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taliadoesrpSynodiporia Valor: The Ten of Swords
Just as the girl told you, throwing the card in front of you creates a crackling vortex of purple and gold, suspended in midair, that no one else around you notices; and when you step into it...
You feel as though you've stepped through a door.
This space seems to vibrate with possibilities - a place that could be anywhere, between dream and reality; mind and matter. For now, it seems to have been coaxed into the shape of a ballroom - or is it a basketball stadium? - appointed with stands, and lit by a glittering star-shaped paper lantern.
At one end of the room, a young man mixes drinks, while an ageless woman in black, purple, blue, and white has produced a spread of finger foods, stroking a horned cat who's meows she seems to understand; at the other, the girl from earlier chats with an old man, once redheaded and now greying, from out of a renaissance faire - and a dark skinned woman with pink tips in her dark hair, in a burgundy hoodie, who is animatedly demonstrating the properties of a hovering ball of goop.
All of these old guard appear to be wearing t-shirts with four emblems, ones that match the banners overhead: A silver sword on a cyan field; a golden wand tipped with a rose on a red field; a golden chalice containing a rich crimson wine on a black field; and a silver compact disc with a pentacle pattern on a green field.
But they're not the only ones here. You see a riot of people, most human - some obviously not; some from your time - but many anachronisms, in either direction. You see Japanese school uniforms, glowing cybernetics, shining plates of armor over chainmail over arming jackets, corporate suits, rugby armor - is that woman with the Shaolin robes over her Cups t-shirt a nine-tailed foxgirl? And that can't possibly be the Lum, that's got to be amazing cosplay, right?
Your eyes fall on the center of the room. There is a table with two chairs, a bunch of t-shirts, some clipboards of forms. Behind it sits a massive, purple felinoid man in loose robes of dark brown and purple over a chalice T-shirt, who considers you for a moment, before nodding to his partner - a dark-skinned woman with white hair and pointed ears, wearing a tabard with the silver sword over a shimmering dress... who bows, and hands you a t-shirt with all four emblems on the front.
"I had to make sure," he says. "That you came here by your own Choice."
"Then you are certain?" the woman responds. "You willingly choose to fight alongside us, and to take the Fool's Journey? Knowing you may live lives not your own, without remembering who you are until you return from the Jaunt? To save all stories never told from a World where there is no succor in rest or dreams?"
You hesitate... before nodding, putting your name to paper. And donning the shirt.
The cat-man smiles. "Welcome, Traveller," he says, "to our game of Synodiporia."
WHAT IS SYNODIPORA VALOR?
Synodiporia Valor is a tabletop game in Valor: Heroic Roleplaying that's a sort of "what-if" future of the Dreamwidth-based panfandom roleplaying game Synodiporia. In it, your character will become a Traveller - a volunteer celebrant in a ritual tournament, undertaking missions that will empower the liminal and immortal tarot Arcana; each player will join a team based on the Minor Arcana of Swords, Wands, Discs and Cups.
The winners will gain the power of The World, and use it to save the Hanged Man from falling to the corruption of the Lovecraftian beings known as the Dread Ancient Ones - for in a world with a corrupted Hanged Man, there can be no true rest, no healing from dreams or sleep. Gods know that the Minor Arcana - the Travellers who won the World out from under the noses of the Major Arcana - wouldn't try to invoke Synodiporia unless it was absolutely necessary.
WHAT CHARACTERS CAN I PLAY?
You can play any character who would reasonably have the martial techniques and adventurous, courageous spirit of a Valor character, from any imaginable setting. Both OCs and adaptations of characters from published media will be considered; however, take them from a canonpoint where it's reasonable for them to be first level characters.
All PCs have willingly chosen to volunteer for the ritual - the Minor Arcana were drafted, not recruited, and they've vowed that no one else should suffer the same indignities they did at the hands of the Majors. This means that your character must be the kind of person that would sign up for a mission to save the world - or at least, for a mission to gain The World.
Your characters in particular are, as the sort of people who make good Valor PCs, destined to be on Team Swords. This is not known IC'ly, but is rather a matter of your characters skills and temperament.
