conversations.from: system
conversations.value: It's pretty easy to make a god. All you have to do is believe.
  
  But you aren't any under obligation to keep on doing it.
  
  You are one of the godlets, the tiny deities born of the imagination of children. Once, you were a toy, or the darkness of a bedroom at night, or a beloved pet; now, invested with the total faith of a child, you find yourself something more.
  
  Or at least, you did. Children grow up, and dismiss the superstitions they held when they were young. As with all gods, a total lack of faith would be fatal - but a trace of you still survives, in a half-forgotten memory at the back of your creator's head, or in a drawing they made of you that lingers in a dusty attic. And so, despite the odds, you're still around.
  
  Reviled by 'full' gods, unacknowledged by holy books or temples, you godlets exist on the fringes of reality, drifting from place to place without aim or reason. However, that's not why you have ended up in the little desert town of Gallow Springs: you're here because you felt someone call you here. You don't know who. You don't know why. But someone - or something - has drawn you to the tiny burg.
  
  When you get here, though, the pull seems to fade, and you lose track of where it's coming from. Sensing other godlets nearby, you and they converge on a nearby diner, tired and confused. Perhaps if you can talk to one another, you will be able to figure something out.
  
  You certainly hope so.
  
  *Roleplaying is strongly encouraged; the story is one of characters as much as plot, and we won't be confining ourselves to the challenge cards.*
  
