Posts
This is just a small New England town I made for my monster rally adventures. IN my latest campaign the players decided to go there after receiving this note:
Greetings Queen of Snakes:
My name is Doctor Horace Brinely of Brinley Castle in Leocester Massachusetts. I am working on a number ground breaking procedures, and I believe they could be of benefit to your and your ilk (I know much about you and feel a sense of compassion for your condition). Please accept this invitation to my residence where I will host you and ensure your particular needs are seen to. I think we may be able to come to an arrangement.
Sincerely Doctor Horace Brinley
This is an example of a situational adventure, where I simply noted down some details about what is happening in town, with some things obviously loaded towards conflict, and let the players loose. Once they arrived they agreed to work with him, but offered to try to obtain a mermaid specimen for him to study (he had originally proposed an arrangement where he studied them).
TOWN OF LEOCESTER
Leocester was founded in 1663 by the merchant Thomas Endicott. The town is governed by public meetings with a three member select board and an annually appointed mayor. It is located to the north of Ipswich Massachusetts.
BRIEF HISTORY
An important port during the revolution and later a vital center of mercantile trade with China and the East indies. Leocester is notable for the events surrounding Walpole Brinley’s experiments at Brinley Castle. In 1931, he created a machine man a fitted it with a human brain. When it came to life it went on a rampage prompting a violent mob to dismantle it sink it in the river with the mad scientist who created it. Since then the town has largely thrived on fishing and tourism and is one of the more desirable Boston suburbs to reside in. Due to its shallow harbor it is no longer an important center of maritime trade.
THE SELECTBOARD AND THE BRINLEY ESTATE
The current mayor is Edward Phelan. The selectboard is comprised of Kristin Singer (Science Teacher at Leocester Highschool), David O’Reilly (Lawyer), and Todd Noonan (Owner, Hawkes Street Liquors). Edward Phelan is concerned about the experiments at Brinley Castle and Kernbridge Institute. His family remembers the accounts of Walpole Brinley and his monstrous machine. He intends to be fair with Horace Brinley but doesn’t want another incident. Todd Noonan shares his concern. David O’Reilly is undecided on this issue but wants to avoid anything that would make the townspeople upset, so he goes the direction of public opinion. Kristin Singer believes Brinley’s experiments are important and should continue.
ABOUT TOWN
The local townspeople are increasingly nervous about the experiments at Brinley Castle. There have also been a series of unsolved murders in Leocester over the past two years, with two bodies found and three missing. These were the victims of Jacob Taylor, a local werewolf (see his entry below and THE ENDICOTT CURRENT). There are rumors that someone at Hale University is trying to replicate the experiments of Walpole Brinley.
IMPORTANT STREETS
Important Street names are identified on the map with lower case roman numerals in parenthesis. There are more streets than this, these are just notable roads.
(i) Hawkes Street
(ii) Margin Street
(iii) High Street
(iv) Darby Road
(v) Clement Street
(vi) Tudor Road
GEOGRAPHY
BRINLEY NECK: This is a wealthy promontory that extends towards the sea. Cliffs descend on all sides into the ocean with steep walls of jagged rock. Most of the homes here are large, with several notable mansions, including Brinley Castle.
SHOAL HARBOR: This is a calm harbor but shallow, too shallow for modern shipping vessels. It is tough to navigate, requiring anyone piloting a vessel in its waters to make a TN 8 Survival roll to get in and out. There are also many rumors of a local mermaid or mermaids. The local sailors believe they feed on human flesh and there have been ten eye witness accounts in the past 20 years.
LOCATIONS
A. RESTING PLACE OF THE BRINLEY MACHINE MAN: The parts of the Brinley machine were once here at the bottom of the river. However it was recently retrieved by Paul Balama of Hale University (see 11. HALE UNIVERSITY)
B. OLD BURIAL POINT: This ancient cemetery was established in the 1670s and is where Ann Rowley is buried (see 9. THE ANN ROWLEY HOUSE for details).
