Written by Rod Serling's brother Robert Serling, I remember reading this novel and at the time doing a MSH write-up by hand (sometime in 1993, and was used in a game twenty years ago today ) about the ghostly presence on the Titanic.

The novel, written in 1990 was actually fairly entertaining, and it was one of those books I went looking for in 2nd-Hand bookshops and online when the opportunity presented itself. In short, treasure hunters seek to gain a fortune in gold stored in one of the holds of the Titanic, but find out very quickly that something doesn't want them to succeed, and that a failed 1970s expedition using then-cutting edge technology had not only found the wreck, but had been wiped out by...something. It was a fairly unique take both on the Titanic lore and the modern ghost story, and it reminded me a lot of both The Shining and Richard Matheson's Hell-House.

Since I've done a 'haunted house' in years past, I thought I would feature something a bit more...oceanic this year, and discovering my old write-up, I figured I'd update it and repost it.

So, the Titanic 'presence'



Ghosts of th Titanic



F: N/A
A: N/A
S: N/A
E: N/A
R: Rm (30)
I: Am (50)
P: Mn (75)

Health: 0* (See Below)
Karma: 155 (See Below)
Resources: N/A
Popularity: 0*

Talents:
As the 'presence' of the collected deceased passengers have created an 'entity', it theoretically has access to the specific skills of each passenger and subsequent victim. This skills are often used only when the mass as a whole is active, and are only used when the whole is in action.

Powers:
Gestalt Spiritual Mass: The spirits of the victims of the Titanic have become a united presence, determined to protect the tomb-like interior from any who seek to steal directly from the dead. The united spiritual energies of the ghosts include well over 2000 separate entities, who are all united in the defense of their final resting place. These spirits do not have form or mass individually, but as a whole can affect the living world. The presence has the following abilities:

• Telepathy: The Presence can read the minds of all who are near the wreck with Am (50) ability, and use this knowledge to play upon the fears, doubts, and mistrust of all parties who seek to raid the interior of the ship. The victims must make a Psyche FEAT vs. RM (30) intensity to even notice that they are being 'read', although psychics, those with the ability to see spirits, or those who have encountered the 'presence' before can recognize it.
• Image Solidification: The Presence can create constructs and creatures of solid mass and ability, ranging from full rooms aboard the doomed ship to giant squids and mostrous sharks. The 'Presence' can do this with Mn (75) ability, and can empower these constructs with appropriate FASE equal to the power rank and within the limits of a subject/victim's fear. Solid objects will not be 'alive' in the traditional sense, as their are only the manifestation of the 'Presence's' ability, and will not give off a 'scent' or any other normal sensory abilities until encountered (They will show up on Radar/Sonar, especially if the chosen victim is watching).
• Environmental Control*: The Spirit 'Presence' can control the environment surrounding the wreck and the areas above it, including weather patterns, with Mn (75) ability. The 'Presence' even causes a non-season hurricane around the region in order to prevent the 'theft' of objects.
• Theft Detection: The 'Presence' will know if objects are stolen from the interior of the ship, which is considered to be 'the resting place' of the dead. In essence, if any object or group of objects totalling over Ex (20) Resource value are removed, the 'Presence' will sense this, activate, and follow that person and affect the area around them to the limits of the 'range'. The 'Presence' will stop at nothing to not only punish those who would disturb the rest, but who would desecrate the resting place.
• Spirit Storage*: The area is saturated with the spirits of the dead. Any who die in the region (Such as the ill-fated 1975 expedition) will join the dead in their restless vigil. Those who travel by Astral means or who perish while in the area must make opposed Psyche FEATs in order to escape the region, once it is active.

Limitations:
The Presence itself: The Presence has many limitations tied directly to its nature:

• Geographically Tied: The 'Presence' is tied to the wreck of the Titanic itself, and cannot venture beyond 10 geographic square miles from wherever the ruins rest.
• Inactive: The 'Presence' and the restless dead are not active usually. Only under the following conditions are they active: When someone who is seeking to rob the interior is present, when an escaped thief is in the area, and when other psychics are present. At other times, the collected spirits do not bother, hence why Ballard was not attacked. Artifacts outside the ship or in the debris field are not a concern to the collected spirits - It's the inner vaults that it cares about.
• Vengeful: The spirits are very vengeful, and will attempt to reclaim any looted items but more importantly, anyone who has escaped the collected souls previously. The 'Presence' will target the majority of its wrath on specific individuals, and will attempt to draw them into situations in which they 'join' the rest of the dead.

Notes: Twenty years today I sent my heroes to the bottom of the ocean. I think most of them forgave me...well...the ones who made it back from the depths at least