Armidale GEIST
Geist in Armidale
There are many things in the supernatural world that dwell in the shadows, that hide behind veils of magic and secrecy. Sin-eaters are not one of them. They walk in daylight, hide in plain sight, and walk amongst both the living and the dead. Most of what a Sin-Eater does is subtle, unlikely to disrupt authorities or disturb the more 'monstrous' denizens. Quite simply the things that interest a Sin-Eater are largely unimportant to the majority of their non-mundane peers; yet in many ways Geist is THE cross-over venue.
Mages & Geist: Geist are in essence a force of nature, as such, there is little reason for a Mage to interfere with their actions. Should a Geist kill, Fate will reveal that this was the victims destiny as Geist are an extension of death itself. Rare interactions between the two groups usually come about from Death mages seeking expertise on the Underworld, or from mages looking for knowledge lost to the world, or held by those that have passed into death.
Vampires & Geist: There is little reason for these two groups to cross paths in any significant way. Perhaps a murderous vampire might ignite Sin-Eater's wrath, but generally Giest are interested in the dead, vampires in the living. The most likely meetings would be purely social or business, as the Sin-Eater can identify a vampire at a glance and usually avoid them if necessary.
Werewolves & Geist: There is little reason for the two groups to cross paths, Geist are focused in cities and on ghosts, whereas, werewolves prefer the wilds and deal with spirits. Perhaps where particularly destructive spirits break through, or where the wolves need to deal with an especially powerful Death Spirit there may be reason for the two groups to work towards similar goals.
Changelings & Geist: While there may be things that a Changeling might want from a Sin-Eater; a Sin-Eater may benefit immensely from access to the Lost and their Goblin contacts. Little snippets of faerie are so alive that they would be worth a great deal in the Underworld.
The Krewes
Judge, Jury & Executioner
In life there are always three constants. Firstly, you will live. Secondly, people will observe you living, and lastly you will die. These are the Judge, the Jury and Executioner. However, this metaphor does not only extend to a life cycle point but also social, political, physical and mental aspects of the world as well. For example, Jesus arose from the people, he was the Judge described in the book of Judas. Meanwhile the apostles and his supporters watched and supported Jesus in his selfless efforts, these are the Jury. Lastly, Judas betrayed the Jury and the people. As such, due to his actions, Judas murdered Jesus. This is why Judas was the Executioner.
Other examples include the execution of Abraham Lincoln, the Judge, by John Wilkes Booth, the Executioner, in front of the Ford’s Theatre, the Jury. Or the murder of Abel by Cain in front of Seth, in the book of Cain. Alexander the Great and Nearchus, in front of Greece. Julius Caesar and Gaius Longinus in front of the liberators, in the book of Longinus. Or, as put in the book of Origins, the Hero and the Villain, watched by the public.
These betrayals are not wrong or uncalled for. They are completely natural, the world relies upon these betrayals. If the Hero were to be left undefeated, the world would be unbalanced, death would be cheated and he would merely be surviving on borrowed time; which is not heroic, but pitiful. Meanwhile, if the Villian betrays the Hero too early than this will also unbalance the world, as life would be cheated and the executioner would be living on stolen time from the Hero. The Judge, Jury and Executioner Krewe makes sure that everybody leaves when it is their right time to go. If for whatever reason one tries to escape either life or death; a hearing is held with the court, where a decision is made as to when they are destined to die and/or what their quality of life should be until their destined point of death. A similar trial is held if somebody has stolen and/or extended, and therefore cheated someone else's life or death, depending on when the convicted person is destined to die they could be punished with death, torture and/or service to the court.
The Krewe have a religious fixation on the number 13. The thirteenth hour, the thirteenth day the thirteenth object or effect. However, it is not actually specified whether the number is positive or negative.