BRINLEY CASTLE: The present residence of the great neurosurgeon, Horace Brinley. His great-grandfather, Walpole Brinley, engineered a machine man in 1931, and implanted a human brain inside. The creation became crazed and ran amuck. A mob killed Walpole and destroyed his creation before sending it to the bottom of the Sachem River. Horace has been trying to use his forebear’s research for good, hoping to help people with debilitating illnesses by transferring their brains into the bodies of brain-dead patients. His methods are questionable and he is aided by an ugly hunchback assistant named Melissa and another assistant named Colleen Saunders.
Melissa is bitter and secretly in love with Horace, whom she believes has an interest in Colleen. She has been plotting to persuade Horace to transplant her brain into Colleen’s body. Colleen is kind, and a stunning beauty, whose appearance Melissa covets. Melissa knows Horace would only perform such a procedure in a dire situation, so she is hoping to recruit outsiders who can help her. She has no clear plan yet, just a vague idea of somehow making Colleen brain dead, without damaging her body or looks, then offering herself as a volunteer for a brain transplant.
remained with the family since.
ROOMEY MANOR: This the estate of the Roomey Family, who made their wealth in the rum trade. They are a prestigious New England household. In the past, many have served as senators and judges. The present patriarch is Edward Roomey. He is the CEO of Kernbridge Institute and obsessed with achieving immortality (see 10. KERNBRIDGE INSTITUTE).
1. LEOCESTER HISTORICAL SOCIETY
This small museum has three levels and a library, and is run by a group of local women, with Patricia Conant as the current Director. While most of the artifacts here are related to the old rum trade, there are also a number of objects and texts acquired through The East India Company during the 18th and 19th Centuries. One object of note is a mummy from the Silk Road (which could awaken if someone were to use the Spell of Life on them). See STRANGE TALES OF NEW ENGLAND, 27.
2. LEOCESTER YACHT CLUB
While there are a number of yacht clubs in Leocester, this is the most exclusive and important, with best access to the marina. To apply for membership one must be sponsored by two existing members in good standing and provide four letters of recommendation from upstanding people in the community (preferably those holding important positions). One must kno how to sail in order to be a member (and while it helps to own a boat, it isn’t always required as they take skilled sailors as members if they can contribute to the racing team). Here one will find many local and regional elites with whom to network. They have a sailing team called the Sealions and help host a number of local sailing races and events. The club has a spacious dining area and bar where members can relax. They have a strict dress code, requiring casual boating attire during daylight hours and business attire at night (with formal and cocktail attire required for special events).
One member of note is Cooper Sewall, the lighthouse keeper (see DAVENPORT LIGHTHOUSE).
3. DAVENPORT LIGHTHOUSE
The lighthouse keeper, Cooper Sewall is highly distrustful of the sea and believes his role as lighthouse keeper is to help protect Leocester from its many dangerous creatures. He is familiar with The Devotees of the Sea Serpent (STRANGE TALES OF NEW ENGLAND, 70-80) and tirelessly works to thwart any incursions they might make in Leocester (he is the only person holding a membership with all of the local Yacht Clubs and respected by all the sailors and fishermen in town). But his chief concern are mermaids, whom he fears seek to infiltrate the town. He is quite old and many in town regard him as paranoid but harmless.
4. FIRST CHURCH
This is a congregational Church and has been here since the founding of Leocester. It is led by Reverend Francis Peach, a compassionate but gullible man. He has looked into the many strange rumors in town, from the experiments of Horace Brinley to the labs at Kernbridge Institute and found nothing to be alarmed about. If truly damning evidence were presented to him, he might change his mind. He is not motivated by malice or ulterior desires for peace in the community, he genuinely tends to see the good in people.
5. SAINT JOHN’S ANGLICAN CHURCH
This is a simple Anglican church, and popular among the wealthier members of the community. There have been longstanding rumors of black masses and dark secrets beneath its foundation, but these are all untrue. Father Mark Harris is a well-educated man, knowledgeable about the dark creatures that roam the world, and able to perform exorcisms if needed (for game purposes treat him as a 4th level Exorcist).
