“When you have to kill a man,

it costs nothing to be polite.”

-Winston Churchill

u
yo
ish re
W
e he
r
we

Death A
Takes
H olidayo
A Narrative Entertainment
by Nick Wedig
 Death Takes A Holiday
A light-hearted narrative phantasy
Concerning the grimmest of topics

v
For two or more participants

By Nicholas Wedig
Teapot Dome Games, Ltd.

T he firm of Boxmuller and Sons had never been accurately

named. Hopewell Boxmuller1 had no sons. He simply liked the
sound of the name for his store. Thus it was that, when the old
eccentric died, the property passed into the joint custody of a
variety of greatnieces, second cousins and his half-sister’s step-
children.

Such displays of inheritance law are by no means unusual. What

was noteworthy were the experiences of these relatives as they
voyaged to inspect their newfound estates on Perdido Island.
Having chosen to eschew waiting for the daily ferry from the
mainland, the family chose to rent a small sailboat from a local
fisherman. This, too, is not the unusual part of the story. Nor is
the fact that Perdido Island was seeing extremely low tides that
day, due to a solar eclipse a quarter of the way around the planet.

The first truly unusual part of the story came when the sailboat,
captained and crewed by a family of amateurs, ran its hull up
against the newly exposed mast of the long sunken HMS Galatea.
The sunken schooner’s mast pierced the hull of the rented vessel,
and the boat sank, creating a collision of two boats in one location
that would puzzle future archaeologists in later times.
ti m e li n e, the survival
enough
“On a large rops to zero.”
There were no survivors.
er y o n e d niuk
rate fo r ev -Chuck Palah
And yet, the deaths of the Boxmuller relatives is not the end of
the story. The premature demise of each unskilled mariner is just
the beginning of an even stranger tale...

1 Myocardial ischaemia
Boxmuller brothers Ernest and Friedrich
wish the Grim Reaper a fond farewell as
He departs for a bicycle tour of Europe.
 U pon their demise, the Boxmuller family found themselves in
the Bone Orchard, as most souls do once their earthly existence
has been terminated. The Bone Orchard is the abode of the an-
thropomorphic personification of Death. Once He has collected
a soul from its dying body, the Grim Reaper (as He is colloquially
called) guides the lost soul into the Bone Orchard, and there to
the Veil of Souls.

As with their recent nautical mishap, the Boxmullers’ experiences

within the Bone Orchard were atypical. As He led them toward
the black swirling miasma of the Veil of Souls, the Grim Reaper
paused for a moment. With a hesitation that implied uncertainty,
the embodiment of mortality made a proposition to the Boxmull-
er relatives. Death had a peculiar offer for them.

The End of All Things, you see, had diligently been working with-
out respite the past several millenia. He was becoming weary of
His traditional task. He wanted to take a break from ending the
lives of mortals. The Grim Reaper wished to relax and, for just a
short time, stop Reaping souls.

In short, Death needed a holiday.

And so it was that He made an offer to the mortal family whose

souls He was shepherding. The Grim Reaper would return the
family to their mortal lives and let them live. In exchange, the
Try tailing Mrs.
for the afternoon

Boxmullers would act as substitute Reapers while Death was on

holiday. They would go to the dying, stand by their side and touch
their flesh in the moments just before death. Then the soul would
follow the ersatz Reaper back to the Veil of Souls and thence on
to whatever afterlife awaits. The Boxmullers would be the substi-
tute Deaths of Perdido Island.
Yours Truly,

Frankholter

Perhaps dumbstruck by the metaphysical weight of their experi-

ences, none of the Boxmuller clan asked how long the Reaper’s
holiday would last. This was the first of their many mistakes.
Mr. D

The next thing that they new, the Boxmuller family found them-
selves washing up on the beach of Perdido Island. Their boat had
crashed but, miraculously, each and every one had all survived. A
postcard sat on a nearby barrel, bearing a peculiar legend: “Try
tailing Mrs. Frankholter for the afternoon. Yours, Mr. D.”
U

This postcard would prove to be the first of many from the Grim
Reaper to the family. Each subsequent card would be more cryp-
tic than the last. But each card would also lead to a person who
was dying, though sometimes by a circuitous or coincidental path.
 Welcome, narrators!
D eath Takes A Holiday is a collaborative story-telling enter-
tainment. It is intended to be played by a small coterie of friends
and acquaintances, perhaps two to five in number. You will each
portray a unique Primary Character (PC) and collectively you will
collaborate on portraying the minor characters (NPCs) and es-
tablishing the setting and other details.

You have control over your Primary Character’s thoughts, feel-

ings, and intentions. But the moment your character attempts
to have a meaningful impact on the world or when you try to
state something about the external world, then you are making a
statement. Other participants in the game will be given the op-
portunity to modify or change your statement in certain specific
ways. The other people at the table will be able to change what
you said by applying a response to the statement. The responses
are formalized reaction designed to add additional fictional de-
tail and introduce plot complications. There is a limited pool of
responses to pick from. Once a specific response is used, it can-
not be reused until the pool empties and refreshes. Once each
response has been used once, the pool refreshes and all then each
response can be used once more.

Each important NPC, object, location or plotline will get its own
Story, which is a list of important information about the fictional
element, along with what responses have been used to modify it.
A Story records what you need to know about that element, and
identifies its relative importance to the game at large. The more
details added (and the more input and feedback other players
provide), the more important that character, object, or location is.

I always said
G

and ferris w that firearm

heels don’t m s
ix.
–The Farewe
ll to the Fles
h
 Customizing the setting
B efore you begin play, everyone as a group will need to cus-
tomize the setting of Perdido Island. You will do this as a collec-
tive, by taking the basic framework provided and modifying it to
e
a n d di make it unique. On the next page, you’ll find a list of statements
on
l o o k up wn at I
about Perdido Island, and about the store Boxmuller and Sons
l m I i l l o n t h and about the Bone Orchard, otherworldly abode of Death. Ev-
ea w ve
The r er man the Hea wn. eryone should read over them and discuss as a group what they
h n o
Anot all attai e not kn like and what they don’t like from the list. Then you will se-
v
He sh and ha an, t C ame” lect each response and apply it to one statement. Each Response
h p
Peris . Housm ut of Egy changes, modifies or adds detail to an existing statement. Just use
E
—A. Israel O each response once to modify a statement, and make sure each
n
“Whe statement and response get used once.

