Located at the edge of the Steelwind Plains, Dust Town sits on the summit of the Anvil, a great plateau that separates the Dune Sea from the milder climes of Tamir. Dust Town is a rough metropolis, like most port cities. The fact that the Dune Sea is such an oddity does not change the nature of the sailors that traverse it.

Dust Town is a city built upon the backs of slaves, with a long history of strife and unease both within and without its walls. Entire districts are separated from one another – by wealth, by culture, and most commonly by walls. Entire walled complexes are common in Dust Town; the largest is Hilltop, which holds the palace of the Governor-General.

Hilltop is opulent in a barbaric sense. The scaled hides of Duneserpents, Planebeasts and Libears are common materials in the clothing of the wealthy. The opulence vanishes as one nears the docks, however. Here, life is rough and dangerous; the sailors of the Dune Sea feeding their various hungers after months at sea create trouble enough, but the chaos of The Purging has only just begun to settle and the Shadow War between the churches of Oorinh and Janla has grown in fury with the chaos. Even with Janla’s High Priestess having the closest ties to the Governor-General’s ear has done little to calm the chaos.

About a month ago was an event now being called The Purging. The Thieves’ Alliance, a loose collaboration of thieves guilds and freelance burglars, once created an uneasy truce in the slums and docks. The Purging was an upheaval on a single night when a world-famous group of adventurers called the Trio returned to Dust Town and destroyed the leadership of the Thieves’ Alliance, who had once enslaved one of the three.

With the leadership dead, the Trio left for new adventures, and the city was left to pick up the pieces. After a bloody and short conflict over the past month, the remnants of the old Alliance have fallen, and the People's Alliance has risen in its place, headed by Lucian, once a low-ranking bodyguard of the old Alliance. The new Alliance now seeks to consolidate its power in the Slums, and rebuild the district for the good of all those that suffered during the reign of the Thieves’ Alliance.

And to accomplish this, Lucian is hiring.

SPIRIT:

Speed
Prowess
Immunity
Resolve
Ingenuity
Talent

The SPIRIT system is a simple system to create characters for a variety of games. The system runs on a scale of -1 to 4 (0 being the “norm”), with variations by system on top of that. To perform a task, a difficulty is assigned (behind the scenes or up front) and an aspect of the character’s SPIRIT is chosen to rule the task. A 10-side die is thrown (or a random integer is generated from 1 to 10), the aspect is added to the roll, and the result is compared to the difficulty. If the total is equal to or greater than the difficulty: success! Otherwise: failure.

An average task, one an average individual will succeed at half the time, has a difficulty of 6. Truly monumental tasks (lifting a car, solving Fermi’s Last Theorem, shrugging off cancer) may have difficulties of 11 or greater. Most difficulties will fall between 3 and 8.

In most games, characters will be built with between 4 and 8 points to divide among the aspects, but the exact total is up to the Game Master: more for more powerful characters, less for weaker characters.

The aspects of SPIRIT:
Speed: Speed covers tasks requiring haste and coordination, be it of hand, eye, foot or mind. Characters with a high Speed aspect will tend to be lithe and willowy. Catching a ball, running a race, or solving an equation in seconds are all tasks of Speed.

Prowess: Prowess covers tasks requiring strength, toughness, or size. Characters with a high Prowess aspect will tend to be brutes of both stature and frame. Striking a foe, breaking a board, or lifting a gate are all tasks of Prowess.

Immunity: Immunity covers tasks requiring resistance to adversity, both mental and physical. Characters with a high Immunity aspect will tend to be sturdy and stoutly built. Resisting pain, absorbing injury, and shrugging off illness are all tasks of Immunity.

Resolve: Resolve covers tasks requiring dedication, drive, and willpower. Characters with a high Resolve aspect will tend to be stubborn, ambitious, and proactive. Forced marching, prolonged argument, and resisting persuasion are all tasks of Resolve.

Ingenuity: Ingenuity covers tasks requiring cleverness, creativity, and imagination. Characters with high Ingenuity will tend to be inquisitive, probing and insightful. Solving a riddle, jury-rigging a repair, or crafting a tale are all tasks of Ingenuity.

Talent: Talent covers tasks requiring poise, grace, and charm. Characters with high Talent will tend to be charismatic, beautiful, and alluring. Commanding an army, navigating etiquette, and performances of all sorts are tasks of Talent.

In systems with magic, magic tends to be governed by the Resolve, Ingenuity, or Talent aspects, while it tends to be resisted by the Speed, Prowess, or Immunity aspects.

The races of Tamir belong to three main species: Humanity, Gnomics, and Dwarves. Between these species, six distinct subraces have evolved, each recognised as its own unique race of Tamir, and each employs its own unique brand of magic.

