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This week's first COTW is the second part of a five-part
series of characters for the recently released "GURPS
Steampunk". The five characters all revolve around the
search for a fabled artifact called Odin's Horse...
ODIN'S HORSE, PART 2: KNOWLEDGE
"Nature that framed us of four elements,
Warring within our breasts for regiment,
Doth teach us all to have aspiring minds:
Our souls, whose faculties can comprehend
The wondrous Architecture of the world:
And measure every wandering planet's course,
Still climbing after knowledge infinite,
And always moving as the restless Spheres,
Will us to wear ourselves and never rest,
Until we reach the ripest fruit of all,
That perfect bliss and sole felicity,
The sweet fruition of an earthly crown."
-
'Tamburlaine the Great', 1587 (Christopher Marlowe)
"Priestly was the first (unless it was Beccaria) who taught
my
lips to pronouce this sacred truth - that the greatest
happiness
of the greatest number is the foundation of morals and
legislation."
-
'Works, vol. X' (Jeremy Bentham)
"There is nothing so captivating as new knowledge."
-
'Collected Works, Book 1' (Peter Mere Latham)
William Morgan Crosse; tycoon seeking the power of
Knowledge
(c) copyright 2000 andi jones
Total Points: 150 Points
Age 40; 5'11"; 162 pounds; a tall, good-looking man with a
slender build now nearing middle-age, with close-cropped
blond hair, green eyes and soft features.
ST 10 [-] - thrust 1d-2, swing 1d
DX 11 [10] - basic speed 5.25, move 5, dodge 5
parry
(smallsword) 10
IQ 13 [30]
HT 10 [-]
WL 13 [-]
ADVANTAGES: Appearance (Attractive) [5]; Charisma +1
[5]; Fit [5]; Higher Purpose (Find Odin's
Horse) [5]; Status 4* [15]; Wealth (Filthy
Rich) [50].
*one level free from Wealth
DISADVANTAGES: Enemy (Roland Mannheim, 6-) [-5];
Obsession (Find Odin's Horse) [-10]; Odious Personal
Habit (Aloof and Superior) [-5]; Overconfidence
[-10]; Reputation -2 (as "new money", to Upper
Class, 10-) [-1]; Sense of Duty (to Amanda Young)
[-5].
QUIRKS: Keeps his esoteric philosophies to himself; Dislikes
ostentatious displays of wealth; Has a great fondness for
maps; Puts a great deal of stock in a man's education.
[-4]
SKILLS: Accounting-13 [4]; Administration-12*
[0]; Archaeology-11 [1]; Architecture/TL5
(Urban Planning)-12/17 [2]; Chess-13 [1];
Conspiracy Theory-11 [2]; Diplomacy-13# [4];
Economics-12 [2]; Fencing-15 [8];
Guns/TL5-13** [1]; History-12 [2]; History
(Esoteric)-11 [1]; Hobby (Cartography)-13
[.5]; Law (Real Estate)-10/16 [1];
Literature-12 [2]; Merchant-15 [6];
Occultism-11 [.5]; Philosophy (Utilitarianism)-14
[6]; Research-14 [4]; Riding-10 [1];
Savoir-Faire-15## [0]; Swimming-11 [1];
Wrestling-12 [4].
*default from Merchant
#add +2 for reaction modifiers for use as
Reaction/Influence roll
**includes +2 from IQ
##free from Status
LANGUAGES: English (native)-13 [0]; French-12
[1]; Greek-11 [.5]; Latin-11
[.5].
MANOEUVERS: Disarming (Fencing)-18 [4]; Feint
(Fencing)-17 [2]; Retain Weapon (Fencing)-16
[1]; Riposte (Fencing)-13 [2].
EQUIPMENT
The way William Morgan Crosse would describe it, "his tools
are entirely intellectual". He might carry important papers,
contracts and other materials in a briefcase or attache, but
only when out and about for business-related reasons. Aside
from that, Crosse can be expected to wear a nice ring, a
fine pocket-watch, and a cane which conceals a smallsword
(1d-1 impaling, see p.Cii24 for details).
BIOGRAPHY
Born in the mid-1830s, William Morgan Crosse was the only
child of a wealthy Virginia couple. His father was William
Crosse, who earned millions in the 1820s building the
railroads. By the late 40s, Mr. Crosse had formed a
partnership with the Englishman Mr. August Rutherford Rose;
together, they pooled their financial resources and began
exploring and developing advanced technologies, ultimately
securing exclusive government contracts. By the time the War
between the States erupted, Crosse-Rose was manufacturing
powerful analytical engines and steam-driven engineering
marvels for the Union Army. During this same time, Messrs.
