[Characters] The Posse

[MoldyNolds]

A Brief Note Please post your character information here. This could be your completed application along with any die rolls for character creation. Also please add any secrets you'd like the GM to know and dangle over your head Please keep all this info contained in one post so there’s only one post per player. This will keep us from having to scroll through a long thread looking for pertinent information.

[MoldyNolds]

Sample statblock, feel free to copy for your own use if you'd like to!

Statblock   Name: Judiah Everett Scott | Level: 1 | Health: 17/17 | Force: 12 | FA: 0 Speed: 11 | Defense: 11 | Toughness: 2 | Weapons: re-skinned baseball bat Damage: 1d6+2 (Impact, Stun)Shovel | Armor: None ACC: 0 | COM: 0 | CON: 2 | Crafting (Woodworking)DEX: 1 | FIG: 2 | INT: 1 | PER: 1 | STR: 0 | FaithWIL: 2 Background: +1 DEX | Focus: Crafting (Woodworking) | Talent: Improvisation | +1 PERTrade | Social Class: Middle | Profession: Focus: Faith | Talent: OratoryMortician (Clergy) | Resources: 4 | weathered suit & top hat, old dress boots, small hammer, handsaw, pouch of nails, old testament bible, first aid/embalming kitEquipment Talents: Novice: You have trained as an emergency medical technician, and your aid is swift and sure. First Aid is a minor action for you.Emergency Care | Novice: You can do a little bit of everything. You can make an ability test that requires a specific focus, even if you don’t have that focus. You don’t gain a focus bonus to your roll and don’t generate SP on such rolls, but you are always considered to have a primary focus in investigations.Improvisation | Novice: You know how to work a crowd. If you fail a Communication (Persuasion) test when trying to convince a group (not an individual), you can re-roll it, but you must keep the results of the second roll.Oratory | Powers: Divination (Novice) | 2PP | Minor Action | TN: 9 | Test: Dexterity (Stealth) vs. Force Arcane awareness warns you of immediate danger. For the rest of the encounter after successfully casting this spell, you or another subject you touch cannot be surprised (see Surprise in chapter 8) except by attackers who are concealed by extraordinary means, in which case they must succeed on a Dexterity (Stealth) test against your Force in order to surprise you. Additionally, you gain a +2 bonus for the rest of the encounter on all tests to avoid hazards where a moment’s forewarning can aid you (see Hazards in chapter 8).Forewarning | Divination (Novice) | 3PP | Major Action | TN: 9 | Test: Dexterity (Stealth) vs. Force When you cast this spell, you place an invisible, intangible, arcane sentinel to watch over an area no larger than 4 yards across per Divination Arcana degree. The spell cannot be placed on an object or creature, only to observe a place. When any circumstance you specify when casting sentinel occurs in that area, you receive a vision of it, as if you were standing where the sentinel is placed. Examples include when any person enters the area, when a specific door or container opens, or when light enters the area. You can maintain the vision by taking a minor action each round to do so, but your ordinary senses are overridden, so you are unaware of what is happening near you while you are observing events elsewhere. You can maintain a number of active sentinel spells equal to your Willpower at any one time, although you can only perceive through one of them at a time. At Expert degree, you can spend an additional 2 PP to allow your sentinel to deliver a short message (just a sentence or two) in the voice of your choosing when it is activated. Sentinel Conviction: 3/3 | Drive: Quality: Compassion | Downfall: Self-sacrificeCaregiver | Reputation: Judiah has given many eulogies and laid to rest many loved ones. Most folk in the town recognize him by name, if not by sight. They respect his compassion and insight into matters of death and faith.Speaker for the Dead (1) | Ties: Judiah once performed a service for X PC's great aunt. Afterwards X PC bought Judiah a drink and they shared stories of lost loved ones. They each respect the other's personal experience of loss & pain.X PC | Relationship: Judiah has been around long enough for Posey to know he means no harm, despite the fact that trouble-makers might come looking for him from time to time. The service he provides the community far outweighs the price of him living here. She is willing to defend him from any danger that comes looking for him, and she may even be a little sweet on him...Sheriff Posey (1) Goals: Provide funeral rites for the dead.Short-term Goal #1 | Turn a doubter back to the Faith.Short-term Goal #2 | ???Long-term Goal #1

[cottontailwind]

Theme Songs Ouzo's Theme: Taking A Long, Looong Drag Ouzo's Theme: Mischief Ouzo's Theme: Resorting to Violence Ouzo's Theme: Focusing on the Job Ouzo's Theme: A Rare Moment of Intimacy

Ouzo Name: Dr. Ouzo (please, I really must insist, just "Ouzo" will do) Race: Human Ethnicity: Colonial Empire, originally a Spanish emigrant Appearance: He was known as Dr. Ouzo and he was a poor man's gentleman. On the occasion that a stranger would seek him out, at that kind of hole-in-the-wall where musicians couldn't compete with the natural orchestra of drunken shouting matches and guffaws at the same stories told over and over, where they had to mop the floor more than once a night, the bartender could point right to Dr. Ouzo's resident bar stool. With a raised chin and dying cigarette permanently between his fingers, he stared deep into the nothingness that was the wall behind the bar. Joining him was almost a quiet respite from the rest of their surroundings. "Dr. Ouzo? Like the drink? Is that your real name?" The stranger was likely to ask. The dusky gentleman took a long, looong drag of his cigarette before finally turning his head, just barely, more as a gesture than for any vantage. He gave the stranger a good sideways look from under lowered eyelids that'd long greased over due to excess. With short breath from holding his lungs full of the poison, he said, "The more important question to ask is: am I a real doctor?" Then the man known as Ouzo hissed a long, looong trail of smoke out from the side of his crooked grin. As he took another slow drag, and the phoenix tail of his cigarette rebirthed in one final, desperate wildfire along the rolling paper, Ouzo looked the stranger up and down, then up again, before his grin widened. He put the cigarette out with all the others. **** Ouzo is of average height and average build. Unlike so many after the Attunement, he seemed to remain an ordinary human. He has dark skin, darker hair, and keeps himself well enough groomed. His trousers and mostly-buttoned shirt are plain and his vest is just busy enough to be forgettable. When he's on the go, he wears a worn, single-breasted duster that, when it hangs open lazily by a few buttons, resembles the collar of some great, ostentatious cloak. He seems like he could be young but it's difficult to determine his age by looking at him. He may once have had striking features, but his eyes have begun to hang heavy from too much drink, too much smoke, too little sleep, and some burden carried from long ago. Though through it all, those eyes have still kept their vivacious, laissez faire sparkle. Party Role: Fast-Talking, Skulduggery, Illusion Magic, Medical Malpractice (read: not a healer) Level: 1 Powers: Illusion Arcana (Figment, Displacement) Alignment: Chaotic Neutral. Life is short and capricious. Opportunity, survival, and indulgence are all fundamentally the same thing. And the best way to achieve them is with information. Stealing it, selling it, and applying it. Ouzo still has a good streak in his heart but that good seems to have less and less a place in the world. And goodness doesn't get you paid or keep you safe at night. Though if a townsfolk were crossing the street unawares as an out-of-control carriage came barrelling at them, Ouzo would attempt to rescue the townsfolk purely on instinct. But as they picked themselves up out of the mud, he might try to slip a few bills out of their pocket, or scold them for not paying more attention and claim that they owe him... or both. Background: Focus: Stealth Talent: Extraordinary Power Replacement/Illusion ArcanaOutcast Profession: Focus: Deception Talent: ScoutingCriminal Drive: Talent: Intrigue/Deception Improvement: RelationshipNetworker Goals: Short-term goals might include: gathering compromising information on three different figures of interest to sell to his contacts; increasing his relationship level with his contacts (including role playing out those number increases); “acquiring” a full set of new gear upgrades; "acquiring" a quality set of loaded dice or playing cards, and; gambling his entire cut of an job‘s payout all in a single bet. Long-term goals might be more complicated. Backstory: Not much was known about the man named Ouzo. He came and went like a stray. He liked cloudy liquor in excessive quantities. And he often smelled of Andalusian tobacco and the latest, trendy bottled musk that must've rubbed off on him in passing. Beyond those few facts, there was only rumor. A lot of rumor. False gentleman. Debonair scoundrel. Disgraced doctor. Wanted charlatan.   Backstory Those well connected in high society might recognize his mannerisms as those matching a certain Mr. Campari, a young libertine from Memphis involved in much scandal. Something about recently widowed aristocrats and a string of art thefts. But Ouzo insists that he'd never been to Memphis... around that time. And then there were those rumors about some Dr. Dubonnet, a specialist surgeon who'd only just arrived in Boston before bumping into the administrator of a prominent hospital. What a godsend that encounter must have seemed, just in time to invite the young surgeon to assist in a new, breakthrough procedure. But soon after showing up to the operating theater, Dr. Dubonnet received an urgent solicitation that, to his deepest regrets, required his immediate attendance. It wasn't long after that hospital staff discovered a substantial portion of their patient records had gone missing. Those familiar with Chicago's illicit underground might recognize an uncanny resemblance between him and a charming young vagabond who called himself Vermouth. Vermouth wandered in from the road to ask for work in a notoriously dangerous brothel and gambling den. But Vermouth never made it through his first shift there. Marshals happened to raid the establishment that very same night, armed with more than their trusty Winchesters; they seemed to have precise knowledge of where each of the saloon's gunmen were stationed. Even more strange was that just before the law burst in, Vermouth very quietly disappeared... along with all the safe's cash reserves. Any similarity of appearance or mannerisms or timing between Dr. Ouzo and these highly fictionalized characters were laughed off as mere coincidence. After all, nothing paired better with drinking alongside strangers than a colorful story. But there was one story that, if mentioned out loud, caused the Spaniard's cavalier grin to falter. That was the story of the Incident at Angostura. It wasn't long ago that the adolescent science of psychology first came to the New World. Phrenology's lump-reading and Functionalism's means-as-ends dominated the research at leading medical universities. But for a time, the school of Obstruology held just as much clout. Dr. Pimms and his dozen Obstruologists, making up the faculty of Angostura Academy in burgeoning Rhode Island, posited that the secrets of the human psyche could only be truly known by studying the nuances of involuntary eye movements and how one blinks. Obstruology, the science of eyelids, won many battles in the scholastic wars for the psychological sciences. It marched entire manuscripts off to the presses against Phrenology and sliced across Functionalism's ideological flanks with sharpened quills to spill their lifeblood-ink. But despite their victories, Obstruology was losing. When opposing researchers demonstrated how many of Dr. Pimms' light-based experiments produced more seizures than repeatable results, Obstruology's sentence as a pseudoscience was all but sealed. And then the Attunement happened. Magic was released into the world. Obstruologists, whose theses were increasingly laughed out of conferences, suddenly began to produce results. A lot of results. They began to divine their patients' entire life histories simply by watching them blink. Dr. Pimms began to read his patients' very thoughts. Rumors surfaced that the Academy had resorted to occult rituals and fully abandoned scientific methodology altogether. Even more, fear spread of what it meant to be capable of ripping secrets directly out of a thinking mind. Government marshals, independent Pinkertons, and outlaw gangs alike began to hunt down Dr. Pimms and his Obstruologists. Then one day, Angostura Academy simply vanished. For miles, grass ceased to grow and tree limbs bent away from the secluded spot where its buildings once stood. Only a few of the Obstruologists resurfaced, too discredited to find any respectable work. The others disappeared with their theories. This was the Incident at Angostura. It was a rather bitter affair. And when anyone suggested that Dr. Ouzo happened to resemble one of the grainy, tweed-and-bowtie-wearing figures from the newspaper photograph that broke news of the scandal, he flashed them a devil's smile and wittily changed the subject. If the topic were pressed however, Dr. Ouzo bought them a drink and strongly suggested that was enough story time for one night. His jaw set. His brow furrowed. Just enjoy the free drink and be on your way. No really. He insists. Recent History/Story Hook:   Recent History/Story Hook There were so many reasons, they may as well have not even needed one. They found themselves strewn about a strange room when they woke up. Or rather, when the world hit them. Ouzo detached his arm from a rogue dresser drawer and pushed himself to his feet, rolling abandoned bottles in any direction. Jie wasn't in any better condition. "Jie... JIE." Ouzo hissed, staying conspicuously far from the unmoving strangers on the floor. A miner, a priest, and a nanny? It all seemed like a bad joke. "Did we ever finish the meeting yesterday? About your investigation? ... Oh, we did? Pollas en vinagre, estaa empanao... " He rubbed at the side of his head just to make sure it was still attached. They realized they were in a room at the hostel down the street, except neither of them had a room booked yet, so it must have belonged to one of the other strangers still on the floor. When Jie suggested they get out of there, Ouzo agreed. As they found their found their footing after having climbed out the window, Jie further suggested they repeat their meeting, given the, ah, memory loss. Ouzo gave a grim chuckle and steered them back to the bar from the night before. "If you don't know how to bullfight, Mr. Li..." They were business partners, but only conducted business (over drinks... lots of drinks)socially. And they were supposed to have met to trade information. Supernatural occurrences from Li Jie's field research. The local well-to-dos' artifact trafficking from Ouzo's contacts. But it'd been longer than usual since their last meeting, and one so rarely gets the opportunity to enjoy such good storytelling over drinks, so... The bartender frowned at their return so they took a table near the corner. "As you were saying, about the rumors of the strange lights in the bog...?" The Spaniard asked with a fresh cigarette between his lips, motioning for a drink, striking a match, and lighting up in a single motion. Except it wasn't the disgruntled bartender who approached them. Footsteps much heavier. Hard-soled boots. He knew the kind. Ouzo craned his neck upwards and, sure enough, saw three lawmen standing over them. Ouzo reclined in his seat, taking a long drag and rolling his eyes. The lead lawman, who could have been the others' grandfather, plucked the cigarette from the Spaniard's hand and put it out on the table, making a clear show. "Ouzo? Doctor... Ouzo?" The lawman asked ever so slowly from under silver whiskers. All the time in the world, this one. Without looking back up at him, Ouzo smirked. "The more important question to ask is: am I a real do-" "Cut the bull, son. You know why we're here." Now Ouzo did have to think on this one. Surely, they weren't here for any trashed hostel or unpaid bar tab. Could it have been the break-in at the opera house in New Orleans? Or impersonating an official at the mint in Philadelphia? Or the nunnery job? His gaze darted around as his thoughts raced, as if the answer to the lawmen's presence were right in front of him. Then his eyes connected with Jie's and he saw the look on his face. Ouzo's grin returned. "Li Jie! What have you done!" At least by the time they'd been manacled and hauled away, Ouzo still thought it was funny. "Oh, don't be so worried, Jie," Ouzo consoled the better man. "... this isn't your first time being arrested, is it?"

