Dresden Files RPG- Pittsburgh, Bridges to Nowhere

Radical Ans

Also, while I don't have the Dresden books, I am a Pittsburgh native. If you guys need any local information to flesh things out, let me know.

edit:
Clarification: by Dresden books, I meant the RPG books

SanderJK

Haven't been around this thread much, busy few days.

On the Denarian thing: I recall on the later books having a fairly detailed accounting of how many coins are out there, and how many are held by the Church. Though in the current situation with the Knights, it's conceivable that they are not as secure as they used too.

You could also have a situation where a Denarian tries to influence a person similar to Lashiel/Harry, except the Coin is out of reach. (Hidden by the Church? Protected by a Knight/cult? ....) It would result in a slightly less powerful, but possibly evil and/or insane person with a desparate drive to recover something, which would make a neat threat.

Sakutian

Not a problem, again I'm not going t get on anyone about being busy. Folk around here cut me a lot of slack for being gone for a lot longer than a few days. Interesting thought Sander, honestly I think the scariest Denarian that has appeared in the Dresden Files so far was the one living in Harry's head. For the purposes of our game I'm assuming that all of the secured coins have remained in place. However the thought of a situation similar to the one Harry went through is intriguing.

It is possible that we will include the Monroeville Mall as a location Radical.

Edit: I've been looking over some of the cemeteries in Pittsburgh, I wanted to pick one that would make a good location, I'm thinking the Allegheny Cemetery is a god choice. 300 acres, 15 miles of roadways, and over one hundred thousand people laying at rest. Makes for an interesting undead location.

Sakutian

Hey Rainfall I was thinking about Dorian, for some reason I latched onto the character. Here's what I've come up with. He's a fairly young White Court, not on the fats track to the top of the ladder either. He's not a brain, but he knows how to handle social maneuvering as it's the best way to stay alive in his family. He hates his job though, Maria assigned it to him because she knows he helps out Juliette from time to time. His trouble is Caught in the Middle. Essentially he's to wishy washy to pick a side and stick with it so both sides of the Raith house in Pittsburgh view him as the enemy.

Edit: Worked out a story some of you could share, I'd rather not assign it to anyone. It does lend itself to Juliette Raith's character though.

White Out

Members of the White Court are not among the most lovable creatures that walk the earth. So when Maria Raith, the leader of the White Court in Pittsburgh, goes missing few people are shedding any tears or bothering to send out search parties. Unfortunately with the leader of the Raith's suddenly gone though there is no one to restrain the appetites of rest of the family. Now the vampires are threatening to drain the life out of the city in a violent orgy the likes of which the world has never seen. Unless of course someone can find Lady Raith and return her to her throne. Quickly. Still with a clan of ravenous vampires barely being held at bay and an unobliging vampire hunter in the way Pittsburgh might be screwed. Literally.

SanderJK

I think it's probably a good idea to also work out my Dragons motives and goals. They barely get mentioned in the novels as far as I know, (I know they signed the Accords).

Sakutian

Sure we can do that. My understanding of dragons in the Dresden universe is that they fall into two categories. Dragons and dragons. Dragons are elemental semi-divine beings who once reigned over various aspects of the mortal world, dragons are emissaries and servitors created in the image of Dragons. They almost universally resent humanity for upsetting the balance of power in the world. Now the first thing you have to ask yourself is which category does the Doctor's sponsor fall under? Dragon or dragon?

As for motivation...maybe your dragon wants to try and restore some balance to Pittsburgh? It might have been around in the days of the native tribes and it wants to see humanity returned to more of an equilibrium? Or it might want to burn humanity.

Reptar

I'm afraid I'll have to withdraw my interest for this game. I'd like to play, but I'm not sure I'll be able to be on at the same time as everyone else for sessions. Still, hope the game goes well.

Sakutian

Well Reptar we're just doing pbp format not real time, if you can post once a day it should be fine.

