Realistic or Modern Vampire the Masquerade: Where Shadows Thrive

[Malkav]

Thanks, that's a big relief. I kept things a little vague on others names and places but I'll go find some small pleasant French village she could have grown up in.

I got the feeling that in the past Lasombra used the Church as a means to an end, whereas Helene sees it more as a means AND an end.

And I guess I must have seen grandsire somewhere when I was reading up cus I have no other idea why it would jump to mind when writing this XD

To be honest I've had charqcters be from places that I've never heard of by looking at a map. No one will knock you from looking at a map of France and saying "that sounds obscure enough." I just wasn't sure if she was French or not because just because the Lasombra sent her to a Parisian Parish doesn't mean that she was French. Funny enough, the Archbishop that I've run as an NPC (and once as a PC in an elder Sabbat game,) is French royalty. Actually, maybe we could work with that...

 

[Candlebell]

To be honest I've had charqcters be from places that I've never heard of by looking at a map. No one will knock you from looking at a map of France and saying "that sounds obscure enough." I just wasn't sure if she was French or not because just because the Lasombra sent her to a Parisian Parish doesn't mean that she was French. Funny enough, the Archbishop that I've run as an NPC (and once as a PC in an elder Sabbat game,) is French royalty. Actually, maybe we could work with that...

Ha, yah, I’m just going to google ‘pretty french village’ and pick the image that looks the most picturesque.

And yes, definitely, if you want to establish some sort of background connection or something I’d be up for that. I left her current background a little vague at the moment, but had plans to fill in a little history on the church and priest (who I either plan to have as a ghoul already or attempt to make him one soon). Was just waiting to hear a bit more on how we aim to start and what everyone else is doing with their character before finalising the little details like her grand-sire and allies and stuff.

 

[Squee]

Oooh... this looks fun. I played WOD tabletop many years back. One of my best RP experiences ever.

I'll have to think about a character...

 

[Malkav]

Oooh... this looks fun. I played WOD tabletop many years back. One of my best RP experiences ever.

I'll have to think about a character...

Hey, I'm looking over bios and giving advice and junk. I'm a designated lore whore and I have been so happy with what I've seen from our players so far! Feel free to message me with your thoughts and ideas!

 

[Neon Valkyrie]

VAMPIRE
THE MASQUERADE

bof

Name: (name)
Player: (you get the gist)

Birthplace:
Generation:

Clan:
Weakness: (Just a few words)

◄▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Attributes ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬►

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Physical
Strength ●○○○○
Dexterity ●○○○○
Stamina ●○○○○

Social
Charisma ●○○○○
Manipulation ●○○○○
Appearance ●○○○○

Mental
Perception ●○○○○
Intelligence ●○○○○
Wits ●○○○○

◄▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Abilities ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬►
(Ability Name Here) - General experience with skill.
(Ability Name Here) - ... you get it. Repeat as necessary.
◄▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Advantages ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬►

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Disciplines
Discipline 1 ○○○○○○○○○○ ( ● for your use)
Discipline 2 ○○○○○○○○○○
Discipline 3 ○○○○○○○○○○

Backgrounds
Background 1 ○○○○○
Background 2 ○○○○○
Background 3 ○○○○○

Virtues
Conscience ○○○○○ boop Self-Control ○○○○○ boop Courage ○○○○○
◄▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬►

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Willpower
○○○○○○○○○○

Humanity
○○○○○○○○○○

Merits and Flaws
Merit or flaw name - brief description. Repeat as needed.

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Resources and Equipment

A description of your character's holdings and possessions. Money, property, weaponry, armour, etc. Stats aren't important, just a list for accuracy.

Physical Description

Spoiler

Give me a solid paragraph or two about how your character appears on an average night. I welcome you to include a nightly outfit section in your post bumper, but you can list the kinds of things they wear here if you prefer.

Backstory

Your origin story, human and vampire, in all of it's dark wonder. I intend to spoiler mine because of the traumatic nature of my character's past ... but I'm assuming we're all rather dark here, just remember to spare us the fine details. Gloss, gloss, gloss.

