Alfie
| Playbook | The Mundane |
| Player | Sean |
| Notable Items | Guitar (travelling musician's kit) |
| Affiliation | Independent |
Background
Travelling musician. Came to Hole for reasons of his own. Plays piano at The Randy Saloon, where he has a 10% discount on the pancake buffet and is expected to wear the house hat — he lost his when Dewey ate it.
Abilities & Items
| Item / Ability | Description |
|---|---|
| Guitar | Travelling musician's kit; waved at gunpoint when asked if it counted as a weapon; survived Session 2 intact. Repaired and attuned in Session 8 — Alfie needs a more portable instrument than a saloon piano to channel his voice magic through; the guitar is now that channel |
| Voice magic (Dire Circumstances) | First triggered unconsciously in Session 2 — singing under extreme duress, his features shifted and all the windows shattered inward. Used intentionally twice in Session 4: first, a THX-like voice burst set an algae bush alight; second, a burst of silvery flame destroyed another. A simple monotone voice in his head accompanies these uses ("that's it" / "very good"). Source and nature entirely unknown. |
| Machete | Found in Session 3 by tripping over it in the Fletchley cornfield. Kept. |
Notes & Loose Threads
- Dan Randy's house hat was eaten by Dewey; Alfie has been hatless since
- Offered himself as a hostage during the Session 2 standoff to buy the party time to leave — Hamish accepted
- Shot through the hand by the Durgins during the standoff (Session 2)
- Sang She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain in captivity; Doctor Webb sang the second verse; Richie Durgin joined in
- Became medically Unstable in Session 2 after the voice implosion shattered the windows inward (glass injuries); partially healed by Doctor Webb
- Lit Hamish's favourite banjo on fire and killed a howler with it — the banjo was destroyed
- Hit his 5th Experience mark in Session 2 — eligible to level up
- Has been running his whole life to escape something he cannot name — since his father died and his house burned down; he always flees further West when strange things happen around his voice
- Fears that whatever is following him is becoming more powerful; the gang are the first people he has met who are curious about mysterious happenings rather than fearing them
- Alfie thinks it is time to leave Hole and travel West again (Session 5)
- Mongolian Death Worms emerged from his piano at the Randy Saloon during a night all of the gang remember — Alfie is convinced this was his fault
- Knows a drunk named Puddle who shoots well — a potential recruit
- Knows working girls hire rooms on the second floor of Randy's Saloon; Ellie Mae occasionally flirts with him when it's clearly welcomed
- In Session 6, burned a Luck point to signal Belinda — the Luck trigger caused a hidden compartment in the Randy Saloon piano to spring open, revealing a concealed bottle of whiskey
- In Session 7, drank one of Ms March's four intended Hatchett whisky shots without realising they were for the gang
- Shot Retta in the stomach; she showed little fear or pain and shot him badly in return — recovered via Doctor Webb's Healing Balm
- Assisted Cuthbert's brain investigation: felt a familiar pull toward the brains but stepped back, uncertain it was safe for him specifically
- His oompah music is a known quantity in Germany; it is not a known quantity in Hole, Nevada
- In Session 8 downtime, Dan Randy gave Alfie the week off to heal; he spent it fixing and attuning his guitar as a portable channel for his powers, and wrote a song about Earl (guaranteed to infuriate Ms March whatever its tone)
- In Session 8, applied a sample of Farmswatter's Miracle Cure to his acid-stained hand — no visible fix, but the skin felt looser and more flexible; he wanted it to work immediately so he could play piano again
- Traced a rotting-meat smell to Farmswatter's waggon, spotted the eight-foot cactus through the slats, and realised he had stopped sweating — the cactus wicks away nearby moisture
Alfie's voice did something unexplained in Session 2. His features changed, windows shattered inward, air imploded around him. What is this power and where does it come from?
In Session 3, Alfie's mask slipped in the cornfield and he saw his dead father. In Session 4 he told Ms March — and later the whole group — "I saw my father and he's dead." The others now know he saw someone deceased, but who his father is and what it means remains unexplored. Is there more to this than the spore dust?
During Dire Circumstances, a monotone voice in Alfie's head says "that's it" (Session 4, second use) and "very good" (third use). What is this voice? And what is the broader nature of his power?
Alfie asked Cuthbert about exorcisms — saying they are not what the Order does. Ms March made a note to ask him why. What is Alfie's interest in exorcisms?