  *Inspired by the classic Saki story* Sredni Vashtar* - which you do not need to have read to play, although I recommend it as both extremely short and utterly brilliant.*
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: An angel, even mad and weakened like this, is too dangerous. The others tried and failed to take it on: you will not make the same mistake.
conversations.prefix: Run:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A milkshake from the Fountain All-Nite Diner.
conversations.prefix: Milkshake:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: A milkshake from the Fountain All-Nite Diner.
conversations.prefix: Milkshake (copy):
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A slice of pie from the Fountain All-Nite Diner.
conversations.prefix: Slice of Pie:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Other godlets are turning up. You'd better get to know them.
conversations.prefix: Hello?:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You're a cat, and there's some things only cats can do. Fitting through small gaps, interrogating the local wildlife - your skills are many, and variously useful.
conversations.prefix: Nine Lives and More:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: A tiny, tiny piece of divine essence. It's all that's left of Creek. Inedible, but you can squeeze it for warmth, and light.
conversations.prefix: Last Spark:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Some godlets can go without sleep, but others can't, and their rest tonight has been difficult and broken.
conversations.prefix: Coffee:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Taller than most humans, and stronger, and smarter. Where there are gods and monsters, heroes aren't far behind.
conversations.prefix: The Hero:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: It took a while, but it's finally here. Smoke can breakfast in style.
conversations.prefix: Tuna Salad:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: There's no need to worry about cholesterol when your veins are made of faith. When you're a god, you can eat what you like.
conversations.prefix: A Substantial Breakfast:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Like they say, life's no fun without a good scare.
conversations.prefix: A Taste of Fear:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Work a little magic. Watch a few faces light up. Or darken in horror, if that's more your thing.
conversations.prefix: Miracles Do Happen:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A dense chunk of divine essence - essentially, a piece of coagulated god blood. It's more pleasant than it sounds. Save it for a moment when you really need a shot of extra power.
conversations.prefix: Cthonic Ichor:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Hold it close and listen, and it will talk to you of home. But be careful: those points are unnaturally sharp, and they will slice skin and bark alike to get at the blood or sap beneath.
conversations.prefix: Whispering Thistle :
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Ask around. See what the local flora and fauna have to say about the matter.
conversations.prefix: The Trees have Ears:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: In the pit of the night, and fat with fear, you're stronger than you have been in years.
conversations.prefix: New Strength:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: It might get you a spot of belief, or it might not. But it's the right thing to do, you are certain.
conversations.prefix: Save a Life:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: All this is so complicated. If you're going to get anywhere with all this weirdness, you're going to have to try to figure some of it out.
conversations.prefix: A Difficult Concept:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: There's nothing like an alliance to get you through good times and bad.
conversations.prefix: Make a Friend:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You're in control. All you have to do is prove it, to a beast, a man, a monster ... Perhaps even a god.
conversations.prefix: Conqueror :
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A dense chunk of divine essence - essentially, a piece of coagulated god blood. It's more pleasant than it sounds. Use it to make one miracle that much more miraculous.
conversations.prefix: Cthonic Ichor:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: There's nothing like an alliance to get you through good times and bad.
conversations.prefix: Make a Friend:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You hold certain values with fanatical devotion. It doesn't exactly make you popular.
conversations.prefix: Zealous:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Like the most famous godlet of all, you were once a beloved - or feared - pet. A child's belief in your secret power granted you your godhead. Your bestial shape makes it hard to interact with humans, but you have other skills.
conversations.prefix: Sredni Vashtar:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Conjured into existence by pure imagination, your physical form is sporadic and unsettled. You can pass for human if it isn't too bright or too dark. Sometimes you can slip through walls.
conversations.prefix: Imaginary Friend:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Just and honest, you do not infringe upon the moral code you've set yourself.
conversations.prefix: Code of Honour:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You bear the full gods an intense hatred. If you have a chance to cross them, you will certainly take it.
conversations.prefix: Wrack & Ruin:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Someone hurt a child, and in their head that someone became a demon. Perhaps they have recovered from the emotional trauma, but you still linger, dark and savage. Your powers diminish if people are not afraid of you.
conversations.prefix: Personal Demon:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You are a connoisseur of secrets, and always on the lookout for more. They serve you well, either as currency or as fuel for darker deeds.
conversations.prefix: Something Hidden:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: A child played beneath a tree, or in a cave, or in a junkyard. They were convinced there was something living there: you. You can sculpt the fabric of places like that you came from, but away from them you are weak.
conversations.prefix: Spirit of Place:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Ingenuity could be your middle name. Plans come to you as easily as breath; devious plots are your speciality.
conversations.prefix: Subtle:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You are a natural hunter. The search for and slaughter of prey is a vital part of your being.
conversations.prefix: Predator:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Some call it miracle-working. The big stuff is still exclusively the preserve of full gods, but you have more skill than most godlets in twisting the fabric of nature.
conversations.prefix: Thaumaturgy:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: It's just a fancy word for strong. But it makes you sound much more impressive than the average godlet.
conversations.prefix: Puissant:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Strength is all there is. Whether the faith of mortals, physical might or thaumaturgical power, you seek its increase above all.
conversations.prefix: Power:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You have a knack for getting into places where you're not wanted.
conversations.prefix: Stealthy:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: For one reason or another, it's hard to kill you. You take a hit, your essence knits back together, and you carry on going.
conversations.prefix: Resilient:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Colourless, textureless, barely visible except for the occasional spark of light that ripples through her body. Who and what is she?
conversations.prefix: The Stranger:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The sign claims it serves the best chilli in the state. You're pretty sure that's a lie, but it's a nice enough place.
