All communities are available, but some have unique aspects within a Colossus of the Drylands campaign.
Loreborne
In the Drylands, many folks hold fervent beliefs about the Forgotten Gods, the New Gods, and the essentia crystals that power the world. Loreborne communities take a more scholarly, possibly even evangelical, approach to these beliefs. Some follow the "forgotten ways" and utilize raw essentia in their spiritual practice, while others abstain from essentia entirely, believing it's a profanity to the New Gods they worship.
- What were you taught about the origins of the Mortal Realm, and how did the colossi emerging affect that worldview?
- Kudamat's impending return changed the beliefs of many, but not you. What did you experience in the past that makes your faith unshakeable?
- You refuse to use the magic of essentia because you follow the "new ways." How has your devotion to the New Gods helped you? How has it hindered you?
Orderborne
Some orderborne characters come from the law. Whether sheriff or deputy, these individuals are often seen as the most powerful members of their town. Though these officers are usually in the pocket of rich essentia mine moguls, if not fully on the payroll, they're often the most prepared to protect civilians in times of danger. Other orderborne communities are organized bands of outlaws — some who steal and sabotage essentia outposts with a moral goal in mind, and others who just need crystals to sell or power their own magic. Either way, they always operate by a code, unique as it may be.
- What incident during your time working for the sheriff prepared you to help panicking civilians worried about the colossus?
- You and your posse have killed to get what you need. What rules do you have about who you'll never harm?
- You once took a bribe to do something you regret. What happened, and what was your reward?
Highborne
In the Drylands, most true highborne folk come from elsewhere, seeking to further enrich themselves using the industries surrounding essentia. Some were born into wealth, while others are fallen business owners forced to move out to the desert for their "next big venture." Regardless of how highborne characters originally found fortune, they often find themselves at odds with the beating sun and the clinging dust, though they have employees to do any task that could even vaguely be classified as "work." The grand myth that keeps people prospecting is that anyone can find an essentia vein or river deposit and change their lives with riches untold. Though some have done it, they're few and far between. Most earn enough to keep on working for another day, and a few live comfortably with a little to spare.
- What disaster befell your family's fortune that precipitated your move to the Drylands?
- What local custom or practice do you find refreshing that people from home would balk at?
- How has your lineage, title, or other highborne affectations gotten you in trouble in the Drylands?
Ridgeborne and Underborne
In this region of mountains, mines, high deserts, and sparse greenery, both ridgeborne and underborne communities thrive. Ridgeborne characters could come from small outposts, family encampments, or other groups that make home atop the dangerous crags of the region. Some of these communities may even be bold enough to live where others will not — on Godfell Mountain. Though it is dangerous, desolate, and blighted, the mountain yields the richest essentia for those willing to risk everything.
An underborne character could be part of a community that took to old essentia mines for refuge, building homes in the darkness beneath the earth. Others are essentia miners who create small underborne communities with fellow members of their profession who spend most of their life excavating the crystals from the stone. This is one of the most dangerous yet common jobs in the region, and it makes for a hardy lot. Whether a character grew up in a Drylands outpost or moved to one to prospect, there are more than enough communities peppered throughout the Drylands that any of these places could be called home.
- You were born in the mountains and mesas of the Drylands. What do you know about this land that new prospectors will never understand?
- You are afraid of the dark, but venture into the mines every day anyway. What keeps you going back?
- You once found something unexpected near Godfell Mountain. What was it, and who did you tell about your discovery?
Slyborne
With its untold veins of essentia bringing folks seeking to make their fortune from the earth, the Drylands also appeal to people seeking to make their fortune from the exploitation of others. There's no small share of bad actors who want to get rich and get out quick, either by selling useless parcels of land, shilling water-and-vinegar "snake oil," or outright theft. But some slyborne communities are more interested in stopping major operations from stripping essentia from the desert than robbing the innocent. The "Harlan Family," a small but active posse of thieves led by Trace Harlan (they/them), works out of Wyllin's Gulch for one purpose: to stop ambitious tycoons from mining and producing essentia batteries. They hope to one day tear the factories from the walls of the mesa and drive out the greedy moguls that put profit over people.
- What darkness in your past did you attempt to leave behind when coming to the Drylands?
- You once betrayed a close accomplice. What happened and why haven't you spoken since the incident?
- You had to go through a terrifying initiation to join your posse. What did you do, and how has it changed you forever?
Wanderborne
Wanderborne characters are just as likely to originate from within the region as arrive from elsewhere. As most things in the Drylands do, their wanderings gravitate toward the essentia veins. Some wanderborne communities are as old as Godfell Mountain itself, and they have stores of essentia they visit across the desert. Others are new groups of unprepared prospectors who are more likely to die by sun or snake than find any ease in the Drylands.
- What common practice of outpost living do you find utterly baffling or uncomfortable?
- You have a small cache of emergency items hidden in the desert. What did you hide?
- You used to live in an outpost, but something terrible happened that caused you to leave. What happened, and why will you never return?
Source · Character Creation Considerations