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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! | ||||||||||
JANUARY 2019
JUSTICE
RANK 1
• Abuse of Authority: The powers granted to the Sentry during a state of emergency are most definitely not martial law, but a few officers are acting like they've got a fair bit of leeway. You're cited for opportunistic looting and slapped with a hefty fine.
• Voluntold: Volunteers are needed for storm recovery, and you're volunteering whether you want to or not. Whether by coercion, force, or simply being buffeted into the crowd of people who have legitimately volunteered, you end up on a debris gathering crew that will leave you tired, muddy, and without compensation for the effort.
RANK 2
• I Need Your Yimo: A Sentry officer has lost their yimo somehow and snatches yours from your hands. They claim that they can confiscate it for emergency use since they're part of the Sentry, and tell you to come collect it at the (insanely busy) central office later. You'll be lucky if you ever see it again.
RANK 3
• Just This Once: You got caught in the act! But the Sentry on duty has bigger fish to fry with the storm recover, or perhaps they’re feeling particularly altruistic - either way, they’ll let you off the hook just this once.
• Put Up a Politician: A member of the Alliance legislature lost her home in the flooding and is going to be housed with you for the foreseeable future. She's got a lot of Opinions about the way the storm recovery is being handled, but she's not bad company if you can get her to talk about anything that isn't politics.
RANK 4
• Stop! In The Name of the Law!: Looters attempt to rob your residence or one of your preferred places of patronage amid the chaos of storm recovery, but are interrupted by a Sentry patrol. At least they weren't able to make off with anything, despite the intrusion.
RANK 5
• Priority Zone: Your residence, workplace, or one of your preferred places of patronage is designated as part of a priority recovery zone. This means additional resources are designated for rebuilding in your area, and additional Sentry presence will mean you're not likely to encounter much crime, too.
CRIME
RANK 1
• Never Let a Crisis Go to Waste: One of your regular haunts - be it store or restaurant - was looted during the storm, and since you're a noted frequent patron, the Sentry has some questions for you. It takes almost all day for you to be able to prove your innocence in the eyes of the law, but some of your fellow patrons (and the owner) still look at you with a suspicious eye for the rest of the month.
RANK 2
• A Disaster, Such a Catastrophe: You're accosted by an Erol'a who wheedles alms out of you by recounting a terribly sad tale of how they lost their home and that their poor mother is so desperately ill, you see. It takes about five minutes after providing charity and moving on for you to notice that you're missing rather more rhinn than you should be. A classic two-person pickpocketing operation, and you were the unlucky rube at the center of it.
RANK 3
• Your Loss, My Gain: With the looting and general loss of property that came about because of the storm, the economy is booming - the illicit economy, that is. The Kel'ghau has even more of a variety than usual, which can mean that you find some very good deals on hard-to-find items, or, in a worst-case scenario, something of yours that had gone missing during the storm.
RANK 4
• Drugs Don't Pay! Crime Never Wins!: Even with the city in distress and disarray, addicts still have to get their fix, and dealers have jacked up their prices accordingly. You've been asked to provide security for a deal, with the promise of a hefty cut of the proceeds. Someone who can't quite afford what they can normally buy might get violent.
RANK 5
• Let's Hear It For the Rainbow Tour: What's a good way for criminals to endear themselves to the communities in which they live? Why, by performing good works and throwing their largesse around, of course. In some sectors of the city, the Neneka are doing a better job of repairing damage than the Sentry, and you're asked to help out, too. If you do, your contribution will be noted, both by the community and by a certain Vai, who has one of their runners hand-deliver you a few cobalts with a message of appreciation for your efforts. The note also mentions that they'll be keeping an eye on you. A vaguely sinister message, but in a nice way... right?
FAITH
RANK 1
• Monk-aS: Oh sweet fancy Tu Vishan in a nightie, it's a group of Tariken monks, and they're headed straight for you! Better look busy, or else they're going to pester you with good-natured questions on disaster relief where you're from for hours.
