|
|
This is an investigation drama with a doomed romance subtheme, and low action (though
a few options are given to spice it up with some if desired). This vignette is very
plot-driven, with a large cast of characters, and a large setting wherein the actions
of the Hunters are unscripted and can go in many different directions (plus, hey,
its in Vegas!). A GM that is not confident in their ability to run a complicated
open-ended "sandbox" adventure might want to consider something a little more direct
instead.
|
|
Summary
|
|
The Hunters are approached by the mysterious No Face Man (a well-connected and influential
individual in Hunter circles) who brings to the Hunter's attention a seemingly minor
Possible Supernatural Activity recently posted on
www.fbismaccords.gov that is insufficiently impressive to normally draw
their attention.
|
|
OPTION: No "No Face Man"
|
|
If you don't want to involve the No Face Man character, any source for the lead
will suffice.
|
|
Whereever the lead comes from, there should be some impetus for the Hunters to check
it out.
|
|
|
|
As stated in the Activity listing, the job looks like a bush league low-or-no payout
preliminary investigation of a couple of deaths in Las Vegas that might have a Supernatural
angle. No known Bounty associated with it; might be entirely mundane, might have
one or more Sanctioned or Sanctionable perps lurking within it.
|
|
No Face Man assures the Hunters that he has significant information about the situation,
and that there is far more to the contract than anyone else realizes. He promises
the Hunters that if they pursue it, not only is there a large Bounty hiding in it,
but also that he will become positively inclined towards the Hunters, which can
help them in the future.
|
|
Unbeknownst to anyone other than No Face Man, a seedy medium known as Hugo Glamour
has hatched a half-baked scheme that will result in a major breach of the Accords
of Secrecy if he succeeds. Further, there is a Banshee involved, but No Face Man
wont reveal that until after the Hunters are engaged so as to avoid scaring them
off the contract.
|
|
To further complicate matters there are a couple of open homicide investigations
tangentially related to Hugo Glamour, and the mundane police are keen to speak with
him about the matter. Finally, if the Hunters engage and take up the contract, things
will start to get a little weird and eerie and raven and crow symbology will start
to crop up subtly at first and then with ever increasing overtness until it becomes
apparant that "Something Else" seems to be toying with or taking an interest in
the Hunters.
|
|
Ultimately, the Hunters will be presented with a moral dilemma and have to make
a decision to Sanction a basically innocent Banshee or to potentially risk the lives
of other innocents by refusing to collect the Bounty. There is also the "small matter"
of the potential for a breach of the Accords of Secrecy if Hugo's crackpot scheme
succeeds.
|
|
Setup
|
|
|
|
This adventure needs to be set up a few sessions / adventures in advance. The GM
should introduce gossip, rumours and tales about No Face a few sessions in advance
before introducing the man himself. Perhaps the PCs have been on No Face's talent
list for a while? Perhaps the last job was a final test of their skill and worthiness?
|
|
The Carrot
|
|
Aside from the standing bounty on Banshees that can be collected if the Hunters
Sanction Ailis, No Face can become a useful Contact for one or more of the Hunters.
Additionally, No Face is influential and respected, and a character reference from
him will positively influence the Hunters credibility in Hunter society. Finally,
the Police are looking for Hugo Glamour and the PCs might be able to earn a few
favours here too.
|
|
The Stick
|
|
If the Hunters don't stop Hugo, he will both disclose information about the Supernatural
World and also inadvertently end up broadcasting Ailis's Banshee keening over a
live broadcast which will, unexpectedly, kill one or more watchers and constitute
a breach of the Secrecy Accords. More immediately, if the Hunters blow off No Face
Man they will make a political enemy of him which can have various social and professional
ramifications.
|
|
The Setting
|
|
The adventure should start in or around Vegas but could ultimately take place anywhere.
However, there are some key locations that need to be incorporated:
|
- Las Vegas (mostly off-Strip)
- Hugo's Hideout (suburbs)
- A local TV station (downtown)
|
|
Special Instructions
|
|
As this is an investigation, at various points in the adventure Hunters may or may
not know various details based upon how well their investigation is going and what
direction they chose to go in.
|
|
The GM should be careful to keep track of what the Hunters do and don't know and
use that information to inform each scene and interaction with NPC's.
|
|
Also the GM should be careful to introduce enough ambiguity in events to allow the
Hunters to jump to conclusions and otherwise interpret events based upon their knowledge-at-the-time
and predispositions, but also still make sense in hindsight once the real facts
are known.
|
|
The People
|
|
|
|
|
- No-Face Man: Though no one can ever
remember his face, the No Face Man is influential in the Supernatural World. The
No Face Man is a mysterious broker of information; exchanging useful info to Hunters
trying to collect a Bounty for a flat fee, a percentage cut, or information of equal
value. He is also a matchmaker and power-broker at the highest echelons of legitimate
(ie non-Sanctioned, above board, Accord-abiding) Supernatural society. Through his
good graces Hunters can be introduced to other movers and shakers in the Supernatural
World.
- Hugo Glamour: a pretend fake-stage-medium now of YouTube infamy who performs
truly awful shows in front of a live audience where he channels the spirits of audience
relations, offering advice and fortunes. He is actually a very accomplished medium
who deliberately cultivates the air of a shamster. Utterly besotted with Ailis.
