Lore Thread

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This thread is going to contain information regarding the setting, including NPCs, the Isle itself, and various other things that may come up in the course of play or character creation. Sort of an extended version of the front page/What You Need to Know section thereof.

[alxxxjames]

Name: Michaela Conlin | Age: Unknown | Bloodline: Omarain

Michaela serves as something of a “den-mother” on the Isle, but given the deference she seems to receive from everyone else, it’s easy to suspect that there’s more to her than meets the eye. What is known about her is that she is much more in tune with her faerie blood than most, enough so that she seems to have both a Seelie and Unseelie side. When she’s pleased, her happiness can prove infectious, and her command of illusions is potent enough that the world around her is constantly bright, shiny, and beautiful.

When she isn’t pleased, most people have the good sense to head for the hills. The world around her becomes a distorted, nightmarish place, and her voice and bearing are terrifying enough to make a grown man weep for his mother. For the sake of the new charges, she tries to avoid letting that part of her nature surface, usually retreating to her own quarters when something or someone manages to piss her off.

If the Isle has a leader, it’s Michaela. She oversees the day-to-day and arbitrates any disputes that arise. The other representatives of the Bloodlines regard her with a mix of respect and wariness (save for Fleet, who she seems to have a soft spot for). Her demeanor seems to change slightly, particularly when she’s alone with someone. If they find her attractive, she flirts. With others she might be sisterly, motherly, or just a gabby, harmless girl. The only thing that shows through constantly is her devotion to magic, to the Bloodlines, and to keeping her charges safe.

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Name: Arietta Fife | Age: Thirty-nine | Bloodline: Evincal

The Isle’s Dragon-Born representative is a beguiling creature. Arietta is a gifted Diviner, and in truth, she has been instrumental in bringing together those who Awakened to their Bloodline over the last decade, including the Isle’s current residents. She is often distracted, as if she’s caught between both present and future.

There is a certain sadness to her, and it has grown deeper in the past few months. The other guardians do their best to conceal their worry, but every so often an expression or remark slips through. She attends to her duties as best she is able, helping fellow Dragon-Born in their studies and educating all of the charges about the history of the Bloodlines and of magic itself.

There seems to be something between her and Matthew, though it is likely a thing of the past judging by the way both seem to stiffen and revert to the superficial when they’re around one another. With charges, she is kind but no-nonsense. She values efficiency and intelligence, and can become a bit impatient with the slow-witted, though she at least tries to hide it. She seems to have a strange relationship with time, and no wonder given her capabilities; when things slow down too much, she has a habit of finishing off a sentence or simply leaping to the conclusion that her conversation partner was on their way to arriving at.

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Name: Simon Bordaine | Age: Forty-seven | Bloodline: Mori

Awakening to power can be a traumatic experience. Every Bloodline has their own difficulties, and most of the charges are at a point in their lives where even the mundane can be difficult. Simon is the Isle’s resident shrink, the person who others talk to when they just need someone to listen, or when they need help sorting out a crisis of the self.

It is known that Simon was an ordained priest of the Catholic faith, and that he Awakened to his infernal birthright much later in life than most. His expressions are sometimes haunted, but only when he thinks that no one is paying him any attention. He has a strict policy of confidence, keeping what is said to him private even under orders from Michaela to divulge- in truth, he’s the only Guardian who doesn’t seem to be afraid of her.

Simon is surprisingly easy-going. He’s quick with a joke or a smile, often directing the latter at his “colleagues” when they verge on taking their jobs too seriously. Most charges see him as an ally, of sorts, particularly the Mori (since he’s so intimately familiar with dealing with one’s inner demons).

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Name: Matthew Monroe | Age: Thirty-five | Bloodline: Baleren

Most charges are just a little afraid of Matthew. He has a certain intensity that he can’t really keep at bay, as if the wolf within is only skin-deep. A former Marine, he oversees the actual security of the Isle, and instructs the charges in basic self-defense or more specialized combat, if they’re interested.