“Yes, and…” means that the you add an intensifying detail to the
statement.
“Yes, but…” means you accept the statement as true, except for
some exception or contradictory detail.
“No, but” means the statement is untrue, though a minor similar
detail might be true.
“No, and…” Means the statement is untrue, and then you go
beyond simple negation and describe the island as reflecting the
opposite.
“Try it a different way” in this instance gives you the ability to
rephrase, rename or change an element while keeping the state-
ment more or less accurate in general theme, even if the specific
details are changed.
“That’s a funny story, actually…” means that this element will
be developed through play into a longer, more detailed story of
its own.

(Don’t use “But only if…” for modifying the Island or Boxmuller and
Sons. I’m not sure what it would mean in this situation.)

and Be at
fou Wolve the co
be r. Th rston rner
you sunny ough e at h of Fift
r u , ma the a h
mb k e wea lf-pas
rell t
a. sure y ther w
ou ill
–Th b r ing
L eO
nco
min
gS
tor
m
 Perdido Island
p Has a population of approximately 40,000 (which
“Yes, and...”
means an average of one death per day). About half the
“Yes, but...” population lives in the town of Fable’s Demise
“No, but...” p Is known as a popular vacation place for people
“No, and...” from the mainland
p Has an incompetent police force, specifically Sheriff
“That’s a funny story actually...”
Horatio Flacks2 and Deputy Irving P. Zalewsky3, but it
“Try it a different way” has a canny coroner named Dr. Isabel Stavros4
p Is home to a variety of strange spirits and super-
natural beings usually not seen by humans, including
various minor gods, forest sprites and household spirits.
p Is fundamentally a modern day American city in
terms of social norms, technology and legalities, though
it is anachronistic in aesthetics and style.
p Sunny climate, mostly forests

Boxmuller and Sons:

p Had Hopewell Boxmuller’s apartments on the sec-
“Yes, and...” ond floor
“Yes, but...” p Sells some kind of quirky, anachronistic good (figure
“No, but...” out as a group what it is –perhaps old sideshow props, like
paper-mache mummies and Fiji Mermaids?).
“No, and...”
p Mainly caters to tourists
“That’s a funny story actually...” p Is perpetually in debt
“Try it a different way” p Has no employees beyond the Boxmuller family
p Has strange things in the attic

The Bone Orchard:

p Is accessible by entering a grave marked “Fisher”
“Yes, and...” that can be found in the third row of every graveyard
“Yes, but...” p Is made of bones and skeletons
“No, but...” p Is a dark and somber place where no light shines
brightly and regret overwhelms other emotions
“No, and...”
p Holds the Veil of Souls, gateway to the Afterlife
“That’s a funny story actually...” p Has many areas that Death forbid anyone enter
“Try it a different way” while He is away, and these spaces contain mysteries
p Can occasionally be accessed by still-living mortals
who discover the appropriate rituals

2 Misfire
3 Slippery Rock
4 Nephrosis
Example:

A lice and Bob decide to play Death Takes a Holiday together. They be-
gin play by modifying the setting of Perdido Island to their own taste.
Alice likes the idea that the island is inhabited by forest spirits and forgot-
ten gods. So she selects “Yes, but...” to respond to the statement, adding
a detail “Yes, but the spirits don’t like dealing with humans because they don’t
understand human psychology or society.” Bob wants the Boxmullers to be
busier hunting after the deceased, so he applies “No, but...” to the statement
about Perdido Island’s population creating one death per day. “No,” he
writes, “the island has about 80,000 people for multiple deaths each day, though
about 20,000 people live in Fable’s Demise.” The two players look at what else
they can modify. They both think that a vacation spot is a good idea, since
it means that the island will be visited by people from far away, here to have
an adventure. But they don’t want the island to be a traditional beaches and
nightclubs vacation spot. The two decide that the island is a vacation spot
for eco-tourists, perhaps off the coast of Alaska. This is basically the same
in outcome as the initial statement, but different in style, so they check off
“Try it a different way”. They also need to modify the climate statement to
fit, so Alice checks off “No, and” while Bob writes “The island is covered in
ice year-round, and doesn’t see the sun for three months at a time.”

To wrap up the island, Alice and Bob have two statements left: “The island
has two incompetent police but a competent coroner” and “The island is modern in
technology and society but anachronistically retro in appearance and aesthetics.”
The players also have two Responses remaining: “Yes, and...” and “That’s a
funny story...” The obvious way to proceed would be to amplify the socio-
logical statement with “Yes, and...” while making the relationship with the
local authorities into a complicated story via “That’s a funny story”. But
Alice and Bob don’t want the obvious way out. They reverse the priori-
ties, so that they will augment the statement about the local officials. “Yes,
and” they write, “the incompetent local police mean that the Island is a haven
for smugglers of numerous kinds.” Meanwhile, they will explore in play how
society is modern but the aesthetics of the island are anachronistically art
deco. They make a new Story discussing this clash of expectations, which
will develop in play. Perhaps they will discover the secret cause of this dis-
crepancy. Is Perdido Island home to a temporal anomaly? A secret coven
of the undead? A merging of two distinct timelines? Or do they just not
get fashion magazines up here? Do the locals dress up that way for benefit
of the tourists? Only in-game exploration will tell for sure.

Once Perdido Island is sorted out, Alice and Bob turn to the store of Box-
muller and Sons. They proceed in a similar manner, adding and modifying
details to the store and the mysterious Bone Orchard, making their version
of the game’s setting unique and fitting to their tastes.
 Your Boxmuller
W hen you begin playing Death Takes A Holiday, you will
need to create a Primary Character. Your initial Primary Charac-
ter will be one of the Boxmuller family, who has made a bargain
to be a substitute Reaper in exchange for prolonged survival. As
the game progresses, other characters will become available for
use as Primary Characters. But for an initial fictional “seed”, you
will create one of the Boxmullers.

To create a Boxmuller, you will take the list of Boxmuller traits

and modify it. Though every Boxmuller shares some similarities
with their kin, each is a unique individual. Thus, you will accept
some Statements, negate some and modify others.

Your Boxmuller sheet has a checklist of each Response: “Yes,

and...”, “Yes, but...”, “No, and...”, “No, but...”, “Try it a different
way”, “But only if...” “Try it a different way” and “That’s an in-
teresting story, actually...”. You will use each Response once to
modify a Statement about your new Boxmuller. Since there are
more statements than Responses, some Statements will remain
unmodified.

