TEXT: Adventures by Robin D. Laws, Greg Stolze & Jonathan Tweet
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  2
  OVER THE EDGE
  THE MYTH OF SELF
  OVER THE EDGE, OTE, AL AMARJA, and CHARTING NEW REALMS OF IMAGINATION are trademarks of John A. Nephew, used under license.  Copyright ©1995 Trident, Inc.
  All rights reserved.  This is a work of fiction.  Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is strictly coincidental.
  As of this writing there is an Internet mailing list devoted to OTE; send "help" as the subject of a message to over-the-edge-request@gojira.monsta.com for more info.  Plus, we have
  a support folder on America Online.  Of course, you can also contact us by Snail Mail at the address below.  Please do!  We'd love to hear what you think or any other book of ours.
  ATLAS GAMES • P.O. BOX 131233 • Roseville, MN  55113
  Web: www.atlas-games.com   •   E-mail: info@atlas-games.com
  Digital Edition version 1.0 • September 2002 • Stock No. AG2150PDF
  Credits
  Design:  Robin D. Laws, Greg Stolze, Jonathan Tweet
  Editing, Product Management, Interior Layout, & Cartography:  John
  Nephew
  Editorial Assistance: Zara Lasater
  Cover Art: Roger Raupp
  Interior Art: Laura Cabral, Ovi Hondru, H.J. McKinney, Grey Thornberry
  Cover Design & Art Direction: C. Brent Ferguson
  
  THE MYTH OF SELF
  OVER THE EDGE
  3
  The Bliss of Death ...........4
  Act One: The Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  4
  Dramatis Personae.............................................5
  The PCs Join the Action ...................................8
  The Ralsius Fissure ...........................................9
  Preparation for the Trip ...................................10
  Act Two: The Journey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  1 1
  Dinner With the Devil ....................................12
  The Mole Strikes — Maybe .............................14
  Sneaking to the Fissure ....................................14
  The Fissure At Last ........................................14
  Act Three: Aftermath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 6
  The Limitations of Air Power ..........................16
  The Divine Plaza of Flowers ............................17
  Talking to the Vessels ......................................17
  Denouement ....................................................18
  Intersections ....................................................18
  Long-term Aftermath ......................................19
  The Statue .......................................................20
  The Hive .....................21
  Overvie w 
   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  2 1
  Timeline ......................................................... 21
  Plot Hooks ...................................................... 24
  Plot Development ............................................ 25
  The Al Amarjan Hiveroach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 5
  Hive Telepathy ............................................... 26
  Hive Telepathy and Defense Technology ......... 26
  Hive Psychosis ................................................ 27
  Stench Combat ................................................ 28
  GMCs and Factions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 8
  The Gold D Cabal ........................................... 28
  The Exterminator ............................................ 32
  The Fistheads .................................................. 33
  The Peace Force .............................................. 35
  Loose Cannons ................................................ 36
  Plot Locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 7
  The Laboratories of Drs. Wheeler and Ross ....37
  The Gold D Storefront Office ..........................38
  Gomez Reynard’s House .................................38
  Lifestylin’ Taxidermy ......................................39
  Chateau D’Or..................................................40
  CONTENTS
  The Dopplegänger
  Plague........................41
  Laying Pipe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  4 1
  The Columnist ................................................ 41
  The Director ................................................... 44
  The Therapist ................................................. 46
  The Dopplegänger Plague . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  4 8
  A PC is Doubled ............................................. 48
  The Symptoms Spread ..................................... 51
  The Laughter Incident ..................................... 51
  Getting Sammy’s Ear ....................................... 52
  Involving Other PCs ....................................... 52
  The Last Column? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5 2
  What’s Really Going On ................................. 52
  Finding the Link ............................................. 54
  Breaking the Guard ......................................... 54
  Confronting Dr. Julien ..................................... 55
  Finding the Rehearsal Hall .............................. 55
  Marva Discovered ........................................... 55
  Af termath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5 7
  Intersections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5 7
  Deep Troubles ............... 58
  Deep Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5 9
  Deep Subculture .............................................. 59
  Deep Blue Sea .................................................. 61
  The Splinters ................................................... 62
  Dr. Umayma Ahal ........................................... 65
  Into the Deep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 9
  Aiding the Innocent ......................................... 69
  Other Hooks and Ideas .................................... 72
  Deep GMCs .................................................... 73
  Mover Cloaks .................................................. 76
  Further Possibilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 7
  Where the Plot Might Lead ............................. 77
  Changes in the Subculture ............................... 78
  Intersections ....................................................78
  
  4
  OVER THE EDGE
  THE MYTH OF SELF
  The Bliss
  of Death
  B Y   R O B I N   D.   L A W S
  It’s an unusually quiet afternoon at Sad Mary’s.
  Frank is rewiring the sound system for the club, so the
  usual wall of ear-punishing music has been replaced by
  silence — and the occasional startlingly original curse
  from Frank as he drops his wire cutters for the umpteenth
  time.
  Most of the crowd has drifted off in search of louder
  environments.  A few hardcore drinkers keep the bar stools
  warm, ignoring the low buzz of a battered old black-and-
  white TV set with a blown speaker.  Only Thorvald
  Bladh, the slightly over-the-hill Aries Gangster on guard
  duty, watches it.
  “There goes the neighborhood,” Thorvald intones.
  He’s watching a report on AATV Midday News.
  Reporter Eden Verdicchio breathlessly announces an
  upcoming visit from none other than Mother Jehanne, the
  world-famous Catholic missionary.  She’ll be accompany-
  ing two other religious figures — a Protestant minister
  and an Islamic cleric — on some sort of pilgrimage to a
  little-known site on the southern slope of Mt.  Ralsius.
  Before they head off to the volcano, Mother Jehanne and
  the minister — an American televangelist named Justin
  Joyce — will minister to the poor and sick of the Edge.
  The hastily-arranged visit will commence in one week’s
  time.
  “What the @#$% is Monique D’Aubainne doing
  letting somebody like that onto the island?” Thorvald
  complains, to no one in particular.  “She’ll wreck the
  whole tone of the place.”
  Little does he know it, but Thorvald Bladh, for once
  in his life, is having a prophetic moment.
  Perhaps the PCs in your series don’t hang out in
  Sad Mary’s.  Stage a variant of this opening scene
  wherever they happen to be.  The important thing is
  that they see the news piece on the arrival of the trio of
  pilgrims, and note the comically unenthusiastic
  response of the average Al Amarjan to it.  Unless
  they’re from Mars (which, in OTE, is perfectly
  possible) the PCs have heard of Mother Jehanne —
  she’s a world figure.  Anyone who’s lived in North
  America for any length of time during the past three or
  four years also probably recognizes the name Justin
  Joyce — he’s an up-and-coming TV preacher found on
  cable stations everywhere.
  It’s your job to ensure that the PCs find their lives
  intertwined with this mysterious pilgrimage by the
  time Jehanne and company arrive.
  Act One:
  The Setup
  Months ago, on separate continents, a minor
  geologic anomaly in the side of Al Amarja’s Mt.
  Ralsius — a fissure in the rock, too small to qualify as a
  cave — suddenly became important to three very
  different people.
  In his hot, dusty office at Cairo University,
  Professor Karim Husaini discovered an unfamiliar
  passage in a text he thought he knew well.  At first, he
  shook his head in puzzlement.  Then his pulse acceler-
  ated.  The book, a history of the early days of Islamic
  civilization, hinted at the location of a vital set of
  documents.  They were previously unknown writings
  of al-Bukhari (c. 810-870 CE), one of the central early
  scholars who codified the Hadiths, the traditions about
  the actions of Mohammed used as the basis of Islamic
  
  THE BLISS OF DEATH
  OVER THE EDGE
  5
  ethics.  Racing to the library, Husaini spent a feverish
  fortnight narrowing the book’s tantalizing sentences
  into a probable location for the document stash: the
  Ralsius fissure.
  At the same time Professor Husaini first found the
  passage in his book, the Reverend Justin Joyce was
  awakened by a knock on the door of his modestly
  upscale home in Possum Link, South Carolina.
  Against his better judgement, he opened the door
  himself.  A small man with a bushy white beard firmly
  shook his hand and slipped past him, taking a seat at
  Joyce’s dining room table.  Speaking rapidly in a
  snappy Texas twang, the man unpacked a stack of
  maps and papers from a burlap bag.  For hours he held
  Joyce spellbound with a remarkable tale: the man had
  found evidence that Noah’s Ark had been found in the
  Middle Ages by knights on the Second Crusade; that it
  had been disassembled and taken to a small island in
  the Mediterranean.  In fact, the man, after years of
  research, had pinpointed the exact spot it was stashed
  in: the Ralsius Fissure.  Saying he had to get back to his
  wife at his hotel room, the man left the papers with
  Rev. Joyce and told him he’d call back in the morning.
  He stepped out the door without giving his name —
  and never returned.  Although his head told him that
  this was all craziness, Justin Joyce had been taught by
  Jesus to act on what his heart told him.  And it told
  him that there couldn’t be any harm in heading to this
  El Emerga place — could there?
  At the same moment, the revered Mother Jehanne
  tossed in her rickety mission cot in La Paz, Bolivia, in
  the throes of a vision.  She saw herself entering a crack
  in the side of a mountain, and the luminous arms of
  God sweeping her into His bosom.  Then God shifted
  the vision’s time sense, showing her events in back-
  wards order, to tell her how to reach her apotheosis.
  She was ministering to the poor in a blighted industrial
  city.  Meeting with a tall blond American and an olive-
  skinned balding man in a conference room.  Getting on
  a plane with her assistant and translator Micheline.
  When she awoke, she remembered it all, and set about
  fulfilling God’s instructions for their rendezvous...
  (In fact, others around the world heard the call of
  the Ralsius Fissure, but did not answer.  A monk in
  Tibet, meditating, became possessed by the need to
  journey to the mountain — but was refused travel
  permission by the Communist authorities.  A Hindu
  holy man in Northern India saw the mountain in a
  dream, but had a local emergency to deal with —
  another round of communal rioting.  A Siberian
  shaman, swimming into the underworld to grasp a
  stolen soul, found himself at the Fissure — but had no
  way of locating Mt.  Ralsius when he returned to the
  surface world.)
  Mother Jehanne made plans to attend an ecumeni-
  cal conference in Madrid, one she had always passed on
  before.  There she saw the men from her vision.  She
  gathered them together, and asked them about the
  mountain.  Taken aback, each man told his story.  The
  three of them then began to arrange an expedition to Al
  Amarja.
  Dramatis Personae
  Rev. Justin Joyce
  Honest Televangelist
  The Reverend Joyce, a young, vital man with
  prematurely graying hair, has risen to prominence in
  the American TV preacher market in the wake of the
  Bakker and Swaggart scandals.  His gentle, welcoming
  style soft-pedals both the fire and brimstone and the
  hard-sell scramble for donations, making new inroads
  among folks from the baby boom generation looking
  for a cozy, pleasant spirituality.  Despite increasing
  ratings, Joyce’s operation doesn’t rake in the bucks of
  Art by Laura Cabral
  
  6
  OVER THE EDGE
  THE MYTH OF SELF
  his better-known colleagues; this has led some observ-
  ers to think his real ambitions lie in the political realm.
  In person, the Reverend (“please, call me Justin”)
  comes across as soft-spoken, humble, and surprisingly
  down to earth.  He speaks more like a friendly high
  school guidance counsellor than the evangelist of
  popular stereotype — you won’t hear him quoting the
  Bible all the time, for example.  Only his constant,
  mildly phony smile is a tip-off to his profession.
  Joyce regards Mother Jehanne with the reverence
  she’s accustomed to; he doesn’t share the bedrock anti-
  Catholicism of some of his more conservative parishio-
  ners.  He’s well aware that his association with her is a
  coup; it buys him credibility in mainstream religious
  circles.  He’s making sure that his brother Jeremiah
  gets plenty of photos of the two of them together.
  He’s discovered an unexpected soulmate in Karim
  Husaini, who he expected to be a fire-breathing fanatic.
  Joyce is beginning to develop the completely naïve
  hope of converting Husaini to Christianity; after all, he
  seems so reasonable...  Joyce has already decided how
  to make use of Husaini on his show.
  White US man, age 34, 210 cm, 80 kg.  Blond hair
  going grey, largish aviator-frame glasses, expensive
  suits.
  Languages: English.
  Traits
  Media Savvy, 4 dice — Knows how to look great
  and sound convincing on television.  (Low, rich
  speaking voice.)
  Theology, 3 dice — Is repackaging Pentecostal
  Protestantism for a new wave of remote-control
  believers.  (Projects air of calm and understanding.)
  Networking, 3 dice — Back home, the Reverend is
  quietly building a political organization.  When he
  meets someone new, he immediately calculates his or
  her potential usefulness.  (Greets even the merest
  acquaintance as an old and dear friend.)
  Receptivity to Positive Energy, fringe flaw — His
  earnestness, drive and theological study have opened
  him up to the influence of Mt.  Ralsius’ growing
  positive energy, creating a hypnogogic state during
  which he was “visited” by a “scholar” who told him the
  Noah’s Ark story.  (Discusses potential Noah’s Ark
  find after a little prodding.)
  Mother Jehanne Lefebure
  Famous Missionary
  Mother Jehanne is a worldwide media figure; her
  mission, which helps natives in Bolivia, has been
  profiled countless times as a paragon of Christian
  charity.  Now very elderly, Mother Jehanne revels in
  her poverty and self-deprecation.  She tends to speak in
  a condescending manner of her indigenous charges —
  though usually her translator carefully edits out her
  more cranky and intolerant comments during press
  interviews.
  Jehanne’s sense of sacrifice and piety are fed by a
  flinty determination; she’s used to getting what she
  wants.  There is no doubt in her mind that her vision is
  a final reward from God; she fully expects to be swept
  up into heaven by whatever waits for her in the Ralsius
  Fissure.  Although she somewhat resents the presence
  of Joyce and Husaini — even though they’ve actually
  done all of the logistical work — she does nurture some
  untoward glee at the thought of the two of them
  watching, mouths agape, as the glowing hand of the
  Holy Ghost gently tugs her into the Kingdom of
  Eternity.
  French woman, age 78, 140 cm, 48 kg.  Small and
  stooped, with striking, craggy features; wears an ice-
  white, flowing white habit with blue trim.
  Languages: French.
  Traits
  Beloved by All, 5 dice — Even more popular than
  the Pope, Mother Jehanne is so revered that her name
  has passed into idiom — as in, “Sure, he’s no Mother
  Jehanne, but...” She expects and gets total deference
  from most people — even atheists can’t help but be
  moved by her aura of piety.  (Her humble presence
  dominates any gathering.)
  Frail , 2 dice — Any physical activity is at a
  penalty.  (Must have someone alongside to steady her
  when she walks.)
  Receptivity to Positive Energy, fringe flaw — The
  focus of the world’s pious upon her has charged her
  aura with enough positive energy to set up a reaction
  with the Fissure, causing the dreams that have brought
  her here.  (Aura is blindingly bright to sensitives.)
   Karim Husaini
  Urbane Islamic Scholar
  At first glance, the Egyptian professor Karim
  Husaini seems thoroughly Westernized — wearing
  
  THE BLISS OF DEATH
  OVER THE EDGE
  7
  Micheline Ronet
  Mother Jehanne’s Interpreter
  Micheline first met Mother Jehanne when she was
  a young novitiate.  She has worked as her interpreter —
  and chief PR person — for over a decade now.  Several
  years ago she renounced her own vows, but stayed with
  Jehanne’s mission as a lay person.
  Micheline is very protective of Mother Jehanne,
  and would lay down her life for her.  She also omits
  from her translations anything unsympathetic that the
  great woman says — which she finds herself doing with
  increasing frequency of late.  She’s also started refusing
  all interviews to French-speaking reporters, so no one
  can talk to Jehanne without going through Micheline.
  Micheline is very apprehensive about this whole
  Ralsius Fissure situation.  She’s afraid that the strain
  may be too much for Mother Jehanne.  Her assumption
  is that there’s nothing in the Fissure; accordingly, she
  worries also that Mother Jehanne will be publicly
  humiliated.
  Beyond her devotion to her employer, Micheline is
  a very lonely woman.  She left her order because she
  wanted to get married — but she remains desperately
  single.  This makes her very vulnerable to any man to
  European clothing, speaking in a faultless Oxbridge
  accent, fully versed in every topic of interest from the
  fate of Eastern Europe to the Milli Vanilli crisis.  He
  has as many Western friends as Islamic colleagues.
  However, he is able to move with ease in the decadent
  thought-world of secular humanism because of his
  rock-hard certitude in the revelations of Mohammed.
  With his Western friends, he delights in baffling
  companions by constructing, for example, an elegantly
  rational defense of the Iranian fatwa against Salman
  Rushdie.  With his Islamic brothers, he explains that
  the wise man knows his enemy more intimately than
  his friends.
  Husaini doesn’t expect to find anything miracu-
  lous in the Fissure; he’s expecting nothing more
  incredible than some very important historical docu-
  ments.  He’s looking forward with wry amusement to
  the disappointment of his companions.  Which is not
  to say that he dislikes them.  With typical split con-
  sciousness, he feels an affection for both.  He admires
  the Reverend for his cheerful, naïve faith — even
  though it’s of course completely misguided.  And,
  although he tried to resist, he has been drawn in by
  Mother Jehanne’s aura of spiritual purity.
  Egyptian man, age 40, 171 cm, 68 kg.  Receding
  hairline, favors light-colored suits, smokes very foul
  cigars.
  Languages: Arabic, English.
  Trait s
  Shari’a , 4 dice — Karim knows Islamic holy law
  and its development throughout history inside and out,
  and can cut to the quick in any discussion of it.
  (Speaks on the subject with terse authority.)
  Debate, 3 dice — Delights in using the intellectual
  tools of the Enlightenment to expose its internal
  contradictions.  (Smiles confidently when arguing.)
  World culture, 3 dice — Knows a little about
  everything, from paleontology to Monty Python.  (Has
  an opinion or quote for every occasion.)
  Receptivity to Positive Energy, fringe flaw — His
  rigorous mental focus on the inexorable logic of Islam
  has sharpened his neural pathways to receive the call of
  the Fissure.  When he found a spurious account of the
  location of al-Bukhari’s texts, his unconscious mind,
  knowing more than his conscious mind, overrode his
  natural skepticism.  (Acts like he knows something
  nobody else does.)
  Art by Laura Cabral
  
  8
  OVER THE EDGE
  THE MYTH OF SELF
  show a romantic interest in her; her capacity for self-
  deception in this regard is just about limitless.
  French woman, 37 years old, 180 cm, 60 kg.  Dull
  brown hair tied up in a bun, cat’s-eye glasses, dresses
  very conservatively.
  Languages: French, English, Italian, some
  German.
  Traits
  Public Relations, 4 dice — Without Micheline’s
  quiet work in the background, in terms of both
  organization and creative censorship, Mother Jehanne’s
  image would not be so rosy.  (Speaks for Jehanne
  without seeming presumptuous.)
   Lonely — Micheline’s growing fear of dying
  without a companion or family sets her up for manipu-
  lation by an unscrupulous marriage prospect.  (Gazes
  wistfully at couples or families with young children.)
   Jeremiah Joyce
  Justin’s Brother and Alter-Ego
  Jeremiah Joyce is the behind-the-scenes fixer who
  makes the Justin Joyce empire run.  When Justin needs
  to fire an employee or squeeze a supplier for a better
  deal, it’s Jeremiah he calls.  If asked, Jeremiah openly
  admits to being a resentful younger brother, pinning
  the blame on his father: “How’d you wanna grow up
  under the kind of man who’d give both his sons
  alliterative names?” Jeremiah always felt invisible while
  growing up: his brother soaked up the entire supply of
  paternal approval.  He covers the resulting well of
  insecurity with bluster and a cutting wit.
  Jeremiah has trouble sleeping at night, because —
  unlike his father and brother — he’s always had trouble
  sustaining his faith.  He tries to banish doubt from his
  mind whenever it surfaces, but denial never works for
  long.  The trip to the Ralsius Fissure is about to bring
  his inner crisis to a head.
  US man, age 32, 200 cm, 105 kg.  Dark, curly hair,
  broad shoulders, owlish glasses.
  Languages: English.
  Trait s
  TV Producer, 4 dice — Knows the business very
  well; he’s Justin’s “pit bull.” (Never goes further than
  3m from his cell phone.)
  Inner Turmoil — Religious doubt is going to make
  him do something very unwise in the course of this
  adventure.  (Chews his lower lip pensively when faith
  is discussed.)
  The PCs Join the Action
  There are as many different ways to motivate PCs
  to insinuate their way into the expedition as there are
  different possible characters in an OTE campaign.
  You’ll have to tailor the opening of the adventure to
  your particular group.  Find something each PC wants,
  and dramatize scenes that show him that the way to get
  it is to join the group of clerics.
  This is easy if the PC has already affiliated herself
  with a particular group or conspiracy; their patrons
  order them to go.  Here are some sample reasons the
  major groups on the island have for wanting to infil-
  trate the Ralsius explorers:
  Monique D’Aubainne/Peace Force/Democratic
  Bureau of Investigation: It would be a great
  embarrassment if the most revered woman in the
  world even appeared to be threatened by any of the
  Edge’s many scumbags.  Such an incident would
  be major news, and Monique doesn’t want her
  island to have too high a profile in the world
  media.  She’ll want to assign a security detail to
  protect Mother Jehanne — if the PCs are in her
  pocket, they’ll get the nod.
  Sir Arthur Compton: The Fissure is on his property
  (see below) and he’s looking forward to being
  entertained by the disappointment of these noxious
  do-gooders.  If a friend or ally was taken into their
  confidence, the first hand account might be
  deliciously amusing.
  Cut-Ups: “Are Jehanne and company control addicts
  or true religious liberators, challenging established
  authority? Do mavericks circle the rendering plant
  of the air?”  Enquiring Chaos Boys want to know,
  just for future reference.
  Cheryl D’Aubainne: As chief spiritual figure of the
  island, she’ll want a liaison officer with the
  expedition at all times.  Either she or one of her
  colleagues might also have had recent visions
  about the fissure.  (If a PC is a religious mystic,
  he’ll definitely have had them.)
  Constance D’Aubainne/The Mob/The Net:
  Constance herself couldn’t care less about these
  unproductive drains on the economy, but her ally
  Giuseppe Raimondi is a fervent admirer of Mother
  Jehanne, and worries about her safety.  With his
  worsening health, he needs a miracle real soon, and
  would be happy to send a PC bodyguard if it
  might cut him some slack with the guy upstairs.
  
  THE BLISS OF DEATH
  OVER THE EDGE
  9
  Earthlings: Dr. Paolo Montserrat is also concerned for
  the group’s safety, for purely altruistic reasons.
  Lydia Goodman/Sommerites: An obscure Karla
  Sommers B-side contains a lyric that’s a bit unclear
  but seems to say “Watch the three/Who journey
  to the mountain/Drink the soda/It’s from a high
  fountain.” This is enough reason to keep an eye on
  the expedition, just in case this somehow relates to
  something important.  (Some Sommerites claim
  that the lyric instead reads “Come with me/The
  pressure’s mountin’/In love again/But hey, who’s
  countin’,” which has led to some impassioned
  theological debates within the group.)
  Kergillians: Something has been screwing up the
  Kergillians’ instruments all of a sudden, and the
  centre of the interference seems to be Mt.  Ralsius.
  Maybe an expendable agent should investigate.
  The Mr. LeThuys: “This hope and redemption
  business is a contemptible lie which steals from us
  many minds who would otherwise turn to nihil-
  ism; make sure these idiots find whatever they
  want and get off the island as quickly as possible.”
  The Movers: “You know, this kind of expedition is
  just the sort of thing those other Movers in the
  other group might cook up just to — just to —
  well, it’s not immediately obvious what they’re up
  to, which just goes to prove their fingerprints are
  all over it.  Better put a watch on the scheming
  bas tards ...”
  The Neutralizers: “The readings on the mystic
  energy indicators have been going off the scale ever
  since the expedition was announced.  Just because
  it’s not evil energy doesn’t meet it won’t be
  dangerous.  Someone should go along to make sure
  things don’t get out of hand — or figure out how
  to cover up the story if they do.”
  Otto’s Men: “Mother Jehanne and the Reverend
  Joyce are just the kind of decent folks we need
  more of in this stinking town.  Some of the boys
  would sure like to get their autographs for the kids,
  and keep an eye out for trouble.”
  Philosopher’s Stone: Dr. Rambeau’s sketchy far-out
  idea of the day is that religious ecstasy might be a
  trigger for paranormal abilities.  If he sends a PC
  along, he’ll get a bigger confirmation of his theory
  than he’s bargained for...
  Dr. Seversen: Her interest in the situation mirrors
  that of the Neutralizers, above.
  Throckmorton operatives: “These people will bring
  moral control to the island.  They must be pro-
  tected.  They must be persuaded to stay.  They
  will become good Throckmortons.  Everyone will
  become a good Throckmorton.”
  Not all of these groups actually sends agents along;
  these are presented as sample reasons to involve the
  PCs.  Only Cheryl D’Aubainne and the Neutralizers
  definitely send GMCs if they have no PCs available.
  Depending on how many characters you want to
  juggle, they may remain entirely in the background.
  Top Neutralizer Islam Petri, for example, can
  unobtrusively observe the progress of the expedition in
  his role as reporter for Al Amarja Today.  Cheryl’s
  operative might get a job with the expedition as a
  driver and never appear in the storyline at all.  If you
  find yourself needing either at a critical moment,
  they’re there to intervene.  Also, you may wish to
  include a mole from a conspiracy already hostile to one
  or more of the PCs, in order to add an extra conflict
  episode en route to the fissure.
  The Ralsius Fissure
  Your PCs might choose to look into the Ralsius
  Fissure on their own before joining with the main
  expedition.  Here are some facts they might find from
  various sources.  These are just guidelines for you to
  adapt to pre-existing sources your PCs might consult.
  For example, if they already know a mystic s— type,
  his or her powers don’t necessarily like the one speak-
  ing in the description below.  Don’t read these out —
  use them as examples and alter them to fit.
  Any acquaintance of Sir Arthur Compton’s:
  “Compton has a small summer villa on the side of
  Mt. Ralsius; his lands include the Fissure.  Years
  back he became convinced that there was some-
  thing magical about the site, and he wasted a
  whole summer doing various experiments and
  séances.  Nothing came of it.  It’s just another hole
  in the wall, no more magical than my socks.”
  Contact within a particular conspiracy: A good
  source in any of the camps mentioned in the
  previous section can hint at its concerns regarding
  the Fissure or Mother Jehanne’s visit.
  Man on the street: “Fissure? Is that like Fisher King?
  That was a really good movie, wasn’t it?”
  Mystic s— type: “It’s very strange.  The world
  usually has a background radiation of magical
  energy — everything and everybody, from this
  table to your own body, has a mystic field, usually
  quite faint, around it.  But lately the mountain
  
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  THE MYTH OF SELF
  seems to have no mystic field at all — nothing
  readable by my mystic senses.  Divinations in
  reference to the mountain reveal nothing — cards
  come up in an unreadable jumble, the ouija board
  won’t move an inch, and the I Ching keeps telling
  us not to ask stupid questions.  It’s like there’s
  something going on our powers won’t let us touch.
  “Compton is involved somehow? I advise you to
  have nothing to do with him.  Stay away from him.
  He’s bad juju.  Very bad juju.”
  Religious figure (without fringe powers): “It’s the
  kind of cave that neolithic man would have used as
  a shrine in prehistoric times; Europe is just dotted
  with them.  It’s not really my field, but I shouldn’t
  think there’s much remarkable about this particu-
  lar cave.”
  Religious figure (with fringe powers): “Perhaps I
  shouldn’t tell you this — though I’m not sure why
  I feel this reluctance, but — well, I’ve said too
  much now, haven’t I, I can’t exactly — it’s just
  been figuring in my dreams quite a bit lately,
  which is odd because I haven’t dreamt about it
  before — not that I can remember anyway — but I
  find myself in waking hours now, staring at the
  volcano, just daydreaming away.  Very peculiar.”
  University library: The Fissure was excavated in
  1839 by the archaeologist Lord Preston Compton
  (yes, an ancestor) who claimed it was a holy site of
  early tribal man.  He reported the presence of cave
  paintings and apparently hauled away a pile of
  stone artifacts.  No one knows what happened to
  his find.  Lord Compton was subsequently
  regarded as a crank at best and a fraud at worst by
  the scientific community of the time.
  Preparation for the Trip
  Justin and Jeremiah Joyce are the first to arrive in
  the Edge; they give an interview to Eden Verdicchio of
  AATV News during which they indicate that they’re
  looking to hire a few local folks as haulers and body-
  guards during the short trip to the Fissure.  Jeremiah
  asks potential hirees to leave a message for him at
  Cesar’s Hotel, where the two are staying.  He specifies
  that they’re offering no more than an honorarium of
  $100 per person for the entire visit, as Mother Jehanne
  expects folks to volunteer in the name of world har-
  mony.  Callers to the hotel will be told to gather in the
  hotel’s Scipio Room (a conference hall) at 8 am the next
  morning.  Jeremiah expects to be deluged with nut
  cases and Mother Jehanne groupies, and wishes he
  could just hire a few uninterested professionals.
  Accordingly, he dismisses anyone who seems too
  fervent, which is exactly contrary to Jehanne’s desires.
  Almost all of the assembled group fails to meet his
  standards of calmness, except for any GMC moles you
  wish to plant in the expedition.  PCs who impress him
  as competent and rational are also be accepted.
  Ministering to the Poor
  The next day, Jehanne and Husaini arrive.
  Jehanne and the Rev. Joyce (accompanied by their
  respective assistants) make a public appearance in the
  sixth layer of the Garbage Men’s domain.  They are
  there to “minister to the poor” which essentially means
  a receiving line in which the meekest and most be-
  draggled of the Edge’s inhabitants can, for a few
  moments, touch the hands of the two spiritual leaders
  and exchange a word or two.
  Scrounge and Theologia Okton are present, as is a
  thoroughly-armed Peace Force squad.  From the press,
  only Verdicchio and a few print reporters are present;
  Monique D’Aubainne has given orders to Customs
  and Immigration to hold up the sizeable world media
  contingent until Mother Jehanne is off the island.  She
  Art by Laura Cabral
  
  THE BLISS OF DEATH
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  11
  doesn’t want her domain to get too high a profile, and
  figures that irritating hundreds of arrogant newsmen is
  an excellent road to obscurity.
  If all the PCs have already gotten assigned to the
  group, this scene may pass without incident.  It
  becomes simply an opportunity to introduce the main
  characters of the story (with the exception of Husaini,
  who has remains on the expedition’s bus — which tells
  the players something about him as well).
  If any group members failed to impress Jeremiah,
  stage an incident here that gives them a chance to prove
  themselves directly to Mother Jehanne.  You may be
  tempted to let this happen anyway, to provide a bit of
  action.  Be warned — this is a volatile situation, and if
  the PCs mess up, a riot and Peace Force massacre
  could ensue.  Don’t run this bit gratuitously.
  An argument breaks out between Theologia Okton
  and the ranking Peace Force officer; she insists that her
  guards have jurisdiction to be the security detail.  The
  Peace Forcer attempts to assert his authority without
  causing a scene, but Theologia refuses to be reasonable.
  As a result, neither of the two competing security
  detachments is paying attention when a maniac
  suddenly bursts from the receiving line and bursts
  towards Mother Jehanne with a sharpened screwdriver.
  Fortunately, the unattached PCs find themselves
  between Jehanne and her assailant.  If they take him
  out, she is sufficiently impressed to ask them to be her
  honor guards for the duration of her visit.  If the PCs
  fail to handle him, he’ll go down in a rain of Peace
  Force bullets before reaching Jehanne.  However, half a
  dozen Garbage Men are wounded by stray gunfire.  If
  the PCs manage to injure a Garbage Man while trying
  to take Moorhouse out, they react like hornets whose
  nests have been disturbed and charge mindlessly
  towards Jehanne and Joyce.  The Peace Force opens
  fire, and half a dozen people are killed.  In the case of a
  massacre, only mild reports of a slight disturbance
  surface the next day in the local media.
  Apocalypse Moorhouse
  Maniac
  For years Mother Jehanne has been beaming
  messages from Jimi Hendrix into the fillings of
  Apocalypse’s teeth.  He came to Al Amarja to escape
  her, his mom, and the other CIA members, aliens and
  vampires who have a world conspiracy set up to ruin
  his life and prevent him from winning the true love of
  his spiritual twin, Kathie Lee Gifford.  Or so he thinks.
  Apocalypse suffers from schizophrenia.  During a
  bout of relative sanity he made it past Customs and
  Immigration; now he’s a street person just trying to
  survive in a world of hostile conspiracies.  Normally
  he’s a pretty peaceful soul, but the physical presence of
  his nemesis right in his own backyard is too much for
  him — he sees his attack as self defense, pure and
  simple.
  Scottish-American man, age 29, 170 cm, 65 kg,
  long matted hair, several layers of dirt, ratty beard,
  very unpleasant smell.
  Languages: English
  Attacks: 3 dice with penalty die, X2 damage
  (sharpened screwdriver)
  Defense: 2 dice with penalty die
  Hit Points: 22 (frenzied state), 14 (calm state)
  Traits
  Street Survival, 3 dice — Despite the fact that he
  lives in his own little alternate world, Apocalypse is
  functional enough to scrounge enough food to eat and
  to escape when violent types come after him.  (Obvi-
  ously a veteran street nomad.)
  Schizophrenic, flaw — Apocalypse is ruled by fear
  of his mother — who wants to see him hospitalized and
  treated — and a variety of fantasized enemies who
  represent the mental health system.  He may, at your
  discretion, be sensitive to real fringe events and ideas
  circulating in Al Amarja.  For example, if questioned
  after the event, he may be able to voice a vague dread
  of the volcano and predict that Mother Jehanne is
  about to turn into a monster.  As soon as he starts to
  make sense he lapses back into his private hell, accus-
  ing Regis Philbin of being a demon, or whatever.
  (Babbles paranoid nonsense.)
  Act Two:
  The  Journey
  With the PCs on board, the pilgrimage to the
  Fissure is ready to begin.  This is not a major trip; the
  site is only about 8 km from D’Aubainne International
  Airport.  But Mother Jehanne has declared that it must
  be made on foot, because that’s what she saw in her
  vision.  The Reverend Joyce likes the idea, too: It
  makes for better footage to show on his television
  program.  Husaini finds the situation amusing; since all
  they’re going to find are documents for his research, he
  thinks the walk improves the joke.
  
