Post by Catsmate on Nov 4, 2015 12:10:16 GMT
The story of John Dimond is perhaps more suited to a Call of Cthulhu game, given his origin in Marblehead, the inspiration of Lovecraft's misty, "dream haunted", coastal town of Kingsport, and the nature of his alleged abilities, but I think he and his grand-daughter could do equally well in a Who based game.
Edward Dimond (known generally as John) was born in the small Massachusetts fishing village of Marblehead in the 1690s (probably, there are no records; some sources suggest around 1650) and lived into the 1750s (there is no record of his death). He paid for the construction of a large house on Orne Street (number 42), called the Old Brig, around 1720 (or 1710). It was at the base of a hill known as the 'Old Burial Hill' which was the principal graveyard for the area, and also noted for it's panoramic view of the bay.
Better known is his grand-daughter, Molly Pitcher, born 1743 (or 1738) and died 1813. Moll was a well known eighteenth century fortune teller, diviner and prophet. She was (apparently) able to repeat verbatim conversations she’d heard while still a young child.
Not a lot is known about Dimond's life; he's said to have been a retired ship's captain, though there's no evidence for this; almost all references are to his alleged psychic or mystical abilities and his odd habits. Especially known (and written about by several contemporary sources) was his practice of climbing the hill behind his house during storms and pacing between the graves, shouting directions to the ships offshore. The weird bit is that they supposedly heard him, over distances of many kilometres.
On land he was known as a diviner, who could find lost objects and buried treasures, and for his ability to divine the truth from people. Locals would go to him if they'd been victims of theft and he's locate the thieves and stolen goods. Sometimes he'd punish criminals by forcing them to carry out exhausting tasks.
Physically he's described as a large and imposing man, well respected locally, who generally wore a large cape and a 'seafaring' hat.
Options and game use.
Given the lack of detail Dimond could be almost anything, and dropped into many historical scenarios. He's fit just as well into a small coastal town in Britain or Europe as America.
He could be a psychic. able to read minds, transmit thoughts and manipulate the susceptible. These abilities could be inherent, perhaps due to genetic tampering by aliens (the Mi-Go for the true Lovecraftian flavour) or descent from humanoid aliens or time travellers (or Hyperboreans). Or he could have stumbled over something during his seafaring days; psychic amplifier crystal, an encounter with an alien or time traveller or a dose from a nanotech injector.
Equally well he could be a fake, or just convinced of his own abilities. A combination of intelligence, use of deductive logic and extensive local knowledge (and perhaps informants) to explain his 'divinations' and a habit (deliberately cultivated?) of eccentric shouting during storms, could explain most of his "powers".
He could be a stranded alien or time traveller, stuck in the seventeenth/eighteenth century and waiting, bored, for rescue or for Earth to develop the technology he needs to depart. Meanwhile be uses his abilities and some surviving gadgets to help (or awe) the mayfly humans.
Or he could be a Time Lord, hiding form the Time War in human form, perhaps with his bio-print only imperfectly modified by a damaged chameleon arch? Remember John Smith's ability with a cricket ball, Dimond might retain a few Gallifreyan abilities. If Moll was really his descendant, there could be a line of Scions of Gallifrey lurking in Lovecraft Country, ripe for a Pulp era campaign...
Comments? Ideas? Suggestions?
Edward Dimond (known generally as John) was born in the small Massachusetts fishing village of Marblehead in the 1690s (probably, there are no records; some sources suggest around 1650) and lived into the 1750s (there is no record of his death). He paid for the construction of a large house on Orne Street (number 42), called the Old Brig, around 1720 (or 1710). It was at the base of a hill known as the 'Old Burial Hill' which was the principal graveyard for the area, and also noted for it's panoramic view of the bay.
Better known is his grand-daughter, Molly Pitcher, born 1743 (or 1738) and died 1813. Moll was a well known eighteenth century fortune teller, diviner and prophet. She was (apparently) able to repeat verbatim conversations she’d heard while still a young child.
Not a lot is known about Dimond's life; he's said to have been a retired ship's captain, though there's no evidence for this; almost all references are to his alleged psychic or mystical abilities and his odd habits. Especially known (and written about by several contemporary sources) was his practice of climbing the hill behind his house during storms and pacing between the graves, shouting directions to the ships offshore. The weird bit is that they supposedly heard him, over distances of many kilometres.
- Really loud voice? Projective telepathy? Amplifier?
- Or not. It's also said of him that if he didn't like the captain or owner of a vessel his instructions would lead to the ship's destruction.
On land he was known as a diviner, who could find lost objects and buried treasures, and for his ability to divine the truth from people. Locals would go to him if they'd been victims of theft and he's locate the thieves and stolen goods. Sometimes he'd punish criminals by forcing them to carry out exhausting tasks.
- Psychic gifts? Or detailed local knowledge and detective skills and a degree of intimidation from his reputation?
Physically he's described as a large and imposing man, well respected locally, who generally wore a large cape and a 'seafaring' hat.
Options and game use.
Given the lack of detail Dimond could be almost anything, and dropped into many historical scenarios. He's fit just as well into a small coastal town in Britain or Europe as America.
He could be a psychic. able to read minds, transmit thoughts and manipulate the susceptible. These abilities could be inherent, perhaps due to genetic tampering by aliens (the Mi-Go for the true Lovecraftian flavour) or descent from humanoid aliens or time travellers (or Hyperboreans). Or he could have stumbled over something during his seafaring days; psychic amplifier crystal, an encounter with an alien or time traveller or a dose from a nanotech injector.
- Like the Semquess augmentation 'drugs' in Eye of the Giant which could be nanotech in nature rather than chemical. Probably biological nanotech, a created virus of some sort.
- Magnus Greel was able to 'teach' Li H'sen Chang how to read and cloud minds, perhaps someone taught Dimond the trick?
Equally well he could be a fake, or just convinced of his own abilities. A combination of intelligence, use of deductive logic and extensive local knowledge (and perhaps informants) to explain his 'divinations' and a habit (deliberately cultivated?) of eccentric shouting during storms, could explain most of his "powers".
He could be a stranded alien or time traveller, stuck in the seventeenth/eighteenth century and waiting, bored, for rescue or for Earth to develop the technology he needs to depart. Meanwhile be uses his abilities and some surviving gadgets to help (or awe) the mayfly humans.
Or he could be a Time Lord, hiding form the Time War in human form, perhaps with his bio-print only imperfectly modified by a damaged chameleon arch? Remember John Smith's ability with a cricket ball, Dimond might retain a few Gallifreyan abilities. If Moll was really his descendant, there could be a line of Scions of Gallifrey lurking in Lovecraft Country, ripe for a Pulp era campaign...
Comments? Ideas? Suggestions?