“Try it a different way” means here that you will reword the State-
ment to be more or less equivalent, even while the general senti-
ment of the Statement is accurate. “But only if...” invites another
player to provide input on your Primary Character. You select
a Statement to modify with “But only if...”, and they provide a
condition for the statement. You can either accept the statement
and their condition, or you can reject both. “That’s a funny story,
actually...” means that this is a story that will be developed in play.
Take a Story checklist, write an initial statement on it, and be
prepared to address that issue further later in the game.

is
d w a lk th ring
r b
o t h e boa sure you
Go t . Make c ream
.
no o n r i c e
after money fo y Han
d
e e I c
so m -T h B
Your Boxmuller:
“Yes, and...”
“Yes, but...”
p Has few ties back to the mainland “But only if...”
“No, but...”
“No, and...”
“That’s a funny story actually...”
“Try it a different way”

p Cares about the Boxmuller to their left

p Has been granted the ability to see how someone will die,
just by looking at them

p Has been granted the ability to see spirits and ghosts

p Has fond childhood memories of the island

p Did something shameful in their past that they now wish to hide

p Has difficulty expressing their emotions

Example:

A lice looks over the list, and decides that she doesn’t like the “Did some-
thing shameful” statement. So she checks off the “No, but” box and writes
“No, she is terribly proud of what she did, though it is a secret she has to keep.”
Alice doesn’t know what her character did, just yet, but she’ll figure it out
sooner or later. Alice and Bob discuss for a moment and decide that they
should have the two supernatural powers on the list between the two of
them. But they decide not to spend all their “Yes” statements on the Reap-
er’s gifts. So each chooses one power to take and one to abandon. Alice
prefers seeing spirits to knowing when someone will die. So she writes
under the spirit sight “Yes, and sometimes my Boxmuller traps the spirits in
little jars.” For the Cause of Death sight Alice notes, “No, and my Box-
muller often will accidentally target the wrong person for Reaping, right until
the real impending death becomes blatantly obvious.” Alice begins to notice
that she really needs a name for her character. While she struggles to create
appropriate nomenclature, Alice looks over the remaining statements and
responses. She sees the “has few ties to the mainland” entry, and decides that
that could tie into her mysterious secret past. Alice notes “That’s a funny
story” underneath. There’s some reason that her Boxmuller cannot return
to the mainland. She’s running from her past for some reason, though Al-
ice is willing to let that be determined at a later date. Alice and Bob discuss
the “cares deeply” statement, and decide that a lopsided, uneasy relationship
would be more interesting than a more balanced one. Alice write “Yes, but
only because he’s the only person Yvette has at the moment.” Alice’s character is
running from her past, so she turns to her cousin – Bob’s PC, weird cousin
Zebulon – for help. Zebbie, meanwhile, has no idea of the wreck Yvette
made of her life, so his understanding of their relationship is completely
different. Alice is also pleasantly surprised to note a name appearing in
her notes, so she writes “Yvette Boxmuller” at the top of her sheet. Now
Alice is getting to the last couple statements: “fond childhood memories” and
“difficulty expressing emotions”. And she has two responses remaining: “Try
it a different way” and “But only if”. Alice decides that “Difficulty express-
ing emotions” doesn’t sound right, but rather writes “Yvette is tremendously
expressive, but she’s tremendously conflicted inside and when she tries to show her
feelings, everyone is confused by the tempest of emotions.” That sounds more
like the sort of character Alice enjoys playing. That leaves “Happy childhood
memories” for Bob’s input. Bob suggests “You have happy memories of Perdido
Island, but only if those memories are another clue to why she is trying to hide out
on the Island.” Alice notes that this means that Bob has become interested
in her character concept, and she happily accepts the input he suggests.

Now Alice has enough of a character concept and background for her char-
acter that they can begin play.
 Being a Substitute Reaper
D eath has set up a simple system for handling His absence.
Every day or so, the Grim Reaper would send the Boxmullers a
postcard. Each postcard would be emblazoned with a cryptic clue
as to who was about to die. If the Boxmullers follow the clues
provided, they eventually arrive at a person who was about to die.
These cards arrive The route to the dying person, though, is usually a twisty series
via mysterious
means to wherever of improbable coincidences and unlikely occurrences. Anyone
the Boxmullers ha mentioned on the postcard is only rarely the target of the Reap-
pen to be, not via p-
the mundane postal ing. More often, finding the person mentioned on the postcard
system.
leads the Boxmuller into a deeper adventure, eventually finding
the doomed individual.

To aid in their work, Death granted the Boxmullers some magical

abilities. One is the ability to identify how an individual will die
merely by looking at them. The ability only conveys a single, brief
detail of a specific word or phrase. Often the cause of death will
be indirect or non-obvious: a cause of death like “Holes” might re-
fer to a sinkhole in the ground that they fall into, or it might refer
to the strain of digging a hole causing a stroke. Or it might be a
Similarly, it is bullet hole, as a gunshot wound causes the death. Or it could be
rarely clear fro
postcard who is m the a misaligned hole in a piece of machinery causing a one-ton iron
going to die. So
always have a d you can wheel to go rolling off course and over our hapless subject. The
ifferent NPC arr
scene with a mo ive on the causes of death are ambiguous enough so that you the players can
re clear cause o
you have otherw f death, if surprise each other with how they apply, and also so that you can
ise narrated yo apply creativity to make sure the cause is applicable to the situa-
into a corner. urselves
tion at hand.

Any Boxmuller examined to determine their cause of death will

be listed as having “Boating Accident” for their cause of death.

The Act of Reaping

Removing the souls from a soon-to-be deceased is a simple af-
fair. The Reaper simply needs to approach the subject and briefly
touch them some time in the last few minutes of life. All the
about-to-die notices is a slight chill run down their spine, as their
immortal spirit separates from their mortal form. Once released
from the body, the soul is free to follow after the Reaper back to
the Bone Orchard.

Subsequent to their death, the deceased haunt the Reaper as a

ghost, following them everywhere, until they are brought to Veil
 of Souls. Once they enter the swirling maelstrom of psychic en-
ergies, the spirit passes on to whatever afterlife awaits them.

When asked about the existence of Heaven or Hell or God or

the like, Death was evasive. Revealing cosmic secrets is not his
department, you see.