- Ailis McKenzie: Former singer of Scottish descent who manifested banshee
powers five years ago on her twenty-fourth birthday. Intelligence suggests a connection
with Hugo. Utterly trusting of, and in love with, Hugo.
- A Mysterious Entity (The Morrigan):
determined to foil, and toy with, the Hunters.
- A Murder of Crows: a pack of crows that seems to be dogging the Hunters and
creating situations of pathetic fallacy / atmospheric mood setting.
- Some Cops: Keen to track Hugo down and question him about the suspicious
deaths of Jane and Hank Reed.
- Det. Ballard: classic overweight cantankerous hard ass cop.
- Det. Jamison: freshly-minted young detective, hasn't become bitter and disillusioned
yet.
- Shannon O'Grady: veteran detective and unofficially the cop responsible for
"weird crimes" in Las Vegas. Supernaturally Aware, and intimately familiar with
Hunter culture. Once word gets around to him that there is a Supernatural angle
to the Reed murder investigation he will get involved.
- Spirits: various restless spirits Hugo is in communication with, including
several named spirits intregal to the plot, as follows.
- Mrs. Jane Reed (formerly Jane Parker; deceased): The lady who Hugo told he
had a message from her deceased husband. At the time, Jane had no recollection of
Steve Parker (her first husband) and was sat next to her second husband, Hank Reed
(believing Hank to be her first and only husband). Died in suspicious circumstances.
- Mr. Steve Parker (deceased): Jane Reed's childhood sweetheart and deceased
first husband, of whom she still has no recollection.
- Mr. Hank Reed (deceased): Former school friend and second husband of Jane
Parker. Died in suspicious circumstances shortly after Jane.
- Bob Doyle (deceased): The unquiet spirit of a TV broadcasting technician
who shows Hugo the ropes in the TV station and helps him broadcast his message.
|
|
The Spiel
|
|
There are three parts to this adventure:
|
- Act 1 – the Pursuit: where the Hunters attempt to track down Hugo who, rather uncannily,
always seems one step ahead of them.
- Act 2 – the Hideout: where the Hunters discover Hugo's insane plan, but not his
exact whereabouts.
- Act 3 – the Climax: where the Hunters attempt to stop Hugo's broadcast and are confronted
with the dilemma of what to do about Ailis.
|
|
Act 1: The Pursuit - Las Vegas
|
|
During this Act, the Hunters are approached by No Face wherever they normally frequent
and are pitched the opportunity. Assuming they take the hook, No Face Man tells
them to find Hugo Glamour in Las Vegas and puts the Hunters on the path. The Hunters
will first need to track Hugo down. This Act is mostly about information gathering,
investigation, and foreshadowing. The information provided for this Act is designed
to easily allow the GM to add/remove clues depending on the group's gaming style.
|
|
At first the spiel will layout as a strange but entirely Mundane seeming murder
mystery, possibly involving a charlatan medium and possibly not, and generally not
giving any signs of being Supernaturally oriented. However, not all is as it seems.
|
|
The Act will culminate in the PCs discovering where Hugo is hiding and go there.
|
|
Murder Mystery
|
|
Four to six weeks prior to the adventure, Hugo Glamour was doing one of his cheesy
medium acts at the O'Hares Casino slightly off the Strip. Hank and Jane Reed, unhappy
abusive couple, were in the audience and Jane was being followed and watched over
by the spirit of her dead first husband, Steve Parker.
|
|
OPTION: Media Coverage
|
|
To help tie in the later Television hook as well as to set some background and possibly
even avoid having to bait the Hunters into investigating the situation, you could
feature the seemingly mundane murder mystery on the news, as well as the "viral"
video of Hugos seeming failure to read Jane (the "my husband is right here"
gaff).
|
|
|
|
Hugo read Steve and saw the cycle of abuse that Ailis's second husband Hank had
been subjecting Jane to, as well as details of Jane and Steve's life together prior
to Steve's death in a car accident which Jane survived while Steve was killed instantly.
Steve also told Hugo that Hank was dangerously violent and pleaded that Jane's life
was in danger, but Hugo was mostly just interested in putting on a good show.
|
|
The Embarrassing Gaff
|
|
Hugo pulled the usual stage medium bit and talked to Jane about her former husband.
What Hugo didn't know was that Jane had taken head trauma in the car accident and
had both anterograde and retrograde amnesia, with no memory of her life prior to
the car accident and impaired ability to remember things afterwards.
|
|
Jane was confused and said she didn't remember having a first husband. To the audience
it looked like an embarrasing mistake on Hugo's part, and it simply magnified his
reputation as being a charlatan. However Hugo knew something was wrong and couldn't
get it out of his mind.
|
|
Guilt and Recrimination
|
|
After reading about Jane's death in the papers Hugo was visited again by Steve Parker's
spirit, and Steve accused Hugo of not doing anything to prevent Jane's death.
|
|
Steve had witnessed Hank murdering Jane, unable to do anything to save her. He showed
Hugo his memory of the killing, a scene set in a remote section of the desert outisde
Vegas.
|
|
The Threat
|
|
Shaken by the imagery, Hugo decided to do something about Hank to assuage his guilt
and had Steve show him the way to Hank Reed's house, where he confronted Hank and
accused him of the murder. Hank claimed that Jane had left him and he didn't know
where she was, but Hugo knew details of the murder that only a witness could know.