Spoiler: The Code

[div=border: 3px solid black; overflow-x: scroll; margin: auto; text-align: center;][b][FONT=Fredericka the Great][size=50px][u]VAMPIRE[/u][/size][/FONT][/b][FONT=Fredericka the Great]
[b]THE MASQUERADE[/b]
[size=12px][row][column=span1][color=white]bof[/color][/column][column=span2][FONT=Fredericka the Great]Name:[/FONT] (name)
[FONT=Fredericka the Great]Player:[/FONT] (you get the gist)
[/column][column=span2][FONT=Fredericka the Great]Birthplace:[/FONT]
[FONT=Fredericka the Great]Generation:[/FONT]
[/column][column=span2][FONT=Fredericka the Great]Clan:[/FONT]
[FONT=Fredericka the Great]Weakness:[/FONT] (Just a few words)[/column][/row][/size][size=5][FONT=Fredericka the Great]◄▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Attributes ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬►[/FONT][/size]
[size=13px][row][column=span1][color=white]bof[/color][/column][column=span2][b]Physical[/b]
Strength  ●○○○○
Dexterity  ●○○○○
Stamina  ●○○○○[/column][column=span2][b]Social[/b]
Charisma  ●○○○○
Manipulation  ●○○○○
Appearance  ●○○○○[/column][column=span2][b]Mental[/b]
Perception  ●○○○○
Intelligence  ●○○○○
Wits  ●○○○○[/column][/row][/size]
[size=5][FONT=Fredericka the Great]◄▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Abilities ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬►[/FONT][/size][size=13px]
[b](Ability Name Here)[/b] - General experience with skill. 
[b](Ability Name Here)[/b] - ... you get it. Repeat as necessary.
[/size][size=5][FONT=Fredericka the Great]◄▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Advantages ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬►[/FONT][/size][size=13px]
[row][column=span1][color=white]bof[/color][/column][column=span3][b]Disciplines[/b]
Discipline 1      ○○○○○○○○○○ ( ● for your use)
Discipline 2      ○○○○○○○○○○
Discipline 3      ○○○○○○○○○○[/column][column=span3][b]Backgrounds[/b]
Background 1    ○○○○○
Background 2     ○○○○○
Background 3     ○○○○○[/column][/row][b]Virtues[/b]
Conscience ○○○○○  [color=white]boop[/color] Self-Control ○○○○○  [color=white]boop[/color] Courage ○○○○○
[/size][size=4][FONT=Fredericka the Great]◄▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬►[/FONT][/size]
[size=13px][row][column=span1][color=white]bof[/color][/column][column=span3][b]Willpower[/b]
○○○○○○○○○○[/column][column=span3][b]Humanity[/b]
○○○○○○○○○○[/column][/row]
[b][u]Merits and Flaws[/u][/b]
[b]Merit or flaw name[/b] - brief description. Repeat as needed.

[/size][/font][/div][FONT=Fredericka the Great]

[div=border: 3px solid black; overflow-x: scroll; margin: auto;][row][column=span1][color=white]bof[/color][/column][column=span6][b][size=5][FONT=Fredericka the Great]Resources and Equipment[/FONT][/size][/b][scroll=350]
A description of your character's holdings and possessions. Money, property, weaponry, armour, etc. Stats aren't important, just a list for accuracy.
[/scroll]

[b][size=5][FONT=Fredericka the Great]Physical Description[/FONT][/size][/b][scroll=350px]
[spoiler][img]IMG URL HERE[/img][/spoiler]

Give me a solid paragraph or two about how your character appears on an average night. I welcome you to include a nightly outfit section in your post bumper, but you can list the kinds of things they wear here if you prefer.
[/scroll]

[b][size=5][FONT=Fredericka the Great]Backstory[/FONT][/size][/b][scroll=350px]
Your origin story, human and vampire, in all of it's dark wonder. I intend to spoiler mine because of the traumatic nature of my character's past ... but I'm assuming we're all rather dark here, just remember to spare us the fine details. Gloss, gloss, gloss.
[/scroll]

[/column][/row][/div]

 

[Neon Valkyrie]

Character Creation Information Station!

Those of you familiar with VtM, or just WoD, might notice that this character sheet looks a little sparse. That's because I'm cutting a lot of the dice rolling system in hopes of streamlining play. Abilities are no more, advancement has been simplified, and rolling will be a little different than you're used to ... but please, trust me, it's all in the interest of freedom. You see, I want each of you to be the story teller. Aside from big events now and again, this system will be run by you, with a little help from me and my motly mods ... but before any of that, you'll need to breathe unlife into your character. The process is as follows:

Step One - Concept
Everything about your character flows from their concept. Their name, how old they are, what are they like, what are they afraid of? There are a few places you can start, their stats might tell you if their more intellectual, or forceful. Their clan might tell you what kind of person they were ... intellectual, power-driven, maybe a little crazy? Each clan favours a different kind of person, and the clan that appeals to you may reveal the kind of character you want to play. This is the hardest part of the process, because at this point your character could be just about anything, it's up to you to decide.

Step Two - Attributes
While deciding which type of attribute is of value to your concept, actually spending the points is where your whimsy gets covered in concrete. First prioritize the three categoeries, and assign your points accordingly (7/5/3). All attributes start with one point.

Step Three - Abilities
This is one way in which we will break from the original system. Instead of prioritizing skill categoeries and assigning points individually, we're just going to have you pick four from the combined list. These will represent your specialities, though there will be some wiggle room based on background. If you were a car thief, and you have drive but not security, we can say you know how to break into a car. However, a career teacher from the suburbs isn't going to be popping any car doors without security.

Step Four - Advantages
Now we return to normal WoD rules. You get three points to split up among your clan disciplines, five background points, and seven dots for virtues.

Step Five - Finishing Touches
Calculate your Humanity (Conscience+Self-Control) and base Willpower (Equal to Courage). Determine the size of your blood-pool (by Generation), and assign merits and flaws. Here's where we get a little wonky because we've had to vivisect the system. We aren't using freebie or experience points, we're just using dots. You have 3 extra dots at character creation that can be used in the following ways.