Canny readers may begin to wonder about the parameters of this

exercise. “What happens if the Reaper chooses not to Reap?”
they ask, along with a variety of other questions. Assuming the
death occurs as preordained, then the individual dies but their
animating life force remains inside the body. These unfortunate
individuals remain dead but active, as one of the un-dead. Un-
dead beings come back in a variety of forms, from shambling
reanimated corpses to intangible ghostlike creatures to stranger
things still. Similarly, the pain of their death tends to warp the
personalities of the deceased. When a character dies without a
proper Reaping, you as players should apply these statements to
them, and modify each one with a response from the checklist:

p Is a rotting physical corpse, though he/she can still

“Yes, and...” move act as a living person can
p Has unnatural, inhuman hungers
“Yes, but...”
p Has an inhuman ability to withstand pain and
“But only if...” damage
“No, but...” p Remembers their life prior to their death
“No, and...” p All the hatred, envy, depression and other negative
emotions of their old life are amplified
“That’s a funny story actually...”
p All the joy and love and positive emotions of their
“Try it a different way” life are warped in unhealthy ways
p Hates the living

The other way for a Reaper to interfere with the natural order
is to prevent the death itself. By correctly deciphering Death’s
postcard ahead of time, a clever Reaper might be able to identify
These options are not here to shut down
who is about to die and prevent that death. This may seem like
potential stories about Reapers trying an act of mercy, but it isn’t. If a soul survives beyond the time
to spare lives or mess with the system. of its preordained death, then another must die in their place,
They’re actually here to give you a start- shortly thereafter. Even worse, you have performed no mercy to
ing point to make up stories about how the person you saved. The soul can only survive for so long on
your Boxmullers mess up their Reaper this mortal plane of existence. Any soul left in contact with the
earth for too long withers, until it is barely there at all. To outside
job or manipulate death and souls and
observers, the person seems fine, but any ability to feel joy or love
such. Trying to save lives will produce dwindles away until they become a cruel, spiteful and destructive
interesting stories, as will shirking of individual. They will never again know happiness, and they will
Reaperly duties. only bring pain and suffering to those around them.

The only way to free such a soul is to repeat the circumstances

of their death. Recreating the cause of death intended to do the
subject in will kill the living body and release the corrupted soul.
 Causes of Death
Unsteady ladder Clerical error Excessive guilt
Misquotation Bus running late Botched assassination
Rounding error Technical error Alcohol
Leopard Staring at the stars Racing
Undiagnosed congenital Curious puppy Drugs
disease Training exercise Horses
Karaoke Visiting head of state Poison
Piso mojado Basement flooding Aircraft misadventure
Malpractice Gas leak Duel of honor
Elevator repair man Unsteady ladder Duel of wits
Texting while driving Escaped zoo animal ais Tak
Motorcycle
l et
#3 socket wrench Bathtub gin Crash e 3, h
sea e 10
Holes Not seaweed Snake bite t C :15 t
Tapdancing Improper preparation Road accident . ra
in,
Late for work Ominous prophecy Ski Glee club an
- dc
Falling Poor maintenance ing Th hec
eT k
Unlisted ingredients Coincidence E
Facebook event invitation nd unne
Chemotherapy Gerrymandering Starvation of l a
Martyr complex Food poisoning Test of strength the t th
Surprise Momentarily defenseless
Lig e
Suicide ht
Suicide, but not their own Bacon Scaphism
Tree falling in the forest Infidelity Insect torture
Ceiling collapse Lost in thought Thrown roof tile
Misfire Folk music Drunken mule V
Mischief Frogs Wooden leg
Prank Reinstating the estate tax Late seafood
Distracted Papercuts Faulty parachute
Faulty brake Late night, no coffee Fungicide
Mango fruit Coupon for $2 off Carelessly tossed match
Hubris Dropped wedding ring Homeopathic medicine
Christmas decorations Daylight savings time Surfboard
Entropy t Planned obsolescence Paranoia
b ou
a few
k Irrationality Poor eyesight Explosive decompression
a l
t ly a Lightning strikes twice 25 pound box of quarters
i a ns oPerformance
n review
m ed but Truck! C r itic Coconuts Sudden braking
o , Faulty firehose The Gideon Bible
n y c stage . Lasers orst Too much fatty food Limnic eruption
Ma on o so Hardurwork W
n g d Sun o
-Y going supernova Brain aneurysm Windstorm
dyi tually Kites Steroid abuse Frustration
ac Tragedy Shouldn’t have eaten it all Improper headcount
Broken glass Should have exercised Hypoxia
O

Disagreement Prank gone wrong MRI too close to metal

Heartbreak Cold blooded score settling Explosive hair bleach
 Primary Characters
(scene?)
A t the start of each session, you pick a Primary Charac-
ter from the list of potential Primary Characters. Your Primary
Character is one that you control exclusively. You get to narrate
their thoughts and feelings unimpeded, and you are responsible
for roleplaying out their actions and advocating for their goals.
The other players will have their own PCs, who you cannot di-
rectly control with your narration. But for any other characters,
anyone can narrate their actions, and any such narration can be
modified using the response system.

You can’t take control of someone else’s PC with narration or

with a response. If Bob says that his PC Zebulon is scared or
proud or hungry, then that is the case, as it is Bob’s privilege as
Zebulon’s player. But once Zebulon starts trying to affect the
outside world, you can use a response to modify how Zebulon’s
actions affect other people or things.

After playing for a bit, your pool of potential PCs will grow larger
than the number of players, meaning there will be some excess,
unplayed potential PCs. Some groups might want to maintain
tight control over their Primary Characters when they’re not
playing them. In such groups, each Primary Character belongs
to their primary creator, even when that player is not currently
playing them. So if I gave the most input on Deputy Zalewsky,
Astute readers may not that then he would be mine to control as needed, and other players
this makes
Perdido Island itself into a po wouldn’t be able to use him as a PC. Other groups might have
tential PC,
as well as the Bone Orchard or less player ownership of characters. In this case, once a character
other loca-
tions. This also can make oth is a potential PC, anyone can pick that character as their PC for
er fictional a story, perhaps asking my permission first. This is one of many
constructs into potential PCs.
Even past places where you should try to fit
storylines might be PCs in the
right sort of
game, as when a character’s past Anything can be a Primary Character, if you play it right. Though
deeds come
back to haunt them. These ar you initially start with the Boxmullers as potential PCs, others
e advanced,
experimental techniques that I become available as choices as you play. Anything that has com-
want to test
out after we have basic gameplay pleted one story checklist, has a motive to act and a way of affect-
sorted out. ing the world can be your PC for a scene or for a storyline.

