This fantasy adventure game taking place in the modern day was created with the intention of helping new Storium members learn the mechanics of the game. As such, there will be a rotating cast of players and characters, as well as a fluctuating focus in genre.
You must be very confused. You saw a white envelope with no writing on the side you can see. Maybe it was on your doorstep. Maybe it was in your locker. Maybe it was stuck in a tree that you’re about to climb. Wherever you found it, however you found it, you reached for the envelope.
Now you’re standing at the top of a mountain, where the cleared trees have allowed you to see that you’re on an island. If the weather is clear, you might be able to see a few more land masses, but let me assure you, they’re islands, too. At least you have enough clarity left to open this letter.
You see those oddly shaped buildings on the islands? Yes, that’s where we are. But before you start walking down there, there’s a shortcut. You see those tree stumps? Yeah, the ones with the strange markings. Find the stump with a marking matching one on the lower right of this letter. Go ahead and stand on it. You’ll be taken to your assigned primary division, where you’ll be met by one of our proctors to get you settled in.
And just in case you’re tempted not to follow the instructions above, let me give you a tip; the hellhounds on the island are perpetually hungry.
- The Director
Welcome to the Institute. We are an organization that helps maintain stable and mutually beneficial relationships between all species, collects and studies rare artifacts, and seeks out and recruits individuals with high potential to help us accomplish the above.
Individuals here are identified by their order, specialty(s), and length of time at the Institute (also known as their OST).
Orders
- Field Work (Field): These adaptable individuals are deployed to the field to make contact with other species or retrieve items.
- Laboratory Research (Lab): These forward-looking individuals can often be found in one of many research facilities, working on the next new thing.
- Training (Tee): These fresh individuals are either in charge of teaching new arrivals, or are going through training themselves.
- Administration (Ad): These organized individuals are in charge of keeping the Institute running.
Specialties
- Elementals (L): early recruitment, as young as age 5 years
– These strong individuals take one chosen element into their body. Later use of the element is extremely taxing on the body, so efficiency is emphasized in their intensive training.
- Enchanters (N): early recruitment, as young as age 14 years
– These creative individuals study and implement archaic runes and symbols into objects, allowing them to possess special characteristics. They are often the first to test out their own creations
- Summoners (S): ranged recruitment, usually between ages 8 and 40 years
– These compassionate individuals form a contract with another living species, from canines and felines to snakes and insects. This contract only allows for communication, though depending on the species, can also be used for commanding less intelligent species.
- Brewers (B): ranged recruitment, usually between ages 20 and 50 years
– These focused individuals carefully study, prototype, and test consumables to aid the other divisions and species. Their work is extremely fragile, and thus have an island to themselves.
- Manipulators (M): polar recruitment, usually below age 7 years or above age 60 years
– These calm individuals focus inward to focus outward, spending their initial years of training in long sessions of meditation. Over the years, they will be able to induce out-of-body experiences and influence the emotions and thoughts of others.
- Artifacts (A): varied recruitment
– These random individuals have been chosen by certain artifacts, and it is extremely dangerous to attempt to separate the artifacts from them. As such, these individuals have learned to live with and use the artifacts, oftentimes doing so for the benefit of the Institution.
Note: Primary specialties are assigned upon arrival to the Institute (usually the reason they are recruited). Secondary specialties are chosen upon showing mastery of the primary specialty, usually around 5 years after their arrival at the Institute.
Length of Time
- Described as a number appended at the end, though numbers above ten are rounded down to the nearest ten.
Examples
- A new trainee that’s just arrived and assigned to the Manipulators specialty describes themselves as “Tee-M0”. (tee-em-zero)
- A field agent with a primary specialty as an Artifact, but a secondary specialty as a Brewer that’s been here for nine years describes themselves as “Field-Ab9”. (field-ay-bee-nine)
- An administrator with a primary specialty as an Enchanter with a secondary specialty as a Manipulator that’s been here for 32 years describes themselves as “Ad-Nm30.” (ad-en-em-thirty)
Hosted and narrated by:
Klei Prifti (Klei)
Started 10/13/20.
Scenes played: 1
License: Community License w/ Creative Commons
image source: Photo Credits to Koji Fujii / Nacasa & Partners Inc
