• Supports vanity projects that are released without quality considerations.
• Operates at a scale that passes along increased costs to consumers.
• Attempts to keep costs down for the producer and consumer by devaluing component labour.

Jorgen, Son of Jotun

Morgan Benyata

Cameron Forbes

Ethos

Ethos is self-belief. Self-belief is ignoring all those little lies that make mundane society work in favour of knowing what you personally want. Society says: "Money makes me happy." Society says: "It was just a one-night stand." Does money really make you happy, or does it just let you buy stuff that you don't really want or need to stop you thinking about how little you do with your life? Was she just a one-night stand because you were drunk and horny, or because you could never love a girl like you loved Jenny, when she was alive?

Self-belief is cutting through the bullshit and excuses and finding out who you are, down at your very core. It's not always pretty, but it frees your brain up for contact with the magical field surrounding the planet. It’s the hardest thing anyone can do, but it's also the most rewarding.

Belief

While it’s rated in numbers, the Ethos Attribute is mostly shorthand for your character’s beliefs. There’s not much point in having strong beliefs without ever knowing what they are. Ethos is a link between your character’s list of Beliefs and mechanical constructs like Conviction and Degeneration.

Beliefs are used in the game to help judge your character’s actions. Beliefs on the character sheet don’t have to colour everything she does, but standing up for a higher goal in the face of adversity is a core conflict in Æternal Legends. To that end, Legends can spend Conviction to help them achieve those goals.

The Light

The Light isn't a higher calling – it's all higher callings. Lightsiders live by the rule that conviction is magic, and that denying themselves that conviction in times of stress is “selling out.” Some follow the Light because they can't imagine a better way. Others came dangerously close to slipping to the Dark at some point in their lives and seek redemption with particular zeal.

A Lightsider has to live with the consequences of his convictions, so he doesn’t indulge his more unsavoury beliefs too often. He must be true to himself no matter what, because he’s forging a personal path to apotheosis from his beliefs. He must be careful to plan his path, directing his immediate urges to a more constructive goal. If he indulges himself all the time, he sacrifices the big picture for short-term satisfaction, but if he ignores what he cares about, he can’t take that next step.

While he must respect the bigger picture, no Lightsider can go for long without testing his beliefs. If he goes without for too long, he gets complacent. That stops him traversing the Spheres or advancing in his own Sphere.

The Dark

Darksiders don’t test their beliefs. Self-awareness lets them know when they’re putting their own survival (or convenience) above their spiritual needs. Some Legends reach the Dark by a singular personal disaster; others find themselves unable to live up to the requirements of the Light.

Darksiders walk the Shells: the empty mockeries of the Spheres of Light. They advance by obliterating their beliefs. They surrender hope for the sake of quick power. They give up the Source within them and give the imprisoned Gods more power – power that they might use to escape their prison. And beyond even the Gods, the Dark Lord Da’ath provides the template for all Darksiders, who transform themselves into his avatars when they reach the pinnacle of power.

The Aware

Save for Legends, all Aware – even those of the Dull Clades – are followers of the Light on some level. If they were not, they would either cease to exist or would never reach Awareness. Legends gain power through idealism and cynicism alike, but a life among the Unaware is the only thing awaiting those Aware who deny their inner calling.

Some of the Aware choose one side or another because their beliefs fit the vision of the faction provided by a charismatic Legend. A larger number don’t consciously care about the Light or Dark. They believe in nothing other than the heroism of a particular Legend, if that. Gangs of dwarves, gnome artists, and goblin sneak-thieves depend on their beliefs to remain Aware, but do so without any pretence of a particular alignment. And even if they follow the Dark, they don’t commit so strongly that it would compromise Awareness itself.

Æternal Legends uses the Ready 2 Run system. R2R is designed to let you create characters quickly using rules that are easy to understand. At the same time, the system is designed for detailed enough resolution to support a dramatic sword duel or a complex magical ritual. Here are two prominent differences from other systems:

General Aptitudes: You don’t have a set of clearly marked skills. Instead, you have Aptitudes: broad abilities that represent a profession, personal background or wide field of interest. You’re a Soldier or a Scientist, not a guy with a Sword or Chemistry skill. R2R assumes a basic level of trust between everyone in the game so that people will balance their Aptitudes and not worry about everything their character can do from the get-go.

