Traumaville A 1PG Setting for Shriek

By Mark Bruno and James Stubbs

Welcome to Traumaville: To many, Traumaville is just another on-site crematorium. Oh, and did we mention the dead also rise
quiet city, with well-manicured lawns, tract housing, friendly here at night, hungry for the flesh of nubile teen girls and the
neighbors and honest suburban living. But stay in town for any brains of high school jocks overloaded with testosterone?
length of time, and it’ll become quickly apparent that there’s more
to the city than would appear at first glance. For one, Traumaville The Zone: This trendy nightclub is all the rage in Traumaville,
happens to be the murder capital of Southern California; more specifically among the city’s teen scene. It’s also dark, crowded,
teenagers disappear from the school and uppermiddle class neigh- noisy and features some of the hottest live bands to hit the West
borhoods than anyone could think possible. It’s as if, for some rea- coast. Unfortunately, the nightclub is located in a particularly bad
son, evil is attracted to Traumaville. Those in the know argue that section of town and surrounded by a number of abandoned ware-
the city has become a mecca of sorts for all types evil: houses and factories. Perfect breeding grounds for dark,
serial killers, practitioners of witchcraft and other nasty things that go bump in the night.
hellspawn. In actuality, bad mojo just kind of
permeates the place. Traumaville Hospital: The city’s hospital
is always busy, especially its bustling
And despite all of this, people still trauma center, where on-site physi-
come in droves to live in bright, cians are ready to service residents’
sunny Traumaville. Even the resi- every need, be it a gang-related
dents who live here seem ambigu- incident, a run-in with a backed-
ous to the horror and danger that up sewer line, an inconvenient
surrounds them, as if missing tumble down the stairs or a tus-
and dead teenagers are just a sle with an axe-wielding, hock-
way of life. It is because the ey mask-wearing maniacal
residents of Traumaville are serial killer.
desensitized to the violence?
Or perhaps something more Traumaville Mall: Located
nefarious holds sway over the smack dab in the middle of the
community... city is the expansive, multi-
level Traumauville Mall.
Locations: Below are some of Recently refurbished, it boasts
Traumaville’s most notable a multiplex cinema offering
landmarks. GMs are free to add first-run movies, as well as many
more locations to suite their tastes. shops and a lavish food court. Be
Options include additional night- sure to check out the cool video-
clubs, cemeteries, haunted houses, game parlor on the upper level.
abandoned factories, shopping malls There’s also a well-known occult
and the obligatory wooded camp site. bookstore and magick shoppe located on
the upper-level called Good Juju, which
Traumaville High School: With a student carries voodoo dolls, love potions and Ouija
body of more than 900 teenagers, THS tends to boards, among other items. The nightwatch men
have a high body count. In fact, more juniors and seniors are fairly lax, so mall break-ins are fairly common.
turn up missing or dead on a weekly basis than in any other high
school in the country. The school also boasts the highest undead Natural History Museum: Boasting several impressive collec-
population as well, but no one really talks about that much. On the tions of anthropological artifacts, as well as scientific specimens,
upside to all of this, THS features beautiful Spanish-style archi- the museum also plays host to several touring exhibitions each
tecture, expansive athletic fields, a huge auditorium, a student- year. Recently, the Peruvian Mummy exhibit drew record crowds.
decorated lounge and a fully computerized library.
Traumaville Beach: Just off I-17 West is the city’s public beach.
Resurrection Cemetery: There are far too many of these in Bonfires are permitted; however, alcoholic beverages and glass
Traumaville to mention, although the largest is Resurrection containers are not. There have been several unverified shark sight-
Cemetery. On the grounds of this dozen-acre cemetery is a large ings, but the Traumaville Water Safety Commission advises that
marble mausoleum, the historic Traumaville Funeral Home, and there is, at present, no cause for alarm.

Shriek and Traumaville © Copyright 2002 Deep7, LLC. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
Permission to print and/or distribute this free setting granted. Visit http://www.deep7.com for more free 1PG goodies
 Traumaville npcs
Robert Mayer queens are delicate creatures , but Dawn is as tough as nails and
Traumaville HS Principle her brutal honesty certainly won’t get her a career as a politician.
BUFFNESS 1/Whup-Ass 2; LOOKS 1; CRAFTINESS 3/Drive Not that she’d want to be one, that is. Rather, Dawn has her sights
on Hollywood after she graduates.