6. LEOCESTER HOSPITAL
This red brick hospital is one of the best in the country, despite its small size. The staff and doctors are generally knowledgeable and caring. The building does appear ominous and there are rumors that it is haunted (particularly at night). Whether these rumors are true is up the GM.
Doctor Kenenth Wakefield, a forensic pathologist, is also the town’s chief medical examiner. He has been privately trying to investigate the recent murders and begun to suspect something supernatural.
7. THE LOBSTER CLAW
This is a basic clam and lobster shack. It is quite large, with long polished wood tables and an outdoor dining area as well. They are known for their fried lobster claws, but they serve everything from steamed lobster to clams, and fried platters. The quality of the meat is very high, and fresh (they have their own fisherman). There is also a fish market attached to the restaurant.
The Lobster Claw is a good place for local gossip and news, particularly anything related to fishing or sailing (and mermaids in particular).
It is owned by the Coombs family, and was established in 1948.
8. OYSTER LOFT
This is a restaurant and pub. It is a bit rundown, the food isn’t particularly appetizing, but the booze is ample and they do serve raw oysters the right way (Oysters are the only advisable thing to get on the menu). This is a good place for seedy gossip and news.
There is also plenty of gambling, as the owner, Samuel Martin, is a bookie. Mostly he takes bets on local college sports. Samuel has three robust sons, Daniel, Eric and Andrew, who help collect debts. And all three will serve as hired muscle for the right price.
Samuel knows many of the town’s darker secrets.
9. THE ANN ROWLEY HOUSE
This house is now a bed and breakfast but was the site of a terrible murder in the early 1908. Anne Rowley, the youngest of three siblings, stabbed her entire family while they slept: her two sisters, Hannah and Lucy, and her mother and father, Moses and Emma Rowley. The motive was unclear, but there was speculation she was practicing witchcraft and in communication with a dark spirit. She was hanged and buried, but her body continues to live beneath the soil. She cannot free herself, but if someone else digs up her grave, she will be freed and should be treated as a Lich Matriarch (STRANGE TALES OF NEW ENGLAND, 157). Her body is in a grave at Old Burial Point.
10. KERNBRIDGE INSTITUTE
This is a biotech research facility, built on the grounds of an old mental hospital. The previous facility is made of redbrick and forms the main office, but a newer, expanded extension gives them plenty of space for research. The CEO is Edward Roomey of Roomey Manor, and their Chief Scientific Officer is Henry Scarpa, a brilliant molecular biologist. They are hoping to extend the human-life span to 200 years old. In one of the facilities, they are studying the preserved body of Alexander Winthrop, a vampire who terrorized Boston in the 19th century but has been staked and preserved so they can unlock the secrets of longevity. They have other creatures here as well, including a number of werewolves in holding cells. The institute has been testing longevity serums on the werewolves because of their regenerative properties.
11. HALE UNIVERSITY
Hale University has a strong history department, with a traditional curriculum. It also has well respected Classics Department. Whatever the field, this is a research school so professors are expected to publish regularly. They are reputable but not Ivy League. Hale University can be useful for anyone who needs expert opinion on obscure subjects and is a trove of information about local history (including major events that have occurred in Leocester).
Dr. Paul Balsama, an electrical engineer and computer scientist teaches here and retrieved the Brinley Machine Man components. They are in his lab where he is studying them and hoping to replicate Walpole Brinley’s research.
12. LEOCESTER GAZETTE
This is the official daily paper of Leocester. Their editor, Tabitha Crowley, holds a position appointed by the selectboard. The paper likes to help the town maintain appearances and largely runs positive stories. All residents receive a copy in the mail.
13. THE ENDICOTT CURRENT
This is run by Jacob Taylor, a former reporter for the Leocester Gazetter who was fired for aggressively investigating Kernbridge Institute. The Current is little more than a weekly newsletter, and a one-man-show. Much of the content veers into conspiracy theory but Jacob is very knowledgeable about the occult and uses his paper to shine a light on the evils lurking in Leocester.
