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Part Three of the Hallowe'en Edition of COTW is a pair of
characters for a modern-day Horror campaign of vampires and
secret societies. The second in the set is a monster from
African folk-lore - the insectoid vampire known as the Adze
- who is loose on Earth in pursuit of an unusual goal. This
is the Sixth of Six COTW posts this week.
Shank-Pana; renegade plague-deity on a personal mission
(c) copyright 2000 andi jones
Total Points: 1,228.5 Points
Age unknown; 4'8"; 125 pounds; a shrivelled, hunchback man
with jet-black skin, spindly arms ending in taloned hands, a
pair of membranous wings, and a hairless and bulbous head
with insect-like eyes and a twisted mouth of tiny teeth.
ST 16 [80] - thrust 1d+1, swing 2d+2, fatigue
16/36
DX 13 [30] - basic speed 10.25, move 10, dodge
10
parry
(brawling) 12
IQ 16 [80] - vision 19
HT 14 [45] - hit points 18
WL 17 [-]
ADVANTAGES: Acute Vision +3 [6]; Appearance (Very
Handsome; Only in Human form, -10%) [23]; Bite
[30]; Charisma +2 [10]; Claws [40];
Clinging [25]; Doesn't Sleep [20]; Extra
Fatigue +20 (Innate Magic Only, -33%) [40]; Extra
Hit Points +4 [20]; Flight (Winged, -25%)
[30]; Increased Speed +4 [100]; Infravision
[15]; Magery 3 [35]; Multiple Forms (Human)
[10]; Multiple Forms (Monstrous Firefly)
[10]; Strong Will +1 [4]; Super-Jump x3
[30]; Unfazeable [15]; Vampiric Immortality
[60]; Vampiric Invulnerability [150];
Vampiric Resurrection (Cannot resurrect when in contact with
Sesame, -10%) [135]; Zeroed [10].
DISADVANTAGES: Appearance (Monstrous) [-25]; Bad
Smell (Only in Natural form, -10%) [-9]; Bloodthirst
[-15]; Dependency (Vital Fluids; Daily, Common)
[-15]; Hunchback (Only in Natural form, -10%; No max
ST, +10%) [-10]; Lifebane (Only in Natural form,
-10%) [-9]; Nocturnal [-10]; Obsession
(Destroy the Samaritan's Arrow) [-10]; Vulnerability
x1 (Sesame Plant) [-3].
QUIRKS: Never uses the same alias twice; Prefers to feed on
the arrogant and self-absorbed; Respects independent and
open-minded thinkers; Becomes sadistic when dealing with
members of the Samaritan's Arrow. [-4]
SKILLS: Acrobatics-16 [24]; Acting-16 [2];
Area Knowledge (Western Africa)-18 [4]; Area
Knowledge (Earth)-18 [4]; Astronomy/TL0-15
[2]; Brawling-18 [24]; Detect Lies-14
[1]; Diplomacy-17* [6]; Fast-Talk-18*
[10]; Flight-15 [8]; Hidden Lore
(Vampires)-16 [2]; Hidden Lore (The Samaritan's
Arrow)-14 [.5]; Interrogation-16 [2];
Intimidation-18 [6]; Jumping-16 [8];
Naturalist-14 [1]; Navigation/TL0-18 [8];
Savoir-Faire-16** [1]; Scrounging-15 [.5];
Sex Appeal-18* [10]; Stealth-15 [8];
Streetwise-14 [.5]; Tracking-15 [1];
Wrestling-18 [32].
*does not include reaction modifiers for use as
Influence roll
**at -2 for all foreign cultures
LANGUAGES: Adze (native)-18 [2]; Adja-16
[2]; Arabic-14 [.5]; Dagbane-16 [2];
English-15 [1]; Ewe-16 [2]; Fon-16
[2]; French-14 [.5]; Grusi-16 [2];
Hausa-16 [2]; Ibo-16 [2];
Malinke-Bambara-Dioula-16 [2]; Sara-16 [2];
Senoufo-16 [2]; Twi-Fante-16 [2]; Yoruba-16
[2].
