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affinity ranks;
✽ AFFINITY RANKS | ||||||||||
Areas of Repute Within Aifaran are some unofficial factions that represent some of the interests or aspects of the city life. These are not ICly recognized groups (that is, there are no guilds or formal organizations representing these areas that a character can approach ICly) in that they have no defined structure, but merely areas of general repute.
Upon application acceptance, each character will receive a randomized set of starter rankings totaling 20 points altogether, which are randomly distributed throughout all the factions using RNG when a character joins the game. This point cap will prevent anyone from being able to max out too many affinity factions at one time. OOCly, each faction has ranks from 1-5 (with 1 being the lowest, 5 the highest), with each rank producing multiple different types of interaction with that group throughout the month. Players can choose to have their characters experience one or more of these instances to happen, depending on what their rank standing is with that respective group. Characters will not be required to experience all instances for all factions in a given month. This Google Spreadsheet is kept current by the mods that can be viewed by the players at any time, so players will always have access to their various Affinity standings at a glance. EXAMPLE: CRIME Rank 1 • Slippery Fingers: You are targeted for pickpocketing on the street! • Get Trashed: Your property (home, work, etc) suffers vandalism. • Shakedown: Your preferred places of patronage are harassed for protection money. Rank 2 • Supply & Demand: You sense eyes on you frequently, and when looking to purchase your usual staples, you find them either out of stock or ridiculously marked up in price. If asked, the shopkeepers will avoid answering the questions, as if they've been intimidated into silence. Rank 3 • Swag Swap: You are targeted for a mugging, but you're offered a cheap set of crystal glasses in exchange for all you lose. • Insurance: You're offered an insurance policy against theft for the month, but if you don't pay up, you may be more heavily targeted. Rank 4 • Mistaken Identity: During what looks like it will be a mugging, the perpetrator seems to recognize you and breaks off the attempt. • Guardian Criminal: Alternatively, during what looks to be a mugging, ANOTHER mugger will intervene, successfully chasing the first offender away from you. Rank 5 • Sudden Windfall: An anonymous person mails you a package containing what is definitely stolen, but likely untraceable, money and luxury items, the contents of which are now yours to do with as you please! Affinity Rank Changes Each month as part of AC, players will be required to submit their rank changes, moving 4 points total per month in any combination of their choosing. An affinity cannot be ranked at 0 or over 5, and all the Affinity ranks must collectively total 20 points - so points being added to one rank must come from subtracting from another rank, etc. Part of the AC requirement is a (VERY) brief description of the character's behaviour that led to the fluctuations in affinity. EXAMPLE AC COMMENT: Character: Bugs Bunny AC Proof 1 (required): LINK AC Proof 2 (optional): LINK Allegiance Rank Changes: +2 Sci-Tech, -2 Faith Notes: Bugs offered to teach a class on network basics to some less-than-tech-savvy elders (+2 Sci-Tech) but flipped off some Ban Om devotees when they wouldn't take a hint (-2 Faith). Affinity FAQ What happens if my character gets randomized Affinity starting ranks that don't make sense? IE; my sweet cinnamon roll gets a high Crime ranking? That's half the fun! ICly, it's explained by characters arriving that don't have any background in the city yet. Since these aren't literal, recognized factions, it's a little bendable. Maybe they're going with a gut feeling. Maybe they just don't like your character's face. Who knows! These rankings aren't static either - they go up or down with each AC, depending on what you want for your character. What if I don't want to use any of the monthly instances for my faction rankings? You don’t really have to if there isn’t anything in there you’d want to play with. Or make up something (reasonably) within the parameters that would be better suited to your character. Why do I have to move Affinities rankings around every month? As your character interacts with the peoples of Khu Ioduan, they will naturally get along with some groups and people, but not others, just as in the real world. Adjusting Affinities rankings is based on how you think your character's choices have been viewed by the various factions in the city. There is no 'right' or 'wrong' standing with the factions, so don't worry about keeping a set number; every option has new opportunities! | ||||||||||
JUNE 2018
JUSTICE
RANK 1
• Breaking and Entering: You're resting in your room or apartment when suddenly the door bursts open. A well-armed man with weapon drawn storms in and says, "Don't move, I've...crap, wrong room." The intruder then quickly exits. He may or may not have been from the Verdant Sentry.
