The Dresden Files RPG: Volume 2 – Our World

274 Pages·2010·70.699 MB·English

by  Evil Hat Productions

the
Step Into
T Dresden Files
Our World
h
e
We are wizards, cops, mechanics, werewolves, R O L E P L A Y I N G G A M E

doctors, fairies, mobsters, reporters, holy D
warriors, and vampires. r
We call upon the dark powers of the Never­ e
s
never—or the darkness in human nature.
d
We are the monsters living next door or
e
lurking behind a friendly face.
n
This is the Dresdenverse.

F
This is Our World.
i
l
This volume of The Dresden Files RPG gives you
e
extensive detail on the factions, creatures, foes,
s
and allies of the Dresdenverse. You’ll find over

R
200 creatures and characters complete with all
P
the information you’ll need to bring them into
G
your own game, as well as a detailed chapter on

modern-day Occult Chicago and an original •

O
short story by Jim Butcher.
u
Together with Volume One: Your Story,
r
The Dresden Files RPG: Our World gives
you everything you need to make your own
W
adventures in the thrilling and dangerous world
o
of New York Times best-selling author Jim
r
Butcher’s Dresden Files series!
The Dresden Files RPG begins with Your Story! l
d
9E
7 V o l u m e T w o
8H
-
0
-9P O u r W o r l d
7
73
1
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ISBN: 978-0-9771534-8-0 EHP3002 $39.99 US 3
4
www.evilhat.com -0
8
-2
0
the
Step Into
T Dresden Files
Our World
h
e
We are wizards, cops, mechanics, werewolves, R O L E P L A Y I N G G A M E

doctors, fairies, mobsters, reporters, holy D
warriors, and vampires. r
We call upon the dark powers of the Never­ e
s
never—or the darkness in human nature.
d
We are the monsters living next door or
e
lurking behind a friendly face.
n
This is the Dresdenverse.

F
This is Our World.
i
l
This volume of The Dresden Files RPG gives you
e
extensive detail on the factions, creatures, foes,
s
and allies of the Dresdenverse. You’ll find over

R
200 creatures and characters complete with all
P
the information you’ll need to bring them into
G
your own game, as well as a detailed chapter on

modern-day Occult Chicago and an original •

O
short story by Jim Butcher.
u
Together with Volume One: Your Story,
r
The Dresden Files RPG: Our World gives
you everything you need to make your own
W
adventures in the thrilling and dangerous world
o
of New York Times best-selling author Jim
r
Butcher’s Dresden Files series!
The Dresden Files RPG begins with Your Story! l
d
9E
7 V o l u m e T w o
8H
-
0
-9P O u r W o r l d
7
73
1
50
ISBN: 978-0-9771534-8-0 EHP3002 $39.99 US 3
4
www.evilhat.com -0
8
-2
0
n
The Dresden Files
o
R O L E P L A Y I N G • G A M E
p
q
r
s
t
u
v
w
x
y Volume Two: Our World
Hey, Billy, you forgot to include the
box of puppies in the back seat in this one. I think “flying purple demon ape” says “Our World” a
heck of a lot better than a box of puppies does, Harry.
z
a
OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a 7. Use of Product Identity: You agree not to Use any Product
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or “Using” means to use, Distribute, copy, edit, format, modify,
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15. COPYRIGHT AND PRODUCT IDENTITY NOTICE
Content. (h) “You” or “Your” means the licensee in terms of this
Open Game License v 1.0 © 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
agreement.
Fudge System 1995 version © 1992-1995 by Steffan O’Sullivan, ©
2. The License: This License applies to any Open Game Content that
2005 by Grey Ghost Press, Inc.; Author Steffan O’Sullivan.
contains a notice indicating that the Open Game Content may only FATE (Fantastic Adventures in Tabletop Entertainment) © 2003 by i
be Used under and in terms of this License. You must affix such a
Evil Hat Productions LLC; Authors Robert Donoghue and Fred
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Hicks.
added to or subtracted from this License except as described by the
Spirit of the Century © 2006, Evil Hat Productions LLC. Authors
License itself. No other terms or conditions may be applied to any
Robert Donoghue, Fred Hicks, and Leonard Balsera.
