Summer 2021 Pitches: In the Shadow of Giants

 

In the Shadow of Giants

Protect your people in a post apocalyptic lost world.

Using their mastery of rune magic, the Giants built wonders across the jungles, mountains and swamps of this land. They raised up the ageless elves and put the tunnelfolk (dwarves, gnomes and halflings) to work. They forged towers taller than mountains, travel machines as fast of lightning, lava forges and cloud cities. Then something went wrong.

The disaster laid their civilization low, killing giant and small folk alike. Now the giants live in savagery like the rest of us. Nature and the dinosaurs have reclaimed mastery of the world. But within the towering ruins lay wonders of an earlier age: steel, rune forged tools, crystal codices and more. Those who dare the dangers within can secure their tribe's survival in this dangerous land.

Setting: A jungle clad land of fierce dinosaurs, giants and savage tribes. Metal working and other advanced technologies are uncommon. People worship the elements and the divine dinosaurs. Warlocks and Sorcerers greatly outnumber Wizards who must hunt for spells in the Giant ruins. 

System: D&D 5th edition with some house rules into available race and class options as well as restricted starting gear.

Story Possibilities:

• Stealing Fire: The giants left wonders in their spire cities and sky castles. The brave and resourceful can find food, tools and knowledge to make their people masters of this world. Beware however of the old inhabitants and the traps they left behind.
• The Great Migration: The tribe has lived for generations in the shadow of Red Mountain growing food in its rich volcanic soils. But the ashfalls grow heavier day by day. Soonit will bruy everything. The tribe must move on and they need you to find the way through this savage land.
• A New Order: As the cataclysm continues to ripple through the land, new creatures seek to fill the gap left by the Giants. Tribe against tribe, apex predator against apex predator. Will the dinosaurs drive the mammals to extinction or will they too pass on? Or will the giants yet reclaim their lost throne?

Summer 2021 Pitches: Geist Noir

 In the city that never sleeps, the dead don't rest easy. Ever since your "accident", the one that should have killed you, you can see them. As you lay there bleeding out, you made a deal with something older and stranger than a ghost. Now it haunts you. You work as a private detective for the dead, tied up in a strange world of ghosts, vampires, and others like yourself.

Setting: New York in the 1930s. Things are bad all over. Gangsters and corrupt politicians run things. The odds are stacked against good guys like you.

Mood: Noir. In a world of shadows and pessimism, hardboiled detectives and femme fatales, your investigator is trying to do the right thing. Or at least make the rent.

Action: The game would be mainly investigative punctuated with two fisted combat and bloody betrayal.

System: Geist: the Sineaters

Theme Possibilities:

• Old Secrets: The vampires have their fangs in this city. They also pay well if you don't ask questions. As someone who has secrets of your own, you respect that. You do odd jobs for the Giovanni's, a clan of gangsters, mystics and politicians. But lately their dirty laundry appears to floating to the surface. Or waking up. Why does the moon look red to you these days? What are the Giovanni smuggling into the city? And why are there bodies turning up that seemed gnawed on by human teeth?
• Rise of the Psychopomps: Some ghosts see you as a sort of ferryman for the dead. Someone to help them complete tasks they couldn't in life. Their payment is odd but honest. But there are older stranger things than you. Shadowy ravens and owls who nest in the low places, gateways to the Underworld. Why are those gateways opening so easily these days? Why are some people not staying dead? And why are there so many ravens around?
• Transitions: Death is a doorway everyone goes through eventually. It is supposed to swing one way. But sometimes rules get broken: a wealthy man staves off death by sacrificing others, a mad ghost decides to possess a human being forever, a corpse crawls out of the grave to inflict vengeance. Then you need to get involved. Somewhere someone is gaming the system. Why is it happening more often? Who is behind it? The Giovanni necromancers? The Orpheus Company? Or one of your own?

Summer 2021 Pitches: A Fracture In Time

You find yourselves unstuck in time, pulled through the decades by forces unleashed one summer night in 1984 as kids. Now you are pulled back to that era and thrust into new ones. Perhaps if you can unravel the mystery of what happened that night you can stop it - or gain control over this power. Do you rewrite your childhood? Undo regrets and avert personal tragedies? Or use your abilities to improve your "present"?

Meanwhile you need to deal with paradoxes, men in black and black helicopters, and stranger stuff. Was that an alien back there? What is up with all of the roaches?

Setting: The story begins in a suburban town in NY in the 1980s but quickly expands into other times from the 1940s and the Victorian Era to WWIII and the Jurassic.

Themes: What If? at both a personal and global level, starting with the Cold War.

Mood: Pulp. Mixing two fisted action with mystery, the PCs are experts and a match for any government agent or time travelling monster.

System: TimeWatch with some modifications to account for a lack of Time Agent training (so you can play a super spy or even a scientist working on time travel but you don't have a full understanding of time travel starting off)

Variations:

• No (or Not Just) Kids: If playing kids (for a bit) doesn't appeal we can open up the possibilities to older folk.
• Don't Worry We Are From The Government: We can instead play the other side of things as FTB agents (work out that acronym for yourself) trying to figure out why everything went wrong, dealing with pesky temporal anomalies and making do with only half of a time machine.

Playing Boardgames Online

Last updated March 27, 2020

As I adapt to our new Shelter-In-Place existence, I'm looking for options to maintain social connections via board gaming and RPGs. While I'm no stranger to online RPGs (and hope to run some one shots in the next week or so), I haven't tried an online boardgame in well over a decade. 