conversations.prefix: Fountain All-Nite Diner:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Walls, fences, chasms - you surmount all with ease. It can also be hard to hit you in a fight.
conversations.prefix: Agile:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You may not know every-thing, but you do know what's right. Your advice is always sound.
conversations.prefix: Wise:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Others may miss details. You never do.
conversations.prefix: Observant:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You never really think that things are going to work out. In consequence, you give up a little too easily.
conversations.prefix: Despairing:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You're only a godlet. But you never let that hold you back. You act when others can't or won't. It certainly makes an impression.
conversations.prefix: Bold:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Fools rush in where angels fear to tread, they say, and you're the living proof of it.
conversations.prefix: Rash:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Sometimes it takes you a little while to understand a situation. Sometimes a little while is too long.
conversations.prefix: Slow-witted:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You've lost much of what thaumaturgical skill you had. These days, even the most minor miracles take time and effort to work.
conversations.prefix: Powerless:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You're not good at taking the advice of others. You make your decisions and refuse to be swayed from them.
conversations.prefix: Stubborn:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You aren't much use in a fight. Or indeed in any kind of physical activity. In fact, you might even say you were a liability.
conversations.prefix: Weak:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Empathy is alien to you. You hurt others without the slightest twinge of guilt.
conversations.prefix: Heartless:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Your life has been a lonely one. You would like, if you can, to find people to fill the gap in it.
conversations.prefix: Fellowship:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You are flawed, perhaps even broken. But that just means you have an opportunity to repair yourself.
conversations.prefix: Rebirth:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Your winning words, your good looks - something about you makes other people want to help you out.
conversations.prefix: Charismatic:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: There's something in your past that you're not over yet. It hasn't exactly given you a sunny disposition.
conversations.prefix: Bitter:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: When will kids learn? You can't just make a god and then abandon them. If you can, you'd like to spread the message among the children you meet.
conversations.prefix: Not just for Christmas:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Part crocodile, part lion, part hippo, she used to devour the hearts of sinners in Ancient Egypt. She's a lot less picky these days.
conversations.prefix: Ammit:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Maybe you're a recent creation. Maybe you've just got lucky so far. Either way, you're unschooled in the ways of the world.
conversations.prefix: Naïve:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Your creator was terrified of the dark, and for good reason - they created you to populate it. In the dark, you are a fearsome monster; in the light, you're barely more than human.
conversations.prefix: Creature in the Dark:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You've seen dozens of men just like him in small towns across America: big, broad-shouldered, affable. He's a nice guy. Who apparently has the Second Sight.
conversations.prefix: Chad:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Your creator was convinced you had a life of your own. They were right. You carry the toy from which you were wrought on your person at all times; when you need to, you can withdraw into it. If it is harmed, so are you.
conversations.prefix: Favoured Toy:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A little faded around the edges, but it's a local institution. The day it disappears, they say, the town itself is dead.
conversations.prefix: Oasis Bowling Alley:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: There's a newer one on the other side of town. This one suffered for it.
conversations.prefix: Abandoned Motel:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Home to forty-nine of Gallow Springs' six hundred and twelve residents. It's not as bleak as you might expect.
conversations.prefix: Desert Flower Trailer Park:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: It doesn't look good. Even 'habitable' might be stretching it a bit far.
conversations.prefix: Cormac's Trailer:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: It's a different place after dark - an island of cool in the warm desert night. Chad's sister Kelsey takes over at ten.
conversations.prefix: Fountain All-Nite Diner (Night):
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: She runs the diner at night. Her face has sharper edges than her brother's, and her eyes are brighter. You sense she is not as happy here as he is.
conversations.prefix: Kelsey:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Something's happening in this little town. But where? And what?
conversations.prefix: Something's Up:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: More direct than the stranger, he's not going to play games. Or at least, you'll see through them if he does. He is not the smartest god in the pantheon.
conversations.prefix: Ford:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Shouldn't an 'emporium' have more cars than this?
conversations.prefix: Mia's Used Car Emporium:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You were made to protect those children who fear that something, or someone, is coming for them. You are strongest at dusk, when your vigil begins. You are weakest at dawn, when the new day brings new terrors.
conversations.prefix: Bedside Guardian:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You're not just another small-time godlet. Show someone your strengths.
conversations.prefix: Prove Yourself:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You still don't know her name, but at least you're a little more certain of her motives now.
conversations.prefix: The Stranger:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: She looks more tired than ever. Are the long nights catching up with her, or has someone been talking to her?
conversations.prefix: Kelsey:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: If anything, she seems less friendly this time. She's probably still mad about your earlier escape.
conversations.prefix: Ammit:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You can't leave her like this. Find her parents, or get her medical attention yourself.
conversations.prefix: (Optional) Help the Child:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: If you can find the others - or their remains - you'll probably find the thing that found them.
conversations.prefix: Find the Others:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Stand your ground. The angel is clearly mad: you stand a good chance of remaining unseen. Besides, you have to find out what it is and why it's here.
conversations.prefix: Stand Fast:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You've been offered what sounds like a pretty good deal. But do you trust your would-be employer?
conversations.prefix: The Stranger's Offer:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A tiny, tiny piece of divine essence. It’s all that’s left of Creek. Inedible, but you can squeeze it for warmth, and light.   
conversations.prefix: Last Spark:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: It backs onto a liquor store and a few other shops. The place is almost deserted.
conversations.prefix: The Parking Lot Out Back of the Diner:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A child is in danger. But where? And what will you do with them if you find them?
