OGRE
Enormous, misshapen, and hideously powerful, ogres are a common anomaly type that is nonetheless quite dangerous compared to others.
Ogres are born out of people’s sense of inadequacy and failure, shame, and self-hatred, or just a deep desire for misery. When someone psychically sensitive falls into a deep hole of loathing and hopelessness, an ogre begins to form in their psyche and take root.
Ogres commonly manifest in:
- People ground down to a pulp by life - bullying, traffic, debt, overwork, etc.
- People who suffer from a deep, existential self loathing.
- People dealing with extreme grief.
Primary emotion: Despair
Appearance and Psychophysiology: Ogres are almost always extremely large, strong, and bulky and manifest a typical malformed, monstrous appearance, often due to the low self worth of their hosts. When fused with a host, the host may appear to be a worse, ‘uglier’ version, as they judge themselves. An ogre’s mere presence sucks the energy and life out of a room, even if mundane humans cannot see it, lowering the temperature. They are associated with frost, mist, mud, and ill weather. When pressed in a fight they are enormously strong and durable, able to rapidly regenerate from their wounds, tear a human in half, and ignore even extreme punishment.
Behavior: Ogres are unusual in that they are extremely anti-social, self deprecating, and conflict averse for anomalies, and usually just want to be left alone. It is extremely rare for ogres to manifest post mortem and they are typically very emotionally attached to their hosts. They are often co-dependent and may spend their time tormenting or comforting their host, sometimes both, preferring to push them and those around them into self destructive behavior or a deep laconic haze.
ARCHIVED OGRES
THE MINOTAUR
Possessed subject O76, post mortem, type III. O76 worked at major financial firm █████ and had been suffering from workplace hazing culture and harassment for five years and seven months. Upon manifestation the company building was converted into █████ trapping 153 humans inside, executioners were able to execute and exfiltrate with only a 30% casualty rate.
BUCEPHALUS
Subject O33, Type II, fused with CAT 4 ogre after release from her job for numerous workplace tardiness infractions due to extreme morning commute. Continued to roam highways, family called in subject of concern and executioners ███, ███, and ███ sent. Section of highway █████ 3 miles in diameter became miasma zone and was put under quarantine, executioners were able to locate palace inside of parked car and execute around 0200, 30 hours after infiltration. 155 civilian casualties, no executioners KIA, mission deemed largely successful.
BLUE OGRE
Subject O167, Type I, semi-rural region in ███,. Executioners called after murders of three high schoolers with supernatural cause suspected. Subject had failed to enter university, engage in employment, or attract any romantic relationships and had concealed these facts from his family out of shame for multiple years. Manifestation eliminated but no execution recorded, subject MIA. Executioners were disciplined.
TRAUMAS
The Admin, as the ogre, answers the following questions (or writes their own), then establishes a trauma based on the truthful answers.
- Who or what pushed you into this hole?
- Who or what is keeping you from going over the edge?
- What are you most ashamed of?
For every question the executioners answer, they can counter an anomalies reaction, rolling 1d3 after the anomaly acts. Reduce any stress suffered by all targets by the amount on the die, and the anomaly immediately takes that many slashes on its execution clock from the psychic trauma, which cannot reduce it below 1.
PALACE
Tracking an ogre down is often a matter of finding its host, or where its host is currently residing. Once influenced by an ogre, a host usually withdraws from society and cuts off its connections, making this harder than it would usually be.
An ogre’s palace typically resembles a mirror of a space significant to the ogre’s host, but long decayed and significantly expanded in size into a warren or maze-like space. Interspersed in the area is garbage, junk, and things the ogre has collected. The ogre typically barely fits inside and may have to painfully squeeze or crouch to move around, although this doesn’t seem to slow it down at all.
Typical palaces resemble:
- Abandoned or derelict buildings.
- Filthy high rise apartments.
- Closed or shuttered schools.
- Empty, dead workplaces or offices.
Ogre palaces are: Dark/Wet/Cold/Musty/Reeking/Filthy.
PRESSURE: MIASMA
The very presence of an ogre begins to infect an area with a dark Miasma. When an ogre appears, the weather will typically sour in the local area over the next few days and remain that way until the ogre reaches critical mass and undergoes an anomalous event or is executed. This miasma typically manifests the following way:
- Buildings, objects, roads, and other constructions in the area begin to degrade as though they have suffered from poor maintenance for years.
- Clouds shroud the sun and fog rolls in. Over time, the fog becomes thicker and thicker and eventually acquires a sour smell.
- A thick white mold begins to grow over surfaces.