INNATE SPELLS: Beast Control (Insects)-21 [8]; Beast
Summoning (Insects)-21 [8]; Body of Air-21
[8]; Fatigue-21 [8]; Hunger-18 [2];
Pestilence-25 [18]; Retch-18 [2]; Rotting
Death-18 [4]; Sense Life-21 [8]; Sickness-21
[8]; Sleep-18 [2]; Steal Health (Plants)-21
[8]; Strike Blind-18 [2]; Strike Deaf-18
[2]; Strike Numb-18 [2]; Thirst-18
[2].
EQUIPMENT
In his hunch-backed Natural form and his insectoid Monstrous
Firefly form, Shank-Pana has no need to carry equipment. In
his Human form, as he moves among humanity, he may carry
mundane things as needed. He usually wears very fine
clothing, expensive but tasteful jewelry, and maybe some
attempt at money or a form of ID. But he doesn't carry
weapons, and has no use (or much understanding) of
technology.
BIOGRAPHY
Very little is known about the being called Shank-Pana.
According to the beliefs of the Yoruba people of what is now
Nigeria, he is a plague god, also worshipped as a war god
because he "invades" a territory in the form of pestilence.
(He is especially identified with smallpox.) He is
supposedly the son of Shango, a legendary king of Oyo who
became a god of thunder and lightning. Shank-Pana has been
known in Western Africa for many centuries, though his
presence was seldom felt in one place for very long, or very
frequently.
Five years ago, the group known as the Samaritan's Arrow
changed all that. The group is a secret religious society,
some of whom are vampires, and they figured out a way to
bring Shank-Pana into the physical world in a permanent
manner, so that he might become their deity and lord. The
ritual was performed in north-western Nigeria, and members
from all over the world participated. Among the participants
was a woman named Adrienne Byrne, a single woman from San
Diego, California. With Adrienne was a 5-year-old girl named
Rachel Byrne, the daughter of Adrienne's brother, whose wife
had just died. Adrienne was prepared to do the unthinkable:
in order to help bring Shank-Pana into the world, she was
going to sacrifice Rachel during the ritual summoning
ceremony. And when the time came to perform the ceremony, it
worked like a charm. Except for one thing; Shank-Pana
resented being called to the physical realm, and was
especially contemptuous of the arrogant attitudes and
self-serving beliefs of the members of the Samaritan's
Arrow. Rather than take the position of their patron god and
lord, he killed them all. But upon killing the last of them,
Shank-Pana realised that he could not return himself to his
own realm, and that he would need to learn the secrets of
the Samaritan Arrow's summoning rituals in order to undo it.
Now even angrier, he vowed not to simply learn their
secrets, but to eliminate them all - with extreme prejudice
- in the process.
In the time since then, Shank-Pana has been loose on the
Earth, pursuing the members of the Samaritan's Arrow,
learning as much as he can about them, and eliminating them
as hatefully as possible. In the course of his travels, he
has become aware that Alexander Byrne is after him, and
knows also that Byrne is under the incorrect impression that
his sister and daughter were innocent people abducted for
black magic sacrifice. Shank-Pana feels no particular
animosity towards Byrne, and even has a begrudging respect
for the man's open-minded and adaptive abilities. But at the
same time, he is also amused that Byrne's drive is fueled by
a desire to avenge the murders of his sister and daughter,
and that he has no idea that his sister was a willing
participant, and that it was her idea to sacrifice the girl.
So for now, Shank-Pana allows Byrne to do his thing, and for
the most part ignores him.
ENCOUNTERED
Shank-Pana has three forms he can assume; his Natural form
is that of a black-skinned misshapen little man, his
Monstrous Firefly form is a massive (2-foot long) firefly
with exaggerated and creepy features, and his Human form is
a strikingly handsome African man with an impressive,
athletic build and intense, amber-coloured eyes.
Meeting Shank-Pana in either his Natural or Firefly forms is
an unpleasant prospect; he is horrifying to look at, smells
foul, is accompanied by a swarm of disease-ridden insects,
and is generally there for one thing: to feed. Because the
world does not know he exists, Shank-Pana usually dispatches
his victims quickly, using his innate spells to immobilise
them if necessary, and killing them - by draining their
fluids - with a businesslike efficiency. He is a monster,
but he is not cruel or sadistic; when he needs to feed, he
doesn't take extra time to scare his victims, or torture
them. He feeds to satisfy his hunger. As an Adze, his
bloodthirst can be sated not only with blood from mammals,
but from the sap in plants as well, and so he treats all his
meals the same way, whether it's a copse of trees, a cow or
a human being. The only exception to this is his dealings
with the Samaritan Arrow; they have earned a special hatred
from him, and he is prone to treat them with a kind of
sadism that would make most people nauseous.
