Rough Magic 4e EN:Setting

Contents

Camaret-sur-Mer

In Bretagne, at the northwest tip of France in the Franco-Prussian Empire, lies the appropriately-named region of Finistère, or "Land's End". At its far west tip, on a rocky base of sandstone known as the Peninsula of Crozon, rests the city (commune in French) of Camaret-sur-Mer.

Camaret-sur-Mer is the setting of Rough Magic, a film noir role-playing game of magic, mystery, and guns. Fog enshrouded cobblestone streets wind between Camaret-sur-Mer's tall art deco and gothic skyscrapers, and mysterious figures skulk beneath gargoyles, ornate ledges, and other architectural flourishes. Disreputable characters on streetcorners sell cheap amulets and potions to those who want love, money, or fame. In the sky above, grand passenger zeppelins carry the well-to-do to far off ports like St. Petersburg, Istanbul, and New York. In the city below, the monorail connects Camaret-sur-Mer to the rest of the Empire, from Berlin to Rome, from Paris to London.

Throughout the Industrial Revolution, Camaret-sur-Mer grew as a commercial shipping port, handling imports and passengers from the Americas, and exporting Imperial goods, while the neighbouring town of Roscanvel became a strategic Imperial Naval shipbuilding and dockyard town. Camaret-sur-Mer is the second most populous city in France. It was not always so: since the mid 1800s, Camaret-sur-Mer has gradually expanded and annexed all of the other cities of the Crozon peninsula. Today, in 1964, they are districts of Camaret-sur-Mer. Officially, the districts of Camaret-sur-Mer are referred to by number, but many people still refer to them by their historical names.

Although Camaret-sur-Mer is urban and densely populated, it is not without its natural beauty. Parks large and small are scattered throughout the peninsula, usually within walking distance, no matter where one may be. The parks of Camaret-sur-Mer are widely varied, from sandy beaches on the Atlantic Ocean, to swamps and parklands set along fast rivers, to hilly inland countryside. In most of them, one can find strange rock formations and standing stones, reminders of the region's Celtic past.

1st District (La Préfecture)

The 1st district, commonly referred to as La Préfecture, is the heart of urban Camaret-sur-Mer. Grand passenger zeppelins glide above towers of glass, stone, and steel. Vast numbers of homes and businesses are located in the first district, and it has become one of the world's major financial centers. The monorail station here is the third largest in France; from here the monorail turns north, where it passes through Brest, then goes underground beneath La Manche (the English Channel), to arise again in Plymouth, England. The 1st district is the location of the primary municipal government; each district has its own mayor, city council, and police departments, but all are ultimately subject to the governance of the 1st district.

2nd District (Morgat)

The industrial Morgat district provides honest (if grueling) work to most of Camaret-sur-Mer's Chinese immigrants and semi-literate poor. The district is dominated by sweatshops where men, women, and children work long hours for a few francs a week -- not much, to be sure, but it's better than living in Shanghai, and much better than starving. Most of those who work in Morgat also live here, in cramped tenements clustered around the factories.

3th District (Roscanvel)

North of La Préfecture is Roscanvel, home to the countless families whose lives are devoted to fishing the Bay of Brest (Rade de Brest in French). Roscanvel is an insular working-class community with little interest in the wealthy and powerful of Sainte Barbe, and little tolerance for the hoodlums that call Crozon home.

Of particular importance in Roscanvel is Île Longue, a peninsula on the northern coastline of Camaret-sur-Mer, east of the main Roscanvel peninsula and west of Lanvéoc. This stone plateau surrounded by cliffs is the base of the Imperial submarine fleet, and as such is one of the most secretive and heavily defended places in the Empire. To the north of the peninsula are two small islands: Ile des Morts and Ile Trébéron.

5rd District (Crozon)

Camaret-sur-Mer is surrounded by docks, marinas, and piers, but the bulk of Camaret-sur-Mer's sea trade passes through the wharfs and warehouses of Crozon, on the southern coastline of Camaret-sur-Mer. Crozon is a rough district full of rough taverns frequented by rough people, and even the residents do not travel the streets alone at night if they can help it.

