Nothing Is Born Which Death Makes Not Subject of His State. — Bhartrhari, "Of Time the Destroyer"

Nothing is born which Death makes not subject of his state. — Bhartrhari, "Of Time the Destroyer"

Sample file Credits Dedication Authors: Liz Argall, Dave Brookshaw, Theo Co- For Lily. han-Diaz, Jose Garcia, Emily Griggs, Lawerence Haw- kins, Olivia Hill, Alisha Karabinus, Eloy Lasanta, James Special Thanks Mendez Hodes, Vivian Paul, Neall Raemonn Price, Rebecca Slitt, Chris Spivey, Travis Stout, Vera Vartanian, Ethan Skemp and Aileen Miles, for giving the game Kat Veldt, Stew Wilson, Filamena Young of second chances its first chance. Developer: Travis Stout The first edition authors, for a legacy of wonder. Editor: Dixie Cochran Whitney Beltrán for her help in filling this book with diverse voices. Indexer: Marshall Oppel Rose Bailey for constant help and advice for a new Art Director: Mike Chaney developer. Artists: Sam Araya, Ken Meyer Jr., Brian Leblanc, Luis Sanz, Drew Tucker, Avery Butterworth, John Cobb, Vince Locke Development Producer: Dixie Cochran Operations Director: Matt McElroy Creative Director: Richard Thomas

© 2019 White Wolf Entertainment AB. All rights reserved. Reproduction without the written permission of the publisher is expressly forbidden, except for the purposes of reviews, and for blank character sheets, which may be reproduced for personal use only. White Wolf, Vampire, Chronicles of Darkness, Vampire: The Masquerade, and Mage: The Ascension are registered trademarks of White Wolf Entertainment AB. All rights reserved. Vampire: The Requiem, Werewolf: The Apocalypse, Werewolf: The Forsaken, Mage: The Awakening, Promethean: The Created, Changeling: The Lost, Hunter: The Vigil, Geist: The Sin-Eaters, V20, Anarchs Unbound, Storyteller System, and Storytelling System are trademarks of White Wolf Entertainment AB SampleAll rights reserved. All characters, names, places and text herein are copyrighted by Whitefile Wolf Entertainment AB. This book uses the supernatural for settings, characters and themes. All mystical and supernatural elements are fiction and intended for entertainment purposes only. This book contains mature content. Reader discretion is advised. Check out White Wolf online at http://www.white-wolf.com/ Keep up to date with Onyx Path Publishing at http://theonyxpath.com/ 2 Geist: The Sin-Eaters Second Edition Introduction 11 On Loss and Having 55 Out of Sight, Out of Mind 55 Themes 11 It Gets Worse 57 Empathy 11 Hitting Bottom 57 Self vs. Service 11 What About the Light? 57 Hope and Joy 11 Looking Back to Look Forward 12 The Bargain 57 A Short Drop 58 How to Use this Book 12 And a Sudden Stop 58 Chapters 12 Hanging Around 59 Storytelling Games 13 The Carnival 60 Inspirational Media 14 Born In Death 60 Books 14 Finding Religion 61 Movies & TV 14 Finite Eternity 62 Glossary 14 The Underworld 62 The Lands of the Dead 62 Chapter One:The Quick and the Dead 19 The Upper Reaches 63 The Abiding 20 The River Cities 63 The Rivers of Death 64 The Bereaved 23 The Lower Mysteries 65 The Hungry 26 The Ocean of Fragments 66 The Kindly 29 Beyond the Beyond 67 The Vengeful 32 Chapter Three: One Foot in the Grave 71 Furies 35 Step One: Concept 71 Step Two: Attributes 72 Mourners 38 Step Three: Skills 72 Necropolitans 41 Step Four: Skill Specialties 73 Pilgrims 44 Step Five: Sin-Eater Template 73 Step Six: Merits 74 Undertakers 47 Step Seven: Advantages 75 ChapterSample Two: The Road Back 53 Geist Creation file75 Step One: Concept 75 The Living 53 Step Two: Remembrance Trait 75 The Sin-Eater 54 Step Three: Attributes 75 The Dead 55 Step Four: Virtue and Vice 75

Table of Contents 3 Step Five: Crisis Point Triggers 75 Collectibles 133 Step Six: Ephemeral Entity Traits 76 Creating a Memento 133 Step Seven: Advantages 76 Example Mementos 134 Character Advancement 76 Chapter Four: Old Laws 139 Non-Experience Based Advancement 77 Traits 139 Krewe Creation 77 The Sin-Eaters 78 Attributes 140 The Dead 78 Mental Attributes 140 The Living 79 Physical Attributes 140 Background Players 79 Social Attributes 140 Creating the Krewe 79 Skills 141 Anchors 81 Skill Specialties 141 Root 81 Mental Skills 141 Bloom 82 Physical Skills 142 Setting Down Roots and Flowering Fruits 82 Social Skills 144 Touchstones 83 Willpower 145 Example Touchstones 84 Anchors 145 Merits 85 Speed 146 Merit Tags 85 Sanctity of Merits 85 Defense 146 Supernatural Merits 89 Actions 146 Synergy 90 Extended Actions 147 Crisis Points 91 Losing Synergy 95 Common Actions 149 Abjuration 149 Plasm 95 Argument 149 Gaining Plasm 96 Carousing 149 Using Plasm 96 Fast-Talk 149 Sin-Eater Abilities 96 Interrogation 149 Physical Medium 96 Intimidation 150 Possession Immunity 97 Investigating a Scene 150 Plasmic Healing 97 Jumping 150 Liminal Aura 99 Repair 150 Ectophagia 99 Research 150 Remembrance Traits 100 Shadowing a Mark 150 Unleashing the Geist 100 Sneaking 151 Warding and Binding 151 Haunts 100 Learning Haunts 101 Rolling Dice 151 Supernatural Conflict 101 Dice Pool 151 The Boneyard 101 Roll Results 152 The Caul 103 When to Roll Dice 152 The Curse 106 Action Scenes 152 The Dirge 107 Turns 152 The Marionette 109 Initiative 153 The Memoria 111 The Oracle 113 Social Maneuvering 153 The Rage 116 Goals 153 The Shroud 117 Doors 153 The Tomb 119 Impression 154 Opening Doors 154 Keys 121 Doomed 121 Violence 156 Intent 156 Ceremonies 124 Down and Dirty Combat 156 Symbolism and Sacrifice 124 Detailed Violence 157 The Working 124 Weapons and Armor 160 Innate Sin-Eater Ceremonies 125 Other Ceremonies 127 Injury and Healing 162 SampleSuffering Damage file162 Mementos 131 Healing 162 Death Trinkets 131 Strange Keys 132 Sources of Harm 163 Enduring Symbols 132 Disease 163 Poison 163

