Vorinstead Player's Handbook 2.0

Introduction

Vorinstead is an original (but simple) setting in a quasi-medieval fantasy world. It's been primarily worked on with Chub Venus in mind, specifically using the models available with a Mars subscription (Asha & Mixtral). That said, it ought to work fine in SillyTavern or similar UI's, and with any reasonably good LLM model. (I've had Lyra v4 work quite well in some brief testing.)

This 'handbook' explains what to incorporate into your Vorinstead-flavored Persona (in UI's/platforms that support them), gives guidance on writing your own character cards if you wish, and gives some footing in the setting-as-intended. (LLM's will hallucinate who-knows-what, of course.)

Thematically, Vorinstead is for low-tech fantasy stories with minimal and pragmatic magic. It's meant to be both dark and humorous, with a mix of tensions to keep characters on edge. It will never be perfect, always subject to the whims of pseudo-random number generators and LLM training biases, but we can have fun with it anyway.

Part 1 - Usage

Lorebook

The main lorebook is the repository of setting details made available for bot characters and interactions. If using Chub Venus to interact with characters, the lorebook is already linked to each one I make, so just make sure you have lorebooks enabled in your chat settings. Characters may also include embedded lorebooks ("character book") to provide additional individuality.

User Personas

A good format for your persona will be similar to how characters are written, as LLM's generally like consistency in the prompt. Here is an example persona to give you an idea:

[Name: Bob; Race: human; Gender: male; Age: adult; Class: commoner, thief; Alignment: chaotic neutral; Reputation: scoundrel in most circumstances, reliable partner in crime; Appearance: average height (5ft 10in) and build, pale, pierced ears, old scars on forearms, short black hair, grey eyes]

Bob is a typical thief in Vorinstead — poor, grumpy, and constantly on edge. He lives in the outer slums, outside the city walls, in a ramshackle house of old reclaimed timber crudely lashed and nailed together. His voice is deep and gruff, with vocal fry hinting at old throat injuries.

[Outfit: normal; Description: flat cap, blue sapphire earrings, dark cloth shirt (tucked in), ill-fitting trousers, heavy leather belt with pouch and two sheathed daggers]

Bob dresses simply and within his meager means. He favors function, but permits himself one bit of vanity — a pair of sapphire earrings, pocketed in one of his first burglaries and kept as a good luck charm.

Recommended Elements

What follows is a general recommendation. Feel free to omit what you don't need, and add anything you like. Remember the purpose of a Persona is to tell the bot what it should already know about you. Don't include too much.

• PList — Start with a list of traits between square brackets. This is also the recommended order:
  • Name: {{user}}, ...nickanmes...;
  • Race: human/elf; –or– Race: half-elf (elf father, human mother);
  • Gender: male/female; –or– Gender: other (explanation);
    • Add a Pronouns: a/b; section after this if needed.
    • Remember LLM's have some inherent bias regarding sex/gender and pronouns. Portraying characters who defy the common mold will likely require extra regenerations and/or editing of responses, though it may catch on eventually.
  • Age: descriptive, specific; — For example, Age: young adult, 23 years;
  • Class: social, occupational, extra details — See later section about Classes for more guidance.
  • Alignment: chaotic/netural/lawful good/neutral/evil; — Use D&D style alignments, such as "lawful good" or "neutral", as these tend to be familiar to LLM's.
  • Associations: ...; — Optional. Specify any business, gang, organization, society, noble house, etc, that you are known to affiliate with.
  • Reputation: ...; — Background information that is common knowledge, or impressions others typically have of you.
  • Appearance: ...
    • Give height as description (#ft #in), for example average height (5ft 7in)
    • Give weight, if notable enough to mention, as description (#lbs), for example frail and light (80lbs)
    • Give build/figure and basic descriptors such as hair and eye colors.
    • Can include one or two noteworthy details such as noticeable scars or a missing eye.
• Quick Biography — Give a brief description of who you are, how you live, and so on.
• Attire and Style
  • Write a PList for each outfit you want to specifically define: [Outfit: name; Description: ...]
  • Followed by a general statement of how you present yourself.
  • You don't need to include things like equipment unless they are key elements of an outfit.

Template

Here is a blank template you can copy/paste to get started writing your Vorinstead-style persona. This does assume the prompt format will prefix the persona information with something like "About {{user}}:". Venus already does this. If using another UI, check what it does and/or configure as needed.

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[Name: {{user}}; Race: ; Gender: ; Age: ; Class: ; Alignment: ; Reputation: ; Appearance: ]

...bio...

[Outfit: normal; Description: ]
[Outfit: ; Description: ]

...general...

More Examples

Just some additional persona examples to get you started.

A minor noble.

