The Chorus Line: Character Archetypes

"Do I listen to pop music because I'm miserable or am I miserable because listen to pop music?"
~John Cusack (Rob Gordon) High Fidelity~

Life: You spent your childhood watching your daddy beat up your mama. Sometimes he’d beat up you, but then he’d say he was sorry to you and he’d never do it again. According to him, your mama did everything wrong, but it was to be expected because she was a “stupid” woman.

So, you dropped out of high school, knocked up your girlfriend, got married, bought a trailer near the garage you worked at, and settled into life. Wouldn’t you know it, your wife was a stupid as your mama, so you set about setting her straight the same way your father did. You hit her, you screamed at her, but you mostly told her she was an idiot, no one would ever like her, and she was damned lucky you took her in and saved her from the whorehouse. You enjoyed feeling the power over her as the tears would stream down her face and she would mutter quietly back, subservient again.

Yup, life was good...until the little missus decided she had had enough. That night, you though the pork chops tasted a bit strange, but you didn’t figure it out until you were on the floor, staring up at your woman, who was smiling for the first time in a long time.

Death: The woman who reaped you didn’t take kindly to your hostile tone and set you straight on the path in the Shadowlands by kicking your ass from here to Stygia. Meekly, you did what you were told, anything to get out of her grip. Eventually, you wound up as a Legion grunt.

Full of despair, you were walking down the street one day and saw a street performer. The song put a powerful feeling of hope into you, and you somehow realized it wasn’t just the song. You ran up to the performer, begging for him to teach you what he just did, because you’d give anything to have that feeling of power again. You ended up signing up for something called the Chanteurs Guild, but it was so worth it. All they ask is a little information in return. Since you have no love lost for the Legion, it’s no problem.

Concept: You’ve become skilled at getting what you want with your talents, whether it’s sucking up to your boss or terrifying that indignant secretary to get what’s yours. It’s working, too. Word has it a promotion’s in the works for you. And in your opinion, anyway, you certainly deserve it.

Description: Overweight, with a major beer gut. You’re balding, look pretty greasy and slobby most of the time, have a permanent five o’clock shadow, and your clothes are in need of a serious wash.

Roleplaying: Beat others down with words, and feel your ego inflate. If that doesn’t work, an actual beating may be in the works. You’re not stupid enough to pick a fight you can’t win, in which case you choose your words a little more carefully.

Passions:
Teach my woman a lesson (Hatred) 5
Be the “top dog” (Pride) 3
Make my son a man (Manipulation) 2

Life: You had a life long desire to help others, so it was pretty simple for you to sign up for nursing school after you graduated from high school. It was a long hard struggle, but you made it and got a job in a cushy big city hospital.

Although you liked your work, bills mounted up and you needed more money. Someone made you an offer to work in the neo-natal unit for an increase in pay. You said okay, thinking the babies there would be a change of pace. What you found was tough for even you to handle. Deformed children, crack babies, parents who weren’t ready to be parents. It could be fairly horrific at times, but eventually you warmed to it and accepted it. You especially loved to cradle the tiny infants and croon lullabies. For some, it would be the only love they might ever get.

You suddenly decided that these children were yours. No one could ever care for them as well as you. When patients were discharged, you checked on them at home. If the parent refused to let you see the baby, you broke in. You even kidnapped some of your babies because their parents weren’t treating them well enough. You were arrested twice for this, but since the parents were found to be in the wrong in both cases, you ended up hailed as a hero. The hospital administration was not happy, but they let you keep your job to prevent some bad PR.

One day, however, you caught one of your patient’s mothers trying to smother her child. You tried to push her away, to protect your baby, but she whipped out a small pistol, jammed it into your face, and pulled the trigger.

Death: After reaping, you somehow escaped life in the Legion and instead drifted around aimlessly. You watched in horror as child wraiths were torn from their cauls to be forged, and wanted to stop it. A kindly woman noticed your depressed face and asked you to come with her. She guided you to a small theater and asked you to sing on stage. Hesitatingly, you started singing one of the gentle lullabies you sang to your babies in life. Looking quite touched and pleased, the lady asked you to join the Chanteurs. You’ve been happily using your abilities to watch over the children ever since.

Concept: A nurse who cares compassionately for the unfortunate children and will do anything to help them.

Description: You look pleasant and normal enough. You’re of average height, maybe a little plump. Your hair is fairly neat, although a few wisps escape now and then if you’ve been busy. You usually wear regular old rose-colored scrubs and over this you wear a little jacket with teddy bears.

Roleplaying: You’re quiet and kind of shy, but loyal to a good cause. If someone mentions children, especially babies, your voice fills with love. If someone mentions hurting children, especially babies, your voice grows dangerous. If someone actually does the above, you become a raving maniac, utterly unconcerned about your own safety, but determined to save the child.

Passions:
Keep all children safe (Love) 4
Hurt those who hurt children (Protection) 3
Aid those in need of medical attention (Helpfulness)

Life: You grew up going to camp every summer, and you loved every minute of it. You swam, piloted canoes, went on nature hikes, captured snakes, made crafts, and did every imaginable camp activity. At the end of the summer, you went home, eyes full of tears, already missing it and eagerly awaiting next year’s fun and games.

It was only natural that you joined the camp’s Councilor-in-Training program at the first available opportunity. You pushed your way through the training, wanting to be the best councilor ever. The kids adored you and any newbie who thought they could out-camp you would be proven wrong very quickly.

You became proficient at playing guitar as well, and you had every camp song ever written memorized to a tee. You would spend all summer singing these tunes and never get tired of it. You even hummed them at night while you slept, or at least that’s what the other councilors told you when you woke up after being nailed by thrown pillows.

