Reposting from the old thread.

>You wake up. The rain falls heavily outside your window. You've already gotten to the point that you can sleep through the rain. But you cannot sleep through the sudden bump you hear in the hallway outside your room.
>You slowly make your way to the door, and peer out. In the hallway is a dark figure. Their face obscured. You can hear the sound of heavy breathing and sobbing.
>The figure turns to look at you, its face becoming visible. The face is pale and discolored, like that of a drowning victim, and you feel a chill run through you as the figure speaks.
>"Please... I'm afraid of the rain."

>That was nearly two years ago. Today, you're getting married in front of town hall.

>It's been one of the worst days in your professional career and the stress is just too much. The business meeting you were in charge of leading has gone so far off the rails that you left mid-sentence without anyone even noticing over all the bickering. Hiding out in the bathroom, you run the hottest water the tap can manage over a hand towel and plaster the thing against your face, hoping that the steam and the heat will help clear your mind and soothe your shattered nerves. Pulling the towel away after a long moment, you see that the steam-fogged mirror in front of you has had a riot of encouraging words drawn on it, telling you not to give up, to persevere and that your hard work will be rewarded.

>After a day's worth of barbeque fun and a few too many beers, you've managed to get yourself completely and utterly lost in the state park while wandering off to look for a bathroom. Unfortunately for you, you'd left your cell phone on the table back at the picnic area, and with the sun long set it was beginning to grow chilly. A wolf, or at least you what you think is a wolf, howls in the distance.

>Just as you begin to dread never finding your way back to civilization, the nighttime sky above you is flooded with a brilliant pearly light, brighter than even full moon that had previously been lighting your way. High above you, a silvery disc-shaped craft hangs suspended in mid air, the light around it resolving itself into a dazzling beam centered around you, drawing you irritably upward toward the mysterious ship.

>The following hour passes in a blur of emotions and sensations you can scarcely remember the next morning. What you can remember is the gently stern lecture you'd received from the strange little grey men who'd picked you up about dangers of imbibing too many ethanol compounds and wandering into densely foliated biomes without proper orienteering knowledge.

Does anyone have Foolz links for the threads that didn't get archived in suptg? I'm not sure what search terms to use.

>>32583147
Unfortunately, no. OP of last thread didn't include archive links.

Speaking of:
https://archive.foolz.us/tg/thread/32528147/
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/32528147/

>A man put a single rose on his wife's grave.
>"Just be strong and patient, i will always wait for you." she whisper, "I know you can, my dear husband".
>He left the Merlin Memorials with tears and a smile

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>>32583147
I'm not sure what other threads you're talking about, as I thought that the previous one was the first thread about paranormal niceties. Anyway! Let's get the ball rolling with some more spooky-cute events , followed up by some more brainstorming and OC for Merlin Township.

>You have been under a lot of stress at work lately, and have been feeling extremely scatter-brained as a result. Getting ready for bed, you realize that you'd completely forgotten your mother's birthday with everything that has been going on. Just as the panic sets in, you receive a telephone call from your mother, thanking you for the birthday card and gushing about the beautiful bouquet of flowers you'd sent her. Hanging up after a rather nice conversation, you find a receipt for the cad and flowers by the phone, on which has been scrawled the words, "YOuR moTHeR iS a LOVelY wOMaN."

>Pictured: Oscar Edgworth, Chief Librarian and Hero of Merlin Township.

>Taking a walk on a cold winter's day, you find a rather lovingly crafted snowman standing by itself in the middle of a snowy yard. Taking a moment to admire the hard work and classical styling that had gone into its creation, you are startled from your reverie by the soft impact of a snowball against your chest. Looking around, you see no one who could have possibly thrown it, but you do spy a set of small footprints appearing in the snow behind the snowman and hear the happy giggling of an unseen child.

>Getting off the bus after taking it home from work, you have the extreme misfortune of dropping your eBook reader onto the street, irrevocably shattering it. Reaching your home in an understandable funk, you are quite surprised to discover that your kitchen table has been covered with stacks of books and bound manuscripts. On closer inspection, they appear to be copies of every book and PDF you'd had on the reader, each one bookmarked to the last page you'd read.

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To continue on with exploring Merlin Township as a setting, I've compiled the various locations and businesses we've come up with so far into the following list, to be added to and hopefully incorporated into the sort of tourist map the local diners can set out as placemats.

>Public Institutions

>-Town Hall
>-Town Square
>-Public Library
>-Radio Merlin Station 77.7FM
>-Merlin Train Station
>-Merlin Township Chamber of Commerce
>-Merlin Volunteer Fire Department
>-Merlin Police Department
>-Roger Timmens Memorial Hospital
>-Merlin Public Elementary, Middle and High Schools
>-Merlin Rec Center with Municipal Ballfield and Pool
>-Odelia McKay Fairgrounds
>-Lake Morgan Town Park
>-Camp Chupacabra
>-The Darling Street "Haunted 'House"
>Local Businesses

>-Callahans' Corner Market
>-The Commodore Hotel and Boarding House
>-Bluebell Diner
>-"Camera Obscura" photo studio and camera shop
>-India Café
>-"The Hecate" Movie Theater
>-McKales Clothiers
>-"Tassler's Wardrobe" ghost clothing shop
>-Swinburne's Spirited Sweets
>-J. Miller & Sons
>-Doc Fleem's Drugstore
>-"The Other Side" Bar and Grill
>-Hal's Haunted Hardware
>-Ester's Beauty Salon
>-Merlin Barber Shop
>-Bloody Mary's Bar
>Geographical Interests and Landmarks

>-River Lethe
>-Lake Morgan
>-Northern Woods
>-Merlin Township Water Tower
>-Lovers' Leap Bridge

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For new posters who might not know what the OP and other folks are talking about, "Merlin Township" is a homebrewed setting that was came into being in the previous thread to play host to all the cute, horror-like supernatural happenstances people were dreaming up.

Essentially, the Merlin Township setting can be described as "Studio Ghibli presents Welcome to Night Vale." It is a small, rural American town, state unknown and not found in any map, in which sweetly supernatural, pleasantly paranormal and wondrously weird people, places and things are all a part of daily life. With themes of community, goodness and wonderment, the setting's purpose is to counter or invert the clichés and tropes found in creepypasta and the horror genre to produce a heartwarmingly supernatural roleplaying experience where imaginary friends are real, the secret society pulling the strife from the shadows is a party planning committee, and ghosts are citizens just like anyone else.

If you'd like to know more, browse the thread on Sup/tg/ and feel free to contribute.

>>32585416
Mayhaps we should give some base examples of the sort of thing that defines Merlin Township, my friend?

>The LCD displays on gas pumps, calculators and the like will briefly flash compliments and encouraging messages at you when you use them.

>Arriving home from work, you are completely astonished to discover that a surprise birthday party has been thrown in your honor. The place is gaily decorated, the food is plentiful and drinks are potent, and you and all the guests have the time of your lives. In the weeks after the party, you come to find out that none of the guests was responsible for any of the planning, decorating or catering, and nine can remember being the first to arrive.

>You always considered yourself a modestly generous person, and not above sparing some change or even a few dollars for the homeless. Recently however, you've had homeless people approaching you as we'll, offering you increasingly large sums of money with a few words of thanks and a knowing smile.

>>32583744
This is clearly the sequal to the dead wife bringing breakfast. It made me tear up the same way

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The Greyhound bus station is a tiny unattended building. There are no schedules posted. The buses that arrive are all shiny and new, regardless of what year they were built. Bus spotting is a pastime for some locals, the earliest model seen is a 1914 Hupmobile. On rare occasions, a sleek bullet shaped bus glides in silently floating a foot off the ground. Once, one crawled in on a myriad of mechanical insect legs. Tickets cannot be purchased, but random strangers approach people who need to take a bus and give them a ticket.

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Sidewalk Sid, one of MT's colorful homeless men, often sleeps in the bus station. People bring him food and drink and listen to his uplifting stories. Many believe he is one of the 5 Secret Living Buddhas of Merlin Township. He never gives out bus tickets and claims to not know how to get one.

>>32584599
I feel that Merlin should have a train yard or at least a train station. Guys riding the rails lookin' fer a place need to find one eventually, yannow?

The train station was mentioned in the previous thread.

More detail on it might be good

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There are several churches in MT, the Springhill Ghost Church on Springhill Street is noteworthy because it burned down decades ago, but it still has a living pastor and congregation. The lot where it stood lies vacant except on Sunderday, when it manifests from dawn to dusk. The interior appears different to each person who worships there, conforming to their personal beliefs and expectations. Many claim that they have the finest choir in town, it is certainly the most diverse.

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>>32584599

>-Merlin Rec Center with Municipal Ballfield and Pool

>Home of Merlin Township's Parks and Recreation Department, the Rec Center is a small cluster of stately brick buildings built in the 1920s just across the Lethe River from the town center. The facilities there include a basketball gymnasium, a small community theater and meeting space for town assemblies and clubs aside from the municipal swimming pool and sports fields outside.

- The lobby of the Rec Center is lined with display cases proudly exhibiting the many trophies, awards and commendations Merlin's citizenry have won over the years. Prominent among these are the Merlin Banshees state basketball championship pennants, framed photographs of a "live" performance by the Darling Street Wights, a first place tourney trophy for the Callahan Girls' all-Callahan softball team, and the silver and two bronze medals won by Axel Reed, the world's first invisible Olympian in the 1952 Summer Games.

- Often, the basketball gymnasium or the theater will host a game or a lecture in which no players or speakers are visible. The ball will dribble and pass and shoot itself, and the glass of water on the podium will empty and refill itself from a handy pitcher nearby. Many Merlin citizens happily attend these events every month.

- The number and variety of the sports fields behind the Rec Center seem to change, dependent on the current needs of the community.

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>>32586733
>>32586805

The only things I think were mentioned so far about the train station was that it was near the town center, was across the street from the Commodore Hotel, and that sometimes people who fell asleep on their trains would appear there.

It would be neat if the passengers waiting on the platform or getting off the train were clearly from different eras of the town's past, like a WWII soldier kissing his sweetheart goodbye as a gaggle of girls in gingham were disembarking.

>>32583996
Wait,
Who are the heroes of Merlin again?

>>32587416
So far it was two kids, seemed along the lines of idea for 'pre-builts'

>>32587436
Wha..?

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>>32587416
>>32587436
>>32587449

"Heroes" guy from the first thread here. I had found a few character portraits that seemed interesting enough to post, and called them "Heroes of Merlin Township on a whim because I thought it would be interesting to imagine what sorts of local heroes/leaders/notable residents the town might have. Another Anon in the last thread said it reminded him of the title of a game expansion or a collection of premade characters.

I just thought they looked interesting enough to be "hero class" NPCs.

>>32587606
Thanks, anon

>>32587606
I like the idea of prebuilts, for both new visitors to Merlin and playing a resident there. I'm wondering what kind of system would work there?

Non-combat-oriented systems, probably. The main ones that come to mind are Golden Sky Stories and (ironically enough) Call of Cthulu.

>>32587910
Only instead of insanity its something like being 'out of touch' with what the rest of the world considers reality and getting maxed out has you move into the town permanent like?

>>32584599
Notable People in Merlin Township:
>Kipp Ashby, disembodied radio host and excellent piemaker
>Madeline Trant, local swim team champion and rusalka
>The Custodian, keeper of the clock tower in city hall. Shadowy entity with an enthusiasm for tea.
>Mr. Horace Griswold, pyramid-headed, ah, head of the Chamber of Commerce. Avid bowler and punster.
>Miss X'ltari, teenage martian and astronomy expert.
>Oscar Edgeworth, Town Librarian
>Roger Timmens, first three casualties of Gettysburg
>A. Goodman, self help author and book wizard.
>Angela Reyes, angel and baseball enthusiast.
>Oscar Edgeworth, Chief Librarian.
>Caleb the Chimney Sweep and his army of dusty cats.

I've probably missed some.

>>32588035
That will be a bit rewarding
How about our sanity reject the town and Merlin is lost to the forever

>>32588035
As you gain Oddity Points, you get mental and physical mutations. These mutations eventually go away when you're at zero Oddity, with a rate of one disappearing per week. Maximum oddity causes you to no longer mutate, but all existing mutations are locked in, and you're given permanent status as a Merlin Township resident..

>>32587412
"Ah, look. It's another train full of soldiers from the Fourth Robot War. That's the second one this week."

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>>32587910
I did like the idea of having a bank of premade characters to use as both NPCs and player characters when Anon had suggested it. Having recognizable recurring characters about town, doing their jobs and living their lives, helps maintain that small town community feeling that's central to the Merlin setting. It also helps players who don't want to go through a complicated character build process jump right into the world and start interacting with it.

