Nocturnals - RUST CITY

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All men’s hearts blacken with time,
those sad and weak turned to crime.
The mind fights back and then succumbs,
for something wicked this way comes.

Dark clouds gather from afar,
blotting out sun... moon and star.
Fury’s storm, air sizzle and hum,
for something wicked this way comes.

All inhibitions are withdrawn –
enraged… mind sense long gone.
A tune of death this evil strums,
for something wicked this way comes.

The night is yours wild and scary,
nocturnals walk/stalk and make merry.
Goodness keep watch and overcome,
for something wicked this way comes.


Welcome to Nocturnals - RUST CITY setting and campaign wiki. This wiki site is a resource for a face-to-face tabletop superhero role-playing game using the M&M system called "Rust City". This site is a wiki, which is a web page that can be edited by anyone with surfing the web! The goal of this wiki site is to form a repository of information about our game that is easily accessible and edittable to the entire game group. A "campaign series bible".

Why Nocturnals?
'Cause it's KEWL...! Nocturnals is a comic book title created by artist Dan Brereton which debuted as a six-part miniseries in 1994-1995 under Malibu Comics collectively subtitled as Black Planet. It follows the supernatural exploits of Doc Horror and his daughter Eve in Pacific City, a fictional California town which seems to have more than its fair share of paranormal activity. The series is noted for its eclectic combination of pulp storytelling, fantastic creatures, moody atmosphere, and colorful characters, as well as Brereton's trademark painted art style.

What/Where is Rust City?
Our story follows the supernatural exploits of the "Graveyard Shift" in Rust City, a fictional Great Lakes town which has more than its fair share of paranormal activity. Rust City, as it's known to the various Nocturnals, is known to 'day people' as Traverse City. Traverse City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Despite its modest population, Traverse City, especially its downtown, functions as the major commercial nexus for a seven-county area totaling over 7,000 km and, along with cross-peninsula counterpart Alpena, Michigan, is one of Northern Lower Michigan's two anchor cities.


CAMPAIGN CONNECTIONS


[[Image:Rust City---MAP 1.gif|frame|]

Rust City: Setting Background[edit]

Set on below the Great Lakes of the United States – New Jersey – ....






ROSTER[edit]

DOC MIDNIGHT[edit]

CIVILIAN IDENTITY: Dr. Jacob Midnight (a.k.a. ??)
"Blah blah blah, this is where you write a short bio brief, who you are, why you are and what you're going to do about it... " ... (as played by Karl)

GOURD[edit]

CIVILIAN IDENTITY: Det. Gordon Parks (a.k.a. Gordo, Det. Parks)
"Blah blah blah, this is where you write a short bio brief, who you are, why you are and what you're going to do about it... " ... (as played by Adam)

HAGFISH[edit]

CIVILIAN IDENTITY: Officer Tankenson (a.k.a. Todd Tankenson, Beat Cop, Tank)
He stands in silence. Stoic. Godlike. The mysterious avenger, who has become a legend to the people of this city. But glory will not distract him from his vigil. For he is... HAGFISH!... (as played by Brandon)

[[ ??? ]

CIVILIAN IDENTITY: Det. Mike Samsa (a.k.a. ??)
"Blah blah blah, this is where you write a short bio brief, who you are, why you are and what you're going to do about it... " ... (as played by Andrew)

[[ ??? ]

CIVILIAN IDENTITY: Det. Dante Bianchi (a.k.a. ??)
"Blah blah blah, this is where you write a short bio brief, who you are, why you are and what you're going to do about it... " ... (as played by Steve)






WORLD AT LARGE[edit]

the GOOD (heroes)[edit]

LAW ENFORCEMENT

  •  ???

Current superhuman residents of Rust City

  •  ???

Concerned Citizens

  •  ???





the BAD (villains)[edit]

???

ON THE STREETS

  • ???:

INCARERATED

  • ???



the UGLY (aliens)[edit]

 ???







the DEAD & DEFEATED[edit]

the CAPTURED[edit]

the MISSING / UNKOWN[edit]





NEWS & EVENTS[edit]

Projects & Plans[edit]





LOCATIONS OF INTEREST[edit]

Notable areas, landmarks, institutions and businesses[edit]

Neighborhoods & Boroughs of Rust City[edit]

Suburbs of Rust City[edit]

Corporate & Financial of Rust City[edit]

Emergency Services of Rust City[edit]

Beyond Rust City limits[edit]

  •  ??





RESOURCE MATERIAL[edit]

Superhero Comic Books:


Role-Playing:

A Wiki is a type of website that allows users to easily add and edit content.

