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y.Description: The son of a rare bookseller in Fharin, Baxter Roan spent his youth poring over esoteric tomes in his mother’s collection. The bookish young Baxter was the target of ridicule but was saved from the worst by his older brother, Edmond. After Edmond died fighting with the trenchers in Llael, Baxter saw his brother’s angry specter at the funeral. Using the occult knowledge gathered from his reading, he managed to lay his brother’s spirit to rest. Shortly after, Baxter Roan made for Ceryl, having heard rumors about a mysterious organization there, the Strangelight Workshop.
Group Attitudes: Sydney and Dalton have saved your life several times already, so you feel better when either is nearby. You tend to get in arguments with Emmett, but you respect him. You’re a bit intimidated by Evalyn since you think she’s a better leader than you are.
The Strangelight Workshop: You belong to an organization steeped in the exploration of the mysterious and the occult. It is noted for including an eclectic group of personalities among its ranks. With members drawn from a diverse range of backgrounds, from intellectuals to spiritualists and former soldiers to reformed criminals, anyone with a hunger to explore the truth of the unknown is welcomed in Blackwell Hall—on the condition that they contribute to the organization’s esoteric work. Most members have only a hazy perception of the organization’s mysterious larger goals, and as a relative newcomer you are not yet privy to such information.
Your Calling [Pantomath]: To you, the pursuit of knowledge is the highest calling. Rather than constrain yourself to mere academics, however, your passion stems from a visceral desire to unravel the deeper mysteries of the world. In your mind, anything can be understood and rationally explained, no matter how bizarre or extraordinary a situation may initially appear. In times of great mental stress, these same motivations can cause you to withdraw into your intellect, seeing you compulsively making observations at the expense of personal safety.
Breaking Point: When you hit your breaking point, you must spend your activation observing and writing notes, taking spectragraphs, or otherwise recording your observations. This may include moving to a better vantage point.
Your Standing: In a traditional Strangelight Workshop team, the investigator acts as the de facto leader and calls the shots, but you’re still getting a hang of asserting yourself. You think you’re up to the task—your keen investigative instincts have been critical in solving the handful of cases your group has already handled. More than personal ambition, you’re motivated by a desire to see your team succeed, genuinely believing in their diverse talents and skills.
Baxter roan“The Lorehound”Male Human Academic Investigator Pantomath
y.Description: Sydney and her sister, Sara, grew up on the streets of Ceryl. Strong-willed and committed to protect one another, the girls worked during their teen years as runners for local gangs. As they grew, they ultimately became enforcers for one of the city’s larger criminal organizations. During a gathering of crime families, a supernatural creature—an infernal warrior, though Sydney didn’t know what one was at the time—attacked and killed everyone present except Sydney—and that included Sara. Determined to learn what she could about her sister’s killer so she could one day destroy it, Sydney chased leads until she wound up at Blackwell Hall. She gladly trades her skills in combat for a chance to find the thing that killed Sara and destroy it once and for all.
Group Attitudes: You put on a tough demeanor but care for the other members of the group like family. You are particularly fond of Emmett, who seems like an uncle, and consider Baxter a precociously intelligent younger brother. Evalyn dresses funny, but she’s smart.
The Strangelight Workshop: You belong to an organization steeped in the exploration of the mysterious and the occult. It is noted for including an eclectic group of personalities among its ranks. With members drawn from a diverse range of backgrounds, from intellectuals to spiritualists and former soldiers to reformed criminals, anyone with a hunger to explore the truth of the unknown is welcomed in Blackwell Hall—on the condition that they contribute to the organization’s esoteric work. Most members have only a hazy perception of the organization’s mysterious larger goals, and as a relative newcomer you are not yet privy to such information.
Your Calling [Vendetta]: Some say revenge is best served cold, and if that is so, then your blood must be ice. You lost a loved one at the hands of a supernatural entity or suffered the effect of such a creature yourself. Whatever the cause, you have a ceaseless need to right the wrong done to you by preventing it from happening to anyone else, or by helping to imprison whatever occult creatures cross your path. Under most circumstances, you are able to act rationally even when confronted with such beings, but when exposed to too much you are prone to seeing red and losing control as you attempt to destroy any specter, shade, or other similar creature in your path.
