long arm of the law

[marycatelli]

What happens to the lands after you've driven off the Evil Overlord?

Which brings other questions trailing in its wake.


What sorts of land tenure has this kingdom got?  If feudal, has the family still served the king when thrown off their estates?  How longer was the Evil Overlord sitting on them?  Is the line of the original owner extinct?  What sort of inheritance rights would the family have?  What if the land is so ruined that the traditional landmarks are all shifted or gone?  Did anyone manage to get out with any kind of deed?

Do you want to evade all these questions on the grounds they are No Fun At All?  Even then it might be wise to brush over them and the whole question of families and dispossession, at least to make it clear that other people are worrying about it.

One notes, unlike the kinging question, there is no one in possession of the throne -- or a less title -- to argue the point on grounds of having actually taken charge of the land, once you've swept the Evil Overlord away.

You get the same fun and games with the dragon's hoard, assuming parts of it are recognizable.  A magic sword, an ornate brooch, a bejeweled crown, even a glowing ruby could probably all be identified, though.  Good question would be about salvage rights.

Comments

[lwe.livejournal.com]

You know, I wrote a story many years ago called "After the Dragon is Dead" addressing this.

[marycatelli]

It has its fun side.

[dirigibletrance.livejournal.com]

This is why, of all the parts of the Silmarillion, the period after the first defeat of Morgoth, and after the first defeat of Sauron, fascinates me the most. Seeing what all the erstwhile noble heroes and kings were getting up to, how they behaved.

[marycatelli]

Lots of potential there.

Of course, there's the little problem of ending the story; doesn't tie off neatly, usually.

[mythusmage.livejournal.com]

Once devised a scenario where the big bad gave up once he realized his cause was hopeless, then spent his time making sure his troopers and minions got a good chance at a good life in their retirement. He was responsible for them after all.

[marycatelli]

That would keep him busy a while.

[mythusmage.livejournal.com]

Not to mention his enemies. :)

New King: So either we find land for the Legion of Glowering Doom to homestead, or the hills north of town get infested with bandits.

Advisor: The ogres in the legion are insisting on the right to hold human tossing contests at bars and taverns.

[marycatelli]

Depends on the context. There's always the chance they ran away.

[mythusmage.livejournal.com]

Why make life simple for the protagonist?

[marycatelli]

In some contexts it would make life simpler, it others it would make it harder. Fleeing to a new lands because the High King will not forgive is not easy, and can introduce problems that would be impossible without it. Also, you don't want to just make your hero's life difficult, you want to give him a coherent set of problems that add up to a plot line.