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  THE MYTH OF SELF
  Mother Jehanne can barely walk at all, stretching
  what would be a short car ride into a several-day event.
  Jeremiah has arranged stopovers where the group can
  camp; at the last minute Jehanne demands that
  worshippers be allowed to gather at each stopover for
  prayer assemblies.  Again, this suits Justin just fine and
  bemuses Husaini.
  It also gives you plenty of opportunity to set up
  encounters with the principals of the group, and any
  added GMC moles within the party.  The insight they
  gain into the three clerics’ characters are vital to
  successful completion of the scenario later on.  Players
  should also get to know the devotion/resentment
  dynamic in Jeremiah’s relationship with Justin.
  Rather than set out a series of canned encounters,
  we recommend that you first give the players a chance
  to decide how their characters interact with the expedi-
  tion members.  However, if they take a passive ap-
  proach, you may wish to get the ball rolling by setting
  up scenes like these:
  •
  Husaini, bored, seeks to engage the PCs in a
  debate on the corrupt values of the West, as
  typified by Al Amarja.
  •
  Micheline develops a crush on a male PC.
  •
  A PC overhears Jeremiah muttering bitterly when
  Justin is getting praise and attention.
  •
  A demanding Mother Jehanne orders the PCs
  around, diverging sharply from her public image
  of humility and servitude.
  •
  Justin approaches a PC who might be politically
  useful to him in the future and gives him the
  schmooze treatment.
  •
  The enemy mole, if any, attempts to draw the PCs
  into conversation to determine just how much they
  know.  The mole, a low-level operative, is not
  clever enough to do so without arousing suspicion.
  Try to be vague about just how long the trip is
  supposed to take and how many prayer stopovers are
  on the schedule.  This way you can control the pacing
  of the story, adding as much time as necessary to fit in
  the required character interaction.  Conversely, as soon
  as you run out of material, you can declare that the
  group has reached its penultimate destination: the
  Compton villa.
  Your objectives for this section are to subtly plant
  information about the three lead characters the PCs
  need to successfully resolve the final scene.  They need
  to know that Justin is a sincere and caring fellow who
  puts compassion at the forefront of his theology.  That
  Husaini is a man of rigorous logic, who sees his religion
  as the source of ultimate certainty, the final word on
  everything.  And that Jehanne is a rather irritable
  person, unlike her public image, and not a profound
  thinker on religious issues in any sense.
  Dinner With the Devil
  In order to travel to the Ralsius Fissure, Jeremiah
  naturally had to secure the agreement of the property
  owner, Sir Arthur Compton.  He politely agreed, on the
  condition that he be permitted to host the group at dinner
  upon their arrival.  Jeremiah did little homework on
  Compton, assuming from his title that he was a nice old
  wealthy English gentleman.
  Possibly the PCs have told the expedition members
  otherwise on their way to the site; they’ll appreciate the
  advance warning.  But there’s no way to cancel the event:
  Compton’s cooperation remains tied to his promise of
  hospitality.  He has also expressed the desire that the
  group should stay at his villa for the evening.
  If the PCs have been hired on as security for the
  expedition, they may wish to contact Compton’s head of
  security in advance.  Compton looks after these matters
  himself, but doesn’t wish to meet with anyone in ad-
  vance, so he assigns the butler who manages his villa to
  pose as security chief should any such meeting be
  requested.  Fowler assures the group that the villa is
  heavily secured, but refuses to supply specifics.  He feigns
  insult as a professional if they press him for details.  If the
  expedition wants access to the Fissure, they’ll have to go
  along with Compton’s approach to security.
  Fowler
  Compton Bennie
  Fowler has been known by this single name for so
  long that he can’t remember his given name.  He can’t
  remember doing anything but serving Compton.
  Every so often he thinks maybe there’s a connection to
  his curious lack of identity and Compton’s mystic —
  no, that doesn’t make sense, does it?  Couldn’t be.  Just
  forget it.  Fowler is Fowler, loyal servant, and that’s all
  there is to it.
  Al Amarjan male, age 38, 175 cm, 80 kg, pencil-
  thin moustache, hair greying at temples, wears butler
  uniform.
  Traits
  Butler, 4 dice — Knows Compton’s tastes better
  than he knows his own; rarely disappoints his master.
  (Air of brisk efficiency.)
  
  THE BLISS OF DEATH
  OVER THE EDGE
  13
  Guilt, flaw — He is
  loyal to Compton more out
  of inexplicable habit than
  anything else, and he
  worries that he’s respon-
  sible for the evil things
  Compton does because he
  remains with the man.
  Still, he can’t seem to break
  free, for some reason.
  (Sleeps poorly.)
  By this point, the PCs
  might well have concluded
  that Compton is the villain
  of the piece.  In fact, you
  should make sure they
  think he’s very nasty and
  dangerous — don’t let
  them get this far without
  hearing all sorts of dark
  rumors about him.  Actu-
  ally all Compton wants in
  this instance is to have an
  immense private joke at the
  expedition’s expense.  For
  years, suspecting that the
  Fissure held some sort of
  mystic power, he’s scoured
  it with every variety of
  black divination magic
  known to man — and then
  some.  Having found
  nothing, he’s sure there’s
  nothing to it.  He’s wrong;
  the Fissure is a vast battery
  of positive metaphysical
  energy which flares up
  every now and again.  Since
  he’s been trying to find its traces with utterly incom-
  patible negative magic, he’s come up with nothing.
  His dinner is lavish — much too lavish for the
  tastes of his guests.  He’s ordered his chef to prepare
  the heaviest, richest dishes he can imagine.  The spread
  is huge; everything is slathered in thick sauces and
  flavored with nasty liqueurs.  Compton sits at the head
  of the table, devouring dish after dish with disgusting
  gusto.  (He’s the sort who can eat anything without
  gaining weight — maybe he diverts the extra calories
  into his magic pool.)  Though he’s capable of irre-
  proachable table manners, he’s tonight putting on a
  show of gross libertinism.  Between slurps, face-
  wipings and belches, he baits his guests by proposing
  that Satan is really much more interesting than God.
  Even if you take the word of the Bible or Koran, he
  drools, the torment of eternal damnation sounds more
  tolerable than the unending, unthinking, unvarying
  bliss of heaven.  What’s the point of achieving salva-
  tion if it means surrendering your individuality to a
  glowing mass of unrelieved virtue?
  Mother Jehanne seems rather nauseated by
  Compton’s show of gluttony, but remains unfazed by
  his words.  PCs who speak French discover why —
  Micheline is translating a completely different conver-
  sation! In Micheline’s version, Compton is speaking
  Art by Laura Cabral
  
  14
  OVER THE EDGE
  THE MYTH OF SELF
  rather wittily about the antics of his maiden aunt’s pet
  poodles.  As neither Compton nor the other guests
  speak French, no one understands why Jehanne seems
  merely bored, not outraged, by his irreligion.  When
  Compton asks Micheline for Jehanne’s responses, she
  is noncommittal: “Mother Jehanne is not a theologian,
  and does not wish to entertain your question.”
  The Reverend Joyce is shocked to the core by
  Compton, and sputters his way through an attempt to
  defend virtue and salvation.  The old pervert’s argu-
  ments are so far from Joyce’s frame of reference that he
  spends most of his time saying things like, “I just can’t
  accept that,” “No one can truly believe that argument,”
  and so forth.
  Encourage the players to get in on the action by
  having Compton direct questions to them, or have
  Joyce call on them for support.  Although their relative
  success at rebutting Compton has no direct effect on
  the plot, this sequence does set up the theme for the
  overall adventure, so it would be best to make sure the
  PCs are more than bystanders.  This scene should also
  reinforce the vital character traits of the three leads as
  described at the end of the previous section.
  Husaini remains quiet during the early portions of
  the argument, but then smiles, lights up a cigar even
  more foul than the one Compton has begun to smoke,
  and enters into a razor-sharp dissection of his state-
  ments based on their historical accuracy.  You don’t
  have to play this out as dialogue; instead, describe it in
  summary: “Then the two of them dive into an incred-
  ibly technical argument that seems to be based on age
  estimates of certain Babylonian documents.  Husaini
  seems to be winning.”  At the end of the discussion,
  Compton is left somewhat speechless.  Husaini and
  Compton smile sharply at one another, like two old
  warriors admiring the skills of their blood foes.
  The Mole Strikes —
  Maybe
  If you have chosen to add the enemy mole subplot
  to this story, now is the time to spring it.  The expedi-
  tion members are assigned guest rooms — Compton’s
  villa is comprised almost entirely of them, as it’s mostly
  used for his notorious multi-day parties.  With
  everyone else asleep, the mole makes his move.
  Perhaps he is only contacting his headquarters for
  instructions with a secret radio set — the PCs can catch
  him in the act and expose him.
  Or he can get violent, making a move either
  against an expedition member (if the group he serves is
  somehow threatened by the idea of the group reaching
  the Ralsius Fissure) or a PC.  The latter is more
  interesting and more likely — chances are the con-
  spiracy thinks that their old foes are trying to get some
  advantage to use against them.
  If things are already moving along nicely, you may
  decide to leave this episode out.  Even if you’ve already
  placed a mole in the camp, he might just watch the
  proceedings, report to base, and do nothing.  Maybe he
  can pop up as a PC antagonist in a later adventure.
  If the PCs themselves represent an evil conspiracy,
  they may try to get orders.  They’ll be told to keep
  watching and to avoid doing anything to stir the boat
  until more becomes clear — i.e.  when the three reach
  the fissure.
  If some PCs are in a conspiracy that’s acting
  against the interests of other PCs, all bets are off.  If
  your campaign is already this complicated, you’re no
  doubt used to dealing with it by now.
  Sneaking to the Fissure
  Some PCs may wish to visit the Fissure ahead of
  time.  Since the build-up of positive energy won’t occur
  until morning, all they find at the Fissure is an empty
  cave.
  Compton has spy devices in each room — a
  camera with a tiny fibre-optic lens, microphones, and
  alarms on the barred windows.  If he already has an
  antagonistic relationship with some of the PCs, he
  monitors their actions from his private security room.
  Whether he’s watching or not, he doesn’t care if the
  group makes a private foray to the Fissure and makes
  no move to stop them.  The PCs don’t know that,
  though, and may be unnerved by the security.
  The Fissure At Last
  In the morning, the group prepares to set out for
  the Fissure.  Jeremiah supervises the camera crew’s
  preparations, as well as the PCs’ packing of gear.  He
  makes it clear that the PCs are to let the three religious
  figures reach the Fissure first; anything else would be a
  grave show of disrespect for them.  He seems quite
  agitated, perspiring heavily and muttering under his
  breath.  If approached by a party member, he’ll blurt
  out a comment about Compton’s dinner talk the
  previous night:
  
  THE BLISS OF DEATH
  OVER THE EDGE
  15
  as they shield their eyes.  The TV crew’s equipment
  begins to short out, spewing out sparks and smoke.
  Compton looks around in puzzlement: “What’s
  going on? What are you all looking at? I can’t see
  anything.”
  The Fissure has reached its peak of positive
  metaphysical energy.  Compton, attuned to dark
  energy for so many years, can’t even see it.  But
  everyone else can — it’s positively blinding.  The
  energy of the Fissure has attracted three highly
  spiritual beings to it; now it yearns for release, for
  dispersal.
  Compton shakes one of his bennies, who is
  shielding his eyes from the brightness: “What is it,
  Fowler? What are you seeing, damn it?”
  “It’s beautiful,” Fowler replies, “so beautiful.  And
  music, I hear music — I can’t describe it — don’t you
  hear it?”
  Jeremiah Joyce throws his head back and screams
  to the heavens: “No! Nooooo! I am worthy! I am just as
  worthy as Justin! I do not doubt!”
  Jeremiah is standing near the PCs.  Tell the
  players he looks like he’s about to bolt for the Fissure.
  If they tackle him and pin him to the ground, they’ll be
  saving his life.
  If not, he sprints towards the three, claws past
  them, knocking Jehanne to the ground.  As his brother
  and Husaini help her to her feet, Jeremiah hurls
  himself into the burning light of the Fissure.  A few
  seconds later, he stumbles out again, screaming in
  agony.
  “No — no — not ready, I’m not ready, I swear I
  don’t doubt, I swear — “
  There is a thunderclap, and Jeremiah dematerial-
  izes.  Only his left foot, inside its fine leather shoe,
  remains.  (Though no one likely has a chance to look at
  this point, there is no blood or even a wound — the
  skin on the top of the foot is sealed over, as if cauter-
  ized.)
  The three have regained their footing and continue
  towards the Fissure, transfixed by the light.
  “What happened to the brother?” Compton
  screams, shaking his bennie by the lapels.
  “He was eaten — eaten by the light,” Fowler
  intones, rapturously.
  “What light?” his master howls.
  If the PCs try to keep the three from entering the
  fissure, they’re out of luck.  Even Mother Jehanne is
  “He’s wrong, he’s wrong, everyone knows he’s
  wrong, you know I know he’s wrong, that-that-that’s
  the kind of doubt that we just can’t — you know I
  know, don’t you? That’s sick.  That’s just so sick.  We
  can’t allow it.  You know I — you trust me, don’t
  you?”
  Compton’s talk — and a bout of dramatic indiges-
  tion from the rich food — has reawakened Jeremiah’s
  deeply-rooted sense of doubt, and his guilt about that
  doubt.
  It takes little time for the group to get ready.  The
  fissure is at the end of a steep, but paved, walkway.
  (Compton had the path covered with asphalt several
  years ago at the height of his mania to unlock the
  fissure’s secret.) The Reverend Joyce and Karim
  Husaini each take one of Mother Jehanne’s arms as
  they take the lead along the pathway.  Behind them is a
  small entourage — the PCs plus any other GMC moles
  or hangers-on, Compton and a couple of his bennies,
  Jeremiah and his camera crew, and Micheline.
  When the three get within 40m of the Fissure,
  there is a loud pop.  A beam of white light, as bright as
  burning magnesium, bursts from the crack in the rock.
  An involuntary gasp shudders through the entourage
  Art by Laura Cabral
  
  16
  OVER THE EDGE
  THE MYTH OF SELF
  Act Three:
  Af
   t e r
   mat h
  Give the PCs a little while to theorize about what
  has happened.  They ought to be able to figure out
  roughly what the Fissure energy is, and the fact that
  it’s a threat to the city — if the three bliss out even a
  small proportion of the population as they have Fowler,
  the results will be disastrous.
  If the PCs seem stumped, Compton figures it out:
  “My sweet Satan, I’ve been a fool.  Well, not a fool
  really, but factually mistaken in this one particular
  instance.  I’ve been searching the Fissure all along for
  regular neutral or even black metaphysical energy —
  but this is pure holiness, which I couldn’t see if it bit
  me on the leg.
  “That energy has been building and building,
  seeking release — so it psychically summoned those
  three, the rare types spiritually pure enough to contain
  it without being blown to bits like that poor idiot
  brother of Joyce’s.  Now the energy is going to dissi-
  pate by spreading — those three are a contagious
  plague of mindless, drooling, destructive sanctity —
  and they’re headed straight for the Edge! We’ve got to
  stop them! Good thing I’ve got my helicopter up at the
  villa!”
  He looks at the PCs: “I don’t know exactly who
  you are, but I don’t think you’re total idiots.  Come
  with me!”
  The Limitations
  of Air Power
  Cut to: Compton and PCs in his private helicop-
  ter.  The comet-like holy beings are still rocketing
  towards the Edge.  Compton is on the radio, shouting
  at the Democratic Guard Air Command:
  “Three mystic s— bogeys heading right towards
  — you’re on it? Well, what are you waiting for, shoot
  the &@$%@#$%$#s down!”
  As if on cue, two DGAC MiG fighter jets scream
  out of the sky towards the sacred comets.  They fire
  air-to-air missiles, which simply vanish at the moment
  of impact.  A beam of light flashes from the comets
  towards the jets.  They’re transformed into chariots of
  now possessed by the strength of ten men — she tosses
  aside anyone attempting to restrain her.  (If the PCs
  don’t try to stop her, Micheline does — and gets tossed
  into a nearby juniper bush for her troubles.)
  The three enter the Fissure, vanishing from view.
  Moments later, there is a whooshing noise.  The light
  disappears.  The Fissure has found its vessels.  Mother
  Jehanne, Karim Husaini and Justin Joyce emerge from
  the Fissure, looking subtly changed.  There is a faint
  yellow nimbus surrounding each of them.  Jehanne’s
  stoop and weakened, tentative walk are gone — now
  she strides down the pathway like a strong young
  woman.
  Fowler breaks from Compton’s grasp and runs up
  the pathway, where he throws himself at Husaini’s feet.
  “Give me the Light,” Fowler whimpers, “I dream
  of the Light.”
  “Then you shall have the Light,” Husaini says,
  sounding not at all like his normal, sardonic self.  He
  reaches forward and closes Fowler’s eyelids with a light
  touch of his fingertips.  Fowler falls backwards and lies
  on the asphalt, unmoving.
  “The City,” the Reverend speaks.  “The City
  needs the Light.”
  “The City dreams of the Light,” responds
  Jehanne, in an equally expressionless manner.
  “The Light shall go to the City,” chants Husaini.
  The three point south, towards the Edge.  In-
  stantly they are transformed into comets of radiance,
  which rocket towards their destination.
  Compton rushes to Fowler’s side, turning him
  over.  “Fowler!  Fowler!  What the hell is wrong with
  you?”
  “The Light,” Fowler replies.  In fact, this is now
  all Fowler can say.  He has a goofy, beatific smile on
  his face; every so often a bit of spittle dribbles down his
  chin.  He has been granted permanent Heaven on earth
  by the Fissure’s pure energy.  He’s happy in his own
  little world, but as far as anyone else is concerned he’s
  now a vegetable.
  Art by Laura Cabral
  
  THE BLISS OF DEATH
  OVER THE EDGE
  17
  rose petals, which peel off towards the sun.  The pilots
  bail out, their parachutes drifting them to safety.
  “Beelzebub’s buboes!” curses Compton.  “Well,
  that’s it for conventional weaponry — if they shrug off
  missiles, bullets won’t do us much good.  And if I went
  up against them with black magic they’d boil me alive.
  I don’t suppose you have any ideas?”
  The Divine Plaza of
  Flowers
  Compton pilots the copter to a landing on top of
  the Trumpet Cinema in the Plaza of Flowers.  A huge
  smoking crater occupies the space formerly held by the
  abstract statue in the middle of the plaza.  In the crater
  are three luminous humanoid figures, still vaguely
  recognizable as Husaini, Lefebure, and Joyce.  Traffic
  has stopped dead in the circle.  The odd jitney horn
  honks, but most people are out of their vehicles, staring
  at the incredible scene.  The glowing beings are
  reassembling the statue their landing has just demol-
  ished.  The new statue rises from the crater, growing
  like a plant in a time-lapse film.  Where before it was
  twisted, rusting metal, now it is multi-coloured glass.
  It builds itself towards the heavens, sprouting towers,
  arches, buttresses, minarets.  It begins to pulse, as its
  thousands of tiny panes of stained glass shift hue.  The
  surface of the statue seems to dance.
  A Peace Force squad ventures tentatively into the
  crater; the former Jehanne turns towards them, smiling
  and holding out arms of welcome.  Most of the cops
  turn and run, but one of them pulls the trigger of his
  heavy assault rifle.  Instead of firing bullets, his gun
  weeps.  He turns and runs too.
  A few more officers stumble forward and sink to
  their knees.  The once-Joyce advances towards them,
  brushes their eyelids closed, and shuttles them into
  eternal earthly bliss.  Husaini levitates from the crater
  and lands on the ATM machine.  He beckons the
  nearby Martians to approach.  A line of semi-dazed
  citizenry forms; they are ready to receive his permanent
  blessing.  Jehanne and Joyce seem ready to “minister”
  to the crowd as well.
  At this point, game time and real time should be
  roughly equivalent: the PCs are either conferring
  amongst themselves or talking to the three (see below).
  For every five minutes, unless interrupted, another ten
  citizens are blissed out.  This is a little on the slow side,
  because both blesser and supplicant like to draw out
  the moment of ecstatic contact.
  It’s difficult to impede the supplicants through
  physical restraint; if a PC grapples one, the next in line
  just steps around him and heads to be blessed.  There
  is, however, plenty of tear gas in the abandoned Peace
  Force vehicles.  If the PCs know or can figure out how
  to fire the tear gas grenades into the crowd of waiting
  penitents, they can disperse the lineups temporarily,
  and prevent more people from flooding into the square.
  Ultimately the desire to be blessed outweighs the need
  to avoid the gas in these citizens, though; whenever the
  players seem to be dithering or bogging down in their
  discussion of what to do, tell them that more suppli-
  cants are flooding towards Jehanne and company.
  It should be clear that no physical force is going to
  stop these three; instead, the PCs have to talk them
  down.
  Talking to the Vessels
  At first, all of the three react the same way to being
  approached and called by name:
  “I am no longer the one you name.  I am now of
  the Godhead.  Step forward and receive your bliss.”
  But each of them still maintains a degree of
  personal consciousness beneath their divine veneers.
  PCs who keep at them can get them to admit their
  human identities.  They can do this by asking ques-
  tions like, “who are you now then?” or “who were you
  before you were of the Godhead?” or “what do you
  mean by Godhead?” The three actually have no idea
  what is happening to them; once they start to think the
  process of turning them human again has begun.
  However, once they’ve admitted their true identi-
  ties, convincing them to renounce the positive meta-
  physical energy requires a separate strategy for each.
  Examples follow; if the PCs come up with an unlisted
  approach that seems credible, allow it.
  Husaini responds to intellectual argument.  In
  order to persuade him back into humanity, the PCs
  must remind him that there’s no reference to anything
  like this in the Koran — and if Mohammed didn’t
  reveal it to the world as prophecy, it cannot truly be of
  Allah, and must therefore be an illusion.  Husaini
  responds by evasion, quoting various obscure texts
  (feel free to make them up, unless you have any Islamic
  scholars in the room) to prove that what has happened
  to him was somehow foretold somewhere in the
  Moslem canon, and is therefore true and good and
  acceptable.  But in his heart, he knows this is not so.
  When he finally runs out of argument, the positive
  
  18
  OVER THE EDGE
  THE MYTH OF SELF
  energy snaps out of him like ball lightning, whooshes
  across the plaza, and sets fire to A Woman’s Touch.
  One way to disarm Jehanne’s holy energy would
  be to bait her; she may be transformed, but she’s still
  cranky and demanding at heart.  PCs who insult or
  tease her, or in any way compromise her sense of
  dignity, fall victim to righteous blasts of positive
  energy.  (She projects energy blasts at 2 dice; they’re
  not as dangerous as they look, as holy energy isn’t
  meant to be used as a weapon.) Once she’s fully
  aroused into bolt-tossing fury, another PC can remind
  her that this isn’t exactly the sort of humble, self-
  effacing devotion to God her name is supposed to stand
  for.  If the PCs thought to bring Micheline along with
  them in Compton’s helicopter, she could be of help
  here.  When Jehanne rejects the energy force, it turns
  into a glowing liquid, spilling out of the palms of her
  hands onto the pavement, where it leaks away into the
  sewer system and is eventually washed out to sea.
  Sweet-tempered, nurturing Justin turns out to be
  the hardest to crack.  He truly believes himself worthy
  of the mantle of celestial power that’s been placed upon
  him.  For the others, the instant, unearned gift of total
  happiness on earth is a distortion of their true beliefs.
  But this is what Justin has been selling to his TV
  congregation all along — the pursuit of personal
  happiness as the ultimate religious goal.  One way to
  approach him would not be through his beliefs, but
  through his brother.  Doesn’t he remember that the
  person closest to him in all the world was just a few
  minutes ago reduced to atoms by the very same power
  he now wields? Justin initially resists this line of
  questioning.  If pressed, he says something like “sadly,
  he was not worthy to bear this mantle.” But eventually
  the contradiction between the impersonal destructive-
  ness of the positive energy and the hazy softness of his
  favored approach to the Lord is his vulnerability if the
  PCs exploit it.  When he returns to humanity, his
  energy is dissipated into TV waves; all across the
  world, regular broadcasts are interrupted by an image
  of Justin and Jeremiah as young boys, playing catch in
  their backyard.
  Anyone who helps talk down the three from their
  divine state gets an extra die for their experience pool,
  above and beyond any other experience awards for
  session play.
  Denouement
  Once they shed their supernatural powers, the
  three are quickly hustled away by Democratic Bureau
  of Investigation officers.  They’re quietly transported
  off the island.
  If the PCs are seen to have saved the Edge from
  the threat of spiritual enlightenment, they are discreetly
  approached by an advisor to Monique D’Aubainne and
  asked what sort of rewards they’d be interested in.  No
  reasonable request will be refused — though you of
  course get to define “reasonable.” The clever will ask
  for future undefined favors, which will be useful in
  further adventures.
  The energy in the Fissure is dissipated for now,
  but if you want to set up a sequel, you could have it
  come back surprisingly early — possibly because it was
  dispersed to too few bliss recipients.
  Sir Arthur might be favorably disposed towards
  the group in the future, which is possibly a mixed
  blessing.
  Justin Joyce feels he owes the group a favor, too;
  without Jeremiah he’ll have his hands full keeping his
  TV empire going.  But he’ll be back someday...  Karim
  Husaini might return up in a less dramatic situation;
  for example, if the group ever needs an expert on
  Islamic history, he’ll be happy to help.  Mother
  Jehanne wishes to forget the whole incident, and wants
  nothing to do with the party.
  Blissed-out individuals remain that way until
  death, which might lead to a sequel.  Wealthy foreign-
  ers hire a group member or two to track down their
  young son or daughter, who disappeared while on
  vacation on the island.  It turns out not only that
  individual was blissed out, but has been kidnapped by
  organ bootleggers, who are removing bits and pieces of
  a number of victims who are too blissed out to mind.
  The PCs must then rescue what’s left of their quarry
  from this vicious gang.
  Intersections
  •
  One or more members of the Roentgen Operatives
  team from New Faces might appear either as an
  expedition volunteer (if the PCs haven’t met them
  before) or posing as members of the local media.
  They’ve been assigned by their shadowy corpora-
  tion, whose mystic operatives have noticed the
  strange absence of usual magical energy around
  Mt. Ralsius and want it checked out.  If the PCs
  know the Roentgen gang and blow their cover, the
  surprised operatives retreat, not having expected to
  run into them.
  
  THE BLISS OF DEATH
  OVER THE EDGE
  19
  •
  If the PCs have befriended Kralepok from Air-
  waves, he finds the emanations from the volcano
  disturbing, as they disrupt his ability to remain in
  this dimension.  He hires the PCs to join the
  expedition, offering to pay them out of the
  station’s production budget.
  •
  A sequel to both this adventure and Unauthorized
  Broadcast could consist of a nefarious plot to
  narcotize the minds of the populace — a LeThuy
  or misguided Sommerite slips some broadcast to a
  blissed-out victim, who then beams her waves of
  unadulterated spiritual joy within a wide radius,
  shutting down everybody in the area as they join in
  her transcendent state.  The sabotage/carnage
  factor would be impressive, with drivers losing
  control of their cars as they slip into nirvana, and
  so forth.
  •
  The psychiatric facility described in Welcome to
  Sylvan Pines is a likely destination for some of the
  blissed-out; it might even be home to the organ
  bootlegging plot mentioned above.
  •
  Roderick Reis, from Wildest Dreams, is another
  likely suspect for the head of an illegal organ ring.
  He might also kidnap a blissed-out person for an
  experiment with tulpas — what happens when a
  person who thinks they’re seeing God imprints on
  a tulpa? Does the Dreamweb from a God-tulpa
  create more intense nightmare — or even a drug
  with a pleasurable, rather than dark, kick?
  •
  The Cut-Ups from The Weather the Cuckoo Likes
  are appalled when they see the blissed-out; it looks
  like the final result of severe Control Addiction to
  them.  The Really Quite Angry Kid sets about
  trying to construct a machine to bring them back
  to reality; unfortunately a crucial ingredient of the
  device is the pancreas of a sowlsa beast from the
  plane of Gnerust, from which she has been
  banished.  The PCs are sent to face the hazards of
  this strange dimension in order to get the pancreas
  and save those who have fallen into the trap of
  premature nirvana.
  Long-term Aftermath
  As events get back to normal on Al Amarja, the
  various groups on the island try to fit these strange
  events into their belief systems. Many “true explana-
  tions” begin to circulate, as follows:
  The Government: The major media carry the official
  party line the next day — the events in the Plaza of
  Flowers were mass hysteria stimulated by the
  “agitation of fascist disinformation agents.”  Few
  people believe this — the government certainly
  doesn’t — but it feels better to have an Official Lie
  in place anyway.  Forensic metaphysicians from
  the Center for Paranormal Control are dispatched
  to the Fissure (with Compton’s consent) to scour it
  for evidence of mystical disturbance.  They have
  no more success than Compton, causing concerns
  in government circles about the Ralsius Incident’s
  possible recurrence.
  Sir Arthur Compton: Compton, thinking about it
  later, refuses to admit that there is a form of
  magical energy that isn’t subject to the control of
  the dedicated black magician.  He hits the arcane
  texts in order to find a key to the mastery of
  positive energy, determined not to be taken by
  surprise next time.
  Cut-Ups: The Cut-Ups attribute the blissing effect to
  the addictive Control properties of organized
  religion.  As indicated above, the Really Quite
  Angry Kid decides to try to create a machine to
  reverse the incident’s effects on the blissed out.
  Cheryl D’Aubainne: Cheryl is the most willing of Al
  Amarja’s prominent figures to accept events at face
  value.  She formulates a theory: Jehanne, Joyce and
  Husaini, in the course of attaining spiritual
  attunement, developed certain parts of their brains
  and bodies — much as an athlete develops superb
  muscle tone.  This made them strong enough to
  hold the power, and also made them receptive to
  its paranormal call; they shared a harmonic
  frequency of some form.  Jeremiah, on the other
  hand, was flatly inadequate in this regard, because
  he did not have a strong and enduring faith (i.e.,
  the right and well-conditioned neural pathways),
  so he got fried.  Although glad that her people
  didn’t go through the stress of being called to the
  volcano, she is at the same time troubled that no
  one had the appropriate neural pathways devel-
  oped.  She begins a project to study Fissure events,
  and is willing to pay firsthand witnesses (such as the
  PCs) for their observations of the three affected
  religious figures before and after the positive energy
  eruption.  This could serve merely as a bit of extra
  pocket money for the PCs, or as a lead-in to other
  assignments from Cheryl.
  Earthlings: Dr. Paolo Montserrat, unable to deal with
  the idea that too much goodness can be dangerous,
  decides that the whole thing was some kind of weird
  Hermetic Mover plot to discredit world religion, and
  in particular sully the image of Mother Jehanne, the
  
  20
  OVER THE EDGE
  THE MYTH OF SELF
  personification of self-sacrificing compassion herself.
  He launches an investigation to expose the Mover
  role in the incident; his operatives may give the PCs
  a hard time as they probe into their doings in an
  effort to determine whether or not they have
  Hermetic connections.
  Sommerites: The followers of Karla Sommers conclude
  that the three failed to contain their mystical energy
  because, although they were spiritually aware, they
  didn’t know their Karla Sommers lyrics well enough,
  especially her 1989 single “Be Your Own Nirvana.”
  The Sommerites set up an organization of devotees
  to meditate on the deep inner meaning of that song,
  and also try to buy the Fissure property from
  Compton in preparation for the next eruption.
  Compton refuses to sell but enters into lengthy
  negotiations just to tie up their resources.
  Kergillians: The Kergillians wrongly conclude that the
  Ralsius Three were possessed by extradimensional
  entities belonging to the same race as Kralepok from
  Airwaves.  They redouble their defenses against such
  beings, not suspecting that one of them is running
  the island’s new TV station.
  The Mr. Le Thuys: “Hmmm, everyone touched by
  these religious figures has become a mindless,
  drooling idiot, a complete vegetable.  Maybe this
  hope and redemption business isn’t so bad after
  all... ”
  The Movers: Most Mover cells become convinced that
  the Ralsius Incident is a Hermetic Mover plot, and
  move to rearrange their organizations to defend
  against the Hermetics’ growing power.  Except, of
  course, the Hermetics, who think the Earthlings are
  behind it and that the PCs must be Earthling
  operatives.  Disinformation or possibly even mystic
  assassination plans might accordingly be made
  against the PCs.
  The Neutralizers: The Neutralizers independently
  come to Cheryl D’Aubainne’s conclusions about the
  incident, but publicly they foster the government’s
  line denying that it’s a paranormal event.  Islam Petri
  is more than happy to print their nonsense — in fact,
  he punches it up to make it more credible.  Neutral-
  izer cloaks set about discrediting any accounts that
  attempt to describe it accurately, and may show up
  to harass PCs who speak about it in front of an
  audience.
  Philosopher’s Stone : Dr. Rambeau has several of the
  blissed-out kidnapped for study.  He bombards them
  with a number of rays and chemicals in an attempt to
  turn their religious ecstasy into paranormal abilities.
  Ironically, a few do develop fringe powers, but don’t
  use them, because they’re busy experiencing nirvana.
  The others just get cancer.
  Dr. Seversen: Surprised by the eruption of energy, Dr.
  Seversen begins a project to design a machine
  capable of identifying and distinguishing all types of
  unknown energy waves.  This may prove an early
  means of detecting the Throckmorton device.
  Throckmorton Operatives: “These people did not
  bring moral control and order to the island.  They
  brought chaos and confusion.  They must be
  destroyed.  They must not return.  They will become
  good Throckmortons.  Everyone will become a good
  Throckmorton.”
  The Statue
  The reformed version of the Flowers statue
  remains after the positive energies are dissipated.  But
  within days almost all of its exquisite panes of stained
  glass have been shattered by vandals.  The reworked
  metal begins to rust with the first heavy rainfall, and
  soon the thing looks as ugly and forlorn as the one that
  came before it.
  Art by Laura Cabral
  
  THE HIVE
  OVER THE EDGE
  21
  The
  Hive
  B Y   G R E G   S  T O L Z E
  Overview
  The Al Amarjan hiveroach is in fact telepathic,
  with each roach partaking in a group pool of percep-
  tion.  Two men have entered a psychic rapport with
  the Hive group mind.  One is an entomologist named
  Gil Wheeler, who quickly realized the potential of
  psychic roaches as spies.  The other calls himself “the
  Exterminator” and is dedicated to the eradication of
  the Hive intelligence.
  Wheeler has formed “Gold D Plumbers” as a
  cover for a racket of blackmail and information trade.
  With him is a neurosurgeon named Marian Ross, who
  has attuned two more people to the Hivemind.
  A gang leader called Split Malcomb suspects that
  there’s a new and potentially powerful data cartel on
  the island.  He wants to expand his gang, the
  Fistheads, into blackmail, in addition to their usual
  shakedowns, rackets and pushing.
  Finally, the Peace Force has also developed some
  suspicions about the Exterminator’s activities, and has
  assigned Lieutenant Bob Anderson to investigate.
  The characters get caught in the middle, as
  characters will.
  Timeline
  This is the course that events will take, if they
  aren’t altered by the PCs.  This timeline commences
  when the PCs get their first clue about the Hive’s
  existence (unless, of course, it’s one of these events that
  alerts them).
  This timeline is very flexible; any action by the
  PCs could be enough to derail it or direct it onto
  another track.  For instance, if they either (1) kill or
  subvert Anderson or (2) prevent the Exterminator from
  being captured or interrogated, they Peace Force would
  never find out about the Hive, and it would never fall
  into the hands of a Throckmorton operative.  Take care
  to think through the repercussions of PC actions on all
  the parties involved.
  Day 1
  Wheeler breaks up with his lover, Alison White.
  Over recent months he’s become more distant, more
  secretive, and sometimes strangely disoriented.  The
  more White tried to find out what was bothering him,
  the more he pushed her away.  He became more
  paranoid, suspicious and distraught, until today, when
  he told her, “Things have changed, and I just can’t be
  with you any more.  It’s all different, and it’ll only get
  worse.  I want to end it before we hate each other.”
  White is confused and goes to Sad Mary’s to begin a
  three-day bender.
  Meanwhile, two women associated with the
  Fistheads have rented an apartment across the street
  from the Gold D offices.  They begin monitoring the
  Gold D storefront to see who goes in and out.
  Days 2-3
  Nothing significant happens.
  