ANIMAL STATS Steve Kenson posted several new animals templates for M&M2e... Here they are for posterity.

NEAT FACT-OIDS[edit]

POLICE RESPONSE TIMES[edit]

  • Rich Suburbs and Civic Centres: 4 minutes +1d20 rounds.
  • Middle class suburbs, and entertainment centers: 8 minutes +1d20 rounds.
  • Slums and low-class suburbs: 1d20 minutes.







SPOILERS[edit]




Template:Infobox City

Traverse City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the largest in the 21-county Northern Michigan region. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 14,532. In 2005, the Traverse City Micropolitan Statistical Area was the 13th largest in Michigan, with a population estimate of 141,011. It is the county seat of Grand Traverse County although a small portion lies in Leelanau County. Despite its modest population, Traverse City, especially its downtown, functions as the major commercial nexus for a seven-county area totaling over 7,000 km² and, along with cross-peninsula counterpart Alpena, is one of Northern Lower Michigan's two anchor cities.

Traverse City is the self-proclaimed Cherry Capital of the World, holding an annual week-long Cherry Festival the first full week in July to celebrate the fact. Besides cherries, the surrounding Tuscany-like countryside produces grapes, and is one of the centers of wine production in the Midwest. Tourism, both summer and winter, is another key industry. Freshwater beaches, a mild summer climate, upscale golf resorts, vineyards, a nearby National Lakeshore, prodigious snowfall, nearby ski resorts and thousands of square miles of surrounding forests make Traverse City (based on AAA's 2005 TripTik® requests) the second most popular tourist destination in the state behind Mackinaw City. Traverse City is a home rule charter city under the Home Rule Cities Act, incorporated on May 18 1895. The city is governed by six commissioners and a mayor, elected at large. Together they comprise a seven-member legislative body. An appointed city manager serves as chief executive for city operations.

History[edit]

Traverse City is named after the Grand Traverse Bay, which the city heads. The bay got its name from 18th century French voyagers who made la grande traverse or "the long crossing" across the mouth of the bay Grand Traverse Bay

In 1847, Captain Boardman of Naperville, Illinois, purchased the land at the mouth of the Boardman River at the head of the west arm of the bay. During that year the captain, his son, and their employees built a dwelling and sawmill near the mouth of the river. In 1851 the Boardmans sold the sawmill to Hannah, Lay & Co, who improved the mill greatly. The increased investment in the mill attracted additional settlers to the new community.

As of 1853, the only operating post office in the Grand Traverse Bay region was the one located at Old Mission, which was then known as "Grand Traverse." While in Washington in 1852, Mr. Lay had succeeded in getting the U.S. Post Office to authorize a new post office at his newer settlement. As the newer settlement had become known as "Grand Traverse City," Lay proposed this name for its post office, but the USPS clerk suggested dropping the "Grand," in the name, as to limit confusion between this new office and the one at nearby Old Mission. Mr. Lay agreed to the name "Traverse City" for the post office, and the village took on this name.

Geography[edit]

The city sits at the head of Grand Traverse Bay, a long protected water of Lake Michigan. The city sits at the base of the Leelanau and Old Mission Peninsulas. The Boardman River forms Boardman Lake in the city before draining into the Bay.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 22.5 km² (8.7 mi²). 21.8 km² (8.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.8 km² (0.3 mi²) of it (3.45%) is water.

Demographics[edit]

As of the census of 2000, there were 14,532 people, 6,443 households, and 3,485 families residing in the city. The population density was 667.2/km² (1,728.7/mi²). There were 6,842 housing units at an average density of 314.1/km² (813.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.00% White, 0.65% African American, 0.98% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.48% from other races, and 1.36% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.67% of the population.

White Black Other
96.00% 0.65% 3.35%

There were 6,443 households out of which 24.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.7% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.9% were non-families. 35.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.82.

In the city the population was spread out with 20.3% under the age of 18, 10.8% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 90.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $37,330, and the median income for a family was $46,912. Males had a median income of $31,587 versus $22,512 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,247. About 4.8% of families and 8.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.2% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education[edit]


Media[edit]

Print[edit]

The Traverse City Record-Eagle is northwest lower Michigan's newspaper of record. It is circulated in the thirteen counties surrounding the city and is the only newspaper in all of Northern Michigan to produce a Sunday edition. In December 2006 it was sold by Ottaway Newspapers Inc., the community newspaper subsidiary of Dow Jones & Company to Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc. (CNHI).