Open Game Content distributed using this License.
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3. Offer and Acceptance: By Using the Open Game Content You
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4. Grant and Consideration: In consideration for agreeing to use
The Dresden Files Roleplaying Game: Volume 1: Your Story and
this License, the Contributors grant You a perpetual, worldwide,
The Dresden Files Roleplaying Game: Volume 2: Our World © 2010,
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5. Representation of Authority to Contribute: If You are contrib- Based on the original works in The Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher
uting original material as Open Game Content, You represent that as published by the Roc imprint of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
Your Contributions are Your original creation and/or You have Arranged through the author’s agent: Jennifer Jackson, Donald
sufficient rights to grant the rights conveyed by this License. Maass Literary Agency. The Dresden Files, all of The Dresden Files
6. Notice of License Copyright: You must update the COPYRIGHT book titles, all of the characters, descriptions, and plots from The
NOTICE portion of this License to include the exact text of the Dresden Files books and stories, and all quoted material from The l
COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any Open Game Content You Dresden Files books are ©2000-2010 Jim Butcher.
are copying, modifying or distributing, and You must add the Some art within is ©2008-2010 and used with permission of the
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you Distribute. m
Wait, what? Who’s this Jim guy? I thought he was just my “player!”
n
Credits
o
Based on The Dresden Files Playtesters &
Proofreaders
Books by Jim Butcher
BLAZERS
p Tina Adams, Johnathan E. Angel, Thomas
Lead System Developer Bates, Dane Black, Morgan Collins, Mike
Daugherty, Chris Demink, Aaron Enriquez,
Ashwath Ganesan, Aphrodite Lagios, Lydia Leong,
Leonard Balsera
Joe McKeon, Brad McMillan, Janine Reed,
Jenna Sparks, Jeremy Tidwell, Vandi Williams
Lead Setting Developer BLEEDERS
q
Christopher Acker, Margaret Acker, Scott Acker, Jon
Chad Underkoffler Ames, Rick Anderson, Lesley Barnes, Frankie Bates,
Joseph Beam, Ken Beam, Michael Beam, Robert Bohl,
Daniel Bowden, Tom Boyce, Mick Bradley, Wallace
Lead Project Developer Cady, Laurie Cason, Joanna Charambura, Dave Cleaver,
Nacho Cuellar, James Deykes, Carlos Díaz, Mario Dongu,
John Donoghue, Chris Douglas, Rich Flynn, Micheal
r Ryan Macklin
Frantz, Cindy Freeman, Roland Freeman, Veronica
Garcia, Hector Garcidueñas, Sylvia Grove, Carol Hardy,
Chris Heim, Ryan Holdbrooks, Tom Horn, Zach Hunt,
Managing Editor
Gilbert Isla, Shane Ivey , Jeff Johnsen, Shihea Johnsen,
Bart Jones, Dan Jones, Rick Jones, Clay Karwan, James
Amanda Valentine Khol, Mark Kinney, Chris Kittinger, Michael Langley,
Kenneth Lavender, René López, Paul Luzbetek, Jason
s Manion, Jarys Maragopoulos, Max Massey, Thomas
Authors Mazorlig, Jose Melgarejo, Kati Melgarejo, Chris Miller,
Erica Miller, David Moore, Erin Moore, Rick Neal,
Leonard Balsera, Jim Butcher, Genevieve Cogman, Brandy Nederlander, Josh Neff, Vic Norris, Devin O’Keefe
, Michael Parker, Oscar Pola, Shaun Ray, Fera Reimer,
Rob Donoghue, Fred Hicks, Kenneth Hite, Ryan Macklin, Sandy Schumann, Kieran Schumann, Clint Staples, Penny
Staples, Vickie Staples, Joshua M. Stone, Tali Teichman,