4 Geist: The Sin-Eaters Second Edition Drugs 163 Step Two: Determine Complexity 178 Electricity 163 Step Three: Determine the Tasks 179 Extreme Environments 164 Step Four: Establish the Structure 179 Falling 164 Step Five: Generate Effort 180 Fire 164 Step Six: Repeat 180 Equipment 165 Step Seven: Resolve Action 180 Krewe vs. Krewe 181 Mental Equipment 165 Automotive Tools 165 Harm, Healing, and Schism 182 Cache 165 Krewe Conditions 182 Communications Headset 166 Casualties 183 Crime Scene Kit 166 Diminished 183 Code Kit 166 Shaken Faith (Persistent) 183 Cracking Software 166 Coup d’Etat (Persistent) 183 Digital Recorder 166 Heresy (Persistent) 184 Duct Tape 166 Ghosts 185 First-Aid Kit 166 The Nature of Ghosts 185 Flashlight 166 Glowstick 167 Ghost Traits 187 GPS Tracker 167 Rank 187 Keylogging Software 167 Essence 188 Luminol 167 Attributes, Skills, and Merits 188 Multi-Tool 167 Advantages 189 Personal Computer 167 Other Traits 190 Smartphones 167 Bans 190 Surveillance Equipment 168 Banes 190 Survival Gear 168 Influence 190 Talcum Powder 168 Manifestation 191 Ultraviolet Ink 168 Numina 192 Anchor Jump 192 Physical Equipment 168 Awe 192 Battering Ram 168 Blast 192 Bear Trap 169 Descend 193 Caltrops 169 Drain 193 Camouflage Clothing 169 Emotional Aura 193 Climbing Gear 169 Empower Ghost 193 Crowbar 170 Engulf 193 Firearm Suppressor 170 Firestarter 194 Gas Mask 170 Hallucination 194 Handcuffs 170 Host Jump 194 Lockpicking Kit 170 Implant Mission 194 Mace (Pepper Spray) 170 Innocuous 194 Rope 171 Left-Handed Spanner 194 Stun Gun 171 Moliate 194 Social Equipment 171 Omen Trance 194 Cash 171 Pathfinder 194 Disguise 171 Proxy 194 Fashion 171 Puppeteer 194 Services 172 Rapture 195 Regenerate 195 Objects 174 Reap Memory 195 Krewes 174 Seek 195 Krewe Traits 174 Speed 195 Sign 195 Attributes 174 Stalwart 195 Merits 175 Telekinesis 195 Doctrines 175 Virtue and Creed 175 Damage 195 Congregation 176 Legions of the Dead 196 EsoterySample 176 Doppelgängers file196 Ceremonies 177 Barghests 196 Regalia 177 Castoffs 196 Krewe Action 178 Geists 197 Step One: Determine the Desired Outcome 178 Kerberoi 197