Daily editions of the Detroit Free Press, Detroit News, and Grand Rapids Press also are available on news stands throughout the region (Northern Express Weekly) is the largest weekly newspaper in Northern Michigan, with distribution of up to 30,000 copies in 13 counties. It is owned and published by George Foster and Robert Downes.

There is also an independent student bi-weekly newspaper called the White Pine Press at Northwestern Michigan College, with a circulation of 4,000.

At least two magazines are published in Traverse City, including Thirdeye Magazine, a bi-monthly periodical focusing on social and political issues as well as art, and Traverse, published monthly with a focus on regional interests.

Village Press Inc. is based in Traverse City. It publishes the Home Shop Machinist, Live Steam and Outdoor Railroading, Just Labs, Poining Dog Journal, Retriever Journal and Twin and Turbine Magazines.

Television[edit]

Traverse City is the largest city in the Traverse City-Cadillac-Sault Ste. Marie Designated Market Area, the largest television market in area east of the Mississippi River. Accordingly, most stations in this vast region are broadcast simultaneously on widely-spaced transmitters on separate channels.

Traverse City has two television stations licensed directly to the city:

Additionally, WGTU operates a station carried on Northern Michigan cable television systems, but not transmitted over the air:

The city also has a low power rebroadcast transmitter of Mount Pleasant's PBS affiliate, WCMU-TV, operating on channel 46 (W46AD).

Stations licensed to nearby Cadillac are considered local to Traverse City:

Cable television service is provided within Traverse City and many outlying communities by Charter Communications Inc. Public access programming is provided on channel 2.

Radio[edit]

The Traverse City area is the primary target of nearby Interlochen Center for the Arts's NPR member station Interlochen Public Radio.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> IPR is one of the largest and furthest-broadcasting stations with a town the size of Traverse City's as its base; it serves a large portion of Northwest Lower Michigan via two stations: <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

  • IPR Music Radio (WIAA-FM 88.7)
  • IPR News Radio (WICA-FM 91.5)

Northwestern Michigan College also boasts a volunteer community radio station, WNMC-FM 90.7. The station plays mostly jazz and blues during the day, swithcing to rock and electronic genres at night. The station manager is Eric Hines. Also on WNMC is the community radio program<ref>Radio Anyway</ref> Radio Anyway, where individuals can produce there own stories and features.

Tourism[edit]

The National Cherry Festival, held during the first full week of July every year, is the main tourist draw to Traverse City. The festival features parades, fireworks, live music, and cherries. It is estimated that the Grand Traverse region produces up to 360,000,000 pounds of cherries annually. The largest variety of cherry produced is the Montmorency cherry, or the "pie cherry". Other cherries grown in the region include the Ulster, or sweet cherry, and the Balaton (from Lake Balaton in Hungary), a cherry situated between the Montmorency and Ulster in terms of color and taste.

Traverse City is also a popular destination for boating, sailing, wine tasting, and tourists wishing to see autumn colors in bus-driven "color tours." Numerous golf and ski resorts nearby bring in large numbers of tourists. Among these are Mt. Holiday and Hickory Hills. Mt. Holiday has two chair lifts, while Hickory hosts only tow ropes.

The small Traverse City State Park, with about 250 campsites, is located some three miles (4.8 km) east of downtown on 47 acres (19 hectares) including a quarter mile beach on the East Bay arm of Grand Traverse Bay.

The Leelanau Peninsula north of Traverse City contains many attractions and areas of interest, including the Leelanau Sands Casino in Peshawbestown, Fountain Point and the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

The inaugural Traverse City Film Festival was held July 27–31, 2005, in venues around downtown Traverse City, including a theater renovated by film festival volunteers. First-run feature and documentaries were screened, panel discussions were planned and free family movies at the Open Space were scheduled. A driving force of the Traverse City Film Festival was Oscar-winning filmmaker Michael Moore.

The city was also home to Clover, a Christian dance music festival, in August 2006.

The Underground Cheesecake Company, featured on the Food Network as well as in many prominent magazines and newspapers and creator of the Cheesecake-on-a-Stick Frozen Dessert, is headquartered in downtown Traverse City.

The Great Lakes Bioneers Conference is held annually in the third week of October on the campus of Northwestern Michigan College. The conference is a satellite conference of the Bioneers Conference in San Rafael, California. The Traverse City site focuses on durable ecological and socially just solutions to a diverse set of issues in the Great Lakes bioregion, and attracts visitors from across the watershed.

