Premise
The GM Speaks:
The premise of the game is that you are all troubleshooters fora very rich guy by the name of Alex Abel, who is hiring you to work for him. What you may or may not know at the outset is that he his hiring you for more than just corporate sabotage - Alex Abel is a general in the arcane war that will determine the nature of the next incarnation of reality, and you get to be his footsoldiers.
That being said, there are three questions that I'm interested in discussing about your characters at the moment (this is somewhat outside of the numbers/stats/skill levels, and all that mechanical stuff).
- What is it that happened to your character that made him or her willing, in fact desperate, to bury their identity, leave behind their past, sever all connections with friends, family, and familiar surroundings, and take on a new identity and life?
- What skill or ability does your character have that would make an organization like Alex Abel's New Inquisition willing to go to the trouble of erasing your old identity and giving you a new one?
- What event or circumstance would cause your character to seriously consider contacting some part of his or her old life, even though doing so would pyerce their new life in jeopardy and might get them in serious trouble with the New Inquisition.
Player Characters
Adult Male, American, Refugee from Opus Dei
Graduate of Catholic University of America, Washington DC
Highly schooled in the more arcane aspects of the Church, and specializing in assisting with exorcisms, and troubleshooting for Opus Dei.
More recently graduated from PIT school, receiving a certificate in HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) to start his own business.
In his role as an exorcism team member, he's frequently come into contact with various occult forces that have caused him to question his own faith. It was during such a crisis of faith that he was called upon to extricate a certain high-ranking church official from an embarrassing situation.
He had serious misgivings about the job, but was made to understand that he had no choice. Afterwards, when he tried to quit from Opus Dei, he learned of the existence of a secret inner group, who were willing to commit atrocities in the name of the church. They explained that quitting was not an option he would survive, but also expressed an interest in him and even tried to recruit him.
He made a third option: Go underground. He's changed his name, appearance, and profession, and has been trying to arrange for himself a quiet life. It hasn't been easy. American Express keeps sending him past due notices, they towed away his new (used) car, and the landlord's not very happy with him.
Funny thing about money: It's really not that important, until you don't have any. Then it's REAL important.
If you need to chase out the evil spirits, he's your man. But also, a certain familiarity with the more diabolical forms of occult practice and symbology might come in handy too.
He knows a lot of people in the occult world, although he may not be on the friendliest terms with them.
Also, he can fix your heater.
There are still plenty of people in the Church that he knows and admires, people he'd like to protect if it comes to that.
Brandy Alcaraz
Brandy Alcaraz was the only victim of the Green River Killer to survive. That was almost six years ago. She was 21, working as a prostitute; the killer picked her up, took her to a park along the Green River Trail, and attacked her. Brandy was left for dead, but her body was found very quickly, probably only moments after the assailant left, by joggers. She had suffered multiple blows and slashes to the face, neck, and body, and was unrecognizable. Even the paramedics who responded to the emergency call first thought she was dead, until one of them noticed a very faint pulse.
For a long while it was touch-and-go; there was little hope of keeping Brandy alive. The police kept it under wraps because they didn't want to deal with another media circus. Then they zeroed in on Gary Ridgway as their lead suspect and started slowly building the case; when it looked like Brandy might make it after all, they kept quiet in the hopes of making her their ace in the hole, their unexpected witness.
Even after she was out of danger, Brandy needed extensive reconstructive surgery and therapy. By the time she was of any use as a witness, Ridgway had been arrested on the strength of DNA evidence from four other victims. But then the team handling Brandy had an unpleasant surprise when they started really working with her: according to her, Ridgway wasn't the man who attacked her. They were annoyed with her, the useless witness -- and then she recognized somebody else as her assailant.
Somehow, her insistence convinced the two detectives who were handling her case. Then within days of starting discreet enquiries, one of them had a very unlikely accident. His partner, rattled and making connections he didn't like, decided to immediately move Brandy to another location for her protection -- without waiting to fill the paperwork with the Department. Instead, he went to a friend, an ex-cop who was now working as a P.I. He hid Brandy with his friend, promising to come back and get her as soon as he could make proper arrangements. But he too had an unlikely, unfortunate accident, and never came back.
Mike, the ex-cop who was protecting Brandy, questioned her and got a disturbing picture: not only was the man who'd attacked her not Ridgway, but he'd also been talking "weird ritual shit". Mike's own investigations suggested connections between Ridgway, Ted Bundy (the other prominent Washington serial killer) and other cases involving hundreds of head women. Mike activated his connections with The New Inquisition to put Brandy to safety as a valuable witness.
Brandy had a new face, a new name, and a new fear. She certainly had no reason to go back to her old life. With her help, TNI has been able to piece together a partial picture of a vast "Kill Club" where Ridgway and Bundy are merely the most manipulable, unwittingly providing cover for several other murderers -- men of substance and power. Nor are the murders merely mundane; they are definitely arcane.