Hank slammed the door in Hugo's face in a panic, but recovered and shadowed Hugo
back to O'Hares where Hugo was currently being comped a room while he performed
there.
|
|
The Retaliation
|
|
Hugo was planning to get in touch with Detective O'Grady, whom he had been investigated
by before, and went to his room to search through his meager belongings for O'Grady's
card but couldn't find it. Running out of time before his next show Hugo went down
to the theater to get ready for his act, and Hank chose that moment to bushwhack
Hugo backstage in his dressing room.
|
|
The Banshee Amongst Us
|
|
However the dressing rooms for several theaters are bunched together and Ailis,
an up and coming singer also doing a show at O'Hares, was in her own dressing room
next door. Hearing a scuffle, she went around to Hugo's dressing room to see Hank
choking the life out of Hugo. Panicking, she started screaming. Unfortunately the
stress of the situation and the imminent presense of death catalyzed Ailis's previously
unmanifested Banshee heritage and the scream killed Hank instantly. Hugo survived,
due to being Supernaturally Resistant.
|
|
The Panicked Escape
|
|
Ailis was in shock and almost catatonic after the emergence of her Supernatural
powers, and Hugo was half-choked to death and a little dazed from the effects of
the Banshee scream and not at his best. Panicking, they fled the scene. The spirit
of Steve Parker, who was still with Hugo, told Hugo that his house was still abandoned
and would make a good hiding place, so Hugo took Ailis there.
|
|
Laying Low
|
|
Hugo and Ailis have remained in hiding in the weeks since then, and in their captivity
together have become close; for his part Hugo has become entirely infatuated with
Ailis, and Ailis is warming up to Hugo. Meanwhile, the cops are looking for Hugo
as the prime suspect for the murders of both Hank and Jane Reed and maybe Ailis
as well.
|
|
O'Hares Casino
|
|
This location is not essential to the central plot, but is a logical place to investigate.
|
|
Hank Reed was killed at O'Hares Casino slightly off strip, where both Hugo Glamour
and Ailis McKenzie were performing and now Hugo and Ailis are missing. It's the
logical first place to begin an investigation.
|
|
The dressing room where Hank Reed was killed, which was being used by Hugo, is a
crime scene and off limits, as are both of the hotel rooms that were being comped
to Hugo and Ailis while they performed at the casino. Also, unfortunately O'Hares
is an older run down casino and they never bothered to put cameras in the dressing
rooms (citing privacy concerns, but really because its expensive), so there's no
video footage. However Hunters can still attempt to question the staff and so forth.
|
|
Hugo had been performing there for a few months, while Ailis had only been there
a week. The staff had little interaction with them at a personal level, and the
person that had the most contact with them was the event coordinator Marcia Roberts,
who only dealt with them professionally. The overall consensus of opinion is that
Hugo is a weird, strange guy and Ailis seemed like a sweet young thing, and so pretty.
|
|
Ailis's room has nothing of interest in it. Hugo's doesn't either but Hunters with
a Supernatural ability that allows them to see things retrocognitively can see the
scene of Hugo going through all of his stuff looking for something (O'Grady's business
card) prior to going down to his last show. Similarly the dressing room itself has
no mundane clues, but a Hunter with Supernatural abilities might be able to play
back the murder scene, or detect some useful emanations of magic dark and fey (the
Banshee wail).
|
|
Hugo's Apartment
|
|
This location is not essential to the central plot, but is a logical place to investigate.
|
|
Hugo rents a small shabby townhouse in East Las Vegas within bike riding distance
of O'Hares Casino. The police have it under surveilance on the off chance that Hugo
will attempt to return there, with a typical service van surveillance truck parked
nearby. There are also two cameras, one concealed across the street pointed at the
front door, and one with a wide-arc lens inside in the upper corner of the living
room. The front door has yellow police tape across it.
|
|
The van is manned by a couple of bored junior detectives, Rodriguez and Rogers.
The Hunters can either try to avoid detection, or just approach directly and flash
their FBI Consultant badges (Hunter Licences) and roleplay through it. If this is
the Hunters first contact with local law enforcement, this is where Detectives Ballard,
Jamison, and perhaps O'Grady become involved in the story.
|
|
|
OPTION: The Spirits Are Angry!
|
|
It one or more of the Hunters has an ability that allows them to turn ghost-like,
or even just Desolid, you can add a little dramatic tension to the adventure here.
Simply increase the number of spirits from a handful to a large mob, with appropriate
narrative to build up a sense of fear.
|
|
The spirits are friends of Hugo's and are angered by the interloper snooping around
in Hugo's home uninvited. They emerge from all directions and converge on the Hunter
in a terrifying procession, and attempt to grab at the Hunter.
|
|
They can't actually hurt the Hunter, but they can exert enough ghostly impetus to
push a Desolid character out of the apartment and keep them out.
|
|
The spirits are invisible to normal sight, but are clearly visible to Supernatural
Awareness and similar abilities.
|
|
|
|
There aren't any clues to the central mystery to be found here, but there are a
few ghost pals of Hugo's that hang around watching the place; one of whom will take
word to Hugo of events transpiring in his apartment. Additionally, their presense
provides clear circumstantial evidence to a Supernaturally Aware Hunter that Hugo
might actually have a legitimate Supernatural ability.
|
|
A Hunter who can coax or compel one of the spirits to talk to them can confirm this,
and might even be able to get a spirit to take them to Hugo, jumping straight to
Act 2.
|
|
Det. Ballard and Det. Jamison
|
|
At some point during this Act, the Hunters will likely encounter the cops who are
investigating the murders of Hank and Jane Reed, Det. Ballard and Det. Jamison.
