Here's the first NPC that I can truly say was 100% inspired by a song. Kinky eh? Actually the tune is off of a CD I purchased recently; Songs in the Key of X, a compilation of songs inspired by or used in the X-Files. According to Chris Carter's introduction to the CD this is the first song not from Mark Snow to be used in an X-Files episode because "I loved it instantly, and for the next month or two subjected anyone who came into my office to it, at Mach Q levels." well it touched me too. Somehow I couldn't get the image of a cross between a gunslinger from the old west and a mafia boss out of my mind. So here it is. Take it for what you will. Its 100% Nightspawn material. Dark. Etherial. Everything I've come to expect from the X-Files and Nightspawn both.

Suggestions, requests or comments? Feel free to ask. E-mail: [email protected]

          Take a little walk to the edge of town
          Go across the tracks
          Where the viaduct looms,
          like a bird of doom
          As it shifts and cracks
          Where secrets lie in the border fires,
          in the humming wires
          Hey man, you know
          you're never coming back
          Past the square, past the bridge,
          past the mills, past the stacks
          On a gathering storm comes
          a tall handsome man
          In a dusty black coat with
          a red right hand

          He'll wrap you in his arms,
          tell you that you've been a good boy
          He'll rekindle all the dreams
          it took you a lifetime to destroy
          He'll reach deep into the hole,
          heal your shrinking soul
          Hey buddy, you know you're
          never ever coming back
          He's a god, he's a man,
          he's a ghost, he's a guru
          They're whispering his name
          through this disappearing land
          But hidden in his coat
          is a red right hand

          You ain't got no money?
          He'll get you some
          You ain't got no car? He'll get you one
          You ain't got no self-respect,
          you feel like an insect
          Well don't you worry buddy,
          cause here he comes
          Through the ghettos and the barrio
          and the bowery and the slum
          A shadow is cast wherever he stands
          Stacks of green paper in his
          red right hand

          (Organ solo)

          You'll see him in your nightmares,
          you'll see him in your dreams
          He'll appear out of nowhere but
          he ain't what he seems
          You'll see him in your head,
          on the TV screen
          And hey buddy, I'm warning
          you to turn it off
          He's a ghost, he's a god,
          he's a man, he's a guru
          You're one microscopic cog
          in his catastrophic plan
          Designed and directed by
          his red right hand

          (Organ solo)

          Extra verse from DJ Spooky Remix (From Scream 2 Soundtrack):
          He'll extend his hand, real slowly for a shake
          You'll see it coming toward you, real slowly for a shake
          (Grabbing at your peril buddy?) cause you know you ain't
          getting near much as he will take.

          He's a...

          He's mumbling words you can't understand
          He's mumbling word behind his red right hand.

- Nick Cave

    Dark Day surprised Doogan just as much as it did anyone else. It wasn't every day that the sun simply vanished and darkness ruled over all the earth. Overall though Dark Day itself didn't have too much of an impact on him. Sure it was wierd. Sure it shouldn't have happened. But it did and now it was over. It wasn't until shortly after Dark Day that Doogan's problems really began.
    Doogan was a typical U.S. CIA agent. Patriotic, fanatically loyal to the american dream, cunning, efficient and ruthless when it came to protecting her borders and security. Doogan spent most of his time prior to Dark Day in the U.S. with occassional assignments to europe and the middle east. He was a good agent and got done what needed to be done, his imposing stature giving him the ability to pursuade others to do what he wanted. Incidentally Doogan had little problem when unusual orders came down for him to deal with some internal threats, that was until he realized what those supposed threats were.
    Doogan found himself in the difficult position of sabotaging the workings of a small orphanage in Los Angles. He was supposed to incriminate and intimidate one of the workers there, kind, harmless middle aged woman who tended to the orphans needs and fought for the orphanage's continued existance. Doogan found himself unable to carry out his orders and confronted his superiors about it. It was an action that would change his life forever.
    Doogan's superiors listened to his complaints with obvious contempt. They ignored his pleas and told him that if he did not carry out his mission another agent would be assigned and he would be severely repremanded. It was then that Doogan snapped and confronted them with all of the questionable assignments, incidents and reports he had hear about in the years since the Preserver party had come into power. His superior warned him that he was treading a dangerous line but Doogan was too furious to care. It was at that point that Doogan got his first taste of the evil that had rooted itself in the very government that he had served so loyally.
    Bellowing with anger Doogan's superior's eyes turned aglow with a supernatural red light and the lights in the room dimmed. In a deep, inhuman voice the avatar mocked Doogan as it shed its human disguise in favour of a more intimidating demonic form. Doogan drew his pistol and leveled it on the beast. He fired shot after shot emptying his clip of all but one of its bullets but with scant little effect. The avatar laughed and mumbled something under its breath. Suddenly Doogan felt his gun hand raising up to his temple and felt the pistol's muzzle pressed up against his skin. He shrieked in terror as he pulled the trigger with his own hand.
    Unfortunately for Doogan his torment did not end there. The bullet had only grazed his skull and shocked him into unconciousness. The avatar knelt down beside him and laughed quietly touching hand to Doogan's head. With a few utterances the deed was done and Doogan's unconcious body was soon taken away and deposited in an alley way in east L.A.
    The avatar had intended to implant in Doogan's mind a Friend in the Head to force him into furthering his evil plans and to torment the human even farther then he had been already. By some strange twist of fate however the spell didn't function quite as planned. When the Friend in the Head was implanted into Doogan's mind the Traitorous Hand spell he had used to take control of Doogan's arm and hand was still lingering. Somehow the two spells merged and instead of creating a simple voice in Doogan's head it gave his right hand and arm a mind of its own. An evil and corrupt mind obsessed with the degredation of the human spirit.
    Ever since that fateful day Doogan has had to deal with The Red Right Hand. Somehow, over time the hand had changed color to a dark red, perhaps a result of Doogan's hatred and shame associated with the deads it makes him do. The Red Right Hand uses Doogan to spread shame and misery to all that he meets. It does this in many ways but one of its primary methods is to perform favours for people in return for demeaning and dehumanising deeds. Doogan fights The Red Right Hand constantly but it is a persistant and manipulative being who has become Doogan's master. Doogan once tried to cut The Red Right Hand off but was not only mentally unable to but also restrained by the hand itself.
    Further degrading Doogan's resistance and inner strength is the fact that he no longer has anyone to trust or confide in except for himself and The Red Right Hand. All of his friends have been killed and he has discovered much to his horror that many if not all of his fellow agents have been replaced by disguised monsters. Doogan is truly alone with only an evil hand, an accidental creation of the Nightlords as a companion.

