Second Romance Plot

Second Epic Romance Subplot

Often when one player asks for something, another player thinks that it might be fun to do that too.  So after Stalking Jaguar asked for an Epic Romantic Subplot, Leaf asked for one too.  Bastard.  Subplots are difficult to create, they involve a lot of figuring out.  Two in a week of the same type that need be different and need have a certain bit of misdirection, because they are not fun otherwise.  With Stalking Jaguar, she will have a Lunar appear in the story and her future love interest at the same time.  The Lunar is the red herring, because they are mystically bound one to one to Solars, the players who know this will make assumptions and then the twist can be assured.  Love and romance is blind, literature says so, it is not—it comes about by association.  The lunar will seem to be there for her, but the Dragon Blooded, Mnemon Di-Yī will steal the show, because a dragon blooded Dynast offers more drama, of the Romeo and Juliet kind than a single Lunar.  Extroversion for and Introvert, not more Introversion.  Leaf's Player is and Extravert so an Introverted Romance story works best.  First one down what for the second?

What happens when one of the Lunars from the First age comes knocking and they remember what the last Solar was like?  What happens if the last solar was anything but kind to them?  What if they abused their position?  What if they decided that they needed a change and so they arranged for their Lunar mate to die?  Twice?  

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What about Mortals?  When a social character with the power of the Gods walks into the room, how can they not fail to dominate the situation.  The character counts all 10s in a roll as two successes, mortals only one; it is the touch of the gods that push things over the edge.  

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Solution, combine the two stories.  A mortal girl caught in the crosshairs of a Solar Social Character, they can't withstand the onslaught and they fall in a swoon for the powerful Exalt.  The romance ensues lopsided that it is and the mortal falls fully for the Character.  They consummate their love and things reach a head quickly.  Late in the night he awakens, in the room is an enormous Demon, and Panther like humanoid with a huge dripping maw filled with venom.  It points its massive silver sword directly at his head, the wiggle in the tip shaves him closer than a razor.  The beast looks him directly in the eye and berates him for targeting mortals like he always did.  They never had any defense against his Solar augmented charms.  He always did like an easy game.  Was he going to discard her like he always did before, hundreds of pregnant women in his wake?  But always leaving his divine mate barren, was I always too much of a challenge?

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I always find it difficult to introduce Lunars to a party.  Mostly because I don't know their rules as well as the Solars.  Their charms are different and they are shape hangers, so their charms are related to that more and so it is odd.  Also because they are mystically paired to each other there is an expectation that they will be around more often.  They are as strong as a Dawn Caste, the weakest one is as strong as a Dawn Caste.  The strongest one is more powerful.  It is like having a bonfire adding its strength to another bonfire.  Then there is the problem when you add an older Lunar to a group of Solars.  The older lunar, could potentially flatten them all, at once.  It is a easy out of a sticky solution when the enemies close in and a bunch of Lunars show up and defeat the sticky solution.  

The solution is to keep them out of the game or to keep them weak.  My setting is perfect for that, with half of the Lunars being only a year old this means that most would be weak.  However, some could be strong, about half of them.  A few would be very strong and have many strong memories of the Solars the way they used to be.  So in my setting half of them are as old as the Solars, 150.  Two thirds of the rest are strong, but don't have real memories of the Solars, having died just after the Usurpation, 100.  The rest are truly ancient, but possibly just old enough to have to have run from the Solar's Call for help, 50.

The Lunar for Leaf is one that remembers his last incarnation and remembers the abuse.  Because, he asked for an epic romance subplot, which means he needs to overcome a real obstacle and there needs be fire.  It can't be easily overcome and his charms have to be swatted aside and removed from the picture entirely.  

Two characters asked for a Romantic Subplot at the same time, they need be very different and equally powerful.  They are both dances and they are both must draw into different parts of the game.