Sakutian

Hey Sander, had a thought about Chlaexis motivations. I was doing some research on dragons and their ties to various elements, one thing that jumped out at me was the description of metal dragons. Forceful, unyielding, and driven to action all of these ideas describe the personality trait of a metal dragon. Perhaps Chlaexis was drawn to Pittsburgh years ago he sensed such an abundant source of his own elemental nature there? He might be trying to aid in getting the city back on it's feet and moving towards industry so that there would be a return to the old days when steel mills were still up and running? Just a thought.

Rainfall

Oooooh. What if Chlaexis is, straight up, the Dragon of Steel? Before Pittsburgh's steel industry collapsed, he was THE supernatural presence in the city, now that his strength in the area is fading, he's left for wealthier pastures, but in hopes of restoring it, and just keeping his name in play, he's taken to using mortal servitors to cover 'his' cities that aren't quite wealthy enough for him to lair in?

Sakutian

Ooooooh I like the way you think Rainfall.

Sakutian

Just so you guys know I haven't forgotten about your phases, I just finished doing a breakdown of who worked with who in what story up until now. Obviously we don't have stories for all of these phases yet but we can figure out some good ones to please you all.

Open Season
Rey Nardo's Story
Guest Star: Juliette Raith

Phase 4 Chimera Story: Guest Star Dr. Frederick Meyers
Phase 5 Wild Hunt Story: Guest Star James McDonall

Side Step
Juliette Raith's Story
Guest Star: James McDonall

Phase 4: Rey Nardo
Phase 5: Dr. Frederick Meyers

First Born Sons
James McDonall's Story
Guest Star: Rey Nardo

Phase 4: Juliette Raith
Phase 5: Dr. Frederick Meyers

Dr. Frederick Meyer's Story
Guest Star: Rey Nardo

Phase 4: James McDonall
Phase 5: Juliette Raith

Rainfall

I'm not entirely sure how you've got this set up, Saku. You've got Story Name - Guest Star - Phase 4 - Phase 5, not sure who the Guest Stars are supposed to be, since Guest Star IS Phase 4/5. Anyhow, I filled out my Phase 4 because it clicked for me.

Guest Star - Whose path have you crossed?
First Born Sons
Several of James’s older troll brothers have disappeared under mysterious circumstances. As his succession to the under kingdom grows closer James must discover who is killing or abducting his reasons for not having the choice forced upon him.

Juliette Wraith offers help to changeling James McDonall, in exchange for troll-forged weapons to arm her followers with. But when she finds that the Troll King Grimali himself is responsible for the deaths of James' older brothers, can she stop his apparent madness without getting herself or James killed?
Aspect - A Favor For a Favor

Not sure if I'll stick with that aspect, I might do something re: a troll-forged sword for Juliette, because that would be kickass, or reword it slightly. The story itself isn't going to change, though... so I thought I'd post this here, as well as updating my sheet back on page 1.

Sakutian

Your third phase can also have a guest star, like Karrin Murphy in Storm Front for example. Sorry if the setup for ths is confusing anyone, essentially I just listed off everyone's third phase then wrote who they should/could team with for the following phases. I like what's you've done for Juliette though Rainfall. I'll redo this when I get back from the grocery store.

Sakutian

So essentially what I've done here is break down all of your guys phases, since Dresdenphile/Rey Nardo worked out his phases with me during our City Creation session last week I left his ideas intact. Essentially all that's left to do is work out a couple of story ideas for Dr. Meyers to be involved with and various aspects from your guys adventures. By incorporating guest stars into Phase 3 I was able to give each of you guys duo adventures rather than having you all lump up on one. Let me know if anyone needs help figuring this out.

Rey Nardo's Phases

Phase 3: Open Season
Guest Star: Juliette Raith
Phase 4: Chimera Story
Guest Star: Dr. Frederick Meyers
Phase 5: Wild Hunt Story
Guest Star: James McDonall

Juliette's Raith's Phases

Phase 3: Side Step
Guest Star: Rey Nardo
Phase 4: First Born Sons
Guest Star: Juliette Raith
Phase 5:
Guest Star: Dr. Frederick Meyers

James McDonnal's Phases

Phase 3: First Born Sons
Guest Star: Juliette Raith
Phase 4: Wild Hunt
Guest Star: Rey Nardo
Phase 5: Dr. Frederick Meyer's Story
Guest Star: Dr. Frederick Meyers

Dr. Frederick Meyer's Phases

Phase 3: Dr. Frederick Meyer's Story
Guest Star: James McDonall
Phase 4: Chimera
Guest Star: Rey Nardo
Phase 5:
Guest Star: Juliette Raith

Edit: On another note one idea I've been holding back from you guys until now is ready to bee revealed! Simon Phaunos, by all appearances a wealthy playboy who inherited s small fortune. In reality he is a fawn living in hiding from the Summer Court. A cowardly manipulator who dreams of gathering enough power to feel safe from the queen whose wrath he fears above all else.

