Creating a Player Character

For a thousand years, humans have been relegated to the fringes of modern society. Ubiquitous, yet invisible, humans form the backbone of production and manual labor throughout the continent. From the furthest Lacertion holds to the highest cauldrons of the Holy Realms, humans remain an important resource to the Sentient species of Issliss.

In the rural Plaitlands, humans are afforded a great deal of relative leniency – many humans are even allowed to operate farms and mines with minimal oversight! Although humans are given jobs by the generous Plait, and paid in currency (Saents), much of the household income goes to necessities, taxes, fees, tolls, and fines. The production of Sorbihol, an elixir which grants the Kasat an extended resistance to cold, is primarily cultivated on human farms.

The human form is highly sought-after by Kasat, who see humans as highly-resilient, capable of traveling long distances, bloodthirsty and expendable. Therefore it is not uncommon to find humans conscripted into various conflicts, particularly in the southern Plaitlands, where the Kasat have attempted to assert control over Lacertion Warbands.

The cities often employ large numbers of humans as servants for various powerful Kasat families, or assistants to trade workers such as textile fabricators called filamenteers. Kasat filamenteers produce the finest fabrics in Issliss.

Unfortunately, any large gathering of humans is likely to contain rogue elements. These vectors for human malfeasance represent the worst the species has to offer – criminals, prowlers, thieves, and ne’er do wells. The Royal Investigative Bureau exists to keep the Plaitlands safe from the rogue human threat.

To promote the good quality moral and intellectual development of our Kasat subjects, the Royal Academy employs a wide range of researchers, experts, and specialists to develop new and inventive methods for destroying the feral beasts of the south. Royal Biologists have made great strides in their research, and continue to discover highly-effective vitriols, curatives, and concoctions to assist in the domination of the Royal Plait. Similarly, Royal Experts have made breakthroughs in the fields of mechanization and prosthetics. The future has never looked more pleasant.

The Royal Plait of the Kasat welcomes all visitors to the Plaitlands to carry no more than the legal amount of currency, to dispense of all weapons, and to submit to royal checkpoints without question. Failure to comply will be met with swift and utter devastation.

Welcome to the Plaitlands.

The World of Issliss

Issliss is a flexible grimdark roleplay setting with a rich, diverse world full of stunning and treacherous locales and equally dangerous inhabitants. The technology and culture of Issliss is roughly analogous to a steampunk setting, and the worst of human treatment is assumed to be behind the times.

However, the technologies available to the Players, here known collectively as the Cell, encompass a broad range of biomechanical prosthesis and mechanical assistance devices, powered by exotic and volatile insect and plant extracts, or through the application of the effluvium core, a canister of highly-compressed gas.

Culturally, the tone of the game can shift greatly between the rigid monarchal fascist state of the Royal Plait of the Kasat to the various traditional theocracies in the Holy Realms of the Tisk, to the brutal and ancient Lacertion Holds.

Will you be crushed by oppressive regimes and generations of servitude, or will you rise?

Behold the terrible wonders of Issliss 1e on July 21st at fablescraps.com and be sure to check out the Twitch season premiere Issliss at noon on July 21st, only at twitch.tv/fablescraps.

The VECTORs System

As humans, players inhabit a role in society deemed a vector for malfeasance. Players will fill out a government dossier called a VECTOR to represent a character sheet. VECTORs uses a brand new 3d6 dice system created especially for Issliss 1e, compelling players to work together to overcome brutal odds in fast-paced, desperate combat encounters.

Begin your adventure in the region of Issliss known as the Plaitlands – a temperate coastal swamp under the tight control of the Royal Plait of the Kasat. Do you have what it takes to rise against total generational domination of your species?

The Issliss 1e Quickstart Guide contains:

An abridged history of the continent of Issliss after the failed invasion by man.

A brief description of Jalazra, colloquially known as the Plaitlands, the swamp controlled by the Royal Plait of the Kasat.

A sample adventure designed to introduce players to the desperate world of Issliss and the VECTORs 3d6 system.

Several pregenerated characters with backstories and flavortext.

Issliss 1e gives players the opportunity to defy systemic oppression by exacting retribution and toppling corrupted regimes. Humanity has suffered for a thousand years – will you rise?