Fleur___ 200 Share Posted February 2 Purpose I hadn’t gotten the chance to use this ability as much as I’ve done recently, so I’ve only now realized how deeply confusing it is all around. I suppose while tweaking it for the rewrite, a couple of parts from slightly different versions slipped by us and ended up forming a confusing (and self-contradictory at times) explanation. Now that I’ve had proper hands-on experience with using it in roleplay, a lot of ideas came to mind on how to make it a more interesting interaction for both the sprite and the promise-partner. I also felt like the normal way of casting did not enable the extent of trickery that I intended for the ability and CA as a whole, so I wanted to add a way for them to truly cheat people into a promise. My hope is to foster a fear of sorts in characters that interact with sprites, making them wary of what they say. To have them warn others of the danger of words around fae in the same nature as how I’ve seen some older characters talk about sprites invading minds (from interactions with older versions of their lore). I’ve heard there have been issues with things not needing IRP consent before in other lore pieces, but I figured the mechanics and punishment limitations do not really allow for truly consequential abuse (especially with the relatively short duration of effects and disallowing of severe harm). Full List of Changes Let me know if I missed anything… Spoiler Added clarifications and condensed unneeded complexities throughout the whole ability, especially the actual process of binding a promise and its emote order which had conflicting versions in the original explanation. Through testing the ability myself in roleplay a few times, I found that we didn’t really explain it in the best way. The times I used it I was never 100% sure if I was doing it properly or in the correct order, so I can only imagine how new sprite players might struggle with it. Just in case it is not clear, the emote count remains unchanged. Allowed for a wider range of aesthetics during the process by letting them shape their faerie dust into a fitting manifestation for each promise. Given their shapeshifting/imitator nature, I thought this would be a good addition. Added an alternate method for binding promises. This one is meant to be used to trick people IRP into accidentally getting themselves bound to a promise. Given the relatively harmless nature of the ability in general (the punishments are more flavorful than anything truly consequential), I thought it would be interesting to allow this avenue of trickery. I can imagine it could have some really cool uses combined with the sound mimicking passive, like a sprite hiding behind a bush tricking someone into a promise by mimicking a loved one’s voice. Still, it has its power with being able to bind to people without their IRP consent, so I made sure to add a consequence for the sprite. The magical tell should also be enough to not have this be completely unnoticeable. It will be difficult to trick someone more than once after they see the very obvious magic tell. The 4 emotes range should be a good balance between allowing some room for a conversation to happen and incentivizing them to try to force out a promise before the timer runs out, though I can see a case being made for that to be shortened. I’m open to adding a maximum of uses per day, but I’m posting it without it at first just in case it’s not needed. My only hope is that whatever changes are required at the end of the day allow the base concept to remain, which is to have an avenue to bind without IRP consent. Made it so completed promises fade away immediately instead of the current 1 OOC day. Changed the flavorful mention of punishments lasting several years to be more in line with the mechanical default of 3 IRP months. The actual duration remains unchanged. Removed the ability for sprites to dispel an unfinished promise whenever they want to, while keeping the avenue of removing it with the help of a Transcendent Druid. I feel this would be more healthy for the ability, since it forces sprites to really think of what they promise. This also fixes the current unintended mechanic of a sprite making a promise to someone and then dispelling it when they leave so they don’t know that it was cancelled, which doesn’t feel like something good to have. Added redline explaining what counts as “means of acknowledgment”. Added redline clarifying that the aesthetics of a promise manifestation may be unique to each promise, but they are limited to tells related to nature. This is to make sure people don’t emote stuff like ghostly faces or a scroll with a quill, which would be stepping too much into other existing magics or creatures. Also clarified that these tells will always appear magical, since they are made up of the sprite’s faerie dust. Added a redline explaining what would happen if combat started during the casting of either version of the ability. Added redline clarifying that the coiled method does not need IRP consent, but still requires OOC consent. Also explained what would happen if OOC consent is not given. Added redline stating only promises made to the sprite would trigger the coiled energy, and that promises that violate a tenet would not trigger it at all. This is to avoid sprites being able to bind promises that do not involve them. Also set the range to #RP range, only being able to trigger a binding if the promise is said within the range. Added redline explaining what can count as a trigger for the coiled energy. The intent for this is that any declarative statement with wording that clearly means “I will do this” should be enough of a trigger. Saying things like “I’m gonna get food for you”, “I will return tomorrow”, “I’ll shut up now” would all bind what they said as a promise. Alternatively, if the sprite tells them to do something, responding with “Yes”, “Okay”, or simply a nod would all work as a trigger. It’s supposed to be a challenge for the sprite to get the first trigger to be something that they want to be bound, instead of a less useful promise. Added redline clarifying the only way to avoid the backfiring of the coiled energy is for someone else to make a promise to them. With this alternate method, they cannot make a promise themselves. Added redline stating the sprite player must roll from