Hello!!
So I posted this in the DH 1.0 forum- but I realize I am likelier to get a response here!
After watching an Anime (Soul Taker, all Credits go there), I got a really cool idea that I want to work out for the next campaign - but I am having trouble setting up the first session - I would love the help and input of other GMs.
The game would explore, and in a very meta sense, play with the idea of fate points.
It goes something like this: When Horus struck down the Emperor, the latter "Burned the Original Fate Point" - but instead of losing it, it scattered through time and space and imbued some lucky few humans with his grace and fortune- but he is not the only entity to have suffered the same fate: a powerful daemon, a Changer of Ways, in order to avoid complete destruction separated his essence and imbued it upon men and women "touched by the fates".
Since then, this horrific creatures has been pulling strings and manipulating events - hunting and gathering humans with fate points, in the hopes of harvesting the latter and recreating a material body for itself.
The game would have the players wake up and thrown in the middle a conflict between two powerful factions attempting to control, replicate and understand the fate point phenomena through kidnapping, murder and heretical research.
The two Factions:
The Saving Grace (Of the Emperor) Foundation:
A charitable organisation known for its multiple humanitarian projects - from orphanages to health-care, is also renown for its fast-response relief times. Wherever, and whenever, disaster strikes - whether through natural circumstances or armed conflict, it is not unusual to have the foundation sweep in with rapid response team to provide medical and humanitarian assistance to the victims. The group receives a large part of its funding from the Ecclesiarchy in exchange for some heavy handed missionary work.
Behind the Shadows- The group is run by Horusian Inquisitor who, through dealings with an Entity (The Changer of Ways Masquerading as the Emperor), became aware of the existence of "Fate Points" and has been tasked with creation of a proper vessel to ensure the ultimate resurrection.
He mobilizes the foundation quickly at the sight of major disaster in order to quarantine and capture "Improbable Survivors", every now and then a disaster so horrific will ensure that there will be virtually no survivors, save for some lucky who due to extreme circumstances and fortune escape unscathed.
The Hallowed:
the Hallowed are a group of monstrous mutants, each more disturbing than the last, who believe themselves to have ascended beyond the rest of humanity. Seeing them closer to the emperor, perhaps not through physical form, but through spirit instead, they direct their ire specifically at the Ecclesiarchy- and instead of desiring to conquer and rule over humanity, they want to save them by destroying the true heretics (the corrupt eclesiarchy) and spreading their teachings. The cult is extremely attractive to the majority of mutant population who find a chance for salvation here.
They too actively hunt down those "Touched by the Emperor" - accusing them of dark bargains with daemonic forces.
Behind the Shadows- An ancient Istavanian Inquisitor is responsible (And even fuels) this sect: perhaps he was present when the Changer of Ways escaped death, or perhaps he used to be an Interrogator and worked with the Horusian, he is aware of the threat that the Saving Grace Represents.
Through "pseudo-scientific biological research" and a dabbling in radical procedures, and perhaps even Tech-heresy - he attempts to replicate and understand the fate point, so as to find a way to combat the creature. Along with his mutant minions, he organizes disasters in the hopes of capturing the survivors and experimenting on them. His attempts have resulted in a number of horrific mutations in his victims, who often survive the procedures due to having a fate point in the first place. He claims that his procedure ensures that your fate point is granted by the Emperor, and not the Changer of Ways and in this manner constantly provides a stream of powerful "Leaders" for the Hallowed.
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If you've followed this far, thank you!
This is how see the campaign going:
Players awake in media-res within the conspiracy having survived a major crash, discover that both of these organisations are after them, join the Inquisition in order to rescue other citizens with fate points, before accumulating enough allies to stop the Istavanian Inquisitor and destroying the Changer of Ways (by collectively burning tons of fate points and dealing 1d10 damage per to the Changer.)
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And this is the part that I need help with!!!!
For the First game:
First Location: Saving Grace Emergency Relief Camp
Players wake up in a hospital, having survived the literal explosion of the orphanage they all lived in. They can remember but a single thing from the disaster: it was a Sister Sophia (renown philanthropist and den-mother), seemingly afflicted by madness, who engineered the blast.
As they restlessly attempt to recover, shared horrific Dreams plague them, and they catch fragments of a friendly figure taking care of them that sticks out between the otherwise cold and emotionless staff of what seems to be a medical/refugee camp- Green tents and people in Hazmat Suits.
They are wrenched awake by a cocktail of adrenaline shots only to find a torn piece of paper in one of their hands - on loud vox-casters from outside, they can hear about the destruction of their home and how thousands are dead: no survivors.
They barely have time to process this information before they look at the paper- one side, they find an address- on the other, a cryptic warning: they are coming - run. They barely finish reading it before it bursts into flames.
Virtually naked, with naught but a hospital gown on their back, no weapons or identification, they have to escape the Saving Grace Medical Camp before they are transported to the Hospital.
Second Location: Safe House.
When/If they evade the staff and make it to the address- its a safe house- that looks like a prison cell, seemingly designed to accommodate them, but no apparent inhabitant It has bars on the windows, and the door is a metallic grate (A thorough search of the hab reveals some that its been bugged?). Perhaps they are even locked in for some time- as if to ensure that they have not been followed.
The mysterious stranger who saved them eventually drops by, or introduces herself- or maybe not? Maybe the house is a test- they uncover a hidden stash of tapes, left by that explains a few things.
On the tapes- it’s rather creepy: the stranger is an Interrogator who has been obsessing over the players, they even find biological and health file on each of them... a bit of their history since they joined the Orphanage. The tapes explain that they are special, and could be responsible for great things. It’s too late for them to go back to a normal life: strangers will want them dead, hunt down eternally.
There was something she needed to confirm first- the final nail in the coffin to confirm her theory: she had to head to Sophia’s Memorial before the players woke up- of course the message has been dated a while ago, and she yet to return: something must have went wrong.
Third Location: Sophia’s Memorial.
In honor of her life, and death, Sophia’s personal trust fund built up a massive memorial for her.
What was the interrogator doing here? It looks like she was attempting to dig up the philanthropists grave – breaking and entering into her tomb... but she was attacked by someone.
The place has been cut off to the public for some reason by security forces?
This is where the players encounter the first member of the Hallowed and a mutant strike-force: here to desecrate Sophia’s grave.
In reality, their purpose is two-fold: as they have been after the Interrogator for some time. Unfortunately, they are late in capturing here: saving Grace has beaten them to it. Beating or escaping the mutants, the players have to infiltrate a Saving Grace Hospice to Rescue the Interrogator.
Fourth and Final Location for the first game – Saving Grace Hospital:
The players have to infiltrate a Saving Grace Hospital in order to rescue the interrogator, while the building is simultaneously attacked by the Hallowed.
It is only after the players find the secret laboratory/shrine where the Saving Grace have killed the interrogator (perhaps in her dying words she gaves the the passcode of a safe in her safe-house) that they become aware that something more is going on and the extent of the danger.
Back at the safe house- a man awaits the players: the Istavanian Inquisitor, who thanks them for attempting to save his interrogator, and then recruits the players officially into the Inquisition and tasks them with the rescuing on key individuals (from cataclysms and disastrous events that he himself organizes) while they remain unaware that they are now puppets in the entire conspiracy.
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Welp!
Thank you for reading all of this; it helped a lot to put these ideas on paper.
I definitively would like help padding this entire thing up! Events and encounters that could use to make the whole thing more interesting? What do you guys think about it?
Thanks again!
