The main theme of Leviathan: the Tempest is that of monstrous puberty. Leviathans are constantly experiencing a deep, painful transformation into something that is utterly alien. Their body and mind change, they realise they can do things they would never have been able to do before, and they have to assume new responsibilities. They also experience new, often uncomfortable desires that they can't quite explain. This often makes the Leviathan experience a quest for meaning, striking out on their own or with a close group of friends to find their own path. All these elements mirror closely the events of adolescence, with a supernatural twist on it that makes Leviathans true monsters, albeit sometimes reluctant. This can provide the general framework of the story, as that in a bildungsroman, where the characters come out of the story, deeply changed by its events.

The second theme is that of isolation or responsibility. Leviathans exert a pull on the human psyche, which makes people want to worship and serve them, or at least get out of their way. The responsibility this bring on is immense, as are the potential abuses a Leviathan can get out of willing subservient humans. With a few specific people, called Atolls, the relationship is reversed: they fascinate Leviathans and could utterly subjugate them. Some Leviathans choose isolation to deal with this, but the monstrous part of their being actively wants worship and sacrifice, and will fight to get it. In any case, Leviathans can hardly have normal relationships with humans. That is a core conflict that drives the stories in the game.

The general mood of the game is that of Stagnation. Stagnation is an usual Mood to find alongside Themes of puberty and change; the connection is that individual Leviathans are undergoing monstrous changes, the Tribe is stagnating. Though an individual Leviathan may make great accomplishments older and wearer members of the tribe have seen it before. The same ideas, the same achievements, young Leviathans they knew from the cradle have become old and weary yet accomplished nothing truly new.

Sometimes a Leviathan will manage to escape this fate, but even then the Tribe's Stagnation is absolute. If they're particularly lucky they will be able to mentor a student or nurture a tradition that lasts for a few generations but these are only temporary. As a people Leviathans seem incapable of standing upon shoulder of giants. Every generation must start from the beginning, retreading old ground again and again. Every year the world moves forward leaving the Tribe further behind.

Ahab : A human whose will has been overpowered by the Wake but driven to hatred rather than servitude. Ahabs are a dark reflection of Beloved.

Atoll : A human being who is naturally immune to the Wake. Atolls exert a powerful fascination on Leviathans, as contact with them provides a momentary reprieve from many of their worries.

Bahamutans : A Leviathan of the Strain descending from the Progenitor Bahamut. The Bahamutans are portrayed as indestructible and tend towards great size and power. They most easily cultivate the resilient adaptions of the Tribe.

Beloved : A human whose will has been overpowered by the Wake. They are obsessed with the Leviathan that they fix on and are driven to worship and obey them. Beloved form the backbone of a Leviathan's Cult.

Birthright : A low-level power associated with a Vestige. Can be used in any form.

Channel : An expression of supernatural power that represents a portion of a greater Vestige. As a Leviathan transforms towards a greater Depth, the amount of power availabel increases. Channels can be Ancestral or Descendant, with understanding of the latter "growing out" of mastery of the former.

Cohort : A small, intimate social grouping of Leviathans, similar to a Vampire Coterie, et al.

Cult : A gathering of humans subverted by the Wake to serve and worship a Leviathan, whether the Leviathan wishes for this or not.

Alein: the Outsider here, please go away.

>>13330819

Dagonites : A Leviathan of the Strain descending from the Progenitor Dagon. The blood of Dagon is the most fertile of that in any Strain, and the Dagonites as a result have an easy time cultivating the generative powers of the Tribe.

Depth : A particular level of transformation which a Leviathan can attain. The greater the Depth, the most monstrous and least human the Leviathan is. There are seven forms available to the Tribe in all, ranging from a human form to a grotesque abomination.

Doldrums : Areas within the Rift that are somehow shielded from the Tempest.

Gatewaters: An area of the real world with an unusually close connection to the Rift, leading to disappearances, hallucinations, and mysterious events. Most Gatewaters are in areas with plenty of water.

