The Takings
A Cypher System game
In the world of Old Gods of Appalachia
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Full
Supporting Cast
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Ghost Amelia Wickersf ield
Young woman, pretty and frail, wearing a pale silk floorlength gown with low neckline, lace collar, wide cuffs, and pearls. -
Elizabeth Sebrey
A woman in late middle age, wearing an expensive eighteenth-century gown, petticoat, wig, and hat. -
Ghost George Brandlesford Wickersf ield
(1713; burned in his bedroom in the west wing): A human form is completely engulfed in flame that crackles and roars as it approaches. Heat washes off of it, along with a sickening smell of burnt flesh. The flames only singe objects he comes near, but the damage to attacked characters is very real. • Encountered anywhere. • Aggressive ghost: George lurches toward a PC, attempting to take them into his fiery embrace. • Helpful ghost: George is never helpful. -
Grant Waller
A solidly built man in his mid-thirties, Grant shares some of Hazel’s reticence, but has come to a conclusion: -
Hazel Waller
Hazel is a stout, pleasant-seeming woman in her mid-thirties with a taste for modern, though unpretentious, dress. Hazel Waller: level 3; attempts to question her about the disappearance are hindered by two steps due to her fear of implicating her father -
James Stockford
Stockford is a friend and accomplice of Banks/William, posing as his valet. Banks/William has convinced Stockford that he’s made himself immortal and can share that gift with the younger man. This has motivated Stockford to help prepare the ritual, but he doesn’t realize that he’s actually the next target for Banks/William to take. James Stockford is in his mid-twenties, athletic and handsome. Of upper-class background (he is distantly related to the Wickersfield line, although he’s not aware of it), he is not naturally servile and sometimes struggles with the discipline necessary to pull off the role of the valet. Like William, he is ambitious and inconsiderate of the lives of lesser folk—a perfect accomplice for the foul work of finding victims to sacrifice to dark powers. -
Ghost John Wickersfield
(1757; smothered to death in his sleep): wears a full-length dressing gown and a white cloth sleeping cap. -
Ghost Jusiah Wythe
(1809; trampled by horses in stable): wears period-appropriate riding clothes (white breeches, boots, and a coat with knee-length tails). -
Ghost Meriwether Lackford
(1766; died “naturally” after prolonged illness): A young man with a sallow complexion dressed in a long brocaded coat and powdered wig. [p]• Most likely encountered in the parlor.[\p] [p]• Aggressive ghost: Meriwether is generally not aggressive.]/p] [p]• Helpful ghost: Meriwether stands watching the PCs. When noticed, he turns and leads them to the depths of the cellar, always seeming to be unnaturally far ahead. (When the PCs reach the corner he just disappeared around, he’s already disappearing around the next corner.)]/p] -
Noah Cooper
Noah is the publican; he runs the Hen and Chicken. He’s 61 years old and a bit on the jowly side. -
Reginald Banks
Reginald Banks (William Lord Wickersfield): Banks/William is the current persona of WilliamWickersfield, a diabolist who has unlocked an immortality of sorts. Using a ritual he developed in the mid-1600s, William is able to move his soul from his body to another’s body. He’s made his way through a string of lives, each time taking the body and persona of a younger individual, over the course of nearly three hundred years. Reginald Banks/William appears to be a relatively strapping 67-year-old, but in fact his health is beginning to fail. His accent reflects both his American origins and decades of living in London. William is intensely cruel, but through Banks he presents himself as cultured and intelligent -
Ghost Reignold Farfew Wickersf ield
(1672; drowned in the mere): A sad-looking young man with a grey and hollow face, with Puritan clothing and a long seventeenth-century wig. Water drips from his soaking-wet clothes, puddling around his feet. • Encountered anywhere. • Aggressive ghost: Reignold is more likely to be helpful than aggressive, but he might make a ghost’s standard fear attack. • Helpful ghost: The PC closest to Reignold feels overwhelmingly sleepy and must succeed at a difficulty 5 Intellect defense roll to remain awake. On a failure, the PC falls to the ground and Reignold disappears. The sleeping PC dreams of a man engulfed by shadow who holds a mummified hand. Theupstretched fingers of the hand burn at the tips like candles. When the PC awakens, a foul, bitter odor lingers in the air. If the PC resists this mental attack, Reignold targets the next closest PC, and so on, but disappears if anyone approaches him closer than immediate range. -
Ghost Robertt Wickersf ield Lynch
(1878; killed by fire, then beheaded by an angry mob): A tall man dressed in a dark coat and top hat, his face unnaturally shadowed, glares or leers menacingly at the PCs from the brush by the side of the road. If approached, he fades back into the undergrowth. • Encountered only at the crossroads. • Aggressive ghost: Although his appearance is sinister, Robert is essentially helpful. • Helpful ghost: PCs who investigate Robert may stumble into his grave site. -
The Familiar
Early in his career, William summoned and bound to his service a demonic spirit. This spirit, which has no name, has for three hundred years served William as a spy, messenger, protector, and servant. It is intelligent and capable of acting independently, although it follows William’s commands without question or hesitation. It can take many form -
Ghost Thomas Arleigh
(1768; thrown into the Silburn Hollow after leaving suicide note): A short, stout man is dressed in black with a frilly white collar and an archaic wide-brimmed hat. Blood runs down his face, staining his collar and dripping onto the floor. • Encountered anywhere. • Aggressive ghost: Thomas appears briefly, then all the lights go out. A disembodied voice whispers, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” In the darkness, barely visible if at all, Thomas attacks one of the PCs. He continues his attacks until light is restored—a difficulty 5 task. Once a single light is created, all other lights in the room relight, and Thomas is nowhere to be seen. A distinct odor of alcohol and sex lingers for several moments. • Helpful ghost: Thomas opens his mouth as if to speak, but only a rough croaking emerges, along with a copious amount of blood. He staggers toward one of the PCs, pointing at them—or past them. Behind the PC, on the wall, letters formed in blood appear: Levit. 20:27. Thomas disappears while the PCs are distracted by the writing. A PC with sufficient knowledge, or referring to a bible, can determine that Leviticus 20:27 reads “A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them.” -
Ghost Victor Huntington Paine
(1845; fell from banister above grand staircase); a confident-looking man in breeches and a jacket, his neck bent at a lethal angle.
Sessions Archive
Useful Links
It is 1921. Three young men (fraternal triplets,
barely adults) have disappeared from a rural
village in Hollow County. Authorities are called in, but the
villagers have their own theory: a local myth tells
of a haint that, every few decades, steals away
three young people. Is there any truth to the myth,
or is something more mundane at work? And
what does it all have to do with Creston Grange,
the local mansion, now standing derelict
and rumored to be one of the most haunted sites
in Appalachia.
The Protagonists
Mysterious Explorer Who Sees Beyond Darell Ford
Darrell Ford is a Charming Explorer who Sees Beyond of
Tier and 0 XP.
Richard Combes
is a who of
Tier 1 and 0 XP.
Tough Warrior Who Works for a Living Otis Kiser
Otis Kiser is a Appealing Adept who Abides in Stone of
Tier and 0 XP.
Charming Speaker Who Interprets the Law Grant Demming
Grant is a Intelligent Explorer who Learns Quickly of
Tier 3 and 1 XP.
May Calhoon
Find your way!
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by 3 Armored Kittens · Prodromos v.1.1 - World Anvil 0.9.15.045 © 2017-2025 [en] | Anvil Time: 00:27, Aug 7 2025