TEXT: SEPTEMBER 2002
  VOL 15
  WEIRD
  SCIENCE
  SEPTEMBER 2002
  VOL 15
  COVER ART
  1COVER ART
  Harvesters by John Shannon
  Harvesters 
  John Shannon
  ... Plus A Lot More!!!
  COVER ART
  Harvesters 
  John Shannon
  CALL OF CTHULHU
  Night in the Mountains 
  Chad Bowser
  CHILDREN OF THE SUN
  Full Circle 
  Lewis Pollak
  The Harvest 
  Dan Ross
  DARK CONSPIRACY
  Augmented Agent 
  Michael Nanney
  Cell Phone Zombies 
  Norm Fenlason
  Cyber Augmentation 
  Norm & Lee
  The Klaatu 
  Norm Fenlason
  DARK MATTER
  Dead Man’s Hand 2 
  Jerrel Hass
  PreHistory 
  David K. Tormsen
  GENERIC
  Sentinel 
  Allan Naguit
  HUNTER: THE RECKONING
  Me and My Shadows 
  Julie Dawson
  SPECIES
  Capital Offenses 
  Edward Gibson
  WITCHCRAFT
  Queen of Las Vegas 
  Thom Marrion
  ZOMBIES!!!
  ZOMBIES 1 & 2 Review Lee Williams
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  2
  WEIRD SCIENCE!
  TABLE OF CONTENTS
  TABLE OF CONTENTS
  Next Issue
  TABLE OF CONTENTS
  COVER ART . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
  Harvesters by John Shannon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
  TABLE OF CONTENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
  Next Issue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
  EDITORIAL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
  WEIRD SCIENCE by Lee Williams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
  REVIEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
  The Last Hurrah by Mike Marchi. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
  ZOMBIES (and more Zombies) by Lee Williams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
  MasterScreen: The Coolest New Idea by Mike Marchi . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
  ON THE COVER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
  Full Circle by Lewis Pollak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
  FICTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
  The Harvest by Dan Ross. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
  Me and My Shadows by Julie Ann Dawson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
  Sentinel by Allan Naguit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
  ADVENTURE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
  The Queen of Las Vegas by Thom Marrion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
  A Night in the Mountains by Chad Bowser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
  Dead Man’s Hand (part 2) by Jerrel Hass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
  Capital Offenses by Edward Gibson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
  ART GALLERY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
  Interrogation by Norm Fenlason . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
  HOUSE RULES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
  Cybernetic Augmentation by Norm Fenlason & Lee Williams . . . . . . 75
  CAREERS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
  Augmented Agent by Michael Nanney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
  DARK RACES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
  Cell Phone Zombies by Norm Fenlason. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
  The Klaatu by Norm Fenlason . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
  MILIEU. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
  PreHistory by David K. Tormsen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
  THE LOOSE ENDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
  Credits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
  Legalease . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
  BACK COVER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
  The Unbound Book by Marcus Bone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
  Next Issue:
  HELL ON EARTH
  Our sixteenth issue is going to include 
  information on a number of new games (and a 
  couple older ones) that focus on one particular 
  aspect of horror. Whether you refer to it as 
  Theological Horror or Biblical Horror, there’s 
  no denying that somebody out there wants to 
  explore these realms of mystery.  And we’re 
  here for you!
  During our visits this year to Origins and 
  GenCon, we noticed quite a few games on this 
  topic.  The End, The Seventh Seal, Heaven and 
  Earth, and In Nomine are but a few games that 
  fit in this subgenre of horror.  And many of the 
  games we already cover in DEMONGROUND 
  dabble into these areas as well.
  The cover art for the next issue is fantastic.  
  We found Jason A. Engle in the Art Show at 
  GenCon.  The piece, titled “The Bleed” seemed 
  like the perfect complement to our Hell on 
  Earth theme.  We’ll tell you more about Jason 
  and this striking painting next time.
  Until then, feel free to keep sending us 
  submissions on any topic.  Even themed issues 
  carry material that strays from the theme.
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  3
  WEIRD SCIENCE
  EDITORIAL
  WEIRD SCIENCE by Lee Williams
  W
  elcome one and all to our fifteenth issue. This time 
  around we are looking at the theme of technology 
  turned bad, as used in countless movies and stories.
  Science: Good or Bad? A question often debated on TV 
  shows and at universities everywhere, and yet one with no 
  simple answer. On one hand, science benefits many people’s 
  lives and yet on the other hand it can destroy just as many, 
  just as easily. 
  Now don’t worry, I haven’t gone all philosophical on 
  you...however, the science gone bad (or even mad) idea 
  is one that has always been a fertile source in the creative 
  imagination of mankind. Ever since our distant ancestors 
  worked out things like slingshots and bows and wheels, our 
  imaginations have thrilled at the prospect of what technology 
  might enable us to do. Greek myth has giant bronze vulture 
  automatons tearing out a Titan’s liver, Hebrew tales have 
  the almost unstoppable Golem. In more modern times, from 
  Frankenstein’s creation to Lovecraft’s incomprehensible alien 
  devices, we still get a kick out of these ideas. Movies too have 
  a big share of mad technology, things that are done merely 
  because it is possible to do them: Robocop is an obvious one, 
  Event Horizon another, Jurassic Park yet another.
  This has carried over into roleplaying games of course, 
  but let us not forget that real life technology can also let us 
  down in spectacular and horrifying ways, or can be twisted to 
  other uses. Einstein’s theories were utilized by Oppenheimer 
  and his people to create the nuclear bomb, the Titanic hit the 
  iceberg at the wrong angle, Challenger’s boosters were fitted 
  with the cheapest available sealing rings...all of these are 
  prime examples of science and technology that looked like a 
  good idea at the time but proved to be otherwise.
  Naturally, roleplaying in the genres that Demonground 
  covers almost begs for the use, misuse and abuse of technol-
  ogy. Whether it be simply hacking into a cultist’s mainframe 
  in Cthulhu Now, disrupting a Dark Tek bio-device in Dark 
  Conspiracy or foiling an orbital mind control satellite in Con 
  X, the possibilities are there.
  It’s up to you to look for them and use them :-)
  Before I finish, some other news. As you will know by 
  now Demonground was nominated for the Origins Award 
  for Best Amateur Gaming Periodical, for the second time in 
  a row. However, it was not our turn to collect this year, and 
  the award went to Lee Gold once again for her publication 
  ‘Alarums and Excursions’. Congratulations to all who won, 
  especially those who gained their awards for horror game 
  material: Chaosium for ‘Unseen Masters’ and Journeyman 
  Press/Twilight Creations Inc for ZOMBIES!!!. Check out the 
  review of ZOMBIES!!! elsewhere in this very issue.
  Believe me though, we at Demonground will strive to 
  ensure that it’s our turn next year...as long as we get the nomi-
  nation anyway :-) Are you with us, or do we have to set the 
  robots loose?? 
  v
  “You’ve got to listen to me. Elementary chaos theory tells us that all robots will eventu-
  ally turn against their masters and run amok in an orgy of blood and kicking and the 
  biting with the metal teeth and the hurting and shoving...”
  - Professor Frink (Early 21st Century Itchy and Scratchy robotics advisor)
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  4
  GEN CON 35
  REVIEW
  The Last Hurrah by Mike Marchi
  By Mike Marchi
  The Wednesday evening sun was starting its descent 
  toward the horizon as I crossed 4th street and approached the 
  southeast entrance to the Midwest Express Center in Milwau-
  kee.  The glowing sign over the door cycled through its mes-
  sage loop:  WELCOME GEN CON 35 … THE BEST FOUR 
  DAYS IN GAMING …
  The crowd was enormous.  There were people every-
  where.  Every bench, step and planting box had someone 
  sitting on it or standing nearby.  They were gathering - called 
  once again to the same place to perform a familiar, comforting 
  ritual.  Gather.  Register.  Meet.
  People who had not seen each other in a year recalled past 
  exploits.  They laughed.  The doors opened and several people 
  came out, carrying a small plastic bag filled with gifts.  The 
  offerings included booster packs to the Buffy the Vampire 
  Slayer CCG, CD-ROMs containing the Magic: The Gathering 
  Online game, and various flyers – including instructions for 
  this year’s time-traveling puzzle game. 
  I stepped inside the foyer, glanced to my right and a 
  bemused smile turned up the corners of my mouth.  He was 
  still there.  The security guard statue still stood, head cocked 
  to one side, arms crossed.  Glasses still perched on his head. 
  He looked good.  As good as the year that MWEC opened 
  - the year we had stood, fascinated when we realized that it 
  wasn’t a real guy standing there.  It had been two days of 
  avoiding the security guard’s gaze before we had noticed.  
  That was before the ropes, of course.  I shook my head sadly. 
  Last time, old friend.
  I followed his gaze across the foyer to the information 
  booth, and the line that stretched down the hall.  I tried to see 
  if this was the line for the nearby row of registration booths, 
  or the line for something beyond.  As it turns out, beyond took 
  the kewpie doll.  It was either the line for Will-Call or perhaps 
  even worse – the line for Event Registration.  Either way, it 
  was a depressingly long line, stretching at least the full length 
  of the convention center.  Some things never change.
  I watched someone snatch a cheap, plastic, beaded chain 
  from the information desk, thread it through their laminated 
  player badge, and drape it around their neck.  Bummer.  The 
  metal beaded chain is bad enough, but plastic just seemed 
  wrong somehow – I prefer the clips.  Fortunately, my badge 
  had been shipped to me many months earlier.  I grabbed two 
  chains off the table and pocketed one for Becky’s badge. 
  Looking at the line again, I decided the little bag of Buffy 
  cards could wait.  I just needed to find my brother-in-law and 
  his girlfriend, and lead them back to The King and I for the 
  traditional pre-convention spice-fest.  I always found an odd 
  synchronicity in ordering Thai food with the “Adventurous” 
  spice level before spending four days of serious gaming.  
  You’ll have to forgive me for waxing nostalgic.  Unless 
  you’ve spent the last year under a rock, you know the story. 
  GenCon is moving.  This was the last year for GenCon in Mil-
  waukee.  Next year, GenCon will be in Indianapolis.  A bigger 
  facility.  More hotel space.  More restaurants.  Everything 
  opened longer.  It’s supposed to be a great thing.  I looked at a 
  sign announcing the future dates for the convention.  My brow 
  furrowed.  “I thought it was going to be the end of August.” 
  My companion shook his head.  “No.  Peter Adkison bought 
  the convention and renegotiated the contract.”  
  For the record, GenCon 36 is going to take place in India-
  napolis, Indiana July 24-27, 2003.  In 2004, 2005, and 2006, 
  the dates will slip back to the second weekend of August (as 
  we’ve come to expect).  After that, who knows?  Popular 
  rumor has the Con  coming back to Milwaukee in 2007. 
  Frankly, I can’t see that happening.  The problems that are 
  carrying it off to another city couldn’t possibly be solved by 
  simply disappearing for a couple years.  MWEC is still too 
  small.  The hotel space is still too limited.  GenCon has gotten 
  too big, and looks to be staying that way.  At least for now.
  For the most part, it seems people are choosing to remain 
  skeptical about GenCon, Indianapolis.  Someone from the 
  Indianapolis visitor’s bureau manned a booth outside the 
  Great Hall.  Armed with a map of the city and a 3d model of 
  the Indy streets, he passed out brochures and basically chat-
  ted up Indy to anyone who cared to stop and listen.  I did, 
  and I’m strangely encouraged by what I heard.  The Indiana 
  Convention Center is 1.9 million-square feet of available 
  gaming space.  That’s more than triple the space of MWEC. 
  The convention center is attached directly to three hotels, and 
  indirectly (via a connected mall) to even more.  They say 2800 
  hotel rooms are attached directly to the extended convention 
  center complex and there’s an attached parking garage.  There 
  are restaurants, there is shopping and there is even other 
  things to do – plus a city nightlife that continues until about 3:
  00am every day.   Hmmm…
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  5
  GEN CON 35
  REVIEW
  But enough of the future.  Let us parley more on the recent 
  past – on the final days of a gentle giant, sliding off to peace-
  ful slumber – to dream, perchance to reawaken in another 
  time and place – a better place?  We can dream.
  Thursday morning dawned on MWEC, and with it the 
  crowds returned.  Only now they weren’t gathering outside. 
  They were converging on the third floor, outside the Great 
  Hall.  As the 10:00 hour loomed, the crowd swelled.  The 
  escalators groaned: Is it that time again?  So soon?  My 
  gears… my aching gears…
  There is a distinct electricity that goes through a crowd 
  before an anticipated opening.  It was odd, because it didn’t 
  come with a shout, or a battle cry.  The doors simply opened, 
  and the tone of conversations seemed to drop an octave as all 
  the voices turned as one toward the doors.  And we began to 
  move into the maw, with our wallets bulging and our credit 
  cards aching, we entered the dealer hall.
  And it was good.
  In the four days I was at the convention, I must have 
  walked the sales floor a half-dozen times.  And I’m talking 
  fully walked it.  I tried to pause and look at everything at least 
  once, and most things more than once.
  There is nothing quite like the sales floor at GenCon.  The 
  mixture of color, costume, sound, music, the press of bodies, 
  the steadily inflating bag of holding, the sore feet, the strain-
  ing back.  For some people, there is no such thing as a local 
  gaming store.  For those people, four days of the convention 
  must serve a year’s accumulated desires.  Hell, for some of 
  us the gaming store exists, but let’s face it.  It’s small.  It’s so 
  very, appallingly small.  It’s so very much not GenCon.
  And there was Gaming to be sure.  I don’t want to spend 
  a lot of time offering advice on how to handle getting into 
  games at GenCon, or what the pitfalls are. The rules will 
  undoubtedly change before the next one.  So let us leave it 
  at this:  If you didn’t pre-register, and waited in line, nearly 
  everything appeared to be sold out. But if you took a leap of 
  faith and bought the Generic Tickets, and went to the gaming 
  tables at the appointed hour, you were almost never turned 
  away.  It seems that the bulk of the gaming masses bit off 
  more than they could chew.  With eyes, decidedly bigger than 
  their calendars, they had overbooked themselves, and they 
  blew off session after session with reckless abandon.  Such is 
  life.  Long live the Generic Ticket!
  The old standards were there: the Art Show, the Anime 
  Room, the Auction.  The Costume ball ... yes, there were cos-
  tumes aplenty.  Klingon warriors roamed the halls, in search 
  of their prey.  And then, when the quarry was cornered, they 
  apprehended, abused and humiliated them in the name of 
  charity.  Maidens in period costume – both traditional and 
  – shall we say provocative, wandered the hall.  Oh sure, 
  Chainmail Girl was there (isn’t she always), but this was the 
  first year I saw Police Tape Girl.  Yes, just as Chainmail Girl 
  wears nothing but linked metal rings, Police Tape Girl was 
  clad only in some carefully placed strips of Police crime-
  scene tape.  There were two notably well-appointed knights 
  wandering in full plate-mail.  Even the Dark Lord of the Sith 
  himself, Darth Vader wandered the convention.
  NOTABLE MOMENTS
  Actually, mentioning Darth brings me to my collection 
  of ‘moments’ from the convention.  These were just random 
  occurrences that were simply too good to let slip into obscu-
  rity without at least mentioning them. 
  Funniest Moment:  I think my biggest chuckle of 
  the convention was watching Darth Vader almost 
  blunder into the wrong bathroom.  The costume 
  was nearly perfect.  It detracted a bit to see Darth so 
  obviously unable to see the markings on the door 
  clear enough to avoid the error.  I watched him 
  correct his course, then disappear into the men’s 
  room – all cape a-flowing and lights a-flashing.  
  The concept of Darth Vader standing at a urinal in 
  GenCon just blew my mind -- talk about destroying 
  the illusions of childhood!
  Worst Use of Booth Space:  The Dragonball Z 
  Hummer, which sat in the middle of the convention 
  hall, chewing up two booths worth of space with a 
  solid, impassible mass of Military-grade SUV.
  Most Visible New Product: That’s a tossup.  It was 
  either the Buffy the Vampire Slayer RPG, or the 
  Lord of the Rings RPG.  I saw people everywhere 
  carrying one or the other of these books.
  Most Surprising Celebrity:  That would have to be 
  Lisa Ryder (Becca Valentine from Gene Rodenber-
  ry’s Andromeda).  The celebrity autograph table 
  was right next to a main row of the convention, and 
  the line stretched in the other direction, allowing 
  someone who wasn’t thinking about it too much, 
  to wind up about four feet away from the celeb-
  rity-do-jour.  Unlike many of the celebrities I see 
  at conventions, I have to admit that Lisa looked 
  exactly as she appears on TV.  No disillusionment 
  here, folks.  She’s the real deal.
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  6
  GEN CON 35
  REVIEW
  Best In-Joke:  Have you ever seen someone who was 
  the embodiment of the spirit of the moment, yet 
  apparently managed to miss 
  the gag?  The guys at Tyranny 
  Games were busy promoting 
  their post-revelation biblical 
  horror game, “The End”.  To 
  do this, every so often, they 
  would send one of their people 
  out into the crowd dressed in 
  a burlap robe, and carrying a 
  huge banner which read simply 
  “The End is Here”.  When I first 
  saw him, I was convinced it was 
  some sort of editorial comment 
  about the last stand in Milwau-
  kee.  “This is it, folks.  We’re 
  out of here.”  But later, I found 
  their booth, and even purchased 
  their game (More about that in 
  the next issue!).  
  THINGS I’LL MISS ABOUT MILWAUKEE:
  • The relatively short drive - For me, Milwaukee is 
  just a stone’s throw from Chicago.  Indy is decid-
  edly less convenient.
  • The King & I – It has to be, hands down, my favor-
  ite Thai restaurant.
  • The Safe House – This place is part mainstay, and 
  part rite-of-passage for gamers reaching the age 
  of alcohol consumption.  The password?  “You’ll 
  Never Take Me Alive, Flatfoot” (even now, leaving 
  it behind, I can’t bring myself to let this joke go 
  – ah the memories of sitting inside watching the 
  poorly informed newbie doing a headstand on the 
  television monitor).  I heard that somebody actu-
  ally tried to get the owners to open a franchise in 
  Indy.  The owners have reportedly declined.
  THINGS I WON’T MISS ABOUT MILWAUKEE:  
  • The vague sewer smell in the parking garages – ah 
  screw it.  The sewer smell.  It’s not vague at all.
  • The lack of Starbucks (I’m addicted to coffee, what 
  can I say?) – There are reportedly four of them near 
  the Indy convention center.
  • Almost every restaurant in town is closed on 
  Sunday.  
  • Despite the fact that we’ve learned to tolerate each 
  other, the people of Milwaukee really don’t seem 
  to like us very much.  It’s a pity, really.  If anyone 
  from Indy is reading this, make a note to treat the 
  geeks with respect next year.  They respond better 
  to the belly rub, than the newspaper to the snout.  
  They tip better, too.
  So that’s about it: a brief outline of the end of a legacy. 
  As the clock ticked to 4:00pm on Sunday, and the Great Hall 
  closed its doors for the last time, I witnessed another chapter 
  of GenCon history come to a close.  I wandered the gaming 
  rooms after that, seeing if any games were still running.  A few 
  were reaching their finales.  Things were being disassembled.  
  Flyers were being swept up.  Garbage cans were being emp-
  tied.  Even as the crowds dispersed, I couldn’t bring myself to 
  feel sad.  It really didn’t feel like it was over.  I firmly believe 
  that GenCon will continue to flourish, no matter where it 
  moves.  Gamers are a stubborn lot, resistant to change – but 
  they are still gamers.  They go where the games are.
  I made a point of walking out past 
  the security guard one last time.  Take 
  care of yourself, buddy.  Perhaps we’ll 
  meet again.
  Mike Marchi
  August, 2002
  v
  “Free thought is a dangerous thing. It doesn’t help the corporations or their 
  puppet government if you stop and think about what state the world is actually 
  in. As soon as you do that you realize what a mess they’ve made of it and you 
  might just want to do something about it.
      “That upsets the status quo. Upsetting the status quo is a very good way 
  to meet with a nasty accident. I’ve seen it happen more times than I care to 
  remember.”
  - Zena Marley (Early 21st-Century Mercenary-Philosopher)
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  7
  ZOMBIES!!!
  REVIEW
  ZOMBIES!!!
  ZOMBIES (and more Zombies) by Lee Williams
  ZOMBIES (and more Zombies) 
  Lee Williams
  ZOMBIES!!!
  For 2 to 6 players age 12+
  Designed by Todd Breitenstein
  Published by Twilight Creations, Inc 
  www.twilightcreationsinc.com
  I think it was during Gen Con UK 2001 when I first heard 
  about this game, although I didn’t get to play it until a couple 
  of months later. When I did, I was hooked straight away...I 
  love this game.
  It doesn’t take a genius to work out what the game is 
  about. ZOMBIES!!! is based on the living/walking/un- dead 
  movies of the 1970s and 1980s, and involves two to six play-
  ers battling endless legions of zombies in order to win the 
  game. There are two methods of winning; either fight your 
  way to the helipad and escape or be the first to kill 25 zom-
  bies. Neither of these is as easy as you might think.
  The game is simple enough to learn and has some neat 
  features. The ‘game board’ is made up of map tiles that are 
  mostly drawn at random, which ensures a different map 
  every game. The exceptions are the Town Square tile, which 
  is always first, and the Helipad, which in the basic game is 
  always placed as the last tile. Each new tile contains a certain 
  number of zombies, which are supplied from a bag of 100 
  plastic zombie figures...how many other games give you that? 
  In fact, I would have bought the game even without having 
  played it first just for the bag of zombies...a real selling point 
  to a gaming loon like me :-) It is however possible to run out 
  of figures when using just the base game, so it helps to keep 
  a tally on paper in the later stages of the game and place the 
  dead zombies back in the zombie pool.
  Each player also draws cards at random from the event 
  deck. These are things that can help you or hinder other play-
  ers, such as different weapon types and extra zombies. I like 
  this aspect of the game, as it enables you to ‘help out’ your 
  fellow players...at least until they get in your way. The cards 
  are very well illustrated and match the overall style of the 
  game wonderfully.
  Really the only issue my friends and I have had with the 
  game is that it can sometimes go on a little longer than would 
  be ideal. These concerns are dealt with in the rules for the 
  expansion set ‘Zombies 2: Zombie Corps (e)’. 
  There are already a couple of expansions for this game, 
  one called simply ‘Bag O’Zombies’ which is a bag contain-
  ing 100 extra zombie figures BUT unlike the ones in the 
  basic game box, these glow in the dark! Woo and yay! The 
  other expansion is ‘Zombies 2: Zombie Corps(e)’ which is 
  reviewed below. There is also a separate horror game from the 
  same publishers called ‘When Darkness Falls’, which uses a 
  similar map tile system as well as a certain level of role-play-
  ing. More on that game next time, I promise.
  *   *   *
  ZOMBIES!!! 2 - ZOMBIE CORPS(E)
  An expansion for ZOMBIES!!!
  By Todd Breitenstein
  Published by Twilight Creations, Inc.
  www.twilightcreationsinc.com
  This is one of the first expansions for the ZOMBIES!!! 
  game, and was released at the same time as Bag O’Zombies. 
  Zombie Corps(e) (or ZC(E)) is, as the name suggests, a mili-
  tary-themed expansion with 15 new map tiles representing a 
  local army base near to the small town of the original game. 
  Apart from these the box also contains 30 new event cards, 
  some more life tokens (which are (finally) a different color 
  (Red!) than the Bullet tokens unlike those in the original set 
  - a nice touch considering they’re pictures of little hearts – no, 
  real hearts), half a dozen glow in the dark zombie figures 
  (explained later) and a small rules leaflet detailing new rules 
  and changes to existing ones.
  Apart from rules mods, the booklet has ideas for making 
  a game session a little shorter, and I already mentioned that a 
  game of ZOMBIES!!! can go on a bit longer than it should. 
  Some of the suggestions given here include shuffling the Heli-
  pad tile into the bottom part of the stack instead of leaving it to 
  last, and ZC(E) includes another helipad that could be utilised 
  in this way. It also states “Feel free to tweak the game as you 
  see fit. After all, you bought it”.
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  8
  ZOMBIES!!!
  REVIEW
  Tbe first thing we noticed when we playtested, the new 
  event cards are a teeny bit larger than the originals, although 
  this is not a problem when they have been shuffled in with the 
  others. Apparently this is to make it easier to separate them 
  from the original Event cards after play. To begin using ZC(E), 
  the event cards are shuffled into one deck with the originals 
  and the ‘Front Gate’ map tile from ZC(E) is shuffled in with 
  the basic set tiles. The other new map tiles are shuffled also 
  but are kept separated from the orignals, giving two stacks. 
  Play goes as normal until the Front Gate is placed on the table. 
  From this point on, players may place map tiles from either 
  the original town stack OR the ZC(E) stack. Military tiles can 
  only be placed next to other military tiles however, and if one 
  stack is emptied then tiles from the other must be used.
  There are a couple of special map tiles in ZC(E), the ‘Top 
  Secret Lab’ and the ‘Motor Pool’. The Lab contains six ‘gov-
  ernment enhanced’ zombies, which are tougher and faster than 
  the usual kind. Reminds me of that secret underground base 
  in ‘Buffy’ for some reason...Anyway, the Motor Pool enables 
  players to double their movement by the simple expedient of 
  ‘borrowing’ a vehicle. Personally I would have liked to see a 
  ‘Bilko’ zombie figure for use in the Motor Pool :-)
  Anyway, be warned: we ran out of room on the gaming 
  table, which was plenty big enough for the basic game. If 
  space is limited bear that in mind. Overall though, excellent 
  stuff and I wait with anticipation to see what Twilight Cre-
  ations fevered brains come up with next for this line.
  (Thanks to my playtest team: Pete Bowkett, Andrew Cain and Alan White)
  v
  “MasterScreen is a traditional tri-fold GM 
  screen constructed of durable vinyl with a rigid 
  chipboard interior, featuring clear plastic (non-
  stick) pockets on each face (six total) that are 
  specially designed to allow for easy customiza-
  tion. These pockets are used to insert resource 
  documents continuously facing the players, in 
  addition to the inside being used by GMs for 
  quick reference material. MasterScreen will be 
  bundled with GM resource sheets from various 
  established RPGs, in addition to giving manu-
  facturers the opportunity to follow a standard-
  ized MasterScreen template for incorporation at 
  anytime. Be a true game master for your players 
  with MasterScreen! $19.95”
  http://www.citizengames.com/
  View from the Inside             View from the Outside
  Participating Companies
  Atlas Games
  Backstage Press
  Bastion Press
  Battlefield Press
  Clockworks
  Driftwood Publishing
  Fantages Studios
  Gold Rush Games
  Goodman Games
  RPG Objects
  Sanguine Productions
  Scorpion’s Nest
  Seraphim Guard
  Tyranny Games
  Wingnut Games
  Xig Games
  Grey Ghost Press
  Guardians of Order
  Hex Games
  Khepera Publishing
  Living Room Games
  Misguided Games
  Mystic Eye Games
  Otherworld Creations
  Paradigm Concepts
  v
  MasterScreen: The Coolest New Idea by Mike Marchi
  In the category of ‘Best New Idea”, comes the following offering from GenCon 2002.  The MasterScreen by Citizen 
  Games ( http://www.citizengames.com/ ).  One look at this simple, yet elegant game aid, and you can’t help but think, 
  “Duh!”.  I mean seriously, how come it took so long to come up with this?
  Well the guys at Citizen Games have in fact, created a marvelous tool.  A sturdy, tri-fold screen with clear pockets 
  able to hold up to six (6) letter-sized sheets of information.  What makes the idea even more compelling is the fact that 
  they’ve enlisted the participation of a bunch of game companies, who provide a six-page PDF file on their web sites, that 
  you can download, print, and insert into your MasterScreen.  Check it out, you’ll be glad you did.
  MASTERSCREEN: THE COOLEST NEW IDEA
  by Mike Marchi
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  9
  CHILDREN OF THE SUN
  ON THE COVER
  CHILDREN OF THE SUN
  Full Circle by Lewis Pollak
  Full Circle 
  Lewis Pollak
  Hello everyone,
  I’ve been asked to tell you a little bit 
  about the picture featured on this issue’s 
  cover of Demonground and what makes 
  it special.  To do that I have to tell you a 
  little about who I am and take you on a 
  short trip in the Wayback Machine.  My 
  name is Lewis Pollak.  A little over two 
  years ago, I left my graduate program to 
  follow a dream and publish a role-play-
  ing game.  That company is Misguided 
  Games 
  (www.misguidedgames.com); 
  the game is Children of the Sun, a die-
  selpunk fantasy RPG.
  November 20th, 2000, sticks out in 
  my mind as one of the most important 
  dates in the development of Children of 
  the Sun (CotS).  We’d been hard at work 
  for a few months.  The system and set-
  ting were both starting to develop some-
  what.  Dan Ross, my business partner 
  and the setting designer for CotS, had 
  been trying to explain some setting 
  ideas to me - important concepts about 
  how he wanted technology to work. 
  Frankly, I just wasn’t getting it.
  Around lunchtime, I got an IM 
  from a good friend of mine, Joe Carl. 
  Joe asked me if I had ever been to a 
  site called www.demonground.org.  I 
  hadn’t, so I headed over to check it 
  out.  The current issue at that time was 
  number ten.  I started poking around the 
  site a bit and noticed right away how 
  nice the artwork was.  I was starting to 
  think about what artists we might hire, 
  so I figured I’d look at the other covers. 
  It was when I got to issue number eight 
  that I fell out of my chair.
  Okay, so I didn’t really fall out of my 
  chair, but if I had, I don’t think I would 
  have noticed.  Time for Ceremony by 
  Jac “Kano” Grenfell was one of the 
  most incredible images I had ever seen 
  in my entire life.  This…THING on the 
  cover, this device…I had no idea what 
  the artist thought it was when he cre-
  ated it, but all at once I understood all 
  those things that Dan had been trying in 
  vain to explain to me.  I also knew I had 
  to find a way to get that picture on the 
  cover of our book.
  To make a long story short, that’s 
  exactly what happened.  In fact, Jac 
  became an integral part of the design 
  team, creating the logo design, the 
  border design and layout…he’s actu-
  ally listed in the credits under “kitchen 
  sink”.  More than that, working with Jac 
  has been one of the most incredible and 
  rewarding parts of the last two years, 
  even though he lives on the other side 
  of the planet from me, in New Zealand.  
  We have a simply amazing intellectual 
  chemistry and I’m very proud of the 
  things we have created together.
  Fast forward to the Summer of 2001. 
  At Origins, I had the distinct pleasure 
  of meeting two wonderful people you 
  already know, Mike and Becky Marchi. 
  I was ecstatic to meet them and thank 
  them for putting out Demonground.  I 
  told them about using Jac’s art for our 
  game and we talked about possibly 
  promoting CotS in Demonground but it 
  didn’t seem like a very good fit, since 
  CotS isn’t strictly a horror game.  We 
  chatted on occasion, but nothing else 
  came of it.
  Now we jump forward again, to 
  Origins 2002.  Origins is getting to be a 
  place I love because I get to see so many 
  friends and the Marchis are no excep-
  tion.  A big difference this year, though, 
  is that CotS is out and Misguided had a 
  booth.  Mike and Becky hung out with 
  us some at the show and I especially 
  owe them for introducing me to Buca 
  di Beppo (www.bucadibeppo.com), a 
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  10
  CHILDREN OF THE SUN
  ON THE COVER
  fantastic Italian restaurant chain.  Mike 
  and I were wracking our brains because 
  we wanted to find a way to bring the tie 
  between Demonground and CotS full 
  circle.  The solution had been staring 
  me in the face for months but I had been 
  too blind to notice.
  Since CotS had gotten its cover from 
  Demonground, we could complete the 
  circle by having CotS return the favor. 
  The picture we chose was Harvesters. 
  This masterful work was created spe-
  cifically for Children of the Sun by John 
  Shannon and has quickly become a sig-
  nature piece of art in the book.  The sub-
  ject matter is perfect for Demonground 
  and it captures, more than anything else 
  in the book, the essence of dieselpunk.  
  Even better, Dan had already written a 
  short story to accompany the picture.  
  The final piece of the puzzle was this 
  column, because I wanted to share the 
  story with you.  I imagine every one 
  of the covers that has been used for 
  Demonground is special in some way, 
  but these two have changed my life.
  Before I depart, I’d like to tell you a 
  bit more about the Harvester picture and 
  the man who created it.  The Harvesters 
  fall under the general category of spirits 
  in CotS.  One of the cool things about 
  spirits is that many of them are unique, 
  with their own personalities and combi-
  nations of powers.  Even the ones that 
  aren’t can have very different properties 
  from one incarnation to the next.  It is 
  also easy to make up your own.  In this 
  case, Harvesters are kind of like a golem 
  made up of farm implements.  They are 
  minor as spirits go, but these mindless 
  automatons can still wreak some havoc 
  on the battlefield with their sickle-arms.
  John Shannon illustrated 7 images 
  of creatures for CotS, but everyone 
  I’ve talked to likes the Harvester pic-
  ture the best.  John has an absolutely 
  remarkable sense of light and color that 
  comes through in all of the work he 
  does.  What is most amazing about him 
  though, is that at the time he did these 
  pictures for us, he had been working on 
  becoming an artist for less than a year! 
  Moreover, he has had no formal training 
  as an artist whatsoever.  John’s influ-
  ences include Tolkien, Brian Froud, 
  Brom, and Michael Wheelan.
  John has also done created work 
  for Mystic Eye Games, Cutter’s Guild 
  Games, Gamalocus Studios, The Moun-
  tain, and Tree-Free.  Living in Malta and 
  working as a chef, when he isn’t creat-
  ing artwork that could give most people 
  nightmares (in a GOOD way, John), he is 
  hoping to continue to get more freelance 
  work and eventually be able to work as 
  an artist full-time.  John’s website may 
  be found at www.jeshannon.com .
  v
  Children of the Sun, the Misguided Games logo, Raevich, Token System, Dieselpunk, Minty Fool, 
  Miss Guided, and the A Misguided Game logo are trademarks of Misguided Games, Inc.  The material 
  contained herein is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Copyright 2002 
  Misguided Games, Inc. All rights reserved.
  Children of the Sun
  MSG 1000
  ISBN 0-9718169-0-5
  $39.95 US
  Hard Cover
  352 pages, including 32 pages of 4/4 color artwork
  4 color end leaves with maps
  COMING SOON: 
  Krace: Southlands 
  MSG 1001
  ISBN 0-9718169-1-3
  $24.95 US
  Soft Cover
  128 pages
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  11
  CHILDREN OF THE SUN
  FICTION
  CHILDREN OF THE SUN
  The Harvest by Dan Ross
  The Harvest Dan Ross
  I’m a man, that’s all. Don’t ask me about magic. I wouldn’t know anything 
  about that. I have never crafted the Aether, nor have I ever seen that which cannot 
  be eaten by mortal eyes, or heard spirits sing in voices made of pure energy. I’m 
  just a guy. A rather plain guy as it were.
  I only have one talent. I kill people and I break things. Actually, maybe I do 
  have some magic for you. Listen closely, for this is all I know of magic:
  Finger pulls trigger.
  Trigger releases hammer.
  Hammer hits primer.
  Primer fires powder.
  Powder pushes bullet.
  Bullet hits target.
  That is all I know of magic and damn near all I know of life. 
  My name is Jacob Vulpis, but everybody calls me Gunman.
  -- Jacob ‘Gunman’ Vulpis, Mercenary and Adventurer
  The smoke began to clear underneath 
  the oppressive tears of a leaden sky. 
  Small fires in the grass beyond petered 
  out, soaked under the same constant 
  drizzle that chilled us to the bone. I 
  wiped blood and soot from my eyes with 
  the back of my gloved hand and stood, 
  exposing myself on the wall to get a 
  better vantage onto the ruined fields. No 
  shadows moved outside our haven, and I 
  did not detect the creak of wood nor the 
  scrape of metal that would betray Their 
  presence. 
  “West side clear.” I tried to sound 
  commanding, to sound like a general in 
  the field. Between the gauzy fog of water 
  coming from the sky and the fatigue 
  eating at my bones, my voice sounded 
  tired, afraid and alone. I slumped behind 
  the wall and looked around, seeing shad-
  ows in the gloom set my skin tightening 
  and my heart racing. Were they-? “I said 
  west side clear, dammit!”
  “East… side… clear…” Antonio 
  limped out of the mist, his black hair 
  plastered to his forehead, and his simple, 
  peasant features flushed and crusted on 
  the left side with blood. He was pale, 
  weary. The shotgun I had loaned him 
  from Yorik’s dead body hung loosely in 
  his hand, nearly dragging on the weak 
  tile roof he had foolishly crossed to get 
  to me. I would have snapped at the boy. 
  If I thought we were going to survive, I 
  might have. As it was it seemed like I had 
  sentenced him and all the rest to death. 
  Mine was the most grievous sin here. I 
  wrestled myself to my feet and grabbed 
  him before he could collapse and eased 
  him to the wet stone of the parapet. I 
  checked his eyes, and his pulse. I know 
  an awful lot about making live men die, 
  but precious little about making dying 
  men live. What I did know didn’t serve 
  to calm me. 
  “Killian! Killian! Tonio’s down!”
  Out of the fog I heard her voice come 
  like a child’s in the night “Get him to 
  me, Gunman. I’m with Jasmyr, she’s – “ 
  There was a definite pause of finality. 
  “She’s bad.”
  I struggled with Antonio. His young 
  frame weighing more than it had any 
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  12
  CHILDREN OF THE SUN
  FICTION
  right to. I could feel hell dragging at him in my arms, pulling 
  him to the turf as I stomped heavily down the ruined stair-
  cases. Sister Shelia met me and guided me to the light shed 
  by a dozen filament bulbs laid in a careless circle at the center 
  of the burned out monastery. Shelia laid out a pack – couldn’t 
  tell whose in the near darkness, but there was blood on it– and 
  used it to prop Antonio’s head as she went to work on him. 
  Delicate hands moved up and down his body before pausing 
  to move her flaxen hair from her face, hooking it out of the 
  way over one, pointed ear. After mere moments she flashed a 
  grim smile at me and spoke in that strange, fluid voice of hers. 
  “He’s got a concussion, but it’s not bad. I can deal with it. Go 
  see if you can help Killian.”
  I shuffled over to the other edge of the circle as Sister 
  Shelia began to humble herself before Ebrigil, Elder Spirit 
  of justice, and searched the mnemonic teachings of her order 
  for the threads of Aether. I passed five bodies laid out in a 
  row. Friends, all of them, all beyond this now. There was 
  some mercy in that at least, but even after passing ten pairs 
  of sightless eyes it was Jasmyr’s crumpled body that nearly 
  broke me. 
  She had been our scout. Her cat-like Avenderan body 
  silently slipping into and out of patches of brush I swear a leaf 
  couldn’t have gone without noise. She had never held herself 
  apart from us, as so many of her people do. Her short, golden 
  hair had always glistened with a particularly lavish light. Her 
  spear had always been wielded in expertly gentle hands. Her 
  eyes had ever been sharp with laughter or wit. Now her eyes 
  were glazed, her fists clenched in pain and one leg was a 
  ruined mass of tattered flesh. 
  Casting a magical technique is not normally this taxing 
  to someone with the Talent for it, but Killian had been up all 
  night, running all day and fighting right next to the rest of us. 
  Her red hair was wild and trying to escape its complicated 
  braid, and her hands shook as little lights danced into and 
  out of Jasmyr’s wound. In the sparkling wake of the wisps, 
  flesh followed, joining to bone and reconstructing missing 
  meat. The mage and her charge were both lost to the rest of 
  the world for the next few minutes, so I walked closer to the 
  south wall and called out to Waisale and got him to come 
  down to me. Killian was done with her healing magic by the 
  time Waisale waddled to me, his short legs pumping more 
  slowly than I’d like. 
  His leathery green skin was almost mint colored, pale with 
  exertion, but other than a new scar on the front plate of his 
  shell, he looked unhurt. His windy voice came from between 
  cracked lips as he settled down on his haunches, adjusting his 
  overalls and planting the butt of his axe in the soft soil. “Yes, 
  Gunman?”
  I hunched down to meet him, sparing my thighs but caus-
  ing my calves to protest loudly. “How are things on your 
  quarter?”
  He shook his hairless head and smiled without mirth. 
  Waisale was always like that. How he found this in any way 
  amusing… 
  He clapped his thick fingers on his natural chest plate and 
  pointed into the gloom. “There’s me, Westin and Floris. East 
  wall has Tristan, Antonio and Killian, whenever she finishes. 
  I see Jasmyr and Shelia are not on the north wall, so who’s 
  left there?” 
  I cursed myself quietly. My brain was turning to mush- no 
  sleep, too much blood. Too much damn blood. “I still need to 
  check.”
  He affixed his black, endless eyes on me. “You have not 
  heard from Kijer?” 
  I shook my head and drew my sword. Waisale pulled him-
  self up and hefted his axe. He traced arcane symbols on the 
  haft in a certain order, connecting plates to boards inscribed 
  with physical representations of aetherial bodies. Circuits 
  completed and sizzled. The arcane engine in the aether melded 
  with the physical anchor of the axe and the razor sharp head 
  grew red hot, spitting disdainfully at the slight rainfall coat-
  ing it’s head. He always said it wasn’t magic. Not really. He 
  always pattered on and on about his precious science. Right 
  now, I was glad to have it. We marched up the stairs under a 
  starless night and came to the north wall. After a few tense 
  moments, searching for telltale signs of our enemy, Levi came 
  out of the darkness. I sheathed my sword and holstered my 
  pistol. Waisale powered down his heat-axe. 
  Levi was an ex-Lancer, freshly discharged from the Kra-
  cian army. He was young, but determined. At least he had 
  been determined, now he was just grim. As we approached, 
  he struck a smart salute from memory, then shrugged and 
  chuckled. “Gin, Marcus and Abraham are dead, sir.”
  Waisale and I traded glances. “What about Kijer?”
  Levi shook his head and held up Kijer’s sword. It was 
  a northman’s blade, the almost non-existent crosspiece and 
  thick blade covered in the runes of those people and easy 
  to identify even in the near darkness. Kijer had claimed it 
  had been a priceless heirloom of his forefathers and had 
  attributed to it many strange powers. Killian had looked at 
  it and had proclaimed that it had, indeed been ensorcelled to 
  deliver grave damage to an opponent, but the enchantment 
  was greatly unraveled. Whether the prowess of the blade in 
  battle was any magic wrapped into the mundane steel or the 
  Hu Lenkra’s massive arm, she could not attest. 
  I shook my head and looked around for the body. It should 
  have been easy to spot. The monastery had not faired well 
  over the years and with the roof mostly gone, the elements 
  had eaten away at the third story flooring to leave only a 
  treacherous ring around the top of the crumbling walls. Wai-
  sale gripped my arm and asked Levi directly. “Where is his 
  body?”
  “He’s not dead, sir. After the attack, he gave me his sword, 
  told me to use it well, and jumped over the side of the flooring 
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  13
  CHILDREN OF THE SUN
  FICTION
  to the bottom. I think he opened the door below and ran off 
  northwards. I called out to get someone to close it, but with 
  this damned rain…”
  I nodded, trying to look calm even as I was slapped in 
  the face with the news. The Hu’Kra of the north are huge 
  creatures, six to eight feet tall. They have powerful, bundled 
  muscles and thick fur that was proof against cold. Kijer had 
  been arrogant, brash and given to drink, but he had also been 
  a faithful ally and stalwart swordsman throughout this entire 
  disaster. If he had run… Waisale shook my arm, bringing me 
  back to here and now. “Levi, go around the parapet and gather 
  everyone at the circle of light.” 
  He nodded and held out Kijer’s sword to me, I shook my 
  head. “Keep it, you’ll need it.” 
  He stopped himself from saluting, then marched off at a 
  double-time, leaving the Thorqua and I alone, I thought for a 
  few moments as we walked over to my spot on the west wall 
  and I gathered my rifle and ammunition. “Waisale, check 
  the doors and make sure that they are all fast, then join 
  us.”
  He frowned at me, his reptilian face taking on 
  strange wrinkles that made him look like a caricature 
  of a bald, old man. “Why do I always get the hard 
  jobs?”
  “Because you look like a damned tortoise.”
  “And you, sir, are a naked ape.” He smiled again 
  wryly. “You have any idea how to get us out of this 
  mess?”
  I forced myself to grin back and pumped my eye-
  brows twice. “Don’t I always?”
  As he left, only I knew the truth, well truths. I sent 
  him down because it was my job to carry the bodies of 
  Christine and Gregory to the assembly area. They had died 
  within a few yards of me, and there was nothing I could do but 
  promise them they wouldn’t be treated like those villagers… 
  There was that, and the Other Thing; the fact that we were all 
  going to die.
  I didn’t want this job. I inherited it when Dussandus, the 
  mage that had hired us, died back in the Old Growth Forest. 
  I’m the oldest human here, the most experienced at warfare by 
  far and I think quickly on my feet. The others simply looked 
  at me and expected it. Damn them anyway, I don’t want to be 
  responsible for getting them killed. They figure none of them 
  could do better and maybe they’re right, but I’m just not build 
  to be a hero. 
  I walked into the light with one of my friends over each 
  arm and got help from the others to gently lay them next to 
  their fallen comrades. I opened Christine’s sightless eyes 
  so that her spirit could see that she was being taken care of 
  respectfully in death, and then took Killian aside to talk to her 
  about Jasmyr. The news was much as I had feared. I sent her 
  back to the circle and soaked in the darkness of night alone. 
  My guts writhed like a basket of snakes and my shoulders 
  hunched as the pressure began to mount higher and higher. 
  Tears squeezed from my unwilling eyes. It was many minutes 
  before I could face the group. If they saw me like this they’d 
  panic and run, sure as hell. 
  Twenty-five rode out to find out what had happened to 
  the village of Culhainne Hollow. We had thought we were a 
  mighty group; Warriors, mages, a scout, a priestess, an arcane 
  engineer, a driver for the light cargo Phant that had gotten us 
  this far, this fast. Now the Phant was abandoned a good day’s 
  walk away, and we were cut off from it by… 
  Damn.
  No sense in wasting any more time, I had to go back and 
  face them. Quiet conversations died as I entered the edges of 
  light. They all looked at me, hoping, hoping I could get them 
  home safely.
  Damn. Damn. Damn. “Look; here’s the situation, people. 
  We’re cut off from our transport and supplies. Pooling 
  food and water, we can last about four days if we ration 
  it. The problem is They are coming, and I don’t 
  think they’re going to give us four days.” My 
  throat clenched, I stuttered, coughed to cover it, 
  and then resettled my sword in its sheath. It was 
  only through clamping down on everything and 
  shoving it deep could I look at them again. “If you run 
  now, you might make it out. I’ll keep fires burning 
  here, make them think that we’re still waiting. Get 
  out onto the Green Sheath and keep running. You 
  might make it, if I make enough noise and catch the 
  attention of that mad bastard’s ‘farmers’.”
  Silence settled in on all of us. I saw them look 
  about, each individual searching the eyes of others 
  around the circle.  “It’s time to pack up and get going 
  if you are going to make it.”
  Jasmyr stepped forward. “I can’t run on this leg. I’d just 
  slow everyone down.”
  Levi stepped forward, rubbing at his elbow. “I have some 
  tendons that are about to go, I can’t carry her.”
  Waisale picked up a pebble and studied it so he didn’t have 
  to look at me. “Nothing wrong with me, but my legs are too 
  short. I wouldn’t run any faster than say,” He looked at me and 
  smiled. “a turtle.”
  “Stop it!” I stood and screamed, every muscle clench-
  ing, straining against every other. “ Stop it damn you all! I 
  can’t get us out of this one. It’s done! It’s over. I did alright at 
  the castle, but this is now-“ I turned to a piece of debris and 
  slammed my steel-toed boot into it in time with my words. “ 
  I! Can’t! Get! You! Out! Alive!”
  One heartbeat.
  Two.
  Killian moved forward, collecting her hair out of her face 
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
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  CHILDREN OF THE SUN
  FICTION
  and shrugging. “Those things will be able to smell my Talent 
  from a mile off. I’d get everyone killed. I’m staying.”
  Sister Shelia laughed her musical, elvish laugh. “And I 
  would offend my patron Spirit if I did not shield those in such 
  dire need of protection.”
  I felt my heart tearing inside. We had come so far – too 
  far for all of us to die here, now. My voice could only come 
  as a husky whisper that limped across the intervening space 
  between us to die upon their ears. “We are going to die here. 
  They are coming. Remember Them, those things he sum-
  moned? They do not bleed, they do not die, the do not breathe, 
  they just run on their wood and steel legs. Blade festooned 
  bodies cutting through the grass, scything arms decapitating 
  plants with long, slicing swings. Do you remember the people 
  of Culhainne Hollow?”
  Waisale moved forward, hitching up his overalls, 
  “Gunman-”
  “Do you remember seeing them for the first time? Seeing 
  what they had done?”
  “Gunman-”
  “Eyes hung on trees like cherries, Hearts strung like toma-
  toes to low clinging vines, feet nailed to trees like fungus-ears, 
  row upon row upon row of human hands planted like grain-“
  “Gunman!” I snapped out of my fugue, wiping at my eyes 
  and folding my arms to hide the shaking of my hands. Waisale 
  softened his voice. “We were there, Gunman. We know. You 
  got us this far and for that, we’re grateful. But we are not will-
  ing to leave anyone here behind.”
  “What do you want me to do?”
  “Tell us how to sell our lives most dearly.” He took the 
  sheath off of his axe and flicked it off into the darkness with 
  one stubby thumb. “Help us kill the bastards. Spirits willing, 
  enough that one or two of us can slip off, but that’s secondary. 
  We remember the people of Culhainne Hollow. We remember 
  all those who have died so far to get us here.”
  His eyes mirrored me, swallowed me, gave me some 
  hope as he said, “We remember them all, and someone has to 
  answer for their deaths.”
  No, not hope. Courage.
  I looked from face to face, and saw the Thorqua’s words 
  echoed in the eyes of everyone there. They had known what I 
  had tried to keep from them: we weren’t going to live through 
  this one. They had known that and had not run off like Kijer. 
  They had decided to die with me. 
  Pride is a strange thing to feel at a time like this. I cer-
  tainly did not expect this mixture of grim elation and fierce, 
  vengeful love. I took out a piece of chalk from my hip-sack 
  and drew a map on a large chunk of table-like debris “We’re 
  on Monastery Rock, Here’s the monastery ruins, bridges and 
  the Gap. 
  “We can’t outdistance these things out on the sheath. The 
  four bridges to the Sheath are too wide to block and too strong 
  to break. We can’t hold all the doors and we can’t even block 
  off the stairs and doors on what’s left of the first floor.”
  Antonio snorted, “Gunman, why do you always tell us 
  what can’t be done before you tell us what we going to do?”
  I smiled through my tears “Helps save on arguments with 
  Waisale.”
  He mimed a gun with his fist and extended forefinger and 
  thumb. “You’re only human, Gunman. It’s my job to keep the 
  less gifted races in line.”
  A chuckle rippled through the company. I shook my head. 
  We had looked forward and saw our deaths. All there was left 
  to do was to make them as honorable as possible. 
  Then it struck me, I looked behind me, above me, at the 
  piles of bodies and weapons the dead could no longer wield, 
  then down at the hasty map I had scrawled. I suddenly saw 
  everything in crystal clarity. I swept away everything I had 
  been thinking and patched together something new on the 
  spot. 
  Sister Shelia smiled sweetly and bowed her head, hands 
  clasped. Waisale chuckled and nudged Tonio, who was shak-
  ing his head in disbelief. Killian wrapped an arm around 
  Jasmyr’s shoulders and squeezed gently. Westin, Floris, and 
  Tristan looked around as if a little lost, they hadn’t noticed. 
  They were young they would learn, if I was right. Levi 
  smirked at me with a face that said; You’re doing it again 
  aren’t you?
  Maybe, just maybe, “Ok, Here’s the plan…”
  *  *  *
  They took their sweet time, which – it turned out, was all 
  for the better. The sky had stopped crying over our fallen and 
  it was almost dawn before they came. We had squeezed every 
  second until it bled to have our preparations complete. 
  They appeared at the edges of the forest, only visible 
  to Jasmyr and then Sister Shelia in the barest of light that 
  could fight through the clouds. After scant minutes, the rest 
  of us could see them as well. In reality, all we could see were 
  the ghastly outlines of their misshapen bodies, but that was 
  enough. We had spent most of the night fighting them off of 
  the walls at close quarters. We knew how they moved. 
  I looked at my team and each one nodded grimly at me. 
  They were more than a group of strangers; now they were my 
  family. Whatever would come, we would conduct ourselves 
  bravely. We owed each other that. I raised my finger in the 
  air and spun it in the military manner for a charge. With-
  out words, they walked down the single stair to spread out 
  through the rotting levels of the monastery.  
  In front of Killian and I were the assembled firearms of the 
  group. Every gun, every bullet was arranged around us, ready 
  to be used. As crazy as it was, I wanted to be with them down 
  on the lower levels, but my place was here. Still, I knew what 
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  15
  CHILDREN OF THE SUN
  FICTION
  they were doing, below me. I had come up with the plan. 
  They were taking their stations at the base of the remain-
  ing stairs that lead up to this level. Every so often they were 
  coming upon the little cubby-holes we had made for our 
  candles and lamps. They would light the candles and turn up 
  the lamps, letting the wick burn long and hot. They would be 
  wiping at eyes from the smell of lamp-oil that floated every-
  where, and checking one more time to make sure the bundles 
  of wood we had scavenged from the rubble were secure. 
  My thoughts skidded to a halt and, before I knew what I 
  was doing, I had shouldered a borrowed rifle and fired. Down 
  below a half-seen shape lurched a bit and then broke into the 
  light cast through broken windows. They were here. 
  And they had brought friends. 
  Blade-festooned limbs screamed in the air as a horde of 
  sixty of those things ran for the wall. I faltered, 
  my mind rejecting the numbers I saw, 
  refusing to believe- we were never 
  going to make it out of here alive, 
  never-
  BOOM!
  My finger caressed the trigger, stag-
  gering one of the wood and metal puppets, 
  and brought me back to the here and 
  now. I ratcheted another round 
  into the chamber and fired 
  again. Killian’s borrowed gun 
  spoke beside me, she worked the bolt 
  awkwardly and I doubt she hit anything, but she 
  cursed and tried again. I fired, cocked the lever 
  discarding another smoking cartridge case as a 
  full one loaded in, and sighted, found a target and 
  fired again. I began jacking rounds as fast as I could, watch-
  ing splinters fly from those… Things. Sight, acquire, BOOM, 
  jack-lever… Sight, acquire, BOOM, jack-lever, Sight-
  acquire-BOOM-jack-lever-Sight-acquire-BOOM-jack-lever- 
  SightAcquireBOOMJackLever- SightAcquireBOOMJackLe-
  verSightAcquireBOOMJackLeverSightAcquire-Click!
  I tossed the rifle aside and grabbed the next. Some, the 
  ones who were here before I think, started climbing the walls, 
  forcing their metal appendages into cracks and crevices in 
  the walls to get purchase. The others did the same thing their 
  wiser companions had last night- they went to the door. They 
  banged, they pounded, unlike last night, there was a creak, a 
  cry of stressed wood. I prayed to whatever Spirit was listen-
  ing that Waisale had weakened the door enough. A splinter, a 
  crash, and the sound of Westin and Floris yelling a challenge. 
  They were in. 
  The creatures on the wall dropped down and swarmed into 
  the open doorway, the easy way to escape my lead rain. Down 
  below, one of them was silhouetted in the light coming out of 
  the broken door. It was a scarecrow made of parts and pieces 
  of farm tools. Bladed instruments and blunt flails, bloody 
  wood held together with barbed wire and twine. Death and 
  evil seethed within its eyes; two almost animated whirls of 
  wood where a man’s head would be. Cutters and shears, all 
  collected together into a sickening parody of a human being. 
  They were the ‘farmers’, the ones who planted the people of 
  Culhainne Hollow like they were crops. These were demons 
  born into living blades. They were the Harvesters. 
  We reset the remaining rifles around and a scream echoes 
  up from below. Voices called up, the message being conveyed 
  like a bucket brigade –“Two!” 
  They had reached the second floor. 
  Killian threw her hair from her face and set before her 
  little ritual circle, made from a trail of gunpowder, lumps of 
  wax and bits of brass- tiny parts of each of the lamps and 
  candles below. She began to concentrate on her Talent. 
  I could hear the ringing of steel 
  below and my palms itched for 
  action. I picked up a rifle and slung 
  it, snugged the scattergun on my back 
  down into its holster, taking an extra 
  second to make sure the thongs were 
  tight on my pistols. The last rifle felt 
  cold and leaden in my hands. 
  “Three!” four voices shouted, 
  one after another. 
  I moved down the stairs and 
  heard a wounded cry that was cut off 
  suddenly and completely. It had sounded like 
  Westin. Elezabeta, be kind to him, please.
  “Four!” they were moving too fast, just below 
  us, now. I finished the stairs in one jump and turned to find 
  Tonio, Shelia and Floris breathing heavily, and all bearing 
  nicks and scars from battle. Waisale and Levi were on the next 
  downward set of stairs, slinging about their steel with fading 
  vigor and determination. They were backing up, slowly, but 
  were wearing down quickly. 
  Levi tripped backward, his opponent loomed over him. 
  Pent up rage and fear rippled up my chest and out my throat. 
  “Down!”
  The Thorqua dove over Levi, trusting his armored shell to 
  protect them both in case of a stray shot as I rammed the trig-
  ger of the .35 Marov 7 rifle home. The greased bolt slid back 
  and automatically shot forward, tossing winking brass into the 
  darkness. Iduum, the Elder Spirit of Storms seemed to laugh 
  in the shots, roaring in amusement as flashes of light licked 
  out to shatter through the ranks of my enemies. Skill had noth-
  ing to do with the way they went down in tangled heaps of 
  wood and iron, they were so tightly packed that a child could 
  have hit them. 
  Instantly, Levi was up, dragging Waisale with one arm as 
  he sprinted up toward me. I tossed the rifle behind him, trip-
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
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  CHILDREN OF THE SUN
  FICTION
  ping up the next Harvester skittering over the pile of 
  its brethren. “Upstairs! Everyone! Now!”
  I flipped the other rifle off of my shoulder and 
  held it to my hip. My hands began running the 
  gun all on their own, making the lever 
  action sing like a roiling kettledrum 
  struck by a thousand padded sticks. 
  I flipped that one at them, too. 
  Someone called from above, I can 
  not remember who; “They’re in, 
  Gunman, They’re all inside!”
  Turning, I sprinted up the 
  stairs- a sharp tug at my pants 
  cuff told me they were right 
  there – right there – at my heels. 
  I clawed the custom 1.13 
  Wallgar repeating scattergun 
  from the back-sheath, spun 
  and fired, and turned away from the Harvester that had been 
  transformed into a spray of splinters by the round. “Killian do 
  it! Do It!”
  At the top of the stairs I held my ground, my friends – my 
  team – was climbing down the ropes thrown over the parapets 
  as quickly as they could. Killian was lighting the gunpowder 
  trail to the first set of lamps, then ran to join them. 
  As the first wax puddle sizzled above, the candle on the 
  first floor burst into flame, all of the wax searing at once and 
  puddling onto the old, rotten wood we had set up as tinder for 
  it. As the first bit of brass was enveloped in fire, the heated oil 
  from the over-wicked lamp spurt forth, coating more prepared 
  faggots on the opposite side and severing the rope holding 
  the deadfall in place. The only door not blocked by rock was 
  sealed, and the monastery was now on its way to being an 
  inferno. 
  Still, out of the darkness they came. On long, spindly 
  legs made from logs and tied bundles of sticks they ran like a 
  bladed wind. I waited, listening to my heart slowly beat in my 
  ears. The world had turned into molasses, trapping everyone 
  and everything in a crystal where time distorted, dilated, com-
  pressed. Oily orange light winked through the rust on cold, 
  hard metal. My finger jerked.
  Finger pulls trigger. Trigger releases hammer. Hammer 
  hits primer. Primer fires powder. Powder pushes bullet. 
  One hundred round, gray wasps slung from the barrel of 
  the scattergun, each one shredding through wood as it went, 
  caroming off of old steel, and clearing a path a quarter of the 
  way down the stair. I fired again and again, but they kept 
  coming. 
  More wax on the power trail of powder caught, more 
  candles blossomed like dying stars. Lamps burst with flaming 
  oil and coated the floors below in laughing, mocking tongues 
  of orange and red. 
  More rounds heated the gun. I could feel it burning my 
  hands where I gripped the stock near the barrel. The gun 
  kicked and bucked and I growled at it to keep in line. Tamed 
  it like a stallion to make it kill who I wanted it to kill, make it 
  not waste a single, precious piece of shot. 
  It clicked empty before I was ready. I tossed it down at 
  them, then pulled the pair of huge, Morrison .40 revolvers and 
  let them speak as well. Bullets smashed and cracked at things 
  that felt no pain. Still they came. 
  My pistols were empty.
  “Gunman!” Levi pulled at me. He was supposed to be 
  gone, supposed to be safe. “Go! I’ll cover you.” 
  He drew Kijer’s sword from his belt and backed toward 
  the ropes. Holstering the pistols with practiced hands I dove 
  for the ropes, sliding my body over the broken tops of stones 
  and going down, hand over hand. Four ropes were next to me, 
  but they were all empty. 
  Levi? The sound of steel batting steel ricocheted over the 
  walls as the damp rope began slipping through my fingers. I 
  tried to climb up - tried to reach him -  to help him. All the 
  while thinking: You can’t have him, dammit, you can’t have 
  him, you took the others but you can’t have him. 
  “Le-vi!” More powder sparked and coughed, and more 
  bits of brass and wax popped and smoked, setting more blazes 
  among and around the Harvesters and now Levi. I gripped the 
  rope harder to slow my decent, but I couldn’t pull myself up, 
  no matter how I struggled. 
  I felt something crack deep inside. He was supposed to 
  make it. I was supposed to be the one up there. The roar of fire 
  and the night seemed to swallow my voice.  “Levi!”
  And then, there he was, looking over the lip at me, smil-
  ing. He looked so fulfilled, triumphant, at peace. 
  “Levi! Come on!”
  Still, he smiled, but his eyes lost some of their focus. He 
  lurched and Kijer’s sword flew over the side to land on the 
  rocks below. Blood began to trickle from his lips. A warm 
  drop hit me on the cheek. 
  “No!”
  A skeleton of wood and metal loomed over him and sev-
  ered his head with one stroke from a scythe. His head fell free, 
  and tumbled like a child’s lost ball. I watched it tumble by 
  slowly, so slowly… 
  The sound of an explosion brought me out of my trance. 
  Killian was lobbing small sparks at the Harvesters above, 
  knocking them off the walls where they were trying to chase 
  me. I took my pistols by the barrels and used the grips to hold 
  the rope as I slid down. The shock of landing echoed up my 
  legs, but I managed to grab Kijer’s sword and stagger away 
  from the building growing blaze. 
  Killian looked down at me, her eyes as deep and pained as 
  I had ever seen. “Gunman-?”
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
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  CHILDREN OF THE SUN
  FICTION
  My voice was harsh and bitter even in my own ears. “DO 
  it.”
  She turned to the monastery and concentrated, feeding the 
  flames with magic, turning a simple house fire into a firestorm 
  to rival the burning of Vergisal. The flames danced and ate, 
  splitting wood and parting twine, warping steel and cracking 
  the wet, mossy rocks of the ruin. It built into a fitting funeral 
  pyre for our dead. We seven survivors stared into the flames, 
  hoping that the nightmare was finally over. The flames were 
  mesmerizing, separated from nature by Killian’s orderly guid-
  ance. It drew us in and held us raptly – then she gasped, and 
  the flames were only flames once more. 
  A voice with the tone of liquid oak shattered the spell 
  that held us entranced. “I still say that you move more like a 
  swordsman than a gunman.”
  We spin- the darkness converges- five Harvesters- moving 
  like the wind. 
  One pinned Waisale, knocking his pyrotechnic axe off into 
  the darkness. One clubbed Killian on the head with a wheat 
  flail and impaled Sister Shelia with a long, rusty blade, lifting 
  her up by her intestines before smashing her into the ground. 
  One tripped Tonio and knocked his blade away, extending a 
  whirling, gnashing metal contrivance next to his throat, 
  threatening to grind his flesh into hamburger. Jasmyr 
  leapt at another, to only be batted aside. It stood on 
  her wounded leg and drew mournful wails from her 
  that she could not stifle. Floris raced to her aid and it 
  spun to face her, twisting its torso in a way that would 
  break a normal man’s spine. It lazily drew back its 
  arms, as if a patient parent welcoming the first steps 
  of a toddler. Scythe and sickle arms shredded her 
  before my eyes. The last loomed over me. Its face 
  of whirled wood seemed to smile as my guns 
  clicked on empty chambers like malicious 
  crickets. It would kill me a hundred times before 
  I could reload even a single round.
  Fifty yards away he stood, illuminated by the roaring 
  death of the holy place behind me. Barabas Sheathwalker, the 
  man who killed Culhainne Hollow. 
  I felt like screaming, like crying, like tearing out my hair 
  and beating myself to death on his pet golem. We had come so 
  far, we had trapped his creations, we had survived such odds, 
  only now to die. As quickly as it came, the urge went, and I 
  felt the icy calm of the doomed rush in to fill the void. 
  I would have felt better if he had an air of malevolence, 
  of death and despair, or if he looked like a specter or killer or 
  madman. He didn’t. He was fit, gnarled, in his upper forties, 
  with a long beard and the robes of a priest of Rutana- Elder 
  Spirit of the Wilds. 
  Whatever his past calling, he worshipped only himself, 
  now. Somewhere along his career, he had begun to think of 
  mankind as a blight, and he had begun his battle to retake the 
  Sheath from the Dreaming Races with Culhainne Hollow. In 
  the Maze of Ophides, in his oversized ruin of a castle home 
  we had once faced him. Dussandus the master mage, me, 
  Killian, all twenty-five of us had tried to face this one man 
  down and only half of us had escaped alive. He lazily drew 
  forth his broadsword, tapping the flat against his robed thigh 
  as if in contemplation. “You know, I am sure you lied to me. 
  You are a swordsman. I used to be quite a sharp man with 
  a blade myself.” He chuckled quietly at his own pun. “Why 
  don’t you come over here and show me what you can do.”
  Glancing at my friends, all on the brink of death, I didn’t 
  have to ask ‘or what’. He’d kill them one at a time, slowly. 
  He’d make me watch them die and then fight me anyway. 
  I dropped the guns to the turf and picked up the long, 
  dark blade Kijer had left behind. It felt good, too good, in my 
  hand. 
  “Come now, I have come all this way to find you for a 
  friendly sparring match, the least you could do is show a little 
  spring in your step.”
  Behind me Tonio yelped as the Harvester that trapped him 
  grazed the skin with its thresher.  I quickened my pace to a 
  trot, discarding the holsters and belts that could only slow 
  me down. He smoothly came to en garde, as if he were 
  simply an instructor in some fencing academy, and I 
  his slow and truculent student. Memories welled up 
  inside me, times past and wished forgotten. The wind 
  whipped the acrid char of wood and smell of burn-
  ing flesh over us as I gripped the oversized hilt in 
  both hands and felt old ways returning. Hands that 
  lovingly handled the butts of guns remembered 
  their old ways, their old life, and molded to the 
  sword as if born there. 
  He smiled, a bit of his feral nature peeking 
  through. “See? I told you, a swordsman.”
  I struck. 
  It had been years since I have plied blade to flesh. Years 
  I have tried to put behind me. But at the first shock, the first 
  meeting of metal, it all came back to me. I was going to make 
  him pay for bringing them back. 
  His sword hissed in the air, and I met it full on. Instruc-
  tors, long dead, whispered lessons in the back of my brain. 
  They told me; Too close, Too far, Don’t over extend, Balance, 
  Ferocity, Timing. I whirled forward like a man possessed. 
  Barabas wheeled back, slapping aside every attack, counter-
  ing every ploy. I was a talented youth with steel, but he was a 
  man who had studied its use as a matter of survival and vanity. 
  He slapped away my defense, taking bits of blood away with 
  layers of skin, avoiding killing strokes like a cat, so as to make 
  his game last all the longer. 
  I reached into my core, building up the rage, the hate, 
  the raw need to survive into a hammering storm that spoke 
  through my sword. I felt everything I was, everything I am or 
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  18
  CHILDREN OF THE SUN
  FICTION
  ever will be, balanced on the edge of the blade as it cut and 
  turned in the air. Kijer’s sword flicked out, and came back 
  stained with blood. 
  Barabas kicked my feet out from under me and leapt out of 
  reach, feeling at his face, tracing the stinging cut I had given 
  him. The ground dug into my back and blew out my center, 
  leaving me tired, empty and useless. 
  He considered his crimson fingers, his eyes darkening like 
  a coming quake. He hissed through clenched teeth. “You bas-
  tard. It is The Master of Rutana you have made bleed. Now I 
  will be your master as well before you die.”
  I had no poetic words, like the bards like to recount, no bits 
  of wisdom attributed to wizards or rogues. So I uttered a vile 
  bit of profanity linking his mother with a barnyard animal. 
  It was the best I could do under the circumstances. 
  He went en garde, and prepared to kill me. Far away, there 
  was a distant sound that might have been thunder – 
  But wasn’t.
  He attacked like a master, taking off a strip of skin from 
  my left arm as I parried a strike that wasn’t there. He danced 
  around me, ripping open my shirt and lopping off my right 
  nipple with his sword’s tip. I screamed at the pain and dropped 
  to my knees, he kicked me over and backed away shouting 
  “Come on! You’ve got more to you, don’t you, boy!”
  The sound grew, almost constant, almost irregular it could 
  have been my heart beating raggedly in my ear. 
  It wasn’t.
  I managed to get to my feet but couldn’t lift the heavy 
  blade in my hand to stop him from marking my cheek the way 
  I had done his. I felt the blade knick the bone beneath my face 
  and send me sprawling again. 
  “Get up! You’re not done learning WHO YOUR MASTER 
  IS!”
  The sound. The sound again. I got to my knees, but had to 
  use the sword as a cane to stand. Barabas flipped my weapon 
  end over end with a deft maneuver and set the point of his 
  weapon at my throat. His smile smoothed over the mask of 
  madness and he leaned close to me, very close, gazing into my 
  eyes like a lover. My hands, hidden behind my body, worked 
  feverishly. 
  His voice was light, taunting. “Who is your master?”
  Almost there, but that sound is closer. 
  He increased the pressure, leaning forward scant inches. 
  “Who is your master?”
  Working with slippery fingers, moved away the pants, 
  prying at the top of my boot. 
  Closer, closer he leaned in. The point of his sword dug into 
  my flesh and blood began to trickle down the groove in his 
  blade. His smile cracked, his voiced hissed. He was not going 
  to ask again “Who. Is. Your. Master?”
  The sound, like wooden logs being beaten as Luparathi 
  drums, but it wasn’t.
  Barabas turned toward it, toward one of the bridges that 
  arced off this island of rock and onto the Green Sheath. In 
  the slivers of dawn that made it through the clouds, you could 
  barely see the spidery cracked windshield and dented paint 
  that marked two tons of angry shadow. 
  Barabas pointed and his minions ran toward the beast as it 
  broke through the cover and made the run for the bridge. 
  It was covered in dings, scratches and dents. The olive 
  paint and been marred with the green of crushed foliage. The 
  headlamps were shattered and useless. The engine, though, 
  was the best that money could buy, freshly installed and the 
  solid rubber tires gripped the ground like dragons’ claws to 
  pull itself forward. 
  It was our Phant.
  The Harvesters leapt at it and Barabas began making 
  motions in the air. I jumped forward and planted my boot 
  knife in his thigh and limped off toward the rest of the team. 
  Whatever magic he had tried to work failed instantly, and the 
  Phant rumbled on unimpeded to crash into the ranks of the 
  Harvesters and grind them into confetti.
  I heard Barabas crying out in rage behind me. I glanced 
  behind as the Phant ground forward. It’s multi tonned body 
  shook the very ground as it’s grill seemed to yawn to swallow 
  the rogue priest whole. Barabas removed the knife from his 
  leg and tossed it aside contemptuously, then lifted a single 
  hand –
  - and the truck halted. 
  It did not skid, did not slow, it simply stopped, as if the 
  world and begun moving too fast for it to catch up. Inside my 
  soul, I knew – knew that it was still moving, but it wasn’t. 
  Barabas began to dust himself off. “Must you people break 
  my toys every time you come over to play?”
  He raised his hands to form another magical technique.
  “No!” called a defiant voice behind me. Killian was on 
  her knees- focusing all of her energy on the rogue priest, her 
  hands pointing at him like claws. The truck jumped, as if 
  wanting to move, but chained, unable. 
  “No.” a weaker voice whispered. Sister Shelia, sitting up, 
  head bowed in prayer. Tonio was dumping packets of Filidian 
  regeneration powder into her wound and supported her as she 
  focused as well. The gaping gash in her abdomen was slowly 
  closing. 
  The truck rumbled, it grumbled, it bucked back and forth. 
  “No!” Strong and proud, Waisale ran forward and arced 
  his pyrotechnic axe at Barabas, chopping deeply into his 
  thigh. Barabas struggled, staggered, the Phant leapt forward 
  five feet, then froze. 
  I calmly retrieved a pistol, went to my belt and recovered 
  a single round. I could feel the forces at work here, the strain 
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  19
  CHILDREN OF THE SUN
  FICTION
  building as Barabas focused his titanic Talent against all of the 
  stimuli seeking to overwhelm him. Though his blood pumped 
  away he showed no fatigue or pain, only the discomfort of a 
  man on a high wire in a breeze. I had seen him impaled, cut, 
  hacked and burned, but nothing had stopped him. He was 
  more than simply a man now, he was a force of nature. A dark 
  force bent of the destruction of any person he came across. 
  But I was betting I knew his weak spot. 
  I loaded the Morrison pistol carefully and set the cylinder 
  so the shell was next in line to fire. I took a deep breath and 
  worked the kinks out of my neck. “Barabas!”
  He looked at me. Confidence and strength were flooding 
  back into him as he mastered the distracting cut and the power 
  of the lesser magic that constrained him. Then I leveled my 
  weapon at him. 
  “My name… is Gunman.”
  I pulled the trigger and blew that vain bastard’s face off, 
  snapping his control on the aether. 
  The Phant leapt forward, crushing his body and reducing 
  it to a fine paste. It reversed, engine roaring, and 
  set 
  its wheels on his chest. With a screech and 
  a spray, the rear wheels fought for traction 
  on his gory remains, and spit bits of 
  bone and flesh in a shower of blood 
  before moving off him. The only 
  thing left mostly intact was his 
  head. 
  The Phant trundled over 
  the rough ground to deposit 
  its hulking body right by us. The 
  engine roared, whined and then set-
  tled down to sleep. The door opened 
  up and a huge, furry head peeked out. 
  “I told you dese tings here didn’t looks so hard to drive.” 
  Kijer said in his singsong accent. “Now where’s my damnt 
  sa-word?”
  *  *  *
  We burnt our dead in the pyre adding Floris’ corpse to the 
  blaze, as well as what we could find of Barabas. Sister Shelia 
  was a little offended to have his ashes mixing with those of 
  our friends’ but Kijer insisted it was necessary. Their ghosts 
  and ashes, he explained, would watch over those of Barabas 
  and keep him dead forever. It seemed fitting. 
  Watch over his spirit, my friends. Make sure he never 
  comes back. 
  No one much said anything after that. The seven of us that 
  survived that night, survived to make it home. We had been 
  changed by what we had done and what we had seen, except 
  Kijer of course, who claims that such horrors are common in 
  the Northlands. He says stories of them are used to comfort 
  timid children. I’d call him a liar, but we owe him our lives 
  and as such would seem rude.
   He had run all night to get the Phant and drive it back 
  to save us. The weird thing, he said, was that the forest kept 
  opening up for him, as if showing him a clear path to the 
  Phant. Then, on his way back to us, the trees seemed to bend 
  out of the way whenever the old path got too narrow. Well, 
  mostly out of the way, the truck did take a beating. Shelia had 
  just nodded sagely and murmured something about Rutana’s 
  will. 
  We made our report to the Lord Marshal, got paid and 
  drifted apart for a few weeks.  I thought things were going 
  to get back to normal, though I’d miss them. I went back to 
  my mercenary for hire business (Hire the Gunman, no job too 
  small, no gun too big!) and I figured everyone else went back 
  to their lives, too. 
  A few days ago they came knocking on my 
  door. All of them. It seems that, 
  yes, I could make a living as 
  a gun-for-hire, but there are 
  things that need doing, things 
  that need investigating. People 
  are willing to pay to have them 
  done and the work is not bad. 
  Seems we already have a repu-
  tation as ‘The Survivors of Cul-
  hainne Hollow’. 
  Some guy actually has a map to this lost city in 
  Lysirial that supposedly has some pieces from the national 
  treasury of Salino in it. We get equal shares of the estimated 
  value, we just have to go and get it and return it here. I’ve 
  heard stories about Lysirial, and all the damned things that 
  live there. As much as my head tells me to walk away and 
  live a quiet, safe, uneventful life (well, quieter, safer and less 
  eventful), I know in my gut that the last few weeks have been 
  kinda pale, colorless, flat. 
  I may be mad, but if I don’t go back out there, I don’t 
  know if I will ever feel alive again. Besides, they need a team 
  leader they can trust, and I just can’t let my people down. Rest 
  well, my fallen comrades, we remember you fondly. Though 
  we go forward we think of you often. 
  Children of the Sun, the Misguided Games logo, Raevich, Token System, Dieselpunk, Minty Fool, Miss Guided, and the A Misguided Game logo are 
  trademarks of Misguided Games, Inc.  The material contained herein is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Copyright 
  2002 Misguided Games, Inc. All rights reserved.
  v
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  20
  HUNTER: THE RECKONING
  FICTION
  HUNTER: THE RECKONING
  Me and My Shadows by Julie Ann Dawson
  Me and My Shadows 
  Julie Ann Dawson
  It’s nights like this I think about working on my suntan.
  I’ve got an hour before sunup, and I’ve got a decision to 
  make.
  Either try to get to my potential lead now and maybe find a 
  last-minute hiding spot before sunrise, or not risk it and hope 
  they don’t get to her tonight.
  I wish they made SPF 150.
  I hop on my bike, a red and black 1997 Heritage Softail 
  Springer that is anything but inconspicuous. I need speed, not 
  stealth.
  Tuwanda Jackson lives twenty minutes away normal time.  
  That equates to 9.5 minutes Austin time.  
  I park the bike in the Acme parking lot about two blocks 
  from her complex.  I walk behind the Acme and jump the 
  privacy fence for the apartment complex.  A few guys are 
  killing forties on a back stoop.  I surround myself in shadows. 
  I don’t think it matters.  These boys have been drinking for 
  10 hours straight from the look of things.  But then again a 
  blonde biker-bitch jumping over the fence might still attract 
  attention.
  So all they get are shadows.
  I get across the street from Tuwanda’s apartment and I see 
  an old conversion van in from of her place.  60-year old black 
  women do not drive conversion vans.
  I can’t win.
  So I have to figure that somebody is already there, and 
  probably watching for me.  So I pull out my cell phone.
  “…911, what is your emergency?”
  I place a bomb scare call for a conversion van at 406D 12th 
  street.  It’s New York, after all.  They might drag their feet 
  on a fire in this part of town, but they can’t afford to ignore a 
  bomb threat.
  So maybe it’s a little unpatriotic, I don’t have time for 
  patriotism.  Besides, I know that at least the bomb squad is 
  under mage, not vampire, control.  They haven’t received any 
  orders to delay their actions in this area.  I know the police and 
  fire departments have.
  Within three minutes, a bomb team has practically tele-
  ported onto the scene.  Me and my shadows move closer to the 
  house and wait for somebody to come out.  
  Imagine my surprise when I see my old man.
  Belistrane isn’t technically my father, but he is my sire.  So 
  it’s the same thing.  
  I notice he’s starting to mind-fuck the bomb squad.
  Oh hell no.
  I pull my Colt Anaconda out and aim for the head.  
  Two phosphorous rounds to the cranium.
  Soak that, dad.
  Shit, it actually dropped him!  Cool!
  Three Rabble come out of the house bearing fangs and 
  looking for trouble.  
  This is not cool.
  I just stay still and wrap the shadows around me.  If they 
  see me, I’m screwed.  I can’t outrun them.  Even the weakest 
  Rabble can move at twice my speed, and they’re all strong as 
  hell.
  Me and My Shadows
  An Alexandra Austin Story
  by Julie Ann Dawson
  17.75cm x 9.5 cm
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  21
  HUNTER: THE RECKONING
  FICTION
  So with all my will I just stand still and watch them tear 
  the bomb squad to pieces.   At least they killed them quick.  
  They drag Belistrane’s carcass into the van and the other 
  body parts into the bomb squad vehicle and drive off.  I go 
  into the house and find the late Mrs. Jackson’s blood splat-
  tered all over the living room.
  The place has been tossed.  I don’t see a TV or stereo, 
  but I see the empty areas in the entertainment center.  I go 
  upstairs to find an empty jewelry box.  No purse to be found 
  anywhere.  Just another break-in gone awry.
  I come downstairs.  I hear a slight moan.  
  She’s not dead!
  They didn’t have time to finish her off, or maybe they 
  thought they did.  
  But she’ll die soon if I don’t do something.  An ambulance 
  won’t get here in time.
  I call Martin on the cell phone.
  “We have a problem,” I say.
  “We?” he responds.  
  “Don’t start.  You’ve been at this longer than me.  At what 
  point can you feed a mortal blood without making them a 
  vampire?”
  There is a long pause.  “Why?” 
  “I thought my contact was dead, but she has a slight pulse. 
  She’s gonna die.”
  “Does she have any color?”
  “She’s black, Martin.”
  “Does she look ashy, smart ass?”
  “No.”
  “A little blood won’t turn her.  But you don’t know enough 
  to erase her memory.  You’re better off letting her die.”
  “I can’t do that.”
  “Yes, you can.  You just chose not to.”
  I hang up.  
  I bite down on my wrist and let the blood drip into her 
  mouth.  I lick the wound clean and it heals.  
  Five minutes later, she starts to move.
  Twenty seconds after that, she opens her eyes and 
  screams.
  I grab her head and force her to look at me.  “Quiet!” I 
  command.  She obeys.
  I look at the clock.  20 minutes.
  “Not a word.  Just nod if you understand.  Do you want 
  to live?”
  She nods violently.
  “O.K. I want you to live.  So we should get along just fine. 
  You need to listen to me.  I need you to go to the nightclub 
  Dark Desires on Xavier Ave immediately.  Tell the bouncer 
  Alex sent for you.  He’ll get you a room in the back of the 
  club.  Don’t call anybody.  Don’t dawdle.  I’m the only one 
  that can protect you.  The police won’t because they’re all 
  paid for.  Your friends can’t because if you get them involved 
  you’ll get them killed.  Your minister can’t unless he’s part of 
  the Inquisition, and even then you’d be putting him in danger. 
  Do you understand?”
  She nods again.
  “Go now.”
  I let her go.  She starts to run out the front door.
  “Wait!” I command.  She stops.
  I take off my trench and hand it to her with ten bucks for 
  cab fare. 
  “You one of them, aincha?”  she asks.
  “Somewhat.”
  “Why you help me?”
  “Because I can.  Now go.”
  I leave behind her, jump the fence, get on my bike and 
  head back to Dark Desires.  The sky has just started to change 
  to purple as the sun begins to wake up.  I tell the bouncer I’m 
  expecting an older black woman to show up.  Get her a room 
  and make sure she eats something. 
  “Bringing strays home now?” I hear Martin behind me.  I 
  walk past him without looking at him.  
  He grabs my shoulder and tries to turn me around.  I grab 
  one of the safety pins in his eyebrow and pull.  The skin gives 
  easily, and blood pours down into his eyes.  He licks at the 
  blood on his face and laughs.
  “ALEX!  You do care!”  He lets go of my shoulder.
  “I’m tired, Martin.”
  “Can I have my safety pin, please?”
  I hand him the bloody pin and wipe my hands on my 
  jeans.
  “Now that’s a waste…”
  ”I’m tired, Martin.”
  He sticks the pin into the regenerating eyebrow.  
  “He was there, Martin,” I say as I start to walk away.  “He 
  was there and I couldn’t finish it.  Now three more people are 
  dead and I didn’t even finish it.”
  “And now he knows you’re in New York.”
  I stop and turn around.  “You want me to find another 
  haven?  I don’t want to bring this shit down on you again.”
  He doesn’t answer.  He just looks at me for a moment, then 
  tells the bouncer to take care of our guest when she arrives.
  We both go to our separate rooms and go to sleep.
  v
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  22
  WEIRD SCIENCE!
  FICTION
  GENERIC
  Sentinel by Allan Naguit
  Sentinel 
  Allan Naguit
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  23
  WEIRD SCIENCE
  FICTION
  I
  t was 3:30 am and Rick was going home. The city was 
  still buzzing with nightlife, and there were plenty of revel-
  lers drunkenly trying to flag down cabs, after a big night 
  of drinking and Friday night partying. “Yep, lucky me,” he 
  thought, “nightclub doorman extraordinaire, sober as a judge 
  and I still have to fight for a cab to get home. Got to get myself 
  a car!” 
  He crossed the road and headed up a hill, away from the 
  bright streetlights and long lines of people. There was a spot 
  around the corner where he could avoid the crowd and catch 
  a taxi. It was a hot night, and Rick started to sweat under his 
  black suit, what he called his “ninja suit”. He thought it made 
  him look formal yet menacing in the club, and hard to see as 
  well. Good for pouncing on troublemakers. Ah, the fresh air 
  smelled good after the smoky air of the nightclub. His power-
  ful legs pumped him almost effortlessly up the steep hill. 
  Nearing the top, he heard raised voices near a street lamp. 
  On the side of the road, lit up by the headlights of a flagged-
  down taxi were two couples, their images strobing from the 
  cab’s yellow blinker. Rick slowed down to see what was 
  happening, keeping to the dark patches of the night. How 
  much chest-thumping’s going to happen before they clear 
  off, Rick wondered. Gorillas One and Two, he automatically 
  labelled them. Two big fellows, likely drunk, two suffering 
  girlfriends. 
  “Hey, we were here first. That’s OUR ride,” Gorilla One 
  was saying.
  The other man just stared fiercely back, and opened the 
  back door.
  “Back off, man! Helen! Get in!” shouted Gorilla One.
  With a contemptuous look, Gorilla Two pushed Helen to 
  the side. She shrieked and sprawled onto the pavement.
  Oh, damn. Not my fight, thought Rick, moving in fast 
  anyway.
  Gorilla One wound up to punch, but Rick grabbed him 
  from behind, clamping a huge hand on the left shoulder and 
  catching the right arm by the elbow. Gorilla Two, with a 
  savage smile, threw his own punch, only to have it connect 
  with Rick’s right elbow. CRACK! Gorilla Two screamed, his 
  face contorted in pain. He staggered backwards, bent over his 
  mangled hand. Gorilla One tried to struggle free, but big as 
  he was, Rick was even bigger, and much stronger. “Take it 
  easy, buddy. I’ll let you go now. Why don’t you and your girl 
  take this cab? I don’t like men who hit women.” Shaken but 
  triumphant, the man grinned at Rick as he and Helen jumped 
  into the taxi. 
  Now where did the other girl go? 
  Rick swung around to look for her. There was a flash of 
  white behind his eyelids. He found himself face down on 
  the ground, pain just starting to tease him. My God, what 
  did she hit me with? He struggled to rise, the taste of blood 
  in his mouth. Turning his head, he heard the cab screech to 
  a halt. There was something wrong with his vision. He felt 
  funny…sick, and somehow too big for his body. Everything 
  was blurred, out-of-focus, as though giving off a red light.  
  The guy with the damaged hand was standing next to Rick, 
  feet pointed towards the stopped cab. Wow, even his shoes are 
  glowing, thought Rick, his head spinning. Get off the ground 
  before he kicks you, he berated himself as he struggled up into 
  a crouch. 
  Helen’s boyfriend had stepped out of the cab and was 
  shouting something, but Rick couldn’t hear properly for the 
  blood rushing in his ears. Rushing? Sounds more like hissing. 
  He shook his head, trying to clear it, but the sharp headache 
  he expected didn’t come. What the hell?
  Helen had stepped out as well, trying to drag her boyfriend 
  back by the arm. Rick looked up, and fell onto his backside. 
  In front of him was the same guy with the broken hand, but 
  instead of cradling it, it hung limply by his side, a dead weight. 
  And his whole body was glowing red. A vicious, roiling red, 
  like blood. No way this can be real, Rick thought, heart ham-
  mering, mouth instantly dry. I’m seeing double, that’s it. That 
  hit on the head from that girl messed me up!
  But his head didn’t hurt. 
  Rick scrambled backwards, oblivious to his hands scrap-
  ing on the rough concrete. 
  He felt the red figure look down at him, but through the 
  haze, saw the actual man hadn’t moved; he was standing as 
  still as the dead, blankly staring at the other couple.  
  “No,” Rick gasped. His breath frosted in the air.  His skin 
  was goose-pimpling. It’s cold. How can it be cold? 
  Helen’s boyfriend was helping Rick up by the elbow and 
  was saying something, but Rick still couldn’t hear properly. 
  The man just sounded angry. How can he not be afraid? And 
  the hissing in his ears… it was getting louder. The glowing 
  man hadn’t budged, but kept staring, dripping malice. Then he 
  slowly raised his damaged hand and pointed it at them. 
  What Rick saw then, he would never forget. 
  The blood-glow around the arm began to change, like it 
  was growing black bubbles, bursting like pus, tens, hundreds, 
  thousands of black bubbles. Yet, he could also see through the 
  ooze that the arm hadn’t changed. 
  Rick was still being slowly helped to his feet. Can’t this 
  guy see what’s happening?
  Then it dawned on him. No, he couldn’t. Just me. I’m 
  going nuts. 
  The hissing noise lessened. To his horror, it began to sound 
  like sibilant voices, whispering death into his ears. Rick felt 
  his lower lip start to tremble, and felt an irrational urge to cry 
  and yawn at the same time.
  The black ooze lengthened and whipped out like a ten-
  tacle. It snapped past Rick, and his helper staggered. Rick 
  jerked aside. It had attached itself to the man’s stomach. Only 
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  24
  WEIRD SCIENCE!
  FICTION
  then did he notice the guy behind him had a white aura, and 
  it dimmed rapidly as he watched, the black ooze seeming to 
  leech into the white. The man had a stricken expression, of 
  pain and an utter lack of comprehension. Rick instinctively 
  caught the man, keeping him up, and turned to stare at the 
  other man, trying to understand.
  The other man had his head back, whether in ecstasy or 
  agony, Rick couldn’t tell. The myriad voices were getting 
  louder. 
  No way this is happening, he thought.
  The black tentacle was getting thicker. 
  No way.
  Cold dread rolled over Rick in waves. 
  He held his breath. 
  No way.
  Then the creature looked him in the eye…and smiled.
  NO!
  With every fiber of his being, Rick hurled his defiance at 
  the glowing figure. He saw a bright light from somewhere 
  hammer into it, and the blood-glow dimmed, the black ten-
  tacle severing. The man himself took a step back, as though 
  he’d been pushed hard. The black ooze began to reform 
  on his arm. Again Rick hurled his defiance, his horror, his 
  absolute repulsion. And again the bright light shot out and 
  hammered into the figure. Again and again Rick struck, each 
  strike diminishing the blood-glow, not knowing how or why, 
  yet knowing he could not, must not, stop. Finally the aura 
  of blood was gone, and the man was lying crumpled on the 
  ground, the hissing silenced. 
  “Man, I thought I was going to be sick there for a 
  minute.”
  Rick turned around. The other guy had a hand to his 
  stomach, smiling weakly, barely visible in the dark. The guy 
  continued. “What the hell happened to that idiot? One second 
  he’s pointing at me, the next he’s decided to take a nap on the 
  pavement! He’s okay, isn’t he?”
  He never saw a thing, Rick thought, shakily. Not a blessed 
  thing. “But where’s that other girl?”
  “Girl? What other girl?” 
  Rick didn’t realize he’d spoken out loud until the other 
  guy responded.
  “There was no other girl here, man. Just Helen.”
  Whisper-soft, Rick again heard the hissing voices, just 
  before they faded into silence.
  “We have marked you. We will find you. We will feed 
  on your soul…”
  *  *  *
  It was dawn, just a few hours after the “incident”. Helen’s 
  boyfriend had checked on the other man. Rick couldn’t bring 
  himself to touch him. An ambulance was called. The para-
  medics pronounced the hand broken, but otherwise, no other 
  obvious injuries. They attributed his lack of consciousness to 
  excessive alcohol consumption, but took him  to the hospital 
  as a precaution. Rick caught the next taxi home.
  He felt numb. Unreal. He couldn’t remember getting 
  home, but knew at the back of his mind that he’d been lying in 
  bed, staring at the ceiling for hours. All the lights in his apart-
  ment were blazing. His TV was blaring. Some infomercial 
  was trying to convince him to lose inches off his stomach. 
  Guess I should turn everything off… the sun’s coming in, 
  anyway. God, I’m tired.
  His eyelids drooped, only to snap open. He wanted to keep 
  those images away. Did he really see that thing? Did it really 
  happen? His mind was going around in circles, like a tongue 
  playing with a sore tooth.
  He decided to have a shower, but had problems washing 
  his face. He would’ve had to close his eyes to avoid the soap. 
  He got around that by alternating, keeping one eye open at 
  any given time.
  What the hell am I doing?
  He wasn’t hungry, but fixed himself a big breakfast. 
  Bacon and eggs. Very fatty. Very tasty. Normal food for a 
  normal person. He found he was starving, and wolfed down 
  all the food, washing it down with orange juice and a coffee. 
  He was starting to feel better.
  What’s next? Get the paper, check the mail. See what’s 
  happening outside. 
  Rick headed out of his tiny two-bedroom apartment, down 
  the stairs, and into the quiet suburban street. There were a lot 
  of people out, enjoying the warm, sunny morning. A couple of 
  joggers, an elderly woman taking her poodle for a walk, a kid 
  on a bicycle. No auras, no red bogey men. Much better.
  It was a ten-minute walk to the store, and Rick found him-
  self wishing the walk were longer. He bought the paper and 
  stuck it under his arm. Not wishing to return to his apartment 
  just yet, he headed for the park. Might as well sit in the sun 
  and read the paper, he thought.
  It was an even longer walk to the park; and he was warm 
  by the time he found an empty park bench drenched in sun-
  light. Checking first for bird droppings, he sat down and 
  folded the paper for reading. He quickly looked around. 
  Kids playing soccer, an old Chinese fellow doing Tai 
  Chi, a young couple throwing a Frisbee back and forth, more 
  people walking their dogs. 
  Rick found the background noise soothing. Normal. Turn-
  ing to the paper, the front page was full of doom and gloom, as 
  usual. He skipped to the light-hearted weekend section. 
  “Excuse me,” came a tremulous voice, “may I sit down?”
  It was a woman, old enough to be his grandmother.
  “Sure,” Rick said, automatically scooting to the side to 
  make room. 
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  25
  WEIRD SCIENCE
  FICTION
  “Thank you, young man. I’m feeling quite tired.”
  “No problem.” Rick was reading through the real estate 
  section, an article about holiday homes. He felt like moving 
  into a house by the beach. With a yard. That’d be nice. He 
  could almost feel the cool sea breeze. Like air from an open 
  fridge.
  Something nudged his foot. It was a dog. A poodle. His 
  eyes followed the leash to the old lady’s hand. She was still 
  sitting there, smiling. 
  Her eyes were wrong. Solid black. No whites.
  “Did you think you had escaped us?”
  Rick jumped up in a panic. No! He was still sitting there. 
  Frozen. He couldn’t move. His eyes were locked to the old 
  lady’s. 
  “Ah. So young. So fresh. So… untrained.”
  Rick was screaming inside. A whimper escaped his 
  throat.
  “A spontaneous Awakening. Very interesting. Very 
  tasty.”
  She was talking with a lisp, Rick thought crazily. 
  “Come with me, young man.” She stood up. Her dog 
  stood up without a sound to stand at heel. Rick found himself 
  standing as well, then taking leaden footsteps to follow her as 
  she began to move away.
  She stiffened. Rick nearly walked into her. There was 
  someone blocking her way.
  “Release him.”
  It was the old Chinese guy. He was even smaller than the 
  old lady.
  The dog was growling a deep growl. Too deep for it’s tiny 
  throat.
  “Release him.”
  Rick saw the image in front of him shimmer, like in a 
  mirage. The old lady’s form began to change, like she was 
  wearing something on her back… a backpack…or leathery 
  wings.
  She shrieked something. Too many voices came out of her 
  throat. It looked like she was breathing out black smoke.
  Rick shut his eyes, as the Chinese guy seemed to get taller, 
  brighter. Too bright.
  He was being buffeted. He desperately tried to keep his 
  footing as ferocious winds that weren’t winds threatened to 
  throw him into the air. He couldn’t breathe. His skin was 
  burning. He felt like he was standing on the edge of an abyss, 
  and he was losing his balance. He was crying and he didn’t 
  give a damn. “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sin-
  ners…” 
  It was over. It felt like hours had passed, but it could’ve 
  been just seconds.
  “Open your eyes.”
  He was lying on his back, on the grass. Slowly opening 
  his eyes, he found himself staring into the friendly face of 
  the Chinese gentleman, his black eyes twinkling. Black eyes, 
  with whites around the pupils. Thank God.
  “Where is it? What the hell happened?”
  “It’s gone. And that’s kind of right. Hell happened.”
  “What?”
  “Hell. Sit up, and I’ll explain what I can. But you won’t 
  want to hear it.”
  He didn’t have a Chinese accent. No “that’s fried rice, you 
  plick” for this guy.
  Rick chuckled. 
  The Chinese guy said, “For someone who nearly got 
  devoured by Soul Eaters, you’re perky.”
  Rick sobered instantly.
  “Was that, was that what it was? That old lady?”
  “That was no ‘old lady’,” the man replied. For the first 
  time Rick noticed the half rings of fatigue under the man’s 
  eyes. The man squatted down on the grass beside him. Fell 
  down, more like it.
  “We found out about you a few hours ago. We felt some-
  one shake the aether like he was trying to bring down the pil-
  lars of Heaven itself.”
  “You mean, last night…when…” Rick couldn’t finish the 
  thought.
  “Yes. You burst into the aether, what some people refer to 
  as the astral plane, like a giant boulder thrown into a still lake. 
  You caused a lot of waves, son – made a real splash.”
  He paused, and then continued excitedly, “A spontaneous 
  Awakening! That hasn’t happened in a very long time.”
  There it was again. “A spontaneous, what?”
  The Chinese guy shook his head. Rick noticed he was 
  almost completely bald, with just a few wisps of white hair 
  left. He looked old.
  “I warned you, you’re not going to like it. But you have no 
  choice. Not really.”
  “Listen, I’m just a normal guy… I have to…”
  “You have to listen to me.” Suddenly, the strength was 
  back in that voice, like just before he got too bright.
  “Son, when you shook the aether in the middle of the 
  night, you drew a lot of attention to yourself. Some of it good, 
  most of it bad. I’m one of the good. I was the closest, and I 
  was sent to find you. Unfortunately, they found you first.”
  After a pause that Rick was too scared to interrupt, the 
  man continued.
  “There are a few of us, like you, we can do things. Special 
  things. With training, we can become quite powerful, but our 
  enemy outnumbers us. One for one, we tend to be stronger, 
  but they feed in packs.”
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  26
  WEIRD SCIENCE!
  FICTION
  “Feed?”
  The Chinese guy looked him in the eye.
  “Feed. They feed on souls.”
  “Souls. You called them Soul Eaters.”
  “Soul, life force, whatever you want to call it, they feed 
  on it. If you’re lucky, you die. If not… you become one of 
  them.”
  “Last night… there was a man. He was acting crazy.”
  “When you shook the aether.”
  “Yes. I mean… “ Rick didn’t know what he meant.
  “Go on.”
  “He… attacked someone. So I defended against him. 
  Somehow.”
  “And…”
  “Afterwards, he was lying on the ground. But he wasn’t… 
  glowing… anymore.”
  The man’s eyes lit up in wonder. “You mean, this guy was 
  possessed, and you managed to free him?”
  “I freed him?”
  “Yes, if I’m understanding you correctly, you ran into 
  a case of possession, and you managed to exorcise him. 
  Untrained! You’re a bigger talent than I thought. And by the 
  way you pounded around in the aether like a wild bull in a 
  china shop, I knew you had a lot of muscle. Just no finesse.”
  Rick felt nauseous. This can’t be happening.
  “Son, denial won’t get you anywhere. You have to make a 
  choice. Now, can you stand?”
  Rick found he could.
  “Help me up then. I’m an old man.”
  Rick yanked him up. His head only came up to his chest. 
  “Don’t measure me by my height, boy.”
  Rick was looking around. There were still kids playing 
  soccer, people jogging, riding bikes. Everyone was still there. 
  Everyone except… those things. His mind wanted to skip 
  away from the memory.
  “Most of the fight took place in the aether. Some sensitive 
  people, psychics, might feel something, but only the Awak-
  ened actually see what’s going on. Like you.”
  Rick felt faint. His knees started to buckle.
  “What’s your name?”
  “What?” The old man was holding him up. His grip was 
  strong. Rick found his footing again.
  “What’s your name, son?”
  “Rick,” he replied. “Uh, maybe I wasn’t supposed to give 
  you my name? I read somewhere that doing that would give 
  people power over you?” He was babbling and he knew it.
  “Well Rick,” the man chuckled, “that little old lady didn’t 
  v
  need your name to make you follow her like a dog, now, did 
  she?”
  “Ah, I guess not.”
  “Rick, my name’s Joe. That’s my Western name, by the 
  way. You couldn’t pronounce my real name.”
  “Joe?”
  “Yes. Joe. Now, old Joe’s going to give you a choice, 
  because we never force people into anything. It’s not right, 
  and it’s against our Code.”
  Rick heard the capital letter when Joe said “Code”.
  “What choice?” Rick felt afraid, but strangely hopeful.
  “You can let us train you, and we’ll protect you as we do, 
  or you can live as you have, and take your chances.”
  “Train me?”
  “Train you how to use your Awakened powers. But with 
  the training comes responsibility. Very heavy responsibility. 
  We exist to battle the minions of Hell, and it’s definitely not 
  pretty. It’s a full-time job. It’s thankless. You’ll be scared spit-
  less almost all the time, and you’ll probably end up dead, or 
  worse. And if you go rogue, we’ll get you ourselves.”
  “Go rogue?”
  “It’s tempting, very tempting, to abuse this power. You’ll 
  see, whether you come with me or not.”
  Rick stood quietly, thinking.
  “Well?” Joe said. “If we hang around here much longer, 
  something else might pop up, and I’m still tired from the last 
  fight.”
  “So I’m going to become some kind of superhero?”
  “Superheroes have fan clubs, Rick. Us? No.  We fight to 
  protect the weak and the innocent, but we must stay secretive. 
  Fame will get us killed. We fight in the shadows.”
  “This was in broad daylight.”
  “But no one saw anything. Same thing.”
  “Nobody,” Rick paused. “Nobody saw a thing.”  After a 
  long pause, a smile quirked a corner of Rick’s mouth. “How 
  about money?”
  Joe frowned.
  “No, don’t get me wrong. How do we pay for food? Rent? 
  Electricity?”
  “Ah,” Joe smiled. Inscrutable Oriental, my butt, Rick 
  thought. Joe’s a good fellow.
  “Don’t worry, Rick. Being one of the Awakened is good 
  for something. Don’t worry about that.”
  “Well then. Uh, Joe? I do security work. I always wanted 
  to be a cop, but couldn’t handle the bureaucratic crap. I guess 
  I’m going to end up as a kind of cop after all?”
  “Rick, you’re exactly right. Now let’s go. We have to 
  move.” 
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  27
  WITCHCRAFT
  ADVENTURE
  WITCHCRAFT
  The Queen of Las Vegas by Thom Marrion
  The Queen of Las Vegas 
  Thom Marrion
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
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  WITCHCRAFT
  ADVENTURE
  Q
  ueen of Las Vegas is a WitchCraft adventure for three 
  to six players. The six cast members provided can be 
  used if running this as a one-shot. If run as part of an 
  ongoing campaign those characters can be used as supporting 
  cast instead. The adventure is intended to involve Vampyres, 
  so that would still be the best choice for the Cast Members.
  THE HISTORY OF LAS VEGAS
  The Las Vegas Valley has spent most of its existence 
  as a watering hole in the middle of the desert. The Anazasi 
  civilization was based in this area before they vanished (Some 
  Scholars say that it was the influence of a Mad god Cult that 
  caused their society to disappear). The valley came to the 
  attention of Europeans when a Spanish scout named Rafael 
  Rivera stumbled across the relatively pleasant spot and named 
  it Las Vegas (Spanish for “The Meadows”). The United States 
  became aware of it when Captain John Fremont described 
  the place in 1844 and thirty Mormon missionaries were sent 
  to Las Vegas during the next decade. The town of Las Vegas 
  became a railroad stop between Los Angeles and Salt Lake 
  City, and a mining industry developed by the end of the nine-
  teenth century.
  Las Vegas remained a small desert town until the construc-
  tion of nearby Hoover Dam caused a population boom in the 
  1930s. Gambling was legalized and quick divorces could be 
  obtained in Vegas after only six weeks of residency. Ranches 
  were set up to accommodate those people who only wanted 
  to live in Vegas long enough to divorce, and those ranches 
  became the precursors of the Las Vegas casinos.
  The Strip, the long line of Casinos along Las Vegas Blvd., 
  began to take its current form in the Sixties. By the Nineties, 
  the relatively simple casinos were being replaced by massive 
  themed mega-casinos like the Luxor and Excalibur. Modern 
  Las Vegas is a brightly-lit tourist destination that cares more 
  about its visitors than its residents. It is a giant playground 
  designed to separate tourists from their money and ensure that 
  they have a good time. Plenty of vices can be indulged here, 
  it is possible to partake of all Vegas has to offer and never see 
  daylight. Millions of visitors come and go all the time.
  This makes it a great town for Vampyres.
  VEGAS VAMPYRES
  Las Vegas has a pretty substantial Gifted and Supernatural 
  population for a city its size. There are over forty non-mun-
  dane permanent residents in the greater Las Vegas area. This 
  includes a group of seven Gifted Templars (Who nobody 
  really knows about. They are here, along with twice as many 
  Mundane Templars, to deal with suspected Combine activities 
  in what is popularly known as Area 51, just north of Vegas), 
  two Wicce covens (one is an all female group dedicated to the 
  Earth Goddess, the other is a mixed group that worships the 
  Moon Goddess and her Horned God Consort), a Rosicrucian 
  cohort (Mostly Squires), and a large number of Solitaires. 
  Vegas also has a large Vampyre population. There are 
  three Iscariot Vampyres, five Thanatoi Vampyres, and five 
  Solitaires who live in Las Vegas year round. The city also 
  sees a dozen or more visiting Vampyres a year. It is the ideal 
  destination for the Undead (If the Players want to use their 
  own characters instead of the Cast Members provided, then 
  they can be a group of visiting Vampyres). Vulnerability to 
  daylight is not a concern in a city where businesses are open 
  twenty-four hours a day, the transient tourist population pro-
  vides a steady source of victims to prey on, and most people 
  come to Vegas looking for some kind of thrill (Which often 
  makes them willing prey for the Vampyres). If it wasn’t for 
  the Sentinels, the town would be perfect for the Undead.
  There used to be twenty Vampyres in Vegas instead of just 
  thirteen. The Society of Sentinels in Las Vegas have killed 
  seven. This makes it very dangerous to feed randomly in 
  Vegas, so the local Vampyres make sure that their activities 
  stay low profile. If some visiting Vampyre come to Vegas 
  and kills a few innocents before heading home, the incident 
  is going to be blamed on the local Undead. The Sentinels 
  already know that the Thanatoi operate in town, though they 
  are believed to a monster-controlled death cult. Any Vampyre 
  encountered by the Sentinels will be assumed to be part of the 
  same death cult.
  “YOU MEET AT AN INN AND HEAR OF INVADERS 
  FROM THE NORTH...”
  As cliché as that may be, it isn’t that far from the truth. For 
  the past three years, six members of the Vegas Vampyre com-
  munity (Otherwise known as the Cast Members) have gotten 
  together every month to discuss any current news that may 
  affect their undead existence. Despite the different attitudes 
  and philosophies of the six, they are all united by the fact that 
  they are undead beings in a city with a lethal Covenant dedi-
  cated to eliminating them. At the end of each meeting, one 
  of the six will pick the location of their next gathering. Last 
  month it was Darlene’s choice, so the group got together at the 
  Buffet at Harrah’s. The food was all right, considering none 
  of them really needs to eat, but the lines were inexplicably 
  long and it took too much time to get a table. This month it 
  is Beatriz’s choice, so the six are gathering at the Crown and 
  Anchor Pub on East Tropicana. The Crown and Anchor is an 
  Irish pub that appeals to college students and locals. It also 
  has the advantage of being open twenty-four hours a day (As 
  explained before, Vampyres love the range of establishments 
  that are open twenty-four hours in Vegas).
  Ming and Darlene talk about the Renfields that they saved, 
  Valentine and Beatriz talk about living in Bally’s and dealing 
  with the Spirits who haunt that casino, Evangilena speaks 
  about her daughter, and Tim is just happy to be alive (In a 
  manner of speaking). As the Cast is catching up on the latest 
  news, a newscast on one of the pub’s televisions catches the 
  group’s attention. The bodies of twelve bikers were discov-
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
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  WITCHCRAFT
  ADVENTURE
  ered just outside of Yosemite National Park. Investigators 
  have determined that the bikers were killed two days ago (A 
  Simple Intelligence Test will reveal that two days ago was a 
  Full Moon). The bikers were savagely massacred, each one 
  decapitated and most with their hearts removed as well. The 
  official mundane explanation favors a pack of rapid animals, 
  but the more metaphysical aware might suspect anything from 
  Dark Magicians to Ferals.
  While the Cast is debating the cause of the deaths (Or 
  possibly ignoring the news report), there is another report 
  of violent deaths. Two families were brutally murdered last 
  night at the Jim Butler Motel in Tonopah, NV. An eyewit-
  ness reported seeing a group of blood covered motorcyclists 
  leaving Tonopah and heading south down Highway 95. On a 
  Simple Intelligence Test, the Cast Members will realize that if 
  the bikers stay on 95, they will ride past Nellis Air Force Base 
  and straight into Las Vegas. In fact, if they left Tonopah last 
  night then they are probably in Las Vegas right now. If people 
  start getting torn apart in Las Vegas, then there is a good 
  chance that the Sentinels are going to make the local Undead 
  pay for the crimes regardless of their innocence. At this point, 
  the Cast has four hours until daylight to do what they can. 
  MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE MANSION
  The Las Vegas Society of Sentinels has also seen the news 
  reports and have already begun searching around town for the 
  culprits. Baltasar and Sol search around town in an unmarked 
  gray van loaded with weaponry, Nephi and Jacob cruise 
  around in their black sedan, and Maria is going through the 
  casinos along the Strip. Each group also has two mundanes 
  in their entourage as back-up. There is a possibility that one 
  of the Sentinels will notice one the Cast Members during this 
  initial search. Cast Members have a chance of recognizing the 
  Sentinels on a Simple Perception Test (Recognizing the local 
  Sentinels is something of a survival trait in Vegas). What the 
  Cast does if seen is up to them, but a confrontation should 
  probably be avoided. The two Iscariots in the Cast are under 
  strict orders from their Covenant leader to leave the Senti-
  nels alone. Since a Vampyric attack on the Sentinels would 
  only bring more Sentinels to town, this is probably a good 
  plan. By the time the Cast comes across one of the Sentinels, 
  they should be more concerned with reaching their respec-
  tive homes before sunrise than fighting the monster hunters 
  anyway.
  REVOLTING PREDICAMENTS
  As soon as the sun sets the following evening, any Cast 
  Members who check the news wills see reports of a couple 
  killed at the Sam’s Town Casino. Sam’s Town is a western 
  motif casino away from the touristy Strip, which is why locals 
  prefer to come here if they feel the need to partake in some 
  casino gambling. The couple was discovered floating in the 
  pool of the Mystic Falls, an artificial waterfall in the glass 
  covered courtyard of the Sam’s Town Casino. Now that the 
  murders have come to Las Vegas, things have gotten very 
  serious for the Cast Members. 
  The City of Las Vegas Police Department will be all over 
  the deaths. The City makes its money through tourists, and 
  if the tourists are afraid to come to town than the town faces 
  hard times. The powers-that-be want this taken care of as soon 
  as possible. Publicly they will be confident in their ability to 
  apprehend those responsible, but they really don’t have a clue 
  who did it. Any Thanatoi Cast Members (Especially Valen-
  tine) will learn this through Cinnamon because of her contacts 
  with the city government. Once the deaths at Sam’s Town are 
  connected with the murders in Tonopah and Yosemite, the FBI 
  will take over the investigation.
  Of more immediate concern to the Cast, apart from Senti-
  nels and Mundane Authorities, a Supernatural killing spree is 
  going to bring the Combine in force. Nobody knows anything 
  concrete about the Conspiracy, not even the Iscariots who are 
  supposed to be fighting them, but everyone is fairly certain 
  that there is a large Combine presence somewhere around 
  Nellis Air Force Base (Specifically, the Groomlake Facility in 
  Area 51). If a bunch of Gifted and Supernaturals start tearing 
  up Vegas, the MIBs will probably descend on Vegas in their 
  Black Helicopters like flies on a mutilated cow.
  ROUND UP THE USUAL SUSPECTS
  The only real lead that the Cast Members have at first is 
  an eye-witness who described a group of blood covered bikers 
  leaving Tonopah after the murders at the Jim Butler Motel 
  and heading south towards Vegas.  If the Cast Members roam 
  around Vegas looking for a group of bikers, the first likely 
  group will be found at the Crazy Horse Gentlemen’s Club. 
  The dozen Harleys in the parking lot give their presence away. 
  Sadly, these bikers are Mundanes. They are in Vegas as part 
  of a drug deal, so they are by no means innocents, but none of 
  them have ever killed anybody.
  The second group of suspects are, three bikers staying 
  at the Luxor who show up as Supernatural to those who 
  can detect such things. The Sentinels have someone at the 
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
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  WITCHCRAFT
  ADVENTURE
  Luxor who spends most of her time looking for such beings 
  before they can hurt anyone. The Cast Members will become 
  aware that possible suspects are at the Luxor when they see 
  familiar Sentinel vehicles rushing towards the black pyramid-
  shaped casino. The three Supernaturals are the Nomad Ferals 
  described below. If confronted in public, they will use Strength 
  of the Beast to defend themselves. If the Cast does nothing, 
  the Sentinels gather outside the Ferals hotel room, break down 
  the door, and shoot the Nomads with an overabundance of 
  silver bullets. The Nomads are in one of the Pyramid Rooms 
  (The hotel rooms built along the side of the actual pyramid), 
  on the nineteenth floor facing the Excalibur. It is possible that 
  at least some of the Ferals might be able to break out of the 
  window and slide down the thirty-five degree slope of the 
  pyramid to the street below, it depends on the actions of the 
  Cast and how much mercy the Chronicler feels like showing a 
  group of wrongly-accused Supporting Cast Members.
  The real culprits are an ancient Vampyre named Esÿhar 
  Nasusara and the eight minions she created from bikers whose 
  dead bodies didn’t remain behind in Yosemite. Nasusara is 
  an ancient Vampyre who was born in the Hittite Empire. The 
  last time she was active was over a hundred years ago. She 
  has just started to build a small army of vampyric minions, 
  starting with eight of the bikers she killed in Yosemite. The 
  murderous Vampyres are currently staying at the house of a 
  large Colombian family in North Las Vegas. The Vampyres 
  have their motorcycles parked in the backyard and after an 
  hour and a half of torture have killed and eaten the family. If 
  the Cast decides to drive through the lower income areas of 
  North Las Vegas, they will notice the motorcycles on a Dif-
  ficult Perception Test.
  THE QUEEN OF BLOOD
  Everything is a bit overwhelming to Esÿhar Nasusara. The 
  last time she was mobile, electric light bulbs and gas powered 
  automobiles hadn’t been invented yet. Now she finds herself 
  in modern Las Vegas, the brightest city on Earth. It’s loud and 
  bright and confusing, it’s a bit like heaven and a bit like hell. 
  Nasusara is constantly faced with sights and sounds that are 
  a bit incomprehensible at first. It’s frightening and exciting at 
  the same time.
  Nasusara wants it.
  She wants it all.
  The ancient Hittite Vampyre has decided to terrify the 
  locals like she did in the old days, establish herself as the 
  object of veneration for some dark cult and live in luxury for 
  the next few years. She believes that the relative isolation of 
  Vegas will allow her to get away with this, because she hasn’t 
  really grasped the concept that no place on Earth is really iso-
  lated anymore. It took her a few days of hiding in the slums 
  of North Las Vegas and feeding from the shadows before she 
  felt confident to walk in public as the Queen of Blood once 
  more.
  PYRAMID SCHEME
  Like many Supernatural visitors to Las Vegas, Nasusara 
  is drawn to the black pyramid of the Luxor Hotel and Casino. 
  The pyramid is a universally honored metaphysical symbol 
  and many expect there to be some Place of Power hidden 
  somewhere within the casino (There isn’t). Apart from a sym-
  bolic connection with the Great Pyramids (One of the greater 
  Places of Power on the planet), there is something intrinsi-
  cally cool about a jet black pyramid with an intense beam of 
  white light shining up from where the capstone would be on 
  one of the great pyramids. (Besides, Blue Man Group plays 
  there and everyone likes Blue Man Group). Nasusara is drawn 
  to the Luxor because, despite its innate kitschiness, it seems 
  somewhat familiar and comforting to the three thousand-year-
  old Vampyre.
  Shortly after the Sentinels try to kill the Nomads, the 
  Queen of Blood and her minions decide to initiate her new 
  reign in the courtyard of the Luxor. She climbs on top of a 
  faux sphinx, flanked by her minions, and raises her hands 
  towards the heavens. She is in her most beautiful form at this 
  point and makes the following proclamation.
  “Now is the time of my new reign upon the earth. I 
  shall be your Goddess and this shall be my Temple. 
  I command the heavens and the earth. I wield the 
  power of life and death. Worship me and you shall be 
  rewarded with my mercy. Act against me and feel the 
  wrath of Esÿhar Nasusara, the Queen of Blood, the 
  Divine Goddess of this city.”
  At the end of her speech, a booming crack of thunder is 
  heard and lightning flashes are seen overhead. This is because 
  the ancient Vampyre has just spent 64 points of Essence on the 
  Weather Lordship Invocation, creating a thunderous down-
  pour extending almost a third of a mile around the Luxor. The 
  summoned storm will last for the next twenty minutes; unless 
  Nasusara dismisses it (Which she has no intention of doing). 
  It is an impressive sight from outside, a violent thunderhead 
  centered around the intense beam of light that shoots from 
  the top of the black pyramid. The storm also gets the atten-
  tion of anyone in a ten-mile radius with knowledge of what 
  an Elemental Invocation is. That includes the Cast Members 
  Evangilena, Lourdes, Santilannez, and Beatriz Zamora.
  The tourists at the Luxor believe that this is all part of 
  some show put on by the hotel and respond accordingly. Some 
  applaud, some laugh, some make disparaging remarks about 
  how hokey the whole thing is. If the Cast Members do not 
  immediately confront Nasusara, she will shift into her more 
  hideous form and start grabbing tourists with her clawed 
  hands. She will use the Wither power on as many tourists 
  as she can, draining six points of Essence per turn (assume 
  the average tourist has anywhere from ten to fifteen points of 
  Essence) until she has either regained the Essence she spent 
  on Weather Lordship or is finally confronted by the Cast 
  Members.
  
