Souls Hollow
Souls Hollow
Introduction
The end of the road.
Souls Hollow is a small, unobtrusive town cast in a world struck in shades of grey, whose population lives in perpetual misery and emotional darkness.
We have nothing to lose, nothing to gain, and only desire for an escape. For some, the only escape is the blackness at the end of the greyscale. The gradient ends, and so do they.
Others... They hope for the bleakness to end, rather than themselves. The anomalies, those who are capable of joyous thought and motivation.
That's where the agents come in. An unbroken spirit threatens this saturnine graveyard of hope and faith and love. The agents exist to break the spirits of the free. Armed only with harsh truth and their own soul deaths, they ensure the continued desolation of all who dare to exist in Souls Hollow.
But the Great Emptiness, whose empire is built on the woe of the damned, the regret of sinners, and the futility of hope... They bear no mutual want for satisfying the other. They exist only to destroy, as wholly and completely as possible. To take until nothing remains, and they care not who they take from.
Not with a bang, but with a whimper.
Roles
Resident: 0
You are a resident of Souls Hollow. Your spirit is either completely broken and you live your life in a constant state of despair, or your existence is angry, bitter, or completely apathetic. There is no hope for you.
(Use dreamworld petition to ask for a playerhome in this dreamworld)
Dreamer: 0
You don't live in Souls Hollow, and you mean to keep it that way. Somehow, you keep your head high and tread through this world without the weight of sorrow around your neck, pitying-- and perhaps, even wishing you could save-- the residents. You are the enemy of the agents, and they will find you. It's only a matter of time.
Agent: 5000
You are the haze thrown over this listless life, dutied to drain it of all joy, hope, faith, and love. Souls Hollow, and its contribution to the Great Emptiness, is your charge: Do not let the joyous dreamers ruin everything. And in the meantime... Keep the residents in their place.
Stats
Joy:
This is your ability to remain happy in the face of futility. Without direction, your joy is almost useless here. Unless you are extremely experienced with Souls Hollow, you are in for a catastrophic wake-up call.
Melancholy:
This is the base stat in Souls Hollow. It is a measure of formless sorrow, a state of being more than any sort of thin defense or brittle offense.
Motivation:
What gets you out of bed, day after day? What drives you? More proactive than joy, motivation will facilitate moving forward-- Just hope you aren't pushed back.
Illness:
You aren't just melancholic, there's something wrong with you. A good crutch to fall back on, but not necessarily useful to any of your endeavors.
Awareness:
You know, at least to some extent, that your suffering is a product of your own perception: This serves as a fine shield against the despair, but good luck convincing anyone else.
Love:
You aren't just happy, or motivated. Your resistance isn't rooted in conviction. You fight for someone else. The most powerful form resistance takes, but useless without inspiration.
(This stat must be used in accordance with the one character your character loves the most. It is unviable without that person.)
Belief:
Your faith isn't quite dead yet. You have something to fall back on when things get depressing, and something to fight for when it comes to it. It's not as easy as formless joy, but it is more effective.
Harsh Truth:
The world, or God, has no love for anyone, and fate conspires against us all. When the agents of despair turn their soulless eyes on the frozen landscape, these are the truths that destroy the spirits of the residents and dreamers alike. There is no adequate offense, or defense, against this.
Anger:
The only emotion shared between dreamers and residents, it takes a different shape according to its wielder, but the results are the same: Great offensive power, but it offers little in the way of self-comfort.
Apathy:
Sometimes, it's best just not to care. However, this coping mechanism does not feed the despair of Souls Hollow, and the agents will come for the uncaring.