Where You Come From Shapes Who You Are

Perseverance is a world that doesn’t give second chances. Some people carry the weight of old family names, others wear the dust of the frontier on their boots. Some were born under Commonwealth rule, others beyond it—but one truth unites them all:

Survival is the first rule. Everything else is negotiable.

This post continues our look at Origin Keywords, which define where a character comes from and how it shapes their skills, reputation, and outlook. If you missed Part 1, you can read it [here] (Insert link).

Riverfolk

"A river don’t care who you are – it’ll carry you where it wants, or drown you where you stand."

You grew up along Perseverance’s lakes and rivers, where the water means survival and trade never stops. Riverfolk are traders, smugglers, and boatmen, moving goods and people across the lifeblood of the frontier.

Living on the water means knowing the currents, surviving storms, and dealing with all manner of people – honest or otherwise. You’ve seen merchants, outlaws, bounty hunters, and drifters, and you know how to read danger as well as you read the river.

Breakout Abilities:

• Boatman’s Instincts – You know how to navigate rivers, lakes, and flooded terrain.
• Weather-Wise – You can predict storms and read shifting conditions.
• Water Smuggler – You know how to hide goods and avoid patrols.
• Silver-Tongued Trader – You can haggle and strike a deal when it counts.
• Superstitious Sailor – You believe in river omens and taboos. (Could be a flaw.)

Dustborn Drifter

"Roots are for people who ain’t seen what’s coming."

Maybe you were orphaned young, or your family never settled down. You grew up wandering—from town to town, canyon to canyon, never staying long. You know how to live off the land, how to read people fast, and how to disappear when things go bad.

Life on the move has hardened you—you don’t get attached easy, and you sure as hell don’t rely on the kindness of strangers. But it’s also made you adaptable, able to talk your way through a situation or slip away before trouble catches up.

Breakout Abilities:

• Survivalist – You know how to find food, water, and shelter anywhere.
• Fast Talker – You can blend in, lie convincingly, or talk your way out of trouble.
• Trail Ghost – You leave no tracks, no trace, and no debts behind.
• Gunslinger’s Caution – You don’t draw first – but you sure as hell shoot last.
• Trust No One – You assume everyone’s got an angle. (Could be a flaw.)

Frozen Road Survivor

"You ever hear the sound of ice cracking under your feet? If not, you don’t know fear."

You grew up in the icy north or south, where frozen rivers serve as highways and only the toughest survive. The cold doesn’t bother you—you’ve learned how to hunt, track, and fight in the tundra, and you have a quiet patience that unnerves outsiders.

Life in the ice wastes is harsh, but it’s also free—no governors, no laws, just the cold and the will to endure. Those who survive there learn the value of silence, the power of patience, and the price of weakness.

Breakout Abilities:

• Ice Road Navigator – You know how to read frozen terrain and avoid thin ice.
• Master of the Cold – You’re resistant to frostbite and extreme temperatures.
• Deadly Patience – You wait, watch, and strike at the perfect moment.
• Hunter’s Instincts – You track prey and people across the snow.
• Soft-Spoken & Hard-Edged – You don’t talk much – but when you do, people listen.

Ex-Commonwealth Brat

"Just because I was raised in a uniform doesn’t mean I don’t know how to survive without one."

You grew up in a Commonwealth outpost, maybe even in the Governor’s Guard or a Ranger family. You had education, training, and resources, but something drove you into the frontier.

Maybe you left because of a scandal, maybe because you didn’t fit their mold. Or maybe you saw too much corruption and couldn’t stomach it anymore. Whatever the reason, you know how the system works – and how to work around it.

Breakout Abilities:

• Trained Combatant – You’ve had formal weapons training.
• Tactical Thinker – You can analyze a situation quickly.
• Regulation Expert – You know Commonwealth laws and loopholes.
• Authority Presence – You carry yourself like someone used to giving orders.
• Chip on Your Shoulder – You have something to prove – or something to run from. (Could be a flaw.)

Outlaw Settlement

"A badge don’t mean much past the canyon walls. Out here, we make our own rules."

You were born and raised outside Commonwealth rule, in hidden badlands camps, smuggler towns, or outlaw enclaves. You grew up distrusting lawmen, surviving on your wits, and knowing that freedom always comes with a price.

Life in an outlaw town means knowing how to keep your head down, watch your back, and fight when you have to. You might not be a criminal, but out here, everyone’s hands are dirty one way or another.

Breakout Abilities:

• Black Market Connections – You know how to find what you need, no questions asked.
• Streetwise – You can spot a setup, sniff out a liar, and see danger coming.
• Shoot First, Ask Later – You don’t hesitate when things go south.
• Tough as Nails – You’ve survived things most people wouldn’t.
• Wanted, Dead or Alive – Someone still holds a grudge against you. (Could be a flaw.)

What’s Next?

Surviving Perseverance’s landscapes is one thing. Surviving its people, economy, and power struggles is another. In the next post, we’ll explore Life on Perseverance—how settlers, ranchers, outlaws, and traders carve out an existence in this unforgiving world.