Does anyone else feel that their players kinda fetishize Royalty?

[Grim Portent]

The GM in me would actually lean towards throwing the legitimacy of the king into question in a way that could directly benefit the party to test their loyalty, or that would enable things to escalate to a full blown civil war in which they can participate. Having players who tie themselves to a specific person or group is a good opportunity for big things involving that group, in this case the loyalists to the wicked king.


If you were to dangle information that one of the party is a descendant of an older, mostly forgotten branch of the royal family, and is by technicality more legitimate than the king, or introduce a rarely invoked mechanism by which the king can be chosen by other methods than direct lineage which the party could use to gain a claim themselves. Rite of combat, elective monarchy, there's a lot of ways to choose a king, especially if the current king can be convinced to abdicate in favour of a challenger.


Another interesting possibility could be to have a foreign noble with a claim based on having a different form of succession law. Say that in the main kingdom inheritance priotitises sons > daughters > brothers > sisters > distant relatives. Direct male preference succession, kids of the monarch are always the highest in line.

But if a previous monarch's brother got married off to a foreigner a generation or two back, and that kingdom has inheritance that goes sons > brothers > daughters > sisters > distant relatives, then that line would take precedence according to the customs and laws of their land, and would have a claim to the main dynastic branches throne.


EDIT: Figured I'd add that I've played several characters who would probably fit in quite well with your players. Sometimes it's very fun to be the frenzied guard dog of an evil master, or just to be evil in general and respond to sob stories and people in need with a cruel laugh or a dismissive comment. As long as it doesn't make you unconfortable, I'd say just keep having the king act like any of a number of historical and fictional insane sadistic monarchs, history and fiction are full of fun lunatics and the players seem to be enjoying working for 'King Joffrey'.

For a more low key scenario that could happen, having the king invite all the notables in the realm (including the players since they're nobles) to a theater which is booby trapped with something dangerous, like poisonous snakes, as a cruel prank for example. Have the king in a box seat above the main seating area where he can giggle as nobles, priests and wealthy merchants alike suddenly find their ankles surrounded by aggravated venemous serpents. The PCs have to deal with getting away from the snakes and with a stampede of panicking people while in an area ill suited to moving around.