Time of the Horsemen

by Andrew Tuttle

We knew the day would come when your home, Earth, would become the battlefield for the War in Heaven. We told ourselves we loved you, as our Father loves us all. We told ourselves we were giving you insights and abilities to defend yourselves. We lied to ourselves and we lied to you. What we did we did for pride, envy, lust, greed...Consumed by our sins, we fell. Some became as beasts, knowing nothing but their own desire. Some clung to their lies, claiming to be righteous and worthy of redemption. A very few of us became human. Well, very nearly human, I suppose. And humanity taught us Hope. And Hope has brought us here.

The End of the World

On the news they say a Near-Earth object made a dangerously close pass, leaving a trail of meteor showers and tidal disruptions. There was a certain amount of panic and it seemed like a lot of people just stopped coming into work. There was some talk of forming an international agency to defend against future NEO dangers, but that faded away and things sort of slid back to normal.

Until the nightmares began.

Around the world, people reported apocalyptic nightmares and demonic delusions. Celebrities and other public figures were gripped by grandiose obsessions, declaring themselves to be prophets, gurus, angels, and gods. Some national governments banded together with international agencies and multinational corporations, trying to hold back the madness. Other groups claimed sovereignty, becoming armed enclaves and city-states. Everywhere lines are being drawn and allegiances declared.

While nations and states are falling apart, local communities grow stronger. Schools, churches, libraries, police stations, firehouses, hospitals, even coffee houses, diners, and mini-marts become cornerstones for new communities. Blackouts and shortages are commonplace but gas, water, and electricity still seem to run. Ground beef is becoming a luxury item but chicken, rabbit, and goat are all available. Of course the upper class somehow manages to get their delicacies.

The Riders

Seen only in nightmares, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse have begun the conquest of mankind. Everyone has been touched by dark dreams featuring iconic figures demanding obedience and submission. Ancient warrior kings, identified as “the Horsemen,” promise wealth and prosperity in exchange for servitude. Refusal is met with visions of violence, disease, and death. But even in the face of overwhelming supernatural force, mankind will not be conquered.

The Rider of the White Horse

Short-sighted and narcissistic, he fires his poison arrows far and wide through the channels of modern media. He bribes his drones and sycophants with cheap thrills, co-opting media superstar celebrities to be his Emissaries. His philosophy brings a life lived on impulse where actions have no consequences, only instant gratification. He tempts with dreams of fame and lust. He threatens with nightmares of disfiguring disease and public humiliation. His Emissaries hold lavish parties and public events. They seek positions of public acclaim and alternately flatter and cajole to enact the will of their Master.

The Rider of the Red Horse

Paranoid and bellicose, this Rider preaches strength but practices only pain. His philosophy of absolute power and rigid control brings a life of mindless, reactionary conflict against enemies and allies alike. He tempts with dreams of power and dominance. He threatens with nightmares of horrific, torturous violence. His Emissaries hold positions of authority as community or gang leaders. They enforce strict order and rigid hierarchies through public law or private codes of honor.

The Rider of the Black Horse

Arrogant and overbearing, he stands always in the shadows, directing Byzantine plots aimed at the acquisition of more—more power, more wealth, more resources... His philosophy brings a life of wretched hunger for most, and bloated stagnation for a few. He brings dreams of wealth and influential secrets. He threatens obliquely, preferring to strike at loved ones and cherished ideals with his corrupting influence. His Emissaries guard their identities zealously with complex networks of intermediaries. They offer influence and wealth, but always at a steep price.

The Rider of the Pale Horse

Soft-spoken and relentless, with a calm presence and somewhat faulty logic, the final Rider makes a near-irresistible case for self-destruction. Appearing at times as a generalized authority figure but more often as a loved one long passed, his philosophy of morbid predestination and resignation brings a life of slow, spreading decay. Unlike the other Riders, the Pale Rider doesn’t enact grand schemes against entire communities. In dreams he rarely appears as a medieval icon of death, preferring to appear as a relative or friend who has recently died or whose life has been touched by death. He doesn’t present threats, just simple examples from everyday life subtly shaded with inevitability. His Emissaries in the waking world, his “Hollow Men,” are quiet and plain-spoken fatalists with a knack for catching people alone and off-guard.