Gradually, camp became the meaning of your existence. You quit college so you could work the grounds in the off-season. You’d never been so happy in your life. But, it all came crashing down that next summer. Literally, when the tree branch you were standing on to secure a climbing rope broke, sending you tumbling to your doom.

Death: You were reaped. You were so distraught you almost got yourself sent to the forges, but a last-minute intervention by a member of the Children of the Green instead put you into the Shadowlands proper. From there, you drifted from group to group. Eventually...you don’t really remember how...you fell in with the Chanteur’s Guild. After you finished your apprenticeship, you went throughout the Shadowlands, determined to spread the happiness camp brought you. You whisper your songs in the ears of living children, bringing about memories and inspiration.

Concept: A person who was the best at what they did and threw themselves into it wholeheartedly suddenly must adjust to death and its consequences.

Description: You’re kind of lanky, but fairly well coordinated. You have an almost permanent sunburn/tan from your years in the sun and appear a little dusty, but still present a fairly neat appearance. You wear one of your old camp shirts, a pair of shorts, some socks, and a pair of dirty old sneakers.

Roleplaying: Be cheerful, no matter what happens. If you have to be serious, become quite stern and talk to those who have done wrong in a condescending manner, like they are a small child. Any opportunity you have to sing a boisterous camp tune, do so. This may cause others around you to become annoyed, but that’s okay. You’re happy, and that’s what counts.

Passions:
Spread the joy of camping (Enthusiasm) 5
Watch over your former camp (Protectiveness) 3
Teach your camp songs to others (Sharing) 2

Featured Performers: Chanteurs of Import

Miklos

Miklos has been the Guildmaster of the Chanteurs for the last three hundred years, although he has been a Guild member for much longer. It is very much due to him that the Guild became so organized after years of haphazard existence after the Breaking. Miklos leads the guild proudly, and seems to know every member, from the oldest Virtuoso to the newest recruit, by name. He is quite cheerful, cocky, and charismatic, and many find themselves, at least at first, attracted to his warm personaility. He has been called a number of times to sing personally for the various Deathlords, even though they know of his status as Guildmaster.

However, some whisper Miklos’s leadership and reorganization is not all it appears to be. A growing faction of Chanteurs believe that Miklos reorganized the Guild as well as he did for more sinister purposes than he is letting on. The Melponians, in particular, have found evidence that Miklos has a contact outside of the Dark Kingdom of Iron he corrisponds with regularly. While they do not know the purpose and who it will benefit, many Chanteurs are starting to have a premenition that they may not be included in the deals and are preparing to act accordingly.

Carmen Chantal

Carmen was an opera star who entered the Shadowlands sometime around the early 19th century, after her jealous husband shot her during a performance for having an affair. Scouted almost as soon as she was reaped, she quickly rose through the Guild ranks, becoming a Madrigal in a mere thirty-odd years. Carmen has the distinction of being the current longest serving member of the Chamber. She serves as the Chamberlain in charge of Outside Guild Relations, and has consistently been elected since the Harrowing of her predecessor in 1867. She is more or less considered a permanent fixture; elections against her are more a formality than anything else.

As with all offices of power, there are those who whisper that the reason she has remained a permanent fixture is because she uses her extraordinary Keening skills to coerce herself into office, as well as a few contacts in the Mnemoi and Solicters. The fact she was caught in an affair with a Solicter Guild member last year does not help her case. Nonetheless, she appears to remain as popular as ever, forcing her enemies to wait for the right time until they can strike her down.

Ciara O’Reilly

Once a celebrated bard in the Middle Ages, Ciara has found her way around the underworld to become a Chanteur Guild member and the head of the Melponians. She is a powerful fighter and, although she is not especially intellegent, extremely intuative. She can also be tender and caring, rough and firey, or cold and distant. Ciara has adopted a number of personalities in her years as a Melponian, and it is becoming harder to tell which is her true attitude towards the world. She keeps her foes guessing, and it is this, more than any other thing, that has enabled her to make the Melponians more efficient then they have been in years.

However, Ciara is definitely and greatly troubled by several of the reports that her underlings have brought to her over the last few years, particularly those involving Miklos and Carmen. Several times, she has been tempted to alert the rest of the Guild of the information, but doing so would break the vow of the Melponians and would result in her exile and possible execution from the Chanteurs. For now, she has decided it is best to keep quiet and continue to gather the information that she can use to perhaps uncover the truth.

Brenda Harris

Ms. Harris, as she prefers to be called, is currently in charge of Clio’s Chosen. A librarian from in a small town in Kansas, she died in an accident caused by a drunk driver. After struggling in the Shadowlands for years, the Chanteurs offered her the easiest way to be with the knowledge she loves in death. Ms. Harris is known and welcomed in all of the libraries in Stygia and the western Necropoli, gathering research on any topic the Guild asks her to. She always manages to find information, no matter how obscure the subject, and is almost a walking library in and of herself.

Then the attacks started happening. Someone, possibly in the Guild, has found out she knows of something she shouldn’t. Although Ms. Harris continues to work as normal, she is constantly accompanied by two Melponian-trained Chosen. The Guild wants to find out what she knows that could possibly be such a threat to someone, and how they can use it to their benefit.

Little Sock Girl

One of the most powerful Chanteurs recorded. Her name has been lost to the ages; her moniker comes through her passion for collecting mateless socks and other similarly misplaced odds and ends in the Shadowlands. Although she is not a member of the Guild and has no desire to join, many whisper the higher ups of the Guild would love to get their hands on her and her powers before someone else does. She continues to collect her tokens, not even acknowledging the Melponians that have taken to following her, day and night, hoping to find a way to “snap her up.”