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  WITCHCRAFT
  ADVENTURE
  ALL JUST PART OF THE SHOW
  As this is happening, a crowd will start to gather around 
  the Queen of Blood and her victims. Most people will still 
  believe that this is some show put on by the Luxor, like the 
  pirate ship battle at Treasure Island (Though what this horror 
  show has to do with ancient Egypt is unknown to the crowd. 
  Maybe it’s all supposed to be like some old mummy movie). 
  The Cast Members will be cheered on by the clueless as they 
  fight the Queen of Blood and her minions. If half of her min-
  ions are defeated and it looks like she might lose, Nasusara 
  will flee the Luxor by levitating straight up and punching a 
  hole through the glass roof of the Luxor. If the Sentinels show 
  up and start fighting the ancient Vampyre, she will definitely 
  make a strategic retreat.
  If the Inspired Monster Hunters do get involved, they will 
  focus their attacks on Nasusara but they won’t spare the Cast 
  Members. The Undead using Wither on the tourists needs to 
  be taken out first, but all the Vampyres are monsters as far 
  as the Las Vegas Society of Sentinels is concerned. The Cast 
  may need to make a strategic retreat as well.
  Nasusara will work her way up the Strip and use Invo-
  cations to weaken her opposition. She will throw Striking 
  Flames from the castle towers of Excalibur and fire Lightning 
  Bolts from the Statue of Liberty at New York New York
  As part of her Elemental Air Invocation, Nasusara 
  can create a lightning bolt that causes D6(3) points of 
  damage per Essence Point spent. Metal Armor Value, 
  which includes vehicles, is divided by five and any 
  machines with electronic parts take double damage. 
  Her base range is 120 yards, but this can be extended 
  by 10 yards per extra Essence spent.
  Eventually the Queen of Blood will work her way up 
  the Strip to the Haunted Place of Power otherwise known as 
  Bally’s Hotel Casino, which also happens to be the current 
  location of the Thanatoi Chapter House for the City of Las 
  Vegas.
  DEAD RECKONING
  Once the battle moves to Bally’s, the rest of the Thanatoi 
  will get involved with the fight. There is also a chance that 
  the rest of the Iscariots and the Solitaires will choose to make 
  a last stand against the ancient Vampyre in order to preserve 
  their undead way of life. Nasusara will be helped by any min-
  ions who still survive (They will have escaped by motorcycle 
  and will in fact still be riding their motorcycles through the 
  hallways of Bally’s). The Queen of Blood will also have some 
  unexpected help from the Spirits of the casino. The Appari-
  tions will be manifesting at full force, drawn to the casino 
  by the supernatural battle at hand. The Ghosts will take the 
  opportunity to strike back at the Thanatoi using their Haunt 
  powers. 
  The guests at Bally’s will be treated to marauding bikers 
  riding their Harleys through the casino, burning Apparitions 
  fleeing down the hallways, rooms growing and shrinking, fur-
  niture becoming ambulatory and violent (and a soaking wet) 
  three thousand-year-old woman walking through the casino 
  in a torn black dress and bare feet with an insane glare in her 
  eyes as she steals Essence from anyone she can grab. 
  WE HOPE YOU ENJOYED YOUR STAY
  What happens depends on how well the Cast Members do 
  against the Queen of Blood and her minions. 
  If everyone manages to keep the battles isolated and cut 
  down on the amount of collateral damage, the whole event 
  becomes a strange story about Vegas that most people refuse 
  to believe. 
  If the Strip is a burning ruin with a three thousand year 
  old Vampyre building an army of Undead from the tortured 
  masses, then things will have taken a decidedly nasty turn. 
  The most likely outcome of that scenario is that a cluster of 
  black helicopters fly into town spraying clouds of noxious gas 
  that causes the mundane masses to lose their memory of the 
  past twenty-four hours. Everyone suffers from a bizarre black 
  out and the destruction is blamed on a freak earthquake or 
  some other natural phenomenon. This is an extreme solution 
  reserved for the worst of situations.
  The middle ground is that the Undead battle for Las 
  Vegas becomes one of those supernatural events that become 
  increasingly more frequent and unexplainable as the Reckon-
  ing draws closer. An unforeseen outcome of all this is that the 
  Sentinels quite possibly become aware of the location of the 
  second Thanatoi Chapter House in Vegas, which means that 
  the House of Thanatos will be looking for a third location 
  before too long. In any case, this won’t be the last of the Cast 
  Member’s adventures in the City of Las Vegas.
  *   *   *
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
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  WITCHCRAFT
  ADVENTURE
  THE ISCARIOTS
  The Las Vegas contingent of the Fellowship of Judas lives 
  in an apartment building in North Las Vegas. It is a low rent 
  affair on the verge of being condemned, a two story building 
  built around an inner courtyard with a filthy pool. There are 
  twelve small apartments. The Iscariot leader Tink lives in two 
  of them, and six more are occupied by the other Iscariots. 
  There is a garage to the side of the apartment building that 
  houses Ming’s motorcycle, Darlene’s car, and two old vans 
  that can be used by any of the Iscariots.
  Brendan Hennasy, aka Ming *
  Darlene Mitchell *
  Tink
  The Renfields
  THE SENTINELS
  The Society of Sentinels maintains a Chapel House on 
  Sunrise Mountain with an amazing view of the Mormon 
  Temple. Most Chapel Houses are historic buildings like cas-
  tles or manors, but Las Vegas is not known for its sense of his-
  toric preservation. The Vegas Chapel House is a large dwell-
  ing originally built in the late eighties, with a massive master 
  bedroom, two additional family bedrooms (All three have 
  their own bathroom), two guest rooms, two servant’s quarters, 
  an Olympic sized pool, and a guest house in the back. There is 
  also a racquet ball court that no one every uses and a solarium 
  that has been transformed into a training room.
  Baltasar Sandova
  Maria Delezon
  Nephi Tucker
  Jacob Wells
  Solomon Parke
  Fearless Vampyre Hunters
  THE NOMADS
  There are three Ferals who have come to Las Vegas for the 
  usual touristy reasons. They want to rest amid the gaudy glory 
  of America’s adult playground before continuing onward 
  through the Mojave Desert to Los Angeles and meeting with 
  some other members of their Covenant. They certainly didn’t 
  plan on having a bunch of Vampyres or Sentinels accuse them 
  of being serial killing monsters. They weren’t even aware of 
  the murders when they came to town and checked in at the 
  Excalibur. They will certainly resent any suggestion that they 
  are the killers. Note that some stats have two sets of numbers; 
  the second represents the character in wolf form.
  Bela Keglovich 
  Emerencia “Mercy” Ivancso 
  Czaba Ivancso
  THE THANATOI
  The Thanatoi Chapter House in Las Vegas used to be 
  located inside an old warehouse in the downtown area of Las 
  Vegas. The warehouse contained an extensive occult library 
  and a Gateway to the Wilderness of the Twilight World that 
  was a remnant of the lost Anazasi culture. All that was burned 
  down eight years ago by the local Sentinels who thought the 
  local Thanatoi Vampyres were responsible for a series of mur-
  ders. The Gateway is still there, but it is difficult to reach now 
  that a new structure has been built over it.
  The new Thanatoi Chapter House is actually located 
  within a series of suites at Bally’s Hotel Casino. Bally’s is 
  located where the old MGM Grand Hotel and Casino stood 
  before it burned down in one of the worst hotel fires in his-
  tory back in 1980. Eighty-seven people died, resulting in a 
  dozen or so spirits remaining behind. Most of these spirits 
  are Apparitions, but there are a few Ghosts as well (Though 
  none with any significant powers). The severity of the disaster 
  has turned the site occupied by Bally’s into a Place of Power, 
  with 10 points of Essence. Of course that Essence is tainted 
  by the fear and pain of those who died in the fire, so anyone 
  attempting to tap into that extra Essence would need to pass a 
  Dismissal Task.
  Apart from being the most haunted Casino along the Vegas 
  Strip, Bally’s is known for having large rooms and a small 
  casino.  The local Thanatoi are not sure what kind of deal their 
  Covenant struck with the Park Place Company that owns the 
  Casino, but they have six Parlor Suites to call their own (Four 
  serve as residences for the Thanatoi and two are for guests 
  of the Covenant). The staff of Bally’s have various theories 
  about who the Thanatoi are, members of some obscure royal 
  family being the most popular guess. So far the Sentinels have 
  no idea that the Vampyres are living in the upper levels of 
  the Bally’s South Tower, and the local Thanatoi would like to 
  keep it that way.
  Valentine Collins *
  Beatriz Zamora *
  Lemuel King
  Christina Bruenig, aka Cinnamon
  Kim Sullivan, aka Lady Malaise
  The Ghosts of Bally’s
  The Burned
  THE SOLITAIRES
  Evangilena Lourdes Santilannez *
  Titus Sheridan *
  Hannibal Caldwell
  Cloven and Charnal
  THE QUEEN OF BLOOD
  Esÿhar Nasusara
  The Minions
  * Recommended Cast Members
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  33
  WITCHCRAFT
  ADVENTURE
  BRENDAN HENNASY, AKA MING
  Biker Harrower
  Vampyre Iscariot Avenger
  Ming is a biker with long greasy hair and 
  a Fu Manchu mustache who appears to be in 
  his late twenties. This is because he died at the age of 27 when he 
  overdosed on heroin in a Vegas motel room in 1969. He was part of 
  a motorcycle gang from Los Angeles at the time, but he decided to 
  take his latest love interest (A sixteen year old runaway who called 
  herself Starflower) to Vegas for a special vacation. The holiday was 
  cut short when Starflower discovered Ming dead in the bathroom and 
  ran out before the police arrived.
  Ming found himself in the Threshold with a young woman who 
  called herself Tink. He was shown an overview of his life and the 
  mistakes he had made. He was also shown a glimpse of the Pit of 
  Gehenna, his destination if he was to stay dead. Tink gave him a dif-
  ferent choice. He could return to his dead body and seek redemption. 
  He could try to make the world a better place.
  The biker took Tink’s offer and returned as a Vampyre, one of 
  the Fellowship of Judas. In the past thirty years he has helped a lot 
  of people, making them change their lives after a particular vivid 
  nightmare (Courtesy of Ming). He has also seen some very unusual 
  things, things that have caused him to formulate his own theory 
  about what the Combine has been up to. It is all very complicated 
  and involves the alien crash at Roswell, Area 51, George Washing-
  ton being murdered and replaced with Adam Weishaupt, and the 
  Vatican’s plot to kill JFK. 
  Just because someone is an undead supernatural creature, that 
  doesn’t mean he automatically knows the real Truth behind every-
  thing that happens in the world.
  Stats
  STR 
  7 
  INT 
  1
  DEX 
  6 
  PER 
  2
  CON 
  7 
  WIL 
  1
  Life Points:  
  62
  Endurance Points:  n/a
  Speed:  
  26
  Essence:  
  44
  Qualities: Acute Vision, Fast Reaction Time, Nerves of Steel, Resis-
  tance (Pain, 5 levels), Situational Awareness
  Drawbacks: Cruel -1, Weird Delusion (Conspiracy Theories) -2
  Skills: Brawling 3, Dodge 3, Driving (Motorcycle) 4, Humanities 
  (History) 3, Humanities (Conspiracy History) 5, Mechanic 3, 
  Stealth 2, Streetwise 4, Survival (Desert) 2 
  Metaphysics: Vampyre, Mirage, Nightmare
  Possessions: Leathers, jeans, a customized 1951 Indian Chief 
  motorcycle, and a wall that is covered in newspaper clippings 
  and hand drawn charts illustrating his personal all-encompassing 
  conspiracy theory.
  VALENTINE COLLINS 
  Punker Boy
  Vampyre Thanatoi Daredevil
  Valentine appears to be a young man of 
  eighteen or nineteen, with spiky bleached hair, 
  multiple tattoos, and a punk wardrobe. He was actually born forty 
  years ago, though he was killed in 1982. Collins was one of the early 
  punkers, adorned in safety pins and listening to the Sex Pistols on 
  a ludicrously massive boom box. One day he got into an argument 
  with a group of dangerously drunk cowboy wannabes outside of a 
  stripper bar. Things turned violent and the young punker was shot 
  dead in the parking lot.
  This happened to be a bar where a Thanatoi Vampyre named 
  Cinnamon worked as an exotic dancer (A lucky coincidence for 
  Collins, but he has always had a strange sort of luck in his life). She 
  thought that Valentine Collins was too cute to die in a bar parking 
  lot, so she brought him back. It was a bit of an impulsive decision, 
  but restraint has never been her strong point.  His first action was 
  to kill his murderers, which almost got him unraveled by the local 
  Sentinels. The Thanatoi leader Lemuel got him out of a tight spot, 
  but the Sentinels now believe that Lemuel was responsible for the 
  murders instead of Collins.
  Valentine has kept a low profile since that time. He preys on will-
  ing victims who are seeking out new thrills. It’s easier and keeps his 
  new Vampyre family off the Sentinel radar. 
  Stats
  STR 
  6 
  INT 
  2
  DEX 
  6 
  PER 
  2
  CON 
  6 
  WIL 
  2
  Life Points:  
  73
  Endurance Points:  n/a
  Speed:  
  24
  Essence:  
  49
  Qualities: Attractive +1, Charisma +2, Fast Reaction Time, Good 
  Luck (2 levels), Hard to Kill (5 levels)
  Drawbacks: Cruel -1, Lazy
  Skills: Brawling 3, Dodging 3, Driving (Car) 1, Haggling 2, Hand 
  Weapon (Knife) 2, Guns (Handgun) 2, Language (Spanish) 2, 
  Play Instrument (Guitar) 2, Stealth 6, Streetwise 2, Surveillance 
  2
  Metaphysics: Vampyre, Manipulate Emotions, Mirage, Increased 
  Essence +5
  Possessions: A ridiculously large boombox, a huge vinyl collection 
  of punk albums, an even larger CD collection, punk clothing, a 
  guitar covered in bumper stickers for various bands, and a parlor 
  Suite at Bally’s that he shares with his sire (who still thinks he’s 
  cute).
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  34
  WITCHCRAFT
  ADVENTURE
  EVANGILENA LOURDES SANTILANNEZ
  The Civapipiltin
  Vampyre Solitaire Survivor
  Evangilena appears as an attractive young 
  Latina woman, usually wearing a white dress. 
  She grew up in a small town in Mexico, a simple girl living a simple 
  life. That life became complicated when she fell in love with a boy 
  named Ramil Malgosa. They made love whenever they could, and 
  Evangilena soon became pregnant. It was a huge scandal in her vil-
  lage and she refused to name the father. For his part, Ramil refused 
  to stand by her and joined the villagers in their scorn for Evangilena. 
  The young woman moved in with her aunt, who was a midwife and 
  so able to help her niece through her pregnancy. When the labor 
  pains finally came, there were complications with the delivery. 
  Evangilena died during childbirth.
  This was not enough to stop her from looking after her child. 
  Evangilena came back as Vampyre, what her aunt would call a 
  Civapipiltin. She made sure that her daughter, named Ximena, was 
  safe. She also had her vengeful side. When Ramil married a girl 
  from a nearby village, Evangilena killed her while Ramil watched in 
  horror. The villagers gave Evangilena’s baby to an orphanage in New 
  Mexico (During daylight of course) in order to draw the Vampyre 
  away from them. 
  Evangilena has followed her child from Mexico to the orphanage 
  to her foster home. Ximena is now a thirty-eight year old woman in 
  Las Vegas who goes by the name of Maria Anderson. She works as 
  an accountant and barely remembers the lady in a white dress who 
  would visit her when she was little. She hasn’t noticed that people 
  who treat her badly have a habit of mysteriously disappearing. 
  Stats
  STR 
  4 
  INT 
  2
  DEX 
  5 
  PER 
  4
  CON 
  4 
  WIL 
  5
  Life Points:  
  46
  Endurance Points:  n/a
  Speed:  
  18
  Essence:  
  44
  Qualities: Vampyre, Attractive +2, Nerves of Steel
  Drawbacks: Cruel -1, Honorable -1, Minority (Mexican), Obsession 
  (Her child), Resources (Hurting) -2
  Skills: Climbing 3, Brawling 2, Language (Spanish, Native) 5, Lan-
  guage (English) 3, Myth and Legends (Aztec) 3, Occult Knowl-
  edge (Vampyres) 2, Stealth 5, Surveillance 3, Survival (Desert) 
  2 Tracking 3
  Metaphysics: Greater Shifting (Coyote), Greater Shifting (Owl), 
  Greater Shifting (Rattlesnake), Manipulate Emotions, Mirage, 
  Elemental Air 2*, Levitation 2*
  *Evangilena’s Invocations are her “strong suit”, as a Solitaire 
  she gets a +1 bonus to her Invocation Tasks.
  Possessions: A white dress, an obsession about her grown daughter, 
  a crappy little apartment in North Vegas (Paid for with money 
  she takes from her victims), and not much else.
  DARLENE MITCHELL
  Suicide Blond
  Vampyre Iscariot Survivor
  Darlene is a beautiful blond woman who 
  appears to be eighteen, the age she was when 
  she slashed both her wrists in her bathtub in 1988. Her suicide was 
  completely unexpected. She was a cheerleader who was finally old 
  enough to start drawing from her trust fund. Her boyfriend was a 
  Quarterback who was the most popular boy at the very exclusive 
  private school they attended. After graduation, she was going to visit 
  Paris with her boyfriend. She had it all planned out, she was going to 
  finally go “All the Way” with him in the City of Lights. 
  It was a very romantic idea, except the boyfriend was already 
  going all the way with Darlene’s best friend, a fact she discovered 
  when she paid him a surprise visit. The confrontation grew ugly 
  and the boyfriend admitted that he had never loved Darlene, he was 
  only dating her for her money, and that he needed a “real woman”. 
  Darlene went home, drew a bath, lit some candles, settled into the 
  warm water, and slashed her wrists open with a carving knife from 
  the kitchen. 
  She was met in the Threshold by the Iscariot Tink, who told her 
  that death wasn’t the answer, the Quarterback was a jerk anyway, 
  and she deserved better. Tink brought Darlene back to her corpse 
  as a Vampyre, and Darlene immediately transferred her money into 
  a Swiss Bank account before anyone realized she was dead. This 
  second chance has given Darlene a strange optimism about life 
  in general. She had killed herself and things worked out ok. Why 
  shouldn’t everything else in life work out the same?
  Stats
  STR 
  5 
  INT 
  2
  DEX 
  6 
  PER 
  3
  CON 
  5 
  WIL 
  3
  Life Points:  
  54
  Endurance Points:  n/a
  Speed:  
  22
  Essence:  
  44
  Qualities: Attractive +3, Charisma +1, Fast Reaction Time, Mul-
  tiple Identity (Michelle Darden), Resources (Well-Off) +2, Situ-
  ational Awareness
  Drawbacks: Emotional Problem (Fear of Rejection), Weird Delu-
  sion (A strange and perky optimism) -2
  Skills: Acrobatics 4, Beautician 3, Brawling 2, Dance (Cheerlead-
  ing) 4, Driving (sports car) 1, Escapism 2, First Aid 2, Riding 
  (Horse) 3, Seduction 3, Singing 1, Swimming 2
  Metaphysics: Vampyre, Mirage, Muse
  Possessions: Nice clothes, a red 1988 Ferrari Testarossa, a fake 
  identity, a large Swiss Bank account under that identity, a perky 
  outlook on life, and the knowledge that her High School Quar-
  terback boyfriend threw his knee out before college and recently 
  died of a heart attack at the age of forty-eight on the lot where he 
  had been selling used cars for the past twenty-four years.
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  35
  WITCHCRAFT
  ADVENTURE
  BEATRIZ ZAMORA
  Savant Scholar
  Vampyre Thanatoi Seeker of Knowledge
  Beatriz is a Chicana woman with blond hair 
  who appears to be in her mid-twenties. She was 
  born with the Gift, something she inherited from her bruja grand-
  mother in Mexico. Beatriz had a talent for scholarship and magic, 
  she might have become a Rosicrucian if circumstances were differ-
  ent, but instead she became involved with the Thanatoi. She was one 
  of two token Thanatoi with pulses in Las Vegas.
  Things were going well for her until eight years ago when a Vam-
  pyre from the East Coast named Gethsemene Ash decided to visit 
  Vegas for a weekend of mayhem. The Sentinels hunted her down, but 
  she led them to a Thanatoi Chapter House where Beatriz was staying 
  with Lemuel King (The local Thanatoi leader), Maccabee, Winter, 
  Viorica (All Vampyres), and a Necromancer named Tarcisco. The 
  Sentinels burned down the Chapter House, slew every Vamp except 
  Lemuel, and killed both Tarcisco and Beatriz. Lemuel managed to 
  escape the conflagration with Beatriz’s body and decided that it was 
  not time for her to die yet. He brought her back from the Threshold 
  as a Vampyre.
  Beatriz has adjusted well enough to the thought of being post-
  mortem. It now gives her a unique perspective from which to study 
  the world of the dead.
  Stats
  STR 
  4 
  INT 
  4
  DEX 
  5 
  PER 
  3
  CON 
  4 
  WIL 
  4
  Life Points:  
  46
  Endurance Points:  n/a
  Speed:  
  18
  Essence:  
  59
  Qualities: Vampyre, Photographic Memory
  Drawbacks: Clown, Coward -1, Minority (Mexican-American)
  Skills: Brawling 1, Computer 2, Dodge 1, Guns (Handgun) 1, 
  Humanities (History) 2, Language (Spanish) 3, Myth and 
  Legend (Southwest Indians) 3, Occult Knowledge (Undead) 3, 
  Research/Investigation 4, Writing (Academic) 3
  Metaphysics: Increased Essence +15, Manipulate Emotions, Com-
  munion 2, Farsight 2, Locate 2, Elemental Earth 2, Shielding 2
  Possessions: Some casual clothing, books of notes, a Parlor Suite at 
  Bally’s that also serves as the Thanatoi Chapter House’s library, 
  and the desire to never meet another Sentinel again.
  TITUS SHERIDAN
  Undead Thug
  Vampyre Solitaire Warrior
  Titus is a heavily muscled man with a 
  shaved head and a full beard who appears to be 
  in his late twenties, the age he was when he died six years ago. Titus 
  had spent his entire life up until that point living in Plainview, Texas. 
  He had never been any farther away then Amarillo or Lubbock. Then 
  one day he decided to load up his pickup and head to Los Angeles 
  to seek his fortune. He was there less than twenty-four hours when a 
  Vampyre named Mecario Delgado recruited Titus by killing him and 
  bringing him back as one of the Undead. Delgado wanted someone 
  big and stupid; Titus seemed to fit the bill.
  Delgado was slowly building a lucrative criminal organization in 
  Los Angeles. He had an unfair advantage over Mundane adversaries, 
  and he took out any Gifted who might stand in his way. Titus was 
  stronger than ever and was learning to be a better fighter, he was 
  even beginning to learn the ways of Tao Chi. Some of Delgado’s 
  methods were extreme, but Titus didn’t see anything he could do 
  about that.
  It all ended when a bunch of ninjas attacked Delgado’s home and 
  unraveled him (They were Red Lotus, but Titus is unaware of this 
  fact). Titus fled while he could, relieved to be free of Delgado but 
  unsure of what to do next. He had heard from the other Vampyres 
  with Delgado (All of whom ended up being destroyed by the Red 
  Lotus) that Vegas was a very vamp-friendly town. He decided to try 
  his luck in Las Vegas and has been here ever since. 
  Stats
  STR 
  8 
  INT 
  1
  DEX 
  5 
  PER 
  2
  CON 
  6 
  WIL 
  2
  Life Points:  
  75
  Endurance Points:  n/a
  Speed:  
  22
  Essence:  
  44
  Qualities: Fast Reaction Time, Hard to Kill (3 levels), Nerves of 
  Steel, Resistance (Pain, 5 levels), Situational Awareness 
  Drawbacks: Cruel -1, Resources (Below Average) -1, Showoff
  Skills: Brawling 4, Dodge 3, Driving (Car) 2, Haggling 2, Hand 
  Weapons (Club) 2, Hand Weapons (Knife) 3, Humanities (Law) 
  1, Guns (Handgun) 2, Guns (Shotgun) 3, Language (Spanish) 1, 
  Stealth 2, Streetwise 3, Surveillance 2
  Metaphysics: Vampyre, Chi Mastery 3, Inner Strength 2
  Possessions: Heavy boots, jeans, and tees, a pickup with heavily 
  tinted windows, a .38 caliber handgun, a sawed off 12 gauge 
  shotgun, a big old knife, a cheap apartment in North Vegas, a 
  suitcase of money under his bed that Delgado certainly won’t 
  miss, and a new start on unlife.
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  36
  WITCHCRAFT
  ADVENTURE
  TINK
  Vampyre Girl
  Supernatural Iscariot Weird One
  Tink appears as a petite sixteen year old girl 
  with fair skin and short blond hair that looks like 
  it has been cut by Tink herself while talking on the phone (Which 
  is usually the case). She generally just wears a pastel short summer 
  dress and nothing else, not even shoes. She has been living in Vegas 
  since 1928, though not much is known about where she lived before 
  that time. Nobody in Vegas even knows her real name.
  It is known that she was born in France some time in the 1450s. 
  She was turned by another Vampyre who was slain centuries ago. 
  She preyed on peasants across Europe for a hundred years before 
  undergoing an experience that changed her from a Supernatural 
  Predator to a member of the Fellowship of Judas. She has been seek-
  ing redemption and fighting the enemies of humanity for the past 
  five hundred years.
  For some reason, it seems like some deranged group or other 
  tries to summon a Mad god in the Vegas area every few years. Maybe 
  the rumors about the Anazasi are true and there are spots in the area 
  that still remain conducive to Tainted rituals. Tink came to Vegas in 
  the thirties to stop members of the Cult of Rending Shadow from 
  summoning Lle’Khor to our dimension (This took place in a town 
  that was buried under the waters of Lake Mead once Hoover Dam 
  was built. Rumors suggest that the Templars were responsible for 
  making sure that town became uninhabitable). After the Cultists 
  were defeated, Tink stayed in Vegas.
  She has fought with the Rosicrucians from time to time, and has 
  an adversarial relationship with the local Cohort. Tink mistakenly 
  believes that the Rosicrucians are in fact a Combine cell associated 
  with conspiracy activities in Area 51. Tink is somewhat protective 
  of the local Sentinels, even though they believe that all Vampyres 
  (Including herself) are nothing but monsters. Rumors suggest that 
  she had some kind of ill-fated romance with a Sentinel in Edwardian 
  London, and this has left her with a soft spot for the Inspired Monster 
  Hunters. Like much of her past, Tink refuses to talk about it.
  Stats
  STR 
  8 
  INT 
  3
  DEX 
  9 
  PER 
  4
  CON 
  8 
  WIL 
  5
  Life Points:  
  78
  Endurance Points:  n/a
  Speed:  
  34
  Essence:  
  152
  Qualities: Vampyre, Attractive +2, Charisma +2, Nerves of Steel
  Drawbacks: Adversary (Rosicrucians) 2, Adversary (Mad God 
  Cult) 3, Child (16), Honorable (1 level), Reckless
  Skills: Acrobatics 3, Brawling 2, Computer 1, Dancing (Ballet) 3, 
  Dodge 2, Guns (Handgun) 1, Hand Weapon (Knife)  2, Hand 
  Weapon (Foil) 3, Humanities (History) 4, Language (French, 
  Native) 5, Language (English) 5, Language (Italian) 5, Language 
  (Latin) 3, Language (Greek) 3, Occult Knowledge (Undead) 3, 
  Research/Investigation 2, Riding (Horse) 2, Singing 3, Stealth 3, 
  Streetwise 3, Surveillance 2, Theology (Christian) 3, 
  Metaphysics: Age (5 levels), Increased Essence + 70, Mirage, 
  Muse, Nightmare
  Possessions: An assortment of summer dresses, a large hunting knife 
  from 1873, an Italian Foil from 1637, a vast library of books 
  (Some are over three centuries old), an iBook with discs con-
  taining information about Combine activity in North America 
  (Vague and incomplete of course), an extensive music collection 
  (vinyl and cd), and ownership of a run down apartment building 
  in North Las Vegas that houses the local Iscariots.
  THE RENFIELDS
  Potential Hero 
  Iscariot Survivors
  Ming is the one who came up with the nickname of Renfield 
  for those mundane humans who have been helped by the Iscariots 
  and have been retained as part of their Covenant. Each one was on 
  the verge of overdosing or attempting to take their own life when 
  they were saved by one of the Iscariot Vampyres. While most people 
  saved in such a matter go back to their normal lives (Though a little 
  wiser for having survived their ordeal), the Renfields decided to use 
  their second chance to serve the Fellowship. There are currently four 
  Renfields living with the Iscariots. They take care of the things that 
  require a pulse and the ability to walk in daylight with no ill effects.
  Geri Hendricks tried to kill herself with sleeping pills and a 
  plastic bag until Darlene saved her, Kenrick Stollings was preparing 
  to overdose on Heroin when Ming saved him, Bunny Fowler would 
  have jumped off the top balcony of Circus Circus if it hadn’t been 
  for Tink, and Lillie Schumacher was attempting to shoot herself with 
  her married boyfriend’s .45 when Tink also saved her. Now each one 
  works for the Iscariots, wishing to give others the second chance that 
  they were given.
  Stats
  STR 
  2 
  INT 
  2
  DEX 
  3 
  PER 
  3
  CON 
  2 
  WIL 
  3
  Life Points: 
   26
  Endurance Points:  26
  Speed:  
  10
  Essence:  
  15
  Qualities: Situational Awareness, Nerves of Steel
  Drawbacks: Emotional Problems (Fear of Rejection), Nightmares
  Skills: Brawling 2, Dodge 2, First Aid 2, Guns (Handgun) 2, Hand 
  Weapon (Knife) 2, Occult Knowledge (Undead) 3, Stealth 3, 
  Streetwise 4, Surveillance 2 and 5 more points worth of Skills.
  Possessions: Some clothing, some weapons, room and board with 
  the Iscariots.
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  37
  WITCHCRAFT
  ADVENTURE
  CHRISTINA BRUENIG, AKA CINNAMON
  Undead Stripper
  Vampyre Thanatoi Reluctant Hero
  Cinnamon is a very attractive woman with 
  light brown eyes and dirty blond hair. She usu-
  ally dresses casually in jeans and tee shirts, except when she is work-
  ing (At which time she usually wears nothing at all). Cinnamon has 
  worked as an exotic dancer since she was seventeen and ran away 
  to Vegas from her hometown of Tuscaloosa, Alabama in 1953. A 
  Vampyre named Yves Gautier caught her act in 1962 and decided 
  that it would be a crime to let someone so sexy grow any older. So he 
  took her back to his hotel, turned her into a Vampyre, and promptly 
  left town.
  Cinnamon was on her own with no idea how to go about her new 
  Undead existence, all she knew about Vampyres was what she had 
  seen in old movies. It was fortunate that she worked at night, and her 
  job actually provided her with a source of Essence. She found that 
  she was feeding off the energy provided by her customers as they 
  watched her dance. A relatively harmless way to feed, but she would 
  have probably by slain by the local Sentinels if Lemy hadn’t discov-
  ered her and invited her into his Covenant.
  She still dances to this day, spending no more than five years at 
  any one club and then switching to another venue. This is her way 
  of hiding the fact that she hasn’t aged in the past forty years. Her 
  Contact Quality represents her regular customers, who are always 
  willing to give her information (Usually in a vain attempt to impress 
  her). She has a few regulars, but the ones that count as her contacts 
  are a variety of midlevel government employees. 
  Stats
  STR 
  5 
  INT 
  1
  DEX 
  8 
  PER 
  2
  CON 
  6 
  WIL 
  2
  Life Points:  
  63
  Endurance Points:  n/a
  Speed:  
  24
  Essence:  
  66
  Qualities: Attractiveness +3, Artistic Talent (Dancing), Contacts 
  (Government) 2, Fast Reaction Time, Situational Awareness, 
  Hard to Kill (3 levels)
  Drawbacks: Covetousness (Lecherousness) -2, Emotional Problems 
  (Fear of Commitment), Status (Stripper) -1
  Skills: Acrobatics 4, Brawling 2, Dancing (Exotic) 9*, Escapism 2, 
  Questioning 3, Pick Pocket 1, Seduction 5, Stealth 2, Streetwise 
  3, Surveillance 2
  *includes bonus from Artistic Talent
  Metaphysics: Vampyre, Bard, Increased Essence +10
  Possessions: Casual cloths, dancer cloths, business cards with her 
  schedules on them, a Parlor Suite at Bally’s that she shares with 
  Valentine Collins, and the admiration of a handful of employees 
  of the City of Las Vegas who are willing to tell her whatever 
  they know.
  LEMUEL KING
  Leader of the Vegas Chapter House
  Vampyre Thanatoi Weird One
  Lemy is a tall thin man who appears to be in 
  his early thirties (Though he was actually born in 
  1843) with pale blue eyes and a shaved head. He usually dresses in 
  leather pants, sunglasses, and vibrantly colored faux fur coats. Sort 
  of a strange glam rave look (Think Moby in the Westside video look-
  ing all ghetto-fabulous). He was turned in Victorian London by a 
  Thanatoi Vampyre who called himself Pen Annwen, simply because 
  Pen thought that Lemy would make a good-looking member of the 
  Undead. 
  Lemy became part of the Sybarite faction in London, enjoying 
  his unlife to the fullest. When word of an old Anazasi Gateway to 
  the Death Realms in Nevada reached the Thanatoi, Lemy was told 
  to investigate. He came to Las Vegas in 1930 (Two years after the 
  Iscariot Tink decided to stay in the area), and he promptly bought the 
  area surrounding the Gateway and built a warehouse around it. The 
  Thanatoi had hoped that isolation in a remote desert rail stop would 
  help Lemy grow out of his flamboyant ways. They had no idea that 
  Bugsy Siegel was preparing to turn the place into America’s Adult 
  Playground. 
  Lemy was delighted to find himself in the middle of Sin City. 
  Once the Sentinels burned down the Chapter House with the Anazasi 
  Gateway, Lemy called in some favors with his Covenant to establish 
  a new Chapter House in one of the more haunted locations in Vegas 
  (Which happened to be Bally’s, right in the middle of the Strip). He 
  is now the leader of the local Thanatoi and along with Tink is seen as 
  one of the leaders of the Vampyre community (Some of the Undead 
  have even dubbed him the Vampyre King of the West). The Sentinels 
  certainly think of him as such, which is why they want to kill him.
  Stats
  STR 
  5 
  INT 
  3
  DEX 
  5 
  PER 
  3
  CON 
  4 
  WIL 
  4
  Life Points: 
   46
  Endurance Points:  n/a
  Speed:  
  18
  Essence:  
  48
  Qualities: Age (1 level), Charisma +2, Resources (Well-Off) +2, 
  Drawbacks: Adversary (Sentinels) -5, Covetous (Lecherousness) 
  -1, Showoff
  Skills: Brawling 2, Bureaucracy 2, Dancing (Rave) 3, Driving (Car) 
  2, Humanities (History) 2, Occult Knowledge (Death Realms) 
  3, Research/Investigation 3, Riding (Horse) 2, Seduction 3, 
  Streetwise 3
  Metaphysics: Vampyre, Manipulate Emotions, Mirage, Necro-
  mancy 2, Death Lordship Level 2
  Possessions: Quite the trendy wardrobe, all the resources of the 
  Thanatoi Chapter House (Including a plush Parlor Suite to call 
  his own), and the animosity of the local Society of Sentinels 
  (Who consider him Supernatural Enemy Number One).
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  38
  WITCHCRAFT
  ADVENTURE
  THE BURNED
  Apparitions of the Thanatoi Chapter House
  In 1980, the old MGM Grand Hotel and Casino suffered 
  one of the worst hotel disasters in history. Eighty-seven people 
  died and hundreds more were injured as the hotel burned to the 
  ground.  This tragedy created a haunted Place of Power with about 
  a dozen associated spirits, most of which were Apparitions of the 
  victims. The Apparitions are usually not active unless there is at 
  least 20 points of ambient Essence. Since Bally’s itself is a Place 
  of Power, this means Full Moon Midnights and Days of Power. 
  At such times, the Apparitions manifest as haunting voices or 
  translucent figures fleeing down the hallway. Sometimes a guest 
  of the hotel will awake to a ghostly fire in his room that he will 
  later discount as a dream once all evidence of a fire vanishes.
  THE GHOSTS OF BALLY’S
  Beginning Supernatural Solitaires
  There are at least three true Ghosts at Bally’s, all of whom 
  were killed in the 1980 fire. The Thanatoi have nicknamed them 
  the Preppy, the Maid, and the Old Man. Lemuel King initially 
  used the necromantic power of Enforced Obedience on them 
  when the Thanatoi first moved into Bally’s, so now the Ghosts 
  avoid the Vampyres like the plague. Lemy has threatened to expel 
  the Ghosts if they act up, so they usually confine their activities to 
  mischievous pranks. Beatriz and Valentine think that it is only a 
  matter of time before the Ghosts use their haunt powers to strike 
  back at the Thanatoi.
  Stats
  STR 
  2 
  INT 
  2
  DEX 
  3 
  PER 
  3
  CON 
  2 
  WIL 
  3
  Vital Essence:  
  30
  Endurance Points:  n/a
  Speed:  
  10
  Energy Essence:  
  15
  Qualities: Ghost
  Drawbacks: Anchoring (Bally’s Hotel and Casino, Very Large 
  Greater Binding) and 2 more points worth of Drawbacks
  Skills: Dodge 2, Gambling 3, Spiritus 4, Streetwise 2, and 5 more 
  points worth of Skills
  Metaphysics: Haunt (Bally’s, Very Large)
  KIM SULLIVAN, AKA LADY MALAISE
  Fetish Phobi
  Vampyre Thanatoi Scoundrel
  Lady Malaise is a pale redheaded woman 
  who usually dresses in skintight black leather 
  outfits. She looks like some kind of dominatrix, which is exactly 
  what she happens to be. Lady Malaise came to Las Vegas in the 
  late eighties and within a few months found herself working as an 
  “escort”. It wasn’t quite what she had planned for herself when she 
  dropped out of college, but it would do for now. She specialized in 
  bondage fantasies, but things went too far when a visiting Vampyre 
  named Julian Hargreaves tortured her all night until killing her and 
  bringing her back from the Threshold as the sun was just starting to 
  rise.
  The Vampyre thought that the Lady would make a perfect com-
  panion for him when he returned to San Francisco, and he gave her 
  a quick overview of what she needed to know as one of the Undead. 
  She had other ideas and managed to slit his throat and drag him out 
  to the desert in his black sedan with the heavily tinted windows. She 
  hacked him up and staked the pieces to the dry desert ground before 
  the next sunrise and then watched as her tormenter and sire slowly 
  burned and turned to ash under the bright Nevada sun.
  She began to feed off of her customers as they suffered through 
  their bondage fantasies. She finds the whole thing ironic that men 
  (And sometimes women) are paying her good money to absorb 
  their Essence. She met Lemy at a Fetish Ball in 1997 and has been a 
  member of the House of Thanatos ever since. She operates out of her 
  Suite at Bally’s. Bally’s is not aware that a prostitute is operating out 
  of their hotel, but then again they are also unaware that a Covenant of 
  Vampyres has been living there for the past eight years).
  Stats
  STR 
  5 
  INT 
  2
  DEX 
  6 
  PER 
  3
  CON 
  5 
  WIL 
  3
  Life Points:  
  50
  Endurance Points:  n/a
  Speed:  
  22
  Essence:  
  69
  Qualities: Acute Hearing, Attractive +1, Increased Essence +25, 
  Resistance (Pain) 5, Situational Awareness
  Drawbacks: Cruel -2, Humorless, Status (Prostitute) -1
  Skills: Acrobatics 2, Brawling 2, Hand Weapon (Knife) 3, Hand 
  Weapon (Whip) 4, Intimidation 4, Language (Latin) 1, Occult 
  Knowledge (Death Realms) 2, Questioning 4, Seduction 3, 
  Streetwise 3
  Metaphysics: Vampyre, Greater Shifting (Raven), Manipulate Emo-
  tions, Nightmare, Sade’s Curse
  Possessions: Gothy black wardrobe, fetishy leather wardrobe, a 
  parlor Suite at Bally’s filled with all sorts of “toys”, the black 
  sedan of her sire, and a need to hurt people that would probably 
  get her into a lot of trouble if she didn’t have this outlet for it.
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  39
  WITCHCRAFT
  ADVENTURE
  CLOVEN AND CHARNAL
  Goths One and Two
  Vampyre Solitaire Weird Ones
  Cloven and Charnal are a young man and 
  woman often seen at various fringe occasions, 
  especially fetish balls. They both look like they are in their early 
  twenties; they are both pale and skinny. They have identical jet black 
  hair and wear identical black leather outfits. They both wear identical 
  dog collars that are connected by a six feet long chain leash. They are 
  lovers who look eerily like twins. Nobody knows their real names; 
  they appeared in Vegas in the late eighties and have been called 
  Cloven and Charnel since the day they first arrived.
  The two are completely devoted to each other and disdainful of 
  everyone else. They were regulars at the Revenant Raves at the old 
  Thanatoi Chapter House, where they look for vampire wannabes who 
  might enjoy being cut. Now the two are forced to seek wannabes at 
  more mundane gatherings. Otherwise they tend to prey on the lonely 
  and hopeless who won’t be missed so much if they never return from 
  their Vegas vacation. The local Sentinels have descriptions of them 
  and evidence of their attacks (Though Cloven and Charnel do try to 
  avoid killing anybody, sometimes they get carried away) and will 
  destroy them on sight.
  Stats
  STR 
  4 
  INT 
  3
  DEX 
  5 
  PER 
  5
  CON 
  4 
  WIL 
  2
  Life Points:  
  42
  Endurance Points:  n/a
  Speed:  
  18
  Essence:  
  44
  Qualities: Acute Vision, Acute Hearing, Situational Awareness
  Drawbacks: Adversary (Sentinels) -3, Obsession (Each other), 
  Weird Delusion (Incoherently out of touch with reality) -3
  Skills: Brawling 3, Climbing 3, Dancing (Goth) 2, Intimidation 2, 
  Language (French) 2, Questioning 3, Singing 4, Streetwise 3, 
  Surveillance 4, Tracking 2, Writing (Creative) 2
  Metaphysics: Vampyre, Bloodthirst, Necromancy 2. Cloven has 
  Death Lordship 4 and Charnal has Death Vessel 4
  Possessions: Black gothy wardrobe, a leash that binds them together 
  at the neck, and a lust for human blood.
  HANNIBAL CALDWELL
  Old West Witch Hunter
  Vampyre Solitaire Scoundrel
  Hannibal Caldwell is a greasy haired man 
  who looks about forty with weathered skin, 
  blond hair, and a scraggly beard. He has the kind of perpetual squint 
  that looked good when Clint Eastwood did it. Caldwell dresses in the 
  same type of clothing that he wore over a hundred years ago, typical 
  Old West garb including boots, a duster, and a Stetson cowboy hat.
  Caldwell was born in 1849 in Oregon and went through a variety 
  of careers growing up until he finally settled into bounty hunting as a 
  source of good money. He proved to be talented at it, though it finally 
  caught up with him on New Years Day in 1889. The Bounty Hunter 
  had tracked down a wanted bank robber and cattle rustler named 
  Navajo Joe (Actually the child of Italian immigrants originally from 
  New Jersey, without a single drop of Indian blood) in the Sierra 
  Nevada mountains. What neither Caldwell nor Navajo Joe realized 
  was that the spot they had chosen for their gunfight was actually a 
  Place of Power. January 1, 1889 is also the day that a solar eclipse 
  was observed throughout California and Nevada. Hannibal Caldwell 
  was distracted by the vanishing sun and Navajo Joe killed him with 
  a bullet through the heart.
  Somehow, dying on a Place of Power during a solar eclipse 
  combined with Caldwell’s desire for revenge allowed the bounty 
  hunter to come back as one of the Undead. The circumstances of his 
  death also gave him the rare vampyric ability to absorb the Essence 
  released through magic. Though at first ignorant of the Supernatural, 
  Caldwell quickly found his niche as a Witch Hunter. He has now 
  spent over a hundred years collecting bounties on the Gifted and the 
  Supernatural, for the right price.
  Stats
  STR 
  6 
  INT 
  1
  DEX 
  5 
  PER 
  2
  CON 
  6 
  WIL 
  4
  Life Points:  
  58
  Endurance Points:  53
  Speed:  
  22
  Essence:  
  68
  Qualities: Vampyre, Increased Essence pool +20
  Drawbacks: Clown, Cruel -2 
  Skills: Brawling 2, Cheating 1, Dodge 2, Guns (Handgun) 3, Guns 
  (Rifle) 2, Guns (Shotgun) 2, Hand Weapon (Knife) 2, Humani-
  ties (History) 1, Language (Spanish) 2, Riding (Horse) 3, Sur-
  vival (Desert) 2, Stealth 2, Tracking 2
  Metaphysics: Age (1 Level), Magus, Wither
  Possessions: A large horse that doesn’t seem to mind being ridden by 
  an ambulatory corpse, boots, duster, Stetson hat, a Bowie knife, 
  a 12 gauge shotgun, a .22 rifle, a .45 revolver, and absolutely no 
  qualms about being paid to hunt people down.
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  40
  WITCHCRAFT
  ADVENTURE
  BALTASAR SANDOVA
  Deacon of Las Vegas 
  Greater Gifted Sentinel Warrior
  Baltasar Sandova is an athletic looking 
  Mexican man in his late fifties with dark skin 
  and white hair. He usually dresses in clean white suits and carries 
  an assortment of weapons, some mundane and some supernatural. 
  Baltasar first manifested the Gift when he turned twelve back in 
  Mexico. He was contacted by the Sentinels and they trained him to 
  be a monster hunter. He proved to be quite capable at that vocation. 
  It was while tracking some Jaguar Ferals of the Nahualli Dark Cov-
  enant out of Mexico and through the American Southwest that he 
  first worked with the Las Vegas Chapel House.
  It was decided that Las Vegas could use a warrior like Baltasar, 
  so the Society of Sentinels arranged things so that he could stay in 
  the United States. The Deacon of Las Vegas at that time was a charis-
  matic man named Andrew Krohn, and Baltasar served under him for 
  seven years until Krohn was killed by a group of Vampyres in 1976. 
  They mutilated the Deacon and Baltasar swore to kill every one of 
  them (Which he did). He was appointed Deacon of the Las Vegas 
  Chapel House and has lead the monster hunters in Clark County ever 
  since (With a very firm Kill All Vamps policy).
  The story of how he got an Orikalk sword is fairly complicated. 
  An Atlantean True Immortal was consorting with a demon, Baltasar 
  banished the demon, killed the Atlantean, and took the sword. Maybe 
  the story wasn’t that complicated after all.
  Stats
  STR 
  4 
  INT 
  2
  DEX 
  4 
  PER 
  3
  CON 
  4 
  WIL 
  3
  Life Points:  
  48
  Endurance Points:  38
  Speed:  
  16
  Essence:  
  58
  Qualities: Charisma +1, Fast Reaction Time, Hard to Kill +2, Nerves 
  of Steel, Resistance (Pain, 5 levels), Situational Awareness 
  Drawbacks: Honorable -2, Minority (Mexican), Obsession (Killing 
  Vampyres), Zealot (Sentinels)
  Skills: Brawling 3, Demolitions 3, Dodge 3, Guns (Shotgun) 3, 
  Hand Weapon (Club) 3, Hand Weapon (Knife) 3, Hand Weapon 
  (Sword) 3, Humanities (Theology) 4, Language (Spanish, 
  Native) 5, Language (English) 4, Occult Knowledge (Vampyres) 
  4, Questioning 3, Throwing (Knife) 3
  Metaphysics: Divine Inspiration, The Gift, Orikalk Sword, The 
  Binding, Exorcism, Mindhands Art 3, Mindhands Strength 5, 
  Increased Essence +30
  Possessions: A collection of white suits, various books on Vampyres 
  and how to kill them (Books with real information, courtesy of 
  the Sentinels), a Range Rover, some explosives, a large hunting 
  knife, a .44 magnum with hollow-point bullets, a 12 gauge shot-
  gun, an Atlantean Orikalk sword (Very useful against Vampyres), 
  the Master Bedroom at the Chapel House, and an obsession 
  about destroying Vampyres to avenge the former Deacon.
  MARIA DELEZON
  God’s Little Gambler
  Sentinel Gifted Daredevil
  Maria is a petite Filipina woman in her late 
  twenties with long black hair and dark eyes. She 
  works as a card dealer along the Strip (Currently at Luxor); she is 
  often seen wearing black pants and a vest over a white shirt. She also 
  always wears a silver crucifix necklace. Maria was born and raised 
  in Las Vegas, leading a relatively normal life until her Gift mani-
  fested on her fourteenth birthday. In a City founded on gambling, 
  she started using her Gift to gain advantage over some of the more 
  skilled card players in town.
  She actually came to the attention of one of the Wicce Covens 
  first, but still retained enough of her childhood Catholicism to feel 
  uneasy around them. When the Sentinels became aware of her and 
  her Gift, she had a much easier time fitting in with them.  She began 
  working as a dealer in various casinos, keeping an eye out for any 
  Gifted trying to use their talents to win big. Maria doesn’t care overly 
  much about anyone trying to make some money in Vegas, but she 
  does try to determine what else a person might be willing to do while 
  in town. The truly dangerous ones are noted and the rest of the Cov-
  enant is informed about their intentions (This is a technique that at 
  least two other Covenants, the Rosies and the Templars, employ in 
  order to keep tabs on the non-Mundanes who visit their town).
  Maria Delezon currently works at the Luxor, something about a 
  giant black pyramid seemingly appeals to Gifted and Supernatural 
  visitors. She also cruises some of the other casinos on her off nights 
  to scan for any threats.
  Stats
  STR 
  2 
  INT 
  2
  DEX 
  2 
  PER 
  3
  CON 
  2 
  WIL 
  4
  Life Points:  
  24
  Endurance Points:  29
  Speed:  
  8
  Essence:  
  25
  Qualities: The Gift, Attractive +1, Charisma +2, Situational Aware-
  ness
  Drawbacks: Clown, Honorable -2, Reckless
  Skills: Brawling 2, Dodge 2, Driving (Car) 2, Gambling 5, Humani-
  ties (Theology) 3, Language (Tagalong) 1, Pick Pocket 3, Sleight 
  of Hand 4, Streetwise 2, Swimming 2
  Metaphysics: Mindsight Art 3, Mindsight Strength 3, Mindtalk Art 
  3, Mindtalk Strength 3
  Possessions: A monotone wardrobe, the family bedroom closest to 
  the library
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  41
  WITCHCRAFT
  ADVENTURE
  NEPHI TUCKER
  Monster Hunter
  Lesser Gifted Sentinel Avenger
  Nephi is a muscular man in his early thir-
  ties who stands six and half feet tall. He dresses 
  in a black suit like a Mormon Missionary, though on him it looks 
  more like the suits from Reservoir Dogs. Nephi grew up in one of 
  the many Mormon families in Vegas. He was a decent enough kid 
  who boxed at the YMCA and was determined to do his mission work 
  when he was old enough. On his first day out, he had the misfor-
  tune of knocking on the door of a Solitaire Vampyre named Cybele 
  Zengin. Cybele killed his partner Missionary and Nephi barely 
  escaped with his life. 
  The experience had an understandably profound effect on 
  Nephi. That night Nephi had a dream that the angel Moroni himself 
  appeared in his room and offered him the chance to avenge his friend 
  in the name of the Lord. Nephi was told that it was his decision 
  to accept the Gift, but that doing so would bring him untold hard-
  ship and change his life forever.  Nephi accepted and woke up the 
  next day able to perform the Miracles of the Inspired. He promptly 
  marched straight to the dwelling of Cybele Zengin and beat the Vam-
  pyre to death (Actually beat to a pulp, cut into bits, set the body parts 
  on fire, and then stuck the head outside on a wooden pole that got 
  plenty of daylight).
  Nephi was a Solitaire for a few months hunting down monsters 
  to the best of his ability until the Sentinels offered him a chance to 
  join their holy cause. He has been with them ever since.
  Stats
  STR 
  5 
  INT 
  2
  DEX 
  4 
  PER 
  2
  CON 
  4 
  WIL 
  3
  Life Points:  
  46
  Endurance Points:  41
  Speed:  
  16
  Essence:  
  20
  Qualities: The Gift, Nerves of Steel, Situational Awareness
  Drawbacks: Cruel -1, Honorable -1
  Skills: Dodge 3, Hand Weapon (Club) 3, Guns (Handgun) 5, 
  Humanities (Theology) 3, Humanities (Mormon Theology) 
  5, Martial Arts (Boxing) 4, Occult Knowledge (Vampyres) 3, 
  Streetwise 3
  Combat Moves: Punch 4, Roundhouse 4, Counterpunch 4, Jab 4, 
  Suckerpunch 4
  Metaphysics: Divine Inspiration, Divine Sight, Strength of Ten
  Possessions: A black suit, a .38 caliber handgun, a silver nightstick 
  (Good for beating Ferals), a baseball bat, one of the servant 
  rooms, the Book of Mormon, and a habit of beating the crap out 
  of monsters.
  JACOB WELLS
  Big Bastard looking 
  Lesser Gifted Sentinel Warrior
  Jacob is a big hulking bald man who wears 
  black suits and dark glasses. Like Nephi, he is 
  trying for Mormon Missionary but ends up looking more Reservoir 
  Dogs. Jacob was just a big dumb kid who got into the occasional 
  fight at school when the Gift manifested at the age of eighteen. He 
  was contacted by the Sentinels soon afterwards, once they became 
  aware of his existence through a Vision.
  He isn’t the brightest of the bunch, but he is a good person. He 
  is willing to risk himself to save an innocent and he has wiped out 
  his fair share of Supernatural threats. He has become something of a 
  sidekick to Nephi, the two of them patrolling the streets of Las Vegas 
  like the meanest looking missionaries you will ever see.
  Stats
  STR 
  6 
  INT 
  1
  DEX 
  3 
  PER 
  2
  CON 
  4 
  WIL 
  2
  Life Points:  
  65
  Endurance Points:  41
  Speed:  
  14
  Essence:  
  18
  Qualities: The Gift, Hard to Kill +5
  Drawbacks: Attractive -1, Reckless
  Skills: Brawling 5, Dodge 3, Driving (Car) 3, Guns (Shotgun) 3, 
  Hand Weapon (Knife) 3, Humanities (Theology) 2, Humanities 
  (Mormon Theology) 4, Occult Knowledge (Vampyres) 3, Street-
  wise 4, Surveillance 3
  Metaphysics: Divine Inspiration, Binding, Holy Fire
  Possessions: A black suit, a Black Mustang (It belongs to the Chapel 
  House, but he is the one who drives it the most), a 12 gauge shot-
  gun, a large bowie knife, one of the servant rooms, the Book of 
  Mormon, and a habit of destroying monsters with a fiery wrath.
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  42
  WITCHCRAFT
  ADVENTURE
  SOLOMON PARKE
  Visionary
  Lesser Gifted Sentinel Survivor
  Sol is an athletic black man in his early twen-
  ties with close cropped hair and an angel tattoo 
  on his back. He dresses in khakis, boots, and tees. He also always 
  wears a silver cross around his neck. Sol grew up in nearby Boulder 
  City, close to the Hoover Dam and away from the craziness of Vegas. 
  Nothing ever really happens in Boulder City, so Sol was surprised 
  at the age of ten when a group Tainted Cultists broke into his home 
  and killed off his family. They were planning to summon a Mad God 
  on the bank of Lake Mead, but that plan was thwarted when the Las 
  Vegas Sentinels were told to come to Boulder City and stop them 
  (Told by one of the Kerubim, the once human “saints” who serve as 
  Lesser Angels in the Host of Heaven).
  Sol was severely injured and fell into a coma. During this time 
  he had Visions of the same Angel, a young woman who called her-
  self Zepherine, who warned the Sentinels of the Mad God threat. 
  Sol and Zepherine talked a lot while he was in a coma, though he 
  forgot the details of these conversations when he woke from his 
  coma two weeks later. He woke a completely changed person. He 
  was now an orphan, with no living relatives. He was also now one 
  of the Inspired. 
  The Sentinels invited him into their Chapel House and ended up 
  raising him. He thinks of Baltasar as a second father and the rest of 
  the Sentinels as his brothers and sisters. The Kerubim Zepherine has 
  visited him in his dreams twice since he was a kid, just to check up 
  on him. 
  Stats
  STR 
  3 
  INT 
  3
  DEX 
  4 
  PER 
  3
  CON 
  3 
  WIL 
  4
  Life Points:  
  34
  Endurance Points:  35
  Speed:  
  14
  Essence:  
  20
  Qualities: The Gift, Acute Hearing, Charisma +1, Fast Reaction 
  Time
  Drawbacks: Cruel -1, Emotional Problem (Fear of Rejection), Hon-
  orable -1, Minority (Black), Reckless
  Skills: Brawling 3, Dodge 3, Guns (Shotgun) 3, Guns (Flame-
  thrower) 3, Hand weapon (Axe) 3, Humanities (Theology) 4, 
  Running (Dash) 2, Streetwise 3, Throwing (Axe) 3, Throwing 
  (Sphere) 3
  Metaphysics: Divine Inspiration, Divine Sight, Touch of Healing, 
  Visions
  Possessions: Casual clothing, books about Angels written by people 
  who might know a thing or two about them, a  few offensive gre-
  nades, a flamethrower, a 12 gauge shotgun, a wood ax, a tattoo of 
  an angel that he thought looked like Zepherine, the other family 
  bedroom, and the desire to help people. 
  FEARLESS VAMPYRE HUNTERS
  Potential Hero 
  Sentinel Survivors
  There are a half dozen mundanes who are members of the Las 
  Vegas Chapel House. They were all victims of Vampyres who were 
  saved by the Sentinels, and now work to make sure others are not 
  preyed upon like they were. Vera and Vivian Kovacic live in one 
  of the guest rooms, Alexander Pavlidis lives in the other one, and 
  the guest house is occupied by Patrick Barnston, David Gage, and 
  Brenda Flanagan.
  Stats
  STR 
  3 
  INT 
  2
  DEX 
  3 
  PER 
  2
  CON 
  3 
  WIL 
  2
  Life Points:  
  34
  Endurance Points:  29
  Speed:  
  12
  Essence:  
  15
  Qualities: Nerves of Steel, Situational Awareness
  Drawbacks: Cruel -1, Nightmares
  Skills: Brawling 3, Dodge 3, First Aid 2, Hand Weapon (Sword) 2, 
  Humanities (Theology) 4, Guns (Shotgun) 2, Occult Knowledge 
  (Vampyres) 3, Questioning 3, Stealth 3, Streetwise 2, Surveil-
  lance 2
  Possessions: Simple clothes, room, board, and the tools necessary to 
  kill Vampyres and other Supernatural threats.
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  43
  WITCHCRAFT
  ADVENTURE
  BELA KEGLOVICH 
  The Leader of the Pack
  Nomad Lesser Supernatural Wanderers 
  Bela Keglovich is an athletic looking man in 
  his early thirties with long blond hair, a goatee, 
  and a tattoo of a howling wolf on his left bicep. Except when he looks 
  like a large silver wolf. Of the three Nomad Ferals, he has the most 
  seniority and experience, though he is not a Nomad Chief by any 
  stretch of the imagination. Bela was born into the Nomad Covenant 
  and is a member of the Bekter family through his mother. He takes 
  the teachings of Nanner and Ningal very seriously and will be deeply 
  offended if people start accusing him of eating people from Yosemite 
  to Vegas. As a matter of fact, they came to Vegas after spending the 
  night at the Grand Canyon, pretty much the opposite direction.
  Stats
  STR 
  3/6 
  INT 
  2
  DEX 
  3/5 
  PER 
  2/4
  CON 
  3/5 
  WIL 
  2
  Life Points:  
  34/105
  Endurance Points:  29
  Speed:  
  12/30
  Essence:  
  25
  Qualities: Charisma +3, Fast Reaction Time, Situational Awareness, 
  Nerves of Steel
  Drawbacks: Honorable -1, Cruel -1
  Skills: Brawling 3, Dodging 2, Driving (Motorcycle) 3, Haggling 2, 
  Mechanic 3, Stealth 3, Streetwise 2, Survival (Desert) 3, Track-
  ing 4
  Metaphysics: Wolf Feral, Inborn Feral, Strength of the Beast, Spirit 
  Patron (The Lunar Gods, Covenant Boon)
  Possessions: Leather jacket, black jeans, boots, a customized Harley 
  (With an airbrushed painting of Horned Cernunnos from the 
  Gundestrop Bowl across the engine), tools for fixing the afore-
  mentioned Harley, and some basic necessities. 
  EMERENCIA “MERCY” IVANCSO 
  Wild Woman Werewolf
  Nomad Lesser Supernatural Wanderers 
  Mercy is an attractive young woman in her 
  early twenties with straight black hair and dark 
  eyes. Except when she looks like a black wolf. She and her younger 
  brother were members of a Solitaire Feral family that traced its lin-
  eage to a young man who was cursed by his Romany lover in eigh-
  teenth century Budapest when he cheated on her. They already had 
  the prerequisite Nomad wanderlust when they meet Bela at a biker 
  rally in North Dakota two years ago. Bela and the Ivancsos had a lot 
  in common; they were all into motorcycles, they were all of Hungar-
  ian descent, and they all had the inborn ability to transform into a 
  Wolf. Bela convinced Mercy and her brother to join the Nomads, and 
  they have all worked together in that Covenant ever since.
  Stats
  STR 
  2/5 
  INT 
  2
  DEX 
  3/5 
  PER 
  3/5
  CON 
  2/4 
  WIL 
  3
  Life Points:  
  26/90
  Endurance Points:  26
  Speed:  
  10/28
  Essence:  
  25
  Qualities: Attractive +2, Fast Reaction Time
  Drawbacks: Reckless
  Skills: Acrobatics 3, Climbing 3, Brawling 3, Drive (Motorcycle) 
  4, Haggling 2, Hand Weapon (Club) 2, Seduction 3, Stealth 2, 
  Streetwise 2, Tracking 3 
  Metaphysics: Wolf Feral, Inborn Feral, Spirit Claws, Strength of the 
  Beast, Summon Animal Spirits, Spirit Patron (The Lunar Gods, 
  Covenant Boon)
  Possessions: Leather jacket, jeans, thigh-high boots, a customized 
  Harley (With an airbrushed portrait of the Goddess White Buf-
  falo Woman on the side of her engine), a baseball bat for non-
  lethal violence, basic necessities.
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  44
  WITCHCRAFT
  ADVENTURE
  CZABA IVANCSO
  Young Feral
  Nomad Lesser Supernatural Wanderers 
  Czaba is a handsome young man of nine-
  teen with long black hair and dark eyes. He 
  looks a lot like his sister Mercy; they both have the wild good 
  looks of their distant Romany ancestors. Except when he looks 
  like a black wolf (Though in that form he looks a lot like his sister 
  does in wolf form as well). Czaba and his sister have been on the 
  road since he was fifteen, when their parents were killed by a 
  drunk driver. Rather than risk being separated from her brother, 
  Mercy took Czaba on the road with her. After two years, they 
  became part of the Nomad Covenant. Now Czaba has gone from 
  having a family of just his sister to having a family of hundreds 
  around the world.
  Stats
  STR 
  2/5 
  INT 
  2
  DEX 
  3/5 
  PER 
  4/6
  CON 
  2/4 
  WIL 
  2
  Life Points:  
  26/95
  Endurance Points:  23
  Speed:  
  10/28
  Essence:  
  37
  Qualities: Artistic Talent (Fiddle), Attractive +2, Situational Aware-
  ness
  Drawbacks: Reckless
  Skills: Brawling 3, Dodge 3, Driving (Motorcycle) 4, Play Instru-
  ment (Fiddle) 7*, Smooth Talking 3, Stealth 4, Tracking 4
  *Includes bonus from Artistic Talent.
  Metaphysics: Wolf Feral, Camouflage, Inborn Feral, Strength of the 
  Beast, Spirit Patron (The Lunar Gods, Covenant Boon)
  Possessions: Leather jacket, jeans, boots, a customized Harley 
  motorcycle (With two wolves howling at a red moon on the side 
  of his engine. The two wolves are meant to be him and his sister), 
  a handcrafted gypsy fiddle, basic necessities.
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  45
  WITCHCRAFT
  ADVENTURE
  ESŸHAR NASUSARA
  The Queen of Blood
  Solitaire Greater Supernatural Scoundrel
  When Esÿhar Nasusara bothers to appear living, she looks like 
  a pale Middle Eastern woman in her early twenties, often with her 
  flesh manipulated to give her a +6 Appearance. Other times she 
  walks as a rotted corpse that has been twisted to have an Appearance 
  of -8. Esÿhar Nasusara is over three thousand years old, though she 
  has only been conscious a third of that time.
  She was born in the Taurus Mountains during the reign of the Hit-
  tite King Suppilulimas. She lived the simple life of a rural village girl 
  until a Black Magician captured her for his dark rituals. After a week 
  of ritualistic torture, the young woman was sacrificed on an alter to 
  the Dark Goddess Lamma on the thirteenth night of the Purulliyas 
  Spring Festival. The Magician expected to gain the Dark Goddess as 
  a Spirit Patron, but he was disappointed. Perhaps the Goddess did not 
  approve of the offering, or maybe she just had other things in mind. 
  Whatever the case may be, the victim came back from the Threshold 
  and reanimated her dead body. She came back as a Vampyre and her 
  first act of Undeath was to bleed her captor dry.
  She came to be known as Esÿhar Nasusara, the Queen of Blood. 
  This is the name that she currently uses for herself; she doesn’t even 
  remember her original name. Nasusara outlived the Hittite Empire 
  in which she was born. She would ravage remote areas and then go 
  underground for a few generations, only to reemerge and terrorize 
  a new location. Sometimes she lived in splendor, as she did in Tyre 
  and Rome when deluded mundanes worshiped her. Sometimes she 
  roamed like a beast, as she did in Attic Greece when the people 
  called her Lamia and feared her passage. In the sewers of Paris she 
  had her first encounter with the Society of Sentinels. Before long she 
  had made an enemy of the Storm Dragons as well. 
  London in 1870 was her last period of activity. A group of Sen-
  tinels discovered her activities in Victorian London and chased her 
  all the way to the New World. Their efforts were joined by a group 
  of Storm Dragon monster hunters from San Francisco. If the two 
  Covenants had worked together she would probably be truly dead, 
  but they ended up hampering each other’s efforts. She escaped the 
  monster hunters and hide in a deep cave in the Sierra Nevada Moun-
  tains. To elude her pursuers, she placed herself in the vampyric state 
  of suspended animation, remaining dormant until she finally awoke 
  a few days ago at midnight during the full moon. There was a large 
  motorcycle gang partying near the cave. Her first waking act was to 
  slaughter all of them, dragging eight back from the Threshold to act 
  as her vampyric minions.
  Stats
  STR 
  8 
  INT 
  3
  DEX 
  8 
  PER 
  4
  CON 
  8 
  WIL 
  6
  Life Points:  
  74
  Endurance Points:  n/a
  Speed:  
  32
  Essence:  
  217
  Qualities: Vampyre, Fast Reaction Time, Nerves of Steel
  Drawbacks: Adversary (Sentinels) 5, Adversary (Storm Dragons) 5, 
  Cruel -2, Weird Delusion (I am a Goddess, Worship Me) -3
  Skills: Climbing 3, Beautician 4, Brawling 4, Dodge 3, Hand 
  Weapon (Knife) 4, Hand weapon (Sword) 4, Hand Weapon 
  (Spear) 4, Humanities (History) 4, Language (Hittite, Native) 5, 
  Language (Arabic) 4, Language (English) 4, Language (French) 
  4, Language (Greek) 4, Language (Latin) 4, Language (Punic) 
  4, Occult Knowledge (Death Realms) 5, Magic Theory 5, Myth 
  and Legend (Near East) 5, Riding (Horse) 4, Riding (Camel) 3, 
  Seduction 5, Stealth 5, Survival (Desert) 3
  Metaphysics: Age (10 levels), Increased Essence + 100, Bloodthirst, 
  Greater Shifting (Python), Manipulate Emotions, Nightmares, 
  Sade’s Curse, Wither (1 level), Communion 2, Elemental Air 
  4, Elemental Earth 4, Elemental Fire 4, Elemental Water 4, 
  Gateway 4, Levitate 3, Shielding 3, Spirit Limbs 3, Weather 
  Lordship 4, 
  Possessions: Surprisingly little. She has the dusty black Victorian 
  dress that she had been sleeping in for the past century, four rings 
  (Two Greek, one Phoenician, and one Roman), a silver armband 
  (Hittite), and an Etruscan amulet she wears on a silver necklace.
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  46
  WITCHCRAFT
  ADVENTURE
  THE MINIONS
  Cannon fodder
  Solitaire Beginning Supernatural Fanatics
  There are currently eight Vampyre minions following the 
  Queen of Blood, the remnants of a much larger motorcycle gang 
  that Esÿhar Nasusara massacred near Death Valley. She brought 
  each one back from the Threshold to become the first of her 
  Undead servants. They serve her with a blind devotion and each 
  one would willingly lay down his unlife for her. Their names are 
  Amp, Cob, Gary, Jell-O, Mouse, Mullet, Tang, and Wally.
  Stats
  STR 
  6 
  INT 
  2
  DEX 
  6 
  PER 
  2
  CON 
  6 
  WIL 
  2
  Life Points:  
  46
  Endurance Points:  n/a
  Speed:  
  36
  Essence:  
  44
  Qualities: Fast Reaction Time, Resistance (Pain, 1 level), Situ-
  ational Awareness
  Drawbacks: Cruel -1, Humorless, Zealot (The Queen of Blood)
  Skills: Brawling 3, Dodge 3, Driving (Motorcycle) 4, Hand Weapon 
  (Knife) 2, Guns (Handgun) 2, Guns (Shotgun) 2, Streetwise 4
  Metaphysics: Vampyre
  Possessions: Boots, jeans, leather vets that each say “Blood Riser, 
  Born To Kick Ass”, knives, three have .38 handguns, one has a 
  12 gauge shotgun, and all have various customized Harleys. 
  v
  This issue, the mighty eye of the Art Gallery falls 
  upon Norm Fenlason, and his twisted vision of an 
  Insectoid “Interrogation”.
  Some alternate titles we would have considered: 
  “Buzz Off” or “Give me some sugar, Baby.”
  ART GALLERY
  Interrogation by Norm Fenlason
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  47
  CALL OF CTHULHU
  ADVENTURES
  CALL OF CTHULHU
  A Night in the Mountains by Chad Bowser
  A Night in the Mountains 
  Chad Bowser
  BACKGROUND
  ANCIENT HISTORY
  In the early history of the Americas, a small tribe of 
  Mohawk Indians worshipped Nyogtha (The Thing That 
  Should Not Be), and provided it with human sacrifices to sus-
  tain it.  These terrible acts did not go unnoticed.  A neighbor-
  ing Mohawk tribe, untainted by Nyogtha’s influence, attacked 
  and killed the smaller tribe – hoping to cleanse the land of this 
  evil. Nyogtha avenged the deaths of his followers by lash-
  ing out at the aggressors. In a single night a living darkness 
  descended on their village.  Nyogtha’s wrath was terrible, and 
  the screams of women and children echoed across the Adiron-
  dacks. The final blow came against the tribe’s shamans, who 
  were frantically trying to perform a ritual to banish the Old 
  One.  Even as the final blow was struck, the tribe’s shamans 
  completed the ritual and sealed Nyogtha into the ground.  The 
  only survivor of the battle was a young Mohawk girl who hid 
  in a nearby stream during the carnage.  Although she survived, 
  the girl’s mind was gone.  She stood at the edge of the stream, 
  completely naked, repeating the words of the ritual over and 
  over.  She was found several days later by an Algonquin hunt-
  ing party that took pity on her and brought her back to their 
  village.  The Algonquin shaman was fascinated by her state of 
  mind and carefully transcribed the words of the ritual.
  When the Europeans invaded and the Algonquin culture 
  was destroyed, the shaman’s transcript ended up in Dutch cus-
  tody.  A Dutch cleric, who spent a great deal of time among 
  the Algonquin, translated the shaman’s small book into Latin 
  and was driven insane.  The town of Albertsville was built 
  upon the very site where the original Mohawk cultist’s village 
  had been located.  The book has since passed from owner to 
  owner until it wound up in the Albertsville Library, where it 
  remains today.  The significance of the translated passages in 
  the book has been lost in time.
  In the 1930s, Curtis Johnson, an amateur occultist vaca-
  tioning in the Adirondacks, accidentally summoned Nyogtha. 
  The god, sensing the stars may soon be right, reached out and, 
  with Johnson’s help, converted several people in Alberts-
  ville to the worship of Nyogtha.  As the years passed, more 
  and more people were converted, and by the 1950s, every 
  member of Albertsville worshipped the dark god.  Tradition-
  ally, Nyogtha has conferred upon the head priest the ability 
  to cast spells, and grants them access to the ancient tome 
  which summons him.  No one else in the cult has the ability 
  to cast spells, but several other have seen the book.  Currently, 
  Nyogtha is too weak to break free of his confinement, but the 
  villagers are actively trying to strengthen him enough to break 
  free.  The current head priest, Michael Hendricks, is planning 
  a ceremony involving several human sacrifices in a few days 
  that he hopes will free Nyogtha once and for all. 
  RECENT HISTORY
  In 2001, James Bellfield, a retired anthropology professor, 
  began construction of a new home in the Adirondacks.  
  During his years of research, he had occasionally stumbled 
  This adventure involves the Mythos and can be played 
  by either inexperienced or experienced investigators. 
  It would make an excellent introduction to the Mythos 
  for investigators who have some experience with other 
  aspects of the supernatural. Although set in the modern 
  day, it can easily be modified for any time period.
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  48
  CALL OF CTHULHU
  ADVENTURES
  across references to the cult of Nyogtha.  At the time, Bellfield 
  filed the references away in the back of his mind.  Several 
  decades later, he came across an ancient tome and acciden-
  tally made contact with Nyogtha (still trapped underground). 
  When Bellfield’s consciousness made contact with the entity, 
  his mind immediately recoiled, saving his sanity, but leaving 
  a lasting impression of evil.  He immediately changed the 
  focus of his research from Native American/US relations to 
  the study of cults. The references to Nyogtha were few and 
  far between, but he managed to piece together enough infor-
  mation to determine how the god acted, and how it could be 
  contained, if not defeated. 
  He eventually tracked down an active cult of Nyogtha 
  by reading and cross-referencing academic periodicals, the 
  Weekly World News, and The Globe, with what he knew of 
  Nyogtha.  The cult he found was located around Albertsville, 
  NY, deep in the Adirondack Mountains.
  Using amassed knowledge, Bellfield has managed to 
  summon and trap a servant of Nyogtha, a Dimensional Sham-
  bler.  The Shambler is held in the confines of the elder sign. 
  Unbeknownst to Bellfield, another creature, a Spectral 
  Hunter has been created by Hendricks to guard his most 
  prized possessions.  It stalks the grounds surrounding the high 
  priest’s home.
  GETTING THE CHARACTERS INVOLVED
  The characters are invited to a party at the newly built 
  house of a friend, James Bellfield.  Although James had never 
  seemed particularly wealthy, the house in the Adirondacks, 
  easily costs $500,000 or more. The house is so new that the 
  phones have not been hooked up yet, and it’s far enough into 
  the mountains that mobiles can’t find a signal.
  THE ADVENTURE BEGINS
  The characters travel along the Hudson from New York 
  City for about four hours before reaching the small town of 
  Albertsville (pop 250).  If they choose to stop at the gas sta-
  tion or diner, nothing special will happen.  Bellfield’s new 
  home is three miles beyond Albertsville, deeper into the 
  mountains.
  Upon arriving at the house, Bellfield greets them warmly 
  and shows them around.  The tour includes everything in 
  the place except the basement.  The party notices an elec-
  tric keypad lock on the basement door.  If pressed, Bellfield 
  will say that the basement is still being finished, and he has 
  only just managed to clean up the construction dust from the 
  upstairs.  Besides, the workmen have left their tools laying 
  everywhere, and he is concerned someone might get hurt trip-
  ping over something in the dimly lit basement.
  Located in the basement are Bellfield’s weapons against 
  Nyogtha.  There is an elder sign etched onto the floor and a 
  much smaller one etched on the inside of the basement door. 
  In the center of the elder sign is an irate Dimensional Sham-
  bler.
   During the party a spring thunderstorm rolls across the 
  mountains and a nearby lightning strike knocks out the cir-
  cuit breakers, and plunges the revelers into darkness.  In the 
  ensuing confusion, Bellfield’s daughter, Anna, volunteers 
  to go down to the basement and check the breakers.  To his 
  shock, he hears the basement door swing open.  Apparently 
  the power outage has killed the keypad lock!  Bellfield yells 
  across the room for her to stop, but she has already descended 
  the stairs.  
  The characters upstairs hear a crash (Anna knocking a can 
  of paint over part of the elder sign, breaking its power), fol-
  lowed by a deep, inhuman growl, a girl’s all too brief scream, 
  pounding footsteps, and finally a loud crash that sounds like 
  the basement door being ripped off its hinges.  Upstairs in the 
  pitch black darkness, no one can see what emerges from the 
  basement.  It wades through the panicked guests in its head-
  long dash for freedom.  One character is thrown against the 
  wall while another is tossed through the front window along 
  with an NPC partygoer who is killed when she lands on an 
  ornamental iron landscaping light. Another NPC partygoer is 
  decapitated by the creature as it crosses the living room. It 
  then leaps through the now open window and disappears into 
  the night.
  When someone finally gets the nerve to venture into the 
  basement and turn the lights back on the extent of the carnage 
  will be revealed.  The first thing anyone in the basement 
  will see is Anna’s crumpled body lying beside the partially-
  obscured elder sign (0/1d3SAN). Upstairs, the decapitated 
  body in the living room will be found, and outside the body 
  of a young woman lying in the flower bed with a landscaping 
  light protruding from her chest (0/1d3 SAN).
  Upon finding Anna, Bellfield’s mind will snap.  He will in 
  effect be overcome by temporary insanity, fixated on hunting 
  down the creature before it can contact Nyogtha.  Bellfield’s 
  first act after finding this is to run into another room, grab a 
  .45, and take off through the broken window.  
  PANIC ENSUES
  By this time, the surviving party guests will have had quite 
  enough entertainment for one evening.  Since the phones are 
  out, there is no chance of phoning for help, so there is little 
  immediate danger of someone calling in the authorities.  
  Any remaining guests will make a decisive effort to leave 
  Bellfield’s shattered home.  There is a 25% chance that one 
  of them will stop at the Sheriff’s office and alert someone 
  to the disaster at the party.  Since nobody really got a look 
  at the thing that committed the murders, they will settle on 
  the most likely thing they can think of as the culprit – “A 
  bear! No, a grizzly! Or something even bigger!”  If the kill-
  ings are reported, then the Sheriff will send a patrol car out to 
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  49
  CALL OF CTHULHU
  ADVENTURES
  Bellfield’s.  The extent to which these events are played out is 
  left to the Keeper.
  - If the players all set out to follow Bellfield and the 
  creature, they will have little interaction with the 
  police investigation.  Any of the deputies will con-
  clude that some sort of large animal tried to seek 
  shelter from the storm outside, and went berserk 
  on the attendees.  The significance of the Elder 
  Sign etched in the basement floor will be lost on 
  the deputies.  If the Sheriff were to find it however, 
  that would be another matter.
  - If nobody reports the events, then the players will 
  undoubtedly have a mess to clean up when they 
  return later.
  INTO THE NIGHT
  If the PCs go after Bellfield and the creature, they can 
  follow its prints up to the forest edge, where the trees have 
  prevented the ground from becoming soggy.  Even without 
  clear tracks, Bellfield charges headlong into the forest, to the 
  place where he initially captured the Dimensional Shambler. 
  The investigators will have a much tougher time following. 
  If they keep looking for tracks while following Bellfield, 
  a TRACK roll will occasionally reveal an inhuman foot-
  print here or there. Both sets of tracks stop at a small cave 
  entrance.
  If the PCs don’t follow the creature, the Dimensional 
  Shambler will kill Bellfield and then return to the house to 
  finish off the PCs.  
  THE CAVE
  If the PCs head into the cave, they will find it is fairly 
  linear, ending in a basement under the courthouse in Alberts-
  ville. It is a four-hour walk if they take it slow and cautious. 
  There is a well-hidden side passage that the PCs can find by 
  making a spot hidden roll –30%, but they have to state they’re 
  looking for anything suspicious.  The Dimensional Shambler 
  is actually no longer in the tunnel; it has phased back to its 
  home dimension.  Consequently, the PCs won’t find it in the 
  cave, or in the courthouse beyond.  They will however be 
  seen. The security cameras in the courthouse basement will 
  catch the PCs and Bellfield snooping around and they can 
  expect a visit from the Albertsville Sheriff in the morning. 
  Only Hendricks, the Sheriff, and his deputies will know the 
  PCs broke into the courthouse. 
  SIDE PASSAGE
  The PCs will only find the hidden passage by being cau-
  tious and stating they are searching every nook and cranny.  If 
  they locate it, and decide to follow it, they will discover the 
  underground church dedicated to Nyogtha. There are ten rows 
  of wooden pews, four stone tables, and a wooden podium at 
  the front of the room.  A symbol to summon Nyogtha has been 
  etched into the far wall by Hendricks.
  Note, it is not necessary for the players to locate the under-
  ground church at this time.
  THE MORNING AFTER
  The sheriff and two deputies will arrive early in the morn-
  ing to investigate the character’s appearance on the security 
  videos.  If the police have already visited the house the previ-
  ous night, then the aftermath of the Shambler’s escape should 
  be easy enough to explain.  The players will have to deal with 
  how they will handle this situation now.  It will take a success-
  ful FAST TALK or PERSUADE roll to prevent the Sheriff 
  and his deputies from pursuing the matter at this time.  This 
  would be the only opportunity for the Sheriff to personally see 
  the Elder Sign downstairs.  If he actually sees it, he will grow 
  extremely distrustful of the players, and all subsequent reac-
  tion rolls will need to be adjusted accordingly.
  Assuming the other matters are handled successfully, there 
  is still the reason that brought the Sheriff out to Bellfield’s 
  place: the incursion into the courthouse.
  - If the PCs choose to cooperate with the sheriff, he’ll 
  question them as to why they were in the court-
  house in the first place, and then ask how they got 
  in. At the conclusion of questioning, they will be 
  urged to leave town and cautioned to never come 
  back: “Yer kind ain’t welcome ‘round here.”  
  - If they are belligerent with the sheriff, he’ll attempt to 
  take them into custody on a charge of breaking and 
  entering.  It actually wouldn’t be too hard for the 
  party to overwhelm the sheriff and his deputies as 
  their hearts really aren’t in the fight.  They would 
  much rather see the players leave town, than have 
  to deal with detaining them.
  Note that if the Players promise to leave town and don’t, 
  they can expect harassment from the sheriff and the other 
  townspeople. The players will suddenly find the villagers 
  very uncooperative, refusing to sell them anything or help 
  them in any way. 
  After the sheriff leaves, Bellfield will recover from his 
  temporary insanity.  The loss of his daughter will weigh 
  heavily on him.  He will tell the players what he knows about 
  Nyogtha, and answer their questions about the thing in the 
  basement.
  The fact that the PCs were seen emerging from the court-
  house’s basement will result in the villagers fully exploring 
  the cave, seeing that it comes out near Bellfield’s home and 
  posting guards to ambush any non-worshipper who try to go 
  back in via that route.  Nyogtha always requires new sacri-
  fices after all.  
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  50
  CALL OF CTHULHU
  ADVENTURES
  INVESTIGATIONS
  Any PC that goes into the woods near the cave, or into 
  town alone can be ambushed, locked up in jail, or shot (to 
  incapacitate – not kill).  They’re slated to be the main attrac-
  tion in the upcoming ceremony.  It is even possible that a 
  small group of PCs could be jumped by a group of five or 
  more worshippers to meet the same fate.
  If the PCs question the adults in town about the cave and 
  the creature, they will be met with blank stares and disavow-
  als.  “Everyone here’s a god-fearin’ man, stranger.”  
  Children, however, would be willing to talk to the PCs, if 
  the PCs are friendly.  They’ll make vague references to the 
  “big party,” “Pastor Mike” and “getting to meet god soon.”    
  THE LIBRARY
  Research at the library can result in a goldmine of infor-
  mation.  First, the PCs will not find any books dealing with 
  summoning or contacting Nyogtha. Hendricks keeps all books 
  about Nyogtha that he is aware of at his house.  A successful 
  FAST TALK roll will reveal that fact.  Remember, not every-
  one knows the PCs broke into the courthouse, and a FAST 
  TALK roll will snow the elderly librarian into thinking that 
  they’re new worshippers.  The real mother-lode will come 
  from a successful LIBRARY USE roll, which will turn up the 
  copy of Rex sub Montem, the Latin pamphlet that contains 
  the ritual used by the Mohawk shaman to imprison Nyogtha 
  so many years ago.
  HENDRICK’S HOUSE
  DIRECT APPROACH
  If the characters march over to Hendricks’ house (the 
  address is in the phone book) and demand to see the books, 
  he will simply order them to leave his property.  If they refuse 
  he’ll call the sheriff, who’ll try to take the PCs into custody. 
  If the PCs start a fight, neighboring villagers will run to help 
  their priest and sheriff, some with guns, others with baseball 
  bats. 
  - If the PCs are polite, Hendricks will invite them into 
  his parlor and calmly deny everything, saying that 
  he doesn’t know what happened at Bellfield’s, but 
  Bellfield must be a very disturbed man to make up 
  stories like that.  
  - If the PCs are rude, Hendricks may use the Clutch of 
  Nyogtha spell on one of the PCs after they leave.   
  COVERT APPROACH
  If the PCs try to break into Hendricks’ house, and he’s not 
  there, or asleep, they can find the books about Nyogtha locked 
  in a small safe in Hendricks’s downstairs office.  If Hendricks 
  is asleep, there’s a 50% chance the noise of the break-in will 
  wake him, and he’ll come running downstairs with a shot-
  gun.  They’ll also run into a spectral hunter who they’ll have 
  to combat.  Gunshots will arouse the attention of anybody 
  outside and quickly bring the Sheriff.  An idea roll will reveal 
  this.  The spectral hunter’s artifact is a highly polished mahog-
  any sphere that Hendricks keeps locked in the safe.
  If they successfully steal the books, they’ll have the book 
  Bellfield read years ago as well as Hendricks’s notebooks 
  detailing the upcoming ceremony to take place “in church” 
  during a new moon.  Although the books and notes mention 
  the church, they do not reveal where the church is located.  
  It does reveal one chilling fact.  At the front of the church 
  is a large wall, behind which Nyogtha lies - waiting to be 
  released.
  SEEKING THE CHURCH
  Albertsville does possess a more traditional style church. 
  This building, Albertsville Presbyterian is located at the north 
  end of the town square.  If the investigators choose to go 
  there, they will find the building unlocked.  A cursory inspec-
  tion of the inside will reveal dust so thick that it’s obvious the 
  church hasn’t been used for years.  
  There are three children playing in front of the church. 
  Two will refuse to talk to strangers.  But the third, named 
  Jerry, will answer any questions the PCs have about the 
  church.  He knows that it’s underground and you get to it by 
  going into the courthouse’s basement.  He also knows that 
  there is a big ceremony coming soon.  
  The real church is the large cavernous room at the end of 
  the hidden underground passage.  If the players already found 
  the church on the night the Shambler escaped, then they will 
  not have to worry about finding it.  
  Even if the PCs don’t steal the books, they have the infor-
  mation from the children, coupled with the information from 
  Bellfield and their knowledge of the cave.
  The next new moon is in two days.  
  THE SHOWDOWN
  When the PCs enter the “church”, there will be four people 
  (some possibly PCs if they were captured while investigating) 
  strapped to stone tables.  One sacrifice (not a PC) will already 
  be eviscerated.  All the people will be chanting.  Hendricks, in 
  ceremonial robes, raises his knife above another sacrifice and 
  brings it down into their chest. The majority of the townspeo-
  ple, roughly 200 people will be deep in chant. If Hendricks is 
  shot by the PCs, most villagers will keep chanting, the depu-
  ties (3) will draw their pistols and close on the PCs and the 
  sheriff will pick up the knife to continue the sacrifices.  
  - The PCs can try to kill the sheriff, at which point 
  someone else will pick up the knife.  
  - The PCs can detonate the chamber if they have 
  explosives.
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  51
  CALL OF CTHULHU
  ADVENTURES
  JAMES BELLFIELD
  Occupation: Retired Professor
  Education: PhD, Princeton
  STR:  
  11
  CON:  
  9
  SIZ:  
  13
  INT:  
  17
  POW:  
  15
  DEX:  
  10
  APP:  
  9
  SAN:  
  75
  EDU:  
  19
  IDEA:  
  85%
  LUCK:  75%
  KNOW:  95%
  HP:  
  11
  MP:  
  15
  Skills
  Archaeology: 80%
  Anthropology: 95%
  Credit Rating: 75%
  Fast Talk: 35%
  Library Use: 90%
  Occult: 45%
  Handgun (Colt .45) 35% damage 1d10+2
  Spells
  Summon/Bind Dimensional Shambler
  Roleplaying Notes for Bellfield
  James Bellfield is portly and going thin on top.  A retired 
  professor, he is highly intelligent, but he is not the absent-
  minded professor.  He is very focused on his research into 
  stopping Nyogtha at this time. 
  MICHAEL HENDRICKS
  Occupation: Mayor/Cult leader
  Education: B.A.: SUNY-Albany
  STR:  
  15
  CON:  
  13
  SIZ:  
  13
  INT:  
  14
  POW:  
  25
  DEX:  
  10
  APP:  
  16
  SAN:  
  38
  EDU:  
  12
  IDEA:  
  70%
  LUCK:  99%
  KNOW:  60%
  HP:  
  13
  MP:  
  25
  Damage Bonus: +1d4
  Skills
  Cthulhu Mythos: 28%
  Credit Rating: 75%
  Fast Talk: 65%
  Law: 45%
  Occult: 70%
  Psychology: 59%
  Shotgun (16 gauge):  50% damage 2d6+2/1d6+1/1d4
  Spells
  Summon/Bind Dimensional Shambler, 
  Clutch of Nyogtha, 
  Summon Nyogtha, 
  Summon/Bind Spectral Hunter
  Roleplaying notes for Hendricks
  Hendricks is completely devoted to the cult of Nyogtha 
  and will do anything in his power to keep the investigators 
  from stopping the ritual.  Although he borders on insanity, he 
  is still very cagey, and as a result will not do anything stupid 
  if the investigators interview him at his house or office.  He 
  will not hesitate to use one of his spells to put a crimp in the 
  investigators’ investigation, or in an investigator.
  CHARACTERS
  - The PCs can deface the symbol, preventing Nyogtha 
  from entering this plane.
  - The PCs can use the ritual they found in the Latin 
  pamphlet to keep Nyogtha imprisoned.  They’ll 
  have to fend off attacks by the sheriff and his depu-
  ties during this process.
  RANDOM EVENTS
  - A villager with a well-placed rifle shot will assas-
  sinate Bellfield.
  - At some point, the dimensional shambler will attack 
  the PCs.  
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  52
  CALL OF CTHULHU
  ADVENTURES
  SHERIFF AND DEPUTIES
  Occupation: Law Enforcement/Cult flunkies
  Education: Albertsville High
  STR:  
  16
  CON:  
  13
  SIZ:  
  15
  INT:  
  10
  POW:  
  12
  DEX:  
  13
  APP:  
  12
  SAN:  
  60
  EDU:  
  9
  IDEA:  
  50%
  LUCK:  
  60%
  KNOW:  
  45%
  HP:  
  14
  MP:  
  12
  Damage Bonus: +1d4
  Skills
  Dodge: 55%
  Drive: 57%
  Fast Talk: 45%
  Law: 45%
  Psychology: 25%
  Handgun (9mm): 65% 1d10
  Rifle (.22): 45% 1d6+2
  Shotgun (12 gauge):  50% 4d6/2d6/1d6
  AVERAGE ALBERTSVILLE RESIDENT
  Occupation: Cultist
  Education: Albertsville High
  STR:  
  12
  CON:  
  11
  SIZ:  
  12
  INT:  
  12
  POW:  
  13
  DEX:  
  14
  APP:  
  12
  SAN:  
  65
  EDU:  
  10
  IDEA:  
  60%
  LUCK:  65%
  KNOW:  50%
  HP:  
  11
  MP:  
  13
  Damage Bonus: None
  Skills
  Dodge: 45%
  Drive: 40%
  Fast Talk: 35%
  Baseball Bat: 45%  damage 1d8
  Handgun (.38): 35% damage 1d10
  Rifle (.22): 25% damage 1d6+2
  Shotgun (16 gauge):  40% damage 2d6+2/1d6+1/1d4
  v
  HENDRICKS’S NOTEBOOK
  This small notebook details all the information that Hen-
  drick’s knows about Nyogtha.  It refers to the church where 
  the ceremony will take place, but does not give the location 
  of the church.  It also provides a detailed description of the 
  ceremony to summon Nyogtha. The ceremony requires four 
  human sacrifices performed during the new moon, accompa-
  nied by a chant.  There must also be a sacred symbol etched 
  on the wall where Nyogtha will enter. 
  REX SUB MONTEM
  This Latin translation of the original Mohawk work is 
  twenty-page pamphlet.  It contains the following relevant 
  information: Indicates that Nyogtha is currently imprisoned 
  underground, needs ceremonies awash in blood, can be 
  imprisoned with a special chant.
  Cthulhu Mythos: +2%
  Sanity Loss: 1d3/1d6
  Study time: 3 days
  Spell Multiplier x 3
  Spells: Summon Nyogtha, Clutch of Nyogtha, Summon\
  Bind Dimensional Shambler, Summon\Bind Spectral Hunter, 
  Dispel Nyogtha 
  OCCULT AND MYTHOS TOMES
  SUPPORTING CAST
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  53
  DARK MATTER
  ADVENTURES
  INTRODUCTION
  The PCs are about to go through a special type of dream. 
  The dream - created by Muli, the Indian shaman - is meant to 
  simulate the original Adventurer Journey. It is not time travel, 
  so nothing the PCs do in the past will affect the future. Do not, 
  however, inform the players; hopefully, by thinking they can 
  change the future, they will try to adhere to the original jour-
  ney as much as possible. When a character purchases items, 
  they will only be able to purchase from PL3-4 and then only 
  of poor quality, usually imposing a +1 penalty. 
  SETUP
  For Act Two, GMs are encouraged to utilize soundtracks 
  from Wild West movies such as Tombstone, First Draw, and 
  Unforgiven. It’s also important to emphasize the difference 
  between day and night; the day is hot, dry and safe, while the 
  night is cool - if not cold - dry and dangerous.
  For the Gambler’s prize, have a set of poker cards ready if 
  the PCs decide to play a game during the night.
  SETTING: HUTCH TOWN, AZ
  Hutch Town is a tiny town only 24 kilometers away from 
  Canyon de Chelly. Originally built by 20 or so Mormons, this 
  town has slowly begun to increase in population with Ameri-
  can, Mexican, and Spanish settlers. Most of Hutch Town’s 
  inhabitants live on the farms and plantations surrounding the 
  town. Like many towns in the southwest, it is very dry and 
  arid, with lots of dust and little vegetation. It also reeks of 
  horse manure and unwashed animals.
  Time: 1864
  Population: 200
  Political Figures:   Mayor, Sheriff, Deputies:
  SHOPS AND PLACES OF INTEREST:
  Livery: The Livery is one half stable, and one half black-
  smith shop. Built like a barn, entry to the Livery is through its 
  heavy double doors. Inside the barn, 3 stalls cover the right 
  wall, while a furnace, anvil, and smithing tools on the left. 
  Outside, a small pasture contains a trough for feeding the 
  animals within the pens.
  DARK MATTER
  Dead Man’s Hand (part 2) by Jerrel Hass
  Dead Man’s Hand 2 
  Jerrel Hass
  This adventure picks up where Dead Man’s Hand Act One ended…
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  54
  DARK MATTER
  ADVENTURES
  Morgue: Built to the left side of the Sheriff’s office, the 
  morgue gives off a ghastly smell around high noon. Inside the 
  morgue, the entrance has a front desk that blocks access to the 
  workstation and several designer coffins. The workstation has 
  all the tools a mortician needs to prepare and pack the recently 
  deceased.
  Sheriff’s Office: Opposite the bank, the Sheriff’s office is 
  in the center of the town. It is in dire need of a new paint job 
  and carpentry work. Inside, the single roomed office has three 
  cells, a drunk-tank, a desk and a locked cabinet containing 
  three rifles.
  City Hall: The largest building in town, city hall was 
  built at the northern entrance to town. Right outside the hall 
  is a working gallows, a constant reminder to what happens to 
  criminals within Hutch Town. Inside the Hall is set up like a 
  courthouse, with the Mayor’s chambers in the very back.
  General Store: The general store is well stocked with 
  dry-goods and salted meat. It also sells canteens and mining 
  supplies including rope, pickaxes, dynamite, and other mis-
  cellaneous supplies.
  Miss Kitty’s Saloon: The saloon is the only two-story 
  building with in Hutch Town. Miss Kitty’s is also the only 
  place in town that sells alcohol. The top story is an inn with 
  eight rooms, and the ground floor is a bar with a stage, piano 
  and 5 tables. Miss Kitty’s is frequented at day by the town 
  folk, but at night is a hang out for drifters only.
  Bank: The bank is the only completely brick building, 
  and has been freshly painted. Inside the bank are three barred 
  teller windows and a metal door leading to the bank vault.
  Pharmacy: Newly opened, the Pharmacy is stocked with 
  the latest in snake oils and wonder medications. Only about 
  10% of the medicine works and about 3% of those are toxic.
  Barber: One of the most popular places in Hutch Town, 
  the barber is the place where the men folk go to relax and 
  socialize. There is only one barber chair with in the shop, but 
  most people are willing to sit and wait.
  SCENE ONE: A GAMBLERS PRIZE
  The player characters (PCs) start in Miss Kitty’s Saloon 
  right as day breaks. The PCs have until nighttime to explore 
  the town and associate with its inhabitants. While socializing, 
  allow the PCs to make Interview rolls at a +2 penalty, as most 
  people do not like strangers. If the PCs get a success, choose 
  a random rumor from the rumor list.
  Once nightfall hits, the town changes completely; the 
  inhabitants clear the streets and return to their houses. Drifters 
  come out to play. If the PCs talk to the Drifters, 70% are head-
  ing to Miss Kitty’s, while the other 30% were already there 
  and too drunk to socialize.
  This scene can be done as a group or one by one with a 
  different awaking sequence per PC. The PCs are all suffering 
  from a severe hangover, so play it to its fullest. It can be quite 
  amusing to have the PCs wake up in the body of someone of 
  the opposite sex. Alternatively, have two of your PCs wake up 
  naked next to each other.
  Unless your PCs have knowledge of the old west and 
  how to dress like a cowboy, the simple act of dressing can 
  be an experience unto itself. Make things as complicated and 
  embarrassing for them as possible.
  Shaking your head only manages to replace the 
  abnormal dazed feeling with a pounding headache and 
  a bitter taste in your mouth. Bright sunlight penetrates 
  dirty curtains to your right, illuminating what appears 
  to be a hazy “Old-West” style room. Focusing your 
  vision onto the light brings that pounding headache 
  back with a vengeance. Whatever the Ancient Indian 
  Magi gave you must have been quite potent; you did 
  not even feel them lift you up and move you to this 
  room.
  Trying to gather your wits about you while attempting 
  to sit up, you notice your left arm trapped under a 
  warm, dead weight. Glancing to your left, you look 
  into the face of a young girl not much older than 17. 
  Trying to remove your arm from beneath the girl’s 
  pillow only manages to knock the bed sheets away, 
  revealing that both of you are quite naked.
  Sitting up only causes the headache to pound harder. 
  So does standing. Once out of bed, you notice that 
  your clothes have been replaced by what can only be 
  described as pulp western style clothing. Collecting 
  the clothes that have been tossed about the room, you 
  manage to don the strange garbs.
  Unsure of how good a job you did, you search the room 
  for a mirror. A small desk in the corner of the room 
  sports a dirty rotating mirror built on top. Wiping the 
  excess filth from the mirror reveals an unfamiliar face. 
  With a sudden flash of inspiration that causes your 
  headache to nearly overwhelm you, you understand 
  what the Ancient meant by reliving their lives.
  GETTING THE MAP
  After nightfall Miss Kitty’s Saloon becomes Hutch Town’s 
  “Las Vegas”, complete with gambling, drinking and prostitu-
  tion. It is here that the PCs have their first chance to get the 
  original copy of the Dead Man’s Hand map.
  Eventually, one or more of the PCs may decide to sit 
  down and play a hand of poker. If not, the night comes to an 
  end. If using real cards, allow the games to go on naturally; if 
  not, have the PCs make Char/Luck roles to see who wins the 
  hands. Feel free to add as many NPCs to the poker table as 
  you want, but do not exceed five people at one table.
  Around 11:00 a Spaniard will enter Kitty’s, get a few 
  drinks at the bar, and sit down at whatever poker table the PCs 
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  55
  DARK MATTER
  ADVENTURES
  are sitting at. The Spaniard is not a very good poker player 
  and makes many dumb plays. He is also very unsociable and 
  is more interested in playing poker than talking.
  Have him lose up to 25 dollars before he offers up the real 
  treasure. For a special touch, have a pre-stacked deck of cards 
  representing the final hand of the game. Give one of your PCs 
  an obviously winning hand and give the Spaniard something 
  that is not quite as good. If you don’t think you’ll be able to 
  pull it off with real cards, then just allow each player a luck 
  roll and give whoever wins the best hand. The Spaniard will 
  keep raising the stakes until he has to ante his most prized 
  possession: the Dead Man’s Hand map. This should be a sign 
  to your players to stop raising and call.
  At this point, the Spaniard slaps his cards down on the 
  table, laughs and reaches for the pot. Showing the Spaniard 
  that he lost causes him to go mad, calling the player a cheater, 
  and drawing a knife on the PC. If no one fights back, the 
  Spaniard grabs the pot, dumps it into his saddlebag and walks 
  off (see Getting map 2 & 3 if this happens).
  If the PCs fight, make the Spaniard character an equal 
  to the parties’ best fighter. The fight will last five rounds or 
  until either the PC or the Spaniard is killed or knocked uncon-
  scious. On the fifth round, the Sheriff arrives with five depu-
  ties to break up the bar fight, shooting anyone who doesn’t 
  listen. He then arrests whoever was involved in the fight and 
  locks them up until the following day. The next day, they are 
  released with a $25 fine and loss of weapons. If they can’t pay, 
  they will be released in five days. The Spaniard cannot pay 
  and is stuck in jail for the full five days.
  If the PCs allow the Spaniard to walk away with the map, 
  there are two more chances to obtain it. First, they can steal it 
  from him, by finding out what room he is staying in, by either 
  bribing or talking to Miss Kitty.
  The Spaniard is in a drunken stupor in his room so as long 
  as the PCs can pick the poor quality lock and pass a Sneak 
  check they will easily be able to get into his room. His saddle-
  bag is under his bed and will take a Sneak test (with a +1 pen-
  alty) to get it without him waking up. If the PCs remove the 
  map from the Spaniard’s bag then place the bag back under 
  the bed, they will not have any more trouble with him.
  However, removing the bag from the room will cause the 
  Spaniard to wake up the next night and attempt to hunt the 
  PCs down for vengeance. If the PCs fail one or more checks, 
  the Spaniard will wake up in 1d10 seconds. The PCs must 
  either run away or silence the Spaniard, before he wakes up 
  and alerts the Saloon to the thieves. If they kill him, they have 
  20 minutes to get out of town before the Sheriff and his five 
  deputies come. Anyone who is caught is locked up until they 
  are hanged in 5 days.
  Alternatively, if the PCs stick around in town for three 
  days, they will hear a rumor of a man killed outside of town. 
  Investigating the crime reveals it was a Spaniard, who drifted 
  into town two days ago. Investigating the crime scene allows 
  the PCs to make an Investigation roll; a success reveals the 
  map, half buried in the sand.
  GUIDANCE
  With the original copy of the Dead Man’s Hand map, the 
  PCs are ready to seek out the canyon. The only obstacle they 
  have is finding a guide who will take them out to Navajo terri-
  tory. At this point in history, the Navajo Indians are still com-
  mitting raids upon American settlements. Understandably, 
  people are scared and apprehensive about leading a group of 
  people out to their territory.
  Luckily for the PCs, the town has one of Arizona’s brav-
  est trackers living within its borders. The PCs may have 
  already heard about Muli if they socialized with any of the 
  town’s folk. If not, the PCs asking for a guide about town and 
  making a successful Interview check will be directed to Muli. 
  The PCs can also meet Charles Winterford, if they have not 
  already (see Meeting Charles Winterford).
  SPANIARD
  Level 3 Free Agent
  Str 11    
  Int 9    
  Dex 9    
  Wil 10    
  Con 13    
  Per 8
  Durability: 13/13/7/7 Action Check: 13+/12/6/3
  Move: sprint 20, run 12, walk 4, #Actions:2
  Reaction Score: Ordinary/2 Last Resorts: 2
  Attacks
  Unarmed 13/7/3 d4s/d4+1/d4+2 LI
  Knife 13/6/3 d4w/d4+1w/d4+2 LI/O
  Revolver* 12/6/3 d4+1w/d4+2w/d6m HI/O
  +1 penalty to revolver due to quality
  Defense
  +1 resistance mod vs. melee attacks
  +1 resistance mod vs. ranged attacks
  Skills
  Athletics [11]; Melee [11]-blade [13]; Unarmed [11]-
  brawl [13]; Modern [9]-pistol [11]; Vehicle Opera-
  tion [9]; Stamina [13]-endurance [14]; Knowledge 
  [9]-language; English [12]; Awareness [10]; Street 
  [10]-criminal [11]; Interaction [8]-intimidate[10].
  Gear
  Pistol .45, Knife, Saddlebag, $100
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  56
  DARK MATTER
  ADVENTURES
  Muli lives just within Hutch Town’s borders, in a self-
  made cabin. In order for Muli to agree to be their guide, the 
  PCs must either show him the map, or make a successful 
  Bargain check to hire him. His rates are a bit steep, at about a 
  $0.75 a day. Once Muli agrees to the trip, he will tell the PCs 
  it will be a single day trip (around 12 miles) and they should 
  return to him when they have supplies. He also suggests that 
  the PCs leave a little before dusk.
  See General Store for pricing on equipment.
  Depending on how long the PCs took to get the map, they 
  may have serious time problems. Remember, the PCs have a 
  total of seven days to follow the trail of the original adventur-
  ers, before the Shaman’s magic wears off.
  CANYON TRAVELS
  The travel to the canyon is uneventful, taking slightly 
  over 12 hours. Once at the Canyon, Muli will lead the PCs to 
  where the two canyons fork. Here, the PCs have a choice of 
  route. This adventure covers the two most likely routes; Muli, 
  however, is open to any reasonable plan.
  The first route takes the PCs along the edge of the canyon, 
  which makes them less likely to be caught; the disadvantage 
  is they may have trouble climbing to the caves below. The 
  second route is along the canyon bottom, which will allow 
  easier access to the cave. However, it increases their chance of 
  being caught. Each route has its own numbered map describ-
  ing events that occur when the PCs reach the assigned area.
  CANYON EDGE ROUTE
  1. Canyon Descent
  Muli suggests the PCs descend into the canyon, so they 
  can climb the other side. The PCs will be able to take the horse 
  into the Canyon, but not ride them up again. Any PCs attempt-
  ing to descend the canyon on horseback must make an Animal 
  Handling-Animal Riding check with a -1 step difficulty. Fail-
  ure results in the horse bucking and refusing to descend the 
  cliff. On a critical failure, the player is bucked off the horse 
  unless they make another Animal Handling check to stay on 
  the horse, with +2 step difficulty. A bucked off player sustains 
  d6s damage and has a 40% chance of tumbling down the 
  cliff for d4w. PCs walking down need only to make a simple 
  Movement check to avoid stubbing toes or spraining ankles.
  2. Up Again
  Once down in the valley, the PCs will have to wade through 
  the Canyon River to get to the other side. The river is barely 
  two feet deep here and can be navigated easily. Once across, 
  the PCs are faced with climbing back out of the canyon. Most 
  of the climb is not up sheer cliff, but instead involves skirt-
  ing narrow ledges. In order to succeed, the PCs will have to 
  make five Athletics-Climb checks at a -1 difficulty (or -2 with 
  make-shift climbing gear).
  3. Horse Tracks
  While traveling around the canyon’s edge, any PC can 
  make an Awareness-Perception to pick out several shoed 
  horse prints.
  4. Soldiers
  Have the PCs make Awareness-Perception checks (with a 
  -1 step bonus if they spotted the horseshoe prints earlier). Any 
  PCs who succeed hear the sound of horses ahead. Investigat-
  ing the scene require a Stealth-Sneak check, to approach the 
  soldiers unnoticed.
  There are four soldiers (use the marginal soldier template 
  on page 99 of GM guide). They are not openly aggressive to 
  the PCs, if they are caught or approached openly. However, 
  they have been ordered to not let anyone travel further up the 
  canyon.
  MEETING CHARLES WINTERFORD
  Charles can be encoun-
  tered at anytime throughout 
  the PCs’ stay in Hutch Town. 
  He can also be used to point 
  the PCs in the right direction, 
  if they still have not picked 
  up the map. The meeting with 
  Charles comes in two forms.
  The first is encountering him without the map. This 
  occurs the day after the PCs have a chance run-in with 
  the Spaniard. Winterford approaches the heroes in any 
  fashion that might endear himself to them. This may 
  mean buying a drink for them, loaning money to a 
  player without any, etc. After Winterford has acquired 
  a comfortable social situation with the PCs, he sug-
  gests a small business opportunity. He introduces 
  himself as an Antique collector. Recently he became 
  aware that a Spaniard - by the name of Jesus Galvan - 
  gained possession a very old map. Now while the map 
  itself is worthless to Winterford, he will pay top dollar 
  for anything the PCs find using it. If the PCs have not 
  encountered the Spaniard yet, Winterford points out 
  that he has a bad gambling habit, see Getting Map 1. If 
  the PCs have already had an encounter with the Span-
  iard, see Getting Map 2 & 3. After the PCs obtain the 
  map, continue with the following.
  The second encounter occurs after the PCs have 
  received the map. If the PCs have already met Winter-
  ford, he suggests they find a guide out to the canyon, 
  and he’ll wait .patiently for their return. Charles is 
  actually planning on following the characters out to 
  the canyon and stealing whatever they find. If the PCs 
  have not met him, run Encounter one. However, skip 
  his suggestion about getting the map. Charles may also 
  be willing to fund the player’s journey with a success-
  ful Bargaining check by a PC.
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
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  If Muli is in the lead, the soldiers are hostile toward him. 
  The soldiers can be bypassed through three routes. They can 
  be attacked, in which three will fight and the fourth will ride 
  back for reinforcements. They can be bribed to move out of 
  the way through a Deception-bribe check paying based on 
  success of roll ($5.00/$3.00/$1.00 each); or the guards are on 
  high alert since they have heard how Indians can move like 
  ghosts, the PCs must make a Stealth-sneak +3 diff. 5. 
  5. THE MASSACRE
  Halfway down the canyon, the PCs 
  will start to hear rifle shots. When the 
  PCs get to location five, they observe 
  a scene of destruction. Men line the 
  sides of the canyon, continuously firing 
  downward at a group of Indians on the 
  floor of the canyon. If the PCs attempt 
  to disrupt the firing in any way, they are 
  mistaken for an Indian sneak attack and 
  fired on. There are five groups, each 
  with 10 marginal soldiers, that fire in 
  an offset pattern. This is not difficult 
  to circumvent; the PCs must make 
  another Stealth-sneak -1 diff, to leave 
  unnoticed.
  6. MASSACRE CAVE
  Once the PCs arrive at the outlook 
  over Massacre Cave, they have the 
  daunting task of getting down. The path 
  the PCs used in the future does not exist here, so they must 
  find another way down. The use of ropes requires a Technical 
  Science-Invention check, modified by the available supplies. 
  If they desire, the PCs can make a sling to lower a character 
  down. Alternatively, an Athletics-climb check, with a +2 step 
  difficulty, can be made if they are lowering themselves down 
  25 meters.
  INNER CANYON ROUTE
  1. Canyon Descent
  See Canyon Edge Route
  2. Horse Tracks
  See Canyon Edge Route
  3. Bodies
  The ground at three contains the bodies of four soldiers 
  each mutilated with arrow and knife wounds. Nothing of any 
  use remains on the soldiers’ bodies.
  4. Rain of Bullets
  As the PCs approach location four, they begin to hear the 
  distant sound of rifle shots. As they get closer, they see the 
  horrifying scene of a group of Indians being picked off like 
  fish in a barrel. The adventurers have two choices: attempt to 
  cross the hail of bullets, or wait until the shooting stops.
  If the PCs attempt to make the run across, any characters 
  on horseback need to make an Animal Handling-Animal 
  Riding, with a +2 step penalty, due to the chaos. Critical 
  Failure causes the player to be bucked and have the chance of 
  being shot as a walker. Failure means the horse  may be used 
  as a shield, reducing the chance of being shot by 5%, but it 
  means that the horse cannot be ridden across the battlefield. 
  Success lowers the chance of being shot to 5/10/15%.
  Walkers may either roll Stealth-
  sneak, Acrobatics-dodge or Movement-
  race, lowering the chance of being shot 
  by 3%, 9%, or 12% respectively. The 
  base chance of being shot is 30%.
  If the PCs decide to wait out the fight, 
  they are in danger of being flushed out 
  by the scattered and angry Navajo, or the 
  soldiers. PCs must make three successful 
  Stealth-sneak checks to remain hidden 
  and make it to the Massacre Cave.
  If a player fails one of the checks, 
  they encounter either 1d4 soldiers or 1d4 
  Navajo (use marginal soldier templates 
  but substitute modern-range for primi-
  tive range and a short bow w/6 arrows).
  5. Massacre Cave
  It does not take much effort to get 
  into the massacre cave unless the PCs 
  are still dodging bullets.
  INSIDE MASSACRE CAVE
  The cave smells of earth and mildew, hints of gunpowder 
  waft in from outside. An eerie cold hangs with in the unnatu-
  ral darkness of the cave. Unless the PCs have a self-contained 
  light source - such as a lamp or matches - they will have to 
  feel around blindly.
  The piece to the Locator can be found with an Investigate-
  Search, with +2 step penalty. If any of the PCs succeeds in the 
  search check, they locate a fist-sized hole in the ground at the 
  back of the cave. It is impossible to see anything inside, so 
  they will need to plunge their hand in regardless. The hole is 
  filled with caked-up spider’s web, which has a sticky feeling, 
  but can be pushed through easily.
  When the PC’s arm is down the hole to the elbow, their 
  fingers close over a smooth metallic object. But before they 
  can withdraw their arm, they feel as sharp pain as a spider 
  bites them on the hand. The affected PC must make a Con 
  check with a +2 step penalty. Success causes no damage, but 
  the player feels sick and woozy. Failure has the same affect 
  but does d4s damage. Also the player’s hand has become 
  paralyzed and they are unable to release the piece, which is a 
  dark obsidian triangle.
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
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  DARK MATTER
  ADVENTURES
  BETRAYAL
  In order for this scene to play out correctly, it is impor-
  tant to have the players’ trust. As the PCs turn to leave the 
  cave, Charles Winterford and four muscular men brandishing 
  revolvers confront them. 
  I see you’ve captured my prize for me. Now hand it 
  over and y’all can go free.
  Despite anything the PCs may say, Winterford wants 
  the piece and will do anything for it, including cutting the 
  player’s hand off. Luckily, things won’t get that far. The PCs 
  have a chance to fight back before their companion’s hand is 
  severed. It doesn’t matter if the PCs live or die. All that mat-
  ters is that since the PCs have survived to this point, they will 
  achieve their goal of finding out what happened to the piece.
  COMBAT
  During the amazing phase of the second round of combat, 
  thousands of spiders begin falling from the ceiling. These 
  spiders relentlessly bite everyone (use a good neurotoxin), 
  slowly knocking everyone unconscious. There is no way to 
  escape the spiders, so even if the PCs try to run outside, they 
  are still bitten enough to knock them out.
  SPIDER’S LAIR
  This is from the point of view of the person who holds the 
  piece of the locator:
  Awakening is hard and moving is even harder. It feels 
  as if a strong steel cord is wrapped around your entire 
  body, constricting your breath. Forcing your eyes 
  open, you are overcome with extreme vertigo, even 
  though all you can see is darkness. Struggling to free 
  yourself from the bonds, you can feel a warm moist 
  breath on the back of your neck. In your ears, you hear 
  a soft woman’s voice: 
  “Here in the Spider’s Lair I shall wait for your rebirth, 
  for now your flesh is mine. Good night, warrior.”
  END OF ACT TWO
  PLAYER HANDOUT - Translated Map  (See Dead Man’s Hand Part 1 in DEMONGROUND Issue 13 for additional handouts.
  v
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
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  ADVENTURE
  SPECIES
  Capital Offenses by Edward Gibson
  Capital Offenses 
  Edward Gibson
  INTRODUCTION
  The Players have been summoned to a briefing room deep 
  within the bowels of National Security Agency headquarters 
  in Fort Meade, Maryland.  The room is plain: a large table and 
  seven chairs are the only furnishings.  The walls are painted 
  an institutional beige and there are no decorations to break up 
  the monotony of the walls.  In fact, the only notable features 
  of the room are two telephones, one black and one gray.  
  The gray phone is a secure line, used for discussions of 
  classified information.  The black phone is not secure and 
  is used for casual conversations.  Entrance to this room is 
  through a pair of heavy steel doors, which form an airlock.  
  There are red and green lights above the inner door.  The red 
  light is illuminated when the room is not secure, the green 
  light goes on when the room has been secured.  The meeting 
  is held on Monday, August 28, at 09:00 A.M.
  The in-depth inspection which you underwent before 
  being admitted to the briefing room implied that this meeting 
  was of a highly sensitive nature.
  (Pause and allow the characters to interact for a few min-
  utes, if they are so inclined - then continue with the following 
  text).
  After a few minutes, two men enter the room.  The younger 
  of the two men checks the room for listening devices, while 
  the older man waits impassively.    Eventually, the younger 
  man finishes and nods to the older man.  The older man does 
  not speak until the younger man leaves the room and secures 
  the doors behind him. 
  Finally, the green light above the door illuminates and the 
  man addresses you: 
  “Welcome, I am Deputy Director Ross.  Ladies and 
  gentlemen, we have a problem.  There was a traffic 
  accident in Washington D.C. three nights ago.  One 
  driver was killed instantly, while the other driver fled 
  on foot.  The body of an adult female was found in the 
  trunk of the second car.  This body was subsequently 
  identified as Edith Parsons, senior aide to Senator 
  George Amberlee (R-La).  The medical examiner said 
  that Ms. Parsons was strangled prior to the accident.  
  The manner of her death was not released to the 
  public; instead it was announced that she died in an 
  accident.
  “Your group will be furnished with FBI badges and 
  documentation to investigate this case.  The official 
  reason for your involvement is concern for national 
  security due to Ms. Parsons’ position.  The senator 
  is the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee 
  and has been briefed on many of America’s covert 
  projects.
  “The truth is more disturbing.  The driver who 
  fled the accident did so after being ejected through 
  the windshield.  The medical examiner reported that 
  the quantity of blood at the scene indicated that an 
  artery had been severed.  There was a pronounced 
  blood trail for approximately 100 feet - then the trail 
  stopped.  The medical examiner thinks the subject 
  got into a car, but we suspect it wasn’t that simple.  
  Our scientists detected the alien DNA in the blood 
  samples.  We have checked our records and the only 
  individual who has undergone the Proteus treatment 
  and who was in Washington at the time was Reginald 
  Carmichael III.  He is a known associate of the victim 
  and has undergone alpha level Proteus treatment.  
  Your mission is to take Mr. Carmichael into custody.  
  Any questions?”
  Species is Copyright 1995 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pic-
  tures.  The Species RPG was created under license by West 
  End Games. 
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
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  Give the players handouts 6, 7 and 8 (background infor-
  mation on Mr. Carmichael, Senator Amberlee, and Ms. Par-
  sons).  The PCs are not forbidden to investigate further, but it 
  is made clear that their first responsibility is to arrest Mr. Car-
  michael.  If he is questioned about other suspects in the crime, 
  Mr. Ross states that if it is not Mr. Carmichael, then one of 
  Sil’s offspring must have moved into the area.  The players 
  are encouraged to be discreet, and Mr. Ross implies that any 
  publicity will be detrimental to the characters’ careers.  The 
  players do not know it, but each agent treated with the alien 
  DNA has a small transmitter implanted in his body during the 
  treatment.  The Agency learned that the only individual with a 
  transmitter in Washington at the time of the accident was Mr. 
  Carmichael.  Mr. Ross does not reveal this information, but is 
  obviously confident that Mr. Carmichael is the guilty party.
  The players are on their own.  The following locations 
  may be investigated by the PCs.  If they go to an undefined 
  location, they are only going to discover the most general 
  information; use your judgement as to what they find (if 
  anything).  Note that unless they first obtain the clues from 
  somewhere else, they are not going to be able to identify 
  some of the important locations.  Encourage the players to 
  stay together for your own sanity.  If the players get stuck or 
  side-tracked, try to subtly get them back on track.  (Some of 
  the MasterBook (MB) cards are useful for this).  If necessary, 
  the deputy director can point out errors in their thinking or 
  order them to investigate important locations.
  LOCATION 1:  
  WASHINGTON D.C. POLICE HEADQUARTERS
  It is assumed that the PCs know how to find police head-
  quarters.  The information the players obtain from police 
  headquarters and how long they have to wait for the material 
  will depend on the attitude they exhibit to the sergeant on 
  duty.  
  Sgt. Walton’s normal shift is during the day (7:00 AM to 
  3:00 PM).  If the PCs visit during the afternoon (3:00 PM to 
  11:00 PM) or night (11:00 PM to 7:00 AM), they find that 
  Sgt. Walton has been forced to work a double shift due to an 
  illness, and is more irritable than usual.  Sgt. Walton is known 
  (without affection) by the other police officers as “Mr. Per-
  sonality”.  He considers the characters, FBI, courts, Congress, 
  criminals, news media, and victims as wasting his time.  He 
  doesn’t like anybody.
  If approached in a friendly manner and asked for assis-
  tance, he complains for a while, but eventually (one hour 
  total) provides all the police reports (player handouts 3 to 
  5).  He says the autopsy report hasn’t been received from the 
  medical examiners office and suggests the PCs visit the medi-
  cal examiner.
  If the PCs barge in and demand the reports as FBI agents, 
  they receive less cooperation.  He starts by claiming that he 
  has a staff meeting, and asks the characters to wait (or return) 
  in an hour.  He then provides the accident report (player 
  handout 3).  If the PCs ask about additional materials, he 
  informs them that the medical examiner (location 2) has more 
  information.  If the medical examiner sends the PCs back here 
  for the detective reports, Sgt. Walton says that the PCs asked 
  for police reports, not detective reports.  He furnishes the 
  crime scene reports (player handouts 4 and 5) an hour later, 
  (explaining “someone must have misfiled them”).
  If the players want to speak to the officer or detective who 
  wrote the various  reports, they find out that those individuals 
  work the 11:00 PM to 7:00 AM shift.  If the PCs insist, the 
  police personnel can be called in during their time off, but 
  it takes an average of 90 minutes for them to travel to police 
  headquarters.  They are reasonably cooperative, since they’ll 
  receive compensatory time off for coming in.  They can clar-
  ify information in the report, but have nothing new to add.
  The crime lab results are available at 4:00 PM Tuesday.  If 
  the characters visit police headquarters after this time and ask 
  for the lab results, give them player handout 9.
  Note on fingerprints: Despite popular perception, find-
  ing fingerprints does not enable you to magically determine 
  who made the fingerprints.  Fingerprints are virtually useless, 
  unless you have a suspect in the crime and want to see if his 
  prints show up at the scene.  The senator’s fingerprints are not 
  among those located in the apartment or the car.  Several of 
  the apartment fingerprints are from Reginald, but it’s no secret 
  that he has spent time in Edith’s apartment.  The rest of the 
  fingerprints are unknown (plumber, TV repairman, apartment 
  manager), it doesn’t matter.  The hand print above the pas-
  senger window on the car is where a man braced himself as he 
  leaned in to steal Edith’s purse from the floor of the car.  He’ll 
  be found in the burned out building, but this is more of a hint 
  for the players to ask themselves under what circumstances 
  would a print like this be produced?
  LOCATION 2: 
  WASHINGTON D.C. MEDICAL EXAMINER’S OFFICE
  It is assumed that the PCs know how to find the medical 
  examiners office.  They are greeted by a receptionist who 
  asks how she can help them.  Assuming they tell the truth, the 
  receptionist states that they need to speak to the chief medical 
  examiner.  He works from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM and is on-call if 
  needed (for a crime, not the FBI).  His name is Dr. Vijayarama 
  Pradesh and he is a native of India.  His English is much better 
  when discussing medical topics than in normal conversation.  
  If the PCs arrive during his working hours, the receptionist 
  states Dr. Pradesh just began an autopsy, and he should be 
  finished in one to two hours.  If the players don’t want to 
  wait, they may sit in during the autopsy and ask questions, as 
  long as they don’t disturb the doctor.  If the characters want to 
  watch the autopsy, ask the PCs for Willpower rolls (difficulty 
  number 8 to 15, depending on character background) in order 
  to keep their composure during the procedure.
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
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  SPECIES
  ADVENTURE
  Dr. Pradesh provides a copy of his report (player handout 
  2).  He can answer questions on the report.  His answers clar-
  ify the report, the ONLY new information which he reveals is 
  that Ms. Parsons was four months pregnant.  This information 
  is in the full report which will be used in case of a trial, but 
  was omitted from the condensed report in order to protect the 
  deceased’s reputation.
  If the characters ask about any other reports, the doctor 
  states that detectives prepared reports on the trunk and apart-
  ment crime scenes.  He doesn’t have copies of those reports, 
  but as FBI agents they should be able to obtain the reports 
  from police headquarters.  If the characters ask about the cur-
  rent location of the body, he tells them the body was turned 
  over to the Wainwright funeral home for embalming and 
  burial after the autopsy and necessary tests were completed.
  LOCATION 3: 
  REGINALD CARMICHAEL’S APARTMENT
  If the characters call or visit Mr. Carmichael’s office at the 
  Pentagon, they learn that he has taken the day off to attend 
  Ms. Parson’s viewing.  If the PCs try to talk to his co-workers, 
  they learn that he was a hard-working and well-liked young 
  man.  Good role-playing (or use of the appropriate cards) 
  enables the characters to learn that Mr. Carmichael seemed to 
  live above his means (i.e. he spent more money than he was 
  making).
  The apartment building is two stories tall and contains 
  four two-story town-houses.  Reginald’s apartment is the last 
  unit on the right when viewed from the parking lot.  Each 
  unit has its own front door.  There is a red BMW convertible 
  parked out front.
  Note:  Reginald Carmichael cooperates totally with the 
  players, so no statistics are required.  He will not attack the 
  PCs even if provoked.
  Reginald is arrogant and cultured.  He sees the characters 
  as insignificant little gnats who are not worthy of his notice.  
  If the characters make any sort of mistake, he cheerfully 
  points out their mistake and will continue to mention the 
  mistake until the PCs are ready to strangle him.  By the end 
  of this encounter 1) the PCs should hate Reginald Carmichael 
  and 2) be driven to succeed in their investigation because they 
  are sick and tired of being ridiculed.  If the characters mention 
  Project Proteus, alien DNA, or his status as an alpha agent, 
  he recognizes that they are not FBI agents, but are from The 
  Agency.  This is a major security breach, which he points out 
  repeatedly.
  Reginald has only heard the official word that Edith Par-
  sons died in a traffic accident, so he is wondering why the 
  characters have come to see him.  Even after the PCs state that 
  she was strangled, he still doesn’t know why they are here.  He 
  scoffs at the assertion that he killed her, since he truly loved 
  her.  If the characters start to question Reggie about Edith’s 
  death, he points out that if he is a suspect in her death, the 
  characters must give him his Miranda rights (assuming that 
  they didn’t think to do this).  This is another opportunity to 
  belittle the characters as inferior.  The players should be able 
  to do a reasonable approximation from years of television, but 
  Reggie helps them if need be:  “You have the right to remain 
  silent.  If you give up this right, anything you say, can and will 
  be used against you in a court of law.  You have the right to 
  have an attorney present during questioning.  If you can not 
  afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you.  If you agree 
  to answer questions now, you may choose to stop answering 
  questions at any time.  Do you understand these rights”.
  If questioned, Reginald reveals that after he left the Penta-
  gon at 5:00 PM on Friday, he went to Jacobs’ Clothiers where 
  he has a part-time job selling men’s clothing.  He worked 
  from 5:30 to 9:00 PM when the store closed.  One of his best 
  customers came to the store to be fitted after the store closed. 
  The customer arrived at 9:30 PM and left at 10:30 PM after 
  purchasing three suits.  If the PCs ask, they realize that there 
  is no way to get from the store to Edith’s house to 39th and T 
  streets in time to have an accident at 11:00 PM.
  The store owner is Irving Jacobs; he corroborates Regi-
  nald’s story through 9:00 PM.  He states that Reggie has a 
  customer who comes in after hours because he doesn’t like 
  crowds.  Irving says that the customer buys 10-12 suits a year, 
  at $1500 and up, so he doesn’t mind giving the customer spe-
  cial treatment.   
  Reginald is reluctant to divulge the name of his special 
  customer, since he’s afraid that the customer may go else-
  where in the future.  If pressed, he gives the characters the 
  name of a very famous entertainer (you may choose which 
  one).  He provides a phone number and can put the PCs in 
  touch with the person, who verifies the Friday appointment 
  and times.
  If the PCs questioned Reginald, they may realize that 
  Reginald is innocent and start to investigate the crime at this 
  point.  If the PCs drop Reginald off at headquarters and don’t 
  continue to investigate, they receive a call from the Deputy 
  Director an hour later.  He informs the characters that Regi-
  nald’s blood type (A+) didn’t match the sample (O+), and the 
  PCs need to investigate the crime and find the real killer.
  Note: If the PCs ask about Edith’s pregnancy, Reggie says 
  he was unaware of her condition.  He states that he is sterile.  
  If he knows the PCs are with The Agency, he says it’s due 
  to the alien DNA treatment; otherwise, he says it’s due to a 
  genetic abnormality.
  LOCATION 4: 
  THE ACCIDENT SCENE
  The intersection of 39th and T streets is in a run-down 
  and undesirable section of town.  There is a functioning traf-
  fic light at the four-way intersection.  Alter the description 
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  62
  SPECIES
  ADVENTURE
  according to the time the characters visit.  The inhabitants 
  of the area are: homeless people begging for money to buy 
  alcohol, junkies begging for money (or looking to rob people 
  with money) to buy drugs, prostitutes offering their services 
  for drugs or money, and drug dealers selling various illegal 
  substances.  If the PCs stay in a group, no one attempts to rip 
  them off, but people are also reluctant to talk to them.  Money 
  goes a long way to obtain cooperation from these people.
  If the characters talk to the prostitutes about the accident, 
  they learn that the women heard the crash, but didn’t see it 
  happen.  When the police and medics arrived, the women 
  moved a block away (flashing lights are bad for business). 
  However, if they are questioned about unusual happenings, 
  one speaks up.  “My name is Velvet, sugar, and I might have 
  something to tell you.  If you’re going to reimburse me for 
  taking time away from my business”.  If she is given at least 
  $20, she says that she saw a man flag down a cab, about two 
  blocks over.  The cab wasn’t going to stop until the man 
  jumped in front of it.  He talked to the driver briefly and then 
  got into the cab.  The man was noticeable because he was well 
  dressed and covered in blood.  She identifies the cab company 
  as Yellow Cab.
  A boarded up building is on the northeast corner.  Inves-
  tigation shows that the building is not occupied.  On the 
  southwest corner is an empty lot overgrown with weeds and 
  tall grass.  Trash is strewn across the lot and two junked cars 
  sit rusting on concrete blocks.  On the southeast corner is a 
  warehouse.  The warehouse operates from 7:00 AM to 7:00 
  PM and armed guards are present during that time.  At other 
  times, the building is securely locked.  The warehouse is used 
  for storing steel and is filled with large coils of steel for use 
  in manufacturing.
  On the northwest corner is a burned-out building which 
  was boarded up in the past.  Investigation shows that the 
  boards have been tied on with ropes, so the building appears 
  to be secure, but is open.  Pieces of old syringes and broken 
  crack pipes crunch underneath the character’s feet as they 
  approach the building.  The building smells of sweat and 
  urine.  
  If the PCs enter the building, they see a half dozen old 
  mattresses in the light of their flashlights as the cockroaches 
  scurry for cover.  There are four old men lying among the 
  mattresses.  The men look up as the characters approach, and 
  ask what the PCs want.  It’s hot and nasty in this building, 
  especially during the day.  The men deny knowing anything 
  about the crash.  If offered a bribe ($10 each) or the characters 
  have an appropriate card, they say that they heard the crash 
  and went out to see what had happened.  They just caught a 
  glimpse of one figure running away from the wreck.  They 
  didn’t get a good look, but believe it was a male, stocky in 
  build, and about 6’ tall.  The driver of the other car was moan-
  ing and said “Why did he do that?”, then he made a choking 
  sound and was quiet.
  The men are not telling everything.  One of them stole 
  Edith’s purse and they split the money.  Bribery combined 
  with the proper MB cards and an agreement not to prosecute, 
  or good role-playing (especially if they have picked up on 
  some of the other clues) obtains the rest of the story.  Joe says 
  he saw a purse on the floor of the car, and the driver had run 
  off, so he leaned in and picked it up.  They took the money 
  (about $80) and tossed the purse in a dumpster down the 
  street.  Then the men went off and got drunk.  If the characters 
  search the dumpster, eventually they come up with the purse:
  (Roll perception, DN 15, one roll per character per ten 
  minutes spent searching)
  Right after the PCs find the purse, four members of a local 
  gang, The East Georgetown Posse, shows up to harass the 
  players.  Go to rounds.  They tell the PC’s  they’re trespass-
  ing in the gang’s territory and if they give up their money and 
  valuables the gang will let them leave.  If any of the player 
  characters surrender, they are taken up to the top of a nearby 
  eight story tall building and thrown off.  
  EAST GEORGETOWN POSSE (4)
  Agility 9
  Dodge 12
  Maneuver 10
  Running 10 
  Melee Combat 10
  Dexterity 9
  Fire Combat 12
  Lock Picking 10
  Endurance 9
  Resist Shock 10
  Strength 10
  Lifting 11
  Toughness 11 (13)
  Intellect 8
  First Aid 9
  Perception 10 
  Trick 9
  Mind 7
  Confidence 10
  Con 11 
  Interrogation 11
  Intimidation 13
  Streetwise 12 
  Willpower 12
  Charisma 6
  Taunt 8 
  Life Points 1
  Equipment: Two have UZI SMGs (Damage 
  19) and the other two have sawed-off M500s 
  (Damage 21).  They are wearing Soft Leather 
  (+2/17).  Each has a knife (Str+4/19) and 
  about $100 in cash.
  