Breaking Point: When you hit your breaking point, you must spend your action trying to attack a supernatural creature with the highest available EP value.
Your Standing: As a newer member of the Strangelight workshop, you do not possess the level of clout you were used to working among the street gangs of Ceryl. This doesn’t bother you much, as calling the shots isn’t as important to you as keeping everybody safe. While you believe in your group and want to see them succeed, secretly you’re in no hurry to rise through the ranks, as increased notoriety means higher profile—and more dangerous—missions for your team.
SyDney WrIgHt“The MuscLe”Female Human Criminal Bouncer Vendetta
y.Description: Born with only one leg, Emmett Cohen spent his youth tinkering in his father’s workshop. The two of them designed and built Emmett’s first prosthetic and offered them to the people of New Larkholm. Emmett worked much of his life as a mechanik in the Steam & Iron Worker’s union as a Steamo. One night when he was working overtime, an infestation of gremlins in the union work bays drew the attention of the Strangelight Workshop. By morning, two of the Workshop agents were dead, and Emmett had earned himself a job alongside the survivors, having impressed them with how he handled himself during the “Night of the Gremlins.” He’s worked out of Blackwell Hall ever since, mentoring new teams as they arrive.
Group Attitudes: You like to make sure Baxter is doing things right, since he’s a bit scatterbrained. You’re the glue that holds the group together, though they don’t always realize it. Without your gear, they’re all dead, so it’s on you to keep things in order.
The Strangelight Workshop: You belong to an organization steeped in the exploration of the mysterious and the occult. It is noted for including an eclectic group of personalities among its ranks. With members drawn from a diverse range of backgrounds, from intellectuals to spiritualists and former soldiers to reformed criminals, anyone with a hunger to explore the truth of the unknown is welcomed in Blackwell Hall—on the condition that they contribute to the organization’s esoteric work. Most members have only a hazy perception of the organization’s mysterious larger goals.
Your Calling [Survivor]: You suffered at the hands of the supernatural even before you were aware of its existence. Though similar experiences would cause most people to shrink from further contact with the supernatural and the inexplicable, you will not let fear control you. You know the best way to stay safe is to learn more about these strange threats and confront them, but if things get too hairy, you’re not above making a break for it.
Breaking Point: When you hit your breaking point, you must spend your activation trying to flee or hide from supernatural entities.
Your Standing: Though not a senior member of the Strangelight Workshop, your experience coupled with a keen analytical mind quickly gave you a reputation for reliability inside Blackwell Hall. You have been tasked with mentoring this up-and-coming group of field agents. This, combined with the already weighty responsibility of maintaining the team’s equipment, makes you seem humorless from time to time. But your sternness comes from a place of concern and affection. Despite not wanting to admit it, these kids are becoming like a family to you.
emmett CoHen“The oLd Wrench”Male Human Craftsman Mechanik Survivor
y.Description: Born and raised in Elsinberg, Evalyn was the youngest daughter of the di Mattys noble family. She was an odd girl with a strange fascination for the March of the Dead, the annual parade of ghosts through the city. She was often seen speaking to the spirits when they passed and claimed they spoke back to her. After Khador invaded, her strange abilities earned her fame with fellow Llaelese seeking to speak to love ones lost in the invasion. This drew the attention of a local branch of the Strangelight Workshop, who offered her the chance to learn more about her powers and help lost spirits move on to the afterlife. She was glad to leave Llael and move to Ceryl.
Group Attitudes: You’re still getting a feel for the other group members, but you like most of them. You’d never tell them that, though. Sydney dresses funny, but she’s tough. People look to you for direction, and you often have an opinion, so that’s fine. Dalton hovers too much; ghosts don’t scare you.