Super Secret Fieldset for Secrets, GMs Only   No peeking!

Dice Rolls   Dice Ouzo | Character Creation | Ability Roll 1: 3d6 1, 6, 3 Total = 10 Dice Ouzo | Character Creation | Ability Roll 2: 3d6 3, 1, 2 Total = 6 Dice Ouzo | Character Creation | Ability Roll 3: 3d6 1, 1, 5 Total = 7 Dice Ouzo | Character Creation | Ability Roll 4: 3d6 2, 4, 6 Total = 12 Dice Ouzo | Character Creation | Ability Roll 5: 3d6 4, 2, 3 Total = 9 Dice Ouzo | Character Creation | Ability Roll 6: 3d6 6, 5, 5 Total = 16 Dice Ouzo | Character Creation | Ability Roll 7: 3d6 2, 2, 2 Total = 6 Dice Ouzo | Character Creation | Ability Roll 8: 3d6 5, 1, 1 Total = 7 Dice Ouzo | Character Creation | Ability Roll 9: 3d6 6, 4, 6 Total = 16 Dice Ouzo | Character Creation | Outcast Benefit: 2d6 6, 4 Total = 10

Advancement   Level 1 to 2: +1 CON + Focus in DEX (Sabotage) + Talent in Extraordinary Powers, Psychic: Empathy + 2 Health

Statblock   Ouzo's Statblock Name: Ouzo | Level: 2 | Health: 17/17 | Fatigue Accumulation: 0 | Conviction: 1 Force: 12 | Speed: 13 | Defense: 13 | Toughness: 0 | Weapons: Bourbon 8mm SA SA Handgun, reskinned, custom This prototype semiautomatic handgun was an early design by Archduke Karl Salvator of Austria. He named this model after his wife, a princess of House Bourbon. Because he forbade anyone from referring to the invention by name outside of his workshop, it was believed that the nickname was not one of endearment. Archduke Salvator personally gifted the pistol to an elite member of the Pinkertons who'd traveled overseas to assist with a matter that was rather... sensitive, in nature. Damage: 2d6, Ballistic/Wound RoF: SA Range: 55 yards Capacity: 4 Reload: Minor Resources TN: * Requires: STR 0 Special: -1 to hitBourbon 8mm SA, drawn | Armor: none ACC: 0 | COM: 3 | CON: 1 | DEX: 3 | FIG: 0 | INT: 1 | PER: 2 | STR: 0 | WIL: 2 Background: He wasn't always on the down-and-outs. But whatever brought him here, don't ask him about medical universities. Random Benefit: Focus: Willpower (Courage) Focus: Stealth Talent: Extraordinary Power Replacement (Illusion Arcana) 1 Ability: +1 WILOutcast | Social Class: Outsider | Profession: No, he couldn't be. Could he? Just look at that smile. Focus: Deception Talent: ScoutingCriminal | Drive: Talent: Intrigue (Deception) Improvement: Relationship (TBD) Quality: Gregariousness Downfall: OverwroughtNetworker Foci: Courage, Deception, Sabotage, Stealth | Resources: 3+3 | Shoulder satchel Set of fine clothes, worn condition Single-breasted duster Set of common clothes Deck of playing cards Deck of playing cards (earmarked) Set of dice Umbrella Chalk Random key Cigarettes Loose tobacco Matches... lots of matches Bottle of whisky Lockpicks Andalusian Hand-Rolled (special cigarettes) Longknife Bourbon 8mm SA Miner's Pack: hardtack, jerky, canteen, flint, and other standard accoutrement Magical Torture Claw (unidentified)Equipment | Ouzo's special stache of fine cigarettes, kept safe in a metal cigarette case within his breast pocket. They're not just normal special. They're SPECIAL special. Andalusian Hand-Rolled 3/3 Talents: Your magic is rarely what it appears to be. Novice: In general, illusion spells resisted by Perception affect machines and artificial sensors as well as living beings, whereas illusions resisted by Willpower (such as hallucination) have no effect on sensors like camera or microphones, only on a living mind. You gain two Novice-degree Illusion effects.Illusion Arcana | Novice: You can use the lay of the land to your advantage. If you fail a Dexterity (Stealth) test, you can re-roll it, but you must keep the results of the second roll.Scouting | You can psychically sense others’ feel- ings and influence them to some degree. Novice: You gain two Novice-degree Empathy effects.Empathy Psychic Power | Novice: You understand how to navigate the waters of social situations. Choose one of the following Communication focuses: Etiquette, Deception, or Seduction. If you fail a Communication test with your chosen focus, you can re-roll it but you must keep the result of the second roll.Intrigue (Deception) | Powers: Displacement Requirement: Illusion Arcana (Novice) Cost: 3PP Time: Minor Action Target Number: 11 Test: Perception (Seeing) vs. Force You create the illusion that you—or another subject you touch when you cast this spell—are about a yard away from your actual position for the remainder of the encounter. You gain +2 Defense against melee attacks and +5 Defense against ranged attacks while under displacement; attacks targeting an area are unaffected so long as you are actually in the area. Any attacker who misses the subject at least once while displacement is in effect can make a Perception (Seeing) test against your Force as a free action on the start of their turn. Success means they see through the illusion and perceive the subject’s true position, although the spell remains in effect for others.Displacement | Figment Requirement: Illusion Arcana (Novice) Cost: 2PP Time: Minor Action Target Number: 10 Test: Perception (Seeing) vs. Force You conjure a single simple visual illusion no larger than 2 square yards in size, such as a person. This figment can look like anything you’ve seen or can describe (in the GM’s judgment). It has no substance and makes no sound. Anyone with a reason to believe the figment might not be real can roll a Perception (Seeing) test against your Force to see through it. You can impart motion to the illusion by taking a minor action each round to manipulate it, and the figment spell lasts for a minute; spend the cost again to extend its duration for another minute. At the Expert degree, you can conjure an illusion up to 4 square yards in size and cause it to move without taking an action to do so. At the master degree, you can conjure an illusion up to 8 square yards in size, and also cause it to make any sounds associated with that thing or creature.Figment | Sense Emotion Requirements: Empathy Psychic Power (Novice) Cost: 2 PP Time: Minor Action Target Number: 9 Test: Willpower (Self-Discipline) vs. Force You can psychically sense the emotions of others. If you win the test, you know the feelings and mood of a subject you can see. This grants you a +2 bonus on interaction tests with that subject, and you know their current Attitude (as per the social interaction rules in chAPter 2: bAsic rules) toward you and anyone else present. Additionally, you automatically know when the subject directly lies to you, although you do not detect half-truths or lies of omission. Finally, scoring a 5 or 6 in the Stunt Die when activating this power reveals the subject’s Drive, or their other subconscious motivations. This increases your interaction bonus to +3, and you may be able to predict their behavior. A use of sense emotion lasts for the whole encounter of interacting with the subject.Sense Emotion | Empathic Healing Requirements: Empathy Psychic Power (Novice) Cost: 1 - 3 PP Time: Major Action Target Number: 10 Test: None Your touch takes away pain and restores health. You can choose to spend up to 3 PP when you use empathic healing. For each PP spent, the target regains 1d6 Health. You cannot use this power on yourself. You may also spend 1PP to remove any penalties caused by pain or discomfort, but not physical limitations such as blindness. You may do this instead of restoring Health, or in addition to it, adding the 1 PP cost to the healing cost.Empathic Healing Reputation: Though his misdeeds are many, stories of him amount to mere rumor.None (0) | Honorifics: Slatterbaugh's Proven | Memberships: none | Ties: Though Rhii and Ouzo have never met, they may come to realize that they are seeking the same thing. "Anything on a pair of sisters circlin' 'round the lake at Stockton. Locals there're wagerin' on a drought next year - some real ant-chokers o' duststorms - and these gals're shorin' up the shores fer themselves." Skilled trigger-fingers with plans in motion. Sounds like his agents have all the information they need. Besides, not my kind of show. He knows that. "Marshalls've seen some gruesome lately. The real ugly stuff. From Doolittle to Big Cabin, so there's a chance it'll head up this way. Need to know who it is and where they headin'. Some talkin' 'bout the return o' Knucklebone Boone. Hah! Those old skink bastards back sittin' pretty at their desks just wishin' they could catch their ghosts." The best I could do is trail rumors. Not faster than any deputy eager for a shinier badge. Why is he telling me about deals that he knows I won't be interested in? "And then, there is somethin' a pinch political. Some suits back east want eyes on some kinda Tuner creature. Somethin' that, one second over here, and POP, now they're over there. Maybe they're just real fast. Maybe they sweat some fancy drug into the air that makes your eyes all numb. Don't know what it is, how many they are, or what they want. But when the higher ups ain't sayin' much about it, you can be sure it's 'cause they got a lot to say about it.... if this nasty's from another world, you can be sure they got six teeth fer every god forsaken horn." Ah. I see now, my friend. This... this is something. Rhii, Nao and Ouzo once encountered each other in passing while working different "jobs." They may have unintentionally developed shared enemies in some local gunfighter gangs, law enforcement, or brothel/gambling den bosses. They'd crossed paths only the once, just briefly and purely by chance, but in that moment, they recognized something special about the other. Some greater mischief. Some danger, though not towards one another. They didn't know the other's name, but getting caught working a job in the middle of a brothel shoot-out made one difficult to forget. It was a hot afternoon. The kind where the heat was pale and the air stuck to your skin. Ouzo sat at one of the few tables set out in the brothel's foyer, playing cards with some goons and drunks. The Spaniard made sure he was losing - but only by a little - to keep inconspicuous. He needed to cause a distraction, and any plan to do so would need- Shouting from a back hallway. Clients were arguing. Then gunshots. Half the brothel drew heat and the whole place burst into bullets and fleeing screams. Saved him the trouble of having to make up a distraction, at least. The chaos was cover enough to sneak through to a particular back hallway, throw up an illusionary wall over the doorway, and began rifling through the madame's office. Ouzo grinned. The guestbook was right where his contact said it'd be. Clutching it to him, he emerged from the illusionary wall, and- - came face to face with one of the girls. Only she was holding one of the troublemaking gunfighters in a strongarm, much larger than her, as a living shield. She held a fan at his back, which for a moment, shimmered and revealed itself to be an ornate shotgun. Something that wasn't just picked up at your local general goods. They exchanged looks that were simultaneously knowing and curious, she with her illusionary gun and living shield and he with his illusionary wall and stolen ledger. Then a bullet tore into the wall near them, spilling out from the foyer. They both flinched, and in the next moment, were ducking off in different directions with their prey in tow. Nao, Li Jie and Ouzo have been meeting every few weeks to few months to exchange information. Sightings of conspicuous magicks, rumors of artifact trafficking, encounters with supernatural beings. There's usually a lot to glean just by virtue of Li Jie's questions on whatever he was investigating at the time, even before hearing the conclusions to each of his adventures. They always met over too many drinks in some rowdy saloon, regardless of the town they were in. And though it was a symbiotic business relationship, they'd found kindred spirits in one another as foreigners to the New World, researchers in their own rights, and lovers of drink. Despite the revelry and common ground, however, Ouzo knew their relationship was primarily one of business. Utility. Gain. Li Jie may or may not see their exchange of information as free-flowing but Ouzo knew better. Each rumor, each fact, each omission of a seemingly innocuous detail was valuable and had its own price. They were friendly, to be sure. But friends...? It was much easier to say it aloud than think it in the silence of his own head. The two would part ways after one or two days of discussion and binge drinking, with Ouzo often turning around to (quietly) sell Li Jie's findings, rumors, and stories to other contacts. Li Jie | Relationships: J.J. Gittes, Senior Inspector We have suffered equal adversity together. How Dr. Ouzo came to meet a grizzled, Senior Inspector of the Pinkertons is unknown, but they only meet once every couple weeks and always exchange pleasantries at every encounter. "How's the knee?" Ouzo might ask J.J. as they took seats next to one another at the bar, not bothering to look at the other. He knew the answer every time. "Bad storm's rollin' in. Be sure to bunker down," J.J. might say to Ouzo before leaving. Something suggested there was a lot hidden beneath the surface of those painfully dry pleasantries. J.J. (2/2), Johann Gaspar Bound together in shame and truth. His once broad shoulders were now hunched forward, broken by years of hyper-focus and making himself small. The German native, now greying, hopped between apartments throughout the Colonial Empire, a few months per stay. He whittled profusely: out of soap, wood, chalk. Anything he could get his hands on. He carved symbols and iconography and likenesses. Almost mad with his craft, he never stopped. Though it was enough to pay the bills, just barely, he often left an apartment full of shavings and carvings and half-completed visions. Like Ouzo, he was just another nobody. Gaspar (1/1), Mysterious Silhouette ??? Who is this mysterious figure? ??? (1/1) Goals: Short-term Goal 1: Acquire a shotgun, some fireworks, and a set of high quality, loaded dice.Ready For Anything | Short-term Goal 2: Acquire some chloroform, some dynamite, and a respectable amount of counterfeit money. You know... just in case. Ready For Everything Else | Short-term Goal 3: Gather valuable information on 1 to 3 different renowned figures to sell to his contacts.It's Who Ya Know | Short-term Goal 4: After acquiring Resources but before using them, gamble the entire amount gained. In the end, it doesn't really matter if you win or lose, does it?It's All Just a Game | Short-term Goal 5: Gain two Ability Foci from any combination of: Persuasion, Medicine, Research, Empathy, and/or Occultism. Maybe the Academy wasn't all pseudoscience.Which Animals Are Most Like Each Other? | Long-term Goal #1: ??? Recess | Long-term Goal #2: ??? La Fin

