By Shelby Babb
Jan. 1996
Followers & Beasties
The Chosen of Excratakali
Nature: Fanatic
Demeanor: Bravo
STR 5, DEX 5, STA 5
CHA 0, MAN 0, APP 0
PER 3, INT 2, WIT 2
Talents: Alertness 3, Awareness 1, Brawl 3, Dodge 3
Skills: Firearms 2, Melee 1, Stealth 2
Knowledges: Wyrm Lore 2
Backgrounds: Arcane 1, Dream 1
Willpower 6
Quote: "(growl) We have seen the truth in the cleansing waters of Excratakali. There is the truth!"
Background: Two men and one woman have all been transformed into the "Chosen". They serve Excratakali and the Cult with fanatic zeal, partially due to their repeated exposure (and subsequent addiction) to the Lips of Excratakali.
Each of the Chosen is actually a Fomor, created by Banes who were attracted to the Cult's twisted practices and rituals. One of the men has the following powers and flaws: Berserker, Body Barbs (5 additional dice to Brawl), Mega Attribute (+1 dot to Strength), Addiction (must drink from the Lips of Excratakali every hour), Doomed (has 6 months to live), Second Head. The other man has the following: Berserker, Mega Attribute (+2 dots to Strength, Dexterity, and Stamina and one extra wound level), Addiction (must drink from the Lips every hour), Second Head. Finally, the woman has: Berserker, Mega Attribute (+1 dot to Strength), Plasmic Form, Addiction (must drink from the Lips every hour), Second Head. (See Freak Legion for more details, or invent your own Fomori powers and limits).
Appearance: While each of the Chosen looks different, all are covered in dried human filth, the same as their goddess. They are also horribly disfigured and mutilated, with hideously infected wounds oozing pus and blood whenever they move.
Role-Playing Notes: You and the rest of the Chosen live to serve the Cult and embrace yourselves in the Blessed Release. Excratakali is your goddess and her words are mana. You strongly desire to baptize others into your blessed state, but so many refuse. You must show them the error of their ways.
Viet-Cong (V.C.)
Nature: Bravo
Demeanor: Bravo
STR 3, DEX 4, STA 3
CHA 0, MAN 0, APP 2
PER 4, INT 2, WIT 3
Talents: Alertness 3, Brawl 2, Dodge 3
Skills: Firearms 3, Melee 2, Stealth 3
Knowledges: none
Willpower 7
Quote: The V.C. never speak, except to scream commands in Vietnamese — the language is not Vietnamese however, only a gibberish language created from Oscar's lack of understanding.
Background: The V.C. are creations of Oscar's confused mind. They do not truly exist, and are formed by Oscar's subconscious mind whenever he is under severe stress. While they can not hurt him, the V.C. will chase after him until he falls from exhaustion. While the V.C. chase Oscar, they will not catch him and will attack any and all they come across.
The V.C. are not human and may not even be real. Oscar has no control over them and isn't even aware that he is the cause of them. The V.C. seem aware that they can not harm Oscar, and will let him escape. The V.C. appear to have no memory between their incarnations, and may not even be capable of true thought (despite their malicious behavior).
Appearance: A group of Asian teens of both genders, dressed in dark greens, browns and grays. They always have an angry, menacing look on their face, except when they attack and their faces display a hellish glee. They all appear different, but all are armed with AK-47s and knives.
Role-Playing Notes: The V.C. should be made unintelligible by any means, but very ruthless and vile. They should communicate with one another in their incomprehensible language and attack all nearby individuals. They will only stop chasing Oscar if other targets become available, or if Oscar is allowed to fall unconscious or relax.
Lightning Roaches
Willpower 2, Rage 1, Gnosis 1, Power 15
Charms: Lay Eggs (special, see below), Lightning Bolts, Materialize, Short Out, Tracking
Materialized Stats: Dexterity 3, Dodge 2, 7 Health Levels (but no Stamina to soak!) Total Power Cost: 5 Points
Quote: "Screech!" ZAP!
Background: Lightning Roaches are bizarre pests that come to Gaia to feed and reproduce. They use their Tracking Charm to find live electrical systems and circuits in the material world. Once located, the Roach materializes and feeds. After feeding for a long enough period of time, the roach will deposit its eggs and return to the Umbra to re-start the cycle. People will find one piece of electrical equipment after another become useless as the roaches eat more and more pieces. Oftentimes, an entire apartment building will become infested, as the roaches stay near a large source of food. It is only a matter of time before the Technocracy and Traditions discover these bizarre creatures, but by then it may be too late.
For every 5 minutes that a roach can spend undisturbed and eating a machine, it gains 1 point of power. Once the roach's power is at 15, the roach begins developing an egg. Once the roach absorbs an additional 15 points the egg is ready to be laid in the Umbra and hatch with 0 power (the egg-laying process takes under 10 minutes).
