TEXT: A DETECTIVE ROLE-PLAYING GAME IN A CITY 
  OF ORDINARY PEOPLE AND LEGENDARY POWERS
  
  FIND OUT MORE AT  
  WWW.CITYOFMIST.CO
  In the heart of the crime-ridden slum 
  of Cross End, a crumbling old church 
  becomes the epicenter of a battle 
  between two ancient Mythoi. The 
  waning Holy Faith, once the revered 
  protector of order and sanctity, is 
  using the last of its power to try and 
  stave off the Stag Head, a deity of 
  uninhibited animal urges. The crew 
  is drawn into this bloody struggle 
  while investigating local crimes, and 
  eventually must choose a side and 
  make an unspeakable sacrifice.
  Writing, Game Design and Production: Amít Moshe 
  Editing and Additional Writing: Eran Aviram 
  Assistant Producer: Omer Shapira 
  Artwork: Marcin Soboń 
  Graphic Design: Manuel Serra 
  Proofreading: Marshall Oppel
  © 2019 Son of Oak Game Studio / Amít Moshe
  Distributed by
  CONTENT WARNING
  This game contains mild language as well as 
  strong themes of violence, crime, and immorality. 
  Parental guidance is advised.
  PRONOUN USE
  Where the third person is required, this book refers 
  to characters as ‘she’, players as ‘he’, and the MC 
  as ‘she’ as well. This is an arbitrary division for 
  the sake of readability and balance in the use of 
  pronouns; characters, players, and MCs may be of 
  any or no gender.
  
  3   |   CITY OF MIST − DEMOnS In CrOSS EnD
  BACKGROUND
  Centuries ago, with the arrival of the 
  first settlers to the City, the church of 
  Santa Teresa of Ávila was constructed 
  over a site sacred to the indigenous 
  tribes in order to reform them and 
  prevent their wild practices from 
  affecting the City.
  In actuality, it was the Mythos of the Holy Faith that 
  arrived in the City with full force, trying to secure and 
  control the sacred site – actually an Enclave, a loca-
  tion-based rift, for the Stag Head Mythos (see sidebar). 
  The Holy Faith had its followers construct the church 
  in order to protect this location in the years to come.
  As the years went by, however, the power of the Holy 
  Faith waned, the City grew, and a neighborhood was 
  constructed around the site which later became a slum 
  known as Cross End, after the church and the district’s 
  relatively remote location. With every passing year the 
  church fell further into disrepair until it became little 
  more than a ruin. The church falling apart was in fact 
  the physical manifestation of the Faith’s weakening 
  presence. While the church remains a safe place, the 
  influence of the Stag Head has permeated throughout 
  Cross End, turning it into a literal concrete jungle.
  THE STAG HEAD
  Bacchus. Pan. The Green Man. Dionysus. The 
  Horned God. Many names were given to the Stag 
  Head over the years: some acknowledging the 
  different aspects of this Mythos, others confusing 
  it with other Mythoi. Whatever the name given to it, 
  it has always been clear that the Stag Head is not 
  exactly looking to tell a story about firm boundaries 
  and self-discipline.
  Manifestations of the Stag Head always promote 
  revelry, ecstasy, and abandon. They invite you to 
  throw the burden of cultural restraints off your 
  shoulders and give in to the intoxicating freedom of 
  not caring anymore. Everyone has that feeling in the 
  pit of their stomach, the feeling that they are playing 
  a role and holding their breath. The Stag Head calls 
  you to let go and unleash the most raw version 
  of yourself into the world: only through complete 
  release can you truly experience the meaning of 
  being alive.
  