  22
  OVER THE EDGE
  THE MYTH OF SELF
  Day 4
  The Exterminator locates the princess under
  Gomez Reynard’s house in the ‘Burbs.  Along with any
  PCs he’s befriended, he shows up and tells Reynard
  that there’s a huge colony of roaches under the house.
  Reynard is suspicious at first, but the Exterminator
  tells him to look under his basement steps.  When
  Reynard does, he immediately agrees to help destroy
  the nest.  If any PCs are with him, the Exterminator
  will post them at the ends of the princess’s escape
  tunnels, while he goes in the front.  If it’s just him and
  Reynard, he’ll plug the holes and go in.
  Regardless, Wheeler senses it when the Extermi-
  nator arrives at Reynard’s house.  While the Extermi-
  nator is persuading Reynard, Wheeler is dispatching
  Larry, Knuck and Crowbar — the so-called “Gold D
  Plumbers.”  The plumbers arrive just as the Extermi-
  nator enters the princess’s chamber.  They go straight
  into the house, where they fight with Reynard and,
  eventually, the Exterminator. Wheeler simultaneously
  engages the Exterminator in psychic combat.
  Reynard’s wife calls the Peace Force.
  The fray ends with the princess dead and the
  Exterminator suffering from multiple bruises and
  severe head trauma.  Reynard has his leg broken.  The
  plumbers escape before the Peace Force arrives, but
  Larry has a dislocated shoulder and a snapped collar-
  bone, while Knuck has three cracked ribs.  When the
  Peace Force arrives, the officers take in the Extermina-
  tor in “for questioning.”
  Day 5
  The Exterminator has yet to awaken and is in
  critical condition.
  The Gold D cabal redoubles its efforts to hire
  protection. Wheeler tries to hire thugs at Sad Mary’s,
  but has a slight freakout from Hive Psychosis.  He
  begins staring wildly at any blondes and backs out,
  looking rapidly to the right and left.
  The Fistheads note that Larry and Knuck don’t
  show up for work. They drop a few bribes at Ahmed’s
  Kwik Klinik and learn that there was some sort of
  combat the night before.
  The Fistheads send a member called Punky to Sad
  Mary’s to solicit investigators.  Wheeler backs into
  Punky as he’s leaving, screams and runs away.  Punky
  dismisses him as “another burger who can’t hold his
  ‘shock.”
  Day 6
  The Exterminator wakes up, but refuses to tell the
  Peace Force anything except, “I located a nest of
  roaches and wanted to get rid of them.”
  Gold D psychics Smythe and De Fleur, working
  together, attune themselves to the Hive Queen.  They
  were originally attuned only to the University princess,
  through the surgery of Dr. Marian Ross.
  Day 7
  The Fistheads finally track down Larry and
  Knuck.  A squad of six gang members, including Split
  himself, pays them a visit.  Using nothing but a roll of
  duct tape and a book of matches, they persuade Larry
  and Knuck to tell them everything.
  They next visit Wheeler, who is even quicker to
  come to an agreement with them.  The Gold D cabal
  and the Fistheads agree to work together and split all
  profits from the Hive evenly.  The Gold D will provide
  surveillance and money, while the Fistheads provide
  muscle and protection.  Both sides are pleased with
  what they’re getting, though neither is particularly
  impressed with their new partners.
  Day 8
  Dr. Nusbaum finds the time to visit the Extermi-
  nator, who is soon telling those nice Peace Force men
  everything he knows about the Hive.  Sadly, he does
  not survive the interrogation.  Anderson makes his
  final report on the Exterminator investigation (now
  closed) to his superior, Captain Ali Mukabar.
  Mukabar finds the idea about the psychic roaches
  strangely compelling.
  The Fistheads begin to gear up for a sewer
  expedition — purchasing hip waders, gas masks,
  lanterns and two way radios.
  Day 9
  Guided by Wheeler, four Fistheads and Crowbar
  slog through the sewers.  They retrieve the princess
  under Lifestylin’ Taxidermy.
  Day 10
  The Peace Force starts searching the college for
  Wheeler — trashing his office, intimidating his
  
  THE HIVE
  OVER THE EDGE
  23
  Days 12-18
  Clyde Throckmorton hires a lot of helpers and
  buys a lot of chemicals.  His business booms.
  Peace Force technicians begin widening the
  frequency of government-owned Seversons and White
  Thought Generators.
  Day 19
  Wheeler and Ross are captured trying to leave the
  island with the Queen and 40 kg of roaches.  They
  were headed for Africa. Wheeler succeeds in totally
  divorcing his consciousness from his body, and remains
  free in the Hivemind.  His body falls into a coma.
  Ross cuts a deal with the Peace Force; they’ll drop
  all charges and hire her to attune their officers to the
  Hive.  She also reveals the involvement of the
  Fistheads.  A reward is now offered for information
  about Malcomb, and a major Fisthead roundup begins.
  When the Queen is returned to the Edge, the
  princess held by De Fleur and Smythe psychically
  battles her for control over the Hivemind.  Aided by
  colleagues, hauling White in for questioning and
  offering rewards for tips about him. Wheeler, roach-
  warned, barely escapes in time.  He has to abandon the
  princess he was keeping at the University.  He con-
  vinces Ross to come with him, but can’t reach his
  partner Niehaus in time. Niehaus is taken in for
  questioning.
  The Peace Force offers money for information
  about Ross.  Their investigations lead them to suspect
  Smythe and De Fleur, who flee to the Fistheads and
  Wheeler.
  Day 11
  Wheeler personally leads an expedition to get the
  Queen.  He hurriedly flees to Skylla with three coolers
  of roaches to start a new colony.  Smythe and De Fleur
  remain to help Split run the Edge Hive.  As Wheeler
  takes the Queen out of range, their princess begins to
  show Queen traits.
  Ali Mukabar gives Clyde Throckmorton a large
  grant to kill every roach in the Plaza of Gold and the
  Plaza of Arms.
  Art by Grey Thornberry
  
  24
  OVER THE EDGE
  THE MYTH OF SELF
  the attuned humans, the princess wins.  The Peace
  Force Queen refuses to eat and starts to die.
  Day 20
  Split’s bodyguard Bushi tries to get some Fistheads
  to help him betray Malcomb.  Instead, they warn
  Malcomb, who orders Bushi slain.  Bushi kills one
  Fisthead and loses an eye as he escapes, swearing
  revenge on his former gang.
  Day 21-22
  Smythe, De Fleur and Split are constantly on the
  move, fleeing the Peace Force, while other gang
  members are rounded up or ruthlessly cut down while
  fleeing.
  Day 23 onward
  Equilibrium is reached.  The Fistheads are
  destroyed as a gang, but Split, Punky, Smythe and De
  Fleur have a secure hiding place (GM discretion where,
  how or with whom) from which to scan through the
  roaches.  They also possess the new Roach Queen of Al
  Amarja.
  Ali Mukabar tells Throckmorton not to kill any
  more roaches, and Throckmorton convinces him to
  explain the Hive.  A beautiful friendship begins
  between Throckmorton and Mukabar.  Mukabar gets a
  lucky break and remains in control of the Peace Force’s
  budding “Hive” department.
  The Hivemind is still dominated by the now
  disembodied Wheeler, but Ross has begun producing
  Hive psychics for the Peace Force (who still have the
  princess they captured from Wheeler at the Univer-
  sity).  In addition to her position with the Peace Force,
  she is now a respected psychic researcher.  Angela
  Reyes begins talking with her, in a professional
  relationship that will (in four years) result in Ross
  introducing Reyes to Throckmorton (whom Ross will
  have met through Mukabar).
  Plot Hooks
  There are a number of ways the PCs can become
  involved on Day 1.
  •
  Gold D is hiring thugs.  They want to expand
  their operations, and the loss of Hobart (see below)
  has them edgy about safety. If characters are
  mercenaries, they could answer an ad and get hired
  as “protection.”  If so hired, they will soon receive
  a visit from Bushi and some Fistheads, offering to
  either (1) enlist the characters as spies or (2) show
  them what the insides of their bodies look like.
  This could also lead to a confrontation with the
  Exterminator.  The job will, at first, consist of
  following the other three along on pick ups.  If the
  characters distinguish themselves, they’ll be
  assigned to discretely guard Ross, Niehaus,
  Wheeler, De Fleur or Smythe, any one of whom
  could be attacked by the Exterminator (or the
  Fistheads, if their investigation leads that far) at
  any time. The might eventually pick up bribes on
  their own, or be sent in to recover another princess.
  •
  Dr. Ross is hiring psychics.  She needs experimen-
  tal subjects. If characters apply, they’ll be sub-
  jected to a brain scan for psychic activity (note: any
  characters with an already active psi power will
  score high) as well as odd perception tests to see
  how well they can interpret bizarre sense data.  If
  hired, they’ll receive a visit from Bob Anderson,
  who will break into their apartment, plant drugs,
  threaten them with firearms and generally
  strongarm them into “doing their patriotic duty”
  (i.e. squealing on their employers).
  •
  If the characters are new on the island, they might
  be particularly attractive to Drs. Ross and
  Wheeler.  Perhaps they have bugs at the Terminal
  watching for burger who are outside the loop of
  conspiracies of the island.
  •
  The Fistheads need investigators.  Negotiations
  will be in a darkened room with an unknown
  employer (Split or Punky, hidden in shadows) to
  investigate the Gold D.
  •
  The Exterminator might randomly pay a visit to
  any character, especially redheads or habitual red
  wearers.  His strange behavior might lead to an
  investigation.
  •
  Any conspiracy the characters are already involved
  in may ask them to investigate on behalf of a
  member who is being mysteriously spied on (this
  could be the lawyers, the investors, or the college
  administrator).
  •
  The victims of Gold D might hire investigators
  and/or thugs to try and put some hurt on their
  blackmailers.
  •
  Chester Polk, in roach form (See below, page 36),
  tries to communicate with the characters in order
  to get help.
  
  THE HIVE
  OVER THE EDGE
  25
  •
  They run into Alison White while she’s drowning
  her sorrows at Sad Mary’s (or some other watering
  hole) and she complains about the mysterious
  behavior of her ex-lover.
  •
  While pursuing the subterranean Agaras (see New
  Faces and the OTE Rulebook, page 103) the PCs
  run into the Exterminator trying to find a princess,
  or Gil Wheeler (on the same mission).
  •
  Throckmorton operatives turn out to be especially
  susceptible to tinkering by Hive Psychics.  The
  characters follow a Throckmorton operative (or
  operatives) and see him pester the hirsute De
  Fleur.  They also see De Fleur “mind blast” him
  with roach perception.  Their hopes for a new
  weapon against the operatives are complicated by
  De Fleur’s reluctance to help.
  •
  Throckmorton operatives attune to the Hive easily
  (though Clyde himself does not).  The characters
  see an attuned Throckmorton operative get
  murdered by the Exterminator, and investigate.
  Plot Development
  There are three basic tracks the characters can
  take.
  • 
  The Semi-Idealistic Track : The Hive is good and
  useful, worthy of study, and if ethically question-
  able methods are used to fund this study, well, you
  can’t make an omelette with whole eggs. The
  characters join Gold D, helping to fight off the
  Exterminator and the Fistheads, as well as taking
  care of the threat of Lt. Anderson.
  • 
  The Totally Paranoid Track : The Hive is a
  menace to humanity and should be completely
  eradicated.  The characters join the Exterminator
  in gunning after princesses and, eventually, the
  Queen.  If Gold D finds out, they’ll probably forge
  an alliance with the Fistheads.  Anderson can go
  either way in this scenario.
  • 
  The Exploitation Track : The Hive is potentially
  very lucrative, and there’s no reason for the
  characters not to get rich.  They could join Gold
  D, the Fistheads, or try to eliminate both and keep
  the only ones attuned to the Hive for themselves.
  In any event they’ll face animosity from the
  Exterminator.
  Additionally, the Hive could be a potent weapon
  against any conspiracy (messages can be passed
  through it, in addition to its obvious infiltration and
  investigation uses).  The Movers, the Kergillians or
  (especially) the Throckmorton Operatives would love
  to gain control of the Hive, and would hate anyone who
  had it when they didn’t.
  The Al Amarjan
  Hiveroach
  Also known as the “thumbroach,” the hiveroach is
  about the size of a thumbnail, six legged, shiny and
  black.  It makes a audible crack and a slight bad smell
  when stepped on.  A strange freak of hiveroach
  anatomy is that their heads, rather than being on the
  front of their body facing forwards, face back over their
  bodies.  (This has led to a tired joke that “On Al
  Amarja, even the roaches are bass-ackwards.”)  They
  have long antennae, they’re slow, they don’t sting and
  generally don’t seem very well adapted to survival.
  This is where telepathy comes in.  If one roach in
  the bedroom gets stepped on, the ones in the kitchen
  know the house owner is awake and going for a
  midnight snack.
  There is a hierarchy to hiveroach nests.  There are
  clusters near most buildings, eating garbage and
  sunning themselves on warm siding or concrete.  This
  is what most people see of hiveroaches. Occasionally a
  long line of them, three abreast, will be seen trundling
  slowly along with bits of food clutched between their
  front legs, taking an offering to a princess or the
  Queen.
  There are three remaining roach princesses in the
  Edge.  A roach princess serves as a node in the tele-
  pathic communication net, as well as something of a
  “district coordinator.”  The princesses are fertile, and
  can be impregnated by drones.  They prefer to be
  underground, as do the drones.
  A hive princess is about six inches long, with a
  four inch wide disk body, a two inch thorax and an
  inch long head folded back on top of the thorax.   The
  drones are milky white, and about two inches long.
  When hiveroaches are first hatched, they are given
  milk from the princess.  This milk contains RNA
  patterned on the psychic center of her brain, and serves
  to “tune” them to her.  Only the Queen can receive
  information from any roach within her range.  The
  princesses can only receive from those they themselves
  have fed.
  The Queen is about eight inches long, and has a
  glossy red stripe on her back.  Otherwise, she re-
  
  26
  OVER THE EDGE
  THE MYTH OF SELF
  sembles a princess.  Like the princesses, she creates her
  own roaches.  She, and only she, can make new
  princesses.
  Outside the radius of a Queen or a princess, a
  solitary roach can survive for a while, but not for long.
  It has some survival behaviors, but the advantage of
  telepathy has been the basis of their success.
  The natural enemy of the thumbroach is the Al
  Amarjan yelloworm. The yelloworm is actually a sort
  of flying centipede with a proboscis and about a
  thousand legs.  Two inches long and yellow, it has a
  stinger that will give a human being a mosquito-like
  itch.  The yelloworm is fast, reproduces prodigiously,
  is very resistant to poison, and thinks the thumbroach
  is delicious. It’s basically got all the advantages the
  thumbroach missed, but no telepathy.
  In combat against humans, the hiveroach is clearly
  outclassed — unless there are millions of them.
  Unfortunately for characters, that’s exactly what there
  are in hive nests.  That mild bad smell becomes much
  worse when you crush a hundred with each footstep
  (see Stench Combat, page 28).
  The roaches will launch mass suicide attacks to
  defend their Queen or princess.  A roach mass will do
  one point of damage for every kilogram that drops on
  characters or crawls up their legs, to a maximum of ten
  per round.  This damage is not physical, but represents
  their ability to annoy, disgust, and impede the actions
  of characters.  All damage from this is halved if the
  character has some air supply that covers the eyes and
  mouth, since that’s the major distraction.  If a character
  has enough roaches on him to reach one hit point, it
  means he has been immobilized and pulled down.  If
  not pulled free of the roach mass, he’ll eventually be
  smothered by roaches crawling in his nose and mouth,
  or up under his face mask.
  Characters who stand still and try to brush off the
  roaches roll their speed.  The score indicates how many
  kilos of roach mass they brushed off.  Half that number
  is immediately added to their effective hit points,
  representing their increased ability to move.  If they try
  to move and brush off roaches at the same time, they
  take a penalty die both on moving and brushing.
  Characters who ignore the roaches dropping on them
  and concentrate on getting free of the ones crawling up
  their legs and clinging to their feet can move normally.
  Hive Telepathy
  Those who have this skill can see through the eyes
  and hear through the ears of the pervasive island
  roaches.  There is some distortion, but on a roll of 2 or
  better it can be sorted out. With a 4 or better, the
  telepath can command roaches (as many as are within a
  10 meters radius of each other) to perform any action
  they’re capable of, up to and including their own
  deaths. With a 7 or better the telepath can project into
  a human mind, and send it a stunning flood of insect
  thoughts and perceptions and thoughts.  This only
  requires a 5 or better if the target is already attuned to
  the hive.  A hive telepath always knows where the
  nearest princess is, Queen is, and as the location of all
  roaches within a radius of 100 meters.
  There are two ways to get Hive Telepathy.  The
  natural method is to spend a lot of time around roaches
  and hope.  Those naturally attuned will key in to the
  Queen frequency, and be able to read and influence all
  roaches.  The artificial method is to have roach milk
  injected into the psychic area of the brain.  The subject
  of such an operation will only be attuned to the
  frequency of the source of the milk, be it princess or
  Queen.
  Hive Telepathy and
  Defense Technology
  Brain Loopers :  The thumbroach is much too far
  down on the cognitive scale to have much to feed
  back; brain loopers have no effect on roaches.
  Furthermore, since the roach is broadcasting to the
  human reader (or the princess, or the Queen) the
  human is unaffected if out of the looper’s area.
  The human may run into interference, but can get
  around it if he scans the Queen or princess that the
  roach spy is attuned to, instead of the individual
  spying roach.
  Crystal Traps :  Since the individual is not trying to
  alter anything the trap does not apply.
  White Thought Generators :  This device will make it
  harder for the roaches to communicate, but is not
  as effective as it is against humans.  Since the
  roaches operate on a different “frequency” than
  human telepathy, the generator is not perfectly
  adjusted to block them.  They function at about
  half efficiency: a one die device will be ignored, a
  two die generator will slow a roach and knock out
  
  THE HIVE
  OVER THE EDGE
  27
  one of the senses broadcast — either smell, sight,
  or hearing.  A three die generator will so baffle
  nearby roaches that they’ll just wander in circles or
  stop until they starve (or, more likely, are stepped
  on).
  Psychovores:  The roaches are psychic, not astral.
  Empties:  The roaches are not magic.
  Seversons:  Seversons are affected like White Thought
  Generators. Note that either could easily be tuned
  to full effect by a technician who was aware of
  what the roaches were doing.
  ISO:  Going from frying a mammal brain to an insect
  brain is like going from making cars to boats.
  Some of the principles are the same, but it’s very
  difficult.  Halve all rolls right off the bat.  Further-
  more, considering that there are millions of
  “minds” per cluster, getting the leader is difficult
  unless you know what you’re looking for.  Even if
  you can target the leader (which would probably
  require both ISO and Hive Telepathy), a princess
  rolls 3 dice to defend.  A Queen rolls 6 and will
  have all the princesses defending her.
  Telekinesis, Pyrokinesis, Magic, or other physical
  attacks with nonphysical sources :  The roaches
  are as vulnerable as any other target.
  Hive Psychosis
  Hive psychosis comes from the strain of contact
  with alien data and perceptions.  The symptoms of a
  mild case include; attraction and obedience to redheads
  or people in dark red clothes, distrust or dislike towards
  blondes or those dressed in yellow, a preference for
  reclining postures with the weight on the back, a
  tendency to rub the ankles together, a wide eyed stare,
  and an tolerance for spoiling food.
  Those in the most advanced states will actually
  move about on their backs, shake their heads around
  violently (in an attempt to simulate multi-faceted
  vision), lose bowel control, and click their tongues
  quickly.  The adoration of redheads or red things will
  become intensified, usually involving offerings of offal
  smeared or balanced on the ankles.  The fear of blondes
  or yellow objects will cause flight (still crawling on the
  back) and defecation.
  Art by Grey Thornberry
  
  28
  OVER THE EDGE
  THE MYTH OF SELF
  Stench Combat
  For one reason or another, there are several odors
  in this adventure so vile that they can actually affect
  the physical well-being of characters.  The Brew, the
  smell of a roach lair, or of the Al Amarjan refuse sewers
  (remember, this is a Mediterranean country with lots of
  spicy food and few health codes...) can all cause loss of
  concentration, willpower, and lunch.
  A scent attack is rolled, just as a normal physical
  attack is. The number of dice represents the vileness of
  the odor.  A low score indicates that air currents
  dispersed most of it, while a high score indicates that
  it’s particularly fetid today.
  The characters roll against stench with toughness,
  resolve, or whatever else applies.  If they have no
  appropriate trait, they roll 2 dice.  They roll a penalty
  die for every die above two of perceptiveness they have.
  So, if Sadie the PC has 4 dice of perception and no
  other protection, she rolls four dice and takes the worst
  two.  This is because the two dice of perceptiveness,
  above and beyond normal people, are making her more
  susceptible to this attack.  A PC with a 3 dice in
  endurance and perception would roll four dice and take
  the worst three.  This is because their ability to ignore
  the stench is great, but their sensitivity enhances the
  need to endure.
  If characters roll higher than the stench, they can
  continue their actions normally.  If they’re lower, they
  take a penalty die on all actions until they get to clear
  air.  If the characters fail a stench defense by 5 points,
  or if the stench roll is double theirs, they are addition-
  ally unable to act for 13 rounds (either puking or, in the
  case of the Brew, blind).  If they fail by 10 points or
  more, or if the stench roll is three times theirs, they
  pass out for fifteen minutes, or until they get to fresh
  air (or until they die, for that matter).
  If characters, once penalized by stench, are
  confronted with another stench or a greater dose of the
  same stench, they roll to defend again — only this
  time, with the penalty die.  This could happen if the
  Exterminator shoots someone with Brew twice, if
  someone has spent 3 rounds crushing thumbroaches, if
  the characters crush roaches after being in the sewer, or
  if the Exterminator starts firing in an atmosphere
  already thick with bug scent.  If a player who’s already
  got the penalty die fails again, but not by 5 points or
  half the attack, they do not take an additional penalty
  die — but they will lose one round to puking or
  blindness.
  Breathing through a surgical mask, using nose
  plugs or putting scented ointment on the upper lip will
  give a bonus die.  A good filter gas mask will give an
  additional die.  If the character has a complete air tank,
  such as a SCUBA, he rolls two extra dice.  If he gets a
  2, there’s a leak and some scent gets in — but he still
  rolls an extra die.
  GMCs and
  Factions
  The Gold D Cabal
  The Gold D cabal is actually quite small.  The
  roster includes Drs. Gil Wheeler and Marian Ross,
  Balthazar Niehaus, Lois Smythe, Shasta De Fleur and
  three guys called Larry, Knuck and Crowbar. Their
  functions will be described below.  In addition, Dr.
  Ross is keeping a “patient” named Chester Polk (see
  “Loose Cannons,” p. 36) at her D.A.U. lab.
  The three enforcers of the Gold D cabal masquer-
  ade as plumbers in order to have a convenient excuse
  for visiting the victims of their blackmail business.
  The executive branch is also small; Ross, Niehaus and
  Wheeler.  Smythe and De Fleur occupy a position
  somewhere between the obedience of the plumbers and
  the authority of the bosses.
  Their first victim was the president of D.A.U.,
  who has been committing adultery with one of the staff
  janitors.  (This would be no big deal with his col-
  leagues if it were a student or a faculty member, but
  this is someone without even a B.A.!)  They have also
  been selling information about the business deals of a
  brokerage firm called Howe, Wakeman and N’Kubar.
  Finally, they’ve been spying on the legal strategy
  sessions of a lawyer who is prosecuting the son of a
  prominent family for “Fascist Activity.”
  Dr. Gil Wheeler
  Fringe Entomologist
  A rather ordinary man, Wheeler was fascinated
  with the backwards roaches, and was the first ento-
  mologist to find them worthy of serious study.  He
  
  THE HIVE
  OVER THE EDGE
  29
  began to suspect something when, after one roach had
  been taught to run a maze, every other roach he put in
  could do it perfectly.  He sent some to a colleague in
  Italy, and when they arrived, none of them could run
  the maze or even remember it.  It was then that he
  began to suspect telepathy.  As the weeks and months
  wore on and his funding began to look shakier, he
  became more and more obsessed with the idea.  Fi-
  nally, one night he made a breakthrough.  His subcon-
  scious contacted the hivemind.
  Unfortunately, this experience was not kind to him
  (see Hive Psychosis, page 27) and he’s become even
  more obsessed with the roaches.
  Wheeler might defend the Hive thus: “This is our
  first real contact with an inhuman intelligence. Already
  we’ve learned so much about insect development and
  behavior through the study of these amazing creatures,
  and we’ve only scratched the surface!  Imagine an army
  of obedient servants, cultivating farms, reseeding
  forests... assembling machinery!  Harnessing the Hive
  could be as significant a breakthrough as fire, or
  language!”
  European-American man, 167 cm, 47 kg, 30 years
  old, short, thin, has a large nose that frequently drips,
  and a myopic squint.  However, he is a sharp dresser,
  who can make even his frumpiest tweeds drape well
  and set off a nifty tie.  He has an engagingly enthusias-
  tic smile and an offbeat sense of humor.
  Languages: English, French, Latin (read only)
  Psychic Pool: 6 shots
  Traits
  Hive Telepathy, 2* dice — Wheeler can contact
  and command the Hivemind, as well as use it to
  psychically attack others.  (See Hive Telepathy, page
  26.)  (Is comfortable around roaches)
  Snappy Dresser, 3 dice — Has a good sense of
  style, which shows off even drab and professorial
  garments.  (Dresses snappy, of course)
  Good at Conversation, 3 dice — He’s interesting
  and earnest, generally fun to be around when he’s not
  on a hive psychosis bender.  Can be very persuasive,
  when he wants.  (Speaks earnestly)
  Entomologist, 3* dice — Knows all about insects,
  and possesses a respectable doctoral degree.  (Talks
  about insects)
  Hive Psychosis — Has some weird and disgusting
  habits.  (See Hive Psychosis, page 27.)  (Unaccountably
  attracted to redheads and rancid meat)
  Dr. Marian Ross
  Cunning Neurosurgeon
  Ross was very pretty when she was growing up.
  Svelte and cute, she had a high, breathy voice — like
  Marilyn Monroe or Betty Boop.  These facts almost
  completely obscured her fine mind. As she grew she
  was increasingly frustrated by widespread inability to
  see past her looks and hear past her voice.  She vented
  her frustration by overeating, and was rewarded by
  increased acceptance as a mental presence.  Nonethe-
  less, she still has a sore spot about being taken seri-
  ously; nothing infuriates her like being condescended
  to.
  She’s grown into an excellent neurosurgeon.  She
  specializes in the psychic centers of the brain.  Before
  this, she’d had little success in awakening dormant
  psychics, and had therefore fallen into obscurity
  despite her skill.  Dr. Wheeler came to her for help
  when he began to suspect telepathy in the roaches (Dr.
  Nusbaum was too busy).  Since then she’s been
  experimenting with injecting princess milk into the
  brains of human subjects, attempting to attune them to
  the roach net.  She has had some limited success.
  She’s a pudgy woman with striking red hair.
  Under the influence of hive psychosis, Wheeler has
  become increasingly attracted to her (the hair resembles
  the red stripe of the Queen).  She is not above using
  this to her own ends, though it annoys her to be treated
  like as sex object (again) and she does not find Wheeler
  particularly attractive (especially when he’s squirming
  on his back towards her with rancid hamburger
  balanced on his feet).
  British woman, 172 cm, 80 kg, 45 years old.  Red
  hair and a white lab coat.  High, breathy voice; no
  makeup.
  Languages: English, Spanish, Latin (read only)
  Traits
  Excellent Neurosurgeon, 2 dice* — With the
  equipment in her lab she can gain great insight into an
  individual’s mind, or influence it with various drugs
  and techniques.  She’s also a competent surgeon.
  (Wears a lab coat)
  Balthazar Niehaus
  Blackmail Technician
  Niehaus is a C.P.A. with a law degree — and a
  criminal record a mile long.  Wheeler heard about
  Niehaus when a drunken colleague confided that she’d
  
