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Entry tags:
blood mechanics. (light)
BLOOD MECHANICS
CORRUPTION
BEASTHOOD
OMENS
CODING
Blood serves as the entire foundation of Deer Country both in its magic system and overall world-building. Everything goes back to blood. The culture, powers, how relationships function, and various events will be centered around the concept of magical blood. Blood is both the savior of this world and its ruin - causing as much good as it does bad (and it causes a lot of bad). This page details the fundamentals of understanding the blood system of Deer Country and how it impacts your characters and their new world.
If you have any questions about blood mechanics, please ask down below.
If you have any questions about blood mechanics, please ask down below.
[NAVIGATION]
Quick Terms • Corruption • Beasthood • Omens • Blood Types • Full Navigation
[Questions]
QUICK FACTS
Quick Terms • Corruption • Beasthood • Omens • Blood Types • Full Navigation
There are several elements of blood prominent in this world that have impacted the way it works. Here are some key terms and concepts.We will add to this list when necessary.
BLOOD POLLUTION: Arguably one of the biggest problems in Deer Country is the rampant blood pollution. This is essentially the world reacting to the overwhelming blood magic essence. The more blood that is shed, the more corrupt the world becomes. Every time even a single drop of blood is shed, it could potentially add to the blood pollution, leading to a world where plants are difficult to grow, the air is thick with monster-attracting blood magic, and plentiful magic pushes widespread corruption. Spilling blood is a necessary evil but in this world, it has a direct ramification beyond making a mess. There are many trying to find a solution to blood pollution but to no avail. After all, it is impossible to stop a world filled with monsters and beasts from bleeding.
BLOOD MINISTRATION: The process of healing people through blood magic, use of harvested blood, blood transfusions, and bloodletting. Blood Ministers are the primary masters of blood ministration, but others can learn the art of blood ministration. This is a combination of real-world techniques seen in old medicine (ie; use of leeches to bring down swelling) and more magically-based techniques based on the blood magic system, unique magic items found within the game, etc. While this is the most common form of healing in-game, characters can maintain more standard forms of healing abilities from their own canons. Blood Ministration is usually used for healing wounds but can also be used to help cure beasthood and corruption.
BLOOD TRANSFUSIONS/BLOOD INGESTION: Blood transfusions and ingestion are a risky business but a business worth risking. Matching blood types or neutral blood types can be life-saving in a transfusion and can be a viable source of nutrients. But the more foreign blood you put into your body, even if it is a good match, the higher your chances of corruption or beasthood. This is why most trust Blood Ministers strictly with such processes as Blood Ministers have mastered how to perform blood transfusions with minimal risk which includes a complex understanding of how to use blood magic to one's advantage. Ingesting blood orally or by other means (pls do not) highly increases the risk of corruption and/or beasthood - which extends to individuals who survive off of blood. Those who are dependent on a blood diet should seek the assistance of Blood Ministers to supply them with special tonics that help keep such problems at bay.
BLOOD UNDER A MICROSCOPE: For those who believe in science above all else, the magic in this world can quite literally be seen beneath a microscope and to the naked eye. Each blood type has a unique appearance, smell, and taste, and structurally appear different under closer examination. The presence of corruption cannot be detected under a microscope as it is considered a disease of the mind and soul. Beasthood, on the other hand, can be detected under a microscope. This can often look like static-y black cells invading the bloodstream and beginning to attack white blood cells. Blood Ministers have come to understand ways of isolating beasthood cells and killing them at the source - but it's no easy task and requires a master of Blood Ministration since science itself is not enough to stop beasthood. It requires a mastering of blood magic.
BLOOD HARVESTING AND BLOODSTONES: The collecting and saving of blood for future use is referred to as "blood harvesting" in this world. Most blood can be stored in liquid form in vials which is ideal for quick blood healing. However, a huge amount of storing blood magic comes from the solidification of blood. Blood in this world is capable of being collected and hardened into a stone-like shape, blood types having unique colors and appearances. These bloodstones are largely regarded as one of the most valuable things in this world and are used for expensive trade goods and big requests. The bloodstones can be used to enhance weapons, abilities, healing, for rituals, and sometimes are just coveted for aesthetics. Different blood types can be combined to form unusual bloodstones, but this is a fine process that can be easily messed up and render a bloodstone useless. Bloodstones are usually referred to by the type of blood they are (ie; "Coldblood stone" rather than "coldblood bloodstone").
