Journeywoman's Journeys, A Fantasy Age of Exploration Worldbuilding Quest (Updated Daily)

alright, let's go
Scheduled vote count started by AKuz on Jan 14, 2022 at 11:33 PM, finished with 19 posts and 13 votes.
 
Purpose
[X]...Cohacos (The Golden Terror)

Purpose​

It's a funny thing to have fulfilled one's life's purpose; tragic to do so before adulthood.

Already unruly, Anne becomes ungovernable after her 15th birthday. For seven years she'd had a noble goal: to preserve the knowledge of her ancestors, to learn from Kaf and to work alongside her grandmother.

That's now gone.

Annasavai isn't cruel; she doesn't abandon Anne-Seht, who she respects. She simply didn't understand her granddaughter. For Matriarch Annasavai is a woman who understands the course of civilizations but doesn't understand teenagers.

The family that had raised Anne before her seventh year were just as alien to her feelings. She'dd become a stranger to them, a stranger they ate with every day, but someone who'd in a very real emotional sense drifted away from them.

Anne-Seth had no friends, just adults she'd trained alongside and acquaintances her age she'd briefly interacted with.

But Anne was also fast, strong, and mysterious. In a word: she was cool.

So she easily found admirers as she caused mischief across the city.

Not that she cared, for how much does a girl raised to be a raid leader for the ancestral steppes have in common with children of the present?

And then Anne-Seht of the Cahacos meets
her.

She meets the other girl in midsummer, during the Aground day celebrations, while she's using her hard won skills to steal a fireworks display.

She's an apprentice of the Glittering Spears, and the first person who has ever caught up with Anne-Seht in a fair chase. The other girl deftly avoiding all of Anne's attempts to waylay her pursuit.

Anne likes her instantly.

After a brief tussle, Anne surrenders the fireworks, and volunteers to clean up her mess and assist her new friend with sentry duty.

Jalynn is a daughter of a Glittering Spear Captain with his own company, and she's fully expected to take command from him some day -provided she's worthy.

Jalynn's strong like Anne, faster, not arcanly or academically inclined, and fiercely clever. She's full Harakai, with dark burgundy skin and deep blue, nearly black, hair and eyes.

Anne's feelings for Jalynn are… complicated, though she doesn't know it yet. Jalynn's an equal, someone her age who can challenge Anne, and is an immensely practical person, who always seeks to cut through to the heart of the matter.

The two quickly become best friends, and they talk as often as they spar, Anne listening to Jalynn's worries about her being in her father's shadow. And in turn Jalynn listens as Anne is finally able to articulate her feelings of useless aimlessness.

Naturally, Jalynn doesn't see why this has to be such a problem for her friend.


"Well. Then what do you want?" she says, dangling her legs over the pier, and looking up into the sky.

Anne opens her mouth to give a glib reply, and then closes her mouth. Thinking.

Jalynn looks over at her friend and smirks, "I promised my dad I'd take over the Company when he retires. That's what I'm going to do." she shrugs, it's as good a purpose as any, " Why don't you promise me that you'll do something worthy of your talents?"

They sit in silence for several more increasingly awkward minutes, then Anne stirs, "Well, I think…

-

This vote will be setting not just a personal goal for the character (though who knows if it will be a lifetime one?) but will signal to me the kind of direction that you want us to go in.

Today's vote (120 words) is an important character one that I'm letting you take the reins on.

In this case, I want a simple high concept goal, as well as a brief explanation of what that is, and what kinds of stories will ensue.

Example:

[ ] "...I want to be a hero. To help people!"

Anne believes that her upbringing and resources make her uniquely skilled to become one of the legendary heroes from story and song.

Such a hero travels the land righting wrongs and destroying terrible and evil foes of the common person.

That this dream might not be entirely realistic is neither here nor there for our protagonist in this heady moment. How much this dream really
is rooted in a deepset desire to help others is also left to be an exercise for the reader.

In any event this dream will involve combat, leadership, and travelling adventure that doesn't often dwell in a single area as Anne is always on the move.
 
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Decided to lean in a bit with the Animu, kick it up 15% or so:

>childhood friend/love interest? ✅
>intemperate childhood promise? ✅

>: P

Anywhoo, tomorrow will be the second "Character Generation" update where we'll deal with the last few years on the road to adulthood, and then after that... Well, I'm excited! It's fun flying this close to the sun, I'm sure that I wont make any hubristic pacing or narrative errors that will alter come back to haunt me.

>: V

EDIT: ALSO, we're close to actually naming the thread! >: 3

alsoedit2, phone edit: I'm also looking forward to a bit of a slower pace and not passing through entire years in a handful of sentences. So, that'll be nice.
 
