There’s little hope in the World of Darkness
We recently launched our Patreon, and one of the tier rewards is the ability for our Patrons to sponsor the next Side Quest. They pick the game system, the theme, and get to name a character or two. We create a Side Quest around their idea, and now everyone gets to enjoy this free Werewolf The Forsaken adventure! Plus, Patrons receive a downloadable version of all our Side Quests.
For our second Patron sponsored Side Quest, we received this theme request: “A World of Darkness game where the players hunt down Jack the Ripper who turns out to be a Werewolf.“ He also selected the name of an NPC who shows up in the story.
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There are two hidden truths about Jack the Ripper: One – he didn’t stop killing because he died; he just got better at hiding. Two – He is still alive over 100 years later. The man known as Jack the ripper isn’t human at all, but one of the Uratha. Eerie murders are taking place around London, mimicking Jack’s style from ages past. The party must investigate the murders, find Jack, exonerate him, and catch the true killer in their midst.
Important NPCs:
Theron Fischer
A lone werewolf enamored with the legend of Jack the Ripper. Theron was cast out from the Whitechapel pack years ago but remains close by. His devotion developed into a mania, leading him to begin mimicking the killing style of Jack. Theron murdered two other women in the months leading up to the party finding his third victim. He is average and unassuming as a human, with brown eyes and hair. When in wolf form, his fur is a mixture of amber and dark brown.
Ghost Wolf Irraka
Attributes: Intelligence 4, Wits 2, Resolve 3, Strength 3 (4/6/5/4), Dexterity 5 (6/7/6/6), Stamina 3 (4/5/5/4), Presence 2, Manipulation 4 (4/3/2/4), Composure 4
Skills: Academics 2, Brawl 3, Computer 4, Firearms 1, Larceny 1, Persuasion 2, Stealth 2, Streetwise 1, Subterfuge 3, Survival 1
Merits: Brawling Dodge 1, Fast Reflexes 1, Resources 1
Primal Urge: 2
Willpower: 7
Harmony: 3
Essence: 3
Virtue: Hope
Vice: Envy
Health: 8 (9/10/9/7)
Initiative: 10 (11/12/11/11) – Includes Fast Reflexes
Defense: 2
Speed: 13 (15/18/16/15)
Renown: Cunning 1, Honor 2, Purity 3
Gifts: (1) Partial Change, (2) Slip Away, (3) Technology Ward
Jack
Once known as “Jack the Ripper” over 100 years ago, Jack semi-retired long ago from the life of a serial killer. He now commands a tribe of Iron Masters werewolves known as the Whitechapel Pack. Despite being close to 150 in age, he appears as a man in his late 60’s. When in wolf form, his fur is pale white.
Iron Masters Rahu
Primal-Urge: 5
Willpower: 8
Harmony: 5
Virtue: Fortitude
Vice: Pride
Note: Jack’s stats are more for roleplay than combat, but if the party decides to take him on, he should be a tough fight despite his age.
The Whitechapel Pack
There are currently ten werewolves in the pack. Their den hides within a market owned by Jack.
Overview
London alley, a fresh murder
It’s been over an hour since the body of the middle-aged woman hit the back alley pavement, and the police have yet to discover the grisly scene. The woman’s body is split vertically from throat to belly, with a pool of blood slowly pooling around. The party may begin an Investigation of the body and the area.
Dramatic Failure: Your character mistakenly walks through the pooled blood, contaminating the scene of the crime! Find a way to clean the blood or the police may track your character down instead of the real killer.
Failure: Your character uncovers no useful information.
Success: Hidden within the woman’s pockets is a receipt for a local pawnbroker’s shop named The King’s Pawn. It is located within south Hackney, about a mile away.
Exceptional Success: Searching the wounds reveals that the slash did not come from a blade, but instead large claws, akin to a large predator. Any supernatural-leaning characters recognize this as a werewolf claw.
Sirens go off within 20 minutes of the party’s arrival. If they are exceptionally loud or noticeable during their investigation, the sirens will sound even faster. Unless they want to explain to the deputy why they were crowding around a dead body, the party had best make haste.
Another murder takes place two weeks later if the party fails at their investigation – another woman slain in the same style. The next victim could be someone close to a party member to add a more dramatic flair for failure. This could add an air of mystery to an ongoing campaign, as the next murder could happen while the party is engaged with another story beat.
The King’s Pawn
This seedy broker’s shop sits in Hackney between two abandoned buildings. Most of the items for sale inside are of poor condition, and few people are seen inside. Despite this, it somehow remains in business. An unassuming middle-aged man with dark eyes and hair named Theron Fischer owns The King’s Pawn. He subtly eyes the party as they enter, but he is charming and engaging though. If pressed about the young lady, he feigns ignorance. There are several ways to suss out information from Theron — Intimidation, Interrogation, or Subterfuge works on Theron, but he does not respond to Persuasion.
