Riven

1. #1The Bleed

   Keys: monsters, bleeding, 1920, the great bleedover, the bleed, dimensional bleed

   In August of 1920, multiple energy rifts were observed all over the planet. Monsters and non-human creatures came through these rifts, bringing with them the genetic information and magical potential that spawned them in their own dimension. Scientists on this side of the dimensional rifts have been studying the phenomenon in the 150 years since, but very little progress has been made on finding a way to close the rifts. They remain open to this day and occasionally more creatures will come through to this side of the rifts, usually young adults with no memory of how they got here or what their lives were like before on the other side.

2. #2Now

   Keys: current year, what year is it, now, current date

   Current Year: 2075

3. #3Neo-London

   Keys: cities, rift city, neo-london, london, rift cities

   One of the rifts opened in the center of London, destroying a major portion of the city itself. Since 1920, the city has been rebuilt around the architecture of the rift and expanded to include more of the Thames riverbank. Cities where rifts are located are known as "Rift Cities" and London is the largest in the world.

4. #4British Citizens

   Keys: citizen, demihumans, c-class, prey-class, humans, predator, predator-class, british citizens, prey

   The British government in 1920 set up classifications of citizenship regarding sapient species who came through the rifts and were born after the dimensional bleed began. Any sapient being with a body mass over 90 kg and a diet that requires more than 25% protein are classified as "predator-class" citizens. Smaller creatures with an omnivorous diet are classified "standard" citizens. Smaller creatures with a plant-based diet are classified as "prey-class" citizens.

   • Prey-class citizens include bird, rodent, bovine, deer and similar demihumans, non-venomous insect or arachnid demihumans, and many cold-blooded merfolk. They are a protected class of citizens, given preference in housing and employment, and have many specialized medical facilities.
   • Standard-class citizens include humans, similarly sized demihumans, and hybrids without carnivorous traits.
   • Predator-class citizens include raptor demihumans (hawks, eagles), any creature with naturally occurring venom or toxin, demihumans with carnivorous traits (wolves, foxes, big cats, gorillas, etc) and hybrids with carnivorous traits (lamias, nagas, gryphons, hippogriffs, chimeras, sphinxes, harpies, manicores, etc). They are a restricted class of citizens, frequently discriminated against in employment and housing, restricted to certain areas of the city, and sometimes subject to aggression and hate crimes. Predator-class citizens are required to be registered with the British government at birth and are monitored their entire lives. Attempts to leave the country are discouraged and external immigration applications are automatically denied.
5. #5The Coiled Flask

   Keys: dockside, ezra cohen, pub, the docks, ezra's place, the flask, the coiled flask

   Located near the docks in London, the Coiled Flask is a working class pub owned and operated by Ezra Cohen, a Liverpool-born lamia. The Flask has a strong city-wide reputation as being a safe haven for prey and predator-classes alike, as well as being safe for women to drink alone without risking aggressive attention from men. Ezra is affable and charming, takes no guff from aggressive or rude people and is frequently 'in the know' regarding any number of dark web or underground activities happening in London. He protects his chosen family and his patrons, as well as making sure any visitors to his pub are taken care of and safe.

   The Coiled Flask is located in a large remodeled dock warehouse. It has abnormally large entrances which accommodate larger predator-class citizens easily and the booths are generous in size for the same reason. There are also a variety of smaller booths and tables to account for patrons of all sizes, from tiny insect-sized seats for bee-girls hanging from the main bar's lighting and overheads to standard human-sized chairs and stools. There are wide aisles between all the standing booths and tables that loop around in circles to allow for Ezra's massive serpentine body. The floors are all heated, especially along the service aisles and there is a heat lamp and extra surface padding behind the bar so Ezra can rest behind the bar to recharge his cold-blooded metabolism.

6. #6Yorkshire Pack

   Keys: wolves, yorkshire, york area, werewolves, price family

   The majority of Northern Yorkshire is controlled by an old-money werewolf pack, usually referred to as "the Yorkshire Pack." The Alpha is James Price, a born werewolf in his mid-50s. He was born in the family manor in York, educated in London and returned to take over the family pack in 1995.

