Gomorrah

Gomorrah is a character in DEATHGAME 9000.

Description:
Gomorrah is the spectrally displaced memory of a 50s-era city during an intense riot. Looters and thieves run rampant through the streets, buildings are set aflame, and hordes of violent protesters swarm the streets. In its spectral form, these aspects are shadowy and almost unreal. Crowds melt together, acting as a wave of general mayhem. False flames may engulf host buildings- while not fatal or even directly harmful, they are indistinguishable from real infernoes unless one is already familiar with this behavior.

The most vivid shades are those of intense suffering- scenes of domestic abuse, drug withdrawal, murder or other strong emotions take on life. While most shades are silent or murmuring, these vivid spectres can talk and even break free from their sick puppet show, given certain interference from outsiders.

Gomorrah is not all-encompassing- it moves from place to place, unexpectedly haunting certain areas. Its presence is noticeable but not obvious- lowered lighting, sudden silence, the appearance of shades in the shadows. It does not follow its own topography- while it can interfere with buildings and spawn shades, its aspects are typically overlaid on the location it inhabits in a subtle fashion. Its power to warp a location is usually greatest in abandoned or otherwise derelict places- its effects are severely dampened in highly populated or active areas, sometimes confined to a single building or even room.

Items/Abilities:
Gomorrah overlays itself on the topography of its current location. Wherever it inhabits, shadowy forms of its former citizens lurk, faceless, re-enacting their last moments with a form of vague sentience. Outsiders may go unnoticed if they avoid provoking or interacting with some shades, but others are filled with hatred and will seek out and attempt to kill foreigners. Gomorrah is, to some degree, sentient, but is typically silent. If it's desperate, it may exert an influence on shade behavior, but this is unlikely.

Most if not all shades of Gomorrah are inclined toward violence or malice, and while typically exhibiting no unusual strength may attack en masse with household items or common weapons such as knives or bludgeons. Some citizens, such as participants in organized crime, may carry 50s-era firearms, but typically only train them on their personal enemies unless disturbed from their "memories".

Gomorrah can be dispelled in various ways- by the destruction of a certain portion of its ghostly population, the demolishing of possessed structures, or alternatively by the redemption of shades, who can be freed from the city's miasma by acts of kindness. Conversely, giving in to hatred and violence within it will strengthen Gomorrah's hold on an area and attract violent shades. Gomorrah inhabits the edifices of its host location, and is capable of dousing lights, locking doors, and disabling or overloading utilities such as water, power, and so on.

Biography:
Gomorrah, before its destruction in 1957, was a notorious metropolis known for its astonishingly high crime rate, corrupt civil service, and frequent violence. Thieves, murderers and assorted cutthroats ran rampant in its expansive slums, and its upscale citizens sequestered themselves in their homes in fear. Those who were not the city's victims were its leaders, who controlled Gomorrah through fear, violence, and connections to organized crime.

During a particular riot, in which the levels of violence in the city rose to unbelievable levels, Gomorrah was judged by a mysterious force. The entire city was wiped off the face of the earth, seemingly gone forever. However, the city remained achored to this plane- moving from place to place, taking possession of entire cities and using them as hosts for its macabre re-enactment of its final moments. Such appearances were written off as ghost stories, but the phrase "under the pall of Gomorrah" became synonymous with violent unrest.