The Powers That Be (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
powersthatbe) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
synodiporia_ooc2019-05-08 09:48 pm
powersthatbe) wrote in synodiporia_ooc2019-05-08 09:48 pm
Entry tags:
A LOOMING SENSE OF DREAD: WALKABOUT INFO
A walkabout in Questing Country
May 15 - June 24
A remote island in Questing Country, sealed off by Dreamers of the distant past, is now unsealed, as the magic keeping the seals in place has degraded. The island is infested with an abnormally large number of nightmares; the concern is that these nightmares will spread beyond this island to the rest of Questing Country proper. It falls to the Dreamers on hand now, and the Travelers who are joining them, to find the source of the nightmares and neutralize it.
TIMELINE NOTES
(Importantly, this walkabout is set before the Starquakes began; Harbingers are not yet a thing.)
WORLD INFO
Information about Dreamers’ waking worlds is available here (the Daibolin homeworld is, at this point in time, long gone).
SPECIES
Elves - Elves come from a low-tech world of vast, sweeping forests and intense natural beauty and wildness. Given to music, woodcraft, art, & philosophy, elves are nimble and keen-eyed, but fragile & weak-willed, and have none of the benefits of technology, living rustic, simple lives. These are NOT the same elves as those from January/the Federation of Hel/Sunday Island.
Gorgons - Gorgons have brightly tinted skin; prehensile tentacles for hair with sensitive eyespots (average 3 cm, anything from 5 mm to 5 cm is possible) that pick up on electromagnetic pulses, fine tactile sensations and air pressure changes; and the ability to slowly calcify what they touch or breathe on, based on mineral emissions from glands (females have more of these glands than males, and all Gorgons can take a suppressant to stop the calcification effect). They have chromatophores and structural iridescence in their skin, but only enough to lighten, darken, or shimmer, not enough to entirely change color. An individualistic people who prefer to dwell underground, Gorgons are very practical, often cranky and withdrawn, with poor long-range vision & light sensitivity. Gorgons are accomplished biochemists, architects, and engineers, making organic ceramics and mineral compounds. Gorgons tend to live to about 200 years old.
Hecatites - Humanoids who can grow crystalline structures from within their bodies. Hecatites have a great deal of scientific advancement, but they tend not to use tools except what they grow, instead focusing on the disciplined acquisition of knowledge & yogi-like control of themselves . Hecatites tire easily and are vulnerable to loud noises and bludgeoning, but have much keener intellects than other species. Hecatites typically live two to three centuries, and determine adulthood not by age but by exam results, with most ‘teens’ passing these critical tests somewhere between 20 and 50 years old.
Spartoi - Warlike, with bone spurs, a scattering of scales, and a wide range of mutations (they do not fly or glide, but can be amphibious or arboreal: think half-dragons or new-Trek Klingons more than orcs), Spartoi are an authoritarian, impatient, and militaristic people. Passionate and loyal, they are not intellectual by nature and scavenge most of their tools and technology. Spartoi Champions have a shorter life expectancy and a greater chance of going Adversary or Pillar than they do Oracle, but Spartoi Oracles are remarkable for their psychological knowledge of how to bring peace and calm to any situation.
Vodyanoi - Aquatic, with finned ears, shining, smooth scales, & mild hydrokinetic abilities, the Vodyanoi are a naturally timid race of observers, slight in stature, with quick maturation and shorter lifespans. As such, Vodyanoi advance from Champion to Oracle very quickly, so Vodyanoi Champions tend to be overworked, yet inexperienced, burdened with far too much advice and inclined to indecision & paralysis.
Synthetics - Artificial intelligences taking on humanoid form to experience the world, most synthetics achieve consciousness by the melding of two or more intelligent programs uploaded onto a utilitarian platform that bears at least a passing resemblance to a sentient species. Common among humans and Hecatites, less respected and with shorter lifespans among the latter-day Diabolin, and entirely illegal (but not unheard of) among the Gorgons, synthetics are universally second-class citizens, as they can download their consciousness into other bodies and are often considered a disposable labor caste. Only among humans is there a recognized, organized robotic rights movement. Some synthetics have platforms which are indistinguishable on initial examination from their species of choice, except by the psionic senses of the Diabolin. They are very new to Questing Country, and still extremely rare - generally, it takes the power of a Valence to open the pathway into Questing Country for one.
Other - Players may feel free to devise other species that play with fantasy and magical tropes and have about this mixture of strengths and weaknesses. Non-human Investigators are welcome to use their base form, so long as that form is capable of dreaming.
