The Event Horizon from 'Event Horizon' (1997)

 'I thought it said "liberate me" - "save me." But it's not "me." It's "liberate tutame" - "save yourself." And it gets worse.'

A ghost ship in space, the Event Horizon's maiden voyage took it to someplace...else. When it returned, it wasn't simply a ship anymore, it was a living conduit to a realm of chaos and evil. Determined to take the crew from the rescue ship Lewis and Clark back to the hellish dimension it escaped from, the Event Horizon was the monster of the movie.




The Event Horizon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Type: Space Cost: Un (100) Control: Rm (30) Speed: Cl3000 Body: Am (50) Hull with breakaway areas that are In (40), Protection: Rm (30) in most areas.

In addition

R: Rm (40)
I: Am (50)
P: Mn (75)

Karma:165
Popularity: 40 (By 2047, everyone has heard of the Event Horizon's failed maiden voyage but are not aware generally of its return).
Resources: N/A* (See Below)

Talents:
The Event Horizon is a starship, but has gained a unique talent: Mystic Origin*


Powers:
Possessed Starship The Event Horizon was armed with a prototype gravity projector, allowing it to 'warp' space around it. Instead of traveling to its intended destination of Proxima Centauri, the ship was instead sent to 'a realm of chaos and evil (hell)'. The travel changed the nature of the ship, granting a malevolence armed with supernatural powers. The ship has the following abilities:

• Gravitational Warp Drive: As per the speed of the ship, the Event Horizon can travel great distances and even dimensions. The gravity drive requires a recharge period, and can be activated either by the pilot or the Event Horizon itself. The central drive also can send individuals to the hell-dimension by engulfing them in the black viscous material that powers the drive.
• Telepathy: The Event Horizon has telepathic abilities, allowing the ship to read the thoughts of those present and draw upon memories, no matter how personal or private. The ship is considered to have Mn (75) telepathic powers within itself, and can broadcast to specific individuals with much longer range (Up to Shift X to its creator).
• Hallucinations*: Once the Event Horizon has uncovered fears, dark secrets, or guilt about an individual, it tortures them with images and memories of those truths. The Event Horizon can make an individual relive those moments or create new horrific images capable of driving individuals to madness or murder. Event Horizon's ability to do this is Monstrous (75)
• Environmental Control: Interior: The Event Horizon has complete control over its interior environment, creating flames and other standard starship environmental hazards. The Event Horizon is considered to have Rm (30) environmental control over itself, with certain conditional situations (See Limitations).

Although not specifically shown or stated, it is possible that the Event Horizon has other 'abilities' gained from its turn in hell. In addition, the Event Horizon act as a conduit, and those passing to that dimension can be 'transformed' by the experience (As seen by Doctor Weir).

Contacts:
Theoretically, the Event Horizon has no contacts, although it could be suggested that the creator of the Event Horizon, William Weir is a contact.

Limitations:
The Event Horizon is bound by several key Limitations:

• Bound by a hellish purpose: The Event Horizon's entire goal is to draw others to it and then transports them to hell or attempts to have them kill themselves. The Event Horizon is an elegantly evil trap, and does not attempt to change or deviate from this purpose in any way.
• Still A starship: Despite its unique situation, the Event Horizon is still just a starship, and is bound by the physical aspects of itself including being overridden at times and bound by regular physics while in 'normal' space. The Event Horizon cannot change its shape or do something that a ship couldn't normally do.
• Enabler: The Event Horizon cannot act simply to kill someone, it is bound by certain rules it would seem. The Event Horizon can drive people to madness and evil, but it cannot outright kill them, often requiring the victims to kill themselves or having an agent (such as Doctor Weir).

Rose Red from 'Rose Red'

 Houses... are alive.