VIRGIN BLOOD: Considered to be blood that has not yet been used for any blood rituals, sacrifices, extractions, or ministration. Highly coveted blood since it essentially "unlocks" the seal on the magic of someone's blood and results in a massive blast of magical energy when used correctly. This is especially potent in Sleepers. Having virgin blood can enhance your strength but it usually also means that your abilities are far more chaotic and difficult to control. Once virgin blood is lost to a sacrifice/ritual/extraction/ministration, abilities become much easier to control, and while you lose that strength, you can work back up to it with gradual training and practice. All Sleepers upon entering the world for the first time have "virgin blood" as none have been exposed to this world's form of blood sacrifice/ritual/ministration/extraction. Spilling blood due to a battle is not the same thing. The virgin blood must be intentionally extracted knowingly for the purpose of a ritual/sacrifice/ministration. Virgin blood can be used to enhance weapons, medicine, or used for summoning spells/curses/creatures.
BLOOD DISEASES: Only humans are plagued with traditional blood diseases such as hepatitis, HIV, etc. Sleepers cannot catch these same bloodborne diseases. Instead, Sleepers can catch unique bloodborne diseases that cause magical-centric ailments such as lycanthropy, vampirism, or other such supernatural problems that will be covered in certain events. These diseases are not the same as corruption and beasthood. Corruption and beasthood are far more persistent and lethal to Sleepers whereas bloodborne diseases can be avoided far easier with a variety of preventative measures. For characters canonically born with blood-centric issues, please continue reading.
NATURAL BLEEDING: Individuals who have frequent nosebleeds and/or experience menstruation will find that during periods of natural bleeding (bleeding from non-violent sources), their powers are greatly enhanced. They will, however, also be more likely to attract nearby beasts if they are not in an area well stocked with incense. Menstruation is considered to be a "sacrifice" to the Pthumerians and as such, many Pthumerians seem to gravitate towards those who experience menstruation. Some believe it is why people experience greater powers while others believe it is why some people experience terrible menstrual cycles. This extends to other natural blood-centric issues such as anemia/clotting issues/etc.
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BLOOD POLLUTION: Arguably one of the biggest problems in Deer Country is the rampant blood pollution. This is essentially the world reacting to the overwhelming blood magic essence. The more blood that is shed, the more corrupt the world becomes. Every time even a single drop of blood is shed, it could potentially add to the blood pollution, leading to a world where plants are difficult to grow, the air is thick with monster-attracting blood magic, and plentiful magic pushes widespread corruption. Spilling blood is a necessary evil but in this world, it has a direct ramification beyond making a mess. There are many trying to find a solution to blood pollution but to no avail. After all, it is impossible to stop a world filled with monsters and beasts from bleeding.
BLOOD MINISTRATION: The process of healing people through blood magic, use of harvested blood, blood transfusions, and bloodletting. Blood Ministers are the primary masters of blood ministration, but others can learn the art of blood ministration. This is a combination of real-world techniques seen in old medicine (ie; use of leeches to bring down swelling) and more magically-based techniques based on the blood magic system, unique magic items found within the game, etc. While this is the most common form of healing in-game, characters can maintain more standard forms of healing abilities from their own canons. Blood Ministration is usually used for healing wounds but can also be used to help cure beasthood and corruption.
BLOOD TRANSFUSIONS/BLOOD INGESTION: Blood transfusions and ingestion are a risky business but a business worth risking. Matching blood types or neutral blood types can be life-saving in a transfusion and can be a viable source of nutrients. But the more foreign blood you put into your body, even if it is a good match, the higher your chances of corruption or beasthood. This is why most trust Blood Ministers strictly with such processes as Blood Ministers have mastered how to perform blood transfusions with minimal risk which includes a complex understanding of how to use blood magic to one's advantage. Ingesting blood orally or by other means (pls do not) highly increases the risk of corruption and/or beasthood - which extends to individuals who survive off of blood. Those who are dependent on a blood diet should seek the assistance of Blood Ministers to supply them with special tonics that help keep such problems at bay.