Reptar

Sakutian wrote: »

Well Reptar we're just doing pbp format not real time, if you can post once a day it should be fine.

Oh, I see. I was skimming over the previous pages and saw mention of some chat programs and assumed that was the medium that was going to be used. I can definitely do at least one post a day.

If it's alright to still make a character, I'll try and whip up an Ectomancer as quick as I can.

Sakutian

Haha, yeah sure Reptar, you can make up a character if you like. An Ectomancer would be a very interesting addition to the party.

Sakutian

I was working out the whole status quo, movers and shakers thing when I realized Pittsburgh doesn't have any organizations. I don't cotton to that. The idea of those zombie hunters still seems pretty interesting to me so I developed it a bit. Let me know what you guys think ok?

The Grave Robbers
A group of five Pittsburgh residents who stumbled across the unusual fact that unlike most in most cities dead folks don't tend to stay in their graves long in Pittsburgh. Faced with a very real, very violent threat they each began combating the zombies, ghouls, and occasional ghost using whatever skills they had available to them. Over the years they crossed one another's paths in the graveyards and morgues of the city, brief alliances soon became permanent partnerships. Unfortunately their group is seen as a bunch of body mutilators, murderers, and psychopaths. Luckily the identities of their members remain a closely guarded secret as they carry on their war with the undead.

I'm thinking the members will include a grave digger, a supernatural hunter, a coroner, and I'm open to thoughts on who the others should be.

Sakutian

I'm still hoping we can start this tomorrow, it depends on whether or not we get all the aspects and Reptar's sheet worked out tonight. If we don't though I'll just bump it back a few days. If you're still on board with this it'd be great if I could get a "Stars and Stones!" from everybody.

Pneumatic Horseman

Empty night?

Pneumatic Horseman

I think maybe a military veteran might be good for the grave robbers as well, maybe some of his buddies from the veterans hospital didn't make it and he was a bit surprised to see them lurching around the city a few nights later...

Sakutian

That's a great idea horseman! I love the idea of a zombie veteran inspiring one of his war buddies to start fighting the undead.

Rainfall

Stars and stones, my character would be all ready if Pneumatic Horseman would do his Phase 4 so I can followup with the Phase 5.

Anyway, it looks like I'm gonna be super-busy tomorrow night, so I'll be posting either late then or early saturday morning to chime in if we get started. If there's any progress in the thread between now and when I wake up, I'll try and toss out a post in the morning, too!

Sakutian

OK, thanks for signing in Rainfall. Oh I've been working on the Obsidian Portal page for this campaign as we go along, there is actual something to see there now haha. It's a handy resource if you're like me and you need a cheat sheet from time to time. Here's a link in case anyone feels like checking it out:
http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/bridges-to-nowhere

Sakutian

The goals for today are to work out everyone's Phase Aspects, and to get Reptar's Ectomancer squared away if at all possible. Realistically I'd say we'll end up getting started on monday though because I'm not sure we'll get all of that done in time to start today.

On another note I was working out some last thoughts and got a very interesting idea from someone here. Apparently Squirrel Hill is a sort of Jewish neighborhood, that got me thinking about their mythology a bit. I say that Squirrel Hill is protected by a Golem. A very strong, very simple golem that smashes anything threatening to harm the residents of this part of town. Thoughts?

Forar

I'm not particularly well versed in Jewish lore, but I assume the golem would primarily be in place against supernatural opposition. Well... what's the opposition? Something dark from Jewish folklore? A band of phobophages preying on the fears of people struggling in tough economic times? Does it require power from local low end talent who provide it energy/offerings to activate or enhance it in times of dire need? How commonly is it known that preying upon the inhabitants is done at significant risk?