He is stern, reminiscent of a drill-sergeant. Those who don’t take his lessons seriously will often find themselves being screamed at, or worse, will find themselves subjected to his predatory gaze until they can bear it no longer and apologize.

Only the Baleren charges see a different, perhaps truer side of Matthew. On every full moon, he and they depart the grounds for the forest in wolf-skin, and he spends the night teaching them the things that the other Bloodlines don’t need to know- the intricacies of shape-shifting, the lore of the wild, and the history of their forebears. On such excursions, and only on such excursions, he almost seems peaceful and wise.

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Name: Fleet | Age: Twenty-two | Bloodline: Naverene

Fleet is perhaps the strangest of the Guardians. His elemental association is wind, and jokes about him being an air-head aren’t too far from the mark. He is as friendly as a gentle summer breeze, unshakably upbeat, and has a certain gnomic-Zen-master quality that most find both baffling and endearing.

He’s far too scatter-brained to serve as an actual instructor for fellow Navarene, but fortunately for them, mastering their element is a bit more natural than the other Gifts. His role seems to be that of messenger- he’s the only Guardian to leave the Isle on a regular basis, and when he returns, there’s usually a staff meeting.

He loves to tell stories, and the stories he tells are usually of other members of the Bloodlines scattered across the world, lending credence to the belief that he maintains contact with them. Of course, he isn’t the best story-teller due to his short attention span, but there’s generally something of value to be found in his tales.

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Technology and the Isle

The mists that shroud the Isle from mundane discovery also prevent most forms of telecommunication. The Compound itself has a generator that supplied electricity to the barracks and library, but charges are encouraged to be very conservative about the use of power since the generator must be repaired if it goes out, which can leave everyone in the dark for several hours and generally puts Matthew in an even more sour mood than usual.

What does this mean overall? There are lights and light switches, electric stoves in the mess hall, and personal electronic devices brought along with characters will continue to function. There are no cell phone calls, though, and the Internet is unavailable. A character with a smart-phone could play games on it, or listen to music already stored on the phone, but would be unable to download new media or connect with any kind of network. The same goes for lap-tops, and etc. CDs will play fine (or records), but radio stations/satellite radio are unavailable.

The magic inherent to the Isle can also create some havoc when it comes to using technology. A CD player might be turned on only to play an eerie madrigal that stirs profound sorrow in any listeners until it is whacked a few times. A cell phone might unexpectedly ring, and give way to a static-garbled plea for help from the spirit world. These intrusions are usually brief, but happen often enough that they're common knowledge; charges are instructed to be wary of any requests made, and to report any particularly strange incidents to the Guardians.

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The Isle

A large island, location unknown, shrouded in mist. Most of the coastline is rocky and unapproachable, but there are a few small beaches hidden away, and a single passable harbor with a dock and the converted pleasure cruiser that the Guardians make use of to ferry charges to the Isle. The climate is generally temperate, with varying weather patterns, and the maximum elevation is about 1500 feet above sea level. The Isle is unspoiled, with rolling dense forests and networks of craggy caves to be explored. Only a single structure exists.

The Compound

At one time, The Compound was an actual fort, though who built it and why are lost to time. The walls still stand, though they crumble in places despite the ministrations of Earth-attuned Navarene. There are two major buildings within the walls. The Barracks, where the Bloodine denizens of the Isle actually live, and The Library, a repository for magical knowledge. There are a few smaller buildings, mostly storage, and a single off-limits officer’s quarters where The Guardians meet occasionally.

The Barracks is a large, squat building, only a single level with a basement that has been turned into an armory/gym/training area. There are two entrances, one facing the spare courtyard (across from The Library), and another on the opposite side, facing the wall and the sea beyond. The largest room is the Mess Hall, which has long tables (enough seating for forty to comfortably dine stretched across four tables) and a decently functional kitchen with a serving counter between it and the dining area.

