Turn 1 (Winter 2025)
Planning Phase
Storage Manifest, Room 1
100 Soccer Balls (Various Brands)
100 Bicycles (Various Brands)
…
Already, the fruits of Christmas are arriving, as the first toys fill your storage rooms. They're rather simple toys for the most part. But what kid doesn't like balls to kick and bikes to ride? At the very least, some children will get gifts from Santa this year.
"Not bad for a few days worth of work, if I do say so myself." Jacob says, as he leans on the wall. "Though we're going to need more if we want to get just London covered."
And that's the key word.
More. You need more employees, more Christmas Spirit, more of a lot of things. However, you're not going to focus on what you don't have. Instead, you're going to focus on what you do have: A good start and positive momentum. "I've already got some ideas on how to do that. I was planning to run them by the Council once we're closed up top."
The Council of Christmas. According to Krampus, Nicholas created it to help him run Christmas. Especially as the population grew larger, and more demands were put on the man. The final form had seven people on it, with Nicholas of Myra at the head as Santa Claus.
While Santa still had the final say on all things, the Councillors still took care of the day-to-day matters. They reported to Santa as needed, and gave advice and suggestions. Only the most trusted (supposedly) ever held their positions there.
As of right now, there were only three members of the last Council still alive: Krampus, Frost, and Midwinter. Which meant you had multiple positions you needed to fill. Or in Midwinter's case, replace. At the very least, you would prefer to have a filled Council by next Christmas.
"Sounds good to me. Speaking of the shop, we've got a few returns on those Wicker-Wackers. Seems they screwed the bloody pooch again with those things."
Again? You sigh, "Right. I'll go have…" It takes you a moment to remember who is closing tonight. "Whitehill and Cratchit put the remaining stock in the back." Ah, a Cratchit at Scrooge and Marley's. Just feels right. Good lad, working part-time while going through college. "And we should probably cross them off our list. If they can't make safe products, then they…"
Nicholas Brown. Age 12. Has been beaten by his father two nights ago. He has been given money to "make up for it." No permanent injuries. Father not in shop.
You
stop. That was a voice inside your head. A voice familiar, but you don't know why. You see the image of a boy you do not know.
Nicholas Brown has left the Shop. He has been Noted.
What in the hells?
"Ebenezer, are you alright?" Jacob asks, now concerned. Obviously he sees the confusion on your face. But you don't have time to say anything before reality tears next to you, and your maid is by your side.
He seems less confused than you, "I felt the connection from upstairs flare. It felt like there was anger, and that it was flowing towards you. Are you alright?"
You take a moment to compose yourself. "I'm fine. But I heard a voice talking about one Nicholas Brown. He just left the shop. Try to see if you can find him. White male, age 12, brown hair, brown eyes, very freckled…" You've pushed past your confusion, and now are focused on trying to find the kid.
"I.. I can't teleport outside the shop." Wesley admits, now distressed. "Not without you or Mister Marley…"
"On it." Marley says, as he phases upwards towards the shop at top speed. Unfortunately, top speed would not be enough, as the kid was nowhere to be found. Marley would guess that he got picked up immediately after leaving the store via car.
All you can do is hope little Nicholas comes back to your shop. And maybe, you can find out more about how to get him out from his father.
–
"Huh. That's a new one." Frost says as he sits in your office. Already he's looking better, and not about to keel over in pain. While he isn't completely recovered, he can at least perform his duties a few hours a day. He can even summon snow again, though only enough to make Ignorance and Want have a snowball fight indoors.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, Santa - the original one, I mean - his workshop had some unique quirks as well. Like the mess hall could make cookies that gave you all sorts of emotion." Jack seems to be fondly remembering that. "They tasted so good too. Anyways, they weren't something he planned for. But they were always interesting. But he didn't have inventory management, or a way to sniff out child abuse. Might be a quirk of the Workshop Seed itself."
London is so unclean, so corrupt…
Something Wesley said. Does the Workshop Seed take cues from where it was planted? A toy shop that wants the best for children, and would have a need to keep stock of inventory would make sense.
And if London is indeed as bad as he feared, what other quirks could rise from it?
