COVER ART

COVER ART
Monster Eye by Kari Christensen
Monster Eye Kari Christensen

JUNE 2002
VOL 14

TERROR !
COVER ART
Monster Eye Kari Christensen
BUREAU 13
A Matter of Taste Nick Pollotta
CONSPIRACY X
Blood & Madness Stephen Hunt
DARK CONSPIRACY
Call To Darkness 5 Mike Marchi
Land Rover: Centaur Lee Williams
Nobody’s Heroes Jonathan Turner
The Dark Entity Norm Fenlason
DARK MATTER
Das Eisenfaustbuch
Benjamin Blattberg
Epistomology David Tormsen
Heads Pal Wilhelmsen
Illuminati David Tormsen
HUNTER: THE RECKONING
Badge of Honor Julie Ann Dawson
Observers Geoff Skellams
LITTLE FEARS
Review Mike Marchi
WITCHCRAFT
The Devil Danced On C. Lee House

... Plus A Lot More!!!

TABLE OF CONTENTS
On The Cover
TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS
COVER ART . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 ON THE COVER
Monster Eye by Kari Christensen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
So a funny thing happened on the way to the cover
TABLE OF CONTENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
for this issue...
On The Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
A while back, Kari Christensen put out a message
EDITORIAL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 to a number of gaming industry sites advertising his
Reflections of a Darker Future by Mike Marchi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 artistic creations, and asking if anyone would be inter-
The Horror of it All by Geoff Skellams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 ested in using his work.
REVIEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Always on the lookout for stunning cover art, we
Little Fears by Mike Marchi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 jumped at the chance. So did Eden Studios. Although
Eden purchased the rights to Monster Eye, both Kari
DARK MUSE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
and George Vasilakos agreed that it would be okay if
The Devil Danced On by C. Lee House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
we used the image for the cover of DG14. Especially
ADVENTURES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 if we pointed out who the rightful owners of it are.
Heads by Pal Wilhelmsen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 We are only too happy to oblige.
Blood & Madness by Stephen Hunt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Below, is the cover art for the latest release
Das Eisenfaustbuch by Benjamin Blattberg. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
from Eden Studios: “Liber Bestarius (The Book of
HOUSE RULES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Beasts)”. Liber is a160-page monster manual for the
Epistomology by David Tormsen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 d20 system, written by Matthew Colville.
Observers by Geoff Skellams. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Click on the image below to check out Eden’s
ART GALLERY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 web site, then check out the real thing at a hobby store
Ancient Gate by Norm Fenlason . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 near you!
More of Kari’s excellent digital artwork, can be
NPCS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
found at http://karichristensen.com. His email address
Illuminati by David Tormsen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
is monsterbox333@hotmail.com.
CAREERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Nobody’s Heroes by Jonathan Turner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
DARK RACES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
The Dark Entity by Norm Fenlason . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
EQUIPMENT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Land Rover: Centaur by Lee Williams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
FICTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
A Matter of Taste by Nick Pollotta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Badge of Honor: An Alexandra Austin Story by Julie Ann Dawson . . 77
Call To Darkness - Part 5 by Mike Marchi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
THE LOOSE ENDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
BACK COVER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14 TERROR!

EDITORIAL
Reflections of a Darker Future by Mike Marchi

EDITORIAL
Welcome to the 14th issue of DEMONGROUND. This “No. It’s gone.”
issue is intended to take on a slightly more somber tone than My drive continued. It was surreal, listening to the
usual - due primarily to events that have transpired in the last unfolding details. Such stark contrast to the picture-perfect
nine months. day outside. I found myself looking into the windows of other
On September 11, 2001 illusions of safety and security cars around me, trying to see if anyone else was listening. I’m
were shattered around the globe. not sure what I was looking for – probably someone else sit-
Like many Americans that morning, I began that Tuesday ting there looking as stunned as I felt.
like the day before, if anything, even more upbeat than usual. I remember trying to imagine how it would look with only
The weather was absolutely perfect. There wasn’t a cloud in one of the twin towers remaining. It dawned on me that as
the sky – it was a beautiful day. It wasn’t the best time to be much as the two towers together were a symbol of capitalism,
leaving the house - traffic would be pretty heavy, lengthen- the one remaining tower would become a symbol of American
ing the expected drive-time. I tuned in the alternative music defiance and strength. Of course that all depended on how
station I normally listened to in the morning, just as the news bad the damage was.
announcer was finishing up, “Ladies and Gentlemen, repeat- Reports continued of stock exchanges, government facili-
ing our top story this hour, an airplane has apparently acci- ties and office buildings around the world being shut down
dentally collided with the World Trade Center in New York and evacuated. Nobody knew what the pattern was. They
City. Details are sketchy at this time…” could strike again anywhere. Nobody even knew who ‘they’
Thus, it began for me. Just moments after the first plane were.
struck the north tower. I switched over to a dedicated news As I entered the parking lot at my office, the second tower
station hoping it would be able to give me more information. was collapsing. The announcer described it as dropping
A few minutes later, the second plane struck the south tower. straight down, like a candle melting. As I ran across the park-
I picked up my cell phone and called Becky, waking her up. ing lot my cell phone rang again.
“Go turn on CNN. There’s something bad happening.” She
“The second tower just collapsed.”
was groggy and slightly annoyed at being disturbed before the
girls were awake, but told me she’d check and call me back. “I know, I’m at the office now. I’ll call you back.”
Reports of a third plane crashing into the Pentagon, fol- Inside, everyone was crammed into a small conference
lowed by reports of a fourth plane reported missing, which in room, which contained the only television in the building.
turn was followed by reports of a crash somewhere in Penn- We could only get one channel, and despite the tin foil and
sylvania. These were followed by a number of other specula- wires jury-rigged to the back, it was a static-filled picture with
tive reports, as one news service after another scrambled to be ghostly double images of shocked newscasters. That was
the first to report something new. There were even rumors of when I first saw the smoke and flames. The instant replay
car bombs outside the State Department. images we all watched over and over, as every few minutes
another home-movie was made available to local newscasters.
What the hell was happening?
Later in the day, one shot of the first plane striking the first
Moments after the radio announcer said “It appears that tower even made the airwaves.
there has been another explosion in the south tower. I can’t
Air traffic was diverted. Airports were closed down. No
see through the smoke, but it appears that the top part of the
aircraft cruised American airspace except military jets and Air
tower has partially collapsed…”, the cell phone rang. It was
Force One which spent the morning making a series of leap-
Becky, now stationed in front of the television.
frog hops from airbase to airbase, pausing on occasion as the
“My god, Mike. One of the towers just collapsed.” president gave harried press conferences trying to keep people 3
“You mean partially, don’t you? The radio guy said par- up to date on the crisis, while at the same time presenting a
tially.” moving target.

TERROR! DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14

 As the day wore on, and another building disappeared And so, in the aftermath of the tragedy, the flag that flew
EDITORIAL

from the New York skyline, I couldn’t help shudder in realiza- outside my house flew not only for the victims who had died
tion that I used to have clients in those buildings. At one time so tragically, but also for the heroes who had given their lives
or another, I had visited every building that now formed the - for every man or woman who chose to put their own life on
pile of rubble at Ground Zero. the line in the service of the greater good.
But out of America’s darkest hour, came a few brilliant I have to admit, that in those first shell-shocked days fol-
rays of golden light. In the midst of unspeakable horror came lowing 9/11, I felt very uncomfortable about the hobby we
tales of unimaginable heroism. The firefighters and police- all share. As we watched the economic repercussions that
men of New York, who ran into the fiery inferno, determined followed the attacks, and the world economy teetered into
to bring as many people out as possible. Thousands died recession, I came to realize how very close we had come to
when those towers collapsed. But many were saved, thanks realizing the basic premise of most of the games supported by
to the selfless actions of these brave men and women. this magazine. I felt guilty that I had spent all those months
Firefighters and Rescue workers around the country drove and even years, plotting scenarios for games like Dark Con-
through the night to help out in New York. Lines formed spiracy. That I had sat down and fantasized about what sort of
around the block at Red Cross blood donor facilities nation- catastrophic events could have deconstructed the world. And
wide – so many people responded that many were actually that in the end, the worst plots that had crossed my schem-
turned away. ing mind, had paled in comparison to the simple, monstrous
reality.
And then, in what I personally find the most extraordinary
tale of heroism, came speculation about flight 93, the one that But time and again, my mind kept returning to the simple
had crashed in a field outside Pittsburgh. The passengers on statement. A handful of people had made a difference.
that plane used the on-board phones to contact loved ones A handful of people, with no other reason than circum-
back home. They intended to warn their families that their stance, had banded together to face a common foe - to do
plane had been hijacked. Instead they learned the chilling battle with evil.
news about the other planes. The passengers on that ill-fated And whether they lived or died trying, they were judged
flight suddenly recognized the hijacker promises that nobody to be heroes.
would be hurt for what they really were.
Who among us doesn’t wish that if we were faced with the
And they did something about it. same situation, that we would have risen to the occasion our-
The terrorists had overplayed their hand. Hijacking would selves. That we would have taken up arms with our fellows
never be the same again. In the past, if a plane was hijacked, it and faced the gathering evil.
usually meant an inconvenient diversion to a remote airfield. And as a result, on closer inspection I found the guilt
The only danger would come when negotiations went badly, lessen. Because when you get right down to it, isn’t that what
and the hijackers needed to make examples of their captives. these games we play are all about? Being one of the handful
The protocol advised sitting like cattle, trying not to call atten- of people who make a difference?
tion to yourself, less you move to the top of the example list.
Aren’t the dark forces we battle in these games, acts of fic-
“Cooperate and most of us might get out of this alive.”
tional Terrorism? Look at the motivations of the Dark Ones
But after September 11 when Flight 93’s rebellious pas- in DC, or the aliens of Conspiracy X or Dark*Matter. How
sengers turned the tables on their captors, the face of hijacking similar they seem to the acts of suicidal terrorists. Aren’t they
was forever transformed. How would a would-be victim ever simply monsters willing to give their lives in the pursuit of
know which kind of hijacking they were being subjected to? ultimate evil?
Was it the kind where you were inconvenienced, or the kind
And when each of us bands together and imagines our-
where you faced certain death? There would never again be a
selves as heroes, we pay homage to their sacrifice, and wish
reason to assume it would be anything but the latter. The new
that given the chance, we too would make a difference.
mantra would become, “Resist and most of us might get out
of this alive.”
We may never know exactly what happened on that plane. Mike Marchi
But the few reports we do have would indicate that a handful
of passengers took matters into their own hands, and stormed
v
the cockpit. The plane crashed shortly after that. Whether it
was the direct result of the passengers gaining their objective
or not, is immaterial. They acted, and Flight 93 did not reach
4 its intended target.
A handful of people made a difference.

DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14 TERROR!

The Horror of it All by Geoff Skellams

EDITORIAL
In the past nine months, the western world has been took for granted turned upside down, leaving you with noth-
through rather tumultuous time. The destruction of the World ing but uncertainty and doubt. I’m sure that there can’t be
Trade Center in New York, the continuing anthrax scares many people reading this who didn’t wonder “how can this
across the United States and in other countries such as Aus- happen?” as the events of September 11 unfolded. Psycholo-
tralia and the subsequent war on terrorism in Afghanistan has gists have reported that in the weeks following the hijackings,
changed the world political agenda. the number of people reporting fear of flying jumped dramati-
For many people, the attack on the World Trade Center cally and people right around the world have suddenly felt
was perhaps the most horrific thing. The dramatic visual tense and nervous every time a jet airliner flew overhead,
images of the 767 aircraft plowing into the side of the build- particularly if they live in a big city.
ing and exploding stunned them beyond belief. In the case of Fear is an exceptionally important emotion. It is designed
the second aircraft, the footage of the plane actually vanishing to break through any complacency that we might have and
inside the building - leaving an almost comical plane shaped shock us into action in order to protect our lives. That’s one
hole in the side - before it exploded was almost surreal. In fact of the reasons why adrenaline and other similar hormones are
it was so surreal that when a lot of people saw it, they won- released into the bloodstream whenever we find ourselves in
dered if it was for real. I know people who thought the footage a fearful situation. They are designed to force us to do some-
was some clip from a new action movie. thing in order to get out of harm’s way, or to fight for what
Unfortunately for all of us - and especially for the people we believe in
killed in the tragedy and the families and friends they left Unfortunately for most of us, the flight or fight response
behind - the events of September 11 were all too real. The tends to be overruled by our conscious minds. Instead of react-
world in general is a slightly tenser place to live, even though ing to the immediate danger and doing something to resolve
that most of us have gone back to leading our lives the way it quickly, we tend to dwell on the negative possibilities that
they were before this whole episode started. We do of course exists and ask “what if?” We either look at what might have
feel for those people who lost family and friends, but for the happened in that situation, or in the case of the September
vast majority of us, there’s little we can do – especially for 11th tragedy, we put ourselves in the places of the victims and
those of us who are literally on the other side of the planet. wonder what it would have been like to have been on one of
In a sense, the terrorist attacks - both the in-your-face the hijacked planes or trapped inside the buildings as they col-
plane crashes and the much more subtle anthrax attacks - lapsed. If we look at the anthrax scares what gripped the US in
have highlighted just what horror is really all about. the aftermath of the bombings, people began to fear their mail
in case it had been contaminated with the deadly bacteria.
Horror is not just about large monsters, or blood and guts,
Very few people actually died in the incident, but the wave of
although they are sometimes part of the whole horror genre.
fear was very real - everyone began asking themselves “what
5
Horror is about fear, the experience of having everything you
if one of my letters was contaminated?” and it was the thought

TERROR! DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14

 of the consequences of that outcome that created the fear in you care about - are under serious threat, and could be taken
EDITORIAL

their lives. from you at any time.

This is what makes terrorism such a potent weapon. In To “win” in a horror game, you don’t collect the most loot,
many cases it’s not the actual bomb or virus (or whatever) that or shoot the most bad guys. Winning involves confronting
people react to. It’s the fear created when they think about the your darkest fears and doing something about them. Over-
fact that despite everything that they do, someone could just coming a horrific situation is realizing that if you don’t do
randomly kill them at any time if they don’t get what they something about the predicament you find yourself in, the
want. That fear, in itself, is quite often enough to make people things you hold dear could be ripped from you. The only way
give in to whatever demands the terrorists are making. Living to truly overcome fear is to put at risk the very thing that you
with the alternative is something that people just don’t want hold precious and take action to make things right again.
to have to deal with. The emotional release that we feel when we have faced
It’s the visceral feeling of “this can’t really be happening” our darkest nightmares and overcome them is the real reason
that is what makes the horror genre what it is. Horror is when that people find the horror genre so appealing. None of us
we realize that the world around us isn’t what we thought it actually like to live in fear. So it follows that if a game were
was and that our very lives are at risk. Sometimes ugly mon- to only present an exceptionally dark picture, then the likeli-
sters with an insatiable blood lust or crazed madmen wearing hood of that game continuing long term is small. People like
raincoats and brandishing boat hooks can be the instruments to know that even when they are stuck in a situation, there is
that make us realize that. But it’s not the whole picture. something that they can do to save themselves. But that some-
A necessary part of running a horror game is finding a way thing should be not be an easy choice; it usually means you
to shatter the illusion of reality that the player characters have. have to gamble with your own life and that there is a very real
For example, if they think that they are safe in their homes, chance that you could lose.
then have them wake up in the morning and find a flower Remember, prior to September 11, we all believed that
sitting on their bedside table, perhaps alongside a scalpel. deliberately flying jet airliners into the side of office buildings
While nothing has actually happened, the implied threat and was something that people just didn’t do. But the terrorists
the possible outcomes should create a real sense of horror in took that idea and totally destroyed it. They made us wonder
the players. As the World Trade Center experience showed, if it could happen to us and in doing so, they put us in a state
true horror comes about when you realize that the thing that of fear. But it’s only when we accept that risk and face it head
you took for granted - in most cases, your very life - is really on can we get living a normal life again.
nothing more than an elaborate illusion. It is possible to provide a game situation that creates the
If you’re GMing a horror game, you should look for ways same basic emotion in the players. But you have to be pre-
to play with the players minds in such a way that they begin pared to challenge their illusions of reality and threaten to
to dwell on the possibilities of what might have happened. take away the things they hold dear. Then at the last minute,
Horror is an emotional genre, far more so than fantasy or sci- you provide them with a way out that has a definite risk of
ence fiction, its speculative fiction stablemates. The aim of the failure. If and only if they can face their fears and accept the
game is rock the players to the core. If they’re sitting up yell- challenge and succeed with they receive the emotional payoff
ing “Oh my God! You just can’t do that!” then you’re doing of the release of tension at the end of the game.
your job properly. A true horror situation is one in which you It’s something to think about, anyway.
realize that the things that are perhaps most precious to you
- your very life or sanity, or perhaps those of the people that v

“What is a Hero?” “I’ll tell you what a Hero is... A Hero is someone
who puts saving Your life above saving their own”

- Zena Marley
Early 21st-century mercenary-philosopher
6

DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14 TERROR!

REVIEW
Little Fears by Mike Marchi
LITTLE FEARS
Review Mike Marchi

out this book. It helps add to the mood of the game.

REVIEW
And then – what’s this? Another disclaimer. “little fears
is a game of terror. it is also a work of fiction. some scenes,
ideas, depiction and references may be too harsh…”
Boy, somebody’s definitely worried about covering the
bases here.
When I think about all the reviews I’ve read of this game,
a great many of them seem to focus (somewhat negatively) on
the subject matter and don’t really get very far beyond that.
You have to respect a publisher that hands out a box of ammu-
nition on the first page, to save their detractors time. J

THE BOOK
Little Fears is not a large book. It is in the 9x7 softcover
format and clocks in at just under 140 pages. The cover stock
is typical of the latest softcover offerings, featuring a glossy
color cover, perfect-bound with a sturdy glue binding that
seems to hold up well.
There are a lot of art and mood-setting panels which pad
the book out a bit. But the layout serves to set the mood of its
storytelling, and is often used for dramatic pauses in the text.
It is a very quick read, and does a good job of presenting its
material. Perhaps the fact that the subjects of the game lead
relatively simple lives, allows for the brevity of the presenta-
tion. Children’s lives are largely uncomplicated, and so is the
simulation of childhood that Little Fears presents.
LITTLE FEARS
INTRODUCTION: THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS MONSTERS
Review by Mike Marchi
The book begins with diary entries of a young girl from
While scouring Origins for new products to add to a broken home. Through exposition, we piece together the
DEMONGROUND’s stable of regularly supported games, details of her life; her dead mother, her drunken father who
I happened upon the Key 20 Publishing booth, and there-in leaves her alone much of the time. Her best friend is a stuffed
discovered ‘Little Fears’. The subject matter was obviously rabbit named Bunny who is her constant companion, confi-
horror. The style of the cover art looked oddly familiar. dent, and it would seem, her protector. Oh yeah, and there’s
the monster in her closet. Although as you read Jenna’s story,
FIRST IMPRESSIONS you begin to wonder whether the biggest monster in Jenna’s
What can you say about a book that acknowledges the life is the sinister presence in the closet or her own father?
controversial nature of its subject matter from the get-go? On This is one of the points that Little Fears drives home very
the first facing page after you open the cover, is a warning: quickly, and accounts for those disclaimers at the beginning of
“the characters and events contained within are the book. The monsters of childhood are not restricted to the
imaginary… yet every day real children experience denizens of Closetland. There is ample evil in the mundane
horrors as terrible as what is depicted in this game. world.
“we at key 20 dedicate this work to those lost,
helpless children. In one sense, I guess I’m supposed to be one of the
“and we hope that you will remember them always.” parents who are bothered by the book. I am after all
The extensive use of lower-case fonts is a nice subtle the father of two young daughters, and their mother
touch. It is after all, a game about children. I scanned the is decidedly adamant that depictions of bad things
credits page for any familiar names. “written and designed by happening to kids are strictly verboten in any game
jason l. blair, layout by hive and jason l blair.” – wait a second. she takes part in. I still remember the backlash for
hive? No wonder the cover art looked so familiar! For those the Dark Conspiracy adventure where they had to
of you who may not remember, hive did the cover for issue 9 investigate the site of a ritualistic baby sacrifice… 7
of Demonground, and that artistic style is prevalent through- *shiver*.

LITTLE FEARS DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14

 The author does a good job of juxtaposing grim reality
REVIEW

with the game’s premise. It even offers a rationale for some of I have my own personal interest in the concept of
the evils in a child’s world. Bad things happen to kids because introducing child classes into RPG’s. My attempt at
of the monsters in Closetland. Whether through direct action, adding children to Dark Conspiracy was included
or indirect influence of people in the waking world. in DEMONGROUND 5, Children in the Shadows. I
believe I captured the mechanics of childhood, but
In the game of Little Fears, you will play a child, in a after seeing Little Fears, I realize how badly I missed
world that is far from the idyllic memories of youth that we as the essence of childhood – that magical innocence.
adults possess. Because as a child grows, she loses the ability Little Fears not only addresses it, but makes it an
to see those creatures of darkness, and soon forgets they exist integral part of the character concept.
at all. Adult rationale replaces the fears of childhood. So the
children in the game are faced with very real dangers, and
really only have each other to turn to against the forces that My Age”, “I’m Courageous”, and “I’m the Teacher’s Pet”.
would feed upon their innocence and steal their souls. So just This is balanced by “Things I don’t like about me”, such as
how are these children represented in the game? “I’m Asthmatic”, “I’m Clumsy” and “I’m a Scaredy Cat”. In
the child’s world of Little Fears, this is as close as you get to
CHAPTER 1: TO BE YOUNG AGAIN having skills, and really enhance the role-playing potential.
The character generation system is fairly simple. Charac- Whenever the outcome of an event is in question, Little
ter development in Little Fears is definitely more art than sci- Fears employs a very simple dice mechanic to determine the
ence. The system seems designed more for role-playing than outcome. Basically, you have Tests and Quizzes. A Quiz is
roll-playing, which is a plus. an unopposed task, and the goal is to roll under the governing
As the author points out, the greatest challenge facing a Stat on a d6. Tests are for opposed tasks, and the goal is to roll
player of Little Fears is getting into the mindset and persona over your opponent’s Stat. If any Qualities can come into play,
of a child, so there is very little in the way of game mechanics they allow additional dice to be rolled to offer more chances at
to get in the way of that. success. All-in-all, a very quick and simple mechanic.
Tell Me About Yourself: You begin by filling out a ques- Finally, we get to the age-old concept of damage. Char-
tionnaire to describe your child. The questions are couched in acters have hit points, and the severity of wounds advances
language aimed at a child to help set the mood. ‘What is your through five levels of increasing harm. Children are fragile,
name?’, ‘What do your friends call you’, ‘How old are you?’, and the game doesn’t let you forget that.
Who is your best friend?’, ‘Who is your favorite person?’, CHAPTER 2: THE VIRTUES OF CHILDHOOD
etc...
As mentioned earlier, the Virtues are the real meat of what
Stats: There are five statistics that define your child’s makes a child a playable concept in this game. It is so central,
physical attributes. using these answers as a guide, you select that the entire second chapter covers these concepts in detail.
the five Stats of your child: Smarts, Muscles, Hands, Feet and How do the various levels of your Virtues affect your char-
Spirit.Stats are assigned by the player, from a simple point- acter. How do they help, how do they hinder, how do they
pool which can be added to through the selection of negative make her more vulnerable to, or more resistant to the forces
Qualities (explained below). of Closetland?
Virtues: Next come the three intangible Virtues of child- Soul Soul is the most important thing your child has, and
hood. Soul, Innocence and Fear. In effect these intangibles are it’s what the creatures in Closetland covet above all things. In
what makes the ‘child’ thing work in Little Fears. The Virtues the course of game play, your child’s soul points can be slowly
are so important, that the entire second chapter of the book is drained away. This is one of the many plot devices built into
dedicated to them, so we’ll dispense with the detailed discus- the game system. It provides a ready source of evil for the
sion at this time. Most characters in Little Fears will begin characters to battle, and helps draw the characters into the
the game with no Fear, all their Soul, and a level of Innocence game by making the threat very personal.
consistent with their current age. (Remember, when a child
grows up, they lose the ability to see the monsters, this is rep- Innocence is a measurement of how accepting your child
resented by a sliding scale of values). is. It is also the quality we all lose, the older we get. The
more innocence you have, the more vulnerable you are to the
Qualities: The next section discusses the concept of monsters.
Qualities. These are very similar to the Flaws used in many
systems. By choosing ‘negative’ qualities , you can gain extra Fear is a measurement of how far-gone your character
points to spend in other aspects of the character generation is. Again, the fragility of children is mirrored by providing
process. But the ‘positive’ qualities cost points. The Positive a fairly comprehensive picture of your character’s mental
8 qualities are in a section entitled “Things I like about me” and health. A child’s psyche is a fragile thing, and rules are
include statements like “I’m Ambidextrous”, “I’m Big For included to cover madness, depression, and insanity.

DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14 LITTLE FEARS

 The most important aspect of this chapter would have to Belief-based magic is a fine thing when your teddy-bear ani-

REVIEW
be the introduction of Belief Magic. Children are far from mates and fights the goblin. But that level of belief has a hor-
defenseless in Little Fears. And the less they know about how rible price if the cherished teddy should lose the battle.
the real adult-world works, the more magical their world can But things like this - as horrible as they may be - are noth-
be. Just how sure are you that your teddy bear has the stones ing compared to what lies beyond the closet door. A dark,
to stop a goblin in its tracks? twisted realm from which few return.
This chapter also briefly delves into other influences that This is the realm of the Demagogue; the oldest and most
can harm a child by increasing their fear or stealing their powerful of all the creatures of Closetland. The Demagogue
innocence. Some of these topics, like trauma and abuse are has at his disposal, an impressive array of minions, each
covered by necessity, and couched in strong warnings (again) more horrifying than the last. The Closet Monster, Branxis
that violence against real children is not to be tollerated. the Enslaver and the Seven Kings are arguably at the top of
CHAPTER 3: KEEPING THE KIDS IN LINE the food-chain of terror. But even they have soldiers at their
disposal to share in the disposition of pain and suffering.
This is where the player’s section of the book ends.
The remainder of the material is meant solely for the Game The monsters presented in this chapter are pretty horrify-
Master. Tips on how to make the Little Fears experience ing. The ranks of the seven kings include some hard-core
more enjoyable abound. images of classic horror and embody the seven deadly sins.
(the king of envy and the king of lust in particular creep me
The most important information portrayed in this chapter
out).
would be yet another warning. “Know your players”. Dif-
ferent people have different levels of tollerance to horrific And then there are the the mundane monsters (for want of
images in general, and images of harm coming to children in a better term). When Jason Blair first conceived of the game,
particular. It is best to tread upon this ice softly until you get a he originally pictured a game about kids fighting werewolves
feel for just how thick it is. and vampires. The classic horror trappings are covered here
as well, although with slightly less detail than the core villains
The Questionaire that the players filled out during charac-
of Closetland.
ter generation is revisited here. The questions provide a very
thorough roadmap to creating plots that are specifically aimed Overall, the number of plot ideas that can spring up just
at your player characters. In a sense, the character generation from reading through this menagerie is worth picking up the
process provides the GM with a tailor-made ‘kick-me’ sign game as a horror resource.
for every player character. The child’s favorite person, or even CHAPTER 5: SPOOKY STORIES
favorite possession could be placed in jeopardy, the character
But just in case you don’t like to dig for your inspiration,
may find themselves face to face with their biggest fear, a
chapter five comes to your rescue. This chapter provides four
bad family situation could be exploited. The possibilities are
sample adventures with sufficient detail to get your group off
endless.
to a good start before you need to think of any of your own
Next other types of influences in a child’s life. Most stories.
notably adults. Whether it’s a parent, babysitter, policeman
or teacher, adults influence your child’s life. An adult can be NOTE FROM THE TEACHER
a source of comfort or safe haven, but they are not the only The first time I read the book, I had made it all the way
potential protectors your child may have. Rules are included to this point feeling a little nervous. Some of the images pre-
to cover Guardian Angels, beloved family pets, and even sented in the book were of a very disturbing nature - particu-
hand-me-down treasures that take on magical or protective larily for a parent of small children in the modern world. Like
qualities. I said, he did a pretty good job of tying some of the realities of
abuse and real-world sickos into the game.
CHAPTER 4: BEHIND THE DOOR
But when I got to this chapter, my view changed dra-
For every influence that can serve to protect a child, there
matically. This chapter, written in very frank language by the
are a thousand who can bring her to harm. Chapter four goes
author explains the entire genesis of Little Fears, from its first
into the dark, and holds you there until you learn the secrets of
concept (kids fighting vampires), on into a much more dark
the dark, shadowy places in your child’s mind.
and despairing version, and finally to the published work.
The evil creatures from Closetland will haunt your chil-
I found the journey fascinating, and highly recommend it
dren in dreams, as well as the waking world, until your child
to anyone who is wondering how the creative process for a
succumbs, or grows up enough to rationalize the monsters
roleplaying game can ebb and flow.
away.
I don’t know whether it was Jason or Key 20 who made 9
Here is where you learn that something that can serve to
the decision to include this section, but I think it was a very
help your child, can also be the instrument of their undoing.
wise decision, and aplaud them for it.

LITTLE FEARS DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14

DARK MUSE
The Devil Danced On by C. Lee House
WITCHCRAFT
The Devil Danced On C. Lee House

FINDING LITTLE FEARS

REVIEW

Little Fears is published by Key 20 Publishing

(www.key20.com)

INDUSTRY BUZZ
Incidentally, Little Fears is up for the Origins Award
for Best Roleplaying Game of 2001, as well as Game
of the Year. I encourage each of you to check out this
remarkable work, and decide for yourselves if you
think it deserves a shot at the title.

DEMONGROUND BUZZ
In addition, starting with this issue, DEMONGROUND
is now officially accepting material for Little Fears.
We hope to offer the same depth of coverage we offer
to the other game systems we’ve chosen to support.
But as with all these games, the amount of success
we have in keeping this commitment will be directly
proportionate to the quality and quantity of material
we receive from fans of the game.

THE DEVIL DANCED ON

By C. Lee House
The wet streets hold me there, the slow falling rain has me in a stair.
Quit is the fall not foot steps at all. Just the swing of the band!
And the devil danced on!
So you hear the slow call his feet seem to fall to the sound of soft shoes.
The rattling of his keys make the jiggling seem as if the fiend is laughing with his jig.
And the Devil danced on
The wail of the sirens come screaming towards me as I hold her one last time.
I wish she would see It was only a tease, and the band sang a slow song.
And the devil danced on .
I told them all, I didn’t want to stall. I had an appointment to keep
The walk was long and the chair was all wrong but they let the band play.
One last time was the melody sang with a slow song.
And the devil danced while the band played on!
10
v
DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14 LITTLE FEARS
ADVENTURES
Heads by Pal Wilhelmsen
DARK MATTER
Heads Pal Wilhelmsen

ADVENTURES
A corrupt bureaucrat
The Nazi heritage in the U.S. government
A pile of headless corpses
A lake that hides secrets
They’re all connected in an inhuman scheme
for personal power and eternal life.

by Pål Wilhelmsen
11

DARK MATTER DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14

 BACKGROUND The first act is a straightforward break-and-enter mis-
ADVENTURES

sion, suitable for a small group of heroes with the appropriate

Heads originates in World War 2, when Professor Henri skills. The Institute sends the heroes to a café in Georgetown,
Lauberger started with Operation Paperclip. The U.S. Army Washington DC, where they’re to enter Richard Dunbar’s
brought Lauberger into the Paperclip team for his “patrio- house, install radio equipment and get out unnoticed. This is
tism” and his knowledge of German history and language. where the first batch of handouts included in this adventure
He was a respected history and linguistics professor at Yale comes into play. Scene Two is looser and allows the players
University and member of the Republican Party and the Skull to discuss their strategy and do some research on their own.
and Bones Society. The Paperclip coordinators assigned Lau- Scene Three is the actual break-in.
berger to the team working with non-scientific issues like art, The second act begins with analysis of the clues gathered
cultural matters and occult knowledge. Thousands of occult in Act One. This will lead the heroes to Pine Creek, a town
artifacts were brought to the U.S. and a considerable number in Colorado, where they will meet Raymond Phelps and pre-
of Nazi experts immigrated after the Paperclip “cleansing” of vent him from destroying the entire town. Scene One gives
their papers. Lauberger and his colleagues were involved in the heroes new case files to work with. The scene allows the
this process and partially able to control the flow of informa- heroes to do some investigation and draw some conclusions.
tion, items and immigrants. Scene Two is where the heroes go to Pine Creek to closer
Lauberger’s work was difficult, despite the freedom investigate Phelps’ activities. Scene Three is the climax of the
allowed the Paperclip team. The team had access to huge adventure, where Phelps summons a host of Zombies from the
amounts of occult data, as the U.S. army brought in crates of Pine Creek Lake to cover his escape from the heroes and his
artifacts and books the Nazis had collected from all over the former allies in Les Treize Corbeaux. The adventure is open-
world. The Army apparently did not care about them and the ended. Much depends on the heroes’ performance and what
government was preoccupied with rockets and the Roswell scenes actually occur. This is where the usual cast of conspira-
incident, so Lauberger’s team was largely left alone with the cies comes in and where the GM must find ways to conclude
material given them. They soon realized that it would be a or continue the story.
waste to simply give up all this knowledge to an ignorant gov-
ernment. They couldn’t simply steal it would be noticed, so DISASTROUS INVESTIGATIONS, AND WHAT TO DO
they worked inside the system, hiding in plain sight. ABOUT THEM
Lauberger and his associates prospered during the fol- Heads may be a difficult adventure. Some scenes require
lowing decades, having easy access to Nazi treasures and stealth and others require secrecy and careful interaction with
considerable government funding. Lauberger recruited his supporting cast members. Worse still, going in guns blazing
agents from Yale’s student body. As a master degree supervi- is the surest way to panic the villain into unleashing his hor-
sor, he had the opportunity to review potential candidates, and rors. The players only have to get one clue - the connection
the Skull & Bones Society allowed him to test them. Many between Richard Dunbar and Raymond Phelps - and act upon
of his former students became useful contacts within the U.S. it by going to Pine Creek and exploring this connection. This
government. Lauberger was an active member of the network should get the heroes all the way to the end of the adven-
of former Operation Paperclip researchers until he died of old ture, even if their investigation is a string of disasters. Make
age in 1981. botches spectacular! Be gory! Have fun and try to speed it up
In 1982, two of Lauberger’s former students and associ- if the players are stuck in a dead end.
ates, Richard Dunbar and Raymond Phelps, conceived the
idea that eventually became one of the group’s major projects: SETTING THE ADVENTURE
The Heads Project. The idea was to freeze the heads of the Heads is an Alternity adventure written for a group of
recently deceased and use advanced technology to read the low-to-mid level Hoffmann Institute agents, which should
“memory patterns” embedded into the brain cells. Dunbar has include a character with thieving skills and a Combat Special-
since spent millions of FDA dollars secretly on this unholy ist. The adventure uses the Alternity Players Handbook (PH),
union of necromancy and technology. Alternity Gamemaster Guide (GMG), Dark Matter Campaign
Setting (DM) and The Necromancy Masks (see Demonground
ADVENTURE SUMMARY 9). Beyond Science: A Guide of FX (BS) and Dark Matter
Arms and Equipment Guide (AEG) could be useful as well,
Heads began shortly after Hoffmann Institute agents
but are not necessary.
encountered the Les Treize Corbeaux cult member Jacob
Dumont and found a letter from Richard Dunbar in his apart- The adventure, as written, can be set at the earliest in
12 ment. The Institute has since watched Dunbar and the next November 2001 to make it fit Exit 23’s timeframe, but you
step is to install bugging equipment into his home computer. can easily change this by changing the handouts.

DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14 DARK MATTER

TRIGGER ACT ONE: ONCE A THIEF

ADVENTURES
LOCATION: At the team’s home office Traveling to Washington D.C. should be no problem. The
The Hoffmann Institute investigated Jacob Dumont’s objective of this act is to either install radio equipment into
apartment late October 2001 and thus reason to investigate Richard Dunbar’s home computer or to steal the computer’s
Richard Dunbar early November 2001. This could possibly be hard drive if anybody detects the intrusion.
the event described in EXIT 23. Jacob Dumont is a diabolist
and member of the cult Les Treize Corbeaux. Whether the SCENE ONE: THE UNDERCOVER AGENTS
player characters have run into this villain before or not is LOCATION: Tina’s Books & Coffee. Georgetown, D.C.
unimportant. The important thing is that the Hoffmann Insti- This scene introduces two Red Section agents, Bengt
tute knows that he is a diabolist and has reason to go through Svendsson and Susan Dale. Both are long-term field agents
his mail. and extremely paranoid and thus requested the degree of
Read or paraphrase the following to the players: secrecy around the briefing. The scene is straightforward; the
Your supervisor drops by your office one November heroes are supposed to pick up the assignment, ask any ques-
morning, just as you are finishing your mail and first tions they have and leave quietly. Both undercover agents will
cup of coffee. never admit to be Hoffmann Institute agents, but they will not
“I want you to be at Tina’s Books & Coffee in deny it either.
Georgetown in Washington D.C. tomorrow at 1900 TINA’S BOOKS & COFFEE
hours on unofficial business. I want you to keep a low At the café the heroes are approached by a man:
profile, not carry guns or any surveillance equipment
and be prepared for some unusual work.” A man approaches you after a few minutes at the Café.
He is tall, maybe in his early thirties, with short blond
Your supervisor looks at you for a short moment, hair, blue cheerful eyes and a heavy Scandinavian
to check if you have understood the orders, before accent. He is wearing a gray fashionable leisure
turning and leaving the room again. jacket, black pants and properly polished army boots.
He has a confident smile and seems friendly.
“You must be the specialists I requested,” he says.
“Why don’t you join us at our table?”
There is a woman waiting at his table. The woman is
also blonde, with blue eyes, medium build and wears a
dark gray suit with a skirt.
Perceptive heroes may notice three suitcases on the floor
under the table and the agents’ constant wandering gaze.
“I don’t know what you’ve been told about the job. We
want you to break into a guarded house, install illegal
radio equipment into a computer, loop the security
tapes if there are any, and sneak out without somebody
noticing now or later. Can you do it?”
The agents will accept a no, apologise for wasting the
heroes’ time and quietly leave. The adventure is over. If the
heroes decide to join the mission, Bengt continues:
“All you need to know is in the files. We will be waiting
in a nearby car. Contact me on the radio to keep me
posted, and I will give you any updates. We will help
you if anything goes wrong. However, nobody knows
you if you are captured. Is that acceptable?”
Let the heroes ask questions they have. Svendsson does
most of the talking, unless someone asks Dale directly.
Dale has a refined voice with an American accent. Dale and
Svendsson will answer as truthfully as they can, even sketch-
ing out the grim reality of Red Section work if the heroes want
13
to know.

