Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out

by Rob Wolff / Bodhi
[rob@v-wave.com]

Introduction: Ziggy's Story

Ziggy, a Mercurian, was originally in service to Eli. When Eli was still playing an active role in the game, Ziggy was more than happy helping mankind by showing them the Beauty and Wonder that comes from Creation, Creativity, and the simple joy of living. Ziggy was particularly taken with one of humanity's religious perspectives that had been been under the not-so-subtle influence of Eli: Rastafarianism. The interesting theological blend of old-testament conservative and new-age liberal made for a wonderfully anachronistic, creative environment. As a consequence, Ziggy adopted a human vessel that resembled the Rastafarians he had come to identify with, right down to an affected Jamaican accent.

Then the `60's hit, and Eli began to subtly change. He became enraptured with the whole North American trends, and began to think that Humans were doing more towards being creative than any Celestial ever could! Eli gladly began to lend his servitors out, in an attempt to "season" them a little, and do a little creative "blending" of perspectives. The lines began to become blurry and indistinct for Eli, and he saw no reason for binding his people too closely to any one project. As a result, Ziggy was loaned out to Novalis, who seemed to find a special kind of compassion for Ziggy's personality.

Ziggy found new purpose in Novalis' service, and as a product of the recent `60's rage, jumped on the bandwagon in Novalis' pharmaceutical plants department. The narcotic drug plants tended to be all the rage with artists, artisans, writers, and other creative types, so both Ziggy's primary interest (creation) and subsequent interest (plants) tended to mesh admirably. He'd found his niche. Ziggy was happy, thinking that he was helping people find peace and happiness, and maybe even a little creative inspiration or conversational lubricant through his promotion of harmless little plants.

Ziggy worked hard in Novalis' service, because he really loved his job. Recognizing the usefulness of such an energetic, enthusiastic, and creative young Celestial, Novalis blessed him over the `60's with two levels of Distinction. The particular abilities enjoyed by Ziggy as a result of Novalis' intervention helped him along with his particular area of interest. Indeed, there was talk about letting him take a very minor Word, related to one of his little plants. Novalis toyed with the idea, and promised herself that over the next few decades she'd make a decision on whether to put Ziggy forward as the new "Angel of Cannibis" in her department.

When Eli took his little sabbatical in the `70's, Ziggy simply became more focussed on Novalis' perspective. Indeed, he didn't seem particularly distressed by Eli's departure, and simply thought it fitting that Eli should go walk amongst the people he loved so much.

However, the 70's also brought many changes. The peace, love, and selflessness that Ziggy had worked so hard to promote in the previous decade had become replaced with the selfishness of the "Me" Decade. Ziggy promised himself that, with a little hard work, people could be brought back to the loving, peaceful society that had existed in his Age of Aquarius.

When the `80's rolled around, Ziggy began to see a new generation of problems with humanity. Selfishness had taken a whole new turn, and people's need for Peace seemed to have been transformed into a need for Escape. His efforts were being turned into a profiteering industry, worth billions of American dollars on the street in illegal drug trade. What's worse, people had begun refining the processes, and were inventing new and even more "creative" drugs that promised Oblivion and Escape more than the simple Peace and Harmony of his beloved Cannibis.

With the new decade, the `90's, Ziggy's mind has been churning with confusion, indecision, and guilt. Why has Eli not come back? What has happened to the things Ziggy worked so hard for in the `60's? What's worse, with the problems of addiction, escalated drug traffic, pre-teen Pushers and child Users, Ziggy has come to Doubt.

He's not so sure if he did any good for Humanity at all. As a matter of fact, perhaps his efforts have caused a great deal of harm! If the truth were to be told, maybe Ziggy himself is responsible for quite a bit of human suffering, violence, and pain.

Then, one night, while wandering by a school-yard, Ziggy happened to overhear a conversation between some dealers and a young teenaged pusher they were trying to promote. Something snapped inside Ziggy, and he allowed his anger to get the better of him. Ziggy beat the two dealers unconscious, and threatened to do the same to the young pusher unless he got out of the game altogether. While it felt good, in true Mercurial fashion, the violence that he visited upon the drug dealers left a stain on his soul.

