Official Faction Name: Timelost
Alternate Names: Newbies, Travelidiots, Timorons, Time Orphans
Faction Philosophy: Every so often, an inventor in one timeline or another will develop Travel technology independently. These poor bastards are the ones – inventor, volunteer, or test subject – who Travel without properly understanding the nature of metatime. Expecting to travel into their own past or future for a quick jaunt and easy return, they quickly discover that their universe has been wiped out, that there is no longer a place for them. What happens then depends on their personality – some accept their lot and settle down in a comfortable space-time; others join up with one faction or another; and others wander around dissatisfied or do their damndest to change the timeline on their own, hoping to return home. These last types are known as the Timelost – poor schmucks who will never return home, obsessed with their own mundane lives. Occasionally they meet up with each other and form temporary groups, but this is unusual for the primarily isolationist Timelost.
Base of Operations: The Timelost usually have bases independent of one another – often as near to their home space-times as they can get – or uptime, at the divergence point where their timeline disappeared. Other Timelost, particularly newbies who are debating their Faction options, hang out with the Shelter or at the Free Market – receiving (or pursuing) overtures from the Factions.
Spheres of Influence/Operation:
Allies and Enemies: Most factions see new Timelost as poor, naive newbies, to be ignored, pitied—or recruited. Every Time Orphan is a potential recruit, ready to be molded. Hence, the more obsessive Timelost, are seen as dangerous by the Big Two, capable of throwing entire timelines out of whack in pursuit of their narcissistic goals.
Faction Aspect: The Timelost are by definition new to the game—whether this is because they’re genuinely new or because they’ve stubbornly refused to learn the rules is the question. On the one hand, you find a Faction Aspect like “Wide-eyed Time Orphan” or “I’m Lost In This New World.” For the other type, you might be a “Timelost Obsessive” or “I Will Find a Way Home, No Matter What.”Faction Stunt: Choose one of the following:
- Cultural Familiarity (Specialization: +2 to [Cultures, Rapport, or Contacting, player’s choice] in a space-time that shares two Space-Time Traits with the character’s home space-time).
- Obfuscating Stupidity (Specialization: +2 to Deceit, to appear stupid, bumbling, or naive).
- Resolute (Stress Track: The character adds one box to their Composure stress track).