Also, it would be personally helpful to me if one character was an amnesiac, who I will give to someone else to build.
JAUNTS, INFILTRATORS, PLOT ROLES, AND INVESTIGATORS
Each adventure will be a Jaunt to another world - where some of your characters may become Infiltrators, AUs of their characters as they would be if they were from that world. I'll give a list of possible plot roles for each Jaunt, each with unique powers and secret agendas, and roughly half of the group will Infiltrate as these plot roles while the rest stay as Investigators, trying to deduce the nature of a story they should bring to a conclusion befitting of the suits of Swords, Wands, Discs or Cups.
ICly, it is known that you might Infiltrate, but the characters to not know in advance who will or in what role. OOCly, I'll inform you before each adventure begins.
Because of the necessity of having Infiltrations and Plot Roles for the feel of Synodiporia, I will be requesting at least 6 and up to 10 players. A normal Valor party is between 3-5, and this will give me enough variety so that everyone gets a round in the AU Machine.
WHEN WILL WE RUN?
Late August to early September of 2021. We'll work out availability closer to that time, but list some days and times you think you'll have available.
WHAT DO YOU NEED FROM ME?
The following:
Your Name. Anything I can call you.
Where I can reach you. Preferably Plurk or Discord - I have a Discord channel for Synodiporia Valor set up - but email or Dreamwidth journals are fine too. Heck, list all of these.
Days and times you think you might be available. This is probably up in the air but I want SOME idea to plan around.
Who you might want to play. Remember: these can be any OC or fandom character who would work as a Lv 1 Valor character and who would volunteer for the Synodiporia ritual, for either altruistic or selfish reasons.
What Major Arcana you think those characters would be suited to, as a secret tool that will help me later.
Anything else you'd like me to know.
Just as the girl told you, throwing the card in front of you creates a crackling vortex of purple and gold, suspended in midair, that no one else around you notices; and when you step into it...
You feel as though you've stepped through a door.
This space seems to vibrate with possibilities - a place that could be anywhere, between dream and reality; mind and matter. For now, it seems to have been coaxed into the shape of a ballroom - or is it a basketball stadium? - appointed with stands, and lit by a glittering star-shaped paper lantern.
At one end of the room, a young man mixes drinks, while an ageless woman in black, purple, blue, and white has produced a spread of finger foods, stroking a horned cat who's meows she seems to understand; at the other, the girl from earlier chats with an old man, once redheaded and now greying, from out of a renaissance faire - and a dark skinned woman with pink tips in her dark hair, in a burgundy hoodie, who is animatedly demonstrating the properties of a hovering ball of goop.
All of these old guard appear to be wearing t-shirts with four emblems, ones that match the banners overhead: A silver sword on a cyan field; a golden wand tipped with a rose on a red field; a golden chalice containing a rich crimson wine on a black field; and a silver compact disc with a pentacle pattern on a green field.
But they're not the only ones here. You see a riot of people, most human - some obviously not; some from your time - but many anachronisms, in either direction. You see Japanese school uniforms, glowing cybernetics, shining plates of armor over chainmail over arming jackets, corporate suits, rugby armor - is that woman with the Shaolin robes over her Cups t-shirt a nine-tailed foxgirl? And that can't possibly be the Lum, that's got to be amazing cosplay, right?
Your eyes fall on the center of the room. There is a table with two chairs, a bunch of t-shirts, some clipboards of forms. Behind it sits a massive, purple felinoid man in loose robes of dark brown and purple over a chalice T-shirt, who considers you for a moment, before nodding to his partner - a dark-skinned woman with white hair and pointed ears, wearing a tabard with the silver sword over a shimmering dress... who bows, and hands you a t-shirt with all four emblems on the front.
"I had to make sure," he says. "That you came here by your own Choice."
"Then you are certain?" the woman responds. "You willingly choose to fight alongside us, and to take the Fool's Journey? Knowing you may live lives not your own, without remembering who you are until you return from the Jaunt? To save all stories never told from a World where there is no succor in rest or dreams?"
You hesitate... before nodding, putting your name to paper. And donning the shirt.
