Kelley Cabot

Wannabe cult leader

Skills: Acting, gardening, hand-to-hand combat, law enforcement, gambling, guns, knives, occultism, horseback riding

Motivation: Acquire dark, mystic powers

Weakness: Paranoid schizophrenic

29 years old, light red hair in a widow's peak, pale blue eye, eye patch, 6'1", 175 lbs., tall, thin, and evil

Kelley Cabot was an actor, though not a very good one. Plagued by bad reviews, he sought comfort in alcohol and occasional drug use. He grew to hate the company of others, and eventually his drinking got him kicked out of his last, acting troupe. But Cabot had an even stranger addiction.

While studying to play Faust, he fostered an interest in the occult. It was casual at first, but his increasing substance abuse made it seem like reality. He collected a few odd tomes on the subject while binging his way across the country, and by the time he reached the coast he fancied himself a sorcerer possessed of arcane powers.

At the end of his fortunes, he passed himself off to the people of White Pine Bay as a law enforcement professional.

His debonair style, good fashion sense, and strength of personality endeared him to the citizens, and they readily gave him the position of chief constable. He took full advantage of the opportunity and now has a small network of spies and agents that keep him informed of all the goings-on in town. He's tough on criminals, and the town knows not to cross him, but his influence is much greater than most citizens suspect.

Cabot has gone out of his way to make Smith comfortable here in town, and the citizens know Smith is a personal friend of the officer. The constable wants his new best friend to trust him implicitly so that, when the time comes, he'll have no trouble killing him. The PCs will also enjoy Cabot's hospitality until he can separate them from Smith. If the lawman discovers the group's future technology or documents, he'll be confused, but it'll still seem pretty acceptable in his drug-addled mind.

If he can't spend time with the party, he'll use every waking moment to double-check his plans and keep tabs on the newcomers through his contacts.

Quote: "Any friend of Auburn Smith's is a friend of mine! Say, have you ever been deer hunting?"

Thugs and Cultists

Skills: Melee weapon (varies), hand-to-hand combat, horseback riding or driving a cart, occupational skill

Motivation: Varies-, most just like pushing people around

Weakness: Blind loyalty

Cabot has about 20 of these single-minded individuals working for him. Some are victims of blackmail and are working with him under duress. A few are legitimate deputies who ostensibly help keep the peace but actually work for the constable because the job has its own perks (like being above the law). The rest are drifters that have come through town and have been recruited for their select personality traits, i.e., they enjoy breaking bones almost as much as the boss.

When PCs are confronted by one of these people, the GM should remember their motivations. If Cabot only keeps their loyalty through extortion, they might be talked out of doing something rash. Few of them are terribly bright, and fewer still show much initiative.

Quote: "Nothing personal, mister, but $10 buys a lot of loyalty. 'sides, it's good exercise

Auburn Smith

time traveler

Skills: Knowledge (New England), diplomacy, finance, 19th-century guns, history, piano, research, horseback riding

Motivation: Return to present day

Weakness: Naivete

26 years old, dark brown hair, brown eyes, 5'11 ", 160 lbs., glasses, easygoing but clearly out of place everywhere in this time

A native of White Pine Bay, Auburn Smith was well- schooled, receiving his MBA from the University of Maine with a minor in history. He made a small fortune scouring the Northeast for antiques and properties to buy and sell. He has made another modest fortune in 1870 by investing small amounts of money where he knows the profit will be.

Smith's eccentricity has made him a minor celebrity in the area. Most strangers would get a small-town brushoff, but thanks to the relationship he has developed with the chief constable, he gets invited to parties and dinners where he spins fanciful yarns and tells jokes no one has heard yet. He enjoys Kelley Cabot's company, unaware of the constable's ulterior motives. He trusts the officer, and will not realize the danger he poses unless the party convinces him. Smith carries with him his latest journal, hence the gap of missing time in his accounts. There's not much of value in it.

Smith is eager to return home, always fearful of altering history. He can dole out historical facts as well as information about his trip back. He hid the clock in the wall because he wasn't able to fathom how it worked, and when the wormhole disruptions stopped, he sensed a problem. His experience with it can still provide cryptic hints, however.

A sentimental type, Smith will be sure to enjoy the last of his stay here until it's time to go. When he isn't settling up his affairs in town, he'll continue to hang out with Cabot and try to wheedle the adventurers to do likewise.

Smith left the present about a year before the party did, but he won't mind "losing" six months' time if it means getting back to his own era.

Quote: "This building was erected in 1850 by a fishing company after... say, was Clinton elected president?"

Professor Alistair Clement

Historian

Skills: Management, knowledge (New England), history, art, research, teaching

Motivation: Uncover history's secrets

Weakness: Epilepsy

46 years old, a shock of thick, wavy gray hair, dark blue eyes, 5'5", 150 lbs., smartly trimmed beard and mustache, pudgy but very personable

Alistair Clement is a fixture in White Pine Bay. Everyone in town knows him, and he knows all of them, having hit most of them up for donations of money or material for the Society. He's not a pushy man, and has entertaining stories about the town, making him a favorite at fairs and public events. His work keeps him busy much of the time, but he'll gladly leave the Society in the hands of an assistant should a historical discovery call him away.

Professor Clement is a mixed blessing. If the GM decides to send him along for the trip, his knowledge of history is amazing; it rivals that of Auburn Smith. But this is balanced out by Clement's epilepsy, a crippling and perhaps deadly handicap in 1870. Clement's greatest advantage is his knowledge of local genealogy; it may help avoid costly time traveling mistakes and could come in handy if the party misses their window of opportunity and needs to backtrack family lines.

If he arrives with the party, the professor won't be as enamored by Cabot's charms as Smith is; historical revelation will capture his attention far more readily. Nevertheless, he will accept invitations to accompany the two of them in hopes of observing the culture in action firsthand. Should the party get stuck for clues, the GM may have Clement remember something helpful about the lawman or the town itself.

Quote: "The whole family was fishermen except for him. He cheated at cards for a living, and ... oh! Is he coming over here?"

A Time Travel Adventure for Any System