by Yann Golanski (27 May 94)
Spoilers of Chicago by Night 1 and 2. Big spoilers.
The characters find the following clues as to a magical object and the legends of powerful spirits. This is orgenised as "hand out" or as a "one to one" (ST + player) encounters:
"While looking over the books in the chantry / library / Alien Odities you find on old book written in Arabic that catches your eye. It is written in an old arabic dialect and lloks as it is quiet old. Strange thing, you never seemed to have ever noticed this ancient tome, and you should have since the smell of the incent surround the book and there is a feeling of mystery around this dark cover, as you remember the time you were reading books in your grandfather's home"
The book memtions a spirit/demon/creature (ref to as Eldars or Ancient ones) that had mightly magic(k)al powers. there is also a passage that metioned the name of a mage who managed to trap one of those creature into a physical object and could commad the creature to do his binding (the object is ref as a fetishe)
"Sudenly an man jumps in front of you and shouts: "YOU CANN'T HAVE IT, IT IS MINE MINE MINE!!!!!!!!!!!" < if the players don't react fast, the man attacks them. If they kill him humanity loss is in order 'cause he is totaly innocent [2] when they calm him down..> He looks very surprised and said that he saw you (point a a guy who is not totaly trusted in the coterie) with a object that was nine, but I cann't remember why I wanted it so much... it was on old golden oil lamp..."
This is a clue as to the physical shape of the fetish. The man is of arabic origine.
"Grand ma looks at you and says: "did you still use old lamps to light your nights? I always do, they shine the truth from lies..." she smiles and truns away...her wheel chair is zoomimg away at full speed towards the wall, but she dodges ... <take the place of one of those racer (F1) journalist one TV)" [3]
This is another clue as to the shape of the fetish. Note that they don't need to have the lamp already...
"The following article appeared in the paper: A very old ruin of a palace has been found in Jordan. Several artifacts to come to Chicago for a week long expostion. Abdel Al Karif (archeologe at the university of Chicago) will give a take on Jinni and other rarites at the expo."
It is a purly mortal encounter, but the characters will notice an old oil lamp made of gold, which can catch thier attention. There is a sens of power emanating from this lamp. [4]
"The following article appeared in the paper: A artifact has been stolen from the exposition site of the jordanian ruins: A gold and dimon oil lamp. The theif didn't took anything else from the expo.. blah blah blah. inspector Alan Johnson has the case." [5]
Hum.... strange? will that be 'nuff to get your player hooked?
"All kindereds around the city are looking for this thief, Critias himself has said that the one who brings the lamp will have a favor of him, and that is enought to make all the kindred in the city go "ape shite". The nosferatu are said to be involved somehow..." [6]
"You get a letter from a man named Lewis Ryder, who is an art dealer [7]. The main part of his message is "My freind, we both know what it is to be as we are, and secret never told are best kept. But I have a very intresting item in my possession, that might be a clue to Golconda. If you recognise that name, then you are the one I wanted to speak to, phone me at 450257739." Your retainer says that he was looking as a very nice and smartly dressed guy."
Ryder knows bugger all about vampires, but he was told that the lamp was from a city called golconda, and that these guys (characters) would be intrested in buying it).
Well, they buy the lamp basicly. Will they blow the masquerade assuming that Lewis knows? watch them, it could be realy fun. [7]
Now that they have the lamp. Time for the spirit to show up! He does show up. The Jinni looks like your typical elf from Midel Earth, and can ignite in a blue/dark fire which does no dommage, but is very pretty to look at. Now that your players have the lamp, let me introduce Alladin.
The lamp is a powerful arifact form older time than man can imagine [8] It was made by a powerful mage (an oracle of spirit), who summoned this Jinni called Nid'al'la [9] and imprisoned him in the lamp. The them cast a powerful spell (a binding root) to make it impossible for the Jinni to leave the lamp, even if a possessor wishes so. But sadly it was the last time this mage (Azred Al Tirif) since he was killed shortly afterwards.