  4   |   CITY OF MIST − DEMOnS In CrOSS EnD
  HISTORY & CULTURE IN CITY OF MIST
  As described in the Demo Game rulebook, the City 
  of Mist may or may not be a real city in our modern 
  world. However, to keep the game focused on the 
  cinematics rather than on worldbuilding, you can as-
  sume that the City of Mist at the very least appears 
  to be a modern city in our world. This way, historical 
  and cultural references are still relevant even if the 
  City has no definite location on the planet.
  If you choose to place your City of Mist at a specific 
  point on the globe, you should adjust the details of 
  this case to match the historical and cultural con-
  text of your chosen location.
  THE HEART OF A TRUE BELIEVER
  The question ‘What makes a true believer?’ is the 
  mystery at the center of this case. Does being a true 
  believer mean you are a follower of the Holy Faith? 
  Does it mean being a good person – and if so, good 
  in what way? Does it mean having hope? This is not 
  a question for the MC to answer before the game, 
  but for everyone to answer together as the game 
  unfolds.
  While it is not advised that the MC spell out this 
  question for the players (a mystery should be, well, 
  mysterious), you can use it to build up suspense. 
  When one of the players rolls 7-9 on the Investigate 
  move, you may choose the option to ask a count-
  er-question. Describing the character’s feeling of be-
  ing watched, either by some higher force or perhaps 
  by something in the Beasts’ strange graffiti, you can 
  ask that player a simple question: “Are you a true 
  believer?”. There is no need to identify the source of 
  the question; it goes out from the MC to the player, 
  not necessarily from an NPC to the PC. However, it 
  refers to the player’s character.
  Knowing which character is a true believer, or at 
  least considers herself to be one, could set up the 
  scene for the grand finale. You can assume that 
  Christina or the Beasts (or both) are given this infor-
  mation about the PC through their Mythoi.
  nowadays, only one custodian remains to protect the 
  church, an angelic young gunslinger called Christi-
  na (Avenging Angel), deadly as she is dedicated. On 
  the other side of the ring, the Stag Head’s growing 
  influence has been manifested through a street gang 
  known as the Beasts. While the Beasts still can’t enter 
  the church, due to its mystical wards, they have been 
  picking it apart stone by stone and spray-painting psy-
  chedelic graffiti of animal forms on its remaining walls, 
  gradually wearing down its protection.
  Both parties are aware of the fact that on the eve 
  of Halloween, when the veil between the worlds is 
  thinnest, the Stag Head will make its attempt to break 
  loose of its centuries-old prison and manifest in the 
  City once again. Therefore, Christina has been working 
  tirelessly to restore the church’s power. To do so, she 
  requires the heart of a true believer, to be sacrificed at 
  the altar before the clock strikes midnight on All Hal-
  lows’ Eve. She has been hunting for it on the streets of 
  Cross End for the past week, masking her killings as the 
  work of the Beasts. Furthermore, aware of the Beast’s 
  plans to acquire the schematics of the church so they 
  could bring it down altogether, she commissioned a 
  mercenary called Proximo (Will-o’-the-Wisp) to steal 
  the schematics from an art gallery in the Old Quarter 
  and bring them to her for safekeeping.
  THE MURDERS IN CROSS END
  To save the City (as she sees it), Christina needs to sim-
  ply place the heart of a true believer on the church’s 
  altar before midnight on All Hallows’ Eve. As she found 
  out in recent days, that is more easily said than done.
  The main problem is, it’s not quite clear what consti-
  tutes ‘a true believer’ (see sidebar). Christina tracked 
  down and murdered three different people whom she 
  identified as possible ‘true believers’, one on each of 
  the previous three nights. She did so with a heavy 
  heart, but knowing the danger of the Stag Head break-
  ing loose, she felt she had no other choice.
  All three hearts did not yield the result Christina hoped 
  for when placed on the altar, and the guilt for the lives 
  she has taken for naught now hangs over her young 
  shoulders. 
  
  5   |   CITY OF MIST − DEMOnS In CrOSS EnD
  DEPTH 0: 
  THE HOOK
   The crew may become involved in the investigation in 
  the following ways:
  • Michel Ahmagi, owner of the Ananda art gallery, 
  approaches the crew and asks to hire them to retrieve 
  the stolen church schematics. Calling his old univer-
  sity chum Declan L’Estrange (or any other connec-
  tion in the crew), Michel would report that a trained 
  professional broke into his gallery the previous night 
  and stole several items. Since one of the items was 
  on loan from the City municipality (the schematics), 
  he is reluctant to call the police and is willing to pay 
  a considerable sum to have the item returned to him, 
  no questions asked.
  • The crew may hear or read about the barbaric, pos-
  sibly ritualistic murders in Cross End. As scattered 
  reports of gruesome murders in Cross End reach the 
  media, any crew member can bump into a small and 
  very much downplayed newspaper article on the 
  matter. Characters with contacts on the streets, like 
  Excalibur, Salamander, or Post-Mortem, may even 
  get a call from someone related to the victims or a 
  concerned leader of the community.
  DEPTH 1:  
  MURDERS AND THEFTS
  ‘ANANDA’ ART GALLERY 
  Tucked away in a typical paved side street in the Old 
  Quarter, the Ananda art gallery resides on the second 
  floor of an old two-story house. The crew will be ush-
  ered in by a nervous but rather striking middle-aged 
  man in a dark purple designer suit, sporting a heavy 
  French accent: Michel Ahmagi.
  The gallery is a mess: the robust door leading to a 
  staircase going up to the roof was ripped off its hinges 
  by a blast, and there are signs of another explosion in 
  the middle of one of the showrooms. However, even a 
  quick glance can reveal that the job was rather surgical 
  and that nothing was harmed beyond what was neces-
  sary for the job.
  WHAT HAPPENED HERE
  Proximo (rift of Will-o’-the-Wisp) is an expert saboteur 
  with the ability to make himself appear to be a short 
  distance away from his actual location. It was easy for 
  him to reach the roof via the fire escape stairs, blow up 
  the roof security door with an extra potent charge, run 
  down the staircase, then blow up the second security 
  Murders in 
  Cross End
  The Beasts 
  Den
  Proximo's 
  Converted Loft
  Midnight on All 
  Hallows' Eve
  'Ananda' Art 
  Gallery
  Church of 
  Santa Teresa 
  de Ávila
  Hooks
  THE ICEBERG
  The Iceberg diagram represents the locations in the case 
  and their possible connections.
  Depth 3
  Depth 2
  Depth 1
  Depth 0
  
