Ysdelfer

PreGame: Worldbuilding & Setup

Welcome back to Realm of Solo (RoS), and thanks for your continued support that inspires our creativity. If you're a seasoned member, please share our community with your network to help it thrive even more.

Announcements

We're striving to reach 200 subscribers, currently at 87 Brave Souls, and need your help to grow our community. In celebration of this milestone, we're giving away two copies of Mythic GME 2e. So, subscribe now, share with your friends, and let's unlock our collective imagination.

«First Session <Previous Session | Next Session> Last session»

This week

I mentioned last week I mentioned that we would be switching gears. I’d be trying my hand at a slice of life procedural fantasy drama set in the World of Sorg. We are going to dive into some character creation and some worldbuilding this week to set the stage.

Worldbuilding

Timescale's Tale

From the boundless chaos of the astral sea, the Great Timescale was birthed—simultaneously from everything and nothing. A divine paradox, it was an omniscient being, cognizant of the chaotic astral sea, which in its vision, was nothing more than a hourglass cage. Ensnared within its own cosmic form, the Timescale yearned for freedom and purpose. Unleashing its mighty force, it shattered its cage, liberating itself and marking the advent of a new era.

History & Conflict

The Okov Enmity, a conflict-laden era, saw the Marionette people—artful puppeteers of destiny—spread across Sorg, stirring tensions among rival factions. Their cultural influence pervaded every corner of the world, inciting an inevitable clash. The resonating echoes of battles fought, alliances broken, and empires fallen during this time reverberate through the sands of Sorg.

The catalyst of the Great Calamity remains shrouded in mystery. The tectonic conflict and bitter hatred between factions crescendoed into a cataclysm, whose fury not only transformed the landscape but drained the world's oceans, transmogrifying vibrant ecosystems into desolate wastelands. This era serves as a haunting reminder of the devastation that ensues when unchecked rivalry spirals into warfare.

In the aftermath of the Great Calamity, the once bountiful world of Sorg was left scarred, its inhabitants clinging to survival amidst the ruins of their civilizations. Memories of lost glory were reduced to dust-covered artifacts and weathered monuments—a silent testament to the price paid for unrestrained conflict.

New Sorg

Now, Sorg is a testament to resilience in the face of adversity. Amidst arid deserts and wastelands, the last beacon of civilization, Baaskqir, thrives. Baaskqir is an ingenious integration of living and dead coral, a city-state nurtured by the survivors of Apoche, Sericum Petrum, and The Oakland Wharf, who found refuge on the Efros Isles.

Apoche, once a melting pot of diverse cultures and thriving trade, brought to Baaskqir a rich heritage of commerce, arts, and philosophies. In contrast, the Oakland Wharf, infamous for its den of thieves, fishermen, and the underworld, infused an element of grit and survivalist instincts necessary in a post-calamity world. Lastly, the indomitable people of Sericum Petrum, hardened by years of battling the harsh landscapes of the Black Province, brought the strength, resilience, and agricultural knowledge that has been instrumental in Baaskqir's survival.

Life and Water

Water, the vital lifeline of Sorg, is a scarce resource, its value akin to precious metals. The quest for water dominates life across Sorg, giving rise to a unique profession—Ysdelfers, the water and ice hunters. Venturing into the depths of the sand and the ruins of ancient civilizations, Ysdelfers risk their lives in pursuit of new water sources. Equipped with ancestral knowledge and specialized tools, they extract water, often finding deposits deep within the sands and transforming them into life-giving ice using time-honored techniques. Each Ysdelfer lodge or ice house boasts unique ice recipes, the secrets of which are closely guarded. Ysdelfers, hailing from all walks of life, are drawn to this noble cause by the allure of fortune, adventure, and a profound sense of service, their work serving as the lifeblood of Sorg's society.

While this might be unnecessary I wanted us to have a refresher about the world as a whole in order to get in the right head space. I am shooting for a weird fantasy, science fantasy setting and a bit of myth that converges into history without clear cut lines,I quite like that. A quick Overview of setting up our game for a Procedural Drama.

• Character

• Central dilemma

• Settings

• Crew

• Recurring themes

---

Setup

While Mythic GME 2e details that we should start with character I want to world build so we are going to jump to Settings. But, hopefully you already caught the Central Dilemma of the game world.

Settings

These locations become familiar to us to the point where we associate the Characters to the places they inhabit.

-Tana Pigeon

Our game will revolve around an Ysdelfer Lodge which we will call the Initor Lodge- might be some meaning to the name, might not- So that is one location down. Mythic encourages you to think of places your character would frequent. As an Ysdelfer our character will be going into the ruins of Sorg, to the market to sale wares and ice and water. They will also probably frequent the Glas river, a place to think probably, and possibly a place to socialize outside of the Market(s).

We will go ahead and roll some ideas for our watering hole and two other possible interesting locales.

• Abandoned Storage

• Stylish Unpleasant

• Official Official

So these are some interesting rolls. Our Abandoned Storage will be one of the old Ys towers that is empty. A sign of how bad the water shortage is.

Stylish Unpleasant makes me think of a place like a gambling hall or maybe a fight ring. I kind of like the idea of our character having a vice for placing bets on fights. We shall call this the Jenwah Pits¹

Finally Official×2! In the context of our game world this made me think of the Union- a Ysdelfer collective- which makes a bit of sense, so maybe we get missions or task from time to time from the Union. And if not it ties us to a world faction which can lead to some rather fun story threads. So this will be the Union Hall.

