The Almanac can tell you about the Courts in some detail, but below is a quick summary to tell you what they are like and what the associated Estates are. You should choose at this stage whether you want your character to belong to a specific Court, or whether you want to go it alone.
Wind: The Right and Duty of the God of Wind is to direct the
courses of the Winds as they cross the world.
Rain: The Right and Duty of the God of the Rain is to determine when and where the Rain shall fall.
The Sun: The Right and Duty of the God of the Sun is to set the course of the sun through the sky, rising at Dawn, setting at Dusk. This Estate has been taken by an NPC - you can still buy it at character generation, in which case it is assumed you have ousted said NPC in a challenge. You will have to deal with the political consequences of this.
Messenger of the Gods: The Right of the Messenger of the Gods is free passage, the Duty of the Messenger of the Gods is to bear the words of the Gods to men. The Estate of the Messenger has been taken.
Madness: The Right and Duty of the God of Madness is to whisper in the ears of those men subject to his touch. The Estate of Madness is reserved.
Starsinger: The Right of the Starsinger is to speak for the
Court of the Upper Air. The Duty of the Starsinger is to carry the
songs that the stars sing to themselves. This Estate is spoken for.
Night: The Right and Duty of The God of the Night is to watch
over the world during the hours of Darkness. The Estate of Night has been claimed.
Secrets: The Right of the God of Secrets is to know things which should be known by no other. The Duty of the God of Secrets is to keep that knowledge from ever coming to light. The Estate of Secrets has been traditionally associated with rulership of the Court in the past, but a strong challenger could of course change all that. This Estate has been taken by an NPC - you can still buy it at character generation, in which case it is assumed you have ousted said NPC in a challenge. You will have to deal with the political consequences of this.
Shadows: The Right of the God of Shadows is to walk in the Dark Places. The Duty of the God of Shadows is to guard against those things that live in the Shadows. The Estate of Shadows has been claimed.
Love: The Right of the God of Love is to speak to whomsoever he or she pleases. Their Duty is to ensure that Love continues under all circumstances. We have a God of Love.
Mirrors: The Right of the God of Mirrors is to take walk in the Places Behind Mirrors. Their Duty is to ensure that nothing harmful
arises in that place. This Estate is claimed.
Time: The Right of Time is to go about his buisiness unhindered, no really, no kidding, we mean it about this one. The Duty of Time is to see that all things last their proper durations. The Estate of Time has been claimed.
Fire: The Right of the God of Fire is to say what does and does not burn. The Duty of Fire is service to Mankind. This Estate has often been associated with leadership of the Court, but as always strong challengers can change that... The Estate of Fire is claimed.
Lovers: The Right and Duty of the God of Lovers is to speak on behalf of any mortal lovers torn apart by the Gods.
Dance: The Right of the God of the Dance is to have choice of
partner for any circumstance that requires one, and to choose the host and venue for the next gathering of the Gods. The Duty of the Lord of the Dance is to ensure that proper protocol is maintained in all circumstances. It is now too late to claim this Estate.
War: The Right and Duty of the God of War is to lead the Gods in battle. This Estate has been taken by an NPC - you can still buy it at character generation, in which case it is assumed you have ousted said NPC in a challenge. You will have to deal with the political consequences of this.
Wisdom: The Right and Duty of the God of Wisdom is to Advise
those who seek Advice. This Estate has been taken by an NPC - you can still buy it at character generation, in which case it is assumed you have ousted said NPC in a challenge. You will have to deal with the political consequences of this.
The Wanderer: The Right of the Wanderer is to travel in the Deep Places. The Duty of the Wanderer is to carry messages for the Court's members, and to rally the Court when a member is in dire need. (The Estate of the Traveller has often been associated with rulership of the Court, though because the Deep powers are so independently minded their "ruler" is more of a spokesperson.) This Estate has been taken by an NPC - you can still buy it at character generation, in which case it is assumed you have ousted said NPC in a challenge. You will have to deal with the political consequences of this.
Sea: The Right and Duty of the God of the Sea is to protect and rule the Seas. This Estate has been taken by an NPC - you can still buy it at character generation, in which case it is assumed you have ousted said NPC in a challenge. You will have to deal with the political consequences of this.
Stone: The Right and Duty of the God of Stone is to protect and rule the Deep Places of the Earth. This Estate has been taken by an NPC - you can still buy it at character generation, in which case it is assumed you have ousted said NPC in a challenge. You will have to deal with the political consequences of this.
Storm: The Right and Duty of the God of Storms is to protect and rule the Deep Skies, and to determine the patterns of storms in the mortal world.
