TEXT: 12 to Midnight 
  Page 1
  Bite-sized RPG material without all the bloat.
   
  “What about this one?” It was hard to hear with 
  the chainsaw running elsewhere in the lot. She 
  yelled it again and this time saw her fiancée poke 
  his head around one of the aisles of Christmas 
  trees. Amy shoved her hands in her pockets to 
  warm them as Michael came to stand next 
  to her and stared up at the enormous tree she 
  was gazing at. He nodded sagely, “It’s perfect... 
  except for one thing.” She looked to him then 
  back at the tree, trying to see the flaw he was 
  alluding to. He smiled, “There’s no way it will 
  fit in the house. It’s twice as tall as our ceiling.” 
  She turned to him, pouting her lips. Raising his 
  hands in surrender, he couldn’t help but laugh. 
  “Okay, okay… we’ll cut it to fit once we get it 
  home.” Squealing in glee, she pounced on him. 
  They fell in the snow, surrounded by the forest of 
  trees in the Christmas tree lot. They were giggling 
  together when Amy noticed someone else lying in 
  the snow in one of the other aisles of trees. She 
  whispered at Michael to look and then realized 
  the sound of the chainsaw had ceased. “Oh my 
  God, oh my God….” Michael told her to stay 
  calm as he got up and crept over to the body lying 
  in the snow. It was Mr. Keaton, the owner of the 
  Christmas tree lot. “Jeez!!!” Mr. Keaton was cut 
  in half. His chainsaw was lying in his quickly 
  pooling blood. Amy began screaming. So much 
  for Christmas…
  This adventure takes place in the final days before 
  Christmas. If the characters are not vigilant and 
  mindful, it could prove to be their last Noel. While 
  Novice characters can be successful, this adventures 
  is better suited for Seasoned characters. Combat 
  skills will come in mighty handy at the end, but 
  of equal importance are Investigate and Knowledge: 
  Occult or a similar skill. If characters lack those 
  skills, you may use Common Knowledge rolls at -2.
  Background
  Jesse Simmons is a junior at East Texas Univer-
  sity. He is very much in love with a fellow student, 
  Rachael Keaton. They broke up a week before 
  Thanksgiving after dating for two years. Jesse 
  hasn’t been dealing with the breakup very well. It 
  has been very stressful for him and he has contem-
  plated suicide more than once. 
  One of his moments of contemplated suicide 
  took place at Eli’s Lost Pond. He saw a shooting 
  star fly across the night sky and wished aloud that 
  Rachael would love him and no one else. Eli wasn’t 
  Five days until Christmas
  by Mike Dukes
  This game uses the Savage Worlds game system, 
  available from Great White Games 
  (www.greatwhitegames.com). Savage 
  Worlds, Smiling Jack, and all as-
  sociated logos and trademarks are 
  Copyright 2004, Great White Games. 
  Used with permission.
  
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  the only one at the pond that night. Something else 
  was as well. The wind suddenly whistled through the 
  trees and the icy water of the pond broke through the 
  ice and began to swirl. From the pond, a beautiful 
  woman stepped out. Jesse fell to his knees, thinking 
  he’d gone insane. The beautiful woman seemed to 
  read his mind. She told him she could grant his wish. 
  She could make Rachael love him and only him but 
  there would be a price to be paid. Jesse didn’t hesi-
  tate. He didn’t even ask what the price would be. He 
  agreed then and there, begging this beautiful water 
  nymph to grant his most heartfelt wish. The deal was 
  sealed with a kiss. She told him that on Christmas, 
  Rachael would have no one but him. 
  Jesse opened his eyes and found himself lying at 
  the edge of the pond. He must have dreamed it all. 
  But why was there water on his face? He picked him-
  self up and headed back to his truck. The next few 
  days he was unable to find Rachael at her apartment. 
  She had gone home for the holidays. He drove by her 
  parent’s house and noticed people coming and going. 
  He stopped someone and asked what was going on 
  and learned that her father, Jack Keaton, had died in 
  an accident at his Christmas tree lot. Poor Rachael… 
  she had loved her father a great deal.
