The Heroic Adventures

Hamletsburg is the capital city of Maharo, a small kingdom along the coast that has an overabundance of heroes. Mary-Sue Sprakle founded the city 500 years ago. Mary was a hero herself, and her magnetic personality drew people to her, eventually forming the kingdom. The Sprakle family has ruled Maharo since it’s inception, the title passing down to the oldest girl. The Sprakle family has a unique gift to destroy things with their gaze. Those with the strongest gift can even kill people with a look.   Crime is very low in Maharo, what with the abundance of heroes. Marauding beasts never last long, and bandits are lucky if they’re able to successfully raid one band of people. Heroes are paid a generous stipend by the crown, and often are lent out to other kingdoms for a fee. Maharo is a rocky stretch of the coast and has very little farmable land. Maharo’s main exports are fish and heroes. All citizens contribute a portion of their earnings towards the hero tax, and gladly do so to keep their kingdom safe. Many citizens of Maharo work at trades that compliment the heroes that roam the land, such as blacksmithing, training war horses, or selling adventuring staples. Many heroes will take on apprentices. These Hero Supports receive a small stipend of their own and are taught how to become heroes in their own right. However, some Hero Supports choose not to become heroes, instead staying and supporting the hero that had trained them.   One night an evil chill fell over the land. No one knew what was causing it, but they felt safe knowing that the heroes would soon take care of it. However, when people awoke the next morning all the heroes were missing. The people of Hamletsburg went to the palace to see if the Queen knew what had happened to the heroes, only to find a strange man on the throne. The man laughed when the people demanded to know where their rulers were, and he told them that the Sprakle family was no more. The man declared himself their new overlord, and he struck down everyone who protested.   It’s been two days since Overlord Nemoran took over the kingdom. Lists of rules have appeared all over the citiy. These lists govern the day to day actions of the citizens. Anyone found breaking these rules will be flogged for the first offense. Someone found breaking the rules a second time will be drawn and quartered. No one is allowed in or out of the city, but rumors have reached the citizens that beasts and monsters have attacked the outlying towns. Without the heroes around monsters have started becoming bold and attacking travelers.