F: N/A
A: N/A
S: N/A
E: N/A
R: Gd (10)
I: Am (50)
P: Am (50)

Health: N/A
Karma: 110
Popularity: - 15
Resources: See Below*

Talents:

N/A

Powers:

Psychic Node: Rose Red sits upon and has become a psychic node which draws on the misery, misfortune, and psychic powers of those inside to 'power itself'. As the land that Rose Red was built on had a history of blood, so does the house, ranging from suicides to disappearances to murders. Rose Red possesses the following attributes and abilities derived from itself, including:

• Micro-Environment: As it was said in both the mini-series and the later 'Diary of Ellen Rimbauer', Rose Red is its own micro-environment, capable of altering itself or animating objects on its grounds with Rm (30) ability, depending on the amount of psychic energy present. For every level of psychic energy (Psyche) above Good (10) that enters Rose Red, Rose Red gains a +1cs rank to its ability. Rose Red begins at Gd (10), and increases to a maximum effect of Am (50)
• Psychic Vampirism*: While not specifically stated, Rose Red represents a psychic vampire in the truest sense of the word, requiring psychic energy and/or lifeforce to continue existing. Rose Red not only feed on those present, it will occasionally abduct individuals and incorporate them as 'part of the house', becoming in turn manifestations of the house and existing in a similar state. Rose Red does this with the same power as the micro-environment
• Regeneration*: Rose Red 'regenerates' damage depending on the amound of psychic energy inside of it, and can restore itself to perfect condition depending on the level of energy it possesses.
• Telepathy: Rose Red is considered to have Pr (4) telepathy, and can interpret or 'read' individuals to understand their motives, desires, and fears. Rose Red will often use its micro-environment to ensnare individuals inside itself.
• Thralls: For lack of a better word, Those ensnared or who die in Rose Red become thralls to it, either suffering an undead state or existing as puppet-controlled spirits. Rose Red has many such thralls, including most of the psychic investigators, Ellen Rimbauer, April Rimbauer, Sukeena, and a host of others. These Thralls can be harmed, as the still 'living' ones are withered and corpse-like. The Thralls will exist so long as the house is standing. Thralls have the following attributes:
  F: Pr (4) A: Pr (4) S: Pr (4) E: Pr (4)* (Depending on Rose Red's current power levels), R: Variable I: Variable P: Variable, though never higher than -2cs of Rose Red's current Psyche.
• Growth: Rose Red continues to grow depending on the psychic power it possesses, capable of continuing its 'construction' with Fe (2) ability. When fully powered (at the Am (50) level) Sounds of active construction can be heard. Rose Red is limited to the plot of land it currently possess, but can reshape itself internally any way it sees fit.
• Structural abilities: While the house has no FASE, it is considered to be made of Gd (10) and Ex (20) materials, and is approximately four to six areas in diameter.

Contacts:

None

Limitations:

• Limited to location: Rose Red is bound to its location, and cannot move further nor expand past its borders. In addition, if Rose Red remains comatose, Rose Red can simply be torn down, although the powers which drive Rose Red are tied to the land. It is possible an exorcism could affect it (Although in the novel 'The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer', this was not successful.
• Drive to expand: Rose Red is in constant need of expanding and growing, requiring psychic energy to do so. As such, Rose Red is constantly need of psychic energy, and will tempt, terrorize, or kill those it needs to.
• Reputation: Rose Red has a high negative popularity due to the fact of its reputation.

The Overlook Hotel from 'The Shining'

“Sometimes human places, create inhuman monsters.” 

 


The Overlook Hotel is not a traditional monster per say, instead operating on a different sort of characteristics. The material strength of the hotel's main body is Ex (20), being comprised primarily of stone and timber. The hotel is heated through an immense boiler system located in the basement, and can be run in the winter by a single caretaker. The land on the hotel has a dark history, and acts as a spiritual vampire, requiring additional energy to sustain itself. The effects of the Overlook are as follows:

• Negative Energy Sponge: The Overlook seems to draw dark energy to it, granting it the ability to act through agents and/or spirits that have become victims. For every negative karma event that happens on the grounds, the Overlook gains x2 positiveKarma, which will then be used to 'build up' it's RIP scores. If the events are performed by mystics, those with psychic abilities, or those who are sensitive to such things, the Overlook gains x4Karma. The Overlook stores this energy to maintain its other effects, as well as grant itself greater control over the events that occur within its walls.
• Spirit Animation: The Overlook maintains the darkest of the spirits who have died on the grounds, granting them a semblence of their former lives. The Overlook effectively is using the spirits to promote its own actions, although several of the spirits seem to have greater power and personality. As such, the Overlook is considered to have anywhere between Gd (10) and Am (50) spirit animation, depending on how much energy it has drawn out.
• Hallucinations*: The Overlook can generate hallucinations, such as forcing individuals to see walls of blood, animating topiary animals (In the beginning...) to stalk prey, make individuals see ghostly visages or horrifying murders, and other events. The Hallucinations begin at Pr (4) and can go as high as Am (50) intensity, depending on the relative negative energy within the Overlook.
• Emotion Control*: The Overlook can manipulate the emotional states of the individuals who stay within the walls, granting it the ability to do two things: 1. Lower the effective Intuition of a specific target up to -4cs through a prolonged process. 2. Cause individuals great emotional distress and therefore make them more capable of causing individual negative karma actions, thus feeding the Overlook, causing an Intuition check against a Gd (10) intensity. The Overlook will select individuals to manipulate based on several criteria: Those who have limitations such as Dark Secret or are prone to negative actions, those individuals with bad history or are prone to violence, and those that have blood on their hands and are prone to negative activity.
• Animate Object: Once the Overlook has over 200 points of energy, it gains the ability to actually animate the topiary garden as well as other objects and/or spirits within its walls, granting them form and substance. Such damage caused by those objects will be real damage, unlike the hallucinatory damage that might have been done previously.
• Bonus effects against psionics: The Overlook can do real damage against psionically powered characters, allowing the Overlook's Hallucinatory effects to be real, rank of damage depending on the amount of negative energy that has been absorbed (As seen with Danny Torrance in room 217).

Limitation:
Negative Energy Dependency: The Overlook requires negative energy in order to maintain its powers and abilities. Without it, the Overlook is effectively inert (Allthough psychics will see and feel the residual negative energy of the place). For the Overlook to become active, it either needs a negative event (such as intentional harm or murder) or will require a psychic of Ex (20) psyche or better to enter the premises unguarded (IE Fail a psyche FEAT).

Caretaker: Despite it all, the Overlook cannot physically maintain itself nor can the spirits inside of it physically manifest themselves to dump the boiler or make repairs. Due to the ancient nature of the boiler downstairs, it must be physically dumped every day or risk explosive results due to pressure. The Overlook will attempt to see to its own continuity first.

Overzealous: The Overlook and the spirits within it tend to be overzealous in the attempt to gain more energy, and suffer a -2cs to reason FEATS when closing in on 'food', forgetting specific facts such as the need for the boiler to be dumped, etc.

Enemy: Danny Torrence: Little Danny Torrence is considered an 'enemy' of the Overlook (as well as a much desired target). My Write-Up of Danny Torrance as his adult version from two years ago (But not including the Dr. Sleep era)

Count Carl Von Bruno and the Black Castle from 'The Black Castle'

“Doctor, you're an expert on medical science. Isn't it true that the Ancient Romans were pain worshippers”

Carl Von Bruno 
 
F: Gd (10)
A: Gd (10)
S: Gd (10)
E: Ex (20)
R: Gd (10)
I: Ex (20)
P: Gd (10)

Health: 50
Karma: 40
Resources: Rm (30)
Popularity: 15/-5 (Among the courts of Europe/Amid his own subjects and enemies)

Talents:
Count Von Bruno has displayed the following skills:
Swordsmanship
Marksman
Knowledge: Ancient History
Knowledge: Nobility and Society
Knowledge: Africa (1700s)
Knowledge: European Politics
Knowledge: Philosophy
Knowledge: Engineering
Knowledge: Torture
Firearms
Military

Powers:

None, Count Von Bruno is considered to be an above average man whose real abilities are his capabilities for cruelty. Von Bruno is capable of being extraordinarily cruel, his anger and cruelty being his most defining features. Von Bruno holds those who scarred him to be held accountable to him, and delights in his revenge and murderous plans. Von Bruno has several effects such as:

• Henchmen: Von Bruno employs a variety of henchmen, criminals, thugs, torturers, and servants who carry out his plans and goals. At any one time, Von Bruno has 1-3 such individuals nearby, most which are unsavory sorts. Von Bruno will pay, hire, or extort assistance for carrying out his plans.
• Devious Mind: Von Bruno can arrange situations in which his targets return to his castle or fall into his grasp, ranging from providing evidence of other wrong-doings or simply threatening to harm an innocent. Von Bruno is gifted, and may make an appropriate Reason FEAT when attempting to discover, coerce, or convince someone to play into his hands.
• Maniacal Endurance: Von Bruno has the endurance of a madman, recovering from damage seemingly at a faster rate. Von Bruno can recover Endurance ranks as if he has the power Recovery when dealing with a hated opponent or target.

Contacts:
Von Bruno has contacts with other nobility in Europe, although few tend to deal with him due to his cruel nature.

Limitations:

• Cruel Count Von Bruno is known for his cruelty, and it is an obvious if not openly commented trait. Von Bruno is at a -1cs to Psyche FEATs when presented with the opportunity to be merciless and cruel to avoid doing so.
• Scarred Count Von Bruno is scarred and has lost the use of his eye due to the actions of the British during the war. Von Bruno is -1cs to social engagements when first encountered.
• Reputation Von Bruno’s reputation precedes him, with many whispering about his activities and actions. Von Bruno cannot make a positive popularity check despite being well-known as his reputation has spread across Europe.
• Vengeful Von Bruno is extraordinarily vengeful, willing to use anyone or anything to gain his vengeance, and turning against even his most loyal aides when it suits gaining revenge against an enemy. Von Bruno’s need for vengeance blinds him to everything, including danger, reducing his Intuition by -1cs when facing the object of his vengeance and -2cs when Von Bruno feels he’s about to have the moment of vengeance.  

The Black Castle is a fortress which has been further modified with secret passages leading to torture chambers, dropaway rooms into pits with either spikes or crocodiles, and narrow corridors which can disorient and misdirect individuals. Those trapped inside the Black Castle must make an Intuition FEAT -1cs while attempting to navigate its underground interiors. If the character fails, they encounter a deathtrap appropriate for the age. The castle’s mazes and dungeons are known to several servants and Count Bruno himself. 

The Collinwood Estate from 'Dark Shadows'

’The past and the present have intermingled at Collinwood, and the ancestral home has become a source of strange occurrences and strong curiosities. A foreboding structure can attract the least suspecting’

Constructed in 1795 by the wealthy Collins family of Collinsport, MA. The fortress-like structure of Collinwood survived all manner of mystical threats and maintained its ancient secrets. The house itself had a reputation for many who knew it in passing – strange and unexplained things happened within its walls, and the citizens of Collinsport knew it was a haunted house, and the grounds were no better. Great tragedies and horrors occurred behind the walls, and the surrounding properties saw such things as the dead rise, vengeful ghosts, the creation of life through science, weird cults and stranger dark masters rising, and the manipulation of time itself.

Collinwood sets upon a large hill which has many turns and can be treacherous. Along with the great house are several smaller buildings, including the original Collins home (called simply ‘The old House’), the Seaside shack (a small hut near the ocean), The Seaview Cottage (although it is not owned by the Collins, it is on their property), and the graveyard/mausoleum. In addition to the buildings and properties, Collinwood sets on a formidable piece of property surrounded by deep woods and local landmarks, such as the infamous ‘Widow’s Hill’. 

Why Collinwood?

I think that before I feature any other Dark Shadows

characters, I would need to at least address the most imposing of them all – for Collinwood is as much a character and force to what happens as anywhere else. The uniqueness of the setting makes it both a cool place to explore but also a great setting with interesting ideas.

Collinwood

Collinwood is a manor built in a combination era style which sits on several areas of power (as discussed among the members of the Leviathan Cult and Count Petofi at different points). Collinwood was built to last, and although the Collins family has remained in residence for most of the house’s history, different rooms and locations were either added in secret or completely forgotten. Combined with the unusual features about Collinwood suggests that it lies similarly as The House on the Borderland , in so far as the location touches many different points at time at once.