The Emissaries

Those who choose to serve the Horsemen may find themselves in positions of power. Most people suppress the knowledge that they serve a supernatural master and are quick to profess allegiance to “the greater good.” The Horsemen grant a chosen few supernatural gifts, abilities clearly beyond the human realm.

• The Emissaries of the White Rider are often Clever/Arrogant, with stunts reflecting impossibly high charisma and physical beauty. They may have gifts allowing them to grant beauty and health or cast curses of disease.
• The Emissaries of the Red Rider are Forceful/Angry, with stunts reflecting physical strength and martial skill. They may have gifts of god-like strength or the ability to hurl fire or lightning.
• The Emissaries of the Black Rider are Sneaky/Treacherous, with stunts reflecting manipulation and misdirection. Their gifts are subtle, such as deceptive illusions or the ability to impose luck or misfortune.
• The Emissaries of the Pale Rider are Careful/Fearful, with stunts reflecting their deep but twisted understanding of psychology and the human condition. They may have gifts of uncanny insight, precise knowledge of a person’s fears and desires.

It isn’t easy, struggling every day to find your hope, faith, and belief. But it is possible, and every day more people find the inner strength to refuse the treacherous “gifts” of the Horsemen. Every day mankind grows stronger and the Time of the Horsemen comes closer to its end.

The Watchers

Other forces have made themselves known in dreams and even the waking lives of the people. In ancient times these Watchers intervened directly, but their interference led to tragedy in the form of war, cataclysm, and plague. Now the Watchers act subtly, living beside humanity, granting aid and support when needed.

A Watcher’s high concept is a Dedication aspect (see below) which defines a Watcher’s area of expertise. A Watcher has a deep connection to a specific area of human endeavor, like the Muses of Greece or the Apsaras of India. Watchers are attracted to people with Dedication aspects similar to their own.

Watchers have a physical form, but on principle, Watchers rarely take action in the waking world. They provide information and inspiration in dreams. They can make their presence known in nightmares, providing refuge from the threats of the Riders (see below).

Setting Creation

Time of the Horsemen is a Quick Start Adventure with everything you need to jump right into your first session. Before you start, discuss the broader setting with your group, perhaps even reading aloud the descriptions of the Horsemen, their Emissaries, and the Watchers, so everyone is on the same page.

At the start of play, explain the current issue to your players and ask them to fill in one or two additional faces associated with The Horsemen Ride. These additional characters provide new plot hooks and twists that tie your players more deeply to the strange phenomena they face at the end of the world.

Then ask your players to choose from one of the two available impending issues: Guns or Butter or Special Election. Have them fill in one or two additional faces for their chosen impending issue as well, rounding out the larger cast of characters with their suggestions.

Current Issue: The Horsemen Ride

Your city has become a patchwork of factions as both the Riders and the Watchers spread their influence to battle over territory. The players are an enclave of survivors, unaligned with Riders or Watchers, doing what they can to survive and contribute to the community at large.

Faces:

People are aware of the Riders as they appear in their dreams, but very few people admit that the Riders affect their everyday lives.

The White Rider: a person of god-like beauty wearing a golden crown offers the dreamer a seat at a banquet table laden with rich food and drink

The Red Rider: an armored giant offers a gleaming sword with one hand and a line of chained slaves with the other

The Black Rider: a shadowy figure in a poorly lit room offers a simple deal, a favor now for a favor to be collected later

The Pale Rider: a deceased loved one assures the dreamer that the end is coming soon 

Impending Issue: Guns or Butter?

Adin Joz’s black markets are tightening their control of local resources, including Capt. duRance’s covert arms trade. Regina “Rage” Benton is on a personal mission to break Capt. duRance’s long established hold on weapons trade and ruin his tough, moralistic reputation. Her fierce ambition has brought her in conflict with community leader Wikvaya Porter, who in turn brings more pressure on Capt. duRance.

