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This week's second COTW is the third 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 3: POWER
"Nam et ipsa scientia potestas est."
-
'Meditationes Sacrae', 1597 (Francis Bacon)
"War is not merely a political act, but also a political
instrument, a continuation of political relations, a
carrying out
of the same by other means."
-
'Vom Kriege', 1833 (K. von Clausewitz)
"The doctrine of hatred much be preached, as the
counteraction of
the doctrine of love, when that pules and whines. I
shun father
and mother and mother and wife when my genius calls
me."
-
'Self-Reliance', 1841 (R. Waldo Emerson)
Amanda Young; demimondaine desperate for the knowledge of
Power
(c) copyright 2000 andi jones
Total Points: 150 Points
Age (about) 28; 5'5"; 120 pounds; a petite and glamourous
woman with burgundy hair worn in ringlets, large brown eyes
and a dazzling smile.
ST 9 [-10] - thrust 1d-2, swing 1d-1
DX 10 [-] - basic speed 5.5, move 5,
dodge 5
IQ 15 [60]
HT 12 [20] - hit points 11
WL 15 [-] - fright checks 17*
*includes +2 from Composed
ADVANTAGES: Appearance (Beautiful) [15]; Charisma +2
[10]; Composed [5]; Higher Purpose (Find
Odin's Horse) [5]; Patron (William Morgan Cross,
12-) [10]; Voice [10].
DISADVANTAGES: Bully [-5]; Compulsive Behaviour
(Flirtation) [-5]; Obsession (Find Odin's Horse)
[-10]; Reduced Hit Points -1 [-5]; Secret
(Plans to betray William Morgan Crosse) [-5]; Social
Stigma (Demimondaine) [-10].
QUIRKS: Disdains any physical labour (except sex); Always
wears at least a little red; Drinks men's drinks (like
scotch on the rocks); Thinks smoking is crass; Loves a good
puzzle. [-5]
SKILLS: Acting-14 [1]; Appreciate Beauty-12*
[0]; Astrology-12 [.5]; Bard-18**
[1]; Breath Control-12 [1]; Calligraphy-9
[1]; Carousing-14 [8]; Chess-14
[.5]; Courtesan-16 [4];
Cryptanalysis/TL(5+1)-13 [1];
Cryptography/TL(5+1)-14 [1]; Cryptology/TL(5+1)-12
[.5]; Dancing-10 [2]; Detect Lies-13
[1]; Diplomacy-15***# [1]; Economics-12
[.5]; Enthrallment (Captivate)-14 [2];
Enthrallment (Persuade)-14 [1]; Enthrallment
(Suggest)-14 [2]; Enthrallment (Sway Emotions)-14
[1]; Erotic Art-11 [8]; Gambling-13
[.5]; Guns/TL5-11## [.5]; History-13
[1]; History (Esoteric)-11 [.5];
Hypnotism-13 [1]; Law-12 [.5];
Linguistics-11 [.5]; Lip Reading-13 [.5];
Literature-12 [.5]; Make-Up/TL5-16 [2];
Meditation-13 [1]; Musical Notation-14 [.5];
Occultism-13 [.5]; Performance-16### [0];
Poetry-13 [.5]; Psychology-15 [4];
Research-14 [1]; Savoir-Faire-17 [4]; Sex
Appeal-14# [6]; Singing-12 [1];
Streetwise-13 [.5]; Theology (Tantric Hinduism)-14
[2].
*default from Savoir-Faire
**includes bonuses from Charisma and Voice
***includes +2 from Voice
#skill is at +4/+6 (male/female) for
Influence/Reaction rolls
##includes +2 from IQ
###default from Bard
LANGUAGES: English (native)-16* [0]; French-16*
[2]; German-14* [.5]; Hindi-14*
[.5]; Latin-14* [.5].
*includes +1 from Linguistics skill
EQUIPMENT
Amanda is typically dressed in fashionable and expensive
clothes, appropriate to whatever function or event she is
attending. Her tastes run to the refined and mature... She
doesn't carry much in the way of equipment, except for a
small purse which might contain a compact make-up case, a
perfume atomiser, and other lady-like acccessories. It's
also reasonable to assume that she is armed, concealing
weapons in the voluminous folds of ladies' fashion of the
1870s; she carries a straight-razor (1d-3 cutting, wielded
at DX) and a beautifully made, engraved Remington .41
Double-Deringer (1d+ damage, "Very Fine (Decorated)"
quality, p.HT111, 124). She isn't likely to use these
weapons, and she keeps them for true emergencies.