And in sharp contrast to his monstrous forms is Shank-Pana's
Human form. Tall, handsome and charming, it is this form
that he uses most of the time. Although this form's features
and physique are consistent and not alterable, Shank-Pana
has not adopted any permanent alias or identity for his
human form, in part because he is unfamiliar with the
technological modern world, and in part to keep his trail
harder to follow. But while he uses no regular name, he does
have a regular persona. Using his charisma, good looks and
engaging manner, he is fond of getting what he wants through
trickery and subterfuge. His opinion of humans varies,
depending on how intelligent, self-aware and independent
they are. He thinks very poorly of the simpletons who
succumb to his feeblest charms, but has respect for any
individual who can hold his (or her) own in conversation
with him. In general, Shank-Pana loves talking, or a
friendly debate or skillful performance, and greatly
appreciates the rare mind that can keep pace with his own.
(Much of Shank-Pana's disdain for the members of the
Samaritan's Arrow is that he sees them as blind followers,
as dim-witted dupes unable to think for themselves.) These
things not only entertain Shank-Pana; they serve him as
well: His wiles are the tools with which he learns more and
more about the Samaritan's Arrow, to lead him to his
ultimate goal.
THE SAMARITAN'S ARROW
The details of the Samaritan's Arrow are kept mostly vague,
to facilitate the society's introduction to an ongoing game
that may already have its fair share of secret cults and
invisible societies. There are only a few things that are
important, and which should be maintained.
The Samaritan's Arrow follows a philosophy that combines
death, disease, equality and enlightenment into a single
arcane package. The arrow is symbolic of disease, since the
Apollo of Greek mythology could inflict a pestilence on a
man with a shaft from his bow. The reference to the
Samaritan is, predictably, a reference to the Biblical
parable which is the origin of the expression "good
samaritan", used in this context in an ironic statement
about the group's purpose. In a nutshell, the philosophy of
the Samaritan's Arrow is that all men are equal before
Death, and that death in the form of Pestilence is the
ultimate means of tearing down the social, political and
spiritual boundaries that keep Man from attaining his true
potential. The practical applications of this (dubious)
theory are unknown, and for now the Samaritan's Arrows seems
to be more about secretive behaviour, arcane knowledge and
byzantine philosophy. The ranks of the Samaritan's Arrow
contain many vampires, and it's possible the society exists
as little more than an apparatus to help them maintain their
anonymity in the modern world. But they do possess genuine
arcane powers, so it's possible they might one day arrive at
the point at which theory becomes practise.
The Samaritan's Arrow are the real villains of the story
surrounding Alexander Byrne and Shank-Pana. At the absolute
least, the Samaritan's Arrow is an amoral organisation, so
steeped in their own obscure philosophy that they no longer
operate on the same level as society at large. But more
likely, they are genuinely evil, furthering an attitude that
demeans life and involves the death of innocent people on
the behalf of a community of vampires, thanatologists and
necromancers. Alexander Byrne has learned at least this
much, and hunts them for those reasons. Shank-Pana probably
knows and doesn't care; to his mind, they need to be
destroyed for wronging him, and for their witless
arrogance.
CANONICALITY
By and large, Shank-Pana is canonical in terms of standard
GURPS rules. He is based on the Adze racial template
(p.BT83) from "GURPS Blood Types", although he has been
considerably enhanced.
The only non-standard aspect of his character, as written,
is that each of his Multiple Forms were not written up
individually. This choice was made mostly in the interest of
simplicity. Most of Shank-Pana's abilities are present in
all three forms, so separate character sheets would have
involved a lot of wasteful overlap. The solution was to list
all abilities together, and to indicate which ones apply to
which forms when applicable. If an ability applies to only
one of the three forms - such as his Human form's Very
Handsome Appearance, or his Natural form's Bad Smell - then
it was given a -10% price break. But if two or more of his
forms share an ability, its price was unchanged. The GM is
free to change these, and can apply common sense as
circumstances arise.