In the mortal world the Krewe bought the old mansion next to the gated community on North Hill approximately eight months ago. The Krewe have transformed the building into a funeral home and mortuary (In direct competition with Piddingtons), called 'Gallow's Court Funeral Estate'. Kyle Woods is a young man whom is the receptionist of the estate. He also drives the Hearse to and from the graveyard, across town, on South Hill. John Glory is a muscular man whom often performs the funeral sermons, he appears to be a man whom has turned over a new leaf by pursuing such a career. Alexander Iudex studied Law at university. However, he seems to have learned some medical skills somewhere along the line. Gallow's Court is technically owned by Alex; but he often lets the Board of Directors, including Shephard, deal with running the company. Alex performs surgeries on the cadavers to make them appear ‘prettier’ for the funerals. He also operates the crematorium. Seth Foreman is the secretary for the funeral home and is one of the public faces for the business. He also performs sermons for funerals when John isn't available. Lastly Dennis Lancaster is a consultant to the funeral home. Dennis works at the hospital morgue and acts as contact for the Krewe at the hospital.
The Krewe also seem to have contacts and allies in the emergency services and the local media and are always the first at the scene of a murder crime, take what you want out of this.
New England Union of Transporters
Primarily composed of Bonepickers the NEUT has been active in the area for generations. They provide safe travel in and out of the area (primarily by train) for supernaturals in need. In exchange they charge either a steep cash fee, or a modest fee sweetened by some exotic item, (The former Prince Harald used to pay for transport with the bottle blood-tears of a newly embraced twin, taken from a wolf-blooded family). NEUT stalwart Wayne 'the bouncer' McKinnen also runs Armidale's Black Cabs. The NEUT is always ready to make a deal, and rarely care about who or what they deal with.
Order of the Thrice-Pierced Heart
This Krewe keeps a low profile around town, dealing mostly with the Underworld and the border between that and the living world. It is believed they have some influence within the Cartographers Guild, and may have some ties with local supernatural entities. They do not however deal regularly with the other Krewes, and are usually only sighted at flesh fairs. Only an initiated member is privy to their end goals.
Individuals
| Character | Krewe | Archetype | Notes | Player |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne McKinnen | NEUT | Advocate | Owner/Operator of Black Cabs | NPC |
| Alexander Iudex | JJ&E | Reaper | CEO of Gallow's Court Funeral Estate | Samuel Holland |
| Seth Foreman | JJ&E | Reaper | Secretary of Gallow's Court Funeral Estate | Joel Hooper |
| John Glory | JJ&E | Reaper | Pastor at Gallow's Court Funeral Estate | Mathew Gailey |
| Kyle Woods | JJ&E | Celebrant | Receptionist at Gallow's Court Funeral Estate | Matthew Shirley |
| Dennis Lancaster | JJ&E | Necromancer | Consultant at Gallow's Court Funeral Estate | Craig Robinson |
| Shephard | JJ&E | Pilgrim | Director of Gallow's Court Funeral Estate | Michael O'Dempsey |
| Jaspar Wiseman | Unknown/none | none | TBD | Kris/NPC |
| Loreen | Unknown/none | ? | ? | Emily |
Plot Tracker
This is an OOC resource which can be obtained from Alex IC for a small price. This information can also be obtained from the Library in the Rotten Lands, assuming you offer the 'Librarian' a tithing of one of your memories. (Ask Kyle how well that turned out for him.)
December 2013
A Typical Christmas Party, Really
The residents of Gallow's Court called for a Flesh Fair in celebration of Christmas, Saturnalia and the Yule. All the Krewes have been invited and all unaligned Sin-Eaters are welcome to join. With the halls decked with holly, the tables covered with delicious roast turkey and potatoes and with a light scent of myrrh in the air. This is shaped up to be one hell of a party!
But merely half an hour into the celebration a woman was murdered in front of the estate. It appeared that she committed suicide and the number '13' was carved into her abdomen with surgical equipment. Similarly to how Alex does when he gives the defendant, as act of good will, an alternative method of death. Immediately after the murder, "Jack" showed up and complained how Gallow's Court was failing at its duty and how the murderer was the "same fucker whom has been fucking killing my friends!"
