Character creation lore question

Devora

So during creation where you pick your org, what does that translate into IC? Is everyone part of an org before stepping into the Portal? Could someone have been orgless before entering the Portal, but then choose an org while going through the Portal? Why would the Fates arrange for that process to happen in the Portal, without the leaders of the org having a say like they would if a rogue joined? 

Ein

Perhaps everyone's just too afraid to sass the Fates about letting people in. They do get to decide when to cut your thread after all!

Makai

Well mechanically speaking, if city leaders had to approve every single person joining the city from character creation, the game would be hellaciously dead. As for the lore, to our understanding the Portal of Fate transfers you to our realm (The Basin of Life) and wipes your memories clean, save for maybe just a few really distinguishing ones that define a personality. This blank slate lets the character make decisions on where they belong based solely on their nature versus nurture. An example would be some kid living in a heavily industrialized city that kept a potted plant, because he marveled at the beauty of Nature. Upon his acceptance to the realm, that is what stuck with him, so he opted to join Serenwilde. So to me personally, the Portal gets rid of some lazy RP'ing of, "Sorry, just raised that way." The character's upbringing is so forgotten that they rely solely upon their own morals and beliefs, rather than what mommy and daddy taught them.

Ayisdra

Makai said:

Well mechanically speaking, if city leaders had to approve every single person joining the city from character creation, the game would be hellaciously dead. As for the lore, to our understanding the Portal of Fate transfers you to our realm (The Basin of Life) and wipes your memories clean, save for maybe just a few really distinguishing ones that define a personality. This blank slate lets the character make decisions on where they belong based solely on their nature versus nurture. An example would be some kid living in a heavily industrialized city that kept a potted plant, because he marveled at the beauty of Nature. Upon his acceptance to the realm, that is what stuck with him, so he opted to join Serenwilde. So to me personally, the Portal gets rid of some lazy RP'ing of, "Sorry, just raised that way." The character's upbringing is so forgotten that they rely solely upon their own morals and beliefs, rather than what mommy and daddy taught them.

Uh, where does it say this at? A character, at some young age (based on the mechanically age selection anyways), goes into the Portal of Fates. At somepoint (most of the time?, I don't think the lore is clear on the success rate exactly) the Portal of Fate links that Character to us, the player, and spits the character back out into the world without their memory. All characters start out as being part of Lusternia when they are born and raised. Most of the game 'forgets' about having kids, raising them for a bit, and taking them to the Portal (even if I don't think the Portal has that level of power).

Makai

Most are from Lusternia itself, yes, but different time periods can be a thing. Someone could've entered the Portal of Fate while serving as one of the original ur'guard under Urlach and come out in modern times and be really confused, etc. The concept of the blank memory still applies, just the 'where from' is the ambiguous. If you allow it to be out of Lusternia too, then it even covers the IRE transplants and immigration.

Ayisdra

Makai said:

Most are from Lusternia itself, yes, but different time periods can be a thing. Someone could've entered the Portal of Fate while serving as one of the original ur'guard under Urlach and come out in modern times and be really confused, etc. The concept of the blank memory still applies, just the 'where from' is the ambiguous. If you allow it to be out of Lusternia too, then it even covers the IRE transplants and immigration.

The Histories seem to imply that entering the Portal and coming out of it is a relative short amount of time. I would disagree with the 'out of Lustenria' part too. You have to physically enter the Portal of Fates for it to do its thing and try to link you with an Other. I guess if a second Portal of Fate was built in other realms that could in theory work, but there's nothing to suggest this is possible.

Makai

Well considering 'the Fates' exist in some form and fashion in most of the IREs, it could be possible. Also possible that the 'entrances' to a realm are all the same thing, just differently named. Would be a cool multiverse theory.

Hegemone

Ayisdra said:

The Histories seem to imply that entering the Portal and coming out of it is a relative short amount of time.

As an aside my recent family application revolved around the potential that it can be years between a person going through the portal and returning. This is the exact phrasing regarding a marked soul returning from the portal:

It was several months before Mugowumpois once again gathered us together.

Keahi

Hegemone said:

This is the exact phrasing regarding a marked soul returning from the portal:

It was several months before Mugowumpois once again gathered us together.

