Ixionen
"Tracing an Ixionen family line is like peeling back an onion. You start in the slums, move through a half-dozen factions that barely talk to each other, and eventually discover the ancestors were all refugees of some long-forgotten catastrophe. They’re born into chaos, survive in chaos, and somehow thrive in it."
Children of Collapse
Ixionens are the descendants of refugees that stayed. Their culture was born in fallout slums, bioplastic warrens, ghost infrastructure, and cave networks carved by desperation. They are simultaneously suspicious and flamboyant; Ixionens carry an edge of paranoia from growing up under the constant threat of RAI infiltration, yet their neighborhoods still pulse with music, neon lights, and riotous street celebrations. What other peoples call “decadence,” Ixionens simply call “living while you can.”
Ixionen communities are fractious and clan-based, but also deeply interdependent. It is not unusual for a family feud to run for decades, only for the same families to fight side-by-side against corporate mercenaries, pirate raiders, or Degenerate warbands. To outsiders, they are chaotic and contradictory; to themselves, they are simply pragmatic survivors.
Long influence of the Archdiocese of the Hollow Quintessence have created a culture of two poles: They are stoic when work needs to get done, and impassioned when it's time to vent.
Naming Traditions
Feminine names
Céleste, Mireille, Yvette, Sabine, Amélie, Solène, Camille, Nadège, Chantal, Élodie.
Masculine names
Lucien, Marceau, Renaud, Patrice, André, Étienne, Hugo, Benoît, Théo, Gérard.
Unisex names
René, Dominique, Noël, Jules, Claude, Alix, Sasha, Lior, Rowan.
Family names
Heavy influence from Cajun, Creole, and French surnames (Le’Boor, Garnier, Duvall), often mixed with slum-born affectations or street names. Some adopt callsigns (e.g., “Stainrunner,” “Bluejaw”) as family identifiers.
Culture
Common Customs, traditions and rituals
Parades and block parties are common even in times of privation, as a deliberate display of defiance against despair.
Birth & Baptismal Rites
Newborns are daubed with glowing caveworm ichor to “mark them as children of Ixion.” This fades quickly but the ritual is deeply symbolic.
Coming of Age Rites
Adolescents are expected to undertake a “Night Run,” surviving a full cycle outside the relative safety of their enclave. Returning with a trophy — from scavenged tech to enemy armor — is a mark of pride.
Funerary and Memorial customs
Corpses are rarely buried due to limited space; most are cremated, with ashes mixed into glowing resin and turned into amulets or memorial graffiti.
Common Taboos
Collaboration with RAI is considered the ultimate betrayal. Informants, if discovered, are executed in spectacularly public ways.
Ideals
Beauty Ideals
Ixionens are fascinated by contrast — pale skin with neon tattoos, bright eyes against dark cloaks, scars worn proudly. Mutations are not necessarily stigmatized; some are seen as “signs of resilience.”
Gender Ideals
Relatively fluid; physical strength, style, and cleverness matter more than traditional roles.
Courtship Ideals
Romance often begins in displays of daring — a dangerous stunt, a clever con, or a bold serenade. Flirtation is loud, flamboyant, and competitive.
Relationship Ideals
Families are tight-knit, but romantic partnerships are more flexible; polycules, long-term crews, or serial monogamy are all accepted.
Major organizations
Game Template
Template: 10 pts
- Advantages (30 pts): High Pain Threshold (10), Streetwise Talent 2 (10), Resistant to Poison (thollins & chems, +8) (10).
- Disadvantages (25 pts): Paranoia (10), Enemy (RAI infiltration, 9 or less) (10), Reputation (Criminal Associations, -2) (5).
- Perks (3 pts): Illuminated Tattoos (1), Gutter Cant (1), Improvised Weapon Proficiency (1).
- Quirks (2 pts): Distrustful of Authority (1), Celebrates Small Victories Loudly (1).
Comments