Here are some of the games I've uncovered thus far:

• Carcassonne (normally $10 on Steam with expansions and bundles available)  
• Catan Universe (free though there are in-game purchases for expansions)
• Charterstone (normally $19 on Steam)
• Dominion (free at https://dominion.games/ though there is a subscription service to play using expansions)
• Galaxy Trucker (normally $10 on Steam)
• Lords Of Waterdeep (normally $7 on Steam with expansions available)
• Scythe (normally $20 on Steam with expansions and bundles available)
• Smallworld 2 (normally $10 on Steam with expansions and bundles available)  
• Splendor (normally $10 on Steam with expansions and bundles available)
• Terraforming Mars (normally $20 on Steam)
• Ticket To Ride (normally $10 on Steam with expansions and bundles available): I've used this app but never the online component.

There are also some more general board game tools:

• Board Game Arena: technically free but unless you have a premium account (24 Euro a year or 4 Euro a month) you might be locked out due to high demand
• Tabletop Simulator (normally $20 on Steam with specific games and bundles available) 
• Tabletopia: free with individual games requiring purchase

I hope to add to this list in the coming weeks and will add any experiences I have with them.

Demon: the Descent Actual Play: the Unusual Suspects

As I close out things on this blog, I thought it would be good to collect all of Demon: the Descent actual plays in one place, like I did for other series. Here is the Unusual Suspects in its entirety.

Planning Phase

• Theme Questionnaire: we began as always by questioning the players about what they want. Here we decided on the core themes.
• Alternate Alternate Worlds: some ideas were left on the cutting room floor. Here I discuss a dimension that would have served as the “Matrix” for the game’s reality, a world where demons make the evening news and the war against the Machine is literal.
• Little Arcadia: another scrapped alternate world, this details a faerie version of Seattle run by mad changelings.
• Seattle Dominion: a final scrapped alternate world where Sineaters and Demons rub shoulders and avoid breaking the Dread Laws of the realm.
• Character Creation

The Cast

• Accabish: vengeful plotter
• Daemon: digital cult leader
• Hunter: force for justice or loose cannon
• The Naturalist: juggler of identities and distracted messenger
• Weaver: ancient builder and fixer of flaws

The Story

• Alligators in the Sewers: chance events bring the ring together and then provide a problem to solve.
  • Part I
  • Part 2: the Mutation
  • Part 3: the Four Pyramids
  • Part 4: Diversions
  • Part 5: the Weak Link
• The Cxaxa Interlock: I adapt a Mage adventure and send the ring after an ancient demon.
  • Part 1
  • Part 2: Angels and Demons
• The Lacuna Job: continuing the Usual Suspects the ring find themselves missing time and need to piece together what happened to them.
  • Part 1: In Media Res
  • Part 2: The Escape
  • Part 3: Double or Nothing
  • Part 4: The Infinity Sanction
• Seeds of Destruction: The ring deals with the aftermath of the Lacuna Job.
  • Part 1: Part A and Part B
  • Part 2: Skins and Masks Part A and Part B

Demon: the End, Part 2

Three years ago, I started a Demon the Descent game called the Unusual Suspects. Though it was a fun game and we resolved several stories, the game ultimately had to end due to time constraints. The final story never completed. I still hope to conclude it one day. Here is the final part of this Chronicle for now.

A Final Recap: Part 2

Vaccuum tubes activate. Lasers scan holographic crystals.

<<System Recovery In Progress>>

Attempting to Reconstruct Data...

Partial Record Recovered. 37% Complete.

Archiving Fragments...

2 PM, Olympic Sculpture Park

Daemon and Hunter wandered under the massive red structure known as the Eagle. Hunter sweated inside his facade's jacket while Daemon strolled comfortably in a Tee-shirt and jeans. They stopped to watch the preparations for the Fourth in a nearby field.

"Where is the Mutilationist?" Hunter asked.

Daemon pointed to a bench directly below the modern artwork.

The Mutilationist had the hood of her jacket up despite the heat and her sleeves pulled down over her hands. Large dark glasses obscured her features. She turned as they approach, blondish hair poking out from the hood.

Her cover looked young, perhaps twenty but sick with something. White lines of scar tissue covered what paper-thin skin peeked from her clothing.

“Hello,” Daemon said. “We have a meeting."

“So you want to know about Repurposement facility?” she said in Occitan, revealing a mouth short a few teeth. “I think I can assist you. For a price.”

Occitan is a language related to French and Catalan. Should be rare enough to avoid easy translation.

“What price?” Daemon asked, switching languages.

“Two items. First, you share your intel. Second, if you investigate the Infrastructure directly I am going along. Deal?"

"Deal."

Hunter sat down on the bench opposite her. He could see a resemblance to Clare Smith. It wasn't perfect. Her face had a different shape. She was a touch shorter. Thinner too. But she definitely wanted to look like Clare.

"Why don’t you start by telling me what you already know?” she asked.

Daemon sat down. "I know there's an angel watching over the place. There's a lot of missing and dying children associated with the location, going back decades. Those disappearances seem to be starting again. Also, it looks like the entire place is Infrastructure.

"What can you tell me?"

"It is worse than you think. The angel is just an observer. The real defenses are underground. That is where it takes the children." The Mutilationist's gaze fixed on Daemon. "Have you heard about the Legion? They were an Agency, more of a family really, who were trying to breed demon blooded children. The Machine decided to use these offspring." She shifted on the bench. "It did things to them. It made them into its own servants. Into angels. Then it sent them after their parents."

"Now it is doing it again," Hunter said.

"Nobody has heard from Legion for years," Daemon said. "Were you one of them?"

“No.” She shifted again. "I was one of the ones the Machine took."

"So you've been inside? Where are your allegiances now?" Daemon extended his senses for any signs of the angelic. Nothing. If she was a pawn of the Machine she was biding her time.