- Technology, phone lines, electricity, and internet stop working reliably, and eventually stops working all together.
- Architecture stops conforming to sense and becomes maze-like or nonsensical.
- Humans spending time inside the miasmatic area begin to share in the ogre’s outlook and become more and more hostile.
When the executioners arrive, the miasma should cover only part of the area the executioners are trying to investigate, like a few blocks. Each time pressure increases, the miasma spreads to a new area. When pressure fills up completely, the situation gets out of control. The Ogre increases in CAT by +1, and the miasma covers the entire area of the investigation - no matter where the executioners go, the miasma follows them for the duration of the mission - even if they leave the investigation area.
TRACES
May take a free reaction 1/round if fought alongside an anomaly:
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STUMBLERS
Stumblers are bulbous and misshapen humanoids formed from the shame and guilt of the ogre and drawn to sources of warmth, such as humans. They start to appear in greater and greater numbers inside the miasma area and are partly visible to graceless humans, who can be driven catatonic by merely looking at one for longer than a glance. Though they don’t need to eat, they will rip apart living beings they come across and devour them.
Stumblers (anomaly): Execution tag 2 (solo), 4 (group), 6 (massive group). The have the following features:
- Disintegrate rapidly outside of the miasma.
- Slow and uncoordinated. Actions that can take advantage of this roll +1D against them.
- Take -1 slash from physical harm.
Reactions:
Inflict stress. Attacks with: misshapen body, rusted metal, spurts of fluid. (1) 4 stress, (2/3): 3 stress, (4+): 2 stress.
Or: create a complication or threat: Grab someone, smother in flesh, infected bite, rupture and threaten to explode, fuse to wall, ear-splitting screaming, devour humans.
EXECUTION
8 + Pressure + CAT
ATTACKS WITH: Teeth, claws, fetid water, black spew (1) 5 stress, (2/3): 3 stress, (4+): 2 stress.
COMPLICATIONS: Kill lights, summon mist, spew ceaselessly on someone, bury an executioner in mud, slime, or vomit, pin down an executioner, release acrid stench, smash walls, floor, or ceilings, retreat into darkness, add a bystander, use a domain.
SEVERE ATTACK: PULVERIZE: An ogre can use this ability on a ‘1’ on the risk roll, striking out with overwhelming and crushing force: a flurry of limbs, a torrent of darkness, an elephant-like foot, a cavernous jaw. They can only use it once a mission.
Target an executioner. Any other executioners nearby must decide to fly to their aid. Any that don’t offer aid cannot participate. Start with a pool of 6d6. Then remove one dice for each of the following. If an answer is ‘no’, you or someone aiding you can immediately make a single action roll to attempt rectify the answer, with only a few moments to act.
- Is another person aiding you? They can describe how.
- Can you grab on to something nearby?
- Do you have a source of bright light or heat?
- Is the ogre distracted, hindered, or under duress in some way?
- Then roll the dice.
The executioners and any aiding them take 1 stress for every die rolled, no matter the result. If at least one ‘1’ comes up, the targeted executioner immediately takes an injury and the mangled limbs affliction: all physical activity is hard unless set up by an ally or participating in teamwork.
If two or more ‘1’s come up, the executioner has one or more of their limbs torn off (roll 1d3: 1: arm 2: leg 3: both legs). Roll 1d6 for left or right (left on 1-3, right on 4-6). They take an injury, pass out until the scene passes, then all physical activity is hard for them without teamwork. After the mission is over, they can adjust to their disability and this no longer has an effect on them (determine with Admin how your character heals).
THREATS: Grab an executioner and squeeze the life out of them. Hurl executioners through a wall. Collapse architecture. Summon minions. Kill bystanders. Infect with dark pulsing veins. Cause a flash flood or freeze. Blind someone in a miasmatic cloud. Use a domain. Do something dark, crushing, or vile.
AFFLICTIONS
Given by a threat, hook, or tension move.
- White Mold: Spreading white veins and coughing indicate mold infection. Subtract 1 from all resting rolls while afflicted and cannot eat, drink, or use consumables.
- Frozen Limbs: Physical activity or fine motor skill is hard if it requires more than one limb.
- Circling the Drain: Cannot benefit from teamwork or setup. Permanently add to your agenda: give up on something.
- Black Lungs: Speaking spews out black sludge. All communication that requires speaking is hard.
- Rotting: Black rot has taken in the body. Take 1 stress each time pressure fills up. If this inflicts an injury, it inflicts instant death.
- The Weight: Permanently add to your agenda: die.
Or improvise: make a skill or activity hard or risky.
DOMAINS
Choose Three.