[Oghain]

Gerhard left the party to chase his dreams of being a blacksmith!

 

Theme Songs Ragnar's Theme: Hear Them Calling by Greta Salóme Ragnar's Theme: The Devil & The Huntsman by Sam Lee and Daniel Pemberton Ragnar's Theme: (Cover) We All Lift Together by Freya Catherine Ragnar's Theme: Rún by SKÁLD

Zaubersritter Geistklasse Graf Ragnar Maximillian vom Schleswig Name: CountGraf Ragnar Maximillian vom Schleswig a.k.a Gerhard Eisenhand Race: Jötunn Ethnicity: Teütsch; a citizen of Grand Duchy ofGroßherzogtums former North German Confederation landsTyskland, Kingdom of Denmark, United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway, Grand Duchy of Tyskland and their client states and unions.Scandinavian League Image/Appearance: Like all Jötunar Ragnar physically stands out even among those also physically changed by Die Verwandlung at approx. 130 inches11.5 Fuß tall. It is the width of Jötunar that makes them most physically imposing, with Ragnar as broad across the shoulders as an adult man plus half, seemingly fitting the persona of Gerhard the Blacksmith more than he does his real self. Formerly brown haired like his father and hazel eyed like his mother, he now sports a burnt auburn mane of hair and beard as well as obsidian black eyes. Despite his fearsome appearance Ragnar has learned and adapted to his body and can handle normal sized objects and people with little fear of harming them accidentally. Ragnar additionally sports a number of distinctive tattoos including a pauldron tattoo on his right shoulder and upper arm and a Blacksmith's trade tattoo on his left forearm. Clothing is an issue for Ragnar however as the formality of the aristocracy is one area that has, contrary to other aspects of Tysk society, refused to adapt to the results of Die Verwandlung and Ragnar observes this custom when at home. As Gerhard however he dresses both as many expect a blacksmith to dress but also for comfort, particularly when it comes to his shoulders. Hence most who know aGerhard see him either shirtless or wearing looser upper body coverings. His hair and beard are left to grow as they will and are only occasionally shorn back to manageable lengths. Party Role: Heavy front-line battler trained in arcane skills and non-combat support capabilities. Level: 1 Powers: Runenkraft: The use of Runes to achieve a variety of results, typically through their application to objects and people in a creative process such as tattooing or blacksmithing. Hexerei: 'Low' arcanism requiring little time, preparation or resources other than the will of the caster; predominantly instantaneous combative magic but has other simple functions. Zauberei: 'High' arcanism requiring time, preparation and resources; almost exclusively recorded in a grimoire containing standardised zauberei as well as individually developed or personalised zauberei. Alignment: Lawful Neutral: Like all New Teutonic Knights 'Gerhart' is loyal to the Order and to his country. He follows orders when given them, questions them if they deserve it and is committed to his mission. In the pursuit of that mission however, especially in a foreign and tumultuous country, he will do whatever it takes. In this manner he is both honourable and professional knight, and an agent far from home with a dangerous mission to complete. Profession: As Graf of Schleswig and the heir to even greater holdings Ragnar generally requires no profession in order to keep himself. As Gerhard Eisenhand however he makes use of his expertise in blacksmithing and tinkering to make his way, with the occasional addition of general arcanism to the finished product for something extra. Drive/Goals: Gerhard Eisenhand A New Home: Gerhard left his home in the Oosterpacht to make it big on the continent. He seeks a new home, new fortune and a life far from the troubles of his home. Hellstone Prospector: Uncommonly blending magic and metal in his profession, Gerhard is deeply interested in the potential applications of 'hellstone' and its implications for a deeper blending of metal, magic and mechanism. A Name of Ones Own: As all true craftsmen do, Gerhard seeks to make a name for himself as much for the glory of it as the fame and, hopefully, fortune that comes with by crafting his first masterpiece. Ragnar vom Schleswig Die Order des Geistklasse: Ragnar must maintain his 'Gerhard' identity at all costs, obfuscating the New Teutonic Knights' presence on the Continent, unless preservation of that identity endangers either Das Hauptsobjektive or Die Wiederaktion Das Hauptsobjecktive des Großedämonsjagd: Ragnar is to investigate the continued presence of the demons on the Continent, determine how Lord Marshall Lee achieved his infernal feat and, if possible, undo it or establish what can be done to ensure the demons cannot leave the Continent and threaten Europe and the League. Die Wiederaktion: A collection of so called 'standing orders' from the New Teutonic Knights and the League including: reporting new threats to the League, execution upon discovery of any of The UnforgivablesDie Unverzeilichen, observation and where feasible acquisition of new arcane knowledge, abiding by new orders sent, and more. Backstory:   Born in Hamburg to then Graf Ludwig Karl and Gräfin Klothilde vom Schleswig early in the Winter of 1848 Ragnar was a boisterous and squalling child of the German Confederation. With the War of Schleswig raging he would not see his father for the first time until its conclusion in May 1852. Uradel or 'ancient nobility' and penultimate titleholders to County of SchleswigGrafschaft Schleswig, the vom Schleswig holdings were among the disputed lands of the War and subsequently lost with the Danish victory. Neither Ragnar's father Ludwig nor his grandfather Christian themselves saw or lived in their ancestral holdings, the family having been forced from them during the previous century's conflicts. As such the family, though aristocratic, drew its income from Graf Ludwig's military commission and business interests. Despite their relatively humble place in the world, the von Schleswig Between 1852 and 1864 life for Ragnar and the German Confederation settled into a gentle rhythm. Despite loosing the war life was mostly good and Ragnar soon began his education. The family's unusual state of affairs meant that he would receive two educations; one of classical nobility and one of modern aristocracy. His Danish soon matched his German, the sciences were practiced along side courtly etiquette and new theories of business were considered in regards to noble estates. An outspoken and unsubtle boy he nonetheless demonstrated a quick-wittedness his parents mostly found agreeable. In early 1861 after nearly ten years of peace tensions were beginning to rise again between the Danes and the German Confederacy, with skirmishes breaking out variously over the next two and a half years. By the time Die Verwandlung arrived in July war seemed as good as inevitable. Die Verwandlung or 'The Metamorphosis' as the German states called it, not only thrust the American Civil War into the public consciousness and not only left Ragnar and countless others across all walks of life greatly changed but also revealed long disregarded fractures in the region. German society adapted and innovated in response to Die Verwandlung more readily than neighbouring nations, however this re-kindled earlier differences of opinion. Nearly a century prior the Bavarian Illuminati had striven to oppose the increasing power of the Church and all it represented, only to be lain low by its own failings and ultimately a complete outlawing of the Illuminati in Bavaria. Following Die Verwandlung the Church in the South German Confederacy, as it was all around the world, moved quickly to try and establish new dogma surrounding those changed and the 'New Modern'. Parallel though initially unrelated to this, North German Confederacy industrialists and intelligentsia were similarly seeing a pragmatism to embracing the consequences of July 4th 1864. Profoundly affected by Die Verwandlung physically, Ragnar's parents and his father in particular quickly threw what weight the vom Schleswig name (and business) had behind what by March 1865 was direct opposition of North Germans and South Germans. Called The Illumination after the Illuminati, the relatively less dogmatic North German Confederation hailed the Illumination as the successor to the Reformation and the next stage of the Age of Enlightenment. People like Ragnar saw very little of their lives meaningfully change with new industries, sciences and informal academies growing around the exploration, understanding and incorporation of those changed and adaptation to the 'New Modern'. Ragnar's most obvious changes were in his physicality, rapidly growing to quite literal gigantic proportions by his 17th birthday as well the changes to his hair and eye colour. His education expanded in conjunction with the expansion of the society around him and the following he and many others like him were informally studying and exploring their abilities at Illumination AcademiesErläuterungsakademien where their myriad capacities were explored, different broad groups or types loosely named and unconsciously the foundations for a new society were lain. With every month that passed long forgotten divisions between the German regions rose to the surface, inflamed by the the Illumination and Die Verwandlung. In April 1866 the spark was lit by envoys from Copenhagen to Hamburg with most enticing words. The northern Europeans had taken a similar approach to the northern Germans and now sought closer ties. The conflict, enveloped in the Illumination and borrowing its name, was short and brutal. Three quarters of the former North German Confederation united behind a group of nobles, including Ragnar's father, calling themselves the cognate for TyskTeütsch and rallying around the Danish offer of membership in a new League with sovereignty as a Grand Duchy. The Kingdom of Prussia's influence in the German Confederacy plummeted with the departure of the North Germans, their territory receding to the realms of West and East Prussia. The Kingdom of Germany, under the leadership of Bavaria, separated in direct opposition to the formation of Herzogtum Tyskland and its membership in the Scandinavian League. Southern Church Knights, or PaladinsKirchenrittern swept north as a vanguard only to be repelled by the loosely named 'New Teutonic Knights'. Embodiments of opposing ideologies as much as political and cultural ones, and despite their numbers and other advantages the Kirchenritters saw few victories. The Order of Sorcerer Knights of the Duchy of Tyskland in the Scandinavian LeagueDer Orden der Zaubersritter vom Großherzogtum Tyskland im Skandinavischenbund or commonly the New Teutonic Knights, were formally established as a combined military and academic institution of the Scandinavian League at the conclusion of the Illumination in February 1867. Among the first of their formalised number was Ragnar and a dozen other Jötunar, as they were now called. Their innate magical Runenkraftabilities as well as their physical prowess had been one of the keys to the successful repelling of the Kirchenrittern. With his mother looking on proudly, the new Graf Ragnar took his oath and received formally received his Knighthood from the King of Denmark, King of Sweden, King of Norway and the new Grand Duke of Tyskland. The following months saw much celebration and the transformation of old wounds into new bonds between Tyskland and Denmark. With Hamburg as its capital, Tyskland flourished and Die Verwandlung and Illumination hailed as a new Golden Age. In the Spring of 1884 Ragnar, now a CaptainKapitän of the New Teutonic Knights, received clandestine orders and promotion to Ghost ClassGeistklasse. An unusual rank in the Knights, Geistklasse served a role part way between spy, bounty hunter and researcher and were engaged to conduct tasks the Knights desired to keep deeply clandestine. His instructions were sparse, telling him to develop a false identity and make his way to the nation of Oosterpacht where he would be met by another Geistklasse for further instructions. None were to know of his presence or his rank, as a noble or as a Knight. The letters bore the marks of several highly ranked individuals of the League, including royals and the three masters of the Knights. Grave events were afoot and Ragnar had been chosen to be one of likely many Ghosts working the will of the League. His mother could be trusted to care for the Grafschaft, but both she and his father would needs be kept in the dark. By Autumn a Jötunn calling himself Gerhard arrived in the Oosterpacht on a ship from Calais. Alone and travelling lightly, he stood out yet mingled with the diverse citizens of the country. By December Gerhard was known by all as a proud son of Oosterpacht, well known for his prodigious blacksmithing and withered mother who had been blessed and punished equally by the very thing that made her son so mighty. In the new year tragedy and misfortune would strike, taking his mother and threatening him with indentured bondage for the debts of a father he had never known. Fleeing in the Spring storms to the Continent, the man known as Gerhard Eisenhand from Oosterpacht would be seeking a knew home and an escape from the troubles that may yet still be chasing him. In the year 1885 few if any could suspect the truth of 'Gerhard', the mission that drove him nor the secrets that lurked beneath his gregarious visage. Role Playing Samples:   Sample 1 - Clackin' Jack the Flenser, a Drow necromancer working with organised crime peers to stop agents from violating a place special to them. Sample 2 - Prince Imendjeref the Hierophant, an Egyptian styled but mechanical class Warlockpriest and second son to his father-king resisting an ancient secret of his ancestors.

