Terra Incognita - The Plot, Part 1

Okay, welcome back, folks. I’ve laid out the basic premise of Terra Incognita and taken a look at possible systems to adapt it for. We've had one person vote in the poll so far (other people! Take a few seconds! A sample size of one is terrible!), and so I think now is the time to lay out the basics of what the first Terra Incognita adventure will look like.

It began like this: the premise involves investigating the mysteries of mythical lands. So, the question in my head was: why haven't these lands been found before? This tale is set in the 16th century, when most of the globe had been locked down on maps (the American continent notwithstanding), so it would be hard to justify simply "nobody found them before." So I concluded these lands must have been hidden, cloaked in illusions and something akin to the "Somebody Else's Problem field" to make everyone ignore the fact that they've just taken a roundabout route to avoid something that they're not even aware exists. So -- how can the PCs pierce the illusions? Some form of magic, of course -- but what kind? As this point, somehow I came up with the idea of "Polyphemus's Eye." 

Polyphemus, as you surely all recall from being forced to read The Odyssey in high school, was the Cyclops that Odysseus and his men encountered. According to the tale, Polyphemus ate several of Odysseus's men, Odysseus told him his name was "No Man," and then Odysseus and his men put out the Cyclops' single eye with a sharpened stake. They then escaped by tying themselves to sheep (really! look it up!), so that Polyphemus, dependent on touch, wouldn't realize they were leaving. As Odysseus sailed away, Polyphemus shouted to his brethren "No man has hurt me!" -- and they all said "Okay, so nobody hurt you. So?"

That is the tale of Polyphemus as told in The Odyssey. I wondered what happened next -- and came to the conclusion that he became wise and the chieftain of the Cyclopes, and then the Atlanteans came and gifted him with a magical stone eye to start off trade. And then, because my Atlanteans are pure evil, they stole his entire tribe for slave labor and left him alone for the next thousand years -- and then come the PCs.

Polyphemus's Eye has two properties -- it sees through illusions, and it translates languages, thus justifying the PCs' ability to find these lands and removing the language barrier much in the fashion of Star Trek's Universal Translator. This is kind of a narrative cheat, as it's a little hard to justify why the Atlanteans would give him something that did both of these things -- but the in-universe explanation is that otherwise he would be unable to trade with the Atlanteans, without being able to see them and speak to them. 

So -- the question is, how do the PCs get a hold of the Eye? This is the function of the first adventure -- to get them to the Island of the Cyclopes, have them encounter Polyphemus, and get his Eye. How exactly to manage this has varied in my several versions of the first adventure:

-In the first time I ran this campaign, I had the PCs' ship pursued by pirates, and gave the gypsy hedge wizard a single-use ritual spell called "Safe Harbor" designed to find a safe place to land, no matter what.

-In the first draft of the TV pilot script, I had my own gypsy hedge witch do essentially the same thing.

-In the second draft, I had a Faerie trickster (who was to replace the gypsy as the team's magic-user) divert the ship to the island, with her intention to use the human crew to get the Eye, as her Faerie blood made her allergic to the Eye's magic -- and then she would join the crew with the intention of using them to get revenge on Atlantis.

-I've been considering keeping the Faerie, either as a pregenerated PC or as an NPC, and having her actually come to Queen Elizabeth's court (probably in disguise) and propose the mission to search for Atlantis, guiding the PCs to find the island.

In any case, the PCs are to find the island, preferably in a shipwreck that will strand them there temporarily as the crew fixes the ship... and then the exploration begins. They will examine various parts of the island, discovering evidence of giants living there, and get attacked by gigantic versions of common animals. In the TV pilot, and in the original adventure, there was simply one short scene examining the Cyclopes' village, and another in which they are attacked by a giant boar -- but that adventure was designed to take a single evening to run, so as I'm planning to expand this version of the adventure, I'll have to come up with some more interesting island features for them to encounter.

Finally, the PCs find a temple to Poseidon (Greek god of the sea, and Polyphemus's father), and, bypassing a number of classic dungeoncrawl-style traps, find Polyphemus, who attacks them in a blind fury!

Join me next time as I lay out the plot to the second half of Terra Incognita's "pilot" adventure!

Factions: Triocheans

You head down the street, paycheque in hand, headed to the market. Knowing you need to cash out your cheque, you look for a moneylender. There's one -- but the rates for changing are ridiculous. Another -- also overcharging. A third... and fourth... Eventually, you realize that you aren't going to find a better price, because the Triocheans control all the lenders. Maybe if you join, too, you can get a fair price... The Triocheans control the City's money, running their world according to the principles of laissez-faire and social Darwinism. And, of course, they want to help the Elder Trio expand the City of Lives' power to become the greatest mercantile power in all the Realms.


Archetype: The merchant is usually a side character in heroic fantasy. For Conan, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, and others of the Sword & Sorcery genre, they exist on the periphery, simply for the heroes to sell their loot to. In Tolkienian heroic fantasy, merchants and moneylenders have even less prominence, seldom appearing at all. Even in modern, darker fantasy like A Song of Ice and Fire, those with the money are usually the villains -- more important, but less flattering. The Triocheans are an attempt to reorient the focus -- they may not always be the heroes (nobody is in the City of Lives), but money is important. Those that have it are movers and shakers in the City, as important as the nobility, if not more so. And, more importantly, money does not need to corrupt. It may, but among the Lex Luthors and Mr. Potters, there are also a few Tony Starks and Bruce Waynes (not to imply that one has to be a superhero to make a difference in the City).

Real-Life Inspiration: The people who care about money, obviously. Those who have it, those who want it, those who spend their lives in pursuit of it. Businessmen. Oil Barons. Social Darwinists. Anyone who believes problems can be solved by throwing money at them is a Triochean at heart. And let's be honest: a lot of problems can be solved with money. Triocheans are not inherently selfish people -- in fact, they have great goals for the betterment of their society, from charity through expansion of trade rights.

Theme: "Enlightened self-interest" is the Triochean credo. They believe that every person can pull themselves up by their bootstraps and succeed in this world, by working within or exploiting the system. In fact, they believe that if everyone were always out for themselves and only themselves, but without the desire to one-up their neighbors, everyone would end up rich and happy. Similar to Ayn Rand's objectivism, Triochean philosophy believes in self-determination and laissez-faire.

Twist: The Triocheans follow the almighty solu (the unit of currency in the City, if you've forgotten), but they also follow the Elder Trio, the reclusive, mystical beings who rule the City. Their beliefs are founded on the idea that they are following the Trio's example by not interfering in the lives of citizens and businessmen. What would happen if the Trio reversed their policies and got involved? Would the Triocheans follow their newly-active rulers, or would they believe that the Trio had betrayed their own standards and fight against them? Perhaps a whole other faction would arise, the Triocheans splitting in two like religious sects. An interesting thought...

