Giest Noir: Rise of the Psychopomps

Originally published January 15, 2014


Geist Noir was a Geist: the Sineaters Chronicle proposal that failed to win over my current players. In the interest of seeing some of this material used, I am presenting and expanding my game outline for you. This week we will look at the outline for the Rise of the Psychopomps story line.

Psychopomps, or guides of souls, is one way one could refer to Sineaters, the protagonists of Geist. One major theme of the game is helping ghosts pass on to the afterlife. While the game is deliberately vague as to what that means, it is fairly clear that is an improvement over the Underworld. Helping ghosts pass on refills a Sineater's store of Plasm, the juice for their powers.

Psychopomps however can also refer to other, darker things. Like the titular character in The Crow, psychopomps can carry a soul to and from the afterlife. Many cultures have legends of creatures that can serve to transport a soul such as ravens, dogs, crows, owls, and sparrows. In Stephen King's The Dark Half, it is sparrows who carry off the villain in the end while the Black Dog of Celtic lore heralds death.

In Rise of the Psychopomps we explore both sides of this story: the spiritual forces that join the Underworld to the land of the living and the role of Sineaters in ensuring that that the spirits of the dead move on. What happens when something tries to replace the Sineaters? Do they help or hinder this abomination? And what price must be paid to upset the natural order?

Designer Notes

In a prior game, I created material about a group known as the Black Flock. These information brokers were a secretive cult of were-crows. I originally envisioned them as having a group of rivals, a spy ring of skin thieves. Skin thieves take the skins of animals, in my original version pigeons, and use them to take the form of that animal.

Ultimately I ended up not using any of that material but the idea lingered in my head. With the Rise of the Psychopomps I wanted to make revisit this concept. So I combined the group and its rivals into a new imagining, mixing in a bit of Classic World of Darkness's Corax.

So my Black Flock became a group of skin thieves, using the hides of crows to become animals. They use their powers to collect information, selling it for wealth and occult lore. They also gained access to minor rituals and power over the dead.

At the same time, I had read Requiem for Rome and Night Horrors: the Wicked Dead. With the Strix Chronicles approaching, I wanted to do something with that creature as well.

The Strix, for those that don't know, are shadowy owls and ravens, somewhere between a spirit and an undead thing. They might be the source of Vampires and can possess similar abilities. Straddling the line from life to death, they certainly sound like psychopomps. And Book of the Dead, World of Darkness's book on the Underworld, mentions strange shadowy animals that might be psychopomps and/or the Strix.

So I decided to give my skin thieves a patron, a Strix with an unusual goal. To emulate a Geist and bond with something mortal.

Rise of the Psychopomps explores this quest with the players as witnesses to the creation of something new and horrible in the World of Darkness. Focusing on a single nonplayer character (NPC) with strong ties to the player characters (PCs), we follow that person's descent into a strange world of black feathers, ghosts, and something older and more horrible than Geists.

Character Creation

In terms of the player characters, the important thing is that they each have a connection to a central nonplayer character. This character, who we will call the Host, should be sympathetic and possess some connection to death or interest in the occult. Ideally the players should create this character together, perhaps even going so far as to allocate Attributes and Skills.

Some concept possibilities are a well meaning medium or fortuneteller, teenager or child gifted or cursed with minor psychic abilities, or a just a nosy reporter who gets in too deep. This character's problems serves as a catalyst for the formation of the group.

Lastly the story arc presented below begins with No Way Out from last week's post so another constraint is that the character's each have a connection to the ghost in that story. Alternatively if the Host is intricately connected to the Richardson family, then he or she can serves as their tie to the initial story.

The player characters themselves should be in the spirit of Noir: hard boiled detectives, nosy reporters, ex-cons, and the like. They have each been touched by death and now find themselves harassed by the ghosts of the city. They might willingly help the spirits move on or do it grudgingly.

An interesting possibility would be to include a Vampire in the mix. In this case the secret patron of the Black Flock becomes an active threat to the local Vampire society, possessing and destroying them one by one. This might put the player character (PC) in the interesting position where they are ordered to slay the Host by the reigning Prince.

For the really ambitious, one could play a member of the Black Flock. The character would be weaker than the Sineaters but would have a unique inside look at the cult of the Black Flock. I would be careful about making that PC the focus of the Strix's attention since the story is at least partially about trying to save the Host from that plan. For the story to work, the Host would lose some agency.

Story Arc

At its barest level, the Rise of the Psychopomps is a three Story Chronicle forging the group as guides for the dead and then forcing them to face a force that is pulling the dead from the Underworld. Make sure that the imagery of crows is scattered throughout the story. Any time the character looks around while outside, there is a crow nearby. When they need help, a helpful fellow in black is willing to trade some clues for a bit of coin or a Memento. This seeds the Black Flock as a pervasive force in the Chronicle.