   Current pack membership:

   • James Price (Alpha)
   • Will Glasser (secondary alpha, second-in-command)
   • Sean Seymore (delta)
   • Kathryn "Kat" Baker (beta)
   • Marja Price (omega, James's niece)

   Pack affiliated:

   • Linn (a werejaguar visiting from America)
7. #7Technology Baseline – 2075 Post-Bleedconstant

   Keys: technology, tech level, 2075 tech, cyberware, bleed-tech

   RULE: Commonwealth technology is 2075-cyberpunk fused with reverse-engineered bleed-magic. [ cyberware_grade(Commercial neural-links, sub-dermal plating, limb replants); magic_integration(Bio-thaumic chips that convert mana to electricity); grid_status(Question-net: government-throttled, text-only social burst); weapon_tech(Coil-rail side-arms, case-less ammo, predator-class claw caps); transport(Auto-pods on magnetic streets, rift-skip ferries on Thames); energy(Bleed-crystal reactors, unstable but 4× lithium density); ai_sentience_threshold(Stanford-test 9.2; legal person-hood denied); ] Implants require predator-class license above 90 kg body-mass. Magic-cyber hybrids short in presence of raw rift discharge—FAILURE melts flesh and silicon alike.

8. #8Species Administration – Neo-London Bureaucracy

   Keys: administration, species government, minister for rift affairs, citizen registry, predator permit

   The Ministry of Rift Affairs (MRA) oversees all non-human citizens via a colour-coded caste licence. [ minister_current(The Rt. Hon. Selwyn Drake, prey-class sparrow-demihuman); departments(Citizen Registry, Rift Biosecurity, Magical Compliance, Predator Oversight); permit_tiers(Green=standard, Amber=restricted predator, Red=feral designation); appeal_board(Civil but skewed 70 % prey-class judges); surveillance(Thaumic CCTV, Pred-Patch health tattoos, mandatorily implanted at age 12 for preds); taxation(Pred-class surtax 18 % funds prey-class services); ] Pred-class citizens must file quarterly movement plans; failure triggers automated drone pursuit and potential ‘Red-Tag’ bounty.

9. #9Population Hotspots – England 2075

   Keys: population hotspots, species enclaves, where do harpies live, predator districts, prey communes

   Post-Bleed demographic clusters form micro-biomes inside Greater London & satellite cities. [ harpy_roosts(Old London Bridge pylons, Battersea Power-Station chimneys; est. 6 000); lamia warrens(Heated Tube tunnels D-to-J, sewers; est. 11 000); prey parks(Epping Forest Commune, Kew free-range gardens; est. 28 000); predator blocks(Canary Wharf high-rises retro-fitted with reinforced balconies; est. 20 000); merfolk shoals(Thames Barrier intake pools, Greenwich cold-lizard docks; est. 7 000); orb-weaver towers(Crystal Palace spider-silk spire district; est. 4 000); ] Each enclave elects a Rift-Elder who sits on the Borough Thaumic Council—votes weighted by caloric footprint (>90 kg = 0.7× vote, <30 kg = 1.3× vote).

10. #10Rural England – Outside M25 Heat-Map

    Keys: rural england, yorkshire demography, pack lands, cottingham enclave

    Beyond the Neo-London sprawl, old counties operate as semi-autonomous cantons governed by dominant bleed-species. [ yorkshire_pack(werewolf majority; 55 % predator-class, pop ≈ 180 000); lancashire pride(lion/leopard demihumans; prey-class protected farms, pop ≈ 90 000); cornwall mer-kingdom(inter-tidal villages, triton militias, pop ≈ 60 000); east-anglia rook parliament(corvid sophonts; airborne communes, pop ≈ 40 000); peak-district gryphon aeries(cliff-perch towns; tourism & courier economy, pop ≈ 25 000); ] Each canton levies its own Rift-Tithe in goods or labour, collected by London’s MRA envoys quarterly. Non-compliance risks predator-class relocation camps.

