Federal Bureau of Investigation
The FBI comes in to help investigate the murders.
Agenda The FBI seeks to enforce federal laws.
Entity Federal law enforcement agency
Symbol FBI crest
Overview The FBI is the principal investigative arm of the United States Department of Justice. It has the authority and responsibility to investigate specific crimes assigned to it. The FBI also is authorized to provide other law enforcement agencies with cooperative services, such as fingerprint identification, laboratory examinations, and police training.
Structure The FBI is a federal law-enforcement agency with offices all over the United States.
Base of Operations The FBI has a Houston office that carries out the agency’s mission in South Texas and parts of East Texas. They establish a base at the Old Pine Hotel upon arriving in Pinebox.
Statistics
| Response | 14 (+2) | Information | 33 (+12) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resources | 25 (+7) | Occult | 15 (+2) |
| Hit Points | 30,000 | Influence | 24 (+7) |
| Force | 25 (+7) |
Skills Computer Use +17; Craft +17; Decipher Script +17; Demolitions +17; Disguise +17; Forgery +17; Gather Information +18; Intimidate + 12; Investigate +19; Knowledge (arts) +17; Knowledge (behavioral sciences) +19; Knowledge (civics) +19; Knowledge (current events) +19; Knowledge (earth & life sciences) +19; Knowledge (history) +19; Knowledge (occult lore) +19; Knowledge (physical sciences) +19; Knowledge (pop culture) +19; Knowledge (streetwise) +19; Knowledge (tactics) +17; Knowledge (technology) +19; Knowledge (theology & philosophy) +19; Repair +17; Research +19; Search +12; Treat Injury +15
Feats Arsenal; Emergency Response; Forensic Laboratories; Library (all); Private Hospital; Psychological Treatment; Research Lab; Secure Base (×10)
Golan County Irish Community
The Golan County Irish community lives in and around town.
Agenda The Irish seek to maintain the independence that derives from living in relative isolation.
Entity Local community based in Golan County
Overview The Irish community’s origins go back to the nineteenth century. Hearing of bad luck for many of their countrymen along the East Coast, these Irish immigrants decided to go to Texas. It was not much easier for them there until they found someone willing to sell them land. The immigrants pooled their resources and entrusted their meager savings to the respected Tiedens family, who purchased a tract of land large enough for all the immigrants. Although the seller considered it the equivalent of swampland—a piece of the thicket so dense and difficult to navigate that nobody else wanted it—it suited the Irish’s needs perfectly. They were close enough to town to enjoy the luxuries of America, yet far enough away to avoid some of the prejudice.
Today, some of their descendants live in shacks with no running water or electricity, while others live in modern homes. Regardless of their living conditions, they still cherish their heritage and look out for each other. Most people in town give the Irish little thought. They just know that some “strange folks” live in the woods. They may not realize that their neighbor is related to these “strange folks.” The Irish look very American and have Texas accents, but hold pagan-Irish values.
The Golan County Irish do not care for local laws, much less federal ones. Technically, the Tiedens family holds the title to the Irish community’s land. The Druids keep order in the small, insular community and provide their flock with spiritual guidance.
The death of Andrew Tiedens, who owned onehalf of the Irish community’s land, has thrown their future into doubt. With neither a will nor a lengthy legal claim by his brother (who was not only ignorant of the law, but away in Ireland), the land became the property of the state of Texas.
The Green Mark Corporation quickly seized the opportunity and purchased the land for timber harvesting. Green Mark is thus far unaware of the existence of the Irish community.
Structure The Irish of Golan Country have no formal structure. They come together, under the leadership of the Texas Druids, for worship of nature and to commune with spirits.
Base of Operations They have no formal base, but there are places in the thicket that they hold sacred.
