Great Houses
In ages past, when the Harbingers made landfall at Cloudhead, they brought the GIFTS with them. Since that day, people in the solar system have discovered special abilities given to them. The GIFTS were to help the people thrive together and to fight against the evils which had implanted themselves into the solar system. People bearing similar GIFTS gathered together and formed what now are referred to as Houses. These Houses are not geographical distinctions, but rather talent distinctions. There are 12 Great Houses representing the most prominent GIFTS. There are unrepresented GIFTS, but they are exceedingly rare.
The Houses function like churches. The Houses are most like religious organizations and all share the same faith but pursue the tenets through the GIFTS they have. There are different sects within each House but they largely share the same principles and work towards the same goals.
As would be expected, the primary elements of earth, air, fire and water have the largest Houses. The most secretive and prestigious is the House of Healing. They are very small but their GIFT is constantly in demand, so as a rule they work discreetly. If someone is known to possess healing gifts, it’s common for them to be kidnapped and/or ransomed. Unlike the other Great Houses, the House of Healing’s temples are clandestine affairs and carefully guarded by hand-chosen Free Marines.
Characters must choose to discover their GIFT. Some characters may never pursue their gift, instead relying solely on the physical. Pursuing a GIFT will consume a lot of time and resources as well as place demands on characters. Tokens collected from the wild enable those who do not pursue GIFTs to achieve many of the same things without the moral or time obligations. To those who pursue their GIFT however, things otherwise impossible become possible and will be linked to the future of the Lands in the Clouds.
A character’s GIFT is determined the first time they have a SPIRIT greater than 0. To purchase SPIRIT with GRIT while it is still at 0 the character must be awakened. There are opportunities for characters to awaken their GIFT during game play. Unlike other STATs and SKILLS, SPIRIT requires an attempt to awaken. The roll must be greater than 15. Characters call also undertake pilgrimages and quests to awaken GIFTS. Once awoken, have the character roll on the following chart. If the GM prefers he can assign a GIFT or allow the player to choose.
Random GIFT chart
Roll: GIFT
| Roll | GIFT | House |
|---|---|---|
| 1% | Roll Twice, +5 to SPIRIT | |
| 2-5% | Good | Ascen |
| 6-9% | Healing | Holma |
| 10-13% | Renewal | Wren |
| 14-17% | Knowledge | |
| 18-35% | Earth | |
| 36-59% | Air | |
| 60-72% | Fire | |
| 73-82% | Water | |
| 83-86% | War | |
| 87-90% | Travel | |
| 91-95% | Providence | |
| 96-97% | Prophecy | |
| 98-100% | Player Choice |