Contents: Soulborn (*Mechanics, Offline Play*), Selection, Themes, Tribes, Design, Religions
Twelve and a half tribes (not what you think it means), twelve children of Mann, eight selectable during the Exposition phase to write/mark history on the first continent pre-launch. Closely related to their initial biome, their ancestry, lore and lifestyles... there's a lot more than appearance and attributes in the way of Mannkind, starting with CoE: Languages and acclimated CoE: Biomes.
Since the prologue, titled "The Awakening" (of at least one Antepyrovian, a power akin to the ancient CoE: Celestials), a change can be felt among the tribes of Elyria, the (re-)appearance of soul-crossed existences that were only remembered as the stuff of those legends from before: the Soulborn (aka player characters).
Each inherit a chosen Soul, generally during adolescence, one that come from a different Soul Pool than the other inhabitants : the fabled Akashic Records, created in the Astral Plane by Angelica, first Ancient and Qin of Light, in order to judge Mann over an innumerable amount of life experiences ...at least according to the Qindred legend of the "Betrayal of Luna".
Mystically, as living embodiements of Mann, the exiled Qin and ancestor to the twelve tribes, those special members of Mannkind, us Soulborn, share his ongoing judgement to determine if he is a being of Darkness (from his tricky mother Luna) or Life (from his double-timing father Ao).
Thankfully (or not) for those "poor" souls, there are some additionnal perks as they undergo the gruesome process:
Incapacitations instead of an instant permadeath... until the Spirit of their Soul is exhausted (at a rate that grows with Fame and Reputation) or if they can't find their way back as they desperately try to follow the silver lining towards their incapacited corpse while Spirit Walking in the Astral Plane;NTC, non-traditional character, thanks to a kept-secret character code) or as a "total" stranger (Ward of the State, shared NTC code or non-reserved Family member) ...while keeping part of their previous (and precious) memories in the form of Skill Ramp bonuses and exposed Destiny clues;Affinity, ie. the soul "taint" to keep it simple, progresively accrued with every bit of leniency towards any virtuous or dark paths along the way. Since it depends on cultures and tenets specific to the currently played character at the time of the deed, so tribe and settlement have another major impact on story.All those choices and more, from even before a character's birth to cornelious choices of the daily or heroic life they ought to have, everything is meshed together into the fabric of the world through Story Arcs, lesser Character Events, and Contracts (implicit and not).
Toyed from within the Soulborn Engine, the proprietary and innovative narrator system at the heart of the game, worlds (one per server, both in geography and history) could be quite boring without the free will and impulse of the Soulborn.
It doesn't come easily, changing personnalities mid-sentence that is, as your inner soul gets awake/asleep for the day (player login/logout), though it is getting quite common... still a bit disturbing for their entourage. Did I mention that when a player logs out, their character persist in the world of Elyria? Aging and Dynamic Body mechanics aside, Offline Play and Behavioral Scripts are an integral part of the gameplay.
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An important matter during character creation/customization as you choose your next (s)kin as much as you choose your immediate neighbors and their ways.
Genetics, inheritable traits and physiology (fromCoE: Biomes adaptation);