Statistics
| Response | 12 (+1) | Information | 6 (-2) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resources | 8 (-1) | Occult | 10 (+0) |
| Hit Points | 300 | Influence | 8 (-1) |
| Force | 8 (-1) |
Skills Decipher Script +1; Gather Information +3; Knowledge (current events) +1; Knowledge (history) +4; Knowledge (occult lore) +2; Knowledge (theology & philosophy) +2; Search +4; Treat Injury +3
Feats Fanatical Loyalty
Golan County Sheriff’s Department
The Golan County Sheriff’s Department is the first law-enforcement agency at the initial crime scene.
Agenda The Golan County Sheriff’s Department maintains the peace in Golan County. They also oversee the county jail, which is located in town.
Entity Golan County law-enforcement agency
Symbol GCSD crest.
Overview The GCSD maintains law and order in the unincorporated regions of Golan County. It provides first response to all crimes reported in these areas and investigates said crimes. Suspects are sought, apprehended, and subsequently interned within the Golan County Jailhouse. The GCSD allows the town Police Department to house prisoners within the jail as needed. There is no small rivalry between the two agencies, despite differing jurisdictions. When the GCSD requires resources, they seek assistance from the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Structure The GCSD is a local law enforcement agency with its headquarters in town.
Base of Operations The GCSD has an office that dispatches deputies within the county. They also supervise the county jailhouse.
Statistics
| Response | 12 (+1) | Information | 10 (+0) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resources | 12 (+1) | Occult | 8 (-1) |
| Hit Points | 190 | Influence | 15 (+2) |
| Force | 13 (+1) |
Skills Computer Use +2; Craft +2; Decipher Script +1; Demolitions +3; Forgery +2; Gather Information +6; Intimidate + 4; Investigate +2; Knowledge (behavioral sciences) +2; Knowledge (civics) +4; Knowledge (current events) +4; Knowledge (earth & life sciences) +2; Knowledge (physical sciences) +2; Knowledge (streetwise) +3; Knowledge (tactics) +3; Knowledge (technology) +2; Repair +2; Research +2; Search +3; Treat Injury +3
Feats Arsenal; Emergency Response; Secure Base
Green Mark Corporation
The Green Mark Corporation harvests lumber and produces forest products.
Agenda Green Mark, which is moving its operations to The Lone Star State from Oregon, seeks to establish a profitable business in East Texas.
Entity Corporation
Symbol Lightening bolt superimposed over a tree.
Overview Green Mark, an established corporation on the West Coast, wants to expand its business, but feels that buying more lumber rights in Oregon is too costly. The desire for more wood has led them to Texas. This move would expand their economic base and provide management with opportunities for promotion. Many in Golan County are eager for the economic boost that a new Green Mark facility would bring to the area.
Structure Green Mark is a large corporation with its headquarters in Ogden, Oregon. It plans to move its offices to town, which would require a staff of 250 people.
Base of Operations Green Mark is establishing an office complex just outside of town, with several mobile offices for coordinating lumber operations. The company is in the process of deciding whether to renovate an old sawmill or build a new one.
Statistics
| Response | 8 (-1) | Information | 12 (+1) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resources | 20 (+4) | Occult | 3 (-4) |
| Hit Points | 300 | Influence | 16 (+3) |
| Force | 10 (+0) |
Skills Computer Use +7; Craft +7; Demolitions +4; Knowledge (civics) +7; Knowledge (current events) +9; Knowledge (earth & life sciences) +9; Knowledge (technology) +7; Treat Injury +10
Feats Financial Sway; Library (Knowledge [earth & life sciences]); Secure Base
Texas Clean
Texas Clean is an environmental group similar to Greenpeace but more aggressive and willing to use deadly force.
Agenda Texas Clean seeks to keep Texas’s environmental and ecological treasures in pristine shape and stop further encroachment by business and government.
Entity Environmental activist group
Symbol Dark green map of Texas with the word Clean vertically centered in white letters
Overview Texas clean grew out of a feeling that organizations like Greenpeace do not do enough to achieve environmental goals. The organization is growing by slowly identifying individuals who share a zeal and love for the environment and do not mind cracking a few skulls in order to protect the planet’s resources.
Structure Texas Clean currently consists of 20 fanatically militant environmental activists led by the group’s founder and financier, Chad Rathers.