6rd District (Telgruc-sur-Mer)

Telgruc-sur-Mer is dominated by the peaks of Menez Luz and Menez Caon, which surround a wide green valley that stretches to the beach of Trez Bellec. Telgruc-sur-Mer is one of the oldest districts of Camaret-sur-Mer, with private one and two storey homes, many of which date to the 17th century or earlier.

Among the noteworthy landmarks are a 17th century triumphal arch with the twin statues of Saint Magloire and Saint Gwénolé, the fountain of Saint Divy (a fountain of devotion constructed in 1577, which flows into a Merovingian sarcophagus and which is reputed to have healing powers), the chapel of Lanjulitte (which dates from the late 15th century), and the church of Saint Magloire. The church of Saint Magloire was built in 1604, and was mistakenly destroyed in September 1944 by a Turkish curse. 108 people perished, and only the steeple remained of the church. The church was rebuilt after the end of the Second Great Turkish War. A stele was erected on the town hall square in recognition of Sidi Yaya Du Gharb, a city in Morocco that supported Telgruc-sur-Mer after the Turkish attack.

9th District (Lanvéoc)

East of La Préfecture and north of Crozon is the district of Lanvéoc, which is dominated by the neighbourhood of Sainte Barbe. The white cliffs of Sainte Barbe are home to Camaret-sur-Mer's wealthiest citizens. Not a few Parisians and favourites of the Imperial Court have summer homes here. About one-half of Lanvéoc's area is open space, including several cemeteries, numerous parks, the Lanvéoc Botanical Gardens, and the Lanvéoc Zoo. These open spaces are situated primarily on land reserved in the late 19th century as urban development progressed eastward. The École Navale, the French naval academy, is also located here.

10th District (Quartier Asiatique)

Wedged between Morgat and the warrens of Crozon lies the Quartier Asiatique (Asian Quarter), home to many of the city's Chinese immigrants. It is a poor but honest neighbourhood, for the most part, but anyone of European ancestry is unlikely to feel welcome here. Quartier Asiatique became its own district in 1935 when it was split off from Morgat due to that district's extraordinary growth. The buildings are a mixture of tenements and terraced houses, with many shops and eating establishments at ground level.

11th District (Le Fret)

Le Fret was once a neighbourhood of Roscanvel. It is the third most important port in Camaret-sur-Mer, but the most important port for passenger traffic. Le Fret became its own district in 1948 when it was split off from Roscanvel due to that district's extraordinary growth. Le Fret is well known for the fog which blankets its cobblestone streets. It's usually foggy in the morning with some sun in the afternoon. The fog then rolls in again as the evening approaches. Le Fret is home to many of Polish descent, whose ancestors settled here during the Wars Of Polish Unification in the early 19th century, when Emperor Napoleon I freed Poland from the Russian Federation and accepted it into the Empire.

12th District (Landévennec)

The Aulne River flows into the Rade de Brest beside the pretty village of Landévennec, home to the Landévennec Abbey (Abbaye Saint-Guénolé de Landévennec in French), the oldest Christian site in Bretagne. The abbey was founded in the late fifth century by Saint Gwénolé, and became a Benedictine house in the eighth century. The abbey was suppressed during the French Revolution, and the goods and premises were sold off, but these were later restored under Emperor Napoleon I by the Concordat of 1801. Landévennec Abbey is most well known for its extensive ornamental and medicinal gardens, which are open to the public. The village of Landévennec is politically progressive but remarkably serene, thanks to the influence of the monastery, and it has become a home to painters, writers, sculptors, and well-meaning idealists. Cimetiere des Navires, a graveyard for military and civilian ships, is also located here, on the Aulne River.

13th District (Argol)

The easternmost township on the Crozon peninsula is the largest. Many people who work in Camaret-sur-Mer and Crozon commute each day from Argol. The township has diverse housing, ranging from high-rise apartment buildings along the southern coastline to suburban neighbourhoods in the western part of the district.

