Republic of Caliban
- At August 10, 2023
- By Great Quail
- In White Leviathan
- 0
Loe with outragious cry
A thousand villeins round about him swarmd
Out of the rockes and caves adjoining nye,
Vile caytive wretches, ragged, rude, deformd,
All threatning death, all in straunge manner armd,
Some with unweldy clubs, some with long speares,
Some rusty knives, some staves in fire warmd.
—Herman Melville, “The Encantadas,” Sketch Seventh
Description
In the years since Professor Montgomery St. John Lowell abandoned his cave on Albemarle Island, the Volcán Wolf caldera has been occupied by another mad scientist, a deranged Jesuit geologist named Ingo Quiring. (See Quiring’s NPC profile for details.) Now calling himself “Prospero,” Father Quiring presides over a motley crew of castaways he calls the Republic of Caliban. Upon joining Quiring’s group, each prospective member is forcibly exposed to the Elder Thing in Thal’n’lai—an experience known as “being Baptized by Ariel in the Cloven Pine.” Those who emerge from the communicant’s tank eager to follow Prospero are welcomed as disciples. Those who resist are tossed in the slave pit. (For a history of the Republic of Caliban, see “Chapter 4—Background.”)
Quiring’s disciples form the core of the Republic of Caliban, a group of seven castaways he entrusts with a limited amount of power and autonomy. Disciples sleep in the main shack with Quiring, carry weapons, and may leave the cave without seeking explicit permission. (See Chapter 4, Encounter 15 for details about the Caliban’s home.) The disciples are listed in order of joining the Republic.
Milo Bean
Statistics
Age: 30, Nationality: English, Birthplace: Liverpool 1815. Call of Dagon Stage 2, Unsuccessful Baptisms: 4.
STR 75 | CON 50 | SIZ 70 | DEX 65 | INT 55 |
APP 50 | POW 55 | EDU 50 | SAN 5 | HP 12 |
DB: +1D4 | Build: 1 | Move: 8 | MP: 11 | Luck: 75 |
Combat
Brawl | 80% (40/16), damage 1D3+1D4 |
Dart | 65% (32/13), damage 1 HP + Sycorax poison |
.54 Pistol | 65% (32/13), damage 1D8 |
Net | 65% (32/13) |
Dodge | 70% (35/14) |
Skills
Climb 75%, Cthulhu Mythos 1%, Intimidate 60%, Jump 70%, Leadership 35%, Listen 30%, Seamanship 50%, Spot Hidden 50%, Stealth 60%, Survival 60%, Swim 15%, Throw 65%.
Description
A bulky, truculent Englishman, Mr. Milo Bean was the first mate of the British whaler Thistle. After getting into an altercation with his captain about “which breed of dog was the most loyal,” Bean threw a punch that cold-cocked his superior and broke his jaw. Figuring that exile was preferable to prison, Bean retrieved a pistol from the captain’s quarters and forced the crew to set him adrift in a whaleboat. (He was accompanied by two of his cronies: his harpooneer Oliver Black, and a greenhorn named Howard Shell.) The trio made it to Chatham Island before the captain could recover his senses. After sheltering with the Ecuadorian colonists, the Thistles found their way to Albemarle Island and became Quiring’s first disciples.
Milo Bean was driven insane by his first encounter with the Elder Thing, but that hasn’t stopped him from undergoing repeated sessions. He believes that Ariel is (1) female and (2) madly in love with him. He plans to eventually slip into the other tank and father a race of supreme beings using the Elder Thing as a surrogate womb. So far Quiring has managed to keep the mate’s interspecies priapism in check, but Milo is just biding his time.
Weapons & Possessions: Bean is armed with an East India Company Sea Service pistol, a .54 caliber flintlock with a 9” barrel. He has seven rounds of shot remaining, but the pistol can be used as a club in a pinch. He’s authorized to carry two darts poisoned with Sycorax.
Nigel Vox
Statistics
Age: 41, Nationality: English, Birthplace: Manchester 1804. Successful Baptism; Sessions of Confirmation: 8/13.