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[X] ...I'll seek out new civilizations, new knowledge, new peoples, and learn all that I can from them!

Anne believes that her upbringing and resources make her uniquely skilled to become an Explorer. The newest hero of this Golden Age; who pushes into the edge of The Peoples knowledge, maps and expectations.

Clever diplomats and swashbuckling commanders, making contact with the unknown that lays beyond the horizon, learning about new peoples and new lands.

The realities of such a life perhaps escape her at this moment, but it will be a life filled with strange places, finding friends in unexpected places, that will often take her beyond the comfort of her home, which she may only return to rarely.
 
We know our little asocial rascal has had a history of no peers and a tendency of the past with her ghostly ancestor. It seems an exploratory life is suitable for her. But at the same time it would be a shame to just leave our sweet little College Isles like that.

[X] I desire to be legendary beyond compare
Her skills, her training and knowledge gleamed from her family has given her the inclination towards Bounty Hunting. Her skills would be invaluable to the research and fieldwork of the Guilds and University Colleges. Her Services would warrant top dollar and may in time bring in clients from beyond the horizon, to request her services and record her deeds in writing and song. Any that would dare to rope her into the Guild and College's petty games would have to answer to her Family and those close to her.
 
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We know our little asocial rascal has had a history of no peers and a tendency of the past with her ghostly ancestor. It seems an exploratory life is suitable for her. But at the same time it would be a shame to just leave our sweet little College Isles like that.
think of it as a sort of infinite world building hack, can't stop the world building if we're always filling in the edges of the map :V

And to assuage your concerns, the intent of Exploring is to return with what you've learned, so we'll always come back as something of a celeberty, with all sorts of things the colleges would love.
 
[X] "I want to leave a legacy behind—to create something that people will treasure after I'm gone."
 
[X] "...I want to be a hero. To help people!"

I'm down for some heroics
 
[X] "To pick up chicks"

Anne upbrining has left her feeling befit of connections. Family has long since passed by the wayside, and friends were a missed opportunity, romance however, is a new world of adults, on that she can, perhaps make connections.

Such a hero travels the land righting wrongs and charming the ladies, both common and noble.

How much this dream is mere passion and how much
is rooted in a deepset desire for connections deeper than what she dares allow herself is a exercise for the reader.

In any event this dream will involve combat, traveling, and passionate romance as Anne is always on the pursuit.
 
[X] "I want to leave a legacy behind—to create something that people will treasure after I'm gone."

[X] "...I want to be a hero. To help people!"

Also, you know what...

[X] "To pick up chicks"

Anne upbrining has left her feeling befit of connections. Family has long since passed by the wayside, and friends were a missed opportunity, romance however, is a new world of adults, on that she can, perhaps make connections.

Such a hero travels the land righting wrongs and charming the ladies, both common and noble.

How much this dream is mere passion and how much is rooted in a deepset desire for connections deeper than what she dares allow herself is a exercise for the reader.

In any event this dream will involve combat, traveling, and passionate romance as Anne is always on the pursuit.
Because this is just peak d'Aubigny.
 
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[X] ...to explore strange new tombs... to seek out old life and ancient civilizations... to boldly go where no Harakai-Silef mixed race has gone before!

Which is, well... pretty much everywhere.
Not that many Harakai-Silef mixed race travel around the world. :V

Interviewing her Silef Spirit Guide, and re-discovering ancient knowledge? Simple.
Studying under the Clan Matriarch, and gaining an unofficial degree in Archeological Research? Too easy.
Mastering all the elite martial skills of the ancient Silef steppe warlords, and becoming a total badass? That was fun.

Adventuring into ancient tombs, defeating deadly traps, and partaking priceless treasures?
Now that's a challenge!

Dragging her new best friend along for the ride?
...We'll see.
 
[X] ...to explore strange new tombs... to seek out old life and ancient civilizations... to boldly go where no Harakai-Silef mixed race has gone before!
[X] ...I'll seek out new civilizations, new knowledge, new peoples, and learn all that I can from them!
 
[X] ...I'll seek out new civilizations, new knowledge, new peoples, and learn all that I can from them!

This is definitely what I want from this story. Being a famous explorer fits the setting well.

[X] "To pick up chicks"

And this is the joke option I have to vote for. Though, I do love romantic adventures so I would still be pleased if it did win.
 
[X] ...I'll seek out new civilizations, new knowledge, new peoples, and learn all that I can from them!
[X] "To pick up chicks"

Catgirl Tiberius Kirk!
 
[X] ...to explore strange new tombs... to seek out old life and ancient civilizations... to boldly go where no Harakai-Silef mixed race has gone before!
[X] ...I'll seek out new civilizations, new knowledge, new peoples, and learn all that I can from them
[X] "To pick up chicks"
 
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