Faces:

Adin Joz: secretive plutocrat, Emissary of the Black Rider

Nathaniel duRance: police captain, Emissary of the Red Rider

Wikvaya Porter: urban farmer, dietitian, deeply concerned about the availability of fresh milk and other issues regarding children’s health

Regina Benton: ambitious lieutenant for Adin Joz with a grudge against Capt. duRance

Impending Issue: Special Election

Grace Allbright seeks to rebuild the city council. As an Emissary of the White Rider, her only real concern is adding to her power base, and your block is on her short list of desirable properties. Mrs. Allbright is calling for “responsible, respectable community leaders” to form a “transition council.” Police Captain Nathaniel duRance supports Mrs. Allbright “in principle” but thinks her actions are premature, in light of the “growing threat of gang violence.”

Faces:

Grace Allbright: charismatic lawyer, Emissary of the White Rider

Ernest Phelps: local Allbright supporter and campaign worker, honestly hoping to change the world

Catherine Stephenson: Police Lt. Stephenson coordinates the activities of patrol officers and local authorized block watch groups, torn between ideals of justice and the violence of a collapsing social order

Character Creation

Time of the Horsemen is written for Fate Accelerated characters. Players take the roles of community members, part of an enclave in a moderate to large city.

New Extra: Dedication

Dedication is an aspect that reflects the strength of a character’s values. These are ideals like truth and justice or values such as family or tradition—things that a character would strive and fight for. The Dedication aspect replaces a character’s high concept. They can draw on this extra for strength when needed, and most importantly, it can be used to reverse the effects of corruption (see below). Players may also choose a single Dedication stunt.

Dedication Stunts: Characters may begin to manifest supernatural powers. Dedication stunts go well beyond the human norm. Low end powers would be hysterical strength, uncanny luck, and danger sense. If the players desire a more fantastic story, PCs can manifest miraculous healing powers and sprout angelic wings.

Dedication and Corruption

The Dedication aspect and Dedication stunts can’t be invoked to affect the outcome of an action using a corrupt approach (see below). A player may try to redeem a corrupt approach by facing a challenge (Fate Accelerated Edition, page 19) of three to five steps. The challenge should be based on the subject of the character’s Dedication aspect and the character can’t use a corrupt approach during the challenge.

Playing the Game

Nightmares

While the characters try to sleep, the Riders use nightmares to corrupt the PC’s values. In a nightmare scene, a Rider creates scenarios forcing or tempting the character into accepting a corrupt approach. Nightmares present horrific worst-case scenarios centered on important people in the PC’s life. The themes of the nightmare are drawn from the attacking Horseman and the PC’s Dedication aspect.

Playing a nightmare has some mechanical differences. Unlike ordinary dreams and nightmares, taking place in one character’s mind, multiple characters can share a Rider-inspired nightmare. A nightmare is a mental zone where characters are locked in a contest with a Rider (Fate Core System, page 150). Within a Rider’s nightmare zone, a character’s aspects (except for Dedication aspects) only add +1 when invoked, and stunts (except for Dedication stunts) add nothing. A character’s friends may create advantages for them, and a Watcher may make itself known by creating advantages.

The nightmare ends when:

• The character or character’s team wins three victories.
• The Rider wins three victories.

There is a penalty when the Rider wins. All characters who participated in the nightmare begin their next scene with a mental consequence in their lowest available consequence slot. This consequence reflects the nature of the Rider and one of the corrupt approaches such as Afraid of Someone or for Someone, Angry at Someone, Reckless Impulses, etc. The imperiled loved ones also suffer a mental consequence directed at the challenged character.

Any of the characters accept a corrupt approach to succeed at serious cost.