STR 50 | CON 60 | SIZ 55 | DEX 75 | INT 65 |
APP 55 | POW 70 | EDU 70 | SAN 10 | HP 11 |
DB: 0 | Build: 0 | Move: 8 | MP: 16 | Luck: 50 |
Combat
Brawl | 50% (25/10), damage 1D3 |
Dart | 65% (32/13), damage 1 HP + Sycorax poison |
Brown Bess | 70% (35/14), damage 1D8 |
Bayonet | 50% (25/10), damage 1D6 |
Net | 65% (32/13) |
Dodge | 50% (25/10) |
Skills
Climb 75%, Cthulhu Mythos 6%, Fast Talk 55%, First Aid 75%, Intimidate 40%, Jump 70%, Language (Elder Thing) 3%, Leadership 60%, Listen 30%, Medicine 45%, Psychology 40%, Science (Biology) 55%, Science (Chemistry) 40%, Science (Pharmacy) 55% Spot Hidden 75%, Seamanship 35%, Stealth 50%, Survival 60%, Swim 5%, Throw 65%.
Languages: Latin 15%, Elder Thing 1%.
Description
A thin Englishman with a trembling hand and a nervous stutter, Dr. Vox was a surgeon on the British whaler Hyperion. During a call at Banks Cove, Vox stole the ship’s supply of laudanum and followed his dreams to Volcán Wolf. Having weathered his Baptism better than most disciples, Vox is currently preparing for his ninth session of Confirmation. Vox rejects Quiring’s framework of daemons and fairies; he believes the “thing in the tank” is an alien physician from Saturn, and views his sessions as a series of “medical lectures.” Indeed, Vox has learned several new “techniques,” and cheerfully practices his quackery on subjects both willing and unwilling. Upon “earning his degree,” Vox plans to abandon the Republic and practice these techniques on an unsuspecting ship. Despite his resistance to Caliban ideology, Vox is Quiring’s right-hand man, second-in-command of the Republic and the only disciple who can open the Gate to Thal’n’lai—a place the surgeon believes is located on Saturn’s rings.
Weapons & Possessions: Vox carries an eighteenth-century Brown Bess, battered and badly fouled but still serviceable. He’s equipped with a handful of .69 caliber musket balls and black powder he pilfered from Tarnmoor’s island near Banks Cove. (The musket is so fouled its damage is reduced to 1D8). He carries a leather medical bag with an assortment of equipment in dire need of polishing and repair, along with a few “improvised instruments” he’s created for more novel excursions into surgery. He’s authorized to carry two darts poisoned with Sycorax. The doctor’s most treasured possession is the romance novel A Fantastical Excursion into the Planets, a tale of extraplanetary adventure anonymously published in London before he set sail. The more time Vox spends in the Cloven Pine, the more he treats the book as a work of nonfiction!
Silvio Morroquín
Statistics
Age: 43, Nationality: Ecuadorian, Birthplace: Santa Cruz, Bolivia 1802. Call of Dagon Stage 1, Unsuccessful Baptisms: 3.
STR 60 | CON 75 | SIZ 65 | DEX 60 | INT 60 |
APP 65 | POW 60 | EDU 35 | SAN 15 | HP 14 |
DB: +1D4 | Build: 1 | Move: 7 | MP: 12 | Luck: 60 |
Combat
Brawl | 70% (35/14), damage 1D3+1D4 |
Whittier Rifle | 75% (37/15), damage 1D10 |
Machete | 70% (35/14), damage 1D8+1D4 |
Net | 65% (32/13) |
Dodge | 60% (30/12) |
Skills
Art/Craft (Blacksmith) 50%, Art/Craft (Gunsmithing) 60%, Artillery 20%, Climb 45%, Cthulhu Mythos 3%, Intimidate 60%, Jump 60%, Leadership 40%, Listen 55%, Spot Hidden 75%, Stealth 50%, Survival 50%, Swim 15%, Throw 65%.
Languages: Spanish native; English 20%.
Description
Silvio Marroquín is a Bolivian-born criollo who fought under Antonio José de Sucre at the Battle of Pichincha. After the liberation, Marroquín settled in Quito and worked as a gunsmith. Dismayed by the political leadership of Juan José Flores, Marroquín joined the coup against his new president. Exiled to Floreana with his compatriots, he was one of the original settlers of Asilo de la Paz. Unfortunately, his wife and daughter died of malaria while visiting the mainland, and Marroquín began to lose his grip on reality. He departed Floreana during the rebellion against Coronel José Williams, then followed his wife’s ghost to Volcán Wolf. Already unstable when captured by the Calibans, Marroquín went completely mad when immersed in the tank, and accepts the Gospel of Prospero hook, like, and sinker. He also believes that Ariel will resurrect his dead family; or at least, that’s what his wife’s ghost keeps telling him!