As for a game system, what about this Ryuutama I've been hearing about? I don't know a lot about it, but everything I've heard so far has said that it's focus is on storytelling and exploration, which seems like a good fit.

>From the last thread:
>"Angela Reyes, another Hero of Merlin Township. Angela rarely takes her costume off. When she does, she often has to be reminded to put the wire back on her halo. Angela is a spitfire and quick to judge a person. This upsets her father, who lives out of town, but is well known for being a kindly welcoming individual. He sent Angela to live with an aunt while he's away on business, hoping she'll learn her lesson and cool her heels a bit. Maybe makes some friends.

>>32588177
Be wary about staying at zero Oddity for too long, however. Assuming your blandness doesn't eject you from the town completely, the Merlin Township Party Planning Commission may have plans for you.

>>32588121
No. The idea one person's disbelief would destroy Merlin is too much. Get the disbeliever kicked out and never find it again, yeah but destroy it? No plz.

>>32588361
Thats what i meant
The town is lost to them forever

Please put quest in the title line

>>32588308
I don't know about being rejected by the town if you're at Zero-Odd, per say, unless it were something like most people are naturally a little crazy and hover at around 10-Odd or so, and you REALLY have to work to bust yourself down to Zero-Odd, stone cold sanity.

What I might suggest is that higher levels of oddity imply higher levels of comfort in and acceptance by Merlin Township, which allow you to tap into latent magics or special talents, or improves your luck and happenstance while in town.

>>32588427
This isn't a quest, its just a little homebrew brainstorming. Rest easy, Anon.

>>32588427
Do you want it to be quest anon?
Do you?
i do
>>32588460
That's a nice benefit
How about as the oddity went up, part of Merlin became unlock. I always see Merlin as a safe-house in our mind so accepting that Merlin exist will let the town open up to you

Mayor Wally Oakshott is a 3' tall butterball of a man in a pinstripe suit with boundless enthusiasm and a 'hands on personal' approach to life. He can read anyone's intentions and true nature,

Vivian Nimue, Dean of the Invisible College and women's swimming coach. Her ability to control water is unrivaled.

There does not seem to be a chief of police or even sergeants. Each officer knows what the others know. Not really a hive mind, more of a real-time data link.

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>>32588570
That makes a good deal of sense to me. It's less a measure of your sanity then and more a measure of how much you've accepted Merlin and its accepted you. Like reputation with a faction. At higher levels, you can receive summons to help the Merlin Township Party Planning Committee, you can safely explore more of the Public Library's spatially anomalous interior, you can start actually seeing imaginary friends and the faintest ghosts and spirits, etc. etc. etc.

>"Weee caaan't plaaay hoookeeey...... Weee're goooing tooo geeet iiin trooouble......"

>>32588696
I agree
but i realize something sad.
If this town connect to our mind, then we must be mentally hurt or at the point of insanity in order for the town to appear.
The town is a healing place that our mind create against insanity

Here is a list of some of the older streets in MT. They are taken from Arthurian Legend. I avoided the most common ones to try to avoid a cliche feeling (No Lancelot, Excalibur, etc) and also avoided the 'Extra Welshy' names to keep it American.
Ambrosius Lane
Arcturus St
Albion St
Bardon Hill
Caerleon Alley
Clarent Ave
Cornwall Ave
Dagonet Lane
Emris Ave
Hector Alley
Lyonesse Ave
Shallott St
Tintagel St

Heh, I got the mental image of the crew of one of them ghost hunting shows stumbling upon Merlin in it's initial "spooky ghost town" state and taking everything deadly fuckin' serious, going around with their fancy gear and taking all sortsa readings and shit, getting what they think is some of the best evidence of the supernatural they've ever gotten. Clearly audible voices, completely provable physical presences, the like.

And then, in the middle of going over all their data and recordings, some old lady storms up and begins scolding some currently invisible ghost kids for fiddling with these nice young people's things.

>>32588885
I don't know. That implies that the town is completely unreal and all in the characters' heads, which I don't know is the direction in which we want to go. What I'd meant to express was more that, the longer you stay in Merlin, the more the people and entities and forces there get to know and trust you, and the more you come to understand and attune yourself to the town in return. Less "your mind is making it real" and more "this fellow's our kind of people!"

>>32589105
Well at least it matches the theme of this threads
Cute horror-like supernatural
Either the character reject the "reality" and becoming Merlin" citizen", which means that they vanish in the real world or return to "reality" but lost their way to Merlin

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The Invisible College is somewhat less exciting than it sounds, it is not advertised and uses odd rooms and buildings spread over town. The admin building is at 82 Shallot St., the home of Vivian Nimue. An ornately decorated 2-story Itallianate facade encloses a single chamber with a grand swimming pool where Vivian lives. The Living Buddha is only one of the interesting professors who teach classes.

>>32588696
Makes sense to me. See, the way I'm lookin at it? Merlin's alive and when you show up, you'z gettin inna relationship with it. Treat it badly with disbelief? S'like beating it. And we can't have that, now can we?

>>32588932
These are all great! Thank you so much for compiling them! It's amazing how they all straddle that line between the mundane and the magical that we've been dancing around with this setting.

>>32589353
No we cant, Sir anon

>>32589323
The idea of the Invisible College being spread around town in bits and pieces is really appealing to me in a way I can't quite out my finger on.

>>32589480
So we do the gentlemanly thing. Give them an out, let them go, cut 'em loose. But those that want to...stay and keep disbelievin'....

Well, way I see it, we're nice folk here and if someone wants to go around being not nice, well ,we'll just let them room at one of our many nice summer homes. And tell the Addamses that someone broke into their house.

On a less threatening note, I can see there being people that accept that Merlin exists but that it isn't the thing for them. Middle-of-the-roaders, not disbelieving but not residential types neither.

>>32589507
I am guessing that the Invisible College is more of an upgrade center for skills and feat , But there should be a unique Class that certain character can enter.

>>32589678
I agree, Sir Anon
These chaps are wanderers but it couldn't hurt to see new faces and hear their stories, no?
No matter how foolish they are, they are immature and undisciplined. that just a sign of youth, no?

Does anyone know a good town map making site or program? I would really, really like to draft up a map with all the locations we've been brainstorming but I'm afraid that my artistic talents are non-existent. If instill had access to my AutoCAD from college I would use that, but alas I must do without.

Also, I agree with >>32589869 in that I don't feel, personally, that there ought to be any hostility between native residents and outsiders who may or may not believe their eyes when they see Merlin Township's way of life. They might see it as foolish and silly, as such a person would be literally denying the reality (or surreality) of the town. As long as they behave themselves and don't go out of their way to insult anyone's existance, I don't think they'd kick them out. The person would probably drive themselves crazy and leave of their own accord.

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>Glad you like the streetnames. I am really liking this thread very much, Thanks, Anons, you rock.
>Oxford University does not have a centralized campus, my inspiration.

The Merlin Historical Society Museum is a small old building. It is finite with normal interior geometry, unlike the library. However, It is has 8 different collections and room arrangements, one for each day of the week. On Sunderday it houses the Mirror Collection: a varied assortment of 19-21st century mirrors, from grand and ornate, to modest bathroom mirrors. Each has one or more spirits of MT residents who died within sight of it. The mirrors all function normally, but the spirit can be seen, appearing in the prime of their life. No sound passes through, many have learned sign language to communicate with those in the museum. Many residents come to visit their parents and grandparents.
(7 more collections up for grabs.)

>>32589869
Oh aye, aye. Now, ya see, I used a metaphor, an analogy, to describe disbelievers. And it was poetic, but inaccurate, I'mma thinkin'.

Disblievers, folk who come and see Merlin and can't believer it? They're the type of folk who squeeze their eyes and clap their hands over their ears and go "LALALALA CAN'T HEAR YOU". Sad folk, but easy enough to deal with. Guide 'em out nice and gentle and it'll be fine.

But then we got the folk who see our town and think "This is WRONG". The mean small-minded folk who are all hate and vitrol. Harder to deal with, ya ken?

And then we got THOSE folk, the kind with hate for blood and righteousness for 'armor'. The kind who'd hurt a little lass just because she happens to like being under the water more than she do being above it. That ain't Right. Ain't Right nowhere. Can't stand for that, not ever.

Damn I don't like this line of thought. I liked it better with pure Ghibli, but then again, Ghibli had some darkness to it too, I suppose.

I think of it as a Semi-normal college for after high school, but a small town might not have a college campus on the map. We must take care to keep it very different than Hogwarts.

Mapping a town with a town square that has either 3, 5, 7 or sq rt pi sides was giving me a headache last night

>>32590081
Maybe one day a week is dedicated to the history of Merlin's sister cities, places that've never been seen on Earth, might not even be on Earth, but are similar in all the ways that matter?

>>32590109
It seems to me that this line of thought though? This might make perfect end-game material. Spend the entire campaign allowing the players' to froe to love the Town and its citizens before throwing a real threat to their happiness in the way: the State Auditor, a roving gang of evil spirits, a busload of willfully ignorant tourists of the worst sort. Let the players get upset. Let the Heroes of Merlin Township come out. There doesn't have to be violence, but give the players a real threat to vanquish at the end so that they can feelthatthey really saved a place worth saving.

In the meantime though, lets think up some more light and sweet and quirky locations, creepers and happenings!

>>32590109
Hahahhaha,
Come old friend, looks like your head is full of alcohol already.
Don't worry, chap. The council will deal with them "righteous" fools. Others just need some time to adjust and let them explore our beloved town. You know the town protect its people.
Now up we go, we got some work tomorrow

On the other hand, what happen if a character fall in love with our "unusual" citizen?

>>32590226
I feel like this might be best suited to a special exhibition in the Town Hall or the Library, but only because the museum is specifically one for Merlin's history. I really like the idea if Sister Cities though.

>>32590350
So long as its implied that they are very very faaaaar away. Gives Merlin some distant friends but lets it keep its uniqueness, yeah?

>>32590258
Oh aye aye. I can see that.

Shit, my brain's been on that dark stint for so long all I can think of for cute creepers are owls who flap loudly so they don't spook people too much at night.

>>32590296
>On the other hand, what happen if a character fall in love with our "unusual" citizen?

They court them, natch. What're you implyin', ya fool?

No overused ones, please (Atlantis, el dorado, etc)

Many Pillared Irem

Agartha

Hy Braesil

Aaru

Ys is a mythical city that was built on the coast of Brittany and later swallowed by the ocean. Ys was built below sea level by Gradlon, King of Cornouaille, upon the request of his daughter Dahut, who loved the sea. It was the most beautiful and impressive city in the world. Unfortunately for the King (but fortunately for those who live there), Dahut was a bad girl and she started throwing wild parties and orgies.

>>32590431
C'mon, friend
last time you tried to court one of them ghost ladies, she vanish in a flash and return the next day for the answer.
I am talking about how we court them. Different girls have different cultures and taste,no?
Oh by the way, how are your kid? can the kid float now?
(if ghost girls aint your thing, you can reject this comment and say that you actually marry someone else.)

>>32590586
I ain't doing no roleplaying on an idea thread, pal. Gets real Questish too fast for my taste.

Honestly, how do you court a ghost girl? You treat her nice, go slow, be understanding that it might not take right on the right off and gargle water.

Abner Allegro Callahan - the town's Founder.
Claimed by some to be the the grandson of Paul Bunyan. Stories of his size and strength are surely exaggerated

A few of the oldest residents claim to remember him, but their stories contradict each other so much that many believe they are all just 'messin' wit dem youngunz's haids.'

>>32590081

Sunday: The Prophesies and Predictions Collection

A collection of some of the more famous prophesies made by Merlin Township's residents in their original media: dream journal entries, glyph-carved stones, reel-to-reel tape recordings, etc. etc. etc. Beside each one is an assembly newspapers and the like related to the prophecy in question, arranged in timeline fashion around the room so as to show how the prophesies interacted with each other, what the town's citizens thought about the predictions, and to what degree they ended up coming true.

How would the residents respond to dark-aligned mages? The ones who tend to bounce on the mortal coil? They seem content in their afterlives, would they be abrassive, down right hostile, or even understanding in their way of life? Would if vary between citizens or would it be like a town belief.

>>32590639
Sorry,sorry
i tend to get into it real fast
How about pixies or forest spirits?
And will the character tell their families who they really marrying with or they just disguise their wife/husband?

>>32590696
I guess as long as the mage didnt hurt the townsfolk, have reason for their action, and happy, the town will accept him
Townfolks will try to help these mages being happy

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>>32590666
I wonder if the Callahan Girls of Callahan's Corner Market claim a distant relation to him, or if its funnier to have them constantly having to remind people that there is no relation.