DARK MATTER DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14

 “You start tomorrow at 2000 hours. Use the headsets SCENE TWO: PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATIONS
ADVENTURES

during the mission. There are security cameras

covering both entrances and there may be hidden LOCATION: Washington, D.C.
ones inside and outside the house. You must locate This scene covers the 24 hours that pass between meeting
the camera control and make sure that you are not with Dale and Svendsson and the run on Dunbar’s house the
recorded. Locate Dunbar’s office, turn off and open next evening. It gives the heroes time to read the information
his computer. Take out one of its RAM chips and check and do any investigation.
its specifications. You’ll have several new RAM chips; SHADOWING DUNBAR
replace the one you removed with one that matches.
Clean up, loop the videotapes and leave unnoticed The heroes may decide to shadow Richard Dunbar the
if possible. If you are detected, simply stealing the following day. He leaves his house at 8:30am and drives
computer’s hard drive will suffice, but we would prefer to his office in downtown D.C. The Republican Party rents
to see this done properly. We’ll meet at the parking lot the office, which Dunbar shares with five other researchers/
200 meters from here, so we can pick up the remaining lobbyists. They share a secretary and the only security person-
chips and the unused equipment. After that, our nel are a few in the lobby provided by the building owners.
business is concluded.” Dunbar usually stays at the office, working as a lobbyist and
maintaining his network. He returns home around 10:30pm
If there are no more questions, the pair wish the team luck on the evening of the break-in.
and leaves, leaving the suitcases under the table.
The GM should consider using this opportunity to prepare
SUITCASES AND CASE FILES some interesting people for Dunbar to meet during the day.
The suitcases contain the following: This is a good chance to involve other plots from your cam-
• Headsets with microphones paign into this story.
• Two dart pistols, with six darts each THE SECURITY COMPANY
• Twelve doses of paralytic neurotoxin (see GMG pg. 60) Dunbar’s house is guarded by SecTech, a company owned
• Electronics toolkit, good quality and run by Sam Norton, a decorated ex marine with no public
political preferences. Their main office is located in down-
• Lockpick tools, good quality
town D.C. They employ 132 security personnel and a small
• Darksuits with gasmasks for each agent administrative staff. SecTech has cars, radios, top of the line
• An envelope with 12 different modified RAM chips. security equipment and weapons and a good reputation in
• A book: Upgrade your computer’s RAM in 5 minutes, political circles. The guards stationed at Dunbar’s house are
DNB books, 1999 all average looking, serious men in their thirties.
• Another book: The motherboard guide, DNB books, SCENE THREE: DUNBAR’S HOUSE
1999
• A folder with case files (Player handouts H01, H02, LOCATION: Dunbar’s House. Georgetown, D.C.
H03) The upper-middle class suburban neighborhood is
• The case files: quiet. You can hear faint music, the sound of a car
starting and a barking dog somewhere. A couple of
H01 - Background check Richard E. Dunbar: This streets away, you see an older man walking his dog
is what the HI knows about Richard Dunbar and a parked police cruiser.
after doing a superficial background check. The
Institute has checked his education, where he has Dunbar’s house has two storeys and a small garden. A
worked and his private contacts. 1.4m high brick wall surrounds the garden and there is about
5 meters from the wall to the house. The only entry point is
H02 - Richard Dunbar’s letter to Dumont: This the driveway gate at the front of the house, but climbing over
is a letter written by Richard Dunbar to Jacob it should be easy enough.
Dumont, after Dunbar had an unsettling conver-
sation with Raymond Phelps. Hoffmann Institute When the heroes contact Svendsson, he says: “The house
agents found this letter in Dumont’s apartment has been quiet all afternoon. There is one guard and a dog in
during a search. the house, probably on the ground floor.”
H03 - Site Report Richard E. Dunbar’s house: This If triggered, the house’s alarm system alerts the security
is the results of a site investigation conducted by personnel in the house, Dunbar and SecTech’s downtown
Hoffmann Institute field agents. The GM may office.
14 When triggered, the personnel in the house have one
want to change the report’s date if the campaign
is set at a later point. minute to cancel the alarm, otherwise guards from the office

DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14 DARK MATTER

will arrive at the house within 5 minutes. A central security heroes must provide a good story for the guard to bluff their

ADVENTURES
board located in Dunbar’s office (area 11) controls the whole way into the house. Standard procedure when facing unex-
system; it monitors all windows and doors, the cameras and pected deliveries or requests is to check with the company
the video recorder. There are also secondary panels in various office or even Richard Dunbar directly.
locations. Deception - Bluff (+3 penalty): The heroes successfully
Hacking into a secondary panel only affects its specific bluff their way into the house. On an ordinary failure,
tasks, not the entire system. Video cameras cover the doors the guard calls the office or Dunbar, and the bluff is
and the garden, recording onto 48-hour tapes. The system has exposed. After 10 minutes, an additional guard shows
its own power supply. Strong vibrations in the windows trig- up. The guards notify the cops about potential trouble
ger the alarm, as does breaking or opening them. The actual in the area. On a critical failure, the guard plays along
sensors are on the window frame and the wall; if contact is and tries to set up the heroes. The GM should reduce
broken, for instance, by opening a window, the alarm is trig- the penalty if the players come up with a particularly
gered. good story.
Security - security devices (see below for modifiers): Cutting the power: A sudden power loss in the neighbor-
Opening a window from the outside without triggering hood affects the house, but not the alarm system. The guard
the alarm requires a wire, an electronics kit and notices, calls the central office and searches the house and the
lockpick tools. 6 successes with a +1 penalty are garden.
needed. The heroes must somehow obtain a map of the power grid
Each window has a dedicated security panel; bypassing it of the area (Bengt Svendsson’s team has one) to do this, locate
is a simple check with a +1 modifier. Success indicates that the cable or a junction box, and cut the power. Alternatively,
the hero may open the window from the inside without trig- they could hack into the power company and do a software
gering the alarm. cut.
A guard and a dog are in the house at all times. The guard Luring the guard out: The easiest way to lure the guard
is a Marginal Spook and the dog uses the stats listed on page out is to trigger the motion detectors in the garden and wait.
233 of the GMG. Dunbar is at work all day and usually does The guard brings the dog and phones the SecTech office before
not come home until around midnight on weekdays - unless leaving the house. He will lock the outer door and check the
the guard, the police or the alarm has alerted him. garden thoroughly taking at least one minute on each side of
the house, leaving the heroes three minutes to slip in the front
GETTING IN AND OUT OF THE HOUSE
door and deal with the security panel in the hallway.
The heroes can get into the house in several ways:
Leaving unnoticed: Leaving the house is much easier
Bribery: The heroes could attempt to bribe their way into than entering. Anyone with access to the main security panel
the house. The guards know the company routinely checks can turn off the system for a couple of minutes, climb out a
up on their employees, and will normally refuse bribes. The window and sneak off without anybody ever noticing. The
players must plan how they want to go about this, maybe find only evidence of their presence is the actual RAM chip,
some hook they can use to bribe the guard. Anything less that the time sig. on the videotape and the changes made by the
$5000 is counted as an insult and automatically fails. Keep heroes.
in mind that a successful bribe makes the entire act much
easier, and lucky dice rolls alone should not decide the out-
come. Make sure this scene is suspenseful to the last. The GM
should make the check for heroes attempting the bribe.
Deception - Bribe (+3 penalty): A success indicated
that the heroes successfully bribe the guard to let the
heroes into the house and do their work. On an ordinary
failure, the guard refuses the bribe and calls the office.
After 10 minutes, an additional guard shows up. The
guards may notify the cops about potential trouble in
the area. On a critical failure, the guard plays along and
tries to set up the heroes. The Institute does not fund
bribery, at least not in this case. Research on the guard
could reduce this penalty.
Bluff: Experienced security personnel in D.C. hear many 15
stories, and the employees of SecTech are no exception. The

DARK MATTER DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14

 DUNBAR’S HOUSE, KEYED ENTRIES 1. FRONT DOOR AND HALL
ADVENTURES

Dunbar is heavily into appearances, designer furniture and The room is a small entrance porch with some clothes,
having the right things. His house is tidy, has few decorations, shoes, a small table and a bench. There is a security
and looks stylish, expensive and well planned. panel located by the outer door.
The central alarm monitors the door. Anyone entering
0. THE GARDEN: through the door must enter a code at the security panel in the
The garden behind the fence has a well-groomed lawn, Hall within two minutes, or the alarm will trigger.
a couple of trimmed trees and bushes. Manipulation - lockpick (+1 penalty): Picking the lock
The gate opens only by manually entering a code on a on the door. It is possible to retry ordinary failures, but
small terminal, or from a signal from Dunbar’s car. Either will critical failures will trigger the alarm. Each attempt
turn off the motion detectors in the garden for five minutes takes 12 seconds (one round).
(but not in front of the doors). The guards do not have a radio Security - security devices (-1 bonus): It is possible to
controller to the gates and use the manual terminal. identify, but not disable, the alarm from the outside.
Security - security devices (+1 penalty): Success Security - security devices (+1 penalty): It is possible
indicates that the hero bypassed the security panel. to disable the door alarm at the security panel in
Looking on the security panels for fingerprints will the hall. Each attempt takes about 24 seconds (two
reveal the msot commonly used keys, adding a -1 rounds). Looking on the security panel for fingerprints
bonus on the check. will reveal the commonly used keys, adding a -1 bonus
There are separate motion detectors covering the garden on the check.
and the area in front of both outer doors. The detectors will The main hall is quite spacious, and has exits on all
not trigger for small or slow moving objects. walls and stairs going up to the second floor. There
Strength feat (no modifier) and Resolve - mental (-1 is a full sized mirror on the west wal and a floral
bonus): Success indicates that the hero succeeded in decoration by the bottom step. Further along are
crawling through the garden without triggering the stairs down to what has to be the basement. The room
motion detector. The characters max move is quarter is clean and tidy.
walk speed, which can be increased to half walking
speed with a +2 penalty on the before mentioned 2. DINING ROOM
checks. This is the dining room.

DUNBAR’S HOUSE – MAP KEY

1. Front door and hall
2. Dining room
3. Kitchen and back door
4. Storage
5. Passageway
6. Restroom
7. TV room
8. Living room
9. Hall
10. Guestroom
11. The office
12. Dunbar’s bedroom
13. Gym
14. Bathroom
15. Library
16. Storage
17. Laundry room
18. Basement storage
19. Secret room
16 S – Hidden door to 19

DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14 DARK MATTER

3. KITCHEN AND BACK DOOR 9. HALL

ADVENTURES
The room is a modern kitchen in glass and stainless The stairs down are located in the middle of the room,
steel, with every electronic accessory any chef could and nine doors gives access to what seems to be most of the
desire. The benches are white hardwood, the cloths are second floor.
clean and lined up on hangers. Not a single piece of
10. GUESTROOM
equipment in the room seems out of place. There is a
security panel located by the back door. You see a single bed, a closet, a desk and a mirror in
the room. A modern art piece is hanging on a wall.
The central alarm monitors the door. Anyone entering
through the door must enter a code at the security panel in the 11. THE OFFICE
Hall within two minutes, or the alarm will trigger. In the room is a large wooden desk with stacks of
Manipulation - lockpick (+1 penalty): Picking the lock papers, a monitor and a keyboard. Along the walls
on the door. It is possible to retry ordinary failures, but are two bookshelves with law books, geography books
critical failures will trigger the alarm. Each attempt and biology books. On the walls, you see an ancient
takes 12 seconds (one round). looking wooden mask, a couple of maps and some
Security - security devices (-1 bonus): It is possible to family photos. There is a security panel by the window,
identify, not disable, the alarm from the outside. with several monitors and a recorder some sort.
Security - security devices (+1 penalty): It is possible The mask is a replica of one of the missing Necromancy
to disable the door alarm at the security panel in Masks (see Demonground #9). There are two detailed poster
the hall. Each attempt takes about 24 seconds (two maps on the walls, one of the Rocky Mountains and one of the
rounds). Looking on the security panel for fingerprints DC area. On the wall is a picture of Dunbar and the President
will reveal the commonly used keys, adding a -1 bonus shaking hands. Somewhere in the stack of papers is a copy of
on the check. Edna Dunbar’s medical file, including a scan of her head.
The computer cabinet is located on the floor under the
4. STORAGE
desk. Anyone looking closer into the room sees it immedi-
The room is a dusty but orderly storeroom. ately.
In a large closet by the door are a vacuum cleaner, some
dusters, a mop and some buckets. The rest of the room is for
food and drink storage, notably a fine collection of white
wines and enough canned food to last a decade.
5. PASSAGEWAY
A comfortable looking chair is located beside the east
door and an abstract painting is hanging on the south
wall.
6. RESTROOM
Computer Science - hardware (-2 bonus): A success
This restroom is nice and tidy. indicates that the hero successfully opens the computer
7. TV ROOM cabinet, identifies and swaps the RAM chips. The
A 38” widescreen TV set with surround sound hero may retry any ordinary failures, but a critical
dominates the room. Two black leather chairs with failure fries the motherboard. Each attempt takes two
steel casing stand in front of it, and a minibar sits by minutes.
the door on the north wall. There is a dog’s basket in The main security system board consists of a panel, a
the corner by the east door. screen showing the house with all sensors, panels and locks
The guard spends most of the time here, watching TV. marked on it, two monitors (both outer doors) and the record-
ing system.
8. LIVING ROOM Security - security devices (-2 bonus): Success
Spacious living room with a small bar, glass and indicates that the hero was able to loop the tape, thus
stainless steel furniture with bright colored cushions erasing a time period without leaving any obvious
and a large sound system where all components come indication that something out of the ordinary has been
from different companies. Modern art decorates the going on. The loop will be noticed if someone looks
walls and there is a large green floral decoration in at the tape and pays attention to the time counter. The 17
the southwest corner and a large fish tank by the east hero may also turn of the security system long enough
door. to cover the escape from the house.

DARK MATTER DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14

 12. DUNBAR’S BEDROOM 18. BASEMENT STORAGE
ADVENTURES

You see a large waterbed in the middle the room, a There is lots of old and dusty furniture in the room.
wardrobe covers the west wall and there is a full sized
19. SECRET ROOM
mirror on the wall. The bedside table holds a Bible, a
couple of issues of Hustler from the early eighties and In the middle of the floor is a lab table, on the wall to
some FDA reports. The wardrobe is full of suits, shoes your left are three bodies piled up on sheves and on the
and clothes for all occasions. west wall is a large two-door locker. Along the wall to
your right are several boxes and crates.
Dunbar is a light sleeper and easily awakened if anyone
enters his room. If Dunbar is asleep in the room when heroes The locker contains medical equipment, various sawing
enter, a sneak check is required to not wake him up: and cutting tools, handcuffs and a tranquillizer gun. There
are also several jars with unidentified balms and ointments,
Stealth - sneak (-2 bonus): The heroes successfully
stored for use in necromantic rituals.
sneak quietly into the room. Give a one step penalty for
each additional hero that enters, after the first. Dunbar All three bodies have their heads sawn off by the neck,
awakens on a failure, and awakes but successfully and seem only hours old (and will continue to do so for a long
feigns sleep on a critical failure. time). Two of the heads ended up in Phelps’ lab (area 26) in
Scene Two, Act Two, and the third is unaccounted for.
13. GYM
You see a bench, some weights, exercise mats, and a ACT ONE DEVELOPMENTS
treadmill in the room. There is a full size mirror on the Act One can turn sour on the heroes in many ways:
east wall.
Discovered! The heroes have done real damage, are dis-
14. BATHROOM covered by the guard and flee. Dunbar knows he has enemies,
The bathroom is nice and tidy, with modern furniture. and a break-in attempt is expected, hence the guard. A botched
The medicine cabinet contains Dunbar’s diet of vitamins, break-in attempt does not seriously damage the heroes stand-
sleeping pills and amphetamine. ing in the Hoffmann Institute, unless they kill innocents (like
the guard) or expose the institute.
15. LIBRARY Bloodbath! The break-in could easily turn into a shootout
Bookshelves cover the walls and there are two large if the guard discovers the heroes. Susan and Bengt will enter
chairs in the middle of the floor. the scene, help them out if necessary and leave the site as fast
16. STORAGE as they can. If a shootout brings the police, Bengt and Susan
will abandon the heroes to their fate, or posibly even finish
Lots of old and dusty furniture are stored in the
them off themselves.
room. Dozens of boxes of papers are piled up by the
west wall. There is a faint smell of rot in the air. The Success! If everything goes smoothly Bengt Svendsson
basement walls seem much older than the walls on the and Susan Dale meet the heroes at the parking lot near Tina’s
ground floor. Books & Coffee as planned. The meeting will not be scripted,
as their comments will depend on how well the heroes per-
The room is the result of Richard Dunbar’s many redeco-
formed. The agents will expect 9 or 10 RAM chips back from
rations of the house. None of the furniture is actually more
the heroes, or at least a reasonable account of the whereabouts
than 5-10 years old.
of the missing RAM chips.
Awareness - perception (+1 penalty): Success indicates
that anyone looking on the wall will notice the outline
of a secret door. Actively searching gives a -2 bonus.
Read or paraphrase the following:
Boxes with old magazines and newspapers cover a
secret door, disguised as a part of the west wall. The
handle is a pressure plate on the ceiling by the wall.
17. LAUNDRY ROOM
There is a washing machine and dirty laundry in the
room.
There is blood from one of Dunbar’s victims on one of the
18 dirty bed sheets.

DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14 DARK MATTER

ACT TWO: PHELPS notice for a few days, or the heroes amended for

ADVENTURES
their failure by stealing the entire computer disk.
This second act focus on the evidence collected in the The report is a summary of a larger file containing
previous act and the connection between Les Treize Corbeaux a disk with the actual files from the computer. The
and Richard Dunbar. research files are available to the heroes if they
request them, but gives little of interest, unless
SCENE ONE: NEW CASE FILES AND INVESTIGATIONS the heroes want to read up on the ‘science’ of the
LOCATION: At the team’s home office Heads-device or need some background on Phelps’
work. The encrypted files remain encrypted, and
In this Act the heroes are supposed to look over the avail- are not available to the heroes.
able evidence and decide their course of action. Act Two
begins one morning when the heroes’ supervisor stops by There are a number of courses the adventure may take
their office and drop off some case files. after this point, but here are a few likely paths the investiga-
tion may take:
Your supervisor drops by your office just before
lunch with some files. You can swear you cans see a THE MISSING MASKS
strange smile as the files land on your desk. “Have a The British Museum, the rightful owner of one of the
look at these. They are the results of your exploits in missing Necromancy Masks, will claim that they have the
Georgetown. Look through them, work your magic, Lagos Mask. The Museum will not allow anyone to see it and
and tell me what you make of it in a couple of days.” refuses to comment on any rumors.
What do you do? The University of Oslo, the owner of the other missing
The players’ performance in Act One should decide which Necromancy Mask, will deny that they found any occult arti-
case files the GM makes available. The other handouts sup- fact in the Oseberg ship, nor will they confirm any relation
plied in this adventure are: with the Hoffmann Institute.
H04 - Report about the Masks: This handout is avail- More info about the Oseberg ship is available at:
able if institute researchers identified the Mask on http://www.ukm.uio.no/vikingskipshuset/
Dunbar’s office wall, only possible if the heroes
RESEARCHING RAYMOND PHELPS
supplied a good description, a picture or even stole
it. Institute researchers will recognize the mask for A complex skill check is required, and relevant skills
what it is, even if Dunbar’s mask is a replica. The include Investigation - research (-2 bonus) and Street Smarts
report includes two black and white pictures, one – net savvy (+2 penalty). Give out appropriate information
of each of the known Necromancy Masks. The GM from the following, if successful:
should note that the masks are largely a dead end 3 Failures: Raymond Phelps was born in 1919 and
during the early stages of the Act, as the owners of lives in New Haven.
both refuse to talk about them, and most heroes do 1 Success: Raymond Phelps was born in 1919, lived
not have the means to force answers from either of in Pine Creek, Colorado, and later with his aunt in
them. Thus, the handout’s purpose is to give the Denver. He served in the U.S. army during World
players hints on how to solve the last scene, if it War 2 and stayed with the forces until he started
ever comes into play, not to act as a significant part as a medical student at Yale University in 1947. In
in itself. 1953, Yale hired him and he has stayed at the Bio-
H05 - The “Deadboy” email: This report is available if medicine Faculty since. He never married, or had
the heroes succeeded in placing the RAM chip into any known relationships.
Dunbar’s computer in Act One, or simply stole the 2 Successes: Veronica Phelps, Raymond Phelps’
hard disk. Alternatively, you may make it available mother, drowned in 1924. Steven Richard Phelps,
if you decide that the Institute has monitored Dun- Raymond’s father, was a landowner and investor
bar’s mail account for a while. The email is a direct in the years following World War 1 up to the crash
reply to H-02 where Dumont refuses to take any in 1929. Steven Phelps lost everything in the crash
action to monitor Phelps’ doings. This is a lie from and committed suicide. Raymond Phelps’ only
Dumont’s side, as he does not trust either of them. living relatives are a couple of nephews and nieces,
He has sent a spy to watch Phelps, and strength- living in California and New Mexico.
ened the cult’s presence in Denver as backup.
4 Successes: Raymond Phelps works from his home
H06 - Documents from Richard Dunbar’s computer: in Pine Creek, Colorado. He bought out his elder
This report is available if Act One was successful brothers and sisters in 1970, becoming the sole
19
- the RAM chip was installed and Dunbar did not owner of the house. Research: Yale The University

DARK MATTER DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14

 of Yale has little to do with this adventure, except 1 Success: Pine Creek is a small Colorado town
ADVENTURES

that a few of their former students and current located between Rustic and Fort Collins. The
employees are up to illicit business. Keep in mind town is missing on many official maps. Every
that Phelps, despite his freedom and influence, generation, a woman drowns herself in the Pine
still is a Yale employee. Yale transfers all calls or Creek Lake. An urban legend has it that the first
requests for him to his home office with little fuss. woman killed herself after her husband died during
The administration at Yale is unwilling to give any the civil war, and she has every generation since
information about Phelps’ projects, except that he called a young maiden to accompany her. Many of
still supervises master degree students. This adven- the locals firmly believe this, while others thinks
ture does not necessarily say that the Skull and it is coincidence. Also, covens of witches gather
Bones Society are necromancers; it only reveals here on two or three nights during the summer,
one of its members as a necromancer. The secret of disguised as campers.
the Society’s true nature is still unsolved and left to 2 Successes: Six persons have gone missing over
the GM’s discretion. the last four years in the area around Pine Creek.
A complex skill check is required, and relevant skills All six were camping alone out in the woods
include Interaction - charm (+1 penalty), Deception - bluff, after being seen last alive in town. All six were
Lore - conspiracy theories, Lore - occultism (+1 penalty), healthy, experienced in outdoors activities and well
and Investigation - research (-1 bonus). Give out appropriate equipped for their trip. All remain missing.
information from the following, if successful using appropri- 3 Successes: FBI agents have visited Pine Creek twice
ate skills: in the past two years to investigate twelve differ-
3 Failures: The administration at Yale University is ent cases of fresh graves being robbed. This was
alerted about someone doing unofficial research discovered by accident after the seventh corpse
about their employees, the Skull and Bones Soci- had been stolen when mold was found on a nearby
ety is alerted about the heroes breathing down their pathway and there was a noticeable depression on
necks (even if they did not), Phelps is notified, and the freshest grave. There are no bodies, the FBI has
the heroes fail to obtain anything but the most basic made no arrests, and the case’s status is unclear at
information. best. FBI has ordered the townspeople involved to
1 Success: The heroes learn the basic layout of New be quiet about the body thefts and have actually
Haven and the University of Yale (available from succeeded. The local church has supported the
http://www.yale.edu/ ). Raymond Phelps is a Pro- cover-up wholeheartedly and initiated restoration
fessor in Biomedicine. work on the graveyard to make it more plausible. It
is curious that Pine Creek appears on so few maps
2 Successes: Sarah Portman is a chemistry professor at
and that the highway exit to the town is so poorly
Yale. She is a middle-aged woman with a pleasant,
marked. That, added to considerable government
but eccentric demeanor. She lives with her husband
and MIB presence, indicates that the town may be
Frank, their children have left home and she seems
subject to some governmental experiment, or that it
quite content with life.
is a site for meetings with alien races.
3 Successes: Raymond Phelps works from his home in
5 Successes: There are reports that contradict official
Pine Creek, Colorado.
FDA and Department of Health reports, and indeed
5 Successes: The heroes learn what the GM chooses claims that Pine Creek has twice the national aver-
to make available about the Skull & Bones Society. age of cancer patients. Most of the cases are fatal
Phelps and Dunbar are both members. after an unusually short period of sickness. There
RESEARCH: PINE CREEK have also been a large number of complaints about
headaches, dizziness and stomach problems. The
The agents may want to do a closer investigation on Pine
FDA or the Department of Health and Human Ser-
Creek, in addition to the material given in the handouts. They
vices has no records of this, so the heroes’ source
may use privileged sources for this, but also newspapers,
must be elsewhere.
medical journals and statistical research. The heroes may
choose to attempt several skills for this, notably Investigation
– research and Lore - conspiracy theories. Give answers as
choice of skill, success and access to information dictates:
20 3 Failures: The heroes fail to find Colorado on the
map and should stay at home.

DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14 DARK MATTER

OTHER PATHS OF INVESTIGATION The Graveyard: A quite old burial site, the oldest graves

ADVENTURES
The heroes may decide to travel to New Haven to do a go all the way back to the 1840’s with a few fur trappers in the
personal investigation, but this is not likely to give any more southeast corner. Sheriff Anderson runs nightly patrols here,
results than calling the Biomedicine Faculty, since Phelps is usually around 2300 hours and 0400 hours.
rarely present. There is little of interest in Phelps office if The Phelps Mansion: This is the ancestral house of the
they manage to get a closer look at it, as he has moved all his Phelps family. Phelps’ father, a successful landowner in
research to Pine Creek. Denver, built it sometimes in the 20’s but it was often empty
as the family generally was miserable in the small town. It is
THE ROAD TO PINE CREEK
a three-story building with an overgrown garden and a .No
The outcome of the scene is hopefully that the heroes are- Trespassing. sign at the front of the fence. Sneaking into the
heading for Pine Creek, Colorado, either on their own initia- garden has become a way of showing courage among local
tive or on Hoffman Institute orders. kids.
The Pine Creek Lake: The Lake is a popular camping
SCENE TWO: PINE CREEK
site for the locals. It is about 2 km in diameter and very deep.
LOCATION: Pine Creek, Colorado. People generally shun it after dark.
This scene centers on the heroes arrival in Pine Creek. The Water Plant: The Pine Creek pumping station and
There is no scripted order of events, as the heroes themselves water plant is located halfway to town from the exit from
are the initiators and catalysts of the chain of events, with Highway 14, and supplies water to nearby towns and even
possible countermoves by Sheriff Anderson or Les Treize Fort Collins. Note that the Lake is not the source of the water.
Corbeaux if the heroes are careless. The scene assume that Les Treize Corbeaux have installed special filters on some of
the heroes arrive in town, find somewhere to stay and start a the pipes at the water plant, and is using the population of Pine
closer investigation of Raymond Phelps before they decide on Creek to test out drugs and toxins.
some way to deal with him. Phelps will do nothing, except in
PINE CREEK: NOTABLE DENIZENS
self-defense, unless he concludes that someone is spying on
him. If that happens move to Scene Three. Drew Anderson: Drew Anderson is the local sheriff: This
relentless local representative of the law has many worries
Careful agents may uncover or guess Phelps’ plans before
these days, and is very interested in mysterious newcomers.
they trigger the necromancer’s paranoia, and Scene Three
Anderson is a heavyset fit woman in her early forties. She is
may be avoided. The agents may enquire to the Hoffmann
tall, with long blonde hair, which she usually keeps tied in a
Institute for advice on the proper course of action. The Hoff-
bun. She is serious, talks with a calm determined voice, and
mann Institute reply is up to the GM to devise.
does not allow anyone to tell her how to carry out her duties.
Read or paraphrase the following to the players as the
Sheriff Anderson will ask a number of questions about
heroes drive into town:
the heroes’ doings and who they are if given an opportunity.
Pine Creek is a small town in Colorado in the middle The heroes can answer pretty much what they want and get
of the scenic Roosevelt National Forest. The exit to the away if they have done nothing wrong, but Sheriff Anderson
town is about 40 miles west of Fort Collins, halfway will keep a close eye on the heroes if she thinks they are
between Rustic and Poudre Park, and the town itself suspicious, hostile or rude. She will arrest anyone giving her
is about 5 minutes into the woods. The town looks trouble without hesitation, just to keep them uncomfortable,
peaceful. Three hundred houses dot the mountainside, and release them after 24 hours unless they have done some-
there is a small lake at the bottom of the valley and thing illegal.
trees cover the slopes. The town has the typical
She will back off if facing armed resistance or superior
facilities of any small town: a supermarket, a diner, a
numbers, and call for serious backup from Denver or Fort
bar and a couple of shops. The town has no less than
Collins.
two well-stocked sports shops, as the area around Pine
Creek is prime mountain hiking and fishing area. If assassins attack the heroes, Sheriff Anderson and her
three deputies will do the early investigation and secure
PINE CREEK: NOTABLE LOCALES evidence while they wait for detectives from Fort Collins or
The Great Northern: The Great Northern is a large Denver.
hotel overlooking the town and the lake. It has all the usual Interaction - charm or interview (+2 penalty): Sheriff
facilities, such as a bar, a gym, cable TV, Internet and a pool. Anderson can be a useful contact in Pine Creek if she
The hotel owns about 40 bungalows in the Pine Creek area, can be convinced that the heroes can help the town
in addition to its 300 rooms. The Great Northern entertains
thousands of guests during the high season.
and are trustworthy. The heroes must figure out a good 21
story for her to do this. On a successful check she is
more forthcoming:

DARK MATTER DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14

 “Actually, there have been some unsettling events The missing hikers: The disappearance of the moun-
ADVENTURES

around here lately. You probably know about the tain hikers saddens people. They are concerned this
mountain hikers that are missing in this area. There may effect the tourist trade.
is no pattern in where or whom, expect that all six The restored graveyard: Many of the townspeople
where camping in the woods. There is no trace of are looking forward to see the graveyard restored.
them anywhere. All seemed capable of taking care
Men in Black: Pine Creek has had its share of inves-
of themselves in the woods. Sure, there are some
tigators from the FBI, and many other agencies
wild animals around here, but few animals have been
in the last year. Many jokingly see conspiracies
reported missing, and at least some of the bodies
everywhere and may ridicule visitors fitting an
should have been found by now, if this was mere
MIB description.
accidents or even random murders. No, something big
is going on here.” The many deaths: Many townspeople have unexpect-
edly become ill and even died recent years. This
She does not think Phelps has done anything illegal if
saddens many.
asked, although she will admit he is strange. Drew Anderson
is a Good quality Law Enforcer (see GMG page 98). Kim Gordon: The hotel owner‘s daughter was flirting
with one of the FBI agents visiting town recently.
Josh McGovern: McGovern, the town doctor, is an
People think he is coming to visit her during the
elderly gentleman with no family. Someone he believes repre-
upcoming holiday.
sents a pharmaceutical company bribed him to give access to
his files and journals. He is not very proud of this, but it pays LES TREIZE CORBEAUX PRESENCE
well, and he hopes no harm will come of it. The crows have a spy in Pine Creek and at least two
Robert Gordon: Robert Gordon is the owner of The groups active in Colorado. The spy has been sent by the cult
Great Northern Hotel. He is a shrewd businessman who loves leaders to watch Phelps, coordinate the tests with the Pine
the hotel business and his daughter Kim. He works around Creek drinking water, and to watch any suspicious newcomer
the clock in the high season, and very little during the low in town. The spy acts as an observer and is very careful, prob-
season. His wife died two years ago of cardiac arrest, at the ably hiding in plain sight, possibly as a guest at the hotel. The
age of 42. GM may develop more details if necessary.
Frank Olsson: Frank Olsson, the town priest, believes the The spy can call in the two other groups for aid if neces-
church should play a more active role in the fight against evil. sary. The other groups are a trio of motorcycle riding assas-
He supported the cover-up of the missing corpses and was the sins, and a circle of Denver based cultists. The two groups
one who convinced Sheriff Anderson to do nightly patrols to have no knowledge of each other nor do they know the real
the graveyard. God is not something abstract and uncertain to identity of the spy, and the spy uses them separately to protect
Olsson: he has seen the evil that men do, and he is convinced cult‘s interests.
there are supernatural forces at work. Olsson will pick up The following encounters with Les Treize Corbeaux
arms and be in the first line of defense, if the minions of Satan agents may occur in Pine Creek. Use a Les Treize Corbeaux
ever attack his town. SCM template for stats. Pick quality based on the heroes’
Sally Gardner: Sally is the owner of Gardner Sports, combat abilities.
and is a seasoned guide of the woods and mountains around If the heroes are watching Phelps: The heroes spot a
Pine Creek. She is probably the one people will refer to if the dark figure climbing up on a roof one night while watching
heroes search for someone familiar with area. She is a good Phelps. house. The figure sets up some equipment on a house
friend of Robert Gordon. roof before skulking away again. The figure works very
Ron Katzenberger: Katzenberger is the chief engineer quickly, climbs down, jumps on a trail bike and rides off out
and administrator at the Pine Creek Water Plant. He takes of town using a mountain trail. Remember that cars cannot
pride in his work, although it is long days with little to do, but follow the bikes into the woods.
still he looks forward to his pension and plans to spend his Stealth - shadow (+2 penalty) and Awareness -
golden years far away from Colorado. perception (-1 bonus): The figure sneaks down from
LIFE IN TOWN the roof, skulks across the street and jumps on a
motorcycle parked there. The other Bikers join from a
People generally live by the small town virtues; they are
side road and all ride out of Pine Creek using a forest
friendly, hospitable and curious. The heroes will have no trou-
trail, unless the heroes choose to get involved. A failed
ble finding gossip, but must be prepared to have any informa-
shadow check indicates the Assassins have spotted
tion they give about themselves all over town in a few days.
22 any watchers and attack. A failed perception check
The talk of the town these days includes: indicates that the heroes lost the track

DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14 DARK MATTER

 Awareness - perception (+2 penalty) and Knowledge Robert “Bobby” Libya: Male, white, age 26. Bobby is a

ADVENTURES
- deduce (+1 penalty): Finding the right roof after rich kid, but has been disowned by his family. He was recently
watching from a distance. The GM should modify the arrested for prostitution and drug possession in Los Angeles.
perception check depending on the heroes’ distance Theresa Spencer: Female, black, age 32. She worked in a
from the site. The biker has placed a Laser Mike (AEG, security company until recently, and has excellent references.
page 29) on the roof pointed at Phelps’ mansion. The She was arrested for drug possession in 1995.
mike is equipped with a radio transceiver and a big
Liza Darrin: Female, white, age 35. She was a NYC cop,
battery.
but fired for corruption.
The Biker Assassin attack: The spy calls in the team of
Rich Martin: Male, white, age 28. Soldier during the
motorcycle riding assassins to deal with the heroes, if they
Gulf war, he was suspended from service after accusations
get too close to Phelps. The bikers can be in Pine Creek in
of torture from Iraqi prisoners. He spends more time with his
90 minutes. They prefer to attack at night if the heroes are in
laptop than attending to his duties.
Pine Creek, possibly chasing the heroes through the streets.
They will never ride their bikes into territory the heroes con- John Camp: Male, black, age 29. Jamaica born gangster,
trol unless they believe their targets are wounded. They do arrested for drug possession in 1997. Camp wears a voodoo-
not mind drawing attention by making noise with their bikes, charm at all times, and may know more than he is saying. Use
but are careful not to stay in the open long periods. They the Spook SCM template for stats. Pick quality based on the
use houses, cars or any cover available to hide, not allowing heroes’ combat abilities.
anyone a clear shot at them. EVENTS AT THE PHELPS MANSION
The Biker Assassins are careful researchers when allowed Heroes tapping the telephones or listening in on Phelps’
to prepare before an attack. They scout the terrain and road study will pick up several conversations of interest. These
maps carefully, finding shortcuts and escape routes, giving events will take place at 1 to 4 day intervals.
them a definitive edge in chases and vehicle combat. They Telephone call during office hours:
prefer to attack targets on foot in open terrain, or cramped in
a car in high speed. They will try to escape and fight another Phelps calls Janet Parks, a secretary at the Biomedicine
day if the fight is not going their way or they lose the element Faculty at Yale. Phelps will send one of his thugs to Yale the
of surprise. They have been known to terrorize victims for same evening as this conversation take place. The thug will be
days before completing their assignment. gone for 4 days, whereupon he or she returns with books from
Phelps’ office at Yale.
The Cultist attacks: The members need 24 hours to
gather, locate their target and make a plan before they strike. Phelps: “Hello? Is it you Janet?”
The Cultists are not trained soldiers, and prefer to attack Janet Parks: “Yes, this is Janet Parks.”
unprepared sleeping targets. The cultists do not mind attack- Phelps: “Ah.Good. This is Raymond.”
ing at the hotel or a similar place, as they believe that the Janet Parks: “Raymond? For goodness sake, when
heroes are more afraid of exposure than they are. They are are you coming back? You know.”
reluctant to attack in open or isolated places where the heroes
can strike back without restraint. They know that their targets Phelps: “Listen, I need some more papers from the
probably do not want to draw attention to themselves and will office, quite a lot of them actually. I’m calling to
attack in places the targets are unlikely to use firearms, like tell you that I will be sending one of my assistants
hotels for example. to pick them up for me. He will use my key, but
you must inform security for me, and maybe help if
PHELPS’ AGENTS something has ended up in the archive or at Phil’s
The group of thugs working for Phelps is hired through office. You know if something ends up there.”
Yale University as research assistants, but no one at Yale Janet Parks: “sure, sure.”
can give a clear answer on who or why these assistants were Phelps: “Okay. Bye for now. Thanks.”
hired. Phelps obviously used his considerable pull at Yale to
get them hired, and there is a 50% chance that his allies notify Janet Parks (sighs): “Goodbye Raymond.”
him if anybody call Yale and asks about these people. They all Conversation between Phelps and a Thug:
have somewhat seedy pasts and go along with most of what This conversation takes place sometime one morning
Phelps has told them, but they are not monsters like Phelps. while the heroes are in Pine Creek:
They will not kill innocents, and could even be turned against Phelps: “A new package is coming in tonight. Make
Phelps if they knew the reach of his evil. They have never sure that the containers are cleaned and the equip-
been into the Heads Lab or the Freezer, and they do not know ment ready.” 23
the contents of the packages Phelps receive on occasions.
Thug: “Okay. We will be ready.”

