The Veil & Lead a weird-west psionic horror RPG

The Whispering Man

Veil-Born Elite · 3 XP The Graven Plain
HP
11
Defense
11
AR
0
Mettle
2
ECHO
4

Traits

  • Intangible: The Whispering Man cannot be harmed by physical attacks. Bullets pass through. Blades meet no resistance. Salt causes it to flicker and retreat (breaks line of sight for 1d3 rounds but does not damage it).
  • Persistent: If driven away, the Whispering Man returns the following night. It will follow a target across the Graven Plain for weeks, always at the edge of perception.
  • Anchored to the Plain: Cannot follow targets off the Graven Plain. Once the party leaves the region, the Whispering Man stops pursuing.
  • Iron Repulsion: A circle of iron (railroad spikes, iron chains) prevents the Whispering Man from approaching within Near range. It will stand outside the circle and whisper until dawn.

Abilities

  • Channel Pool 7 (ECHO 4, Channel 3). Talents:
  • - *The Question* (Special): The Whispering Man asks a question about the target's past. If the target answers (voluntarily or involuntarily), they take 1 Erosion and the Whispering Man heals 2 HP. The target loses a minor memory associated with the answer. If the answer relates to a Core Memory Pillar, that Pillar is weakened (−1 to the roll when Sparking that Memory until a Long Rest).
  • - *Your Name* (R2): The Whispering Man speaks the target's true name. Target must roll ECHO + Resilience TN 13 or be Compelled to approach (move toward the Whispering Man at full Speed for 1 round).
  • - *The Offer* (R3): The Whispering Man offers to return a lost memory — or to show you something you want to know. If the target accepts, the Whispering Man deals 2 Erosion and plants a vision that may or may not be true. The information is always useful. The cost is always too high.

A tall, thin figure glimpsed at the edge of torchlight on the Graven Plain — always standing still, always facing the observer, always just too far away to see clearly. Witnesses describe him as wearing a dark coat and a wide-brimmed hat. His face is a smudge. His voice, however, is crystal clear: he whispers your name.

The Whispering Man is a psionic predator that feeds on memory. It is not a ghost — it is something that came through the Veil during the Rupture and has been walking the Graven Plain ever since, drawn to the psychic residue of the ancient dead interred beneath the hills. It approaches lone travelers, speaks their name, and asks them a question. If you answer, it takes the memory associated with your response. If you refuse, it asks again. And again. Its patience is infinite.

Those who engage with the Whispering Man too long find themselves forgetting things — first small details, then significant events, then people. The Circle has documented three cases of individuals who became Hollow after sustained contact, though the Whispering Man was never seen to lay a hand on them.

Speed 10. The Whispering Man does not make physical attacks — the attacks[] array is intentionally empty.

Tactics

The Whispering Man does not fight. It erodes. It appears at the edge of camp during watch shifts. It calls the guard’s name. It asks about their childhood. It is patient, soft-spoken, and terrifyingly polite. If the party ignores it, it escalates — appearing during the day, whispering from empty rooms, asking the same question through the mouths of NPCs who don’t remember speaking.

Encounter Design

The Whispering Man is a slow-burn horror encounter designed to span multiple sessions on the Graven Plain. It cannot be fought. It can only be endured, avoided, or outsmarted — and the party must leave the Plain to escape it. Use it to erode resources (Erosion, sleep deprivation, paranoia) and to ask players uncomfortable questions about their characters’ pasts.