Telling the stories of the Occult Underground and the people who live in it.
Duncan Anders-Occult Biographer
It started with Kerouac. On the Road\ was a revelation to the voracious young reader. He was 15 when he first cracked it open and realized how the soul of a time or people could be captured by a story. Consumed by a desire to capture the spirit of his time, Duncan spent years practicing his writing, and poring over the works of authors like Hemingway, Dickens, and Wolfe. He wrote for his school paper, and later served as the star writer in several of his college periodicals. By the time he graduated from Columbia College in Chicago with a degree in Fiction Writing, Duncan was certain that he was ready to undertake his dream.
Unfortunately, he ran into a bit of a problem. When he sat down to start his novel, the magnum opus he’d been readying himself for since high school, he couldn’t write. Not a single, fucking word. There is nothing a writer fears as much as writer’s block. Duncan didn’t know what to do. He tried everything he could think of. He read every book on writing he could find, he attended writing workshops designed to battle writer’s block, he searched everywhere for something to spark his imagination.
Two years later, his novel was still just an empty, untitled document on his computer. Duncan was working two jobs in a desperate bid to keep himself off the street, a fate he was terrified of, though he sometimes wondered if maybe homelessness would spark his brain. And he searched for something, anything to write about.
Right around the point where Duncan was due to see how the life of a vagrant would fuel his writing, he was contacted by a person who claimed he could fix Duncan’s problem. This man, a Merchant who dealt in creativity and ideas, offered to take Duncan’s writer’s block in exchange for a ten years of his life. Of course, Duncan was skeptical to say the least, but he was also desperate. So he agreed to a meeting.
The Merchant, a fellow by the name of Carlton Bigby, came prepared for a skeptic. When Duncan expressed his doubts, Bigby pulled out a couple of tricks, just enough to convince the potential client that his services were for real. And it worked like a charm, up until the client suddenly got this gleam in his eye and starting asking questions. Questions like how did you do that, and are there other people who can do that?
When everything was said and done, Duncan Anders walked away from that meeting with his mind churning with ideas, leaving in his wake a very confused Merchant who had the ugly feeling of having given away something for nothing.
Dammit. Hit the wrong button. Oh well, I guess I’ll just finish up down here.
That was five years ago. Now Duncan Anders is the author of two fairly successful books. His fans are captivated by the imaginative and deeply fleshed out world he’s created, filled with obsessed sorcerers. eldritch conspiracies, and a uniquely postmodern feel. Both of his novels are styled as biographies, telling the story of an individual who lives in this “Occult Underground”, a gimmick that has done wonders in making him stand out in the urban fantasy market.
Having finally found his muse and now actively following the path of the Chronicler, Duncan is happier than he ever has been. He loves dragging the life stories out of adepts and avatars alike, transcribing their adventures and trials beneath the thin veil of fiction. He loves poking the Sleepers, well aware that the only thing keeping them off him is his place in the public eye and the fact that for all the dangerous information contained in his books, they are safely ensconced within the sci-fi and fantasy section.
Right now, the biggest question facing Duncan is where to go next? He’s looking for a muse for his next book, and this time he plans to go as deep into the OU as he can. He already has a good candidate in mind, cult writer Dirk Allen, who Duncan has recently discovered is an adept with a complex reputation. Along similar lines, he’s been looking into a rumors about something called the Freak and someplace called the Stratosphere…
Duncan Anders-Occult Biographer
Personaltiy: Duncan is living the dream, he’s found a world that’s as interesting to him as the Road was for Kerouac. He wants to know everything and anything there is to know about the OU, especially the people who lurk within its shadows.
Obsession: People’s stories. Duncan has always been interested in other people, and he loves hearing about the things they’ve seen, done, and thought. (Write)
Wound Points: 50
Fear Passion: Writer’s Block. Duncan is terrified of not being able to write. He loses a lot of sleep remembering those two years where he couldn’t type a word.
Rage Passion: Apathy. Duncan spends every day in wonder at the world, and nothing pisses him off like seeing someone just blow it all off.
Noble Passion: Telling stories. Stories have a lot of power to heal and to enlighten. By telling their story, he’s made a difference in the lives of both of his subjects, and that’s without even getting into his fans…
Stats and Skills
Body 50 (Gym Membership)
General Athletics 25, Amateur Boxing 25, Nice Smile 30
Speed 45 (Desk Job)
Duck 20, Road Trip 30, Twitchy Instincts 40
Mind 65 (Well Read)
Hide 25, College Graduate 45, Eye for Details 35
Soul 80 (Endless Imagination)
Interview 45, Bullshit 25, Avatar: Chronicler 45, Write 50
Madness Meters
Helplessness: Hardened 0/ Failed 2
Unnatural: Hardened 2/ Failed 0