Full Moon Rebellion

Jay Penn illustration

Cambria Irving’s grandfather, Gerald, is a werewolf. He doesn’t know how he contracted lycanthropy, but he’s pretty sure it happened while he was hitchhiking in New Mexico in 1972. He was high on peyote for days on end, so his memories are hazy at best. Gerald’s getting on in years, so he no longer chases down terrified prey nor does he run with a pack.  

     When he lived alone, Gerald was content to lie by the fireplace during full moons and to dream of past hunts. On rare occasions, he would limp out to the back porch, sniff the night air and let out a long, sorrowful howl. Things are very different for Gerald now.  

     Gradually, Gerald started to forget things, important things like turning off the stove and to take his medication. Gerald’s daughter, Helen, finally moved him in with Cambria and her husband, Martin. That’s when things started to get bad.  

     In short order, Martin hired an attorney to declare Gerald incompetent and was granted conservatorship. Helen was not comfortable with this, but Martin convinced her that it was for the best. Nervous about having a senile werewolf under his roof, Martin has confined Gerald to his room when the moon is full, since Gerald has no control over his transformation on those nights. In fact, he’s forbidden any transformations. Martin even went so far as to hire a contractor to install a steel reinforced door and to put iron bars on the windows of Gerald’s room.  

     All of this depresses Cambria. Although she’s a fairly typical teenager in that she is moody, withdrawn and can’t stand her parents, she feels bad for her gramps. He’s harmless, lonely and just wants have his belly scratched when he is in wolf form. Besides, as a teenager she’s a bit wild at heart and she hates to see a natural born maverick—a wolf—locked in a room when it should be able to gaze at the stars.  

Jay Penn illustration

     In an act of defiance, Cambria has started sneaking Gerald out of his room. Because they don’t want to be woken up by Gerald’s moans and growls as he makes the painful transition—changing shape doesn’t get any easer when one is 66—Cambria’s parents have taken to drinking a few glasses of wine with an Ambien chaser during the full moon. This makes it easy for Cambria to lead Gerald out of the house. The two are content to sit on the front porch, but sometimes they take a walk through the woods.  

     Cambria isn’t worried about being bitten and infected with lycanthropy. Gerald is pretty docile in his old age and doesn’t seem to have much of a fighting spirit. Cambria can only imagine what her dad would do to her and Gerald if she also started howling at the moon.  

     The ruse has gone well for the past several months, but Cambria is starting to worry. Last month while sitting on the porch, another wolf padded up to the edge of the property line and paused. Despite his age, Gerald still managed to growl and bear his teeth as the hair on his back stand up. The old werewolf looked pretty impressive and Cambria was both proud and a little afraid.  

     The other wolf dipped its head, turned, and padded away. Gerald has said that he’s not aware of any other werewolves in the area, but perhaps as he is aging another lycanthrope has moved in. For now the other wolf seems to be keeping a respectful distance. Cambria is hoping that the wolf they saw was simply a wild animal, but that’s unlikely. While plenty of weird things happen in Whitaker Cove, there are definitely no feral wolves roaming the streets.

Using Cambria and Gerald in Play  
     Characters might meet Gerald and Cambria in a number of ways. Perhaps the PCs are out at night when they see a young woman and a large, yet aged, wolf walking in the park. A rumor of a werewolf living in Whitaker Cove might also spark the PCs’ interest, prompting them to seek out the shapeshifter.  

     Charles McCollough (coming soon) has been hired by Helen and Martin Irving. They want Charles to represent them in court as they seek to become conservators of Gerald’s estate. Due to the fact that Gerald is a werewolf, Charles hires the party to look into the situation in order to provide him a fuller picture of the situation.  

     Finally, Cambria might be friends with one of the PCs. She will tell him or her that she is freaked out by the other wolf that has been checking out her grandfather. She wants to know who the other wolf is and what it wants.  

Role-playing Suggestions    
     Gerald Ervin used to be full of piss and vinegar. In the 60s he rode a motorcycle from Oregon to the southern tip of Baja California. In the 70s he lived in a cabin on the beach he built with his own hands. He smuggled pot in the 80’s and managed to father a child, Helen, along the way. He always bucked the system, so he was never able to settle down and the by the rules of “The Man.”  

     Now that he’s getting old—Gerald is 66—he lives with a heavy heart. His mind is fading and it frustrates him to no end that he lives like a second-class citizen. He just wants to run and to live free, but he can’t. He’s broke, his health is failing and his son-in-law is a prick.  

     With this in mind, Gerald should be played as a pitiable codger whose eyes reveal a great deal of sadness. He will be kind and respond well to anyone who treats him with respect and who will let him ramble on about the good old days.  

     Cambria, like many 17-year-old girls, has bad posture, doesn’t fully enunciate her words, and rarely removes her earbuds. She thinks her mom is okay, but cannot stand her dad. She doesn’t know why he’s such a control freak nor why he seems to hate Gerald so much. Her hobbies include Facebook, blowing off her homework and doing anything that might make her dad mad.  

     Cambria will be awkward and reserved around adults, responding best to young males between the ages of 17 and 20. She’s moderately attractive, but doesn’t have a boyfriend. Like her grandfather, she has a bit of a wild heart and doesn’t feel comfortable in her own skin. However, she has no desire to become a werewolf. On the subject she will simply state, “Why would I want to have fleas and lick my own butt? Gross.”