When all the members of a group or residents of a building or other area are under the influence of a Rider, the Rider can create a waking nightmare, which functions identically to a sleeping nightmare. A Rider uses this tactic when their real-world influence is under attack. Servants of the Rider have a weird monstrous or demonic appearance and behave in a way that reflects their master’s predilections. NPCs call these incidents “hallucinations” or “mass hysteria.”

Nightmares, both in dreams and waking, are visceral, immediate, life-or-death challenges with no “good” resolution, only “less bad.”

Playing the Watchers

Watchers begin the game more like situational aspects. Watchers provide support and aid for every aspect of human life, from core values like family, community, and diligence to achievements like music and engineering. A Watcher spirit is attracted to a character’s Dedication aspect and aids and enhances the effects of those aspects. If the community has attracted a Watcher, nightmares become less intense, injuries heal faster, and critical machinery like generators and refrigerators stop breaking down. Watchers are prone to human weaknesses; a character manifesting Watcher gifts may still fall to corruption and Fallen Watchers offer players corrupt approaches.

Revelations

A significant question at the start of a Time of the Horsemen story is which of the Riders is making trouble. At the climax of a story, Riders can be revealed when their Emissaries are confronted directly. The Emissary loses power over their followers and waking nightmare aspects vanish as the spectral form of the rider appears. Once seen, this is a hard thing to repress.

The characters face the Emissary in a contest to force or trick them into revealing the Rider who’s backing them. Winning the contest reveals the Rider in their spectral form and disperses their influence from the area. This is a major milestone. Losing the contest inflicts mental consequences as in a nightmare, plus any real-world consequences, like being arrested.

Riders may look impressive in their spectral form, but they’re at their weakest at this point. Dispersing a Rider may involve confronting an Emissary with evidence of their crimes or organizing an impromptu community sing-along. Convincing a group under the influence of a Rider to question the Rider’s authority or behave counter to the Rider’s desires will weaken the Rider’s influence. This will bring much-needed relief from nightmares and ease community tensions.

Gifts of the Riders: Corruption

The main tool of the Riders is to offer power in exchange for servitude. They draw the PCs into dangerous situations through the manipulations of their Emissaries or they provoke them in Nightmares. As characters are tempted by the Riders, their approaches may become corrupted.

The corruption system was written by Clark Valentine and presented in a previous issue of Fate Codex. Excerpts are included here. For more information about the corruption mechanic, check out Corruption in Fate Accelerated in Fate Codex, Issue 2.2, pages 6-12.

Starting Scene: Shootout at OK-Mart

The PCs awake from dreams of blood and thunder to the sounds of gunshots and sirens. The OK-Mart, a nearby convenience store, has been robbed. The OK-Mart owners, Donald and Kenya Katz, have supported the community since the beginning of the troubles; violence here strikes at the heart of the community.

Vigilante intervention has left three dead, Donald Katz and two gang members. As the police take control, word spreads quickly that a third gang member fled the scene and is at large in the community. The vigilantes, notorious braggarts, are curiously silent and unresistant as the police take them away. If the PCs don’t investigate, an officer finds them to get a statement from possible witnesses and to solicit their assistance. If you’re using the pre-generated characters, Cressida receives hints from the Watcher Cali that there’s more to the story.

• The Red Rider has agents everywhere in this: the gangs, the vigilantes, and the police. Capt. duRance is his Emissary, and he wants the violence to escalate while publicly preaching the need for greater control.
• The Emissary of the White Rider, Mrs. Allbright, wants to capitalize on the spectacle: to be seen consoling the bereaved and publicly condemning the violence.
• The Black Rider wants the store itself and sends agents to alternately threaten and bribe the storeowner’s grieving family—or perhaps his Emissary, Adin Joz, is already a “silent partner” in the business.
• The Pale Rider takes advantage of the death of Don Katz and his friendly relationship with the community. He appears as Don in dreams and approaches characters when they’re alone, offering promises of comfort and rest.

Opening Aspects: Blood, Glass, and Police Tape; Only the Beginning; Unanswered Questions

Middle Scene: Manhunt

The police, local watch, and gangs are searching for the missing person. The PCs may be involved with one or more of the factions or be searching on their own. Police informers and gang members suggest searching the Tower, a place to go when you need to disappear. A Watcher could send a symbolic dream to a PC.

