LeviathanTempest:ChapterFive

By the time he reaches the docks, he's already out of breath. His knee hurts with every step, so he takes away the torn fabric to expose the wound. It has already scarred over, a white, translucent tissue that radiates an impossible cold inside his leg. You can still see the shape of the sucker, right where the tentacle struck him. He winces as he lets his pants back over the wound.

To figure out where he is, he looks around the deserted port. Most of the lights have been taken out, along the years, by bored youth or by methodical professionals who wanted as few witnesses as possible for what they were doing. The smell of brine, and gasoline, and garbage fills his head. It's not altogether unpleasant.

Then he hears it. A low rumbling, like the squirming of blind, chitinous things rubbing against each other under the earth. Maybe to other people, it would be revolting. To him, it sounds almost melancholy.

He pulls out his pistol and starts walking until he reaches a wide, round door that leads underneath the easternmost dock. For a moment, he almost gives up. How could he possibly even contemplate doing this?

But then he sees, in his memory, the crushed hand of the girl, her smudged make-up, her sad eyes over what remained of her mouth.

Slowly, silently, he opens the door, and the noise gets louder and louder. He glimpses eyes in there, a bearded face, and the remains of a two-piece suit, but in a grotesque fashion, it's the vast array of antennae that are familiar to him.

He takes a breath and steps in.

«It's over, Dad. I'm going to have to make you stop.»

Chapter 5 : Storytelling and Antagonists

Antagonists and Related Characters

Our Family

Other Leviathans

Of all the threats Leviathan faces none are a more common presence then their own family. From bestial Typhons to the alien madness of the Deep Ones a Leviathan who looks will have little trouble finding monsters in their own family tree. Among the Tribe it is considered a sacred duty to purge these insane creatures, both as an act of mercy and for the sake of their own security: Most Typhons see other Leviathans as a threat and react appropriately, usually violently, while at any moment the Deep Ones' incomprehensible goals may turn out to involve the destruction of you and yours.

Yet far more frequently a Leviathan will come into conflict with the more Tranquil members of their family. It's not that Leviathans don't need to be consumed by the Tempest to be monsters, though that's certainly true: Typhons are wild animals following atavistic instincts, Deep Ones have more nuanced goals but they're usually trapped in the Rift. Other Leviathans however have the same needs: Access to large body of water, impressionable or well placed humans to serve as Beloved, Heirlooms and other pieces of Tribal history, the attention of Atolls. A careful Leviathan can avoid conflict with a Typhoon or Deep One but the only way to avoid another Leviathan is to give up on something you want.

Neith

Attributes: Intelligence 3, Wits 2, Resolve 2(4), Strength 3(5), Dexterity, 3 Stamina 4, Presence 2, Manipulation 3, Composure 1

Skills: Medicine 2 (Parthenogenesis), Occult, Athletics 1 (Swim), Brawl 3 (Grapple), Stealth 2 (Her Cave), Survival 1, Expression 3 (Singing), Intimidation 2.

Strain: Oceanus
School: Clay
Sheol: 3
Virtue: Justice
Vice: Pride, Lust
Defence: 2
Tranquillity: 3 (Obsessive Compulsion [Large worms visibly crawl under her skin], Megalomania [Hair is made from ropey strands of murky rainbow corral])
Health: 12
Size: 5
Speed: 11
Initiative: 4
Willpower: 5

Channels: Lord of the Sea, Incubation of the Second Self (Fast Growth 2, Opportunistic Parasitism 4), Womb of Terrors (Reflexive Genesis 3), The Hydra's Rebirth (Dread Return 3), That Hideous Strength (Rightful Place), Mind in Motion (Mind over Matter 2), Mortal-Devouring Armory, Stalker's Shifting Hide, Indomitable Solipsist-Tyrant, Call of the Depths (Song of Madness 2), Besieging the Tower of Will (Mind Blast 2), Piercing the Veil of Slumber.

Other Merits: Cult (Numbers 3, Zeal 3, Fervour 4, Home Turf 1 – Her Cave, Old Hands 3 (Kidnapping), Danger Sense 2, Iron Stomach 2, Striking Looks 2, Mandate of Babel 1, Temple (Size 2, Amenities 1 [Armoury], Security 1), Vicious Strain 1.

Background: Once Neith was normal, for a Leviathan, who after learning of her heritage decided to find a quiet seaside town to become its goddess and queen. In this she was ruthless and effective, her Beloved occupied important political, professional and social positions. Neith's rule was hidden but absolute and all felt its touch.

Without a goal to occupy her focus Neith turned to indulging herself. Her fiefdom became a buffet of vices to satisfy its unholy mistress. As Neith pushed her cult to greater depravities both her and her Beloved began to degenerate. In their failing mental state the Cult of Neith began to lose its grip over the town. Seizing the advantage a compact formed under the leadership of Miles O'Hara, a police Sargent who overthrew his Beloved superiors, Dolly Peel, a retired fisherwoman whose knowledge of old sailors tales were an invaluable source of information, and Don Barks, a businessman and avowed atheist whose refusal to join the Cult led to threats and legal thuggery against his business and employees.

With O'Hara's armed police, Peel's knowledge and Bark's funding Neith's Cult was forced out of town and are now forced to hide in a sea-cave where only their Goddess' presence has kept them safe. Ironically this defeat has refocused Neith, curbing her excesses and returning some of the competent strategist she once was. What it didn't do was restore any measure of her sanity, Neith is compelled to procreate and demands a surrogate mother every few days. Neith's Beloved seek victims least they be chosen while O'Hara's men and their allies patrol the night.

There are signs that the endgame is approaching. Neith has began aggressive recruitment through her powers of Sanctity while among her opposition two new figures have risen to prominence: Julia Thatcher, a shopkeeper who's earned repute for fearlessness, skill in battle and advocacy of all-out attack before Neith regains her strength. Perhaps more significantly is the addition of Howard Ward, a local doctor and self taught specialist in removing Neith's eggs (at least those that were found). Working alongside Dolly Peel and Mary Carter, a librarian, he has began studying these eggs and has amassed a quite impressive collection of notes.

Description: Neith usually remains in her Apothosis which resembles an enormous frog with irregular clusters of transparent scales, patches of bright yet mucky coral and dozens of unblinking eyes. Any Cohort who crosses path's with Neith is likely to encounter at least one of her eggs, these take the from of surprisingly solid jelly swarming with tadpoles that fight and devour each-other.

Storytelling Hints: Upon arriving at Neith's former dominion the first question the Cohort will have to ask is who's side are they on? Neith is a monster in the worst sense of the world, a cruel tyrant who has undoubtedly abused the trust of her Beloved outright ruining their lives but then, she's family. On the other side the humans are armed, organised and they certainly don't want another Cult moving in. Even those not in the know, even those who outright refuse to face the uncomfortable truth know you tell O'Hara before turning your back.

The Cohort may wish to remove Neith quickly before any more knowledge of the Tribe gets loose, this will probably require an alliance with the town since at this stage it is unlikely they will have the power to fight an entire cult themselves. Alternatively the players might show a little family loyalty, Neith is even less likely to trust other Leviathans and simply helping her is a only a short term solution. She didn't do so well at rulership last time and that was before she acquired sever derangements. Helping Neith might look more like staging an intervention and that brings us back to the problem of her aggressive Cult.

With a little tweaking this setup can be used for players who are disinclined to get involved in another struggles. Simple add some collective criminality and guilt and you have a self isolated town that's already been “broken in” as it where. All the players have to do is remove both sides before settling in. Depending on how many of Neith's eggs are found by Dr. Ward there may be a lot of Neith's children around. For players interested in expanding their cult with Lemashu this turns Neith into a valuable resource. Players who care more about their genetic lineage than just Lemashu servants could still make use of Neith by using the Hyperparasitism Adaptation on her Eggs but this is a serious Disruption of Tranquillity.

Typhons

When a Leviathan gives into base urges and monstrous abuses of power without self-restraint, degeneration eventually strips him of both his human and divine natures, leaving only the beast behind. These unfortunates are called Typhons by the Tribe. Their degeneration leaves them locked in their transformed shapes, unable to interact with the human world, while their sundered minds are overcome with atavistic urges. Typhons show little restraint beyond what is necessary to survive, and pose a colossal threat to communities near their lairs, devouring sailors and destroying boats.

Becoming a Typhon: Falling into the Storm

• When a Leviathan becomes a Typhon the following changes occur: Firstly, the Typhon looses his faculties of reason. Mark "neg" next to Intelligence, unlike a 0 in an attribute (WoD Core: p43) an attribute marked as negligible can be rolled but the character gains no dice from that attribute. Don't remove the Typhon's Mental Skills but treat them as zero for any purpose other than activating Channels, the -3 unskilled penalty applies as usual. Channels which provide a bonus to Intelligence or Mental Skills will provide extra dice when a Typhon attempts to activate a Channel but not in any other situation. Typhons never benefit from 10-again, 9-again, 8-again, rote actions or similar modifiers when using Intelligence or a Mental Skill. Just encase it was not obvious: a Typhon, or any animal, with negligible intelligence cannot be trained.

• Secondly, the Tyhpon gains two new Specialities to represent the development of bestial instincts. They also use the higher of Dexterity and Wits for Defence, just like a wild animal would.

• Thirdly, the Typhon loses the ability to benefit from its cult. Rituals won't function and it gains no Ichor from worship. The Cult may remain for a while but their god sees them no differently from any other human.

• Finally, as a Typhon degenerates into base instincts, its Strain comes to prominence. Typhons follow recognisable behaviour patterns based on primordial instincts, each Strain gets two Impulses that govern it's every move. Succeeding in a minor Impulse gains one point of Willpower as though the Typhon had fulfilled a Vice and a major Impulse restores all Willpower as though the Typhon had fulfilled its Virtue.

Strains of Typhons

• Bahamutans tend to be passive Typhons, dwelling in deep sea trenches or remote lakes. They can and often do go centuries without activity but when their lairs are threatened or sufficiently provoked their wrath can be apocalyptic. Their Minor Impulse is territorialism, they regain Willpower by driving others away from their Lair. Their Major Impulse is vengeance, they refill their Willpower by raining devastation against those who offended them.

• Dagonites have given in entirely to their reproductive urges. They care nothing for consent or even supporting their brood, only the act of reproduction matters. A Dagonite who can reproduce asexually may never seek other beings at all, but even in this they can be dangerous for the area surrounding a Dagonites lair is soon frequented by all manner of feral Lemashu. A Dagonite's minor Impulse is to create a child, fulfilled upon conception. Their major Impulse is to protect their children until birth, every ten children born or hatched fulfils this Impulse. After hatching a Dagonites' spawn are left to fend for themselves.

• Lahamin Typhons are rarely seen or heard but their actions are often felt. The Lahamin watch safely hidden in the sea bed or other remote areas only surfacing to inflict spite driven vengeance on those they envy. Even then they act through stealth and ambush. A Lahamin fulfils it's minor Impulse when it hides from a threat and it's major impulse when it ruins someone's life without directly harming them.

• The spawn of Nu are the most alien of Typhons. Though their Impulses push them to immense feeding their habits are driven by the weather rather than any sensible hunting strategy. A Typical Typhon of Nu's Strain will respond to a growing storm by making a hurricane and a waning storm by dispelling it entirely. If it's lucky the turmoil will leave dead food scattered upon the sea. A Nu forfills it's minor Impulse when it magnifies an existing shift in the weather and it's major Impulse when it feasts.

• Oceanids are driven by the need to dominate others. They don't actually need to do anything with their victims, being in a position where they could do anything is enough. The image of the Sirens, who's song kept sailors enthralled until they starved, is closely associated with Typhons of Oceanus' Strain. Their minor Impulse is to dominate a human, their major Impulse is to dominate a “hero”, defined as anyone trying to and has a chance of dominating (i.e. killing) the Oceanus in turn.

• The Tanninim make the least subtle Typhons. Their urges is simple, once a Typhon has chosen a sinner for some unknown crimes it will peruse across oceans and finally devour him. A Tannin regains willpower when it pronounces judgement – that is, kills – a sinner. If the sinner fights back that's all the more satisfying: The Tanimim's major Impulse requires that the sinner and perhaps allies were able to show effective but futile resistance.

