A knock at the door of your lodgings wakes you, the hurried messenger presses the smudged envelope into your hands and leaves without a word. Curious, you open it and read the letter inside by the flickering gaslight.
Dear Sir/Madam/Other,
You are invited to join the Department of Menace Eradication's latest effort to keep the peace in our fair city, to do battle with or investigate the horrors of the Neath! You are receiving this letter due to recognition of your knowledge/prowess/connections (or possibly by mistake), as we at the department believe these qualities would make you an excellent addition to this latest effort.
We look forward to seeing you at our headquarters on Watchmaker hill where we can discuss the particulars of this arrangement. I can assure you that you will be duly compensated for your efforts, though truly the glory of battle and discovery against the monsters of the Neath is payment in itself!
Sincerely,
Sir Byron Marshall, Dept. of Menace Eradication
You are invited to join the Department of Menace Eradication's latest effort to keep the peace in our fair city, to do battle with or investigate the horrors of the Neath! You are receiving this letter due to recognition of your knowledge/prowess/connections (or possibly by mistake), as we at the department believe these qualities would make you an excellent addition to this latest effort.
We look forward to seeing you at our headquarters on Watchmaker hill where we can discuss the particulars of this arrangement. I can assure you that you will be duly compensated for your efforts, though truly the glory of battle and discovery against the monsters of the Neath is payment in itself!
Sincerely,
Sir Byron Marshall, Dept. of Menace Eradication
Greetings fellow escapists! I've been RPing on the escapist for some time now, and as Fallen London has one of my favorite settings in any game I've wanted to run an RP in it for some time now. I want to make this RP quite open to players though so you don't need to have played the game to apply, I am more than happy to answer whatever questions you might have, and will link to both the game and the wiki below if you want to search for answers yourself.
Fallen London: once capital of the British Empire, now home of the Bazaar. Deep. Dark. Expensive. Marvellous. Here you can find everything from immortality, to unnervingly good mushroom wine.
The Bazaar stole London three decades ago. Of course only anarchists and revolutionaries say "stole" any more. Everyone who matters has grown to know and love the status quo. It's quiet down here. All those jewels and mushrooms and all that black water. What could be better?
The year is 1891, 30 years since the Fall, when London was claimed (stolen some say) by the Echo Bazaar and sank into the Neath, a strange massive cavern beneath the Earth. Londoners are nothing if not adaptable however, and have grown accustomed to the oddities of their new residence. Among the adaptations employed was the foundation of the Department of Menace Eradication, an organization dedicated to controlling and fighting the monsters, horrors, and particularly menacing deviants unique to the Neath.
Since the Fall many things have changed, the strange Masters of the Bazaar, each controlling the trade of a different set of products, have enforced their rules. The papers and streets have different names now, and the Neath's own strange denizens have taken up residence, including devils, clay men, and stranger creatures still. And finally there are matters of such things like death, which in most cases is merely an inconvenience in the Neath though such things as old age, illness, or being hacked to pieces can still put you down permanently. This has given rise to a peculiar overlap of funeral homes and sanatoriums, as well as the quiet revision of certain passages in the bibles of the city's churches. In any case, once you die and return to life down here, you'll never be permitted to return to the surface...unless you're one of the few who find a way to immortality.
Speaking of immortality all commodities are sold on the Bazaar, from secrets, souls (though you're supposed to have a license to trade in those), and mushroom wine to prisoner's honey (a drug that transports the user physically into dreams) to stranger wares still. Oh and speaking of secrets the Bazaar and the Neath have many, far too many to fit into a single spoiler here, but hopefully this gives you enough to make your characters. If not I am more than happy to answer questions about the setting and its myriad mysteries either here or via PM.
[link]http://fallenlondon.wikia.com/wiki/Sidebar_Snippets[/link] (link to the wiki, specifically a page full of delicious flavor text)
[link]http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/[/link] (link to the game itself)
[link]http://www.failbettergames.com/?post_type=comic[/link] (The game's creators also produced a great little comic, 7 pages long, set in Fallen London which is worth a look)
The Bazaar stole London three decades ago. Of course only anarchists and revolutionaries say "stole" any more. Everyone who matters has grown to know and love the status quo. It's quiet down here. All those jewels and mushrooms and all that black water. What could be better?