  6   |   CITY OF MIST − DEMOnS In CrOSS EnD
  door into the gallery. Once inside, he quickly located 
  the schematics of the church in a glass display, carefully 
  burned a hole in the glass with a special burning gel, and 
  rolled up the schematics into a plastic case he had pre-
  pared. Shopping around for a moment, he also picked up 
  two other items to sell later. By the time he was heading 
  out, a security guard showed up, fired a few shots that 
  missed the mark, and then took a swing at Proximo, 
  at which point the burglar seemed to have exploded, 
  knocking the guard out (in fact, he was not standing 
  there at all, and instead had a mine set up where his illu-
  sion was). Stepping out of the smoke, Proximo collected 
  everything he needed, went out through the roof, made 
  his way back to the alley behind the building, mounted 
  his bike, and disappeared into the night.
  Here is what the crew can discover during the inves-
  tigation:
  Three items were stolen:
  • A modern art necklace made of gold and silver, 
  which Michel considered to be utter rubbish, 
  but had displayed as a favor to a friend
  • A miniature Persian carpet, which he has a per-
  sonal attachment to as it is a family heirloom
  • The old schematics of a church in Cross End 
  (Church of Santa Teresa de Ávila), a part of a 
  series of twelve old schematics of landmark 
  buildings, that were on loan from the City mu-
  nicipality to the gallery. This is the item Michel 
  is most worried about due to the possible impli-
  cations for his business.
  The security camera feed shows Proximo in 
  action. He is a swarthy and muscular man wear-
  ing a military jacket, combat fatigues trousers, 
  and heavy boots, carrying a backpack and a belt 
  of what seems to be hi-tech explosive charges. 
  His face always seems to be hidden or turning 
  away from the camera (he was using his powers to 
  ensure that). The moment when the security guard 
  goes through him as he ‘explodes’ is blurry at best.
  The job was done by an expert. A careful study 
  of the explosion sites by an expert can reveal that 
  the charges used were entirely custom-made. The 
  chemical compound used to burn a circular hole 
  in the glass case also seems like a home-brew 
  substance.
  The burglar arrived and fled on a motorcycle 
  that was parked in the back alley. If the crew can 
  identify the bike or somehow track it, it will lead 
  them to Proximo’s Converted Loft. The crew can 
  also identify and locate Proximo by calling con-
  tacts, hacking military files, pulling underworld 
  strings, etc.
  Someone else was also trying to get into the 
  gallery recently. There are signs of previous 
  attempts to break through the roof door that are 
  much less sophisticated than Proximo’s explo-
  sives – claw marks cover the broken door.
  A strange gang-related activity took place here. 
  The roof is covered with fresh-looking graffiti 
  of animal and plant motifs in bright colors. The 
  graffiti seems to be centred around the door to 
  the gallery. There are feathers and clumps of fur 
  on the roof. Studying them shows they do not 
  necessarily belong to local cats and birds, but 
  rather to bigger creatures not native to the City.  
  A study of comparative art or a mystical sense 
  can link these marks with the Beasts (leading to 
  the Beasts’ Den).
  MORTY
  As they investigate the roof or back alley, the crew is 
  being watched by Morty, a corvine member of the Beasts 
  appointed to watch the gallery in case anyone tried to 
  get the schematics. Morty already informed his leader, 
  Bear, about the break-in last night and was told to wait 
  and follow any police or investigators who may become 
  involved. If one of the characters is investigating the 
  roof or back alley on their own and rolls 7-9 on the 
  Investigate move, you can decide to expose them to 
  danger: panicked by their presence, Morty may try to 
  flee and report their involvement (or even attack them).
  Morty is a 15-year old gang member with a pouting 
  mouth that seems like it’s forming into a gray beak 
  and a coarse plume of black feathers growing out of his 
  brow, temples, and cheeks. He is rather panicked and 
  isn’t really thinking straight; he might make a lot of 
  stupid moves as he tries to deal with the crew. You can 
  use him as a way to connect the gallery with the Beasts 
  and Cross End but note that Morty doesn’t know about 
  the Stag Head or why the church is so important. For 
  him, being a part of the Beasts is simply a way of life. 
  He has heard talks about the Green God as an inspira-
  tion for the Beasts’ street art. 
  
