The Storytellers
Gather 'round...
University Archives
Security Feed Analysis//Date: -redacted- (see file: #3836 The Helheim Incident)
Subject: OS-7 - The Mirror, The Man In-
Archivist: - Pvst. Camilla Ellestrom
They knew they screwed it up. They had one job to do and they failed. The others were counting on them, and they let them down. It began with the broadcast, Heimdal's call for help. The storytellers answered, as so many others did. Charles "Chuck" Perez, Amelia Brown, and Josh Lorenz were among them. Each was highly skilled, highly trained in their gifts. What went wrong?
The footage reveals every moment in painstaking detail. They were running. Gunfire could be heard. It's likely they were running from the same cult that worshiped Room 8. The footage never shows these unfortunate souls. The storytellers reach a dead end. They exchange glances, and each gets to work.
Chuck was the linguist. He sat on the floor with his legs crossed. He unfolded a silk like cloth and began laying magazine cut-outs of words in a collage. The footage was far too dark to make out what the words were. Amelia was the artist. She began crawling along the wall as if searching for something, negative spaces. She failed in finding one, and draws a door on the wall. We believe the intention was to create a door that would open up to the other side of that wall. Josh tells his stories with music. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone. After selecting the appropriate app, he hits shuffle
Focused Commentary/ SUBJECT: The Mirror, The Man In-The moment he hits shuffle, a familiar song plays: Michael Jackson's The Man in the Mirror. It was clear by the expressions that this was not intended. Josh looks up from a screen, his eyes wide. His lower jaw begins to quiver. He knows what's coming, and he knows there is nothing that can be done to stop it. The music coming from the phone begins to radically change. Every note is either changed in pitch or speed, creating a series of distorted lyrics and unsettling sounds. Amelia doesn't bother to open the door. She seemed afraid of it, as if something was going to come through it. She turns away from it and bolts down the hall towards the gun-toting cultists that apparently we're preferable to whatever was coming. There's a flash of light, gunfire, as Amelia gets tackled by something much larger than her...
The storytellers have the appearance of an organization, but the term truly refers to a type of individual. This individual possesses a unique connection to the cultures they resonate with, allowing them to perform extraordinary feats of power. By tapping into the fame and legacy of others through The Gift of Tall Tales, the storytellers can alter reality in a myriad of ways.
The storytellers trace their lineage beyond human history to a time unknown even to them. The storytellers have been around for as long as there have been people to tell those stories. The modern-day has greatly affected their abilities, allowing them to perform their great feats significantly easier than before. MP3 players, smartphones, and the ease of access to information the internet provides are all to thank for this.
A teenager sits in his room, blaring music as loud as the stereo can play it. He closes his eyes and gets lost in it, and when he opens them once more, he finds himself in a seemingly infinite library. He's far from home, likely not even on the same planet, but home is a lot closer than he thinks. A woman recites The Psalm of David, over and over again, bolstering the resolve of her companions as they strike a killing blow on a beast that hunted her for years. These and more are prime examples of the storytellers at work.
The storytellers trace their lineage beyond human history to a time unknown even to them. The storytellers have been around for as long as there have been people to tell those stories. The modern-day has greatly affected their abilities, allowing them to perform their great feats significantly easier than before. MP3 players, smartphones, and the ease of access to information the internet provides are all to thank for this.
A teenager sits in his room, blaring music as loud as the stereo can play it. He closes his eyes and gets lost in it, and when he opens them once more, he finds himself in a seemingly infinite library. He's far from home, likely not even on the same planet, but home is a lot closer than he thinks. A woman recites The Psalm of David, over and over again, bolstering the resolve of her companions as they strike a killing blow on a beast that hunted her for years. These and more are prime examples of the storytellers at work.
What is a storyteller
At their most basic level, a Storyteller is an individual who can utilize cultural elements to alter themselves, others, or the world. This alteration is a form of arcane power and taps into the metaphysical symbolism behind the cultural elements used. It also taps into the symbolism held solely by the storyteller who uses it. These effects can range from psychological warfare in the minds of others, enhancements to oneself or their allies, or spontaneously manifesting objects and events.
These abilities are heavily dependent on how the Storyteller resonates with the cultural elements that use and what those cultural elements are. Music is remarkably effective across a spacious area, but so is whispering an ironic and witty comeback in the ear of a fallen enemy in their final moments. To better understand their abilities, it is important to understand how they categorize these abilities and what the extent and limitations of those abilities are,
These abilities are heavily dependent on how the Storyteller resonates with the cultural elements that use and what those cultural elements are. Music is remarkably effective across a spacious area, but so is whispering an ironic and witty comeback in the ear of a fallen enemy in their final moments. To better understand their abilities, it is important to understand how they categorize these abilities and what the extent and limitations of those abilities are,
Becoming a storyteller
As long as they've been around, you'd think they'd have a better idea of what it is they actually do and how one comes to gain such power. Sadly this information is still lost in theory and conjecture. Becoming a storyteller is not something one can learn. It's something they have always been able to do, but were unaware of it. There's little known for sure.
Becoming a storyteller is not hereditary, but it also can't be taught. You are born a storyteller, but it may not manifest for many years. Some storytellers fail to find out until well into their later years. One learns of their ability in various ways, which also complicates matters as it is unclear exactly what unlocks the power.
Sometimes the power is triggered to life, like a superhero’s origin story. A moment of great stress and pressure causes the sudden onset of ability. Sometimes it occurs at the beginning of puberty, getting stronger as one ages. Some find it only occurs if they obtain The Candlelight.
Becoming a storyteller is not hereditary, but it also can't be taught. You are born a storyteller, but it may not manifest for many years. Some storytellers fail to find out until well into their later years. One learns of their ability in various ways, which also complicates matters as it is unclear exactly what unlocks the power.
Sometimes the power is triggered to life, like a superhero’s origin story. A moment of great stress and pressure causes the sudden onset of ability. Sometimes it occurs at the beginning of puberty, getting stronger as one ages. Some find it only occurs if they obtain The Candlelight.
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These seem to be an interesting bunch. I like the idea of a cursed mirror created by accident, especially since it haunts more than the creator.
I think this needs some rewriting, feels like a few words get minced here. I'll not point out any more, as this seems like it needs a general grammar/spelling pass (Written in a hurry?). Conlangs for power is a cool idea, could see people using that to minmax for sure. Why Crown Royal bags? Is there a specific property they hold? Removing enemies by "forgetting" to paint them? Love the thought! They sound interesting to play for sure, and were fun to read!Yeahhhh, I thought I ffixed alot of these. Dangit. Thanks for pointing it out. The dark side of the moon is my favorite bit XD I really wanted to shake it up with these guys, so I'm glad they sound fun. Lots of options for minmax as well. Thanks so much for the time, like, and comment!
oh crap, the crown royal bags. well.... youve heard of it. everyone has. Crown royal bags are notorious for storing random bits in, at least here. change, small odds and ends, and the like. With the storytellers, imagery and symbolism mean everything. sometimes just where you store your lexicon can increase its power!
I had to google what Crown Royal even was when I read that lol.
Ohhhh dear. XD maybe its just Oklahoma? Weird. we love the crown bags.