So my main character is all about building his own empire. There are like two groups that work for him his elite guards/enforcers and his concubines. He lives in a fortress that has different levels let me put it this way if he were a bad guy you'd have these things to worry about, getting past his mooks on the basic first few levels, then you'd have to get past his elite if you can do that you have to avoid his concubines at all costs. My only problem is I have no idea how to introduce both groups.
Go through your characters and see if it's possible to combine 2 or 3 of them into 1 if they all play insignificant roles that can be combined.
I would probably pick one or two characters from the "Elite Guard" group and the "Concubine" group and expand on them. For example maybe you could start with the leaders of each group. Tell us about their relationship with the MC, why they were chosen to lead, maybe give them a POV chapter or two etc. This way you could just introduce the whole of these groups through one or two characters.
My other problem is I'm having a hard time deciding if the concubines should have any authority the idea is that they are not involved with the elites or the army. I also don't know what a good out fit for them would be I'm thinking maybe something that's provocative but at the same time imposing any ideas?
I was wondering about the combat roles of the concubines when I read your first post. I think Concubines can be formidable. I don't mean in a straight fight, I'm guessing some of these concubines are pregnant and the others probably aren't trained fighters. It would be very difficult for an untrained pregnant woman to pose much of a threat to an armed assailant, trained or not. I would just use the Concubines as a kind of last resort. For example the enemy has made it through the tower and he or she is suddenly faced with a bunch of pregnant women and perhaps even infants and small children. Killing armed men is one thing but slaughtering pregnant women and infants tends to weigh heavily on the conscious of even the most seasoned warriors. After seeing the MC's concubines perhaps his enemies would just prefer to leave the tower than slaughter women and children. As for outfits I'd probably do some research on what actual Concubines wore. You've got loads to work with as far as this subject is concerned. Chinese Concubines, Greek Concubines, Roman Concubines, all the Concubines you could ever want or need to be inspired by are out there waiting for you.
Any character that does not progress the plot or help the MC in some way attain his story goal should be dropped: rather, any character that is not for or against the MC is not pulling their weight and does not belong in a story. That said, these characters can exist as much as you want outside the story. If you want to have volume upon volume of detail about your hierarchy and all the units in it, go for it man because I love that stuff. But it's something that an interested reader has to seek out for themselves. It can't be something you shove down their throat while they're trying to follow a character through his journey. Also, concubines having authority? They're the closest people to the guy on top, of course they have his ear. I wouldn't want to cross a woman who could let the king know someone was mistreating his belongings.
Thanks I will, the concubines are like for shock value(since my MC is like a villain protagonist) like imagine you think you've been through the tough part then imagine you see a seemingly harmless woman and she turns out to be extremely lethal and her reason for wanting you dead isn't so much an intruder but more because Thanks I've actually come up with an idea as to how they may fit into the army like having the elites report directly to them and serving as their bodyguards occasionally(which is kind of redundant I suppose) or by having the concubines serve in a secondary compacity as the inner guards of the palace.