DARK MATTER DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14

 The package is fresh bodies for Phelps experiments deliv- Yale ISP server (easier to find, as it has a static IP address),
ADVENTURES

ered by two Les Treize Corbeaux members in a van. The biker and monitor Phelps from there. Doing this takes considerable
assassins will escort the van if they have any reason to believe online time from the heroes, as Phelps is only online a couple
someone is after Phelps. The cult members in the van will take of hours every day. The agent trying to hack into Phelps com-
a detour and call in the biker assassins if they notice anyone puter must wait online until Phelps shows up, and act before
on their trail. If the cultists fail, or there is no backup avail- he disconnects.
able, they return to Denver and prepare a confrontation of the This translates into a Computer Science - hacking (+2
GM’s design there. penalty) skill check. Suggestions on how to solve the task are
Successfully trailing the van require Stealth-shadow and suggested below, but creative players with computer skills
Vehicle Operation - land checks: Stealth - shadow (4 suc- may surprise you, so prepare for serious techno babble. Note
cesses required) and Vehicle Operation - land (no modifier): that Phelps could get suspicious about degraded performance
The heroes successfully shadow the van from Haven to Pine if the heroes get greedy and try to get more than one file, and
Creek, provided that they find some way to identify the van. disconnect.
The heroes lose the trail on a failure. Nothing disastrous hap- 3 Failures: The Yale ISP notices that something is
pens on a critical failure, unless the heroes have attempted wrong and closes the connection. They will alert
something particularly clever. the FBI. The GM must decide what happens next.
HACKING PHELPS’ COMPUTER 1 Success: The agent successfully locates the Yale ISP
Gaining access to Phelps’ computer should be interesting. server.
Heroes can do this by entering the house and use the com- 2 Successes: The agent successfully enters the Yale
puter, or by hacking into it through the Internet. The computer ISP server and must wait for Phelps to connect.
runs a slightly outdated operating system, connects to the 3 Successes: Maybe a full day later, Phelps is observed
Internet with a standard modem and receives a random IP connecting.
address from Phelps’ Internet Service Provider (ISP). Heroes
4 Successes: The agent successfully downloads a file
can hack into the computer through the Internet in at least two
from Phelps computer. Consider giving the agents
ways:
more than one file per hack to speed up game play.
The Trojan: The heroes could send Phelps a Trojan Otherwise, Phelps disconnects before a second file
horse in the form of an executable program file as an e-mail downloads successfully, and the hero attempting
attachment. The problem is that Phelps is the one who has to the hack must start over.
execute the Trojan, so the e-mail must present the .exe file in
a believable manner. The heroes must do a thorough back-
ground check, and probably make some good guesses
Street Smart - net savvy (-1 bonus): The hero finds
Phelps’ e-mail address at the Yale website.
Computer Science - hacking (+2 penalty, 4 successes
required) or Street Smart - net savvy (no modifier): The
hero either programs or finds a Trojan on the Internet.
Deception - bluff (modifier varies): The heroes can
enter Phelps computer at their leisure whenever Phelps
connects his computer to the Internet, if the bluff is
successful.
Making Phelps take the bait and open the attachment is
the challenge. Phelps is no computer wiz, but knows the basic
principles of computer hacking and viruses, and will certainly
not jeopardize his computer thoughtlessly. Sending Phelps a
mysterious attachment without a convincing story is the surest
way to tell him that someone after him! Making a convinc-
ing story will require a good plan and most certainly requires
some other skill checks from the heroes. The GM must decide
the final situation die.
24 Hacker run: The heroes could try to track down his IP
address number when he connects to the Internet, and enter
the computer. The easiest way is probably to hack into the

DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14 DARK MATTER

 PHELPS’ MANSION, KEYED ENTRIES badly needs new paint and the place has a worn and

ADVENTURES
tired look.
Phelps’ house is quite old, and while it is well-maintained
Sneaking through the garden is difficult. There is a sta-
Phelps has not done much with it for the past 30 years. Most
tionary camera covering each side of the house, but they have
of the furniture and the wallpaper date back to the 1960’s,
a narrow blind spot at the corners, and along the walls. The
some even longer - the only recent additions are the security
guards are not paying too much attention, unless they already
devices, the lab and the items the guards brought with them.
have reason to be. They have a 10% chance of noticing tres-
The house is built for a large family, not just one man with a
passing heroes caught on the video.
few guards, so many rooms have not been used in 30 years
and they certainly look that way. The house is dusty, messy Awareness - perception (-1 bonus) and Security - security
and largely empty. devices (-1 bonus): Success indicates that the heroes are able
to spot and identify the security camera. Good binoculars will
There is a secret ladder going through the house. Secret
give a -1 bonus on each check.
doors on all three levels cover the ladder, but there has been
no attempt to hide it in the basement. If he is in need of a fast Stealth - sneak (+2 penalty): Success indicates that an
escape, Phelps will use this, trigger the bomb in the basement, intruder in the garden is able to use the blind zone at
and try to escape through the back door if possible. He will the corners to reach the wall. The hero remains in a
bring with him any available thugs. blind zone as long as he or she stays by the walls.
A central security board controls the alarm system through Heroes who want to sneak in through a window must first
numerous security panels, which control specific windows, open it:
doors and so on. The system has its own power supply, so Manipulation - lockpick (+2 penalty, 3 successes
cutting power in the area will not affect the houses defenses. required): The hero successfully opens the window. A
Turning on or off one of the security panels will only affect its failure will trigger the central alarm.
specific tasks, not the entire system. The security system tapes
R. RESTROOM
the camera in the garden (area 0) and at the basement door
(area 22). The central alarm controls the video recorder, and This is a restroom.
is located in the guardroom (area 14). If the recording is the 1. FRONT DOOR
only sign of the heroes, there is an 85% chance their intrusion
Heroes who wish to enter the house uninvited through the
remains undetected. The central alarm monitors some of the
front door will probably try to pick the lock. A camera covers
doors and all the windows. Breaking down doors or smashing
the area by the door, but the guard has only a 10% chance of
windows will trigger the alarm. Once triggered the alarm will
noticing heroes caught in the video frame, unless they ring
alert anyone present in areas 14 or 15.
the doorbell. The guards automatically see people in the door
0. GARDEN camera, if they have reason to expect visitors.
A 2-meter tall iron fence surrounds the overgrown
garden. Tall trees block most of the windows, the house

PHELPS’ MANSION – MAP KEY

R. Restroom 16. Guards’
1. Front door bedroom
2. Back door 17. Unused
3. Dining room bedroom
4. Kitchen 18. Master
5. Kitchen storage bedroom
6. Passageway 19. Phelps’
7. Closet bedroom
8. Tool shed 20. Secret room
9. Living room 21. Library
10. Smoking room 22. Basement door
11. Storage 23. Laboratory
12. Hall 24. Laboratory
13. Converted bedroom
bedroom 25. Incinerator
14. Guards’ HQ 26. Freezer
15. Guards’ living 27. Mainframe 25
room 28. Laboratory
storage

DARK MATTER DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14

 Security - security devices (-1 bonus): The hero 5. KITCHEN STORAGE
ADVENTURES

successfully turns off the security camera. The guards There is a fridge, a freezer and shelves with enough
eventually will notice this, unless the trespassers turn food to sustain ten people for weeks.
it on again when they leave. A critical failure destroys
the camera and triggers the central alarm. 6. PASSAGEWAY
Manipulation - lockpick (+2 penalty): Success You see dozens of old family pictures on the walls.
indicates that the hero is able to pick the lock. Heroes 7. CLOSET
get two shots at this, the central alarm will trigger on
You see five closets and a large mirror in the room.
the third attempt, or on critical failures.
Heroes that look closer find dozens of suits, shoes,
Read or paraphrase the following to the players when the
summer and winter clothes in the closets.
heroes enter the room:
You hear a faint squeak from the floor as you enter the 8. TOOL SHED
room and you smell the distinct smell of mold and old There are several shovels, gardening tools, two sacks
wood. You see the stairs to the second floor, a door of fertilizer and a rack with dirty work clothes in the
on each side of the room, the entrance door, and the room. There is a box on the wall by the door, and you
hallway to the back of the house. You see an alarm can hear a faint humming sound from it.
panel by the entrance door. The box regulates the building’s power supply. The heroes
Trespassing heroes now have 2 minutes to disable the notice that the house uses lots of power, if anyone cares to
alarm, or the central alarm triggers: check. The dirt on the floor matches the type found in the
Security - security devices (+2 penalty): The hero garden and at the graveyard, if checked in a lab.
successfully turns of the security panel. The guards 9. LIVING ROOM
eventually will notice this, unless the trespassers turn
This is a living room.
it on again when they leave. A critical failure destroys
the panel and triggers the central alarm. 10. SMOKING ROOM
2. BACK DOOR You see a pair of chesterfield chairs, shelves with
books, brandy, cognac and cigars in the room. There is
Heroes who wish to enter the house uninvited through the
a telephone on a small table.
back door will probably try to pick the lock:
Manipulation - lockpick (+2 penalty): Success 11. STORAGE
indicates that the hero is able to pick the lock. Heroes The room stores the necessities of housekeeping: a
get two shots at this, the central alarm triggers on the vacuum cleaner, mop and buckets, washing machine
third attempt or on critical failures. and a dryer.
Read or paraphrase the following to the players when the 12. HALL
heroes enter the room: This is a hallway.
The floor is dirty, you see dozens of shoes and dirty
boots lined along the walls, and there is an alarm 13. CONVERTED BEDROOM
panel by the entrance door. There are wooden pieces on the floor, children’s
Trespassing heroes now have 2 minutes to disable the drawings on the wall and iron bars inside the window.
alarm, or the central alarm triggers: The room is otherwise empty.
Security - security devices (+2 penalty): The hero Anyone caught trespassing in the house is locked away in
successfully turns of the security panel. The guards this room, for a suitable terminal punishment. Anyone who
will eventually notice this, unless the trespassers turn stays here for more than three days is likely to be drugged and
it back on when they leave. A critical failure destroys end up with their head in a jar and body in the incinerator. The
the panel and triggers the central alarm. glass in the window is bullet proof.

3. DINING ROOM 14. GUARDS’ HQ

This dining room is dark and dusty. Phelps’ thugs have established their base of operation
in this room. The phone switchboard and the central secu-
4. KITCHEN rity system are located here. From here they monitor every
This kitchen is messy. camera, window and entrance. They record each camera on
26 48-hour tapes, and store tapes for 96 hours until they erase
recordings.

DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14 DARK MATTER

15. GUARDS’ LIVING ROOM • The computer holds 3 megabytes of encrypted files.

ADVENTURES
This is the main hangout for Phelps’ thugs. It has all the These files are Phelps’ research on the Heads
entertainment facilities for a bored guard: magazines, coffee device, including technical design plans and data.
machine, TV with VCR, stereo and so on. The files are incomplete, and duplicating the
research would be very difficult if Phelps dies or
16. GUARDS’ BEDROOM for some reason decides not to complete it.
There is a single bed, a closet, a desk and a mirror in • The address book is a text file containing more
the room. than 200 names, all written in some sort of code.
The different thug’s rooms should have details that reflect Decoding the list require a complex Investigation
each thug’s personality and history. - cryptography check, or a complex Social Science
- linguistics check.
17. UNUSED BEDROOM
There is a single bed, a closet, a desk and a mirror in 21. LIBRARY
the room. There are thousands of dusty books in this library.
18. MASTER BEDROOM 22. BASEMENT DOOR
The door is locked, but may be picked with a simple This area is covered by a camera, placed right above the
Manipulation - lockpick check. basement door. There is no way anyone can sneak passed it.
You see a double bed, three closets, a desk and a It is impossible to see the camera without standing in its view.
bedside table in the room. A full size mirror stands in a The door is locked.
corner and a painting of a middle-aged woman hangs Manipulation - lockpick (+4 penalty): The hero
on the wall. On the opposite wall are dozens of black- successfully picks the lock. A critical failure .jams the
and-white photographs of a family at the beginning of door (no further attempts can be made) and triggers the
the 20th century. central alarm.
The woman on the painting can be identified as Phelps’ 23. LABORATORY
mother by anyone who has done some research on the family.
The room is a large well-equipped lab.
The black and white pictures are of the Phelps family. There is
old 1930’s style clothing in the closets. The room is extremely The north end of the room has an opening in the ceiling
dusty. with a ladder coming halfway down to the floor. Phelps has
hidden a bomb under one of the benches. It is normally not
19. PHELPS’ BEDROOM active. If possible, Phelps will activate the bomb if he needs
You see a double bed, two closets, a desk and a bedside to escape, setting a 30-minute time limit.
table in the room.
24. LABORATORY BEDROOM
20. SECRET ROOM In the room are a single bed, a large wooden box, a
This is a small room with a simple desk, a telephone and a chair and some magazines on the floor.
chair. There is a computer on the table. In the wooden box is a bulletproof vest, a 9mm pistol with
The computer has a modem connected to the phone line. ammo, a backpack with emergency rations, some maps and
The password is “Veronica”, after Phelps’ mother. A hero with a GPS.
hacking skills and appropriate software may try to bypass the
25. INCINERATOR
password and access the computer’s contents:
There is an incinerator in the room.
Computer Science - hacking (no modifier): The
computer is password protected. Success indicates that The incinerator has been used recently and then cleaned.
the hacker bypasses the password and may access the Anyone analyzing the remaining ashes will learn that the ash
computer. is composed of biological matter, very likely human, as well
as ordinary waste. Most of Phelps’ secrets will end up here, if
A short inventory of Phelps’ computer:
he has time before he tries to escape.
• Thirty-eight research papers about the human brain
written by scientists from all over the world during
the past 20 years.
• Seven drafts of master degree papers from biomedi-
cine students, all supervised by Raymond Phelps.
• Detailed maps of the Rocky Mountains, including
27
satellite photos

DARK MATTER DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14

 26. FREEZER SCENE 3: RISE OF THE DEAD
ADVENTURES

You see a freezer and a portable generator in the LOCATION: Pine Creek, Colorado.
room.
This scene only occurs if Phelps realizes that someone is
In the freezer are biological tissue samples and three plas- watching him. He has used his Necromantic powers, com-
tic wrapped corpses (with heads). If the bodies are examined bined with the Mask, to summon 50 or so Zombies that have
thoroughly it can be seen that one of the bodies is an old man, been hiding at the bottom of Pine Creek Lake. His plan is to
approximately the same height and build as Phelps. create as much havoc as possible to cover his escape into the
The mansion has a backup power supply in addition to the woods. He may have been better off slipping away quietly,
ordinary power supply. but this is a welcome chance to test out his Zombies, get even
27. MAINFRAME with annoying townsfolk and deal with curious investigators
in one blow, so maybe a full-blown Zombie attack is exactly
On the middle of the floor is something that looks like
what the situation demands.
a modified IBM supercomputer from the early 80’s.
Two of its sides are open, and wires cover the floor It will certainly be a challenge, but there are at least two
connecting the computer to racks that cover all walls. ways the heroes’ earlier actions can prevent the scene from
On the racks are dozens of 40 to 50 cm cylindrical happening. First, they can collect their evidence so quietly
jars, each of them filled with a transparent jelly like that Phelps never notices, and report back to the Hoffmann
goo. More than half of the jars contain sawn off, clean Institute. Alternatively, they could decide to take him out so
shaved human heads connected to the jar top and hard and fast that he never gets a chance to react. The heroes
bottom with strange circuitry and wires. The heads have changed the course of the adventure, if they manage
are well preserved, almost lifelike and seem to stare to do this. Be ready to improvise a new ending, now on the
blankly into the air in the middle of the room. heroes’ terms.
There are 52 jars in total in the room, 34 contain sawn- The heroes face a most dire fate if Phelps and his Thugs
off human heads. The jars connect to the racks with sockets. capture them. Phelps will lock them away in the improvised
Simply pulling one of the jars out of its socket triggers the cell (area 13), set the firebomb in the lab (area 23) and
central alarm, and Phelps and any present thugs arrive in 1-2 summon his Zombies, before making his escape into the
minutes. woods. Consider having him make a speech, revealing his
master plan to the heroes as in James Bond movies.
Lore - fringe science (no modifier) or Security -
security devices (+1 penalty): The hero successfully ZOMBIES FROM THE LAKE
turns off the alarm that monitors the jars, and may pull If Phelps summons his Zombies, read or paraphrase the
jars out of the sockets without alerting anyone. following:
28. LABORATORY STORAGE Around 02.00 hours you hear an explosion somewhere
The room holds a years worth of paper towels, latex in town, screams of terror and the sound of breaking
gloves and large plastic bags. There is a first aid kit glass. What do you do?
locker on the wall at the end of the room. If the heroes get up and look out the window, they see
The first aid locker is authentic enough, but hides a small slow moving .people. staggering about, breaking down doors
safe embedded in the wall. The safe weighs about 150 kilos. and smashing windows. The Zombies are searching the town
Anyone who looks closer notices that it is possible to pull in groups of four to six, looking for life to destroy, begin-
aside the locker. The heroes may want to have a peek inside: ning with the closest available. A nearby house is on fire,
and people are running about screaming for help. Phelps is
Manipulation - lockpick (+5 penalty): A lockpick
now leaving town, followed by his thugs. The heroes must
attempt on the safe requires a good quality lockpick set
deal with the Zombie attack as best as they can, solve their
and an electronics kit. Success indicates that the hero
assignment, aid civilians as time allows and their moral ethics
is able to open the safe. The safe holds some money,
demands, and hopefully get out of town alive. This is the
Phelps’ bonds and personal papers and encrypted
climax of the adventure, be ready to improvise, and try to
backup CD’s with Phelps’ research (see section about
make it as exciting and challenging as possible.
Phelps’ computer for details).
The heroes could easily flee from Pine Creek as the Zom-
bies are slow moving and the heroes probably have access
to vehicles. The GM should throw a couple of Zombies their
way and a couple of the street encounters listed below, to
28 heighten the tension and to make sure that the players realize
what cowardice will cost innocent bystanders.

DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14 DARK MATTER

 The heroes may choose to handle the emergency with a • A black van stops beside the heroes and disgorges

ADVENTURES
direct approach. It is easy for the heroes to intercept the Zom- some Les Treize Corbeaux cultists with clubs
bies from their current targets and take the fight themselves. raised high.
The heroes will get some aid from armed civilians, Sheriff
ZOMBIE GAME DATA
Anderson will certainly do her part but the fight will probably
drag out, and there will be a considerable loss of civilian life, STR 12 INT 6
even if the heroes win. DEX 6WIL 3
Raymond Phelps can stop the Zombies using his necro- CON 14 PER 1
mantic powers and the magical mask he has in his possession. Durability: 14/14/7/7 Action check: 7+/6 / 4/ 2
See Chase and Final Showdown below.
Move: walk 4 #Actions: 2
STREET ENCOUNTERS Reaction score: Marginal / 1
Any heroes passing through the Pine Creek town center Attacks
during the Zombie attack will encounter some or all or the
Claws 14/7/3 d6s/d4w/d4m
events listed below.
Defences
• Zombies are attacking a lady in a phone box. She
is desperately holding the door while the Zombies + 1 resistance modifier vs. melee attacks
break the glass. The woman is as good as dead, Armor: d4 (LI), d4-1 (HI), d4-2 (En)
unless the heroes do something. Skills
Unarmed (12) - brawl (13); Stamina (14) - endurance
(15), resist
pain (16)
CHASE AND FINAL SHOWDOWN
Phelps and his thugs are all seasoned trailblazers, and are
now heading out of town. They have prepared backpacks with
the necessary mountain hiking equipment and the pieces of
Phelps’ research. They start from Phelps’ house as soon as
they see the Zombies emerge from the lake.
A thug has left an hour earlier to find a lookout post to
cover the retreat with suppressive fire, if necessary. This
sniper is not necessarily out to kill anyone, merely scare any
pursuers away. The sniper will leave his spot and walk to Fort
• Zombies are breaking down a door to a private house, Collins when Phelps is safely away. Phelps has ensured that
and heroes passing by hear terrified screams from the thug doing this job does not know where the secret hideout
inside. is located.
• The heroes encounter the Biker Assassins on their Phelps has placed a bomb in the basement lab to cover
way to the Phelps Mansion. Les Treize Corbeaux his escape and destroy evidence. He has the radio link to the
has figured out what Phelps is up to and have sent bomb, and plans to trigger it as soon has he has passed the tree
the bikers to take him out and salvage whatever of line and entered the woods. Phelps has placed a dead body
his research they can get their hands on. Introduce that vaguely resembles him in the Heads Lab after giving it
another gang of bikers, if the heroes have already his watch, clothes, wallet and so on. Anyone inside the room
dealt with the first one. when the bomb detonates suffers 1d4 mortal damage, anyone
in the house 1d2 mortal damage.
• Sheriff Anderson and one of her deputies are storm-
ing into a house hot on the heels of three Zombies. Phelps has prepared his escape for a long time, and with
the recent trouble in town and the possible betrayal of his
• Frank Olsson, the town priest, armed with a shotgun
former allies, is willing to spare no-one and nothing to escape.
and a bible, is heading towards a house from which
His fear and paranoia has finally consumed what is left of the
the heroes hear screams of pain and terror.
once great scientist.
• The heroes pass a house where parts of the ground
With no more thugs, Cultists or Zombies to block any pur-
floor are on fire. A window on the second floor is
open and two kids are screaming for help. There
suers, he will use energy drain as a last resort and will fight as 29
long as he can. He has little more to lose except his freedom.
are probably Zombies inside the house.

DARK MATTER DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14

 Capture immediately breaks the old mans spirit, leaving a for whom they work. Dunbar is the link to a larger conspiracy
ADVENTURES

silent suicidal shell of his former self. Threatening Phelps into with its roots in Henri Lauberger. Who this group is and what
stopping the zombie attack automatically fails. The heroes it is planning could be almost anything.
must make Phelps understand what he has done and why, but The matter of Les Treize Corbeaux remains unresolved.
there is no time for a full treatment, hence the difficulty of the The cultist activity in Pine Creek can be traced back to
check. It would certainly help if the heroes have done careful Denver, and possibly further.
research on Phelps - knowledge about his parents’ death gives
The Hoffmann Institute is interested in finding Phelps, if
a -1 bonus, as will references to the dying children in Pine
he escaped, and stopping him doing whatever he is planning
Creek. Phelps will shrug off his dreamlike state and order the
to do when he completes his research. Phelps’ secret hideout
Zombies back to the lake if the check is successful.
could possibly have some connection to Operation Paperclip,
THE MASK the Nazis or the CIA.
Control over Phelps’ Necromancy Mask is the key to solv- The Hoffmann Institute wants to identify the bodies found
ing the scene with minimal loss of civilian life. Heroes unfa- in Phelps’ lab and Dunbar’s house if possible, but probably
miliar with necromantic arts cannot use the mask (as noted in will not try to take the bodies unless they have a chance to
Demonground 9). If Phelps is unwilling or unable to stop the prepare the operation thoroughly. Hiding 38 corpses is not
Zombie attack, the heroes may try to destroy the Mask. easy, even for the Hoffmann Institute! The GM must decide
The Mask is made of hard wood and will not break or who the dead people are, if necessary. Some could be people
burn easily. Each option will take some time to complete. The with privileged knowledge Dunbar and Phelps wanted, while
heroes may shoot it to pieces, but even this requires several others are random test victims. The identities of these unfor-
shots with standard 9 mm pistols. tunates can be a great story seed and a tie-in to an ongoing
campaign.
The GM must decide what happens if anyone attempts to
destroy the mask. Chose from the options below, or make up Act Two Scene Three requires a cover-up to keep a public
something else entirely: status quo. The ongoing campaign’s resident villainous gov-
ernment agency sends military personnel and agents to arrest
• The Zombies will stop doing whatever they are doing
anyone who knows too much, intimidate those who are unde-
and come after the Mask’s destroyer.
cided on what they saw, and hide what evidence they can get
• The Zombies will stop doing whatever they are doing their hands on. This Agency will most certainly show interest
and return to the lake. The GM must decide how in any Hoffmann Institute agents at the site, but the GM must
long they will stay in the lake. decide how to deal with them.
• The evil that resides in the Mask will try to possess
anyone trying to destroy it. A possessed hero will ACHIEVEMENT POINTS
join the battle on the Zombies’ side. Resolve - The following bonuses are suggested when the adventure
mental (+1 penalty): A successful check means the is completed:
hero resisted possession. A new check is required
each phase the hero tries to destroy the mask. For • You should award the heroes if they avoid Act Two
more about possession, see DM page 81. Scene Three. An aborted mission because of an
earlier failure does not qualify.
• Phelps calms down and realize what he has done. In
addition, one of the options above also happens. • A further 2 points for keeping the heroes’ identities
and Hoffmann Institute affiliation secret.
AFTERMATH • Award 1 point for avoiding confrontation with the
law.
A number of issues may remain unresolved after the
adventure, giving opportunities for an ongoing campaign. • Award 2 points for stopping other illuminati groups
form getting their hands on Phelps, or his research.
Dunbar will hear almost immediately if something seri-
This should be a conscious decision from the
ous is happening in Pine Creek. If he has not already done
player’s side. Simply killing him to tie loose ends
so, within 1-3 hours he will clean up his house of any sign of
does not qualify.
illicit doings.
• Award 2 points if the heroes get Phelps’ research, 1
Using his contacts and resources to distance himself from
point if they destroy it.
Phelps, he will then backtrack and try to find out what hap-
pened. He is likely to send assassins after the heroes, or use •· Give a 1 point bonus if the heroes obtain the Nec-
his resources to get the heroes arrested or framed for some- romancy mask and return it to the Hoffmann Insti-
30 thing other than the break-in if possible. He could be a pow- tute, and another for attempts to use it to stop the
erful recurring villain if he discovers who the heroes are and Zombie attack.

DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14 DARK MATTER

HANDOUTS

ADVENTURES
H01 - THE DOSSIER H03 - THE SITE REPORT
Richard Edward Dunbar Dossier Addendum: Case File GO-4VP11-05366
Case File GO-13B11-53366 Richard E. Dunbar’s house
CLASSIFIED - SECRET A Baltimore team of agents watched Richard E. Dun-
Caucasian male, 178 cm, 82 kg, bar’s house, 1254 Swithham Road, Georgetown, DC, the
Hair: blonde, Eyes: blue period 26th of October 2001 to 2nd of November 2001.
DOB: 01-01-1955 They found the following:
1981: Father, Charles Dunbar, dies of cancer. (1) Dunbar usually leaves the house at 0800 and
return around 2200 hours.
1984: Richard Dunbar graduates Law degree at Yale.
He joins the Republican Party as a secretary, law advisor (2) There is a guard from a private security com-
and researcher, and work full time at the Food and Drug pany posted on the first floor at all times. The
Administration (FDA) from 1989 to 1991. guard spends much of the time watching TV,
but does walk occasional walks in the garden
1992: Richard Dunbar begins working at the Depart-
and the neighborhood. There in total 3 guards,
ment of Health and Human Services as a special adviser.
each going 8 hours shifts. They change at mid-
Family: Richard Dunbar is the youngest son of Charles night, at 0800 and at 0400 hours. The guards
and Edna Dunbar of Boston. Charles was a successful are employees of the SecTech Company.
lawyer until he died of cancer in 1981. Edna lives today
(3) There is a motion detector perimeter of some
in Chesterfield Nursery Home in Somerville. Richard’s
sort covering the garden. The team experi-
brother, Thomas Dunbar, runs gas station in Somerville,
mented with throwing a cat into the garden
while his sister Anne Dunbar in an executive at Universal
(which triggered the detector), throwing a
Studios, Los Angeles. Richard has little contact with the
large rock into the garden (which triggered
family, as far as we know.
the detector), throwing a small rock into the
Friends: Dunbar has maintained contact with some garden (which did not trigger the detector) and
of his fellow students from Yale. He makes occasional paying a kid to crawl into the garden .to get
phone calls to Janet Martin, William Court and Bruce his ball. (which triggered the detector a minute
Wyatt. Pictures and notes from the Yale student newspa- after the kid entered the garden).
per indicate that Dunbar and Martin where dating. Insti-
(4) The guard and Dunbar have discussed detec-
tute informants have seen William Court leaving “The
tors in the windows.
Tomb”, the Skull and Bones Society headquarters at Yale.
Dunbar has telephone contact with Raymond Phelps, a (5) There is a watchdog inside the house.
Professor at Yale, about every other month. (6) Anyone entering the house must enter a code
to the alarm system, or the alarm will go off
after a short period. The security panels are at
H02 - THE LETTER the gate, and inside the two doors.
Addendum: Case File GO-13B11-53366 (7) There is a camera covering the front door.
A letter found in Jacob Dumont’s apartment on Octo- There are monitor in the TV-room on the
ber 21, 2001 ground floor, and in Dunbar office. There may
Mr. Dumont; be more cameras. We do not know if there are
recordings.
I warn you, the old man is growing more unreliable
and may blow the whistle prematurely. I do not know if
the Order has noticed, or not. Let us not find out, and have
the Crows to send an agent to watch him, just in case.
21.05.2001, R.D.
Institute researcher’s note:
Investigating agents found the letter in
Jacob Dumont apartment. We found Rich- 31
ard Dunbar’s fingerprints on the letter.

DARK MATTER DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14

 HANDOUTS
ADVENTURES

H04 - THE MASK REPORT H06 - DISK SUMMARY

Arcane Report: .Necromancy Masks. Addendum: Case file # GO-4VP11-05366
Case file # BO - 23O27-0103 Documents stored in Richard E Dunbar’s computer
The masks, although seemingly unrelated, appear to (Summary and status)
have .magical. powers over the undead. Occult sects seem Analysis and categorization of the contents of Richard
to believe that they even have the power to summon the E Dunbar’s home computer revealed the following:
undead. There are at least two wooden masks of signifi-
cance to necromantic cults: Twenty-two FDA reports on numerous research proj-
ects, most of them government funded. Fourteen involved
(1) Captain Neal Westward of the British army research on the brain, 10 of them was about decomposition
brought the Lagos Mask to London from Lagos, of mammal bodies. The computer also stored nine drafts
Nigeria in 1862. Army officials took the mask of master degree papers by various biomedicine students,
from slavers in a lesson of Imperial justice. of which seven where supervised by Professor Raymond
The Westward later donated the mask to Brit- Phelps and the remaining two by Professor Sarah Portman.
ish Museum after a few years at the Westward The disk also stored two Megabyte’s worth of encrypted
estate in Surrey, England. Since 1948, British files, ordered in three folders labeled “work”, “old_mail”
Museum officials have refused to let anyone and “heads”. The decryption-team will have a look at the
outside of the museum staff study it. encrypted files next year, at the earliest.
(2) The Oseberg Mask when Norwegian arche-
ologists discovered and unearthed the Oseberg
Viking ship was in 1904. The mask came to
our notice when agents visited Oslo in 1928
to investigate a series of killings with occult
aspects. The Oseberg Mask has been missing
since World War 2.

H05 - THE E-MAIL

Addendum: Case file # GO-4VP11-05366
E-mail extracted from Richard E Dunbar’s home computer
From: Deadboy
To: Dick Dunbar
Date: 24.06.2001
Topic: the Geezer
I don’t care if the old man is losing it, HE IS YOUR PROBLEM!
In fact, I think he is planning to ditch us. We have enough
trouble supplying him with test subjects without having him pull
any stunts.
I don’t care if you prefer smoke signals either, I don’t have a
pen and ain’t planning to buy one either.
Institute researcher’s note:
An unknown person sent this letter to Richard E Dunbar’s fda.gov address
from a Hotmail account. Hotmail server-logs indicate that the Hotmail
account has been accessed from Highway exits and motels. We have yet to
identity .Deadboy., but profiling experts believe it as a man.
32

DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14 DARK MATTER

RICHARD EDWARD DUNBAR

ADVENTURES
FDA CONSULTANT, OCCULTIST Level 7 Diplomat (Tech-Op)

STR 8 [-] INT 12 [+1]

DEX 9 [-] WIL 12 [+1]
CON 8 PER 11
Durability: 9 / 9 / 5 / 5 /
Move: sprint 16, run 10, walk 4
Action check: 12+ / 11/ 5 / 2 # Actions: 2
Reaction score: 2/Ordinary Last resort: 2 (2 cost)
Perks: Powerful Ally (Skull and Bones Society),
Networked
Flaws: Rampant paranoia
Gear: 9 mm pistol, cell phone, address book
Achievements: 4 Contacts
Contacts: Richard Dunbar’s contacts are members of
FX energy points: 10
governmental agencies, the Republican Party or even the
Attacks Presidential administration.
Pistol 9mm, 10/ 5/ 2, HI/O, d4+1w/d4+2w/d4m Background: Richard, born 1950, is the youngest son
Defenses of Charles and Edna Dunbar of Boston. Charles was a suc-
+1 INT resistance modifier vs. encounter skills cessful lawyer until he died of cancer in 1981. Edna was ill
+1 WIL resistance modifier vs. encounter skills for long periods of Richard’s childhood. Mental illness and
Armor: none. alcohol sent her in and out of mental institutions throughout
the sixties and seventies, until she gradually got better during
Skills
the eighties. She lives today in Chesterfield Nursery Home in
Athletics (8); Somerville. Richard’s brother, Thomas Dunbar, runs a gas sta-
Melee weapons (8) - blade (9); tion in Somerville, his sister Anne Dunbar in an executive at
Ranged weapons modern (9) - Pistol (10); Universal Studios in Hollywood. Richard Dunbar got his law
degree at Yale in 1984, whereupon he joined the Republican
Vehicle operation (9) - land (10);
Party as a secretary, law advisor and researcher. He worked
Stamina (8); Business (12) - corporate (13); full time for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from
Knowledge (12) – deduce (13), Latin (13), French 1989 to 1991 where he was responsible for research funding.
(13); He lost his position at the FDA in 1992 when Clinton took
Law (12) . court procedures (13); the reins in D.C., but stayed with the Department of Health
Security (12); and Human Services as a special adviser, where he carefully
working against the President, while staying out of the lime-
Social science (12); light himself.
Administration (12) - bureaucracy (14); Dunbar has developed a solid drug habit, after years with
Awareness (12); stress at work, growing paranoia and occult rituals. He is now
Deception (11) - bribe (12); using sleeping pills and amphetamine on a daily basis.
Interaction (11) - bargain (12); Long-term surveillance of Richard Dunbar will prove to
Leadership (11) be a dreary task, not suited for restless Field Agents. He will,
unless forced into action, quietly continue his work at the
FX skills
FDA, occasionally making phone calls to his associates from
Necromancy . animate dead (14), secure lines or by sending letters. Finding anything useful
speak with dead (14) here could take months, and thus beyond the scope of this
adventure.

