((Don't have me do something that rolls connections unless I specifically say so, please. I have only one level of the thing and a 50% chance of losing it every single time it's rolled, so I'd rather not waste it on something frivolous.))
Ok.
Read the books. Do they have any useful information I could use?
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: 0
World Stats:
Connections: d10
Possessions: d12
Money: d4
Standing: d4
Inventory:
$197
Notebook
Pen
Flashlight
"Necromancer" Book
Many Unread Books
You flip through the books. You can't really read all of them in one day but you skim through the indexes and the chapters you think will be useful. You don't find much, basically things other people have already found and shared with the group: Eye of Thoth, surgeon cults, resurrection men, etc. However you do find something interesting. One of the books mentions the scholar explicitly, though only in passing. However it references the source that it got the information it does have from, a book in german called "Geschichten des roten Gelehrten" by Rudolf Freiherr von Sebottendorff. It might be a more complete source of information.
Time to try and replace some of that spent money. Start writing up, and mailing off grant requests to some of the major camera and film manufacturers, about doing research on my new idea for thermographic film. Get some reference books on the subject from the university library to make them hopefully look better.
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: d6
Standing: d6
Inventory:
$450
Bicycle
Drafting Board
Datsun Maxima
Canon T-50
[10]
You sit down and draw up a basic plan for what you have in mind, making sure to put in just enough information to be interesting and promising without giving it all away and letting them steal your idea. You fill the package with as many references and evidence for its efficacy as you can before Xeroxing the package about 2 dozen times and mailing it off in big manilla envelopes to just about any company you think will be interested in it.
Might take a while to hear back, but this property has a PO box with the university so...just have to wait and check back.
Read the books, starting with the anatomy ones.
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: d6
World Stats:
Connections: d12
Possessions: d4
Money: d6
Standing: d8
Inventory:
Notebook
Pen
Drawing of the sigil and the visions
Borrowed anatomy and medical books
$694
Just read them or read them to the Eye or what? Are you looking for something specific?
"Wait. Were we suppose to set this up here, or in the basement?
...
Meh, not my problem anymore.
Try going for a walk. If any rolls are stat checks occur, use my favor dice.
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: 2
World Stats:
Connections: d4
Possessions: d12
Money: d8
Standing: d4
Inventory: [Money roll: 1] [Possessions roll: 4]
$91 U.S dollars
Spanner
Flask of Alcohol
Carton of cigarettes
Zippo lighter
Cooler full of ice and beer
Magazines found around my house
You wander around the abandoned building a bit...it sure is abandoned around here...lots of dry grass and unfinished buildings...its good exercise but the surroundings aren't exactly that exciting.
Sign up for the YMCA first aid training. Go over there and introduce myself to the volunteers, may as well make a good impression.
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: 1
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 (wrench, pliers, jeweler's saw, tire iron)
Kaiser Jeep M715 (dark blue)
$377 cash
You head over and sign up but the classes aren't today. Or rather they're offered every day but in the morning. Have to come back tomorrow you guess.
Hmm. May as well get started. Set a trap and capture some common animal of reasonable size for dissection. Maybe a seagull. Probably a seagull. Because fuck seagulls.
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: d4
World Stats:
Connections: d4
Possessions: d6
Money: d12
Standing: d4
Inventory:
old messenger bag
coffee mug
pair of dice
key ring
notebook
pen
tools
$777
[10]
You head down to the beach and buy yourself an ice cream cone. Then you walk out onto the sand, dump you tools out of the tool box, and place the cone inside. Then you sit down and wait. It takes maybe 3 minutes before several birds flap down and start hopping across the sand towards you. You stay still. After some tentative advances and retreats one hops inside the box and starts eating. You slam the lid down and smile as it bounces around inside, squawking and flapping.
"Fuck you, seagull" you whisper at the box, patting the lid.
Take the objects to the basement. Also, buy the cult some food afterward.
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: 2
World Stats:
Connections: d10
Possessions: d6
Money: d4
Standing: d8
Inventory:
$529
Purse
You get the stuff to the new and improved hangout and then go spend 100 dollars on food to stock the basement room. You mostly buy nonperishable snacks and various cans of food; the room doesn't have refrigeration.
Intradasting. Go check out the local libraries to see if I can't find any references to this "other world" and the "true masters of the earth". Just ride my bicycle there if it isn't too far from our meeting spot.
Name: Walton J. Murphy
Appearance: A man of 64 years old. Walton sports a bald head and a grey beard. Not as fit as he used to be. His body is marked with a variety of scars.
Backstory: Walton joined the military when he was 18 years old in 1939, just in time for WWII to ramp up. He has since served in the pacific theater in WWII, the Korean war, and the Vietnam war. It was in 'Nam where he was gravely wounded for the last time, effectively ending his military career. He currently works a desk job for the local government, a fact that does not particularely please him.
He's been in a world war, a cold war, a drug war and a gang war. Now, seeing the appalling amount of respect veterans get from younger generations, he's decided that he wants to add a holy war onto his résumé.
Physical stats: (list in order)
Strength: d4
Dexterity: d6
Speed: d6
Endurance: d6
Awareness: d8
Guile: d10
Knowledge: d8
Willpower: d12
Occult stats:
Corruption: 0
Madness: 0
Favor: 2
World Stats:
Connections: d8
Possessions: d8
Money: d4
Standing: d8
Inventory:
299$
Leatherman multitool
Notebook&Pen
Bicycle
Duct Tape
Flashlight
A bible
unlabeled black leather bound book, some kind of diary
a pencil
a crucifix
about a dozen Morgan Dollar coins
You go to the library and research things you found in the journal. For the most part you don't find anything: "True masters" and "Other world" are just vague enough to give you dozens of results from dozens of sources. However among the various things you search you do find the referenced "Allegory of the Cave" in a book on philosophy.
You read up on it.