Historical, Novel and Movie characters of Gothic Earth

[ghostdog]

As ever, please excuse my english.

I have though about MARY POPPINS like a NPC, too. But I thouhg about making her a dark faerie. The PCs will know her like a good character who help children. But between adventures, they should discover that the children that were under mary popins protection dissapeared. They´ll know that this has happened a lot of times, before.

At last, they will discover that mary popins is a faerie that in order to survive in a urban enviroment, is cursed to sacrifice the children she loves...

[Lady Ligeia]

I wrote my version of Mary Poppins as a response to the call for more champions of Good.

Your version is sinister and somewhat tragic, and it works well, too. Good work!

[Manofevil]

I feel that one that NEEDS to be done in the worst way is Kwai Chang Caine. You know from the old 'Kung Fu' series?

[Lady Ligeia]

That is a good idea ... I don't know enough about the series to do the character justice. If you want to do a write up for him, please do!

[Lady Ligeia]

Here's an obscure one!

Bully Hayes
Bully Hayes is a free trader who plies the waters of the South Pacific in the late 1800’s. He has a loyal crew of able-bodied seamen who would follow him into Hell if need be. He is an adventurous swashbuckler and could also be called a pirate and a scoundrel. He has been known to run guns to native islanders on one day and safely deliver passengers and cargo to their destination on the next. It seems that his interests in piracy and smuggling come and go with the tide.

Hayes accepts the titles of smuggler and scoundrel with a certain smug glee. A title he does not respect is that of ‘blackbirder’ – an appellation meaning slave trader. Bully Hayes has no love of blackbirders, and to be given that title greatly offends him.

Colonial authorities, tribal chieftains, missionaries, and (of course!) other ship captains in the area all have their opinions of Captain Hayes – and more often than not those opinions lean towards the cautious. They know that Bully Hayes cannot always be trusted.

Naturally, Hayes’ activities – legal and otherwise – in the South Pacific has given Hayes his share of enemies. Bully Hayes’ greatest enemy is his old First Mate Ben Pease. The two had a falling out over blackbirding and Hayes marooned Pease on a remote island. Pease managed to escape his fate, and has been out to discredit and destroy Bully Hayes ever since.

From: An excellent, fun film titled Nate and Hayes, starring Tommy Lee Jones. (If you like pirates, swashbuckling, and Victorian-era adventure, you’ll love this movie.)

[Olly]

Probably a little late now, considering that the discussion has moved on from Oz, but I thought it would be kind of cool to have Dorothy, the most kind-hearted and innocent character of the books transform into the heiress of one of the most recognisably evil characters in literary history. I drew from many sources for this, including Todd McFarlane's awesome Twisted Land Of Oz action figures line, and am quite pleased with the results.

If anybody has anything they'd like to add, please, do not hesitate. Post away!



Dorothy Gale - The Wicked Witch Of The West
Adept - Lawful evil

After inadvertantly killing Elphaba, the former Wicked Witch Of The West, by throwing a bucket of water over her in a fit of pique, Dorothy was set to return to the Emerald City to report that the mission set by the Wizard was complete. However, before she left the witch's abode, she discovered the Golden Cap, a mysterious magical artefact that allowed her control over the hideous winged monkey servitors of the Wicked Witch Of The West, and claimed it as her own, binding the winged monkeys to her will.

What Dorothy and her companions did not know, however, was that the Golden Cap was an artefact of subtle evil and corruption. And, as the days went by, it poisoned Dorothy's mind and filled her heart with wickedness. As the Golden Cap whispered darkly to Dorothy, she began to wonder exactly how much her 'so-called' friends sought to help her return to Kansas.

She began to distrust the patchwork man, considering his 'brainlessness' a liability. She also began to question the Tin Woodsman's motive, since he was a creature of cold, mechanical ruthlessness, more machine than man, lacking a heart or any sense of human loyalty. She also worried of the motives of the cowardly wretch she travelled with, the corrupt artefact telling her that he would betray them in an instant to save his own miserable hide.

Things came to a head one day, as Dorothy and her companions journeyed back to the Emerald City. Calling upon the winged monkeys to attack the very creatures she once called her friends, Dorothy stood and watched the carnage as the foul creatures descended. The coward was at full flight in the early stages of the onslaught, confirming Dorothy's suspicions of his loyalty to her. She watched, coldly, as the monkeys tore off one of the Scarecrow's arms, swooping and diving, cackling wickedly. The Tin Woodsman swung at them with his axe, but all in vain. After a minute or two, the Scarecrow and the Woodsman beat a bold retreat, leaving Dorothy standing alone on the Yellow Brick Road, a contemptuous sneer across her face. Toto remained, but cowered from his mistress, his animal senses telling him that something was wrong.

