Name: E. James Tourmaline {the E. is for Eggbert - just call him Jim}

Nature: Leader

Demeanor: Rebel

Concept: Complete Waste of Skin

Motivation: To get Spectre: the Annihilation back into print

Affiliation: Spectral Undertakingz website

Age: 28

Physical: Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 2

Social: Charisma 4 {Groupthink}, Manipulation 4 {Remorseless}, Appearance 1

Mental: Perception 2, Intelligence 3, Wits 2

Talents: Alertness 2, Dodge 2, Empathy 1, Expression 4 {Agit-Prop}, Intimidation 2, Subterfuge 3

Skills: Crafts 1, Leadership 4 {Group Dynamics}, Stealth 3, Survival 2, Technology 3

Knowledges: Bureaucracy 2, Computer 3, Medicine 1, Occult 3, Science 1

Backgrounds: Allies 2, Contacts 4, Mentor 2, Resources 3

Investments: Incitement* {4 Being}

Willpower: 6

Being: Jessica usually keeps E.'s Being around 3, and is on hand to replenish his pool whenever Spectral Undertakingz is due for an update.

Merits: Ha! Yeah, right...

Flaws: None, but note that E. currently suffers a -2 penalty to all friendly social rolls, due to Jessica's proximity.

 

Image: Fat, unwashed and slovenly about sums E. up. He's of medium height and easily tips the scale at about 350 lbs. His flab arrangement is such that he looks like a neckless, human pear in threadbare jeans, a much-maligned web belt and a near-fungal "Slipknot" t-shirt. His short, brown hair is falling out in patches, and exists only as a few wild, greasy tufts.

What little concern E. had for personal hygiene all but disappeared once Jessica took him under her wing. Crops of red acne rotate their way around his face, chest and ass, and he smells like sour milk at best, and the hearty dump he just took at worst.

 

Roleplaying: "Hey - who put this site back together after you illiterate Malfean asswipes fucked it up? Me. Who got everyone coming back after you bored them to death? ME. And who kept them coming back, day after day, ever since? ME. So who gets to say what happens from now on? That's right - ME! You already showed you can't lead, so either follow or get the fuck out of my way!"

Throughout his formative years, E. was always looking for a way to belong. At least, that's what the people who blew him off or turned him away thought. The truth was a little more complex: he was always looking to belong to something larger than himself, so he could be a champion for it.

And it was that desire - wanting to hear the people say "we owe it all to you, E.," and mean it - is what formed the blueprint for his life. It's what got him into the politics of lost causes in college, and got him into other lost causes when he got out, most notably games that no one plays, since he, a}, enjoys RPGS, and, b}, they might come with a steady paycheck at some point {lost-cause politics don't pay worth shit if you're a straight, white male - as far as E. sees it, anyway}

That;s what led him to Spectral Undertakingz, where he has nowhere to go but up. If he can turn this around, and get Black Dog to start writing it, again, he can probably write his own ticket in the industry. And then... who knows?

To that end, never forget that you're your own best advertisement. Self-promote endlessly, using every opportunity to site-drop, or get people to stop by for a peek. Delight in asking tough questions of The MAN, and egg them on until they either admit you're right {however backhandedly} or else try to beat the shit out of you, thus proving your point. However, behind the scenes, be the boss - you made the decision to lead a long time ago, and all else must follow; Be snarly and short-tempered with anyone who doesn't agree with this viewpoint.

 

Big Secrets: If you discount the fact that he's a skin puppet for a Spectre - which he isn't always sure about, given his amazing powers of denial - E. has three big secrets to hide.

1} His Funds: there's a trust fund with his name on it, courtesy of his long-dead parents, and that's what keeps him housed, fed and online. This isn't a terribly bad secret, but he pretends to be a working-class stiff, just like most other Black Dog gamers. No one needs to know he has a silver spoon in his mouth.

2} The Laptop: he knows he probably shouldn't have it, and that he's committing I.P. theft every time he "rescues" lost material - as far as the mundane authorities would say, anyway - but he just can't not look at it. Even if he wasn't desperate for good material to lend some much-needed authenticity to SU, his innate voyeurism brings him back to it, day after day, hoping for another brainfart.

3} The Game: E. has never actually played a game of Spectre: the Annihilation - ever. In fact, in spite of having written countless articles for it, and doing his damnedest to get it back up and running again, he thinks the game, itself, sucks the turds out of a chihuahua's ass. {Who in their right mind would want to play a mopey, whinging ghost, anyway? At least Revenants and Warlocks get laid once in a while...}

 

 

* Incitement is an improved version of Preacher's Charm {Mediums: Speakers with the Dead pg. 94}. It allows the Spectre Cultist to express herself in the same demonically-persuasive manner as Preacher's Charm, but works via printed materials instead of spoken word. Whenever the Investment is triggered by the Cultist - costing two Temporary Being - the next 300 words that individual writes are extremely compelling: any Leadership rolls made in the process of cobbling it together get three extra dice.

Note that this Investment works on all forms of writing, regardless of the medium. Editorials in newspapers, short articles in magazines, small pamphlets handed out on the streets, or concert posters would all benefit from Incitement, as would a short introduction for a larger work. This also works with electronic documents, such as HTML - in fact, E. uses this Investment while writing his Darque Dispatchez. {He's not consciously aware that he does this, though.}


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