  30
  OVER THE EDGE
  THE MYTH OF SELF
  hired him to doctor her equipment requests. Niehaus
  likes money.  He likes it almost to the exclusion of
  spending it; to him, money is an inherent good, worthy
  of any and all sacrifice.  Recently he’s been interpreting
  the specialized knowledge that the roaches gather from
  Wheeler.  He’s also been buying cars.
  German man, 168 cm, 72 kg, 45 years old.  Short,
  bald, heavyset, wears glasses.
  Languages: English, German, Al Amarjan patois
  Attack: 3 dice, X2 damage with cane or knife, X3
  with sword
  Defense: 3 dice.
  Hit Points: 21 (tough)
  Traits
  Businessman, 4 dice — Understands business,
  quickly comprehends the ramifications of stolen data.
  (Wears stodgy suits)
  Lawyer, 3 dice — He’s been to law school and
  understands what goes on in a courtroom.  (Has law
  books in his office)
  Escrima, 3 dice — Escrima is a Philippine martial
  art concentrating on fighting with sticks or knives of
  various lengths.  He trains in secret with a private
  tutor, and has been doing so for years.  (Carries a
  swordcane, has a machete hidden in his desk.)
  Lois Smythe and Shasta De Fleur
  Neophyte Hive Psychics
  These two are the subjects that Dr. Ross has
  successfully attuned.  Both are tuned to the princess in
  the University district.
  De Fleur was the unplanned only child of a pair of
  French yuppies.  While he was raised in great material
  comfort, he was what Americans call a “latch key kid.”
  He pretty much had to raise himself, in a suburb
  without a lot of other children.  He was terribly lonely,
  and shy almost to the point of reclusion. His main
  entertainment was television, so his social skills
  atrophied — he was most comfortable while passively
  watching.
  Smythe grew up in a crowded apartment in the
  Flowers Barrio.  The oldest of six children, she had to
  mind her younger siblings, and always wanted a retreat
  — somewhere she could go and be by herself.  When
  she won a tuition waiver to D.A.U. (part of a project
  by the Department of Likelihood Studies) it seemed
  like a dream come true.
  De Fleur scored very high on Ross’ perception
  tests — since he frequently changed channels while
  watching TV, he had a great aptitude for simultaneous
  image processing.  Smythe needed money, and being a
  test subject sounded more interesting than working
  Food Service.
  One night while Smythe and De Fleur were
  exploring the Hive’s perception pool, they saw Jennifer
  Jackson and Antoine Maribella (see OTE, p. 163)
  trysting in the wrestling room.  As the two hive
  psychics became aroused, each reflected the excitement
  of the other, leading to an intense sexual feedback.
  Since that night they’ve been lovers, indulging in the
  intense experience of telepathic intercourse (with
  psychic voyeurism as a fringe benefit).  Their minds
  are becoming more and more entwined, to the point
  that they sometimes refer to themselves in the plural
  when there’s no need to.  Furthermore, they can
  “trade” bodies, exchange memories, and lend skills to
  each other.
  If a character being considered for attunement is
  attractive to either of them, they encourage Dr. Ross to
  try and the character to accept, hoping for a more
  intense ménage à trois.  They will be more cautious
  than they were with Polk, however (see page 36).
  French man, age 19, 180 cm, 70 kg, rangy,
  unkempt beard, bad breath.
  Al Amarjan woman, age 22, 155 cm, 58 kg, black
  hair in a bob, cute features, terrible breath.
  Languages: French, English, Al Amarjan patois,
  some Italian
  Attack: 3 dice (De Fleur) or 3 dice + penalty
  (Smythe)
  Defense: 3 dice (De Fleur) or 3 dice + penalty
  (Smythe)
  Hit Points: 21 (wiry) for De Fleur or 14 (removed
  from pain) for Smythe.
  Psychic Pool: 5 shots between the two of them.
  Traits
  Savate , 3 dice — De Fleur studied this French
  kickboxing style, and can lend his skill in it to Smythe.
  She takes a penalty die because her legs aren’t as long
  or as flexible.  (Both usually wear baggy pants)
  Library Science, 3 dice — This was Smythe’s major
  before she got into telepathy and blackmail.  She can
  easily find information in a library.  (Both can alpha-
  betize rapidly)
  Hive Telepathy, 1* or 2* dice — If they combine
  their concentration, they roll 2 dice, but this pulls two
  
  THE HIVE
  OVER THE EDGE
  31
  shots from their pool (instead of just one).  (Refer to
  themselves in the plural)
  Hive Psychosis — Minor cases so far, but as they
  spend more time in the Hivemind, they become more
  divorced from their humanity. (Eat rancid food)
  Larry, Knuck and Crowbar
  Slavic Thugs
  They do what they’re told.  They’re smelly guys
  with foreign accents who are reticent about their past
  — apparently they’re brothers.  Crowbar, the oldest, is
  the leader.  Niehaus found them, and they take orders
  from him and Wheeler.  They share an apartment in
  the Flowers Barrio, and seem to spend all their leisure
  time in an incomprehensible tarot card game called
  “Hangdevil.”
  There was a fourth brother, Hobart.  He’s cur-
  rently in the hospital with a broken spine, courtesy of
  the Exterminator.
  Slavic men, ages 28-36, all about 170 cm and 75
  kg.  Thick features, thick arms, thick accents, thick
  body odor.
  Languages :  Some rare Serbo-Croatian dialect,
  broken English
  Attack: 3 dice (Larry and Knuck) or 4 dice
  (Crowbar), X2 damage with blunt object
  Defense: 3 dice
  Hit Points: 21 (tough)
  Armor: 1 die.
  Traits
  Plumbing, 3 dice — If necessary, they can unclog a
  sink.  (Wear work clothes)
  Brawling, 3 dice — If necessary, they can break a
  skull.   (Wear armor under their work clothes)
  Strong, 4 dice (Crowbar only) — As the oldest,
  Crowbar has grabbed the best food for himself for as
  long as the others can remember.  He prides himself on
  his strength, which he uses to keep his younger
  brothers in line.  (Gratuitously displays his strength —
  tearing phonebooks, picking people up, arm wrestling,
  etc.)
  Art by Grey Thornberry
  
  32
  OVER THE EDGE
  THE MYTH OF SELF
  The Exterminator
  The Exterminator’s real name is Orville Reed.  He
  grew up on the mean streets of Al Amarja, and has
  become moderately successful because of his thorough-
  ness and dedication to killing insects. His recent
  contact with the Hive has made him even creepier than
  usual.
  A loner, he used to spend most of his evenings at
  home watching Rambo, Aliens, or Batman on pirated
  video.  Now, however, he dresses up in an opaque
  motorcycle helmet, black clothes, black rubber boots
  and gloves, and a long cape.  He then goes out to kill
  the roaches as the Exterminator.  He’s caused a bit of a
  stir, storming into diverse areas and spraying them
  with noxious gasses.
  Stick has killed two princesses so far.  He also took
  the Gold D plumbers by surprise one day and broke
  the spine of Hobart, their fourth brother.
  His first excursion involved boating into the Brink,
  fighting off the dregs of Garbage Men, and killing the
  princess that was located there.  No one much noticed,
  except the Garbage Men, and no one really cares what
  they think.
  Next, he set out to “cleanse” Sad Mary’s — a
  daunting task.  He wisely chose to break in at 6:00
  A.M., when business there is quietest.  He took out a
  great mass of them that had been feeding on the
  copious backyard garbage pit, as well as hosing down
  much of the indoors before a hung over Aries patrol
  responded.  He gassed two, beating one of them
  slightly, and fled.
  His third extermination was in Glorious Lord
  territory — west Dump Street.  The princess had been
  living in an abandoned factory, and he disturbed some
  homeless goners while going in. They in turn made a
  chance remark to three Glorious Lords, who went to
  see what was happening.  He gassed one, but was out
  of Brew and had to fight his way free of the others.  He
  badly injured one (hit him while cycle mounted) but
  was himself badly cut before he could reach his
  cycle.  He’s been laying low for two
  weeks, recovering.
  In addition to these, he’s
  exterminated a lot of roaches
  in the Justice Barrio as part of
  his day job.  He lives there, in
  a small apartment on Offal
  Lane.
  Orville “Stick” Reed
  Obsessed Psychic Bugslayer
  Orville owns his own insect removal service, and is
  his own sole employee.  He makes a living at it, but in
  the course of his career he became attuned to the
  Hivemind.  He’s become obsessed with destroying
  them, and to this end has become the Exterminator.
  He talks very tough, and firmly believes in the
  irresistibility of a mysterious adventurer.  He often hits
  on women right after breaking into their rooms and
  nearly smothering them with noxious chemicals.  In his
  best Clint Eastwood voice (not very good) he’ll come
  up with a line like, “Yeah, it’s a hard and lonely thing,
  being the only man standing between this world and
  chaotic destruction…  Wanna go to bed?”
  He cooks up his own private bug spray blend,
  which he simply calls “The Brew.”  He usually carries
  a backpack mounted, pressurized tank of it.  Brew is
  instantly deadly to thumbroaches, and a human
  exposed to it rolls against a 3 die stench attack.  (See
  Stench Combat, page 28.)  His tank contains 100 shots.
  About 50 are needed to roach-proof a building, and the
  whole tank is needed to get through the numbers of
  roaches found around a princess or Queen.  Brew
  smells like rotted cabbage.  He also carries bug bombs
  of Brew mixed with another chemical.  This mix
  doesn’t kill insects instantly, but doesn’t dissipate into
  the air as quickly as straight Brew does.
  He generally carries a three foot dowel rod with
  steel sheeting on one end — the stick he’s fought with
  since childhood (hence the nickname).  His other
  equipment includes a rope and collapsible grappling
  hook, a good sized switchblade, duct tape, and two
  bungee cords that will support his weight.  One is ten
  feet long, the other twenty.  He uses them for jumping
  off of buildings, and is adept at disengaging at the
  lowest point of the bounce, or hooking up one while
  disengaging the other.
  On the subject of the Hive, he is adamant: “The
  Hivemind is vile.  It is the most pure, disgusting and
  destructive force the world has ever encountered.  It
  has no concept of ‘enough’ — it’s just endless, endless
  hunger.  If it gets off this island, it won’t stop until it’s
  smothered the entire planet under breeding masses of
  squirming black death.”
  Al Amarjan man, 190 cm, 80 kg, 27 years old.
  Short, curly, black hair, well-defined veins and
  muscles.  Usually wears black.
  Attack: 3 dice, X2 damage with club (X3 if he’s
  motorcycle mounted)
  
  THE HIVE
  OVER THE EDGE
  33
  Defense: 3 dice
  Hit Points: 21 (Fanatical)
  Armor: 1 point from leathers, or 1 die from his
  motorcycle helmet
  Psychic Pool: 6 shots
  Trait s
  Stunts, 4 dice — Partly due to natural ability, and
  partly due to a firm belief that he can perform them, he
  is casually able to do such things as jump a bike over
  ten garbage cans, spin his bike completely around and
  stop, unharmed, from a start of 15 mph, or swing
  through a window on a rope.  (Large, powerful motor-
  cycle)
  Fighting, 3 dice — Self taught and nasty.  (Carries
  a long club)
  Exterminating, 3 dice — See above.  (Smells of
  roach poison)
  Hive Telepathy, 1* die.  (Talks about roaches.  A
  LOT)
  Hive Psychosis — A mild case, since he only
  contacts the Hive when he has to.  (Moves his head
  around frequently)
  The Fistheads
  The Fistheads are a small street gang, operating
  along D’Aubainne Avenue.  They’re noticeable in the
  Sunken Barrio, though they don’t hang out in the Plaza
  much.  There is some disputed territory between the
  Fistheads and Dog Face Patrol, as well as some tension
  with Otto’s Men, but actual battles have so far been
  few and inconclusive.  They are led by  “Split”
  Malcomb.  (Almost nobody knows his given first
  name; it’s Beverly.)  The Fistheads aren’t a big gang,
  but they’re respected.  This is partly because they’re
  good, disciplined fighters, and partly because Split has
  worked hard at maintaining bad blood between the
  Aries Gang and the Dog Faces.  With the Dog Faces
  worried about Aries to the south, they don’t have as
  much time to worry about expanding into Fisthead
  turf.
  The Fistheads have an odd custom; whenever a
  member has an open wound, they put ink in it.  When
  it scars up, the scar is artificially dark, like a tattoo.
  They also go in for some body piercing, but generally
  only for special occasions, since it just doesn’t do to
  have a nose ring ripped out in a fight.  The Fisthead
  hierarchy can generally be determined by the number
  of inked scars on face, chest, forearms and hands.
  Their usual uniform is short cropped hair, black jeans,
  and a leather jacket or vest.  They usually carry knives.
  The rank and file gang members have two ranks,
  Knucklehead and Fisthead.  A Knucklehead is a
  newcomer, usually with only two or three scars.
  They’ve usually got 3 dice of toughness, due to the
  frequent beatings administered as “kote-ate” (Japanese
  for “body toughening”).  A full Fisthead has more
  scars, and will be a 3 dice fighter as well.
  The gang members have been trained to fight
  together as a unit. When in a confrontation, they will
  concentrate on the biggest or most menacing target,
  fight him (or her) until he (or she) is disabled, then
  move on to the next.
  The Fistheads have a sort of “women’s auxiliary”
  consisting of the girlfriends of actives and women who
  just hang around for the “glamour” of scarred guys.
  The Fistheads consider a flawless, pale complexion to
  be the ultimate sign of beauty in a woman. The gang
  code requires absolute fidelity on the part of the
  woman, on pain of having her nose cut in half verti-
  cally, and being ejected from the gang.  The women
  serve an important purpose; they raise funds by selling
  drugs to people who wouldn’t buy from a guy with
  nasty looking scars.  There is always at least one
  Fisthead around to protect a woman while she’s
  pushing; in a congested area there will be several
  pushers and a patrol of four or five gangsters.  The
  women carry loud whistles to alert their guardians.
  Each gang member pledges loyalty to Split.  His
  second in command is named Puncture, who was one
  of the original founders of the Fistheads.  Split also has
  a bodyguard, a newcomer to the Fistheads called
  “Bushi.”  (It means “warrior” in Japanese.) Split saw
  Bushi fight at Sad Mary’s and made him a better offer.
  They’re a good match; Bushi appreciates that the
  Fistheads are on the way up, and Split respects Bushi’s
  amazing martial abilities. Bushi isn’t generally sent on
  missions (then he gets extra pay) but is held in reserve.
  Puncture and Bushi get along fine, though they are not
  close pals.
  Split Malcomb
  Ambitious Ganglord
  Split was born Beverly Malcomb, and was raised
  by an alcoholic and abusive father named Root.  When
  Beverly was 14, his mother got pregnant again.  During
  an argument, Root knocked her down a flight of stairs.
  Beverly tried to defend her, but wound up being
  thrown down the stairs on top of her.
  
  34
  OVER THE EDGE
  THE MYTH OF SELF
  She died.
  Beverly struck out on his own then.  He started
  pumping iron and taking steroids.  After six months,
  he went to see his father. He said he wanted to make
  amends, and had brought a bottle of fine whiskey to
  prove it.  When he judged that Root was too drunk to
  defend himself, Beverly pulled out a carving knife and
  tried to kill his father.  He’d misjudged Root.  The
  ensuing fray ranged all through their house.  By the
  end, Root had chopped Beverly in the face with a
  butcher knife, slammed his head in the refrigerator
  door, and smashed a bottle of ink on his forehead.
  Beverly had, in return, stabbed Root twice in the
  stomach, broken a beer bottle on his head, poked him
  in the eye, hit him in the crotch with the pointy end of
  a steam iron, and broken his neck with the edge of it.
  This was the defining moment of Beverly’s life.
  Fighting his father, he had touched on some utterly
  controlled, vicious and relentless part of himself that he
  had never before known.  All pain, all doubt, vanished
  in that calm, icy brutality.
  Once he had touched that iron resolve, everything
  became easy for him.  Ethical dilemmas were as
  ethereal as physical pain.  He was able to secure the
  loyalty of others because he was willing to go farther
  than they were — in anything.  He is cunning, ruthless,
  and never rash.
  The ink his father threw at him fell into the wound
  between his eyes, forming the split that became his
  namesake.  The scar goes from his left temple, down
  between his eyes, and over across his right cheek.  This
  scar has four holes in it for studs or rings, but he
  generally leaves them empty.
  He wants the Fistheads to be a lasting power on
  the island. Examples of his ingenuity include: trying to
  discover some chemical that will scare the baboons (his
  most recent hope being imported lion urine) and trying
  to discredit Otto Finkelstein (figuring that he’s the real
  key to Otto’s Men, and that if assassinated, will
  become Otto the martyr).  He also befriended Warren
  LaRue, a scion of an important island family.  When
  Warren was arrested for “Fascist Activity,” he was
  with Fistheads. Through the Fistheads on trial with
  Warren, Split has learned that Warren’s family has
  some mysterious information source in the Gold D
  Plumbers.  He’s begun investigating them.
  He usually carries a cane with a switchblade scythe
  blade.  He likes to swing it and pretend to miss, then
  pull it across the backs of knees, necks or armpits.  He
  also carries a dose of Slo-Mo in case of emergencies.
  Al Amarjan man, age 29, 180 cm, 90 kg, short
  cropped black hair, usually dressed in black leather.
  He has frown lines and a broad, flat nose.
  Attack: 3 dice, X3 damage with scythe cane
  Defense: 3 dice
  Hit Points: 30 points (Pain is an illusion)
  Traits
  Scrap fighting, 3 dice — He has no formal training,
  but when you have a dad like Root and grow up in the
  streets with a name like “Beverly,” you learn quick.
  (Carries a cane with concealed blade)
  Intimidation, 3 dice — One look into his cold eyes
  and you’ll know; this is a man to who will blanch at
  nothing in pursuit of his goals.  (Unpleasant smile)
  Toughness and pain threshold
  , 4 dice. — He takes
  half damage from all attacks, but does not regain any
  hit points at the end of combat; basically, he doesn’t
  take any shock damage. Furthermore, he won’t stop
  fighting until unconscious, and can fight to that point
  without penalty.  (Heavily scarred)
  Bushi
  Tightlipped Warrior
  He has no scars, wears a topknot, and there is some
  unvoiced discontent in the Fistheads that he’s an
  “outsider.”  (Some call him “Sushi” or “Bushi Burger”
  — but not to his face.)  His weapon of choice is a pair
  of sai, which he can not only use as a knife, but also for
  restraining wrist locks or disarming techniques.
  He is not entirely as he seems, however; he was
  born in Tijuana, Mexico as Luis Suarez.  He later
  crossed the border, wound up in California, and
  learned Shotokan Karate from a first generation
  Japanese American.  The Japanese act is completely
  fake; he has some knowledge of Japan’s culture and
  language, but a native (or someone with a real back-
  ground) wouldn’t be fooled for long.  His adherence to
  the “Bushido” code of honor and loyalty is equally
  false.  He can readily be bought away from an em-
  ployer.  He’s currently getting $300 a day from Split,
  with a $100 bonus for every fight. He’ll need about
  $5,000 (possibly with a promise of more) to leave the
  Fistheads.  This price can rise or sink, depending on
  the Fistheads’ situation.
  Hispanic man, age 25, 153 cm, 63 kg.  Unlined
  face which never changes expression, fluid movements,
  hair in a topknot.
  Languages: Spanish, English, some Japanese
  
  THE HIVE
  OVER THE EDGE
  35
  Attack: 4 dice, X2 damage with sai
  Defense: 4 dice.
  Hit Points: 28 (Total combative concentration)
  Traits
  Shotokan Karate, 4 dice — A fighting style with a
  heavy emphasis on attitude and long, low stances.
  (Never backs up in a fight)
  Observation, 3 dice — Bushi’s training keeps him
  constantly alert, aware of what’s around him.  (Rarely
  blinks)
  Passing Himself Off as Japanese, 3 dice — He
  picked up quite a bit from his karate instructor.  He
  claims that his style is a family secret that has never
  been taught to “gaijin.”  (Says “hai!” a lot)
  Puncture
  Streetwise Gang Lieutenant
  Also called “Punky” or “Punk,” he’s valued
  because he has no visible facial scars.  Normally a
  Fisthead won’t be respected without them, but Punky
  has three scars on his chest from puncture wounds that
  entered a lung, and is well known for valor. Since he
  can pass for “normal,” he serves as the Fisthead’s chief
  investigator.
  Al Amarjan man, age 25, 176 cm, 75 kg.  Straight
  blonde hair, slicked back.  Warm eyes and a pleasant
  smile.
  Attack: 3 dice X2 damage with knife.
  Defense: 3 dice
  Hit Points: 22 (Toughness)
  Traits
  Fighting, 3 dice — Usually carries a fighting knife
  at the small of his back, and another in his boot.  (Scars
  on forearms)
  Street Psychology, 3 dice — He can’t tell the
  difference between a syndrome and a neurosis, but he
  knows what motivates people. (Wry grin)
  The Peace Force
  Lt. Bob Anderson
  Cranky Cop
  A stocky blonde man, he moved to the island ten
  years ago from the U.S.  He’s in his thirties now, and
  no one quite knows why he moved (the theory is love
  gone sour).  He’s not as corrupt as the average Peace
  Force officer, and seems to actually have some desire to
  Serve and Protect.  He comes across an irritated and
  cynical cop, but he won’t get distracted by a huge bribe
  — or at least not permanently.
  He began investigating the Exterminator, a
  mysterious nuisance, and suspected something more
  when the Exterminator attacked his first human target.
  He checked out the Gold D and saw that they were
  being paid a great deal more than the average plumbers
  were. He’s still very confused, but is pushing this
  investigation higher and higher on his priority list.
  So far he’s interviewed Dr. Ross, who’s claimed to
  merely be an investor in a new business.  Niehaus
  claims to be business manager, and the telepaths have
  yet to be associated with the Gold D.
  American man, 35 years old, 178 cm, 90 kg,
  stocky, balding with blonde hair.  He is invariably seen
  with a cigarette in one hand and a bottle of diet cola in
  the other.
  Languages: English, Al Amarjan patois
  Traits
  Anderston has the standard Peace Force traits (See
  the OTE rulebook, page 146) and takes no penalty for
  fighting with  cigarette and bottle in hand.
  Captain Ali Mukabar
  Nascent Throckmorton Peace Officer
  Mukabar grew up raised by Peace Force parents,
  and naturally went into police work when he was old
  enough.  His fanatical loyalty to the D’Aubainnes is
  beginning to be softened by strange dreams of a
  glorious figure, a radiant savior... a man named
  “Clyde.”
  Al Amarjan man, 50 years old, 170 cm, 71 kg,
  highly defined muscles, buzz cut hair, blue suit.
  Languages: Al Amarjan patois, English, Arabic
  Traits
  Mukabar has the standard Peace Force traits (see
  OTE, p. 146).  He is also beginning to develop
  Throckmorton intolerances (See OTE, p. 165).  So far
  the effect is light, but it’s been accelerating towards
  active domination.
  
  36
  OVER THE EDGE
  THE MYTH OF SELF
  Loose Cannons
  Chester Polk
  Psychic Casualty
  Smythe (and therefore De Fleur) thought Polk was
  really cute, and persuaded him to take Ross’s tests.  She
  then doctored his results to make him look more
  promising than he actually was.
  When Ross tried to attune Polk, something went
  horribly wrong; he’s gotten lost and stranded in the
  Hivemind — his consciousness cannot find its way
  back to his original body. He’s monitoring a roach in a
  D.A.U. dorm, but it took him almost an entire day to
  get acclimated enough to control that host and interpret
  its senses.  He’s afraid to switch roaches again for fear
  of having to once again battle for control.
  In the meantime, his body has been claimed as
  another vessel for the Hivemind (something that’s
  never happened to the other psychics).
  For all practical purposes, he’s switched bodies
  with a thumbroach.
  Someone with active Hive Telepathy can use his
  body as if it were a roach — move it, see through its
  eyes, etc., but such movements will be stiff (since the
  signal gets bounced through a princess — as if this
  book got translated into Chinese, then back into
  English).  A roll of 4 results in obedience and sense
  contact — but Polk still moves on his back as if a
  roach.  A 6 means that Polk can be made to walk and
  talk, albeit stiffly.  If commanded to fight, he does so to
  his limited ability — crawling on his back and kicking
  if in “roach” mindset, striking clumsily if being used as
  a puppet.
  Note: If nothing is done to rescue him, the Peace
  Force kill Polk on Day 10 of the Timeline (above).
  Al Amarjan man, age 20, 165 cm, 65 kg, long
  brown hair, unkempt and unshaven, abrasions from
  walking on hands.
  Languages: English, Al Amarjan patois
  Attack: 3 dice + bonus
  Defense: Will not defend himself
  Hit Points : 14 (distanced from pain)
  Traits
  Hive Puppet, 3 dice — When being used by a
  human with Hive Telepathy, he fights as if he had 3
  dice of strength because he does not feel stress or pain.
  He gets a bonus die on attack for not defending
  himself.  (Crawls around on his back)
  Cute, 3 dice — This trait isn’t really in effect right
  now, what with the ratty beard, staring eyes,  and lack
  of bowel control.  If he were to regain his proper body,
  he’d be able to restore himself to his former attractive-
  ness.  (Good cheekbones)
  Gomez Reynard
  Normie With No Luck
  Gomez Reynard is on the bottom of the normie
  hierarchy, but desperately wants to move up.  He’s
  moved to the Burbs, but could only afford one of the
  cheapest houses in the area.  The reason it’s so cheap is
  that it’s next door to the yard where people dump their
  trash for the garbagemen.  The upper floors seem
  aggressively, almost desperately normal (except that
  there are a lot of air fresheners).
  Gomez is a senior teller at the First Bank of Al
  Amarja.  His secret is that he earned the down payment
  on his house by fighting as The Masked Malcontent at
  Sad Mary’s.  He was successful due to a combination of
  Slo-Mo, painkillers, and testosterone injections.  All he
  wants is to be a normal guy, accepted by his neighbors,
  living a peaceful ‘Burb life.
  Unfortunately, a hive princess lives under his back
  yard.
  Hispanic man, age 30, 175 cm, 79 kg, dark hair,
  neatly kept moustache, big veins on hands, crooked
  nose.
  Attack: 3 dice
  Defense: 3 dice
  Hit Points: 21 (knotty resilience)
  Traits
  Fighting, 3 dice — He did well in Sad Mary’s
  arena, and can still hold his own without chemical
  assistance.  (Nose has been broken)
  Ex-Drug Abuser — He has a bad memory from
  Slo-Mo and a hairy back from testosterone injections.
  (Always making notes to himself)
  Normie Fanatic — He hated living in the Edge,
  and is completely reactionary in regards to anything
  “weird.”  Any fighting penalties he might take from
  drying out are canceled by the ferocity with which he’ll
  defend his home and lifestyle.  (Wears brown suits at
  work, Bermuda shorts at home)
  
  THE HIVE
  OVER THE EDGE
  37
  Plot Locations
  The Laboratories of
  Drs. Wheeler and Ross
  Tallitsch Hall is a
  small and obscure
  building on the
  D’Aubainne Univer-
  sity campus.  Ross
  and Wheeler have
  adjoining labs on the
  third floor.  Tallitsch
  is full of “extra”
  science labs and
  classrooms, usually
  those considered too
  obscure, nonviolent or
  non-threatening to get
  into Briggs.
  Tallitsch Hall has
  a Safe ’n’ Sound guard
  pass by about every
  half hour.  Wheeler
  and Ross have also
  arranged to have
  security cameras
  installed, with a
  watcher on them 24
  hours a day.  If there
  is an intruder in the
  labs, a group of four
  Safe ’n’ Sound guards
  will be dispatched.
  There is chance that a
  quick, stealthy, and/
  or lucky burglar
  might cross the
  camera path when no
  one was watching.  If
  there was a power
  outage in Tallitsch,
  the cameras would
  continue to operate on
  battery backup, as
  would emergency
  lights.  Naturally, if
  there were to be a
  major distraction on
  campus, an intruder in Tallitsch would have a much
  better chance of going unnoticed...
  Ross’s suite includes her office, a conference
  room, the lab proper, a “cold room,” and a dissection
  chamber.  Her office is tidy, cozy, and smells of
  gourmet coffee.  The conference room has a table and
  some chairs.  There’s a cabinet full of psychological
  testing equipment and other paraphernalia.  The lab
  Cartography by John Nephew
  Wheeler’s 
  Lab
  Ladies’
  Gents’
  Classroom
  Ross’s Lab
  Dissection
  Theater
  Conference
  Room
  Cold
  Storage
  Ross’s
  Office
  Wheeler’s
  Office
  Stairs Down
  Broom
  Closet
  Storage
  Closet
  Door
  Window
  Tallitsch Hall
  Security Camera
  Cameras’ Line
  of Sight
  Scale: 1 Square = 5 feet
  
  38
  OVER THE EDGE
  THE MYTH OF SELF
  itself is full of chemicals, machines, sinks, disembod-
  ied brains with wires in them, computers, etc.  The
  cold room is where cadavers were kept when she was
  still experimenting on them. It’s unused now.  The
  dissection lab is where Chester Polk is usually locked
  up.  (Since roaches don’t talk, he doesn’t vocalize.)
  The dissection lab also contains a modified operating
  table.  A shield can be placed around the table,
  encasing it in a sterile atmosphere, while the unsterile
  surgeon stands outside, operating through a pair of
  rubber gloves that go through the glass.  This allows
  Dr. Ross to do brain surgery in the privacy of her own
  office.  It’s not legal in other countries and not feasible
  for much other surgery, but it’s clean enough for her.
  Dr. Wheeler’s office is considerably less well kept,
  and smells worse too (remember, he’s developed a
  taste for the rancid). There are papers and books
  strewn about, stacked on chairs, and covering the
  entire surface of his large desk.  The walls are deco-
  rated with posters of insects, along with glass cases full
  of the same.  The closet is full of insect food, along
  with a few brooms and cleaning supplies.  The lab
  itself mostly features many aquariums full of squirm-
  ing roaches.  He’s trying to breed them for greater
  strength, speed, perceptiveness, etc., and has had some
  success.  In one cabinet, underneath an aquarium, is a
  hidden aquarium containing his hive princess and her
  drones.  If someone expresses interest he may pull her
  out, with roaches and
  milky drones still clinging
  to her, and beamingly
  display her to guests.  He
  feeds her by hand.
  The Gold D
  Storefront
  Office
  The Gold D Plumb-
  ers aren’t listed in the
  phone book, their sign is
  small and dusty, and the
  door always carries a sign
  saying “Closed.”  The
  lobby is shabby, the
  receptionist’s desk is
  always vacant, and close
  inspection will reveal that
  the phone on it doesn’t
  operate.  The three Baltic
  thugs are usually to be found in the lounge, playing
  Hangdevil.  The lounge itself has a few couches that
  reek of smoke, a rickety table, and a single naked bulb
  hanging from the ceiling.  Mr. Niehaus’ office is a bit
  nicer, but not fancy.  It has a case full of account
  books and some framed Van Gogh posters on the wall.
  The back storage room is mostly plumbing supplies —
  dusty and unused.  One toilet back there has an
  aquarium concealed in the tank.  This is an emergency
  tank for Wheeler’s princess, should she need to be
  moved from Tallitsch.  This office is also protected by
  Safe ’n’ Sound.
  Gomez Reynard’s
  House
  Gomez’ basement has a naked concrete floor with
  some carpet remnants on it.  There’s a pool table at
  one end, with several cues in a rack by it.  The other
  end has a washer and dryer and there are some
  miscellaneous boxes of stuff in the corner.  Under the
  steps is a disused closet, and it is here that the princess
  has settled.  There are cracks in several of the cinder
  blocks, and the mortar has been cleaned out around
  several of them to allow more roach access.  If these
  Cartography by John Nephew
  Lobby
  Lounge
  Storage
  Niehaus’s
  Office
  Door
  Window
  Gold D Office
  Scale:
  1 Square = 5 feet
  
  THE HIVE
  OVER THE EDGE
  39
  blocks were
  pulled out and
  the dirt around
  them dug out a
  bit, there would
  be a 40 cm
  diameter hole
  leading to the
  princess’ cham-
  ber.
  The chamber is about 250 cm long and
  160 wide — all full of roaches.  There are three
  passages out of it, besides the one into Gomez’
  house.  These passages are about eight inches
  across. One leads up and into the dump.
  Another branches out and comes out at three
  different places in his yard.  The third leads to
  the storm sewer.  If her nest is invaded, the
  princess flees down one of these.
  Lifestylin’
  Taxidermy
  Alfonse D’Abnego runs this small
  but fairly prosperous taxidermist shop
  in the Sunken Barrio.  Its motto is
  “We’ll Stuff ANYTHING!”  The
  princess’ home is not actually in the
  store, but rather attached to the sewer
  beneath it.  A major food source,
  however, is D’Abnego’s garbage vent
  down into the sewer.
  There’s a manhole into the sewers
  about a block away, in the middle of the
  street.  The drain from Lifestylin’ could
  be enlarged, but it’s concrete and about
  2 m straight down. The chamber of the
  princess is off of the refuse sewer, not
  the storm sewer, so characters should
  immediately roll against a 2 dice aroma
  assault (see Stench Combat, page 28).
  Cartography by John Nephew
  Scale:
  1 Square = 5 ft.
  Stairs
  Up
  To Storm
  Sewer
  To Dump
  To
  Yard
  The
  Princess’s
  Lair
  Gomez Reynard’s Basement
  Beneath Lifestylin’ Taxidermy
  Scale:
  1 Square = 5 ft.
  Vent to
  Taxidermist’s
  To Waste
  Sewer
  To Storm
  Sewer
  To Drain
  in Chinese
  Restaurant
  Catwalk
  Sewage
  The
  Princess’s
  Lair
  