That is from the Book of Xyl, specifically referring to the ability of sharded souls to be reborn after death. The soul of a furrikin was marked, the furrikin was killed, and then several months later, Mugwumpois called Xyl and Trillilial together to show them that a newborn furrikin who looked radically different had the exact mark. It was not until significantly later in the Book of Xyl (stated as several years) that the Fates appeared and told Xyl how to make the Portal.

Hegemone

Keahi said:

Hegemone said:

This is the exact phrasing regarding a marked soul returning from the portal:

It was several months before Mugowumpois once again gathered us together.

That is from the Book of Xyl, specifically referring to the ability of sharded souls to be reborn after death. The soul of a furrikin was marked, the furrikin was killed, and then several months later, Mugwumpois called Xyl and Trillilial together to show them that a newborn furrikin who looked radically different had the exact mark. It was not until significantly later in the Book of Xyl (stated as several years) that the Fates appeared and told Xyl how to make the Portal.

Ah, I see what you're saying - this was the section that's actually relevant!

Meridian urged the first of the heroes through. She was an orclach warrior, who strode through without hesitation. Next was a furrikin mystic with a tae'dae protector. Three elfen went through, as well as a taurian, loboshigaru, krokani and aslaran. Ten entered the Portal of Fate, and only eight returned. We had lost an elfen and the taurian.

Those two that didn't return immediately could be used as conjecture that the souls are lost until a later date. Iirc it's stated that souls can split, but I don't think they can ever wink out of existence unless a Soulless eats them (and subsequently if a Soulless eats all the shards of a single race then they're extinct?) ?

Ayisdra

Hegemone said:

Keahi said:

Hegemone said:

This is the exact phrasing regarding a marked soul returning from the portal:

It was several months before Mugowumpois once again gathered us together.

That is from the Book of Xyl, specifically referring to the ability of sharded souls to be reborn after death. The soul of a furrikin was marked, the furrikin was killed, and then several months later, Mugwumpois called Xyl and Trillilial together to show them that a newborn furrikin who looked radically different had the exact mark. It was not until significantly later in the Book of Xyl (stated as several years) that the Fates appeared and told Xyl how to make the Portal.

Ah, I see what you're saying - this was the section that's actually relevant!

Meridian urged the first of the heroes through. She was an orclach warrior, who strode through without hesitation. Next was a furrikin mystic with a tae'dae protector. Three elfen went through, as well as a taurian, loboshigaru, krokani and aslaran. Ten entered the Portal of Fate, and only eight returned. We had lost an elfen and the taurian.

Those two that didn't return immediately could be used as conjecture that the souls are lost until a later date. Iirc it's stated that souls can split, but I don't think they can ever wink out of existence unless a Soulless eats them (and subsequently if a Soulless eats all the shards of a single race then they're extinct?) ?

This was the part I was looking at when I made my comment. Given that no time was given between when the ten went into the portal and when Xyl declared two of them 'lost', I can't believe it was very long for the first 8 to come out or else it would have been noted. While time for Elders is different, some sort of comment made if it took much longer than a few months, perhaps a year or two at most.

Saran

Hegemone said:

Ah, I see what you're saying - this was the section that's actually relevant!

Meridian urged the first of the heroes through. She was an orclach warrior, who strode through without hesitation. Next was a furrikin mystic with a tae'dae protector. Three elfen went through, as well as a taurian, loboshigaru, krokani and aslaran. Ten entered the Portal of Fate, and only eight returned. We had lost an elfen and the taurian.

Those two that didn't return immediately could be used as conjecture that the souls are lost until a later date. Iirc it's stated that souls can split, but I don't think they can ever wink out of existence unless a Soulless eats them (and subsequently if a Soulless eats all the shards of a single race then they're extinct?) ?

I expect the fact that not everyone returns is an explanation for why we don't just march everyone through once they're old enough.

The portal of fate also breaks a lot of the rules so what happens to those who fail probably is also not bound to the normal rules. That said, the answer for why people don't return can be a relatively simple one, they failed and died during the journey.

The theory that people are crossing time has also been raised previously though in reverse with much mockery but one of the points that was raised was that the birth date on honours is accurate, the effects of astrology on an individual based on planetary alignments are science. Lots of stuff pointing that everyone is from this era.