skeloric
10-11-2008, 03:29 AM
The kingdom seems a normal enough Tech 13 to 14 medieval reality.
At least, as long as you don't look at it closely.
The closer one looks, the more it seems like a bad stereotype right out of some fantasy roleplaying game.
The King is known as "King Royal" -- "Royal" being the last name of the royal family.
All barkeeps are in fact known as "Bob" and look distressingly identical but will argue that they are nothing like the other "Bob" at the other tavern down the street -- even when they all sound the same.
All taverns have a rowdy [a generally belligerent person] that seems to be actually NAMED "Rowdy", or a thug named "Thug".
The kingdom has a neighboring kingdom known as "N'Borr" and it can be found wherever it needs to be found -- on the land border or across the ocean.
In all cases, "N'Borr" exists in relation to "Phan'Tosi" in the classic way that they produce a TESSERACT (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesseract) and as such, an nearly infinite array of "N'Borr"s can exist in relation to "Phan'Tosi"
AXIOMS
In total the Axioms are hopelessly fluid as befits the needs of the citizens... or their visitors.
While they exist within a limited range, they can produce seeming paradoxes within the Axioms themselves.
In an otherwise Tech 13 setting, the King may own a suit of full body armor more indicative to Tech 15 and his Social 15 society may at one rare moment display a bureaucracy that would be more at home in Social 18.
Each Axiom exists as a bottom rung baseline but can rise upward in a very specific and inexplicable way by up to 3 points.
Thus the baselines:
Magic 12
Social 15
Spirit 14
Tech 13
WORLD LAWS
The Law of Inexplicable Advancement
This law is the exact source of the previously mentioned "Axiom Effect", it exists as a sort of highly awkward but yet ultimately accepted as "normal" effect.
It does not exist typically as more than a flavor law for most but Stormers/Storm Knights can manipulate the elasticity of reality in the Cosm by using their REALITY skill.
Pushing a 1 point difference might be merely "difficult".
Pushing up 2 points might be "Heroic"
Pushing for 3 might require 50:1 odds.
The Law of Stereotype
Sometimes the Cosm seems to lack an imagination and it shows.
The city guard might have the last name Guard and look like he was punched out of a mold along with every other guard in the city all of whom also have the last name Guard.
Every single farmer in the kingdom might have the last name Farmer -- though some might have the first name Philip and others Jose.
And yes, that does make "Philip Jose Farmer" and by now the Storm Knights should be rolling their eyes and wondering if this is some kind of joke.
It is deadly earnest as we will see next.
The Law of Reset
The Cosm dislikes changes and alterations.
Make too many and suddenly everything returns to "Moment Zero".
Decide to blow up the king and the castle with a clever application of cards to achieve that long range contradiction...
The king and the castle are restored.
Use a Martyr card to "make sure" and the king and castle... AND YOU (but only the first couple of times)... are all restored.
The story keeps on going but it never really deviates.
Being Possibility Rated prevents one's memories erasing due to the "reset" leading to some... FUNNY (in multiple sense of the word)... exchanges.
+++++++++++++
Yes, this really is a poorly constructed D&D fantasy game's generic kingdom as a Cosm.
Play that truth up for all its worth.
Self referential statements, funny asides that seem to refer to events ERASED by the last "reset", or even funny names and statements that would apparently break the "FOURTH WALL".
Its all fair game.
There is even a hidden secret society of Mages that are all possibility rated and are fully aware of the limitations of their Cosm.
They also seem to be aware of a cosmic "god figure" they call the "Dungeon Master".
They live in fear of this being and either seek to placate him or depose him and take that power for their selves.
Who knows, maybe one did.
Maybe he did it with the help of a suitably deranged Darkness Device that can accept the less than coherent nature of the Cosm's reality.
Maybe such an exalted High Lord is almost a "TORG" but lacks the one essential element, making the change permanent or even relevant.
What if the "reset" keeps undoing his invasions?
He keeps what little PE he gained but his entire invasion never really "happened" except for the missing PE in the invaded Cosm?
How would he overcome this "flaw" in his Cosm's design?