Calling upon her winged thralls to carry her and Toto, Dorothy returned to the lair of the Wicked Witch Of The West, where Dorothy set about the study of magic, gleaning a vast deal of arcane knowledge from the tomes in the Witch's library. It wasn't very long before she was casting spells, specialising in the schools of Transmutation and Necromancy. She then began conducting magical experiments, the first of which was to warp and twist the form of her loyal dog, Toto, into a bloated, snaggle-toothed aberration, more toad-like than canine in appearance.

Dorothy now rules the Winkie Country in place of Elphaba, the former Wicked Witch Of The West. Taking on the mantle of 'Wicked Witch Of The West', few of Oz's residents are aware of the fact that Elphaba's throne has been usurped at all. Dorothy sends her winged monkey minions out to scour her oppressive realm, abducting her subjects for use in her grotesque magical experiments.

[Olly]

I went to the movies a few nights ago, and was inspired by a few trailers of the upcoming, unreleased films...

Aslan
Awakened Celestial Dire Lion Risen Martyr – Neutral Good

Aslan is a noble champion of kindness, honour and righteousness from the demiplane of Narnia. The most benevolent creature in all of Narnia (and perhaps any of the worlds beyond), Aslan leads the charge against the demiplane’s corrupt queen, The White Witch, Jadis, a seductive but irredeemably evil minion of the Red Death, half-djinn and half-giantess in heritage. Jadis cast an evil curse on the magical land, making it forever winter. When Edmund the Traitor was seduced to evil by the White Witch, and condemned to death, Aslan went in his place, and died on a stone table for Edmund’s transgressions. The treacherous Jadis, however, whispered into Aslan’s ear before she killed him, that after she had slain him she would break her promise and kill Edmund anyway, out of spite. Aslan died with the cruel witch’s taunts echoing in his ears.

However, such was Aslan’s power and goodness that the Deeper Magic of Narnia allowed for him to rise again, to once again lead the resistance against the White Witch, and claim Narnia for the Pevensie children, the true sons of Adam and daughters of Eve.

Despite his gentle and kindly nature, Aslan is not a tame lion and in combat, is a powerful and dangerous foe. He will happily aid any who seek to combat evil, although, for the moment at least, he is mostly concerned about the returning rulership of Narnia to its rightful heirs and defeating the dark legions of the White Witch.


Inspired, of course, by the trailer to the upcoming (and awesome-looking) The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe.


Jakob & Wilhelm Grimm
Curst – Lawful Nuetral

Jakob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm were born in 1785 and 1786, respectively, in Hanau, near Frankfurt.

Everyone knows of how the aptly named Brothers Grimm scoured the dark forests and ragged mountains of their homelands, compiling dreadful stories and publishing them as what eventually became known as Grimm’s Fairy Tales.

What most people do not know, however, is that their search served another, darker purpose. The characters of the dark fairy tales were real, created by the Red Death as personifications of people’s darkest fears, to plague humanity.

In their journals, the Brothers occasionally speak of a creature they call Melusine. They claim, that, though she appeared to be a mortal woman, she held some darker, mysterious power beyond comprehension. She set the Brothers Grimm on their task to collect these ‘fairy tale creatures’ and imprison them in a magical artefact, so that they might never harm another living soul… This artefact was a large, leather-bound book, referred to by its true name only once in their journals. ‘The Tome Of Terror’.

The Brothers Grimm still stalk the wild places of Europe, searching for any creatures they may have missed. Though many believe them to be dead and buried, and though, by rights, they should be, the Brothers are kept alive in an unnatural existence by their patron, Melusine. They guard the Tome ferociously, making sure that it can never fall into the hands of innocent people, who may, inadvertently, find themselves as prey for the foul creatures bound within its pages.


Inspired, not only by the upcoming Terry Gilliam movie 'The Brothers Grimm', but also by Fantasy Flight Games excellent campaign setting 'Grimm'. I also thought it would be fun to have the Tome Of Terror turn up in Gothic Earth, in this case, as the Brothers' original manuscript.


The Poppins’ Institute Of British Nannies
Magical Organisation

As well as being a champion for the cause of goodness on Gothic Earth, Mary Poppins is also the founder of The Poppins’ Institute Of British Nannies, a cabal dedicated to not only caring for and educating children, but also protecting them from the horrors, mundane and supernatural, that plague the world.

The Institute’s books contain a number of spellcasters, including Nanny McPhee, a powerful (if strange-looking) magic-user specialising in especially unruly, difficult children, Mary Poppins herself, the Institute’s most experienced nanny and, perhaps the strangest of all, an awakened St. Bernard named ‘Nana’.


Inspired by Nanny McPhee. I felt that, since we already have Mary Poppins, it would make sense for her to round up the other great fictional nannies to protect the innocent from the Red Death's predations. I was tempted to include Susan Sto Helit from the Discworld books to the cabal, but thought that that might have been taking it a bit too far...

[Jakob]

Did anyone work on Tiphoyd Mary?
I have an idea or two...

[Lady Ligeia]

She's all yours, Jakob!