Weapons & Possessions: Marroquín left his earthly belongings on Isla Floreana, but he carries the Republic’s most usual firearm—a 1839 Whittier revolving rifle. The rifle was brought to the Galápagos by a wealthy captain from New Hampshire, one Mount Sinai Butterfield. The foolish captain took the gun on an hunting expedition along the slopes of Volcán Darwin, where he was relieved of his burden by Milo Bean and James Peach. (See “The Theresa Incident” in the background section of Chapter 4.) Although the Calibans lack the lead required to cast additional bullets, seventeen rounds remain, along with enough percussion caps to fire them.
Silas Grant
Statistics
Age: 33, Nationality: American, Birthplace: Watervliet, New York 1812. Call of Dagon Stage 2, Unsuccessful Baptisms: 2.
STR 65 | CON 65 | SIZ 65 | DEX 55 | INT 45 |
APP 50 | POW 65 | EDU 35 | SAN 10 | HP 13 |
DB: +1D4 | Build: 1 | Move: 8 | MP: 7 | Luck: 50 |
Combat
Brawl | 65% (32/13), damage 1D3+1D4 |
Dart | 50% (25/10), damage 1 HP + Sycorax poison |
Sword | 65% (32/13), damage 1D8+1D4 |
Net | 50% (25/10) |
Dodge | 65% (32/13) |
Skills
Climb 65%, Cthulhu Mythos 2%, Fast Talk 70%, Intimidate 55%, Jump 60%, Leadership 20%, Listen 50%, Persuade 60%, Religion (Millerism) 80%, Seamanship 20%, Spot Hidden 50%, Stealth 60%, Survival 40%, Swim 15%, Throw 50%.
Description
Silas Grant is a Sag Harbor greenhorn with tousled hair and a perpetual squint. A native of Watervliet, Silas spent most of his twenties drifting from one burned-over cult to the next. He finally settled on Millerism; but after impregnating two local teenagers, he was run out of town on a rail. He traveled to Sag Harbor and shipped on a whaler, then deserted at Banks Cove and joined the Republic of Caliban. Unlike most Millerites, Silas believes the Midnight Cry did in fact sound—Jesus returned and transformed the world, but Silas’ sins consigned him to this barren wasteland with the other outcasts. He believes that Ariel is a starry messenger sent to gather up those left behind and carry them through the Shut Door—but only those who prove worthy of a second chance.
Weapons & Possessions: Aside from a Bible and some frayed Millerite pamphlets, Silas’ only possession is an antique “hanger” sword. Pitted with corrosion but still effective, the sword dates to the English Civil War, and was found in the same buccaneer’s stash that included the Masque of Milan. Silas is authorized to carry two darts poisoned with Sycorax.
James Peach
Statistics
Age: 50, Nationality: African-American, Birthplace: New Orleans 1795. Call of Dagon Stage 1, Unsuccessful Baptisms: 1.
STR 60 | CON 80 | SIZ 70 | DEX 60 | INT 70 |
APP 75 | POW 65 | EDU 30 | SAN 15 | HP 15 |
DB: +1D4 | Build: 1 | Move: 5 | MP: 10 | Luck: 80 |
Combat
Brawl | 70% (35/14), damage 1D3+1D4 |
Dart | 70% (35/14), damage 1 HP + Sycorax poison |
Machete | 80% (40/16), damage 1D8+1D4 |
Net | 70% (35/14) |
Dodge | 50% (25/10) |
Skills
Art/Craft (Cooking) 60%, Art/Craft (Jew’s Harp) 75%, Art/Craft (Carpentry) 25%, Climb 50%, Cthulhu Mythos 5%, Intimidate 50%, Jump 50%, Leadership 10%, Listen 65%, Seamanship 40%, Spot Hidden 60%, Stealth 50%, Survival 75%, Swim 65%, Throw 70%, Whalecraft 15%.
Languages: Portuguese 25%, French 20%, Spanish 10%
Spells: Invisibility (only works 1% of the time), Immortality (never been cast).