Well, thank you for following me through this rather extended trip through the various Factions of the City. For the next while, we're going to try a little something different, as I show you another of my projects -- an adventure I'd like to try publishing (for free? for cheap?), and we'll muddle through turning it from scattered notes and notions into something people can follow and play. Join me next time as we begin to examine Terra Incognita!

Factions: Thief-Binders

Returning from work, you choose to cut through a back alley. A bad move, it turns out, as a group of Kipman toughs surround you and demand your purse. Just as you are reluctantly handing it over, a shouted "Stop!" comes from the alley entrance, and you look over to see a squad of Iversdotters, armed with swords and crossbows and wearing a distinctive uniform. The Kipmen try to resist, but a few crossbow shots later, and the muggers, injured but alive, are escorted away in chains. Breathing heavily, you thank the Light that the local noble Houses employ the Thief-Binders as their private watchmen. The Thief-Binders are believers in justice and act as an unofficial and/or private police force for much of the City.

Archetype: The “city watch” or “city guards” have a strong history in fantasy fiction. However, they are usually portrayed as either incompetent, leaving the heroism to the main characters, or actively obstructive, as the heroes need to act outside of the law for the greater good. Additionally, city guardsmen are seldom shown as investigators, trying merely to “keep the peace” rather than actively solving crimes like modern police. The Thief-Binders may be either obstructive or helpful to the Player Characters, depending on their actions, but they are most definitely investigators as well as defenders.

Real-Life Inspiration: Obviously, the Thief-Binders are inspired mostly by cops. They are the “thin blue line” that stands between the citizens of the City and total anarchy (or at least, that’s what they believe). They believe in justice, and the system, and order. However, unlike the cops in our world, the Thief-Binders are a strange mix of private security force and vigilante. Most Thief-Binders are hired by various noble Houses or other Factions to provide security. For their clients, they act pretty much like a city police force, but they both have to bow to the wishes (and variant laws) of their employer, and their jurisdiction is sharply curtailed, perhaps only stretching a few blocks or governing specific individuals. Additionally, questions of jurisdiction and Other Thief-Binders, especially in the low-income sections of the City, operate without any official sanction, purely because they feel that they have a responsibility to their fellow citizens. Unlike in the real world, these vigilantes are seldom stigmatized, as they are often the only police available in those areas of the City.

Theme: The Thief-Binders are all about rules. Their world is ordered and -- every possible action has a proscribed response. Breaking the rules -- any rules -- is anathema to the Thief-Binders. These are not Dirty Harry justice-at-any-cost rogue cops. They have a rules and procedures, their only defense against the chaos of the City. These rules simplify their lives -- but they are stymied when something new and unexpected arises. The Thief-Binders also want to impose their rules on the rest of reality. They live their rule-filled existence, and believe others will appreciate it as well -- by force, if necessary.

Twist: For a community so based on rules, the Thief-Binders have a surprising amount of discord among their ranks. They disagree on the interpretation of their rules, and Thief-Binders working for different Houses may have entirely different sets of laws to enforce. In short, arguments, fights, and even small wars can arise between different groups of Thief-Binders, despite their shared love of law and order.

Next time, we’ll examine our last faction, with the mercantile Triocheans!

Factions: Sabercrats

Looking at today's Parliamentary agenda, you groan as you see the one item that always seems to find its way  on, despite always being struck down -- the Sabercrats' proposition to fund and create a standing army. When will those warhawks learn that nobody in the City feels the desire or need for a military, you wonder. The Sabercrats are those who believe in violence and military might, and in stretching the influence of the City of Lives to the end of the Realms...


Archetype: In a sense, the Sabercrats are all over classical fantasy, and in a way they are completely absent. In the medieval tradition, those with the swords and military might ruled the world and the fiction: King Arthur and Roland inspired epics; Aragorn and Eddard Stark are their modern descendants, all more comfortable with a blade than with their tongue. In this way, the Sabercrats are part of a long and storied tradition. On the other hand, the Sabercrats are not the heroes of this setting, nor the villains. In the City, war is not prized (outside the Iversdotters, that is), and the warriors are not in charge, let alone viewed as great heroes. So where does that leave the warlike Sabercrats? Read on...

Real-Life Inspiration: Logically enough, the Sabercrats are based on the hyper-patriots and warhawks of our own universe. Those people who believe military service should be mandatory (to teach them kids some discipline); those who believe America (or whatever their home country is) should rule the world -- perhaps "for its own good," perhaps just because their home country is "the only one that matters"; those who want every tax dollar to be spent on the armed forces. These kind of people have a hard time of it in the City, as it is a center of trade, not warfare, with no standing army (or even official militia). This difficulty only makes the Sabercrats more intense and fervent believers, convinced that theirs is the right way to run the City -- and, like in the real world, a lot of these warhawks are rich, powerful, and influential in City politics.

Theme: The Sabercrats are, oddly-enough, not actually defined by war. Their goals, the themes that define them, are power and imperialism. Like the Triocheans, the Sabercrats want to see the City expand and take its place as the most powerful state among the Realms -- and their chosen method is the application of military force. Every action of a true Sabercrat should improve the City and its power among the Realms, from attempting to raise a standing City army, to sabotaging or actually invading other Realms.

However, another theme is also important -- the Sabercrats' preferred method of solving problems, the application of force. Whether physical, political, or verbal, direct and decisive action is their modus operandi. No pussyfooting around with deceit and backroom dealings, the Sabercrats are direct, honest, and quite likely to break your nose if you disagree with them.

Twist: Man, I should never have included the Twist section -- I have more trouble with this section than any other, every post. Oh well, in for a penny, in for a pound... Maybe the leaders are really peaceniks, trying to discredit the war movement by forming a society with bad press. Maybe there's a secret plan to overthrow the government and replace it with an imperialist. Maybe they are secretly building an army, recruiting from the more warlike species from other Realms, instead of trying the more difficult task of creating community support in the City. Yeah, I think that's the one. An interesting secret, but it doesn't change their goals or methodology at all.

Join us next time as we look at the lawful Thief-Binders.

Factions: Publicans

First, a quick apology: I'm very sorry that I've been sporadic for a while, and had to go on hiatus for a while before that. I hope I haven't lost any readers, and I apologize to those who may have lost interest. Now, I can't guarantee consistency for the rest of the summer -- I'm still selling my house and preparing for both a move and a wedding -- but things should hopefully quiet down at least a little bit as I'm now settling into my new job and the house is almost ready for sale. Anyone here happen to be looking for a house in Fairbanks, AK? Drop me a comment... right, didn't think so.

Okay, with no further ado, the Publicans!

