Mage One-Shot: The Ghost of Galveston
This one shot is called The Ghost of Galveston. I'm running it at GenCon, so if you're playing it there, you might want to
Meet the characters (Shadow Names only):
Now, what's interesting about these characters is that I made them, but I didn't do any of that background. We'll see if folks at GenCon play the same character concepts and what they come up with.
Anyway, the cabal (called Suenos de Muerte, or Dreams of Death, and yes I know there should be a little thingie over the "n" but I don't know how to do it here), was based in Corpus Christi. But just recently, Faust's wife appeared to him and told them to get out of town, and over time, the cabal has learned to listen. The city's gotten weird lately anyway.
So they're on their way west, driving on a deserted state route as the sun climbs higher. Faust was out in front of the van holding the rest of the characters, riding his motorcycle, and suddenly the bike just...stops running. He keeps control of it, but the van breaks down, too. No one in the cabal is much of a mechanic (and none of the characters I made has more than Matter 1, for precisely this reason), but when Seeker checks the oil, she finds that it's become sludgy and thick. They're a good 60 miles from a town in either direction, and with the sun blazing, dehydration is a real problem. But then they look down the hill and see buildings, and a plume of smoke as though from a fireplace. Wondering who the hell would be building a fire on a hot day like this, they set off down the hill.
On the way down, the characters noticed that their water (in bottles, because of course they're traveling with water) is getting sludgy and thick, and smells foul. They cast a few spells and decide the effect isn't magical as they understand magic, but Seeker noted that the effect has been spreading for years and probably only recently hit the highway. The characters are now inside "city limits," but there's little but rubble. The houses here have burned down, and a few Time spells confirm that a) it happened a good 30 years ago and b) there were no people here when it happened. Curiouser and curiouser.
Walking into town, they find a general store and a gas station, both abandoned, both with prices that haven't been seen in decades. The smoke, apparently, came from the town hall, but in walking toward it, Escher's Sense Consciousness spell gets a hit. There's someone hiding behind the police station.
Faust used Space to have a peek, while the Doctor just snuck around the building. The man standing there was dressed in duster and a cowboy had, and his left boot fit strangely. Escher called out to him, and he limped around the building...and the characters noted he was carrying a shotgun. Folks threw some spells at him for informational purposes, and learned that he had killed many, many times (Faust), that he didn't seem to have a soul (Seeker) and that his aura was a pillar of fire (Coyote).
Talking to him was strange. He seemed to understanding that the mages were, in fact, mages, and he didn't seem interested in helping them. Escher asked if they could help him, and he said that he dearly hoped so. The conversation got stranger until finally Escher felt a burst of anxiety and ran up the nearest wall (go, parkour, go!). Finally, the man mentioned his name - the Ghost of Galveston.
Faust had heard a story about someone with that name. He'd met a truck stop hooker once on his travels who'd told him that she'd seen a man talking to a corpse, berating the corpse for "going up against the Ghost of Galveston." Seeker, too, had heard a story, but much older - she'd heard of a US Calvary troop being completely slaughtered in an altercation with some Natives, but the troops had all been shot to death after killing said natives. The one survivor (who died of his wounds later) mentioned the Ghost of Galveston in pained delirium. Seeker took the opportunity to hang a Destroy Object spell (she has Time 2, see) so that she could break the Ghost's shotgun if she needed to.
It became clear to the characters that the Ghost a) was responsible for the condition of the area and b) wanted to die, but die in a fair fight. The Doctor, now suffering from Disquiet (ooh! The big reveal!) charged at him...and the Ghost turned and shot him down.
The characters scattered, some taking cover, some standing out in the open so that the Ghost could shoot them. The Doctor crawled away and healed himself, and the Ghost started taking shots at the mages. His shotgun only lasted one more shot, and then he drew the pistols. He probably would have killed some folks, but Escher (who was one of the folks who took cover), used Fabricate Fortune and yelled that this wasn't at all a fair fight, and that the Ghost wouldn't get what he wanted from this kind of brawl, since none of his opponents were armed. The Ghost agreed, and told them to fall back into the town hall - there were guns there.
