§ 02 — THE WORLD
Setting and Themes
A setting similar to our own world, yet different in one crucial way.
§ 02.1 – WHEN THE SKY CHANGED
The First Alterfall
Three years ago, the first Alterfall lit up the sky.
Small meteors showered onto Earth, leaving thousands dead. We had no way of preparing for the onslaught. They vanished again before they could be properly studied, leaving only smoldering ruins. We soon learned the Alterstones carried an extraordinairy payload.
Those closest to the stones, who survived the first night, woke up changed. The stones had granted them extraordinary powers. The news spread like wildfire. Within a day, the internet had found a name for these people – Alters.
Their inexplicable powers seemed to work through touch and were impossible to stop, even when the Alters tried.
After wonder came shock, fear, and hate. In the midst of a world reeling from the impact of the meteors, chaos erupted around the Alters as people started to get hurt, whether by accident or on purpose. In the wreckage of cities, Alters were blamed for the calamity, and deemed a danger to society – they needed to be put away or put down. Governments across the globe watched helplessly as Alters were hunted, beaten, killed and forced into hiding.
In the wake of the Alterfall, most of the world shut in on itself as each state tried to solve this crisis in their own way. Some tried to exterminate the Alters, others put them in prison.
One thing was certain – the genie was out of the bottle. Everyone knew that the Alters existed. No one knew what to do about them.
What does a government do with citizens that look like everyone else, but can kill you with a touch? Take away your senses? Control your mind or your emotions?
§ 02.2 – A PROGRAM FOR HOPE
The Alter Initiative
After two years of chaos and governmental scrambling to contain the alters and stop the terrified civilians from murdering their fellow citizens, The Alter Initiative was finally approved.
The premise was simple. The Alters were presented with a state-sponsored military contract. They would be provided protection, lodgings, food, and salary, as well as a safe environment where they could learn to control their powers under the guidance of “experts”.
In exchange, they would sign on for an unspecified tenure of state service in a profession deemed most fitting for their power type, personality profile, and skill level. Their existence would be wiped from public record to protect both the Alters and the program. A new name is issued, along with their identification number.
“Its all about trust” is the tagline of the program. The government needs to trust that the Alters can control their powers and won’t abuse their abilities. The Alters need to trust that the state wants them to succeed.
At first, participation was limited. Many Alters living in hiding were scared that the program was some sort of trick to lure them into the open for slaughter.
Then the second Alterfall began. This time, the state was quick to respond. Hundreds of Alters were captured where the stones had fallen. When their powers manifested, they were presented with a choice: indefinite imprisonment or The Alter Initiative.
Most took the contract.
The program is still in its experimental phase. With everything so new, the exact way of teaching Alters is not fully established, and and while the institutes are black boxes of information, it’s clear there have been many bumps in the road. One cycle of Alters has already gone through basic training with the Initiative and are currently engaged in their contract work, but their success has been mixed.
Now it’s your turn.
§ 02.3 – Your new Sanctuary
The Falconorth Institute
Falconorth is one of about a dozen Institutes dotted around the North. It is an old scouts cabin, located far from major population centers. Somewhere that would be easy to monitor, which had all the facilities available for training a small group of people.
The seclusion is ideal for the safety of the Alters and society at large. The Alters cannot escape, and no one can attack them while at the Institute.
Falconorth is run by Chief Inspector Forester, a brilliant scientist and soldier who helped spearhead The Alter Initiative. They are joined by a staff of hopeful idealists, all working to make sure that the Alters fulfill their contracts and get the best possible future.
At the institute, the Alters are trained in a variety of disciplines. From basic physical fitness to psychology, ethics, military tactics, biology, human relations, and much more. They sleep in rooms divided into squads, which are the groups they are trained to work with on a day-to-day basis. The schedule is strict, but humane. When the Alters are off duty, they are encouraged to socialize, participate in club activities, and generally engage in something that feels like a normal life.
But two laws reign above all else:
1 – No physical touch is allowed outside of classes.