With no one to turn to for solace, Ziggy's guilt and confusion manifested in a form of psychological transference. All of the self-doubt and self-loathing has been manifested in anger against the hard-core drug traffic. He has taken a liking to dishing out a little retribution against drug lords, pushers, etc. Oh, sure, maybe he was involved in the small potatoes stuff a few years ago, but this has got out of hand! Sure enough, Ziggy's gonna' do something about it, even if it kills him, or worse...

Ziggy has recently left his duties, and no one knows where to find him. He has been wandering the streets, sending up echoes in the Symphony through the neighbourhoods. Every evening he seems to find someone else to punish, but he also seems to slip further and further down a road that leads straight to Hell.

In game terms, Ziggy is generating dissonance through his Mercurial nature. He will trade his dissonance for Discord (Anger, Depression, Need) as often as he can, but he will eventually become Outcast, and finally, Fall.

 

What about the Other Side?

Well, there's a cute little team, the Diabolical Duo, who have found out what Ziggy's up to, and are doing everything in their power to promote his little stroll towards the Dark.

 

Jaxom
Balseraph Servitor of Kobal

Jaxom's orders are to help Ziggy complete his journey downwards. The Dark lord of Humour finds the irony of Ziggy's situation particularly appealing, and has dispatched Jaxom to do what he does best - lie and make Ziggy feel especially gullible and stupid. With a little pushing from Jaxom, Ziggy's guilt over his past should drive him completely over the edge

 

Sharlene
Habballah Servitor of Malphas

Sharlene's job is to keep Ziggy obstinant in his duties. Thus, he'll continue doing what's Wrong, and complete his Journey downwards. Sharlene is not particularly happy teaming up with Jaxom, but bringing a new recruit to their Side should prove a nice feather in her cap for her Demon Prince, the Lord of Factions.

 

Ziggy's Persona and Role

Book-store owner and Activist, Status 3, Level 4

In the past few years, Ziggy has adopted a permanent human role, that of Ziggy Macabee, the activist. Ziggy Macabee works out of his bookstore, The Antiquarian, where he heads a local group of individuals interested in the legalization of marijuana, as well as the growth and distribution of "medicinal marijuana" for terminally ill patients (cancer, AIDs, lawyers who suffer from terminal lack of soul, etc). His latest hydroponic crop, and his living quarters, are both located above the store in a large studio apartment that he shared with his current girlfriend, Sharlene.

While the local police are fairly certain that the Antiquarian group grows marijuana and distributes it (albeit illegally) to terminally ill patients, they are loathe to put forth any effort to stop the group's relatively harmless efforts. Indeed, if all people were as caring, helpful, and nice as the Antiquarians, the drug-trade would be about as interesting as a Sunday quilting bee. If anybody is really interested, the cops will make a point of interviewing Ziggy Macabee and warning him about the dangers of distributing large-scale marijuana, but they're not going to be the ones to shut down an operation that does so much good for misfortunate individuals. Let's face it: cops have to live in this town, too! It's best not to anger the good guys on a minor technicality like trafficing charges!

 

The Antiquarians

Surely nobody could fault such a kind and self-less group as the Antiquarians. Unfortunately, their bordertown nature led to some unwanted Diabolical perusal over the last few years. Let's face it, anybody who is doing Good by doing a little bad is ripe for some well-placed Diabolical dealings. The irony was too perfect! This, as was inevitable, proved extremely attractive to the black-hearted with of a certain Jaxom, Balseraph in service to the Dark Lord of Humour.

Jaxom posed as a dissaffected Generation-X Journalist, Les ReNaughan, working for a local magazine. He claimed to be doing a story on the Antiquarians, and the good work they were doing. His original intention was to paint such a nice group of people in such a scathing light that any support that they had from the general public would be lost. Jaxom's original intention, therefore, was simply to discredit the Antiquarians in the eyes of the general public, and make them the appear more the comical buffoons tilting-at-windmills than social heros fighting under an oppresive legal regime.