Description
James Peach is a handsome man with iron-gray hair and nickel-plated spectacles. A former slave from New Orleans, Peach was raised in the household of Heitor Espírito Santo—Lady Jezebel’s father. Granted his manumission after rescuing young Judith from a mad dog, Peach began working as a cook on Santo’s trading ships. Eventually he signed onto a Mystic whaler. He was captured by the Calibans while hunting for mangoes along the shores of Albemarle. Exposure to the Elder Thing didn’t exactly shatter his mind, but it gave Peach the irrepressible belief that he’s immortal. And invincible. And sometimes invisible.
Weapons & Possessions: Quiring gave Peach his copy of The Tempest when he joined the Republic, and it’s become the cook’s most prized possession. He knows the whole play by heart, and quotes from it at every occasion. Peach is authorized to carry two darts poisoned with Sycorax, but his usual weapon is a machete named “Iris.” Peach keeps Iris very sharp, and the wooden hilt is furnished in pink iguana leather.
Jon Keokolo
Statistics
Age: 27, Nationality: Hawaiian, Birthplace: Maui 1818. Call of Dagon Stage 2. Unsuccessful Baptisms: 3.
STR 85 | CON 85 | SIZ 80 | DEX 50 | INT 65 |
APP 60 | POW 65 | EDU 45 | SAN 20 | HP 16 |
DB: +1D6 | Build: 2 | Move: 8 | MP: 13 | Luck: 90 |
Combat
Brawl | 80% (40/16), damage 1D3+1D6 |
Leiomano | 90% (45/18), damage 1D4+1D6 |
.69 Pistol | 40% (20/8), damage 1D10 |
Net | 55% (27/11) |
Dodge | 60% (30/12) |
Skills
Art/Craft (Carving) 50%, Climb 75%, Cthulhu Mythos 3%, Intimidate 80%, Jump 70%, Leadership 25%, Listen 30%, Religion (Congregationalism) 40%, Seamanship 50%, Spot Hidden 50%, Stealth 60%, Survival 85%, Swim 65%, Throw 55%.
Languages: Hawaiian native; English 20%.
Description
Towering six feet tall and stacked with the characteristically Polynesian blend of muscle and flab, “Jon” Keokolo is an Hawaiian seal-clubber who came to the Galápagos on a Boston sealer. Before he went to sea, Keokolo was a devout member of Seneca Brattle’s suicidal congregation (see Chapter 1, Encounter 33). He claims he jumped to his death in the lava as instructed, but was “saved” by Tūtū Pele for a fate greater than Christianity. Keokolo believes it’s his destiny to lead a rebellion against the House of Kamehameha and drive the Americans and English out of Hawaii. Keokolo is convinced that the Christian God died that day by the volcano, and believes the Elder Thing is none other than Lucifer, whom he admires as a “fellow rebel.” (Though he carefully refers to the Elder Thing as “Ariel” when talking to his fellow Calibans.) Another few trips to the Cloven Pine should be enough to absorb Lucifer’s power. Then Keokolo can overthrow Quiring and lead the rebellion.
Weapons & Possessions: Keokolo owns an Hawaiian Bible, a gold ring worth $75, and a Pistolet modèle 1777 “Charleville” he found in Reverend Brattle’s possessions after the mass suicide. Because of the scarcity of powder and shot—Keokolo only has nine balls remaining—he generally favors his leiomano, a war club studded with shark’s teeth.
Mary Roberts (a.k.a. Black Mary)
Statistics
Age: 28, Nationality: African-American, Birthplace: Philadelphia 1817. Call of Dagon Stage 3, Successful Baptism, Sessions of Confirmation: 4/13.
STR 50 | CON 75 | SIZ 75 | DEX 40 | INT 65 |
APP 40 | POW 50 | EDU 30 | SAN 0 | HP 15 |
DB: +1D4 | Build: 1 | Move: 6 | MP: 10 | Luck: 40 |
Combat
Brawl | 60% (30/12), damage 1D3+1D4 |
Skillet | 60% (30/12), damage 1D4+1D4 |
Dodge | 20% (10/4) |
Skills
Art/Craft (Cooking) 75%, Art/Craft (Sewing) 80%, Art/Craft (Tattooing) 45%, Climb 15%, Cthulhu Mythos 7%, First Aid 50%, Intimidate 40%, Jump 15%, Language (Elder Thing) 3%, Listen 75%, Science (Meteorology) 35%, Science (Pharmacy) 35%, Spot Hidden 75%, Stealth 10%, Survival 50%, Swim 15%, Throw 35%.
