Need some Krewe ideas...

[PrinceKittyCat]

I am running a game set during the dust bowl with the idea of the underworld intruding on the living world.

My problem is I want to populate the world with a few Krewes and having trouble doing so. Making Creeds/Faiths and general rituals tied to it is a bit hard for me.

I had the idea of Fury Bank Robbers ripping up Mortgages and taking care of their dead's loved ones, but no idea how to turn that into a more cult-like feeling.

Mourner reporters of the forgotten?

As far as Necropolitans, Undertakers, and Pilgrims, I can't really think of many ideas, any help is appreciated.

[wyrdhamster]

I am running a game set during the dust bowl with the idea of the underworld intruding on the living world.

(...)

As far as Necropolitans, Undertakers, and Pilgrims, I can't really think of many ideas, any help is appreciated.

Can you precisely point to the where and when game takes place? Archetypes are... well, archetypes - and they need some focus in context of chronicle to shine. Point where characters are - it will be easier to make Krewes.

[PrinceKittyCat]

Can you precisely point to the where and when game takes place? Archetypes are... well, archetypes - and they need some focus in context of chronicle to shine. Point where characters are - it will be easier to make Krewes.

Of course. The Dust Bowl, so during the 1930s where many refugees fled Middle America to California due to the Dust Storms from imprudent farming techniques. They were chased, beaten, cheated out of their homes, and often killed. That says nothing of the rampant hunger and "dust pneumonia" which killed thousands. It hit during the same time as the Great Depression, so these migrant families had a hard time finding work or surviving. I can't give you the precise where because I wish the game to move about a bit to kinda capture the rambling of the hobos and okies, but mostly between Oklahoma and California.

So like one character is a Bereaved old Woman. Her Husband was a gentle man and he couldn't bear leaving the farm, even to save the kids and grandkids. He stayed behind already sick with dust pneumonia. She died in California from Hunger so the rest of the family could have more. She feels guilty leaving him behind and will do anything to unite them again. Her Geist is the Flayed Groom, a tortured being who is looks like a bloody mass of muscle and bone, but whose wedding suit is pristine.

She is part of the Furies I see as an aggrandized idea of Pretty Boy Floyd's legend during that time, robbing banks and tearing up mortgages and giving to the poor.

Creed Charity
Faith: Rebellion

Furies I have a fairly solid idea on, but getting a good period specific idea of each of the other Krewes is hard for me.

[wyrdhamster]

The Dust Bowl, so during the 1930s where many refugees fled Middle America to California due to the Dust Storms from imprudent farming techniques. They were chased, beaten, cheated out of their homes, and often killed. That says nothing of the rampant hunger and "dust pneumonia" which killed thousands. It hit during the same time as the Great Depression, so these migrant families had a hard time finding work or surviving. I can't give you the precise where because I wish the game to move about a bit to kinda capture the rambling of the hobos and okies, but mostly between Oklahoma and California.

So here we have three main sources of death to those characters:

• Key of Blood - For those that were killed in social conflicts of the area
• Key of Cold Wind - Dust bowl in general, killing weather
• Key of Disease - For those killed by 'dust pneumonia'

And you look for the Necropolitans, Undertakers, and Pilgrims, right?

So we can filer then needed Archetypes for the Keys pointed here, for general ideas of Krewes in Era:

Necropolitans - ( In our modern terms ) Poor 'imigrants' that started 'social center' for the ghosts in Underworld, trying to make New Eden in Underworld if they did not get there on Earth in living.

Undertakers - Newly created protestant Church that says a lot about life after death and that you can rest in peace if you live good life. There are rumors they destroy ghosts even.

Pilgrims - Literal Pilgrims. Or rather hobos. This Krewe is focused on resolving unfinished business of their previous comrades that were killed on dangerous works of Era people takes. They do for those that capitalism of Great Depression killed,

Only my few ideas...

[Zooroos]

Expanding on what Wyrd already said, I can picture a rapidly growing krewe of hobo Pilgrims, hopping from train to train in order to help the ghost left behind by the migrants and the poor farmers. The would keep a rather loose network of contacts, each member leaving coded messages behind for the others, and conducting most of their face to face meeting in the Underworld.

[Wormwood]

A Krewe that focuses on the homeless, providing shelter, a shoulder to cry on, an ear that listens, words of encouragement, and food to fill their bellies - applying to both the living and unliving victims of the tragedy. Likely Necropolitans that believe they can change the (Under-)World with their actions here, if just a little.

Mourners as reporters sounds dead-on. Especially if they focus on the causes of countless death, trying to lay the ghosts to rest by finishing their businesses as well as avert more deaths.

A Pilgrim Krewe could be a group of people looking to find answers for the problems their mortal world currently faces in the depths of the Underworld - maybe even try to carve out a space for themselves down there, claiming that as things are now, living in the Underworld is not much worse than up there. In fact, you could have a Undertaker Krewe tackling the same concept, but from another point of view: You could go Doomsday cult, even, with them claiming that the Dustbowl is just the first step of our world becoming a new Upper Reaches, with their goals being unclear: do they want to stop it? Hasten it? slow it down? Just watch it unfold? In any case, Undertakers would likely be heavily involved in dealing with the newly deceased en masse: literal undertakers, sure, but also coroners, policemen, doctors, nurses.