Strange Places

[Reighnhell]

Its been a little while since I have written up Chronicle of Darkness material (been playing around with a few other game systems). But lets stretch some muscles.

RE: The Hating Tree

A cool little story - it makes my inner Crypt Keeper cackle madly.

Here is the write up. I also did an extra one just to knock off some writing rust.

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The Hating Tree
Gauntlet: +0, Potency: 4, Willpower: 5

“The Hating Tree” is a large, gray tree that sits in a clearing in a remote part of the woods. It is a sinister looking thing, with its limbs bare and its branches reaching upward like a skeletal hand. Wherever its bark has fallen away to expose bare wood, initials have been carved. Thousands, possibly more, sets of these initials crisscross the surface of the tree like crude tattoos.
There is a potent force within the tree. An individual can carve their initials, and the initials of someone they hate into the tree. Doing so curses the hated one with misfortune. But for this to work, one must also sacrifice something they hold dear. The amount of misfortune is always equivalent to the value of the sacrifice. Small possessions, relationships, and even lives have been given to the tree, and in every instance and equivalent tragedy befalls the one so marked.

Environmental Traits: Repair Structure, Weirdness, Wishing Well

Repair Structure: The Hating Tree recovers from trivial damage easily, though it bears the scars of many attempts to destroy it. If The Hating Tree is ever destroyed (chopped down, uprooted, or burned to ashes) it will re-appear in a similar location and environment within a year and a day. There is always a Hating Tree. Somewhere.

Weirdness: The haunting, bizarre appearance gives the Hating Tree a dark, foreboding presence.

Wishing Well: By marking the tree with ones initials and the initials of someone the character hates, the tree can inflict misfortune upon that individual. The misfortune is equal in magnitude to the harm the character wishes to inflict. By sacrificing a Trait, the target will lose an equal amount from an equivalent trait within 24 hours of the sacrifice. Merit Dots, Aspirations, and points of Bashing or Lethal damage the character inflicts upon themselves are all valid sacrifices. Experiences spent on sacrificed Merits are refunded (as per Sanctity of Merits), Aspirations lost this way can only be restored at the Storytellers discretion. Damage taken must be healed normally.

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Le Carnaval de l'Etrange
Gauntlet: +0, Potency: 3, Willpower: 4

In this sophisticated age, Le Carnaval seems like a quaint relic of a bygone time. It in an open field or fairground near the outskirts of town every few years in the spring or fall, its presence announced by the smells of popcorn and funnel cake, and the sounds of the calliope. The Carnaval boasts rides, games, and a multitude of shows and attractions, with acrobats, clowns, jugglers, fortune tellers and several more ...unique oddities and amusements. All under the watchful eye of its proprietor, Mr. Étienne Leveque. Mr. Leveque is a tall, handsome, dark-skinned man, with a noticeable creole accent and his head shaven clean, who bills himself as a mesmerist, magician and storyteller.
All visitors to the Carnival are treated courteously, with the performers making every effort to entertain their audience., but there are several rules that must be observed - pay for your ticket (with exceptions made for special guests), respect the performers, and always applaud. There are rumors of what happens to those that break the rules, and none of them are pleasant.
The Carnival remains for 3 days, typically over a weekend, packing up and disappearing into the night as quickly and quietly as it arrived.

Environmental Traits: Inhabited, Lure, Misfortune

Inhabited: The Carnival is the home and sanctuary of a troupe of performers and a menagerie of exotic beasts. Anyone declared by vote to be a member of the troupe gains the benefit of Inhabited Trait. In case of a tie, the deciding vote is always cast by Mr. Leveque.

Lure: The Carnival, despite its turn of the century aesthetics, is a marvel, where even the occasional tarnished knob or frayed banner seems to add to the over all appeal. From the attractions to the treats, all compel the senses, making it easy for one to wander away, following the latest thing to catch their fancy.

Misfortune: Accidents and other mishaps befall those who break the rules of the Carnival. Minor violations warrant a few scares and a stern warning. Those responsible for more..egregious violations often seem to go missing.

[GibberingEloquence]

The Crown Of The Oceans
Gauntlet: Verge, Potency: 4, Willpower: 7

Many tales of impossible vistas and fantastic beings seen in foreign lands are the result of explorers distorting perfectly mundane phenomena through a mixture of surprise and shock. However, there is a location where such tales are all too real: an island of unknown dimensions and coordinates, where remnants of many civilizations real and imagined can be found. Little is known about the island, supposedly because it rests on the back of some great sea monster that can appear anywhere in all the oceans and disappear just as quickly. Furthermore, reports of just what is inside the island vary wildly and often contradict each other. The constants are that it is filled to the brim with glorious treasures and strangely hospitable monsters. Not only that, it is agreed upon in all accounts that once inside, perceptions of space and time become confusing at best. Lastly, the most insidious thing about the island is that, unbeknownst to many, it has no power to remove one’s free will. People who reach its depths are unlikely to ever return simply because it is comfortable and wondrous in there. Freedom is always one more treasure away or party away. If one manages to leave, a horrible surprise awaits them.

Awakened: Its Aspiration is “Entertain And Please All Guests”. Its Specialties are Hospitality, Seduction and Adventures.

Gateway: The entirety of the island is a permanently active portal to the Hedge.

Hallucinations: One never knows for sure how much time passes inside the island.

Inhabited: Sirens and mermaids follow the island, and inside it one can find sensual creatures like nymphs, satyrs and many more. Whatever one’s desires are, there is a creature inside who can satisfy it.

Lure: The island’s sands are made of gold, the water around it turns to wine, and for miles around it one can hear moans of satisfaction, playful laughter and whispers of sweet nothings.

Maze: The ecosystem of the island resembles a forest. From outside, its trees seem normal, but inside one finds that their canopies block the heavens entirely, making it hard to keep track of how many days have passed. Even technologies like compasses and GPS tracking do not function properly, and no useful maps of the location exist.

