Kickstarter Manuscript Setting Preview #2: Odense
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Kickstarter Manuscript Setting Preview #2: Odense © 2019 White Wolf Entertainment © 2019 Onyx Path Publishing Odense: Contagion of Emotion Man is by nature a social animal; an individual who is unsocial naturally and not accidentally is either beneath our notice or more than human. Society is something that precedes the individual. Anyone who either cannot lead the common life or is so self-sufficient as not to need to, and therefore does not partake of society, is either a beast or a god. — Aristotle For long this Scandinavian city has gone unnoticed. As the preeminent state of the region, hundreds of years of peace and reservation pave the way for what is considered a crime-free haven for both mortals and monstrous creatures. Sadly, a new dawn is upon Odense, and it awakens something long dormant. An aggressive disease dwells within the city borders, infecting emotion and mind. The Odense setting explores a terrifying phenomenon of divine writ gone wrong. The God- Machine chose a soul to accomplish a task and then perish, but that soul in turn chose not to die. This location slowly succumbs to a Contagion allowed to seep through holes in Infrastructure, destroying not only the lives of citizens but the place they inhabit. The only kindle of hope remaining are the groups of Sworn and False situated in Odense, seeking to either gain control over or cure the illness before it disposes of everything the city was and will grow to be. Few facts can be stated about an unknown disease, but certain is the annihilation of a city and everything it holds if the Contagion is left untreated. Theme: Regression The Contagion in Odense unfolds as a destructive change in both occult and mortal behavior. The Scandinavian social-sphere, often distant, sometimes cold, is undoubtedly a part of Danish social behavior. It is indeed common sense for a people living in colder climate to seek comfort inside the warmth of their homes. However, an unnatural change influences the creatures of Odense; something that cannot be blamed on climate nor culture. It is something only the Sworn and False can see, and not only is it destroying Infrastructure in Odense and the mentality of its citizens, it is spreading. With every step taken in pursuit of change in the city, Contagion pulls it two steps back, locking it in place. Infrastructure in Odense as falling apart at the seams, and even Angels are removing themselves from the city, deeming it doomed. Some are staying back, frantically trying to repair the holes and blocking entree ways for Contagion, but as one hole is closed, another two other opens. Neglect is taking its toll on the old city. Mood: Isolation Characters find themselves in a once lively city, now almost lying barren. Where streets once buzzed with cars, tourists clustered in groups, students relaxed after school, and couples held hands, now only silence remains. Cafés and restaurants which, until the changes occurred, had people lining up to enter, are now struggling to cover their costs. Teachers show up to half-filled classrooms and workplaces have record sick-leave absences. The people of Odense are not only disappearing from their social circles, they are disappearing into themselves. Pensioners wastes away in their apartments, as nobody visits, leaving them to their own demise. Children are forgotten in kindergartens and with child-minders, as their parents either picks up drinking habits or simply forgets about their existence. The city is overtaken by an eerie, omnipresent silence, only to be disturbed by the sharp tones of the cathedral bell and the occasional footsteps of a person cowering across the street, tracing the walls like a fleeing prey. Most noticeable is not the lack of people, for they are indeed still to be found in supermarkets, shopping malls, and other large, communal areas, but the clear signs they do not wish to be around each other. It is as if they exist socially in body, but are completely detached in mind. They only do what is the bare necessity for survival, such as attending work and gathering food, before they disappear into their homes, at least in the opening stages of infection. It gets far worse as time goes on. The question beckons: Why is the Contagion taking this form in Odense and what, or rather who, is fueling its fire? What Has Come Before Nestled within the heart of Denmark, beginning at the Fjord of Odense, and ending within the heart of Fyn, lies the city of Odense. Built atop the soil from which the oak used to craft Viking skeids grew and vitalized by the flow of water in Odense stream, Odense remains a treasure trove of historic findings. To this day, with but a little effort, one can still hear the footsteps of ancient warrior kings, medieval orders of nuns and monks, and great wordsmiths on the timeworn, cobbled streets. Indeed, the one who chooses to explore this city will inevitably be met with stories of time and glories past. In crooks and corners hide statuettes of unsung Danish heroes, remaining forgotten in the minds of Odenseanere, but their spirits still weave among the chimneys and cathedral towers. In the King’s Garden remains grandiose manufactured rectangular ponds, Odense castle connected directly to Saint Hans Church, and copper monuments, reminding every passerby of the abundance once contained within Denmark’s former royal seat. Towering over every rooftop and tree crown stands Odense Cathedral, church and resting place of Knud the Holy, safely cocooning what is believed to be the last calcified remains of the iron- willed king and his brother Benedict within its archaic monastic walls. Standing tallest is the northern tower of the cathedral, within it the grand bell echoes, its somber and omnipresent vibrations reaching even the ever-expanding city borders and newer parts of the city. The Ancient Odense The name “Odense” dates to documents from the year 988 CE, describing the city as the fourth diocese of Denmark. However, the excavation of the ringfort on Nonnebakken, in what is now the city-center of Odense, dates the city older. Tales of Viking ships sailing the water stream of Odense and Harald Bluetooth’s visitations in the old city are still whispered in the cold winter- nights. Before entering inner circle of Odense, standing with sword in hand, is Knud the Holy in the form of a now verdigrised bronze statue, keeping a watchful eye on whomever enters what was once his city. Crowned during the transition period from Viking Age to the early Middle Ages, Knud the Holy is one of the first stories to embed Odense into Denmark’s history and is the reason Odense experienced rapid growth in the early 13th century. Born in 1043 CE, as son of Svend Estridsen, Knud Estridsen ruled Denmark. At the height of his princedom, Knud lead his father’s fleet into raids on England and joining the crusades into the Holy Land. He was a warrior monarch, and one who drew the love and awe of his people. He enriched his land, brought new prosperity to the Danes, and cut a fine figure as king. Alas, as is often the way for men who live by the sword, he died a bloody death. The murder of Knud took place in Odense Cathedral. The king had gathered the entire Danish fleet on the west coast of Jutland, in the pursuit of once again raiding Edinburgh. Despite the king not appearing at the coast, he did not allow the peasants to return home, as they needed to ready themselves for the impending attack. This left many starving in the harsh Nordic winter. Chased by rebels, Knud fled from Jutland to Fyn, where he sought refuge in Odense’s biggest church. His desire for sanctuary was to no avail, as his own men murdered him as he knelt before the church altar, a sword piercing his ribs. His people ripped the country from his hands in a grisly act of regicide. His undead figure was first seen in 1664 CE and reappeared several times throughout a period of five years. Knud gained status as a local legend. The story of the corpse-figure with a gaping wound in its side was used as a warning for children not to roam the city streets after dark. Many descriptions from mortal eye witnesses exist, but none describe having contact with the ghostly remains of the king. Sightings of Knud disappeared from written texts for a time-span of 150 years, before they reappeared in historical documents in 1889 CE. Description changed from an isolated entity, to a horrifying blood-sucking monster, leeching on persons who dared walk the cathedral grounds at night. Not only did the king reappear several times in the last century, but his appearances seemed to correlate with outbreaks of what was first described in 1664 CE as a ‘possession of the mind.’ A letter, written by a Bone Shadow named Ole Worm to his son in 1665 CE, describes how the illness affected his wife: “It is almost as if she has forgotten how to exist. No longer will she engage in conversation with the other women at the well. She seems afraid to be in my presence. My son, the light of life has gone from your mother’s eyes”. A small number of official documents describing the illness exists from this time-period. However, several letters and diary entries tell the tales of families in distress when they see the personality of their loved ones change rapidly.