The House seems to draw both conflict, mystical presences, and mystical power, whether this simply be an unstated effect or part of the make-up. As such, those entering Collinwood with some sort of mystical detection of Gd(10) or better pick up on the ambient energies of the house, which usually manifests as a cold and heavy feeling (As stated during the first cycle of Barnabas Stories, Eps 210 – 300 I think…. ) If characters have Astral Perception or detection above Gd (10), True Sight, or any ability to sense the dead they must also make a Gd (10) intensity FEAT. If successful, they will feel presences throughout the house, some simply playful and curious, others (like Gerard Stiles) will have a more negative effect and may attempt to attack or worse.

Collinwood has other properties that make it unique, specifically a room not featured on its floorplans that connects to ‘Parallel Time’, and an upstairs playroom which connects to a doorway into the past. These two points are unique and fixed, and are outlined below:

Parallel Time

Connected through a grand bedroom within the mansion, a fixed doorway into an alternate universe exists which leads to another alternative universe where characters and events occurred in different order. This ‘parallel time’ was used by Barnabas on a few occasions to attempt to resolve the issues at the time with Quentin Collins and his ‘haunting’ of Collinwood.

Mechanics:
Parallel Time is a real-time alternate universe that can be accessed from the ‘main’ Collinwood room and acts as an Un (100) dimensional gateway which one can either crosses unseen into the alternate world or observes the activities of t hose present. For the most part, if one is observing, they remain undetected and unable to directly interact. Parallel Time operates in the same timeframe and rate when initially encountered of the modern day, but it can offer alternative looks and access into its own past. If one crosses over, they find that it is not a single location but a complete and complex world that has evolved, with their role often changing or being replaced by someone else. Parallel Time offers a ‘1 for 1’ copy of an individual, which means while a person may be very different than they were in the main timeline, they still exist and still look the same. The original and Parallel-Time copy can exist at the same time, which caused many issues for the travelers who visited such. If the main person and the copy were in the room at the same time, they would ‘switch’ places. It is only time that the PT version could travel from their world to the mainline.

Parallel-Time denizens cannot perceive the doorway into the ‘main’ timeline, nor can they enter rooms where the doorway exists while the door is open (see above). Transportation is not always under the control of the traveler, as seen with Barnabas and Julia at times. As such, the Judge’s discretion on how the Parallel door works.

As of the original Dark Shadows series, there were three fixed points of Parallel Time in associated with Collinwood:

• 1841- An alternative past where many of the characters found themselves re-imagined and a wholly different timeline existed. Collinwood was built nearly twenty years sooner, etc.
• 1970 – An Alternate timeline where many of the characters were vastly different and seemingly connected to the 1841 timeline.
• 1995 – A dark timeline where Collinwood is mostly destroyed, the Collins family has been killed or driven mad after a single event in 1970. Julia Hoffman was stuck after being deposited after her adventures in 1841.

It is unknown if other points of PT exist within Collinwood or where they would be the one important fact that access requires a point in the house that exists in both PT and real time. If either point is destroyed, then access is lost, permanently.

Stairway to Time

Different than the Upstairs’ Parlor’s Parallel Time, another location in a forgotten playroom allowed individuals to travel back to a specific point in time. Constructed by Quentin Collins in 1840, the Staircase was designed by Quentin who used theories and metaphysical facts to determine that time could be travelled in specific locations The Stairway provides access to specific points in time, as well as points in Parallel Time to a person’s original timeline with little difference. Used primarily in 1840, 1970, and 1995, the Stairway was essential in returning Barnabas and Dr. Hoffman from Parallel Time to their own home, as well as saving Julia when she was left in 1995.

Mechanics:

The Stairway to Time offers time travel at Mn (75) to a specific fixed point in time and then back again. Control of the destination seems to be determined by the person using the Stairway, although return is limited by the need to use the Stairway a second time. A person simply needs to visualize their destination and then walk the Stairway. The Stairway was supposedly destroyed in the 20^th century as it was too dangerous, but it may exist in other PT timelines, and more importantly, the notes still exist on how it was created.

