[Cryptworld] 7 Days of Things, Day 4: Fetch

An Irish Supernatural Thing for Cryptworld

FETCH
STR: NA --- WPR: 7 (105)
DEX: NA --- PER: 6 (90)
AGL: NA --- PCN: 6 (90)
STA: NA --- PWR: 130
ATT: 1/* --- WND: 0*
MV: F 75 (incorporeal)

Experience: 1,000

A Fetch is a malevolent spirit that, due to envy and jealousy of the living, wishes to return to life itself. It does this by visiting, appearing to, taking over, and eventually replacing a chosen victim.

When a Fetch first chooses its future "host," it begins a process of possession that takes a full month to complete. The Fetch uses this time to observe its victim, examine their mannerisms and personality, and eventually duplicate every nuance of the host.

• The first phase begins on the night of a new moon. The Fetch will begin haunting its victim, fleetingly seen out of the corner of the eye. It will be hard to determine if a haunting is happening or not, as the Fetch will take care to stay out of sight of all but the intended victim, who may catch glimpses of the lurking spirit. It is during this phase that the Fetch is observing its victim, learning all that it can.
• The second phase begins when the moon begins waxing until it reaches the first quarter. The Fetch will begin appearing to the intended victim. Only the victim will see the Fetch as a shapeless, formless spirit in the mirror, standing in a doorway, floating over the bed at night, etc. The Fetch will have a vaguely human shape at this point. However, no one else will be able to detect or see the Fetch as it begins to reenter the world of the living.
• The third phase of possession occurs on the night of the full moon. The victim will again see the Fetch, but now the spirit will appear as a ghostly duplicate of the intended victim. The Fetch may speak to the victim, taunting them in the victim's own voice. As the Fetch begins anchoring itself to the living world, others may now be able to see the Fetch, usually close friends and family of the intended victim.
• The fourth phase begins as the moon begins waning into the third quarter. The Fetch will attempt to forcibly possess and control its future host using its Usurp Physical Form power. If unsuccessful, the Fetch will try again on the next night. If successful, the Fetch will interact with the living world in the body of its victim. Since the Fetch has spent the better part of the month learning about its victim, the likeness will be uncanny. The Fetch will leave upon sun-up, and the victim may not have any recollection of anything they did while the Fetch was in control.
• The fifth and final phase occurs when the moon is once again new. The Fetch will attempt to possess the victim one last time using its Usurp Physical Form power. If unsuccessful, the Fetch will be temporarily banished to the realm of the dead for 1d10 months. If successful, the victim's soul is forced out and irrevocably destroyed, and the Fetch will take over the victim's body and life. Friends and family may notice a new quirk, habit, or manner of speaking, but there will be no other tell-tale signs that the Fetch is now permanently in control.

A Fetch can be stopped if it can be shown that it had its chance at life and it is now over. This can be achieved by showing the Fetch evidence of its life and death, ie, a headstone, its grave, a family member who recalls them in life, or a cherished possession it once possessed. This may prove difficult, as it must be determined who the Fetch once was when it was alive.

Another way to stop the Fetch is to keep it from possessing the intended victim on the final night. If successful, the Fetch will be temporarily banished back to the realm of the dead. It is theorized that, if the victim flees the area on that last night, the Fetch will appear, but have no vessel to inhabit. It will then spend 1d10 months in the Afterworld, searching for the same victim, starting the process again on the first night of a new moon. A victim may be on the run for the rest of his/her life until the Fetch is destroyed or the Fetch successfully possesses its new "home." There are folktales of Fetches that have taken over the bodies of newborns without their parents ever suspecting, but these are the stories nightmares are made from.

Fetch Powers
Supernatural Touch: Similar to a Ghost (Cryptworld rulebook, page 60), a Fetch can make contact with an opponent and deal physical damage to him. It uses the opponent's unskilled melee score as the column for resolving damage. On a C result, the opponent is chilled to the marrow and unable to move for one round.

Usurp Physical Form: A Fetch uses this power to drain the victim's WPR and wrest control of the host's body. This possession usually lasts only one night, however, on the final night of the Fetch's "process," this control is permanent if successful. It costs the Fetch 40 WPR for each attempt. The Fetch must make a specific PWR check versus the column corresponding to the victim's current WPR. (Any WPR lost by the victim is regained at 5 points for every hour of rest as the Fetch's attacks weaken the victim's resistance to future usurpation attempts.)

S = The Fetch will inhabit the body of the victim, but the victim remains in physical control. The victim will hear voices, threats, and taunts in their head as the Fetch tries to unsuccessfully wrest control. The effect lasts for an hour, at which time the Fetch leaves. The victim will be shaken, but will not suffer any WPR loss from the internal conflict with the ghostly inhabitant.
M = The Fetch will inhabit the body of the victim until sunrise, having full physical control. However, the victim will be completely aware of what's happening, but will be powerless to stop it. The victim will suffer 1d10/2 WPR loss from the ordeal.
L = The Fetch will inhabit the body of the victim until sunrise, having full physical control. The victim will have no idea that they were under the Fetch's control, but they will recall fitful dreams and visions of their time as the Fetch's puppet. The victim will suffer 1d10 WPR loss from the encounter.
H = The Fetch will inhabit the body of the victim until sunrise, having full physical control. The victim will have no idea that they were under the Fetch's control and will have no recollection of the ordeal. The victim will suffer 2d10 WPR loss from the ordeal.
C = The Fetch will inhabit the body of the victim until sunrise, having full physical control. The victim will have no idea that they were under the Fetch's control and will have no recollection of the ordeal. The victim will suffer 3d10 WPR loss from the ordeal.