Depending on how the Hunters play it, the cops will decide if the PCs are a hindrance
or a help.
|
|
They are not Supernaturally Aware, but the know that when they see the FBI-issued
"Special Investigator" Hunter licenses they are supposed to notify Shannon O'Grady;
they wont tell the Hunters they are doing this however. Regardless of the approach
the Hunters take, Det. Ballard will be slightly suspicious and touchy to begin with
as they are under pressure to resolve the case and haven't had much luck so far
while Jamison really wants to solve the crime and can become overly helpful or involved.
|
|
|
OPTION: Conservation of Characters
|
|
If you want to lessen the number of characters involved, you can skip the Detective
Ballard and Jamison meet up altogether and expedite the Hunters being put in touch
with Detective O'Grady.
|
|
This can be done directly by No Face Man at the onset, or a Section M contact, or
perhaps Hugo got in touch with O'Grady directly and piqued his interest in the case.
|
|
PRO TIP: Supernatural Awareness
|
|
It is important that Detective O'Grady has not been investigating the case himself,
or not yet had enough time to get into it, as his Supernatural Awareness would remove
most of the mystery angle altogether and thus short circuit the adventure.
|
|
|
|
Hank and Jane at the Reed House
|
|
This location is not essential to the central plot, but is a logical place to investigate.
|
|
If the Hunters investigate the Reed murders, at some point they might go to the
former Reed household. Neither Hank or Jane were actually killed there so its not
a crime scene, but the police are investigating the case and there is yellow "Police
Line" tape over the doors. The house itself is vacant of living people...but
not of spirits.
|
|
Unusually, neither Hank nor Jane have been able to move on after death, and their
spirits loiter around their house in an upscale townhouse not very far off the Strip.
The spirits of both Hank and Jane slowly wandered back here after their deaths where
they continue to play out a cycle of abuse and reconciliation much as they did in
life, and it is perhaps this unresolved psychic trauma that holds them both (or
at least Jane) from passing on.
|
|
Despite putting on a pleasant exterior that fooled almost everyone, Hank actually
was not a nice person in real life.
|
|
Hank was involved in a lot of shady real estate and related business ventures with
predatory practices, and his success was built upon taking advantage of others and
bending financial systems and tax laws as far as the law allowed, holding victims
of his and his companies practices in a kind of contempt for not being financially
savvy enough to avoid being taken advantage of.
|
|
|
OPTION: Cult of the Red Hand tie-in
|
|
If you plan to eventually run the Birth of Venus Malefica
vignette, and want to bait the hook by including some background connections to
the Cult of the Red Hand, Hank Reed could have been a Black Wizard in the Cult prior
to his death. If this is the case, then the reason he is becoming a Spirit of Woe
is linked to the taint he suffered trucking with dark magics in life.
|
|
You can also use this as justification for adding one or more custom abilities to
Hank to make him more of a direct threat to Hunters.
|
|
If you take this approach, be sure to introduce some paraphenalia or clues for the
Hunters to find to establish the Cult of the Red Hand angle such as locked and warded
bureau up in the attic that contains Hank's grimoires and paraphenalia.
|
|
The Cult of the Red Hand operates in cell-like covens, so there's likely a few more
members of the coven around. One easy tie in is to make Linda
Sweeney (the realtor in Act 2) a member of the Cult as well, as she
and Hank already have a business relationship in the core adventure.
|
|
PRO TIP: Fork Off!
|
|
If you want to keep the adventure on track with the central Banshee plot be careful
not to over do the Cult of the Red Hand angle and thus send the Hunters on a wild
goose chase or fits of paranoid witch hunting.
|
|
On the other hand, if the Hunters are getting cold feet on the Banshee thread or
are not being receptive to the tragic romance angle, this is an excellent "fork"
in the road where you can change direction.
|
|
|
|
Hank is slowly becoming a Spirit
of Woe, and will be antagonistic to the Hunters if provoked.
|
|
If you are using the Cult of the Red Hand option and want a more dangerous threat,
Hank can also have some individualized Necromantic, Daemonic, and / or Hermetic
abilities to evoke his status as a Black Wizard in life.
|
|
|
|
|
Remember that ghost Hank is Desolid and thus needs Affects Physical World on such
abilities to affect corporeal foes.
|
|
Steve Parker
|
|
There is no clear connection between Steve Parker and the Reeds, but Hunters with
an understanding of the Supernatural and of mediums can make the connection once
having heard of Hugo's seemingly failed prior reading of Jane where he spoke of
her dead first husband; that's a pretty blatant clue that the spirit of Steve Parker
is hanging around.
|
|
If the Hunters inquire into the matter of Steve Parker, they can get the story about
his death via car accident from the cops, the newspaper archives, or the internet
with minimal effort as the accident occured only a couple of years prior to the
adventure.
|
|
A Boggle search will include in the top few hits a link to a "haunted house"
listing on a cheesy web site that includes the former house of Steve Parker, speculating
that it is haunted due to reported "manifestations" scaring off prospective buyers.