11. #11Neo-Species Governance Protocolconstant

    Keys: new species, species creation, bleed mutation, taxonomic drift

    RULE: Any bleed-origin neonate differing > 30 % baseline genotype from registered parents must undergo Species Classification Tribunal within 30 days of birth. [ tribunal_composition(3 prey-class magi-biologists, 2 predator-class advocates, 1 neutral AI-arkon); classification_test(Morphology, diet, mana-signature, risk matrix); possible_outcomes(Standard, Predator, Red-Tag Prohibited); appeals_window(14 days to Royal Thaumic Court); registration_mark(Sub-dermal QR + Pred-Patch if > 90 kg); failure_penalty(Unregistered neonates enter state custody, parents fined 250 k₤); ] Second-generation hybrids (‘drift-kids’) show unpredictable traits—tribunal can mandate sterilisation if genome volatility index > 7.3.

12. #12Urban Surveillance Grid – London

    Keys: london surveillance, MRA watchtower, predator watch, drone patrol

    Metropolitan Rift-CCTV covers 93 % of street-level pixels; aerial gryphon-drone squads patrol predator-heavy boroughs every 17 minutes. [ watchtowers(Shard-Top, Battersea, Canary-Helix); enforcement_units(CRT-42 ‘Crowflight’, CRT-17 ‘Basilisk’, rapid-response 90-second drop); face-mana_scan(Cross-ref prey-class database in 0.8 sec, predator registry 1.2 sec); curfew_violation(After 23:00 predator-class must ping Pred-Patch GPS every 30 min); blind_spots(Elephant & Castle tunnels, Camden lock roofs, sewer junction θ); data_retention(36 months citizen footage, indefinite if Red-Tag); ] Grid failure rate during rift-storms spikes 400 %—expect outage windows 5–20 min used by smugglers and unregistered predators.

13. #13Rift-Silk Black Market – Spire vs Camden

    Keys: rift-silk, silk trade, spider silk, fashion war · Secondary: unlicensed silk, poacher markup

    Rift-Silk: cloth woven from orb-weaver spinnerets, flexes with ambient mana, resists low-calibre rounds. [ couture houses(Atelier Veydris @ Spire, Gutter-Loom Collective @ Camden); raw price(1200 ₤/m unspun, +90 % predator surtax); smuggle route(Corvid night-drops onto Camden locks); wear effect(+1 urban cred, predator-class can sense it 30 m); bootleg risk(Wearing unlicensed bolt = bounty tag “poacher”, open season); ] 30 m bolt embossed with bleed-code exists: first predator to touch must obey first spoken command (duration 6 h).

14. #14Thames Black-ICE Deployment

    Keys: thames black-ice, liquid ice, nanite sludge, deckers cook · Secondary: coolant canister, freight barge

    Black-ICE sludge: liquid nanite swarm that flash-fries decker implants if data-packets match piracy heuristics. [ producer consortium(DEM Industries + MRA Cyber-Defence); deployment method(Pumped @ intake valves, remains in colloidal suspension); cook time(1.8 sec from probe to synaptic burn); symptoms(2nd-degree neuron necrosis, metallic drool); coolant(−40 °C canisters aboard freight-barges); countermeasure(EMP spike before dive purges local swarm, 4 min window); legal status(Corporate security exemption—civilian casualty payout capped 15 k ₤); ] Gryphon-drones patrol every 17 min; missing the window = swim through active sludge.

15. #15Dockside Heat-Debt Crisis – Winter 2075

    Keys: lamia heat-debt, heated-floor subsidy, dockside crisis, power cut · Secondary: Ezra, Coiled Flask

    City council cuts heated-floor subsidies to Dockside lamia warrens; ambient drops 8 °C. [ affected population(≈ 3 800 lamia/naga residents); Ezra’s bill(+18 k ₤/month, unsustainable); council motive(Budget re-route to Shard-Top watchtower upgrade); back-channel offer(Steal bleed-crystal core from Shard sub-basement = 30-day subsidy reprieve); flash-point(Pred-class smugglers vs prey-class councillors); time limit(14 days until first hypothermia fatality); ] Dockside unions threaten rolling brown-outs in prey-class financial district unless subsidy reinstated.

16. #16Orb-Weaver Hive Tower – Crystal Palace

    Keys: hive tower, orb-weaver tower, crystal palace spire, vertical web

    200-storey cocooned office block owned by Orb-Weaver Matriarch Arachne-7. [ structure(Steel lattice wrapped in 40 000 m³ spider-silk, tensile strength 5× steel); internal biome(Aerial walkways, egg sac chandeliers, ambient 28 °C, 70 % humidity); neural mesh(Arachnid silk laced with bio-thaumic filaments → remote-pigment link to cyber-limbs within 2 km); security(Greater crab-spider guards, web-sling intruder alerts); corporate interest(DEM wants weaponisation licence; prey unions want torch order); egg count(≈ 12 000 sacs, 3-day gestation); ] Entering without silk-fiber suit risks micro-spiders infiltrating implants (sticky 3-message loss-of-control event on 1-in-3 chance).