There are enough rooms for every charge and Guardian to have their own, though four couples’ units are available as well upon request. The Dorms, as they’re called, are quite basic. The dorms are arranged around a long hallway, with a common area in the center accessible by a door on each side. It has couches, tables, etc.

Dorm Area Layout

Entrance = Gray, Single Dorms = Light Blue, Couples Dorms = Red, Hallway = Yellow, Common Area = Green
(please excuse this horrible paint job; someone asked for a layout)

Couples units are half again as large, with an additional bed and desk.

The basement has two areas; the armory, which requires permission from a Guardian to enter, and the gym/training area. The armory is caged off from the rest of the area, with a collection of weapons ranging from medieval to modern visible but locked away. The training area has an adequate selection of somewhat out of date exercise equipment (stationary bikes, weight benches, rowing machines- nothing super modern), three hanging bags, and a large matted area for sparring.

The Library is fairly uninspiring on the outside; a two story squarish building with only a single entrance opposite the main entrance to The Barracks. The first floor wall-to-wall books, most of them quite old. There are four work tables with uncomfortable wooden chairs to seat six at each, and it is expressly forbidden to remove a book from the room without permission from a Guardian. The second floor is largely for Evincal charges, with supplies and space for rituals to be practiced and performed in.

[center]The Bluffs

The Isle has only a single beach that charges are encouraged to make use of. The waters are a bit calmer there, and there’s actual sand, rather than just sharp slippery rocks like most of the other beaches. The Bluffs are approachable from the east, down a stone-carved staircase built into the cliff face. The cliff face has a number of cave entrances which are best explored with guidance from an experienced spelunker. Some of them can be quite dark and dangerous.

The water is usually cold, even during the summer, giving rise to the belief that The Isle is somewhere far north of the equator. The waves aren’t ideal for full-on surfing, but some charges have been known to make do with them.

The Ghostyard

The Guardians simply call it “the graveyard”. It’s been there as long as anyone remembers. About twenty minutes hard-walk from the entrance to The Compound through some forest along an identifiable trail, there is a clearing with a single tall tree in the center of it. The clearing is filled with uniformly arranged grave-markers and cairns.

The charges have developed another name for this place- “The Ghostyard”, for it is indeed haunted. The shades that linger there emerge only at night, and seem mostly to ignore those of the Bloodlines who have no affinity for necromancy. Most of them are sad and confused, hardly coherent but always eager to talk.

The Bloodlines bury their own there as well, in a small section across the clearing. The current Guardians visit this section occasionally to pay their respects to fallen allies and charges. A few charges might go as well, provided that they have any reason to. Most avoid it, at least at night. The Ghostyard is extremely eerie, as if the barrier between the spirit world is particularly thin there. Hairs stand on end, gooseflesh develops, and even on a balmy night, one can’t help but shiver.

Selene’s Breast

The tallest mountain on the Isle, located clear across the large landmass from The Compound, is Selene’s Breast. It’s provocative name was given to it by an uncredited Balaren charge centuries ago, and it’s stuck ever since. It is a sacred place to that Bloodline, and the destination of the two-days-and-one-night journey that Matthew brings his fellow lycanthropes on at the turn of every full moon.

Other Bloodlines aren’t expressly forbidden from journeying there, but most avoid doing so out of respect. Reaching the summit is a difficult hike on a human anyway. There are almost no trails, only trees and boulders and steep inclines that Balaren’s in wolf form tend to find enjoyable rather than challenging. It's about six hours of running just to get out of the forest and onto the rather stunning field of wildflowers that leads to the mountain itself.

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Awakenings, Character Creation, Kewl Powerz, and You!

Admittedly, the front page is a little confusing on this aspect of the RP due to the info being written up in pieces over the course of a week or so. So, here's a better possibly-rambly explanation of Awakenings in general.

Characters can have Awakened within the past several years or quite recently. They will only have been discovered by The Guardians and brought to the Isle within the past year, however, and preferably within the past few months. Longer stints will require discussion with yours truly for the sake of building a cohesive backstory, and should be an exception to the rule rather than regularities.