Hybrid : A half-human entity whose bloodline has been mixed with that of a Leviathan or similar entity. Hybrids exhibit typical sets of mutations in a given family but have no control of their forms. Each Strain can deliberately cultivate a specific breed of Hybrid - these "favored types" are called the Lahmasu and are often reared to provide aid or worship to a Leviathan.

Lahamin : A Leviathan of the Strain descending from the Progenitor Lahamu. The Lahamin are renowned for their limitless vision, they most easily cultivate the perceptive powers of the Tribe.

>>13330839

Marduk : Refers to both the mythical slayer of Tiamat and the Marduk Society, a Hunter conspiracy endowed with Super Science dedicated to hunting down the Tribe.

Nu : Either a Progenitor of the Wicked Tribe or a Leviathan from the Strain descending from it. The Nu strain is associated with a connection with the Primordial Waters and are said to have the gifts of introspection and utter mastery of the elements.

Oceanids : A Leviathan of the Strain descending from the Progenitor Oceanus. The Oceanids are associated with the control of mortal minds and with grandiose pursuits - they identify themselves with the great power and limitless appetites of the heroes of Greek legend.

Outburst : An involuntary and painful transformation into a greater Depth, brought on by psychological or supernatural stress.

Primordial Waters : The lost realm ruled over by Tiamat and the Progenitors, which was disrupted by the ascent of mankind and the creation of the Tempest. Now lost, it remains a goal for many Leviathans both as a physical place and as an unburdened and serene state of existence.

>>13330822
Oh shut up this sounds interesting.

>>13330849
Progenitor : Mythical creatures of immense power, said to have given birth to modern Leviathans. Progenitors are said to have ruled over all living beings in the time before the Tempest rose. The Tribe recognizes seven major Progenitors:

* Unchained Bahamut, legendary for its size, its usual tranquility, and its fury when roused. Progenitor of the Bahamutans.
* Dagon the Hierarch, also Dagon the Arch-heretic. Dagon could impose his will on whoever he wished and maintained control over vast swathes of the mortal population. The Progenitor of the Dagonites.
* Elder Nu, also called Nunet. Nu was a primordial entity deeply connected to the fertile waters, which never kept a solid physical shape. Progenitor to the Strain of Leviathans of the same name.
* Watchful Lahamu, or Lahamu the Celestial Eye. A sinuous being, a recluse that nevertheless was said to see and know all things. Progenitor of the Lahamin.
* Oceanus, Father-of-Seas, known as a patriarchal figure of impossible allure, worshipped with unrestrained fervor. Progenitor of the Oceanids.
* Sinner-Devouring Tanninim, also Tanninim the Unbending. An unhesitating and unfeeling predator that was said to devour whole nations that stood against the Tribe. Progenitor of the Tanninim.
* Island-Breaking Thalassa, or Mighty-Armed Thalassa. Known for its impossible strength and grace, it was said to have pushed the continents up from the depths and to have shaped the faces of mountains. Progenitor of the Thalassans.

>>13330856
This is old as fuck, from RPG.net

>>13330864
Rift (The) : A mental and metaphysical reality that Leviathans can access through various means. The Rift contains physical elements of the lost world but also (or perhaps only) reflects the collective unconscious of all living and dead Leviathans, growing progressively more alien and inhospitable the deeper one goes. The Primordial Waters supposedly lie beyond the uttermost depths of the Rift, beyond the Tempest. The Rift is contrasted with the Shore, a term for the real world.

School : An informal group of teachings, ideals, and approaches to life, which provide a Leviathan with a model for behavior. A Leviathan's School defines the approach he takes to the centres of interest of the Tribe: ancient history, relationship with mortals, moral behaviour, etc. The Schools are as follows:

* The School of the Abyss encourages Leviathans to withdraw from the world and find answers in the Rift.
* The School of Clay focuses on understanding of human culture, society and technology to integrate in the modern world.
* The School of Fog tries to understand how Leviathans and their powers function, to recreate the world before the Tempest.
* The School of the Reef holds that the mortals and leviathans alike require constant protection against dangers, and agressively seek out threats to eliminate and knowledge of the Tribe's enemies..
* The School of the Sun encourages Leviathans to build a religious relationship with the world and with mortals.