Language

French is the official language of the Franco-Prussian Empire, and it is assumed to be the native tongue for people living in Camaret-sur-Mer. German is a second language for most people, and Spanish and English are unusual but not unknown (English is the most common language in Britain, but most educated people also speak French). To the south is the Ottoman Republic, where people speak Turkish: a few people in Camaret-sur-Mer speak Turkish, but it's rare. Far to the east is the Russian Federation, which is host to a wide variety of different languages, few of which are spoken in Camaret-sur-Mer (outside of small reclusive ethnic communities).

For Rough Magic, we will gloss over the language issue unless it makes for an interesting scene.

Economy

The official currency of the Empire is the Imperial franc (sometimes referred to as "marks", "pounds", or some other antiquated term). Coins in circulation are primarily silver, but are debased (mixed with common metals) so that their face amount is greater than the value of the actual metal. The face of Napoleon I is on both the gold 20 franc coin and the paper 20 franc note. Other denominations feature the portraits of famous and respected personages from the history of the Empire, such as René Descartes, Marie Curie, and Voltaire.

The minimum wage is 23 centimes per hour, and the average annual income is about 1200 francs. Gasoline is 2 centimes per liter, monthly rent for a two-bedroom apartment in a downtown neighbourhood is around 50 francs, and a new (but not luxury) automobile is around 500 francs.

Magic

The Franco-Prussian Empire was pitted against the Ottoman Republic in a bitter war that ended nearly 20 years ago. Camaret-sur-Mer, being far from the front, was spared most of the ravages of that war. Still, the consequences of the war were felt even here. Magic, which had been largely the domain of reclusive scholars and jazz musicians, played a large part in the defeat of the Ottoman Republic. As a result, the Empire wanted to make sure that it maintained a monopoly on magic after the war ended.

Practicing magic is illegal in the Empire unless one has a license from the Société Impériale de Thaumaturgie, and even then a licensed thaumaturge must be careful and submit reports of what magic she casts upon whom and why. Anyone who does not adhere strictly to the SIT's guidelines risks having their certification revoked, and possibly faces criminal charges. Those who are convicted are sent to The Keep, an ominous granite fortress built on and into an island just off the coast. Even so, the services of magicians are available to anyone willing to venture into unsavory neighbourhoods, or who have the money required for a high-class "hexmaster" to make a housecall.

Technology

Technology in the world where Camaret-sur-Mer resides is roughly equivalent to that of our world in the 1960s, with minor differences. There is no nuclear power or nuclear weapons, but there is a curse called the Ritual of Devastation that was used by the Empire to destroy two cities in the Ottoman Republic at the end of the Ottoman War. The Ritual of Devastation is an Imperial state secret, but it is common knowledge that spies have smuggled the formula out of the Empire and that now both the Russian Federation and the Ottoman Republic have it.

There are no jets, but there are large passenger zeppelins in the skies above Camaret-sur-Mer, docking at skyports at the top of artistically-sculptured skyscrapers. High-speed trains span the continent, even passing over the Alps to the Russian Federation and the Ottoman Republic. There are rockets, but these are used for entertainment rather than in warfare (in fireworks, and to power rocket-boats in races). Automobiles are expensive but fairly common, and may run on either petrol or electricity. Public transportation is provided by plentiful buses, which are owned by private individuals or companies that are licensed to operate by the municipality (much like taxis are in large cities in the USA). Buses come in all sizes, from station wagons to huge double-decker monstrosities.

Cameras, radios, and tape recorders are bulky devices, rarely smaller than a breadbox -- a large breadbox. Semiconductor technology has not been invented, meaning that what few electronic devices have been invented use vacuum tubes rather than transistors or integrated circuits. Computers exist, but they are huge, fragile, and terribly expensive. It is said that the Czarina of Russia is given an ornately jeweled computer each year on her birthday by the Faberge family, and that each of these computers is an expert on a single subject.

Entertainment

There is television (even wide-screen television, if you have the marks to pay for it), but it is in black and white. There is no rock and roll: jazz and big band rule the airwaves (other than the official Imperial radio stations, which broadcast Bach, Mozart, Liszt, etc.). Most of the new music and nearly all of the commercially successful films (which do come in "living color") come from overseas, from the Federation of American States. The Empire has placed limits on what percentage of popular entertainment created outside of the Empire may be sold or broadcast (generally 60% for broadcast media, and 40% for bookstores and magazine stands). There are heavy tariffs on foreign-made films and recordings, and thus a thriving black market for them. A significant portion of the black market consists of "hex" -- unlicensed talismans and potions, often smuggled in from Africa and the Americas.