"Once. Before my mission. I know the ways in." She paused and looked down. "The machine took my humanity and I've spent the past decade trying to get it back. I want revenge."

Daemon nodded. "I can understand that motivation."

The Mutilationist looked back up. "I know going in alone will only get me killed or worse. With a team and some care however, I think we could shut down the facility."

"There are those of us interested in tearing down this piece of the machine. Give us your intel and we can work together."

She smiled slightly. "There are four entrances to the Repurposement Facility but only two are accessible to us. A seaside entrance allows access for large shipments. It opens every 16 hours for a short time. It will be watched. The other entrance is in the church. The organ is a piece of Infrastructure. The correct chords open an access port. The hitch is that it also serves as the recharging station for the angel stationed in town.

“Inside, the facility resembles a grid of tunnels and shafts surrounding a large cubical space. The core contains the Infrastructure that enacts the transformation. There should be a data storage center within. That might include some details on its vulnerabilities. Otherwise some explosives should do the trick."

"I can help with that piece," Daemon said. "Hunter here can help with the demo. And we have others that can assist with the operation. Let me discuss this with the others and we will be in touch."

She added, "I want to access the data storage before we destroy it. It may have some the pieces of myself I've been searching for."

Something bothered Daemon. "You said that the machine is focusing on the children of the fallen? To what end? To use them against the fallen themselves?"

"Yes. That's how it makes-" She stopped herself. "I'm sorry. It turns the children into weapons against the fallen. I think it also does so to make them into servants. More angels. I think we might all have been something else, someone else, once."

"Was it focused on the Legion alone," he asked. "Are they destroyed?"

"The Legion was most definitely destroyed," she said coldly. "The Machine must now have another Agency as a target."

"I'll look into that," Daemon said. "It seems something activated it again."

Daemon guessed this was the Naturalist's fault and failing that, Accabish’s, for having children.

I corrected him. The whole ring is the trigger. This is revenge for the loss of the Lizard Brain.

Hunter leaned in. "Your appearance seems very similar to one of the missing children. But it isn't exact, even accounting for the time difference. Why?"

"I am Clare Smith," she said putting some anger into her voice. "I've spent years trying reclaim my life, the life it took from me."

"Don't mind him," Daemon said, getting up and pulling Hunter along with him. "We'll be in touch."

---

July 3rd, 2012, 5PM Outside Moe's

First Nat’s player and I worked out some house rules for constructing covers in “downtime” and the Naturalist’s plan to swap bits between covers.

By bargaining for a major aspect of a person (a close family relationship, a key physical feature, something that would fit in a two or three word description of the NPC) and spending a scene arranging the deal (and whatever rolls that come out of that), you gain a dot of Cover.

If a demon cross-patches material from an existing cover, they needs to spend a Willpower and roll for compromise for the old cover. For each dot, roll using the modifiers of the new level. If it is a patchwork cover it is easier to tease the threads out. For other Covers, the roll suffers an additional -3 penalty as the demon modifies the pact.

The Naturalist ran over the plan for their meeting with Mill. Even though Mill would be meeting Dorian, the Naturalist played the message the detective left for Jenny first.

“Hi, this is Robert Mill of One of a Kind Investigations. We are investigating a man who has been seen around your neighborhood. I'd like to see if you recognize him and know anything about him. My number is 555-4352. Can you call me back? Thanks for your time.”

The Naturalist closed the phone and switched covers.

Dorian exited the car and walked across the street to Moe's. Inside people downed beers in small knots, eager to begin their Independence Day celebrations a day early. He spotted Mill by the bar chatting with Stacie.

Stacie pointed in his direction.

At this point unfortunately the game began to fall apart. We never resolved this scene.

---

7 PM: Washington University Campus

As Daemon weighed the ring's options, he absently check his guild to see if any new tidbits about Bainbridge had emerged. The chat and forums were oddly quiet. The last post was hours ago.

He did however find a large number of private messages.

"I got a call from a detective today."

"Someone is snooping around. I overheard my mom talking to somebody about my gaming habits."

"I think they are private detectives."

"One of a Kind Investigations called me."

"I think I saw something about these detectives on a conspiracy site. Here's the link. They seem like bad news."

"I'm telling everyone to keep their heads down. Legally they have nothing. We should be in the clear as long as we don't make waves."

The last one was from Zanity. Smart, if frustrating.

Basically Daemon's cult is laying low. He can still use them but it runs the risk of exposing his activities to One of a Kind Investigations, the Hunter cell. Otherwise they will eventually (by the end of the story) stop their surveillance. Essentially this is a condition.

Being Watched: earn a Beat if lacking your allies causes a significant inconvenience. Resolved by exposure or laying low for a story.

Daemon clicked on the link in one of the messages. The two page narrative displayed was more coherent and less racist than most such rants. It also filled in a number of gaps.

The poster appeared to be close to both Verdant Technology and One of a Kind Investigations.

Basically I was closing off further inquiry into this issue since we’d basically exhausted that thread.

Daemon earns a Beat and resolves the Verdant Technology Aspiration.

---

5PM near Adamant Technologies

Jeanette let the security door lock behind her and walked quietly down the street. Halfway she ducked down an alley, disappearing for a couple minutes into the Weaver's bolthole to file clues and blood for later analysis. The demon exited in their new cover, Sam, and headed for the young teen’s apartment.

And Stan.

Sam was waiting on the steps when Melanie’s father staggered in drunk around 6 PM. 6’ 4" and stocky, he shuffled into the apartment building with a case of beers in his meaty hand. Weaver realized belatedly that Stan could inflict Melanie's bruises with one hard squeeze.

