Realistic or Modern If December Freezes: Lore of the Roles

[Out Of Words]

IF DECEMBER FREEZES​

Lore of the Roles​

Magicians - Shifters - Vampires - Non-Humans - Humans​

If you have an idea not listed here, send me a message!​

Magicians

There is magic almost everywhere in the world, with the strongest magic found near ley lines. It can be seen, even tasted, by those with the skill to wield it, and shape it to their desires. Magic has a give and take, a balance of sorts. Casting spells require a physical action, usually in the precise movements of one's hands and body. The smallest miscalculation can alter the intended end result. It also drains the magic user's energy, the larger the spell or effect, the greater the drain. Many foolish magicians, untrained or too ambitious, found this out the hard way, their life cut short.

Magic is more reliable and stronger when it is a communal effort. Spell casters tend to find strength in numbers. Four or five mages focusing upon the same spell, can accomplish a great deal more than a single mage. The drain upon the users are shared, thereby minimizing the effect on each individual. It needs to be noted, magic affects more than even magic users are aware of. For example, the making of a deal or pact between two or more beings, is bound by the magic in the area. The closer to a ley line, the stronger the bond. To then break such a pact would be the equivalent of challenging the consequences to come find you while you shine like a beacon in the night. Bad 'luck' will continue to happen until the bond is made right.




Shifters

There are as many different types of shifters as there are stars in the sky. Shifters are beings with at least two forms; one human, one animal. There are some general guidelines for shifter characters. For example, the number of times and duration a character can reasonably shift in a day. Until they have spent a significant amount of time in their other form, they will not be as agile, or understand the enhanced senses. Shifting is not, and never will be instantaneous. It takes focus, energy, and willpower to complete the transformation, so characters lacking in any of those might wind up caught in a partial shift; long nails, fangs, pointed ears, etc. Even those experienced with both forms must take a small duration into account when they want to shift.

The full moon does not induce automatic rage. Shifters feel a stronger connection to their supernatural abilities during a full moon. Perhaps their enhanced senses are much stronger during this time, or they feel a deeper need to be in their other form for the duration. Either could feasibly make the shifter more irritable, perhaps more likely to have outbursts of emotion, but the full moon itself does not cause blinding rage, or force shifters to change forms.

However, there will be a good deal left open for player interpretation. In this world, shifters don't have to always experience pain when shifting after their first shift. If you choose to keep pain as part of your character's shifting, keep in mind pain is often taxing on the body, increases the duration of the shift itself, and limits how much shifting a character can do in a day due to the drain upon their endurance. Clothing is another option open to personal choice. Some shifters have learned how to take their clothing with them, lending to some rumors of shifters being inherently magical in nature. Others must disrobe fully.

In Season One, the players and GM collaborated to create the following lore for some of the possible shifters. Please keep in mind, I'm open to exploring even more types of shifters if you have an idea you'd like to see.

Spirit Shifters
Spirit shifters are not born with the ability to shift. Instead, this ability is granted through a kinship with an animal spirit. The form of a spirit shifter is determined by their ancestry; their forms are connected to them by spirit animals which have followed their generations as times have passed. However, this kinship is not guaranteed. Even though the person is part of a spirit shifter bloodline, the ability does not transfer to all members (sometimes skipping generations, only affecting one gender within the bloodline, etc).

The animal spirit (also known as the guardian) is the determining factor. Animal spirits tend to follow a bloodline and with the birth of each child a new, parallel guardian is born. These guardians are the potential root for the child’s ability to shift. Some guardians will fixate on a child due to elements like the child’s physical nature, personality, potential, or spirituality, among others. Whatever the reason, the animal spirit may attempt to connect with the child.

The spirit is always in charge of the timing and method of connection, and not all spirits are experts. A younger or more inexperienced spirit is likely to mess up the timing, while older, more experienced spirits generally know exactly when the timing is right. There are various resulting conclusions to attempts made to connect:

• If the child is open and the spirit is willing to connect, they may merge into one being. This will result in easier shifting and the child and spirit work together as if they are one being.
• If a child is not entirely open or the timing is slightly off based on the child’s age and naivety, an imperfect merge may occur. These children can still shift, but will understand the animal part of themselves as another entity.
• If the spirit is too eager and attempts to merge too early, they may be swallowed by the spirit of the child; these children will not be able to shift.
• If the timing is incorrect and the child is no longer open to their spiritual bloodline, the spirit will not be able to merge and the child will not shift.