It was Jaxom who stumbled onto the fact that this group was run by an undercover angel, Ziggy. Jaxom decided to infiltrate the Antiquarians. He signed on as a volunteer. He has been spending his Tuesday and Thursday nights for the past two years over at the Antiquarian Bookstore, stuffing envelopes with seeds and pamphlets, and generally cracking jokes with his friends. He also has cultivated a close friendship with the store owner - Ziggy - in an attempt to figure out what makes this "guy" tick.

After spending a few months getting to know Ziggy, Jaxom hatched his current scheme for pushing Ziggy over the edge. Knowing that "divide and conquer" is one of the primary lessons of all history (including that of the Celestials and the Diabolicals!) he enlisted the aid of somebody specially devoted to "dividing"... he hoped that the "conquering" would be left up to him!

 

Recent Events in Ziggy's Life

Over the last year, Ziggy Macabee has taken a new partner in life - his girlfriend Sharlene. Sharlene is, unbeknownst to Ziggy, Sharlene the Habbalah in service to Malphas. It has been her job, over the last year, to "push Ziggy's buttons", and help him Trip.

Sharlene unique resonance as a Habbalah for Malphas is to make somebody take an obstinantly stubborn stance on any issue. She has been biding her time, working her way into Ziggy's confidence, and using her not inconsiderable sexual charm to wind Ziggy around her finger. She and Ziggy would often discuss the moral implications of the drug trade, the violence at the street level, and other facets of this complex web of issues. Essentially, she spent the first six months of the relationship winning his confidence, and the last six months of the relationship seeding his Doubt.

Recently, she'd taken to inviting Ziggy out on late-night romantic walks. It was during one of these walks that she guided the conversation towards the dangers inherent in the drug trade, and whether or not an organization like the Antiquarians (and of course, personas such as Ziggy) contributed to such violence. While this conversation was at its most deeply philosophical, the pair rounded the corner of the local school, where they witnessed two thugs in black trenchcoats pressuring a local junior high-school student into selling more drugs for them (Wise-guys = Paulie and Stash... see dramatis personae: young pusher = Danny Borducci... see dramatis personae). The conversation essentially involved a little strong-arm tactics to better enforce the position of the dealers. At this moment, Sharlene struck out with her particular Resonance, and Ziggy's opinions on this issue became stubbornly ossified.

When Ziggy saw the two thugs rough up the young boy, Ziggy was still under the influence of Sharlene's "charms". He failed his Will roll, and thus failed to keep his emotions in check. The altercation turned violent, and Ziggy beat the two mortal thugs unconscious. After dispatching the two thugs, Ziggy walked over to Danny, and told him "Either get out of the business, or I'll come after you next!". Ziggy then stomped off into the night to contemplate his actions. Witnessing such an amazing attack by one small Rastafarian beat-nik on two well-built Wiseguys (Paulie and Stash) made the young pusher (Danny Borducci), take serious stock of his affairs... it scared him spitless! Danny, after calling 911 and reporting a mugging at the school's address (his ex-bosses were pretty beat up!...), fled to the safety of his bedroom. Stash died of his injuries on the way to the hospital, but nobody but Paulie knows this. Danny, Ziggy, and the Diabolical Duo are ignorant of this.

After that, Ziggy and Sharlene spent the night talking about the problems out there in the world, and how "nobody does anything constructive about it". Sharlene made it quite clear that she looked on Ziggy as a "hero", and that she'd never been as attracted to him as she was at that moment (quite true!). Since this time, Ziggy has been being subtly manipulated by Sharlene in an attempt to get him to continue his actions. By now, Ziggy is undergoing nightly forays into the streets in an attempt to do more "good". He needs no more provocation from Sharlene. She is just waiting for the inevitable Fall, to be there to pick up the pieces, and take her credit. It is her hope that Ziggy will realize that everything is about sides, and that a new Impudite Ziggy could find a place in the hordes who follow Malphas. What a team they'd make, ruining the emotions of the Weak!

Ziggy has lost interest in the shop, but still attends the regular Tuesday/Thursday meetings of the Antiquarian group. He no longer feels compelled to help the unfortunate indirectly. Instead, he is spending his efforts in a more directed efforts towards change - violently revolutionary change!