Aside from her value as a witness, Brandy soon revealed or picked up some moderately useful abilities. For one thing, she's got a certain streetwise vibe that makes it easy for her to pick up information that might escape TNI's more "corporate" agents. For another, she's extremely hard to kill, for some reason. Although she gets mangled the same as anyone else, she seems able to survive tremendous harm, hanging by the faintest thread.
In addition, Brandy was quick to realize that being useful is the only way to ensure that TNI will continue to extend its protection. She has been working hard at learning what she needs to survive -- some self-defence, some technical skills, computer literacy, and the fine art of quasi-blackmail.
Brandy might consider breaking cover if there was no other way to stop the Kill Club/Avatar/real killer, or to save her younger sister. Tonya is seven years Brandy's junior, which makes her 19 these days. Her family life is no nicer or more stable than Brandy's was; she's another troubled youth getting in with the wrong people.
Physical Description: Despite the excellent reconstructive surgery performed on her face, Brandy still bears the marks of her ordeal, particularly as scars on her neck, torso and arms. She always wear high collars, usually turtlenecks, multiple layers of clothing, and almost always dresses in black or in dark colours. Her hair is black but now died a ruddy brown, her eyes are dark brown, her skin is the tone of light latte; she looks like a composite drawing mixing Caucasian, African, and Asian features. She's 5'7" but looks taller, partly because of the long black coats she often wears.
LaTerian Jones
There's a monster in Chicago called Cabrini-Green and it lived off the blood of children. LaTerian Jones (Tear to his friends) lived there and lost friends there. It was Tear's older brother Theo that really hurt. Theo protected LaTerian as best he could, but Theo got killed when LaTerian was 12 and Theo was 17.
That was when LaTerian started cutting himself up, just to feel anything. Later he found out how to turn pain into power and strike back at the world that had taken his brother from him. The world, but not the people that did the deed. Things were looking up for LaTerian until he honked of Demetrious Detritus, the Urbanomancer that owned C-G. You know, when you honk off an Urbanomancer, you just move.
What does LaTerian offer to TNI? Who wouldn't want a skinner hit man on the payroll, if nothing else to keep them off someone else's payroll.
What would get him back to Chicago? The name of the person that killed his brother.
Carlos Fruentes
Description: A Caucasian male in his early twenties, average height and build with dark hair, brown eyes and a tan completion. Unremarkable appearance except for numerous abrasion scars on limbs. He is generally introverted, soft spoken and somber except when skateboarding or when witnessing abuse of power.
Personality: A passionate skateboarder who is driven to "bring the fight” to criminals and corrupt politicians who exploit the disenfranchised. Carlos became an itinerant vigilante after witnessing the brutal (ritual) murder of a social activist (who he idealized and whose name he has since adopted).
Obsession: "Shreddin'" (skateboarding & stunts).
Emily Bay
Emily Bay’s given name was Amelia Johnson. Born black, female & poor in the ghetto of Chicago at the turn of the century, live would have ended early for Amelia if she had not possessed an edge. With little but her silver-tongue, quick wits, and burning drive, from a young age Amelia bought and sold her way to the top. Her sale skills were legendary in some circles, her ability to market so impressive that she was rumored to be able to trade in youth, health, and even souls. In fact, she spent much of the 70s and 80s selling trading in souls, earning herself long youth, beauty, and more money than sense.
Unfortunately for her, someone tipped of the FBI to her less than legitimate dealings. Amelia had to disappear fast, and thus fell right into the hands of TNI. She has been working for TNI for the last ten years, keeping her personal deals to a minimum. Amelia changed her name to Emily Bay, finding the alias suited her in her fascination with internet trading. She plans on working for TNI for the next 50 years or so, waiting until the FBI – and some of her less savory business associates – stop looking for her. That is, of course, unless someone offers her something better.
Jane Seymour
Summary: Angie’s (formerly Angie Richards) parents both died when she was eight, in the fire that destroyed their house. Angie should have died as well, but she had felt something compelling her to get out of the house and save herself. The firemen found her outside, watching the conflagration passively from the street. The cause was never determined, but she knew it was something evil.
She went to live with her grandmother and, aside from being unusually interested in the occult, had a fairly unremarkable childhood. She studied History at UCSD, where she met her mentor, a professor in the department. After college she opened an unsuccessful second-hand bookshop, and was overwhelmed with debt when she was approached with the offer from TNI. Seeing the chance to have access to real power and knowledge, as well as an escape from her dead-end track, she seized it. Now “Jane” is ready to face what lies ahead, but worries sometimes that she won’t be able to help her grandmother should something terrible happen.
Personality: Neat Freak. Nice enough in her way, but with a compulsive need to organize and classify.
Obsession: British History (Bibliomancy)
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