“They yearn for what they fear for.” – Dante Alighieri, Inferno
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~INTRO~
Welcome, Ithians. Welcome to San Diego, where the surf is sick, the ladies hot, and the nights feverish. We’re a regular fucking illness out here, for which there is no cure, and who the hell would want it anyway? Once you catch it, you can’t get rid of it, so I don’t blame you vets for wanting to put your roots down here. I know our bunch are pretty territorial, but you’ll find we’re pretty laid back here, so long as you don’t raise static.
Oh…but I can see you hatchlings out there looking dazed and confused. Don’t worry chickies, Uncle Drew will explain! You see we’re all Ithians here, including you. Yeah, you. What’s an Ithian? Well, that’s the million dollar question, isn’t it sweetheart? You see, the short answer is: We have no fucking idea.
The brainiacs of our community have some theories, and I know you vets are sick of hearing ‘em, but you know what? Tough rhino titties! You wanna live in San Diego? You have to go through our orientation same as everybody else, or we can give you your bus ticket to St. Elsewhere.
-Ahem-
So the predominant theory about what Ithians are? Last I heard, it was that we’re descendants of gods. No shit! Other people say we’re close relatives to faeries. Which might sound stupid to some of you, but the brainiacs say the etymology of the word Ithian places us somewhere around Scotland. Ithi in Scottish Gaelic means ‘feed.’ Why would the Scottish basically call us ‘feeders’? Because that’s what we do. We feed off of the energy of the human race.
Now the brainiacs tell me that over the course of a millennia or two, our kind’s powers got watered down, leaving us with the eight different clans of Ithians: Artists, Comedians, Teachers, Creators, Lovers, Athletes, Spooks, and Reapers. Each clan has their own history and power, but it ain’t my job to list out each one. All I have to say is: learn your clan powers well! The only thing keeping you from living for an eternity is yourself.
Now both hatchlings and new vets alike have to go through a trial if they want to live in San Diego. You want a slice of this city? You better work hard to prove yourself, or die trying. Everyone who resides here has sacrificed their time, resources, and maybe even some blood to earn their right here. I’m no exception.
So yeah. Welcome to San Diego, new blood! Hope you survive the experience.
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~GAME DETAILS~
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Non-Linear Urban Fantasy w/elements of Horror
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Setting
Set in present day San Diego, CA. This is a fictional interpretation of the city, so I don’t want people getting caught up on whether or not they’re getting street names and geographical landmarks correct. As far as I’m concerned, the only thing you need to be aware of is that SD has Comic Con every year, UC San Diego is there and it attracts a huge college crowd, and the city is also considered one of CA’s top Surf Cities.
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Premise
You are an immortal (but not invincible) being known as an Ithian. Your kind are a clandestine race who live alongside humans, feeding off of their unique spiritual energies. You have just arrived at San Diego, CA. As a hopeful resident, you are made to live in a halfway house while you perform various tasks for the community. You can choose whatever task you like and work with whomever you like. You can even try and bring something new to the community if it’s good enough. Failure in a major task (specified in game) usually just means you’re kicked out of the city, but if the failing is great enough, it could also mean your death…
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Themes
Much of the game objectives and plotlines will center around the theme of morbid curiosity, hence the game’s name. Ithians share the inherent torture of not fully comprehending who or what they are, why they were made, and how they are being manipulated. Most Ithians act out this natural urge to seek the truth in one way or another. Trouble is, and what many are aware of, is that the truth is rarely pretty…
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Character Creation
I thought about this and decided that I don’t care if everyone makes Reapers, or if there’s an imbalance, like three Artists, one Teacher, and one Creator. I’m pretty sure I can roll with the punches and keep things going, provided participation stays up.
Also, in the Intro I mention ‘hatchlings.’ I describe what these are in the Google Doc provided below, and they are just an added challenge for anyone interested in giving it a try. Please don’t make nature cards for hatchlings! I’ll be giving out Assets for those players who want to utilize a hatchling background on top of their Natures. Player characters cannot be Elders, either.
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Cards
You can create whatever cards you like so long as you mind these two rules:
No new Nature cards - I know people like to be special snowflakes, but this game really depends on the eight clans of Ithians. You also can’t be a human or some other supernatural. That just defeats the purpose of the game.
No powers as cards - That goes for all cards that you guys can make anyway. I’ve heard that player-made power cards tend to lead to a game getting out of control. To prevent things becoming ridiculous and unwieldy, I’ll assign players powers as Asset cards. If you’re a hatchling, you have to go through training in-game before you earn these. If you’re a vet, you get one power per chapter. That way the game is still challenging.
See below for the Google Doc URL where you’ll find the list of pre-made powers. You can still suggest powers, but try to make them as relative to your clan as you can.
As for card use: You can use however many cards you want so long as you reflect them in your post and they can reasonably be used by your character. Please add images to your cards if they don’t have any!
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Player Boundaries
While I see some Storium games allowing for players to control each other’s characters, I’m going to ask that everyone respect character sovereignty. Don’t control other player’s characters. Not even a little. That includes my NPCs, specifically the ones with cards. The characters WITHOUT cards may be manipulated by everyone however they see fit.
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Narrative Style
I’ll allow whatever style you feel most comfortable with. First person, third person, it’s all fine. The only thing I ask is that you remain consistent.
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Post Length
I’m going to allow for longer than normal posts, but you all must keep in mind that this is a game where you cannot control other characters. That being said, I hope everyone uses their discretion when doing long posts involving multiple characters in the same location. Give other players a chance to respond!
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NSFW
Some folks asked about this on the forum, so I’ll clarify: this is an urban fantasy with elements of horror. That means graphic violence and possible exploration of adult themes (such as death, sadomasochism, prostitution, drug use, crime, etc…) Exploration of sex and sexuality is also a possibility, but it need not be overly graphic. Put simply, if the players don’t want to go there, we won’t go there.
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Additional game info on this Google Doc (including info on hatchlings, vets, elders, and clans): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gUcq7Y338LMCoAVWbFFXyk21NHjSNNoC03Syp1SZ6DA/edit?usp=sharing
Hosted and narrated by:
Illise Montoya (cajeck)
Started 09/04/14.
Scenes played: 5
License: Community License
