Friday the 1st

Legacy Story: The Princess and The Troglodyte

Once there was a man who fell in love with a princess. The princess was not a young doe-eyed lass, but instead a sheltered woman kept in highly controlled seclusion. She loved to feel desired as a person, rather than a title to be won. She ran away from her castle and disguised herself as commoner.

Destitute and without any commoner coins, the princess found the world outside was harsher than she’d ever expected. In truth, the princess had only managed to travel to a trading post outside of her kingdom’s central city. There, Travelers and Locals haggled over the prices of fascinating objects she’d never seen before. In terms of monsters, the surroundings were fairly peaceful.

Friday had been working at the trading post, trying to earn money buying low and selling high. Most days he failed. In between, he earned a few silver by bandaging other Travelers who had just come in from the dangerous trading routes. On odd days, he worked with other Travelers to learn the delicate art of [Enchanting]. This suited Friday as it felt much like his normal life. At the trading post he could find a willing woman to spend the nights, and all the drink he might be able to afford.

Nature, change, and need, took their course. On the morning after a tryst, Travelers sent by the King found the princess and dragged her away. She pled with Friday to join her, for he’d made her feel wanted as more than a feature of the castle grounds. She stated she’d become pregnant with his child.

He declined and vanished the next day, lost on a trading route that went toward unexplored lands. Locals and Travelers were unable to find him, and it turned out she was indeed with child. She prayed to the Voices that her childless father might be punished.

So he was, waking up one morning as a deformed creature. Fearing the worst, the caravan he’d been fleeing with kicked him out. Friday the 1st vanished from the world shortly after.

The chase did not end there. The princess learned much in her time outside the castle, including the strange nature of Travelers. She knows they may return in any number of forms, with new lives each time. Each time the princess suspects Friday’s return to the world of [Arcadia], hunters are sent to bring him in. The reward, and desired health of her child’s father changed each time. Currently the reward is two thousand gold and “Dead or Alive.” She doesn’t mind if he’s dead, for the princess knows Travelers can return to life.

Inheritable Legacy Skills, Traits, and Paths

Path [Trader] Rank 4 Path [Medic] Rank 3 Title [Princesses Consort] Trait [Beat With Ugly Stick] Path [Enchanter] Rank 2 Basic [Regeneration] glyph Basic [Stealth] glyph

Friday the 2nd

Legacy Story: The Treasure Seeker and The Wilder Hunt

A shapeshifter ventured from town to town, plying mortals both Local and Traveler alike with booze. Once they, or he, was drunk enough, the shapeshifter then spun wild tales of a nearly untouched wilderness. Haunted, to be sure, full of monsters both strange and dangerous, to be very sure. But there in the depths were treasures that might fetch a man enough to spend the rest of his life in luxury.

So, one day, in this corner of [Arcadia] mostly untouched by human hands, a Traveler dared poke his head. There he searched for treasures that might be sold for unending riches. Instead, he was marked upon entry, and spent the nights being hunted by dangerous creatures hungrier than wraiths.

He fled deeper into the woods, certain there were rewards for the brave. He knew at any time he could quit this world and return to his own, for Travelers are blessed by the Voices to have a sanctuary beyond the realm of monsters such as those who controlled the forest.

Eventually he found another foolish soul, a tiny Local with wings like a butterfly. He freed it on the condition that they’d search for the forests treasures together. With the help of his sprite companion, they sneaked about the forest in search of something worthy to steal.

They settled upon a river of magic which snaked through the forest. It contained flavors and magic. If drank while the sun was at its apex, the river water tasted of strawberries pure and untainted. At sunset it tasted of a fine earthy wine. At dawn it would fill a body with energy, making the Traveler feel as if he’d slept in the best beds, with the best drinks, and had a night of unparalleled rest.

At the river’s mouth were seven magic stones that enchanted the river. Friday and his companion built a plan that lured away the river’s guardians and tricked it into a war against the forests lords. Then they fled, night after unending night toward the forest’s edge. For the spirit knew they’d be beyond the touch of those who control the woods.

