Player Discussion (OOC Thread)

[Church]

Welcome to the game, InThisMoment!

Though I'm still working on recruiting at least two more players, I'm more than happy to get this game underway now. With this board's acquisition, we have somewhere to keep your character's stats, and also begin running through some basic scenes/setting descriptions.

I'll send you a character sheet template shortly; please use its layout when you post your sheet to the Character Thread section of the forum.

[Church]

Actually, will probably be easier in the long run to just throw the template up in the Character Threads area of the forum (so future players can use it, too). I'll get one posted up shortly.

[InThisMoment]

Do it!

[Church]

I have done!

The template is up; post up your sheet using it, and then post in the same thread with your character background.

[Church]

I'm going to put a thread up soon that'll provide some setting/Non-Player Character information for you to read, use, and contemplate. Please note that the information provided may not be accurate - I will only post information that your character will be likely to know or is likely to have been told. This is particularly true of ST characters.

[InThisMoment]

Sounds great, can't wait! ^_^

[Church]

I'll be looking to start us off with something basic once all of the details of your background and sheet are finalised. I don't suppose you've had any further luck with recruitment in the meantime? I'm still waiting on responses from a few individuals.

[InThisMoment]

Yes, I have another potential victim VvvV

Shall let you know

[Church]

You're a font of unyielding information, ITM.

[Church]

What follows is some basic information about the setting and its inhabitants. This information is largely heresay and rumour - the authenticity of each statement is not known.

Whether your character knows each tidbit depends largely on how active he or she is in local Kindred circles. A member of the Camarilla who frequents Elysium often is likely to have heard it all, in one form or another, whereas a self-made recluse is unlikely to know anything but the most obvious and basic of information.

SETTING NOTES: Los Angeles

• The City of Angels was once an Anarch domain - a part of the Anarch Free State that was created in 1944. After a lengthy campaign against both the Sabbat and Camarilla, however, the Anarchs were ousted from their seat of power in the early '80s, when Ivory Tower Justicars assassinated the eldest and most powerful Movement leaders.

• Los Angeles is the only city in the "Anarch Free State" in which the Camarilla has managed to gain a foothold. Because of this, the Ivory Tower is still under constant threat from the Movement, even though Anarch numbers within the city are at a minimum.

• Since stealing power from the Anarchs, the Camarilla has not suffered any significant attacks from the Sabbat - a surprising fact, given how fragile a grip the Ivory Tower initially held upon the city. Members of the Sword of Caine are known to still dwell within the city limits, but are believed to be even fewer in number than the Anarch Movement survivors - even so, rumours of their movements and plans are taken very seriously by those in power.

• The Camarilla's seat of power is located in the San Fernando Valley.

• Kindred are forbidden from feeding from, or Embracing, celebrities, due to the increased risk they pose to the Masquerade.

• Though there is still a large amount of territory that has still yet to be gifted to Camarilla vampires, it is considered a show of trust and favour when the Prince gifts a Kindred with the rights to a domain: though the Ivory Tower is eager to build its power base within LA, it is careful to only grant land rights to those Kindred who prove both their worth, and their loyalty.

• All vampires, regardless of sect, know to steer clear of Griffith Park: the most infamous of Lupine hunting grounds within the city limits.

• At the time of the chronicle's introduction, LA has just seen the dawn of the year 2001. With the new millennium comes a fair bit of fury, confusion and relief from the more fanatical Gehenna-enthusiasts, who had been led to believe that the rise of the Third Generation would come at the end of 2000. More cynical Kindred point to this as proof that Gehenna is a myth and nothing more, whilst the more belief-stricken Kindred keep silent and continue to note the building portents and omens...

IMPORTANT NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS

• The Prince of Los Angeles is a Ventrue called Pious Delacroix. He is the second Prince to hold dominion over the City of Angels, after his predecessor was put to Final Death by the Justicars after they learned of his previous attempts to broker deals with the (now dead) leaders of the Anarch Movement. Delacroix is believed to be very old; his cold temper, and ability to harbour a grudge, are legendary.

• Rebecca Hedley is the Prince's childe. She is rarely seen outside of her sire's shadow, but is known to be a very capable woman with a head for numbers and administration.

• The vampire Leka has lived within the city limits for as long as anyone can remember. As an Autarkis, she swears fealty to no-one but herself - and only the most foolish of individuals would seek to make it otherwise. Clan Gangrel claims her as its own, but she is seen so infrequently and by so few that such a claim is hard to validate.

• The city Sheriff is a small, but forboding woman called Vanian. She never speaks, and is fanatically loyal to the Prince of LA.

• Michael Chase is a Toreador, infamous for his flamboyance, and for his efficient use of his position as a Harpy. He's a hoarder of information and rumours, and deals in secrets.

• Plucky Jake, a Nosferatu elder, is the ruler of the city's warrens. Little else is known about him, even to the others of his clan.

• Goldilocks is the childe of Plucky Jake. She serves as the clan's representative on the Primogen, and is instantly recognisable thanks to her tendancy to adorn herself in golden wigs and ill-fitting dresses.

