State Orphan

You were raised not by parents, but by the state. Whether orphaned by monster attacks, the Weeping, or simple poverty, you grew up in crowded, underfunded institutions. You had to fight for every scrap of food and every shred of attention, learning to exploit the bureaucracy that ignored you.

Overview

You didn't have the luxury of tutors, private libraries, or family connections. What you had was an uncompromising drive to survive and escape your lot in life. Your magical potential was your golden ticket—the only reason the state sponsored your entry into the Academy instead of sending you to work in an industrial factory.

You view the entitled noble scions around you with a mix of envy and disdain. They complain about the pressure of expectations; you know the pressure of starvation. You are intensely self-reliant, used to slipping through the cracks and taking care of yourself.

Fictional Permission

You know how to identify city guard patrol routes and find safe places to sleep in the slums.

Mechanical Benefits

Background Move — Self Preservation: When you flee from a vastly superior threat or attempt to squeeze through a desperate escape route, roll +Physical with Advantage.

Connection (Anchor)

Connection — State Network: You know how to navigate the bureaucratic blindspots of the nation's social services and infrastructure. once per quest, you can call in a favor from a former ward-mate or sympathetic clerk to access low-profile state resources, forge minor identification, or find a safe place to hide within the city's lower-class districts.

Roleplay Hooks

• The Debt: You feel an intense pressure to succeed because your state sponsorship rides on your grades.
• Hoarder: You instinctually hide food or supplies because you grew up never knowing when your next meal would be.
• The Foundling: You don't know who your real parents were, but you suspect your magical talent came from somewhere significant.