This should motivate the Hunters to go check out the property and see if they can
encounter the spirit of Steve Parker.
|
|
Depending on what direction they go, the Hunters might even interview people who
knew Steve and Jane and so forth prior to Steve's death. Steve worked in management
at the up-scale "M" hotel and casino on the Strip, was well liked and had several
friends who remember him fondly - other young professionals and church people mostly.
He was apparantly a clean cut and respected man of high integrity and trustworthiness.
|
|
Hugo and Ailis
|
|
Hugo and Ailis are hiding in Steve Parker's old house on the edge of town, which
has been vacant since Parker's death due to the depressed housing market and also
rumors that it is haunted. Hugo has built a sound-proof room in a spare bedroom
with blankents, duct tape, and staples to keep Ailis safe from discovery (and to
protect the neighbours from Ailis).
|
|
The spirit of Steve Parker does indeed "haunt" his old house and cannot rest until
he is reunited with Jane, but he's not dangerous or violent and is harmless. Steve
is helping Hugo and Ailis because he empathises with the lovers but also because
Hugo has (genuinely) promised that he'll find a way to reunite Steve and Jane. If
the Hunters approach or enter the house spirit Steve will keep Hugo posted on their
presense and progress, helping Hugo stay one step ahead.
|
|
Finding Hugo and Ailis's hiding spot is the event that transitions the adventure
from Act 1 to Act 2.
|
|
Facts and Clues
|
|
Following are some examples of facts that could be discovered in this Act:
|
- From Cops:
- The police suspect that Hank may have been an abusive husband, but they don't suspect
him of her murder.
- The police have a hypothesis that Hugo may have murdered Jane out of a sense of
revenge, for ruining his credibility as a medium, that Hank came after him for revenge,
and Hugo killed Hank too (though they aren't sure how as the Banshee scream left
no forensic evidence).
- Misc. NPCs
- Hugo is a 'slightly obsessive and hopeless romantic'.
- Ailis had a 'beautiful voice'.
- Jane Reed was a quiet lady who kept to herself. She seemed confused and withdrawn.
- Neighbours of Hank and Jane suspected that Hank abused Jane and think he 'may have
done it'.
- The executors of Steve Parker's estate have been unable to sell his house because
of "mysterious goings on".
- Investigation or Supernatural abilities:
- Hugo really is a powerful psychic medium, not a charlatan.
- Hugo didn't murder Hank or Jane Reed.
- Hugo and Ailis are hiding in Steve Parker's house on the edge of town.
- Hank murdered Jane.
- Ailis killed Hank (accidentally).
- Ailis is a newly catalyzed Banshee.
- The spirits of Steve, Hank, and Jane are all trapped on this world by an ugly triangle
of love, abuse, and codependency.
- From Hugo:
- Hugo and Ailis are in love.
- Hugo knows Hank was responsible for Jane's murder.
- Hugo know's where the knife Hank used to kill Jane is (because of his abilities).
He cannot point the police to it without incriminating himself (it's the sort of
thing that only an accomplice or the murderer would know).
- From Ailis:
- She has no idea what is going on, really, and wishes it would all just stop.
- Hugo didn't kill Hank...but she will only admit that she did it if heavily pressed.
- Steve Parker
- Steve Parker is helping Hugo in the hope that Hugo will find a way to reunite him
with Jane, saving her from Hank.
- Steve Parker is a ghost who cannot rest until he is reunited with Jane.
- Hank Reed
- Hank Reed murdered Jane Reed because she was going to divorce him and take half
of everything he had cheated and connived for...just like his first wife.
- If using the Cult of the Red Hand option, Hank killed Jane accidentally and perhaps
even indirectly with some out of control magic...or for a more sinister option he
sacrificed her as part of a summoning.
|
|
Act 2: The Hideout - Steve Parker's House
|
|
There are many different ways Act 2 can go down, but once the Act starts (with the
Hunters arrival at Steve Parker's abandoned house) they have approximately 20 minutes
before some cops show up to investigate a reported disturbance. If the Hunters break
in to the Parker dwelling illegally or cause property damage in the area and are
caught they'll have some explaining to do.
|
|
The scene begins with the Hunters arrival at Steve Parkers home in a quiet residential
area in a modest suburb of Las Vegas. The house has been vacant since Steve Parker's
death, and is boarded up. Real estate agents have not been able to move the property
due to the depressed housing market and also because there are rumors that the house
is haunted.
|
|
In point of fact it is; though he is not malicious about it the spirit of Steve
Parker has been taking steps to scare off potential buyers by slamming doors and
playing other "ghost" tricks. Now that Jane is dead it matters little, but Steve
knows that Linda Sweeney, the real estate agent
listing his house, is associated with Hank Reed in some way. Steve beleives that
Hank intended to pocket the money from the house and not give Jane a dime of it,
though the title belonged to her.