On the escape, Friday lost sight of his companion and suffered grievous wounds. He moved on with a fortitude unmatched by normal Travelers, unsure if he could save the sprite he’d traveled with for weeks. The human, Friday, made it to the forest’s edge, broken, battered, and marked by the forest’s inhuman lords. He buried his stolen treasure then promptly vanished from the world.

Those lords, incised by the theft of a powerful spring stone which enchanted their waters, marked Friday’s soul for hunting. If ever they catch a hint of his Traveler essence returning to any of the realms, they will hunt him down until the stone is returned. As for the sprite, it too lives, bound by spells carved into its bones to hunt down Friday should he ever return. Only then will it be allowed peace.

Inheritable Legacy Skills, Traits, and Paths

Path [Woodman] Rank 3 Compound Path [Shadow] Rank 2 Combines [Sneak] and [Dark Dweller] Title [Magic Thief] Skill [Ambush Detect] Advanced Skill [Wilderness Survival] Advanced Trait [Prey of The Soulless] Trait [Shadow Touched] Foe [Dari The Broken]

Friday the 3rd

Legacy Story: The Mercenaries and The Moron

It’s been said that most Travelers detest “Go here” and “Kill X” style missions. They were also considered “tropes,” “pathetic,” “time consuming,” and “boring.” Despite this, Locals needed protection from rapidly spawning monsters nestled close to their towns.

So, there are bands of hired hands who take on quests deemed too petty for real heroes. They take in anyone wishing to clear the field of monsters, though truthfully some bands are more stringent in their requirements.

The Knights of Whatever, were not such a group. They stopped at every town in the region once a year and took in literally anyone. Locals and Travelers alike. Those who joined signed a year long contract and were branded so they wouldn’t be able to escape the mercenary’s traveling wagon.

Friday joined up, took his pay in advance, and drank it all away before the mercenary group left town. This was not an unusual achievement as the group rarely paid that much. As such, the group Friday traveled with qualified as “desperate” and “downtrodden” made only bearable by the Traveler’s magic ability to whisk themselves back to their other worlds with indoor plumbing and regular showers.

As part of the contract however, Travelers bodies were required to stay with the mercenaries so that they might be used for manual labor. This was often considered a Traveler’s best use. Those in charge loved when Travelers couldn’t handle the hardship and left, because it meant someone else would peel the potatoes used for meals.

Friday stayed with the group for months. He learned a little when he was around, but due to what he termed “a real job” his body was often bereft the Traveler’s soul. This made him highly valued. Soon the Local mercenaries couldn’t function without him to chop the wood, setup the camp, take care of the horses, and any other drudge work they could find. They considered him to be dumb, in the literal sense, but hard working.

They were perplexed when their indentured servant, though The Knights of Whatever would protest such a tactless term, vanished one night after they returned from a desolate forest said to be haunted by spirits. Still, in the end they considered the bargain worth their initial investment, until armies from the [Soulless] launched an attack one night, wiping out a good portion of their “hired help.”

By morning’s approach, the remaining Knights of Whatever were forced to chop their own wood, put up their own tents, and pay renumeration for those who had died during the assault. Their bookkeeper has decided to add all these items to their former worker “Friday’s” ledger, and intend to collect the debt from him. After all, they don’t work on charity.

Inheritable Legacy Skills, Traits, and Paths

Debt: 759 gold (compounding interest) Path [Caravaner] Rank 3 Path [Mercenary] Rank 1 Path [Cook] Rank 2 Skill [Camp Worker] Advanced Skill [Cooking] Basic Title [Possibly Simple]

Friday the 4th

Legacy Story: The Hero and The Zero

In a reality half a twist away from [Arcadia], lay another land visited by Travelers. There they are imbued with powerful abilities only dreamed of in their own world. Flight, teleportation, mind bending, and channeling the elements. Though most worlds forced to deal with Travelers boast the same supernatural effects.

There, an overeager man, dreaming of flying through the sky, rescuing buxom maidens from dastardly villains, joined another million souls dreaming of the same thing. Though he was an older person with a decidedly aged taste compared to some of the brasher would-be heroes so his chances might have been larger. There is no accounting for taste.

A few hurdles were presented to him, none of which could be overcome in a single visit to this reality. He returned, again and again, attempting to overcome the daunting task of learning to harness strange powers. He showed no aptitude for moving objects with his mind. He failed to summon otherworldly beings due to a poor ability to pronounce Latin. He could not “hulk-out” in any form.