RANK 2
• Sketchy Lawyer: A slick-looking kedan approaches you with an offer - they can get you out of any legal bind you need (subject to terms and conditions, of course), and would you like a business card? Whether you take it or not, the kedan keeps popping up, either in person or in posters and ads in many of the places you visit this month.
• Privacy Protection: Legislation was passed in the Assembly by a narrow margin some months ago about protection of personal information on the network. The deadline is this month, and everyone is scrambling to meet it. Not limited to Xa Xa, you'll be receiving multiple notifications from applications and network media providers about this change and how it affects you.
RANK 3
• Kel'ghau Crackdown: The Sentry increases crackdowns on black market goods this month. You or one of your preferred places of patronage are subject to inspection. It ultimately proves fruitless (or does it? Your choice!), but it takes up hours and is both boring and stressful.
RANK 4
• Proving Innocence: You witness a crime and are called in to testify against someone who you know, for certain, is not the culprit. Your testimony helps ensure that an innocent person walks free, and the Arbitrator leading the case praises you for upholding justice - a fact which will be remembered if you become involved in other cases.
RANK 5
• Clean Streets: If you or one of your favored places of patronage have been subject to criminal activity recently, the Sentry is here to help. They'll increase patrols and find out who's to blame - and then get them off your back.
• Hometown Favorite: Participating in the Talent Tourney this month? The district representative from where you live has decided to sponsor you (and your group, if you're part of one). This comes in the form of practice spaces, marketing (with their name on the material, too, of course), and more. If you're not participating, the representative will invite you to attend the Tourney as their honored guest!
CRIME
RANK 1
• You’ve got the wrong guy, I tell ya!: You have no idea how on Konryu the Sentry have mixed you up with a seven-foot Arybar wanted for counterfeiting, but they have, and they’ve brought you in for questioning. When they finally do seem to realize that, as you say, you are not the
droidone they’re looking for, most of a day has passed. Local criminals, though, don’t know that you didn’t say anything, so prepare to get some rough treatment from the gangs for a few weeks until they know that you didn’t rat them out.• Perfidy!: You run towards the sound of a scream and run to help, only to find someone standing there utterly unconcerned. Before you can even ask what’s wrong, they yell again for the Sentry, and point at you, accusing you of some crime or other. With the Sentry distracted by accosting you, you can see them - and an accomplice! - slipping away to rob a nearby shop. Great. Now you’re the patsy. As the sound of a robbery breaks out, you get the feeling that you’re going to need a lawyer. (You’ve seen some signs for some kedan around…)
RANK 2
• I was gonna clean my room, but then I got high...: Poor you - you stumbled into a drug deal that abruptly went south, and the kedan who was selling shoved some of her product at you in order to keep you quiet. You could either turn it in to the Sentry, and have them ask questions, or keep it for yourself. Just what is this ‘Dust’ stuff, anyway?
RANK 3
• You dropped this very illegal thing, friend.: Ow! Someone bumped into you in the street and dropped something, but when you went to pick it up and give it to them, they ran away. Turns out it’s a very valuable kirin horn - and also, probably, very stolen. Still...if you can turn that around on the black market, bit of a windfall for you, eh?
• Face/Off: You’re getting some nods of respect in the street, and have no idea what that’s about. After a little while you surmise that a kedan gang member has been wearing your likeness to commit crimes, and the criminal underworld thinks that you’ve done them. You can either demur, which means they’ll probably go “oh, yeah, suuuure”, or you can play it up. But if you do the latter, the real culprit might catch wind that you’re claiming to be them, who’s in turn claiming to be you...this is confusing.
RANK 4
• Woohoo! Free bling!: Who doesn’t love a free sample? Especially when it’s someone else getting the sample for you, and when it probably shouldn’t strictly be free in the first place. An Erol’a thief has reverse-pickpocketed some jewelry onto you as you left a store, likely hoping to re-pickpocket it from you later. Joke’s on them - you found it first. I mean, since you didn’t steal it personally, it’s okay to keep, right?
RANK 5
• Five-Finger Discount: Well, well, well, look who’s made a name for themselves. Someone seems to be kindly-disposed towards you; you’ve got your pick of the litter so far as wares go on the Kel’ghau, and that thing you have your eye on? Why, the seller’s offering to let you have it at a reduced price. They like the cut of your jib. And, more importantly, the jingle of your rhinn.
