Little Fears Cry Havoc.pdf

Do You Believe?

The graffiti now appears from Timbuktu to Los Angeles, from Istanbul to New York; in English, in Kanji, in Arabic, in Thai, in

every language, in every tongue.

Do You Believe?

The year is 2046 and the long war between the children of Humanity and the forces of Closetland has taken a decidedly different

turn. Many adults now know that the monsters are real. Others claim that they know nothing but delusion; that they are insane

to willfully endanger the children they profess to love.

A rallying cry to some, a horrible sign of the times to others:

Do You Believe?

How it Began

Every generation or so, an individual is born that changes the face of science—the scintillant anomaly, the wunderkind, who

pushes the boundaries of what is known, of what is possible. Such a man was Ishikawa Kijuro, a brilliant Japanese neurochemist

who brought forth half a dozen revolutionary techniques in the fusion of neurology and technology by age 25. Dr. Ishikawa

believed that the pathways of the mind could be mapped and, if one but had the proper key, tapped into. Some whispered that he

went too far, that his theories and methods were unsound. But the profits from his inventions seemed limitless and the powers that

be in the conglomerate companies and governments of the day that benefited from his work silenced any opposition, a policy that

a few of them have since come to regret. Despite a life of near-constant research, Kijuro fell in love with and married fellow

scientist Shin Utako and together they had a daughter, Emi. Not long after, Utako died in a car accident, and Kijuro had to take on

the duties of a parent, alone.

Emi was a sweet and kindhearted little girl, and her father loved her to distraction. When she turned six, she began to experience

a series of violent nightmares and seizures, which she claimed were caused by an Oni, a Japanese demon. Kijuro tried everything

he could think of to cure her, but nothing seemed to work. Kijuro’s standing in the scientific community, as well as his money,

brought specialists from around the world, but the girl continued to worsen, growing paler by the month. Finally, Dr. Ishikawa

moved to the United Kingdom to be nearer to the world famous Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital and Emi’s condition

seemed to improve for a time. She claimed it was because the Oni couldn’t find her. Kijuro was just happy that his little girl

seemed to be on the mend. She went back to school in London and made new friends.

In the spring of 2041, Emi turned eight. Shortly after her birthday, her father awoke one night to the sound of Emi screaming,

“He’s found me again! He’s found me!” She relapsed quickly and soon became bedridden. Nothing could be found wrong medi-

cally, but at a glance anyone could tell that the girl was dying. One day, a group of Emi’s friends came to comfort her, and one of

them, a boy named Jeffrey Sharp took Kijuro aside.

“Why don’t you believe her, sir?” he asked.

“Believe her?”

“About the demon.”

“It’s just her illness,” he replied.

Jeffrey shook his head slowly. “I’ve seen them, too.” He looked back into Emi’s room where one of her friends sat holding her

hand. “She won’t last. She’s not strong enough to fight anymore.”

Kijuro shook his head, at a loss for words.

-- CRY HAVOC ------------------------------for Little Fears

Jeffrey gazed at him a long time, then sighed. “I know you don’t believe me. Adults never do.” He turned and walked back into

Emi’s room.

That night, Kijuro remained awake, Jeffrey’s words running through his mind. By morning, he knew what to do. Even as he

constructed his new invention, using various pieces of technology he had already developed, he thought it was crazy—but

desperation leads a man down strange roads. His plan was to create a kind of neurochemical transmitter that would tap into the

optic nerve’s impulses, allowing one person to see what another saw. He had already been working on a similar device for military

applications. If the Oni were merely a phantasm of his daughter’s ailing mind, he wouldn’t be able to see it.

He took his completed prototype to his daughter and explained what it was. She thanked him for believing her, to which he simply

nodded. Placing painblockers around her neck and forehead, with tears in his eyes, he drove a small needle into his daughter’s

temple. He endured the same himself and after several hours of preparation, activated the device.

It worked.

When he closed his right eye, his left eye perceived what his daughter saw and he suddenly found himself looking at his own

careworn features through his daughter’s eye. Father and daughter hugged, then settled back to wait.

Nothing happened.

For three nights, Kijuro stayed with his daughter, but saw nothing. On the third night he arose to go to the bathroom and as he

relieved himself, he heard his daughter scream.

