When I went to Gencon in 2014, I decided to do more than just run a game for my friends. I decided to try my hand at creating and running an actual ticket-required convention game. Convention game-running was something I had not done since the late 90’s and never for a convention as large and prestigious as GenCon. I considered an In Nomine game, but by 2014 the game was out of vogue and I didn’t want to worry about rule explanations. I took an unfinished idea from my previous In Nomine campaign and adapted it to the FATE-based Dresden Files RPG. For this and next week, I’ll be publishing posts on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, presenting ideas, PC write-ups, and afterthoughts on DFRPG: The Mark of Madness. Today we start with the adventure seed, then 4 days of player character write-ups (all per-generated for the players), followed by final notes and additional images.
While the game does not reference much of the Dresden Files official fiction, the game takes place after Cold Days and some spoilers to the books are present in the adventure.
My adventure write-ups tend to be pretty loosely written, as I prefer to GM off the cuff, letting the adventure flow with party decisions. As such, while I offer clues and a final confrontation, the write-up itself is non-linear and some bullet-points may be completely skipped during a run.
The adventure is intended for minimal combat, with a focus on mystery solving and inter-party role-playing. I’ve included some notes for a possible fight sequence/action beat in the middle of the adventure, but it never came up in any of my play-throughs.
The Prologue
Detroit, Michigan. Various inhabitants of the city–supernatural and mortal–have been suddenly and inexplicably been overcome with crippling insanities. Aspects of their personalities have taken completely over, rendering the victims practically immobile or near comatose. While the amount of the population stricken hasn’t been overwhelming, the affected are so diverse that the various supernatural factions have put aside their differences and gathered some of their own to work together. The mystery needs to be solved and resolved before the Grey Wardens step in and mete out justice in their own way.
GM’s Backstory
Twelve-year-old Ryan Davis was all alone. His grandpa had passed away and his mom was always working. His grandmother died before he could remember and he never knew his father (Charles “Ash” Ashton, a half-demon [write-up to be provided in a future entry, not part of this series.]). While he had some friends in school, none were that close and he was often teased due to his Melanesian heritage leaving him with dark skin and blonde hair. Instead of people in his life, all he had were some stupid toys and his grandfather’s books in the attic. Some of which were books of powerful magics; books that his bloodline of both a witch mother and half-demon father granted him the power to use.
Ryan decided to use those books to conjure a friend. With some effort, and after some trial-and-error attempts, he brought forth Phenex. In the visage of a phoenix, Ryan’s new friend said he shouldn’t be seen by masses or else he might cause a panic. Phenex would tell the child to meet him in different places around the city; there it would bring the boy a playmate for the day. Sure, it burned out the mind of the Phenex’s host, but that wasn’t the demon’s problem and nothing Ryan needed to know–for the boy hadn’t asked.
The Adventure
It’s mid-October and frost is already in the air.
The player characters have been summoned (or ordered, depending on their allegiance) to meet late-night at the Detroit Boat Club, formerly a Red Vampire building and still disputed but marked as neutral territory for a moon. Molly Carpenter, the Winter Lady, informs the guests that, for a month–perhaps longer–random citizens of Detroit have had their minds altered, burned out, with each victim driven into insanity. This has not only affected mortals, but vampires of both White and Black courts (Red court having been destroyed and little-known Jade court not being present in Detroit), were-rats, and changelings. As each party has a stake in this, they have been selected to find the cause and do their utmost to stop it. Molly has a few names of victims (there’s likely more, but these were obvious victims and not simply afflicted with a general malady) and passes them on to the assembled; she advises that the elf is the most lucid and questioning the catatonic “probably won’t tell you much.” The list that Molly gives is as such (for GM notes on the victims, see below):
Iain Kingswell Minor talent (ectoplasmic artist), found yesterday, sits on the floor of Boston Edison home, manipulating ectoplasm into various animals. Warning: house is guarded.
Gannelon Walenski Winter court elf, found 3 days ago, does nothing but draw mazes and babble. Available for questioning at Lee Plaza Hotel.