Walking down the street, you notice a long line of people stretching out of a storefront. Curious, you investigate a little closer, and see that the front of the line is a small stand, with a cook ladling out cupfuls of a rich, steaming broth to every person in line. With no money exchanging hands, you realize that this must be one of the Publicans' charitable works... The philanthropic arm of the City, the Publicans spend their time feeding and clothing the poor, building public parks and shelters, and generally helping the lower classes however they can.

Archetype: Philanthropy and social work doesn't have a strong tradition in fantasy fiction: most charitable organizations are religious in nature, as was generally the case in Medieval Europe. The Publicans are not religious -- well, they may be, but they aren't associated with a religious organization. So really, the Publicans are more closely inspired by modern philanthropists, and not any proper fantasy archetype...


Real-Life Inspiration: The Publicans are inspired by two sources, which are fundamentally the same: those rich people who hold charity benefits, and the low-level social workers who deal directly with the poor. The social workers, filled with hope or cynicism, do what they do because they believe in making the world a better place, and that not everyone can help themselves. Some of the rich are the same, which others just try to build popularity and contribute to the "popular" charity this season. All of these inspirations, idealistic or cynical, come together to build the Publicans.

Historically, the term 'publican' has had several different meanings. In the Roman Republic and Empire, the publicans were public contractors, supplying the legionaries, managing the ports, and building public buildings. This definition is similar, though not identical to the role of my Publicans. Later in Roman history, publicans served as tax collectors. Less similar to the City's publicans -- though I suppose they might take on that responsibility, I haven't figured out who collects the taxes in the City. Lastly, in the Renaissance, tavern-keepers (and, apparently, pimps) were known as publicans. While my Publicans could run taverns (and probably give discounts to the poor), it doesn't particularly fit. So, which of these definitions inspired the Publicans' name? Actually, none of the above. I just picked up the word "public" and added a suffix, actually thinking I'd made up the word. It bothers me a little that it's an actual word -- and that my definition doesn't really match it -- but whatever, I'm in love with the name.

Theme: The Publicans are all about help. On the upside, they help those who can't help themselves. On the other hand, those they assist sometimes lose their agency, becoming dependent on the system. And then there are those who, for the sake of pride or honor or community respect, refuse to get help or resent that they get -- and the Publicans will, for the most part, still insist on helping those people. I think it's important that each faction provide both the good and bad of their goals and methods, even when it's something as "unambiguously" good as charity. Personally, I would love the Publicans to exist and hold power -- but I know many who want charities and government to stay out of their lives, and several who have lost their power to function in a normal life because they've grown accustomed to unemployment or disability payments or what have you. This dichotomy -- help and security vs. freedom and agency -- is the fundamental disagreement that puts the Publicans and the Egoists on the opposite sides of most debates (and occasional street fights).

Twist: Hmm. A twist. My first instinct is to say that some of the Publicans have a secret workforce of unpaid laborers "recruited" from the Publican soup kitchens and such, creating some dastardly machine in private. Then again, that is a bit cliche. So perhaps they're secretly building an army, out of the most grateful and loyal poor they help, to eventually start a war and end the Egoists once and for all. Yeah. That'll do for now.

Thanks for sticking with me, regular readers, and join me next time as we examine the war-like Sabercrats.

Factions: Faberists

Approaching the Curia, the seat of the High Council, you see that the street is filled with protesters. They loudly declaim the government, demanding representation for the lower classes -- and a few shout things like "Smash the state!" and "Tear it all down!" You wonder however you will make it through this group of Faberists and into your place of employment... The Faberists are the City's revolutionaries. They believe that the City government is stagnant and corrupt, and should be removed from power. If only they could agree on what to replace it with...


Archetype: There aren't a lot of revolutionaries in fantasy fiction -- or in fiction in general, that I can think of. When they do exist, they are freedom fighters working against a tyrannical empire: The Rebel Alliance of Star Wars, the New Caprican rebels from Battlestar Galactica, the Tok'ra and Jaffa rebels from Stargate SG-1.  The Faberists are not these -- while the City has its problems, it's no Galactic Empire, and the Faberists are no "persecuted, plucky band of rebels." However, neither are they the flipside, the evil terrorists willing to sacrifice millions to destroy the heroic government (a la 24 or the Maquis as they appear in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine). Hm. Perhaps there is no appropriate archetype to match the Faberists. Luckily, there are plenty of real-life examples...

Real-Life Inspiration: Obviously, the Faberists are based on historical revolutionary groups, most notably the Soviet and Chinese Communist revolutions and the French revolution. The biggest thing I take from historical studies of these groups (which, to be fair, I have only cursory knowledge of) is that they were all filled with radically different opinions on which direction to take the new government. One only needs to look at the contrast between the beliefs of Lenin, Stalin, and Trotsky -- or between Mao and most of his contemporaries. In fact, all three of these revolutions, as well as the American Revolution, started out with one government, which then collapsed before stability could be achieved.

And thus, the Faberists' greatest weakness -- they cannot decide how far to take their revolution, or in which direction: some wish to burn it all down and start from scratch, while others merely want to perform relatively minor governmental rejiggering. Without a single influential leader, their infighting may doom them to never finding, let alone achieving, a singular goal.

Theme: The Faberists are about idealism and dissatisfaction. Though they are unable to agree on how the City should be changed, they all know it doesn't work the way it is. They are fundamentally incapable of just living their lives and letting the City go on in its flawed fashion, and those passions and ideals motivate them. Every Faberist believes that if things were just "run the right way," everything would work out, and the City could be paradise. Unsurprisingly, most Faberists come from the lower classes, who have the most to be dissatisfied about.

Twist: Unlike most revolutionaries in the real world, the Faberists are more concerned with theory and political protest than violent action. Terrorist actions are few and far between, and mostly represent splinter groups rather than the faction as a whole. Perhaps that's not a coincidence -- maybe there is a cabal of high-level Faberists who actually want to keep the City as it is, and guide their revolutionary-minded brethren into small-scale and ultimately futile gestures in an attempt to keep them quiet and too busy to actually smash the state. Hm. Not sure if I like that or not -- it kind of makes the whole society a lie -- but it is interesting. I shall ponder...

Next time, we examine the charitable Publicans! See you then!

Factions: Godless

On the street corner, you see a pair of preachers, each with a crowd of onlookers surrounding them. One speaks of the power of the Light, and Its benevolence. The other, oddly, asks their followers not to follow any god, but instead to think for themselves, to seek out knowledge and disdain all deities. As you look on, you realize this preacher is one of the Godless. These philosophers and scientists quest for information and think that the gods are pretenders at best, malevolent at worst...


