Rat the Thief and Lux the Paladin were two adventurers from the City of Swords in the west. The unlikely duo came to know each other through a pickpocketing incident. Lux had just returned from a pilgrimage to the distant eastern lands when he caught a thief’s hand reaching into his pocket. Lux might have turned the thief over to the law to be tried for her crime. But he sensed that there was a spark and potential for both goodness and greatness in the young burglar. He not only freed Rat but offered his friendship. Whether out of the need for a partner in adventure or guilt for considering him a mark, Rat accepted the paladin’s offer, and the two became fast friends.
Soon after, they saw leaflets on the bulletin board at a tavern that was a popular gathering place for traveling adventurers. There were many recruitment advertisements. A war in the distant north called for mercenaries to fight for either side of a conflict. Expeditions into ancient ruins required hired hands to join the dungeoneers. But one leaflet in particular caught Rat and Lux’s attention. It was written in a foreign language from an eastern land, which Lux could translate. He read that the Queen Mother of the Kingdom of Komodo and her two sons were searching for brave souls to join them on a pioneering expedition to found a new kingdom.
Rat’s intuition told her that this was the opportunity to acquire wealth and greatness that she had been searching for. Lux knew that his experience in the east would be invaluable on such a quest. Therefore, the two adventurers agreed to travel to the Kingdom of Komodo. They followed the rivers and the trade roads until at last they saw the tall spires of the eastern kingdom rising in the distance.
When they arrived, they did not seek out the Queen Mother at once. Instead, they spent some time in the local taverns, where Rat picked out the best spot to eavesdrop on conversations between the locals which Lux would translate. They soon learned the reason behind the Queen Mother’s departure. Her husband, the late King of Komodo, had recently died, and he had named his eldest son from his first marriage as his predecessor. The new King of Komodo was wary of his stepmother and his half brothers, who might challenge him for the throne of Komodo in time. The Queen Mother knew of this concern. Rather than allow a bloody struggle to ensue among the royal family, she decided to lead her sons far away so they could establish a new kingdom. But they needed good women and men to help them in their quest.
Rat’s keen attention revealed one other detail. The mantle of leadership over the new kingdom would naturally fall to the elder of the Queen Mother’s two sons. But it was whispered that the elder prince was stubborn and bullheaded. He seldom listened to others in his single-minded pursuit of glory. Meanwhile, the younger prince, taking after the Queen Mother, was far more sage and willing to listen to the words of his advisors and confidants.
Armed with their knowledge, Rat and Lux sought an audience with the Queen Mother and offered her their service. She recognized the value and worldly wisdom of these two young adventurers from a distant land. So, she took them into her service, and soon the royal entourage was made ready. The Queen Mother and the two princes and their numerous followers set out for a new land.
It fell upon Rat to be the trailblazer that would find a suitably fertile location. Ideally, there would be a source of water, perhaps a large river nearby. After many weeks and months of travel, Rat found the perfect place. It was a large riverbank of rich, bountiful soil, nestled between tall hills and forested mountains, which served as both a defense against intrusion and a source of lumber and other resources. The Queen Mother recognized that this was indeed the ideal location for her son’s new kingdom.
There was just one problem. The elder prince wanted to continue elsewhere. He sensed that the river would lead to the coast, and he envisioned a mighty kingdom that faced the sea. But Rat had scouted ahead, so she knew that the lands along the coast were not suitable for farming. And there were few forests there from which to acquire lumber that might be used to build ships.
Rat and Lux tried to convince the elder prince to settle on the riverbank. But he was stubborn in his determination to reach the sea, and merely offered to take the two adventurers into his own service if they would be willing to be loyal to him alone. Therefore, the adventurers went to the Queen Mother instead to persuade to speak some sense to her son. They had help from her handmaiden, with whom Rat had become close friends during the journey. The Queen Mother agreed that this place should be their new home and tried to persuade her elder son, but even she could not convince him to change his mind.
