The Man in Black Subject: Re: DG: RE: Desmond Humbolt
Date: Tue, 29 Dec 1998 22:24:37 -0500 (EST)

On Mon, 28 Dec 1998, David Farnell, while celebrating Kwanza, wrote:
> The shock factor of a black bischofe has been mentioned. If I met a black
> bischofe, I would assume he was a white (aryan) german who has cast consume
> likeness or some similar spell :)
Players and their misapprehensions, HEH! I could only hope that players would make erronious assumptions like this.
> True. I just looked back at Desmond Humbolt and noticed he'd been demoted to
> Ritter. Actually, though, considering his background and expertise, I think
> he'd be even better off outside the regular structure entirely. Think of him
> as an advisor, or a consultant (shades of DNRC). The Bischof (whichever one)
> presents him to the K as a specialist, and tells the men to do what Desmond
> says or he'll eat them (Desmond, I mean, not the Bischof--although that
> could be effective, too). Desmond normally doesn't lead combat missions--he
> advises on operations and does his magic stuff, and otherwise stands around
> looking scary.
Desmond is a Ritter now that I have effectively disqualified myself from the whole "Best Bischofe Contest." He willoperate pretty much like the above anyway. He still serves the same function as a Ritter (solo missions, training others etc). I don't know about not leading combat missions. If he thought it necessary he would gather a few rednecks and go commit some horrible atrocity that would erode what little sanity those poor misguided bastards might have. The whole idea here is to immerse the rednecks in the same fear that they would like to engender, thus causing the more squeamish among them to cooperate with investigators while others go totally insane.

> Instead, go over the top in the other direction: I picture a suit made
> out of human skin (with different skin-tones in a zebra-stripe pattern)
> and bone with leopard-skin accents. Very primal. The men see him as a
> god, one which suits their fascist minds perfectly, except that he's
> black, but in gods, well, you give them some leeway. As long as he
> doesn't interact with the men too much or try to bed any Aryan women, it
> should work out.

His African costume will be available only for rituals and other formal gatherings and rallies. Desmond doesn't go to K-Mart or WalMart in the leopard skins.


David Farnell Subject: RE: DG: RE: Desmond Humbolt
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1998 16:54:59 +0900

The MiB, having narrowly escaped death when he forgot his password, wrote:
> He still serves the same function as a Ritter (solo
> missions, training others etc). I don't know about not leading combat
> missions. If he thought it necessary he would gather a few rednecks and go
> commit some horrible atrocity that would erode what little sanity those
> poor misguided bastards might have. The whole idea here is to immerse the
> rednecks in the same fear that they would like to engender, thus causing
> the more squeamish among them to cooperate with investigators while others
> go totally insane.
Oh, I didn't mean that he wouldn't be *effectively* leading--I just thought it might work out better if there was some guy (an "official" Ritter or something) who would be the puppet leader, issuing commands for Desmond. Of course at some point Desmond gets sick of all this and eats the guy after the guy protests something.

I like the idea that the neo-Nazis would end up far more horrified at what their own people are capable of.

> His African costume will be available only for rituals and other formal
> gatherings and rallies. Desmond doesn't go to K-Mart or WalMart in the
> leopard skins.
Well, I guess that goes without saying. (I'm trying to get the image of Desmond pushing a shopping cart down the aisles at K-Mart out of my head.)
So, what's his regular clothes like, anyway? Nazi-esque, or more on the order of your typical African dictator (BDUs patterned after American or Soviet styles, maybe with a little leopard-skin hat)?

Dave

PS: Sorry about the explosion--I gotta remember to stop dropping matches into pools of gasoline.


The Man in Black Subject: RE: DG: RE: Desmond Humbolt
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 1999 15:30:22 -0500 (EST)

David Farnell, do you really believe you can sit there pretending to think with that pus-filled pimple you call a head, and DISRESPECT ME!?

YOU BETTER RECOGNIZE~!
> Oh, I didn't mean that he wouldn't be *effectively* leading--I just thought
> it might work out better if there was some guy (an "official" Ritter or
> something) who would be the puppet leader, issuing commands for Desmond. Of
> course at some point Desmond gets sick of all this and eats the guy after
> the guy protests something.
>
> I like the idea that the neo-Nazis would end up far more horrified at what
> their own people are capable of.
Irony is seldom is absent, even from the greatest of horrors and all that rot...