The Strangelight Workshop: You belong to an organization steeped in the exploration of the mysterious and the occult. It is noted for including an eclectic group of personalities among its ranks. With members drawn from a diverse range of backgrounds, from intellectuals to spiritualists and former soldiers to reformed criminals, anyone with a hunger to explore the truth of the unknown is welcomed in Blackwell Hall—on the condition that they contribute to the organization’s esoteric work. Most members have only a hazy perception of the organization’s mysterious larger goals, and as a relative newcomer you are not yet privy to such information.
Your Calling [Doomsayer]: You’ve always been called negative, a killjoy, or just a plain old pessimist, but you know that in the end you’ll always be proven right. Engaging with the supernatural is risky business, and in your mind, nothing gets someone killed faster than naiveté. Still, the more you can learn about what goes bump in the night, the greater the chance the common person might have of going about their quiet lives out of harm’s way. In the end, you feel that’s the least you can do before the inevitable oblivion that awaits us all.
Breaking Point: When you hit your breaking point, you must spend your activation trying to convince another character that you are right, either about your assessment of the situation or about a course of action to address it.
Your Standing: While part of you misses your parents and siblings, you’ve felt more at home in your last few months at Blackwell Hall than you ever did at your family’s estate in Llael. The Strangelight Workshop doesn’t just allow you to be yourself, it actively encourages and cultivates your unusual gifts. The acceptance of the Workshop as a whole and your team in particular means more to you than you care to admit, which, coupled with your desire to come in contact with more diverse spirits, makes you eager for your group to rise through the ranks.
evalyn DI mattyS“The MediuM”Female Human Noble Caller Doomsayer
y.Description: A born thrill seeker, Dalton Thatcher has worked in all manner of dangerous and unusual jobs, from argus tamer or blasting powder tester to panning for gold in the Wyrmwall Mountains. He eagerly takes any job that offers good pay and an interesting story. After a short-lived career as a pit fighter in Five Fingers, Thatcher saw an advertisement seeking any “brave soul with quick hands and a taste for adventure.” Intrigued, he made his way south to Ceryl and Blackwell Hall. He’s only been a jammer for a few months, and despite his unusual past, Thatcher still relishes and dreads every encounter with the otherworldly, looking to test his mettle—and his fists—against the supernatural.
Group Attitudes: You’ve got the best job and never find weird things as scary as the others. You respect their various expertises, but Emmett’s pessimism sometimes gets old. You’re protective of Evalyn after your Workshop training. She doesn’t seem to like it when you punch ghosts right off the bat, so you’ve learned to wait a bit first.
The Strangelight Workshop: You belong to an organization steeped in the exploration of the mysterious and the occult. It is noted for including an eclectic group of personalities among its ranks. With members drawn from a diverse range of backgrounds, from intellectuals to spiritualists and former soldiers to reformed criminals, anyone with a hunger to explore the truth of the unknown is welcomed in Blackwell Hall—on the condition that they contribute to the organization’s esoteric work. Most members have only a hazy perception of the organization’s mysterious larger goals, and as a relative newcomer you are not yet privy to such information.
Your Calling [Thrill-Seeker]: What’s the point of life if you never truly live? This motto has taken you far and wide across the Iron Kingdoms. Over the years you have undertaken challenges that others would consider foolish, all for the sake of a good story. Having tested yourself against most conventional thrills, you now seek the supernatural, hoping to gain that rush of adrenaline in new and unbelievable ways.
Breaking Point: When you hit your breaking point, you must end your activation closer to a source of potential danger than you began it.
Your Standing: Despite enjoying its unsettling atmosphere, you typically find Blackwell Hall and most of its inhabitants annoyingly stuffy. Still, when you and the rest of the team are on the job, things get interesting. The few small missions you’ve already undergone have netted some of the most exhilarating experiences of your life, even though you inevitably get chastised for your penchant for over-eager ghost punching.
Dalton tHatCHer“The GhosT PuGiLisT”Male Human Adventurer Jammer Thrill Seeker