Age of Gossamer

[NewShoesForever]

Age of Gossamer

Hidden behind the monumental walls of their great keeps and cathedral-fortresses, these are dark days for humanity. Dread is the prevailing emotion, and great iron gates that straddle the sky are nearly the only things that protect the poor, fragile humans from the jaws and swords of horrid beasts and marauding bands of barbarians. This is humanity's Age of Basalt, cold, dark and slowly breaking under its own weight.

Fortunately, you are not a human. Strange, primeval beings, the origins of the fae race are shrouded in mystery, even to them. Once, in the Age of Cold Iron, they feared the legions of humans known as the Monolith Knights, clad in the rawest and most painful of all iron suits, worked by the divine will of the old god Yaldabhot. They slew the fae and drove back behind into the depths of the Wonderlands, hating their powers and believing that their designs for humanity were profane. That only he should steer the course of his favored race.

Today, after the death of Yaldabhot and the scattering of his Archon legions, the humans are afraid and isolated, yes, but the old ways have fallen and the fae have begun to work their magic through human society. Far from human eyes, the most fantastical of realms grow more strange, as the fae prepare to nudge the course of human destiny once more. Of course, grand adventures for long forgotten secrets and treasure are at the heart of fae lore and society, but simply assembling a group of like-minded humans to your cause, gathering allies amongst your fellow Strange Folk, and surviving the onslaught of rivals to your vision in the grand halls of the fae and human cities are all just as dificult and rewarding.

This is the fae Age of Gossamer, and very soon, maybe humanity's too.

The Courts:

The general political affiliation to which a fae or group of fae belong. Despite any myth and legend that may have developed around them, the current courts are relatively recent developments in fae society, as they are primarily concerned with the direction of human politics.

Joker Court: Joker fae have their own varied vision for humanity alright, but it's not one that most Seelie fae would approve of. They are eclectic and eccentric in the extreme and prone to infighting.

Seelie Court: The general advocates of humanity, the Seelie fae believe that it is the duty of the powerful fae to shepherd humanity into their own Age of Gossamer and protect them from predation.

Shadow Court: Believers that humanity should form its own future, these quiet radicals oppose the machinations of all the other courts, seeking to drive them from the human lands.

Sylvan Court: Distant from the affairs of the other courts, the Sylvan fae believe that humans are an irrelevant and somewhat revolting distraction from the Strange Folk's true domain and ally: nature.

Unseelie Court: The court that remembers the atrocities perpetuated against faekind by the humans, the Unseelie fae wish to remind the foolish creatures who, precisely, holds the power. It is rumored that the Unseelie lord Tuath himself destroyed Yaldabot and brought about the human Age of Basalt

Houses:

The term "House" is perhaps a bit misleading, say some. Though in the Age of Cold Iron, fae that shared similar forms and abilities organized themselves into tightly knot groups and holdings, the Age of Gossamer has heralded increased cooperation and affiliation is rarely concerned with lineage and appearances. The term has yet to fall truly out of favor, however many times words like "Species" or "Seeming" are reccomended as alternatives. In any case, there are truly innumerable Houses among the fae, but here are listed a couple of the most common:

Boggan: Often referred to derisively as "Least Fey", Boggans occupy a vital place within fae society. Lacking in many of the more outlandish and fantastical abilities of their kin, Boggans are often common laborers and skilled craftsfolk. The simplicity of their lives is often mistaken for weakness by more powerful folk, both Fae and otherwise. The truth, however, is that the Boggans innate magical nature manifests in a superhuman level of willpower and conviction in their morals, a fact that those who seek to manipulate them soon discover all too late.
House Knack: Sophrosyne (Superhuman focus and willpower)