Also, think there's one founder, or can there be a handful of founding fathers and mothers? I remember there being this picture used for an Odalia McKay in the last thread being involved as well.

>Odalia was his wife

Roger Timmens Memorial Hospital
Most of the doctors and surgeons are 25lb spiderlike creatures who are biosurgeons. their bite causes anesthesia, their mandibles and forelegs are scapels and pincers, their sting is an antibiotic, and their webbing is bandages. they are very nice and have a great bedside manner.

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please archive this thread and vote it up.

>>32583996
The OP of the previous thread mentioned reposting stuff from the thread before that. Also, Foolz searching for the reposted material (which I should have thought of earlier) turns up the thread I was looking for:

http://archive.foolz.us/tg/thread/32468675/

Turns out it's not about horror-like cute, just horror. A few of the posts there were cuter than the rest of the thread, and someone at the end decided to make a thread dedicated to that kind of stuff.

Here's a neat idea.

>Your walking home from a long day at work
>Night air is a bit nippy, but it's tolerable
>Suddenly feel like you're being watched
>Cold gust of wind brushes the back of your neck
>Feel the need to get home ASAP
>Hear the faint sound of galloping in the distance
>A horse in this day and age? nopenopenope
>Sound seems to get closer and closer as you approach your door
>Crash into your door, scramble for your keys while looking behind you like a wild animal
>Get in and lock every lock you've got
>Galloping stops as you take a sigh of relief
>Three gentle knocks on the door
>Frozen in terror, pretty sure your end has come
> A piece of paper comes through the mail slot
> Slowly open it as the sound of galloping begins again and slowly dies down
> In it is a love letter from your wife
> Haven't visited her grave in months due to heavy workload
> Cry gently as you put the letter near your nightstand and wedding band and prepare to sleep

A messenger from Merlin Township that delivers any letters or messages to the living relatives of the residents of the town. That way they can be at peace in their stay at the town, while also providing peace to those they left behind in the living. Pretty much a Dullahan Pony Express.

The Dullahan Express also delivers the daily morning paper, 'The Tally Ho', is available for carriage rides through the park and old Downtown, and even does pony rides for chilren's parties. It has always been here.

Captcha ;Potvin Kewvark is the driver.

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>>32591172
I've archived this thread on Sup/tg/ just now. I hope that my description is sufficient. Take a look and vote it up if you care to!

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=merlin%20township

>>32592355
Nice! I'm just leaving work now so with some luck I can do a few more write how and look for a town mapping program once I get home.

I like the Oddness quality. At Zero-Odd you will never get there. To make it different than CoC I propose using the Richter Scale , or for simplicity's sake a linear 0 - 10. Natives get an 11. "Ours go to eleven." You don't have to be crazy to get in, some are 'gifted'.

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Thank you for the archive.
Maybe we need 8 placemat maps, one for each day of the week. Tuesday's Blue Plate Special and Today's map. I will start making the little business ads that go around the border.

No native will ever use foul language stronger than 'Darn".

>>32592645
Darn

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Da Pet Shop Boyz are a pair of twin giant goblinoids who run the only pet shop in town. The Sootycats are quite smart, but the others usually have a lower intelligence. Flyingfish, dropbears, bunyips, hoopsnakes, scapegoats, treehuggers, alicorns, jackalopes, drake-in-sheeps-clothing, snipes, catawumpii, and beardogs are available.

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Actually, there is another nonstandard petshop. Deadpets specializes in low-maintenance pets that do not eat, shed or excrete.

Keep up the good work, I will return in about 3 hours for more fun.

>>32588885
>>32589105
>>32589188
Wasn't that kinda the point though? To make something that is hearwartming and kind at first sight... but the more you think about it, the more you realize that Merlin Township is a den for the restless, the outcast, the lost and the broken?

>>32596248
That doesn't mean it isn't heartwarming and kind, though. Merlin sounds like a place of healing to me.

>>32592355
>Previous thread is +41

By Callahan's beard that's high. Is it safe to assume that eveyrone on /tg/ knows what MT is about now?

>>32596283
That's what is sounds like to me to. But that does give birth to unfortunate implications. Per example, a prerequisite for entering Merlin Township is to had it rough at some point in your life. Else you wouldn't have lost your way, and thus find your way into Merlin Township.

Also I feel bad for not posting some MT OC. I'll post some tomorrow if I can come up with something this night.

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>By Calahan's Beard!

Merlin Township Lives!

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The Trashmen in MT are not large people, but they make up for it with enthusiasm and numbers. Uncle Tcho and his clan of Pygmy offspring swarm the streets scouring them for refuse. The only thing they love more than a clean street are their old cars. Uncle Tcho's Classic Auto Restoration Shop is the best (and only) place to take your classic or antique autos.

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Hello all. I've been looking rather feverishly for a good program with which to create a map of Merlin Township, without much success. I've also discovered that I am actually feverish, and as much as I would like to contribute some more OC to the thread, I'm afraid that I'm going to have to lay myself down for the evening.

I really hope to find this thread still alive and kicking (or at least animate) tomorrow morning, with more blurbs and snippets and ideas shared about this peculiar town of ours. In any event, I wish you all the best of luck, and want to say that it's been a pleasure working with you in any event.

P.S. If anyone does know of a good mapping program, I'm serious about wanting to draft up a town map. Tomorrow I'm going to try and scrounge up my old AutoCAD discs.

>>32588460
Yeah. I'm thinking that the default would be ten, and Oddity would measure, more or less, the kind of mindset you'd need to be in to experience Merlin Township.

>>32588570
>>32588885
I don't see it as a place in our mind, actually. To plagiarize John Dies at the End: "It's kinds like the country music radio station. It's out there, even if you don't tune into it."

Oddity would, essentially, be you tuning out of conventional reality and into the town. Your average human Merlin resident would be 30 Oddity. Kipp Ashby would be a hard one hundred.

>>32596248
No. The whole point of this thread is taking what's usually associated with horror -- the supernatural, the dark, the strange -- and making it heartwarming.

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It is a real place somewhere in the USA, North of the Mason Dixon Line and East of the Rockies. It is not in the minds of crazy people, it is not through a Portal like Narnia, it is hidden- like Rivendell or Midian. Those who need it and those with an affinity for it may find themselves there. Some people for a visit and some can choose to stay. The more 'in tune' with the weirdness, the further down the rabbit hole you can go.

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The India Cafe is one of the best places to eat.
Vindaloo 'Vinnie' Daksha runs a marvelous cafe, he often does a dance routine on busy evenings to entertain the diners. His kitchen and wait staff are all beautiful ladies who smell delightfully of curry.

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The Fire Dept is headed, oddly enough, by a shapeshifting, fire breathing dragon. Captain Aiden is both a handsome young man and a medium-sized Western fire drake. His most useful ability is his his mental ability to suppress existing conflagrations. He is facing competition, however, from Vivian Nimue who has put out several fires recently by creating water spouts from nearby sources to quench them. Captain Aiden claims his method is 'clearly superior' and causes less damage, "what without the Darn flooding".

Agnes Nuthatch, gossip columnist and astrologer for the Tally Ho predicts they will start dating within 6 months.

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The 1st National Bank is completely normal. Like Outside World Normal. Normal humans in suits. Normal professional politeness. Normal. Many residents find this place to be creepier than Bloody Mary's Bucket of Blood Saloon with the bleeding walls and the eyeball martinis. In truth, it is as nice as the rest of the town. It is the policy of the bank to encourage the customers to take money matters seriously, so they put on a serious attitude and resist the urge to hug anyone.

This is your humble architect signing off until morning. Post and Vote! g'night.

>>32602454
I imagine the 1st National Bank is so Normal that particularly unusual Merlin townsfolk who end up working there seem like average humans while there. There is a good chance this is just heavy application of makeup and the like rather than any supernatural effect.
I think this because the alternative would be, like, racial discrimination, or something.

>>32598653
>You felt feverish and heavy all morning
>Can't leave the house, can't read, can't even leave your bed at all
>So cold, and yet so hot...
>You hear someone saying "oh, you poor thing..."
>And someone else adding "yes, you poor, poor thing..."
>You feel the air and cloth surrounding your body heating up fast, while your head seems to be craddled by refreshingly cold hands.
>You fall asleep, while hearing "sleep tight..." "yes, sleep tight..."

>You wake up in the morning of this selfsame day. You feel like you've already lived this morning, but differently. You can't quite put your finger on it.
>On your table, you find a letter: "sorry we couldn't stay all night, we were needed elsewhere. Hope you're fine!"

What else are we missing?
>Setting is good
>Sanity, oddity, no skills and stats?
>End game scenario is good
>NPC is good
>Combat?

>>32605776
I think what we lack is a campaign frame.

What about hunter PCs? Merlin Town isn't simply a place for the spooky-cute, it's a genuine supernatural magnet, which means that bad things sometime come to town and must be driven away. That's where the PCs come in and try to either soften the newcomer or kill them. Kind of a Lilo and Stitch campaign, except sometime you have no choice but to put them down.

>>32605916
>>32605776
Combat, not necessarily needed, really. The last thread, all sorts of "assignments" and "missions" were put in. Not sure how hunter PCs and the like would get along with the mood we've established.

>>32599505
There are at least a few things in Merlin Township that don't follow physics, causality, chronology, or just plain sense. That could easily include its founding location, the heart of Lethe County in "Somewhere, USA".

After all, it was founded at least three times.

>>32606962
Four if you count the time it was founded on the Moon.

Also, I was thinking that hunter PCs would both allow PCs to interact with Merlin Town in a friendly manner and let them play tough adventurer-like dudes if they're not too keen on low-key mysteries and non-dangerous adventures.

Also, I'm kinda in love with the concept of "Heroes of Merlin Town". Let me think up a something about them.

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The Red Eye Report is considered a rag and a gossip machine by a good amount of Merlin citizens. Its sole writer, editor, photographer, printer, graphic designer and publisher, the hundred-armed, hundred-headed, clairvoyant Ms. Euphemia Hekaton, would say otherwise. Regardless of whose word is better, the Red Eye Report is the only source of gossip on topics such as the love life of Kipp Ashby, the existence of Smallfoot, and your own personal and private thoughts, and it's updated at least three times a day.

>>32607057
Alright, so far I have those four heroes:

>Angela Reyes, angel and baseball enthusiast
>Oscar Edgeworth, Chief Librarian
>The Knight of Summer (real identity unknown)
>Luci Fergusson, Head of Housekeeping at the Commodore Hotel

So let's see... I can see how Angela and the Knight would have met each other. And I can understand how the Chief of a library and the Head of the maids can talk to each about how their work is tiring over a cup of coffee.

But how would the two duo meet each other? By chance, when the storm strikes and Angela/Knight have to take shelter in the library?

>>32605916
How about patches of distortion appear randomly in Merlin?
These patches are the opposite of Merlin atmosphere, they show true horror and dangers.
The sources of these patches are often cause by negative oddity or disbelief of the Town.
Hunter PC's should brave the area to eliminate the sources or find them before its too late with the help of the Heroes of Merlin and its citizens
In the area of the patches, you have to fight the person's monsters, much like silent hill

>>32607149
That could work, if you consider the whole "Merlin is part real, part in your mind" thing canon.

But it shouldn't be constantly true horror. Some is fine once in a while, but other stuff should also creep in. Per example, the dude who helped his wife pass on, and thus lost her ghostly presence, and refuse it, and this generate a patch of denial that resists all changes. If the PCs try to change something, things will change back as soon as possible.

Or a patch of sadness, as a guy realize that he's dead and have a hard time moving on to the afterlife. Everything around the players seems to be custom-made to frustrate them, like the key under the unbudgeable bed that is JUST outside of arm reach.

>>32607149
Negative Oddity is caused by the outright rejection of the supernatural, and the primal, unflinching fear of the unknown turns the unknown into a dangerous and unforgiving place. Hunters would be tasked with sneaking/breaking into patches of negative oddity, finding the ones responsible, and giving them a warm blanket and some cocoa so that they'll calm down.
>>32607141
Merlin has about 12,000-something souls, living and dead. A town that small, you'll eventually meet everyone.

>>32607206
Yeah, but I meant what bonded them together and made them eventually decide to take on the role of Heroes of Merlin Township. Pre-made group dynamic yo.

>>32602454
>>32602888
It could also be that bank work just naturally attracts the sort of staid, respectable "boring" folk that no doubt have their place in Merlin Township along with their more exotic and exuberant neighbors.