Real Name: Doogan Grimshaw
Alignment: Anarchist. Was originally scrupulous but the hand's demands have been tearing down what little moral integrity he has left.
Hit Points: 28    S.D.C.: 40
P.P.E.: 11           I.S.P.: N/A
Attributes: I.Q.: 13, M.E.: 7, M.A.: 13/*18, P.S.: 14/**18, P.P.: 10, P.E.: 12, P.B.: 17, Spd.: 13.
* Applies only when he is doing what The Hand desires.
** The Red Right Hand is more powerful then Doogan's left hand. Consequently it can overpower the other.
Experience: 6th level CIA Operative (Dual-trainned agent)
Weight: 177lbs.  Height: 6 feet, 4 inches    Sex: Male    Age: 31
Disposition: Angry, frustrated, frightened and confused. Doogan wishes that he could somehow escape from his nightmare of a life but doesn't have the strength to resist the hand. He's bordering on extreme depression and has contemplated suicide on numerous occasions.
Natural Abilities: Standard human.
Magic: None.
Psionics: None.
Combat: Hand to Hand: Expert: 3 attacks per melee, +4 to parry and dodge, +2 to strike, +3 to pull/roll with punch, fall or impact, kick attack does 1D6 damage, critical strike on a natural 18, 19 or 20.
Bonuses: +1 to perception rolls, +2 to save vs mind control, +3 to save vs horror factor.
Vulnerabilities/Penalties: When confronted on moral grounds or faced with a difficult decision Doogan must fight with The Red Right Hand to do the right thing. Often this means he is slow to make decisions but eventually The Red Right Hand almost always wins.
Skills of Note: Language: English=90%, Literacy: English=70%, Intelligence=67%, Computer Operation=75%, Demon & Monster Lore=70%, Interrogation=75%, Prowl=60%, Concealment=50%, Streetwise=50%, Forgery=50%, Detect Concealment=55%, W.P. Revolver, W.P. Automatic Pistol, and W.P. Knife.
Allies of Note: None. The Hand has made him paranoid and convinced him that everyone is out to get him and aren't trustworty. Not a difficult task after his experiences with Nightlord infiltrators.
Enemies: Anyone and everyone. Doogan has alienated himself from everyone because of his actions at the bidding of The Red Right Hand.
Weapons & Equipment of Note: 9mm
Money: $86,000.00 - all "dirty" money.

The Hand

A combination of Traitorous Hand and Friend in the Head.

Alignment: Diabolic
Attributes of Note: I.Q.: 12, M.E.: 12, M.A.: 23.
Disposition: The hand delights in the torment and degridation of human beings, Doogan included. It despises humanity which it sees as a feeble and pathetic race. Doogan is its personal trophy for it knows that it has nearly broken the poor man completely.
Skills: Streetwise: Drugs=25%, Palming=20%, and Pick Pockets=25%.

Note: It may be possible to get rid of The Hand but it would be extremely difficult. One possibility would be either Excorsism or Remove Curse, in both cases however The Hand would have a bonus of +5 to save and react violently against anyone who was involved. Another way of silencing The Hand, at least for awhile would be to surround Doogan in an Anti-Magic cloud which would temporarily disable The Hand though it would return at the end of the duration with a vengeance. Of course cutting the hand off would work since the intelligence is linked to the hand itself but would be difficult as it fought back and wouldn't do much good for Doogan.

Hook: One character or several characters find themselves in need of something, be it money, respect, a place to hide, just about anything. In alternate this could be an NPC that is close to the party. They're desperate and are willing to try just about anything.

Line: Enter The Red Right Hand. Whatever the character(s) need is provided by The Red Right Hand but he expects to be compensated though he'll downplay that aspect of it until later. In the meantime he'll provide whatever the character(s) need and encourage them to listen to the dark voice within them. One shouldn't deny oneself what one deserves...

Sinker: Once he's confident that he's gained the character(s) debt/gratitude The Red Right Hand will begin to demand his compensation. Initially compensation will be fairly innocent and harmless but as time goes on and the character gets more and more dependant the cost will rise. Eventually, at least The Red Right Hand hopes, the character's moral fibre and integrity will be destroyed and will become yet another of his pawns.

Hook: Someone owes Red Right Hand but can't repay. They're desperate. Afterall he's a scary guy.

Line: Whatever this guy/gal tries to repay the debt somehow or escape from Red Right Hand.

Sinker: Of course nobody can ever get far enough away to escape Red Right Hand, and repaying the debt proves to be impossible or at least really hard.