Backdrop

  • district built out of containers and neglected housing blocks. Container corridors, walls and floors, leaking pipes, gang laws

Context

  • in order to be shown the way to the secret lab in the heart of container district characters have to infiltrate, they need to do something for one of three local gangs. I want this to be a kind of Mexican standoff where they have to choose which faction to support
  • Their arcs/previous deeds are making spirit of that city to “wake up”. They will need its help and I need a way to point them to something like that existing
  • Since we are going to play sometime soon, Krampus is a nice idea

Background

  • unrest in the city is making people start believing there has to exist some vengeful force of justice. Hence in container district a Krampus started to operate. It randomly appears to flail to death most naughty (adults). So far, mostly without credible witnesses nor survivors. Flees the scene on foot, but can cover impossible distances when not observed by anyone. I don’t intend to fully define what this Krampus is
  • few days ago a VTOL with shipment of MCT genetically un-modified chickens has been shot down and crashed somewhere in the disctrict. Everyone who knows how to get to the lab wants them
    • Anarchist commune wants them as food source (un-modified means those don’t require patented seeds)
    • Wizgang wants them for signing their deals (un-modified means pure auras - mcguffin, just roll with it)
    • small-fry Yakuza officer wants them to return them to MCT for clout (MCT is one of our campaign villains)
    • not many chickens survived, they can’t share
    • there was a fourth faction in the area but it got wiped by Krampus. Only a BTL hard user has seen something, but is half terrified, half not completely awake
  • Wizgang and Yakuza sent their forces to retrieve the cargo. No-one returned. Unknown to the groups, both parties were wiped by Krampus. But they of course blame each other and maybe even the commune too? Commune doesn’t really have strike-force, but definitely has clout in the neighborhood
  • Area around the VTOL has become a two-sided conflict zone (Wiz and Yak)

Plan

My idea is that whatever my players decide to do, they will in some way observe the Krampus. Mostly killing both sides of conflict. I want them to later start asking around what could that have been to get to some know-it-all saying “well, maybe it’s the spirit of the city”

Do you see some flaws in this idea? Some cool idea came to your mind?

  • @[email protected]English
    2•2 days ago

    This sounds cool! Are you going for serious or silly? If serious then you don’t even need to use the word Krampus, you could just describe it when they see it and see if anyone works it out. If not then you can definitely give a series of silly clues like finding naughty lists, hearing chains, coal dust on the corpses etc.

    • @INeedManaOP
      2•1 day ago

      Thanks! :)

      Maybe it’s just me but in our cultural circle it’s not present. I do recognise some tropes in other parts of celebrations but it’s never referred to by a name. I haven’t heard of Krampus until just a few years ago when I’ve stumbled upon some American slasher and got curious about vengeance spirit in Christmas esthetic. So I fully expect to have to tell my players “go to RL Wikipedia and search for Krampus”. And I want them to start searching around what is going on, to put them on path to The Spirit of This City.

      Thanks for the additional references. Now I’m thinking, they might find a torn off piece of naughty list with all but one name crossed out in the gang lair full of flailed corpses with coal dust. When they start searching for it, they’ll find the BTL user. Who will go amok when they hear a chain rattle