>>32601695
>>32592030
The "Tally Ho!" is one of two newspapers serving Merlin Township, along with the "Merlin Daily-Truth." Each of the two papers has a somewhat different character: the "Tally Ho!" is written largely by regular citizens as an Op-Ed forum and community message board, and the "Daily-Truth" is a more professional production, with a bullpen of dedicated reporters and a wider focus. The two papers have a friendly rivalry, each being characterized as gossips and stuffed shirts by the other group.

>>32601045
Vindaloo 'Vinnie' Daksha is a consummate and charismatic host and entertainer, and during business hours he is constantly bouncing from table to table, speaking with all his guests and ensuring that their dining experience is the best it can possibly be. Often times, it takes the gentle teasing and scolding of his staff to rein I his exuberance.

>>32607202
As you say, it shouldnt be a constant true horror. Patches are generated through negative emotions

>>32607206
I like your explanations. Hunters should have psychological skills in order to understand the sign appearing inside the patches

>>32607285
Oh, and each patches depend on the source's negative emotions

>>32607252
>>32607087

Can the Town support three papers?

>The Merlin Daily-Truth
Mainstream professional paper

>The Tally-Ho!
Community news and Op-Ed

>The Red Eye Report
Gossip and wackily invasive reporting

>>32607213
Hm...
Angela met the Knight of Summer while walking through the woods of Lethe County one sunny day. It was the Knight who pushed the idea that, for all of the good that Merlin Township had in it, it wasn't perfect. There were rude visitors, overenthusiastic pranksters, and the darker effects of the oddity that caused the wheels of their town to turn to consider. But two heroes wouldn't be enough to turn back the tide. They needed at least four, a proper adventuring party.

Meanwhile, Mr. Edgeworth and Ms. Fergusson had already come to this conclusion, but weren't motivated to do anything about it except live as they always did. That is, until a pair of heroes walked into the library interested in finding recruits.

>>32607358
Wait wait wait wait

>Angela Reyes, teenage girl
>Knight of Summer, young adult boy
>Ms Fergusson, mature and responsible woman
>Mr Edgeworth, knowledgeable and hardworking man

I smell a family dynamic between those unrelated persons that decided to band together.

It's quite fitting, in my humble opinion.

>>32607405
>"Angela, for the last time, stop trying to remove the Knight's frying pan!"
>"It's not a frying pan, it's a tin helmet!"
>"Well whatever it is, stop trying to remove it, Angela!"
>"But I wanna see his face!"
>"You don't try to see the face of a masked hero, that's not fair!"
>"Be quiet, kids, we're about to enter the patch."
>"... Yes Mr Edgeworth..."

>>32607358
As Chief Librarian of the Public Library, Mr. Edgworth would have access to all sorts of arcane knowledge, the complete and unabridged history of Merlin Township, and secrets within secrets that few others possess. He might have seen the writing on the wall for a while, but was unsure about how to act on what he knew.

Luci Fergusson meanwhile, I am imagining as a younger and overtly spooky version of DIscworld's Granny Weatherwax. She doesn't show an incredible (or any) amount of emotion herself, but is an expert in "Headology:" reading people, knowing what they want and how to get it, and knowing how to get them to do what needs to be done for their own good. Upon discovering the threat, she might sigh, say "Well. There's that then." and deligate the day's responsibilities to her subordinate housekeepers so she could go and assist.

>>32594705
>Known as the "Well Dressed Man," by the people of Merlin, this admittedly very well dressed man is reported to have been renting the most expensive room in the Commodore Hotel for a very long time. He is always polite and amiable, and seems to be extremely generous with his money, but is at the same time an exceedingly private person who does not enjoy others prying into his affairs.

I hope this would fit well enough.

>There is an old post box that has its better days far in the past that seemingly appears in any corner it chooses. Any letter put into it does not need stamps; the box will transcend time and space itself to deliver any letter with enough love and kindness to its intended recipient. Hateful letters get 'lost'. Some say it can deliver beyond the boundaries that separate the living and deceased. Not recommended for tax returns.

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>Constructed in 1919, the LaFey Dam and Hydroelectric Plant generates all of Merlin Township's power by harnessing the water flowing from Lake Morgan into the Lethe River. It was built by and is currently operated by Lethe County Light & Power, a company who prior to the construction of the dam worked with a decentralized power grid of lightning rods installed all across town, many of which are still visible on the roofs of public buildings and houses.

>>32607795
Speculations from citizens include:
>The physical form of Kipp Ashby
>Elusive author A. Goodman
>One of Merlin Township's founders
>One of the Five Living Buddhas
>Someone completely different

Even the Red Eye Report has declined comment, with Ms. Hekaton stating:
>"I think this is one surprise I'll keep hidden, for now."

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>>32608198
Very good!

>>32608427
The only other person who might know his business is Head of Housekeeping Luci Fergusson, but she is of course smart enough to respect her guest's privacy and stay out of the gossip all together.

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>Eldritch Lanes is a favorite gathering place for bowlers young and old alike, as well as for folks who like to stop in for the cheap beer and greasy-spoon fare served at the attached cantina. The interior of the boing alley is decorated in a diverse and ecclectic collection of Merlin memorabilia, as well as hundreds of framed pictures of locals having fun at the lanes. Included among these are a number of autographed photographs of town celebrities, including a framed sheet of Radio Merlin Station 77.7FM stationary with Kipp Ashby's signature on it. Always a riot of activity, things get a bit more serious in Thursday Nights when Horace Griswold commandeers the lanes for his bowling league.

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Merlin Township Directory of Locations Thus Far Described

Public Institutions

>-Town Hall
>-Town Square
>-Public Library
>-Radio Merlin Station 77.7FM
>-Merlin Train Station
>-Merlin Township Chamber of Commerce
>-Merlin Volunteer Fire Department
>-Merlin Police Department
>-Roger Timmens Memorial Hospital
>-Merlin Public Elementary, Middle and High Schools
>-Merlin Rec Center with Municipal Ballfield and Pool
>-Odelia McKay Fairgrounds
>-Lake Morgan Town Park
>-Camp Chupacabra
>-The Darling Street "Haunted 'House"
>-The "Merlin Daily Truth" town newspaper
>-The "Tally-Ho!" community newspaper
>-The "Red Eye Report" tabloid newspaper
>-First National Bank
>-Merlin Township Historical Society Museum
>-Merlin Invisible College

Local Businesses

>-Callahans' Corner Market
>-The Commodore Hotel and Boarding House
>-Bluebell Diner
>-"Camera Obscura" photo studio and camera shop
>-India Café
>-"The Hecate" Movie Theater
>-McKales Clothiers
>-"Tassler's Wardrobe" ghost clothing shop
>-Swinburne's Spirited Sweets
>-J. Miller & Sons Pawn Brokers
>-Doc Fleem's Drugstore
>-"The Other Side" Bar and Grill
>-Hal's Haunted Hardware
>-Ester's Beauty Salon
>-Merlin Barber Shop
>-Bloody Mary's Bar
>-Eldritch Lanes Bowling Alley
>-Uncle Tcho's Classic Auto Restoration, Junkyard and Dump
>-"Dead Pets" pet shop
>-"Da Pet Boyz" pet shop
>-"Dullahan Express" courier and equestrian services

Geographical Interests and Landmarks

>-River Lethe
>-Lake Morgan
>-LaFey Dam and Hydroelectric Plant
>-Northern Woods
>-Eagle Rock
>-Merlin Township Water Tower
>-Lovers' Leap Bridge
>-Forget-Me-Not Bridge
>-Merlin Town Bridge
>-Lethe River Trestle
>-Paris Bridge

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>>32609386

>-Paris Bridge

>Paris Bridge is an ornate wrought iron bridge that was, yes, brought from Paris, France and reassembled in Merlin. Anyone driving, walking or floating across the bridge is compelled to speak and understand French for the duration of their crossing.

(On that note, there ought to be a Lethe Riverwalk Park on that list somewhere)

>>32607448
>>32607429
>>32607405

>"Mr. Edgworth, why can't we juss smite 'em an let the Big Guy sort it out afferwards?"

>"Because, Angela, that is simply not how we DO things here in Merlin! We hardly know anything at all about this entity, let alone its motivations for all its thefts! We need to UNDERSTAND what it wants and what it means to do before we throw ourselves into an altercation!

>"Soooooo there's not going to be ANY smiting?"

>"Not until after Mr. Edgworth and I try speaking with it, dear."

>"Awwwwww...... Can I at least smite Buckethead? You guys never let me smite ANYFING anymore!"

>"I DIDST HEAR THAT!!!"

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The Well Dressed Man has opened the newest business in MT; the Omega Pawn Shop. The day it opened it was packed with things, both mundane and marvelous. It appears as though it has been here for decades, the hard to reach places have a lot of dust. The Well Dressed Man works the shop by himself from 9 to 5 on Monday to Friday, it is closed on Saturday, Sunderday, and Sunday. He also closes for lunch and at odd times through the week. His back counter includes a repair bench filled with (mostly antique) electronic devices that he works on when not tending to customers. He is able to make devices function far beyond their limitations. Delightful classical music plays from a large reel to reel tape recorder. There are a few things with a 'Not For Sale' sign, namely six oddly colored taxidermied bison heads and a collection of chrome Art Deco toasters. The Well Dressed Man never removes his coat or glasses, but will take off his hat indoors. He responds to being addressed as Mr. Omega but everyone still refers to him as The Well Dressed Man. He is very generous with the poor and destitute, he was once observed purchasing a ball of dirty twine from Sidewalk Sid in exchange for a buffet coupon for The India Cafe.

>>32609386
I don't think the Darling Street Haunted House has been expanded upon, but here goes:
>Darling Street was named after another of the founding members of Merlin Township, Lord Archibald Darling. Lord Darling led a relatively uneventful life and was not instrumental in the founding of the town, however, he became much more active after his death. He was instrumental in planning cultural and entertainment venues for the restless dead population that was popping up around Lethe County, and by the time he passed on to the other side somewhere around 130 years ago, he'd helped to establish the undead as a vital part of the town.
>The houses on Darling Street are all in ill repair, many of them lacking water and power. Though some of the undead balk at this, the residents of Darling Street find their own charm in the decrepit nature of the street.
>The Darling Street "Haunted House" (quotes intentional) is a communal music hall on Darling Street. Dedicated to Lord Darling, who loved music and died without heirs, it's become the major cultural center of the undead, and one of the cultural hotspots of the town at large. Every summer, a music festival is held inside the "Haunted House" that showcases new musicians, alive and dead, and serves as a major stream of revenue for the town during tourist season.

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>>32610212
I love this, and it fits in perfectly with Kipp Ashby's broadcasts in the last thread, talking about a singing group called the "Darling Street Wights" and encouraging the town's children to go to play at haunting on Darling Street.

>>32610368
Kipp Anon here. I wrote >>32610212 and I've gotta say I'm proud of how much this place has developed.
>>32609521
>Lethe Riverwalk Park is the closest spot in town that Deep Ones, rusalka, and all other manner of aquatic residents meet up. Due to the fact that underwater construction has often been difficult, there isn't any specialized recreation equipment for the gill-bearing denizens of Merlin Township. Yet.

Paris Bridge (and one other) spans Celedon Creek which empties into the Lethe. Celedon Creek was once a boundary of Merlin, but now separates old downtown from newer expansion

The Red Eye is actually a online blog that is updated 3 times a day that is designed to fit on both sides of of a standard sheet of paper. Many businesses print copies for customers. (I feel three classic newspapers is too many for a town. I would have made the Tally Ho! print-on-demand but the Red Eye description said 3/day)

> I love the Haunted House and Paris Bridge.

More adventure hooks!
>Far Side Story: There's always been a rivalry between the Darling Street undead and their neighbors on Mordred Avenue. Many are quick to dismiss the growing hostilities between two gangs, the Red Revenants of Darling Street and the Golden Ghouls of Mordred Avenue, since neither can truly hurt the other and both have restricted the rivalry to friendly pranks up until now. All except for Mr. Edgeworth, the town's librarian, who is all too familiar with the subject of the Ghoul Riots of 1891. He's tasked your group with helping him to stop another riot from breaking out, and potentially hurting people.
>A Great Interview: Ms. Euphemia Hekaton, using an ad in the front page of this morning's Red Eye Report, calls on your group to track down and get an interview with A. Goodman, the author of the "A Great Person" series of enchanted self-help books. When asked why she can't simply use her clairvoyance, she replies, "That would be cheating. I'm not going to cheat when it comes to this."

>>32588427
Oh, for christ's sake, this happens every goddamn time someone sets up something with momentum. No, it's not a quest. No, no one is going to interfere with you circle jerking about 40k. It's a collaborative project that will probably run for another few threads. Get over it.

