The Species of Near
From TSOY
Contents |
The Old Species
The "Old Species" are those which have been around and well-known in Near since before the coming of the Shadow, which are humans, goblins, and elves. The Old Species seem closely linked, for this reason: they are all in someway human. While the lines between humans, elves, and goblins are clear, individuals can move in between them. This is not necessarily common knowledge: no goblin would believe this, only the most astute human scholar have observed the phenomenon, and elves don't particularly like to talk about it.
Masters of War: Humans
Humans have the most variation of any species on Near, and as such, will be more detailed in the culture write-ups. There are some species-wide qualities worth noting, though.
Appearance and Personality
Humans come in every variety of color and appearance as they do on Earth. The humans of Near, however, tend towards darker skin tones: the lightest skin tone is a light olive, and blonde hair is rare. Exceptionally light-skinned people or blondes are regarded with some suspicion, as these qualities are normally associated with elves. Skin tone varies within nations and cultures, but as a rule, skin tones deepen as one travels north in the world of Near.
Human personalities are very tempered by culture. They are the most aggressive of all the species, though, even the beast-like ratkin. Their superior numbers and role as the primary mover in Near history have much to do with this, as does a natural-born hubris. Coupled with their aggressiveness is a dangerous catalyst: fear. The Shadow has brought out the worst fears in humanity, and purges against other species, pogroms against their own kind, witch-hunts for "Shadow-touched" and other atrocities have been even more common.
Balancing human aggression is human passion. Humans have love - as we know it, at least - which is unique to their kind. It is, in fact, what makes humans human, and if a goblin or elf finds themselves in this state, they are on the fast track to finding out just how malleable their species identity is.
Religion and Magic
All human religions have some explanation of the Sky-Fire and the Shadow Moon. Most are not favorably inclined to it, and have become dualist good-versus-evil pantheons. The definition of evil is a primary impetus in many of the atrocities described above.
Crunchy Bits
Human Species Keys
| Key Name | Summary | Key XP | Buyoff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Key of Love | Your character has a deep love, whether friendly, erotic, or familial, for someone else. | Gain 1 XP every time this character is present in a scene with your character. Gain 2 XP whenever your character has to make a decision that is influenced by them. Gain 5 XP every time your character puts himself in harm's way or makes a sacrifice for them. | Sever the relationship with this person. |
| Key of Unrequited Love | Your character has a love for someone who does not return this love. | Gain 1 XP whenever your character has to make a decision that is influenced by them. Gain 2 XP every time your character attempts to win their affection. Gain 5 XP every time your character puts himself in harm's way or makes a sacrifice for them. | Abandon your pursuit of this person or win their love. |
Monsters of Heaven: Elves
Elves are mysterious, aloof human-like creatures. They claim immortality, and possess fearsome magic, allowing them to project their ego. Usually untrusted or revered, or both, they wander Near looking for an answer.
Appearance and Personality
For the most part, elves appear human-like. They create their own bodies from the power of their own self-image, so they can have any appearance they want at creation, but most stick with a similar appearance in each incarnation. Their skin tone, however, is always pale, ranging from bone-white to a very light olive, and their hair is light, ranging from blonde to a sandy brown or golden red. All elves have an aura, a small nimbus of light that shines around them. This aura is slight enough that it only shouts their presence under a pitch-black sky. It is noticeable enough, though, that anyone that does see an elf knows what it is.
Elves tend to be solitary creatures without roots. This is not to say that they are not social; they can be incredibly magnetic. They do not, however, usually settle down in one place and form lasting relationships. It is said that one cannot trust an elf for "whatever good he does, he does for his own purposes."
The Cycle of the Elf
Elves are people who have looked deep within and found only one thing there: the self. Dedicated like a Zen master, they have realized the world is illusory and the only truth is what one thinks of one's self. Upon the death of the body, these souls do not pass on, but return again and again, as a more perfect form.
This sort of worldview kind of shuts the door on most religion. The elf recognizes no god or greater power, only more powerful souls. Strangely, this sort of self-absorption doesn't always lead to evil: many elves roam the world doing good to either appease something inside them or perhaps for amusement. Others strike down anything in their path, realizing the insignificance of others that have not achieved their enlightenment. Whatever the attitude, an elf lives on, seeking to know itself deeper.