Archetype: The Godless are questioners. they are eternally seeking new and unknown knowledge. I have images of the "academic" time of wizard that appear in Discworld, in The Name of the Wind, in Harry Potter. The "Tinker Gnomes" of Krynn. They're constantly inventing and coming up with new and strange theories of the world. Godless are intimately associated with knowledge: students, professors, scientists, and librarians.

Real-Life Inspiration: The Godless are based on two different types of people: scientists and philosophers. Both seek to understand the universe, but have different methods. This is not to say that all Godless are properly trained scientists or philosopher -- on the contrary, many if not most would be amateurs, the kind of young, inquisitive person who hangs around coffee shops debating the nature of God. This intense nature informs the Godless: They want to know, and nothing will stop them. And they have their own paths of knowledge, which will hold their attention above all else, though it may be abominably dull for everyone else -- like many a scientist in the real world.

One important facet of both scientist and Godless is their sense of wonder at the world. Despite -- or because of -- their disbelief in the divine, they see the world as filled with amazing feature and questions they itch to answer.

Theme: Part of the Godless theme is the old saw of "Things Man Was Not Meant To Know." The City of Lives is not Call of Cthulhu -- the Godless are not going to constantly go mad as they mount their investigations -- but it is dangerous work, both physically and mentally. What are the limits of the human mind? How much can we learn, how far can our mind twist around unnatural concepts before it snaps? These are the questions the Godless will explore.

Another theme to explore is the nature of atheism in a fantasy world. TVtropes.org writes of the "Flat Earth Atheist," who disbelieves in deities despite the obvious fact that they exist in their fantasy world, slinging miracles around: TVtropes paints these characters as silly, their head in the sand, ignoring the obvious truth. This is not quite the case in City of Lives: The gods exist, and no sane Godless would deny their power and existence. What the question is, then, is the gods' nature and position: Are the gods different from mortals in substance, or only in degree? Do they deserve worship? How can their powers be explained within the laws of physics? These are the kind of questions the Godless ask, that defines them. Interestingly enough, TVtropes also has the "NayTheist" trope listed to describe this kind of belief.

Twist: Oddly enough, for a faction called "Godless," divinity actually holds a tremendously strong focus for the Godless. Other factions might be unconcerned with religion, paying lip service and living their lives in a purely mundane manner -- the the Godless are defined by negation, by the strength of their disbelief. Were there no gods whatsoever, they would have very little to band them together.

Next, we will examine the revolutionary Faberists!

Factions: Fallows

The flower-clad girl hands you a bouquet of pansies plucked from her own flesh, saying "Remember that there is still growth, even in the sterile City." You watch her go, pondering the words of the Fallow you've just encountered. The nature-obsessed Fallows try to return the City to the "simple" lives epitomized by the Rurals out on the Julian Plains.


Archetype: What comes to mind is the "urban shaman" that shows up in much urban fantasy (Shadowrun is a good example). The urban shaman finds a way to value the peculiar form of nature that lives in the city. They have a dog as their totem animal instead of a wolf, cat instead of lynx, rat or pigeon instead of eagle -- you get the point. Instead of power over weather, they might control the sewer system, or slime molds instead of trees. So this is a good model for the Fallows -- some Fallows are direct analogues, with supernatural powers, while others are just trying to care for the urban environment however they can.

Real-Life Inspiration: To me, Fallows are hippies and "green" people, doing their best to bring nature into the urban environment. Backyard gardens, animal shelters, recycling and mulching programs. Some are serene, separated from the stress of city life by their efforts; others are driven, intent on bringing the world back to its roots.

Theme: The Fallows are about harmony with nature, and what they both gain and give up by valuing nature over urban civilization. Fallows live with a certain serenity that comes from the knowledge that they are harmonious with nature. In the real world, "harmony with nature" is just a saying, describing a lifestyle at best. In City of Lives, however, a skilled farmer can increase their crop through the use of magic; a shepherd can sense if their flock's in danger or content; a slaughterhouse worker can gently put animals to sleep before they're slaughtered. "Harmony" would have specific, measurable, benefits. Being in tune with animals and plants naturally removes one from other people and civilized society. The Fallows will be crude, simple, and earnest.

Twist: The irony of the Fallows is, of course, that none of them are actually living the pure and simple life they want -- if they did, they wouldn't be in the City, they'd be out on the Plains. Their attempts to reconcile urban life with a desire for the simplicity of nature is the interesting thing about them, and that duality informs their every action. Some just like the romanticism of "natural living" but won't give up their creature comforts, while others would give anything to leave the City but can't because of responsibilities or finances.

Thanks for reading. Next time, we'll explore the society of scientists known as the Godless!

Factions: Egoists

You sit at a table in the local tavern, drinking peacefully, when abruptly a large man pushes his way through the doors, dressed in a trapper's leathers and covered in pockets. When you see that he is not even going to buy a drink, but simply sit in a corner and quaff from a hip flask, it hits you -- this man is an Egoist. This society of the purely self-sufficient holds their philosophy to be enlightenment, and don't much care if anyone else agrees... or has anything to do with them.


Archetype: The Egoists have two central conceits: self-sufficiency and self-interest. The archetypal character that fills both is the cynical woodsman. The wise, bitter hermit who has retreated from society is a classic archetypal character. Interesting enough, most of these characters in fiction re-enter society, at least helping out the community: from passing on knowledge to the heroes, to slaying a dragon, to saving the world. Though this "wise, retired hermit" is the core basis for the Egoists, the members of this faciton are not all world-weary and old. They range in all ages, and many pass on the principles of self-sufficiency to their children.

Real-Life Inspiration: There are two inspirations for the Egoists. First is the Taoist religion, as we discussed here. The Egoists believe in a natural path for each person, a true "way" they can follow to reach their true potential. The other inspiration are those people who believe in self-sufficiency: hunters who live in the Alaskan bush, hermits, etc. These people see the civilized world as full of parasites sucking on the teat of government or industry -- charity and handouts are anathema to them [anathema. good word. been using it a lot lately]. The purest Egoists in the real world are those who retreat fully from society, cutting themselves off from out civilization. Backwoods militias and cults on compounds are inspirations -- though those communities often focus on the "common good," just on a small scale, which is not very Egoist.


Theme: The theme her has something to do with self-sufficiency, selfishness, and isolationism. Egoists are strong, vital people, admirable in their ability. On the other hand, Egoists have no sense of compassion or honor. The goal of Kviian Taoism is to reach one's potential without interfering with others -- but if push comes to shove, the Egoist's needs come first, and others be damned. Hence, a true Egoists will be, according to the D&D alignment system, Lawful Evil -- uncaring and running life by their own rules.

