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[✗] [CA Race Lore] - The Arbitrium (V2)


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Origin/Background/Culture

 

The world is a strange place full of mystery, where a simple exploration could solve a few questions yet open many more although we seemingly never tackle the question of greater consciousness and our existence in the world beyond philosophy which appears to only try and level this great knowledge down to our understanding. Here we find the Arbitrium, a strange mix of fortunate and misfavour as they are the recipient of being “chosen” by a somewhat sentient flower known as the River of the Valley. They have often fallen into obscurity as the ravages of extended tripping warped their mind and either took them to reclusive insanity, or homicidal maniacs intent to abuse their power for evil.

 

This has unfortunately rendered the Arbitrium as a known phenomenon, and hence often leads to them being targeted due to their unpredictable nature that can quickly escalate into dangerous enemies of the safety of the modern world. Due to the feared nature of those afflicted and in possession of this connection, they are actively hunted down due to previous recorded accidents which has left a stain in their history although this doesn’t necessarily mean the Arbitrium are bound for conflict, as some have been recorded to remain peaceful and try to help with their gift. They are still at loss for how or why they exist, however, as they receive no communication from any being rather than an almost foreign whisper emanating from the flowers that grant them their permanent hallucinogenic state and power over said state.

 

Within the history of Arbitrium, there have been two notable afflicted who were recorded in history; they are Blissful Mary and the Tyrant Mentiras who were both active in the same time period and both labeled as heathens due to their combative and manipulative nature. Blissful Mary was known as a peaceful woman who was afflicted and tried to provide a reality of peace without the fear of war, but was criticized due to its avoidant state - she was noted to have created an small army of descendants which utilized the nature of the Lily of the Valley to become calm when into battle, and hence fearless when they faced off against the Tyrant Mentiras. Mentiras was a bandit who utilized his new abilities to provide hoax imagery and rob people across the land though the two clashed and both parties died, and became history soon after.

 

Strangely, there has been a noted absence of new Arbitrium being connected to the network over the past three centuries and hence there was the belief that the network was broken following the deaths of Mary and Mentiras although following the recent voidal invasion in Arcas, there has been a noted resurgence within these flowers with the indication they are reviving themselves for no known reason. This is due to the flowers viewing the Arbitrium as a vessel to produce more of the network, and assessed the humanoid societies are unsafe to protect the safety of the fields; this has recently changed however as the Lily’s were put under threat further by the Voidal and Inferi incursions. They are now plotting in some sense, looking for the right mentality before they will attempt to restart the cycle and “elect” a new Arbitrium.

 

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Physical Description

 

Due to the nature of the Arbitrium not being a racial change and moreso a connection, there are some noticeable changes that happen gradually over the first week of their linkage and will remain permanently as they cannot be disconnected until death. Firstly, the Arbitrium will all develop signature emerald coloured irises which swirl in constant motion while also being noticeably phosphorescent which makes them glow in the dark. Alongside this, they will develop the ability to grow movable angel wings from their rhomboid major region which scale to the length of their arms and respond as separate muscles. You can notice these markings due to two apparent deep scars in these positions. They also have the ability to connect previously grown flowers to their skin, which will seep their roots below the skin and become connected to the Arbitrium in consequence.

 

Due to their connection and the unfortunately inevitable result of being permanently connected to a hallucinogenic flower, the Arbitrium will always be under very heavy effects on a sensual and mental level which massively impairs their ability to function; this means they struggle with sight and recognizes physical details, they act in a trance-like state and may fail to recognize very basic things in their day to day routine due to their vision being almost akin to watching a sea constantly in motion as things grow and shrink in size while it rows back and forth in a crazy mess of colours that seem homely, yet foreign. They will struggle with balance although their wings can be used as supports, though fast maneuvers and essentially combat will be a task almost impossible for them - they rely heavily on their control of hallucinations to survive an encounter as dangerous as this.

 

While a shaman or a seer will not be able to sense something off about an Arbitrium besides the obvious fact they are mentally in another world, somebody who is under the effects of the Lily of the Valley will experience a powerful sense of peace and safety if they do not turn the trip against them, however if the situation is reversed and an Arbitrium attempts to torment somebody under the drugs trance then they will not have any additional buff and are solely reliant on their abilities of the skill; this is because the Lily’s do not intentionally wish to seek harm for those who use it as it would endanger the safety of their fields and hence, the Arbitrium is essentially manipulating the actual creative potential presented by the Lily’s to their advantage.