>Re: Far Side Story, I like it, but I would encourage minimizing the use of the more common and 'cliched' Arthurian names, it will get a Theme Park feel, I am afraid. Excalibur Cutlery Store, Round Table Rollercoaster, etc.

>>32610529
I had been thinking up until now that the Lethe River bisected Merlin proper, but I really like your addition of a smaller creek dividing the town center in two!

>>32609386
No mechanic shops?

>The Gremlin's Mek: Located at the edge of the town, Gremlin's Mek specialized in deconstruction and reparation of any mechanical object. You can find bikes, cars, planes and much more in this shop.The owner and head family of Mek is the genius and eccentric MR. Kragg. He thirst for new machines to take apart, studied them and add them to his blueprint collections. You buy blueprints or any mechanical object in the shop. You can also ask him to replicate, repair and appraise items. Sometimes he will ask you to try out one of his inventions but be careful, his inventions is very volatile.

>>32608758
>There always seems to be just the right amount of lanes needed plus a few extra, no matter how many people are bowling
>The pins are reset by dozens of tentacles.
>Some of the "special" balls include several skulls, a cube, a marble, a pyramid, a massive d20, and several armadillos. Horace has been known to use the pyramid in casual games

Some visitors are drawn to MT because they need healing, this could include nasty ones who are aggressive and disruptive. Some can be helped by the ghost children giving them flowers, but some are so angry they run around tearing
up the place. This setting is much more of a court intrigue type of setting that downplays or avoids combat, and it also begs the question,"Can't the locals take care of the problem without the PCs?"
That said, perhaps a marauding nasty might need a smackdown to purge the evil. Example: The Slendercat is skulking around trying to eat the rainchildren. The locals want the PCs to mature a little and feel like heroes of the community so they let them hunt it. They fight it, and the killing blow splits open the horrid creature. The tiny spark of goodness it still had buried deep inside crawls out of the carcass as a sootykitten.

>>32610804

With everything other Anons have added, what I'm picturing now as far as the layout of Merlin Township is that the town center is on one side of the Lethe River, divided by Celedon Creek into an "Old Town" district with the Town Hall, Square, Public Library, and main street areas, and a "New Town" area with the bowling alley, the Rec Center,shops and neighborhoods. Across the Lethe River itself can be farmland and neighborhoods or forests, and up river is the Northern Woods, the LaFey Dam and Lake Morgan.

>>32611145
I like it

Your humble architect heartily approves.

>>32611145
I'm in complete agreement with everything you're saying here, and don't think that combat should be a primary focus in such a setting as this. Also, I might think that it could be less a matter of the residents not being able to defend themselves, as the PCs having a fresh perspective on matters that the citizenry appreciates, or the PCs jumping at the call to help their adopted town and taking their own initiative in such times.

>>32611359
How's the map coming?

>409
There is a court game I don't remember the name of that has advanced socializing mechanics that allow lots of dice rolling and verbal repartee that would keep the players' dice from feeling neglected.

>>32611296
I don't, personally. I like the concept of Merlin Township as a pleasant suburb with odd goings-on, rather than a magical place where all your problems are solved and you learn to believe in yourself and then you either get a house and live there forever, or you leave with a new outlook on life, waving goodbye to your paranormal friends.

It should just be a place. A mysterious, spooky place, but a place. Sorry for instigating the first 'this is how it should be' war. I'll be happy if people just try to keep the place grounded in reality, though.

>>32610787
I have a few other names lined up.
Pan Avenue, Rochelle Way, 13th Street, Luther Boulevard?

>>32611485
Maybe keeping the actual nature of the place as vague as we can? I came up with the idea of Oddity, not as a thing to imply that the town just magically bends to your mindset, but as a thing that affects everyone in it. Some idea I had, that Merlin Township, and Lethe County to a lesser extent, was a living entity that reflected its inhabitants. A Fisher Kingdom, of sorts.

TL;DR, it's up to the storyteller/DM to decide the exact nature of the setting, since everyone has different ideas of what it should be.

I forgive you, Anon.

>The town has a plethora of extremely competent entities. Just the coven would be enough for most things, and there is at least one demigod running a diner. Part of of what make this place creepy is that you are not the badass who can wipe out the town militia- unlike standard murderhobo games.

All of the aquatic creatures hold Vivian Nimue in the highest regard, many seem to be in awe of her and a few are nearly worshipful. The reason why can be found in the Library.

The reason why, say, The Heroes of Merlin would send outsiders to help isn't because they're helpless. It's because the town has problems, even if a lot of people in it are willing to overlook them, and just like every other town, there aren't that many plucky meddlers to go around.

>Pan Avenue, Rochelle Way, 13th Street, Luther Boulevard

I like all of these, especially if there is a 13th St., but no 1st through 12th.

A mix of pioneer names, obscure Arthurian, general mythology, mundane American, and creepy/weird names seems like the perfect mix to me.

>>32611485
Hey! No worries here and no need for a war at all! I'm >>32611409, and I also think that Merlin Township should be a living, breathing community rather than a metaphysical teacher and life coach for the PCs. The town is a magical, supernatural, heartwarming place, and if newcomers learn something and grow because of their time there, its because they were receptive to it and the citizens are just setting a good example.

>>32611748

>"There is a 13th St., but no 1st through 12th."

Fantastic

>"A mix of pioneer names, obscure Arthurian, general mythology, mundane American, and creepy/weird names seems like the perfect mix to me."

I also feel like this works extremely well with the themes of Merlin Township.

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>>32611467

Hello all, >>32598653 here. I've been trying to work on a map based on the wonderful location lists and world building done in these threads, but so far have been unsuccessful in finding myself a good mapping program to bend toward our purposes. I'm at work now, but once I get home in going to try ands are my old AutoCAD drafting program discs unless someone can suggest another program to use. I've tried my hand at manually drawing the map and might be able to come up with something passable that way, but it would take a significant amount of time to do so.

>>32612345
Only one I can think of is Autorealm, unfortunately. I don't have much experience with cartography.

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This is your humble architect again. I have had good success with Inkscape, it can make marvelous maps but it has a bit of a learning curve. Less than Campaign Cartographer2 and more than Photoshop. Even then it will be slow. I am starting to get an itch to make a map as well, Perhaps the 8 maps idea will happen. The Town Square is a circle on Sunday, a Triangle on Tuesday, up to an octagon on Sunderday. These would be approximations, of course, every time you try to count the sides in person you get a different number.
I am going to scribble out a crappy sketch on a napkin to give us something to mess with and prep for a real map (or 8).

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>>32613656

Work is almost over and I've taken to doodling in a spare notebook while I search for mapping programs. Obviously, this is sketchy nonsense on lined notebook paper, but I might be able to make something of the idea over the weekend on real paper with rulers and curve guides and such. Include building doodles and street names and all.

>>32613934

Oh, darn, I should also specify that I am not your humble architect, but he other Anon working on mapping. Sorry if that wasn't clear.

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The Black Knight is a seemingly Intimidating Spirit who haunts small roadways, back alleys, suburb snickets and forest paths.

When encounter, usually by lone strangers or Small groups, the Black Knight issues out a challenge of skill to any who wish to cross his pathway he is "Defending" The Challenge of skill is utterly random and merely some of the challenges that have been recorded are:

>Trail by foam sword combat
>Spelling bee
>Dance offs of both breakdance and Disco genre.
>Rap battle
>Checkers
>Beer Pong
>Squash ( only when within an alleyway"
>20 questions
>Cluedo

Failing the test offers no drawbacks, as the Black Knight will simply stand firm and refuse passage until he is beaten. When beaten, he simply vanishes declaring that it was a merely a draw.

On occasion he has been sighted in the local watering hole during Pub Quiz night.

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I love the map, I threw away the napkin.
I will break my code of anon for clarity's sake in this AWESOME thread. I invite all creators to do the same and tell us your contributions so you can receive your well deserved applause.

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I propose we change the name of the LeFey Dam to the LeFey Weir, for two reasons. Weir is 'weirder', and we can avoid that unpleasant 'D' word.

Also the phone prefix for the area is 453. no area code needed.

>>32615762
Yeah that not saying damn thing to the point of changing a name from what is is, a dam, to some stupid shit? That's fucking retarded.

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>>32615540
I like your thinking, but a weir doesn't serve exactly the same purpose as a dam, and aren't as often used in conjunction with producing hydroelectric power. I'd personally like to keep its designation as a dam. There could be some weirs downstream to calm the waters though after going through the turbines.

>Madaline Trant and the entire Parks and Recreation Department would like to remind all swimmers in Lake Morgan to mind the semicircle of white and red buoys and stay well clear! Beyond the buoys is LaFey Dam, and it is far too dangerous to swim there, no matter how acclimated you are to the water!

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I imagine the BBEG of the setting being an evil otherworldly corporation CEO that constantly orchestrates series of complex plots and unfortunate events that lead to a large part of the city being sold to him, so he can do something like demolish it and put a hallway on top.
He'd command a small army of bureaucrats who will invade the city in the form of hygiene inspectors and the like, leaving it up to the PC's to spook them out of town

>>32616142
That does seem like the sort of BEG that would fit thematically with this setting. In a setting where the mundane and the magical coexist happily. the worst enemies are those so entrenched on one side that they can't see the value of the other: the corrupt CEO who can't see the value in the town besides economic exploitation, or the paranormal entity that can't comprehend or accept the normal emotion and sentimentality of the citizens.

>>32616319
They team up. Doom is upon us.

>>32614850
Alright.
Uh... I created Kipp Ashby, The Red Eye Report, the last two adventure hooks, Darling Street, Oddity, Madeline Trant, Lake Morgan's name, The Custodian, the clocktower in town hall, A. Goodman, the concept of the road sign changing every time you look, the crows in front of the watchtower, and a few other things. Everything else, I've pretty much taken ideas and run with them.

Here's another possible villain scenario, recently a bunch of incompetent crooks have found their way into the town, immediately noticing the museum's apparent lack of security they begin to plan a heist.The PC's overhear them and it's up to them to save the antiques

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>>32616693
Forgot pic.

>>32616523
Well done! Really creative stuff there!

I guess if this is a role call, I'm the guy who keeps updating the Locations List every so often, with some additions of my own invention. I've also posted a number of location descriptions in this thread and the last one.

>>32616379
I, for one, worship our beloved overlord Doom. Heard he did great things for Latveria.

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Bad mapmaker likewise reporting in, still searching high and low for my copy of AutoCAD. I've been sketching a few things but nothing worth sharing, and I seem to be quite out of actual drawing paper at this juncture. I'm going to have to go to the store if I'm going to produce anything thread-worthy.

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Heroes of Merlin Township Anon, following the thread, thinking about heroes, looking for more potential Merlin citizens in my garbage dump of an image folder.

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make the BBEG Henry F. Potter. It won't be the first reference we have to this movie.

Uhhh... I am concept anon who suggested the patches, Merlin being in relation with you, and some other concept. Thinking of creating skill and stats, upgrades or any missing concept in the threads

>>32617681
>Madeline Trant, trying to look scary for the camera.

>>32617508
I feel like the evil CEO ought to clash with the rural old town setting more.

Have him drive sports car, surrounded by bodyguards and constantly barking commands at his employees over his cellphone, which seems to resist whatever supernatural force is trying to keep it from working like the other ones.

He's like the polar opposite of Merlin, ghosts around him disappear untill he's out of their range, any magic used on him doesn't work.He can only hear static when he turns on the radio, and will just think all the nonhuman children are wearing their halloween costumes.
His presence may disturb the fabric of reality in Merlin, causing the previously mentioned bad spooks to form.

His immunity to Merlin's oddities means that the PC's are the only ones capable of getting him out of town.

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I like the slumlord BBEG. Here is his corvette limo so he can have his unimaginative thugs with him.

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>>32618117
Y'know, that makes me wonder. Just what is Halloween in Merlin like?

>>32618627
Just like any other, except the kids wearing sheets, posing as ghosts, aren't given away by their feet as they don't have any in the first place.

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I really like Kipp.

The Uber Convenience Store
>You're in a hurry when you stumble upon a little convenience store that you are absolutely positive wasn't there yesterday. It just so happens to be stocked with all the things on your shopping list as well as a few things you forgot you needed. They have all your brands and their prices are extremely reasonable. After making your purchases and leaving the premises, you discover that it has vanished when you turn to look back.

(Anon's work from 1st thread, I just gave it a name)

>>32620071
Really great work on all of these!

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Thank you, I appreciate the feedback. They are intended to border the diner placemat map that The Cartographer is working on.

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>Your typical resident at the Commodore Hotel and Boarding House.