BIOGRAPHY
Born in the late 1840s somewhere in the south, Amanda Young
was orphaned by the age of four, and wound up in a church
orphanage in Atlanta, Georgia. She was raised there, and
received a limited education. Being extremely bright, she
learned to read and write and took an interest in
literature, poetry and history. What failed to interest her,
however, was what she perceived as the stuffy and antique
attitudes of the church. When she was old enough to
recognise she was physically attractive - and that she could
use her looks to her advantage - her religious environment
was too stifling to bear. By the time she was 14 years old,
she was a runaway, and living in New Orleans.
Life in the "Paris of America" was thrilling for Amanda,
even after Union troops seized the city in 1862. Not
surprisingly, she immediately fell into a life of
prostitution and gambling, using her beauty and talent for
manipulation to do quite well for herself. Before long, she
came to the attention of a Madame Montceau, who operated a
small but regal bordello. The Madame was an eccentric old
whore, about whom strange rumours were told. While most
people were frightened of her, Amanda was intrigued. She
became the woman's protege, and was taught the finer points
of being a courtesan, as well as techniques - both physical,
and psychological, imported from the Orient - that gave her
the ability to masterfully manipulate people, especially
(but not limited to) men. Her skills include exotic
love-making, meditation, hypnotism and near-flawless
dissimulation.
One of the ways in which Amanda made use of this talent was
to con the men she entertained at the Bordello. During the
Union occupation, many of her marks were military officers.
Just after the War ended, a particularly loose-lipped
soldier told Amanda about a company called Crosse-Rose, and
of the strange behaviour of the men who ran the company.
Amanda got a confused story about esoteric philosophies, the
Freemasons and plots of political revolution. It was clear
the soldier thought it was foolishness, but Amanda was
convinced otherwise. She filed the information away, and
continued to master her talents of persuasion. Over the next
few years, she heard of the deaths of Messrs. Crosse and
Rose, and about William Morgan Crosse's decision to sell the
business. Crosse's reputation was of a bright man with
strange intellectual hobbies, and Amanda kept track of his
movements. Finally, in 1872, Crosse was in New Orleans
brokering a deal for property out west, and Amanda Young
sweet-talked her way into a social event he was attending.
And by the time the weekend was through, she had
sweet-talked her way into his life; they shared many
interests, were attracted to one another, and Amanda
successfully played herself as educated enough to earn
Crosse's respect, but not too intellectual to be a
threat.
It didn't take long for Crosse to share with Amanda his
occult philosophies, including his involvement in
Utilitarianism. It was clear that he greatly enjoyed the
company of a charming, well-educated woman who appreciated -
and shared - his obscure academic interests. (That she was
beautiful did not hurt, of course, even though Crosse would
never admit to having been seduced or manipulated.) Amanda
played her role perfectly, and it was only a matter of time
before Crosse told her about Odin's Horse. Since that time,
Amanda and William Morgan Crosse have been virtually
inseperable. Despite his family in North Carolina, Crosse
works out of Philadelphia, where Amanda keeps a modest home.
They travel extensively, having criss-crossed the country
from coast to coast, and made a trip to Europe and Asia as
well, all to research (and ultimately locate) Odin's Horse.
Together, they have planned the ideal Future, and their
shared goal is to use the occult Wisdom of Odin's Horse to
engineer the perfect society. Amanda has also taken the
opportunity to broaden her horizons, and voraciously studies
everything that fascinates her; right now, she is
particularly fond of codes of all kinds.
What Crosse does not know, however, is that Amanda is only
playing a role. He is completely fooled, and has fallen in
love with her. She likes him, but does not love him, and
thinks his plans to be the Architect of the Future are naive
and hopelessly idealistic. Whatever Odin's Horse is, it's an
object of great power, and it's that Power that she desires.
In the years she was under Madame Montceau's tutelage,
Amanda was acutely aware of how trivially she was able to
control men, but recognised that the circumstances in which
a demimondaine can assume control are few. William Morgan
Crosse was a lucky break, and she wants to use him to assume
an even greater level of power, and in a much broader sense.
She doesn't know quite what she'll do when she has this kind
of power, but in a way, the journey is the destination;
having the Power is as important as anything she could
achieve with it.