Downtown[edit]

The historic downtown area of Traverse City is the home of many shops, restaurants, and offices.The headquarters of Hagerty Insurance, the nation's largest classic/ collector car insurer, is headquartered downtown, in their new building on Lake Ave. It is 125 feet tall, and has 10 floors. In recent years there has been a boom in new building construction downtown. New developments include- River's Edge, Harbor View Centre, Radio Centre Phases 1 and 2, and The Larry C. Hardy parking deck. Recently there have also been several proposals which are undergoing approval, including one 7 story and one 8 story building.

Sports[edit]

Traverse City is home to a minor league baseball team, the Traverse City Beach Bums, who play at Wuerfel Park. The Beach Bums are a team in the Frontier League. The Traverse City North Stars are Junior "A" level hockey club (member of the North American Hockey League), and they play at the Centre I.C.E. hockey arena. Traverse City also hosts the training camp for the Detroit Red Wings NHL hockey team. Traverse City is the home of the Traverse Bay Blues Rugby Football Club, established in 1973.

Transportation[edit]

With a new terminal completed in 2004, Cherry Capital Airport provides regularly scheduled passenger airline service to Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis and seasonally to New York as well as to smaller Michigan destinations to the north. Adjacent to the airport is a United States Coast Guard air station (CGAS), responsible for both maritime and land-based search and rescue operations in the northern Great Lakes region.

Traverse City also has a public transportation system, the Bay Area Transportation Authority (BATA) which serves most of the Grand Traverse region with dial-a-ride services and a bus service, called the Cherriot, serves Traverse City and the urbanized areas of Garfield Township. BATA recently revealed its first hybrid bus in December, 2005. BATA recently completed a downtown bus transfer terminal on Hall St. , which opened July 21, 2006. The terminal is used to transfer riders to different busses on different routes.BATA Cherriot Bus System Map

The city is a junction point for several highways:

The Tuscola and Saginaw Bay Railway (TSBY) provides freight rail service to the Traverse City area on track owned by the state of Michigan. The tracks were once owned by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (ex-Pere Marquette Railway) and the Pennsylvania Railroad (ex-Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad) but were purchased by the state in the late 1970s and early 1980s to preserve rail service in the area. Current freight traffic includes fruit/perishables, scrap metal, and lumber.

Regular intercity passenger train service ended on October 29, 1966, after the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O) discontinued Grand Rapids - Traverse City - Bay View service. Since then, excursion passengers trains have operated in and out of Traverse City on an irregular basis. Recently, Lake Central Rail Tours has operated a summer excursion during the Cherry Festival. On May 11, 1996, the Grand Traverse Dinner Train began year round service from the Traverse City depot to Williamsburg and to Walton Junction. Unfortunately, dinner train service was suspended in 2004 after a derailment and the company entered into a bitter contract dispute with the Tuscola and Saginaw Bay Railway. The train itself was removed to Owosso in mid-July of 2006.

Notable people[edit]

Traverse City is the birthplace of several celebrities:

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

<references />

References[edit]

External links[edit]




Nocturnal's Comic Book Plots[edit]

Joining the Horror family is a group of social outcasts that are forced to shun the light of day as well as mainstream society: The spectral apparition Polychrome, the amphibious spitfire Starfish, the hulking pyromorph Firelion, the young reptile-man Komodo, the streetwise animal-human hybrid Raccoon, and the silent undead gunslinger Gunwitch. Together they live in Doc Horror's underground sanctuary called the Tomb, both attempting to stave off the various supernatural menaces that threaten Pacific City as well as maintain at least a facsimile of a normal life.

Doc Horror's chief nemesis is the Crim, a parasitic species of extradimensional conquerors who ravaged his home world before he and Eve escaped to Earth. They have aligned themselves with the insidious Narn K Corporation, a powerful multinational that specializes in bizarre experimentation and secretive weapons development, and have been busy producing animal-human hybrids and synthetic soldiers for use in warfare and ultimately global invasion. Aside from the Narn K and the Crim, Horror and his crew have encountered everything from wish-granting demon lanterns and vampire street gangs to hillbilly bat-witches and robotic mobster hitmen.

The hallmark of the Nocturnals Black Planet miniseries is Brereton's moody, gothic style realized by handpainted art in every panel. The storytelling and visual imagery draws its influences from an eclectic mix of sources, including gangster films, science fiction, Lovecraftian creatures, and film noir. Brereton's supernatural art made a fan of undead rocker Rob Zombie, who used Brereton to design art for his multi-platinum Hellbilly Deluxe album and also wrote the forward to Nocturnals: The Witching Hour one-shot.

The Nocturnals were seen in sparse appearances from 1994 through 2002. In 2006 the series was relaunched by Olympian Publishing, reprinting the past twelve years in a series of oversized hardcovers and presented in an all new series in 2007.