the punishment example table to determine their punishment for not binding a promise in time. Moved redline stating punishments cannot interrupt casting a few redlines up, improving the flow of them while reading down the list. The redline remains unchanged. Added redline explaining how a druid might learn about the presence of a dormant promise or active punishment. Made it require active communion so that they’re not immediately found and removed with no effort. The idea is for the more common case to be the afflicted searching for the aid of a druid, instead of a druid discovering them first. Tweaked redline unallowing promises that require harming another to be more in line with the actual tenet. Added “severely” to specify it is the more extreme harm that isn’t allowed (from stabbing to full on killing), while lesser harm (like slapping or pushing) is still allowed. Removed the mention of torment, since this is too vague and could be used to disallow perfectly acceptable promises depending on the ST that rules on it (like breaking into a house, or stalking someone). Teaked redline explaining the terms of a promise are based on how the sprite understands it, making it more clear and offering an example. Added the usual redline stating that no part of the ability may be used for inappropriate means. Feels like a must, just in case, but this is disallowed already server-wide, so I’d understand if it’s viewed as unnecessary by the Lore Team. Edited the current emote example to fit the new changes + added some new ones to show what it’d look like to use the new method (plus what happens when it fails). I wish Mohu and Pouph were real… Tweaked or fully changed half of the punishment examples to make them much more interesting to roleplay, while also focusing more on the nature aspect. This is, again, to keep them in line with their niche and not step into the toes of other unrelated lore pieces. I’m quite proud of them, they’re silly… Old Spoiler Promise of the Pixie [Non-Combative] [Magically Binding] Traders by nature, sprites rarely give or receive without bartering in the process. A common sight amongst sprites is to enforce their trades through magical promises. While the binding is not powerful enough to cause any grandeur harm, it often leads to descendants mindlessly making, then breaking, promises with sprites after thinking little of them. While the consequences of a broken promise tend to fade away quickly, some can last years, or even decades, after a promise was broken, causing great inconvenience to whomever made light of making a deal with a sprite. Sprites may make a magical promise between themselves and another willing individual by channeling their energy for [2 Emotes]. Before the promise can be made, however, a sprite must declare the exact terms of the deal to be made, after which they may begin channeling once the would-be promise-partner has agreed to the terms through any clear means of acknowledgement. The sprite starts by condensing the promise’s concept into an orb of energy, which includes both the rules of the deal and the punishment should it be broken, soon splitting into two glowing motes of energy with an ethereal threading bonding them together. After absorbing one mote for themselves, they will inject the mote into the body of their promise-partner, binding it to their soul. Should either break the promise, then they will fall victim to the punishment sealed within the promise at its creation. Should the sprite acknowledge that the deal was successful, then the promise will fade away after [1 OOC Day], freeing both the sprite and their promise-partner from its constraints. Should it be broken, however, then whoever broke it will be subjected to the punishment embedded in the promise at its creation, or a random one should no specific punishment have been decided upon. While the punishments embedded within these promises are often more tedious and inconveniencing in nature than anything genuinely harmful, they are still greatly varied in potency and effect due to the proficiency of sprites in this particular form of trickery. Punishments can include minor things, such as causing individuals to become paranoid over eating their favorite foods, to more severe, such as hallucinations, or chitinous growths upon their skin. These punishments often last several years before fading away, the effects fizzling away seemingly overnight once the duration ends. Sprites may cancel any active promise of their creation by spending [2 Emotes] to sever the promise’s thread. The promise-partner must be OOCly alerted if their promise is severed, although they’ll remain IRPly unaware of it. If two sprites simultaneously promise each other for a deal between themselves, then the promises will be binded together. Neither sprite may sever their promise on their own, they may only be cancelled if both sprites sever their own individual promises at the same time. Transcendent Druids may sever these promises and relieve individuals of punishments as they see fit by spending [2 Emotes] to pry the fae affliction from them, although they must be aware a person is binded to a promise, or affected by a punishment, before they can do so. [Manifest Promise & Punishment] [Bind Partners Together] All promises and punishments created this way must fall within a basic set of tenets, and sprites will inherently never attempt to create deals which circumvent these tenets. These tenets are applied to both sides of the deal, and neither the sprite nor the promise-partner may have any obligations that go against these tenets on their end of the bargain. Sprites who attempt to make promises while aware of a violation will be unable to form a promise, and sprites who discover a promise they made violates these tenets will have their promise immediately broken, the punishment falling upon the sprite. A sprite who breaks a promise in this way will experience severe distress and emotional agony in addition to their punishment. I. Promises must always benefit the sprite in some capacity, such as serving their fascination or pushing forward their personal goals. II. Promises may never involve descendant currency, such as minas or other mina alternatives, as rewards. III. Promises cannot be made to kill, maim, or otherwise severely harm individuals that pose no threat to the sprite. Hide