>>13330882

Shallows : The area of the Rift closest to the Shore.

Shore (The) : A term used on occasion to refer to the real world, as opposed to the Rift. Most common among Leviathans that contend that both realities are equally "true" and who bristle at the idea of a "real" world.

Strains : Lineages of Leviathans descended from a common ancestor Progenitor. Strains share some characteristics, and a given family line with Leviathan blood usually belongs to one given Strain. There are seven major Strains, and a handful of smaller and less recognized offshoots or distant cousins.

Tanninim : A Leviathan of the Strain descending from the Progenitor Tannin. Particularly prone to develope the stalking and hunting mechanisms of the Tribe, the Tanninim are referred to as "judges" - perceiving and punishing the sins of mortals and of the enemies of the Tribe.

Thalassans : A Leviathan of the Strain descending from the Progenitor Thalassa. The Thalassans are characterised by impossible strength and grace. They have a natural grasp over the Tribe's physical potency.

Tiamat : The mythical ancestor for all Leviathans. Possibly a personification of a primordial life-force or even the primordial ooze from which all life sprung. Said to have been "slain" and dismembered; her place has been occupied by the Tempest.

Tempest : Both a physical and spiritual imbalance which is said to exist as a consequence of the creation of the current world. The Tempest was said to come into being when Marduk slew Tiamat and reordered the world, separating the Tribe from the Primordial Waters. The Tempest is also used as a model for the emotional difficulties faced by Leviathans due to their fallen state.

>>13330893
Tranquility : The state of calm, balance and connection with their inner nature that is regarded as a goal by most Leviathans.

Typhon : A Leviathan entirely devoid of Tranquility, who has returned permanently to a monstrous, primal state.

Vestige : A remnant of the impossible powers of the Progenitors, divided into various Channels that grasp fragments of a greater trait such as "inviolability" or "indestructibility."

Wake (The) : A psychic impression created by Leviathans which urges mortals to subconsciously submit or cower in the presence of a member of the Tribe. Some mortals are particularly vulnerable, with the pressure of the Wake turning them into Beloved, while others, known as Atolls, are immune.

Wicked Tribe (The) : Leviathans as a whole, differentiated from the tribes of mankind and other entities.

>>13330881
Again, how does this devaluate it at all? Stop complaining.

This actually sounds pretty cool.

It's like the Shadow Over Innsmouth, but from the monster's perspective.

Sidebar: Tiers and Leviathan

As a basic model, when applying the "tier" structure to the Leviathans, the following guidelines are the most accurate fit:

* Tier One - The Cohort (3-10 members, limited geographical scope, limited power and resources)
* Tier Two - The Legion (10-150 members, each with his or her own Cult, regional power, considerable resources and power)
* Tier Three - The Tribe itself (More than 5,000 members, no unified goals, global scope, immeasurable resources if they worked in tandem)

The School of the Abyss (Tehom’s Camp, The Sunken School)
[Picture: The Symbol of Tehom’s Camp: An Anglerfish underwater. The light from the anglerfish illuminates hazy shapes of ziggurats and spiraling towers, just at the edge of vision. This serves as a watermark]
[Picture: Central. A young and pale woman, blonde and distressingly thin, sits cross-legged on the floor in a simple white shift. Her eyes are closed and cosmetically blackened, and her hands are in a meditative position in her lap. Eight tentacles extend from her back and shoulders, each holding an old-style oil lantern, but deliberately coiled around it to cut off most of the light. A coiling shape of black water rises unnaturally from a bowl in front of her.]

This world is wrong. Those members of the Tribe that ascribe to the School of the Abyss understand this on a level that their fellows do not. So they seek answers elsewhere – they return to the waters that spawned them. The foremost scholars of the Deep, they are explorers and mystics, seeking out Tranquility in the vast and silent vistas of the remnants of the Primordial ocean.