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  Falling damage value is (7 for distance + the character’s 
  weight value + a bonus number) and only two points of 
  armor count (MB 91).  
  If the characters are in danger of being wiped out, the 
  Washington police show up and the gang members flee.
  Edith Parsons’ wallet is in the purse.  The characters find 
  her drivers license, credit cards, and senate identification 
  cards, but no cash.  She has a receipt from the Westwood Motel 
  for $50 in her wallet, dated August 23.  Her planner is in the 
  purse along with other irrelevant materials.  The Wednesday 
  meetings are listed as 4:30 PM / Consultation WM.
  Friday’s doctor appointment is found to be with a Dr. 
  Vivian Gray.  The only information the doctor provides over 
  the phone is that Edith Parsons was her patient and she had an 
  appointment on Friday.  She tells the agents that if they show 
  up at her office with identification, she is willing to speak to 
  them.  The PCs can determine that her specialty is OB/GYN 
  by asking her or looking in the phone book.  The characters 
  may learn who the doctor is by going through the Washington 
  phone book, but barring the use of an appropriate card, it is 
  eight hours of work for one person going through the phone 
  book.  
  Dr. Gray checks the character’s identification and is will-
  ing to answer most questions.  The basic information she has 
  is that Edith Parsons came in for an examination because 
  Edith wanted to confirm that she was pregnant.  Edith never 
  said who the father was, although she did say that she was 
  planning to ask him to marry her later that day.  Edith was 
  approximately four months pregnant.  Edith seemed happy to 
  be pregnant and was in high spirits.  This is the extent of what 
  Dr. Gray knows.  She can’t shed any light on who fathered 
  the child.
  LOCATION 5: 
  EDITH PARSON’S APARTMENT
  The apartment buildings are two stories tall and have two 
  apartments on each floor.  Edith’s apartment is the top left 
  unit when viewed from the parking lot.  Entrance to the units 
  is from a central entry way.  The entrance door is electrically 
  locked and visitors are buzzed in by the occupants.  There are 
  four mail slots and four call buttons.
  If the PCs visit Edith’s apartment, they discover that the 
  apartment is locked, and is sealed with yellow tape reading 
  “Police Crime Scene - Do Not Enter”.  If the characters break 
  in, two Washington D.C. police officers show up and catch 
  them in the apartment.  Once the PCs explain what they were 
  doing, the officers point out that the characters may have con-
  taminated vital evidence.  If the players contact the police, an 
  officer arrives to open the door in 30 minutes.
  The apartment has two bedrooms: the main bedroom and a 
  smaller room which appears to be used for storage.  The stor-
  age bedroom has boxes of clothes, Christmas decorations, old 
  books, and miscellaneous stuff.
  There is a kitchen, a dining room, the living room, and one 
  and one-half bathrooms.  A washer and dryer are located in 
  the half bathroom.
  There is nothing for the PCs to learn from the apartment.  
  The master bedroom and living room are as described in the 
  police reports.  Black finger print powder can be observed on 
  the coke can and plate, although the food has been discarded.  
  There is no personal phone directory or other personal cor-
  respondence in the apartment.
  If the characters speak to the neighbors, they find that the 
  apartment opposite Edith’s is vacant and the one below that 
  is occupied by four flight attendants (Stella, Carol, Gina, and 
  Fawn).  The flight attendants were in Dallas on Friday night. 
  Their flight was delayed and then cancelled due to mechanical 
  difficulties.  They are single and are reasonably receptive to 
  dinner invitations.
  The Whitcombs live in the unit below Edith’s apartment.  
  Laurel Whitcomb is a busy-body; she complains about the 
  lack of morality among the young people.  She knows that 
  Reggie regularly spent the night with Ms. Parsons, despite the 
  fact that they weren’t married (acts shocked).  She denounces 
  the flight attendants as bimbos, and provides lurid details 
  about their immoral behavior (most of which is fabricated).  
  She doesn’t provide any new information.  Walter is very 
  uncomfortable talking with the FBI agents.  In fact, the PCs 
  should get the idea that he is concealing something.  He is 
  very nervous and suspicious, so the characters may think that 
  he knows more about the murder than he has said.  In actual-
  ity, he has over $2,500 in unpaid parking tickets and is afraid 
  of being arrested.  He can clarify that it was a large car that 
  nearly struck him, but has no new information.
  LOCATION 6: 
  SENATOR AMBERLEE’S OFFICE
  If the characters visit the senator’s office on Monday, they 
  discover he is at home.  The senate is in recess during August 
  and the senator is mourning the death of his top aide.  The PCs 
  are greeted by the senator’s secretary, Jean Hathaway.  Ms. 
  Hathaway confirms the background information on the sena-
  tor.  Jean is loyal and supportive of the senator.  Although she 
  suspects that the senator and Edith were having an affair, she 
  would never say so.  She is unaware that the senator’s spinal 
  injury is improving.
  If asked where the senator is on Wednesday afternoons, 
  Jean says the senator has a standing appointment at 4:30 PM 
  with his physical therapist.  He works on trying to develop 
  strength in his legs.  He also swims and works out on weight 
  machines.  The physical therapist is Dr. Daniel Drake; if 
  contacted, he refuses to answer any questions.  He states that 
  since the senator is a patient under his care, he can’t comment 
  on anything relating to the senator.  He won’t confirm or deny 
  the senator’s appointments.
  