There are tales of some spirit shifters more attuned with nature and spirituality than others, and are able to take on multiple types of forms, but they are rare. For those that do exist, the multiple forms are usually closely related to that of their first animal spirit.

Druids
Druids are humans who are well-attuned to magic who actively seek out an animal spirit to commune with. In some spirit bloodlines, there are spirits who don’t want to follow the status quo and leave to follow their own path. Sometimes these “rogue” spirits are approached by humans who form a bond with them through a mutually beneficial deal, a friendship, etc.

Druids rarely have a complete merge with their spirit; they usually view them as a separate entity. With all druids, finding balance within themselves is important in order to retain the ability to shift.

Magi Shifters
Magi Shifters are otherwise normal beings who were somehow affected with a curse or dark magic rooted in switching forms. Characters will struggle internally, and sometimes physically, depending upon their original intent and ambition to seek out such a curse or dark magic, for example, if the intent was rooted in a thirst for revenge.

These shifters are not connected to a spirit animal like a Spirit Shifter. Magi shifters can only be turned by other existing magi shifters. Turning is completed through a bite, combined with the character's circumstance, something dark within them (e.g. a desire for revenge, an intense jealousy towards someone, etc.). The dark magic within the magi shifter’s bite will feed off of this to fuel the target’s transformation into a magi shifter.

Magi shifters’ “baseline” animal forms, while they look like “real” animals, are more like skins holding the dark magic within them together. While transformed, a magi shifter can release some of the dark magic within them to increase their power by channeling the darkness that fueled their transformation, but this power comes at a cost. The shifter’s animal form will begin to take damage/corrode as the dark magic is released. This process is progressive and irreversible (outside of a third party's magic intervention), and also affects the shifter’s original human form. For example, a magi shifter whose animal limbs have taken corrosion damage from the dark magic will have scarring on their arms and legs in human form.

At a certain point, the damage the magi shifter takes becomes so severe that they are trapped in their animal form, as shifting back to human form would immediately kill their human body. In this final state, magi shifters are composed mostly of magic in a wraith-like form of their original animal transformation, and they lose most of their higher mental functions. They will begain to act like rabid animals driven only by the dark feeling that fueled their transformation in the first place. Certain magicians take advantage of this mental instability to bind them to the magicians' will, utilizing them as guard/attack dogs. Some dark magicians are known to keep aggressive, wraith-like animals to guard their estates, but it is a well-guarded secret among these magicians that the animals are magi shifters who were formerly human.

Skinwalkers
Skinwalkers are a combination of magic and spirit. Magic is used to bind an animal spirit to a physical pelt. The spirit is restricted to this pelt, but they still have an option of choice. They choose the person they bond with. Those chosen will retain a human form, as well as the form of the bound animal spirit, and usually something in between the two. The most common form of Skinwalker is a werewolf.

The Skinwalker has to keep a balance with the bound spirit. There is a chance the spirit's will is greater, and the human would be unaware of things done while the spirit had control, etc. When the spirit is in control, they are most likely filled with a lot of rage at being bound to a pelt.

The pelt usually has some type of ‘home’, such as a chest, magically warded and created at the time the animal spirit was bound. They are then tethered to this home as much as the spirit is bound to the pelt. If the human dies, the pelt would return to this home after a couple of days to recuperate and cannot be bound to another human during this time. When the human dies, the pelt and the spirit remain. However if the pelt is destroyed, so is the spirit, and rarely can the human survive the shock.





Vampires

Any being which has to live by draining something vital from another being, is considered a type of vampire. From a blood sucker, to a psychic vampire which feeds on the energy/lifeforce of another, to mortal vampires who are humans who choose to drink blood, believing it gives them some type of edge. In this world, only the newly turned, or starved, are prone to suffer 'blood lust'. Otherwise, vampires know how to handle their shit, and do not freak out when they smell blood. There are very few 'feral' vampires left, those that do exist are likely on borrowed time.

Some other items to keep in mind when choosing to play a vampire in this world. You have a reflection and can be seen in mirrors, photographs, cameras, and so on. A magic user might be able to enchant or make a charm to help block such things, but it isn't something a player character will start out having access to. It also takes a lot to drain a human 'dry'. More than the vampire can probably process. If the vampire does 'eat their fill', they will feel bloated, full, and lethargic. About the equivalent of a human's 'eyes bigger than their stomach' at Thanksgiving dinner.

Also, there are no sparkly vampires here.

NOTE: Player Characters who are vampires cannot be magicians.