Ability Rolls   Dice First Ability Roll: 3d6 5, 2, 1 Total = 8 Dice Second Ability Roll: 3d6 6, 1, 1 Total = 8 Dice Third Ability Roll: 3d6 1, 4, 3 Total = 8 Dice Fourth Ability Roll: 3d6 6, 3, 1 Total = 10 Dice Fifth Ability Roll: 3d6 1, 3, 6 Total = 10 Dice Sixth Ability Roll: 3d6 1, 2, 3 Total = 6 Dice Seventh Ability Roll: 3d6 4, 5, 4 Total = 13 Dice Eighth Ability Roll: 3d6 1, 4, 4 Total = 9 Dice Ninth Ability Roll: 2d6 6, 1 Total = 7 Dice Social Class Roll: Upper Class - Aristocrat: 2d6 5, 5 Total = 10   Dice Re-Roll for 1st '8' Result: 3d6 3, 6, 2 Total = 11 Dice Re-Roll for 2nd '8' Result: 3d6 4, 6, 1 Total = 11 Dice Re-Roll for 3rd '8' Result: 3d6 6, 2, 5 Total = 13

Statblock Name: Gerhard Eisenhand | Age: 37 | Level: 1 | Health: 27/27 | Force: 12 Speed: 11 | Defense: 11 | Toughness: 2 | FA: | Weapons: TBD | Armor: TBD ACC: 06 | LeadershipCOM: 212 | CON: 213 | DEX: 111 | FIG: 111 | History, TacticsINT: 111 | PER: 07 | STR: 111 | WIL: 213 Background: +1 COM | Focus: INT (History) | Talent: Arcana | Benefit: COM (Leadership)Aristocratic | Social Class: Upper | Profession: Focus: INT (Tactics) | Talent: ArcanaCommander | Resources: 6 | TBDEquipment Talents: Novice: Runes You can apply a Rune to a person, place or thing as part of a creative process (e.g.: tattooing, crafting, blacksmithing, writing, etc) and imbue it with a limited or specific power-like stunt/sub-set of stunts.Runenkraft | Novice: ArchetypeHexenrei Arcana | Novice: TBDZauberei Arcana | Powers: TBD (TBD) | TBDPP | TBD | TN: TBD | Test: TBDTBD | TBD (TBD) | TBDPP | TBD | TN: TBD | Test: TBDTBD Conviction: 1/3 | Drive: Talent: Runenkraft | Improvement: +5 HP | Quality: Devotion - Ragnar, even as Gerhard, is possessed of an unshakable sense of loyalty and duty. | Downfall: Secrecy - Maintaining his Gerhard identity sometimes means going against his own personality.Zaubersritter Geistklasse | Reputation: Schäferhund; ~End of Yellow Ridge Session | Ties: "I remember Hem. Wears secrets like silks and revels in it, I think. De 'doktor' I think does much harm than healing."Ouzo | "Hem I like! Hij drink like fish, move like cat and growl like dog! Is vos! Er... You say, fox! Makes much noisy but says little."Eoin | "Strange man from een vreemde place. Know about the demon, maybe know about het Hellstones too. We do business I think."Jie | "Het vlindermeisje, butterfly-girl. Today I see for the first time. Can tell you nothing."Rhii | "She like 'doktor'. Where hem is secret having she is danger stalking."Fujimoto Relationships: Hailing from Oranjestad, Captain Anneke and Gerhard know each other from his passage to The Continent. It took a sizeable sum to convince her to take him, as his size meant taking no other passengers and less cargo, but they developed an amicable enough rapport over the voyage.Captain Anneke van der Hjooste (1) Gerhard and Eoin met by chance in a dive-tavern, two strangers in town both of whom were offputting for the locals. One night turned into several and now Gerhard counts the vulpine wanderer a good acquaintance and fun to drink with."Eoin Dermott (1)" Goals: Gerhard wants money to establish his own smithy and forge | Ragnar is searching for his initial pathway to the demons.Short-term Goal #1 | Gerhard is intrigued by the possibilities of Hellstone and needs a source of it to experiment with | Ragnar Short-term Goal #2 | TBDLong-term Goal #1

Secrets for GM Im Geheimen

[Odyssey]

Eoin left the party and took his chances on the run as an outlaw!

 

Theme Songs Eoin's Theme: Love Affair of Irish and Drink Eoin's Theme: Age Old Family Complications Eoin's Theme: Scars of War Eoin's Theme: Jobs Take Him Places...

Eoin Dermott Name: Eoin ‘The Wild Hunter’ Dermott Race: Human/Ees sheeAos Sí Ethnicity: French-Irish Image/Appearance: Many accounts, Eoin appears human with a slim, athletic build. He wears his dirty-blond hair lose and brushed back in an unfettered fashion. Some may glean the walk of a military veteran as his bearing speaks of training and authority -- if a bit self-important and cynical at times. Though Eoin has never openly spoken about any service, by the way wears a sabre and handles a rifle as he drinks, many might not want to ask. Eoin is almost always dressed in fashionable attire with a long, slender frame. Suits and clothes cut close to the body, striped trousers and a double-breasted waistcoat. Although Eoin has an eye for fashionable menswear, he isn't without versatility and functionality. Tall, steel-toed boots coated in iron buckled about his feet, accompanying his sabre, rifle named Eyeh Bolg.Gae Bulg and a bracer with several different types of bite marks. While he’s never one to be poorly dressed, on the off chance that he’s witnessed in a disheveled state, he's most likely hungover or currently drunk. Party Role: rifleman, cryptid bounty-hunter, knowledgeable folkloristics Level: 1 Powers: An Dà Shealladh: Second Sight, the ability to sense and see the unseen and/or hidden world. Dream Walking: Druids were a secretive class of Celtic people. Little is known of them, except Eoin understands first-hand how unnerving and cryptic the dreams he sometimes has. Alignment: Chaotic Neutral. The sudden shock of his Second Sight spurred Eoin into a world and old traditions he once thought couldn’t hold water in any practical way. Instead of the ‘greater good’ guiding his actions, he seeks to profit off of his unexpected misfortune-- the misfortune to see all the hidden things that do not want to be seen. Profession: Cryptozoologist and Fiend-Hunter. Using obscure mythological and folklore knowledge and military training, Eoin has found a niche within the wild, weird west. Hunting down the monsters and creatures that cause death, destruction, or inconveniences. It doesn't matter as long as the client pays, consider the problem fixed when you hire The Wild Hunter. Drives/Goals: Whence the Hunt: Eoin sense of self is split between wanting to run away from all the unsettling things he innately scoffs and disregards. However, he has found a reliance on it that makes him long for a greater connection and purpose with it. Soul of a Soldier: The Civil War has left scars, body and mind both. There was no going back to the life he had imagined as a child. Though a soldier, Eoin can’t bare more human slaughter by his already bloody hands. Instead, has he found a way to do what he does best, while also protecting people only the way he knows. Faerie Appetites: Since The Event, Eoin's senses have been heightened and when it comes to things like eating, drinking and other activities, he finds himself given over to urges he can't control. His indulgences don't seem to affect him meaningfully, but often those with him are left worse for wear. Backstory:   Druid and a Dalliance Eoin may have dropped the ‘Mc’ of McDermott, but his family history cannot be so easily removed as scratching off a few extra letters. Long before he was born, Eoin’s family was embroiled in some unexplained circumstances when his great-grandmother, Clodagh, an eponymous druid from a long line of Celtic lore-keepers had herself a dalliance with an Aos Si-- a stunningly beautiful wild fae. It was all hearsay and nothing could be proven, but even so, the McDermott family would be forever marked by the experience. Eoin’s grandmother and daughter of Clodagh, Alieen, immigrated to America. There, Alieen met and married Robert Moreau. However, Alieen didn’t change her last name, but instead hyphenated to Moreau-McDermott and her children shared only her surname. Robert and Alieen’s marriage had been strained but together they had four children until Robert passed away from Tuberculosis. Alieen’s second son, Ardan, married and Eoin was born not long after. When Eoin was four years old, his mother succumbed to Typhoid Fever. Ardan was an alcoholic and an absent father who sent his son to live with Alieen at the age of ten. Eoin was a bright and practical child who believed that his family told stories of folklore to explain away practical and rational explanations. There was no evidence that his great-grandmother was a druid. She was likely a crazy woman who had fits, running off with another man for a while. The lie about a Fae was merely the romanticized story in place of the truth. Eoin’s grandmother was a believer in the unexplained and magical, and it kept their relationship on the ropes. The Trauma of the American Civil War Eoin had his heart set on a higher education in the sciences, not only to spite his grandmother’s ravings about folklore of her homeland. Until the Civil War finally broke out when Eoin was just shy of fourteen did everything change. Eoin was conscripted by a local Union militia in 1862 as a rifleman, unwittingly drafted under the age of seventeen. Eoin had little idea what awaited him -- until a dream told him, unknowingly the beginning of The Event. There was fog. Blood. Horror. Unimaginable death. It was only dream, right? He soon found out how wrong he was, and how his dream was right. In the foggy morning hours of September 17, 1862, when Confederate and Union troops clashed near Maryland’s Antietam Creek. The men of the 16th had only just been mustered, and barely trained, when they were ordered into battle at Antietam. The raw recruits rushed straight into a Confederate crossfire and then broke and ran, slaughtered within minutes. The Battle of Antietam was bloody and savage, lasting hours until sundown. It wasn’t even a relief when the Confederates, led by Robert E. Lee, finally retreated. Eoin was never the same. He developed ‘Soldier’s Heart,’ a sickness in the mind and heart, as the doctors put it. While in the middle of a dream when Eoin was sixteen in 1864, having escaped capture but witnessing most of the 16th taken to be put into the notorious Confederate prison at Andersonville, Eoin saw a Fae. He was beautiful, if not indescribable upon awakening. The Fae had whispered to him, asking if Eoin claimed his blood. Without a thought-- as if an impulse, something missing he had not known, he said yes. The Blood Rite and Second Sight There was something different then, though Eoin hadn’t known what, yet. The dream was a distant memory, but pleasant...And ominous. He hadn’t thought much of it. Until he began to see things. Unexplained things. Most of them horrifying. The fits in his sleep grew worse. Paranoia and hallucinations worsened by the day, until he was told to go home. There, Eoin told his grandmother, Alieen, what was happening, and what he was seeing. Alieen didn’t seem surprised. Instead, she appeared to know exactly what he was experiencing. It was Second Sight-- or Fae Sight. The ability was rare among her people of Ireland, existing in folklore. Alieen had collected a vast knowledge on the subjects of disputed creatures of existences. Eoin protested-- but it was a losing fight. Either he was crazy and succumbing to Soldier’s heart, or he was blessed by Fae blood from his great-grandmother’s elope with an Aos Si. Neither were favorable, but at least now Eoin understood the appeal of escapism into traditional myth. Until it wasn’t myth. More unexplained and otherworldly occurrences were on the rise. It was his grandmother’s idea when she suggested he go use his gifts to help others. Eoin had another idea-- he had an edge to see the unseen, a rifle and military training. He then spent his time learning about the various monsters that roamed the land in frightening frequency. It was opportunity. He could charge for his services, and Eoin became ‘The Wild Hunter,’ the roaming bounty-hunter of the nefarious fiends, fae, and other, if the price was right. RP Samples: 1. My Aasimar warlock's repercussions and feelings after finding out his actions harmed his twin brother 2. An epilogue for my assassin as he continues to search for answers of a looming threat, and mysteriously disappears after meeting his mother, Sosa, again.