|
|
The Parker house sits on a 3/4 acre lot on a bend in the road giving it a nice curb
presense, with a arced driveway leading to a two-car garage, a portico, and pleasant
exterior modeling. This being Nevada the "lawn" is effectively a rock garden. Two
houses on the opposing side of the road face onto the Parker lot, but the inhabitants
of both homes are at work or otherwise not at home. A couple of other homes further
around the arc of the road have limited visibility of the property, and might be
inhabited but baring special senses the Hunters can't determine it at a glance.
|
|
Observant Hunters will notice that, oddly, there are a lot of crows perched
on powerlines and house eaves and wherever else they can find purchase in the immediate
vicinity of the house.
|
|
The Birds!
|
|
After the scene is set, the Hunters are subjected to a rather suprising turn of
events, the inordinate number of crows loitering in the area descends upon the Hunters
in a cawing pecking swarm, like a scene from The Birds.
|
|
Treat the attack as a 1 pip penetrating 5 meter AoE Killing Attack that lasts for
1 Turn, doing damage to everyone in it as if it had a Speed of 3. The Hunters can
kill some crows, but it doesn't stop the attack. A powerful applicable Supernatural
ability might depending on SFX and GM's discretion. Unless a Hunter makes a Supernatural
Awareness Perception check by 6 or more, the attack doesn't detect as being Supernatural,
but regardless common sense indicates otherwise.
|
|
A Distraction: Linda Sweeney
|
|
As it happens, Linda Sweeney was planning to show the Parker property today.
|
|
Having survived the attack of the crows, as the Hunters are recovering from the
sudden and freakish attack and before they attempt to enter Steve Parker's former
dwelling, a four door Saab sedan with a Real Estate magnetic ad on the side pulls
up to the curb. Linda Sweeney, Real Estate agent, emerges in a forced-smile
tizzy.
|
|
Linda has a young couple in the back of the car, who are trying to hide their "what
the hell is going on?" looks, seeing the presumably slightly bloody and bird-pecked
Hunters on the lawn.
|
|
|
MORE COMBAT OPTION: Redcap(s)!
|
|
If the Hunters are tired of investigating and talking to NPC's and want a little
combat with an enemy they can come to grips with to liven things up, instead of
or in addition to the Linda Sweeney encounter you can create a window of time for
Hank and Jane to escape by introducing one or more Redcap servants of the Morrigan.
|
|
Redcaps are fearsomely physical faerie, and quite tough. Even one should provide
enough of a corporeal challenge for Hunters feeling ill-equipped to deal with spirits.
|
|
Like many faerie in Here There Be Monsters, Redcaps have a human heritage (in Here
There Be Monster terms they are Eld Folk, a kind of Innati), and easily pass as
humans to mundane senses until they reveal their Supernatural nature.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Linda will try to politely ascertain if the Hunters are there to see the house themselves.
The Hunters will have to be careful to get rid of Linda without giving her reason
to call the cops.
|
|
Linda is good at evincing "fake-nice", but more discerning observers (really good
PER check, applicable Social Skills or abilities) will get the feeling that she's
a dragon lady with the instincts of a shark.
|
|
Escape
|
|
While the Hunters were occupied outside, the spirit of Steve Parker has warned Hugo
of their presense and he and Ailis have been preparing to flee out the back door
which takes them about two to three minutes to accomplish. Hugo is aware of what
Hunters are, but being a down-sider his perception is that Hunters are killers and
oppressors of people like him rather than protectors of Mundanes and he both fears
and hates them. Hugo doesn't have a car, so they escape on foot and hide in the
residential neighborhood. If the Hunters spot them leaving, a chase might ensue.
|
|
Intervention Of The Morrigan
|
|
If the Hunters get too close to apprehending Hugo and Ailis, the Morrigan intercedes.
This intercession will take many forms, starting off as mild and escalating as necessary
the closer the Hunters get to capturing or harming the hapless duo.
|
- Mishaps: Any Hunters that have Unluck must roll their Unluck and continue
to roll it frequently as the chase continues. Characters with Supernatural Resistance:
5+ are immune to this.
- Mystical Disruption: The Hunters suffer a pervasive -2 penalty to all 3d6
resolution checks. Characters with Supernatural Resistance: 5+ reduce this penalty
to -1, and characters with Supernatural Resistance: 10+ are immune to the penalty.
- Pathetic Fallacy: The weather turns rapidly bad; dark and angry clouds form
incredibly quickly overhead, and the wind kicks up and starts blowing in the Hunter's
faces both interfering with visibility, accuracy, and slowing them down; this is
treated as a Change Environment imposing -2 OCV -2 PER and -4m movement vs all forms
of physical movement. The weather effects rather blatantly appear behind the fleeing
couple leaving them unaffected and stays with the Hunters like a personal windstorm.
Characters with Supernatural Resistance: 5+ reduce this penalty to -1 OCV, -1 PER,
-2m movement, and characters with Supernatural Resistance: 10+ are immune to the
penalty.
- Oppressive Ambiance: Hunters with Supernatural Awareness feel an ascending
force of oppressive emanations that both disheartens and frightens. It starts off
as a 1 point Suppress (Constant Drain) vs EGO and PRE and increases by +1 point
every Segment and continues until the Hunter abandons their pursuit. Hunters that
lack Supernatural Awareness are not affected per se, but still detect a kind of
"heeby jeeby" feeling. Supernatural Resistance applies to this Suppression on a
1:1 basis.