contents - Both the sprite and the promise-partner must OOCly consent to making a deal before a promise can be made. - Punishments last [3 OOC Days] minimum before fading away on their own, although they may be kept for a longer duration, even indefinitely, at the discretion of the affected player. - Punishments cannot cause physical harm, alter memories, induce positive emotions, nor dull senses like pain. One cannot exploit punishments for combat advantages by doing things such as ‘removing fear’ as a punishment. They ought to be whimsical, mildly inconveniencing, and RP-enhancing. - The punishment does not need to be stated in roleplay, but it does need to be decided by the sprite at the time of creation. The punishment must be OOCly told to the promise-partner after the promise has been made. If no specific punishment is decided upon, then the punishment will default to the example table. - The side-effects of punishments are never strong or distracting enough to interrupt casting focus. - Promises cannot be made with conditions that bring harm or torment to other characters, such as having another person killed. -The logic behind the terms of the deal are subjective to the sprite’s understanding of them when being applied to the promise. - Sprites may not circumvent tenets by OOCly playing stupid to prevent themselves from realizing they've broken a tenet. Sprites can be foolish, but no sprite will ever be that ignorant about the tenets of promises. Example [Manifest Promise & Punishment] [!] The enwrapped figure of halfling size lifts up a bony hand from her spot beside the street, the darkened hood leveling towards the awaiting knight as she release a voice that croaks like the chorus of a dozen toads. "Then, as agreed- five sprigs of green for thine secret ye seek, or thine's hair shall green instead- with leaf and thorn!" A faint flickering of dust weaves about the faerie's hand as she butchers the common tongue in a most estranged way. [!] The knight, agreeing to the spontaneous pact, reaches forward and accept her hand. [Bind Partners Together] [!] With a shake, the dust weaves between the two limbs before releasing into a shower of light. The pact is forged with the being's cackle, who then settles down to await her champion's success. [d12] Example Punishment Table The following table is a list of examples that can be defaulted to when one doesn’t wish to select a punishment or doesn’t feel comfortable creating one on their own. This list isn’t a representation of the extent of what punishments can be, and sprites are encouraged to create their own whacky punishments which aren’t included in this list. Punishments should always be nature-related [1] The punished individual's trachea becomes laced with faerie dust, pollen, or another type of natural dust or powder. They become more prone to both coughing and sneezing, expelling what dust or powder they were afflicted with each time they do either. [2] The punished individual occasionally hears auditory hallucinations related to the natural world, such as the creaking of wood or animals skittering. Alternatively, they may hear sprite-like giggles and indiscernible whispers in the distance. These sounds grow closer should an attempt to ignore them be made, but become distant again should the individual ever attempt to find them. [3] The punished individual has small patches of flora sprout randomly from their body while they sleep. These growths are mildly itchy and will come off with a bit of force. [4] The punished individual adopts the sense of taste of a certain animal or of the sprite that jinxed them. Anything outside the chosen creature's diet tastes horribly bitter, but is still edible. This does not change the nutritional value of anything eaten. [5] The punished individual finds themselves often distracted by trivial things, such as butterflies or minor goods in shops, and overly prone to wandering around once they’ve become distracted in this way. [6] The punished individual has small bumps appear on their skin. These bumps randomly move around as if they were small bugs or writhing roots, although only feels uncomfortable at most. Should the bumps be touched, the bumps will wriggle away or temporarily rescind into the body. [7] The punished individual feels unreasonably tense or uneasy when around certain animals or plants. [8] The punished individual emits an earthy, mud-like scent, attracting beetles, roaches, flies, and other pesky insects. [9] The punished individual will find themselves abnormally magnetized to watching trees, being able to stare at them for hours without growing bored. [10] The punished individual individual begins to hallucination food, small trinkets, and toys to be alive, interacting with them as if they were close friends. The individual can be snapped out of this if it's brought to their attention, but will resume the behavior after a while. [11] The punished individual becomes prone to sleepwalking, always waking up outside in an area where nature surrounds them. [12] The punished individual finds themselves to be often distracted by trivial things, such as butterflies or shiny objects. Once distracted in this manner, they tend to wander around while temporarily forgetting whatever they might've been doing prior to getting distracted. Highlighted Changes Spoiler Promise of the Pixie [Non-Combative] [Magically Binding] Traders by nature, sprites rarely give or receive without bartering in the process. A common sight amongst sprites is to enforce their trades through magical promises. While the binding is not powerful enough to cause any grandeur harm, it often leads to descendants mindlessly making, then breaking, promises with sprites after thinking little of them. While the consequences of a broken promise tend to fade away quickly, some can last years, or even decades, after a promise was broken, causing great inconvenience to whomever made light of making a deal with a sprite. Sprites may make a magical promise between themselves and another willing individual by channeling their energy for [2 Emotes]. Before the promise can be made, however, a sprite must declare the exact terms of the deal to be made, after which they may begin channeling once the would-be promise-partner has agreed to the terms through any clear means of acknowledgement. The sprite starts by condensing