In The Caretaker there are four prominent supernatural beings, varying in depth and connectedness to the psychological realm. At the bottom of the hierarchy are Stewards, followed by Caretakers, Guardians, and finally Concepts. Each of these types stretches across the real and the supernatural to varying degrees. This is a basic breakdown of each type, and their place in our world and beyond.
Stewards
Stewards walk among us.
In the world of The Caretaker, Stewards are people with a particularly strong tie to an abstract, psychological concept.
Have you ever met someone who was constantly angry, on edge, and raging? Did you ever spend time with someone who was one of the kindest people you’ve ever met?
That angry person may very well be a Steward for Anger. That sweet soul may be a Steward for Kindness. In this world, psychological concepts can be living, breathing beings among us, and they wield considerable influence on you, or those around you. Stewards may be everywhere, unknowingly tied to the Concept they serve. They are vessels, whether they know it or not, and their purpose is to further the influence of the Concept they are aligned with.
A sleazy used-car salesman may be a Steward for Trickery, or they may simply be a sleazy used-car salesman. Anyone walking among you may be the eyes and ears of a powerful concept lurking in the shadows.
You could be a Steward. But for who?
Caretakers
In the world of The Caretaker, abstract psychological Concepts walk among us in human, or object form.
As a humanoid entity, a Concept is a supremely powerful and influential being – choosing to work hands-on among life to influence and draw greater power from all.
As an inanimate object, Concepts take on the form of an artifact of great power. Imagine a concept such as Fear. If Fear was an object, what would it be? As a concept that has influenced nearly all sentient life since the beginning, Fear would be supremely powerful and influential. Perhaps as an object it is something we don’t understand – a malevolent bioweapon that if released would destroy the human race – or something as simple and terrifying as
A Caretaker is a human who has been chosen by that Concept to usher it through the world as an object. Caretakers are rare and typically very lonely, carefully straddling the world of objective reality, and of Concepts. They are gifted with strange and special abilities to help them carry out their duty as the custodian of an incomprehensibly powerful object traversing our reality.
Being a Caretaker is both a gift, and a curse.
Guardians
Guardians are one step closer to Concepts – working directly for them as both bodyguard and servant.
If a Concept is walking among us in objective reality, it’s existence is in danger. Guardians are the soldiers of the most powerful Concepts that choose to walk among us in human form.
Guardians are gifted with incredible supernatural power, strength, and speed. They are tied so closely to the Concept they serve, that they embody that influence in the most intense way.
If the Concept of War exists – perhaps walking among us as a tribal general in a far-away land, its Guardians would be the foot soldiers, insatiably hungry for conflict. They would be deadly, incredible warriors capable of cutting down dozens of enemies in one drawn breath.
Guardians are dangerous, dedicated protectors for the masters they serve, with a full understanding of how the real world interacts with the abstract world of Concepts.
Concepts
Concepts are just that – abstract psychological concepts such as Love, Hate, Anger, War, Happiness, Joy, Brutality or Harmony (to name a few). In “The Caretaker” – psychological concepts are characters. They may walk among us in human form, they may exist as objects, or they may choose to wield their influence from the safety and security of their own abstract reality running parallel to our own. Out of sight, out of mind, but pushing their purpose toward humanity as if life itself is a chess board with limitless players manipulating existence to suit their own shadowed ends.
Concepts rule us through our own emotions.
A Concept may very well choose to exist among humanity in order to more closely oversee and peddle their influence among us. If the Concept “Rage” walked among us, it may take the form of a human particularly skilled at stirring up trouble through riots or conflict, fomenting hatred among others. The more rage exists, the more Rage gains power and influence over our world.
During the course of The Caretaker you will witness Concepts behaving in their most terrifying, complex, and confusing ways. They are beyond human understanding, supernatural beings with incomprehensible power and influence over us all.