DOT COSTS

1 Dot

• 1 Merit of +1 or +2
• 1 extra skill proficiency
• 1 level in a discipline or background, up to level 3
• 1 attribute point

2 Dots

• 1 Merit of +3 to +5
• 1 ability specialization (a specific niche of one of your proficient skills where you excel particularly)
• 1 level in a background, level 4 or 5
• 1 level in a clan discipline, level 4 to 6
• 1 level in a non-clan discipline, level 1 to 3

3 Dots

• 1 Merit of +6 or more
• 1 level in a discipline level 7 or above
• 1 level in a non-clan discipline, level 4 to 6

4 Dots

• 1 level in a non-clan discipline, level 7 or above

FLAWS

You may have up to three flaws. but you can only earn an extra two dots. You can earn your first dot with a 1-2 point flaw. For the second dot, you'll need to total -7 in flaws, however you get there is fine. Feel free to take some just for show
​

 

[Candlebell]

These look great, thanks Neon Valkyrie . I'll get my character adapted to fit and fill out the rest of the details.

Are you going to create a centralised character thread or should we post here?

 

[Neon Valkyrie]

These look great, thanks Neon Valkyrie . I'll get my character adapted to fit and fill out the rest of the details.

Are you going to create a centralised character thread or should we post here?

We've come so far since the original RP idea, I'll be posting all new threads for us to use. I'm typing up the setting information now, and I should have it up by tonight. Malkav and I are also working on NPCs and random encounter tables respectively. It's also worth mentioning that we're no longer going to be playing in the fictional Necropolis, and will instead be setting the RP in the new Anarch Barony of Seattle.

 

[Malkav]

VAMPIRE
THE MASQUERADE

bof

Name: Selena Lutz
Player: Malkav

Birthplace: Sycamore, Illinois
Generation: 10th

Clan: Malkavian
Weakness: Depression, Anxiety, Low Self-Esteem

◄▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Attributes ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬►

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Physical
Strength ●○○○○
Dexterity ●●●●○
Stamina ●●●○○

Social
Charisma ●●○○○○
Manipulation ●○○○○
Appearance ●●●○○

Mental
Perception ●●●●○
Intelligence ●●●○○
Wits ●●●○○○

◄▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Abilities ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬►
Athletics - Frequently climbs objects and barriers to reach new locations and evade detection.
Stealth - Both in life and death is frequently in hiding from others.
Animal Ken - Animal rights activist. Loves animals.
Security - has "street smarts" in lockpicking, home defence, tresspassing, etc.

◄▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Advantages ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬►

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Disciplines
Auspex ●○○○○
Dementation ●○○○○
Obfuscate ●●●○○
Annimalism ●○○○○

Backgrounds
Generation ●●●○○
Mentor ●○○○○
Resources ●○○○○

Virtues
Conscience ●●●○○ boop Self-Control ●●○○○ boop Courage ●●○○○
◄▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬►

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Willpower
●●○○○○○○○○

Humanity
●●●●●○○○○○

Merits and Flaws
New Arrival - new to Seattle
Prey Exclusion - Animals

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Resources and Equipment
Dumpy studio appartment. Has a sports bike. Makes money primarily through petty theft. Has a 9mm handgun and a lockpicking set.

Physical Description

Spoiler

Selena prefers the life of an enigma. Her soft features and emerald eyes are often hidden behind an elaborate disguise, whether supernatural or mundane. Her fashion is always focused on misdirection, varying between two modes: either street savvy or a bright, gaudy aesthetic. She will often wear a hoodie or leather jacket, blue jeans, and sneakers when attempting to blend in with crowds. When thrust into social environments, a bright shirt, either tie-die or wielding an '80s MTV logo or some other such thing, to distract others. Should her Obfuscate be pierced, one would see a markedly attractive woman with short, blonde hair, a triangular jaw, and liberal applications of eyeliner. She may on and off wear piercings depending on the aura of the night. Otherwise Selena has a lithe frame, athletic in nature, though accented by various bruises and burns upon her body.

Backstory
Selena Lutz was born to a reluctant mother in Small Town, America. Mother Lutz had been a drug addict for as long as the junior could remember. The young mother had a fancy for narcotics, favoring heroine above all else, though dabbling was in a variety of confections was usual. Most children will come to accept the state of their upbringing as usual, and so did young Selena as well. She was an only child. Pretend was a preferred game of the girl, dreaming of other pastures and dreaming of being part of another world. Sometimes it was fantasy affair, thinking of herself like a witch or a genie, other times she would invent comedies of horses with absurdly long hair or cats too fat like Garfield, other times she would have long conversations with imaginary family members.

At an early age, Selena was secluded to her room. Her mother very often held parties in their home, bringing about many irrefutable people. The house smelled funny, the walls having long absorbed the smells of cigarettes and any narcotic that could be absorbed into the dry wall. She found a yellow tint to be par for a modern household. The various degenerates hopped up on booze and speed would often leave her alone, however, when she was messed with it, the events tended to be particularly scarring. Of the few toys she had obtained, namely dolls and ponies, they had sustained damaged from a drunkard falling on them or someone high on acid thinking that playing with the child was a good idea.