The year is 1891, 30 years since the Fall, when London was claimed (stolen some say) by the Echo Bazaar and sank into the Neath, a strange massive cavern beneath the Earth. Londoners are nothing if not adaptable however, and have grown accustomed to the oddities of their new residence. Among the adaptations employed was the foundation of the Department of Menace Eradication, an organization dedicated to controlling and fighting the monsters, horrors, and particularly menacing deviants unique to the Neath.
Since the Fall many things have changed, the strange Masters of the Bazaar, each controlling the trade of a different set of products, have enforced their rules. The papers and streets have different names now, and the Neath's own strange denizens have taken up residence, including devils, clay men, and stranger creatures still. And finally there are matters of such things like death, which in most cases is merely an inconvenience in the Neath though such things as old age, illness, or being hacked to pieces can still put you down permanently. This has given rise to a peculiar overlap of funeral homes and sanatoriums, as well as the quiet revision of certain passages in the bibles of the city's churches. In any case, once you die and return to life down here, you'll never be permitted to return to the surface...unless you're one of the few who find a way to immortality.
Speaking of immortality all commodities are sold on the Bazaar, from secrets, souls (though you're supposed to have a license to trade in those), and mushroom wine to prisoner's honey (a drug that transports the user physically into dreams) to stranger wares still. Oh and speaking of secrets the Bazaar and the Neath have many, far too many to fit into a single spoiler here, but hopefully this gives you enough to make your characters. If not I am more than happy to answer questions about the setting and its myriad mysteries either here or via PM.
[link]http://fallenlondon.wikia.com/wiki/Sidebar_Snippets[/link] (link to the wiki, specifically a page full of delicious flavor text)
[link]http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/[/link] (link to the game itself)
[link]http://www.failbettergames.com/?post_type=comic[/link] (The game's creators also produced a great little comic, 7 pages long, set in Fallen London which is worth a look)
This will be a character driven RP following a fairly simple episodic plot, akin to how a lot of TV shows structure their plots. Essentially there will be a number of short story arcs/plots with a long running mystery/plot in the background that steadily builds up. I hope to give you all plenty of room to play your characters and look forward to running this RP.
As in the game death, insanity, and imprisonment are all possibilities, though for human characters (this includes Tomb Colonists) they are all temporary states and indeed there may be ways to benefit from putting yourself in one. For nonhuman characters they remain temporary with the exception of death, which is quite permanent.
The standard rules of RPing apply here of course, no godmodding, try to keep your posts at a decent length, and above all else have fun!
As in the game death, insanity, and imprisonment are all possibilities, though for human characters (this includes Tomb Colonists) they are all temporary states and indeed there may be ways to benefit from putting yourself in one. For nonhuman characters they remain temporary with the exception of death, which is quite permanent.
The standard rules of RPing apply here of course, no godmodding, try to keep your posts at a decent length, and above all else have fun!
Name:
Race/species:
Sex: (if applicable)
Appearance: What does your character look like?
Personality: How does your character act and feel on matters?
Skills: (please choose one or two of the four main skills as your character's best skills, as well as list the specifics of what they know how to do)
Equipment: (weapons, tools, other odds and ends that you carry with you)
Bio/background: (Where are you from and what did you do before this? Whatever the case may be list it here, although you don't have to list every detail some would be nice.)
Motive/Goal: (Optional, but it would be nice to have a hook for me to use when writing stuff to accommodate this character)
Race/species:
Sex: (if applicable)
Appearance: What does your character look like?
Personality: How does your character act and feel on matters?
Skills: (please choose one or two of the four main skills as your character's best skills, as well as list the specifics of what they know how to do)
Equipment: (weapons, tools, other odds and ends that you carry with you)
Bio/background: (Where are you from and what did you do before this? Whatever the case may be list it here, although you don't have to list every detail some would be nice.)
Motive/Goal: (Optional, but it would be nice to have a hook for me to use when writing stuff to accommodate this character)
Watchful: Observation, Intelligence, Deduction. Watchful characters are more likely to figure things out and will notice details that others might miss, generally useful for an intelligent or knowledgeable character. I will include details in posts describing things that watchful characters notice (in spoilers to distinguish them from other details) as well as allow them to better engage in things related to science, investigation, and so on.