Table of Contents 5 Chthonians 198 Necromancers 225 Ghost Advancement 198 Graverobbers 226 Dr. Jordan Thames 226 The Underworld 199 Ritualists 227 Avernian Gates 199 Erica Greenwood 227 Crossing Over 199 Necromantic Cults 228 Crossing Back 200 Enemy Bound 229 The Guardian Geist 200 Archetypal Mirrors 229 Dead Roads 201 Kerberoi 232 Architecture 201 Crime and Punishment 232 Society 201 Numina 233 Instinct 201 Dominion Sense 233 The Ever-Hungry Maw 202 Enforcement 233 Needs Must: Survival in the Underworld 202 The Moth 233 Don’t Starve 203 The Scribe 233 Dark Markets 203 Chapter Six: The Quiet Places 237 The Autochthonous Jungle 204 The Politics of Passing 204 In the Room Where It Happens 237 The Rivers 204 Washington, D.C., USA 1968 237 Dead Waters 204 Southern Hospitality 242 The Ferryman’s Bond: Travel on the Rivers 205 Mobile, Alabama 1910 242 What Lies Beneath 206 Edinesis 245 Houses of the Dead 206 Edinburgh, Scotland 245 The Aegis of the Old Laws 206 Run Away Home 246 Irkalla’s Gates 207 Quilombo dos Palmares, Brazil 1654 246 The Undiscovered Country 208 Widows’ Walk and Salt Spray 247 Hindsight is 20/20 208 Winslow, Massachusetts 247 Uncanny Tableaux 208 Ylem 209 God Will Know His Own 247 As Below, So Above 210 Carcassonne, France, 1360 247 The Ocean of Fragments 211 Solstice Spirals 248 Navigating the Final Frontier 211 Bru na Boinne, Ireland 248 Chapter Five: Antagonists 215 Mega City 4 248 Beijing, China 248 Reapers 215 City of Spices 250 A Ghost Like You 215 Calicut, India 1526 250 The Dead Belong Below 216 Harvesting Methods 216 Dominion: The Nameless Bridges 251 Strength in Numbers 217 Dominion: The Nursery 252 Mechanics 217 Faces of Death 217 Dominion: The Cavern of Flame 254 Desperate Spouse 217 Dominion: The Dead Forest 254 Ambitious Reformer 218 Dominion: The Crossroads 255 Ruthless Judge 219 Cannibal Geist 220 Chapter Seven: Ghost Stories 259 Eaters of the Dead 221 Theme 260 Ghosts and Shadows 221 Those Left Behind 260 Haute Cuisine 221 Why We Fight 260 Five Cuisines 222 Breaking the Cycle 260 New Advantage: Rapacity 223 Mood 261 Dread Powers 223 Hope, Joy, & Healing 261 Anchor Eater 223 Modernity 261 Death Inurement 223 Abmortality 224 Conflict 261 Numen 224 Sin-Eater vs. Sin-Eater 261 Regeneration 224 Sin-Eater vs. Ghost 262 SampleKnow Vice 224 Sin-Eater vs. Geist file262 Learn Memories 224 Sin-Eater vs. Underworld 262 Supernatural Merit 224 Sin-Eater vs. Society 262 The Dead Identity 224 Being a Storyteller 262 Mr. Wong, Corpse-Untie-Immortal 224 The Golden Rule 263 6 Geist: The Sin-Eaters Second Edition The Chronicle 263 Immobilized 295 One-Shot vs. Chronicle 264 Insane 295 Building a Story 265 Insensate 296 Remembrance 266 Knocked Down 296 Creating a Remembrance 266 Leg Wrack 296 Resolving Remembrances 267 Poisoned 297 Sick 297 End Game 267 Stunned 297 Catabasis 268 Catharsis 269 Conditions 299 Cabeiros 269 Addled 299 Bonding 299 Story Seeds 270 Connected 299 Art Show Horror Show 270 Dead 299 Bad Air Day 272 Defiant 299 Necromancer Blues 272 Deprived 299 Dead Letter Drop 273 Echoes 300 Intensives 273 Ferry Bound 300 Begin at the Ending 274 Flatlining 300 Cutups 275 Fugue 300 The Geist Card 275 Ghost-Marked 300 Indebted 301 Common Questions 275 Inspired 301 Storyteller Cheat Sheet 277 Lawbreaker 301 Before the Game 277 Leveraged 301 The First Chapter 277 Lost 301 During Play 277 Memento Collector 301 End of Chapter 277 Memory Bleed 301 End of Story 277 Mute 302 Notoriety 302 Appendix One: The Absent 280 Obsession 302 Being Absent 280 Regalia 302 What the Absent Do 281 Spooked 302 Making Room 281 Theophany 302 Unleashed 302 Can’t Stop the Hustle 281 Wavering 303 Concerning the Living 281 Weakened Bond 303 Concerning the Dead 282 Concerning the Strange 284 Ephemeral Influence and Manifestation Conditions 303 Memories 285 Anchor 303 New Trait: Memories 286 Bound Geist 304 Acquiring Memories 286 Claimed 304 Memory Bleed 288 Controlled 304 Merits 288 Engulfed 304 Iconography Merits 288 Fettered 305 Death and Dying: Making Ghosts 290 Materialized 305 Open 305 Ghost Advancement 291 Possessed 305 Appendix Two: Conditions & Tilts 292 Underworld Gate 305 Urged 306 Tilts 292 Arm Wrack 292 Haunt Conditions & Tilts 306 Beaten Down 292 Actor 306 Blinded 292 Boneyard 306 Blizzard 293 Caul 306 Deafened 293 Curse 307 Drugged 293 Dirge 307 Earthquake 293 Marionette 307 Extreme Cold 294 Memoria 307 ExtremeSample Heat 294 Oracle file308 Flooded 294 Rage 308 Heavy Rain 294 Servant 308 Heavy Winds 295 Shroud 309 Ice 295 Tomb 309