RANK 2
• The Rains of Castian-mere: There's a not-small minority of Castians who are convinced that the storm was retribution from the Tia-Cheal pantheon, or a warning of some kind. About just what, nobody can really reach a consensus, but of those very small few who think Dreamfolk are at fault for disrupting the planes, popping in and out of the dreaming as they do, prepare to get harassed.
RANK 3
• Fortune Favors the Bold: As they're not super sturdy, many spirit houses have been damaged or destroyed in the storm. After you've set one or two aright during the course of the cleanup, though, you seem to be subtly lucky for the rest of the day. Maybe you find some rhinn on the ground; maybe you find something you'd thought had been lost. Either way, the spirits seem to appreciate your attentions.
RANK 4
• A Little Kindness: Followers of Tifaut are performing more radical acts of kindness than usual, and the citizens are deeply indebted to them. When one sees you helping out by giving charity, helping rebuild, or something of the like, you're given a free meal - and it's one of the best you've ever tasted, to boot.
RANK 5
• I Bless the Rains Down In Aifaran: In thanks that the Xi Tianlong has left the city standing, what else is there to do but praise the turtles for their divine grace? While attending the Ban Om ceremony to give thanks, you're dabbed with some holy water. Interestingly, you seem to avoid running into storm-based misfortune for the next few days, even when it should be impossible. (How did you stay completely dry when that one gutter finally broke and dumped water on you?) Bless up, pup.
COMMERCE
RANK 1
• Remodel Reaper: Your residence or one of your frequented businesses is going to need significant work to repair the storm damage, and wow that estimate is money. Never mind an arm and a leg; this looks like you'll have to sign over your soul.
• A Gouger… of Prices!: You go to purchase some needed supplies, and the only person you can find selling them is doing so at exorbitant prices. This is almost certainly illegal, but by the time you go and report the merchant and the Sentry actually gets around to it, weeks may have passed. The choice is yours.
RANK 2
• Bread and Milk: For some reason, every loaf of bread (and a few other similarly storm-vulnerable foodstuffs) in Aifaran seems to have been bought, consumed, or water-logged. It won't be in stock for a while, so you'll have to make do without that particular staple you like so much.
• That Is Definitely Mine: While purchasing replacements for some items you lost during the storm, you spot one that is identical to what you lost. It doesn't just look identical, you realize. It's your item. Apparently someone lifted it rather than the storm taking it away, and the shopkeeper insists that they got it from a reputable source. They won't give it to you for free, or even a discount, but neither will they spike the price.
RANK 3
• Barter Better: With so much disruption from the storm, there's an increase in barter and trade happening in the city. You may be willing to pay money for something you wish to purchase, but the merchant in question would much rather have one of your articles of clothing (including, possibly, your pants). They'll throw in a small bonus box of candles or canned food to sweeten the deal!
RANK 4
• Tea For Days: A concerned cafe owner whose business was spared damage is helping out the best way they can: free tea! Whether you're volunteering with the cleanup or simply a familiar face, the owner will ply you with caffeine whenever you come in this month.
RANK 5
• Boom and Bust: Even if your business sustained damage during the storm, you'll have a steady flow of customers - and even an uptick! For a disaster zone, things are sure booming. If you don't own a business, you'll be able to get some high-ticket items for a steal when you visit one that's selling slightly damaged but still usable goods.
ARTS
RANK 1
• My Fair Lady: Bridges are meant to go over rivers, not in them. Unfortunately, the debris that had formed a sort of dam further up river has broken and the sudden rush of floodwaters has sent you careening into the waters.
• The Heist: Art thieves taking advantage of the current chaos to get their hands on valuable pieces is nothing new, and the storm made it even easier. There's only a handful of volunteers and guards at the museum helping with clean up when, of course, it gets robbed. Hope you like being a hostage!
RANK 2
• The Fault in Our Support Beams: Structural Integrity is not the word of the day, given that a rather sound looking building just collapsed right around your ears. At least you only sustained a few mild injuries.
RANK 3
• Advertising Altruism: Several charity groups are looking for posters advertising soup kitchens, shelters and temporary housing. It's easy work but unfortunately payment is only exposure, and maybe a hot meal.
