Manor of the Miniscules

Have you ever found something mysteriously missing? Not anything grand, just a cube of sugar, a crumb of bread, or perhaps a tiny scrap of fabric from your mother’s sewing box? That, you see, was our doing…

Deep in the countryside of who knows where there is a house. In that house lives a family called the Uglies, for indeed they are very much so, and to match their outsides, each is possessed of surpassing cruelty and twisted selfishness on the inside. Father rages at Mother from the living room, all looming scowls and stale smoke. Mother screams at Father from the kitchen, herself a swollen, howling terror. Daughter Susie, with her sticky fingers and slimy grin, leaves a trail of destruction in her wake, ruining everything that isn’t already. Grandad, who keeps to the awful boiler room, is bent and twisted with age, wearing a wide scowl across just the most evil face you ever saw. Lastly there is Nana, who has claimed the attic as her sanctuary, and though she has gone blind as a stump, probably cause her eyes refused to look at the things she did, her wickedness shuffles undiminished up above.

But wouldn’t you know, within the reaches of the house’s many rooms, among its creaking boards and moldy walls, hidden from the view of the Uglies, live the Littletons. These tiny creatures (and they are tiny indeed, being just big enough for a quick meal for a fat cat, or for an Ugly to crush underfoot, but we are getting ahead of ourselves), have carved out a hidden world within, out of sight (mostly) of the terrible family. The Littletons make use of every discarded scrap of food, lost nick-nack, or forgotten whatsit, careful that nothing goes to waste. Quieter they are that the mice they call friends, and full of the kind of tricks that tiny things need when living with hateful giants. Timid indeed, but as they say, “bravery is what is left when your fear’s got nowhere else to go.”

For the Littletons, the simplest of objects holds wondrous potential, and they make their livings repurposing forgotten bits and baubles, creating tools, homes, and treasures galore. To them they are treasures, anyway. A single button becomes a table, a thimble a sturdy helmet, and a scrap of ribbon a prized possession. Their resourcefulness keeps them alive in a world where horrid monsters rule, and despite the danger their senses of hope and wonder remain true as can be. For most of them.

Geography

The Manor contains many rooms, including the Mudroom, the Living Room, the Study, the Boiler Room, the Kitchen, the Attic, the Bathroom, the Master Bedroom, and hallways. And of course, Littles don’t go Outside. Boxies tend to live in more established settlements, Underboarders are found underneath the floor of the first level, Nookfolk make homes in less dangerous rooms, and Roam Runts wander the manor’s various rooms.

Clothing

“Dress for the Room you are in.”

Littleton characters tend to have “oversized” versions of tiny things; the often-mention button shield, ragged clothing covered in patchwork, “swords” shaped like needles and pins, etc. Similarly absurd hats/helmets. They tend to collect Whatnots, which are miscellaneous items, often examples of Small Rustic Craftwork. Tinkering as a discipline is incredibly rare. If you are a combat-focused character you were probably a Roam Runt or a Town Constable from Boxborough or Underboards. If you focus on magic, you are definitely an Oddling, and most respectable Littles think you are weird. We leave a lot of this up to player creativity, so if you have any questions, run phys reps, props and character ideas by staff for approval.

Whatnots are useful cast off items. Rummage is raw material like fabric, string, cardboard, etc. Gizmos are rare items of mechanical nature like springs, gears, hinges, etc. Scrapes are the least valuable, though Littles will find a use for them if they can: lint, splinters of wood, rusty bits, etc.

Magic School

Oddling Quirks and Improbable Notions

Makeup Requirements

None.

Advantages

5 off 1st level of Craft

5 off 1st level of Survival

5 off 1st level of Oddling Quirks and Improbable Notions