Table of Contents 7 A Brighter Morning Prologue wo women sat at the candlelit dining room table with their hands on the spirit board, unaware of the figure that hovered above them. Oliver knew them very well. Like all his tenants, Oliver had given them a “grace period,” a time to settle into the house before he made himself known. He took that time to learn all about them. He knew that the older woman in the ponytail and long white t-shirt was named Jade, and that the younger woman in the full pa- jama set who kept her hair long and untamed was named Trisha. They were the daughters of Hari Patel, who still slept in his room on the other side of the house, where Oliver’s parents slept when they were alive. The Patels had fascinated Oliver from the moment they moved in. Hari was a single father who lived entirely within Oliver’s walls, running a business from the room that had previously been a nursery and worshipping at a household shrine tucked away in a small closet. Jade and Trish left the house far more often. On bad days, when Oliver felt compelled to wan- der the house and re-create his own death, he’d watch them leave for school instead. Jade went to a university downtown, Trisha to a high school a few miles away. The schools had names he couldn’t recognize and the subjects the women talked about sounded more like things that belonged in the pages of Amazing Stories than the world outside his window. What excited Oliver most about the Patels was that Trisha could sense him. He was sure that he saw her looking at him from the corners of her eyes and that she shiv- ered whenever he was near. He broke the grace period early, touching the bathroom mirror while she was brushing her teeth. She saw the imprint of vapor that his hand made. While it was disheartening to see her scream and bolt directly into the bath- tub, the makeshift séance before him now was an encouraging sign. After years of reaching out and driving people away, someone was finally going to reach back. Below him, the women talked. “It’s here,” Trisha said. “I can feel it.” Jade rolled her eyes. Trisha couldn’t see it in the dim light, but to Oliver it was clear as day. SampleTrisha laid her fingers on the planchette. “Let’sfile get started.” Jade said, “Trisha, if this is some kind of prank…” “It’s not a prank. You saw the picture.” “The hand on the mirror? Any one of us could have done that.” 8 Oliver hadn’t breathed in decades but his the shining glint of silver in the man’s hands, chest rose and fell as if he were hyperventilat- and tries to run… ing. He grabbed at the planchette. Trisha lifted her hands from it, and Oliver’s fingers phased “It’s just the pipes, Trish.” Jade walked over through the plastic. to the sink with sure, steady strides. Creaks and groans rose from the floor with every step. She “I saw it happen, right in front of me!” Trisha turned on the faucet. said. “And it’s not just that! Sometimes I can hear things.” “Dad told me about this. We just have to run the water for a bit and it’ll settle out.” “Like now!” Oliver yelled. “Right now!” Trisha whispered. “I-i-it’s not the p-p-pipes.” She knitted her eyebrows and looked up at where he was. Jade leaned over the table. The Jade turned and saw vapor rising from her creak of the floor boards caught Trisha’s atten- sister’s mouth. It glowed in the candlelight. tion. Oliver stiffened at the sound. Goosebumps ran up her spine. “Trish, it’s an old house. It’s going to make They catch him. Beat him down and break all noises.” his limbs. They stamp every tender part of his body until he feels bruises forming down his Jade moved back into her chair, making a torso, between his legs. The floorboards creak louder creak. Oliver squeezed his eyes shut. He as they pull them up. They bring in a shovel, kept saying “No” to himself, each repetition dig a hole right next to him. less steady. “Your pa squealed about our little arrange- “I know what an old house sounds like!” Tr- ment,” the man with the grin says. He’s still isha threw her arms up, gesturing to the whole grinning, maybe even wider now. “So your house. “This isn’t it. You can’t hear it?” kin’s dead. They’re gonna find them, but your pa loved you an awful lot. So I got something “What am I supposed to be hearing?” Jade special.” stomped a foot into the floor. “This?” The boy sees the silver thing. A hacksaw… Oliver clasped his hands on his ears. “Not now!” Jade took a step towards her sister. The dining room table flew into the air and fell over, Mid-day. August. School’s around the corner. slamming the spirit board into the wall. The The whole family goes out for a drive but he’s kitchen cabinets all flew open at once and every at home. Slept in. Oldest child but just can’t dish flew towards her. One shattered on her keep routine. Feels bad, wants to make it up, head and she tumbled to the floor. starts making lunch for everyone. Sees a car roll up, rushes out to greet them. Only it’s not the Every door in the house opened and slammed Packard like it should be, it’s the shiniest Rolls in a chaotic pattern. Hari ran out of the room, Royce he’s ever seen… demanding to know what the girls had done. The circuit breaker behind him burst and he Trisha put a finger to her lips. “‘Now.’ That’s was silent. Jade rose from the floor to see her what I heard, ‘now.’ Listen!” sister staring at a man standing before her, Jade stood up. Another creak. sliced into parts and held together by the thin- nest viscera. Four well-dressed men come out of the car. He knows them now, recognizes the leader Trisha whispered prayers under her breath as with the grin that’s far too wide. They’re not Oliver shambled towards her. justSample here for Father’s money this time. Boy sees “Help me,” he said. “It hurts.”file