Note:

It can be confusing to differ Parallel Time and the Stairway to Time, but what is interesting is that within the canonical Dark Shadow, both instances of time and dimensional travel can only exist within the walls of Collinwood. Indeed, if anything it suggests that Collinwood is both a central location and an anchor within the multiverse for activity, that within the walls of the manor the universe is accessible, to a point.

Emeric Belasco from 'Hell House' (As well as the Belasco House)

F: Sh0
A: Sh0
S: Sh0
E: Sh0
R: Rm (30)
I: Rm (30)
P: Am (50)

Health: 0
Karma: 110
Popularity: - 5/-10 while alive (and in occult circles), -20 in Occult Circles after death (With Hell House)
Resources: In Life - In (40)

Talents:
Occult Lore
Psychology
Business/Finance
Crime
Parapsychology
Resist: Domination*
Stage Magician
Knowledge: Counter-Culture
Multi-Lingual
Knowledge: Ancient History
Engineering
Chemistry
Metallurgy
Psionic Potential*

Powers:
Free Spirit: Emeric Belasco has remained a consciousness after his suicide, allowing him full reign of his home due to its unique construction and his own care in how he secured his body. Unlike normal Free Spirits, Belasco's strength of will and capabilities are different, granting him several advantages that a normal Free Spirit would not have:

• Telekinesis: Belasco can throw and manipulate objects with Rm (30) strength, often throwing things around or hitting individuals.
• Possession*: Belasco can possess individuals and animals with Rm (30) ability, often possessing the being with the weakest psyche to do his bidding.
• Telepathy: Belasco possesses Gd (10) Telepathy, capable of reading and anticipating the thoughts of those inside of the house
• Mind Probe: Typ (06) ability to probe individuals within the house, which grants him the ability to best figure out how to manipulate them.
• Presence Mask: Belasco is able to mask his presence with Am (50) ability, preventing people from identifying his spirit as the one which causes the issues. Belasco has managed to convince everyone that the spirits inhabiting Hell House are numerous, when in fact, it's simply Belasco himself.

Contacts:
None

Limitations:

• Ego: Belasco's will is only surpassed by his ego, which can be used to rile Belasco into revealing himself as the sole prescence. It is Belasco's Ego which also leads to his downfall: The revelation of Belasco's own stature leads ultimately to his downfall in the afterlife. If Belasco is antagonized, he suffers a -2cs reaction bonus. In addition, if Belasco's secret shame is revealed (He was slightly deformed, having amputated his own legs and replaced them with prosthetics to grant him his gigantic height), Belasco suffers a -4cs and cannot affect the corporeal world for 1-10 turns.
• Bound to Hell House: Unlike a regular ghost, Belasco anticipated that electromagnetism might allow the conscious mind to exist after death. As such, Belasco cannot extend his mind or abilities outside of Hell House.
• Vulnerability to Electromagnetism: As with the book, Belasco would normally be vulnerable to the machine that is developed to purge the electromagnetic spectrum. Belasco hides in his well-shielded vault, which protects him from any Electromagnetic effect. Belasco suffers a +2cs damage from electromagnetic effects.

Hell House

Named the Belasco house after the designer and resident Emeric Belasco, Hell House gained its reputation beginning after its completion. A dinner party was massacred by its builder, Emeric Belasco, who promptly disappeared, leaving many to believe the house was cursed. Believed to be haunted by the spirits of all of Belasco's victims, the house was largely abandoned, with occasional attempts to 'cleanse' the house meeting with disaster.

In reality, the house was constructed based around radical theories about electromagnetic energy remaining after death, with the house acting to focusing and controlling it. Belasco used this energy to maintain his consciousness after death, even creating a room where his body remained after death that was completely shielded and hidden. Belasco's own spirit continued its psychotic and sadistic desires, promoting the myth of many ghosts rather than just a single spirit. Once cleansed of Belasco's spirit once and for all, it simply was a house....nothing more.