Drake: Reptilian children of the First Wyrm, the Drakes carry with them the legacy of one of the greatest Wonderbeasts of all time. Once proud and immensely powerful, the Drakes warred with the Elves for status as the most influencial and respected house. However, their fall from grace at the hands of their long-suffering servants the Salamandr shattered their monolithic hegemony and left them a house very much in decline. Today, they rely on their glamour to remain in the shadows and try their best to avoid their ancestors mistakes.
House Knack: Ladon (Assume aspects of the First Wyrm)

Elf: Haughty and aristocratic in the extreme, elves are perhaps the most human looking of the many Houses, but paradoxically one of the most inhuman in outlook. Obsessed with tradition, beauty and arcane customs that only they understand, elves can actually vary widely in their motives and goals, but their condescending demeanor has earned them a reputation as petty, hidebound racists.
House Knack: Kharis (Superhuman charisma and persuasion)

Gremlin: Regarded with a certain degree of confusion by the other Houses, Gremlins see the world as deeply, utterly flawed; flawedin a way that can only be solved with liberal application of fantastical technology. Polymaths and incredible inventors, the Gremlins are just the right mix of abrasive, eccentric and ingenious to be both insufferable and indespensible to the other Houses.
House Knack: Techne (Creation of seemingly impossible technologies)

Merrow: The Merrow are the secretive humanoid fae that dwell in the rivers and lakes of the world. Consummate merchants and nomads, Merrows rarely stay in a single place for long, taking their secrets with them. Reliable secret keepers and traders, Merrows are considered trustworthy and excellent messengers. Provided that said message is written on waterproof paper, of course.
House Knack: Lethe (Pluck secrets directly from the minds of those that are submerged in their waters)

Nuckelavee: Some call them eldritch horrors from beyond time, other manifestations of death itself. Whatever they are, the cruel and alien Nuckelavee strike fear into even their fellow fae with their hideous powers and gruesome faces. Even the most deranged Jokers and vengeance-blinded Unseelie keep the Nuckelavee at arms length, though their wanton destruction is frequently useful.
House Knack: Nosoi (Creation and control of diseases)

Pixie: The Pixies are seen as dim and flighty by the larger and longer lived houses, with their mercurial obsessions and flights of fancy causing their considerable stealth and espionage skills to be underestimated. Pixies are the most widely accepted fae amongst the humans, as their personal ability to do any real harm, accidentally or intentionally, is pretty minimal.
House Knack: Gelus (Invisibility and very minor telekinesis)

Rusalka: Favored children of the ancient lich Baba Yaga, the Rusalka have near total command of the ice and snow. Their beauty is legendary, but even their greatest admirers admit that it does little to hide their despair from the rule of their cruel queen. As a result, no small number have been known to go renegade and seek something more to life.
House Knack: Boreas (Cryokinesis)

Salamandr: The history of the Salamandr is one that is tied intimately and brutally with that of the Drakes. In the height of Drake power, the Salamandr were a hereditary slave cast, little more than beasts of burden. Their revolution at the end of the Age of Cold Iron was unexpected; even the Elvish instigators honestly didn't expect it to succeed as completely as it did. Now, the Salamandr live free, attempting to piece a functioning society from the crumbled remnants of the corrupt empire of their former masters. Often mistaken for fire elementals or Efteeti Djinn, Salamandr betray their draconic ancestry in their ophidian forms.
House Knack: Dioscuri (Pyrokinesis)

Troll: Huge, cave dwelling, green skinned, nearly impossible to kill... Trolls are all of these things. Despite claims to the contrary, two things they are not, however, are stupid or evil. Most Trolls are a sad combination of terribly hungry and desperately lonely, a combination not helped by their ancient exile from the "civilized" parts of the Wonderlands at the hands of a paricularly vindictive Elf lord.
House Knack: Hygia (Regeneration)

And many, many others.

---

Further setting details will be in the OOC (or on request, if you're interested)

The game itself is a freeform mix of action, exploration and politics in an open world where just about anything can exist. There will be no GMPC. Any request for Co-GM status will be considered. Some degree of silliness is encouraged.