  7   |   CITY OF MIST − DEMOnS In CrOSS EnD
  MORTY y
  HURT OR SUBDUE 2  /  THREATEN 2
  • Caw and screech (shaken-1)
  • Claw or bite (injured-2)
  • Flee (Deny Them Something They Want)
   
  • Try to look and act macho
   
   
  CROSS END MURDER SCENES
  The last three nights saw three people murdered in 
  Cross End, creating a public panic about a serial killer 
  or killers. This panic was further inflamed by the ap-
  parent ritualistic nature of the murders.
  By the time the crew arrives at Cross End, all crime 
  scenes have been sealed off by the police, who left the 
  place and moved the bodies to the morgue for autopsy. 
  The three victims were: 
  • Corrina Dulak (three nights ago), a righteous lady 
  who frequented church regularly and was well-
  known in the community for her charity work. How-
  ever, though they will not speak of it openly after her 
  horrible death, her own family knew Dulak as a harsh 
  and domineering matron who demanded the highest 
  standards of purity and self-discipline from every-
  one, sometimes to the point of abuse.
  • Frank Dalton (two nights ago), a genuine and 
  kind high-school student who was always welcome 
  anywhere in the neighborhood thanks to his roll-
  ing laughter and ability to defuse any animosity by 
  cracking jokes. For all his love for Cross End’s people, 
  Frank always dreamed of leaving the neighborhood 
  and making a better life for himself elsewhere. Did 
  that make him “untrue”? Who knows.
  • Saeed Beshara (last night), a local rapper known for 
  his inspiring lyrics that often talked of a direct rela-
  tionship with the divine. Saeed may well have been 
  a rift in contact with something from beyond the 
  Mist, but studying his lyrics would also show he was 
  terrified of opening up to that greater force and often 
  wanted to turn his back on his gift.
  WHAT HAPPENED HERE
  Christina was hoping to kill two birds with one stone: get 
  the heart of a true believer while also framing the Beasts, 
  getting them out of her way. Here’s how she did it:
  • She would make her move when her victim was alone 
  and where she knew she had a few hours before any-
  one would show up, i.e., at home or in a dark alley, 
  and usually late at night. 
  • First, she would shoot them right through the heart 
  and kill them. She needed the heart for its mystical 
  properties; keeping it biologically intact was not 
  important. 
  • next, she would break the victim’s ribcage and tear 
  the heart out using an instrument she obtained, 
  made out of a bear’s claws. This took some time and 
  made a big bloody mess.
  • After acquiring the heart, she made sure to claw away 
  at the entry and exit wounds of the bullet.
  • She would then spread feathers and fur around the 
  body (she collected these from around the church 
  walls).
  • She meticulously spray-painted art similar to that of 
  the Beasts all around the body.
  • Finally, she would unleash a cage full of rats at the 
  scene and let them tear at the flesh.
  If the crew investigates the three murder cases, they 
  will find similar clues in all three crime scenes. These 
  clues can point at the Beasts (the Beasts’ Den), but you 
  can reward exceptionally good investigation with clues 
  that reveal the Beasts were framed.
  The victim was somehow instantly incapacitat-
  ed, possibly by a form of cardiac arrest.
  The victim’s heart was clawed out and removed 
  whole; subsequently, the entire body was mauled 
  and chewed, with shreds of flesh found around 
  the body.
  The entire crime scene was covered by creepy 
  graffiti depicting beasts in the forest. However, a 
  direct comparison may reveal differences in style, 
  or even that the art was copied.
  Overlooked and hidden somewhere on the crime 
  scene, a single bullet case can be found.
  
  8   |   CITY OF MIST − DEMOnS In CrOSS EnD
  DEPTH 2: 
  AN ANCIENT WAR
  PROXIMO’S CONVERTED LOFT
  Proximo’s somber loft is positioned above a crummy 
  old warehouse laden with crates and boxes; a shaky 
  metal staircase in the warehouse is the main access 
  point to the loft. A dirty skylight lets natural light in 
  from above, overlooking a broad and heavy workbench 
  covered with parts, cans, casting gear, machinery, tools, 
  boxes, etc. Other than that, the place seems quite spar-
  tan, with a tiny sink, a small but loud refrigerator, and 
  a cramped bathroom. The only comfort is a gallery with 
  a double bed.
  If the characters arrive at Proximo’s loft before the 
  showdown on Halloween, they will find him there. He 
  has already delivered the schematics to Christina and 
  was paid, but he still has the other two items. He is 
  getting ready to sell those items for some extra cash, 
  planning to leave town with all the money he made.
  If Proximo is caught or if an agreement is 
  reached, Proximo may tell the crew about Chris-
  tina and the job she hired him to do. However, as 
  a professional, he did not ask and therefore does 
  not know why Christina needs the schematics.
  If he flees, the crew may find a note with Christi-
  na’s name and phone number somewhere around 
  the workbench.
  PROXIMO’S POWERS AND SETUP
  Proximo’s powers are a reflection of his Will-o’-the-
  Wisp Mythos: by projecting illusions of himself, he 
  tricks his foes into following him or coming near him. 
  Then, he suddenly disappears, but it’s too late for his 
  victims: an explosive charge is usually waiting for them 
  where he once was.
  Proximo is expecting trouble. He has the entire place 
  boobytrapped and his powers activated, projecting an 
  image of himself a few feet away to trick any onlookers. 
  When the PCs secure a line-of-sight, you can assume 
  that whatever the characters are seeing is not the real 
  Proximo. As he is very skilled at using his powers, the 
  illusion will behave exactly as he would have behaved 
  had it really been him: either he is packing up or he 
  listens suspiciously, then hides in the gallery or ware-
  house and prepares to attack, etc.
  