 

Mental Description

Mindset:

Upon the connection of an Arbitrium, they don't really fundamentally change as a person due to the selection of an Arbitrium to begin with and hence they will often maintain their same ideologies as before. They will however naturally begin to grow an attachment towards the Lily’s beyond a simple drug addiction, and will begin viewing them as family as they come to sense with the encrypted language that passes their ears ever so constantly. On the other hand, they will begin to take a rather relaxed approach with people and will often treat people in a more friendly and kind way than they would have before, although this can shift should they fall into a bad trip and consequently enter an intensified bad mood because of it.

 

Now, to clarify, they should usually be on a good trip unless something upsetting or potentially scary is thrown into the equation. So, with a trip, I should clarify, you’re essentially at the level equal to if you haven’t slept in 3 days and decided to get drunk although you aren’t necessarily tired; you have little social filter or understanding of social dynamics, an almost childish perception on individuality between folk and a very blissful mentality where every second is a blessing. This is considered a good trip, and the mental effects that aren’t dependent on mood will always carry over regardless. However, Arbitrium are prone to bad trips.

 

Bad trips will occur should the person become unwell, uncomfortable or sad. This can lead to paranoia and more dangerously; anger, although this is moreso a fight-or-flight mechanism due to the more primitive instincts the drug will leave you in. While the person is within the bad trip, they will feel like they lack energy (almost as if the mentality of being awake for days was real) and the hallucinations can spiral to negatively haunt the Arbitrium with their own traumatic memories or unresolved issues hidden deep in their mentality. This can be game changing in helping them resolve their issues, or break them down into becoming bad people, it all depends on the severity and resilience of the Arbitrium at play.

 

Mental State:

Arbitrium are connected to the network, and hence in response to their connection, will always be under the influence of the Lily of the Valley and it’s psychedelic effects both sensually and mentally. I’ve already detailed how the trip will operate and the view of the Arbitrium in their daily routine so I will jump into the long-term effects of this exposure. Think about the alteration of reality and the realisation that nothing you see will appear real, and how that will play on the mind over longer periods of time. They will gradually become desensitized to reality while they either grow to resent their routine and begin slipping into their darker self, or they fall in line and embrace the veil opening to new possibilities.

 

This will have effects in the long term, most definitely, which can lead to the development of PTSD due to the heightened sense of emotions present from the drug while general mental health disorders can creep into their mind such as split personalities, personality disorders, anxiety, depression and otherwise. You’re in a state of self doubt permanently and a character's resilience will determine how far they will go before they will begin succumbing to these issues present in the mind - the unfortunate risk of having a system so complex, it is prone to faults, especially when exposed to reality altering drugs for a lifetime. It is encouraged that they are roleplayed when the characters experience trauma and naturally fall into bad trips, or when they are getting older and their experience within the new perspective begins to dominate their former memories.

 

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Abilities

Name: Hallucinogenic Connection

Description of the ability:

While both parties are within the presence of the Lily of the Valley, the Arbitrium has the ability to remotely hijack somebodies hallucination and alter their sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch while they are within the efficient range. The Arbitrium can use this to render whatever they can creatively into the victims mind, however certain things will be noticeably off due to the psychedelic nature.

Mechanics of the ability:

To access and manipulate the person with said power, both the Arbitrium and victim must be within close proximity of a Lily of the Valley(s), which will allow the network to work it’s magic and let the Arbitrium fully communicate with the flowers. This can be done remotely from a patch nearby while emoting to lie down in the flowers, which will put the Arbitrium in full communication and capable to “render” themselves in the victim’s radius as the flowers act as a sort of doorway. From there, they have access to alter reality while the victim is within a four block radius of a flower, but will lose connection regardless of if they are still tripping if they leave that radius. Should they wish to alter anything in the victims reality, it will happen almost instantaneously should the Arbitrium wish to project it into their altered reality.

