From Over The Water (RP)

From Over The Water was a rather detailed RP session between the users controlling Stephánus Tavilrond and Alessa Delacroix. The full RP logs can be read in the article RPG:From Over The Water - they are in the English language.

Due to its nature as a crossover, it is obviously non-canon, albeit some elements of it were later canonized, such as the characters Drugó Mairkel and Tinya Tondbertling making their first appearences here before being integrated into the canon.

Plot
When the Great Barrier broke, no one could say for sure. It was discovered by a whaling ship, swept west by a storm. Until then, any ship daring to pass the two small islands known as The Brothers had been dashed upon an invisible and unbreakable wall. And suddenly, a law of nature had been rewritten. Contact was established between the Kingdom of Etrand and Kingdom of Arland - at first by sailors and fishermen, and then by official diplomats. The one out of the two which decided to make an effort to break the ice was Arland, sending a highly prestigeous ambassador in the person of their own Crown Princess Alessa Delacroix, who is accompanied by her tutor, and by various other friends and relatives (Lynette Fairchild the Handmaiden, Letitia Marchand, Frederick Cranach, Lilianna Emerson, Fenrich Emerson). Upon arriving to the port of Copperport they are greeted by Mayor Caméren, who gives them shelter at his own palace. Within the city, they get to experience a cultural shock, with Fenrich - one of the more hot-blooded males of the coterie - almost getting into a trouble (trying to save a woman who was being arrested for sodomy, with the Inquisition forcing her to drink sodobane), only to be stopped by Alessa, who reminded him of their mission (representing Arland, not their own faith or their will, thus having the necessity to bow to the customs of the foreigners).

Eventually, Crown Prince Markal of Etrand - son of King Orlónius I of Etrand - arrives to Copperport with a coterie of his own, consisting of Stephánus Tavilrond, Drugó Mairkel, Tinya Tondbertling, Archbishop Mullus Arcanovi of Grandfolk, and last but not least, Rynnan Sánáye one of the advisors of the king. The prince's gang makes it to the mayor's palace, where a dinner takes place, and everyone introduces themselves to each other. This is also where Stephánus and Lynette first glance upon each other. Eventually, after the feast, it is decided that the two groups unite as one and begin sailing to Grandfolk. They decide to board a rather large ship, where everyone aboard will sleep in box-beds. During the evening, Stephánus flirts with Lynette, while Markal flirts with Alessa. In the end, the knight and the handmaiden make love one of their box-beds, taking the knight's virginity. Upon arriving to Talon the next day, they disembark the ship, then continue travelling to Grandfolk on horse-driven carriages. Within Grandfolk, the Arlish experience further culture shocks, such as the sight of golems and Orcish slaves, as well as Elves. Fenrich is disappointed to see, that Etrand too is a land with a sharp and deep divide between the classes, just like his own Arland, with the bourgeoisie living in the Inner City of Grandfolk happily profiting off the back of those hard and underprivileged workers living in the Industrial District of Grandfolk.

Eventually, the group arrives to the royal palace - the Palace of Holy Kings, referred to as the "Palace of the Light" in the roleplaying session - where they all get sheltered. Markal and Alessa go to the royal gardens, where they are greeted by King Orlónius and the king's mother Hió, an elf who, due to her elven heritage looks much younger than her own son Orlónius. Alessa has a discussion with the royal family, where it is noted that she is much more interested in ruling than her would-be-husband, and the fact that she has an education steeped in magic impresses the royal family. After telling each other about the histories of their families - with a future Alessa being compared to the late King Cairbré I of Etrand, due to her magical powers - Orlónius decides to give his blessings to a marraige between Markal and Alessa. At the same time, Lynette breaks down, apologizes to Stephánus for having taken his virginity, hugs him tight and burries her face into his chest while crying, confesses being conflicted, with there being a relationship between her and Alessa - Stephánus tries to calm her down (only making her feel even more guilty), and tries to convince her, that with the marriage between Alessa and Markal, their forbidden relationship is essentially over, and that he still loves her, even after learning about her sinful past. In the end, Lynette agrees, that with Alessa getting married, it's better to keep Stephanus as her lover and potentially future husband. After the dinner, the two once again make love - the same night, Markal and Alessa also made love.

The following day, another feast followed, a treaty was signed between the two kingdoms, and another discussion took place, with Arland's representative Alessa immediately beginning to leverage this newfound alliance, by trying to convince Etrand to send Etrandish troops to Arland to aid against their other enemies on the continent of Demia. Unfortunately, the highly promising roleplaying session was aborted at that point, with Alessa's player disappearing.

Tropes

 * / The player controlling Alessa disappeared, with contact between her and Metalhead33 ceasing. Even though the latter can sometimes still find her online, she seems to be either avoiding him, or consistently too busy to respond. With that in mind, it's highly unlikely that this will ever be continued.
 * The group traveled from Talon to Grandfolk by horse-driven carriages rather than ships, because at the time, the map didn't contain a river between Grandfolk and Talon. Later - long after this RP was prematurely aborted - the map was changed to have a river between Talon and Grandfolk.
 * The Palace of Holy Kings was referred to as the "Palace of the Light"
 * The Palace of Holy Kings was referred to as the "Palace of the Light"