Blue Archives

The Game

This is a BM game that is going to be run as a oneshot (Will consider extending should players request).

The players are a collection of outsiders from the apocalyptic fantasy world outside, travelling to the fabled archives that may contain lost secrets, great power, shelter from the mad world, or something to destroy. Players may choose to play someone from within the Archive, either a Wayfarer (someone who enters the outside world in order to collect lore and observe) or one of the many different people who live within (see below).

This will run Sunday at 5 pm EST (10 pm GMT). I will consider running it Saturday if enough people get involved who want that. I understand it is short notice for that, though.

Lore

The Archives

It's called the Blue Archives. Probably because of the beacon of blue light that shines from the top of its looming keep, shining over the rocky wastes leading to the great mountain where it sits. Amid a world ravage by an ever-growing tide of magical abominations, it is a beacon of learning and hope as the world decays around it.

The Archives are home to a collection of scholars, monks, and alchemists, learned men and women who seek to further science and art and to copy and protect stores of knowledge and lore in their great halls. Many have lived there here their whole lives, never setting foot outside of its stony walls.

This library itself is a giant castle, built around a looming, fortified keep. The walls are huge, built using technology and magic long lost to the outside world, and policed by mighty golems and mystical wards. Between the outer walls and the inner keep lies the equivalent of a small town, populated by the miners who bring stone and the farmers who tend to the gardens and small plots of land that provide food for both them and scholars within.

The lifeblood of the keep, however, lies underground, within the mountain. There, in defiance of nature, lies a great underground cavern covered in a dense, lush forest about a great lake. The cavern, however, has no source of light, existing in pitch darkness save for a few tiny cracks of sunlight that can periodically be seen from the open sky. The forest thrives, despite the lack of sun, its leaves and needles near-black; supernatural sustenance is all but confirmed. Those who live above spend their time down there, exploring the pitch blackness, collecting samples of the flora and fauna and harvesting wood and food for use above.

The Archives were beleived to have been founded by the The Conradian Order, a collection of sorcerers and scholars who saw the rising tide of magical disasters and monstrosities and created a place of learning far away from the world, to be protected against its collapse. Conrad, the order's founder, was long dead by the time the Blue Archive was constructed, but his history as a controversial proponent of the criticism and dismissal of dogma and superstition and his opposition to most traditional authority was near-legendary.

The World Outside

Those in the Archives know little of the world outside, and don't care much. The Wayfarers, an organization dedicated to venturing outside and exploring to find and collect knowledge and study the effects, are the only ones who leave anymore, and many remain outside near-permanently, returning only to deposit their findings (if they return at all).

To those who journey to the Archives, either looking for shelter or following tales, or seeking specific knowledge, the world is a harsh place, reduced to isolated villages or fortified castles against the wild, unpredictable phenomena that have become common. Common animals have been steadily replaced by dangerous, powerful beings, thought to be demons or mutants; many have shown great intelligence and have even formed organized armies. Undead are the most dangerous of these, corpses animated by powerful magic, retaining human intelligence but endowed with incredible, overwhelming passions and drives (often to violence) and a pathological, nihilistic worldview. Many travellers tell of coming across a city or town, only to find it populated by murderous ghosts or shambling corpses.

Character Creation

Simple d10 rules. Here's what you need:

Attributes

Total statpoints to spend: 12

Strength: Your physical power and resilence

Dexterity: Your quickness and precision

Wit: Your intellect and cleverness

Willpower: your force of will and integrity

Abilities

You have four 'slots' that you can spend on abilities that will you an edge. They come in these varieties:

Skills: Pick a skill your character is proficient in (Lockpicking, Swordsmanship, Demon Lore, Blue Archive Lore) these skills give you two extra dice to roll on relevant rolls pertaining to the skill. You may spend another slot to add one extra dice per slot added (for example, a total of two slots spent on a skill gives you 3 dice, total of 3 gives you 4, etc)

Power: You have a supernatural abilities, pertaining either to knowledge that gives you a unique ability (Elementalism) an artifact that has a unique power (a spear that carries you along with it when you 'throw it' allowing you to leap long distances), or supernatural nature (a dryad, and half-demon). These don't necessarily give you extra dice, but rather give you unique powers that you wouldn't normally have (plant control, for example). They can be used as stunt fuel (see below), but may also be used against you in some situations. GM approval required.

Luck: Gives you a free, floating die that can be used on one roll in the session, for every slot you take. Think of it as a one-shot skill that can be applied to anything you want. Yes, you can take it multiple times and use them all at once.

-Socialing will be done with whatever relevant stat

-no max for attributes, but must have at least 1 per

-You have seven health points when it comes to damage; losing all of them will cause a consequence until it is treated or overcome (anything from a wound to a negative situation)