Sometimes, an elf strays from this path. They were once human, after all, although it's not too wise to mention that. Any time an elf recognizes another life as greater than his own, he falls from elfhood. If an elf either saves the life of another, dying or becoming mortally wounded in the process, or creates life - elves function sexually as humans - they become somewhat human. (If the elf died for another, he is reborn a last time.) Their aura dims and becomes grey, and they begin to get older like a human: they have entered the Grey Age. Other elves usually despise a Grey One for his weakness.
Elven Magic
The most powerful magic of the elf is the fact that it's immortal. Elves come into this world at maturity, and do not age unless they want to. Most do, over their many incarnations, as their self-image becomes more wizened. They do not catch diseases, although they can be poisoned. Their body is only a shell they have created, and even if struck down, they return to the world of Near.
An elf, if feeling introspective - and when aren't they? - may speak of Heaven. This may be the only religious belief elves have: that when they achieve perfect enlightenment, they will leave Near and enter perfect one-ness, when the illusion of Near disappears for them, and they see it for what it is, their own dream. This Heaven is as horrific of an idea to a human as it sounds - the elf sees himself as the dreamer of everything and everyone else, and he will take his true place in Heaven.
Elven magic manifests itself in other minor forms, however. Elven auras are very powerful and have many special abilities that protect the elf and project its will on others. The long age of an elf seems like magic to other peoples, as well: elves can draw on their many experiences to perform nearly any feat.
The Shadow Moon and the Elf
When the Sky Fire fell to Near, all elves disappeared. Not a single one was seen for over two hundred years. As to where they went, no one knows, not even the elves. Elves' stories are varied: most purport that they were always here and have no memory of leaving or those two hundred years, while others speak of Far, another world they are able to visit.
Whatever happened, elves are loathe to speak of it. Since they have returned, though, it is obvious the Shadow Moon has had an effect on them. Once elves were friendly towards each other, greeting other ones on the path to enlightenment. Once, when an elf was asked about the logical fallacy in two elves both thinking the universe is their dream, he said, "It is not known whether I am dreaming him dreaming the world, or he is dreaming me dreaming the world. Either way, we'd better get along." Now, though, elven friendliness is rare, and most elves despise the sight of another one. The power struggle to see who is truly the master of the dream has become intense. Some old elves blame the younger ones for the Sky Fire and Shadow Moon, claiming too many competing for the dream have threatened to tear it apart.
Crunchy Bits
Elven Species Abilities
- Past Lives (Reason) - Innate Ability
- This is the elven ability to remember many abilities and bits of knowledge from the past. It can be used to remember facts about any ancient landmark or piece of history.
Elven Species Secrets
- Secret of Immortality(Skill)
- When an elf character dies, it returns to Near within 28 days. The Story Guide and the character's player should decide together when the most appropriate and enjoyable time for the character to come back would be. No one has actually ever seen an elf return: it happens out of the sight of other people. The character loses a point from each pool. Three abilities are lowered by one rank as well; the process of reincarnation is not perfect and the elf's spirit must adjust to a new form. The player can choose to have his character not return from death. Whether this means the character has ascended to Heaven, or something else has happened, is completely up to that player and the Story Guide. This secret is mandatory for elven characters.
- Secret of the Polymath
- In an elf's life, many abilities have waxed and waned. Using this secret, the elf may use its Past Lives ability as any other ability for an entire scene.
- Cost: 2 Reason. In addition, the very next available advance the player spends must be used to improve this ability.
- Secret of Fading the Illusion
- An elf with this secret can, through force of will, make the illusion of the world temporarily grow dim and ghostly around him. To everyone else, it appears the elf has become translucent and incorporeal. This secret lasts for one scene.
- Cost: 2 Vigor. (To note, your character can slip through cracks and cannot be physically harmed. She just has an interesting way of looking at this.)
- Secret of the Iron Mind
- Your character can refresh Reason whenever she defeats someone else in a one-on-one personal contest of any type, as long as it has been established as a contest between the two.
- Aura of Protection
- Your character's aura is palpable, bringing a strange thickness to the air. When physically attacked, you can spend from your Reason pool to lower damage on a one-for-one basis.