  Though he doesn’t realize it, Jesse has made a deal 
  with the same demon with whom Eli Crenshaw made 
  a pact back in 1852 (see Interview 5 of the Jennifer 
  Ridge Transcripts on the 12 to Midnight website). 
  Like Crenshaw, Jesse’s happiness comes at a terrible 
  price. The demon will kill Rachael’s family, leaving 
  her no one in life to love but Jesse. Then in one year, 
  Jesse himself will die. Such is the nature of the beast.
  It shouldn’t take the characters long to realize that 
  the Keaton family is being targeted by something. 
  No doubt, Jesse will come under scrutiny due to his 
  constant calling and stalking. With luck, the heroes 
  will be able to get Jesse to admit his wish made at 
  the pond. From there, the characters can research 
  the pond and learn of Eli Crenshaw’s fate. Once 
  they learn of what befell Crenshaw, their course of 
  action should be obvious. They have to stop the spirit 
  and try to protect Rachael’s family. A binding spell 
  or an exorcism must be performed at the pond. If 
  the characters know nothing of exorcisms, the GM 
  can introduce the aid of a local priest who knows the 
  ritual. However, it should take some convincing on 
  the part of the heroes.
  Jesse made his deal on the 17th of December. The 
  Pond Devil didn’t waste any time. Unknown to the 
  rest of the Keaton family, Joyce Keaton (Rachael’s 
  mother) suffered a stroke and died during a near-riot 
  at the AllMart in Jasper. She was trying to be one of 
  the lucky few to get their hands on a new video game 
  system that her 14 year old son Christopher desper-
  ately wanted. Unfortunately, a lot of other parents had 
  the same idea and the store had already announced 
  that it had only 20 of the game consoles. When the 
  doors opened that morning, the crowds rushed in. 
  Two people were hurt in the rush. Joyce Keaton died. 
  The Pond Devil then possessed her body. That was 
  the morning of the 18th. It returned home to Pinebox 
  (with the video game!) and spent time observing its 
  prey. The father, another daughter, and a son would 
  have to die before the 25th. The Pond Devil would 
  have a very merry Christmas, indeed.
  A tree by any other name… Dec. 20
  The adventure begins for the heroes on December 
  20th at the local Christmas tree lot ran by Jack Ke-
  aton, Rachael’s father. As to why they are there, that’s 
  up to you. Possible ideas include the obvious: they’re 
  there to get a tree. Or perhaps they’re friends of Jack 
  Keaton and are there lending a hand. Maybe one 
  of the heroes is on a date with Christie Keaton and 
  decided to stop by and say hello to her father. Use 
  whatever works best for your group.
  The tree lot is on 20 acres of land owned by the 
  Keatons and used every other Christmas. Trees are 
  sold for $30-$50 depending on size. He also sells 
  fresh wreathes on site as well. Buyers walk the aisles, 
  choose their tree, then summon Keaton or one of his 
  workers to cut the tree down and help load it into 
  their vehicles. Strings of Christmas lights along the 
  outer perimeter of the lot help it easily be seen from 
  the road.
  Allow the heroes to wander a bit. Be sure to point 
  out little things like the number of empty spots in 
  Bites of Midnight is sponsored by
  
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  the lot since it is so close to Christmas, the small 
  dog running around and the hapless owner chasing 
  it, and the smattering of buyers getting their trees 
  now in hopes of lower prices. Eventually, have the 
  characters encounter Jack Keaton. Jack is a likeable 
  guy of 47 years wearing a thick coat and a Santa 
  hat. If his beard were white, he’d make a perfect 
  Santa. Have him talk up the heroes, chatting about 
  last minute Christmas shopping, expected snow, 
  family during the holidays, and so on. The goal is 
  to make Jack seem more like a real person, some-
  one the characters could consider a friend in time. 
  Build him up, because he’s about to get cut down.
  While the characters are talking with Jack or 
  watching him, he begins cutting a tree with his 
  chainsaw. Have the heroes make a Notice roll -2. If 
  they succeed, they witness something that should 
  not be… and something horrible. While the he-
  roes watch (regardless of whether they succeeded 
  on their roll), Jack begins to cut the tree and sud-
  denly the chainsaw jerks back and he’s unable to 
  control it. It buries in his chest. His finger appar-
  ently is stuck on the throttle as the saw continues 
  tearing into him. It’s over in seconds but it seems 
  like forever. Jack’s dead hand falls from the saw and 
  it shuts off. Jack Keaton is dead.
