Background Story

Royal Chaos is a game all about the internal strife of both the court and harem of imperial China. The time-era for the game appears to be in a highly romanticized version of the Ten Kingdoms period (897~907 A.D. - 979 A.D.) of Chinese history. In this version of history, many major players in Chinese imperial history are present and help the Player.

Most gameplay involves "battling" other members of the court. These battles should be thought of in the story as confrontations and scheming to shove down your opposition. This can be through a simple debate in a few moments or the help of rumors, alliances, spies or disinformation campaigns over days.

The story focuses on two sides of the same coin. The first is the "Female Storyline" which focuses on a concubine of Emperor Mu Lingchen as she struggles through the trials and terrors of scheming within the Imperial Harem. The second is the "Male Storyline" which focuses on an official within Emperor Mu Lingchen's court who slowly falls in love with Princess Mu Lingxi, the younger half-sister of the Emperor while dealing with secrets, betrayals, and tragedies in the Imperial Court.

## Female Storyline

In the sixty-one years of Da Chu dynasty, the new emperor Mu Lingchen ascended the throne. The political situation was unstable, and there were many disputes in the harem.

In order to balance the situation, Mu Lingchen ordered a draft in the 65th year of Da Chu. All the noble families of the empire sent their daughters to the palace.

Since the Lower-4 Aide-de-camp Ling-Zhu offended the royal family of Nian, the son of Rongji, their son Ling Rong Xiang, who was selected for the seventh place in the examination, was elected as a small official instead to the local government as punishment - despite his achievements. This meant that the Ling family would be unable to escape a hard life of poverty, and would not be able to advance their status in society.

Ling Zhu's eldest daughter, the beautiful but naive Ling Ruo *(the player),* witnessed the unfair treatment of her family and feared that they wouldn't be able to survive without her help. When the edict was sent, the teenaged beauty decided with a heavy heart to abandon the handsome and soft-spoken physician, Xu Rongyuan - her betrothed and sweetheart since childhood - in order to join the palace harem draft. If she was selected as a concubine, she would be able to elevate her family's status within the harem and financially support them in a way her brother couldn't. If all went well, she could even surpass the Nian family in power and prestige and restore her family's honor with justice.

Ling Ruo once sought for eternal love in a simple, fulfilling marriage to a common civilian. On one fateful day, as she set foot into the palace, she stepped onto the road of competition, deceit, bitter rivalries, and constant paranoia for her safety as well as her integrity. From that moment on, she realized that eternal love and peace of mind would never be such a fate in store for her. She only wishes that she can finish this life quietly and will no longer cause any harm to her parents, or her siblings, as a result of harem politics.

The emperor, today's husband. Xu Rongyuan, the former lover. Faced with the two most important men in her life, how will she choose? And as time flies, how will Ling Ruo become the most honorable woman in the harem, and successfully becoming the most precious lover of the emperor?

## Male Storyline

In the sixty-one years of Da Chu dynasty, the new emperor Mu Lingchen ascended the throne. The political situation was unstable, and there were many disputes in the harem.

On the night of the Lantern Festival, this could be seen by all spectators at the royal gala. Imperial Noble Consort Nian Suyan and Empress Xiao Lianyi threw slights and subtle insults towards each others' families before Emperor Mu Lingchen chastised the two and proceeded with the festivities.

As the new emperor went to light the enormous lantern presented by General Nian Fu, a sudden explosion erupts through the palace. The ceremonial lantern had exploded and injured the Emperor. A figure appeared from the shadows and rushed to the Emperor. This was a lower ranking official who had come to the palace for imperial review to enter the court, a member of the Ling family. As he rescued the emperor from the assassination attempt, the Emperor shows his gratitude to the official by promoting him to join the Secret Agents, led by the Empress's younger brother, Commander Xiao Yingge.

The unrest caused by these sudden events led to more political tension. Two of the emperor's half-brothers, the 8th and 9th Princes, sought to usurp their brother and crown another brother, the 14th prince and full-blooded brother of the new Emperor, as their rightful ruler.

As both were the only sons of the old Emperor and Empress Dowager Wu Xianhui, Mu Lingchen was not favored by his father or mother for a mysterious reason, and thus jealousy grew in Mu Lingchen of his little brother being the favorite child of his parents. This caused the Emperor to imprison the 14th prince after he ascended the throne, and created tension throughout the imperial family.

The 8th and 9th princes had schemed against the emperor as a result, and only through the investigation of the Male Protagonist does the Player ever uncover the first layer of schemes and betrayals in the palace. Throughout the story, the Male Protagonist must avoid being entangled in the politics of the royal harem, navigate the schemes of the Nian and Xiao families, dodge the betrayals of his masters and comrades, protect his cousin Ling Ruo from the Emperor's wrath, and shield his heart from the charms of the teenage Princess Mu Lingxi, the younger half-sister of Emperor Mu Lingchen.

As a brave, loyal, kind, and honest young man, the life he knew seems like a distant dream.

Will he follow his heart, or continue to faithfully serve his duty to the imperial family and his country?