9 Sample file Introduction

The dead are all around us. They walk beside us on them. Sometimes, when that doesn’t work, they lash out the streets, reach out to us with invisible hands, shout their in frustration, just so that people notice something is going needs with voices we don’t hear. We turn away from the on, but no matter how frightening the apparition, how very thought of them, mumbling platitudes like “he’s in a violent the manifestation, there’s still a human being at better place” or “she’s at peace now.” the core of it. He’s not. She isn’t. He’s here, among us, trying Sin-Eaters are the ones who understand that. They desperately to make sure his children are looked after. live in two worlds: the world of the living and the world She’s trapped in an endless labyrinth of gray stone, slowly of the dead. As they struggle to understand their own leeching away into nothingness while the man who stole her identity and the cultural heritage of Sin-Eaters who came life’s research goes unpunished. And so, when a grinning before, they act as intercessors and speakers for the dead, stranger with pale eyes and a broken-winged angel on his helping ghosts finish their unfinished business and laying shoulder blows into town, they turn to him for help. tormented souls to rest. They come into a haunting and The dead are speaking. It’s time to listen. see not the monster making the walls bleed and lashing out at the living, but the frightened father who just wants his child back. Themes Self vs. Service eist: The Sin-Eaters is a game about people. Some Gof them are alive, some of them are dead, and some Sin-Eaters have powerful motivators to pursue their of them stand between the two, but they’re all people. own personal desires: Their Burdens drive them to resolve Geist is about giving a voice to the voiceless, about their unfinished business and their bond with their geist standing up for the marginalized, about power and privi- drives them to reach out to it and ease its suffering. On the lege and the responsibilities they carry with them. other hand, they also have dramatic, firsthand evidence of how awful and oppressive the Underworld is. Resolving Geist is a game about death. your own issues grants peace and passage beyond this vale Geist a game about hope. of tears, but if you’re gone, who will take up the fight? On EmpathySamplethe flip side, no one can live for the Causefile alone. Every ghost story is, at its core, a tragedy: Someone Hope and Joy died with something unfinished, and now they linger on, Yes, this is a game about death and the dead, and ghost in the world but ignored by it, trying with the often-lim- stories all have a core of tragedy, but Geist is not an ited tools at their disposal to make the living understand angsty, gloomy game. It’s a celebration of the memories Themes 11 there’s old wisdom to be found there, but it’s modern thinking, progressive morality, and the audacity to stand Truth and Lies up and say “the system is broken, let’s fix it” that’s going to change the world. Sin-Eaters Are Possessed Sin-Eaters consider “nothing changes” to be a fail state. False. The Bargain creates a symbiotic link They’re agitators, radicals, and punks. There’s a term between a powerful ghost and a recently- for Bound who don’t want to get out there and change deceased person, but the geist does not subsume things (even if not on a global/cosmic scale): That term or control the Sin-Eater’s body. is “Storyteller character.” Sin-Eaters Have Come Back From the Dead Not entirely true. Though the Bargain restores their bodies to biological “life” (i.e. they breathe, How to Use this Book eat, have heartbeats, etc.), from a metaphysical eist: The Sin-Eaters is a storytelling game of second standpoint, Sin-Eaters are counted among the Gchances. It’s a complete game, with everything you dead. This means, among other things, that need to take a group of Sin-Eaters from character creation magic that specifically affects the living does all the way to the end of the road. You can find extended not work on them, and that ghosts do not regain rules in the Chronicles of Darkness Rulebook. Essence when remembered by a Sin-Eater. This book also contains the Chronicle of the Dead. The Sin-Eaters Are Immortal dead — a term which here usually means “ghosts,” but False (though easily mistaken for true). While also encompasses Sin-Eaters themselves and occasionally a Sin-Eater’s geist can bring her back from other, stranger beings — are a prominent part of the fatal wounds, flesh-eating diseases, or terminal Sin-Eater’s world, and the Chronicle of the Dead helps deprivation, eventually old age claims even the provide your game with a thematic focus and clear goals Bound. In addition, Sin-Eaters can be slain by for play. The dead are trapped in a metaphysical system attacks that echo their original death, or that that seems designed to exploit and destroy them: Ghosts incorporate the bane of their geists. are trapped in the state of Twilight in the living world, bound to Anchors and able to communicate with the liv- Sin-Eaters Speak With the Dead ing only with great difficulty. Sinister shades called Reap- True, and more besides. To the Bound, ghosts are ers stalk them, and living necromancers and ghost-eaters as visible and as solid as the living. Sin-Eaters see them as nothing more than expendable tools or even also have an aura that allows ghosts to Manifest fuel. When their Anchors are destroyed, they are hurled more easily around them. screaming into the Underworld: a cold, subterranean Sin-Eaters Lead Death Cults otherworld that seems to feed on their very Essence. True, though the phrase “death cult” has A game of Geist: The Sin-Eaters focuses on a krewe, a pejorative element to it. Most Sin-Eaters a mystery cult comprising Sin-Eaters, living mortals, and organize krewes, fellowships of living, dead, ghosts alike, and follows their battles against this system. and those in between, to stand against the It can be a small, intimate tale of keeping your own little Underworld and accomplish their goals. Many patch of turf safe for the dead, a grand mythic epic that krewes are religious in nature, ranging from tears down the very Underworld itself, or even just a wholly constructed faiths to fringe sects of more personal story of finding closure for the things that kept established religions. you from moving on. Sin-Eaters Can Change the World Absolutely true. Chapters Chapter One: The Quick and the Dead describes the five Burdens, the reasons that Sin-Eaters cannot rest of people who have passed on, seizing the pleasure there easy in their graves, but struck their Bargain to return is to be had in this life and the next, because whatever to the world of flesh, Bound to a powerful ghost called a comes after this world is a mystery. When you’re dead, geist. It also reveals the five archetypes into which most even the smallest indulgence reminds you of how sweet Sin-Eater krewes fall. it is just to exist. Chapter Two: The Road Back covers Sin-Eaters themselves, their world, their society, and the friends and Samplefoes they’re likely to encounterfile in the game. Looking Back to Look Forward Chapter Three: One Foot in the Grave tells you how Sin-Eaters aren’t an ancient, monolithic culture; to create a Sin-Eater character, and describes their strange they’ve been around the mass graveyard of history, and powers and abilities.