I'm a big believer in relative morality: every culture decides what is and isn't "good" and "evil." So on the one hand, Egoists have their own morality and shouldn't be judge harshly for it. On the other hand, Egoists live within the greater society of the City -- which definitely condemns the Egoists' ruthless selfishness. So -- are the evil or not? I don't know. Perhaps it is up to each individual player to answer that question.

Twist: Like the Enders, the Egoists are not the kind of people to have a strong organization -- they believe too much in keeping separate and strong. They are unified only by their common philosophy -- but it is a strong philosophy. There are few believers as intense as a true Egoists, and their tenets are clear. In fact, perhaps they have an actual "religious text," based on but not identical to the texts of Kivian Taoism. This text, like Marx's Manifesto of the Communist Party, Hitler's Mein Kampf, or Mao's "Little Red Book," is non-religious but tremendously influential, and many Egoists take all their actions directly from the precepts laid out in the... I dunno, "Manual of the Self?"

That's what I've got on the Egoists for now. Join me next time for a discourse on the Fallows!

Factions: Epicureans

You step into the City of Lives' most impressive pleasure palace, a hotbed of iniquity at its finest, with Las Vegas showiness married to the classiness of the Metropolitan Opera House. Most of its patrons -- artists, lovers of finery, and compulsive gamblers alike -- belong to the City faction known as the Epicureans. The Epicureans are defined by two things: art and novelty. They create and consume art, find and create new and exciting experiences. Let's ARTT them out.

The image that comes to mind as the Archetypal Epicurean is Futurama's Hedonism Bot, obsessed with pleasure, variety, and novelty. The wealthy lover of fine things shows up in all sorts of fiction, usually finding new and unusual (often obscene or dangerous) ways to amuse themselves. The men behind The Most Dangerous Game and Dr Frank N. Furter are examples of extreme Epicureans. Of course, the archetype goes far, far back, to Dionysos of Greek mythology. The god of wine and revelry, Dionysos believed in celebrating anything and everything, to literally inhuman degrees.

Real-Life Inspiration: There are, of course, many artistic dilettantes in the real world -- but
another type of person comes to mind: the adrenalin junkies and daredevils, constantly seeking new and novel thrills. These, too, are Epicureans, and provide a model for the kind of person likely to become an adventurer or hero. Their motivation for adventuring is not money, glory, or altruism, but excitement. Add in a love of art and culture, and you find the quintessential Epicurean: adventurous, easily bored, and looking for new experiences, excitement, and art at every turn.

Theme: Being an Epicurean is about more. Not more money or power, but more experiences. They are never satisfied, always seeking out new -- pleasant is nice, but not requisite: an Epicurean would rather exult in the exquisite pain of torture than be bored.

Twist: Epicureans sound pretty harmless, do they not? Obsessed with their own pleasure and artistic triumph, you would think they have no time for the rest of the world. But there are two kinds of Epicureans who affect the greater world in important ways: first, the ethical hedonist, who takes Epicurean philosophy to the next level, trying to spread the joy they feel to the rest of the population, doing what they can -- philanthropy, grand artistic movements, perhaps even revolution -- to maximize happiness among the maximum number of people. Their flip side are those Epicureans who care only about their own happiness, and are willing to destroy anything that gets in their way -- gladiatorial games for their amusement, bathing in the blood of virgins, this is the realm of the dark Epicurean.

Perhaps the Epicureans seem a bit scattershot. I say, that is their whole point. All that keeps them together is a love of the world, however many different ways they may experience it. And on that note, let's leave the Epicureans for now -- next, we examine the Egoists!

Factions: Enders

You walk along the street, window-shopping at the various carts and shops that litter Merchant Street. A massive explosion rocks the air, and you look down the road to see a small group of black-clad bombers running out of the smoke and flames. Oh, no, you think, the Enders are at it again. Today we will examine the Enders, the faction that believes in entropy -- that chaos and death will eventually overcome the universe, and the ways they interact with the world.

Archetype: I'm not really sure where the Enders fit in classical fantasy archetypes. Perhaps the thieves' guild, stealing in the name of chaos: or the barbarian horde, killing and destroying. Both of those are extremely negative, and it's hard to imagine PCs in most campaigns filling either role. What archetype fits the Enders that is "good," for lack of a better word? I can't think of one that doesn't dilute the Enders' fundamental concept. Hrm.

The biggest Real-Life Inspiration for the Enders are anarchists and nihilists. I'll be honest, I don't know terribly much about either group/movement. The thew things I do know (or think I know):

Anarchists:
-Believe that government stifles and oppresses citizens, and people are better off running their own lives
-At least in popular thought, they tend to be terrorists and revolutionaries, trying to overthrow the government

Nihilists:
-Believe there is no god
-Believe the universe has no purpose
-hence, either a) everything is hopeless and you should give up and die, or b) you need to find your own purpose and meaning in life.

My brief research on Wikipedia tells me that my basic ideas are basically right, but that there are far more complexities than I have time to worry about at the moment -- but it gives me a couple basic revisions on nihilism. Specifically, I learned that nihilists can go to even greater extremes in their beliefs, espousing the idea that there is no definable reality -- and that they often believe in moral relativism, saying there is no absolute moral law, and thus it is not morally wrong to, for example, kill someone. Of course, I would argue that whether or not there is an absolute moral compass, there is one provided by society, and if you wish to live in that society, you must respect that culture's moral code. Cue the flame wars.

Theme: The theme of the Enders is hopelessness, and how to deal with it. The Enders believe they have discovered the dark secret of the universe: that everything eventually collapses and comes to naught. What is more hopeless than that? So, how do you deal with that information? Some might try to hurry it along: killing, committing crimes, and doing their best to tear down the world. Others might try to work against entropy, at least on the short scale: building new structures, creating art, and bringing people together. But are these people really Enders? And then there is the middle path -- people who just muddle along like most of us do, trying not to spend time hopelessly counteracting entropy, but also not actively working towards destruction. This latter person is probably the most common kind of Ender -- but is this very interesting and worthy of keeping around? I'm not sure. I know I'm having trouble with the Enders, finding their place, but I think this is due more to me finding their philosophy alien than it being unnecessary or ill-fitting the setting.

Twist: One might argue that it is strange for people whose entire belief system is based on chaos would choose to organize themselves into a group. Perhaps -- which implies to me that perhaps Enderism(?) is a cult of personality, all of its believers clustered around a single nihilist prophet. So what might this person be like? Obviously, they do not feel the despair that is stereotypically associated with nihilism, but they might feel the rage associated with anarchism. A revolutionary who wants not only to tear down the government, but the entire world. A prophet espousing chaos and destruction because only those acts mean anything in a world doomed to death, and advocating reveling in the dark and pleasant emotions associated with violence.

