In Nomine The Rats' Revenge - Part I

In Nomine The Rats' Revenge - Part I, Podreczniki RPG, In Nomine

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The Rats' Revenge: Part I
An adventure for
In Nomine
by Jo Ramsay
Overview
This
In Nomine
scenario is designed for a group of angelic PCs. The first part is based on Earth,
and could be in any city. Characters are asked to investigate a nasty locked room murder, which
was indirectly caused by a missing ethereal envoy. A Renegade Shedite of Nightmares is also
hiding in a local mental institution, closely followed by the demons from Hell's secret police who
are hunting it. Ethereal envoys are here too, searching for the faerie rat and its all-important
message -- a message that could provoke a war between two of the most powerful Demon Princes
in Hell.
Scenario Layout
This write-up has been divided into two sections. In this part, the plot hook is introduced, as are the
main locations PCs will check out while investigating, with the NPCs they find there. The plot
hook involves two scenes that are effectively fixed, and then the investigation becomes free-
ranging, depending on what PCs want to do.
In the second part, the mystery is explained and the final piece of the investigation on Earth is put
into place. Superiors' reactions (whether PCs find the missing message or not) lead to a desperate
trek into the Far Marches . . .
Part I: Peace on Earth
Scene 1: "I Suppose You're Wondering Why I Called You All Here Today ... "
Purpose:
PCs are briefed, and introduced to their celestial contact (
Luria
; stats follow scene).
Characters are called shortly after dawn by one of their usual celestial contacts (or a local
Seneschal if they are new to the area) and invited to a local cafe. The tone of the invitation is
unmistakably urgent. When they arrive, their contact is sitting stiffly at a quiet table with a full cup
of coffee in front of him, accompanied by a tall Indian man who PCs do not recognize. As they sit
down, the Indian is introduced as Dr. Lal, the mortal vessel of Luria -- a Seraph of Judgment. The
soft-voiced Seraph asks each character in turn for personal details (name, Role, local address, and
whether they are currently dissonant or Discordant), but shows no interest in the answers unless
anyone attempts to lie to him. With no more ado, the PCs' contact clears his throat and begins the
briefing.
Two days ago, a loud disturbance in the Symphony was heard coming from a run-down area on the
outskirts of town. It was reported on a CB radio in code phrases by an itinerant Ofanite of the Wind
as she was on her way out of town at high speed, and it has taken local angels this much time to
locate someone who could decipher the code. The time and place of the disturbance match closely
 with an unusual murder case that police are currently investigating. PCs are given the name of Alex
Constantinides, a Soldier of Stone who is a junior detective in the local police force, and asked to
get the details of the case from him before going to check out the murder location. They should be
looking for any signs of celestial involvement, and reporting back daily to the Seraph, who will
base himself at a local Tether.
If any unfortunate individual attempts to eat or drink anything during the briefing, Luria warns him
coolly of the dangers to angels of being tempted by corporeal pleasures of the flesh (such as over-
brewed coffee and rock hard muffins).
LURIA
Seraph of Judgment
Corporeal Forces - 3
Strength 7
Agility 5
Ethereal Forces - 3
Intelligence 9
Precision 3
Celestial Forces - 4
Will 8
Perception 8
Vessel:
Male/3
Role:
"Dr. Deepak Lal," Pathologist/4, Status/3
Skills:
Dodge/1, Medicine/3, Move Silently/1, Tactics/2, Knowledge (Cryptography/4,
Criminology/5)
Songs:
Acid/3, Charm (Celestial/3), Healing (Corporeal/4, Ethereal/3)
Attunements:
Seraph of Judgment
Luria dislikes the corporeal realm, preferring the rarified atmosphere of Heaven where he can serve
God without getting his wings dirty. His last trip to Earth was in the late 1880s, and he isn't terribly
pleased about being back now. Signs of unangelic behavior in angels worry him, and he will
inform culprits of their misdemeanors in exacting detail. He is also a dreadful snob and considers
interacting with anything corporeal to be a lowering of his personal standards.
However much he hates this job, Luria would rather walk over broken glass than disappoint his
terrifying Superior. If he is asked to help interrogate any NPCs, using his resonance to determine
whether they are speaking the truth, PCs will have to collect him. He isn't up to speed with such
modern devices as cars or telephones, which is why he requested the modern angels to do his leg
work.
Scene 2: "You Say We Have Mutual Friends in
High Places?
"
Purpose:
PCs get the low down on the murder, and leads into two locations: the murder scene
(Paradise Towers) and the mental hospital (Pleasant Meadow.) Also leads to suspects/witnesses --
Ivy
(see Pleasant Meadow, below) and
Lucy/Amy
(see Part II).
