Castle, king and throne

Game version 1.2.7. Prose checked against 1.2.5.

The Castle is where the realm's ruler holds court. Open the Castle Grounds district from Main Street and press K. It appears in the menu after your first few levels.

Visiting as a commoner

A character who is not the ruler can view the Royal Guard and the prison cells, donate gold to the royal purse, read the history of monarchs and apply to join the Royal Guard. A guard is paid a daily salary. Characters with enough level and Chivalry and no criminal record can also join the Crown faction, which opens the Royal Armory.

Seek Audience needs a good reputation, which the Castle derives from your Chivalry and Fame. Higher reputation opens more requests: a royal quest, knighthood, a pardon that clears Darkness for gold, a royal loan, reporting a criminal, a timed royal blessing for combat, and a tax relief petition. A loan charges interest and has a due date; an overdue loan costs Chivalry. Knighthood gives the title Sir or Dame and a small permanent combat bonus.

How to become king

There are two ways to the throne, and both need a minimum level that the menu shows.

• Claim an empty throne. When no one rules, the menu offers C to claim it. You start a fresh court with a starting treasury.
• Challenge the ruler. When someone rules, press I to infiltrate the castle. You fight the monster guards, then the hired guards, then the ruler, who fights with extra HP and defence. You can try once a day, not within a day of a new coronation, and not when the ruler is too many levels above you.

You must leave your team before you take the throne, and the game asks first. If you lose, you are thrown out to Main Street alive. If you win, you inherit the treasury, prisoners and orphans, but not the guards. Online, a ruler who is offline defends with an AI copy of their character, and a team can besiege the castle with B instead. NPCs with ambition can challenge a player ruler as well; a failed challenger goes to prison.

Powers and duties of the ruler

The ruler's menu adds these actions:

• Prison cells: imprison, pardon, execute or set bail. There are daily limits on new prisoners.
• Orders: open or close town establishments, make a proclamation or post a bounty paid from the treasury.
• Security: hire or fire guards and monster guards, and pay guard bonuses.
• Fiscal matters: set the citizen tax, the sales tax and the team tax, and move gold in or out of the treasury.
• Court: royal magic, the orphanage, a royal wedding, court politics, succession and an heir, and bodyguard mercenaries.
• Abdicate: type yes to give up the crown to an NPC successor.

A ruler also gets a daily stipend and small attack, defence and HP bonuses.

Treasury and guards

Taxes, sales tax, donations, pardons, loan repayments and other royal fees fill the treasury. Guard salaries, monster feeding, orphan care and court upkeep drain it every day. When the treasury cannot cover expenses, guard loyalty falls, and a guard with very low loyalty deserts. Unfed monster guards can escape. Bodyguard mercenaries are paid from your own gold, not the treasury.

Rebellion

Executions and closing most of the town's businesses anger the people. The Castle warns you before the limit. A rebellion takes the throne and can strip everything you own or permanently delete the character, so heed the warning.

Royal quests

A royal quest from an audience asks you to kill monsters, reach or clear a dungeon floor, hunt a criminal or investigate. It has a time limit, pays part of the reward up front, and you can hold one at a time. The ruler's Quests screen shows the royal bounties, which you take at the Quest Hall.

See crime and prison for what happens to prisoners.