  40
  OVER THE EDGE
  THE MYTH OF SELF
  Chateau D’Or
  The Chateau is in the Broken Wings Barrio, but
  only just.  As a result, Peace Force response is rapid.
  Furthermore, there’s the ubiquitous Dunkelberg
  Security offering its protection, as well as the Chateau’s
  own bouncer.
  Chateau D’Or used to be a pricey gourmet
  restaurant until 1967. Now it’s more of a coffee house.
  Since they no longer serve dinner, they no longer need
  a complete wine cellar.  The farthest room in the
  basement was cleared out and, when the management
  changed, forgotten.  The door into it is behind a full
  wine rack (requiring a strength roll of 13 to tip, or 20 to
  move safely  when it’s full).  In 1981, there was an
  earthquake on the island. Minor, but enough to
  damage the walls of a forgotten room in the Chateau.
  It was at this time that the Queen entered.
  The Queen’s chamber is much larger than those of
  the princesses, and it is full of roaches.  There are, once
  again, the ubiquitous
  escape tunnels, one to
  the refuse sewers, one to
  the storm sewers, and
  one up to the dumpster
  behind the building.
  These tunnels are larger,
  to accommodate the
  Queen’s greater bulk.
  They’re about 30 cm in
  diameter, except for the
  one to the storm sewer.
  It’s wide enough for a
  grown man to squeeze
  through, but just barely.
  It twists and turns for
  about seven feet before
  narrowing.  It’s possible
  to tunnel your way
  through with bare hands,
  or squeeze through if
  you’re thin, but in either
  event it will take about
  ten minutes.  There is,
  however, a steady supply
  of fresh (albeit foul-
  smelling) air.
  The chamber itself is about 1 m by 5 m, and about
  130 cm high. It’s accessed through a crack in the sewer
  pipe that’s about a 30 cm across and 40 high.  This is
  not hard to enlarge for a strong person with a pickaxe
  or hammer and chisel (the concrete is pretty brittle).
  Three escape tunnels have been dug, as with
  Gomez’ location.  One leads to an alley behind a
  Chinese restaurant.  Another leads to another crack in
  the refuse sewers about two blocks away.  The third
  connects with the storm sewers.
  Note: The characters may be defending the
  princess from the Exterminator, or may be fighting
  with him against the Gold D crew.  Or, if they are
  attempting an independent extermination, they may
  just have to deal with chasing the princess through the
  tunnels.  This could easily be spiced up by adding
  alligators, rabid rats, or mutant humans living in the
  storm sewers.  (More ideas on the contents of the
  Edge’s sewers can be found in the adventure, It
  Waits...)
  Cartography by John Nephew
  To Dumpster
  The Queen’s
  Lair
  To Storm
  Sewer
  Stairs Up
  Door
  Chateau D’Or/The Queen’s Lair
  Scale:
  1 Square = 5 ft.
  Wine
  Racks
  To Waste Sewer
  
  THE DOPPLEGÄNGER PLAGUE
  OVER THE EDGE
  41
  The Dopplegänger
  Plague
  B Y   R O B I N   D.   L A W S
  “I had a sense that it was art, but that it would
  be more fun to be in it than outside of it, which
  seemed to be to contradict at least one of the
  definitions of art.”
  — Brewster North in
  Impossible Vacation, by Spalding Gray
  A series of strange incidents ripples almost
  unnoticed through the Edge. Residents of Al Amarja,
  notorious and otherwise, are experiencing something
  odd — reliable witness reports of their having done
  certain things in public. The things they’re seen doing
  are innocuous enough — buying groceries, chatting at a
  café, selling hot dogs at a stand — but the people in
  question know they weren’t anywhere near the area
  when the sightings took place.  When this happens to
  one of the PCs, they may or may not investigate.  But
  when Sammy Shei-Mei, a popular Al Amarja Today
  columnist who had been reporting on the
  “Dopplegänger Plague”, is found dead of apparent
  suicide, things begin to take on a more sinister cast...
  The PCs may succeed in tracking down the cause
  of the plague — performance artist Tidjane Soubiega,
  who is training his troupe of actors in a school he calls
  “Realism Banal” by having them pose — with devas-
  tating accuracy — as real people.
  Or is the plague really caused by famed American
  psychologist Dr. Derrick Julien, who practices a new
  technique to treat extreme narcissists, by having them
  pose — with devastating accuracy — as real people? If
  either or both are true, what is that LeThuy doing in
  Soubiega/Julien’s group?  Is the death of Sammy Shei-
  Mei suicide, murder, or both?
  When the Dopplegänger Plague strikes, you never
  know what your enemy will do next — because he
  might be you.
  Laying Pipe
  When writers of screenplays use an apparently
  inconsequential fact in an early scene to set up some-
  thing that becomes important later, they call it “laying
  pipe.”  The Dopplegänger Plague is the kind of adven-
  ture that would benefit from some pipe laying on your
  part.  It starts off with a series of subtle events that lead
  to a mystery.  If you make them the focus of events in a
  session, these occurrences will take on too great a
  significance too quickly.  However, if you start to plant
  clues while other adventures are in progress, they’ll
  seem like just another element of the background
  weirdness of Al Amarja.  There are four things to
  establish before things get rolling — the popularity of
  Sammy Shei-Mei, the strange work of the Realism
  Banal theater troupe, the reputation of Dr. Derrick
  Julien, and the first symptoms of the Dopplegänger
  Plague itself.  Do this over the course of several
  different storylines, if you can; the further apart you
  can space these insertions, the better.
  The Columnist
  Sammy Shei-Mei
  Muckraking Gossip Columnist
  Sammy Shei-Mei has been a fixture on the Al
  Amarjan scene since the early seventies.  Look for him
  
  42
  OVER THE EDGE
  THE MYTH OF SELF
  wherever the action is.  In the morning, he’ll be
  holding court over a hearty breakfast at the
  Bienvenidos Hotel restaurant.  By lunch time, he’ll be
  entertaining a source or two at the moment’s trendiest
  sidewalk café.  His afternoons are taken up with
  lengthy strolls throughout the city, punctuated by
  frequent stops to chat with shopkeepers and gang
  members.  Early evening finds him at his always-
  reserved table at Sequins.  The night takes him to the
  hottest and seediest spots; usually culminating with a
  heavy session of betting and elbow-bending at Sad
  Mary’s.  It is not clear where he finds the time to
  punch out his popular bi-weekly column, “Ear to the
  Rails,” described below.
  Though he has an inexhaustible appetite for food,
  drink, and cheap cigarettes, Sammy loves above all to
  talk.  He’s always anxious to meet new people, and is
  unabashed about pumping folks for information.  “Got
  anything for me?” is his watchword.  He makes
  obviousness a charm, and even the tightest lipped Al
  Amarjans can’t resist throwing him material.  To be
  pumped by Sammy Shei-Mei means you’ve made it in
  the Edge.  Sammy loves his status as a local celebrity,
  and is proud of the incredible range of people he’s met
  over the years.  Even a couple of the D’Aubainnes —
  Cheryl and Constance — have given him leads on
  occasion.  Though it’s true that Sammy has no true
  friends, only sources, he doesn’t seem to have noticed.
  He’s having too much fun playing his role.
  Chinese man, age 54, 162 cm, 130 kg, white hair,
  cherubic face, wears bright blue polyester suits with
  wild-colored bow ties.
  Languages : Mandarin, English, Al Amarjan
  patois
  Traits
  Gossip Columnist, 4 dice — Sammy has devoted
  decades to developing a network of everybody who’s
  anybody in the Edge.  He knows how to make blatant
  requests for information highly flattering, and how to
  ask that perfect question to elicit maximum gossip
  value.  He knows much more about the underground
  power struggles of the city than he’d ever print: Sammy
  has an unerring sense of just how far things can be
  pushed, and which items should simply be left alone.
  His jaunty style has attracted a loyal readership;
  Sammy’s latest column is always high on the conversa-
  tional agenda of scenesters throughout town.  (Immedi-
  ately recognizable to anyone who reads Al Amarja
  Today, from the photo that runs with his column.)
  Night Life, 3 dice — Has instinctive feel for
  finding the best party at any given moment.  Savvy
  Art by Ovi Hondru
  
  THE DOPPLEGÄNGER PLAGUE
  OVER THE EDGE
  43
  devotees of the party experience follow Sammy to find
  the action.  (Occupancy of clubs drops noticeably when
  Sammy exits.)
  Off Limits, 3 dice — Because Sammy knows not to
  blow any of the really big secrets, and to code the items
  in his column so that those not otherwise in the know
  remain in the dark, none of the established conspiracies
  of the Edge view him as a threat.  In fact, they all read
  Sammy’s column and sift it carefully for information
  relevant to their plans.  “Ear to the Rails” is sometimes
  a better source than an organization’s own cloaks.
  Therefore, conspirators generally regard him as an
  untouchable — too important in the long run to rub
  out for any short term gain.  Gang members, Peace
  Forcers and even common thugs find him immediately
  charming — he’s never been mugged in all of his time
  here.  (Still breathing after twenty years in the secrets
  business.)
  Targeted by LeThuys, flaw — What applies to
  established power groups, above, doesn’t apply to the
  LeThuys.  They seek to destabilize the current
  gridlock of contending conspiracies by destroying its
  every available manifestation.  Tramh LeThuy spends
  hours at his newsstand dissecting Sammy’s columns
  clause by clause, quivering with rage at the flip way he
  deals with matters of utmost seriousness.  He feels
  Sammy is in the pocket(s) of the existing control
  structure(s) — in fact, the more he thinks about it,
  Sammy is a metaphorical representation of everything
  that must be destroyed!  So he’s assigned Marva
  LeThuy (p. 56) to the task.  (Sammy is conspicuously
  avoided by pot-bellied people with bowl-cut hair and
  thick-lensed glasses.)
  Ear to the Rails
  The easiest way to introduce Sammy to your series
  is to place a clue for another adventure in his column.
  It appears daily in Al Amarja Today, on page five.  The
  column usually consists of five or so separate items
  referring to events in the Edge.  Very few of them come
  right out and say what they mean — code words and
  sly references are Sammy’s stock in trade.  Not all of
  them relate to conspiracies — the regular tawdry
  behavior of prominent people is always popular.
  Sammy might also feature the PCs in his column if
  they do something boneheaded or outrageous in public.
  This could provide an entertaining set of problems for
  them to deal with.  They might also gain Sammy’s
  attention by being very successful at something.  Either
  way, the widely read “Ear to the Rails” can provide
  unwanted notoriety for the group.
  An example of a Sammy column, containing a clue
  for this adventure, appears as a handout on p. 50.  This
  gives you an idea of the style to imitate when coming
  up with “Ear to the Rails” items of your own, whether
  genuine clues or red herrings.  If you use the column to
  provide a clue to PCs, be prepared for players to ask
  about other items appearing alongside it.  Players being
  unpredictable, you should also be prepared for the PCs
  finding one of the dummy items more relevant than
  your actual clue and going off in pursuit of that.  If you
  want to keep them on track, turn their faulty explana-
  tion for its relevance into the real explanation, making
  it into the vital clue.
  You could also start an evening of improv GMing
  by having a mysterious source give the PCs a copy of
  an old Sammy column.  Whichever item they follow up
  ends up having an adventure at the end of it.
  Should you ever be need to come up with Sammy
  items on the spur of the moment, here are a few ideas
  you can flesh out into full Sammy prose:
  •
  A certain well-known scientist has been having
  uncharacteristic fits of pique lately.
  •
  A respected businessman, widely known as an
  abstainer, was accidentally given jumped coffee by
  an inexperienced waitress.  He flipped out and
  started screaming about a “decisive blow against
  humanity.”
  •
  A English nobleman who had been claiming to
  have discovered the secret of eternal youth has
  checked into the Sylvan Pines facility.  Creditors
  are referred to a local barrister.
  •
  A mischievous someone has been circulating
  untrue rumors that Karla Sommers will be arrested
  by the Grammar Police if she sets foot on the
  island.  Everyone knows that the Grammar Police
  were disbanded in the late 1950s.
  •
  A new sect proclaiming that Abraham and Moses
  still live and are soon to reveal themselves to
  mankind has sprung up amongst the Garbage
  Men.
  •
  A local physician is working on a vaccine to
  prevent Catholicism.
  •
  Temple of the Divine Experience staff have found
  a catatonic Caucasian woman carrying papers
  identifying her as Francine Aaronson.  Anyone
  knowing her, or how to contact her next of kin, is
  to contact the Democratic Bureau of Investigation.
  •
  A new exhibit at the Museum of Modern Life is
  going to encourage visitors to fall asleep in an
  ultra-comfortable rest chamber.
  
  44
  OVER THE EDGE
  THE MYTH OF SELF
  •
  Congratulations to the members of the Senate
  Subcommittee on Public Health and Morality for
  success in their twelve-step program.
  •
  A certain government economist has had signifi-
  cantly greater success in predicting GDP growth
  since she began picking her numbers entirely at
  random.
  •
  The Party for D’Aubbainnist Libertarian Renewal
  has had a split in its ranks because the treasurer
  has been running around with the vice-president,
  even though he’s the longtime companion of the
  president.
  •
  A consortium of local businessmen is attempting
  to arrange an NBA all-star exhibition game for Al
  Amarja next year.
  •
  A local nightclub is planning an exclusive, invita-
  tion-only dinner in which the main course will be a
  Kentucky Derby winner of several years back.
  •
  One of Latin America’s most notorious terrorists
  was badly mauled by baboons during his stay in
  the Edge; he returned home immediately, much to
  the chagrin of local arms merchants.
  Not all of Sammy’s items are necessarily true —
  but there still might be an adventure in finding out
  why a particular chunk of disinformation was fed to
  him.  Note that Sammy absolutely refuses to divulge
  sources.
  The Director
  Tidjane Soubiega
  Eccentric Theater Artist
  Tidjane Soubiega is a tall, imperious man, who
  cuts a dramatic swath as he stalks angrily through the
  Flowers Barrio, which he now calls home.  Most people
  find him intimidating and avoid him as much as
  possible; he’s quickly gained a reputation as a demand-
  ing troublemaker amongst area shopkeepers.  For
  example, he insists on being referred to only as
  “Soubiega”; anyone calling him “Tidjane” or even
  “Mr. Soubiega” gets resoundingly snubbed.  When
  dealing in mundane matters, he speaks only in grunts,
  if at all.  But those who make the mistake of mention-
  ing one of Soubiega’s bugaboo topics in his presence
  get an earful of angry tirade denouncing the emptiness
  of modern existence.  Bugaboo topics include art,
  reality, religion, politics, humor, food, leisure activities,
  the environment, science, and soccer.
  Soubiega is the head of a local theater troupe
  known as “Realism Banal” — see below.  The mem-
  bers of his troupe seem to follow him with a cultish
  fanaticism; he returns their limitless devotion with
  dictatorial harshness.
  Burkina Fasan man, age 38, 185 cm, 100 kg, wears
  colorful African robes that flow behind him in impres-
  sive fashion, hexagonal-lensed sunglasses, small goatee,
  motorcycle boots.
  Languages : English, French, German.
  Traits
  Emotional Control, 4 dice — Can identify people
  who leave themselves open to manipulation by others
  and exploit those weaknesses to his own advantage,
  ensuring loyalty from his troupe members by giving
  them the harsh treatment they crave.  (Studies new
  acquaintances with intense concentration.)
  Performance, 3 dice — Can get troupe members to
  perform to his idiosyncratic and exacting specifications;
  displays in himself the discipline he demands from
  others.  (Grabs focus wherever he is.)
  Public Image, 3 dice — Has carefully fostered a
  reputation as a prickly, self-involved loudmouth.  This
  gives him the upper hand in social situations and
  negotiations — people are intimidated by him before
  they even meet him.  He gets great service at shops and
  restaurants from workers weary of being hassled by
  him.  His eccentric persona also wins attention for his
  theater troupe, ensuring that his ideas are widely
  discussed, if only to be reviled.  (Others wince as he
  approaches.)
  Obsessive, flaw — Is incapable of backing down in
  a confrontation or abandoning a grudge.  Finds it hard
  to understand things that don’t relate to his theories,
  and very hard to empathize with others.  (Never
  apologizes or concedes a point.)
  Mirror Upon Emptiness
  Soubiega has published several contradictory
  manifestos for the Realism Banal company; as far as
  can be determined from these, its mission is to clear
  away centuries of decayed and ossified philosophy by
  enacting only the most dull and basic of human
  endeavors.  The mission of Realism Banal is to encour-
  age audiences to meditate on the real substance of their
  everyday lives, rather than on intangible mental
  concepts.  Perhaps once all intangible thinking is
  abolished, new and better spiritual ideas will arise.  If
  not, at least civilization will be rid of the old ones.
  
  THE DOPPLEGÄNGER PLAGUE
  OVER THE EDGE
  45
  Realism Banal is a source of great controversy
  amongst the Edge’s sizable artsy community.  Soubiega
  himself is widely despised, which means his perfor-
  mances are well-attended.  People flock to Realism
  Banal shows in order to denounce them. Catcalls and
  boos from the audience usually begin with ten minutes
  of any show.  A good sixty percent of each audience
  usually walks out noisily after fifteen.  Another twenty
  percent fail to return after intermission; the rest stick
  around to loudly criticize the performance.
  The easiest way to pre-establish Realism Banal is
  to have a contact schedule a meeting with the PCs at
  one of their performances.  This can be a social
  meeting — a first date, for example — or a rendezvous
  with someone who has information or wants to make a
  business deal of whatever kind.  The contact tells the
  PCs to attend the latest Realism Banal show, entitled
  “Mirror Upon Emptiness,” and then wait for a meeting
  in the lobby afterwards.
  “Mirror Upon Emptiness” is staged in The Space,
  a converted warehouse on the Ramble in Flowers
  which is rented out by various fringe theater groups.
  300 uncomfortable seats on an alarming rake face a
  small stage, which has been painted black.  Tickets are
  $10 apiece, but the PCs have been invited to closing
  night, and the show is sold out.  However, scalpers
  outside are loudly selling tickets for $30 apiece.  Seats
  are not reserved.  When the PCs enter the theater, they
  see that the seats at the back are filling up first.
  The show begins with seven performers carrying
  chairs on-stage.  Soubiega is not among them — his
  role in this piece is that of director only.  The actors sit
  down on the chairs at curtain time, but the house lights
  remain up.  Describe each blink, shifting, and sniffing
  of the performers in excruciating detail.  Nothing else
  happens.  At five minutes, the audience becomes
  restless.  At ten minutes, some people walk out.  At
  fifteen, the rustling of paper can be heard under some
  seats.  The actors tense up, shifting nervously in their
  chairs.  Then the objects start to come, hurled from the
  audience: rotten fruit and vegetables, eggs, decaying
  garbage, and worse.  The actors just sit there taking it,
  getting hit over and over again.  One of them, an
  overweight middle-aged woman, is hit in the head with
  a rock.  She lies on the floor bleeding for a while but
  then gets back up on her chair.  After about twenty-
  five minutes, the audience runs out of ammo.  The act
  continues for another ten minutes of boredom — here
  you can describe the slow dripping of each bit of
  munge as it falls from the actors’ faces — until the lady
  who got hit with the rock announces a fifteen-minute
  intermission.
  Art by Ovi Hondru
  
  46
  OVER THE EDGE
  THE MYTH OF SELF
  During the intermission, there is a bit of an
  altercation at the doors of The Space; the front of house
  people won’t allow audience members to leave and be
  re-admitted.  Several attendees argue loudly — make it
  obvious that they want to go out for more things to
  throw — but are turned down.
  At the beginning of the second act, the stage has
  been cleaned of rubbish.  The actors come out to sit
  down again — but this time each of them carries a huge
  paper grocery bag bulging with stuff.  Sure enough, as
  soon as the audience gets restless they begin to hurl
  things back into the audience.  They do so until they
  run out of ammunition.  The lady who got hit with the
  rock — still unbandaged — throws with particular
  passion.  A few people head for the exit, but a surpris-
  ing number stay.  Ten minutes after they’ve run out of
  ammo, the actors bow and exit, to a tumultuous
  ovation.
  After the show, the PCs’ contact — who was not at
  the performance — greets them with respect.  “I wasn’t
  sure if you were serious or not,” the contact says, “but
  your sitting through this proves your dedication.  Let’s
  go for coffee.”  As they exit, they hear several black-
  clad avant-gardists proclaiming this the best Banal
  show ever, and explaining to each other its transcen-
  dent significance.
  Later, when the PCs are eavesdropping and you
  want to give them some dummy information, they can
  overhear that Soubiega was appalled to have a show
  become a commercial success, and has since disowned
  it as a misguided avenue of development.  However, he
  has sold the rights to “Mirror” to another group, who
  continue to play it to packed houses.
  Even later, PCs can hear that the new company
  has started strip-searching audience members upon
  arrival, after a throwing star was thrown on-stage and
  nearly missed one of the performers.
  And even later than that, they hear that the strip-
  search policy has led to an even greater demand for
  tickets, and that the new company is looking for a
  larger theater.
  The Therapist
  Dr. Derrick Julien
  Paperback Shrink
  Dr. Derrick Julien is a member of the small elite of
  celebrity psychologists — in demand as a speaker,
  personal therapist, and TV expert.  With his soft,
  fatherly voice and telegenic looks, he has turned the
  healing of minds into a lucrative enterprise.  His words
  of humane advice can be found between primary-color
  covers in any airport newsstand — Julien’s most
  famous work, Where to Look For Yourself, is still a
  steady seller.  Unusually for a pop psych guru, his
  technical writings are well-respected by his peers — his
  most recent academic book is called Possession, Hyste-
  ria, Dissociation: Maladies of Historical Placement.
  Despite his great career success, Julien is an
  unhappy man.  Like too many beginning Psych
  students, he originally went into the field to pursue his
  own problems.  Specifically, he wanted to conquer his
  chronic feelings of inadequacy and guilt.  Eventually he
  figured out that these were caused by his ambivalent
  relationship with his proud blue-collar dad, who
  wanted Derrick to succeed in a white-collar world he
  showed nothing but contempt for.  Understanding
  brought little solace, and he has long felt himself a
  hollow man, a healer who cannot heal himself.  His
  self-loathing has poisoned all of his relationships, most
  recently a four-year marriage to a TV anchor.  Want-
  ing to avoid seeing his ex-wife every night on the
  evening news, Derrick came to Al Amarja about a year
  and a half ago.  He’s found no shortage of well-heeled
  screwed up people in the Edge, and has established a
  busy practice.  He’s also started and discarded several
  stabs at a new book he wants to call Seeming and
  Becoming.
  US black male, age 42, 180 cm, 86 kg, graying
  hair, bad posture, corduroy jackets, turtleneck sweat-
  ers, jeans, top-siders.
  Languages : English, French, German.
  Traits
  Psychology, 4 dice — Knows the field down pat,
  from Freud to Skinner and beyond.  Very astute in
  diagnosis and treatment of patients. Finds it easy to
  understand others and to adjust his behavior and
  persona to accommodate their needs.  (Reminds others
  of a favorite relative.)
  Role-playing, 3 dice — A crucial part of his
  therapy technique involves the acting out of roles to
  allow patients locked in their own dilemmas to see their
  behavior from the points of view of those around them.
  Usually the patients play their own loved ones, and
  Derrick plays them.  This has made him adept at
  taking on the symptoms of the troubled, disturbed, and
  insane.  (Catch phrase: “Let’s look at this from the
  opposite perspective.”)
  
  THE DOPPLEGÄNGER PLAGUE
  OVER THE EDGE
  47
  Reputation, 3 dice — A wide variety of people,
  from watchers of afternoon talk shows to psychiatric
  professionals, know and respect Derrick’s work.  His
  books can be found in most stores.  He can command a
  high fee and draw on an extensive network of contacts.
  (Face recognizable from dust jackets and TV appear-
  ances.)
  Self-Doubt, flaw — Derrick finds it difficult to
  believe in himself; even when he succeeds in helping
  someone it just makes him think about his own
  incurable heartache.  He’d commit suicide, but he
  knows too many of his patients and readers would be
  set back in their otherwise successful treatments if he
  did.  (Can’t confide in others.)
  Where to Look For Yourself
  Try to introduce Dr. Julien in a different session
  than the one in which Realism Banal appears, even if
  Soubiega doesn’t actually meet the PCs.  If you lay too
  much pipe for this adventure all at once, you run the
  risk of having your players connect these pieces too
  soon, before the Dopplegänger Plague even begins.
  They might also conclude that pursuing the connec-
  tions will resolve their current adventure.
  The easiest way to have the PCs meet Julien is to
  have them stumble across a book signing.  For ex-
  ample, the PCs might arrange to meet a new contact at
  Swaps.  She tells them she’ll be the one in a beige skirt,
  wearing glasses and a ponytail, in Bill and Jim’s, the
  classy bookstore in Swaps’ mall level.  (The store’s logo
  contains caricatures of Shakespeare and Joyce, hence
  the name.) When the PCs arrive, the store is packed
  with people, many of them women in beige skirts with
  glasses and ponytails, waiting in line to get Derrick to
  sign a book for them.  It’s obvious that he’s a bit of a
  sex symbol with the repressed intellectual crowd.  The
  contact finds the PCs (they stand out as the only other
  people not waiting for an autograph) and casually
  explains who Derrick is, if asked, before getting on to
  business.
  Dr. Julien might also appear as a potential thera-
  pist to a PC or GMC.  Al Amarja is an easy place to
  acquire personality disorders, but informed PCs
  probably want to avoid both the D’Aubainne Asylum
  and Sylvan Pines.  Julien’s offices are in a new medical
  building in Gold.  His receptionist tells inquiring PCs
  that his schedule is very busy, and that an initial
  consultation is $500.  If they wish, they can book a
  session for sometime the following week.  At first,
  they’ll have to deal with Julien’s ultra-efficient secre-
  tary, a Haitian woman named Germaine Calixte.
  Art by Ovi Hondru
  
  48
  OVER THE EDGE
  THE MYTH OF SELF
  these poseurs are all extremely good actors!  Keep the
  encounter brief, so the lack of knowledge doesn’t
  become obvious.
  Later, have the PCs run into the real person — if
  they mention their earlier encounter, the genuine
  person denies having been there.  No matter how
  puzzled they are by this, neither PCs or the victim of
  the imposture discover anything further about the
  incident, because there are no clues to follow up.
  Besides, if this is happening in the midst of another
  adventure, they should have more than enough
  immediate trouble on their hands to bother worrying
  about this odd triviality.
  Between that adventure and this, you and your
  players will likely want a period of “down time” for
  PCs to wrap up loose threads and pursue their own
  private agendas.  During this time, allow one of them
  to overhear the following conversation in some public
  place.  The words are spoken by a hatchet-featured
  European man dressed in tennis gear.  It’s better to
  paraphrase or even summarize the following, rather
  than read it out — otherwise you’ll be giving your
  players a clear signal that a clue has just been dangled.
  This should appear to be just another bit of back-
  ground noise in the weird swirl of the Edge.
  “And Viktor insists he saw me in the parkette,
  chatting with this — this — garbage individual.  I told
  him I most assuredly do not spend my time in cordial
  conversation with the grimy and foul-smelling ele-
  ments, but he thought I was kidding him.  He was
  adamant that I had been there.  The more  I protested
  the more he insisted the whole thing was an attempt at
  humor on my part.  Finally I managed to convince him
  I was mistaken — I mean, he was mistaken.  See, he got
  me so confused I don’t know what I’m saying...!”
  Once you feel the PCs have spent enough time
  pursuing their own individual goals, and that it’s time
  for another structured adventure, move on to the
  following encounter.
  A PC is Doubled
  Select the most suspicious, paranoid PC in your
  group.  Wait until the PC arranges to meet with a well-
  established friendly GMC, one the PC trusts.  Prefer-
  ably the meeting should be called to exchange informa-
  tion vital to the PC’s personal plans.
  The PC shows up at the pre-arranged meeting site,
  but the GMC is not there, and does not show up if the
  PC waits.  If the PC attempts to contact the GMC at
  While Julien won’t become anybody’s permanent
  shrink (that would put the PCs too close to the action)
  they might still make his acquaintance through a
  preliminary consultation.  Julien doesn’t promise quick
  therapeutic fixes; he tells potential patients to expect
  treatment to last for years.  Neither is he a specialist in
  curing post-traumatic stress disorder or paradigm
  shock, the psychological problems OTE PCs are most
  likely to come down with.  He concentrates on prob-
  lems of identity, specifically extreme introversion.
  Besides, his rates are $750 an hour.  Julien has briefly
  met the staff members of both Sylvan Pines and the
  D’Aubainne Asylum, and therefore recommends that
  those suffering seriously from disorders he isn’t expert
  in seek treatment abroad.
  Or you could arrange for the PCs to run into him
  socially, say at a reception held by someone like Lydia
  Goodman.  In this situation, he’ll be in the middle of a
  knot of psych groupies, who are breathlessly asking
  him to analyze everything from the foreign policy crisis
  of the day to the odd behavior of their house pets.  You
  can have another GMC lean knowingly into the PCs’
  ears and explain who the poor surrounded sap is.  If
  they do something to rescue him from the barrage of
  stupid questions, they’ll earn his gratitude and get
  immediate access to him later.
  The Dopplegänger
  Plague
  The mystery begins with a series of incidents in
  which various Al Amarjans are skillfully impersonated
  by persons unknown, to no obvious purpose.  The first
  examples of this happen strictly in the background,
  though the PCs might find out about them later.
  Then, in the midst of another adventure, the PCs are
  touched by the phenomenon.
  Select a GMC peripherally involved in the adven-
  ture — a witness or red herring character rather than
  one of its main heroes or villains.  Have the PCs run
  into him or her in some public place — in a shopping
  area or restaurant, for example.  The GMC doesn’t
  approach the PCs, but reacts to them if hailed.  In fact,
  this isn’t the person they know, but an imposter.  The
  imposter keeps the conversation to generalities, and
  responds non-committally to questions that require the
  real person’s knowledge.  The dopplegänger makes a
  quick excuse about having to meet someone, and heads
  off.  Don’t play the imposter as suspicious or wooden;
  
  THE DOPPLEGÄNGER PLAGUE
  OVER THE EDGE
  49
  project is called “Acting in Realspace.”  It’s a perfor-
  mance art project in which actors carefully study
  individuals unknown to them in order to develop
  absolutely convincing imitations of their subjects.  The
  actors must prove their skill by fooling acquaintances
  of the subject.  Soubiega has yet to publicize his
  project; he wants to freak people out and then explain.
  He’s declared it a violation of the project’s intent to do
  anything to permanently disrupt the lives of its
  subjects.  So, for example, any gifts or other items the
  actors receive on behalf of others must be passed along
  to their rightful owners.  In this case, Rosamund staked
  out the PC’s home until the coast was clear and left the
  envelope under the door.  According to Soubiega’s
  strict guidelines, she did not look inside it.
  Should the PC have the envelope examined for
  prints, a clear left thumbprint and a partial right index
  finger are discovered.  Rosamund’s prints appear
  nowhere in official records accessible by Al Amarjan
  officials.
  Rosamund Fong-Fong
  Realism Banal Performer
  Rosamund Fong-Fong has completely dedicated
  herself to the rigorous art methods of Soubiega, to the
  point where she no longer recalls her own past.  She
  knows only that Realism Banal’s aims must succeed if
  the world is to undergo the radical restructuring of
  meaning needed for life to continue to survive on this
  beleaguered planet.  She has gone beyond mere acting
  into a realm of mystical anticipation.
  Hong Kong woman, age 28, 168 cm, 58 kg, hair
  tied up in a bun, gray sweat suit, sneakers, Ray-Ban
  sunglasses (when not posing as someone else).
  Languages : Cantonese, English, Al Amarjan
  patois
  Traits
  Impersonation, 4 dice — Having undergone
  Soubiega’s intensive acting methods, Rosamund is able
  to impersonate other individuals, even those of another
  gender, race, or body type.  In order to do this, she
  must observe the subject for a period of weeks if not
  months.  Soubiega has taught her to emulate another’s
  gestures, voice timbre, speech patterns, emotional
  projections, and posture.  She can even unconsciously
  emit the same pheromones as the subject.  While a still
  photo wouldn’t show much of a resemblance to the
  subject at all, except for the costume, these other cues
  are astonishingly effective on a face-to-face basis.  This
  is not a fringe power — she has no psychic link to the
  his/her home or office, the GMC is there and expresses
  surprise. Adapt the following dialogue to your GMC’s
  usual speech patterns.  Or change the details of the
  entire incident, if it suits you to do so:
  “But I already gave you all of the information you
  wanted this morning, at the market.  You said there
  was no reason to meet this afternoon.” [PC probably
  says something like “Huh?  What market?”]
  “You know, the market at  Four Points.  This
  morning.” [PC probably repeats a variation of “Huh?
  What?”]
  “You been having blackouts lately?  You should
  lay off the Blue Shock, someday you’re gonna sponta-
  neously combust.  I ran you into this morning, at the
  market.  You were buying strawberries, I was squeez-
  ing the limes.  I gave you everything I had on [what-
  ever the PC wants to know] in that manila envelope.
  You thanked me real nice and said there was no reason
  to meet later.  You do have the envelope, don’t you?”
  The more important the envelope is, the better.
  It’s best if the information is not only dangerous in the
  wrong hands, but threatens the GMC with exposure.
  The GMC becomes quite agitated, blaming the PC for
  losing the envelope.  If you and I have done our jobs
  right, the PC should be hitting a maximum rating on
  the paranoia scale at this point.
  If the PC heads to the produce market to ask
  questions of the grocers, several testify that they saw
  him/her talking to the GMC that morning.  None of
  them remember what direction the “PC” headed off in
  afterwards — there was nothing terribly conspicuous
  about the PC and his friend, so they weren’t paying
  much attention.
  If the PC wants to pursue further leads, allow
  them to be followed up to whatever dead ends they
  butt up against. When the PC comes back to his/her
  home or apartment, the envelope awaits, having been
  slid under the door.  Should the PC question building
  security guards or lobby personnel  — assuming there
  are any — he/she is told that the guards saw him/her
  leave the building earlier at X o’clock, X being the time
  the real PC left to check out the market.  A few
  minutes later, the witnesses saw the PC come back in,
  and leave again a few minutes later.  The guards
  assumed that the PC had simply forgotten something
  and briefly returned for it.
  Although the PC may consider the contents of the
  envelope to have been compromised by rival agents, it
  has, in fact, not been tampered with at all.  The
  imposter is Rosamund Fong-Fong, a member of the
  Realism Banal theater company.  Realism Banal’s new
  