• Thalassans are driven by boundless greed to amass ever growing hordes. These hordes can be made of anything that requires some form of effort to collect, from whale bones to bric-a-brac taken from smashed ships. Most Thalassans will add any convent Heirlooms to their horde no matter how out of place it would be. Thalassans fulfil their minor Impulse when they defend their horde and their major Impulse when they make a significant addition.

Kraken

Attributes: Intelligence neg, Wits 2, Resolve 3, Strength 3(5), Dexterity, 5(6) Stamina 5, Presence 3, Manipulation 1, Composure 2

Skills: Athletics 3 (Swim), Brawl 4 (Grapple, Against Ships), Survival 3 (Ocean), Intimidation 2.

Strain: Thalassan
Sheol: 5
Armour: 4/3
Defence: 9
Health: 38
Size: 30
Speed: 18
Initiative: 7
Willpower: 5

Channels: Uncrowned Fisher King, Monogamous Host to All (Brawl, Athletics), The Hydra's Rebirth, Fluid Icon of Grace, That Hideous Strength (God-Hurling Sinews 5), Overpowering Strength of Titans (Undertow 4), Many Flowing Limbs, The Tyrant's Privilege, Mortal-Devouring Armory (Rending Claws 2, Gaping Maw 2, Savage Focus 1), Lifeblood of Titans (A Mountain Walked 5), Flesh of the Progenitors (Adaptation to Harm 2), Vigor of Protean Kings.

Other Merits: Direction Sense 1, Iron Stamina 3, Iron Stomach 2, Quick Healer 4

Background: The Leviathan who would one day be known to legends only as The Kraken once followed the School of the Reef. It was her duty to guide cousins across the oceans and guard them from the ships of whalers, navy or far more likely the Marduk Society. As the years turned wooden ships became iron and iron men became stronger yet, defeated and broken she was driven to the deepest parts of the ocean. Separated from any sort of contact for centuries she forgot everything and became The Kraken.

Description: The Kraken is mostly as recorded in myth. Colossal in size: matching naval frigates and more or less a giant octopus. In Apotheosis mortals have trouble remembering the finer details of a Leviathans appearance so feel free to make embellishments: Perhaps its suckers each contain a small biting mouth or maybe there is row after row of serrated teeth behind it's beak.

Storytelling hints: As an Thalassan Kraken impulsively collects pieces of ships and sailors possessions in a massive rotting horde at the bottom of the ocean. She's been quiet for decades, her urge to collect suppressed by her survival instinct and the growing danger of ships. The most obvious way to include Kraken as an Antagonist is that she has something the Cohort wants. Heirlooms perhaps but she could just as easily have made her nest near sunken ruin the Cohort wishes to explore and dislikes rivals getting too close.

Alternatively the Kraken's reappearance after decades or centuries might be the catalyst for the actual plot. Perhaps one or more of the players is part of the hunting party going after it and must contend with tribal politics and divine egos in addition to Kraken's combat ability. Maybe Kraken's reappearance is the result of a failed Marduk attack and some highly incriminating technology (even the most idealistic Marduk member knows their weapons program is extremely illegal) remains in a scabbed wound. Now the two ancient enemies find themselves as uneasy allies hunting Kraken before the navy catches her and exposes both their secrets. To truly mix things up maybe an Ahab hunting Kraken is the only person who can reliably find her in the huge ocean.

Deep Ones

When a Leviathan abuses the power of the Wake and the trust of her Beloved, degeneration causes her divine aspect to grow until it eclipses both her human and bestial natures. Locked into her most glorious and terrible form she becomes a Deep One, following incomprehensible and contradictory goals that change with the Currents of the Tempest.

Without his human and bestial natures to act as an Anchor, a Deep One is overwhelmed by the Tempest. Deep Ones follow numerous goals called Currents; individual Currents bare no relation to each other or an overarching goal. Quite the opposite: Often two Currents oppose each other. A Deep One draws most strongly from the part of the Tempest which corresponds to his own Strain. This leads to somewhat standard behaviour patterns and proportionately more Currents from their Strain's Vice. Not all Currents are completed; they appear and vanish with the flow of the Rift. Normally this is a slow process – some Currents remain for decades – but on occasion a Deep One draws from the most tumultuous parts of the Tempest, gaining and losing Currents over minutes. In this state the Deep One is effectively paralysed. Some theorise that this is the usual state of a Deep One, and if it were true then without drawing attention to themselves Deep Ones could remain unnoticed in deep seas and at the bottom of the Rift for a very, very long time.

Becoming a Deep One: Unity with the Storm

• Each Deep One gains six minor Currents, two major Currents or one major and three minor Currents. More if the Storyteller desires. Each Current is a specific objective based on a Vice and a Deep One always has at least one but usually more Currents based on their Strains associated Vice. Completing a minor current earns a point of Willpower while a major Current refills the entire Willpower pool when completed. Even the most crude Vices such as Wrath or Gluttony rarely create Currents flowing to cheep instant gratification. Lacking their impulsive bestial nature Deep Ones tend to achieve their objectives through careful planning at best and tangled webs of intrigue at worst.
• Deep Ones cannot regain Ichor through Havoc, it is the bestial nature of a Leviathan which seeks satisfaction through instant gratification and pointless violence.
• A Deep One's greater connection to it's divine aspect makes them unparalleled in leading their Cults. Upon becoming a Deep One increase Zeal by one.
• Finally when a Leviathan becomes a Deep One roll Resolve + the lower of Numbers and Zeal, unless the Deep One gets Sheol Successes it immediately travels to the nearest suitable source of water and enters into the Rift. Few Deep Ones maintain their footing on the Shore as the Tempest floods through them but after the initial surge many seek a way to return which requires powerful Rituals.

Strains of Deep Ones

• Bahumutians seek to follow their Currents through their Cult, spending much of their time Dreaming. This occasionally reaches the point where some Deep Ones never even attempt to leave the Rift and instead rely on Cults as their sole agents on the Shore. Those that do leave the Rift still favour direct plans with little personal effort, aided in part that many of their Currents spring from Sloth and don't require them to do much at all. Despite this they can show enormous energy and proactivity to protect their future rest and when driven to intervene personally they do so with overwhelming force.
• Dagonites follow Currents that lead them to expansion. More Beloved, more territory, more worship. As Deep One's Dagonites tend towards extraordinarily complicated plans, often of a highly political nature coupled with never-ending recruitment. The danger of opposing a Dagonite Deep One is immense, they often posses more disposable troops than other Leviathan's entire cults and should they have left the Rift their tendency towards the Vestige of Fecundity swells their ranks with large numbers of powerful Lemashu (they rarely breed the normal way, all potential partners are too far beneath them.) Playing a Dagonite at it's own game is a dangerous prospect, the best way to deal with them is cutting the metaphoric head off the snake by attacking the Deep One while they rest in the Rift, separated from the support of their cult.
• Lahamin make some of the hardest Deep Ones to oppose, while no stronger or weaker than their cousins in combat you have to find them first and finding the Lahaman is never easy. Even if you do know where to look it's almost certain to see you first and move. Tracing them by their actions is no easier, though their Currents run as strong as any Strain the Lahamin are masters of achieving the maximum effect for the minimum effort. Their plots are built upon staggering amounts of observation and careful preparation, only after which will they indoctrinate their cat's paws and unleash them in a carefully choreographed sequence of events that ends with the fulfilment of the Deep One's Current, most often ruining a life for simple spite. It is the gift of the Lahamin to create workable plans which to the outside observer look like a sequence of improbable random events. It is their curse that they are limited to such complicated and unreliable methods to further their aims.
• The Currents that Nu's Children follow lead to the most alien of the Deep Ones. Though many are dedicated and focused while trying to escape the Rift, upon the Shore most lack the inclination to have any meaningful interactions with mankind. Cults are frequently abandoned or eaten once their purpose is served. The stereotype places the Deep One far from land, invisible in the water and content to devour whatever sea-life they come across. This is true to an extent, but like all Deep Ones a Nu will follow Currents from all Vices and even Gluttony can lead to delicacies unavailable in the ocean. When the Currents bring a Nu to land it tends to show little concern for a sustainable power base, Cults are temporary and the full fury of the elements is used safe in the knowladge that the aftermath only affects other people.
• As a Deep One the Oceanids are never still. Their Currents run wide but are as shallow as the rivers their Progenitor claimed dominion over. As a Deep One Oceanids tend to be impulsive, unsure of where the Currents will take them Oceanids casts their nets wide. Their Beloved are often little more than a piggy bank and a source of quick gratification. Large in number but disorganised and interchangeable. As Deep Ones go the Oceanids can seem relatively harmless but theirs is the Vestige of Sanctity. When opposed an Oceanids first resort is to force compliance and they posses an instinct for turning friends and allies into weapons, should the fight turn personal Oceanids often show surprising martial powers. Though perhaps not as destructive as other Strains the broken lives left in their wake are all the more painful for the personal touch in their destruction.
• Tanninim are driven by the Currents to amass power, not for it's own sake but for practical ends. Frequently driven to punish the Tanninim take a proactive stance to their goals and take measures to ensure that whoever their gaze falls upon they will already be in a position to pronounce sentence. Their Cults and the organisations that come under the Tanimin's grip tend to be well oiled machines ruthlessly purged of weakness and hyperfocused to the Deep One's goals but this focus ignores vital work required for long term survival leading to an unending cycle of acquisition and decline.
• The Thalassans pursue wealth for its own sake and do so through the formation of self sustaining Cults that survive with a minimum of supervision. This is not laziness or unwillingness to get their hands dirty but simple practicality. Even a Deep One has a finite size on what they can personally control, only through delegation can they amass the hordes they desire. It would be foolish to assume that an Thalassan's Currents end at acquiring money but it's not entirely untrue to say that they mostly start with money. Their plots are as intricate as any Deep One but usually take an economic flavour. Sometimes an Thalassan simply buys whatever their Currents point at but just as often other Currents prevent them from spending their wealth and elaborate plots must be formed to work around self imposed limitations on their greatest asset.

Our Distant Family: Lahmasu and Hybrids

Not all who bear the blood of the Tribe become Leviathans. Most are merely carriers, ordinary humans with something ancient hidden in their genes, waiting for two distant trickles of Tiamat's blood to unite when the stars are right. Sometimes, when cousin meets cousin one too many times, when a human carrying recessive markers lays with a Leviathan. Sometimes the Tribe is too strong within a person to be entirely dormant but the environmental, genetic or even mystical conditions required to produce a full blooded Leviathan are unfulfilled. Sometimes you get a child of two Tribes. Sometimes you get a Hybrid.

Psychologically Hybrids are human. They do have instincts that reflect their heritage – a Hybrid that's half alligator will have predatory instincts – but they have an easy time choosing not to follow their instincts much like a human and very much unlike your typical Leviathan. Mechanically Hybrids follow Morality and though Hybrids tend towards the lower ends of the intelligence curve a Hybrid with Intelligence 2 is no different from a human with Intelligence 2. Even when a Hybrid isn't sapient they still show recognisable human traits and behaviours, many are much smarter than animals and can be trained in complex tasks. Mentally what really separates Hybrids from humanity is social factors. Most come from where the Tribe's blood runs thickest, their family environment is often a culture to itself and as a culture shaped by the Wicked Tribe it's rarely a healthy one. Even those human enough to socialise with humanity often look different enough to grow up with funny looks if not outright discrimination.

The Hybrid Template

Hybrids are considered to be a minor Template. Philosophically and mechanically they're human with a little extra. Yes some of them are physically more fish than man but man was never defined by the colour, or shape, of his skin. The Hybrid template consists of: Strain, Mutations, Depth and Ichor.

In addition to actual Hybrids this Template can be used to represent Leviathans who are in the process of Emerging but have not yet gained the full Leviathan Template, when doing so feel free to bend any rule written below.