Crosse and Rose became steeped in the study of radical
political and social philosophies, alternate and "invisible"
histories, occult conspiracies and revolutionary scientific
theories combining elements of hermetism and sacred
geometry. This was the intellectually-charged environment in
which William Morgan was raised and educated.
By the time the War ended, William Morgan was working
closely with his father and Mr. Rose, learning the
fundamentals of the business and studying esoteric lore. And
then, only another year later, his father and mother were
killed in a train wreck in the Great Smoky Mountains.
William Morgan sent word by wire to Mr. Rose in England,
only to be informed that Mr. Rose had died several weeks
ealier of a sudden infection. William Morgan briefly
considered helming Crosse-Rose himself, but decided he
wasn't really interested in the effort of running a
business; instead, he sold his father's engineering
interests for an astronomical sum. By 1870, William Morgan
had married a woman from a wealthy North Carolina family,
and had settled on a huge estate near Raleigh.
Since the deaths of his parents, Crosse had continued to
pursue his esoteric studies, becoming increasingly
interested in social and political philosophies. In
particular, he embraced the quasi-religion of
Utilitarianism, the core belief of which was that a man's
actions cannot be judged right or wrong, and that only the
consequences of his actions should be considered. That
essentially, all actions are acceptable if they further the
greater good... He was also inspired by Positivist thought -
as expressed in the writings of French philosopher Auguste
Comte - which idealised knowledge via the pursuit of
scientific principles. And it was in the course of these
studies that Crosse came across stories of Odin's Horse - a
mysterious and seemingly ancient artifact of great power -
in the collected works of his father's library. Crosse was
fascinated by the tales, and pledged to find the enigmatic
treasure; he became convinced that it would grant him the
power of Knowledge, a power he intended to combine with the
social and political applications of his Utilitarianism.
By the early 1870s, William Morgan Crosse was buried in
research, trying to assimilate all the myths, stories and
historical accounts of Odin's Horse. Despite a wife (and by
1872, a daughter) in North Carolina, Crosse spent much time
at the National Archives in Washington and at the Library
Company in Philadelphia. He also travelled the country,
buying property in developing areas, and using the
Reconstruction as an opportunity to increase his fortune.
And it was on a business trip to New Orleans that he met a
woman named Amanda Young. She was a demimondaine, but
demonstrated a keen intelligence and shrewd mind, and she
and Crosse became lovers, and before long, business-partners
as well.
Crosse shared his esoteric philosophies with Amanda -
introducing her to Utilitarianism, Positivism and other
utopian creeds - and found an eager student with a capacity
for great insight, especially into the intricacies of the
human psyche. Before long, Crosse also shared with her his
greatest secret: he told Amanda about Odin's Horse, and all
the myths and stories he had collected concerning the fabled
artifact. Needless to say, Amanda was intrigued, and
immediately demonstrated precisely the kind of interest that
convinced Crosse he had made the right choice confiding in
her. Together, they threw themselves into their research -
in the past few years, Cross and Ms. Young have travelled
across the United States and back, and been abroad,
gathering information and making grand plans. Crosse - based
on the tenets of Utilitarian thought, and reinforced by
Positivist ideals - envisions a Future in which the
principles of science and logic will serve as the foundation
of a great society, a utopian Future of which he will be the
Master Architect.
ENCOUNTERED
William Morgan Crosse is an unusual blend of arrogant, upper
class toploftiness and 19th-century Utopian social and
political ideals. These seemingly contradictory attitudes
are the result of Crosse's upbringing of wealth and
privilege while absorbing the lessons of his father's
esoteric wisdom. Crosse thinks Odin's Horse will give him
the kind of occult insight necessary to be the Architect for
the society of the Future. To believe that requires a
certain kind of paternalistic arrogance. But at the same
time, underlying the air of smug superiority, there is a
genuine sense of nobless oblige, a dedication to the
betterment of society. Publicly, Crosse is merely a
businessman and philanthropist, and keeps a low profile. (He
mostly keeps his esoteric philosophies to himself.)
When Crosse meets someone, he is civil yet aloof, acting
every bit as refined as his wealthy upbringing would
suggest. He looks down on those of lesser culture and
education, and holds his own intellectual enlightenment in
the highest regard. He is arrogant, but he is never obvious
about his feelings. Regardless of what he thinks of someone,
he will not act flagrantly insulting or be openly hostile;
he'll maintain a polite facade and a business-like manner.