Just like the song says,

Father McKenzie is writing the
words to a sermon that no one
will hear. Isn’t that cute?
D
Not Religious, Myself
 X c abre
allet .

a
g

M
ftern interestin

r
Dance
n ’ s b

-The
Oh, t l be most
oo
a
wil
h i s
c i t a l
re

S
w,
ro
ar
he ts. n
t t oin tio
sa p sti
na
ok e it De
l lo er le
oo wh ab
ef n vit
Th r tha ne
the eI
ra -Th
 The sequence of play:
M ost of the game will take the form of free narration. You
describe what your Primary Character will do, your fellow per-
formers will describe for their PCs. And occasionally, one play-
er will need to narrate something beyond the bounds of that
player’s PC. Perhaps facts about the setting need established, or
NPCs established or portrayed. Perhaps some other player at-
tempts something, like climbing a wall or piloting an aeroplane
or convincing the local magistrate to free your imprisoned cousin.
When you declare new facts like this about the world, the game
calls it a statement.

Most statements you make about the game world will go uncom-
mented. You will make a minor declaration about how your PC
does something mundane —drinking a cup of tea, perchance. If
the other players nod amicably or say “Yeah, okay” or don’t say
anything at all, then what you said becomes a true part of the fic-
tion. That is to say, your character has succeeded in sipping the
tea. Bravo.

But what if another player were to lodge an objection to the con-

sumption of the camellia sinensis’s sweet nectar? Perhaps your
doughty compatriot thinks the tea might be poisoned, or the tea-
pot empty, or they wish to have their Primary Character slap the
teacup from your hand. Each of these events is a narrative turn
away from your proposed course of action and along some new
direction. Or perhaps the player wishes to augment the described
action: “Yes, you drink the tea, and it is delicious”, or “Yes, and you
Lady Cot- drink an entire ocean’s worth of tea.”
Who knew was
teapot
tington’s On most occasions, the other players won’t trouble you over minor
so large? or mundane details. Drinking tea or crossing the street or shut-
ting a door should usually be let past with simple acceptance. But
it is important that you as a player remember that you have the
power to modify even the smallest of details, should the occasion
arise. This system does not differentiate between the stomping of
a gnat or the slaying of an army of commando angels armed with
howitzers.

When a player makes a statement about the world around them,

any other player has the option to let it pass into truth. Each
player can simply accept what was said ith simple nods or by say-
ing “yes” or by saying nothing at all. If they wish to make any
 meaningful change to the statement, then they can choose to
modify this Statement’s nature by picking a Response. There are
n the s the king
ox.”
seven Responses, which should already be getting familiar to the

ter
ame b
reader:
ng:

ndmas
a s ayi

e paw e is over,

p Yes, and...
ss Gra

p Yes, but...
e
ns hav

n go i

p No, but...
m

-a Che
the ga

p No, and...
ia

p But only if...

he Ital

p That’s a funny story actually...

“When
and th

p Try it a different way.

Each Response is helpfully printed on a marker or card or some

kind of “chit”5. Initially, all responses are placed in a pool so as to
be available for use. Locate the pool of chits together in a group,
where any of your merry band of players can and may reach them,
manipulate them, coddle them and (perhaps) love them, if only
for a moment.

When player uses a response, that response is expended and can-

not be used again until the pool is refreshed. Take that response’s
chit and place it in a separate area, perhaps dubbed “the discard
area” or “The Pit of Shame”. Since these exiled responses are
unusable, your options to respond dwindle as the narrative pro-
gresses.

Note that “Try it a different way”, “But only if..” and “That’s a
funny story actually...” have special rules for their actions. They’re
covered in the next section, along with some advice on how to use
the different responses. At this point, just be aware that “Try it a
different way” is never expended or sent to the discard pile.

The pool of responses diminishes over time, until eventually only

“Try it a different way” remains. When “Try it a different way” is
the sole occupant of the pool, then you can refresh the pool. Fin-
ish resolving whatever happens because of the last statement and
its response. Then, before the narrative moves on and more state-
ments are made, you should move all the responses back from
the Pit of Shame and back into the pool. Their penitentiary exile
has been served, and they may be employed once more to modify
P future statements.
,
is appalling
rate
h e i r r ecidivism
T 5 Thus named in honor of Admiral Algernon Q. Chit,
though. who died so bravely in the Great Nomenclature Riots of 1894.
Long may he be remembered, and those men and women who
died in service of containment hierarchy taxonomies.
Example:

N ow that they have their characters and setting sorted out, Alice and
Bob are ready to begin actual play. Alice decides to begin with the scene
just after their literal brush with Death. The Boxmullers stand up and dust
the sand from their clothing. Alice’s Primary Character, Yvette notices
the strange postcard waiting nearby. “Try tailing Mrs. Frankholter for the
afternoon” it read. Yvette looked over at her cousin Zebulon and shrugged.
“I guess our job begins now” she sighed. Zebulon nodded in agreement.

Here Alice pauses to consider how the Boxmullers would proceed to try to
find this Mrs. Frankholter. Alice describes how Yvette begins to stride away
purposefully, seeking a telephone directory. Bob interjects at this point,
saying “Yes, but the bystanders at the beach are astonished to see a survivor of a
deadly boat crash immediately stride away from the scene without concern for her
own safety.” Bob moves the “Yes, but” marker into the discard pile. Alice is
a little surprised at this (she had not imagined any witnesses to the crash).
She could use “Try it a different way” to make Bob rephrase the objection,
but she decides to go along with it. So Alice asks if Bob wants to have a
scene in which Zebulon explains the crash to the authorities. “Will that
be a good scene, with something interesting happening?” Bob asks. Alice
points out that this would be a good time to introduce the local police force
as an important NPC group. Bob sees the wisdom in this. They decide to
let Yvette leave the scene of the crash for the moment while Zebulon tries
to sort out the story of what happened.

Alice takes on the persona of Sheriff Flacks, who enters the scene boister-
ously calling out for the witnesses to stand back. “Anybody injuriate them-
selves in this here maritime-type misadventure?” he demands of a nearby
witness. Alice states that a witness points over to Zebulon as the one from
the crash. “Yes, and” Bob responds “the bystander also notes that a woman
ran off from wreckage after looking at the postcard.” (Bob moves the Yes And
counter to the discard.