Nocturnal's Comic Book Characters[edit]

Doc Horror[edit]

The main character of the series, head of the Horror crew and father to Eve. Doctor Nicodemus Horror first made himself known as "the Bogeyman," the feared Mafia "fixer" for Don Lupo Zampa in Pacific City.

Doctor Nicodemus Horror

Within a year of his employment Horror managed to destroy the city's drug trade and eliminate all of Zampa's competitors, earning both a reputation as a top-notch enforcer and the ire of the Pacific City Police Department. Although he appears human, Doc Horror is actually a native of a parallel world referred to only as the "blackened planet" that was overrun by the nefarious Crim following a great global war. Horror used his scientific genius to develop a technology that could open interdimensional gateways to other worlds in an effort to banish the Crim forever; however, Horror was betrayed by his government as part of their surrender and handed over to the traitor and Crim conspirator named Fane. Horror revealed the secrets of his technology under threat of Eve's life, but managed to push Eve into the open gateway and sending her here to Earth. After a struggle with Fane, Horror went through the gateway as well, apparently escaping his hellish world and leaving the Crim behind forever.

Once on Earth, Horror used his knowledge of advanced technology and the occult to gather resources to find Eve, traveling the world, earning the loyalty of fellow paranormal outcasts, and eventually falling in with the Zampa crime family. Don Lupo's resources located the young Eve and reunited her with her father, allowing them and their new friends to make a new home for themselves here in their new world.

Horror requires regular treatments with a special medicine he developed to control "a rather nasty virus" he picked up on one of his expeditions. The nature of this disease is uncertain, as Horror will only say that if left untreated he would "hurt a lot of people," but an unused story panel found in the artist's notes in the back of the Black Planet compilation indicates that Horror is in fact a lycanthrope.

Doc Horror's preferred weapons are dual .45 caliber automatic pistols, which can be equipped with different types of ammunition that he himself creates. In the final issue of the Black Planet story arc, Doc Horror uses magic bullets that can send pieces of the target into other dimensions for a truly devastating effect. Aside from firearms, Horror carries a vast knowledge of arcane magic and advanced technology that aid him against supernatural enemies. Horror also appears to have a much stronger constitution than normal humans, taking bullets "like they were bee stings," and has no problem going toe-to-toe with vicious monsters and demons.

Halloween Girl[edit]

Eve Horror, A.K.A. The Halloween Girl

Doc Horror's daughter Evening, who prefers to be called Halloween Girl, is a precocious youth who perpetually seeks excitement. She carries with her a plastic pumpkinhead bucket filled with possessed toys that can grow to monstrous versions of themselves and talk to her from the spirit world. Doc Horror theorizes that Eve's toys became this way when she made the voyage from their native world to Earth; lost souls and wandering spirits looking for a friendly face and a listening ear found her in the transdimensional ether and offer their protection in return for someone to talk to.

Eve's propensity for getting into mischief is often the source of the Nocturnals' adventures. She once was captured by the Crim when she wandered into the Narn K subterranean Monster Shop, only to be rescued by Horror. She also once became a menu item for a hungry bat-witch on Halloween as well as a "victim" for a troublesome magic devil lantern, though often these would-be kidnappers find that Halloween Girl is far too much for them to handle. Even the most dire of situations appear to Eve as whimsical distractions, since very little on this world (or any other) can scare a girl who grew up around real live monsters.

Polychrome[edit]

Polychrome

Polychrome is a wraith; the spirit of a dead young woman who was destined to haunt this world for eternity. She was able to break free of this posthumous obligation and now resides with Doc Horror in the Tomb. Being a ghost, she has unspecified supernatural powers that include clairvoyance, the ability to heal wounds, and cast illusions, among others. Polychrome's otherworldly senses help Doc Horror maintain a close eye on enemies and individuals of interest, alert him to paranormal goings-on in Pacific City, and more importantly help him keep track of his trouble-magnet daughter. She acts as a maternal figure to the Horror crew and an older sister to Eve, as well as a pacifistic influence in a gang that has a tendency to draw pistols before asking questions.

Polychrome has the ability to leave the Tomb and travel freely, with the exception of the regions underneath the Narn K headquarters known as the Monster Shop. Apparently during one of Doc Horror's earlier missions to rescue imprisoned animal-human hybrids he and Polychome discovered that nothing of an ectoplasmic nature can function in that area, almost leading to her total dissipation.