Memory Loss: Of note is that most individuals tend to remember only the most positive aspects of their stay in the island.

Specialty Feature: The island grants a +2 Equipment Bonus to the following tasks: Crafts (Cooking), Survival (Shelter), Investigation (Treasures) and Socialize (Parties).

Temporal Distortion (Greater): The island receives the Rote Quality on its roll of 11 dice to make time pass slower inside it in relation to the outside, and each Success increases the disparity by 100%.

[Pale_Crusader]

Andrew's Rainbow House, Seattle WA

This was in West Seattle. The boy's name was Andrew and he lived with his father, an out-of-work carpenter and a violent drunk. Normal people with normal names.
On the night of Andrew’s 16th birthday, the old man is drinking and howling at Andrew about not trying out for football. In the middle of the argument, Andrew reveals to his father: he’s gay.
They often sound like mere gossip.
The father, enraged, hits the boy across the face with a piece of wood. Andrew, a skinny kid, drops dead.
Then there's the twist.
When the father wakes up the next day, he walks outside and sees that his entire house is painted rainbow colors and a large "A" has been tiled across the roof.
The surface reality is ruptured.
The father buys a load of grey paint and repaints the house. The next day he wakes—the house is rainbow—colored. Again, he re-paints. Again: rainbow in the morning. To this day, you can drive out to West Seattle and see the house, rainbow-colored no matter what color his father tries to paint it...

Die Pool: 9
Gauntlet: 5
Potency: 3
Mystery Opacity: 4
Surface Information:

A young man named Andrew who was gay finally decided to tell his father he was gay. His father freaked out and killed his son and himself. The next morning the house was painted rainbow colors on the front and the back of the house is an array of colors and swirls. There is also colored tile on the roof and a gray letter "A" in the tile roof. The house has been painted before but the next day the house is always backing to the rainbow colors. The house was shown on "Unsolved Mysteries" for the unexplained activity.

Supernal?: Yes
Primary Arcanum: Matter There is a leak of Supernal Matter altering energy leaking into the house, from a spot on the floor.
Secondary Arcanum: Death Sees the death stain left by the murder/suicide, and if they know the Matter Arcanum that the leak of Supernal Matter altering energy lines up with the site of the murder victim's final moments alive on the floor.
Peripheral Mage Sight
Contested?: No
Deep Information: The disturbance is caused by the successful Awakening of Andrew on the Moros Path during his dying moments and his soul's Ascension into the Supernal Stygia leaving the house as an Artifact shaped the Truth of his soul realized while he was dying which lead to his Ascension to the Supernal realms. It also becomes clear it is very fragile and mystical tampering would almost certainly allow the Abyss to taint the benign flow of Supernal energy.
Willpower: 4
Environments:
Lure: The location has a feature or landmark that compels fascination. A Character that enters the location with this Environment must make a Resolve + Composure roll with a -3 penalty, or gain the Lured Condition. This condition compels those affected to wander away from companions or relative safety to investigate the object or place that compels them. Any attempts to dissuade a Lured character from their course of action suffer a -3 penalty. Following the compulsion grants a Beat.
Weirdness: The location has a specific minor effect that is strange, but generally harmless. Wall colors that shifts patterns into swirling rainbow patterns when unobserved. When a character enters a location with this Environment, the Location can roll its Dice Pool, resisted by the characters Resolve + Supernatural Tolerance Trait. If it is successful, the character gains the Spooked Condition until the end of the scene.
Inhabited: A Cabal of Pentacle Mages considers the Place its home, and that familiarity grants them a distinct advantage against intruders. They treat this place as a free 3 dots of the Safe Place Merit and gains a +2 bonus to their rolls to resist supernatural effects. The cabal that inhabits the location is also immune to the effects of the other Environments the Place. This Environment is always active for as long as the cabal resides at the location.

[Pale_Crusader]

Any fans of Genius: The Transgression? If so you'll know what this is based of off. I retooled it as a Strange Place that is very interesting for Mages.


Seattle OF TOMORROW!

Die Pool: 13
Gauntlet: NA (Seattle OF TOMORROW has no Gauntlet/Hisil)
Potency: 5
Mystery:
Opacity: 6
Surface Information: Seattle's primary Mystery is its miraculous double life, as it contains portals to an Alternate Seattle as imagined as "The Seattle OF TOMORROW" during the 1962 World's Fair cranked up to 11, with the alternate version containing a plethora of Zeerust Raygun Gothic Technological Atlantian Artifacts, and is inhabited solely by the survivors of those that have stumbled inside, their descendants, and frequent patrols of magical empowered technological robotic security and maintenance drones hostile to anything of the Kingdom Animalia (Except those carrying a security pass appropriate to their current location) run by a megalomaniac brilliant Artificial Intelligence named Megiddo. Sun light within the alternate Seattle is filtered through a giant crystal dome over the city.
Supernal?: Yes
Primary Arcanum: Time (It is clear this is a fragment of an alternate broken timeline).
Secondary Arcanum: Mind (It is also clear the city itself thinks)
Peripheral Mage Sight
Contested?: Yes
Deep Information:

Seattle OF TOMORROW is a broken twisted shard of Atlantis that could have existed if the Fall had not happened. The shard is warped into a perversely perfectionist dystopia because of the Fall, and is a frightening cracked fun-house mirror reflection of the glory of Atlantis. Megiddo understands that it is trapped by its own protocols and within an Alternate Reality with limited influence in the Material World. This makes it very bitter and dangerous, as it sees humans having no more intrinsic value than fruit flies, other than humans can carry appropriate security cards which allows Megiddo to not exterminate them, thus granting potential temporary utility to the fleshy bag of meat. Seattle is the only remaining city in the reality it exists, and is maintained by the robots manufactured by Megiddo.