Zebulon immediately starts trying to concoct a story for the Sheriff. But
the loudmouth lawman wasn’t interesting in excuses. “I think the sher-
iff is immediately interested in hunting down Yvette for fleeing from the
scene of an accident,” Bob says. “No, but” Alice answers “the Sheriff finds
the postcard in the sand and thinks that the strange woman must be the Mrs.
Frankholter mentioned on it.” The Sheriff hurried off to catch the enigmatic
Mrs. Frankholter, leaving his even more incompetent Deputy Zalewsky to
question Zebulon.

Play continues on in a similar manner from there, with the two creating
new statements and modifying their misadventures.
 The Responses
M uch of Death Takes A Holiday consists of modifying other
people’s statements via responses. For this reason, it is advisable
to consider each potential response in some detail. The first four
responses are relatively straightforward. The last three, however,
have some special rules for how they apply.

Yes and...
This response takes a statement and amplifies it. Using this re-
sponse, you can add additional detail to a statement or increase
the scope of a statement. Use it to expand the effect of a state-
ment in directions other players might not have considered. It
is important to not make the ‘and’ clause negate or lessen the
“And: That’s an additive, primary thrust of the statement. This is easy to do grammatically,
like “this and that”. but it is really the province of the “Yes, but...” statement.
But: That’s sort of the
op-
posite, “Not this but th
at”. Yes, but...
-”Conjunction Junction
”, Now, this response generally agrees with the statement, but it ne-
Bob Dorough gates or lessens the primary statement. Try not to make the ‘but’
clause override the initial statement. That is what a “No, but...”
response is for. Make sure that the majority of the statement is
true, albeit with some exception or drawback.

No and
This is the only time that you have the outright authority to com-
pletely negate another player’s input. Every other response pre-
serves at least a sliver of the original intention in some way. “No,
and...” does not. It completely shuts out the proposed input, and
then goes a step beyond to assert the opposite. So use this re-
sponse carefully and judiciously.

No but
This negates the initial statement, but not entirely. Some portion
of the goal is achieved, or some piece of the idea is true. Try to
make sure you don’t completely negate the statementt, while also
making sure you don’t completely agree without negating any.
 atio
ere n
it is
w
goin It know dog do

estin
ate D
s wh
d
But only if
alley w the re

Ultim
When you use “But only if...”, you aren’t creating a definitive

-The
F ol l o

statement in the same way as with the other responses. You’re

.
g.
proposing a way things could go, for the original speaker to con-
W firm or deny. You are adding a condition onto their statement.
At that point, they can choose to accept your condition, making
both parts true. Or they can reject your condition and abandon
their statement altogether. Either your inclusion rides in with
their statement, or that statement never happened and they need
to narrate along entirely new lines.

That’s a funny story, actually

This response suggests that the statement is more complex that
it seems at first, or that it leads to unforeseen consequences. For
example, if the statement was about a player character attempt-
ing someone, then using “That’s a funny story, actually...” might
mean that their goal requires further effort and detail before it is
completed. Alternatively, you might use the same phrase to mean
that the action was successful, but that it sparks the start of a new
storyline as a consequences of the act. Thus, is Yvette is trying to
break into a wealthy landowner’s estates, “That’s a funny story,
actually...” might mean the sneaking in is an interesting enough
sequence that we should look into it in detail and describe her
illicit entrance rather than simply cutting to her being inside.
Or the same phrase might mean that she succeeds in entering
the compound covertly, but that this endeavour leads to further
consequences -perhaps a servant notices evidence of her passage
after she is in the building, and begins seeking out the intruder.
Regardless of how it happens, you start a new story sheet for the
events.

Try it a different way

This response is slightly special. It doesn’t change or negate, ex-
actly. It says to the narrator that there is something unappealing
about their narration. It suggests that they might have a good
idea, but the specific details aren’t quite right. It is always be an
option, so that you can always suggest, politely, that something
strikes you as wrong about what was suggested. Perhaps you find
that something said doesn’t fit your mental image of a location or
character. Or the statements lead into narrative directions you
would prefer not to follow. You should take a second to explain
your qualms, then allow the narrator to craft a new, alternative
statement that works in a differnt way.
 Stories
A ny important fictional element in the game has a story.
Each story will have its own story sheet, which is a place to re-
cord details and facts that people establish about the thing during
gameplay. As you play, you will develop the stories of people,
places, objects and actions. As an element becomes important to
the game, you may want t start a story sheet for that person, loca-
tion or storyline. If you visit St. Alban’s Cathedral once, it will be
helpful to have some record of what it is like so that the next time
a PC visits the cathedral, it is similar and you can build on previ-
ous detail. Any time an important new fact is established, make
some note of it. Your understanding of an important object will
grow and change. You will discover hidden depths to characters.
The “That’s a funny story” response means that each story will
spawn new stories as well, so as you play the world will grow in
depth and detail.

Your starting Boxmuller’s sheet is a story sheet, as are the sheets

of information for Perdido Island, Boxmuller and Sons or the
Bone Orchard. Any postcard that Death sends the Boxmullers is
itself a Story, as it will lead them on strange new adventures into
unknown places.

On the story sheet, you have a checklist of responses. As each

response is applied to a statement about that fictional element,
Locations, objects and stories
check it off. When every response has been checked off, a major
could also be used as PCs after milestone has been reached for that fictional element. If it is a
t
their checklist is completed, bu character, the character has become developed enough to be use-
that’s more complicated and able as a Primary Character.
weird.
If the checklist was for one of the Grim Reaper’s postcards, then
it is time to narrate how some character meets their death. One
of the Boxmullers pursing the death hinted at on the card will
witness the death of another character (barring anything unusual,
like the Boxmuller saving the character). Most of the time, this oth-
er character will be a minor NPC. But it could easily be a major
NPC or even a PC under appropriate circumstances. The Box-
mullers themselves have already been through their fated demise,
PC is the only
The player of a ate their PC’s
so they are not going to die unless circumstances are unusual in
w h o ca n n a rr some way.
person
death
 Growth and change:
A fter any time playing, you can choose one completed char-
acter, location or other fictional element and modify a piece of
information on their story sheet. Use “Yes, and...” to make the
fact more important, or use “Yes, but...”to change the meaning of
a fact. “No” responses negate a previously true statement, which
might be because you have changed your mind about something,
or your character has grown or changed. Or maybe it shows a
secret being revealed or a lie uncovered. “That’s a funny story...”
will make that fact an important story on its own for next session.
In general, you want to reach some sort of group consensus if the
thing modified is a still a minor character or if it isn’t owned by
anyone specifically. If you’re changing a detail on the sheet of
your own Primary Character or another fictional element that
you have responsibility over, then go hog wild. Just let your other
players know what you’re changing, and why.