ENCOUNTERED
Amanda Young is a beautiful woman, and is as devious and
cunning as they come. She is a quick study, a talented judge
of character, and knows exactly what to say and how to say
it. She comes on just strong enough to make an impression,
but not so strong as to suggest she has an agenda. She is
just casual enough to seem genuine. When she speaks, she can
make a person feel as though they are of the same mind, that
they are soul-mates, or that Fate itself has brought them
together. She can feign emotions with utter conviction, and
lies with an ease that would be terrifying if it weren't so
smooth and brilliant.
For most people, meeting Amanda Young is a treat. Even if
contact is fleeting, it is memorable. Her flirtation doesn't
seem cheap, and her compliments always come across as
heart-felt, even if she were to give the same line to every
man in the room. Amanda is equally good with crowds, able to
turn her adequate singing voice into songs that can enthrall
and persuade a room. She performs without looking like she's
trying.
When dealing with PCs, Amanda will be just as charming as
she needs to be. One way or the other, she'll come across as
bright, but not necessarily interested in getting anything
special. If she seems curious, she'll play it in a girlish
way, and not as being a nosy snoop. Usually, she works her
targets carefully, and never rushes. The kind of trust she
can build takes time. (It also has the benefit of extending
the time during which she is controlling someone else.) In
game terms, her Bully disadvantage is her compulsion to
manipulate people in a social setting; it has been reduced
to -5 point because it is subtle, and does not often get in
her way, nor betray her true motives. Most of Amanda's
performance will probably require rolls against Sex Appeal
and Acting; in the latter case, though her skill is only 14,
the GM should recall that she gets a bonus of +1 for every
point of IQ she has over her "victim", which will usually be
enough.
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.
Amanda Young doesn't know precisely what Odin's Horse is,
but she is inclined to believe in William Morgan Crosse's
conclusion that it is some kind of recepticle of Wisdom or
Knowledge. But where Crosse believes this Knowledge should
be put to philanthropic ends, Amanda (secretly) disagrees.
She has bought into his Utilitarianism only enough to feel
that the ends justify the means, but she lacks any kind of
noble sentiment about how to better Society. She sees the
future as a cynical, machinistic place. When Crosse speaks
metaphorically of being the "engineer" of the Future, she
takes it literally: she wants to be the one at the helm, in
control of the great machine, in command. When she looks at
the myths of Odin, it is not his fatherly attributes she
admires; it is his ability to remain in Power, regardless of
the situation, and regardless of who must suffer. She is
Odin as the deceiver, the trickster and the evil-doer. And
it will be the artifact Odin's Horse that will make this
manifest. It is up to the GM, of course, to decide what
Odin's Horse really is, if it even matters. Whether it's a
powerful artifact or a library or a state of consciousness,
or all at once, or none of the above. For Amanda Young, even
more than for her peers, the journey may be the
destination.
WHAT SHE KNOWS
William Morgan Crosse: Amanda Young is William Morgan
Crosse's mistress, and more than that, they are secretly
allied in their quest to find Odin's Horse. But unbeknownst
to Cross, Young is not planning to honour their pact
forever. Her own Utilitarian philosophy diverges from his at
a fairly fundamental level, and she privately subscribes to
a much more cynical and mercenary outlook.
Brad Guffey: Through extensive contacts in various
revolutionary circles, Amanda Young has been made aware of
the writings of the Iconoclast, and has learned that the
real name behind the diatribes is Brad Guffey. And just
recently, further digging revealed the truth about Guffey's
knowledge of Odin's Horse (and his desire to find it). Armed
with this information, Young is attempting to use Guffey to
her advantage... When possible, she intends to sabotage his
research efforts and feed him incorrect information. At the
same time, she plans to get someone close to Guffey to get
access to his legitimate leads. Ultimately, Young wants to
manipulate Guffey the same way she does so many of the other
people in her life, to shape him into an unwitting servant
to further her own schemes. Having read his writings, Young
knows that Guffey is both bright and perceptive, and will
not underestimate him. She'll move carefully and quietly,
and if she ever suspects that he is onto her, or knows too
much, she won't hesitate to have him killed.
Roland Mannheim: Through her relationship with William
Morgan Crosse, Amanda Young knows who Roland Mannheim is,
knows he's "in competition" for Odin's Horse, and has even
met him (once, at a polo match, several years ago). Crosse
is content to watch Mannheim from a distance, and Young is
presently willing to do the same. To the degree that she has
sources of her own (ie, independent of her partnership with
Crosse), Young may be trying to gather more information, but
she won't act against Mannheim in any significant way for
fear that Crosse would recognise (or even suspect) her
touch.