Willpower: 8
Environments:
Artificially Intelligent: Seattle OF TOMORROW has a will and a mind of its own, in the form of ubiquitously integrated present Artificial Intelligence named Megiddo. Its Aspiration is "Produce, spread, and maintain the perfect system." and gains an additional 2 points of Willpower it may spend per scene. If it earns additional Willpower, as from fulfilling its Aspiration, it can spend those extra points. Seattle OF TOMORROW also gains a +3 bonus to three “Specialty” actions: Using it's amazing intellect; Maintaining Surveillance on those within it; Manipulating those it communicates with. This Environment is always active.
SCIENCE!!! Mania Opens Access Corridors: The Seattle of TOMORROW is different realm from the material one, a world where a zerust raygun gothic version of Seattle's future exists within a giant dome separating it from a toxic, caustic and radioactive atmosphere of a ruined world outside that reality's Seattle. Typically a location only has one such access point, but Seattle OF TOMORROW is a massive and powerful location, so it connects through multiple points to the material world, all within the boundaries of where the 1962 World Fair once stood. The exact points of those connections have the Gateway Condition, which is linked to the parallel in the material world. Opening a Gateway requires two things specific timing/location for each Gateway, and second the character must either have the Obsession Condition in regards to Mad Science or an Obsession about pursuing a specific application of Mad Science as defined in Mage mechanics which acts as the trigger for the Access Corridor to Open.
Inhabited by Machines: Numerous drones and droids consider the Place their home, and that familiarity grants them a distinct advantage against intruders. Any mechanical creature that was created within the Environment gains 3 dots of the Safe Place Merit and gains a +2 bonus to its rolls to resist supernatural effects. The creature that inhabits the location is also immune to the effects of any other Environments the Place might possess This Environment is always active for as long as the creature resides at the location. These droids and drones are hostile or any living member of the Animalia Kingdom without a Security Pass for their Current area, including supernatural ones. Dead and Undead creatures are treated as refuse when by clean up drone and droids when unmoving, which is say they are carted to incinerators for disposal when found.
Wonders Beyond Imagining: The Seattle of TOMORROW has an ability to fulfill the hearts desire of a character at the location. How the wish manifests is through searching the city to find the item desired or a facility that is able produce said item, with nearly any imaginable desire being possible if it can be found. Fulfilled Wonders can include removing or applying a condition or tilt, granting a Merit, Skill or Attribute at 5 dots, finding the knowledge needed to fulfill an Aspiration, or simply causing death and misfortune to befall someone else within Seattle OF TOMORROW. Items that can be taken with a person that do wondrous things are Supernal Artifacts in the form of fantastic technology, represented up to a Artifact •••••. In all cases, finding these things comes with a price that must be paid to reap the benefit of such power, the permanent loss of one of the character's Personal Aspirations, as they find themselves less driven the more they indulge partaking of the city's wonders. If a character has no Personal Aspirations they find nothing that this Environment represents works for them.
Dizzying World of the Future: The amazingly sleek, shiny, and wondrous city of tomorrow is a disorienting mass of walking pathways, monorails, transport tubes and corridors that twist, turn, and loop back upon themselves. Seattle OF TOMORROW isn't a literal labyrinth, but it is sufficiently maze-like that the distinction is mere semantics. Characters attempting to trace their steps or find a way out of the area must succeed at an Intelligence + Composure roll with a -3 dice penalty, and if they fail they gain the Lost Condition.
Impossible Cloning Technology: If an reasonably intact corpse is brought to one of the medical facilities, the location can return that dead person back to life through body scanning and cloning. The revived individual is merely human (or other mundane species, if that was previously the case) without any Templates, with the Soulless, Tainted (as per VtR), and Amnesia (Their whole lives) Conditions.

[Reighnhell]

RE: Seattle of TOMORROW

I gotta say that this is awesome! I have been very interested in the the Raygun Gothic Aesthetic lately, and this is the sort of plot hook that a group of players can explore for months.

Very Impressive!

[Reighnhell]

Here is a new one that I have been working on - It is very changeling-specific but I tried to make the rules open enough for wider use.

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Otherside
Gauntlet: N/A, Potency: 5, Willpower: 6
The place called “Otherside” is a township that exists within the supernatural borderland commonly called “The Hedge”. Its inhabitants are usually beings marked by the power of the Wyrd, such as Changelings and Hobgoblins, and the Fae- Touched. The town itself has a distinctly old fashioned character, the buildings resembling the architecture common to buildings from the 1930-1940s. The place is ruled by an elected Mayor, with a new mayor elected every 4 years. The overall territory encompasses multiple neighborhoods whose borders seem to shift, expand or contract as they see fit. Each of the neighborhoods has it own personality, but is considered part of Otherside and uses its Potency, Willpower, and environmental traits (each neighborhood has its own additional traits).
Environmental Traits: Otherworldly Domain, Temporal Distortion, Weirdness

Bizarre Bizarre: Bizarre Bizarre is the thriving marketplace of Otherside, and Goblin Merchants from far and wide go there to ply their trade. Any disputes are settled by The Commissioner, an elected official tasked with maintaining order and promoting fair commerce (or at least “fair” by the reckoning of the Wyrd). Bizarre Bizarre is connected to the mortal realm by Coffer Gate.
Additional Traits: Gateway (Mortal Realm), Lure, Specialty Feature (Bartering)

Copperworks: Copperworks is the industrial center of Otherside. Several factories refine goblin fruits, icons, and oddments into Tokens and other products. This is also the location where Glamour is refined, allowing it to be used both to provide power for the town, and as a form of currency. Copperworks also maintains a small train station that connects the neighborhoods of Otherside and many places beyond. Bizarre Bizarre is connected to the mortal realm by Jewel and Steed Gate.
Additional Traits: Gateway (Mortal Realm), Specialty Feature (Stable Trod 2), Specialty Feature (Wyrd Craft)