I hope I'm not intruding, but having just completed read-through number 2 of the novels that are out, and as someone awaiting the release of Side Jobs and killing time over the past week reading Our Story, I'm looking forward to seeing how this game goes.

Sakutian

You're not intruding at all, those are all god questions. Let me try and answer them for you. Thanks for the interest.

What's the Opposition?
Largely White Court vampires, trolls, and the undead. The White Court especially since I view the golem as being made by older members of the community who had the knowledge of how to make a golem in an effort to protect their children and grandchildren from the decadent vampires.

Does it require power?
I'm going to say no. To me this thing is more like a Sword of the Cross than one of Harry's force rings. Does it have power? Yes. Does it need to be charged? No.

How commonly is it known that preying upon the inhabitants is done at significant risk?
I'd think that the golem's maker/makers would have instructed it to remain out of sight as much as it could, without risking any lives. So as a rule the common citizen doesn't know it's there. Supernaturals who have been around for a little while know not to hunt in that part of town. They don't all know what goes on there, just that every so often a White Court or Troll turns up with it's head crushed like a ripe grape.

SanderJK

I was looking at the p4/p5, I seem to be teamed with Chimera. Is the idea that we cooperate to setup one p4 story together, or are we to give setups for different stories that feature each other?

Either way, I'll work on it in the weekend.

Sakutian

You should probably cooperate with one another to come up with one p4 story together. If you want to throw out a story idea here feel free to do it. I teamed the doc with Rey Nardo for Chimera because Dresdenphile put that story forward a while ago and I really liked it, but originally he was paired with Arcanis for it. Since Arcanis dropped I thought your character would be a good fit since the whole idea of the Chimera is that it's this obscure forgotten creature and the doctor is a bit of a research/lore buff. If you don't want to be in that storyline though I'm not going to force you to or anything haha.

dresdenphile

Been a bit busy at work; will try to look at this later today.

Sakutian

Since stuff didn't really get worked out today I just went with the plan of bumping our start date to monday. The week of Halloween seems an appropriate date to get the ball rolling on this. I have way wish this was a real life game so people could dress up as their characters haha.

Sakutian

I know it's the weekend and folks are out having a good time, I just wanted to get this idea up before calling it a night. Been working with the Grave Robbers idea a bit and I think I've got it flushed out in a way that I like well enough, nothing set int stone though so feel free to throw out your own thoughts. Apologies in advance if this is all too much reading.

Anna Blake- A soldier who was injured during her tour of duty and hospitalized for several weeks Anna always thought herself brave and capable of facing any threat head on. Then she saw something even her training hadn't prepared her for. A dead soldier rising up from his bed before her very eyes and making every effort to kill her. It was pure instinct that drove her through killing the creature, not training. There was a cover story provided by the military and Anna was discharged with the claim that she was mentally unstable. She returned to Pittsburgh where she began searching graveyards for creatures like the one she'd fought, she didn't have to look hard. In time she became better at fighting them, and met others who she formed alliances with.

Cliff Notes: The Ellen Ripley of zombies, military training, and a desire to destroy the undead.

Candace Megan- When Candace's fiance was killed in a car accident she thought her life couldn't get any worse, but then he came back. Raving mad and rotting the thing that had been her husband to be tried very hard to kill her but she managed to escape. This miraculous getaway occurred after Candace caused the earth to open up beneath the zombie burying it up to it's neck. The young woman didn't know how she'd did it. However the power she had tapped into didn't go away, it kept surging through her. She felt things crawling out of the graves every night and she called to the earth to push them back down.

Cliff Notes: A geomancer who doesn't like to take on the undead with weapons, she wants a normal life but the horror of what she saw haunts her to this day.

Aaron Gunner- Orphaned as a child Aaron was raised by foster parents who loved him very much, he was a happy child for the most part although he did often miss his parents which everyone told him was normal. The older he got the more he ached to see them again. When he could take the pain of his loss no more he began looking into the occult hoping to find a way to speak to them on the other side. Instead he found a way to bring them back, and he used it. It didn't take him long to realize the things he'd raised were monsters though, and he put them back down within minutes. A mixture of guilt and fear at what he'd seen caused him to set off to ensure no one ever raised another loved one if he could help it.