  50
  OVER THE EDGE
  THE MYTH OF SELF
  subject, and knows nothing about him that she hasn’t
  learned from painstaking study.  This trait also
  includes the ability to make vague, evasive answers
  seem perfectly natural, so as to avoid blowing one’s
  cover when confronted with acquaintances of the
  impersonated individual.  (May look, sound, smell, feel
  and taste exactly like...you.)
  Shadowing, 3 dice — Knows how to look incon-
  spicuous while following a subject, and to avoid
  suspicion while inquiring after him.  The secret of
  successful shadowing is to hide in plain sight —
  amateurs usually give themselves away by lurking in
  shadows and trying to avoid being seen by the subject.
  Rosamund’s lack of a vivid identity of her own helps
  ©1995 Trident, Inc.  This page may be reproduced for personal use.
  EAR TO THE RAILS
  What’s this Sammy hears about a
  certain hot young American actor,
  who isn’t a lawyer, but plays one
  on television?  A very reliable
  observer of events at our ever-
  puzzling airport reports that the
  fellow tossed a tantrum at his ter-
  minal guide and stalked off into
  corridors unknown.  Which as we
  all know is never a good idea.
  Anyway, the upshot is that what-
  ever he found there put him through
  some changes, as they’d say in
  California.  To be exact, his previ-
  ously indeterminate personal pro-
  clivities 
  got 
  unquestionably
  straightened, a conversion to Is-
  lam took place, and his face ended
  up looking like a road map of
  Rome!  Serious plastic surgery was
  needed to iron out the new wrinkles,
  and the producers of his oh-so-
  steamy movie debut are deeply
  ballistic over his announced inten-
  tion to campaign against the mo-
  rality of his own film!
  •     •     •
  Well, there’s strange, and then
  there’s strange.  The following bit
  of unclassifiable gossip has been
  passed to me by its featured char-
  acter — who has further begged
  me to use her real name, so as to
  help her to clear up the mystery in
  question.  Joy Laughter, head of
  the local Sommerite contingent,
  reports that she was to meet her
  business manager at the yogurt hut
  opposite the Temple of Divine Ex-
  perience on Tuesday.  Running
  somewhat late, as usual, Joy ar-
  rived to find a carbon copy of
  herself chatting with said accoun-
  tant!  The phony Joy seemed ner-
  vous and anxious to leave the
  manager’s company, and turned
  positively white when spotted by
  Joy.  The dopplegänger dashed for
  a cab and was gone.  Joy wants to
  know who she was and what the
  hell she thought she was doing.
  Sammy wants to know, too — he’s
  heard other stories, which he has yet
  to track down — of other citizens,
  prominent and obscure, being
  dopplegänged up on like this.  Stay
  tuned for more, and look for me at
  Sequin’s if you have any clews.
  •     •     •
  A particular owner of a particular
  bar — and let’s be perfectly frank
  here — got into an altercation with
  an employee and came out consid-
  erably the worse for wear!  Check
  out the double shiner action next
  time you pop by his packed but
  sadly weeping night spot.  Now,
  this wouldn’t be so ironic when
  you consider that the barkeep rou-
  tinely hires bruisers to fight it out
  on-stage.  But this particular per-
  former — and we use the term in
  several of its senses — was part of
  the action that doesn’t normally
  involve the wire-mesh cage!  Re-
  mind me not to ask that artiste for
  the mango trick!
  •     •     •
  I must apologize to Faustus B.,
  who seemed clearly insane when
  he insisted that some salamander’s
  wool — look that one up, folks,
  I’m in a hurry — had been placed
  in his fridge by members of the
  Dark Equinox cell he was intent on
  exposing.  Faustus might still be
  crazy, but his X-rays show definite
  signs of the big C on the old lungs.
  And I’m not talking Carnation.  But
  does this make his wild Dark
  Equinox stories any more cred-
  ible?  You didn’t go buy that as-
  bestos yourself at Chiara’s Mineral
  Supply House, did you, Faustus?
  •     •     •
  By last count there were four Al
  Amarjans claiming to be the rein-
  carnation of Arthur, King of Brit-
  ons.  So let’s be clear we’re talking
  about a habituée of Frank Booth’s,
  a fine if rough-hewn FCP café.
  She’s looking very Tom Wolfeish
  these days, dressed head to toe in
  white.  Says she’s in mourning for
  Anne Boleyn.  I actually hefted an
  encyclopedia to decode that refer-
  ence, which makes me wonder if
  she’s switched to a less-occupied
  British king.  And what will this
  mean to the Fatted Calf?
  •     •     •
  Private to Hotch-Pot:  The dog at
  C&I isn’t a real talking dog, but
  the one who asked you to buy the
  ice cream at Flowers is.
  By Sammy Shei-Mei
  
  THE DOPPLEGÄNGER PLAGUE
  OVER THE EDGE
  51
  her become eminently forgettable.  Sometimes she
  shadows one subject in the guise of another.  (Percep-
  tive.)
  Theatrical Theory, 3 dice — Can spout all sorts of
  Soubiega-style gibberish about the true nature of
  theater, backed up by an actual knowledge of the area
  from Aristotle on up.  (Sample statement: “All avant
  garde works staged in a theater become a comment on
  theater; to comment on life, one must stage one’s
  performances in realspace.”)
  Suggestible, flaw — Due to her lack of personal
  identity, Rosamund suffers a penalty die on all actions
  requiring willpower.  (Blank eyes.)
  The Symptoms Spread
  Should the PCs check out the current edition of Al
  Amarja Today, they’ll find any interesting item in with
  the others in Sammy Shei-Mei’s column.  See handout,
  opposite.
  The Laughter Incident
  Joy Laughter is described on p. 164 of OTE.  A
  quick glance at Al Amarja Today’s entertainment
  listings reveals that she’s playing tonight at The
  Poisoned Snake, a pub on Offal Lane just north of the
  Plaza of Flowers.  If the PCs phone the club, the
  barkeep tells them that Joy is due in at 3 PM for a sound
  check.  He offers to take a message for them if they
  want to get in touch with her.  He has no objection to
  folks coming down for the sound check.
  Joy is very anxious to talk about the dopplegänger
  incident, but has little to add to the account that ran in
  Sammy’s column.  She has her own private fears about
  the situation — she thinks the nightmare entities that
  haunt her might be taking on physical form — but is
  extremely reluctant to talk about them.  If the
  dopplegänged PC shares his/her experience, Joy tries
  to figure out what they have in common.  Depending
  on the PC, they may indeed have something in com-
  mon — which gives you some entertaining red herring
  opportunities.  If the PCs don’t explain why they’re
  interested, Joy begins to suspect that they’re part of the
  sinister plot and clams up.  If they make a really bad
  impression on her, she assigns some streetwise
  Sommerites to shadow them.  This is a group of four
  Karla fans with 3-dice combat abilities and 21 hit
  points each.  Unless attacked, they observe but don’t
  Art by Ovi Hondru
  
  52
  OVER THE EDGE
  THE MYTH OF SELF
  hinder the PCs.  Their shadowing skill is only at a
  default level of 2 dice, so they may well be spotted.
  If they impress her as competent and concerned,
  Joy refers the PCs to her business manager, Moon
  Hye-Jin.  Her offices are on the second floor of a
  converted tenement in Flowers.
  Moon is happy to talk to the PCs — she asks them
  if they already have accountants, and if so, if they’re
  satisfied with their attention to detail and personal
  service.  Sales pitch dispensed with, she’ll describe the
  dopplegänger incident.  She says she’d still swear she’d
  been talking to the real Joy if she hadn’t seen the real
  one suddenly appear.  The imposter had her way of
  talking, of standing, of gesturing, captured perfectly.
  Moon claims that she didn’t get a feeling of danger or
  hostility from the imposter.  She has no idea what
  anyone would stand to gain by impersonating Joy — or
  the PC, for that matter.
  Getting Sammy’s Ear
  A phone call to Al Amarja Today, or a question
  directed to just about any bartender or maitre d’ in
  town, will elicit Sammy’s daily schedule of appear-
  ances.  Sammy is willing to talk to anyone, especially
  about the Dopplegänger Plague.  This means he wants
  them to give him information: He makes a strict policy
  of not releasing information that doesn’t appear in his
  column.  This discretion is what’s kept him protected
  by opposing power groups all these years, after all.  All
  the PCs can get from him is “watch my column
  tomorrow, it’ll be a doozy.”  If they wish to tell him
  about their own experiences, he’s more than happy to
  publicize them.
  Involving Other PCs
  It may be that your PCs don’t work together, and
  one lone character is investigating.  If so, this is where
  the others come in.  Just about any organization in
  town, from the Government on down, wants to know
  who’s behind this inexplicable rash of mistaken
  identities.  Perhaps a prominent leader or cloak of a
  PC-connected group has been impersonated.  Con-
  spiracies that have PCs at their disposal assign them to
  investigate the plague.  If a PC has no ties of this sort,
  you’ll can dangle a custom-tailored motivation in front
  of them — a friend becomes the victim of an impos-
  ture, or a clue to one of their goals is mixed into the
  plot.  Of course, there’s no reason why some of your
  PCs couldn’t just continue to pursue their personal plot
  threads while others take part in this story, if that’s
  what you prefer.
  The Last Column?
  Sammy’s column the next day is entirely devoted
  to what he is now calling the “Dopplegänger Plague.”
  If the PCs have shared their accounts, these appear in
  the column.  Other victims include: a Mr. M.L.
  (“prominent in the emergency loan collection busi-
  ness”), a Mrs. C.R. (“board member of many chari-
  ties”), a Mr. Z.B. (“important art dealer”), R.W.
  (“female pugilist”), Hawkins B. (“controversial
  theologian”), Khosro S. (“import/export specialist”),
  among others.
  From these references, the individuals are hard to
  track down.  If PCs do serious legwork, let them find
  the people named.  All of them have stories to tell
  about having heard that they were supposedly places
  where they know they weren’t.  None have useful
  clues.
  Let the PCs spend a day chasing down these leads,
  or ones they come up with on their own.  Try to move
  quickly through the day’s dead ends.
  The next day’s edition of Al Amarja Today is a
  shocker — see handout, page 53.
  Explain to the players that the rest of the article is
  a lengthy eulogy of Shei-Mei, including testimonials to
  his kindness and sense of fun from various well-known
  citizens.
  What’s Really Going On
  Several months ago, Tramh LeThuy announced to
  his various cloaks that he wanted Sammy Shei-Mei
  either turned to the cause or killed.  Operative Marva
  LeThuy had already infiltrated the Realism Banal
  troupe, hoping to turn it into a nihilist propaganda
  front.  However, her efforts were thwarted by
  Soubiega’s absolute domination of the group.  Deciding
  to make at least some use of her position, she volun-
  teered for the Shei-Mei assignment, planning to
  somehow use Realism Banal against the columnist.
  When Shei-Mei interpreted the “Acting in Realspace”
  project as a weird conspiracy, she sprang into action.
  For weeks, she had been working on the weak-willed
  Rosamund Fong-Fong, infecting her with nihilist
  beliefs.  She persuaded Fong-Fong to learn to imper-
  
  THE DOPPLEGÄNGER PLAGUE
  OVER THE EDGE
  53
  ©1995 Trident, Inc.  This page may be reproduced for personal use.
  sonate Shei-Mei, and prepared her to die for the
  LeThuy cause.  Accompanying Fong-Fong on her
  surveillance of Shei-Mei, Marva followed the real
  Sammy to Julien’s office building, where he bribed the
  security guard to go out for a donut and turn off the
  video cameras.  Once the guard was gone, Marva
  slipped into the building, followed Sammy, and got the
  drop on him with a crossbow.  She led him out of the
  building through a back entrance, and met with Fong-
  Fong, now impersonating Shei-Mei.  Marva gave her
  instructions and handed her a stolen Peace Force
  handgun.  Fong-Fong headed up to Julien’s offices and
  shot herself in the head.
  Marva led Shei-Mei to a waiting van, and drove
  off.  The guard returned to the building, headed off to
  see if Shei-Mei was finished, and discovered “his”
  body, the head shattered by a gunshot.  He then rushed
  down to his guard post, smashed the video console, and
  butted his head against the wall until he fell uncon-
  scious.  Waking up several hours later, he called the
  Peace Force, who
  discovered “Shei-
  Mei’s” corpse and
  alerted the media.
  Chief
  Coroner Dibling
  is a regular
  customer at
  Tramh LeThuy’s
  newsstand.  Over
  the past few
  weeks, she has
  been complaining
  to him about
  cutbacks in her
  department.  He
  has convinced her
  to protest these
  measures by
  significantly
  delaying investi-
  gations into the
  next few celebrity
  deaths.  Accord-
  ingly, she has
  ordered that no
  one so much as
  glance at “Shei-
  Mei” for five
  business days,
  which is why no
  one has noticed
  that the victim is
  in fact a small woman wearing padding.
  Marva is holding Shei-Mei prisoner in Realism
  Banal’s rehearsal space, an abandoned beer hall in Four
  Cardinal Points.  The rehearsal hall isn’t used much
  these days, since the actors aren’t putting a show
  together.
  She doesn’t know that, by leaving Fong-Fong in
  Julien’s office, she’s created a trail that leads to the
  rehearsal space.  Shei-Mei had been investigating a tip
  linking Julien to the Dopplegänger incidents.  If Shei-
  Mei had been given time to rifle through the doctor’s
  records, he would have found receipts proving that
  Julien has been funding Realism Banal from its
  inception a few months ago.  This would have led him
  to the discovery that Julien and Soubiega are one and
  the same.
  Julien established the Soubiega identity to treat
  patients who were resistant to normal psychotherapy
  and wary of shrinks.  He suggested that they deal with
  SHEI-MEI, BELOVED
  COLUMNIST, DEAD AT 56
  Dr. Julien, contacted at his residence, ex-
  pressed shock and surprise at the suicide.
  He denies that Shei-Mei was a patient or
  even acquaintance of his.  He was unable to
  suggest why Shei-Mei chose his office for
  his final, tragic act.  Julien said that he would
  request a full public inquiry into the inci-
  dent.
  Chief Coroner Judy Dibling announced in a
  phone interview that the results of Shei-
  Mei’s autopsy would not be available for
  five business days, due to a continuing
  backlog of cases.  She used public interest in
  the case as an argument in favor of reversing
  government cutbacks to her department.
  Shei-Mei had no known next of kin; funeral
  arrangements will be handled by Al Amarja
  Today executive editorial assistant Moira
  Underschultz.  Date and time of the memo-
  rial service is TBA, pending release of the
  remains by the Coroner’s Office.
  Shei-Mei will be sorely missed by colleagues
  and readers alike.  Born in Beijing in 1939,
  (Continued on page 2)
  By Islam Petri
  Al Amarja Today
  The Edge — Samuel Shei-Mei, popular
  writer of the long-running “Ear to the Rails”
  column for this newspaper, was found dead
  early this morning at the offices of psy-
  chologist Dr. Derrick Julien.  Although an
  official coroner’s ruling has yet to be made,
  Peace Force sources indicate that Shei-Mei
  appears to have taken his own life.  Why he
  did so is unclear.  His colleagues, including
  this reporter, observed no recent change in
  Shei-Mei’s behavior that suggested depres-
  sion or suicidal impulses.  If anything, he
  seemed upbeat and engaged, hot on the
  trails of his “Dopplegänger Plague” story.
  But Shei-Mei, despite his jovial demeanor,
  was a difficult man to know.  His reasons for
  this senseless waste may remain unknown.
  Shei-Mei’s stock in trade was secrets, but
  his own will follow him to his grave.  A
  handgun, believed stolen from the Peace
  Force, was found at the scene.  How Shei-
  Mei came into possession of it is unknown
  at this time.
  
  54
  OVER THE EDGE
  THE MYTH OF SELF
  their extreme introversion by joining a theater troupe
  — one that he ran in disguise.  Realism Banal was
  designed first of all to force its narcissistic patients to
  break out of their shells, by allowing them do outra-
  geous things on-stage.  In its second stage it would
  make them understand other points of view, by literally
  putting them in the shoes of others.  Not wanting his
  patients to get together and compare notes, he allowed
  a few real actors to join the troupe — this is how Marva
  got in without having met Julien first.  However, just
  because she’s unaware of the link is no reason for the
  PCs not to use it to find her.
  Finding the Link
  It’s hard to get through to the Al Amarja Today
  offices after the announcement of Sammy’s death
  appears; the lines are clogged with mourners conveying
  their condolences.  If the PCs go to the offices in person,
  they are unable to see Islam Petri — no one knows where
  he’s gone.  Actually, he’s off in Skylla dealing with an
  emergency ghoul infestation in his capacity as a top
  Neutralizer — see OTE, p. 142.  If it weren’t for the
  ghouls, he’d be investigating Sammy’s suspicious death
  himself.
  Phone calls to the morgue get an answering machine:
  “Due to staff shortages, all of our personnel are currently
  unavailable.  Leave a message after the tone and someone
  will get back to you at the earliest opportunity.”  Security
  staff at the morgue refuse to let anyone through into the
  offices or examining rooms.
  If the PCs head to Julien’s office, they arrive
  in the midst of a heated argument between the
  doctor and two low-level Peace Force officers.
  He’s demanding access to his office, which they
  have secured with yellow “Peace Line — Do Not
  Cross” tape.  They lounge on his waiting room
  couches, smoking stinky cigars and eating
  submarine sandwiches.  As Julien becomes
  increasingly upset, their responses get more
  cavalier and sarcastic.  They insist that they must
  protect the integrity of the “crime scene.”  Julien
  argues that it’s not a crime scene, since Shei-
  Mei’s death has been ruled a suicide.  The cops
  shrug and say “Well, you never know.”  They
  then hint that access to the office might be had
  for a price.  Julien is outraged at this suggestion,
  and stalks off down the hallway.
  The cops are more than happy to let the PCs
  into Julien’s office.  If asked the what the fee is,
  they use the standard crooked Peace Forcer
  response — “How much are you offering?”  Though
  they’re hoping for more, they’ll settle for $50 a head.  In
  fact, the cops aren’t even on duty.  This is a regular scam
  they pull — when they hear of a minor crime in a good
  neighborhood, they bring their yellow tape and barricade
  it until bribed to leave.  Although hesitant to give them,
  their names are Alain Cabrel and Marion Torrence.  If
  for some reason you need stats for them, use the same
  ones for Julian Blanc, OTE p. 146.
  However, Cabrel and Torrence did go to the trouble
  of finding a little bit about the case from the officers
  assigned to it, just in case they’re asked questions.  The
  deal for information is similar — they start out at “How
  much are you offering?” but will settle for $100.  They
  know the name of the security guard (Joaquin Balletbo-
  Coll) and the company he works for (Strictly Business
  Security Inc., in Gold).  They can repeat Balletbo-Coll’s
  basic story — he was thumped on the back of the head by
  a big fat Chinese guy in a blue suit, came to about an
  hour later, and searched the building, where he found the
  body of the man who conked him.
  The critical clue is found in a folder in the top
  drawer of a file cabinet in Julien’s office.  Labeled “RB
  Paid”, it contains receipts dating back to almost a year
  ago for various bills connected with running a theater
  company, including rental of The Space.  It also contains
  checking and savings bank books in the name of Tidjane
  Soubiega.  Soubiega’s signature is in the same hand as
  Julien’s, many examples of which can be found through-
  out the office.  Also tucked into the file is a paper napkin
  with notes written on it — see handout.
  
  THE DOPPLEGÄNGER PLAGUE
  OVER THE EDGE
  55
  Breaking the Guard
  A phone call or visit to the Strictly Business offices
  means talking to the receptionist, Pierre Bonitzer.  Pierre
  knows that Joaquin is recovering at home; he’s been
  instructed not to give out his address or phone number.
  But Pierre suspects Joaquin, who’s the boss’ nephew, and
  is amenable to being bribed for the information.  He
  starts at “What are you offering?” and settles for $100.  If
  talking on the phone, he gives the PCs a bank account
  number to deposit to.
  Joaquin lives in a basement apartment in Justice.  If
  confronted, he initially retells his story — he was
  thumped on the back of the head by a big fat Chinese guy
  in a blue suit, et cetera.  However, he’s feeling pretty
  guilty and afraid over the whole business, and cracks
  pretty easily if he’s a) given the intimidation treatment
  and b) asked how he can so precisely describe someone
  who whacked him from behind.
  Stammering and hyperventilating, he spills his guts,
  describing the truth of his role in the affair.  He offers the
  PCs $500 not to tell the Peace Force or his employers.
  Confronting Dr. Julien
  Julien lives in an apartment building in Broken
  Wings — PCs know they’ll need a pass to get in.
  However, his home number is on the autodialer of his
  office phones in case his receptionist needs to reach him
  there.  By the time the PCs have found the clue, he’ll be
  at home.
  At first, he’ll deny being Soubiega, but, confronted
  with the evidence, he’ll grudgingly admit it.  He’ll explain
  that his false identity is part of a very important experi-
  ment in therapy, and tell PCs that they endanger the
  mental health of his patients if they reveal it to anyone.
  He vehemently denies any connection to the death of
  Shei-Mei, saying that even though he’d prefer the
  connection with Realism Banal to remain secret, he’d
  certainly never kill anyone over it.  Then he hastily rings
  off.
  Finding the
  Rehearsal Hall
  There are two ways to get from this point to the
  Realism Banal rehearsal hall, where, unknown to both
  PCs and Julien, Marva LeThuy is holding Shei-Mei.
  The first way is to ask around in Flowers — most
  people familiar with the arts community know where it is.
  Rigor Kwasek (OTE p. 120), Lydia Goodman (OTE p.
  131) or any member of the Black Death Theater Troupe
  (The Last Province magazine, issue 2, pp. 27-33) are
  examples of people who can give directions to it.
  The second, more dramatic way, is to tail Julien.
  From the abrupt way he broke off the conversation, PCs
  might figure that he’s going somewhere.  If they rush to
  his apartment building, assuming they’re not stopped by
  Dunkelburg’s forces, they see him striding out of the
  lobby towards Dump Street — as Soubiega.  The whole
  Realism Banal exercise has had its most profound effect
  on its founder — the mild, insecure Julien has become
  increasingly attached to his new identity as the dynamic,
  self-absorbed Soubiega.  Now threatened by events
  surrounding Shei-Mei’s death, he feels the need to leap
  into his powerful persona and order his actors about for a
  while.
  (If they’ve headed to his building without phoning
  him, the PCs may want to accost him at this point.  The
  conversation goes as described in the above section,
  except that it’s Soubiega who at first denies being Julien.
  As Soubiega concedes his true identity, he “deflates”
  down to Julien’s height and weight — the difference was
  merely apparent, caused by Julien’s convincing perfor-
  mance as Soubiega.)
  Soubiega is easy to follow, as he’s busy trying to
  figure out what’s going on with Shei-Mei, and how to
  prevent his precious identity from being sucked back into
  the spineless swamp of Julien’s personality.  He’s heading
  to the rehearsal hall as the first stop on a search for a
  troupe member to intimidate, to solidify his grip of the
  Soubiega side of himself.  When he arrives at the re-
  hearsal hall, he’s in for a surprise.
  Marva Discovered
  At this point, someone bursts in on Marva LeThuy
  as she attempts to indoctrinate Sammy Shei-Mei to the
  path of nihilism.  It’s either the PCs, if they’ve chosen
  path one to the rehearsal hall, or Soubiega followed by the
  PCs, if they’ve chosen path two.
  In the latter case, if they watch Soubiega enter the
  building, the PCs hear a shout of alarm almost immedi-
  ately afterwards.  Marva, startled, has wheeled and fired
  her crossbow at Soubiega.  Her first shot at him misses,
  and he turns and runs back out of the building, calling for
  help.  This being Four Cardinal Points, no one comes to
  his aid — except, probably, the PCs.  It’s up to them to
  subdue Marva and rescue her prisoner.
  
  56
  OVER THE EDGE
  THE MYTH OF SELF
  Marva LeThuy
  Fanatical Nihilist
  Marva LeThuy was once Marva Hayes, an activist
  sympathetic to various extremist “direct action” groups.
  In Al Amarja to buy some weapons for a rainy day, she
  fell under the sway of Tramh LeThuy.  She was one of
  his easier conquests, already possessed by an unconscious
  need to self-destruct and take a bunch of other people
  with her.  Her lack of many normal impulses made her a
  natural fit with the damaged members of Realism Banal.
  Her aim now is to rise higher in Tramh’s esteem, but
  she’s always ready to die in a spectacular manner if need
  be.
  US black woman, age 25, 163 cm, 72 kg, straight
  black bowl-cut hair, thick-lensed glasses, square jaw
  getting jowly, a few blotchy patches of lightened skin,
  developing pot belly, jeans and t-shirt.
  Language s: English.
  Attack s: 3 dice plus bonus die, damage X2 (cross-
  bow or knife)
  Defens e: 3 dice with penalty die
  Hit Points : 22 (shrugs off pain)
  Traits
  Infiltration, 3 dice — Adept at going undercover and
  insinuating herself into organizations in order to subvert
  them.  (Invites herself into situations without seeming
  pushy.)
  Guerrilla Training, 3 dice — Has practiced hand-to-
  hand combat and terrorism techniques with various
  organizations including the LeThuys.  (Handles weap-
  onry with confidence.)
  Fanaticism — Completely committed to whatever
  cause she’s currently seized upon, to the point where
  attempts to lash out at others in its name are boosted with
  a bonus die.  The downside of this is a heedlessness of
  consequences, which levies a penalty die against attempts
  at self-preservation.  (Has no small talk, only rhetoric.)
  Marva also has some hired goons with her.  These
  aren’t LeThuy operatives, just rent-a-thugs paid for with
  Zorro revenues.  There’s one less goon than there are
  PCs.  Their motivation level is low; Marva is willing to
  fight to the death, but they’ll give up as soon as the fight
  turns against them.  They prefer to run out the back way,
  but if that’s covered, they’ll just surrender.  If needed,
  goon names include Blind Girl Krost, Adoption Case
  Leon, Maribeth Smotherer, Rock Soup, Big Stick
  Ortenburger, and Phonesex McCulloch.
  Art by Ovi Hondru
  
  THE DOPPLEGÄNGER PLAGUE
  OVER THE EDGE
  57
  Goons
  Attack s: 3 dice with penalty die, damage X2 (knives)
  Defens e: 3 dice with penalty die
  Hit Points : 18 (unhealthy lifestyles)
  If the goons are captured, they know very little.
  They occasionally do minor jobs for Marva, like guarding
  this prisoner.  They don’t know what her cause is — she
  tried to explain it, but it was too complicated.
  Marva attempts to escape out the old beer hall’s back
  doors if the goons defect.  If capture seems imminent,
  she’ll try to fight to the death.  No form of torture is
  enough to get her to reveal anything about her organiza-
  tion — she rather enjoys the martyrdom.
  If the PCs got to the hall before Soubiega, he comes
  in the middle of the fray, and immediately retreats.  Once
  the skirmish is over, he and Sammy can compare notes
  and explain the situation to the PCs.
  In the unlikely event that Marva and her goons
  defeat the PCs, Marva orders them lined up against the
  wall and prepares to execute them with her crossbow.
  The sound of Peace Force sirens erupts in the distance,
  and Marva decides to beat it out the back way, assuming
  that the cops have responded to Soubiega’s cries for help.
  Once she’s gone, the sirens pass right by — the squad
  cars are chasing a truck full of drug dealers who are
  behind on their payments.
  Aftermath
  Marva has been careful to leave no clues to lead to
  the LeThuy organization; however, Tramh LeThuy
  decides to put operations against Shei-Mei on the back
  burner for the time being to avoid unnecessary suspi-
  cions.  The LeThuys are still too small a group to risk
  having their cover blown.
  Shei-Mei goes back to being his old convivial self, and
  reminds the PCs to bring him gossip whenever they have
  it.  Despite his gratitude, he still maintains his policy of not
  sharing information that doesn’t appear in his column.
  If the PCs expose Julien to the psychiatric commu-
  nity, he is disgraced.  He loses his book contracts and
  client base, and has his license revoked.  Ironically,
  they’re doing him a favor — he becomes Soubiega full-
  time and is much happier as a cantankerous petty tyrant
  than as a dedicated healer.  If the PCs don’t expose him,
  he goes on much as before.  Sammy writes a cryptic
  explanation of the Dopplegänger Plague, but nobody can
  prove a connection between Soubiega and Julien, so any
  scandal promptly blows over.  Julien is susceptible to
  blackmail from the PCs, willing to pay up to $2000 a
  month to keep his secret under wraps.  If they keep his
  secret without squeezing him, he becomes a grateful
  contact who can supply rumors from both the wealthy
  professional and starving artist communities of the Edge.
  Chief Coroner Judy Dibling is relieved of her duties
  when Sammy’s headline DEATH EXAGGERATED,
  BUT THANKS FOR THE EULOGIES appears on the
  front page of the next day’s Al Amarja Today.  Julien
  identifies the corpse as that of Rosamund Fong-Fong and
  contacts her family in Hong Kong.  Ashamed of their
  “crazy” daughter, they don’t bother to investigate the
  details.  Dibling does not think to link her foolish political
  tactics to the convincing words of a certain newspaper
  seller...  She might reappear later in the series as a shady
  doctor — imagine a PC’s nervousness when, in the midst
  of an operation to remove a bullet wound he doesn’t want
  reported, Dibling realizes that she’s working on one of
  the people who exposed her and ruined her career.
  Intersections
  •
  If you’re using Airwaves, you could introduce Sammy
  by giving him a weekly gossip program on AXTC.
  •
  A member of Realism Banal could impersonate a
  Protean or Roentgen Operative from New Faces,
  introducing a dangerous sideline for the PCs to
  investigate.  Either group might mistake clue-hungry
  PCs for hostiles.  Similarly, an impersonation of
  Elwood Cardinal from Weather the Cuckoo Likes
  could have confusing to disastrous consequences.
  •
  If the PCs still have a dose of Broadcast left over from
  Unauthorized Broadcast, they could use it to success-
  fully interrogate Marva, since she’s so focused on her
  cause that she’s unable to think of anything else.  This
  could lead to a major operation of the LeThuys in
  which Tramh LeThuy finally has to go underground.
  •
  Welcome To Sylvan Pines has been mentioned
  already in this adventure; if PCs are patients there, it
  would be a good place to introduce Julien, who visits
  the place as a consulting psychologist.
  •
  Armivrek Kazandijan and his fellow Sandmen, or
  Roderick Reis and his Exalted Order, both from
  Wildest Dreams, could get involved in the case.  Each
  might think that the dopplegänger reports are due to
  a sudden tulpa infestation.  Wanting to find them
  and corner the market on their dreamweb, either or
  both groups could be deadly rivals for the PCs in
  pursuit of clues.
  
  58
  OVER THE EDGE
  THE MYTH OF SELF
  Deep
  Troubles
  B Y   J O N A T H A N   T W E E T
  Marlene wants to help the PCs and is sure she saw something they
  should know about, but Cylene would as soon kill them as look at them.
  Priscilla, however, is in charge, and even though she doesn’t know what
  is going on, she’s good at faking it.  In fact, she can pull off
   an excellent
  impersonation of Marlene.  For that matter, so can Cylene.  Maybe it
  wouldn’t be too hard for the PCs to figure out who’s on whose side, ex-
  cept that Marlene, Cylene, and Priscilla are all personalities within one
  body, along with another forty-three personalities.  Multiply this confu-
  sion by the dozen or so “deeps” — people with multiple personalities —
  that the PCs may run across, and you’ve got “Deep Troubles.”
  “Deep Troubles” covers the small subculture of people on Al Amarja with
  multiple personalities.  Since they want to be accepted as normal by society at
  large, the “deeps” keep their disorder secret, and few know that this subculture
  even exists in the Edge.  The engine that drives the PCs’ encounter with the
  deeps is a race between Mover and Throckmorton cloaks to get their hands on
  information that would be very damaging to the Movers.  The PCs are caught up
  in this race themselves in one way or another, probably through a personal con-
  nection to someone they don’t realize is a deep.  The added wrinkle to this plot is
  that the information is in the hands of the deeps, so sorting friend from enemy is
  much more complicated than may at first appear.
  