  9   |   CITY OF MIST − DEMOnS In CrOSS EnD
  If anyone attacks the illusion, Proximo uses that 
  moment to set off a mine near the attacking character 
  (as per his custom move Boobytrap, see below). If the 
  character comes close to the illusion to attack, Proximo 
  has a mine waiting where the illusion is standing. If the 
  character is attacking from a distance, Proximo sets 
  off a charge he has set there in advance (he has them 
  all over the place) or as a last resort throws a charge at 
  her. When this happens, the PC hears a rapid beeping 
  sounds or sees a mini-charge with a flashing light. 
  Instead of Hitting With All She’s Got or Going Toe 
  to Toe, the PC must Face Danger. Once this happens 
  a few times, PCs can start Investigating to avoid areas 
  with pre-set charges, or in order to identify from where 
  the charges are thrown.
  Crew members can only directly attack Proximo after 
  they discover where he really is. Proximo’s other 
  custom move, Misguide, forces them to do so via 
  indirect questions. When they spot him, they may see a 
  man-shaped disturbance, or notice other details in the 
  environment, such as footsteps in the dust or a bend in 
  the floor where he is standing. 
  GUS
  If the crew calls someone for help in dealing with 
  Proximo, they may be referred to the city’s Bomb 
  Disposal Unit. When help arrives, it seems some-
  what less impressive than the title. The ‘Unit’ 
  consists of a single young officer named Gus, who 
  arrives on a scooter equipped with a rotating flash-
  ing orange light. Mechanically, Gus is more of a tag 
  than a Danger with his own moves. If anyone wants 
  Gus to take a shot at defusing bombs, they can roll 
  Take a Risk with the tag Gus adding to the Power of 
  the action.
  Narratively, though, Gus is a stand up guy, who is 
  willing to put himself at risk in order to save people 
  from blowing up. If you’re short of a true believer, 
  perhaps he is the one.
  Gus was conceived in one of the online playtests of 
  this case; the credit goes to Nicholas Law, James 
  Gantry, Justin Lafontaine, and John Lamb. 
  PROXIMO yy
  Proximo was an expert army demolition man when 
  strange things started happening to him: people 
  would see him several feet away from where he 
  was, sometimes having an entire conversation with 
  him without noticing he wasn’t really there. In 
  time, Proximo discovered he could use this ability 
  to displace light to lead people to where he wanted 
  them, often somewhere he had boobytrapped with his 
  custom-made mines. This got him into trouble and he 
  was eventually dishonorably discharged from service. 
  now he works as a mercenary, fooling the enemies of 
  the highest bidder.
  Depending on the tone of your game, you can portray 
  Proximo as downright villainous or as a merely selfish 
  man who is trying to get by but doesn’t really want to 
  hurt anyone too badly. This will determine his atti-
  tude in case he is somehow confronted with Christi-
  na’s atrocities.
  HURT OR SUBDUE 4  /  THREATEN 3  /  STIR HIS 
  CONSCIENCE 4
  • Boobytrap: When you try to hit Proximo without 
  having first discovered his real location, you miss 
  and he hits you with a mine of his choice, if he 
  wants.
  • Misguide: When you try to discover where Proximo 
  is by Investigating, you cannot use your Clues to 
  ask direct questions such as where is he? or is this vi-
  sion of Proximo really him?. You must discover where 
  he is using only indirect questions about the scene.
   
  • Concussive mine (disoriented-3)
  • Sleeping gas mine (sleepy-4)
  • Adhesive gel mine (glued-down-2)
  • Use a never-before-seen and possibly experimental 
  mine he recently invented (Give a Status)
   
  • Be seen acting as he would normally (while he isn’t 
  really there)
  • Move athletically across obstacles
  • Sell off his employer to save his skin
  
