Sample file by Travis legge Credits Author: Travis Legge Editor: Saylor Ashman Artist: Storyteller’s Vault Art Packs The X-Card was created by Jon Stavropoulos, and is entirely in Creative Commons. Special Thanks Akira Yamaoka, Hideo Kojima, Keiichiro Toyama, and Mary Elizabeth McGlynn for endless inspiration, not only for this game, but for all my creations. Thank you for showing the world what pure psychological horror looks, sounds, and feels like. © 2016 White Wolf Publishing AB. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or other- wise, without the prior written permission of White Wolf Publishing AB. Reproduction prohibitions do not apply to the character sheets contained in this book when reproduced for personal use. White Wolf, Vampire and Chronicles of Darkness are registered trademarks of White Wolf Publishing AB. All rights reserved. Night Horrors: Unbidden, Vampire the Requiem, Werewolf the Forsaken, Mage the Awakening, Storytelling System, and Ancient Bloodlines are trademarks of White Wolf Publishing AB.. All rights reserved. All characters, names, places and text herein are copyrighted by White Wolf Publishing AB. The mention of or reference to any company or product in these pages is not a challenge to the trademark or copyright concerned. ThisSample book uses the supernatural for settings, characters and themes. All mystical and supernatural elements are fiction and fileintended for entertain- ment purposes only. Reader discretion is advised. Check out White Wolf online at http://www.white-wolf.com Credits 3 TableTable of ContentsContents Introduction 5 Chapter Two: Creatures Chapter One: of Nightmare 13 Characters and Rules 8 Ephemeral Beings in Gabriel’s Horn 14 Character Creation 9 Ghosts and Spirits 14 Attributes 9 Alternate Game Systems 14 Skills 9 Sins 19 Merits 9 Personas 19 Aspirations 11 Ghosts of Gabriel’s Horn 19 Virtue and Vice 11 Spirits 21 Breaking Points 11 New Numina 25 Integrity 12 Phantom Arsenal 25 Conditions 12 Smothering Grasp 25 Amnesia (Persistent) 12 Illuminated 12 Author's Note 26 New Tilts 12 Character Sheet 27 Drowning 12 Suffocating 12 Sample file 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS Sample file IntroductionIntroduction Humans are amazing creatures capable of boundless compassion and endless cruelty in equal measure. We inhabit a world where “On the sidewalk of the city monsters lurk in the shadows, seeking to feed on, control, or twist us to serve dark, alien agendas. Vampires hunt humans for blood. Werewolves stalk the forests and wild lands, perfectly willing to Are my screams just a tear any poor soul who stumbles into their path to shreds. Who whisper? knows how many other terrors lurk in the darkness, waiting to pounce on the unwary. Despite the unnatural depravity of these hidden horrors, humanity remains the greatest threat to itself. Be Busy people going nowhere it physically, emotionally, financially, or spiritually, humans are always in danger of harm. Hunted by monsters and hunted by each See me soak in the rain other, humankind faces no shortage of threats. Everyday people often prove to be the cruelest and most monstrous of the bunch. The shadows of the world hunger. Monsters hide within them No compassion, nothing for protection, but also because the shadows invite them. The matters darkness feeds on cruelty, pain, and spite. Monsters deliver such fruit in abundance. Of course, so do humans. After all, we are what monsters come from. Humans are the chassis upon which the form My resistance is waning of a monster is placed. Those who are well suited to existence as an unnatural creature are sought out and brought into the fold of Like a flower in the basement one monstrous species or another. Vampires are Embraced. Mages Awaken to a new world of possibility. Like attracts like and the waiting for a lonely death.” ranks of the damned swell. Not all who fall to darkness join the ranks of the monsters. - “Your Rain“ Akira Yamaoka Some, breaking the laws of society due to their cruel impulses, find feat. Mary Elizabeth McGlynn themselves imprisoned. Locked away from society, their damage is mitigated and contained. Others fall to an early death. Whether their lives are cut short due to violence, misadventure, or their own hand, their mortality offers an escape from the hungry maw of the darkness. Some rare few humans slip through the cracks in the universe. The stains of their sins and the expression of their monstrous inner nature reaches just the right conditions to allow them to fall into the darkness without being reborn. Such souls are removed from the world as we know it and find themselves within a dark reflection of our world. This realm looks, feels, smells, and tastes like the world we live in, but before long the poison of truth begins seeping into the edges of awareness. This is the realm of Gabriel’s Horn. Gabriel’s Horn is a