- Crows: If the Hunters directly attack Hugo or Ailis the flock of crows join
the fray again and descend on the offending Hunters en masse, repeating the effect
previously described until the Hunters stop their pursuit.
|
|
Inside the House
|
|
The house itself is vacant and empty, the electricity is off, and its slightly dusty
from disuse. One of the bedrooms has been haphazardly soundproofed with the use
of blankets, staples, and ducttape.
|
|
Hugo and Ailis have only been hiding out here for less than a week, so there isn't
much to be found. In the soundproofed room there are empty junkfood bags and bottles,
some dry goods, a couple of flashlights, and the remains of several newspapers from
the last few days, demonstrating that either Hugo or Ailis have been going out and
getting some supplies.
|
|
The Manifesto of Hugo
|
|
A number of balled up wads of paper are strewn on the floor near a corner. Unwadded
they look to be draft versions and false starts of what appears to be a manifesto
or speech, railing about a hidden subculture of oppressed Supernaturals under constant
threat from a shadowy conspiracy of world governments and mercenary killers that
hunt Supernaturals down for money.
|
|
The screed goes on, in the first person, with the author claiming to be able to
see and talk to ghosts, and then describes Ailis as being a descendent from ancient
Faeries as told of in old Celtic tales and known as a Banshee. It then appeals to
its imaginary audience to become aware of the Supernatural world and begs for protection
from the shadowy forces that will surely slay the author and Ailis otherwise.
|
|
The Yellow Pages
|
|
In the same general corner as the wadded up papers there is also a slightly out
of date yellow pages book, laid spine up / pages down and open to a particular page,
which also turns out to be dog-eared. If flipped over the page in question contains
among other alphabetically appropriate things an ad for "Public Access Television".
|
|
The address of the TV Station is in what passes for the downtown business district
in Las Vegas, and is the clue that leads the Hunters to Act 3. Hopefully the Hunters
don't need too much prodding to realize that some version of the speech Hugo has
written plus a TV station equals a bad situation brewing.
|
|
Interlude
|
|
There is a time crunch involved between Act 2 and Act 3. Hugo and Ailis don't have
reliable transportation and also Hugo has to keep a low profile as the cops are
looking for him. A small delay is in order to allow just enough time for Hugo and
Ailis to get to the station and get Hugo's crackpot plan rolling.
|
|
Any delay of around 45 to 90 minutes is sufficient. As the plot is somewhat open
ended, suggestions are provided to allow flexibility.
|
- The Cops: depending on how Act I went, this is a good opportunity to engage
or rengage some aspect of the cop subplot.
- Det. O'Grady: if Detective O'Grady hasn't gotten involved yet, now is an
excellent time to introduce him.
- What Just Happened?: If any of the Supernatural interference possibilities
occured during Act 2 (or the initial attack of the crows), more cerebral Hunters
might be concerned with what exactly that was all about and want to do some research
before diving head first into the next encounter.
- Who said anything about a Banshee?: Hugo's manifesto drafts referred to Ailis
as a Banshee. A routine KS: Supernatural World roll is enough for Hunters to know
that is not good news for them. Salient details include:
- Banshees are permanently Sanctioned and have a minimum Bounty of $1,500,000; more
experienced Banshees with a personal record are worth even more.
- The Bounty is so high for two reasons:
- People tend to die a lot when a Banshee is involved
- The powerful entity known as the Morrigan has a tendency to get involved when Banshees
are in danger.
- Banshees are almost always young women of Irish or Scottish heritage, and often
have little to no control over their abilities (at least initially)
- Poltergeist: If action is desired, Steve Parker might remain behind and attempt
to scare and / or inconvenience the Hunters to give Hugo time to escape. Of course
it is likely that at least some of the Hunters can see him via Supernatural Awareness,
and it is possible that one or more of the Hunters might be able to deal with a
spirit directly via special abilities. It is also possible that Steve could be engaged
in dialogue in which case he can tell his sad story of lost love. The Hunters might
even take pity on Steve and take some action on his behalf. Note that Steve is not
a fanatical follower of Hugo's, just an ally, so he wont go to extremes or fight
to the last.
- No Face Man: if all else fails, or if the Hunters have missed the clue somehow,
No Face Man can make another appearance and steer them in the right direction; this
should be done lightly and as a last resort to avoid the obvious deus ex machina,
but if its the only way to keep the plot moving then go for it.
|
|
Act 3: The Climax - KLVN-TV
|
|
Following the clue from Act 2 brings the Hunters to KLVN-TV's offices, near the
Stratosphere north of the Strip.
|
|
KLVN-TV is housed in a medium sized standalone building with some signage, a parking
lot with a couple of scrubby palm trees in planters, and an overall look that suggests
its not a public-oriented building. Inside there is a lobby, some offices, a couple
of staff rooms, a break room, and so forth. A small station, it only has a news
studio, and a public access studio with direct access around the side. Finding Hugo
and Ailis isn't particularly difficult.
|
|
There will be anywhere from a handful of staff to basically all-hands-on-deck depending
on what time of day the scene goes down; mid day and late night are the quietest
hours while any time around news broadcast hours (7 am, 5 pm, 10 pm) is busy. The
public access studio is generally in use only seldomly during the middle of the
day; Las Vegas doesn't have much of a public access community to speak of and the
studio is mostly used to film cheesy commercials for local businesses from time
to time.
|
|
Hugo's Crackpot Scheme
|
|
Hugo is intent on his crackpot plan to use the public access television studio to
broadcast his manifesto. He thinks that by bringing the attention of the media and
the public onto the existence of the Supernatural that it will somehow protect Ailis
and secondarily himself from the shadowy predations of the government and Hunters.