Forest The Right and Duty of the God of the Forest is to
protect and rule the Depths and Wilds of the Forests. The Estate of the Forest has been claimed.
High Lord of the Underworld: The Right and Duty of the High Lord of the Underworld is to oversee the lands of the Dead and be accounted ruler of the Court of the Underworld. The High Ladyship is taken.
Sentinel of the Tomb: The Duty of the Tomb-Sentinel is to prevent anyone from entering or leaving the Tomb of the Creator, or the long stairwell winding down from the above-world to the Tomb, or the Outer Sephulcre built over the entrance, save those who have the right to enter that sacred place. The Right of the Tomb-Sentinel is to command the guard-demons of the Underworld and lead them into battle. We have a Sentinel.
The Shepherd: The Duty of the Shepherd is to guide the souls of the dead down into the Tomb of the Creator and beyond. The Right of the Shepherd is to demand a toll from the souls he guides, as and when he wishes. A Shepherd has been found.
The Duke of the Eternal Pyre: The Right and Duty of the Duke of the Eternal Pyre is to judge every soul before it enters the Underworld, and destroy those souls who he deems undeserving of entry (or too dangerous to allow in) on the Eternal Flameless Pyre. This Estate has been taken by an NPC - you can still buy it at character generation, in which case it is assumed you have ousted said NPC in a challenge. You will have to deal with the political consequences of this.
The Warden of the Never-Eye: The Duty of the Warden of the Never-Eye is to place those souls the Duke of the Eternal Pyre judges too dangerous to let into the Underworld but too dangerous to destroy into the Never-Eye, a mysterious prison which the Lords of the Underworld do not discuss. The Right of the Warden of the Never-Eye is to enter the Never-Eye to talk with its occupants - something no other Lord of the Underworld, even the High Lord, can do. This Estate has been taken by an NPC - you can still buy it at character generation, in which case it is assumed you have ousted said NPC in a challenge. You will have to deal with the political consequences of this.
The Courts of the Gods
Most of them were established by the Creator at the beginning of things, the exception is the Court of the Underworld - which, obviously, could only have been established after the First Death, that of the Creator. Each Court governs a particular aspect of Creation, and each has attracts a particular type of god. Whilst the specifics vary from Court to Court, the general power structure is much the same in all of them:
The rest of the members of the Courts consist of various Gods (some of whom may have their own Rights and Duties deemed less integral to the Court's functioning) who are the loyal subject of the Court's ruler. These folk are a mixed bag: Gods who agree with the Court's outlook on the world, those who are the offspring of other Court members, folk who decide that this particular Court offers a way of life they can enjoy... and a large number of them are constantly eyeing the Estates and the Court Throne, waiting for the current incumbents to slip up.The Court of the Upper Air
The Court of the Upper Air concerns its self with matters flighty and sidereal. It includes the stars and all the bodies of the heavens. The major Estates are listed below, but many of the flightier gods count themselves amongst the Court of the Upper Air.The Court of Barred Doors
The Court of Barred Doors concerns itself with the shuttered and the forbidden. It is reckonned to hold a place of the utmost importance in the world, although few outside the court could tell you precisely what that place is. Aside from the major estates below, powers in the Court of Barred Doors tend to be secretive, shadowy and often of a martial bent.
The Court of White Silk Fire
Probably the court most concerned with Humanity, the Court of White Silk Fire is at least in part bound to mankind as a result of certain past events. Many Patron Deities of various trades, crafts and so on are represented in the Court of White Silk Fire.
The Court of the Deep Places
Also known as the Wilderness Powers, the Court of the Deep Places is something of a non-court. Its Four Great Estates represent the places that man and Gods have touched the least. The number of mad wild gods that owe loose allegience to this court is a mystery.The Underworld
A morbid lot, who spend most of their time sitting aloof from immortal politics and lurking in their palace, the Tomb of the Creator. The Underworld is widely assumed to be accessed through the Tomb, but the Lords do not discuss the nature of the Underworld with outsiders. There are four Lords of the Underworld, in service to one High Lord, and that's it. If you wish to play a God of the Underworld you really need to take one of the Estates, or else go Persephone and play the Consort of one of the Lords.
Renegades, Outcasts, and Rogues
Some Gods belong to no Court. This can be by choice: many do not wish to subject themselves to the authority of a Court's ruler, and some have even managed to carve out Estates for themselves when they come across a job which needs doing that the Courts do not cover. Alternately, they could be exiled from their Court of origin for some crime, and are either so anathema none of the other Courts will take them or have decided not to join another Court.