The Awakening is usually a very profound experience. There's brief information about it in the Bloodline entries, but try to think about the huge impact Awakening would have. A Balaren, for example, would be discovering a whole new world. His or her human senses would pale in comparison to the world of scent discovered when they first take wolf-shape, not to mention the trauma likely involved in transforming into a "wild animal" in an urban setting. Whole new primal instincts would be discovered. Maybe the character grows to loath how dull and drab their human form perceives the world and spends as much time possible as a wolf. Maybe he or she is distinctly uncomfortable with transformation, afraid of what they can do or sense.

A quick note on Bloodline Gifts, as well: I didn't want to get too technical about the powers in order to leave room for individualization, but please err on the side of underpowered. Growth in capability, the mastery of these strange abilities, is a major part of this SL. The characters should all be novices with very few exceptions. The Navarene in particular seem to be posing difficulty for people, so I'll use them as the example. The first stage of manipulation requires the element to be present already. In the case of something like light or air that would seemingly be everywhere, more concentrated instances (a visible shaft of sunlight, a breeze) are necessary. The already present element could then be amplified, diminished, or made to change direction or shape. The next stage allows for the actual creation of light/air currents/whatever, and so on.

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The Omarain Gift – Glamour

Glamour is a two-fold gift, so this entry will be broken into two parts; one for the unnatural allure of the Fae-Blooded, and one for their ability to create illusions.

Their “allure” is something that isn’t all that conscious to them, for the most part. Some Omarain have better control of it, and can even hone it to a point where they can actively achieve results making use of their preternatural social prowess on a regular basis. At its weakest, they’re simply more adept in social situations than most of their peers. The right words come to them easily. They’re good at maintaining composure. People are inclined to trust them, or give them the benefit of the doubt, or even help them to some small degree provided it doesn’t interfere with their own agendas or beliefs.

All they really need to do to make use of this part of their Gift is interact. It’s very easy for things to get out of hand, though. In a way, it’s almost a form of “soft” emotional manipulation. More than a few Omarain have antagonized someone into a rage sufficient to get themselves attacked, or had a pithy insult result in the devastated target fleeing in tears. They can stir feelings or increase them pretty easily, provided that the individual involved would be prone to such an emotion. Getting someone who is generally wrathful to beat up someone they don’t like is easy; getting that same person to calm down in the midst of an altercation can be very hard.

There is plenty of room for variation here. An Omarain might be particularly adept at affecting a particular emotion. They might be an incredibly good liar. They might be exceptional at giving oratory and inspiring many people at once, but falter in one on one situations.

There’s no real way to “get better at” this part of the Gift besides using it. As an Omarain realizes what an incredible effect his or her words might have, he or she gets better at choosing them. They learn little tricks, like using music that fits the tone of their aim to augment the mood of a conversation, or finding out what someone’s favorite treat is and surprising them with it prior to asking for a favor or trying to seduce them.

Illusion is a much more active ability. It has ties to the Fae’s longstanding relationships with time and perception. When an Omarain creates an illusion, they are actually seizing control of the senses of the target or targets. As a result, its far easier to cause one person to be affected by an illusion than a group of people. Truly skilled Omarain can cause only certain people out of a crowd to be affected.

The process isn’t so technical for the Omarain. They simply have to envision what they want to create and hold that in their mind while concentrating on the target(s). It takes a lot of practice to be able to do it quickly. Fledgling Omarain might need a few minutes to affect several senses, first starting with sight by visualizing the illusion, then adding sound, texture, scent, and taste. That adds a limitation to the power- an Omarain is incapable of creating an illusion they cannot imagine themselves. An Omarain blind from birth would be utterly unable to affect the sense of sight, or one who had never smelled gasoline would be unable to make others smell gasoline.

The potential for variations is also quite broad. Being skilled or weak with a certain sense is fairly common. Being able to create only simple illusions that persist for longer than normal might occur. Some might be very good at setting up illusions for only one target, and others might be better at setting them up for groups.