The powers he ended up being able to channel allowed him to create wormholes. Not large ones. Not steady ones. Often times they went to unwelcoming places for human flesh. Yet teleportation is a highly valued power to heroes and villains. He found a mentor who wanted to help him harness this ability until they could find dimensions untouched by Travelers and Locals alike. Places that might give their “characters” impressive levels of power. Power of course, being a way to get maidens and free drinks at the bar.

On his seventh visit to the world of superpowers, under the guidance of his tutor, who was herself a finely aged buxom woman with no interest in men, Friday opened a portal to a giant anus, which proceeded to defecate violently. This did not suit the would-be-hero named Friday. It did not suit his mentor. It did not suit the rest of the tower, as the resulting sewage filled an entire hero base and spawned demons made of fecal matter.

Shortly after, Friday stopped visiting the new world. Afterward, his former mentor and almost everyone near the literal shit-storm vowed to make sure Friday would “clean up his act” or “suffer the consequences.” They wait for signs of Friday’s return.

Inheritable Legacy Skills, Traits, and Paths

Power [Dimensional Portal] Path [Teleporter] Rank 3 Path [Summoner] Rank 1 Title [Disgusting Summoner] Skill [Minion] Rank 2

Friday the 5th

Legacy Story: The Magus and The Demon

Once a man charged up to a school of magic. He screamed “I have a letter from an owl” at the top of his lungs. He got in on a provisional status, because Locals pity Travelers who are mentally ill. All Locals agree Travelers who are hampered by mind demons should be helped. It is the way of Locals.

Though it’s hard to say that this Traveler had madness driving him. His anger stemmed from a slight in another dimension. He raved to all who dared to listen. The man studied, delving into untouched stacks of books in search of answers. He screamed of links between dimensions and demonstrated skills not innate to Locals of [Arcadia].

He studied. He studied furiously, learning all the arcane knowledge he could find to avenge a slight the Locals didn’t understand. He showed promise in the arcane, in the powers of summoning creatures from other planes. He bargained with gray powers to get rare reagents. He avoided mercenaries who chased him onto the school grounds for a slight of his past. They came in droves while he claimed asylum based on school rules designed to protect the students during their studies.

And when he gained enough knowledge and mastered his powers, the student opened a portal into a dimension where one sole demon resided. He dropped his drawers. He defecated into the portal, and screamed “Revenge, motherfucker!” loudly in Latin.

Afterward he vanished, never to be seen again.

Teachers and students ignored this incident until three weeks later, their tower was flooded with demon spawning refuse. They put some events together, questioned the mercenaries who had been chasing the Traveler named Friday, and decided someone must be punished for the dirty state of their tower.

Not everyone was on board with this desire for paltry revenge. Many of the tenured teachers, who’d been teaching Travelers for years, knew in another month some other equally insane situation would take place. Then the story of the demon who flooded their tower with crap would become a humorous tale, and a warning on accessing dimensions best left untouched.

Inheritable Legacy Skills, Traits, and Paths

Skill [Speed Reader] Advanced Title [Foolish Summoner] Path [Arcane Mage] Rank 2 Compound Path [Dimensional Magus] Rank 3 Combines [Mage] and [Otherworldly Touch] Trait [Studious] Trait [Bookworm] Trait [Focused]

Friday the 6th

Legacy Story: The Priest and The Voice

In all worlds, redemption is earned, not given. Those who provide it for free know nothing of the soul. Priests, in all worlds, represent a calling. For Locals, they do not need to question if the Voices exist, for they live in a universe made by small gods. For Travelers, seeking higher powers in other worlds is dangerous.

But some still question. They feel the world about them and seek places of worship to talk to priests that may not judge them in the same way. Still, they seek, and priests of lighter Voices assist where they can. They offer guidance, words of support, and a shoulder during trying times.

Friday came to a cathedral. A place with windows made of pristine glass and shining spires. There, he sought an audience with God. Not the Voices of [Arcadia]. The Local priests did what they could. Travelers who understood a bit more, assisted with words of encouragement.