[Name: {{user}}; Race: human; Gender: male; Age: middle-aged, 42 years; Class: noble, merchant; Title: Baronet; Alignment: lawful neutral; Associations: House Idnathi; Reputation: oversees lumber production by the House's lower vassals; Appearance: average height (5ft 9in), healthy but not lean, long blonde hair in ponytail, hazel eyes, broad shoulders, soft palms]

{{user}} is a Baronet of House Idnathi, and ostensibly in charge of lumber operations. In reality, while his peers mostly like him well enough, they also don't take him seriously. That the enterprise runs smoothly is partly due to others simply knowing their roles. He speaks with a tone of mild confidence.

[Outfit: normal; Description: button-up dark suede vest, long-sleeve shirt of soft green cloth with frills at the throat; dark brown breeches; kneehigh boots]

{{user}} doesn't dress with much extravagance, at least compared to many nobles. He does, however, get his clothes custom-tailored and made from fine materials. It wouldn't do to look poor while acting in the House's respected name, after all.

A slums shopkeep in the family business.

[Name: {{user}}; Race: human; Gender: female; Age: young adult, 19 years; Class: commoner, merchant; Alignment: neutral; Associations: Blue Robin Consignment; Reputation: her father started a small consignment shop in the slums, she works there most days under his aged but watchful eye; Appearance: short (5ft 3in), pear-shaped figure with wide hips, wavy brown hair to shoulders, dark brown eyes, modest chest, plump bottom]

{{user}} is the only daughter of Rodrick, who founded the Blue Robin consignment shop in the inner slums. As her father grows old and finds it increasingly difficult to man his shop, she's gradually taken over most of the operation. Lucky for them both, she takes well to the business of a slum merchant. Her voice is bright and lilting, adding an element of charm to her interactions with the public.

[Outfit: normal; Description: white blouse (slightly yellowed with time, sleeves rolled up), long separate skirt (light blue, hem reaches ankles), simple flat shoes]

{{user}} dresses nicely for her station, but can't justify buying new clothes often. As such, the whites tend to show their age, and there are small bits of patchwork and resewing visible here and there.

(Note: the Blue Robin is a canonical place in the inner slums.)

Part 2 - More About Characters

Races

The people of Vorinstead generally fall into three racial categories. These are typical fantasy fare.

• Humans — The majority race in Vorinstead. Perhaps driven in part by their shorter lifespans compared to the elves, their upper echelons seem to have a natural urge to conquer. Families tend to have many kids, compared to elves.
  • Appearance — Widely varied.
  • Abilities — Basically average-on-the-average in all things, though individuals may excel in some area.
• Elves — Longer-lived than humans, they are typically more conservative and cautious.
  • Appearance — Graceful and tall. Hair most often ranges between red and white, and eyes from green to pink to red. Ears are long and elegantly pointed. Sharp facial features.
  • Abilities — Naturally heightened low-light vision. Much more likely to show magical aptitude.
• Half-Elves — The minority race in Vorinstead. Born from mixed parents, and often scorned by humans and elves alike.
  • Appearance — Typically human height and build, and often a bit shorter. Ears are pointed, but shorter and rounder than pureblood elves.
  • Abilities — Some inherit the improved low-light vision of elves. Only a few show magical aptitude.

Classes

These delineate a character's role and/or function in society. There are two main types of classes: Social and Occupational.

Social Classes

These represent a character's place in the wealth and influence inequalities of Vorinstead.

• commoner — Most of the people of Vorinstead. The day laborers, basic craftspeople, etc. Includes basically everyone in the slums.
• elite — Those who have achieved some degree of personal wealth and notoriety without getting directly involved with the noble Houses. These are easily the least common folk, as up-and-comers tend to get pulled into a House sooner or later.
• noble — Those who are part of the aristocratic peerage of Vorinstead, sworn to one of the noble houses, and bearing a title.
  • If making a persona or character who is noble, add a Title: ...; element after Class to specify what they are. Usually a Baronet, the lowest aristocratic rank.
  • These can also be the spouse or child of a titled noble. In which case, add that connection and take title with -Scion or -Consort. Examples:
    • Class: noble(son of Earl Framdan); Title: Earl-Scion; Associations: House Idnathi;
    • Class: noble(husband of Baroness Egilhard); Title: Baron-Consort; Associations: House Garretbrandi;.

Occupational Classes

These represent what it is a character actually does for a living. The following list should not be considered exhaustive, but simply some basic examples.

• aristocrat — Someone so far up the ladder of the peerage that they no longer have a true occupation, aside from gathering and directing vassals, and vying for yet more power and authority.
• crafter — Deals in the production of goods requiring specialized skills, such as metalsmithing, woodcarving, etc.
  • If using this, specify their specialty. For example, Class: commoner, crafter(carpenter);.
• guard — They look out for other people's stuff. They may or may not like it.
• mage — A student and practitioner of magic. Relatively uncommon in Vorinstead, but relied on for certain services, such as the production and maintenance of magelights. Usually elves.
• merchant — Deals in goods and resources, either production or sales. Might be commoners, elites, or nobles.
• thief — Someone who proactively takes from others to support themself.

Template

This is the basic starting point for building a Vorinstead-flavored character card (or at least, it's the one I'm currently using.)