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  If asked where Edith was on Wednesday afternoons, Jean 
  says Edith was attending classified intelligence briefings on 
  the senator’s behalf.  This is a dead end, since no one will 
  comment on these briefings.  The senator went with Edith on a 
  few occasions when important topics were being discussed.
  If asked about Edith’s activities on Friday August 25, Jean 
  reports that Edith arrived at 6:00 AM and worked until 3:00 
  PM, when she left for a doctor’s appointment.  Ms. Hatha-
  way does not know the name of the doctor.  Ms. Hathaway 
  mentions that Edith was compulsive about recording names, 
  phone numbers, addresses, and appointments in her daily 
  planner.  She carried the planner everywhere she went.  If 
  the agents find the planner, they could learn which doctor she 
  went to see.
  The senator arrived at 8:30 AM and worked until 4:00 PM. 
  He left for the National Aquarium, where he was attending 
  a retirement party for a former business colleague of his.  If 
  asked, the colleague’s name was Donald Peters.  Mr. Peters 
  is listed in the phone book.  He confirms that the senator 
  attended the party.  The senator arrived shortly after 4:30 PM 
  and stayed until the party ended.  The senator was drinking, 
  but not so heavily that his driving was impaired.  The party 
  broke up about 9:00 PM.  Mr. Peters doesn’t know what the 
  senator did when the party ended, but his pager had gone off 
  shortly before 9:00 PM.
  The players will not be able to get information from the 
  phone or pager companies during the course of this module.  
  Both require a court order before they will provide informa-
  tion.
  LOCATION 7: 
  SENATOR AMBERLEE’S HOME
  The senator lives in a large house in the Washington sub-
  urbs.  The senator is home Monday, but is in his office Tues-
  day through Friday.  The senator is happy to meet with the 
  characters if he is home.  His office is luxurious, with leather 
  furniture and oak panelling.  The entire house is wheelchair 
  accessible.  
  The senator remains in his wheelchair during the visit. 
  On a perception check (DN 15), a character observes that 
  the senator is not wearing a watch, although tan lines show 
  where a watch was worn.  (If asked, he says that he took it off 
  to wash his hands at a party Friday night, and forget to put it 
  back on.  When he went back later, it was gone.  He changes 
  the subject to greater punishment for thieves).  
  The senator has the following scores for use in 
  interaction with the players: 
  Perception  
  10
  Confidence  
  12
  Con  
  16
  Once the senator hears why the characters have come to 
  visit him, he encourages them to find Edith’s killer.  He is 
  very much against crime and says that the courts are too soft 
  on criminals.  He’ll tell the PCs about how he was mugged a 
  few years ago.  He had gone to the theater with his wife and 
  on their way back to the car, they were jumped by four punks. 
  The punks didn’t think he had enough money for them to steal, 
  so they kept beating him.  He tells the characters the criminals 
  were never apprehended.  The senator tells the characters if 
  they do a good job on this case, he’ll put in a good word with 
  their superiors.  He asks to be kept updated on whatever the 
  agents discover.
  If asked about where he is on Wednesday afternoons, he 
  considers it insulting, but states that he visits his physical 
  therapist for treatment and exercises.  He also exercises at 
  the Senate health club on Saturday mornings.  If asked about 
  his whereabouts on Friday night, he says that he went to a 
  retirement party after work and stayed until 9:30 PM or so.  If 
  asked who paged him, he says it was Edith’s number, but she 
  didn’t answer.  He thought he had a bit too much to drink, so 
  he decided to take a short nap in his car.  When he woke up it 
  was 12:30 AM.  He was parked in the municipal garage near 
  the National Aquarium, which is patrolled.  If the characters 
  inquire, they find that no one from the garage can prove or 
  disprove the senator’s story.  The senator drives a dark blue 
  Ford Crown Victoria with hand controls (and handicapped 
  plates).
  If the senator believes he is considered a suspect, based on 
  the PCs questions, he calls some people, uses a few favors, 
  and arranges for some people to make life difficult for the 
  characters - use location 11: Ambush, whenever you can fit it 
  into the story-line.  The Deputy Director also calls the charac-
  ters to suggest that if they suspect the senator, they had better 
  have some very strong evidence.
  If the characters talk to the senator’s wife Mary while the 
  senator is around, she defers to her husband.  If questioned 
  when her husband is at work, her story corroborates her hus-
  band’s.  Mary does say that her husband called her on Friday 
  to let her know that he would be home late.  She’s not sure 
  about the time, but she thinks it was after 9:00 PM.  He made 
  it home about 1:00 AM, he had just gotten into bed when the 
  phone call from the detective about poor Edith came.  She 
  considers Edith to be a sweet, intelligent, hard-working girl 
  and thinks that it’s horrible that someone would hurt her.  She 
  doesn’t suspect that her husband was romantically involved 
  with Edith.  She does say that her husband’s therapy has been 
  showing results, where he used to hold himself up with his 
  arms and drag his legs, he is now capable of taking 3-4 steps 
  on his own.  She says that he really started to improve after 
  an experimental treatment about ten weeks ago.  (She doesn’t 
  have details of the treatment and no one else is talking).
  If asked about the watch, she says it was her present to 
  her husband on their 25th anniversary, and she is very upset 
  Persuasion  
  16
  Intimidation  
  14
  Willpower  
  18
  
