The Cat That Stayed
Azathoth, the Mage who lived in the Fowles house, kept dozens of cats and lived to the ripe old age of a hundred and two. These facts are connected. She sustained herself with the stolen life force of hundreds of her neighbors captured for her by her pets.Without their owner, these cats have died or moved on. Their descendants have declined into mongrels without a flicker of the supernatural. But one survivor remains.
A tough old tomcat, his gray striped coat marred by a single white spot over his right eye, still hunts for the life forces of others, waiting for a new master to bestow his "gifts".
Unfortunately, he chooses one of the new owners (one with the most talent for magic) for this honor, breathing stolen life force into them each night. While those around him or her sicken or die, they find their healing accelerated and health improved.
The Neighbors
The Fowles house sits in a lower class neighborhood. Most of the homes are small, poorly kept, and owned by the elderly or distant renters.An old couple, the Smiths, live in the house across the street. Doris Smith's mother, Ariel, stays with them. The ancient African american woman lies bedridden most of the time.
On the left side of the house a couple is starting a family. Bob Jones's wife, Eliza, hobbles about at nine months pregnant.
A For Sale sign sits outside the house on the right. Its owner, Mr. Evans, wants to move to New Jersey where his grandchildren live.
All are prime targets for the cat.
Attack of the Floorboards
One of the early rooms or hallways the new owners unpack suffered severe damage to its floor due to the weight of boxes pressing down on it for the last few decades. After being cleared, anyone who walks on it hears some ominous creaking. A Dexterity + Composure roll is required to avoid falling in as the floor gives way (-2 if for some reason the character can't hear). A fall inflicts 4 bashing damage as their legs get wedged under rotten boards.Odd Discoveries
Here is a selection of unusual items to be discovered in the Fowles house:- Nine oscilloscopes in the garage
- A children's book filled with complex physics equations
- Twelve lawnmowers in the garage
- A cataloged and reviewed collection of over 600 craft magazines
- 8 boxes of pornographic magazines from the 50's
- A Ford Model A engine block sitting in 4 inches of heating oil
- A mummified infant
- A suitcase full of stuffed rats
- A hundred washers made out of detergent bottle plastic
- Four dead possums
- A case for a Wurlitzer jukebox
- Ten containers of dried plasma
- An anatomically correct tin man
- A printing press
- Classified government documents, circa 1941
- A sealed paint bucket filled with rusty cut locks
- Two gallons of mercury in a jar
- Two rusty meat cleavers attached by wire
- A drill press
The Pictures
Numerous paintings and drawings lie beneath piles of papers, behind stacks of boxes, or thrust into Twilight. Some examples include:- A series of children's drawings floating in Twilight: The eyes of the crayon figures follow those who can see them. The drawings represent the ghost of a child, its spirit trapped in a space vortex.
- A painting of the Empty Room: Those who see it might be drawn in.
- The Beach: Those who stare too long at this image sometimes find themselves on a beach in New Jersey with no clear route back.
The Manikin
Within the labyrinth of the house, the new owners find a shop manikin. As time passes, they find it moves about the house when no one is looking. Even if removed from the house it returns, appearing in odd places again and again.Though seemingly made of simple wood, the manikin possesses a life force of its own. Having resided within the house for decades, Linda (as it calls itself) uses the unique geometry of the house to travel unseen. When a person is present to observe, it stays stationary, even in the face of physical harm. It can repair such damage over time, even if dismembered, unless completely destroyed.
After observing the inhabitants for some time Linda will disguise itself as one of the new owners (if one is female) or their close associates while they are away, living their life. It can perfectly mimic them (gaining a +5 bonus to any rolls related to its disguise). Unfortunately it has no sense of morality or human norms of behavior and so will likely cause much mischief as it explores the wider world.
Background: Carved from fey wood, this old manikin came to life, like in a childhood story. Naive about the human world and lacking compassion of any sort, Linda possesses an intense curiosity about the world outside the house and people in general.
Description: This female manikin consists of a code of elm wood lacquered with paint. The manikin stands about 5'6” in a threadbare dress. The features of its face are clearly painted on.
Attributes: Power: 4 Finesse: 3 Resistance: 2
Willpower: 4
Initiative: 5 Defense: 3
Speed: 12 Health: 7
Dweller in the Walls
This house possesses another tenant, a hostile magath or spiritual hybrid. None of the usual spiritual guardians in the region know of it as it has yet to venture from the house. Instead it works its influence to poison the minds of all who dwell here.The spirit calling itself Dweller in the Walls began as a humble cockroach spirit. Exposure to powerful insect killing magic awoke it and simultaneously deprived it of essence (Azathoth was fumigating). Though the roaches soon returned, the Dweller had to subsist on other sources of essence for a while. The most plentiful source was Azathoth's own madness and paranoia.
This diet tainted and poisoned the spirit. In its pain and confusion it devoured the weak spirits of wood and brick as well as more paranoia spirits. Once its feast was over, it had become the most powerful spirit in the house. Now it seeks to perpetuate the paranoia that birthed it.
Description: This man-sized cockroach appears constructed of broken bricks and wood on closer examination. Its multifaceted eyes seem to look everywhere at once.
GM notes: The Dweller provides no straight fights. Instead it attacks from the darkness or seeds mistrust in its foes, turning them against each other. If it is confronted, it flees. But it remembers those who sought to harm it.
Rank: 3
Attributes: Power: 4 Finesse: 6 Resistance: 5
Ban: Dweller can't abide being in the open. It must flee an open well-lit space. If it is unable, it freezes in place.
Influence: Buildings 1, Roaches 1, Paranoia 1
Numina: Control the Base Form, Fetter, Gauntlet Breach, Harrow, Innocuous, Possession, Speed, Verminous Metamorphosis
Willpower: 9 Essence: 8 (max 20)
Initiative: 11 Defense: 6
Speed: 15 Corpus: 10
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