I think we may have crossed a threshold over into too sweet with Merlin Township. The bigger the light, the longer the shadow, you know? We need a bit of badness to offset the unrelenting happiness. Rabble rousers, troublemakers, supernatural confidence tricksters, and the like.

>>32622434
... We have rabblerousers and troublemakers, as well as some supernatural stuff that makes htis place a bit less than pleasant.
>>32610581
>>32607149
>>32607358
>>32616142
Plus a few adventure hooks from the last thread.
There definitely are negative portions to Merlin. There's just a lot of good to it, as well.

Perhaps, a little.
This is a tricky line to walk. We don't want it to be ''The Care Bears Magical Friendship Bandage" but it should probably stay safe enough for a child to get home unharmed at night. Scared is not a problem, but not harmed. If I were to run this as a campaign there would be a nasty antagonist about every 5 adventures, and most of them could be defused somehow or chased out of town. Even then, only rarely would physical violence be needed to smack the evil out of them. It is tough to get the formula just right, and this campaign is certainly one many gamers out there won't want to play.
That said, pouring on another quart of creepy would suit me just fine. I like idea of the biosurgeon spiders crawling on the walls towards the (awake) auto accident victim strapped to the operating table, for example.
The Dullahan Express story is another good example.
Peter Jackson started off making horror films and his pacing and tension building techniques work very well in his Middle Earth movies.
It is probably easier for an individual DM to add however much greyness/darkness as suits them.

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Funky Fil's Fillerup
Merlin's oldest and jazziest gas station is owned by Francis 'Filly' DaSilva, a young dusky skinned woman with an amazing voice. The jazz music plays day and night at Fil's, as she is a natural magnet for the spirits of jazz musicians. During daylight hours a couple of Uncle Tcho's clan (in snazzy tuxedos, no less) pump gas and clean windshields for the customers. After dark the joint starts jumping with a mix of living and ghostly musicians. Although she doesn't brag about it, she has admitted to being the half sister of Ella Fitzgerald. The numerous pictures inside of legendary Jazz players and singers bear silent witness to this claim.

>>32623433
I do admit, the horror aspects have kind of gotten away from the thread. There's definitely a few elements that become a bit more scary when you think about them.

Euphemia Hekaton is a hundred-headed, hundred-handed woman with clairvoyance that runs a tabloid/blog. She can see anything you do, and there is pretty much nothing stopping her from taking that power and using it on something much more evil than gossip columns.

Meanwhile: what IS in Mr. Edgeworth's private collection, the books he doesn't put on display in the library? Exactly how terrible do the contents get, when we already have sentient books that can grant you skillsets over the course of a long conversation?

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I am hanging it up for the night, thanks to all who contributed. In the morning I will scour all of the buildings, businesses, and maybe the people from the two threads and build a reference text file- unless The Cartographer has beaten me to it (please let me know). Perhaps some kind anon would like to compile the stories. G'night All.

>>32601045
>>32607252

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLph6ePNkGQ

This song was brought to Merlin by a huge English fan and it's driving Mr Vindaloo nutters. Even after the fan left, some kids have been chanting it whenever they see him and now some of the adults have been caught humming it. Mr Vindaloo as tasked the PCs to try and make the town forget the song.

There's another way to do this. Get Mr Vindaloo to like the song. Maybe a parade.

>>32623694
Merlin Township's horror is just as potent as the classical horror setting. It's just hidden behind a cute and friendly front.

It's, quite literally, a picturesque rural (supernatural) town with its dark secrets.

Lake Morgan Town Park's Air
>Sometimes, when you're in Lake Morgan Town Park and bored out of your mind, when the sky is clear and the day sunny, you can feel your feets starting to float away from the ground. If you look at them, they'll be on the ground, and you'll feel dizzy while your senses try to readapt to reality. If you don't, you can enjoy the feeling of flying.

>>32622434
>>32623008
>>32623433
>>32623694

I think that the key here is to remember that even though Merlin Tonwship is a good place, a heartwarming place, and a place of magic, this does not mean that there are never hurt feelings, conflicts, or dangers to be had there. The setting may be described as "Studio Ghibli presents Welcome to Night Vale," but even Studio Ghibli knows how to portray both the good and the bad in what is generally a sunshiny or wondrous setting. There are plenty of plot hooks that can be thrown out there that maintain the Town's inherent goodness while also playing up on the creepiness and the conflict, some of which have been posted in this and the previous thread:

>There is a new imaginary friend in town teaching delinquency to the children.
>All the imaginary friends have disappeared and the children are afraid.
>The annual state-mandated audit is here and the town must run a coverup conspiracy.
>Euphemia Hekaton has finally gone too far with her blog and citizens are calling for action.
>Something deep inside Lake Morgan is trying to break through LaFey Dam.
>A ghost ship appears on Lake Morgan during a foggy day and begins shelling the Town Park.
>The Devil went down to Merlin. He was lookin' for a soul to steal. He was in a bind 'cause he was way behind. He was willing to make a deal
>Gossip about the Well Dressed Man has reached a fever pitch, and he is not at all happy.
>The clock tower on top of Town Hall is broken and with it, the sun.
>There seems to be an epidemic of bad luck in Merlin Township.
>There seems to be an epidemic of thefts in Merlin Township.
>In a tragic haunting accident, one of the town's resident ghosts accidently scares an older citizen to death and must deal with the guilt.
>A troupe of annoying television ghost hunters blows into town intent on exposing Merlin Township to the rest of the world.
>Town-wide spider infestation.
>A Hatfields-and-McCoys style family feud comes to a head.

>>32628769
I've got a feeling that this could be a great tv show.

Something in the vein of Eureka.

>>32628769

>A cryptozoological menace has begun stalking the forests around Merlin Township and must be hunted down before it kills someone.
>The "Hundred Year Storm" has returned to Lethe County, and the whole town must be readied to weather it unscathed.
>Ghoul Scout Troop 13 has gotten lost inside the Public Library's non-Euclidean interior.
>Several of the more dangerous volumes from the Public Library's Hazardous Book Room have gone missing.
>The statue of Merlin Township's Founding Fathers and Mothers in Founders' Square has been defaced.
>The rivalry between the "Merlin Daily Truth" and the "Tally-Ho!" is beginning to hurt new reporting in town.
>After a recent spat of fires, a member of the Volunteer Fire Department has been accused of setting them, mainly because her hair is made of fire.
>A particularly nasty row fueled by a little beer and a lot of ego has broken out at the Eldritch Lanes Bowling Alley on League Night.
>An entire battalion of ghost soldiers from the Secret Civil War have finally returned home to Merlin on the trains and must be reintegrated into the township.
>A local farmer has found an ironbound chest with an ominous aura buried in his field.
>Citizens across town have started losing their most cherished memories.
>One of Merlin's longest tenured Town Council Members has decided to resign, prompting for a riotous, impromptu eight-way election race.
>A busload of obnoxious and disrespectful tourists pulls into town and generally make a nuisance of themselves.
>What looks like a heavily damaged WWII era bomber flies low over the town and crashes somewhere in the Northern Woods, prompting for a town-wide rescue operation.
>All the dogs in town get organized and form a union.
>A drought hits Lethe County, hurting crops and endangering Merlin's aquatic citizens.
>A rainbow appears in the sky that places anyone who looks upon it into a catatonic trance.

>A young witch at the Bluebell Diner mistakes a bottle of powdered love potion for a bottle of all-purpose seasoning and accidently douses half the town.

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>It has been discovered by Commodore Hotel and Boarding House's management that their that Head of Housekeeping, Lucy Fergusson, has literally never taken a sick day or a vacation. This is a problem because labor laws mandate that Hotel employees need to take a day off from time to time. To these ends, they have forced Ms. Fergusson to take a week-long vacation to one of Merlin Township's Sister Cities.

>It turns out, however, that Ms. Fergusson was much, much more than only the Head of Housekeeping, and without her omnipresent influence and judicious application of Headology, the Hotel is in real danger of capsizing while she's away.

>Extensive rumours of aliens and various oddities in Merlin reach the goverment's ears.Unsettling men in black enter the city and begin asking questions.
>A vampire has recently moved into town.The vampire's a friendly "vegetarian" fellow who lives on a steady diet of tomato juice, and speaks with a strong romanin accent.
>The small army of vampire hunters after him however, are another story.
>The town's library and museum have attracted the attention of an evil lich, who wants to use them to further his diabolical plans.
>A thick yellow smog covers the town, it seeps under every door and manages to get everywhere.Doppelgangers of the town's citizens emerge from it, they speak in a robotic monotone.
>An entire spectral roman legion enters the city and begins fortifying it, the specters ignore all attempts to be exorcised or otherwise removed from Merlin.Only the legate is responsive, and he says the Carthagenians will be here in 2 days.
>Merlin suddenly changes location overnight, it is now surrounded by an endless expanse of ruined futuristic skyscrapers, the city's calendars all show the date to be ten thousand years into the future.
>Lethe's waters turn a sickly green colour.Turns out evil CEO's new factory has been illegally dumping toxic waste in it.

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>Children attending Camp Chupacabra have begun experiencing distressingly realistic nightmares. Those experiencing them the longest are now refusing to go to sleep.

>>32630385
That's definitely not the picture I meant to post. Probably one of >>32628769's hostile ghost ships. Might even be the cause of the nightmares anyway.

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Alright Ladies, Gentlemen and Others. After finding myself unable to locate my copy of AutoCAD and trying my hand unsuccessfully at GIMP, I am in the process of downloading the free thirty-day trial version of the newest AutoCAD edition from the internet. Hopefully, this sill give me what I need to start mapping out our lovely town.

>Pictured: M.R. Hendricks, one of the town's Founding Fathers.

> The Slendercat is is stalking the Rainchildren, it cannot be reasoned with and must be Smitten to purge the evil in it.

Nice list anon.

>>32631120
How many Town Founders do we have so far?
>Abner Allegro Callahan
>Odelia McKay
>M.R. Hendricks
>???
>???
>???

Captcha: Gorista 1769
This feels significant.

>>32631428

We get those three ??? members and we have the Original Town Council right there.

>>32631472
Perhaps one of those ??? is intentional. Forgotten despite all the good they did for the founders.

Also someone who TOTALLY ISN'T MERLIN makes sense. Because Merlin Township.

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St Mary's is the oldest church still standing in MT. Two older wooden churches burned on Meteor Day, 1881ish.
It is a Roman Catholic church run by Father Ilie Iorest, a tall and kindly Hungarian immigrant with a magnificent grey beard.
He is extremely tolerent of all of the citizens of MT, for several reasons. He is actually Saint Ilie Iorest, of Transylvania, and yes he is a vampire. He survives on the wine form Holy Communion. He was born in 1601AD and died in 1643, making him one of the older members of the community. He can tolerate sunlight, has no aversion to holy symbols, and cannot change his form. In other respects, he is a standard vampire. He has a hobby of raising wolf-dog hybrids, and likes to spend time at the late night party areas and drink beer. He does allow non- Catholics to marry in his church, one of the few official rules he ignores. The choir of St. Mary's is currently all ghosts, but they would welcome any living catholics to join.
He maintains a facade as a living man for simplicities sake, but it is common knowledge amongst the wise and the observant in town. He is quite the history buff, and is hard to beat on Pub Quiz Night.

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I agree no Merlin. everyone knows he is still sleeping under Stonehenge.

Father Iorest currently wears black with a white collar.

>>32632266
>>32631893 here and I meant that 'TOTALLY NOT MERLIN' tongue in cheek.

The Forgotten Founder
The Reality Storm of 19Something wiped out most traces of him. All that remained was a memory of a good man who was loved and respected and that he was left handed. There is an empty pedestal next to the statues of the other founders in the Town Square

>>32632372
I like it.

I caught that after I typed it, but think it should be named in honor of him, not because he was a founder.
Merlin has been overused in media. Let him sleep.

>>32632447
But why name it Merlin? What caused them to choose that specifically? Musta done something, even asleep

I can go along with that. He is Dreaming. His Dreams counters Not-Cthulhu's and helps keep the world sane. A swirling eddy of his dreamstuff made the bubble that became and protects Lethe County.

>>32632447
>>32632577
>>32632642

I don't know about the town being named Merlin for any particularly special reason. I like your brainstorming, but part of me thinks that the name, as well as a few other things, may be better if they're left unexplained. That's just be my own personal opinion though!

>>32632577
Anon, there is a state called Washington that was named years after the man's death. Names are just names.

>>32633102
I think it'd be funnier if, when people ask if the name means Merlin founded it or lives there or something, they just reply with the first half of >>32632266

> I think it'd be funnier if, when people ask if the name means Merlin founded it or lives there or something, they just reply with the first half.