Shadowy: Stealth, Subtlety, Cunning. Shadowy characters are stealthy and clever, a good skill for thieves, spies, and other such characters. This skill is helpful with picking pockets and locks, sneaking, climbing, and free running.
Dangerous: Strength, Ferocity, Soldiering. Dangerous characters are tough and strong, good for athletic characters as well as violent ones. This skill helps with a variety of tasks, from intimidation, to combat, to physically demanding tasks.
Persuasive: Wit, Charm, Plausibility. Persuasive characters are just that, this skill also represents artistic talents and is useful for any character that wants to be able to charm their way out of, or into a situation. Persuasive characters will have an easier time, well, persuading other characters. In addition the skill helps with lying, public speaking, art of all sorts, and so on.
Choosing only one skill means you have much more prowess in that area than someone else who chose two skills, though obviously you lack the versatility having two skills grants. Even if you did not pick a skill you can still perform actions involving that skill, you just are not especially talented at it. Overall I would prefer people not metagame, and simply choose whatever skills fit their character best.
Shadowy: Stealth, Subtlety, Cunning. Shadowy characters are stealthy and clever, a good skill for thieves, spies, and other such characters. This skill is helpful with picking pockets and locks, sneaking, climbing, and free running.
Dangerous: Strength, Ferocity, Soldiering. Dangerous characters are tough and strong, good for athletic characters as well as violent ones. This skill helps with a variety of tasks, from intimidation, to combat, to physically demanding tasks.
Persuasive: Wit, Charm, Plausibility. Persuasive characters are just that, this skill also represents artistic talents and is useful for any character that wants to be able to charm their way out of, or into a situation. Persuasive characters will have an easier time, well, persuading other characters. In addition the skill helps with lying, public speaking, art of all sorts, and so on.
Choosing only one skill means you have much more prowess in that area than someone else who chose two skills, though obviously you lack the versatility having two skills grants. Even if you did not pick a skill you can still perform actions involving that skill, you just are not especially talented at it. Overall I would prefer people not metagame, and simply choose whatever skills fit their character best.
Human: You should be familiar with this one, though it comes in many varieties. The age of such a character might be important if they are an urchin child or elderly, but otherwise need not be listed. You might want to state how long they've been in the Neath, did they immigrate from the surface? Were they here when the city fell? Or were they born down here?
Tomb-Colonist: The bandaged gentlemen from the Quiet Cities across the Unterzee.Technically still human, tomb colonists are in a state of disrepair after dying too often or too harshly. They are covered in bandages to hide their scars and wounds. Their state does make them much tougher than most but also somewhat stiff, and generally tomb colonists are treated somewhat akin to lepers.
Clay Men: Looking something like golems, clay men hail from across the Unterzee, from the land of Polythreme where inanimate objects come alive, they are large, strong and obedient, as well as a bit simple. Generally they are used as manual labor, and suffer some discrimination, but a rare clay man can get an education and better himself. They speak in ALL CAPS. How they are created or born on Polythreme isn't known to many, nor is what causes the creation of Unfinished men instead of a regular clay man on occasion.
Unfinished men: Unfinished Men are Clay Men who lack something - sight, a voice, a hand, conscience, obedience. You can't really tell a crippled Clay Man from an Unfinished Man, except that ordinary Clay Men are never criminals. The distinction, unfortunately, often evades Constables and citizens alike. They have some mark or imperfection that identifies them as Unfinished, but other than that look the same. Clay men are often shipped from Polythreme to act as cheap manual labor in London, those in charge of this process try to screen out the Unfinished and prevent their crossing, though they are not always successful.
Rubbery Men: The Rubbery Men are the ones who resemble squids, a little. They trade deep amber for the tiny blind fish that they eat, and for human music. They seem sad, anxious and very polite. But they are terribly menacing. Faces like squid! Occasionally one is stoned to death in an episode of civic high spirits. Rubbery men cannot speak, at least not English, they make a sound like water over stones and wave their tentacles to communicate. They are strange and mysterious, so not much is known about them.
