"Hmm. I think the Scholar can see us through the engraved eye. Maybe it can listen too. Or read mouths?"
Hold the orb and turn it so the eye is facing me. Tell it about the different places that we've found, ask which would be best.
Afterwards leave the orb here, assuming someone else is there to watch it. Go to the bank and find out if I could buy the abandoned church outright, or if we would need to pool our money.
Name: Ailn
Appearance: Wrinkly, frail, and raggedy. She's actually not very old, and much faster than she looks, but certainly has an unhealthy look about her. Dark hair and eyes.
Backstory: Child of wealth, persistent illness, oddly unbreakable will. She left, of course. She doesn't see much use in money, though her family makes sure she has plenty of it. She'd like to be able to cure her illness, and maybe make some sense of this crazy world. Maybe going a little crazy will help, if that's what it takes.
Physical stats:
Strength: d6
Dexterity: d8
Speed: d8
Endurance: d6
Awareness: d6
Guile: d10
Knowledge: d6
Willpower: d12
Occult stats:
Corruption: 0
Madness: 0
Favor: 0
World Stats:
Connections: d4
Possessions: d8
Money: d12
Standing: d4
Inventory:
old messenger bag
coffee mug
pair of dice
key ring
notebook
pen
Orb
$900
You fish the orb back out and hold it carefully on the tips of several fingers, shifting it so that the eye is staring directly at you. You begin telling the orb about the various places that the other members have found, and for a while you feel like you're somewhat wasting your time. But then, when you speak of the underground room in the university, a liquid tingle runs through your body like a pleasant electrical shock. You feel that this is a positive reply.
You set the orb down and head to the bank (-$3). You eventually get paired with an agent of the bank and ask them about the property near Soledad, the old mission. They tell you that this bank has nothing to do with it, but then offer to call down to Soledad to see if their sister bank in that town holds the deed or the mortgage. He returns a few minutes later and tells you that its a bit of a complicated situation. Apparently the mission was vacated because a new church was built in town, but the owner of the land the old mission was built on died suddenly without leaving any sort of will. The property changed hands a few times and is now technically owned by the town, rather than any individual. He advises you go see the government of Soledad to talk to them about it.
"Greetings, is there a problem?"
Ask the protestors about their group, why they're protesting, willingly accept one of their pamphlets and try to defuse the situation.
If asked about my connection with the old woman, tell them that I was looking to buy a bookstore and that she needed to think about it and that I should return later.
Name: Richard Reed
Appearance: A well dressed man in his mid-twenties, he sports short brown hair and a well kempt mustache.
Backstory: Richard discovered the cult when one of his less prestigious connections informed him about otherwordly beings and of the knowledge these beings possess. Intent to learn this secret knowledge, he set out to join the cult.
Physical stats:
Strength: d4
Dexterity: d6
Speed: d6
Endurance: d6
Awareness: d8
Guile: d12
Knowledge: d10
Willpower: d8
Occult stats:
Corruption: 0
Madness: 0
Favor: d4
World Stats:
Connections: d12
Possessions: d4
Money: d6
Standing: d8
Inventory:
Notebook
Pen
Drawing of the sigil and the visions.
$394
[12]
You walk over to the protestors with an air of mild arrogance and a bit of a swagger. They shout at you, repeating slogans, and you snap up a brochure with a smile. You read the thing over with great care, making some rather exaggerated faces and gestures as you do, before tossing it over your shoulder and stepping up to the woman who seems to be in charge. Over the course of several minutes of shouted conversation you bring up the woman's seemingly encyclopedic nature of the occult and satanism and wonder aloud why a good christian would know these things. You then talk about how there are surely satanists out there mascaraing as Christians, diverting attention from real sites of satanic worship to attack harmless decoys. You give the example of a hippy book store, being very unsubtle.
Despite the overt nature of your manipulation, you can see it is having an effect. Several of the members of the protesting group grow more quiet and seem to consider the shop for the first time. It's clear to you that this woman has wrapped them up in her own fervor and they simply got drawn in and followed her lead. She sees this as well and despite still vehemently denying everything you say, calls for the group to pack up and leave. She uses some excuse that is vaguely religious and they quickly fall back in line. However, as they leave you see her look at you with real, honest, raw hate in her eyes.
You wave as their minivans depart and head into the store. The owner seems quite happy to see you and thanks you profusely for running off the protestors. She seems the type not to like conflict.
Examine the purchased books with the orb of the Red Scholar in attendance. Did I find anything interesting occult-wise?
