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How to Make the Fantasy Royalty Captivating
Sunfire
CONTENTS
Overview
There are a lot of things to do when you’re building a fantasy world from scratch. Since the vast majority of these worlds take place in medieval times, one essential element you need to focus on is that of the fantasy royalty. It wouldn’t be a kingdom if there was no royal family, would it?
The royalty wields enormous power in the realm. Though the king or queen may sit on the throne, the other members have their own spheres of influence, making them important to the rest of the kingdom. It is up to you to present the royalty in a way that makes your audience get invested in them.
Many great stories like A Song of Fire and Ice put the fantasy royalty in a prominent role.
As the embodiment of power and prestige, these characters often play a central role in the drama that plagues the story, for good and ill. They use their position to advance their agenda, even if it winds up being unpopular with many people.
An important part of creating the royalty is to make it interesting. Some are deadly brilliant, like Lord Tywin Lannister, whereas others are spoiled rotten like Joffrey Baratheon. Giving them different personalities and ambitions helps differentiate them from each other and makes them fascinating to see what they do throughout the course of the story.
Due to its position as the ruling family, the fantasy royalty has an outsized impact both on the kingdom and the world itself. The policies and decisions it makes affects many people’s lives in different ways. It can go down in history as the family that led the country to greatness or ruin.
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The Position of the Fantasy Royalty
In the stores that feature a royalty ruling an imaginary nation, they have them take center stage. Not just because they are the family in power but because they are representative of the lands they oversee. If they take great care of their people, the country will be full of happy and productive citizens; if not, they’ll incur their wrath.
The citizens of the realm look to the fantasy royalty for leadership both in times of peace and war. When they face turbulent times, they seek reassurance from the king that everything will turn out just fine. It is incumbent upon the royals to be active, no matter what’s going on in the realm, and be visible across the country.
Forging strong ties with the people makes it easier for the royals to remain in power since they have less internal threats to deal with. The smart ones use the power of persuasion to win the hearts of the masses, especially when making a decision they know that will be unpopular with them. Some resort to fear and intimidation if they know they cannot sway people willingly over to their side.
The fantasy royalty is constantly on the guard for potential plots that could oust them. Ambitious nobles desire to supplant them and rule instead which is why the royals continually make subtle moves to limit their power and influence without going to war, even against those that have a great reputation among the masses. The countermeasures they make are designed in a way to ensure their deniability should they be exposed.
Most of the time, the succession is neat and orderly. Either the eldest child or the firstborn son assumes power upon the passing of his parent, depending on the world. There are times when it is contested which can lead to civil war or the near-destruction of the country. These wars can persist for several years until one side is defeated and the one that loses is either exiled or wiped out.
Craft Interesting Fantasy Royalty Characters
The royalty is full of various personalities. While they’re just like any other family at the core, the difference is that how the royals act towards each other and to the other characters can shape the plot in unexpected ways. Thus, it is imperative that you make them interesting in a way that makes your audience want to see what they do next.
One superb way to make great fantasy royalty is to make it a dysfunctional family. An excellent example of this is the Lannister family from A Song of Fire and Ice. The three children of Lord Tywin both love and hate him and they have a turbulent relationship with each other. The family dynamics constantly change throughout the series as the decisions each member makes affects the others’ perception of them.
While the dysfunctional royalty might be fun to explore, don’t overlook the importance of giving them unique personality traits that enable each one to stand out. These traits shape the way they see the world and how they treat other people. For instance, a domineering royal might run roughshod over others in order to get what he wants, regardless of what it costs him.
Each member of the fantasy royalty has their own ambitions and dreams. Some want more power so that their family can remain in power long after they’ve passed, others simply desire more money, and so on. Giving the members of your royal family these two goes a long way in personalizing them and making them interesting to your audience, for they’ll be curious to see whether they succeed in their aims or not.
Besides dealing with each other, the royalty also has to deal with the nobles who help them manage the realm. Their relationships can range from a friendly one to an adversarial one. These interactions are a gold mine in generating plot-lines since how they go will shape the decisions each side makes like forming alliances with each other or moving to open hostilities with one another.
Showcase the Impact of the Fantasy Royalty on the World
As the ruling family of the kingdom, the royalty plays a prominent role in the world. All members are considered official representatives of the kingdom on the world stage. As such, the decisions they make have the power to change people’s lives.
While the monarch is the only one who has the ability to formulate both domestic and foreign policy, the other members of the fantasy royalty can shape the society they lead in several ways. Some use their influence to wear outfits that start a craze across the realm whereas others scheme to use their clout to make enormous sums of money.
Many citizens view the royalty as either positive or negative role models. For those whose members display exemplary traits like kindness and being generous with others, many people emulate them, desiring to be like them. In the latter, where the royals are amoral, greedy, or lusty, they serve as a caution tale parents tell their children, warning them not to be like them.
When it comes to decision-making, the fantasy royalty can use their position to sway the monarch on divisive issues since he is more likely to take the words of his family over the nobles and the others who serve him. Many royals favor familial unity, even if it is in direct conflict over what is best for the realm, which can have ripple effects across the kingdom.
Ambitious nobles attempt to engender themselves to the ruling family, especially if the monarch or his heir is single. They use the most attractive members of their family to try to win either the king or his heir’s favor so that they can marry into the family and wield more power than they already do. They hope that the union will bear children that will eventually lead to them becoming the ruling family.
Tying it all Together
The royalty typically plays a major role in many stories that feature them. Though the monarch may be the one sitting on the throne, he isn’t the only one people are interested in. They learn about the various members that comprise it and how they interact with each other, which can lead to riveting drama when they are at odds with one another.
The fantasy royalty is considered the premier family of the realm. As such, all members are duly expected to work to advance the family’s interests which in turn will cement their hold on the kingdom, thereby making it more difficult for their enemies to seize power from them. Though they may squabble every now and then, when it comes to outsiders, they stand united.
Exploring the different members of the royalty helps make it interesting. Each member has their own outlook on life and their personalities make it easy or difficult for them to get along with each other. Having a royalty that makes your audience get invested in them helps keep them engaged with the story you’re telling since they’ll want to see what happens.
The royalty can steer a country towards greatness, going down in history as the family that made it the powerhouse it is in the world or it can utterly destroy it and make it ripe to be invaded by a hostile power. The decisions the monarch and his family make affect it both domestically and on the world stage.
If you’re planning on creating a medieval-styled world where monarchs rule the various countries, you need to focus on building out the royalty, especially if it is one you intend to be major players in your story. Fleshing out your fantasy royalty goes a long way in making them be characters that captivate your audience, thereby keeping them glued to your world and story!
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Thanks for reading this and until the next time,
Sunfire
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