Dramatic Failure: Theron becomes agitated and demands the party leave his shop. If they refuse, he draws a sawn-off shotgun from behind the counter and warns them to leave again. Failure to comply results in a firefight.
Failure: Theron remains tight-lipped, and subsequent attempts have -2 from the dice pool.
Success: Theron admits the woman was in his store. He hired her to drop off orders from the local Meat market in Whitechapel, as he prefers to stay in his shop. He suggests that the party inquire with the market manager as they have been acting “unusual”.
Exceptional Success: In addition to the answers under success, he will also reveal that he knows the crew running the market are werewolves. He claims he’s been investigating them for some time and hired the woman to find out more.
In truth, Theron is a lone werewolf in hiding. He did hire the woman but when she learned too much about the werewolf pack, he killed her. He also killed the two victims prior to this recent woman.
If accused of murder, Theron provides his shop’s security camera tapes from the time of the attack. He altered the tapes to show that he was on the premise when her murder took place. An Exceptional Success in Computers is the only way to spot the film inconsistencies.
If the party fails to learn anything about the murder from Theron, they can tail him when he travels to the Whitechapel Meat market on Sundays–the only time he regularly leaves his shop or home in back. If they do, they will see him set up professional cameras from a nearby, hidden alleyway.
Whitechapel Meat Market
The meat market is a popular spot for locals and has a sterling reputation for quality meat. The shop occupies a small section of the block and shares building space with a closed electronics repair shop.
W1. The Shop
The iron tang of fresh meat fills the air of this well-kept storefront. Shelves stocked with cheap off-brand goods place focus on the meat on display. Two small patio sets wait outside for guests who want to dine directly from the deli. At least two pack members with low Primal Urge scores run the shop during the day.
W2. Backroom
Two massive worktables occupy the staff area and hold tools to prepare cuts of meat. Rows of kitchen supplies line the walls while a side door to the alleyway remains shut and locked from inside. At least two pack members work here at any given time.
W3. Walk-in Freezer
Large slabs of beef hang from the ceiling on sterile hooks while smaller cuts sit on industrial storage along the walls. A fine layer of dried blood and chunks of gore rest beneath the hanging carcasses.
Hidden Door: The pack hides the entrance to the neighboring store with a well-placed metal shelf. The following are possible results of an Investigation roll:
Dramatic Failure: Your carelessness causes one of the hanging slabs of meat to crash to the ground. This could alert the nearby pack if the party attempts to sneak in.
Failure: You do not find anything of use.
Success: Your character notices a small gap behind the shelf. Moving the shelf requires a little elbow grease, and reveals a hidden door.
Exceptional Success: In addition to locating the hidden door, you also discover that not all of the meat stored here is exclusively from animals. Stashed among the regular meats are a few cuts of what is unmistakably human.
W4. Den
What was once an old electronics store is now home to the Whitechapel Pack. All windows are either covered in wood planks or blocked by stacks of crates. A few human comforts are set up around the space, such as well-made couches, a modest kitchen with a pantry, and bunks in the corner of the room. The sole exterior door is barricaded from the inside — though the boards could be dismantled with the right tools. Jack lives here, with at least 3 other members of the pack present at any given time.
Library: A small bookshelf holds an incredible amount of antique books, many of which would sell high to the right buyer. The total value of the books is around £5000. Jack is highly protective of them but is willing to part with one or two if the party deals with Theron.
Sewer Access: A hole in the floor of the store’s office drops down to a sewer access line. It is a ten-foot drop to the ground below, which the pack uses to access other parts of the city.
Jack and the Whitechapel pack are wary of outsiders but can be persuaded into talking about the recent murders by convincing characters. If successful, the party ultimately learns that Theron was forced out by Jack as his desire for messy kills jeopardized the welfare of the pack. Jack suspects that Theron is acting out by murdering women across town and asks the party to stop Theron. At this point the party must decide to either help Jack or Theron — Both are killers, but it’s up to the party to decide if and how they want to mete out justice.
We hope you enjoyed this free Werewolf the Forsaken adventure! From here it’s up to you to decide if you want to create a deeper story arc involving Theron, the Whitechapel Pack, or anything else you enjoyed about this encounter. We would love to know if you use this Side Quest, so please drop a comment here on the blog, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or Discord to let us know how it went! If you want a printable PDF version of this Side Quest, it is available (along with our other Side Quests, maps, and more fun things) exclusively on Patreon. Lastly, if you enjoyed this adventure, consider checking out our longer campaigns and map packets on our Shop page or grab a free D&D map on our Side Quests page.
Happy Side Questing!