2; BRAINS 2/Debate 2; Blood 10
Principle Mayer is a strict disciplinarian that rules his school with
an iron fist. He’s a harsh man in his early 50s that delights in pun- Allison Styles
ishing teenage delinquents and making life generally miserable Channel 13 Ace Reporter
for the student body. Mayer is often seen patrolling the hallways BUFFNESS 1; LOOKS 3/Fashion Sense 2/Pose 2; CRAFTI-
of Tramuaville High School on a daily basis, looking for trouble. NESS 2/Drama 2; BRAINS 3; Blood 10
Allison Styles got her start in
Walter Ellison several small media markets
Chief of Police before hitting the big time
BUFFNESS 2/Whup-Ass 3; and landing a job as a
LOOKS 1; CRAFTINESS reporter for Traumaville’s top
3/Drive 2; BRAINS 2/Debate 10 o’clock news program on
1; Blood 15 Channel 13. After six months
As a 30-year veteran of on the job, Channel 13’s rat-
Traumaville’s police force, ings soared through the roof
Chief Walter Ellison has seen it and she’s currently the
all. Unlike most other suburban town’s media darling. Allison
communities in the country, his is something of a maverick,
law enforcement officers have doing whatever it takes to get
their hands full with missing the next big story. She can be
persons cases, not too mention ruthless and single-minded at
the weekly occurence of times, which only adds to her
teenage murders and mental popularity. In recent months,
ward escapees. Ellison is a she been obsessed with cov-
hard-boiled type, not easily ering Traumaville’s crime
swayed and always patrolling wave and the current rash of
his city with open ears and teenage disappearances.
eyes.
“Shifty Pete” Willis
Chet Bradley Groundskeeper
Football Star BUFFNESS 2/Whup-Ass
BUFFNESS 2/Whup-Ass 1/Hold Liquor 2; LOOKS 1;
2/Gym 2; LOOKS 3/Fashion CRAFTINESS 2/Gear-
Sense 2; CRAFTINESS 2/Drive 2; BRAINS 1/; Blood 15 head/Mixology 1; BRAINS 2; Blood 10
Chet is something of a celebrity at Traumaville High School. He Shifty Pete has been Resurrection Cemetery’s head groundskeep-
is, after all, the star quarterback and the school’s crown jewel er for no one knows how long. He’s an old codger who hates kids
when it comes to sports. Unfortunately, what he lacks is tact, class and despises those who come to goof off at the cemetery at night.
and humility. Chet tends to be arrogant, cocky and bullheaded, More than one student has been chased off the grounds by Shifty
not to mention he is one big dude. Still, despite his utter disregard and his dogs.
for people, the girls love him and his teammates revere him for his
prowess on the field. Babe Armstrong
Monster Hunter
Dawn Sheridan BUFFNESS 2/Whup-Ass 3/Gym 2; LOOKS 3/Fashion Sense
Head Cheerleader 1; CRAFTINESS 3; BRAINS 2; Blood 20
BUFFNESS 1/Gym 2; LOOKS 3/Fashion Sense 2/Pose 1; This self-stylized monster hunter claims that Traumaville is under
CRAFTINESS 2/Shopping 1; BRAINS 1; Blood 10 attack by “forces of darkness.” Whether that’s true is up for
As captain of Traumaville High’s cheerleading squad, Dawn debate. Aside from a few of her close friends, most folks avoid
Sheridan is shallow, snarky and down-right materialistic. And poor Babe. Still, she remains steadfast in her assertions and is
those are her good points. Dawn’s blood is bluer than most; she often see patrolling the streets and cemeteries of Traumaville late
comes from a rich family and refuses to be put down. Most fairy at night.
 Wrap party By James Stubbs

The Premise: The PCs are all members of the Traumaville High The Mummy: The mummy is still adorned with ornamental beads.
Theater Company or are friends/significant others of someone in the To add an extra element of creepiness to the scenario you could
Company. In order to raise some money for props and playbill print- always have the faint clicking of beads echo throughout the muse-
ing costs, they recently dressed and acted as ancient Peruvians for um to set the PCs on edge. Remember, paranoia and fear are the
the Peruvian Mummy exhibit at the Traumaville Museum. As the Shriek referee’s best friends outside of caffeine and an encyclopedic
exhibit ends, the Company has decided to hold their wrap party at knowledge of every slasher and monster movie ever made.