2, "Merlin? The old guy from that Disney cartoon?You believe he's real? Easter Bunny Too?

3. 'Merlin? we have 3 winos in town claiming to be Merlin, I vote for the one that pees himself!"

I like a lot of origin stories, more is better.

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Aunt Snarky

The spiderwebs tell people "the alligator is friendly". They don't mention her sense of humor or her intolerance of rudeness. She is a Sarcosuchus, a 40' long, 15 ton relic from the past. She is quite intelligent, and understands English, German, Norwegian, and several American Indian languages. She was here long before the Founders arrived. If given a fish or piece of meat she will ferry passengers across the lake or river. If someone annoys her she will dump them in the lake, chase them on land, or in extreme circumstances - eat them. She can climb over the LeFay Dam with ease and can be found basking in the riverside park, in Lake Morgan, and anywhere up and down the river or creek. She will rescue drowning people if they did not aggravate her. Before the bridges were built she ferried the towns folk much more than now. Details are uncertain, but she seems to coexist with the Lake Morgan Monster peacefully.

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>>32633517
If she's been there since before the Founders, I almost feel like the founders statues should be standing atop a statue of her, as if they were crossing the river, or that she should be part of the Merlin Township Crest.

We also need a Merlin Township Crest. Not medieval like this one, but I do like the idea of Aunt Snarky on one side, as depicted, and another local legend supporting the other side.

>>32628769
>Something deep inside Lake Morgan is trying to break through LaFey Dam.

I had an idea like that, actually.

>The Old Man is a creature deep in Lake Morgan, whom the less charitable townsfolk call the Cranky Geezer. It has never surfaced, and has only been encountered three times throughout Merlin Township's history: once, when the now-cancelled Lake Morgan Fishing Festival was driven off by it. Another time, when a sailing boat sunk in the lake, and it pulled the drowning family on-board out of the water. The third time is its current attack on the LaFey Dam. Aunt Snarky is the only other source of information on the Old Man, and she says she's never seen him this angry.

>>32634263
>The only other event on the day the Old Man began to attack LaFey Dam was the discovery of an unknown creature, caught in the dam's turbines. Local veterinarians and Merlin Animal Control were unable to save this creature in time.

Yes, and Yes. I do a little heraldry and I love the idea.

the Questing Beast might be good.

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Founder:
Skadi Gilling Callahan was the Norwegian wife of Abner Allegro Callahan. She was from the Jotun Clan, and her stature was great enough to make her a suitable wife for Abner. She had a great love of winter, spending much of her time hunting to help feed the fledgling community. She was also known to swim naked in the river on the coldest nights. A less substantiated tale tells of Skadi playfully wrestling with Aunt Snarky in Lake Morgan.
The statues of the Founders depict Abner as 8' tall, Skadi 7' tall, and the others at 6 feet in height, These are merely estimates, there are only a few portraits for reference

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>>32634263
>>32634339

>Some of Merlin's aquatic citizens have reported seeing the Old Man's home in the very deepest, darkest part of the lake: a small two-story Victorian house with all its lights on illuminating the murky water around it, surrounded by a modest yard and garden of water plants bordered by a low stone wall and white picket fence. Some claim that the house and garden are befouled with fishing lines, pop bottles, boat anchors and all sorts of maritime debris, and that Old Man merely wants those enjoying Lake Morgan to "get off his lawn," so to speak.

The Old Man guards the Salmon of Knowledge from air breathers. (The Salmon's offspring, the Salmon of Trivia was the accident victim in the turbine.)

Lilac Bluebell, youngest of the coven, and Doc Ursus are the local veterinarians.

>>32634704

Is Lilac the one that >>32629391?

>Is Lilac the one that...
Could be, probably one of her older sisters. Petunia, maybe? Petunia does concoct a nice yet diluted Mead of Poetry.

Founder:
Vassia Gorista born 1769, was a strong-willed Greek woman who had enough of the lowly status women had in Greece. She left her deadbeat husband and took her 7 daughters and emigrated to America. She met a nice German man and Odelia McKay and traveled to Lethe County to start a new life. She and her daughters were "magissa" (wise women or witches.) Vassia stayed for 50 years after her death to watch over her offspring. Several of her descendants still live and are part of the coven at the Bluebell Cafe.

Town Founders
>Abner Allegro Callahan
>Skadi Gilling Callahan
>Odelia McKay
>M.R. Hendricks
>Vassia Gorista
>???
>The Forgotten Founder

Some speculate that Vassia Gorista's German husband was the Forgotten Founder, others claim he died on the way in Ohio.

I leave the last founder for another Anon to create.

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Doctor Ursula Ursus, a local veterinarian, is a hirsute woman of indeterminate age from Inuvik, Canada. She can't actually talk to animals, but she does understand them. She is one of the few residents who can translate for Aunt Snarky.

>>32636063

I feel like the ought to claim a sasquatch for an ancestor.

She says : My grannmere waz a grizzlee bar, an my granpere waz a real brave an real lonelee Inuit.!"

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>Erik Jorgenson, Town Councilman, Hero of Merlin Township.

I like him already. Tell us more.

>>32637591
more about who anon?

Erik Jorgenson. Sorry, I run so many filters i can't throw up reference links easily.

I also have yet to find more data on
>Odelia McKay, one of the Founding Mothers of Merlin Township.

>>32637198

>Despite Erik Jorgensen's short stature and stout build, the man is as oak-strong and iron-bound as his barrel-like shape suggests, and as fiery as the liquor held within.

>>32640622

>Jorgensen used to be known as "The Bear of the Town Council" until an actual bear was voted into office in the last election. This caused less friction than was expected, as Jorgensen took an immediate liking to the newest Council Member, become fast friends and drinking buddies with the Bear.

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So in this thread's grand tradition of posting random supernatural-y pictures in the hopes someone more creative can make something interesting of them, have this cowboy ghost.

>>32640764

>Jorgensen proudly claims descent from the Viking explorers of yore, in who's longship he just so happened to appear in Lake Morgan forty years ago. A proud and boisterous man, Jorgensen is known for his strong politics and, whenthe situation calls for it, a strong shield and axe as well.

Thanks! I'll vote for Jorgenson next election!

>The Gremlin's Mek: Located at the edge of the town, Gremlin's Mek specializes in mechanical objects. It shares the Junkyard with Uncle Tcho's clan, causing a friendly rivalry and 'Junkyard Wars' competitions.

PS giant rough draft text pdf in progress.

Father Iorest , Jorgeson, and Councilman Bear go for a drink...

A sainted vampire, a Viking, and a bear walk into a bar, and...

>>32639199

>>32590848

>Odelia McKay was the navigator who had helped guide the original Town Founders through the as-of-then unexplored wilderness that would later become Lethe County and Merlin Township proper. There is also a great deal of evidence to suggest that Odelia McKay was, in fact, a time-traveler.

>According to journals kept by fellow founder M.R. Hendricks, Odelia had peculiar, preternatural knowledge of the new lands they were exploring, and would constantly consult with a collection of books and a strange, illuminated metal machines that she kept on her person at all times.

>....79
Awesome! thank you!

M.R. Hendricks???

and one more...

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Bob's TV repair
Robert Roberts is an elderly man who has repaired tvs since they were only black and white. Years ago he predicted the path of 'progress' and saw he would lose his livelihood to new technology. He created two rival UHF stations that broadcast locally, The Lethe Broadcasting Company (Channel 51) and the Barking Beast Corporation (Channel 23). Not only did this create dozen of local jobs, the limited range of UHF allows freedom of expression. Where else could a Wendigo get a job as a tv news anchor? "This is Rip Shredder, and that's the news, Sunderday, May 7.5th."
It also encourages people to fix their old tvs instead of just streaming FOX online. Bob calls it "a Win-Win situation."

Ambrose Dorian Constantine
There is a resident lich in this town, he lives in a shack in the outskirts.
Instead of a skeletal corpse, his body is a combination of loose materials, odds and ends, metal utensils, and the like.
>His shack is filled with mechanical parts and strange constructs.
>his voice, although raspy and thin, feels almost gentle
>when asked about his work, he will simply say that it's for one he used to love.
He sometimes tends the graves, using dark magics to simply talk to the spirits.
>He is very open about his phylactraphy, which is a small music box.
>some fear him, others shun him. When asked about himself, he will reply:
"Time with oneself will change all aspects of life. But the dead still want to see the world around them. it is with reverence that I indulge them."

>>32641577
>>32631120

>Marcellus Roland Hendricks was one of Merlin Township's Founding Fathers and was responsible for drafting the Merlin Charter as well as the majority of the laws and ordinances that still govern the town today. He is also credited with establishing many of the public institutions that modern residents still enjoy such as the Library, Historical Society and Public School system.

>M.R. Hendricks' many, many journals provide detailed and exacting accounts of the founding of Merlin Township, and are kept in a special room inside the Public Library.

Thank you! archived. Is he mostly normal ?

>>32645181

I had been thinking mostly normal, and as the first Chief Librarian, very much the same as his Oscar Edgworth, the modern Chief. Very smart, very well read. I'm almost thinking, one of those naturalist scientists or scientific occultists from the 1800s, recording and thinking about absolutely everything he saw, heard, felt or dreamt in Lethe County.

Perfect. Thank you. Perhaps Moorish, but classic N. European pioneer. Thanks. Archiving...
-----
Still need one more founder: could be classic Euro settler.... Am Ind shaman..... Chinese wushu .... Ogopogo................................

(I made 4 of the 7), I want someone to throw a curveball genius on the screen. a mundane british accountant is awesome too.

Captcha; some longyork

some places short on detail... (I could have missed it, i apologize if so.)
Odelia McKay Fairgrounds
>-Lake Morgan Town Park
Camera Obscura" photo studio and camera shop
McKales Clothiers
Swinburne's Spirited Sweets
Odelia McKay Fairgrounds
Eagle Rock
ps thanks for the cowboy ghost

Hey TEEGEE, we need some Crunchy bits-- you are good at this...

ODDITY

As you gain Oddity Points, you get mental and physical mutations. These mutations eventually go away when you're at zero Oddity, with a rate of one disappearing per week. Maximum oddity causes you to no longer mutate, but all existing mutations are locked in, and you're given permanent status as a Merlin Township resident..
I don't know about being rejected by the town if you're at Zero-Odd, per say, unless it were something like most people are naturally a little crazy and hover at around 10-Odd or so, and you REALLY have to work to bust yourself down to Zero-Odd, stone cold sanity.

What I might suggest is that higher levels of oddity imply higher levels of comfort in and acceptance by Merlin Township, which allow you to tap into latent magics or special talents, or improves your luck and happenstance while in town.
How about as the oddity went up, part of Merlin becomes unlocked. I always see Merlin as a safe-house in our mind so accepting that Merlin exist will let the town open up to you

That makes a good deal of sense to me. It's less a measure of your sanity then and more a measure of how much you've accepted Merlin and its accepted you. Like reputation with a faction. At higher levels, you can receive summons to help the Merlin Township Party Planning Committee, you can safely explore more of the Public Library's spatially anomalous interior, you can start actually seeing imaginary friends and the faintest ghosts and spirits, etc. etc. etc.

The default would be ten, and Oddity would measure, more or less, the kind of mindset you'd need to be in to experience Merlin Township.Your average human Merlin resident would be 30 Oddity. Kipp Ashby would be a hard one hundred.

here is a preview of the condensed version. I apologize if I altered your work. Speak up and I will try to fix it. Dis iz da ruff draft...K?