the promise’s concept into an orb of energy, which includes both the rules of the deal and the punishment should it be broken, soon splitting into two glowing motes of energy with an ethereal threading bonding them together. After absorbing one mote for themselves, they will inject the mote into the body of their promise-partner, binding it to their soul. Should either break the promise, then they will fall victim to the punishment sealed within the promise at its creation. Sprites may begin to make a magical promise between themselves and another willing individual by channeling their faerie dust for [1 Emote] to bring forth a manifestation of their bargain. This may take the form of an orb of light circling their head, druidic sigils in the air, ethereal worms crawling out their mouth, etc. The sprite would end their channeling by stating the promise out loud, after which their promise-partner must agree through any clear means of acknowledgement. With an additional [1 Emote] the manifestation will split, and the halves will bind to each party, making a total of [2 Emotes]. [Manifest Promise] [Bind Partners Together] Alternatively, a sprite more prone to trickery may spend [2 Emotes] coiling up their energies like a spring, holding them back to release in full force to whoever dares make a promise to them. It would manifest its magical tells as normal, though the strain on the faerie would cause these to have a noticeable flicker or quiver. Should no one make a promise to them within the following [4 Emotes], the attempted trick would backfire as the energy grows too difficult to contain and automatically triggers a punishment for the sprite outside of their control. [Channel Energy] [Coil Energy, Ready to React] [Hold Energy for Promise] [Hold] [Hold] [Energy Backfires] Should the sprite acknowledge that the deal was successful, then the promise will fade away after [1 OOC Day], freeing both the sprite and their promise-partner from its constraints. Should it be broken, however, then whoever broke it will be subjected to the punishment embedded in the promise at its creation, or a random one should no specific punishment have been decided upon. While the punishments embedded within these promises are often more tedious and inconveniencing in nature than anything genuinely harmful, they are still greatly varied in potency and effect due to the proficiency of sprites in this particular form of trickery. Punishments can include minor things, such as causing individuals to become paranoid over eating their favorite foods, to more severe, such as hallucinations, or chitinous growths upon their skin. These punishments often last several years before fading away, the effects fizzling away seemingly overnight once the duration ends. After the sprite is aware that a deal has been successfully completed, the promise will fade away immediately, freeing both parties from its constraints. However, regardless of if the sprite knows of it, a broken promise will swiftly inflict a punishment on the betrayer. While these tend to be more tedious and inconveniencing in nature than anything genuinely harmful, they are still greatly varied in potency and effect due to the proficiency of sprites in this particular form of trickery. Punishments can include minor things, such as feeling uncomfortable around flowers, to more severe, such as chitinous growths upon their skin. These effects often last several months before fading away, the effects fizzling away seemingly overnight once the duration ends. Sprites may cancel any active promise of their creation by spending [2 Emotes] to sever the promise’s thread. The promise-partner must be OOCly alerted if their promise is severed, although they’ll remain IRPly unaware of it. If two sprites simultaneously promise each other for a deal between themselves, then the promises will be binded together. Neither sprite may sever their promise on their own, they may only be cancelled if both sprites sever their own individual promises at the same time. Transcendent Druids may sever these promises and relieve individuals of punishments as they see fit by spending [2 Emotes] to pry the fae affliction from them, although they must be aware a person is binded to a promise, or affected by a punishment, before they can do so. [Manifest Promise & Punishment] [Bind Partners Together] A promise, once bound, cannot be taken back. It will remain dormant for as long as it takes for it to be fulfilled or broken, which will be immediately felt by both parties. A Transcendent Druid may sever a promise or relieve an individual of their punishment as they see fit by spending [2 Emotes] to pry the fae affliction from them, but they must be aware of it in the first place. However, two sprites who decide to make a promise to each other have no option other than carrying it out or breaking it. All promises and punishments created this way must fall within a basic set of tenets, and sprites will inherently never attempt to create deals which circumvent these tenets. These tenets are applied to both sides of the deal, and neither the sprite nor the promise-partner may have any obligations that go against these tenets on their end of the bargain. Sprites who attempt to make promises while aware of a violation will be unable to form a promise, and sprites who discover a promise they made violates these tenets will have their promise immediately broken, the punishment falling upon the sprite. A sprite who breaks a promise in this way will experience severe distress and emotional agony in addition to their punishment. Any violation of these would result in an unsuccessful binding, the promise never taking hold and fading into the air. I. Promises must always benefit the sprite in some capacity, such as serving their fascination or pushing forward their personal goals. II. Promises may never involve descendant currency, such as minas or other mina alternatives, as rewards. III. Promises cannot be made to kill, maim, or otherwise severely harm individuals that pose no threat to the sprite. - Both the sprite and the promise-partner must OOCly consent to making a deal before a promise can be made. - Means of acknowledgment include nodding, shaking their hand, saying yes, or any other method of affirmation. These must be clearly directed at the sprite’s promise, and not anything else. That