Background
Now you have some idea of which Court you want your character to belong to (or if you want your character to have nothing to do with the Court system), it's time to think about background. The timeline has been made deliberately sketchy to allow you to come up with whole new chapters in the history of the gods that your character played a major part in, and to take the credit for various deeds which have been described so far. Let your imagination run riot. Make up whole new wars, scandals, heroic deeds, kingdoms, empires, disasters, joyous celebrations, controversies, betrayals, feuds, alliances - whatever. Don't be afraid that your character will come to dominate the background - it's the GM's job to make sure that doesn't happen, and besides, there'll be 20-odd other people making up kewl things for their PCs to have done as well.
There is only one restriction on writing your background: Whilst you may describe what your character has done in the past and what happened as a result, you cannot decide what any specific person thought of your character's deeds. Other players have the right to decide what their PCs think. Don't say "everybody respects and admires my character" - put things in your character's background which would lead to him or her being respected and admired.
It's important at this stage to decide whether your character is an Old or a New God.
Old God: You are one of the Old Gods from before the Time of the Iron Laws. You have been trapped for the longest time, and have been recently freed. You know the workings of the old ways and the "Bone Laws" - the way things worked before the Gods of the Iron Laws imposed their vision on Creation. You either knew the Creator yourself or heard about what he was like from your ma and pa. You've been alive for most of history, and so lots of it has personal meaning to you: you had friends who were murdered by the Unreal, you remember the fierce argument over whether to intervene in the War of Grace, you're probably slightly ashamed of your part in the War of the Gods. You also remember the last time the Courts were up and running, and so are a bit more on the ball when it comes to Courtly etiquette and politics. You understand the way of things. You also have a bugger of a crick in your neck. Systemwise, Old Gods begin the game with 10 points of Resource (moderated by their quirks), and are much harder to kill or injure than the New Gods.
New God: You were born in the Mortal World during the Iron Rule. You are more tied to the Mortal World and less tied to the divine than the Old Gods. You have been active all your life, which is an advantage, but you are
distinctly more mortal than the other Gods, you are considerably easier to kill
and considerably more subject to mortal injury. Your youthful vigour and determination are notable. Most of the history before the time of the Iron Laws seems less relevant to you: you know that the Unreal are a hideous threat trapped safely away somewhere, but you've got no idea what it was like when they were rampaging across Creation. Although you may have been initiated into a Court by an Old God during the Iron Rule, they've been inactive since the Old Gods fell so you don't really know what Courtly politics is like, and since the Gods of the Iron Laws snatched the Rights and Duties away from everyone when they took over you don't know what it's like to hold an Estate. On the other hand, you may have more mortal followers than the Old Gods since you've been more accessible over the years. Systemwise, New Gods gain an additional 2 points of starting Resource (so their base Resource is 12, not 10), but are significantly more prone to being maimed, injured or killed.
Nature
Liane sped down a wide avenue lined with a few stunted old cypress trees, and he heard Chun close at his heels. He turned into an archway, pulled his bronze ring over his head, down to his feet. He stepped through, brought the ring up inside the darkness. Sanctuary. He was alone in a dark magic space, vanished from earthly gaze and knowledge. Brooding silence, dead space...System-wise, these describe your character's essential nature: they are not only core motivations, they also have a major impact on your actions. Simply put, it is much easier to act according to your nature than it is to act against it.He felt a stir behind him, a breath of air. At his elbow a voice said, "I am Chun the Unavoidable."
- Jack Vance, The Dying Earth.
There are two types of Nature: Virtues and Vices. Virtues are personality aspects which are overall beneficial, Vices are Natures which tend to act as Achilles Heels'.
The standard bonus for Virtues are a 2 point cost reduction on appropriate actions, and +3 points on appropriate contested actions. Some Vices carry a "Nature penalty" - this is +2 points on the cost of appropriate actions, -3 on contested actions. Getting something to act against its nature is almost always an Epic action, and may have knock on effects for the entire structure of reality - after all, is it really a good idea to try and make sunlight turn cold and dark rather than warm and bright?
You may take one free Virtue at character generation. If you want more, then for each extra Virtue you must take a Vice. You can have a maximum of three Virtues and two Vices.
One last note: Vices and Virtues are all personality quirks. Try and roleplay them. The GM team will notice if, for example, a Gullible PC says "Nah, I don't believe you". Oh, and the list of Virtues and Vices is by no means exhaustive - if you'd like to make up a Nature, talk to the GM team about it.