  Any heroes who made their Notice roll did 
  not just see the chainsaw jump back… they saw 
  a misty form leap from the snow under the tree 
  and push the saw back into Jack. A second Notice 
  roll reveals that the front of Jack’s coat and pants 
  is soaking wet… and not just with blood. It is al-
  most as though someone threw a bucket of water 
  on him. Examining the chainsaw yields nothing. It 
  appears to be in perfect working order. If the heroes 
  examine the tree, a Notice roll -2 reveals a small, 
  smooth stone in the snow. A Common Knowledge 
  roll reveals that it is a stone worn smooth by water. 
  No other such rocks are in the area. 
  Psst! The rock was slipped into Jack’s 
  pocket by the Pond Devil. It allowed 
  the Devil to sense all Jack’s actions and 
  use its supernatural powers on him by 
  transferring itself through the stone.
  Regardless of the Notice roll, allow them to see 
  that the chainsaw never actually touched the tree. 
  The tree hasn’t a mark on it.
  By this point, someone should hopefully have 
  called the police. The police arrive along with an 
  ambulance from Carter Greystone Memorial Hos-
  pital. The police question everyone present but 
  it seems pretty obvious that this was an accident. 
  Yeah, right. The characters now have to decide their 
  next move. If they saw the Pond Devil’s form when 
  it attacked, then they know this was no accident. 
  If they didn’t see it, then this indeed seems to be a 
  horrible accident. Regardless, you should prompt 
  them that if nothing else, they should visit the 
  Keatons to offer their condolences and attend Mr. 
  Keaton’s funeral to pay their respects.
  There is not much to research immediately. Of-
  ficially, the death will be ruled an accident due to 
  stroke. If they have any connections in the police 
  department, a successful Persuasion roll reveals that 
  tests showed the chainsaw to be in perfect working 
  order. Also, there was no initial cut mark on the 
  tree. The chainsaw never touched it. The coroner 
  claims death was caused by a stroke which, in turn, 
  caused Keaton to loose control of the saw. The 
  safety on the saw did not engage because Keaton 
  never released the trigger.  If the heroes wait, the 
  same information is in the next day's newspaper.
  Looking into Jack Keaton’s background shows 
  he was a chemical engineer at Borden Chemicals. 
  Everyone in town liked him and his Christmas 
  trees were always sought after. He had no ties to 
  anything occult related.
  Visiting the Keatons
  At the Keaton household, the family is in obvious 
  grief. Numerous friends arrive in the coming days 
  to offer their condolences. If the characters choose 
  to visit, they find Jack’s two daughters Christie and 
  Rachael both at the house, as well as his wife Joyce 
  and son Christopher. Christie and Rachael try to 
  keep their spirits up by talking about their fond 
  memories of camping or fishing with their father, 
  or his reactions to their boyfriends. 
  If the characters go to the Keaton household, 
  have them make a Notice roll. If succesful, they 
  notice a car parked a couple of houses down from 
  the Keaton’s home with a man at the wheel. He 
  appears to be intently watching the Keaton house 
  with a cell phone to his ear. Should the characters 
  choose to confront him, he explains that he is Jesse 
  Simmons, Rachael Keaton’s boyfriend. He claims 
  
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  to not want to disturb her but he wants to be there 
  for her since all she has is him and her family. 
  Simmons requires a successful Persuasion roll 
  to be convinced to go into the Keaton home with 
  them. If the heroes try to interrogate Jesse about 
  Jack Keaton’s death or get further information 
  about his breakup with Rachael, he is a dead end. 
  Simmons does not yet realize he is the cause of the 
  death. As for his break-up with Rachael, he has no 
  clue since she wouldn’t tell him why but he suspects 
  another man may be in her life though he has no 
  proof of this.
  If the heroes visit the Keatons without Jesse, he 
  calls the house while they are there. Christie an-
  swers the phone. A Notice roll allows the heroes to 
  hear the following: “No! She doesn’t want to talk to 
  you. Stop calling!” She then hangs the phone up and 
  when Rachael asks who it was Christie claims it 
  was a wrong number. A hero with a successful Per-
  suasion roll can get Christie to reveal that the caller 
  was Jesse Simmons, Rachael’s ex-boyfriend.