• Under Construction: There are many, many reconstruction projects going on along the coast and they need all the help they can get, even unskilled labour to carry supplies back and forth. Looks like you've got roped in, but it's for a good cause, right?
RANK 4
• Music To My Ears: The upper echelons of Aifaran have put on a charity exhibition. All proceeds from the gallery showing will go to providing aid to those who lost their homes. You've netted an invitation and/or a request to show your work or play your music.
RANK 5
• Dearly Departed: After all is said and done, there's to be vigil on the beach for those who passed or couldn't be found. They're looking for someone to help provide tasteful decor for the occasion and yours is one of the names that came up.
SCI-TECH
RANK 1
• Alternating Current: The power in your residence, workplace, or a preferred place of patronage just can't seem to decide what it's doing. It flickers. It goes out for days. It comes back on, but sparks from outlets and fries anything plugged into them. No one else around you seems to have this problem.
• Where's Kerosene When You Need It?: In the process of cleanup and recovery, you're wading through the debris of what looks like a chemist's lab. A shelf gives way, bottles and containers go tumbling, and a chunk of pure sodium topples into the pool of water you are standing in. It hits the water, starts to smoke, and… explodes. You can probably avoid being burned, but it's not going to be a fun experience.
RANK 2
• Building Code Coincidence: During an inspection of your residence, workplace, or a preferred place of patronage for storm damage, the inspector discovers that the building's wiring and part of the flooring are not up to code. Despite the minimal impacts of the storm, it'll have to be redone. All of it.
RANK 3
• Fan Brigade: One of the places you frequent got rather wet during the storm but was otherwise undamaged, and some junior engineers are trying to be helpful buy bringing in a ton of fans to dry businesses and homes out. It works, sort of, but it takes a while and in the meantime it is both loud and Very Windy.
• Solid Bones: One of your favorite haunts or your residence suffered significant surface damage, but the old Muin woman who comes to assess the building has a fond smile on her face when she delivers the news: the bones are still solid. She pats a support beam fondly, ignoring the creaking floors and holes in the wall plaster that will need total repair.
RANK 4
• Shop-Vac to the Rescue: Some clever engineer has come up with a tool not unlike a wet-dry shop-vac. There aren't nearly enough to go around, but one of the rounds of shop-vac patrol comes to a place you frequent to deal with excessive water. It works exceptionally well. If questioned about the effectiveness, the engineer will just grin mischievously and call it a trade secret.
RANK 5
• Amalgamation Station: Whatever your science or engineering knowledge, you manage to come up with an ingenious tool for quick repair (e.g. Super Glue Gun that works on almost every material even if it's wet) out of completely improbable parts. The Opara Core will be in touch for your expertise.
METAPHYSICS
RANK 1
• Wreckage Restored: Sometimes the solution to a problem is good old elbow grease, but magic can work too. Too bad the work supervisor decided to cut costs on a bunch of novice Dreamfolk with restoration magic. The final product could be a house. If you squint really hard.
• Can't Shake the Static: It's like a whole swarm of bees buzzing around in your skull - your mark is itching and you can't focus, and nothing feels quite right. There are some Dreamfolk who are particularly sensitive to the planes, and sometimes that manifests in useful ways. Unfortunately for you, it's just manifesting as the magical headcold from hell.
RANK 2
• Subject of Study: The Aisling Tower has set aside a small research team to see if the storm had any ...unusual side effects. Congratulations, you're on the team! ...In a sense. If you like being a test subject that is.
RANK 3
• Ebb and Flow: You'll find that during the month your abilities have intense surges of power - almost uncontrollable - and occasionally days where they won't work at all.
RANK 4
• Light's On: As if having the main power off isn't bad enough, something's messing with back-up generators. It's through your own clever use of magic/divining/unique talents that you uncover the source of the problem - a bunch of Daemids have been sapping the energy for themselves. A well-placed broom ought to get them out of everyone's hair, and the day is saved. But what home do they have to return to…?
RANK 5
• In the Pit of Your Heart: Perhaps it was the disaster, or perhaps it was something else, but those particularly sensitive to planar magics may feel a sense of ill ease in their dreams. Nothing feels quite right, even in the waking hours.