At most - in the presence of a true philistine - he'll be
mildly condescending, or somewhat dismissive.
ODIN'S HORSE
Odin's Horse is the Ultimate Mystery. Like the fabled Holy
Grail, it is said to be an ancient artifact, a physical
object or treasure of unimaginable power and value. At the
same time, it is said to express an ideal, a symbol for an
abstract concept or state of being. In the same way that the
alchemists' Gold was both a priceless metal and an elevated
spiritual state, so too is Odin's Horse. The name is a
reference to the World Tree of Norse mythology, Yggdrasil -
the name means "Ygg's Horse", and refers to Odin in his
incarnation as the Destroyer. Odin had many names, and
personified a diverse array of characteristics: he was the
violent force of nature's wrath; he hanged himself on the
Tree to secure the Mead of Poetry; he used magic and the
spirits of the slain to influence battle; he gouged out his
own eye in exchange for wisdom; and he used sex and guile to
confuse and deceive his enemies. He was mercurial, dangerous
and untrustworthy.
To William Morgan Crosse, Odin's Horse represents the
knowledge and wisdom that Odin gained at the expense of one
of his eyes. In his own search for Odin's Horse, Crosse sees
himself in a position analagous to the All Father's: he
seeks the Knowledge needed to remake society, and is
prepared to make the appropriate sacrifice, the sacrifice of
sight for Vision. The precise nature of this sacrifice is
unknown, since Crosse isn't sure what form Odin's Horse will
take. It is his best guess that the artifact is some kind of
archive of knowledge, something that will reveal to him the
fundamental secrets of the Universe. It will give him the
insight and perspective needed to establish the perfect
society, one in which there will be no war, starvation or
disease, and one in which science serves Mankind. It's the
GM's decision, of course, what Odin's Horse truly is, if it
ever makes an appearance. It may be some kind of powerful
artifact, but it's just as easily something more abstract,
or even both at the same time...
WHAT HE KNOWS
Brad Guffey: Clearly, the social circles to which William
Morgan Crosse belongs don't involve much overlap with those
of the radicals of New York City's political underground.
Even so, it's possible that Crosse has been made aware of
the writings of "the Iconoclast"; he has people who keep
their ears open for anything relevant to the mysterious
Odin's Horse, and Guffey's unusual socio-political diatribes
may have struck one of them as potentially significant. But
even if Crosse is familiar with Guffey's writings, he
wouldn't know the man's real name, or of his connection to
Odin's Horse. And as for the writings themselves, Crosse
would most likely view The Iconoclast's philosophies as
coarse and pedestrian.
Roland Mannheim: Over the past few years, William Morgan
Crosse has met Roland Mannheim on several occasions, and is
aware that he, too, is involved in the search for Odin's
Horse. (Crosse isn't aware, however, of Mannheim's
association with the Order of Measure.) Because he is both
cautious and rather gentlemanly, Crosse has no plans to
"deal" with Mannheim in a crude or violent manner.
Presently, he is content to keep a careful eye on Mannheim,
and to simply stay one step ahead of him, and to
outmanoeuver him. Crosse doesn't think very highly of his
grizzled explorer rival - nor rate his chances too
favourably - and is confident that he will triumph without
having to resort to contemptible or cowardly conduct.
Madeline Angelica Rose: Given how wrapped up he is in the
search for Odin's Horse, William Morgan Crosse has little
time for the scandals of the vulgar British tabloids, and is
completely unaware of Miss Rose and the exploits "the Black
Rose".
Amanda Young: William Morgan Crosse knows, obviously, that
Amanda Young is his mistress and partner in their quest to
find Odin's Horse. But his tendency to underestimate others
is especially prominent with Ms. Young; he knows she has a
capacity for cunning and even cruelty, but it has never
occurred to him that she could (or would) turn against him.
Between his overconfidence and her skill at subterfuge, he
is completely fooled by her facade of loyalty and
dedication.
CANONICALITY
William Morgan Crosse was based on the Captain of Industry
template (p.STM32) from "GURPS Steampunk", and conforms to
the standard GURPS rules.
WHAT IF?
The characters designed around the Odin's Horse adventure
seed are intended for a semi-realistic steampunk setting set
in about 1875. The characters' advantages and skills assume
an alternate history in which technology has diverged from
baseline TL5, and that some technologies are maturing at a
faster rate, but which does not include the more fabulous
"weird science" the genre supports. The setting also assumes
a certain degree of conspiracy, mystery and "invisible
history". In this setting, the occult is the study of the
hidden, and need not pertain to anything more supernatural
than the mysticism genuinely associated with certain
religions and philosophies. But the very idea of Odin's
Horse allows this to be scaled back or forward in any
direction.