Appearance: Basically, a normal little roach that can unleash lightning from its mandibles. While that is how they appear materialized, in the Umbra they look like roaches composed of black lightning, with jagged electrical streaks in place of their antennae and legs.
Cyrens (a.k.a. "Letter People")
Willpower 7, Rage 3, Gnosis 10, Power 30
Charms: Create Object or Control Electrical Systems (occasionally both), Drain (Special, see below), Influence, Mind Speech
Background: Where Cyrens come from is anyone's guess. They've been around for centuries however, feeding off of lonely individuals wherever they may be. In the past Cyrens were known as the "Letter People", and would send series of letters to lonely individuals, slowly insinuating themselves into the other's life, seducing them with friendship and love. While the Cyren would feed, it would further insinuate itself into the target's life, until the target would become obsessed with the Cyren.
Once this point was reached, the Cyren would leave, cutting all communications with the target and finding a new source of sustenance. In their wake they left shattered hopes and dreams, not understanding the frail nature of human desire. Now that they have discovered the Digital Web, they are beginning to arrive in the hundreds. Already, three of the Mad Boys have become enraptured by a single Cyren, each thinking the Cyren to be a separate individual talking to them alone.
While Cyrens don't truly understand (or appreciate) human feelings, they do know how to manipulate them. By combining their charms of Influence and Mind Speech, they "read" men and women and create individuals based on the target's desires and interests, making the target come back for more. Some use simple messages between friends, while others use methods such as phone sex and erotic email (by either Create Objects, to make a postal letter and envelope, or by Control Electronic Systems, to make an email account, telephone voice, etc.). For every ten minutes the target spends either reading or writing to the Cyren, the Cyren gains three points of Power. Once the Cyren tires of the target, it simply leaves without warning and is never heard from again.
Appearance: In the Umbra, Cyrens appear as genderless, impossibly narrow humanoids made of communication. They can't be seen in the normal sense of the word, but are instead "felt". An observer can perceive the details and features of a Cyren, but can't hope to describe them (an interesting irony considering what they are made of).
Role-Playing Notes: Humans are such strange creatures, give them some of your time and feed from them in return. When you desire some new flavor of communication, new thoughts, emotions, expressions and events, simply leave and find them. Eventually, another Cyren will stumble across the person you just left, so there is no need for concern.
The Enchanted Toys of Mistress Darke
STR 3, DEX 4, STA 4
CHA 0, MAN 0, APP 0
PER 2, INT 2, WIT 2
Talents: Alertness 3, Awareness 1, Dodge 2
Skills: none
Knowledges: Lore (Human Erogenous Zones) 5, Lore (Human Sexuality) 5
Powers: see below
Willpower 8, Quintessence 10
Health Levels: 2 for small toys, 5 for larger ones
Background: Mistress Darke was a promising Hollow One Adept who had a penchant for... kinky things. Among her possessions were scores of toys of every design and shape. Darke was also fond of collecting lovers. She had made it her goal to explore the sexual offerings of the most skilled (magickally and otherwise) members of the Traditions and even the Technocracy, Nephandi and Marauders. It was with her attempt to score with the last that was her downfall.
The Marauder, known as Mac Daddy Player D, was well known among the local Cultists and Hollow Ones as being a harmless master of human flesh. Darke wanted him more than anything. When she finally found him, he wasn't impressed. However, instead of leaving her disappointed, the Mad One turned her vast collection of toys into something more... user friendly. Darke was laughed out of her Chantry when her toys tried to attack her. Then her Chantry mates also fled as the toys turned on them.
The Chantry house was abandoned by the Hollow Ones, and Darke's collection was left behind. Currently, the local Cult of Ecstasy cabal is in a state of negotiations to seize the house and its contents to convert the building (built on a powerful Node) into a Pleasure Dome. How things will turn out remains to be seen, as Darke wants her things back.
The toys have a few effects they can achieve. By rolling their Willpower against a difficulty of 5, they can heal themselves, a difficulty of 6 can heal others. By rolling their Willpower against a difficulty equal to their opponent's Willpower, the Toys can overcome the target's inhibitions. If the Toys group up on a single person, they can totally overcome his restraint.
Appearance: There are 87 items that compose the Enchanted Toys and they run the full expanse. Full bodysuits of studded leather are only the beginning. All roll, walk or propel themselves in any means they can.
Role-Playing Notes: The Toys are all unique, free-willed individuals. However, while they all have little quirks, they exist to please others. They often group up in numbers of five or more on a lone individual, totally overwhelming their moral and cultural inhibitions.
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