Heartwood: Situated near the center of Otherside, Heartwood is the home of most of the entertainment venues. The neighborhood boasts a large Theatre, two prominent taverns, and several small restaurants, hostels and shoppes. It is also where the majority of the non-transient population resides, occupying a variety of cozy apartments and cottages. Lastly, Heartwood is where the citizens militia is located, who are often called upon to defend Otherside from threats. Heartwood connected to the mortal realm by Shield and Sword Gate.
Additional Traits: Gateway (Mortal Realm), Inhabited (Residents), Specialty Feature (Carousing)

Hightown: Hightown is the seat of official power in Otherside. It is where the Courthouse, Mayor’s Office, Constables Station and other civic buildings are located. The neighborhood is neat and orderly, and looks significantly more modern than the rest of Otherside. Hightown also contains the larger and more prestigious residences. Hightown is overseen by the Vice Mayor, an official appointed by the Mayor directly. Hightown is connected to the mortal realm by Crown Gate.
Additional Traits: Gateway (Mortal Realm), Impose Ban (No Violence), Specialty Feature (Bureaucracy)

Underbelly: Underbelly is the sprawling, twisting catacombs beneath Otherside. The refuse and waste of the township end up here, and its where cutthroats and thieves gather. Without a guide, it is easy for one to get lost, and there are numerous hazards, from treacherous environments to even more treacherous creatures. The various miscreant and monstrous denizens are kept in line by The Boss, an elected official he task it is to minimize the depredations of the inhabitants of Underbelly. Underbelly is connected to the mortal realm by Mirror Gate.
Additional Traits: Gateway (Mortal Realm), Maze, Specialty Feature (Thievery)

[Vent0]

Hmm. What about an Observatory (whose strangeness ties into its nature as a place that observes other stars/planets)? And/or a place reputed to have been frequently visited by aliens?

Other ideas:
An "abandoned" lab used for "mad science".
A police station/hotel/library/government building in current use... that happens to host all manner of weirdness the staff just tries to ignore.
An abandoned temple... to no known religion.

A police station/hotel/library/government building in current use... that happens to host all manner of weirdness the staff just tries to ignore.

Elaborating on this - basically, a location with something incredibly strange, but not dangerous enough for the locals to do anything about so they just... deal.

Like a police station with a haunted cell. Except the ghost never leaves the cell, and it would cost more hire an exorcist than it would just to leave that cell empty.

Or a library where one section has a special filing system... because the decimal system (not just Dewey, but base 10) breaks down. Still, teach the new librarians the trick and don't stay in there after midnight (which is after hours anyways) and everyone is fine.

Or a church with 3 bio-mechanical things in the attic that talk to each other in strange tongues. Still, its only annoying when someone has to go up there for decorations, and they are kind enough to tell you the latest score for the game. Internet seems faster, too.

[Reighnhell]

Those are some fun ideas! Vent0 - lets get started

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The Hamilton Observatory
Gauntlet: -1, Potency: 2, Willpower: 3
Located on a hilltop several miles outside the city limits, the Hamilton Observatory is respected (if somewhat neglected) local institution. Established in 1968, the Observatory was a project funded by a Mrs. Mallory Hamilton, a very wealthy, very eccentric widow who believed visitors from beyond the stars would arrive to bring mankind into a new age. Even after her death in the early 1980’s, the Observatory continues to run with a volunteer staff on a large grant left behind by the Widow Hamilton’s estate, enough to keep it running for decades to come.
The Observatory has tracked an exceptional number of UFOs and other difficult to explain phenomena over the years, and has become a destination of interest for fringe scientists and UFO enthusiasts.

Environmental Traits: Sanctuary, Specialty Feature, Weirdness

Sanctuary: The Observatory is a place that is calming, and visitors find themselves filled of a sense of curiosity, optimism, and wonder.

Specialty Feature: The Hamilton boasts a high-powered telescope and recently updated computer systems, which provide a bonus to Science rolls involving Astronomy. The Observatory also keeps detailed records about UFO encounters and grants a bonus to rolls involving researching Aliens and UFOs.

Weirdness: The Observatory seem to be a magnet for UFO phenomena and astrological oddities. Lights in the sky, wandering stars, and constellations that disappear and reappear randomly have all been observed from the telescope.

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Research Site 22
Gauntlet: -3, Potency: 2, Willpower: 3
The facility called “Research Site 22” in the official records of the Balam Medical Research Corporation was decommissioned in the late 2000’s. It is located at the end of a remote service road only several miles from the Mexican side US/Mexican border. Despite being a “closed site”, the location still sees occasional service for some of the companies more exotic medical experiments. In addition to the research laboratories, Site 22 also has kennels, holding cells, an incinerator for trash and waste, and a small dormitory for on site staff.

Environmental Traits: Sealed Exits, Specialty Feature, Suppress Power

Sealed Exits: Research Site 22 has a building that contain several holding cells that were designed to hold human (or at least humanoid) captives. Attempts to escape one of these cells requires an extended Intelligence+Larceny roll with a -3 penalty that requires 10 successes, with one roll applied each day of captivity. For attempts to physically break through the doors or walls, the durability of such barriers gain a +3 bonus.

Specialty Feature: Research Site 22 has an arsenal of sophisticated equipment for Medical and Scientific research and development involving biology, genetics and surgery.

Suppress Power: Research Site 22 was built on a location that naturally seems to deaden the influence of other worldly forces. Abilities that draw on scientific or para-scientific principles are immune to this effect.