Weapons

Civilian arms are generally revolvers or small swords, but these are worn more for ornament than for defense. Many younger gentlemen don't even load their pistols (to the disgust of old-timers who remember the "invasion drills" of years gone by), and some carry pistols so elaborately engraved and decorated that using them to fire bullets would reduce their value or even damage them. (Visitors from the Confederation of American States can usually be discerned by the ludicrously large pistols they carry.) The police carry submachine guns, most typically the Heckler & Koch MP5, along with a few talismans to protect them against ever-increasing hex-related violence. They are polite, but they do not tolerate interference in police business, and they will not hesitate to aim their weapons at anyone who refuses to do as they are told.

Places Of Interest

Pénitencier du Camaret-sur-Mer

Pénitencier du Camaret-sur-Mer ("The Keep")

Camaret-sur-Mer, Finistère, France, Franco-Prussian Empire

Pénitencier du Camaret-sur-Mer is a forbidding granite fortress built on and into a rocky granite plateau thrusting as high as 60 meters above the ocean. Originally built to defend against Viking attacks in the ninth century, it has walls over two meters thick. The castle was restored 1894-1914, and the Empire began using it for criminals too dangerous to imprison elsewhere.

The stones of The Keep and the granite bedrock into which its dungeons are tunneled are saturated with wards to prevent anyone from using magic to get in, and to keep those magicians already inside powerless. Rumours are that these potent wards require the ritual sacrifice of a few prisoners each year, but of course the Empire denies such wild tales.

Kingdom Of Great Britain

Capital: London

The Kingdom Of Great Britain (composed of the countries of England, Wales, and Scotland) was accepted into the Franco-Prussian Empire in the early 19th century, a few years after Napoleon I liberated Ireland from Great Britain. Queen Elizabeth II is the monarch of England, Wales, and Scotland, along with various independent sovereign states such as Nova Scotia and New Zealand. The queen is head of state, but not head of government. The queen's powers are largely symbolic, and political decisions in each country are made by an elected parliament and implemented by prime ministers, under the executive direction of the Imperial Viceroy to Ireland and Great Britain.

Slightly more than half of the population of Great Britain belongs to the Church of England, with most of the rest belonging to the Gallican Catholic Church. Due to a peculiar series of events in the 16th century, Elizabeth II is the "Supreme Governor of the Church Of England", even though she herself is a Gallican Catholic.

Most cargo to and from Great Britain is carried by ship, but most travelers who visit Great Britain take the monorail. The underground rail line from Cap Gris-Nez in France to East Wear Point in Great Britain was originally constructed by command of Napoleon III in the mid-19th century. The tunnel has been improved and expanded many times since then, and it was made part of the high-speed electrical monorail system, ligne à grande vitesse (LGV), in the early 20th century.

The Ministry

The British Magic Commission Police (BMCP) is responsible for licensing, regulation, and enforcement of laws pertaining to magic and its use, having been formed from the Ministry Of Magic and several smaller agencies during the early 20th century. The Ministry (as it is still colloquially called) does not report to the SIT, but they are required to adopt any "recommendations" forwarded to them by the SIT. The Ministry reports to and is funded by the Joint Magical Security Committee (JMSC). The Ministry is perennially understaffed and underfunded, and has few actual magicians on staff. Thus, the Ministry often refers magical enforcement activities to the Council Of Merlin, the most exclusive and prestigious private membership club for magicians in Great Britain.

The expenditure, administration, and policy of the BMCP are under the purview of the Joint Magical Security Committee (JMSC), which is a British parliamentary committee whose membership is appointed by both the House Of Commons and the House Of Lords. All members of the Joint Magical Security Committee are members of the Council Of Merlin. Although appointed by parliament, the JMSC does not report to parliament nor to the Prime Minister. Instead, the JMSC reports directly to the queen.