Languages: Elder Thing 1%.
Description
A stout woman with a tan birthmark splashed across her broad face, Mary Roberts was a housekeeper who lived in the New Guinea neighborhood of Nantucket. Afflicted with the Call of Dagon, she stowed away on a whaler and was forcibly deposited in the Azores. She has since made her way to the Galápagos through a series of reckless adventures. Mary is currently five months pregnant with Quiring’s daughter. (She knows the sex of her child from her sessions with Ariel.) Having survived her Baptism with flying colors, Mary is currently preparing for her fifth session of Confirmation. She’s come to believe that her daughter is destined to host Ariel’s soul, freeing the daemon from the Cloven Pine and ushering the Calibans to the Epilogue. Aware of her sacred burden, the white Calibans have started calling her “Black Mary,” and treat her with the respect and dignity they previously afforded only to Prospero.
Weapons & Possessions: Despite her lofty status, Mary does most of the Republic’s housekeeping, and treats the Caliban’s shack as her irrefutable domain. Her personal effects include a cameo of her grandmother; a tattered letter of recommendation she can’t read; and a silver bracelet given to her by a former lover, a lonely whaling captain who “escorted” Mary from Valparaíso to Albemarle Island. She also has a Polynesian tattooing set, a gift from her seafaring brother. Mary’s become quite decent at tattooing, and is the one who inscribed the ka hieroglyphs on Quiring’s zombies.
Calibans who resist Quiring or go completely mad are demoted to slave status. Some are confined to the slave pit and forced into labor, while others are allowed to roam free like pets. Although they have the frequent opportunity to revolt, madness and terror keep them in check—especially fear of magic, for they’ve seen what happened to Piri Pat and Noobaloo!
Howard Shell
Statistics
Age: 25, Nationality: English, Birthplace: Liverpool 1820. Unsuccessful Baptisms: 1.
STR 80 | CON 70 | SIZ 70 | DEX 75* | INT 40 |
APP 55 | POW 35 | EDU 35 | SAN 0 | HP 14 |
DB: +1D4 | Build: 1 | Move: 7* | MP: 7 | Luck: 10 |
Combat
Brawl | 80% (40/16), damage 1D3+1D4 |
Lit Torch | 80% (40/16), damage 1D6+1D4+Chance of burning |
Dodge | 60% (30/12) |
Skills*
Fast Talk 70%, Intimidate 60%, Listen 35%, Climb 15%, Cthulhu Mythos 1%, Intimidate 40%, Jump 55%, Listen 55%, Seamanship 15%, Spot Hidden 65%, Stealth 35%, Survival 50%, Swim 15%, Throw 70%, Whalecraft 15%.
*These stats reflect Shell’s values when not catatonic!
Description
A former wrestler from Liverpool, Howard Shell is a greenhorn who deserted with Milo Bean—he hated life on the Thistle, and figured anything was better than whaling! Once a talkative and combative young man, his mind shattered upon contact with the Elder Thing. Dwelling in a state of near catatonia, Shell spends his days as a silent automaton performing menial tasks. He’s able to follow simple instructions, but shows little spark of awareness.
Weapons & Possessions: Shell can’t handle the complexity of firearms, but if told to attack a target, he’ll swing a club relentlessly until incapacitated or instructed to stop. He prefers torches, the proximity of fire restoring a flicker of life to his empty eyes.
Carlos Moreno
Statistics
Age: 31, Nationality: Ecuadorian, Birthplace: Quito 1814. Call of Dagon Stage 3. Unsuccessful Baptisms: 4.
STR 60 | CON 70 | SIZ 65 | DEX 70* | INT 45 |
APP 45 | POW 60 | EDU 40 | SAN 0 | HP 7/13* |
DB: +1D4 | Build: 1 | Move: 8 | MP: 12 | Luck: 50 |
Combat
Brawl | 65% (32/13), damage 1D3+1D4 |
Lance | 35% (17/7), damage 1D8+1+1D4 |
Dodge | 60% (30/12) |
Skills
Art/Craft (Gambling) 65%, Climb 55%*, Cthulhu Mythos 5%, Fast Talk 70%*, Intimidate 60%, Jump 25%, Listen 65%, Seamanship 15%, Spot Hidden 75%, Stealth 65%, Survival 50%, Swim 15%, Throw 35%.