Self-Sacrificing: You get double the standard Nature bonus when you perform an action for the benefit of others, in a manner which is significantly damaging to yourself. The Creator allowing himself to die so that Creation may exist is perhaps the ultimate example of this.
Vengeful: You're at your best when dealing with people who've pissed you off. You get standard Nature bonuses when acting out of vengeance for a percieved slight or injustice against yourself. We define "acting out of vengeance" as "overreacting to a wrong in a premeditated and disproportionate way". An eye for an eye is simple justice: vengeance in on a divine scale demands "both the other bastard's eyes, and the eyes of his immediate family and friends, and boiling lead poured into the eye-sockets of all of them" for an eye. These bonuses may increase if the injustice is great.
Just: The fluffy version of Vengeful. You get your Nature bonus when you are trying to right a wrong committed against someone else.
Malicious: A bit of a specific one this. You get the standard Nature bonus when you deliberately set out to act against someone in a premeditated and, well, malicious manner, when as far as you know they have done nothing to harm you. Note that if you take Malicious and Vengeful, you end up with someone who gets a Nature bonus when he sets out to hurt someone. We in the GM team like to call this combination of the two natures the "Fucker Quirk" - be prepared for people to go around referring to your characters as "...the Evil" or "...the Vile".
Wise: Anybody who consults you for advice about a course of action gets the standard Nature bonus on their actions, so long as they follow your advice - make sure you tell the GM team precisely what your advice was! Capricious characters cannot take advantage of this bonus - their frivolous and impulsive nature doesn't sit well with taking advice from folk. Also note that the Wise cannot use their own wisdom to get bonuses for their own actions: they have 20/20 vision when it comes to other people's problems, but not their own.
Unbound: You cannot be bound or constrained by any means. Being Free is considered to be your Right and Duty, and any attempt to constrain you counts as an Epic Action which may also have some bad effects for the world. If you are ever bound of your own free will there may be similar delterious effects (which means falling in love can be very, very dangerous).
Violent: Frankly, you're a nit of a psycho. Standard Nature bonuses apply when you're fighting, destroying and generally being a git.
Determined: You are at your best once you have set your mind to achieving a particular long-term project - by which we mean, projects which will require multiple turnsheets to complete. It's up to you to convince the GMs that your character is doggedly pursuing this goal - it helps if you e-mail us to say "From this point on, my character is going to be Determinedly trying to solve the S'bar Mystery", but you really need to demonstrate your commitment through action. If you devote the majority of your Resource in one turnsheet to a particular goal, pursue it in more than one turn, or just consistently keep pecking away at the problem you should be able to convince us.
The flip side of this Virtue is that you're a stubborn bastard, and it's very hard to convince you that you're wrong once you've made your mind up.
Merciful: You are given to Mercy, this has few practical advantages, however should anybody who you have shown mercy attempt to act against you they will find themselves working against your Nature. All costs to act against a Merciful character who has shown you Mercy are at +2, and the Merciful character is at +3 in contested actions. You're also likely to be more popular than, say, Violent Malicious types because you're such a sweetie.
Unknowable: You defy understanding and explaination. This could be because you have put a lot of work into obscuring your nature and deeds. Alternately, you could just be a bit of a weirdo. It takes a Legendary action to find out even the most trivial of things about you, and an Epic action to find out anything significant.
Fertile: You are a bountiful source of life, and the best friend of farmers, midwives, and dog-breeders. Have a Nature bonus whenever you want to either create life yourself or aid in the creation of life.
The flip side of this is that you tend to enjoy all the pleasures fertility gods are renowned for enjoying.
Beautiful: There is Beauty in your very nature. Your beauty is above the heavens and the earth. It cannot be hidden or shrouded (by less than a Legendary action at least).
Vain: You are easily swayed by flattery, and easily offended by insults. You're Gold Apple bait.
Hothead: You've got a firey personality. You are bad tempered and quick to anger at even the slightest perceived insult. You are also prone to swearing oaths and offering duels without thinking too much about it.
Flamboyant: You're a very noticeable person, and whilst you do love being the centre of attention you get a Nature penalty when you attempt to do anything secretly.
Bound: You are trapped somehow. There is one, very specific instance when you may be freed from this binding, but should you be freed it will be easy to bind you again in the same manner. (Nature penalties to remaining free). You will be unable to turn up to the meeting unless the God of the Dance decides that it is going to take place in the place where you are bound, so you will have to send some sort of emissary.
Irresponsible: You may never have a Duty - you are simply too flighty or scatterbrained to fulfil it. This means you cannot possess Estates, or full-fledged Rights - the nearest thing you'll get is Honours bestowed by Court rulers for services to their Court.