Republic Of Ireland

Capital: Dublin

The Republic Of Ireland was accepted into the Franco-Prussian Empire in the early 19th century, after France (first under the French Republic, then under the First French Empire) supported Ireland's rebellion against the Kingdom of Great Britain. Ireland is governed by an elected parliament under the executive direction of the Imperial Viceroy to Ireland and Britain.

Nearly 90% of Ireland's population is Gallican Catholic, with most of the rest belonging to the Church Of England.

Ottoman Republic

Capital: Istanbul

The Ottoman Republic is the greatest rival to the Franco-Prussian Empire. It stretches from the sands of Morocco and the rocky islands of Greece to the distant lands of Persia and Hindustan. The Turks divide their empire into semi-autonomous feudalmilitary divisions, each under the rule of a vassal prince who owes fealty to the Grand Turk, Sultan Selim IV.

The Ottoman Republic was dangerously expansionist until the mid-20th century, when the Empire demanded that the Turks remove their troops from Algeria, Serbia, and Bulgaria (all of which had been independent states until that time). The Ottomans refused, leading to the Second Great Turkish War -- a bloody sixteen-year conflict with casualties in the tens of millions. The Second Great Turkish War ended in 1945, when the Franco-Prussian Empire unleashed the terrible Ritual Of Devastation on the Ottoman-controlled city of Tunis. Every living thing and man-made object in Tunis was turned to dust. The Ottomans agreed to an armistice, and withdrew their troops from the contested regions, which were then claimed by the Franco-Prussian Empire (Algeria later regained its independence, but Serbia and Bulgaria remain part of the Franco-Prussian Empire to this day). The armistice was supposed to be followed by a formal treaty, but neither the Empire nor the Turks could agree on terms, leading to a decades-long "cold war" between the two great powers.

Russian Federation

Capital: Moscow

The Russian Federation is a vast territory stretching from Poland to Mongolia, from the the bitter Arctic to blistering Afghanistan. It is the largest contiguous empire on earth, and also the most stable. Blessed by a series of competent and just Czars, Russia and its vassals have avoided the military entanglements which have ensnarled their Ottoman and Franco-Prussian neighbors, and an uneasy peace has existed between the Russian Federation and the other two great powers for several generations.

As has been the case since the time of Catherine the Great, the subject nations of the Russian Federation have very limited autonomy. While local governments have authority to deal with local matters, in all cases they may be overruled by the will of the Russian Parliament and the Czarina. This usually takes the form of standardizing the laws across the Federation, eliminating corruption and unrest in the subject nation's political organs, and funding public works which are deemed to enhance the Russian Federation as a whole.

Federation Of American States

Capital: Philadelphia

The wealthiest nation in the New World is the Federation of American States. Barbaric by European standards, the FAS is neither an empire nor a single nation-state, but a loosely knit union of sovereign nations which are pledged to support one another in matters of foreign policy. Trade barriers among the Federated States are forbidden by their Articles of Federation, leading to increased specialization as the people of each country focus on those activities which at which they can compete most effectively. This economic flexibility and competitive motivation has catapulted the FAS from a backwater hellhole to the most affluent of the former Imperial Colonies.

Despite the apparent success of "The American Experiment", the FAS is a brutish, lawless land, where local police have little power to keep the peace and the Federation central government has no troops of its own at all. Americans are reputed to be as unruly as Spaniards, as militant as the Swiss, and as lusty as Italians. In short, they have all the least-civilized qualities of the Imperial citizenry, with none of the Empire's culture and sophistication -- little better than the savages and pirates whose attacks they must constantly repel.

The Empire places strict limits on how much may be imported from the American States. The Imperial Foreign Office has urged the adoption of even stricter quotas, due to the growing popularity of uncouth American films, music, and hex in the Empire.

Noteworthy Institutions

Direction de la Surveillance du Territoire

The Direction de la Surveillance du Territoire (DST), commonly called "the Imperial Eye", is responsible for counterespionage, counterterrorism, and more generally the security of the Empire against foreign threats and interference. The main headquarters of the DST is located in Berlin. In Camaret-sur-Mer, the headquarters of the DST is the Tour Vauban, a 17th century fortress.

