Elias’ Thoughts – I’m going to level with anyone that might be reading this: I slacked off this week. We definitely had a little taste of pre-summer around here and with some 70-ish degree days around, I did a lot of lounging in the sun. The good news is that I could feel the seasonal depression leaving my body like a ton of bricks! The bad news is, my Lore24 entries are a lot less robust that they normally are… But I think that’s ok! Because A) I think this is actually more of what Lore24 was initially imagined to be and B) It gives me something to chew over and come back for.
Anyway, enjoying a smattering of quick ideas for some additional drugs to assist the Chemfiend in their substance driven rampages as well as some Talents as I continue working my way through that list. I also included a few extras at the bottom, mostly so I don’t feel as bad about slacking ;D
Monday 3/11
Brezreker: Combat, injectable, add to damage potential, addiction: highly aggressive (neg. to Social Standing while trying to negotiate out of combat, possibly forced attack against allies)
Tuesday 3/12
Black Powder: Utility, snortable, ability to smell bullets in a specific range, non-addictive, short period of flammable sneezes after effects wear off
Wednesday 3/13
Neural Paste: Utility, topical, increase mental inventory briefly (decrease VP cost for spells/specialization?), non-addictive but leads to Exhaustion level
Thursday 3/14
Bicam: Utility, smokeable, hear disembodied voices, divination analogue, can ask referee one yes or no question and receive a truthful answer, non-addictive but hear voices after effect wears off (-1 to Logic & Moxie based rolls as voices clamor to provide different answers)
Friday 3/15
Ecthroe: Utility, injectable, causes immediate sleep with lucid dreams, provides limited precognition, gives 1 guaranteed success after waking. Powerful effect, needs to be highly addictive with strong negative effects in order to be balanced (Exhaustion from not sleeping well? Mental disease from unmooring self from reality?).
Saturday 3/16
(Talent) Battle Surgeon: When treating someone that is about to die from a lethal critical injury, gain a +2 modifier to your Triage roll.
Sunday 3/17
(Talent) Quickest Draw in the Trench: You don’t require an action to draw a weapon and can draw up to two weapons at once if they are both 1 Slot weapons.
Extras
Adrenochrome: Combat, injectable, additional Fast Action for current combat, highly addictive, strong negative to Social Standing for anyone that sees user injecting Adrenochrome.
Bullseye: Combat, chew, increases range of Marksmanship attacks by one band, slightly addictive (would be pretty funny if it made users go temporarily blind)
Armsway: Combat, chew, decreases slot count of wielded equipment by 1 (cannot decrease below 1 slot), non-addictive but movement becomes a Slow Action after effect wears off (consider balance: can player dual wield 2H heavy weapons? Is slowing movement enough of a drawback?)
Evan’s Thoughts – As previously mentioned my life has gotten busy and I’ve had to shift focus. Not to worry, my intent is to continue these posts and see the year through, it just means that for the next few months I’ll be a bit less verbose than I have been. That, combined with making my way through the excellent Valley of Flowers has sparked a desire to infuse more flavor into shorter entries.
Content wise I’ve started fleshing out the ideological sects of the Starling Legion and building out elements of the Great Cathedral, a major dungeon on the Bastille compound. The Judges have not been forgotten, I just need time to flesh out the last four and keep their entries consistent with the eight I’ve released so far. Hopefully these entries continue to be fulfilling to read and fill out the world nicely!
Monday 3/11
Primitivist Sect: One of the philosophical schools of leadership within the Ideologue Assembly of the Starling Legion. This school believes the crushing weight of an economy is the root cause of human misery. Unlike those that would see control of capital distributed to different groups, the Primitivists believe the system of labor and money is itself the problem. The manifestation of these societal deficiencies is the technology enabling and produced by commercial markets. The Primitivist ideology strives for the elimination of technology from society and a minimized government operating at a local level to facilitate the subsistence of those it directly serves and defending their interests.
The Primitivists are supported externally by the Order of Lost Innocence, who see the de-industrialization of Peccatu as one of their ultimate goals. The Order provides indirect support for the Primitivists by way of safe houses and funding for their operations. Although the Primitivists are all too willing to utilize modern technologies to achieve their ends, the Order believes the societal changes enacted by their success far outweigh the ideological hypocrisy of their methods.
Tuesday 3/12
Vico Wolf
Earnest, naive, energetic
“Let us discuss the matter, I’m sure you’ll come to understand.”