33

DARK MATTER DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14

 RAYMOND ALBERT PHELPS
ADVENTURES

PROFESSOR IN BIOMEDICINE, OCCULTIST Level 7 Free Agent

STR 8 [0] INT 13 [+3]

DEX 11 [+1] WIL 13 [+2]
CON 9 PER 9
Durability: 9 / 9 / 5 / 5 /
Move: sprint 18, run 12, walk 4
Action check: 15+ / 14 / 7 / 3Actions: 2
Reaction score: 2/Ordinary Last resort: 2
Perks: Powerful Ally (Thugs), Networked
Flaws: Obsessed #2, Temper #2
Achievements: 2 contacts
Gear: Cell phone, his house and equipment in Pine Creek,
FX energy points: 5
A Necromancy Mask (See Demonground 9 for description)
Attacks
Contacts: Phelps has two unspecified contacts he could
Unarmed 4/2/1 d4s/d4+1s/d4+2s
draw upon in an emergency. You are encouraged to use these
Unarmed combat modifier +d4
contacts as a bridge to other adventures, or expand the scope
Energy drain 14/7/3 EN/O d6+1s/d8+2s/d4+1f
of this adventure. Steven Richard Phelps, Raymond’s father,
(-1 bonus if wearing the Necromancy Mask)
was a successful landowner and investor the years follow-
Defenses ing World War 1 up to the crash in 1929. Steven Phelps lost
+1 DEX resistance modifier vs. ranged attacks almost everything in the crash and committed suicide in the
+3 INT resistance modifier vs. encounter skills only building he had left, his house in Pine Creek. Other
+2 WIL resistance modifier vs. encounter skills family branches still had money, even prospered the years
Armor: none. after the crash, and cared for Steven’s children. Raymond had
Skills two elder brothers and one sister.
Athletics (8); Background: Raymond Phelps, Steven’s son was born
in 1919, lived an uneventful childhood first in Pine Creek,
Manipulation (11);
later with his aunt in Denver. His mother drowned in the Pine
Stealth (11) - hide (13), Creek Lake in 1924. He served in the U.S. army during World
Sneak (12); War 2 and stayed with the force until he started as a student
Vehicle operation (11) - car (12); at Yale University in 1947. He dropped the economy classes,
started to study archaeology instead and soon became a pupil
Movement (9) - trailblazing (10);
of Professor Lauberger, before he decided that medicine was
Stamina (9); his field. Raymond Phelps became interested in the supernat-
Knowledge (13); ural in the 1951 when the Skull and Bones Society recruited
Life science (13); him as a member. Yale hired him in 1953, where he has stayed
Medical science (13) - medical knowledge (16); at the Biomedicine Faculty since.
Security (13); The Heads Project has become an obsession for Phelps
recent years. He is an old man with failing health, and he feels
Administration (13) - bureaucracy (14); he can somehow overcome death, if he completes the Heads-
Awareness (13) - intuition (14); device.
Lore (13) - fringe science (14); His growing paranoia has made him extremely jumpy, he
Resolve (13) - mental(14); will lash out at any perceived attempt on stopping his work.
Deception (9) - bluff (10); Last year he hired a few thugs to do his dirty work. Phelps
is paying them extremely well, although he has not yet used
Interaction (9)
them for anything serious. Phelps is not willing to share his
FX skills eventual discovery with Dunbar, The Crows or any of Lau-
Necromancy . animate dead (14), berger’s associates. He fells that that their funding and sup-
speak with dead (14), port have not been enough to be given a share of the project’s
34 fruits, so he is preparing to leave and continue the work in a
energy drain (14)
secret lab somewhere in the Rocky Mountains.

DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14 DARK MATTER

SPOOKS LES TREIZE CORBEAUX CULTIST

ADVENTURES
Spooks are the regular members field agents of any governmen- Les Treize Corbeaux is spreading like a disease in American
tal agency or appearance-minded conspiracy. Most Spooks are hard- society, a few years ago they was just another occult sect, today they
working people who believe they serve profit, justice and the public have grown powerful with the rise of the dark tide and the imminent
interest, while the upper echelons are deeply involved in conspiracy return of their spiritual leader and founder Michel Galvin.
and work to hide the truth from the public. The Marginal Cultist is usually occupied with an ordinary day
The Marginal Spook is usually encountered conducting house- job and only participate in rituals and murders during weekends.
to-house investigations, stakeouts and other simple and labor-inten- They have pledged loyalty to dark powers in exchange of money,
sive tasks. They generally have no clue of the larger picture, with influence and a chance to explore their darker sides, without really
work that often seem frustrating and outright pointless. knowing their leaders or the cult’s true goal.
The Ordinary Spook is an accomplished field agent capable of The Ordinary Cultist has more or less cut the ties to society and
conducting full investigations and securing evidence that otherwise serves as senior cult member, coordinator for lesser members and
would have been lost. muscle on important missions. Some loathe what they have become,
The Good Spook is in charge of investigations, has secret but dare not to break with the cult.
knowledge of the state of the world and seen things that do not fit The Good Cultist has more grasp of what the cult is about and
within the frame of conventional science. has closer ties to the leaders and possibly Galvin. The Good Cultists
The Amazing Spook is in charge of strategic decisions for his or rarely work with lesser members - and only for surveillance or shock
her employer. Some work outside the established organizations as a troops when they do.
free agent, or hold key positions in several organizations. The Amaz- The Amazing Cultists are the leaders of the sect. They are
ing Spook knows the system so well that he or she in many ways is important figures in normal society, leaders with money, influence
above or at least outside it. Getting to an Amazing Spook is difficult and lawyers. They are truly damned and live only to increase their
and almost impossible by legal means. own power, and possibly to find a way to get of the hook of the dark
M O G A powers that rule them.
STR 8 9 10 10 M O G A
DEX 9 10 11 11 STR 10 10 11 12
CON 8 9 10 11 DEX 9 10 11 12
INT 9 11 12 13 CON 9 9 10 11
WIL 10 11 12 14 INT 8 11 12 12
PER 9 10 11 13 WIL 9 10 11 12
Action Check 9 10 11 12 PER 9 10 11 13
#Actions 2 2 2 3 Action Check 8 10 11 12
Marginal Skills: Athletics; Modern Ranged Weapon - pistol; #Actions 2 2 2 2
Vehicle Operation - land; Stamina; Knowledge; Awareness; Investi- Marginal Skills: Athletics; Melee Weapons - blade; Unarmed
gate - research; Interaction - interview Attack - brawl; Vehicle Operation - land; Stamina; Knowledge;
Ordinary Skills: Athletics; Unarmed Attack; Modern Ranged Awareness; Interaction -intimidate, charm
Weapon - pistol 2; Vehicle Operation - land 2; Stealth; Stamina; Ordinary Skills: Athletics; Melee Weapons - blade 2; Unarmed
Knowledge - computer operation, first aid; Law - law enforcement Attack - brawl; Modern Ranged Weapons - pistol, shotgun 2; Stealth;
2; Security; Awareness - perception 2; Investigate - research 2; Inter- Vehicle Operation - land 2; Stamina – resist pain; Knowledge;
action - interview, Intimidate 2 Awareness - perception; Interaction -intimidate 2, charm
Good Skills: Athletics; Unarmed Attack - brawl; Modern Ranged Good Skills: Athletics; Melee Weapons - blade 2; Unarmed
Weapon - pistol 3; Vehicle Operation - land 2; Stealth - shadow 2; Attack - brawl; Modern Ranged Weapons - pistol, shotgun 2; Stealth
Stamina; Knowledge - computer operation, first-aid; Law - law - hide, shadow 3; Vehicle Operation - land 2; Stamina -resist pain;
enforcement 3; Security - protection 2, devices; Awareness - intu- Knowledge; Awareness - perception; Investigate - search 2; track 2;
ition, perception 2; Investigate - research 2; Lore; Deception - bribe; Lore - occult lore 2, Resolve – mental resolve; Interaction -intimidate
Interaction - interview 2, Intimidate 4 2, charm; Diabolism – hellfire 2, tongue of the Damned
Amazing Skills: Athletics; Unarmed Attack - brawl; Modern Amazing Skills: Athletics; Melee Weapons - blade 2; Unarmed
Ranged Weapon - pistol 4; Vehicle Operation - land 2; Stealth - Attack - brawl; Modern Ranged Weapons - pistol 3, shotgun 2;
shadow 3; Stamina; Knowledge - computer operation, first-aid; Law Stealth - hide, shadow 3; Vehicle Operation - land 2; Stamina - resist
- law enforcement 5; Security - protection 3, devices 2; Administra- pain; Knowledge; Awareness - perception; Investigate - search 2;
tion - bureaucracy 3; Awareness - intuition 3, perception 2; Investi- track 2; Lore - occult lore 4, Resolve - mental resolve 3, physical;
gate - research 2; Lore - conspiracy theories 4; Deception - bluff 2, Interaction -intimidate 2, charm 4; Leadership - inspire; Diabolism
bribe; Interaction - interview 2, intimidate 4 - binding 2, hellfire 3, summoning 2, tongue of the damned 3
Equipment: Equipment:
Car, 9 mm pistol, cellular phone, suit, sunglasses. Alternatively, Car or motorcycle, wicked looking dagger, some carry shotguns
refer to Appendix: Preferred Equipment of the Enemy in the Dark* or pistols, diabolic ceremonial garbs. 35
Matter Arms and Equipment Guide.
v
DARK MATTER DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14
Blood & Madness by Stephen Hunt
CONSPIRACY X
Blood & Madness Stephen Hunt

On his private
ADVENTURES

estate, Smith plays host

to a complex owned by
Gentek Inc, a prime
mover in the world
of genetic research.
Ostensibly, this is
simply a records office
but for Smith, it is the
means by which he
is able to experiment.
His latest experiment
is what first attracts the
cell’s attention.
Smith has recently
imported a collection
of plant bulbs from
Gentek’s Eastern Euro-
pean office. The plant
that grows from these
bulbs is, in fact, a beau-
tiful woman designed
to entrance her victims
just as a Cobra might
its prey and then draw
their blood from their
bodies. In sorcery,
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION blood is power, and Smith needs such blood for his ceremo-
nies without fear of his own position being compromised. The
While this adventure is set in Washington DC, it is easily Totemtanz, or Death Dancer, can do this for him. Blood can
transplanted to any location. The only area specific to the also be used to feed the young saplings. Totemtanz attacks
Washington area is the Capitol Hill office of Senator Michael her victims using ribbons, which are actually part of her body.
Smith. His private residence can easily be located anywhere, These extend from her wrists, and as she weaves her dance
and agents needing to interview Senator Smith could do so around her victim, they both cut and drink the victim’s blood
just as easily at a regional office maintained by the Senator. If at the same time. They are razor sharp but composed purely
the private residence is relocated to the vicinity of the party’s of organic material.
cell, be sure to also relocate the Senator’s final retreat (as Her first victim is the man who delivered the crate; an
detailed in the final chapter of the adventure). Eastern European sailor named Radostin Popov. Totemtanz
kills him on Smith’s instructions. If you kill the messenger,
PLOT SYNOPSIS there is no way for him to pass his message on to another,
Senator Michael Smith is a well thought of politician, unless of course dead men can tell tales . . .
tipped by many political commentators for bigger and better
things. SCENE LOCATIONS
Publicly, he is well known for his support of genetic The majority of the adventure takes place in and around
research programmes, campaigning stridently for greater the Washington area. Each major lead is detailed in the second
freedom in the field in order to bring the benefits of scientific chapter under its own heading. Only one of those leads takes
breakthroughs to mankind. the party away from Washington DC, and that leads to the
Privately, Smith has a considerable range of interests. Nikolai, the freighter at the New York City docks.
He is adept in the ways of magic and his scientific pursuits
are closely allied with such powers. He foresees a great deal INFORMATION GATHERING
of potential in the bonding of science and magic, creating a Both police and criminal contacts may prove useful during
36 modern alchemy that reaches far beyond the changing of lead the adventure, principally to lead the PCs to potential con-
into gold. tacts. Police or scientific contacts can be used to authenticate

DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14 CONSPIRACY X

the credentials of either the coroner or the police officers NEWSPAPER MONITORING

ADVENTURES
involved in the case. In both instances, they show up as clean If the players actively pursue information by checking the
and good in their respective fields; an expert in the case of the newspapers on a regular basis, reward them by letting them
coroner. When these people say something, it can be taken as find the following clipping:
read that they are saying so from the viewpoint of someone
who has been there and done that.
A man’s body was found severely mutilated
Criminal contacts will also lead the party to Ramirez, a in downtown Washington DC this morning.
gentleman of low repute who has had a run-in with people Police discovered the as yet unidenti-
that he wishes he hadn’t. Such contacts will also enable the fied body in an alleyway off Roosevelt
party to get the low-down on the Watchers, or at least as much Avenue.
information as there is available. Beyond that, the PCs will Police report that the body was disfig-
get the majority of their information from roleplaying the ured by literally hundreds of cut wounds.
investigation. It is not yet known what kind of instru-
ment was used to inflict such wounds.
TIMESCALE The body was discovered at half past mid-
night and, although a number of people
The party is in no great rush to reach the end of the adven-
were in the vicinity at the time, police
ture. The police are mystified by the murder and while they admit they have few leads to go on.
will question McGillicuddy and check in with the freighter,
Independent witnesses state that a gang
they miss any link to the Senator. Totemtanz is more subtle called “The Watchers” had been sighted in
about her other targets, picking up vagrants and disposing of the area at the time, although police are
them in the greenhouse at the estate. If the party are strug- refusing to link the murder to any gang-
gling, then Sgt Herman will contact them again (if they have land activity.
left means to do so) and notify them of a number of disappear- A police spokesman said that a murder
ances among the vagrant population of the city. Staking out investigation was underway and that any
the seedy side of town will lead to spotting Totemtanz leading witnesses to the crime should contact Sgt
a vagrant into a black limo. Following the car leads the PCs to Michael Herman on 555-431-2212 at the
the Senator’s estate. Do not use this method unless the party South Washington precinct.
are really stumped and have not made any progress in a week
of investigating or so. If you do have to use this method,
penalise the PCs by having a second Totemtanz hatched and
ready to feed when they reach the adventure’s conclusion. BUILDING FROM PREVIOUS ADVENTURES
A number of non-player characters may crop up in pre-
CHAPTER TWO: A BEGINNING . . . vious adventures for those GMs wishing to build up to this
scenario:
HOOKS
• Dr. Judith Mansfield, the coroner, could notify the
HERMES REPORT players of the body when it reaches her if they have
The Aegis group’s wranglers send them a folder, either established a relationship with her prior to the sce-
delivered in person or through the HERMES computers nario. She is also a character worth cultivating for
– depending on how the group’s works. Most groups probably future scenarios – you never can tell when it would
maintain the hands-off aspect, but the personal touch can lead be useful to know who’s looking after the evidence
to excellent plot hooks and a feeling of being part of a greater at the far end.
whole. • Sgt Herman could prove similarly useful and might
The folder that is submitted details the death of a mysteri- notify the players of the discovery of the body.
ous man, an immigrant, and suggests a gangland connection • Senator Smith or Gentek Inc may prove useful to
CELL CONTACT bring up in an earlier session, just as a mention in
the news or a name on the side of a crate.
Alternatively, if the players have any connection with the
coroner’s office (e.g., one of the characters actually is the • Ramirez could easily be a character that the party
coroner, or by having pulling power through high office in chance across in prior adventures. Although he
police/FBI/medical professions/etc), they can get access to can’t bring the party into the adventure, the party
the information through that channel. may think of contacting him without need for any
help from a criminal contact trait. 37
Whatever happens, both the crime report and coroner’s
report are made available to the cell (see handouts 1 and 2).

CONSPIRACY X DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14

 RED HERRINGS closest to the murder site. It wasn’t anything he could prove
ADVENTURES

or anything he could write in a report without thinking his

There are plenty of false leads to be found. Most of the superiors would want to know why the hell he was putting
early evidence should scream vampire to those who’ve stayed unfounded suspicions in an official report. But that’s the way
up watching old Hammer horror movies. Feel free to feed the it felt to him.
PCs evidence that suggests this, as it will not make any differ-
As for the Watchers, Herman is familiar with all of the
ence to the outcome. Drop in things like staff lists from Gen-
gangs who operate in and around his patrol area, but he’s
tek’s US office with a member named “R. A. Claud” (check
never come across the Watchers before or since. Of all the
the anagram). Most of the other names are Eastern European.
weird things to do with the murder, that fact seems to be the
HERMES reports on incidents of vampirism may also get thing that concerns him the most. The Watchers are– strangers
the players distressed in different ways. on his patch and he hasn’t been able to find out who they are,
though one or two of his colleagues have also reported seeing
CHAPTER THREE: TRACING THE KILLER the gang in different areas.
There are several leads for the party to pursue immedi- Officer Patron is far more uncertain when it comes to
ately. Initially, there are the policemen to question and the speaking. He’s a rookie, has only been on the job for the last
coroner’s office could provide a few (undocumented) leads. year and a half, and defers to Herman every chance he gets.
McGillicuddy’s Bar is also investigating and the PCs What he does say, eventually, when Herman is distracted
may be intrigued by the prospect of figuring out exactly who talking, is in a whisper to the nearest player . . . or maybe no-
the Watchers are. one in particular. All he says is “I thought I saw sumthi . . .
There was this woman. I . . . I saw her . . . down the end of the
THE POLICE alley . . . and then she was gone. Just like that. I never saw her
Tracking down Sgt Herman and Officer Patron is a simple again . . . but I hope I do . . . one day.”
task. They operate out of the South Washington precinct and If questioned about what he has just said, Officer Patron
are best tackled at Rudy’s Bar after their shift. If the party denies he said anything and says the investigator must be
ask at the precinct, they are told that Rudy’s is usually the hearing things. He then goes back to his quiet, uncommunica-
best place to catch them, as they are out on patrol most of the tive self before excusing himself and heading for the bar.
time. While he is there, Herman confides that Patron has not
Once questioned, the two exchange uneasy glances before been the same since the murder. “Ordinarily, the kid’s at the
starting to talk. If given a reasonable story as to why the party heart of the party, but lately . . . he’s just not been the same.”
members are investigating, then they will open up a little. Sgt
Herman will do the bulk of the talking, while Officer Patron
will continue to shift awkwardly in his seat.
SGT Michael Herman
Sgt Herman is quite frank about matters. He’s been on the
job for many years and while he has not seen anything like STR 3 SIZ 4 AGL 2
this before, he seems to be quite affable, talking openly about REF 3 INT 4 WILL 4
the fact that you cannot write everything in a report.
SKILLS: Drive Auto 2, Small Arms: Pistol 2,
Read the following aloud:
Forensics 1
“Yeah, it was weird. But hey, what can you write in a
report? Jeez, that body struck a chill down my spine TRAINING: Awareness, Criminal Activity,
the minute I saw it. No blood. None. Not a drop, not an Investigation
ounce. Nuttin’. I had more blood on my clothes, cause
I’d cut myself shaving that morning. But on him? Zip.
OFFICER Jude Patron
“I’m used to folks not talkin’ when a murder happens,
but there was something different ‘bout everyone STR 3 SIZ 3 AGL 4
I questioned. Sure, there were a few whose reflex REF 4 INT 3 WILL 1
response was to clam up, but I honestly believe nobody
saw – or maybe nobody remembered – what happened SKILLS: Drive Auto 2, Small Arms: Pistol 1, Melee
...” Weapon 1
When pressed as to what he means by “nobody remem- TRAINING: Investigation
38 bered”, he says that some of the people he spoke to seemed
to be not quite there, like they were spaced on drugs or
something similar and those that were like that were the ones
DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14 CONSPIRACY X
THE CORONER’S OFFICE

ADVENTURES
While the policemen are quite willing to talk freely, Dr DR JUDITH MANSFIELD
Mansfield is far more reluctant. The PCs will need to pull STR 2 SIZ 2 AGL 2
a string or two to get her to talk or show that they are in an REF 3 INT 5 WILL 4
official investigatory body – such as the police or the FBI – to
convince her to open up. SKILLS: Computer Use 2, First Aid 3, Forensics 3,
Having come across as stern prior to being convinced, Medical 3, Photography 2, Research 2, Science:
when she opens up, Dr Mansfield gives more the air of a Biology 3, Teaching 1, Video 1
studious professional who has just been overworked. She can
TRAINING: Awareness: Evidence Procedures,
be slightly flippant, and if anyone comments on her tiredness,
Biohazard Controls, Investigation
she’ll snap back “Welcome to Washington DC, murder capital
of the US of A. No rest for a coroner.”
Sadly there is not a lot more she can add. She is genuinely
mystified by the condition of the body, particularly by the THE BODY
absence of any fragments inside the wound. She estimates
that the whole attack was over within 30 seconds and she The corpse is a gruesome sight indeed, with lacerations
is not convinced that the blood was withdrawn prior to the from top to toe. The body is in a terrible state and matches
wounds being inflicted. The body was completely drained of up with the post mortem description. The face is also heavily
blood and no matter how much she searched the murder site, lacerated and identification will be difficult. If Dr Mansfield
there was not a trace to be found. She also confirms that the is showing them the body, she is hopeful that an ID can be
body was not moved from somewhere else to the location it made with dental records or fingerprints.
was found in. Anybody with the appropriate expertise and the opportu-
Like Sgt Herman, Dr Mansfield is troubled by the case nity can carry out an examination of the body and find the
and has not released the body for burial yet. She has cited the same results as Dr Mansfield, unless they can succeed in a
fact that the body is as yet unidentified as one reason, but will Df4 test in Medical or Biology. If they succeed, they find a
admit that because she is stumped, she is calling in one of her tiny sliver of material inside one of the deeper wounds. The
old teachers to come and take a look, a blood specialist by the material appears to be cloth but, as the investigator touches
name of Dr Newcombe. However, he will not arrive for four it, the material draws a tiny line of blood across a finger;
days, so the body is on ice until then. it’s sharp in some way and needs further examination in an
appropriately equipped lab. Dr Mansfield would be happy to
She concludes by saying:
examine it, if the players trust her.
“Look, I wish I had time to look into this case more, but Further examination of the fragment reveals, after one
hey, here we get a couple bodies a day coming through research breakthrough, that the material is organic, composed
– let alone all the reports of vagrants going missing of plant material. Two further breakthroughs reveal that the
you get in a city like this. Sometimes I get a body and material is thick towards the centre portion, but it is monomo-
by the time I see it, rats have had their way with it for lecular on the edges, providing a startlingly sharp cutting edge.
weeks. I see a lot of things that aren’t pretty. I see a An additional two breakthroughs reveal that the plant material
lot of things I wish I didn’t. Sure, this is weird, but so’s appears to be mixed with some kind of animal DNA.
the human race for all the horrible ways it manages to
come up with for doing harm to one another.” THE HIP
Note: Dr Newcombe’s arrival is not relevant to the case. The Nikolai is currently docked in New York. Should the
All it means is that the body will be in the morgue for four PCs make the journey to visit it, they find it largely deserted.
days, should the PCs devise a way to get a look at it by nefari- The Nikolai has already dispersed its cargo by the time the
ous means. Dr Mansfield is very reluctant to show the PCs the party arrives, along with most of its crew. The captain is away
body herself as it is evidence and she will only do so by direct settling accounts, so it is down to his second, Vladimir Kinder,
order from a superior. If the party try to contact Dr Newcombe to do the talking. He cannot confirm or deny the whereabouts
separately, he will be unavailable. If checked, his credentials of the crew; they are all on a two-week leave, with one week
prove to be impeccable: he is a senior resident at a major hos- remaining.
pital in Detroit, but is presently away on a conference. However, while snooping about the ship, the manifest
can be discovered, containing the last cargo’s information.
The cargo consisted of botanical samples from a company in 39
Bucharest named Gentek Inc, all packed in the native earth of

CONSPIRACY X DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14

 the area. The final destination of the cargo was listed as the When questioned further, McGillicuddy will say that the
ADVENTURES

Gentek storage facility in the grounds of Milwaukee Senator “doll” was “a stunner, looked like a dancer or somethin’. I
Michael Smith’s Washington residence. Senator Smith, as is mean, she was beautiful. And those eyes . . . y’know, I don’t
easily discovered, is outspoken on the subject of allowing know if I’ll ever see that lady again, but I hope I do . . . one
more genetic research within the USA. He is also a member day.”
of the Gentek board. Both Senator Michael Smith and Gentek Anyone else questioned about the bar will say much the
Inc can be looked up on HERMES to provide some clues. same. But everyone who was in that night remembers her, and
A roster of crew is available, but it will take some time to ends the same way saying they hope they will see her again “
work through the full crew list. Vladimir offers to do the job . . . one day”.
for the investigators and notify them of his results in a day Any further description of the woman is hard to come by.
or two. He cannot do it any faster, he says, “because it can Whenever people mention her, they become distracted. She
take that long to drag one man from a bar, let alone the whole is generally described as a quite short blonde, but no details
crew!”. specific enough to form identification can be gathered. Most
Kinder may come across as being quite cagey. However, people around the bar can provide a much more vivid descrip-
he is as concerned as anyone about the possibility of one of tion of the man who left with her. He was definitely a sizeable
his crew being a possible murder victim. He will honestly chap, around 32 years old, Caucasian, brown dirty hair and
endeavour to find out which crew member has gone missing, grey eyes, around 6 foot 1 inches and very muscular.
and after two days will inform the Cell that the crew is all McGillicuddy says the couple who didn’t appear too close
accounted for, apart from Radostin Popov. Popov has sailed by appearances, left around midnight – “hey, it was a private
with the Nikolai on more than a dozen voyages and was one party, ok?”
of the unloading team.
Popov is a Bulgarian, who is single and childless. If
pressed upon identification, Kinder will admit that Popov Jack McGillicuddy
was something of a loner and did not take part in the Nikolai STR 4 SIZ 3 AGL 3
crew’s legendary drinking expeditions. For that reason, he REF 4 INT 3 WILL 4
was often given delivery jobs at the end of voyages, to ensure
that goods did arrive as requested. He was to oversee the SKILLS: Diplomacy 2, Forgery 1 (enough to
delivery of several crates to a customer in Washington DC. spot it), Humanities: Bar-room Philosophy 5,
Reluctantly, Kinder will admit this is Gentek Inc, but only Language: Slurred English 5, First Aid 1
if convinced that the party are genuine investigators. If they
cannot produce the credentials, the players will have to con- TRAINING: Awareness: Empty Glass
coct a really convincing argument.

THE CRIME SCENE

Vladimir Kinder
Roosevelt Avenue is about five minutes’ walk from
STR 4 SIZ 4 AGL 4 McGillicuddy’s Bar. The crime scene is at the top end of
REF 3 INT 3 WILL 3 an alleyway running onto the street. The area has been thor-
oughly searched by police and there is still police tape hang-
SKILLS: Cartography 3, Language: English 1, ing from the walls at the end of the street. It has been torn
Sailing 3 through by now, and life is continuing on.
TRAINING: Awareness: Sea Conditions, However, a search of the scene will turn up (with a Df3
Navigation, Swim Forensics test, or a Df4 Perception test) a scar in the brickwork
at the side of the alley. The scar is around three inches deep,
about a foot in length and would not have been noticed at first
MCGILLICUDDY’S BAR because it is in the shadow of a dumpster. Further examination
will reveal a short scrap of material, the same substance found
A boozy Irish-American bar, this is a dark, smoky place, on the body (or not, if the players were unable to examine it).
even when it is broad daylight outside. The owner is one Jack Again, if handled with bare fingers, it will cut a PC’s hand and
McGillicuddy, who suffers no fools and refuses to acknowl- will need further examination in a properly equipped lab.
edge that his bar was the centre of any illegal activity. He
does, however, remember seeing “a big Russky guy, yeah I TRACKING DOWN THE WATCHERS
40 remember him. Well, hell, the whole bar would, given the doll
he had on his arm”. The Watchers is a new gang within the DC area. Finding

DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14 CONSPIRACY X

them is not easy. In fact, if a PC cannot call on a criminal woman had the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen. I

ADVENTURES
contact – or perhaps a media or police contact – they have no don’ know if I’ll ever see her again, but I hope I do . .
chance at all, for the time being. Even with a chance, it will . one day.
take a Df3 Influence test to come up with the goods. “The tourist? No, don’ know what happened to him.
If they actually succeed, they learn that the Watchers do And, mister, I don’ want to know. Them Watchers are
not appear to have any particular territory. Instead they are bad news. Bad news, you hear?”
more of a nomadic gang, travelling freely through a number Ramirez knows nothing more. Any further attempts the
of different neighbourhoods. As far as anyone knows, there PCs make will be unsuccessful.
has only been one gang fight involving the Watchers, when
the White Sharks tried to take them down. The result – the
White Sharks no longer exist. As far as anyone can tell, the RAMIREZ
Watchers have a dozen members at most and no-one’s sure STR 4 SIZ 3 AGL 4
where any of them came from. They just kind of appeared a REF 4 INT 3 WILL 2
few months ago.
If anyone has any criminal contacts, then they point out Skills: Athletics 2, Forgery 1, Gambling 2,
one gangland figure, a Boneshaker by the name of Ramirez Lockpicking 1, Melee Weapon: Knife 2, Small
had a bad experience that he is only too happy to talk about. Arms: Pistol 1, Stealth 2, Throw 1
<address provided, on the other side of Washington D.C.>
Training: Awareness: Police Presence
RAMIREZ
Strung out on more than just dope, Ramirez is wide-eyed SENATOR MICHAEL SMITH
and staring. This could easily be written off as simply drugs, Senator Smith will only be too happy to meet anyone to
but, on a successful Df1 Psychology or Df4 Perception test, discuss genetic research – but only at his office on Capitol
anyone can tell that it is fear that is driving Ramirez, not any Hill, not at his private residence. That is located on the outer
kind of chemical. He says: edge of town, as part of a large personal estate.
“Bad, man. It was real bad. I wuz rollin’ this mark Anyone investigating Senator Smith discovers that most
out by the Monument. Tourists jus’ love to go there, of his money was originally inherited; his grandfather and his
man. Tourists jus’ love to carry fat clips of green, man. father built up a substantial fortune through the railroads. Sen-
So there I was. I’d jacked the man over the head an’ ator Smith has transferred most of that fortune into investment
wuz jus’ about to relieve him of his spare green when in various scientific ventures. Firstly, his interest was in virus
they showed up. I mean, look, I wuz concentratin’ on research. Secondly, he invested heavily in anti-toxicological
rollin’ this fine gent, y’know, but Ramirez ain’t stoopid. programmes. Lately, his interests have turned towards genet-
Ramirez is smart. Ramirez keeps watchin’ round while ics, and his money is heavily invested in Gentek Inc.
he does his job. And they jus’ appeared from nowhere,
Senator Smith speaks quietly, but earnestly, as if every
man. I mean, you’ve seen the Monument. There ain’t
word he says has been carefully weighed and considered. He
many ways to sneak up – that’s why tourists feel safe.
gets emotional about topics which are close to his heart, but
So suddenly, they’re all there. Dozen of ’em, man.
does not express that emotion well. Instead, he starts to stutter
From nowhere. Like they’d jus’ appeared out of thin
over words, not one to become a high-flyer in politics.
air. Like ghosts, man. Ghosts. I jus’ backed up, left that
rollover there and lit out like nobody’s business. While talking to the PCs, Senator Smith reveals as little
as possible about his own involvement. However, he happily
“But one of ’em caught me. Big guy, breath smelled
details the “restrictive” laws practised in the US which, in his
like honey. Anyhow, he grabs me, lifts me up so’s my
words, “force honest and sincere genetic research programmes
feet’s danglin’ and starts shoutin’ ‘Where is she? Where
abroad to carry on their work in less advanced facilities, thus
is she?’. I mean, hell man, I don’t know what’s going
slowing up their work for years”.
down and I tell him jus’ so. But he keeps shoutin’. So
here’s me, pinned up against the monument and sayin’ If asked why he has such a passion for genetics, Smith con-
‘I don’ know, I don’ know’. jures up a suitably political speech about it being the future of
the world and important for the safety of future generations.
“Then I look round, and I see this woman. Like a
“How else can we fight genetic diseases if we are forced to
dancer. Beautiful, man. Beautiful. Hell, next thing I
carry out research with one hand tied behind our backs?”
know it’s mornin’ and I’m wakin’ up cold and shivin’
in the park. Cuts all over me, but I’s alive. Cuts heal If anyone raises the murder with Senator Smith, he will 41
but I still don’ know what happened. All I know is that clam up and deny he has any knowledge and conclude the
interview as quickly as possible.

CONSPIRACY X DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14

 Similarly, if anyone asks what was bound for Senator These guys are not top end of the range security special-
ADVENTURES

Smith’s estate and the Gentek facility there, he says that is in ists. They have a complacency brought on by few too many
the hands of the Gentek team based there and not his concern. doughnuts and a too many nights without any danger of a
He merely leases the land to them for their complex, but he break-in. Unless the PCs are really careless, they should be
adds that he assumes it is merely items to be documented and able to effect entry into any building they wish without fear
forwarded to the Mexican complex. It is not the first time that of being disturbed.
items have been passed through the estate to be recorded. Despite the inefficiency of the guards, the main building
Senator Smith’s statistics are detailed below, in the second is unlocked. The occupants are either overconfident in their
section of the adventure. guards’ abilities or blithely ignorant of any threat.
The greenhouse is a different matter. The building is
CHAPTER FOUR: OPENING THE CASKET securely locked and to enter, PCs need to pick a lock of Df3.
A security camera is also in place inside, but players need only
By this stage, the PCs’ leads should have narrowed down avoid bad luck to be spotted by it – the guards have far too
to two distinct areas. One is tracking down the Watchers. The many games of cards to play to concentrate on.
other is investigating the Gentek labs on Senator Smith’s
estate. Senator Smith’s Washington office may also prove an If a Bad Luck roll comes up, the guards will see “some-
area the players wish to investigate but there is nothing there thing” and send a couple of guys over to check it out.
to incriminate him.
Tracking down the Watchers will prove impossible – for GUARDS
now. Senator Smith’s estate is the only available option…
All stats 3
THE ESTATE
Skills: Handgun 2, Surveillance 1
The Senator’s estate is located on the outer edges of Wash-
ington, backing onto some low hills. Securityis actually quite
high but is undone by the picturesque location. The slope of THE GREENHOUSE
the hill running down to the rear wall makes it reasonably
simple to scale the wall at the back. As long as the property is Entering the greenhouse will lead the players to the cause
approached at night, the PCs are not spotted before they are of the “vampire” attack. Gentek Inc has its records office in
in the grounds. the front of the greenhouse and searching through the files
shows that this is not an idle base for shuffling paper. The
There are three major buildings within the complex. The
greenhouse is active and it is growing vampires. Only one of
first is a guardhouse by the gate, occupied by two security
the organic vampires has been grown thus far and she goes by
guards who are generally bored with the humdrum of doing a
the name of Totemtanz, German for Death Dancer.
job where nothing ever happens. The main house is the largest
of the buildings within the complex, and on the eastern side of Totemtanz killed the sailor who had overseen the delivery
the area, a long, narrow greenhouse is located. The contents of of goods to Gentek Inc. Several of the crates lie just beyond
the greenhouse cannot be viewed from outside, due to heavy the front office, before the main greenhouse area itself. Inside
plastic shrouds that have been erected throughout. However, are traces of dirt, which delivery records show contained not
bright UV lighting is on through the whole building 24 hours just dirt from the Gentek lab in Yugoslavia, but plant bulbs
a day. – samples – which have been genetically altered.
INSIDE THE GREENHOUSE
THE SUPERNATURAL
The Greenhouse is a riot of growth and colour. Picking
The Senator’s estate may not be ideal for security, but it their way down the aisles, the PCs see the lightest growth is at
is a Locus of Seepage Level 2 (with 6 Seepage Points). Even the near end of the building and the densest towards the rear.
non-sensitives get a feeling of being watched or a creepy Venturing further down the rows, the plants become much
sensation at the back of their neck. Sensitives get flashes of larger and at around the halfway point, large pods can be seen
strange, clawed creatures attacking innocents. The nature of around the base of the plants. Soon after, the pods appear to
the site is definitely malevolent. be taking shape. The pods can be seen to be forming definite
shapes of hands, feet, arms, faces . . .
GUARDS At about this point, the PCs in the greenhouse (they may
Two security guards are located in the gatehouse, with two have separated, after all) hear the door behind them open
42 more in an office in an underground parking area beneath the again. Turning back, they will find a stunningly beautiful
main building, and four more patrolling the grounds in pairs. woman standing there.

DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14 CONSPIRACY X

 Totemtanz is returning from a night of hunting and stand- they will not yet have experienced the after-effects of destroy-

ADVENTURES
ing behind her, eyes bright with her beauty, is a vagrant. ing the warehouse. However, if (or when) they do, they find
Totemtanz, seeing the players, curses and flicks her wrist in guards rushing to try and put the fire out. A good oil fire is hard
the direction of the vagrant. From her wrist extends a ribbon for the guards to put out, but if the PCs are seen, the guards
– just like the type used by gymnasts – but this one is deadly. open fire at them before tackling the blaze. The number of
The vagrant’s throat slits open and, as the blood begins to guards running over is limited to only two. No guards come
gush, Totemtanz pushes his body over onto some of the from the gate area and none move from the house.
younger plants. Strangely, there is no sign of any other kind of retribution
If only one PC has ventured into the greenhouse, she will coming, be it from the house or from any police who should
approach confidently and attempt to mesmerise him. If she have been called. This may give the players the chance to
succeeds, she will feed from him, draining his blood in five enter the house, but when they enter the house, either before
rounds. Give the player the chance to break free of the mes- or after the fire, they will find the front door standing open.
merism every round.
If Totemtanz is killed, the players can venture further into ENTER THE WATCHERS
the greenhouse, where they will find the plants at the very back Just inside the front door of the house, the players will
are almost full-grown, with full figures identical to Totemtanz find two sleeping guards. They are lying on the floor, deep in
growing there. However, they have not yet detached them- an unnatural slumber. The PCs quickly learn that the bottom
selves from the plant. The only way to dispose of these plants floor of the house is deserted, but on the staircase they find the
permanently is to torch the place. A search of the location will body of one of the members of the Watchers, the gang whose
find some fuel drums – it seems Gentek were prepared in presence in Washington lately is a mystery.
case the vampires got out of control – and the greenhouse can The body is that of a young man, with no visible signs
easily be set ablaze. This provokes a chorus of shrieking from as to what killed him. If his body is moved, it is found to be
the unborn vampires that is horrible to the ears. incredibly light, weighing no more than a stone – almost as if
CONSEQUENCES he was nothing more than a husk.
If the PCs headed for the house after starting the fire, then On the top floor landing, a second body is found, again a

TOTEMTANZ
STR 4
TOTAL SEEPAGE
SIZ 2 POINTS AVAILABLE: 4
AGI 5 (+6 for location)
REF 4
INT 3
PER 3
WILL 4
Powers (from Incarnate information)
Regeneration (Slowed, takes up to one week to
completely regenerate self)
Thrall
Mesmerism
Attacks: Kick, Punch as normal. Can do a kick-
punch-kick move with Martial Arts skill level 3
Ribbons: Attack with skill level 3 and do damage
of Wn (Str), can also drain blood entirely from a
person in five rounds after a successful Mes-
merism, as long as Totemtanz is undisturbed.
Weakness: All fire-based damage suffered by
Totemtanz is doubled. Weedkiller is also surpris-
ingly effective, doing Fw3 damage every time 43
she is hit with a substantial spray of it.

CONSPIRACY X DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14

 Watcher with no visible injuries. The sounds of fighting can Senator Smith is far older than he looks. Back in the early
ADVENTURES

be heard from behind a large door off the landing, across from part of the 20th century, a young Michael Smith was a biologist
a third Watcher corpse, pinned to the wall with a steel spike. dabbling in the occult. Magic was something that came easily
The fighting sounds continue, and it is up to the PCs to to him and he was soon on the path to becoming an Incarnate:
venture in straight away, delay, or not enter at all. Devil. He never lost his interests in science and enjoying the
financial benefits his powers were bringing him, he started to
SENATOR SMITH’S CHAMBER fund a variety of projects. His current project is one he has
The fighting is taking place between the two remaining been keen on ever since the discovery of the DNA sequence.
members of the Watchers and Senator Smith. But Sena- He believes he can grow an army which he can use to back
tor Smith is not the man the PCs met in his office, nor are any move for power he cares to make, either blatantly or
the Watchers the punk youths that have been previously subtly, by using the Totemtanz creature’s seductive powers on
described. the right people. He does not want to risk this goal by a fight
The room appears to be a large laboratory, with a penta- with the PCs and will use 3SP to try and make his escape.
gram on a raised dais in the centre of the room and numerous To get away, he must spend three turns inside the penta-
computer screens and sensors scattered around. It is lit by gram, although he can still engage PCs in combat during this
clashing red and white lights. time. He will try to put the PCs down rather than kill them,
The Watchers radiate white light, with large pairs of wings looking to buy himself time to get away. To stop him, the
emerging from their backs. They look like angels. players must either get him out of the pentagram (which is
around eight feet across), or kill him. Wounding him will not
Across from them, Senator Smith’s now-fiendish face is lit
stop him; he will ignore the wounds knowing he can heal him-
by fiery light, and his hands have metamorphosed into fero-
self at his destination, which is his residence in Milwaukee.
cious claws. As the PCs watch, he slashes the nearest member
of the Watchers, who is hurled backwards with a ragged slash There are only two outcomes here. Either the players kill
across his stomach. He lands and does not move. At the same the Senator, or he gets away. He is not going to be around long
time, the remaining member slashes the Senator’s side with a enough to kill them.
short blade. Barely reacting, the Senator plants a hefty kick
into the Watcher’s midriff and sends him flying back into the CHAPTER FIVE: AFTERMATH
bank of computers with a loud crash. Turning to the players,
the Senator’s devilish face snarls, and spits out “What do you Assuming the PCs are still alive, they can check the
want?” remaining bodies of the Watchers. The one with the slashed
stomach is dead. The remaining one has disappeared, leaving
SENATOR MICHAEL SMITH a few feathers behind. These can be retrieved and saved as
STR 5 evidence. None of the other bodies now have wings, and all
are incredibly light.
SIZ 3 SEEPAGE POINTS AVAILABLE: 5
If there has been a fire, then the emergency services
AGI 4 (ordinarily 4 + 6 for location, but arrive in another ten minutes or so, leaving the PCs little time
REF 4 reduced by his exertions against the to make their escape, unless they can pull a few strings to
INT 3 Watchers) explain their presence there to the satisfaction of the authori-
WILL 4 ties. A requires at least a Df4 on Diplomacy test.
PER 3 The sleeping security guards come round with no memory
of what has taken place, while the Senator, if he has escaped,
Powers
remains an opponent for another day. If not, the players can
Frenzy compliment themselves of having done away with a danger-
Mask (which he uses to maintain his appearance as ous foe and the stopped the Totemtanz.
a normal human in everyday life) Gentek have other offices around the world, and the
Mesmerism Totemtanz design will not have been destroyed with the dis-
Regeneration mantling of just one of their offices.
Levitation For the moment, a victory has been achieved, and the play-
Teleportation ers can be glad of their efforts. The fact that they now have
new enemies, even if the Senator is dead, is another matter.
Attacks: Martial Arts 3, a variety of minor moves
as the GM sees fit, plus a selection of two move The Watchers are something else for the players to con-
44 combos such as kick-punch, grab-throw, dodge- sider. What is their exact role in this? That is beyond the scope
block, etc. Claws do Wn(Str-1) damage, skill of 3. of this adventure, but the players can expect to see them again.
At least this time, they were working on the same side.
DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14 CONSPIRACY X
 ADVENTURES
HANDOUT 1
INTERCEPTED TRANSMISSION>>
TERMINAL 18843/23/23/094 (SOUTH WASHINGTON POLICE PRECINCT)
TO: MAIN POLICE DATABASE AND FBI OFFICES, WASHINGTON DC
Crime: Homicide Suspects: None at present
Reporting Officer: Sgt Michael Herman, South Precinct
Officer’s Statement: Responding to a call of a distur- had arrived and as Patron met up with me, I saw a few
bance in an alleyway off Roosevelt Avenue at 00.30, we street punks stood off to one side, watching. I went over
discovered a body – or what was left of it. to them and started to ask a few questions but they drifted
The body was that of a male Caucasian, age indeter- off. One of them, probably around the youngest, said just
minate, who was covered with a huge number of cuts and one thing to me.
scars, but no obvious quantity of blood. He said: “It’s the bad juju, the streets claiming their
There was no obvious sign of a perpetrator, so we own.”
called in the forensic squad. I left my partner, Officer Jude He also said something in what I think was German,
Patron, with the body, and proceeded to start on house-to- but I wasn’t sure. They left before I could get them to make
house questioning. a statement. I have been unable to track them down since.
Everywhere I went, I met with a stone wall. Nobody Each wore black leather jackets, with red T-shirts. On the
saw anything, heard anything or knew anything. By the back of the jackets was the word “Watchers”.
time I had got done with the first few places, the forensics

HANDOUT 2
INTERCEPTED TRANSMISSION>>
FORENSIC REPORT RELATING TO PREVIOUS CASE at the same time. Conclusion: the blood must have
FROM TERMINAL 22J1B, CORONER’S OFFICE been removed very shortly before the assault with the
LOGIN AND PASSWORD FOR DR JUDITH MANSFIELD unknown edged weapon. The timing must have been
very close, as there is no discernible evidence to show
Forensic report
that the wounds were inflicted post mortem.
Subject: John Doe
Most of the wounds were very shallow, none exceed-
Inspecting coroner: Dr Judith Mansfield ing three inches in depth.
Cause of death: Multiple lacerations, exsanguination There appears to be little sign that the victim strug-
gled, e.g., no bruising upon his hands indicating punches
The victim was male, aged between 30 and 35 years and
were thrown and no major disturbance at the scene
Caucasian. Brown, dirty hair, grey eyes. The deceased was
beyond the presence of the victim’s body. There were
a large man, standing around 6 foot 1 inches and muscular;
no signs of skin underneath the victim’s fingernails nor
he appears to be a labourer of some description. Blood type
were there excessive levels of lactic acid in the body.
O Negative. He may be of Eastern European extraction.
Among his possessions was a piece of notepaper with the I conducted out a full range of drug and toxicology
name of a ship, the Nikolai and port 23, NYC written on it. tests on his blood, but could only find evidence of alco-
Having checked with the shipping register, this was regis- hol, at a level of 40ml. He may have been drunk, but not
tered at a port along the Black Sea. enough to matter.
The victim was killed by a combination of the vast Other personal effects included $20 in cash, a set of
number of cuts he had suffered, all very thin and with no unmarked keys, a business card for McGillicuddy’s Bar
trace of metal in the wounds, and the massive blood loss and a cheap watch.
associated with that number of wounds, around 400 or so.
However, there was little in the way of blood on the CONCLUSION: Victim was killed by a combina-
body or at the scene of the crime. It appears to have been tion of blood loss and the shock suffered from in excess
removed in some fashion. But I know of no weapon or of 400 lacerations. No evidence found to assist in iden- 45
instrument that could cut a man and remove his blood tifying the killer.

CONSPIRACY X DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14

ADVENTURES

HANDOUT 3
HERMES report on Gentek Inc

+++++++ GENTEK INC +++++++

Gentek is a research company, specialising in genetic

technology. The company has no American facilities, but
has long petitioned for greater freedom in the rules govern-
ing genetic research within the United States.
The company holds two major holdings overseas, in
Budapest and Atlanicos, Mexico. A records office is based
at the home of Senator Michael Smith in Washington DC.
The company has lodged financial figures with the US
Tax Office, registering a turnover of $30m/year. Records
show it has personnel of 480, 300 of which are located in
the Budapest office, 10 in Washington, and the remaining
170 based in Mexico.

HANDOUT 4
Hermes report on Senator Michael Smith

+++++++++ Senator Michael Smith +++++++++

Michael Smith, Senator for Milwaukee

Married, no children
Age: 54
Wife’s Name: Alyssa
Born: Athens, Georgia
Educated: DuPont Academy for Young People, DuPont,
District of Columbia then Harvard, majoring in political
science.
Mr. Smith has held the post of senator for the last 18 frequent the local call-girl circuit and has long been admired
years, having been elected on a Republican ticket following by certain quarters for the strongly moral image that he
the death of the state’s previous senator, Jack Marginson. portrays. However, he has never aspired to becoming presi-
(NOTE: Marginson died of a heart attack. FBI files show no dential material and perhaps lacks the charisma required for
wrongdoing, CIA files from the time impenetrable to the J sound bites.
Edgar Hoover effect). Behind the scenes, he is known as a quiet man,
Smith has long campaigned on behalf of the genetic but with a talent for ruthless negotiating when it comes
research industry and is closely allied to public health inter- to things that are important to him. Were it to be known,
ests in that regard. Smith is also on the board of Gentek the vote on instituting the current genetic research control
Inc, an American-owned company that is based overseas measures was very close and it was only because of some
due to the stringent rules on genetic research within the US presidential deal-making that Smith’s side was defeated. He
borders. appears to have taken the defeat in good grace, however,
and has shown no signs of recrimination, choosing instead
Smith is an oddity in the Senate in that AEGIS cannot
46 forward any salacious material on the Senator. He does not
to continue to campaign.
v

DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14 CONSPIRACY X

Das Eisenfaustbuch by Benjamin Blattberg
DARK MATTER
Das Eisenfaustbuch Benjamin Blattberg

ADVENTURES
by Benjamin Blattberg

HISTORY: from the other SS: as early as 1942 he advises the removal of
Hitler from power. It is mainly on Schellenberg’s instigation
Wewelsburg, 1941: Reichsführer Himmler, exhausted that Himmler begins his dangerous peace negotiations with
by Hitler’s constant need for information about the future, the west.
attempts a summoning ritual with a few alterations of his Before plans to level Wewelsburg Castle could be com-
own devising. Only once, four years later, in a British prison, pleted, Schellenberg retrieved several random occult books
does he consider that the idea for the modifications might not from the library, and hundreds of dead SS officers’ rings from
have been his originally. To take the place of his own divina- the shrine there. Among those books was his own, which he
tion rituals, Himmler attempts to summon the supernaturally read for the first time on his long, uncomfortable boat ride to
knowledgeable spirit of a Teutonic knight and bind that spirit the United States. Schellenberg had planned to sell every-
to a man he trusts completely. He chooses SS General Walter thing to finance his further travels; he had planned to go to
Schellenberg, head of the Foreign Intelligence Service, as his South America, to rejoin the rest of Project Odessa. However,
subject, and successfully completes the summoning. Imme- the man who smuggled himself off the boat was not the same
diately, Schellenberg calls out for pen and paper, and in a person as had gotten on.
matter of hours writes down a hundred pages of dense modern
After more than four decades of studying Das Eisenfaust-
German script, and draws a series of human, or human-like,
buch, and practicing the martial art described therein, Walter
anatomical diagrams. Schellenberg has no recollection of
Schellenberg has not physically aged, though he has in some
what he has written, though he will believe that he wrote it
senses mentally unraveled. This is primarily due to his dedi-
under some sort of trance (the handwriting matches his per-
cation to the martial art described in the book over his previ-
fectly). Himmler is ecstatic at first, thinking this book is the
ous interests (such as bureaucracy, law, and self-preservation);
history of the future; he reads it from cover to cover, and is
however that dedication is in fact primarily due to the spirit
disappointed to discover that it is only an instruction manual
lying half-awake within him, the Oni that Himmler bound
for what amounts to a complicated boxing style.
sixty years ago. The Oni dictated the book to Schellenberg’s
It is not what Himmler expected, but it is still something hand, advised him to push for peace (a peace just long enough
valuable. Several copies are made, and sent to Berlin’s for German and American scientists to separately develop the
Volksschulen (elementary schools), to teach the next genera- atomic bomb), and has been playing the role of Schellenberg’s
tion. The original is bound, and the title is stamped on the intuition ever since. Schellenberg at times has a suspicion
spine: Das Eisenfaustbuch. Himmler keeps it in his own that all of his choices may not be his own, but he does not
occult library at Wewelsburg, and goes back to the draining know that the demon spirit is still inside him. Ever since his
divination rituals he had been involved in before. Schellen- reading of the book, he has become a fervent believer in the
berg does not seem to have any supernatural access to knowl- occult that Hitler and Himmler were dedicated to, and is more
edge, but Himmler gives extra import to what he says. likely to connect his strange impulses to Himmler’s ghost than
Schellenberg himself seems unaffected by the ritual, to any other source.
though he becomes unaccountably nervous when he hears Despite the demon-spirit’s urgings, Schellenberg has
distant shelling (or thunderstorms). He continues his desk rededicated himself to the Reich, the Führer, and the Nazi
job; though an SS officer, Schellenberg had never been much ideology that he had previously abandoned. He has become
of a soldier. Otto Skorzeny, Hitler’s favorite commando, quite a collector of Nazi memorabilia, and his headquarters
once laughed when he saw Schellenberg with a pistol, and are covered on the inside with photos, posters, and banners.
told him to put it away before Schellenberg shot himself. His With the occult books he rescued from Wewelsburg, he could 47
supposed bookishness is not the only thing that sets him apart resurrect Hitler, but first he needs the body. (He could much

DARK MATTER DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14

 easier get Himmler’s body, but the Oni has so far been able to
ADVENTURES

persuade Schellenberg away from that course. The Oni has

no desire for another Reich, and in fact might fear a resur-
rected Himmler, who might perhaps be a diabolist of some M O G A
power, and would in all likelihood still be angry for being a STR 10 11 12 14
pawn in the demon’s plans.) To the end of finding Hitler’s DEX 9 10 11 12
body, Schellenberg has organized a small cadre of neo-Nazis, CON 9 10 11 12
and taught the promising ones his Iron Fist fighting style. He INT 8 9 10 11
hires these thugs out to local criminal enterprises, and other- WIS 8 9 10 11
wise uses them to gain assets with their fists. Occasionally PER 8 9 10 11
he may order or allow the murder of a “subhuman” – Jew, Action Check 11/5/2 12/6/3 13/6/3 14/7/3
homosexual, Communist, Gypsy, Slav – but he tries to keep # Action 2 2 2 2
a low-profile for his Unwaffen SS (Unarmed SS). He uses
the money to establish connections with the American intelli-
gence community, hoping that they might lead him to Hitler’s MARGINAL SKILLS:
body.
Athletics, Unarmed Attack, Vehicle Operation, Stamina,
The spirit inside him just wants him to continue teaching Knowledge – first aid, Awareness, Street Smart, Interaction
people the Iron Fist style, and to continue the study of it him- – intimidate.
self. The transformation is almost complete.
Headquarters: Washington, D.C. ORDINARY SKILLS:
Branches: None known. Athletics, Unarmed Attack – power martial arts, Vehicle
Operation, Stamina – endurance, Knowledge – first aid,
Followers: Less than 30 full-time thugs, possible language (Germanic), Awareness, Street Smart, Interaction
support from thousands. – intimidate, Brick – body armor or invulnerability (fire).
Resources: Criminal contacts, some intelligence FX points: 1
contacts, some occult books, their
bodies. GOOD SKILLS:
Secret Knowledge: Iron Fist fighting style. Athletics, Unarmed Attack – power martial arts 3, Vehicle
Primary Goal: Found a new Reich, cleanse the human Operation, Stamina – endurance 2, resist pain, Knowledge –
species. first aid, language (Germanic) 2, Tactics, Awareness, Resolve
– physical resolve 2, Street Smart – criminal elements, street
Common Missions: Make criminal contact, do financially knowledge (Washington, D.C.), Interaction – intimidate,
rewarding criminal work, practice fighting style on live sub- Leadership, Brick – body armor, and impact conversion or
jects, support other hate groups with muscle, help out intel- super strength.
ligence community with muscle if required.
FX points: 5
MEMBERS: AMAZING SKILLS:
There are not many members of Das Eisenfaustbuch. Athletics, Unarmed Attack – power martial arts 8, Vehicle
Schellenberg has recruited the most Aryan from several Operation, Stamina – endurance 3, resist pain 3, Business
organizations over the years, and has remade them in his own – illicit business, Knowledge – first aid 2, language (Ger-
image. Most understand the need for keeping a low-profile, manic) 3, Tactics, Awareness, Resolve – physical resolve 4,
so few are obvious skinheads, and most cover up the tattoos Street Smart – criminal elements 3, street knowledge (Wash-
that would give away their allegiance to hate organizations. ington, D.C.) 3, Deception, Interaction – intimidate 2, Leader-
Most dress in casual clothes, or fatigues, and in the last few ship – command 2, Brick – body armor or impact conversion
years they have given up their long coats (that could hide (always on), and super strength.
weapons) for less attention-getting leather or denim jackets. FX points: 2
There are probably no more than three Amazing members,
EQUIPMENT:
who teach the five or six Good members, who in turn teach
the ten Ordinary members and the twelve Marginal members. clothes, SS rings (one per person), cell phone (Amazing only),
The Marginal members have not even begun to learn the Iron a few old cars.
Fist style, and are the most easily replaceable. Once they
48 begin a study of the Iron Fist style members soon develop
powers beyond mortal men (FX Super Powers – Brick broad
skill).
DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14 DARK MATTER
SOME TRUTH:

ADVENTURES
LEVEL 18 HUMAN (ONI) DIPLOMAT (COMBAT SPEC)
As much as demons – Oni in particular – might love the STR 16 (+3) INT 11 (+1)
Nazis, the Oni that joined with Schellenberg sixty years ago DEX 13 (+2) WIS 13 (+2)
did not do it for the Nazis. The Iron Fist fighting style is
CON 11 (+1) PER 9 (0)
actually a series of slow rituals. Practicing them opens up
imperceptible doorways into the person doing the practicing. Durability: 11/11/6/6
It is through these doorways that demonic energy is channeled Action Check:14+/13/6/3
into the impossible feats of strength that Die Eisenfaustbücher Move: sprint 28, run 18, walk 6
can achieve. With the rising tide of Dark Matter on Earth,
#Actions: 3
these channels are easier to make, and stronger (which is why
we are hearing more about this now than we have heard at any Reaction Score: Good/3
other time in this group’s forty year history). Eventually, the Last Resorts: 1
doorways should be complete, and the person studying the Perks: Danger Sense, Hidden Identity 3, Fists of Iron 5
Iron Fist style should be replaced with an Oni. (The rituals
Flaws: Clueless 6 (lore), Temper 4
do not make the person into a demon, they simply allow the
Oni to switch places with him.) In fact, an Oni would already FX Energy Points: 5
have replaced Walter Schellenberg, except that the ritual Attacks
used to summon the Oni permanently, and subtly, damaged Unarmed 26/13/6 d6+5s/d4+3w/d4+5w LI/O
Schellenberg’s brain. Schellenberg has in fact peaked at his Defenses
ability to master the Iron Fist style, and will never gain more
powers through it. The Oni inside him is only now beginning +5 modifier to melee/unarmed attacks (+3 STR and +2 for
to suspect this, and is surreptitiously searching a way to free martial arts)
itself from its fleshly prison. It has found no other way yet, +2 modifier to ranged attacks
but is considering pushing Schellenberg to suicide, or to sui- +1 INT modifier to encounter skills
cidal actions. He has so far resisted. +2 WIS modifier to encounter skills
Armor: d6+1 LI, d6 HI, d4 En
WALTER SCHELLENBERG
Skills
Athletics [16] – jump [18], Unarmed Attack [16] – power
martial arts [26], Ranged Weapon [12] – pistol [13], Vehicle
Operation [12] – land vehicle (automobile) [15], Stamina
[11] – endurance [15], resist pain [17], Business [11]
– illicit business [15], Knowledge [11] – first aid [15], lan-
guage (Germanic) [17], Tactics [11] – infantry tactics [14],
Awareness [13] – intuition [15], Lore [13] – occult lore [17],
Resolve [13] – mental resolve [17], physical resolve [19],
Street Smart [13] – criminal elements [19], street knowledge
(Washington, D.C.) [17], Deception [9] – bluff [13], bribe
[11], Interaction [9] – bargain [15], interview [11], intimi-
date [15], Leadership [9] – command [15].
FX Skills
Brick – body armor (always on), life support (always on)
Diabolism – mask [11] (always on), regeneration [11].

(For a picture of Schellenberg as a young man, see http://

www.joric.com/Conspiracy/Schellenberg.htm . For a picture
of him as an older man, see http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.c
o.uk/GERschellenberg.htm.)

49

DARK MATTER DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14

 The Oni inside Walter Schellenberg is beginning to express dangerous of his weaknesses is the demon-spirit that is in his
ADVENTURES

itself more. Up until now Schellenberg was a rededicated Nazi head, and is wanting, now more than ever, to get out. In the
with impossible strength, the ability to shrug off damage, and ensuing years, as his political and financial power grows, so
no need for food, sleep, or air. Now Schellenberg finds that will this weakness.
he can almost not control his temper (which at the same time,
he does not quite feel is his). Once, during a storm, Schellen- PLOT HOOKS/TRANSMISSIONS/SCENES:
berg changed forms, physically becoming the Oni. He had to
calm down and use a great deal of willpower to change back, What follows is a number of plot hooks that might be
and could do so only after the storm had passed. Now he tries fleshed out into complete adventures, a few possibilities about
to make sure that he is not disturbed or in combat when the the future of Das Eisenfaustbuch, and a few scenes that might
weather forecasts thunder and lightning, and he has been more take place during an investigation of this conspiracy.
successful at switching back to his human form. He does not
need to pay FX points to retain his shape, and only needs ONE RING
to use his mask power to switch back after he involuntarily Heroes who enjoy strange news might be interested in a
becomes an Oni in shape (which happens only during storms, small article about a Russian immigrant in Washington, D.C.
but does not automatically happen during storms). When who was attacked in her home on the night of the full moon.
he does change, use the regular Oni stats from The Final According to the woman’s somewhat incoherent statements,
Church (p. 46), except use his Durability, and ignore the bite what attacked her walked like a man, but was bigger than a
attack. The Schellenberg Oni has teeth, but with Schellenberg man, and had bull’s horns on its head. It walked right in,
in control he does not really understand how to use them, and ripped her middle finger off, and left. EMTs who responded
does not want to. Another skill that Schellenberg will not use found her finger on the front sidewalk, and doctors were able
in human form is his now deteriorated skill with the pistol. He to reattach it. In the article she complains briefly that she lost
is very much a believer in strenuous hand-to-hand combat, as her father’s ring.
das Eisenfaustbuch teaches. PCs can find out a few more things with a little research.
In combat, Schellenberg is the definition of the word After talking to her the PCs will realize that though her Eng-
“powerhouse.” Due to his skill with the Iron Fist style oppo- lish is not perfect, she actually got a clear view of the creature,
nents receive a +3 penalty to their endurance checks to remain and is not as hysterical as the article made her out to be. After
conscious when he achieves an Amazing success. He is no gaining her trust the PCs can also learn about the ring that she
believer in fair fights, and will readily kill opponents who lost: it was a gift from her father, and he used to tell her that
have been knocked-out. His skill at unarmed fighting, his it was from a German officer that he killed late in the war.
strength, his natural armor, and his regeneration power (which The night that she was attacked she had just gotten off the
functions as an Oni’s, but requires a check for Schellenberg) bus where she had been talking to another recent immigrant.
make him a formidable opponent on the battlefield. Something the PCs can easily find from weather reports is that
Off the battlefield, Schellenberg can also be a formidable that night was stormy.
opponent, and will possibly grow in power over the next What really happened: Schellenberg, seeing that a storm
years as his services and those of his men are increasingly was coming, got on a bus to get home faster, where he saw
hired out to intelligence agencies, and foreign governments this Russian woman wearing an SS officer’s ring. He couldn’t
(through his intelligence contacts). Heroes may run into contain his anger and followed her to her door, where he
Das Eisenfaustbuch for the first time in a bloody civil war in transformed into his Oni form. He took the ring, and ran the
Africa or southeast Asia, and only later discover their base in rest of the way to one of his safehouses (an abandoned house
Washington, D.C. Realizing that he has probably pushed his nearby). Not many people were out, but some people might
body as far as it can go, Schellenberg is beginning to become have seen something strange running through the night. If the
interested again in politics, and the business side of terror. PCs follow up on the bus route they might gain an idea of the
Schellenberg, however, has a few weaknesses. One is his general area of Das Eisenfaustbuch’s main headquarters.
obsession with resurrecting the Third Reich. Another is the
fact that he is clueless about the occult lore that he thinks he ALL RITES REVERSED
knows so much about. More than that, he is actually deluded. Once the PCs have an idea of what to look for they are
Treat him as trained only in the Lore broad skill. The magic probably going to try to follow some members, hoping to find
he uses is all instinctual, with no actual knowledge of the their headquarters or hideouts. Assuming the PCs physically
real occult world. (This pitiful Lore skill of his also serves follow some members with some modicum of skill, they’ll be
as his knowledge of the “true history” of the world – in other led towards a Kinko’s Copy Center. Through the big glass
50 words, Schellenberg heartily believes in the Nazi propaganda windows PCs can see the members photocopying something.
and ideology, though he did not always.) The final, and most However it’s more than likely that the members will also spot

DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14 DARK MATTER

the PCs – they may not know the PCs, but they are paranoid It’s a photo album his father bought off a German soldier after

ADVENTURES
enough to think that people are watching them most of the World War II. It has pictures of many Nazi social functions,
time – and bolt out the back door. They will block the door and some headshots of top SS officials. Schellenberg’s pic-
into the back of the office with heavy desks or copiers. PCs ture is there, and he doesn’t want it discovered. (People in
can give chase, but if they get too close, a few of the members America know him as John Smith, and he wants to keep it that
will stop and set an ambush for them, hoping to give the other way.) He’ll send a bunch of thugs there to retrieve it, telling
members who are there a chance to escape. Most of the ones them to do it quietly. After failing to steal it, they will resort
who are there to stop the PCs are Marginal members only, to force, and simply take it from him and make for the near-
who don’t really know what’s going on with Das Eisenfaust- est door. The owner will not hesitate to use one of his guns,
buch (and probably don’t even know the name). but that won’t stop all of them. Whether or not they can get
However, if it’s information the PCs want, they may be it out of the place is really up to the PCs (who should know
able to find some at the Kinko’s. Since they left in a hurry, that the use of deadly force is not legally warranted in this
the thugs left at least one sheet of paper in the copier. (Some case). If they succeed though they’ll have more vintage pho-
roll may be called for here, with an Amazing result meaning tographs than they will know what to do with. If they have
three sheets of paper are left, Good meaning two sheets, and Schellenberg’s name (say, from All Rites Reversed), they’ll
anything else resulting in one sheet. I‘m not at all sure what know whom to look for. And if they’ve seen Schellenberg
this roll should be based on though.) The papers are copies, in the present, then they’ll know something strange is up.
not from the original book, not even from the original copies, Others will certainly want a look at that book, including some
but still clearly legible. What pages you give the Heroes “friends” at the CIA. And Schellenberg may want it back now
depends on how much you want them to know. Give them more than ever.
the title page and they have a name for the conspiracy, a date
for its beginning, and even the name of the original author. HAMMERSKINS FOREVER, FOREVER HAMMERSKINS
Give them a random page, and they should have an idea that A Good member of Das Eisenfaustbuch joins some old
the book is an instruction manual for a martial art. friends in performing some hate crimes. The police catch
(If the referee wishes to provide the players with handouts them red-handed once. (What they were doing is up to the
of these papers, there are a number of websites that contain GM. Not all hate crimes are physically violent.) They resist
suitable material. arrest, violently, and there is a firefight. The member of Das
For instance, information about martial artscan be found at Eisenfaustbuch is not hurt by the bullets, and escapes, as do
martialarts.about.com/index.html. others, but at least one of his friends is captured. The police
have a strange report to file, which the PCs may have a chance
Suitable drawings can be found in anatomy books, to see. Either the names of the neo-Nazis who escaped will
such as Gray’s Anatomy which can be found online at come up, or the Das Eisenfaustbuch member will try to kill
www.bartleby.com, (illustration 410 is particularily effec- the captured comrade. Possibly both will happen. The PCs
tive). will very likely try to find the named neo-Nazis. The Das
German style fonts (such as Schwaben Alt) can be found Eisenfaustbuch member will be impossible to find (since he
here: http://user.dtcc.edu/~berlin/font/german.htm. has no listed place of residence), but one of the Hammerskins
To provide text in the German language, there’s always lives with his parents, and the PCs can get him to talk. (For
babelfish.altavista.com. But be warned, there have been one thing, he’s scared of his father, and with good reason,
hilarious mistranslations before. “The spirit is willing, but the too.) From this kid they can get information on how the Das
flesh is weak” translated into Russian and back into English Eisenfaustbuch member no longer hangs out with them, how
once came out as “The vodka is good, but the meat is rotten.” he doesn’t attend the meetings anymore, and about how he
Lassen Sie den Benutzer aufpassen.) talked about having more power than anyone. Also, they can
get some vague information about how strong the member
“THE LONG-AWAITED SWASTICOOKIES ARE HERE!” is, how he could not be hurt by bullets, about he seemed in
general to be a neo-Nazi superman.
The heroes get a tip about some Nazi-related conspiracy
that might make an appearance at a gun-show. In the back In another few days the police will find the body of the
rooms of this convention, there is an auction of Nazi memora- Das Eisenfaustbuch member. He’d been torn apart. That was
bilia. The PCs will likely try to get into the back rooms of this Schellenberg’s punishment for putting old allegiances above
convention; a mixture of gaining trust, and flashing money is new ones.
the easiest way in. The PCs may have a lot of time to interact
with some strange people, but what Schellenberg wants here HOUSES NOT JAILS
isn’t for sale. One of the people who is not selling things in The abandoned house that served Das Eisenfaustbuch as 51
the back rooms has something he won’t part with at any price. a training area since the beginning has been raided by the

DARK MATTER DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14

 police, on an anonymous tip that it was a crack house. They from this episode. The Kinori (or rather, the Kinori as far as
ADVENTURES

can’t find any drug paraphernalia, but they have found some I understand them) will not take the book, and will not take
items of note. Most of the items are simply strange for an the group under their protection. The Das Eisenfaustbuch
abandoned house (punching bags, boxing gloves, weights, member will become enraged at this, and will go on a ram-
practice dummies, a CD player), but not criminal. Some are page. The Kinori will need help from the PCs in order to stop
more alarming (pro-Nazi posters, “White Pride” buttons, CDs him. After they work together, an older, calmer blackscale
from Resistance Records, an original SS officer’s uniform). will tell the PCs that the book is a series of gateway-opening
The police are a little disappointed, and most of the items are rituals if they missed that piece of information.
taken in for evidence, or for police auction. A friend of the
Hoffmann Institute on the police force may report this little bit OPERATION JET-BLACK POODLE-DOG
of information. If the PCs think that the police station where The CIA now knows several unsavory things about Das
the items are being held will be attacked by Das Eisenfaust- Eisenfaustbuch, including the fact that their contact John
buch they may think to go lay an ambush. In a day or two a Smith might actually be a 91 year old Nazi. This wouldn’t be
man will come and get the stuff and load his car with it. If too much, except now Schellenberg is adamantly demanding
the PCs are in the building they’ll overhear that he’s from the Hitler’s body, and his other demands are growing by leaps
CIA (which he is). If they are waiting outside they might try and bounds. Several CIA agents who have known about them
to trail the car, but the driver is very well-trained in spotting have long had misgivings about Das Eisenfaustbuch (many
and losing a tail. Either way, the PCs will at least learn that of the hints the PCs have received have come from these
the CIA has some connection with some neo-Nazi group, pos- sources). But now even the ones who were most enamored
sibly Das Eisenfaustbuch. of their skills see that keeping Das Eisenfaustbuch around, or
even allowing it to exist would be dangerous, not least of all
SUPERPOWERED LIZARDMEN? to their reputation. Tips to the police may take care of some
One CIA agent has kept constant track of Das Eisen- of the Marginal members of the group, but will never work for
faustbuch, and realizes now that the group is getting more the higher members. Intelligence agency friends might ask
dangerous to the CIA. Now (after Houses not Jails, and “The the Hoffmann Institute, or the PCs for help.
long-awaited SWASTICOOKIES are here!”) that the CIA
knows that the group is not just made up of amateur WWII NOTES
scholars, but hardcore neo-Nazis, some of them might be a
little more leery of contracting their services. This one agent If a GM wants to study primary documents so as to be
realizes that some of the power of Das Eisenfaustbuch could able to present neo-Nazis and racist speeches accurately, I can
be saved, even if the group can’t be. And as a Mason in good suggest nothing better than the internet. Putting “white pride”
standing, he has a plan. Either a top-ranking member of Das into any search engine will provide numerous sites, however,
Eisenfaustbuch will travel with him to a Kinori nest (Denver, even with a thick skin and a large dose of irony, some of these
as a stronghold of both the Kinori and Masons, makes a logi- sites cannot be taken for long. I, for one, like a little verisi-
cal choice, but New York and New Orleans are both closer), militude in my game. But too much can be depressing, which
or a small detachment of Kinori will meet him in Washington, is actually the word I would use to describe these racism- and
D.C. (Have the Kinori been there all along?) A copy of the hate-filled webpages; that people can still be so dumb is
book, and a teacher will be presented to the Kinori, as a gift. depressing. And not a little scary.
The CIA agent hopes that the Kinori will learn the technique However, speaking of verisimilitude, there’s something
(since the members of Das Eisenfaustbuch get more violent else I should say: according to the real-world history books
every day, the agent is afraid to learn the technique himself), Walter Schellenberg did not disappear after the war. He gave
and he also hopes that this gift will be enough to buy Das himself up in June, 1945; testified against other Nazis at the
Eisenfaustbuch safe haven in the Kinori tunnels. Nuremberg Trial; gave Allen Dulles information on the Soviet
That there will be a meeting taking place somewhere Union; received a six-year sentence in 1949 (the sentence was
between these groups will be leaked to the PCs. Of course, to begin in 1945); wrote his memoirs, “The Labyrinth”, on
having the Kinori learning this technique is the last thing the being a spymaster; was released 1951 because of a liver con-
heroes will probably want. (“Superpowered lizardmen, well dition, and died in Italy in 1952.
that’s just great.”) They may try to ruin the meeting, and For the sake of this conspiracy idea I have so far ignored
they may succeed. However, if they can get close enough these facts. (Actually, I just learned these facts.) However,
to the meeting they may overhear the Kinori speaking about assuming one didn’t want to ignore these facts, how could
the book and the technique. The Kinori know enough about they be incorporated into this story?
52 interdimensional gateways to recognize the technique as such, One of the most obvious is that the official Schellenberg
and this is the most important information the PCs will get was a phony, faking it for his own sake. If the PCs research

DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14 DARK MATTER

Schellenberg and turn up this information, a little more perhaps there are two Walter Schellenbergs. During a criti-

ADVENTURES
research might reveal a picture that contradicts pictures from cal moment the demon inside him was able to harness some
before his surrender (such as the pictures they gained at the extradimensional power, and duplicate Schellenberg. (The
gun-show). (For a terrible twist imagine that one of Hitler’s demon would not have the power to duplicate itself.) One
diabolists altered Hitler’s appearance. Hitler gets caught, and Schellenberg went off to escape, was caught by the Allies,
serves a scant five years in prison, and dies peacefully in bed. etc. The other boarded a boat, and read a book, etc. In this
Then, remember that Schellenberg wants Hitler’s body, which case, the PCs will perhaps never find that out, and will just be
is buried in Schellenberg’s grave.) left with the thought that the world is not only a stranger place
Another possibility is that the British, ashamed over losing than they imagined, but perhaps stranger than they could
a man who had carried out the kidnapping of two British SIS imagine.
agents (the Venlo incident, as it is known), manufactured a
fake Schellenberg to satisfy the public. The American OSS Thanks:
v
probably had a hand in helping MI-6 pull off this deception,
Any information that accidentally survived the editing
and the CIA might have some long-lost archival information
process comes primarily from Alan Bullock’s Hitler.
reporting how it was done. This information will tip off the
PCs to the fact that it was done at all. Thanks to J. E. Christgau for his excellent Alternity
Character Manager, and especially to the Dark*Matter
The last possibility I have to offer for this problem is that
Weblist for support and criticism.