14. HAWKES STREET LIQUORS
This liquor store is owned and run by Todd Noonan and his wife Victoria. He keeps a shotgun behind the counter and has more guns and ammo in the basement ‘just in case’. Todd worries about the experiments at Brinley Castle and will tell anyone who listens his various theories of what occurs behind its walls. He is friends with Jacob Taylor and has stacks of the Endicott Current for sale at the counter. The liquor store sells a normal variety of alcohols but also sells scratch tickets and state lottery tickets. There are tables in a corner where regulars drink coffee. A few members of the community are here all-day buying tickets. They are a reliable source of information in town.
Local slang for liquor store is ‘packie’ (which is short for package store). Typically in New England the liquor store is simply referred to as “the packie”.
15. LEOCESTER HIGHSCHOOL
This is the local high school. Kristen Singer, a selectboard member, teaches science here.
16. CRONINSHEILD OFFICES
This is three story office building with a number of businesses, including the offices of Doctor Jeff Campbell (See DOCTOR JEFF CAMBPELL in NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS).
NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS
ALEXANDER WINTHROP
Alexander appears to be a man in his late 50s with thick muttonchop sideburns and a handsome face. Alexander has a fondness for beautiful women and takes them as his thralls and servants when he can. He treats his servants well and enjoys watching them spread carnage. Though beastly when feeding, Alexander is quite capable at socializing and presenting himself as a respected member of society. He has a particular fondness for piano, being a highly skilled player with a large repertoire. For dress he enjoys well-tailored suits.
In life Alexander was a skilled mesmerist before being bitten by a female patient named Cynthia Wayland. He grew sick and died, then rose as a vampire under her control. He enlisted the aid of a local priest, Father Calloway, to destroy her. Alexander hoped this would cure him, but it simply liberated him from Cynthia’s control, and he indulged his lust for blood for decades before father Calloway staked him through the heart (unfortunately he was not able to finish the job as he died of blood loss from their struggle before he was able to chop off Alexander’s head). Alexander’s remains were obtained by the Kernbridge Institute where he is being studied.
Defenses: Hardiness 7, Evade 8, Wits 9
Key Skills: Bite: 3d10 (1d10 Damage plus drain), Speed: 5d10, Muscle: 4d10, Detect:
4d10, Athletics: 4d10, Command: 2d10, Persuade: 4d10, Survival: 3d10, Talent: 3d10, Theft: 2d10, Ritual: 1d10, History: 4d10, Religion: 2d10, Occult: 3d10, Language: 2d10, Science: 1d10
Max Wounds: 10
POWERS
Standard Vampire Powers: Drain, Feed, Servants, Immunities
Mesmerize: Roll Persuade against Wits. On a Success, Alexander can implant ideas, information, etc. None of this interferes with free will, but the target is unaware that he is the source of anything entering their mind. On a Total Success the target is suspect to a suggestion by Alexander. The suggestion can last for up to a day. It can be simple like “keep the front door locked” or complex like “follow me”. Characters are free to ignore the suggestion but doing so causes them great mental and physical distress. Anytime they resist the suggestion, they lose 1 point of Hardiness, collapsing when they reach 0 (they don’t die but sleep and regain 1 point an hour).
BRINLEY MACHINE MAN
This is a large humanoid made mostly from iron and steel, with a wide body and powerful metal hands. It was created by Doctor Walpole Brinley in 1931 but destroyed by a mob soon after. The body was lodged in the mud at the bottom of the Sachem River then recovered years later by Paul Balsama of Hale University. It has a human brain implanted in its head, that has long since decayed. But if the brain were to be rejuvenated by special means or another brain placed in the case, and a sufficient amount of energy used to charge the body, it could be restored to life. The machine man retains all the skills and vague memories of the brain placed inside it, but its waking life feels like a dream, which fills it with nightmare fueled rage. This is the case no matter whose brain is placed inside. The machine man can be coaxed into passivity but this usually temporary, eventually giving way to bouts of violent aggression.