The head advocate for the Primitivist Sect. A man of passion and conviction. His fire stirs action in those that ally themselves with him. A tool for the ends of others and he knows it, but he believes he can maneuver his way around their schemes. He can’t. Never considering beyond the realization of his mission, he deludes himself into thinking the world will accept his revolution willingly. Any critiques of his philosophy are summarily dismissed as a lack of understanding.
Wants: To dismantle the economic machine of oppression.
Knows: The location of The Order of Lost Innocence hold. Starling and Order safe houses in Hadrea. Fetterer production schedules.
Wednesday 3/13
Trap/Obstacle
Candles of Virtue
Candles formed from the hallowed wax of Bastille Miracles, harvested from Wax Servants or other waxen manifestations. The light shed by these candles has a notable white hue. These candles are placed strategically throughout the halls of the Bastille’s Grand Cathedral, though specifically in areas containing important people and artifacts. Characters take NP damage equal to their level of dehumanization each round they spend illuminated by one of these candles. This does not apply to levels of Bastille dehumanization. Members of the Council of Judges are unable to enter the light of these candles.
Thursday 3/14
Room
Cathedral Kitchen
The food preparation area of the Grand Cathedral. Populated by Penitents considered docile and resigned to their incarceration. A large open room with a massive wood fire oven in the center, open on both sides with a man sized chimney leading to the roof. Long rows of cooking stations are symmetrically arranged around the oven, with food prep implements chained to each station. Lazily watched by 1d4 Bastille adherents, while 3d6 Penitents continually prepare foodstuffs for members of the compound.
The Penitents have no love of the Bastille and will take every opportunity to either assist those working against the Bastille or escape, though they will not do so while in the presence of Bastille members. The Penitents know the layout of the generally accessible rooms and the schedule of the Cathedral.
The room contains up to 2d6 of Supply Usage Die. The knives and cooking implements are standard knives or similar weapons for purposes of combat or sale. The chimney can be used as a passage to the roof, but a fire burns in it during all but the night watch.
Friday 3/15
Lilis, the Initial Captive
Opportunistic, spiteful, alluring
“Come, sit with me. We can speak of the new order we will craft together.”
The first inmate of the Bastille. A woman lacking nuance. She views the world as those with her and those against her. She has festered in the bowels of the Grand Cathedral since its construction, and would see it’s foundations ripped from the earth. Exceptionally shrewd, she makes every attempt to get whoever she speaks with to free her, swapping tactics on the fly. She is mostly willing to live up to her promises, though she will discard them all if it means a chance to get back at the Bastille.
Wants: To be freed from her captivity and inflict her retribution on the Bastille. To return to Archangel Samael.
Knows: The weak points of the Grand Cathedral and how best to destabilize the Bastille itself. How to enter Hell.
Saturday 3/16
Trap/Obstacle
Abrogation Statuettes
Small statues shaped in the form of idealized angels. The air around them has an overwhelming feel of sterility, notably scentless and lacking sensory inputs. Statuettes are placed in the major gathering rooms of the Grand Cathedral and multiple are often hidden in particularly important chambers. Magic cast in the same zone as one of these Statuettes is absorbed by the statue. The round after a Statuette absorbs magic of any form it will detonate, causing 2 damage to everything in the same zone as the Statuette. The Statuettes respond to all forms of magic except Miracles, including effects of magic items. Each Statuette occupies 1 slot and can be considered as either a piece of art or as a weapon.
Sunday 3/17
Bottled Starfire
Magic Item
Consumable (1d6 Usage Die)
1 Slot/1d6 Usage Die
Raging fire, sparked from a fallen star and captured in a crystal phial. Warm to the touch, like neural impulses dancing atop skin. A favorite of both the Starling Legion and Bastille of Eternal Purity.
Bottled Starfire can be used as a Fast Action. Each use prompts a roll of its Usage Die and a Dehumanization Roll by the character consuming the substance. When used the Bottled Starfire restores either 1 point of exhaustion or 3 points of HP immediately.
That wraps this week’s round of Lore 24! This Thursday we will take an in depth look at Achanipathy, the void magic of the Starling Legion. Then next Monday we will continue the march of Lore 24.
If you’re finding this sometime in the future, please check out the Lore 24 Post Repository to see a roundup of all the posts in this series.
We actively encourage comments, questions, and feedback; we’re excited to be sharing our work and would love to chat about it with anyone who’s interested!
Retreat to the Trench 
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