- Aura of the Imperator
- Your character's aura waxes as he enforces his will, making him appear taller and more threatening. On any attempt to intimidate someone or convince them of your character's opinion, you may add a bonus die.
- Aura of Sight
- Your character's aura is brighter than normal when close up, but no brighter when far away. This allows you and your friends to see fine at night, and eliminates any sight-based difficulties within 10 yards.
- Aura of the Tower
- Your character's aura is polarized, giving it a weird light-and-dark flavor. Both Reason and Vigor are now associated with Resist, and you can spend from both of them for ability checks.
Elven Species Keys
| Key Name | Summary | Key XP | Buyoff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Key of the Bloodline | No elf existing in Near today has humans that still remember his humanity. Some elves remember where they came from, though, and show their weakness through secretly shepherding their bloodline. | Gain 1 XP every time your character is in a scene with one of his bloodline. Gain 2 XP every time he secretly manipulates a situation in their favor. Gain 5 XP every time he puts himself at risk to do so. | Reveal who you are to your family. |
| Key of the Eternal Question | There is a reason for the illusion of Near, a purpose behind its entrapment of your character. Only when she answers this question will she be ready to be the master of all she dreams. Pick a philosophical question for your character. "What is the measure of a hero?" or "Can one know himself better through fulfillment or denial?" are good examples. | Gain 1 XP every time you can apply this question to the situation your character's in. Gain 3 XP every time your character risks harm in pursuit of the answer. | Answer the question. |
| Key of the Self | Your character is an elf, immortal and dedicated to the self. | Gain 1 XP every time he ignores the request of another in order to fulfill his own goals. Gain 3 XP every time he ignores someone in need for himself. | Become human. By either dying to save the life of another, or creating life, your character enters the Grey Age. All Elven Species Secrets and Keys, except Secret of the Polymath, are unusable. |
Beasts of Hunger: Goblins
Most would call goblins debased: sick, twisted, addicted things with little morality. Goblins call this fun. Pure hedonists, goblins hunger for pleasure, trouble, and excitement.
Appearance and personality
Goblins are infinitely adaptable beings; their "natural" bodies, if you can call them that, manage to resemble demons, dogs, and men at the same time. They are mottled brown, black, green, and grey, and their hair grows randomly, in shape and color. Their bodies have an ability that cannot be explained by many: they evolve to match their environment even as they continue to age, and their offspring carry these same characteristic. Even strong magic and torture can warp their bodies, as many evil wizards have found, creating the dread ur-goblins, bugbears, and Violators from goblin stock. Most goblins are smaller and stouter than humans, although they can come in just about any size.
Goblins' curiosity drives them into all the forgotten places of the earth, and makes them decent apprentices for just about any job: they catch on quickly, but tend to cause as many accidents as they do help. They're easy to keep loyal, though: all goblins have an addiction, which if fed regularly, will make one your best friend. This addiction need not be to a drug: they can be addicted to a certain act, food, drink, or, well, drug. (A tale has been told of goblin divers on the shores of Maldor. These beasts were amazing pearl-finders, and were addicted to the rush of adrenaline they got when their human handler threw them off the cliff-side.)
Goblin society, family, and morality
Left alone, goblin societies resemble anarchy to any outsider, although they tend to grow an alpha goblin among any tribe. Any goblin tribe of more than about two dozen of the animals tends to fall apart without an outside master, usually human. Goblins are actually rather good at organizing to make sure everyone's needs get met, but when they start to threaten each other's resources, tribes quickly split into rivals.
Goblin families are very loose-knit. All goblins are poly-sexual, and any mating between them, whether male-male, male-female, or female-female, can generate offspring. With a month-long gestation period, this doesn't really get in the way of their curious relations. The offspring are born as small, but capable goblins, emerging as little flesh-balls about a foot in diameter. Within an hour of their birth, they grow feet, hands, eyes, and a mouth. Young goblins pick another goblin in the tribe as their parent, randomly, and if that goblin doesn't push them away, they usually learn the same addictions and behaviors.