Languages*: Spanish native; Elder Thing 15%, English 5%.
*Skills with an asterisk may be affected by Moreno’s mangled hand and loss of tongue.
Description
A mestizo pimp from Quito, Carlos Moreno was exiled to Asilo de la Paz in 1840. He was one of the leaders of the revolt against Coronel Williams, but a mysterious obsession diverted his escape plans, and he found himself on the slopes of Volcán Wolf. After his Baptism he finally understood why he hadn’t returned to the mainland—Ariel must be delivered from the Cloven Pine at all costs! This “successful” Baptism was followed by two more exposures, each deepening his devotion to the Republic and strengthening his desire to free the Elder Thing from its prison. When Moreno emerged from the tank a fourth time, Quiring was surprised to find his disciple in a state of complete shock. Left alone in the cave to sort out Ariel’s “message” while the others hunted for supplies, Moreno butchered the Republic’s goats and used their remains to assemble a bloody mandala. Breaking his silence, Moreno attempted to explain his actions in a language of hoots and gurgles. Quiring stripped Moreno of his disciple status and condemned him to the slave pit. The night Quiring opened the Gate for Geoffrey Turrick, Moreno somehow convinced Noobaloo to lower the ladder. He climbed from the oubliette and used a whaling lance to sever the fingers of his own left hand. Walking calmly to the shack, Moreno made a series of bloody prints on the canvas wall, a row of dot clusters like some personalized form of code. Quiring ordered Dr. Vox to cut the tongue from Moreno’s mouth. Until Quiring can figure out what to do with him, Moreno’s been confined to the slave pit.
Inez Apaza
Statistics
Age: 19, Nationality: Peruvian, Birthplace: Callao 1826. Call of Dagon Stage 2. Unsuccessful Baptisms: 1.
STR 60 | CON 65 | SIZ 55 | DEX 70 | INT 50 |
APP 65 | POW 50 | EDU 20 | SAN 5 | HP 12 |
DB: 0 | Build: 0 | Move: 9 | MP: 10 | Luck: 40 |
Combat
Brawl | 50% (25/10), damage 1D3 |
Dodge | 40% (20/8) |
Skills
Climb 45%, Cthulhu Mythos 1%, Jump 25%, Listen 95%, Science (Mathematics) 70%, Spot Hidden 65%, Stealth 10%, Survival 15%, Swim 15%, Throw 40%.
Languages: Spanish native; English 5%.
Description
Born in Peru, Inez ran away from home at the age of 13. She settled in Quito and found work as a washer woman. Three years later she was falsely accused of adultery by the wife of an influential banker. Shipped off to Asilo de la Paz, she escaped to Albemarle with Carlos Moreno. Forced against her will to enter the tank, Inez emerged with a broken brain and an astonishing understanding of geometry. Although she’s technically a “slave,” Quiring allows her to roam the cave freely. Occasionally she exhibits a childlike fascination with random objects, or crawls around on all fours like a dog. (Although once she corrected one of Lowell’s rare mathematical errors!) To keep her safe from the male Calibans, Father Quiring has declared that Inez must “remain chaste” under penalty of death. For her own part, Inez only becomes aware of other Calibans when they address her directly. As long as Inez possesses a better understanding of math than Quiring, he plans to keep her around until she recovers her wits.
Weapons & Possessions: Inez wears a shift made from sailcloth, and has knotted seashells, coral, and dried seahorses through her tangled hair. She claims that each ornament has a special name and function, but when she tries to explain, her language devolves into gibberish. She occasionally plays with an abacus she crafted from seashells and twine.
Peter Prentiss (a.k.a. Steamboat Pete)
Statistics
Age: 30, Nationality: African-American, Birthplace: New York City 1815. Call of Dagon Stage 2. Unsuccessful Baptisms: 2.
STR 85 | CON 70 | SIZ 80 | DEX 55 | INT 65 |
APP 55 | POW 55 | EDU 35 | SAN 0 | HP 16 |
DB: +1D6 | Build: 2 | Move: 8 | MP: 11 | Luck: 75 |
Combat
Brawl | 80% (40/16), damage 1D3+1D6 |
Blubber Fork | 70% (35/14), damage 1D6+1+1D6 |
Dodge | 40% (20/8) |
Skills
Art/Craft (Blacksmith) 20%, Climb 25%, Cthulhu Mythos 5%, Intimidate 85%, Jump 50%, Listen 75%, Mechanical Repair 40%, Seamanship 25%, Spot Hidden 40%, Stealth 5%, Survival 50%, Swim 15%, Throw 40%, Whalecraft 25%.