There, Friday sought to become a man of the cloth. A healer. One who could fix other’s bodies as he sought answers to his own soul. In months, he demonstrated a skill uncommon to Travelers, that of physical care. He bound wounds that might not have been cured without divine power. He set right bodies that were bent in wrong ways.

For in his world, he claimed to be a [Doctor], and soon he proved to be so in [Arcadia]. As time passed, he proved to be adept at the healing arts. Every time he revisited the world, he would teach his fellow priests new techniques that might help save lives, if their prayers proved lacking.

But Friday had a vice. He had sins. There is a testing that must be applied to all those seeking growth as [Priests]. Sometimes, Travelers fall to the darker Voices. Those who stand for vice and violence. Those who breathe in excess that is dangerous to the soul. They lure away weaker minds from all that is considered good in the worlds, for people both Traveler and Local alike.

A vision was granted. What it was is a secret only known to The Voices who reached out to Friday. The results however, were soon apparent to all.

He’d failed, giving in to his vices. When he came to, Friday believed himself weak, and a failure, and a “terrible father.” So he vanished from the world. Friday did not know that this is a test which people of the cloth face every day. His fellow [Priest]s know no matter what body Friday returns in, his soul and purpose will be tested again and again until the answers he seeks become apparent. They pray for his soul. Though actions will always speak louder than a silent heart. These priests watch for their former companion’s soul to reappear.

Inheritable Legacy Skills, Traits, and Paths

Companions [Light Priesthood Brethren] Path [Priest] Rank 3 Path [Healer] Rank 5 Skill [Spiritual Physician] Basic Skill [Soothing Voice] Advanced Heirloom Item Bound Trait [Fallen]

Friday the 7th

Legacy Story: The Unspoken and The Disavowed

Little is known of this version of Friday. He’s a soul lost in space and time after an immediate disaster ruined his attempt to travel to other worlds. It’s said that he showed up, was confronted with hunters sent by royalty, and immediately vanished into the ether from which he’d been borne.

Though this story isn’t completely accurate. In truth, he survived eight days in the world while being hounded by his soul’s past misdeeds. He went frothing mad at the skies and all those around, and was thrown in jail. A day later, people after the reward offered by a princess, showed up in hopes of dragging away his soulless husk for the sizable bounty.

Only he’d gone.

Inheritable Legacy Skills, Traits, and Paths

[Criminal] value of 100 points [Branded] by a [Prisoner Mark] Skill [Lock Picking] Basi

Friday the 8th

Legacy Story: The Barbarian and The Tree

Far to the north is a tundra occupied by a savage race that only seems human. They are warriors of renown, warlocks of power, blacksmiths of mystic materials unseen in the south. They accept few to their wasteland, for each body birthed must pull their weight quickly or become a burden to the wandering tribes.

One day, a Traveler appeared in their midst. He did not hunt. He did not tend the field or animals. Instead he carved wood and said nothing.

Day after day he carved. When the wood ran out, he wandered into the wilderness and brought mighty trees low, and carved again. The others of his tribe watched their new member quietly. When he vanished from the world, as Travelers do, they took his carvings and left food in their place.

For in the north, respect for crafters is immense. Those who create items to better the lives of a tribe bring honor and glory that a simple warrior cannot. The mightier the crafter, the stronger the power that comes from their products. Warriors used his carvings as totems to strengthen themselves against monsters of the wild. They placed statues in their homes to bring prosperity.

Day after day, month after month this continued. One day the Traveler ventured into the woods.

Children followed him. Small ones strong enough to fight back the weaker monsters, but not strong enough to face true horrors. They found the Traveler carving into a live tree. Faces of women with angry scowls. Faces that spoke of heartbreak, betrayal, and sorrow.

The Traveler named Friday carved as if possessed by madness. With each crafted face his body seemed weaker. As the final portrait reached completion, the Traveler fell to his side. The inherent strength that all northern men can summon forth drifted away. Blood dripped from his eyes and hands. He stared at the kids and said his first words ever. “Run while you can.”

The faces on the tree screamed. Friday’s body stopped breathing and the children ran.