  10   |   CITY OF MIST − DEMOnS In CrOSS EnD
  THE BEASTS’ DEN
  The Beasts hang out in an abandoned office building in 
  Cross End, overgrown with trees and vines. What bare 
  walls remain are densely covered by rich graffiti art of 
  various forest animals motifs. It almost seems alive if 
  you stare at it for too long from the outside; walking 
  inside the Den, one can become lost in the hallucina-
  tions of the Stag Head. If relevant, you may ask each 
  affected character’s player to make the Face Danger 
  move against a status of delirious-2.
  The gang counts a total of a few dozen members. All 
  members display partial transformation into beast 
  forms: half-crows (like Morty), part-stags, semi-boars, 
  quasi-badgers, etc. The ringleader is Bear, a towering 
  figure standing at seven feet tall, hairy and brawny 
  beyond what is humanly expected, with a roaring voice 
  and two beady brown eyes. Currently, Bear keeps the 
  gang at a low profile since they have been associated, 
  even if informally, with the loss of three cherished 
  members of the community.
  If the characters come to snoop around or make accu-
  sations, the Beasts will try to teach them a lesson, and 
  if things heat up, it could get violent and gruesome. 
  Alternatively, if the crew takes a friendly and re-
  spectful approach, they might be treated as impartial 
  observers, perhaps even allies. The following clues are 
  available here:
  The Beasts are certain that the three murders 
  were pinned on them.
  Bear can’t prove it, but he thinks Christina is 
  behind the killings. He will only reveal this to a 
  person he trusts.
  The Beasts are no saints. Following the laws of 
  the jungle, gang members often leave a trail of 
  destruction in their wake. Their vices include 
  raiding shops, harassing people on the street, 
  breaking into private property, and a whole lot of 
  vandalizing, loitering, and tagging.
  The Beasts are no demons, either. Unless pro-
  voked, they rarely turn violent. They are mostly 
  trying to have fun and make sure no-one can 
  impose obedience on them.
  The Beasts are preparing to mount one final 
  attack on the church on the night of Hallow-
  een, during which they intend to usher their god 
  into the City. Everybody is talking about it, but 
  only Bear has the full details and motive for this 
  attack.
  BEAR yy
  HURT OR SUBDUE 4  /  THREATEN 4 
  • Bare his teeth and brandish his claws (terrified-3)
  • Tear someone to shreds (slashed-4 or mauled-4)
  • Preternaturally sniff out the truth (give someone 
  deceptive exposed-3)
  • roar to rally his Beasts (remove up to 2 tiers of neg-
  ative emotional or tactical statuses from his gang)
   
  • Come up to a challenger chest-to-chest and size 
  them up
  • Give out a low rumbling growl
   
   
  THE BEASTS y
  The Beasts are typical slum gangsters and thugs with 
  one difference: they are transforming into actual 
  beasts, growing feathers and fur, claws and antlers, 
  scales and tails. 
  HURT OR SUBDUE 2  /  THREATEN 2 
  • Bare their teeth or swoop down (shaken-1)
  • Claw, bite, or crush (slashed-2 or mauled-2)
   
  When the Beasts act as a gang, treat them as a collec-
  tive. Their size factor is 1 for a small group, 2 for a large 
  group, and 3 for the entire gang. Statuses they take as 
  a collective are reduced by their size factor (unless the 
  attack affects the entire collective), and statuses they 
  give as a collective are increased by their size factor.
  
  11   |   CITY OF MIST − DEMOnS In CrOSS EnD
  CHURCH OF SANTA  
  TERESA DE ÁVILA
  The church is the focal point of the struggle between 
  Christina, the recently awakened rift of the Avenging 
  Angel, who was called to protect the Church, and the 
  Beasts, the Cross End gang chosen by the Stag Head to 
  serve as his army.
  In the days leading up to the fateful night of Hallow-
  een, the church is a location where the crew can meet 
  Christina, investigate the murders and the Beasts’ 
  activity, and piece together the backstory for this con-
  flict; on the night of Halloween, a showdown will take 
  place – see Midnight On All Hallows’ Eve, below.
  The building is a dramatic-looking ruin situated at the 
  edge of Cross End, where it meets with the airfield; beyond 
  it there is little but a tract of empty land covered with wilt-
  ing brown grass.The church has three distinct areas:
  • The sanctuary and nave: This area was recently 
  renovated. new pews were placed in straight rows, 
  the marble altar was polished, all the trappings 
  of worship were set up. Most notably, on the wall 
  behind the altar, the great stained glass window was 
  repaired, depicting an angel spreading her wings. De-
  spite the renovation, the sanctuary is still somewhat 
  exposed to the elements with nothing overhead but a 
  few heavy and crumbling stone arches.
  • The ruins: Outside, all around the main hall, there 
  are piles of debris and collapsed enclosures, the 
  remains of the various sections that previously made 
  up the church. The ruins are covered with the Beasts’ 
  graffiti, especially the walls.
  • The crypt: Beneath the main hall, accessible through 
  several spiral stone staircases, lies a spacious, dank, 
  and dark basement. In the center of the basement, 
  there is a massive and very old fresco depicting the 
  Stag Head in a circle, studded with many sigils of 
  protection. This is the Stag Head’s point of entry – 
  where his Enclave connects to the City – and what 
  the church was built to keep locked away. 
  INVESTIGATING IN THE CHURCH
  Clouds broil overhead as the PCs approach the church, 
  and it soon begins to rain. A single column of light 
  breaks through the clouds and illuminates the church, 
  fading out at times. 
  Investigating here could link Christina with the mur-
  ders, but it shouldn’t be easy; see Clues and Suspense 
  below on some tips on how to pace the investigation.
  The altar is stained with blood which seemed to 
  have been scrubbed off (it’s covered by a cloth). 
  Linking the stain with the victim’s blood requires 
  mystical powers, or, if the crew has a DNA sample 
  from the victims, expertise with crime scene 
  investigation.
  The plastic case with the rolled-up schematics of 
  the church is hidden in one of the pews. Touch-
  ing it, however, may incur the wrath of the holy 
  forces present.
  Christina’s bear claw instrument is stashed 
  away behind a large loose brick in the wall of the 
  church.
  CLUES AND SUSPENSE
  Remember that the Investigate move allows you, 
  the MC, to decide how much you wish to reveal 
  with each clue. Even if a player uses the move to 
  ask “who is the killer?”, the rules stipulate you owe 
  them nothing more than a single detail that will 
  somehow help them solve this question. This detail 
  could fall anywhere between instantly revealing the 
  truth to merely pointing at a new lead (which must 
  be useful). Depending on how you want to pace the 
  investigation, you can adjust how much is revealed 
  with each clue.
  At the same time, do not limit yourself to the clues 
  listed above. If a player finds a clever and rea-
  sonable way of gaining more information about 
  the case, figure out what they discover and grant 
  them the clue they deserve. For example, Declan 
  L’Estrange can use his historical knowledge or 
  business connections to dig up some details about 
  the church and its esoteric history; Flicker can learn 
  similar facts searching the website of a local history 
  buff or Wiccan group.
   