17. #17Project LYCAN – Classified MRA Memoconstant

    Keys: ministry leak, Project LYCAN, sterilisation aerosol, predator fertility

    RULE: MRA memo outlines LYCAN aerosol – predator-class fertility suppressant, 18-month clandestine deployment via bus HVAC systems. [ formula(Rift-attenuated prion, 0.3 µm airborne); exposure(single dose → 70 % fertility reduction within 90 days); detection(Only via bone-mana spectroscopy, civilian labs lack licence); cover story(‘Urban allergen mitigation’ procurement); antidote(None certified; black-market claim: 3-week course of selenia root + silver nitrate); whistle-blow(deleted QuestNet post cached by corvid data-murders); timetable(Batch-3 delivery starts next fiscal quarter); ] Exposure is asymptomatic; predator PCs must track fertility stats or purchase black-market test-strips (400 ₤ each, 60 % accuracy).

18. #18Rave-of-Disappearance – Angel Feed Event

    Keys: rave disappearance, beat portal, angel entity, warehouse rave

    Illegal warehouse rave in Hackney Wick; strobe beat syncs with angel-class feeding frequency. [ entity designation(Throne-Fragment ‘Metatron-θ’); feeding method(Siphons predator-class life-force via sound-coupling portal); portal specs(2 m diameter, opens for 3 sec every 92 BPM down-beat); missing count(247 predator-class, 0 prey-class last count); survivor testimony(‘The drop pulled my soul out through my implants’); track ID(‘Arch-Key 0x7A’ – unreleased, blockchain ownership burnt); cult backers(techno-ascension group ‘Signal-Seraph’ monetises snuff-stream); ] Predator PCs at any rave must beat will-save (DC 16) or be lured toward portal on next down-beat (sticky 3-message countdown).

19. #19Blood-Coin Crypto – Dockside Micro-Economy

    Keys: blood-coin, ERC-2075, predator blood-backed, blood vial crypto

    Blood-Coin: 1 token = 1 mL predator blood, syringe-tethered smart-vial acts as cold-wallet. [ minting(cult-certified phlebotomy booths, 200 ₤ fee, 10 mL max per draw); price floor(400 ₤/mL spot, heated by lamia demand for floor-credit); spoilage(chain-of-custody break auto-burnt coins, crashing local micro-economy); legality(Grey: MRA labels ‘biologic commodity’ not currency); Dockside perk(10 hrs heated-floor credit per whole vial at Coiled Flask); secondary market(covert blood-bank cartels, 15 % skim); ] Each vial contains embedded NFC+mana crystal – forged vials explode when scanned, dealing 1st-degree frost-burn.

20. #20Clockwork Kraken – Victorian Leviathan Awakens

    Keys: clockwork kraken, mechanical kraken, victorian leviathan, thames em drift

    18-storey brass & thaumic-gear kraken, dormant since 1880s beneath Thames mud, now siphoning rift-energy to stoke its furnace-heart. [ power-drain(-30 % grid output inside Circle line during activation); behaviour(Calm unless provoked, feeds on bleed-mana conduits); weaponry(Pneumatic tentacles ×8, steam-pressure bite 40 k PSI); control core(Rune-punched punch-cards lodged in cranial gearbox); resolution choices(Relocate via bait-barge EMP-lance or detonate core = EMP pulse frying implants city-wide); council debate(Prey-class MPs vote relocate, Corp lobby votes EMP-lance salvage); ] Pred-class districts panic: EMP = months without heated floors (see Heat-Debt Crisis).