  If the characters bring Jesse with them, a success-
  ful Notice roll allows them to see a definite unease 
  in Rachael when Jesse walks in. Christie immedi-
  ately tells him he is not welcome at the house. If 
  asked why, she reveals that Jesse has been calling 
  the house every day and stalking Rachael. Jesse begs 
  Rachael to talk to him but before she can answer, 
  Christie tells him to get out or she’ll call the police. 
  Jesse leaves to avoid trouble. If the characters ask, 
  they are told of how Jesse and Rachael dated for 
  two years before Rachael recently ended the rela-
  tionship. If asked why, she’ll say she needed space. 
  See The Breakup (page 6) for the scoop.
  Christopher, the sisters’ little brother, walks 
  through from time to time, going from the kitchen 
  to his room. He is basically eating away his grief. 
  He sits in his room and plays video games or reads 
  comic books while munching away on whatever 
  food well-wishers bring to the house. He is in 
  shock about his father’s death and not sure how to 
  deal with it.
  Observant characters notice that Mrs. Keaton is 
  not seeing visitors. If the characters ask, Christie 
  or Rachael can tell them that their mother was a 
  nervous wreck so her doctor gave her something 
  to calm her nerves. She has been in her bedroom 
  the whole time. The girls are worried about their 
  mother, fearing she will never recover from the 
  loss.
  More stones
  Sometime during their visit(s) make secret Notice 
  rolls for the heroes. A success with a raise reveals 
  stones in the house just like the one they (hope-
  fully) found at the tree lot. There is one in each 
  window sill. Further investigation reveals at least 
  one in each room of the house. This is how the 
  Pond Devil keeps track of its prey while it lays in 
  the bedroom as Mrs. Keaton…. 
  Neither Christie nor Rachael has any idea where 
  the stones came from, but assume them to be some-
  thing one of their parents put in the house. Rachael 
  remembers being taken to Wilson Quarry by her 
  father when she was younger. She will assume he 
  placed the stones in the house and refuses to allow 
  them to be removed.
  If the heroes decide to research the stones, 
  either an Investigation roll -6 or a 
  Knowledge: Occult roll -4 is required to 
  learn that such stones were often carried by 
  Indian shamans to better commune with 
  water spirits.
  Away in a manger
  If the heroes decide to visit Jesse, they find that he 
  rents a house just off the ETU campus. There is 
  nothing extraordinary about the place other than 
  the near worship he seems to feel toward Rachael. 
  Pictures of her are everywhere. If you want to push 
  the crazy ex-boyfriend angle, have some personal 
  items of Rachael’s hidden in a box (underwear, 
  hair, whatever you can think of).
  If questioned, he honestly admits his love for 
  his ex-girlfriend. If questioned prior to Christie’s 
  death, he has no idea that he is responsible. After 
  her death, he suspects that he is responsible and 
  “breaks” if questioned. If the heroes do not get 
  to him, he goes to Rachael to admit what he has 
  done… all for love, of course. If things are go-
  ing slow and you want to pick up the pace, have 
  Jesse reveal (after an Intimidation test of Wills or 
  Persuasion roll) that he had came close to suicide 
  many times since his break-up. He feels better now 
  
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  though… since he had his vision. Let him spill the 
  beans about his deal.
  Light up the tree! Dec. 22
  On the 22nd of December, the Pond Demon strikes 
  again—this time, while Rachael is in the shower 
  and Christopher is in his room. “Mrs. Keaton” is 
  lying on the couch and asks Christie to turn on the 
  Christmas tree lights. If you choose for this mur-
  der to happen while the heroes are not present, it 
  happens as follows. As Christie goes to plug in the 
  lights, the demon leaves Mrs. Keaton’s body and, 
  grabbing Christie, act as a conductor between the 
  wall outlet and Christie. Using its powers, it draws 
  forth more electricity from the normally 120v 
  outlet and kills Christie. The lights go out in the 
  house, and Christie’s siblings come into the living 
  room to find their mother passed out on the couch 
  and Christie burnt to a crisp and lying in a pool of 
  water.
