The Book of Hunts ABOUT THIS PDF The pages within this PDF were reconstructed from the original PageMaker files used for the print edition of the book. Many graph- ics files were missing from the archive so the final PDF is a low- res work that is perfect for use in gameplay but is not the quality typically seen from Ronin Arts releases. A decision was made to release what we had in order to get the material to fans of The Whispering Vault who had missed the print version of the book. While a second edition of the Vault main book is in the planning stages there are no plans to release the material in this PDF in any way other than you see here. If there’s anything we can do to increase your enjoyment of this or any other Ronin Arts PDF please don’t hesitate to contact us. Thanks for your support. – Philip Reed and Christopher Shy COPYRIGHTS Copyright © 2003 Philip Reed and Christopher Shy, All Rights Reserved. The Whispering Vault is a trademark of Philip Reed and Christopher Shy. The Sanguine Seal is a trademark of Alex Gray, used with permission. Ronin Arts PDF Edition published March, 2003. www.roninarts.com www.studioronin.com • www.philipjreed.com THE BOOK OF HUNTS 1 ARTWORK We owe a debt of gratitude to these fine artists. Cover by: Tom Baxa John Matson Scott Baxa Bradley McDevitt Brian Despain David Fooden Dave Mackay Neal Darcy 2 The Book of Hunts INTRODUCTION .....................................................................Chris Pramas 4 CROSSROADS...................................................Chris Pramas, Mike Nystul. 5 LIFE ABUNDANT....................................................................Lester Smith. 7 LET’S A LL BE FRANK.......................................................Julie Hoverson. 19 BUMPY TOAD.........................................................................Todd Miller. 31 A THOUSAND POUNDS OF FLESH.........................................Brian E. Kirby. 49 THE SWORD OF ALLAH.........................................................Chris Pramas. 62 PLAYGROUND OF THE DAMNED................................................Neal Darcy. 73 Credits Additional Material by: Mike Nystul John Nephew, Ann Dupuis, James Wallis, Muslims in Space: Jason Pramas Brad McDevitt, Tom Baxa and Brian Layout: Nicole Lindroos Frein, Neal Darcy Despain : for the wisdom and knowledge they Art Direction: Neal Darcy gladly imparted to us. Development: Chris Pramas Typesetting: Chris Pramas and Neal Darcy Dedication: Editing: Chris Pramas, Neal Darcy and To our parents. And to Jack Fountain, a Jason Pramas good friend, a good husband, and a good Cover Art: Tom Baxa father who though sorely missed will Playtesters: Rob Lawson, Jen Pruitt Kirby, Brian always be remembered. Kirby, Chris Flaherty, Kim Pratt, and Crazy Todd Miller. Special Thanks: We would like to acknowledge and extend our heart-felt thanks to the following people without whose help we would have been lost...very lost: Nicole Lindroos Frein: For being the best of friends. Copyright © 1997 Ronin Publishing Jennifer Fuchel: For her invaluable techni- Harvard Square Station P.O.Box 380048 cal knowledge and support, and for teaching Cambridge, MA 02238 the blind to see. E-mail: [email protected] Aaron Loeb: For the dark pact. Whispering Vault, the Sanguine Seal, and the Book Rob Lawson: For being our favorite gam- of Hunts are the trademarks of Ronin Publishing. ing snob. All rights reserved. ISBN # 0-9657784-0-1 3 INTRODUCTION Bumpy Toad as the sympathetic has-been. Players are Welcome to the Book of Hunts, Ronin Publishing’s sure not for forget the cunning Mr. Fox, especially since first support product for the Whispering Vault RPG. he has the nasty habit of coming back to life. It’s been a hectic time since we at Ronin acquired Vault Following the light-hearted romp of Bumpy Toad from Pariah Press, but we’re quite happy to culminate isn’t an easy job, but Brian E. Kirby, author of the aptly a year of struggle with this product. Our idea was to titled A Thousand Pounds of Flesh, is just the man for put together an adventure anthology that showcased the job. There is nothing subtle about this Hunt, show- the strength and flexibility of the Hunt concept. Each casing as it does a Beast who really earns his name. Hunt in this book somehow stretches the bounds of the The twist of this adventure is that the Beast has un- traditional Vault adventure. Some purists might not like knowingly created a Life Link to the Focus of the everything we’ve done, but these ideas are meant as a Enigma, which has caused havoc to come to visit the resource. Take what you like and discard the rest. If you quiet town of Dry Gulch in 1870. Saddle