"Send me out." Krampus states, as he holds a cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows. "Let's remind them exactly what happens to those…."
"I wouldn't. He gets seen, we're fucked." Jack states, a bit more seriously as he turns towards the demon. "No offense, but you stand out way too much."
You hear a deep growl of displeasure come from Krampus. "And just let this Naughtiness keep happening?"
You hold up your hand before an argument can break out. You've had experience dealing with employees that butted heads before. Best to head this off at the pass. "We are all on the same side here. We have several crises going on, and too few hands. What I want is
options."
And throughout the evening, options were given. While Jack and Krampus did butt heads a few times, it was more due to how they approached things. Jack preferred his cloak and dagger and smooth talking, while Krampus wanted to take things head on. Jack was more of a long term, bigger picture thinker, while Krampus liked dealing with things as soon as possible, even if it caused some issues down the road.
But for all that, they still had the best intentions for Christmas in mind. And that's what you need right now.
–
Important Notes:
Any remaining The Council of Christmas options still available during Advent 2025 will be Locked In.
You have 4 +10 Omake Bonuses. They will be used only if they would actually affect things, and only one Bonus per Roll. (Exception: To prevent a Quest Over, all Omake Bonuses will be used.)
You have 20 Goodwill. They are generally used to make sure you get a Diplomacy Roll to the First Tier of Success, though they could also be used in other ways as marked.
Remember to mark which option you are giving the Feast to.
VOTE AS A PLAN
Martial Actions: 2 (½ Krampus Martial Bonus)
[ ] Train With Krampus - Krampus wants to get you in shape to fight. Hopefully this won't hurt too much…
DC: 1 / 50 / 100 / 150. Cost: 5 CS, 1 Additional Personal or Free Action. Result: Martial Gains. ???
[ ] Train The Spirits in Gun Safety - If worse comes to worse, everyone will need to defend the Workshop. That means the newly employed spirits may need to learn how to wield the weapons in your armory.
DC: 100. Cost: 5 CS. Result: Employee Spirits can wield weapons from the Armory
[ ] Employ a Master of Arms - Finding someone who can take charge of the Workshop's defenses and Armory would help Krampus on multiple fronts.
DC: Variable. Cost: Variable. Results: List of Possible Candidates for Master of Arms. Reduces the DC of "Train The Spirits in Gun Safety" to 50.
[ ] Gruss Vom Krampus (The Beginning) - The Shop has revealed to you some Naughtiness, though not enough to locate those responsible. But that doesn't mean your hands are completely tied. Send out the Demon of Christmas, and remind people what happens to those who hurt children.
DC: 40 / 80 / 120. Cost: 10 CS. Result: ??? / ??? / ???. Warning: Failure could result in Krampus being Seen.
- [ ] A Cold Assist - Jack is a bit worried about this. Maybe an assist from the shadows can help ease him and keep Krampus unspotted?
Additional Cost: 1 Intrigue Action. Additional Reward: +20 to the Roll.
Diplomacy Actions: 1 (Goodwill Stored: 20)
[ ] Reach Out To The Germanic Dwarves - The Dwarves are surprisingly tied more to Christmas than most know, having built the Sleigh and made the Coat. However, they are secretive and secluded deep in the mountains. Maybe you can help build a bridge of friendship?
DC Roll: 80 / 160 / 320 / 640. Cost: 20 CS. Rewards: Open Dialogue with the Germanic Dwarves. ??? / ???
- [ ] Offer A Trade. The Dwarves do like working with unusual, rare, and exotic material. If you send some Christmas Spirit, maybe it will get the wheels turning? Additional Cost: 200 CS. Result: +100 to the Roll.
- [ ] Offer More. This could get expensive, but the Dwarves can give you a leg up on getting Christmas back on track. Additional Cost: 400 CS. Result: Additional +200 to the Roll
- [ ] Offer It All. This is more than a full year's worth of the Spirit Nicholas sent you. This is risky, but the work of the Dwarves is worth it. Additional Cost: 600 CS. Result: An Additional +300 to the Roll. ???