Specific Red Lines:

  • Should the plants become damaged, derooted or dying, the Arbitrium will not be able to project themselves through them due to the Lily not being living and ergo, not being properly connected to the network.
  • When an Arbitrium wishes to spy using one of these flowers, then they must write an emote declaring their presence through the flower and they are limited to a very minimalist physical view and hearing as is with all their connections - more so relying on shapes and struggling with colours, although this will be altered by the hallucinogens to appear more ‘normal’, though not true to the actual nature of it.
  • To reiterate further, their view is limited to the proximity of the flowers due to the connection being made through them. Anything beyond their range turns into void, although sounds from outside the region can be heard if they’re loud enough - explosions, shouting, etc if they’re within a reasonable range (be realistic.)
  • The range of effect is 9x9 blocks with the flower being in the middle, so they must be within four blocks away from the original source otherwise the trance will quickly fade away following their disconnection.
  • While you can alter touch and their ability to feel, which would allow routes into convincing people of injuries - you do not have the power to cause any life threatening conditions, such as shock or a cardiac arrest from their fake pain.
  • Should the Arbitrium be injured during their connection, they will cease the power of manipulation and be grounded firmly in reality due to an oncoming bad trip due to the pain where they will struggle to maintain connection until calm.
  • Due to the presence of a psychedelic, some people will be able to piece together that the manipulation is a hoax reality although they will be unsure what is real and what is not; which requires some more complex tactics to be required.
  • Should the Arbitrium connect while a demon is present within the flowers radius, it will instantly cause the Arbitrium to disconnect from that line and immediately cause a bad trip in result, with usual tales of feeling sick and uncomfortable.

 

Name: Nature’s Resurgence

Description of the ability: 

The Arbitrium will summon their power and connection from the network, the Arbitrium can spark the growth of new Lily’s of the Valley in an area which can facilitate life, or even on themselves at a later stage. They will grow immediately, but will start as juvenile (deactivated) Lily’s of the Valley and progress to a usable flower after 24 hours have passed, until then they are heard but cannot be used.

Mechanics of the ability: 

The Arbitrium should prepare by summoning all their energy, and clearing their mind to be in full connection with the network in their first emote, before summoning the energy from the network and performing A-Okay gestures in both hands on their second emote and finally releasing and slapping down on the earth, thinking their desired effect (On themselves or into the ground) before they will sprout from the soil or skin as juvenile flowers and develop into the full thing after one saints day.

Specific Red Lines:

  • This cannot be used in the heat of argument, battle or if there is anyone loud blocking your ability to clear your mind. Waterfalls, rapids, battles, cities, or otherwise will prevent them from causing this - leaving it only available in the wilderness.
  • Using this ability will cause the operator to have a “Hangover” for the next two days after creating 2 in one session, leaving them unable to cast and feeling unwell for the duration of the hangover.
  • If the terrain is poor and undesirable for the plants, they will die out moments of being spawned. If you create flowers on yourself while you are severely injured, malnourished or dehydrated then they will also follow suit to avoid injuring you.
  • They will be connected to every Lily of the Valley within their region (Their region will be their biome) but only if they are healthy adult plants which are rooted within the ground.
  • While growing flowers on your own person will render the same results as one grown in soil on a psychoactive basis, they will not share the regional network and will instead act as a personal safety net for the Arbitrium venturing out of their territory and wish to have some manipulative defence against the wilds.

 

Name: Organic Airfoils

Description of the ability: If the Arbitrium commands them, they can summon angelic wings from vapour that harden and form into feathery wings on their back which are capable in aiding them in staying stable while standing and also gliding over short distances at a high risk of crashing as consequence.

Mechanics of the ability: For them to summon their wings to begin with, they should emote a short humming and temporary standing meditation as they will shortly sprout and form a silhouette of angel wings, before making an emote after for them to solidify and take shape. They can only use these wings for gliding due to their inability to operate them efficiently to gain lift and upon landing, must roll 20 to know how bad of a landing it was (Below five is an injury to the wing, below ten is a rough landing with a few cuts and bruises, below fifteen is a rough landing with no injuries and above fifteen is an acceptable landing.). To retract these, the process is repeated again except the results are backwards.

Specific Red Lines:

  • They may only take off should they fall from a height with their winds actively out, should they wish to flap these wings - they will knock themselves off balance and will likely crash immediately after as they are unable to properly guide themselves back to a proper pitch.
  • While they appear from vapour, they are recognized by the body as a working muscle and ergo, are susceptible to damage and in the worst case scenario, having them cut off. If they are cut off, or severely damaged, they will not grow back and the practical ability will be lost permanently.
  • Piloting with these is a nightmare for the Arbitrium, whose vision is akin to a goldfish in a bowl of Coca Cola. They will struggle turning left and right with a large turning radius due to the risk of spiralling into the floor while performing an up or down motion is significantly easier - making semi-straight lines the safest route.
  • If these remain used in a combat scenario, using the wing to bash opponents is plausible except highly ineffective, will sprain or potentially fracture bones in the wing and any damage caused will temporarily prevent them from being retracted one full day after the event, so it is highly suggested you don’t trust doing so.

