Chaosium Digest Volume 29, Number 9 Date: Friday, December 31, 1999 Number: 3 of 5 A Night at the Gallery, pt. 2 The Knight comes calling ------------------------ Sometime after lunch time that day Block will go visit Lang at the hotel, tired and weary after spending a night reading the libretto. He will be carrying the tome itself with him. When told that Lang is going to be visiting a friend for a couple of days he will request to see whoever is traveling with him. His tone is one of such sincere urgency that the person attending him will put him in touch with the gentlemen with whom Lang has been meeting steadily since he arrived: the investigators. Block will tell the investigators that Lang has been kidnapped by Andersson and will tell them anything he needs to tell in order to get them to stage a rescue operation, going so far as lying if needed. The book, by the way, just fell on his lap. He believes that Andersson is going to brainwash Lang (he actually doesn't know how he does it) in order to gain influence in several circles where Lang can be of use. He'll also insist that since Andersson is such a respected member of the community the police won't believe their story and by the time the cops do decide to check on Andersson the damage will be done. When he finally convinces them to do the daring rescue, Block will consider his own possible death and write a letter to his order explaining his behavior and suggesting that they do check on Andersson. The letter will be addressed to somebody in the Vatican ("Commendatore Giovanni", actually) and Block will request that the letter be sent in case of his demise. If one of the investigators has somehow convinced Block that he can be trusted Block may drop a hint about the possibility of the Order contacting him for details of the events. Don't give away too much information, just hint that Block is part of a larger group that might provide support. THE RAID -------- Getting into Andersson's house ------------------------------ Block feels that it is his fault that Lang is trapped in Andersson's lair, so he will offer to actively cooperate in the raid. Since he usually visits the house, he can play a small part by getting one of the investigators in with him with the excuse of introducing him to Andersson. Block will then draw Andersson's attention to an unfinished game of chess while the investigator tries to sneak around the house. The rest will have to scale the 2.5-meter wall that surrounds the property. Staging the raid ---------------- I've spared you from having to see a map of the house drawn by my hand, since I'm assuming that you may need to keep some sanity for the session. Here are the sketchy details of the house. As mentioned before the hostages are being held in rooms in the third floor, which only has rooms for that purpose. There is a guard at the end of the hallway. On the first floor there will be Andersson's studio, the living room, foyer, dining room, kitchen, etc. On the back of the house there is a garage holding Andersson's cars. The second floor contains Andersson's rooms, library, etc. The investigators will have to plan the raid careful, since a badly planned rescue would end up with the whole party dead by the shotguns the guards use. Once the fighting starts, Block will pull a .32 pistol and try to hold Andersson hostage. Andersson will then mentally blast him (which will render him unconscious) and go look for the noisy investigators before they ruin his paintings. Do keep in mind that Andersson has dominated all of the guards, so they won't behave rationally and are likely to fight to the death. Even if the investigators do manage to release their friends from their prison, they will still have to fight their way to the first floor where they will likely encounter Andersson. Andersson is by no means immortal, so he won't just walk into the group's range of fire. He will instead try to find them and then attack them with his mental powers (for which he doesn't need to be in line of sight with the victim). It should be quite interesting to see the investigators having to come out of their hiding because they keep falling out unconscious one after the other. When and if Andersson gets killed, he will try to transfer his consciousness to the body of the priest. If he doesn't have enough magic points available, off he goes to wherever it is that Matar stay when they're not in somebody's body. Alas, if he can make it he will allow the investigators to "save" him from the house and will sooner or later try to exact his revenge on them from Block's body. AFTERMATH --------- Hopefully, after raiding a rich wizard's home the Old Crew will have bonded already with the new recruits, making it easier for them to get along. If the investigators didn't handle things correctly, raiding Andersson's house may become a serious stain that will chase them through their operations in America. Fortunately for them, Lang will feel that he owes them his life and will be willing to fund their operations if they can be reasonably explained to him (and hopefully their claims proved!). Lang can also become a useful contact to recruit new investigators for the party when someone goes to a better place. If Andersson took over the priest's body, things could get really interesting both for the investigators and the Knights of Saint Jerome... APPENDIX 1: THE PIECES - STATS ============================== WHITE ----- Father Anthony Block Priest and Knight of Saint Jerome STR 12 DEX 13 INT 17 CON 13 APP 11 POW 17 SIZ 15 EDU 16 SAN 31 HP 14 Age 43 Damage bonus: +1D4 Skills: Accounting 30%, Art: Painting 29%, Bargain 20%, Credit Rating 80%, History 63%, Persuade 61%, Religious History 71%, Spot Hidden 33%, Throw 59% Languages: English 91%, Italian 45%, Latin 60%, Spanish 40% Notes: Father Anthony is a tall, strong looking man with a full beard that is already starting to show its white. He has a deep voice with which he could well intimidate almost anyone he wanted if it wasn't for his kind nature. He is also incredibly intelligent, something that is betrayed by the fact that nothing appear to escape his watchful eyes. Donald Lang Expedition funder and book collector STR 10 DEX 9 INT 14 CON 14 APP 10 POW 13 SIZ 13 EDU 19 SAN 60 HP 14 Age 59 Damage bonus: none Skills: Accounting 30%, Appraise 30%, Antiques 40%, Art: Painting 29%, Art: Literature 45%, Bargain 60%, Credit Rating 95%, History 63%, Occult 49%, Persuade 61%, Spot Hidden 33% Languages: English 80%, French 40%, German 20%, Spanish 60% Notes: Donald Lang is almost pushing his sixties, although he doesn't appear to feel it. His only presence is commanding, and he is obviously used to having things done his way. He usually dresses in a three-piece suit and carries a gold pocket watch. BLACK ----- Ingmar Andersson Matar art collector STR 10 DEX 14 INT 20 CON 14 APP 13 POW 19 SIZ 14 EDU 21 SAN 80 HP 13 Age 72 Damage bonus: +1D4 Skills: Accounting 45%, Art: Painting 60%, Art: Literature 59%, Bargain 65%, Credit Rating 95%, History 83%, Persuade 79%, Spot Hidden 40% Languages: English 60%, Finnish 30%, German 79%, Latin 30%, Swedish 87% Attacks: Knife 40% Notes: Ingmar Andersson looks at least thirty years younger than his actual age. He currently has black hair that is just starting to show some white and brown shifty eyes that never wholly look at a person. Paul Livingstone Locura in charge of acquisitions STR 10 DEX 10 INT 13 CON 13 APP 9 POW 9 SIZ 11 EDU 15 SAN 12 HP 11 Age 46 Damage bonus: none Skills: Accounting 20%, Appraise 70%, Antiques 80%, Art: Painting 53%, Bargain 60%, Credit Rating 55%, History 40%, Spot Hidden 45% Attacks: none above average Languages: English 80%, German 13% Notes: A thin man whose eyes are deep set in his skull and who looks at least ten years older than his real age. All of his movements are slow and deliberate, as if he was afraid of giving something away. He will never be seen alive wearing a short-sleeved shirt, since those wouldn't hide the needle marks on his arms. Alec Jason Locura accountant STR 9 DEX 13 INT 11 CON 12 APP 12 POW 10 SIZ 10 EDU 14 SAN 20 HP 14 Age 39 Damage bonus: none Skills: Accounting 70%, Credit Rating 41%, Fast Talk 30%, Forge signature 72%, Spot Hidden 21% Languages: English 70%, German 5% Attacks: none above average Notes: A diminutive man with mouse-like eyes, Alec looks like he expects a crazed killer to jump out of each and every shadow. Soft spoken and evasive, he uses thin glasses to read and never looks at anyone in the eye. Robert Beryl Locura social liaison STR 10 DEX 13 INT 17 CON 13 APP 15 POW 10 SIZ 12 EDU 13 SAN 13 HP 11 Age 32 Damage bonus: none Skills: Credit Rating 61%, Fast Talk 30%, Spot Hidden 43% Languages: English 89%, German 40% Attacks: none above average Notes: A young man with hazel eyes and black hair, Beryl hides his violent nature behind a calm and quiet façade. Fred MacMahon Locura bodyguard STR 13 DEX 13 INT 8 CON 14 APP 11 POW 7 SIZ 11 EDU 9 SAN 80 HP 14 Age 34 Damage bonus: none Skills: Intimidate 63%, Persuade 20%, Spot Hidden 30% Languages: English 45% Attacks: Fist/Punch 55%, Handgun 60%, Kick 40%, Shotgun 40% Notes: MacMahon's black hair is usually dirty and his clothes betray the contempt he has for personal appearance. The only occasions where he looks presentable are when Andresson literally forces him to be. Nils Lindblom Locura bodyguard STR 13 DEX 15 INT 11 CON 13 