t Chad Underkoffler, and Clark Valentine Jorge Valdez, Russ Wallace, Phil Walton, Rachel Walton,
Jeramy Ware, Katie Ware, Lee Weaver, Andrew Weaver,
Jill Wetzel, Michael Wheeles, Jared White, Adina
Assistant Editors Williams, David Wilcox, Todd Woodall, Michelle Yancey
BURNERS
Adam Dray, Ryan Macklin, and Chad Underkoffler
Ben Alcorn, Dawn Antoline, Lynn Barnetto, Nick Beach,
Alan Bean, Dan Berg, Nicholas Berry, Will Berry, Anna
u Breig, Dardrae Breig, Kaylina Breig, Marvin Breig,
Artists Ryan Breig, James Carpio, Stacey Chancellor, Brendan
Conway, Kait & Kyle Cottengim, Emerson Daly, Randy
Toren Atkinson, Talon Dunning, Melissa Gay, Michael Kucharski, Davenport, Jim DelRosso, Matt Doernhoefer, Brian
Dorion, Scott Dorward, Jared Edens, Rick Ewing, Clint
Ed Northcott, Jennifer Rodgers, Chad Sergesketter, David Seidman, Felker, Phil Florian, Kevan Forbes, Jason Freeman,
Jessica Friend, Jim Friend, Jim Gardner, Zac Gibson,
Priscilla Spencer, Christian N. St. Pierre, and Ardian Syaf
v Laura “Red” Gierach, Matt Glover, Judd M. Goswick,
Viktor Haag, Jerrod Hall, Kent Hamilton, Josh Harrison,
Shaun Hayworth, Kristin Hayworth, Kaisa Hirvonen,
Thanks Eric Hontz, Brenda Hovdenes, Justin Hovdenes, Ryan
Hupp, Joseph Kerstetter, Kristi Kerstetter, Sean Kessler,
Rob and Fred would like to thank their wives, without whom none of this would be
Dawn Kessler, Shoshana Kessock, Rainer Koreasalo,
possible, and Jennifer Jackson and Michael Curry who helped make the possibility into Kari Koukka, Teuvo Kovanen, Samara Laufer, Brandon
w a reality. Lenny would like to thank: his two main internal playtesters, Dane Black and Lemos, Ian Lim, Travis Lindquist, Jabe Lawdonski, Brian
J Martin, Catriona Mcbride, Shane McCarthy, Louisa
Thomas Bates, for helping him with some final kinks; the rest of the team, for shouldering McGuinness, Seana McGuinness, Heikki Meriläinen,
him through trials; Bridget and Samantha, for general moral support; and the Burton Alicia Middlebrook, Warren Morrison, James Nicoll, Sean
Nittner, Friend Olsen, Robin Poole, Justin Reyes, Mike
Foundation gang (Cole, Willem, Brandt, and Andi), without whom the system used Resner, Tate Ricker, W. Adam Rinehart, Sami Ropponen,
for this game would not exist. Ryan would like to thank his first gaming group, Sasha, Benjamin Rose, Matt Sanderson, Tomi Sarkkinen, Ginny
& Bob Schauer, Dan Shulsinger, Rohan Smith, Kyle Tracy,
x Frank & John, for introducing him to this great hobby. Chad would like to thank Fred
Lou Umile, Henry Wang, Paul Wilson, Nancy Wolfberg,
for hooking him on the DF crack, and Priscilla for deeply geeky setting kow-tows. Clark Erik Woodbury, Chris Young, Craig Young, Curtis Young
would like to thank Jess and Allandaros for some translation and insight, his kids for BURSTERS
putting up with the insanity that took over the house for a while, and Rob and Fred for Autumn Armstrong-Berg, Eric Berg, Chandra
Blair, Sean Cowen, Doug Laedtke, Ian Laedtke,
the opportunity to work on a project like this. Amanda would like to thank Fred for
John Hawkins, Heather Heim, Rob Heim, Erik Jordan,
y giving her the chance to work on this, Clark for dealing so well with a stressed out wife Leif Park Jordan, Gary Lewis, Michael Matlock, Brian
Morgan, Christina Mullins, Morrie Mullins, Chris
who is also his editor, her kids for usually listening to “Mommy’s working right now,” and
Richeson, Brian Smith, Tara Turney, Jae Walker
the whole gang for making this crazy project a truly amazing experience—it’s been fun!