Needless to say this lamp was a great artifact, but the Jinni manage to break the root a bit. It will have to obey the possessor of the lamp on 3 different nights, no more no less. after that, the possessor can NEVER again asked Nid'al'la for help. Nid'al'la will give the following information to then possessor: [10]
"I will (nor can) NOT do the following things: One, bring back someone from the dead; two, induce any kind of passion; tree, interferre in the state between the any Great Ones; and last fourth, kill someone.
Anyother thing you might want to ask me, will be given to you master, but I am under no obligation to tell the truth (apart for the above), make anything permanant, or to reavel all my powers. What is asked is asked once, and cannot be asked again! I will grant you a wish a night, but no more, and that only 3 wishes. If you require my help latter call me using this worlds: "Alkariz Nargaz nadirish Mu ad" tell them now, so you remember then well. Command Master, I am at your service" [11]
What the characters do with Nid'al'la is up to them, but I bet they won't give it back to Critias... Even for all the world's gold (which they can have if they want to).
If you are not a ST or does not have your St premistion to read this, please DON'T! thanks.
Ok, here is the real story behind this pill of lies. Nid'al'la is the creation of Menele, before he went into torpor and still servs him well. The Jinni is in fact a mage (mortal or no depends on what you think of mages and vampires) who follows the characters in the guiss of a Jinni. He uses a root to make himself look as what the characters will expect to see. The mage has a wonderful shpere called Deus Ex Storia (meaning if it fits the sotry he can do it)
Now the lamp is a part of a ritual similard to te blood bond. Thru not as powerful as a bond it allows Menele to summon and dominate the target of the lamp, and the possessor cannot spend willpower, and even Iron Will is inefective against this domination. Only ONE domination is possible, but it can be of any type Menele wants. BUT for it to work, the target must be willing and must say so...AND as a blood bond you need to say so on 3 different nights.
Drow back? not realy since when they call on our freind Nid'al'la they do so in arabic (very old form) which actully says: "I want the ritual to work on me". And after all, they have 3 wishes.
Of course it is all a plot to get the characters as pawns in his Jyhad against Helena, even better if they serve her.
The lamp is protected by the ritual not to make auspex alert the possessor, and it will block all others means that the players can think off.
This item will give the players powerful things, but id'al'la is under no obligation to make things permanant (unless asked for it, but that's another wish) and after they are all under Memele's spell well, it was just a weird dream.... :)
This was designed for Chicago by night (realy?) and the theme "price of power". I think it is quiet a nice thing to put on your unsupecting players.
Following are notes along the text.
[1] Alien odities is a shope found in The House: and adventrue source for Other The Edge (c) Jonathan Tweet and Atlas Games. Brillant gamego and buy it NOW! The shope is a gateway to another dimession called the house. You can use it as a very weird occult/antique shope.
[2] The man has been dominated by Menele (via Critias).
[3] This is purly a chance encounter. Menele has nothing to do with it.
[4] This is the Alladin's Lamp, and it is calling to new users, the PCs... This is thye reson it is made of gold, it was NEVER intended to be used to produce light.
[5] The lamp actully escaped by itself... :)
[6] This is a reference to Kalhid and what's his name in Jordan. Subplot?
[7] This is taken from Child's play, in the Succubus Club.
[8] That is false. But it will scare them a bit.
[9] Alladin backwards. :)
[10] Use your imagination as t how to make that terrible.
[11] Actully it is all true. Remember that all the questions are interpreted by Nid'al'la, not by the player. If they players ask for a permanant bike that can go up to 500 mph, with no risk for the user, or passagers, and that can go thru walls. They will get a push bike, that kind go to 500 mph, and cross anywall, let's hope that the character can go thru the wall as well. (what's the dommage for a character splatered across a wall at 500 mph??? is it agravated? :) we get the meaning. This is No Robin Williams Jinni.
BTW the great one is a lie, he just love to make fun of possessors religion, and say that there are more than ONE God.