[ ] Reach Out to the Order of Victoria (
London) - The work you did with them brought a lot of good to the people of London. Maybe you should talk with them about more charity works? And there is something about them that doesn't seem completely of the Seen World.
DC Roll: 40 / 100 / 160. Cost: 0 CS. Rewards: Open Dialogue with the Order of Victoria. 1d100 Christmas Spirit
[ ] Reach Out to the Spirits of London - You know quite a few people in London. Why not spend some time with them, see what happens?
DC: Variable (Bonus: Ebenezer's Diplomacy). Cost: 0 CS. Rewards: ???
[ ] The Council of Christmas (Diplomacy) - The Council Must Be Complete.
DC: Variable. Cost: 10 CS. Rewards: List of Candidates.
Stewardship Actions: 2
[ ] Upgrade the Workshop - The Workshop could use some upgrades.
DC: None. Cost: Variable. Rewards: Building Mini-Turns. This Action Goes First After Rolls.
[ ] Employ More Spirits - There are plenty of Spirits who could use some work. And you have many toys that need to be made.
DC: 20 / 40 / 60 / 80 / 100. Cost: 10 CS per Success Tier. Rewards: More Employees! Possible Hero Unit. Warning: You have 0 Desks and 3 Sleeping Chambers left.
[ ] Shift Over - While you've been running the Workshop for eight hours a day, you could run three shifts instead of one. You'd need to promote some of your employees to Shift Leader, but it means you can be more productive with less desks needed.
DC: 0. Cost: 10 CS. Reward: 3 Shifts instead of 1. Each desk can be used by 3 Spirits, except for Cecilia's.
[ ] Another Miracle on 34th Street (The Seen World) - If you're going to free Blitzen via the courts, you might need to look into a lawyer that would take your case.
DC: 150. Cost: 10 CS. Reward: Find a Lawyer willing to fight Amazon for Rudolph. This will reveal to the lawyer that you are Santa. The Holidays may find out.
[ ] Shopping Trip - You need stuff. Simple enough.
DC: 0. Cost: Variable. Reward: Shopping Mini-Turns.
[ ] The Council of Christmas (Stewardship) - The Council Must Be Complete. Even for this position.
DC: Variable. Cost: 10 CS. Rewards: List of Candidates.
[ ] Promote From Within (Stewardship - Blitzen) - Blitzen knows a bit about how business works. Why not just promote him?
DC: 0. Cost: 0. Reward: Blitzen becomes your Stewardship Advisor. This will affect what you can spend money on.
[ ] Promote From Within (Stewardship - Jacob Marley) - Jacob has been with you from the beginning. He's probably the best choice.
DC: 0. Cost: 0. Reward: Jacob Marley becomes your Stewardship Advisor. He gets a full Stat Block.
Intrigue Actions: 2 (¼ Jack Frost's Intrigue Bonus)
[ ] Rebuild The Network (Beginnings) - Jack has very few assets still active at the moment. He wants to quietly build a new network of informants and spies in London.
DC: 20 / 80. Cost: 50 CS. Reward: Local Rumor Mill (London). ???
- [ ] Grease Those Palms - A little goodwill never hurt anything. Additional Cost: 10 Goodwill. Reward: This roll is made with Advantage.
[ ] Ears on Amazon - Jack still has a person or two he trusts. It might be a longshot, but maybe they've heard something about Amazon?
DC: 100. Cost: 100 CS. Rewards: Enemy Rumor Mill (Amazon)
[ ] The Calendar - Jack brings up something: A hotel in New York, secretly a Neutral Location for all the Holidays to meet. While you going there is out of the question to Jack, he could go there and see how the other Holidays have taken to what happened.
DC: 0. Cost: 10 CS. Rewards: Access to the Calendar. This reveals Jack Frost is alive.
[ ] Mary And Vixen - Jack has a vague idea of where they might be. And you want to get to them before Midwinter does. This will take time, but can you afford to put this off any longer?
DC: 0. Costs: Variable CS, Blitzen and Wesley's Time, 1 Additional Personal or Free Action. Rewards: Adventure Turns! May Be Contested By Multiple Factions
[ ] Lay Low - Jack will complain about it, but he said it himself. The longer Blake thinks he's dead, the longer any heat dies off of him.
