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| Sirens | |
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| Topic Started: 30 Sep 2007, 06:59 PM (1,659 Views) | |
| Keegan McAllister | 30 Sep 2007, 06:59 PM Post #1 |
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Sirens As written by Depleti Mythologically speaking... Sirens are the dangerous seductresses of the seas. In Greek myths they’re depicted as beautiful women who lounge about on rocks and sing into the winds. Their songs are hypnotic to men, and these men are drawn to their voices, but in effect crash their ships among the rocks and drown. As far as I know the sirens never touch them, but they’ve been depicted numerous ways all through the centuries. The common image repeated throughout is that of a beautiful woman with death in her heart. At Aztec Gold... Since the world of the gods as well as other supernatural phenomenon has come into play in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, it’s only natural that it should be incorporated into the role-playing games as well. Overall, Aztec Gold has been a little reticent on the matter of mythological and fantasy elements being incorporated into the board, but we’re not entirely against it. The trick is to do it well and prevent clichés and make sure these creatures don’t overshadow the mortal characters. Before I go about listing the restrictions and things of playing a siren, I’ll first discuss how sirens are played here at Aztec Gold. The difference between boys and girls... Here at AG, we have utilized the idea of the male siren. Mythologically they probably didn’t exist, but pretty much the only way to play an active siren here is to play a male one. Why? I’ll tell you why. But first I’ll list the differences between male and female sirens as played here on Aztec Gold. Female Sirens [o] Female sirens are restricted to the ocean. They are allowed to come up on land, but never further than the outskirts of a beach, and they never go into towns. Since their prey is human males, they stick to the sea where said human males venture out in ships that are easily reached by the sirens. They are able to climb aboard these vessels with no trouble. [o] Female sirens are shapeshifters. They take on the form of a woman deemed beautiful based on the cultural acceptance of the man they are trying to seduce. Oftentimes they also take on the form of a loved one, such as a wife or fiancé or beloved, to more easily lure the man to his death. Female sirens don’t have a “normal” appearance and take the shape of whatever sort of woman they want during their “off duty” times. [o] They have very small control over water. They can dry someone with a grazing hand or soak someone with a well-placed slap. Sometimes they have the appearance of being perpetually dripping wet. They can not create water funnels or hurricanes or anything like that, and water tricks are beneath them. [o] Female sirens can live much longer than humans, usually a maximum of about 150 years. [o] Like all sirens they are musically gifted. They usually lure their victims into the water through song, though they can also climb aboard a vessel if need be. They kill their victims either by drowning them or choking them. [o] Female sirens cannot be killed by mortal arms, such as swords or guns. They are beings of nature and magic, and only nature and magic can kill them. Not to say throwing a stick at them will kill them, but they aren’t completely invincible. [o] Before killing a victim a siren may sleep with him first, typically resulting in a pregnancy. Sometimes the siren doesn’t kill the father, but this is rare. It’s never out of love for the man, but out of spite in the future. You’ll see what I mean. Male Sirens [o] Male sirens are born to their siren mothers and sent to live with a human woman who will nurse and raise them. They are completely mortal and normal up until they reach puberty, where they start to turn. “Turn” is the phrase used for when a male turns from human to siren. [o] If the male siren is not brought up with a decent father figure, they are most likely to turn. If the father figure is prevalent and close to the boy, they are less likely to turn. A doting and loving mother figure is not enough to prevent the boy from turning. They need a father figure to balance everything out. The siren mother, while almost never physically present, is always in the subconscious of the boy. If the negative female is not balanced with a positive male, the boy will turn. [o] While a human, the male siren takes on the inherited appearance of his father. If he turns siren, his appearance will change to reflect the beauty standards of his society at that time. For example if a dark-haired, brown-eyed boy turns in a European-influenced society, his hair and eyes will gradually lighten over the next year. If the boy doesn’t turn, his appearance does not change. [o] Male sirens focus their attacks on the land, but can breathe underwater. They usually lure their victims down to the beach and then drown them. Most male sirens have an underlying fear of being out in the middle of the sea with no land in sight. [o] Male sirens live a normal human lifespan of the era. [o] Male sirens can be killed by mortal arms. The means used to kill a female siren will not kill them, but it would sting a little. [o] Male sirens are also musically gifted. They sometimes use instruments to entrance their victims, but also song. Immunities Not every siren song will work on every person. The younger a siren the less potent their charms, so some victims can and do manage to wiggle away from their seducers. As a siren ages and improves upon their skill, their charms are much stronger. Male sirens tend to reach their full strength at about age twenty-five to thirty. Sometimes if a victim is genuinely and hopelessly in love with someone the siren song won’t work on them. This tends to happen more in older couples than younger ones. Younger ones are more attracted to each other because of how they look physically, while older couples have developed strong bonds outside of the physical realm. Homosexuality, while not something you want advertised around in this day and age, is a cause of a kind of immunity. Male sirens’ charms won’t work on homosexual women, and vice versa for female sirens. However a female siren can attract a homosexual woman and a male siren can attract a homosexual male, but they rarely set their charms to such victims. Playing a Siren All right, you’ve read all that, so now you need to know the pros and cons of actually playing a siren here at Aztec Gold. There are far more cons than pros. Pretty much the only pro in playing a siren is getting to play a siren. They’re not administered to just anyone for play, so if you apply for one and get accepted, it means you’re a good writer and the staff thinks you’re dedicated enough for the character. Now you have to know your restrictions. Since female sirens are restricted to the ocean and beaches, they wouldn’t be good PC material. You can make up an NPC for one if you need something for a plot, but using one as a PC would severely restrict your playing space. Now you can understand why playing a male siren is more conducive RP-wise. Male sirens have their restrictions too. Since sirens are supposed to be attractive even without trying, you have to be very careful about godmodding. Godmodding is when you put words, ideas, and actions into a character that isn’t yours to play. You can’t say someone is attracted to your siren character without their prior consent, because that would break the rules. How to get around this? Playing a younger siren would give reason for the charms not to work, and the siren doesn’t have to be charming victims 24/7 anyway. They have their times they want to be alone, so another character can be around them and not be affected. If you want your siren to charm some girl, whether into making him stockings or letting him slip into her bed, you must get prior permission from that character’s player. You are free to mention NPCs being affected by the siren, however. Rules The only rule about sirens is that, like female pirates, they cannot be your first character. They’re special privileges allotted to those who deserve them: senior members, active players, and skilled writers. You could be the next Philip Pullman but we won’t know that the first time you apply for a character at AG. And if you don’t know who Philip Pullman is, shame on you. Edited by James Norrington, 3 Jun 2008, 05:56 PM.
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