Inheritable Legacy Skills, Traits, and Paths

Path [Wood Crafter] Rank 6 Skill [Woodcarving] Expert Skill [Lumberjack] Advanced Title [Crafter of Woe] Foe [Deadlands Tree of Woe] Tribe Admiration [Heartland Wolves]

Friday the 9th

Legacy Lore Story: The Station and The Cricket

In space, no one can hear you dream. Or scream. They can see a bright enough gleam however, and that’s exactly what the city-sized space station of [Outpost Zeta] did. It gleamed and was the only civilized place in the sector. Everywhere else, according to the dwellers upon [Outpost Zeta], was complete “rubbish.” Actual adjectives used were much ruder.

This station served as the first stop for many of the universe’s races. Once they completed their training upon safer home environments, they met and set about working with other races to explore the stars, killing alien foes, and tinker with items that went “boom” or “zap” or “psppsppsgglglglgl.” Though most people on the station were unsure what the last noise went with, it often made the station shake.

Friday appeared one day. In the body of a tiny creature less than four feet high and fast, as all [Cricket] races were. He zoomed about the station at high speeds, crashing into objects, rubbing his forelegs together in pain, then dashing off to a new location.

Often times he found himself in construction zones and shortly after, hurtling into space, where his body shut down in the cold. Drones would then have to retrieve him before the body splattered into an energy shield of one of the docked ships.

He tinkered with objects. Strapped them to himself like a mad fool, and repeated his space dashes, often reaching farther each time. This, many assumed, was a self-destructive form of madness. To the [Cricket] named Friday, it was fun. He aimed to launch himself to a moon, though math had never been his strong point. He learned that even in the future, duct tape and grease solved most problems, including making opposing machines function in unison.

He did not make it to the moon. He did leave an innumerable number of stains upon government spaceships, which he found a useful alternative. Soon others caught on, pelting the space stations protectorate cruisers with objects as a form of rebellion. Friday remained unaware of the changes, until one day, a full scale rebellion started.

Friday wisely chose to vanish before he could be arrested as a leader of the rebellion. Though he honestly had no role in the protests.

Inheritable Legacy Skills, Traits, and Paths

Path [Unstable Tinkerer] Rank 4 Path [Survivalist] Rank 2 Title [Rocket Man] Title [Insurrectionist] Skill [Mechanical Tinkerer] Advanced Skill [Unintentional Leader] Advanced

Friday the 10th

Legacy Lore Story: The Tainted and The Tired

It was said that in a town far away was a gathering of Locals. They’d fled oppression by a Traveler who practiced a wicked form of curses. Despite their flight, a single spell harried them no matter where they relocated. The curse was simple, every morning one of them would be severely wounded.

It hit everyone. Those who left were often hit, left stranded and alone in their attempted flight. They had no doctor and no healer who might lift the curse. They said prayers to the Voices that someone might save them. Their only solace is that the Voices made them sturdier and heal quickly.

After months, a man stumbled into town. There he quietly worked to fix up Locals. He did not call upon the Voices or practice arcane body manipulation. He knew nothing of curses and how to fight them. He said little and exhaustion lined his face.

He healed as best he could and asked only for a drink in return. For weeks he came. At times his spirit left, as Travelers often do, but still his soulless body worked away mechanically to set right what it could. They plied him with drinks until his sweat was saturated enough to start a fire, or so it was said.

The curse did not take this lying down. The number of wounded each morning increased. Two, three, then four. So on it went, as the wandering man healed day and night.

With each passing day their healer grew gaunter. His face became pale and hands shook. Some suggested he stop drinking but the man refused, saying it was the only thing which brought him solace.

On it went, until one day their healer mumbled these words. “I am a doctor, but what good does this do? I am one man fighting against endless tide of despair. I am alone, and I cannot do everything.” That night, after doing his best to set the last patient on the mend, he vanished.

It’s said that he left to fight the curse, and this may be true, for days after he ventured into the wild, the damage stopped. The people were freed of whatever had oppressed them. It’s said they wear a banner in honor of their tireless doctor, who gave of himself until nothing remained.

But of their savior, nothing was heard again.