is, greeting another individual with a nod would not bind a promise. - The aesthetic of the promise manifestation may be personalized per promise, but it must be unmistakably related to nature, and will always appear magical since it is made up of the sprite’s faerie dust. - The start of combat will cause any unfinished promises to fade away and fail to take hold. However, if the sprite is instead holding coiled energy, it will automatically backfire in their next emote. - Even if the alternate coiled method does not require IRP consent from the one making the promise, the sprite player is still responsible for getting their OOC consent all the same. If the player does not give their consent, the energy neither takes hold nor backfires. - The coiled energy will only respond to promises that are made to the sprite, within #RP range, and that do not violate any tenets. - Using words such as promise, swear, vow, guarantee, assure, etc will all be enough to trigger the coiled energy. Basically, any declarative statement with wording that can be directly translated to “I will do this”. If the sprite states the promise first, responding with any of the means of acknowledgement mentioned in an earlier redline would also count as a trigger. - A sprite cannot dispel the coiled energy in any way to avoid its eventual punishment, not even make a promise of their own. Someone must make a promise to them or it will backfire. - Should the coiled energy backfire, the punishment for the sprite must be rolled from the punishment example table instead of chosen directly. - Punishments last [3 OOC Days] minimum before fading away on their own, although they may be kept for a longer duration, even indefinitely, at the discretion of the affected player. - Punishments cannot cause physical harm, alter memories, induce positive emotions, nor dull senses like pain. One cannot exploit punishments for combat advantages by doing things such as ‘removing fear’ as a punishment. They ought to be whimsical, mildly inconveniencing, and RP-enhancing. - The side-effects of punishments are never strong or distracting enough to interrupt casting focus. - The punishment does not need to be stated in roleplay, but it does need to be decided by the sprite at the time of creation. The punishment must be OOCly told to the promise-partner after the promise has been made. If no specific punishment is decided upon, then the punishment will default to the example table. - Both dormant promises and punishments can be sensed by a druid through active communion as a very quiet tune emanating from the affected individual’s body. - The side-effects of punishments are never strong or distracting enough to interrupt casting focus. - Promises cannot be made with conditions that bring severe harm or torment to other characters, such as having another person stabbed or killed. Lesser harm, like slapping or pushing, is still allowed. - The logic behind the terms of the deal a promise are always subjective to the sprite’s understanding of it. them when being applied to the promise. For example, “The fount of life itself will be yours” may just mean “I’m gonna bring you some seeds.” - Sprites may not circumvent tenets by OOCly playing stupid to prevent themselves from realizing they've broken a tenet. Sprites can be foolish, but no sprite will ever be that ignorant about the tenets of promises. - Neither promises nor punishments may ever be used to facilitate inappropriate roleplay. Doing so could result in a blacklist or a more severe disciplinary action, like a ban. Example Consensual Method [Manifest Promise & Punishment] [!] The enwrapped figure of halfling size lifts up a bony hand from her spot beside the street, the darkened hood leveling towards the awaiting knight as she releases a voice that croaks like the chorus of a dozen toads. "Then, as agreed- five sprigs of green for thine secret ye seek, or thine's hair shall green instead- with leaf and thorn!" A faint flickering of dust A sparkling worm borne of an olive-hued dust squirms about the faerie's hand as she butchers the common tongue in a most estranged way. [!] The knight, agreeing to the spontaneous pact, reaches forward and accepts her hand. [Bind Partners Together] [!] With a shake, the dust worm weaves between the two limbs before releasing exploding into a shower of light. The pact is forged with the being's cackle, who then settles down to await her champion's success. Coiled Method [Channel Energy] Wohu’s feathery wings ruffled up at the sound of some very familiar voices approaching just beyond the hill. Those wings began to glow as they became enveloped in glowing, white sand and lifted him up so that he may see exactly how far away they were. The sand flaked off with each flap, beginning to circle him in the air. [!] The most horrible sight peeked over the hill. A group of small children were running as fast as they could, nets in hand, all screaming many variations of “Catch it!” [Coil Energy, Ready to React] [!] That sand kept flowing through the air around the avian faerie in swirls, eventually coming to rest on his wings once more. It condensed into much larger, ethereal feathers that jutted out between his own, which had a noticeable twitch to them. He put his hands on his hips, and stuck out his tongue on the side of his beak before speaking through a squawk, “You will not be trapping Wohu on this day!” [!] This seemed to greatly inspire one of the children, the one who has always found a way to make this creature’s home a jar. She ran ahead the rest, net in hand as she yelled out between giggles, “I will catch you! I will!” [Energy Triggers] [!] Upon that confident declaration leaving her mouth, those spasming feathers shot out of Wohu’s wings and flit through the air. They almost looked dangerous as they flew closer, but once they met her skin they simply seeped within with an uncomfortable tickle sensation. Wohu seemed pleased by this, promptly turning and speeding off in the opposite direction. He would not be getting caught today; this time he will make sure of it. Coiled Method Failure [Energy Backfires] Pouph anxiously nodded along the words of the elderly man before her who had been rambling about stories of the past for a while now, his horrible hearing and sight making it impossible for her to interrupt him even after her many attempts. As