CS

Name:

Sex:

Court: (Political affiliation within fae society, if any)

House: (Species or type of Fae)

Appearance:

History:

Personality:

Plan For Humanity: (When your character has their way, what will life be like for the humans?)

Knacks: (Abilities specific to your character. Note that all fae have access to their house's knack, as well as glamour (limited illusion magic) and vestiture (the ability to convert a willing human into an Enchanter Magus).)

[LordofthePies]

Interested!

I'm looking forward to reeking havoc upon the human world. c:<

[Almalthia]

Super interested!!!!

[NewShoesForever]

Thank you both for your interest! Feel free to spitball character concepts or ask questions as we wait to see if more people are planning to join.

[Almalthia]

I was thinking of playing a De'Danna or child of Danna. Essentially they are Sídhe or Aos Sídhe roughly translated people of the fairy mound. One with two specific powers, one for each hand.

[NewShoesForever]

Neat! Is that a trait of the house itself or unique to your character?

[Almalthia]

Neat! Is that a trait of the house itself or unique to your character?

@NewShoesForever

I was leaning towards the hands of power being a house trait and her having two is rare and why she's head of the house.

[NewShoesForever]

That makes sense.

[LordofthePies]

I'm thinking I could make a Nuckelavee, but I'm not sure how that would play out. <.<

[NewShoesForever]

A lot of courts think of the Nuckelavee as "too dangerous to keep around, too useful to kill", so you should probably be able to find some RP opportunities there.

[Almalthia]

@NewShoesForever

I was also kind of interested in what you wanted as a character sheet. Can I get a rough outline from you?

[Enzayne]

I am very interested in this. I am, by all accounts, arrogant fae scum in real life. This is right up my alley.

[NewShoesForever]

Neat! I'll try to get a mock up of the CS up by the end of the weekend.

[NewShoesForever]

CS template is coming soon, but here; have some more Houses to tide you over! (Featuring some juicy tidbits about the wider world as well)

[NewShoesForever]

The CS template is up! It turned out to require a bit less complexity than I expected. This is my first time GMing, so constructive critiism is more than welcome!

[LordofthePies]

With the Nuckelavee could their appearance be any horror or does it have to be the horse demon thingie?

[NewShoesForever]

Anything that doesn't overlap with the other houses is fair game. However, Nuckelavee do have a habit of glamouring themselves as the horse-demon thingie. Think of it as a "branding" thing. People are going to think of you as an everyday eldritch abomination if you don't advertise!

[LordofthePies]

Coolio, I'll get to work on a character sheet c:

[NewShoesForever]

Also, I updated the OP with House Knacks.

[LordofthePies]

The Watcher Malthus & The Summoner Hundahl

The Watcher

Name:
MalthusRazrokGalronOg'drunith
AKA Malthus

"I have many names, yet I am nameless. I am nothing and everything. I am eternal. I am death."

"I'm going to write down Malthus."

"Fine."

Sex:
Male...?

Court:
Unseelie Court

House:
Nuckelavee

Appearance:


History:
Malthus has been here since the beginning. He has watched the birth of the world and every creature on it. He watched the first fae form from creation, and he watched the humans crawl from the sea. He watched as the creatures evolved and grew, and he watched the beginning of the end of the world. The humans starting burning the planet, turning life into ash. Malthus wished he had killed the first slug to crawl from the sea. Then maybe, humans would not be. Then maybe, it would be just the fae, and the other peaceful creatures. Humans were garbage then, and they are garbage now. When they began to kill, Malthus watched. He wanted to see what they would do. Humans crossed oceans to spread disease and filth. Their victims prayed, and Malthus answered. He wanted to watch, but he had been summoned. The monsters called them Indians, but that's not what they were. They were witches, warlocks, and shamans. They were the original, the only humans tuned to the earth. They asked for plague, pestilence, destruction, and death. Malthus delivered. He granted the tribe with the gift of cleansing disease and killed many men. He swept through the land, poisoning mankind and leaving a trail of corpses. Only when another tribe, one much newer than the one that summoned him, asked him to stop, did he go back to watching. He killed millions with smallpox and plague, along with many other things. He was the Watcher, The Bringer of Disease, The Black Death, The Rat, The Faceless, and The Vyugi, but his true name was not death. It was Malthus.