12 Introduction Chapter Four: Old Laws details the rules of the Story- strength): any die that rolls an 8, 9, or 10 is a success. telling system, the mechanics that drive all of the Chron- Usually, even a single success is enough to succeed at what icles of Darkness games. It also covers systems unique you’re doing, and five or more successes means you did to Geist, such as the rules that govern the Underworld exceptionally well. There are a lot of permutations and and krewe actions. specific rules for things like fighting, using magic, and so Chapter Five: Antagonists delves into the principal on, but you can almost always fall back on the basic rule antagonists of Geist, including the Reapers, Eaters of of “roll dice, look for 8s, 9s, and 10s” if you’re not sure the Dead, mortal necromancers, Kerberoi, and even what to do next. rival krewes. While players other than the Storyteller will generally Chapter Six: The Quiet Places provides sketches of be advocates for their characters’ success, planning ways potential settings for your chronicle in a variety of times in which they can succeed, a lot of drama and fun comes and places throughout the world. It also describes several from when things don’t go well for the protagonists. Deep Dominions, strange places within the Underworld Think of a television series. The most interesting episodes where a ghost can gain a reprieve from its hunger… for are often the ones where everything goes wrong for the a time, and at a price. characters until they find a way to turn it around. That Chapter Seven: Ghost Stories contains advice for said, the Storyteller should make sure characters have a Storytellers on running Geist, as well as mechanics for chance to bounce back rather than constantly dumping the various endgame stories that can bring your chronicle suffering on them. to a dramatic end. The Storyteller is responsible for… Appendix One: The Absent gives you all the infor- …bringing the Chronicles of Darkness to life through mation you need to create and play a ghost as a main description. character. …deciding where scenes start and what’s going on. Finally, Appendix Two: Conditions and Tilts collects …portraying characters who don’t belong to other the various Conditions and Tilts used in Geist into a players. convenient, easy-to-reference location. …involving each player and her character in the ongoing story. …putting players’ characters in tough spots, encour- Storytelling Games aging interesting decisions. f you’re an old hand at tabletop roleplaying games, this …facilitating the actions players’ characters take, while Isection is old hat to you. Go ahead and skip down to making sure there are always complications. the section on what players and Storytellers are respon- …making sure that poor dice rolls affect but don’t stop sible for. the story. If Geist is your first storytelling game, welcome! A storytelling game is a kind of improvisational, cooperative The players are responsible for… way of creating a story. A group of friends (we recommend …creating their own individual characters as members between three and five, but you can play with as few as of the cast. two or as many as you like) gets together around a table …deciding what actions their characters take. or an online conferencing tool or the like. Most of you will …making decisions that create drama and help keep create and control a single character, one of the protag- the story moving. onists of the story. One of you, however, takes the role of …highlighting their characters’ strengths and weak- Storyteller. The Storyteller controls everything else about nesses. the world of the story: antagonists, incidental characters, …confronting the problems the Storyteller introduces. what happens outside of the players’ characters’ control, and how the world reacts to their actions. …developing their characters’ personalities and abilities over time, telling personal stories within the overall A lot of the time, this is all done as a simple conver- story of the game. sation. The players say what their characters do or say, the Storyteller says what happens in response, and so Everyone is responsible for… on. When the stakes are high and there’s a possibility of …giving other players chances to highlight their char- failure or interesting complications, the game rules step acters’ abilities and personal stories, whether that’s by in to help adjudicate whether characters succeed or fail. showing them at their strongest or weakest. Do you successfully exorcise the Reaper, or does it escape …making suggestions about the story and action, your trap? Does the necromancer shoot you, or do you Samplewhile keeping in mind the authority of playersfile over their dive for cover in time? Like that. Usually you’ll roll a characters and the responsibility of the Storyteller to number of 10-sided dice, determined by your character’s occasionally make trouble. Traits (ratings that describe how good your character is at various things, like computer hacking or raw physical

How to Use This Book | Storytelling Games 13 Archetype: A broad classification of philosophy or religion into which most krewes fall. Inspirational Media Avernian Gate: A portal from the world of the living to the Underworld, found in every cemetery in the world ere are some books and movies that capture the tone and also in places stained by death. and feel of Geist. H Bargain, the: The agreement between geist and Bound which ties them together and gives them power. Books Bereaved, the: The Burden of those whom death separated from someone or something they love. Greg Palmer’s Death: The Trip of a Lifetime. A some- what humorous look at death rituals around the world: Bonepickers: A krewe archetype that exploits the excellent inspiration for Sin-Eaters’ culture. dead for material gain. Any of M. R. James’ work. James is hailed as one of the Bound, the: Anyone who has made the Bargain with truly great authors of the ghost story. a geist. Tim Powers’ Expiration Date, although it treats most Burden: The spiritual weight or unfinished business ghosts as barely-sapient recordings of psychic trauma, was that prompted someone to make the Bargain rather a tremendous influence on the Eaters of the Dead and on than pass on. the concept of Ceremonies. Ceremony: A magical ritual, usually related to ghosts Seanan McGuire’s Sparrow Hill Road follows a hitch- or the dead in some way. Anyone who learns a Ceremony hiking ghost through the invisible backroads of America can use it. and fairly oozes Geist flavor. As withExpiration Date, the Chthonian: A “native” of the Underworld, never principal antagonist of the book is fantastic inspiration properly alive and of strange and alien mind. Their very for the Eaters of the Dead. touch is deadly to ghosts. Chthonic Gods: The deities of the Underworld, wor- Movies & T V shipped by Reapers, some ghosts, and living cultists. They may or may not exist in a literal sense. Mama (2013, dir. Andy Muschietti) is perhaps the most Crisis point: A moment that tests a Sin-Eater’s Syn- quintessentially Geist movie out there. The titular ghost ergy and may result in her geist lashing out. is a perfect representation of a geist: recognizably human Deathmask: A particular type of Memento created but distorted and warped, willing to lash out violently to when a geist is destroyed. Ghosts who wear a Deathmask protect her Bound charges, and ultimately granted peace inherit the destroyed geist’s power. only when she’s reminded of the person she was. If you watch no other inspirational media, watch this film. Deep Dominions: Bizarre realms deep in the Under- world guarded by Kerberoi. Ghosts in Deep Dominions ParaNorman (2012, dir. Sam Fell & Chris Butler) is pitched are safe from Essence drain so long as they obey the Old at kids, but offers a good look at what it’s like to be the only Laws. one in town who can see the dead. That the “monster” is defeated not by fighting or exorcising it, but by understanding Eater of the Dead: Living people who consume ghosts and sympathizing with it, is also highly relevant. to gain power and immortality. Coco (2017, dir. Lee Unkrich) is also aimed at a younger Elysians: A krewe archetype that sees immortality as audience, but its depiction of the afterlife is a perfect their right and power as their privilege. example of what Sin-Eaters might want to make of the Ferryman: A being (sometimes a ghost, sometimes one Underworld. Watch for the brief scene where the char- of the Bound, sometimes something stranger) who con- acters visit a shantytown of forgotten spirits for a look at veys passengers down the Rivers of the Underworld… the River Cities of the Underworld as it exists now. for a price. The Lost Room (2006, created by Christopher Leone Furies: A krewe archetype focused on redressing & Laura Harkcom) isn’t about ghosts at all, but its story wrongs and helping the dead find justice. about strange, indestructible Objects with bizarre powers Gatekeepers: A krewe archetype that seeks to keep and the obsessed people who will do anything to possess the world of the living and the world of the dead strictly them is excellent fodder for Mementos and Memento cults. separate. Geist: A powerful ghost whose human identity has been largely subsumed by the power of the Underworld. Glossary Most got that power by drinking from a River of the SampleUnderworld. file Abiding, the: The Burden of those who died without Haunt: The principal mystical powers wielded by the leaving a legacy behind. Bound, fueled by Plasm and Synergy. Absent, the: Ghosts who trade memories and hustle Hungry, the: The Burden of those who refused to leave to survive. behind something from their living days.