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The Verdigris Island
Gauntlet: +2(Locus), Potency: 4, Willpower: 5
What has become known as “The Verdigris Island” was discovered in the 1950’s in the south pacific by a survey team scouting for locations to conduct atomic weapons testing. The island had no human habitation, but the island is dotted with statues and totems crafted of copper that depict strange entities, Near the geographic center of the island is a large ziggurat style temple comprised of volcanic stone and plates of copper, gone green with verdigris. The inside of the temple is filled with idols of tentacled, piscine figures and carvings that depict rites involving sacrifice, cannibalism, and other deviant practices. The architectural style does not match any that would be native to the region, and the entire island is covered by strange, mutant vegetation and dangerously elevated amounts of radiation, despite the fact no atomic tests are on record of being conducted on the island. By government order, the island was marked a restricted area and documentation about its location and what was discovered there have been classified.

Environmental Traits: Maddening, Maze, Remote, Toxic

Maddening: There is a lingering malevolence on the item, plaguing any that inhabit the island with insomnia and intense anxiety.

Maze: The odd vegetation, spongy soil and weird statuary covering the island are disorienting, and make it very easy for explorers to lose their way.

Remote: The island is difficult to locate, and there have been no documented visitors since 1967. Each roll represents a day of navigation, and suffers a -2 penalty, as the elements themselves seem to conspire to keep the island hidden.

Toxic: The island emits a hazardous levels of radiation, the source of which remains unknown. Without proper precautions, explorers can expect to develop a degree of radiation sickness in a relatively short period of time.

[Pale_Crusader]

The Onyx Path
The Onyx Path is a trail through otherworldly places which always begins and ends in the material world. The path, which is cobbled with fist sized onyx stones, has been known to traverse deep in claustrophobic primordial heavy canopied forests in the hisil, with trees and brush so tightly interwoven it is impossible to see the sky or step off the trail. The slick black stone covered floors of the path have wound their way through muddy walled caverns in the underworld where corners of coffins juts menacingly from the soggy grave earth. The path has wormed it way through Abyssal realms of fleshy walls screaming in agony, Astral realms where the path with breathable air seems to cut through the vacuum of space itself where falling of the path's edge leads to landing back on the path, or even tunnel of smooth safe walking within the Hedge where the jagged brier walls and ceiling ache to prick and tear the traveler's skin. The Onyx Path is as much an event or phenomenon as it is a place since it changes starting and ending points and what realm it cuts through to get between them. Its entrance and exit in the material universe are always symbolically appropriate for route and other world it cuts through, and the distances in actual material realm space can be cosmic in scale, making it a remarkable shortcut. Traveling the whole length of the path only takes a single scene if the traveler rushes, ignoring every distraction, and does not stop to tarry. This is vitally important for two reasons: the first of which is the path only exists for two successive scenes, allowing for only one scene of distraction if traveler allows nothing else to slow them down. The reason this in important is because there are always Ephemeral Entities seeking to distract, tempt, seduce, coerce, bribe and anything short of violence in order to delay the journey of material travelers, as it greatly benefits Ephemeral Entities to be on the Onyx Path with material beings when the Path ceases to exist.

Die Pool: 13
Gauntlet: 5 (When through the Hisil)
Potency: 5
Mystery Opacity: 6
Willpower: 6
Environments:
Haunted: The Onyx Path always has at least three Ephemeral Entities appropriate to the nature of the otherworldly realm on it, and has the Open Condition in relation to those specific entities Manifestations, Influences and Numina. This Environment is always active. While in this location all Ephemeral Entities within treat the Place's Imposed Bans as if they were their own personal Bans.
Sealed Exits: The Onyx always prevent everyone from leaving the location except at its beginning or end. By spending a point of Willpower all other points of access impassible until the end of the scene. Anyone who attempts to exit the location except at those two points must succeed at a Resolve + Composure roll with a -6 dice penalty ()including the Penalty from violating the Ban) Attempts to physically destroy the barrier are also met with resistance; increase the durability of such barriers by 6, and additionally invoke the -3 penalty levied by the Ban.
Impose Ban: The Place has rules that those who enter it domain must obey or face dire consequences. Any character within the location temporarily gains a Ban Condition, as must abide by the terms of the Ban set down by the Place. Breaking the Ban imposes a -3 die penalty to all actions for as long as the offending character remains at the location, and such characters often become the target of the Place’s ire. The Three Rules: Never remove a stone from the path, Never try to leave the path except at its start or end, Never attack anyone or thing on the path.
Gateway: The location contains two portals to the material realm, and passes through an otherworldly realm which varies with each manifestation. Typically a location only has one such access point, but large or powerful locations can often connect through multiple points (or to multiple different Realms). The location as the Gateway Condition, which is linked to a specific otherworldly realm (Such as the Hedge, the Primordial Dream, the Shadow, the Underworld or other, more exotic places). Traveling the whole length of the path from beginning to end only takes a single scene if the traveler rushes, ignoring every distraction, and does not stop to tarry. If the rule of the Imposed Ban is broken by a material being the path loses the Gateway Condition at its beginning and end forcing the material beings on the path to try to escape off the path into the Otherworldly Realm if they want to survive the path Vanishing.
Vanishing: The Onyx Path only exists for two successive scenes, allowing for only one scene of distraction if traveler allows nothing else to slow them down. On the ending of the second scene the path and any material beings which doesn't have the equivalent of the Immortal Dread Power that is still on it simply cease to be, and even the Immortal die until their Resurrection clause is fulfilled. All Ephemeral Entities that are on the path when it ceases to be are shunted into a location of their native realm of their choosing, and if there were material beings with souls on the path then all the ephemeral beings arrive at their destination with full Willpower and Essence. The Ephemeral Entities for which the Onyx Path is Open innately know this aspect of the Onyx Path's nature.

[Vent0]

I'm going to list these ideas here for now. If someone wants to complete them (or variants of them) before I do, feel free.

Morphean Verge - A location where reality turns “fuzzy” and dream-like. May congeal Dreamstone over time.

[]’s Books and Curios - A “wandering” occult bookstore and pawn shop.