Language: English native; Minotaurese 80%.
Description
“Steamboat Pete” is an African-American stoker who murdered his family after he became convinced they were replaced by “lookalikes.” Running from the law, he signed onto a whaler and jumped ship at the Galápagos. Exposure to the Elder Thing only further destabilized his mind, establishing an idée fixe born from a story he read in a book of Greek myths. He’s now convinced he’s a minotaur, and wears a bull’s head fashioned from iguana skin and two powder horns.
Weapons & Possessions: Steamboat Pete is very proud of his minotaur costume, and the Keeper is free to elaborate as needed! He never takes off his helmet, even to sleep—this is the way. In combat, Pete favors a blubber fork he refers to as “Neptune’s trident.”
Geoffrey Turrick
Statistics
Age 28, Nationality: American, Birthplace: Amherst, 1817. Able Seaman. Unsuccessful Baptisms: 1.
STR 65 | CON 75 | SIZ 60 | DEX 75 | INT 70 |
APP 55 | POW 60 | EDU 35 | SAN 50 | HP 13 |
DB: +1D4 | Build: 1 | Move: 9 | MP: 14 | Luck: 40 |
Combat
Brawl | 80% (40/16), damage 1D3+1D4 |
Sword | 30% (15/6), damage 1D8+1+1D4 |
Harpoon | 20% (10/4), damage 1D10+1+1D4 (Two-flued) |
Lance | 20% (10/4), damage 1D8+1+1D4 |
Pistol | 30% (15/6), damage 1D8 (Average) |
Musket | 25% (12/5), damage 1D10 (Average) |
Dodge | 50% (25/10) |
Skills
Accounting 25%, Anthropology 5%, Appraise 15%, Archeology 1%, Art/Craft (Blacksmith) 40%, Art/Craft (Carpentry) 15%, Art/Craft (Cooperage) 15%, Art/Craft (Play Concertina) 45%, Artillery 1%, Charm 25%, Climb 75%, Cthulhu Mythos 3%, Credit Rating 15%, Demolitions 1%, Disguise 5%, Fast Talk 10%, First Aid 45%, History 10%, Hypnosis 1%, Intimidate 15%, Jump 20%, Law 5%, Leadership 20%, Library Use 25%, Listen 45%, Locksmith 70%, Mechanical Repair 45%, Medicine 5%, Natural World 45%, Navigate 35%, Occult 10%, Operate Heavy Machinery 25%, Persuade 65%, Pilot (Boat) 60%, Psychology 30%, Read Lips 10%, Religion (Presbyterian) 55%, Renown 5%, Ride 20%, Science (Astronomy) 10%, Science (Meteorology) 15%, Seamanship 55%, Sea Lore 20%, Sleight of Hand 10%, Spot Hidden 50%, Stealth 20%, Survival 35%, Swim 20%, Throw 30%, Track 10%, Whalecraft 50%.
Description
The son of an Amherst locksmith, Geoffrey Turrick went to sea on a Boston merchantman before trying his hand at whaling onboard the Osprey. A devout Presbyterian who cheerfully performed his duties with a minimum of complaining, Turrick was well-liked by the officers and crew, and sometimes assisted the ship’s blacksmith. He became lost during a turpining mission and was captured by the Calibans on June 20. A deeply religious man, Turrick began pleading with his captors in the name of Christian charity. Believing he had a possible convert, Father Quiring exposed Turrick to the Elder Thing the morning of June 27. The Baptism didn’t go well. Upon returning to the cave, Turrick attempted to kill Mary’s “antichrist child” by lunging at her belly with a splinter of basalt. She deflected the blow with a cast-iron skillet, then slammed the skillet onto his skull. Since then, Turrick has been strung above the slave pit, “fed like Jesus” using a water-soaked sponge fixed to the barb of a whaling lance.
Once harpooneers onboard the Theresa, now Piri Pat and Noobaloo serve the Republic of Caliban as living zombies—slow-rotting automatons forced to obey Prospero, who’s trapped their souls in a pair of puzzle-boxes. (See Chapter 4, Encounter 15.) Stripped naked and armed with harpoons, Noobaloo guards the slave pit, while Piri Pat stands watch by the thatch door to the Deep One temple. Neither requires food or sleep.
