Hey, Veeky Forums, I'm currently worldbuilding for an alt-history game (think Baccano meets Rail Wars) set in 1930s eastern Europe/Balkans. My players are expecting some pseudo-supernatural shenanigans (we're using the CoC system for this) so I've decided to throw a curveball at them: a young woman with small angel wings growing out of her back, but no special powers or anything that sets her apart from humans otherwise (no, she can't even fly.) They're all giant weebs so making the macguffin a qt grill for no reason ought to be fairly effective.
However I've hit a hard block when it comes to how the populace at large - in those areas, in the 1930s especially - would react to something as incongruous and strange as a girl with angel wings. Scientists/darwinists would have a goddamned heart attack. Religious types - I can't even imagine the reaction of the various churches in Europe and across the world. The background is that "winged girls" have been rumored throughout history but are rarely accepted and generally regarded as bullshit until one actually turns up - and she'll be the first one to be revealed in an age of fairly modern mass communication (post telegraph/radio.) When the party runs into her the cult pursuing her will go to the public even if they don't (to make their lives difficult,) but I need to figure out *how* their lives will be difficult and how various political factions, governments, and religious authorities would view the existence of such a person.
They've got an armored combat train to protect, so I need it to get attacked by some good shit. Help me drop a shitload of misfortune on this cute angel girl's head, user.
The biggest misfortune that someone could suffer is to love someone who doesn't feel the same way about you.
Logan Williams
The Balkans finally have something to collectively hate for no reason, and Unite.
The world quakes in fear.
Blake Murphy
>The Balkans finally have something to collectively hate for no reason, and Unite.
Lucas Cox
>dictator is enthralled with qt angel grill >instructs the legions of goose-stepping 30s fascists to BRING HER TO ME
seems kind of thin tho. He'd have to justify it somehow. Dictators have high turnover rates in Eastern Europe.
Adam James
>They've got an armored combat train to protect,
... what
Connor Sanchez
Humans would murder them all on the assumption that their wings have magical properties, like if you burn the feathers and snort the ashes your penis grows larger or some bullshit like that.
Connor Robinson
Like so. They can fight their way through roadblocks, shell targets up to ten miles away, and it even carries small diesel-motor powered cars that are pushed (and pulled) along that can be sent ahead and behind as scouts. Roughly based on Polish armored trains in 1939.
They also carry motorcycles for off-track scouting, and heavy equipment that can be used to repair sections of demolished rail.
> like if you burn the feathers and snort the ashes your penis grows larger or some bullshit like that.
As bad as the Balkans are, they're not Chinese.
With that said, the Chinese would probably kidnap her. She GROWS feathers, you know? Golden goose.
Jordan Cook
Ain't that the truth.
Mason Thomas
Bowser-Hitler?
Daniel Allen
Manipulative chucklefucks trying to perform a ritual on her during a particular solstice/eclipse/full moon/etc.
They don't even believe something will happen, but will use the event as a scapegoat for a disaster that they plan on causing.
A prophet leading a huge mass of followers will surround the train and beg the girl's "release". No, they don't won't fight. No, they won't get out of the way if the train starts moving. Yes, certain nations will retaliate if you start offing their civilians.
More rumors of winged people appear, but they're all horrible genetic experiments and botched animal grafts+organ rejection. A lot of people will blame the party for it even though they had nothing to do with it.
Noah Taylor
>Bowser-Hitler?
I had an idea like this - make it literally Raiders of the Lost Ark, but with the Nazi occultism drawing them towards a person rather than an artifact.
Dunno how well it'd work though, or what relevant legend I could use.
Oh, so a deliberate exploitation as a false-flag? I like that.
there were some fairly public groups who actually believed in impending apocalypses and shit. magic but also christianity.
Cooper Butler
Going back to antiquity, even!? No shit, thank you!
Gavin Thomas
>The Balkans finally have something to collectively hate for no reason, and Unite.
It's not like collectively hating something has ever stopped them from hating each other.
Sebastian Sanders
>It's not like collectively hating something has ever stopped them from hating each other.
Case in point: the Turks.
Colton White
>During the 1890s and 1900s, the international leadership of the Society and their circle became increasingly convinced that the appearance of an "emissary" from the Spiritual Hierarchy was imminent; the expected emissary was further identified as the so-called World Teacher or Maitreya, originally by Leadbeater, who "discovered" fourteen-year-old Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895–1986) as the entity's probable "vehicle".[43] Krishnamurti was groomed extensively for his expected messianic role, and a new organization, the Order of the Star in the East (OSE), was formed in 1911 to support him in this mission. The project received widespread publicity and enjoyed worldwide following, chiefly among Theosophists. It also encountered opposition within and without the Theosophical Society, and contributed or led to years of upheaval, power struggles and doctrinal schism within Theosophy.[44] Additional negative repercussions occurred in 1929, when Krishnamurti repudiated the messianic status claimed on his behalf and dissolved the OSE; soon after he severed ties with the Society and Theosophy in general. The adverse reactions and mixed publicity generated by the entire World Teacher Project, and especially by its demise and aftermath, damaged the standing of Theosophy and of its institutions. However, Krishnamurti eventually established a worldwide reputation as an original and respected independent speaker and thinker on spiritual and philosophical issues.
Chase Flores
The only way to stop a balkan is to put one alone in an empty room, and eventually he'll beat up himself
Robert Flores
The best thing to start with would probably be a semi-stable scenario with the cult.
Something along the lines of some theology or philosophy professor running himself ragged keeping an odd hundred congregants from burning her as a sacrifice or worse.
Use him as a single "2nd chance" for the party to get involved; as it will feel quite a bit more natural for them to arrive with a status quo currently reached. Either they immediately take the bait, or they assume he's got it handled and enjoy the occasional tea with the girl and her "prophet".
Then of course, he dies of a heart attack in his study, and now you're got a bunch of cultists trying to hash out his journal as holy words. it's a fake of course: He confided in the girl instead of risking leaving proof that he manufactured the whole religion.
And if the players have a moral (and sensible) bone in their body, they'll abscond with her that night: Who knows what crazed rites would be prepared in the morning after their leader dies.
For the bigger picture, the actual nature of the girl is mystical, latent... And utterly boring.
She's simply blessed. and when she's full grown, she'll simply bless those around her: Crops are good, bones set well, children are born healthy, winters are mild(er).
Completely unnoticed in game mechanics: But there's a touch of the divine in her. On the other hand, don't ask which divine, and most of all, don't ponder too long why misfortune followed her in her youth.
Wyatt Ross
OP here, I just wanted to say thank you; I'll be going with these. is a great way to set it up, and I've read several times and it just blows my mind that such devoted doom cults actually existed, in fairly modern times, even. Holy shit.
Owen Morgan
Don't forget that the powers that be like stability and order. Individuals may want her for other purposes, but there's going to be a significant force that wants her to simply go away or disappear in any meaning of that term.
The cult as well... If you decide you don't want to deal with hangers on; just have them die in a fire.
Yes, that's the official report. Cults have a habit of catching fire.