[Jakob]

1897: Twelve members of a high-standing family are sick.
All of them show the same symptoms: spots on torso and stomach and temperature.
There are three children, all of them fall into coma and die some time later.
The food is corrupted, infected with a tropical disease.
The cook, only person not infected, is never found.

Mary “Typhoid” Mallon
Female Human Tradesman 5, chaotic neutral (three failed Powers Check)

Mary Mallon was born on 1868, daughter of immigrants to the New World.
From an early age, she shown an unique talent: everything she cooked was probably the most tasteful thing one ever tasted. With this great gift from the heaven, her career as a cook was almost a logical consequence.

She started her new work at the age of sixteen, in the house of an aged rich man and his upstanding family.
Here, Mary lived for about three months, until the moment her master approached her in the wine cellar and tried to abuse her. Mary, still an innocent (both physically, mentally and spiritually), tried to defend herself against the much stronger man. He was almost done disrobing her, when her hand caught one of the wine bottle on one of the rack. In an instant, the bottle fell on the man’s head, and he fell unconscious on the floor of the cellar.
Mary, crying, gathered her clothes and prepared to leave forever.
In that moment, though, a voice came to her head:

“What if he does that to another young girl? Maybe that cute, young waitress you befriended?”

Mary took in her hand a shard of glass from the broken bottle and silently, carefully, slit the unconscious man’s throat.
Thus, Mary allowed the Red Death inside her soul.

Mary fled the scene of the crime, and moved to another city, far away from her crime.
She discovered that her mastery of the culinary arts had grown: every dish she served was something wonderful, and one of her master said once: “Not even at Chez Maxim I ever tasted something so good!”
There was something horrible, though, in this: her work had a splendid look and a wonderful taste, but… Every food she touched, since her crime, was automatically spoiled. Even eggs and honey became potentially toxic after being worked on by Mary.
The young cook never noticed anything unusual about her food, and only careful inspection could reveal that, under the “normal” look of anything she cooked, the food was rotting.

Mary had to concentrate a bit before cooking. In fact, this way she contacted the same voice she heard the night she killed her former master: she didn’t know this voice had a name.

After a few years, Mary’s powers grew: she became an increasingly good cook, but the Red Death gave her an unique curse: every food Mary touched became infected with intestinal typhoid fever, an often mortal disease.
Mary never suspected anything.
She only wanted to cook.
It was her true calling.
Her only reason to live.

Is Mary truly guilty?

[Jakob]

I always found her a truly pitiful little thing...

[Olly]

I don't recognise Typhoid Mary. Where is she from?

[Lady Ligeia]

She was a real person who was a carrier of Typhoid Fever, but never contracted the disease herself. She worked as a cook, and continued to do so even after she was told that she should not do so:

http://www.snopes.com/medical/disease/typhoid.htm

[Jakob]

She worked as a cook, and continued to do so even after she was told that she should not do so

This, I think justify the Chaotic Neutral alignement.
In many states of the US even special laws were made SPECIFICALLY to ban Mary from working as a cook...

[KevinM]

I'm currently doing a mad dash to create characters for a high level campaign(a Dracula hunt in fact). Aside from using a few well known choices(Van Helsing, Holmes, Harker, etc) I've had three ideas that fit well(I beleive) and thought I'd post em. If theres interest I can post the full char compliment stats post con as I can't find stats for even famous Gothic Earth heroes in 3.5.

Simon Belmont(Human soldier, undead hunter): A young romanian nobleman from a highly respected and ancient line. While still a young man he has the respect of the people and is known as a champion of the weak.
Forbidden Lore: The Belmont clan has been hunting Dracula since the 12th century. There founder swore an oath to destroy him once and for all. As such they know as much about Dracula as any other living person even Van Hellsing with one exception(see below). The Red Death has been trying to wipe out this line for years but some power protects them. (Castlevania)

Alucard:(Nosferatu Soldier/undead hunter)
Forbidden Lore: One of Gothic Earth's best kept secrets. Originally a dhampir and the son of Dracula himself after his death Alucard became a full vampire. When his mother was executed he rebelled against his father and became one of the few vampires in history to reject the evil of the red death and maintain some semblence of humanity. For centuries he has lain dormant only arising when there is dire need. His existence is known only to the Bellmonts and Van Hellsing and with out question he is Gothic Earths foremost authority on his father. As such Red Death has been actively seeking him out to either bring him back or destroy him perminantly.(Castlevania)

Georg Ritter: The latest heir of one of the most respected noble lines in Germany. His family is famous for there devotion to the church and many acts of kindness and charity. A reputation that they maintain despite having fallen on hard times.
Forbidden Lore: As far back as they can remember the Ritter's have been Shattenjagers(shadow hunters). There entire family is dedicated to the rooting out of supernatural evil in any form. There home Schloss Ritter also contains one of themost complete occult libraries outside of a qabal covering almost every major catagory of supernatural being and numerous theories and stories of the Red Death. They are well familiar with Die Watchem and are considered honorary members despite the familys prefference for independence.(Gabriel Knight Video games)