 

The Diabolical Duo

Sharlene and Jaxom have succeeded in provoking Ziggy to the point of action. Ziggy is now doing things of his own accord. Sharlene and Jaxom are simply waiting for Ziggy's Fall to be complete.

Towards this end, Jaxom and Sharlene will do anything within their power, in order to keep Ziggy doing nasty deeds for a few days. Their chief mode of attack is obfuscation! When questioned, they will explain that they haven't seen Ziggy for a few days, and they don't know the present whereabouts of their friend. However, if pressed, they will resort to violence to keep helpful Celestials away from Ziggy. The problem is that their own individual ambitions may prove their undoing. They are loathe to recruit any other Diabolicals' help, just in case they have to share the glory of successfully Tempting an Angel with anybody else.

NB. This is a major role-playing cue. Should insightful Celestial Players recognize the self-interest of these individuals, they may be able to keep them from recruiting too many others to help. They may even be able to get them to turn against each other, as Jaxom and Sharlene would gladly take all the credit for the successful Fall of Ziggy if possible.

 

Part One: The Hook

The players should be introduced at this point to the fact that one of their brothers has strayed from the path, and may indeed be getting ready to Fall. This can be done in a number of fashions.

 

  1. If one of the characters is in service to one of the Archangels listed below, the character should be individually contacted by that archangel with a message indicating the suspicion that Ziggy has strayed from the path. Novalis and Eli will give a brief background of Ziggy, as well as their personal feelings of distress about Ziggy's actions. Dominic will have no such intensive background, but will instead tell his servant that he has noted suspicious activity in one of the many Celestials under his scrutiny. Thus, different players may be interested in Ziggy for different reasons, and hidden agendae may arise. No matter what, the player will be told that Ziggy was last seen at his home above the Antiquarian Bookstore.
  2. If one of the characters is a member of one of the choirs below, they could receive a message from one of their brethren about suspicious activity by one of the Celestials in their neighbourhood. Such characters will have to find out about Ziggy's history and nature through other sources. This is the most difficult and tenuous adventure hook, as it may be summarized as simply "There was a funny mugging/murder that occured the other night... why don't you go take a look".
  3. If one of the players' personal history is appropriate, it is possible to make Ziggy an old aquantance. Therefore, the character may have come to notice that their old friend Ziggy has recently dropped out of sight, and is no longer returning phone calls. Such a character's motivations may be more personal than anything else.
  4. The GM is free to make any sort of character hook they may desire. No matter what, the player will be told that Ziggy was last seen at his home above the Antiquarian Bookstore.

     

Specialized Hooks
Who is Interested in Ziggy?


Archangels

Eli -
If Eli could be contacted, he'd be the first to tell you to go and rescue this poor, misguided fool from himself. Servants of Eli will gladly help their brother out.
Novalis -
Novalis recognizes that Ziggy's current predicament is not his fault, but is instead the result of human ingenuity and greed. She'd happily take him back into the fold, so long as he can be shown the error of his ways ... and she can be saved the embarassment of future events such as these!
Dominic -
Dominic has been been looking for a chance to show the inherent lack of Faith in Eli's people for decades! If Dominic has his way, Ziggy will be hauled up, tried, and punished accordingly.

Some More Specialized Hooks
Who is Interested in Ziggy?


Choirs

Seraphim-
Since Seraphim are interested in getting to the Truth of the matter, they should be more than happy to show Ziggy that his misinterpretation of circumstances has led him astray. If he can only be shown the Truth, he can be led back to the Light.
Elohim-
Elohim's natural objectivity should lead them towards understanding Ziggy's actions, perhaps better than he understands them himself. If Ziggy can only be made to put his emotions for a brief period of time, he should be able to see clearly how to get back to the Light.
Malakites-
Look, so far as we know, Ziggy's acted honourably, right? He's just doing as he thinks he is supposed to... what he has to do to get the job done. He's righting a wrong that he thinks he's made: okay, maybe he's overdoing it a little, and it's time to "bring him in".
Mercurials-
Ziggy's one of their own, but he's turned out a little sour. If he can't be made to stop harming Humanity directly, then maybe he's got to be put down. Mercurials have a tough decision to make... do they have loyalty for a brother, or loyalty to humanity?