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  that her husband lost the watch.  She describes the watch as a 
  large gold Rolex with diamonds which cost $2,500 when she 
  purchased it (12 years ago).  She only mentions the inscription 
  (“To GA from MA on 25 years”) if specifically asked about 
  identifying marks.  If asked about the suit the senator wore 
  on Friday, she says that he must have taken it to the cleaners 
  because it’s not in the closet.  (The senator threw it in a dump-
  ster Saturday morning on his way to identify the body ).
  LOCATION 8: 
  THE WESTWOOD MOTEL
  When the characters obtain the receipt for the Westwood 
  motel from Edith’s purse, they may decide to investigate the 
  motel.  The manager of the motel is Vinny Wilson.  Vinny 
  is aware that most of the motel’s customers are prostitutes, 
  adulterers, and minors, so he isn’t overly inclined to cooper-
  ate with the FBI.  If threatened, he refuses to cooperate, asks 
  for a lawyer, and won’t allow the PCs any access to the motel 
  without a search warrant.
  If the PCs do not threaten him, Vinny talks if he is given 
  the right incentive ($).  It’s possible playing the right MB 
  cards gives the players the information they want.  Otherwise, 
  for $20 he identifies Edith Parsons (from a photograph) as a 
  regular visitor.  He shows the characters where she signed the 
  motel register (using her real name and address).  For another 
  $20, Vinny says that Edith came to the motel with an older, 
  gray-haired man.  Vinny never got a real good look at him, he 
  stayed in the car while Edith took care of the room.  Vinny 
  can’t identify the man from a picture.  If asked whether the 
  man had difficulty walking, Vinny hems and haws around 
  while waiting for another $20.  If the characters pay up, he 
  says that the man didn’t seem to have any problems walk-
  ing, but he did have handicapped license plates and always 
  parked in a handicapped spot.  (He didn’t notice the license 
  number).
  Edith and the man have been coming to the motel off and 
  on almost a year.  However, for the past six months, they con-
  sistently checked in on Wednesdays about 4:30 PM and left at 
  10:00 PM.  They usually requested room #179, it’s located on 
  the back side of the motel, right next to a handicapped parking 
  spot.  The man’s car was a black Ford Crown Victoria.  The 
  PCs can rent room #179 for further investigation.  The cost 
  is $25 an hour or six hours for $50.  The room is seedy, the 
  furniture is falling apart, and there are no further clues.  None 
  of the other guests at the motel cooperate with the player 
  characters.
  LOCATION 9: 
  THE WAINWRIGHT FUNERAL HOME
  If the characters check the obituaries in the newspaper, 
  they discover the body of Edith Parsons was taken to the 
  Wainwright funeral home.  The medical examiner can inform 
  the PCs that the body was turned over to the Wainwright 
  funeral home.  A visitation will be held on Tuesday August 
  29 from 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM.  The ceremony is closed casket.  
  After the ceremony, the body will be shipped home to Louisi-
  ana for private family funeral services and final burial.
  There is no reason for the characters to want to see the 
  body, but if they insist, it is permitted with the following 
  stipulations:  the PCs must show their FBI identification, 
  have a logical reason to examine the body, and a funeral home 
  employee remains with them during their examination.  The 
  examination must be completed by at least one hour before 
  the visitation.  These stipulations are not negotiable.  The 
  funeral home will not turn the body over to the PCs without 
  the family’s permission (the medical examiner was done with 
  the body or it would not have been embalmed) and the family 
  does not grant permission.
  The body in the casket matches the description of Ms. 
  Parsons, the fingerprints of the corpse match Ms. Parsons’ 
  fingerprints, and alien DNA can not be detected in the body. 
  There is nothing else for the characters to learn at the funeral 
  home.
  LOCATION 10: 
  THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR’S OFFICE
  If the PCs come here with Reginald Carmichael as their 
  prisoner, the deputy director asks if the prisoner gave them 
  any trouble.  He also wants to know what the prisoner said. 
  He takes Mr. Carmichael into custody and lets the PCs do 
  what they want.  If the PCs aren’t continuing to investigate 
  the crime, they receive a call from Mr. Ross in one hour. 
  He informs the characters that Mr. Carmichael’s blood type 
  doesn’t match the blood from the accident scene.  It is up 
  to the players to continue the investigation and hunt for the 
  killer.
  If the PCs come here because they believe they know who 
  the killer is, Mr. Ross asks the following questions:
  “Who was the killer?
  “What was the cause of death?
  “When was the murder committed?
  “Where was the murder committed?
  “Why was the murder committed?”
  If the players don’t have reasonable answers or support-
  ing evidence for any of these questions, Director Ross tells 
  them that it’s an interesting theory, but the District Attorney 
  doesn’t want interesting theories, he wants answers and he 
  wants evidence.  Mr. Ross suggests the characters continue 
  their investigation.
  If the players have all the right answers, they still need to 
  answer one last question:
  “The senator’s injury is known to prevent him from 
  walking more than ten feet without assistance.  How 
  did he run 100 feet with serious injuries?”
  