Description is up to you: The action and combat rules allow for a fair amount of detail in resolution – but only after you have your say about what the numbers really mean. There’s no “Parry,” manoeuvre or “ambush” tactic, but the systems exist for you to use a Defence or prep (see Combat) in this fashion.

Everyone works together: This is not a system designed for competitive players or groups who don’t want to compromise or cooperate. If a player isn’t sure how her Aptitude fits a task, make suggestions – but don’t get bossy! The GM should keep the game moving and the pacing fast, but needs to listen to what players want. The game is designed to be optimal for a group of good friends who like to game together. If you’re just getting to know the other players, try to use that spirit. It’ll be good for the game and good for your group, too.

Dice Pools: The Basic Mechanic

To attempt an action, calculate and roll a dice pool.

Dice pools are composed of a number of d6s equal to your Attribute + Aptitude (if applicable). Add Edges, Flaws and Skills where applicable. 1s or 2s on the d6 succeed; ignore other results. Add the dice numbers on all successful dice (1s and 2s); the result is the number of points scored. These points measure how well the character performed according to the benchmark used for that action (the Task). Note that you add the actual numbers on the dice.

Example: Lydia rolls a dice pool of 6. Her dice come up with the following numbers: 5, 4, 2, 1, 1, 3. The 5, 4 and 3 are discounted. She adds 2, 1 and 1 for a total of 4 success points.

Gnomes

Born of Invention

Overview

The last Clade created by the Gods before they sank from memory, gnomes are incarnate spirits of invention. Before the Gods took mortal lovers, humanity’s erratic creativity attracted (or perhaps spawned) countless spirits of invention. Jealous of their talents and their intimate link to humans, the Gods imprisoned these spirits in flesh. If the Gods hoped to punish them, they failed. Given the chance to interact with the physical world and give their ideas material form, the newborn gnomes never looked back.

Few gnomes are historians. The past is boring, full of antique ideas and half-realized dreams. To a gnome, new creations are important. Inventions are exciting and interesting, virgin ground waiting for someone to experiment and create. If the innovator destroys something on her way to glory, so be it. Nobody really knows how something works until they take it apart. Young gnomes mercilessly deconstruct of musical genres, dismantle phones to “find the voice inside,” and saw of couch legs to right the smallest wobble. When she’s found what she needs, putting things back together is at the bottom of her agenda.

A gnome constantly bounces from one idea to the next. This can make her appear hyperactive, but it’s how she works best. Why work on realising one idea when you can realise ten? When she works on a project, that’s her only focus; days pass by without food or sleep while she writes esoteric code or sonnets in invented languages. Inventions build upon all prior efforts using the most available materials. Gnomes believe that their work comes before ephemeral definitions of ownership. They take what they need and return it with credit later, if they remember. Some gnomes cut out the middleman; they invent new forms of burglary or con-artistry. At first, they might do it to support a conventional field of study, but theft is its own obsession, passionately pursued by gnomes who consider it to be an art form.

A gnome who creates physical devices has a burning need to test her creations, feel them with her own hands and see them with her own eyes. Likewise, a musician never allows anyone to play any of his work before he unveils it. At that burning moment, when a program runs or the notes ring out, the gnome tastes perfection: emanations from the Source. It’s one hell of a rush, even addictive, but once it’s over, going over the same ground is never as good as moving on. Commenting on code or writing gallery guides is just more pointless make-work getting in the way of the next project, the next hint of perfection. Every gnome has a collection of their past creations. These often come in handy at a gnome’s most desperate moments.

Clade Characteristics

Thanks to their unique hands and fine motor skills, Gnomes are naturally better at tasks requiring manual dexterity. When they focus on a task, however, they have a hard time relating to anything outside of their current obsession.

All gnomes have the Body Edge: Nimble and the Mind Flaw: Oblivious.

In a Pocket Kingdom, a gnome character can create a common, household appliance or device in a day. These technologies often work using principles drawn from the gnome’s current interest instead of Unaware engineering. They write songs that clean dishes and make ovens that turn stones to bread. These devices don’t work in the mundane world.

Legends

Superlative Ability (Passive): Legendary gnomes certainly live up to their purpose. Whether their specialty is with computers or cars, sonnets or surgery, the Manifestation ensures that they are one of the best they can be. Choose one Skill that the gnome already possesses. It adds two dice rather than one. This Skill cannot be traded to increase its related Aptitude unless the gnome discards it and chooses a new obsessive Skill. It takes a day to make the switch and the character must already possess the new Skill.