The Gallican Church

The state religion of the Franco-Prussian Empire is the Gallican Catholic Church, which places ultimate earthly authority in the person of the Emperor (whose authority is, by Divine will, inviolate), and reserves to the Pope in Avignon authority only over spiritual matters. Further, papal authority is limited by the authority of the general council and that of the bishops, who alone can give to his decrees that infallible authority which, of themselves, they lack.

In practice, the Gallican Church has been a tool and servant of the Empire, promoting policies the Emperor wants promoted and denouncing those the Emperor wants denounced. The submission of the Church to the Empire has caused some to question the validity of the Church. This is one of the many obstacles to friendly Imperial relations with the Russian Federation.

Unsanctioned religions are practiced in the Empire, of course. These include the Church Of England, Russian Orthodox Christianity, Islam, Judaism, a variety of Protestant Christian sects, and a larger number of small and secretive non-Christian sects and cults. These religions have no formal standing in the Empire, and as such they do not have the political and financial support that the Gallican Church has, but they are not illegal and are not subject to official censure or persecution as long as they refrain from criticizing the Empire and the Gallican Church.

Magic And The Church

The official stand of the Gallican Church is that magic is a sin unless it is done by the will of the Emperor (who rules with the sanction of God), or it is the result of an answered prayer (in which case it is not "magic", but a "miracle"). It goes without saying that the prayers of priests, who are closer to God and better trained in what He wants to hear, are more likely to be heard and answered than the prayers of the laity. In the eyes of the Church use of magic without the sanction of the Church or the Emperor is an abomination, because it seeks to overrule the will of God with the will of Man. Such attempts are doomed to fail, even though they may appear to be successful in the short run.

War and the Church

Religious militant orders exist at the sufferance of the Empire. The Imperial Army supplies their weapons and ostensibly supervises their training, and officially it can assume control of the militant orders any time it sees fit. In reality, some militant orders are little more than fraternal organizations within the military proper, while others segregate themselves and have their own fortresses and bases. These segregated types usually have an explicit mission delineated in the charter granted them by the Crown.

There is a strong sense of unit loyalty among the militant orders, and there is a long history of them defying orders to perform great deeds against overwhelming odds. Perhaps this is why the Empire allows their continued existence.

The Milieu

The Milieu is a category of French organized criminals operating in the Empire. However, the Milieu often works in cooperation with foreign organized crime. Criminal groups associated with the Milieu work in every major city in France, but are mostly concentrated in Marseille, Grenoble, Paris, Lyon, and of course Camaret-sur-Mer. The four most significant factions of the Milieu are the Parrains (also called "the Godfathers" or "the Corsicans"), the French Maghrebi, the Pieds-Noirs (also called "the Algerians"), and the Gitans (or "Travellers"). The relationship between these factions is sometimes cooperative, sometimes competitive, and sometimes bloody. However, open warfare is rare among the major factions of the Milieu, because bloodshed is bad for business.

Société Impériale de Thaumaturgie

The Société Impériale de Thaumaturgie (SIT) is the organization in charge of regulating the use of magic in the Empire and enforcing those regulations. The main headquarters of the SIT is located in Paris.

Supernaturals

Our world borders on countless others, but we are blissfully unaware of most of them. However, two nearby worlds intersect with ours on a regular basis. These are referred to as faerie domains and the ghostlands. Creatures from these worlds are sometimes capable of crossing into ours. Additionally, our world is home to native supernatural creatures, such as vampires and werewolves.

Fae

Faerie domains overlap with our world, and are usually reachable through a stationary portal. Sometimes the portal is obvious, but most portals to a faerie domain can only be seen with Mage Sight (most of the fae have Mage Sight, but even those without it can see the entrance to a faerie domain). The fae are not bound to their domains, but they are significantly more powerful in their world than they are in ours. In a faerie domain, the fae receive a +3 skill bonus on their defense and on all skill rolls.

Time in a faerie domain passes differently from in our world. If a visitor to a faerie domain returns to our world in less than a day, the player rolls 2d6 and adds that number of hours to the time the character has been gone: that is how much time has passed in our world while the character was in the faerie domain. If a visitor to a faerie domain returns to our world in more than a day but less than a month, the player rolls 2d6 and adds that number of days to the time the character has been gone. If a character eats or drinks anything in the faerie domain, the amount of time they have been gone is doubled.