Part Two: Digging Around

By this time, the players should have been lead to some degree of curiousity about Ziggy, his life, and any recent events that may have affected him. The most logical starting point is the Antiquarian Bookstore

 

The Bookstore: Description

The bookstore is generally open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., 7 days a week. The bookstore is filled with numerous new-age, spiritual, and white-magic paraphanalia, as well as the ever-present background reggae music. Plants abound in this place! There are flower pots and planters everywhere, and every shelf has at least one or two small plants on it. There is a huge Jamaican flag hanging behind the till, and the entire place smells vaguely like incense... perhaps to cover up the vague smell of burning rope.

The back room of the Antiquarian contains the main workspace of the Antiquarians group. The back room contains a huge conference table, chairs, filing cabinets, and boxes filled with either packets of seeds, pamphlets, envelopes, or stamps. A huge coffee pot is always perking in this room, so there is a pervasive odour of coffee, as well as other, more earthy, aromas.

Ziggy's office contains a desk, chair, filing cabinet, and other business paraphanelia. His desk is a mute tribute to inefficiency, disorganization, and chaos! Papers, news-clippings, magazine articles, half-read books, and receipts cover the desk. There is an old office computer buried beneath the junk on the desk, but anyone who turns on the computer will find that it has been programmed to repeat the words, "Every Little Thing is Gonna' Be All Right" over and over again. The computer appears to serve no other function. However, Technophilic characters will have a heyday trying to figure out what the machine is doing there. It is, quite simply, a red herring. Ziggy doesn't use the machine for anything other than a reminder to relax, take it easy, and let things happen.

 

The Upstairs

The upstairs of the Antiquarian bookstore contains a large studio apartment. This apartment is divided into various sections, including a small library, living area, kitchen, bathroom, and large hydroponic garden of marijuana. If the players do somehow break in and explore the upstairs, they will be unlucky enough to find Ziggy not at home. What's more, at the GM's discretion (depending upon whether or not the players have been subtle orstupid) there is a chance that Sharlene will be home, in which case she will play the "freaking-out-breaking-and-entering-victim", threaten to phone the police, threaten to sue the players, etc. After this, she will contact Jaxom for a more directed action against the Players.

 

Visiting the Bookstore:

If the players visit the bookstore, they will find Sharlene running the till during regular hours. Ziggy no longer cares about the shop, and spends his time either sleeping upstairs (trying to find some solace in the dreamlands) or wandering the streets at night. If the players inquire too closely about Ziggy, they may pique Sharlene's curiosity. If this happens, she will press the players for information in subtle fashions, using her abilities sparingly. She knows that this delicate operation could attract the attention of Celestials, and is unwilling to tip her hand easily. She will be cautious.

She will mention to the players that Ziggy has left home for awhile, that she doesn't know where he is, and that she is not especially worried about him. In every way, she will play the part of the "only mildly concerned" girlfriend. If asked, she will claim that she hasn't noticed anything strange about Ziggy recently, and that everything seemed fine. Her "theory" is that he is off on a "wanderjahr", and that he is "finding himself". She will act very much the "spinny, new-age sex-kitten", in an attempt to alleviate suspicion. She will, if pressed, mention that the regular meetings of the Antiquarians are still being held, and that she suspects Ziggy will show up tonight to the regular meeting. She knows nothing of Stash's death, so mentioning this may get a mildly shocked reaction from her, that perceptive players may suspect means that she knows something about he circumstances of that evening.

Immediately upon their departure, if the players have done anything to raise Sharlene's suspicion, she will contact Jaxom to be on the lookout at tonight's meeting for any strangers who are poking around.

 

Meeting Danny

Danny has been spying on the bookstore for the last few days, trying to get a better understanding of Ziggy. He wants to approach Ziggy and apologize, hoping that Ziggy will "forgive him". Danny is genuinely concerned for his safety.