much as she tried, her time was up. The butterfly formed out of yellow crystal-like powder that rested atop her head convulsed violently before swiftly melting into a sap-like consistency. It descended down her precious dandelion poof hair, weighing it down and making a sticky mess out of it as she felt the same substance seep out of the rest of her body. The man did not even notice when she zoomed off with her sobs echoing behind her, continuing his story for his new audience of none. [d12] Example Punishment Table The following table is a list of examples that can be defaulted to when one doesn’t wish to select a punishment or doesn’t feel comfortable creating one on their own. This list isn’t a representation of the extent of what punishments can be, and sprites are encouraged to create their own whacky punishments which aren’t included in this list. Punishments should always be nature-related [1] The punished individual's trachea becomes laced with faerie dust, pollen, or another type of natural dust or powder. They become more prone to both coughing and sneezing, expelling what dust or powder they were afflicted with each time they do either. [2] The punished individual occasionally hears auditory hallucinations related to the natural world, such as the creaking of wood or animals skittering. Alternatively, they may hear sprite-like giggles and indiscernible whispers in the distance. These sounds grow closer should an attempt to ignore them be made, but become distant again should the individual ever attempt to find them. [3] The punished individual has small patches of flora sprout randomly from their body while they sleep. These growths are mildly itchy and will come off with a bit of force. [4] The punished individual adopts the sense of taste of a certain animal or of the sprite that jinxed them. Anything outside the chosen creature's diet tastes horribly bitter, but is still edible. This does not change the nutritional value of anything eaten. [5] The punished individual finds themselves often distracted by trivial things, such as butterflies or minor goods in shops, and overly prone to wandering around once they’ve become distracted in this way. The punished individual finds that they secrete honey, sap, or some type of fruit juice out of their pores instead of sweat, which easily sticks to their clothing and makes movement horribly uncomfortable on a hot day. [6] The punished individual has small bumps appear on their skin. These bumps randomly move around as if they were small bugs or writhing roots, although only feels uncomfortable at most. Should the bumps be touched, the bumps will wriggle away or temporarily rescind into the body. [7] The punished individual feels unreasonably tense or uneasy when around certain animals or plants. The punished individual has a direct line of sight to a certain illusory animal at any given moment, no matter where they are or how far they travel. This hallucination must be of the same small animal every time (duck, rat, etc), is always staring at them, and cannot be seen by anyone else. It never allows the individual to get close enough to touch it. [8] The punished individual emits an earthy, mud-like scent, attracting beetles, roaches, flies, and other pesky insects. [9] The punished individual will find themselves abnormally magnetized to watching trees, being able to stare at them for hours without growing bored. The punished individual will find that whenever they speak about the sprite that cursed them, some type of plant mass such as moss begins growing inside or over their mouth. This can be removed easily and does not have to trigger again until the next narrative day. [10] The punished individual individual begins to hallucination food, small trinkets, and toys to be alive, interacting with them as if they were close friends. The individual can be snapped out of this if it's brought to their attention, but will resume the behavior after a while. The punished individual has a worm, spider, slug, or other small invertebrate appear out of their nose, ear, or mouth at random times in the day. [11] The punished individual becomes prone to sleepwalking, always waking up outside in an area where nature surrounds them. The punished individual’s home is quietly invaded by small critters or vermin every night while they sleep and they are carried and left outside in an area nearby where nature is the most present. [12] The punished individual finds themselves to be often distracted by trivial things, such as butterflies or shiny objects. Once distracted in this manner, they tend to wander around while temporarily forgetting whatever they might've been doing prior to getting distracted. The punished individual finds that plant material such as roots, vines, or seaweed regularly appears tangled up in their hair, becoming difficult to remove if not addressed as they show up. Further Changes from ST Compile Feedback Spoiler Cut the base method of casting to instead make the trickery version the default. Changed wording throughout to fit the new vibe. Clarified pact aesthetic examples. Clarified that a sprite cannot dispel a manifestation to avoid its eventual punishment. Clarified that punishments last a minimum of 3 OOC Days. Made it so a completed promise fades away on its own without needing the sprite to be aware. Clarified how and why the punishment is inflicted in the “Failed Binding” emote example. Moved punishment examples closer to the explanation of their mechanics. Added Clericism as another way to dispel promises and their punishments. Cut down on unnecessary fluff throughout. Clarified in redlines that sprites don’t have complete control over what triggers the binding. It is simply the first promise spoken aloud. For Copy/Paste If Accepted Spoiler Promise of the Pixie [Non-Combative] [Magically Binding] As denizens of the Fae Realm, sprites are not unfamiliar with trickery and deceit, so they have learned a thing or two on how to ensure someone keeps to their word. Using the whimsical energies that make up their soul, they can bind the spoken words of another into a pact. While the binding is not powerful enough to cause any harm, it often leads to descendants mindlessly making, then breaking, promises with sprites after thinking little of them. While the consequences of a broken promise tend to fade away quickly, some