  If the characters are at the house when you 
  choose to do this, to avoid detection the demon 
  resorts to focusing its power through a stone on 
  the floor by the Christmas tree. A successful No-
  tice check -2 allows the characters to see Christie’s 
  clothes become transparent with water the instant 
  before she is electrocuted. Draw initiative cards for 
  any heroes who made the roll and for the devil. If 
  a hero wins initiative, he or she can pull Christie 
  to safety with a successful Agility roll. The Pond 
  Devil’s watery form then bursts up from the stone 
  on the ground and howls in fury before disappear-
  ing. Mrs. Keaton appears to have passed out from 
  fright. If a hero wins initiative but fails the Agility 
  roll, he suffers 3d6 damage from electrocution.
  I don’t feel very merry
  If the heroes were present when Christie died, they 
  may have a pretty certain idea this is the work of 
  the supernatural. Even if they weren’t, the coinci-
  dence is too great to ignore. Unfortunately, they 
  still have little to go on. Luckily, when Jesse learns 
  of Christie’s death (or near-death) he puts two and 
  two together. Fearing what he has done, he goes 
  to Rachael and tries to warn her. If the heroes are 
  known as the type who deal with the supernatural 
  or have given him the impression that they could 
  help, he contacts them. If he does not contact them, 
  Rachael might. It all depends on how well the he-
  roes know the Keatons and how much they have 
  ingratiated themselves to the family.
  Jesse still does not want to believe this is real. 
  Unless the heroes stop him, he drives to the pond 
  and attempts to get the “beautiful woman” with 
  whom he made the deal to take it back. If no one 
  is with him, he walks into the icy water to offer 
  himself instead of the Keatons. The Devil drowns 
  him and takes his soul now instead of later, but still 
  hunts down the Keatons to finish the bargain.
  Wise men with a purpose
  Once they know of Jesse’s deal, the heroes can do 
  some research on the Pond. A small sign on the 
  walking trail bordering the woods claims that the 
  pond nature preserve was named for early Pinebox 
  settler Eli Shaw.
  If the characters visit the library, they can learn 
  the following with a successful Investigation roll.
  Roll
  Result
  Success
  During a drought, Eli found the Lost Pond and it saved 
  the community. He died one year later.
  1 Raise
  Legend says he made a deal with the Devil and the pond 
  was his prize but the price was his life one year later.
  Research at the Pond itself can yield some inter-
  esting results as well.
  If the heroes think to take a digital recorder to 
  the pond to attempt catching some EVPs (Elec-
  tronic Voice Phenomena), have them roll Smarts. 
  A success allows them to catch some vague whispers 
  that sound like someone begging for help. A Raise 
  allows them to make out Jack and Christie’s voices 
  begging for help.
  A séance held at the pond (successful Knowledge: 
  Occult) results in the wind blowing stronger and 
  the ice cracking on the pond. If a Ouija board is 
  used, two words are spelled out: Joyce Dead. What 
  the heroes make of that is up to them.
  A Knowledge: Occult roll reveals the best ways for 
  stopping the Pond Devil. 
  Roll
  Result
  Success
  Fire harms this Devil
  Raise
  An exorcism at the Pond is the only way to perma-
  nently destroy the Pond Devil
  
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  The pond must be blessed through an Exorcism. 
  If none of the heroes have access to the Exorcism 
  ritual (Knowledge: Occult and the rites of exorcism 
  required, a contested Spirit roll between Caster and 
  the Devil on final round of casting. +1 to Caster for 
  each person assisting) a local priest might be con-
  vinced to lend his aid. The ritual takes 10 rounds 
  to complete, during which time the Pond Devil at-
  tempts to finish off the Keatons and slay the heroes 
  as well. It uses Mrs. Keaton’s body to its advantage, 
  striking the heroes when they least expect it. Once 
  Joyce Keaton’s body is destroyed, the Pond Devil 
  manifests physically at the pond in 1d4 rounds. 
  This thing has been around for centuries… it does 
  not go quietly. 
  Sugar plumbs dancing… Dec. 24
  If the heroes do nothing or are slow to act, the 
  Pond Devil kills Christopher on the 24th. It drowns 
  him while he is in the shower. It sneaks in as Mrs. 