Non-Humans

Any being who isn't human, shifter, or vampire. There's too long of a list to name them all; elves, dwarves, gnomes, half-elves, ogres, trolls, merfolk, and so on. The more obvious beings, such as trolls and ogres, either live in areas far removed from any prying eyes, or they have a contract with a magician for trinkets to disguise their true forms. These contracts are not cheap, not easily bartered for, and for a player character, would need to be discussed with the GM.

Some non-human beings can reasonably pass as human, and enjoy the benefits of doing so. They live in the densely populated urban cities, hold down jobs, maybe even have a house with a white picket fence. Some may choose to not integrate so deeply with the humans for reasons of their own. Player characters who select a non-human role, and want to be a magic user, will need to discuss the characters with the GM.




Humans

Ordinary humans, lacking magic or supernatural ability. Your best hope is to have some valuable skill, and plenty of charisma.

IF DECEMBER FREEZES
A story by Out Of Words​

Season One: A Night Bleeds​

 

[Out Of Words]

IF DECEMBER FREEZES​

Noteworthy Locations​

Local Cafe - The Docks - Gallery - Town Hall
The Cove - The Farm - Local Inn - Local Bar​

Local Cafe

NAME: The Loving Spoon
LOCATION: Faces the docks, closest to the two main piers and nestled between a craft supply store on the left, and a grocery store on the right.
DESCRIPTION: The front of the cafe has cobblestone steps leading to the front glass door with a push/pull silver vertical handle. The flooring consists of light wooden planks, faded in areas of frequent foot traffic. Tables are small, fitting up to four place settings, but can be easily moved together to accommodate larger groups. Each table has a deep blue fabric tablecloth, and anywhere from two to four white, mid-back dining chairs.

The recessed lighting can be dimmed for the sunny days, or a bit of extra quiet ambiance. The walls are half stone, from the original foundation, with the top half painted in various murals from local artists. There is a display case next to the register, shelves filled with various baked goods from muffins to cupcakes and more. There isn't a menu displayed on the walls, but a small wooden box holds folded hand written menus customers can even take with them.

The menu consists of a handful of standard items for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert, all priced very reasonably for the amount of food given. Most of the items are prepared by Matilda Walker, most regulars call her Tilly. A handful of other locals help out based on the size of the crowd on any given day. It's a pleasant place, never too loud, never too quiet. Many residents sit next to the windows and watch the tides carry the ships to and from the harbor.




The Docks

NAME: Docks, Waterfront, Piers, The D
LOCATION: On the northern side of Marasong Harbor.
DESCRIPTION: There are several piers and a long stretch of dock made of dark wooden planks. When a ship or boat docks, the wood feels as if it moves slightly to absorb the shock of the small collision between boat and pier when the waves are unruly. There are enough piers to accommodate up to four ships, but they rarely have more than one at the same time. They make their livelihood by trading ships, but average about three a week, sometimes more if there are smaller vessels in the area needing to stock up, or trade goods.

Just on the other end of the stretch of planks, lay a row of shops meant to catch the eye. Some of them switch out their goods based on the expected shipments that week, but you can find almost anything, given enough determination. The cafe is a popular local watering hole, as is the small artists' gallery. There are benches and chairs set up all along the dock as most residents enjoy watching the ships come and go.




Gallery

NAME: Colors in the Rain
LOCATION: Located on the docks, with a store selling rocks and shells to the left, and the imported goods store to the right.
DESCRIPTION: All the shops are similar on the outside, with cobblestone steps leading to the front glass door with a push/pull silver vertical handle. Light colored wooden planks make up the floor, and there is recessed lighting in the ceiling with dimming capabilities. The one wall facing the docks have large windows to allow more natural light, and tease at the art, beckoning others to enter.

Once inside, it's clear the small store makes the most out of the room it has, and hosts a surprising number of art pieces. There are paintings hanging along the other three walls, and some dividers strategically placed throughout. There are sculptures on shelves and in the front window, and some low padded benches allow visitors to sit and interpret or just enjoy the art displayed. Nearly each piece has a small placard listing the artist, and a purchase price.




Town Hall

NAME: Harbor Center, Hi-C
LOCATION: Just a little inland from the docks, the town hall is the only building in a cul-de-sac off to the side.
DESCRIPTION: The town hall is the oldest building in the harbor, comprised of stone dated back to the medieval era. The wood sections have been updated as needed, and the mortar replaced to keep the stones held fast, but overall, the building is reported to be the same style as when it was first built.

