Convergence

Walter Kovacs (Order #46286161)

HOME BY

™
 PI1015 - Convergence
Written by
Cory Garcia

Edited by
Alison J McKenzie

Art
Seth Rutledge

Playset of the Month for October 2017

Home by Dark is copyright © 2017 by Jason Olsan. All rights are reserved.

If you’d like to create additional materials for use with Home by Dark, we’re
all for it! Contact us at hbd@protagonist.industries.

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Walter Kovacs (Order #46286161)

 Monsters are real. The adults in Fishers may not believe it, but the kids of the
blue-collar community know that things go bump in the night. As Halloween
approaches, no one in the town realizes the most dangerous monster of them
all is hiding in plain sight: Dracula himself. A full moon rises Halloween
night, and with it comes the opening to a demon dimension. If Dracula can
harness the power of the demons, he can rule the world. For the kids who
realize it’s up to them to take down the king of vampires, there is good news:
not all monsters are bad.

Secret: Frankenstein’s Monster

As a lover of mythology and Shakespeare, the creature commonly known
as Frankenstein’s Monster would prefer to go by the name Proteus, but pop
culture being what it is, he tells everyone he meets to call him Frank. It’s easier
that way.

Frank looks every bit his 200 years of age. Between the hides he wears and the
old flesh that’s visible, he looks like a walking piece of leather with long black
hair that hides the scars of his brain transplant. Every year, his body starts to
move a little slower, as the parts that make up his body weren’t meant to take
centuries of abuse, but he still retains his strength and agility.

Or at least he did until he arrived in Fishers.

Lured into a trap in the Fishers Library, Frank was badly wounded by Dracula
and his minions, barely escaping the encounter with his unnatural life. The
previously eloquent speaker can now only speak in bits and spurts, and his
injuries mean he can only move clumsily, like the pop culture character he’s
grown to hate. He knows what is in store for Fishers, but without help all he
can do is hide in the woods.

Ability

Frank normally has the strength of 10 men. He can burst through walls, rip
wooden doors off hinges, and smash most things. The monsters of the world
know if Frank gets his hands on you, you’re not getting away. If he can get
back up on his feet, Frank will be able to do all of those things, but not for
very long.

Walter Kovacs (Order #46286161)

 Fear

Having spent his whole life being chased by mobs with pitchforks, torches
and, eventually, guns, Frank is used to adults confusing him for the real
danger in the world.

Pursuer: Dracula
Albert Ulysses Card— Dracula always uses aliases that are his name
backwards—is the newest member of the Fishers community. When the
town librarian, Miss Murray, passed away suddenly, many were heartbroken,
but Card has proved to be a great replacement. Most residents of the town
think he’s a likable eccentric, what with his constant use of ornate parasols
outdoors, even on sunny days. This is just the latest in the long line of ruses
Dracula has used to keep a community blind to his real agenda.

He’s known about coming of the portal for decades, and thanks to a book of
rituals known as De Adventu Obscurum. Roughly meaning “The Coming of
the Dark” in Latin, the book contains spells for opening and controlling the
gate provided the right magic artifact can be acquired. He keeps the tome
hidden in his desk at the library.

Dracula is not alone in Fishers. The two burly twins who have recently been
hired as library security turn into werewolves once the sun sets. At night,
they hunt for Frank in their full wolf form in the forests surrounding the
town, hoping to finish what they started. Dracula is not aware of the extent
of Frank’s damages and believes him to be the only force capable of stopping
him.

Motivation

Since they first met, Frank has been a thorn in Dracula’s side, foiling his plans
for world domination again and again. Wherever he goes, Frank is never far
behind. Dracula is willing to sacrifice anything, even his minions, to take
Frank out once and for all.

Walter Kovacs (Order #46286161)

 Goal

Dracula needs to be able to cast the spell that will give him power over the
demon dimension without Frank getting in his way. With control of the
monsters set to exit the portal, the world will belong to him.

Danger: The Demon Dimension

When the clock strikes midnight on Halloween night, under the light of a
full moon, a portal to another dimension will open over the town square. If
it is not closed in time, monsters from the other side of the portal will pour
into world, creating chaos and devastation. There is a spell in De Adventu
Obscurum that can close the portal if the player characters can find the
artifact necessary for the spell to work.

Manifestation
• Strange whispers are heard on the wind.
• Storm clouds have hung over the town for days, with periodic flashes of
red lightning being seen.
• • It’s unseasonably warm, especially near the center of town, as if it
were still midsummer.

Setting: Fishers, Indiana. Fall, 1989.