  
  12   |   CITY OF MIST − DEMOnS In CrOSS EnD
  CHRISTINA yyy
  The rift of the Avenging Angel, Christina is a mod-
  ern-day paladin of the Holy Faith. She has cropped, 
  platinum blonde hair, fair skin, flushed cheeks, and 
  piercing icy-blue eyes. She’s usually sporting combat 
  boots, jeans, a tank top, and a leather biker jacket. Un-
  der the jacket, she has two over-sized pistols tucked 
  into her belt against the small of her back. When she 
  is at the altar, the light going through the stained 
  glass falls on the floor around her in a strange pattern, 
  creating the optical illusion she also has wings. 
  Dedicated and pious, Christina would do anything to 
  push back the forces she considers dark and unholy. 
  She is an expert gunslinger, always ready to put a 
  bullet through the agents of evil and isn’t afraid to get 
  blood on her hands, if necessary. 
  HURT OR SUBDUE 4  /  GUILT 6 
  • Guardian Angels: When Christina takes a status of 
  physical harm or subdual, reduce its tier by 2.
   
  • rain down bullets from her pistols on an area (ev-
  eryone takes gunshot-3)
  • Shoot someone through the head or heart (mortal-
  ly-wounded-5)
  • Speak to someone’s conscience, inspiring them to 
  make right their moral transgressions (guilty-2)
  • When in the church, use its powers (see page XX)
   
  • Break down and ask for help
  DEPTH 3:  
  MIDNIGHT ON  
  ALL HALLOWS’ EVE
  Eventually, everything culminates in a final showdown 
  at the church. On the night of Halloween, when the veil 
  of the Mist is at its weakest, both parties will make a 
  last attempt to secure the church. If the heart of a true 
  believer is not sacrificed on the altar by midnight on 
  Halloween, the Stag Head will emerge into the world 
  once again, probably destroying the church in the 
  process.
  The Stag Head sees this night as its long-awaited 
  opportunity to reopen the Enclave at this location and 
  manifest as a physical entity in the City (whether or 
  not it needs a person to act as its rift is up to you; if 
  not, it is considered a powerful Conjuration). If nec-
  essary, the Stag Head will communicate with any crew 
  member who may agree to help it take physical form.
  Until midnight or until the church is destroyed, the 
  Beasts are the Stag Head’s only physical manifesta-
  tion. They will mount their attack to try and physically 
  bring down the church and free their god. It doesn’t 
  take much to topple down the crumbling walls of this 
  old building. Armed with quads, chains, and hooks, 
  as well as jackhammers, chainsaws, and crowbars, the 
  Beasts can definitely do some damage to the church: 
  every time they all strike together as a collective, they 
  give the church collapsing-2 while if only half of them 
  are engaged in the destruction, they cause collaps-
  ing-1 (this already factors in their size factor and the 
  Church’s Gargantuan custom move). The Beasts don’t 
  know what exactly is going to happen or why they are 
  doing this, but the Stag Head does: once they shatter 
  the altar, there will be no sacrificing of hearts and the 
  power that holds him back will be gone forever.
  Christina, and the force of the Holy Faith guarding the 
  church, will be grasping at straws at this stage, looking 
  for a godsent true believer to sacrifice at the altar (a 
  PC? Bear? Gus?). If he’s still in the game, Proximo will 
  also be here as hired muscle to help curb the destruc-
  tion of the Beasts.
  THE DILEMMA
  Sooner or later, the party will have to face a decision: 
  who should they help? Does the fear of an entity of 
  ecstasy tearing through the streets of the City out-
  weigh their possible moral aversion of helping Chris-
  tina? Or will they find a solution that does not involve 
  taking sides?
  CHRISTINA
  Depending on your pacing considerations, Christina 
  may be gone when the crew first visits the Church or 
  she may be present. If she is around, she will be kneel-
  ing at the altar, praying for one last chance to save the 
  City from the Stag Head. 
  Christina will try to play out a meeting with the crew 
  in one of two ways: ask for their help and possibly their 
  ultimate sacrifice, or, if that fails, take by force the 
  heart of whoever seems to be the true believer in the 
  bunch (perhaps based on the questions you previous-
  ly asked them, see the sidebar The Heart of a True 
  Believer, page XX). If the crew tries to apprehend 
  Christina, she will use their first miss to flee (Deny 
  Them Something They Want), only to return later for 
  the big showdown at Midnight On All Hallows’ Eve. 
  remember that while this church still stands, this is 
  Christina’s turf. Any imaginable divine effect can ema-
  nate from her, from the altar, or from the stained glass 
  window; see her moves for some ideas. Proximo may also 
  be present, most likely as a hired gun assisting Christina.
  