Goblins do not understand the human concept of love. It's an alien concept to them. They do understand mutual pleasure, of both the sexual and non-sexual form, and do actively work with each other. The greatest sins in goblin society are not wanting to trade - one goblin's poison is another's pudding - and betraying someone you're working with.
A few goblins have been observed in a bizarre state that resembles love, however. When a goblin is struck with this, known only as "the Affliction" in their rough language, they leave their tribe and travel, their only goals to prove their love or die. (They seem confused by their own emotions, and usually cannot express clearly what they are doing.) A goblin has never been observed in love with another goblin, however; they always choose a member of another species as their object of affection.
Crunchy Bits
Goblin Species Abilities
- Adaptability (Vigor) innate ability
- The goblin can change its body structure and even mental capabilities on a fairly frequent basis. This ability can stand in for any other ability on the goblin's character sheet, under the circumstances described in the Secret of Adaptability.
Goblin Species Secrets
- Secret of Addiction
- Your character is addicted to a substance or behavior. You cannot refresh any pools if it has been longer than a day since your character took part in this addiction. In addition, your character can never refresh Vigor normally: instead, he only refreshes Vigor through taking part in this addiction. This refreshment can only happen once per day, but there is a boon. Your character can take part in the addiction, however, as often you like, and one point of Vigor is returned each time after the first refreshment of the day. You can break this addiction if you have the Key of the Affliction. The character must abstain from the substance or behavior. At the end of each day doing so, make a Resist roll. If the roll is successful for five straight days, the addiction is broken and you can refresh Vigor normally. If any roll is failed, start over. The secret is kept and if the character ever takes part in the addiction again, it returns. This secret is mandatory for goblin characters.
- Secret of Adaptability
- Whenever Vigor is refreshed, instead of actually refreshing the pool, the player can switch his character's Adaptability rank with the rank for a different ability. This is a permanent switch.
- Secret of Body Weaponry
- Your goblin has innate weapons and armor. This Secret works like the Secret of Imbuement and may be taken multiple times in order to gain more potent or extra weapons and armor. If you have the Secret of Adaptability, these weapons and armor can be changed under the same circumstances: when Vigor is refreshed, but no pool refreshment is taken.
- Secret of the Chameleon
- Your character's skin can change color, and instinctively does. You always have a bonus die to hide against brown, black, grey, or dark green: basically, natural colors and rough stone.
Goblin Species Keys
| Key Name | Summary | Key XP | Buyoff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Key of the Affliction | Your goblin has succumbed to the Affliction - he has learned to love. This means he is becoming human. With this Key, a goblin character may also take the human Species Key, Key of Unrequited Love. | Gain 1 XP every time your character is insulted or ostracized by other goblins for the Affliction. Gain 3 XP every time this reaction causes great difficulty for your character. | Become fully human. To do this, the character must have the Key of Unrequited Love. If your character either breaks his addiction or wins the love of his target, he becomes human. All goblin Species Secrets except Secret of the Addiction are lost, as is the Adaptability ability. |
Tooth and Teat: Ratkin
Ratkin are the newest sentient species in Near, and have just started to emerge from their animal past. They are generally untrusted by all other species except goblins, and known as dirty thieves. In reality, they are loyal allies, but have a hard time adjusting to the idea of owning something.
Ratkin are most often found in dead cities, especially the crumbling walled fortresses of Maldor, and live there in enormous litters, near-feral.
Appearance and Personality
Ratkin resemble nutria, enormous rodents, standing on their hind legs with prehensile thumbs. About three to four feet tall, they have pointed button noses, whiskers, and are covered in either grey, brown, or black fur, with the occasional albino all-white ratkin. Many ratkin are not completely used to bipedal movement, and drop to all fours to run, looking like nothing but a huge rat-dog.
A wandering ratkin will bond with his companions quickly, and is usually quite uncomfortable alone. Their tendency to take the possessions of their friends is well documented, though: they have little comprehension of the idea that you can own anything, except through guarding it. In the same way, they will quarrel with their friends quicker than a human would, but quarrels are forgiven as soon as they end.
One of the Litter
The basic unit of ratkin society is the litter, being the large group the ratkin is born with. Unlike other species, not everything born to a ratkin mother is a ratkin; a typical litter is three or four ratkin and ten to twenty normal rats. At birth, the ratkin are distinguishable only by their forepaws and their size, about one-and-a-half to twice the size of the rats.