When harassed or a toy was broken, Selena would fall to tears, her mother berating her fr whining. To the senior, her daughter was a costly mistake to be isolated, whose affection only came about in brief moments of guilt or at the peak of a proper high.

Selena enjoyed school above all, the few hours of the day Monday through Friday in which she could play with other children and learn social skills. During Kindergarden, she was ousted as a quiet, though restless child. She tended to ignore nap time, instead studying the other children as they slept and trying to get away with not going to sleep when the teacher would pass by her cot. As she advanced to other grades, she gradually learned to play with other children and come out of her shell. She liked to play tag and talk about her dreams and what she wanted to be when she grew up with other children (she had a particular fantasy towards becoming a Veterinarian.) This progress seemed to fall apart with the new baby sitter, Sean, when she was seven years old.

Sean was an amicable man, by all appearances. He had a long beard, patchy and scruffy. He came off as a nice man, and would show Selena music that she would come to enjoy, derived from the hippie movement that was coming into fruition. He was a nice enough, approachable man. It was as her mother took longer outings that more and more time was spent with Sean. It was during a shower that Sean intruded. The touchings was unwarranted. Uncomfortable. But adult figures are to be trusted. She couldn't tell mom. Mother would just berate her. This was somehow her fault. And Sean was never mean. He was careful. And he was still nice to her.

Though Selena did not enjoy the unwarranted visits to the bedroom at night, or the shower, Sean became her only friend outside of school. None of her classmates lived nearby, and she had no one else who would listen or talk to her. Sean was the only one who would listen and who would at least give her the time of day to play pretend and listen to her thoughts and feelings.

One night Lutz Senior had a particularly rambunctious party. Shouting could be heard in the other room, and it was then that Selena had hit a breaking point. Her door was locked, but on the other side, someone was knocking. Selena was silent, not making out the man's words over the noise of the Beatles intertwined with drunken banter. She couldn't do it any more. Her door was on the second floor, and it was at this time that she knew that she had to leave. She was nine.

Vaguely amongst the noise, Selena could hear her mother shouting for her to open up. Carefully Selena pushed the locks on her window to the unlocked position. She gingerly lifted the class and felt the corners of the screen, finding the mechanisms that held it in place and popping it out. As the music reached crescendo, she lifted one leg over the ledge. There was a drainage pipe leading to the gutter next to her window. Looking over her shoulder, she grasped the pipe and let the tips of her fingers grip the bubbled paint and rust of the pipe. She had managed to get her frame onto the pipe before shimming downward. She was about a quarter of the way down before it began to give way. In the cold autumn night, the pipe began to give way despite the fourth-grader's small frame. A creaking noise was heard before the piping came crashing above her head. The girl panicked as she fell on her left side, bruising her ribs and scraping her arm. In the rush of the moment, she bolted down the block, out of sight of her room.

The crisp night air reached her lungs and hit her exposed, damaged flesh on her arm. The chill seemed to hit right to each red blood cell. The adrenaline had kicked, and with it a newfound panic. She hadn't planned this out, but it was too late to head back. She needed a plan. She came across the crosswalk between the neighborhood and the local park. She took in her surroundings. Down the street, upon a stoop, stood a man having a cigarette with some sort of beverage in her hand. About two blocks down, she heard a dog barking. About once every minute and a half, car lights could be heard and headlights seen. The street lights were about two houses apart each. It was too late for a little girl to be out. If she wanted to not get caught, she had to not be seen. She started by noticing the shadows. She could dodge under the stoop. Then to the bush, then head to the park. Then lay low and head to...where was she going? She hadn't thought of that, but there was only one place she could go: Sean's house. She had known from a few car rides the general location. She'd notice his house by the general shape and color.

The plan was executed. Stoop. Bush. Park. Cross. Cop lights. Crouch next to the fountain. Wait. Watch breathing. Move.

After several times analyzing and executing, she made it to Sean's house. It was there that he welcomed her with open arms. He showed her music. He listened to her talk about what happened, how she was treated, and let her spend the night. He didn't touch her, this time. That was the last time that she saw Sean.

Selena's mother never let her see Sean after that. It was shortly after that Selena was indefinitely grounded, not allowed to leave the house except for school, and completing the menial tasks that her mother was too lazy to complete. Her life reflected this until high school.

Selena entered her teenage years with the usual wonder of her place in the world and a distinct feeling of awkwardness. Her hormones were stirring, and she found herself left with a feeling of inadequacy and despair. She mellowed this out with liberal applications of pot, knowing very well how and where to acquire it. It was a near daily ritual for her. She had found a bit of niche with the outcasts, however, she was falling behind in school. Her mother was mostly apathetic to these failings. In time, things had hit a head. She was dissatisfied with the world, and the hippie movement still echoed in the early seventies. She had found a boyfriend, someone with a mutual love of pot and music, and a similar discontent with the status quo. Together, they managed to cobble together enough money from drugs and a part time job to rent a place out from an older friend. They dropped out and started forging their own paths.