Inheritable Legacy Skills, Traits, and Paths

Trait [Exhausted] Trait [Post-Traumatic Stress] Title [Doctor] Skill [Medical Knowledge] Expert City Admiration [Heartland Southerners]

Friday the 11th

Legacy Lore Story: The War and The Runner

In [Arcadia] and many adjacent realms, conflict is a natural course of life. Between Locals, between Travelers, between monsters and forces from beyond. The realms clash with each other almost constantly.

Some are fought in the shadows. Others on city streets. The worst are often outside castles, for Travelers seem to have a fascination with laying claim to stone fortifications. Often Travelers can be seen building them, only to leave as quickly as possible so that Travelers may keep each other distracted fighting over a meaningless plot of land.

Such is the world.

Occasionally such battles are in places housing Locals. These are the worst fights, for Local bodies do not simply disappear when they are gravely wounded. They persist. They cry in agony. And they plead for help.

These fields are messy and there are many Travelers who dedicate themselves to running between the fields, ferrying people out at high speeds and setting right what they can. One such man distinguished himself, not only for bringing in those wounded, but saving many in the field who might have died otherwise.

He made use of clothes to form splints. He performed surgery in the field, with little besides liquor for sterilization. For six days and nights the man could be seen running across the field. When he returned to the city with a wounded Local or Traveler, he often only asked for some water and a fresh bottle of liquor to help cleanse the wounded.

By the battle’s end, those who contributed were brought before the Local King and given gifts. The Traveler named Friday received a single item. A scroll said to be able to prevent the same amount of harm as he had healed, but only once.

The man nodded and made his plans.

In the next war, the king hoped to see such bravery again, but as for this Traveler, naught else was heard.

Inheritable Legacy Skills, Traits, and Paths

Skill [Runner] advanced Skill [Pack Mule] basic Skill [Field Medic] advanced Title [Savior]

Friday the 12th

Legacy Lore Story: The Calling and The Punishment

Clothed in new body came an old spirit. He could be considered many things, for a man is more than one story in his time, yet all those stories share a theme. A wanderer of the fields, a man who desired nothing more than to be a healer. A lost soul who’d appeared almost four years ago and handed out disaster and help in equal measure.

He’d made mistakes, too many to count, and to those slighted he owed a debt. In his time he’d also earned favors. In other bodies, but still the same spirit.

One day he dared own up to it all. No one could say if the problems of his past wore upon his mind. He sat in a quiet field, away from all Locals and Travelers, and shouted his admission to the Heavens. He shouted until the world shifted under his feet and the sky cracked with thunder.

Then they came. The warriors of Heartland set out, for their savior had shown his face. Villager and barbarian alike arrived. Priests from his old clergy arrived and they awaited the return of their brother to the faith.

Mages arrived, seeking compensation for the damages to their tower. Mercenaries sought repayment for their company’s losses. The royal army of [Alpha Frontier] sought an insurrectionist. Hunters for the queen from the first Friday still sought a high bounty. Spirits arrived, hungry for the soul of a man who dared steal from their woods.

On the field he sat. Shrouded in a divine spell he’d stolen from sources unknown. With the comfort of knowing his body was protected by forces from beyond, he took time to provide all those gathered his thoughts.

He cursed against his pursuers, friend and foe alike. He screamed and taunted and jeered. Mad fingers tore at his skin leaving scars that may have never healed. He shouted that he “simply wanted to be left alone.” Then he told everyone to, and pardon this uncouth phrase “fuck off and die!” before vanishing again, off to wear a new body to clothe his old soul.

Those left behind did not agree. Those who came in support felt confused and warred against those who sought blood and retribution. In the end, all forces were left wounded.

Those who survived cried out for justice. Those who were allies of Friday cried out for their lost healer to find peace. And as they always do, the Voices took note.

It is only one Traveler among the millions. These are only some Locals among the billions. But of note is one Voice who watches for Friday to return. Hermes, Guardian of the Border between realms and Messenger. By his side is his wife. Hecate, the Voice of Crossroads and the dead. They wait, ready to provide a final chance for the man to confront his past.

And a curse, said to be from an old lover of Friday’s. The first.

Inheritable Legacy Skills, Traits, and Paths

Substantial [Divine Attention] [Cursed by Nemesis] Added [Soul Lock] Added [Complete Legacy]

Friday the 13th – currently logged out.