Well, we've been having a difficult time figuring out the Enders, specifically in how they can be positive forces appropriate for a heroic campaign. Then again, is that even a meaningful question for the morally vague City of Lives? Perhaps the Enders should just be an option for players wishing to play violent and nihilistic characters. Or perhaps they should be presented as an NPC group, available to players only if they beg the GM sufficiently.

All right. The Enders are confusing, but beginning to come along. Next time, we look at the artistic obsessives that make up The Epicureans.

Factions Part 4

Let's finish up our overview of the Factions, and then take a closer look at the first faction, the Canonists.

The Thief-Binders work for the Thief-Binder Clan, follow the Iversdotter Revelation, and pursue justice. This name is one I haven't been sitting on, but was one that dangled just out of reach for quite some time. "Something to do with handcuffs, and criminals -- the Criminal-Cuffer Clan! The Cuff-Thief Clan!" etc. Finally, I found "thief-binder" in my head, and it fit the concept and the Iversdotter "noun-noun" naming scheme. So this is a simple one, just about the Iversdotters' sense of justice that defines a large part of them as a people. The Iversdotter Revelation is another Church of the Blinding Light splinter group, that follows the Light but also holds the original Iver as a demigod (it's referred to as the Iversdotter Heresy by strict Church-goers).


Last but not least, the Triocheans are associated with the Free Association of Merchants and Businesspeoples, follow the Code of Business, and aim for a laissez-faire utopia. The Free Association, a powerful trade union, has been around since I worked on the City Districts, and the Code of Business is a sort of philosophical system, rather than a true religion, invented by the Pariah bloodline. I'm inspired by, but trying not to imitate, the Ferengi "Rules of Acquisition" in the Code -- the main difference I'm working with is the idea that the Code values family above even profit, which is definitely not something the Ferengi do. The name "Triochean" came from the word "troche," the meaning of which I didn't even remember until I just looked it up ("a small pill or lozenge." huh), and the notion that these people follow the "Trio." I liked the sound of the combination, so there you go. My secrets revealed.

Well, let's move on to ARTTing out one of these factions, eh? I figure we can squeeze a post out of each faction -- which will hold us for the next month and a half or so!

The Canonists

Archetype: The archetype for the Canonists is that of the kindly priests -- Priests of Good abound in fantasy fiction, there to heal or advise the heroes. While not all Canonists are priests, this is their model: peaceful, kindly, and devoted to their deity. On the other hand, the Light does not espouse removing oneself from society as most of these temples and monasteries do; ambition is virtue in the Church, and the priests are intimately intertwined with local politics.


Real-Life Inspiration: The real-life inspiration for the Canonists is pretty obvious -- it's those staunch believers in any religion (mainly Protestant Christianity here in the US, but it varies from country to country) who go into politics to push their beliefs' agenda. That sounds harsh, but I don't necessarily mean it to be --every government has a central philosophy held by the majority of its founders and governors -- and most often, it is a religion. Even if this religion is not officially associated with the government, it is implicit in the nature of the laws and organization of the government. In the US, it is Protestant Christianity. In the City, it is the Church of the Blinding Light. While not all of the government believes in the Light, a sizable potion does, and a significant minority of those are Canonists, holding their religious beliefs as the most important foundation for their politics.

Theme: The theme of the Canonists has to do with the good and bad sides of peace. Canonists believe in complete peace, utter nonviolence and nonconfrontation. On the good side -- well, being at peace is much more pleasant than being at war; avoiding violence leads to more enjoyable and productive lives. On the other hand, confrontation can sometimes be necessary. The classic example is, of course, Britain and much of Europe paying off Nazi Germany prior to World War II -- it's generally accepted that had they not eventually turned to war, Gemany would have taken them over bit by bit -- only through war could they truly pacify the beast. The Canonists are incapable of this kind of confrontation, which leads to their downfall in many situations.

Twist: I need the Canonists, and the Church, to be three-dimensional in their morality: neither fully good nor evil. Hidden secrets are good to vilify churches -- the snake cult of Chrono Trigger, the dragon cult of the mysterious village Haven in Dragon Age: Origins, Richelieu's secret control over France in The Three Musketeers. What kind of secret can we find that makes the Church of the Blinding Light shades-of-gray but not purely evil? One claassic that comes to mind is manipulating politics behind the scenes -- but the Church's political influence is right out in the open in the City. Hmm.

Factions Part 3

Today we continue enumerating the origins of the Factions we looked at last time and the time before:

The Faberists work for House Solfidley, follow the Seeding Manual's Book of Growth, and desire Revolution. This is a concept I've had kicking around for a while -- it came forefront for a time in the playtest campaign, because one of the PCs is a revolutionary who sees Arbron Solfidley, the revolutionary leader I'd created, as not going nearly far enough. This gave me the central conceit of the Faberists, that they haven't overthrown the government because not enough of them can agree on how to do it or what to replace it with. "Faber" comes from the Latin word "faber," meaning "craftsman" or "smith" -- inspired in part by the character "Faber John" from the obscure young adult book A Tale of Time City (which I really should go back and put in the "inspirations" section of this post. Of note is the Seeding Manual (more on it here), which actually covers two different factions -- my justification is that, like the Bible, different parts of it emphasize different things.. and the Book of Growth can be interpreted to advocate revolution.

The Fallows have their own organization, and follow The Seeding Manual's Book of Fallow, emphasizing a return to nature. Here is the other one based on the Seeding Manual. Here the idea is to relax and find harmony with the world, instead of trying to push it to change like the Faberists. Fallows here is a simple pun of "fallow" -- that is, a farming term meaning "to lie dormant or unused" and "fellows" -- that is, people. I like it.


The Free Agents are associated with the Free Agency (maybe), have no religion, and advocate freedom. They are a non-faction, a semi-demi-group of people who share only the fact that they don't like to be organized into groups. This a notion that is largely to give players an option that's not really a faction, for those who would feel too hemmed in by the factions -- but I may eliminate it and just let players associate with no faction at all... thoughts? Sound off in the comments!


The Godless are associated with the Academy of Artful Sciences and follow Practical Theosophy, aiming to learn about the universe and the gods. As I mentioned in the post on Practical Theosophy, the theosophers are determined to make sense of the universe through the experimental method. I love the idea that these guys have claimed a slur against them -- Godless -- and turned it into their name, much like the gay community has with "queer" and the African-American community with "nigger/nigga." Don't have much else to say on these folks at the moment, except that I really like them.


The Publicans work for House Trelius and practice The Unfortunates Revelation, trying to advance the cause of altruism and philanthropy. Here we have a name -- publicans -- which is an old Latin term that came into my mind unbidden and refused to leave. The original publicans were actually tax collectors, but the use of the word "public" as used today implies charitable work to me, so I'm repurposing the name. "Trelius" again comes from the Everchanging Book of Names (Latin setting), and the Unfortunates Revelation is another splinter off the Church of the Blinding Light, this one specifically created for the Publicans -- and I don't know anything about it except that it emphasizes the plight of the downtrodden.