Cliff Notes: The normal guy, he has fallen into darkness and come out whole, however he's kept what he did a close secret for years and if anyone ever found out...

Dr. Luke Carson- For years the medical examiner watched body bags turn up torn to shreds on his floor, bodies going missing, and reports of strange attacks. Finally he decided that what was going on was exactly what it looked like. Dead bodies were getting up and moving of their own accord. Luke did his best to keep the undead secure and left others to destroy them. He has been using his knowledge to try and discover why so many undead seem to be created in his town though.

Cliff Notes: Luke isn't a fighter. He's a doctor who wants to help find a solution to the undead problem once and for all.

Oh and if anyone has any ideas for unusual weres I'm trying to think of a few to add to Rey's pack.

Reptar

Sorry, I've had a very busy weekend. And considering how busy things are still looking to be, I'm not going to be able to devote enough time to this game. So, I'm afraid that I have to bow out, I just hope I didn't postpone the game from starting for too long.

dresdenphile

Jacob Gunderson
Concept: Bitter Were-Swan
Trouble: Cursed to be Prey
Tall and pale, with downy feathers in place of hair, Gunderson was a proud and cruel East Coast trust fund baby and hunter. Years ago, he was cursed by a witch to transform into a swan in the hope that he would learn kindness. Instead, Gunderson has become increasingly more bitter. One of the few shapeshifters who transforms into prey rather than a predator, Gunderson has an uneasy relationship with most other shapeshifters.

Quick queston: are we sharing our Phase 3 stories with others as well? I thought that Phase 3 was our "debut" novel and it was ours alone.

Sakutian

Sorry I'm cooking something very difficult at the moment and it is demanding the bulk of my attention. You guys CAN share Phase 3 if you like, that's what I thought would work best since it means each of you teamed with the other once without any big group ups. If you want to keep Phase 3 to yourselves that's fine as well. I jsut need everybody to work out whose in whose Phases 4/5.

Edit: Just reached a break in the cooking schedule so I could actually read stuff for a few minutes. Dresdenphile, love Jacob Gunderson, I'll add him to the list of Pack members. Reptar, sorry you're too busy to join in with the game, don't worry you didn't hold anything up.

SanderJK

I like the idea of a steel dragon, rethinking my p3 to work that in. (It clashes nicely with Fae).

I can't remember precisely what the Chimera story was about, so perhaps Dresdenphile can take the lead on that, and I could finish out the story?

Setup for James McDonall P5: Spying on your own

When an unusual blizzard hit Pittsburgh, James was contacted by Dr. Meyer for a service. The trolls were stirring, and it made the doctor very uncomfortable to not know what they were up to. So he made an offer to James: Find out what the trolls are doing, and who is guiding their thick skulls, in return for either considerable amount of gold or access to all the steel an armourer could need.

dresdenphile

Phase 4:
Rush Week
Guest Starring: Dr. Frederick Meyers

When several college coeds are mauled and infected with lycanthropy by what appears to be rogue weres, Rey Nardo investigates to keep his pack safe. After meeting Dr. Frderick Meyers, this werefox learns that appearances aren't always what they seem. Can Rey and the Dr. find the person or thing responsible before the next kegger becomes a bloodbath?

Sakutian

Hey Sander I just want to say I love the story of Spying on Your Own, I like how you tied it to your dragon being a steel dragon. Very nice. Glad to see people are talking and working on their aspects.

Radical Ans

I'm getting a Cyril Wecht vibe with Dr Luke Carson

Rainfall

Okay, so I'm seeing a little bit of confusion in the Phase 3/4/5 section. It was my understanding that everyone wrote a Phase 3, then the Guest Star phases have you showing up in other people's Phase 3 stories.

The idea of writing a different story for each one is cool, though. It also makes a decent amount of sense considering that our characters are Submerged and fairly established.

Long story short, Pneumatic Horseman, finish up your Phase 4 so me and Dr. Meyers can do Phase 5!