>>13331112

The Devotees of the School of the Abyss focus their energies towards exploring their history and place in the world in terms of the Deep, which they understand as the closest specimen to pre-disruption life that is still accessible. They concern themselves with understanding the Deep both as a physical location – they spend a lot of time there, compared to other Devotees – and as a state of mind. Some practice meditation or turn to earthly spiritualism as a stepping-stone to perfecting a system that can place the mind of the Devotee in touch with their past.

The School claims its philosophical underpinning in the recognition that the Leviathan are, for all intents and purposes, alien to the human world. For all that they can maintain a strained connection and stave off corruption with great effort, they are ultimately unsuited for the world in which they are placed. The average Devotee of the Abyss comes to the conclusion, then, that they need to find a space in which they are not alien – even if that “space” is a state of mind. Exploration of the Deep allows a fuller understanding of the self and the ability to come to terms with one’s true lineage; from this flows Tranquility.

"We don't fit in this world. Nothing's our size, nothing's strong enough, nothing can give us the truth. If you want to figure things out, you've got to shut your eyes and listen to the small traces of wisdom that still linger, out where no-one's trod them over yet."

The School of the Sun (Abzu’s Camp, The Celestial School)
[Picture: The Symbol of Abzu’s Camp: The image of an ornate chapel with a high tower. A line of waves marks the water's surface, from which only the very top of the tower emerges. The sun sits in the sky, directly above the tower. This serves as a watermark]
[Picture: Central. An older man with stern features and a strong, flat nose, wearing priestly vestments marked with cuneiform. He is up to his knees in water. In front of him, head bowed, is another man in a white robe. The older man is clearly speaking, and has one hand on his own chest, while the other pours a handful of water onto the supplicant's head. The preacher's hands are webbed, and there is the suggestion of a dorsal fin rising from his back beneath the robes.]

The Tribe have always been intermediaries, straddling the boundaries between two worlds - the divine realm of the Primordials, and the inferior world of dirt and flesh. The School of the Sun alone remembers this charge, and sees in the recreation of their ancient relationship with the progenitors the way towards reclaiming their birthright. The only beings capable of correcting the imbalance and disorder of the Deep, the Celestial School reasons, are the primordial entities that first created the Tribe.

>>13331128
The Devotees of the School of the Sun turn their attentions heavenward, in a sense. They seek out the lost truths of old modes of prayer and supplication, and attempt to reforge a fulfilling model of life that incorporates their lineage and the progenitors. The Celestial School is primarily interested in sanctified relics and lost temples; these places offer the greatest connection to what was lost. Some practice in solace, while others attempt to codify their beliefs and lead mortal cults (or groups of like-minded Leviathans) towards religious devotion.

Abzu's Camp claims vehemently that their interest in religious life is meant not only to provide solace and direction in an uncomfortable world, but also to reconnect with the beings of the Primordial world. The degree to which each member hopes for some sort of revelatory event differs, but many hold out hope for a return to the old world in their own lifetimes. The average Devotee, however, focuses on following formal doctrine, making those beliefs and history a part of his or her daily life, and uncovering more elements and relics of the Tribe's lost faith. These, the Celestial School argues, will provide direction towards attaining Tranquility.

"Maybe there are some people who can live without faith. Good for them. But we've always been the representatives of physical gods, incontrovertible proof that there is something greater out there. If you find yourself in doubt, look to your kin. Their faith will lift you up."

The School of Clay (Enki’s Camp, The Coastal School)
[Picture: The Symbol of Enki’s Camp: The shape of a gear with an ouroborous on its face. A bald humanoid form, curled in the fetal position, is in the center of both figures. Gills mark its neck. This serves as a watermark]
[Picture: Central. A man in his mid-20s sits in a dark room, at a table. He dresses like someone's accountant - white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbow, tie, and glasses. His hair is short but slightly wild. With his right hand he is writing on a piece of paper on the table, which is covered in open books, bundles of paper, and clay tablets. His other arm, resting on the table, is chitinous and terminates in a crab's claw. The wall behind him is covered with posterboard depicting a colossal and convoluted family tree. The uppermost branches are average names in English, but the lower branches are in cuneiform. The lowest visible branches are merely marked by pictures of sinuous shapes. Certain names or symbols are circled, with no apparent pattern.]