can last years, or even decades, after a promise was broken, causing great inconvenience to whomever made light of speaking carelessly to a faerie. Sprites may begin to bind a promise by channeling their faerie dust for [2 Emotes] to bring forth a manifestation of their fae magic. Examples of what this may look like are an orb of light circling around their head, druidic sigils in the air, or ethereal worms crawling out of their mouth. This manifestation will then lie in wait for the next [4 Emotes] until the moment someone utters a promise to the sprite, where it will then make its way over to them and harmlessly seep into their skin. A sprite may tack on a promise of their own to this binding if they wish. However, should no one make a promise to them within that time, the faerie dust will become too unstable to hold and it will shoot back to the sprite to trigger a punishment outside of their control. It is impossible to dispel a failed binding to avoid a punishment, so sprites know to be careful when attempting to trick another in this manner. [Channel Dust] [Produce Manifestation, Ready to Bind] [Hold] [Hold] [Hold] [Binding Fails, Punishment Triggers] After a promise has been successfully completed, it will fade away immediately, freeing all parties from its constraints. However, a broken promise will swiftly inflict a punishment on the betrayer. While these tend to be more tedious than anything truly harmful, you will find no other creature more skilled in crafting a punishment than a sprite. They can range from feeling uncomfortable around flowers, to chitinous growths upon their skin. These effects will usually last [3 OOC days] before fading away overnight once the duration ends, although it is not unheard of for them to torment unlucky betrayers for much longer. [d12] Example Punishment Table Spoiler The following table is a list of examples that can be defaulted to when one doesn’t wish to select a punishment or doesn’t feel comfortable creating one on their own. This list isn’t a representation of the extent of what punishments can be, and sprites are encouraged to create their own whacky punishments which aren’t included in this list. Punishments should always be nature-related [1] The punished individual's trachea becomes laced with faerie dust, pollen, or another type of natural dust or powder. They become more prone to both coughing and sneezing, expelling what dust or powder they were afflicted with each time they do either. [2] The punished individual occasionally hears auditory hallucinations related to the natural world, such as the creaking of wood or animals skittering. Alternatively, they may hear sprite-like giggles and indiscernible whispers in the distance. These sounds grow closer should an attempt to ignore them be made, but become distant again should the individual ever attempt to find them. [3] The punished individual has small patches of flora sprout randomly from their body while they sleep. These growths are mildly itchy and will come off with a bit of force. [4] The punished individual adopts the sense of taste of a certain animal or of the sprite that jinxed them. Anything outside the chosen creature's diet tastes horribly bitter, but is still edible. This does not change the nutritional value of anything eaten. [5] The punished individual finds that they secrete honey, sap, or some type of fruit juice out of their pores instead of sweat, which easily sticks to their clothing and makes movement horribly uncomfortable on a hot day. [6] The punished individual has small bumps appear on their skin. These bumps randomly move around as if they were small bugs or writhing roots, although only feels uncomfortable at most. Should the bumps be touched, the bumps will wriggle away or temporarily rescind into the body. [7] The punished individual has a direct line of sight to a certain illusory animal at any given moment, no matter where they are or how far they travel. This hallucination must be of the same small animal every time (duck, rat, etc), is always staring at them, and cannot be seen by anyone else. It never allows the individual to get close enough to touch it. [8] The punished individual emits an earthy, mud-like scent, attracting beetles, roaches, flies, and other pesky insects. [9] The punished individual will find that whenever they speak about the sprite that cursed them, some type of plant mass such as moss begins growing inside or over their mouth. This can be removed easily and does not have to trigger again until the next narrative day. [10] The punished individual has a worm, spider, slug, or other small invertebrate appear out of their nose, ear, or mouth at random times in the day. [11] The punished individual’s home is quietly invaded by small critters or vermin every night while they sleep and they are carried and left outside in an area nearby where nature is the most present. [12] The punished individual finds that plant material such as roots, vines, or seaweed regularly appears tangled up in their hair, becoming difficult to remove if not addressed as they show up. A promise, once bound, cannot be taken back. It will remain dormant for as long as it takes for it to be fulfilled or broken, which will be immediately felt by both parties. A Transcendent Druid or Cleric may sever a promise or relieve an individual of their punishment as they see fit by spending [2 Emotes] to pry the fae affliction from them, but they must be aware of it in the first place. However, two sprites who decide to make a promise to each other have no option other than carrying it out or breaking it. All promises and punishments created this way must fall within a basic set of tenets, and sprites will inherently never attempt to create deals which circumvent these tenets. These tenets are applied to both sides of the deal, and neither the sprite nor the promise-partner may have any obligations that go against these tenets on their end of the bargain. Any violation of these would result in an unsuccessful binding, the promise never taking hold and fading into the air. I. Promises must always benefit the sprite in some capacity, such as serving their fascination or pushing forward their personal goals. II. Promises may never involve descendant currency, such as minas or other mina alternatives, as rewards. III. Promises cannot be made to kill, maim, or