The races of Humanity – the humans, the elves, and the orcs – mingle the most freely, tracing their lineage back to original deities of the world, beautiful Velera and powerful Zhamokh. But the elder race is fickle, and especially among the true born – Humans – other Gods have risen to favour, such as greedy Oorinh, Janla of the storm, or most commonly Vandemort, head of the Celestial Court and Lord of Justice.

The Gnomics – Gnomes and Halflings – stay largely estranged over the death of their homeworld and the still brewing hatred between their deities, grim Metterfal and motherly Marisha.

The Dwarves stand unified as a people under the guiding eye of the guardian God, Stalot.

Humans are the eldest race, the first descendants of the coupling of Velera and Zhamokh and remain the most numerous inhabitants of Tamir. Humans employ a unique brand of magic employing Chi, which draws upon their Ingenuity to empower their body. Humans are known for their creativity and cleverness, and gain a +1 bonus to their Ingenuity aspect.

Elves are members of humanity whose lineage traces more clearly to Velera, and tend towards her beauty and grace. Elves employ a brand of magic employing Divinity, which draws upon Resolve to bolster the morale and ability of allies and oneself. Elves possess both grace and agility, enjoying a +1 bonus to both Talent and Speed.

Orcs are members of humanity whose blood runs more purely with the essence of Zhamokh, possessing the same powerful frame and sturdy soul of their God-Smith father. Orc magic employs a power known as Inspiration, which draws upon Talent to heal wounds and aid in battle. Orcs ties to Zhamokh grant them a +1 bonus to both Prowess and Resolve.

Gnomes are the magical aristocracy of the Gnomic people, whose thirst for power and foul experiments led to the doom of their planet. Some Gnomes have learned their lesson and become more cautious and benevolent, while others continue their race’s search for knowledge seeking a way to restore their former home. Gnomes employ a power called Sorcery, which draws upon Talent to create impossible things, both illusion and real. Gnomes retain the experimental heritage of their progenitors, gaining a +1 bonus to both Speed and Ingenuity.

Halflings are the caretakers and labourers of the Gnomic people, who sought futilely to save their doomed world. Most Halflings see Tamir as their new charge to oversee, while others see Tamir as a resource to renew their home world. Halflings employ the power of Naturalism, powered by their Resolve, to control the forces of nature itself. The Halfling connection to nature has made them sturdy, granting a +1 bonus to both Prowess and Immunity.

Dwarves are the soldiers of Stalot’s army, sturdy and stout in their racial crusade against the remnants of the Dragon Gods. Dwarves tend to be built like tanks, nearly as wide as they are tall, and feel a deep connection to the strength and durability of steel. Dwarven magic calls upon the power of Runes to empower items, their Ingenuity allowing them to make arms, armour, and other equipment of surpassing quality. The Dwarves’ ages-long struggle against the dragons has granted them a +1 bonus to both Immunity and Resolve.

Characters will be built in SPIRIT using 7 points. I’m setting a hard limit of 5 characters for the game – I’ll be aiming for 4, and the 5th is me giving myself the ability to squeeze someone in if a player or character I really like shows up.

Why should you play another FB game?

FB has been flaky of late. FB has been running games to be running games, not because he had a story to tell. He has also let players take too much control of events, derailing the few stories he did have.

FB will no longer be doing this.

Why should you trust FB?

This is Tamir. This is my world. I have been crafting it for the better part of the past decade. I have an inch-wide binder full of it. This is the centre and focus of most of my creative juices that I rarely let loose here.

This is Dust Town. This is the centre of Tamir. This is the setting I always wanted to explore when I was running Tamir in tabletop, but never got to because my players got themselves run out of town like fools. (Please don't get yourselves run out of town.)

This is a metaplot. There's a story. There's an end. There are goals. I know what's going on, what's going to happen, and what steps need to get there. I have notes. I have a story. I have plot.

So who's this FB guy anyway?

FB is a GM. He's been active in the Sluggite RP community since that date over there. (I'd make an arrow, but the two formats put things on different sides.) He's been active in the RP community for over two decades. And he's often told how good a GM he is, when he's actually on board.

Which he is this time.

Awesome. I'll be sending a character tomorrow as I need to get some sleep right now. This looks really, really cool. I'm leaning towards playing a dwarf.

FB, are there specific roles you'd like us to aim for? Besides making characters that would fit into the story, I mean.

FB is serious about this one, folks.

I've been instructed that I'm not allowed to play (and I would probably bow out anyway, because there's no way I could avoid getting so involved in this as to fail out of law school), but I just want to let you guys know that this world is awesome, detailed, and very, very fun to play in.