Free from the shackles of her mother, she did start pursuing hobbies. Painting was one, though she was not very good. Still, it was something to do while high and listening to music. Her passion, she discovered, lied with the animals. She found a stray cat that they named Misty, and Misty was Selena's joy. It showed her affection. Over time, Selena started noticing protests in the area, and listening to the radio. She realized that she had a real passion for animals, and started attending protests in the area, organizing rallies, and showing prominence in the community. It was essential to her being that she did these. It also drew attention from the authorities.

One day while selling pot, she got caught. The cops had told her that they could make a deal if she spoke. Young, naive, and not wanting them to go more into her history and sending her back to her mother, she ratted out her boyfriend. She spilled the beans. Told them everything. The boy went to jail, and, after a lengthy DCS investigation, she was emancipated. Selena had broken down. Now she was alone, in the world, and a traitor to the only person who cared about her.

Over time Selena had taken jobs, mostly in the food service industry. She smoked pot after work and lived a sad, lower class lifestyle. She stopped attending protests. Eventually, her loneliness got the best of her. She couldn't cope with the lack of family, friends, and nothing to look forward to. In a dramatic fashion, she took to the Chicago Highway Skybridge. She stood there for about an hour before someone took notice, and in time the cops had showed up. She choked. She came down.

Taken in for evaluation, she was diagnosed proper with Clinical Depression. She had three months in a psychiatric institution, in a nice, clean white dress. She was on a host of antidepressants, and received weekly psychiatric visits. She missed pot. She missed music. But otherwise, it was a nice reprieve. She had some peace.

Selena made a friend with a man named Jeremy while institutionalized. He seemed amicable enough, and like any teenager with an affinity for marijuana, she had fondly discussed her cannabis-based hobbies with her new friend. He was a part-time night shift orderly who snuck in cigarettes for her and let her out to the balcony to light one up. He didn't even seem particularly interested in her in that way, just friendly. She liked him.

Upon leaving the facility, she made contact with Jeremy by looking him up in the phone book. That night was a magical night, where she recalled smoking dope, drinking booze, and making love. It was this spur-of-the-moment that she normally wouldn't engage in, but it felt good. It felt right. It was nice to have someone else to be around. He seemed to enjoy it, too. At least, she thought so.

It didn't take long until Selena started living with Jeremy. Immediate warning signs arose. The warmth that she felt nights before faded. What she rationalized as a flu didn't seem to hold weight as he lacked other symptoms. He slept all day, locked in his room. He started to not allow her in over night. In fact, he seemed to want nothing to do with her but to keep her around as a play thing. But Selena had fallen deeply for this mystery man.

Once a month, on the first Friday of each month, he would leave for the night, not telling her any details. He started showing frequent mood swings, blacking out, coming home plastered, and eventually, violence. Yet, during this time, she couldn't help but love him all the same. More, in fact. For the first time, she had someone there for her, someone who cared, and she would of course run all of these errands for him, no matter what. Most of the time, it was to the asylum. She started suspecting things about Jeremy, noticing how she was compelled to be with him no matter. Was it the drugs? Was he spiking her? There was an usual euphoria about her lately.

Over time some pieces began to fall. She noticed a certain physicality that didn't exist in her before. Something augmented her with an ability to recover from a long night, her wounds healed faster, and she was slightly stronger. To many, this would seem as a blessing, a new vigor, but it just bothered her how it all didn't make sense. Her depression seemed to deepen, unless Jeremy was around. The pills barely worked. She needed him. She also needed answers.

One night, after another one of his monthly excursions, Selena confronted Jeremy. He seemed to be particularly on edge, but she needed answers. This time he seemed bruised and beaten. She was in shock that he had come back this way. She had waited in the living room, the wafting of a cigarette coming from an astray and zipping towards the A/C vent.

He was in a daze. High or drunk or blacked out, who knew?

"Jeremy?" she inquired, looking over at the man she loved with curiosity and concern. He paused for a moment, silhouette against the door before falling upon her. He didn't speak.

"Jeremy, what is it, what the fuck!?!" she further said. The door closed behind him before she pounced upon her with all of his might. She struggled helplessly, reaching for anything to strike him with to no avail. He opened his mouth wide after trapping her in a vice grip, plunged his teeth into her neck, and drew from her all of her life blood. She yelped at first, still struggling. Selena's eyes rolled to the back to her head. Her pulse slowed. Her knuckles turned white. She froze. Then, once all of her blood was gone, her body relinquished itself to Jeremy's grip. Her heart stopped.

The next night, Selena awoke in a sterile room with a bright light to her face. She recalled nightmares of an out-of-body experience. She saw her body fall into Jeremy. She saw her blood cake his face. She felt herself in a void, covered as if by a cowl and carried away, before...this. The time seemed unending, inconsiderate. Now she was here. She felt a sort of nausea, a sickness, along with a burning desire. No drug and no time with Jeremy had ever done this.