Letty Skavis-Reid White Court Vampire, found 11 days ago. Only speaks in singular phase: “fit to be square,” but otherwise appears to function. Can be found in Skavis-Reid estate.
Julio Navarro Wererat, found 17 days ago. Appears to be in a waking dream-state, possible hallucinations/dementia. Being held in a padded cell within the Detroit Reentry Center for parole violations and mental incapacity.
Lindsey Landry Mortal, nurse, found a week ago, but institutionalized at Stonecrest Center a month ago. Uncommunicative; stares into space, has a large beach ball.
Players should begin their investigations with one or more of the victims. Close examinations of any of the victims’ unclothed bodies will show a strange brand, only about an inch or so in size, bearing Phenex’s mark (image to be provided in Part 6 of this write-up). More importantly, all of victims have some ties to various activities around the city and enough investigation should eventually point them to the fact that they were with a boy that showed up nowhere else in their individual histories. Tracking who this boy was and where he might be will be a bit trickier.
Main Investigative Options
- If they have something personal from the boy (item or DNA) (Kingswell’s car has a jacket, Skavis has hair) Hexbait can perform a tracking spell, or Bijou can attempt to sniff the child out.
- If Tony gets a read on the boy’s neighborhood and/or a mental picture of the boy, it’s possible to use standard investigative techniques (door-to-door canvasing, etc.) to pinpoint the child. Malcolm may also use his stature/looks to help prevent any questioning from seeming too suspicious.
- With more details under their belts (especially if they deduce the demonic aspect of Phenex), Jada may be able to use her Supernatural Sense (with penalties) to track a fated foe.
Possible Additional Clues
All victims have the sigil of Phenex somewhere on their body–it’s small, about an inch wide, but it’s there.Regardless of the original eye color of the victim, when they are possessed by Phenex their eye color becomes a bright amber–almost orange–some vendors/staff may remember that if questioned.Ryan’s mother, Emere, was Melanesian. And the somewhat unique trait of being dark-skinned and having blond hair was passed to him (even despite the demonic blood that flowed through his father). This makes him a little more memorable depending on the questions asked when investigating victims.
If an action beat is needed through the investigation process, one of the PCs can be approached by an NPC of their group in a tattered state and have to deal with a group of supposed hunters. Turns out the hunters are actually gang members led by a Scion named Charles “Ash” Ashton who’s going after various supernatural beings trying to track down his son. The boy was taken by his mother when he was in prison and he’s tracked them from Chicago to Detroit. As the boy is the son of demon-spawn and a witch, Ash can only assume that he’s run across some supernatural faction and Ash doesn’t particularly care who he might piss off when finding his son as he’s not sticking around once he gets “what’s his,” anyway.
Once the players reach Ryan’s home they may must face Phenex inhabiting a random passerby. Phenex can keep throwing bodies at the players or may attempt to inhabit one of players directly (if controlled, the player will be asked to play as a rabid version of their character and will be given a powers and stunts sheet to append [replace with highest] to their current powers). Alternatively, if one or more players can bypass Phenex and reach Ryan’s room, they can bind the demon within its circle. From its bindings it can be bargained with or dispatched.
The players may also need to decide what to do with Ryan; the easiest and most pragmatic solution would be to contact Molly to have her deal with the potential future problem. The more violent thinkers may want to kill the child, though that decision could spark in-party fighting and the action could obviously lead to greater reprocussions with the various supernatural factions, so should obviously be discouraged. It may also be that the players decide to hide Ryan’s part in the mystery with the desire to make him their own cat’s paw.
The PCs
Full write-ups to be provided over the next few posts.
Malcolm Baird
- Male, Nain Rouge Changeling, Wyldfae
- Allows PCs easier access into child-designated areas or slip under the radar of adult supervision, sideline stealth and muscle (via kitchen knife)
- The Nain Rouge appear as small childlike creatures with red or black fur boots. He is (or, really, they are) also said to have “blazing red eyes and rotten teeth.”
