Talent Show

**Talent Show** is the eighth Mystery in the Saint Mary Vincent Campaign.

## CONCEPT

The pungişhar, a type of goblin, have been let loose in the School of Humanities, where they are stealing “talents” from the supernaturally gifted students and staff. If they are not found and eliminated, the victims could permanently lose body parts, and their talents will be sold to the highest bidder.

## HOOK

*Alys Hopkins* has lost hearing in one ear and is having some trouble using her talent. Maybe it’s nothing, but Ana Lacusta is sure she's been seeing some strange anomalies around the house, and Hanna seems as if she may be hiding something as well.

After *Iris Verbeke* tries to help locate the cause of the issue with her special sight, she awakens to find she has lost vision in one of her eyes.

## COUNTDOWN

 **Midnight** | The Harmunger takes possession of all the talents and escapes with them. The victims will lose their talents for good, unless they are able to purchase them back from the Harmunger.

## THREATS

### MONSTER

**Harmunger**

**Type:** Collector

**Motivation:** to steal specific sorts of things (talents)

**Description:** A dark magician whose primary motivation is to steal the talents and gifts of others, wither for his own use or for the purpose of selling or trading the talents to other individuals

Once the Harmunger obtains the talents, they cannot be restored by magical means, and can only be returned to the victims by the Harmunger themselves.

Killing the Harmunger will not restore the victim’s lost gifts.

**Powers:**

Pungaşhar Egg: Curses a bird to lay an egg creating ***pungaşhar,*** goblins which steal talents and bring them to the harmunger.

Gifting: Ability to transfer any talent it receives to another individual (for the right price)

Stolen Talents: Can use any acquired talent

**Weaknesses:**

Normal human weaknesses, except when counteracted by acquired talents

**Attacks:**

Ritual Knife 1-harm close

Acquired talents where applicable

**Armor: 1**

### MINIONS

**Pungaşhar**

**Type:** Thief

**Motivation:** to steal and deliver to the monster

**Description:** an invisible goblin that steals the talents of a home’s residents

**Powers:**

Invisibility: Cannot be seen normally, except by mediums and when using talents

Shadow Step: Can disappear into any shadow and end up in any other, non-linear and untraceable

Acquired Powers

**Weaknesses:**

Summoning Spell Trap

Ivy Nets

Death or Illness of Current Victim

**Attacks:**

Acquired Powers

**Armor: 2**

**Harm Capacity: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10**

**Offensive Version of Powers:     ◯=Talent Stolen ▢=Talent Displayed**

**XX Ear - Memory Absorption (Alys Hopkins)**

 When you share a memory aloud:

             Roll *+Sharp*:       On a 10+ it is treated like a normal conversation

                                          On a 7-9 the memorist knows all the details, even unspoken ones

                                          On a 6 or less it’s absorbed, you lose all memory of the event, or take -1 forward while you concentrate on retaining it

**Harm Capacity: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 CAPTURED**

**◯▢ Eye - Psychic Energy Detection (Ana Lacusta)**

 Auras and psychic energy detected, details strengthen over time

**Harm Capacity: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 CAPTURED**

**◯▢ Hand - Tactile Psychokinesis (Bernadetta Cerami)**

 When you are touched (effects strengthen over time):

Roll *+Tough*:       On a 10+ you detect the presence, but are unaffected

                                          On a 7-9 you are briefly (30 secs) drowsy, pushed or paralyzed

                                          On a 6 or less you are put to sleep, pushed down or immobile, or take 2 harm ignore armor to push past it

             **Harm Capacity: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 CAPTURED**

**◯▢ Voice - Galdr (Elfar Hafsteinsson)**

 Learned over time: *Ease Birth; Soft Armor; Blunt Sword; Raise Storm; Madness*

             Roll *+Weird*:       On a 10+ you resist magic/caster fails

                                          On a 7-9 you are minorly affected

                                          On a 6 or less the spell succeeds or you take 1-2 harm or -1 forward depending on which spell was chanted

             **Harm Capacity: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 CAPTURED**

**XX Eye - Spirit Sight (Iris Verbeke)**

 Entities of the spirit world are visible, details strengthen over time

**Harm Capacity: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 CAPTURED**

**◯▢ Hand - Kuji-in (Katsuhiko Noya)**

Learned over time: *Thunderbolt; Great Thunderbolt; Outer Lion; Inner Lion; Outer Bonds; Inner Bonds; Wisdom of the Fist; Seal of the Sun; Seal of Hidden Forms*

             Roll +Tough:       On a 10+ you resist magic/caster fails

                                          On a 7-9 you are minorly affected

                                          On a 6 or less you take 1-2 harm or -1 forward

             **Harm Capacity: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 CAPTURED**

**◯▢ Hand - Tactile Retrocognition (Leo Saldana)**

             When you are touched:

             Roll +Weird:       On a 10+ you are aware of info being searched, but they fail

                                          On a 7-9 you are aware of what they have learned

                                          On a 6 or less they learn something, but you don’t know what or take -1 forward or 2 harm trying to block the info