The Tribe finds itself in the unenviable position of existing in the world of humanity without, for all intents and purposes, being human themselves. Where others despise this apparent imprisonment, the School of Clay attacks this assumption. Studying human culture and the place of Leviathans in it, they attempt to create a mode of living in this new world.

>>13331162
This study turns many of the Coastal School towards studies of their personal history, following family genealogies or the legacies of communities that have produced Leviathans. They cultivate contacts in the world at large Both to discern the place of the Tribe in human history and to stave off the dangers of isolation. Their historical interests come to rest in human history, then, trying to find the hidden clues to their own backgrounds inside relics of lost civilizations and yellowing photo albums.

Enki's Camp believes that the only way to exist in the modern world is to adapt, and that humanity, for all of its faults, is the model to follow. They overcame the progenitors, after all, and it's not like they're going to disappear. The ability to sustain a life in human society, and easier access to Atolls, is a source of calm and security in the otherwise trying life of a Leviathan. Adaptation and integration are methods towards Tranquility.

"We've always looked down on humans. It's easy, when you see them looking at you with those big moony eyes. But they've built this world, while anything our people did is long buried in silt and rotting algae. If I was you, I'd shut up and listen to them more often."

The School of the Reef (Kingu’s Camp, The Blazing School)
[Picture: The Symbol of Kingu’s Camp: A rock rises from tempestuous seas. Broken chains hang off of it. Three tablets are chained to its face. The skies are black. This serves as a watermark]
[Picture: Central. A muscular Caribbean woman in a white tank top, camo pants, and boots, back half-turned from the viewer. A bandana holds her hair out of her face. She is standing in front of a stone pillar like a totem pole, depicting the faces of monstrous beings with wide maws, protruding tongues, and bulging eyes. She is looking at one of the faces. Held up as a comparison in her left hand is a severed head, matching the one she is looking at. Her hand and forearm are coated in gore. Her right hand rests at her hip, where a long obsidian dagger is shoved through her belt. Both arms are covered in sharkskin, with the hint of fins at the elbow. Her exposed back is parted by a shark's maw, which rests between her shoulderblades. At her feet is a blood-covered empty sack.]

The Leviathans have always been beset by enemies, and the severing of the world from its primordial state has done nothing to prevent that. The School of the Reef embraces the role of the Tribe as the soldiers and tacticians of the struggles that led to the Tempest, ever-vigilant in the destruction and observation of the Tribe's enemies. Knowing their enemies and protecting their Cohorts, Kingu's Camp finds purpose in conflict and an outlet for their simmering rage.

>>13331277

The primary interest that the Blazing School has in the relics of their past, as a result, are the catalogues of their military triumphs and the identities of their enemies. They see knowledge as a valuable currency in an ongoing war, and ruthlessly pursue the edge that it gives them, reclaiming their predecessor's warrior legacy.

Kingu's Camp places survival and self-preservation foremost among their concerns, but they also have a philosophy. They have experienced the barely submerged fury that their bloodline instills in them, fueled by the restraints and annoyances of everyday existence, and have found an outlet for that energy - the annihilation of their foes. Through triumph and activity, they seek Tranquility.

"If you believe we know better because we're bigger and tougher than mortals, then you've got to figure the Primordials knew best of all. Now those were big, f*ck-off critters, and so clever no human can wrap their heads around them. Don't tell me they didn't see this world coming, and don't tell me they left no clues for us."

The School of Fog (Enuma Elish’s Camp, The Questioning School)
[Picture: The Symbol of Enuma Elish’s Camp: A swirling sea, from which emerges numerous sea-serpent like forms, as if on an old map. This serves as a watermark]
[Picture: Central. View from behind and to the left - A black man with a shaved head stands in front of a high metallic table, wearing a t-shirt and jean shorts, no shoes. He rests his left arm on the table, palm up. A segment of flesh on the underside of the forearm is flayed open and held in place by surgical clamps. Blood stains the table around the arm, with crawling and writhing shapes, suggesting primitive, half-formed life, emerging from it. His other arm holds a scalpel, hovering over the flayed limb. The man's face is impassive. On either side of his head there is a curved line of white, shark-like eyes above the tips of his ears. The eyes glow slightly. A magnifying glass, pen, notebook, and camera all sit on the table, to the man's right side.]