Jealous: To take this Nature, you must have a Cult and it must be a Power Tie. You will gain no Resource from your Cult's actions if your Cult worships any God other than yourself, or if your Cult members willingly fraternise with worshippers of other Gods for any purpose other than converting them to your worship.
Prideful: You reckon you're the best. As well as the obnoxious attitude which comes with this belief, you also get a Nature penalty whenever you perform an action someone else (such as your Court ruler) has instructed you to do, or when you are involved in a co-operative action and you aren't the "leader".
Soft-hearted: You're a sucker for big weepy eyes. If anyone, be they man, God or animal, makes a genuine and heartfelt plea for help to your face, you are obliged to assist. Should they make such a plea to the whole room, you will be sorely tempted to assist as well.
Perfidious: If at any point you have somebody's trust, all of your actions have their cost increased by +1 until you have betrayed them. You don't get the Nature bonus for acts of Treachery, because you shouldn't need one (treachery is after all, usually unopposed). For the purposes of this Nature, we count someone as trusting you if:
Functionary (0): You are a standard member of your Court, you have no Estate but may still have Rights and Duties.
Luminary (3): You are important in your Court. You have an Estate, with its attendant Rights and Duties, and you may have more. Look at the list of Estates for your Court, pick one. Estates will be given out on a first-come-first-served basis. Yes, this is grotesquely unfair, especially for Freshers. We're sorry.
When the Iron Rule was established, everybody had their Estates torn away from them. It is assumed that the first thing you do after the fall of the Iron Rule is grab this Estate - if you held it before the Iron Rule, this represents you reasserting your authority over it, if not this represents you learning the ropes. So if you buy this Quirk, that's your Turn 0 action done.
Note that you cannot begin the game as a ruler of a Court - it takes more than a day to establish control of a Court, and all the current incumbents were killed by the end of the War of the Gods. The exception is the High Lord of the Underworld, who survived the War of the Gods because the Underworld stayed well out of that conflict - you wanna play the Master of the Dead, feel free.
If you like, you can make up a flowery title for your estate which is more impressive than "God of X". For example, if you were the God of Shadows you might give yourself a title like "Candle in the Dark" or "Duke of Twilight".
Here is a list of currently-available Estates, by Court:
Right and Duty (1 to 3):
"Just so," said Murgen. "Now, for a space, I must put this matter aside. Other affairs press at my attention. The star Achernar is rife with odd activity, especially in the far outer tracts. Meanwhile Joald stirs in the depths. I must discover if a linkage exists."
- Jack Vance, Lyonesse: Madouc.
You have a Right and Duty. They do not have an estate to go with them, and are instead based around one of the more minor functions of your court. You can make up a title to go with the Right and Duty if you wish, but it will not carry as much weight as an Estate title. Before taking this quirk, stop and consider whether you want to do can be achieved by taking one of the Estates instead: we will be giving you a lot of leeway to decide how you interpret the requirements of your Estate.
It is, again, assumed that you rushed out and grabbed this once the Iron Rule fell. However, since it is only a minor position it doesn't cost a Turn 0 action.
Duty (0): You have a Duty, but no Right to go with it. Sometimes there are jobs with no perks whatsoever: this is one of them. Again, you can make up a title, but it won't carry as much weight as an Estate title.
Note on the above two quirks: These are the things you want to take if there is a particular sphere of influence you would like your PC to be involved with which isn't covered by the Estates. For example, if you wanted to be the Smith of the Gods, there is no Estate called "Smith of the Gods" - you could, however, buy the Duty "Supply the Gods with your services as a Blacksmith", and perhaps the Right "Demand payment for your smithed goods", and make up a nifty title to go with the position.
Unlike Estates, the positions represented by "Right and Duty" and "Duty" aren't necessarily associated with a specific Court - you could have carved out a little niche for yourself outside of the Court system. Hurray for free enterprise.
Honour (2 to 5): You have what amounts to a Right without is attendant Duty - it's a boon given by a Court ruler for services to a Court. The advantage here is that you don't have to spend time herding stars and guiding winds. The disadvantage is that since these Rights are not so intimately tied to the nature of reality, it's easier for people to stop you from excercising it without their running the risk of breaking the universe. Furthermore, since it was a reward given by a Court ruler, the head of the same Court could take it away if you irritate them.
Has-been (1): You used to possess one of your Court's Estates. You don't now, for whatever reason, and you can never take it back (once you've lost an Estate you cannot return to it). Perhaps you failed to reclaim it after the fall of the Iron Rule (or found that when the Iron Rule ended you couldn't be bothered to get out of bed). Maybe you lost it in a duel before the Iron Rule. Perhaps at some point you were injured in such a way that you could no longer discharge the Estate's Duties. Or maybe you resigned (why was that?).