FAITH
RANK 1
• How is this MY fault?!: You’ve either upset some deity or other, or you are just supremely unlucky - and people have noticed. Aside from getting some luck charms shoved at you by members of the Ban Om, people are avoiding you like you’ve got the plague and a bad case of halitosis all rolled up into one. Even the Tifauiti are avoiding you.
• Um...I didn’t do it?: Don’t panic. You didn’t mean to break that vase in the Ban Om temple, and they’re surely not on edge after that riot last month. Just...everyone be calm, all right? Oh, oh dear. People look angry. You’d better make the requisite apologies and run for it, and you probably shouldn’t show your face back here for a little while...
RANK 2
• TMI, man!: Oh, no. You’ve been trapped by a Tariken monk, but this time, they’re the one oversharing. Someone really needs to come save you before you hear all about this Erol’a’s marital problems like they’re your birthright to know.
RANK 3
• The ocean and I are getting married!: It’s nice to be down by the beach in the sunny weather. The Tia-Cheal pantheon thinks so too. You’re splashed with a wave, suddenly knocked over, but it, weirdly enough, just seems to be the ocean saying ‘hello’. Some nearby Castians laugh and say that auntie’s a little enthusiastic at making friends today. True enough, the waves seem to lap at your feet, no matter how far up the beach you get. Try talking to it - er, her? She seems to like you.
• You’ve gotta have faith-ah-faith-ah-faith-ah!: You pick up a pamphlet on the skyway for what looks like a rock show of some kind. Little did you know that “Nectar of a Thousand Sorrows” isn’t actually an awesome band name, but a fire-and-brimstone warning. At least, it might be if the Arybar trying to give it didn’t look so crestfallen that you’re literally the only person who showed up. Taking him out to dinner seems to cheer him up a little and remind him that everything isn’t completely awful, and he resolves to go back to his Sabonile faith, thanking you profusely.
RANK 4
• Sometimes, being nosy pays off.: You came upon an argument in the street, and helped a Tifauiti Igheeri straighten it out and smooth some feathers. Impressed by your kindness and willingness to help total strangers in need, the Igheeri gives you some rhinn for your troubles, saying that it’s another kindness, this time from them to you, and refusing it would be churlish. Free money, right?
RANK 5
• Are you a believer in miracles?: You bought a charm from the Ban Om temple a few weeks ago, and it actually...seems to work. Really well. Things are going your way! You found some rhinn on the street, a cute kedan flirted with you, your Talent studies are progressing well; whatever you picked up a charm for, it’s working.
COMMERCE
RANK 1
• You Break It, You Bought It: Only you're pretty sure you didn't actually break it? You were on the other side of the street, but the shopkeep is sure it was you. Maybe it was your Talent? It's going to be easier and less stressful to just pay for the trinket and leave. Good luck with justice!
RANK 2
• Not Always Right: The person in front of you at the local grocery is filled with the spirit of utter foolishness. Is there milk in this cheese? Can you wrap each slice separately? Oh, no, they've changed their mind. It's going to take a very long time for you to get anything done today, if you really need those groceries.
RANK 3
• Congratulations, it's a… selys?: You might not know much about fancy snakes, but this breeder does! And she's insisting that this particularly gorgeous one will be sad and mournful without you. You simply must! Upside: you'll be the talk of the town, this selys is affectionate and stunning. Downside: Oh. Oh, uh. That is. That is money.
RANK 4
• Lucky Breaks: All your math this month must be wrong. You're coming in over budget! For whatever reason, little discounts keep slipping in your favor. Argue with a shopkeeper or keep your little bit of luck to yourself; you never know when you might need it later.
RANK 5
• Talk of the Town: Remember that time you helped someone get their wagon unstuck and didn't even think about it? Turns out you saved some perishable goods and almost single-handedly helped your local ice creamery stay in business. Now they're doing amazingly. And the proprietor has been looking for you for about a month to thank you. Congratulations on your new supply of free ice cream!
ARTS
RANK 1
• Who Are We Cancelling Today: Your suggestion for improvement on a particular piece didn’t go down so well. In fact, it was outright culturally insensitive. Have fun with that backlash.
• Clumsy Me: It was a magnificent banner for the upcoming tourney. All colours and lights and an ungodly amount of glitter that somehow still managed to look good. Too bad you took a fall and tore the thing in half.