Name: Sean O'Malley, Phd.
Appearance: A trim, short man in his mid-40s, with a jovial expression and short reddish-brown hair.
Backstory: After completing his doctorate in Philosophy, he found his life unexpectedly limited after promoting some rather nonstandard views, after discovering and investigating some minor secrets. His position was since removed, and he no longer commands the respect he once had among his peers.
Physical stats: (list in order)
Strength: d4
Dexterity: d6
Speed: d8
Endurance: d8
Awareness: d10
Guile: d6
Knowledge: d12
Willpower: d6
Occult stats:
Corruption: 0
Madness: 0
Favor: 1
World Stats:
Connections: d6
Possessions: d8
Money: d8
Standing: d6
Inventory:
$469
Bicycle
Drafting Board
You go through the books one at a time, holding them up where the eye can see them. Most of the time nothing happens but you get a few responses in the form of tingling pleasure. The first is for an old anatomy book, particularly it seems to like the images, the various illustrations of dissections. The second, a manual on toxicology, huge and dull green with hundreds of pages of various poisons and toxins. The third, an atlas, and the fourth, a book of Alphonse Mucha's art, with some scattered images of other Art Deco and Art Nouveau works. Novels and other similar works of fiction which dominate the used books seem to be of little interest.
Well, the night club isn't a total bust. It'll be expensive to own, but we'll have enough space to do as we please.
Take another bus back to my (shitty)apartment and pick up some magazines, and a icebox with some beers in it. Then, take a second bus back to the abandoned building our cult is hiding out in.
Name: Lance Robbins
Appearance: Bruised and batter, a shaved head, a smile like a serial killer, he's nearly the text book definition of "thug"
Backstory: Lance grow up in household with lower expectations, and managed to not even reach that. He spent his years boozing, smoking, and brawling his time away. He overheard a drunk in the alley talking about type of "ritual thing" and decided to check it out. Not as if he has anything better to do with his life.
Physical stats:
Strength: d8
Dexterity: d12
Speed: d10
Endurance: d8
Awareness:d6
Guile: d6
Knowledge: d4
Willpower: d6
Occult stats:
Corruption: 0
Madness: 0
Favor: 1
World Stats:
Connections: d4
Possessions: d12
Money: d8
Standing: d4
Inventory: [Money roll: 1] [Possessions roll: 4]
$97 U.S dollars
Spanner
Flask of Alcohol
Carton of cigarettes
Zippo lighter
(-$6)
[8] You head back to your home, a shitty little roach infested apartment in a not so great part of town, and pick up a few things. First, a stack of magazines, then a cooler. You use the Appartment's ice machine to fill the cooler and stuff a dozen or so beers in it before taking the bus back out to the abandoned building, or at least as close as it will go. You drag the cooler the rest of the way and stuff it in one corner of the big room you've all been using as a headquarters for now. You pile the magazines down next to the books.
"Screw those other guys. We gotta get in on this right now." Helen said as she set her camera on the counter so that it points at her.
"And the best way to do this..." she added as she run back to stand next to her gal pal.
"Is with a montage!" she concluded, pointing at the camera and winking.
This place is awesome! We'll take it! Contact the others and tell them we're turning it into our temple and they should come help. Then rent this place and start turning it into our temple. And since this is the 80s, the best way to do that is with a montage!
Edit: Dev is worried I'll decide our temple single-handedly, so don't actually do that. Just start preparing to turn this place into a temple. Do NOT turn this place into a temple just yet.
Name: Helen Hywater, though she insists on calling herself "The Recorder" during cult related activities
Appearance: A young girl with short dark hair and green eyes. Tends to wear a dark brown trenchcoat and fedora during cult related activities to avoid suspicion.
Backstory: Has a fascination with recording stuff for posterity and specifically cameras. Makes her way through life doing odd jobs and videotaping things, sometimes things she probably shouldn't record. She's even managed to make some short films. She's a bit weird and she knows it but she doesn't care. As for why she's with the cult, she mostly just wants to record stuff and then sell them for fame and loads of momey. Maybe she can make the world's first real found footage film.