             **Harm Capacity: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 CAPTURED**

**◯▢ Tongue - Sacred Speech (Yuno Samajima)**

 Spells learned over time: *Stop; Silence; Fall; Sleep; Weak; Run Away*

             Roll +Cool:         On a 10+ you resist magic/caster fails

                                          On a 7-9 you are minorly affected

                                          On a 6 or less you obey the given command or take 2 harm resisting

             **Harm Capacity: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 CAPTURED**

**◯▢ Delia                         ◯▢ Edna                         ◯▢ Millicent                   ◯▢ Taffy**

### BYSTANDERS

Alys Hopkins (Memorist) 22, Wales

**Type:** Victim

**Motivation:** to put themselves in danger

**Description:** Alys has volunteered to work as a therapist of sorts to the victims of supernatural phenomena. She helps them to work through their traumas and, if they cannot, is able to erase the most traumatic of their memories by absorbing them into her own psyche. She has to work hard to keep these absorbed memories from affecting her own mind. She has also made several enemies due to what she now knows, and so prefers to work in a safe environment like the school.

**Talent:** Memory Absorption

**Body Part:** Ear

Ana Lacusta (Psychic) 45, Romania

**Type:** Witness

**Motivation:** to reveal information

**Description:** The Headmistress of the school. Superstitious and nurturing. Ana can not only perceive the energy of living things, she has the ability to discern a great deal of their nature. It’s of great help with difficult students.

**Talent:** Aural/Energy Detection

**Body Part:** Eye

Bernadetta Cerami (Psychokinetic, Tactile) 32, Italy

**Type:** Helper

**Motivation:** to join the hunt

**Description:** By default, Bernadetta has become the head disciplinarian. Not because she is strict, per se, but because she can bring even the most rampaging, hormonally imbalanced student to their knees with just a touch of her fingers. She is not a patient person, but she does care deeply about the students.

**Talent:** Tactile Animal Psychokinesis

**Body Part:** Hand

Charlos Santanderson (Blood Mage) 94, Brazil

**Type:** Detective

**Motivation:** to rule out explanations

**Description:** Founder and Dean of the school. As a younger man, he was distressed to see what a difficult time his children and grandchildren had trying to find a way to reconcile their abilities with their lives in the mundane world and wanted to create a place where other children would receive the support they needed to do so. Convinced Wadim to act as the school’s patron by doing him a great favor many years ago. Sleeps in a pocket dimension of his own making.

**Talent:** Blood Magic

**Body Part:** Blood

Elfar Hafsteinsson (Galdramaðr) 25, Iceland

**Type:** Gossip

**Motivation:** to pass on rumors

**Description:** A young enchanter and poet who specially requested to become an instructor at the school after visiting it on a PIE mission. No one is sure why, as he had been a dashing adventurer up until that point. His poetry is really improving, though. Elfar is the most likely of all the instructors to interact with the Yonescu household servants at Peles Castle, though he seems to have no interest in their master.

**Talent:** Enchanting (Galdr)

**Body Part:** Voice

Esther Lapp (Braucher) 12, USA (Amish)

**Type:** Innocent

**Motivation:** to do the right thing

**Description:** Esther is a very shy young girl who makes poppets of everyone she meets in order to cultivate relationships with them. Though she does have the ability to cause harm using her poppets, which is not her intention. When the dolls start losing body parts corresponding to the lost talents, she hides them away, afraid that she will be blamed.

**Talent:** Sympathetic Magic

**Body Part:** UNKNOWN

Hanna Guzek (Seer) 15, Poland

**Type:** Witness

**Motivation:** to reveal information

**Description:** Hanna has recently discovered that she can see visions of the future in reflective surfaces, whether she wants to or not. Unable to ignore her ability, she has decided to come to the school in the hopes of finding a way to make them useful and, hopefully, voluntary.

**Talent:** Mirror Scrying

**Body Part:** UNKNOWN

Iris Verbeke (Medium) 16, Belgium

**Type:** Victim

**Motivation:** to put themselves in danger

**Description:** All of her life, Iris has been able to see ghosts and spirits, but since reaching puberty, it seems that they are increasingly trying to interact with her. In fact, it’s almost as if the spirit world had become more real to her than the mundane world. Iris is looking for a way to navigate the actual world without looking totally insane, and needs to learn how to tell friend from foe when the spirits come calling.

**Talent:** Spirit Sight

**Body Part:** Eye

Katsuhiko Noya (Onmyoji) 29, Japan

**Type:** Official

**Motivation:** to be suspicious

**Description:** Rumor has it that he volunteered as an instructor in order to get close to someone else at the school. No one can figure out who, though, because he’s equally polite and reserved with all members of the faculty.

**Talent:** Kuji-in

**Body Part:** Hand

Leo Saldana (Seer) 18, Spain

**Type:** Busybody

**Motivation:** to interfere in other people’s plans

**Description:** Can see visions of the past of any person or thing he touches. It’s impractical to live like that, and sometimes he ends up seeing things he never wanted to see. It has gotten him into some serious trouble in the past and he needs help learning how to turn it off.