Strain

Each Strain of Leviathans births a line of Hybrids that it claims as it's own. These lines are called Lemashu and tend to be more stable than regular Hybrids, both in that their Mutations follow more predictable lines and in that they are spared the worst effects being a Hybrid has upon the body and the mind.

The first Mutation acquired by a Lamashu is set by their Strain.

• Gugal, born of the Bahamutans: Increased Endurance (OOOO)
• Abuu, born of the Dagonites: Brother to the Fishes (OOOO)
• Heqen, born of the Nu: Diving into the Tempest (OOOO)
• Pelopsids, born of the Oceanids: Increased Resolve (OOOO)
• Gibborim, born of the Tanninim: Natural Weapons (OOOO)
• Mahhu, born of the Lahamu: Prophecy (OOOO)
• Alphestes, born of the Thalassans: Increased Strength (OOOO)

Mutations

Within the genetic code of every Hybrid lies Mutations, strands of DNA from an earlier age of the world that guide the body in ways unimaginable to natural evolution. A Hybrid may be born displaying all their mutations or they may activate over the course of it's life. If there is a correlation between how a Hybrid appears at birth and it's eventual state the Tribe hasn't identified it. Unlike Leviathans who can guide their genetics through dedication and self discovery Hybrids get what they're born with. Though this means the character has no control over their Mutations the player retains full control.

Lemashu begin play with a single Mutation chosen by their Strain, Hybrids have four dots to spend as they wish. Additional Mutations can be brought with Merit dots, as always the fifth dot of a Mutation costs double. During play Mutations can be brought for experience points and cost new Dots x 2. There is a further restriction for Lemashu: They have a favoured Vestige as per their Leviathans' Strain. Lemashu must place a number of dots into their favoured Vestige or universal Mutations equal to Depth -1, their Strain's starting Mutation does not count towards this requirement. The Favoured Vestige doesn’t provide experience discounts on mutations.

Not all mutations are cool powers. Hybrids must take two flaws to represent harmful side effects of their mutations. Neither of these flaws provide experience though they may take a third flaw which will provide experience as normal. Lemashu are not immune to harmful mutations but it's considerably rarer, they do not require any flaws but may take one as usual.

Sidebar: Genetic Mayhem, an Optional Rule

The most powerful Hybrids are the ones with the most mutations. But surely the most mutated Hybrids would have a host of disorders as well as their abilities. There are two ways to represent this, both should not be used for player characters unless the gaming group is confident they can manage them.

The first and simplest is to give an extra flaw to Hybrids and Lemashu every time their Depth decreases. At the Storyteller's discretion this may be tempered with a new Mutation (O – OOOO), each dot allows the player to remove one genetic Flaw. This Mutation either is Universal Affinity or goes under Vitality, Storytellers choice.

The second is to allow players to take as many additional flaws as they want. The first additional flaw grants experience as usual. Extra Flaws – which must plausibly be the result of genetics – provide “genetic experience” which can only be spent on Mutations. The advantage of this system is that not all Hybrids or Strains of Lemashu are noted to be equally healthy, a fact which for simplicity's sake is not represented in the mechanics. As for what happens when a player has run out of room for Mutations but still has Genetic Experience: sadly that experience is useless, no one ever said genetic disorders were nice.

Depth

All Mutations affect a Hybrids appearance. To represent this Hybrids have Depth, Hybrids use the same scale as Leviathans but suffer slightly smaller social penalties: Treat everyone as Atolls. Unlike with Leviathans a Hybrid's Depth does not govern the extent of their powers or provide a free increase in size. Some Mutations are given a minimum Depth, this is not because a Hybrid with at a shallower Depth isn't "powerful" enough, but because that Mutation cannot pass as more human than at it's minimum Depths.

A Hybrid's Depth is defined by the number of dots they have in Mutations and is ranked from one to five: No Hybrid ever has human form or Apotheosis. Depth in turn sets a limit on a Hybrid's Intelligence and the likelihood of it being non-sapient. The stability of a Lemashu's genetics over a Hybrid provides a measure of protection. For the purposes of Intelligence and sapience assume a Lemashu has a Depth one step closer to human.

DEPTH	MUTATION DOTS	INTELLIGENCE MAXIMUM	SAPIENCE
1	1 to 10	5	Always
2	11 to 15	4	Always
3	16 to 20	3	Mostly
4	21 to 25	2	Rarely
5	26 to 30	1	Never

Hybrids can and often do reach lower Depths over the course of their life but a Hybrid never loses their mental faculties, those are defined at birth. A Hybrid with Intelligence 4 simply will not gain an 16th dot of Mutations and similarly a Sapient Hybrid cannot reach Depth 5.

Ichor

All Hybrids can carry the Divine Ichor within themselves. A Hybrid's Maximum Ichor pool is equal to Stamina + Depth and their per turn expenditure is limited to one. Lacking both the bestal and divine natures found within a Leviathan their methods of regaining Ichor are limited. Only Resonance and Immersion allow a Hybrid to gain additional points of Ichor.

Mutations List

Universal Affinity

Deep Eyes (O): The Hybrid suffers no discomfort from keeping their eyes open in even the most polluted or diseased waters. So long as they are below the surface they can see comfortably providing there is a trace of light.

Gills (OO): The Hybrid can comfortably breath underwater and can keep their eyes open with no discomfort if the water is reasonably clean.

Superior Lungs (O - OO): The Leviathan adds 2 to their stamina for the purpose of holding their breath At two dots this becomes three and they no longer lose air faster because they are in combat.

  They are  ateimpttng to measure points no longer thought of as immeasurable, like prayer, intuition or perhaps even life after death, using the aid of evidence-based research and peer review. Continue coming back often as more will be added!  Also, have a quick look at the links provided for others reasons and wonderful info.   Was this answer helpful?

Elements

Child of the Waves (O or OOO): The Hybrid gets 9again on Athletics rolls when in the water, at three dots: 8again.

Diving into the Tempest (O, OO or OOOO): The Hybrid can willingly enter or exit the Tempest at a Gatewater. To do so she must spend a point of Ichor and roll Occult + Survival. At two dots the Hybrid can sense the presence of a Gatewater in Depth*10 miles by spending a point of Ichor and rolling Wits + Survival. At four Dots they may enter and exit anywhere a Leviathan could. Without a Leviathan to carry them Hybrids can never go deeper than the Shallows.

Home in the waters (OO): The Hybrid gets 9again on Survival rolls when outdoors in an area with large amounts of water.

Smell of Salt (O): The Leviathan can make a Wits + Survival roll to instinctively know the direction of the nearest large body of water. This Mutation will not locate water that is indoors or underground.

Weatherproofing (O to OOO): Each dot in Weatherproofing gives the Hybrid one dot of armour against the effects of weather and reduces situational penalties caused by rough weather. This applies both above and underwater, such as when swimming against a strong current.

Fecundity

Blood is thicker than water (OO): The Hybrid has a natural instinct for working with it's own kin. They gain 9again on Teamwork actions and at the storytellers discretion on other group actions such as Stealth rolls to set up a coordinated ambush. To gain this bonus the Hybrid must have shared a working relationship for around a month, or a communal living for a weak. With blood relatives reduce this to a week and a day respectively.

Brother to the Fishes (OOOO): The Hybrid can command non-sentient animals of Size 5 or less to do it's bidding. They use Animal Ken in place of Social Skills and the animal may resist with Resolve + Power Trait. Animals will not perform blatantly suicidal actions.

Fast Healing (OO or OOO): The Hybrid may spend a point of Ichor to heal a dot of bashing damage. At three dots they may spend two points of Ichor to heal a point of Lethal damage.

Might

A burst of speed (O): The Hybrid adds five to their speed for the first turn of a chase or combat. On subsequent rounds they may spend a point of Ichor to benefit from this Mutation again.

Bestial Vandal (OO): The Hybrid gains 9again when attacking inanimate objects.

Increased Strength (OOOO): The Hybrid gets 9again on Strength rolls.

Leap from the Depth (O - OOO): The Hybrid adds (2x dots) feet to the hight and (4x dots) feet to the length of all jumps.

Natural Evasion (OO): The Hybrid has Defence equal to Dexterity even if their Wits is lower.

Predation

Camouflage (OO): The Hybrid gets 9again on Stealth rolls.

Natural Weapons (OOO - OOOOO): The Hybrid has natural weapons. At three dots they do +0L damage, each additional dot increases the damage by one. If the Hybrid cannot use it's weapons without a grapple increase the damage by two.

Predictors Instinct (OO): The Hybrid has Defence equal to Wits even if their Dexterity is lower.

Ranged Weapons (OO or OOO): The Hybrid can spit acid, fire spines or has some other natural way to attack at range for one Ichor per shot. Short range is Stamina+Strength, medium range is twice short range and long range is four times short range. Despite the unusual nature of this attack the roll is Dexterity + Firearms with no weapons bonus, at two dots it does bashing damage, three dots upgrades to lethal.

Sharks Skin (OO): The Hybrid gets +2 to damage opponents in a grapple and +2 to escape a grapple due to shark like skin, protruding spines or venomous stingers.

Sanctity

Increased Resolve (OOOO): The Hybrid gains 9-again on Resolve rolls.

Mind Blast (OOOO): The Hybrid pays one Ichor and rolls Presence + Intelligece – Resolve + Power Stat to inflict bashing damage with the stun property.

Siren's Song (OO): The Siren may spend a point of Ichor and roll Presence + Expression. Wake vulnerable individuals who's Resolve + Power Trait is lower than the Hybrid's Successes spend a turn moving towards the Hybrid unless they spend a point of Willpower. This power is limited to the range the Hybrid's voice will naturally carry.

Unearthly Beauty (O - OO Depth 2-): The human side of the Hybrid's DNA has a stronger effect than normal. While the Hybrid dose have some tribal traits they are significantly muted blend into human features in a way that looks exotic rather than horrific. Each dot reduces the social penalty of depth by one and incurs a -1 penalty on any Noticing Transformation rolls.

Fascination (OO): The Hybrid does not have a true Wake, but by spending a point of Ichor they can manifest a much weaker ability giving them 9again on all rolls to attract or keep someone's attention.

Voice of the Mind (OO): For one Ichor the Hybrid can telepathically send a message who's meaning can be summed up in twenty words or less. Only Leviathans, other Hybrids and at the storytellers discretion non-Tribe psychics can receive these messages.

Harmful Mutations (New Flaws)

Weak DNA: The Hybrid's genetic structure is exceptionally vulnerable to damage. Whenever the Hybrid rolls to resist a harmful genetic effect (such as developing cancer) deduct Depth from it's dicepool and whenever another charachter tries to influence the Hybrid's genetics (such as a Genius with biological Metaptropi or a Mage using the Life Arcana) add Depth to their Dicepool. This includes the Channel Everflowing Fetid Growth and cancels out the natural effects of being a Hybrid: Treat the Hybrid as a human for this Channel.

Visible Mutation: The Hybrid's mutations are exceptionally pronounced and noticeable. Treat the Hybrid as one (or more if the player wishes) Depth lower when using the Detecting Transformation rules. Even with this Mutation Hybrids do not reach, or appear to reach, Apotheosis: Depth 5 Hybrids cannot take this Flaw. If a higher Depth Hybrid with this Flaw reaches Depth 5 either replace this Flaw with another or simply remove Visible Mutation. When taking Visible Mutation as an optional Flaw the player may specify that it only applies to part of their body, if they do so they only gain Experience when the affected area is exposed or when keeping it concealed causes a problem.

Waterlocked: The Hybrid suffers Ichor loss when away from water though unlike Leviathan's in Apotheosis they don't have to be physically in the water, within a few feet or under a shower is fine. The Hybrid may go Stamina minutes before loosing Ichor, afterwords they loose one point of Ichor per minute. Unlike a Leviathan they will not go mad if stranded without Ichor, instead they take one Bashing damage per minute.

Merfolk: The Hybrid has a fish tail, a set of tentacles or some other form of aquatic locomotion that is unable to function on land. They're not entirely immobile on land but they're close to it: Speed is equal to Strength alone and the Hybrid cannot double speed by running. Since they are almost certainly crawling around use the rules for going Prone (WoD Core p 164). Hybrids with this Mutation are rare above the third depth, but some can pass as human provided they keep their tail covered (use Visible Mutation) or even convince the untrained observer that it's serious yet mundane genetic disorder.