Originally, back when Desmond was still being considered for the Bischofe role, Galt would play the commander, with Desmond as his Bischofe Mercenary type. I also have a theme where Desmond would be a meta-cannibal, or cannibal-of-cannibals. What I mean by this is that Desmond has the driving urge to be as high on the food chain as possible, eating only other cannibals.

In order to acquire this specialty food, he would feed prisoners and expendable underlings with other prisoners or expendable underlings. These gruesome free lunches could be served by either force or guile. There is an optional scene in EMERALD FEAST where captured investigators attend one of these happy-meals, either as guests or as the screaming, maimed and still-wriggling main course.

If our buddy Desmond survives the First Chapter, he'll show up in NYC and the Dreamlands hunting, killing and eating Ghouls from both factions. If he survives the entire Emerald Hammer, he (armed with a brand new copy of the COMPENDIUM) will begin summoning and eating all manner of mythos creatures. What effects this gourmet alien diet will have on his metabolism and physiology is left as an exercise for astute keepers.

I think that at some point, Desmond will eat whatever Bischofe is unfortunate to be assigned to Oklahoma in order to "increase his magical power" and using some flimsy excuse to justify this meal.

> So, what's his regular clothes like, anyway? Nazi-esque, or more on the
> order of your typical African dictator (BDUs patterned after American or
> Soviet styles, maybe with a little leopard-skin hat)?
 I think when he's in the abandoned NWI Oil refinery -cum- experimental concentration camp, he'll dress in BDU's like all the rest of the Neo-nazis. Die Lebenstentoten camp guards led by Theodore Eicke will dress in traditional SS gear. When shopping at K-mart, he'll dress in bluejeans, t-shirt and cowboy hat like every other cowpoke in Oklahoma, home of the trailer-park twister.

> PS: Sorry about the explosion--I gotta remember to stop dropping matches
> into pools of gasoline.

Yeah, whatever, just look into this red-blinking flashlight and all will
be forgiven...


Andrew D. Gable Subject: DG: Mr. Humbolt and His Inclusion in EH
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1999 22:33:31 -0500

First off, Nyarlathotep is a Black Man. Need I say more? :-)

Seriously, I think the easiest way to work a black man into the K. is overlooked. Just have him Consume Likeness on an Aryan. That way the racist assholes who work for the K. will follow him. "Black? Herr Humbolt ain't black!"

OK. I'll grant you that Humbolt might throw some serious wrenches into the cogs of the K., and maybe Ol' Nyarly, AKA Der Fuhrer, might not like that. But who are we to try to figure out what's going on in Nyarly's head? Who's to say that total destruction of K. isn't Nyarly's goal anyhow? Someone said recently that Nyarly's version of the endtimes is a human race degenerated into raving lunacy. Humbolt's introduction into the K. may serve just that purpose. White power, swastika-wearin', a-holes following a black guy? Some of those same a-holes may end up with serious penalties to their SAN scores as the precious ideology they held to for years crumbles around them.

Think about it this way, also. You're a Nazi, and Hitler (read: N.) tells you to follow a black dude. You disagree? Well, you can either drop out and be mercilessly hunted down and executed by the K., you can have your sanity weakened, or you can take it up with Nyarly himself. What choices.

Bottom line: it's a game. Sure, it's Call of Cthulhu and better than most..ahem, all games, and I like the idea of EH as much as the next guy, but it doesn't have to make 100% sense 100% of the time. This is a game that's about insanity (among other things), remember. And what the Keeper says goes... Humbolt's put in EH and you don't like him? Rip him out and throw in another Bischofe, instead. You might hafta do a little rewriting of that chapter, but, well, we knew the job when we got into it. Right, Keepers?

Well, I'm done with my rant for today. I'm probably gonna get flamed mercilessly for this or spark up yet another "Humbolt's status in K." discussion, but... If you can't tell, my vote is: LET THE HUMBOLT THREAD DIE.

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