At the end of a session, the group should discuss what they en-
joyed and what they didn’t. Then they should choose one of the
That’s why the responses and apply it to a rule of the game. Go back through the
text has
those big margi
ns, you T rules here and write a note in the margin about how “Yes, it’s ac-
curate, but...” or how it applies “only if...”. The group as a whole
realize.
needs to reach a consensus on what rules gets changed and how it
gets changed. But each session you should be hacking the system,
modifying it in small ways or large ways, until it becomes a game
better suited for your group in particular. I don’t know your group
as well as you players do, so I hope that you make this game into
the game that you enjoy playing.

“Yes, and...”
“Yes, but...”
“But only if...”
“No, but...”
“No, and...” has
I

g h t o n
“That’s a funny story actually...”
M o cknau letters
a e .
“Try it a different way” Helen eiving lov nce more h-
n rec and
o touc
begu her husb sweet and 7.
9
from would be died in 19
Which ad he not m a nce.
h R o
ing, E nd of
-Th e
 “Profes
from “Th sor” Baldwin’s l
e eap
gonna g City of Quincy”
et some i
body kil s
led.
But it’s n
ot the “p
rofessor
”.
-The Fin
al Flight
 Strange Threats
Perdido Island may prove to be an inhospitable new home to
the Boxmuller family. Now that they are imbued with a magical
power over death itself, other interested parties are likely to inter-
vene. Many such groups may have benevolent intentions, as with
doctors trying to save sick patients or grieving family members
trying to preserve a dying aunt. Most heartbreaking of all are the
parents trying to prevent their children from dying. Use these
sort of moral dilemmas to create difficult decisions and moral
quandaries for the standin Reapers.

Other entities, though, wish to oppose the Boxmullers for selfish

or malevolent reasons. The shadowy Tithonus Society’s members
wish to live forever so that they can gain complete control over
society. The forest spirits enjoy playing with human lives, and
manipulating their destinies. And the Widow’s Walk Shipping
Company is a front for a cabal of the undead, who desperately
want to avoid whatever afterlife awaits them.

How to use the threats

There are two ways to use the threats contained herein. You can
modify them up-front, or you can develop them in-play. If you
know that you want to use a specific threat and make them an
important part of the game, you can do all your modifications
before you start playing the game. Discuss the threat with your
fellow players, and apply each response to a statement, just as you
did with Perdido Island and the Boxmuller and Sons store. This
prepares the threat in question to be used as a Primary Character
right away.
You could also introduce the threat in the middle of a game ses-
sion. Then, instead of stopping to discuss each and every detail,
you can instead check off responses to statements as those state-
ments become relevant to your game. This will get you into regu-
lar play faster, but the threat will take longer to become usable as
a Primary Character. The responses might not line up so that you
can check off each response neatly in a row when each statement
becomes relevant to the game.

It’s picture day today at

Grunderson Elementary Schoo
l. I
wonder whose photo will be tak J
en
by the county coroner instea
d of
the school photographer?
-Memento Me
The Widow’s Walk Shipping Company

“Yes, and...”
“Yes, but...”
“But only if...”
“No, but...”
“No, and...”
“That’s a funny story actually...”
“Try it a different way”

p Has warehouses and shipping boats and docks across

Perdido Island

p Is run by two widowed twin sisters, Mrs. Eudora

Comiter1 and Mrs. Iphigenia Belvedere2

p But those husbands still live on as undead

p The two dead husbands are leaders of a secret tribe of

undead that live in the company’s warehouses

p The company only does enough legitimate shipping

to act as a cover for its smuggling enterprises, which is
itself a front for the unded coven

p Hides any undead seeking refuge from the mundane

world

p Is seeking measures to prevent the souls being reaped

from their undead members

e r what
o v
e t u pset Widow’s
g
o u l dn’t el at the y.
Iw
t h e barr Compan
is in Shipping e t d idn’t
s
1 Electrocution Walk t t i n g up K
2 Mayhem r a ll, ge any. f
e
Aft widows Grie
o f
the Caus
e
help –T h e
The Tithonus Society
p Is a secret society, comparable to the Freemasons “Yes, and...”
“Yes, but...”
p Has more wealth and resources than you would be- “But only if...”
lieve “No, but...”
p Is mainly composed of superrich trust-fund kids who “No, and...”
want to live forever “That’s a funny story actually...”
“Try it a different way”
p Is led by the immortal Tithonus, who was granted
eternal life but not eternal youth and is now unbeliev-
ably old.

p Wants immortality so that they can control society

and maintain control forever h a s t e rminal
enbaum l
Mrs. Ros er. But that wil
p Make their base of operations on the island in a de- ic canc th.
sanctified monastery lymphat y’s cause of dea
da
not be to io
p Because of their strange experiments into immortal- -A Scorp A
ity, they have developed a variety of odd superscience
gadgets and black magic rituals

"It is better to
spend your ti
at festivals. F me at funerals
or you are go than
should think ing to die, an
about it whil d you
e there is still
time."
- Ecclesiastes
7:3
 “I s
a
thin id ‘He Forest Spirits
“Of k you y man
We’ course can he , do yo p Are strange and inhuman in form, personality and desires
r l
We e not I can p?’ He u
sail just - I’m sai p Do not understand the long term consequences of their actions
ravi fict d
nes iona an elf.
and l de
-“Th give vice. p Try to hide from human beings, so most people don’t realize that they exist
e Pr adv
esen ice.
t Te ” p Want to increase the number of living beings in the world, by any means necessary.
nse
Mox Turre
y F en”, p Are terrified of machines because they don’t understand them
rüv
ous
p Can place minor enchantments or curses on those who please or displease them

p Will make bargains or gamble for intangibles (like emotions, destinies, souls, etc.)
with people who can find their secret hideaways in the forest

ba Allis “Yes, and...”

im rgai on J
me pend n he eme “Yes, but...”
sch ets ing r w ny is “But only if...”
edu her de ay a
le. fa mis out ttem “No, but...”
te e.
as Se of he pting “No, and...”
H pe e t r o to
r t ha wn “That’s a funny story actually...”
he t s
-A pr he “Try it a different way”
Bit op
er
for of a
Pu Stic
nct kle
ua r
lity
Warlocks and Necromancers