SECRET WEAPONS
But most of all we’d like to thank Jim for his trust, confidence, and support over the Chris Hanrahan, Priscilla Spencer
last several years, and for sharing the landscape of his wonderfully demented mind
IT’S HIS FAULT
z with us all. Matthew Gandy
a
Table of Contents
b
Credits 3 - Chapter Two - - Chapter Four -
What Goes Bump Occult Chicago
Table of
What Goes Bump 28 Welcome to Chicago 244
Contents 4
Encountering the Chicago’s Themes 245
AAAA Wizardry 5 c
Supernatural 28 Blood and Butchery 245
- Chapter One - Supernatural Heavyweights 28 Blues 246
Old Entities of the Nevernever 29 “The City That Works” 246
World Order Common Occult Corruption 247
Countermeasures 29 Fire 247 d
Welcome to the Old World Order 14
What’s Out There 30 Flesh 248
Supernatural Politics and the
Angels 30 Futures 248
Unseelie Accords 14
Constructs 31 The Grey City 249
There Is No Spirit of the
Demons 34 “I Will” 249
Law 15 e
Dragons 38 Magical Architecture 249
Getting Screwed By the
Faeries 38 Rivals Clash 250
Letter of the Law 15
The Fallen 55 Sky-scraping, Sky-scraped 250
Supernatural Factions 16
Ghosts 56 Urbs In Horto 251
Mortals 16 f
Ghouls 58 Water 252
The White Council 17
Gods 60 The White City 252
The Knights of the Cross 19
Hecatean Hags 60 The Street Level:
Vampires 19
Mortal Practitioners 62 Chicago’s Neighborhoods 253
Faeries 21
Mortals 67 The Loop 254 g
The Order of the Blackened
People of Faith 73 Near North Side 254
Denarius 22
Old Ones and Outsiders 75 Gold Coast 255
Freeholding Lords 22
Scions 78 Cabrini-Green 255
Outsiders and Old Ones 22
Spirits 81 Lincoln Park 255
The Circle 23 h
Thralls 82 Wicker Park 256
Supernatural Conflicts That
Valkyries 83 Bucktown 256
Could Kill You RIGHT
Vampires 84 Wrigleyville 256
NOW 24
Warped Animals 91 Uptown 257
The Vampire War 24 i
Werewolves 92 Northwest Side 258
The Secret War 25
Zombies 95 Grant Park 258
The Objectives of the
South Loop 259
Denarians 26 - Chapter Three -
Near West Side 260
In Conclusion 26 Who’s Who
Pilsen 260 j
The Faces of the Cases 98
Chinatown 260
Bronzeville 261
Hyde Park 261
Any page references that Englewood 261 k
talk about material in Bungalow Belt 262
VOlume 1: YOur StOrY Index 263
will be noted with the
prefix “YS”. So if you
l
see “YS47”, that means
page 47 of Your Story.
m
n

I just found this in Wha...?
the back of your AAAA Wizardry Oh, I get it. My
o filing cabinet. Seems “player” “wrote”
like a good intro... by Jim Butcher this. Cute.
The first thing I thought, looking at the roomful of hands and foot around a bit more.  “I’d need to borrow a
baby Wardens, was They all look so darned young.  The few people to do the whole list.  Get the picture?”
p close second was, My God, am I getting old? A few smiles had erupted at my antics, but they sobered
“Okay, children,” I said, closing the door behind me.  I up after a moment’s consideration.
had rented an alleged conference center in a little Chicago I nodded and stuck my hands into my pockets. 
hotel not too far from the airport, which amounted to a “Knowledge is quite literally power and will save your life. 
couple of rooms big enough for twenty or thirty people— When you know what you’re facing, you can deal with
q if they were friendly—plus several dozen chairs, and a few it.  Walk into a confrontation blind, and you’re begging
rickety old folding tables. to get your families added to the Wardens’ death-benefits
They didn’t even provide a cooler of water—just direc- list.”  I let that sink in for a few seconds before continuing.