Among a litter, you own only what you can fight for: any scrap of food or shiny object quickly results in a scratching, biting ball of chaos as rat and ratkin alike pile on. This is true from birth; the first act of a ratkin's life is to claw a sibling off a teat so it can have a drink. An outsider would wonder how many make it out alive, as sibling altercations are frequent and incredibly violent. Ratkin instinctually know how to hurt their brethren without seriously damaging them, though.
Any outside threat to a member of the litter is met with real violence, though. A predator attacking a lone rat or ratkin will quickly find himself prey to a snarling, vicious wave of fur, tooth, and claw, seemingly coming from nowhere. To a ratkin, an attack on any member of his litter is even worse than a personal attack on him, and requires retribution. Although the bond is not as powerful, this is also true about the horde, the larger family a litter is born into, which can number dozens or hundreds of ratkin, and thousands of rats. For this reason, a ratkin-infested ancient city is a very dangerous place to bring hostilities.
Ratkin do leave their original litter to wander the world of Near, though. The reasons are varied. Some ratkin lose their litter to explorers; some meet outsiders and see a way of life where they do not have to fight for every meal. They do not, though, lose the concept of the litter, and usually find a group of companions to bond with, becoming their new litter.
Crunchy Bits
Ratkin Species Abilities
- Litter Bond (Instinct) Innate Ability
- This is the ratkin ability to move as part of a group and automatically foresee the actions of its brethren. It can be used to defend anyone in the character's litter from danger, but another ability check (modified by this one) is needed to actually stop the danger.
Other Uses for Abilities
Ratkin use the Scrapping ability to fight with their teeth and claws. Their thick coat and sharp natural weapons give them no disadvantage against an opponent armed with normal-size weapons. In addition, they will often charge an opponent on all fours, achieving a great speed before leaping to savagely gouge the opponent. This is done in-game with an Athletics check, with the Success Levels becoming bonus dice for a Scrapping check.
Ratkin Species Secrets
- Secret of Rat Familiarity
- You gain a bonus die on all Animal Ken Ability Checks involving rodents. In addition, your character can speak to rodents in their own language. This secret is mandatory for Ratkin characters.
- Secret of Rat Companions
- Your character always has two to four rats around him, living in his pockets, scurrying on the floor, or the like. As a whole, they have the following abilities:
- Endure: Unskilled
- React: Adept
- Resist: Unskilled
- Scrapping: Unskilled
- Stealth: Competent
- They scatter immediately if hit, even in Bringing Down the Pain, and do not return until the next scene.
- Secret of Rat Size
- Being a Ratkin, your character is smaller than most people in the world, and can use that to his advantage in combat. Gain a bonus die any time your character is avoiding an attack from someone larger than him or any other situation in which his reduced size may help (i.e. an Athletics ability check to wriggle through a pipe.)
- Secret of Rat Vision
- Your character is gifted with excellent night vision. You can never receive any penalties for low-light conditions and can see under the moon as if it were daylight.
- Secret of Sibling Rivalry
- You can refresh your character's Instinct pool whenever he gets in a knock-down, drag-out fight with a member of his litter. In addition, you can immediately roll your Litter Bond ability after the fight and add those bonus dice to your litter-mate's Healing Check.
Ratkin Species Keys
| Key Name | Summary | Key XP | Buyoff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Key of the Litter | Your character has a litter he was either born into or adopted. | Gain 1 XP every time he defends a litter-mate from harm. Gain 3 XP every time he defends a litter-mate at great danger to himself. | Leave your litter to strike out on your own. (Note: You may choose to adopt a different litter at any time, but must buyoff this key and buy it again for your character to bond with the new litter. Your character may not have more than one litter at a time.) |
| Key of the Precious | Your character jealously guards his possessions, afraid that someone will try to take them at first opportunity. | Gain 1 XP every time your character gains a new possession by his skills - not when one is given to him or bought. Gain 2 XP every time your character gains a new possession by fighting for it. Gain 5 XP whenever your character successfully defends his possessions against theft. | Give away your possessions permanently. |