Touch of the Muse (Active): Before they had physical form, gnomes had to settle for inspiring others into creative feats. With nothing more than a conversation, the gnome inspires someone to do something creative with one of their Aptitudes. This project normally takes about a week, during which the subject doesn’t need to sleep or eat. When the subject has completes the project, she rolls Mind + the Aptitude in question. The gnome regains Magic up to the number of points scored on this roll. A gnome can only use this ability on one subject at a time.

Dwarves

Lords of Earth

Overview

As long as there has been matter, there have been dwarves. Forged from the rock of the Earth, the Gods gave the dwarven Clade dominion over the material world. Dwarves are the guardians of rock, metal and precious gems. Opinion is divided as to whether their ancient birthright extends to water and plants, though many say not. Other Clades have their duties, whether they remember them or not. Dwarves are the stewards of the planet, responsible for the integrity and health of the Earth. Once, dwarves crafted fabulous items for human and God alike, shaping stone and metal like clay. Once, Low Kings held court in caverns deep within the hearts of mountains. Once, each dwarf was the very embodiment of the world, immune to the concerns of man or God. The world changed, and the Lords of Earth changed with it.

A spark of the Earth’s power sings within every dwarven soul. Some dwarves submitted when the Gods invaded their creation. They embraced the divine and sacrificed the magical world. Many more felt the silent scream of a creation brought too close to its makers. They resisted with legendary weapons and masterful traps. Their victory made the world a prison for the wayward Gods. Despite this, dwarves are not gaolers or prison wardens. They remain the Lords of Earth, and understand that a lord must guard his domain. Depending on his heritage and the culture he grows up in, a dwarf may believe himself to be one of thirty-six tzaddikim or one of the Shitenno, who guard true dharma. Every culture tells tales of the world’s guardians – tales that dwarves take to heart.

In modern times, dwarves are practical, pragmatic, and stubborn. A dwarf must be able to rely upon herself first and foremost. Some go as far as never admitting injuries or problems. They don’t like to share their burdens, but only Legendary dwarves possess physiques that can handle grave injury without a care.

A dwarf Legend’s circle becomes a part of her family. Her enhanced vitality isn’t something she wastes; she must use it as befits a custodian of the world. Away from dangerous situations, dwarves test plans for points of failure and work out the consequences of their choices. A dwarf might decide to take on a suicide mission, but only after weighing the gains against the outcomes and confirming that it’s the best thing to do.

Clade Characteristics

Dwarven minds are best at working through intricate problems. They don't jump to conclusions, but bring together everything they know to work out a solution. Unfortunately, their physical stature is a significant disadvantage in a world made for taller, Unaware humans.

All Dwarves have the Mind Edge: Methodical and the Body Flaw: Short.

In a Pocket Kingdom, a dwarf character can move and shape earth and stone up to her own size at once with her bare hands. Many dwarves working together can build large underground complexes in very little time.

Legends

Iron Constitution (Passive): Legends of dwarven heritage find themselves hearkening back to the first dwarves, the lords of stone. Their innate magic lessens the impact of serious diseases and makes them far more robust than members of other Clades. Dwarf Legends add 2 to their maximum health at character creation (Body + Edge + 6 as opposed to Body + Edge + 4).

Eternal Guardians (Active): The Gods made the dwarves to be guardians of the world. A guardian needs to be vigilant. By touching the ground, the dwarf can “see” everything in a radius of a quarter of a mile, and knows if anything in that range needs her attention. The dwarf’s player establishes a single question for her search. The answer can only provide information that might be understood through the five mundane senses at the moment of use. Dwarves cannot penetrate illusions or magical concealment in this fashion. A dwarf’s player can spend additional Magic on this power; one extra point adds an additional question or another quarter-mile to the radius. The dwarf can spend as much Magic on a single use of the power as his Mind Attribute without Edges or Flaws.

Elves

Princes of the Otherworld

Overview

Before matter or thought, the spark of divinity flickered in the Source. It found form and consciousness in the world of ideals. The Gods were born. They made all things to mirror the perfection of the Source, but as finite beings, their creations were imperfect – but imperfection led to more creativity. Matter and magic flowed into new shapes, ever seeking to reflect the Source.