conversations.prefix: The Child's Scream:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: What is this thing? It's like a piece of the desert come horribly to life. 
conversations.prefix: Something Bad:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The corridors behind the lanes lead to the staff room, kitchen, and maintenance access.
conversations.prefix: Behind the Scenes at the Bowling Alley:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Don't let it see you. That would be ... unfortunate.
conversations.prefix: Follow the Angel:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The child is terrified of some of you. Terror means belief: scare her some more, and you have yourself a little power source.
conversations.prefix: (Optional) Use the Child:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: All this noise attracts attention - and given that it is midday, and at least one of your party has turned translucent in the bright sunlight, you want to avoid that.
conversations.prefix: Get Away:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Tread carefully. The road to the radio station takes you through places where a missed step can be deadly.
conversations.prefix: Follow In Her Footsteps:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Where did the angel go, and how? Perhaps a search of the maintenance room will turn up a clue.
conversations.prefix: What Happened?:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Some thought is necessary here. Why would the angel have left the building?
conversations.prefix: And Why? (Optional):
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Following Credit has got more than half of your number killed. Do you risk reporting back to him? Or try Charlotte or Ford instead?
conversations.prefix: Which Path?:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Radio is doing surprisingly well in this little town - despite no one knowing that it exists.
conversations.prefix: Gallow Springs Radio Station:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Somewhere in here is the key to all this. You'll have to find it. Before the angel finds you.
conversations.prefix: Navigate the Station:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: If it has a name, you don't know it. There's hardly anyone around; it's too hot, and the town too small, for much activity.
conversations.prefix: The Street Outside Mia's Car Lot:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: His voice is full of money. It's hard not to like him, but it's probably a bad idea to do so. He is the sort of man who lives on that kind of power.
conversations.prefix: Credit:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You four need to talk. Now's the time to do it.
conversations.prefix: Talk:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You haven't seen anything that might be a radio station. You'll have to ask where it is.
conversations.prefix: Where's the Radio Station?:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: According to Kelsey, it doesn't exist. But there are lots of things that don't exist in this town. You, for one.
conversations.prefix: Seriously, Where's the Radio Station?:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: She's back. Be on your guard; she may have heard something of what happened during the night.
conversations.prefix: Charlotte:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: With the morning comes Chad, and though you may be tired you are going to have to guard against his Sight.
conversations.prefix: Chad:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: She's not taller than anyone else, not smarter or stronger. But where gods and monsters appear, there's always a hero - and this, you know, is her.
conversations.prefix: The Hero:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: She trusts you, or at least she isn't more than normally suspicious. See what you can get from her.
conversations.prefix: Talk to Charlotte:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: It's a hot morning, getting hotter. The asphalt is beginning to warm up beneath your feet.
conversations.prefix: The Streets of Gallow Springs:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: He's the one at the centre of the web Credit described. What is he doing here? And why has he trapped everyone?
conversations.prefix: The Man on the Radio:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The bowling alley is dark and quiet - and locked. Getting inside will take some effort.
conversations.prefix: Get inside:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Forewarned is forearmed. Before you go charging blindly into the motel, you need to know what's in there.
conversations.prefix: What's in there?:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: It is house-sized now, a monstrous chimera of urban waste and desert debris crowned with an inverted car.
conversations.prefix: Something Terrible:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The junk-beast from before is not dead, and seems to have added to itself from the store of garbage in the motel.
conversations.prefix: Something Worse:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: In legends, monsters always guard a prize. This is a legend. There was a monster. So where's the prize?
conversations.prefix: Search the Motel:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Work a little magic. Watch a few faces light up - or darken in horror, if that's more your thing.
conversations.prefix: Miracles Do Happen:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You were the spirit of long, hazy, adventurous summer days spent away from the house. You are lithe, dancing, and emphemeral; when the sun sets you become a hollow shell.
conversations.prefix: Spirit of Summer:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You flit from one thought to the next, never settling, never focused.
conversations.prefix: Distracted:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You know you will never be one of the full gods, but by dedicating yourself to one of them, you can become part of something larger...
conversations.prefix: Supplicant:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: In your stiller moments, your presence evokes a sense of deep contentment and intimacy, like a hot summer evening.
conversations.prefix: Warmth:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Sometimes the only thing that can protect you from the creatures that go bump in the night is something with a bigger bump.
conversations.prefix: Personal Monster:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You are meant to be at your house. Being far away is draining.
conversations.prefix: My House!:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Artifice is your native element. You're well aware of the games that gods and mortals play, and you enjoy chicanery too much to take it personally.
conversations.prefix: Life in Plastic:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You would rather die than abandon your friends.  That may be just what you do, in fact.
conversations.prefix: Loyalty:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You aren't accustomed to having control of your own life. There are times when everything still looks like a cage.
conversations.prefix: Control Issues:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Being an animal, tied to your senses and not often required to carry on a conversation, can sometimes put a damper on human relations.  
conversations.prefix: Animal Nature:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: It's the stuff nightmares are made from. Literally.
conversations.prefix: Mutable Form:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The corporeal state has its benefits as well as its costs.  Exertion tires you and your animal nature can be a serious distraction, but when well-fed and well-rested you can think and react more cleverly than usual.
conversations.prefix: Part of a Balanced Breakfast:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You bear the full gods an intense hatred. If you have a chance to cross them, you will certainly take it.
conversations.prefix: Wrack & Ruin:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Stick your head in doo-doo
  I'm better than you-you
conversations.prefix: Nana Nana Boo-Boo:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild: