Rob knows his noir, no doubt about it. His brainchild, The Edge of Midnight, is a magnum opus of hardboiled world-building. It's also a smooth blend of science, cynicism, and the supernatural. He works the same magic for this month's installment of Sanctum. Read and enjoy, then head over to his website to do the same.

The term "film noir" originated among French cinematic theorists at the end of World War II. They used it to describe a specific set of films whose recurring themes and ideas struck a chord with them. During the war, France’s Nazi occupiers heavily censored all American media coming into the country. The movies these critics remembered all had cheery, optimistic themes — Depression-era spectacles such as The Wizard of Oz, whose brightly colored landscapes and upbeat storylines were intended to provide respite from various economic woes.

When the war ended, American movies returned to French shores… and the critics were surprised at what they saw. The stories were full of grim, downbeat characters, desperate circumstances, and elements of paranoia and despair. This from a nation which had survived the fighting largely intact, and which now stood as the most prosperous and powerful in the world. The critics were fascinated, and the name they used — noir — stuck.

While the French may have coined the term, the filmmakers were the true creators of noir. They included directors like Billy Wilder, John Huston, and Orson Welles, whose work stemmed from the pulp detective novels of Chandler and Hammett, and had its roots in the German Expressionist movement of the 1920s. Films like Double Indemnity, The Asphalt Jungle, and Touch of Evil all explored the darker side of modern life. They spoke of hidden desires and mean streets, of corruption lying just under the surface, and the poetry of petty crimes and desperate gambles. They encompassed many classic detective stories, but they were not bound by detectives as a genre. Their works included women’s pictures, westerns, science fiction films, and even comedies. While most critics acknowledge that the first noir movement was gone by 1957 (the year of Welles’ Touch of Evil), its essence helped inspire a whole new generation of filmmakers.

Today, noir can be seen in movies from Blade Runner to the Naked Gun, and in the works of writers like James Ellroy, Elmore Leonard, and Ed McBain. It has also found its way into role-playing games like Bloodshadows, Noir, and three undisputed RPG classics: Vampire, Shadowrun, and Call of Cthulhu. It is atmosphere made tangible, substance created by style... and it is tailor-made for a concept like Sanctum.

Mean Streets

In a noir universe, Sanctum likely doesn’t have the stability of a formal organization. Institutions are often too corrupt for its purposes, and the longer a given group has been around, the more likely its ideals have been compromised. Instead, Sanctum is made up of a small collection of individuals: people who have “seen through the looking glass” as it were, and understand the threat posed by warlocks. They come from all walks of life and belong to any class or profession. They only thing they have in common is their knowledge of the threat, and their willingness to do something about it.

Because of this, Sanctum cells don’t have much in the way of resources. A few books in the library, a weapon or two, maybe a car: whatever the individual members (i.e., the party) can bring to the table. On the plus side, however, it means that no one’s ever going to betray them or stab them in the back. No higher-up will ever sell them out, or tell them to back off because their behavior doesn’t fit into some nebulous "Big Picture." The gloves are off, and they’re free to do whatever they feel is necessary to get the job done.

The Gumshoe

It’s a dingy office in a crummy building, but it’s yours and it pays the rent. The cases you work are pretty seedy for the most part: divorces, business fraud, unfaithful husbands, missing kids. Every now and then, something piques your interest. Like that time a warlock asked you to hunt down one of his victims. You told him where he could stick it, and the rumble’s been on ever since. It’s a hard knock for a rumpled private dick like you… but then again, you’ve always known the score on that front.

• Intuition -The little man in your gut knows when something’s wrong.
• Contacts - There’s not a bartender in town who doesn’t know your name.
• The Great Whatsit – It cost you plenty to find that dingus, but whatever it is, the warlocks don’t like it one bit.

The Gangster

You’re not sayin’ you’ve never done nothin’ bad. Hey, you’re one of Boss Sarducci’s apes, what are ya gonna do? But there’s wrong and then there’s wrong, and shaking down a few store owners ain’t nothin’ compared to the full-bore, down-your-throat evil that you’ve seen those warlocks work. Maybe your Don’s a part of their crew, working to spread misery as far as he can. On the other hand, maybe he’s seen the warlocks for what they really are, and has asked you to help bring 'em down. Either way, you’re in a position to make something happen, either by watching the warlocks’ flunkies in your own organization, or using the muscle of the Family to send them into the Big Adios.