The man’s dark eyes focused on Sam. "What the fuck do you want?’ he shouted. “Another lazy loafer? Don’t you have something productive to do.” He raised a hand. “Get out of my sight.”

Weaver makes a Wits + Empathy roll. Total Dice Pool 4, 3 successes.

As Stan advanced, Weaver concluded the relationship that formed the cover of Sam depended more on Stan self loathing and how he acted that out than anything else. This powerful thug might not hold back against someone who isn’t actually related to him.

Weaver uses Sum of All Fears. Wits + Empathy - Composure + Willpower, Total Dice Pool 5, 2 successes. Fears include: having to face the terrible things he's done sober (murder, torture, maiming), all done for the local mob underboss Big Freddie; destroying his life through drink; ending up on Big Freddie's bad side; and having his crimes exposed.

The Weaver stood their ground and looked past the calloused skin to the frightened man beneath. A man tormented by the terrible sins he committed for the mob. Stan feared exposure of his crimes and of Big Freddie’s wrath. The damage caused by his chosen medication for these stresses only added to his anxieties.

As Sam, they stepped towards the door to her apartment, ready to dart for cover at the first sign of trouble. “I’m pretty sure I’m not the one you want to hit, Stan,” she said.

Manipulation + Persuasion +2 for hitting some his fears. Total Dice Pool 3, 1 success.

Stan shouted a few curses at her before stumbling up the stairs.

Risking physical harm to learn Stan's secrets counts as satisfying Weaver's Virtue. The demon regained all willpower.

Sam watched Stan walk up the stairs before speaking. “What if I told you I could make Big Freddy go away?”

Stan whirled around. “What do you know?”

"I know you fear him. What you've done for him, and what you might have to do for him in the future." Sam smiled at him, doing her best to look confident. "I know a fair number of things.”

Weaver allowed their facade to drop slightly, allowing small amounts of wood grain to show through Sam's skin, and the cutter to peek out from behind her shoulder. "I could cut his thread out of the weave of your life, if you wish, replace him with something kinder and safer perhaps?"

Weaver used Download Knowledge. The demon rolled Wits + Computers, Total Dice Pool 6, 3 successes. They gained 3 temporary dots of Persuasion.

The demon also did a partial transformation. Wits + Manipulation -2 for cover -2 for being supernatural and witnessed +1 for Stan being intoxicated +3 for willpower +7 for unused abilities, Total Dice Pool 11, 5 success. The Weaver takes a Cover Beat for Sam and regains a Willpower.

Next the Weaver rolled Manipulation + Persuasion +2 for overt demonic power and appealing to his Aspirations +2 for his drunkenness -2 for his resistance. Total Dice Pool 7, failure. The demon accepted a Dramatic Failure, gained a Beat and things escalated.

Stan was stunned only for an instant. Then he was on top of Sam, bringing down a bottle like a club.

She sliced upwards but the large man sidestepped her blade, forcing the demon to squirm to the door for safety. Adrenaline surged through its veins as pain shot up its arm.

We roll initiative. Weaver and Stan have the same modifier, Weaver wins and fires as Stan approaches. The demon rolls Dexterity + Firearms + Willpower, Total Dice Pool 5, failure.

Stan attacks 6 dice - Weaver's Defense of 3 and connects for 1 Lethal.

Weaver twisted the knob open with their uninjured hand, pressing Sam's slim body through the door before Stan can catch her. The demon threw the bolt and began fiddling with the other three locks and chains.

Because I think Sam's "parents" would be paranoid. This is not the nicest neighborhood.

Stan slammed into the door like an angry bull. The bolt wrenched free of the wood, hanging loosely from the door.

Stan tries to knock the door open. Stan rolls 6 dice and gets 4 successes. The door has 6 Structure (1 Durability, 5 Size) and Weaver tries to soften the blow by holding it shut. The demon rolls Strength + Stamina, Total Dice Pool 4, failure. Stan does take a bashing damage as well.

Weaver let the door swing open and stares at Stan defiantly, folding her arms in front of her.

As he swung at her again, she dissolved into a cloud of nanoparticles. "Stan, this is pointless! Can't you see I want to help you!"

I learned it is technically against the rules to acquire new demonic form abilities after a partial transformation. But I never enforced it before and I didn't here.

Weaver completes a normal partial transformation. So Wits + Manipulation -2 for the weak Cover and +6 for unused abilities +1 for drunkeness -2 for obviously supernatural + 3 for Willpower. It costs another Aether. Total Dice Pool 7, success.

Weaver spends the Aether and Stan simply swings through the cloud the demon became. The shock certainly frightens him.

Weaver rolls Presence + Persuasion + 4 for him being terrified - 3 for his resistance +2 for still being drunk. Total Dice Pool 8, 2 Successes.

Stan blinked, his mind processing the impossibility before him. He lurched left, a meaty hand gripping the door frame as he slid into the corner. "Oh God, what are you? Don't hurt me. I'll leave you alone. Just don't hurt me."

Stan probably thinks Weaver is some sort of angel or devil.

Sam looked at him and sighed. "Well if you'd just listened from the beginning, maybe we wouldn't have had to go through this. I don't intend to hurt you, unless you attack me again, and I don't intend to take up any more of your time than necessary. So I'll get down to business.”

The demon kept their eyes on Sam as they pulled out a clean sheet of copy paper. Weaver walked over the kitchen table and picked up a pen. "Now that you are ready to listen," she said as she wrote, "I have a proposal for you. You don't have to say yes if you don't want to, but given what sort of life you're living right now, and what Big Freddie has had you doing, it could really be to your benefit. Wouldn't it be nice to not have to answer to him? Not be constantly doing things that could one day land you behind bars for him? Maybe even have a chance at a halfway decent life? What do you think? I could make it happen for you. All you would have to do is sign this paper."

