Canadian Pacific Ghost Train

Canadian Pacific Ghost Train

Ghost Train
Contact Owner	Richard_Villiers
Owner's Discord Name	Villiers
Connection	6
Public Contact?	Yes
Archetype	Service
Location	Transcanadian Railway Right of Way
Metatype	Wild Spirit of Man
Gender	N/A
Awakened/Emerged	Awakened
Age	200
Preferred Payment Method	Karma
Hobbies/Vice	"Last spike" artifacts; Iron and coal reagents
Personal Life	N/A
Faction	N/A
Aspects	Domain Bound Passenger Service Freight Transport Recipe for Success Railroad Momentos Last Spike Artifacts Restricted to Iron and Anthracite Coal Travels at the Speed of Time Wild Spirits of Man Not Smol Not Patient Not above Hiring Help Transactional Nature

Overview

Wild Spirit of Man. Generated by the completion of the trans-Canadian railway on November 7, 1885. The Ghost Train was awakened from its slumber on 06/03/2085 by Funk, Ryuuji, and Trades. In the CPR's early years, it made extensive use of American-type 4-4-0 steam locomotives, and such examples of this are the Countess of Dufferin or No. 29.

Aspects Description

Aspect	Description
Domain Bound	The domain of the Canadian Pacific is the route of the transcontinental railway connecting Vancouver and Halifax with a 30 meter right-of-way to either side except for large facilities such as marshalling yards. A rating 3 Song line runs along the Ghost Train's domain.
Restricted to Iron and Anthracite Coal	The Canadian Pacific will accept reagents and material goods in return for low level spirit markers (Rating 1 or 2) but they must be iron or anthracite coal. Similarly the token worn for status is the Canadian Pacific logo cast in iron. The only status that qualifies for a rating 5 spirit marker is a tattoo of the Canadian Pacific logo with ink containing iron.
Transactional Nature	The Ghost Train has no conception of loyalty. Loyalty can never be raised above 1. Although the Ghost Train will accept appropriate reagents some karma must be part of every deal. The Ghost Train's opening position will be 1 point of karma per person per time zone of travel. The Ghost Train can be negotiated with normally but remember Wild Spirits are perfectly willing and able to walk away from a deal and may be insulted if not given the respect they feel they deserve (p. 177 FA).
Wild Spirits of Man	Like wild nature spirits, wild spirits of man have the Domain quality and gain one additional optional power. Vehicle spirits have a few additional powers available to them: Evasion, Maneuvering, and Stealth. These function like the autosofts of the same name (p. 269, SR5), with a Rating equal to the spirit’s Force.
Travels at the Speed of Time	Time zones were invented by Sir Sanford Fleming, who worked as an engineer for Canadian railways. The Ghost Train is still schedule conscious. It takes one hour to transit to an adjacent time zone (three hours from Vancouver to Halifax).
Passenger Service	Rating 1 spirit markers can be used to transport a single passenger with a single piece of luggage of 100 kilograms or less. Higher level spirit markers can be used to transport a number of passengers equal to the spirit marker.
Freight Transport	Rating 3 spirit markers or higher can be used to transport heavy freight such as a vehicle on a flat-bed freight car. GM fiat as to what fits on the freight car.
Recipe for Success	One sledge hammer with wrought iron head. Add 100 drams of iron reagents forged into railroad spikes. Hammer the spikes into the ground in the train's domain. The Canadian Pacific Ghost Train will come to the location.
Railroad Momentos	The Canadian Pacific Ghost Train is fond of items crafted from railway items such items made from steel rails or iron railroad spikes. +1 to the rating of spirit markers obtained from payment with Railroad Momentos
Last Spike Artifacts	Last Spike Artifacts (outlined below) have a special attraction to the Canadian Pacific Ghost Train. +2 to the rating of spirit markers obtained from payment with Last Spike Artifacts.
Not Smol	The Ghost Train is large, sometimes loud, and frequently leaves a faint miasma of coal smoke. It is also equipped with a natural weapon: a cannon equivalent to the Krime Cannon.
Not Patient	The Ghost Train is intolerant of obstacles obstructing free movement along the right-of-way. If necessary The Ghost Train will use its cannon to clear the way. Single shot, then semi-automatic burst. While attacking there is a 1 in six chance every combat turn that a mana storm will be triggered along the Song line (p. 35 SG). These Mana storms affect mood [rage] and produce elemental effects of lightning, hail, and rain.
Not above Hiring Help	Although the Ghost Train is entirely transactional it is willing to be as generous as necessary (GM fiat) to hire metahumans to do its bidding. Financial remuneration is always in drams of iron or anthracite coal.

Dicepools

Dicepools
Knowledge Checks	10 + Loyalty + Aspects - Notoriety
Active Checks	14 + Loyalty + Aspects - Notoriety
Gear Acquisition Checks	6 + Loyalty + Aspects - Notoriety
Networking Checks	4 + Loyalty + Aspects - Notoriety

Network

Player Characters with this Contact

Name	Loyalty	Chips
Chameleon	1	Even
Funk	1	Even
Ryuuji	1+2	Even
Trades	1	Even

Narrative Significant Runs

Name	GM	Metaplot	Date of Run
Ghost Train Part 2	Villiers	All Aboard!	2 June 2085

Domain

Last Spike Artifacts

"Last spike" artifacts The circumstance of the CPR's last spike ceremony led several spikes to assume the honor of being the "last spike". In contrast to the ceremonial gold or silver final spikes often used to mark the completion of other major railways, the CPR's "last spike" was a conventional iron spike identical to the many others used in the construction of the line. A silver spike had been created for the Governor General, the Marquess of Lansdowne, who was to be present at the ceremony, but he was forced by poor weather to return with the spike to Ottawa, Ontario. The silver spike remained with the Van Horne family until 2012, when they donated it, along with other artifacts, to the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Gatineau, Quebec.

The symbolic iron spike driven by Donald Smith, Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal, was badly bent as he pounded it into the railway tie. Roadmaster Frank Brothers extracted the spike and it was given to Smith as the "last spike". Smith had the bent spike straightened and cut several strips of iron from it, which were fashioned to appear as miniature railway spikes mounted with 13 diamonds and a circular piece of the original spike at the center. These were presented to the wives of some of the party assembled at Craigellachie. This spike was later donated to the Canada Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa and is on long-term loan to the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where it is displayed as a tribute to the immigrant railway workers who were critical to the railway's construction.

Smith later used another iron spike, usually called "the ordinary" or "fourth spike", to provide iron to make symbolic jewelry for the wives of other officials. With this iteration, he made the strips larger to distinguish these souvenirs from the original brooches. Four of the pins are known to exist today. That which was presented to the railways' president, George Stephen, was donated to Canada's Crown Collection by one of Stephen's descendants. The governor general or the viceregal consort will wear the Crown Collection's pin for special events, signifying an event that helped tie the young country together.

The second last spike, which Smith successfully drove into the tie, was removed from the track shortly after the ceremony to prevent theft by souvenir hunters. A regular spike was inserted in its place. This spike was given to the son of the patent office president at the time and is still in the family's possession, fashioned into the shape of a carving knife.

Examples of Railroad Momentos