Jilted, deposed, exiled, lost, mad? Nonsense! Prince Karoug is merely enjoying an extended vacation as his younger brother, Alataini the wizard, takes on the burdens of regency. And those burdens must be light indeed, for Queen Belneta only interrupts her husband's magical studies when the royal warrant is needed for some matter she's already decided on.
Yes, there are rumors that Lady Belneta broke her engagement to Karoug when she found that Alataini's lack of social talents made him easier to manipulate, but what is this to Karoug? If the two he was once closest to are now apparently happy together then this is a cause for celebration, not sorrow. A toast to the king and queen!
However, others are not so content to leave the past behind, and Belneta often sends assassins to seek out and kill the exiled prince. These however are not as much bother as the many factions opposing Belneta who attempt to recruit Karoug into their own schemes.
Why do so many expect so much from a prince who was once ignored by all? Overshadowed by his heir apparent older brother, and the magical talents of Alataini, nobody paid much attention to the scrawny and apparently sickly young Karoug. Karoug's daily lethargy hid a grave secret for the overlooked prince would nightly don disguises to escape the dull palace life and learn much from those who dwelt in the dark alleyways of the capital.
It was on one of the last of these excursions that young Karoug foiled the kidnapping of young lady Belneta. As he led her back to safety, they had a whispered conversation where Karoug was struck by Belneta's wit and charm, and she was deeply intrigued by this mysterious urchin who seemed to know everything about the capital, from the sewers to the very heights of the nobility.
A fortnight later at her birthday party, to the astonishment of all Belneta recognized that Karoug had been her masked rescuer. The king finally saw some use for his forgotten son and eagerly agreed to their engagement.
What followed the happiest year of Karoug's life, and all remarked how much more energetic he was around Belneta. The oddest part was that all who managed to overhear the young betrothed couple's private conversations found that these seemed to express a shared well informed and deeply cynical view of the world, before quickly switching to lovey dovey talk whenever they realized they were being listened to.
This fairy tale romance came crashing to an end when Karoug's father and older brother were mysteriously slain in separate incidents. As Karoug hurriedly prepared for his coronation, conspirators were tracked down and reported to have named Karoug as the ringleader of the plot as each was struck down. Karoug barely escaped the kingdom with the help of his underworld friends.
Many have come to doubt the story of Karoug's involvement in the plot, but the reward for his death remains and so he mustn't linger too long in any one location. As to any who would deduce that Karoug's travels seem calculated to gather allies from neighing nations for his return he responds that would be work, and he is on vacation.
Prince Karoug, Human, age 27 ST 8, DX 14, IQ 14, MA 10 Talents include: Acrobatics, Alertness, Area Knowledge, Courtly Graces, Dagger Expertise, Disguise, Literacy, Locksmith, Pickpocket, Silent Movement, Streetwise Languages: Common, Thieves’ argot Weapons: very fine dagger (1d+2), silver dagger (1d) Attacks and Damage: Punch (1d-4) Armor: clothing depends on situation Equipment: belt pouch, 2 healing potions, waterskin, various coins and gems
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This game aid is the original creation of Henry J. Cobb and is released for free distribution, and not for resale, under the permissions granted in the Steve Jackson Games Online Policy.