Tannhäuser Tuesday - Abe Sapien

The U-Chronic History of Abe Sapien and The BPRD

The curious history of Abe Sapien begins in the 1860's as Langdon Everett Caul, an explorer, occult researcher, and member of the Oannes Society continues his research into Lemuria and Hyperboria. In March of 1865 Caul discovers an odd egg-like artifact in a submerged ancient city.

Caul returns to America and shares his discovery with the rest of the Oannes Society. While studying the egg in a secret laboratory underneath the basement of St. Trinian's Hospital in Washington, D.C. the artifact crumbles and a mysterious Fish-Man enters the room. Caul is the only one who sees the Fish-Man - Abe Sapien's spirit somehow time travelling back from 1972 when he was killed by the power of Grigori Rasputin channeled through another's body.

Abe's spirit merges with Langdon Caul and Caul begins to transform into a Fish-Man. The others in the Oannes Society quickly rig a water tank for their friend who has grown gills. On April 14, 1865, while monitoring Caul's condition an emergency happens, the men panic, speaking of escaping the city. President Lincoln has been shot. The men seal the room, vowing to return to their friend. Unfortunately, they never did. The sealed tank, labelled "Icthyo Sapien" by the Oannes members, remains undiscovered in the secret room for nearly two centuries.

In December of 1945, the Reich's Obscura Korps under the guidance of Marquis General Hermann Von Heizinger and Gregori Rasputin, are concluding Projekt Ragna Rok, a mad experiment designed to trigger the End-Times on Earth. Rasputin personally handled the culmination of the the Projekt. Seemingly, nothing has happened. Von Heizinger considered Rasputin responsible for the failure. The Reich didn't know it, but Ragna Rok did succeed, in a way. The key to triggering the End Days had been brought to Earth that very day by Grigori Rasputin. It just arrrived hundreds of miles away.

In the ruins of a church in East Bromwich, England, American Trevor Bruttenholm and a squad of Union soldiers witnessed the arrival of a demon child. Bruttenholm took the demon in, and brought him to America - to an Air Force facility in the New Mexico desert. Bruttenholm and other occult and paranormal experts received funding from the Union Military to form the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense - The BPRD. Hellboy grows at an alarming rate and by 1947 is a field agent for the Bureau.

The Bureau is forced to move to Connecticut later in 1947, when IT happened. The crash in Roswell, New Mexico that changed the course of the war. Union researchers needed more room to experiment on the craft and its occupants.

Also in 1947, Clark Savage, Jr and his associates, while investigating a Reich arsonist in Washington, D.C. discover the sealed water tank in the basement of St. Trinian's hospital. Savage has Andrew Mayfair take the sealed tank holding the fishman to the BPRD in Connecticut. Mayfair nicknames the fishman "Abe Sapien" because of the ID on his water tank - "Icthyo Sapien", dated, April 14, 1865 - the day of Abraham Lincoln's assassination.

Mayfair and the scientists of the BPRD try for days to revive the unconscious fishman, but have no luck. Mayfair is called to other duties. The BPRD scientists are giving up and in desperation feed a massive electric shock to the fishman. Abe revives, but is kept in the tank for further tests. Hellboy intervenes, pulling Abe from the tank and away from the doctors.

Abe has no memory of his past, but learns English quickly, and with Hellboy's help and friendship becomes a field agent as well. Abe and Hellboy are close friends partly due to their mutual "freak" status and partly due to Hellboy's boyish charm and gregarious nature. Abe is committed to fighting the Reich and the Matriarchy where ever they are.

Tokens:

Special Object
Fleet of Foot - Abe ignores rubble tokens and other movement restrictors. If he is able to move, Abe can always make his full move. Abe can move through water as easily as on land.

Colt .45 1911 A1

M3 Combat Knife - If you roll at least one success on a Combat Roll, add one additional success.

Grenade - Smoke

Grenade - Frag

Respected Leader - You may add a 2-point bonus to the Deployment Roll die result. This bonus is cumulative with the bonuses of other BPRD characters.

BG-42 - If the wearer rolls a Natural 10 on a Shock Roll, he cancels all hits rolled in the corresponding Combat Roll. This vest is of no use against Mental or Hand-to-Hand combat attacks.

First Aid Kit





I FEEL U-CHRONIC!!!


© 2008 W. Peter Miller

HELLBOY, ABE SAPIEN, BPRD, LOBSTER JOHNSON, and related characters are trademarked TM and © by Mike Mignola. All rights reserved.

My custom additions to Tannhäuser are not created by, distributed, or endorsed by Take on You, Asmodee, or Fantasy Flight. Tannhäuser and all related characters are trademarks of Take on You and © Take on You LTD. All Rights Reserved.