open up wrapped giftbox
You pull on the ribbon, peel off the wrapping paper, and remove the top of the box. Inside, you see a single tiny object, clearly too small for the package. It's a little black rounded cube made from some ceramic or similar material, with white dots painted on each of its faces. One dot, two dots, three dots, four dots, five dots, six dots.
You pick up the die and roll it between your fingers. As you do so, the gift package evaporates into a cloud of contrivance.
"Well now look what you did!" he cries/chuckles, glad to be awake for his at-least partial ascension. "I suppose there were better ways to make first contact, but... Oh, they're quite gone."
The Scribe soothingly greets his kitten-for-an-arm, attempting to establish a positive rapport with it from the start. Call it Nyarthlotep. And please dont try any more Demon, unless it CLEARLY speaks it first.
https://youtu.be/SX6HKwOdGZg[Your arm mews happily at you.] You speak to it soothingly [and it seems to react friendlily enough, so] you reach out to pet it with your left hand. Your hand begins to purr softly as you stroke it with your other hand, and [it playfully bites down into the human flesh of your left hand, fangs sinking
painfully down through your skin. You feel its ichor sinking down into your flesh.]
[+1i Corruption.]
Well chase that demon down, obviously! If it's within aimed range by the time Alexander reaches the surface, he'll throw the spear at it--otherwise, he'll just chase after it, possibly investing stamina to close distance and hack at it with his machete.
Rakkiit's eyes light up and she chases after the demon, if she sees it she'll aim and shoot it.
Who needs to think about humanity when you've got things to kill and no one ordering you around?
Alexander begins to run. Before he can even reach the exit, however, Rakiit slides past him, flowing up the passageway like a liquid attached to a deadly automatic weapon. She pops up out of the tunnel, whirls her head around for a second, taking in the heavy vegetation all around her. Then one of her ears turns, picking up on rustling. First the machinegun pivots, then Rakiit's head, then her tail, then her body. It only takes a moment before she has the gun's stock up against her shoulder and the sights lined up, but already the demon's disappeared into the brush.
But Rakiit knows the general direction, and is attached to a deadly automatic weapon...
The crusader emerges from the tunnel to find himself in a forest clearing, standing on a ground covered in vaguely familiar, clearly alien dried vegetation. His eyes are drawn to the ground, looking for tracks, while his ears catch the beginning of a bird's song before being deafened by the considerable noise of a light machine gun firing in close proximity.
[Cognitive Dissonance cleared.]
Three bursts later, Rakiit feels much better. She can't hear anything and has no idea if she hit the target, but she's feeling very good about this situation.
[-~24 Ammo.]
Name: Alexander Prekar
Description: A tall and strong man, wearing simple cloth garments. Has a golden cross hanging around his neck on a chain.
Method of death: He was assassinated while asleep, during the crusades.
Demon: He always believes he is absolutely in the right, and has trouble understanding other people, especially those who disagree with him. His is the only way, and all others will lead to fire.
Never-Die: 3
Pay-Attention: 7
Go-Through: 4
Move-Quick: 4
Keep-Hold: 5
Accuracy: -2
Melee: +3
Agility: -2
Poise: +0
Resistance: +3
Medical: -2
Extraction: -2
Determination: 3/3
Focus: 7/7
Stamina: 0/1
Speed: 4/4
Corruption: 0/5
Status: Fine!
Weapon: Machete
Armor: Plate armor
Weight: 3
Inventory:
Machete: A good blade. It has sufficed for hacking apart the foul creatures that lurk here.
[melee: lethal/AP3 pain4]
[hit+1]
[parry+2]
[weight1]
[1hand]
Doga Spear: A crude, if metal-tipped spear once wielded a a doglike demon.
[melee: lethal/AP3 pain2]
[thrown: lethal/AP2 pain2 short4 long8 focus2]
[reach]
[parry+1]
[weight1]
Plate Armor: Steel armor of a crusader. The helmet has a flat top rather than a dome, unlike many armors.
[armor4]
[weight1]
[noise+2]
Cross Pendant: It appears worn, but may still provide hope to a weary or uncertain warrior.
[unknown]
Clay x1: Payment for services rendered. Heals wounds, supposedly.