FB disagrees, but I think us getting run out of town was the best thing that's ever happened to his creative juices. That being said, doing that left much of Dust Town itself relatively unexplored, so now that really is the best avenue for his creative juices. I will be following this game, and I hope it goes fantastically.

And please, don't get yourselves run out of town.

Lets do this!

Everyone, get in here!

A generic D&D party of "Tank, Buffer, Blaster, Skill-Guy" would probably be best, Dom. Missions will involve negotiation, stealth, combat, churches, nobility, beggars, thieves, liars and assassination. And a bunch of other stuff I didn't list.

Hmmm. Could be interesting.

--------------

Albert Johnsson, son of John Albertsson, son of Albert Jonesnephew, and so on, is a fairly scholarly gnome, of a family that has largely rejected the doomed planet of their past and seeks to cautiously make the best of their new home instead. He grew up in Dust Town, but as part of a very sheltered family in one of the most opulent parts of the town, so he doesn't know his way around the slum regions at all. He was well educated - mainly by his uncle, Jones Albertsson - in both magical and intellectual pursuits, and has also managed to compete fairly well in a traditional gnomish sport favouring speed and reactions over raw strength. Which is good, because he doesn't have much raw strength to draw on.

Recently, his uncle has determined that there is little more he can teach the young gnome, and Albert must go out into the wider world (i.e. the test of Dust Town) and apply his lessons to the benefit of his fellow sentients. While he wants nothing more than to return to the comfortable existence of his youth, Albert realises that this is impossible in the short term; if he tries to go back too soon, he invites the scorn of his family. Thus, while he seeks to make enough of himself that he can return to his family with his head held high, he is very reluctant to leave the city of his birth. He is also vaguely unsure whether the path he has chosen is the best way to gain the admiration of his family.

Speed: 2 (+1=3)
Prowess 0
Immunity 0
Resolve 0
Ingenuity 2 (+1=3)
Talent 3

--------------

Do I need to add anything else?

I'm going for Dwarven tank. Should I PM or post in thread?

Doesn't matter to me. Go ahead and post in thread.

I'm making some cultural assumptions which if they are incorrect I would be more than willing to change.

Bolor Borilsson (Bolor the Silent)

Speed: 0
Prowess: 3
Immunity: 3 + (1) = 4
Resolve: 2 + (1) = 3
Ingenuity: 0
Talent: -1

Bolor is the eldest son of the highly respected armorer Boril Bolkasson. From an early age Bolor was expected to follow in his father's footsteps and eventually partner with his father in the shop. Bolor had no problems with the physical aspects of the work. He grew into a wide shouldered brute of a dwarf, able to work long hours at the forge without complaint. The problem revolved around the craft. Bolor didn't have the touch. He couldn't grasp the runes his father used, and his armor though serviceable enough just didn't have the artistry and form of his father's. His father couldn't accept that his son just didn't have the spark of creativity and pushed harder and harder causing Bolor to retreat into himself, becoming silent and withdrawn. It didn't help that Bolor was also very shy. Others were often scared of him, and he just didn't know how to deal with them so he was seen as stuck up and scary.

It all came to a head when his father found that Bolor was taking arms lessons in hopes of joining a mercenary company and leaving Dust Town. He and his father had a loud argument that ended in Bolor packing his bag and leaving. He misses his sister and mother, but is far to stubborn to talk things out with his father.

Bolor now works as a bouncer at an upscale brothel, but Lucian's call has intrigued him, spiking his interest in adventure.

edit: Added my extra point. Whoops.

Sounds good, Dom. One thing: your -1 Talent means you've only been built on 6 points, not 7. You're due another aspect point.

Right. I'm working on somebody for you to look at. Shouldn't be too long.

Dougal Granger, the Younger

Young Dougal comes from a farm just outside Dust Town where his parents and his siblings and his siblings’ spouses and all of their children grow and raise nearly every type of agricultural produce in Marisha’s domain. As one of the greenest thumbs in a family of exceptional farmers, Young Dougal usually accompanies his father Old Dougal to sell their goods at market. It was during one of these visits to town that Young Dougal heard the news of Lucien’s plan to heal the city. After returning home to discuss it with the family, and after many repeated farewells and blessings, Young Dougal set out to see if he could help.

Not the fastest, strongest, smartest, or most handsome of folk, Young Dougal is not what many would describe as the ideal hero. He is, however, a talented healer and a very nice young Halfling. Dust Town is his home, and, as he would forhis garden after a storm, he feels an urge to care for it and set things right.

Speed: 1
Prowess: 2 (=1+1)
Immunity: 3 (=2+1)
Resolve: 3
Ingenuity: 1
Talent: -1