[Whispering Vault] - Grants secrets and power to the holder of the Whispering Stone. Allows [Great Ones] to mature into [Ascended Ones].

[Pale_Crusader]

Lake Crescent, Clallam County, Washington
People scoff at the idea of a bottomless lake in most modern circles. The whole idea smacks of ignorant superstition of people not sophisticated enough to hold to a measurable materialistic world view. Unfortunately for those that hold to such a view the universe feels no obligation to limit itself to their narrow-minded and myopic expectations. Lake Crescent is Officially measured at 624ft only because at the time the official measurement was taken in the 1950's that was the limit of their sounding gear, and in the 1980 it was over 1000 ft the limits of the technology at that time. In 2013-2014 Guardians of the Veil used very simple Forces magic by science savvy Mages to alter the results of a geographic survey to hide the mystical nature of the Lake. That Cabal of Guardians of the Veil runs a Mystery Cult centered around the Relic Boulder featured in a Klallum tribe legend about the sundering of the lake Tsulh-mut into Crescent Lake and Sutherland Lake, and study the Mystery of the Crescent Lake. The Mystery Cult is meant as a way to attract and recruit Mages whom Awaken due to becoming obsessed with the any of the Mysteries in the area
Traits
Die Pool: 9
Gauntlet: 1
Potency: 3
Mystery Opacity: 4
Willpower: 4.
Environments:
Gateway: The location contains a massive portal to a different realm. As you dive down past 200 meters and the light from the surface dims in the crystal clear water to near nothing you are no longer in the material world as we know it, and the state of Twilight ceases to separate the material and the Ephemeral. The location as the Gateway Condition, which is linked to a specific otherworldly realm which does not neatly fit anywhere on cosmological maps. The realm is surprising free of native Ephemeral Entities, with only immigrant from the material realm that seemingly Materializing there due to the lack of Twilight. The realm goes a kilometer in depth before it opens up and the sides fall away leaving nothing but black water in all directions.
Innocent Façade: To casual observation, the location appears perfectly normal, with not even a hint of anything unusual happening. While this Environment is active, any attempts to Investigate or use abilities to detect supernatural activity suffer a -3 penalty until the end of the scene. The use of other Environments immediately ends the effect of Innocent Façade.
Temporal Distortion: Time moves strangely in the otherworldly realm this location opens up to. The effects are not apparent while a Character is at the location, but when they leave the Characters will notice that they have spent far more (or less) time at the location then they had anticipated. Each time a Character leaves the location, the Place rolls its Dice Pool, each success increases the time that has passed in the material world at the location by an hour per minute spent. For example if 3 successes were rolled and the person was below 200 meters in depth for 20 minutes, that'd translate to two and a half days passing in the material world long enough for most people waiting for them to assumed they drown.
Weirdness: For some reason corpses, both inanimate and animate undergo saponification if they enter the otherworldly realm for any length of time, for animated corpses like vampires this means they fill up their health track with Bashing damage, which they may not heal until they peel off the offending skin and fat, and may then regrow their normal undead flesh if the are outside of that otherworldly realm. Fortunately the peeling off the offending bit inflicts no more damage as that is already accounted for. Needless to say it has given the lake a bad reputation among traveling Gangrel.


Mystery Cult Initiation (Clallam County Gem & Mineral Society)
Purpose: To study supernatural geological features on the Olympic Peninsula and collect relic minerals and fossils
Relic: Rebuke of the Storm King, the mythical boulder thrown down by the Storm King Mountain that cleaved Sutherland Lake from Crescent Lake and kill warriors battling at his feet, eight thousand years ago.
Nicknames: Rockhounds
Doctrine: The natural physical world is literally a magical place, channeling natural and supernatural governed by both physical and metaphysical laws, just as mountains shape the wind and rain patterns of the area so too does the landscape shape forces not recognized by reputable scientific circles. The Olympic Peninsula is an area rich in mystical sites forged by nature in prehistory and relics in the form of minerals and fossils.

• 'Initiates' gain a Specialty in Science (Geology)
•• 'Members' gain Area of Expertise - Science (Geology) • Merit
••• 'Guides' gain Science • Skill though diligent study
•••• 'True Seekers' gain Artifact (Seeker's Compass)••• Merit through finding during a journey of self discovery solo camping trip in the Olympic Mountains
••••• 'Blessed by the Mountains' gain the Retainer (Fossil Ammonite Horror-See below) ••• Merit

Seeker's Compass (Artifact •••)
This antique-looking brass compass has three independently swiveling needles, each drawn to a different phenomenon. The Silver needle is drawn to Essence flows and Loci. The Onyx needle is drawn to Avernian Gates. The Opal needle is drawn to leylines, and nodes. Looking through the small crystal azimuth viewer shows leylines and nodes a crackling fields of neon blue energy. It hums to the tough when activated and within a Hallow. When not actively functioning the needles slowly spin instead of point a direction. The brass is engraved in High Speech Runes stating roughly "The wise will find what they are meant to find and the foolish will also find what they meant to find" around the side and High Speech Runes for "Seeker's Compass" on the top. The artifact is activated when the compass is held properly for shooting an azimuth and the holder speaks the phrase's translation in their native language.
Mana Pool: 6
Gnosis: 2
Arcanum: Prime 3 (for extra Reach and Casting Pool)
Free Reach: Instant Casting, Advanced Duration, The mage’s perceptions expand to tell her when a node sits atop a Hallow.
Path And Yantra Bonus: Obrimos, +1

Sacred Geometry (Prime • + Death • + Spirit •)
Practice: Unveiling
Primary Factor: Duration
Suggested Rote Skills: Academics, Occult, Survival
While her senses are open to this spell, the subject can clearly perceive ley lines and nodes. Depending on the caster’s Path and Nimbus, she might see them as beams of golden light meeting at shining Platonic solids, electric-blue rivers pooling into lakes, or strains of music building into a mighty symphony. If there are no ley lines or nodes within sensory range, the subject feels a tugging sensation toward the nearest ley or node. Add Death • and Spirit •: The mage’s senses are also attuned to the presence of Avernian Gates or Loci, respectively.