Bijou Cowles
- Female, Wererat
- Many contacts and eyes throughout the underground, stealth, also good at literally sniffing things out
Antonio “Tony” Tuzzolino
- Male, Psychic Investigator
- Can read the history of a room or place, also pretty observant in general
Yolanda “Hexbait” Nieves
- Female, Sorcerer
- Jugalette, member of “Dark Carnival” ICP-based supernatural & gang-banger faction
- Has lore and various spells (tracking among them)
Zion Cross
- Male, White Court Vampire (House Skavis-Reid, Despair)
- White Court operates in Detroit, but lives in Grosse Pointe
- Has contacts and finances at disposal–can get the PCs into just about any location (some lore and magic)
Jada Taft
- Female, Valkyrie
- Provides lore and intimidation factor for group, also has tracking abilities
Taylor Warner
- Male, Hardcore Biker and Fomor Lackey
- Best muscle for group, ups any intimidation-style investigations
Donny Brooks
- Male, Black Court Initiate
- Best stealth and finesse for group
General NPCs
Molly Carpenter
Following the events of Cold Days, Molly has become the Winter Lady, but she still has some roots in the Midwest and a good knowledge of how Grey Cloaks can impose their will. Her goal is for the supernatural communities to police and control themselves, avoiding new wars.
Ryan Davis
The twelve-year old offspring of a half-demon and Melanesian witch. He lives practically alone in Millennium Village (a neighborhood of Detroit, MI). Through his bloodlines he has the potential to be a powerful magic user and has conjured Phenex.
Phenex
Phenex is a demon who often disguises himself as a phoenix and sings sweet notes with the voice of a child. A poet and great orator, Phenex seems pleasant enough but behind his voice lurks a siren’s song. While he appears to serve his conjurer faithfully, he is a master manipulator, seeking knowledge and power. He was conjured by Ryan Davis and sees great potential in the boy. Eventually, he will want the boy to do his bidding, but, for the time being, is content in being a playmate, inhabiting a body with little regard to whom the individual is and their state of mind once he leaves.
Snowclaw
Snowclaw is a yeti designated as a guard for Gannelon Walenski, should the PCs wish to question the elf victim. He was recently injured by some hunters in Detroit. While he believes the hunters were general “treasure hunters” seeking components or fur for sale, they were actually sent by the father of Ryan Davis, who is trying to locate his son. Snowclaw’s purpose is to establish more action for groups that prefer combat beats.
Emere Davis
Ryan’s mother, Emere may be investigated by the PCs. If so, they’ll find that she works full restaurant shifts as a sous chef at Andiamo, an upscale dining establishment along the riverfront. Her shifts tend to last from 6am until 11pm, leaving her little time to spend with her child. While her grandfather was a warlock, and she and her son Ryan have magical aptitude, Emere herself does not practice magic and is largely ignorant to the supernatural.
The Nain Rouge
Malcolm Baird’s father, the current Nain Rouge, is a Wyldfae who typically works at the behest of the Erkling. He may make an appearance to ensure that Malcolm stays on task or as a method of prodding the PCs to the next clue. Red-skinned and wild-eyed, the Nain Rougue may help the PCs, but he is not nice. He will ridicule, mock, and do all but physically provoke the PCs should he appear in the game.
Victim Details
Iain Kingswell
The Boston Edison Historic District of Detroit is home to thousand dollar mansions, it’s a nearly-empty neighborhood of crumbling decadence. It also features the home of Iain Kingswell, ectoplasmic artist (not an ectomancer, Iain has the odd ability to shape and animate ectoplasmic goo). Should the players arrive at the house, they may be attacked by zoo animals in ectoplasmic form–claws won’t cut and teeth won’t tear, but they can do blunt force damage. Once the creatures are dispatched they’ll find the non-verbal Iain Kingswell, sitting on the floor of his living room, surrounded by large, nearly-empty jars of ectoplasmic residue. The man sits in his own filth, absently mutating goo into various animals–all zoo creatures.
The history of Iain’s living room may provide one or more details: a bright flash and mental combat between the talent and something powerful; a child entering the building, then walking hand and hand out with something that looks like Kingswell but isn’t quite; non-Kingswell entering the room, alone, followed by a bright flash and Kingswell collapsing, only to get up and start playing with all the jars of ectoplasm.