On May 17 th of the year 2041 at precisely 3:04 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time, Dr. Ishikawa Kijuro became the first sound adult to

witness a denizen of Closetland; he closed his right eye and saw horror. A terrible scaled creature with carved ivory teeth and

claws loomed over his daughter’s bedside. Blazing red eyes glared down at her and, so too, at him.

And he remembered. He remembered pieces of nightmares long forgotten, pieces of childhood we all put away. He spun and

charged into Emi’s bedroom, but the confused impressions that assailed his mind stopped him as he entered. His left eye perceived

the Oni and himself, but his right eye saw nothing but his frightened daughter. The Oni grinned down at Emi and said in a voice

like cracking glass, “Another time, perhaps?” Then it disappeared, unaware that Kijuro had perceived it. He ran to his daughter

and hugged her as she sobbed and, taking her little face into his hands, he looked her in the eyes and whispered: “I saw it, Emi-

chan, I saw it.”

That night the war began.

First Strike

Dr. Ishikawa knew he had to act swiftly to save his daughter, but he barely had any idea of where to begin. In all the old tales,

fighting demons had always been the province of warriors and Kijuro knew himself to be no warrior. He was however, an excep-

tional scholar and as a scholar he would fight with knowledge. In the days that followed, he remodeled his lab, moving Emi’s bed

into it and began researching old Buddhist, Shinto and Taoist texts, hoping always to find connections. He employed several

sophisticated search engines of his own design, which allowed him to rapidly correlate various myths and legends.

He found that pattern that he sought.

Energy, it was all about energy. Positive and negative furies. Yin and yang. Life and death. Kijuro conjectured that the Oni

needed Emi’s energy, her “life force.” He suspected from the first that it was more than mere sustenance, or the demon would have

long since perished due to lack of nourishment. He thought fear had something to do with it (though, to be honest, “innocence”

didn’t occur to him for several years) but he couldn’t be certain.

But he knew what to do.

Among the various pieces of equipment he had acquired over the years, he had a prototype of a holograph projector. It was

originally intended to throw complex 3D holographic images at a great range, but the good doctor believed that with a bit of

judicious tinkering, and a sufficient power source, it could be turned to his purposes. He swiftly modified the device while explain-

ing to Emi what he hoped it would do. She insisted on helping him and together they covered it with Shinto symbols drawn in

colored pen and paint, then sat back to wait.

A Sci-Fi Setting------------------------------BY TS LUIKART--

Two nights later, the Oni came for Emi. He loomed over her bed, laughing maniacally, but his laughter faltered as he regarded

her. For the first time ever, she met his eyes, unafraid.

“I will make you pay for your insolence, girl,” he growled.

“I don’t think so, you bad thing. My Daddy is gonna kill you.”

“Really?” chuckled the Oni.

“Really,” stated Kijuro as he stepped from the shadows, projector at the ready. The equivalent of a muzzle flared in the darkness

and a pulse of diffused light struck the Oni. It screamed in shock and horror as its right arm was sheared away by the blast. It

barely had time to register the loss before it was struck again, its body unraveling under the flickering light. Its corpse collapsed

into a blazing mound, which slowly faded away.

Emi ran to her father. “You did it, Daddy!” Kijuro hugged his daughter close. “No Emi-chan, we both did it.” He knelt down and

looked into her eyes. “But I think that this is only the beginning, my daughter.”

She nodded, solemnly.

“I know, Daddy.”

What to Do?

Dr. Ishikawa began researching children’s ailments worldwide. He had already read about many cases similar to Emi’s during her

long illness, so he started there. With Kijuro’s help, Emi started work on a web page, inviting kids to anonymously tell their

darker true stories, the ones they knew no adult would believe. Kijuro quietly made contacts with many grieving parents and

swiftly discovered just how massive the scope of the problem was. He knew he desperately needed allies, but also knew just how

incredible and seemingly impossible his story was.

Never believe that only darkness holds sway in the world. Kijuro found what he sought in the very different persons of retired

Colonel Nicholas Patterson and Lady Cecelia Ambrose.