A man, finely dressed in a suit, with fine cropped hair and sporting Slavic features, grabbed the tuft of her hair. She moved to react to his arm. Restrained. She didn't even notice.

"Drink," he commanded, holding to her a goblet filled with a thick red liquid. She immediately obeyed his command, consuming the drink as quickly as she could. It seemed natural, and it quenched part of the burning. Still, some of nausea remained.

The man discarded the goblet and moved for the door. "You're clear," he mentioned.

In walked a regal woman, skin stark porcelain, dressed in designer clothing that must have cost more than Selena would make in a year. The girl was too bewildered to speak of anything yet. She seemed caught up in both the situation and this mystery woman. The woman's eyes examined Selena, not seeming to look over her as much as at her. She didn't seem to convey any emotion.

"You were right, Leon. The bastard went and did it. We should've kept him behind," she said to the man. She seemed to have a matter-of-fact tone to her voice, as if this was something that she already knew.

The man nodded. "So what do we do with....this?" he asked. Selena would have gulped, but the reaction didn't fit naturally. Her saliva seemed to fail her.

The woman was lost in thought. "What do you know about Jeremy?" the woman asked.

"I...ummm...well, we lived together," Selena began.

"She doesn't know..." Leon began.

Selena looked between Leon, then the woman, doe-eyed and pleading for a response.

"He fled afterwords. This is without permission, but...no need to do anything drastic..." she responded to Leon. "In fact, you're in charge. Show her the ropes."

The man reflexed to disgruntlement, his eyes closing for a moment and his lips and nose pursed together. "Alright, Bishop."

Selena spent her fledgling days under the tutelage of Leon, a Tremere that she gathered had some level of prestige. The shock of her new existence seemed to waif rather than strike. It was a hallucinogenic haze where aspects would become more or less real on her malaise. She had issues with...well, everything. With her fall to darkness, the chains of being a vampire drew upon her. The curse was immediate and inherent. As her nerves deadened and flesh became Autumn leaves, so did her heart harden. The vampiric existence is a somber, lonely thing. If Leon's hadn't unintentionally taught her that, then her spirit was sure to cement it.

The young Kindred at first had to be taught to feed. Her first release, the frenzy and bloodlust associated with every new vampire, was nullified by circumstance. She often lacked the desire to feed, only drinking blood when ordered or when her reserves got dangerously low. The whole thing was obtrusive to her, going against her nearly pacifistic nature and the empty vitality of her soul.

Leon, she had learned, was of an ex-Russian military background. He wasn't above tough love to achieve objectives, to which Selena, she imaged, was an ignorant civilian requiring babysitting. She was some weird project in a new, darker world.

Within a few days, the natural decay of the body had set in and Selena had a newly-realized form. The powers inherent in the blood were beginning for take some rudimentary form. It was just as her mind, soul, and body died, that her senses renewed. The world began to become more vibrant. Sounds, music became more intrinsic, felt in a way that she had never experienced before. It was as if she had finally touched the soul of her favorite artists. At times she saw more than ever before, and or felt each little rut and groove of the pavement. Voices filled her head. Babbles that seemed to ebb and flow. These were new voices that all seemed to have a say. All talking to her, none addressing. The distraught these caused bothered her, but she didn't bring it up. Too much of a stigma with little chances of help. She attempted to push these out, to little avail.

Sharing a mutual discipline, Leon was most able to guide her Auspex along the proper levels. Obfuscate came reflexively, almost, over time. Her desire to be hidden was always an innate aspect of herself, and she found herself hiding without knowing it, much to Leon's chagrin.

For knowledge, she was mostly taught the basics of the Camarilla and the seven core clans, only having fleeting knowledge on the other six. The most knowledge was gained on the clans Malkavian and Tremere. Clan Malkavian, her own, and that of Jeremy, is the one of lunatics. All possessed of a particular insanity, mostly maligned within vampiric society. She was, for all intents and purposes, of a second class. Discovering her own insanity was difficult. Was she experiencing delusions? Was this all a dream? Maybe it was the voices. Was she mad? Amongst the cornucopia that new experiences, she chalked this up as yet another. There is always a problem with self-diagnosis, and she hadn't the will to seek outside help. Her problems weren't worth the bother or risk.

Clan Tremere is a clan of scholars, stretching among the Camarilla as the ones who bear control and keep the sect together, she learned, lest it fall like dogs to the Sabbat. The Sabbat, of course, being a pack of ravenous beasts, giving into their monstrous side. Somewhere in the middle were the Anarchs, rabble rousers and idealists, not falling to their monsters, but not altogether at the same time.

She was kept on a tight leash by the Tremere, at best a tag-along to his Coterie missions, often sticking to the shadows and following simple orders. She had brief brushes with the Sabbat, but was never in harm's way. She felt like a burden. Safe, but a burden.

