Chronicles of Neolithic Darkness:Sayla
Contents
Sayla
In her human life, Sayla was a spear-fisher and an herbalist, catching food and healing the sick in exchange for small trinkets. Few would truly speak with her however, for she was known to be plagued with terrible dreams while she slept, which was considered to be a curse from the gods. The only friend - and soon lover - she had was Izila, a shaman connected to the spirits of deer that could heal and see omens in the world to foresee the future.
She experienced the Devouring on the eve of her twenty-fifth winter, having fallen asleep whilst bathing in the cold dark waters of the ocean under the light of the full moon. And as she became the Beast, the Horror known in the tongue of the People as the Terror of Death, the All-Devourer, everything changed - even her body, as when she awoke she was no longer slight, but instead standing almost seven feet tall.
She felt her Hunger tearing at her soul, craving to punish those who had isolated and shunned her. So she fed wildly, and the People learned of the monster in their midst. She pursued her feeding with such zeal that she even chased one of her victims into the graveyard pool, diving in and consuming them even as the Ocean Beyond Life tried to claim their soul. But the Terror of Death would not have that, and instead channeled both the soul and the Ocean Beyond Life itself into its Lair.
Sayla now lives on the far outskirts of the village called Anja, her only contacts normally Hasek, Izila, a traveling vampire called Takkar Beast-Master, and a merchant named Kuo Cold-Shadow who is mystically imbued with the power of winter. She judges those who seek her wisdom, and punishes those whom she believes deserves it - while also providing healing services to those with no other recourse.
Family: Makara
Hunger: Nemesis (Punishment)
Horror: The Terror of Death
Legend: Relentless
Life: Honest
Concept: Dangerous Wise Woman
Lesson: Caution
Beats: 0
Experience: 0
Aspirations
Become the Apex of the Hive (Long Term)
Expand my Lair (Short Term)
Perform a Vengeance Hunt (Short Term)
Transformed (Fate)
Status
Health: 9
Willpower: 4
Lair: 2
Satiety: 4/10 (Sated)
Size: 6
Defense: 5
Speed: 10
Armor: 1/1
Initiative Mod: 4
Mental Attributes
Intelligence 3
Wits 3
Resolve 2
Physical Attributes
Strength 2
Dexterity 2
Stamina 3
Social Attributes
Presence 3
Manipulation 1
Composure 2
Mental Skills
Enigmas 2
Investigation 1
Medicine 3
Occult 5 (Supernaturals)
Physical Skills
Athletics 3
Survival 2 (Tracking)
Weaponry 2 (Spears)
Social Skills
Animal Ken 1
Empathy 1
Intimidation 1
Persuasion 1
Merits
Eidetic Memory
Giant
Killer Instinct 1
Resources 1
Atavisms
Heart of the Ocean
Normal Effect: The Beast is amphibious. She can swim at double her normal Speed, see in the dark and through the murkiest waters, and adds her Lair dots as a bonus on all physical actions while underwater. Beasts with this Atavism gain the ability to breathe underwater, but they must take an instant action to give their lungs time to adjust when switching atmospheres. This Atavism also grants immunity to the cold and pressure incurred at great depths.
Low Satiety: Water whispers to the hungry Beast and leads her to her next meal, like a shark following the scent of blood… and water is everywhere. Every living creature is mostly water, and even the driest air has a little moisture. She can sense the general distance and direction to every nearby person, creature, or object that falls within the scope of her Hunger. This sense is nonspecific. For example, a Predator knows where living prey can be found but not if they are human or animal. Since she is already hungry, though, she cannot afford to be picky. Furthermore, this Atavism only reveals that which could increase the Beast’s Satiety, regardless of its current level. Furthermore, this awareness supersedes the Beast’s normal senses. She can perceive creatures and objects that are invisible to the naked eye. Any attempt to hide a viable target from the Beast with a supernatural power initiates a Clash of Wills.
Satiety Expenditure: It is water, not time, that wears away all things. Stronger than stone and even more unyielding, it carves canyons, erases mountains, and obliterates the works of Man. With the expenditure of a dot of Satiety, the Beast can call upon her kinship with water and unleash this relentless force on her surroundings. The blight is subtle at first. The area darkens slightly and the scent of saltwater fills the air. Metal rusts and corrodes, stone crumbles, and machinery of all kinds falters and breaks down. Once the Beast invokes this ability, it persists whether she is present or not and devastates an area the size of a large building. Large structures such as vehicles and parts of the building take 1 Structure damage every 30 minutes. Small items like phones or weapons degrade even faster, taking 1 Structure damage per minute. This damage ignores Durability in both cases. Creatures are wholly unaffected but animals instinctively flee the area. The Beast can end the effect at any time if she wishes, but left unchecked, it lasts a number of hours equal to twice the Beast’s Lair.
