Old Gods of Appalachia
This mysterious creature looks like a tall, elegant man, with a touch of gray at his temples and in his thin beard, wearing an exquisitely tailored charcoal-colored suit. Those who see him often think at first glance that they know him. Despite his fancy clothes, he walks like a foreman, confident and at home in rain and mud, unperturbed by the noise of trains and tunnels and smelting steel.
Those who can truly see him—whether people using the sight, or supernatural things able to pierce the human-seeming veil around him—see him as a series of disturbing glimpses, mostly people marked or destroyed by the railroad, each an image of pain and loss and violation resulting from an incessant drive to expand the railroad.
The Railroad Man is not a creature of the Inner Dark, but he seems to serve (or be a manifestation of) the greed and power of the railroad itself.
This creature is also known as "the Man from the Railroad." He might use various human names in his work, but it is certain that none of these are his real names.
The Railroad Man doesn't age like a human; he has spent decades looking exactly the same.
The Railroad Man is a malevolent spirit, not a true creature of flesh and blood. He cannot be killed, but he can be banished or bound.
Belongs To: Unknown (the railroad)
Motive: Expand the railroad no matter the cost
Environment: Anywhere he can exploit a situation to the railroad's advantage
Health: 21
Damage Inflicted: Moderate wound (7 points)
Movement: Short
Modifications: Intimidation, persuasion, and railroad tasks as level 8; "Railroad tasks" include tracking people traveling by rail and knowing the origins of people who did so.
Combat: The Railroad Man is stronger than he looks, able to easily tear out a person's throat with one hand.
If the Railroad Man persuades a person to do a job for him, he gives them one of his black-edged business cards. The Railroad Man's business card has only a simply monogrammed "R" with two sets of tracks crossed elegantly behind it. If they fail an Intellect defense roll, he can control them like puppets (the character can try to break free each hour) and transform them into misshapen angular beasts willing to die or kill for him.
Angular beast: level 3
As an action, he can create a pool of his own blood that follows him like a shadow. For every dozen or so of his minions' lives he sacrifices by making them batter themselves against an obstacle (such as a ward), he reduces the obstacle's level by 1 and increases the pool's level by 1.
Pool of blood: level 2; each round it restores health to the Railroad Man equal to its level
The Railroad Man is able to recognize other supernatural creatures pretending to be regular humans (such as Hollow Men).
Interaction: The Railroad Man is usually pleasant, assuming you have something he wants and are willing to bargain for it. When crossed or denied, he remains calm but his words are laced with threats and promises of retaliation.
Use: A well-dressed man from the railroad is looking for people to help him with a job. Someone needs to find a person or thing that is traveling by rail (or has done so recently).
Loot: The Railroad Man has any number of hidden pockets, inside which he usually carries 1d6 company scrips of differing denominations from a variety of companies, as well a single business card.
Connection: The character once owed the Railroad Man a debt for his help, but now they're "even steven" (or perhaps, according to the Railroad Man, they actually are not). The character remembers seeing the Railroad Man a long time ago.
GM Intrusion: The Railroad Man's attack inflicts a bleeding wound on the character, immediately moving them one step down the damage track and increasing the level of his pool of blood by 2.
The Railroad Man ignores the damage from an attack against him, using his wound to create a pool of blood with a level equal to the ignored damage.