14 Introduction Kerberos: The guardians of the Deep Dominions and Pilgrims: A krewe archetype that focuses on helping enforcers of the Old Laws. Most appear as bizarre compos- the dead resolve their own unfinished business. ite beings, and their origins are mysterious (pl. Kerberoi). Plasm: The semi-physical residue of ghostly Manifes- Key: A powerfully resonant form of death, which the tations, which fuels the Bound’s supernatural abilities. Bound can tap into to fuel Haunts or gain Plasm. Reaper: A ghost who worships the Chthonic Gods Kindly, the: The Burden of those who seek to make and, with the power of a Deathmask, seeks to drag the amends for sins they committed in life. dead into the Underworld. Krewe: A mystery cult led by the Bound, with both River Cities: Shantytowns in the Underworld, built living and dead celebrants. by ghosts who dredge castoffs from the River for food. Liminal Aura: The aura possessed by all Bound that Rivers of the Underworld: The innumerable wa- makes it easier for ghosts to Manifest around them. terways of the Underworld, whose tributaries begin at Lower Mysteries: The deepest parts of the Under- every Avernian Gate and which ultimately drain into world, home to the River Cities and the Deep Domin- the Ocean of Fragments. ions. Sin-Eater: A Bound who actively fights to protect the Memento: An object imbued with the resonance of dead from the Underworld, Reapers, and similar forces. death. A Memento has both a Key and a strange but Synergy: A measure of the strength of the bond be- often useful supernatural property. tween a Bound and their geist. Mourners: A krewe archetype that chronicles the Thanatologists: A krewe archetype who see the dead stories of the forgotten dead and ensures that those as subjects for scientific study, nothing more. stories are told. Undertakers: A krewe archetype focused on preparing Necromancer: A general term for any living magi- the living for death in the hopes of creating fewer ghosts cian who interacts with (and usually exploits) the dead to be trapped by the Underworld. regularly. Underworld: The otherworld where ghosts go when Necropolitans: A krewe archetype that focuses on they can no longer hold on in the living world. The making ghosts’ afterlives into comfortable, affirming Underworld leeches ghosts’ Essence away until they are existences. completely absorbed by the Underworld. Ocean of Fragments, the: The ocean at the bottom Upper Reaches: The “shallowest” parts of the Under- of the Underworld. Those who plunge into its waters world, closest to the living world, home to small, desper- are stripped of their identities and ultimately dissolved. ate communities, strange ghost cults, and dead hermits. Old Laws: The arcane rules of the Deep Dominions. Vengeful, the: The Burden of those who returned to Breaking them calls down the wrath of the Kerberoi. see justice done for their own deaths.

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Inspirational Media | Glossary 15 A Brighter Morning Part I eah wiped the sweat from her eyes and saw the Aban- doned One standing before her. Long ago, when the riptide pulled her under, his large gray eyes and waxy skin had been a terror to behold. Now he was only a painful sight, both a reminder of better times and of her greatest failure. The Abandoned One pointed toward the door. Leah put down the screw gun. Of course someone had come to see her in the middle of fixing the air conditioner. She stood up and popped her back. She felt the sensation of a hard shove against her shoulder, the Abandoned One’s way of asking if he should send the visitor away. Leah mopped her forehead with a handkerchief. “No. I’ll talk to ‘em. Stay close.” She went to the door, the Abandoned One floating behind her. She looked over her shoulder and saw him smiling with his empty mouth. This was the first time they had spoken to each other for more than a moment in two weeks. She hadn’t meant it to be that way, but the first week went by in a blur of crying fits and restless sleep, and in the second week she dived into fixing the house. Aidan’s death seemed to have invited a myriad of problems into her home: The living room drywall cracked, the bed finally gave in, and now the air conditioner broke during the hottest part of the summer. The Abandoned One watched as she fixed these things, barely saying a word. Perhaps he was grieving in his own way, or feared that he would become his namesake if he left to take care of his own business. Leah looked through the peephole. Mark wore his usual full business suit. The Open-Throated Saint stood beside him. He wasn’t chatting over his phone’s earpiece, which meant that this was serious. She opened the door. Mark straightened his sweat-soaked tie. He smiled. “Hot enough for you?” he said. The lacerations on the Saint’s throat gurgled over, which was as close as she came to a greeting. Leah crossed her arms. “Can we come in? Saint and I could really use some cool air.” “Air’s broke,” Leah said. Mark’s smile faded. He blinked the sweat out of his eyes. “Oh. Well. SampleDo you want to talk about this in the car? It’s probablyfile boiling now, but after I start it up—”