Fishers is a small blue-collar community on the outskirts of Indianapolis.
Most of the residents work at nearby auto plants, but a lucky few work at
the Quick Rabbit Chocolate Factory with access to all the chocolate they can
sneak home to their kids. It’s a quiet town where socializing means grabbing
a root beer at the drive-in or watching the bats fly out of the old church at
sunset. Far too quiet to have any urban legends of its own, it is home to the
Indiana Museum of Weird History, which houses artifacts from around the
state—and what the museum swears is a real mummy.

Fishers celebrates Halloween in a big way, including a Halloween festival that

takes up the town square. Most businesses are in a spooky spirit, and no one
thinks it’s weird if anyone is walking around under a sheet or wearing a mask.

Walter Kovacs (Order #46286161)

 Character Creation
Whether they’re teenage rebels, horror fanatics with old movie posters on
their walls, or plucky younger siblings, this is a playset that lends itself to
characters who won’t question that Dracula himself has come to their corner
of the globe. They’ll mostly be the type that have parents that aren’t afraid to
let them run free as long as they’re not out late on a school night. Playing the
weary parent always tired of hearing about monsters could add tension to
saving the world.

Example Locations
• The Fishers Library
• The Town Square
• The Indiana Museum of Weird History
• Nana Hampton’s Drive-In
• The Treehouse

Example Assets
• De Adventu Obscurum
• A pair of binoculars
• A Frankenstein’s Monster mask
• Silver bullets
• Walkie talkies

Walter Kovacs (Order #46286161)

 Example Questions
The example questions below will suggest storylines. Use any that you like,
and feel free to add your own.

Example Secret Questions

The Secret questions focus on getting to know and protecting the Secret.
The following are starting examples to inspire your group with their Secret
questions.

• “Can we convince Frank that we can help him in the fight against
Dracula?”
• “Do we know a place in town we can hide Frank?”
• “Can we help patch Frank up?”

Example Pursuer Questions

The Pursuer is attempting to control the Secret. Pursuer questions focus on

characters avoiding and distracting the Pursuer. They may also learn more
about the Pursuer.

• “Do we figure out where Dracula is hiding his book of rituals?”

• “Can we sneak garlic into Dracula’s lunch?”
• “Can we trick Animal Control into capturing Dracula’s minions while
they’re in wolf form?”

Example Danger Questions

The Danger is centered around the opening of the portal to the demon
dimension. The questions about the Danger will focus on learning how to
close the portal before the demons arrive.

• “Do we discover where the portal will open?”

• “Can we convince the museum curator to help us find the artifact?”
• “Can we get the festival shut down early so town square clears out?”

Walter Kovacs (Order #46286161)

 Final Confrontation Table
This table is slightly modified from the one found in the Home by Dark book.
It gives more specific descriptions of the results of the final confrontation for
this playset.

The Pursuer

Pursuer loses by 5+: Once the portal opens, the characters are able to
outmaneuver the vampire, and he is sucked into the demon dimension, never
to threaten the lives of those on this side of the portal again.

Pursuer ties or loses by 1-4: The only way to get Dracula through the portal
is for Frank to go with him. As the portal closes, Frank waves goodbye to his
new friends in the battle against the creatures of the night.

Pursuer won by 1-4: Once the portal is open, Dracula maneuvers Frank into
it, banishing him to whatever evil is on the other side. Dracula is able to get
a taste of the power of the demon dimension, amplifying his powers, turning
him into an army of one on his quest for global power.

Pursuer won by 5+: The power of the portal flows through Dracula, and he
easily tosses Frank into the demon dimension. Stronger than ever, the only
thing standing in Dracula’s way now is what, if anything, comes out of the
portal and into our world.

Walter Kovacs (Order #46286161)

 The Danger

Danger loses by 5+: The portal closes, and with a giant clap of thunder,
the clouds part and a bright full moon shines down on the town. The red
lightning and the whispers are gone for good.

Danger ties or loses by 1-4: The portal closes, but the occasional bursts of
red lightning serve as a reminder that it could always open again when the
time is right.

Danger won by 1-4: No demons make it through the portal, but it’s open
long enough that its evil leaks into the community. Plants rot, crime rates
soar, and soon the factories close shop. People can’t quite put their finger on
what happened, but a gloom sets in over the city. Fishers is cursed, destined to
become the ghost town people speed through and the place parents threaten
to take their kids when they’re bad.

Danger won by 5+: Welcome to the end of the world. The portal opens and
the foulest of the demon dimension pours into our reality, creating chaos that
first engulfs Fishers before spreading in all directions. Fishers is the first defeat
in a battle against things so dark, humans didn’t dare imagine them.

Walter Kovacs (Order #46286161)