The contract removes the mob connections from his life in return for a job he actually wants to do. Mechanically it is an exchange of a Medial Asset (+2, for the new job and the resources that come with it) for a large chunk of his life - Greater Cover (+3), both with a permanent duration. It is a bit and would cost 2 Willpower.

The demon slides the paper the side of the table along with the pen. Weaver stepped away and gestured to Stan to take a look.

Weaver rolls Manipulation + Persuasion roll with a net +4 bonus (+1 for being drunk, +2 for being scared, -2 for his general resistance, +3 for his Aspirations and fears). Total Dice Pool 9, exceptional success. I decide this leaves Stan a bit unsettled. He gains the Leveraged Condition. Weaver can ask him to do something for the demon in the future and he will do it out of a mix of fear and gratitude.

Stan pulled himself up and stumbled to the table. He looked over the paper, glancing occasionally in Sam's direction. Then he took the pen and scratched his name at the end. Weaver felt a satisfying drain as the pact is completed.

The demon nodded.

Stan stood up and, shaking slightly, backed out of the room. He almost reached the stairs before snatching up the case of beers lying on the floor and running. Weaver heard his heavy foot steps racing upstairs.

Weaver’s cover Sam got another Cover Dot. They will be able to use Legend to get Streetwise or a number of violent skills with it. Adding this to Sam changes the cover a bit. I also decide this alters the abusive relationship that forms the backbone of the cover. Not detrimentally but Sam is definitely a survivor of abuse now rather than a victim. Adding the mob connections suggests she's older, perhaps late teens and probably a bit more tough looking.

Weaver regains 1 Willpower due to a good night's rest afterward.

Improving Sam’s cover to 2 dots makes it a lot less risky. Worst case the demon loses a dot not a whole cover. Also the penalty for compromise is only -1.

---

July 4th, 2012, 7PM

Two demons team up for a research montage.

Accabish rolls Intelligence + Occult, Total Dice Pool 4, 1 success. Then Weaver rolls Intelligence + Occult + Accabish's successes, Total Dice Pool 7, 3 successes.

Weaver and Accabish met the next evening to pool their knowledge about the original Lilith. According to demonic folklore and scraps of angelic memories, she was the first rebel, the first angel to fall. Her story is at least as old as Sumeria where she spawned stories of the Lilitu, child stealing and breath sucking vampires.

Weaver recalled hearing about her in ancient Egypt as a story passed around by mortals. Neither demon can recall knowing about her directly from the God-Machine. Some rumors claimed she exists as a blind spot in the God-Machine’s plans, free of its influence due to completing her Cipher and fulfilling her Koan. Others claimed she developed a device known as the Satan Signal which caused angels to fall.

One thing was clear. To learn more the demons would need more help. From their knowledge of local demons, the most likely source of information, outside of hacking some Infrastructure, was an extremely old demon called the Gerent. It lived at Hell on Earth, a dive bar in the University District.

Weaver asked Accabish if she thinks they should find out if Gerent is willing to share any information it has.

So at this point the game began to fall apart due to scheduling and life pressures.

Demon: the End

Three years ago, I started a Demon the Descent game called the Unusual Suspects. Though it was a fun game and we resolved several stories, the game ultimately had to end due to time constraints. The final story never completed. I still hope to conclude it one day. Here are the final parts of this Chronicle for now.

A Final Recap: Part 1

Somewhere a computer the size of a mountain whirrs to life.

<<System Failure>>

Rebooting...

Memory Corruption Detected!

Attempting to Reconstruct Data...

Partial Record Recovered. 36% Complete.

Computing Optimal Restoration Point.

July 3rd, 2012 12:15 PM somewhere near Pudget Sound

Hunter's phone vibrated as he pulled his patrol car up behind a large black van. He scanned the empty space behind the strip mall reflexively before reading Daemon's message. "Asset in trouble. Meet at the spot."

I know. He stepped out and approached the vehicle. An older African-American man stepped out and waved to him. The officer recognized the Naturalist's cover, Atticus.

"Where is she?” Hunter asked.

Atticus gestured to the van and pulled open the side door.

Inside Cymbeline laid unconscious next to a pile of four dead men. Hunter looked at the men in their identical suits with identical daggers thrust into their chests, clutched in identical hands. The fourth man differed in that he lacked a dagger as well as a spherical chunk of his chest. The demon pulled at one of the strange plastic tubes running from the men's heads. A white residue pooled within it.

Hunter checked Cymbeline's vitals next while Atticus, the Naturalist, looked on. Her breathing was slow and shallow. He peeled back an eyelid. Her eyes didn't dilate in the bright light. The officer checked the small black bag beside her. He found a pair of syringes and two vials, one labeled phenobarbital.

"I'm not sure but she should be out for a few hours," he told Nat.

The Hunter rolls Wits + Medicine, Total Dice Pool 4, 2 success.

The two demons lifted Cymbeline up and carefully carried her to the patrol car. They slid her into the back. Nat gently placed her hands on her chest. While Hunter started the car, Nat ran back and grabbed the black bag.

As Nat buckled in, Hunter adjusted the mirror.

The lid of his trunk was open.

The demon jumped out and ran behind the patrol car. A ripped open body bag lay in the trunk, smeared with blood. A red trail marked his bumper where the angel must have slipped out. Hunter slammed the trunk closed. The lid popped back open as the broken latch failed to catch.

Hunter heard Nat exit distantly as he ran over his route in his head. Traffic was heavy. He remembered several stretches of road marred by potholes. She could have escaped anywhere.

