Dregg is the mad genius behind Chapter 13 Press and its latest release: Pulp Era. The 70's are another era that's near and dear to his cold, black heart. He has graciously agreed to cover the action movie sub-genre known as "Blaxploitation." Let's get funky!

The 1960's brought America a new social conscience. The world they once knew had disappeared overnight. The "Atomic age" had faded and people's eyes were opened to a new age of awareness. The strict control of the government, the fueling propaganda of what was right and wrong, had been exposed; where people once never questioned the motives of those in power, now came a world of people asking "Why?"

Some say it was the freedom of the new media that was to blame, giving us information as it happened. Before, the news had been given second hand and censored for public consumption. Now, people saw events as they unfolded, which gave them the power to draw their own conclusions. From the atrocities of the Vietnam war to the assassinations of those who championed civil rights, Americans began to see a common thread. They began to see a greater power that wanted them dumb and blind, to live their lives in fear so that they could be controlled.

In the late 60's, the flower children and counter-culture revolutionaries gave America other ways to view life and how it should be lived. Minds were expanded through music and drugs. Throughout the 1970's, social and political boundaries changed forever. Women were no longer second class citizens. The Feminist movement made sure that equal pay and treatment for women was a necessity and not a novelty. Blacks demanded that the old "Uncle Tom" stereotypes be buried along with the ignorance and bigotry that kept them poor and oppressed.

Visionaries such as Melvin Van Peebles opened the door to the film industry, creating movies where the black man was the hero and not some manservant or lackey. His film "Sweet Sweetback's Badass Song" was the first of what would come to be called Blaxploitation. Black actors and writers such as Rudy Ray Moore, Billy Dee Williams, Fred Williamson, and Pam Grier, appeared in full ebony glory and gave us stories relating to the street and it's oppression, not some Hollywood fairy tale where everyone was perfect... and white.

Mind you, not all of these movies were the highest rated or widely shown, but as the 70's rolled on major studios were jumping to produce movies like "Shaft," "Cleopatra Jones," and "Foxy Brown." These films had impact and power; witness modern day director Quentin Tarantino and his films "Pulp Fiction" and "Jackie Brown." It would take another article just to go over the genre in full. My best suggestion is for you to head to your local library or Netflix and check out a few of these classics to get the feeling of the times.

Although there are many popular genres from this time period (Starsky and Hutch, Charlie's Angels, etc.), this edition of Sanctum deals with the mean streets of the ghetto and how the Demon lords and Warlocks have tried to subjugate mankind. This is where you create your own army of Bad Bruthas and Sistas to take down the evils of Papa Legba and The Man.

The Brotherhood of Funk!

In 1974, fate brought together three cats named Achilles, Brother Theodore, and Isis on the trail of the infamous demon lord “Papa” Legba. They realized that their fates were entwined and their destiny was to tear down the demon’s empire brick by brick. In order to do this, they would need an army of those who had also seen the light, and were ready to lay down their lives for their brothers. They were not surprised to find that their soldiers would not come from the ranks of the military or police.

Members of the Brotherhood come from all walks of life. Pimps, prostitutes, criminals, junkies, and others turned their backs on their former ways and joined Achilles on his crusade to turn the tables on “Papa” and his hellish hoards. Under the tutelage of the three founding members, each member has become a lethal weapon. They have been prepared spiritually, trained in martial arts, and given the ability to see demons for who and what they really are.

Most player-characters can be part of the Brotherhood of Funk, allowing players to choose from their favorite blaxploitation or seventies stereotypes. Characters such as maverick cops, Vietnam vets, pimps, players, and private eyes can all be part of the brotherhood, allowing you to put a demonic twist on your fave 70's movies.

Achilles Funk

After returning from the Vietnam war, a young African American soldier named Samuel Jefferson looked upon his once peaceful neighborhood and saw that the horrors he had encountered overseas had set up shop in his beloved New York City. This time, however, the monsters did not come in the forms of bizarre death cults or possessed VC. Here in America, the demons infected those less fortunate, using drugs, crime, and prostitution to spread their vile influence.

Angered by the major foothold the “ma quái” (Vietnamese for "demon") had established on his home soil, Samuel decided to take action. Using arcane knowledge he learned from an order of Buddhist monks who fought demons back in “The Nam,” Samuel Jefferson disappeared into the shadows forever, only to be reborn as the crusader for justice known as Achilles Funk. Achilles spent the next few years training his body and soul to fight the new war back in the states, and seeking out like-minded people to take up arms and fight the demonic menace before it destroyed his brother man.