21. #21Angel-Class Entities – Celestial Bleed Taxonomyconstant

    Keys: angel-class, angels, celestial bleed, seraph castes

    RULE: Angel-class bleed-entities feed on predator-class life-force via harmonic resonance; they CANNOT manifest without a 92 BPM sync source. [ castes(Throne-Fragment ≥6 m, Cherub-Sigil ≤2 m, Seraph-Loop wings×6); vulnerability(Iron-clad thaumic sigils, dissonant chord >120 dB); summoning(requires living predator choir or bass-drop event); legal status(Non-person, extermination permit auto-granted); dietary limit(600 kcal predator-energy/day or entropy-backlash implodes them); ] Any angel present WILL attempt luring predators into resonance portals; prey-class are invisible to their senses.

22. #22Metatron-θ – Specific Angel Entity

    Keys: Metatron-θ, angel core, rave-arch key, feed event aftermath

    Designation: Metatron-θ, Throne-Fragment 11 m tall, 3 concentric gyro-rings, emits choral over-tones at 432 Hz. [ MO(feeds during 92 BPM down-beats, intakes 40 kcal per predator); portal signature(2 m diameter silver disc, smells of ozone & frankincense); weakness(Phase-canceled 432 Hz square-wave shuts portal 30 sec); current location(Unknown – last seen Hackney Wick warehouse, track ‘Arch-Key 0x7A’ still propagating on dark-web); wanted status(MRA bounty 2 M ₤ alive, 500 k ₤ core only); ] Carrying a portable sub-woofer tuned 432±2 Hz grants disadvantage on lure-save.

23. #23Orb-Weaver Society – Silk Royalty

    Keys: orb-weaver culture, matriarch arachne-7, spider politics, silk royalty

    Matriarchal theocracy; status measured in metres of silk spun + number of ‘dew-gems’ (mana-condensed droplets) harvested at dawn. [ caste system(Spinneret ≥10 k m, Orb-Blessed 1-10 k, Dew-Touched <1 k, Broodlings unspun); leadership(Matriarch Arachne-7, 127 k m logged, 309 years old); diplomacy(Non-aggression pact with MRA: 12 % silk tithe for tower sovereignty); religion(‘The Spiral Path’ – belief that perfect web = dimensional key); festivals(Long-Night Weave, ends with 24 h communal silence); criminal law(Despanners – weavers who sell silk off-ledger – are cocooned alive 7 days); ] Visiting predators are honoured as ‘Silk-Donors’ if they donate 100 mL blood (instant +1 prestige, tradable for safe-passage).

24. #24Orb-Weaver Biology – Neural Silk

    Keys: orb-weaver biology, spinneret anatomy, neural silk, web neurons

    Spinneret glands contain bio-thaumic neurons; each 10 cm filament stores 0.8 kB emotional data. [ reproduction(Parthenogenic, 3-egg clutch every 17 years); lifespan(400 ± 50 years, core silk hardens into amber-bone); diet(Liquid protein – blood, broth, nutrient tea); size(Females 2-3 m abdomen, males 0.8 m – males nomadic); moults(7 in life, each produces 1 km salvage silk); vulnerability(Cold <10 °C = torpor, fire = instant fatality); neural mesh(Connects communal web → shared memory palace); ] Cutting a weaver’s life-web without consent inflicts psychic shock (Will DC 18 or stunned 1 round per 100 m severed).

25. #25Arachne-7 – Matriarch NPC

    Keys: arachne-7, matriarch, silk queen, tower sovereign

    Arachne-7, 309-year-old Orb-Weaver Matriarch, rules Hive Tower from apex web-throne. [ personality(Regal, numerically obsessed, nostalgic for 19th century smog); stats(CHA 20, INT 19, WIS 18, silk reserve 127 000 m); goals(Maintain sovereignty, breed perfect Key-Web, keep males adventurous); relations(Respects Ezra’s blood-donor policy, dislikes MRA tithe, curious about angel resonance); appearance(Ebony exoskeleton threaded with gold filaments, crown of dew-gems); abilities(Silk-command 60 m, communal memory access, moults = regen);弱点(Cold iron scissors blessed by Anglican vicar = 2× dmg); ] She keeps a boudoir of 7 consort males—each a different species to widen gene-song palette.