“Father” Abdeel

Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 3, Resolve 2, Strength 2, Dexterity, 1 Stamina 3, Presence 4, Manipulation 3, Composure 2

Skills: Medicine 2, Occult 2 (The Tribe), Athletics 1, Brawl 1, Firearms 2, Survival 2, Weaponry 1, Expression 4 (preaching), Intimidation 2, Persuasion 2, Socialise 1, Subterfuge 2 (Doublethink).

Mutations: Deep Eyes 1, Brother to the Fishes 4, Mind Blast 4

Strain: Abuu
Virtue: Faith
Vice: Pride
Depth: 1
Defence: 1
Morality: 5 (Fixation)
Health: 8
Size: 5
Speed: 8
Initiative: 3
Willpower: 4

Other Merits: Meditative Mind 1, Allies 4 (Family), Resources 2, Contacts (Other Tribe families).

Background: Despite his low depth “Father” Abdeel has lived for a long time, he's taken upon himself the roll of shepherd to his extended family. Keeping them pure to half remembered ideas and rituals created the last time a Leviathan was found among the family tree in readiness for the birth of his next lord and master.

Description: Father Abdeel is a striking man who carries himself with an air of unchallengeable dominance. Even in what appears to be middle age he is the picture of health and his long black beard is unmarked by even a single grey hair. All in all he is a man who radiates confidence, charisma and virulence. He does have a tendency to spoil the image by dressing in a homemade outfit based off a Babylonian priest.

Storytelling Hints: The assumption with Father Abdeel is that he's a blood relative of one of the players. To them he will have been a shadowy figure in their past, undoubtedly the head of the family yet distant from his more human blooded relations – including most Leviathans before they gain the Template. The relationship is not necessarily adversarial, Father Abdeel sees himself as a cross between an advisor, high priest and right hand man to his Leviathan. While his knowledge is not amazing he's far more informed about the Tribe than most starting Leviathans and can be a valuable asset, it's not unreasonable to assume he owns a heirloom or two even if he cannot benefit from them himself.

The drama with Father Abdeel comes from one simple fact: He's been imagining this moment for a long time and has some very clear ideas about what life under a Leviathan will be like. These may be harmlessly self serving: Himself as high priest with his deity's favour and followers to lead. Outright heinous: Blood cults, racial purity and crusades against humanity. Or just plain odd: Uproot the family and resettle inside the Rift. Whatever his goals expect his advice to push an agenda even as he remains convinced his only wish is to serve.

The Achelous Sisters

Attributes: Intelligence 1, Wits 3, Resolve 3, Strength 4, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2, Presence 4 Manipulation 1, Composure 1

Skills: Investigation 1, Occult 1, Athletics 4 (swim), Brawl 3 (drowning), Stealth 2, Survival 2 (ocean), Animal Ken 2, Empathy 1 (each other), Expression 4 (singing).

Strain: Pelopsid
Depth: 2
Virtue: Faith
Vice: Gluttony
Defence: 2
Morality: 1 (Fixation, Vocalisation)
Health: 7
Size: 5
Speed: 12
Initiative: 6
Willpower: 4

Mutations: Gills 2, Child of the Waves 1, Blood is thicker than water 2, Increased Resolve 4, Fascination 2, Siren's Song 2, Unearthly Beauty 2, Visible Mutation (tail only) Waterlocked, Merfolk.

Other Merits: Striking Looks 4, Direction Sense 1, Fast Reflexes 2

Background: The Achelous Sisters, Agatha, Phoebe and Thelma, were born into a their father's Cult. As babies the three were normal and human looking save for deformed and non-functional legs but came into their mutations early in life. Their father saw them merely as animals (which wasn't much difference from how he saw his human Beloved) and when they lost the ability to survive on land he simply threw them into the ocean outside his Temple. Being in a relatively stable and thus affectionate part of his life he instructed his followers to throw food to the sisters then promptly forgot all about them.

As the sisters grew into their more subtle powers the Cult put them to work, hiding the temple by luring people away and snatching the occasional lone sailor to serve in the Cult or on the alters. A Leviathan can only commit nefarious deeds for so long before someone notices, aided in part by the Ripple effect the uncharacteristically high number of people missing at sea drew investigators. Some Leviathans move on and start afresh elsewhere, others hide literally or beneath legal smokescreens, their father did neither. Unable to cope with the opposition he degenerated, heaping abuse upon his Cult, as the smartest and most strong-willed of his Beloved fled the sisters went with them.

Description: If you were to measure by features alone the sisters are stunningly pretty. They have perfect golden hair, amazing figures and delicate faces. Add on their Tribal heritage of unnaturally pale skin and large unblinking eyes and feelings get a lot more confused. In effect from a typical human perspective they are stunningly attractive but with a hint of otherness that adds an edge of both excitement and hesitation.

It's worth noting that none of them speak more than a few words of English but they can communicate with each other.

Storytelling Hints: It wouldn't quite be fair to call the sisters immoral, amoral is far closer to the truth. Being raised without any real social contact than each other then put to immoral work means that they never really developed a moral compass and have see no important distinction between people and animals. Sure people struggle and fight if you try to eat them, but so do fish.

The sisters live a nomadic life in the ocean, they hide from dangerous preditors, hunt what they can. When the opportunity presents itself they'll lure people close to the water by singing before drowning and eating them. It's not luxury but they have each other, they're happy enough.

I was a big fan of Leviathan, so I was rlelay excited about Behemoth and didn't rlelay mind the slow start. I can't wait for Goliath! (and the artwork is amazing, don't you think? It's half the fun!)

Dezinens of the Deep

Sidebar: Swarms

Some of the creatures in this section are Swarms. In play a Swarm is treated as one individual creature. A Swarm's Size represents how many creatures are present and functions normally with the rules for exceptional size in combat. Swarms do not have health, instead damage reduces their Size: one point of Size is equal to two Bashing, one Lethal or half a point of Aggravated damage. To represent the combined effectiveness of what may be thousands of creatures Swarms may use the Exceptional Size rules as normal.

Swarms also have double defence against most attacks. If the Swarm makes a Dodge action triple their unmodified Defence, do not double their doubled Defence. However against bombs, flamethrowers or other weapons that do damage in a wide area Swarms have no Defence at all.

Rift Creatures

Hoard

The Rift dwellers known as hoards are believed to be the echoes of greed and jealousy; the desire to possess something not just because you value it but also to prevent another from enjoying it. These creatures are not exceptionally strong and are always found guarding a memory with value, something worth denying to others. Consequently spotting one normally heralds a successful trip into the Rift.

In appearance hoards resemble many tentacled octopuses.

Power 3 Finesse 2 Resistance 6
Size Varies with the size of it's treasure
Health Varies
Willpower 9
Speed 5
Initiative 8
Defence 3

Compulsion: A Hoard cannot abandon its treasure, so long as it possesses its treasure it's immobile. This also prevents it benefiting from its Defence.

Weapons:
Tentacle 2(b). Roll 5 dice.
Poison spray: Roll Power + Finesse to hit. On a hit this is a Toxicity 5 poison.

Pilot Fish

Its not known exactly what creates Pilot Fish, but conflicting instincts to defer to a stronger Leviathan and to overthrow it forms a popular theory. Another proposes that Lemashu cultists are the ultimate source. Whatever the cause Pilot Fish – which are not actually fish, they're a form of barnacle – are found at the second Depth; the first a Leviathan is likely to notice is the feeling of a good hard massage when a colony starts growing from their body from this point Pilot Fish begin their unusual symbiosis.

Pilot Fish are associated with a skill, usually something timeless and grant a +2 bonus to that skill however they also offer “advice”. When they spot an opportunity for the Leviathan to acquire power, be it monetary, knowledge or the death of a rival, they'll point it out. Sometimes this is just genuinely good advice but often this is self destructive. A short term gain based on betrayal that loses a long term ally or a violation of Tranquillity. When this happens ignoring the Pilot Fish requires a successful Resolve roll or a point of willpower.

Fortunately getting rid of Pilot Fish is exceptionally easy, physically they're laughable and are entirely powerless to resist a Leviathan who wishes to remove them.

Power 0 Finesse 3 Resistance 1
Size 1
Health 2
Willpower 1
Speed 0
Initiative 4
Defence 0

Compulsion: Pilot fish cannot betray their host, though its a matter of constant debate whether they actually want to harm their host or just give bad advice they cannot actually act against a Leviathan. Their only tactic is poisoned advice.

Idols

Idols are found in the second depth; formed of a contradictory mixture of pride and self loathing Idols resemble religious images. A single wall of a church with elaborate stain glass windows, gold plated statues and crude stone idols. Naturally the images all show Leviathans, often smiting their enemies or reviving worship. Each idol however is run through with flesh filled cracks leaking puss, squirming maggots or sinuous tentacles.

Idols are reasonably intelligent and usually know a thing or two about the local area which they're willing to share with anyone who appeases them with sufficient flattery. This isn't so simple as an Idol broadcasts its emotions around it leaving visitors both disgusted at the idol and too proud to praise it. A Resolve + Sheol roll or a point of willpower can overcome this effect.

Power 3 Finesse 3 Resistance 5
Size variable
Health variable
Willpower 8
Speed 6
Initiative 8
Defence 3

Compulsion: An idol cannot refuse a request from one who sufficiently praises it.

Weapons: Psychic assault. 6 - Resolve dice. Successes remove points of willpower before causing bashing damage.

Hierarchs

A Hierarch is found at the first depth. Physically they resemble a mixture of tropical fish and shark. Each hierarch stakes out a territory which may be a few miles to a mere hundred feet in diameter. Within their territories they play out an eternal metaphor of the Tribe's instinctual drive to procure worship: Dolphin like “cultists” form within a hierach's territory. Initially they're scared of the hierach but as it attacks them causing lasting and gory wounds, they become more and more fanatical in worship. Eventually the hierarch or another cultist will kill them outright and the cycle begins anew.

A Leviathan who defeats a hierach may choose to turn against their cultists, this gains them one point of Ichor an hour in addition to the Rift's normal provision. This is not a tranquillity sin, a fact which many of the Tribe's philosophers find rather unsettling.

Power 4 Finesse 2 Resistance 5
Size 7
Health 12
Willpower 9
Speed 6
Initiative 7
Defence 4

Compulsion: A hierach is compelled to attack any intruders, which is to say anyone, in its territory.

The Sacrificed

Some things that call the Rift home are not simply relics of a time before time or the dreams of Leviathans, some living, others long dead; no, some things where once human. The Sacrificed are one example of these creatures.

All Sacrificed share one thing in common: they were all Beloved who where sacrificed against their will at the behest of their Leviathan. Although many Beloved would gladly jump at the chance to die for their god, sometimes a moment of clarity will come to a Beloved at their moment of death. The pain and regret felt would usually lead to the formation of a ghost, but such a kind fate is not meant for one of the Sacrificed. No one knows for sure what makes this transition different, though many theorize that a combination of lingering devotion and the power of the ritual itself may weigh the nascent ghost down and force them to sink into the Rift.

Most Sacrificed are found in the Shallows; these are also the youngest. At this level, they all show the cause of their death along with a drowned or waterlogged appearance, but as they get older and sink deeper, they begin to become… stranger.

a Sacrificed is a ghost and built similarly with the following exceptions:

A Sacrificed lacks anchors. Sacrificed have no need to manifest in the Rift as they are already physical and are only bound in their movement by their depth. A Sacrificed does gain a point of essence every 24 hours and may consume ichor to regain essence if they have the opportunity. As a Sacrificed may interact normally with other things in the Rift, they may physically attack anything else they come across.

A Sacrificed cannot be freed from their fate through having their unfinished business taken care of, only through destruction. Mercifully, a Sacrificed can be destroyed through the loss of Corpus.

A Sacrificed may not change the Depth they are at, although they will sink deeper as time passes.

