There are some things that should never be known.

The Great Library – or as some call it, the City of Books – is a lone tower suspended in a dark, boundless void. There is no sun, no stars, no moon, or even sky in this land. What holds this acropolis aloft remains a mystery. Yet within the Tower itself, there exist a plethora of sentient beings made of paper, ink, and magic.

The Great Library is home to a special collection of books gathered from realms connected to the Forest of Doors. The Restricted Section contains books from realms connected to the Fracture.  Their caretaker, the Great Librarian, has imbued his collection with so much of his own attention and energy that they have come to life: they have become magical creatures that can talk and even move about under their own power. As time went on, these animated tomes became more and more “real” under the Librarian’s care; they grew in size and began to mimic the human form, becoming known as Page Folk: humanoid beings, who are, for all intents and purposes, made of paper and ink.

The Restricted Section
Page Folk characters in Fractured are intended to be darker than their Forest of Doors brethren, and as such, may hail from the closed off restricted areas, damaged by Mistress Guillotine and her forces. While a Page Folk character may embody any text, we strongly encourage our players to pick themes that fit the overall dark fantasy setting of the game. For example, a Page Folk based on a book of jokes, an innocent children’s story, or a romantic romp will be out of place, whereas a book of dark medical techniques, sinister magics, or a horror story would fit right in. If you are unsure if the theme you have chosen is appropriate, please contact us and we’ll be glad to help.

The packet for the Annotations of the Great Index is colorless.

Formal Spellbooks

All spells from the Annotations must be cast and activated while holding or reading from a formal spellbook, which is a large tome (at least 5 x 8”) of good quality made with the Craft Artistry specialty as an Accomplished Work or better.

Cosmopolitan Rituals

Rituals from this school are cosmopolitan, meaning the school simply does not have rituals of its own. Instead, they are chosen as the caster likes from any other standard, prime world’s rituals of the listed duration. “Standard” in this case meaning an active Prime World whose school of sorcery is teachable and does not have Dire rituals. The nature of the Annotations gives the caster basic knowledge of these rituals, so only cursory justification is required when choosing them. Do note, however, that copying a ritual into the Annotations prevents you from ever picking it in its original school, and you may not copy a ritual you already formally know as part of another school of magic.

Chosen rituals are performed exactly as their original text indicates, though they obviously generate Annotations charges instead of their normal effect.

Page Folk are living books and as such will have visible text markings or diagrams on their exposed skin reflecting the contents of the book. They might also wear a mask bearing similar depictions. The title (or part of it) should be written on their faces or mask.

As Page Folk are living books, they are the humanoid embodiment of their subject.  Text markings should be visible on the costuming in the same themes of their subject. The rest of the costuming is open for interpretation, and should be thematic to their title.

Page Folk must have some sort of text prop on themselves for the Scholar-Healer to read as a substitute for using their healing phys-reps. The text the Page Folk carry should reflect their own nature, as it is an OOG abstraction of the “text” that makes up their flesh. For example, a Page Folk who is a dictionary should have a small dictionary on their person (see above).

As Page Folk are living books, they are the humanoid embodiment of their subject. Text markings should be visible on the costuming in the same themes of their subject. The rest of the costuming is open for interpretation, and should be thematic to their title and content.

Page Folk must have some sort of text prop on themselves for the Scholar-Healer to read as a substitute for using their healing phys-reps. The text the Page Folk carry should reflect their own nature, as it is an OOG abstraction of the “text” that makes up their flesh. For example, a Page Folk who is a dictionary should have a small dictionary on their person (see above).

The Restricted Section of the Great Library contains the more dangerous titles of books. As Fractured is a dark fantasy, these books should reflect those natures. For example, you wouldn’t have a book about fairies or unicorns, but you could have a book about RedCaps or Monsters.

The character names are book titles. There are no surnames, but there can be volume numbers. Characters may choose to go by a shorter version of their title as their preferred name.

Examples: 

17 Secrets of Sylphilodorfs, Poisons: A Biological Compendium, The Art of War Volume 2

As living books, Page Folk receive a 5 CP discount when buying their first level of Scholarship. 

Thanks to the maze-like stacks of the Great Library, Page Folk also receive a 5 CP discount when buying their first level of Survival. 

Furthermore, Page Folk receive a 5 CP discount when buying their first level of Annotations of the Great Index. 

Due to their solid, enchanted forms, Page Folk increase their maximum Vitality by 1 and have a permanent level of Enhanced Healing. 

Finally, any fire damage effect that is taken by a Page Folk also counts as double the damage of the effect, if not defended against.

For a healer to use the Healing skill upon them, it requires at least Scholarship 1: they need to be read, in other words. So a healer with Healing 5, Scholarship 1 can use Advanced Aid on the Page Folk, but a Healer without Scholarship cannot assist at all, other than a Healing Examination. All other Healing effects, such as Treatment and Coax Life, affect the Page Folk as normal.

Instead of using their Healing Kit, the healer will read from the Page Folk’s book as part of the Healing Process.

Most Page Folk arrive in the Fracture after getting lost within the Great Library or after having a close encounter with Wormpages.