The Tower is an old brownstone hotel that was nearly gutted by fire years ago. Its ruined interior is now inhabited by junkies and derelicts under the control of the Pale Rider. The fugitive is trying to hide here, but his fear and hopelessness have attracted one of the Pale Rider’s Hollow Men.

The Pale Rider’s Hollow Men are not like the other Emissaries. They seek a personal level of influence without the need for public acclaim or power. They have no names, but the community where they do their work usually gives them a simple title like “The Old Man” or “The Cat Lady.” The Hollow Man who haunts the Tower is called “The Caretaker.” If possible, the fugitive should be known personally to a PC. If not, the fugitive can be influenced by a Watcher to trust one of the PCs. He claims he’s not a gang member, he’s a witness to what really happened.

It quickly becomes evident that the Riders know where he is too. This is an opportunity for the Riders to use waking nightmares against the PCs. Of the four Riders, Red and Black have the most to gain from an overt attack; should characters become isolated, the Pale Rider takes advantage.

Opening Aspects: Urban Desolation; Hunters and the Hunted; Presumed Guilty

End Scene: Siege

The PCs will fight or flee to a refuge. They may need a hospital or clinic, they might find themselves allied with the police, or they may go to ground in one of their own homes. Now, instead of the danger of a ruined building on broken ground, the PCs have intact walls and possible allies.

Capt. duRance and Mrs. Albright must maintain their public image, but Adin Joz can use his supernaturally stealthy Operators. The captain and Mrs. Albright will try to force some sort of public resolution they can use to support their agendas. Adin wants to create ambiguity and suspicion he can use to undermine the others. The Pale Rider seeks despair and a high body count.

The Operators

Emissaries of the Black Rider have at their disposal a team of emotionless, tight lipped men and women to do their dirty work. The Operators dress in black and arrive unexpectedly in sinister black vehicles. Impassive, authoritative Officials take control while a van of black body armor clad Operators with strangely high tech firearms infiltrate to capture or eliminate their target. Should the Emissary have high amounts of resources and influence, there might even be weirdly silent black helicopters observing the scene. Sufficiently stylish Emissaries might even employ ninja. The Operators will neither confirm nor deny anything, and they leave as swiftly and mysteriously as they arrived.

The Operators are Forceful and Sneaky with stunts focused on combat, intimidation, and stealth.

Opening Aspects: Beyond Negotiation; Guilt by Association; Allies and Bystanders

Plot Hooks and Adventures

The struggle goes on as the Riders play their sadistic games with human pawns. People work to rebuild community and the Watchers seek to redeem themselves.

Civil War

The Red Rider puts Capt. duRance to the test by allowing a rival to rise to power. Wikvaya Porter challenges the captain’s authority and effectiveness. The community is undecided, and even the police force—a link to the world before the Riders—is divided. Capt. duRance is a practiced campaigner while Wikvaya is a plain spoken, sincere, and highly respected community leader. Will business as usual win out over grassroots? Does either faction have the community’s best interests at heart?

New World Order

Grace Allbright announces she’s been contacted by an assessment committee, and agents of the new federal government, federal aid, and troops will be arriving soon. All she has to back up her claim is the word of four recently arrived strangers, supposedly sent by the government. This could finally be the light at the end of the tunnel, a return to lost stability. Who are these strangers and what are their plans?

House of Miracles

A miracle healer with a small army of devoted followers has set up shop. The healing is real and the followers are sincere. This could change everything for the community, creating a center of hope for the entire city. If this isn’t some plot by one of the Riders, how will Riders react to this? Has a Watcher decided to reveal themselves with uncharacteristic boldness?

Characters

The PCs on the following pages are part of the News Crew, a freelance news team distributing news and entertainment through the local internet. These sample characters do not have their full allotment of aspects to allow for personalization during play.