101 Fantasy Government Secrets

[Dog Moon]

58. Those in charge of the nation have a hidden cache of power magic or technology. They hand it out sparingly, allowing the population to have 'suddenly discovered' a new spell of increased power or new technological device. Nobody realizes that the government has such control over such things.

There are laws against those who would create greater technological items in an attempt to keep the level of technology down, but the laws are actually designed to make it look like they are protecting the people instead of keeping them down.

 

[Stormborn]

(at this point not sure of the numbering)

* The Imperial City was actually laid out as a giant arcane sigil and is powered by the lives of the people in the city. It is meant to bless the empire and keep it safe from incursions by the extraplanar forces that wiped out the last civilization. Unfortunatelly the secret long held by the Imperial Dynasty was lost 20 years ago when the last Emperor died without an heir. The Imperial Senate sees no need to maintain antiquated building and zoning laws and has begun to a major renovation project of the city.

* The Saint that Ascneded and is now worshiped as a god did not in reality Ascend. His bones are in a secret shrine beneath his temple.

* The city is actually inside a bottle on the shelf of a powerful wizard. The surounding countryside is an illusion. Food and water are conjured when they are brought into the city. New arrivals are actually enemies of the wizard who have had their memories purged and replaced by false lives before being teleported into the jar.

* The gods are all dead. Clerics have found a way to transform the faith of the people into magical power. If the truth was ever known not only would it mean the end of their power, but probablly the end of civization.

* The reason everyone in the empire can read? A virulant intelligence is nesting in the population and is transmited through the written word. This is only its larval form, however, and one day it will awaken and transform the populace. Into what no one knows, but the king pays a great deal to discreet wizards to try and find out.

* Goblinoids once ruled the world and used humans, elves, and dwarves as slaves. These races made a pact with a powerful god to throw the goblinoids down and set them up as the masters of the land for 333,000 years. Time is almost up.

 

[Meloncov]

(at this point not sure of the numbering)

* The Imperial City was actually laid out as a giant arcane sigil and is powered by the lives of the people in the city. It is meant to bless the empire and keep it safe from incursions by the extraplanar forces that wiped out the last civilization. Unfortunatelly the secret long held by the Imperial Dynasty was lost 20 years ago when the last Emperor died without an heir. The Imperial Senate sees no need to maintain antiquated building and zoning laws and has begun to a major renovation project of the city.

Cool idea.


* The king has given dragons permission to raid outlying portions of the kingdom in exchange for promises of protection of others.

 

[Kobold Marine]

(at this point not sure of the numbering)

* The Imperial City was actually laid out as a giant arcane sigil and is powered by the lives of the people in the city. It is meant to bless the empire and keep it safe from incursions by the extraplanar forces that wiped out the last civilization. Unfortunatelly the secret long held by the Imperial Dynasty was lost 20 years ago when the last Emperor died without an heir. The Imperial Senate sees no need to maintain antiquated building and zoning laws and has begun to a major renovation project of the city.

variant:

One individual in the Imperial Senate has some knowledge of the sigil, and wants to pass new zoning and construction laws so he can alter the sigil and bend it to a new purpose.

 

[Agent Oracle]

67. The Queen has a personal manservant whom happens to be much, much more than a mere butler. They have been having an affair for several seasons. While he's been getting noticeably older, she looks just as young as ever...

 

[Sandain]

The world does not exist - apart from in the minds of a supremely powerful race of humans in another dimension. Some imaginary people and places have been thought about so much that they develop personalities and have figured out whats happening. They have seen continents created and destroyed by a single thought from these entities known as 'Players' lead by the omnipotent 'Dungeon Master'.

These imaginary people who have developed thier own consciousness devise a spell to travel to this other dimension and kidnap the DM - and make him concentrate on the world permently so it and they never cease to exist.

The Players find they they can travel to this world, and try to rescue thier DM. But they are first level and although they understand the world and rules - they are not powerful at all and have to gather experience, items, and allies. The DM tries to help the Players, but he is being permenetly mid read and his efforts are mostly all sabotaged.

 

[Agent Oracle]

69. The youngest prince has a deep, dark secret. up in his room is a pouch filled with carefully engraved gemstones, 6 of them, each a different color and size. And in the drawer beneath the pouch there is a thin book "Canyons and Cowboys"

 

[Meloncov]

69. The youngest prince has a deep, dark secret. up in his room is a pouch filled with carefully engraved gemstones, 6 of them, each a different color and size. And in the drawer beneath the pouch there is a thin book "Canyons and Cowboys"

We seem to have devolved somewhat...

 

[Relique du Madde]

70. To the surprise of an adventuring party which stormed the mad king's keep, in an attempt to dethrone his evil family, a high-ranking retainer gave but one ominous message before accepting death, "The princess is in another castle."

 

[arscott]

71. The genocidal maniac responsible for the last great war is not dead. At the war's end, he fell victim to a helm of opposite alignment. He now lives in the castle's deepest dungeon, an iron mask welded on to his face. The king occasionally consults him on problems that his regular advisors cannot solve.

72. Arranged marriages are taboo, and marriage between members of different social classes has been considered respectable for a great number of years. Nevertheless, all of the king's children have made politically convinient matches. Perhaps the King's ongoing study of enchantment magic has something to do with this.