BLOOD UNDER A MICROSCOPE: For those who believe in science above all else, the magic in this world can quite literally be seen beneath a microscope and to the naked eye. Each blood type has a unique appearance, smell, and taste, and structurally appear different under closer examination. The presence of corruption cannot be detected under a microscope as it is considered a disease of the mind and soul. Beasthood, on the other hand, can be detected under a microscope. This can often look like static-y black cells invading the bloodstream and beginning to attack white blood cells. Blood Ministers have come to understand ways of isolating beasthood cells and killing them at the source - but it's no easy task and requires a master of Blood Ministration since science itself is not enough to stop beasthood. It requires a mastering of blood magic.
BLOOD HARVESTING AND BLOODSTONES: The collecting and saving of blood for future use is referred to as "blood harvesting" in this world. Most blood can be stored in liquid form in vials which is ideal for quick blood healing. However, a huge amount of storing blood magic comes from the solidification of blood. Blood in this world is capable of being collected and hardened into a stone-like shape, blood types having unique colors and appearances. These bloodstones are largely regarded as one of the most valuable things in this world and are used for expensive trade goods and big requests. The bloodstones can be used to enhance weapons, abilities, healing, for rituals, and sometimes are just coveted for aesthetics. Different blood types can be combined to form unusual bloodstones, but this is a fine process that can be easily messed up and render a bloodstone useless. Bloodstones are usually referred to by the type of blood they are (ie; "Coldblood stone" rather than "coldblood bloodstone").
VIRGIN BLOOD: Considered to be blood that has not yet been used for any blood rituals, sacrifices, extractions, or ministration. Highly coveted blood since it essentially "unlocks" the seal on the magic of someone's blood and results in a massive blast of magical energy when used correctly. This is especially potent in Sleepers. Having virgin blood can enhance your strength but it usually also means that your abilities are far more chaotic and difficult to control. Once virgin blood is lost to a sacrifice/ritual/extraction/ministration, abilities become much easier to control, and while you lose that strength, you can work back up to it with gradual training and practice. All Sleepers upon entering the world for the first time have "virgin blood" as none have been exposed to this world's form of blood sacrifice/ritual/ministration/extraction. Spilling blood due to a battle is not the same thing. The virgin blood must be intentionally extracted knowingly for the purpose of a ritual/sacrifice/ministration. Virgin blood can be used to enhance weapons, medicine, or used for summoning spells/curses/creatures.
BLOOD DISEASES: Only humans are plagued with traditional blood diseases such as hepatitis, HIV, etc. Sleepers cannot catch these same bloodborne diseases. Instead, Sleepers can catch unique bloodborne diseases that cause magical-centric ailments such as lycanthropy, vampirism, or other such supernatural problems that will be covered in certain events. These diseases are not the same as corruption and beasthood. Corruption and beasthood are far more persistent and lethal to Sleepers whereas bloodborne diseases can be avoided far easier with a variety of preventative measures. For characters canonically born with blood-centric issues, please continue reading.
NATURAL BLEEDING: Individuals who have frequent nosebleeds and/or experience menstruation will find that during periods of natural bleeding (bleeding from non-violent sources), their powers are greatly enhanced. They will, however, also be more likely to attract nearby beasts if they are not in an area well stocked with incense. Menstruation is considered to be a "sacrifice" to the Pthumerians and as such, many Pthumerians seem to gravitate towards those who experience menstruation. Some believe it is why people experience greater powers while others believe it is why some people experience terrible menstrual cycles. This extends to other natural blood-centric issues such as anemia/clotting issues/etc.