VAMPIRIC ABILITIES
The following is a brief overview of the Adze's vampire
abilities, for the benefit of those without "GURPS Blood
Types". The Adze is uncommon among vampires in that it feeds
not solely on blood, but the vital fluids of both plants and
animals. Against people and animals, it uses the Bite
advantage as per p.CI50. When feeding on plants, however, it
uses a variant of "Steal HT" which allows it to drain
life-fluids from plants; it gains 1 HT per acre drained
(triple that value in especially lush areas). The result is
that the drained plants grow sick and die. The Adze is not
affected by the sun the same way traditional vampires are.
In its insect form, the Adze may move about during daylight
at no penalty; its Natural and Human forms, however, may
only be assumed at night. The Adze does not suffer from
"Sundeath", nor is it particularly susceptible to fire. As
for its other abilities, Vampiric Immortality, Vampiric
Invulnerability, and Vampiric Resurrection are all covered
in "Compendium 1".
Unique to Shank-Pana is his vulnerability to the Sesame
plant. In ancient times, the Yoruba people considered it
taboo, and it was used in ceremonies intended to propitiate
the god. Sesame does no damage to Shank-Pana directly, but
being in contact with the plant will prevent his Vampiric
Resurrection from functioning. At present, no one knows this
secret but Shank-Pana himself.
WHAT IF?
Designed as a companion character to Alexander Byrne,
Shank-Pana is intended for a modern-day Horror setting. Like
Byrne, he is geared toward high-point campaigns, but can be
tooled toward either the gritty or the cinematic style of
gaming. He (and Byrne) can be translated into other genres,
and most of Shank-Pana's skills will need no changes; he is
an ancient being in almost any time and place, and his focus
is on social skills. The important aspect of Shank-Pana is
that he is monster on a personal vendetta that one would not
expect; all the evidence would suggest that he is in league
with the Samaritan's Arrow, when in fact he is trying to
destroy them, just as Alexander Byrne is. Shank-Pana is not
even necessarily evil; he could be portrayed as a proud and
ancient entity who just happens to feed on living creatures
(be they human or otherwise). Shank-Pana's sin is his pride,
and his disdain for the weak of mind. Under the right
circumstances, he might even work with the forces of
good!
ADVENTURE SEEDS
Sum Quod Eris, Quod Es Olim Fui: The PCs are a group of
intrepid monster-hunters who are in way over their heads. In
the course of one of their investigations, they have had the
misfortune of being cursed, and every day their humanity
slips a little further away. A trio of spell-casting
vampires has placed the hex with the words, "That which you
are, we were; that which we are, you will be". Time is
running out, and the PCs are desperate to break the curse.
Through a lucky break - perhaps some fortuitous research, or
a knowledgeable colleague - the PCs strike upon an idea: the
wording of the curse says the vampires were once alive, but
are now dead, and that the PCs will follow the same fate...
What if the vampires can be made to be alive? It's a long
shot, and the ritual to restore their lives cannot be
performed unless the subjects are incapacitated. To help
accomplish that, the PCs manage to get the help of Alexander
Byrne. And by coincidence, their plight also comes to the
attention of Shank-Pana, who wants the trio of vampires
destroyed. Can Byrne and the PCs get to the vampires before
Shank-Pana eliminates them? What will happen if (when?)
Byrne and Shank-Pana realise they're both involved?
The Truth Hurts: Through some bizarre twist of fate, one of
the PCs uncovers an incredible fact: Adrienne and Rachel
Byrne were not innocent abductees sacrificed by unknown
cultists. Rachel was a member of the cult, and stole Rachel
away to Nigeria to lend her innocent blood to the ritual to
summon Shank-Pana. Even worse, there's evidence that
suggests that Adrienne Byrne might have even had a hand the
death of her sister - Alexander Byrne's wife - so that she
could arrange access to the child. What do the PCs do with
this information? To tell Byrne would be to turn is world
upside-down - again. But can they keep this to themselves?
How do you tell a man something so horrible? Will he believe
it? Can he accept it? And how will it affect his campaign to
destroy the Samaritan's Arrow? Could he ever be convinced to
partner himself with the monster Shank-Pana? The PCs are in
a position to have a pivotal role in this ongoing war; are
they skilled enough in the art of diplomacy to work it all
out?
- written by andi jones (andi@angelwerks.com)
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