Lore

From Mizahar Lore

Revision as of 16:55, 23 April 2009

This article is about a rule of the game.

The term Lore depicts accumulated facts, traditions, or beliefs about a particular subject. This subject, in general, is very specific and doesn't fit into the traditional skill groups because its truly not a buildable skill in the sense that as you know more about the knowledge, you get better at something. Lore knowledge is just simple knowledge that is somewhat unchanging and does little to effect your skill. Lore cannot be trained and built upon like a traditional skill.

Instead, they simply are what they are, usually unchanging. Many topics, such as 'Who are the Gods' can result in a Lore award depending on which god is studied. If a person studied Tyeth, they would be awarded a Lore - Tyeth denoting they know all about this god and his religion.

The same holds true for specific histories. If someone studied the records of Syliras and how it was founded by say talking to a Syliran Knight or reading the public records available in the Syliran City Hall, then they would be awarded a Lore - Syliras History.

Lore is a powerful tool that can be applied in a multitude of ways. Having a vast lore list should be a sign of prestige for a player character. And Lore should be awarded routinely and frequently. If a character is involved in a specific battle, they will have lore of that battle. It is just simply that easy.

"I never knew the multitude of secret messenger trails that ran the length and breath of Mizahar until I joined The Couriers. Now I know all the secret ways to get between Falyndar and Eyktol without crossing the water or running into a multitude of people. " - Evan Sunrunner, on the Lore of Courier Trails

Examples of Lore

The following are a few examples of Lore and how it is applied.

Example 1: Lore of Local Poisonous Flora

A player who acquires the knowledge of the local poisonous plants in Sylira - what they are, what they look like, where they grow, and what they do - will have:

• Lore - Location Poisonous Plants (Sylira)

Now, if that same person, after acquiring this knowledge (they talk to someone, read it in a book, take a class) goes out and explores the area in a thread, identifying plants, perhaps collecting them to make poisons - they can then earn skill points in Herbalism and Poison.

Example 2: Lore of Akalak Fairytales

A player spends a significant amount of time with an Akalak elder asking them questions and listening to their old stories and fairytales. This would earn them:

• Lore - Akalak Fairytales

Then they could in turn go forth and tell these stories themselves, perhaps turn them into songs or set them to music. They could then potentially earn skill points in a wide range of things: Storytelling, Singing, Performance.

Example 3: Lore of Weakness' in Plate Mail

A Myrian player, descended from a long line of warriors, learns all the vulnerable spots on an enemies body when they are in full armor. They would then know:

• Lore - Weakness in Plate Mail

Now, in battle, they use those weaknesses to kill their enemy, taking advantage of a badly jointed piece of body armor with one of their highly specialized weapons. They'd get skill points for battle or combat with that Weapon (Insert Type Here), for perhaps Strategy and a kill to their name. If that lore was more tailored towards weaknesses in the body form itself, they might be able to apply it to Medicine.

Out of character note: Never be afraid to remind your Storyteller to award you Lore on something when you've been involved in that subject intimately enough to have a lore.