At the police station, Alex Constantinides is expecting a visit from some angels but has not been
given their names or descriptions. Once PCs have convinced him of their credentials, he gives them
as much help as he can. The murder occurred in a basement apartment of Paradise Towers, an
aging tenement block in a run-down part of town. A man, identified as "Eddie Jackson," was killed
two nights ago, at midnight. The man was killed in his bed, although the bedroom door was bolted
shut from the inside when he was found. The body was found in a ruined state, as if all of the
fleshy parts had been gnawed away. Even stranger, the body was tied securely to the bed at the
wrists and ankles with different cables. Death was due to extreme trauma -- although a pillow was
found over the corpse's face, he was mutilated while still alive . . .
When police broke the bedroom door down, they found the dead man's wife, Ivy, tied to the bed
 next to the body, unharmed. She was splattered with blood and gore, and (unsurprisingly) unable to
give a coherent statement. She has been admitted to Pleasant Meadow, a local mental hospital,
where her current state is said to be "not great." Alex can arrange for characters to see her, if they
wish.
One other thing the policeman can tell PCs is that the Jacksons were a family with problems. Eddie
owed money to various creditors, and had been in trouble previously for beating his two daughters,
Lucy (8) and Amy (3). In fact, the social services had taken the girls into care less than a week ago
and they are currently in a childrens' home. Constantinides passes the PCs a large envelope with
pictures of the murder scene inside it. They show Eddie's gnawed remains, as described. The
detective also explains that there is going to be a press briefing at noon, so it would be a good idea
if they went over to the tenement before reporters get hold of the story. He is glad to have celestial
backup, and strongly suspects supernatural involvement in this case.
Paradise Towers Tenement Block -- The
Murder Scene
Running an
Investigation in
In
Nomine
Interesting facts:
Paradise Towers is a micro-tether into the Far
Marches, a place where very small ethereals (in terms of Forces)
can sneak through into the corporeal realm. This is not
automatically detectable by celestials. The murder was
committed by ethereal faerie rats (see Part II).
In Nomine poses a
challenge to GMs who
wish to run investigative
scenarios. Angelic PCs
have abilities that let
them easily extract
information from NPCs,
often without needing to
ask any questions.
Demonic PCs are just as
likely to make up a good
solution and then use
their own abilities to
force the NPCs into line.
NPCs won't get away
with telling lies or any
other kind of deceit, if
there is a Seraph in the
party. Double crosses
can't be assumed to work,
and even the souls of the
dead can be interrogated
if they wound up in the
celestial realm that the
PCs call home.
Purpose:
PCs may find clues pointing to the rats not being what
they seem. Also pointers to the school and pest control.
NPCs here:
Characters will meet
John de Groote
(stats follow
Paradise Towers), the Fortean investigator. They may also
encounter
Reed,
a faerie noble who has been sent to Earth with a
posse of ethereal
Hobgoblin
troublemakers (stats follow
Paradise Towers) to track down a missing faerie rat messenger.
Description of surrounding area:
The area is run down, and the
air is thick with heat, dust, and the frustration of the poverty trap.
The Paradise Towers tenement is a redbrick with high ceilings
and thick walls. It was built in the Victorian era, and then
renovated in the 1950s. Graffiti covers the brickwork, a mixture
of declarations of love, misspelled political slogans, and anarchy
symbols. There are also a couple of slogans in the lobby, sprayed
on by hobgoblins, that read "Die, motherf**** mortals!" and
"Beleth sucks!"
What local human residents know:
Many have been tortured in
their nightmares by playful hobgoblins. They may remember
having vivid dreams (not nightmares) about rats since living in
the tenement block.
Investigations work best
when PCs are given free
range to use their
abilities. Assume they
will get to the bottom of
any investigation quickly,
and balance the scenario
out by letting it be
insufficient to merely
The Jackson's Basement Apartment:
The basement apartment can
be reached by creaking elevator or creaking stairs. Examination
of the lock shows scratch marks around the barrel, as if it had
been picked. The police have already searched the apartment,
and taken the sheets from the main bed as evidence.
Junk mail on the doormat includes final demands, an invoice
from Kill-Em-All pest control, and an invitation to Mrs. Ivy
 Jackson to attend a parents' evening at a local school (see:
following the trail). One bedroom (the girls' room) has bolts on
the outside but is bare inside apart from two beds, a wardrobe,
and an empty hamster cage. The main bedroom is a mess, and
there is a bolt on the inside of the door. If PCs head for the
apartment directly after speaking to the policeman, they will find
de Groote (see below) checking over his equipment in here.
discover the truth. Angels
and demons should
always have to act on the
information they receive.
Angels should be
motivated to do the Right
Thing, and demons to do
the Wrong Thing. There
should be a constant
tension between the
miraculous superpowers
that the PCs have, and the
need to avoid making
disturbance that would
draw the attention of the
Other Side.
Faeries on the way out:
Four mean-eyed black cats watch PCs as
they leave the tenement. If characters have made any disturbance
or shown interest in the hobgoblin graffiti, the creatures (four
hobgoblins in feline vessels) will trail them. The hobgoblins
scare their victims with illusions, and then attack as a group. If
badly injured they will try to flee. Reed himself may show up to
find out what his charges have been getting up to. In any case, he
will be at Paradise Towers that night to interrogate faerie rats.