There's a couple of advantages to being a has-been. Firstly, you used to be a mover and shaker and have the potential to be one again, so people will give you respect. Also, you know how the Estate in question works, and through centuries of experience might even know it even better than its current occupant, so they may occasionally come to you for advice.
It should be noted at this point that knowledge of how an Estate works makes it easier for rival claimants to grab an Estate, should it get into their hands. Not that a retired old dear like you would ever dream of playing kingmaker in such a way.
Tell us which Estate you used to occupy, tell us why you don't occupy it any more. If a player takes your former Estate, we'll put you in contact with them to let you work out between yourselves precisely how things went. If there's more than one former occupant of a particular position, then it's up to you lot to work out a coherent order of succession. This quirk can only be taken by Old Gods.
Disgraced (-1): You aren't the flavour of the month in your Court, because of some scandal or indiscretion - nothing serious enough to get you thrown out, but bad enough that you're still not entirely forgiven, and the members of your Court will be less inclined to listen to your opinion or support you. You'll be able to work off the cloud over your head if you perform a particularly noteworthy service for the Court, but people will still remember and occasionally snigger about it.
Servant (-1 to -4): You are bound to the service of someone else (this is normally another member of your Court, and almost always is another god, but it's not been unknown for gods to be duped into swearing allegiance to a mortal family or a long-lived mage). Describe your master - he or she will be an NPC controlled by the GM team, who reserve the right to change his or her details if we think they're too nice. The cost of this quirk is based on how much of a hassle this arrangement is:
-1: Your master does not call on your services very often (at most once every couple of turns), but still expects you to treat him or her with respect - no badmouthing your boss when they've got their back turned.
-2: Your master calls on your services frequently (at least once every couple of turns).
-4: Your master always has some errand that needs running (one action every turn), and may occasionally send you on a mission which you're completely unsuited for. You also have to turn up whenever they summon you and obey their orders without question. It's a real bugger, but hey, you get 4 points out of it. Note that mortals never manage to get this sort of control over a god - your master is almost certainly another god.
Patron (1 or 2): You are the Patron of some particular Craft, Art or Calling. You may well have been the first to introduce it to mankind and will probably have a number of worshippers amongst those mortals that practice it. If you buy the 2 point version of this Quirk, you get a 2 point cost reduction on all gifts bestowed on those you patronise. This quirk costs 2 points extra for Old Gods. This is because they have been so out of touch with the mortal world during the Iron Rule they will have struggled to maintain their patronage.
Fallen Patron (1): You used to be a Patron, as described above, but due to your imprisonment during the Iron Rule some New God popped up and stole your gig. You may be remembered by a few of the folk in the Craft you used to be Patron of, so you might be able to make a comeback.Only Old Gods can be Fallen Patrons.
Lost Covenant (1): Once upon a time, before the Iron Rule, you had an agreement (potentially in conjunction with several other gods) of a mortal Kingdom, tribe, Empire or whatever. The ruler of the nation had your divine backing, and the majority of the peoples of that nation worshipped you in return. Now, of course, the nation has fallen... but you happen to be aware that somewhere there are living heirs to the kingdom. If you can find them and help them restore their nation you can enjoy the benefit of having a whole country worshipping you once more. Only Old Gods can have Lost Covenants.
Mortal Skillset (1, 3 or 5): The average God is better than the average mortal at pretty much everything. However there is really no such thing as the average mortal. The default assumption of this game is that most Gods are better than nearly all mortals at non-technical feats, and are better than untrained or beginner level mortals at most technical feats. This quirk allows you to be better at technical feats than even mortals who know what they're doing. For 1 point you are better than all but the true masters of the craft, for 3 points you're better than any ordinary mortal, and most of the greatest heroes. For 5 points there may be one mortal in all the world in all of history who compares to you. Note that as a paradigmatic point, Gods don't precisely learn things, but it is often in their nature to be good at them anyway.
Hero (3): There is a mortal Hero who serves you after a fashion, be it wittingly or unwittingly. Note that "Hero" is both a descriptor and a game mechanical term referring to the sort of Mortal that can stand on equal(ish) terms with the Gods. This Hero will be a free-willed NPC, not a puppet, and they are quite likely to turn against you at some point if you treat 'em mean.
Cult (1 or more): You have a Cult of the shadowy underground variety. This gives you some direct impact in the Mortal world in a dodgy behind the scenes way. For each additional point you spend you can make this cult one of Large, Dedicated, Clued-in and Powerful.