  DEEP TROUBLES
  OVER THE EDGE
  59
  Deep Background
  This chapter covers the “deeps” on Al Amarja.
  First, it describes the subculture in general, and then it
  examines specific people or places of special interest.
  These special entries include:
  •
  The Deep Blue Sea
  , a café with a very low
  profile, run by and for deeps.
  •
  The Splinters , a gang of deeps who are as wild as
  the other deeps are reserved.
  •
  Dr. Umayma Ahal
  , a psychiatrist specializing in
  multiple personality disorder, a central figure in
  the deep subculture.
  Deep Subculture
  For nearly two decades, a subculture has been
  developing in the Edge.  Since the members of this
  subculture strive to fit in rather than stand out and
  pursue no goals outside the love, work, and play that
  most people seek, they have remained out of the public
  eye.  These are the people with split personalities who
  come together in the Edge to share a community.
  They call themselves “deeps.”
  Multiple Personality Disorder
  To understand the deeps, one must understand
  something of the disorder they suffer from.  Multiple
  personality, one of the least understood personality
  disorders, is a dissociative disorder.  In response to
  abuse or neglect, a child may dissociate “unacceptable”
  feelings, such as anger.  Taken to an extreme, complete
  dissociation involves the creation of separate personali-
  ties that can act out these forbidden feelings or protect
  the original child from suffering.  These separate
  personalities usually remain cut off until adolescence,
  when they begin to assert themselves.
  This disorder is not “schizophrenia,” as it is
  popularly, and mistakenly, called.  Schizophrenia is
  characterized by profound thought disorder, hallucina-
  tions, dulled emotions, and withdrawal from the
  human community.  The deeps, on the other hand,
  generally behave within the bounds of what is consid-
  ered normal.  Many lead active personal lives and
  successful professional careers and are considered
  perfectly normal by their friends.
  Most people base their understanding on the
  movies The Three Faces of Eve and Sibyl.  While these
  movies depicted authentic cases, they were also atypical
  in that the various personalities were so markedly
  different that the women’s lives were disturbed.  Most
  Address  — The nickname given to a body, called an
  “address” because it refers to the place where the
  various personalities live.  An address often
  refers to a physical feature of the body.  For
  instance, the nickname “Red” may be given to
  someone with red hair.  The sentence “Red
  swung by here acting strange,” means that one
  of the personalities that occupies “Red” (Simon’s
  body) came by, but the speaker doesn’t necessar-
  ily know which personality was in charge.  It’s
  easier to say “Red is sick” than to say “Simon,
  Ralph, Rotator, Delilah, Chris, and their co-
  personalities are sick.”
  Captain  — The “original” personality, which blacks
  out while other personalities are in control.  The
  captain does not know what the crew is up to
  unless the crew (or someone else) fills him in.
  Crew  — The various personalities within a deep.
  Some deeps have over a hundred personalities in
  their crews.
  Crew Member  — One personality of a deep.
  Deep  — Someone with a split personality.  From
  “DP,” the initials of “dissociated personalities.”
  First Mate  — The personality that oversees the
  others, typically a dependable personality that
  never blacks out when other personalities take
  over.  Serves as an arbiter in inter-personality
  disputes.
  Loner  — Someone with only one personality, a
  “normal” person.
  Passing  — Convincing loners that one is a loner;
  some deeps see this term as derogatory because
  it implies that the “passer” does not belong in
  mainstream society.
  The Wheel  — Control, usually used in the phrase
  “at the wheel,” meaning in control of the body,
  or “taking the wheel,” meaning taking control.
  Deep Terms
  The deeps have developed several slang terms that they use among themselves, but not with outsiders.
  
  60
  OVER THE EDGE
  THE MYTH OF SELF
  deeps have alternate personalities that are smart
  enough to impersonate the original personalities.  In
  other words, if a personality named Tonia takes charge
  of a body normally controlled by Lawanda, Tonia will
  pretend to be Lawanda.  Tonia will have different
  mannerisms, desires, and quirks from the original
  Lawanda, but she doesn’t want to cause trouble so she
  impersonates the original personality.  While the
  original personalities (called “captains” by the deeps)
  experience black-outs over the periods in which an
  alternate personality is in charge, they rarely realize
  their own situations until a professional diagnoses them
  (which often occurs years after one seeks professional
  help).
  While most deeps are functional, few are without
  their problems.  Dissociation of the personality seems
  often to be the result of vicious abuse suffered as a
  child, and such abuse has other damaging effects on the
  psyche as well.
  While the famous “Eve” had three distinct
  personalities, most deeps have more, and some have
  over a hundred.  Often the personalities result from a
  child’s reaction to abuse, in which case a new personal-
  ity may develop with each incident of abuse.  In such
  cases, however, a few personalities are by far the most
  common, with the majority of them rarely coming to
  the surface.  New personalities may surface over the
  years, but it is understood that these are personalities
  that were created in childhood but that simply didn’t
  manifest themselves for years.
  Successful therapy, for which hypnosis is very
  useful, involves integrating the personalities so they
  become parts of a single personality.  The individual
  personalities do not want to be eliminated, but if they
  trust the therapist, they can accept becoming part of a
  larger whole.
  Development of the Subculture
  The work of one person, Dr. Umayma Ahal, is
  primarily responsible for the deep subculture in the
  Edge.  First, her pioneering work in hypnotherapy has
  diagnosed many deeps from among the local popula-
  tion.  In addition, Dr. Ahal is acknowledged interna-
  tionally as an expert on the subject, and other psychia-
  trists around the world know that she is in touch with a
  subculture of sufferers of multiple personalities.  Many
  people newly diagnosed with this disorder are referred
  Art by H.J. McKinney
  
  DEEP TROUBLES
  OVER THE EDGE
  61
  to Dr. Ahal via an intermediary in Geneva.  Fre-
  quently, Dr. Ahal invites those who contact her to
  move to Al Amarja and join the community there.
  The intermediary allows Dr. Ahal to keep her location
  a secret, since the deeps in the Edge do not want it
  known where their community is located.
  Since many deeps are from off-island, the deep
  subculture has a particularly cosmopolitan population.
  It also tends to be middle and upper class; deeps who
  can’t afford psychotherapy generally go undiagnosed
  and never join the subculture.  Since psychotherapy is
  more common in the First World, the deeps are
  predominantly from First World nations.  Most deeps
  are women.
  The deep community is growing as more people
  are diagnosed.  Some leave the community when they
  take jobs off the island or integrate themselves so well
  that they no longer need the support of other deeps,
  but more people join the community than leave in a
  typical year.
  The Nature of the Deeps
  Deeps try hard to pass for normal and generally
  succeed.  Since they are often troubled by personal
  problems, they turn to each other for support, while
  presenting a strong façade to the “loner” community.
  Deeps are close-knit.  In order to maintain the
  façade of a unified personality, they often have to lie to
  those around them.  For instance, a deep in a monoga-
  mous relationship may have a reckless personality take
  over who is unfaithful to the deep’s partner.  The deep
  typically tries to hide this incident, if possible.  It’s an
  unwritten rule that deeps cover for each other, provid-
  ing each other with alibis as needed.
  Deeps go easy on drugs, caffeine and nicotine
  being the only drugs used casually (because they have
  limited mood-altering effects).  While most deeps do
  drink or use other drugs, they are careful to do so in
  moderation.  They are rightfully worried that an
  unpredictable personality might take over while the
  body is under the influence.  A jovial personality that
  enjoys getting drunk could be usurped by a belligerent
  personality that goes on a drunken rampage.  Rather
  than risk this, the deeps are very moderate in their drug
  use, and certainly steer clear of drugs such as LSD.
  Most deeps who are alcoholics are in recovery, and
  their fellows monitor them closely.
  The exceptions to these generalities are the
  Splinters (p. 62).
  Deep Blue Sea
  Type:   Café
  Rep:   A haven for deeps, no rep among loners.
  Brief:   A small café that caters exclusively to the
  deep subculture.
  Address:   132 Leopard Lane, Flowers Barrio
  It’s not hard to miss Deep Blue Sea.  The front is
  narrow, battered, and dull.  The door is metal, with no
  window, and the large window to its left is painted over
  on the inside.  The address painted on the door is the
  only identification.
  Once inside, the story is quite different.  A narrow
  passageway leads to a much more generous room
  decorated after a sailing motif.  The words “Deep Blue
  Sea” stand out over the bar, painted against a huge,
  stylized wave.  Sitting at the bar, at tables, or in the
  booths are the clientele:  people from all walks of life
  who are generally in little groups, talking or reading Al
  Amarja Today.
  As should be obvious from the unwelcoming
  façade, the staff of Deep Blue Sea are not interested in
  attracting new patrons.  When strangers enter for the
  first time, they receive poorly hidden stares from the
  clientele and staff.  A bartender or waitress may ask the
  newcomers what they want, and then try to hurry them
  out of the café as quickly and quietly as feasible.
  Someone who just wants some coffee may be sum-
  marily served, while someone who wants a meal may
  be told that a “private meeting” is going to start soon,
  Deeps and Fringe Powers
  It would be a shame if PCs prematurely
  cracked the mystery of the deeps by mind scanning
  or aura reading.  Luckily, this isn’t likely.  Fringe
  powers that read the mind or aura allow the user to
  have sensations that others don’t have, but it’s still
  up to the user to determine what those sensations
  mean.  The sensations from a deep seem mostly
  normal at first because one personality is present-
  ing itself and the others are suppressed.  The
  sensations created by the suppressed personalities
  are easily dismissed as “noise” or “individual
  variation.”  (After all, no two brains work exactly
  alike or look exactly alike to a mind scanner.)
  Once a mind scanner or aura reader knows what to
  look for, identifying deeps becomes easier.
  
  62
  OVER THE EDGE
  THE MYTH OF SELF
  jumped or deep drinks.  They have juice, beer, wine,
  tobacco, soft drinks, sandwiches, and simple grilled
  items.
  Board games are available for patrons to play, and
  patrons often leave their newspapers here so others can
  read them.  Obviously, one is welcome to stay here as
  long as one likes, provided one is a deep.
  There are three slot machines against one wall.
  Clientele at the Deep Blue Sea
  People from all walks of life come here, though
  there is a higher proportion of white faces present than
  on the street.  Otherwise, they seem pretty normal.
  Patrons are able to socialize almost indefinitely.
  Once one crew member has made the rounds talking to
  friends, another can take the wheel and do the same, a
  process that can be repeated many times.  Even when a
  crew member takes the wheel a second time, there are
  likely to be plenty of new people to talk to, even if no
  one has entered the café.
  The Splinters (see below) drop in from time to
  time and hassle people.  The patrons cope with these
  unpleasant visits without calling the Aries Gang or
  Peace Force; they don’t want to call attention to
  themselves.
  The Splinters
  Type:   Deviant faction of deeps.
  Rep:   None among loners, seen as troublemakers
  by the deeps.
  Brief:   A bunch of risk-taking deeps that revel in
  switching personalities and in self-destructive lifestyles.
  Allies:  None.
  Enemies:   Regular deeps.
  Their name suggests several images:  they are a
  Splinter group off of the main deep community, they
  themselves are Splintered mentally, and they are a pain.
  The Splinters are the malcontent, delinquent
  population within the deep subculture, mostly young
  adults who would be in gangs even if they were loners.
  The gang serves as a special community, one that
  encourages self-gratifying behavior and accepts the
  members as deeps.  While the Splinters sometimes
  shoplift, steal, fight, and sell drugs, they do so largely
  for the thrills, not for income.
  so they’ve stopped serving meals.  The staff tries not to
  be rude, but they see to it that newcomers leave.  They
  will not, however, make an incredible fuss.  If strangers
  insist on sitting around, they may notice that the
  patrons are notably taciturn.
  If these newcomers, however, mention that Dr.
  Umayma Ahal sent them, the staff greets them
  warmly, and patrons leave their seats and meals to
  greet them and to introduce themselves.  As gently and
  swiftly as possible, the people of Deep Blue Sea make
  these people part of the “family.”
  The reason for this strange behavior, of course, is
  that everyone at Deep Blue Sea is a “deep.”  The Sea is
  their private place to hang out, share stories of their
  lives and their difficulties, tell jokes that only they
  appreciate, and be with like-minded people.  Any
  loners who stumble onto the place are certainly not
  welcome.
  Services at the Deep Blue Sea
  The Deep Blue Sea serves a little of everything,
  except for the hard stuff: no distilled liquors, no
  Playing the Slots
  Gambling is legal, unregulated, and ubiqui-
  tous on Al Amarja.  If a PC tries a slot machine,
  roll three dice.  (Don’t let the player see the dice
  roll.)  The PC pays a quarter to play, and gets the
  following results:
  Roll
  Result
  18
  $25
  17
  $2.50
  15-16
  $.75
  12-14
  “real close”
  8-11
  “pretty close”
  3-7
  nothing
  The gambler’s return is only 77%, but there
  are so many combinations that are “almost a win”
  that usually the results look close.  You can use
  this chart for other slot machines on the island,
  should players decide they want to play regularly.
  Slot machines that run on quarters are known
  as “lunch,” as in “playing lunch,” because
  beggars who get quarters play them in an attempt
  to win enough money to buy a meal.
  
  DEEP TROUBLES
  OVER THE EDGE
  63
  The Splinter ethic runs directly counter to the
  mainstream deep ethic.  Splinters revel in the unpre-
  dictable switches among personalities, abuse drugs, and
  seek random, powerful stimulus wherever they can get
  it.  Some of them believe that having multiple person-
  alities is not a disorder but the next step in human
  evolution.  They consider the calm deep community to
  be unspeakably boring.
  The deep community puts up with the Splinters
  rather than alerting the authorities because they do not
  want to call attention to their community.
  You may wish to let the PCs encounter the
  Splinters long before running the plot detailed in the
  next chapter.  They are plenty interesting on their own
  even if the PCs don’t realize that they’re deeps.
  GMCs
  Randolph Gritz, “Splotches”
  Charismatic Splinter
  Randolph Gritz, Captain:  He is multiphobic
  and rarely asserts himself.
  Terry, First Mate:  Vocal, active, energetic, and
  free-wheeling.  Though sometimes overpowering, he
  has a charm that wins friends and followers.
  Billy:  Schizophrenic, marked by bizarre and
  sometimes “mystic” vocalization; ritualized, repetitive
  actions; and extreme mood swings.
  Thor :  What Randolph fears, Thor attacks.
  Randomly violent, lusty, and ecstatic.
  Others :  Terry stopped counting after twenty-
  seven.  New ones continually arise.
  Splotches carries messages on his bike part-time
  and resorts to petty thievery rather too often.  He has
  turned his back on his family, but Terry does have a
  few girlfriends that he visits from time to time.  Vari-
  ous personalities also fool around with various other
  Splinters.
  Al Amarjan man, age 29, 180 cm, 69 kg.  Face
  mottled light and dark brown.  Multi-colored hair, long
  (false) eyelashes, flashy clothes that combine many
  fabrics and wild colors.  Gives the impression of being
  a crazy jester.
  Languages :  Al Amarja patois, a minor personal-
  ity can read French.
  Attack :  3 dice (Terry & Thor), generally X2
  damage
  Defense :  3 dice (Terry & Thor)
  Hit Points :  20 (Terry), 25 (Thor), or 18 (most
  others)
  Traits
  Fighting (Terry & Thor), 3 dice — Terry fights
  with gusto, while Thor fights with fury.  Splotches is
  usually armed with a fighting knife, but Thor likes
  flashier weapons if he can get his hands on them.
  (Armed)
  Thieving (Terry), 3 dice — Several personalities
  steal, mostly shoplifting.  This trait covers casing,
  filching, and fleeing.  (Lithe)
  Leading (Terry), 3 dice — Terry’s energy and
  enthusiasm are contagious.  (Often followed by several
  other Splinters)
  SueAnne Green, “Sandy”
  Dangerous Splinter
  SueAnne Green, Captain:  A former grade
  school teacher from Arkansas.
  GMC Stats
  The GMC format for someone with multiple
  personalities bears a little explaining.
  Each deep is listed with her legal name and
  her “address.”  If the PCs are introduced to the
  deep through other deeps, they’ll learn the
  address.  If they meet the GMC through outside
  channels, they’ll more likely learn the legal name.
  Not every personality nor every trait of every
  personality can be listed.  Such a list would take
  up far too much space, mostly with irrelevant
  information.  Instead, the GMC formats for
  “Deep Troubles” include the most prominent
  personalities and their traits, leaving the rest for
  you to ad lib.  If the action calls for a personality
  of a given type or with a given skill, it certainly
  does not stretch believability to assume that a
  deep is thus equipped.
  Different personalities can have different hit
  point scores.  A wound that would take down one
  personality may leave another standing, and
  injuries capable of killing one may leave others in
  bad shape but still hanging on.  Use your best
  judgment if a severely wounded deep switches
  personalities and winds up without enough hit
  points to live.
  
  64
  OVER THE EDGE
  THE MYTH OF SELF
  Ode, First Mate :  A Kenyan child, very playful.
  Throg :  A lion-like bestial warrior from an
  unknown place and time.  When Throg gets behind
  the wheel, watch out!  Throg is also a great lover of
  music.  (It is possible that Throg is not a personality
  per se, but rather a spirit that one of Sandy’s personali-
  ties channels.)
  Others :  An array of stereotypes, such as callous
  bitch, insecure girl, loose woman, earth mother, etc.
  Sandy works in a day-care center where SueAnne
  usually keeps control.  Other personalities sometimes
  take over, but they impersonate SueAnne to avoid
  scaring the kids.
  US woman, white, age 36, 148 cm, 47 kg.  Sandy
  blond hair, round face.  Usually wears an athletic
  outfit.  Has a large fighting knife strapped to her leg
  Languages :  US English, some Swahili (Ode),
  “Tordonian” (Throg; Tordonian sounds like gibber-
  ish)
  Attacks :  4 dice (Throg), X2 or with best available
  weapon
  Defense :  4 dice (Throg)
  Hit Points :  24 (Throg), 15 (others)
  Traits
  Covering, 3 dice — Protecting her secret has taught
  her discretion and subterfuge.  (Rarely talks about
  herself)
  Fighting (Throg), 4 dice — She fights with cat-like
  reflexes, surprising strength, and evident training (but
  of no known school or technique).  She usually fights
  with a knife that has a strangely curved blade, custom-
  made at Gun Metal to Throg’s specifications.  (grace-
  ful)
  Dealing with Kids (SueAnne), 3 dice — Most of her
  personalities are good at this, including Throg.
  (Gentle voice)
  Marcellin Gallimard, “Harry”
  Splinter with Throckmorton Personality
  Marcellin Gallimard, Captain:  Dull and
  grouchy, rarely present.
  Godelieve, First Mate:  A nice old lady who
  gives candy to children and old-fashioned advice to
  adults, too unassertive to take the wheel often.
  Étienne :  Boor and brawler, French jingoist and
  Catholic supremacist.  Étienne, unfortunately, is the
  most prominent personality, though he’s generous
  Art by H.J. McKinney
  
  DEEP TROUBLES
  OVER THE EDGE
  65
  Almost half the Splinters are men.
  Descriptions vary, but the Splinter faction has a
  higher proportion of native Al Amarjans than the deep
  community at large.  They dress strangely and exuber-
  antly, expressing the variety of personalities within by
  putting on a variety of colors, textures, and shapes
  without.
  Languages :  varies
  Attacks :  3 dice
  Defense :  3 dice
  Hit Points :  20 (fighting personalities), 15 (others)
  Traits
  Fighting — In a pinch, a Splinter can usually call
  up a personality that can fight, especially because many
  Splinters have gotten into rumbles before.  Feel free to
  vary individual Splinters from the 3 dice average.
  Others — The Splinters have an array of skills and
  traits connected to their various personalities, some of
  them quite surprising.
  Dr. Umayma Ahal
  Dr. Ahal is a de facto leader of the deep commu-
  nity.  The PCs may find cause to visit her peacefully or
  break into her office.
  Dr. Ahal’s Office
  The Aswan Building
  Dr. Ahal’s office is #312 in the Aswan Building, a
  modern office building on Florin Avenue in Golden,
  near Sunken Barrio.  Most renters here are profession-
  als:  lawyers, management consultants, brokers,
  architects, and so forth.  Amenities include a security
  force armed with tasers; clean and shiny bathrooms
  with useful a coin-operated dispenser for personal
  needs; an answering and message service; and a discreet
  service that delivers coffee, donuts, drinks, drugs, and
  perhaps more personal services as well.  Security
  consists of alarms against intrusion, but renters who
  want alarms within their offices need to install them on
  their own.  Dr. Ahal has a manually-activated alarm to
  protect her from a threatening client but has no passive
  alarms.  PCs who wish to break into her office need
  only deal with external alarms and night watchmen.
  enough to let other “fun-loving” personalities out to
  play.
  Clyde :  Throckmorton personality, recently come
  to the fore.
  Harry has found a good construction job, though
  his frequent absences are threatening it.  Harry is
  physically addicted to alcohol, so all his personalities
  are alcoholic.  Étienne considers alcoholism a virtue
  because it allows him to drink more.  Clyde considers it
  a weakness, and he abstains (though the stress of doing
  so may cause him to lose control to Étienne).
  French man, age 35, 171 cm, 72 kg.  Short, black
  hair; fleshy face; pudgy.  Off the job, he dresses
  outrageously.  Black hair covers his skin in an uninter-
  rupted path from his crotch, up his belly, over his
  chest, up his neck, up the sides of his face, over his
  scalp, down his neck, and over his shoulder blades.
  Clyde may or may not have shaved Harry’s belly,
  chest, neck, cheeks, and back by the time the PCs meet
  him.
  Languages :  French, imperfect English.
  Attack :  3 dice, X2 with club
  Defense :  3 dice
  Hit Points :  24 (Étienne & Clyde), 16 (Godelieve),
  20 (others)
  Traits
  Deception, 3 dice — Necessary for covering his
  disorder and useful for duping bosses and lovers.
  (Neglects obligations)
  Brawling (Étienne, Clyde), 3 dice — Not sophisti-
  cated, but effective.  (Tries to keep a weapon within
  reach)
  Alcoholic — Depending on who’s at the wheel, this
  can mean either that he gets drunk a lot or that he has
  to expend a lot of energy resisting the temptation to
  drink.  (Flabby from too much drink)
  Slim, Hawk, Doe, Bouncy, Hell,
  Greenie, Knobs, Bushy
  Other Splinters
  Other Splinters are not as dramatic as Splotches,
  Sandy, and Harry.  They sometimes hang around
  Splotches, but aren’t as close as members of a true
  street gang are.  They share the Splinter ethic of excess
  and are likely to help each other when times get rough.
  If inspiration strikes, give these Splinters whatever
  strange and wonderful traits you can imagine.  Other-
  wise treat them as bizarre hangers-on.
  
  66
  OVER THE EDGE
  THE MYTH OF SELF
  Reception
  A nicely furnished room, heavy on calming
  pastels.  General interest magazines in English, French,
  and Arabic sit in racks near comfortable chairs and
  couches.  During working hours, Dr. Ahal’s secretary,
  Oscar Wae, sits behind a neat desk, which boasts a
  telephone, a computer, a modem, a tape player for
  dictation, and a fax machine.  Since Dr. Ahal keeps
  notes via tape recorder, Wae spends a good deal of time
  typing dictation into the computer.  He greets those
  who enter with civility and patience.
  Locked in his desk are secretarial things, such as
  paper clips, spare floppy disks, a telephone book, and
  so on.  Taped to the underside of the desk, in the space
  where Wae’s legs go, is a good luck charm made from
  pipe cleaners, plastic beads, and a newspaper clipping
  about someone winning a huge lottery.  In one of the
  locked drawers is a spiral of pipe cleaners twisted
  together and painted black.  Stapled to the spiral is a
  yellowed article cut from Al Amarja Today with the
  headline “Burglar Falls To Death.”  The article reports
  how a burglar died after falling out a window in an
  apartment building in Flowers.  The article has no
  relation to Wae or to Dr. Ahal; it is part of a curse-
  charm intended to harm anyone who breaks into the
  office via sympathetic magic.  You may decide whether
  it has any effect, and if so what.  Regardless, the effect
  ought to be explicable through coincidence (rather
  than, for instance, bolts of coruscating energy knocking
  burglars dead in their tracks).  A curse-charm like this
  Cartography by John Nephew
  Office 
  Proper
  Reception
  To Elevators
  Door
  Window
  Dr. Umayma
  Ahal’s Office
  Scale: 1 Square = 1 meter
  Office #312, Aswan Building
  550 Florin Avenue
  Golden Barrio
  Telephone: 633312
  Chair
  Couch
  Bookshelf
  Table or Desk
  North
  312
  313
  To Stairs
  Bar
  Filing
  Cabinets
  
  DEEP TROUBLES
  OVER THE EDGE
  67
  should leave the PCs wondering whether it has any
  effect or is just superstition.
  To maintain security, there is no connection
  between Wae’s computer and Dr. Ahal’s.  Wae types
  dictation onto a disk, and Dr. Ahal transfers the
  completed files onto her hard drive.  No compromising
  evidence of any kind can be found anywhere in the
  reception area (unless one can get a tape or disk away
  from Wae while he’s working on them).
  Under the desk is a small plate with a cookie on it,
  left for the office spirits.  The office spirits (picture tiny
  caricatures of janitors) might show up and defend
  Wae’s desk, since he leaves treats for them, or they
  might be figments of Wae’s imagination.  If they do
  exist, they’re the ones that keep office equipment in
  repair or wear it out, depending on their whims.  They
  have all the powers of fairies in fairy tales (i.e., what-
  ever magical abilities that are needed for the sake of the
  story).
  Dr. Ahal’s Office Proper
  Another elegant room, with windows looking
  north toward the Sunken Plaza.  It contains:
  •
  A large desk.  On top of it are a computer and a
  phone.  Locked in the desk drawers are a tape
  recorder and several tapes (minis), a hand-held
  stun device (X3 damage, stun only), and perhaps
  certain items of a personal nature (see below).  A
  button underneath the desk silently alerts security,
  should one of Ahal’s patients become threatening.
  •
  A computer on the desk.
    It can only be accessed
  with the proper password (or rudimentary hacking
  skill and technology).  In addition to financial
  information (which reveals Dr. Ahal to be quite
  well off), the hard drive contains files on current
  patients.  With time, an intruder could learn just
  about anything about current clients.  Juicy tidbits
  may reward the thorough researcher (see below).
  •
  A set of filing cabinets, locked.  These files include
  basic client information forms, professional
  articles, general correspondence, floppy disks with
  older patient files (current files are kept on hard
  drive), non-verbal patient information (such as
  drawings made during therapy), and perhaps some
  more interesting material (see below).
  •
  Escape chute.  A long, narrow tube made of strong,
  synthetic material, with metal hoops spaced along
  it.  It’s currently piled up under a window and
  bolted securely to the wall.  Dr. Ahal can pop open
  the window, throw it out, and slide down it to the
  sidewalk.  She had this installed after SueAnne
  Green, as Throg, went wild in the reception area.
  It’s to escape clients, not fires.
  •
  Bookshelves.  Lined with books and bound psycho-
  logical journals.
  •
  Chairs and a couch for clients.
  •
  A well-stocked bar.  In an elegant mahogany
  cabinet.
  Things to be Found
  Depending on where you want to take the plot,
  there are many things the PCs might find in Dr. Ahal’s
  office, should they get a close look at it.
  •
  To allow PCs to infiltrate the deep subculture
   —  A
  fax from a Californian psychiatrist that tells Dr.
  Ahal that new deeps are coming to the island.  It
  would not be hard to convince C&I (or a private
  group) to detain these two deeps so that the PCs
  can impersonate them and come to Dr. Ahal as if
  they were deeps.  The notes identify the deeps as
  “Chris Kevlik and Robin Fields (lovers).”  Since
  the note does not indicate gender, any two PCs can
  impersonate Chris and Robin.
  •
  To reveal a dark side to Dr. Ahal — Evidence that
  Dr. Ahal herself isn’t too sane.  Depending on
  your needs and tastes, the PCs may find any or all
  of the following:  a hand-written journal describing
  bizarre sexual fantasies involving patients (the
  psychiatric community would say that these
  journals are OK since they show that Dr. Ahal is
  able to keep her desires on the level of fantasy);
  deeply disturbed art, possibly finger paintings of
  incredible violence; prose or photographs that
  reveal an unhealthy fascination with fascism,
  cannibalism, mutilation, or what-have-you; a
  journal filled with intense introspection, mostly
  psychobabble, with riffs of frightening incoherence
  and psychotic imagery; notes written by her own
  split personalities, whom she refuses to acknowl-
  edge.  Creating facsimiles to hand to the players
  would enhance this find.
  •
  To provide connections to other plots
   — Among the
  good doctor’s notes may be found files on various
  interesting people, such as:
  — Sarah L’Orange, who came in for therapy
  obviously very troubled.  She complained of being
  unbearably in love with Mariman Pentere, an Al
  Amarjan man who recently moved off-island.  In
  fact, she describes what sound like withdrawal
  symptoms caused by his absence.  She has tracked
  
  68
  OVER THE EDGE
  THE MYTH OF SELF
  serious psychiatric intervention.  Under hypnosis, she
  asks other personalities to come forth.  It’s fully within
  the realm of possibility that the “alternate personali-
  ties” that answer her call are newly created entities,
  produced as a wounded psyche’s attempts to please a
  powerful and caring authority figure.  Even if Ahal
  actually creates the multiple personalities in her client,
  the clients apparently benefit.  The model of “split
  personalities” allows her clients to accept, understand,
  and organize personalities that are otherwise too
  wounded to integrate fully.
  She works in office #312, Aswan Building, Florin
  Lane, Golden.  She lives in the ‘Burbs, but her address
  and phone number are unlisted.  (Her clients have her
  number and can call her in emergencies.)
  Her first name means “little mother” in Arabic.
  Algerian woman, age 52, 156 cm, 56 kg.  Curly
  black hair, usually wears a simple dress.  Her speech
  and style indicate an education in the US.
  Languages :  Arabic, French, US English, reads &
  writes German
  Traits
  Psychiatry, 3 dice — Thoroughly familiar with
  psychological theory, psychopharmacology, and
  therapy techniques.  Her specialty (4 dice) is in dealing
  with multiple personalities.  (Wealthy)
  Sedentary, penalty die — Penalty die on strenuous
  physical activity.  (Flabby)
  Oscar Wae
  Secretary
  Hired as a secretary and as something of a body-
  guard.  Unknown to Dr. Ahal, he performs minor
  magic ceremonies at his desk.
  Korean man, age 31, 170 cm, 61 kg.  Carefully
  waved black hair, tanned skin, small eyes.  Dresses
  professionally, usually with a silk noose.  Polite and
  professional in his conduct.
  Languages :  Korean, English, some Japanese
  Attack :  3 dice, X2 with club
  Defense :  3 dice
  Hit Points :  21
  Traits
  Martial Arts, 3 dice — He’s no expert, but he can
  take care of himself.  (Trim)
  down his family, but they refuse to speak with her.
  Further complicating matters, L’Orange is
  pregnant.  Dr. Ahal asked L’Orange whether she
  had used any unusual drugs while seeing Pentere,
  but she says she did not.  Dr. Ahal’s comments
  include the hypothesis that some men are slipping
  an unknown drug to their girlfriends because she
  has heard of the “withdrawal symptoms of love”
  before.  What Dr. Ahal doesn’t know is that
  Pentere is a glug.  (L’Orange did not return for a
  second therapy session.)
  — Overbright, a 15 year old pube who cannot
  remember anything from before age 11.  Under
  hypnosis, Overbright has described various
  atrocities associated with her life as the daughter of
  a Glorious Lord, including some details about the
  seklut centipedes.  Dr. Ahal is still exploring this
  occluded past and has decided that it is not in
  Overbright’s best interests to recall these events
  yet.
  •
  For comic relief — Sight gags and such that mock
  psychotherapy, such as a box of cigars labelled
  “Just Cigars,” a shrine to Freud, and an “English-
  Psychobabble/Psychobabble-English” dictionary.
  •
  If needed in the plot — The “paperweight” that
  drives the plots with the cloaks (see below), given
  to Dr. Ahal by a client.  The PCs may find it here,
  only to be captured by the building’s security
  forces and relieved of it.  When Dr. Ahal finds out
  that the PCs had stolen it, she takes interest in
  their motives, and might lock the paperweight
  away somewhere safe, such as in a bank safe
  deposit box.
  Dr. Umayma Ahal
  Shrink, Deep Expert
  Ahal left Algeria in 1965 to escape the military
  dictatorship of Colonel Boumediène.  She traveled to
  the US, studied there, and eventually received a
  doctorate in psychology.  In 1979, after the death of
  Boumediène, she intended to return to Algeria.  On her
  way, she visited a friend and colleague on Al Amarja
  and decided to stay there, “where so many people need
  professional help.”
  While she has never considered the possibility,
  and would oppose the idea vociferously, it’s possible
  that Dr. Ahal creates as many deeps as she diagnoses.
  After all, she works primarily with people who have
  suffered traumatic abuse as children and whose
  personalities have integrated so poorly that they need
  
  DEEP TROUBLES
  OVER THE EDGE
  69
  Superstitious — Follows an eclectic and personal
  set of beliefs, usually involving the use of petty,
  improvised magic to improve his life.  (Desk filled with
  paraphernalia)
  Into the Deep
  There are countless ways to use the deeps, even
  once you’ve narrowed the plot down to a single string
  of events.  Since there are not only many characters in
  play, but most characters have many personalities, the
  possible combinations and permutations are too
  numerous to detail.
  Below is a plot for you to use, either directly or as a
  model for a plot of your own invention.  Included are
  several idea for how you can vary this plot.  Chances
  are that player input and personal inspiration will lead
  the plot astray whatever its origin, but that’s to be
  expected.  Enjoy the chaos.
  Aiding the Innocent
  This plot shows how just about all the background
  material can come into use, and how the combination
  of split personalities and Throckmorton domination
  can really mess up people’s plans.
  Kicking It Off
  A Gladstein Mover in the Edge, under
  Throckmorton influence, stole a key to a Gladstein
  code.  He was mortally wounded as he tried to get the
  key to a compatriot, but he dropped the key somewhere
  along his path of travel, and the Gladsteins were at first
  unable to locate it.  If the Throckmortons can get the
  key, which is itself encoded, they will publish it in
  Little Scratches.  Other, unrelated Throckmortons who
  currently have encoded Gladstein data will intuitively
  understand that the key is intended for them, break the
  code on the data, and gain important information for
  use against the Gladsteins.
  The Key
  Imagine a polished stone with a flat surface, a
  stone that would fit in the palm of your hand.  That’s
  what the Throckmortons and the Gladstein Movers are
  after.  It looks for all the world like a paperweight.  The
  stone is a rosy granite with nice sparkly bits in soothing
  Art by H.J. McKinney
  
  70
  OVER THE EDGE
  THE MYTH OF SELF
  Tariq Ad-Deena has taken it.  Tariq, also a deep,
  is an ex-lover of Amanda’s, and he snatched the key
  surreptitiously when his Throckmorton-dominated
  crew member popped up.  Amanda knows he took it
  because he was the only one who’d visited her, but
  when she calls him, he denies it.  Actually, he has no
  knowledge of the key because the Throckmorton crew
  member took it.  Amanda thinks he’s playing mind
  games with her as petty vengeance against an ex-lover.
  So the next time the “polite tourists” call the
  restaurant, Amanda tells them she’s lost it.  That’s
  when the trouble begins.  The Gladstein cloaks call her
  at home and threaten her, hoping they can force her to
  tell more.  They give her three days to find it or to tell
  them all she knows; otherwise they threaten to cut up
  her pretty face.  And they say that they’ll be watching,
  so she had better not go to the Peace Force.
  Now she’s in trouble.  She doesn’t want to call in
  the Peace Force because she doesn’t want publicity for
  the deeps, because Tariq has been known to be
  involved in illicit businesses, and because she believes
  the Gladsteins’ threats.  She asks her friends, the PCs,
  to help.  If possible, the PCs may witness her getting
  this final, threatening call.  They may even insist that
  they be allowed to help, rather than needing to be
  asked.
  But Amanda doesn’t play them straight.  She
  wants to hide the fact that she and Tariq are deeps, so
  she tells them that he took it from her place, but she
  doesn’t explain that the relationship between her and
  Tariq is actually a relationship between multiple
  personalities on both sides, not all of whom know what
  the others are up to.
  If the PCs don’t know about the phone call, she’ll
  even tell them that she just wants the paperweight back
  because it’s a sentimental gift from her father.
  In any event, she says Tariq’s holding a party at
  his place, and she’s invited, and she’d like the PCs to
  come along.  The party promises to be a fun time in its
  own right, so PCs who have no interest in helping
  Amanda may want to come along just for its social
  value.  In addition, however, Amanda would like some
  PCs to see if they can snoop around and find the stone
  while they’re there.  The party is in two nights.
  Visiting the Deep Blue Sea
  Before the party, draw a PC or two to the Deep
  Blue Sea.  If the PCs decide to check into Tariq, they
  may hear on the streets that he hangs out somewhere
  on the 100 block of Leopard Lane, in Flowers.  PCs
  black splotches in it, a pretty but unexceptional item.
  Carved in tiny script on the flat bottom, however, is a
  string of numbers too tiny to read without a magnify-
  ing glass (though a sharp eye or sensitive fingertip can
  detect them).  When magnified, these symbols appear
  legible but meaningless. That’s because they are
  meaningless.  The real message is “157,” the volume of
  the stone in milliliters.  If the Throckmortonians had
  that number, they would be able to crack the codes
  protecting data on disks that they have stolen from
  Gladstein Movers.
  What the data on the disks are remains up to you
  (and is out of the scope of this adventure), but possi-
  bilities include: a list of Movers who have been “acting
  out of character” (because they are under
  Throckmorton influence), progress on a weird science
  device that detects Throckmorton influence, identities
  of various Mover informers in the Edge, or compro-
  mising data on a member of the DBI who is now
  looking the other way when the Gladsteins ask her to.
  The Hook
  Meanwhile, at least one PC has gotten to know
  Amanda Gruenfeldt, a deep with a new, almost latent
  Throckmorton personality.  Make the meeting between
  the PCs and Amanda as natural as possible.  (In fact, if
  the PCs have already gotten to know a suitable GMC,
  have that GMC be a deep who can fulfill the role that
  Amanda would play, dropping Amanda altogether.)
  Among other things, Amanda is an ideal foil for
  romantic competition and confusion.  She may like one
  PC when one crew member is at the wheel, but favor
  another PC when a different personality is present.  By
  making her interesting in her own right, you can
  involve her in several light-hearted scenes, assuring
  that the PCs will want to aid her when she needs their
  help.
  And she will need their help because she found the
  “paperweight” behind the restaurant where she works.
  Her Throckmorton crew member stepped briefly to the
  fore to pick it up and put it in her purse, and she took it
  home.
  The Gladsteins, meanwhile, ascertain that the key
  was dropped behind the restaurant, and they have no
  reason to suspect that anyone would think it was
  anything more than a paperweight, so they try to
  retrieve it politely.  They call the restaurant to ask if
  anyone’s found it.  Amanda says she has indeed found
  it, but when she looks for it in her apartment, it’s gone.
  