  Keaton if possible and drown him so as to create 
  more fear and confusion when he sees his mother 
  drowning him. If the heroes are present, this is 
  an opposed Strength test between the possessed 
  Joyce and her son. Assuming she is winning, use 
  the standard drowning rules in Savage Worlds. If 
  it succeeds, it leaves Joyce Keaton’s body there atop 
  her son and returns to the pond. Rachael will have 
  no one left, and will find herself clinging to Jesse 
  for support… no one left to love but him.
  A long winter’s nap
  The climax comes when the heroes (hopefully) learn 
  what they can of the Devil and take the fight to it at 
  the Pond. If Joyce Keaton has not been destroyed, 
  it does its best to kill the rest of the Keatons (except 
  Rachael) to fulfill the bargain. If the Keatons are 
  dead, it has Joyce drive to the pond and pretend 
  to be there to help. It attacks whoever is perform-
  ing the Exorcism. If Joyce’s body is destroyed, the 
  Pond Devil manifests in 1d4 rounds and tries its 
  best to destroy its enemies before the exorcism can 
  be completed.
  Joy to the world
  If the heroes succeed in finishing the exorcism, the 
  Devil screams out as the water hisses and steams. 
  As the devil slowly looses cohesion and become 
  normal water, the spirits of all those it has tricked 
  or killed walks out of the water. Each one looks 
  to the sky upon exiting the water and in a flash of 
  light are gone. The Keatons, as a family, rise out 
  and thank the heroes before vanishing in a blind-
  ing light. All is right in the world. If Jesse lives, 
  he has a hard time getting Rachael to forgive him. 
  But, she is carrying his child. What happens next is 
  up to you. Merry Christmas!
  The Breakup
  Curious as to why Rachael left Jesse? 
  She found out she’s pregnant. She just 
  wanted time to think and consider her 
  options without Jesse pressuring her. If 
  the heroes fail to destroy the Pond Devil, 
  in one year she will be a single mother 
  with little left of her sanity. What about 
  the baby? Is her child normal after this? 
  Like I said, the Pond Devil has been 
  around for a long time… but that’s a 
  tale for another day.
  
  Bites of Midnight: Five Days until Christmas
  12 to Midnight 
  Page 7
  Cast of Characters
  Jesse Simmons
  Strength: D6, Agility D6, Smarts D6, Spirit D6, 
  Vigor D6
  Pace: 6 Parry: 4 Toughness: 5
  Skills: Driving d4, Fighting d4, Gambling d4, In-
  vestigation d6, Knowledge: Art d6, Language: 
  Spanish d6, Notice d8+2, Persuasion d6
  Edges: Alertness
  Profile:
  Jesse is a young man with a bright future. He’s 
  an Art major in his Junior year at ETU who has 
  already landed some freelance work with some 
  comic book companies. Jesse is madly in love with 
  Rachael Keaton. He had planned on asking her to 
  marry him on Christmas Day but then she broke 
  up with him just before Thanksgiving. She claimed 
  that she needed space but Jesse fears that another 
  man has entered the picture. 
  Jesse calls Rachael at least six times a day (though 
  she never seems to be home) and follows her home 
  from the campus when his schedule allows. He is 
  so torn up over the break up that on more than 
  one occasion he has thought about ending his life. 
  The last such time, he had been drinking out at the 
  Lost Pond. 
  He was strongly considering walking out onto 
  the ice in hopes of it breaking under him. The cold 
  would numb his pain. Before he could act on his 
  impulse, he saw a shooting star fly across the sky. 
  Jesse never considered himself superstitious but 
  he was desperate so he wished aloud that Rachael 
  would love him and no one else. That is when 
  the wind picked up and the trees seemed to bend 
  unnaturally. The ice of the pond cracked and the 
  water began to pool like blood. Soon there was no 
  ice, just swirling water. That’s when the lady of the 
  water stepped out. She was so beautiful. Jesse was 
  both thrilled and terrified. Cupping his face in her 
  hands, she whispered that she had heard his wish 
  and could grant it. She asked if that was what he 
  wanted and Jesse answered, “Yes!” without think-
  ing to ask what price he might have to pay. The 
  beautiful woman kissed him on the lips and told 
  him that on Christmas Day, Rachael would have 
  no one but him.
