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parasite-of-sentience · 7 months ago

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Marley, of the Claw

My first draft at an npc profile for soulbound Ulfenkarn, formatted similarly to the existing npcs in the book! Marley is meant to be an additional hook and narrative for the van Altan Triplets and a Narrative Anchor for Lady Annika. as well as a potential friendly first hand account of the curse of vampirism.

my WIP versions of Marley and Lady Annika

Names: Magpie Marley, The Knight in Tarnished Brass, The Lion that hunts Wolves

Keywords: Outsider, Melancholy,

Pronouns: She/they Gender/Sexuality:

NB Femme / Asexual (Sex Averse)

Origin: Ghyran/ Greywater Fastness (Outsider)

Affiliations: Jade Lions Mercenary Company, (Former) Annika Gaunt(Former), Independent Renegade

Species: Vampire (Vyrkos Dynasty Bloodline/Unwilling) (Formerly Human)

CW Elements: Body horror, Betrayal/abandonment, Loss of self/corruption, abuse, Diaspora/Xenophobia

Inspirations: Kiryu (Yakuza), Guts(Berserk), Knights/Dancer of the Boreal Valley (Dark souls), Teppu

When thoughts return to the opulence of Mournhold, many think of Lady Annika Gaunt, Master of Ceremonies, flanked by outsider mercenaries in polished brass armor, and many dismissed them as shiny trinkets of the Lady. Those who had the honor to fight along side them knew them as the Jade Lions, mercenaries willing to throw themselves at the most rancid beast of Shyish, without complaint if not howls of elation. Howls that Marley, contentious even in their position of leadership, would never partake in.

Closest to Annika's side was Marley, Captain of the Claw, the postion inherited blade that seemed more at home in the hands of an ogor or a orruk. The tall taciturn form of Captain Marley, however demanded due respect to the wicked blade to even to the most cynical Mourner. Whispers of her low birth in the slums of Greywater Fastness, and Lady Annika's growing fondness for her were traded like knives in the parties and courts.

Werther thought a torn out throat, or Marley's absence from the now ascended Lady Annika's ranks, the rumors grew silent. Instead, Rumors abound of a warrior hunting the Vyrkos bloodborn as they torment the night. The Ulfenkarni don't know what to think yet of hearing the vampire that was cackling and hounding them moments before, plea and beg against the sounds of stone cracking butchery. Yet those lucky survivors whisper now of a greater predator stalking the streets. A Lion who hunts Wolves.

History

Born to the slums of Greywater Fastness, a young Marley was quickly put to work as a pickpocket. As she grew tall and strong of build, their same caretakers quickly put them to work as an enforcer and bouncer. They learned to load a pistol long before they knew how to read. Dismissed and shoehorned as just muscle in the slums, it was an easy decision to join the Jade Lions as they passed through the city. Their history and reputation followed them however, among the initiates she found herself a pariah. Rarely partaking in more than necessary of the enchanted drink that embolden the spirit and body the company often relied on, and never staying long for the parties after a successful hunt or campaign.

The Jade Lions company was lead by a delegation of four captains, each an inheritor of a gifted artifact to the company. The Captain of the Claw, a person of similar kindred melancholy, themselves took Marley as apprentice. Many spoke their misgivings of her inheritance of the captaincy openly. While inheritors were selected based on temperament, many deemed Marley far too Laconic and estranged from company culture for the position. Regardless of any actions taken, her past reputation earned them the moniker of "Magpie Marley," to accompany "Marley the Claw"

Desiring to prove her worthiness of the position, Marley was the first to support the contract offered by Annika Gaunt; to serve as Auxiliary and Bodyguards within Mournhold. the inevitable Duel to break the tie vote was narrowly won, by a furious drive Marley would come to regret with all their heart. the Jade Lions soon found themselves as outsiders to one of the oldest standing cities in the realms; but this was not a feeling Marley was unused to.