Sacred Gribble (1): You have a Sacred Animal. This is useful in a number of ways. Firstly you are assumed to have a reasonable degree of power over the creatures and can use them as messengers and the like. Secondly they make a good subject for a Power Tie, and thirdly having a sacred animal is cool (if everybody else has one, do you want to be left out?).
Place of Power (2): You have a place, right, where you're powerful, hence this quirk being called "place of power". Any action you take in your Place of Power costs you 2 points of Resource less than it would otherwise (to a minimum of 0, natch) and you get +3 on all contested actions while in your Place of Power. Those of you who have read Sandman and remember the bits where Morpheus goes "Look, see, you can't beat me because I'm in my place of power. Now I'm going to be smug at you for a bit before going off to angst for a while." know the deal.
Focus (Varies): A specialised version of the above. Some of your essence is bound up in an artefact. Each point you spend on this Quirk puts one point of your Resource into that Artefact. If this quirk is taken as a merit (ie, if you pay points for it) you get an additional point of Resource in the Artefact for every point of your own Resource that you put in. If it's a flaw then you just have the Resource bound up. Resource in an Artefact can only be used when that artefact is specifically being used (in the case of weapons this means fighting things, in the case of more decorative items just pick a function).
Lost Focus (Points value is 3 points less than the cost for a normal Focus, as determined above): You had a Focus. Somebody's nicked it. This is bad: you've lost a bit of Resource and you won't be back up to full strength until you get your Focus back, and who knows what mischief the thief will get up to with it?
Blood Tithes (2): You can gain spiritual power from Sacrifices. You either need to get a Cult to procure them for you, in which case its a Mundane action to accept the Sacrifice, or you need to go out and get them yourself, which is a Legendary action. Resource gained from Sacrifices is big on the diminishing returns, and should the sacrifices ever dry up, you start heamorraging Resource quickly. Here is how much Resource you get from different types of sacrifice:
Friend (1): You have a divine NPC friend, lover, crony, or whatever. They like you. They want to help you. You like them and want to help them too when they get in trouble. This can include your NPC True Love, if it's appropriate for you to love 'em.
Crap Friend (-1): As above. Except your friend/love isn't actually very competant, and so you spend more time saving his/her bacon than getting useful aid from them.
Problematic True Love (-1): The course of love never runs smoothly: in your case, it runs down an overgrown path which twists and turns through a forest full of angry bears, some bastard has set up elaborate deathtraps along the way, and you're being chased by a pack of rabid wolves.
You have fallen in love with a PC or an NPC, but there's a snag. Perhaps the love is unrequited. Perhaps it's politically inappropriate, in a Romeo/Juliet kinda way. Perhaps the apple of your eye is already attached, or perhaps you're already spoken for. Perhaps you've got the hots for the Unreal... Make up something suitably traumatic.
Lost Love (-1): Or close relative, or best buddy, or whatever. Someone important to you has gotten themselves lost. You're sure they're still alive, but where to begin looking for them?
Foe (-1): There is a divine NPC out there who hates you - perhaps deservedly - and spends a good deal of effort trying to do you harm.
War Wound (-2): You were hurt bad in the War of Gods, or the War against the Unreal, and you've never been quite whole since. +2 cost on all actions involving physical exertion, -3 penalty when competing physically against another character, plus there may be lingering after-effects depending on the nature of the wound.
Roger Me Spinally (0): If you take this quirk, you are expressing a preference for finding yourself entangled in the nastier goings-on in the world. In short, it's the "shoot thorny dilemmas and juicy angst-fodder at me" quirk.
Be Nice to Me (0): The opposite of Roger Me Spinally. If you buy this the GMs will not deliberately entangle you in scary, dangerous doings, and will try to make sure you have a chance to back out before you blunder into the more perilous areas of the game. Of course, if you get yourself entangled in such matters through your own actions, we aren't going to turn back time for you...
Facility (3-5): There is some particular thing that you're really good at, and which you consequently get a 2 point Cost Reduction on. Examples could include Shapeshifting, Warfare, Making Stuff. The cost of this Quirk depends on the usefulness of the Facility. This is a more generalised version of the "mortal skillset" quirk - it is not limited to things that mortals can do, and it is broader.
Almost True Immortal (5): You cannot be killed except by (a) An Unmaking of the Laws that Govern the Universe or (b) One specific and impossibly rare condition. Define this condition, please.