<sniff>
I smell a rat!
The faerie rats will not make themselves
known until after dusk. One by one, they slip into the apartment
in search of interesting cables, or toys to mend. PCs who wait up in search of rats may see or catch
one of the creatures during the night. They are identical to normal rats, except for the cream
colored fur with red-tinged muzzle (stats in Part II.) If interrogated, they are gentle and playful, but
not clever. They all remember taking revenge on the Jacksons because one of their number
summoned the rest.
JOHN DE GROOTE
Human Fortean Investigator
Corporeal Forces - 1
Strength 2 Agility 2
Ethereal Forces - 2
Intelligence 5 Precision 3
Celestial Forces - 2
Will 4 Perception 4
Skills:
Computer Operation/4, Drive/1, Escape/1, Fast Talk/2, Knowledge (Occult/4),
Lockpicking/3, Move Silently/1
De Groote made enough money from dabbling in real estate to be able to retire at the age of 35 and
devote all his time to his true interest, investigating strange parapsychic phenomena. He has made a
name for himself in the parapsychic community and is a popular speaker at Fortean Conventions,
where he discusses ghosts and spirits, and the results of his investigations.
One of the policemen in the local precinct shares an interest in psychic phenomena, and called de
Groote after the body was recovered from Paradise Towers to ask his opinion. The investigator
immediately packed up, and arrived the next day. He intends to see whether the murder location is
haunted, so set up special camera equipment to be left running overnight.
When the investigator returned to check the results, he found that some cables were missing. He
intends to get to the bottom of this, if nothing else. John is very confident, freely offering his
advice and opinions on every subject under the sun. He believes that the spirit of his dead sister
watches over him and that ghosts often intercede in the mortal world. Although he is a man of
science, he would love to prove the existence of the supernatural beyond any shadow of a doubt.
If other obviously supernatural events happen in the town, de Groote will be on the spot quickly,
claiming to be an noted expert, and demanding that everyone lets him through. His contact in the
police keeps him posted.
 REED
Faerie Noble (Seelie)
Corporeal Forces - 2
Strength 3
Agility 5
Ethereal Forces - 3
Intelligence 6
Precision 6
Celestial Forces - 2
Will 4
Perception 4
Vessel:
Male/2 (Charisma +3)
Role:
"Reed," Freelance Journalist)/2, Status/2
Skills:
Artistry/3 (Dancing), Drive/4 (fast bikes), Dodge/2, Fast Talk/5, Large Weapon/3 (Sword),
Seduction/4
Songs:
Dreams (Corporeal/2, Celestial/2), Healing (Ethereal/4), Light (Ethereal/4)
Reed has been sent to Earth to find the missing faerie rat quickly, before either Heaven or Hell
have a chance to intercept it. He is the sole NPC who knows of the missing message, and its topic.
He was sent as tribute to Beleth from the Seelie Court after a failed assassination attempt on the
Seelie Queen, and slavery has soured his once carefree disposition. A pack of hobgoblins was also
assigned to help with the hunt, and Reed is nominally in charge of them. Two have not yet reported
back (they have been captured by Sedek, and are being held at the mental hospital). He cares
nothing for humanity except for the Essence he can win from them through charm and seduction.
He does make exceptions for those who do him favors, and falls in and out of love as easily and
randomly as most people switch TV channels.
Reed affects biking leathers and a witty manner, and rides a yellow Ducati that he refers to as "my
noble steed." He wants to avoid running into either angels or demons (but mostly demons), and for
the hobgoblins to just behave.
HOBGOBLINS
Ethereal spirits
Corporeal Forces - 1
Strength 2 Agility 2
Ethereal Forces - 2
Intelligence 3 Precision 5
Celestial Forces - 2
Will 3 Perception 5
Vessel(s):
Various. Some have animal vessels (cats, dogs, pigeons) and others have human
vessels.
Skills:
Dodge/2, Fighting/3, Move Silently/3, Small Weapon/2 (Knife)
Songs:
Fangs/3, Dreams (Corporeal/4, Celestial/2), Light (Ethereal/3)
Thirteen hobgoblins were sent to help Reed track down the missing rat. They have notified the
faerie noble of ethereal activity in Paradise Towers, and four of them (in cat vessels) are staking
the tenement out. A few more are amusing themselves by terrifying and interrogating the
dreamscapes of hapless local residents. No rats have yet been caught.
Other hobgoblins are investigating other disturbances, or have wandered off to intimidate random
mortals. They are too stupid to be
quiet
on Earth or in the Near Marches, which is how Sedek
surprised and captured two of them.
Hobgoblins play with their human prey and stalk victims, preferring vulnerable types such as
children, old people, and teens with overactive imaginations. They also enjoy watching slasher
flicks en masse, cheering as each victim is gutted on screen.
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