The building was two stories high, with a bell tower at the very front towering about three and a half stories tall. Double hand carved wooden doors rested above four small cobblestone steps. Just standing before the front doors gave most folks a sense of calm. Once inside, a few more modern aspects could be seen.

The wooden flooring had to be replaced, and now was made up of polished stones with a square spiral design etched into each one. It was designed to be a meeting hall, with a small raised dais at the far end, along with a handful of chairs and a wooden podium. The rest of the floor space held benches and individual chairs, with a seating capacity of around seventy five, but standing room for twice the amount.

A closed door to the left of the speaking stage led to a small number of offices and other rooms used for general storage of paperwork and the like. One wall along the right of the main room had cubbyholes which served as a postal office for the residents. A lost and found bin was to the right of that, usually always half filled with lost items found by others and turned in.




The Cove

NAME: Cove, Glow Cove, No Man's Home, Big-G
LOCATION: About a mile along the shoreline from the docs, tucked away in a small inlet.
DESCRIPTION: A rock arch formation signals the entrance to the cove. It's a dangerous place to enter, and most usually remain on the land to either side. The tides are unpredictable, and stronger than a riptide. Yet, there's usually a few visitors here each week to see the unparalleled beauty of the water.

The deeper one ventures into this natural formed cavern, the more strikingly beautiful the water becomes. A bio-luminescent algae thrives along the rock walls, just below the water's surface, casting peaceful, yet eerie blue light. The light reflects off the walls as the tide coats the stone on a regular basis. It's this almost ethereal beauty that has cost more than a few curious adventurers their lives.

There is a warning sign posted on the shore, but there are always a few each month who thought the risk was worth it. Some are found washed up somewhere along the coast, others are never seen again. At night, when the glow is the most vibrant, it can be easily glimpsed from land, and there are monthly camp out events to observe the phenomenon, usually during a full moon. Pictures and paintings of the cove usually sell very well at the docks.



The Farm

NAME: The Greens, Greenway, The Way
LOCATION: Opposite the town hall.
DESCRIPTION: On the other side of the cul-de-sac where the Town Hall stands, is a large section of fields dedicated to farming. Aside from the trading routes, Marasong Harbor uses their produce to supply the bulk of the town's food supply, and the excess is sold on the docks.

Everyone in town has likely worked on the farms at one point or another. It is a community run project, taking volunteers and paid workers alike. Age doesn't matter, even the young children can benefit from working the land with their own two hands.

The plots are often cycled each year, rotating which sections are not tilled to give the ground a chance to recover. The type of produce varies, but there is usually enough variety to whet everyone's appetite. No matter the season, there is always something the land will grow.




Local Inn

NAME: Marasong Inn
LOCATION: Located on the docks, at the Eastern end.
DESCRIPTION: A modest building, recently updated with a slightly more modern front to draw the eye, but retaining the quaintness of the town. It is a stone two story home, with a three story lighthouse at the end closest to the water. The lighthouse is still utilized in stormy weather, when the lights of the docks would not be strong enough to illuminate the shoreline for shipping vessels.

The Inn is managed by Seraphim O'Connor. It has been passed down through the generations and owned by the O'Connor family longer than any records show. There are twenty rooms total, fifteen roomy enough for a queen sized bed or two doubles, and five smaller rooms accommodate a single twin bed. There are small bathrooms connected between every two rooms, with a shower tub combo, toilet, and sink. The rooms on the Northeastern corner have the best views and are usually reserved constantly through the tourist season.

There is a small gathering room on the first floor, where drinks and small snacks are provided. However, all meals are either delivered by, or eaten at, the Loving Spoon. All guests will have two meal vouchers per day, and an assortment of other discounts for the different shops along the docks. The Inn has consistent four and five star reviews online and is likely one of the most profitable businesses aside from the general trading.




Local Bar

NAME: The Careless Shark Pub
LOCATION: On the western end of the docks.
DESCRIPTION: The pub was a popular watering hole for locals and sailing crews alike, until it suffered a fire recently. It started from the inside, gutting the place and causing minor exterior damage. It is currently being renovated and rebuilt, using a mismatch of donated furniture and decorations. The locals don't care about how it looks on the inside, they just want the place open again.

It is owned and run by Kai Tangaroa, who is said to make the best drinks in all of New Zealand. Even if he doesn't, after a couple of his mixed drink concotions, no one really cares.

IF DECEMBER FREEZES
A story by Out Of Words​

Season One: A Night Bleeds​