The fae usually appear human, or nearly so, but they are always extraordinary in appearance: either beautiful, or bizarre, or terrifying (sometimes all three). The fae mimic human attire and culture, but they are usually a century or two behind current human fashions. The fae appear to have a form of caste or feudal system, where more powerful fae rule as nobility over other fae. The fae vary in temperament, from those who perform small services in human households in exchange for gifts of cream and bread, to those who hunt humans in splendid pageants on certain nights of the year. The fae are notoriously quick to take offense at any imagined insult, and they are equally famous for being painfully literal when it comes to bargains and promises.

Most of the fae are the subject of a fae ruler (kings, queens, princes, duchesses, and so on), and any disobedience will have consequences if it becomes known. That being said, fae rulers are usually pretty laissez-faire about their vassals, except when they aren't.

Audacity, curiosity, freedom, and pride are common motivations among the fae.

All of the fae have the following complications:

• Oathbound. The fae are unable to overtly lie, and they must keep their word. However, they can distort the truth through careful phrasing, or abide by the "letter" rather than the "spirit" of an agreement.
• Weakness. The touch of iron is painful to the fae, and they suffer a -3 skill penalty on their defense and on all skill rolls when they are attacked or confronted with iron (steel, "cast iron", and other iron alloys do not have the same effect).

The fae often have one or more of the following gifts:

• Arcane Caster
• Fascinating
• Linguist
• Luck
• Unsettling

All of the fae have the following powers:

• Immortality
• Mage Sight

The fae often have one or more of the following powers:

• Invisibility
• Shapeshifting
• Shrinking
• [Transformation] Ray (usually Shapeshifting or Shrinking)

Ghosts

People who die under traumatic or magical circumstances often leave echoes behind in our world, although most fade away within a week. Such ghosts are invisible and intangible, and only someone with Mage Sight can see them. Rarely, a ghost will persist in our world, and some gradually learn to interact with the world of the living. Such ghosts are usually bound to a place which was important to them during their life. When a critical number of ghosts inhabit a place, the place itself may leave an echo in our world after it is gone. These are called ghostlands.

Ghostlands overlap with our world, and are usually reachable through a stationary portal. The portal is rarely obvious: most portals to the ghostlands can only be seen with Mage Sight (few ghosts have Mage Sight, but even those without it can see an entrance to the ghostlands). Portals to the ghostlands are rarely guarded, and anyone wishing to enter must simply find the portal and enter it at the required place and time. The portal may always be open, or it may only be open at a certain time, or on a certain day. Ghosts are often bound to their region of the ghostlands, and they are significantly more powerful in their world than they are in ours. In the ghostlands, ghosts receive a +3 skill bonus on their defense and on all skill rolls.

Leaving the ghostlands is as difficult as entering. The exit from the ghostlands is not the same as the entrance. The exit is always open, but it is often hidden. However, the exit back to our world usually takes the form of a visible anachronism which does not belong in the time period represented in the ghostlands.

Staying for an extended period of time in the ghostlands is dangerous. The character loses a point of Endurance for each day they stay in the ghostlands. If their Endurance is reduced to zero, they become a ghost, and will remain in the ghostlands forever.

Ghosts, when visible, usually appear as they did in life. Some ghosts are ghastly to behold, reflecting the manner of their death, but some appear entirely lifelike and normal. Some ghosts can change how they appear, depending on their mood. Ghosts are not typically social creatures, but sometimes a powerful spirit will impose its will on weaker ghosts in the area, forcing them to obey it.

Fear, idealism, passion, and vengeance are common motivations among ghosts.

Ghosts sometimes have the Gruesome complication. Even if they do not, ghosts can't pass for human in any but the dimmest light.

Ghosts usually have the Unsettling gift (it's the rare ghost that does not).

All ghosts have the following powers:

• Environmental Immunity
• Immortality
• Intangibility. Some ghosts have the "Poltergeist" modifier which allows them to affect the tangible world.
• Invisibility. However, note that ghosts are visible and tangible to anyone using the Astral Travel power, and vice versa.