Some of the most prominent Sin-Eaters were quickly ushered into the ritual chamber of Gallow's Court and the 'Librarian', which did not leave a name offered access to his master's VIP library in the Rotten Lands. Some of the selected Sin-Eaters decided to investigate "Jack" while others decided to use the Krewe's police contacts to investigate.
The Library
Dennis Lancaster, albeit vaugely drunk, and John Glory went and investigated the Library. They eventually traded the dead woman's body except one of original her fingers (Alex cut one off and grew a new one with ectoplasm)for a JJ&E krewe library card allowing them to take any and as many books as they like as long as the woman's corpse stays in the Rotten Lands.
John and Dennis came to the conclusion that Jack, Steve and a vigilante called the 'Spectre of Shadows' are in fact all the same person, perhaps with a mental disorder. Kyle's understanding of mental illnesses suggested it to be Multiple-Personality disorder or some other disorder made by Steve's drug abuse.
Later that evening all the Sin-Eaters and Jaspar went down to the library and spoke to the 'Librarian'. Loreen traded a memory in exchange for access to the guest book. There was no trace of Jack Armani, Steve Johnson or Spectre of Shadows in the book. Kyle traded his memory of clothing for the information on how to bind a ghost to an anchor. The 'Librarian' took all his past, present and future memories of cloths and replaced them with the method of how to bind a ghost to an anchor.
Officer Pete
Kyle and Loreen called Alex and John's police contact for information. He provided information about 12 victims whom apparently had committed suicide and had a number, sunquentially per murder, carved into them postmortem.
Pete called later that night and said that Steve Johnson's wife had been murdered, in a similar way, but more brutally and had the number '14' carved into her. Apparently the 'fucker' forgot how to count. - Interestingly "Jack" whom is also the vigilante killing Jack's family and friends had a truthful alibi as to how it couldn't have been him who killed the wife.
Binding The Ghost
Kyle than read the book which included all his memories of clothes, past, present and future, and discovered that he needed to take a object of importance and hammer it into the heart of the ghost with a hammer made of metal from the ghost's last place of residence.
Loreen suggested using his first wife's wedding ring whom tragically died weeks after there marriage (about 8 years ago) from miscellaneous causes. Dennis disagreed and thought his, dead, dog's collar would be more effective. The Sin-Eaters ultimately chose the ring and Kyle made a hammer out a tin can and a spanner. Kyle hit the ring into the heart of the ghost and bound it to the ring.
Throwing A Spanner In The Works
Seth Foreman recommended, on behalf of the Jury, that "Jack Armani" be bound to the ring. However, Alex, rather controversially, declined and demanded that "Jack" be released until he has committed another crime. Because, by binding him and punishing him before his trial the Krewe had broken the cycle.
John rather confused by Alex's logic attacked the ring with his scythe, cutting it in two in the physical realm but it remained in twilight. Alex, rather frustratedly picked up the ring and made it manifest around his left Index finger.
A Living Ghost? What?
At the beginning of the night there was a living ghost floating around, without manifesting, at the party. He didn't seem to understand that he was dead and the other ghosts teased him for being so ignorant.
Jaspar suggested that we should take him the 'Cauldron of Madness'. Alex, vaugely, snuffed him for that remark... Because Jasper claimed that people can come back to life without either a/ cheating the cycle. b/ being an abmortal or c/ becoming a Sin-Eater. Jasper smirked and made the point that he was the exception, why can't there be others?...
Jaspar eventually discovered what happened with the living ghost... The Library can't seem to find records on him. Ask Jasper if you need to know.
Jaspar?
Not a abmortal, yet his immortal? Yet the cycle still effects him. Apparently, in a strange new world that he showed both Alex and Seth his cycle will ultimately end.
Has been invited to next years late New Years/Early Australia day flesh fair and has agreed to come.
The 'Cauldron of Madness' he speaks of is sort of an Avernian Gate but instead of going to the Underworld it goes to 'The Shadow', whatever that is?