Thus, if any players have been overly curious about Ziggy while Danny has been listening outside the front door, he will confront them and ask them why they want to know about Ziggy. If the players can win his confidence (no easy feat) he will explain about his run-in with Ziggy the other night. He didn't see Sharlene off at the edge, so he has no knowledge of her presence. He also doesn't know that Stash died on the way to the hospital. Any mention of Stash's death will scare Danny almost senseless, so players will have to be cautious about how they treat this small, scared boy.

 

Danny at School:

If the players follow Danny to the school, they will see him duck into Mr. Palmer's home-room class. If they meet Palmer at the Antiquarians' Group later, it should prove suspicious enough for them to become nervous... but this is just a red herring. Palmer is a nice, liberal teacher who stuffs envelopes in his spare time for a local community service group. It is just bad luck that his student, Danny, happens to be mixed up in this affair.

 

The Hospital: Meeting Paulie

Players will have to do a little digging to find out the room number of Paulie, especially because they will have no last name for their prey. The GM is invited to invent a labyrinth of red-tape, non-helpful nurses, grumpy head-nurses, absent-minded doctors, and so on in an attempt to confuse the players. However, a small amount of effort will yield Paulie's location. Paulie is pretty mad about his friend Stash's death, but he will never let any stranger know that. He will obviously suspect the players of being police officers, and will be reticent to talk about his little run-in the other evening. If pressed, he will explain that he didn't get a good look at the person who jumped him and Stash (at this point, he has no idea that Ziggy is responsible). However, should the players make any inquiries or suggestions about Ziggy or the Bookstore, Paulie will recognize Ziggy as a popular neighbourhood figure. He will be incensed, but will not show his anger to his visitors. Instead, he will let the players leave, quietly collect his things, and leave the hospital to go hunt down and kill Ziggy.

If Paulie decides to hunt down Ziggy, he will quietly stalk him from the shadows. He has seen Ziggy in action, and isn't stupid enough to try to take him out by himself. Instead, he will go get some friends to help him do the job right (Use WiseGuy archetype, as many as the GM feels are necessary for a good story).

If Paulie and Friends are going to Attack Ziggy, they will do so at the Antiquarians meeting that night.

 

The Antiquarians Meeting

At the meeting, the players will meet the entire Antiquarians group. The group consists of the following members:

 

Jaxom acts as a sort of spokesman for the rest of the group, but will be careful not to call attention to himself If Jaxom has been alerted by suspicious activities by the players, or if Sharlene has warned Jaxom, he will gladly engage the players in conversation, if only to call attention to others in the group. He will draw especial attention, to Josie, as her reticence to discuss her outside life should be mysterious enough to pre-occupy the players. As well, should the players have visited Danny at school, Jaxom will emphasize Jim Palmer as a teacher at the local school. (Say, Jim, didn't you guys have some trouble down there at your school the other day?) As well, should the players have visited Paulie in the hospital, Jaxom will emphasize Carol Jackson's role as a nurse, hoping to draw suspicion onto her shoulders.

All in all, Jaxom will do anything he can to feed useless information the player's way, in an attempt to get them to suspect the other members of the Antiquarian's group without drawing attention to either himself or Sharlene.

Halfway through the meeting, Ziggy will walk in. He will be nervous, harried, and obviously upset. He is unwilling to talk to the players. Sharlene will attempt to calm him down, playing up her role as compassionate girlfriend. If the players become rude or hostile, however, she will demand that they leave at once, as they are disrupting the "positive energy space" and are upsetting her lover.

The GM should use this as an opportunity for well-meaning players to try to get to the bottom of Ziggy's calamity. Make sure that you play up certain aspects of Ziggy's personality, including his sense of Loss, Betrayal, Confusion, and Lack of Purpose. As well, the GM should use this opportunity to drop clues about the reasons why Ziggy is lashing out at night (his sense of Guilt), the types of victims he chooses ("Those damned dealers... I'll make them all pay!"), his sense of Confusion ("When did it all turn so wrong... or was it ever right?"), and his new sense of Purpose ("You know, this neighbourhood wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for them... it'll be safe around here soon enough when I'm done.")