• Bad - Reputation will get you far in the Ghetto.
• Soul - Spiritual willpower can overcome many foes.
• Mean - This brother pulls no punches, and can put you in a world of hurt.

Brother Theodore

In the sixties, Theodore Wilson changed his name to Aalam Mohamed in order to follow in the footsteps of his idol, Malcolm X, and join the Nation of Islam (NOI). He was a firm believer in Malcolm’s doctrine and felt that the Blacks of America could only move forward if they cast off the trappings of the “White man” and returned to their African roots. Aalam fought hard to keep his community in Queens together by helping run shelters, food drives, and after school programs to keep the black youth on the right track. When Elijah Muhammad discredited Malcolm X in 1965, Aalam was heart broken; when Malcolm was assassinated later that year, the young activist's dreams died with him.

Aalam Mohamed went on a pilgrimage of his own across America, visited many Mosques and black communities in an attempt to find himself. What he found instead was the truth: The Whites were not truly the devils that the NOI had preached about all these years. In fact, men of all races had succumbed to demonic influence from beyond our reality. In 1970, Aalam returned to Queens and saw that the “demons” were firmly in control. He took back his Christian name returned to his outreach programs, but this time he would preach the Truth and lead his people to victory over their real adversaries.

• Great Wisdom - Can see through demonic lies.
• The Word - Powerful gift of speech.
• Charisma - Unify all with the power of the Truth.

Isis Jones

Diana Jones grew up on the wrong side of 110th street in Harlem. She never really knew her father, and her mother worked 2 jobs to keep her and her little brother fed and clothed. When her mother was murdered outside their project in 1971, Diana (then age 16) had no choice but to find the only job she could to keep her and her brother safe: prostitution. She started working for a pimp named Leroy Augustus, who happily took the beautiful young woman under his wing and put her out on the cold streets to make his money. Unlike the other girls in Leroy’s stable, Diana stayed clean of drugs and alcohol and did her job so that her brother would have a better life.

The axe fell a year later when Leroy introduced Diana to a special client he referred to only as “Papa.” He was a mysterious gentleman of Haitian decent who seemed to radiate an aura of wealth and power. When Diana refused to partake of Papa's “Love Drugs,” he attacked her. When she fought back, his men dragged her to the ground and forced the poison into her. During her drug induced trauma, Diana dreamt that she had been transported to ancient Egypt and laid at the alter of the temple of Isis. There, the Goddess asked her to become her avatar in the mortal realm, to wage war against the demons who sought to destroy everything and everyone she loved.

When Diana awoke, she found herself sinking slowly to the bottom of the Hudson river. She was badly beaten and violated and knew that death was approaching. With sudden clarity, she noticed that the cheap bracelets on her wrists had become antique bracers inscribed with the symbols she had seen in her dream. Empowered, she fought her way to the surface and started as new life as the avenging hand of Isis, ready to take on the demons that have taken over her world.

• Avatar - Strength and Wisdom of the Goddess.
• Funk Fu - Ass kicking ghetto style.
• Underworld Secrets - Knowledge of New York’s crime syndicates.

Warlocks of the Crossroads

Demonkind has developed new ways to exploit humanity's weaknesses in the Age of Aquarius. They have seized upon the drug scene and free love movement as their favorite battleground, taking full advantage of mankind's greatest temptations. They think that the forces of the Sanctum are gone, that this is the time to finally enslave man. Little do they know that their downfall shall come not from the cathedrals or halls of power, but from the very bottom rungs of society.

Papa Legba

Papa Legba is the much revered Haitian voodoo god who is the gate keeper between the spirit world and humanity. Practitioners of Voodoo claim that it is he alone who stands at the crossroads between life and death and who has brought the wise the ability to decipher the oracles of life. The demon that has usurped his name specializes in making humans vulnerable to demonic influence. By tempting his victims with their sins of choice, and weakening their wills with psychedelic drugs, he has ushered hundreds of Warlocks into the world.

Papa has taken up residence in the body of a kindly looking, elderly black man with white hair, mustache, and goatee. He dresses in only the finest silks and leathers, but the colors never stray from his trademark red and burgundy. He is never seen without his red Derby hat and his silver and mahogany cane. His two vices are whiskey and pipe tobacco; these are the traditional offerings made to Legba by voodoo priest, a coincidence which may be what originally associated him with the deity.