the museum. The mummy prefers to kill with its bare hands through bludgeon-
ing a victim to death or through strangulation, but if you feel it
The Setup: The wrap party is winding down, as it is late in the appropriate, you can arm it with a ceremonial spiked club that does
evening and nearing closing time. Many of the partiers have left 4 Blood damage. Like most mummies, it is slow and seems to be
already. The die-hards that remain have fallen into the usual listless where it shouldn’t at exactly the worst possible time for the PCs.
small talk or are nursing their drinks, and the music has turned from Fire is its worst enemy. The mummy will suffer double damage
energetic beats to a more relaxed fare. Naturally everyone is going from any fire-based attack. However, once ablaze, it will attempt to
to forget the time and get locked in the museum after it closes. attack the person who set it on fire to the exclusion of everything
Strangely enough, no security guards come by to run them out and else. If this also sets the attacker on fire, so much the better.
the museum is a very spooky place at night, with its very dim light- If the PCs somehow manage to kill the mummy, give them a brief
ing and echoing chambers and hallways. Play up the group’s para- respite and a false sense of security before it comes back alive
noia by having them catch fleeting glimpses of strange shadows and again!
odd shapes. Footsteps and voices will echo and be wildly distorted.
Even as creepy as things are, some of the more amorous couples Killing the Unkillable: Bullets can’t kill something that no longer
will sneak off to find some privacy, while others will wander off to has any vital organs. The old medieval weapons are too brittle to be
try to find a phone, a guard or just take an opportunity to explore. of much use and fire is quickly put out before it can cause any real
lasting damage. What possible chance does the THS Theater
Behind the Scenes: You guessed it – the mummy in the exhibit has Company have? Not much. However, there is a slim one. The
come to life for some reason or another and is anxious to get in some Peruvian exhibit contains artifacts found at the burial site of the
after-hours killing time. It has already taken care of Barney and mummy. The most interesting of these objects is a broken clay seal
Ernie, two overweight and inept security guards. The players can with strange writing on the back that was removed from the sar-
easily find their mangled bodies after only a cursory search. It’s cophagus by someone or something . The seal is identifiable to any-
more fun to let one of the NPCs find the bodies; that way you can one with occult knowledge as a containment ward that should
have the PCs hear their horrid screams and come running. Both of secure the sarcophagus lid once the mummy is placed back inside.
the bodies have pistols, but one only has two bullets in it and the The incantation will need to be deciphered before it can be read,
other only has one. however. Feel free to apply Target Number penalties as the group
researches the writing. The ultimate solution requires the PCs to
Traumaville Museum: The museum is composed of two floors. somehow lure or force the mummy back into its resting place, slam
The first floor contains a gift store, a bookstore, foyer with an infor- the lid shut and reapply the seal while reciting the incantation.
mation booth, bathrooms, janitor closet, the art gallery with a per-
manent exhibit of local artist’s works, a exhibit of colonial weaving Concluding the Scenario: The scenario ends with the survivors
and another one of North American Indian pottery and crafts. trapping and sealing the mummy back into his tomb or at least sur-
The second floor contains more bathrooms, the security guard viving until 8 a.m. the next morning when the time lock on the door
office, administrative offices, a meeting room, the Peruvian mummy opens so that they can escape. Of course, nobody believes their story
exhibit, an exhibit on medieval weaponry, another on women’s fash- if they live to tell the tale. The mummy will be found unharmed and
ions through the ages and one on the history of photography. undisturbed in its tomb regardless of what happens.
This scenario could be used as a launching point for a series of
When Good Times Go Bad: It won’t take a rocket scientist to fig- scenarios where the survivors band together to prove that they
ure out that something bad is going on. The museum’s doors are weren’t crazy by exposing the supernatural occurrences in
controlled by a time lock and will not open until 8 a.m. The win- Traumaville or they become alarmed when the Traumaville
dows are reinforced, bulletproof and impossible to break. There is Museum decides to make the Peruvian Mummy exhibit a permanent
plenty of ancient melee weaponry in the medieval exhibit that the one!
PCs can use to arm themselves, but most of it is old and prone to
breaking. Fire is the most effective way of dealing with the mummy.
Clever characters could use some of the more volatile darkroom The Mummy
chemicals from the photography exhibit to make something flam- BUFFNESS 3/ Whup-Ass 2; LOOKS 1;
mable or explosive; however, open flames can only subsist for two
rounds before the museum’s sprinkler system catches the smoke and CRAFTINESS 2; BRAINS 1; Blood: 25
turns on, extinguishing the blaze.