[C1920] Big Bad

[Anaraxes]

New Orleans isn't part of the US until the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.

[adm]

Originally Posted by Anaraxes

New Orleans isn't part of the US until the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.

True, but a lot of American trade from Ohio and the other then western States went through New Orleans. Americans would not stand out.

[tshiggins]

Originally Posted by adm

True, but a lot of American trade from Ohio and the other then western States went through New Orleans. Americans would not stand out.

Heck. The Caribbean pirates used New Orleans as the primary port of call to sell stolen loot. They also shopped a lot for fine weaponry up in Carolina.

[Anaraxes]

Originally Posted by adm

Americans would not stand out.

Sure. But this guy is a US patriot. Is he going to win the war and then move to a French colony? This makes sense as a place to hide out after an early discovery. (Not least because you can go down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers to get there; it's a relatively easy trip for the distance.) It doesn't seem as much like a voluntary move if he could go back east.

If he just likes bloody revolutions, he'd be better off going to Paris for 1789 than Nawlins. (There's another roundabout route to get to NO, either after the Purchase or bit before.)

[Anders]

He'll be staying on U.S. ground. I'm thinking of limiting his powers when not in the 13 original states, but that may be too fiddly and would never come into play anyway.

[Anaraxes]

Originally Posted by Asta Kask

when not in the 13 original states

Though when we're talking about territory beyond the Atlantic seaboard, even that would be a interesting question. The charters of many of the original 13 states were somewhat vague. Many of them claimed territory all the way to the Mississippi River, resulting in an interested horizontally-striped map. The various territories and state boundaries were established with a fairly drawn-out and piecemeal process from about 1792 through about 1820. For the area of modern West Virginia, the Northwest Territory is probably the most relevant piece.

(I'm going to have to set a game in Sweden just so that I can become enlighted on obscure points of historical Scandinavian political geography.)

Probably better to avoid trying to figure out what sort of power source cares about that sort of political minutiae, or why mundanes signing a treaty cuts off powers he used to have.

At least the map is stable by 1920 (except for Alaska and Hawaii, US territories but not yet states).

[Anders]

Well, I've determined that his father made maple syrup*. And yes, there's a point to that. :)

*according to my sources, people don't know when they began making maple syrup in Virginia, so I declare that it had begun some time before 1731.

[Ze'Manel Cunha]

Originally Posted by Asta Kask

He'll be staying on U.S. ground. I'm thinking of limiting his powers when not in the 13 original states, but that may be too fiddly and would never come into play anyway.

Limit him to East of the Mississippi or of the Eastern Continental Divide, though careful with the latter since that's what splits West Virginia from Virginia.

Then consider reducing his power by the number of major rivers between his current location and his true resting place.

[adm]

As a Patriot he would very likely believe that the 13 colonies extended to at least the Mississippi river. This was one of the major grievances with the Crown, the Crown wanted to stop at the Eastern Continental Divide, the Colonists wanted to keep going.

[Anders]

Probable powers and weaknesses

Vampire Powers

• Cause mists to appear around him (N)
• Climb any surface (N)
• Control the weather (N)
• Heal at superhuman speed
• Influence the minds of weak-willed individuals – must make eye-contact
• If killed, turns into a mist and reforms elsewhere
• Summon black vultures, coyotes, or rats (N)
• Superhuman strength and resilience
• Turn into black vulture, coyote mist or rat

Vampire Weaknesses

• Cannot stand the smell of the Cherokee Rose; will be paralyzed if one is placed on his chest
• Does not show up in mirrors or on photographic film
• Loses certain powers, marked (N) during the day
• Must drink human blood once per week
• Must eat fresh human flesh once per month
• Repelled by crosses
• Will be paralyzed if a symbol of military justice is placed on his chest

Note that he is not harmed by the sun, like many vampires. Rather, he is hurt by his crimes - he was very active during the Trail of Tears* relocation, for instance; hence his dread for the Cherokee Rose. Does anyone have any good idea what a "symbol of military justice" might be? The UCMJ would work but it's a bit bulky.

Methods of Destruction

• Burn the contract he made with the Piper
• Prevent him from drinking blood for a month, or eat fresh human flesh for three months
• Put a stake made from sugar maple wood through his heart and tighten a noose around his neck

*and I hope I do not offend anyone by making use of this atrocity for my game