The Sacrificed are immune to the effects of the Wake, although they do seem to be drawn to it. Usually when confronted by a Leviathan, a Sacrificed will scream prayers and praise towards the Leviathan as they attack it. These words usually come out as an incoherent gurgling noise unless the Sacrificed possesses the Ghost Speech numen.

A Sacrificed will slowly take on the qualities of other beings native to the Rift as he drifts to a deeper Depth and grows in insanity. This can be represented by granting them the Aspects of a Hybrid.

Sample Sacrificed

Glub, glub, gurgle

Power 1 Finesse 2 Resistance 2
Size 5
Corpus 7
Willpower 2
Speed 13
Initiative 3
Defense 2
Virtue: Faith
Vice: Wrath
Morality: 2
Numina: Animal Control (Dice Pool 3), Phantasm (Dice Pool 3), Terrify (Dice Pool 3)

Weapons: Ceremonial dagger – Power + 1(l) (Dice Pool 2)

Note: Almost all Sacrificed are violently insane, and this become truer the older they get.

Molluskin

Thank you for giving me life.

Molluskin are an interesting lot. There aren’t very many of them, but where you find one, you're bound to find dozens more. These Rift creatures are spawned from an emotion rarely felt by Leviathans, genuine gratitude. Bright and colorful, these creatures hold a vaguely humanoid form, but most resemble the offspring of a cuttlefish and a crab. They are often seen as easy prey by the predators of the Shallows, so they tend to hide in whatever nooks and crannies they can squeeze themselves into. Social and intelligent, if a bit simple, it is not unknown for different groups of molluskin to have different traditions, if not exactly cultures.

One thing all molluskin have in common is they are extremely grateful to any Leviathan that passes by. One of the few things that can reliably get a tribe of Molluskin to come out of hiding is the Wake of a Leviathan. They have trouble telling leviathans apart, so they treat each one with respect and kindness because any leviathan could be the one that spawned them. The thing about molluskin, is while they want to be helpful, their is very little they can do. They can sometimes describe items of interest that they have seen in their search for food, or give directions to places they have been, but beyond that, most Leviathans find them little more then nuisances. Some Leviathans have found them useful as watchdogs or even guardians against the inhabitants of the Rift, because despite their kind and cowardly nature, they will give anything, even their own lives, to defend a Leviathan in need. Of course this behavior makes them less then ideal for dealing with other Leviathans as they will treat them with the same love and gratitude as their master.

Power 1 Finesse 2 Resistance 1
Size 2
Health 3
Willpower 2
Speed 3
Initiative 3
Defense 2

Compulsion: Molluskin must always obey a Leviathan; and they will even go out of their way to provide services that they think the Leviathan wants even when not asked.

Weapon: Crab claws 1(l). Roll 2 dice.

Carnival Jellies and Reverians

The carnival jelly is an interesting being. Born from the curiosity that leads to the first hit of a powerful narcotic, these jellyfish-like creatures get their name from the circus tent appearance they have. Long tentacles extend out, shining with spectacular neon light. Any who approach one of these lures finds themselves compelled to follow it wherever it goes; and it always goes into one of the carnival jelly’s door-like mouths. Once inside, the visitors quickly find themselves stung with tentacles filled with a powerful narcotic. Most things that wander into carnival jelly never leave, not because they are forced to stay, but because they want to. These poor visitors usually starve to death. At this point, the carnival jelly cares little for what happens to the remains as it feeds off the ecstatic feelings of its ‘visitors’. Those not affected by the drugs or entertained by the actions of those dwelling there are free to leave, if they can get past the gastropodean reverians who feast on the refuse the carnival jelly leaves behind.

Carnival Jelly

A musical humming

Power 2 Finesse 5 Resistance 5
Size 30
Health 35
Willpower 7
Speed 1
Initiative 10
Defense 5

Compulsion: A carnival jelly is compelled to cause no physical harm to its guests as long as it is not attacked first.

Weapons: Stingers. Causes no damage, but if hit the target must make a Resolve + Stamina roll penalized by the carnival jelly's successes on the attack or lose 1 willpower. Once the target has 0 willpower they must make a Resolve + Composure roll at a penalty of -2 to try and leave the inside of the jelly. (Dice Pool 5)

Lure bash* 1b. Roll 3 dice.

Flashing lure*. The target must make a Resolve + Composure roll or follow the lure to the best of there abilities for one round. Physical damage to the target will break this effect. This attack has a range of 10 yards.

• Special: A lure is Size 3, has 3 Health levels and may be targeted by attacks. A lure has a Speed of 5 and can extend out 25 yards. Any damage dealt to the lure is also dealt to the carnival jelly. A standard carnival jelly has five lures. Once destroyed, the carnival jelly loses the ability to use them.

Reverian

Born from the failed urge to quit using hard drugs, Reverians look like large sea slugs with long, spiraled, comically small shells on what would be a human’s neck. They somehow look less ridiculous when rotated forward and brandished as spears. When surrounded by compliant company, they enjoy playing games with unfathomable rules and performing strange dances. They seem to communicate through body language.

Power 3 Finesse 1 Resistance 2
Size 5
Health 7
Willpower 5
Speed 2
Initiative 3
Defense 2

Compulsion: Cannot allow anyone who has entered a carnival jelly leave unless appeased with an offering. Large quantities of meat, hallucinogenic substances, or toys tend to work best.

Weapons: Spiral lances 3(l). (Dice Pool 6)

The Kids

Where am I?

Creatures birthed from Leviathans who are nostalgic for their human lives. Even kids born from Leviathans who didn't change until they were very old seem to take the form of a five to twelve year old child. While completely human at first glance, closer inspection reveals their is always something wrong with a kid. Some have fish eyes while others have web hands, or scales. Regardless of their appearance, they all seem unaware that something is wrong. While they may be lost or even frightened, it does not so much seem like it is the environment that bothers them, but were they are in it. Despite their human appearances and memories, kids are Rift creatures and the Tempest is their home. Kids can be useful for digging up dirt on a Leviathan's past, but any information they give should be taken with a grain of salt as they tend to sugarcoat it.

Power 1 Finesse 4 Resistance 1
Size 4
Health 5
Willpower 2
Speed 8
Initiative 5
Defense 4

Compulsion: Kids must always seek "home." Very few Leviathans have ever bothered to figure out where "home" is.

Weapon: Fists 0(b). Roll 1 die.

Filcher

Can I have just a little taste?

Sometimes known as a "catfish burglar," these fish-like creatures look more like a dragonfish with four sets of eyes then anything. They picked up their nickname from the two long whiskers that they use to detect treasured memories. Filchers are usually spawned from lazy Leviathans who live vicariously through their cult-members rather then living a life of their own. Those inexperienced explorers that think these small creatures harmless quickly learn different or nothing ever again.

Power 2 Finesse 6 Resistance 2
Size 1
Health 3
Willpower 4
Speed 10
Initiative 6
Defense 6

Compulsion: The promise of easy memories is irresistible to filchers. For one willpower, a character can surrender one good memory to a flicher who will help its employer track down any memory for one scene. Of course the filcher also expects one good memory in payment for finding the target.

Weapons: Bite Size(l). Roll 3 dice. If a filcher gets a critical success on a target the same size or smaller then it, it may swallow them and devour their memories. Treat this as a grapple for the purposes of escaping from the filchers stomach. Each round spent in a filchers stomach causes the target to lose one willpower as their treasured memories are digested. This willpower is transferred to the filcher. If a filcher collects more then 10 willpower, they lose any excess after the end of the scene.

Eyes Bigger Then Their Stomach: Filcher's seek to consume treasured memories, even those that are much, much bigger then them. A Flicher may spend a point of willpower to increase its size by 3 and its speed by 5 for a scene. This abillity may be used multiple times to reach truly gargantuan sizes and amazing speeds.

Memory Thief: A Filcher may roll Power + Finesse. They may detect any memory in successes x 10 yards. They automatically know the type of memory they detect, but not its details.

Glimmershrimp

Not so much an individual creature as a swarm of smaller ones. Glimmershrimp are formed from dreams. If you watch a swarm of glimmershrimp closely, you can make out hazy images and scenes from the conglomerated dreams of dozens of different Leviathans. Glimmershrimp can be broken down in various sub-categories based off the dreams that spawned them. Swarms of glimmershrimp seem to eat anything they can bring down, especially different swarms of glimmershrimp.

Power 1 Finesse 1 Resistance 1
Size Swarm
Willpower 2
Speed 15
Initiative 1
Defense 1

Compulsion: Glimmershrimp must group together with other glimmer shrimp of a similar type.

Weapons: Psychic assault. 2 - Resolve dice. Successes remove points of willpower before causing bashing damage. A critical failure brought on by a chance die causes a swarm of glimmershrimp to lose one willpower.

Missionaries

A religious Leviathan will accumulate memories of lore, doctrinaire and theology. In the Rift the beliefs that give these meaning take life as the nautiloid missionaries. Their long tentacles are soft and nurturing, their shells carved with meaningless glyphs and their eyes bloody stumps so they can see no heresy (this does lead to some debate on how they navigate, some say they're guided by faith. Less romantic Leviathans assume they depend on their sense of smell).

The Missionaries are normally found lovingly caring to the memories that spawned them, but when their numbers are sufficient raiding parties depart to seek out memories compatible with their doctrine, they will lovingly tend to these memories with their long caress and corrupt it to their cause. In time it too will spawn Missionaries of it's own. In areas full of the right kind of memory whole routs of Missionaries engage in ceaseless silent jihads, warring with each other for the right to convert memories to the one true faith.

Experienced Rift divers can usually recognize when a memory has been converted and most consider such specimens worthless. Some destroy them on sight to prevent the corruption from spreading.

Power 2, Finesse 4, Resistance 4
Size 4
Health 8
Willpower 6
Speed 6
Imitative 6
Defence 4
Armour 2

Compulsion: Missionaries must spread the true faith, either by protecting converted memories or seeking new memories for the flock.

Weapons: Tentacles (2)b, requires a grapple to do damage. Roll 4 dice. Beak (-1)l, requires a grapple. Roll 1 die.

Converting a memory is an extended Finesse roll, it requires a grapple and Size + Resistance successes. Multiple Missionaries can convert as a teamwork action.

Maritime Hazards

From powerful yet mundane marine life to far stranger things the threats that Leviathans face while swimming Earth's waters as diverse as anything under the sun. Below are fully statted theats that your Cohort may encounter.

Saltwater Crocodile

Intelligence Neg., Wits 2, Resolve 1, Strength 4, Dexterity 2, Stamina 5, Presence 4, Manipulation 1, Composure 2

Skills: Athletics 2 (swimming), Brawl 2 (Grapple), Survival 3, Stealth 2 (Camouflage), Intimidate 2

Merits:
Strong Lungs (As per book)
Specialized Heart: Due to their (possibly unique) circulatory system, Crocodiles can hold their breath for the listed duration even while in combat. Out side of combat, Crocodiles can hold their breath for up to 8 times the listed duration.
Strong Jaws: Crocodiles double their strength on any test involving closing or keeping their jaws closed.
Grappling Jaws: If a Crocodile scores more successes with a bite than their opponent’s defence they can reflexively roll to grapple.
A Burst of Speed. For the first turn of a chase a crocodile may triple its speed.

Armor 1/0 (thick hide)
Defense: 2
Health: 12
Initiative: 4
Size: 7
Speed: 2 on land, 6 in water.
Willpower: 3

Weapons/Attacks:
Bite 2 (L) roll 12 dice
Deathroll 4(L) roll 14 dice. Stun. Requires that a target is in a grapple.

Special: If a crocodile does enough damage to cripple a limb, then at Storyteller discretion , there is a chance the limb has been torn free, and what is left prey is now free to run (or crawl or hop or whatever it can still manage to do) away.

Ghost Ships

Those sailors and Leviathans who spend their lives at sea will hear stories of the rare few ships who sail on with tattered decks and patchwork sales run by a literal skeleton crew. These are ghost ships, forever doomed to sail the salty seas until they can fulfil their ancient charter.