RANK 2
• Thief in the Night: A piece of art was entered into a contest signed with your name. The problem is that it’s a masterpiece that was stolen three years ago. It’s fairly obvious you’re not the artist, though whether or not you’re the thief is up for debate. Fortunately this seems to be the thief’s MO, but the sentry still needs to take up your afternoon asking you questions.
RANK 3
• Huge Inconvenience: You’ve been ‘volunteered’ to help put up decorations for the upcoming tourney. What do you mean you have an actual job to go to? This is much more important.
• Beautifully Wrong: The strange visions struck you with a blow of inspiration and in a fit of pique, you managed to craft …. Some kind of monstrosity. An elaborate, detailed monstrosity, but you’re fairly certain dimensions don’t work like that and if you look at it from a certain angle, your brain starts to itch.
RANK 4
• Custom Cute: You’ve been decorating your Yimo over your time here. Maybe adding a few charms or such. Funnily enough, it’s started to catch on. People have even stopped you to ask where you got your little decorations - when you tell them you made them, they offer to pay you to make some for them.
RANK 5
• Big Break: You know that feeling when you make it big? No? Well, you do now. Having your work displayed at the tourney (or in the case of architects, having your work integrated into the Tourney) has left the art community abuzz. You’re getting prodded for interviews, and big names in the city are cozying up to the bright new talent. Enjoy it while it lasts, as fame can be a fickle friend.
SCI-TECH
RANK 1
• Red Brick Upgrade: Your yimo is scheduled for a regular upgrade; it'll only take a few minutes! Unfortunately, your yimo has been upgraded to a brick, and the Opara technicians can't figure out why. They can only save a limited amount of your data to put on a new device.
RANK 2
• Legislation Frustration: The scramble to meet the standards of the privacy protection law have technicians and developers frazzled and annoyed. It's pointless, they say, and one of them goes on an angry tirade with you as their only audience. And here you only wanted to get that button on your yimo fixed...
RANK 3
• Useless Things, Useful Advice: You're invited to a special talk by a self-taught roboticist who is an expert in making robots that don't work. It might not seem like it's worth going to (useless robots? really?), but the speaker is witty and inspiring.
• Boaty McBoatface: The Ioduan Academy is launching a new exploratory vessel to study the oceans, geophysics, and more. The vessel needs a name, and they're running a public contest to figure it out - your selection is one of the finalists. Did you pick something regal or comedic?
RANK 4
• A Taste of Engineering: Who says engineering has to be all about mechanics or electricity? A chemical engineer is opening a 'fermentation factory' featuring some very unique kinds of beer, pickles, yogurts, and more - and you're invited to the grand opening!
RANK 5
• Transit Pass: Someone in the Skyway must like you, because a pass is mailed to you that's worth a month of free rides. There's no name on the envelope, but it's 100% genuine. Your commute just got a little easier.
• Techie Talent: Running an event like the Talent Tourney takes a lot of support, including techies! If you've got experience with lighting, audio, wiring, or similar, you'll be welcomed onto the team. If not, you'll be treated to backstage tours and taught the ropes - there could be a long-term job in it for you.
METAPHYSICS
RANK 1
• Feeling Foggy: You were trying to do something else, really. It’s not your fault you poked a hole in the fabric of reality and now have a black mist surrounding you. Fortunately, the effects don’t seem to be permanent. (This can last anywhere for a day to the whole month of June).
RANK 2
• Stranger Danger(?): Something’s been following you. A peculiar presence you can’t quite identify. You can’t tell if it means you harm or is benevolent. It tends to cause things to break, or go missing. Or it helps with chores.
RANK 3
• The Philosopher’s What?: You found a gem that managed to turn a rock into gold! Unfortunately, gold isn’t highly valued in Aifaran, even as a luxury good. And the gem crumbled to dust after one use. Too bad. Still it’s a little extra money in your pocket.
RANK 4
• Curamija Crossing: You spotted a white Curamija, well known in Aifaran as being a very lucky thing to see. It even seemed to want you to follow it. Pursuing it led you to a glade that filled you with a sense of tranquility. After leaving, it became much easier for you to use your talents.
RANK 5
• The Real Winner After All: During the tourney you find all your displays of talent go off without a hitch. Maybe you win, maybe you don’t, but even if you don’t stand on the podium with a medal, people are still talking about your display with a sort of awe.