Dice Rolls   Dice Eoin | Character Creation | Ability Roll 1: 3d6 5, 3, 5 Total = 13 Dice Eoin | Character Creation | Ability Roll 2: 3d6 5, 6, 3 Total = 14 Dice Eoin | Character Creation | Ability Roll 3: 3d6 6, 2, 4 Total = 12 Dice Eoin | Character Creation | Ability Roll 4: 3d6 2, 6, 1 Total = 9 Dice Eoin | Character Creation | Ability Roll 5: 3d6 3, 6, 4 Total = 13 Dice Eoin | Character Creation | Ability Roll 6: 3d6 5, 2, 2 Total = 9 Dice Eoin | Character Creation | Ability Roll 7: 3d6 6, 5, 5 Total = 16 Dice Eoin | Character Creation | Ability Roll 8: 3d6 6, 6, 2 Total = 14 Dice Eoin | Character Creation | Ability Roll 9: 3d6 3, 1, 1 Total = 5 Dice Eoin | Character Creation | Military Benefit: 2d6 5, 4 Total = 9

Statblock   Name: Eoin Dermott | Level: 1 | Background: +1 FIG | Focus: Accuracy (Pistols) | Talent: Observation | +1 PERMilitary | Social Class: Lower | Profession: Focus: Accuracy (Rifles) | Talent: Rifle Style Soldier | Drive: Talent: Attractive Improvement: Reputation Quality: Zest Downfall: OverindulgenceEcstatic Health: 22/22 | Fatigue Accumulation: 0 | Conviction: 3 | Resources: 2 Speed: 11 | Defense: 11 | Toughness: 2 | Weapons: (flavored hunting rifle) To hit: | Damage: 2d6+2+PER (Ballistic, Wound) | Range: 400 yards | Capacity: 4 | Reload: MajorSpringfield | To hit: | Damage: 2d6+2+PER (Ballistic, Wound | Range: 65 yards | Capacity: 3 | Reload: MajorRevolver ACC: 3 | COM: 2 | CON: 2 | DEX -1 | FIG: (+1 Military)3 | INT: 2 | PER: (+1 Military)3 | STR: 1| WILL: 1 XXEquipment: | Talents: Novice: Your presence is as stunning upon a second impression as it was the first. You can use the Making an Entrance social stunt a second time at any point in an encounter. Also, if an NPC would be attracted to you, their initial attitude is one step more favorable.Attractive | Novice: You notice things others do not. Choose one of the following Perception focuses: Empathy or Seeing. If you fail a Perception test with your chosen focus, you can re-roll it but you must keep the result of the second roll.Observation | Novice: Countless hours at the range have taught you to fire accurately from a fixed position. If you are prone or can brace against a sturdy object such as a wall or ledge, you gain +1 to your attack roll. This stacks with the Aim action.Rifle Style Force: 11 | Powers: Requirement: Divination Arcana (Novice) | Cost: 2 PP | Time: Major action | Target Number: 12 | Test: None When you successfully cast this spell, for one minute you can perceive through all forms of magical deception or illusion. Invisible things are visible to you, illusions revealed as unreal. You remain aware of the presence of such things, but they have no effect on you and you can see them for what they really are. Magically transformed or shape-shifted beings show a ghostly overlay of their true form or appearance. An Dà Shealladh | Upon taking a job, you have access to the 'fairy roads.' You are aware of what direction your next target may be.Druid Walking Reputation: Wild Hunter (1) | Ties: Who we be talkin' about? Ah, right. Met him once or twice. Always got company with him, though, and not sure he knows abou' 'em, either. Or he does, and it isn't anythin' to him. Looks like a little man or somethin'-- Eh? No! I'm not calling him little. I'm talkin' about invisible person--Ay, don't be lookin' at be like that. I'm not crazy. Just steer clear of him. Now, buy me a drink.Jie Hah! A name I remember despite the drinks. Think she came for information about demons-- specific kinds. I'm not a specialist but I've run into my fair share. Nao had heard of my reputation as a bounty hunter but, heh, she hadn't heard my reputation for drinkin' for sure. Truth be told, my faerie side got the best of me when I exchanged my knowledge for a drinkin' game. Well, of course I won! I'll show you right now if you buy me a drink.Nao In a matter of vexing circumstance, hunter becomes hunted. Dodged it the best I could, but things always come back to bite'cha.Rhii TBARagnar| Relationship: Once thought she was a crazy old woman who believed in ridiculous things. Now, it turns out she was right about everything and my old grandma loves to rub my face in it. I wasn’t the first to accept my blood right-- my grandmother did, also. However, she has far more experience and knowledge than I do-- and while our relationship is contentious at best, I can’t do much without her. I loathingly need her help for many matters and that drives me to consult her when needed. There is a catch. Just like with many fae, Alieen will often be cryptic or will allow me to follow my own assumptions, rather than correct information. She's a frustrating old lady and I'll go to here only in dire circumstances. Aileen McDermott (2/2) XXRelationship 2 | Goals: XXShort-term Goal #1 | XXShort-term Goal #2 | XXXLong-term Goal #1

[Niyaga]

Li Jie - Demon Hunter Li Jie Mashup of a ceramic Zhong Kui doll and the cover Cowboy from the T.V. Olsen book “Gunswift” (It’s hard to find Chinese Demon Cowboy images) Name: pron. Lee Gee Surname firstLi Jie Race: Tiefling/Half-demon Ethnicity: Chinese Australian Image/Appearance: Jie has skin of an unearthly brown shade giving him a weathered complexion. In truth, his half-demon heritage has warped his natural features, giving him brown skin, piercing, crazed dark eyes, short backwards curving horns and shocks of stiff hair and beard. Jie’s hygiene is lacking as being on the run leads to alternate priorities. People meeting him for the first time usually keep their distance, which is fine for the aloof Jie. Years ago, when he’d first arrived in Australia from Guangdong province, he wore the ordinary garb of his people but now he wears commonly available clothes and a cowboy hat to cover his short horns. Jie carries his father Jian’s dao, his most prized possession. Until recently Jie has lived in Australia among rough miners. His accent speaking English is a strange mélange of his native tongue and the Australian drawl with just a faint echo of American frontier-speak creeping in. Party Role: Magic, investigation and knowledge of the supernatural. I like to play casters that can solve varied problems so ideally would like a broader spread of spells. I envisage Jie as having an intimidating persona and use stand-over tactics versus evil folk and creatures. Level: 1 Powers: Power Arcana if we’re to not vary from the ruleset. I imagined Jie might have detection and abjuration powers as well as a magical attack. Maybe that will wait some levels. Alignment: Chaotic Good. Jie ran from mob justice, killing many on his way. His scruples are good, but don’t cross him. He’s a protector of good folk and an enemy of bullies, corrupt and… demons. As he’s shown before, he has a terrible and unforgiving wrath.   Backstory: Jie was born in the Guangdong province of China but emigrated with the men of his family to Australia following the goldrush. Life was tough in the frontier towns and the Chinese minority banded together for safety and solidarity. There was little civilization including poor food, water and sanitary conditions. Gold prospectors toughed it out in the hope of making it rich. Jie’s father Li Jian was a hard-worker and dedicated father. He was very strict, hoping to fashion a good man of his son, who might return to China strong and rich. They shared a burlap tent near a waterhole with Jian settling his son each night with traditional mythological stories of heroes, villains, emperors, princesses and demons. When Jie was just a young man, grown strong from his labours, they finally found gold; a nugget the size of Jian’s head! They hid it carefully and didn’t say anything, terrified that the Europeans would take it from them by force. For the goldfields were a rough and lawless place, the Troopers were corrupt and just as likely to try to wrest any winnings from prospectors. The only way was to smuggle the nugget out and back to China. Jian and Jie had made a plan to do this under the guise of illness but everywhere they went people were suspicious of the father and son headed for China. They’d made it to a port town and had a ship’s passage booked back through Indonesia when “The Awakening” happened. The timing was poor for the Li’s, as a group of toughs had decided that they had something of worth and were stalking them. When the world went crazy, they cornered them in an alleyway, beat the two of them and took the gold. Beaten and bloodied, Jie lay not far from the men who now sheltered from strange things happening to people nearby. They didn’t think to pay attention to the young man watching his father die. Visions flickered over Jie’s mind’s eye. Faint memories of his mother; ocean voyages, creaking decks and gull cries; the goldfields and the burlap tent; cooking fire, starry skies and his Father telling stories. Then *SNAP* Like the simultaneous burst of a million synapses there came a vision of Zhong Kui, the scholar, suicide, king of ghosts and bane of demons. This vision burned and fused into Jie’s brain and being. What rose from the ground wasn’t nearly the same being that had fallen to the bully’s clubs. Jie’s hair was wild and a bristling beard replaced his burgeoning moustache and goatee. His skin had turned a burnished brown too deep to be natural. His eyes rolled around in their sockets showing a concerning amount of white. This creature stood looking down at his father with such tremendous rage that steam issued from his nose and ears. He snatched his father’s dao from one of the robbers and laid about, brutally ending their lives. He reclaimed the nugget, fought his way to the waiting vessel, and left Australia, never to return. Jie became a wreck on that long sea voyage. He blamed himself for his Father’s death. He wondered what he’d become. He had strange dreams of Zhong Kui and hideous demons. He considered returning to Guangdong but with his father’s death and his demonic visage he could not face the shame. Nor could he bring that shame on his family. He sold the nugget, drank and fought his way through Asian ports before ending up on a ship bound for the American West. Jie was an outcast and did not know how to make his way. The money ran out and he had to find work. He couldn’t bring himself to go prospecting again; the lust for gold had killed his father. He contemplated being a killer as life was cheap in the West. He’d learned that what made a killer was a willingness to kill. So, he became a bounty hunter, learning as he went how to track, question, intimidate and collect bounties; only accepting jobs to capture or kill folk he perceived as evil. He decided to seek redemption this way. Less than a year into his new profession a mark he’d accepted turned out to be a demon. He used his magic to locate it and set a trap. Successfully capturing it he interrogated it and discovered that there were others of its kind, terrorizing the frontier populace. Lots more of them. Li Jie found his purpose and would spend the rest of his life, “The Bane of Demons”. Background: LabourerGold Prospector. Profession: InvestigatorBounty Hunter, Demon Slayer and Protector. Drive/Goals: ProtectorRedemption through protection of good people. A strange motivation to mimic Zhong Kui. Coin to send to his family. Coin for drink. If ever there was an evil demon lord oppressor, he’d be hot on its heels. Role-Playing Samples:   A loving mother clutches the only thing she has left of her husband and son, tears dripping onto the rough page. A letter traveled around the world. In this letter to his beloved mother, Jie writes much less than he'd like to say. When he writes, "I have been without Father now four years. Each day I mourn his passing." he really means that he blames himself for his death and the shame it has brought their family. "My wandering has brought me to America where I hope I can bring pride to our family." By this the inscrutable Jie means that he seeks to undo the wrongs of his past, correct the balance and find harmony where he can in this strange new world. He also realizes that he needs to stop running and find a place to call his own; somewhere he might bring his family to live in safety, comfort and pride. He senses his future is tied up in the demon plague (for why has he been cursed with his transformation and ability?) but also wonders whether his prospecting experience might provide him with a lucky hellstone claim, enough to retire on. He seeks his fortune but doesn’t yet know what that might be. "Please accept this gift." The gift is a bank note for the Chinese American Bank, founded 1877 with Headquarters in New York City and Guangzhou. "I never stop thinking of you and hope one day to see you again." This is the big question on Jie’s mind; did his mother or other members of his family also suffer a transformation? How do I tell her what I have become? She says that 'everything is fine' and that the family is well. Really?! If she isn’t lying, then he can never be re-united with his family and must continue with this charade existence. If she lies, then perhaps they might be together again. This question will either be answered in Jie’s life or he will curse life for not knowing. "Perhaps if I find success here I might ask you all to join me." The Li family weren’t quitters (to use a turn of phrase from his American counterparts). Jie had ambition. He’d learn all he could like the scholar Zhong Kui, of whom he was a demonic parody. He’d amass wealth and carve out a place for himself and for his family. He’d make people remember the Li family and be in awe of their prosperity. He prays his Mother reads the true meaning of his words.