Bane (-2): There is a specific and impossibly rare condition which makes it much easier to kill you, bind you, or otherwise incapacitate you. Anyone who comes across this method will have a +3 bonus when trying to do you over. (You cannot buy this and Almost True Immortal).
Mimic (4): All Gods can adopt other shapes and guises, however most gods are always recognisably themselves whatever shape they wear. A God with the Mimic quirk, however, will genuinely appear to be whatever they guise themselves as, even to people who know what they're looking for. In addition a Mimic can imitate other Gods (although this is a surefire way to piss them off).
Oathbreaker (-3): You swore an Oath in the past. Then you broke it. You've made amends, you might even be forgiven, but nobody's forgotten. All the Gods (except those born yesterday), and most of the folk who know a thing ro two about divine history, know you for the dishonourable wretch you are. It's going to be very hard to get anybody to trust you. The GMs will make sure that most NPCs will be suspicious of your motives unless you have solid evidence backing up what you are saying, and will encourage player characters to beware of you.
Oathkeeper (-1 to -2): You swore an Oath long ago - and since many Oaths are public things, there's a good chance everyone will know about it - which is still hanging over your head. The -1 variant of this quirk means that the Oath will be completed once you have performed a specific, very difficult task, which will require multiple turns and at least one Epic action to complete. If you buy the -2 version, then the Oath will never, ever go away. If you want the -2 version you must convince the GM team that the Oath will seriously inconvenience your PC.
Three good examples of 1-point Oaths:
Lore (0, 2, 5): Every God - except those who were Born Yesterday - knows the basics. What Gods are, what the Courts are, why they're necessary, the basics of stopping the Universe falling to pieces, that sort of thing. For 0 points, you know everything which is on the website off by heart - in other words, if your character has this level of Lore, you can ask the GMs in-session for reminders of things that are on the website. If your character doesn't have this level of Lore, then if you don't remember your character doesn't.
For 2 points you know some of the obscure bits, like the True Story of Creation and the Nature of the Underworld. For five points you know some of the big Secrets, like the nature of the Court of Teeth. This Quirk costs 2 points more for New Gods.
Born Yesterday (-2): You came into existance the day before the beginning of the campaign, the crazy 24 hours when the Old Gods were liberated and the New Gods could reveal their true natures and they were all running around being quire over excited. Perhaps you were the result of the coming-together of two lovers, kept from one another's arms for millennia. Perhaps you popped out of the ground during the conflagration. Maybe you've been incubating throughout the Iron Rule in your dad's head and you've only just bashed your way out. Whatever: the point is, you're really, really young, even though to all appearances you are fully grown. Here's the deal:
Servitor Spirits (1 to 3): These are spirit-entities which can be sent to peform certain tasks. Some Estates come with servitor spirits bound to them to aid their Luminary in fulfilling their Duties and exercising their Rights - an example is the Sentinel of the Underworld, who has command of the underworld's demons. If you buy this quirk, then there's a specific type of servitor spirit which you are the rightful ruler of - either because they're your misbegotten sprogs, or because you made them out of your own blood and vomit, or because you duped, cajoled, tricked, or convinced them to make you their ruler.
"One last word! Your devils are as horrid as ever! They might well frighten a timid person. You must definitely teach them a more polite etiquette."Tell us what your servitor spirits are like, in terms of form and personality, give them a name, and tell us the specific task they are good at - Making Stuff, Finding Information, that sort of thing. How much the servitor spirits cost depends on how useful their skill is.
- Jack Vance, Lyonesse: Madouc.
Using servitor spirits: servitor spirits, like Facilities, give you a 2-point cost reduction on actions which involve sending them out to do their thing. For example, if I had servitors who were good at spying on people, I could perform spying actions for two points less. The Resource you spend on such actions represent how much aid (in the form of words of power, small useful widgets which don't help gods much but are useful for lesser beings, and so forth) you give the spirits. There are 2 reasons why servitor spirits are not as good as Facilities:
Note also that most types of servitor spirit can be summoned and bound by mortal magicians.
Note finally that there are almost certainly Children of Grace out there descended from the union of your servitor spirits and mortals.
Turn 0
Turn 0 happened yesterday. Write us a turnsheet - you can spend 6 Resource points on it - to describe what you do immediately after the Iron Rule falls.
If you've bought an Estate, you've already decided what you're going to do: grab yourself one of them vacant Estates. If you haven't, feel free to do what you like. The results of your actions will make their way into the turn 0 news. Bear in mind that if you're an Old God, this is the first time you've been free for aeons, and if you're a New God this is the first time you've ever been able to really show off your divine nature. "Look at me" actions are not only appropriate - we suspect they'll be in the majority.