Learning to harness illusion is an active process. The Omarain must practice it. By themselves they can work on the concept of layering the illusion together in their mind. Some might do this meditatively, others might have a far less rigorous method. They need to practice on people, though, to really make breakthroughs. The kinder of them will seek volunteers, while their less moral peers might treat others like test subjects, unleashing illusory pranks on them on a whim. Simple exercises like changing the colors of an simple illusory shape can be performed, or an Omarain could challenge themselves to build up the most complex illusion they can, then work each day at doing it faster and faster.

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The Evincal Gift – True Magic

The Evincal have access to the Gift that affords the most raw power, but it comes at the price of being time consuming. The rituals tend to get lengthier and lengthier as the potency of the magic desired increases, which leads many Evincal to rise before the sun in order to perform a given spell that might help them in the course of their day.

When approaching your school of magic, a helpful suggestion would be to do some research on a real-life variation of the type of magic in question and pick and choose stylistic bits that are appropriate to the thematics of the character in question. A Necromancer could be inspired by voodoo just as easily as by the Egyptian Book of the Dead. While they could achieve the same effects either way, the way they do so would be very different. The same could be said of a Diviner who prefers Quabbalistic tarot to glimpse the future and one who uses tea leaves. There’s also no rule saying that such disciplines cannot be cannibalized and combined. Even a somewhat unusual source like Dungeons and Dragons could form the basis for a magical style. Combining odd components and saying phrases in Latin is perfectly workable.

For the sake of explanation, I’m going to outline a potential ritual for each of the three “power levels” across three different schools. I don’t really want to put too many finite limitations on this Gift, because its power stems from its versatility as much as it does its potency.

Example 1: Beginners Necromancy – Dead Supper

Prior to enacting the ritual, the caster must obtain either a piece of the intended dead person’s remains, a picture of them, or a valued belonging. The caster must set a table in full with places enough for all the ritual’s participants, and an extra empty place for the shade in question. The dining wear must be actual silver, and a full meal must be cooked and served, even to the empty place for the shade. All of the glasses must be filled with dark rum. Once everyone is seated and ready to eat, the caster will place the dead person’s article on their empty seat, then instruct everyone to join hands while he or she beseeches the shade to appear to them three times. After the third invocation, all of the living participants must drink a full mouthful of the rum. If the shade is satisfied, it will appear, able to be seen and heard by everyone seated at the table. It will answer three questions before disappearing again.

Example 2: Intermediate Enchanting – Hangman’s Noose

Most of the “length” of the ritual is taken up by the creation of the actual noose. The length of rope must be treated with the ashes of a cremated person, then fashioned into an actual noose in buried in the grave of a murderer for three full nights. It must be dug up at dawn following the third night, and then the caster must hang themselves from a tree. Provided that all of the steps have been followed correctly, instead of having their neck snapped, the noose will undo itself and they’ll simply fall. The seemingly innocuous length of rope will turn an inky black thereafter. The caster can then use it as something of a living garrote. By draping it over someone or throwing it at them successfully, the rope will attempt to strangle the individual of its own accord. It has the strength, roughly speaking, of a grown man, but can be cut or burned away like normal rope. Once it begins the process of strangulation, it will not stop until the victim is dead or it is destroyed, which means that an unwary caster could potentially murder a friend with careless use. If it succeeds in its murder, it will remain useful thereafter; if it is destroyed, it reverts to common rope.

Example 3: Advanced Restoration – Gaia’s Cleansing

This ritual can be used to remove even potent magical toxins from a single subject. It can also completely cure someone of drug addiction or mundane poisons with no ill effects such as withdrawal whatsoever.

The ritual’s recipient must be lying on bare earth, nude. The caster will then use his or her own blood to draw an extremely complex series of “pathways” on the recipient’s body, mirroring the flow of life force within the individual. The pathways must be drawn exactly correctly, a process that will likely take hours, though more than one person can “draw” them with the caster’s blood if they are sufficiently versed in the necessary knowledge. Once the pathways are complete, the recipient is then covered in earth, which can simply be shoveled onto them.