tions to their vending machines. “You can’t ever be sure what you’re going to come up
After me and my fellow Warden-Commander in the against.  But you can be sure about how to approach the
r United States, Warden Ramirez, had gotten done learning investigation.”
the little Warden-kind up on their mayhem, for the sake I turned to the old blackboard on the wall behind me
of getting them killed in a war as quickly as possible, we and scribbled on it with the stub of a piece of chalk.  “I call
thought it might be nice to give them a little instruction in it the Four As,” I said, and wrote four As down the left
other things, too.  Ramirez was going to cover the course side of the board.  “Granted, it doesn’t translate as neatly
s on relations with mortal authorities, which made sense— to other languages, but you can make up your own native-
Ramirez got on just fine with the cops in LA, and hadn’t tongue mnemonic devices later.”  I used the first A to spell
been shot by nearly as many law enforcement personnel “Ascertain.”
as I had. “Ascertain,” I said, firmly.  “Before you can deal with
The kids had all come to Chicago to learn about inde- the threat, you’ve got to know that it exists, and you’ve
t
pendent investigation of supernatural threats from me— got to know who the threat’s intended target is.  A lot of
which also made sense, because I’d done more of that, times, that target is going to cry out for help.  Whatever
relative to my tender years, than any other wizard on the city you’re based in, it’s going to be your responsibility to
planet. work out how best to hear that scream.  But sometimes
“Okay, okay,” I said to the room.  The young Wardens there’s no outcry. So keep your eyes and ears open, kids. 
u
became silent and attentive at once.  No shock, there—the Ascertain the threat.  Become aware of the problem.”
disruptive ones who didn’t pay attention during lessons
E H P
had mostly been killed and maimed in the war with the
Red Court.  Darwin always thought that it paid to be a
quick learner.  The war had simply made the penalty for My car didn’t make it all the way to Kansas City.  It
v
not learning quite a bit steeper. broke down about thirty miles short of town, and I had
“You’re here,” I said, “to learn about investigating super- to call a wrecker.  I had planned on being there before
natural threats on your own.  You’ll learn about finding dark, but between walking eleven miles to find an increas-
and hunting Warlocks from Captain Luccio, whenever the ingly rare pay phone and dumping most of my cash into
Reds give us enough time for it.  Warlocks, our own kind a tow-truck driver’s pocket, and the collapse of an office
w
gone bad, aren’t the most common opponent you’ll find computer network that delayed picking up a rental car for
yourself facing.  Far more often, you’re going to run up an extra hour and a half, I wound up pulling to the curb
against other threats.” of a residential address a couple of minutes before nine in
Ilyana, a young woman with extremely pale skin and the evening.
x eyes of nearly white ice-blue, raised her hand and spoke I’d gotten the address from a contact on the Paranet—
in a clipped Russian accent when I nodded to her.  “What the organization made up mostly of men and women who
kinds of threats?” she asked.  “In the practical sense.  What didn’t have enough magical power to be accepted into the
foes have you faced?” ranks of the White Council or to protect themselves from
I held up my hands and flipped up a finger for each major predators, but who had more than enough mojo to
y foe.  “Demons, werewolves, ghosts, faeries, fallen angels, make them juicy targets.  For the past year, I and others
Black Court vampires, Red Court vampires, White Court like me had been working hard to teach them how to
vampires, cultists, necromancers,” I paused to waggle one defend themselves—and one of the first things they were
foot, standing with three limbs in the air, “zombies, spec- to do was notify someone upstream in the Paranet’s orga-
ters, phobophages, half-blood scions, jann…”  I waved my nization that they were in trouble. 
z
a
One such call had been bucked up to me, and here I “Most big brothers stop making threats about their
was, answering. little sisters after high school.”
Before I had closed the door of the car, a spare, tense- “I must be remedial,” Yardly said.  “If you abuse Megan b
looking man in his forties came out of the house and in any way, you’ll answer to me.”
walked quickly toward me. I felt my mouth lift up on one side.  “You’re a cop.”
“Harry Dresden?” he called. “Detective Lieutenant,” he said.  “I asked Chicago PD
“Yeah,” I said. for their file on you.  They think you’re a fraud.”