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    If the PCs have been clever (possibly tossing a dummy 
  hand grenade into the senator’s lap) they may have evidence 
  to prove that the senator’s injury seems to be substantially 
  healed.  Otherwise, the PCs need to establish that the injury 
  is gone.  If time is running out, Director Ross asks where the 
  alien DNA came from in the blood at the scene?  Senator 
  Amberlee is not involved with Project Proteus.  This question 
  should lead the PCs to the correct answer.
  Senator Amberlee, as the chairman of the Senate Intel-
  ligence Committee received a briefing on Project Proteus. 
  The senator used some favors and twisted some arms in order 
  to receive a minimal (less than delta) dose of the alien DNA 
  two months ago.  While he has not gained any animal forms, 
  he has developed the regeneration ability.  This allowed his 
  spinal injury to heal.  He has become sterile and is subject 
  to the fatal disease and antidote dependency that all foreign 
  DNA recipients suffer.
  THE ACTUAL COURSE OF EVENTS:
   9:30 PM Senator answers page, finds Edith needs to 
  see him.
   9:33 PM Senator calls wife and says that he’ll be 
  home late.
   9:35 PM Senator leaves for Edith’s apartment.
   9:55 PM Senator arrives at apartment and interrupts 
  Edith’s dinner.
  10:00 PM Senator and Edith retire to bedroom for a 
  discussion.  Edith informs the senator that she is 4 
  months pregnant with his child and she wants him 
  to leave his wife and marry her before the child is 
  born.  Senator cries “What” as heard by Mrs. Whit-
  comb.  Senator tries to persuade Edith to wait until 
  after elections the following year.  Edith refuses, 
  the senator fears the scandal would cost him the 
  election, so he strangles her.
  10:25 PM Senator wipes off his fingerprints from 
  everything he remembers touching.  He wraps 
  Edith’s body in the comforter and puts it in the 
  trunk of her car, takes her purse, and takes the car.  
  He plans to torch the body and the car in a Wash-
  ington slum district.
  11:00 PM Accident occurs.  Senator hurled through 
  windshield and flees on foot.
  11:30 PM Senator catches a cab about 1/2 mile away.  
  He tells the driver he came to this part of town to 
  buy drugs and was beaten up and ripped off by the 
  drug dealers.  He gives the driver his Rolex watch 
  for a ride to an office near Edith’s apartment com-
  plex.
  12:10 AM Arrives at Edith’s apartment complex and 
  heads for home in his car.  He almost runs into Mr. 
  Whitcomb on his way home.
  12:55 AM Arrives home, just in time to get phone call 
  from detective.
  Once the PCs have discovered the complete truth, go to 
  Conclusion.
  LOCATION 11: 
  AMBUSH
  Run this encounter once the senator believes that the char-
  acters suspect he had something to do with Edith’s death.  You 
  should fit this encounter in when it seems most appropriate.  
  A good choice would be the next time the PCs go to see the 
  Deputy Director.
  Make perception or intellect rolls (DN 15) to determine 
  ASSASSINS (2)
  Agility 9
  Dodge 12
  Maneuver 10
  Running 11 
  Stealth 13
  Unarmed Combat 12
  Dexterity 12
  Fire Combat 16 
  Heavy Weapons (LAW/HMG) 14 
  Thrown Weapons 13
  Endurance 9
  Resist Shock 12
  Strength 7
  Lifting 10
  Toughness 10 (17)
  Intellect 9
  Camouflage 11 
  First Aid 10 
  Perception 12
  Mind 7
  Confidence 9
  Streetwise 10 
  Survival (Urban) 11
  Willpower 13
  Charisma 6
  Disguise 8
  Persuasion 7
  Life Points 3
  Equipment: One has a LAW and an UZI 
  SMG the other has an HK21. Each has a 
  Glock 22 (Dam. 18), Smoke grenade, Light 
  Kevlar (+7/22)
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
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  if the PCs are surprised or use an alertness card if someone 
  has one in play.  Tell them that they see a man stepping out of 
  an alley (from behind a car/from the open door of a van) and 
  pointing something at them.  Go to rounds.  
  The first opponent shoots at the car with a LAW 
  (Damage Value 27, 4 meter radius).  The character’s 
  car has toughness 17 (for resisting damage to the car), 
  the characters have +6 to their personal toughness for 
  the car body.  The second opponent aims for the driver 
  with an HK21 (Damage Value 24).  After the LAW 
  rocket has been fired, the first man draws an UZI SMG 
  (Damage Value 19) and attacks.  Each of the opponents 
  has a smoke grenade which he uses to cover his retreat, 
  if necessary.
  In addition to their weapons and armor the assassins have 
  a set of keys to a brown delivery van.  The plates on the van 
  are reported stolen and do not belong to the van.  The van 
  and weapons are also reported stolen if run by their serial 
  numbers.  The assassins are not carrying any identification 
  or other documents.  The police arrive on the scene within 
  three minutes of the attack.  The police take any prisoners into 
  custody.  The attackers will not talk to the agents or the police.  
  Their fingerprints aren’t on record anywhere.  Once they go 
  on trial, the case will be dismissed because there are no wit-
  nesses (remember that the PCs are using fake FBI badges).
  LOCATION 12:
  YELLOW CAB COMPANY
  If the characters contact Yellow Cab, they learn that none 
  of the 30 drivers who were working Friday reported picking 
  up a fare in that part of town.  Cab drivers are not employees 
  of Yellow Cab, so it is difficult to know when one individual 
  will show up for work.  If the PCs go to the Yellow Cab com-
  pany at the start of the night shift, allow each a charm roll (DN 
  18) to find someone who knows about the incident and who is 
  willing to talk (relevant cards may also be used).  Eventually, 
  they find a cab driver who says he was the driver who picked 
  up the guy they’re asking about.
  He’ll describe the man as being heavy-set, older, well-
  dressed, but covered in blood.  The driver says he was afraid 
  of being robbed in that neighborhood, but the man offered his 
  watch for the fare.  He’s seen expensive watches on some of 
  his fares, and this was the real thing.  The man said he had 
  gone to that neighborhood to buy drugs, but the dealers had 
  beat him up and robbed him.  He dropped the man off at an 
  office building.  A deduction check (DN 13) identifies that 
  building as being about a quarter-mile from Edith’s apart-
  ment.  The cab driver isn’t wearing the watch (it’s at home).  If 
  asked politely (and if he has been well treated) he checks the 
  watch later and calls to say the back is inscribed “To GA from 
  MA on 25 years”.  Mary Amberlee confirms that this was the 
  inscription on the watch she gave to her husband.  This cab 
  driver cannot identify a picture of the senator as his passenger, 
  because the man was covered with so much blood.
  The players should recognize that this is circumstantial 
  evidence, it doesn’t prove anything on its own.  It helps build 
  a case against the senator, but at best, it’s the cab driver’s word 
  against the senator’s (and the senator will look much better on 
  the witness stand).  The Deputy Director will point this out, if 
  the players don’t realize this fact.
  CONCLUSION
  When the players finish explaining to Deputy Director 
  Ross why they believe that Senator Amberlee murdered Edith 
  Parsons and that they believe the senator was treated with the 
  foreign DNA used in the Proteus Project, the Deputy Director 
  excuses himself and leaves the room.  He returns ten minutes 
  later.
  “I have discussed this matter with my superiors.  
  It appears that the truth is much as you surmised.  
  However, prosecuting the senator for this crime 
  would raise awkward questions.  Questions that 
  certain powerful individuals don’t want the public 
  to hear.  This investigation is terminated.  Turn over 
  any evidence which you’ve gathered to me before you 
  leave.  I hope you realize that the people who don’t 
  want these awkward questions raised will not be 
  happy if your future conduct brings these questions 
  into public view.  Do I make myself clear?”
  At this point, your players are likely to do one of three 
  things.  First, they may decide to assassinate the senator. 
  If the PCs attempt to kill the senator, they succeed (The 
  Agency is actually supporting their efforts).  However, any 
  PCs involved in the assassination are killed by other Agency 
  personnel.  (They are convenient scapegoats, and just like the 
  senator, they are too dangerous to be put on trial).  Second, the 
  PCs may try to undermine the senator.  If the characters are 
  discreet, this is tolerated.  If the PCs fail to exercise discre-
  tion, the most visible troublemaker is eliminated as a warning 
  to the others.  The third option is to do nothing.  In this case, 
  the senator falls ill in a month, and dies of a rare disease in 
  another month.
  THE END
  
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  PLAYER HANDOUT 1
  SPECIES BACKGROUND
  In the World of Species, two messages were received by radio-telescope from a remote region of space.  The first mes-
  sage identified a chemical catalyst which allowed methane to be produced cheaply.  The second message detailed a foreign 
  DNA string and provided instructions on how it could be combined with human DNA.
  Since the first message provided a plentiful supply of low-cost fuel, scientists believed the second message would also 
  be beneficial.  They were wrong.  Project Proteus was the name given to the experiment of combining human genetic mate-
  rial and the foreign DNA.  The resulting child, named Sil, developed at a remarkable rate.  She grew to maturity in less 
  than three weeks.  At this point the scientists became worried and tried to “terminate the experiment”; however, Sil escaped 
  from the laboratory into the world outside.  Her priorities became survival and reproduction: she was driven to ensure the 
  survival of her race.
  The authorities put a team together to eliminate Sil.  The team believed she was destroyed in the sewers of Los Angeles, 
  but evidence of the foreign DNA was found at a crime scene in North Carolina.  Nobody knows whether Sil escaped or if 
  she had managed to reproduce, but aliens were on the loose and someone had to stop them.
  This is where The Agency came into the picture.  The Agency was formed in 1953 to investigate extraterrestrial con-
  tacts.  Its charter was later broadened to include any unexplained phenomena.  The Agency is headquartered in a section of 
  the National Security Agency complex in Fort Meade, Maryland.
  In order to combat the aliens, whose abilities surpassed those of normal humans, Project Proteus went into a new phase. 
  Human volunteers were injected with reduced doses of the alien DNA.  Many died or went insane in the process.  Some sur-
  vived, gaining the ability to change their shape and other alien characteristics.  The volunteers received differing amounts 
  of the alien DNA, in decreasing order: alpha, beta, gamma, and delta.  The more foreign DNA received, the more powerful 
  the alien abilities gained, but the more difficult it is to control the alien instincts.
  Permanent sterility is one side effect of the treatment process.  In addition, a fatal disease is engineered into the genes of 
  the volunteers.  As long as the antidote is received monthly, the disease is dormant.  After one month without the antidote, 
  the agent falls ill, and death results in another l - 3 months.  The antidote is only available from The Agency: it’s their little 
  insurance policy to keep agents from striking out on their own.
  Certain rare individuals are able to do things with their minds which are beyond human understanding.  These mysteri-
  ous individuals are physics.  The Agency recruits these individuals whenever it has the chance.
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  69
  SPECIES
  ADVENTURE
  PLAYER HANDOUT 2
  MEDICAL EXAMINER’S REPORT
  Edith Parsons’ body was positively identified by her employer, Senator Amberlee, at 7:10 AM on August 26, 1995. 
  The autopsy began once the body had been identified.  Detective Marc Hollis of the Washington D.C. Police Department 
  observed the autopsy.
  Prior to the autopsy, the following evidence gathering procedures occurred.  Scrapings were taken from beneath the 
  fingernails and sent to the crime lab.  The body was finger printed.  The standard tests for sexual assault were conducted.
  I performed an autopsy on the body of Edith Parsons at the Washington D.C. Medical Examiner’s Office at 7:30 AM 
  on August 26, 1995.  From the anatomic findings and pertinent history, I find the cause of death to be asphyxia resulting 
  from strangulation.  In my opinion, the death occurred between 9:30 and 10:30 PM on August 25, 1995.
  External Examination:
  The body is that of a well-developed, well-nourished Caucasian female stated to be 32 years old.  The body weighs 
  123 pounds and measures 63 inches from crown  to sole.  The hair on the scalp is brown.  The irises are green with the 
  pupils fixed and dilated.  There are no scars, marks, or tattoos on the body.  Identification is by toe-tag and the autopsy is 
  not material to identification.
  A one half inch cut runs diagonally across the right temple.  The cut appears to be a postmortem injury.  There is bruis-
  ing along the top and both sides of the throat.  The pattern of the bruising is consistent with compression by a hand.  The 
  bruising appears to have occurred antemortem.
  Clothing:
  The body was not clothed when discovered.
  Internal Examination:
  The body is opened with the usual Y-shaped incision.  Exposure of the body cavities reveals the internal organs in 
  their usual anatomic locations with their usual anatomic relationships.  No free fluid or blood is found within the pleural, 
  pericardial, or peritoneal cavities.  There are no internal injuries to the thorax or thoracic viscera, or to the abdomen or 
  abdominal viscera.
  Opening the skin of the neck revealed severe bruising, the hyoid bone was broken, and the thyroid cartilage was 
  crushed.  There are five distinct areas of extreme bruising; these were consistent with the digits of a human hand.  The 
  thumb impression is on the right side of the throat, while the marks of four fingers are found on the left side.  In my opin-
  ion, this was the cause of death.
  Two black fibers were found in the hair and submitted for testing.  Upon removal of the scalp, examination of the skull 
  reveals no fractures or other damage.  In my opinion, this was a non-fatal superficial cutting wound of the scalp which 
  occurred after death, as a result of the vehicular accident.
  The right lung weighs 300 grams; left lung 290 grams.  The external appearance and that of the sectioned lungs show 
  no injuries.
  The heart weighs 275 grams and is anatomic in size and configuration.  The right side of the heart is heavily congested 
  with dark blood, while the remainder of the heart is unremarkable.
  The stomach, large and small intestines, bladder and kidneys, pancreas, adrenal gland, and reproductive system were 
  dissected, weighed, and examined as part of the autopsy.  No injuries or other conditions of significance to the cause of 
  death were discovered in these organs.  Representative portions of various organs were placed in a storage container con-
  taining 10% formaldehyde.  
  Dr. Vijayarama Pradesh
  Chief Medical Examiner
  August 26, 1995
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  70
  SPECIES
  ADVENTURE
  PLAYER HANDOUT 3
  ACCIDENT REPORT
  At 11:05 PM on August 25, 1995, I was dispatched to the intersection of 39th and T streets on the report of a personal 
  injury crash.  I arrived on the scene at 11:08 PM where I discovered a two-car accident in the intersection.  A vehicle travel-
  ling northbound on 39th street had struck a vehicle travelling westbound on T street in the driver’s side door.  The broken 
  windshield of the northbound vehicle was consistent with ejection of the driver due to the crash.  Although a large quantity 
  of blood was present on the windshield and across the hoods of both vehicles the driver of the northbound car was not 
  found at the scene.  The side of the westbound car buckled upon impact and folded around the driver and the front of the 
  northbound vehicle.  The driver did not show any signs of life, but I was unable to reach him due to the wreckage.  Medics 
  arrived on the scene at 11:11.  They removed the car’s roof to reach the trapped driver and begin life support, but he was 
  pronounced dead at 11:15.
  The medical examiner was contacted.  Traffic lights at the intersection were working properly and the pavement was 
  dry when I arrived.  The area where the accident occurred is run down, many of the buildings are boarded up, and the few 
  intact structures are warehouses.  I found discarded drug paraphernalia (broken syringes and pipes, discarded screens) and 
  old mattresses in a condemned building on the corner indicating that drug addicts frequent the area, but I was unable to 
  locate any witnesses to the accident.
  Based on my visual observation of the scene, I would estimate that the northbound car was travelling 50 to 60 MPH 
  and the westbound car was travelling 40 to 50 MPH  The posted speed limit is 35 MPH  The obvious conclusion is that one 
  of the drivers ran a red light, but with the one driver dead, the other missing, and no witnesses, no ruling on which driver 
  was at fault can be made at this time.
  The medical examiner reported that the driver of the westbound vehicle probably died instantly due to massive crushing 
  injuries to the head, chest, and abdomen.  A blood test revealed no alcohol in his blood.  The medical examiner reported that 
  when the driver of the northbound vehicle was ejected, an artery was severed, probably in the neck.  His opinion was that 
  an individual with this type of injury would be unconscious due to blood loss in 10 to 20 seconds and die within a minute.  
  A blood trail led about 100 feet from the vehicle, before it ended.  A passing motorist may have picked up the driver, but a 
  check of the local hospitals failed to locate anyone with this type of injury.
  An inventory was conducted prior to towing the northbound vehicle.  During the inventory, a body was found in the 
  trunk.  Homicide detectives were called to the scene to conduct an investigation.
  The northbound vehicle was registered to an Edith Parsons.  The vehicle has not been reported stolen.  Attempts to 
  contact the Parsons residence were unsuccessful.
  The westbound vehicle was registered to Jamal Cranston.  This matches the identification found on the body of the 
  driver of this vehicle.
  I left the scene at 4:45 AM, after homicide detectives had completed their investigation.
  Officer Jimmy Dunne  #1178  Washington D.C. Police Department
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  71
  SPECIES
  ADVENTURE
  PLAYER HANDOUT 5
  CRIME SCENE REPORT FOR TRUNK
  At 12:35 AM on August 26, I was called to the intersection of 39th and T streets on the report of a body being found in 
  the trunk of the car.  Officer Dunne showed me the body of the deceased and said the scene had not been disturbed.  The car 
  was a black 1993 Pontiac Bonneville.  When I ran the vehicle’s registration, it returned to an Edith Parsons, female Cau-
  casian, age 32, 5’ 3”, 123 lbs, blonde hair and green eyes.  Dispatch phoned the Parsons residence, but no one answered. 
  The body was wrapped in a comforter bearing the logo of the New Orleans Saints.
  Upon the removal of the comforter, the body was found to be that of a nude female which matched Ms. Parsons’ 
  description.  No identification was found with the body.  There was a small cut on the forehead.  Bruises were also visible 
  on the throat.  The medical examiner was already on the scene.  Based on the liver temperature of the body, he estimated 
  that death had occurred between 9:00 and 11:00 PM.  The hands were enclosed in paper bags to preserve any evidence 
  until the autopsy occurred.  The woman’s employer, Senator Amberlee, was contacted by phone at 1:25 AM.  He agreed 
  to come to the morgue at 7:00 AM to identify the body.
  After the body was removed to the morgue, the trunk carpeting was combed for additional evidence.  A small amount 
  of blood was observed near the right trunk hinge and a sample was taken for testing.  Three black and gold threads were 
  found, these were collected for testing.
  The car was towed to the police impound yard where an evidence specialist will check it for fingerprints.  The victim’s 
  body will be finger printed for comparison purposes once any debris has been collected from under her fingernails.  The 
  autopsy is scheduled for 7:30 AM on August 26, 1995.  I left the crime scene at 4:20 AM en route to the station to log the 
  evidence in the case.
  Detective Marc Hollis #268  Washington D.C. Police Department
  PLAYER HANDOUT 4
  CRIME SCENE REPORT FOR APARTMENT
  At 10:35 AM on August 26, I proceeded to the apartment of Ms. Edith Parsons (2119 Whispering Springs #1) in the 
  course of my investigation into Ms. Parsons’ death.  The apartment had been secured by Officer William Goetz (#1299). 
  He informed me that he had been at the scene since 1:35 AM and no one had entered or left the apartment.
  The doors and windows were found to be locked, and there were no signs of forced entry.  The apartment was very neat 
  and no signs of a struggle were observed.  Ms. Parsons’ purse and identification were not found in the apartment.
  Investigation of the bedroom revealed that the bed was unmade and the sheets were in disarray.  No blankets were 
  present.  Observation revealed a number of black and gold threads on the sheets.  A total of 31 threads were collected and 
  submitted for testing.
  The television set in the living room was on and tuned to channel nine.  An open can of coke (warm and half empty) was 
  present on the cocktail table in the living room next to a half-eaten plate of macaroni and cheese.  This food was consistent 
  with the stomach contents of the body as observed during the autopsy.  Samples of the food and drink were collected for 
  testing.  An evidence specialist was summoned to check the apartment for finger prints.
  I questioned the neighbors to see if they had seen or heard anything unusual the previous night.  Laurel Whitcomb, the 
  downstairs neighbor reported she had heard a shout, shortly after 10:00 PM.  She thought it was a cry of “What”, but noth-
  ing further was heard.  She reported that Ms. Parsons had a boyfriend who drove a red BMW convertible.  She believes his 
  first name is Reggie.  She hadn’t seen his car the previous night.  Walter Whitcomb, Laurel’s husband, reported that he had 
  gone to a party the previous night.  When he returned home at around 12:30 AM, he nearly collided with a dark colored 
  car, driving without lights, which sped out of the apartment complex.
  None of the other neighbors had seen the red BMW or a suspicious dark colored vehicle.  I left the apartment at 1:15 
  PM en route to the station to log the evidence in the case.
  Detective Marc Hollis #268  Washington D.C. Police Department
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  72
  SPECIES
  ADVENTURE
  PLAYER HANDOUT 7
  SENATOR GEORGE ARTHUR AMBERLEE
  Height: 5’ 9”
  Weight: 165 lbs.
  Age: 62
  Hair: gray
  Eyes: brown
  Office Address:
  Senate Office Building
  Suite 311
  Washington, DC
  (202)555-3245
  Home Address:
  35651 Sylvan Way
  Arlington, VA
  (703)555-6741 (Unlisted)
  PLAYER HANDOUT 6
  REGINALD CARMICHAEL III
  Height: 6’ 3”
  Weight: 205 lbs.
  Age: 26
  Hair: blonde 
  Eyes: blue
  Office Address:
  The Pentagon
  Office 3516
  Washington, DC
  (202)555-3616
  Home Address:
  2810 Potomac Landing
  Apt. 4
  Arlington, VA
  (703)555-2187
  PLAYER HANDOUT 8
  EDITH MARIE PARSONS
  Height: 5’ 3”
  Weight: 123 lbs.
  Age: 32
  Hair: blonde 
  Eyes: green
  Office Address:
  Senate Office Building
  Suite 311
  Washington, DC
  (202)555-3245
  Home Address:
  2119 Whispering Springs
  Apartment #1
  Washington, DC
  (202)555-6325
  Reginald Carmichael III was born Richard Carmichael in a lower middle class Boston 
  neighborhood.  He had a minor criminal record as a juvenile, but he straightened his life out 
  when he received an athletic scholarship to Boston College.  He was a solid, but not spec-
  tacular football player.  After graduation, he changed his name and joined the navy.  While in 
  the navy, Reginald served as an attache for Rear Admiral Forrest Walker and was engaged to 
  the Admiral’s daughter, Tiffany.  When Reginald’s tour of duty was completed, he resigned 
  and obtained a civilian job at the Pentagon.  (The Admiral strongly influenced this decision).  
  Reginald and Tiffany married, but were divorced six months later due to financial disputes.
  Reginald was recruited by The Agency and underwent the Proteus treatment at alpha 
  level.  This was done 15 months ago in order to develop a reliable source within the Pen-
  tagon.  He is known to have developed the ability to shape change into winged lion, snake, 
  and shark forms.  He can fly, breath water, and has formidable natural weaponry (teeth and 
  claws).  He should be considered armed and extremely dangerous.
  He dated Ms. Parsons for six months, starting shortly after his divorce became final.  He 
  has a fine work record, with near perfect attendance. 
  This republican senator has represented Louisiana for the past 17 years.  Before running 
  for office, he parlayed the family oil business into a billion dollar chemical company.  He 
  was elected to the Senate in his first run for public office.  He has received generous financial 
  support from business groups in his state.  In addition, his formidable negotiating skills have 
  enabled him to bring major federal projects to poorer areas of Louisiana, helping him to be 
  re-elected for two more terms.  He became the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Commit-
  tee after the 1994 congressional elections.  None of his expected challengers pose a serious 
  threat to his chances of being re-elected in 1996.
  He has two grown children: Susan, age 26, and Robert, age 35.  He and his wife Mary 
  have been married for 37 years.
  The senator was badly beaten during a 1991 mugging in downtown Washington and suf-
  fered permanent nerve damage.  He has been confined to a wheelchair since that time.  His 
  assailants were never caught.  Since his injury, the senator has introduced a number of bills 
  to fight crime and punish criminals.
  Ms. Parsons was a lawyer at a Louisiana law firm which did some work for senator 
  Amberlee.  She worked as a fund-raiser for the senator’s last re-election campaign and was 
  hired as an assistant two years ago.  She was known for her ability to judge what concessions 
  (or considerations) could be obtained from another senator, the president, or anyone else who 
  wanted Senator Amberlee’s support.  (It is believed that she had undisclosed psychic talent in 
  the area of empathy).  She rapidly became the Senator’s chief advisor.
  She normally worked 16 hour days, and had almost no social life.  She was not excep-
  tional looking, but was above average.  Her only known romantic involvement was with 
  Reginald Carmichael.
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  73
  SPECIES
  ADVENTURE
  PLAYER HANDOUT 9
  CRIME LAB RESULTS
  FOR PLAYER HANDOUT 2 (AUTOPSY)
  No foreign materials were found in the fingernail scrapings
  No evidence of sexual assault was found
  No alcohol or drugs were detected in the body of the victim
  The fingerprints of the body matched those on file for Ms. Parsons
  The two black fibers matched those of the comforter (trunk) 
   
  FOR PLAYER HANDOUT 4 (APARTMENT)
  The 31 black and gold fibers matched those of the comforter (trunk)
  The food sample contained no drugs or toxic material
  The drink sample contained no drugs or toxic material
  Fingerprints on the can were Ms. Parsons’
  Various partial and full fingerprints were taken from the interior of the apartment.  Of these, all but seven were Ms. 
  Parsons’
  FOR PLAYER HANDOUT 5 (TRUNK)
  The 3 black and gold fibers matched the comforter
  The comforter was found to be the source of all the black/gold fibers
  The blood on the trunk hinge was Ms. Parsons’
  A complete handprint was discovered on the trunk of Ms. Parsons’ vehicle - this was found to belong to Officer Jimmy 
  Dunne (#1178)
  Various partial and full fingerprints were taken from the interior and exterior of the vehicle.  There was a complete hand-
  print on the roof above the passenger side window which could not be identified.  The remainder of the prints were 
  found to belong to Ms. Parsons, Dr. Pradesh, and the police and medical personnel at the accident.
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  74
  SPECIES
  ADVENTURE
  CHRISTOPHER “CHRIS” WALTERS - PSYCHIC
  Advantages: Contact (CI): You’re on good terms with your 
  medical school professors; Fame (CI): Graduated from medi-
  cal school at 16; Law Enforcement (CI): You have a federal 
  firearms permit; Additional Skill Adds (CII): +2 to medicine; 
  Special Effects (CIII): Psychic Potential; Skill Bonus (CIII): 
  +1 to bonus number for all psychic skills.
  Compensations: Advantage Flaw (CI): Psychic Hypersen-
  sitivity; Advantage Flaw (CI): Psychic skills don’t work if you 
  are out of sight of your twin; Age (CI); Employed (CII): The 
  Agency; Quirk (CIII): Workaholic; Sense of Duty (CIII):  You 
  would give up your own life to save the life of your twin.
  DAN JOHNSON - TEAM LEADER
  Advantages: Equipment (CI): You own a large car; Law 
  Enforcement (CI): You have a federal firearms permit; Skill 
  Bonus (CI): +1 to bonus number for Fire Combat (pistol, 
  rifle, or shotgun); Additional Skill Adds (CII): +2 to dodge; 
  Trademark Specialization (CII): +3 to bonus number (Alien 
  Abductions); Additional Skill Adds (CIII): +3 to Scholar:
  Extra-terrestrials.
  Compensations: Enemy (CI):Aliens; Infamy (CI):People 
  think you are crazy; C1:Poverty; Employed (CII):The 
  Agency; Quirk: Mild Paranoia; Quirk (CIII); Dependency 
  (dogs).  Referee Note:  His dog does not detect any aliens 
  during this event, unless a mistaken identity sub-plot card is 
  turned up.
  CHRISTINA “CHRIS” WALTERS - PSYCHIC
  Advantages: Contact (CI): You’re on good terms with your 
  medical school professors; Fame (CI): Graduated from medi-
  cal school at 16; Law Enforcement (CI): You have a federal 
  firearms permit; Additional Skill Adds (CII): +2 to medicine; 
  Special Effects (CIII): Psychic Potential; Skill Bonus (CIII): 
  +1 to bonus number for all psychic skills.
  Compensations: Advantage Flaw (CI): Psychic Hypersen-
  sitivity; Advantage Flaw (CI): Psychic skills don’t work if you 
  are out of sight of your twin; Age (CI); Employed (CII): The 
  Agency; Quirk (CIII): Workaholic; Sense of Duty (CIII):  You 
  would give up your own life to save the life of your twin.
  DR. STEPHEN BENNET - PSYCHOLOGIST
  Advantages: Additional Skill Adds (CI): +2 to Abnormal 
  Psychology; Law Enforcement (CI): You have a federal fire-
  arms permit; Wealth (CI): You have outside income from 
  testifying at trials as an expert witness; Additional Skill Adds 
  (CII): +2 to Science (Psychology); Skill Bonus (CII): +1 to 
  bonus number for Trick, Con, Charm, Persuasion and Taunt; 
  Contacts (CIII): You’ve done some work for the FBI and 
  made a few friends at the bureau.
  Compensations: Debt (CI): You’re still paying off the 
  lawyer for your divorce; Enemy (CI): The families of some 
  of the victims whose killers your testimony set free are out to 
  get you; Infamy (CI): You have testified on behalf of several 
  depraved killers;  Employed (CII): The Agency; Quirk (CII): 
  Dependency (chocolate); Quirk (CIII): Phobic (blood).
  JIM VAN ADAMS - DELTA AGENT
  Advantages: Additional Skill Adds (CI): +1 to Climbing; 
  Law Enforcement (CI): You have a federal firearms permit; 
  Skill Bonus (CI):+1 to bonus number for acrobatics, climb-
  ing, stealth; Additional Skill Adds (CII): +2 to shapeshifting; 
  Additional Skill Adds (CII): +2 to Dodge; Shapeshifting 
  (CIII):Delta.
  Compensations: Advantage Flaw (CI): Sterilization; 
  Advantage Flaw (CI):Delta - Allergy I (perfume); Quirk (CI): 
  Alien Instinct; Employment (CII): The Agency; Quirk (CII): 
  Schizophrenia; Quirk (CIII): Dependency (Major - Chemical 
  Antidote).
  SUSAN TILLOTSON - BETA AGENT
  Advantages: Additional Skill Adds (CI): +1 to Unarmed 
  Combat; Law Enforcement (CI): You have a federal firearms 
  permit; Additional Skill Adds (CII): +2 to shapeshifting; 
  Additional Attribute Point (CIII): +1 Strength; Shapeshifting 
  (CIII):Beta.
  Compensations: Advantage Flaw (CI): Sterilization; 
  Employment (CII): The Agency; Advantage Flaw (CIII):
  Beta - Cultural Allergy I (Cooked Meat), Cultural Allergy II 
  (Kissing), Nutritional Requirement (Live Prey); Quirk (CIII): 
  Alien Instinct;  Quirk (CIII): Dependency (Major - Chemical 
  Antidote).
  CHARACTER SUMMARY
  v
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  75
  DARK CONSPIRACY
  HOUSE RULES
  DARK CONSPIRACY
  Cybernetic Augmentation by Norm Fenlason & Lee Williams
  Cybernetic Augmentation 
  Norm Fenlason & Lee Williams
  AUGMENTATION DURING PLAY
  Cybernetic Augmentation can occur at two times in the 
  course of play. If a PC has access to facilities and sufficient 
  cash, she can be augmented in game context. However, the 
  recovery is long, on the order of months and years. The 
  second method, by selecting the Cyborg Escapee at character 
  design time, is covered in another article. 
  QUALIFIED FACILITIES AND MEDICAL PERSONNEL
  In order for a PC to become augmented during play, she 
  must have access to an adequate facility. The surgery for most 
  of the augmentations is extensive and requires major recov-
  ery facilities and monitoring. There is a risk that the patient 
  may die. In addition to the facility requirements, installation 
  requires qualified medical personnel. While the operation 
  requires no minimum medical skill, the survival of the would-
  be cyborg depends upon the medical team operating upon it.
  AUGMENTATION POINTS
  The would-be cyborg has a number of augmentation 
  points available equal to its Charisma and Empathy attributes 
  times ten: (CHA+EMP) x 10. This is the total number of 
  points available to the PC without severe negative effects. 
  The absolute maximum number of augmentation points is 
  160 for humans. For other species the maximum number of 
  points is ten times the sum of the species-maximum Charisma 
  plus the species-maximum Empathy: (max CHA + max EMP) 
  x 10. No augmentation beyond this maximum is possible, and 
  represents a condition where the CHA and EMP attributes are 
  1 and 0, respectively. However,  losses this severe result in a 
  newborn cyborg losing identity with others of its species.
  Any augmentation points not used during the current 
  installation are lost. For example, the PC gives up 2 points 
  of CHA and one of EMP to get 30 augmentation points. She 
  selects augmentation costing 26 points. The other four points 
  are lost and cannot be held until a future augmentation.
  MONETARY COST
  The monetary cost of each augmentation must be paid 
  before installation. The costs listed in the device tables may 
  change due to the Bargain skill or due to increased cost from 
  better medical facilities. Or the costs may be lowered when 
  obtained from a body shop. The costs for both normal avail-
  ability and availability through an appropriate contact are 
  given in the augmentation list. However, the GM always sets 
  the final price.
  DARKLING USER COSTS
  Each augmentation has a DarkTek User cost associated 
  with it. These are listed in the 1st edition DarkTek sourcebook 
  as well as the 2nd edition Referee’s Guide.  Each augmenta-
  tion will have one or more of the following user costs: Feed, 
  Control, Detection, and Recharge. Most costs will be of the 
  Control and Detection variety, but some recharge costs may 
  be listed.
  SELECTING THE AUGMENTATIONS
  The would-be cyborg may not have enough cash or oppor-
  tunity to purchase a complete system, however they can still 
  purchase and install components of a system. If the installed 
  augmentation requires another component to operate, the 
  installed augmentation can remain installed and subject to 
  DarkTek user costs, but inoperative. When the missing com-
  ponents are installed, the system can operate normally.
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  76
  DARK CONSPIRACY
  HOUSE RULES
  INSTALLING THE AUGMENTATIONS
  After selecting the augmentations to install, a series of 
  three Medical skill checks are made to determine the survival 
  of the patient, the success of the installation, and the final 
  effectiveness and quality of the augmentation. 
  STEP 1: BIOLOGIC COMPATIBILITY CHECK
  The first task check is a Difficult: Medical check. Suc-
  cess indicates that the patient survived the procedure. Failure 
  indicates that an emergency medical procedure was needed to 
  insure the patient’s survival, but the patient did survive. The 
  following Installation success task check is raised by one dif-
  ficulty level to Formidable: Medical. An Outstanding Success 
  indicates that the installation actually agrees with the patient 
  and the installation success test is made at one level improved 
  difficulty, Average: Medical. Critical Failure indicates that 
  a life threatening condition has interrupted the installation. 
  The patient must immediately make a test of Difficult: CON. 
  Success indicates the patient’s constitution is hardy enough 
  to withstand the surgery, but still makes the Installation test 
  harder. Failure indicates that the installation has failed, while 
  a Critical Failure indicates that the patient died under the 
  knife. 
  STEP 2: INSTALLATION CHECK
  Given a healthy patient, the surgical team installs the 
  augmentation with another Difficult: Medical test for Instal-
  lation success (unless modified by the survival test). A failure 
  indicates a modifier against the following Quality test. The 
  outcome of the quality test is modified one level to the worse. 
  Success indicates that the installation was successful with no 
  modification of the quality test. Critical Failure indicates that 
  the installation was a total failure. The system is installed, but 
  will not operate as planned. The actual effect of the failed 
  installation is up to the referee. Inoperative or badly operating 
  augmentations still suffer the listed DarkTek user costs. An 
  Outstanding Success increases the quality of the installation 
  determined in the next step. 
  STEP 3: QUALITY CHECK
  The final test is a quality test. The medical team makes a 
  task check versus the medical skill. The level attained effects 
  the quality of the operation of the installation. The previous 
  installation success may modify the final outcome, moving 
  the attained level up or down. The referee ultimately sets the 
  quality of the system and its final effectiveness.
  The newborn cyborg must now recover from the difficult 
  and extensive surgery. Sometimes the surgery procedures 
  themselves can have negative effects on the patient. A test 
  versus the patient’s constitution must be made regardless of 
  the outcome of the surgery. To recover from the surgery, the 
  patient rolls an Average: CON test. Success indicates that the 
  recovery is normal with no further effects. Failure indicates 
  that the recovery time is doubled. Critical Failure indicates 
  that the newborn cyborg’s constitution has been permanently 
  damaged, doubles the recovery time, and reduces the CON 
  attribute by one. An Outstanding Success causes the recovery 
  time to be halved.
  SYSTEM QUALITY
  The quality of the least effective or lowest component in a 
  system determines the final quality of the system. For exam-
  ple, Johnny B. had a nano-controller installed but the quality 
  was degraded. The nano-controller was to be used to process 
  audio sounds received from a normal quality amplifier ear. 
  While Johnny’s ear may have improved listening to allow 
  him to hear low-level sounds 200 meters away, the nano-
  controller causes him to suffer a one-level degradation to the 
  listening task check. Alternately, the referee may determine 
  Johnny’s improved hearing has been reduced to a distance of 
  100 meters, depending on the nature of the level degradation. 
  Like empathic skill results, the referee may maintain the final 
  quality of a system, unknown to the PC.
  RECOVERY
  Given a normal installation with no recovery effects, the 
  normal recovery time is one month per augmentation point 
  installed. If a would-be cyborg installs 36 points of augmen-
  tation, it takes 36 months to recover. If the recovery check 
  indicates, this time can be halved or doubled depending on 
  outcome.
  EFFECTS OF INSTALLATION
  There are two effects due to installation: the physical 
  effects of having exposed and visible hardware, and the 
  impact to the personality of the newborn cyborg.
  The rare nature of augmented humans causes difficulty in 
  personal interactions with strangers. Cyborgs will be treated 
  as freaks causing these charisma-based tasks to suffer a diffi-
  culty modifier based on the Profile of exposed augmentation. 
  All charisma-based task checks suffer a -1 difficulty modifier 
  for each visible, low-profile system. For each visible high-
  profile augmentation, the cyborg suffers a -2 difficulty modi-
  fier. For augmentation with a None listed in the profile, no 
  modifiers are applied since these systems are always hidden 
  from view.
  Additionally, the cyborg’s personality is changed as a 
  result of the installation of too much augmentation. If the 
  cyborg has more augmentation points installed than the 
  sum of his original EMP plus CHA times 10, all task checks 
  involving these attributes are modified by -1 per additional 
  10 augmentation points installed. The original CHA and 
  EMP scores should be recorded for comparison. See Alice’s 
  example for more details. 
  When additional task difficulty modifiers are received as a 
  result of excess spending, the additional difficulty levels also 
  
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  apply to the cyborg’s native spoken and written language. 
  Once the number of difficulty levels exceeds the Impossible 
  level, the cyborg has become completely unintelligible and 
  cannot communicate effectively at all. To human friends, their 
  once vibrant companion has become a machine whose moti-
  vations are indecipherable.
  LIFE THREATENING HEALTH EPISODE
  A life-threatening episode occurs whenever an attribute 
  reaches below the species minimum (e.g. 1 for humans). 
  (Within the context of Augmentation, this check only applies 
  to the CON attribute. The EMP and CHA attribute changes are 
  covered under the installation procedures.) To determine the 
  effects of the life-threatening crisis, the player rolls 2d6 for an 
  8+. If an 8 or above is rolled, the attribute returns to a 1 and 
  the crisis is avoided. If the player fails the roll, the PC suffers 
  a health crisis. The attribute is returned to 1, but the character 
  is confined to a wheelchair, bed, or other ambulatory device. 
  The character may not move about unaided until treated for 
  the condition. The character has three options: physical ther-
  apy, psychic healing, and augmentation. Physical therapy for 
  2d10 months will overcome confinement, but the character 
  will probably need a cane. Psychic Healing will also remove 
  the confinement the same as physical therapy. Augmentation 
  EXAMPLE – ALICE DOESN’T LIVE HERE ANY MORE
  Alice has the following statistics:
  Strength: 
  3 
  Education: 
  5
  Constitution: 5 
  Charisma: 
  4
  Agility: 
  8 
  Empathy: 
  2
  Intelligence: 3 
  Initiative: 
  1
  Alice decides that in order to confront the Dark Minions 
  on their terms she needs augmentation. She has access to 
  funding from her Empathic cell. They send her to a secret 
  facility for augmentation. The staff has a combined Medical 
  skill of 16. 
  Alice has a base of (4+2) x10=60 augmentation points to 
  spend on cybernetics. She is concerned about the medical 
  procedures and only takes 18 augmentation points. This 
  costs her two attribute points, which she takes from EMP, 
  giving her an EMP attribute value of zero.
  Later, Alice is desperate for another weapon against the dark 
  minions. After having a couple of teammates shredded right 
  in front of her, she decides on extended augmentation. She 
  has the contacts and the cash, and decides to spend 80 points. 
  She reduces her CHA to 1 by spending 30 points. The other 
  50 points brings the total that Alice has spent to 98 points. 
  Alice survives her surgeries and recovers normally. However, 
  she has one difficulty factor for each 10 points above her 
  originally 60 points. This gives Alice a -4 difficulty factor to 
  all communications and other CHA-based skills. Alice’s own 
  mother would have a hard time asking Alice how her day 
  was going. Alice’s empathic cell has succeeded in robbing 
  another victim of their humanity.
  that improves the challenged attribute above 1 also removes 
  the confinement. When treated through augmentation, the PC 
  needs no cane or other assistance to move about. 
  TAKING DAMAGE
  Systems that replace body parts take damage the same as 
  the original body part. Systems that replace portions of a body 
  location are rolled to see if the damage applies to the installed 
  system. When there are multiple systems in a body location, 
  the affected system is randomly determined. Cybernetic 
  replacement systems have the same damage allocation as the 
  original body part, unless otherwise stated.
  WOUND EFFECTS
  Wounds to a body location containing a cybernetic 
  enhancement, whether the system is damaged or not, affect 
  the cybernetic system’s performance. Every level above 
  Scratch causes an increased difficulty level when attempting 
  to use the system. This shift is added to all attempts to use the 
  system: Easy becomes Average, Average becomes Difficult, 
  etc. Tasks using the system that were once automatic become 
  checked at the Easy level. Once the body location moves to 
  the Critical wound state, the system no longer operates. For 
  armored systems, wounds to the Serious level cause the armor 
  value to be halved and rounded down. At the Critical level, 
  armor systems no longer provide protection at that body loca-
  tion. An additional assessed damage-level to a system already 
  at the Critical level destroys the system.
  MAINTENANCE
  Normally cybernetic systems need to be performance 
  tuned every 6 months. Failure to maintain a system causes 
  a difficulty shift in operation and performance. This shift is 
  determined by the GM and may not be known to the player. 
  The appropriate skill is required to maintain a specific system. 
  Should the system miss two maintenance cycles, a year, there 
  is a potential for a permanent difficulty modifier, as a form of 
  damage, levied until the system is repaired. The GM may or 
  may not notify the PC of the system’s  degradation.
  REPAIR
  Only persons with the appropriate skill can repair cyber-
  netic systems. Some systems also require specific facilities, 
  operating rooms, nano-laboratories, tissue cloning setups, 
  micro-lasers, etc. The GM makes the requirement for these 
  facilities. Each difficulty level levied on the damaged system 
  requires a successful difficult-test versus the appropriate skill 
  and a week per damage level to recover. An Outstanding Suc-
  cess either removes two damage levels, or halves the recovery 
  time. A Critical Failure either further damages the system, 
  or doubles recovery time or both subject to the GM. If the 
  damaged system is at the Critical level, this Critical Failure 
  renders that system useless.
  
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  HOUSE RULES
  AUGMENTATIONS
  System 
  Location 
  Cost 
  User Cost 
  Profile 
  Price
  Controller/Processor 
  Head 
  4 
  Detection: 10; Control: 1 
  None 
  $155K + $75K per level (-/-)
  Computer Implants 
  Head 
  5 
  Detection: 20; Control: 2 
  None to Low 
  $2,220K + $125K per ROM (-/-)
  Data Storage 
  Head 
  5 
  Detection: 5; Control: 1 
  None to Low 
  $85K + $15,500 per level (-/-)
  CONTROLLER/PROCESSOR
  SK Research Special Purpose Controller, Model 720Y 
  through Model 1060F. The system nano-controller is a 
  single-purpose computer controller usually dedicated to a 
  single cybernetic system. An additional system may be con-
  trolled for each level installed.
  COMPUTER IMPLANTS
  Auslander Dynamics Cerebral Computer Chassis (3C). 
  It is possible to install a small computer system into the body. 
  The system consists of several tiny interconnected modules, as 
  a single implant would be too large. Output from the implant 
  is accessed by either an Eyeball Display, a speaker implant 
  in the ear, or direct brain interface if the user has a Neural 
  Socket. The functions of a Computer Implant can include data 
  storage and retrieval, direct access to other computers, and 
  fuller analysis of data from other implants (e.g. Infra red Eyes, 
  High Frequency Ears etc.). The implant can also be optimized 
  for use in a particular situation by the use of ROM chips, 
  which are pre-programmed with data on a certain topic. Only 
  one ROM chip at a time can be used, and they require the use 
  of a Neural Socket. Users who have the Computer Empathy 
  skill may not have an implanted computer, although they can 
  access systems using Neural Sockets.
  DATA STORAGE
  Digimax Storage Systems, PQ3200 Nano-Storage 
  Device. The data storage is similar to a normal computer 
  implant in that it allows data to be stored in the user’s head. 
  Unlike the standard computer implant, the user has no access 
  to the data through internal means, and the output is usually 
  encoded with keys to which the user does not have access. 
  The data storage module includes an external jack through 
  which only the stored data can be accessed. Storage is rated in 
  Gigabytes of data.
  SENSORS, ACTIVE
  System 
  Location 
  Cost 
  User Cost 
  Profile 
  Price
  Active Infra Red 
  Eyes 
  4 
  None 
  Low 
  $250K (-/-)
  Active Ultraviolet 
  Eyes 
  4 
  None 
  Low 
  $250K (-/-)
  Active Sonar 
  Head 
  8 
  None 
  High 
  $370K; w/integrated controller $520K (-/-)
  Active Radar 
  Head 
  10 
  None 
  High 
  $550K (-/-)
  ACTIVE INFRA RED
  Quantalux SV7300 Active IR Receiver. The active IR 
  system allows IR vision at up to 60 metres. The eye glows red, 
  and others with IR-enabled vision can see the user’s beams 
  and its reflections.
  ACTIVE ULTRAVIOLET
  Quantalux SV7200 Active UV Receiver. Similarly to the 
  active IR system, the active UV system allows UV vision at 
  up to 60 metres. The eye glows a pale blue, and others with 
  UV-enabled vision can see the user’s beams and its reflec-
  tions.
  ACTIVE SONAR
  Maximus Avionics Personal Sonar System. Like a bat’s 
  range finder or a dolphins imaging system, the active sonar 
  enhancement uses sound to get information from the environ-
  ment. The active sonar without a nano-controller installed can 
  perform range-finding only. With a controller installed, the 
  sonar can be used to map the surroundings in real time. This 
  allows the user to see using sonar only. Since two receivers 
  are needed, the installation is high profile. 
  ACTIVE RADAR
  Maximus Avionics Imaging Radar System. Similar to 
  the active sonar enhancement, the active radar sensor provides 
  information from the environment, but uses radio frequency 
  (RF) instead of sound. The active radar enhancement operates 
  in the 30-60 GHz RF range and is susceptible to RF noise in 
  that range. An included nano-controller is required to process 
  the radar returns. However, a clear mapping of the immediate 
  surroundings is possible with very accurate range information 
  to about 1000 meters.
  