The caster will then perform a lengthy incantation over the course of a half-hour, entreating the goddess Gaia to remove the toxins. The incantation cannot be interrupted or it will need to be begun anew. If successfully performed, the poisons will seep out from the recipient’s orifices, following the pathways and then leeching into the earth piled upon them. The ritual will not heal wounds, but an uninjured/healthy person will be restored to a natural state. Any addiction to substances formerly in their blood will be gone. The ritual –will- heal damage directly resulting from the poison, internal or external, but only if the recipient remains in the earth for a full twenty four hours after the incantation is complete.

These are just examples, meant to illustrate the kind of details rituals should require. The basic ritual is a little more elaborate than some might be. It doesn’t require anything more uncommon than silver, and really, a child could perform it with the right instructions, but it allows people other than the caster to benefit from the spell. The intermediate ritual is very time consuming and requires something fairly uncommon (or at least hard to get, for those with a moral compass), and the grave of a murderer. There’s also a risk involved. What if the “murderer” was convicted unjustly? The caster will hang. It creates a permanent magical object that can kill, so the costs and risk are necessary. The advanced ritual can literally save or change someone’s life. A Baleren affected by silver poisoning would have no chance save for a measure like it. It is both time consuming and very complex. Also note that the costs/actions involved are fairly thematic to the spell.

Learning magic is much more academic than the other Gifts. There are books with rituals in them. Following them exactly is necessary, and some operations might be complex enough that they need practice, like the drawing of pathways mentioned above. It can also be taught to one Evincal by another- that’s actually the easiest way to learn a ritual, by watching someone else perform it and having them explain each step.

The most important thing to remember, though, is that even if another Bloodline followed all the steps exactly, the ritual would fail. That spark of True Magic is something that only the Evincal possess, and it flares to life during their Awakening. The effect could be something very minor, like lighting a room full of candles, or it could be something as miraculous as curing a loved one of cancer with a laying of hands. The Evincal will never see such instantaneous power again, but their reactions can define them. An Evincal who got a tiny taste of power might hunger for more, while another who had their life changed by what occurred might be hesitant to use their Gift.

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The Mori Gift – Infernal Vestments

The Mori have a somewhat unique status among the Bloodlines in respect to their gift. It isn’t something that can be taught, and it’s essentially something that’s individual to them. It’s a natural part of them, and the only requirement when coming up with a Vestment is that it must be related in some way to Hell or its denizens.

Almost anything is fair game. If you want your character to be a physical combat character, they might have a monstrous demonic form that enhances their strength and endurance and provides them natural weaponry in the form of fangs, claws, and a lashing tail. If you want your character to be sneakier, they might be able to look into someone’s eyes and see the worst sin they ever committed. If you want your character to… well, you get the idea.

One of the main things to consider with the Mori is that every time they use their gift, they’re tapping into and acknowledging their infernal heritage. Those who already embrace it tend to become adept with their Vestment much more quickly than those who reject it. It’s noted that their eyes turn wholly black when it’s used, but even more than that, a Mori using their Vestment will feel the very wrongness of it. That wrongness might not bother them at all, or it might be another crack in the psyche leading toward eventual madness.

Some Vestments can be practiced pretty conventionally. A Mori who can throw bolts of Hellfire would be best suited with target practice, just as if they were trying to get better at marksmanship. They could also work on bolstering the intensity of the flames, or increasing their distance, or so forth. A Mori skilled with binding demons would have a fairly logical progression of binding circles to work their way through, and could probably consult books on the subject in order to get better at it. Something like a demonic battle form would really be more about learning to fight while in it, but the Mori might learn to transform only a single limb, or manifest only the tail, or other slightly more complex variations on the metamorphosis.