Of course, he has no idea what he's getting himself into.
|
|
Hugo isn't evil, simply marginalized and ignorant of crypto-history and the broader
picture of the forced segregation of the Supernatural and Mundane worlds. Ailis
knows even less than Hugo, having had no contact or inkling of the Supernatural
prior to her Banshee powers emerging less than a week prior. Lacking real information,
they're falling back on a hare-brained idea owing more to bad movies than to a sound
and rational plan of action.
|
|
If successful Hugo's broadcast would represent only mild damage to the veil of secrecy
the Accords maintain, as thanks to his reputation as a charlatan fake stage medium
the entire episode could be easily spun.
|
|
However if the broadcast isn't stopped, about five minutes in Ailis will become
agitated and inexplicably start screaming her Banshee wail, which will unexpectedly
affect viewers of the broadcast. That kind of catastrophe isn't something that can
be easily suppressed.
|
|
Bob Doyle
|
|
Bob Doyle is a restless spirit that hangs about the KLVN-TV station. A TV broadcasting
technician in life, Bob was known to work 80 hours a week, which may or may not
have contributed to his premature death by heart attack at age 42. Regardless, he's
continued to abide in his beloved station for over twenty years.
|
|
Use Steve Parker's write up for Bob, save that Bob has TV Broadcasting skills instead
of business skills, and doesn't have an eerie aura.
|
|
Hugo has compelled Bob to help him, and Bob is running the equipment (he has 1 STR
Affects Physical World, sufficient to manage the controls and work a camera).
|
|
Smile! You're On Camera!
|
|
When the Hunters arrive at the station, Hugo is well underway. If the Hunters are
observant, and move fast and decisively they can easily get into the the public
access studio via the door around the side with a small sign next to it reading
"Public Access Studio". If they aren't paying attention or are dragging their feet
or go through the main TV office building, the Hunters will still find Hugo and
Ailis but the broadcast will have begun and Hugo will have started the opening spiel
of his speech.
|
|
Once the Hunter's make their entrance, the scene will play out unpredictably. Ailis
will be afraid and hide or cower as best she can, but Hugo will "out" the Hunters
on camera with words to the effect of "...here's what I'm on about! See the violence
inherent in the system!..." and have Bob pan the camera to show the Hunters. As
soon as any sort of lethal weapon or ability is used by the Hunters, Ailis will
begin screaming. Chaos ensues.
|
|
If the feces hits the rotating air mover, the Hunters can resolve the scene as they
see fit, but the camera is rolling and it is a live broadcast, so Hunter's with
overt Supernatural abilities need to be careful.
|
|
Outcomes
|
|
If the Hunters fail in stopping Hugo's broadcast before anything major happens they're
going to have a really big mess to clean up and some answering to do with the cops
and the Feds. Ultimately the Hunters will walk away from it, but they'll have a
bit of a stain on their record for a while. There will also be a death toll involved
(GM's discretion as to how many deaths), and that might weigh on some Hunters.
|
|
On the other hand, if any Hunters used overt Supernatural abilities and were caught
on camera, they might be issued an official warning of an Accords violation. Particularly
egregious violations might get more than a warning and represent a real problem
for a Hunter.
|
|
If the Hunters stop Hugo's broadcast, but refuse to sanction Ailis, they will earn
the enmity of No Face Man. However the Hunters may also have gained a powerfully
ally in Hugo (if he survives), who's spirit network could prove invaluable in future
adventures. They may even have earned the respect of the Morrigan.
|
|
If the Hunters carry out the sanction successfully they will have earned the respect
of No Face Man, whose connections and information could prove very useful. If Hugo
survives, he could become a reoccurring character that seeks to undermine the Hunters
and extract revenge for their interference.
|
|
The Hunters might help to resolve the Hank Jane Steve tragedy. This requires a lighter
touch, and is left to the GM's discretion. There is no monetary award, or at best
a pittance for Hank if it's established that he is a dangerous manifestation. However
the feeling of having done something good is reward enough for some.
|
|
The burgeoning Hugo and Ailis relationship is left to the GM's discretion as well,
depending on how much or little the romance angle suits their game, and as it depends
heavily on whether the Hunters sanction Ailis or not. Assuming that she lives, its
then a question of if the GM wants a happy or sad ending. For a happy ending Ailis
realizes that Hugo was willing to put his life on the line to protect her and that
despite his oddness he's a good guy and allows herself to fall in love; they live
happily ever after (or until some other Hunter comes to collect a Banshee Bounty).
For a sad ending she just doesn't love Hugo, oh well oh well, and leaves to try
to find someplace safe; and what a love-spurned Hugo might do is a hook for another
day.
|