Character Stat Rolls   Dice Jie stat 1: 3d6 3, 1, 5 Total = 9 Dice Jie stat 2: 3d6 5, 2, 6 Total = 13 Dice Jie stat 3: 3d6 5, 4, 3 Total = 12 Dice Jie stat 4: 3d6 5, 1, 1 Total = 7 Dice Jie stat 5: 3d6 3, 3, 3 Total = 9 Dice Jie stat 6: 3d6 5, 5, 6 Total = 16 Dice Jie stat 7: 3d6 1, 4, 5 Total = 10 Dice Jie stat 8: 3d6 2, 1, 6 Total = 9 Dice Jie stat 9: 3d6 1, 1, 3 Total = 5 Dice Background's random benefit roll - Labourer: 2d6 4, 5 Total = 9

Statblock   Name: Li Jie | Level: 1 | Health: 23/23 | Force: 12+2 INT power focus Zhong Kui Arcana14 | Force Accumulation: 0 Speed: 10 | Defense: 10 | Toughness: 3 | Weapons: short sword Damage: 1d6+2 (Impact, Wound)Dao | Armor: None ACC: 1 | COM: 1 | Labourer +1CON: 3 | DEX: 0 | FIG: 1 | INT: 3 | PER: 1(Perception focus from Investigator3) | STR: -1 | WIL: 2 Background: +1 CONLabourer | Social Class: Low | Profession: Focus: Perception | Talent: ObservationInvestigator/Bounty Hunter Foci: INT (Zhong Kui Arcana) | Perception. From Investigator ProfessionSeeing | Knowledge of geology and how to spot/predict veins of ores, precious metals, and gems. How to read mine shafts and underground tunnels for safe passage or unstable foundations.Prospecting | Resources: 4 | Dao, clothes, hat, waterskin, mess kit, canvas bedroll, pack, compact pick and shovel, gold pan, sheaf of paper, pen, ink, 4 envelopes, membership certificate: chinese american bank.Equipment Talents: Zhong Kui Arcana You gain insight into the world of demons and spirits. Your powers allows you to see, manipulate, and harm them in ways other mortals have no concept of. Novice: You gain two Novice-degree Zhong Kui Arcana spells. Expert: You gain one Expert-degree Zhong Kui Arcana spell. You also gain the power focus INT (Zhong Kui Arcana). Master: You gain one Master-degree Zhong Kui Arcana spell. You can also choose one power stunt you can perform with your Zhong Kui Arcana spells for -1SP.Zhong Kui Arcana - Novice | Zhong Kui Arcana - Expert | You have an eye for detail. Novice: You notice things others do not. Perception focus: Seeing. If you fail a Perception test with your chosen focus, you can re-roll it but you must keep the result of the second roll.Observation Powers: Demonsense Requirement: Zhong Kui Arcana (Novice) Cost: 2PP Time: Minor Action Target Number: 9 Test: DEX (Stealth) vs. Power test result You attune your senses to negative energy emanations and past whispers of chaos and death. For 5 minutes, you can sense the presence of ghosts, demons and otherworldly creatures or attempt to discern traces of their passage or prior habitation in an area out to 10 yards including what type of creature, how long since it had passed etc. The greater your Power test result, the more information you'll receive. If there is an invisible or otherwise unseen ghost, spirit, or demon in the area the GM will make a secret opposed roll using the creature's Stealth (or another appropriate focus) vs. your Power test result. If the creature is a ghost or unquiet spirit communication may be established during the Power's duration, though use of the Power only allows visibility and does not grant assistance with any social interactions.Demonsense | Soul Tether Requirement: Zhong Kui Arcana (Novice) Cost: 1PP or 3PP (see description) Time: Major Action Target Number: 9 Test: Willpower (Self-Discipline) vs Willpower You summon Zhong Kui’s tether and strike out against a target within 20 yards of you, attempting to bind a creature to your vicinity or to paralyze it entirely. Choose whether to tether or to bind and pay the PP cost. Those struck by the tether must succeed on a Willpower (Self-Discipline) test vs. your Force or be caught. If tethered, their Speed is reduced by half as the fiery binds tangle limbs and restrict movement, and they can no longer use movement-based Stunts. If paralyzed, their Speed is reduced to zero and are unable to act. A creature affected by either effect may use a minor action to attempt to break free each round (a major action is required to break free from paralysis) using an opposed Willpower (Self-Discipline) vs. Willpower (Zhong Kui) test. An affected creature may not move more than 20 yards away without first breaking the tether. Soul Tether | Armour of Yama Requirement: Zhong Kui Arcana (Expert) Cost: 1+PP Time: Minor Action Target Number: 9 Test: None You summon the armour of the God of the Underworld, Yama. Sheathed in this shimmering wreath of immortal power, protection against all impact and ballistic damage, you may spend up to 8 PP and gain an AR equal to the PP spent for 1 minute. You can extend the duration of the armour by another minute by spending the cost again. The armour does not protect against energy damage or penetrating damage and armor-defeating stunts work against it normally.Armour of Yama Conviction: 3/3 | Drive: Jie feels that his destiny is to protect the world from being overrun by demons. Quality: Devotion to those under your protection and to your ideals, no matter what challenges lie in your path. Downfall: Recklessness when it comes to putting yourself (and others) in harm’s way to protect your charges. Health +5Protector | Reputation: nil Ties: Drinks and Arcane Secrets Ouzo and Jie had been meeting regularly to drink and swap tales, notes and information on the occult. Deep in his cups, Jie has confided in Ouzo his tale of family, death, gold and countries and was grateful for the catharsis. Ouzo helps in finding information about demons, ghosts and the supernatural. These are sometimes used to help with bounties but mostly used to catalogue everything Jie can learn, so he can better understand himself, his transformation, his vision of Zhong Kui and his strange compulsion towards demons.Ouzo | Hellstone; its Location and Applications Jie has seen Gerhard around and understands he's a Blacksmith interested in Hellstone. Jie has recently learned of Hellstone and wonders whether the discovery of a source of the strange mineral might be his opportunity to ensure his wealth. He's keen to discuss this with Gerhard at the first available opportunity.Gerhard | Visions and Competitive Bounty Hunting Eoin and Jie have crossed paths on numerous occasions and know each other on a first name basis. As bounty hunters in the same region, they often apply for the same jobs. The celtic seer Eoin knows one more thing about Jie that he doesn't even know himself. Yama, the God of the Underworld watches at his shoulder.Eoin | Team work to defeat a common foe. Nao and Jie teamed up to rid a town of a demon they couldn't have defeated alone.Nao | Relationship: June May, Cripple Creek Hostelier says, "As long as you pay your dues and keep quiet after ten anyone’s welcome. All people are equal under the sky, just some have a love of life, family and respectability. Others are like dogs and I’ll have nothing to do with them." June was the first person to look Jie in the eye, welcome and talk with him. He has a great love and respect for her and shelters at her hostel when things get too much. He'd also help her if the very capable woman was ever in trouble.Jie's first friend in the Protectorate Goals: Send another payment to his mother. Check mail to see if she's replied.Short term one | Learn what he can about demons and try to better understand his transformation.Short term two | Gain control or nullify as many demons as he can to protect folk.Long term

[KellyCat]

Rhii left the party to find her way back home!

 

Name: Nickname, True Name never told to othersRhii
Race: Fae, subspecies Pixie
Ethnicity: Summer court, Seelie, Fae realm.
Party role: healer, magical support (water oriented)
Level: 1
Powers: Healing and water magic
Alignment: Neutral Good. As a member of the summer court, she leads a life that is often complicated to those who do not deal often with the fae. She can not lie, though that being said, she doesn’t always tell the truth. She believes in helping others… But she does not believe that her help shall come free of strings. All things must remain in balance, and as such, debts must be paid. The one thing that she can’t stand is pointless suffering… She finds herself unable to resist standing up to those who are needlessly cruel.

Appearance:
Rhii is fairly normal for a pixie, standing about a foot tall assuming that one were not to add the height of her wings to her size. Her hair is the same shade of blue that one would find in the deep ocean, cut towards the bottom of her shoulder blades. A close observer might note that she has started to acquire the first of her graying hairs, though given her size it is harder to notice. Clothing is a difficult thing for Rhii, mostly because finding something in her size is nearly impossible in this land of giants… But thankfully she knew just enough sewing to manage a simple dress of azure blue that falls about her knees from fabric scraps that she managed to “liberate”. On her belt, she wears a A thin bladed dagger to those who view such a small weapon to be less of a threatrapier though she is only barely qualified in its use.

Profession: Expert
One of the things that benefits Rhii is the fact that as a tiny magical creature, food is inexpensive. That leaves her a lot of time to research possible ways for her to find a way home. When she must earn currency (an annoying concept), she does provide medical assistance… Though those with leads might find that their knowledge is more valuable than money.

Drive: Caregiver
Her one objective is to find her way home… That is what drives her, what keeps her going, and is what she wishes to accomplish. All other things are secondary to that objective, though secondary objectives tend to complicate the primary task. No one can survive in this strange world alone, and surrounding herself with loyal allies is going to increase her odds of success.

Background: Academic
Where does one begin when telling a story? A person’s birth and family might be a place that one might start, though of course it is of little relevance to the story. Tales of childhood might give relevant insights into one’s origins, but alas as one charts the course of a life, such events are often prologue more than the story that one wishes to hear. This is a story of a girl, born into a world of magic and wonder who no fault or desire of her own found herself trapped in a world not her own.

For a fae, Rhii is nothing remarkable. Of neither one of high standing… For such a thing would be worthy of note. Similarly neither was she of the lower castes, destined to rise or fall in accordance with her station. She came from a simple and yet unremarkable middle ground, a family that carried little notice or awareness by those above, and essential enough that none might make her life difficult to prove a point. It was the life that one day would blend into the next with little more than the passing of the seasons to mark the differences in time.

It is on one such day that the ordinary life of Rhii changed. As an apothecary, she had reasons to frequent the forests in search of rare components that she was unable to grow herself that she came upon a wounded woman of Unseelie origins. Knowing that the woman would not survive without medical care, she took the dark fae back to her hut and nursed her back to health.

It is here dear reader that Rhii’s life changed to something unusual… For over the weeks that Rhii cared for this fae, the two grew close and eventually love bloomed. While the two were as unlikely a pair as any might meet, separated by the nature of their births and statuses, they found a bond that could not be shattered. As the years passed, the two were blessed with a trio of children, and life was quiet but pleasant. And for many this couple might pass into the quiet twilight of history save for the events on a plane of existence far removed from the world of the fae.