Corruption represents the mental deterioration caused by constant exposure to fear and the horrific reality of Deer Country and excessive bloodshed. This is largely open to interpretation of how it happens and how severe it gets since characters will experience drastically different forms of corruption depending on a character's personality, individualized experiences, how they deal with negative situations, and the degree and amount of negative situations they run into. Corruption is extremely common in Deer Country but no one is required to play it and characters can avoid it entirely.
The Mental
Corruption is not just "going insane." While it's similar in nature to going mad, there are fundamental blood-based changes occurring in the psyche that impact an individual's ability to properly understand reality and their own sense of self. There are a variety of symptoms one can experience during corruption and there seems to be no consistency between who suffers what or how much they suffer. Some suffer all symptoms while others suffer only one or two.
Mental Symptoms of Corruption
The Physical
The worse the corruption gets in someone the more their physical appearance will begin to distort. This is the greatest sign that they may advance to beasthood. Physical symptoms should not drastically alter a person's physical appearance: they should still be completely recognizable.
Physical Symptoms of Corruption
The Treaments
Corruption can be minor and get increasingly worse. Most extreme forms of corruption eventually result in beasthood but not always. People can be saved or alleviate symptoms from corruption through a variety of means. The more corrupt an individual is, the more difficult it is to "save" them or alleviate symptoms.
Treatments and Preventitive Measures for Corruption:
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Corruption is not just "going insane." While it's similar in nature to going mad, there are fundamental blood-based changes occurring in the psyche that impact an individual's ability to properly understand reality and their own sense of self. There are a variety of symptoms one can experience during corruption and there seems to be no consistency between who suffers what or how much they suffer. Some suffer all symptoms while others suffer only one or two.
Mental Symptoms of Corruption
- Extreme paranoia
- Vivid hallucinations
- Lost time
- Memory loss
- Insomnia
- Difficulty focusing
- Impulsive decision making
- General confusion
- Tendency towards violence/indifference towards violence
- Extreme emotions (positive or negative)
- Increased addictive tendencies
- Disregard for own safety or safety of others
- Unintentional self-harm
- Lack of rational fear
The worse the corruption gets in someone the more their physical appearance will begin to distort. This is the greatest sign that they may advance to beasthood. Physical symptoms should not drastically alter a person's physical appearance: they should still be completely recognizable.
Physical Symptoms of Corruption
- Glassy/Foggy eyes
- Bloodshot eyes
- Fanged teeth
- Clawed hands
- Occassionally excessive bleeding from orfices (eyes, mouth, nose, etc). - Misshapen tongues
- Unusual skin tone to the specific individual (ie: someone with usually healthy brown skin might suddenly have an unusual green tone or someone with healthy peachy skin might have a sickly blue tone)
- Fevers/Chills
- Fatigue
- Lack of physical pain
- Physical dependency on unusual substances for energy (ie; eating blood, consuming sexual energy, consuming energy of fear, etc.)
- Poor skin quality (flaking skin/unhealing wounds/etc)
Corruption can be minor and get increasingly worse. Most extreme forms of corruption eventually result in beasthood but not always. People can be saved or alleviate symptoms from corruption through a variety of means. The more corrupt an individual is, the more difficult it is to "save" them or alleviate symptoms.
Treatments and Preventitive Measures for Corruption:
- Talking someone down from corruptionThe general process of corruption to beasthood involves the blood corruption going from the psyche to the physical body. Not all corruption leads to beasthood but the most severe cases typically do. People can be corrupt for years and never become a beast. Corruption comes and goes in people regularly and it is difficult to properly treat even though there are treatment options. It should be an ongoing struggle for those who suffer from corruption.
- Ongoing therapy
- Mental health medications (either made by Blood Ministers/Architects/brought in via events/games - these can be our traditional form of MH medication like Xanax or it can be invented MH medications for the setting)
- Blood magic/blood ministration
- Blood rituals
- Maintaining constant communication/connections
- Avoiding absolute isolation
- Meditation
- Incense/Tea
- Familiar items associated to loved ones/positive memories
- Death. When people come back from dying they will be without corruption but corruption can quickly come back post-death.
