"You won't find a one of us much like the other. A friend of mine, she pulls down the sky and flings those Rue right into the solar system. This other guy, he'll shove his arm right down that Rue's gullet with a fistful of fire. I once saw one hypnotize a Rue with a few words and a pendulum. What I do, well, that's complicated. But we're all here for the same reason... mostly. We're all Howls."
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RUE: Entities of many forms or no form, depending on whom you ask. They exist in a dimension that overlaps our own and sometimes appear as ghosts, shadows, mirages, and hallucinations.
HOWLS: Humans with a natural ability to perceive Rue. Most people go their whole lives without ever knowingly encountering a Rue. The Howls, however, can see-- or hear, or feel, or smell --when a Rue is nearby. Many Howls take side jobs that passively utilize their unique skills, some are on a mission to bridge communication and harmony between the Rue and humanity, while others make full-time profession of hunting down dangerous Rue. The Howls are so named because most Howl-born infants spend the majority of their waking hours screaming, oversensitive to the perpetual, uncomfortable clash of dimensions.
DARKLIGHT CORRIDOR: A subway train that traverses natural cavern networks deep underground, transporting passengers and cargo between settlements and civilizations. The caverns are infamous for strange occurrences and Rue interference.
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SETTING AND PLOT
The little city of Oaken is quietly nestled in a lush valley between looming mountains. The rooves slope the color of rust, the clock tower has a funny wooden bird that chirps the hour, and on every bright cobbled corner is another notice board calling for the assistance of Howls. Oaken is a Howl city: a place magically protected against all intrusion by Rue, where Howls can rest and live in peace.
On this sunny morning, a new flyer is posted on every corner: an elderly healer requests a group of Howls to accompany her on the Darklight Corridor with a cargo of medicinal herbs for a distant village suffering from a strange and debilitating ailment. She cannot pay much but promises comfortable hospitality and good food along the way. Interested Howls will need no experience.
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GAMEPLAY
This RP will be character-driven and decision-driven. Those who make no decisions, who do not act, will not have much fun here. This RP will keep moving, things will keep happening, as long as the characters make them happen.
In other words: the world will react to your character's actions, not the other way around.
At the same time, be sure not to steamroll or ignore the other players. I'm well aware that anyone could drop out at any time and leave conversations unfinished, but try not to let that possibility get in the way of interaction and communication. The relationships and teamwork among the PCs will make or break this RP.
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CHARACTERS
Characters may be anyone of any background, with any reason for joining the healer's journey. They may have grown up in Oaken, are stopping by for a rest, or are here on vacation.
Characters who work well with others are highly preferred: you will be RPing with each other as much as with me. The GM reserves the right to question or reject any application for ANY reason.
These are the character restrictions:
- They must be new, inexperienced, or otherwise a casual dabbler in Howl-related work. There are no seasoned veterans and no know-it-all experts. Everyone is on a relatively level playing field: a low level bright-eyed newbie. I will build the world around the story as we go, which means we're all learning about Rue together. Besides, this is a very easy, underpriced mission that no experienced Howl would ever bother with.
- Each Howl may have one or two innate magical abilities that only work on Rue and/or the Rue's dimension. The same ability cannot be used to affect the real world or other people. Abilities manifest at different stages of life and for different reasons: you could start without an ability and discover it during gameplay.
- Non-Howl characters are cool too.
- No, you can't be a Rue.
- You're free to invent what life is like in Oaken and outside of it, but everything is subject to GM veto. This only happens if something you created conflicts with the plot or setting.
- If the character came from the outside, do not assume your own premade locations or cities. The farthest reaches of this world will remain entirely under GM creation and control for very good plot-related reasons. Suggestions, however, are welcome!
- Don't keep secrets from the GM. I need to be able to account for every character's personal arc as I'm developing the main story. When a character surprises me with secret information in the middle of a scene, I have to stop everything and rework the plot to accommodate it. Please PM me any information that you want to keep hidden from the other players, and we can work together to weave the mystery into the plot.
- One character per player. All NPCs, including family members, are entirely mine to control. If you don't want me to control your character's friends or family, they must remain in the background and will not engage with the story at all. One player using multiple characters not only is an unfair advantage, but it forces me to keep track of too many moving parts.
- If you feel the need to be Different right out of the gate, please take a moment to consider why.
- I know what some of you are thinking. The answer is "perhaps." PM me your ideas.
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INSPIRATION
- artstation.com/artwork/6NnyJO
- artstation.com/artwork/DAP39G
- artstation.com/artwork/3q6Odo
- artstation.com/artwork/1wJoL
- artstation.com/artwork/o2LoJz
- artstation.com/artwork/OmBgbb
- artstation.com/artwork/14mVq8
- artstation.com/artwork/Jl85Ba
- artstation.com/artwork/v12RLA
- artstation.com/artwork/xJwkOX
GM Notes: It has been three years since I've made one of these. I'm going for something casual, fun to mess with, and tropey as hell. Will probably clarify and edit this as things solidify in my head.
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