The fates, dear reader, are fickle women who delight in taking the plans of both mortals and fae and turning them on their heads. And Rhii found herself dragged through a portal to a strange world… One dry in both moisture and magic. A land where giants strode the earth, and as far as she could see, she was the only one similar to herself.

Mother Summer… I am in so much trouble.

Part 2

Life was quite difficult for Rhii as she attempted to find her way home… Humanity it seemed had developed its own problems and had forgotten much of the old ways. Few references to fae existed outside of their fairy tales… Which was a thing that she personally found demoralizing. Were it not actually for her being there, she was treated as lesser than many others.

Added into Rhii’s troubles dear reader was the fact that she was so much smaller than others in this hostile world… Even a creature as small as a domesticated cat could make her life difficult. It is one such event that left Rhii half dead when she was happened upon by one of the First Peoples who happened to rescue her and tend her wounds.

It is with these people that Rhii found a sort of kinship… While they knew nothing of her people, she found that their desire to live in harmony with the natural world was one that she could understand. It took awhile for her to understand the language, but they were patient teachers who also helped her correct most of the worst of her archaic English into something that would pass for acceptable. While her time among the First People were among the best days in this strange world, she still knew that this wasn’t home. Her wife was out there, and nothing would stop her from finding her way home.

Other: Ties to potential starting points

Prison: Rhii was caught having broken into the library of a wealthy individual who happened to object to her reading from his books.

A city in need: Theoretically… There is a solar eclipse that is supposed to occur in a city that runs where three ley lines intersect. Admittedly it isn’t for a few months… But theoretically this could be my way home. (Depending on how accurate you wish to be time wise… https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEsear...p?Ecl=18850316 or less accurate geography https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_...tember_8,_1885 )

Roleplay: High end of my skills https://www.rpgcrossing.com/showthre...35#post7875135

dice Dice Roll: 3d6 4, 2, 5 Total = 11 Dice Roll: 3d6 6, 3, 3 Total = 12 Dice Roll: 3d6 6, 2, 5 Total = 13 Dice Roll: 3d6 2, 1, 6 Total = 9 Dice Roll: 3d6 1, 1, 6 Total = 8 Dice Roll: 3d6 4, 2, 6 Total = 12 Dice Roll: 3d6 6, 6, 6 Total = 18 Dice Roll: 3d6 6, 3, 5 Total = 14 Dice Roll: 3d6 4, 1, 5 Total = 10 Dice background: 2d6 1, 3 Total = 4

Rhii's Statblock Name: Rhii | Level: 1 | Health: 16/16 | Fatigue Accumulation: 0 | SP: 0 | Conviction: 3 Force: 14 | Speed: 12 | Defense: 12 | Toughness: 1 | Weapons: Damage: 1d6+3, Ballistic/Wound RoF: SS Range: 200 yards Capacity: - Reload: Minor Resources TN: 13 Requires: STR 2Longbow | Armor: 1I/2B, due to mythical nature does not protect against cold ironFae-weave Dress ACC: 2 | COM: 1 | CON: 1 | DEX: 2 | FIG: 0 | INT: 3 | PER: 1 | STR: 2 | WIL: 4 Background: Random Benefit: Intelligence Focus (Research) Focus: Intelligence (Occultism) Talent: Extraordinary Power Replacement (Water Arcana) Ability: +1 INTAcademic | Social Class: Upper | Profession: Focus: Intelligence (Medicine) Talent: Extraordinary Power Replacement (Healing Arcana)Expert | Drive: Talent: Emergency Care Improvement: Reputation: Hippocratic Fae Quality: Compassion Downfall: Self-SacrificeCaregiver Foci: Research, Medicine, Occultism | Resources: 8 | Medic's kit, medical/apothecary scrolls, paper and writing utensils, herbs for treatment, spare arrowsEquipment Talents: Your magic can knit wounds and even restore life to the dying. Novice: You gain two Novice-degree Healing Arcana spells.Healing Arcana | You mystically wield water as a tool and a weapon. Novice: You gain two Novice-degree Water Arcana spells.Water Arcana | You can treat wounds and illnesses in the field. Novice: You have trained as an emergency medical technician, and your aid is swift and sure. First Aid is a minor action for you.Emergency Care | Powers: Healing Touch Requirement: Healing Arcana (Novice) Cost: 1-3PP Time: Major Action Target Number: 10 Test: None Your touch channels energy to heals and and restores the subject. You can choose to spend up to 3 PP when you cast Healing Touch. For each PP spent, the target regains 1d6 Health. You can cast Healing Touch on yourself.Healing Touch | Revival Requirement: Healing Arcana (Novice) Cost: 5PP Time: Major Action Target Number: 14 Test: None Your touch helps restore life to the fallen. A dying character you touch after successfully casting Revival immediately regains 10 + their Constitution + your Willpower in Health. Since dying characters cannot take actions, you cannot cast this spell on yourself.Revival | Fairy Lights Requirement: Water Arcana (Novice) Cost: 2PP per hour Time: Major Action Target Number: 8 Test: None You illuminate the area around you with a steady light, similar to a torch or lantern. The spell illuminates a 10 yard radius centered on you. Fairy Lights lasts for 1 hour, but can be extended for 2 PP per additional hour.Fairy Lights | | Water Geyser Requirement: Water Arcana (Novice) Cost: 4PP Time: Major Action Target Number: 12 Test: Dexterity (acrobatics) VS Force A burst of water erupts from your outstretched hands. The Water Geyser is 8 yards long and 2 yards wide. Anyone hit by the blast takes 2d6+1 damage. Targets who make a successful Dex (acrobatics) test vs. your Force take only 1d6+1 damage.Water Geyser | Reputation: Hippocratic Fae (1) | Memberships: none | Ties: TBDOuzo, There are many senses that those whose blood runs towards the primal that mortals… And among those was the sense when others of fae blood that were in near proximity to Rhii. While she has never met Eoin, or even know the name of the man… She is aware of his existence. Every time it felt like that she was close to locating him, he would disappear as if into thin air. To say that it was quite frustrating was beyond words… For here was someone who shared a kinship that was actively avoiding her. Complicating things is that the two share a similar bloodline… Albeit one that is fairly far removed from one another. While Rhii’s kin lived in the realm of the fae, a distant scion of her family set off into the mortal realm to make their living before travel between the realms became almost impossible. For mortal readers, they are typically viewed to be second cousins, once removed.Eoin ‘The Wild Hunter’ Dermott | Relationships: (0/1) Goals: [b]Meet another full blooded faeShort-term Goal 1 | Find an expert in portal magicShort-term Goal 2 | Find a way homeLong-term Goal 1

[Reistar]

Originally Posted by MoldyNolds

[Verdant Glitter]