“You’re late.”  “And you don’t?” c
“Car trouble,” I said.  “Are you Yardly?” He grunted.  “Megan doesn’t.  I learned a long time
He stopped across the hood of the car from me, ago that a smart man doesn’t discount her opinion out of
frowning severely.  He was average height, and wore most hand.” 
of a business suit, including the tie.  His black hair was cut He stared at me with hard and opaque eyes and I real-
d
into a short brush.  He looked like the kind of guy who ized, in a flash of insight, that the man was tense because
solved his problems through ferocious focus and mulish he was operating on unfamiliar ground. You couldn’t read
determination, and who tolerated no nonsense along the it in his face, but it was there if you knew what to look for.
way. A certain set of the shoulders, a twitch along the jawline,
“I’m Yardly,” he said.  “Can you show me some ID?” as if some part of him was ready to whirl around and
e
I almost smiled.  “You want to see my American sink his teeth into a threat that he could feel creeping up
Association of Wizards card?” behind him.
Yardly didn’t smile.  “Your driver’s license will do.” Yardly was afraid. Not for himself, maybe, but the man
“If I was a shapeshifter,” I said, passing him the license, was terrified.
“this wouldn’t help.” “Megan says shrinks can’t help with this one,” he said
f
Yardly produced a little UV flashlight and shined it quietly. “She says maybe you can.”
onto the license.  “I’m more concerned about a simple con “Let’s find out,” I said.
man.”  He passed me the license back.  “I’m not really into
E H P
my sister’s group.  Whatever they are.  But she’s had it
rough lately and I’m not going to see her hurt any more. 
g
Do you understand?” “Second A,” I said to the Wardenlets, writing on the
chalkboard as I did. “Analysis.”
“How do you get an ogre to lay down on the couch,
Harry?” called a young man with the rounded vowels of
a northern accent in his speech. The room quivered with h
the laughter of young people.
“That’s enough out of you, there, McKenzie, you hoser,”
I shot back, in a parody of the same accent. “Give me a
break here, eh?”
I got a bigger laugh than the heckler. Which is how you i
make sure the heckler doesn’t steal the show from you.
“Pipe down,” I said, and waited for them to settle.
“Thank you. Your second step is always analysis. Even
when you know what you’re dealing with, you’ve got to
know why it’s happening. If you’ve got an angry ghost, it’s j
generally angry for a reason. If a new pack of ghouls has
moved in down the block, they’ve generally picked their
spot for a reason.”
Ilyana raised her hand again and I pointed at her.
k
“What does it matter?” she asked. “Ghost or ghoul is
causing problem, still we are dealing with them, yes?” She
pointed her finger like a gun and dropped her thumb like
the weapon’s hammer on the word “dealing.”
“If you’re stupid, yeah,” I said.
l
She didn’t look pleased at my response.
“I used to have a similar attitude,” I said. I held up my
left hand. It was a mass of old scars, and not the pretty
kind. It had been burned, and badly, several years before.
Wizards heal up better than regular folks, over the long
m
n
term. I could move it again, and I had feeling back in parts that was more “sub” than “urb,” southeast of KC, named
of all the fingers. But it still wasn’t a pretty picture. “An Peculiar.
o hour or two of work would have told me enough about Peculiar, Missouri. You can’t make these things up.
the situation I was walking into to let me avoid this,” I told Megan opened the door, nodded to her brother, looked
them. It was the truth. Pretty much. “Learn everything up at me and said, “You’re him. You’re the wizard.” Her
you possibly can.” eyes narrowed. “Your… your car broke down. And you
Ilyana frowned at me. think the name of our town is a bad joke…” She nodded,
p McKenzie raised his hand, frowning soberly, and I like a musician who has picked up on a beat and a chord
nodded at him. progression. “And you think this probably isn’t a super-
“Learn more. Okay. How?” natural problem.”
I spread my hands. “Never let yourself think you know I lifted my eyebrows. “You’re one hell of a sensitive.”
all the ways to learn,” I said. “Expand your own knowledge She nodded. “You were expecting someone who was
q
base. Read. Talk to other wizards. Hell, you might even good at cold reading.”
go to school.” “A lot of professional psychics are,” I said. I smiled. “So
That got me another laugh. I went on before it gath- are you.”
ered much momentum. She arched an eyebrow at me.