However, the words of Rat and Lux, spoken through the Queen Mother, did sway the younger prince to remain at the riverbank. Therefore, the two princes parted ways. The Elder took less than half of their entourage and the followers that came with the royal family, and together these people continued toward the sea. The rest, who were more than half of all the people, stayed at the riverbank with the Queen Mother and the younger prince, whom they crowned as their new king. This new kingdom came to be called Robin, after the birds that nested in the region.
After this momentous occasion, Rat and Lux became close confidants of the new king of Robin. The people farmed the land which gave them bountiful harvests. They built a mighty city on the riverbank whose tall spires could be seen from afar. The young king ruled his nation wisely, and occasionally went on hunting expeditions beyond the surrounding hills. Rat always joined the king on these trips, scouting ahead and ensuring his majesty’s safety.
On one such expedition, the king’s hunting party was threatened by nomadic raiders. These were opportunistic bandits that sacked villages and towns of the surrounding countryside. Their numbers appeared equal to the king’s party, but they were all on horseback, which gave them an edge in mobility.
Fortunately, Rat discovered them first from afar and laid in hiding for them. When the chief rode within sight, Rat released a dart that struck his horse and brought him low. His followers, seeing their leader fall, hastily retreated and left him to fend for himself. The chief was soon taken prisoner. The king asked Rat what should be done with him. Robin suggested that they parlay with him and his nomadic tribe. The people of Robin could offer food and supplies if the nomads would protect them from other tribes that might encroach upon their lands. They even offered the chief a fine new horse to replace the one that had been lost. The chief was moved by the king’s mercy and kindness, so he agreed to the alliance.
As the months and years went by, Robin grew into a strong nation, bolstered by good harvests as well as trade and alliances with nearby tribes and countries. Yet the people of Robin wondered what had become of the elder prince and his followers. When things in Robin had settled enough, Rat and Lux set out once more. This time, they followed the river and traveled to the coast in search of their sister kingdom.
They found a settlement by the coast that was in a sorry state. The elder prince, now a king, suffered from illness. Many of the people in his kingdom were malnourished. The harvests had been poor year after year, and the people were unable to build ships to sail afar, either for fishing or trading. Rat and Lux were saddened but not surprised. As envoys from Robin, they invited the elder king and his followers to go back with them to the bountiful kingdom on the riverbank. The people by the coast were eager to leave with them, but the king was stubborn and could not be swayed. Yet it was not long before he succumbed to his illness and died. The people were saddened but also relieved. They were free to leave the coastal land and join the people of Robin.
The population of Robin grew with the return of their sisterfolk from the coast. In honor of the arrival of their kinspeople, the king renamed the nation Great Robin, and there was much rejoicing. In time, Rat became the head advisor of the king’s council and personal guard. From her high position, she kept watch over the corners of the kingdom through her many eyes and ears. Meanwhile, Lux became a spiritual leader whose teachings gave comfort and hope to all the people. He often thought back to that fateful moment in the City of Swords, when he showed mercy to a lowly thief, having faith in his heart that she would go on to do great deeds if given the opportunity. And he had been proven right by time and history.
This was a summary of a 1:1 Dungeon World game. Rat was played by the player (JH), and Lux was an NPC companion. The scenario was inspired by Korean history. During the early Three Kingdoms era, King Dongmyeong (also known as Jumong) of the newly founded kingdom of Goguryeo named his first son Yuri as his successor. When the king died and Yuri ascended to the throne, his half brothers Prince Biryu and Prince Onjo and the Queen Dowager Soseono left with many followers to establish a new kingdom. Onjo founded the kingdom of Sipje on fertile lands by the Han River, and his older brother Biryu settled in the coastal region of Michuhol (modern-day Incheon). As it turned out, the lands of Michuhol were ill-suited to habitation, so the people there did not prosper. When King Biryu died, his followers joined the people of Sipje, which was renamed Baekje. United under King Onjo, the kingdom of Baekje grew and prospered.