[UA] New Archetype: The Wayfarer

[Stacy Stroud]

THE WAYFARER

Some of the greatest and most lasting stories in human history are those of
great journeys.  From Ulysses and Sindbad to Lewis and Clark, we have
always uplifted those who willingly leave behind the familiar to traverse
unknown territories.  The Wayfarer (sometimes called the Voyager or the
Seafarer, depending on the predominant form of long-distance travel in a
given era) is the archetype of that brave traveler.

Taboos: The Wayfarer is restless, ever curious to see what lies beyond the
next hill.  He is always looking ahead, and never settles down for long.
This taboo is difficult to define, as it is more a matter of mindset than
of specific geographical or temporal limits.  One Wayfarer avatar could
spend years simply planning an expedition to uncharted regions without
violating this taboo, while another loses power by lingering just one day
too long in a town that has become safe and familiar.  The one definite
requirement is that a Wayfarer avatar must visit a place he has *never*
been before at least once per month.  That can be as simple as spending an
afternoon in a new part of one's home city in the midst of planning a more
extensive journey.  Of course, avatars who *always* try to fulfill this
requirement in the simplest and easiest way have not really embraced the
Wayfarer's mindset, and will not progress far in their embodiment of the
archetype.

Symbols: The symbols of the Wayfarer are the compass, the spyglass, the
traveling bag, and the ship or wagon (or an appropriate modern conveyance).
Artistic representations of the horizon are also popular symbols of this
archetype.

Suspected Avatars in History: If there was an original model for Sindbad
the Sailor, it may have been he who established this archetype.  Marco Polo
has been suggested as a possible avatar, as have Columbus and several other
luminaries of the Age of Exploration.  (Those who suffered mysterious fates
while at sea, such as Captain Cook, have been put forward as possible
ascension cases.)  More recently, a number of astronauts have been
investigated as possible avatars of a new "Spacefarer" form of the
archetype.

Channels:

1-50%: The perils of the road (or sea) are far less threatening to the
Wayfarer than to normal mortals.  Anytime a Wayfarer avatar meets with what
should be certain death while on a journey, he may make a roll against his
Avatar: Wayfarer skill.  Success means that circumstances conspire to spare
his life: he washes up on an island after the shipwreck, is found by a
passing caravan in the desert, and so forth.  With a normal success, the
avatar is rescued on the verge of death, having only 1 wound point
remaining, and must heal the rest before returning to full strength.  A
matched success negates all damage from the threat.  An OACOWA does the
same, and actually manufactures some unexpected blessing out of the
avatar's misfortune.  (The avatar washes up on the shore of an island where
diamonds litter the beaches, free for the taking . . . but still must find
a way back home.)  This ability applies only to the avatar himself, not to
any traveling companions: Ulysses and Sindbad came out all right
themselves, but lost entire crews in the process (seven times over, in
Sindbad's case).

51-70%: The avatar gains an unerring sense of his own position in the
universe.  By making a successful Avatar: Wayfarer skill roll, he can know
his precise location and direction of travel.  On a normal success,
position is given relative to a designated landmark, so an avatar knocked
unconscious and transported halfway around the world may still have some
difficulty figuring out exactly where he is.  On a matched success or
OACOWA, the avatar knows his absolute position on the Earth's surface (or
wherever he may be).

71-90%: The avatar gains a supernatural ability to pick up new languages
and the nuances of new cultures.  After a day's exposure to a new language
or culture, the avatar may roll against his Avatar: Wayfarer skill.
Success gives the avatar a temporary score in the language or in "X
Cultural Lore" equal to his successful roll; a matched success or OACOWA
grants the temporary skill at his full Avatar skill score.  A failed roll
may be re-tried after an additional week's exposure to the language or
culture; a matched failure extends that period to a month, while a BOHICA
means that the avatar must study that language or culture the old-fashioned
way -- he can never pick it up with this ability.  Such a supernatural
skill fades quickly once the avatar is no longer regularly exposed to the
language or culture, *unless* experience points are put into the skill, in
which case it can be recorded as a permanent skill starting at whatever
score was rolled.

91+%: The road or sea becomes the Wayfarer's friend, speeding him to his
destination with ease.  Storms calm, mountain passes appear where there
were none before, and oases spring up in the deepest desert.  Deliberate
attempts to harm or hinder the Wayfarer are not automatically deflected,
though an avatar who is aware of such an attempt may make an Avatar:
Wayfarer roll; on a success, the next skill roll made in the attempt to
keep the Wayfarer from his destination will be flip-flopped in the
direction least beneficial to the character making the attempt.  On a
matched success or OACOWA, that next roll will fail outright.  This effect
will manifest in the form of coincidental "perils of travel" that
unerringly strike the avatar's opponents just as they avoid the avatar
himself.


Thoughts?  Suggestions?  Critiques?


Stacy Stroud
sstroud at uky.campuscwix.net