The Wendigo The Sheet Name: The Wendigo. Race: Eldritch creature of Hunger. Ethnicity: N/A Image/Appearance: A disturbing blend of humanoid outline and animal aesthetic, the Wendigo towers above most at over nine feet, though with the constant twisting and hunching of form it's difficult to discern her precise height (or length, as she often moves on all fours.) From the wild and shaggy halo of scraggly mane erupts a pair of broad jagged antlers, and the creature's face, such as it is, is the bone-white curvature of a polished animal's skull, the maw filled with wicked fang and the eye sockets inhabited by milky white orbs sunk deep in the orbits; no tendon or ligament can be spied on any aspect of it, but when the jaws part the lash of a thick black tongue can be spied, and the depths of the throat is a vacuous darkness. The body is spindly, outright anorexic, the rib cage prominently pushed against the drape of hide with every ragged breath, the gut a sharp and narrow descent where skin is pulled taut, with the only hint of 'health' being the subtle heft of a fur-shrouded bust signifying gender. The willowy thinness extends to her limbs as well, disproportionately extended arms threaded with fur that terminates in long spidery claws capped off by razor-edged bone; the legs are similar though these at least have some degree of sinew packed into the wide thighs, digitigrade and ending in heavy bony hooves. A long thick tail of indeterminate inspiration ends in a plume of fur that, like all parts of her coat short and long, tends to be mucked with dried dirt, mud, and blood, and speckled with the various detritus of the wildlands - It's generally a dark brown and grey, but with so much filth threading it it's difficult to pin a precise color; it goes without saying that the unkempt state offers her no liabilities, but the olfactory of those around her might argue otherwise (which is to say, there's a perpetual aura of sweat, wet animal fur, and slaughterhouse smells shrouding the monster.) When she speaks, it's in a husky depth carrying with it a peculiar reverb, as if two or three persons were speaking just out of sync, and she has a habit of pushing emphasis and accents on the wrong syllables and words with no particular rhyme or reason. Party Role: Raw and violent damage, with sloppy clean-up of evidence afterward. Occasional tracking. Potentially fatal information extraction. Level: 2 Powers: Unnatural regeneration, boundless strength and stamina, and a very winsome smile. And the sort of claws that could rend through steel plates. Also, flexibility. Alignment: Chaotic Evil - What use to her is the laws and morals of man, demon, or celestial? Chains to bind the weak, an intangible hurdle in the pursuit of satiating desires; her entire being is that of boundless need that can never be satisfied, and any hindrance that gets in her way is something to be devoured, as are all of Creation's children. What flesh might serve her ends are ... Not allies, certainly not friends, but exceptions to the Great Feast can be made... For a time. Until the need arises. Until the hunger strikes. Profession: Devourer of all touched by the laws of the Sun, and even those things that are not. Mythical abomination. Terror of the uncivilized lands. Drive/Goals: Currently, enthralled persuaded to eating the tattered remnants of a platoon of Confederate faithfuls, striving to obtain some relic or other powerful enough to catch Lord Marshall Lee' favor, twenty-six in all. Generally, eating everyone and everything else. Ultimately, consuming the Sun. Backstory   "...and so this should be a lesson to the scholarly, that many legends and folklore bear in their roots some grain of truth amid the conjecture and hearsay. With this in mind, let us move on to our next topic, a peculiar curse believed by the First Nations people to afflict people who succumb to base hungers in time of famine, resulting in creatures known as the Wendigo. It is easy to say that even desperation would not lead a civilized man to satiating his hunger on his fellow man, but the harshest of times can lead to the cruelest of actions; among the First Nations, the cautionary tale of the Wendigo strives to take advantage of the superstitious nature to prevent their people from reverting to such primitive acts - The harsh weather of their territories can certainly result in little game or crop, and starvation is a very real threat during particularly brutal winters or lean times. Indulging in this taboo act purportedly results in the attraction of an evil spirit that then inhabits the transgressor, turning them into some manner of foul creature. The extent of this seems to vary between particular tribes, however: For some tribes, the afflicted individual simply suffers a ravenous hunger that can never be satiated and some elevated physical characteristics and is only soothed by the flesh of man, while in others the possessed remains human in only the loosest of terms with a monstrous size, a gaping maw for a mouth, eyes that eternally bleed, and a literal heart of ice that grows in size with every devoured depiction. Of course, such superstitious beliefs are just that: Superstition. It is obvious to the learned that the same belief that their leaders attempt to use to dissuade their people from cannibalism, also leads them to believe they have been inhabited by these malevolent spirits. Clearly this is simply a form of psychosis, as those few reported cases have merely been persons who feasted upon their fellows due to necessity and truly believed they were therefore cursed. If this wendigo curse truly existed, after all, there would surely be more tales of such creatures across Europe, and while monsters of a similar nature do exist, they tend to be their own beast and not some thing that invades the bodies of others. However, among the oldest members of several interviewed tribes, there is a particularly interesting thread that is not of widespread belief or even knowledge - That there is not a mere wendigo curse, but rather a singular entity that is somehow drawn to the acts that would purportedly create one. Instead of possessing the cursed individual, it would instead spring forth from the victim of the cannibalization, devouring everyone and everything it encountered, only to be invariably stopped by some great warrior or clever shaman. Interestingly, there was still much disparate views between these elderly - that this creature came from some nebulous spirit world far removed from our reality, that it crawled in the black space between the stars slowly eating them one by one, that its eternal enemy is the life-giving sun and the only thing it truly fears as the sun banished it to mortality upon the Earth, that it can be killed but will never die as its hunger doesn't allow it to, among varied other legends. One can only assumed this to be further derivatives of older versions of the legends passed down via oral tradition, as in the end it still seems to be one thing - A warning against cannibalism and the moral failings associated with it. Moving on to more localized legends, there exists in the state of..." -- Excerpt from Peculiar Beliefs and Folkish Lore of the Americas, Nathaniel Witteral, c.1855 Role-Playing Sample   Muted screams. The occasional gunshot. The subdued crackle of flame - Burning homes? No... Campfire. The old shaman stirred from her reverie, clouded visions of just days before, back to the present and the flickering firelight. Around her moved a number of men uniformed in grey, unkempt in the fashion of those used to long travel and little amenities. The stench of death faded from her nose, given way to the sweat of those around her and the earthiness of deep woods. A voice beside her, screams in her ear fading back to the stern questions of the leader of these soldiers. "I heard you," she responded finally, shifting where she sat bundled, turning her gaze from the fire to the mustached face close to hand, "And I tell you again - This is a foolish path you tread. You think it some thing you can control? Like all things you do not understand, you think you can bring it to heel, work as you want it to? Arrogant child. That thing is a nightmare given form, a horror from the deep places of the world. Spawned by the unspeakable darkness in the souls of man, the profane and taboo acts they are willing to commit. You think you can control that? Hmf! I take you there, yes. You will see what happens." Such an innocuous thing - Not even comparable to the bone knives her people used regularly, certainly not to the metal teeth that the white men employed, fired and forged in their great stone constructions. But it was no regular stone blade, of course. It didn't chip, no matter what it was struck to, and it didn't cut despite its sharpened edge, not yet anyway. A symbol, mostly. A tool... Definitely. And one these fools did not know the use of. The shaman didn't smile as she held the ancient thing, turned it beneath the glimmering rays of dim sunlight filtering through the foliage overhead. The glade itself was nothing significant, a broad and open area in the trees recessed into the ground, the skies above hidden beneath a tangle of branches and leaves. The cairn recessed into the earthy slope on one side, however, bore no small aura of disquiet and malevolence despite being little more than a crude stacking of stones half-sunk into the muddy soil, cut across with several illegible markings and mounted by a yellowed skull of some antlered creature - One could be forgiven to think it a deer, but for the jagged teeth filling its mandibles. Ringing the glade, perched atop the grass-speckled edge of the slopes, stood a number of her grey-clad captors, rifles held in ready grips, their officer with hand on saber, their least-favored private at the glade's center. Those present - Except the youth at the center, of course - knew what was to happen. At least, they thought they did. The shaman gripped the stone knife tight, and smiled grimly as she advanced on the nervous soldier. The blood was hot in her mouth. The flesh, chewy and tough. It took all the resolve in her not to vomit the vile meat piling heavy in her belly. Several of her captors had already been sick, noisily and messily. She ignored them, eyes focused on the cairn as she indulged in the contemptible task - First she had bit hard into the throat, clenched and held and ripped until the life fled from the youth's eyes; then she had tore into the soft tissue of the belly with her bare fingers until the soil glimmered as red and sticky as her face. The others were too mortified to notice the subtle shifting in the cairn's half-sunk skull, the bits of dirt dislodging from its smooth curves, or the flare of light in the hollow sockets of its eyes. As soon as those pale white orbs formed, as pale as a blind man's, she spat the gore in her mouth upon the stone blade, then rammed it to the hilt into her own stomach. The cairn exploded as the monster it had contained lived once more. It ignored her, at least initially, a small mercy as she slumped over, curled around the stone knife. When the screaming and gunfire finally stopped, she could hear the heavy steps approach, the dull thump of hooves, the peculiar sound of bones cracking. "Little girl, little girl. What trickery have you woven." The husky reverb of a softened voice purring in her ear, and the knife's kiss of spidery, scythe-like claws stroking over her cheek to leave long thin trails of scarlet blooming in their wake. Every movement of the atrocity looming above her, a stark black shape against the light filtering down from above, carried with it the sound of crackling, like dried wood snapped or the splintering of bone. Wicked antlers sprout from the shaggy-maned crown, tendrils of moss wavering from their jagged curves. The face an animal's skull, sharp-toothed, smoothly bereft of skin or muscle as if picked clean, a permanent rictus grin - Splitting open to allow a thick black tongue to seep out, lick the blood from its own claw. The malevolence was almost palpable, an acrid flavor in the dying shaman's mouth even beneath the lingering taste of the youth's flesh. "Thisss is n-ot how you turn into me, sweet treat." Peculiar emphasis on the wrong words and syllables. Of all things at this instant, why does that bother her? It took effort to focus, and strength she didn't have to speak. Hard to breathe. The monster wasn't patient. Its jaws split apart again, looming in. It was all she could do to muster the movement to force out a single Word - Ancient, eldritch, forbidden. Merely uttering it melted her tongue, as hearing it from her predecessor on his deathbed had bled her ears and ensured it seared itself into her mind. A Word from before history, before Man, before anything. A primal concept. Vengeance. The beast paused. Its jaws clicked shut. It effected a long drawn-out sigh. "Very well. You are learned. Sm-art. Your people did their research. They knew. They did cut off my head once. With that thing in your belly, too, if I rec-all. Found out what inky blackness spawned me. Do gods exist before believers, or do believers spawn gods? Do monsters exist because humans fear, or have I always slithered the nothing between stars, devouing the glorious laws of the eternal Suns and all that they ruled, slave to a hunger that is as boundless as your paltry kind's emotion? Maybe I was always there in the shadow when your prim-itive ancestors hu-ddled around campfires in dinky caves, shivering at the screams outside - Maybe you gave me form. Hm. Hm. I can eat them, then. All of them. Your attackers. All of them, yes? All of them it can be." Stat Rolls   Dice Dice Roll 1: 3d6 1, 3, 1 Total = 5 Dice Dice Roll 2: 3d6 2, 1, 6 Total = 9 Dice Dice Roll 3: 3d6 4, 5, 2 Total = 11 Dice Dice Roll 4: 3d6 6, 4, 2 Total = 12 Dice Dice Roll 5: 3d6 6, 6, 4 Total = 16 Dice Dice Roll 6: 3d6 4, 2, 4 Total = 10 Dice Dice Roll 7: 3d6 5, 6, 6 Total = 17 Dice Dice Roll 8: 3d6 6, 6, 5 Total = 17 Dice Dice Roll 9: 3d6 4, 3, 5 Total = 12 Dice Ancient One benefit!: 2d6 1, 2 Total = 3 The Wendigo's Statblock Name: The Wendigo | Level: 2 | Health: 32/32 | Fatigue Accumulation: 0 | Convictions: 3/3 Force: 0 | Speed: 11 | Defense: 11 | Toughness: 3 | Weapons: Long, smooth bone, sharp as a cleaver. Still deadly, but they used to flens so much more. Damage: 1d6+1 I/P/B: I S/W: WClaws | Armor: Tough hide ACC: 1 | COM: -1 | CON: 3 | DEX: Level 2 (+1)2 | FIG: 3 | INT: 1 | PER: 2 | STR: 3 | WIL: Ancient One (+1)3 | Desire (Eat. Every. Thing. Particularly people. Especially people. Minor Desire: Consuming the limb or torso of a (meta-)human immediately recovers 1 Desire. Major Desire: Consuming the entire body of a (meta-)human immediately recovers 1d6 Desire.The Feast): 0 Background: I was woven into a Khanate's blanket. Etched upon an Egyptian pharaoh's tomb. Envisioned in a Sumerian ballad. Painted upon a neanderthal's cave wall. I was here when light was born and will be here when it dies. Ability: +1 Willpower Focus: Perception (Empathy) Talent: Regeneration (Novice) Benefit: Focus: Intelligence (Anthropology)Ancient One | Social Class: Non-Existent | Profession: Do you know what it is to be ravenous all the time? Everything is ash on your tongue and a cold emptiness in your belly. An eternal symphony of discomfort and pain. But ash is at least a taste, emptiness a hollow weight. Focus: Constitution (Tolerance) Talent: Regeneration (Expert)Addict | Drive: Art. Literature. Love. Community. Charity. Law. These are the vagaries of a mind necessitating distraction and structure, lest it realize its place in reality. For me, I need no more than the Hunt, though even that is a mild indulgance doing little more than guiding me toward the Feast. I require, and want, little else. Though I do like a little song... Quality: Determination - Nothing will stop her from her devouring target, whether it be a supposedly impassible barrier, the threat of death, or cataclysmic wounds, and she is often a force to reckon with when (and if) properly directed. Downfall: Single-mindedness - Courageous, hardheaded, overly proud, or just plain stupid? Fear is an alien quality to an alien monstrosity, and her overarching immortality leaves her with little concern for her safety, or that of those around her, to say nothing of their worldly concerns and interests. Talent: Tactical Awareness. Improvement: Health (+5)The Hunt Focus: Discerning the feelings and emotions of others.Perception (Empathy) | Withstanding the effects of potentially toxic substances, whether consumed recreationally or after involuntary exposure.Constitution (Tolerance) | Enduring fatigue, disease, and privation.Constitution (Stamina) | Talents: You have the ability to quickly heal your own wounds. Whether natural or supernatural, arcane or technological, your regeneration is visible to the naked eye! Novice: With a Major Action and a TN13 WIL (Self-Discipline) test you can activate your Regeneration. Your Regeneration activates whether or not you succeed the test, but failure causes one level of Fatigue. Starting immediately and at the beginning of each of your turns, you regain 2 Health for a number of turns equal to your CON score. You cannot Activate Regeneration again until you have taken at least a 4-hour rest and eaten something during that time. Expert: Activating Regeneration is now a Minor Action for you. Additionally, if you have the CON (Stamina) focus it lasts an additional 2 rounds. Master: When you activate Regeneration you may choose to voluntarily increase the TN of the WIL (Self-Discipline) test. Doing so increases the gain per turn to 3 Health (TN15), 4 Health (TN17), or 5 Health (TN19). In addition, every 2 degrees of failure increases the level of fatigue by 1. If the test is failed by 8 or more you suffer 4 levels of fatigue, but instead of Dying you immediately go unconscious.Regeneration (Expert) | Novice: You can seemingly attack from all directions. On foot, you can take the Melee or Ranged Attack action at any point of your movement. (Normally, you'd have to attack the beginning or end of your movement.) Expert: You have eyes in the back of your head. When you perform the Take One of the Team exploration stunt, you take only half the damage from a trap or hazard and your ally remains unscathed. Master: You are hard to pin down in combat. Opponents do not gain an attack bonus for outnumbering you in melee. If you also have the Master degree in the Single Weapon Style, your Defense bonus increases to +3 when fighting in that style.Tactical Awareness (Novice) | You can fight in hand-to-hand combat with a weapon in your main hand (your primary weapon) and another in your off hand (your secondary weapon). Neither can be a two-handed weapon, and the secondary weapon is considered to have a Minimum Strength 2 higher than normal (you'd need Strength 1 to use a short sword as a secondary weapon, for example). Unless otherwise stated, your attacks come from the primary weapon. Novice: Wielding two weapons can aid you in attack or defense. If you take the Activate action, you can gain either a +1 bonus on your melee attack rolls or a +1 Defense bonus vs. melee attacks until the end of the encounter. You can switch the bonus you are taking with another Activate action. Expert: You can perform the Lightning Attack stunt for 2 SP instead of the usual 3, but the extra attack must come from your secondary weapon. Master: You can overwhelm your opponents with blows from both weapons. If you take a melee attack with your primary weapon and you are not charging, you can make another attack with your secondary weapon as a minor action. The second attack cannot generate stunt points, and you add only half of your Strength (rounded down) to damage.)Dual Wielding Style (Novice) Relationships: Fiery Tyrant! Proud Lawbringer! The Grand Order! If it is the blazing flame, I am the inevitable chill of its absence. How many of your siblings have I devoured? How many have fallen to my kind? What heralds will you send? How long will it take to close my jaws on you?The Sun Goals: The Feast demands and I oblige; feeding the endless abyss is a moral imperative.Can't Shake the Habit (Short Term) | Twenty-six little piggies, scattered across this wild land. They'll die running, screaming, fighting. The testosterone makes them taste better. 1: ? 4: ? 13: ? 26: ?Got A Job to Do (Medium Term) | Defy the Golden Majesty, the Unbreakable Law, the Imperial Light. Devour the Sun. Let it join all its brethren I have felled.The True Enemy (Long Term)