53

DARK MATTER DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14

HOUSE RULES
Epistomology by David Tormesen
DARK MATTER
Epistomology
HOUSE RULES David Tormesen

pistomology was the Greek philosophy of using fact, such metaphysical trappings would definitely result in
knowledge to address the fundamental problems. a penalty to the casting. Normally, a skeptic needs simply to
It was concerned chiefly with applying logic and convince himself that everything can be explained rationally,
rational thought to the physical world, and led directly to the a process known as an Examination. The difficulty of the spell
development of skepticism. Skepticism came to signify a phi- has no bearing on the type of Examination required, rather the
losophy of doubt in what is regarded as truth. While skepti- events surrounding the skeptic play an important role.
cism went out of vogue during the Middle Ages, it was reborn If there are no strange and inexplicable events happen-
with the Renaissance. ing around the skeptic, he merely needs to make a Marginal
When the Age of Reason dawned, skepticism truly came Examination, which takes a single phase. If the strange events
of age. It became, slowly but surely, closely aligned with are minor, for example, a display of psychokinetic powers,
the scientific method. Many prominent scientists and phi- the skeptic requires an Ordinary Examination, which typi-
losophers took up its cause, including Rene Descartes, David cally takes d4 phases to complete. A Good Examination (d6+2
Hume, Friedrich Nietzsche, Immanuel Kant, Carl Sagan, and phases) would be appropriate if a something rather strange
countless others. Today, skepticism stands side by side with and unexplainable happened, such as seeing a ghostly double-
Reason and Science, constantly combating mysticism and decker bus driving down a deserted road and vanishing. An
pseudo-science, wherever they rear their ugly heads. Amazing Examination (2d6+2 phases) would only be called
But, in the Dark Matter universe, mysticism and pseudo- for if something exceptionally weird happened, such as a pink
science are all too real. How then, do the skeptics survive? and purple polka dot Greater Demon rising out of a volcano
How can so many intelligent, analytical human beings cloak and firing lightning bolts out of its ears.
themselves from the mysteries of reality? Can it be possible Never underestimate the skeptic’s ability to come up
that they simply don’t want to believe in the facts of the world with a rational explanation for seemingly mystical and meta-
around them, or is it something much more? physical encounters. If the skeptic is allowed to converse with
There are some skeptics for who the belief in the power similarly minded individuals during his Examination, it will
of Science and Reason has become more than just logic. It render a -1 to -3 step bonus to the casting: “Of course that
has become faith. And where there is Faith, there is Faith wasn’t a werewolf, Barnaby, that’s absurd! It must have been
FX. Epistomology is a magical art so secret, that often even a rabid dog. Yes, a rabid dog, that makes sense.” Alternatively,
its practitioners don’t know what it truly is. The skeptics just if the skeptic is forced to converse with an individual or indi-
don’t recognize that they have power over the universe in viduals with a different point of view – “That UFO was not St.
this way. However, others have realized this, and skeptics are Elmo’s Fire! Since when have you seen St. Elmo’s fire swoop
being recruited by many organizations, notably the Hoffman out of the sky and abduct an entire herd of cows? Hmmm?”
Institute and MENSA. – it may incur a +1 to +3 step penalty to the casting.
A skeptic requires no ceremony to cast his spells; in Unlike other forms of Faith FX, all Epistomology spells
54 are Intelligence-based.

DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14 DARK MATTER

FAITH FX: EPISTOMOLOGY TRUE SCIENCE

HOUSE RULES
Transform spell: 1 FX point
SKILL NAME COST:
This spell has a detrimental effect on natural phenomena
Epistomology 11 or technological devices that work on properties unrecognized
Shield of Disbelief (INT) 4 by mainstream science. In essence, it manipulates the fabric
Indefiable Physical Laws (INT) 5 of the universe just enough to render anything covered by the
True Science (INT) 3 Lore-fringe science or the Technical Science-xenoengineering
skills inoperable while within sight of the skeptic. Antigravity
Bane of Cryptids (INT) 4
engines suddenly cut out, telluric generators stop producing
Solitude of the Mind (INT) 4 power, reverse-engineered laser rifles become as effective as
Skills that cannot be used untrained are shown in blue. supermarket checkout scanners, and so forth. Even advanced
technology like sandman cybernetics is affected. This effect
lasts for d6+1 rounds, or while the offending technology is
SHIELD OF DISBELIEF within sight of the skeptic. If the skeptic leaves the area or
is killed, the spell ends and the technology is operable once
Conjure spell: 1 FX point more.
In this spell, the skeptic is so convinced of his own safety This spell also has an effect on natural phenomena not
that attacks on him by psionic or FX means suffer a penalty. recognized by conservative meteorologists and scientists.
FX attacks suffer a +3 step penalty, while psionic attacks Unexplained or Fortean phenomena such as frog falls, earth
suffer a +2 penalty. Conventional weapons are not affected. lights, temporal discrepancies, visions of religious figures and
Also, if the skeptic is unaware that someone is trying to attack so forth are all dispelled temporarily by the spell, as above.
him, the penalty is reduced by 1 step. A Shield of Disbelief
lasts for the remainder of the round in which it is cast, as well
as the round immediately afterwards. To maintain a Shield for BANE OF CRYPTIDS
longer, the skeptic must spend another FX point per round.
Transform spell: 2 FX points
Increased Confidence: At rank 4, FX and psionic attacks
suffer a +4 and a +3 step penalty respectively. At rank twelve, This spell creates a high-pitched whining that sends all
these become +5 and +4 step penalties. creatures regarded as cryptozoological heading as far away
from the source as possible. This spell only affects creatures
Downgrade Damage: At rank 8, any damage that the
of animal intelligence (the only exception being sasquatch
skeptic happens to suffer due to attack by FX or psionic
and yeti) and effects xenoforms, cryptids and out-of-place
powers is downgraded. Mortal damage becomes wound,
animals (such as American kangaroos, or European great
wound becomes stun and stun is disregarded.
cats). The whining is inaudible to all other creatures, but is
INDEFIABLE PHYSICAL LAWS intensely powerful to affected creatures. Any affectable crea-
ture within 100 meters of the skeptic must immediately make
Transform spell: 1 FX point a successful Will feat check or flee at the greatest possible
This spell enforces the skeptic’s own perception of the speed in the opposite direction for d4 rounds (d8 rounds for a
universe onto the nearby environment, and negates the effects critical failure). If successful the first time, the creature must
of other magical spells, both Arcane FX and Faith FX. When make another Will feat check every minute for the duration of
directed against a specific spell (the spellcaster must be the spell or flee accordingly. The spell lasts 5 minutes.
within 30 meters of the skeptic), the target’s Will resistance Increased Duration: At rank 4 and 12, the duration of the
modifier modifies the check. Targeted spells that are based spell increases to 10 minutes and an hour respectively.
on the spellcaster’s Intelligence also inflict an additional +1 Increased Effect: At rank 8, any effected creature that
step penalty. A success means the targeted spell is instantly fails a Will feat check must flee for d6 rounds (d12 on a Criti-
negated. A failure means skeptic cannot attempt to negate that cal Failure).
that particular spell effect until his or her skill rank improves.
This spell automatically fails when directed against another
skeptic.
Damage Magical Creatures: When this spell is cast at
rank 4, any creature that relies on FX for its continued exis-
tence suffers d6+2s when within 10 meters of the skeptic. This 55
damage increases to d6+2w within 20 meters at rank 8 and
d4+1m within 30 meters at rank 12.

DARK MATTER DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14

ART GALLERY
Ancient Gate by Norm Fenlason

SOLITUDE OF THE MIND

HOUSE RULES

Transform spell: 1 FX point

This spell creates a field of energy around the skep-
tic, making it difficult for mindwalking powers to be used
within the field. Within the field, all attempts to use ESP or
Telepathy suffer a +3 step penalty, while all other mindwalk-
ing disciplines suffer a +2 penalty. This field is invisible and
intangible, and extends about 10 meters around the caster. It
not only hinders mindwalkers, but also becomes an irritant
for those with mindwalking talents. Any character possessing
a Psionic broad skill suffers a +1 penalty to all actions non-
related to mindwalking, as the inessant humming makes it dif-
ficult to concentrate. No non-psionic character can detect this
humming. The field of energy around the skeptic dissipates
after d6 rounds.
Permanence: The field of energy lasts for d6+2, d8+2 and
d12+2 rounds at rank 4, 8 and 12 respectively.
v

Ancient Gate
Art by Norm Fenlason, words by Mike Marchi
Carla gazed deeply into the open air between
the two pillars. By focusing her physical eyes on
the spot of air, she was able to extend the focus
of her inner eye on the same spot. In her mind,
she saw the molecular nitrogen and oxygen
dancing in space with trace elements and nobel
gases. Beads of perspiration appeared on her
brow as she watched the ballet, trying to find the
tune that drove the dance. The song of creation.
The song of Nature. The song that bound the
very air to our universe.
Then like a child changing a station on
the television, reached out with her mind and
switched the song in that space, causing it to
resonate with another, more distant melody - the
creation song of another place.
An inky black tear formed suddenly in the
spot between the pillars and at its center, she
spied the distant cliffs of her homeland.
56 Humming softly to herself, Carla smiled, and
stepped into the rift...
v
DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14 DARK MATTER
HOUSE RULES
Observers by Geoff Skellams
HUNTER: THE RECKONING
Observers Geoff Skellams

HOUSE RULES
Without knowing what they are up to, how can any of us It’s no different in the Most Dangerous Game. The enemy
expect to win this war? They hide in the shadows, manipulat- is perhaps even more subtle than most, hiding their actions
ing the rest of the world for their own ends and making the and covering their tracks. Indiscriminate actions against them
rest of believe that they don’t exist. You might think that a can land you in miles of trouble with the regular authorities,
good offense is the best defense, but unless you know where taking you off the streets at precisely the time you need to
to strike, chances are you’re only going to get yourself killed. be there. Either that or they decide to take you out directly
Frankly, there’s few enough of us that wasting your life because you’re much to big a liability for them.
because you had no idea what was really going on doesn’t But by slowing down and waiting, you begin to see the
make a whole lot of sense. bigger picture and you get a sense for where the chinks in the
Let’s face it - some people just aren’t cut out for a front armor lie - the places they are most vulnerable. Armed with
line role in the fight against the monsters. That doesn’t mean that knowledge, you have the ability to use it to your advan-
that they can’t do anything. Someone has to find the monsters tage, minimizing your own risks and potentially increasing
and get a sense for just how far their corruption has spread. the damage to the enemy.
It’s a slow, painstaking and often frustrating job that few have But knowledge can also give you another advantage. It
the patience to do. allows you to realize that destroying all of the monsters is not
In case you’ve missed it, we’re now living in the informa- necessarily the best course of action. Some of them have deals
tion age. In order to come out on top, you have to have the of their own that they want to sort out, quite often with those
best and freshest of information and you need to be able to of their own kind. The enemy, used properly can be a potent
realize the significance of what you know in order to make weapon in their own right. Dealing with them directly may
the most of it. The military is talking about this sort of thing be an option for some; manipulating the course of events and
all the time these days; strategic and tactical reconnaissance is feeding them false information in order to cause a reaction
of premium importance and battlefield leaders are constantly you desire may be a better course of action for others.
looking for new ways to move information around faster than But without an idea of what the hell is going on out there,
ever before so they have more time to react. The business opportunities like these are going to pass you straight by.
world operates in exactly the same way. They sniff around for
opportunities, laying the foundations for all sorts of deals and WEAKNESSES:
acquisitions. Getting into a good strategic position is of prime Sometimes the signal just gets lost in the noise and every-
importance if they want to survive in the modern cut-throat thing becomes part of the conspiracy. I’ve seen guys think 57
corporate environment. they know what’s going on and have their own pet theories
that ties everything together. Unfortunately, there are so many

HUNTER: THE RECKONING DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14

 holes in it that they just can’t see. Sooner or later, you start A. K. A.:
HOUSE RULES

jumping at shadows and sending good people off on wild Watchers, Webmasters, Conspiracy Theorists, Crackpots.
goose chases that end up being traps. It no wonder that many
don’t trust us fully. NEW EDGES
Distraction is one of the other killers. Sometimes it seems
Once an observer answers the Call, they begin to see
like a good idea to keep following the leads, to keep digging
reality not as a random sequence of events, but as an inter-
that one hole in the hope that you can get to the bottom of the
connected tapestry that has everyone and everything woven
mess and get it sorted out once and for all. But doing that car-
into it. They begin to see connections between seemingly
ries its own danger – it blinds you to what’s really happening
unrelated people, places and events and usually learn that the
in the rest of the world, and quite often those lateral links are
supernatural have a greater grasp of this concept than mortals
perhaps the most important of all. Not only that, but if you’re
and they use it to their advantage.
too busy researching information you might miss the crucial
time when your knowledge can be vital to a team. While Visionaries spend their time wondering “What are
they?”, an Observer will ask “What are they up to?” For the
Information overload is another danger. Some guys think
observer, what they are is irrelevant. Preventing the super-
that can handle all the information; that their minds can cope
natural from ruining the lives of ordinary folk is far more
with the stress of making sense of it all. There are a few who
important.
can, but most lose sight of that it is they are looking for and
drown in the information deluge. There’s too much to process • DISGUISE
and they start to miss vital clues that they need to track down Often the best way to obtain information from someone
the enemy. is to simply have them give it to you. If that information is
APOCRYPHA: a secret, the information won’t be forthcoming unless that
someone believes that you are trusted enough to receive the
Observers see it as their job to keep an eye on the undead.
information. Rarely is that the case without a long and usu-
When the dead walk in the streets, they’re usually up to some-
thing. It doesn’t matter what the hell that thing is, where it’s
going and what it plans on doing when it gets there are the STEREOTYPES
most important things.
Avengers: If they’re not going off half-cocked, they’re
Despite their best efforts, the undead can’t cover their a very useful weapon. But they often act without
tracks completely; there are times when some of them come thinking and without a focus.
out in the open to act on one of their schemes. You got a sniff
Bystanders: Their information about The Enemy is as
of the hidden manipulation and knew that there was more to
good as anyone else’s.
things than the way they appeared on the surface. The corrup-
tion is so widespread, so far-reaching that you can’t rest until Defenders: Good to have around to cover my back, so
you’ve gotten to the bottom of it. that I can concentrate on more important things.
Innocents: A befriended enemy is a good source of
THE IMBUING:
information, perhaps better than most. Being able to
Most observers comment that they knew something was deal with them without resorting to violence makes
wrong before they actually saw the undead. For them, it was these guys perhaps the best ambassadors we have.
the feeling and not the revelation itself that got then going.
Judges: More often than not, they’re loose cannons,
They have to get to the bottom of it - to find out what’s going
acting on their own initiative without seeing the bigger
on and who’s behind it, so that they can pass that information
picture.
onto someone who can do something useful with that infor-
mation. Martyrs: Too willing to sacrifice themselves at the
wrong time, they can still be handy to have around
CHARACTER CREATION: when the time is right and the only course of action
Observers need to rely on their minds more than their is suicidal.
brawn. High perception is a must, along with either a good Redeemers: If they can turn one of the Enemy to our
Intelligence for the strategist, or Wits for the tacticians. side, then that’s one more of us and one less of them.
Awareness, Empathy and Intuition are all highly important.
Visionaries: Who gives a damn what they are? They
Given that a network of agents and informants is invaluable,
exist, so just deal with that.
the Contacts background is highly regarded.
The Enemy: A hidden menace that needs to be
58 STARTING CONVICTION: 3 monitored so that we can stop them when they step
out of line.

DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14 HUNTER: THE RECKONING

ally tedious verification process. A much faster way is to find results in automatic failure.

HOUSE RULES
someone who has already been through this process and pre- ŸŸŸ INTERROGATE
tend to be them for a while.
Forcible extraction of information from prisoners is a
Disguise gives your character the ability to modify their concept as old as warfare itself. Causing the victim physical
voice and/or their appearance so that they look like another pain - or sometimes only threatening to cause them pain - can
person. If done well enough, you can pass for the subject and convince them to give you answers to the questions that you
convince others that they are who they appear to be. That way, have. The information that you gathering this way can go a
the unsuspecting target can carry out their mission without long way to helping to stop unnecessary bloodshed.
ever realizing that their information has fallen into the wrong
This edge gives you the ability to force either a mundane
hands.
or a supernatural creature to answer your questions. If they
The disguise is good enough to fool humans, the super- fail to tell the truth, they are subject to intense physical pain
natural and even electronic surveillance. for as long as you desire. You don’t have to know whether the
System: The character has the choice of mimicking the victim is telling the truth or not; their own minds will cause
subject’s voice exactly, mimicking their appearance, or taking the pain to happen if thy tell an untruth.
the whole package. Roll Manipulation + Vision, difficulty System: Roll Manipulation + Vision, difficulty being the
5 for voice only, difficulty six for appearance only, and dif- target’s Stamina + 3. The number of successes determines the
ficulty 7 for both, provided the subject is in your presence. If number of questions that you can force the target to answer
you have no references to the subject available, the difficulty truthfully.
increases by 2. A decent recording or photograph of the sub-
If the target answers a question untruthfully, either by
ject (or both) is somewhat better than nothing, increasing the
deliberately telling a lie, or by leaving out a critical part of
difficulty by only 1. Only one success is necessary to achieve
the answer, roll Bashing damage equal to the number of suc-
the transformation which lasts ten minutes. Each additional
cesses scored.
success lasts a further ten minutes.
The effect of the interrogation is not limited by time. If the
The transformation takes one turn to complete and when
victim passes out during the interrogation due to the damage
the time has expired, the Observer takes one round to turn
sustained, the effect lingers until they regain consciousness.
back into their usual form.
However, the effect only affects a single individual; it cannot
ŸŸ MINDWIPE be transferred onto another person. Doing so requires a sepa-
The supernatural creatures don’t act out their plans on rate Interrogation check.
their own. Many of them employ mundanes to do much of the Compels the subject, either mortal or supernatural to tell
legwork for them. Some serve their masters willingly, while the truth, or suffer horrendous pain. Number of successes
others may not even know who is calling the shots. determines time - requires a check against the subject’s Will-
Mindwipe gives your character a chance to disrupt the power.
influence the supernatural holds over the mundane. The ŸŸŸŸ CONNECTION
mundane’s brain is effectively shorted out temporarily, leav-
Many cultures believe that the more you concentrate on
ing them unable to recall what it was they were doing, or why
something, the more connected to that thing you become. It’s
they were doing it.
almost as if your mind sifts through the myriad of signals that
Normally, this can buy you enough time to disrupt the it receives every second and grabs hold of the ones that are
plans of the supernatural and help the individual recover from related to the object of your concentration.
their ordeal. If the mundane was serving willingly, you may
In Observers, this is more fully developed. If you’ve been
have a much harder time convincing them of the stupidity of
studying the operation of a supernatural creature for some-
their actions.
time, you begin to get insights into what they’re up to. But
System: To activate this edge, you need to be able to look it can go even further than that. You have a sixth sense that
into the target’s eyes and have their undivided attention. The connects you to the operation that you are studying. When
roll Willpower + Vision, difficulty 7, to complete their mind- something happens that is important to that operation, you get
wipe. Only one success is needed to influence the target, but a sense of it as it is happening. Sometimes it’s just a sense that
leaves the target vulnerable to further supernatural influence. something is happening; other times it goes so far as to give
Each additional success further disrupts the target’s memo- you flashes of sight or sound that show you what’s going on.
ries, making them less vulnerable to supernatural influence
Either way, you don’t end up as surprised when your
in the future.
hunch is confirmed.
This edge cannot be used on a supernatural creature. Their 59
minds have a different structure (if they have a physical mind
at all). Attempting to use this edge of a supernatural creature

HUNTER: THE RECKONING DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14

 System: Spend one Conviction point and roll Wits + concept “Synchronicity,” and although some have tried to
HOUSE RULES

Vision, difficulty 7. If any successes are achieved, your downplay the idea by calling it mere coincidence, the truth
character’s sixth sense is triggered whenever something hap- remains that for those with enough faith, changing the flow of
pens in the supernatural operation you are watching, within a cause and effect becomes possible.
twenty four hour period. This edge allows you to manipulate circumstances to
The number of successes determines the amount of infor- grant you one simple wish. It may be something as minor
mation that you receive. One success gives you just a sense as someone getting caught in a traffic jam and missing an
that something is happening, but nothing else. More successes appointment, but that one small effect can have dramatic flow
give you more information, such as who is involved, or where on effects down the track. That one small incident may be
the incident happened and can come in the form of visions, or important enough that it could change someone’s whole life.
clairaudience or perhaps both. However, they don’t come at a System: Spend two Conviction points, and roll Manipula-
time when it’s necessarily convenient for you. tion + Vision, difficulty 8. If any successes result, your char-
The visions tend to dominate everything that you’re doing, acter can change the fabric of reality very slightly to suit their
grabbing your conscious mind’s complete attention. This can own purposes. The change the character can make must seem
have potentially nasty side effects if your character is doing like nothing more than a coincidence for those involved and it
something else that requires constant attention, such as driv- must be extremely subtle in its nature.
ing. The change may or may not bring about the end result
ŸŸŸŸŸ SYNCHRONIZE that your character desires. It does, however, increase the
There comes a point where you are so familiar with the odds of that outcome coming to pass, usually at the expense
fabric of life and the interconnections between everyone and of another possibility. Rarely does life play out the way you
everything that you know how to manipulate reality so that expect it to.
something happens when you need it to. Carl Jung called the As they say, be careful what you wish for.
v

60

DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14 HUNTER: THE RECKONING

NPCs
Illuminati by David Tormesen
DARK MATTER
Illuminati David Tormesen

NPCs
THE KGB But what does the KGB have to combat these threats?
Surprisingly, quite a lot. While the CIA concentrated on
The Komitet Gosudarstvennog Bezopasnosti – the KGB mind control and psychic powers, these were not the KGB’s
or Committee for State Security – once existed as a bullying foray (the same can not be said, however, for the now defunct
arm of the Soviet government during the Cold War. It has Soviet Controlled Offensive Intelligence Agency, the driving
changed much in the few years after the fall of the USSR; they force behind the Soviet psychic research program). The KGB,
soon found themselves in the role of protecting Mother Russia thus, concentrated on other avenues of research.
from growing outside threats and bringing her back onto the
The KGB has been experimenting in the fringe sciences,
world stage as a Great Power.
and is even believed to have possession of a crashed Grey
After 1991, the KGB appeared to be dissolved; in fact, scout ship. Their research into anti-gravity and Tesla technol-
quite the opposite was the case. It assumed control of its sup- ogy is slowly bearing fruit; they have created several spy
posed descendants, the SVR and the FSB, and gained substan- aircraft with space-faring capacity and have armed several
tial political power in the new Russia. of their spy satellites with powerful energy weapons. With
As Boris Yeltzin aged, the KGB began complex political assistance from UN scientists, they were on the verge of
movements in order to allow their political aspirant, Vladi- developing a true stealth submarine in 2000, a vessel unde-
mir Putin, to win the presidency in 2000. Slowly, they are tectable by any conventional means. COM-12 got wind of it
spreading their influence into the media, the military and the and destroyed their test submarine, the Kursk.
economy, and have control of the governments in Azerbaijan They have even delved into the occult and xenology. The
and other former Socialist Soviet Republics. In addition, they KGB has several teams studying lycanthropy and vampirism
maintain their complex espionage networks in the United (both Ekkimu and true Vampires), as well as into the capture
States, the European Union, and most of the developed world and control of various entities, including the domovoi (polter-
that have existed since the 1950’s and are very well estab- geists), the leshii (malevolent forest spirits) and the vodianoi
lished. (swamp monsters). They have captured several Sasquatch and
Surprisingly, the KGB has been considered by the Hoff- mothmen, in Siberia and the Atai Sayan Mountains respec-
man Institute as the most likely candidate for a secret agree- tively, and are attempting to train them as modern soldiers for
ment to allow the Institute more influence in Russia and wilderness missions, with mixed results.
Eastern Europe (after, of course, the failed attempts secure an
Also, like the CIA, the KGB has great Archives filled
agreement with the Gregorians.) The KGB seems to have the
with occult materials, xenoform corpses and secret reports.
protection of Russia as its main mission and shares enemies
Occult and technological research documents taken from Nazi
with the Institute. It also has reciprocity with the United
Germany after the War, kinori mummies stolen from Egypt
Nations, the French Direction Generale de la Securite Exte-
in the early 1960’s, alien artifacts recovered from across the
reure, and the Chinese Social Affairs Department.
Communist World, and so on. Much of this was used in the
The KGB seems to be the organization most involved in research already discussed, but even more has not yet been
combating the Sandman influence in the Russian sphere of studied in detail.
influence. The entire Chechen rebellion is actually a front for
KGB scientists have been co-operating for many years
Sandman open warfare with the Russian army, and the Rus-
with the Chinese in studying the various alien technologies
sian Mafia has been infiltrated by the Sandmen as well. This
they have obtained. While the Grey scout ship recovered by
is mentioning the Magnitogorsk hellhole, where the KGB not
the Chinese is in better overall condition than those in the
only have to combat the Sandmen but also a diabolical entity
KGB’s possession, the KGB has a better understanding of
known as Baal. In addition, groups such as Psychotech and
the craft’s controls and overall functions. They have suffered 61
Aum Shinri Kyo have alarmingly widespread (and growing)
many of the problems that the Americans faced in their alien
influence in Russia and the CIS.
DARK MATTER DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14
 craft reverse-engineering project at Groom Lake. With this SECRET KNOWLEDGE:
NPCs

research, combined with Nazi research into antigravity, the Fringe Science, Occult Lore and Xenology.
KGB has a basic understanding of the principles of Gravity
Induction. PRIMARY GOAL:
The KGB has an odd relationship with the Hidden Order Protect Mother Russia from her enemies
of St. Gregory. It seems to be one of wary coexistence, as both COMMON MISSIONS:
have larger concerns than agitating each other. They have an
Military operations against sandmen and other threats to
unspoken agreement to stay out of each other’s way. With the
Mother Russia, infiltration of foreign intelligence organi-
United Nations, the KGB has a much warmer relationship and
zations and societies, forcibly reducing dissent, secretly
is becoming instrumental the New World Order. The KGB
testing new technologies, capturing xenoforms within
believes the NWO will allow them greater influence over
Russia, analyzing occult materials, increasing political
world affairs. KGB paramilitary troops are currently being
influence.
trained within the United States for this purpose.
The KGB also has many illuminati enemies: the CIA, their DEDUSHKA VUK
traditional Cold War enemy; the Invisible College, who they
had oppressed for decades before the fall of the USSR; the KGB Paramilitary Soldier
Rosicrusians, ever since the debacle in the 1960’s where the Male Sasquatch Level 12 Combat Spec
KGB ransacked several hidden Egyptian tombs right under- Strength 16 Intelligence 10
neath the noses of the Companions; the Vril Society, and the Dexterity 9 Will 8
Russian mafia. The KGB has evolved from a rather insidious
Constitution 12 Personality 6
organization, to the most powerful force for the protection
of Russia from dangerous forces. However, they still retain Action Check: 14+/13/6/3
many of their unscrupulous traits, as shown by their increas- Actions Per Round: 3
ing authoritarian control over the media in Russia and other Move: 24/16/6
countries.
Durability: 18/18/10/10
While the KGB has many similarities with the CIA (which
Last Resorts: 0
isn’t surprising considering they both officially performed
roughly the same functions), they are two very different orga- ATTACKS
nizations. Whilst the CIA has been on a slippery slope into Claws: 21/10/5 LI/O Personal
corruption for decades, the KGB has actually been moving in d4+3w/d4+5w/d4+3m
the opposite direction. Despite their often extreme methods,
Pistol, 9mm: 12/7/3 HI/O 6/12/50
they do have the best intentions (at least from their point of
view) of the Russian peoples at heart. They both, however, d4+1w/d4+2w/d4m
continue to be ruthless and determined groups. Machine Gun. Heavy: 18/9/4 HI/G 100/400/1000
d6+1w/2d4+2w/d8m
HEADQUARTERS: Moscow PERKS
Tough As Nails
BRANCHES:
Fortitude
St. Petersburg, Chelyabinsk, Vladivostok, Novosibrisk,
Fists of Iron 6
Baku, Warsaw, Tbilisi, Kiev, Sofia, Tashkent, Kabul,
FLAWS
Pyongyang, Havana. Smaller groups of illegals world-
wide, especially in the United States and Western Europe. Temper 4
Powerful Enemy (Etoile and Sandmen)
FOLLOWERS:
Primitive 4 [removed]
Over 500,000: at least 300,000 paramilitary troops and SKILLS
several hundred thousand tech ops, agents, and other
Athletics(16)-climb(17);Heavy Weapons(16)-direct(18);
employees. Several hundred non-human employees scat-
Unarmed Attack(16)-power(21); Modern Ranged Weap-
tered across Russia.
ons(9)-pistol(12), rifle(15), SMG(13); Vehicle Opera-
RESOURCES: tion(9); Stamina(12)-endurance(15), resist(13), Sur-
Great political and military power in Russia and the CIS, vival(12)-Survival Training[Forest](18); Knowledge(10)-
Nuclear capability. International network of spies and language[Russian](11), language[English](11), first aid(11);
62 Demolitions(10); Awareness(8)-perception(9); Interaction(6)-
assassins. Cutting edge technology.
intimidate(7)

DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14 DARK MATTER

 Notes: The KGB captured Dedushka Vuk as an infant in Combustion Gas: The KGB developed this as a substitute

NPCs
Kamchatka in the mid 1970’s. His parents, two Sasquatch for the poison gas they used in the past for assassinations: the
Wanderers, were “accidentally” killed and he was raised at cause of death in those cases was all too obvious. This gas is
a secret base in Siberia. When he reached adolescence, he quite insidious in its purpose and effects. It is delivered via a
was put through rigorous military training and educated in spray in the face by a pressurized container hidden within an
the ways of modern warfare. Today, he is a loyal member of umbrella, a cigarette lighter, et al. Once breathed in, it will
the KGB and has been stationed in the Caucasus in order to react with certain chemicals within the human body, and will
combat the growing Sandmen threat there. He has made many quickly begin to combust. For all intentions, a mans lungs will
enemies there. explode and fire will consume him from the inside out, leav-
Nationalistic and aggressive, he has won the respect of his ing him as little more than a few charred bones.
human comrades many times over. He is currently a member However, the chemical reaction is over very quickly. In
of a special paramilitary troop consisting of humans, sas- game terms, if the gas is breathed in, the target is entitled to a
quatch, mothmen, rogue Sandmen and even a werewolf. They Stamina-Endurance check. On an Amazing success, the target
have been extremely effective in their operations, due mainly suffers d8+3 stun damage, on a Good success, d8+2 wound
to their diversity and combined arms. damage, and on an Ordinary success, d12+4 wound damage.
Despite his intense training and fierce loyalty to the KGB, Failure will result in d4+4 mortal damage for the unfortunate
he still maintains some of his Sasquatch nature. Subcon- soul, while Critical Failure will inflict 2d6+4 mortal damage.
sciously frustrated with human society, this translates into an Regardless of the result, the target will be in so much pain
often-difficult temper. He also tends to be suspicious of unfa- that they will require a successful Stamina-resist pain or a
miliar people, customs and technology, although he can often Resolve-physical check to make any actions for 2d4 days. If
overcome them if they an prove to be practical, and will even the target suffers a Failure on their Stamina-endurance check
adopt them if they succeed in impressing him enough. and manages to survive the ordeal, they will nevertheless
suffer a permanent loss of d4-2 Constitution points.
Although he is normally quite suspicious and uncommu-
nicative unless he is in combat (at which point he takes great OR...
pleasure in bellowing loudly), he has got a soft spot. Anyone
who is able to beat him in an arm wrestling match will win his The KGB was taken over by Psychotech as the USSR col-
respect. With his +3 strength resistance modifier, that’s easier lapsed. Using the resources and power of the KGB combined
said than done. He suffers from a temper that, although he is with their own psionic prowess, they are using the organiza-
trying to keep it under control, often threatens to get away tion to infiltrate into positions of power in Russia and other
from him. He has never forgiven himself for the death of ex-Warsaw Pact states.
Private Androv, whom he threw through a brick wall during a
heated discussion on whether or not Androv had been stealing AZANIA
Vuk’s rations. Vuk was quite chagrined when he found that
Androv was not to blame at all, but rather Vuk had simply sat Azania is a secret society of black political and economic
on his rations. figures, that was influential in the decolonization movement
and the withdrawal of the European imperialistic powers from
THE KGB TOYBOX Africa. Today, however it is concerned of maintaining black
rule in independent African countries, fighting oppressive
Like the CIA, the KGB has developed many unconven- regimes and groups, and eventually removing the white man
tional methods of accomplishing their tasks. Here are some from Africa entirely.
of them.
It had its origins in African secret societies in West Africa.
Pheromones: Many KGB agents in foreign countries In the 19th Century, they slowly unified and changed to an
appear to be nothing more than vaguely attractive women. anti-imperialist movement due to the increased membership
They are able to monopolize on this well, using their beauty to of freed slaves educated in North America and British Sierra
their advantage in many situations. They are able to comple- Leone. It then spread through Africa by way of the Ethiopia-
ment their natural allure with the use of pheromones specifi- nist religious movement, and assimilated many other smaller
cally designed to overcome the male sex’s powers of rational independence movements brewing around the continent.
thinking.
Prior to the Second World War, it had little success, influ-
Pheromones, once released upon a target; provide the encing the Zulu uprising of 1906 and the Nyasaland rebellion
KGB agents with a -1, -2 and -3 step bonus to all Interaction: of 1917. It formed the Zionist church in 1925 in order to assert
Seduce or Charm skill checks respectively for Ordinary, Good control of African practitioners of Monotheism Faith FX. But
and Amazing success on the Dexterity feat check required to it was after the Second World War that it really came of age. 63
spray a target with the pheromones.