  DEEP TROUBLES
  OVER THE EDGE
  71
  who search there may at first be stymied since there are
  no obvious hang-outs on that out-of-the-way block,
  but anyone determined enough to open the Deep Blue
  Sea’s forbidding door is rewarded.  If the PCs don’t
  check out Tariq, you can lure the PCs to the Sea by
  having a deep who’s infatuated with Amanda stalk her.
  The PCs notice him and follow him back to the Sea.
  The stalker proves harmless (though he could show up
  again later to serve other roles in the plot).
  In the Sea, the PCs are treated coolly; the deeps
  don’t like outsiders intruding.  The Splinters may show
  up to make noise and goof off.  If so, they may give
  away a little information, mistaking the PCs for new
  members of the community.  PCs should leave the Sea
  with the idea that something weird is going on, but
  without cracking the mystery.
  Tariq’s Party
  The party is at the apartment that Tariq and Tiger
  share.  Both deeps and loners are there.  One room is
  “deeps only”; they give the cold shoulder to outsiders
  who come in.  But deeps and loners mingle freely
  elsewhere in the apartment.  Tariq is not around, but
  then his business interests often make him late, so no
  one’s really worried.  Tiger (Smiley) is busy seeing to
  guests’ needs.
  This party is an excellent opportunity for light-
  hearted role-playing, flirting, bragging, and goofing
  around.  At the party they meet Bangles and Atlanta.
  If they haven’t met Goldilocks yet (Amanda’s room-
  mate), they meet her now.  They may notice an
  interesting detail, that some people (deeps) call
  Amanda “Raven.”
  If Amanda has not told the PCs about the threats,
  they think that they’re doing a little personal snooping,
  but that they’re not involved with anything dangerous.
  When the PCs find Tariq, they see how wrong that
  assumption is.  In looking for the paperweight, the PCs
  may come near the closet in Tariq’s bedroom.
  Through the door, they can hear whimpering.  If they
  look inside, they find Tariq in the corner of the closet,
  in a fetal position, whimpering.  (If the PCs don’t find
  Tariq, someone else at the party does.)
  The cloaks have already gotten to Tariq.  Some-
  how, by bugging Amanda’s apartment, perhaps, or by
  getting “Goldilocks” to talk, they determined that
  Tariq had the stone.  They captured him and tortured
  him for information, but he didn’t know where the
  stone was.  His Throckmorton-dominated personality
  had already handed it off to a Splinter, and the person-
  ality being interrogated knew nothing about it.  The
  torture, akin to the abuse he suffered as a child, made
  Mobo, his least functional and most child-like person-
  ality, come to the fore.  That’s the crying, fetal-position
  person found in the closet.  He’s been here since before
  Smiley came home from work.
  Strange clue:  Tariq seems to have isolated,
  triangular chemical burns on his body.  These are
  d’ngium burns, caused by the ends of the cloaks’
  knives (see below).  They used their knives to torture
  Tariq.
  The PCs doubtless want to get information from
  Tariq, but as long as Mobo has control, Tariq can’t tell
  them anything.  At this point, the PCs may be able to
  figure out that Tariq has split personalities, or they
  may be able to badger the admission out of Amanda.
  They may, however, have to wait until the next scene
  for this information.
  Dr. Ahal’s Office
  Worried about Tariq, Amanda calls Dr. Ahal’s
  home number (“for emergencies only”) and requests an
  immediate meeting.  Dr. Ahal agrees to meet Amanda,
  Tariq, and “some friends” (the PCs) at her office.
  Amanda explains that Dr. Ahal is Tariq’s shrink, but
  she’ll avoid explaining his disorder, if possible.
  The problem is that the Gladstein cloaks took Dr.
  Ahal’s business card from Tariq’s wallet, and they’ve
  gone there to see what they can find out about him and
  his associates.  They’re skilled enough that they’ve
  been able to get past security, but as luck would have
  it, the PCs arrive when the cloaks are there.  (Perhaps
  it’s not luck.  Dr. Ahal’s secretary has a magic charm to
  thwart burglars; maybe it is what causes the cloaks’
  burgling to run into trouble.)
  The cloaks, currently in Dr. Ahal’s office proper,
  hear the PCs enter the reception area, so they have a
  little time to plan an escape.  They can duck out the
  escape chute if need be.  Once at the bottom, they can
  either tie the end in a quick knot or place a garbage can
  underneath the end.  If several PCs come down one
  right after the other, either option can lead to some
  slapstick humor and possibly suffocation.
  The cloaks can also fight their way out of the
  office, probably trying to take a hostage and then
  backing out.  Since Dr. Ahal is likely to open the door
  to her office, she’s a prime candidate for hostagehood.
  The cloaks also have flip-flop (see p. 77 for its descrip-
  tion) to help their escape.
  
  72
  OVER THE EDGE
  THE MYTH OF SELF
  If any kind of fight breaks out, building security is
  likely to call the Golden Knights, who respond imme-
  diately, and the Peace Force, who show up a bit later to
  gather information.  Though the PCs haven’t done
  anything wrong, if they’ve encountered the law before,
  this incident may earn them another entry in their
  official, confidential files.  Golden Knights and Peace
  Force officers may be Gladstein Movers, who stifle the
  investigation; operatives for other groups, who want to
  gain information for their superiors; or cloaks for
  groups friendly to certain PCs, who may pass along
  information to them.
  The Gladstein cloaks who rifled through Dr.
  Ahal’s office have made a mess of the place, scattering
  files everywhere in their search for clues.  Tariq’s file is
  spread out on the desk, though the name on the file is
  “Jean-Claude Aurasse,” Tariq’s all but absent captain.
  The PCs may see other interesting information, such as
  Amanda’s file, or data that lead to other weird events
  on the island.
  Once the threat is over and the Peace Force and
  Golden Knights have their reports, if applicable, Dr.
  Ahal is able to use hypnosis to get Tariq to come to the
  fore.  She’ll do this in private, so the PCs might still not
  know what’s going on.  Dr. Ahal may refuse to divulge
  even the most basic information about her clients
  without their permission.  Chances are, though, the
  PCs will have seen enough personalities switching that
  they’ll be able to figure it out by now, especially if they
  can press Amanda for information.
  Dr. Ahal manages to contact Clyde, “Shiny’s”
  Throckmortonian personality, and find out that he
  gave the “paperweight” to “Harry,” a Splinter.  Tariq,
  Dr. Ahal, and Amanda all know that the Splinters hang
  out around Shifter’s, an abandoned strip mall in Four
  Points.
  Shifter’s
  In a back room in Shifter’s is “Harry” (see descrip-
  tion on p. 64), with Clyde firmly in place behind the
  wheel.  He has a magnifying glass, notebooks, paper,
  and other primitive devices for use in his attempt to
  determine what the paperweight is for.  He has found
  the writing on the bottom and copied it, and he’s tried
  to crack that “code,” but there isn’t any.
  Hanging around “Harry” are the other Splinters.
  They’re ready for a rumble with anyone who en-
  croaches on their territory.  Good-hearted PCs will
  have to cope with fighting with multiple personalities.
  If they smash up Throg, for example, SueAnne may
  take the wheel and suffer innocently.  Hard-hearted
  PCs won’t care, but then they’ll have their own karma
  to face some time later.  This final confrontation with
  the Splinters in abandoned buildings at night should be
  creepy.
  If you want to drop hints about the Throckmorton
  Device, the PCs can find them in “Harry’s” room.  He
  may, for instance, have written “ClydeClydeClyde...”
  all over the walls or scribbled Throckmortonian rants
  into his notebook.
  Settling Accounts
  Tough PCs should be able to get the paperweight
  from Harry.  Now what?  They can give it back.  The
  cloaks will take it and leave Amanda alone after that.  If
  they destroy the “paperweight,” the cloaks are satisfied,
  once it’s proved that it’s destroyed.  If they try to use it
  as bait, they’ll have a good fight on their hands.  The
  cloaks, if they have to, will call in reinforcements,
  though the PCs could eventually make attacks on them
  so costly that the cell gives up rather than lose more
  men and equipment trying to get the key back.
  Other Hooks and Ideas
  Below are other premises and plot ideas you can
  use, either directly, or as inspiration for your own
  sordid plans.
  Mercs
  Dionysus Movers have gotten wind of the
  Gladsteins’ loss of their key, and they want it for
  themselves.  They may be able to sell it back to the
  Gladsteins, or use it for their own espionage against
  their fellow Movers.  Through a front, they hire the
  PCs to get the key.
  The PCs can pretend to come to Amanda’s rescue
  in order to gain her confidence, or use fringe powers or
  weird science to learn more about the key’s location
  and beat the Gladsteins to it.
  If the superiors hear about the d’ngium daggers,
  they offer the PCs bonuses for capturing them.
  Conspiracy Connection
  If PCs are on to the Throckmortons or Movers,
  GMCs that they have under surveillance may be after
  
  DEEP TROUBLES
  OVER THE EDGE
  73
  the key.  PCs with initiative will find out what their
  subjects are after and get it themselves.
  PC’s Possession
  It’s not the Gladstein key that everyone’s after, it’s
  some vital possession belonging to a PC, such as a
  fringe invention or a magic charm.  It should be
  something that the Throckmortons want, either to use,
  or to keep it from being used against them.  A
  Throckmorton-dominated deep, possibly a friend,
  snatches it, and the PCs go after it, with the Mover
  cloaks trying to get it for their own ends at the same
  time.  The GMC who steals it in the first place may be
  a good friend of the PC who owns it.
  PC Deep
  A PC, unknown to her or her player, is a deep, and
  the PC gets stuck in Amanda’s position.  This makes
  the threats a bit more personal.  You had better know
  your player well before you spring something like this
  on a PC.
  Deep GMCs
  Below are deep GMCs that may be involved in the
  plot.  They may also serve as local color, entering the
  series before or after this scenario plays out.
  Amanda Gruenfeldt, “Raven”
  Sympathetic Deep
  Amanda Gruenfeldt, Captain :  She is reason-
  ably happy and functional, though she can get dispir-
  ited when things turn against her.
  Sarah, First Mate :  Pragmatic and emotionally
  distant, except with her closest friends.
  Myra :  Happy-go-lucky, reckless.
  Claudia :  Lightly dominated by the
  Throckmorton Device.  She has not presented herself
  to the other crew members yet.  As of yet, she is not
  very assertive.
  Gruenfeldt works as a waitress and shares an
  apartment with Goldilocks (Priscilla Kent).  She pretty
  much has it together.
  Gruenfeldt makes an ideal hook for chivalric or
  macho PCs who want to come to her assistance.  If you
  want to use such a hook, you can alter her description
  Art by H.J. McKinney
  
  74
  OVER THE EDGE
  THE MYTH OF SELF
  Priscilla Kent works as a buyer for Jara’s, a
  fashionable store in Broken Wings.  She shares an
  apartment with Raven (Amanda Gruenfeldt).
   The captain has done an admirable job of con-
  structing a coherent personality after suffering incred-
  ible abuses at the hands of her priest as a child.  All of
  her personalities, however, retain a distaste for orga-
  nized religion.
  British woman, age 33, 165 cm, 59 kg.  Long, light
  brown hair; long, thin face; perfect teeth.  Dresses very
  fashionably.
  Traits
  Subterfuge, 3 dice — Inventing alibis, parrying
  curious questions, and impersonating Priscilla.
  (Laughs off contradictions in what she says)
  Eye for Fashion (Priscilla), 4 dice.  (Well-dressed)
  Banter (Marlene), 3 dice.  (Talkative at parties)
  Rad-Fem Politics (Cylene), 4 dice — Knowledge of
  and devotion to radical feminist politics, as well as the
  ability to interpret every situation as evidence for the
  rad-fem world view.  (No sense of humor)
  Tariq Ad-Deena, “Shiny”
  Amanda’s Ex
  Jean-Claude Aurasse, Captain
  :  A timid Swiss
  man, torn with self-doubt, rarely expressing himself
  any more.
  Hector, First Mate :  A stern Spanish patriarch;
  super-ego and self-appointed judge of the other crew
  members.  Rarely presents himself.
  Tariq Ad-Deena :  The dominant personality, a
  successful, energetic North African.
  Mobo :  A helpless, frightened child, barely able to
  talk.
  Clyde :  A new personality, dominated by the
  Throckmorton Device.
  “Shiny” has legally changed his name to Tariq
  Ad-Deena, and he dresses and acts as if he were North
  African, albeit a rather irreverent and Westernized one.
  He deals some drugs, fences stolen goods, runs short
  cons, and also holds legit jobs from time to time.  As a
  Muslim, he never drinks, but he smokes tobacco and
  “kif” (marijuana).
  He shares an apartment with Smiley (Tiger
  Tasanawinyou).
  to make her fit the PCs.  For instance, if you want her
  to hook a PC who works out at Myron’s Gym, change
  her from a waitress to an athletic trainer who works
  there.
  Al Amarjan woman, age 24, 165 cm, 56 kg.  Long,
  slightly curly, black hair, deeply tanned skin, small
  nose and mouth, thin eyebrows.  She dresses nicely,
  favoring skirts and bare arms.  Sometimes (as Myra),
  she dresses quite provocatively.
  Languages :  Al Amarja patois, some Arabic
  Traits
  Covering, 3 dice — Though her crew members
  aren’t bizarre, she has still had to learn to deceive,
  dissemble, and fabricate alibis.  All crew members have
  this trait.  (Has an excuse for everything)
  Style (Amanda and Myra), 3 dice — Since physical
  appearance is part of the façade that convinces people
  she is a loner, she monitors her appearance closely.
  This attention helps her dress well, use make-up
  tastefully, use the right body language when talking,
  and so on.  Since people place more importance on
  appearance than they like to admit, she generally comes
  across as likeable, attractive, and intelligent.  (Dresses
  well)
  Priscilla Kent, “Goldilocks”
  Amanda’s Roommate
  Priscilla Kent, Captain :  Taciturn, reserved, but
  comfortable and open with people she knows.  Cold
  toward religious people.
  Marlene, First Mate :  Giddy, light-hearted, and
  something of a tease.
  Cylene :  Lesbian-separatist, man-hater with
  castration fantasies.  Atheist and positivist.
  Catherine :  Throckmorton-dominated.  Hates
  Cylene, and may assert herself when Cylene is involved
  in “repulsive” behavior.  The other crew members
  have not met Catherine yet.
  Your pick :  The conscious and reincarnated soul
  of someone who did not have the spiritual wherewithal
  to make it back into an independent body.  Choose a
  person who fits the story or the PCs, maybe someone
  who knew a PC in a past life, or someone bringing the
  PC an urgent message from the Other Side.  If no one
  presents himself, use Van Gogh.  (That ought to mess
  up Kent’s career as a buyer, or boost it.)
  
  DEEP TROUBLES
  OVER THE EDGE
  75
  Swiss man, age 34, 175 cm, 78 kg.  Short, blond
  hair; naturally pale skin painstakingly tanned to a deep
  bronze; heavy-set.  He usually wears a djellabah.
  Languages :  French, German, decent English,
  colloquial Arabic
  Traits
  Role-Playing, 3 dice — He plays fictitious roles
  and portrays false emotions with ease.  He uses this
  trait to cover for strange things that may happen when
  he shifts personalities.  (Always finds a way to fit in)
  Street-Dealing (Tariq), 3 dice — He can buy it and
  he can sell it, but the really hot stuff (like Slo-Mo,
  firearms, or state secrets) he won’t touch.  (Keeps odd
  hours)
  Tiger Tasanawinyou, “Smiley”
  Meek Throckmortonian
  Tiger Tasanawinyou, Captain
  :  Meek, smiley,
  likes checkers.  Usually at the wheel.
  Leon, First Mate :  An energetic and caring lover
  who always holds the woman all night after making
  love.
  Fahd :  A gay party animal.  (The name means
  “panther” in Arabic.)
  An unfortunately suggestible fellow who had never
  developed much of his own personality when a psy-
  chiatrist convinced him (under hypnosis) that he had
  split personalities, Tiger has since come to Al Amarja,
  settled here, and taken the inappropriate name “Ti-
  ger,” all because authority figures around here wanted
  him to do so (or at least thought he wanted to do so).
  He shares an apartment with Shiny (Tariq Ad-
  Deena), and he works as a street vendor.
  Thai man, age 47, 166 cm, 60 kg.  Small and slim,
  round face, short, black hair.  Dresses modestly and
  smiles a lot.
  Languages :  Thai, imperfect English
  Traits
  Reading Desires, 5 dice — With little to no
  personality to motivate him, he learned to anticipate
  and understand the desires of those around him.  He
  can sense the feelings of friends as accurately as most
  people can feel their own.  Note that he never uses this
  ability to his advantage, but conforms his own actions
  to fit the desires of those around him.  Also note that a
  score of 5 dice is only possible for an exceptional
  person; in this case, Tiger is exceptional because of his
  weak personality.  (People like him)
  Developing New Selves — With a weak self to
  begin with, Tiger has an easy time allowing what
  should be a facet of his personality to develop a “life”
  of its own.  He often spontaneously develops new
  selves to match the needs of those around him (though
  these newcomers act as if they’ve been hanging around
  for years, just watching).  (Creates selves to please
  others)
  Throckmorton Domination
   — It feels like coming
  home.  Most of Tiger’s selves are heavily into following
  Throckmorton’s needs.  The conflict within Tiger
  comes from his lifelong need to acquiesce to those
  around him; he can’t follow Throckmorton and please
  everyone else at the same time.  Currently Tiger serves
  as a “latent” Throckmorton, willing to give up every-
  thing for the cause at a moment’s notice when he is
  needed.  He may or may not have shaved his eyebrows;
  if so, he claims a prankster personality did it on a lark.
  (Has a newfound glow)
  Stefania Piarni, “Bangles”
  Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde
  Stefania Piarni, Captain
  :  Sullen, prone to
  spending long hours painting when there is work to do.
  Maria-Grazia, First Mate
  :  Timid and easy to
  bully.
  Maria-Alba :  Pretends to be timid and easy to
  bully, then whips out a knife.  Up till now, just a
  mutilator and humiliater, but the capacity for killing is
  within her.
  Clyde :  Under Throckmorton domination.  Other
  crew members have not yet met her.
  Plot Potential:  The helpful Maria-Grazia turns
  unannounced into Maria-Alba and gives the PCs a
  scare.  The PCs have, by now, realized that some of
  these deeps are after the “paperweight,” and think that
  Maria-Alba is involved, but she’s clueless.  Clyde,
  however, is watching, and waiting for an opportune
  time to act.
  Italian woman, age 29, 162 cm, 55 kg.  Short,
  tightly curled, brown hair; dark, brooding eyes.  Her
  clothes are usually in casual disarray, and she wears lots
  of bracelets and anklets.
  Languages :  Italian, fair English, some German
  Traits
  Painting (Stefania), 3 dice —  Mostly moody water
  colors.  (Apartment bedecked with water colors)
  
  76
  OVER THE EDGE
  THE MYTH OF SELF
  Mover Cloaks
  These are the Gladstein cloaks who have come to
  retrieve the key.  They are from off-island because the
  local Gladsteins do not want to risk blowing their covers
  in this operation.  Local Gladstein cloaks, however, are
  providing these cloaks with some information to help
  them navigate around the Edge.
  Gladstein Cloaks
  Asian Operatives
  Cover:  Japanese businessmen considering opening
  an electronics plant on Al Amarja.  They may adopt
  other covers to deal with new situations.
  They can provide precious little information about
  the local Movers.  They were called in by the local
  Gladsteins for this mission and are not familiar with
  Mover operations on Al Amarja.  If it can be forced out
  of them, they can provide information about the
  Gladstein cell in East Asia.
  Asian men, about age 30.  They wear special suits:
  steel-reinforced shoes, armored suit coat, and secret
  pockets.  Their special equipment includes d’ngium
  knives (one each), flip-flop (one capsule each), and
  crystal traps (three among the six of them).
  Languages:  Among them they speak most major
  Asian languages (so they can pose as Chinese, Filipi-
  nos, Japanese, or whatever), and all speak English (or
  they wouldn’t be assigned to Al Amarja)
  Attack:  3 dice, X2 (tripled) with d’ngium blade
  Defense:  3 dice
  Hit Points:  21 (conditioned toughness)
  Armor:  Reinforced jacket, 1 die
  Trait s
  Fighting, 3 dice
  Covert Ops, 3 dice
  Moving, 4 dice
  Timid (Maria-Grazia), penalty die — Bad at
  resisting bullying, fighting, asserting herself, speaking
  in public, and so on.  (Looks at the ground a lot)
  Violent (Maria-Alba), 3 dice — Use for attack
  rolls, but not defense rolls.  (Grins when others are
  scared)
  Lawanda Chardonnay Jackson-Damar,
  “Atlanta”
  US Deep
  Lawanda Chardonnay Jackson-Damar, Cap-
  tain: Vaguely dissatisfied.
  Kaneesha, First Mate:  Energetic, carefree, and
  unfaithful.
  Toni a :  Terrified, incoherent, shell-shocked.  Tonia,
  a martyr, has taken onto herself the terrible memories of
  childhood to spare her crewmates.  She doesn’t show up
  much.
  Jennifer :  Throckmorton-dominated.  Her
  crewmates have not met her yet.
  Lawanda, from Atlanta, Georgia, works as a legal
  secretary in Golden.  She has married Pietro Damar, a
  “loner” from Italy.  He does not know that Lawanda has
  other personalities.  While he is sometimes baffled by a
  sudden switch between Lawanda and Kaneesha,
  Lawanda doesn’t seem much different from the women
  he dated before getting married.
  Plot Potential:  The PCs may assume that Pietro is a
  deep himself and talk about Lawanda’s separate person-
  alities.  This news comes as quite a shock to him, and the
  PCs could inadvertently have a hand in ruining a
  marriage.  On the other hand, Jennifer may decide that
  marriage to a white man is heinous and kill Pietro in his
  sleep one night.  A murder, and the ensuing investiga-
  tion, could get the PCs to fall under Peace Force suspi-
  cion.  “The neighbors say you were here yesterday, and
  that a verbal altercation with the deceased ensued.”
  US black woman, age 19, 168 cm, 56 kg.  Hair in
  corn row braids; gentle, rounded features.  Usually
  wearing cheap imitations of Italian fashion.
  Languages:  US English
  Traits
  Secretary (Lawanda), 3 dice.
  Dancing (Kaneesha), 4 dice — She can really move.
  (Lithe)
  Bibliography
  Watkins, J. G., “Multiple Personality.”  Encyclo-
  pedia of Psychology.  New York:  John Wiley
  & Sons.  1984
  
  DEEP TROUBLES
  OVER THE EDGE
  77
  D’ngium
  D’ng G’en-G’og, a Gladstein oppenheimer in
  Taiwan, has discovered a way to “translate” material
  from another dimension.  So far, the only useful material
  to come through is a blue-black metal, which D’ng
  named after himself — “d’ngium.”  When in contact
  with any living substance from this dimension, d’ngium
  “translates” that substance into what D’ng believes is the
  life-ordering structure of its native dimension.  Unfortu-
  nately, this structure doesn’t work in this dimension, and
  the net effect is molecular warping.  To the naked eye, the
  living material seems to have been burned by acid.  The
  surface of the d’ngium itself dissolves as well when in
  contact with living tissue.
  When made into a blade or point, d’ngium does
  nasty damage.  (It is, however, more malleable than steel.)
  A blade slowly disintegrates from repeated contact with
  flesh, but it remains useful for about two dozen fights.
  In addition to its usefulness as a weapon, d’ngium no
  doubt has many potential uses on the fringes of science,
  and the Gladstein oppenheimers are trying to develop
  new uses for it.
  (Since d’ngium distinguishes between living and
  non-living matter, D’ng has concluded that there is a
  “spark of life” and is using d’ngium and other translated
  materials in his search for it.)
  A d’ngium blade does triple damage, but only points
  that penetrate armor are tripled.  For example, if a cloak
  does 12 points of damage with a d’ngium knife, less 3
  points for the target’s reinforced jacket, the remaining
  damage of 9 is tripled, for 27 points.  Note that even
  when a d’ngium weapon does not cause any hit points of
  damage, it might (at your discretion) contact skin and
  cause a slight burn.  For example, a light scratch from a
  blade is not significant enough to do a point of damage,
  but it will burn and possibly give the recipient a clue as to
  what he’s up against.
  Flip-Flop
  A gaseous by-product of translating materials
  between dimensions.  The most common effect of flip-
  flop is to cause people to confuse right and left.  (Up-
  down, back-front, and future-past are wired pretty hard
  into the human body, but left and right are tenuous
  enough that flip-flop can confuse them.  Nevertheless,
  confusions of other polarities are also possible.)  Flip-
  flop’s most common use is to frustrate pursuit.  Those
  who contact the invisible, odorless gas begin to confuse
  left and right, and as long as the operatives keep making
  turns, they can throw their pursuers off.  The effects last
  up to fifteen minutes, wearing off gradually.  The gas
  itself dissipates, but can cause isolated confusions nearby
  as long as a week later.
  The gas takes effect by simple contact, so holding
  one’s breath cannot protect one from it.  Chemical
  examination of the gas reveals it to be a mix of nitrogen
  and oxygen (like air).  The flip-flopping effect results
  from quantum-level information, so routine analysis
  cannot distinguish flip-flop from normal gas.
  The Cloaks’ Weird Science
  Further
  Poss
   ibi
   l
   i
   t i
   es
  Where the Plot Might
  Lead
  If you and your players like the plot so far, they
  could continue it by finding and neutralizing the
  Throckmortonians who have stolen the Gladstein
  disks.
  Having proved themselves to the deeps, the PCs
  may find themselves called upon when they need help
  in the future.  Likewise, the deeps are grateful to the
  PCs, provided the characters conducted themselves
  with discretion.  As allies, the deeps could benefit the
  PCs greatly.  Practicing deception as a way of life, they
  would easily be able to provide the PCs with alibis,
  bear false witness on their behalf, hide them from
  enemies, and so on.  The deep subculture is a ready-
  made underground network for passing information
  and conducting other covert operations.
  Similarly, Dr. Ahal may need the PCs’ help in the
  future, and she may be able to provide them with
  important information, even if doing so stretches the
  bounds of ethical conduct.
  The PCs may also come to the Gladsteins’
  attention as competent potential cloaks.  Through one
  front or another, the Gladsteins may try to recruit the
  PCs.  Imagine the players’ surprise when they put
  
  78
  OVER THE EDGE
  THE MYTH OF SELF
  some clues together and realize that the guys with the
  burning knives they fought are on the same side as
  their new employers and superiors.
  Changes in the
  Subculture
  You may have a different vision for the deeps: more
  psychotic, more expressive of their personalities, more
  public, rowdier.  The deeps’ privacy serves the needs of
  this plot, but once the plot is resolved, the deeps can
  change into whatever you need.  After all, new people
  come into the community all the time, and it is by no
  means static.
  Multiple personality disorder may become a fad.
  The media discover the subculture and depict the
  Splinters as typical deeps.  Soon, young people start
  adopting the “deep lifestyle” in large numbers.  An
  oppenheimer might even invent a way to induce dissocia-
  tion so that loners can become deeps, not just poseurs.
  Intersections
  Airwaves: A reporter from AXTC is onto the deeps and
  wants a scoop.  The PCs can help the reporter get the goods
  or help the deeps persuade the reporter to give up on the
  story.  If the reporter succeeds in getting the story, split
  personalities may become a fad.
  “Black Death Theater Troupe” (in The Last Province
  magazine, issue #2): A cast member is a deep who allows
  different crew members to take control to portray a variety of
  roles.  This GMC may be the PCs’ introduction to the
  troupe.
  House Call: The Rangers are able to speak through
  Tiger’s particularly weak psyche, but only intermittently
  because his psyche is constantly changing to adapt to the
  needs of those around him.  (This serves as an alternate hook
  to House Call.)
  Welcome to Sylvan Pines:  Dr. Ahal arranges to have
  hostile PCs committed to Sylvan Pines.  Or she pays the PCs
  to check into Sylvan Pines and investigate possible wrong-
  doing.  Or she pays the PC’s to locate and bring her the secret
  plans for the Isoneural device.
  With a Long Spoon:  Sensitive to child abuse because so
  many of them were victims themselves, the deeps notice
  something strange at the First Steps Creche.  They provide
  the PCs with the initial information that gets them interested
  in finding out more.
  Art by H.J. McKinney
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Over the Edge/Over The Edge [2nd ed]/The Myth of Self [oef].pdf