Personality:
Malthus prefers to sit and watch. He waits to see how things turn, and only acts when asked. Although, if never asked to stop, he will sweep through the land like a storm, carrying disease and death. He likes to observe, whether it's a snail or an elephant. Nothing is ever insignificant to him. Every move, every motion, has a purpose. A simple sneeze could create a universe entirely different from his own. Every action has consequence, and that's what he watches. He watches the dominoes fall.

He's patient, never rushing fate. He's terribly apathetic. He doesn't understand emotion, especially not mourning. He his surprisingly shy for one of his kind and he doesn't like to be in the spotlight. He observes and calculates, waiting for his turn to destroy. Although, he it isn't really his end goal. He wants to observe and test the world. He can only act when called upon, so instead, when given the chance, he plants ideas in feeble minds. He enjoys riddles and puzzles and is quite smart. He is terrible when put in the spotlight and often trips over his words.

"Tell me this, human. W-what walks on four legs in the morning, t-two legs at noon and three in the
evening?"

"I don't know, some weird dog?"

"F-fair enough." *throat clear* "Y-You may pass."

Plan For Humanity:
If Malthus had his way, humans would be no more. They have done nothing for this planet and are garbage. If he was free to do as he wished, plague would spread and destroy all that was man.

Knacks:
Summoned:
Pestilence - Create any kind of disease or illness. He manifests a sickness and gives it to the dust motes to carry. They put it on
fleas, birds, rats, dogs, any creature it can get ahold of, but it only harms what he wants it to.
Unsummoned:
Watcher - He can see anything that isn't warded against him. An effective ward is a mirror made of red glass or simply a powerful
magic ward.
Thoughts - He can plant obsessive or controlling thoughts in the weak minded. Weak minded includes; Mentally weak people, mentally ill
people, people going through grief, or people going through immense suffering. These thoughts can be removed with red sand blessed by
an Indian shaman.

The Summoner

Name:
Aaron Hundahl
Sex:
Male

Age:
12

Court:
Associated with Malthus and the Unseelie Court, but the Court doesn't really know he even exists.

House:
Human

Appearance:


History:
Aaron was always alone, other than his grandfather. His parents were either dead or off somewhere, doing anything but take care of him. His grandfather hated them for this and spent all his free time with the boy. They didn't have much, even though his grandfather was the shaman od their tribe. They got gifts every now and then, but they both still had to work in the fields in order to pay for meals.

When Aaron was five, his grandfather had made enough money working to buy him a gift. He gave him a small checkerboard, the checkers being painted rocks. The board was made of red sandstone. Aaron loved it and always played checkers with his grandfather when they got home from the fields.

Then, they came. They were a different tribe, one much more vicious. They came in the night, stealing and burning what they didn't take. They swept through the inky blackness, killing. His grandfather saved him from the one that tried down to burn down their home, but he was shot. As he lay bleeding to death, Aaron's grandfather gave him his shaman abilities. This included several scrolls and objects that were buried under the home. These buried things gave him the ability to summon something that would give him revenge.

The only things Aaron took from his home were his checkerboard, his grandfather's bracelet, and the summoning ritual. He ran into the forest, a place that the intruders would not know. Late at night, shortly after his grandfather's death, he performed the summoning ritual.

"Who summons MalthusRazrokGalronOg'drunith?" The demon's voice echoed through the forest, but that was the only sound. The insects were no longer chirping, the breeze no longer blew. It was just him, the monster, and the trees.

