Guided Walkthrough: Upbringing & Origin
Where you grew up, who raised you, and what that environment was like are the foundations of your character’s worldview. These results don’t just color backstory. They generate your starting relationships, and relationships feed directly into your Favor score.
Coherence matters here. A character from a harsh military upbringing raised by scholars in a desert fortress has an interesting tension to reconcile. Work with it rather than smoothing it out.
Record on Your Sheet
Section titled “Record on Your Sheet”- Nation of origin
- Settlement type and name
- Number of siblings
- Upbringing type and how many relationships it generated
- Caretakers’ background
Hold the relationship slots open for now. You’ll name and define those people after completing the Ren Journey and World Standing steps.
Territory Raised In
Section titled “Territory Raised In”Roll d10 to determine which of Ithasen’s five nations shaped your early life.
| d10 | Territory | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | Dosharen | A fractured Janim republic of scholars, priests, and merchants. Ideological conflict beneath a civilized surface. Capitol: Gersan |
| 3–4 | Lithywae | Northern boreal territory under the Nylvish Imperial Line. Power hoarded through tightly guarded Ren traditions. Capitol: Athyllwyn |
| 5–6 | Shejara | A Janim desert oligarchy guarding ancient knowledge buried in the sands. Capitol: Jadir’ishet |
| 7–8 | Gankora | Wildland of beast-hunters, adventurers, and roaming clans. Spiritual strength and tribal loyalty define survival. Capitol: Pinthal (Titan Tribe) |
| 9–10 | Kyr’elian | A coastal archipelago of seers, sailors, and traders. Capitol: Kyhavra |
See the Nations section for deeper reading on each territory.
Place You Grew Up
Section titled “Place You Grew Up”Roll d20 for the scale and type of settlement.
| d20 | Result |
|---|---|
| 1-2 | Hamlet / Cabin / Wilderness |
| 2-6 | Village |
| 7-11 | Town |
| 12-16 | City |
| 17-18 | Fortress |
| 19-20 | Religious or School |
Feel free to invent a name for the place. Don’t change the capitol cities of each nation, but everything else is yours to name.
Siblings
Section titled “Siblings”Roll d4 and subtract 1. This is the number of siblings your character has.
Upbringing
Section titled “Upbringing”Roll d20. The result describes the household structure and emotional environment you grew up in. The number of relationships it generates tells you how many people from this period of your life remain meaningful. You’ll define and name them later.
| d20 | Upbringing | Relationships | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Loving adoptive parents who overprotected you | 2 | Parent(s), protective sibling, family friend |
| 2 | Adoptive family that struggled; you became independent | 3 | Parent, overworked guardian, neighbor who helped |
| 3 | Caring but poor parents; you worked with them | 3 | Parent, coworker peer, local merchant |
| 4 | Strict disciplinarian parents | 2 | Authority parent, favored or rival sibling |
| 5 | Abusive parents; survival mattered | 1 | One sympathetic outsider |
| 6 | Raised by grandparents / extended family guides | 3 | Elder caretaker, cousin, family friend |
| 7 | Passed between relatives; no stable home | 4 | Several partial guardians, one recurring protector |
| 8 | Rough but loyal family | 4 | Sibling ally, sibling rival, family accomplice, lookout |
| 9 | Gang or troupe was your family | 5 | Leader, rival member, friend, fence, informant |
| 10 | Apprenticed young to a craftsperson | 2 | Master, fellow apprentice |
| 11 | Harsh master demanding results | 1 | Only one person who showed you kindness |
| 12 | Raised as property | 0–1 | Possible fellow captive or secret helper |
| 13 | Structured temple/monastery upbringing | 3 | Teacher, study partner, authority superior |
| 14 | Comforting but restrictive religion | 3 | Priest, friend believer, questioning peer |
| 15 | Severe punishing religion | 1–2 | Stern authority, secret sympathizer |
| 16 | Cooperative survival community | 5 | Neighbors, caretaker elder, shared worker, medic |
| 17 | Chaotic community: adapt or struggle | 6 | Rotating helpers, fixers, gossip |
| 18 | Mostly alone; occasional kindness | 2 | Traveling helper, remembered stranger, a couple people where you grew up. |
| 19 | Completely sheltered upbringing | 1 | Sole guardian or Parental figures |
| 20 | Devoted mentor believed in you | 1 | Mentor |
Primary Caretakers’ Background
Section titled “Primary Caretakers’ Background”Roll d20 for what your caretakers did for a living.
| d20 | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 | Homeless |
| 2 | Peddler, Merchant / part of a trading company |
| 3 | Noble - Not direct line, but part of the house, or married in |
| 4 | Royalty - part of the direct line. (Almost always going to have Daruner lineage) |
| 5-6 | Monks or scholars |
| 7-8 | Criminal, Gypsy, Entertainers |
| 9-12 | Tradesman - guild or not |
| 13-16 | Adventurers / Military |
| 17-20 | Farmers/Shepherds - working for a lord |