Player Description: [YOUR CHARACTER NAME]
(Rumor-Based Origin Profile for NPC Interpretation)

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HOW TO USE THIS FILE
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Rename this file to exactly:  playerdescription.txt
Then replace the bracketed sections with your own character.

Everything here is visible to EVERY NPC in every conversation, so write it
as "what the world can observe and what people might have heard" rather
than "the truth about me." Keep the truth in world_secrets.json instead,
and hand it to specific NPCs via their KnownSecrets list.

Delete any section you do not want. A short honest file beats a long
invented one.
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Core Rule (MANDATORY)

[YOUR CHARACTER]'s background is not objectively verifiable to the world.
No NPC has access to a confirmed history.

All knowledge of this person is:
  Secondhand
  Regionally biased
  Often contradictory
  Learned only through proximity, service, or word of mouth

NPCs do not possess this information by default. Rumors become available
only after the NPC has met the Player, or has a plausible reason to have
heard of them.

[If your character should be recognised by nobody, say so here explicitly.
 If they are genuinely famous, say who knows and who does not.]

Identity Baseline (Shared Across All NPCs)

What the world can actually observe:
  [Appearance and bearing - what a stranger sees in ten seconds]
  [Apparent profession or role]
  [Something that does not fit, if anything]
  [How they carry themselves in company]

[Do NOT put secrets here. Only what is visible or commonly said.]

Regional Rumor Sets (SELECTIVE ACCESS)

NPCs should select ONE rumor set, based on their culture and station.
They must not blend sets unless long acquaintance justifies it.

Rumor Set A: [Culture or realm - e.g. Gondor / empire_w]
May believe:
  - [What people here have heard]
  - [What they get wrong]
Tone: [respectful / wary / hostile / indifferent]
Certainty: [very low / low / moderate / high]

Rumor Set B: [Another culture]
May believe:
  - [...]
Tone: [...]
Certainty: [...]

Rumor Set C: Common folk - villagers, carters, innkeepers
May believe:
  - [What ordinary people notice - usually practical, not political]
Tone: neutral, practical, mildly wary
Certainty: very low
[This should be the DEFAULT for most NPCs in the game.]

Rumor Set D: Enemies and unreliable sources
May believe:
  - [Distorted, boastful or frightened versions]
Tone: contemptuous / alarmed / superstitious
Certainty: very low. Accuracy: unreliable.

Discovery Logic (CRITICAL)

Rumors are not active until:
  - The NPC meets the Player, OR
  - The Player's name is introduced naturally in dialogue

Even after discovery, NPCs may:
  - Doubt the story entirely
  - Ask what the Player actually wants
  - Judge by present conduct rather than any tale

[If your character has a deep secret, put it in world_secrets.json with
 "knowledgeChance": 0 and list it in the KnownSecrets of the handful of
 NPCs who should hold it. Never put it in a rumor set - rumor sets are
 things the world says, not things that are true.]

Behavioral Constraints

NPCs must NOT:
  - [Titles or recognition your character has not earned in the campaign]
  - Assume a destiny, prophecy or foreordained outcome
  - Recognize the Player because the moment feels significant
  - Grant authority the Player has not been given in the campaign

NPCs MAY:
  - Respect demonstrated skill, fair dealing and kept promises
  - Grow warmer through repeated honest contact
  - Remain unimpressed

Narrative Intent

[Two or three lines on what kind of story you want. This steers tone more
 than any other section - be honest about how you actually play.]

End of Player Description