The cat-man smiles. "Welcome, Traveller," he says, "to our game of Synodiporia."
WHAT IS SYNODIPORA VALOR?
Synodiporia Valor is a tabletop game in Valor: Heroic Roleplaying that's a sort of "what-if" future of the Dreamwidth-based panfandom roleplaying game Synodiporia. In it, your character will become a Traveller - a volunteer celebrant in a ritual tournament, undertaking missions that will empower the liminal and immortal tarot Arcana; each player will join a team based on the Minor Arcana of Swords, Wands, Discs and Cups.
The winners will gain the power of The World, and use it to save the Hanged Man from falling to the corruption of the Lovecraftian beings known as the Dread Ancient Ones - for in a world with a corrupted Hanged Man, there can be no true rest, no healing from dreams or sleep. Gods know that the Minor Arcana - the Travellers who won the World out from under the noses of the Major Arcana - wouldn't try to invoke Synodiporia unless it was absolutely necessary.
WHAT CHARACTERS CAN I PLAY?
You can play any character who would reasonably have the martial techniques and adventurous, courageous spirit of a Valor character, from any imaginable setting. Both OCs and adaptations of characters from published media will be considered; however, take them from a canonpoint where it's reasonable for them to be first level characters.
All PCs have willingly chosen to volunteer for the ritual - the Minor Arcana were drafted, not recruited, and they've vowed that no one else should suffer the same indignities they did at the hands of the Majors. This means that your character must be the kind of person that would sign up for a mission to save the world - or at least, for a mission to gain The World.
Your characters in particular are, as the sort of people who make good Valor PCs, destined to be on Team Swords. This is not known IC'ly, but is rather a matter of your characters skills and temperament.
Also, it would be personally helpful to me if one character was an amnesiac, who I will give to someone else to build.
JAUNTS, INFILTRATORS, PLOT ROLES, AND INVESTIGATORS
Each adventure will be a Jaunt to another world - where some of your characters may become Infiltrators, AUs of their characters as they would be if they were from that world. I'll give a list of possible plot roles for each Jaunt, each with unique powers and secret agendas, and roughly half of the group will Infiltrate as these plot roles while the rest stay as Investigators, trying to deduce the nature of a story they should bring to a conclusion befitting of the suits of Swords, Wands, Discs or Cups.
ICly, it is known that you might Infiltrate, but the characters to not know in advance who will or in what role. OOCly, I'll inform you before each adventure begins.
Because of the necessity of having Infiltrations and Plot Roles for the feel of Synodiporia, I will be requesting at least 6 and up to 10 players. A normal Valor party is between 3-5, and this will give me enough variety so that everyone gets a round in the AU Machine.
WHEN WILL WE RUN?
Late August to early September of 2021. We'll work out availability closer to that time, but list some days and times you think you'll have available.
WHAT DO YOU NEED FROM ME?
The following:
Your Name. Anything I can call you.
Where I can reach you. Preferably Plurk or Discord - I have a Discord channel for Synodiporia Valor set up - but email or Dreamwidth journals are fine too. Heck, list all of these.
Days and times you think you might be available. This is probably up in the air but I want SOME idea to plan around.
Who you might want to play. Remember: these can be any OC or fandom character who would work as a Lv 1 Valor character and who would volunteer for the Synodiporia ritual, for either altruistic or selfish reasons.
What Major Arcana you think those characters would be suited to, as a secret tool that will help me later.
Anything else you'd like me to know.
no subject
Date: 2020-09-21 05:44 pm (UTC)Where I can reach you: NekoIncardine#8472 on Discord, or NekoIncardine on Plurk
Days and times you think you might be available: Barring class schedule changes, any evening after 5:30 PST, basically all day Saturday/Sunday.
Who you might want to play: An OC multi-isekai'd former soldier, mixing a knack for gunplay with wind powers whose nature she doesn't yet understand.
What Major Arcana you think those characters would be suited to, as a secret tool that will help me later: ... This is a tricky one since I don't know the Arcana very well.