We begin with the story seed No Way Out, opening with David Richardson's funeral. The Host is introduced in the introductory scene as a close relative or associate of David's, perhaps one of his children or his wife. The player characters should each have their own reasons for attending the funeral even if it is just to show support for their friend, the Host. For the Host's part, they seem intrigued by the ghostly activity and begin to learn more about the occult.

Afterwards, we move to Wake the Dead. The introduction can be as outlined in the story seed or perhaps an opportunistic member of the Flock can bring the information to the PCs, looking to earn some reward in the process. While dealing with this threat, they spot the Strix hanging around the cemetery. While not hostile to them, the creature certainly doesn't help them.

At the same time, the Host begins to go missing for a period. When they turn up, they seem different, less balanced. By this point the Host's investigations have led them to the Black Flock and in the effort to gain their secrets they have become a skin thief. How the players react to this information is up to them, but uncovering it should be a subplot in Wake the Dead or a later story.

From there we go to a story I called Death at Midnight where the Host is drawn to a haunted apartment building by the Strix. The PCs in turn have to come to deal with the ghosts and hopefully rescue their friend. Meanwhile the Strix hopes to use the occult energy it has gather to enact its plan. This can serve as the final story for the Chronicle or the opening piece for a larger Chronicle, either focused on the Strix and their plans or on others who are upsetting the natural balance.

You might also consider rounding out the number of stories, particularly between Wake the Dead and Death at Midnight. This will serve to pace out the Host's descent into the Black Flock.

Antagonists

The underlying antagonist for this Chronicle is the Black Flock. While not directly opposing the PCs until their patron's plot is revealed, their actions are impetus for the story. Ultimately it is their patron who is the true threat.

As I mentioned before, the Black Flock is composed of skin thieves. I'll present their basic abilities below but for more options look at the Werewolf: the Forsaken book Skinchangers.

Note that these stats assume you are using the God Machine Chronicle rules.

Basic Abilities

The Black Flock is able to transform into crows and ravens (in other words, corvids) by making a ritual mask from the hides of one of these birds. The cruel slaying and skinning of the bird tends to degrade their Integrity which means many of the Black Flock are a little unbalanced.

The mask itself lasts about a month though some senior members of the Flack have learned rituals to maintain it indefinitely. Once the mask is created (process that only takes a couple blood soaked minutes), changing shape costs a Willpower point. The person's clothes are also transformed though anything held in their hands or on their should like a backpack, might be dropped when they change. They gain the generic abilities of a crow or raven as shown below.

Base Form: Strength 1, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2, Size: 2, Speed: 14

While transformed they need not make Integrity rolls until they resume human form at which point they make each roll from worst to easiest. Also if they are "slain" as a bird, they resume human shape with all current damage plus an additional 1 Lethal.

The standard powers of the Black Flock include:

• Animal Speech: the Flock can speak to corvids using these bright animals to expand their spy network.
• Corpse Witness: by eating the eye of a dead creature and rolling Manipulation + Occult, they can see what it saw in the last day.
• Enchanting Affinity: with a Presence + Animal Ken roll they can control corvids, using them to defend her.
• Know Name: easily the creepiest ability of the Black Flock, by rolling Intelligence + Investigation vs. the target's Resolve + Supernatural Tolerance, they can learn their name.
• Sense Weakness: once per day for a particular target they can roll Intelligence + Empathy to learn one of the target's Persistent Conditions or his or her Vice.
• Sweet Voiced Fiend: all penalties applied to Persuasion or Subterfuge rolls are reduced by 2.

All members of the Black Flock also have something like Psyche which manifests as Supernatural Tolerance 1 for resisting supernatural powers. They can also hold 3 Plasm and spend 1 Plasm per turn to fuel powers and rituals.

Normally a skin thief uses Essence for their powers, but since I am tying them to the Underworld and the Strix, I'm adjust them to use Sineater rules. It also helps to make them rivals for Haunts and opens other power possibilities. Perhaps if the Strix succeed, they will even gain Manifestations.

The Cult

Black Flock is also a cult. They believe their patron to be divine and that it is only though its power that they can turn into crows. In gratitude they spy and inform the Strix. They also find the information they gather useful to others in the occult underground. They sell information to gain wealth, allies, and more magical power.

The core tenants of the cult are that they are the eyes and heralds of the Underworld, that they are part of a new covenant with Death, and that they will usher in a world where death is no longer feared and none must lose a loved one. Their membership not coincidentally is composed of those who have lost loved ones and those who fear death. They believe by acquiring more occult power they will be able to realize their patron's dream of a better world.

All members of the Black Flock have at least one dot in the following Merit:

Black Flock Initiation (1 to 5 dots): This merit is the cult status merit for the Black Flock with each rank, the member gains more and more access to the cult's resources and knowledge.

• 1 Dot: the cultist gains a dot of Contacts (Black Flock). The Flock shares its knowledge (relatively) freely with its members.
• 2 Dots: the cultist has now gained the confidence of the patron of the order. Gain a dot of Allies (Strix).
• 3 Dots: the cultist now has easy access to the group's network. Gain two dots of Allies, Contacts, or Retainers. These can be with almost any mundane group (as well as ghosts) as the Flock has its feathers in many pots.
• 4 Dots: the cultist unlocks one of the secret powers of the cult. Learn to transform into a Hybrid or Swarm form.

