Some gods are not forgotten.
Some are revered and worshipped widely. Everywhere you look you see them - in your homes, around your neck and even on your dollar bills. Their names are on your tongues—used with reverence. Or as a curse. In fits of anger and passion and frustration, the names carry on from mouth to ear to mouth again and again.
And every year after leaves have withered and the skies turned grey, billions gather in celebration of His birth. And every year without fail He attempts to be born again.
Agents Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh are tasked with stopping just such an occurrence.
WHAT'S GOING ON?
A new year, a new immaculate conception. So long as his name is spoken Jesus Christ will be born again amongst his faithful - to start anew his mission and build a following.
Delta Green has located this year's victim of immaculate conception. Her name is Marisa Pearson, a local of Amarillo, TX. Her pregnancy story hasn’t held up with the locals and after being kicked out of her parents home she was last seen heading north with her boyfriend Joe.
On 24 DEC ‘19 at 11:58PM she will give birth to Jesus Christ. This cannot be.
THE BRIEFING
The Agents are handpicked for this mission and summoned to a nondescript blacksite where they are placed in separate rooms. They’re ordered to empty out their pockets and turn over any electronic devices.
Each is then given a book - an old unbound copy of the Bible. Very old, but in English. Reading the book costs SAN LOSS 0/1D4 as they discover the true history of Jesus Christ. A chronicle of every year from his crucifixion identifying his new place of birth and eventual place of destruction. There are gaps in the chronicle. Each log of death mentions crucifixion.
At the end of the book they’ll find a longer, older edition of Revelations that contains more explicit details of Christ's plans for Armageddon.
Afterwards they’re gathered together for introductions and a briefing.
OPERATION IMMACULATE ANNIHILATION ORDERS
- Head to Channing, TX
- Locate Marisa Pearson.
- Destroy the child.
- Make the outcome appear mundane.
The Agents are given a vehicle and instructed to set out at once. Everything they’ll need is in the car.
THE CAR
A grey 90’s era Volvo 240.
In the trunk: reinforced kevlar, two duffel bags of weapons, a crate filled with assorted explosives nestled in hay and the materials necessary for a DIY crucifixion.
THE TOWN
Channing, TX is a small ‘town’ with a population of 326 people located in the Texas Panhandle. Surrounding it is a smattering of dusty hills, farms, and ranches. It has seen a recent bout of snow - two inches just last night that has dusted the land in a thin layer of muddy white. The Agents arrive late in the evening with little time to spare.
There are two stores in Channing: Cede’s General Store (a sign advertises ‘Gas, Diesel, Beer and Snacks’) and Sooner Trading - an animal feed store.
Talking to the locals reveals that they have seen a woman matching Marisa’s description as well as a man presumed to be her husband. A sharp eyed neighbor makes an offhand comment on the couples lack of wedding rings.
Marisa Pearson and Joe were seeking a place to stay, their car having broken down just outside of town, but Channing, Texas has no hotel and everyone Marisa spoke to turned her and Joe away. Eventually she wandered out to the nearest ranch - her tracks are still visible in the recent snow.
THE RANCH
As they follow along the tracks to the ranch they’ll notice a star shining brightly above.
Agents with 20% in ASTRONOMY or 40% in NAVIGATE will know no star should be there, let alone one so bright. SAN LOSS 0/1.
The ranch is a large property with many acres of grazing grounds for its cattle. A small farmhouse rests in the northeastern corner of the property, not far from a two-story barn and a dilapidated shed on the eastern edge.
As the Agents near the property the tracks in the snow are lost beneath a mixture of vehicle and animal tracks. The closest building to them is the shed. Just beyond it is the barn, whose open door sways in the wind. A dim light comes from inside.
THE SHED
A small shed holding a variety of hand tools and table saws. Several are missing from their place.
THE BARN
Six stables make up the majority of space in the barn. Between them and the door are workbenches holding a variety of tools and tack/harnesses. There is blood on the open door of the corner stable. The only light comes from a metal heating lamp hanging on the rafter above it.
Peeking inside reveals the Agents are late. The birth has already taken place - Marisa has birthed a fully grown man and subsequently been ripped in two. Seeing the remains is SAN LOSS 1/1D4.
Agents with FORENSICS are able to determine the body is fresh - the birth was the apparent cause of death and happened no more than two hours ago.
THE RANCH HOUSE
A single-storied, wooden house covered in Christmas lights. A faded, inflatable nativity scene sits in the front yard.