Kinship was difficult to come across. The Camarilla was a mish mash of individuals, all from these different clans and backgrounds. There wasn't much chance of finding camraderie with the tough guys, bikers and ex-military, all in the Brujah and Gangrel, the Nosferatu treated her with mistrust and envy, the Tremere seemed to view her as a pet project, if at all, and then there was the untouchables in Toreador and Ventrue. That left the freaks and rejects of Clan Malkavian, all eyeing her with mistrust. The Childe of a traitor, and a puppet of the Tremere. She was an outcast even among all, even her own "kind".

She learned of ghouling, and through that, found a friend. Selena sat at a park bench, relinquished of Leon's custody for the night. She sat there with big, bulky headphones, listening to a Depeche Mode tape with her Walkman that she had snagged off of a tasty victim. She had noticed a flock of crows nearby. She waved, giving a faint smile. They didn't seem to move. An idea struck the young Kindred. She entered the nearby McDonald's, purchasing a large order of fries and walking cheerfully towards the flock. At first she tossed a few fries their way. They seemed to take a liking. Of course, everyone likes McDonald's fries. Then, having an idea, she raised her wrist to her arm, puncturing her wrist and allowing the thick crimson to ooze down her arm. She tapped into her awareness, feeling the environment. No one but her and her black-feathered friends. Like ketchup, she dipped a fry into a long, goopy drop of blood. She held it out to one of the scrawnier crows, desperate for nourishment. She shooed the others away, allowing the crow to feast. A few more dunked fries, and the bird was absolutely hooked. It was then that Selena had made a lifelong friend, whom she deemed Aleister...the Crow.

It was in the haze of the early night rise, during twilight, the Selena violently shook awake. She sat inside a dilapidated basement, listening to a nearby pipe rhyming drips of water. There she head a familiar voice in her head. It whispered her name. A flash came about her. In a moment she felt her pulse, speeding at first, then dripping away, until nothing. She felt the fire in her neck. Then her name again. It was him. Whether a dream or a hallucination or a message from afar, it was there. She grasped at the thin strands of her head, squishing her skull, until she fell over. The hot pain in her neck again. The name. The pain. The name. Jeremy's face came alive in a brief moment, the lifeless gaze just like that night. She didn't answer the phone that night, just laid in bed as a red puddle bled from her eyes and soaked her dirty sheets. The night passed in and out of this state. Then sleep took her in the late a.m. hours.

The malaise of her existence bore on her. She repulsed others more strongly than ever in life. No one desired to be with someone who was like Louis de Pointe du Lac without the charm, glamour, or whimsy. Always whining, Selena. Vampires, for some reason, tended to be unlike the Draculas, alone in their castles. They liked to gather and talk. And someone like her, broken as she is, is a miserable sight. Bullied at worst, feigned sympathy at best. Selena tried to craft something of a personality. She remembered high school, smoking pot, being silly, a time when, looking back, she was kind of happy. "Boo!" she would shout, popping out from the Obfuscate of another kindred's mind. A shock, a bit of anger, but from others...a giggle. Raise the voice pitch a bit. A big, goofy smile. Everyone likes a clown. The serious types would leave her alone. Not worth the bother of a Ventrue or Tremere. Not worth the bother. Someone unpredictable, the Brujah and Gangrel types would leave her alone. She had a personality, a place. Everyone needs a clown.

To adapt to the night and the dangers that prowled, she learned how to hide and how to find what people hide. Every clan has a skill or forte, gifts given, and she found that night time prowling was her friend. She started training in climbing, jumping, and moving with ease from rooftop to alleyway. She found some handy guides to lockpicking, spending decades to hone in on the art. She learned the feel of the tumble and the uses of a good bobby pin. She wasn't very strong, or fast, but she learned to blend in, to adapt, to avoid detection or deflect desire. She would steal occasionally, if only to make ends meet.

Selena had learned to blend in and not to break any of the rules. Well, not break them and get caught (trespassing was a tricky one.) Jeremy's whispers turned to words, then paragraphs. Whether he was a manifestation or a ghost or some weird aspect of the Network, she couldn't be sure, but she never shared his secrets. And many secrets there were. She had become an element of the greater Chicago Camarilla, fluttering between coteries as situations demanding, but not wanting to attach for too long.

This all worked until one fateful night, in the early part of two-thousand and seventeen. Now a Kindred for thirty-six years, she had a respectable grasp on vampire society and how to manipulate her blood. She was working ancillary to Leon's crew, with himself, another Tremere, two Brujah, and a Gangrel. A weird group, but it worked. A Ventrue of notable repertoire, popular amongst the general public for being more salt-of-the-earth than most of his clan, having served time in the military as a mortal, was in trouble. It made him more approachable, and at least a few Brujah seemed to have at least a begrudging respect for him. There was a melee with some encroaching Sabbat earlier that month. Selena was present, and waited by the car. He was captured in the fight. She could have done something. But she didn't. She cowered. Like she always did.

Selena was overcome with guilt, not having done something when she could have. This was her redemption, she thought, for all of the times that she had messed up before. Maybe she could be brave. Leon had laid out the plans. The Tremere had located a likely haven for the Sabbat, the leader of which was a French Tzimisce. Leon laid the plans, and a Brujah, James seemed to have the leadership bravado.