There are few worse fates in Deer Country than being subjected to beasthood. While corruption is a distortion of the psyche, beasthood is a distortion of everything: body and mind. Those who fall to beasthood are physically unrecognizable and often became terrifying monstrous entities. It can be difficult to properly identify a beast and who it might have once been. Some people get lucky and see someone transform into a beast and therefore know who it is, but if you don't have the luxury of being in the right place at the right time, it's very possible the beast you're gunning down could be a friend or a neighbor and you don't even realize it until it's too late.
It is incredibly hard to save individuals from beasthood. It's considered borderline impossible but Blood Ministers certainly try. Most beasts are simply put out of their misery. Sleepers who die during beasthood are thankfully reborn as their ordinary canon selves and are given another shot.
While most beasthood is permanent, there can be instances of fluctuating beasthood such as those who suffer a lycanthropic beasthood where maybe they only become a beast under certain circumstances. Maybe they become a wolfish beast under the full moon or perhaps a massive snakelike beast when it's raining. Atmospheric influence over beasthood is common and largely why incense is so effective against keeping beasts away: beasts are sensitive creatures to the world around them.
Beasthood is extremely open-ended as to how players engage with it. You can have a standard beast your character will always transform into or you can create a new beast dependent on why your character is going through beasthood. Beasts can be massive, building-sized creatures or they can be humanoid-sized or smaller. They can look like virtually anything at all: angels, canines, slug monsters, balls of hair - the possibilities are absolutely endless. But the main point is that your actual character's traits shouldn't be visible. Your monster can be obviously inspired by your character's aesthetic (ie; making Professor Snape a slick black snake) but if there's anything "identifiable" about a monster it should be something like torn clothing or a weapon - something external to a character.
People do not need to experience corruption to experience beasthood. Instantaneous beasthood occurs frequently when characters are exposed to extreme amounts of blood, accidentally swallow too much blood, are exposed to certain types of blood, or experience severe mental or physical trauma. Some have believed beasthood was once intended to be a survival means against monsters that plague Deer Country, but now, they have become part of the plague itself.
People who experience beasthood rarely remember what they did during it. They have very little control or sense of self while a beast and are usually completely trapped in the beast's mind and body. However, some have reported having slivers of memories or dreams of when they were a beast...And it's not an easy thing to swallow.
Most beasts are extremely violent. They're maddened by the stench of blood pollution and seem to be completely unhinged. There have been reported cases of gentler beasts or, at the very least, beasts who are a lot more afraid of you than you are of them. So proceed with caution when you see a beast...It might not always be as much of a threat as it appears.
"Defeating" beasts or "curing" someone of beasthood completely depends on player interpretation and what route they want to go with. If they want to have their werewolf-style beast be damaged by silver, then so be it. We won't moderate this or ask for forms to be filled out.
If we feel someone is largely misunderstanding beasthood and being inappropriate, we will reach out on a case-by-case basis. Please feel free to reach out and ask us questions or bring us any concerns you may have about beasthood.
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It is incredibly hard to save individuals from beasthood. It's considered borderline impossible but Blood Ministers certainly try. Most beasts are simply put out of their misery. Sleepers who die during beasthood are thankfully reborn as their ordinary canon selves and are given another shot.
While most beasthood is permanent, there can be instances of fluctuating beasthood such as those who suffer a lycanthropic beasthood where maybe they only become a beast under certain circumstances. Maybe they become a wolfish beast under the full moon or perhaps a massive snakelike beast when it's raining. Atmospheric influence over beasthood is common and largely why incense is so effective against keeping beasts away: beasts are sensitive creatures to the world around them.
Beasthood is extremely open-ended as to how players engage with it. You can have a standard beast your character will always transform into or you can create a new beast dependent on why your character is going through beasthood. Beasts can be massive, building-sized creatures or they can be humanoid-sized or smaller. They can look like virtually anything at all: angels, canines, slug monsters, balls of hair - the possibilities are absolutely endless. But the main point is that your actual character's traits shouldn't be visible. Your monster can be obviously inspired by your character's aesthetic (ie; making Professor Snape a slick black snake) but if there's anything "identifiable" about a monster it should be something like torn clothing or a weapon - something external to a character.