Another unique aspect to consider is the effects on other Bloodlines. People are less prone to trust someone capable of turning into something they’re afraid of. The revelation that your best friend has secretly born witness to your greatest sin could easily end a friendship. Many Mori are quite careful to avoid scaring or unsettling their peers, and as a general rule, the more obviously demonic the Vestment, the more likely it is that people will react poorly.

Overall, Infernal Vestments are a fairly “natural” gift. The Mori need do little more than concentrate to enact them. Advancement comes in the form of learning how to best utilize the Vestment in question, though some have fairly logical “stages”. Binding/Summoning/Compelling is the best example, allowing the Mori to control more and more powerful demons as he or she learns new and better methods.

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The Balaren Gift – Shapeshifting

The ramifications of the Balaren first change have been discussed a bit. Of all the Gifts, Shapeshifting is the most “natural”, in the sense that once they’ve done it once, a Balaren will be able to do it again. Transforming into a wolf or taking on the half-way-between battle form is just a matter of concentration and the willingness to accept the pain involved.

So, there really isn’t any need for an indepth discussion of the transformation process. We’ve all seen werewolf movies, right? What I’ll talk about instead are some things that people might not consider.

First, the Balaren are all going to be the most hardy of the Bloodlines. They’re naturally stronger, faster, and more durable, but no more so than, say, an Olympic athlete or MMA fighter. Even seemingly thin ones are deceptively strong, and Balaren can become stronger in the mundane way: working out. Their natural stamina lets them push themselves past the limits of most, though, which means that in a one on one fight with other variables removed, a Balaren is going to be able to beat the crap out of anyone who hasn’t devoted a lot of time to improving their body or ability to fight.

Next, think about what it means to become a wolf. Humans rely more on sight than any other sense; wolves, on the other hand, exist in a world of smell. In wolf-form, scents become very important. Balaren might grow to associate individuals with their scent to an extreme degree. It also creates the possibilities for some interesting scenarios. A Balaren whose love interest is unfaithful is going to have a very, very hard time hiding that fact. The Balaren will be able to “smell it on them”, quite literally. The Balaren can be aware of quite a few embarrassing things when they’re wolves, and they can also do things like track by scent.

Becoming a wolf also grants access to a wolf’s instincts. A Balaren human who never set foot in the woods before changing wouldn’t be a master hunter and navigator, but they would have a much better chance than even the most seasoned wilderness enthusiast. They’re hard-wired for survival.

Body language becomes much more important to the Balaren. Poses that are threatening or deferential in particular stand out to them, and they tend to resolve many disputes among themselves with staredowns, sometimes waiting for hours to determine who is the alpha and who is the omega. Those who spend a great deal of time in wolf skin might begin to feel that the human body is hopeless when it comes to expression. Humans can’t pin back their ears, they can’t wag their tails, and they can’t howl.

Howls are important to the Balaren. Part of their instruction involves learning some particular howls, which mean things like “Danger!”, “Help!”, or “Food!”. Some even embrace howling as an art form, creating long, elaborate “songs” for the purposes of honoring a fallen comrade, celebrating a mating, or revering the moon.

Shapeshifting itself can present some room for variations. A Balaren might learn to shapeshift partially, but generally, doing so is seen as somewhat awkward. A wolf growing human hands for the purposes of manipulating with fine motor skills could be useful, but it’s extremely unseemly.

The halfway form bears some mentioning as well. In it, the Balaren are half-again as strong, fast, and hardy. For the sake of reference… Google Teen Wolf if you’re unfamiliar with the MTV show. That’s more or less what it looks like. The Balaren is recognizable, but decidedly animalistic and hirsute. Many are uncomfortable in the form, and only use it when its necessary. Transforming into it and beating up a fellow charge over a minor dispute is akin to a grown man shoving around a little girl in the eyes of a Balaren, and anyone caught doing it will likely find themselves on the outs with their fellow Balaren even more than with the other Bloodlines.