The Hunter rolls Wits + Investigation, Total Dice Pool 4, failure.

“Was there someone in there?” Nat asked.

"Let's go," he told Nat. "I'll deal with this later."

12:30 PM at the Communal Bolthole near the Washington University campus

Weaver exited the bus. As Jean’s phone buzzed in their pocket, a young man in a college tee-shirt pushed past. The demon stepped to the side and read Daemon's message. Well I was on my way there anyway.

A short walk brought Weaver to a dingy apartment building. They circled the structure and entered through the back door. Past the boiler room and some electrical panels, the demon stopped at a boring off white door. Weaver fished out a key and opened it up.

The demon stepped into a large chamber marked with hieroglyphics and steel piping. On the far side the other demons stood in a tight circle.

"You lost an angel?" Daemon scoffed.

"She was dead," Hunter said. "I thought she'd be secure. I didn't realize she was playing possum."

Nat turned to Weaver. "Thanks for coming. Some God-Machine cultists gave these to Cymbeline. Can you tell us what they are?"

Weaver glanced at the girl lying peacefully on a blanket on the floor before leaning in for a look at the two glass vials.

"I'll see what I can do," Weaver said taking the two ampules.

12:30 PM, elsewhere in Seattle

Here's a cut scene that explains why Hunter is not in immediate danger...from the God-Machine.

The child limped along the side of the road, one arm pressed against the savage cuts to her midsection.

"Where are you going, little girl?" an accented voice said.

Peace Montaro looked up. A tall African man in a suit smiled down at her.

"I," she said, static edging into her voice, "need to...get to 38th and Stone." She grit her teeth. "And report the defector."

"I will help you get there, little angel," the man said. He took her hand. "Tell me about this defector."

"I must report back," she said leaning into him. Greenish liquid stained his pant leg. "He was a policeman. David Schmidt. But really he was a fallen servant, a golden lion."

The man stopped.

"I'm afraid I can't let you report back about him," Yves said, a metallic tone edging into his voice. "I need to be the one to reap the slayer of the Lion Tamer, little angel."

The girl looked up at him, readying herself for a fight.

The air in the street darkened for a moment.

When light returned, cracked and dusty concrete sat where Peace once stood, now decorated with aged shards of bone and silicon.

Yves wiped his leg absently. Small chunks of skin flaked away revealing corroded metal beneath.

12:35 PM at the Communal Bolthole near the Washington University campus

Then back to the PCs.

Hunter's phone buzzed while he listened to Weaver. He glanced at a text from Ms. Storm. "If you are still alive, order the special. Your friend will know what that means. Be careful. We are being hunted."

He turned to watch the other demon. Jeanette's finger turned brown and wooden. The demon dripped the solution from one of the vials onto it.

Weaver does a partial transformation. It spends an Aether. The demon rolls for Compromise: Wits + Manipulation +1 for Cover + 6 for unused abilities. Total Dice Pool 11, 9 successes! The demon gains a Willpower and gains a Beat (though we still haven't resolved what type).

"This is a sedative," she explained, examining the label. "What it says on the label."

She dripped the second vial onto her finger.

The demon then rolls Intelligence + Science + Chemistry speciality. Total Dice Pool 9, 1 success. 

It does a follow-up Intelligence + Occult roll to make sense of the result. Total dice pool 6, 3 successes.

The fibers within the Weaver's fingertip decomposed the complex mixture of organic and inorganic compounds.

"This is a chemical code," Weaver told the others, creasing their brow. “I recognize neurotransmitters, some prions and virtual RNA as well. I worked with some of this chemistry with our former employer. I think it directly targets demonic heritage. I'm not sure what the specific effect will be on Cymbeline but it activates the demonic powers in those injected with it. It may also open them up to the God-Machine's influence.”

“Is this connected to the drugs I found at the school?” Nat asked.

“Possibly,” Weaver replied. “The sample the school sent to Adamant Technologies acts as a psychedelic that gives the user a minor high. But deep down the complex compounds open a psychic connection to someone, probably the creator. I isolated some of the blood this individual used to key the connection.”

“Who is it?” Daemon asked.

“I don’t know. But I also detected traces of chemicals that could only have come from one source, a piece of Infrastructure I worked with before I fell. Those drugs are also tied to the God-Machine.”

"So we're dealing with drugs that are spreading the God-Machine's influence now?” Daemon said. "We should probably stop or suborn that."

“Agreed.”

Nat fidgeted beside their daughter and looked around. Their cover, Atticus, visibly perspired. The demon gently and haltingly laid one hand on Cymbeline's head. "She has suffered a lot you know. The machine has taken nearly everything from her." Nat was quiet for a moment. "I was content to ignore the machine for so long, but I'm starting to understand the Saboteurs."

"Do we have a lead on a source though?" Daemon asked. "Dealers or what not?”

"No, but one of my covers has children, and there has been some fear among parents about these temporary tattoos. I think I mentioned it earlier...I wonder if its connected.” Nat looked at Daemon. "Saboteurs are fighting a losing battle. It's like an ant fighting a planet. The real solution is existing long enough to find a way out of the program."

"I don't disagree, with the first part at least. But it sure must feel good to break the machine a little bit. Even if it's ultimately futile." Daemon paced the room. “So they use drugs, and likely those stickers, to discover who the children are. Then they active their latent supernatural abilities and the men in a van kidnap the children?"

"It does feel good to hurt the god machine," Hunter added, "and even a thorn can stop a lion." Hunter described the children that are on the police's missing persons list: Peace Montero, Queue Johnson and Aiden Hex. "I have a feeling we may be seeing them again. I would prefer not to kill them unless absolutely necessary." The demon gritted his teeth slightly as he adds, "finding the ones using them is important to me. Nat, is your cover associated with any of these kids?"