“Warden Canuck there was onto something earlier, “There’s at least a fair chance that if someone is late to
r
too. People are people. Learn about what makes them what is perceived as an important appointment that car
tick. Monsters are the same way. Find ways to emulate trouble is to blame, particularly if they show up in a rental
their thinking,”—I wasn’t even going to try a phrase like car. Most people who hadn’t grown up around a town
Get into their heads, thank you—“and you’ll have insight named Peculiar would think the name was odd.” I grinned
into their actions and their probable intentions. at her. “And gosh. A lot of professional investigators are
s
“Information-gathering spells can be darned handy,” I just a tad cynical.”
continued, “but if you’ll forgive the expression, they aren’t Her expression broke and she laughed. “Apparently.”
magic. The information you get from them can be easily She turned from me and kissed her brother on the cheek.
misread, and it will almost never let you see past one of “Ben.”
your own blind spots. You can seek answers from other “Meg.”
t
planes, but if you go bargaining with supernatural beings “Child services was here again today,” she said, her tone
for knowledge, things can get dangerous, fast. Sometimes neutral.
what you get from them is invaluable. Most of the time, it “Dammit,” Yardly said. “How’s Kat?”
could be had another way. Approach that particular well She waggled a hand in the air, but her face suddenly
u with extreme caution.” aged ten years. “The same.”
To emphasize those last two words, I stared slowly “Meg, the doctors—”
around the room in pure challenge, daring anyone to “Not again, Ben,” she said, closing her eyes briefly. She
disagree with me. The young people dropped their eyes shook her head once, and Yardly shut his jaws with an
from mine. Eye contact with a wizard is tricky—it can audible click. Megan looked down at the ground for a
v trigger a soulgaze, and that isn’t the kind of thing you want moment and then up at me. “So. Harry Dresden. High
happening to you casually. Mucketymuck of the White Council.”
“Honestly,” I said into the silence, letting my voice “Actually,” I said, “I’m a fairly low mucketymuck. Or
become gentler, more conversational, “the best thing you maybe a mucketymuck militant. High mucketymucks—”
can do is communicate. Talk to the people involved. Your “Wouldn’t come to Peculiar?”
w victims, if they can speak to you. Their family. Witnesses. “You’re really into interruption, aren’t you?” I said,
Friends. Most of the time, everything you need is some- smiling. “I was going to say, they wouldn’t have a problem
thing they already know. Most of the time, that’s the with their car.”
fastest, safest, easiest way to get it.” “Oh, God,” she said. “I think I like you.”
McKenzie raised his hand again, and I nodded. “Give it time,” I said.
x
“Most of the time?” he asked. She nodded, slowly. Then she said, with gentle
“That’s the thing about people,” I said, quietly, so they emphasis, “Please, come into my home.”
would pay attention. “Whether it’s to you or to everyone She stepped back, and I came into the little house,
or just to themselves—people lie.” crossing over the threshold, the curtain of gentle, powerful
energy that surrounds every home. Her invitation meant
y E H P
that the curtain parted for me, letting me bring my power
with me. I exhaled, slowly, tightening my metaphysical
Megan Yardly was a single mother of three. She was in muscles and feeling my power put a silent, invisible strain
her early thirties and looked it, had gorgeous red hair and on the air around me.
bright green eyes. She and her children lived in a suburb
z
a
Megan inhaled suddenly, sharply, and took a step back “Interesting,” I said. “Excuse me.”
from me. I turned and paced down the hallway to the younger
“Ah,” I said. “You are a sensitive.” child’s room, and nearly tripped over a dark-haired child, b
She shook her head once, and then held up her hand a boy who might have been eight. He was wearing under-
to forestall her brother. “Ben, it’s fine. He’s…” She looked wear and a T-shirt with a cartoon Jedi Knight on it, which
at me again, her expression pensive, fragile. “He’s the real raised my opinion of his mother immediately. The kid’s
deal.” eyes weren’t even open, and he raised his arms blindly.