People do not need to experience corruption to experience beasthood. Instantaneous beasthood occurs frequently when characters are exposed to extreme amounts of blood, accidentally swallow too much blood, are exposed to certain types of blood, or experience severe mental or physical trauma. Some have believed beasthood was once intended to be a survival means against monsters that plague Deer Country, but now, they have become part of the plague itself.
People who experience beasthood rarely remember what they did during it. They have very little control or sense of self while a beast and are usually completely trapped in the beast's mind and body. However, some have reported having slivers of memories or dreams of when they were a beast...And it's not an easy thing to swallow.
Most beasts are extremely violent. They're maddened by the stench of blood pollution and seem to be completely unhinged. There have been reported cases of gentler beasts or, at the very least, beasts who are a lot more afraid of you than you are of them. So proceed with caution when you see a beast...It might not always be as much of a threat as it appears.
"Defeating" beasts or "curing" someone of beasthood completely depends on player interpretation and what route they want to go with. If they want to have their werewolf-style beast be damaged by silver, then so be it. We won't moderate this or ask for forms to be filled out.
If we feel someone is largely misunderstanding beasthood and being inappropriate, we will reach out on a case-by-case basis. Please feel free to reach out and ask us questions or bring us any concerns you may have about beasthood.
Summoning an omen is generally considered to be the easiest and most natural form of blood magic with zero consequences to use. This is one of the only forms of blood magic that doesn't contribute to blood pollution. All Sleepers have a "gut instinct" feeling and all it takes is the Sleeper acknowledging that feeling to summon their omen. Black smoke will begin pouring out from your chest and shoulders, and then that smoke will take the shape of your personalized animal companion...Otherwise known as an omen.
Omens are smoke and blood creatures. Omens are meant to reflect a Sleeper's personality/skills/lifestyle and typically embody the best parts of a Sleeper.
Guidelines for Omens
- Can be any animal, extinct, mythological, from fantasy worlds (ie; Pokemon, Final Fantasy etc) or from real-life.
- It must be an animal that wouldn't normally be capable of speaking/forging its own opinions. In other words: no, people cannot be omens nor can other sentient lifeforms such as alien/fantasy beings.
- You cannot pick an animal that is a specific character who could be applicable to the game as they would be considered sentient/capable of forging relationships. For example, while general pokemon are allowed as companions, you couldn't pick a pokemon with a forged personality/sentience/history such as Mewtwo, Detective Pikachu, and Team Rocket's Meowth as they are considered fully fleshed characters instead of just animal companions.
- You can pick your character's canonical companion animal (ie; Harry's Hedwig, Lyra's Pan, Percy's Blackjack). You cannot pick a canonical companion animal that doesn't belong to your character (ie; if you're applying as Luke Skywalker you can't have Toothless be your Omen.).
- There is no size limit to an omen. However, the size of an omen must accommodate the immediate space it's in. Your whale omen can't just destroy the city - it would shrink down to be able to fit successfully into buildings and grow back to size when in the right space.
- While being able to shrink to the right size, omens are capable of rapidly growing in size to become a bigger threat to possible danger. Your cute bunny omen could triple in size and distort itself to be a bunny monster to scare off a possible beast.
- Aquatic omens will merely float through the air like it's water when not in actual water. Omens do not require the same surroundings/ecosystems typical animals do. Your lizard omen will not suffer in the winter. They are representations of animals rather than literal animals.
- One omen per character. Your omen can change its shape but it should only really change if your character's personality drastically changes.
- Omens can be any gender, genderless, or genderfluid.
- You can have your character name their own omen or the omen can provide them with their name.
Qualities and Abilities of Omens
ON FIGHTING: An omen cannot technically be killed. Attacking one is like trying to attack smoke. Omens can cause distractions during a battle or go inside of a character's weapon to make it far more durable and powerful. This will shroud any weapon in the shadows. If a Sleeper dies, the Omen does not vanish but instead will go to the Farther Shores and await for the Sleeper to return. Omens only "vanish" if a Sleeper is dropped/swept from the game.
