A Unique Grantable Inheritable Dynasty Trait

"Dynasty Online has so many moving parts."

"Dynasty Traits both grantable and inheritable."

"A secrets system that can dictate the flow of the game."

"And political intrigue and betrayal that can make Game of Dethrone seem like a child's play.

Reginald Coulan, creator and head of House Aurellion in dynasties online.

…..

[Important Feats Calculated Please choose 1 reward from the list below.]

[Option 1: Unique Grantable Inheritable Dynasty Trait 'A Dynastic Oath of Loyalty.']

[Option 2: An Inheritable Dynasty Trait of your choice]

[Option 3: Two Character Traits of your choice]

[Option 4: A large amount of gold to help you start the game]

[Option 5: An option created by the player and checked and verified by the Friend System.]

Railius looked at the list with confusion as he pulled up the description for the Grantable Inheritable Dynasty Trait, interested in what it was.

….

A Dynastic Oath of Loyalty (Unique Grantable Inheritable Dynasty Trait)

Description: Your house is built upon loyalty, and your unique unit, the Pelican Guards, was founded by the first Grandmaster of Loyalty, Leon Mantelon. As a result, they are one of the most loyal and highest morale units in the world of dynasties online.

Members of the Pelican Guards take pride in their loyalty to your house, so you can grant them this inheritable dynasty trait to reward notable members and tie them more firmly to your dynasty and the Pelican Guards as a whole.

After giving a dynastic oath of loyalty to your house their decedents will have an easier time getting into the Pelican Guards and will have increased loyalty towards your house.

Effect: Gives one special status in the Pelican Guards, making them more respected by their peers and increasing their authority within the organisation.

Members of dynasties with this trait will have an easier time getting into the Pelican Guards.

Members of dynasties with this trait will have increased loyalty to House Aurellion.

Members of dynasties with this trait may see it as their birthright to get into the Pelican Guards, opening it up more to corrupt practices.

….

Railius stared at the options in front of him for a good while, his brain trying to run through all of the possibilities, but there was one thing that he wanted to know first.

"Friend System, what is a grantable inheritable dynasty trait? I assume it's an inheritable dynasty trait I can grant to others."

Railius asked, wanting to confirm his hypothesis as he didn't even think such a thing was possible.

"Yes, it is. There are a few instances where granting someone an inheritable dynasty trait is possible. The most common is when you become a powerful noble like a count or the ruler of a nation, as when you decide to grant someone player or NPC a duchy or territory for them to rule to become your vassal, you are essentially granting them the 'Landed Noble' dynasty trait which everyone knows is inherited from father to son."

"This means that a Count can grant someone the Landed Noble inheritable dynasty trait as long as it was a baron or vice count under them."

"While there is no limit to the number of landed titles that you can give out. To grant one, you must at least have the land to grant them a fief and remember that because it is their fief, the amount of control you will have over it will be decreased compared to that of lands directly under your dynasty's control."

"There is also a minimum amount of land that must be granted for you to grant them the noble title."

"The more land and power you accumulate, the more titles you can grant; the only thing they must be is lower than yours."

"Either way, a grantable inheritable dynasty trait is, in essence, an inheritable dynasty trait that you give to others. I hope that it's all clear now.

The Friend System said, informing Railius about what grantable inheritable are and how they are used.

"Is it possible just to not give out any land?"

Railius asked, knowing that vassal loyalty can change like the wind, their loyalties shifting one way to the next depending on who gives them the best offer. The only people to whom the young player would likely even give such titles and power would be Aldorus, Darius and Leon because they had all proven their loyalty beyond the shadow of a doubt. The System was smart enough to infer what the young player meant and decided to give him a common-sense reply.

"In theory, but your influence can only go so far. The reason people give out land is to lower the number of people you have to deal with. For example, what is easier to deal with the wants of 20 dukes or the wants of hundreds if not thousands of towns, villages and cities that stench over many hundreds and sometimes thousands of miles?"

"As long as you are aware that the loyalty of vassals is not absolute, then you should be able to manage them, for they will not betray you unless they have a good reason to, for no one likes to take in a traitor, and many find themselves purged soon after they have been used."

"Just look at Xu You. After helping Cao Cao win against Yuan Shao at Guandu and take Ji province, he became arrogant and was eventually executed by Cao Cao. Either way, no lord worth his salt would trust someone who changes sides so easily and would make sure to keep a close eye on them. "

The Friend System said, which surprised Railius as he did not expect the administrative AI to be so well educated about ancient history from the real world. This AI seemed to interact more with the real world than Railius initially thought.

"Fair enough."

Railius muttered quietly, going back into deep thought as he tried to decide what would help him the most.

In the end, while the other options were very appealing, the unique, grantable, inheritable dynasty seemed to be tailor-made for his dynasty and the best choice overall. It appeared the Friend System would always make some option that was tailor-made for someone's dynasty while also offering various open-ended chances for customisation, allowing each dynasty, even if they are similar in many ways, to be unique in one aspect or another, allowing each player to create their own style if they so wish.