otherwise severely harm individuals that pose no threat to the sprite. Spoiler - Binding a promise does not require IRP consent from the one being bound, but the sprite player is still responsible for getting and documenting their OOC consent. If the player does not give their consent, the energy neither takes hold nor triggers a punishment. - Means of acknowledgment include nodding, shaking their hand, saying yes, or any other method of affirmation. These must be clearly directed at the sprite’s promise, and not anything else. That is, greeting another individual with a nod would not bind a promise. - The aesthetic of the promise manifestation may be personalized per promise, but it must be unmistakably related to nature, and will always appear magical since it is made up of the sprite’s faerie dust. - The start of combat will cause an unbound manifestation to shoot back to the sprite and trigger a punishment in their next emote as if they failed to bind a promise in time. - The manifestation will always trigger for the very first promise spoken aloud that fits the following criteria: made to the sprite, within #RP range, and does not violate any tenets. That is to say, a sprite cannot choose to not bind to a viable promise - Using words such as promise, swear, vow, guarantee, assure, etc will all be enough to trigger the manifestation. Basically, any declarative statement with wording that can be directly translated to “I will do this”. If the sprite states the promise first, responding with any of the means of acknowledgement mentioned in an earlier redline would also count as a trigger. - A sprite cannot dispel the manifestation in any way to avoid its eventual punishment, not even make a promise of their own. Someone must make a promise to them or it will trigger a punishment. - Should the sprite fail to bind a promise in time, the punishment for the sprite must be rolled from the punishment example table instead of chosen directly. - Punishments last [3 OOC Days] minimum before fading away on their own, although they may be kept for a longer duration, even indefinitely, at the discretion of the affected player. - Punishments cannot cause physical harm, alter memories, induce positive emotions, nor dull senses like pain. One cannot exploit punishments for combat advantages by doing things such as ‘removing fear’ as a punishment. They ought to be whimsical, mildly inconveniencing, and RP-enhancing. - The side-effects of punishments are never strong or distracting enough to interrupt casting focus. - The punishment of a promise must be OOCly told to the other party after the promise has been bound. If no specific punishment is decided upon, then the punishment will default to the example table. - Both dormant promises and punishments can be sensed by a druid through active communion as a very quiet tune emanating from the affected individual’s body. - Promises cannot be made with conditions that bring severe harm to other characters, such as having another person stabbed or killed. Lesser harm, like slapping or pushing, is still allowed. - The logic behind the terms of a promise are always subjective to the sprite’s understanding of it. For example, “The fount of life itself will be yours” may just mean “I’m gonna bring you some seeds.” - Sprites may not circumvent tenets by OOCly playing stupid to prevent themselves from realizing they've broken a tenet. Sprites can be foolish, but no sprite will ever be that ignorant about the tenets of promises. - Neither promises nor punishments may ever be used to facilitate inappropriate roleplay. Doing so could result in a blacklist or a more severe disciplinary action, like a ban. Examples Successful Binding [Channel Dust] Wohu’s feathery wings ruffled up at the sound of some very familiar voices approaching just beyond the hill. Those wings began to glow as they became enveloped in glowing, white sand and lifted him up so that he may see exactly how far away they were. The sand flaked off with each flap, beginning to circle him in the air. [!] The most horrible sight peeked over the hill. A group of small children were running as fast as they could, nets in hand, all screaming many variations of “Catch it!” [Produce Manifestation, Ready to Bind] [!] That sand kept flowing through the air around the avian faerie in swirls, eventually coming to rest on his wings once more. It condensed into much larger, ethereal feathers that jutted out between his own. He put his hands on his hips, and stuck out his tongue on the side of his beak before speaking through a squawk, “You will not be trapping Wohu on this day!” [!] This seemed to greatly inspire one of the children, the one who has always found a way to make this creature’s home a jar. She ran ahead the rest, net in hand as she yelled out between giggles, “I will catch you! I will!” [Manifestation Triggers, Promise is Bound] [!] Upon that confident declaration leaving her mouth, those spasming feathers shot out of Wohu’s wings and flit through the air. They almost looked dangerous as they flew closer, but once they met her skin they simply seeped within with an uncomfortable tickle sensation. Wohu seemed pleased by this, promptly turning and speeding off in the opposite direction. He would not be getting caught today; this time he will make sure of it. Failed Binding [Binding Fails Upon 4th Emote, Punishment Triggers] Pouph nodded along the words of the elderly man before her, his horrible hearing and sight making it impossible for her to interrupt him even after her many attempts. As much as she tried, she did not manage to get him to utter a promise in time. The butterfly formed out of yellow crystal-like power that rested atop her head convulsed violently before promptly sinking back into the sprite. Sap immediately began to appear within her precious dandelion poof hair, weighing it down and making a sticky mess out of it. The careless faerie had been punished by her own attempted trick, and so she zoomed off with her sobs echoing behind her. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pallodium 3779 Share Posted April 8 Amendments/Additions implemented into main lore post. Thank you for your submission. Moving to correct subforum to prevent redundancy and clutter. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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