Anything else you'd like me to know: Not Offhand
no subject
Date: 2020-09-21 05:48 pm (UTC)I'll also talk to you on Discord about possible Majors, keeping in mind that if they're a Valor character they're almost certainly a minor in Swords.
no subject
Date: 2020-09-21 06:34 pm (UTC)I swear I was NOT trying to write a Captain America expy when I designed this.
no subject
Date: 2020-09-21 07:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-09-21 07:45 pm (UTC)Where I can reach you
Days and times you think you might be available: uh. Friday evenings are bad. everything else is reasonably possible?
Who you might want to play: Okay, but what if I brought back Tako from Valor-ranger? I'd also be theoretically interested in playing Broccan (my DnD gnomish druid). If I brought in a fandom... heavily considering Douxie from Tales of Arcadia: Wizards
What Major Arcana: Tako fits Sun, Chariot, and probably Fortune. Broccan fits High Priestess, Temperance, or Magician. Douxie is a protag, so obligatory Fool. He could also hit Magician, Death, Fortune, Moon or Judgement depending on canon pull point.
no subject
Date: 2020-09-21 07:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-09-21 08:06 pm (UTC)But he's... well he's a rock gnome druid that has the urchin background (his pet mouse is a rat named Queen Rattie Silverwhiskers Duskstockings the Third. ...She may also be his patron nature god. Nobody's quite sure except Broccyn himself and some of Broccyn's ideas are... interesting.)
He has a strong dislike of rich people, champions the poor, and has a very shaky grasp of the concept of ownership. If it's not being actively watched and/or guarded he'll pick it up, and into somebody's pack it goes (all belongings of all of his "people" are shared, of course. Whether they know it or not. If someone finds something that's debatably food or "useful" in their pack, Broccyn put it there for safekeeping after he picked it up because he hoards things like that.) He's deeply compassionate and believes that all people should band together to make sure everybody is taken care of. His ideal world would be one where everybody shares and shares alike, and he's striving to make the places he visits a little less the complete opposite of that.
He's probably a very balanced character, stat-wise? Because all my stat rolls were close together, so even his worst stat is only a 12, but his best is only a 16 (and like, a lot of the differences between those are species/sub-species bonuses to begin with). so yeah.
no subject
Date: 2020-09-22 04:12 pm (UTC)Your Name. Nerdo
Where I can reach you.
Days and times you think you might be available. Wednesday through Friday I'm open after 7pm Central, as far as I know. Saturday I'm currently open all day.
Who you might want to play. I'm going to be real, I have no idea, and if I had an idea, I'd change my mind in the next 12 months. This is an expression of interest, and a notice that I tend to actually do things at the last minute.
What Major Arcana you think those characters would be suited to, as a secret tool that will help me later. See above.
Anything else you'd like me to know. Stoats are adorable.
no subject
Date: 2020-09-22 04:13 pm (UTC)Also, if you'll let me use her for this, Beato is probably one of the founding Wands or Cups Minor Arcana.
no subject
Date: 2020-09-22 06:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-09-26 09:01 pm (UTC)Where I can reach you. Preferably Plurk or Discord - dragon8writers on plurk.
Days and times you think you might be available. This is probably up in the air but I want SOME idea to plan around. Friday evenings after 5 PM PST, every other Sunday evening, every other Weds evening, every other Saturday evening are my current ones (most of these every others are because of you, so you'll know when they don't apply.)
Who you might want to play. Lonna, the runaway princess, the loveable rogue and total mess.
What Major Arcana you think those characters would be suited to, as a secret tool that will help me later. Tower
Anything else you'd like me to know.Nope
no subject
Date: 2020-09-26 09:02 pm (UTC)We do need more people who haven't heard of Syn but can Valor to make up for the Syn vets who ... okay, Nerdo is both.
Thoughts on canonpoint, I ask as if I hadn't already recommended these in Discord?
no subject
Date: 2020-09-26 09:22 pm (UTC)still me
Date: 2020-09-26 09:24 pm (UTC)Re: still me
Date: 2020-09-26 09:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-09-29 09:39 am (UTC)Contact Deets:
Days and Times: Weekdays after 7pm GMT/BST and Weekends before 1pm and after 6pm BST/GMT
Who I'd want to play: I do love pinya but as a Syn vet she wouldn't work, so! someone from this list -
Eikarr - D&D OC
Balthazar - Demon OC, just a bastard
2B - Nier: Automatoes.