up them find even a few inspirational ideas, we’ve done our job. horses, pardner. The book kicks off with a new addition for your The Sword of Allah, my humble contribution to Vault campaign: the Crossroads. This is an example of this tome, is notable for two reasons. First, it takes the direction we’ll be taking the Realm of Essence and the Vault into the future, literally. Many GM’s seem is easy to incorporate into your games. It plays a key to forget that the Dream is a unified whole that spans role in the first of our Hunts, Lester Smith’s Life Abun- all of human history. This allows great freedom in dant. It’s probably best if you run a couple of Hunts designing futuristic adventures, since it liberates you with the Crossroads before starting Life Abundant. Let up from the constraints of history. Second, the the players get used to their new sacred ground and Enigma in this Hunt is not caused by an Unbidden, then pull the rug out from under them and watch their but rather an experimental piece of technology. Play- bewilderment. Lester’s Hunt is the most experimental ers locked into the “find the beastie” mentality are in of the lot, and is meant to be played in acts between for a rude surprise. other adventures. Players who’ve gotten used to the Rounding out the Book of Hunts is Playground of standard format will be in for a surprise as Life Abun- the Damned, by our own Neal Darcy. Neal brings dant unfolds. splatterpunk sensibilities to the world of Whispering Next up is Let’s All Be Frank by Julie Hoverson. Vault, so you’d best not eat lunch before reading this This Hunt is an excellent example of taking a theme one. Set entirely within a Corrupted area, Playground and weaving a whole tapestry around it. The Unbidden of the Damned gives “a day at the circus” a whole new here is completely obsessed with FDR, and his obses- meaning. Despite its graphic nature, this Hunt is not sion colors every episode of the Hunt. By the end of meant to be a shoot ‘em up. Just stay away from the the adventure, everyone is sure to be a little more like lollipops and you’ll be fine. Frank... So there you have it, six different visions of Whisper- Bumpy Toad, our third entertainment, is as devil- ing Vault under one glorious cover. We sincerely hope you ishly clever as its twisted creator, the aptly named Crazy enjoy the book and please, let us know how you liked it. Todd Miller. Players find themselves in the bizarre Land We want every book we put out to be better than the last, of Quay, a Shadow Realm ruled by the forlorn Unbid- so voicing your opinion does make a difference. Good luck den Bumpy Toad. Half children’s fable and half horror and good gaming. story, Bumpy Toad is an innovative adventure that casts Chris Pramas a unique Shadow as the main villain and the unhappy February 22, 1997 4 Introduction CROSSROADS I sat alone in my Domain, surrounded by the shifting sands of my unconscious, when I heard the whisper. It was the Widow’s Son, calling me forth again in my battle against the unrighteous. Leaving my well- spring of inspiration behind, I moved quickly over the trackless waste to the edge of my Domain. With a leap of faith, I plunged into the formless mist and suddenly the path became clear before me. It lead to the Cross- roads of my Circle and there , amidst the twisted wreckage of a civiliza- tion that never was, I found my brethren. I saw the Widow’s Son first, wrapped in his cloak of darkness, and, not for the first time, I wondered about my brother. Alone of the Circle, he refused to invite others to his Domain—and Stalkers, strange beings that we are, will never go to another’s Domain without an invitation. This is why we meet at the Crossroads, and this is why the Widow’s Son is always the first to arrive. Only the Powers know for certain what secrets lie at the heart of his Domain, but I fear that none know the darkness of his soul. -from the Confessions of the Prophet The Stalker’s Domain is a very personal expression of their past life in the Flesh. Like their resistance in sharing the meaning of their keys, many Stalkers are just as hesitant to share the secrets of their Domains. Stalkers know well that to violate the sanctity of another’s Domain could lead to a confrontation of deadly intensity. For this reason, the Stalkers’ Domains are brought together during the creation of the Circle and linked at one focal point. This point is known as the Crossroads. Crossroads are a new concept to add to your Whispering Vault game. They are somewhat similar to Domains but belong to a Circle rather than an individual Stalker. Basically, Crossroads are the place that the Domains of a Circle meet.