 

General Red lines/Restrictions

  • Arbitrium cannot learn magic, nor perform magic that isn’t from their connection due to their intensely powerful hallucinogenic trip. 
  • The Arbitrium will always be on the same level of peak tripping for the rest of their days as they are unable to disconnect, I have specified the details in mentality and physical.
  • They rely purely on deception using the network, as they will be virtually incapable of winning any hand-to-hand fight by themselves due to their condition.
  • While the Arbitrium are in communication with the network/flowers and can hear an encoded version of what they speak, they are unable to decode this and hence cannot use meta-like tactics to uncover things which they have not personally witnessed with their ability.
  • While they have access to functional wings, they are strongly disabled by the effects of being under a psychedelic substance and hence will never be able to evolve their technique to a standard which allows full flight, or anything that mimics it beyond gliding.
  • Throughout time, even if they do not wish to harm people, Arbitrium are prone to making decisions that may not favour the opposition due to their altered reasoning under the effects. This doesn’t necessarily make the character lack morals, although they will make mistakes which will likely paint them as a villain throughout their lifetime.
  • You’re encouraged to explore more psychological means of hallucinations rather than fear, although both are acceptable practises. The Arbitrium are in some sense open to another reality illustrated by the Lily’s, and hence will often be more proficient to using more deeper mind tricks similar to a cult/religious speaker, or a therapist in some horrifically manipulative alternate reality.

 

 

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Purpose (OOC)

 

The Arbitrium is an odd one, because it understandably has similarities between other creatures yet remains unique in its own right because it is the victim of its own power. I have attempted to incorporate this idea with my personal experiences with LSD, Shrooms and 2CB and develop something that remains true to nature rather than a cool gimmick that remains unseen by other characters. It opens a new avenue because they aren’t inherently bad, and actually plan to help people in a sort of misunderstood hero kind of way. They’re defenders of a single plant and a supposed network they fail to comprehend themselves, while also being victims to their own powers on a mental and social level – they appear naturally evil and manipulative due to the sheer potential their powers can achieve, however they are not limited to this, as they could take routes to use their powers for the greater good or for their own selfish desires; leaving them open in their pursuit for whatever they so desire. This gives players the opportunity to play ordinary characters who will naturally be shunned due to their history which paints them in a different light to what they are, and hence allows the player the opportunity to be an menace to society or a friendly face with potential to rectify issuesl; they could become leaders of their own religions or cults while they could become a valuable asset to an organization for their manipulative prowess.

 

From what I can see, the Arbitrium will be the only CA’s which remain their original race while also experiencing fundamental personality changes as the result of an exposure to a drug beyond a magical connection and what-not. They’re the result of their own powers, and fortunately not at the whims of a god to commit actions to further their cause. They’re simply an element meant to keep the flowers and the flowers alone alive otherwise they are forced to suffer as a consequence, the unjust participant of an illusion they poolry understand and the potential for an operator to portray the effects of how that can mentally incapacitate and alter the perception of somebody. This gives the opportunity for players to have a grounded real life experience placed into a character to portray an alternative spin of the fantasy medieval vibe we so aspire for, and ergo, will hopefully produce a different scenario should they be played out by the correct people (I will vet those who attempt to become one, as I am very distrustful that the characters won’t be played to the best of their ability.) I’m going to be honest, it’s round two and I don’t have much clue what to put on here regardless. If you allow this to be started, refined in operation and properly intergrated into the lore than we can open a different take onto this niche beyond dryads and open the routes for a different potential of villains, or even heroes depending on how the characters are shaped by the environment before them.

 

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On 10/8/2020 at 3:52 PM, _Hexe_ said:

haha weed bros

 

cool as **** i like it

 

I’m gonna pretend like you just didn’t compare weed to shrooms and lsd. I don’t remember playing Warzone when I smoke a zoot

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4 hours ago, BarcardiBreeza said:

 

I’m gonna pretend like you just didn’t compare weed to shrooms and lsd. I don’t remember playing Warzone when I smoke a zoot

all drugs are weed

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**** yeah acid

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This lore has been denied. You will be sent a forum PM regarding the reasons for denial within the next 24 hours.

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