Ziggy will demand, if nothing else, a few days to think about things. Even if the players manage to convince him that he is going down the wrong path, he will demand a few days to put things right in his won head.

See below for a possible confrontation.

When the players leave, Ziggy will become nervous, and Les ReNaughan (Jaxom), will quietly convince Ziggy to come over to his house for a few days. It's obvious Ziggy's got something going on that he doesn't want any hassles with, so why not lie low at Les' apartment for a few days. Sharlene will gladly help convince Ziggy to go to Les', but will refuse to divulge this information at any future occasion to the players.

 

Possible Confrontation

If the players have been indelicate enough to suggest to Paulie that Ziggy is responsible for Stash's death (see Hospital section, above), then this is the time that Paulie and his henchmen will enter. They will wave weapons, telling everybody to leave. The Antiquarians will all shuffle out, including Jaxom, but Sharlene will stay beside her "beloved".

The thugs are there for the sole purpose of killing Ziggy. They are reluctant to kill his girlfriend, but will do so if pressed. Likewise, they will tell the players to leave, but won't be particularly upset if they elect to stay (after all, they could finger Paulie in this affair...)

When the fireworks occur, Sharlene will do everything in her power to stay out of the line of fire, but will show her Diabolical nature only as a last resort. If she feels she can get away with a little disturbing of the Symphony, she will do so, but only if she notices action occuring around her that will cover her tracks. Extremely perceptive or suspicious players might notice something amiss, however, and act accordingly.

Ziggy will use any opportunity to attack and kill the thugs, if only to finish the job that he started the previous night. Their violent actions will paint themselves in an extremely negative light in his eyes, and according to his twisted sense of honour at the moment, he will see them as an enemy of the Light. Thus, he will use every ability at his disposal to wound or dispatch a few of them, particularly Paulie, and then take the first chance to flee the Player's scrutiny, and make off into the night through the window. He will then make his way to the house of his best friend, Les ReNaughan (Jaxom), where he will continue his nightly sojourns.

Sharlene will remain behind, the distraught, freaked out girlfriend. If her cover has been blown, she will attempt a confrontation only if she thinks she can win. She will taunt the players, using such heart-felt dialogue as "You've had your chance with him, soon he'll belong to Our Side", and the like. She will not willingly give up Jaxom's cover, however, as she will hope that she will be able to enlist his aid. (the best defense is an unsuspected demon sneaking up behind the other guy...)

 

Part Three: The Turning Point

From this point on, the action will depend quite a bit on what the players do. If they are smart, and remember what newspaper Les ReNaughan worked for ("X-toll"), they may use him to track down Ziggy. If the players show up at Jaxom's door, Jaxom will pull no punches and confront the players. He can't afford to have his role and cover blown by these bumbling Celestials, and will attempt to get rid of these meddlers once and for all.

Or, the players could come back the next day, and find Sharlene unwilling to cooperate and tell them Ziggy's whereabouts. If they press her, she will quietly call for "back-up". In this case, Jaxom will arrive, and a different confrontation could occur.

Or, the players having listened to what Ziggy had said earlier, know that his new Purpose is to "clean up this neighbourhood", and stake out the neighbourhood on a nightly basis hoping to catch up with Ziggy on one of his nightly missions.

Or, the players may have no idea what is going on, have no idea how to find Ziggy, and be completely clueless. In this case, Ziggy will continue to hide out at Jaxom's house, and continue his nightly forays.

 

Ziggy's Time-Line

Ziggy will have a few actions over the next few days. They will occur undisturbed unless the players intervene. Each action involves him interrogating the victims, giving him enough information to lead him to another "hit" the next night.