Arcana:
Magician/Lovers
Tower
Hermit/Justice
no subject
Date: 2020-09-29 09:46 am (UTC)Your link to Balthazar and to Eikarr require Artfight logins. Please use different ones; googledocs are ideal here.
Also christ 2B. Given some of the Jaunts I have planned, she'd be fantastic for this, and I agree with your assessments vis a vis her being Hermit or Justice. Consider also Judgement.
no subject
Date: 2020-09-29 09:49 am (UTC)I really do love 2B and Judgement would also work super well, especially towards the end of her arc.
And Yeah Pinya is almost definitely swords or wands considering she came from Chariot
Doc is here!
no subject
Date: 2020-09-29 09:54 am (UTC)Where I can reach you.
Days and times you think you might be available. As of time of writing my only days off are Tuesday and Wednesday (and I work swing shift so other days aren't likely to happen). Currently have Project Lorica on Tuesday nights so Wednesday is likely the only one that would work.
Who you might want to play.
Suzume Nakagawa, Casper's adopted daughter who is a bojutsu champion
Taro, a tanuki who has disguise magic and not much else (especially if yoinked at the moment of death and offered a hand)
Liron, a semifallen angel who likes helping people (combat might be a challenge with him though)
Shiki, a shapeshifter with a monstrous rage issue but a sweetheart the rest of the time (possibly a Malevolent Entity build?)
What Major Arcana you think those characters would be suited to, as a secret tool that will help me later.
Suzume: Magician, Chariot, Strength
Taro: Star (he was this in a Persona game), Lovers
Liron: Fool, Star, Sun
Shiki: Fool, Tower
Anything else you'd like me to know. This is going to be a glorious mess.
no subject
Date: 2020-09-30 01:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-10-04 08:04 pm (UTC)Where I can reach you: CronoSMagnum#9004
Days and times you think you might be available: I'm available for play just about any day other than Thursday and Friday!
Who you might want to play: Yuki Wakana, a novice Symphogear Wielder from after the series' conclusion. She uses the Aegis as her Artifact and if told she could save multiple worlds? She'd jump on the possibility immediately!
What Major Arcana you think those characters would be suited to: Possibly Strength or Temperance as her backstory involves both of their Upright and Reversed traits
Anything else you'd like me to know: I'm flexible for characters, and I can even make a new one if desired. This is simply a character I've been wanting to run for a while.
no subject
Date: 2026-01-03 06:52 am (UTC)Arna
Where I can reach you:
You have me on Discord & Plurk, silly :P
Days and times you think you might be available:
I'm usually Around most of the time, though Saturday nights can be hit or miss due to other D&D games, as well as Friday nights for either your Waterdeep game or hanging out with some friends for Shabbat. I do have to pick up my husband around 8p est on Tuesdays, Thursdays around 6, and have a Wednesday game biweekly, but that's fairly early in PST land.
Who you might want to play:
Probably Rowan Knight, an OC that's one of the myriad kids of this particular Nephenee that you know well and a powerful 2E Mage named Morgan. She's a young Mage herself (M20, though technically the setting is bridging between 2E and M20 in terms of feel and how tight the Consensus is due to taking place in the 2040s at her canonpoint), and has world-hopped a bit just because of her parents being from different worlds and from living on a nexus world. Normally she'd be pretty averse to being away from her family for awhile, but due to Plot Reasons in her storyline...she's kind of hopping around as it is. And terrifyingly, being on different worlds might just be safer than being on future Earth for her :')
Since she's a young Mageling, her being level 1 makes sense.
Might also look at some D&D OCs; we'll see!
What Major Arcana you think those characters would be suited to:
OH GOD uh lemme think on this one
Anything else you'd like me to know:
Ro has a username, but no icons, so I'll have to figure those for it.
no subject
Date: 2026-01-03 02:53 pm (UTC)A deeundee also suits.