I let Nat know about one of the kids’ fathers and how he traded some of the pact that make their Cover to Ms. Storm. Nat rolls Wits + Empathy for extra info and succeeds.

Nat nodded. "I do know something about one of the children. I’ve made deals that contributed to the identity of Aiden's father, Samuel Hex. He is a demon. Based on who I traded them to, Ms. Storm, they must be a leader in the Wallbreakers.

"It is possible that one of our kind is assisting to the abduction but I do not think it is Storm. She is generally like me and tries to avoid attention. Between the work of the previous dealer we heard about, Jerry, and the information Cymbeline’s abductors provided, they probably have a pretty large net. The men knew to expect us at the police station and they waited until I was distracted. They were not acting of their own free will. The machine infested their minds."

The Naturalist turned silent for a second staring into space. "I have three covers. You all know Dorian and Atticus, but I only mentioned Jenny in passing. Jenny is recently divorced and the mother of two children. She is a recovering alcoholic whose in and out of rehab. She does not have custody of the children. The children live with her ex, John, and his girlfriend Jackie. Jackie has limited knowledge that Jenny is not normal. One of the children, Jane, has limited supernatural abilities." The Naturalist's remains icy calm. "I am telling you this, because against all odds I've come to trust you all. I am telling you because I believe they are in great danger and these people will come for Jane." They looked to the others. "I'm not sure we should suborn this. I think this may need to be destroyed.

"I'll infiltrate the school. Let me go after Jerry. You guys... If you watch long enough they will come for Jane. Keep them safe for me?"

At this point Nat resolves his Guilty condition by coming clean on a number of things.

"I am well equipped to infiltrate their organization if necessary," Daemon said. "I also have children in my guild. They may be able to provide some information as well."

Nat stood up. "Be careful, the grunts know what we are. The angel has provided them with power or technology to detect us. This isn't our standard infiltration. If the children have potential, they may wind up like Cy."

"How do you plan on infiltrating a group of children?" Daemon asked. "A facade may be dangerous if they are able to detect us. It's very difficult to remain concealed to detection in that situation. Is this high school?"

“That depends on my initial investigation. I might not even need to infiltrate. If I can identify Jerry while notifying the principal that Cymbeline ran away, then I don't have to bother."

"I am fully willing to destroy an operation that targets children," Hunter contributed. "If they know what we are already, we must be prepared to go loud if necessary. Nat, can you get me a disposable cover for this purpose? I would prefer to not put David at risk, even to help Jane."

“I can do that."

"Okay then," Daemon said. "Ill look into this from my end. Hunter, we've got an appointment to keep. Let's discuss our strategy."

"I should be going too," Weaver said on their way out.

"Hold the door, I need to make a call," Nat said.

1 PM: Slog Offices

Accabish deleted Daemon's text and closed her phone. She didn't have time to deal with that. Not with the detective waiting outside.

The demon reviewed what she knew about Lillian Shaw.

Shaw was born in Seattle in 1978. Her parents divorced amicably in 1986. Her father, an insurance adjuster, moved to Chicago but Shaw visited him for the summer and holidays. Shaw’s mother appeared to have encouraged her interest in sports, boxing, and rowing.

Shaw earned an Associate of Applied Science degree from Seattle Community College, while working as a night guard for the Northgate Mall. The grades on the transcript Accabish retrieved from the college looked decent. Shaw attended Seattle Law Enforcement Academy as soon as she met the age qualifications. She began her field training at age 21.

As a patrol officer working in the West Precinct, Shaw worked heavily with the Major Crimes Investigation Unit, specifically with Missing Persons cases. The rumors the journalist uncovered suggests she and Jack Lawrence, head of Missing Persons, had an affair. In 2003, she was assigned to South Precinct Vice instead of a promotion to MCI.

That May she turned in her badge and went to work for Frank Brooks, then owner of One of Kind Investigations. She quickly acquired her P.I. license with permission to carry.

She resolved an impressive number of cases.

Accabish looked at the feature photo from the November 2005 article in Seattle Metropolitan. Shaw damp from the rain, carries the photogenic boy to safety, framed against the bay amid a wash of red and lights. Nice of the publisher to give such a feature to the savior of her little boy.

With the rescue of Nicole Vogel’s son, Shaw was catapulted into the limelight. She traded on her publicity capital to build her business, purchasing One of a Kind Investigations from Brooks, but keeping him on as a consultant. The agency had increasing success, especially with missing person cases, though also making a solid name in insurance, surveillance, and background checks as well.

Accabish scanned the crime report her friend from the force slipped her. On November 12, 2008, Frank Brooks went missing. He showed up three weeks later missing time and much of his mind.

Shaw made new hires, some with military connections, and her firm racked up a surprising number of injuries through 2010. Accabish uncovered reports of "animal attacks", property damage, and disappearing maniacs.

Then something went seriously wrong. In early February 2011 an employee went missing and Shaw shuttered the company for two weeks.

Since then One of a Kind Investigations seems to be focused on mundane cases. No more workplace injuries. No more weirdness.

Accabish saw how the pieces fit together.

Shaw is a determined and independent woman. She’ll work to make things right but keeps an eye on the bottom line. If the job doesn’t pay and she sees no direct threat, she appears disinclined to pursue. Whatever happened to the firm in the last year has soured her on the dangerous activities she and her team were involved in.

Accabish also gains a condition.

Insight: you have a clear idea of Shaw's motivations. Resolve this condition (and earn a beat) when you use this knowledge to help or hinder her. This upgrades the results of a social skill roll by one step (failure to success, success to exceptional success).