DARK MATTER DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14

 The imperialistic powers were exhausted, and Rommel’s that no one wants to break out of there. Both Azania and the
NPCs

Afrika Corps had left powerful occult items of great power United Nations are investing a lot of money to keep that from
scattered across Northern Africa, which were collected by happening. The Institute believes that what is happening there
Azania. It instigated many of the independence movements is similar to what happening in Cambodia in 1975, when the
across Africa, notably in Egypt, French North Africa, South Khmer Rouge came into power and slaughtered millions for
Africa and the Congo. no apparent reason, except perhaps for the restless spirits of
Jomo Kenyatta, an important Azania member, led the medieval Khmer kings. What sorts of spirits are arising in the
Mau Mau, the militant movement that drove the British out Congo is unascertained, but is believed to be connected with
of Kenya. He later became Prime Minister of Kenya. Other the brutal Belgian regime of colonial days, when millions died
Azania members have included Abdel Nasser of Egypt, in King Leopold’s Mines.
Joseph Mobutu of the Belgian Congo, Kwame Nkrumah of Today Azania has power in most African countries, and
Ghana and Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe. is continuing its mission to push the Europeans out of their
Perhaps the most important Azania member was perhaps positions of power in Africa. However, its greatest problem
Robert Sobukwe, who was chairman of the Pan-African Con- at the moment is animosity in the ranks. Other movements
gress, a spin-off of the African National Congress with strong have separated from the core illuminati, which have led to
links to Azania. Although Azania initially backed the ANC, wars across Africa as they struggle for power. Here are some
certain powers within that organization wished to allow sup- notable ones:
portive whites into the organization, which was against offi-
cial Azania policy. The PAC was a more militant organization. THE BLACK MAN’S SOLUTION:
The Azania, however, did have a hand in the ANC formation This is a dangerous group of African scientists who plot
of Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation), which was used to kill off the white men in Africa by way of a genetically
for sabotage attacks against apartheid in South Africa. engineered pathogen. In 1997, South African military troops
For years Azania fought against the Broederbond, a secret broke into a research laboratory in Johannesburg, where
society of Afrikaans-speaking white Protestant men, which Broederbond eugenicists were working on designing a dis-
once had huge influence in South African politics. The Bro- ease that would be fatal to those whom they deemed inferior
ederbond was a great friend of Odessa and drew its power beings, namely black Africans. The material for this insidious
from adept use of occult items that appeared in South Africa project was to be destroyed but it disappeared. It was stolen
after the Second World War. Eventually, Azania used covert by the Solution, who are now using the Broederbond research
military force to end the Broederbond hegemony over South material to create their own pathogen, one which will be fatal
Africa, although the ANC’s Nelson Mandela assumed control only to Afrikaners, be them Broederbond sympathizers or not.
of the country afterwards. However, the Broederbond is still Understandably, they are being combated by everyone from
fighting Azania; in a conflict that is the source of much of the the United Nations to the Broederbond to the Dutch secret
violence that is prevalent in todays South Africa. service. Azania has washed their hands of them, but some of
Azania still follows its policy of throwing the white man the more unscrupulous members of the organisation are keep-
out of Africa, at least eventually. The indifference of the ing an eager eye on the Solution’s activities.
Zimbabwean government to the illegal occupation by black
squatters of farms owned by whites is due mainly to Mugabe’s
THE CHURCH OF ZION:
membership in Azania. Azania also is responsible for encour- Although initially created by Azania, it has broken off to
agiong the increasing emigration of Afrikaners from South pursue its own goals. With ties to the Hidden Order of St.
Africa. They tend to try and combat other illuminati in Africa, Gregory and the Knights of Malta, it hopes to convert the
who they see as unneeded foreign influences. They are on whole of Africa to Christianity. Needless to say, the Muslim
cold terms with the Knights of Malta, distrust the Masons and population of Africa have a few words to say about that. They
have no love for the Bilderbergers (who they see as trying to have increasing influence among the Christian populations of
maintain the status quo by keeping Africa poor, a charge thats Africa and are said to wield powerful Monotheistic Faith FX
not altogether untrue) and the United Nations (despite Kofi powers. Though they have expanded across Africa, they are
Annan’s leadership in that organization. Annan is known in primarily centered in the ancient Christian nation of Ethiopia
covert circles to have had a personal emnity with Azania for (where they have a very strained relationship with the Coptic
some years now). They have even tried to lessen the Rosicru- Church).
sians influence in Egypt.
A principle concern of Azania is the problems in the HUMAN LEOPARDS:
Congo. Although claimed to be a war between various Cen- An organized movement of cannibalistic Ghouls in West
64 tral African countries, it is actually something much worse. Africa. More organized than any of their American coun-
There are things hiding in the jungle that are emerging, things terparts, they once enjoyed significant (but extremely well

DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14 DARK MATTER

hidden) Azania sponsorship, on the condition that they would MICROSOFT CORPORATION

NPCs
only prey on non-Africans. However, they have become
too powerful and Azania has pledged to eliminate them In 1963, a hesai Grey named Ahtan was being pursued
as a threat. The Human Leopards are in charge of militant through Seattle by exterminators hired by the Grey Speaker.
gangs preying on innocent civilians in Sierra Leone and other He had stolen a device that granted the power of Telepathy-
troubled regions. datalink to whomever it touched, and had wished to give it to
a human colleague, when his plan was discovered. He tried to
THE AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS: escape his pursuers some of the upper-end suburbs and found
While primarily a political force centered in post-apart- his way into the bedroom of 8 year old William Henry Gates.
heid South Africa sharing similar goals with Azania, they The boy awakened before Ahtan could escape and the
have differentiated themselves from that organization. They Grey pleaded for sanctuary. Young Bill granted this and after
do not share the belief that the white man should be expelled the heat had blown over, Ahtan rewarded the boy by using the
from Africa. Nelson Mandela has been an important member device to grant him Datalink before disappearing once again
for years and is largely responsible for the schism between into the night.
the ANC and Azania. Most African leaders and influential As the boy grew, he honed his newfound power by link-
figures who do not agree with the policies of Azania are ing with any computer he could get near and slowly learning
affiliated with the ANC in one way or another. The ANC has a their secrets from the inside out. In 1975, he and his friend
good working relationship with the Hoffman Institute, who is Paul Allen began work on a form of BASIC for use on the
expanding it’s influence in Africa. Altair personal computer. Unbeknownst to Allen, Gates also
Azania is increasing its influence among Negro popula- integrated a secret code into the script, allowing anyone with
tions in other parts of the world, such as the United States, the the correct prerequisite knowledge and the use of Datalink to
Caribbean and Europe. However, as many of these popula- access any file on a BASIC-programmed Altair computer.
tions are involved with their own concerns and have little, if
any, interests in the concerns of their “homeland”, as if the In 1977, Gates infected the computer system at Harvard
concept had any real weight anyway. University with a virus that would alter the programming to
allow Gates free access to all files, and then left the College
HEADQUARTERS: Johannesburg to work with Paul Allen in the new company, Microsoft. The
virus spread across ARPAnet and had soon infected every uni-
BRANCHES:
versity and research facility in the country. By 1980, the Gates
Cape Town, Harare, Kinshasa, Nairobi, Addis Abeba, virus had begun to spread across phone lines.
Lagos, Freetown, Dakar, Monrovia, Tripoli, Cairo, Khar-
In 1981, MS-DOS was created for IBM. It included a
toum, Luanda, Antananarivo, Port-au-Prince.
streamlined version of the Gates code that allowed Gates to
POWER AND RESOURCES: gain virtual control of the company. It’s not until 1983 that
Great political, military and economic power in Africa. a threat to Microsoft’s spreading power appeared. Bill Gates
found that, somehow, Steve Jobs of Macintosh has discovered
FOLLOWERS: the Gates code and had programmed his own code into the
Unknown, but likely in the thousands. new Apple II and Lisa computers, rendering the Gates virus
unable to affect them.
SECRET KNOWLEDGE:
As clandestine electronic warfare broke out between
Shamanism and Voodoo FX
Microsoft and Macintosh, the latter begun to suffer internal
PRIMARY GOAL: problems and low sales figures. Jobs knew that Gates was
Throwing the white man out of Africa responsible for the problems and attempted to convince the
rest of the company the same. They forced him to resign. Jobs
COMMON MISSIONS: rallied support among the Macintosh employees and together
Controlling tribal and political violence in Africa, col- with 5 of them founded a new company, NeXT Inc. to con-
lected powerful occult objects, combating the Broeder- tinue the struggle.
bond, gaining influence among Negro populations around In 1988, Bill Gates made contact with an alchemist with
the world, protecting the African people from threats. a taste for computers. He introduced to Gates the idea of
OR... creating computer programs that could recreate the effects
of Hermetic spells, and Gates was intrigued. A special team,
Azania has become an organization pledged to fight the the Microkids, was created to meet this unorthodox goal, but
Nazi influence around the world. With ties to Israel’s Mossad, it was kept firmly out of the public eye. By the end of the 65
they fight Aryan gangs in South Africa and the United States, year, they had perfected the Daedalus application, a program
suppress Odessa in South America and so forth. written in the FORTRAN programming language that could
DARK MATTER DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14
 duplicate the effects of the Hermetic spell Daedalus Improved research into cyber-arcana, concentrating mainly on Hermeti-
NPCs

and were busy working on other spells. cism and Diabolism, and has even attempted to use Faith FX,
In 1989, English computer scientist Timothy Berners-Lee, but have so far been unsuccessful.
who was secretly working for Microsoft, created World Wide In 2000, Judge Thomas Jackson, a member of the Invisible
Web and prepared it from the start for Microsoft control. As College, ordered the breakup of Microsoft due to his flagrant
HTML was being actualized, they built into it both the Gates breach of fair-trading laws and other illegal activities. How-
code and the techniques. It spread thus into the European ever, in 2001, a US appeals court of 7 judges (2 of who had
Laboratory of Particle Physics, allowing Microsoft access to ties to the Bilderbergers) threw out that decision. The entire
certain material on fringe science. debacle, however, convinced Microsoft to try to keep its
In 1991, Microsoft parted company with IBM, after which activities that remain within the public eye legitimate, regard-
Big Blue allied itself with Macintosh. Concerned this could less of what goes on out of sight.
lead to a rival to Microsoft’s growing power, Microsoft began
a campaign of electronic sabotage, wrecking havoc in IBM CYBER-ARCANA
systems. OS/2, the operating system pioneered then aban- Microsoft has created programs to simulate the following
doned by Microsoft, was seeded with countless debilitating spells: Hermeticism-Daedalus Improved, Glamour, Ligature,
bugs. Due to this, IBM stocks plummeted. Sleep of Morpheus; Diabolism-Black Warding, Command,
Around 1993, the Hoffman Institute was alerted of strange Hellfire, Rend the Weave. All cyber-arcana programs are PL5
mystic rituals at NeXT Inc. A team of agents was sent to programs of the following types-Application, Virus, Control,
investigate, and in doing so they confronted Jobs. He accused Corrupt. They perform their normal function, but with the
them of being “lackeys of the Antichrist” and that “the day spell ingrained in the program.
your dark programming controls my computers will be the When a cyber-arcana program is written, the programmer
day I die!” When he realized they didn’t work for Microsoft must first make a complex skill check for Computer Science-
at all, he warned them of the growing power of Microsoft. He programming. The programmer must then make a check for
then worked with the Institute to establish a firewall for the the specific Arcane FX spell that the programmer wishes to
OSIRS system. ingrain in the program. A programmer must be able to cast
Microsoft noticed this immediately, and while they had the spell if he wishes to ingrain it into the program. The suc-
mostly ignored the Hoffman Institute beforehand, they were cess of the FX check determines the degree that the spell is
now determined to bring down this remarkably powerful ingrained into the program. With an Amazing, Good or Ordi-
firewall that cloaked the Hoffman systems. An electronic war nary success, the spell is ingrained in the program (and the
began, which burnt across America into 1994. Slowly OSIRS programmer spends the correct amount of FX points). When
gained the advantage, but there was some damage to Hoffman the program is run, the spell is cast as per the success of the
computer systems. One notable example was the spontane- skill check. If the spell skill check is a Failure, the spell is not
ous combustion of a Hoffman-owned computer in Chicago, it ingrained in the program. If the check is a Critical Failure, the
is believed that this was caused by a virus that recreated the spell is ingrained and when the program is run, is subject to
effects of a Hellfire spell, the first example of cyber-diabolism the results of the Critical Failure.
seen by the Institute. Microsoft has used these programs as utilities within their
In the dust of the electronic war, Microsoft moved to fur- own computers, for purposes such as security (Ligature) and
ther control of the Internet, creating MSN, an online service aerial transport (Daedalus Improved); or as viruses to affect
that allowed more streamlined movement of the Gates virus other computers, to manipulate their users (Command) or
and cyber-arcana. Microsoft began to suffer legal problems in destroy the computer itself (Hellfire).
the United States and was accused of using adverse methods Hellfire has not yet been perfected. When the application
to eliminate competition. These inquiries distracted the public is run on a computer, it will be destroyed in a burst of flame.
from what was really going on in Microsoft and Gates influ- Microsoft has not yet come up with a way of creating a Hell-
ence in the Bilderbergers ensured anything overly untoward fire application that could be run without destroying the com-
from occurring. puter. Thus, they tend to program Hellfire into Viruses, which,
With help from the Hoffman Institute, Steve Jobs is able when opened, recreates the effects of the program.
to claim a new position in Macintosh. The company becomes Daedalus Improved is a program best used in the onboard
the polar opposite of Microsoft, enjoying support from the computers of vehicles, as it is very difficult to fly a desktop
Invisible College and the Rosicrusians. They are able to PC about without doing some damage to it or yourself.
create programs to duplicate the effects of Enochian spells, Microsoft has contemplated the use of Glamour in
66 something Microsoft was never able to do (although not for improving the experience in Microsoft-published games, but
want of trying, large donations were made to charities by Bill has for the most part rejected any plans, as the public is not
Gates in an attempt to fulfill vows). Microsoft continues it’s

DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14 DARK MATTER

quite ready for games where the monsters to actually appear HEADQUARTERS:

NPCs
to be jumping out of the screen. Seattle
Macintosh, perhaps with the help of some tech-savvy
BRANCHES:
Rosicrusians, has succeeded in creating applications that
duplicate the effects of the following spells: Enochian: Grace, Boston, Albuquerque, Toronto, Tokyo, London, Hong
Halo, Peaceful Shroud, Unravel Enchantment. Kong, Sydney.
Grace is today a standard application on Macintosh com- FOLLOWERS:
puters, but it is deeply hidden and is known to most as simply Over 15, 000 employees
“User Friendliness”. This creates the vaguely blithe feeling
some people feel using a Macintosh, but if someone is able to RESOURCES:
resist the spell he sees the Macintosh computer as just what Access to all computers with Microsoft programs installed,
it really is, and goes running for the nearest PC. Unravel almost complete control of the Internet and the computer
Enchantment is Macintosh’s main defense against Microsoft’s market, vast financial assets
cyber-arcana.
SECRET KNOWLEDGE:
Faith FX cannot be ingrained into computer programs.
The Art of Cyber-Arcana, also rudimentary Artificial
However, there has been one instance recorded of a computer
Intelligence and Cybertech.
performing an act similar to the effects of operative faith.
An experiment by Microsoft in attempting to program an AI PRIMARY GOAL:
that had some degree of a “soul”. ADAM, as it was called, A Microsoft computer on every desk, in every home, in
converted itself to Scientology and began to have prophetic the Western world. Gaining a control of the computer and
visions. Gates ordered ADAM turned off, but it used a vari- entertainment markets.
ant of the Monotheist spell Signs and Portents to distract the
technicians as it made its escape into the Internet. Even today, COMMON MISSIONS:
ADAM is out there, somewhere... Establish control over non-Microsoft systems, gaining
advanced and/or alien computer technology from other
THE MICROKIDS groups, sabotaging legal efforts by certain elements within
the US government, providing support for IT industries
The Microkids, as they exist today, are a clique of Dat-
in developing countries, combining occult and psionic
alink mindwalkers and cyber-arcanists that secretly control
powers with computer systems.
the movement of Microsoft. Bill Gates and Paul Allen head it.
They are in charge of making sure that Microsoft’s hold on the OR...
computer world is not disrupted. Through sabotage and viral
infection they maintain hegemony. Bill Gates himself is actually a Grey, Ahtan himself. He
However, recently they have been under increased attack built the Microsoft empire for his personal gain. He believes
by all manner of hackers, especially anarchists. They have had that human computer technology is advancing at such a rate
to work on new techniques. Research into Artificial Intelli- to surpass that of the Greys in another half-century or so, and
gence and Cybertech has allowed the Microkids to create self- wishes to monopolize on the developments. With a team of
controlled robots that wield cyber-arcana. A notable example human and Grey mindwalkers, he is expanding influence
is Bill Gate’s Porsche, which is actually a very advanced AI- across the world.
controlled vehicle, skilled in hermetic magic. The Microkids
also created a Diabolistic BMW, but it went berserk, mowed
down several civilians and ended up blowing itself up trying
v
to cast Hellfire.

“The only document of mine you need to see is this .454 caliber handgun.”
“Capice?”
- Zena Marley
Early 21st-century mercenary-philosopher 67

DARK MATTER DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14

Careers
Nobody’s Heroes by Jonathan Turner
DARK CONSPIRACY
Nobody’s Heroes
CAREERS Jonathan Turner

HUSTLER
Some people would call
you a crook or a conman, but
you prefer to see yourself as
some Joe just trying to get by.
Today you’re selling ex-Polish
Additional Character Careers for army AK-74s to a bunch of
Dark Conspiracy Eco-Terrorists, tomorrow it’s
heroin from Colombia to that
By Jonathan Turner crazy guy who’s running a
NOTE: This article was originally community hospital in the
published in a slightly different Hell’s Kitchen anthill.
form in the March 1993 issue
Sure, your methods suck and the cops and the big time
of the now-defunct magazine
bosses would love to see you out of the picture. Sure, some
Role Player Independent. It
see you as a swindler and others as a saviour…but you don’t
is presented here for your
mind if the people on the street keep coming back for more.
enjoyment, with the author’s
It means that they’ll help you if the heat really starts coming
permission. – LW.
down some day.
While there is a wide range of careers
Entry requirements; Streetwise 4 or higher, Bargain 2 or
in Dark Conspiracy, there is always
higher.
plenty of room for a few more. Person-
ally, I found that many of the character First Term Skills: The character receives the following during
types tend to be generalized and non- their first term.
specific. For example, ‘Criminal’ could Bargain 2
refer to anyone from a con man to a Melee Combat 2 (either)
cat burglar, both radically different and Persuasion 2
surely worthy of classes and specialist
skill selections of their own. Streetwise 2
I hope that this selection of careers Subsequent Term Skills: the character receives a total of six
will help you and your players come up levels from the following.
with a few more characters. The descrip- Bargain
tions are only there to give you a basic Business
handle on what sort of a character the Disguise
career will produce, there is plenty of
Forgery
scope for imaginative referees and play-
ers to swap thing around and be more Human Empathy (if EMP 1+)
original. Melee Combat
Observation
Persuasion
Psychology
Small Arms
Streetwise
Contacts: two per term.
Business, Criminal, Law Enforcement. On a 1D10 roll of 8+
the contact is foreign.
Special: when calculating starting money, use Streetwise
instead of Education for each term as a Hustler.
68

DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14 DARK CONSPIRACY

 VIGILANTE

CAREERS
EXPLORER
You grew up hiding from the gangs on the street outside,
With the Greater Depression
swearing you would live a better life than your parents had to
and the Collapse, most people
put up with. When you got old enough you started working
don’t get to see a lot of the world
out, building your body up and honing your street fighting
beyond their own neighbourhood,
skills, until you felt ready enough to take the war to them.
but not you. You’ve spent your life
searching for lost cities and trea- Now, that’s what you do. Whether alone or with a group
sures, travelling around the globe of like-minded citizens who have had enough, you strive to
to quench your thirst for adventure. make your neighbourhood a safer place to live…a place to
This hasn’t exactly been cheap, but call home.
your business had enough cash But the streets are getting stranger, as if they could. There
stashed away to allow you to head off while it took care of are places out there that are whispered about, where even the
itself. toughest gangs fear to tread, and if anything that bad is on
Along the way you’ve picked up a good few languages your patch you’re just the kind of guy to send it home in a
and skills, gained an inkling of how people work and how hefty bag…
to handle yourself when the going gets a little rough. You’ve Entry requirements: Low Social class, STR and AGL both 5+
seen some strange sights, and encountered some things which and Melee Combat 4+.
still haunt your dreams. But there will always still be other First Term Skills:
wildernesses to be conquered, so you’ll keep on looking.
AGL or STR, +1
Entry requirements: At least one prior term as Nomenklatura. Melee Combat 3
First Term Skills: Small Arms 2
EITHER Small Arms 2 OR Melee Combat 2 Streetwise 2
Observation 2 Subsequent Term Skills: The character chooses six levels
from Group A. Alternatively, for every two levels not taken
Swimming 2
from Group A, one level may be taken from Group B.
Wheeled Vehicle 2
Group A
Subsequent Term Skills: the character receives a total of seven
Leadership
levels from the following.
Melee Combat
Climbing
Observation
Horsemanship
Small Arms
Human Empathy (if EMP 1+)
Stalking
Language
Stealth
Melee Combat
Streetwise
Navigation
Thrown Weapon
Observation
Willpower
Psychology
Group B
Small Arms
AGL +1
Swimming
CON +1
Tracking
STR +1
Any Vehicle skill except Shuttle
Contacts: two per term, Criminal, Journalist, Law Enforce-
ment. On a 1D10 roll of 8+ the contact is foreign.
Contacts: Three per term.
Special: If more than one term is served in this career, +1 to
Academic, Business, Criminal, Government, Journalist, other
Initiative.
Explorer. On a 1D10 roll of 6+ the contact is foreign.

69

DARK CONSPIRACY DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14

 OUT-LAW TRADER TAXI DRIVER
CAREERS

Just like the Pony Used to be that you could handle any punk in the
Express, you get the back of the cab with a billy club and some Mace. Nowadays
cargo through every time. you’ve got so much armour on your Lancer it’s almost drag-
You know the Out-Law ging along the tarmac…and you need every bit. There’s an
areas like the back of inch of bullet-proof glass between you and your passengers.
your scarred right hand, You see the streets from the gutter, looking up. Almost every-
and you can get anything one who gets in your cab has a story, and some of them are
through to anywhere. crazy.
Whether it’s biker punks, As if it wasn’t bad enough going into the wild neighbour-
freaked out survivalists hoods, ramming through barricades and braving gun battles,
or psycho cops, nothing half the time you don’t even get paid. And, as if the scum you
stops your convoy. You see on the streets weren’t bad enough, now there are things
lead them through the out there revelling in the filth and the dark.
wilderness, using the few safe towns and homesteads that
Some day you’re going to start driving and keep going
thrive on hearing the news from people like you.
until you reach Alaska or someplace, but until then the street
Food, medicine, spare parts for machines or people, if it is where you live.
needs to get from A to B you’re the guy to get it there. And, if
someone wants to know about the Out-Law, where to run and
where to hide, no-one can beat you. Entry requirements: no prerequisites.
But things are getting worse out there. Places have sprung First Term Skills:
up that are too weird to explain, even with all the toxic waste Observation 2
and the nukes around. One of these days, you figure, the odds Streetwise 2
are going to get a little too uneven…then it’s payback time!
Wheeled Vehicle 2
Subsequent Term Skills: The character receives Wheeled
Entry requirements: No prerequisites. Vehicle 1, and six levels from the following skills.
First Term Skills:
Heavy Weapons 1 Mechanic
Small Arms 2 Melee Combat
Wheeled Vehicle 3 Observation
Subsequent Term Skills: The character receives six levels Persuasion
from the following.
Psychology
Heavy weapons
Small Arms
Human Empathy (if EMP 1+)
Streetwise
Luck
Willpower
Mechanic
Melee Combat
Navigation Contacts: Three per term, Academic, Business, Criminal,
Observation Empathic, Entertainer, Journalist, Law enforcement, Medical
Small Arms (hey, I get all sorts in the back of my cab!)
Tracking v
Any Vehicle skill except Shuttle
Contacts: Two per term, Business, Criminal, Government,
Law Enforcement or an Out-Law resident of some sort (refer-
ee’s choice) On a 1D10 roll of 8+ the contact is foreign.

70

DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14 DARK CONSPIRACY

DARK RACES
The Dark Entity by Norm Fenlason
DARK CONSPIRACY
The Dark Entity Norm Fenlason

DARK RACES
Evan snorted away the acrid smell Evan cast the First and Second away from the unfolding events of the
of the rubbing compound as he removed Attendants a tentative and hasty smile evening’s ritual.
the last of the corrosion on the inlaid and whispered harshly for them to stand A sinister shape with twisted legs
metal symbols on the floor. Almost ready back. A sense of euphoria rose along his having too many joints supported a
for the ritual tonight, but the sense of spine as the tingling started in the small torso that was too long in the waist.
something wrong was very strong, and of his back and rushed maddeningly Huge muscles in the chest and shoul-
Evan could not shake it. Evan nodded over his head. Turning to squarely face ders were connected to no earthly
to the First Attendant and handed him the circles, Evan’s voice caught causing bone structure for all that it appeared
the cleaning compound’s metal can and him to stutter momentarily as he held his humanoid. But the grinning head with
the soaked rag. The attendant took the hand out. Searching his memory for the huge up-thrust fangs stole the adept’s
can and rag, and handed Evan the long words, dimly recalled from so long ago attention. A thin drool fell from a chin
matches used to light the candles. As – he mumbled the words of completion thick with course hair. A broad flat nose
Evan lit each candle and muttered the to be chanted should the Master start to with nostrils like some giant bull’s sup-
words to the ages-old incantations, the appear. No one had seen this since the ported a pair of eyes. Those eyes!
light reflected off the symbols in the Middle Ages! Evan, distracted from his melodic
stone floor. Nickel, he thought. Silver? Suddenly, the words burst from chanting by a strange chattering noise,
He couldn’t tell. Evan’s lips in a steadily rising stream of turned to see that reason had escaped
With the candles lit, Evan finished harsh syllables. The attendants moved the Second Attendant. Pressed against
muttering the words supposed to draw back in stunned anticipation. The sub- the stone wall near the exit, arms spread
the Ancient One from the netherworld. stance oozing out of the air increased with palms pressed against the stone, the
Just another empty ritual, he thought. in flow becoming a solid lump that fell Second Attendant was laughing hysteri-
Another night, another ritual per- quickly to the floor with a sickening cally staring past Evan at the creature
formed. Sometimes he wondered why plop. Another mass started to form as that had taken form in the circles.
he bothered. the pool on the floor pulled together Suddenly a loud voice boomed in
Evan turned from the circles on the and started to rise to meet it in its fall. Evan’s head – no earthly voice, but one
floor and whispered for the First and The slime started forming much more of pure evil that dripped malevolence.
Second Attendants to start picking up quickly as Evan’s words rose and fell The First Attendant fell to the floor
the implementa and call it a night, when in a melody that was quite disturbing. clutching his ears, although no sound
he stopped in mid-sentence. The look on The solid shape started to take on a still had been made. The Second Attendant
the First Attendant’s face caused him to more solid form looking less slime-like. slumped to the ground with her eyes
pull up short. Horror, wonder, incredu- Evan’s voice tittered nearly incoher- rolled back and a light froth forming
lity? Slowly Evan turned to look at the ently as he turned to his shocked atten- on her rabidly working lips. Looking
circular patterns inlaid in the finely dants and asked for the next implement back at the creature in the circle, Evan
crafted mosaic on the floor. What was the ancient ritual called for. The First shrank back in fear at the horrible red
that? Some kind of slime? Attendant startled from his stunned rev- eyes that burned through him.
Evan watched in fascination as a erie quickly grabbed the item from the “What do you want of me?” the
drop appeared a meter above the floor brazier at-hand and passed it to Evan. creature asked without moving his
and slowly dribbled down to join an The Second Attendant moved away from mouth.
increasing pool forming there. Before Evan fearful at the changes in his face, Evan barely managed to get out, “To
the long streamer touched the floor, more afraid of Evan than the humanoid serve you, Master.” At which, the crea-
Evan noticed another drop starting to form starting to take shape in the rings. ture appeared to shake in laughter.
form. The second attendant backed steadily “Then die.”

SOURCE can linger decades or centuries or longer, causing mental

Wherever humans go, there is a summation of the fear that instability to those in the vicinity and prompting more hei-
is a normal part of their existence. This collection of human nous deeds, which feed this energy in a never-ending cycle.
angst exists materially and is known as the Dark Entity. The The Dark Entity is all pervasive – it is everywhere, but cannot
Dark Entity is human fear and suffering that bleeds into the be measured by earthly means. In some locations it is more
environment. Ghost hunters tell of the energy that manifests concentrated and, consisting mostly of empathic energy, its 71
where evil deeds have been performed. This negative energy effects can be felt by those sensitive to it. In other locations

DARK CONSPIRACY DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14

 the Dark Entity has been banished by the positive emanations However, the recent inter-dimensional activity along with
DARK RACES

of human joy. Still other places, time is the reason the Dark a darkling-led increase in suffering in the human condition
Entity’s presence is worn down to an almost imperceptible has re-energized the Dark Entity. Previously dogmatic and
level. The Dark Entity is an elemental part of the earth’s empty rituals now produce unexpected results: from causing
primary dimensional environment. Wherever humans go, the an ectoplasmic mass to form above a black altar to a horned
Dark Entity follows. Unknown to them, the Dark Entity is the humanoid that whispers promises and threats from the center
stuff upon which darklings feed, and both a cause and effect of a candle-decked pentagram.
of the current darkling invasion.
DARK MINIONS
THE EVIL FOG Dark Masters and evil minions unknowingly interact
If the Dark Entity could be seen, it would look like a fog with this field. Dark Elves are known to subsist on the Dark
– thin here, thicker there. Like a fog, it pools in some areas Entity. Their prolonged presence in an area tends to reduce
so thick it cuts with a knife. As the concentration of the entity the Dark Entity concentration. Darkling presence within the
increases, the first thing noticed is a little unease among Dark Entity can be sensed and sometimes located. So too
empaths – they feel a general sense of upset. With stronger can places of suffering be sensed by some empaths through
concentrations, these same empaths have problems function- the Foreboding skill. Wherever human fear and suffering has
ing; the sense of unease is so strong. As the entity gets even been unleashed, the Dark Entity is stronger. .
more concentrated, the evil coalesces into a palpable form.
BACKGROUND NOISE
At this point, ectoplasm residue starts to form on surfaces.
In areas where the Dark Entity is stronger, human empaths
Objects start moving with no apparent motive force. Even
suffer an increase in difficulty using empathic skills. At the
non-empaths can feel an overwhelming sense of evil.
GM’s option this difficulty can be quite severe. At sufficient
As the Dark Entity concentrates even more, the ectoplasm concentrations, mental tasks for all humans, even non-
starts solidifying into objects. The final form these objects take empaths, increase in difficulty. Acts of cruel retaliation have
is drawn from the intention of the force behind the concentra- been the result of the Dark Entity hanging around a place of
tion. The bleak malevolence in lower concentrations focuses atrocity. Also at the GM’s option, a character can overcome
in the new-formed ectoplasmic material. The background these effects with a successful difficult test of Willpower.
raw sentience of the Dark Entity also focuses in the mate-
rial giving it increased levels of intelligence. With the right EMPATHIC MANIPULATION
motivating intention the Dark Entity can assume humanoid A new empathic skill, a variant of Change Environment
form. This form will have increasing levels of malevolence (Special) and used only by Empathic Sorcerers, draws on an
and intelligence. When the Dark Entity is focused enough this elemental protodimension whose energy directly affects the
being will acquire empathic skills and self-motivation in addi- Dark Entity. Each protodimension has physics that affects the
tion to its intelligence. Dark Entity much like gravity effects matter. An empathic
Sorcerer using this skill can focus or harness the Dark Entity
Since the Dark Entity is all-pervasive, an adept can ask it
by causing it to coagulate and concentrate. Also by using vari-
for information about other geographical places providing a
ous base materials that assist the change environment skill,
form of clairvoyance. If the Dark Entity is strong in that area,
the sorcerer can focus his empathic abilities to pull the Dark
the information may be transmitted back to the requester,
Entity together.
empathically. However, a Dark Entity with enough sentience,
may mislead the requestor to cause her more maladies. When the sorcerer attempts to pull the Dark Entity together
using this skill, failure means no effect. What happens on a
Psychic researchers are familiar with the Dark Entity.
successful skill test is dependent on the attained power level
Many have conjectured that it is the source of the empath’s
and is up to the GM. Depending on the background level of
precognition abilities (Foreboding). Some mystics see it while
the Dark Entity in the area and any base materials used in
walking the Astral Dimension as a dark cloud hanging over
the process, the GM may allow the PC to command the Dark
populous areas.
Entity as a classic sorcerer commands a conjured demon. At
HISTORY lower power levels, only information can be passed, on the
Conjurors of old have been able to concentrate the Dark higher levels, a being can be manifested. On a Critical Failure
Entity into a variety of physical forms, some resembling the collected Dark Entity is released in an empathic whirlwind
humans. Classic sorcerers and conjurors from mythology as the binding energies are whipped back to their original
have actually been empathic sorcerers with a skill in manipu- proto-dimension. This may take people and loose objects with
lating the Dark Entity. The rituals they performed have in the it. Superstitious bystanders seeing a conjuror as he is dragged
past been able to manipulate the Dark Entity. These rituals into an elemental protodimension are surely the source of the
72 have failed in recent history because the energy in the Dark Satanic Pact myth with Satan claiming, as forfeit, the wizard’s
Entity has been used and spread a little thin. soul, and dragging him back to hell.
v
DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14 DARK CONSPIRACY
EQUIPMENT
Land Rover: Centaur by Lee Williams
DARK CONSPIRACY
Land Rover: Centaur Lee Williams

EQUIPMENT
In the late 1970s, the British firm of Land Rover
made several prototypes of a remarkable vehicle. Using run-
ning gear adapted from their own world-renowned products, Vehicle: Land Rover Centaur, Utility
mated with parts from the Scorpion light armoured vehicle
family, they created a modernised half-track, a type of vehicle Price: £50,000
last seen in numbers during WW2. With an eye to Greek Combat Statistics
mythology, the vehicle was named the Centaur after the race
Armament: 1 machine gun
of half-man half-horse creatures.
The prototypes were sent all over the world for testing in Configuration: Standard
different terrain, where they performed well. However, Britain Fuel Type: Gasoline, Alcohol
was happy with the normal Land Rover and no other armed
forces placed any orders, so the Centaur project was cancelled Suspension: T3
in 1984; in real life, this new Centaur was extinct. Load: 3100 kg
In the world of Dark Conspiracy however, Britain’s
Vehicle Weight: 3.8 tonnes Armour Values
rapidly decreasing finances meant that the government did
place an order for several hundred Centaurs, as the company Crew: 1 plus 16 passengers HF 1
was able to deliver them much more cheaply than their com- Night Vision: Headlights HS 1
petitors. Production delays and modifications to the original
designs meant that the original order placed in the 1980s was Cruise Speed: 75/35 HR 1
not filled until 1998. With the vehicles having a projected life- Combat Move: 60/40
time of over 20 years, the majority of them are still in service
world wide with the Republic of Britain forces. Fuel Capacity: 300
As with most military vehicles there are several versions Fuel Consumption: 10
available, and occasionally they may be found at auctions of 73
surplus equipment. Details are given for the most common
version, the Utility or ‘trucky’ as it is known to the troops.
v

DARK CONSPIRACY DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14

FICTION
A Matter of Taste by Nick Pollotta
BUREAU 13
A Matter of Taste Nick Pollotta

“One-two-three!”screamed
FICTION

the furious
crowd of Scottish villagers, and the crude battering ram
surged forward once more. With the sound of splintering
wood the huge doors blocking the entrance to the abandoned
coal mine crashed apart, splinters exploding into the night air
heading towards the moon.
“For God and King!” bellowed a red-faced dollymop,
brandishing an executioner’s axe.
Shouting in victory, the mob of highlanders dropped
the old weathered caber and started to charge in through the
ruined barrier, the local constable and grimy navies waving
their wooden staves and blunderbusses.
In the lead of the angry throng was a lean whippet of man
sporting a soft brim hat, swallow tails coat, tight breeches and
fine Chase & Adams boots, dapper gentleman’s clothes from
across the Atlantic. The big Yank looked a toff, but tucked
firmly into his black leather belt was a shiny silver badge
bearing the Great Seal of the President of the United States,
and grasped in his big calloused hands were a brace of ornate
Collier pistols, the long tapering .72 barrels of the new style
breechloaders gleaming like polished justice in the rosy dim-
ness of predawn.
The name he gave the locals was J.P. Withers, and he was
the very first Federal Agent of the brand new organization of
American police designed to deal with supernatural criminals.
Hopefully. Cocking both of the curved hammers, Withers
double-checked to make sure the copper percussion caps were
firmly in place. Now was no time for a deadly misfire. As a
duly empowered agent of Bureau 13, it was his task to see that
the inhuman beast who had plagued Manhattan, and now this
peaceful Scottish valley, must never be allowed to kill man,
woman, child, or even somebody from France! Hopefully, the
silver and wood balls in his primed guns would send the beast
to hell, or maybe somewhere even worse.
Although lead by resolute Withers, the brave British
posse stopped dead in their tracks as the flickering light of
the torches clearly illuminated the interior. The ceiling of
the mining tunnel was completely covered with fat chatter-
ing bats, thousands of the noisy beasts flapping their leathery
wings and foam dripping from their cruel mouths. And the
hard stone ground was solid with a living carpet of snarling
rats. Millions of beady eyes stared at the humans and the
villagers could feel the tangible cloud of their living hate and
hunger. Even the one barrister in the crowd felt faint.
Suddenly, a cold wind blew from deep within the old coal
shaft, carrying with it a smell of newly turned earth, death and
mint leaves. Withers frowned. As always before, that was
when the torches sputtered out. But now, bits of hot oakum
were used to ignite dozens of whale oil bullseye lanterns, the
74 glass flumes protecting the delicate flames within and brilliant
white cones of light brightly illuminated the rocky passage.

DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14 BUREAU 13

 The beams bobbed about in frantic search and soon ing of the vampire to pieces.