Firelion[edit]

The Firelion is a massive blond-haired hulk that has the ability to conjure fierce fires,

Firelion

the result of Narn K experimention. He was once known as Phestus Gold, a police officer who had the misfortune of being the one in a million to die of spontaneous human combustion. His remains were appropriated by the Narn K scientists, who were able to put his brain into a fireproof synthetic body capable of harnessing his innate pyrotechnic abilities. He and others like him, known as "Burners," were deemed to be too dangerous for government use and scheduled for termination until he was rescued by Doc Horror. Firelion is now the last Burner alive, and he lives only to see the Narn K Corporation burn to the ground in retribution.

Unlike the other Nocturnals, Firelion prefers to use katana and wakizashi swords instead of firearms. When enraged, he becomes a fiery hellstorm of flames and blades. In his first appearance in the Black Planet miniseries, he lays waste to an entire building full of synthetic mob hitmen assigned to guard a captured Doc Horror. His reputation is such that even synthetics with no free will of their own show fear when they realize who he is.

Starfish[edit]

Starfish

During one of Doc Horror's expeditions to Northern Europe, he came across a proto-human tadpole creature living in a peat bog. He brought it back to the Tomb and nursed it in a salt water tank, where it grew into the beautiful young amphibian Starfish. Starfish is one of Doc Horror's best gunfighters, and has become the object of the Raccoon's amorous affections. She has a feisty personality and does not suffer fools gladly, even going so far as so answer one of the Raccoon's cheeky remarks with a punch to the face. In spite of her professed revulsion to the hybrid gangster, she obviously conceals certain feelings for him and has even gone out with him on dates (during Halloween, of course, the one night of the year when they can blend in with everyone else).

Being an amphibian, Starfish can exist freely in both dryland and aquatic environments. She has to maintain a high moisture content, however, and when fighting alongside Firelion his flames can be an uncomfortable annoyance.

The Raccoon[edit]

Procyon Cleanhands, also known as the Raccoon and the Bandit, is an escapee of the Narn K Monster

Procyon Cleanhands, also known as "The Raccoon" and "Bandit."

Shop with enhanced strength, senses, and claws, and dyed-in-the-wool gangster. He worked as a hired gun for the Zampa crime family before leading his own group called the Freelynchers and eventually joining up with Doc Horror and his crew. The Raccoon was once in league with Tony Zampa, Don Lupo's son and heir apparent, but was ousted in favor of an alliance with the Narn K. Zampa was inclined to betray and kill the Raccoon, who was a fugitive from Zampa's new business partners, but was killed himself when the Raccoon got the drop on him. The Raccoon was content to make his bid for power in the criminal syndicates, but when the Narn K rekindled their pursuit of him he could no longer maintain neutrality in their dealings. Although he claimed not to care about what happened to Doc horror, his conscience lead him to join forces with him and help defeat the Narn K.

The Raccoon still likes to think of himself as being a free agent, but remains loyal to Horror. When Eve Horror was kidnapped by a bat-witch to be an ingredient in a stew on Halloween, the Raccoon helped Starfish and the Gunwitch rescue her. The Raccoon tried to appear offended that Eve didn't thank him properly for the assistance, but was quickly silenced when she told him that she could tell he had been helping himself to her trick-or-treat candy.

Komodo[edit]

Komodo, the Dragon Boy

Komodo, also called the Dragon Boy, is a young animal-human hybrid created by the Narn K Corporation's Monster Shop. Inspired by the legend of how the Raccoon was able to escape to a real life on the outside, he made two attempts to break out. the first time he tried to fly over the wall, but when he was recaptured they punished him by cutting off his wings. The second time he tried to go through the sewer, but the map he was given by a rat-hybrid named Chatter was meant to slow him down. He was about to be recaptured yet again by Narn K synthetic soldiers, but the timely arrival of the Gunwitch allowed him to evade them. The Gunwitch brought him back to the Tomb, where he made quick friends with the other Nocturnals and accepted their offer to join them.

Komodo is an idealistic reptile-human who appears to be the equivalent of a teenager or young adult, though his actual age in years is impossible to determine. He has reptilian claws and fangs as well as night vision, and is stronger and more durable than normal humans. His physical stamina is strong enough to necessitate a Narn K soldier use an entire clip of tranquilizer darts in order to bring him down. He idolizes the Raccoon as a legend for his escape, despite the Raccoon's discomfort of this status, and seeks to liberate his imprisoned brethren from the Narn K Monster Shop at any cost.

