So, with the October event approaching and so many new faces in town, some of you might be asking– what the heck is “Nemesis month?” And what, for that matter, is a “Nemesis?”
Put simply, the Nemesi are a controversial subsect of the Telling Visionist faith. Whether or not they’re officially considered heretics has been debated hotly over time– but regardless, the theme of the sect has largely stayed the same. Nemesi are TVs who dedicate themselves to villainous scripts, out of the belief that antagonists are a necessary part of progressing the ‘story’ as a whole.
Both NPCs and PCs can be Nemesi (though acting as a Nemesi PC may involve CVC.) Some TVs even consider it a tradition to switch over to a villainous script during October, the holiest month for horror and frights.
A few common types of Nemesis have become pretty notorious across the wastes (and for good reason!) Some– taking after the slasher villains of old– are simply strong, dangerous killers. Others adopt their roles with the explicit goal of pushing someone into becoming their ‘heroic’ counterpart. But in truth, just like any other person, Nemesi can have all kinds of agendas and goals. Some punish evildoers, “encouraging” them to mend their wicked ways. Others compete with fellow nemeses to see who can be the scariest TV on the block— without actually killing anyone! And still others might have their own messages they’re trying to convey.
This brings us to Mourning Glory’s local faction of NPC Nemesi, the Rogue’s Gallery.
Anarchy in Arkham
You’ve probably encountered (or heard about) some pesky clowns who’ve been causing minor mischief in town. But Moxie and Mr. Jay are just two members of a much larger Main Cast, with much larger ambitions being planned backstage. Hopefully, you’ll get to meet some of the other members this month!
Led by an enigmatic Lascarian named Rogue Prime, the Gallery is a fanatical, anarchist group of Nemesi with scripts based loosely on the Batman canon. They fancy themselves at war against the ruling class– or as they call them, the “Owls.” Their tactics may seem vicious and manipulative– because they are– but it’s rarely without some hidden truth or lesson to be learned.
More than anything, the Gallery wants the townsfolk of Mourning Glory to rise up and take action against elitist figures of authority like the Fords. The trouble with these TVs, however, is that they can’t just be straightforward and ask. Everything has to be veiled in theatrics and trickery, which may not earn them much love among the people they’re trying to liberate. Still, they’re surprisingly successful at recruiting converts from among the area’s more downtrodden populace– those with good reason to radicalize.
Faction History
During the April 2020 Online Event, “Fox Hunt”, Rogue’s Gallery absconded with powerful Faith artifacts from across the Midwastes. After transforming the Fox Theatre into a booby-trapped labyrinth, they invited PCs to come participate in a gauntlet of sick death games, with these artifacts as the prize. In the end, it was a lesson on the nature of faith and greed– the dark lengths people are willing to go to, so long as something prestigious and powerful is promised at the finish line.
During the grand finale, players were forced to choose between several NPCs to sacrifice, and players chose to hand over Mustang Ford– exactly as the Gallery had planned. Mustang was later released to safety, but only after months of torture and degredation at his captors’ hands.
Interested in reading more about our local factions? You can check them out on our Faction Page!