Ghost Ships can cause an interesting dilemma to a storyteller for they have no special relationship to the Tribe. It's only through coincidence that the Tribe's attraction to the sea and coastal communities can cause the two to interact. Tying a Ghost Ship to the themes of an ongoing chronicle as anything more than a speed bump while swimming the ocean can be hard, but sometimes this disconnect can be an advantage. When the ongoing story has become mired in politics or self pity, a brief interlude of fun light-hearted silliness brought to you by the rum swilling, timber shivering ghost of Captain Blackbeard can be just the thing.

A Ghost Ship is an Anchor to a large amount of ghosts. Like all Anchors it can be destroyed or resolved. Typically a Ghost Ship originally set sail with a goal, weather that goal was piracy, war, or trade. Ships that lack such a goal rarely have a large amount of ghosts with the same unresolved business to create a shared Anchor. And it is the shared anchor that lets the crew combine their talents, much as they did in life, to run a powerful Ghost Ship and unlock Numina such as Fortify Anchor. That's not to say it must be the only Anchor on board. The crew might be Anchored to the ship itself while a passenger is anchored to something in his cabin.

As a Ghost Ship ages general wear and tear or the occasional bout of combat will gradually destroy it's Structure. The crew can use the Fortify Anchor Numina to replace lost points of Structure with Corpus. However if the ship looses it's last point of structure it no longer functions as an Anchor and is destroyed. A Ghost Ship which is mostly Corpus may have only a few, or only one, treasured pieces of the actual structure remaining.

For simplicity the Storyteller may wish to assign the ship a Power, Finesse, Resistance and Essence value rather than giving attributes to the crew members. Since each ghost serving as crew can store Essence a large Ghost Sip often has a lot of Essence.

If Ghost Ship contained weapons carries then it can still use them. If the weapons are still in good repair with supplies of ammunition then they function as normal. Otherwise they can be recreated out of Corpus with the Fortify Anchor Numina and fired with a point of essence for ammunition. The Essence cost of a full broadside can be huge, but such ships typically have a large ghostly crew and therefore the ability to store large amounts of Essence.

New Numina

Anchor Mastery

A Ghost with Anchor Mastery may interact with their anchor as though they were still solid. All crew on a Ghost Ship have it and use it to sail the ship. Anchor Mastery is automatic, no Essence or roll is required.

Fortify Anchor

Every Ghost would like the ability to repair their Anchors but the fact is that only when many Ghosts share the same Anchor and combine their powers can they unlock this potent ability. To repair an Anchor a ghost rolls extended Power + Finesse check. The target is twice the amount of structure to be repaired.

Dramatic Failure: The ghosts attempts to repair the Anchor causes even more damage, a point of structure and essence are lost.

Failure: The Ghost makes no progress.

Success: The Ghost makes progress on repairing the Anchor. It takes two successes and a Dot of Essence to replace a point of Structure with Corpus but only a point of Essence to repair a point of Corpus. This essence can be regained by reducing the Anchors maximum Corpus by one.

Exceptional Success: No extra benefit.

Twist Anchor

As more ghosts are linked to the same Anchor it becomes saturated with deathly energies. Becoming mailable and pilable in the ghosts will. A Ghost can roll Power + Finesse as an Instant action to warp their shared Anchor. A purely cosmetic change like blood dripping down the walls requires one Success. A moderate change like increasenig Durability by a point requires three Successes. A significant change, like turning a door into a wall requires five Successes. A ghost cannot create recognisable messages (without Ghost Sign) or affect anything not directly part of the Anchor. Twist Anchor may be used to Grapple.

Call Fog

Ghost Ships are often reported travelling within a thick fog, this Numina is responsible. By focusing their combined power in an extended Power + Finesse roll on the waters through which they sail the crew can cause it to release a thick fog. To hide, to hunt, or in the case of more self aware ghosts just because they think it's kinda neat. Call Fog can be used as a teamwork action, up to the Primary Actor's Finesse members of the same crew can join in.

Cost: 5 Essence.

Dramatic Failure: The water recedes from the ship, for the next hour it will appear float high in the water, regular people won't notice but any experienced sailor will have little trouble knowing something isn't right. For Ghost Ships which are more structure than corpus this can cause a serious hazard to staying afloat: -1 on Drive checks per 5 points of Structure. There is a maximum of -5 but with 30 or more structure the Captain must Succeed on a Drive roll every five minuets or capsize.

Failure: Nothing happens.

Success: A thick fog surrounds the ship. This fog has a radius equal to the ships Size in meters and lasts for one hour per dot of Power. Perception checks for the living are at -Power, but no worse than -5.

Exceptional Success: Treat power as one point higher, maximum of 5.

Press Gang

Attrition can wear down the crew of a Ghost Ship as much as anywhere else. From ghosts destroyed in combat, caught at one of their other Anchors and exorcised or just worn down by time until useless to the ship, after a while there might be a need to give someone the King's Shilling. To Press someone requires that they are physically on-board the Ghost Ship and restrained. The Ghost rolls an Extended Power + Finesse vs Resolve + Composure. If the Ghost gets Willpower Successes before the mortal gains Power + Resistance Successes then upon death the mortal will find himself Anchored to the ship. This Numina does not last long, so most crews who use this Numina will kill the Mortal immediately.

Because the Anchor is in a sense artificial, then assuming no other Anchors destroying the ship will free Pressed Ghosts rather than trap them in the Underworld. It is also worth noting that if the mortal agrees to join the crew then the Numina succeeds without rolling.

The Great and Terrible Wilderness: The Cryptids

Not all of Tiamat's children remained within the Primordial Waters, Behemoth crawled onto the land and Ziz grew wings to climb the heavens. There they dwelled, prospered and multiplied. They became Progenitors of the Tribe.

This was long ago, in an earlier age of the world. Marduk slew Tiamat and his order have put generations of the Tribe to the sword. The children of Bahamut and Ziz felt the fall of the Primordial Waters as deeply as any of their kin, deeper perhaps for lacking the safety of the depth they've suffered more than their aquatic cousins at the hands of the Society. The blood of Tiamat did not truly survive the hunts, what remains is diminished in some way. In each Strain one aspect of the Tribe's threefold nature dominates. Lacking the strength of all three aspects, the true Birthright is denied to the Cryptids.

At least that is today, who knows what tomorrow brings?

Royal Apes

The kings of the jungle are very large powerful Cryptids, consequently they have trouble hiding and if any survive today they do so in remote corners of the world.

Appearance: The Royal Apes typically take after gorillas but on a massive scale. An adult can easily stand seven and a half stories tall and possess an impressive amount of muscle for beings of their size. Though they posses wicked teeth their jaws are no better adapted for combat than a typical gorilla's and in battle the Royal Apes depend on their mighty strength.

Storytelling Hints: The big question with Royal Apes is where do they come from. There certainly isn't a breeding population which leaves Leviathans to assume they're a throwback born to humans, some other variety of simian Cryptid or even actual gorillas. Royal Apes are very territorial and this forms their major Impulse but they are also social creatures and their minor impulse is to establish some sort of relationship with others, be they human, Hybrid or Royal Ape. They prefer predictable non-threatening relationships and can easily become violent when startled, some traces of their other Natures seems to remain for they are especially fond of Atolls.

Attributes: Intelligence Neg, Wits 1, Resolve 3, Strength 6, Dexterity 3, Stamina 4, Presence 4, Manipulation 2, Composure 1
Skills: Athletics 4 (climbing), Brawl 5 (Brute Force), Survival 2, Intimidation 3 (Chest Pound) Socialise 1.
Nature: Typhon.
Sheol 4
Defence: 3
Health: 32
Size: 25
Speed: 14
Channels: That Hideous Strength (Rightful Place 3, God-Hurling Sinews 3), Lifeblood of Titans (A Mountain Walked 4)

Mothmen

One of the more worrying Zizian Cryptids. Wherever a Mothman is spotted, something terrible is bound to happen. A Mothman's arrival in an area is often marked by disturbing nightmares in the supernaturally sensitive members of the community. While it is usually those who possess the power to see the future who are stricken with these dreams, those who have a special affinity to other extrasensory abilities occasionally suffer from them as well, The contradictory evidence found by both Leviathan and Marduk scholars can't decide whether the Mothmen are trying to stop these calamities from happening or are there to make sure they do happen, but there is know doubt in either groups mind that if a Mothman appears something will happen unless stopped.

Appearance: Mothmen tend to share a similar body plan, even if their outward appearance can very from Mothman to Mothman. Their wings can be mistaken for feathered bird wings, leathery batwings, or even insectoid wings depending on their skin pattern. Another thing that Mothmen have in common is an unearthly glow, often originating from the eyes.

Storytelling Hints: Mothmen tend to be drawn to regions facing calamity. As those Mothmen who deign to talk to mortals often have a somewhat… skewed perception of reality, it is often hard to understand what they are trying to communicate; let alone what their motivations are. The appearance of a Mothman are often best used as a mixed blessing as their arrival is both a dire warning of disaster and a chance to avert said disaster. It is important to note that Mothmen don't always get involved in a disaster, even when they appear; sometimes they just watch. Mothmen can make both great indirect antagonists and unreliable allies for a cohort. Woe-betide an area beset by multiple Mothmen, as such appearance is a sure sign of great trouble in the future.

Sample Mothman

Attributes: Intelligence 4, Wits 3, Resolve 3, Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3, Presence 5, Manipulation 4, Composure 5
Skills: Investigation 5 (The Future), Occult 2, Athletics 2 (Flying), Brawl 1, Stealth 1, Expression 1, Intimidation 3 (Dire Warnings), Persuasion 2, Subterfuge 1.
Nature: Deep One
Sheol 6
Defence: 3
Health: 8
Size: 5
Speed: 5

Merits: Danger Sense 2, Eidetic Memory 2, Meditative Mind 1, Direction Sense 1
Channels: Lambent Eyes of Judgement (Lantern of Truth 1), Orobourus Kin (Divine Perspective 3, Third Eye 4), The Skyfather's Wings, Besieging the Tower of Will (Psychic Shockwave 5)
Current: Mothmen usually possess two major Currents based off of some combination of Envy, Lust, Pride, and /or Sloth.

Sidebar: The Skyfather's Wings

Cryptids descended from Ziz can (unsurprisingly) fly. Hybrids have a three dot "Wings" Mutation (Universal Affinity) that allows them to fly at their usual Speed and a Mutation Son of the Sky (O to OOO) under Elements that works like Child of the Waves only for flight. Deep Ones and Typhons may either buy Wings as a three dot Merit allowing them to fly at their usual speed or they may buy the unique Ziz only Channel "The Skyfather's Wings"; this Channel works identically to Uncrowned Fisher King except for enhancing flight rather than swimming. Wings come free with the Channel.

Stranger Things in Heaven and Earth

There are things in the deepest parts of the Rift and the darkest corners of the oceans that seem to be off the tribe, yet try as they might the Tribe cannot fit them under the usual Strains of Tiamat's children. It might be a simple lack of evidence, it may be centuries of myth and wishful thinking clouding the truth, or perhaps there truly are more things in heaven and earth than dreamed of in the Tribe's philosophy.

The Maggot Gods

They call them many names: Pnthadholic Wurms, High Feeders, The Midwives of Life Within Death. But the name they are most commonly called is The Maggot Gods.

The Maggot Gods exist at all levels of the Rift, they're only rarely seen and only seen devouring some Rift creature or remains selected according to inscrutable criteria. Sometimes a swarm will descend on a Leviathan. They also look like maggots, surprisingly they look exactly like maggots.

At least that's what the tribe can agree on, and it's enough to make most think something might be up. They're not called Gods because a single one could raise mountains and smite armies, they're called The Maggot Gods because the High Feeders have held a consistent if varyingly sized cult among the Tribe for centuries.

They're the the last children of Tiamat, stillborn within her womb at the moment of her death, chewing their way to freedom. They are creatures of the same order of being as Tiamat, scavengers who feed on her corpse and the closest living being to the holy mother known to the Tribe. They are mindless, their thoughts are hunger and their spirits hymns of gluttony. They are one mind in many parts, as far beyond us as we are beyond apes. They are destined to lead the Tribe to conquest. They are destined to devour the Tribe to the last. They are destined to consume the festering rot of the Rift and so return it to the Primordial Waters.