Patterson had retired after a lifetime of soldiering to take care of his young grandson, Matt, after his daughter and son-in-law had

been killed in an accident. Matt was afflicted with violent nightmares and “visitations” which Patterson, for all his fighting

prowess, was at a loss to combat. Patterson knew of Dr. Ishikawa as he had used some of Kijuro’s inventions in the field. Kijuro

slowly struck up a long distance friendship with the old soldier, hinting at some of what he believed might be the cause of Matt’s

illness, but never stating. Patterson finally asked him point blank what he was hinting at and if there was anything he knew of

that could help Matt, he’d pay any price to get it. Kijuro and Emi took a trip to the United States in early 2042 to stay with

Nicholas at his Maine residence. They brought Kijuro’s equipment with them. Patterson was skeptical at first, but finally agreed

to use Kijuro’s transmitter. Kijuro had configured it so that both of them could see through Matt’s eyes.

Then they sat back to wait. It only took one night.

Kijuro discovered something unexpected that night, as Nicholas gasped at his side and Matt screamed in terror, he couldn’t see

what they saw. Patterson swept up his make-shift gun and proceeded to blast various points of the room, but all Kijuro could see

was the flares of light, himself, and Patterson through Matt’s eyes.

The transmitter required more than simple physical connection. It also required an emotional one. However, it had served its

purpose. Patterson swept Matt up in his arms and looked at Kijuro with tear-filled eyes.

“Anything you want of me in this life, sir, is yours.” Kijuro ran a hand through Matt’s hair and gripped Patterson’s arm.

“Will you help me? Will you help me stop them?”

Patterson nodded without hesitation. “Absolutely.”

Kijuro soon learned that the creatures Patterson saw, for there had been several, were very different than the Oni that had loomed

-- CRY HAVOC ------------------------------for Little Fears

over Emi’s bed. Patterson declared that they were misshapen creatures, wearing bright red costumes. Over the next few days,

Patterson and Kijuro made plans for the future. Patterson received blueprint copies of Kijuro’s scratch-built devices, and set about

making arrangements to produce more.

After a few weeks, Kijuro and Emi returned to England to find a peculiar message awaiting them. A woman named Cecelia

Ambrose, a member of the gentry, wished to speak with “the Tech Seer.” Dr. Ishikawa agreed to meet with Lady Ambrose on her

estate. He was not prepared for what he found. Lady Ambrose was considered insane by most, in part because she claimed to be

able to see ghosts and fairies and other, worse, things. Cecelia knew all about him and Emi.

She also knew about a terrible place she called Closetland. A place that she claimed held the soul of her brother in bondage. She

was willing to place all of her not-inconsiderable worldly goods at Kijuro’s service, but in exchange, he had to go to Closetland

and free her brother.

He agreed.

Into the Darkness

Kijuro spent most of 2042 studying everything Lady Ambrose had collected on Closetland. Emi’s web-efforts had not been in

vain, and pieces of children’s tales from many different nations also found a place in Kijuro’s notebook. The Pattersons came to

England in early October. The Colonel had called in a few old favors to have various pieces of equipment produced and trans-

ported with them to England.

On October 31 st of 2042, using a ritual taught them by Lady Ambrose, Kijuro, Emi, Nicholas, and Matt crossed into Closetland.

Dr. Ishikawa and Colonel Patterson wore specially made backpack-like harnesses that the children rode in. As Kijuro had ex-

pected, Closetland was nothing but a dull grey expanse to his and Patterson’s eyes. Both men donned smooth, featureless helmets

that obstructed their vision, but once their leads were connected, they could see through the kids’ eyes. Matt joked that he and

Emi had become “Spotters” a name used ever after by children taking on similar roles.

Lady Ambrose had given them a teddy bear that once belonged to her brother. She swore that it would lead them to him if their

courage held. Emi, who had been given charge of the bear, declared that it was pointing in a specific direction and off the small

group went.

Neither the doctor nor the colonel have ever been willing to discuss what they saw through their loved ones’ eyes on that trip.

Perhaps it is for the best. It took several hours, but eventually, they found Mathias Ambrose working in a wretched labor camp,

supervised by whip wielding shells of former children.

The Demagogue became aware of them.

So he sent Branxis the Enslaver to teach them a lesson.