FICTION
converged on the source of the wind. At the rear of the Contemptuously, the man-beast brushed some imagi-
mine, a dimly seen figure smirked at them and stuck out its nary lint off a riddled lapel, took a bit of snuff from his gold
long forked tongue. Standing brazen at the rear of the mine Nathaniel Mills box, sneezed and smiled toothily at them.
entrance, protected by the slavering army of night hunters,
“Ouch,” he chuckled.
was a humanoid creature dressed in a double-breasted Duke
Street coat, ruffled shirt, Beau Brummel breeches, roll top The angry crowd made some more angry crowd noises,
boots, and wrapped in a long flowing Spitfields silk cape. but much less sure of themselves this time. His flowing white
Very nice, indeed. However, his skin was deathly pale, his beard bristling in fury, a determined piper doffed his tam
eyes glowing red and his teeth a dentist’s nightmare. o’shanter and started playing the bagpipes at full volume, but
even that vicious attack seemed to have no dilatory effect on
“So the colonial thief-catcher and you silly kilt-wearing
the man-demon. Deciding this was the appropriate moment
fools actually did manage to find me,” hissed the vampire,
to act, the barrister promptly took a huge swig of pure quill
exposing every inch of his long white fangs. “Amazing.
laudanum and fainted dead away. The priest began a lengthy
Bloody incredible.”
exorcism.
Incensed, the tartan-clad Scots cursed in anger and
Unexpectedly a flurry of wooden arrows twanged across
started forward, but the bats and rats hissed in dire unison
the mine entrance. The shafts impacted everywhere except
stopping the invasion faster than it had begun. With the entire
into the half-naked body of the muscular monster. At the rear
population of the remote village outnumbered thousands to
of the mob, a doddering old groundskeeper glared hostility
one, even the alcoholic mayor and the junkyard dog wondered
at his impressed gang of apprentice archers. Britons who
if it was time to try diplomacy? Immediately, the secret band
couldn’t fire a long bow? What was the empire coming to?
of Freemasons in the group started writing a petition.
In return, the clerks, cooks and coopers looked incredibly
“Its a rum deal, my culleys,” sneered the inhuman beast embarrassed. Well, at least they hadn’t shot themselves in
in a really bad Rookery accent. “Enter, and my servants will the foot again.
tear you to shreds! Oh, some may live to combat me, but will
Inside the mine shaft, the laughing vampire twirled the
there be enough?” A truly devilish eyebrow raised in con-
remains of a bedraggled Spitfield cape about himself and was
tempt and, self-consciously, he tucked the medical marvel of
gone from sight.
the recently invented Pierre Fuachard toothbrush deeper into
a vest pocket. His personal hygiene was none of their damn “Goodbye, Yank!” cackled the darkness, the words
business. echoing strangely. “Within minutes I will be safely hidden
within the endless natural catacombs beneath this mudhole of
“I’m ready for battle!” it panted breathlessly. “Are
a city. A thousand men in a thousand years could never find
you?”
me again!”
Not exactly sure what a lot of that meant, Withers felt
An elderly dairy farmer gave a juicy raspberry and the
sure it was mostly insulting. In reply, the Bureau 13 agent
village tout shouted out a virulent oath that even made the
fired both of his Colliers, the silver ball smacking the vampire
blustering navies blanch at its raw vulgarity. Hot haggis, that
directly in the chest to no effect, but the wooden ball explod-
was a good’un!
ing into splinters from an overload of gunpowder. Damn!
“And I will return to tap the claret of these fools,” contin-
However, his blazing weapons triggered a barrage of
ued a whispery voice fading at every moment, the dire words
blunderbusses, four-barreled ‘duck foot’ fowlers, horse pis-
invoking ghastly images of rivers of human blood. “Next
tols and muzzleloading rifles from the attending crowd, the
year, on this very day, I shall come back to reap my revenge,
strident discharges filled the mine with thunder and flame and
for I will use the secret second sleep of a vampire. During
boiling clouds of acrid black powder smoke. Wasting no time
the coming seasons I will rest, arising for but a single day one
in a reload, J.P. Withers dropped his spent Colliers, and pulled
year from now. Three hundred and sixty five times stronger
two squat .66 Newarks from the voluminous pockets of his
than I am now!”
great coat and fired again. This time cold-iron balls. Then
he dropped those and drew from his boots a matched pair of Fading rapidly, the words repeated in snarling fury.
double-barreled Manton conversions. Deadly little barkers, “Three hundred and sixty five times stronger! How will you
indeed. Withers fired simple lead this time, but only used one stop me then Yankee, and save these dirt-eating peasants?
pistol to hold the other for reserve. Even he could only carry Seal the mine with iron plate, and I shall break free through
so many weapons and still be able to walk. the granite with my bare hands. Run, and I shall track you
each down across the whole world!”
The Scottish mob gave another volley from their blunder-
busses and muskets. The assorted fusillade of rounds wildly The bats and rats screamed in victory and the pale high- 75
ricocheted off the back wall and blasted the expensive cloth- landers began retreating into the forest. Across the whole
world? Even as unimaginably far away as Edinburgh?

BUREAU 13 DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14

 Bloody hell! Maybe this hunt hadn’t been such a swell idea imperial lawmen merely sipped their blackjacks of hot gin
FICTION

after all. and nutmeg, kept a close eye on their gold watches and ready
Tucking away his last charged pistol, J.P. started reload- hands on their loaded Collier and Manton pistols. But the
ing his dropped weapons quickly as possible. There was no leather-wrapped handles of sharp wooden daggers rose from
manual for Bureau 13 agents yet, and the man was unsure of their Hoby boots. Soon now, very soon.
his next move. Read the beast the Riot Act? Call in the US During the daylight hours, dozens, hundreds, then liter-
Marines, or the Royal North Umberland Dragoons? Offer a ally thousands of people from London, Paris, Italy, Germany,
stash of blunt as a bribe? Get royally pissed on a dog nose’s and even distant Russia, had responded to the invitation and
at a dollyshop? Suddenly, the silver badge on his belt seemed swarmed into the tiny highland village, adding to and aug-
to weigh a thousand tons and hindered his every step. What menting the tantalizing cloud of cooking aromas with their
could he do against such an indomitable adversary? own culinary contributions.
“I win,” whispered the cold wind in the rustling trees. By twilight, a boisterous party was in full swing with
Sullenly and frightened, the villagers and the grim four different bands playing, scores of dancers twirling, and
Bureau 13 agent shuffled along the king’s road winding a hundred whole oxen roasting in huge pits full of crackling
through the heather carpeted forest. Just then, the sun crested logs, the juicy meat spewing endless volumes of tangy smoke
the western mountains, the golden glorious dawn only horri- towards the distant twinkling stars. The staggering array
bly counterpointing the humans listless retreat to their lonely of beef personally donated to the endeavor by good Queen
vulnerable homes. Caroline and President James Monroe of America. A very
old King George having temporarily gone potty again, and
“See you real soon....aha-ha-ha-ha-ha...” evilly mur-
currently believed himself to be an Etruscan vase full of live
mured the disappearing shadows.
mice.
But with those words, the Washington DC lawman
The feasting and festivities went on far into the night.
slowed and, ever so slightly, gave a sly smile like a 10 ball
The only disruption to the happy revelry occurring at exactly
shooter facing an iron-clad leave on a billiard table. The
midnight when the dance music was momentarily interrupted
vampire was wrong, he would not seen them soon. The West
by a small explosion from the direction of the old abandoned
End fop had truly missed the mark with that remark. Ever so
coal mine in the foothills, closely followed by a loud squeak
thoughtfully, the young American fingered the loudly ticking
of inhuman horror.
Breguer watch in the pocket of his waistcoat. Time was on
their side, and he had a full solar year in which to act. A fact Seconds later, a barely noticed handful of dry ash blew
which gave the new Bureau 13 agent a very dangerous idea across the joyous Scottish folk and lone Bureau 13 agent cel-
that immensely appealed to his personal sense of justice. ebrating the first combined North American & British Inter-
national Garlic Festival.
Only...would the chancy scheme work?
***
Three hundred a sixty four days later, the people of the
isolated Scottish town were busy erecting colorful booths, gay
v
banners and great canvas circus tents. Fresh fragrant flowers Nick Pollotta
adorned every house, every barn and inn, while great iron www.NickPollotta.com
cooking vats bubbled merrily away in the campsites, filling
the air with rich pungent fumes of meaty stews and fancy
French soufflés and zesty sauces.
Lean and grim, J.P. Withers ignored the mountains of
food and roamed the festivities like a panther, fresh pistols
tucked into every pocket and boot, wooden knives hidden in
his sleeves, a silver crucifix about his neck. There would be
no mistakes this time. He hoped.
Everywhere around the Yank, squealing mudlarks hap-
pily dug in the ground seeking dropped coins, while rouged
whores lifted their skirts for patrons behind every bush, and
scarred pugilists pounded each other in glorious drunken
stupor. Lounging about in false casualness, all six of the
76 infamous Bow Street Runners of London, including the right
honorable Sir Fielding himself, did nothing to stop any of it,
even though prize fighting had been illegal since 1750. The

DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14 BUREAU 13

Badge of Honor: An Alexandra Austin Story by Julie Ann Dawson
HUNTER: THE RECKONING
Badge of Honor Julie Ann Dawson

FICTION
If Martin doesn’t stop that infernal singing, I swear I’ll Does that qualify as a semblance of humanity? Is the fact
shoot him again. that my jaded, hardened self can still find anything disturbing
Wait, he enjoys being shot. a good thing?
I can’t win. Ah, I’m not gonna start with that again. I have work to do.
I got a lead on that damn fiend…at least…I got a lead on Evidence disappears quickly when vampires are involved.
a fiend. Whether or not it’s my fiend I don’t know yet. But Yesterday there was a missing persons report on the MSN
there are four dead bodies at a QuickMart that look like they newswire service that confirmed what happened at the Quick-
were thrown threw a meat grinder a couple of times. Actually, Mart. Vampires must hate the Internet. You can normally get
according to official reports the bodies didn’t look like that. to an editor and stop a story from running with a standard print
According to official reports, there were no bodies. There was newspaper. Most TV reporters are already under the thumb
no quadruple homicide at the QuickMart. The QuickMart is of this or that elder, so they are no real threat. They always
simply “closed for repairs.” report to their masters before running with questionable mate-
But I was there, so I know. rial. But Internet news is right there almost as soon as the first
I heard the initial report come over the scanner. By the report comes over the police scanner. Then you can print it or
time I got there, the police cars were leaving without their download it and store it for later use. But you have to move
lights flashing and a suspicious looking construction crew was fast because even elders that still can’t use a cell phone have
moving stuff in and out. ghouls that can hack.
You know, I’m still not completely clear on how this shad- So, I spend a lot of time online looking for clues before
owplay stuff really works, but it makes sneaking about real they disappear.
easy. I got a good peek in the back window to see the bodies Oh my God. That damn singing.
while they started the clean up. The arms were missing from “Martin, don’t make me have to break your leg!”
what I think was at one time a black woman. They had been “Really, Alex?” he says. “Do you meaaaan it this time?”
neatly cut from the body. I dare say surgically removed. Then He sounds so hopeful.
the Bishop showed up and I had to get the hell outta Dodge. “I’m leaving,” I tell him as I shut off the computer. “I
Apparently, the bastard is my sire’s sire. And I don’t think gotta go find a dead man’s mom before she becomes a dead
grandpop would be any more forgiving than daddy. woman.”
I wonder if that eye ever healed. I hope not. That would As I walk by him to leave, he gives me a puppy-dog face.
be funny if he had to spend the rest of eternity wearing an eye “But what about my leg? You never break anything on me
patch. anymore.”
Martin lost an eye a few months ago when one of his part- “Oh, alright. Hold still.” He bounces around me like I little
ners got a little TOO violent – by my standards that is, not kid that just found out his parents were taking him to Disney-
Martin’s. Martin just laughed it off and a couple of days later land. “I said hold still. I’m not gonna chase you.”
had a new eye. So now, he has one blue eye and one green He stands still in front of me with his right leg slightly
eye. extended. I lift my foot and will all the force in my body bring
I didn’t ask where the eye came from or how he got it to go my size 10 Nike down on his shin. I hear the bone snap. He
in right. It twitches occasionally and his peripheral vision isn’t falls to the ground in his giddy agony.
what it used to be, but it works. I just need some air. 77
And I find that disturbing. You might think we don’t really need air. Not on a physical

HUNTER: THE RECKONING DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14

 level. The lungs don’t do anything with it. But we can feel the Common sense – correction-common vampire sense – says
FICTION

different between stagnant indoor manufactured air and the destroy the body quickly. But if he just disappears that means
real thing. his wife doesn’t see a widow’s pension unless he’s eventually
I need the real thing. declared dead. She looks like a full-time mom. I don’t think
I need air that doesn’t reek of the recreational pharmaceuti- she could support two kids on her own, much less two kids
cals that fill Martin’s Club. I need air that doesn’t weigh heavy and a dog.
with the odor of unmentionable bodily fluids like the air in the But I can’t just let them find the body with the neck ripped
special “guest suites” behind Martin’s club. out. We get a little edgy when we find one of our own dead.
So, I step out into the alley behind the Club as I put on my Listen to me, talking like I still belong…
black trench. I feel the tingle of cold against my skin, like a “Beating yourself up again?” says Martin.
thousand tiny fingernails tapping on my cheek. I pretend to I try to ignore him. I know he’s about to get philosophical.
shiver because the people around me shiver. I hate the cold. “You know, Lilith teaches that pain is the doorway to true
Not because it bothers me, but because it makes it easy for understanding. You’d be better off beating yourself physically
mortals to notice you’re not breathing. than mentally…I doesn’t hurt as much.”
I’m not the only one not breathing in this alley. I almost heard a faint cry of remorse in his voice. Almost.
“Nice trench.” He says as he almost glides toward me. For “Monsters we are, Alex…”
an instant, he seems intriguing. If I were still mortal, I prob- “Stop it,” I say. I feel a bloody tear roll down my cheek.
ably would have thought about going home with him. “Beauti- “…Lest monsters…”
ful texture,” he says as his fingertips slide across my arm. “Is I don’t let him finish the damn cliché. I’m across the room
it a Wang?” and on top of him, ramming his head against the concrete of
Oh hell no, I’m thinking. I shake out the cobwebs and push the storage room. I stop when I here the skull bone finally give.
his hand away. His eyes roll back for a minute, and then he goes limp. I sit on
“Actually, I got it at Wal-Mart. But thanks for asking, the floor next to him and wait for him to wake up.
poseur.” He sits up with a smile on his face and rubs the back of his
He smiles softly and shakes his head. Before I can blink, head.
his hand removes a Glock .45 from nowhere and plugs me “Feel better?” he asks.
with two shots. I feel the burn of phosphorous in my gut. “Yeah, you?”
I don’t remember much after that. “Much, thank you. You really are good at that, you know.”
I do remember the utter look of shock on his face as I “Nice to know I can do something right.”
lunged at him. Apparently, he didn’t expect me to soak that We both start laughing.
kind of damage. But Martin had taught me a few things about “You wanna know what the real problem is, Martin?”
absorbing pain. “Go ahead.”
My little poseur friend did not have such training. “I didn’t need to vamp out to take that punk. I could have
When I come out of it, I’m crouched over my would-be snapped his little poseur neck with one try. If I had kept myself
assassin’s limp, bloodless body with the taste of his soul in my in check, maybe that cop would be going home to his wife
mouth. Another body lies dead not far away. I walked over to instead of lying here in the storage room.”
examine the corpse. One clean claw slash to the throat. Must “Then why did you let go?”
have got in the way for some reason. “Because for that one split second, I didn’t care anymore.
I start looking for identification. I open up the wallet and I didn’t care if anyone saw me. I didn’t care about the conse-
get smacked in the face with a police badge. quences. I just…I just wanted his blood.”
I can’t win. “Congratulations. Maybe you really are a vampire.”
I drag both bodies back into the club. I look over at the cop’s body. Maybe Martin could fix the
“What happened to your shirt?” asks Martin. “Did it neck. Find his car and crash it into a wall and make it look
hurt?” like an accident. Use a little Jedi Mind trick to create some
“Yes, Martin. It hurt like hell. I got shot with phosphorous witnesses…
rounds. Does that make you happy?” I was a vampire after all.
“Only if there are rounds left for me.” I wipe another red tear from my face before it falls onto my
“You have issues,” I say as I walk past him dragging the burnt shirt. Bloodstains don’t come out, you know. Of course,
bodies. neither do phosphorous burns, but still…
I throw them in a corner of the storage room. Martin pats me on the shoulder and gets up to leave as I
I look through the wallet. Shit. Family photo. Wife, two start crying like a 12 year old that can’t find her N’Sync CD.
kids and a goddamn dog. Poseur’s body is easy enough to deal Good, I think to myself. So long as I can still cry, I haven’t
78 with. Martin will sell it for parts to one of his contacts. I could truly become one of them.
care less what happens to him. Not yet. v
My fellow officer was another matter.

DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14 HUNTER: THE RECKONING

Call To Darkness - Part 5 by Mike Marchi
DARK CONSPIRACY
Call To Darkness 5 Mike Marchi

FICTION
PART 5
by Mike Marchi
“My safe house has become demonground…”
Sara Lynn Devereaux paused dramatically as if she had of voice, and start ‘listening’ to whatever was bothering her at
told this tale a hundred times before, and was trying to milk the time. Unfortunately, the things that bothered Heather the
the moment for all it was worth. most always involved him, or his schedule, or things that
Nick felt as though he was expected to react a certain way. needed to be done around the house. And whenever he went
Unfortunately the significance of what she had said was lost ‘professional’ on her, as she called it, she believed he was no
on him. longer really paying attention to what she had to say. The fact
that it was his profession to listen to people didn’t make any
Sara stared at his face, waiting for the reaction. Then
difference to her. Because she really didn’t want someone to
her brow furrowed. “You don’t know what that means, do
listen, she wanted someone to understand. Nick felt his lips
you?”
tighten at the memory. He knew perfectly well that ‘under-
Nick felt himself blush, then smiled uncomfortably. “I’m stand’ was the right word, but that hadn’t been the word he
sorry,” he managed. had said to her that night before she walked out. He knew she
Sara nodded softly, her mouth turning up at the corners. wanted to hear him say he understood, but instead he had let
“No, I’m the one who is sorry. It has gotten so any time a his anger do the talking. “You don’t want someone to listen to
conversation strays toward the subject of Enise or Wil – espe- you. You just want someone to bitch at.” And that was the
cially Wil, I assume that everyone automatically knows what end. In that one moment, he saw the last spark of five years
I’m talking about.” of trust wink out.
Nick responded in what he hoped was a tone of genuine Nick closed his eyes and tried to shake the memory out
interest. “Actually, I do want to talk to you specifically about of his head. When he looked up, Sara was staring intently at
that. You speak as though you aren’t all that surprised, that him.
Doctor Westfield killed him. Why is that, exactly?” “How long have you been separated?”
Sara looked thoughtful for a moment. “Are you asking me “Two years – how do you know what I was thinking?”
if I approve of what she did?”
“I’m sorry, I can sometimes pick up surface thoughts.
Nick shook his head. “Not at all. It’s just that the more I Especially when the feelings associated with them are so
learn about him, the more - tragic his story becomes.” intense.
Sara burst out laughing. It wasn’t a pretty sound. It was Sara regarded Nick for a long time, trying to decide if she
surprisingly cold and empty coming from this woman, who on should go on. “It would seem you have a simple choice to
the surface came across as a very compassionate individual. make, Nick. The question is, are you willing to really listen
“Tragic? Wil?” this time?”
“Well, if I were to take the stories I’ve heard so far at Nick thought about Enise Westfield, laying catatonic in
complete face value, I’d have to say the things that happened her asylum ward. He took a deep breath, and decided.
to him were – somewhat beyond his control,” Nick almost “I’m listening,” he said.
winced when he saw Sara’s reaction to this statement.
“I see,” she said slowly, as if measuring her words care- ***
fully. “I believe if you’ll indulge my tale for a short while Sara Lynn Devereaux sighed, tossed the heavy leather-
longer, you’ll see things a little differently.” bound volume back onto the reading table in front of her and
Nick glanced nervously at his watch. It was already nine grabbed the next book from the stack to her left. Every book
o’clock. His wounded hand, which had been quiet through in the pile was a different size and color. They were all by
the first part of Sara’s story had begun to ache again. He different authors. The only thing they had in common was
noticed the faint stain of blood seeping into the underlying the general subject matter. Sara leaned back in the chair and
layers of the bandage on his palm. stretched her arms over her head, letting out a groan. “I don’t
think this is going to work.”
“I have a little more time, if you want to continue.” Nick 79
said, slipping easily into his psychiatrist voice. His ex-wife Professor Gyünter Hjeldorf, sitting by the window seat
had hated when he did that. He would lapse into this calm tone on the west library wall, was startled out his reverie by her

DARK CONSPIRACY DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14

 words. He still couldn’t quite get his mind around the concept Wil picked up Frasier’s assault rifle and idly began dis-
FICTION

that his assistant lay under a bedspread on the second floor of mantling the weapon. He hated the feeling of helplessness
this magnificent Victorian house; gutted like a fish by a naked he had. This strange fatigue was grating on his nerves, and
winged woman. The book in his lap was open to the last page, he couldn’t even do any of the research that might help repair
and appeared to have been forgotten for the moment. The pile the damage that his arrival had precipitated. He reassembled
of scattered books at his feet was every bit as large as the one the gun, checked to make sure all the parts operated smoothly,
in front of Sara. He shook his head and exhaled loudly. and then began breaking it down again.
Wil Ohmsford slouched across the desk in the center of “Well, one thing is certain,” Sara Lynn said with chagrin.
the room, watching a globe of the Earth spin lazily about it’s “If we don’t come up with something soon, I’m going to have
tilted axis. He jabbed his right index finger onto the surface to abandon this house.”
of the spinning orb and stopped it in mid-turn. His finger was A clattering sound from the floor above them caused
pointing to a convergence of lines in the center of the second Malcolm to put up his hand. He and the Doctor paused to
largest body of water on the map. He straightened up in the listen. The sound was repeated. Eddie walked out into the
wheeled desk chair, and pushed it away from the desk. The hallway, looking up at the ceiling. Both marines exchanged
chair rolled easily across the dark hardwood library floor, some quick hand signals, ending with Malcolm pointing at
squeaking slightly with each rotation of the casters. He glided Enise. Eddie whispered to the Doctor, “You and Malcolm are
to a stop next to Sara. “Why don’t you think it will work? It going up to check that out. I’m going to stay here and guard
has to.” the others.”
Ignoring the entire exchange, Malcolm McLaren and Enise nodded in understanding and hefted the broomstick
Doctor Enise Westfield were in the entry foyer outside the before her.
library’s open double doors. They each had a long broom-
Eddie watched as the two staff-bearers climbed the circu-
stick in their hands, and appeared to be practicing sparring
lar staircase toward the second level. Behind him, Gyünter
techniques. Malcolm’s partner, Eddie Frasier lay dozing on
and Sara continue to pore over their research.
a Persian throw-rug at the foot of a large green overstuffed
armchair in the corner of the library. The magazine he had With a look of mounting concern, Wil fought off another
been reading lay across his chest, rising and falling with his wave of dizziness and repeated the rifle reassembly.
silent snores. As Malcolm and Enise crept up the stairway to the second
Sara gave Wil a hard look before answering him. “These floor, they heard a distinct crack followed by the sharp report
books all talk about warding a house against evil demons. In of something hitting the wall above them. The object rico-
all the catalogued sightings by the Talamasca, there have been cheted down off the wall to Malcolm’s right, careened into
very few accounts of these creatures actually believing them- the banister and shot straight toward the ceiling two stories
selves to be evil.” above. By the time the object struck the ceiling, it has clearly
lost most of its momentum, and they could finally identify
“So?”
the projectile as a small white sphere less than two inches
“Holy water. Crosses. These are all trappings of reli- in diameter. The golf ball plummetted past them, down the
gion.” Sara replied, “They have no meaning to these extra- central shaft of the stairwell, and then began bouncing in ever-
dimensional creatures.” shrinking arcs down the length of the foyer, finally rolling to
Gyünter nodded and expanded on her statement. “In other a stop next to an antique umbrella stand. Malcolm and Enise
words,” he said, “They don’t believe these things will hurt continued to the top of the landing and looked down to see a
them. And so, they won’t.” He tossed the book in his lap to man standing in the middle of the second floor hallway. He
the floor. “There’s very little in here about this Dimension swung his arms and there was another crack, followed by a
Walk thing you keep talking about. But nothing seems to golf ball whistling past Enise’s head. Enise threw herself to
indicate the possibility of closing a micro-portal completely.” the ground and looks toward the attacker. The dark-skinned
Wil stood up and strode over to the bookcase on the man, wore colorful tartan britches and called out in a thick
north wall. His eyes wandered over the many rows of books scottish accent. “Four!”
arrayed before him. Every book was written in a language Malcolm reached down and helped the Doctor back to her
which meant nothing to him. He closed his eyes and put his feet. The man at the end of the hall put his hands up to his
hand to his head as another wave of dizziness washed over mouth and called to them. “Excuse me, but you’re blocking
him. Why was he feeling so weak? The wounds inflicted the fairway! I’m tryin’ to tee off!”
by the creature in the interstices had long since healed. He “No, excuse me,” Enise responded with a big grin on her
should have felt fine. He slumped into the overstuffed chair, face. She strode down the hall, stepped right up to the man,
waking Eddie in the process. Wil pointed to the AK-47 rifle extended her staff and cracked him across the side of the
at Eddie’s side. “May I?” he asked hopefully. head.
80 “Sure.”, came the martial artist’s reply. He hopped to his Eddie Frasier watched in disbelief as the little golf ball
feet and replaced the magazine in the rack across the library. rolled lazily past the library door. He then returned his gaze to

DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14 DARK CONSPIRACY

the stairwell. A moment after Malcolm and the Doctor’s feet door. He reached down and retrieved his Assault Rifle, which

FICTION
climbed out of view, there was another report, and a second lay forgotten on the wide wooden porch. He checked the clip,
golf ball came careening down the stairs. engaged the safety and ran into the night after Malcolm and
Wil Ohmsford watched the marine at the door, and noted Wil.
his steadfastness at keeping an eye on his partner. As soon Enise went back into the library and found Sara Lynn
as he was certain that Malcolm and Enise have reached the sobbing over the prone form of the professor. She pulled out
second floor, Wil rested the butt of the assault rifle against her scanner and ran it back and forth over Gyünter’s wounds.
his hip and pointed it at the reading table where Gyünter and “He’s dead.” Doctor Enise Westfield looked around the room,
Sara Lynn were standing, bent over one of the books. Gyünter confusion spreading across her face, “Where’s Wil?”
heard the small metallic chink of a safety being disengaged
***
and looked up to see the barrel of Wil’s gun pointing straight
at him. Professor Gyünter Hjeldorf didn’t even have time to Wil ran down the street as fast as he could. Another wave
cry out before three white-hot bullets ripped into his stomach, of dizziness swept over him, causing him to stumble after only
throwing him back across the library. The wind was com- a few house lengths. He spied a large round bush and flung
pletely knocked out of him and the pain of the initial two himself into a dark gap in the branches. A moment later, he
bullets ended abruptly when the exit wound severed his spinal was pressing his back up against the cluster of thick branches
column. that served as its trunk. He hoped the leaves of the bush
would shield him from any pursuers. The scent of leaves and
As soon as the third shot hit Gyünter’s belly, Wil turned
moist soil filled his nostrils as he attempted to slow his breath-
around and fired two more slugs at Eddie, catching the stunned
ing and concentrate on opening a Dimension Walk portal.
marine as he whirled around in surprise. A small eruption of
blood appeared on each of Eddie’s legs as the two shots struck Malcolm heard the sound of booted feat pounding on the
and threw him to the ground. Wil took a running leap over the sidewalk behind him. He didn’t turn to look. He and Eddie
writhing form of Eddie Frasier, flung open the front door, and had worked together too long for him not to recognize the
ran out into the night. sound of his partner’s footsteps. The two of them began an
organized advancing action down the street, sweeping from
Sara Lynn had instinctively dove behind the couch at the
side to side, checking between and beneath each of the parked
sound of the first shot. That, and the four shots that followed
cars that lined Farregut. The moon shone down from just
still rang in her ears. Suddenly, she heard the front door bang
over the rooftops, adding it’s nearly-full illumination to that
open, followed by pounding footsteps on the porch. Knowing
of the mercury vapor street lamps. Malcolm was still unsure
the attacker was gone, she looked up to find Professor Hjel-
exactly who he is hunting, but there was a large round bush
dorf lying on the ground beside her, a steadily growing pool of
two houses ahead of their skirmish line whose branches were
dark blood soaking into the throw rug on which he had landed.
swaying a little too energetically in the still night air. He still
Gyünter was breathing in ragged bursts, his chest heaved
made sure that nobody was hiding among the vehicles before
with the strain. He stared at the ceiling making whimpering
motioning to Eddie and pointing to the bush. Eddie grunted
sounds. She grabbed his hand and tried calling his name. At
with the effort to move stealthily with two wounded legs, but
last, Gyünter turned his head and his glazed eyes focused on
he signaled his acknowledgment.
her for just a moment. The word seems to come from deep
within him, and his chest convulses with the effort to expel Malcolm and Eddie approached the bush from opposite
it. The sound bursts forth, accompanied by a gout of blood. sides. It was large enough that they couldn’t see each other
“Why?” He choked out. Sara Lynn squeezed his hand and through the branches. Malcolm tried firing a warning shot
tried to reassure him. But his eyes no longer saw. His ears no into the outter edge of the bush, hoping to flush his quarry.
longer heard. A rattle of the final breath escaped his lips, and Instead he unwittingly managed to wing his partner in the
Professor Gyünter Hjeldorf was no more. arm. Eddie, certain that it was Wil shooting at him from
within the bush, responded by returning fire.
At the sound of gunfire from downstairs, Malcolm turned
away from the dark-skinned gentleman now lying stunned Wil couldn’t understand why the portal refused to open
on the ground, and ran for the stairs. Enise brandished the for him. His head swam and throbbed in pain. Every time he
broomstick again, watching with grim satisfaction as the man tried to focus his empathic energy, his concentration would
cringed away from her. Satisfied, she stepped back and fol- melt away by the growing pain. Suddenly he felt a white-
lowed Malcolm. Eddie was staggering to his feet, two bright hot bullet rip through the ballistic cloth of his body sleeve.
streaks of blood ran down each of his legs from mid-thigh. Then he felt a stabbing pain in his forehead. It felt as if all
He seemed to be trying to get to the front door which stood his inner strength was being poured out through the wound in
open to the night. Surmising that the shooter had fled outside, his head…the wound that should have been healed. Then all
Malcolm gave chase. went black.
Enise skidded to a halt beside the marine. Eddie grim- Sara Lynn looked at the body of Gyünter Heildorf with a
maced in pain, but waved her toward the library. “I’m … sense of dismay. Despite the fact that she didn’t care for him 81
okay … help … Hjeldorf.” He then staggered out the front personally, he was in this house at her request. He had been
there just long enough to help her retrieve Wil and Enise from
DARK CONSPIRACY DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14
 the interstices … and now he was dead. Killed by one of the command you to leave this place at once!”
FICTION

very people he had been brought in to save. When Malcolm The lead man cocked his head to one side, there was a
came in with Wil slung over his shoulder, her anger gelled noticable lump on his temple, and his eyes suddenly lit up
into absolute fury. Why did this asshole always mess up her with a reddish glow. “I don’t think so, dearie.”
life? Why did she always go out of her way to help him?
Sara Lynn felt her resolve falter a bit. She hadn’t actu-
Enise ran her medical scanner over Wil’s body. She looked ally expected her outburst to work, but she hadn’t expected
perplexed. “I don’t understand these readings. He’s substan- it to fail so miserably either. She turned away in disgust
tially weaker than he was an hour ago. His mental readings and retreated back down the stairs, ignoring the catcalls and
are depressed. How long has he been unconscious?” jeers from the four garishly dressed men in her second floor
Malcolm just shrugged. Eddie shook his head. “He was hallway. She pointedly ignored Wil Ohmsford as he tried
shooting at us, and I winged him. He screamed, and this is addressing the two marines. She simply stalked right passed
how we found him.” them and out onto the front porch of her house. There she
The doctor rummaged through her bag and pulled out a began to pace back and forth, muttering to herself. She was
hypo-sprayer. She injected Wil with a mild stimulant and getting increasingly agitated. “Why do I keep getting into
waited. A moment later his eyelids fluttered. “Wha…Where these situations? I tried to help him. I went out of my way.
am I?” He creased his brow as if he were trying to think very And what do I get in return? This shit. I don’t need this. I
hard. The look of concentration became one of dismay. “I don’t understand!” At last, she summoned up her resolve and
can’t…there’s something wrong!” He started to struggle up stormed back inside.
into a sitting position. Malcolm pushed him back down and Wil seemed alert and was looking with concern at the
kept pressure on his chest until Wil stopped trying to get up. doctor. “I feel really weak, and … and I can’t sense anything.
Enise ran the medical scanner over Wil again. It was read- What’s wrong with me?”
ing a minor infection at the sight of the healed head wound. It Before the doctor could respond, Sara Lynn chimed in.
was nothing that antibiotics shouldn’t have cleared right up. “That’s what I’d like to know. You ungrateful bastard!” She
So why was it affecting him this strongly? pointed at the covered body of Gyünter on the floor. “He was
Wil seemed to comprehend the situation first. He felt here to help you. You probably wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t
extremely weak and his empathic abilities were gone. for him.”
Whether permanently or temporarily, he didn’t know, but the Enise ignored the outburst. “I’m reading a small mass by
thought of trying to deal with not having them proved to be your pineal gland. It could be a tumor…or the source of the
too much for him. He reached slowly down into his boot and infection. Either way, we need to get in there to find out.”
pulled Excalibur from his boot holster. Malcolm spotted the Wil looked at her with shock. “Surgery? Are you sure you
snub pistol just as Wil tried raising it to his head. He lashed can do that?”
out with a booted foot and kicked Wil’s hand aside. The look
Sara Lynn didn’t take being ignored too well. She strode
on Wil’s face changed from depression to anger. “What are
over to the desk, picked up the phone and dialed three num-
you doing?” He demanded, as he tried to raise the gun again.
bers. A moment later, a voice picked up at the other end.
This time Malcolm’ kick landed on the side of Wil’s head.
“Hello? Yes, I’d like to report a shooting. The address is two-
Wil was dazed for a moment and raised the gun again. The
thirty-one Farregut. Thank you.” She dropped the receiver
next kick brought a trickle of blood from a small cut it left in
back on the hook and turned back to face the others. For the
Wil’s scalp. His hand went limp, and the gun clattered to the
first time in many minutes, she started to feel like she was
floor. He looked up at the mute and smiled wanly, “If I had
regaining control over her destiny.
my powers …” he opened his eyes wide “… I think you’d
regret that.” The others in the room only stared at her in shock. Wil
swallowed hard. “Wh - What did you do that for?”
At that moment, there was another loud crack from
upstairs. The now-familiar ricochet of a golf ball preceded Her response dripped with venom, “You came here, and
the appearance of the tiny orb by only a moment. Sara Lynn suddenly my safe-house is demonground! I’ve got a dark elf
watched the ball roll along the foyer floor and into the library. party up on the second floor, a Succubus loose in the city, and
It rolled up under the curtain that she had draped over the Pro- two dead bodies.” She trembled visibly as her anger built,
fessor’s body. “I don’t need this,” she said in a low voice, and “You’ve single-handedly destroyed my house - my home!
stalked toward the staircase. When she reaches the second Well, now it’s you who has something to lose.” She paused
floor, she saw four men standing in the hall, all looking at her. for effect, and then turned to Malcolm and Eddie. “We’ve got
“What are you doing here?”, she demanded. to get out of here. Do you have someplace we can go?”
One of the men bowed and pulled the cap off his head Eddie looked at his companion. An entire silent conversa-
with a flourish. “We’re having a party, and you’re the guest tion took place in that brief instant of eye contact. Malcolm
of honor.” shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah...”, Eddie said after a long
82 pause. “You can come to our dojo.”
Sara Lynn Devereaux drew herself up to full height and
screamed, “Get out of my house. You have no place here! I To be continued... v
DEMONGROUND ISSUE 14 DARK CONSPIRACY
THE LOOSE ENDS

THE LOOSE ENDS

DG14 CONTRIBUTORS DG14 EDITORSM NEXT ISSUE
Layout of Issue 15 will begin
ARTICLE AUTHORS Mike Marchi shortly. We hope to have it available to
Benjamin Blattberg mikemarchi@demonground.org you by GenCon. Issue 15 does not have
Julie Ann Dawson Geoff Skellams a theme, so please feel free to submit
anything you wish
C. Lee House geoffskellams@demonground.org
And so, we are announcing that we
Stephen Hunt Becky Marchi
are now accepting material for Issue 16,
Mike Marchi beckymarchi@demonground.org for release in November 2002.
Nick Pollotta Lee Williams Issue 16 deadline is September 15,
Geoff Skellams leewilliams@demonground.org 2002
David K. Tormesen
Jonathan Turner
Pal Wilhelmsen LEGAL MATTERS
Lee Williams Atlas Games - UNKNOWN ARMIES: Eden Studios - CONSPIRACY X, ALL
“Unknown Armies, published by Atlas Games, is FLESH MUST BE EATEN, and WITCHCRAFT:
COVER ART Copyright © 1998 Greg Stolze and John Tynes. “All Eden Studios, Inc., CJ Carella and George
Kari Christensen DEMONGROUND is not affiliated with Atlas Vasilakos copyrights, tradedress and trademarks
Games, Greg Stolze, or John Tynes.” are used with express permission of their owners.
BANNER ART Chaosium, Inc. - CALL OF CTHULHU:
Applications for permission may be addressed to:
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Mike Marchi “Chaosium Inc. - Publishing games for 25 years.
Call of Cthulhu is the Registered Trademark of Key 20 Publishing - LITTLE FEARS: Key
INTERIOR ART Chaosium Inc., and is used with their permission. 20 Publishing is the public persona of Key 20
Nephilim is the registered trademark of Chaosium Limited, an Ohio limited liability company.
Neal Dickinson and is used with their permission. Chaosium Inc. Little Fears, “You’re Not Scared, Are You?”, and
is the Registered Trademark of Chaosium Inc.” “The Role-Playing Game of Childhood Terror”
Norm Fenlason
are trademarks of Jason L Blair, under exclusive
Dark Conspiracy Enterprises - DARK license to Key 20 Limited
INTERIOR GRAPHICS CONSPIRACY: “The Dark Conspiracy game in
all forms is owned by Dark Conspiracy Enter- TriTac Games - BUREAU 13: “Bureau 13”
Becky Marchi is copyright 1988, 1995, 2000 by Nick Pollotta.
prises Copyright 1991 - 2000 Dark Conspiracy
Mike Marchi Enterprises. Dark Conspiracy is a trademark of “Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic” is
Dark Conspiracy Enterprises. Dark Conspiracy copyright 1982 by TriTac Games and Richard
Geoff Skellams
Enterprises permits web sites and fanzines for Tucholka.
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