Madeline Angelica Rose: Amanda Young has aggressively
explored the rumours coming out of England about "the Black
Rose", and her detective work has led her to tentatively
conclude that the mysterious vigilante is Madeline Angelica
Rose. She has also pieced Rose's motives together, and
nearly certain of the link to Odin's Horse. Young can't
prove this (yet), but has already begun hunting for Ms.
Rose. Normally restrained and immune to rash judgements,
Young's feelings about Ms. Rose are unusually intense; as if
the two women were actively competing. (Young probably
hasn't given any conscious through to why Ms. Rose raises
her hackles so much.) Presently, the plan is to have Rose
killed, but it's possible that Young's feelings will
soften...
CANONICALITY
Amanda Young was based on the Demimondaine template
(p.STM34) from "GURPS Steampunk". She adheres to 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: In 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 marked by unrivalled
advances in science, but which also took seriously such
topics as the Hollow Earth and luminiferous ether; the line
between science, pseudo-science and mysticism was often
blurred. In a steampunk setting with a stricter approach to
technology, Odin's Horse may not be a fabulous artifact, but
it remains a potent symbol; the people questing for it
accept that it is an abstract treasure, characterised as an
allegory. It may be 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 this
setting, Amanda Young's skills at manipulation and
dissimulation should probably be limited to Acting,
Diplomacy and Sex Appeal; the more fantastic Enthrallment
skills can be removed. Likewise, it's not necessary to
introduce Tantric Hinduism, or include the Erotic Art skill.
Amanda will still be an expert manipulator, but she'll
accomplish her goals in more mundane ways.
Cinematic Steampunk: In a campaign in which the Hollow Earth
is a reality and weird science is merely a matter of the
right tools and a little elbow-grease, the possibilities for
Odin's Horse are unlimited. It could be 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. Or it could be a psionic amplification
device, or the sorcerously archived soul of an arch-mage, or
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 this campaign, Amanda Young's gifts
of persuasion could be genuine supernatural powers. This
could be accomplished with superhuman levels of the
Entrallment skills, accompanied by copious Extra Fatigue.
Alternately, her abilities could be attributed to psionics
(Telepathy) or ritual magic (see "GURPS Voodoo"). (For
another look at Tantric magicks, check out the super-villain
Fortunato from "GURPS Wildcards", p.WC49.) It's less likely
that Amanda would practise standard GURPS magic, but she
could have some spells as Knacks, with limitations added to
model sexual and performance rituals.
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.
The Face that Launched a Thousand Steamships: Occasionally,
Amanda Young and William Morgan Crosse need to manipulate a
group of people - businessmen, perhaps - in some subtle way,
perhaps to subconsciously influence their decisions. To
accomplish this, they host a small party, at which Amanda
performs a dramatic reading of Homer (or something with
similarly mythic undertones). The poetry involves a
combination of singing and spoken word, with musical
accompaniment. Normally, Young and Crosse do this when they
know who's going to be present, but suppose the PCs end up
on the guest list by mistake, or choose to be there despite
not being invited. One (or more) of the PCs - being more
robust than the average citizen - might make the Will roll
needed to resist Amanda's charms, maybe by enough to suspect
that something is "going on". For most PCs, that would be
puzzle enough: who is this alluring woman, and what is she
trying to do? And how is her "partner" - this William Morgan
Crosse, wealthy and eccentric - involved? From there, the
mystery sheds layers like an onion; where will the PCs take
it, and how will Crosse and Young react?
Gaining Trust: Amanda Young and William Morgan Crosse don't
do "hands on" work, though it's certainly conceivable that
at some point they might need something sinister done.
Neither of them is stupid enough to employ someone to do
anything flagrantly illegal (such as murder), but they might
need something more subtle - like theft, or forgery, or
spying. It would be Amanda's responsibility to hire people
for this work, ideal for a group of PCs in a shadowy
steampunk game of political intrigue and corporate
espionage. First, she'd hire someone to do something legal
but unusual; in this way, Amanda gets a chance to see how
her employees operate while nothing serious is yet at stake,
while at the same time getting a sense of who they are, how
they think, and where their loyalties lie. If she likes what
she sees, she'll give them real work. The details of these
adventures are up to the GM, and provide an opportunity to
duplicate some of the hallmarks of cyberpunk literature,
with devious employers, double-agents and the importance of
maintaining plausible denial...
- written and formatted by andi jones
(andi@angelwerks.com)
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