To the Tribe the Wurms are all these things and more, and less. Worship of the Maggot Gods stretches back further than any surviving records can attest. Eyewitness accounts, ancient records or “ancient records” as the case may be are frequent occurrences. The typical tale harks to the Maggot's ability to purify by eating rotten flesh without touching the healthy. Among the latest rumours are: They have eaten the political corruption out of a small town, a junkie's addictions and an Ahab's madness. Of course not all stories follow this model, claims of giant swarms or individual giant Midwives that stretch for miles are common while miracles ascribed to ordinary maggots are rare but not unknown, usually the teller of such stories dismisses the division between maggots and the Maggot Gods.

And somewhere, far below the debates and arguments of the Tribe, a tiny Maggot sinks its jaws into its next meal.

The Womb of Nations

They say Tiamat tore her asunder with teeth of rain-soaked continents. They say Marduk and his disciples split the sky to slay her in the greatest battle since the death of Tiamat herself. They say the first cities of man marched against her with armies, with bronze, with fire and with courage. Yet they all agree one one thing: In the early days of the world she competed for the right to rule the Earth and for her efforts she was scattered to the deepest corners of the world in the aftermath of humanities triumph.

To use her full name she is The Cnidarious Archaeology, Sister to Many and Matron of the Terrestrial who's Womb Births Nations. It's a rather long name so most shorten it to the Womb of Nations.

The Womb of Nations is a megafauna, a massive colony organism that resembles the most vibrant and alien of coral reefs. Teeming with symbiotic life both assimilated and intelligently designed for a purpose. The smallest, which can be as little as the size of a human hand, are considered by scholars of the tribe to be a larval stage and are known as Mothers of Themselves. Only when she reaches the size of a town does she come into her full glory, awaking into sentience she becomes a true Womb of Nations. A being of god-like intellect and eldrich might.

The Womb of Nations seek to engulf all life into one static biosystem. One complete, beautiful, monstrous, god-mind. Truly pan-dimensional she instinctively adapts and spreads across dimensions. Sometimes she is a cruel conqueror, her arrival heralded by miles and miles of hydras, men-of-war and legions of nine-legged venomous starfish that shatter the cities of her foes, forcibly imprinting captives with her own flesh and mind. Other times she is neighbourly content to grow in mutual coexistence. Ever patient, she plans to only wage war when the last virgin land is claimed. She gives no purpose to this quest; it is just the way of life to grow and consume.

A Womb of Nations possesses a Wake which grows in strength as she grows in size. Unlike the tribe it causes rapture and ecstasy not fear and awe. It's an insidious thing; it does not shatter minds but addicts them to its song. Be they man or beast many willingly come and allow her to grow her coral through their flesh forever joining them to the Nation.

While the Womb of Nations is unknown to human society this is merely the result of how she was driven to the deepest corners of the earth and starved into dormancy. The size and speed at which the Womb of Nations can grow would leave little room for doubt should one reach maturity. The Marduk Society however know exactly what she is and exterminate her with the same fervour they show against the Tribe. The Society also knows the other way to combat her. Should two colonies come into contact the smaller and weaker will simply lie down and die, if they are of equal strength then both will engage in total war combined with a catastrophic mental breakdown.

Aboleths

In their Apotheosis a Leviathan can travel to the deepest parts of Earth. Sometimes one takes it upon herself to explore the great ocean trenches. There in the deepest waters untouched by the light of the sun they meet the Aboleths.

Aboleths resemble a cross between an eel and a trilobite with a set of four tentacles that emerge from just behind the head. They're a quiet, almost sessile species who spend their adult lives feeding on black smokers only moving to challenge another over a more favourable resting spots. Aboleths are powerful psychics and even have their own Wake with which they lure sea-life to supplement their diet. Essentially immortal Aboleths never stop growing until they exceed their ability to feed themselves and finally starve.

The reproductive cycle of an Aboleth is an unusual one. Their eggs released in great clouds, fertilised outside the body and rise to hatch far above the sea floor. A young Aboleth is a parasite that attaches to larger lifeforms and connects their circulatory system to it's own while forcibly suppressing then duplicating the work of vital organs to force dependency. Eventually the Aboleth moves on leaving its host to a quick death. As the young Aboleth matures it becomes increasingly vulnerable to the psychic calls of its kin. It's survival depends on it's ability to resist until it is strong enough to fight and claim its own black smoker. Only afterwords will it begin to grow its characteristic exoskeleton.

Aboleths are known to the scientific community from fossils but are wrongly considered to be extinct. Naturally the fossil record didn't mention their more supernatural traits but in turn the Tribe, at least those who don't read palaeontology journals, would be surprised to learn what humanity knows about the Aboleths: As recently as around four to five thousand years ago Aboleths were much more active and their habitat stretched across the oceans.

Campaign Types

Mystery Archeology - Exploration

In certain ways, this overlaps thematically with elements of Mage. The general gist is that the Tribe is, almost uniformly, preoccupied with history - their history and that of the Tribe as a whole. Clues about a Leviathan's nature, his ancestors, and the lost world of the Progenitors are all located both in human historical records, folklore, and relics of the fallen world. In this campaign style, the focus shifts towards the exploration of these sources, and the relentless pursuit of knowledge. The characters' Cohort is caught up in the search for some foundation of truth and stability on which to build themselves a future. This search can take place as actual archeology or in the study of folklore and history. For the purposes of this campaign style, however, the key element becomes travel.

The idea is that the clues won't come to the characters. Even if someone out there knew what they were looking for, they're unlikely to scan an ancient clay tablet or extensively photograph a newly-discovered ruin. Some of the knowledge that the characters seek might well be beyond the reach of normal mortal actors - sunk deep into the depths, or deliberately concealed by hybrids or other members of the Tribe. Regardless of whether the characters are looking for lost relics or ancient manuscripts, the point is to keep them moving. There are a great number of strange little places in the world, and the idea is to make use of them to provide a sense of mystery. As with most stories about the Tribe, this style runs best at the margins - an isolated town near the ruins of its centuries-old predecessor, or, more exotically, a tiny village deep in the jungle or otherwise insulated from the modern world, where folklore of twisted monsters is still an element of daily life, and little superstitions honor or ward off the supernatural. The use of multiple small towns allows for each to have a distinct flavor, while preserving the overall sense of a big, strange world, full of little pockets of weirdness, seemingly adrift in time.

These little pockets, in addition to providing a strong aesthetic background, provide the primary threats and conflicts to the characters. In addition to mundane concerns about insular communities coming into contact with disruptive outsiders (and it doesn't get much more disruptive than a Cohort), there's the possibility of other supernatural beings or forces that surround these relics and ruins. Rival members of the Tribe and teams of Marduk researchers might show up, but the threats might already be there - that quaint little village has its own Leviathan demigod, and he doesn't appreciate interlopers. Going deep into the wilderness presents its own threats in terms of isolation and inter-Cohort conflict, and also provides ample opportunities to run into clans of hybrids or even stranger threats. It's also not out of line to have the Cohort get a "false lead," and have whatever supernatural oddity present in the region have nothing at all to do with the Tribe and its cousins - ancient spirits or demonic entities, or pretty much any other element of the World of Darkness (if you're up to a bit of a crossover) - are all possibilities.

In terms of theme, this style deals mostly with the idea of self-exploration. In fact, it externalizes the process. The biggest hurdle, then, becomes finding ways for the finds of the Cohort to be interesting and revelatory without providing the full picture or, worse, dictating an absolute truth. The last might provide interesting fodder for a game in which characters align themselves in face of their new knowledge, but any "final answer" will obviously render further physical exploration somewhat redundant. It might be possible, with some difficulty, to "weave" a series of hints and clues throughout the finds as a sort of roadmap, leading towards the campaign's conclusion. Ultimately, though, the meat of the game lies less in what is discovered and more in the act of discovery. The focus should always remain on how the past is relevant to the characters, not on what the past is or means. The idea is that the characters are struggling to make an identity, not discover one.

Brawl of Cthulu - High-Action

Of course, it's not a requirement that members of the Tribe keep to the shadows. While they have many enemies, a Leviathan remains rather solidly at the top of the food chain in comparison to most of the antagonists. The Marduk society, rival cryptids, and obsessed hybrids all rely on the fact that most Leviathans are isolated and anxious. A Cohort composed of player characters doesn't have to take it lying down. A single Leviathan has considerable power, and a group working in concert is more than a match for all but the most dire of threats. In this campaign style, the potential to fight back is embraced. The Cohort takes a proactive view towards its enemies and attempts to bring the fight to them.

There are a couple ways to run with this. One practical method is to place the Cohort in a location, and throw threats at them. Perhaps there's something about the region that's attracting people and things "in the know" about the Tribe - some newly-discovered ruin or offshore breach into the Rift. Another possibility is that the Cohort comes into conflict with a well-established Legion, whose plans for the area the Cohort opposes, and whose diverse resources (Cults, lahmasu, other Leviathans, etc.) present a lot of options for threats.

A more mobile option is to unite this campaign style with "werid archeology," and divert focus from weird and horrific locales to more straightforward threats - in place of an insular cult of cannibals, for instance, the characters might be faced with something sealed inside a temple, or a clan of hybrids that still guards it after millenia. That's not to say that a high-action game can't be subtle or mysterious - merely that the basic assumption in this play style is that the characters have a hammer and they're going to make nails out of anyone that opposes them.

Thematically, this plays with the typical approach to violence in Leviathan and the World of Darkness as a whole. The assumption in most other campaign styles is that the Tribe's ability to do violence is equal parts attractive and repulsive - that attention will be paid to matters of guilt and that violent acts will be presented as having a mixed effect on characters. The mechanics for recovering Ichor through destruction are intended to highlight the ways in which a Leviathan will be both instinctually satisfied by violence while competing with the intellectual comprehension of his or her actions. In this campaign style, it might be better to downplay that element - it's directly at odds with the action-movie approach to problem solving. In its place, the characters might be more preoccupied with morality and drawing boundaries - finding ways to establish identities of "heroic" stature, using their divine blood to accomplish great feats. In this case, the primary focus becomes the concern with reclaiming the Tribe's legacy and purging past evils - either by righting ancient wrongs or, more literally, by taking down ancient and monstrous remnants of the Progenitor's world. A hopeful atmosphere wouldn't be out of place - a lot of Leviathan focuses on the anxiety of change, but it's also a source of promise and wonder.

Where Hell meets Good Intentions – The Idealists

One of Leviathan's themes is the concern about motivations and desires. One of the ways that this plays out is in the focus on power – having it, using it, and abstaining from use. Unlike Mage, which focuses on the ethical concerns of power as an absolute quality, Leviathan is more concerned with the possession of power which can only be deployed cruelly. The Tribe has the power of demigods, but it manifests itself in a distinctly vicious fashion. A Leviathan has more power to distort or destroy than they do to build or mend. In some games, this is a matter of temptation – “what would you do if you absolutely could just force your will on others?” However, in this campaign style, the attempt to use evil means for good ends is a primary concern.

The Idealists campaign type deals explicitly with the concepts of youth, dissatisfaction, and powerlessness. The last is not, in the case of members of the Tribe, the lack of power, but rather the lack of a voice. In this campaign model, characters are assumed to be in positions of weakness and marginality, but also to be motivated by a desire to establish some more correct or ideal world. Perhaps they're concerned with the environment, or social justice, or political reform. The reasons are secondary to a primary thematic concern: violence enacted for just motives is practically indistinguishable from any other kind of violence. In this campaign type, the motives of the characters come into conflict with their ability to be efficacious. How much wickedness does a noble ideal justify? For a member of the Tribe, whose mastery of their own mind and emotions is tenuous, is is possible to distinguish between a desire to reform the world through violence, and a desire to destroy it?

