Characters.

[Priest]

BenTheRat,[b] Ted Nelson[/b] (Private Eye). Male. 38. A former NYPD detective working out of the Bronx. He was a good cop, but too much of a maverick to make it in the force. He quit after just a few years. Now Ted ekes out a living as a private detective, doing divorce and missing persons work. The best money he ever made came from the two times that he worked for Regina Chadwick. She hired him during both of her divorces, and both times he got the evidence of the husbands’ philandering. Mrs. Chadwick, ever grateful for the generous settlements she received thanks to his diligence, includes the detective in her special circle of friends and invites him to the odd occasion. Ted is aware of Mrs. Chadwick’s preoccupation with the occult, but gives it very little consideration. After all, it’s just bunk and nonsense, right? And it’s a rich broad’s prerogative to be peculiar. But he values her friendship and takes pride in the trust she places in him. [b]STR: 16, DEX: 14, INT: 15, CON: 12, APP: 12, POW: 11, SIZ: 16, SAN: 55, EDU: 16, Current San: [strike]53[/strike] [strike]52[/strike] 50 Idea Roll: 75% Luck Roll: 55% Know Roll: 80% Damage Bonus: +1d4, Hit Points: 14 Current Hit Points: 11[/b] [b]Skills:[/b] Bargain: 55% Disguise: 11% Drive Auto: 40% Fast Talk: 65% Hide: 50% Law: 30% Library Use: 45% Listen: 60% Locksmith: 21% Photography: 30% Psychology: 50% Sneak: 40% Spot Hidden: 65% Handgun: 60%

PatGrillo,Professor [b]Theodore Krugman[/b] (Parapsychologist). Male. 38. A hardworking scholar who fears for the future of mankind. A Professor of Philosophy and Hermeneutics, Krugman pursues personal studies in his favorite subject, the Occult. He always thought that he could write a serious treatise on what he calls the “mindset of the lie,” his term for those who fall under the sway of great irrational ideas like devils and ghosts and the like. Yet the interviews he conducted in his travels through Asia and Siberia with cult members and esoteric scholars have shocked him and expanded his mind, and he now believes that there are things out there in the darkness, things without a shred of humanity that wait for their chance to destroy us. Worse still, he knows for a fact that some ignorant, power-hungry men seek to bring these terrible entities into our world in a mad rush of power. He believes that the best chance humanity has for survival is to quantify these dangers. He knows that it is up to people like himself, the intelligent, the perceptive and the aware, to safeguard humanity, whatever the cost. One thing he does not know: why was he invited to a party at some socialite’s house? And what ever will he wear? [b]STR: 11, DEX: 15, INT: 15, CON: 10, APP: 14, POW: 16, SIZ: 09, SAN: 80, EDU: 17, Current Sanity: 77 Idea Roll: 75%, Luck Roll: 80%, Know Roll: 75% Damage Bonus: +0, Hit Points: 10 Skills:[/b] Anthropology: 40% Archaeology: 30% Dodge: 40% Fast Talk: 40% Hide: 30% History: 40% Library Use: 60% Listen: 40% Natural History: 20% Occult: 60% Other Language (Japanese): 40% Other Language (French): 10% Psychoanalysis: 26% Psychology: 60% Spot Hidden: 65% Rifle: 35%

jbibblesworth,[b]Bridget Barrett[/b] of the [i]Brooklyn Eagle[/i] (Journalist), Female. 29. A hard working investigative journalist. She is moxie personified. As a young girl in Brooklyn, she decided that she was going to be a newspaper reporter, even though everyone told her that nice young ladies only needed to meet an equally nice man and have babies. Bridget was too independent for this fate, and she applied herself to the study of journalism with a passion. With almost no formal training, she got herself hired on at the Brooklyn Eagle and within two years became one of its most important reporters. Bridget has a rep for going anywhere and defying any odds to get a story [b]STR: 10, DEX: 15, INT: 16, CON: 13, APP: 14, POW: 10, SIZ: 09, SAN: 50, EDU: 10 Current San: [strike]44[/strike] 41 Idea Roll: 80%, Luck Roll: 50%, Know Roll: 50% Damage Bonus: +0, Hit Points: 11 Current Hit Points: [strike]8[/strike] 4 Skills:[/b] Climb: 50% Credit Rating: 35% Disguise: 16% Dodge: 40% Fast Talk: 55% History: 25% Library Use: 35% Listen: 60% Persuade: 60% Photography: 40% Psychoanalysis: 30% Sneak: 60% Spot Hidden: 50% Throw: 35%

Cearlan,[b]Tilda Smith-Chadwick[/b] (Socialite). Female. 29. Bored and rude to a fault She finds herself invited to her old aunt’s homecoming party for her addled cousin. How dreadfully boring! What she wouldn’t give for something, anything, truly interesting to do. But Tilda must make an appearance at the party – if for no other reason to make sure that she stays in Aunt Regina’s good graces. She simply must be remembered in her dear aunt’s will. Having to marry for money – or God forbid, earn a living - is just too horrible to contemplate. At least she’ll get to see her favorite cousin, Veronica, at the party. The sweet little dear always livens up occasions. Does she believe in ghosts and ghoulies, like her dear dotty aunt? Not so much. But the stories go far back in her families history, and cousin Edgar supposedly went mad trying to find the truth of it. But if there really are ghosts and such, who knows? A séance might make for a splendid party... [b]STR: 10 DEX: 14 INT: 11 CON: 11 APP: 16 POW: 12 SIZ: 10 SAN: 60 EDU: 16 Idea Roll: 55% Luck Roll: 60% Know Roll: 80% Damage Bonus: +0 Hit Points: 11 Skills:[/b] Art (Connoisseur): 65% Art (Piano): 75% Credit Rating: 40% Drive Auto: 60% Fast Talk: 30% Hide: 20% Other Language (French): 30% Other Language (Japanese): 40% Persuade: 60% Ride: 20% Spot Hidden: 55% Shotgun: 60%