Physical stats:
Strength: d4
Dexterity: d6
Speed: d10
Endurance: d8
Awareness: d12
Guile: d8
Knowledge: d6
Willpower: d6
Occult stats:
Corruption: 0
Madness: 0
Favor: d4 (The Scholar in Red)
World Stats:
Connections: d10
Possessions: d4
Money: d4
Standing: d10
Inventory:
Clothes
A high-end handheld camcorder with flashlight and infrared nightvision capability
196$
"He's right, Helen. Eventually, we will need to vote on which place to set up the temple. Whatever place that gets selected will be where the Scholar will rest and the other places will be used as fallback assuming they are still available. In the meantime, let's price this place and check on the others."
After dealing with Helen's antics, go inquire about the rent and utilities for the place. After that, go check on the others, starting with the New Age shop.
Name: Alexis Ledbetter Cromwald
Appearance: Early thirties. Comely appearance and figure. Back-length curly blond hair. Coppery eyes. Wears an apron with pockets on the front.
Backstory: A former teacher who is the housewife of a domineering businessman, Alexis oftentimes fantasized about dealing with her husband Michael in brutal but creative ways. However, murder is social suicide in the age of improved forensics and profiling and divorce is out of the question as her husband provides her 'income' in the form of allowances. However, her chance encounter with the darkest mysteries of the world may very well give Alexis the power she craves... or it could send her plunging into a fate much worse than slaving to her idiotic brute of a husband.
Physical stats:
Strength: d4
Dexterity: d8
Speed: d6
Endurance: d6
Awareness: d8
Guile: d12
Knowledge: d10
Willpower: d6
Occult stats:
Corruption: 0
Madness: 0
Favor: 1
World Stats:
Connections: d10
Possessions: d6
Money: d4
Standing: d8
Inventory:
$162
Purse
Helen seems extremely impressed and contented with the space, and so turns straight back around and marches back to the man, still enjoying his sandwich, Alexis right behind her. Helen leads with her desire to rent the place, excitement showing, but Alexis steps in and instead simply says they like the space and would like some information about cost so they can talk it over with the others in their group. The man says that the rent is $1100 per year for shared access, $2250 for exclusive access. Utilities are included and equipment can be rented, or shared if other groups give the ok. They write the costs down and then head out. (-$3 each).
They reach the Serpent maybe 5 minutes after the protestors have left and meet up with Richard.
"By the way, Alexander, was it? From the look of you, you used to be an army man. How's your aim?"
Alexander smiles and nods affirmitive before replying. "Cpl. Alexander Sill, 82nd Airborne. Medical discharge after Urgent Fury. You?" He shrugs. "And not bad, though it's been a while, and I wouldn't exactly call myself a crack shot."
Yeah, let's check out the back rooms, then perhaps take a closer look at the pulpit. "Either of you have any idea what could have done that?"
Name: Alexander Sill
Appearance: A well-built man in his late thirties, who walks with a slight limp.
Backstory: A career soldier, though that career was brought to an abrupt end after the invasion of Grenada left him discharged with a shiny medal and a leg wound which will probably never fully heal. Since then he has struggled along, through a series of short-lived, dead-end jobs, searching for a new purpose in life. He now seems to have found one.
Physical stats:
Strength: d10
Dexterity: d8
Speed: d6
Endurance: d12
Awareness: d8
Guile: d6
Knowledge: d6
Willpower: d6
Occult stats:
Corruption: 0
Madness: 0
Favour: 0
World Stats:
Connections: d8
Possessions: d6
Money: d6
Standing: d8
Inventory:
Murphy's Shotgun (Remington 870, shortened barrel, pistol grip; loaded), pocketfull of shells.
Toolbox (in Jeep)
Kaiser Jeep M715 (dark blue)
$497 cash
Alexander smiles and nods affirmitive before replying. "Cpl. Alexander Sill, 82nd Airborne. Medical discharge after Urgent Fury. You?" He shrugs. "And not bad, though it's been a while, and I wouldn't exactly call myself a crack shot."
"Gunnery sergeant Murphy, 1st marine division. Medical discharge after I got caught by Charlie and they beat me into uselessness. I tell ya son, never understimate a tiny asian man in a funny hat.
Anyway, my hands aren't what they used to be.Why don't you hold on to my old shotgun, just in case?"
Hand over my shotgun (Remington 870, shortened barrel, pistol grip, loaded) and the handful of shotgun shells to Alexander. Then join him into checking the back rooms, shining the flashlight so we can see what we're doing. Keep my eyes open for basements or otherwise hidden (trap)doors.
Name: Walton J. Murphy
Appearance: A man of 64 years old. Walton sports a bald head and a grey beard. Not as fit as he used to be. His body is marked with a variety of scars.