Historical Steampunk: The 19th century European and American
cultures saw their share of esoteric philosophies
intermingling with radical shifts in political, social and
scientific thought. It was a time of unrivalled advances in
science, but which also took seriously such ideas as the
Hollow Earth and luminiferous ether; the line between
science, pseudo-science and mysticism was often blurred. In
a steampunk setting with a more realistic approach to
technology, Odin's Horse need not be a literal artifact, and
remains a potent symbol. Quite possibly, the people
searching for it accept that it is an abstract treasure,
characterised as an allegory. Perhaps it is a codex saved
from the Library at Alexandria, or a lost scroll from
ancient Judea, or a copy of the Popul Vuh pre-dating the
Spanish Conquest. In a campaign stressing realism, no
changes need to be made to William Morgan Crosse, since his
abilities and skills are all on the mundane end of the
scale.
Cinematic Steampunk: If the Hollow Earth is a reality, and
weird science just a matter of the right tools and a little
elbow-grease, the possibilities for Odin's Horse are
unlimited. Perhaps it's an alien artifact, lying dormant
beneath the Earth, or lurking on the edges of the collective
unconscious. It might be an ancient analytical engine, or a
clockwork computing machine from the days of Alexander. It
could be a psionic amplification device, or the sorcerously
archived soul of an arch-mage, or even a Martian menace on
the loose from Somewhere Else. Odin's Horse could be
everything its seekers think it is, hope it is or want it to
be. In a setting with more extreme and fantastical
possibilities, the aspects of Crosse's character that focus
on wisdom and the occult might be accentuated; his skills in
History (Esoteric) and Occultism could be improved, he
should have a Hidden Lore or two, a handful of archaic
languages, and his repertoire of Philosophy and Theology
specialties handsomely expanded. His knowledge of ancient
cultures could be further represented with more Archaeology,
Literature (Mythology) and other obscure fields the GM finds
appropriate. And finally, in a cinematic campaign with a
stress on the action, Crosse's physical attributes could be
improved, and his fencing skills and manoeuvers could be
brought up to heroic levels.
ADVENTURE SEEDS:
Each of the characters in the Odin's Horse series is built
around the concept of the Grail-like treasure they all
strive to find. The adventure seeds below are related to
that search, but may also be adapted for use in a campaign
of lesser scope.
Wrecked in the Smokies: It has occurred to William Morgan on
more than one occasion that perhaps the "accident" that
claimed his parents' lives may not have been an accident.
Although he has no direct evidence, or indeed any sinister
implications, he can't help but wonder, considering that his
father worked on sensitive engineering projects for the
government. Add to that the fact that Mr. August Rutherford
Rose died of a "sudden infection" within weeks of the train
wreck, but word was not sent from England about Mr. Rose's
death until William tried to inform Rose about his parents'
passing. While William has no direct information pointing to
a potential conspiracy here, maybe the PCs do. Maybe
sleuths, or police, or investigators working with the
railroad, the PCs could have information indicating that the
wreck that killed Mr. and Mrs. Crosse was the result of
sabotage. From there, the PCs could follow leads to William
Morgan Crosse, or to his father's former company, or to the
Martial Development Office and beyond, maybe even to the
Freemasons or other authors of "invisible history". What
will the PCs find, and will this eventually lead to Odin's
Horse?
Fingers in all the Pies: Since he sold his father's company,
William Morgan Crosse has ostensibly gone into the business
of real estate, buying and developing land both in the South
and in the new West. But for a simple businessman, he spends
an awful lot of time travelling, and spends a lot of money
buying books, visiting libraries and sponsoring
archaeological digs in foreign lands. These activities
provide the PCs a means of getting involved. They could work
for Mr. Crosse, sent out to retrieve books, collect
artifacts, or gather information. If the PCs work for
Crosse, they'll be expected to do their jobs, and to not ask
a lot of questions. But what if they stumble onto something
big, and learn more than they should ? Or what if the PCs
don't work for Crosse at all? Perhaps they work for one of
Crosse's competitors in the real estate market, someone who
wants to shed some light on Crosse's extra-curricular
pursuits? And in the middle of all this, what happens if the
PCs stumble onto the one final clue that Crosse has sought
for years, the single piece of information that explains
what Odin's Horse really is, or where it can be found?
- written and formatted by andi jones
(andi@angelwerks.com)
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