Mr Handy,[b]Tony Esposito[/b] (Bodyguard). Male. 31. Tough guy with a quick temper. Loyal to his employer. Tony grew up the sixth child of seven living out of a tiny Staten Island apartment. Oversized and uninterested in education or formal sports, Tony gathered a gang of similarly tough kids around himself and raised hell in his neighborhood until getting caught boosting cigarettes from the pharmacy and doing two years in juvenile detention. Tony decided after that mess it was a straight job for him. He did some work as a bartender and bouncer until he answered an ad in the paper and became a full time bodyguard. Now Tony makes a very comfortable living for himself protecting the rich and famous from threats real and perceived. That might be why he’s invited to the Chadwick party: during Miss. Chadwick’s second divorce, an especially ugly affair highlighted by threats and a kidnapping attempt, the big fellow was hired to protect Veronica Chadwick while she was away at school. Veronica reached out to Tony and the kind-hearted tough guy became like a second father to the young girl. He hopes that he will have a chance to say hello to her at the party; it’s been much too long. Tony fully believes in God, the Devil, and everything in between. He is a superstitious man who tends to see omens in events. [b]STR: 16, DEX: 14, INT: 12, CON: 14, APP: 10, POW: 08, SIZ: 18, SAN: 40, EDU: 11 Current San: 37 Idea Roll: 60%, Luck Roll: 40%, Know Roll: 55% Damage Bonus: +1d6, Hit Points: 16 Skills:[/b] Accounting: 20% Bargain: 15% Conceal: 35% Credit Rating: 25% Dodge: 58% Fist/Punch: 55% Hide: 20% Jump: 35% Martial Arts (Boxing): 51% Occult: 10% Other Language (Italian): 20% Persuade: 40% Sneak: 20% Spot Hidden: 65% Throw: 45% Handgun: 50% Grapple: 65% Kick: 30%

Kabukiman,[b]E. Francis Hardy[/b] (Novelist). Male. 37. A novelist with a penchant for horror stories. His first novel, [i]Darkness in a Child’s Eye[/i], was considered a minor masterpiece in the burgeoning field of horror literature. His second two, [i]The City Screamer[/i] and [i]Darkness in Another Child’s Eye[/i], were both panned by critics and mostly sold for pulp. What he needs is some real inspiration, something to give him a real insight into the darkness inside each one of us. The struggling writer knows that if his next book isn’t a hit he could be facing financial ruin. It could even mean a return to his elementary school teaching job, a fate he equates with a slow and painful death. Regina Chadwick dotes on Francis because he lives nearby and once donated an original manuscript for a charity auction. The writer knows she believes in the metaphysical, and shares those feelings to a degree – he just wishes he could find some definitive proof. What a novel that would make STR: 13, DEX: 10, INT: 13, CON: 15, APP: 17, POW: 11, SIZ: 12, SAN: 55, EDU: 14 Current San: 52 Idea Roll: 65%, Luck Roll: 55%, Know Roll: 70% Damage Bonus: +1d4, Hit Points: 14 Skills: Anthropology; 11% Conceal: 30% Dodge: 30% Fast Talk: 35% History: 60% Library Use: 75% Medicine: 15% Occult: 65% Other Language (Latin): 40% Psychology: 45% Sneak: 30% Spot Hidden: 50% Handgun: 40%

Dr Vendetta,[b] Paul Wellington[/b] (Clerk) Male 23. Shipping clerk. Cinema fan especially crime movies. Paul is bored with his job. He sees little prospects for adventure and none for the promise of visiting foreign lands as he had imagined when he began working for [i]Maritime East Shipping Agents[/i]. As a result he has become infatuated with cinema and books, especially the greats of the silver screen such as [b]Vallentino[/b], on whom he has taken to modeling himself, and horror stories. He dreams of travel to exotic places, adventure amongst strange lands and people, and rescuing the ‘damsel in distress’. He had been working in the office when [b]Miss Chadwick[/b] had come enquiring, of course he had not occupied a high enough position to deal with a lady of quality such as [b]Miss Chadwick[/b]. But he had sensed something about the wan faced girl that had called out to his chivalric senses, and now these men had come asking questions. It seems that the young lady in question had disappeared. [b]STR: 13, DEX: 10, INT: 13, CON: 15, APP: 17, POW: 11, SIZ: 12, SAN: 55, EDU: 14 Current San: [strike]51[/strike] [strike]50[/strike] 49 Idea Roll: 65%, Luck Roll: 55%, Know Roll: 70% Damage Bonus: +1d4, Hit Points: 14 Skills:[/b] Accounting: 30%Conceal: 30% Dodge: 30% Drive Auto: 30% Fast Talk: 35% History: 60% Library Use: 50% Medicine: 15% Occult: 65% Other Language (Japanese): 40% Persuade: 45% Sneak: 30% Spot Hidden: 50% Handgun: 40%