As they approach they’ll hear an intermittent sawing sound. In the garage they’ll find Joe feverishly sawing through a long plank of wood. His eyes are bloodshot. Agents with HUMINT or PSYCHOTHERAPY at 40% will recognize signs of temporary insanity. Whatever he’s seen has led him to begin constructing a large wooden crucifix.
The house proper is more or less what you might expect of a lower class rancher. Decent quality furniture, rustic in design. Family photos mixed among older photos of a generation past. Religious iconography scattered on the walls. A large Christmas tree with presents still wrapped beneath it.
The kitchen reeks of wine. Close examination of the adult male slumped onto the dining table reveals why - all the water in his body has been replaced by wine. SAN LOSS 0/1D4.
On the porch they’ll find another resident of the ranch sitting in a meditative pose with an expression of pure bliss. If approached they’ll ask “Have you heard the good news?’
‘He is risen!’
THE BEAUTY OF CHRIST
The sun will appear in the sky as they progress through the ranch, far sooner than it should have. This is the presence of Christ at work. The reality around him takes on the appearance of paradise. The small ranch becomes a beautiful painting authored by the Son of God himself. Jesus paints the nearby reality in broad strokes of divine paradise, but if Agents look closely they’ll find he’s sloppy with the brush and little details won’t match the big picture.
THE FLOCK
Creatures caught in this ‘painting’ are compelled to seek its artist. Farm animals and wildlife alike will move or attempt to move towards the source, as well as any ranchers.
Not all of the creatures moving towards Jesus were alive yesterday.
The initial Flock consists of 30 animals and 2 ranch hands. If the ranches cows are freed from their pens that number will triple. The longer the Agents take the larger the Flock will grow.
If the Agents walk with the creatures one of the animals will ask, ‘Have you heard the good news?’ ‘He is risen!’
SAN LOSS 1/1D4.
GODS ONLY SON
If they follow the animals they’ll find Jesus at the center of this growing Flock. If they choose not to look for him or follow some other trail, he will instead come to them—with the Flock in tow.
The first time Agents see Jesus roll SAN.
Success - the Agent sees whatever version of Christ they are most familiar with.
Failure - the Agent sees the Christ of Revelations.
“The hair on his head is white like wool, as white as snow, and his sunken eyes are blazing fire. His feet appear as bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice sounds like rushing waters. In his right hand he holds seven stars, and coming out of his mouth is a sharp, double-edged sword. His face glows like the sun shining in all its brilliance.”
Jesus will not resist with violence, initially. Instead his Flock will attempt to subdue any aggressors while Jesus feeds off their WP with the eventual goal of converting them. If this proves fruitless, or the damage to the flock becomes too severe Jesus will begin spending WP to stop them. Nothing they can do will cause him to take any direct physical action against them.
Any Agent who says his name gives Jesus 1 WP.
ENDING IT
The only way to stop Jesus is crucifixion. Thankfully Joe has done most, if not all the work of building a cross but it’s firmly in the hands of the Agents to nail Jesus to it.
STATS
JESUS CHRIST
STR 17 CON 15 DEX 12 INT 13 POW 19 CHA 18
HP 16 WP 19 (Starts at 10)
Skills: Craft (Carpentry) 80%, HUMINT 55%, Persuade 60%, Unnatural 20%
SAVIOR - Initial acts of violence against Jesus will cost 1D4 WP if the Agent has succeeded their SAN test upon seeing him.
DEATH IS DEFEATED - Attacks on the Flock may damage or even destroy their physical forms, but so long as they are near Jesus they will no die.
FISHER OF MEN **- Agents below 9 WP may be compelled into discipleship. Jesus can spend half the targets WP to force a contested POW x5. If the Agent fails the test they are compelled to join the flock.
WATER INTO WINE** - Expending WP equal to the targeted Agents, Jesus turns all water in the body into wine. Single Target, Lethality 20%.
GODS OWN - Physical damage will destroy the body of Christ, but he regenerates at a rate of 1D4 HP per turn regardless of how much damage has been inflicted. Successful Lethality rolls may delay that a few turns, but until he’s been crucified His body will always heal. (With the exception of the Stigmata)
SAN LOSS: 1D4/1D10
The Flock
Subdue 50%
Trample 50%, Lethality 10%.
Ranchers
STR 12 CON 10 DEX 10 INT 10 POW 10 CHA 10
HP 11 WP 10 (starts at 6 if part of the Flock)
Credits
This was an entry to the 2020 shotgun scenario contest. Written by Samuel Sirkel