[UA] You'd better watch out.....

[gareth hanrahan]

>Father Christmas in Unknown Armies, anybody?
>
>JE McGraw


(very tongue-in-cheek)

ok, the Archetype of the Hollyhock god ascended thousands of years
ago as part of the winter solstice sun rebirth festivals. The
Archetype was replaced in the early years of this century when
Coca-cola advertising created the modern conception of Father
Christmas. The interesting thing about this Archetype is that the
vast majority of its Avatars are unconscious ones. Standing on a
street corner in a red suit or dandling children on your knee in a
mall won't channel the Archetype. Avatars of Father Christmas are
lonely, depressed old men. Around the solstice, the ancient powers of
solar rebirth give them one night when their outsider status is
transformed into the very essence of warm family life. All accross
the lands, dozens of aging men condemned to drab grey lives
sleepwalk, magickally clad in ceremonial red robes. Through the power
of the Archetype, they pass through chimneys and conjure the Object
of Desire for children they never had.

And the few lucky children who were good all year awaken to a
miracle.

Oh...in these latter days, as the Clergy spirals down towards another
apocalypse, the Archetype has darkened. The boogeyman who climbs in
the window at night may be a part of something far older...

Avatar Channels:
1-50%: Occasionally, a bachelor will spontaneously channel this
Archetype, manifesting an Avatar: Santa Claus skill at a rank equal
to his 60- his soul skill (thus, very cold, antisocial people channel
the Avatar best. Just look at Ebeneezer Scrooge). The Father
Christmas may use this skill to travel through chimneys, vents &
other tiny openings through which normal people could not pass.
51-75%: The Avatar may conjure toys, gifts and other objects. The
objects conjured by the Avatar must be christmas presents of some
kind, ones that could conceivably be desired by those near the
Avatar. Thus, Bob the Father Christmas can only conjure Pokemon when
surrounded by screaming kids. When mugged in the alley by Fred the
DIY enthusiast mugger and Mike the Gun Loving mugger, Bob conjures
the Black&Decker drill Fred's getting from his wife and drills Fred a
new eye, before blowing Mike away with the .32 he always wanted.
76-90%: The Avatar may now gift the power of flight to any animal.
This power only works for one short flight. If the animal is tethered
to some sort of vehicle, the vehicle may be towed through the air.
For example, Bob wants to fly to Singapore. He grabs a couple of
alley cats and ties them to his bicycle. Singapore air traffic
control gets a *very* odd ufo sighting.
91%-99%: At this level, the worldwide spread of corporate christmas
culture bows down to the Avatar. The Avatar may possess anyone
dressed as Father Christmas, as if the Avatar were a demon. Standard
exorcism techniques will work.

For a scenario idea, a minor contact or ally of the PCs angers a
wierd old loner guy who works in a department store at Christmas. The
loner guy channels Fr. Christmas and uses the third channel to drag
the contact high into the air and drop him. As he falls to his death,
the contact rips the red sleeve and wristwatch of the Avatar off.
Simulateneously, a dozen children awaken, crying that "Santy's a
killer". Stricken by guilt, the loner guy goes insane. By day he's a
lonely man ridden with guilt. By night, he's a psychotic Santa Claus
trying to destroy all the evidence of the murder he committed....

Don't blame me for this. Mr. McGraw asked....
Gar
"You thought that you were the bomb
Yes well so did I" - Tori Amos, Spark




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