 

First Night:
Ziggy will attack 3 drug dealers making a buy. 2 survive, and will gladly tell inquiring players that they told Ziggy about another deal going on the next night... If the players are not nearby intervening, they will read about the news in the next days' paper.
Second Night:
Ziggy will attack 4 dealers making a buy. One survives, and will gladly tell inquiring players that they told Ziggy about the crack house they work for... If the players are not nearby intervening, they will learn about it through radio and newspaper headlings, which will provide sensationalized stories about the `Vigilante Night Stalker' the next day. "X-toll" magazine will even dispatch its best reporter, Les ReNaughan, to write an article on Crime and Modern Social Upheaval.
Third Night:
Ziggy will take out a Crack House in the Neighbourhood, burning it to the ground. There are 3 Wiseguys and 6 "innocent" people in the house, who's only crime is addiction. The 1 surviving Wiseguy will gladly tell inquiring players that they told Ziggy about the place that supplies them with their crack... If the players are not nearby intervening, they will learn about it through radio and television as it is happening, or by radio, television, and newspaper articles abou the `Vigilante Night Stalker' the next day.
Fourth Night:
Ziggy will take out a local Crack production warehouse, in which there are 2 Wiseguys, and 8 "innocent" technicians. The 1 surviving technician will gladly tell players about the leader of the drug gang that Ziggy was asking about... If the players are not nearby intervening, they will learn about it through radio, television, and newspaper articles abou the `Vigilante Night Stalker' the next day.
Fifth Night:
Ziggy will kill the local leader of the drug gang, along with his 4 lieutenants. The one surviving lieutenant will gladly tell players about the way in which Ziggy seemed so interested in who was making the major buy at the docks the next night. NB: After this point, Ziggy will be Outcast. He will be disowned by his former side unless he struggles to come back. If the players are not nearby intervening, they will learn about it through radio, television, and newspaper articles abou the `Vigilante Night Stalker' the next day.
Sixth Night:
Ziggy will sink a cargo ship smuggling drugs into the country. He will attempt to blow a hole in the side of the ship using explosives. This will be his final, climactic attack. After this point, Ziggy will Fall. He will be lost to the side of light forever. If the players are not nearby intervening, they will learn about it through radio, television, and newspaper articles abou the `Vigilante Night Stalker' the next day.

Playing It Out

I've left much after the first few days as a sketchy outline for the GM to adapt to. It is obvious that the story-line is going to be flexible, depending upon the actions of the players. Thus, in an attempt to preserve some sense of free-will along the storyline, I have left the exact action after the first few nights up to the GM's discretion, based on the players actions.

The GM should make sure that the players have at least some idea what is going on. If they've left Ziggy alone after the first night, and cannot figure out where he is, subtly remind them that he said he was going to try to clean up the neighbourhood. Then, if they fail to make a concerted effort to find Ziggy before he strikes that night, you can have them discover each escalating incident in various ways...

Should the players absolutely fail to catch up with Ziggy, stake out the appropriate areas, investigate on their own, etc., he will be lost to them after the sixth night.

Only a concerted effort on the part of the players will sway Ziggy from his chosen path. Some things the players might use to convince Ziggy are...

 

If the players fail, in the GM's opinion, to present a convincing argument, Ziggy will even choose to attack the players, subconsciously knowing that he will probably lose such a battle. His subconscious would prefer to be killed by friends for hiw own Good, rather than succeed in Falling from Grace completely.

 

Rewards: Awarding Character Points

Suggested rewards for the adventure will fluctuate according to the following factors:

 

Dramatis Personae

It is important for the Game Master to tailor the adventure to their own needs and purposes. Towards that end, I have purposely left the characters in the Dramatis Personae without Statistics, so that the Game master can tailor the adventure to his/her player's abilities, as well as the house-rules that are in place.

However, the game master should keep in mind such things as the special attunements available to the Celestials/Diabolicals with regards to their Choir/Bands and Archangels/Princes. Don't hesitate to give all attunements to the Dramatis Personae if you have experienced or powerful player characters, or if you have four or more players. As well, the GM should remember that Ziggy, Jaxom, and Sharlene are all experienced characters, with more than the starting amount of character points to be spent on various Resources.

Note: You must, before beginning play, generate the statistics and information for ALL of the characters in the Dramatis Personae, according to the house-rules you use, and the level of ability of the players' characters.

 

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

 

**Flaming Feather**

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Elizabeth McCoy <arcangel@prismnet.com>
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