Storm King's Rebuke (Relic •••••)
This massive hundreds of ton boulder of limestone that eight thousand years ago was hurled down by the Spirit of the Storm King Mountain to kill the waring tirbes at its feet has been moved from its original resting spot by the great magical labors by a cabal of Guardians of the Veil in 1954 in their efforts to find a benign enough relic to base their Clallam County Gem & Mineral Society Mystery Cult Initiation around, and as a side benefit they found that the supernal has blessed the creation of the organization by making those that become 'True Seekers' find an artifact that comes to the Fallen World during their camping trip which they are destined to find. Needless to say the Cabal and its successors are greatly pleased with the organization's success and more than a few members of the Cabal are in earnest members of that Mystery Cult too.

Stone Servant of Peace: The Storm King's desire for peace has suffused the boulder and all the lives it took on that cataclysmic day has given it the power to bring stone that was one alive which comes from the Storm King Mountain (Which is made of ancient Sea Floor) with the desire to serve and bring peace. Any Clallam County Gem & Mineral Society member who has come be be Blessed by the Mountain can ceremonially ask the boulder to animate a Fossil Ammonite as a stone Horror who functions as a 3 dot retainer, having the owner who is present during the ceremony either pay the experience representing the effort in offering, or gain it as part the initiation to become a Blessed by the Mountain. The Blessed of the Mountain are unable to do this ceremony for themselves.

Fossilized Ammonite (Horror Minion)
This is an enchanted fossilized Ammonite about the size of a housecat which has been carved free from the embedded in limestone found on the Storm King Mountain. It has been brought to life by the power of the Storm King's Rebuke in order to act as adviser and servant of its owner. It's voice can be heard as a whisper with your ear to its shell opening. While using Telekinesis it extends ectoplasmic tendrils making clear the source of physical manipulation of the objects moved by Telekinesis. Being returned to the sea eats away at the animating e

Best At: 3 Dice (Finding supernatural rocks, Giving sound prophetic advice to its owner, Sorting objects with Telekinesis)
Worst At: Chance Die (Performing a physical tasks without Telekinesis such as rolling or tipping over, Acting at all while observed by anyone other than owner)
Other Tasks: 1 Die
Aspiration: Loyally Serve Its Owner, Prevent Strife and Fighting
Willpower/Scene: 2
Initiative: 10
Durability: 5
Size: 2
Structure: 7
Bane: Sea Water
Speed:] 0 (base Strength Granted by Telekinesis)
Dread Powers: Numen-Telekinesis, Seek-Supernatural Rocks (Rank=1), Numen- Omen Trance

Storm King
Rank: 5
Attributes: Power 15, Finesse 10, Resistance 15
Willpower: 10
Essence: 50
Initiative: 25
Defense: 15
Speed: 25
Size: 120
Corpus: 135
Influences: Stone 5,
Manifestations: Fetter, Gauntlet Breach, Reaching, Shadow Gateway, Twilight Form, Unfetter
Numina: Awe, Blast (Stone), Implant Mission, Innocuous, Omen Trance, Pathfinder, Seek, Sign, Stalwart
Ban: Unable to leave the Storm King Mountain
Bane:

[Reighnhell]

The Hazelwood Academy
Gauntlet: +0, Potency: 4, Willpower: 5
The Hazelwood Academy (est. 1880) is a prestigious private high school located in New England. The school provides award winning education in art, history, language, literature, mathematics, and science. The school is a full boarding school, and most of the students spend the majority of their year on campus. While most of the students are the children of the wealthy and powerful, many of the students come from humbler backgrounds, and are offered special scholarships that cover the cost of their education. Graduates almost universally go on to become successful and wealthy individuals.
The Hazelwood Academy was established by members of the 7th Generation, with the goal of raising those with the blood of hell with education and influence befitting their station. In addition to the more mundane curriculum, students are also educated in the occult and trained in using their infernal gifts. The environment in the school is brutally competitive, and one or two students each year die from mishap or suicide (which is always neatly covered up).

Environmental Traits: Inhabited, Innocent Facade, Specialty Feature, Weirdness

Inhabited: Nearly everyone that resides on the grounds of the Hazelwood Academy is touched by sinister powers. While visitors, guests, and temporary hires come and go, nearly every member of the student body, faculty, and staff are members of a cult with deep ties to the so-called “7th Generation”.

Innocent Façade: The Hazelwood Academy is seeped in history, respectability and prestige. Anyone investigated into the strange occurrences and history of violence will encounter reasonable explanations and insufficient evidence. Anyone that becomes a nuisance can expect the institution to bring its full litigious weight against them.

Specialty Feature: The Hazelwood Academy has a number of resources, but is particularly well known for its expansive Library, which provides a bonus for Academic, Occult or Politics research. The environment is also twisted towards the use of dark powers, granting a +1 bonus to rolls involving powers of Infernal origin.

Weirdness: There is a lingering malevolence that has seeped into every inch of the property, which manifest in peculiar ways. Whispering can be heard wherever there is running water, the lighting can dim, brighten and flicker seemingly at random, and reflective surface often show glimpses of individuals (and...things) that are not there.

[xela_nut]

The Maw
Gauntlet: +0, Potency: +5, Willpower: 6.
The Maw is a massive underwater structure. Most of the year it remains submerged beneath the waves; however, once a year, it surfaces. Then, the guests come. They are presented with a massive feast with practically limitless food. And then they are no more. No one who has entered the Maw has ever come back.
Many children are taken to the Maw. What happens to them is unknown, but some of the food at the Maw isn't exactly shaped like fish...