• Mad Alice, the city's most infamous Malkavian, exists in the body of a twelve-year-old, but is reputed to be one of the oldest remaining Kindred in the city. A former Anarch sympathiser, Delacroix ensures her loyalty through the blood bond, and she currently serves him as a Keeper of Elysium. She treats her ghouls and herd like dolls, even going so far as to stitch their skin together, and literally put words into their mouths.

• Deacon Rhodes is the current leader of the city's remaining Anarch Movement. Little is known about him.

• Sarah Adler is a Tremere recluse who habitually conducts experiemtns on other Kindred, to better understand the vampiric condition.

• Whilst only an ancilla, William Berbage possesses the ear of some of the more powerful members of Clan Toreador. He cares little for Kindred politics, at least outside of what is necessary/immediately beneficial to himself. His childe is Gabriel Morales.

If there's any questions on any of the above, or if clarification is required on any points, let me know.

[Darius]

Hey Chruch- so I think I'm going to go with my Toreador concept that I pm'd you about. Might have it up tonight or at the very least tomorrow. Do you want me to put it in the character thread, or do you want me to post it here first?

I'm not sure how much you want other players seeing the stats of the others, so not sure how much more specific I should be.

[InThisMoment]

looks good Ti!

[Church]

Welcome Darius. And if you could post it into its own thread using the template provided, I'll make it secret and then begin working on it with you.

Some notes: we're not using Merits or Flaws, beyond which ones I personally provide you in order to represent things about your character which cannot otherwise be mechanically duplicated (having a second Language, for example). Also, please make a note about what you buy with your Freebies, and remember that some Abilities require you to select a Specialty for them even if you posses less than 4 dots in each.

[Church]

In the interest of expediency, it might also be worth you and InThisMoment discussing how your Kindred met, and (more importantly) what happened that convinced them that becoming a coterie was the best way forward.

At this time, InThisMoment has already allocated all of her Background dots, but you both could still consider the option of Shared Backgrounds. This is in no way essential, but there are benefits to pooling dots. Something to consider.

One other option for you both: if you wanted to go into greater detail about how you met, maybe detailing events and even providing brief "flashbacks" to scenes and events, I may be convinced to hand you both a few experience points to begin with, to represent your learning from past endeavours. Again, not mandatory, though I still do expect you both to be able to explain why two Kindred are willing to depend on, and trust one another (to whatever degree) with their existance.

[Church]

Okay, I think that ITM's character is done; we can begin once your character is approved, Darius, and the two of you have discussed the reasons behind your coterie forming.

[Darius]

Well Gabriel is a regular at Elysium, so assuming that Isabella is ever there, they could have easily met there. As for forming the coterie, resources shared are always better that dying alone.
Gabriel is trying hard to move up the social ladder in Kindred society, but his mortal contacts are well and truly atrophied (being officially dead does not help matters, so he can't exactly go back to his old contacts). If Isabella has those, then she would definitely be of use to him.

There's also the potential that they actually like each other, and watch each other's back out of mutual trust and friendship. But that would be a bit of a stretch wouldn't it?

[Church]

All valid options. Los Angeles at the moment is recovering from its last shadow war, and the Kindred within it are only just beginning to unclench... but not one of them has stopped watching one another for signs of potential betrayal or manipulation. The Jyhad is as strong here as it is anywhere in the world, and the Camarilla is not yet sturdy enough to combat attacks from without, or extensive corruption from within.

Whatever the reason for your characters working together, it has to be strong enough that they wouldn't think one another to be disloyal to the Camarilla - and strong enough that they trust one another with their unlives, at least for now. Mutual interest is a good reason, but then surely that would make you better suited as allies rather than coterie-mates?

[Church]

It's worth nothing that your current blood pool INCLUDES the bonus points you get from Domain (Size) (so both of you received +1 to your initial blood pools).

[Darius]

Well, I have no idea as to what Isabella's background is. If she was at all involved in mortal politics during her life, then they could have known each other back in their mortal days. A sense of familiarity is an excellent reason to bond.

Otherwise, if Isabella and Gabriel's sires are active and know each other, they may have been encouraged to look the other up.

[Church]

The identity of her sire is unknown to her, so it's unlikely that you could know one another through that route; however, her background is such that she could have known you through some political means. I'll leave it to her to elaborate.

You are welcome to share parts of your background with one another, if you wish, but I'd ask you do it through private messaging rather than this board (so any future players don't know everything about your characters from the off).

[Church]

Just added one more note to the end of SETTING NOTES: Los Angeles. Check it and make sure it's clear.

[Church]

Okay! Darius has just informed me that you both intend on having met and banded together through his sire and ITM's former mentor. This is certainly enough to get started with.

I'll begin writing up the introduction post soon. If you do have any lingering concerns, questions, suggestions or comments, now would be the time to throw them forwards.

[InThisMoment]

Correct, I imagine Darius informed you of some resource sharing?

Got one more query which I will address on my character thread.

[Church]

I don't recall him mentioning that, but I probably over-looked it. Do you mean resources, or Resources? If the latter, I'll need to double-check that it can count as an Anchor Background.

[Darius]

Actually, it was more the mentor, and not Resources.