16 The Abandoned One threw himself in front of Mark pulled out his phone. “Kamala said that Leah and loomed over Mark. The Open-Throated the witnesses didn’t catch a name, but I did some Saint growled and flexed her claws. He raised an research.” arm to strike. He swiped through websites and spreadsheets. “That’s enough!” Leah said to him. The Aban- “A lot of low-key hauntings that end in a huge doned One looked at her, bewildered, and moved outburst. The house is in Silver Star’s old turf. to the kitchen. The Saint glided forward. Leah They’d probably have taken care of it years ago, glared at her, and she stopped. but no one’s seen them since the Reaper attack.” “I’ll just start over,” Mark said. He raised his He pinched out an obituary. “Here we are. The right hand, following traditional protocol. “As a LaVoies all died in a car wreck, except for their High Priest of the Church of the Brighter Morning, oldest, Oliver. He went missing instead. Never I greet you, O High Priestess.” found, foul play suspected but the case went cold. The old Krol family probably had a hand in it. Leah sighed and raised her left hand. “I am Judging from the stories, I’d say he isn’t very hap- honored to greet my follow traveler. What do you py about not being found.” want, Mark?” The Abandoned One rushed up, getting so close “We found someone. Old ghost, real old ghost. to the phone screen that his eyes took on a pale One of the parishioners knows someone who lives glow. The Open-Throated Saint inched forward in his haunt. She got it to us before some con artist but Mark motioned her to stay. The Abandoned caught on. We need someone to help him pass One read the files with a wide grin. on.” “Kind of like you, huh?” Leah said to him. Leah grimaced. “You could have just called.” The Abandoned One turned to her with ex- “You’d refuse if I did.” pectant eyes. Leah’s body was filled with a sad, She nodded, too exhausted from the heat to lie. nervous energy, but she felt a rising exuberance “You should get someone else.” through her bones. She had to fight off the urge to smile. The last time he had felt so strongly about “Leah, there isn’t anyone else. The recruits something that the feeling leaked into her body, barely know how to perform an exorcism, Oumil’s she had been invited to join the Church. Following taking a trip downstairs, I’m trying to make peace her geist’s gut feelings was rarely a great idea, but with Fifth Street, and Aiden’s…” what was there to gain out of denying him now? Leah looked away from him. The Abandoned “He wants to go, so I’ll go,” Leah said. “Any set One reappeared in the entrance hallway. Mark time?” cleared his throat. “Tonight,” Mark said. “The sooner we act, the “You’re taking it better than any of us. You better. Get your things together; I’ll go make some don’t think so, but you put him to rest so quickly. I calls.” He clicked his ear piece on and walked to- couldn’t have done that.” wards his car. “I’ve got to negotiate the price with the clients. They’ve got to know we don’t come “I wasn’t going to let a Reaper take him,” Leah cheap.” said. “I’d never let anyone be trapped down there. Never.” “Wait,” Leah said. “And that’s why we need you. The word has to Mark turned around, eyebrows raised. have hit the street by now, about the ghost, about what Fifth Street did to us. It’s been so quiet lately, “I need to pick up a new inverter. I’ll give you and the Saint’s been telling me it’s because no the directions.” one’s made a move. Not yet. If we allow one dis- “Excuse me? Are you making me run your er- playSample of weakness, it’s open season on everything rand?” file we’ve worked for.” Leah smiled. The Abandoned One took his Leah wrapped her arms around herself. “Who is place beside her, chest puffed up. “We don’t come he?” cheap, either.” 17 Sample file – chapter one – The Quick and the Dead

hat makes a Sin-Eater? Dress the answer up how- Sin-Eaters’ brush with death leads them to found their Wever you like, it comes down to Burden. Each of the own peculiar religions. Those faiths have been called Bound died under the weight of something powerful. Re- many things: Mysteries, cults, churches, heresies — but sponsibility. Greed. Loss. Regret. Rage. That weight draws since the early 20th century, spreading outward from a like-minded geist to her, inexorable as gravity, shapes Alabama and New Orleans to the rest of the world, the her return from death, and drives her along her road. preferred term has been krewe. The five Burdens are: There are very nearly as many krewes as there are Sin-Eaters, but they can be roughly divided by the broad • The Abiding: Those who died with no legacy left strokes of their ethoi. The fivekrewe Archetypes are: behind. Abiding Sin-Eaters hold oblivion at bay until they can forge something that will last beyond them. • Furies: Krewes that focus on balancing the scales of justice. They put right that which is wrong. • The Bereaved: Those who lost someone dear to them — perhaps in the same incident that killed them, • Mourners: These Sin-Eaters remember the dead, perhaps years before. The Bereaved scour the realms especially those the living have forgotten. They bring of the dead, seeking the fate of their lost loved ones. light into the darkness of the Underworld and return with wisdom to share. • The Hungry: Those who left something behind they couldn’t bear to let go. They haunt the remnants of • Necropolitans: These krewes care for the dead, pro- their lives and accomplishments, protecting what tect them from the depredations of the Underworld, remains and hunting down that which was stolen. and reunite them with loved ones across the veil.

• The Kindly: Those who, in death, recognize a great • Pilgrims: To Pilgrims, death is a step along a journey wrong they did in life and return to make amends. The to something greater. They help the dead release their Kindly redress personal wrongs and work to dismantle Anchors and come to terms with their demise. systems of exploitation they once benefitted from. • Undertakers: Undertakers help the living get their af- • The Vengeful: Those who blame another — rightly fairs in order before they become a ghost’s unfinished or wrongly — for their deaths and seek redress for the business. By changing how people perceive death and wrongsSample done to them. by understanding its metaphysics, they filecan change the game altogether.

The Quick and the Dead 19