And indeed, there were. He'd stashed many there over the years. The characters armed themselves and Doctor healed those that needed it. Faust scryed the Ghost and saw him re-arming. And then he approached the door. Coyote used Influence Light to prevent the Ghost from seeing in, and folks started taking shots at him. The problem was that after you shot him, he shot you right back, as though by magic (new Athanor!). He entered the room, but that proved to be his mistake.
Because now he was in hand range. He did some damage with his guns, but Coyote created an illusion of Escher behind him, and it fooled him long enough for the mages to regroup a bit. Coyote grappled him and he dropped his remaining pistol. Seeker used Destroy Object on his wooden leg, and then tried to grapple him too, but the player rolled a '1' on that chance die and the Ghost yanked Seeker up and put a gun to her head (a little Derringer, his last weapon). Coyote created an illusion of an angel coming for the Ghost and he released Seeker, and Faust tried to hit him Psychic Sword, but between the Ghost's resistance and wound penalties, he was down to a chance die...which also came up '1'. The Ghost snapped out of the reverie and shot Faust (not fatally, but close). The Ghost lunged for an inner door, but his leg snapped from Seeker's magic. The Doctor jumped on him and slammed his fist through his head, finally killing him.
In a few hours, the Wasteland had receded (yes, that's not normal, but hey). The characters found bodies in the basement of the hall, some of them apparently mages. They burned down the building and left the dead town behind...
...and of course, the next day, a hand pushes its way through the rubble. The Ghost isn't dead, but he has learned much.
Meet the characters (Shadow Names only):
- Coyote (Obrimos, Adamantine Arrow). A Native American who's wife urged him to learn more about his roots. He did, and then Awakened, and became a shaman (though not in the Mage sense, obviously), and his wife left him because he'd become too strange. Played by hobbesthetiger.
- Seeker (Moros, Mysterium). A "Blood Historian," chronicler of atrocity, trying to find meaning in this misery. Awakened just after 9/11 in New York and has traveled around to various horrible places ever since. Played by simplyendless.
- Faust (Mastigos, Adamantine Arrow). Another former family man, this guy didn't go to Pandemonium. He went to the crossroads and made a deal with the Devil for the power to know men's souls. The Devil, however, chose an inopportune moment, because Faust was driving at the time. The resultant accident killed his wife, but she talks to him sometimes (his understanding of the Dream Merit). Played by docelboze.
- Dr. Enrique (Thrysus, Adamantine Arrow). A young man from the barrio, he went away to med school. When he did, his younger brother was killed in a gang fight, and he blames himself for not taking his brother away with him. He now acts as a kind of street doctor for those who can't afford real medical care. Played by Keith, who isn't cool enough to have an LJ.
- Escher (Acanthus, Adamantine Arrow). Another fairly street-level character, this one acts as a guru and fortune teller. He can't actually see the future (he focuses on Fate), but can give folks a boost of luck when they need it. Also into parkour. Played by newbis.
Now, what's interesting about these characters is that I made them, but I didn't do any of that background. We'll see if folks at GenCon play the same character concepts and what they come up with.
Anyway, the cabal (called Suenos de Muerte, or Dreams of Death, and yes I know there should be a little thingie over the "n" but I don't know how to do it here), was based in Corpus Christi. But just recently, Faust's wife appeared to him and told them to get out of town, and over time, the cabal has learned to listen. The city's gotten weird lately anyway.
So they're on their way west, driving on a deserted state route as the sun climbs higher. Faust was out in front of the van holding the rest of the characters, riding his motorcycle, and suddenly the bike just...stops running. He keeps control of it, but the van breaks down, too. No one in the cabal is much of a mechanic (and none of the characters I made has more than Matter 1, for precisely this reason), but when Seeker checks the oil, she finds that it's become sludgy and thick. They're a good 60 miles from a town in either direction, and with the sun blazing, dehydration is a real problem. But then they look down the hill and see buildings, and a plume of smoke as though from a fireplace. Wondering who the hell would be building a fire on a hot day like this, they set off down the hill.