1. HOSTILE DOOR PATTERNS
The world itself begins to turn against the executioners. As a complication or a tension move, the ogre supernaturally erases entrances, exits, roads, vehicles, or light sources in an area of about CAT+2. These return when the scene passes or if the complication is dealt with.
Once a hunt, as a tension move, if an executioner opens any door, the entire group suddenly finds themself in an area of twisting corridors, pitch black darkness, and distant but troubling noises. The area is both dangerous and hostile to them. Finding an exit and escaping will require playing out a scene or two, and the Admin can set out tags as needed.
2. THE UNSEEING OF THINGS
The miasma becomes permeated with an deep, cloying dark. The ogre is invisible in darkness. It becomes hard to do anything to the ogre unless it is brightly lit or an action doesn’t rely on sight.
As a tension move, all electric lights not held by an executioner sputter out and cease functioning until pressure increases again. The Admin immediately picks an executioner and asks them ‘What do you see in the dark?’. They must answer truthfully and gain 1d3 nonlethal stress after answering.
3. THE GRINDING OF WHEELS
The ogre can force executioners to experience some of the crushing trauma that caused its birth. As a tension move, the ogre can pick an executioner. That executioner is afflicted by the Despair affliction.
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DESPAIR: This special affliction can only affect one executioner at once. They permanently gain the agenda item push people away even after losing this affliction.
Ask that executioner the question who in this group will let you down? Any time the chosen person fails an action roll, the afflicted executioner gains 1 nonlethal stress. However, if this triggered at least once during a session, at the end of that session also gain 1 xp.
4. THE AWFUL FLESH
The ogre can regenerate rapidly from injuries.
- It regenerates 1 segment of the execution tag every time a risk result of ‘1’ is rolled in a conflict scene where it is present.
- The ogre takes -1 slash on its execution tag unless damaged by fire, acid, or some other strong chemical or solvent in the same scene.
5. THE INEVITABLE PLACE OF MEAT
The ogre can temporarily cause the miasma to accelerate its effects.
- The touch of the ogre can rapidly rot and decay objects, plant matter, and constructions, destroying them and dissolving them into mud and slime.
- Executioners inside the miasma start to superficially rot if they spend scenes there - hair falling out, sunken skin, dead skin cells, nails falling out, etc. They recover from this damage after the mission.
- As a tension move the ogre can cause an executioner inside the miasma to start decaying. They gain the Rotting affliction (see afflictions).
- Executioners subtract 1 from all their healing rolls.
6. THE LASH CALLS YOU BROTHER
At the start of a mission, the Ogre chooses an executioner and creates a creature formed from the guilt and shame of that executioner. The Admin secretly asks the targeted executioner the following questions:
- Which ally are you embarrassed to be around?
- What’s the worst thing you ever did?
- What do you hate the most about yourself?
The creature takes a form that plays off these answers. It is a trace with the following execution tag.
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CRUSHER
Execution tag 6+CAT. If defeated, is destroyed permanently. It has the following features:
- Deals +1 stress against the executioner it is formed from.
- That executioner’s actions are hard against it.
- Attempts to harm only its target in a fight if present.
Reactions:
Inflict stress. Attacks with: decaying, oversized weaponry, mutated flesh. (1) 4 stress and rotting affliction, (2/3): 3 stress, (4+): 2 stress.
Or: create a complication or threat: Grab by the throat, Pin down someone, raise weapon to cleave, charge someone through a wall, floor, or door, swing wildly, cause collateral damage.
Or: Force confession: Force the executioner to confess aloud the answer to one of the questions they answered. They take 1 nonlethal stress, or else take 1d6 lethal stress if they refuse to answer. Works once per question.
7. WHERE YOU BELONG
The ogre can control mud, water, and ambient temperature to killing effect.
The ogre can sink into any sufficiently large pool of mud and reappear in short distance as part of any reaction it takes.
Whenever pressure increases, the ogre can change the weather in a CAT+2 area until the remainder of the mission, making it extremely hostile (freezing cold, rain, etc). It becomes hard or risky (or both) to perform any activity outside in the area that requires concentration, focus, or manual dexterity without sufficient protection from the weather.
8. THE AGONY
At the start of the mission, the ogre can pick an executioner. That executioner gains the Sunken affliction for the rest of the mission.
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SUNKEN: While afflicted, up to three times as mission, when you take action, the Admin may ask them the question: Is your heart really in this?
- If you answer yes, you gain +1D on the action but also take 1d3+1 stress.
- If the answer is no, you roll at 0D no matter what, but recover 1 mental burst.