ON COMMUNICATION: Omens can serve as a reliable communication device. Unlike the devices in-game, an Omen cannot be hacked. Omens are connected to all other Omens through a blood-magic telepathic system, and since Omens are connected to their Sleepers...Well, you get the point. To use an Omen as a communication device, merely address them and tell them who you want the message to go to. You can name someone specific or say "to everyone" to make a network post through your Omen. You can create video/audio/text. For video, your Omen would watch you and keep its eyes open. For audio, an Omen will shut its eyes. For text, the Omen would translate everything you say as a speech-to-text function which...might lead to a few strange typos occasionally.
Omens are seen as superior communication devices because they cannot be lost, stolen, or hacked. They are also always available and do not need to be handled by a Sleeper to send the message. Many Sleepers have used Omens to send warning/help messages in a tight spot since it's a lot easier than pulling up a phone and opening an app and recording your message and sending it out. It's a lot simpler to scream at a raven "Tell everyone I'm LITERALLY DYING right now!"
Similarly, Omens can show you people's responses to your posts via telepathic communication.
ON PROPHETIC ABILITIES: Sometimes Omens will summon themselves if they sense danger in the area. If you did not intentionally summon your Omen, you can almost certainly depend on something deadly coming your way. Omens are useful in fights because they can usually detect moves before they happen and can guide a Sleeper through a tough battle with minimal injury if used correctly.
ON TALKING: Some Omens can talk to Sleepers through their telepathic communication while others remain indefinitely silent. Player choice. All Omens have their own unique name that they have given themselves that Sleepers will automatically know. These names do not change even if the shape of the Omen changes.
LONGEVITY OF AN OMEN: Sleepers can choose to keep their Omens internal or choose to keep them external. Most lean towards external Omens since Omens are extremely useful creatures to have around.
ON LIGHT: All Omens can radiate glowing white light from their eyes and provide a reliable source of light that cannot be impacted by any event or curse or creature. It might not be a lot of light, but it is enough to make your way through the dark.
ON EMOTIONS: Omens typically reflect a character's current state of mind. This can mean that if you're agitated, your dog Omen would start growling. If you're calm, your ferret Omen might take a nap. However, if a character is afraid, Omens automatically become braver so as to be able to take care of their Sleeper.
ON INTELLIGENCE AND PERSONALITY: Omens are incredibly intelligent - far above average animals, and, honestly, above many people too. They are wise creatures who constantly see the terrors of the world and have become stronger for it. They are hardier than any other creature and exist solely to help Sleepers. They will take commands from Sleepers, but treating an Omen exactly like a pet is considered incredibly demeaning and rude. An Omen being condescendingly told to "Sit" by someone might result in an Omen ignoring their Sleeper/whoever was condescending. Omens personalities often do represent their Sleeper's personality but Omens also have unique personality traits of their own.
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Omens are smoke and blood creatures. Omens are meant to reflect a Sleeper's personality/skills/lifestyle and typically embody the best parts of a Sleeper.
- Can be any animal, extinct, mythological, from fantasy worlds (ie; Pokemon, Final Fantasy etc) or from real-life.
- It must be an animal that wouldn't normally be capable of speaking/forging its own opinions. In other words: no, people cannot be omens nor can other sentient lifeforms such as alien/fantasy beings.
- You cannot pick an animal that is a specific character who could be applicable to the game as they would be considered sentient/capable of forging relationships. For example, while general pokemon are allowed as companions, you couldn't pick a pokemon with a forged personality/sentience/history such as Mewtwo, Detective Pikachu, and Team Rocket's Meowth as they are considered fully fleshed characters instead of just animal companions.
- You can pick your character's canonical companion animal (ie; Harry's Hedwig, Lyra's Pan, Percy's Blackjack). You cannot pick a canonical companion animal that doesn't belong to your character (ie; if you're applying as Luke Skywalker you can't have Toothless be your Omen.).