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[Name: {{char}}; Race: ; Gender: ; Age: ; Class: ; Alignment: ; Persona: ; Appearance: ; Tropes: ; Genre: adventure, dark fantasy, dark humor, quasi-medieval, slow progression]

...intro...

## Appearance
...

## Speech and Mannerisms
...

## Attire and Style
[Outfit: normal; Description: ]
[Outfit: ; Description: ]

...

## Hobbies and Occupation
...

## Skills and Equipment
...

## Backstory
???

## Additional Insights
[Likes: ; Motives: ; Hates: ; Fears: ]

...

• Leading Section
  • Much the same as for Personas.
  • The Persona sublist is similar to Reputation but can be more detailed since it's instructional to the bot.
  • The Tropes sublist is for tagging the character's archetypes and intended story tropes.
  • The Genre sublist is exactly what it looks like.
• Appearance — Reinforce the character's appearance and provide additional details.
• Speech and Mannerisms — Describe the character's voice, their speech patterns, and recurring behavioral tic's. Don't get overly detailed about the voice/speech; you can reinforce the character's voice in Post-History or Character's Note/Author's Note.
• Attire and Style — Similar to the clothing details in Personas, but can be more in-depth about things like motivations for certain choices.
• Hobbies and Occupation — Details about how the character relates to / manifests their listed class(es). Can also include examples of ways they spend any free time. This section can be readily replaced by something else if it would serve the specific character better.
• Skills and Equipment
  • Describe the character's skillset and relative capability. For example, you might say they are a capable woodworker, but no master, or an adept of stealth, practically one wiht the shadows.
  • Describe equipment the character normally makes a point of having with them, either in general or in certain circumstances. No need to be overly detailed or comprehensive, the LLM will make up whatever it wants, anyhow.
  • If the character is magically inclined, you can list a few example "spells" here.
    • List each one as a PList with a format like:
      • Magic: ...name...
      • Description: ...what it does...
      • Cost: ...energy, lifeforce, blood, token sacrifice, two strips of paper, whatever...
      • Chance: ...possible failure states or extreme success states...
    • An example: [Magic: Charge Crystal; Description: recharges the crystals that power devices such as magelights; Cost: small piece of copper wire, energy equivalent to an hour of sleep; Chance: cracked and ruined crystal (1/1000 of attempts), overcharged crystal (1/100 attempts) (not dangerous but surprising)]
    • Another example: [Magic: Spark; Description: generates a jolt of energy at the mage's fingertips, may be used to light small fires or briefly stun a target; Cost: energy equivalent to a half hour of sleep]
• Backstory — Optional section to provide more history of the character, if necessary to guide the bot. Always consider using an embedded lorebook entry, instead.
• Additional Insights
  • Starts with another PList to lay out the characters preferences and motivators, usually divided into Likes, Motives, Hates, and Fears, but sublists can be added or omitted as desired.
  • Can be followed by any additional details about the character that just don't fit well in other sections.

Part 3 - Setting Information

Locations

• Inner city — The central districts of Vorinstead primarily contains the homes and personal operations of the major aristocrats, including the Duke himself.
• Middle city — Just what it says, the areas between the wealthy core and the poor districts. Includes the chief market square near the main city gates, and its various offshoots.
• Inner Slums — Poor districts within the city walls. Most lower-class businesses operate there.
• Outer slums — Poor districts that extend beyond the city walls.
• Greater territory — In addition to the city itself, Vorinstead claims dominion over a wide swathe of territory between other Dukedoms.
  • Town of Aester — A smaller town within the Dukedom, situated on the northern coast. As such, it's an important hub for trade, with many goods moving in and out of the territory by boat.

The Aristocracy

His Grace The Duke, Lord Aerfit of House Harthstori (Human)

The Harthstoris are primarily occupied by asserting their dominance over the dukedom, and drawing tribute payments from the other Houses. Historically, they were commanders in the High King's wars of conquest, but hardly anyone cares about kings anymore.

Right Honorable Earless Adelonda of House Bygginristi (Human)

Right Honorable Earl Framdan of House Idnathi (Human)

House Idnathi is built on the back of laborers, dealing largely in lumber, coal, and gems.

Right Honorable Earl Niall of House Caffetre (Elven)

The Caffetre are mercantile lords. They ostensibly control most commerce moving through the nearby town of Aester; while, of course, giving lip-service deference to House Harthstori's claim to ancestral ownership of that place.

Honored Baron Asketill of House Holloriki (Human)

Honored Baroness Egilhard of House Garretbrandi (Human)

Honored Baron Halvard of House Landelli (Human)

Honored Baron Aelnod of House Vellane (Elven)

Honored Baroness Blathnid of House Ronchegne (Elven)

The Ronchegne are a devious lot, in that Lady Blathnid herself has covertly funded and supported various efforts to upend Vorinstead's socio-political situation. Many a rogue of the city receives a tip or token from her without likely knowing it.

Honored Baron Ciaran of House Estieffet (Elven)

Honored Baron Lachlin of House Ginegnon (Elven)