Alfie has been running his whole life — since his father died and his house burned down. He believes he is a danger to himself and others. What is following him? Is it connected to the events in Hole?
Session History
| Session | Key Moments |
|---|---|
| Session 1 | Played piano at the Randy Saloon; tried to cool the brawl by shifting tempo; kept his ears open at the Durgin homestead |
| Session 2 | Shot through the hand; offered himself as hostage; sang in captivity; discovered voice magic; killed a howler with a flaming banjo; hit 5th XP — eligible to level up |
| Session 3 | Halfheartedly played piano to eavesdrop; put on a full show to get off work early; asked Dan Randy if he's ever been in love; found a machete by tripping over it; lassoed by Ms March ("Whyyy?"); mask slipped in the cornfield and saw his dead father; took 1 Harm hacking a red algae mound; convinced he'd cut into his dad and dropped the machete |
| Session 4 | Doubled up bandanas; restrained Ms March and talked her down ("I saw my father and he's dead"); lightly slapped her; saw real Ms March as a faceless doppelganger; pointed machete at her; brought back by Doctor Webb's logic; knelt beside March in grief; used Dire Circumstances (THX voice, voice says "that's it") — sets 4th algae alight; killed 2nd algae; got sap on hand (Unstable, 2 Harm); used Dire Circumstances a third time (silvery flame, voice says "very good"); passed out; healed by Doctor Webb's magic balm; denied the moonshine to Bart |
| Session 5 | Tried to convince Bart to drive them back; rolled a 6 (probably offered him a song); Cuthbert's whispering made Bart suspicious; confessed at the hot springs — running his whole life since his father died and his house burned down; fears he is a danger to himself and others; warned the sheriff about the Hatchetts; supported Ms March's gaslight of O'Dougal; nearly sang when stealing the waggon; named Puddle as a potential recruit; directed Cuthbert and Earl to talk to Belinda Barnberry; arrived at the saloon to find two Hatchett gang members already there |
| Session 6 | Greeted Retta with "Guten Morgen" (alarming); played piano to distract the gang ringers; oompah music killed the room; burned a Luck point to signal Belinda — hidden piano compartment sprang open revealing whiskey; calmed Retta enough to get her out of the saloon; helped Dan Randy and Doctor Webb board up windows |
| Session 7 | Borrowed Dan Randy's shotgun; held the line behind the bar; drank one of Ms March's intended Hatchett whisky shots unknowingly; confronted Retta at gunpoint ("Du musst dich abkühlen"); shot her in the stomach; took return fire — incredibly hurt; recovered via Doctor Webb's Healing Balm; assisted Cuthbert's brain investigation with piano-hand precision ("piano hands can also be surgeon hands"); drank shots with Cuthbert after the fight; sensed a familiar pull toward Max and the hired hand's brains then stepped back |
| Session 8 | (Downtime) given the week off by Dan Randy; fixed and attuned his guitar as a portable channel for his powers; wrote a song about Earl. (Market) Finished and performed his song about Earl (Ms March said no); got a tonic sample for his acid-stained hand (skin felt looser, no visible fix); failed to draw the crowd off the stall with the Earl song (voice breaking); chugged drinks with Cuthbert to fight the thirst; smelled rotting meat, spotted the giant cactus through the waggon slats, and realised he had stopped sweating — the cactus wicks moisture |
Quotes
"Does this count as a weapon?" (waving guitar while sheltering behind Dewey)
— Session 2
"I will keep my ears open and my nose shut."
— Session 1
"Dewey, save me!"
— Session 2, diving behind Ms March's horse as the shooting started
"I have my guitar. It's not useful. It's not a long range weapon."
— Session 2
"It's not real. It's not real. I saw my father and he's dead."
— Session 4, trying to pull Ms March out of her hallucination
"If only I had a hat…"
— Session 4, wryly, after Ms March extols the virtues of hatpins
"That's mean."
— Session 4, once Bart had run off to find the spores
"I've been running most of my life to escape something — I don't know what it is — since my father died and my house burnt down."
— Session 5
"Just try not to punch him this time."
— Session 5, to Ms March before Earl's interrogation
"He delivered himself?"
— Session 8, on learning Doctor Webb has been "delivering babies since he was a baby"
"I'm young. I need it to work immediately."
— Session 8, on his acid-stained hand