The character turns into a mixture of human and crow. With huge black wings, terrible claws and massive beak they are a terrifying horror.

Hybrid Form: Strength human form+1, Dexterity the higher of human form+1 or 4, Stamina the higher of human form+1 or 3, Size: 6, Speed: species factor 10 flight, 5 ground

They deal 1 Lethal with their claws or beak.

Alternatively the character turns into a murder of cawing crows.

Swarm Form: Strength 1, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2, Size: (Special, treat as 5 for the purposes of Health), Speed: 14

The swarm suffers only a single point of damage from normal attacks. Area attacks deal normal damage. They also inflict 1 Lethal damage per turn to all within the swarm. the swarm is 2 yards in radius.

• 5 Dots: Further occult lore opens the cultists eyes. They gain the Aura Reading merit.

Other useful merits for the Black Flock include Animal Affinity (see below), Medium, and Unseen Sense (Ghosts). They actively try to recruit those who might be able to deal with the dead, seeing them as closer to their leader's ideal.

Animal Affinity (1 to 3 dots): for each dot in this merit, the characters gains a +1 bonus to social rolls involving a particular type of animal.

Strix

Description: A large raven sits on a tombstone. In the dim light its aged and tattered feathers seem to fade into the shadows. It slowly cocks its head to watch you with a single ebon eye. As you close, it stretches its wings out impossibly wide in warning before vanishing into the night.

Background: Like most of its kind, this Strix has no name. Its "followers" do not even realize there is more than one. As for how old it is and where it came from, these are not questions that interest it and as such it ignores them. It remembers darkness, it remembers the lightless halls of the Underworld, it recalls the days of flame and ruin when Rome fell.

What concerns it now is the future. It troubles this Strix that it lacks a purpose, a mission to pursue. In that terrible absence, it has studied the other denizens and interlopers of the Underworld. While it looks down on the pale shades of the dead, it recognizes something of note with the Geists. They were lowly ghosts who broke free of their past and became some greater and stranger. They found purpose.

The Strix is jealous. It wants purpose too. So it is looking to become like them. Using the Black Flock as its pawns it is gather occult lore and magical resources to complete its task. It offers them a new beginning, using it current knowledge to reunite them with their loved ones and to cheat death. In the end they are expendable. But perhaps among them it can find a soul to bond with. And find purpose.

Mental Attributes: Intelligence 4, Wits 4, Composure 5
Physical Attributes: Dexterity 5
Social Attributes: Presence 5, Manipulation 5, Resolve 5
Skills: Animal Ken 4, Athletics 3, Empathy 2, Intimidation 4, Investigation 3, Occult (Underworld) 5, Persuasion (befriending) 4, Socialize 1, Stealth (high up) 5, Subterfuge 4, Survival 3

Virtue: Hope
Vice: Envy
Defense: 8
Initiative: 10
Speed: 20 (6 through cracks, 2 completely solid surfaces, can't move through fire or sunlight)
Size: 2
Willpower: 10

Weaknesses: The Strix are not physical entities. Bullets and other physical weapons cannot harm them. The only things that directly affect them are fire and sunlight. Fire holds them in place while sunlight does the same while also inflicting 1 Willpower damage per turn of direct exposure. Blessed weapons and similar effects might also harm them, damaging their willpower. If a Strix loses all Willpower they are destroyed and vanish.

Powers:

• Hollow Bones: while the Strix is immaterial, its powers also are conferred on those it possesses. This allows it to triple the jumping distance of its host. It also takes only 1 Bashing per 10 yards that its host falls.
• No Surprise: add dots of Investigation to any rolls for the Strix to detect an ambush. Even if something gets the drop on it, it still keeps half of its defense against attacks.
• Owl Eyes: the Strix can see perfectly in low light conditions, even through fog and smoke. They gain a +3 bonus to perception rolls in well lit locations.
• Possession: the Strix can possess corpses, vampires and the living, though possessing the living removes the host's soul and leads to their death under normal circumstances. Assume that the Strix can possess a host by spending a willpower and rolling Wits + Manipulation + Occult vs. the targets Resolve + Composure + Blood potency. They cannot possess Sineaters. In the case of corpses and the living, the longer they stay in the host, the more the body decays.
• Terrible Rush of Wings: by spending 1 Willpower and rolling Presence + Occult the Strix can summon a number of illusionary ravens made of shadow to distract and confuse its enemies. Official stats can be found in Night Horrors: the Wicked Dead or you can use the Raven stats from World of Darkness book. The number of ravens is equal to the number of successes.
• Shadow Parliament: by spending 1 Willpower and rolling Manipulation + Composure, the Strix can make to make shadowy duplicates of itself that mirror its actions and sounds. This grants it +2 Defense.