• Muscle - When somebody don’t hear so good, you can dislodge whatever’s cloggin' their ears.
• Omerta – The gangster’s code binds you to the family, meaning you got friends around when trouble comes.
• Political Pressure – If one of your buddies ends up in the clink, it’s just a short call to Hizzoner to make the problem go away.

The Femme Fatale

It’s not easy living in this city. A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. Sometimes, that means wrapping some poor sap around your little finger. Sometimes, it means doing much worse. Hey, it beats begging in the streets, right? But these warlocks would chew you up and spit you out, if they could. They’re bad with a capital “B” and a gal like you doesn’t need to be told twice when their kind of trouble stirs the wind. But you’ve got skills of your own: those sins of the flesh that they love so much are your stock in trade. Who better than you to turn the sin against the sinner?

• Seduction – No one can say "No" to you.
• Manipulation – You can pull the strings behind the scene like nobody’s business.
• Preparation – If something goes bad — a body that wasn’t supposed to be there, for example — you’ve got everything you need to keep it hidden.

The Hustler

You’ve seen the grift these warlocks pull; it’s no different than any other. Stakes are bigger, prizes are shinier, but at the end of the day, it’s the same old three-card monte. And nobody swindles a swindler. You’re the best there is at what you do, and you aim to make sure those warlocks know it.

• Moxie – You can talk the gold out of Fort Knox, when you put your mind to it.
• Fast Thinking – When it comes to inventing a story on the fly, you’re second to none.
• Cold Read – You know everything there is to know about a person after one, quick glance.

Noirlocks

Warlocks make a perfect fit for noir, because their demonic nature is often hidden beneath the surface. Nothing seems unusual about them; they appear to be perfectly ordinary people with no secrets to hide. Only when you start digging does the truth slowly emerge, and by then, they’re probably getting ready to kill you. Often times, warlocks appear as twisted doppelgangers of Sanctum members: occupying many of the same positions, but enjoying the fruits of corruption — fruits that Sanctum is too wise to indulge in — to their fullest.

The Cop

Warlock cops work the system from the inside, perpetrating all manner of evil and covering it up with a badge. They’re masters at exploitation, taking advantage of the poor and downtrodden who lack the power to fight back. They wallow in pay-offs and kick-backs, indulge in every vice they’re supposed to be cleaning up, and when push comes to shove, they can pin a murder on someone else as fast as it takes to forge a ballistics report. And they do it all under the auspices of keeping the peace.

• Snitches & Informants – Cops have ears all over the city.
• Police Back-Up – Anything from a planted gun to an army of patrolmen is just a phone call away.
• Unholy Rage - He can touch that primal area of your mind and send you into a fit of mindless anger. Very good for getting flunkies to do their dirty work… or pin a murder rap on an uncooperative opponent.

The Don

Crime runs this city, and the Don sits as its undisputed ruler. Drugs, prostitution, and gambling money all flow into his pockets. Politicians are bought and sold like baseball cards, and an army of thugs waits to eagerly do his bidding. He is the most powerful man in the city, and only a tiny handful of people even know his name.

• Temptations of the Soul - When this warlock makes you an offer, you REALLY can’t refuse.
• Flunkies – He snaps his fingers, and goons with large weapons appear.
• Favors – Everyone owes him, and he can call in his chips whenever he pleases.

The Mayor

Power corrupts, of course, but the mayor corrupts absolutely. Dirty money from a hundred bought elections feeds the ambitions of a thousand eager underlings, each more than willing to lie, cheat, and steal to get in his good graces. Public works projects are gutted or ignored, creating economic hardships and increasing the amount of crime on the streets. Toadies and sycophants wait to do his bidding and, with the cloak of police immunity, he can indulge a bevy of unholy appetites without fear.

• Police Protection – Nobody can come near him... unless he wants them to.
• Political Savvy – He can see through the most intricate games, and learn who’s really calling the shots.
• Intimidation - Even the strongest opponent is reduced to whimpering fear with a glance from his eyes.

The Fatal Femme

Like her more virtuous counterpart, this warlock knows how to bend men to her will. Except in her case, she can convince them to do any number of things: murder their wives, steal from their bank, or sow confusion and mayhem in every corner of the city. And who thinks to blame the chippie in the slinky dress? If anyone asks questions, she’ll just smile that irresistible smile, and add another marionette to her city-wide puppet show.

• Puppet Mistress - She’ll reach into your brain and control your body like a ventriloquist.
• Patsies – A dozen, lovestruck suckers are ready to kill at her command.
• Seduction – She can corrupt anyone she wishes with the sins of the flesh.

Next Stop: The year 2012, for a demonic apocalypse!