sourcebook for Chronicles of Darkness: Mirrors. This book presents a slightly different view of the setting, Sampleplacing a strong emphasis on psychological file horror, with a super- natural bent. Stories using this book do not occur within the core setting of the Chronicles of Darkness, but instead inside a mirror universe defined by the sins and shortcomings of the unfortunate souls who are transported there. This setting shard gives the Storyteller tools to craft a customized psychological Recommended Media horror experience tailored to the player’s characters. A number of films and games capture the feel of psy- chological horror damnation, and doom that Gabriel’s What is Gabriel’s Horn? Horn strives to create. Amnesia: The Dark Descent. The protagonist of The true and ultimate nature of this mirror universe this game awakens with virtually no memory and must is left to the Storyteller to determine. Is it a living hell wander a decrepit and disturbing mansion in order to where evil people pay for their indiscretions and cruelty? unearth clues about his past. Transporting this concept A section of the Abyss that pulls mortals in for some into a contemporary setting would be perfect fodder for dark purpose? A glitch in the workings of the God a story in Gabriel’s Horn. Machine that certain souls are predisposed to fall into? These are all good options, but it is ultimately left for Hellraiser: Inferno, Hellraiser: Hellseeker. These the Storyteller to decide. Maybe all of these are true to entries in the long-running Hellraiser film franchise a degree. Maybe none of them are. focus on protagonists whose sins begin to warp the world around them. Both films offer perfect inspiration The name, Gabriel’s Horn is derived from a geomet- for a Gabriel’s Horn story, in terms of atmosphere as ric figure that has an infinite surface area, but a finite well as creating monsters that are tied to the sins and volume. This term is representative of the boundaries shortcomings of the protagonists. and contents of the shard universe, as its boundaries are seemingly infinite and virtually impenetrable, while its Jacob’s Ladder. This film does a beautiful job of contents are finite and explorable. Most humans who illustrating madness and fear as the protagonist slowly find themselves in Gabriel’s Horn succumb to madness realizes that reality is much darker than it seems. long before they come to any understanding of its true Silent Hill. Every game in this franchise, from the nature. Perhaps your troupe will be an exception? 1999 original through the unfortunately defunct PT teaser, perfectly encompasses the atmosphere, feel, and core concept of Gabriel’s Horn. The Silent Hill games How to Use This Book also feature protagonists trapped in a hellish version of The introduction, which you are reading now, gives the familiar world populated with monstrous manifes- a brief concept of the core premise of Gabriel’s Horn tations of their own sins and shortcomings. and a summary of what is to come. Soma. The surreal impact of the presence of monsters, Chapter One: Characters and Rules discusses the presented through feedback in this game, is a beautiful rules permutations for this mirror universe, including technique for conveying the creepy otherworldness of ways to bring your existing Chronicles of Darkness encounters with the beings that inhabit Gabriel’s Horn. character into Gabriel’s Horn The Uninvited. This film is a pitch perfect presen- Chapter Two: Creatures of Nightmare offers a tation of one character’s trip through Gabriel’s Horn, number of antagonists and bizarre monsters that may as the protagonist is clueless as to the nature of what is be encountered within Gabriel’s Horn. happening around her until it is far too late. Author’s Note: Some personal reflections and advice for running games in Gabriel’s Horn. A Note on Content and Comfort Characters who wind up in Gabriel’s Horn are not good people. If they were, they wouldn’t be here. This is not to say that those who fall into Gabriel’s Horn cannot have good qualities. Many of the people who wind up here are kind, charitable, and loving. Yet, beneath the surface they are severely damaged. People who come to Gabriel’s Horn are tainted by their own evil actions. It is important for the Storyteller and players to discuss appropriate boundaries, potential content triggers, and topics that are off limits. Use of an X-Card is highly recommended with Gabriel’s Horn. The X-Card is a useful tool for preventing undue harm in the course of exploring sensitive issues. Information on using an X-Card at your table can be found at https://docs.google.com/ document/d/1SB0jsx34bWHZWbnNIVVuMjhDkrdFGo1_hSC2BWPlI3A/Sample file It is also important to note that while player characters created for Gabriel’s Horn should carry evil, sin, guilt, and psychological scars, they should not be irredeemable.