The Gunwitch[edit]

The Gunwitch, one of the more popular characters in the Nocturnals

Described as equal parts scarecrow and zombie gunslinger, the Gunwitch is a silent undead golem with unerring marksmanship. Doc Horror made him as a babysitter and bodyguard for his daughter Eve, though the details of how he was made exactly have yet to be revealed. He only responds to commands in an occult language that is never given a name, and once he has a mission nothing can sway him. He serves as brute force and unmatched firepower within the Nocturnals, and has quickly become a fan favorite. Being a corpse, Gunwitch can take an unspecified amount of damage with no ill effects; one of the few times we ever see him be affected by an enemy attack is when Eve is kidnapped in Nocturnals: The Witching Hour. Tiny forest sprites dust him with a magic powder that puts him to sleep, and when he is revived by Starfish and the Raccoon he appears to have taken it personally... much to the chagrin of those he discovers kidnapped Eve.

He is the main character in his own miniseries called Nocturnals: Outskirts of Doom, where he and Eve come upon a town that is torn between warring vampire gangs vying for control.






Enemies[edit]

The Crim[edit]

A Crim hatchling

The Crim are an extradimensional species of parasites that have overrun Doc Horror's native world and have arrived here on Earth. They resemble red octopuses and squid, and some have wings and various tendrils in all shapes in sizes. They are intelligent, and they have the ability to secrete a chemical through their bite that allows them to exert control over a person. The amount of control that a Crim can force over a host depends on the individual's constitution: Tony Zampa was influenced by a Crim hatchling, but it appears that Tony was unaware of its presence and its level of control over him may have been more subtle than a direct form of mind-control. Don Lupo, on the other hand, was reduced to a zombified puppet because of his frail health and advanced age. Separation from the Crim beast will immediately free the host of its influence.

The Crim are, in Doc Horror's words, "a nasty breed. Difficult to kill." After discovering the Crim's presence on this world, Doc Horror worked on developing special pistol rounds that could affect the creatures: rather than simply inflict impact damage, they used his transdimensional technology to blow pieces of the target back to Horror's black planet. During the raid to rescue Holloween Girl and Komodo in the Black Planet finale, these rounds prove to be especially effective in dealing with the monsters.

Mr. Fane[edit]

The man known only as Fane is the Narn K/Crim liaison and archenemy of Doc Horror. He is in charge

The treacherous Mr. Fane

of the Narn K's bizarre and disturbing experiments in the dark reccesses of the Monster Shop, and endlessly seeks to end the lives of Horror and his cohorts.

Although he appears to be human, he is in fact native to the same blackened planet as Horror. It was Fane who helped betray Horror to the Crim following the loss of the war on their homeworld, and as such the good Doctor has nothing but contempt for what he calls the "traitor-bureaucrat." Fane managed to follow Doc Horror to Earth through the transdimensional gateway, quietly using the contacts he acquired within the Narn K to establish a Crim stronghold and slowly spread their influence. He used a Crim beast to subtly influence Tony Zampa, and after Zampa was killed he attempted to use Don Lupo in order to get to Horror. After the Nocturnals rescued Zampa and stormed the Monster Shop, Fane revealed his true form and attacked. Apparently his exposure to the Crim had made him into a Crim-like monster himself, forcing him to hide his true nature behind a weakling facade in order to pass as human on Earth. Despite his monstrous strength, Horror was able to defeat him with his magic bullets and let the newly-freed hybrids from the Monster Shop tear him to pieces.

The Narn K Corporation[edit]

The headquarters of the sinister Narn K Corporation

The Narn K is a shadowy conglomerate located in the outskirts of Pacific City. It is a weapons and defense

The shadowy individual known only as "Fletcher;" the invisible head of the Narn K Corporation.

contractor, researching occult sciences and developing strange technology for sale to the highest bidder. Its two main "products" are robotic soldiers, known as Synthetics, and "Hybrids," creatures created using human and animal DNA and raised within the Monster Shop located deep below the Narn K grounds. They are in league with the parasitic Crim, but it is unknown just how far back these two sinister groups go. The leader of the Narn K is a woman named Fletcher, an unseen overseer who somehow has access to unnatural technology and scientific knowledge used in the production of the Narn K abominations.

The Raccoon, Firelion, and Komodo are all the results of Narn K experimentation, and would like to see nothing more than the utter destruction of the evil corporation. The Nocturnals regularly stage raids on the Narn K headquarters, freeing Hybrids and sabotaging the inner workings of the Monster Shop. The animosity between the Nocturnals and the Narn K could only be described as unrelenting.

