Page 245 - Chronicles of Darkness

knows. His understanding of time particles can be expressed — slithered into Lucien’s body and wore it like a suit. Lucien
in great detail. is now an intruder, a dead human body possessed by a bale-
Joseph is not a fighter, and attempts to avoid conflict if ful spirit. Lucien’s reanimated body now has its own unholy
possible. If attacked, Joseph surrenders. appetites, and it wanders from town to town, preying on the
Joseph is the closest the characters can reasonably come unfortunate.
to conversing with the God-Machine. He is a being of im- This would be bad enough, but the God-Machine needed
mense knowledge and power trapped in a mortal shell, and Lucien McJack for something. What it needed Lucien for
he doesn’t even have the ability to truly let the God-Machine isn’t immediately relevant. The point is that with Lucien
speak through him. He is tasked with the impossible chore of dead, some gear or mechanism started spinning backwards,
being the God-Machine’s mouthpiece. He should therefore and other dead people started getting up as well (this is all
show up in Tales like A Journey Into Time (p. 228), This Is described in the Wake the Dead Tale, p. 214). Lucien (rather,
Hell (p. 231), and Proposition 279 (p. 223) — stories with the thing wearing his body) doesn’t know or care about this
cosmic implications. Stories that play with space and time situation. It has other fish to fry.
(Missing Persons, p. 210, or Do-Over, p. 199) would also be Description: Lucien, in life, was a nondescript fellow with
appropriate. thinning red-blonde hair, a slight beard, and a tribal tattoo
on his meaty right arm. The intruder shaved its head and
Virtue: Honest pulled out several of Lucien’s teeth (giving it the appearance
Vice: Flighty of a fanged mouth). The tattoo on its arm also seems to be
spreading, creating designs that give people headaches if they
Mental Attributes: Intelligence 5, Wits 4, stare too long.
Resolve 3 Storytelling Hints: Lucien McJack wants to watch fear
Physical Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 2, turn to pain and then to acceptance. It likes watching people
Stamina 2 die. The first few victims it just beat to death, but that causes
Social Attributes: Presence 2, Manipulation 2, so much trauma that people don’t have time to come to grips
Composure 4 with what is happening. It’s thinking about moving up to poi-
Mental Skills: Academics (Research) 4, son, but it needs materials for that. Strangulation, perhaps.
Computer 2, Investigation 1, Occult 3, Science 5 It’s important to note that the intruder is not the ghost of
(Physics) Lucien McJack or Lucien McJack resurrected. The intruder
Physical Skills: Athletics 2, Drive 2 is just a nonhuman entity using McJack as a conveyance.
Social Skills: Expression 1, Intimidation (Cold) 3, Nothing of McJack remains but the face and the name.
Lucien is the main antagonist and motivating force in the
Persuasion 2, Socialize 1 Tale Wake the Dead (p. 214).
Merits: Cursed, Eidetic Memory, Resources 2,
Status 2 (University) Virtue: Methodical
Health: 7 Vice: Sadistic
Willpower: 8 Mental Attributes: Intelligence 3, Wits 3,
Integrity: 7 Resolve 3
Size: 5 Physical Attributes: Strength 5, Dexterity 3,
Speed: 8 Stamina 4
Defense: 4 Social Attributes: Presence 2, Manipulation 2,
Composure 3
Initiative: 6
Mental Skills: Academics 1, Computer 1,
Investigation 1, Occult 1, Science (Chemistry) 1
LUCIEN MCJACK Physical Skills: Athletics 3, Brawl (Grappling) 3,

Drive 1, Firearms 1, Larceny 2, Stealth (Stalking)
4, Weaponry 2
Dead, but over it. Social Skills: Animal Ken 1, Empathy 1,
Background: Lucien McJack was out on the highway one Expression 2, Intimidation 2, Persuasion (Helpful) 2
night when his car broke down. Unable to get it working, Merits: Fast Reflexes 2, Fleet of Foot 3, Martial
he left a note for the police, locked the doors, and started Arts 5
walking toward civilization. He put out his thumb to try and
catch a ride, and a car struck and killed him. That was the Health: 9
end of Lucien McJack. Willpower: 6
That wasn’t the end, though. A spirit — a foul, evil, vi- Integrity: n/a
cious thing from a place that humanity does not understand
Size: 5
244
cogs in the machine-characters