Since the Alters are unable to control their powers, physical touch is strictly limited for the sake of their own safety.
2 – Your future is determined by what you can do.
The Alters are judged and graded based on their abilities, effort and mindset. Alters with the highest score within each powertype are promised better circumstances for their future contract work, perhaps even granted a say in where they end up. Chief Inspector Forester is not happy about this way of determining which Alters deserve the “good” futures, but the decision came all the way from the top.
§ 02.4 – WHAT YOU BECAME
The Alters
You all used to be perfectly ordinary people. Hopes and dreams. Friends and family. Plans for the future and a past you cradled to your chest. Then the Alterfall came, and chaos reigned. Everything you once were was shattered by the stones, and when the spasms and pains subsided, you woke up changed.
You were Altered, and now you have powers. No one knows exactly how or why they work, and the abilities seem impossible to control. Eventually, it was determined that powers could be classified into four “types”. Thanks to the democracy of the internet, they became known as Lines, Veils, Thoughts, and Prayers.
The time after the Alterfalls has been chaotic and dangerous. The first Alters were met with curiosity, then hate and zealous wrath when people started to get hurt. Thousands of Alters were hunted down and killed, more were placed in maximum security prisons. Until The Alter initiative began, there were essentially three possible paths for a new alter – live on the run, spend your life in prison, or die.
The player characters are only the second cycle of The Alter Initiative, and there are still plenty of flaws in the system, as everyone involved tries to figure out what to do as they go along. At game start, the Alters have been at the institute almost a month.
// Powerhouse
Lines
Able to manifest electrical currents outside of their bodies. Their touch delivers powerful blows of agonizing shock, ranging from wildly painful to potentially deadly on contact.
They are also way tougher than regular humans. Their skin resists knives and small caliber bullets, but a shotgun blast or a sniper’s rifle will tear them apart like anyone else.
// Infiltrator
Veils
Gifted with chameleon-like cloaking abilities. While cloaked, a Veil is practically invisible while motionless. They can however still be heard and felt.
When touching someone, they can temporarily remove one of the person’s senses. This loss of sense typically lasts 10-60 seconds, but extended touch can extend the period.
// Manipulator
Thoughts
Through touch, a Thought can give a simple command, forcing the victim to obey. Even the strongest wills will succumb to the command.
Also able to mindwalk. On touching someone on the head or neck, a Thought can enter a person’s mind, exploring it like a landscape. Here they can relive or alter memories, explore traumas, or learn a persons true intentions.
// Healer
Prayers
By hitting particular auditory frequencies, known as “singing”, a Prayer channels energy into a wound, letting the flesh and bone repair itself at incredible speed.
Also capable of emotional manipulation. Through touch, a Prayer can instantly read the person’s emotional state, and nudge or divert a person’s emotional state into an entirely different place.
// Field Memoir – Warden 03
"The Alters are safe here. That's not the same as being free."
§ 02.5 – WHAT ALTERS EXPLORES
Core Themes
01
Instrumentalization
You are no longer a person with a past, a career, a family. You are a Line, a Veil, a Thought, or a Prayer. A classification. A resource. Whatever you were before no longer matters to the people who decide what happens to you next.
02
Humanity and Connection
You become your most human, when the world has determined that you are no longer a person. In a place where touch is forbidden, every movement surveyed, and trust is precious, you hold tight to any ember of stolen closeness you can find. A moment of shared laughter, a friendship strengthened by trauma or a smuggled drink in the moonlight. Those are all you have left now.
03
Benevolent Oppression
Everyone at the Institute wants you to succeed, and Falconorth is both a prison and a saving grace. The state has promised you a new life on the other side of your contract, and protects you from the humans who would kill you for a curse that was thrust upon you. The Wardens are your biggest fans, and when everything seems hopeless, they are the ones to assure you of your potential.
But no matter the smiles and the promises, the fences are tall, and the order of things is absolute. You are a prisoner now, and for all of your new power, you are completely powerless to help yourself.