- There is no size limit to an omen. However, the size of an omen must accommodate the immediate space it's in. Your whale omen can't just destroy the city - it would shrink down to be able to fit successfully into buildings and grow back to size when in the right space.
- While being able to shrink to the right size, omens are capable of rapidly growing in size to become a bigger threat to possible danger. Your cute bunny omen could triple in size and distort itself to be a bunny monster to scare off a possible beast.
- Aquatic omens will merely float through the air like it's water when not in actual water. Omens do not require the same surroundings/ecosystems typical animals do. Your lizard omen will not suffer in the winter. They are representations of animals rather than literal animals.
- One omen per character. Your omen can change its shape but it should only really change if your character's personality drastically changes.
- Omens can be any gender, genderless, or genderfluid.
- You can have your character name their own omen or the omen can provide them with their name.
ON FIGHTING: An omen cannot technically be killed. Attacking one is like trying to attack smoke. Omens can cause distractions during a battle or go inside of a character's weapon to make it far more durable and powerful. This will shroud any weapon in the shadows. If a Sleeper dies, the Omen does not vanish but instead will go to the Farther Shores and await for the Sleeper to return. Omens only "vanish" if a Sleeper is dropped/swept from the game.
ON COMMUNICATION: Omens can serve as a reliable communication device. Unlike the devices in-game, an Omen cannot be hacked. Omens are connected to all other Omens through a blood-magic telepathic system, and since Omens are connected to their Sleepers...Well, you get the point. To use an Omen as a communication device, merely address them and tell them who you want the message to go to. You can name someone specific or say "to everyone" to make a network post through your Omen. You can create video/audio/text. For video, your Omen would watch you and keep its eyes open. For audio, an Omen will shut its eyes. For text, the Omen would translate everything you say as a speech-to-text function which...might lead to a few strange typos occasionally.
Omens are seen as superior communication devices because they cannot be lost, stolen, or hacked. They are also always available and do not need to be handled by a Sleeper to send the message. Many Sleepers have used Omens to send warning/help messages in a tight spot since it's a lot easier than pulling up a phone and opening an app and recording your message and sending it out. It's a lot simpler to scream at a raven "Tell everyone I'm LITERALLY DYING right now!"
Similarly, Omens can show you people's responses to your posts via telepathic communication.
ON PROPHETIC ABILITIES: Sometimes Omens will summon themselves if they sense danger in the area. If you did not intentionally summon your Omen, you can almost certainly depend on something deadly coming your way. Omens are useful in fights because they can usually detect moves before they happen and can guide a Sleeper through a tough battle with minimal injury if used correctly.
ON TALKING: Some Omens can talk to Sleepers through their telepathic communication while others remain indefinitely silent. Player choice. All Omens have their own unique name that they have given themselves that Sleepers will automatically know. These names do not change even if the shape of the Omen changes.
LONGEVITY OF AN OMEN: Sleepers can choose to keep their Omens internal or choose to keep them external. Most lean towards external Omens since Omens are extremely useful creatures to have around.
ON LIGHT: All Omens can radiate glowing white light from their eyes and provide a reliable source of light that cannot be impacted by any event or curse or creature. It might not be a lot of light, but it is enough to make your way through the dark.
ON EMOTIONS: Omens typically reflect a character's current state of mind. This can mean that if you're agitated, your dog Omen would start growling. If you're calm, your ferret Omen might take a nap. However, if a character is afraid, Omens automatically become braver so as to be able to take care of their Sleeper.
ON INTELLIGENCE AND PERSONALITY: Omens are incredibly intelligent - far above average animals, and, honestly, above many people too. They are wise creatures who constantly see the terrors of the world and have become stronger for it. They are hardier than any other creature and exist solely to help Sleepers. They will take commands from Sleepers, but treating an Omen exactly like a pet is considered incredibly demeaning and rude. An Omen being condescendingly told to "Sit" by someone might result in an Omen ignoring their Sleeper/whoever was condescending. Omens personalities often do represent their Sleeper's personality but Omens also have unique personality traits of their own.