Accabish buzzed her secretary. "Tell Lillian Shaw she can come in."

The woman who entered wore a tailored suit. Accabish reached a hand across the desk. “Nice to meet you.”

The demon directed the investigator to a chair.

“So I had a few questions," Shaw said. "My team was working on a case when they came across information pertaining to you. One of my clients is being stalked. In the course of our inquiry into the stalker we came across some details on other possible targets, including yourself.”

"Really?"

“Yes. Are you familiar with MakeSpace Storage, the storage center over in Rainier Valley?” she asked.

Accabish rolls Wits + Empathy, Total Dice Pool 6, 2 successes.

The demon reflexively realizes that the private detective was looking for an emotional reaction. She threw on a mask of bafflement and shook her head.

The demon rolls Manipulation + Subterfuge vs. Shaw's dice pool to fake genuine ignorance. Total Dice Pool 7 vs 6 dice. 4 successes vs. 3.

“No?” Shaw said, switching tactics. “It was a location that seemed connected to our stalker’s fixation on you.”

"I honestly have never heard anything about that place before," Accabish says. "What can you tell me about this stalker? Perhaps I'd understand why he was fixated on me then."

"I'm afraid that is confidential." Shaw paused and looked at her phone. "Well perhaps you can tell me more about the night of March 13th. There was a bus accident at Eastlake. Lots of damage. You visited and talked to several witnesses. Nick Mathers, Joseph Mutsinzi, Dorian Magee, and Jeanette Teller. Can you tell me anything about them? They were also the focus of our stalker. Did it seem like they knew each other or were otherwise connected?"

"I can tell only what was in the papers. I included almost all of the details there. Let's see there was the computer science student..." Accabish lays out an abbreviated version of the article, watching for what the detective would focus on. "Joseph was a little strange. He had an odd look in his eyes. He seemed somewhat distant when he talked about the explosion. I think he'd experience something similar in the past. I don't know if that helps."

Shaw jotted something down in her notebook. "No that has been a big help."

Accabish showed Shaw out. Alone in her office, the demon smiled inwardly. Shaw had been fishing. The detective's heart wasn't in this case. All I need to do is make sure there is no threat or profit. And I get the feeling she's not getting paid for this.

July 3rd, 2012 12:40 PM, Outside the bolthole

The Naturalist considered the events of the previous few days. As the others discussed their next steps inside, the demon texted Jacky. "The children are in real danger. They are special and bad people are trying to take special people of their age. I'll explain in detail when we get a moment alone."

"What are you talking about?" Jacky replied.

"Please. Just trust me. I know how insane this sounds. But Jacob and Jane are in danger."

Hunter and Daemon exited behind Nat.

"We have a meeting to catch," Demon said. "Hunter says she'll wake up soon."

"Thanks," Nat replied and went back inside.

Cymbeline stirred on the makeshift bed. Her eyes search the windowless space before settling on Atticus. "Where are we?"

The demon sat by her side and gently took her hand. "My child, we are in a secure location. The people who took you did something to you. I have a friend trying to figure out what."

She rubbed her head. "What did happen to me? My head hurts."

"They injected you with something. Their goal was apparently to open your mind. They are some sort of... servants... cultists maybe. They themselves were being controlled somehow. I'm willing to tell you whatever you wish, but I think you should consider how much you want to know. It won't make anything easier."

"That's...vague," Cymbeline said, her eyes coming into focus. "What do you mean they were being controlled? By who?" She looked over at the gray wall that marked the edge of this space. "Or what?"

"An ancient and powerful alien intelligence. A thing beyond my ability to fully comprehend. That is what they wish to open you up to. They serve one of its servants."

She shivered. "But why?"

"It is a vast and unknowable thing that sometimes issues contradictory orders. It uses human belief, and it pretends to be what it needs to be to influence people. So it might appear as Allah to you or white Jesus to a baptist preacher. It's servants, it's slaves look like angels, but they are not. You are special, you were already briefly connected to it...as I was."

The Naturalist let its pain show through Atticus's face. Like someone talking about a lover who betrayed them. Like a person forced to unveil its sins.

"What do you mean? How were you connected?"

"It is difficult to explain without betraying other confidences, but I was its slave. Much the way the being who those men served is its slave. I rebelled, just a little. I just wanted a moment of distraction from the monotony of my existence. It labeled me a traitor. I learned to hide, very well." Atticus looked at her. His eyes glistened. "I never wanted this for you. I was trying to protect you from getting involved with it again. I assumed that if I hid myself well enough, that we would both be safe. I never thought they wouldn't be after me."

She leaned on the demon's arm. "I don't blame you. I think, maybe, I was always going to get involved with something dark and terrible like this."

We roll for compromise. Wits + Manipulation -2 due to cover -2 due to bad stuff involving Cymbeline + 3 for Willpower, 2 dice. 2 successes.

Atticus picks a new Aspiration: Hunt down Jerry. The drug dealer is causing too much trouble.

The Naturalist paused for a moment as they planned their next step. “Cymbeline, who do you think might have been responsible for those stickers? The ones that you touched on the deck.”

Cymbeline stiffened then shook her head.

“Who might be dealing drugs at your school?” Atticus pressed.

Cymbeline rolls Wits + Streetwise to get the Naturalist on the right track. 5 dice, success.

"I don't really hang out with that crowd. But I heard Shaun Miller in homeroom deals." She described Shaun and his gang.

"It is a lead. What kind of people is Shaun interested in... like romantically?"

"I'm not really sure. He tends to hang with girls with more looks than brains."

Next time the end.