One of the key elements of this style of campaign is cultivating a connection between the characters and their causes, but the cause-as-movement and the cause-as-ideal are not necessarily identical. People get involved in ideals and movements for all sorts of reasons, and not all of them are noble. This campaign style operates in that uncertain space. Some people light fires to oppose their oppressors and break their chains. Some people just like to see buildings burn. A member of the Tribe can never be really certain which they are. A good backdrop for this sort of campaign will be oppressive, homogenous, and emotionally unsatisfying, emphasizing the diversity and vitality of the marginal. The “movement” that the characters participate in might be focused on a specific issue, but it's not even necessary to be a cohesive movement. The Cohort might be in a community of artists, or a small ethnic neighborhood. The important thing is that they're in a position of weakness and presented with an adversary that seemingly deserves everything they can throw at it. Violence can be a source of mixed impressions – something troubling but also beautiful.

For a campaign that's focused on acting, the primary focus of this style is not necessarily action. Far more important than the destruction of the adversary is the consideration of moments of intense, violent emotion, and the difficult way in which actions are contextualized by motives – or, more accurately, the difficulty of discerning one's true motives. Ideally, the characters will be uncertain about their own motives, permitting a great deal of exploration of their desires, both noble and not-so-noble.

The Demigodfather – Weird Underworld

Leviathan focuses a great deal on marginal figures, and while the primary assumptions dealt more with the disenfranchised and isolated, the margins of society are also home to the things that it fears. Adopting the theme of threatening margins, it's possible to run a game that embraces the Leviathan's role as not merely a metaphorical opponent of society, but a professional one. Criminals are marginal, and the more successful of them have a certain mystique. Highwaymen were canonized as folk heroes, mob bosses as paragons of a certain dangerous aesthetic. Most Leviathans are already criminals in some fashion – why not go “all in?”

The beauty of criminality for members of the Tribe is that it turns one of their most troubling traits – the ease at which they succeed in wicked and violent endeavors – and makes it into an unqualified advantage. The “weird underworld” of film and folklore has a certain respect for the power to do evil. The unrestrained exercise of cruelty and viciousness assumes the status of an emblem of personal freedom – the ability to do and be whatever one desires. The appeal of the diabolic lies in the fulfillment of desire, and Leviathans are nothing if not capable of breaking others in the pursuit of their desires.

A good approach for a campaign of this type focuses on the ways in which the criminal mystique is a construct, a re-evaluation of actions in an attempt to impart beauty on the grotesque. When a mafia hitman takes on a nickname or establishes some signature, he's not merely building up a professional reputation – he's trying to establish an identity for himself that he finds palatable. Perhaps he spares women, or children. Perhaps he won't kill a priest. All of these elements of “criminal honor” serve to insulate the criminal from the ways in which his actions are abhorrent to society as a whole. This process is analogous to the ways in which members of the Tribe damn themselves by degrees, accepting flimsy excuses to put a face of righteousness on their actions.

Crafting a “weird underworld” can be a great deal of fun, and when well-executed you should have a strong cast of colorful characters – both those of the players and their fellow inhabitants of the underworld. The major players in a fictional underworld always have a certain element of the mythic around them – think of a colorful mob boss from the comics, or Keyser Soze. The player characters can fulfill this sort of role, their mystique as much a function of their role in the criminal world as it is of their actual mystical nature. Cults might be gangs, or gangs become Cults. It's not even necessary for the characters to be professional criminals – as long as they are in some way entangled with the underworld, the Wake ensures that they'll be considered players in the game.

The concept of a glamorous coating on horrible actions can be a great source of internal conflict for the characters. A good way to achieve this is to focus on the contrast between the fictional and the actual. The characters can be confronted with the real, blood-and-guts outcomes of their actions, while simultaneously being presented with the “scrubbed” narrative of their exercise of power from other sources. In general, the goal is to strike a balance between “action” scenes, in which the characters achieve their ends using the vast resources available to them, and get to enact their legendary status, and “introspective” elements, as characters are confronted with their acts outside of the context of the “criminal myth” which restructures them. Characters might deal with more outrageous or violent criminals, but they're just as likely to come into conflict with criminals of opportunity or necessity. Ideally, there will be elements of uncertainty and a suggestion of the ways in which the “criminal myth” fails to cover up the squalor, violence, and hopelessness of the underworld, and the doubt and uncertainty, even self-loathing, that accompany it.

Upon the Salty Sea - Nautical Cohorts

A recurrent phenomenon is the appearance of nautical cohorts, based on a riverboat or ocean-going vessel. It makes sense for Leviathans, who crave isolation from humanity and are deeply attracted to bodies of water, to just go sailing away from everything. A good number of younger Leviathans spend some time on ships but are quickly frustrated by human companionship, and attempt to correct this with all-Leviathan (or almost all) crews. It usually works, for a time.

Out in the ocean, you can take the time to hear yourself think. There are immensities where you can shapeshift into your most primordial form, where no-one can look upon you and be horrified. It's a relief to some of the Tribe, while others fear it would be too easy to lose themselves in this way. Sea life is also a hard experience. There is constant work, little sleep and many dangers, from storms to pirates to close inspection by the coast guards. But it is also a way to travel to undiscovered locales and investigate rumors of Progenitor traces or eldritch relics.

Modern maritime traffic is an unnoticed giant. 95% of all cargo transits through maritime means: it is the cheapest way to move people or things. It's also fairly slow and unpredictable, which suits most Leviathans just fine. A number of nautical Cohorts take on traditional shipping work. A modern ship can shift thousands of tons of merchandise with as little as 8 or 9 (overworked) crewmen. You can easily crew a large ship with a Cohort and its members' Beloved. A traditional ship has a Captain, or master, who runs the whole operation and represents the vessel owner. He supervises the departments. The Deck department, headed by a Chief officer or First officer, runs the crew, oversees the cargo and navigates the ship. The Engine department, as the name indicates, takes care of powering the craft, and is directed by the Chief Engineer. Ships which take care of passengers (usually ferries or cruise ships) have a Steward's department which deals with their needs. Many ships also have a Cook and/or a Purser (who buys and supervises equipment and consumables). Most of the activity on a ship is taken in watches, to ensure that there is constant vigilance should anything go wrong.

Shipping is a highly bureaucratised activity. Everyone with any rank has to have the relevant licenses, trips must be planned and declared beforehand, and there are hosts of rules and regulations to follow. It is possible to skirt the edges of legality, but the hassle is such that nautical Leviathans who can afford to turn away work prefer to find other ways to run ships. And there are plenty. Science vessels can gather data from biology to meteorology and be away for months on end. Some fishing vessels similarly trawl the bottom of the ocean, where there are many things that could interest a Leviathan. There are a few communities out there living on boathouses, some of which are ocean-worthy. It would be very hard to arrange for a military vessel crewed entirely by Leviathans and their allies, but that would be a very formidable force indeed.

In any case, a number of small ports have developed a support network for such vessels. They are referred to as Coves, and are usually run by a handful of Leviathans who offer their cousins shelter and discretion in exchange for cash or for a share in the crew's discoveries. They are adept at forging necessary paperwork and can be very useful, but crews should be aware that the Cove is very much foreign territory for them and home turf for the locals. Some of the larger ports also have a few "in the know" people, and therefore hold a Cove as an underworld within the big city port.

Thematically, this is one of the most open types of campaign. It is well suited to an episodic game, where characters travel to a place, enjoy the exotic locale, find out there is a problem there, solve it and sail away in time for the end credits. There are strong themes of freedom and isolation in such a game, and about finding your place within the group. It is also a way to provide enforced unity in the Cohort: everyone depends on each other. If a character joins in, there are imemdiate ways to integrate her in the current crew. Similarly, if a character leaves, dealing with their absence can be the basis for an entire scenario. If you can survive the weather, the loneliness, and the close proximity with cousins who are just as monstrous as you, it's a good life out there on the waves.

Back to Basics – The Bronze Age

This by itself is not strictly a campaign type so much as a flavor that can be amended to another campaign. Historical venues such as the cradle of civilization or the fictional Bhogavati of the Vasuki can serve as a backdrop to any flavor of campaign, from intense high-action warfare in Babylon to political maneuvering in imperial Rome. Besides certain obvious effects on the type of characters that are likely to be appropriate, there are two major changes that a game in the distant past will be subject to. Firstly, the character's concerns about visibility are shifted considerably. In a setting in which intense religious fervor and superstition are considered typical, members of the Tribe have less of an air of the alien. In place of this, however, they have to deal with a world in which the memory of the Tribe has not faded, instead being canonized in myth and folklore. There are considerably fewer hurdles to demonizing a member of the Tribe if people are predisposed to believe in demons.

The other change has more to do with a character's internal state. While the players obviously (well, hopefully) will retain the morals of a modern person, the actions of a Leviathan in the past are subject to an older set of ethical standards. Part of the internal conflict that members of the Tribe must undergo deals with the urge to victimize others, an urge that is further stigmatized by their being placed in a civilization that has censured such urges and actions. Comparatively, a Leviathan in the bronze age is likely to have a different opinion of violence, as will his peers. This can exempt the characters from certain emotional themes, especially concerns about guilt, but it's not necessary. A Roman in antiquity might have been raised to think differently about the ethics of slavery, but that doesn't mean that he or she buys into what they learned.

A particularly “out there” possibility in this scenario is letting the characters take the roles of Leviathans in Bhogavati during its decline. They will have resources and power unimaginable to a modern Leviathan, but also be in contention with a large number of similarly-powerful members of the Tribe, including Legions with grotesque beliefs and desires, driven even further into fanaticism by the impending havoc. The insanity and violence of the last days of Bhogavati have a distinct and hellish aesthetic, with conjured storms scouring colossal, blood-stained temples, and dozens of cultists sacrificed to empower feuding Legions. Ideally, the characters will get caught up in the madness, playing on the core theme of the use and abuse of power – the players' Cohort will struggle to maintain their sanity in the face of greater and greater levels of political and physical violence, constantly tempted to participate in the carnage to stifle rivals once and for all.

War is Hell – The Pacific Theater

The Pacific Theater of World War II was one of the largest battlefields in the history of mankind. The war was a continuation of the Sino-Japanese war and started with the Japanese invasion of French Indochina, Hong Kong and most of Southeast Asia. After that, and especially after the attack on the American base at Pearl Harbor, most of the war was «island-hopping»: a bloody, close-quarters conquest of island after island, parcel after parcel.

It is also one of the most complete war experiences you could wish to relive, using as it did the full extent of navy, air force, marines, infantry, armored vehicles, artillery, spying, insurgency and counter-insurgency, communications and cryptography available at the time, culminating in the only offensive uses of atomic weapons in the history of mankind. Conflict abounds in such a period, from full-fledged battle to black ops, submarine pursuit, spying operations, to smuggling and law enforcement. It's a world of death, blood and fire, and Leviathans are right at home in it. It is also a world where mortals are armed and can pose a great threat to what they may perceive as experimental weapons of the enemy. It's also a time of contrast, especially when comparing the simple lives of local populations with the gigantic and byzantine machinery that is a marching army.

There are two great thematic ways to use this period. The first is to take inspiration from the pulp literature of the time. Pulp means that things are simple, but it doesn't mean they are light-hearted. In it, men are men, women are fatally dangerous, criminals are without remorse, and death is cheap. Great terrifying monsters lurk in the jungles, which are full of degenerate natives twisted by the unholy abominations they worship. Whichever side of the war you are on, those on your side are good-hearted and brave, while the enemy is cowardly and treacherous. It's an opportunity for Leviathans to experience their monstrous puberty by conquering their fear and growing wise with the world, although more than probably jaded and cynical.

The other option is to take a cue from more recent drama and scholarship, showing that the war was essentially a place of lost moral compass. The Japanese are renowned for the atrocities they committed on the civilian and POW populations, but the Allies (American, British, Dutch, Australian, Philippine, and even a few Free French) were hardly blameless either. Some of the commanders were renowned for their massive ego that led them to tactical and strategic blunders costing thousands of lives. Here, a Leviathan can use the Wake to inspire fanatical devotion in the troops he leads and utterly crush the spirit of whoever opposes them. It's a world of unchecked opportunity for domination and violence, and only conscious moral choices can bring you back from the brink.

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