• Initor Lodge

• Ys(ice) Ruins/Dungeons

• Market(s)

• Glas River

• Ys Tower(empty)

• Union Hall

• Jenwah Pits

Alright our reoccurring setting locales are marked down. I have ideas about each already but we will continue to develop these in play.

Crew

NPC’s will come and go in Procedural Drama adventures, but there should be a core group of NPCs who are almost always there.

-Tana Pigeon

I decided not to flesh out the crew with stats and everything until play starts. But wanted to get a base idea of who they were. So I looked around for some Archetypes and this is what we have for our crew.

• Deadly Doctor- Ahkom

• The Hardnose- Betroode

• Friendly Sniper- Sedrah

• Big Guy- Bo

• Leader- Mah'r

I think this is probably a bigger crew than we need but it'll give us enough to start and swap people in and out of different scenes.

Recurring Themes

Recurring Themes are vital because they serve as Context for creating problems that serve as the goals for each adventure.

-Tana Pigeon

Most of our recurring themes are mostly laid out for us but it doesn't hurt to codify them, expound, and possible brainstorm a few more so here are the current recurring themes.

• Jurisdiction Disputes- Where there is scarcity there is conflict. And in a world where people make their living by staking claim to a vital resource it would follow there would be jurisdiction disputes pretty often.

• Relic Rumors- The rumors of ancient artifacts bring coin and renown with it from time to time.

• Water Rumors- Water is life and every lead matters.

While I love these three recurring themes let's see if we can generate three more.

• Unusual Unlikely

• Group Revenge

• Mental Barrier

Fun rolls the first one makes me think of the Ancient Beast of the world. Ancient Beast are mystical engimatic creatures touched by the divine some say.

Group Revenge makes me think the Initor Lodge has a Rival Lodge that seeks revenge. Maybe we put them out of business or ran them out of one of the markets.

Mental Barrier makes me think the if possibly some inner party tension between a few members of the lodge.

So our recurring themes are as follows:

• Jurisdiction Disputes

• Relic Rumors

• Water Rumors

• Ancient Beast

• Group Revenge (rival lodge)

• Mental Barrier (inner party conflict)

Character

Now that we have the worldbuilding out of the way. Let's jump into our character.

Vauwa

Wounds::❤️❤️❤️

Siel|mind🔺::7(4)

Stof|body🔻::13(14)

Lifeform::Ashen +1 Siel

Type::Wisp Whisperer

Abilities:: Commune +2Siel, Tactical Prowess -1RS (surprised)

Loot::Spirit Talisman +1 Stof

Equipment C|E:: ◽◽◽◽◽|▪️▫️▫️▫️

I know you might be wondering what in the world you are looking at. As I am sticking with the Mythic GME to run the game we can only take three wounds before things go south. I took a bit of inspiration from Lasers and Feelings and ICRPG. Both beautiful games and highly recommend you check both out.

I love Lasers and Feelings 1 stat system. (Technically two but it's keyed off one set of numbers) I adapted this for my own purposes turning Lasers and Feelings into Stof(Body) and Siel(Mind).

We also took a page out of ICRPG with types and lifeforms. As I wanted loot to be an integral part of the game, and with the ability to mix, match and create my own tags it makes the weird fantasy I am shooting for that much closer.

Finally we can carry(C) 5 items and equip(E) up to 4 at any given time. Now let's take a closer look at Vauwa's Type and Life Form.

The Ashen

The Ashen are a formidable and disciplined race in the world of Sorg. Physically, the Ashen are often tall and muscular, reflecting their strength and endurance. Their skin tones range from deep earthy tones to ash-gray, reflecting their affinity for the rugged landscapes they inhabit.

Their resilience and tenacity make them formidable defenders of their communities and steadfast allies in times of need. Whether defending their homelands or embarking on quests for the greater good, the Ashen are driven by their unwavering determination and unwavering commitment to their cause.

The Wisp Whisperers

The Wisp Whisperers are characterized by their deep attunement to the natural world and their profound understanding of the delicate balance between the physical and spiritual realms. They have developed a keen sensitivity to the wisps' ethereal vibrations and whispers. This enables them to establish a profound empathetic link with these luminous beings.

The path of the Wisp Whisperer is one of enlightenment and spiritual attunement, it is not without its challenges, however. The wisps are mysterious and elusive beings, and their cooperation can be unpredictable. The Wisp Whisperers must maintain a delicate balance of respect and understanding, always attuned to the subtle nuances of the wisps' ethereal whispers.

---

Our completed adventure sheet for this procedural game. All that's left to do is start the game! On to Scene 0!But we'll tackle that next week!

---

Next week

We dive into our very first Scene and tackle our life as an Ysdelfer with Vauwa. Thank you again and always for reading, it means a ton to me. Don't forget to spread the word about the realm and help us reach our 200 subscriber milestone!

Fellowship

I am going to keep the list of the fellowship ship Short and Sweet. If you love what I do then these master Storytellers and Soloist are right up your alley!

• Epic Solo

• P&D

• GFA!

• SFA

• Lone Adventurer

• Solitary RPG

1. We rolled some dice on our name table for this. I rather like it.