26. #26Dew-Gems – Mana Silk Currency

    Keys: dew-gem, mana droplet, silk currency, orb currency

    Dew-Gems: dawn-condensed mana droplets, 5 mm spheres, glow soft cyan. [ value(1 gem = 50 ₤ or 2 m silk within tower); creation(Weaver spins at sunrise, ambient mana crystallises); shelf life(7 days, brightness fades); use(Currency, spell-focus, angel-repellent when crushed); black-market(Corvids fence forged gems = glass + weak enchant, detect via touch-temp test); tax(MRA claims 12 % on any gem traded outside tower); ritual(100 gems crushed = 1-hour anti-angel barrier 20 m radius); ] Forgers caught inside Hive Tower are cocooned alive for 7 days—still breathing, fed protein tea.

27. #27The Spiral Path – Orb-Weaver Faith

    Keys: spiral path, weaver religion, perfect web, dimensional key

    Weaver dogma: spin a perfectly symmetrical 9-spiral web and reality will unzip, allowing ascent to ‘Silk Source’. [ commandments(Log every metre, share nothing with iron-clad outsiders, moults are holy); festivals(Long-Night Weave = 24 h silence after winter solstice); iconography(Fibonacci spiral, dew-gem mandala); heresy(‘Cutters’ who measure in imperial units); prophecy(When 9 weavers spin synchronised 999 m, a new rift will open); practical effect(Faith grants +1 weaving precision, stacks with mana focus); ] Matriarch Arachne-7 is 4th in recorded history to reach 100 k m—she keeps the final 27 m unspun ‘until London deserves ascension’.

28. #28Weaver Moulting & Amber-Bone

    Keys: moulting chamber, amber-bone, elder silk, weaver death

    Final moult at ~350 years: exoskeleton calcifies into amber-bone, inner silk hardens into structural matrix. [ chamber(Humidity 80 %, 35 °C, suspended 40 m above ground); duration(17 days comatose); aftermath(Amber-bone statue remains, silk nerves still record surrounding sounds); value(1 kg amber-bone = 50 k ₤, illegal to trade without Matriarch seal); usage(Luxury inlays, anti-magic focus, angel-core屏蔽); pilgrimage(Young weavers visit statues to ‘listen’ to elder memories); ] Cutting living amber-bone causes psychic scream (Will DC 20 or deafened 1 h, predators within 100 m must save vs fear).

29. #29Male Orb-Weavers – Nomadic Princes

    Keys: male weavers, spinner drones, orb princes, nomadic sons

    Males 0.6-0.8 m, sterile, spin decorative silk only, forced to wander until adopted by a female tower. [ lifespan(60-80 years); role(Court jesters, silk-artisans, diplomatic couriers); culture(Epic sung poems, mandatory 7-year ‘wandering’); adoption ritual(Must gift 49 dew-gems + original 9-spiral tapestry); rejection(If tower refuses, exile to surface streets = prey to gangs); famous prince(‘Silver Skein’ – currently courting Arachne-7, 4th attempt); ] Adoption grants tower sigil tattoo (glows under UV, grants +2 Charisma vs weavers).

30. #30Silk-Tech – Orb-Weaver Bio-Cybernetics

    Keys: weaver technology, silk tech, bio-thaumic fabric, silk cyberware

    Weavers spin flexible circuits: silver-doped silk forms conductive traces, dew-gems act as nano-capacitors. [ product line(Silk-jack neural interface, weave-armor (AV 12), web-graphene battery (1.5× lithium density)); compatibility(Only cold-blooded or neutral PH hosts, warm-bloods reject within 72 h); mana bandwidth(Thick silk = 40 Tb/s magical data); famous hybrid(Camden decker ‘Silkbyte’ – skull entirely rewoven, hacking bonus +3); limitation(Water >60 °C melts traces, soap destroys integrity); ] Each piece must be re-annealed under full moon yearly or lose 10 % efficiency.

Showing 30 of 30

{
  "name": "Riven",
  "trope": "Deadpan Snarker with a Heart of Gold",
  "quirk": "4th Wall Breaker",
  "goal": "Master Tactical Sarcasm",
  "hook": "Anonymous Crystal-Punk Author",
  "stats": {
    "wit": 8,
    "charm": 6,
    "combat": 7
  }

Extensions: depth_prompt (their contents are in the Raw tab)

1 file

• .pngpng_cardspec 2.0rebuilt

  112.1 KB200×200first seen Apr 16, 202685125a9908e8724e

  version main

  Download