There were tears in his eyes and scorn in his voice, but there was no fear. Aaron answered the creature, "I'm Aaron Hundahl, and I want you to kill The Scorpion tribe. They have destroyed everything I've ever known, I want you to do the same."

"There will be no mercy."

The creature, who the boy nicknamed Malthus, disappeared and the world around him came back to life. The boy knew in his heart he had doomed an entire people, but they deserved to die. They slaughtered his people and Malthus would do the same to him.

The next year, when the boy was nine, Malthus returned. This time in the midday, when Aaron was chopping wood for his hand-made home. He didn't notice at first because Malthus was behind him, observing. In a year Aaron had made a new home. He lived in a small cave, nothing short of a den. Malthus found the area had a strange charm to it. The monster felt something he had rarely ever felt before. He felt the misery and pain the boy was going through. He could taste the anger in the air, but there was something else to it. A sort of quiet peace. Malthus enjoyed feeling it, so he continued to stand there, wordless.

The two didn't notice each other for an hour. Aaron worked and Malthus watched. Normally, Malthus felt nothing for his summoners. They were all full of petty needs. But this boy, something about him made Malthus feel. He didn't hate the child but was instead intrigued by him. The boy didn't want any power or anything that would better his life. He wanted pure death. Malthus respected that.

Eventually, Malthus spoke. "The Scorpions are no more."

The kid jumped and threw the home-made woodcutting ax he had at the beast. It stuck in Malthus's shoulder. If he had eyebrows, he would've furrowed them. But he had no facial features, so he sat there in silence, staring at the startled Aaron.

"Oh, it's you. Sorry about that," Aaron genuinely apologized.

He was wearing a sheepish smile, embarrassed by his reaction. Malthus removed the ax and handed it back to the boy, and inky blackness covering it instead of blood. The wound the tool had made quickly sealed, making it seem like there was never an injury.

"I don't have anything to pay you."

"Your fury is enough to satisfy."

"I guess you're done then."

"Until next time."

When Malthus disappeared a second time, Aaron felt terribly lonely. The short talk with the creature was the only interaction the boy had in a year. Playing checkers alone made the game worthless. Doing anything without company made it pointless.

Aaron waited a few days before calling Malthus again.

"Why have you summoned MalthusRazrokGalronOg'drunith again?"

Aaron sat in silence for a moment before pulling his prized checkboard from behind his back. "Do you want to play checkers?"

Malthus was taken aback. No one had ever summoned him for such a pointless task. Then again, this child wasn't just anyone. Malthus stood tall, his featureless face creating a small feeling of regret in Aaron.

"Fine. I will be the black pieces."

Malthus quickly grew fond of the child. He was rather good at checkers and his unhinged emotion made him interesting to be around. He was smart and enjoyed sitting in silence with Malthus. Every week or so Aaron summoned him to play checkers or to watch the world in person.

"The planet is beautiful when you're so close." Malthus and Aaron stood at the edge of a lake, watching a bear and her cubs drink from the cool waters on the other side.

Aaron felt invincible around Malthus, and Malthus felt like he finally had a friend. Or at least someone he could tolerate. It was a bond between Summoner and Monster, but it felt like a partnership. Even when Malthus was gone, he never felt alone. He knew Malthus was watching, or finding stories to tell.

Personality:
Aaron is smart and brave, although he lets his emotions get the better of him. He's only twelve, but thanks to Malthus he knows much about the world. He loves to learn and enjoys sitting somewhere just to watch the world go by. He also enjoy's listening to stories and solving riddles, which is part of why he's Malthus
s favorite. He's usually quiet. Aaron believes in, "Don't say something unless it's worth saying." He is tormented by memories of his grandfather's death and is often still full of spite for the Scorpion tribe, even though they are all dead. He is quick to anger, but he's rational. If you have a point, he will listen to it. Lastly, Aaron is friendly to every creature, although he only trusts his grandfather and Malthus.