DC: No Roll. Cost: 1 Additional Intrigue Action. Result: Jack lays low. +1 Free Jack Action this turn. (Using Jack's Stats. Must be on an action that does not leave London, and not in Intrigue. Does not trigger Partially Defrosted)
Learning Actions: 1 (All Research Options - Cecilia Learning Bonus)
[ ] Research Option: Reverse Engineer the SEP Field - Cecilia wants to examine it, and try to reverse engineer it. Mainly because if she can figure out how to replicate it, she could make mobile versions of it.
Progress/Complete DC: 0/500. Cost: 100 CS / 250 Progress. Reward: Mobile SEP Fields Generators Unlocked!
[ ] Research Option: Basic Spirit Radio - Cecilia's current personal project, she's made a bit of progress. It's not easy, but the blueprints are making things much easier!
Progress/Complete DC: 51/200. Cost: 0 CS. Reward: Spirit Radio Casters/Receivers Unlocked!
[ ] Research Option: Reverse Engineer The Spirit Solidifier - This has some interesting applications. And Cecilia thinks she can make mobile versions of this, if she spent some time on it.
Progress/Complete DC: 0/500. Cost: 100 CS / 250 Progress. Reward: Mobile Spirit Solidifier Generators Unlocked!
[ ] The Council of Christmas (Learning) - The Council Must Be Complete.
DC: Variable. Cost: 10 CS. Rewards: List of Candidates.
[ ] Promote From Within (Learning) - You have Cecilia. Just promote her.
DC: 0. Cost: 0. Reward: Cecilia becomes your Learning Advisor. This will affect what you can research.
Occult Actions: 2
[ ] Another Miracle on 34th Street (The Unseen World) - If you're going to free Blitzen via the courts, you might need to look into a court you would have standing on. This may be a bit easier with the Unseen World, but it might tip individuals off of more than you'd like.
DC: 75/150. Cost: 10 CS. Reward: Find a court where you would have standing. This will reveal to certain people that you are Santa. The Holidays may find out.
[ ] Find Out More About Wesley - You have an idea on what Wesley is. But more research must be done. Talk with some people you know, read some older books, surf Wikipedia.
DC: 100/200. Cost: 5 CS. Reward: More Info on Wesley. ???
- [ ] More Personal Examination - Bring Wesley with you. Cost: Wesley's Time. Reward: +50 to the Roll.
[ ] Like Lightning: You've heard from rumors that something happened in Cardiff-By-The-Sea, and it's got a lot of the local spirits spooked. Something about a flash of lightning and a man falling to the earth. Krampus also seems on edge for some reason, though he doesn't know why. Take the time to take a weekend and see what's going on over there.
DC: 100/200. Cost: 5 CS. Reward: ???. Only Available This Turn.
- [ ] Take Krampus With You. Maybe he can help you. Or at least, put him at ease. Additional Cost: 1 Martial or Free Action. Result: Krampus Goes With You.
[ ] Random Adventures - There are people and spirits in London who need your help. Just walk outside. You'll find something.
DC: Variable. Cost: Variable. Reward: ???
[ ] The Council of Christmas (Occult) - The Council Must Be Complete.
DC: Variable. Cost: 10 CS. Rewards: List of Candidates.
Personal Options: 2 (Uses Your Stats)
[ ] Your Mortal Employees: Scrooge and Marley's has six Employees that man the shop. As risky as it might be, you feel that they should know, especially since they or their families might be at risk if Midwinter ever figures out you're Santa.
Cost: 5 CS. DC: 130. Bonus: Diplomacy + Occult. Rewards: Your Employees are brought into the knowledge of the Unseen World.
[ ] Spend Time With Someone. Take some time to take with one of your Employees. See how they're doing!
DC: 0. Cost: Variable. Reward: Interludes, ???. Can be taken multiple times.
- [ ] Place name of who you spend time with.
[ ] Hands To The Plow - Some things require a personal touch.
DC: 0. Cost: Your Time. Reward: Add a bonus equal to your stat to one action you voted for.
Free Actions: 1
Choose any action.
--
QM's Notes: And Here. We. Go...