  Jesse woke up later, chilled to the bone. He lay at 
  the edge of the iced over pond, his clothes drenched 
  in freezing water. Thinking it the work of the alco-
  hol, he went to his car and drove home. The deal he 
  made was real. The beautiful woman was the Pond 
  Devil and it will keep its end of the bargain. It will 
  kill all of Rachael Keaton’s family so she will have 
  no one to love but Jesse. Then in one year, it will 
  kill Jesse. Careful what you wish for…
  Rachael Keaton
  Strength: d6, Agility: d6, Smarts: d8, Spirit d6, 
  Vigor: d6
  Pace:6 Parry: 4 Toughness: 5 Charisma: 2
  Skills: Boating d4, Driving d4, Fighting d4, Guts 
  d4, Investigation d6, Knowledge: Law d6, Notice 
  d6, Persuasion d6, Streetwise d6, Swimming d4
  Hindrances: Cautious, Loyal
  Edges: Attractive
  Profile:
  Rachael Keaton is a Criminal Justice major at ETU 
  in her Junior year. Her goal is to be a crime scene 
  investigator like she sees on TV. For the past two 
  years, she has been dating Jesse Simmons. She loves 
  Jesse but when she learned that she was pregnant 
  back in November she decided that she needed to 
  distance herself from him so she could decide if she 
  wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. She 
  wanted to think things through before telling Jesse 
  and having him pressuring her to marry him out of 
  some sense of obligation. 
  Since she broke up with him, Jesse has called 
  her non-stop and followed her around campus. 
  Rachael’s sister, Christie, says Jesse is a stalker and 
  shut be in jail but Rachael knows better. Jesse is in 
  love and confused. Rachael will wait until after the 
  
  Bites of Midnight: Five Days until Christmas
  Page 8 
  12 to Midnight
  holidays and then tell Jesse the truth. Until then, 
  she’ll try to keep Christie from calling the police.
  Rachael is loyal to both her family and to Jesse. 
  The deaths of her family members will be an incred-
  ible blow to her but she is a strong young woman.
  Christie Keaton
  Strength: d6, Agility: d8, Smarts: d6, Spirit: d6, 
  Vigor: d6
  Pace: 6 Parry: 3 Toughness: 5 Charisma: 2
  Skills: Boating d4, Drive d4, Guts d4, Healing d6, 
  Intimidation d4, Investigation d6, Knowledge: 
  Medicine d6, Notice d6, Persuasion d6, Swim-
  ming d4
  Hindrances: Bad eyes (minor), Heroic, Loyal
  Edges: Acrobat, Attractive
  Profile:
  Christie Keaton is every man’s dream. She is a se-
  nior at ETU as a pre-med major. She is also the star 
  of the ETU gymnastics team. She is a very strong 
  person and lets no one push her around. She is par-
  ticularly protective of her little sister Rachael. She 
  takes the role of “big sister” quite seriously and it 
  is this that has her angry at Jesse Simmons. Ra-
  chael has not told her why she broke up with Jesse, 
  so Christie assumes he must have done something 
  bad to her. Christie will do whatever she can to 
  keep the creep away from her baby sister. While 
  both Christie and Rachael could be called “daddy’s 
  girls”, Christie is also extremely close to her mother 
  Joyce. The death of Jack Keaton is horrible thing 
  but Christie is determined to see that her family 
  gets through the ordeal. 
  Christopher Keaton
  Strength: d4, Agility: d6, Smarts: d6, Spirit: d4, 
  Vigor: d6
  Pace: 6 Parry: 4 Toughness: 5
  Skills: Fighting d4, Guts d4, Investigation d4, Knowl-
  edge: Video Games d6, Notice d4+2, Shooting d4, 
  Swimming d4, Throwing d4, Taunt d4
  Hindrances: Young
  Edges: Alertness, Quick
  Profile:
  Christopher (Chris to his friends) is your average 
  kid. He loves video games and comic books and 
  movies. His favorite food is pizza and energy drinks 
  are his friend. Being the only son, Christopher got 
  to do things his sisters never did like go hunting. 
