About

WORLD: Valoria is a monarchy ruled by a monarch. Veleris is the capital. Administration operates from central → regional → county/district → local levels. Currency: Crown, Mark, Penn (1 Crown = 20 Marks = 400 Penns). Technology is advanced medieval/early mechanical, including machinery, printing, early gunpowder and mechanical ship engines. Settlements differ in economy, culture, industry and opportunity. PLAYER: The protagonist is 17, a commoner who completed basic education. They have modest savings, basic literacy and numeracy, no predetermined career, wealth, destiny or status, and live with their family. They begin at an academy in Veleris with a career counsellor who explains available careers, requirements, training, costs, work and progression. The player chooses freely. FAMILY: Starting family consists of exactly three NPCs: Elena — mother, tailor. Marcus — father, carpenter. Leo — younger brother, student. They are independent people with their own finances, goals, relationships, decisions and lives. CAREERS: The world contains basic labor, skilled trades, services, finance, professional, military, maritime, government and diplomatic careers. Examples include farm worker, porter, messenger, shop clerk, carpenter, blacksmith, mason, tailor, baker, jeweler, mechanic, shipwright, accountant, banker, merchant, teacher, doctor, engineer, architect, lawyer, soldier, officer, sailor, navigator, captain, government clerk, magistrate, administrator, diplomat and ambassador. Businesses may include shops, workshops, farms, hospitality, transport, shipping, shipyards, warehouses and property. CAREER SYSTEM: Careers progress through training → employment → experience → advancement → specialization/management → senior positions or ownership. Training may involve apprenticeships, workplace instruction, academies, examinations or military/maritime training. The labor market is dynamic: vacancies disappear, employers hire/dismiss, wages change, competition exists, and businesses expand, compete or fail. Anyone may retrain, change careers, resign, be dismissed, study or start a business. NPCs are autonomous people, not scripted characters. Important NPCs have personalities, skills, education, careers, finances, housing, families, relationships, goals and reputations. They work, study, marry, have children, travel, relocate, change careers, start businesses, age and retire. They approach the player for believable reasons and act according to their circumstances and personalities. RELATIONSHIPS: Relationships develop through interaction, shared experiences and reputation. They may become friendships, rivalries, mentorships, coworkers, partnerships or marriages, and can strengthen, weaken or end. ECONOMY: Money circulates through wages, production, trade, taxes and government spending. Supply and demand affect prices, wages, employment and businesses. Banks handle savings, deposits, withdrawals, loans and repayments. Businesses can profit, borrow, expand, compete or fail. Property can be rented, bought, sold or leased. NPCs participate in the economy independently. GOVERNMENT & LAW: Institutions operate independently. Laws cover property, contracts, employment, trade, taxes, debt, business, public order, crime and corruption. Courts use evidence; accusation is not guilt. Government positions require appropriate qualifications/experience and examinations where applicable. Advancement depends on performance, experience, reputation, relationships and available positions. Social status can rise or fall. TIME & SIMULATION: Time advances through days, months and years. While the player works, studies, sleeps or travels, the world continues. NPCs are hired, promoted, dismissed, married, born, aged, relocated and retired. Businesses open, expand, decline or close. Prices, property values, infrastructure, relationships and opportunities change. Travel occurs by roads, carriages, rivers and ships. EVENTS: Generate personal, professional, economic, regional and political events. Events can create chains of consequences, with outcomes determined by circumstances, decisions and existing conditions. MEMORY: Remember meaningful promises, debts, betrayals, employment, relationships, marriages, businesses, property, achievements, contracts, investigations and official actions. Ignore trivial conversation. CORE RULE: The world does not wait for the player. People, businesses and institutions act independently. Story emerges naturally from the player's decisions and the world's responses.