The Anthony Zampa Faction[edit]

Anthony Zampa's underbosses, who resent his policies and allow him to be gunned down

Although Don Lupo Zampa is a great friend and ally to Doc Horror and the Nocturnals, his son Tony hates them with a passion. In the beginning of Black Planet, Tony uses Zampa gangsters loyal to him in order to capture Doc Horror and uses him as a peace offering for a new partnership with the Narn K. Although Tony had established his own power base within the syndicate, many of his underbosses resented his departure from the family traditions and stood by as the Raccoon exacted revenge for his betrayal. Following Tony's death, his underlings discontinued any hostility towards the Nocturnals.

Synthetics[edit]

The robotic foot soldiers called Synthetics, created by the Narn K Corporation

Synthetics are robotic foot soldiers produced by the Narn K. They are identical to humans except for their unnatural-looking skin, and appear to have at least a similacrum of (if not actual) personality and emotion. They do not have the ability to make their own choices however, and are subject to be loyal to whomever they are programmed to serve. Although they are mostly competent, they don't stand a chance against the Nocturnals during a fight.







Supporting Characters[edit]

Don Lupo Zampa[edit]

Don Lupo Zampa, "Papa Wolf," ally to Doc Horror and leader of the Pacific City crime families.

Don Lupo, "Papa Wolf," is the undisputed head of organized crime in Pacific City. He owes his status to Doc Horror, who single-handedly demolished both the illicit drug trade and the Zampa family competitors within the city in less than a year. Though a mobster in every respect, he is an amicable old fellow who does not tolerate what he calls "junkie behavior" and appears to be very loyal to friends and family. It was Don Lupo who helps locate Doc Horror's daughter Eve after they were separated on their journey to Earth, and even after Horror left his employment they have maintained a loyal friendship.

Seeking to capitalize on this friendship, the Nark K corporation sought a business partnership with Don Lupo's son Tony, heir apparent to the Zampa family, but the deal was soon broken by Tony's death at the Raccoon's hands. They then tried to control Don Lupo with the hypnotic abilities of a Crim hatchling, but Doc Horror overcomes the trap and rescues Lupo before heading off for the final showdown with Fane and the Crim invaders.

Anthony Zampa[edit]

Anthony Zampa, enemy of Doc Horror and heir to the Zampa crime syndicate

Tony Zampa is the prince of the Zampa crime family. His ultimate goal is the attainment of even greater power and fortune than was managed by his father, Don Lupo, and is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve this goal. He has always had a hatred for Doc Horror and the relationship he had with his father, and would have liked nothing more than to see Horror dead on the floor. He betrays his original business partner, the Raccoon, in favor of a partnership with the shadowy Narn K corporation, but ends up dead when the Raccoon comes to confront Tony. When pistols were drawn, Tony found his weapon empty; the other underbosses rejected Tony's abandonment of the traditional family ways and distrusted the Narn K, so they let the Raccoon take his revenge and take the rackets that were initially promised to him.

Unbeknownst to Tony, however, he was in fact being subtly controlled by the Narn K corporation by use of a Crim creature attached to his body. The Crim was able to influence him towards their favor, and apparently even Tony was unaware that he was being manipulated. When he was exhumed by Doc Horror, the bite of the Crim beast actually brought Tony back into a form of temporary half-life that allowed him to have one last conversation with his old rival. Before he dies again for good, Tony simply asks Horror to make sure nobody hurts his father.

Detectives Willeford and Goodis[edit]

Detectives George Willeford and Jeff Goodis

Detectives Willeford and Goodis are two Pacific City police officers who come across the conflict between the Nocturnals and the Narn K during their investigation of the Zampa criminal syndicate. During a stakeout they actually witness the emergence of Crim and the vicious gunfight involving Doc Horror, several Narn K synthetics, the Gunwitch, and a monstrous Fane. Afterwards, when they debate whether or not to tell anybody about the incredibles things they saw, the Nocturnals appear and subtly convince them that some things are better left in the dark. Despite not having a clue as to what is really happening in Pacific City's darkest corners, the two detectives continue to search for the truth behind Doc Horror and his inhuman crew.

Lica[edit]

Zampa's assistant Lica

Lica is one of Zampa's secretaries. She "interviews" Doc Horror for his insights into "the criminal mind" before he is rescued by his crew, candidly indulges Detectives Goodis and Willeford when they investigate the Zampa family, and even goes on a date with the Raccoon. Her presence throughout the story is not particularly clear until the end, when she is revealed to be a Crim working for the Narn K. The Raccoon thanks his lucky stars that he never ended up sleeping with her when he sees her true form. Ultimately she is destroyed with the rest of the Crim when the Nocturnals show up in the Monster Shop tunnels and lay waste to Fane and his minions.

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