Kingswell’s car (an 80’s Cadillac Fleetwood Braum) is in the driveway. The backseat contains a child’s jacket, a torn stuffed elephant, and a Detroit zoo semi-deflated balloon. Under the driver’s seat are ticket stubs for the Detroit Zoo: one adult, one child. Cars are very tricky, but a superb+ roll may yield the following: Kingswell and a male child, talking about favorite animals–Kingswell’s voice is high-pitched and wavers in a sing-song manner; a glimpse of a street crossing–Michigan Ave and 17th St. (Millenium Village)
Gannelon Walenski
(This is where I try to focus the group to start the investigation as he presents the most clues; Walenski has a car rental in his name [un-returned] and credit card receipts will show that he attended Scarefest Scream Park 5 days ago.)
The elf, Gannelon Walenski, was found 3 days ago and is in a room at the abandoned Lee Plaza Hotel. Outside the room a yeti caretaker named Snowclaw awaits the players. The yeti seems a bit worse for wear: One eye is a little puffy and his arm is in a sling. A polearm leans on the wall by his chair. He won’t have much to say beyond, “he is infirm and awaits your questioning before we take him to the Arctis Tor realm for treatment… or holding.” If asked if the elf can be cured, Snowclaw will express doubts, “I’ve naught seen such mental devastation.”
If Snowclaw is questioned about his infirmities, he’ll mention that a few hunters followed him into town–probably bagging preternatural and magical beings for either trophies or to carve up bits for sale on the black market. Snowy was shot a few times. He was nearly caught in a factory but managed to get away. As an aside he’ll flex his muscles and mention, “Even squashed a head or two on my way out.”
Walenski’s room is covered in etchings of mazes and spirals. “I’ve been over and through and over again, but I can’t find a way out of my mind,” he complains. (I gave a FATE point to whomever quips that he’s already out of his mind.) “A drive, a scream, and back again… It always goes back again but to where? From where? I just can’t figure it out.” That’s the most lucid info they’ll get from the victim. He returns to the wall, drawing a new maze.
Letty Skavis-Reid
Letty the eldest offspring of Eva and Stefan Skavis-Reid (a small, off-shoot house of Skavis), though it’s always been her brother, Julius, who was next in line to lead the family. The house, however, is not pleased with the loss of any family member. Letty is in her room, carefully monitored by servants. She appears to go about daily life in an almost mechanical manner, uttering “fit to be square” from time to time. If questioned her responses will have varying inflection, but will always be the same phrase. Letty has black hair, but observant PCs may notice some blond hair stuck in her locket; if questioned about it her “fit to be square” will be confused but laced with fear.
For the mortals of the party and proper Detroit residents (especially Bijou, Tony, and Hexbait), they may remember that this is the slogan for Buddy’s Pizzeria; a chain of pizzerias throughout the Detroit area. There is a location in a nearby strip mall, but the original Buddy’s location is in Detroit on Conant and Six Mile Roads. If checked, the strip mall (or any other chain) location reveals nothing, but traces of Letty and a child can be found at the original location.
Julio Navarro
Formerly the Ryan Correctional Facility, the Detroit Reentry Center is located in eastern Detroit, adjacent to the Mound Correctional Facility. If the players do manage to find a way in and can speak to Julio, he will fall to his knees, cowering and weeping–calling the players demons and begging them to end his torment. If somehow calmed he will still see the players as demons but may talk about his hell of lasers, chases, and slime tornadoes. The players may (or may not) work out that everything he refers to is a kid’s ride and the “slime bucket” is a signature ride of Zap Zone. Of all the victims, he is the hardest to question and provides the fewest amount of clues. It’s possible that Bijou will ask her wererat “family” about him. They will relay that he speaks of demons but is otherwise incomprehensible–they do worry they may have to kill him for the safety of the nest.