Selena hatched a plan. When the Sabbat were distracted, she would move in and grab the Ventrue herself. She could be the hero, maybe. If just once...

The brawl had occurred with the better-trained and armed Camarilla having the upper hand. Selena had slipped in to find the Ventrue. She slipped down the corridors of a horror scene. Flesh and bones mottled as furniture and caking the halls. She followed the corridors down to a cellar. Locked as it was, she put to use her lockpicking skills. She was quiet, subtle as she could be with picking it. It opened, melting to her will. Then she laid her eyes upon the Ventrue. He was a horrid wretch of a man, shirt torn apart, and had become a ghastly abomination. His visage was twisted and malformed, his jaw unhinged. One eye slip towards the bottom of his face. His arms were twisted and contorted, bones snapped. She stared agasp in horror. Then...she ran.

She could not will herself to face the true horrors that the Sabbat had wrought. Blindly, she ran down the hall, ignoring the flesh and sinew that engulfed the interior. Then, stumbling down a corridor, when thunder struck her. A voice.

"Selena," it rang out to her in a menacing tone. She looked to the shadows, writhing amongst the halls. The voice was a hellish distortion, but it seemed familair. She gasped, frozen, unable to come to grips with who the figure was. Then a bullet zipped by her head.

"Lutz, why the FUCK are you here?" shouted another familiar voice. Leon. She had forgotten. She turned back to the figure. He was gone.

Selena was silent on the car ride back. The group retrieved the Ventrue, scarred possibly beyond repair. She had failed. Worse, she had discovered things that were never truly left behind. She would never be a hero. Just this fucked up victim coward thing. Just fucked up.

The guilt overcame Selena, along with the fear. The fear of the Sabbat, of the Tzimisce, of a past she thought that she left behind. The fear of failure. The fear of them always looking at her with pity, disgust, remorse. She would never fit in with them. So she left. Left Chicago, left Illinois, away from their Princes and politics. She needed to get away from all of it.

Desperate for answers. Desperate for escape. Desperate to find some meaning in this absurd afterlife, Selena contacted Leon, the only person that she had even a mild interpersonal relationship. She had given him the full mission briefing. Meanwhile, he utilized Auspex to verify information and gleam it's viability. During his time around the Malkavian, Leon had learned a bit about how they operate. Everyone knows about their insanity and it's permanency, but the rumors of a sort of telepathic communication were unverified. A weavery, tapestry, cobweb, it had been footnoted before, but perhaps more could be known. Besides, the kid was useless, running at a fight with her tail between her knees. Based on her report of voices from the traitor, and not seeming schizophrenic (based on some rudimentary mind reading,) then perhaps this could be tested. Leon would ensure to get updates sporadically after the Sabbat were dealt with in Chicago. Perhaps Jeremy had something to do with it? Regardless, voices of a sire in someone without the signs of Schizophrenia and the chance to learn more about the Malkavian clan was tempting. With that, Selena was whisked away to Seattle in cover of night to get a new start for herself.

That should be my Malkavian right there. I haven't played tabletop in a lomg time, so I think that my math may be off. I can't remember if the first dots in a attributes count towards the 7/5/3 or not. Will adjust if I'm wrong. Same for disciplines. I think that the first dots count, but then for discipline xp expenditure, then you only have your in-clans at one? Anyways, did it like that. Spent my four dots in disciplines. Bumped Obfuscate to 3 for 2 pts., took the out-of-clan discipline Annimalism 1 for 2 pts.

Also, note to everyone else, your wealth and generation are tied directly to backgrounds, so watch out for that. Also, out-of-clan disciplines should be limited to cardinal disciplines (Auspex, Annimalism, Celerity, Dominate, Fortitude, Obfuscate, Potence, & Presence.)

 

[Neon Valkyrie]

NOTE! I've modified the CS to be less confusing about what gets a free point, added all ten levels to disciplines, and added scroll boxes to the second page. And so the troubleshooting commences.

 

[Neon Valkyrie]

Plonk! All has been made ready, link to the thread cluster is now in the first post.

 

[Neon Valkyrie]

Come one, come all, soooo much edge.

 

[Neon Valkyrie]

Bump

 

[Neon Valkyrie]

Bump

 

[Neon Valkyrie]

Buuuump

 

[Malkav]

Also bump.

 

[Neon Valkyrie]

Bump

 

[Neon Valkyrie]

Or ... we could do Frozen ...

 

[Neon Valkyrie]

Elsa - A Tremere who's always locked away in her study, trying to master her blood magics.
Anna - Her flighty, emotional, Toreador sister.
Kristoff - A Gangrel who has forsaken the city to live among the reindeer.
Hans - A two-faced Ventrue out for power and blood.
Olaf - ... dorky nosferatu with a positive attitude?

 

[Neon Valkyrie]

Ugh, I'm just ... MADE of lead right now. I'm going to sleep, the bed part remains to be seen.

 

[Neon Valkyrie]

Bite. Bite. Stop.

 

[Neon Valkyrie]

Ugh, still working on the lore summary.