APP 11 POW 7 SIZ 14 EDU 8 SAN 80 HP 14 Age 30 Damage bonus: +1D4 Skills: Intimidate 63%, Martial Arts 40%, Persuade 20%, Spot Hidden 40% Languages: English 12%, German (own) 50% Attacks: Fist/Punch 65%, Handgun 45%, Kick 60%, Shotgun 45% Notes: Lindblom's blond (almost white) hair, black eyes and his square, drawer-like jaw are his most prominent features. He is incredibly loyal to Andersson and would obey even if he wasn't being mind-controlled. APPENDIX 2: PLAYER HANDOUTS =========================== Block's first telegram, a handout created with David Harvey's Byakhee, is available on the RTF version of this document. APPENDIX 3: GROUPS ================== THE KNIGHTS OF SAINT JEROME --------------------------- It is funny how the Knights of Saint Jerome aren't really explained in The Stage, given that the sourcebook is about the order itself. Here are some bits of how I conceive them: · A person doesn't have to be a priest to get into the Order, but they do have to be sponsored by a current member. · On an interesting turn of events, the Catholic Church has privately recognized that men and women are created equal, so both sexes can become knights. · The Knights don't just document or watch, but they are quite cautious and like to look before they jump. · The order runs on their own funds, most of which were willed to it by a member. · They answer to the Vatican directly. · They have their own hierarchy inside the Catholic Church, although few in it know about the Order. THE MATAR --------- Little is mentioned about the Matar on the sourcebook for The Stage. They appear to be some sort of mental entities much like the Lloigor, but with each having a conscience of their own. Since they aren't explained there, here is a mix of what they are like in my campaign with the information provided in the sourcebook. As it is mentioned on The Stage, the Matar like to dominate Prime Loci so that they can control the future for their own ends (which are never explained). When they take over a host, they absorb all of their knowledge and past experiences and then remove the original conscience of the host. There isn't any sort of internal struggle going on: the original person isn't on the driving seat anymore and the body has become just a puppet of the Matar. They are able to rejuvenate their hosts and alter their appearance in a limited way using their own energy, but while the host won't die of old age nor will it succumb to any regular disease that is not to say that they are immortal. A shot to the stomach will kill a Matar's host as dead as any regular person, forcing the Matar to look for a new host. That is not to say that the Matar are as defenseless as a regular human is. If winning on a POW contest against a target, they are able to pour as many points of damage as magic points they are willing to commit to the attack. The target will feel the attack as is a huge invisible hand was trying to squeeze them, constricting their bodies from all directions at once. Do note that if a Matar is willing to spend a sizeable chunk of their magic points on this, it is quite possible to kill a person this way. However, the Matar need their magical energy when transporting to a new host. On the attempt the Matar must succeed in a POW to POW contest against the target, being able to raise their score by one for each magic point they still haven't spent. Those magic points are spent and have to be normally recovered. The Matar also have the uncontrollable ability of lowering the mental balance of those that spend prolonged periods of time near them, putting people in contact with their basest aggressions and desires. For this change to take effect, a person must spend at least 20 hours a week with the Matar host itself. It is possible that combined with drugs and sleep deprivation this period of time can be significantly shortened. It isn't clear if there is a way to kill a Matar. The only possibility may be to force it to continually switch bodies until all its points are spent and it fails the attempt, but that possibility would require the slaughter of many hosts and hasn't been attempted. As a side note: the Knights of Saint Jerome didn't find their first record of the existence of the Matar until 1950, so even if Father Block survives the adventure he won't be able to recognize the influence of the Matar from the work of a regular Juvat member. -- To unsubscribe from the chaos-digest ML, send an "unsubscribe" command to chaos-digest-request@chaosium.com. Chaosium Inc., Call of Cthulhu, and Nephilim are Registered Trademarks of Chaosium Inc. Elric! and Pendragon are Trademarks of Chaosium Inc. 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