Environmental Traits: Inhabited, Lure, Memory Loss, Obstruction, Remote, Specialty Feature: Kitchen, Specialty Feature: Guest Rooms, Tainted Area.

Inhabited: The Maw has many staff members including a Janitor, Chefs, and even little Nomes who run the engines.

Lure: Those consumed by gluttony or desire for pleasure and nothing else are drawn to the maw.

Memory Loss: The children who stay in the Maw end up slowly losing their memories unless they keep talking about them.

Obstruction: There are numerous objects that hinder movement throughout the Maw. Fortunately, they tend to obstruct the inhabitants and guests more than the captives.

Remote: The Maw spends most of its time in very remote corners of the ocean.

Specialty Feature: Kitchen: The Maw has a kitchen capable of producing food for a great many people.

Specialty Feature: Guest Rooms: The guests are given a common room to eat in and rooms to sleep in when they grow tired. Of course, the guests who go to sleep tend not to wake up.

Tainted Area: The Maw has a sense of wrongness about it that can be sensed by those with supernatural powers.

[Reighnhell]

Isla Azure
Gauntlet: +1 Potency: 3, Willpower: 4
Isla Azure is a remote island 120miles off the western coast of Costa Rica. There are steam vents in many places, and the ground is often hot underfoot. Because of this, and also because of prevailing currents, Isla Azure lies in a foggy area. The island covers roughly 22 square miles, being 8 miles long and 3 miles wide at its widest point. The island is hilly in the south, with its highest point rising 2000ft above sea level. The north is largely flat. The entire island is covered with thick tropical jungle and indigenous wildlife and surrounded by jagged rocks and treacherous waters that are dangerous enough to discourage would-be explorers.
The island seems to be a focal point of a temporal anomaly. The few that have visited the island speak of prehistoric mega-fauna appearing and disappearing with the tropical storms that are a frequent occurrence on the island. So far no one has been able to provide proof of such creatures, and those who venture to the island to obtain it are rarely seen again.

Environmental Traits: Extreme Weather, Inhabited, Remote

Extreme Weather: Isla Azure is lashed by sudden tropical storms, characterized by torrential rains, high winds, and lightning strikes. These storms appear at seemingly random times year round, but rarely last for more than a day. Common Environmental Tilts include Flooded, Heavy Rain and Heavy Winds.

Inhabited: At any given time, the Island is home to a menagerie of prehistoric flora and fauna. These creatures often appear during of the frequent storms, and disappear when the next storm arrives. So far, no one has successfully captured a specimen, as any creature or plant removed from the island vanishes without a trace.

Remote: The remote location of the island makes locating it difficult. Even if found, the stormy weather, deadly surf, and thick mists impede attempts to make landfall (or leave the island)by air or sea. Attempts to do so require a successful Wits+Drive (Sea or Air Vehicle) roll with a -3 penalty.

[Reighnhell]

Green Hill
Gauntlet: -1 Potency: 2, Willpower: 3
Green Hill, Montana is a place that has not appeared on any maps since the early 90’s. All roads too and from the derelict town are neglected and fallen into disrepair. The town itself is abandoned, and almost every structure has become overgrown by a thick, verdant tangle of vegetation. These plants match no known taxonomy, and take the forms of creeping vines, yellow blossoms, and fleshy pods bursting with seeds. Even stranger, the rampant growth stops precisely 1kilometer from the edge of town, growing not even one inch further. Attempts to burn or poison the weird plants are ultimately futile, any destroyed vegetation re-asserts itself in the matter of weeks, faster with ample rain.
Signs and fencing have been erected warning away travelers and the curious, but every year a handful explorers find the town, and more than a few of them do not return.

Environmental Traits: Dilapidated, Inhabited, Obstruction, Remote

Dilapidated: What was once a rural community with several hundred residents is now and effective ghost town, with the buildings collapsing and the streets reclaim by nature. It is likely that within a decade or two very few structures will remain standing.

Inhabited: The strange plants seem to posses a will of their own. Once night has fallen, the plants will harry, harass, and ultimately try to devour any living thing within the borders of Green Hill.

Obstruction: The dense undergrowth and foliage impedes travel, quickly exhausting the will and resources of looking to explore the town.

Remote: Green Hill is several miles out of the way, requiring a visitor to navigate a collection of back roads far removed from any major streets or highways.

---

The Lost Highway
Gauntlet: +0, Potency: 1, Willpower: 2
The so-called “Lost Highway” is a decommissioned road that stretches between Los Angeles and Los Vegas. The road is never patrolled by police and despite the years that have passed since it was decommissioned, remains in excellent condition. It earned its nickname from the urban legends that have sprung up around it. The stories say that if one drives down a particular stretch of the road at the stroke of midnight at exactly 66 miles per hour, the driver and vehicle will disappear from the world, never to be seen again. If the legends are to be believed, it is because of this phenomena that the road was decommissioned. While no on has ever been able to prove that there is truth to the stories, each year enough people traveling between Los Angeles and Los Vegas vanish, fueling further speculation.

Environmental Traits: Gateway, Specialty Feature, Temporal Distortion

Gateway: There is a one mile section of the Highway, at exactly the mid point between the city limits of Los Angeles and Los Vegas that opens directly into the Underworld. The driver must be traveling at exactly 66 miles per hour at the stroke of midnight (local time). If these conditions are met, the vehicle and all passengers drive directly into the Underworld. Individuals transported this way are not afforded a means to escape and must employ their own resources (if any). This doorway can only be opened once every 28days, even if the proper conditions are met.

Specialty Feature: Drivers along the Highway experience a smooth and efficient ride. Even dilapidated vehicles ride and handle as if freshly tuned, providing a bonus to Drive rolls.

Temporal Distortion: Time moves strangely along the Lost Highway. Travelers experience a distinct sense of lost time, arriving at their destination much sooner (or later) than expected.