The Tour would be as much Parade duty as it was fighting but the company, and Marley were more than happy to take out their frustrations out on the most hideous monster's Shyish had to offer. Mistrusted within the Jade Lions, Marley often found council with their employer Lady Annika; who wasn't shy about reciprocating the trust in gifts, attention, and thinly veiled request to accompany her to events as a "bodyguard." Their burgeoning relationship took a darker, possessive turn as Annika ingratiated herself to Radukar's Thirsting Court. As the coup neared, Lady Annika would rely on the Lions increasingly less. Marley would be stuck outside of soundproof doors, matching the hungry gaze of vampires with piercing glares as Annika made wicked, dark deals.

Newly embraced as a vampire on the eve of the coup, Annika offered the Jade Lions gladly as additional Tribute to the newborn Regime, with conditions. She would be allowed to "keep" Marley and a few choice members as her new personal court. Attacked on all sides, Marley watched her comrades torn to pieces, or dragged away one by one into the pitch black night, the air alight with screams throughout the entire city. seeing Annika among the bloodstained beasts, Marley's reason left them and she rushed to her side; only to find herself pinned under her, impaled through the stomach on the newly ensorcelled Blade Proboscan. Anguished pleas drowned in the sounds of carnage and howling, no one who would listen could stop Marley from Receiving the Blood Kiss from Annika. She doesn't remember making her escape; but as she regained awareness in a bloodstained alley, she found the tarnished mask of her fellow captain in her own rigor mortis death grip.

Status

Alone in a city mistrustful of strangers, much less vampires, Marley hides in the day. The artifact of the captain of the Mask has proven essential to their survival; a tool meant to conceal ones presence with life magic has allowed her to unintentionally shroud their own vampiric nature as well.

During the night a guilt ridden, vengeful Marley stalks the night hunting overconfident, overeager Vyrkos Bloodborn, seeking answers on Lady Annika's location. They've morbidly found the most success in interrogating their own former comrades, naturally the ones closes to Annika. Lady Annika herself is not bold enough to announce her failure to keep Marley to the Thirsting Court; and thus receive official support to hunt down Marley. This lack of awareness and attention has worked to Marley's benefit but Annika's personal count aren't above taking matters in their own hands on the traitor they never liked.

While Marley will never forcibly drain or attack the Ulfenkarni, their trauma driven focus, fear of being betrayed to her enemies, and fading sense of empathy keeps her from outright championing them. They will gladly turn their fury upon their vampiric attackers however, before leaving without a word.

Roleplaying as

Even before becoming a vampire, Marley was always a silent, honed tool of brutal violence. while never cruel or sadistic, Marley finds unsettling ease in killing. Despite this Marley maintains their lifelong focus to only match violence to the deserving; but in their current state its only a matter of time before one who's lived a life as a tool and weapon harms the innocent.

Marley speaks in quiet grunts and short matter of fact statements. When they choose to open up they will still rarely speak more than blunt cold humor. Rare moments of soft spoken compassion are offered to children especially if Marley is well fed; and harm directed at a child will face resistance from Marley regardless of hunger level

Questions about the Mask will often be ignored, and attempts to touch it will make her use force. In moments of privacy away from survivors but among the a party she trust Marley might take off the mask to reveal an exhausted face, looking at the mask and touching it tenderly in quiet introspection.

She reacts poorly to the moniker of Magpie, especially when it's used by The Jade Lions or Annika. Often becoming stiff and unresponsive. similarly, she will reacted with uncharacteristic defensiveness if accusations of theft are ever directed at her.

Their behavior will change depending on how often they have been feeding. Well fed, Marley will be more open to working with the party and actively protecting survivors; even making the occasional morbid joke. if Marley goes too long without feeding they grow restless, pacing and growling, often disappearing on their own. they begin snapping more at the party and survivors with cold jabs, eager to return to their hunt for lady Annika.

If a Party Member or NPC offers to feed Marley with their own blood they will accept quietly, with a thanks offered, but with a grateful gentleness. afterwards they will retreat to privacy to sulk, completely unresponsive unless in danger.

The only enemies Marley will feed on are other vampires and Beasts. she will drink greedily and deep in silence after a combat, before again retreating to privacy to sulk in silence. drinking from vampires will have Marley visible shivering, though not to any obvious or spoken discomfort.

The Claw is a large ornate curved blade with many hooked edges. the handle seems just a bit too large for a human, but Marley wields it with ease. it is a brutal tool of harm that reflects Marley's own self perception. Seemingly for that reason she often clutches it close to her chest or leans against it for support, putting it between herself and others.

In moments of Repose, Marley has taken to the Mourner hobby of scrimshaw, quietly shaping small tools and toys. the later often finds their way to the hands of local children, many of them refusing to snitch on who they received it from.

Mentions of Lady Annika are enough to drive her into a cold frenzy; demanding answers and easily threatening violence, especially against another vampire. if outright confronted with lady Annika, a well fed Marley will freeze and be unresponsive unless directed; a hungry Marley will aim immediately for the kill with bestial fervor.

In Combat

Combat Behavior as an NPC will change depending on Blood Hunger Level:

When well fed Marley will delegate to the party, but other wise will focus on maintain defensive position around the most vulnerable elements present. well fed Marley will not feed on enemies and will not benefit from the hunger in combat, a child being in danger will always have Marley guarding them regardless of hunger level or party wishes.

When hungry Marley will focus down the most Dangerous enemy present. Marley will only feed on vampires and beasts and only benefit from the hunger in that way.

CW Elements

Body Horror

Marley's body is no longer just hers and she shares it with a ravening beast eager to make it its own. if Marley goes too long without feeding, or in moments of particularly high distress, she will begin temporarily or permanently transforming into more bestial forms. her hands are already forming claws under that scrape and chafe under her gauntlets. permanent changes are left to narrative weight over an actual encounter. if say Marley defeats the rest of the turned jade lions or Annika herself and underwent a dramatic transformation in the fight, making peace with that form is its own opportunity for roleplay. these elements along with corruption can let a party see and experience the pitfalls of the curse of vampirism indirectly

This element can be avoided with either non transformative super power changes or focusing on the mental distress and changes.

Betrayal/Abandonment The betrayal of Annika and the turning of the remaining Jade Lions has wounded Marley to her core. while it doesn't have to be explicit it can be heavily implied that Annika and Marley were romantically involved, even if their relationship was unhealthy and unbalanced. Marley will have difficulty putting full trust in anyone unless consistently fed and encouraged to assist survivors. If Marley is avoided or kept out of discussions she will respond in kind and make herself scarce, unwilling to open herself to be betrayed again. Marley takes personal responsibility to "free" the Jade Lions from their current vampirism, and if they provoke her she will silently focus all attention on destroying them.

This element can be avoided if you avoid direct ties to the Jade Lions or downplay the relationship with Annika.

Loss of Self/Corruption Vampirism drains the ability to care and empathize from even the kindest soul. While Marley Steadfastly will defend especially children, she is slow to offer succor or comfort. a high blood hunger Marley will often be stuck in deep silent melancholy, mourning feelings she can barely remember.

Members of the Jade lions will be quick to taunt how "Readily" Marley took to vampirism as one who was already so eager for bestial blood-drenched killing. Lady Annika herself will give cooing praise to her "Knight" for her capacity for violence, especially at high blood hunger.

Draining other Vampires to death will begin provoking the beast in Marley, each will satisfy her till after a downtime period but will increase her need for blood after the next downtime period. each one will start making Marley colder and less likely to assist survivors without direction.

This element can be avoided with focusing more on physicals changes.

Abuse The act of betraying and forcibly turning Marley can be easily potentially read as a possessive romantically abusive or even sexually abusive act. these elements can be and are encouraged to be downplayed or avoided in explicit terms as needed.

While their romantic feelings were reciprocated the implied relationship with Marley and Annika was one of possessiveness and power imbalance. Marley sought to please, and to keep in favor of the person who ultimately was her employer. Annika meanwhile failed to see Marley's individual personhood and will, long before the betrayal; assuming that she could make every decision for Marley and convince her to join the coup. When Marley becomes distressed at the Moniker of Magpie, Annika attempted to claim it as a pet name for her. This has only worsened her feelings on the moniker since.

Annika's infatuation with Marley is based in the misunderstanding of Marley's character, assuming that the mercenary killer to be Marley's nature as a beast and not her meeting the lifelong expectation that her strength is to be used for others. Where as Marley responded well to someone who was giving her positive attention, but failed to recognize the controlling alienating influence Annika had on her. Ultimately while the two could have strong feelings for each other, they are utterly alien to each other as people. a revelation Marley wished she could have made in time.

These elements can be avoided by not including or downplaying the relationship with Annika. their romantic relationship can also be framed instead as a tragic misunderstanding or star crossed circumstance

Diaspora/Xenophobia

Marley can be easily recognized as an outsider by Ulfenkarni for better or worse. she doesn't participate or is unfamiliar in greetings and customs. some will take that well and confide in her anticipating distance from the thirsting court. meanwhile, many others will shun and fear Marley for being another outside element, coming on the dawn of another outside element overthrowing their city. Marley on the outside takes it in stride and will give a wide berth to those who shun her; but the alienation and loneliness of being a stranger in this place weights on her.

Xenophobia can be a sensitive subject that if a group is not ready to address that as a topic, if so then approaching this subject should be avoided and made clear that it will not be a topic.

Progression

In the 1st Arc Marley can be encountered near the Spires and can be convinced to assist in taking down the Van Alten Triplets in an attempt to hunt down information on Lady Annika, but will likely not disclose this to the party.

In arc 2 Marley will be stalking near the Spires and will be hesitant to open up to a party she is not close to about Lady Annika but will be glad to help make any headway necessary. unless endeared to the survivors she is unlikely to spend much time lingering in haven.

either arc Marley can be potentially introduced offering to assist the part defeat a vyrkos bloodborn or vargheist in the area. Further adventures allowing getting closer to Marley can be helping hunt down other members of the Jade Lions for information in either arc

Potential bad ends for Marley can involve drinking too many other vampires to death and failing to fight her vampiric nature, potentially joining Annika truly as her Knight. if she fails avoid going hungry for too long and clashes with the party she might devolve into a Vargheist and need to be defeated. Keeping her low blood hunger isn't likely to increase her vampiric powers but could result in defensive/bodyguard buffs.

If Marley Defeats Annika and is at high blood hunger or high vampire corruption she might try to drink Annika to death which may result in transforming into a Vengorian lord like form as another boss immediately or later.

Inspirations

Marley as an OC draws heavily from Kiryu Kazama From the Yakuza/Like a Dragon Franchise. someone born out of time/place, who's personal code and leanings often are a mismatch for the era and place she lives in. As well as someone who believes that their strength warrants service, no matter how much of a burden it becomes. Marley is also a personal reflection of my experiences as Diaspora, so to me she is coded as East Asian/ Chinese.

This version of Marley draws heavily from Guts from Berserk as well with themes of unresolved trauma and abuse. The Elements of Abuse and corruption were inspired by Astarion from Baldurs gate 3. stylistically this version of Marley also draws heavily from the soulsborne franchise, especially the knights and dancer of the boreal valley. appearance wise I personally often imagine a similar Appearance and body type to Natsuo from Teppu.

#writing #first draft #ttrpg #age of sigmar soulbound #age of sigmar #ulfenkarn #lady Annika the Thirsting Blade #comments welcome #ttrpg npc #vampire #soublight gravelords #gothic horror

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othernaut · 1 month ago

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Character Creation Challenge, Day 28: Age of Sigmar: Soulbound

The immortal fills the space of my parlor. His head scrapes the ceiling; his bulk dims and distorts the heaven-light that siphons through the window screen. He is stoic, ever-armored, but I can feel the anxiety rolling off of him in waves. He follows my hands as I place the vessel between us, as I pass my hand over the bowl to set the aetherquartz flickering. I sit across from him, but do not bid for him to follow; none of the furniture here will support his weight.

I let the silence grow in this ritual space. His mounting panic flickers along the edges of the aetherquartz, bruise-black. When the empty crystal has eaten enough of his fear to stain the core of the vessel, I motion with my hand, and he takes the cue.

"Have you ever met your god?" asks the Eternal.

I pause and, after reflection, shake my head. I have seen more depiction of Teclis the Illuminator and the Blind God than fact. But for one of the Stormcast, whose souls have been chosen, handled, and refined by the Lord of the Storm, the fact of the gods must feel very different. The Eternal takes my cue to continue, rumbling his truth into the empty air. "I loved my god all my life. I remember that. Even before I was reforged, I loved him. It felt like..." He pauses; his eyes gaze inward to some place inaccessible to outsiders. "It felt like having a friend, someone who would stay with me, believe in me, when all the rest of the world was violence and deprivation."

"Did your opinion survive meeting him?" I ask. His eyes brighten; the aetherquartz flares with a dull rose-golden sheen, the Eternal's joy a brief but distinct fact before it, too, is drawn into the crystal. "Of course! Sigmar does care. He does. Even through the flash and thunder, all the majesty the storm would command, that is the impression that endures. He cares for mortal lives, for humanity - as small, as stupid, as oblivious as we can be - like no one else would dare. I still feel like he watches me, not like a judge or jailor, but like a friend."

He pauses, and I let him. Fear and adoration smoke from his shoulders like a bonfire burning inside his chest. This, then, is the source of it, the reason he came to see me in the first place: the paradoxical love and fear of someone close. No, not fear - the colors of true fear have not yet manifested in the vessel. Fear's brother, then: Disappointment. This is a man who loves his god, and his god has let him down.

Once the vessel has absorbed another measure of emotion, I speak. "There is an ambiguity to your love, Knight-Venator, there must be. Speak it aloud, if you wish, and you may find it loses its power to hurt you." It is difficult to perceive details in the dim light, but I see the edges of his sky-blue eyes tighten. He has worked so hard to keep his emotion from showing on his face, and when it does, it's a grimace of pain.

"He made me into a weapon," he says. That word, weapon - emotion surges out of it like arterial spray, too many feelings, all mixed, all confused. "I was a poacher when Sigmar first came to me, you know. I thought I had died and he was judging me. But I was happy to be reforged. I was happy to become Stormcast. I was chosen, literally chosen. And all I have seen since then is war, or the preparation for war. And I am fine with it. I have been made to be fine with it. I feel like I shouldn't be, but that doesn't change what I am."

He's right - the aetherquartz dulls at the mention of war. There's no emotion there to drain. That, then, would be what separates the Stormcast from mortality - he really, truly does feel nothing at the thought of war. His mind is clear, and so I speak quickly. "Why, then, would you come to the Cathallar if you feel fulfilled and ready in your purpose?" I ask. Now it is his turn to pause. The vessel is doing its work and the sensation is unfamiliar to him. His mind, drained of the murk and mire of overwhelming emotion, can now examine at leisure the source of the pain. He can behold it unclouded and discern its nature.

"This is my first time coming to the Realm of Hysh," he says at last. "You Lumineth do not speak of it in hyperbole. It truly is paradise here. You've made it paradise." He sighs, a last exhalation of sorrow that paints the aetherquartz purple and red. "And my task is to take ten of you away from here. To bind your souls. To carry you to death and conflict." A short silence, the space of a heartbeat. "To make you into weapons, too."

The vessel steams between us, filling with an immortal's regret.

Hours later, I sit on a sculpted hillside some distance from the city, bare feet in the fine grass, letting the aetherquartz burn. Unbound, the Eternal's sorrow and regret rises like a black plume, a ragged scrape across the brightness and precision of Hysh. It will take time to release; it must be done slowly, else the massed emotion will seep into the landscape, poison and kill the grasses and trees. It gives me time to reflect on what the Stormcast said and what it will mean for my Realm and the Realms beyond.

That anyone could view Hysh as a paradise, use that word unironically, is... quaint, to me. I have seen the warriors of Chaos surge at the gates of Tor Xillion. I may not be a warrior in the same way the Stormcast are, but I have made the fear and anguish of my people into the tools I need to fight for them, and it is a resource I find in abundance. To release the emotion like this, slowly into the air, that is a practice for times of peace, and I have not always had the luxury. There is no end to war - though only in paradise, it seems, could we have brought it on ourselves.

The creatures of Chaos are particularly susceptible to weaponized emotion, I had always found. That was always their fatal flaw, that the rage and sorrow and depravity inside them, unexpressed, served as fertile ground for the lies of the Dark Gods. To be struck with emotion as a weapon, then, would be to almost welcome the knife. Even when those depraved creations still wore the faces of the aelves they once were -

The aetherquartz snaps as it burns. A fresh stain, a new measure of sorrow spilled into the cup: Mine.

I hope that I brought them some peace, at the last. I know I didn't.

I find, these days, I cannot stand sorrow for very long. Only a few moments pass before I am pulling the little box from my robes, sliding it open, rattling the little chips of fresh aetherquartz inside. Undimmed by use, they are quite literally solid shards of brightness, glass-sharp and feather-light. My supply is running low, but it doesn't matter. There's enough for now. I extract one of the chips and slide it under my tongue. My body relaxes against the hillside as the sensation suffuses me, at once energizing and calming. The bud of my angst cannot stand the pure light of aetherquartz. It loses all color, all realness; it becomes an outline of itself that I can examine and dismantle dispassionately.

Raw fear. Mounting desperation. And, at its heart, envy. How strange. I crush it, I let it go. I watch the Eternal's trauma burn away into the sky. It all seems so alien, now, as I am filled with the light of reason. I will need to make a choice soon.

The next day, the immortal is back in my parlor, blocking the light. The set of his shoulders is calmer, the tension visibly released. This time, I do not place the vessel between us immediately. I sit with my hands clasped on my lap. I let the question build between us.

Light flickers under my tongue as I say, "I have been weighing what you said to me yesterday. If it is necessary that the Lumineth join the war for creation, then I find it only reasonable if the one who goes truly understands the gravity of the task." The silence ticks over, familiar in this quiet space. "I have three stipulations that I would have you bring to your god and mine."

"Wait, you?" he says. "Can you do this? Should you? To become Soulbound is forever."

"The Scinari Cathallar are Magi too, you know. What else could be appropriate for the reclamation of the Mortal Realms than the magic of light?" I feel the skeleton of a smile attempt to build itself on my face and, with the logical remove of the aetherquartz beneath my tongue, allow it. "Three stipulations. I don't need the answer now, or soon. But if I am volunteering for a lifetime of conflict, I feel I should make my wants known."

"Say your piece," he says, immediately. No more vulnerability; this is business.

"First, I will need provision enough of aetherquartz to practice my craft. This is non-negotiable. To serve as Cathallar, this material is necessary." I breathe over the gemstone chip under my tongue, feeling both bravery and anxiety unmade in the light. "Second, though the specifications of Lumineth among the Soulbound have not yet been established, I would ask that my service not come with exile. I, and any among my binding, must be free to return to the Realm of Hysh as it is needed."

The Stormcast nods; I see him memorizing, internalizing my conditions. "All reasonable, I suppose, in this unreasonable time. What is your third condition?"

I breathe in; I exhale light. It builds at the back of my mouth and fills my skull with certainty. There, at the center of my psyche, discontent is pulled from its birthing-bed and euthanized. If I am being asked to give as much as the Stormcast, then I deserve the same consideration. I always have, but I've never asked it, never recognized it before.

My resolve is crystal-sharp. My mind is bathed with brightness.

"I ask my god to come to me and tell me this himself."

*****

Elegia Farspeaker Scinari Cathallar

Body (1), Mind (4), Soul (2) Species: Aelf (Lumineth) Core Skill: Channelling Core Talents: Spellcasting (Light), Unbind Skills: Arcana (Training 2), Channelling (Training 2, Focus 1), Intuition (Training 1), Lore (Training 2), Reflexes (Training 1) Talents: Arcane Discipline, Unbreakable Spells, Witch-Sight Spells: Arcane Bolt, Arcane Blast, Mystic Shield, Pha's Protection, Healing Glow, Provenance Equipment: Relic robes of purification (Light Armor), scalpel of the soul (Dagger) x3, aetherquartz vessel (5:1 Channelling to absorb an emotion-affecting spell/effect, 5:2 Channelling to release it into the environment or a person, can hold up to Mind spells/effects before it begins to affect the user), a reserve of both fresh and spent aetherquartz, two runic scrolls of calming and meditation, resentful adventurer gear (backpack, bedroll, lantern + oil, waterskin, ablution kit, 10 days rations), emergency shoes, 60 drops of Aqua Ghyranis

Melee: 1, Accuracy: 4, Defence: 2 Armour: 1, Toughness: 7, Wounds: 4 Initiative: 5, Natural Awareness: 2, Mettle: 1

*****

AoS: Soulbound is such an interesting property. Everything I know about Age of Sigmar and, in fact, Warhammer Fantasy is secondhand; quite a lot of my friend group are Warhammer nerds, and I've been hanging around them long enough to have absorbed the full spectrum of bitching about AoS and what it did to their little plastic horse guys. As I've never owned or played the wargame, though, I didn't have any negative preconceptions about Soulbound going into it, apart from "a magic apocalypse happened and the world broke" and "they changed all the names of the fantasy species in order to make them copyrightable".

Which is why I'm very delighted to find that not only is Soulbound good, but it's good at being the specific sort of fantasy that I find compelling: high concept, high magic, malleable physics, subjective reality, replete with all the proud impossibility that fantasy should possess. While I'd qualify the actual mechanics of Soulbound more as "functional" than "elegant", the numbers do support what the system is trying to do, and I find that there's enough permissibility within the rules to allow players to fuss with and customize their big damn heroes without having to fight the system to do what they want. Compared to the great beast that is the Fantasy Flight 40k games, Soulbound is practically rules-light, and where the rules focus is right on the themes that the game is trying to spotlight.

Because that's another thing about Soulbound: the theme of the thing is most of the thing. The fantasy world is, at first blush, intimidatingly large, but it does a lot that I appreciate in communicating its universe and the possibility of storytelling within it. If it makes up some bullshit, then it also repeats the bullshit throughout the text, reinforcing its constructions through familiarity. If it spends a few pages detailing some grand, sweeping landscape across an expansive span of time, then it also focuses down on individual adventuring opportunities within that landscape, and furthermore on how the individual sword-weirdo can participate in and feel just as decisive and epic as the figures from the legends. It uses familiar enough fantasy conventions that anyone who knows what an elf is can buy right in, but it's just off to the side enough that it feels different from the churning genericity that plagues a lot of the genre. If the ruleset is serviceable, then it's the setting and lore where Soulbound gets a lot right.

Like, I popped into this exercise knowing little more than some snippets posted on a tabletop forum, and came out with a custom-built character based on a cool miniature I found, which I'm pretty sure is exactly how you're supposed to do this. As with all good role-playing games, I wasn't so much forced to do this as compelled to, and I'm kind of disappointed I don't get to roll my slightly crystal-addicted (it's fine) magic psychiatrist elf right into play.

Next up: Kweh!

#character creation challenge #new year new character #ttrpg #age of sigmar #warhammer fantasy #age of sigmar soulbound #soulbound #it's honestly surprisingly easy to build a compelling character in this system even if they're just like A Guy #and now i'm fighting with myself not to just straight-up buy that surprisingly pretty mini

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