On the way down, the characters noticed that their water (in bottles, because of course they're traveling with water) is getting sludgy and thick, and smells foul. They cast a few spells and decide the effect isn't magical as they understand magic, but Seeker noted that the effect has been spreading for years and probably only recently hit the highway. The characters are now inside "city limits," but there's little but rubble. The houses here have burned down, and a few Time spells confirm that a) it happened a good 30 years ago and b) there were no people here when it happened. Curiouser and curiouser.
Walking into town, they find a general store and a gas station, both abandoned, both with prices that haven't been seen in decades. The smoke, apparently, came from the town hall, but in walking toward it, Escher's Sense Consciousness spell gets a hit. There's someone hiding behind the police station.
Faust used Space to have a peek, while the Doctor just snuck around the building. The man standing there was dressed in duster and a cowboy had, and his left boot fit strangely. Escher called out to him, and he limped around the building...and the characters noted he was carrying a shotgun. Folks threw some spells at him for informational purposes, and learned that he had killed many, many times (Faust), that he didn't seem to have a soul (Seeker) and that his aura was a pillar of fire (Coyote).
Talking to him was strange. He seemed to understanding that the mages were, in fact, mages, and he didn't seem interested in helping them. Escher asked if they could help him, and he said that he dearly hoped so. The conversation got stranger until finally Escher felt a burst of anxiety and ran up the nearest wall (go, parkour, go!). Finally, the man mentioned his name - the Ghost of Galveston.
Faust had heard a story about someone with that name. He'd met a truck stop hooker once on his travels who'd told him that she'd seen a man talking to a corpse, berating the corpse for "going up against the Ghost of Galveston." Seeker, too, had heard a story, but much older - she'd heard of a US Calvary troop being completely slaughtered in an altercation with some Natives, but the troops had all been shot to death after killing said natives. The one survivor (who died of his wounds later) mentioned the Ghost of Galveston in pained delirium. Seeker took the opportunity to hang a Destroy Object spell (she has Time 2, see) so that she could break the Ghost's shotgun if she needed to.
It became clear to the characters that the Ghost a) was responsible for the condition of the area and b) wanted to die, but die in a fair fight. The Doctor, now suffering from Disquiet (ooh! The big reveal!) charged at him...and the Ghost turned and shot him down.
The characters scattered, some taking cover, some standing out in the open so that the Ghost could shoot them. The Doctor crawled away and healed himself, and the Ghost started taking shots at the mages. His shotgun only lasted one more shot, and then he drew the pistols. He probably would have killed some folks, but Escher (who was one of the folks who took cover), used Fabricate Fortune and yelled that this wasn't at all a fair fight, and that the Ghost wouldn't get what he wanted from this kind of brawl, since none of his opponents were armed. The Ghost agreed, and told them to fall back into the town hall - there were guns there.
And indeed, there were. He'd stashed many there over the years. The characters armed themselves and Doctor healed those that needed it. Faust scryed the Ghost and saw him re-arming. And then he approached the door. Coyote used Influence Light to prevent the Ghost from seeing in, and folks started taking shots at him. The problem was that after you shot him, he shot you right back, as though by magic (new Athanor!). He entered the room, but that proved to be his mistake.
Because now he was in hand range. He did some damage with his guns, but Coyote created an illusion of Escher behind him, and it fooled him long enough for the mages to regroup a bit. Coyote grappled him and he dropped his remaining pistol. Seeker used Destroy Object on his wooden leg, and then tried to grapple him too, but the player rolled a '1' on that chance die and the Ghost yanked Seeker up and put a gun to her head (a little Derringer, his last weapon). Coyote created an illusion of an angel coming for the Ghost and he released Seeker, and Faust tried to hit him Psychic Sword, but between the Ghost's resistance and wound penalties, he was down to a chance die...which also came up '1'. The Ghost snapped out of the reverie and shot Faust (not fatally, but close). The Ghost lunged for an inner door, but his leg snapped from Seeker's magic. The Doctor jumped on him and slammed his fist through his head, finally killing him.
In a few hours, the Wasteland had receded (yes, that's not normal, but hey). The characters found bodies in the basement of the hall, some of them apparently mages. They burned down the building and left the dead town behind...
...and of course, the next day, a hand pushes its way through the rubble. The Ghost isn't dead, but he has learned much.