Introduction
Though there are minor Studios in the guild, Rise Cardinal's eponymous Cardinal Productions is the place where actors aspire to work. A start at Cardinal Conservatory is considered a breakthrough, as it counts the majority of major actors among its alumni.
Your character finds themselves on the cusp of graduating this storied institution- but how did they arrive here? This article will take you on the first steps of that journey.
Step 1: Where did you come from?
Options abound here, and there is some flexibility to create your character's background to suit who you eventually want them to be.
The most important thing (at least to the Consortium) is your
Caste. Note that this is only the Caste that you grew up as. Actors, no matter their original Caste, are designated Professional-Artisan Caste for the duration of their employ by any studio.
Were you born on Thalassa IV? Where did you come from, and why did you make your way to the planet if not? Was it because of the more relaxed environment? Did you come here to be an actor and make your fortune? Or was there some other misfortune or dark event that brought you here?
In order to get into the Conservatory, one has to have a recommendation at the least, and a benefactor at the most. The lower in Caste you are, the more outstanding the situation is to get you in, and there might be interesting complications because of this. What were the circumstances of your entrance into the Conservatory?
Step 2: What was your life like before you joined the Conservatory?
In general, the Conservatory is a lot like college in terms of age- you graduate from your lower education and declare that you're going to be an actor and apply to several schools that cater to that. Celebrity vs Mortality is a large consideration for applicants- though several Actors rise to the point of recognition and success, it is a very harsh profession. Acting can also be a way out of a dead-end caste with a dead-end job. But some even do so from upper castes, and some of those because they have aspirations of rising higher. What were your formative years like? Who were your parents? What drove you to seek out becoming an Actor?
Step 3: What was your time at the Conservatory like?
The Conservatory is a very unforgiving, challenging, and competitive environment. It trains actors to survive and thrive on Sakharya, and rankings in the student body can be the difference between getting a live feature when you graduate and going straight to cube. Even if an actor gets a feature, are they there for development, as a back story, or... just cannon fodder? Life and Death are on the line in Sakharya, and an actor can never forget that.
What were you training for? Who were your primary competition, and who were your allies? What teachers saw your potential, and what teachers did you have trouble with? What kind of persona were you creating, and what kind of branding did you do? Were you active on social media? Did you have a following? All of these things should be decided about your Actor, and leads into creating your Role on Sakharya.
Step 4: Choosing your major
Everyone in the conservatory specializes in some role that is useful on Overworld. It is time for your character to declare, and also it is good to think why your character chose that major. You may also be dual-degree, i.e. specialize in more than one area.
The areas of choice are:
- Sentinel: As a sentinel you skirt traditional authority, either as an enforcer, or a breaker of laws. Some examples are Church Inquisitors, members of the City Watch, informer for Grymoire's secret police, a scout for smugglers, or inspector for the Mercanti. You typically have an eye for detail, an exhaustive knowledge of rules and regulations, and a keen sense for criminal activity (whether
you encourage it or try to stop it).
- Sorcerer: As a sorcerer you may know rare and hidden secrets, know how to heal the sick (or how to kill more quickly), be able to prophesy the future, and know the corrupt keys to sorcerous power. Sorcery may take a hundred different forms, but tapping into your true power is dangerous to your allies and deadly to Grymoire’s elemental patron. Powerful sorcery causes Corruption, and Corruption is illegal in Grymoire, as it disrupts the natural order.
- Thief: You specialize in secrets. Thieves may attack with word or blade, and they’re equally treacherous with either. You probably know the alleys and driftways of Grymoire better than anyone else. You may be incredibly lucky, you’re likely skilled at gathering information through illegal means, and you are tied into the web of gossip and scurrilous rumor that circulates throughout the city.
- Warrior: You’re an expert at the art of warfare. As a warrior you primarily make your way through the world by force of arms, whether you’re a duelist, a brute, a mercenary, or a foreign barbarian. You are likely skilled at surviving in the wilderness, battling monsters, spotting your foe’s weaknesses, and understanding deadly battle tactics.
Step 5: Your first connection
Choose another character, and get together with the player to determine your relationship with them in school. It can be adversarial or not, and perhaps even on the level of just an acquantance or you know about them, or are jealous of them. The relationship can be two way, but the purpose of this is to make sure that the characters have some relation to another character.
Step 6: Creating your Creche
In certain cases in the Conservatory, students don't graduate into the general pool of actors. A benefactor may want to make a particular production, and select students that are on the cusp of graduating to go directly into a creche for that purpose. The characters in this campaign have been selected for such. Get together with the other players and (a) decide how you reacted to this news (many of the best alumni came from their spotlights in a certain Creche), (b) how you feel about the fact that the benefactor and production are unknown at this time, (c) how you feel about the others chosen in the Creche and (d) how your characters fit together in the Creche.
At this point, the conceptual part of character creation is completed. You should have a good feel for the personality and background of your character, and how they fit together in the group.
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