Especially when the whole Cosm seems to operate like a mirage.
At least, as long as you don't look at it closely.
The closer one looks, the more it seems like a bad stereotype right out of some fantasy roleplaying game.
The King is known as "King Royal" -- "Royal" being the last name of the royal family.
All barkeeps are in fact known as "Bob" and look distressingly identical but will argue that they are nothing like the other "Bob" at the other tavern down the street -- even when they all sound the same.
All taverns have a rowdy [a generally belligerent person] that seems to be actually NAMED "Rowdy", or a thug named "Thug".
The kingdom has a neighboring kingdom known as "N'Borr" and it can be found wherever it needs to be found -- on the land border or across the ocean.
In all cases, "N'Borr" exists in relation to "Phan'Tosi" in the classic way that they produce a TESSERACT (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesseract) and as such, an nearly infinite array of "N'Borr"s can exist in relation to "Phan'Tosi"
AXIOMS
In total the Axioms are hopelessly fluid as befits the needs of the citizens... or their visitors.
While they exist within a limited range, they can produce seeming paradoxes within the Axioms themselves.
In an otherwise Tech 13 setting, the King may own a suit of full body armor more indicative to Tech 15 and his Social 15 society may at one rare moment display a bureaucracy that would be more at home in Social 18.
Each Axiom exists as a bottom rung baseline but can rise upward in a very specific and inexplicable way by up to 3 points.
Thus the baselines:
Magic 12
Social 15
Spirit 14
Tech 13
WORLD LAWS
The Law of Inexplicable Advancement
This law is the exact source of the previously mentioned "Axiom Effect", it exists as a sort of highly awkward but yet ultimately accepted as "normal" effect.
It does not exist typically as more than a flavor law for most but Stormers/Storm Knights can manipulate the elasticity of reality in the Cosm by using their REALITY skill.
Pushing a 1 point difference might be merely "difficult".
Pushing up 2 points might be "Heroic"
Pushing for 3 might require 50:1 odds.
The Law of Stereotype
Sometimes the Cosm seems to lack an imagination and it shows.
The city guard might have the last name Guard and look like he was punched out of a mold along with every other guard in the city all of whom also have the last name Guard.
Every single farmer in the kingdom might have the last name Farmer -- though some might have the first name Philip and others Jose.
And yes, that does make "Philip Jose Farmer" and by now the Storm Knights should be rolling their eyes and wondering if this is some kind of joke.
It is deadly earnest as we will see next.
The Law of Reset
The Cosm dislikes changes and alterations.
Make too many and suddenly everything returns to "Moment Zero".
Decide to blow up the king and the castle with a clever application of cards to achieve that long range contradiction...
The king and the castle are restored.
Use a Martyr card to "make sure" and the king and castle... AND YOU (but only the first couple of times)... are all restored.
The story keeps on going but it never really deviates.
Being Possibility Rated prevents one's memories erasing due to the "reset" leading to some... FUNNY (in multiple sense of the word)... exchanges.
+++++++++++++
Yes, this really is a poorly constructed D&D fantasy game's generic kingdom as a Cosm.
Play that truth up for all its worth.
Self referential statements, funny asides that seem to refer to events ERASED by the last "reset", or even funny names and statements that would apparently break the "FOURTH WALL".
Its all fair game.
There is even a hidden secret society of Mages that are all possibility rated and are fully aware of the limitations of their Cosm.
They also seem to be aware of a cosmic "god figure" they call the "Dungeon Master".
They live in fear of this being and either seek to placate him or depose him and take that power for their selves.
Who knows, maybe one did.
Maybe he did it with the help of a suitably deranged Darkness Device that can accept the less than coherent nature of the Cosm's reality.
Maybe such an exalted High Lord is almost a "TORG" but lacks the one essential element, making the change permanent or even relevant.
What if the "reset" keeps undoing his invasions?
He keeps what little PE he gained but his entire invasion never really "happened" except for the missing PE in the invaded Cosm?
How would he overcome this "flaw" in his Cosm's design?
Especially when the whole Cosm seems to operate like a mirage.