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The Navarene Gift – Elemental Fury

The easiest way to detail the Navarene gift is to break it into the stages. Before that though, I want to go into a little more depth on the Navarene in general. They’re hard to encapsulate briefly, so they suffer a bit from just going off the Info page.

All of the other Bloodlines are tied to something that have somewhat human consciousness. The Fae were baffling and alien, but they had many similarities to humans. The Dragons were highly intelligent. Demons –have- to think like humans, in order to enslave and feed from them. Werewolves have a human side. Elementals, though, are not human in the slightest. Fire doesn’t think, feel, or care. It burns, and wants only for more things to burn. Wind is free and fast. Therein lies the Navarene weakness- once they Awaken, by becoming closer to their element, they grow farther away from their humanity. It isn’t uncommon for a Navarene to develop some very peculiar habits, like holding one-sided conversations with rocks or starting small fires just because.

Navarene have only a single element, and it defines them. It colors everything that they are. Sometimes, it’s quite obvious before the Awakening. A Fire-Touched girl might have bright red hair and aggressive tendencies. Other times, the Awakening is somewhat transformative. The Water-Touched becomes more amiable and passive, the Earth-Touched slower and stoic.

The first stage of Elemental Fury is manipulation. It requires that some instance of their element be already present. For the sake of balance, omnipresent elements like air, water, and light will have to be considered specially. Air requires actual wind- moving air. A Navarene with that affinity couldn’t simply force the air out of someone’s lungs and suffocate them. A Water-Born requires relatively pure water. They couldn’t, say, control the water in someone’s tissue to perform some manner of grisly human puppetry. Light requires either an artificial light source or a particularly visible aspect of light- an obvious shaft of sunlight, etc.

Manipulation entails being able to strengthen, weaken, or redirect the element in question. A Fire-Touched could turn a candle flame into a small blaze, or could reduce an existing fire to much more manageable size. He or she could also “steer” a fire as it burns its way across flammable substances. Stylistic changes are also permissible. An Earth-Touched could cause dirt or stone to form into fairly simple shapes (or more complex ones, as they get better at it). A Shadow-Touched could stage bizarre puppet shows, or uses shadows to communicate discretely. There are some natural limitations here, mostly relating to the quantity of the element involved. A novice is unlikely to be able to reshape an entire mountain or cause a change to the tide; such potent effects would come along with greater mastery of the Gift. With elements with physical substance, the Navarene can engage in very clumsy manipulation. An Earth-Touched might make the ground beneath an enemies feet buck. A Wind-Touched could lift up some objects and maneuver them with the wind.

The next stage is Creation. The Navarene is no longer limited to relying on their element’s presence. A Wind-Touched could generate wind themselves, allowing the use of their powers even indoors. Fire-Touched need no longer carry around lighters and fluid. Some elements are more impressive at this stage than others. The combat applications of creating balls of fire or bolts of lightning aren’t very hard to grasp; neither is the utility of creating gallons of drinkable water or stone tools from nothing. Again, the amount of element created will be limited by the Navarene’s experience creating it. Creating a river, a tornado, a raging inferno, or any other extreme example of the element is out of the realm of possibility without a great deal of time an effort.

The final stage is Becoming, and the usefulness of it varies greatly from element to element. Becoming Wind means virtual invulnerability, and the ability to fly at great speeds. Becoming Fire means that one’s touch burns, and the only thing they really need fear is anything that could douse them. Becoming Earth would allow for melding with earth or stone and substantial physical protection, and so on. Usefulness aside, becoming an element relates to the difference between Navarene and the other Bloodlines discussed above.

When a Navarene becomes their element for the first time, they feel the divide between flesh and element much more acutely every day afterward. More often than not, their Weakness becomes exacerbated thereafter, and the Navarene must really struggle to maintain what they begin to see as “their human side”. There is also an immense risk associated with this manifestation of the Gift. The more often it is used, the more chance there is that a Navarene might lose touch with their human side forever. As a result, Navarene are instructed very carefully on never staying elemental for too long, and only doing so when absolutely necessary.