Ghosts sometimes have one or more of the following powers:

• Brawn Drain or Presence Drain
• Darkness
• Emotion Control, with the "Specific Emotion: Fear" modifier
• Flight
• Mage Sight
• Mind Blast
• Possession, with the "Inhabit" modifier

Vampires

Vampirism is a magical bloodborne disease, the origin of which is a subject of some controversy. Fortunately, the disease is not particularly infectious, so that most survivors of vampire attacks do not themselves become vampires. However, vampires sometimes force the victim to drink infected blood, thus ensuring that they become infected: this is how vampire nests grow. Vampires are often in thrall to the vampire who created them. The amount of free will this allows varies greatly.

Vampires retain their human memories and personality, but they lose any shred of compassion or morality they once had. Vampire nests are usually controlled by the oldest vampire or by the vampire who has recruited the most new vampires. Some vampires can pass for human, despite their deathly pale complexion, but there is no mistaking a vampire when one sees a mouth full of sharply pointed teeth.

Individualism, materialism, ruthlessness, and security are common motivations among vampires.

Vampires sometimes have the Gruesome complication. Even if they do not, vampires can't pass for human in any but the dimmest light.

All vampires have the following complications:

• Weakness. The touch of hawthorn wood is painful to vampires, and they suffer a -3 skill penalty on their defense and on all skill rolls when they are attacked or confronted with it.
• Weakness. The touch of sunlight is painful to vampires, and they suffer a -3 skill penalty on their defense and on all skill rolls when they or their opponent is in sunlight.

Vampires often have one or more of the following gifts:

• Animal Empathy (primarily bats, vermin, and wolves)
• Blood Rage
• Elusive
• Fascinating
• Headquarters. A vampire headquarters is typically an abandoned building or a filthy nest in a cave.
• Unsettling

All vampires have the following powers:

• Environmental Immunity
• Immortality
• Night Vision
• Regeneration (but not against hawthorn wood)

Vampires often have one or more of the following powers:

• Clinging
• Command Animals (primarily bats, vermin, and wolves)
• Damage Resistance (but not against hawthorn wood)
• Hyperacuity
• Mind Control
• Strike
• Supernatural Jumping
• Supernatural Lifting
• Supernatural Running

Werewolves

The supernatural transformation of a person into a wolf is the result of a magical ritual in which the aspiring werewolf makes a pact with primal forces. Werewolves are the most common type of such shapechangers, but less common types such as weregeese, wererats, and wereboars also exist. Werewolves operate in gangs or packs, and they recruit new members who join the gang and undergo an initiation into lycanthropy voluntarily. Werewolves usually place their loyalty to their gang above all other concerns. That being said, werewolves typically embrace the mutually-supportive social structure common among canines rather than the dominance-based social structure (i.e., "alpha male", etc.) common among primates.

Werewolf gangs vary in their behaviour, but most prefer rural settings, and they are often itinerant. Werewolf gangs are usually led by the strongest or smartest gang member. Werewolves are not intrinsically evil, but they can be quite violent when provoked or aroused, even in human form. In wolf form, a werewolf appears as a huge wolf: larger than a normal wolf, but not otherwise obviously unnatural. A werewolf in wolf form retains their human intellect, but they are unable to speak or use tools that would require the use of hands.

Adventure, community, passion, and wrath are common motivations among werewolves.

All werewolves have the Weakness complication. The touch of silver is painful to werewolves in both their human and wolf forms, and they suffer a -3 skill penalty on their defense and on all skill rolls when they are attacked or confronted with silver.

Werewolves often have one or more of the following gifts:

• Animal Empathy (canines only, +3 skill bonus)
• Blood Rage
• Hard Target
• Headquarters. A werewolf headquarters is typically a clubhouse.
• Indefatigable
• Team Player
• Unsettling. Even in human form, werewolves often make people nervous.

All werewolves have the following powers:

• Bulletproof (but not against silver)
• Night Vision
• Regeneration (but not against silver)
• Shapeshifting or Alternate Form

Werewolves often have one or more of the following powers:

• Alteration Resistance
• Damage Resistance (but not against silver)
• Hyperacuity
• Night Vision
• Strike
• Supernatural Jumping
• Supernatural Lifting