Cycleborne: Project LUMEN
In the ruins of the American Wasteland, three strangers cross paths with a buried mind from the old world. LUMEN, an AI built to peer into the stars. She warns of a coming doom, the return of a celestial body, a reset in the Cycle. As old alliances fracture and unexpected bonds form, this unorthodox team must protect LUMEN's fragile corporeal form while contending with the superpowers that thrived in the void America left behind.
Character Concepts
Below are a few archetypes to spark inspiration for players as they shape who they will become in this story. The campaign begins on familiar, terrestrial ground but stretches into the unknown, allowing for a wide range of playstyles and roles.
Global level characters excel in conventional warfare- if it bleeds, they know how to kill it. They start the game well-equipped for direct confrontation, with extensive gear and resources, but their success often depends on tactical skill and mechanical expertise.
System level characters have been touched by the Dream, mastering powers that defy the natural order- abilities best compared to telekinesis or the shaping of will itself. They begin strong but risk losing their sense of self; those who falter may become Hollowed.
Cosmic level characters have glimpsed the underlying lattice of reality and learned to twist its threads. Feared and revered in equal measure, their abilities often cause awe-inspiring yet destructive effects. They start fragile but possess the potential to alter the course of the story itself.
Global Level Characters
- American Survivor - Some might call their life savage, but it is simply old-world knowledge forged in modern grit. Resilient and adaptable, they come in all shapes and sizes, commanding respect wherever they surface.
- Foreign Defector - Many have fled the bloated, corrupt first-world nations, seeking freedom and purpose in the fractured territories of the Americas despite its dangers. Armed with relics of their past life, they often bring an arsenal of high-tech tools and clever tactics.
- Rogue Cyborg - Rebuilt with the worlds most advanced technologies and bionics, it is extremely rare for these individuals to defect from Olympus. However with the future of their leader under threat, some are looking for their own way to tip the scale in their secret war.
System Level Characters
- Disillusioned Agent - Trained by the UEC to enter the Dream without surrendering to its call, not all agents remain loyal. Some break away, forging their own path. With Somnic abilities tempered by military discipline and cold precision, they excel at bending situations under pressure.
- Wandering Dreamer - Dreamers draw strength from unity, yet some are driven to wander, spreading their message to the masses. Deeply attuned to nature, they channel collective instincts and buried genetic knowledge, aligning their will with the planet’s own harmony.
- Broken Revenant - To let go of the self is to find peace, but also a hollow void. A rare few return from this state—scarred, fragmented, but alive. They clutch the remnants of their story like a tether to their sentience. Wielding strange and unsettling powers, they leave ripples wherever Dreamers gather.
Cosmic Level Characters
- Star Child - Dormant in human DNA for millennia, fragments of something ancient still linger in a rare few. Most live and die without ever awakening, but something has changed- dreams and premonitions haunt these chosen until they discover the role they were meant to play.
- Cosmic Trauma - Some glimpse the universe’s secrets only by enduring its force against their will. Those who survive without succumbing to madness often find clarity where none should exist. Wielding powers that pluck at the threads of reality, they reshape fate at the cost of their humanity.
- Divine Architect - There is a thin line between servitude and freedom, one that few perceive and fewer still walk. To find peace in serving a greater power while retaining the agency to choose, their insights bend the rules of the universe without breaking them. Altering chance events that ripple across fate itself.
This is just meant to be a jumping off point, you are encouraged to find a character type and story that feels good to you. Any questions on lore I am happy to answer on Discord, and there is a public timeline on the main page (based roughly 100 years in the future of our own timeline).
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