The Sabercrats work for the Hotblood Gang, follow the Iversdotter Revelation (or possibly not), and work towards imperialism and war. Sabercrat is a fun little word I came up with a while back, as the first political party enumerated for the City. Obviously, it's a portmanteau of "saber" and the suffix -crat (meaning “member of a ruling body,” or “advocate of a particular form of rule” according to Dictionary.com), most familiar to us Americans from the "Democrat" political party. The Sabercrats are an odd duck and may need some rejiggering: on the one hand, most warhawk political parties are made up of the rich and powerful, wanting to increase their power by taking over other countries. On the other hand, the most militant bloodlines I've identified in the City are in the lower and middle-classes: the Kipmen and Iversdotters, and I think the Kipmen deserve a voice, as the other lower-classes have the Faberists (Rurals) and the Egoists (Grate-Scratchers) to represent their interests. Hence the fact that, at least for now, the Sabercrats are associated with the Kipman Hotblood street gang, and follow the Iversdotter Revelation which is, obviously, most closely associated with the Iversdotters. There isn't currently another religion which seems to fit the Sabercrats any better, but the Iversdotter Revelation is also associated with the Thief-Binders [next post. Be patient], and I'm trying not to associate one religion with multiple factions. Of note is that the City of Lives is a trading power, not an imperial one -- but the Sabercrats want to change that, to make the City of Lives the dominant power in the Realms from a purely military standpoint (difficult considering the City has no standing army).

Okay, that's enough for today. Next time, we finish up the Faction "origins" and look at the first Faction in depth! 

Factions Part 2

Last time, we began taking a look at a new concept: Factions, groups of like-minded individuals there in the world to bring individuality and structure to the PCs. Today we continue that:

Okay, a brainstorming session, complete with thesaurus and Latin dictionary, and I've got some the skeleton of the factions worked out.

Each faction will have a society name, and be associated with a powerful organization and a religion that provides the base for their philosophical bent.





Firstly: I removed two ideas from the list I posted last time. First, the self-sufficient Kivian Taoists and the self-interested Church of Lies seemed to follow the same basic ideology (see the word "self" in both), and Kivian Taoism is more interesting, so I eliminated the latter and took the name I had associated, the Egoists, for the Taoists.

Second, I consolidated the Free Association of Merchants and Businesspeoples and the Triocheans. The reasoning behind putting together an association whose goal is "money" and one whose goal is "utopia" might not be immediately apparent, but let me explain. The Elder Trio, the mysterious beings who rule the City, are the quintessential laissez-faire rulers -- they hardly ever interfere with the City's goings-on. Add to that the Objectivist dystopia seen in Bioshock, which I recently played and am fascinated with, and you have the notion that utopia is best found through the application of money in the free market. With that idea, suddenly the idea of simply wanting "money" feels meaningless, and the two become one seamless whole.

Okay, here we go:


The Canonists work for House lev-Barun and are associated with The Church of the Blinding Light. They work towards peace and order. This was an easy one. The Church has been around since the beginning of the concept, and of course they needed an organization and political arm. So I looked around in a thesaurus for another word for "believer," and decided "canonist" had a good ring to it (and is pretty obscure). The house name came from the Everchanging Book of Names I've mentioned before, working with Hebrew sounds -- the language I've decided the priestly Leovites are associated with.

The Egoists work for House Naught, practice Kivian Taoism, and believe in enlightened self-interest. As we've explored before, Kivian Taoism is based on the principle that every person has their own "way" through life, and they should follow it to the highest heights -- to the detriment of others if necessary. Nothing else to say at the moment, except that I love "House Naught" -- that is to say, house nothing, because the Egoists don't work together enough to have a proper House.

The Enders work for The Enders and follow The Entropic Circle, and want to spread entropy and chaos. That's just about all I got so far -- I just think that the idea of a faction based around nihilism has great potential, and could make both good conflicted heroes and great bad guys.

The Epicureans work for House Daceas, follow the Promethean Heresy, and desire art and pleasure. This was another easy one -- I'm bringing over the same basic notions as the Hedonists from Crosstime and the Sensates from Planescape, and emphasizing the love of art that is a defining characteristic of the Promethean bloodline. Worth noting is that the Promethean Heresy is one of several splinter religions diverging from the Church of the Blinding Light -- in the Church, Prometheus is regarded as somewhere between Eve and Satan, as he pulled early man from a state of grace by giving them technology and art; in the Promethean Heresy, he is revered as having lifted man from a state of ignorance. Other than that, the religions are virtually the same -- but because of that, they don't get along. Also of note is that "Epicureans" comes from ancient Greek culture... via the thesaurus, and "House Daceas" comes from the Greek section of the Everchanging Book of Names.

Okay. You go hide, I'll count to three days, and I'll find you on Friday. Go!

Factions Part 1

Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about campaign styles for The City of Lives. Every game system has a type of campaign that it works best for: D&D is based around the assumption of dungeoncrawling, meeting monsters and taking their stuff; Vampire assumes political maneuvering and angst; Champions assumes comic-book vigilantism. This is not to say that you can't dungeoncrawl in Vampire or do vigilantism in D&D, but it's not the easiest, it's not what the system is built around. So what kind of game is The City of Lives built around? The answer is, I believe, what the current playtesters are playing -- spy-genre intrigue, the PCs working as espionage agents and troubleshooters for one of the "noble Houses" that, like the Montagues and Capulets, run the City and are constantly feuding. So, now that I have that basic idea in my head, how to best encourage and support it?

To help answer that question, I went back to one of my original inspirations: The Planescape campaign setting for AD&D 2nd Edition. I've avoided reading all the way through its material, or even revisiting it at all, for quite some time -- I wanted to ensure I knew what the City of Lives was on its own before polluting my mind with a source as potent as Planescape, worried that I'd end up just writing a rip-off fanfiction. However, the City is now quite distinct in my mind, so I felt it was safe to return to the well. And I discovered an idea that I had actually used before in my earlier game Crosstime, but had largely forgotten about: Factions.

Factions, as the term is used in Planescape, are groups of like-minded individuals who provide each other with support and push their agenda into the landscape -- much like political parties in the real world (or secret societies in Paranoia, for those familiar). Their main purpose from a meta-universe and worldbuilding standpoint is to provide characters with extra flavor and structure -- being a Republican says something about your character, and the Republican party sending the PCs on missions provides a good structure either for a campaign or an occasional adventure.

So let's take a look at these factions, see what we can figure out.