Defenses: Hardiness 9, Evade 3, Wits 4
Key Skills: Attack: 3d10, Speed: 0d10, Muscle: 5d10, Detect: 0d10, Trade: 2d10,
Max Wounds: 6
POWERS
Attack: It can bash, crush or grip people for 5d10 damage.
Impervious Body: The iron and steel body is quite strong, only taking 1 wound for every 2 delivered. It can also easily be repaired even he is reduced to 0 wounds. However, he begins to die just like any other living thing, and is destroyed if brought beyond 0 wounds. If this occurs, he can still be brought back to life with a large bolt of energy (and in some instances he may need a new brain).
Repair: He can repair himself, eliminating 1 Wound with a successful Trade Skill roll (this takes an hour and requires the right materials).
Pacify: People can pacify the Machine Man on a successful Persuade roll against its Wits. This lasts for 1 hour. Anyone belonging to the Brinley family against a +2d10 to such a roll.
DOCTOR JEFF CAMPBELL
Jeff is a local psychiatrist and therapist, who practices at the Croninshield Office Building. He believes that Horace Brinley’s experiments are unethical and is also concerned the growing panic around them is spreading superstitious nonsense. He hopes to pay a visit to Horace Brinley to learn more and talk him out pursuing his great-grandfather’s work. If he believes the experiments to be getting out of hand, he may pressure the selectboard to take action or take action himself.
Jeff has a large build and frequents the gym to play racquetball when he has time. He also knows how to use firearms and owns several pistols for self-protection.
Defenses: Hardiness 5, Evade 3, Wits 9
Key Skills: Ranged: 2d10, Muscle: 2d10, Speed: 2d10, Persuade: 3d10, Athletics: 1d10, Command: 1d10, Empathy: 3d10, Medicine: 3d10, Tech: 1d10, Forensics: 1d10, Science: 3d10, Institutions: 3d10, Religion: 2d10, History: 1d10
Max Wounds: 2
HORACE BRINLEY (MAD SCIENTIST)
Horace Brinley is a neurosurgeon-scientist who has been experimenting with human brain transplants. He is tall and lean, wears glasses and walks with a slight stoop. Though kind by nature, his experiments require the use of brain-dead patients to receive transplants. This created a darkness in his soul that wasn’t present before. He has become pale and gaunt the longer he performed the procedures. Much of his present work is based on the research and achievement of his great-grandfather, Walpole Brinely, who put a human brain into a machine body and successfully animated it. His aim is to help people suffering by transplanting their brains into new bodies, perhaps even extend the human lifespan.
Horace would like to recover the machine his great-grandfather created, in order to study it.
Note that Horace Brinley uses the Mad Scientist entry for his stats, which can be found on TheBedrockBlog.
Defenses: Hardiness 4, Evade 4, Wits 10
Key Skills: Arm Strike: 0d10, Muscle: 1d10, Speed: 1d10, Persuade: 2d10, Command: 2d10, Reasoning: 3d10, Medicine: 4d10, Forensics: 3d10, Trade: 1d10, Survival: 1d10, Tech: 4d10, Theft: 2d10, Talent: 2d10, Science: 4d10, Places: 2d10, History: 2d10, Institutions: 1d10, Occult: 1d10, Religion: 1d10
Max Wounds: 2
Achievements: Human brain transplant (he can successful put one swap peoples brains)
Corruption: Stage One
POWERS
Scientific Advancement: Mad Scientists can use their Science and Medicine or Tech skill to achieve an enormous breakthrough. This can be anything from raising the dead, to curing a disease, to creating an intelligent machine to brain transplants or curing monsters. The GM always has final say, and it should be a somewhat focused breakthrough that puts flavor before mechanics (not something broad and flavorless like "I win at everything all the time"). The time scale is always up to the GM.
First the Scientist must make a Science roll at regular intervals (determined by GM) and get a 10. Once that is achieved, the Scientist can roll Medicine or Tech (whichever is most relevant) against TN 8. On a success they achieve their desired outcome but with a very serious unforeseen complication that introduces great evil into the world. On a Total Success they achieve their goal, but without such a complication. On a Failure the result is a disaster, with huge ramifications determined by the GM.