Base of Operations The members of Texas Clean live and operate solely within Texas, migrating around the state like gypsies. They use an Austin post office box for mail, and cell phones for most other communications.
Statistics
| Response | 10 (+0) | Information | 8 (-1) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resources | 20 (+4) | Occult | 3 (-4) |
| Hit Points | 25 | Influence | 8 (-1) |
| Force | 6 (-2) |
Skills Computer Use +5; Demolitions +3; Forgery +2; Gather Information +5; Knowledge (civics) +2; Knowledge (pop culture) +5; Research +4
Feats Financial Sway
Texas Druids
The Texas Druids are the leaders of the Irish community found in Golan County.
Agenda The Druids provide a vital link to Irish heritage and the spirit world.
Entity Official religion of the Golan County Irish community in the Big Thicket.
Overview The Texas Druids, the priests to the Irish of Golan County, provide a vital link to the spiritual world and ensure the Irish continue to respect nature. They commonly conduct worship in the woods at different sites, according to the reason for celebration. Some Irish attend Catholic mass, but they also seek blessings from the Druids. Some of the older Druids are able to move through the waters of Lake Greystone directly to Ireland.
Structure The Texas Druids are a religious group that meets for worship in the thicket of East Texas.
Base of Operations The Texas Druids have a sacred grove located in the Big Thicket. There are several other sacred locations throughout the forest.
Statistics
| Response | 14 (+2) | Information | 11 (+0) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resources | 8 (-1) | Occult | 16 (+3) |
| Hit Points | 150 | Influence | 8 (-1) |
| Force | 8 (-1) |
Skills Decipher Script +7; Gather Information +3; Intimidate + 3; Knowledge (current events) +3; Knowledge (earth & life sciences) +4; Knowledge (history) +7; Knowledge (occult) +9; Knowledge (theology & philosophy) +9; Search +3; Treat Injury +3
Feats Covert; Druid’s Sacred Grove; Fanatical Loyalty
Organization-Related Feats
++Arsenal
The organization has a large stockpile of weaponry.
Benefit: The organization has a +5 bonus to Force checks for acquiring weaponry and has access to military-grade or illegal gear.
Covert
The organization’s very existence is concealed.
Benefit: The organization gives no Reputation increase (or decrease), but its members are off the grid in terms of fingerprints, police records, and so on, which gives the characters considerably greater latitude when it comes to avoiding the attention of the authorities.
Emergency Response
The organization is always on standby to help the characters.
Benefit: The organization has a +5 bonus to Response for the purposes of determining Response time.
Fanatical Loyalty
The organization demands absolute faith from its members.
Benefit: Organization members may add the group’s Occult bonus to their saves for the purposes of Horror checks.
Financial Sway
The organization is adept at using its financial muscle to influence other groups.
Benefit: The organization may use Resources instead of Influence for the purposes of pulling political strings.
Forensics Laboratory
The organization has a well-equipped forensics laboratory.
Benefit: The organization has a +2 equipment bonus to Investigate checks. If a character uses the forensics lab, he gets a +4 equipment bonus to Investigate and Treat Injury checks.
Library
The organization has an extensive reference library.
Benefit: Choose a subcategory of the Knowledge skill (such as Knowledge [civics] or Knowledge [technology]). The organization has a +2 equipment bonus to that particular Knowledge check. If a character uses the library, he gets a +4 equipment bonus for that particular type of Knowledge check.
Private Hospital
The organization has a private medical facility.
Benefit: The organization has a +4 equipment bonus to Treat Injury checks.
Research Lab
The organization has a well-equipped research laboratory.
Prerequisite: Forensics laboratory
Benefit: The organization has access to a research laboratory, which gives it a +2 equipment bonus to Craft, Investigate, Repair and Knowledge (technology) checks. It can also produce specialized equipment in half the normal time.
Secure Base
The organization’s headquarters is protected by state-of-the-art security systems.
Benefit: The organization gains +20 hit points, and the headquarters is well defended.