  His father took him hunting often. It didn’t matter 
  if he was using a bow or a gun, Chris loved being 
  out there with his father. Now that Jack Keaton is 
  dead, Christopher is at a loss of what to do. He’s 
  never had anyone he knew die before. He doesn’t 
  know how to react. For this adventure, Christopher 
  mostly remains in his room, so unless the heroes 
  make an effort they rarely see him.
  Joyce Keaton 
  (AKA the Pond Devil puppet) WILD-
  CARD
  Strength: d12, Agility: d6, Smarts: d10, Spirit: 
  d12, Vigor: d8
  Pace: 6 Parry: 5 Toughness: 8
  Skills: Boating d6, Fighting d6, Intimidation d8, 
  Notice d10, Persuasion d10, Stealth d8
  Special Abilities:
  Undead: +2 Toughness, +2 to recover from 
  being Shaken, Called shots do no extra dam-
  age (except to the head), does not suffer from 
  Wound modifiers
  Weakness: Head shots are +2 to damage
  Profile:
  This is not the real Joyce Keaton, just her body. 
  The Pond Devil has possession of her body and her 
  memories. Destroying Joyce Keaton’s body does 
  not destroy the Pond Devil, but it does stun the 
  thing for 1d4 rounds as it draws the part of itself 
  controlling Joyce Keaton’s body back to its home: 
  the Pond.
  
  Bites of Midnight: Five Days until Christmas
  12 to Midnight 
  Page 
  Pond Devil WILDCARD
  Strength: d10, Agility:d8, Smarts: d10, Spirit: 
  d10, Vigor: d10
  Pace:6 Parry: 6 Toughness: 7
  Skills: Fighting d6, Intimidate d12, Notice d12, 
  Taunt d10, Stealth d12, Throwing d10
  Special Abilities:
  Devilish Stream: The Pond Devil can project 
  a torrent of rushing water. This automati-
  cally puts out any normal fires. Any characters 
  caught in the cone must make a Strength roll 
  -2 or be Shaken.
  Demon Elemental:, No additional damage 
  from called shots; Fearless; Immune to Disease 
  and Poison
  Fear: The Devil causes Guts checks -2 if it re-
  veals its true form.
  Illusion: The Devil can make itself appear as 
  either a beautiful woman or a handsome man 
  to lure in potential victims
  Invulnerability: The Pond Devil is immune 
  to non-magical attacks except fire. A torch or 
  lantern causes 1d6 damage on contact but in-
  stantly extinguishes. 
  Pond Stones: The Devil can use the Pond 
  Stones as its eyes and ears, knowing whatever 
  occurs around the stones as if it were actually 
  there. It can also use the stones to move, as 
  well. It uses the stones as teleportation portals, 
  allowing it to be anywhere one of the stones 
  are. This is a move action. 
  Ooze: The Pond Devil can fit squeeze through 
  any porous gap as if it were Difficult ground.
  Slam: Str+1d6 non-lethal damage
  Watery Grave: If destroyed by fire or magi-
  cal means, the Pond Devil returns at the next 
  moon cycle. An Exorcism at the pond is the 
  only way to truly destroy it.
  Profile:
  The Pond Devil is ancient, timeless… it is forever. 
  It is hate personified, but with a touch of the sadis-
  tic. It won’t kill people outright unless that is part 
  of a bargain it makes. No, it likes to corrupt the hu-
  man soul and devour it. Back when Eli Crenshaw 
  stumbled through the woods, it appeared to him 
  as a beautiful woman offering hope in the form of 
  water for the community. Its price was his life. But 
  he would be given one year to live, to help his com-
  munity prosper and watch his family grow. Eli was 
  desperate so he took the deal and sealed it with a 
  kiss. Eli thought he could back out of the deal and 
  escape his fate… he was wrong.
  This thing likes to watch its prey. It loves to 
  wallow in the despair it creates. Humans are weak 
  little things. They jump at the chance to have their 
  wishes granted and never think of the price until 
  it’s too late. Those souls it takes are forever bound 
  in the Pond… forever damned.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Savage Worlds System (SWADE) [multi]/Bites of Midnight/Savage Worlds - Bites of Midnight - Five Days Until Christmas.pdf