Here's the opening story of the game, to whet the naughty appetites of the closet LARPERs running about bulldrek.
Shameless self promotion over. Thanks for yer time.The once pristine desert lay scarred by encroaching suburbia. Housing developments with names like Sun Country and Mountain Vista spread like unchecked cancer, slowly eating away at the bowels of the valley. The inhabitants choked on the perpetual smog as they drove their gas hogging SUVs down endless tangles of congested highways in the early hours of the morning to work at jobs that robbed them of their life one day at a time. When the sun no longer shines, they return home only to their homes endless hours of chores before falling into a restless sleep. They do this for what they have been told is a more “convenient” life.
At the center of this cancer lay something that was never quite a man. While not solely responsible for the current state of the valley, he was none the less one of the more potent carcinogens in the city of Phoenix. The aquiline features of his weather beaten face hid the rancid spirit of avarice that looked out on the marvels of progress with its borrowed green eyes. It looked over the city, and was pleased with itself. It had come to think of itself as a him, as he had inhabited this fine body for the past thirty years. It was the longest that he had ever been able to stay in one body, and with the extras that this model had granted, it had been a fine life indeed. Combined with his own potent charms, the ability to warp the very fabric of reality that this chassis had been mounted with was a commodity indeed.
However, all the extras afforded by this model did come with an extra hassle. The primal avatar and the personality whom had wrapped itself around it in a final act of self-preservation had never gone away. Suppressed but not destroyed by Penscyth’s essence, the previous tenant had been a bothersome pest, an unwelcome houseguest that plagued it’s owner with bothersome chatter.
Other than an unwanted guest for the past thirty years, business had been otherwise good. And in fifteen minutes, the largest decision since the Pentex buy-in back in 1974 would be sealed in blood, quite literally. While he abhorred working with the foul Black Spiral Dancers, Pentex’s whelp beasts had the contacts needed to destroy utterly the last vestiges of opposition that he had in the city. And while a necessary evil, it almost pained him to finally rid himself of his most worthy adversary. It secretly pleased him that it had taken such extreme measures to finally have the old cowboy eliminated. If a man could measure his success by those he counted as true adversaries, then the creature Penscyth had lived a charmed existence indeed.
As the sun set over the mountains, the psychedelic hues impossible without the sheer amount of air pollution made for a lovely end to what would certainly be a red-letter day. The rays of the setting sun illuminated the posh, but tastefully, decorated interior of Penscyth’s office. Relics of the past filled the walls, hoarded treasures of stolen lifetimes lived out by a monster.
‘Your sentimentality is endearing’, spoke the unwelcome guest.
“Spare me your whining.” Penscyth spoke out loud.
‘After all these years, you chose to rid yourself of something precious to you. It’s not like you at all. Against your pack rat nature.’ The voice taunted scathingly.
“It is unfortunate.” Penscyth replied honestly, “But he has cost us too dearly this time. His private war has cost us too many assets, and nothing comes between me and the bottom line. Not even the cowboy.” His tone was final.
“Ahem.”
Behind Penscyth stood his secretary. He knew that she had heard him talking to himself again. She was, however, worth her weigh in gold, and kept such things properly quiet.
“Mr. Lopez and his party are here.” She said.
“Send them in.”
A tall, well dressed Latino man walked in flanked by two unassuming figures. Penscyth knew better than to underestimate the individuals with Lopez. He knew full well what they were, and worse, what they served. While he could easily destroy Lopez with little more than a casual thought, the Nephandi wielded powers as formidable and foul as his own.
‘They’re going to screw you first chance they get’
Ignoring the chattering inside him, Penscyth offered a genial greeting to all three.
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.” He said with as much false friendship he could muster. He hoped that the meeting would end quickly.
Saying nothing, the small woman that flanked Lopez handed Penscyth a broken pocket watch. He recognized it, and nodded. The markings had been blasted off, leaving the once ornate timepiece scarred and broken.
As quickly as they had come, the entourage had left. Penscyth looked at the watch, and placed it carefully in the glass case on his trophy wall. It sat in a place of honor, as it deserved.
“Ahem,” came a cough from behind him.
“Go home Louise. I want to be alone.”
“I’m afraid that you have mistaken me for someone else, sir,” came the voice of an elderly man from behind him.
Turning rapidly, Penscyth saw an old man with long, white hair and a heavily wrinkled tuxedo eyeing his trophy wall.
“Whoever you are, I hope that the last few seconds of your life were worth interrupting my solitude,” Penscyth said as he mustered his power. The figure before him just stood there, unimpressed.
“Hold it.” The man said as the world stopped. “I’m not here to talk to you, spirit. Mr. Crow, at exactly 12 minutes, 43.5323 seconds past the second hour of May 16th, 1973, you managed to set a series of events in motion leading to this event by your disregard of the time stream. Would you kindly repair the damage that you caused over the course of May 14th through the point that the paradox was caused in order to avoid further discourse?” The old man grinned slightly as he finished his speech.
Penscyth tried to scream out, but his voice was no longer his.
“Of course. I am sorry to have caused any inconvenience, Master Wrinkle. I thank you for your lenient judgment, and I accept your offer of a second chance.” Spoke the voice from inside Penscyth with a great deal of relief.
“Wonderful. Then let’s be off, shall we.” With a wave of his liver-spotted hand, the room vanished. Darkness fell over both Penscyth and the other mind within him…