Lindsey Landry
If visited, the group will first have to deal with hospital bureaucracy or discover the room number and sneak/force past. Lindsey can be found in a standard patient’s room (#1408), where she sits on a large, semi-deflated beach ball, staring into space. If her family is contacted or the Henry Ford Hospital is investigated, it will be revealed that Lindsey was working the late shift and didn’t come home in the morning as normal. Her parents provide more info than the hospital. Lindsey did return home just as her parents were starting become very concerned but before they reached out to any official authorities. Upon entry she carried the ball and just sat on the couch, staring. Doctors were called in and a few days later she was admitted to Stonecrest. She will eat if fed, but even if food is just put in front of her, she’ll ignore it.
If the ball is taken away, Lindsey will begin to cut herself or find other ways to self-mutilate. The ball was only taken from her once, for a small stretch of time, to wash and disinfect it, as it had pond scum on in (as did her shoes and clothes at the time). This may lead to the revelation that she always loved Merrill Fountain, not that it’s been much of anything to look at since before she was born.
The Playdates
Below is the chronological order of the victims that Phenex has possessed and where they went with Ryan.
Lindsey Landry
Lindsey never came home the morning after her shift 31 days ago. Instead, she was taken by Phenex. She was actually the first victim of Phenex, but due to the lack of supernatural standing, it was only within the past week that she was discovered and believed to be a similar victim of the spreading madness. She took Ryan to what used to be her favorite park, Merrill Fountain. The fountain is still there, but water no longer flows through it. Recent rains when she took Ryan made the surface of the fountain a little slick and scummy, but the two had a fun time playing with a beach ball. Ryan walked himself home, and Lindsey was left wandering the park, in a semi-conscious state. By sheer habit, she walked herself home over the course of a few days, but that appears to have drained the last of her mental stamina.
Julio Navarro
Almost a month ago, Julio Navarro was possessed. His day consisted of giving Ryan a ride on his motorcycle and taking him to Zap Zone in Taylor, Michigan (a suburb just southwest of Detroit), playing laser tag and riding in the “Slime Bucket,” a signature take on the teacup ride. Under the possession of Phenex, he then took Ryan back home and rode off. His mind broken once Phenex left, he was found by police wandering the streets. Having already been on parole violation he was taken in, but do to his mental state he was taken to the Menal Health Services of the Detroit Reentry Center. His wererat family, including PC Bijou Cowles, are aware of his condition and location, but do not know the cause. They keep an eye on him mainly to make sure he doesn’t transform in front of anyone, but have little power to help the PCs question him. Bijou was sent by the wererats to determine the cause and if he can be restored.
Letty Skavis-Reid
Letty was possessed by Phenex 14 days ago. She simply walked out of her home, took the car, and picked up Ryan. Together they went driving around the city, eventually ending up at the original Buddy’s Pizzaria location on Conant and Six Mile Roads. Ryan drank a lot of root beer and Phenex, in Letty’s body, made fart noises to the boy’s amusement. She then returned Ryan to his home, drove to her estate, walked into her room and was released by Phenex. It took a few days before the family realized something was wrong. Letty does not leave her room and simply repeats the phrase “fit to be square,” softly under her breath. Zion Cross, the house’s majordomo, was sent to help organize (and potentially lead) the investigative “ground crew.”
Iain Kingswell
Though he was the most recently discovered victim, the ectomancer is not the most recent affected victim of the discovered. A week ago, he was possessed and took Ryan on a full-day trip to the Detroit Zoo. Ryan had such a full day with Phenex in Iain’s body that he fell asleep in the back seat of the car. When the possessed Iain returned Ryan to home he took the child to bed and neglected to gather any items left by Ryan in the Cadillac. Iain was returned to his home before Phenex left his body–the demon was not so neglectful to leave evidence of possession directly in front of the child’s home.
Gannelon Walenski
Five days ago, the elf Gannelon Walenski was possessed, rented a car, and took Ryan to Scarefest Scream Park, northeast of Detroit. There, the two rode some of the carnival rides, ate candy, and drank soda. And attempted to find their way through the Terror Zone Maze, Detroit’s most disorienting haunted maze.
…End of Part 1…
This ends today’s entry. This coming Wednesday, I’ll provide full write-ups of two PCs. Then, two more on Friday, two more next Monday, the final two the following Wednesday, and, finally, images and my experiences running my adventure on Friday, February 3rd.
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