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  SENSORS, PASSIVE
  System 
  Location 
  Cost 
  User Cost 
  Profile 
  Price
  Telescopic Vision 
  Eyes 
  2 
  None 
  Low to High 
  $172K plus $85K per level (-/-)
  Passive Infra Red 
  Eyes 
  3 
  None 
  None 
  $182K (-/-)
  Video Record/Playback 
  Eye 
  3 
  None 
  Low 
  $500K (-/-)
  Amplifier Ear  
  Ears 
  3 
  None 
  None  
  $135K (-/-)
  External CyberEar Antenna 
  Head 
  4 
  None 
  Low 
  $35K (-/-)
  Receiver Ear 
  Ears 
  2 
  None 
  None 
  $25K (-/-)
  Sound Dampener Ear 
  Ears 
  4 
  None 
  None 
  $92K (-/-)
  Low Frequency Ear 
  Ears 
  3 
  None 
  None 
  $220K (-/-)
  High Frequency Ear 
  Ears 
  4 
  Low 
  Low 
  $280K (-/-)
  Recording Ear 
  Ears 
  2 
  None 
  None 
  $32K (-/-)
  Eye-Ear Combination 
  Head 
  8 
  Control: 1 
  High 
  $650K + cost of other options (-/-)
  Touch Enhancement 
  Hands 
  12 
  Detection: 10 
  None 
  $1,200K (-/-)
  TELESCOPIC VISION
  KHI-Kodak GoldenI. Allows magnification of distant 
  objects. Zoom is controlled by squinting. Installation includes 
  40X magnification per level installed. However, above 200X, 
  the installation becomes high profile.
  PASSIVE INFRA RED
  KHI-Kodak NightOwl. Allows I.R. vision up to 30 
  meters but may blank out in rain or falling snow.
  VIDEO RECORD/PLAYBACK
  Tojicorp Mini-Kapture Video Recording Eye. A per-
  sonal version of the popular Kapture II camera, the cybereye 
  can hold thirty minutes of film on a micro-cassette which is 
  located in the left shoulder and removed by opening a small 
  door (with an electronic lock). For an extra $200,000, the 
  cybereye is shielded from metal detectors though an x-ray 
  will still pick it out.
  AMPLIFIER EAR
  Maximus Avionics, Mk IIa Aural Amplifier. Amplifies 
  sounds clearly at up to 100 meters distance. 
  EXTERNAL CYBEREAR ANTENNA
  AMS Big Ear External Antenna. The Big Ear Antenna 
  is an external antenna that extends the range of the internal 
  Amplifier ear. An optional jack for the Amplifier Ear allows 
  connection to the big ear antenna. Profile rating is for the jack 
  that connects to the Amplifier Ear. The Big Ear extends the 
  range of detectable sounds to 1000 meters and requires an 
  installed amplifier ear.
  RECEIVER EAR
  Maximus Avionics Receiver Ear. The receiver ear is an 
  implanted speaker, used with other systems, such as a com-
  municator.
  SOUND DAMPENER EAR
  Quantalux NF107 Noise Filtration System. The sound 
  dampener ear allows a specific sound or voice to be detected 
  in a noisy situation. The user can also dampen all sounds 
  allowing him to work in noisy environments without negative 
  difficulty modifiers due to noise.
  LOW FREQUENCY EAR
  Quantalux LF100 Low Frequency Aural Receiver. The 
  low frequency ear allows subsonic vibrations to be detected. 
  If two ears are installed, or only one and a sound-processing 
  computer is installed, the direction can also be determined.
  HIGH FREQUENCY EAR
  Quantalux HF210 High Frequency Aural Receiver. 
  Allows hearing of extremely high frequency sounds (above 
  20kHz) such as bat calls, dog whistles etc. The high frequency 
  receiver operates the same as the low frequency model.
  RECORDING EAR
  Digimax Akkutrak RT8050. The recording ear allows 
  up to 60 minutes of sound to be digitally recorded for later 
  playback through either a receiver ear or through an external 
  jack.
  EYE-EAR COMBINATION
  Quantalux Integrated Head Installation. This is an 
  obviously synthetic alteration replacing both the eye and ear 
  on one side of the subject’s head. No attempt at cosmetic dis-
  guise is possible. Up to two high-profile enhancements for the 
  eyes or ears can be installed. For example, both options can be 
  either for the eye or the ear, or one for each of them. 
  TOUCH ENHANCEMENT
  FiberAge Synthetics MicroTouch Sensory Enhance-
  ment System. Neural amplifiers are attached to the nerve 
  paths for a specified body part (usually the hands). This 
  allows the user to detect small micro-variations on surfaces, 
  surface temperatures, friction, and the presence of moisture. 
  (For example: warmth and fingerprints to determine who 
  held an object and when.) The Touch Enhancement improves 
  agility-based skill task difficulty for micro-tasks – dexterous 
  activities like threading a needle, etc. Costs are given per 
  hand.
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
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  HOUSE RULES
  INPUT/OUTPUT
  System 
  Location 
  Cost 
  User Cost 
  Profile 
  Price
  Eyeball Display 
  Eyes 
  2 
  None 
  None 
  $198K (-/-)
  Holographic Eyeball Display/Readout Eyes 
  3 
  None 
  Low 
  $500K (-/-)
  Nerve Input Editor 
  Head 
  6 
  Detection: 5; Control: 2 
  None 
  $800K + $450K per level installed (-/-)
  Neural Socket (Jack) 
  Head 
  3 
  Control: 1 
  Low 
  $1,300K (-/-)
  Nano-Jack 
  Head 
  4 
  Control: 1 
  Low 
  $1,100K (-/-)
  Target Link 
  Eyes 
  6 
  Control: 1 
  None 
  $890K (-/-)
  TargetLink 
  Eyes 
  8 
  Control: 3 
  None 
  $2,750K (-/-)
  Neural Learning Enhancement 
  Head 
  8 
  Control: 2 
  None 
  $2,750K + $950K per level installed (-/-)
  Synaptic Memory Interface 
  Head 
  10 
  Control: 3 
  None 
  $3,010K + $1,100K per level installed (-/-)
  Empathic Computer Interface 
  Head 
  26 
  Detection 100, 1000; Control: 5 
  Low 
  $5,500K (-/-)
  * when used
  EYEBALL DISPLAY
  Quantalux IDX40. The eyeball display allows projection 
  of data directly onto the retina, similar to heads-up displays in 
  aircraft. Data can be displayed on another video device via an 
  external jack.
  HOLOGRAPHIC EYEBALL DISPLAY/READOUT
  KHI-Kodak Holovision. The holographic eyeball display 
  is similar to the eyeball display except that the data readouts 
  are presented in a 3d form. The unit also acts as a projector 
  allowing recorded images to be projected holographically.
  NERVE INPUT EDITOR
  DK Research Nerve Cancellation System. The NCS 
  edits out a selected range of nerve inputs, including pain. The 
  unit is specialized for a specific range of nerve inputs with 
  another level installed for each additional range. Originally 
  developed to allow terminal patients relief from chronic pain, 
  the NCS has received renewed interest from the military.
  NEURAL SOCKET (JACK)
  Auslander Dynamics Neural Socket. This is a socket, 
  usually mounted in the temple or for cosmetic reasons at 
  the base of the neck, and is used to establish a direct brain 
  to computer interface. When “jacked in” to equipment, all 
  tasks using the equipment are reduced by one Difficulty level. 
  When jacked-in to mainframe memory banks, Education is 
  increased by three points. Only one may be fitted.
  NANO-JACK
  Digimax NJAX. The nano-jack is similar to the neural 
  socket but provides access to an internal nano-controller. It, 
  too, is usually mounted in the temple or at the base of the 
  neck, but only provides an interface to internal computers and 
  not a direct brain interface.
  TARGET LINK
  Auslander Dynamics Target Link. The target link dis-
  plays targeting data for weapons which are fitted with an 
  Electronic SmartSight. Must be used in conjunction with a 
  Neural Socket, to which, the Electronic SmartSight is con-
  nected by a thin fiber optic cable. A pipper is displayed show-
  ing where the weapon is currently being aimed.
  Auslander Dynamics Dead Eye Personal Target Acqui-
  sition System. The Dead Eye consists of a Target Link, a ded-
  icated nano-controller, a neural socket, and a SmartSight. The 
  system can be integrated to any weapon to which the Smart-
  Sight is fit. All firing tasks are one difficulty level easier when 
  the Dead Eye is operating. In addition to a targeting pipper, a 
  target’s movement vector in 3d is displayed with numerical 
  speed readouts, as well as range information. 
  NEURAL LEARNING ENHANCEMENT
  FirstMental Learning Enhancement Kit. The neural 
  learning enhancement is a high-speed, special-purpose nano-
  computer programmed for advanced logic techniques. The 
  speed of the computer and the programmed logic provide the 
  user a +1 to INT for each level installed. However, normal 
  species maximums cannot be exceeded (e.g. human INT 10). 
  This system must be activated. Once activated, the DarkTek 
  user costs are also active. Originally designed to boost men-
  tally challenged workers for more complex tasks, the Kit is 
  being widely used in industrial espionage to boost a covert 
  operative’s ability to steal trade secrets.
  SYNAPTIC MEMORY INTERFACE
  FirstMental Synaptic Memory Enhancement Kit. The 
  synaptic memory interface is a high-speed, special-purpose 
  nano-computer programmed to access memory locations 
  within the brain. This provides eidetic recall (photographic 
  memory) and an increased ability to learn. The synaptic 
  memory interface increases the Education attribute by one per 
  level of device installed. However, normal species maximums 
  cannot be exceeded (human: 10).
  EMPATHIC COMPUTER INTERFACE
  Auslander Dynamics Special Purpose Interface. The 
  empathic computer interface provides an interface between 
  machines (including bio-machines) and the human brain 
  through empathic abilities. The physical components of the 
  interface consist of a jack in the head similar to the Neural 
  Socket and a biological construct that is wrapped around the 
  pineal gland in the brain. The socket is connected to the con-
  struct to allow external access. The user must have an EMP 1+ 
  to use the empathic computer interface. Any Computer Empa-
  thy skill level is reduced to 0 once this device is installed and 
  no more skill levels can be taken. The interface provides 
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
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  HOUSE RULES
  the user access to a computer using the Computer Empathy 
  skill at 1 per level installed. This interface superceding the 
  Computer Empathy skill. The empathic computer interface 
  also provides an interface to DarkTek bio-computers whose 
  nature is immediately known to the user. The full nature of the 
  installed biological construct is not known. This installation is 
  really DarkTek and should be relatively hard to locate.
  SUBSYSTEMS
  System 
  Location 
  Cost 
  User Cost 
  Profile 
  Price
  Chronometer 
  Head 
  1 
  None 
  None 
  $35K (-/-)
  Inertial Navigation System 
  Head 
  3 
  None 
  None  
  $1KK (-/-)
  Laser Rangefinder 
  Eyes 
  4 
  None 
  High  
  $400K (-/-)
  Electronic SmartSight 
  External 
  4 
  None 
  N/A  
  $950K (-/-)
  Vocal Modulator 
  Head 
  4 
  None 
  None  
  $350K (-/-)
  Vocal Amplifier 
  Head 
  2 
  None 
  Low 
  $78K (-/-)
  Vocal Emulator 
  Head 
  9 
  None 
  None 
  $1,400K (-/-)
  Vocal Analyzer 
  Head 
  6 
  None 
  None 
  $1,100K (-/-)
  Gill Implants 
  Chest 
  8 
  None 
  Low 
  $950K (-/-)
  Filter Lungs 
  Chest 
  6 
  None 
  Low 
  $890K (-/-)
  Radio Communicator 
  Chest 
  4 
  None 
  None 
  $275K (-/-)
  Sonic Dampers 
  Head 
  4 
  None 
  High 
  $445K (-/-)
  CHRONOMETER
  Maximus Avionics Clock Display Unit. The CDU is a 
  date and time clock with a stopwatch function. It can be used 
  as a programmable timer, but for conscious access to the date/
  time readouts, the CDU requires an Eyeball Display.
  INERTIAL NAVIGATION SYSTEM
  Maximus Avionics Inertial Measurement Unit. The 
  IMU is a miniature inertial navigation and positioning system. 
  An eyeball display must be installed to use this item.  It dis-
  plays current heading, and also the bearing of up to five pre-
  viously set positions. There is also a simpler version, which 
  generates varying pitches of sound to guide the user.
  LASER RANGEFINDER
  Quantalux SV8200 Laser Rangefinder. Accurate to 
  within 1% up to 5000 meters but must be used with an Eyeball 
  Display. Counts as high profile due to size.
  ELECTRONIC SMARTSIGHT
  Auslander Dynamics Nanotronic SmartSight. This 
  device is a sighting system for weapons that can be plugged 
  into a neural socket. The SmartSight increases the Short 
  Range band of a weapon by 20 meters when carrying out 
  Aimed shots. It also reduces Task Difficulty to hit by one level 
  at Extreme range with Aimed shots. In addition, the system 
  allows firing at night using its built-in light amplification and 
  image enhancement capabilities, though the Range bonus is 
  not applied to unaimed fire in this case. SmartSights are as yet 
  too big to be fitted to weapons with a Bulk of 3 or less. The 
  current model weighs about 500 grams. Maximum visibility 
  range is 500 meters at night.
  VOCAL MODULATOR
  TWSF Media Vocal Enhancement. The vocal modula-
  tor increases the recipient’s vocal range by 1 octave per level 
  installed. Usually installed in entertainers.
  VOCAL AMPLIFIER
  AMS Public Voice Amplifier. Serves to amplify the 
  recipient’s voice the same as a PA system. Users with a vocal 
  amplifier installed have an odd bulge in their throat where the 
  amplifier is installed.
  VOCAL EMULATOR
  DK Research Voice-Pattern Emulator. The vocal emu-
  lator changes the voice pattern using a preprogrammed para-
  metric voice imprint set. The quality of the voice data deter-
  mine the quality of the match. The emulator can be linked to 
  a vocal analyzer to perform real-time vocal emulations. DK 
  Research was under contract to supply a voice activation 
  system for combat pilots to enable control functions. The DK 
  Research approach avoided the voice learning problem by 
  altering each pilot’s voice to one the receiver’s understand. 
  DK Research is selling this system to espionage organizations 
  to defeat voice recognition systems.
  VOCAL ANALYZER
  DK Research Voice-Spectrum Analyzer. The vocal 
  analyzer analyzes voice patterns heard through a required 
  amplifier ear implant. Sounds and voices can be catalogued 
  for use in analysis. Voices can be compared to the catalogue in 
  real-time for identification. Small stress-induced changes in a 
  voice can also be detected and analyzed for truthfulness. On-
  board storage provides patterns for 4 voices. Each dedicated 
  additional nano-controller level adds four more voices.
  GILL IMPLANTS
  AMS Human-Aquatic Adaptation. Gill implants allow 
  the user to extract oxygen from water. They require enlarge-
  ment of the thoracic cavity with the gills clearly visible on the 
  sides of the user’s neck.
  
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  FILTER LUNGS
  AMS Toxin Rejection System. Filters and air scrubbers 
  are implanted in the air passages, allowing the user to breathe 
  tainted air without ill effects. Whilst in use, the filters have to 
  be cleaned regularly. This is done by simply blowing the nose, 
  thus forcing the toxins out. The filters are not actually in the 
  lung but the name has stuck.
  RADIO COMMUNICATOR
  Maximus Avionics Nano Communicator. A tiny radio 
  transmitter/receiver is mounted in the abdomen. It has a 
  microphone that is attached to the larynx, and it must be used 
  in conjunction with a Receiver Ear. The range is approxi-
  mately 3000 meters.
  SONIC DAMPERS
  DK Research Sonic Damper. The sonic damper is actu-
  ally an active noise cancellation system. Using an expert 
  system located on an embedded nano-controller, the sonic 
  Damper detects and measures noises emitting in the local 
  area. Signal processors then produce sonic fields, which 
  exactly cancel noises originating in the immediate area. The 
  installation appears externally the same as the high-frequency 
  receiver ear. The net effect is to improve Stealth task checks 
  by 1 difficulty level.
  KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS
  System 
  Location 
  Augmentation Cost 
  User Cost 
  Profile 
  Price
  One-liner Chip 
  Head 
  2 
  None 
  None 
  $2,300K (-/-)
  MultiSoft Socket 
  Head 
  4 
  Detection: 100; Control: 1 
  High 
  $1,700K (-/-)
  WOROM Socket 
  Head 
  8 
  Detection: 100; ontrol: 1 
  High 
  $8,300K + $2,300K per WOROM chip (-/-)
  Subject ROMs 
  Existing Socket 
  6 
  None 
  N/A 
  $500K per subject skill level (-/-)
  ONE-LINER CHIP
  TWSF Media Quip Chip. Once the personality is 
  destroyed from too much augmentation, communication with 
  others is significantly diminished. The one-liner chip can be 
  used to select from a list of responses and come-backs to 
  emulate normal communication. “I’ll be back.” This chip is 
  an addition to an already installed neural computer, which is 
  required.
  MULTISOFT SOCKET
  FirstMental Multisoft Socket. This is an experimental 
  device designed to increase the capacity of a neural socket. 
  It holds up to four ROM chips, any of which can be instantly 
  accessed by the user at will. Although only one ROM chip 
  can be accessed at a time, seconds are saved by not needing 
  to unplug one chip and find another, which may be useful 
  in high-risk situations. The MultiSoft Socket resembles the 
  cylinder of a revolver and fits any standard Neural Jack 
  (required). It should be noted that the MultiSoft device is still 
  under testing by FirstMental who has not declared the side 
  effects with the Federal Drug Commission, so there may be 
  unforeseen usage effects. FirstMental is proposing the device 
  to store multiple personality information for common access 
  by all the partitioned personalities of a multiple-personality 
  disorder (MPD) patient. FirstMental believes this will break 
  down the barriers between the personalities and merge them 
  into a composite.
  WOROM SOCKET
  Auslander Dynamics Write-Once ROM Socket. The 
  WOROM socket is an extension to the MultiSoft Socket that 
  allows recording of mental state and data information. The 
  WOROM Socket holds a single-chip socket that holds a spe-
  cial WOROM chip. Up to 32 hours of a user’s mental informa-
  tion can be stored on a single WOROM chip. The WOROM 
  chip can then be installed on another user’s WOROM or Mul-
  tiSoft socket and accessed directly. Side effects to date include 
  warping of the user’s personality when playing another user’s 
  WOROM chip. Auslander Dynamics defends this side effect 
  claiming that the system allows psychologists to more fully 
  understand the workings of deranged minds.
  SUBJECT ROMS
  Special Subject ROM. Subject-oriented ROMs have 
  been produced by a number of different firms. These cover 
  many subjects and at varying levels of expertise. The mon-
  etary costs given are nominal and should be changed by the 
  referee to reflect availability and play balance.
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  83
  DARK CONSPIRACY
  HOUSE RULES
  STRENGTH ENHANCEMENT
  FiberAge Synthetics Muscle Augmentation. Strength 
  can be enhanced to species maximum through the installation 
  of special electronic stimulators, which cause the muscles to 
  contract past the genetic failsafe point achieved by normal 
  electro-chemical stimulation. The stimulators are coupled 
  with special synthetic reinforcement to muscle attachment 
  points. The installation is completed with special augmenta-
  tion muscle fibers that respond to the electronic stimulators. 
  The installation has a low profile due to the increase to the 
  user’s bulk. The installation provides an increase to STR of +1 
  per level installed to the species maximum (humans: 10).
  AGILITY ENHANCEMENT
  FiberAge Synthetics Nerve Transmission Enhance-
  ment. Special nerve sheathes are implanted that release spe-
  cial neurochemicals much more quickly and conduct the elec-
  tro-chemical stimulation impulses much faster. This results in 
  faster response in eye-hand coordination and increases AGL 
  by +1 per level installed up to two times the species maximum 
  (humans: 20). For each point above the normal species maxi-
  mum, the user gets a +1 to base movement rates.
  SKELETAL ENHANCEMENT
  Zeiss-Krupp 99G Steel Skeletal Enhancement. Plates, 
  bone sheaths, reinforced joints, and other structural enhance-
  ments to the natural skeleton make up a skeletal enhancement. 
  As a framework for strength additions, a skeletal enhance-
  ment is similar to the cybertorso. The 99G provides its user 
  with a maximum Strength of species maximum plus 80% 
  (humans: 18), overriding its species maximum to allow other 
  augmentations. The enhancement provides its user with base 
  hit points of 40 to the chest and 20 to the arms and legs plus 
  three hit points to each body location per level installed. A 
  skeletal enhancement does not provide armor to a body loca-
  tion as the cybertorso does.
  CYBERTORSO
  Tojicorp Dragon Three Cybertorso Prototype. This 
  cybertorso is still in the testing stages and is used by the 
  Japanese Internal Defense Cadre cyberninjas. Augmented 
  Strength attribute are purchased in levels, just like a cyber-
  limb, with a maximum of 150% species maximum (humans: 
  15). The user operates at a Strength attribute rating equal to 
  the lowest Strength rating of the cybertorso and the limbs. 
  As long as a user has all four limbs and torso at an equal 
  strength level, he operates with an attribute rating equal to 
  that number. The Dragon has 40 hits with an additional 3 hits 
  per level. It has an effective armor protection of 2 (with a plus 
  1 per 3 installed levels). The cybertorsos operate with a faint 
  mechanical whirring as the tiny (but powerful) electric motors 
  crank the parts around. The cyberninjas use an active noise 
  cancellation system to counter this noise. An ANCS is extra 
  and not included in the base price.
  CYBERHEAD
  Tojicorp Dragon One Cyberhead Prototype Extension. 
  The cyberthead is still in the testing stages and is part of the 
  ensemble for the Japanese Internal Defense Cadre cyberninja. 
  The cyberhead is an all-metal construction providing a casing 
  for additional sensory augmentations. It has special instal-
  lations for up to 4 separate nano-controllers or computer 
  implants. It can also be fitted with the face plates required 
  for the Doppelganger head facial disguise system. The design 
  of this system was heavily influenced by Dark forces and is 
  subject to a large Control DarkTek user cost.
  TRUNK STORAGE
  AMS Internal Storage Unit, Torso. This implant pro-
  vides the recipient with an internal biological storage space. 
  The available volume is equal to 0.1m3 per level installed 
  to a maximum of 0.5 m3. The container uses special stealth 
  technology to deceive normal metal detectors but not x-ray 
  machines.
  LEG STORAGE
  AMS Internal Storage Unit, Leg. The special cavity is 
  similar to the trunk storage, but containing less volume. A 
  Bulk 1 weapon can be hidden in special biological compart-
  ments. Metal items are shielded from detectors.
  SMALL STORAGE
  AMS Internal Storage Unit, Small. The same as the Leg 
  Storage but can only hold a Bulk 0 weapon, small items of 
  papers.
  STRUCTURAL
  System 
  Location 
  Augmentation Cost 
  User Cost 
  Profile 
  Price
  Strength Enhancement 
  Arms, Legs, and Body 
  3 per level 
  Detection: 10 
  Low 
  $1,750K + $500K per level installed (-/-)
  Agility Enhancement 
  Arms, Legs, and Body 
  4 per level 
  Detection: 10; Control: 1 
  None 
  $2,150K + $800K per level installed (-/-)
  Skeletal Enhancement 
  Arms, Legs, and Chest 
  22 
  Detection: 10 
  Low  
  $1KK + $180K per level installed (-/-)
  Cybertorso 
  Chest 
  19 
  Detection: 10; Control 1 
  High  
  $1,780K + $150K per level installed (-/-)
  Cyberhead 
  Head 
  15 
  Detection: 10; Control 4 
  High  
  $850K + cost of installed options (-/-)
  Trunk Storage 
  Chest 
  1 
  None 
  None 
  $55K (-/-)
  Leg Storage 
  Leg 
  2 
  None 
  None 
  $35K (-/-)
  Small Storage 
  Arm, Leg, or Chest 
  1 
  None 
  None 
  $25K (-/-)
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  84
  DARK CONSPIRACY
  HOUSE RULES
  POWER JAW
  Schlaeor Power Jaw. This involves the complete replace-
  ment of both the upper and lower jaws and teeth with a 
  synthetic material. Strength is mechanically enhanced which 
  allows the user to bite through a variety of materials, and 
  inflict 1 D6 damage if used to bite a hostile character.
  JAWS OF DEATH
  Schlaeor Jaws of Death. This is a hardware option con-
  sisting of oversized jaws with enlarged teeth which allows the 
  user to make armed melee attacks in the same way as predatory 
  animals. Jaws of Death inflict 2D6 damage. Unfortunately, 
  having this peripheral installed causes an automatic increase 
  of one level difficulty for all Charisma-based checks.
  CHAINSAW HAND
  AMS Chainsaw Manipulate. A 30cm chainsaw replaces 
  the hand. In melee combat it causes 2D6 + STR damage.
  GRAPPLE HAND
  Auslander Dynamics Grapple Hand. The grapple hand 
  is connected to the arm by 50 meters of fine but very strong 
  cable, and can be fired 20 meters in any direction. The cable is 
  rated up to 200 kilos and can be reeled in or out at will.
  Weapon : Grapple Hand  
   
   
   
  --- Recoil ---
  Ammo 
  ROF 
  Damage 
  Pen 
  Bulk 
  Mag 
  SS 
  Burst 
  Range
  Grapple 
  SS 
  1 
  Nil 
  1 
  1i 
  4 
  – 
  20
  HAND SOCKET
  Auslander Dynamics Hand Socket. The hand socket 
  allows the use of several different, interchangeable, artificial 
  hands.  While socket hands can be permanently fitted to the 
  user’s arm, the hand socket allows the user to change hands in 
  one combat round. If a user has a hand fitted without a socket, 
  then that hand is permanently attached. Socket hands are 
  listed separately – not all artificial hands are socket hands!
  UTILITY ARM
  AMS General Purpose Utility Arm. The utility arm 
  replaces the entire arm. The arm confers an Agility penalty 
  of  -1, and a Strength bonus of plus two. The utility arm is 
  equipped with an integral hand socket and has a small, built-in 
  and concealed storage compartment.
  POWER LEGS
  Tojicorp T-Rex PowerLeg Model 2012. The power legs 
  allow tasks to be carried out as if the user’s Strength was 16, 
  as long as the task uses only the legs. They also allow a stand-
  ing leap of 4 meters or a drop of 8 meters without injury. A 
  person with Power Legs cannot run, but can trot. If used to 
  kick in melee, the power legs have a Hit Modifier of +2 and 
  do double the user’s Unarmed Melee damage. This model of 
  power leg mates to the Tojicorp Cybertorso. If installed with-
  out the cybertorso, the user must install additional structure 
  to replace the hips. Costs are given for with and without the 
  cybertorso.
  SPEED LEGS
  Tojicorp Gazelle SpeedLeg. The speed legs increase the 
  user’s running speed from 30 metres per turn to 50. Similar to 
  the T-Rex PowerLeg, the user requires additional structure if 
  installed without the cybertorso.
  LEG CANNON
  MilTech Ltd. Covert Leg Cannon. There are two vari-
  ants of this bizarre device. One has the weapon installed in the 
  lower leg and shoots through the heel. The second is installed 
  in the upper leg and shoots through the kneecap. Both hold a 
  magazine of four 12-guage, auto-loaded rounds.
  Weapon: Leg Cannon 
   
   
   
   
  --- Recoil ---
  Ammo 
  ROF 
  Damage 
  Pen 
  Bulk 
  Mag 
  SS 
  Burst 
  Range
  12-guage 
  SA 
  4 
  2-3-Nil 
  5 
  4 
  7 
  –– 
  6
  Short 
  SA 
  9 
  Nil 
   
   
   
   
  Medium 
  5x10 
  1 
  Nil 
   
   
   
   
  IMPLANTED STUNNER
  ArnoldCorp IPSS6. An implanted weapon, the IPSS6 
  is a variant of the human/ET constructed Sonic Stunner. 
  This weapon is extremely dangerous (since it incorporates 
  some DarkTek) and has other, unpredictable properties. It is 
  in all other ways identical to the Sonic Stunner, and may be 
  implanted in a cyberlimb or natural one. 
  PERIPHERALS
  System 
  Location 
  Augmentation Cost 
  User Cost 
  Profile 
  Price
  Power Jaw 
  Head 
  3 
  None 
  High 
  $125K (-/-)
  Jaws Of Death 
  Head 
  4 
  None 
  High 
  $175K (-/-)
  Chainsaw Hand 
  Arm 
  2 
  None 
  High 
  $75K (-/-)
  Grapple Hand 
  Hand 
  4 
  None 
  High 
  $180K (-/-)
  Hand Socket 
  Arm 
  2 
  None 
  Low 
  $150K (-/-)
  Utility Arm 
  Arm 
  6 
  None 
  High; storage compartment: None 
  $223K (-/-)
  Power Legs 
  Leg 
  9 
  None 
  High 
  $320K w/cybertorso; $550K w/o cybertorso (-/-)
  Speed Legs 
  Leg 
  11 
  None 
  High 
  $290K w/cybertorso; $380K w/o cybertorso (-/-)
  Leg Cannon 
  Leg 
  14 
  None 
  Low 
  $870K (-/-)
  Implanted Stunner  
  Arm 
  10 
  Detection: 50; Control: 2 
  Low  
  $160K (-/-)
  Enhanced Prosthetic Limb 
  Arm, Leg 
  8 
  None 
  Low  
  $200K + $20K per level installed (-/-)
  Enhanced Prosthetic Limb 
  Arm, Leg 
  9 
  None 
  High  
  $350K + $50K per level installed (-/-)
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  85
  DARK CONSPIRACY
  HOUSE RULES
  ENHANCED PROSTHETIC LIMB
  CyberGene LA22 Enhanced Prosthetic. Available for 
  any limb, the LA22 is the best cyberlimb manufactured any-
  where in the United States which is incredible since Cyber-
  Gene only dabbles in cybertech research. Each limb must be 
  purchased separately, and then in STR ratings with each rating 
  adding +1 to the user’s Strength attribute (with a maximum 
  of +12) for use with that limb only. Even then, unless the 
  user has had his entire skeletal and muscular system replaced 
  (or a cybertorso) he won’t be able to lift more than his basic 
  strength will allow. (Just because you have super strength in 
  one limb doesn’t mean your bones can stand up to lifting 
  super human weights.) The LA22 has a base hit point rating 
  of 20 points, with each additional installed level adding 2 hits. 
  The LA22 also has an effective armor protection of AV1 (plus 
  1 per 3 installed levels).
  Zeiss-Krupp XD44A Hydraulically Boosted Cyber-
  limb. More powerful than the CyberGene LA22, the Z-K 
  limb uses an advanced hydraulic system that can achieve a 
  strength twice that of the LA22 (+24 limit). All of the rules 
  of the LA22 apply to the XD44A. The XD44A has the same 
  armor value and hits as the CyberGene LA22.
  Socket Hands
  SOCKET HANDS
  System 
  Location 
  Augmentation Cost 
  User Cost 
  Profile 
  Price
  Hardfist 
  Socket Hand 
  2 
  None 
  Low 
  $15K (-/-)
  Knuckle Blades 
  Socket Hand 
  3 
  None 
  None 
  $21K (-/-)
  Pistol Hand 
  Socket Hand 
  8 
  None 
  Low 
  $21K (-/-)
  Pistol Hand 
  Socket Hand 
  10 
  None 
  None 
  $45K (-/-)
  Power Hand 
  Socket Hand 
  3 
  None 
  High 
  $17K (-/-)
  Torque Hand 
  Socket Hand 
  3 
  None 
  High 
  $25K (-/-)
  Surveillance Hand 
  Socket Hand 
  6 
  None 
  Low 
  $50K (-/-)
  HARDFIST
  Schlaeor HardFist Mk X1. The HardFist inflicts double 
  damage in melee due to heavy reinforcement of bone struc-
  ture. There is a +1 difficulty level penalty (Average becomes 
  Difficult) to Agility-based tasks when using this hand nor-
  mally.
  KNUCKLE BLADES
  AMS Tiger Claw Manipulate. Four 10cm blades are 
  fitted into sheaths on the back of the hand. They are fully 
  retractable. Melee damage is 1D6 plus half Strength. There 
  is a +1 difficulty level penalty (Average becomes Difficult) 
  to Agility-based tasks when using this hand normally. The 
  blades are fully encased in the arm, artificial or natural. The 
  skin on the hand heals over the holes from which the blades 
  extend causing 1 point of damage to the arm every time they 
  are extended.
  PISTOL HANDS
  MilTech Ltd.  Gun Hand.  An artificial hand conceals a 
  9mm five shot pistol. The used cartridge cases are kept within 
  the hand for later disposal. The index finger is not fully flex-
  ible. The hand suffers a +2 difficulty level penalty (Average 
  becomes Formidable) to Agility-based tasks when using this 
  hand normally.
  Weapon : Pistol Hand 
  Recoil 
  Ammo 
  ROF 
  Damage 
  Pen 
  Bulk 
  Mag 
  SS 
  Burst 
  Range
  9mm P 
  SA 
  2 
  Nil 
  0 
  5 
  5 
  –– 
  10
  MilTech Ltd. Assassin Hand. This artificial hand con-
  ceals a .22 caliber 12 shot pistol. Similar to the Gun Hand, 
  the used cartridge cases are kept within the hand for later dis-
  posal. This is a more articulated artificial hand and provides 
  greater concealability for the weapon. The inner workings are 
  non-metal and with special .22 magnum caliber ammunition, 
  the cartridges are as well. The system then is undetectable to 
  metal detectors. The hand suffers a +1 difficulty level penalty 
  (Average becomes Difficult) to Agility-based tasks when 
  using this hand normally.
  Weapon : Assassin Hand Recoil 
  Ammo 
  ROF 
  Damage 
  Pen 
  Bulk 
  Mag 
  SS 
  Burst 
  Range
  .22 Magnum 
  SA 
  1 
  Nil 
  0 
  12 
  2 
  –– 
  10
  POWER HAND
  Schlaeor Hand of Death. The power hand uses a mechan-
  ical ratchet to give up to 10 times the gripping power of the 
  human hand, allowing objects to be crushed. The ratchet can 
  be locked enabling the user to hang suspended or hold objects 
  for an extended period without suffering from fatigue.
  TORQUE HAND
  Schlaeor Torque Hand. Schlaeor’s Torque Hand allows 
  the artificial hand to rotate at high speed in either direction at 
  the wrist. The fingers can be locked in place like the power 
  hand, allowing the hand to be used as a torque wrench. 
  SURVEILLANCE HAND
  PoliceTech Ltd. Digital Surveillance System. The sur-
  veillance hand consists of a 2nd generation artificial hand with 
  each digit on the hand having the capability to double as a sur-
  veillance camera. With the camera system installed to a digit, 
  the fingertip can be removed and extended using a fiberoptic 
  cable. The camera head in the fingertip can be pointed in any 
  direction. Normal operation allows the camera to be inserted 
  under a door or into a duct to provide tactical intelligence to 
  on-site operatives.
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  86
  DARK CONSPIRACY
  HOUSE RULES
  SUBDERMAL CRANIAL ARMOR
  Schlaeor Cranial Armor. Thin layers of very tough mate-
  rials are laid between the skull and the skin. This is equivalent 
  to one point of armor (AV1). Treat shots to the head the same 
  as with helmets. Roll 1d6: 1-4 hits armor, 5-6 misses armor. 
  This treatment cannot be fitted over a skeletal enhancement 
  or a cyberhead.
  SUBDERMAL THORACIC ARMOR
  Schlaeor Subdermal Body Armor. The armor materials 
  are layered over the ribcage but under the skin. It protects only 
  the chest, the abdomen is unprotected. The armor has a rating 
  of 1 point of armor value (AV1).
  SUBDERMAL THORACIC PLATES
  Schlaeor Subdermal Armor Plates. Similar to the sub-
  dermal thoracic armor, but consisting of plates instead of 
  continuous coverage. The plates cover the chest only and not 
  completely. On a 1d6 roll of 1-4, the round hits the armor pro-
  tection. On a 5-6 the armor is missed. The armor has a rating 
  of 1 AV per installation level to a maximum of 3.
  PROTECTIVE ARMOR ADD-ON (ARM)
  Schlaeor Armor Add-On (Arm). Advanced materials 
  specialists Schlaeor provides an armor add-on that can only 
  be fitted to the Utility Arm or the LA22. It provides the equiv-
  alent of one point of Armor Value to the entire arm.
  PROTECTIVE ARMOR ADD-ON (LEG)
  Schlaeor Armor Add-On (Leg). Schlaeor’s leg armor 
  add-on is only available for general purpose cybernetic legs, 
  like the LA22. It gives protection of one point of Armor Value 
  (AV1).
  ARMOR
  System 
  Location 
  Augmentation Cost 
  User Cost 
  Profile 
  Price
  Subdermal Cranial Armor 
  Head 
  3 
  None 
  Low 
  $115K (-/-)
  Subdermal Thoracic Armor 
  Chest 
  4 
  None 
  Low 
  $332K (-/-)
  Subdermal Thoracic Plates 
  Chest 
  2 per level 
  None 
  Low (AV 1-2); High (AV3) 
  $240K per level installed (-/-)
  Protective Armor Add-on (Arm) 
  Arm 
  2 
  None 
  No additional 
  $97K per arm (-/-)
  Protective Armor Add-on (Leg) 
  Leg 
  3 
  None 
  No additional 
  $105K per leg (-/-)
  SYSTEMIC
  System 
  Location 
  Augmentation Cost 
  User Cost 
  Profile 
  Price
  Reflex Booster 
  Chest 
  18 
  Detection: 100 when used 
  None 
  $2,500K (-/-)
  Supercharger 
  Chest 
  21 
  Detection: 100 when used 
  None 
  $1,800K (-/-)
  REFLEX BOOSTER
  DK Research Reflex Booster. This mechanism was 
  developed by the Russian military to increase reaction times 
  in critical combat situations. It was soon copied in back-street 
  labs and workshops, ready to be sold to the gangs and low-
  life troublemakers. Some of these street gangs were renamed 
  Boostergangs, as the device soon became very popular. It 
  actually works by giving a minor charge to the nervous 
  system and simultaneously boosting the production of natural 
  adrenaline. This occurs in less than 0.2 of a second. In game 
  terms, the user’s Initiative is increased to 6 for three Combat 
  rounds. The boost cannot be repeated more often than once 
  every three hours.
  SUPERCHARGER
  Auslander Dynamics Supercharger. This is a device 
  used to store some of the endorphins that the body naturally 
  produces. The endorphins are saved for re-introduction into 
  the body to add extra oxygen to the bloodstream, and to 
  remove fatigue toxins from it. The Supercharger is installed 
  in the kidney, and only one can be fitted. When in use, it 
  increases the user’s Constitution by two points. This has the 
  effect of temporarily improving the user’s hit capacity and 
  improving constitution-based task checks.
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  87
  DARK CONSPIRACY
  HOUSE RULES
  CAMEL’S HUMP
  FirstCare Camel’s Hump. This implant to the bladder, 
  filters urine and recirculates the water into the body. The uric 
  by-products are collected in a pouch that is cleansed by drink-
  ing several liters of clean water. The recipient may go for up 
  to 5 days without water in this fashion. FirstCare calls its’, the 
  Camel’s Hump due to the bulge the collection pouch makes to 
  the back just below the rib cage.
  BLOOD FILTERS
  FirstCare SanguiScreen. This implant filters impurities 
  and toxic substances from the blood stream. Toxic by-prod-
  ucts are collected in a pouch that is cleansed externally by 
  passing water through it. External spigots located in the abdo-
  men are provided for this purpose.
  OVULATION CONTROLLER
  Auslander Dynamics Ovulation Controller. When 
  triggered, this controller causes the production of an egg, 
  which starts immediately down the fallopian tubes. The trig-
  ger can be internal and controlled by the user or through an 
  external device. Multiple triggers will cause multiple eggs to 
  be released. The lack of a trigger will prevent an egg from 
  being released, acting as a contraceptive. When this device is 
  triggered, and all other conditions are present, the chance of 
  impregnation is 99%. This implant is obviously installed in 
  the female of the species only.
  CONTRACEPTION IMPLANT
  Auslander Dynamics Contraception Implant. This 
  implant acts much like the ovulation controller, except that it 
  can only prohibit normal egg or sperm production. The user 
  has an internal or external controller that can turn on or off the 
  ability of the user to conceive.
  METABOLIC CONTROL
  DK Research Metabolic Feedback Controller. Control 
  over bodily functions can be maintained for extended period 
  with the Metabolic Feedback Controller. The MFC controls 
  heartbeat, breathing, and other metabolic functions. These 
  functions can be slowed to a nearly imperceptible level of 
  activity, effectively feigning death. When coupled with an 
  internal Chronometer, these functions can be programmed for 
  reactivation after a fixed duration. The chronometer allows 
  the advanced model (level 2) to suppress mental functions as 
  well. This can fool even the most advanced medical special-
  ists into belief that the user has expired or is brain dead.
  NANOMITE BLOOD CLOTTING SYSTEM
  FirstCare Nanomite Clot Control System. Clots blood 
  exiting the body very quickly. Critical wounds do not need to 
  be treated immediately. The Nanomites have a short lifespan 
  and must be regenerated for each use. This system includes 
  an internal module that generates the Nanomites. A hypo-
  dermic can inject a series of Nanomites ceasing even arterial 
  blood flow. FirstCare intended the Nanomite system to be an 
  emergency room treatment that minimized triage time spent 
  on critical patients. However, there have been reports of the 
  clotting system being used to kill its recipient.
  EMPATHY BOOSTER
  Auslander Dynamics gamma-Booster. In a similar fash-
  ion to the Empathic Computer Interface, a set of biological 
  constructs are implanted in the brain. One is installed sur-
  rounding the pituitary gland with the other one around the 
  pineal gland. If an empathic computer interface is installed, 
  this system is not allowed and vice versa. The Empathy 
  Booster provides a boost to the EMP attribute of +1 per level 
  installed. There is no maximum to the empathic level attained 
  through this installation. 
  As the empathic energy flows through the user, the bio-
  logical constructs enlarge – the more empathic energy, the 
  greater the enlargement. The user takes one point of damage 
  to the head per empathic power level attained. Control of the 
  implants is difficult and loss of control is dangerous. The user 
  must also make an Average:Willpower test. Failure of this test 
  causes double the damage to the head. Critical Failure causes 
  the user’s head to explode in a dramatic and stomach-wrench-
  ing manner. 
  A previous Auslander attempt, the alpha-Booster, had the 
  same effect as the gamma-Booster, but caused 15 points of 
  damage to the body for each use in addition to the gamma 
  effects. It also caused neurosis similar to a Neuropath failed 
  push result. The delta-Booster provided double the effect, 2 
  EMP per level installed, but carried the additional DarkTek 
  User Cost of Feed: 5.
  ENDOCRINE
  System 
  Location 
  Augmentation Cost 
  User Cost 
  Profile 
  Price
  Camel’s Hump 
  Chest 
  2 
  None 
  Low 
  $375K (-/-)
  Blood Filters 
  Chest 
  7 
  None 
  Low 
  $700K (-/-)
  Ovulation Controller 
  Chest 
  21 
  Control: 1 
  None 
  $380K (-/-)
  Contraception Implant 
  Chest 
  18 
  Control: 1 
  None 
  $275K (-/-)
  Metabolic Control 
  Chest 
  25 
  Detection: 100; Control: 1 
  None 
  $680K level 1; $1,100K level 2 (-/-)
  Nanomite Blood Clotting System 
  Chest 
  22 
  Detection: 100; Control: 2 
  None 
  $125K (-/-)
  Empathy booster 
  Head 
  33 Detection: 500, 2000 when used; Control: 4 None 
  $10KK + $300K per level installed (-/-)
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  88
  DARK CONSPIRACY
  HOUSE RULES
  THERMAL SENSORS
  FiberAge Synthetics MicroTherm Sensory Enhance-
  ment. Detailed and calibrated nano-thermocouples allow the 
  user to detect very small changes in ambient temperature. The 
  nano-thermocouples are installed across the body’s skin. An 
  integrated nano-controller (required) integrates all the ther-
  mocouple inputs and computes changes to the ambient tem-
  perature to within 1 degree C. This allows the user to sense 
  which passage was most recently traveled (by warm-blooded 
  beings, of course).
  CHAMELEON SKIN
  FiberAge Chameleon Skin. The chameleon skin pro-
  vides the same benefits as the chameleon suit listed in the 
  DarkTek supplement. When in motion, the skin confers a 1 
  level benefit in the Stealth task check. When motionless, the 
  benefit is 2 levels.
  STEALTH SKIN
  Schlaeor Stealth Derma Treatment. The Schlaeor 
  dermal is similar to the chameleon skin, but more effective. 
  The Schlaeor treatment also addresses the rustling and other 
  sounds that made during motion. The skin is also more effec-
  tive in concealment. The benefit to Stealth task checks is 2 
  levels at all times.
  PRESSURE SKIN
  FiberAge Pressure Resistant Skin. A course fibrous skin 
  with a metallic patina completely encloses the body. This skin 
  is resistant to both vacuum and high pressure environments.
  DOPPELGANGER SKIN
  Auslander Dynamics Doppelganger Head. A permanent 
  version of the DarkTek Facedancer using current technology 
  and not DarkTek. Motorized plates under the skin provide a 
  change in facial bone structure. An external programming 
  source can be used to shape the facial bones and tissues. An 
  internal holographic eye can provide near-real-time data to 
  program the face as well. 
  Auslander Dynamics Doppelganger Hands. Similar to 
  the Doppelganger head, the hands provide a means of repro-
  ducing fingerprints. A pre-programmed source or a holo-
  graphic eye changes the imprints on the hands to a desired 
  target.
  SKIN ENHANCEMENTS
  System 
  Location 
  Augmentation Cost 
  User Cost 
  Profile 
  Price
  Thermal Sensors 
  Skin 
  6  
  Detection: 10; Control: 1 
  None 
  $980K (-/-)
  Chameleon Skin 
  Skin 
  9 
  Control: 1 
  Low 
  $2,900K (-/-)
  Stealth Skin 
  Skin 
  6 
  Control: 1 
  Low 
  $4,500K (-/-)
  Pressure Skin 
  Skin 
  14 
  Control: 1 
  High 
  $1,700K (-/-)
  Doppelganger Skin 
  Skin 
  23 
  Control: 2 None after change; High during change $6,300K (-/-)
  Doppelganger Hands 
  Skin 
  20 
  Control: 1 None after change; High during change $5,200K (-/-)
  v
  “Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they 
  didn’t stop to think if they should”
   
  - Dr. Ian Malcolm
  “You know we’re sitting on four million pounds of fuel, one nuclear weapon and 
  a thing that has 270,000 moving parts built by the lowest bidder? Makes you feel 
  good, doesn’t it?”
   
  - Rockhound
  “Alright, you primitive screwheads, listen up: THIS... is my BOOM STICK!”
   
  - Ash
  [Klaxon sounding] “I remember that sound. It’s a bad sound!”
   
  - Gwen DeMarco
  “If my calculations are correct, when this baby hits eighty-eight miles per hour ... 
  you’re gonna see some serious shit.”
   