Rattus Faber: The rarer and cleverer of the city rats - the dangerous ones - employ their tiny hands to marvellous effect, making tools and clockwork of unparalleled precision. They use these chiefly to set cat-traps, but can sometimes be employed by humans. Formally, one of these exceptional rats is rattus faber. Informally, it is an ?L.B.?. Rattus Faber are intelligent rats, occasionally kept as pets and generally seen as a nuisance. You may have one as your character if you so choose, however as I would prefer everyone to only have one character to start if you want to have one as a pet someone else would have to have it as their character. Rats are not the only talkative animal, ravens, cats, bats and others also talk, but rats most commonly interact with humans of their own accord and are the only ones to make things.
Devils: Not a race you may choose for a character, Devils are a common sight in parts of Fallen London, trading in souls or brass. Their Embassy, the Brass Embassy, is located on Ladybones Road. In general they resemble yellow eyed, horned humans, no one knows everything about them, and their presence has had a remarkable effect on aspects of society.
It should be noted that death is a possible consequence in this rp, but it is a temporary state for human characters. Rubbery men, Clay men and rats all die permanently though. It should also be noted that Rubbery and clay men do not have distinct sexes and all seem to be male.
Tomb-Colonist: The bandaged gentlemen from the Quiet Cities across the Unterzee.Technically still human, tomb colonists are in a state of disrepair after dying too often or too harshly. They are covered in bandages to hide their scars and wounds. Their state does make them much tougher than most but also somewhat stiff, and generally tomb colonists are treated somewhat akin to lepers.
Clay Men: Looking something like golems, clay men hail from across the Unterzee, from the land of Polythreme where inanimate objects come alive, they are large, strong and obedient, as well as a bit simple. Generally they are used as manual labor, and suffer some discrimination, but a rare clay man can get an education and better himself. They speak in ALL CAPS. How they are created or born on Polythreme isn't known to many, nor is what causes the creation of Unfinished men instead of a regular clay man on occasion.
Unfinished men: Unfinished Men are Clay Men who lack something - sight, a voice, a hand, conscience, obedience. You can't really tell a crippled Clay Man from an Unfinished Man, except that ordinary Clay Men are never criminals. The distinction, unfortunately, often evades Constables and citizens alike. They have some mark or imperfection that identifies them as Unfinished, but other than that look the same. Clay men are often shipped from Polythreme to act as cheap manual labor in London, those in charge of this process try to screen out the Unfinished and prevent their crossing, though they are not always successful.
Rubbery Men: The Rubbery Men are the ones who resemble squids, a little. They trade deep amber for the tiny blind fish that they eat, and for human music. They seem sad, anxious and very polite. But they are terribly menacing. Faces like squid! Occasionally one is stoned to death in an episode of civic high spirits. Rubbery men cannot speak, at least not English, they make a sound like water over stones and wave their tentacles to communicate. They are strange and mysterious, so not much is known about them.
Rattus Faber: The rarer and cleverer of the city rats - the dangerous ones - employ their tiny hands to marvellous effect, making tools and clockwork of unparalleled precision. They use these chiefly to set cat-traps, but can sometimes be employed by humans. Formally, one of these exceptional rats is rattus faber. Informally, it is an ?L.B.?. Rattus Faber are intelligent rats, occasionally kept as pets and generally seen as a nuisance. You may have one as your character if you so choose, however as I would prefer everyone to only have one character to start if you want to have one as a pet someone else would have to have it as their character. Rats are not the only talkative animal, ravens, cats, bats and others also talk, but rats most commonly interact with humans of their own accord and are the only ones to make things.
Devils: Not a race you may choose for a character, Devils are a common sight in parts of Fallen London, trading in souls or brass. Their Embassy, the Brass Embassy, is located on Ladybones Road. In general they resemble yellow eyed, horned humans, no one knows everything about them, and their presence has had a remarkable effect on aspects of society.
It should be noted that death is a possible consequence in this rp, but it is a temporary state for human characters. Rubbery men, Clay men and rats all die permanently though. It should also be noted that Rubbery and clay men do not have distinct sexes and all seem to be male.
Please let me know if you have further questions about the rp, setting or your characters.
Text quoted from the game is in italics.