Papa Legba has managed to take over and control most of New York City’s crime scene. He is not a hard man to find, it’s just a matter of who wishes to cross him. Having power over the crossroads, he can bring across the dead to do his bidding, and can call to his side any mortal who is faithful to him.

• Affinity: Crossroads - Both literal and proverbial.
• Offer you can’t refuse - Controls through temptation & fear.
• Ear to the walls - Papa knows all.

The Candyman

Yonatan Silverman spent most of his teen years using fake ID's to get into Manhattan's most exclusive clubs and mingle with those who were part of "The Scene." Drugs, sex, and music became his life and this once clean cut kid from Westchester fell into a life of drugs and debauchery. On his 18th birthday, he fell into drug-induced coma that would change his life forever. With his life hanging in the balance, he sacrificed his soul to his inner demons.

They transmuted his various addictions into a source of power... vile, contaminated, corrupting power. Once awakened, Yonatan found that he had the power to manipulate the weak willed with just a few words, to give pleasure with the merest touch, and to send others to the heights of euphoria with a kiss. He took the money from his trust fund and opened "Eris," an ultra-trendy nightclub in NYC's east village.

Now calling himself "The Candyman," Yonatan brings any pleasure imaginable to those who can pay his price: their immortal soul. He allows his clients to think this is just a gimmick, so they have no reservations about signing his contracts in blood. The Brotherhood is painfully aware of this Warlock's activities and have been trying to find a way to break through the web of sin and servitude that he's woven around himself. Yonatan's clients are irrationally faithful and would eat a bullet for him with a smile.

• Affinity: Pleasure - Can make anyone’s darkest dreams come true.
• Lips Like Wine - His kiss or touch instantly intoxicates.
• Minions of Eris - His thrall will defend him with their lives.

Lady Jade

Demons and Warlocks ain't the only ones who can wield powerful mojo. Yu Jie Li began her life over 2,000 years ago in the Jiangxi Province of China. Her mother was given as a sacrifice to Air Dragon, who was stricken by her great beauty. Instead of a ritual death, the dragon decided to give her a daughter. Yu Jie Li inherited her father's powerful chi and keen affinity for magic.

She came to America in 1860, settling first in San Francisco and then, after the great earthquake of '06, in New York City. Calling herself "Lady Jade," she swept up control of Chinatown's criminal underworld. She now sits at the head of the Jiangxi Trading Company, a legitimate front from which she conducts her illicit activities.

Yu Jie Li looks to be an attractive Asian woman in her mid 30's, with long, black hair and jade green eyes. Her fingernails are extremely long, almost claw-like, and resemble marble. She is a master of arts both martial and arcane, and can assume her father's draconian form at will. However, she dislikes such grand displays of power and reserves her dragon form for emergencies and those rare occasions when she needs overwhelming force to make a point.

• Path of the Dragon - Powerful Kung-Fu.
• Sorceress - Mistress of the black arts.
• True form - Can transform into a great Dragon.

Grimlocks

Many old time New Yorkers will tell you that, beneath the hustle and bustle of the surface world, horrors beyond reason lurk in old sewers, caves, and subway tunnels. Those people are right. In the mid-1800's, when New Yorkers were starting to build their first subway systems, they uncovered an ancient race that has lived in the bowls of the earth for centuries. What's more, they hated humanity with a blind (some might say demonic) rage. They invaded the city and murdered hundreds of people in less than 48 hours. The Mayor ordered the subway tunnels blasted, cutting off their access to the surface, but these bloodthirsty creatures won't stay contained forever.

No one knows for sure if they are lost ancestors of modern man or a degenerate race of Warlocks, though the truth may be a bit of both. The "Grimlocks," as they were named by those who survived the attack, are tall and wiry sub-humans who are highly intelligent and eminently adaptable. They've constructed an entire city of their own from the bits of 1800's technology they were able to steal. Every few years, they send small raiding parties to retrieve new parts and advanced tech. Dozens of innocents go missing during these times, mostly the prostitutes and the homeless.

The Brotherhood suspects that the Grimlocks are gearing up for an all-out invasion of the surface world, or at least New York City. Not content to stand idly by and wait for the containment policy to fail, many members have begun calling for a pre-emptive strike.

• Affinity: Technology - They love machinery and can build anything they've seen.
• Rage - Blind hatred makes them stronger and more powerful then they appear.
• Savage - They attack without compassion or fear.

Next Stop: The Frozen North for cannibals, cannibals, cannibals!