Burning Wheel Beliefs are HARD, Y’all

I’ve been preparing to play a one-on-one Burning Wheel game on RPOL, run by my friend Daniel Perez. We’ve been creating a fantastic world together (mostly him. He’s come up with some incredible things) and I’ve been going through and making a character. We assembled a mood board of art that would inspire the game, much of it on my side including art from Symbaroum. We’ve hit the point of Character Burning where I need to come up with Beliefs.

In Burning Wheel, your beliefs drive everything your character does. They are meant to be deep-rooted in your character’s psyche, and are meant to also be challenged by the GM.

A little about my character, Lathspell, first.

The world exists as a vast forest, pockets of light in a dangerous and uncaring world. Every year, the Gifts are given, the story is told. This protects the village for another year.

“Gather leaves of fiery oak,
Dig up rocks of purest gold,
Gather drops of clearest dew,
And cries of babies born anew.
Gift them yearly, without fail.
For the Dark to keep at bay.
Should you fail in your endeavor.
Wicked Nur will reign in terror.”

Daniel asked me the following questions, and I provided answers:

1. The year you were born, you were one of the babies whose cries were collected for the gift. How did that change you?

As one of The Breathless, I was always seen as both blessed and cursed. The ancient hedge magic has left my voice hardly audible above a whisper. I have learned of the Elven Spellsongs, and when sung, you can sing at full volume. I am now seeking out knowledge of the Spellsongs.

2. In your pre-teen years you went beyond the village. Which of the mood images did you witness and how did that change you?

I saw the image of a being, twice the height of man, antlered, who men stood before and made offerings. I never learned the true meaning, but the image is seared in my mind, and I have felt drawn to the secrets of the ancients and the Elder Days.

3. Are you from this village? Why is your answer a lie?

I am from this village, yes. It’s a lie because I don’t know that I’m actually not.

–

I am now trying to assemble a list of beliefs for my character, which is REALLY tricky. There are whole pages all about how to write them. It’s tricky like making Milestones for Marvel Heroic is tricky.

Your beliefs must be integral, and are something your character believes with their whole heart. It has to be something that will dramatically change your character’s worldview if the belief is shaken.

So I started simply:

Belief: I will find the Spellsongs and learn to control the Waking World.

Belief: My village is the most important thing and must be protected. I love it as much as it loves me.

Belief: The creatures beyond the borders are dangerous, and their dark majicks are a virus.

But Daniel pushed back. “Why is this important to you?” He wanted more OOMPH.

I tried again.

Belief: My village is the most important thing and must be protected. I love it as much as it loves me.

Belief: Spellsongs are the key to true power. I will find their secrets and master them.

Again, Daniel: “When I read this, I still don’t know why this is a hill YOU will die on, why is this important to YOU.”

“But why does that matter to YOU?”

I don’t know, man! I don’t know! I really struggled with this. I’m not used to getting THIS deep into a character’s head. I spent a whole day at work thinking about it. WHY does it matter? What is my character’s motivation? Why is this the hill he dies on?

Finally, I laid it all out on the line. Here we go:

Belief: My village is the most important thing to me and I must protect it from suffering the same fate as Freedonia.”

Belief: I once had my voice momentarily restored when I sang an ancient spellsong. If they can do this, who knows what else they are capable of? I will find the Secret of the Songs and master them.

Belief: I have witnessed the harrowed majicks of those who live deep within the Veiled Wood. The Ancients, Elders, and Dark are all the same. They are a plague. And I will excise them as such.

There we go! It gets to who my character is, and what they believe. Daniel really pushed me, helped me really drill down to the core. It was frustrating at times, and took about a week of back-and-forth to really get it figured out. I imagine if we were playing in person, we’d get to the point where I’d be yelling at him, “I DON’T KNOW WHAT MY CHARACTER BELIEVES!” But it was really fulfilling, and feels really accomplished to have figured it out. Thanks, Daniel! I and Lathspell appreciate it.