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synodiporia_ooc2020-08-25 02:35 pm
powersthatbe) wrote in synodiporia_ooc2020-08-25 02:35 pm
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Harmonic Resonance: Info Post
the final Jaunt of lucky round 16 of Synodiporia
September 1st - October 10th
In Questing Country, for thousands of years - but not forever - the collective unconsciousnesses of more than half a dozen species have been meeting as friends and allies. Under the guidance of Spirit Companions, young Dreamers are empowered to take up Roles and Archetypes in the long fight against nightmares, keeping the Waking World safe from their worst fears and desires. Of course, the sophisticated adults of all species almost never believe there’s such a thing as a world of dreams - in a universe with space travel, who believes in magic?
For the Chosen Dreamers of Questing Country, it’s been three months since the end of the cross-time meeting called the Ouroboros Retrograde. In the Starquake Era, the quakes have nearly stopped creating dangerous Transformed Lands, and the Transformed Lands have nearly stopped turning Dreamers into Harbingers. One gate, the Opaline Bore, has been left mysteriously open to permit Timewalkers from the past to visit.
The Oracles have been concerned with two problems, these last three months. The first issue: Human and Gorgon nightmares have both been getting stronger. Human nightmares were expected to grow worse; as humans spread out across the cosmos and discover its size, they discover new unknowns to fear. It’s happened to every starfaring race. But the increase is sudden, and stronger than expected - and no one has the least notion why Gorgons are experiencing the same thing.
The other problem is the Arcana. Spirit Companions have been warning that, while the damage the Arcana did on their last visit has been healed, they are afraid what might happen if the Arcana return. And anything a Spirit Companion fears is almost a nightmare in its own right…
But the Oracles have hope to share. Questing Country is always changing, and there are three new changes that promise assistance.
First, the Hecatites have perfected INVLEP, also called “Envelope,” a program which, when installed in Synthetics, allows them to emulate dreaming. New Synthetic Dreamers have already begun entering Questing Country and being Chosen.
Second, there are now Diabolin dreamers. In fact, there have now been Diabolin dreamers for centuries - a tiny minority of Diabolin have both a genetic mutation and a neurological syndrome which lets them fall unconscious. These periods of unconsciousness are more like comas than restful sleep, but they allow these rare few Diabolin to dream. This is a change in the timeline. While Champions may protest that they’ve had Diabolin friends for years, Oracles and Spirit Companions insist that this is a change in the timeline since the Ouroboros - and a good one. Diabolin understand nightmares - they experience waking hallucinations constantly - and so they’re very unfazed by things which terrify other species.
Third, for two months now, some Dreamers, through means unknown, have become Conductors. This is a new Role - possibly what Harbingers were always meant to be, Dreamers empowered by the unknowable Starmovers. Conductors are almost immune to negative emotion, and each possesses a bident, a weapon that can pin nightmares in place before they flee. All of them have healing powers among their magic. What’s more, they form one single Bond group, and within that Bond group, they can send telepathic messages. Their arrival - though so far very few Adversaries, Champions, or Oracles have become Conductors - is maybe the most hopeful change.
They have the calm of the Synthetics, the fearlessness of Diabolin, the telepathy of the Travelers, and the power to defeat the new Human and Gorgon nightmares. As always, Questing Country draws from the dreams and desires of its Dreamers to give the Waking World a fighting chance.
All that could go wrong now, the Oracles say, is if the Arcana returned before they were ready to face that trouble as well...
SPECIES
Elves - Elves come from a low-tech world of vast, sweeping forests and intense natural beauty and wildness. Given to music, woodcraft, art, and 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. Except for a few who were kidnapped by Diabolin, Elves are not a space-faring race.
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. Hectatites 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. Spartoi are not a space-faring race.
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. Vodyanoi are not a space-faring race.
Diabolin - A horned, grey and black-skinned psionic species who generally do not sleep or dream, but process their mental energies in an unstable mood and perception cycle while awake. Considered volatile, untrustworthy, and dangerous. The oldest and most scattered civilization, the Diabolin ruled an interstellar empire with many colonies five to six centuries ago, and were the first species to visit Earth, Faerie, & Hecate in their respective dark ages, starting legends of demons and goblins.The Diabolin Imperial golden age is centuries past, and they now suffer from many congenital psychic diseases and instabilities. With their homeworld lost and forgotten, Diabolin live on many colony worlds or on massive ships, and have little organized central authority. Much of their ancient technology is now beyond their power to use. Since they do not sleep, most Diabolin are not directly present in Questing Country the same way members of other species are, but their imperialistic, volatile nature can make them a common feature in many species’ nightmares. In the last few years, a mutant strain of Diabolin genome and a syndrome causing recurring comatose states have allowed a very, very few Diabolin into Questing Country.
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 - only within the last decade have any had “subliminal software,” which permits them to dream, installed, and since only a small fraction of dreamers ever enter Questing Country, they’re especially rare.
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.