The bloodline of the Tribe is heavy with mysteries and hidden lore that, if revealed, would alter much of mankind's conception of history and reality. The School of Fog is composed of those Leviathans that, knowing this, seek answers and truth within the Tribe itself. Probing their lineage and observing their fellows, they attempt to recreate the Tribe's society and birthrights from the hints provided by its current incarnation.

This interest in the Tribe leads the Questioning School to do just that - question. Their primary historical interest is with cultural relics of the Tribe itself, but also records - codes of morality, edicts, and legends. They seek, by analyzing these, to find the essence of the Tribe itself - some central truth that shapes a society that fulfills them and expresses their origins. More than this, the School actively places itself in contention with the other Schools, pushing members to codify their beliefs or defend their theories - the Devotees of Fog consider themselves the lens that turns on the Tribe.

The goal of all these questions and considerations is a sense of personal history and placement - the creation of a "divine lineage" that terminates in the Tribe, whose statutes can guide actions and whose exploits can be emulated. In a sense, the project is the creation of a true Tribe, one united in thought and deed as well as by blood. In the stability of an expressed and fulfilling history, the Devotee seeks Tranquility.

"There are things more clever and stronger things than us out there, but there's nobody who can take care of business like we can. In a week, I can gather ten people like you, as hard and as dedicated. Now tell me: who can stand against that?."

Strain

Choose a Strain, representing the Progenitor whose bloodline is most prevalent in your character's ancestry and which determines which aspects of the Leviathan's legacy of power come most naturally to him.

* Bahamutan: The bloodline of Bahamut, this lineage is known for prodigious size and resilience; its innate mastery is over the Vestige of Vitality. Secondary Vestiges: Awareness, Fecundity, Might
* Dagonite: The bloodline of Dagon, this strain is famed for its generative power and for giving birth to abominations – its mastery is over the Vestige of Fecundity. Secondary Vestiges: Elements, Predation, Sanctity
* Lahamin: The bloodline of Lahamu, this lineage is known for their ever watchful eyes and secretive demeanor – they master the Vestige of Awareness. Secondary Vestiges: Fecundity, Predation, Sanctity
* Nu: The bloodline of Nunet, this strain is considered to be the most “in touch” with the liquid matter of the Primordial Seas – they are the masters of the Vestige of Elements. Secondary Vestiges: Awareness, Sanctity, Vitality
* Oceanid: The bloodline of Oceanus, this lineage is said to master the wills of others – they master the Vestige of Sanctity. Secondary Vestiges: Elements, Might, Predation
* Tanninim: The bloodline of Tannin, this strain is hailed as the judges of man and of the Tribe's enemies – they master the Vestige of Might. Secondary Vestiges: Awareness, Might, Vitality
* Thalassans: The bloodline of Thalassa, this lineage is reputed for immeasurable strength and to thrive on both land and sea – its mastery is over the Vestige of Might. Secondary Vestiges: Elements, Fecundity, Vitality

>>13333303
>Primary vestige: Might
>Secondary vestige: Might
Bloodline of luchadors.

I would make a few tiny changes to this for the sake of simplification, but the whole idea of playing the descendants of colossal legendary sea beasts is too damn good to ignore.

>>13330822
>>13330881
Stop whining and sod off. Seriously, not everyone on /tg/ is aware of every setting ever like you buttslammers.

>Nu

So I'm vaguely interested. Was this all the work that was done on this? Why did the progenitors disappear? What caused this separation between the Primordial Waters and the Rift and the Shore?

Apparently OP can't be assed to post the rest of the stuff.

http://wiki.rpg.net/index.php/LeviathanTempest:Main_Page