Mimir's Wisdom
Normal Effect: The Beast’s Horror sits at the Heart of his Lair like a spider in its web. It has an unblinking eye and faultless memory, and it pieces together patterns from his experience and knowledge ripped from those who suffer its nightmares. Occasionally, the Horror shares flashes of insight — so long as the Beast keeps it well fed. Its guidance yields several benefits: • The Beast has the Eidetic Memory Merit for free. • Any mundane attempt to deceive the Beast automatically fails. The truth is not necessarily revealed, but he knows when someone is lying to him or withholding information or when a crime scene has been tampered with to conceal evidence. Likewise, he knows when supernatural powers have been used to affect his thoughts or perceptions (though he can’t necessarily counter them). • Once per chapter, the Beast’s player can request information from the Storyteller that sheds light on the problem at hand. This information is impersonal in that it never identifies a specific person. However, it can answer questions like, “Where is the murder weapon hidden?” or “What leverage works best on this person?”
Low Satiety: Hunger in no way dims the Beast’s awareness. It sharpens his mind to a deadly focus. He gains the rote quality on Mental Skill rolls aimed at sating his Hunger, such as Academics to research a valuable item (for a Collector) or Computer to ruin a rival by hacking his bank account (for a Tyrant). The penalty for using Mental Skills untrained is also reduced to -1, as the Beast falls back on the Horror’s knowledge when his is inadequate. In addition, the Beast knows one damning fact about anyone with whom he comes into physical contact. The Storyteller can provide the player with this information or simply give the target the Leveraged Condition, depending on the needs of the story. The fact in question tends to be one that the Beast can use to feed. A Ravager might learn what the target values most (so the Beast can then smash it), while a Nemesis learns whether the target has transgressed recently. The Beast still benefits from the normal effect while at low Satiety. However, the starving Horror is not forthright with its knowledge, and the Storyteller can opt to provide misleading (but factually correct) information if the player requests it.
Satiety Expenditure: The Beast digs deep into the Horror’s store of knowledge. Some consider it a drink from Mimir’s well. Others describe visions of lives other than their own. Either way, the Beast claims a treasure trove of information. He gains his Intelligence + Lair dots in temporary Mental Skill or Library (p. 117) dots for the next 24 hours. These dots are allocated as the player sees fit, including raising existing Skills. However, no Skill can be increased above the limit dictated by the Beast’s Lair rating. This is in addition to the normal and low Satiety effects.
Nightmare
Behold, My True Form!
Dice Pool: Presence + Satiety - Stamina
Normal: The attack inflicts one point of lethal damage per success. Victims slain by the attack often show signs of supernatural cause of death: their hair might turn stark white, or their entire body might be turned to stone, salt, or some other material.
High Satiety: The attack roll gains the 8-again rule.
Satiety Expenditure: For every point of Satiety spent, a successful attack inflicts +2 weapon damage.
Exceptional Success: Apply one of the following Tilts in addition to the damage: Arm Wrack, Blinded, Deafened, Insane, Leg Wrack, or Stunned.
You Must Obey
Dice Pool: Presence + Satiety vs. Resolve + Supernatural Tolerance
Normal: For the duration of the scene, the victim is compelled to obey the Beast. Any attempt to ignore or countermand the Beast’s instructions provokes a Breaking Point. Orders that would obviously harm the victim receive a +2 bonus to the Breaking Point roll. Orders must be simple, single instructions, and cannot be “queued.” The Beast could order her victim to shoot his friend standing next to him, but if the Beast wanted his victim to drive across town, break into his friend’s house, and then shoot him, the Beast would have to accompany the victim and give each order as the previous task was completed.
High Satiety: The Beast can issue complex commands, or multiple commands in sequence. She can give a number of orders equal to her Satiety rating at the time the Nightmare was invoked.
Satiety Expenditure: When acting to fulfill the Beast’s commands, the victim either lowers the threshold for exceptional success to three successes or regains a point of Willpower. The victim chooses which before rolling.
Horror Attributes
Health: 8
Power: 5
Finesse: 4
Resistance: 4
Lair Traits
Currents (Minor)
Extreme Cold (Minor, Level 2)
Suffocating (Major)
Lair Chambers
Heart: Swirling ocean expanse filled with the souls of her victims
First Chamber: River of the Ocean Beyond Life
Second Chamber: Sea Cove
Equipment and Gear
Heavy Hides (Armor 1; Torso, Arms, Legs)
Spear (Damage 2L, Initiative -2, Size 4, +1 Defense vs. unarmed opponents or those wielding a Size 1 or less weapon)