**Talent:** Tactile Retrocognition

**Body Part:** Hand

Radu Varonin (Telekinetic) 18, Moldova

**Type:** Gossip

**Motivation:** to pass on rumors

**Description:** Can move things with his mind. He would be happy with his ability if he could do it on purpose. A generally cheerful kid.

Unpredictable when tense, but well-meaning.

**Talent:** Telekinesis (Semi-Voluntary)

**Body Part:** UNKNOWN

Soma (Dreamwalker) 14, Sudan

**Type:** Innocent

**Motivation:** to do the right thing

**Description:** Became a social outcast in his boarding school when his dream walking ability was revealed, even if it did save the life of a fellow student. Just learning how to control his powers and still sometimes invades the dreams of others accidentally.

**Talent:** Dreamwalker

**Body Part:** UNKNOWN

Yuno Samejima (Kotodama) 17, USA (Hawaii)

**Type:** Helper

**Motivation:** to join the hunt

**Description:** Kidnapped by a nefarious sect and made to use her gift for their purposes. After being rescued by a team of PIE hunters, she elected to attend the school and learn what she could before returning to her family.

**Talent:** Sacred Speech

**Body Part:** Tongue

## LOCATIONS

**Peleș Castle, Sinaia, Romania**

**Type:** Crossroads

**Motivation:** to bring people, and things, together

**Description:** Wadim’s home and the current base of the hunters. The 34,000 square foot castle has 170 rooms, 4,000 pieces of arms and armor, and 2,000 paintings. The ground floor is open to tourists 9-3 Monday - Thursday.

**School of Humanities, the Guards Chambers, Peleș Castle, Sinaia, Romania**

**Type:** Den

**Motivation:** to harbor monsters

**Description:** A school funded by Wadim Yonescu and run by Charlos Santanderson, with the purpose of helping children experiencing supernatural phenomena to control their talents and function within normal society. Despite being housed at Peleș Castle, the school is strictly for human children and run by human instructors. The school and residents of the castle proper have very little interaction.

## OTHER

**Pungaşhar** entry from

*‘Folclorul antic al Țării Românești, Transilvaniei și Moldovei’, 1914*

The ***pungaşhar*** (*pickpocket*, *lit.* *pungaş - rogue; har - talent, grace*) is a type of goblin or spirit capable of stealing a person’s physical talent, causing paralysis of the body part used to display that talent. Historians believe this to be an early folk explanation for sudden paralysis, such as that accompanying a stroke, or even leprosy.

According to legend, the **pungaşhar** are brought into existence by a type of black magician known as a ***harmunger*** (*talent merchant, lit. har - talent, grace; munger - merchant, milker*). It is said that when the ***harmunger*** wishes to curse a household with ***pungaşhar***, he casts a spell on a young hen, and then delivers the eggs of said hen to the intended victim’s home. The pungaşhar (typically 3, 5, or 7 in number) are contained within the egg until it is broken, at which point the creatures are let loose within the home. Though the pungaşhar themselves are invisible, it is said that the egg containing them will have no yolk (see: ***fairy egg***).

Once the ***pungaşhar*** are released, they are trapped within the home until each has stolen a talent from someone within the household. Only one talent may be taken per day. While in its possession, the ***pungaşhar*** may use this talent as if it were natural.

The victim suffers paralysis and numbness to the affected area. If the ***pungaşhar*** are not stopped in time, it is believed that the affected limb or organ will eventually shrivel up, fall off or rot away.

While the ***pungaşhar*** are active, they will attempt to keep their victims from harm, as their “talent” cannot be sustained without the health of the source.

It is traditionally believed that a ***pungaşhar*** cannot steal a talent that has not been displayed to them. This is the origin of the phrase “ispitind pe pungaşhar (tempting the pungaşhar)”, which is a warning against idle boasting of or displaying one’s talents.

Once all of the ***pungaşhar*** have gathered a “talent”, they are no longer restricted to the home. At this time, they will escape into the nearest densely wooded area and summon the ***harmunger***. Once the ***harmunger*** is summoned, he collects the talents and the ***pungaşhar*** are transformed into chickens. The ***harmunger*** is free to use any and all talents he is carrying, and is therefore considered extremely dangerous.

While it is traditionally held that the ***pungaşhar*** are invisible to humans, it is believed that those with extrasensory perception may be able to detect them. Additionally, pungaşhar are wholly visible while casting spells or using their stolen talents.

***Pungaşhar*** that have stolen a talent may be trapped with a magic spell that requires their victims’ blood to be placed in an eggshell with strong liquor and set alight. The moment the light begins to flicker, signifying the presence of the **pungaşhar**, a net of green ivy must be dropped on the creature while chanting “Oul, Ola, Omuleț” (“Egg, Pot, Little Man”). The same net and chant combination may be used on a pungaşhar made visible by other means.

If all ***pungaşhar*** are captured before they can summon the ***harmunger***, a ritual may be performed to restore the talents to their rightful owners. This ritual requires 12 participants and should include all victims. Participants must begin the ritual at first light and complete it before the sun has fully risen. It must be undertaken in complete silence and requires the live sacrifice of an animal hatched from an egg.