Backstory: Walton joined the military when he was 18 years old in 1939, just in time for WWII to ramp up. He has since served in the pacific theater in WWII, the Korean war, and the Vietnam war. It was in 'Nam where he was gravely wounded for the last time, effectively ending his military career. He currently works a desk job for the local government, a fact that does not particularely please him.
He's been in a world war, a cold war, a drug war and a gang war. Now, seeing the appalling amount of respect veterans get from younger generations, he's decided that he wants to add a holy war onto his résumé.
Physical stats: (list in order)
Strength: d4
Dexterity: d6
Speed: d6
Endurance: d6
Awareness: d8
Guile: d10
Knowledge: d8
Willpower: d12
Occult stats:
Corruption: 0
Madness: 0
Favor: 1
World Stats:
Connections: d8
Possessions: d8
Money: d4
Standing: d8
Inventory:
299$
Leatherman multitool
Notebook&Pen
Bicycle
Duct Tape.
Flashlight
The back rooms are set on concrete or maybe adobe and thus in better condition than the main room. They're significantly cooler as well, insulated behind thick walls with few small windows to allow light in. The place is also absolutely covered in dust, dead leaves, and litter; apparently the wind blows everything through the main room and it accumulates back here and get stuck. The mixture of leaves, insects, and trash crunches beneath your feet as you search and the air smells like dry compost, vaguely rotten. There are three rooms: A supply room, a kitchen, and a study/bedroom. None of them are very big; the supply room is piled with the remnants of old crates, the kitchen has a built in fireplace for cooking and an old table, and the bedroom has the frame of a bed in one corner and a desk in the other. Everything is empty and, aside from some spiders, uninhabited. The crates in the supply room have food, now long expired. You pick up a glass jar of preserved peaches and can see the shriveled black things in opaque brown fluid within. There's a back door from the kitchen out into a little area that might have been a Garden at some point, but its so over grown now that its hard to say.
Use my point of favor in Possessions, leveling it up to 1d12. Try to use my "Possessions" and find a book that has the sigil of the Scholar.
Name: Micolash Cage
Appearance: A man with messy curly black hair and an eternal grin on his face.
Backstory: He used to work as a librarian, in which he found a book about the occult, and decided to join a cult for fun and knowledge. Fascinated in learning and gaining insight of the world and the cosmos.
Physical stats:
Strength: d4
Dexterity: d6
Speed: d6
Endurance: d6
Awareness: d8
Guile: d8
Knowledge: d12
Willpower: d10
Occult stats:
Corruption: 0
Madness: 0
Favor: 1
World Stats:
Connections: d8
Possessions: d10
Money: d4
Standing: d4
Inventory:
$200
Notebook
Pen
Flashlight
[10]
You return home (-$3) and search through your library until you find a book containing an image of the Scholar's sigil. In the book its connected to a "Necromancer" cult in Arabia. In this case Necromancer appears to mean surgeon, as internal medicine and surgery was considered blasphemous at the time, same with dissection.
Research everything I can about Diane Flemming. Her past, her family, her occupation, her standing in the community, etc.
Remember to post your sheet. Next time I'll roll with a d4.
[10]
There's only so much that can be dug up here, but you find out the following from various articles about her. She was apparently born in the midwest (They don't state exactly where) and moved here with her children following a divorce. You only find one article mentioning that- it must be something she doesn't like to advertise. She is an "Active church volunteer" and "Career woman" with mention of working in "a bank". Most of the articles about her are about her as a religious "Crusader" for one thing or another. She seems, for lack of a better description, to be an avid pearl clutcher. She's always bouncing around from one cause to the next, screaming about the good of the children and the encroaching menace of immorality or satanism or whatever. She even tried to stop the construction of a Sikh temple, claiming they were moon worshipers or something similar.
Duncan Mac Leodonnnson
Name: Duncan
Appearance: A man in stylish but somewhat dusty suit
Backstory: works as archeologist and egyptologist, salary is not greatest, but, well, it exists.
Physical stats:
Strength: d4
Dexterity: d6
Speed: d6
Endurance: d6
Awareness: d8
Guile: d8
Knowledge: d12
Willpower: d10
Occult stats:
Corruption: 0
Madness: 0
Favor: 0
World Stats:
Connections: d10
Possessions: d10
Money: d4
Standing: d4
Inventory:
$200
Pen
Notebook
Latin dictionary
Welcome. Feel free to spawn in the abandon building.
Author
Topic: CULT (Read 76592 times)