Piri Pat
Statistics
Age: 29, Nationality: Māori, Birthplace: New Zealand 1816.
STR 90 | CON 100/50 | SIZ 85 | DEX 60 | INT 10/60 |
APP 40 | POW 10/55 | EDU 35 | SAN 0/15 | HP 18/13 |
DB: +1D6 | Build:2 | Move: 5/7 | MP: 2/11 | Luck: 35 |
Combat
Brawl | 80% (40/16), damage 1D3+1D6 |
Club | 80% (40/16), damage 1D4+1D6 |
Harpoon | 80% (40/16), damage 1D10+1+1D6 (Two-flued) |
Lance | 60% (30/12), damage 1D8+1+1D6 |
Dodge | 10% (5/2) |
Skills
Climb 15%, Cthulhu Mythos 5%, Groan 55%, Intimidate 80%, Listen 25%, Spot Hidden 15%, Stealth 20%.
*Dual stats reflect those affected by Bind Soul. The first value is the current “zombie” value, the second is the value they’d possess if Piri Pat’s soul is returned. Recovery requires a week of rest, and even then, his body forever bears the scars and trauma of his slow decay.
Languages: Māori native; English 20%.
Description
The son of an Irish fisherman and a Māori woman, Piri Pat was a handsome harpooneer celebrated for his Herculean strength. He was well-liked by the crew of the Theresa, hand-picked by Captain Butterfield as his personal boatsteerer. Succumbing to a Sycorax-tipped dart during the attack that killed Butterfield, Piri Pat was deemed too dangerous to convert, and was imprisoned in the slave pit. Quiring cast Bind Soul on Piri Pat the night of June 1. Although he’s not as “far gone” as Noobaloo, his features are sunken and callow, his lips and nails are blue, and he walks with a distinctly shambling gait.
Noobaloo
Statistics
Age: 23, Nationality: Nukavokoan, Birthplace: Nukavoko, 1822.
STR 75 | CON 100/20 | SIZ 75 | DEX 75 | INT 10/65 |
APP 10 | POW 10/75 | EDU 40 | SAN 0/5 | HP 17/9 |
DB: +1D4 | Build: 1 | Move: 5/8 | MP: 2/15 | Luck: 50 |
Combat
Brawl | 80% (40/16), damage 1D3+1D4 |
Club | 80% (40/16), damage 1D4+1D4 |
Harpoon | 80% (40/16), damage 1D10+1+1D4 (Two-flued) |
Lance | 60% (30/12), damage 1D8+1+1D4 |
Dodge | 10% (5/2) |
Skills
Climb 15%, Cthulhu Mythos 5%, Groan 75%, Intimidate 80%, Listen 25%, Spot Hidden 15%, Stealth 20%.
*Dual stats reflect those affected by Bind Soul. The first value is the current “zombie” value, the second is the value they’d possess if Noobaloo’s soul is returned. Recovery requires a week of rest, leaving Noobaloo with a catastrophically damaged body—sunken eyes, missing teeth, leprous fingers and toes.
Languages: Vokoan native; English 25%.
Description
A young harpooneer from Nukavoko, Noobaloo left his island to seek fortune on the high seas. His voyage on the Theresa was only his second time a-whaling, and he found a fast friend in the more experienced boatsteerer Piri Pat. When some of the Thistles accused the Māori of killing Captain Butterfield, Noobaloo jumped ship to prove his friend’s innocence. He was exploring the caldera when attacked by the Calibans. It took three darts of Sycorax to bring him down. Noobaloo never regained consciousness—he was the first victim of Quiring’s Bind Soul spell. A zombie since May 7, Noobaloo no longer looks quite alive. His skin is ashen and gray, his lips have shriveled over blackened gums, and his lidless eyes have sunk into his skull. New body parts slough from his frame almost daily—teeth, hair, fingernails, most recently, his big toes. Quiring knows Noobaloo only has a few weeks of usefulness remaining, after which he plans to release his soul and observe the harpooneer’s reaction to regaining consciousness inside a rotting husk. It’s the scientific thing to do!
White Leviathan > NPC Profiles
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Author: A. Buell Ruch
Last Modified: 12 August 2023
Email: quail (at) shipwrecklibrary (dot) com
White Leviathan PDF: [TBD]