Ok... some interest so far... so how about a tentative 'session zero' on Sunday? This Sunday? Is there a time that's best? Things to think about... A Stalker (the PC) is unique expressions of their inner landscape... good and bad. Imagine your average Call of Cthulhu PC, who after a campaign of battling otherworldly threats, was taken up and transformed... given powers and badges of office, but also the flesh and previous life became vague memories. Their new shape is a relection of their true self. So what might that be? Stalkers can be from any era of human history... prehistoric to far future... maybe multiple futures and pasts. Stalkers are have Domains... a pocket universe all their own to inhabit, also a reflection of their unique inclinations... think of something along the lines of the various realms of Ravenloft, each with its own Dark Master. Whether or not a Stalker's Domain features much during an adventure is variable... they're not usually where the 'action' is. Here are some example of Stalkers and their domains:
Minam
Sanapu - born able to see the Unseen... became his tribe's
shaman in 1600s Amazon jungle.
When
a nearby tribe was consumed by a newly arrived Unbidden he set out to
exorcise it and was badly wounded, but fortunately Stalkers arrived
in time to heal the Enigma and his tribe was only partially consumed.
His
wounds healed and in the following years he continued to battle
various Shadows that escaped the original tragedy... as well as
combating a powerful rival shaman of an another aggressive tribe.
As
he lay dying after the final battle with his nemesis the same
Stalkers from all those years ago appeared and offered him a chance
to continue his battle.
Appearance:
A
shrunken/mummified form that moves very slowly... its hair is long
and hangs down over its face... sewn into the hair are 3 shrunken
heads that seem to serve as his eyes/ears/voice. His voice is a
buzzing drone. When action is necessary he can part his hair with his
withered hands, revealing an empty black void from which swarm a
cloud of locusts... depending on what he is attempting to do the
locusts crawl over his husk-like body or fly out to attack or
distract opponents.
(I see him as a stable 'cleric' type
character... usually preferring a non-violent approach whenever
possible, but definitely not a pacifist)
Domain:
Minam
Sanapu's domain is a vast forest of enormous trees. There are 4 wide
rivers that flow from a central stone spring. This spring is the home
of Minam Sanapu. It is surrounded by several stone spires that Minam
Sanapu will rest upon from time to time, gazing out over the forest.
Many
of the animals here are larger and more brightly colored than their
earthly equivalents. There are also many animals thought to be long
extinct on Earth.
There
are three tribes of Denizens here who are nomadic and wander the
forest, hunting for game. Each tribe has a shaman who can speak with
Minam Sanapu... though he makes it clear to them that he is not a
god.
***
The
Pillory - from a mysterious background but its form
features motifs that suggest somewhere in medieval Europe. It seems
to be unstable and at times its appearance alters depending on
mood/situation. The basis is always some form of wooden post and a
human form tied to it.
At
times the post is a living tree, with small leaf-bearing limbs; with
a nude male or female (sometimes both) bound to it by thick vines
that sprout exotic/unidentifiable flowers, the form speaks in a
pleasant singing voice.
At
other times its form shifts to something much more sinister... the
post becomes splintered and burnt... the binding vines become wires
or cruel ropes... the human form less recognizable... gaunt and
twisted around the post... burned or scarred in places... sometimes
missing hands or feet or head.
At
the worst moments it is a blackened shaft adorned by bones of men and
animals... jets of fire blazing from their eyes. Its voice a
cacaphony of tortured screams.
Depending on form it can
manipulate/lash out with vines/wires/gouts of flame.
(I see this
one as an erratic roguish character that is unusually sympathetic
with the Unbidden for some reason, though this has yet to interfere
with its appointed tasks)
The
Pillory's Domain:
Pillory's
domain is a seemingly endless subterranean vault, punctuated by stone
pillars. The tiled floors depict motifs that vary with The Pillory's
mood... flowers, flames, ashes and bones. There is no discernible
center or edge to the place, though they might exist but are hidden.
Depending on the circumstances it may smell of flowers, smoke,
burning flesh, buring wood, or ancient dust.
***
El
Gigante -
As
a child he roamed the slums of late 1970s Rio... born into a gang
that fought and battled and died.
Somehow
he managed to retain some element of child-like innocence and despite
the horror and desperation around him he fought to believe and follow
a code of ethics/justice that none around him understood. It was if
he had an inner calling.
At
the age of 8 his older brother was killed by something out of a
nightmare, something worse even than the gangs and corrupt police he
had grown up with.
This
sparked a fire in him that had long been smoldering... previously
quiet and solitary he now blazed with passion to seek out and
vanquish his brother's murderer.
He
never did come to understand what his enemy's true nature was... but
he knew that it was unnatural and 'wrong'... and could not be
ignored.
In
the end a large segment of the maze-like slum was consumed by the
Enigma... swallowing up most everyone he'd ever known.
He
despaired that he had failed in his crusade to join the gangs
together against the intruder. Instead he was broken and blind...
looked after by nuns who would respond to his outrageous story with
useless prayers.
When
the Stalkers came for him he gladly left his frail human form behind.
Appearance:
As
a Stalker his form makes up for the tiny frame he lived in for 10
short years. Huge and impossibly muscular... his head hidden behind a
baroque mask of bone and horn. His flesh tattooed in iconography
combining Catholocism, comic books and famous wrestlers. His voice
remains that of a child.
(i see this one as a 'warrior' type...
brash and legalistic at times... a natural leader but not overly
difficult to deceive/manipulate. In a group he would be the 'muscle'
and a bit of a loose cannon).
Domain:
El
Gigante's domain is a grand stadium where various shows are ongoing.
Sometimes it is valiant Luchadors battling hideous monsters... other
times it is scantily clad women dancing in Busby Berkely like
spectacles... sometimes it features races between little people in
small race cars or on small horses. The walls here are painted in
bright vibrant colors that constantly alter. The music is a mix of
all sorts that El Gigante has encountered during his time as a
Stalker.
There
is also Catholic imagery here, but it is filtered through El
Gigante's new perspective on the universe and its laws. As such,
Christ is depicted more like a battling luchador comic book
character. Just examples of the sorts of being a Stalker PC might be...