Cyborgs - Many people who interface with high technology have cybernetic implants in their bodies or brains, giving them additional knowledge or abilities. Cybernetics are not merely prosthetics, but built-in tools adding new hardware to the human condition. Cybernetics are common in all spacefaring species, but there is still some stigma to becoming implanted with machines that change what you're capable of or how you think. In Questing Country, your body is dependent solely upon your self-image, so some people with cybernetics will see themselves with functional cybernetics, and some people will see themselves with only their original body parts; that’s entirely a player decision.
The Conditioned - The Conditioned are people who have embraced a discipline of hypnosis, meditation, and heightened physical sensitivity to unlock the true potential of their bodies and minds. While some Conditioned are Dreamers, the ‘physics’ of Questing Country are too subjective to group consensus to allow their Conditioning to function, with one exception: Oracles and Adversaries who know how to use Conditioned Hypnosis may still do so. Oracles should be cautious about this; it is not their role to exert coercive power over others, and they risk a Fall.
ROLES AND ARCHETYPES
Champion - “Magical girls,” anointed by Spirit Animals, come from any world on which sentient beings dream. Because they have great hope and great selflessness, they are empowered to defend their worlds from the powers of negative thought and nightmare, healing the psyches of their species by literally combating metaphorical threats. Young enough to not know what is impossible, Champions’ fearlessness and innocence is the root of their power. Champion Magic tends to be showy, grandiose, and direct, unless their Archetype is not. Their keyword is HOPE.
Adversary - Some Champions lose their selfless heroism before they lose their naivete. They become Adversaries - free agents, independent powers seeking their own good. Adversary may only be a phase a Champion goes through on their way to being an Oracle, a Pillar, or even a Champion again. As such, while an Adversary may be hostile to Champions, Champions are rarely hostile towards them. Adversaries are not evil, or even misguided exactly - they simply prioritize their own freedom and survival above greater causes, and walk their own paths. An Adversary’s Spirit Animal sometimes temporarily becomes a Doppelganger, an insubstantial image of the Adversary that tries to make trouble for them, as they reject its guidance. An Adversary’s magic is usually more subtle, indirect and manipulative than a Champion’s, sacrificing a little punch for more deliberate effect. An Adversary’s keyword is AGENCY.
Oracle - As Champions age, they learn what is possible and what is not, gain experience, and lose some degree of hope, and so their power fades. As it fades, however, it transmutes into wisdom, vision, and knowledge in their chosen Archetype. Oracles’ Spirit Animals become Familiars, perfectly comprehensible to them at last, but unable to communicate with anyone else. Adversaries who become Dark Oracles devoted to themselves lose their Spirit Animals entirely; they become full-time Doppelgangers. Most Oracles are mentors and resources for Champions, still devoted to their cause but less able to take action on their own. Their keyword is KNOWLEDGE.
Pillar - A Pillar is a very different way a Champion can change. A Pillar has Power, Knowledge, and Agency - but a Pillar has lost Hope. Pillars are burned out, jaded by their experiences, and while they still find themselves drawn into supernatural crises and situations, they wish merely to be left alone and rest, not to fight. A Pillar cannot use their magic, doesn’t care about their knowledge, has no use for their agency. But all these qualities symbolically and supernaturally give them a great reservoir that they can, on the rare occasion they begin to care, lend to others, or which they can use to endure or avoid the supernatural. Nonsentient monsters do not attack Pillars. Spells wash off them without effect. Strange phenomena are repelled by them, if only for a few feet. A pillar no longer has a Spirit Animal of any kind. A Pillar’s keyword is RESISTANCE.
BONDS AND BONDED GROUPS
For purposes of game balance and CR generation, Bonds will usually be from 4 to 6 people in size, although you may ask to form a larger or smaller Bond. Single-canon Bonds are permissible but discouraged. A Bond may be a long-standing team, or it may be a group of people who are thrown together during the events of the plot forming new connections.
As this is a walkabout, Bond groups may be less of an active concern, but they are still available as a plotting/CR option.
LOCATIONS
Tribulation Island, the Sealed Island: The trouble spot, another large island, although this one is solely connected to the starting island. This island is also fairly large and features a variety of terrains/obstacles.