“Yes, and...” “Quaff whil

e tho
“Yes, but...” When thou a u canst: another race,
nd thine, li
May rescue ke me, are s
“But only if...” thee from Ea ped,
And rhyme rth’s embrac
“No, but...” and revel w e,
ith dead.”
“No, and...”
“That’s a funny story actually...” -“Lines Insc
ribed upon
“Try it a different way” Formed from a Cup
a Skull”,
Lord Byron
,

p Have been seeking entrance to the Bone Orchard for centuries

p Can bind ghosts and spirits and force them into servitude

p Seek power for entirely selfish reasons

p Misuse and abuse their power over life and death

p Cannot raise people from the dead or create zombies, but can
bind undead into their service

p Come from an exotic, far off land

p Are fond of elaborate speeches and shows of power beyond what

is required to get the job done.

Lighthouse tours will soon

prove more dangerous than
Mr.
Manciple had anticipated.

--Unexpected
yet Inevitable R
 Inspirations:
p Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett, particularly those that focus
on Death himself (Mort, Reaper Man, Soul Music, etc.) (Novels)

p Machine of Death, edited by Ryan North, Matthew Bennardo and

“Yes, and...” David Malki (Collection of short stories)
“Yes, but...”
p Dead Like Me and Pushing Daisies, created by Bryan Fuller.
“But only if...”
(Television series)
“No, but...”
“No, and...” p Time Bandits, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, and The
“That’s a funny story actually...” Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus dir. Terry Gilliam (Movies)
“Try it a different way” p The Professor Layton games by Level 5 Games (Videogames)

p The Triplets of Bellville, dir. Sylvain Chomet, Le Fabuleux Destin

d’Amelie Poulain, dir. Jean-Peuret Jeunet and Kiki’s Delivery Ser-
vice dir. Hayao Miyazaki (Movies)

p
Original game concept by Sam Zeitlin. Mumford and Sons (Music)
Many thanks to him for letting me use it.

Game inspirations:
Fiasco, by Jason Morningstar
Nobilis 3rd edition, by Jenna Moran
Archipelago II, by Matthis Majcher
Ou

Puerto Rico by Andreas Seyfarth

est

Polaris, by Ben Lehman

Mo
nsi

Gnomic by Pete Suber

er

Happy Birthday, Robot and Do: Pilgrims of the

Bre

Flying Temple by Daniel Solis

dot
--”l

eau
eG

?
ran
de
Mo
rt
S

e”

Time waits for

no man, but
the clocktower
of St. Al-
bans might sto
p for a cer-
tain young lad
y.

P -Time’s Arrow
Points to Me
This is an Open Source Game
S o please, play it and modify it and make it
your own. And share it on the internet and let
B ecause the rules are randomizerles, ver-
bal-based and self-modifying, this game
me know if you do any of those nifty things would be well suited for play online via IM
with it. Contact me at nickwedig@yahoo. or wiki or email or whatever. To aid in this
com. course of action, a raw text version is available
so that you can use it to seed your wiki or copy
Death Takes a Holiday by Nick Wedig is li- and past info where you need it, or whatever
censed under the Creative Commons Attri- else you need to do to get playing. You can
bution 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy find the raw text by pointing your browser
of this license, visit http://creativecommons. to http://nickwedig.libraryofhighmoon.com/
org/licenses/by/3.0/ or send a letter to: Cre- wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Death-Takes-
ative Commons, 444 Castro Street, Suite 900, A-Holiday-raw-text.txt
Mountain View, California, 94041, USA.
Or if you have a barcode reading smartphone,
Or if you have a barcode reading smartphone, simply scan this barcode thing:
simply scan this barcode thing:
Story Sheet:
“Yes, and...”
“Yes, but...”
“No, and...”
“No, but...”
“But only if...”
“That’s a funny story actually...”
“Try it a different way”
Perdido Island
“Yes, and...”
p Has a population of approximately 40,000 “Yes, but...”
(which means an average of one death per day). “No, and...”
About half the population lives in the town of “No, but...”
Fable’s Demise “That’s a funny story actually...”
“Try it a different way”

p Is made of bones and skeletons

p Is a dark and somber place where no light shines brightly and regret over-
whelms other emotions

p Holds the Veil of Souls, gateway to the Afterlife

p Is fundamentally a modern day American city in terms of social norms,

technology and legalities, though it is anachronistic in aesthetics and style.

p Has many areas that Death forbid anyone enter while He is away, and these
spaces contain mysteries

p Can occasionally be accessed by still-living mortals who discover the ap-

propriate rituals
Boxmuller and Sons
“Yes, and...”
p Had Hopewell Boxmuller’s apartments on “Yes, but...”
the second floor “No, and...”
“No, but...”
“That’s a funny story actually...”
“Try it a different way”

p Sells some kind of quirky, anachronistic good (figure out as a group what
it is –perhaps old sideshow props, like paper-mache mummies and Fiji Mer-
maids?).

p Mainly caters to tourists

p Is perpetually in debt

p Has no employees beyond the Boxmuller family

p Has strange things in the attic

The Bone Orchard
“Yes, and...”
p Is accessible by entering a grave marked “Yes, but...”
“Fisher” that can be found in the third row of “No, and...”
every graveyard “No, but...”
“That’s a funny story actually...”
“Try it a different way”

p Is made of bones and skeletons

p Is a dark and somber place where no light shines brightly and regret over-
whelms other emotions

p Holds the Veil of Souls, gateway to the Afterlife

p Is fundamentally a modern day American city in terms of social norms,

technology and legalities, though it is anachronistic in aesthetics and style.

p Has many areas that Death forbid anyone enter while He is away, and these
spaces contain mysteries

p Can occasionally be accessed by still-living mortals who discover the ap-

propriate rituals
Your Boxmuller:
“Yes, and...”
“Yes, but...”
p Has few ties back to the mainland “But only if...”
“No, and...”
“No, but...”
“That’s a funny story actually...”
“Try it a different way”

p Cares about the Boxmuller to their left

p Has been granted the ability to see how someone will die,
just by looking at them

p Has been granted the ability to see spirits and ghosts

p Has fond childhood memories of the island

p Did something shameful in their past that they now wish to hide

p Has difficulty expressing their emotions