CAMBRIA IRVING (1 point)
SM 0 (5’ 5” tall, 105 lbs.);
ST 9 [-10], DX 10, IQ 10, HT 11 [10];
HP 9, Will 9 [-5], Per 10, FP 11;
Basic Lift 13, Damage: Thr 1d-2/Sw 1d-1;
Basic Speed 5.25, Basic Move 5;
Dodge 8, Parry (see below), Block -;
DR 0

Advantages and Perks
Attractive [4], Patron (Parents, 15 or less) [30]

Disadvantages and Quirks
Dead Broke [-25], Odious Personal Habit (Depressed, Apathetic Teen) [-5], Social Stigma (Minor) [-5]

Skills 
Area Knowledge (Whitaker Cove)-12 [4], Computer Operation-12 [4], Driving-9 [1], Stealth-11 [4], Swimming-12 [2]

Attacks 
Undisciplined hair pulling and slapping-9, Range C, Parry 7, Damage 1d-3 cr


GERALD IRVING (79 points)
SM 0 (5’ 10” tall, 175 lbs.);
ST 9 [-10], DX 10, IQ 11 [20], HT 9 [-10];
HP 9, Will 19, Per 12 [5], FP 19;
Basic Lift 20, Damage: Thr 1d-2/Sw 1d-1;
Basic Speed 4.75, Basic Move 4;
Dodge 7, Parry -, Block -;
DR 0

Advantages and Perks
Acute smell 3 [6], Alternate Form [78], Pitiable [5], Speak with Animals (Wolves only, -80%) [5] 

Disadvantages and Quirks
Bad Sight (Farsighted, Mitigator (glasses) -60%) [-15], Poor [-15]

Skills
Area Knowledge (Whitaker Cove)-14 [8], Gardening-11 [2]

Attacks
None


GERALD IN WOLF FORM (64 points)
SM 0 (5’ long, 80 lbs.);
ST 10, DX 12 [40], IQ 11 [20], HT 12 [20];
HP 10, Will 11 [10], Per 15 [25], FP 12;
Basic Lift 20, Damage: Thr 1d-2/Sw 1d;
Basic Speed 7.0 [20], Basic Move 10 [15];
Dodge 10, Parry -, Block -; DR 1 [5]

Advantages and Perks 
Animal Empathy [5], Discriminatory Smell [15], Extra Legs (four legs) [5], Fur [1], Night Vision 2 [2], Sharp Teeth [1], Temperature Tolerance 1 [1]

Disadvantages and Quirks 
Bad Temper [-10], Dead Broke [-25], Horizontal [-10], Lunacy [-10], No Fine Manipulators [-30], Phobia (9) (fire) [-7], Reputation (dangerous predator, everyone, all of the time; -3 to reactions) [-15], Sleepy (half of the time) [-8]

Skills 
Brawling-14 [4], Running-12 [2], Stealth-12 [2], Survival (Forest)-15 [2], Survival (Mountains)-15 [2], Tracking-15 [2]

Attacks 
Bite-14, 1d-2 cut, reach C

The Restless Dead

Those who perish in the black waters of Whitaker Cove have a disturbing habit of returning to exact hate-filled vengeance upon the living. The attacks always occur at night and target lone individuals.

THE RESTLESS DEAD
They "live" to throttle the living

Good (+2) at: Spreading terror, choking the life out of lone victims
Bad (-2) at: Pretty much everything else

Stress: [_][_]

Notes: When one of the restless dead rises from its watery grave, the event can be terrifying for anyone unfortunate enough to be present. At the start of the scene, the GM should roll 6 dice. (4 dice for its attack modified by two dice more for its affinity for spreading terror.) The attack is not a physical one, but still targets the stress track of the victim as it represents emotional trauma.

A player can defend normally, or perhaps they can voluntarily  take themselves out of the scene (earning a Fate point in the process) and perhaps dictate that they flee in gibbering, wailing terror.

Video Note: Fender Squire running through a Catalinbread Belle Epoch into a Vox AC4. One of the reasons for my prolonged blogging absence was a partial tear of my right ACL I suffered while surfing. I spent nearly 18 months rehabbing and trying to get back into form, but sadly my days in the water are over. It's been a crushing blow, but to help me cope I picked up the guitar. It's not a total loss, I guess. :)

Troubled in Their Dreams Again

When the weather turns foul, the citizens of Whitaker Cove, a quiet fishing village in the Pacific Northwest, suffer. The phenomena is well-documented in various metaphysical and paranormal journals.

     One form of torment that the residents endure are bad dreams that portend their deaths. On more than one occasion, the dreams have come true. Skeptics have dismissed such incidents as coincidence, but the wise know that it's better not to scoff.

     The next time the wind howls and the heavens open up to unleash a torrent of rain, roll appropriate dice to select one of the investigators in the campaign. Next, have that investigator roll 1d6 to determine the kind of prophetic dream he or she experiences. The nightmare depicts the character's demise, so the table below will determine the cause of death. Feel free to elaborate on the dream during play.

Bad Dream
roll 1d6
1. The character drowns in turbulent waters.
2. The poor soul is burned to a crisp in a fire.
3. A terrible car accident claims the investigator's life.
4. The PC dies from a gunshot wound.
5. A ferocious beast tears the character to pieces.
6. The investigator falls from a great height.

     The dream should factor into play at a later date. The next time the character is in a stressful situation where the key element from his or her nightmare is present, that element should be represented by an Aspect. The game master should then tag/compel that Aspect to heighten the drama.

     For example, if the investigator is having a violent encounter on a boat, the game master could add "Watery Grave" to the scene and inform the investigator that he or she is reminded of a bad dream that foretold death by drowning.

Video Notes: I found some cool footage online and recorded a guitar part over it. I think it came out okay. I'm playing a Fender Modern Player Short Scale Telecaster though a Catalinbread Belle Epoch delay pedal into a Vox AC4 tube amp.