  13   |   CITY OF MIST − DEMOnS In CrOSS EnD
  Depending on how your group feels about Player vs. 
  Player games, this dilemma could even split the party 
  and turn them against each other. In any case, this is a 
  great place to invoke the PCs and the crew’s Mysteries 
  and Identities, have them Make a Hard Choice and 
  mark Fade or Crack, and to remind players of their 
  option to Stop. Holding. Back.
  THE AFTERMATH
  The outcome of the showdown at the church can have a 
  wide spectrum of implications. As you wrap up the case, 
  you may want to consider the following questions:
  • How did the moral dilemma and the events that 
  transpired affect the crew members, their personal 
  beliefs, and how they view themselves and one an-
  other? How did it affect the crew as a whole?
  • If the Stag Head broke loose, what will be the impli-
  cations for the City?
  • If Christina is still alive, will she be brought to justice? 
  Does she repent or is her faith bolstered? Will she try 
  to hunt down and punish those who stood in her way?
  THE CHURCH yy
  COLLAPSE 6
  • Gargantuan: reduce by 4 the tier of any single 
  status given to the structure of the church that does 
  not affect the entire area of the church, or by 3 if 
  the status affects a large section of the church.
  • Stained Glass Angel: When you take an action 
  against the Holy Faith in the sanctuary or nave, 
  you are first hit by its guardian angel (see its hard 
  moves below).
  • Reduced to Rubble: So long as the church stands, 
  the stained glass window is unbreakable, protect-
  ed by the heavens. When collapse maxes out, the 
  church walls fall and the stained glass window shat-
  ters into a thousand pieces. Everyone inside takes 
  buried-under-rubble-5.
   
  • Blind the “blasphemous” with a bright light (blind-
  ed-3)
  • Hurl “evil” out of the church by a heavenly force 
  (pushed-back-3)
  • Smite “unholy creatures” (like the Beasts) with 
  flames (burned-3)
  THE STAG HEAD yyyy
  If it emerges into the world, the Stag Head manifests 
  as an enormous creature that can best be described 
  as a walking forest. It’s about as big as the church’s 
  main hall; it’s made of dense foliage, running rivers, 
  and creaking roots; it has eyes like two turbid green 
  ponds in which mesmerizing colorful lights flicker. 
  The ruckus of wild beasts echoes from deep inside it 
  along with some deeper, unearthly growl. Antlers as 
  large and as complex as tree branches grow out of its 
  topside. It can grow protrusions to serve it as arms 
  if necessary, but mostly it will simply move through 
  things and swallow them whole.
  HURT OR SUBDUE  –  /  BANISH 6  /  BURN 6  /  AP-
  PEASE 5 
  • Regeneration: When the Stag Head takes a status 
  on its burn spectrum that isn’t holy by nature, 
  reduce its tier by 4.
   
  • Squash someone like a bug (shattered-5)
  • Swallow up something with grasping thorny vines 
  (entangled-4, nicked-1)
  • Force someone to unleash the animal within (no-re-
  straints-5)
  • Spew out more humanoid Beasts (use The Beasts 
  Danger profile)
  • Change the weather (add a story tag to the scene: 
  windy, pouring rain, heavy fog, etc.) 
   
  • Creep out towards the City, inspiring ecstasy in 
  everyone around
  • Heave upwards, preparing to knock down an obsta-
  cle or resistance
  • What is the fate of the Beasts? Do they see their god 
  for what it is and, if so, does that make them more 
  loyal to him, or less? If the Stag Head is out in the 
  world, do they become his followers? What powers 
  do they gain as a result?
  • What will happen next with the church or the pile of 
  rubble it’s been reduced to? Will it become the Stag 
  Head’s new lair? Or a base of operations for Christi-
  na’s missionary work?
  • What about Cross End? How is it affected? Does any-
  one talk to the families of the three murdered victims 
  to let them know the truth? How do they take it?
  • And will Michel Ahmagi ever see his precious exhib-
  its again?
  
  WHAT’S NEXT?
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SOURCE: textdata/thevault/City of Mist (PbtA)/Misc (Districts, Soundtrack, Cases, Supplements, Playbooks etc.)/Case - Demons in Cross End.pdf