SKILLS
Dream Body: In Questing Country, everyone has the body they feel they need to have for their role. This allows an age, gender, and/or species swap to one idealized form. [T]
Spirit Companion/Familiar: An advice-dispensing animal companion that accompanies champions and oracles. Adversaries who take this skill will still find that their companion occasionally becomes a duplicate of them and stirs up trouble. [U]
True Bond: Bonded can share physical health (healing one another’s wounds), mental resilience (breaking, resisting, or transferring enchantments and status effects), magical power (mana pool), & supernatural insight (visionary or magical senses of any kind). Their familiars & spirit animals (if they take this skill) may combine into a larger creature called a volksgeist, often used as a mount or battle companion. When you take this skill, you must indicate who you are Bonded with, and they must take this skill as well to have any lasting effect after the jaunt. [Bonds between infiltrators must be entirely mutual, but for Investigators actively taking the skill (rather than Infiltrators working with a Bond group), it is not necessary to link to everyone in a Bond group.] [T]
Pillar Resistance: A Pillar is about 95% resistant to all magical effects. Anyone with this skill may not take Archetypal Magic or Spirit Animal. [S]
Archetypal Champion Magic: Champions know roughly half a dozen powerful, flashy, splashy effects that they can use to attack enemies, deflect attacks, or which aid them outside of combat. Champion magic is always accompanied by some visual or audio effect. The majority of these effects must tie into a Champion’s archetype. Champion magic is powerful, but often sloppy and obvious, not likely to allow for gentle or indirect handling of a situation unless very carefully employed. [S]
Archetypal Oracular Knowledge: Supernatural visionary knowledge of an archetype. An Oracle is an expert on all lore connected to their archetype, whether its literal embodiment or its metaphorical resonance. They can sense its presence, absence, power, or direction. If they are shown or come in direct contact with something that matches their archetype, they can rapidly educate themselves on all relevant details about it, even if there is no source for that information. Finally, Oracles have visions about any events which involve their archetype, and may also have dreams or visions (but no other expertise) about any Bonded partners they have. [S]
Archetypal Adversary Magic: Adversary magic is low-key and precise, often unseen. It can never directly counter or overpower Champion magic, but can evade notice, slip through loopholes, and exploit vulnerabilities. Like Champions, Adversaries should select roughly half a dozen such effects, focused on stealth, manipulation, and escape. [S]
Dreamcatching: Breaking down inert Liminal substance to become usable energy, powering devices or refilling mana. Outside of Liminal Spaces, this may be done to less effect by siphoning the dreams of sleeping individuals. Up to one Room Creation 1's worth of material can be created for one 24-hour period with a "full" dreamcatcher. [T]
Gorgon Racial Traits: prehensile tentacle hair, brightly colored skin, darkvision, vibration and electromagnetic field sensing, calcifying touch/breath; light sensitivity, poor long-range vision, antisocial tendencies. [U]
Elven Racial Traits: keen sight and hearing, agility, lack of stamina, health, and willpower. [U]
Hecatite Racial Traits: mineral composition, easily overwhelmed by sound, metabolic control, crystal growing, bludgeoning vulnerability, high intellect, low stamina. [U]
Vodyanoi Racial Traits: hydrokinesis (up to the amount of water they could reasonably carry), finned ears, shining, smooth scales, amphibious, water-breathing, natural timidity, low physical strength. [U]
Spartoi Racial Traits: quick temper, berserker tendencies, bone spurs and scales, high strength and durability, more militant than intellectual. [U]
Genre Savvy: The knowledge of narrative structure and tendencies needed to predict the typical paths and variations of stories, dreams, plots, and character types. [T]
Stellar Education: Basic generalist knowledge about other planets and their species and politics, or about a specific specialty area, such as cybernetic or alien medicine, the history of other cultures, or any imaginable sort of space-aged collegiate-level education. This skill may be taken multiple times for multiple specialties, or for doctorate-level knowledge in a specialty. [T]
Conditioned Hypnosis: The ability to use eye contact, tone of voice, conscious manipulation of pheromones, and careful word choice to implant simple suggestions in others. Nonsensical or obviously harmful suggestions will not work, and thoroughly changing an opinion is unlikely, but it’s enough to hold or deflect attention, soothe or increase suspicion, startle and intimidate someone for a moment, or convince them to let a secret slip. Because it relies on knowledge of physical and psychological characteristics, it may not work on other species, non-neurotypical individuals, or those in an altered state of consciousness, unless the user has sufficient familiarity with the group or individual to know what cues to use instead. During the jaunt, this may be used by Oracles or Adversaries only. [T]
Synthetic Form: The ability to assume the form of a synthetic being, with the physical and cognitive capacities and vulnerabilities that implies. As a general rule, synthetics possess enhanced strength and durability, rapid thinking, and the ability to physically interface with some computer systems, hardware permitting. However, they also do not heal naturally, may appear or behave obviously artificial, and tend to be deferential towards organic life-forms. Specifics will vary, and that’s fine. [U]
CALENDAR
First mingle: Arrival, briefing, and exploratory forays into the nightmare-infested island.
Final mingle: Finding the source of the nightmares and dealing with it, as well as any related aftermath.
PLAYER RESOURCES
QUESTIONS
The FAQ compiled for Ouroboros Retrograde is available here. The glossary assembled for the same jaunt is available here - keep in mind that not all terms used there will apply to this walkabout.
Re: QUESTIONS
(no subject)
Re: QUESTIONS
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
Re: QUESTIONS
(no subject)
Re: QUESTIONS
(no subject)