Old Gods of Appalachia
The Boy appears as a child of maybe ten years, wearing work overalls that are a little too big for him, dirty with soot, sometimes wearing a cap, and always carrying an oil lantern. His eyes are black, the color of shovel dust, flat and dead… but not empty. He is not a mere ghost or haint, but a spirit of death-black vengeance stuffed into the shape of a boy who speaks with a man's voice and whose true form (briefly visible to those with the sight) is a scarecrow made of burning black breath.
His purpose is to find, terrorize, and kill those who are responsible for the deaths of young people in mines, confronting them in the dark. He knows the crimes and secrets of his chosen prey, including those who believe that mine injuries and deaths are part of the cost of doing business.
The Boy is accompanied by the shades or haints of a dozen or more dead boys, all of whom died because of the mines. They lurk invisibly and intangibly until The Boy wants them to appear and help frighten or attack his chosen target. When visible, they look as they did in their last moments—dirty, angry, bearing the injuries that killed them, and hungry for the lives that were stolen from them.
Group of dead boys: level 3, stealth as level 6; supernatural attack inflicts a Moderate wound (ignores Armor); see in darkness as if daylight; can become visible or invisible as their action
The Boy can be killed, but because he is a spirit of vengeance, he will eventually reappear when he is needed.
Motive: Vengeance for boys killed in mines
Environment: Anywhere in or near mines
Health: 12
Damage Inflicted: Moderate wound (4 points)
Armor: 2
Movement: Short; teleportation
Modifications: Defenses as level 5; stealth as level 6
Combat: The Boy doesn't attack his chosen target directly. Accidents, mishaps, injuries, and death happen to his targets, in frightening ways appropriate to the person he hunts. He might drop or tip over his lantern to ignite gas within a mine and cause a collapse, inflicting fire and crushing damage. The target might take Speed damage from choking on coal dust and bad air, or Intellect damage from horrifying visions while they're awake or asleep. These "attacks" ignore Armor and repeat each round, and might originate from The Boy or the spirits with him.
The Boy and the haints who accompany him can see in the dark as if it were daylight. As his action, The Boy can teleport up to a very long distance away, instantly vanishing and (because he brings his lantern with him) plunging his previous location into darkness. The haint boys continue attacking for several rounds (which is usually enough to finish the job), then vanish.
Interaction: The Boy wants his target to know why they're being attacked and to fear this supernatural retribution. He (or the haints) might converse with other people if it helps them find someone they're looking for, but they don't allow themselves to be distracted or persuaded from the goal of vengeance.
Use: A mine boss has been acting erratic and jumpy for the past few days, as if he hasn't been sleeping, and seems unnerved by a group of boys working in the mine. Workers at an unlucky, dangerous mine claim to have seen a ghost of a dead boy with a lantern deep underground.
Loot: The Boy sometimes carries the Blue Ghost and might offer a version of it to someone he deems worthy. If someone tries to take the artifact from him, it simply disappears.
Connection: A character was close to a young person who was killed in the mines. A character thinks they recognize The Boy or one of the shades with him.
GM Intrusions: After an encounter with The Boy, the character must succeed at a hindered
Intellect defense roll or become terrified of the dark. They gain no benefit from recovery rolls unless they are in light at least as bright as candlelight the entire time.
The character must succeed at an Intellect defense roll or become terrified at the sight of The Boy or one of his shades, dropping what they're carrying and fleeing at full speed for at least a minute.