates of hell. Despite what you may or may not think of these tales of fancy, only a fool chooses to ignore a possible threat completely.

Posting-

Regarding the passage of time; Every dozen posts or so (or when I feel it’s necessary) I will move the time period forwards an undetermined amount of time. Each time I do so will be a new Chapter. It could be a week, it could be a month, depending on what I think is best. When I do such, I will tell each Lord/Lady how their reforms/laws/actions etc have affected their lands and subjects. I will give a full account of economics, military, and public opinion for each Lord/Lady, separately, and present new problems for each Lord/Lady to solve based on their previous actions. Each Lord/Lady has TWO YEARS before the final chapter begins, at which point your actions will determine whether you kingdom rises to the top or falls into ruin.

Regarding the content of posts; you can be as vague or detailed as you wish. Maybe you choose to deal only with running the kingdom and only respond to the problems I create. However, you are not limited to such. Feel free to expand the playing field. Marry a Lord/Lady and rule side-by-side! Call a meeting with another Lord/Lady player and negotiate an alliance or demand their submission to your mighty armies! Or hell, marry another player and combine you’re forces to become even stronger! What you post and how much you want to get into the personal/economic aspects of the role-play is totally up to you.

Characters-

I want enough Lord/Ladies to make things interesting, but I’m not limiting anyone to just that position. If you want to make a knight in service to one of the other players, feel free to do so (contact them first to make sure its ok). Or maybe you want to be a prince or princess of another player. Feel free to get creative if you can find someone to go along with your idea.
Lords and Ladies, I want to see that you’ve put effort into making you’re character. The character should have their own unique personalities with their own strengths and weaknesses; nobodies perfect, especially leaders. I want to see that reflected in your characters.

Charcter Sheet-

Name:
Gender:
Age:
Nationality: (English/French/German/Italian)
Faith: (The protestant reformation has yet to occur, so this question is basically are you against the Church or support it? No one would be stupid enough to vocally oppose the Church without significant power, despite their beliefs.)
Build:
Height:
Weight:
Hair Style:
Hair Colour:
Eye Colour:
Social Class: (Knight/Noble/Merchant/Clergyman etc.)
Social Position: (Lord/Prince/Princess/Sworn Knight etc.)
History: (I’m leaving this to the discretion of the player. You can be as detailed or as vague as you want. But forewarning, the more good detail you put, the more I’m likely to regard you as a serious RPer. Which has its benefits.)
Additional Details: (This is anything you believe will make your character more life-like. For example, maybe you want to give a description or picture of your Lord/Ladies crown?)

Stats Sheet-
Note: Choose the top five words that best describe your Lord or Lady.
Note: Only players RPing as a Lord or Lady need to fill this out.

Pious
Corrupt
Ruthless
Diplomatic
Generous
Wise
Intelligent
Ambitious
Arrogant
Calm
Disrespectful
Cautious
Determined
Efficient
Charming
Charismatic
Hopeful
Honest
Confident
Fair
Fearless
Impulsive
Jovial
Greedy
Dishonest
Honest
Cold-Hearted

Open Door Policy-

As the title suggests, I have an open door policy. If you have any questions, concerns, or requests, lay them on me and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. I do, however, request that while sending me a message one maintains a respectful and formal tone, as I will to you. Otherwise I might just choose not to respond.