Cryptkeepers -- A Splat for Storytellers?

[Greetings1]

I've heard many people ask about any other potential splats which may be developed for the "Chronicles of Darkness" and one popped into my head while going over old horror anthology shows and films:

“The Mortuary Collection” – 2021
“Creepshow” – all iterations
“Tales From the Hood” – 1995
“Tales From the Crypt” tv series – 1990’s
John Carpenter’s “Body Bags” – 1993
“Tales From the Crypt” – 1972
“Night Gallery” – 1969-1973
“Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors” – 1965

Each one centered on a mysterious, apparently supernatural host relaying stories from a collection they possess; sometimes from objects from various people or, more often than not, from dead people they have access to. Also, they seem to tell stories which relay a sort of karmic theme for many of the characters. I started to wonder, could there be a splat for the storytellers themselves? Let the storytellers be a character in their own chronicles?

A splat for "Cryptkeepers" as it were--strange supernatural beings who, for one reason or another, are cursed to collect and share stories from the Chronicles of Darkness--not able to interfere directly, but able to influence events to flow from a specific karmic theme.

[monteparnas]

I think it is something in the stories. I'm struggling to name it, but they acquire it when they collect stories, and maybe again in a minor way when they retell those stories. It's something tied to story and storytelling as concepts.

[TrueMrMultiverse]

Perhaps, maybe their sustenance is from continuing/ending a story?

[Greetings1]

What would their sustenance be? What kind of ephemeral matter/energy?

[Greetings1]

That could work very well for Cryptkeepers. Hmm, maybe this Repetition force is connected to the them in a way, like Strix and vampires are perhaps?

Perhaps they're a kind of lost soul that's jealous/enraged that the Cryptkeepers got a second chance and they didn't?

[TrueMrMultiverse]

That could work very well for Cryptkeepers. Hmm, maybe this Repetition force is connected to the them in a way, like Strix and vampires are perhaps?

[monteparnas]

What would the theme of the game be? Redemption?

I guess it could revolve around learning how to make better choices. Who would be there antagonists though?

Breaking cycles, I think. At the core those stories usually have a character that will suffer the consequences for their cycles of behavior and self-justification. And that's common for the characters in the stories, the Seekers and the Keepers, at least that's my impression.

That include redemption and making better choices, but also condemnation and learning lessons through others. If you don't break the cycle, the cycle breaks you. One way or another it stops... for you, at least. The stories of the Keeper give you an alternative before it's your time to become a story. And the Keeper may have also their own cycles to break.

If we go this route, the antagonist should be a force of repetition, something that encourages people to form circular patterns of thought and action. For example, to have love I need to protect > to protect I need to be strong > to be strong I need to control everything > to control everything I need to be ruthless > being ruthless means being feared and hated > Fear and hate destroy love. This is a very simple, and frighteningly common cycle, IRL already a lot of people follow this to some extent.

Also, pride is probably a key factor, one of the most powerful forms of pride, the refuse to acknowledge one's premises are wrong.

[Greetings1]

What would the theme of the game be? Redemption?

I guess it could revolve around learning how to make better choices. Who would be there antagonists though?

[Greetings1]

This is Gothic Storytelling 101, which is the base genre for those stories.

So pretty much. All their shtick revolves around warning tales and moral of the story. Imprudence begets catastrophe and evil is self-punishing.

I don't think it should be in terms of strength, though, but triggers. When their target do X, Y happens.

An important part of the genre is that the tales are about the consequences of the actions, not divine punishment, and choice matters a lot. Redemption is possible, but the Gothic villains suffer because they systematically chose the easy and/or convenient evil.

With this in mind, I think their powers should always focus on the idea of choice, and have an appropriate escape clause where the victim escapes by making a sensible choice.

Past is a predictor, not a cause. You can always expect people to conform to their past patterns, and the genre heavily implies this continuation. Even when the punishment comes from the past, it comes true because the target is unrepentant.

But then, maybe some powers do play on the idea of behavioral patterns to induce targets into acting in a certain way, but it should be subtle and feel like natural choice instead of external control. Tempting is certainly an option.

So in a weird way their powers could work similarly a changeling's oaths--but instead of working with one's words and fate, it works with someone's choice and free will, and the outcomes therein.

[monteparnas]

Should the Cryptkeepers powers have a sort of karmic theme?

Most of these series shows and comics seemed to run with the idea of the horrible things in these stories happening to people as a strange kind of comeuppance or poetic justice.

This is Gothic Storytelling 101, which is the base genre for those stories.

So pretty much. All their shtick revolves around warning tales and moral of the story. Imprudence begets catastrophe and evil is self-punishing.

I don't think it should be in terms of strength, though, but triggers. When their target do X, Y happens.

An important part of the genre is that the tales are about the consequences of the actions, not divine punishment, and choice matters a lot. Redemption is possible, but the Gothic villains suffer because they systematically chose the easy and/or convenient evil.

With this in mind, I think their powers should always focus on the idea of choice, and have an appropriate escape clause where the victim escapes by making a sensible choice.

Past is a predictor, not a cause. You can always expect people to conform to their past patterns, and the genre heavily implies this continuation. Even when the punishment comes from the past, it comes true because the target is unrepentant.

But then, maybe some powers do play on the idea of behavioral patterns to induce targets into acting in a certain way, but it should be subtle and feel like natural choice instead of external control. Tempting is certainly an option.

[TrueMrMultiverse]

That could be interesting. Theirs powers could for example be more effective depending on karma. A power that curses a target could be easier if that target has done something bad perhaps?

[Greetings1]

Should the Cryptkeepers powers have a sort of karmic theme?

Most of these series shows and comics seemed to run with the idea of the horrible things in these stories happening to people as a strange kind of comeuppance or poetic justice.

[Greetings1]

Ryuutama is a rules-light "natural fantasy" RPG set in a world where people randomly get wanderlust and go out to see the world. Traveling parties are secretly followed or accompanied by shapeshifting dragon NPCs (Ryuujin) controlled by the GM, writing travelogues of the group's exploits. They have their own stats and story-influencing abilities, which can help or hinder the party to make the journey more interesting. The travelogues are then fed to the Seasonal Dragons who created the world, who each have an affinity for particular story types. The Ryuujin has to spend their life force to activate their abilities and can die if, say, they undo a character death because they got attached to the group.
So, I'm thinking the suggestion was something along the lines of:
Cryptkeeper: "This was when he realized his mistake..." and the Cryptkeeper spending resources to force a Dramatic Failure or the like.

Interesting...

[BronzeDog]

Not sure, I'm not familiar with (Ryuujin and Ryuutama)

Ryuutama is a rules-light "natural fantasy" RPG set in a world where people randomly get wanderlust and go out to see the world. Traveling parties are secretly followed or accompanied by shapeshifting dragon NPCs (Ryuujin) controlled by the GM, writing travelogues of the group's exploits. They have their own stats and story-influencing abilities, which can help or hinder the party to make the journey more interesting. The travelogues are then fed to the Seasonal Dragons who created the world, who each have an affinity for particular story types. The Ryuujin has to spend their life force to activate their abilities and can die if, say, they undo a character death because they got attached to the group.
So, I'm thinking the suggestion was something along the lines of:
Cryptkeeper: "This was when he realized his mistake..." and the Cryptkeeper spending resources to force a Dramatic Failure or the like.

[monteparnas]

This is starting to sound like a midpoint between Mummy and Beast.

Is this good or bad?