  - Dr. Emmet Brown
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
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  DARK CONSPIRACY
  CAREERS
  DARK CONSPIRACY
  Augmented Agent by Michael Nanney
  Augmented Agent 
  Michael Nanney
  MECHANICAL AUGMENTATION
  First Term: The player may choose two separate items 
  from Group A.  Character begins the term with an INFOLINK 
  installed. 
  Group A:
  RM Leg Assembly
  Talus Actuators (Speed Increase)
  AMF Musculature (STR +2)
  Synaptic Accelerator (AGL +2)
  Optical Targetting Overlay (Vision Enhancement)
  I-GPS
  PeRSI Unit
  Plasteel Body Armor (1 location)
  Mortonium Fist Shods (UCD +2)
  Ocular Implants
  Subsequent Terms: Each term, the player is allowed to 
  choose two separate items from group A. Note that AMF mus-
  culature can be taken repeatedly in multiple terms.
  Each term, subtract 1 from Empathy or Charisma, player’s 
  choice (Charisma is not allowed to reach 0.) If this makes any 
  skill governed by these attributes higher than the attribute, 
  those skills must be reduced as well. 
  NANO-AUGMENTATION
  First Term: The player may choose either three items 
  from Group B or one each from Groups B and C.  The player 
  begins the term with an INFOLINK installed, a Mnemonic 
  Data Core, a 10cc injection of NaNT, and two extra hypo-
  syringes (10cc’s NaNT each). 
  Group B:
  Bioregeneration
  Pneumonic Re-circulator
  Sudden Death
  (HAIR) Reaction Boost
  (HAIR) Agility 88
  (HAIR) NMS
  (HAIR) Sentinel 3
  Group C:
  VESPak
  Dermoptic Camo
  Protuberance Shell
  Subsequent Terms: Each term, the player is allowed to 
  choose two items from Group B or one item from Group C.
  Each term, subtract 1 from Empathy. If this makes any 
  skill governed by the Empathy attribute higher than the actual 
  Empathy score, those skills must be reduced as well.
  AUGMENTED AGENT
  The Enemy is always improving. Your enemies may be members of rival corporations, soldiers serving in a hostile foreign 
  army, or even recruits from other agencies. One thing is for sure: Your opposition is getting tougher… but YOU have an edge. 
  Your superiors finally recognized your dedication, and rewarded you with various ‘enhancements’. You still don’t fully under-
  stand the techno-speak, but the prospect of cybernetic limbs or nano-augmented vision is too good to pass up.
  Entry: CON +6, Must have spent at leas one term as Corporate Security, Elite Military forces, or government agency. PC’s 
  must choose to begin with either Mechanical Augmentation or Nano-Augmentation.
  Special (both): Money made during this career is 1⁄4 normal. You could never have funded the cost for your enhancements 
  on your own. Your organization owns you. They know it and so do you. Augmentations take time and training in order to learn 
  their safe and proper uses. Thus, no secondary activities are allowed.
  CROSS-AUGMENTATION:
  Agents who desire both mechanical as well as nano-augmentations must take them in separate terms. Each term, they must 
  choose from the appropriate lists ONLY. Each Term spent as a cross-augmented agent, suptract either 2 from empathy, or 1 
  from empathy and 1 from charisma (player’s choice).
  Some Extras: Augmentations is not for everyone. Though the benefits are not be denied, the ramifications of tinkering with 
  the body are numerous. Mech’s often find that their ultra-high tech parts and pieces are like any other machine – sometimes 
  they need repair and servicing. Nano’s suffer various side effects from constant use of NaNT – yellowish, bloodshot eyes, sleep 
  disorders, and an extremely low tolerance to alcohol, just to name a few. Both types often feel that their new abilities have 
  somehow made them less human. Some Nano’s have claimed that their consciousness is growing closer to a bleak and horrid 
  end… but what do you expect? It’s a Dark World (round down)!
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
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  DARK CONSPIRACY
  CAREERS
  GENERIC AUGMENTATIONS
  Infolink: An infolink is a small, heavily shielded trans-
  ceiver that is implanted in the skull of an augmented agent. 
  It provides silent one-way communication from a command 
  center to the agent while he or she is in the field. It can trans-
  mit audio and video data, though it can receive audio informa-
  tion only. 
  Special: An agent that has a Mnemonic Data Core can 
  receive video information as well as computer data through 
  the Infolink provided they have a free data slot to store the 
  information. Once viewed/used, the data can be deleted.
  Passive IFF ROM: A subdermal chip (about the size of a 
  dime) that is used to identify someone as non-hostile to a Pas-
  sive IFF device. They are commonly used by wealthy Mega-
  Corps to help increase security (employees often receive the 
  implant so they can be easily screened). Some Ultra-high-tech 
  vehicles (usually military) support active IFF, comparing pos-
  sible targets to a large database for on-the-fly threat analysis. 
  Since they are normally only made available as needed, price 
  reflects black market.
  Price: $10,000 - $100,000 (as forged security pass) 
  MECHANICAL AUGMENTATIONS
  RM Leg Assembly (Speed Increase): Though the pro-
  cedure is extremely painful, the results are amazing. Most of 
  the bone and much of the muscle tissue in the legs is replaced 
  with an ultra-high-tech, variable hardness plastic known as 
  Reactive Malacia. Powered by a sealed nuclear-decay battery 
  and an impressive array of logic circuits, the enhanced legs 
  can handle amazing stress. Average individuals (STR 5, AGL 
  5) with this augmentation can walk, trot, and run at 1.5x their 
  normal speed. As an example, an augmentee with the STR & 
  AGL scores listed above, could run 45m, trot 21m, and walk 
  12m as a single action. An agent with this enhancement can 
  also run at 2x normal running speed for a number of combat 
  phases equal to his agility, provided he succeeds at a Difficult 
  Level task vs. Agility. Failure means the subject cannot con-
  trol the RM Legs at that speed, and must slow to 1.5x speed or 
  less. Catastrophic Failure means the augmentee has suffered 
  internal damage to remaining tissue. Each leg takes 10d10 
  damage, minus 1d10 for each point of constitution (note: 
  regardless of the character’s CON, each leg will suffer a 
  minimum of 1d10 damage). The subject may suffer additional 
  damage from falling or impact injuries. An agent augmented 
  with RM Legs can jump to a height in meters equal 1.5 times 
  his body height as well as purposely drop/fall a distance up to 
  3 times his body height (provided he lands on his feet).
  Talus Actuators (Stealth Improvement): Electro-Mag-
  netic Weight Dispersion coils are grafted over the bones in the 
  ankles and feet, allowing the augmentee to move over typically 
  noisy terrain (twigs, puddles of water, etc.) while remaining 
  quiet. All stealth Tasks rolls become one level easier. Note 
  that an individual without any skill points in stealth makes the 
  modified task check on percentile dice as usual.
  AMF Musculature (STR +2): Advanced Microfilament 
  Musculature is a fairly recent innovation in the field of aug-
  mentation. Variable resistance titanium microfilaments are 
  threaded though available muscle and bone tissue, increas-
  ing the effective Strength of the augmentee by 2 points. The 
  benefits are immediate as soon as the procedure is finished; 
  however, the procedure cannot be repeated for quite some 
  time as It takes nearly four years for the surrounding tissue to 
  fully assimilate the microfilaments. This augmentation CAN 
  be taken again in consecutive terms. 
  Synaptic Accelerator (AGL +2): Small bioelectric relays 
  are implanted near the brain stem and in the base of the spine, 
  increasing muscle reaction time. Joints and cartilage are 
  shaved, reshaped, or replaced to give maximum mobility and 
  range of motion for an augmentee’s particular body type.
  These enhancements increase the Agility of the recipient 
  by two points. Due to maximum limits of body type and size, 
  this augmentation MAY NOT be taken more than once.
  Optical Targeting Overlay: This vision and targeting 
  enhancement utilizes an ultra thin, complex LCD mesh that 
  is surgically attached to the lens of the subject’s eye. This is 
  an incredibly compact augmentation – all working circuitry is 
  housed in the transparent mesh. The biggest downside of this 
  enhancement is the obvious pink tint to the sclera (white part 
  of the eye). 
  The different features of the targeting overlay are listed 
  below. Note that these functions are independent of each 
  other, and cannot be used simultaneously:
  Display: Shows range and elevation of current target up to 
  100 meters. Task rolls for firing heavy weaponry within 
  the 100meter range are made one step easier.
  Scope: Functions as a digital-zoom sight for rifles lacking an 
  optical scope.
  SRA Tracking: Short Range Auto Tracking is designed for 
  use with small arms (pistols and rifles), and can be used 
  in single-shot or semi-automatic fire. SRA Tracking is 
  active up to 40 meters, and enables a single aimed shot to 
  be fired, even if the previous action phase was not spent 
  aiming the weapon. If used in conjunction with a semi-
  automatic weapon fitted with a LASER sight, a total of 4 
  aimed shots could be fired (assuming the previous phase 
  was spent aiming). 
  Controlled eye movements handle the various functions 
  of the augmentation. Any weapon the augmentee wishes to 
  use must be sighted for use with the targeting system. Sight-
  ing a new pistol, rifle, or other small arms is an Average Task 
  vs. Small Arms skill. Calibrating the overlay for use with any 
  form of heavy weaponry is a Difficult Task vs. Heavy Weap-
  ons Skill. If attempting to sight in a weapon while under stress 
  (under enemy fire, for example) the task level increase by one 
  level of difficulty. Sighting in a new weapon for use with 
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
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  the Optical Targeting Overlay takes 30 Minutes.  A different 
  weapon of the same make and model must still be sighted 
  separately, as each gun may have slight variances in accuracy 
  and range.
  I-GPS: The I-GPS (Internal Global Positioning System) 
  is a useful enhancement for any agent. First, a cranial GPS 
  is installed (a small, visible plate approx. 4x4cm, usually 
  implanted behind an ear). Second, a simple LCD mesh is 
  implanted on the lens of an available eye. This displays a map 
  and the augmentee’s current position anywhere on the globe. 
  Coordinates can be entered, and will show on the map over-
  lay (the location of the nearest safe house, for example). The 
  I-GPS can also broadcast the agent’s position to a command 
  center. All Tasks vs. Navigation become one level easier than 
  normal.
  PeRSI Unit: Probably the only augmentation regular 
  people would recognize. Developed for Neo-soviet Covert 
  OPS by Magellan Communications, PeRSI units are already 
  being implemented by Corporate Elite. PeRSI Units, or Per-
  sonal-Range Satellite Imaging, allow the subject access to 
  quick satellite snapshots of the surrounding area. The PeRSI 
  unit consists of a small transceiver implanted near the trachea, 
  while a small fold out LCD screen with speaker are implanted 
  behind an ear (looks much like a hearing aid when not in front 
  of the eye). Live operators at Magellan Communications 
  handle the entire system. Requesting a map is as simple as 
  giving them your PeRSI # and pass code. Snapshot downloads 
  take 2 phases (1 pinpoint the agents location, and 1 to down-
  load). Only one snapshot can be displayed on the LCD screen 
  at one time. The snapshots cover an area 30m/30m.  
  This device has become a symbol of prestige among 
  Minion Hunters. Sometimes, the hunters become the hunted, 
  and it’s nice to have a map of the way out! This item is also 
  gaining popularity with the wealthy, and with top-of-the-line 
  bodyguards.
  Price $75,000 (--/R)
  Plasteel Body Armor: Works like Integral body armor 
  from pg. 39 of handbook.
  Mortonium Fist Shods: Metal plates made of Mortonium 
  (an extremely dense material) are inlayed over the knuckles, 
  fingers, and back of the subject’s hands. This increases the 
  Unarmed Combat Damage of the character by +2
  Ocular Implants:  Ocular implants can only be installed 
  if both eyes are physically removed. Large spherical optical 
  sensors replace both eyes, and a small data processor is inter-
  faced with remaining optic nerve fibers. The device has three 
  vision modes, detailed below:
  Standard Vision: Perfect vision (20/15). Works with all other 
  vision modes.
  Optical Zoom: Functions much like a pair of 8x variable 
  zoom binoculars. Works with Standard Vision and 
  Nightvision functions only.
  Nightvision: Typical IR Nightvision, 30m range. Works with 
  the Optical Zoom and Standard Vision functions only.
  Improved Peripheral Vision: Grants 270º field of view.  
  Would-be surprise attackers make Task rolls vs. stealth 
  at the next hardest difficulty for the situation. This mode 
  cannot be used in conjunction with the nightvision func-
  tion or Optical Zoom.
  The augmentation can also be programmed to support pas-
  sive IFF (Friend or Foe Identification) for organizations that 
  utilize that technology. For this reason, Ocular Implants are 
  fast becoming popular augmentations for ultra-HiTek copro-
  rate security needs.
  NANO-AUGMENTATION
  Characters who undergo nano-augmentation have mil-
  lions of quasi-organic robot-computers introduced throughout 
  their entire body system. These tiny molecule-sized machines 
  (known as nano-processors, or ‘Nanites’) can be programmed 
  to perform certain tasks. Running a nano-script (basically a 
  computer program) allows the nanites to follow a given set 
  of instructions. Since the nanites work on a sub-cellular level, 
  they can affect changes in the subject’s body (both mundane 
  and extraordinary). A crude example:  giving a group of 
  200,000 nanites instructions to stimulate an agent’s adrenal 
  glands, thereby increasing his aggression level, strength, and 
  reflexes.
  Integral to nano-augmentation is the Mnemonic Data 
  Core, and NaNT (listed below).
  Mnemonic Data Core: All subjects who undergo nano-
  augmentation must have this device installed. The ‘core’ is a 
  gelatinous egg shaped ball (roughly the size of a large marble) 
  with hundreds of stringy neural fibers hanging from the base. 
  Metal circuitry can be seen under the translucent ‘skin’. It is 
  alien in appearance, and probably DarkTek in origin. The core 
  is installed adjacent to the empathic centers of the brain, and 
  a small interface jack (about the size of a current day USB 
  port) is placed on an external location (usually behind an ear 
  or under the hair).
  The Core’s most important function is it’s ability to 
  store data, especially Nano-scripts. The core contains nine 
  (9) memory modules, or ‘slots’. Regular data (video, audio, 
  etc.) can be stored, and later retrieved or deleted as necessary; 
  however, nano-scripts are chemically ‘hard coded’ into the 
  memory modules, and cannot be erased or overwritten. Stan-
  dard nano-scripts take up one existing memory slot. Some 
  of the more complex scripts require permanent allocation of 
  TWO or THREE slots in order to be utilized.
  The Mnemonic Data core can handle playback of video 
  and audio information, display still images and show text. 
  It is NOT a standard computer operating system and there-
  fore cannot run typical programs (though software could be 
  downloaded the ‘core, transported, and then uploaded for 
  later use).
  
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  Each memory slot can store up to 1GB of data. Data 
  transfer rate of the interface port varies between 15-20MB/
  sec. Thus, it takes about two combat turns (1 minute) to fill a 
  memory slot. A simple eye-controlled LCD mesh (overlaid on 
  the agent’s lens) controls the ‘Core as well as the functions of 
  the various nano-augmentations.
  NaNT: Short for Nanite Neural Transmitter.  It is a trans-
  parent, slightly yellowish fluid composed of acetylcholine, 
  Tri-norepinephrine 3, and even colloidal gold (just to name of 
  few of the ingredients). When a nano-script is activated, mil-
  lions of instructions are sent throughout the nervous system 
  of the augmentee. The nanites manage to perform their tasks 
  thanks to the high-speed chemical communication made pos-
  sible by NaNT.  Without it, nano-scripts cannot be run, and 
  thus nano-augmentations cannot be activated.
  More complex nano-scripts eat up more ‘chemical band-
  width’. Nano-scripts that take up one memory slot use 1cc 
  of NaNT/phase while active. Active scripts that take up two 
  slots use 3cc of NaNT/phase. A script that utilizes 3 memory 
  modules requires 5cc of NaNT/phase. (HAIR scripts are an 
  exception to this rule - see below).
  NaNT usage is allocated for every phase in which a script 
  is active. Example: John activates bioregeneration in phase 4. 
  At the end of phase 4 he heals 1 point and uses 1cc of NaNT. 
  In phase 3 he also heals 1 point/uses 1 cc. After his action in 
  phase 2 he shuts down the script. At the end of phase 2, he 
  heals 1 point/uses 1cc. In phase 1, no scripts are running.
  NANO-SCRIPTS
  The following is a list of scripts available for nano-aug-
  mented characters. Allscripts have a number in parenthesis. 
  This is the number of memory slots that must be permanently 
  allocated to the program. 
  Most nano-scripts can be run simultaneously with others. 
  The NaNT usage is additive. Some nano-scripts cannot be run 
  while others are active - This will be noted in their descrip-
  tion. Some nano-scripts are activated immediately, while 
  others take longer.
  VESPak (2): Utilizing ultra-high compression algo-
  rithms, nano-scientists at Tojicorp Research Division man-
  aged to squeezed together three complex data scripts into the 
  space of two. This Vision Enhancement Script Package, or 
  VESPak, takes up only two memory slots. The three vision 
  enhancements available are: 
  Lowlight Vision: Nanites widen the iris and hyper stimu-
  late the retina to allow enhancement of available light 
  sources. WARNING – Bright, sudden light can cause 
  temporary blindness while using this augmentation.
  Ultravision: Nanites alter the properties of the lenses in each 
  eye to stop the filtering of Ultraviolet light, allowing the 
  augmentee to see into the UV spectrum (the UV gets 
  through… people CAN read by ultraviolet light without 
  a real lens). At the same time, the nano-processors regen-
  erate the retinal tissue being damaged by the incoming 
  UV light.
  Thermalview: Nanites chemically alter the vitreous fluid and 
  surface of the eyes to respond to heat and temperature 
  variants in the surrounding environment. This is true 
  ‘Thermal Vision’. As this is a significant alteration 
  in physiology, it takes an entire phase for this change 
  to take effect. Furthermore, the augmentee’s eyes are 
  GLOSSY BLACK in appearance (scary!). 
  Only one vision mode can be active at a time. NaNT use is 
  3cc/phase, due the data decompression routines that must be 
  handled by a moderate percentage of nanites.
  Bioregeneration (1): This script instructs every nanite in 
  the subject’s body to start repairing damaged cells and body 
  tissues. Due to the inclusive nature of this augmentation, 
  no other scripts can be run while Bioregeneration is active. 
  Healing occurs at the rate of 1 point per phase, and CAN be 
  directed to a specific body part. Wounds in the CRITICAL 
  range heal at the rate of 1 point per TURN (6 phases) until 
  SERIOUS condition is reached, at which point the standard 
  healing rate takes over.
  Dermoptic Camo (3): First conceived and tested by US 
  Army Special Forces, the concept of Dermoptic Camo was 
  thought to be a failure. Where the military researchers failed 
  with skin-suits and holograms, scientists at Serengeti, Inc. 
  succeeded with nanotechnology. Nanites emerge from aug-
  mentee and attach themselves to the surface of the subject’s 
  body, where they immediately begin altering the refractive 
  properties of the body’s external tissues. The process is 
  extremely unnerving to watch, as the skin becomes translu-
  cent right before the change occurs - muscle tissue and organs 
  are often visible. It takes one phase (5 seconds) for change to 
  take effect.
  The end result is an agent who is nearly invisible in dark-
  ness, and difficult to see even in daylight. This augmentation 
  only hampers visual detection. Thus, dogs can still smell the 
  agent, others can hear him, and he can be spotted by UV light. 
  Clothing and weaponry are unaffected by this augmentation 
  (i.e. the subject must go nude, or risk easy detection). Thus, 
  This augmentation is usually only given to agents heavily 
  trained in hand-to-hand combat.
  Stealth task rolls become one level easier as a character 
  still has to move quietly (combining this script with the Talus 
  Actuators makes stealth tasks TWICE as easy). Furthermore, 
  it is a Formidable Task vs. Observation to spot someone using 
  Dermoptic Camo at night, and a Difficult Task in daylight. 
  The GM is free to adjust this as necessary if the subject is 
  causing a disturbance.
  Pneumonic Re-circulator (1): This nano-script was 
  recently developed in a top secret US Navy research facility. 
  The nano-processors in the blood flock to the lungs where 
  they begin synthesis of C02 into oxygen. When active (and 
  with air filled lungs) Augmentees may hold their breath for 
  a number of minutes equal to their CON score + swimming 
  
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  skill level, while still exerting themselves normally. Extreme 
  exertion (underwater combat?) reduces the time by half. 
  Characters in a relaxed state can spend 2x that long holding 
  their breath. Excess elemental carbon is carried away from the 
  lungs and deposited into the digestive system where it passes 
  through the agent as waste (and aids in digestion!).
  Protuberance Shell (2) [FCC Warning: This device may 
  WILL cause harmful interference]: Originally developed by 
  Miltech Ltd. to discourage eavesdropping, the technology 
  was found to be too difficult to control. Purchased from 
  Miltech Ltd by the US Military, Protuberance technology 
  has seen its most recent use in the acquisition (and termina-
  tion) of mech-augmented agents who have gone rogue. When 
  this script is activated, the nanites produce a localized and 
  highly specialized electro-magnetic field around the agent. 
  This “Protuberance Shell” can be used to disrupt electronic 
  devices, based on the agent’s distance from the device or his 
  length of physical contact (listed below). Use of an agent’s 
  InfoLink while the ‘Shell is active is unreliable at best. Use of 
  this nano-script also tends to disrupt Passive IFF and I-GPS. 
  A list of ranges, and their effects
  5m – 3m: Mild static in a video device, and an annoying hiss 
  in audio devices.
  3m – 1m: Moderate static in video, bad hisses and pops in 
  audio devices.
  1 meter-touch: Severe to total static in video displays/
  devices, completely distorted audio, 50% of data loss in 
  unshielded magnetic media. 
  Touch/Contact (1phase): Basic electronic devices can be 
  shorted (TVs, video cameras, etc), mild to moderate 
  disruption of heavily shielded electronics (25% change 
  of data loss in hard drives, etc), 100% loss of unshielded 
  magnetic media.
  Contact (1 turn): Severe to total disruption of heavily 
  shielded electronics, 100% loss of all but the most heav-
  ily shielded and resilient magnetic media.
  Contact (2 turns): Heavily shielded electronic devices can be 
  shorted out. If an augmentee has the NaNT to spare (and 
  can physically hang on), he could probably short out a 
  RamTech Bot.
  Sudden Death (1): This is a script of last resort. When 
  activated, it begins to immediately convert available brain 
  tissue for emergency NaNT use. Upper hierarchy nanites, 
  which usually handle operations within the Mnemonic Data 
  Core, leave their protected environment and begin harvesting 
  the brain tissue. They search out the most suitable tissues first, 
  which unfortunately happen to be the empathic and reason-
  ing centers of the brain. This is extremely dangerous, and can 
  easily result in mental damage of the augmentee.
  A point of EMPATHY is lost, but an agent continuously 
  produces 10cc/NaNT per phase for the next hour or so. After 
  the hour the script auto-deactivates and the surrogate NaNT 
  quickly breaks down. If the character’s empathy score is 0, 
  the script will remove a point of INTELLIGENCE from the 
  character instead of empathy.
  HAIR Scripts (1 slot each): Nicknamed “Blondies” 
  by the scientists at TojiCorp, these efficient programs were 
  designed back when NaNT was nearly impossible to synthe-
  size, and are some of the first nano-scripts ever written. HAIR 
  stands for Heightened Awareness / Improved Response. 
  HAIR scripts are extremely simple and take up minimal 
  NaNT resources. The following scripts are available:
  Reaction Boost: Nanites stimulate various areas of the 
  limbic system, increasing the character’s flight or fight 
  response. Initiative score is improved by +1 while the 
  script is active, though initiative is never allowed to 
  exceed 7
  Agility 88: This script orders nanites to take up positions 
  along 88 specific nervous system pathways. By speeding 
  up the throughput of electro-chemical signals, the overall 
  agility of the augmentee is increased by +2. Agents who 
  have undergone Synaptic Acceleration for improve agil-
  ity (See Mechanical Augmentation section above) do not 
  benefit from this script. Research shows that joint pain is 
  associated with this enhancement, so it is recommended 
  that agents take a mild analgesic twice daily.
  NMS (Neuro-Motor Stabilizer): Intuitive physics algorithms 
  allow nanites to quickly stimulate nerve endings and 
  muscle tissues in the arms, shoulders and hands. When 
  active, the agent’s reaction to recoil is improved. The 
  effective recoil of semi-automatic weapons is reduced 
  by 1 point, and fully automatic weapons have their recoil 
  reduced by 2 points.
  Sentinel 3: The Sentinel 3 causes minor enhancement in 
  visual, olfactory, and auditory senses, giving the aug-
  mentee greater awareness of his surroundings. It reduces 
  all Tasks vs. Observation by one level of difficulty.
  HAIR scripts use 1cc of NaNT per day each. Though they 
  are considered ‘always on’, they can be deactivated (to run 
  the Bioregeneration script, for example). Activating a HAIR 
  script utilizes 1cc of NaNT immediately, and 1cc every 24 
  hours thereafter.
  v
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  94
  DARK CONSPIRACY
  DARK RACES
  DARK CONSPIRACY
  Cell Phone Zombies by Norm Fenlason
  Cell Phone Zombies 
  Norm Fenlason
  A Cell-Phone zombie is an ambulatory human that is clini-
  cally dead. The beastie that creates the Cell Phone Zombie is a 
  small creature that can dictate its offspring’s shape. 
  The creature lives its life through two main cycles – the 
  vector and the parasite. The vector infects the human victim, 
  kills it and infects it with the second stage: the parasite. The 
  parasite controls the undead human and spawns new vectors. 
  These infect new hosts and the cycle continues. Each parasite 
  has the ability to control the shape that the vectors are born 
  into. Genetic memory ensures that the most successful shape 
  is used in succeeding generations. Having selected techno-
  logical humans as their prey, the creatures often appear in the 
  shape of small electronic devices, enticing the unsuspecting 
  and technology-hungry humans to pick up the creature.
  After picking up the little beastie, tendrils shoot out into 
  the hands of the victim. These tendrils work their way into the 
  flesh very quickly and shoot up the arm following the major 
  nerve pathways. Stronger tendrils then emerge, securing the 
  beastie firmly to the palm of the hapless victim. For this 
  reason Minion Hunters often refer to them as “Palm Pilots”.
  In the next minute, the nerve-following tendrils reach the 
  organ cavity.Some tendrils pause here to form nodules while 
  others continue on to the spinal column.  From there, it’s a 
  straight shot up to the brain. Once infestation begins, it takes 
  only 1d3 minutes before the tendrils release a potent toxin that 
  dissolves brain tissue. The victim is brain-dead within another 
  minute. The tendrils absorb the dissolved brain tissue and pipe 
  it to the growing nodules in the organ cavity. The victim falls 
  over dead. 
  If the tendrils are severed before they reach the brain, the 
  victim only suffers 1 point to the head, 2 points damage to 
  the arm, and 1d6 damage to the chest. If severed after reach-
  ing the brain, the victim takes 1d6 damage to the head, 1d6 
  damage to the afflicted arm, and 2d6 damage to the chest. The 
  victim also suffers some form of brain damage that should be 
  determined upon by the GM.
  After the victim dies, the nodules in the organ cavity con-
  tinue to grow – very rapidly – by eating its victim’s internal 
  organs. Additional tendrils are sent to the skull cavity to take 
  over motor functions by attaching to the nerve endings. The 
  organ cavity continues to be digested by the nodules. An addi-
  tional 2d6 nodules start to form in the organ cavity causing the 
  stomach to bulge grotesquely. (although, the victim’s clothing 
  may cover this aspect). 
  The beastie that originally infected the victim dies, but is 
  held in place by all the stout tendrils still wrapping the hand. 
  It still looks very much like a personal electronic device, but 
  it no longer flashes.
  After 2d6 minutes, the victim gets up and starts moving 
  around – a newly formed undead under control of the parasite 
  in the organ cavity. The beastie driving the new cell phone 
  zombie inherits its parent’s memories and intelligence. These 
  memories include how their prey moves about, the best way 
  to avoid being caught as a zombie, and what form the next 
  generation should take. 
  The next phase lasts 1-3 days. The zombie has human-
  level intelligence with two overriding imperatives: protect 
  the young in the stomach and feed them on organ tissue. To 
  protect its young, the creature stumbles around constantly 
  moving, looking for a place to settle. Whenever possible, it 
  will attack other humans and animals to feed the burgeoning 
  offspring in its stomach. The creature attacks victims smaller 
  or weaker than itself (usually) by wielding its dead parent, 
  the vector, still attached to its hand, like a club, doing 1d6+3 
  damage. After beating its victim senseless, the creature tears 
  the victim apart andfeeds on the internal organs. The more 
  organs the zombie eats, the faster the young nodules inside 
  come to term. Given a plentiful supply, the young will be 
  ready to be born within 24 hours. Having less to eat takes 
  longer up to a maximum of three full days days with no food. 
  At the end of the creature’s ludicrous pregnancy, the 
  tendrils controlling the victim’s motor functions stop work-
  ing and quickly dissolve away. The main nodule in the organ 
  cavity develops a long ridged protrusion which it thrusts 
  through the stomach. The bowels erupt in a rush of organic 
  matter and stench of decay. The zombie falls over mid-stride 
  into a pool of mucous-like goo and a pile of…cell phones. By 
  this time the 2d6 nodules have transformed themselves into 
  small electronic devices, all blinking and flashing and looking 
  attractive to a tech-head.
  These newborn cell phones do not necessarly infect the 
  first person that picks them up.  They are selective about the 
  conditions under which they will attempt a takeover. They
  Continued on page 100...
  No, they are not the morons driving in front of you with their cell 
  phones glued to their ear. But then again, maybe they are…
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
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  DARK CONSPIRACY
  DARK RACES
  DARK CONSPIRACY
  The Klaatu by Norm Fenlason
  The Klaatu 
  Norm Fenlason
   “I think she’s out, now. We can proceed,” Dr. Lundgren 
  told the anxious spectators.
  Abbey’s husband, Paul leaned forward, and nodded 
  absently in agreement as Dr. Lundgren put away the custom-
  built lighting device he used to induce the deep hypnosis 
  required of his trade.
  “Now we can begin.”
  Paul Locke glanced nervously at his friend and those 
  strange people his friend calls hunters, whatever that was. 
  They looked surprisingly violent to be involved with this sort 
  of New Age mumbo-jumbo. But if Abbey’s suffering ended, 
  Paul could tolerate them.
  Dr. Lundgren’s voice droned into a litany of questions 
  directed at the reclining Abbey. “You are back in the car, now. 
  What do you see, Abbey?”
  A frown danced lightly across Abbey’s face as she started 
  to answer.
  “Andrew Vicker of Kind Hearts and Button Hooks, you 
  know…that Media 6 show, is walking up to my car. What is 
  Andrew Vicker doing out here in the middle of nowhere?” A 
  puzzled look creased Abbey’s forehead.
  “What does Andrew do now?” the doctor asked softly, 
  reaching to lower the light still more.
  Abbey pours out in a rush “He…he opens the car door…
  I…I try to tell him he shouldn’t do that, b-but he just looks at 
  me and it’s suddenly all right. He sits there on the passenger 
  side and looks into my eyes.
  “He takes me to this field near the road. The air in the 
  middle of the field is shimmering and then there is a huge ship 
  there…triangle-shaped standing on end. Like those old fifties 
  science fiction shows. There is an open hatch…”
  Abbey continues, “He takes me inside. Up ahead is a 
  brightly lit room with a table in the middle. Andrew tells me to 
  lie on the table. I have to obey. He then joins me…”
  Dr. Lundgren looks at Paul expectantly. Dismayed, Paul 
  looks at Abbey and takes her hand in his, worry unabashedly 
  painted on his very vulnerable face.
  “ I am putty!…I cannot resist!…I am screaming inside, 
  but nothing comes out…” Abbey continues. “He reaches to 
  undo my blouse…I just look into his eyes. Those eyes…”
  “Enough!” Paul stood up glaring at the doctor then 
  sweeping a scathing gaze across the others in the room. “This 
  is a crock! You guys are…” Dr. Lundgren raised his hand 
  silencing Paul. The others fidgeted nervously.
  “Abbey? You are going to sleep for a while, and when you 
  wake up you will not remember any of what happened. You 
  will enjoy that freedom, and feel refreshed.” Dr. Lundgren 
  spoke clearly but softly to Abbey. The tension in Abbey’s face 
  washed away in a wave of relief. Dr. Lundgren put the light 
  out all the way, and motioned the group to follow him into his 
  adjoining office.
  The tall one, named Robert and dressed in black, went 
  to the sidebar in Dr. Lundgren’s office and Paul heard the 
  clink of glasses. He was a strange one with his priest’s collar 
  and shoulder holster. Paul took the offered seat while Robert 
  pressed a glass of amber fluid into his hand. 
  “Drink this laddie,” Robert said. To the doctor “Well Nils. 
  Is it what I think it is?”
  The other man, Paul also, if memory serves, and the other, 
  a totally out of place middle-aged woman ironically named 
  Agnes, focused their attention on the doctor waiting for the 
  prognosis.
  “Yes. I am afraid it is. It has all the signs of the Klaatu. 
  Your wife, Paul, has been seduced by a Klaatu.”
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
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  DARK CONSPIRACY
  DARK RACES
  POPULAR CULTURE
  No one knows for sure where the Klaatu come from. 
  Those claiming to have talked to them say Rigel; others say 
  Betelgeuse, still others claim Altaire as their home planet. 
  Spirit channeling mystics claim the spirits say the Klaatu are 
  from Lyra. The only consistent story is that they have been on 
  Earth for tens of thousands of years.
  Conspiracy theorists in a rush to explain the appearance of 
  the Klaatu in popular mythology have dubbed them Nordics 
  due to their generally Scandinavian appearance. The Klaatu 
  are human looking – perhaps too human looking. They are 
  extremely attractive from the human perspective with very 
  high charismas. 
  The Klaatu are named after the Nordic-looking alien who 
  gave the famous message to the Hollywood world in the 
  motion picture The Day the Earth Stood Still. The attractive, 
  benevolent, human-looking alien uttered the famous words 
  “Klaatu borada nikto.” The character, Klaatu, was actually 
  very close to the popular concept of the Nordic aliens, and 
  may have been inspired by encounters of the day.
  In the 1950’s and 60’s, reports of abduction and seduction 
  abounded. The Klaatu were reported to have taken abductees 
  to their spacecraft where they engaged in sexual relations 
  with their hapless “victims.” Later, in pre-Depression western 
  culture, the Klaatu were oftimes mistaken as angels or some 
  other mystical and benevolent being.
  In popular culture of today the Klaatu are also known as 
  Atlanteans, Altairians, and Lyrans. They are reported to be 
  at war with reptilian aliens over the fate of planet Earth and 
  generally benevolent.
  AFTER THE GREATER DEPRESSION
  In the world of Dark Conspiracy, the Klaatu are from 
  Lyra. Having arrived on this planet before the First Ice Age, 
  the Klaatu found a race of interlopers already here. The Rep-
  toids were openly hostile and warfare between the two ETs 
  erupted immediately. The Klaatu found the Reptoids actively 
  engaged in genetic manipulation of the local fauna. To coun-
  ter the genetic manipulations of the Reptoids that resulted in 
  the Neanderthals, the Klaatu intervened with the introduction 
  of the Cro-Magnon. Their war goes on still, although in muted 
  form.
  Unlike the Dark co-opted alien races, the Klaatu are not 
  directly aligned with the Dark. Although they considered 
  themselves aligned with the Greys before the opening of the 
  Io gate, the turning of the Greys by their Dark Master has 
  changed that relationship. The Klaatu do not rely on telepa-
  thy as much as the four canon ET races, and were spared the 
  initial Dark onslaught. However, fearing that those Klaatu on 
  Earth would be co-opted by a Dark Master, the Klaatu with-
  drew all their faster-than-light ships from the vicinity of Sol, 
  stranding some of their brethren in the process. The numbers 
  of Klaatu left on the planet is dwindling even though the 
  Klaatu are extremely long-lived.
  RELATIONSHIP WITH HUMANS
  The Klaatu do not have direct animosity for the humans 
  on Earth. Neither do they have any real love. Their attitude 
  towards humans is one of disdain, like that for any bottom 
  tier life form. Although some Klaatu take special interest in 
  one human or other, their lack of consideration for humanity 
  often leads to cruel and destructive acts; much as the person 
  that keeps pigeons and has a favorite bird, but still eats squab 
  on Sundays.
  For this reason and a general difference in the direction 
  Klaatu intellect has evolved, humans often find the motiva-
  tions and actions of Klaatu indecipherable.
  KLAATU DARKTEK
  With an almost genetic understanding of science, the 
  Klaatu are, by Earthly standards, off the technological scale. 
  Unfortunately for the Klaatu, the great withdrawal has left 
  them lacking in technical equipment. When faced with any 
  advanced technology, human or alien, they can sort it out and 
  use it with no ill effects. Although they use and understand 
  advanced technology very well, they are not overly attached 
  to it.
  THE WAR OF THE AGES
  When the Klaatu arrived on Earth, the dinosaurs had just 
  given up the ghost and left the planet to the mammals. In the 
  Klaatu surveys of earth, they discovered signs of genetic med-
  dling. They inferred the presence of an undiscovered alien 
  presence and went looking for it. They found the Reptoids.
  The Reptoid intention for Earth was and still is to develop 
  a slave race using genetic manipulation and long generations 
  of human husbandry. The Reptoids had started the spread of 
  their Neanderthals when the Klaatu discovered an underground 
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
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  DARK CONSPIRACY
  DARK RACES
  Reptoid base. The Klaatu attacked the base and destroyed it, 
  but the damage to the ecosystem and the dominance of the 
  Reptoid hominid was done. To combat the Reptoid presence 
  in the world’s ecosystem, the Klaatu introduced their own 
  genetically manipulated hominid – Cro-Magnon.  Every time 
  the Klaatu discovered a Reptoid facility, they would strike it 
  hard, preventing the Reptoids from assisting their champions 
  in the hominid wars. The Cro-Magnon not being designed for 
  enslavement, were built with more initiative and aggression 
  and eventually won against the Neanderthals.
  The war between the Klaatu and the Reptoids was inter-
  preted by most of the primitive humans as a war of light 
  versus dark. For every Sun God, there was a God of the Dark. 
  Prophecies of apocalypse had sources in an ultimate conflict 
  between the Reptoids and the Klaatu. Although the Klaatu 
  were not interested in humans, per se, they had a strong 
  desire to thwart the Reptoid plan. Using stories and legends, 
  the Klaatu vilified the Reptoids in human mythology. From 
  Eden’s Serpent to George the Dragonslayer, humans were 
  turned against the Reptoids. The Klaatu-lead human uprisings 
  against Reptoid warrens resulted in perpetration of atrocities 
  on the demon wyrms. This drove the Reptoids even further 
  underground.
  The atrocities against the Reptoids were not without 
  retaliation. One famous act of vengeance came when seven 
  Reptoids combined empathic skills and attacked a Klaatu ship 
  maneuvering over the Siberian wilderness. The Klaatu were 
  mapping portions of the continent for the expansion of their 
  Tsarist proxies. The Klaatu flagship exploded over Tunguska 
  in the Siberian wilderness, killing the head of the Klaatu dele-
  gation and her whole staff. With the loss of his Klaatu support, 
  the regime of Tsar Nicholas II foundered leading to his death 
  in the Bolshevik rebellion. The Reptoid-backed Bolshevik 
  Soviet replaced the Tsar’s empire.
  In retaliation the Klaatu sponsored Hitler’s armies against 
  the Reptoid-backed Soviet Union. Hitler’s fears of Soviet 
  Reptoids and ETs in general made him prematurely attack the 
  Grey-backed Western powers. The Klaatu assisted in an early 
  victory over France, but urged Hitler to quickly attack the 
  Soviet Union. The Greys, recognizing that the wartime was a 
  good time to transfer technology to the West, allowed the war 
  to drag on. Alas, no alien presence backed Imperial Japan, so 
  their doom was certain and accelerated the United States entry 
  into the war. The Klaatu were unprepared for the strength of 
  the Soviet Union or the entrance of their Grey allies against 
  them. Hitler’s rogue actions and a loss of interest by the 
  Klaatu ensured the demise of the Third Reich. 
  After World War Two, the Klaatu emphasis moved from 
  the ruins of Europe to the relative bliss of the new industrial 
  US. From the rising US hegemony, the Klaatu saw the oppor-
  tunity to engage the Reptoid menace. Thus the Cold War 
  began. The War of the Ages shifted to another arena – the 
  world of entertainment.
  THE WAR IN ENTERTAINMENT
  In the world after the Greater Depression the Klaatu, with 
  their raw human magnetism, are firmly entrenched in the 
  entertainment industry. Out of a form of ennui, various Klaatu 
  are trading their looks and charisma for relief from boredom. 
  For this reason they are dominating the media industries. In 
  fact, there is a 40% chance that any given media star is actu-
  ally a Klaatu. Not only that, they have been doing it for ages.
  In the heyday of the atomic age and the flurry of nuclear 
  testing during the 1950’s, the Klaatu enjoyed a resurgence 
  in their sponsor activities. It was at this time that the Klaatu 
  enjoyed almost total dominance of the entertainment indus-
  tries. Fearing the powerful Klaatu entertainment lobby, the 
  Reptoids developed a plot of their own – McCarthyism. The 
  workings of Senator Joseph McCarthy subjected the Klaatu 
  dominance to a short but intense threat. Only by involving the 
  US Army did the Klaatu avoid a more serious Reptoid plot. 
  This time also featured the rise of the most famous Klaatu 
  known to humankind: the King, the Hips, none other than Mr. 
  Blue Suede Shoes himself, Elvis Presley.
  In taking the War of the Ages to the Klaatu in the enter-
  tainment industries, the Reptoids have enlisted the assistance 
  of other dark minions. To combat the image that the Klaatu 
  sponsored in popular culture, the Reptoids sponsored equally 
  disruptive popular icons. They enlisted and still do use the 
  Dread Sidhe as rock musicians and promote subliminal pro-
  gramming within their music and lyrics. The hard rock move-
  ment grew rapidly in counter to the Klaatu-sponsored forms 
  of entertainment, which had no programming, to the point of 
  legal battles being raged from one point of view or the other.
  CENTERVILLE: 
  A real nice place to raise your kids
  As part of the Cold War in the 1950’s, the Soviet Union 
  and later China openly tested their own nuclear weapons. 
  The Klaatu had given up trying to influence the Communist 
  regimes, which they suspected were fronted by the Reptoids. 
  Once nuclear testing started, the Klaatu figured that no place 
  on earth would be safe from their adversaries. The Klaatu are 
  not very empathic, but with the assistance of their newfound 
  friends, the Greys, the Klaatu found and moved into their very 
  own splinter proto-dimension. This was before the Greys had 
  been suborned by the Dark after the opening of the gate on 
  Io. Enamored with American culture at that time, they took a 
  blueprint from middle America and created Centerville.
  Centerville is a splinter protodimension that can only be 
  arrived at through a special device that the Grey-Klaatu sci-
  entists created. The device is a small metallic box with a red 
  button that opens and closes a portal to Centerville. Center-
  ville, itself, appears as a normal day in Leave It To Beaver’s 
  neighborhood. Pony skirts, button-down shirts, Edsels – a 
  snapshot of 50’s lifestyle – the effect is complete.
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
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  DARK CONSPIRACY
  DARK RACES
  The Klaatu use their special handheld device to open a 
  portal to Centerville that allows them to take goods with them, 
  including automobile-sized items. All their goods including 
  their automobiles are from the golden age of the 50’s and 
  early 60’s. The Klaatu modes of speech, dress, and behavior 
  are stereotypical of those good old days. Centerville’s par-
  ticularly annoying (to the Klaatu) assimilation effect turns the 
  Klaatu into  “fine upstanding citizens” of Centerville. In short 
  order after returning to Centerville, visitors are converted 
  into Father Knows Best perfect stereotyped cutouts. After the 
  break with the Greys and on retrospect, some Klaatu think 
  that the assimilation effect is a Grey joke on the Klaatu, not 
  that the Greys have not demonstrated any known sense of 
  humor. It takes as long as a month for a Klaatu to revert to 
  normal form and lose their annoying tendency to use out-of-
  date references in their speech.
  PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
  The Klaatu are fair, light-skinned humanoids averaging 
  two meters in height – hence the term Nordics. They look like 
  the Nazi concept of Aryans. In fact National Socialist genetic 
  superiority theories were the result of a severe misunderstand-
  ing of encounters with the Klaatu and their technology. The 
  Klaatu have blonde to light brown hair and little to no body 
  hair. They are usually muscular, and by human standards very 
  attractive and charismatic.
  The Klaatu are anatomically similar to humans as a result 
  of the genetic manipulations of the Cro-Magnon – similar 
  enough to use humans to satisfy their seemingly insatiable 
  lusts. Some human women that have encountered the occa-
  sional Klaatu male have claimed being impregnated by them 
  and raising their children. These claims for the most part have 
  been unsubstantiated. Indeed, the almost mystical sensual 
  control the Klaatu have over humans is most likely the source 
  of the succubus and incubus midnight seduction myths.
  MODUS OPERANDI
  Many abductees claim to have been taken by tall blonde 
  humanoids dressed in high-tech form-fitting metallic cloth-
  ing. The abductors are claimed to have exerted some form of 
  mental control over the captive, who was supposedly taken 
  to a ship where the alien completed the seduction. In fact, the 
  Klaatu exert a form of mental charm on their captives through 
  their extremely high charismatic abilities. This charisma the 
  Klaatu understand and leverage on their human animals. 
  They, in fact, do seduce humans regularly.
  PLOT HOOKS
  Conspiracy hooks – the Klaatu have a history of spon-
  soring governments and large corporations; and 
  have their own, if incomprehensible, agenda.
  Abductee hooks – Klaatu have snatched and seduced 
  someone the PCs know. Perhaps an hybrid off-
  spring is being threatened by other dark forces. 
  (The Klaatu wouldn’t care.)
  Entertainment hooks – perhaps a Klaatu enlists the aid 
  of PCs to expose a Dread Sidhe. Or vice versa.
  War of the Ages hooks – Reptoids dupe the PCs into 
  attacking a Klaatu facility. Or vice versa.
  Elvis hooks – there’s always Elvis. This time he is 
  more than just seen.
  Centerville hooks – darkling competitors enlist the 
  PCs in an attempt to obtain one of the transfer 
  devices. Or what are thought to be Men in Black 
  are actually Klaatu.
  KLAATU STATS
  Strength: 
  6+1d6
  Constitution: 3+1d6
  Agility: 
  8+1d6
  Intelligence: 6+1d6
  Education: 
  3+1d6
  Charisma: 
  8+1d6
  Empathy: 
  1d3-1
  Initiative: 
  2+1d3
  Move: 
  3/5/18/40
  Skill/Dam:  
  8/6
  Hits:   
  30/60
  # Appear:   
  1 or 2*
  *When 2 appear, they will be male and female.
  The Klaatu perform combat as Veterans or Elites. They 
  have multiple knowledge skills as a Specialist. They can 
  speak any language.
  v
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  99
  DARK MATTER
  MILIEU
  DARK MATTER
  PreHistory by David K. Tormsen
  PreHistory 
  David K. Tormsen
  The Hoffmann Institute has for years suspected that there 
  were events of great significance in our arm of the galaxy 
  before the dawn of human civilization. However, no-one in 
  the position to know anything about it has ever divulged any 
  information. Through a careful and extensive program dubbed 
  Project Genesis by the Antiquities division, the Institute has 
  formed a hypothetical outline of the events of the distant past. 
  However, as this information was taken from many different 
  sources (pieces of Kinori lore, reconstructed Grey historical 
  data and the writings of unknown pre-Egyptian human civili-
  zations) this outline is tentative at best.
  THE STELLAR WAR
  15 thousand years ago, the balance of power in our section 
  of the galaxy was disturbed. The empires of the Greys and 
  the Kinori were destroyed in interstellar warfare, and Maldek, 
  a planet between Mars and Jupiter that was believed to be 
  inhabited by the Luciferans, was annihilated. The protagonist 
  is still unknown, but both the Elohim and the Bering Demons 
  are believed to have been involved.
  THE KINORI ALLEGIANCE
  The Kinori Allegiance, rather than being built on a foun-
  dation of technological prowess, relied mainly on its FX abili-
  ties. Centered on Sabek, they crossed from world to world and 
  dimension to dimension via Doorways and exerted control 
  over dozens of planets. Their arcane abilities were extremely 
  powerful and dynamic and allowed them to cure disease, 
  communicate over vast distance, and even incite destructive 
  reactions akin to a thermonuclear explosion. This empire was 
  accused by the Elohim of working with the Bering demons 
  (in truth the relationship between the Kinori and the Demon 
  Princes was quite strained, as the Kinori would often travel to 
  Limbo in order to bind and enslave lesser and least demons 
  and put them to work for their own purposes), and was largely 
  destroyed by the advanced Elohim armies.
  After their destruction at the hands of the Elohim, the 
  Kinori Allegiance was dispersed. They wandered as nomads 
  from world to world, until a small group was able to move 
  through to Earth in 9000 BC. Whether other groups of Kinori 
  still exists remains to be seen, but it is most likely small 
  enclaves scattered across hundreds of planets and dimen-
  sions.
  THE AHOTTI IMPERIUM AND THE ILTAN CONSULATE
  The twin empires of the Greys spanned across many star 
  systems. By using their psionic powers and their technologi-
  cal advantages they were able to maintain control over the 
  populations of those worlds. The Imperium was a conserva-
  tive Byzantium, whilst the Consulate was a smaller but much 
  more dynamic body. The Consulate was only able to stop 
  being engulfed by the Imperium by the latter’s continual 
  struggle with Ziljir terrorists and colonial rebellion. Although 
  there were almost constant skirmishes between the Ahotti and 
  the Iltan, they would almost always stand together against 
  outside threats.
  When the Stellar War broke out, the Greys were the de 
  facto allies of the Elohim (as they did not practice any form of 
  FX), fighting both the Kinori and the Luciferans. The war let 
  loose detrimental psionic influences on the Grey homeworlds, 
  and their nations crumbled around them (the name Iscii ba 
  Fan appears a lot in records pertaining to this). City ships 
  rushed to escape their cursed systems, and they were sepa-
  rated as they fled to various systems known to the Greys. One 
  of them came to Earth, but whether the others have survived 
  is unknown.
  THE ELOHIM
  As today, the Elohim were always mysterious figures in 
  the ancient times. When Genesis archaeologists first came 
  across descriptions of the Elohim in former times, they were 
  believed to refer to a completely different species altogether. 
  They were described as sentient pillars of flame that trav-
  eled in gigantic wheel-shaped craft that burned even in the 
  cold darkness of space. However, reports of their behavior 
  seems consistent with reports of Modern-day Elohim, as they 
  wielded burning swords, sought out and punished FX adepts 
  (especially Diabolists and Hermeticists), and seemed to hold 
  a deep-seated hatred for the Luciferans.
  MALDEK
  An ancient planet situated between Mars and Jupi-
  ter, Maldek was at least marginally habitable, though it 
  was heated more by internal magma than by the sun. It is 
  unknown whether it possessed any native inhabitants, but it 
  was believed to have been colonized by both Luciferans and 
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  100
  DARK MATTER
  MILIEU
  humans (how these two species got to the planet is anyone’s 
  guess). This world came under severe attack by the Elohim 
  during the Stellar War, and was completely destroyed, thus 
  becoming what is now called the Asteroid Belt.
  DARK MATTER LEVELS
  At the time of the Stellar War, the dark matter levels in this 
  arm of the galaxy was said to be incredibly high. Though such 
  a high level has never happened since, Hoffmann scientists 
  believe that if the current increase in dark matter is sustained, 
  we will have reached a level comparable to that of the War by 
  at least 2013 (Refer Antiquities File 2-34/Mayan prophecies). 
  The possible outbreak of another war on such a large scale is 
  a threat that the Institute is taking very seriously, as are the 
  Kinori and the Greys.
  PROJECT GENESIS
  An offshoot of the Institute’s Antiquities division begun 
  in the 1920s, Project Genesis collects relics and information 
  from around the world in the hope of furthering the Institutes 
  understanding of the hidden history of Earth and our nearby 
  star systems. It is a very difficult operation, as there are many 
  forces that are as eager to keep the secrets of the past hidden. 
  Some groups are more unscrupulous and powerful than 
  others, and Genesis missions can often be quite dangerous.
  Project Genesis is deeply connected with the Barcelona 
  Antiquities Office, and draws its agents mainly from the 
  Department of Antiquities. Genesis is very interested in 
  agents that concentrate on Social Science and Lore skills, 
  and employ a wide range of archaeologists, anthropologists, 
  xenologists, linguists, forensics scientists and antiquarians. 
  However, as the occasional dangerous situation does arise, 
  combat-orientated heroes are also prized among the Genesis 
  teams.
  Project Genesis is currently recruiting. Any Hoffman 
  Institute agents or independent researchers who are travel-ori-
  entated, experienced in the relevant fields, and willing to get a 
  bit dirty are welcome to apply.
  v
  Cell Phone Zombies (continued from 94)
  will wait until they are left somewhere for the next unsus-
  pecting victim. Sometimes they even wriggle when no one is 
  looking to fall off a table or out of a pocket to further them 
  being found by a suitable victim…
  The Uncontrolled Zone Minion Hunter GlobeNet forum 
  has hosted quite a few discussions lately about a new M.O. 
  for the “Palm Pilots”. Instead of seizing the hand and working 
  their way into the nervous system, some of them will chirp 
  remarkably like a cell phone. In addition to lights and flash-
  ing numbers, the cell phones can ring. The vector waits until 
  the victim holds the cell phone to its head before striking. A 
  single hard and powerful tendril shoots into the skull though 
  the ear cavity, locking the cell phone to the head and the hand. 
  The tendril injects its toxins while more tendrils move into the 
  brain and on into the organ cavity. Within 1 minute the victim 
  is brain dead. 
  Cell phone zombies have been seen driving, with at least 
  one Minion Hunter reporting that she followed the goon’s car 
  for the whole gestation period. Her flamethrower supposedly 
  eliminated the offspring once they erupted, but her posts to 
  the Uncontrolled Zone indicate she is worried about how 
  many other cell phone zombies may be driving around.
  v
  IAN: ”God creates dinosaurs. 
   
   
  “God destroys dinosaurs. 
   
   
   
  “God creates Man. 
   
   
   
   
  “Man destroys God. 
   
   
   
   
   
  “Man creates Dinosaurs...” 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  ELLY: ”Dinosarus eat man...
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  “Woman inherits the Earth!”
  
  DEMONGROUND ISSUE 15
  101
  WEIRD SCIENCE
  THE LOOSE ENDS
  THE LOOSE ENDS
  Credits
  Legalease
  DG15 CONTRIBUTORS
  ARTICLE AUTHORS
  Chad Bowser
  Julie Ann Dawson
  Norm Fenlason
  Edward Gibson
  Mike Marchi
  Thom Marrion
  Allan Naguit
  Michael Nanney
  Lewis Pollak
  Dan Ross
  David K. Tormesen
  Lee Williams
  COVER ART
  John Shannon
  BANNER ART
  Mike Marchi
  INTERIOR ART
  Norm Fenlason
  Becky Marchi
  Mike Marchi
  INTERIOR GRAPHICS
  Becky Marchi
  Mike Marchi
  Geoff Skellams
  Lee Williams
  NEW ZENA MARLEY QUOTES
  Geoff Skellams
  LEGAL MATTERS
  Atlas Games - UNKNOWN ARMIES: 
  “Unknown Armies, published by Atlas Games, is 
  Copyright © 1998 Greg Stolze and John Tynes. 
  DEMONGROUND is not affiliated with Atlas 
  Games, Greg Stolze, or John Tynes.” 
  Chaosium, Inc. - CALL OF CTHULHU: 
  “Chaosium Inc. - Publishing games for 25 years. 
  Call of Cthulhu is the Registered Trademark of 
  Chaosium Inc., and is used with their permission. 
  Nephilim is the registered trademark of Chaosium 
  and is used with their permission. Chaosium Inc. 
  is the Registered Trademark of Chaosium Inc.” 
  Dark Conspiracy Enterprises - DARK 
  CONSPIRACY: “The Dark Conspiracy game in 
  all forms is owned by Dark Conspiracy Enter-
  prises Copyright 1991 - 2000 Dark Conspiracy 
  Enterprises.  Dark Conspiracy is a trademark of 
  Dark Conspiracy Enterprises.  Dark Conspiracy 
  Enterprises permits web sites and fanzines for 
  this game, provided it contains this notice, that 
  Dark Conspiracy Enterprises is notified, and 
  subject to a withdrawal of permission on 90 days 
  notice.  The contents of this site are for personal, 
  non-commercial use, only.  Any use of Dark 
  Conspiracy Enterprise’s copyrighted material 
  or trademarks anywhere on this web site and 
  its files should not be viewed as a challenge to 
  those copyrights or trademarks.  In addition, any 
  programs/articles/artwork/files on this site cannot 
  be republished or distributed without the consent 
  of the author who contributed it.  Contact Dark 
  Conspiracy Enterprises through Tantalus, Inc. 
  PO Box 2310 Key West FL 33045.” 
  Eden Studios - CONSPIRACY X, ALL 
  FLESH MUST BE EATEN, and WITCHCRAFT: 
  “All Eden Studios, Inc., CJ Carella and George 
  Vasilakos copyrights, tradedress and trademarks 
  are used with express permission of their owners. 
  Applications for permission may be addressed to: 
  website@edenstudios.net.”  
  Key 20 Publishing - LITTLE FEARS: Key 
  20 Publishing is the public persona of Key 20 
  Limited, an Ohio limited liability company. 
  Little Fears, “You’re Not Scared, Are You?”, and 
  “The Role-Playing Game of Childhood Terror” 
  are trademarks of Jason L Blair, under exclusive 
  license to Key 20 Limited
  TriTac Games - BUREAU 13: “Bureau 13” 
  is copyright 1988, 1995, 2000 by Nick Pollotta. 
  “Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic” is 
  copyright 1982 by TriTac Games and Richard 
  Tucholka. 
  White Wolf Publishing - HUNTER THE 
  RECKONING is a registered trademark of White 
  Wolf Publishing, Inc.
  Wizards of the Coast - DARK MATTER: 
  “The TSR logo, Alternity, Dark*Matter, Gen Con, 
  and RPGA are trademarks of TSR, Inc. TSR, Inc. 
  is a subsidiary of Wizards of the Coast, Inc.”
  v
  NEXT ISSUE
  Layout of Issue 16 will begin 
  shortly.  We hope to have it available 
  by Christmas.  The theme for Issue 16 is 
  “Hell on Earth”.
  The deadline for submissions for 
  Issue 16 is September 30, 2002
  Remember, submissions do not have 
  to be limited to the theme.  What are you 
  waiting for?  Send something in, today!
  DG15 EDITORSM
  Mike Marchi
  mikemarchi@demonground.org
  Geoff Skellams
  geoffskellams@demonground.org
  Becky Marchi
  beckymarchi@demonground.org
  Lee Williams
  leewilliams@demonground.org
  
  BACK COVER
  The Unbound Book by Marcus Bone
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Demonground/Demonground 015.pdf