A good example would be if Railius went against another war-focused dynasty in a battle that focused on power instead of loyalty. While both will have martial traits and similar skills in contrast to Railius, who focuses on the loyalty and morale of his men, the other dynasty may have traits that increase their soldier's fighting prowess or strength, making for exciting and interesting matchups.

So, after all this thinking and consideration, he went for the unique grantable inheritable dynasty trait 'A Dynastic Oath of Loyalty because it would allow him to ensure the loyalty of his Pelican Guards and set up a way to ensure the next generation of them would be just as strong and loyal as the last.

Clicking on option 1 led to another stream of system notifications appearing, which surprised the young player.

[Player has chosen the unique grantable inheritable dynasty trait 'A Dynastic Oath of Loyalty]

[Player has received all his rewards for completing this Dynasty History Event]

[Would the player like to look at his updated character sheet?]

[Y/N]

Railius was surprised that he would be given a chance to look at his updated character sheet, thinking that this would only happen at the end of the Dynasty History System. He expected that it would be much different than the one he had made in character creation as it would add all of the rewards that he had gotten over the many quests he has had to complete for his dynasty to survive quickly pressing on the yes button leading to a large blue translucent character sheet to appear in front of him.

….

Character Name: Railius Aurellion

Dynasty: Aurellion

Faction: House Aurellion

Race: Half Dwarf

HP: 40

MP: 50

Age: 18

Attributes:

Strength: 8

Agility: 7

Dexterity: 7

Vitality: 8

Intelligence: 10

Wisdom: 10

Charisma: 11

Equipment:

Renowned Fallen Martial Nobles Starter Kit.

Money:

Gold: 25

Silver: 70

Copper: 1000

Skills:

Military Strategy (Intermediate)

Swordsmanship (Intermediate)

Leadership (intermediate)

Riding (novice)

Negotiation (novice)

Rallying Call (Active)

Race Traits:

Interspecies Humanoid Reproduction

Stout of Heart

Versatile

….

"Err, friend system, where are my Inheritable Dynasty Traits and unique unit? I don't see them here."

Railius said nervously, unable to keep the great unease he felt appear deep in his heart out of his voice as a sea of sweat ran down his avatar's face, thinking that he had suddenly lost them for some strange reason.

"Don't worry about them. They are still there; it's just that they affect your dynasty, not your character, so they will not be listed on your character sheet anymore in the creation process; we combine them to make it easier, but things that affect a character and dynasty while similar are inherently different."

"A character may be ordered or given a quest or trait, but it does not mean that it affects the dynasty as a whole. Later, a dynasty sheet will be available, but we need to see you go through the entire dynasty history system first."

The friend system said as if it were the most natural thing in the world, taking momentary pleasure in seeing the cunning young player before him lose his cool, which is a very rare event.

Railius breathed a sigh of relief when he heard what the friend system said, knowing that his work had not been for nothing and cruelling stolen from him by the sadistic system.

"How long has it been in the real world?"

Railius asked, wanting to know if he needed to take a break yet as his mind was once again feeling mentally exhausted after having to convince not one but two cunning bastards not to kill and instead help him.

"Thanks to the time skips and short quests, around 2 days have passed in the game, so about 4 hours of real-life time."

The Friend system said before Railius asked the final question that he just remembered having been distracted by his generous rewards up until now, and he only picked up on this when going through all the system notifications again.

"What is the Dynasty Secrets System?"

Railius asked, wanting to know how it would impact the various noble families in the game, who he suspected would be the central people who use this game system. Considering it some more, Railius was flabbergasted again by all the systems in this game.

'The Dynasty Inheritance System, The Dynasty History System and now this system! How many mechanics are in this bloody game.'

Railius thought before the friend systems mechanical voice brought his attention back to it.

"The Dynasty Secrets System is also linked to the Character Secrets System."

The Friend system began explaining the rather complex system to him but simplified it as much as possible.

"As dynasties and characters interact and fight for power, many secrets will be created that could impact a dynasty significantly, from murder to the true ancestry of children to secret alliances like the one you have with Duke Ancel. All sorts of things are possible."

"For example, say you secretly kill a king. At this point, a secret will be created, meaning that only those directly involved will know who truly killed the king."

"But if it becomes common knowledge that you committed regicide, then it is likely that the successor of the king and those loyal to him will declare war on you, and you will be executed for treason."

"So, as you can see, it is imperative that certain things are kept secret, which is what the secret systems are about. How easy or hard it is for people to learn about these secrets."

"This is why you must be careful who you work when it comes to making secrets because you may be betrayed by one of your conspirators and left to deal with the consequences. It is also why people who find out about such things are usually killed; after all, dead men tell no tales."

"It is also why it is a big deal that The Free Brothers found out your secret, as now they can hold over not only your head but Ancel's head too."

"Usually, long-kept secrets are safer as there are fewer people who are either interested in finding out about them or have the ability to betray you.

The friend system explained.

"Do you understand?"

"Yes, thank you, friend system, that is quite clear."

Railius replied, taking in the new information and understanding that who he works with in the future is very important because if he chooses the wrong person, his secrets could get out. Luckily, he had Leon and House Mantelon he could rely on and trust.

It was then that another system notification appeared before him.

[Your third and final Dynasty History Event, 'Railius' teenage days,' has been created. Would you like to enter it.]