Poise isn't a word that commonly appears in my vocabularly, either written or spoken. It isn't something I think about and few of my characters are ever developed with their 'Poise' in mind. How does Poise even apply to RPGs Let's see if we can get an idea from the definition...
According to Merriam-Webster it means 'to hold or carry in equilibrium'. Isn't that balance? Are they synonymous? Hmm. Turns out they are in fact synonyms. That doesn't really help me though and it isn't what I think of what I think of Poise. What else is there?
Ah, Google has the definition of 'graceful and elegant bearing in a person'. OK, yes, that's more what I was thinking of. Like a princess. Like a Space Princess? A Psychic Space Princess!
YES!
I'm going with a Space Princess with Psychic Powers for this one. With that in mind, it is my honor to introduce her highness, Princess Yume Nebular of the Miraisekai Empire.
As lovely, charming, and diplomatic as she is enigmatic and, if rumors are true, dangerous, Princess Yume is the youngest member of the Nebular Royal Family and the heir to the Throne of Visions. Her elder cousin Kowai is next in line should something 'happen' to her.
While accidents and direct attempts on her life have been made by forces unknown (shhyeah, right) none have been even remotely successful. Like many members of the Nebular Royal Family, the Princess possesses Psychic Abilities, one of which appears to be Precognition, the power to see the future. It is very difficult to rid yourself of a target who knows when, where, and how a threat to them is coming.
Unbeknownst to all but the closest of family members, Princess Yume's personal scepter, the Infinity Stave, is an ancient artifact from a highly advanced though long extinct civilization that enhances her powers while she's in contact with it.
Princess Yume always goes about with an air of Poise and a sense of calm confidence that can only come with being able to see events that have not yet occurred. This does not make the young royal invincible of course. Just because you know a catastrophe is coming doesn't mean you can stop it.
Luckily, she has the forces of the Miraisekai Empire at her disposal and a lot of friends who can help her escape a potentially deadly situation, including the Alien Explorer Gidget Starseeker and Asatira the Space Amazon.
Yume Nebular is built on another custom/combo Archetype, this one merging Princess and Esper into my own creation, Psychic Princess. I know, I know, we're workshopping the name.
With this entry I focused on how she might function in an adventure or overarching plot, so things like Weapons and Adventure Gear and the like were kept to a minimum; I only gave her what I thought she needed her potential role. In an ongoing campaign I might flesh her out further if my players and their PCs responded well to her.
AD
Barking Alien
Looking ahead, some of the future prompts, those towards the later half of the month, are little lacking in 'energy'. Few of them are, how shall I put it, 'action' words. Still and all, better than previous years. I may have to get creative. We'll see how it goes.
*The name Yume isn't a name per se but a word; it means 'Dream' in Japanese. Her rival cousin Kowai's name mean 'Scary' or 'Frightening'
Likewise, the 'Miraisekai' Empire uses the Japanese words for 'Future' and 'World/Society/Civilization' to form the Future Society Empire. Is their Precognition that powerful or could they actually be from the future? Don't know yet but its fun to imagine the possibilities.
This character, her Empire, and many other aspects were inspired by the Jurai Empire and related characters in the Japanese Anime Franchise 'Tenchi Muyo'.
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