First, I'll take inspiration from Planescape and my old Crosstime campaign, and come up with a list of what each faction in the games are fighting for (and apologies to Zeb Cook if I misinterpret any of his ideas):

Planescape

• The Athar: Discover the true nature of the gods
• Believers of the Source: Become a god
• The Bleak Cabal: Accept the meaningless of the universe
• The Doomguard: Assist the entropy of the universe
• The Dustmen: Prepare for death
• The Fated: Become self-sufficient and take power
• The Fraternity of Order: Understand the laws of the universe
• The Free League: Stay independent
• The Harmonium: Create peace in the universe by conquering everyone
• The Mercykillers: Enforce justice
• The Revolutionary League: Tear down the system!
• The Sign of One: ...not sure. Make other people accept that you're the center of the universe?
• The Society of Sensation: Experience as much of the universe as possible.
• The Transcendent Order: Become one with the universe and act accordingly
• The Xaositects: Learn the nature of the universe by embracing chaos
• The Outsiders: Understand this bizarre world they've fallen into.

And from my old Crosstime game (a time-travel game with lots of changing history):

• Archivists: Learn everything in the universe
• Freelancers: Stay independent
• The Free Market: Make money
• Green Time: Restore nature to dominance
• Hedonists: Experience as much pleasure as possible
• Machinists: Introduce as much high-technology into the timeline as possible. 
• Messiahs: Become the most important person in the universe
• OTL: Restore the timeline to its original state
• Racketeers: Also make money... (hm. a potential problem for if/when I return to Crosstime)
• The Revisionists: Change history to create utopia 
• The Shelter: Altruism
• The Span: Destroy time travel
• Timelost: Get home

Don't worry if it all doesn't make sense. The important part is the goals for each faction -- and, as you can see, there is a lot of overlap. This tells me that there are a limited number of fundamental concepts in the collective unconscious, and thus Zeb Cook and I stumbled across a lot of the same ones. So, if I put them together and cull out the ones that are inappropriate, then throw in a couple of ideas that don't seem to have made the list, I think we'll have a good list of faction goals for The City of Lives.

We'll associate them with a few names I already have kicking around my head -- political parties, religions, and noble Houses, and see what we get:

The Church of the Blinding Light: Peace and order

Kivian Taoism: Self-sufficiency in harmony with the universe

?: entropy and chaos

House Daceas/The Promethean Heresy: Art and pleasure

Faberists/House Solfidly: Revolution

The Seeding Manual: Nature above technology

?:  freedom

Academy of Artful Sciences/Practical Theosophy: Knowledge of the universe and the gods

Publicans/House Trelius: Altruism and charity

Sabercrats: Imperialism and war

The Iversdotter Revelation: Justice

Triocheans: Utopia

The Free Association of Merchants and Businesspeoples: Money

The Church of Lies: Pure Self-interest

Okay, that's enough for this post. Let me mull over these concepts and see if I can come up with some names and more information, and I'll meet you here next time for Factions Part 2!

Grate-Scratcher Archetypal Image and the Kivians

Svetana Milevic -- a Grate-Scratcher Burglar

Svetana is short and slim near to the point of emaciation. She has pale, unhealthy-looking skin, and large (I mean inhumanly large) eyes with irises so light they almost blend into the whites. She is in her early 20s. Her hair is limp and straggly in a dirty gray under a pair of dark goggles she wears across her forehead. She wears plain, dark rags, mottled in grays and dark reds (a makeshift urban camouflage for a city filled with brick and stone) -- and they look like they used to be 18th-century peasant garb, reminiscent of Les Miserables. What skin shows is splattered in mud and grime, as though she’d been living in a sewer for years (as indeed she has). She carries a thick length of rope with a grapnel on it on one shoulder, a crowbar in her belt, and is removing a lockpick from a leather case. Her lips are thin, but pressed into a grin of smirking happiness.

Picture after the jump:

Iversdotter Archetypal Image and Riannos

Ingra Eagle-Shield Iversdotter -- an Iversdotter Battlecrafter

Ingra is tall, with light blonde hair, Nordic features, and a muscular and buxom figure. She wears her hair in complex Viking-style braids, but with part of her head shaved in a kind of Viking-Punk look. She is in her late 20s or early 30s. She has a series of Norse runes tattooed across one cheek and down her neck. She has a lot of piercings, from ears to nose (not a bridge, please) to lip and perhaps further south. She wears a leather bustier and leather pants -- both sexy but practical-looking, perhaps patched. She has a long dagger on her hip, and one hand -- curled into a fist -- has nasty-looking bone spurs jutting from her knuckles, forming a kind of brass knuckle. Her expression tells the viewer to back the fuck off.

Picture after the jump

Kipman Archetypal Image and the Realm of Opening

Closk Hotblood -- a Kipman Soldier

Closk is a mongrel. He has features from half-a-dozen different animals. Primarily, he is human -- tall, heavy-set, imposing, a physique reminiscent of a bull or bear. He also features a bear’s muzzle and ram’s horns. His eyes are human, an intense blue. He is in his late 20s. He has patchy fur all over his body, interspersed with tan skin and the occasional patch of reptilian scales. One hand looks like a bear paw, while the other is human. He has the backward-jointed legs and hooves of a sheep. He is dressed in ragged clothes like that of a 19th-century peasant, heavily soiled and patched -- a coarse canvas shirt and ragged pants, with a jerkin of studded leather armor over it. In his human hand, he carries an old, heavily-notched hand axe. His face tells the viewer to die horribly.

See the picture after the jump:

Pariah Archetypal Image and the Shertasi

Marcek Rystyna-per -- a Pariah Information Merchant

Marcek is short and slim. He is in his late 30s. He has dark skin, hair, and eyes, rather Middle-Eastern features. His thin cheeks are permanently stained with tears, which glow with a black light. He has a short goatee. His head is covered by a skullcap in dark orange and purple stripes. He wears an Elizabethan-era tunic and pants (“slops” or “trunk hose”) in black, gray, and purple, simple and severe. He has a stuffed-full scroll-case on his belt, ink-stained fingers, and a quill pen in one hand. His face says he knows more than you, and wants you to know it.See the image after the jump:

Promethean Archetypal Image and the end of the Ma'ar

Phaedra -- a Promethean Explosives Artificer

Phaedra is tall and statuesque, with the high breasts and aquiline nose of a classical Greek statue. She is in her early 20s. Her skin is burnished a dull red, and her veins glow with a dim orange light. Her hair is cut in a “Cleopatra” hairdo, ash-gray, and her eyes look like glowing coals. She wears a flattering Greek tunic with bare legs. She holds a small black-powder grenade (like from Pirates of the Caribbean or old Looney Tunes cartoons), and is lighting the wick with a small breath of fire. She has a pyromaniac’s glee in her eyes. Image after the jump: