Immertag: 25 Failures of Liüeg (Backgrounds 1)

Ars Oratoria. Ars Epistolandi. Ars Memorativa, Jacobus Publicius (1482)

 

For my Into the Odd campaign in the lands of Immertag where the sun never sets I really wanted to use failed careers in the style of Bastionland but give them my own spin. Fortunately, I had a moment of clarity and did not attempt to write 100 backgrounds but settled for 25 to begin with. These are of course rough sketches that I will continue to work on. Coming up with 300 answers for the questions will take some time though...

 

To determine which background someone receives I use this table:

 

	lowest attribute
highest attribute		3-4	5-6	7-8	9-10	11-12
	9-10	1	2	3	4	5
	11-12	6	7	8	9	10
	13-14	11	12	13	14	15
	15-16	16	17	18	19	20
	17-18	21	22	23	24	25

 Who were you?

 

1 Lucid Wakeghoul

On the brink of wake madness, you returned. Lucid and clear-minded you will continue to walk this terrain.

 

What brought you back?

How do you cope with your new being?

 

2 Excommunicated Voider

Everyone knows the voiders are a reality denying idealist sect. You were one of them.
Nevertheless, you find yourself clinging again to the substance of being.

 

What made you turn back from the void?

What do you like most about existence?

 

3 Recalled Mercanto-Legislator

They say you can’t please no one in Liüeg and they were right. There were many things you wanted to achieve in the council. Now you must look elsewhere to make your mark.

 

What was your agenda for the future of trade?

Why were you recalled?

 

4 Failed Apparatusian

“Who could have known my last contraption would get me kicked out of the union? Less regulations, more possibilities I say!”

 

What is in your toolbox?

What got you thrown out of the union?

 

5 Surviving Day-Settler

It seemed easy, building a settlement in the wilds and there were riches to be made. Now everyone is dead, and you need to venture forth again if you do not want to perish.

 

What was your settlement’s ambition?

How was it destroyed?

 

6 Faded Lullaby Luminary

Your music was angelic, almost hypnotizingly good. But now you have become irrelevant.

 

What was your instrument of choice?

Why did your star dwindle?

 

7 Unfortunate Caravanomad

Life on the road transporting and chauffeuring was good. Too good, apparently.

 

What happened to your caravan?

What did you move?

 

8 Burned Listening Guard

Opening gates was only one part of your profession, listening in on those who passed, that was your thing. Now you have been considered burned.

 

On whose behalf did you listen?

How did you open gates?

 

9 Rogue Royal Rationalist

Researching in some king’s name never interested you. What truly matters is going beyond.

 

What is your alma mater?

What academic resources did you misappropriate?

 

10 Hurried Newling

Fresh off the boat, you need to start anew. Soon because your past still haunts you.

 

What did you bring from home?

Why are you in a hurry?

 

11 Reformed Bathrac

You used to ambush travelers on lonely roads with your delightfully savage frog faced gang. These days are in the past.

 

Which Bathrac crew were you running with?

How did you atone for your crimes?

 

12 Reinventive Thievocrat

Organized crime needs to be organized. You were part of the machinery organizing ledgers and files, cataloguing loot. Stable but unrewarding work.

 

What was the last score you administratively assisted in?

Why is crime boring?

 

13 Conscientious Weirdbutcher

Be it insectile carcass or wooly monstrosity, gutting and preparing the strange meats of Immertag for the market never used to bother you. Now you question your old thinking.

 

What was your preferred specialty meat?

Why do you want to become a fruitarian?

 

14 Spore Fiend

The fungi’s effects are manifold. You have sampled them all and do not intend to stop.

 

What is your fungi of choice?

Where did you usually get your supplies?

 

15 Fallen Gloom-Prince

Your family belonged to Liüeg’s elite. Now it is all lost and you are no longer part of high society.

 

What remains of your former life?

What brought about the downfall?

 

16 Last Local

Your ancestors lived here before the day never ended. You will unearth your home again.

 

Who were your ancestors?

How will your ways be rebirthed?

 

17 Far Pilgrim

There is extra-worldly terroir out there. You need to find it and claim it.

 

Where is it?

How do you find it?

 

18 Disgraced Night Porter

You were tasked with making night for the mighty, but you messed up and will never again work the shade pulleys.

 

Who did you serve?

What did you steal from among the rich?

 

19 Expatriated Transformation Scribe

Your oeuvre has always been about the metamorphosis of the real, never about its interpretation. At home this was not received too well.

 

What is changed by your text?

What inspires your writing?

 

20 Fatigue Tea Farmer

Of course, growing herbals that help people sleep is good and honest work. But for you it is no longer right.

 

What happened to your farm?

Who also worked on your farm?

 

 

21 Heterodox Numeralist

The order may not like the contradictions, but the numeric must remain infallible. Once you counted the hours, now you determine them.

 

Why did the order pronounce you a heretic?

How do you control time?

 

22 Eminence Assassin

Someone needs to keep the famous in check. You were doing your part until you wronged the wrong.

 

What did you use to defame?

Who was your last employer?

 

23 Crooked Docker

Some things need to move fast at the docks of Liüeg. You only helped a little from time to time.

 

What was the last shipment you helped with?

What made you such a bristly fellow?

 

24 Discontent Ghoulremover

You once were certain those gone made because of the daylight must be relieved of their misery. Now you are no longer sure.

 

How did you dispatch of ghouls?

What happened to your conviction?

 

25 Veteran Relichunter

You were out and retired. Now that you have no choice but to return you will show them that you’ve still got it.

 

What was your big score?

Why have you returned to the game?

 

Immertag: Wakeghouls and circadian rhythms

Dark Sun, Splendor Solis (Anonymous, ca. 16th century)

The sun doesn't set on Immertag. It constantly shines in these strange and oddly idyllic lands that are said to be plentiful with treasure. Over time the permanent light weighs on the psyches of people. At first unsettling and disorienting, then maddening, the brightness can only be survived with proper measures taken. Those who can afford it own chronometers. The rich even create artificial days and nights, while the poor must rely on the counting marches of the numeralist mystics announcing the hours. While the city of Liüeg is treacherous and full of deceitful characters, at least one can keep a grip on time here. But treasure-hungry explorers seeking powerful relics know they need to venture into the wilds, where upholding one's circadian rhythm is necessary for survival.

This is a setting I am working on for an Into the Odd campaign originally inspired by the fantastic Hideous Daylight by Brad Kerr. Interested in the psychological  effects of a world where it is never night, I’ve sketched the following rules based on some very surface-level research and following the structure of the Cairn scars table. 

These rules are supposed to make overland travel to locations further away from the city dangerous while rewarding preparation as well as providing an explanation for the mad and wretched encountered in Immertag.

Waking madness

Individuals who cannot maintain their circadian rhythm must make a WIL Save each week or suffer a delusion effect. 

The following factors influence whether someone is at risk. If there are multiple factors, it depends on which ones outweigh the others.

Mitigating factors:

• Regular rests in the dark (simulating night) 
• Socially structuring one's daily life
  
• Access to methods of timekeeping
  
• Exercise of body and mind

Amplifying factors

• Isolation or lack of structure
  
• Stress or trauma
  
• No way to measure time
  
• Use of psychoactive substances 

 

Weeks	Effect
1	Confusion: The lack of rhythm upsets you. Roll 1d6. For a moment you are no longer sure 1: why you are here, 2: how long you have been on the road, 3: what year it is, 4: whether you have been here before, 5: how long you have been awake, 6: whether you have really just seen this. Roll 1d6, the new result is your HP.
2	Routine loss: Habits blur with your unstable biorhythm. Roll 1d6. 1-2: You have shifted appetite and thirst, 3-4: You notice tiredness delayed, 5-6: You constantly have the feeling of being late. Roll 1d6, the result is your new HP.
3	Light sensitivity: The constant daytime irritates you. As long as you are in the sunlight, you are considered deprived. Roll 1d6 and add the result to HP.
4	Mood swings: The light influences your disposition. Roll 1d6. The brightness makes you more and more 1-2: quarrelsome (STR), 3-4: nervous (DEX), 5-6: apathetic (WIL). Roll 3d6 and replace the corresponding attribute.
5	Insomnia: You can no longer sleep regularly, but you are full of energy as long as you are awake. You fall into a deep sleep every 2-3 days. Roll 2d6, the result is your HP.
6	Memory distortion: You forget something important from your life. Roll 2d6, the result is your HP.
7	Paranoia:You know that something is wrong. Roll 1d6. 1: The sun is following you with its gaze, 2: Someone is stealing your time, 3: Dreams want to kill you, 4: Counting the hours and days is wrong, 5: Darkness is the enemy, 6: You must follow your routine in order not to die. Roll 3d6, the result is your new WIL.
8	Time fluctuation: The lack of night makes it impossible to tell how fast time passes. Roll 1d6. 1-3: Everything runs faster (DEX), 4-6: Everything is slow (STR). Roll 1d4, subtract the result from your Will attribute and add it to the corresponding attribute.
9	Waking dreams: Sleep and wakefulness become blurred. You dream even when you are awake. You receive a mystical gift (Arcanum). Change your HP permanently to 1.
10	Time loop: Not only is it never night, but time is running in a loop! Roll 2d6, the result is your new WIL. Roll 2d6, add the result to your HP.
11	Collapse of reality: None of this is real! You know that everything is an illusion under the control of your mind. Your attacks and attacks against you are intensified.
12	Wakeghoul: The eternal day prevails. You become an irrational feral creature, a monster.