The Gods looked upon their creations and saw a spark of creativity that they would never have. The Gods lusted after that spark, and a few decided to take it by force. Some of the humans and dwarves gave in to the Gods' carnal demands, but many didn't. The gods raped humans and dwarves, and god and mortal gave birth to a new Clade, born of the divine but clothed in matter. Violation and love created the elves.

Elven historians cling to their shards of divinity, claiming that their heritage extends to the Source itself, as ideal forms that predate the material world. These elves believe that they’re obviously the oldest Clade. Members of the Clades don't often care, but press the argument anyway, as popping a particularly inflated elven ego is a popular pastime. The spark of the Gods shapes elven bodies from below the surface. Only when Manifestation brings a wellspring of magic does the primal force burn forth. Legendary elves have an aura that anyone can detect. Their altered forms become more pronounced.

Local legendry influences an elf’s Aware physique. Fantasy fiction also plays a part, especially if it influences a human’s reflexive image of an elvish, fey, or semidivine form. A strongly Catholic area produces elves with shining haloes and feathered shoulders – even wings. Elves from an area with a strong Middle-Eastern presence have the bronze skin and crowns of smokeless fire attributed to jinn. Ancient legends have a more powerful influence than modern fantasy, but there are still no shortage of elves with willowy bodies and pointed ears.

What’s the link between legends and the elven form? Some say that elves unconsciously wield the divine ability to fulfil human desires – the same power that the Gods once used to attract and rule their worshipers. In elves, the power is weak and instinctual; they can only alter their shapes to fulfil human dreams, and only unconsciously, at the moment of Manifestation. Another theory holds that Unaware humans influence the laws of the Gods’ prison. Their legends bind the Gods to the world. Elves have some of that spark, so humanity locks elves away from the Source by confining them to limited, if mythic forms.

Most elves don’t have a superiority complex, but they’re used to people agreeing with them. In the Unaware world, an elf’s natural beauty gives her a legion of yes-men – even a cult of personality if the elf’s social acumen is strong enough to support it. The presence of other Aware usually grounds her in humble, practical issues. Still, when a circle of Legends makes a group decision, its elves are often the last to commit to the consensus. They dislike compromise and exude confidence – and have trouble admitting to errors. Other Aware know that this is part of the elven psyche and appreciate the flipside: An elf can rally heroes behind her and stand tall against dragon fire, if the situation demands it.

This week and next, we'll be looking at the Clades: the peoples that choose Legendary lives. We're starting with a group you might be familiar with: Humans!

Humans

Lords of Beasts

Overview

In the beginning, the Gods created humans and dwarves. Roaming beasts needed wardens. The Gods made humanity for that duty. More adaptable than any beast, humans took to their role with a skill and dignity that surprised their creators. As hunters and farmers, nomads and settlers, humanity swiftly filled every land. Their creativity inspired elves and dwarves to create, and mesmerised the spirits who would become gnomes. This creativity was the downfall of not only humans, but all the Clades.

For some reason, humanity did something that no other Clade had considered: It rejected its true nature. Nobody knows whether humans created the Dark when they did this or if they just recognised something that already existed. What people do know is that humanity ignored their dominion over beasts. They pursued individual passions without heeding their primal purpose. They turned away from the Source and created towns, then cities, drifting further away each time. They even questioned the Gods. Were they moral? Were they what they claimed? Did they even exist apart from human dreams? The Gods called upon the Source to teach and punish humans – and the Source struck the Gods down. The Gods found the world was their prison, too mundane to countenance divine magic.

Being true to oneself is a noble goal, but nobility impedes progress. Progress didn’t need nobility, and nobility was the essence of magic itself.  Without it, humans were Unaware, trapped in the Gods’ jail. Other Clades looked for the humans there and were also ensnared. The newly Unaware took the shapes of the first, human inmates and forgot their Clades’ magical natures.

Aware humans broke out of the Gods’ prison, left their creators behind and started on a new path. An Aware human never leaves a problem unsolved. It may take time, but she will always defeat the obstacle. More than the other Clades, humans adapt to every situation. Some harness their natural creativity as artists or writers; others provide a sensitive ear from behind a bar or a pot of coffee. Whenever a community identifies a niche, a human will step up to fill it. Human Legends blaze forwards with new ideas, reconnecting with the Gods’ lost magic and giving Aware people everywhere a slim hope for redemption.