Scientific Achievement: The Mad Scientist has achieved an incredible breakthrough in science before the start of play. This can be just about anything, from Victor Frankenstein making his creature and unlocking the secrets of life and death to Griffin making invisibility possible in the Invisible Man. Whatever it is, it came at a horrible cost which the GM determines. The Mad Scientist can always repeat whatever his advancement was, but to build upon it further he must make more Scientific Advancements. Reversing the results of their achievement takes two successful Scientific Advancements.
JACOB TAYLOR
Jacob is the editor and owner of The Endicott Current. People consider him an unreliable source of information, as he chases every rumor or strange account and his reporting has grown increasingly paranoid in tone. He also is known to drink too much on occasion. While he rarely drinks most days or weeks, he goes on wild multi-week binges, spending much of his time drunk at local taverns. A passionate reporter he was fired two years ago from Leocester Gazette for breaking into Kernbridge Institute. Before they caught him, he discovered wolves in prison-cells in one of the facilities and was bitten, contracting lycanthropy. During the full moon he goes on a violent killing spree and has murdered 6 people in town. Jacob does not know, and refuses to believe he is a werewolf, but deep down in his subconscious he suspects it is the case. Were he to have confirmation of his condition, the guilt would drive him mad, and he would seek a cure or death.
Divorced from his wife Shauna five years ago, he is estranged from her and their 15 year-old son, Kevin. The cause of the divorce was multi-faceted but a large factor was his obsession with conspiracies in town. Shauna and Kevin moved to Sunderland Vermont where she remarried Larry Benson and took his name. Jacob is good friends with Todd Noonan who is a member of the board of selectmen and owner of Hawkes Street Liquors.
See WEREWOLVES OF CONTAGION in STRANGE TALES OF NEW ENGLAND page 169 for more information.
Defenses: Hardiness 4 or 6*, Evade 5, Wits 7 or 2*
Key Skills: Bite: 4d10 (5d10 Damage), *Arm Strike: 1d10, Speed: 2d10 or 4d10*, Muscle: 1d10 or 4d10*, Detect: 1d10 or 6d10*, Survival: 2d10, Reasoning: 2d10, Persuade: 0d10, Talent: 2d10, Trade: 1d10, Forensics: 1d10, Science: 1d10, History: 3d10, Language: 1d10, Religion: 2d10, Theft: 1d10
Max Wounds: 5
POWERS
Animal Frenzy: Jacob becomes a pure animal when he changes into a wolf, losing his rational abilities and being driven by a desire to kill and feast on human flesh.
Trigger: Jacob is triggered by the full moon.
Immunities: Jacob can only be harmed by silver weapons. Any other weapon does normal damage but he heals 1 Wound an hour from such sources. If he is killed even by silver, he slowly regenerates and regains consciousness, but this process takes a full year. His body will reform from even the smallest particle of flesh.
Contagion: If Jacob bites anyone and does a wound, roll 1d10 against Hardiness. On a Success they become a Werewolf of Contagion (See STRANGE TALES OF NEW ENGLAND, 169).
*In wolf form
TABITHA CROWLEY
Tabitha is the editor-in-chief of the Leocester Gazette. She likes to keep the select board happy but was intrigued by the leads at Kernbridge Institute Jacob Taylor developed before she fired him two years ago. She didn’t think that type of reporting was appropriate for the Gazette and wanted to develop a working relationship with the people at Kernbridge herself, perhaps gaining access to the benefits of their research if she gives them good press. She recently entered her 50s and, while still appearing youthful, every wrinkle and gray hair causes her great distress. She has ambitions beyond being the editor of a town paper and would like more years to achieve something greater.
Defenses: Hardiness 4, Evade 5, Wits 7
Key Skills: Arm Strike: 0d10, Speed: 1d10, Muscle: 0d10, Survival: 1d10, Persuade: 2d10, Command: 1d10, Talent: 3d10, History: 2d10, Language: 2d10, Science: 2d10, Institutions: 2d10, Occult: 1d10
Max Wounds: 2
No comments:
Post a Comment