Public Institutions
Town Hall w/clock tower and MTPPC lair (also makes the sun rise on time)
Town Square (may not actually be square)
Public Library (quite non- Euclidean)
Merlin Radio Station 77.7 FM (deserted?)
Lethe Broadcasting Corporation UHF 51
Barking Beast Corporation UHF 23
Merlin Train Station (pretty weird)
Greyhound Bus Station (even weirder)
Lake Morgan Town Park
Lethe River RainDock (temporal transport connection when it is raining)
>Merlin Township Chamber of Commerce
>Merlin Volunteer Fire Department (filled with pyros posing as firemen)
Merlin Township Historical Society Museum
>Merlin Police Department (Always there when you need them)
>Lovers' Leap Bridge (Never Leap Bridge)
Roger Timmens Memorial Hospital
Merlin Public Elementary, Middle and High Schools
Merlin Invisible College
>-Merlin Rec Center with Municipal Ballfield and Pool
>-Odelia McKay Fairgrounds
>-Lake Morgan Town Park

Local Businesses

Callahans' Corner Market (20+ teenage identical girls, no adults)
The Commodore Hotel and Boarding House
Bloody Mary's Bucket of Blood Saloon (gruesome)
Bluebell Bob's TV RepairDiner (and coven)
Bob's TV Repair
Camera Obscura" photo studio and camera shop
Camp Chupacabra on Morgan Lake (and petting zoo)
Da Pet Shop Boyz" pet shop
The Darling Street "Haunted 'House"
Dead Pets pet shop
Doc Fleem's Drugstore
Dullahan Express" courier and equestrian services
Ester's Beauty Salon
First National Bank
Hal's Haunted Hardware
The Hecate" Movie Theater
India Café
McKales Clothiers
Mek Mechanical Shop
Merlin Barber Shop
J. Miller & Sons Pharmacy
The "Merlin Daily Truth" town newspaper
The Other Side Bar and Grill
The "Red Eye Report" tabloid blogpaper
Swinburne's Spirited Sweets
The "Tally-Ho!" community newspaper
Tassler's Wardrobe ghost clothing shop
Uncle Tcho's Classic Auto Restoration, Junkyard and Dump
Omega Pawn Shop

oops-
Bluebell Diner (and coven)
Bob's TV Repair
----------
Geographical Interests and Landmarks
>-River Lethe
>-Lake Morgan
>-LaFey Dam and Hydroelectric Plant
>-Northern Woods
Celedon Creek
>-Merlin Township Water Tower
>-Merlin Train Station
>-Merlin Township Chamber of Commerce
>-Merlin Volunteer Fire Department
>-Merlin Police Department
>-Roger Timmens Memorial Hospital
>-Merlin Public Elementary, Middle and High Schools
>-Merlin Rec Center with Municipal Ballfield and Pool
>-Odelia McKay Fairgrounds
>-Eagle Rock
>-Merlin Township Water Tower
>-Lovers' Leap Bridge
>-Forget-Me-Not Bridge
>-Merlin Town Bridge
>-Lethe River Trestle
>-Paris Bridge

oops-
Bluebell Diner (and coven)
Bob's TV Repair
----------
Geographical Interests and Landmarks
>-River Lethe
>-Lake Morgan
>-LaFey Dam and Hydroelectric Plant
>-Northern Woods
Celedon Creek
>-Merlin Township Water Tower
>-Merlin Train Station
>-Merlin Township Chamber of Commerce
>-Merlin Volunteer Fire Department
>-Merlin Police Department
>-Roger Timmens Memorial Hospital
>-Merlin Public Elementary, Middle and High Schools
>-Merlin Rec Center with Municipal Ballfield and Pool
>-Odelia McKay Fairgrounds
>-Eagle Rock
>-Merlin Township Water Tower
>-Lovers' Leap Bridge
>-Forget-Me-Not Bridge
>-Merlin Town Bridge
>-Lethe River Trestle
>-Paris Bridge

this is your humbl arkitek (31stC advanced CEUs) signing off. Thanks for your Input.
Post and vote!

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>The grumpy old man in Lake Morgan???

>>32640822
The Cabajero
>He arrived one morning, riding his cheval on the rails to Merlin Train Station. He was alive then. He spent his morning asking for the whereabouts of a certain "gringo loco", then fell in love with Merlin Town, and decided that this place was as good as any to set in.
>He's known for teaching kids how to ride, galloping around in Merlin Town, and for putting some badass in orphan teens he deemed worthy, living out the cow-boy life without any fear of seeing his town raided by some bad guy.
>He and his horsed passed away at the same time, peacefully, only to ride out of this grave, leaving his corpse behind.
>Since then, he's... well he's pretty much been doing the same as when he was alive: galloping around, putting some badass in teens and letting ghost kids ride on his ghostly horse.
>Someone once asked him a question that no ghosts or undead in Merlin Town managed to answer simply: why he didn't choose to go to Heaven.
>His answer?
>"Because I'm already there, amigo."

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>>32646061

>Named after one of the town's Founding Mothers, Odelia McKay fairgrounds plays host to any and all community events too large or rowdy for the Town Square or Rec Center to handle. Such events include the Lethe County Faire, Alphonse Allegro's Almost Amazing Tri-State Circus, and Secret Civil War reenactments.

>Hugging the curves of Lake Morgan, the town park is a delightfully natural place and a favorite destination for citizens and summering vacationers alike. The park's many features include:
>- Beaches and docks for swimming or boating in the lake
>- The popular Lake House Snack Shack, where every young Merlin resident wants to work during the summer
>- Rolling, grassy meadows
>- A small, dense grove of trees encircled by standing stones called the Fairy Wood, far larger on the inside than on the outside

>The "Camera Obscura" photography studio and camera shop is an old and venerable institution, the ownership and operation having been passed down in the same family for years. The "Camera Obscura" fabricates, sells and repairs special cameras capable of faithfully capturing ghosts, spirits and even imaginary friends on film, without distortion of aura-clouding, a vital service in a town with such a high supernatural population.

>McKales Clothiers is a high-end tailoring concern, and is THE place to go if you are looking to have the perfect bespoke garment made, man, woman or otherwise. McKales have a long-standing relationship with Old Lady Tassler, and will faithfully translate any of her ghostly garments into something the living can wear proudly.

>If asked, many of Merlin Township's children would tell you that Swinburne's Spirited Sweets is their most favorite place in town. It is both an old fashioned candy counter and toy store of the highest caliber, and stocks candy and novelties in such astonishing and mind-boggling varieties that anyone is sure to find something to tickle their fancy, be they alive or dead, human or cryptid.

>>32650945
>Chimera Obscura
remind me of Fatal Frame
such horror

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>>32651124
I'm thinking the original suggestor was a fan too so I ran with it. Not sure about what to make of Eagle Rock or some of the other locations and businesses that were mentioned in passing. It's pretty fantastic though that in two threads we've essentially built a small town from scratch.

>>32651237
Should we make a stat about this items?

>>32651290
The camera i mean
Ah do we have traditional/unique Merlin items?

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>>32651290
>>32651313

I don't think it's necessary to stat-out an actual Camera Obscure, if that's what you mean, but having an informal list of the strange and peculiar items found in town might not hurt. I do worry though that unless one of our cartographically inclined Anons is able to rough out a map, or some Writefriends and Drawfriends take interest, we may have done all we can do with Merlin Township aside from crunching out a homebrew system for it and actually playing a campaign there.

>The 120th Annual Leth County Bicycle Race in progress.

>>32651313
I feel like we shouldn't. I don't know why. I have a feel for Merlin Town as a town where the paranormal is ambient, immanent, pervasive, you can't just capture it in a bottle.

>>32651436
And now it's time for the
>Merlin Town Quest when

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>>32651445

Though I would no doubt participate in and love a well done Merlin Township quest thread, I am hesitant for us to start one and have it become this lumbering, board-alienating monstrosity.

>>32651536
Merlin Town's power will protect us from this fate.

>A Partial List of Local Events and Celebrations

- Merlin Independence Day Parade
- Merlin Annual Bake-Off
- Lethe County Faire
- Founders' Day
- The Septannual Mystics and Occultists Convention
- Annual Lethe County Bicycle Race
- Merlin Public High School Science and Magic Fair
- Merlin Bowling League Championships
- Lethe County Softball League Championships

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I know we have about thirty more posts before this thread and Merlin Township disappear again into the mists like Brigadoon, one of Merlin's proud Sister Cities, but I wanted to say that these two threads have been some of the best I've ever participated in, and I thought I'd just drop this here to express my thanks:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vrEljMfXYo

>Captcha: Josiah Augove

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>>32652159

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>>32652262

>>32652159
All good things come to an end. And you pinpointed this one's end. It's so fitting I'm almost crying.

That being said, I need to find yet another idea to get /tg/ to brainstorm. Watch the threads, it'll pop up whenever I get inspired.

Is there any potential for a nearby military base a la The Mist?

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>>32652599

Honestly? I don't think that a military base nestles thematically into a setting based upon small town life and heartwarming paranormal happenings.

>There are just so many beautiful and eerie little town halls across America to choose from.

>>32652501
Alright, there's that:
>>32653263
I dunno, it seemed like a good idea at the time.

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>"We hope you've enjoyed your stay..."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oC3bb4bZ79I

>>32651604
Except it so totally won't you fool

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>Lover's Leap Bridge, New Milford CT

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>The Commodore Hotel

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Come back soon!

>>32631428
Don't forget Lord Archibald Darling, although he isn't exactly around anymore.

>>32656048
I recall reading that Lord Darling came to town after its founding, but was an extremely influential figure and one of the greatest cultural icons of the living dead in Merlin.

>PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS:

-Town Hall
-Town Square
-Public Library
-Merlin Radio Station 77.7 FM
-Lethe Broadcasting Corporation UHF 51
-Barking Beast Corporation UHF 23
-Merlin Train Station
-Lake Morgan Town Park
-Lethe Riverwalk Park
-Chamber of Commerce
-Volunteer Fire Department
-Merlin Township Historical Society Museum
-Merlin Police Department
-Roger Timmens Memorial Hospital
-Public Elementary, Middle and High Schools
-Merlin Invisible College
-Merlin Rec Center with Municipal Ballfield and Pool
-Odelia McKay Fairgrounds

>>32656468

>LOCAL BUSINESSES:

-Callahans' Corner Market
-The Commodore Hotel and Boarding House
-Bloody Mary's
-Bluebell Diner
-Bob's TV Repair
-"Camera Obscura" photo studio and camera shop
-Camp Chupacabra
-"Da Pet Shop Boyz" pet shop
-The Darling Street "Haunted 'House"
-"Dead Pets" pet shop
-Doc Fleem's Drugstore
-Dullahan Express" courier and equestrian services
-Ester's Beauty Salon
-First National Bank
-Hal's Haunted Hardware
-"The Hecate" Movie Theater
-India Café
-McKales Clothiers
-Mek Mechanical Shop
-Merlin Barber Shop
-J. Miller & Sons Trade Jacks
-The "Merlin Daily Truth" town newspaper
-The Other Side Bar and Grill
-The "Red Eye Report" tabloid blog
-Swinburne's Spirited Sweets
-The "Tally-Ho!" community newspaper
-Tassler's Wardrobe ghost clothing shop
-Uncle Tcho's Classic Auto Restoration, Junkyard and Dump
-Omega Pawn Shop
-Funky Fil's Fillerup
-Merlin Bus Terminal

>>32651436
Then why not start crunching?
A little rough character creation concept:
There are six stats, each starting at one, with eight points to spread between all of them. They come in pairs:
Strength and Speed: Strength measures general physical fortitude, speed measures reflexes, dexterity, and... well, speed. Together, they measure your physical capabilities.
Rhyme and Reason: Rhyme represents creativity, lateral thinking, and mental flexibility. Reason represents logic, deductive reasoning, common sense, and general intelligence. Together, they represent mental capacity.
Laughter and Lying: Laughter represents charisma, sense of humor, and talent at speaking. Lying represents capacity for mischief, the ability to impersonate others, and talent at telling lies. Together, they represent social capacity.
"Skill checks" would be pairs of attributes, used in a certain way. Speed and Strength for a decathalon, Rhyme and Reason for an essay paper, Laughter and Lying for starring in a play, and other combinations, like Reason and Laughter being used to give someone therapy, or Speed and Lying used to sneak into a building in disguise.
Two traits would be picked at the beginning. They'd range from situational benefits, such as gaining a point of Lying against adults, to gaining Odddity beyond the starting level of 10.
Oddity is pretty much >>32647282.
Oddity would be gained by experiencing the very strangest sights, sounds and smells Merlin has to offer, such as the less conventional books in the town library. It would be lost by interacting with highly conventional places, such as the bank. At 0 Oddity, the only way you can go lower is if you are traumatized by a supernatural event.
Negative Oddity is at odds with the generally-benevolent atmosphere of Merlin Township, and is only gained by bad experiences wit the supernatural, whether it's the death of a loved one or experiencing a haunting. Negative Oddity individuals attract the darker side of the supernatural/

>>32656576

>GEOGRAPHICAL POINTS OF INTEREST AND LANDMARKS:

-River Lethe
-Lake Morgan
-LaFey Dam and Hydroelectric Plant
-Northern Woods
-Celedon Creek
-Merlin Township Water Tower
-Eagle Rock
-Lovers' Leap Bridge
-Forget-Me-Not Bridge
-Merlin Town Bridge
-Paris Bridge
-LaFey Dam Bridge
-Old Stone Bridge
-New Stone Bridge
-Lethe River Railway Trestle

>>32656676
Items wouldn't usually affect your attributes, other than Oddity. The items would produce largely narrative effects, like glasses that allow you to see thoughts as words floating in the air, or a knife that cuts bread perfectly, and nothing else. The items, as well as most of the traits, are up to the players and the GM to brainstorm.