[removes pain]
[cures injury]
Name: Rakiit Amph
Description: A 6 foot tall cat girl covered in surgical scars and injection ports. short brown cat ears and similarly brown tail. Wearing a ragged guard uniform with a gaping hole in the abdomen. She's holding an LMG protectively to her chest
Method of death: Cardiac arrest from massive stimulant overdose sustained while escaping the lab
Demon: trouble trusting people, hyper active, somewhat unstable. Unsure of purpose.
Never-Die: 6
Pay-Attention: 3
Go-Through: 3
Move-Quick: 8
Keep-Hold: 3
Accuracy: +1
Melee: -2
Agility: +5
Poise: -2
Resistance: -2
Medical: +0
Extraction: -2
Cat Ears and Whiskers (+2 Perception)
Claws (lethal/AP2 pain4)
Fluffy Tail (cute)
Determination: 6/6
Focus: 3/3
Stamina: 0/0
Speed: 8/8
Corruption: 0/3
Status: Fine
Weapon: LMG
Armor: Kevlar Vest
Weight: 3
Inventory:
LMG: Rakiit's very favorite gun. It's got some scratches and mud on it.
[melee: pain3]
[Ranged: lethal/AP3 pain2 min4 short12 long150 snap20 focus1/2]
[ammo ~76/200]
[weight3]
Kevlar Vest: Vest which stops bullets. Being shot at remains inadvisable.
[armor2]
Egg?: Off-white baseball sized sphere. Tastiness not tested.
[unknown]
Name: "I... I've forgotten. Many call me 'The Scribe,' though I know that is incomplete. In whispers, I am 'The Mad Scribe.'"
Description: A withered old man in a tattered robe
Method of death: Starvation, locked in his tower while he worked on his latest tale of another corrupted realm, which he still clutches.
Demon: Isolation, as well as the madness that follows when you have visions of other, twisted planes.
Never-Die: 5
Pay-Attention: 7
Go-Through: 3
Move-Quick: 5
Keep-Hold: 3
Accuracy: -2
Melee: -2
Agility: +0
Poise: +0
Resistance: +2
Medical: -2
Extraction: +2
Werekitten
Nyarthlotep (Unknown)
Determination: 0/5
Focus: 7/7
Stamina: 1/1
Speed: 5/5
Corruption: 0+1i/3
Status: "Fine"
Weapon: +2 Shotgun of Weirdness
Armor: None
Weight: 2
Inventory:
"Hell's Blessing": "The most brutal, edgy, oversized keychain ever."
[melee: lethal]
[ranged: lethal/AP2 pain5 min2 short5 long8 snap38 focus2/3]
[hit+2]
[ammo 2/2]
[weight2]
[1hand]
Shells x7: The food that shotguns need to work their magic.
Mad Scribe's Last Novel: A leather-bound tome with a simple image of a cat on the cover. Nobody's quite sure what the pages hold.
[unknown]
Clay x10: Liberated from the body of some demon. Likely to do... something.
[removes pain]
[cures injury]
Name: Demetrius
Description: Rather athletic bearded Macedonian man in white tunic and leather cloak.
Method of death: Drowned when ship he captained was turned over by giant wave on its way to Alexandria.
Demon: Obsessed with sinking things.
Never-Die: 5
Pay-Attention: 9
Go-Through: 3
Move-Quick: 3
Keep-Hold: 3
Accuracy: -2
Melee: +2
Agility: +0
Poise: -2
Resistance: +0
Medical: +0
Extraction: +0
Determination: 5/5
Focus: 9/9
Stamina: 1/1
Speed: 3/3
Corruption: 0/3
Status: Fine.
Weapon: Short sword
Armor: none
Weight: 2
Inventory:
Short Sword: A bronze short sword with a slight curve to it. Heavy and cheaply made, but effective.
[melee: lethal/AP3 pain4]
[hit+2]
[parry+1]
[weight1]
[1hand]
Iron Spear: A sturdy wooden pole tipped with an iron spearhead.
[melee: lethal/AP3 pain2]
[thrown: lethal/AP2 pain2 short4 long8 focus2]
[reach]
[parry+1]
[weight1]
Olive Oil: Has a thousand uses! Like, uh, bathing yourself?
[oily]
Adamantine Dagger: Sharp. Very very very sharp.
[melee: lethal]
[thrown: lethal/AP5 short0 long10 focus2]
[parry+1]
[1hand]
Black Die: Holding this in your hand, you feel fate flow through you.
[unknown]