Picture then, if you can, Branxis the Enslaver, most terrifying of foes, looming over the would-be heroes. Kijuro and Emi are sent

sprawling by a contemptuous sweep of the Enslaver’s claws. Patterson shucks off the harness holding Matt and dives at Branxis.

The children at the Closetland worksite look on, amazed, as someone dares to attack the Enslaver.

And what do the children see? A large older man, with a silver beard and wide, wide arms.

And what do the children hear? Kijuro yelling “Nicholas!” as Patterson is smashed to the ground.

And then the children knew who had come to save them. In the midst of the darkness, the silent answer to countless whispered

prayers, he had come.

St. Nicholas. Santa Claus.

And it was there, in the darkness that the great miracle occurred.

They believed .

Patterson felt strength surge through him and to his surprise, he found himself laughing. The Enslaver, frothing in his rage,

A Sci-Fi Setting------------------------------BY TS LUIKART--

charged him. Nicholas smoothly met his charge and pulling forth his well-worn service knife, chopped off Branxis’ right hand.

The Enslaver fell back stunned at the seeming impossibility of what had just occurred and Patterson beheaded him. The body

slumped over; spewing black ichor from terrible wounds. Branxis the Enslaver was no more.

A shout arose then that shook Closetland to its core and in the darkness, the Demagogue tasted its own fear for the very first time.

Kijuro rose yelling “Children! Children follow us now!” And they all fled together.

Four hundred and twenty seven children escaped Closetland that night, including Mathias Ambrose. They came from every

nation, every culture. Some had been missing for a century or more, and those Lady Ambrose took under her wing. The rest

Kijuro and Nicholas managed to reunite with their parents.

All over the world, they had new recruits for their war.

ClosetlanD ResponDs

The Kings were more than disturbed by the Enslaver’s fall to a mere human. They gathered in the Great Chamber of Screams to

discuss what must be done. The Bogeyman had waited millennia for such an opportunity. Smoothly stepping into Branxis’ former

role, he suggested a bold plan on how to deal with the upstart humans.

Let the rest of Humanity do it.

By manipulating puppets and the fears of key figures, the Bogeyman proposed to make Ishikawa and Patterson hunted men. With

wild cackles, he explained how the two men could even be framed for disappearances that had been the work of Closetland. The

rest of the Kings and more importantly, the Demagogue, agreed.

The Bogeyman went to work at once. He visited counselors and politicians, scientists and businessmen. Inside of six months,

many believed that Dr. Ishikawa had gone mad, and was performing dangerous experiments on children. Warrants were put out

for his and Patterson’s arrest in multiple countries. Various mega-corps began seeking for them with private forces.

Fortunately, Nicholas was no stranger to being hunted. He set up a series of safe houses worldwide. Kijuro began a massive

propaganda campaign and the now infamous slogan of “Do You Believe?” was born.

The War was on in earnest.

Where We Are Now

It is 2046 and both Emi Kijuro and Matt Patterson have passed the Age of Blindness, meaning neither they nor their loved ones

can view the denizens of Closetland anymore. The two men, now universally known as Dr. K and Saint Nick, constantly travel the

world, teaching their skills to those who dare to believe. They have friends in many countries and enemies as well. Lady Ambrose

remains a secret partner in their efforts, helping children that they and those they’ve recruited save.

But they need help desperately. If you’re a parent with a troubled child, or a child with a parent that is willing to believe, they

need you.

The KiDs Are All Right

-or-

How to play

How to play CRY HA

CRY HAVOC

Playing KIDS

You make a child character for Cry Havoc the same way you would for a Little Fears game with only one mechanical difference.

If your character has one or more adult loved ones that are “In the Know” they must take a Positive Quality called “I’ve got

Backup”.

Not all children in a Cry Havoc game may necessarily have parents or guardians that believe. They may know that Octavia’s dad

is awesome because he “knows” about the Bad Things, but they also know to keep such things a secret if their loved ones aren’t

prepared to accept the “truth.” Then again, maybe they don’t know how to keep a secret, which could also lead to all kind of

trouble/adventure for some of the adult characters in a Cry Havoc game. “What exactly are you telling my child, Mr. Branson?”

The KiDs Are All Right

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