We sat down in the little living room. It was littered I picked him up, and carried him with me into the little c
with children’s toys. The place didn’t look like an animal bedroom.
pit—just busy and well-loved. I sat in a comfy chair. It wasn’t large—nothing about Megan’s house was.
Megan sat perched at the edge of her couch. Yardly One of the beds was pink and festooned with the same
hovered, evidently unable to bring himself to sit. three big-eyed girls. The other was surrounded in the
d
“So,” I said quietly. “You think something is tormenting plastic shell of a Star Wars landspeeder. I plopped the
your daughters.” young Jedi back into it, and he promptly curled into a ball
She nodded. and went to sleep.
“How old are they?” I covered him up with a blanket and turned to examine
“Kat is twelve. Tamara is four.” the rest of the room. Not much to it. A lot of toys, most
e
“Uh huh,” I said. “Tell me about what happens.” of them more or less put away, and a dresser which the
Sometimes I seem to have the damnedest sense of two kids evidently shared, a little table and chairs, and a
timing. No sooner had I asked the question than a high- closet.
pitched scream cut the air, joined an instant later by A nice, shadowy closet.
another one. I grunted and got on the floor to peer beneath the little
f
“Oh, God,” Megan said, and flew up to her feet and out pink bed. Then I squinted at the closet. If I was four and
of the room. lying on the girl’s bed, the closet would be looming right
I followed her, but more slowly, as the screaming past the ends of my toes.
continued. She hurried down a short hallway to a room I closed my eyes for a moment and reached out with
with a trio of large cartoon girl-figures I didn’t recognize. my wizard’s senses, feeling the flow and ebb of energy
g
They had freaking huge eyes, though. Megan emerged a through the house. Within the defensive wall of the
moment later, carrying a dark-haired moppet in pink and threshold, other energy pulsed and moved—emotions
white striped footy pajamas. The little girl was clinging from the house’s inhabitants, random energies sifting in
to her mother with all four limbs and kept screaming, her from outdoors, the usual.
eyes squeezed tight shut. But not in the closet. There wasn’t anything at all in h
The sound was heart-wrenching. She was terrified. that closet.
I had to stop short as Megan immediately took two “Ah hah,” I said.
quick steps toward me and plunged through the next
E H P
doorway. This one had a poster of a band of young men
on it I didn’t recognize. One looked rebellious and sullen, i
one wacky and lighthearted, one sober and stable, and “Third A,” I said, writing on the board. “Assemble.”
one handsomely vogue. Another Monkees reincarnation, “Avengers…” said McKenzie.
basically. “Assemble!” crowed the young Wardens in unison.
I went to the door and saw Megan, with her clinging They’re good kids.
moppet, sit down on the bed and start gently shaking the “That is, in fact, one potential part of this phase of the j
shoulder of a girl with her mother’s hair, presumably Kat. investigation,” I said, taking the conversation back in hand
She was screaming, too, but she broke out of it a moment as I nodded my approval. “Sometimes, once you’ve figured
later, the instant her eyes fluttered open. out what’s going on, you go and round up reinforcements.
The moppet, presumably Tamara, stopped screaming, But what assembling really means, for our purposes, is
k
too, and at exactly the same time. Then they both burst putting everything together. You’ve got your information.
into less-hysterical tears and clung to their mother. Now you need to decide what to do with it. You plan what
Megan’s face was anguished, but her voice and her steps you need to take. You work out the possible conse-
hands were gentle as she touched them, spoke to them, quences of your actions.”
reassured them. If she was an empath as sensitive as her “Here’s where you use your brain. If the foe has a
l
file and her reaction to my test suggested, then she had to weakness, you figure out how to exploit it. If you’ve got an
be in terrible psychic pain. She pushed enough of it aside advantage of terrain, you figure out how to use it. If you
to be there for her kids, though. need specialized gear or equipment to help, here’s where
“Dammit,” I heard Yardly breathe from the hall behind you get it.” I started a stack of papers around the room.
me. It was a tired oath. “There’s recipes on these handouts for a couple of the most
m