Vampire: Dark Ages by chris

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durden
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Character Creation

Post by durden »

Players will recieve five dots in the Generation background for free - 7th gen vampires for all.

New characters will be allowed 10 extra freebie points for further awesomeness making.

Characters recieve the Merits: Blush of Health and Eat Food for free.

All clans are open, though the character must have a good background consisting of pre-embrace life, the embrace, and what the character has done since. The more details the better, as it not helps us get into character, but gives me interesting insights into how to screw you over. Er, to make things interesting.

Background pooling is allowed and even encouraged. Any backgrounds included in character creation must be described. No anonymous Allies or Resources. Tell me what ya got.

Out of clan Disciplines must be approved by GM and character must have a damn good reason for possessing them.

Any questions? Just ask.
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durden
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Post by durden »

So far, I think I have a Ventrue, Assamite, Tzimisce, and Brujah. Interesting group. It is going to be difficult for me to resist powergaming, but I think it's best for this chronicle if we are somewhat more conservative with eeps. If this lasts long, we will see years and decades pass rather quickly at points. I am thinking of using the maturation system in the books, modified a bit. Charactrers will likely spend some at in torpor as the ages pass. We may even be able to keep the chronicle going throughout the year, possibly switching GMs from time to time. Just something to think about. I have even considered a flashback with your sires, so make sure to detail them in your background.

We seem to have a good mix of social and physical characters. I really don't want to rule out combat, so heopfully we can develop a workable system on the boards. We have that die roller site and some past experience with it. Sometimes you just have to upset late night swimmers...

There will also be opportunities to expand resources and influences, as Vencie, the most prominent European city at this point, is just next door.

How is school going for everyone?
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Post by Amseriah »

I am surviving the School of Hard Knocks
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rydi
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Post by rydi »

hate. you.
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durden
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Post by durden »

Paul, you don't have school. Post your character. And buy my house.
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Post by rydi »

dude, chris, he has kids. don't be so hard on him, you can't possibly understand what he's going through.
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Post by Rusty »

me. I've already posted info about my character, I'm waiting until I dig up a copy of VtmDA to post more.
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durden
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Post by durden »

Thael, were you interested in this too?
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Post by Guardiankrillin »

I am interested chris
still deciding on Gangrel or another off the wall idea.
Not sure which yet.
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Post by durden »

Gangrel would fit nicely actually. Still no True Brujah. Lots of whack bloodlines out there too.
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Post by Guardiankrillin »

Gangrel or lihannan is my current ideas-- leaning is toward lihannan
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Post by rydi »

so, I've been trying to come up with something for my backstory. I ralized why I was having trouble with it just now: I have a dull character. don't get me wrong, I like my concept, but there isn't much of a backstory to have...

mario was born in SmallTown, and lived there all his life. his family was well off for a peasant family, blessed with 5 living children and only 2 stillbirths. the children all but one boys, mostly took after their father, strong but stupid. the girl was smart, but it was wasted on her sex.

as a youth, mario was apprenticed to the town priest in hopes of making contacts for the family, and to give him work to do.

the priest was mostly ignorant, and new only enough latin to sound like he knew latin.

more later
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Post by durden »

Just make him a Mexican garbage man with a magic dagger.
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Post by durden »

Oh, and detail the sire and the situation of the whole mebracement bet (I'm thinking like the movie Trading Places or something similar). We may develop enmity between Mario and his sire at some point as well. Was there someone else sired in this deal? Where are they now? Why did you leave Smalltown? The stupid parish priest wouldn't liekly have that much for you to do. Wouldn't be uncommon for him to even contract you out to other local professionals for temp work (smithy, farmers, glaziers, etc). Your pre-embrace doesn't have to be all that exciting, but I'm sure that the post-embrace mayhem would be quite interesting. Did you eat your family?
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Post by rydi »

mario was born in SmallTown, and lived there all his life. his family was well off for a peasant family, blessed with 5 living children and only 2 stillbirths. the children all but one boys, mostly took after their father, strong but stupid. the girl was smart, but it was wasted on her sex.

as a youth, mario was apprenticed to the town priest in hopes of making contacts for the family, and to give him work to do. the priest was mostly ignorant, and new only enough latin to sound like he knew latin. mario was poorly educated, learning to read a little and speak even less latin than the priest. he was used mainly as an errand boy and to make extra money on the side for the priest in order to fund his amorous trips to venice.

mario didn't exactly enjoy life, but he wasn't really self aware enough to ask too many questions about his place in the scheme of things, and he wasn't imaginitive enough to contemplate changing his life. all he really looked forward to was the day when the old priest would die and he could take his place, gain an apprentice to do all his work, and go partake of the whores and inns of venice.

After a few years, as the priest grew old, Mario was invited to come along with the priest on his little adventures, mainly to support his failing body. Mario quickly became a friend to both the women, and the alcohol of Venice, and looked forward to leaving his home to visit the grand city.

It was on just such a visit that he met his sire…

[interlude]
ambrogio, known as ambrosius in his roman days, was bored. his games with "lady" Corinne and bishop fidel were becoming rather stale. they had met like this for nearly half a century now, renting the lower floors and basement of the old venician inn for a week every year, ever since their first chance meeting. All of them were powerful, the youngest, fidel, being 200 years old, but that night they were all harried and fearful. They came to this very inn to hide from hunters and men of the cloth. They stayed there for a week, feeding off the staff, nursing their wounds, and playing games to while away the time.

After they were all well, they lingered a little while, having found a serendipitous pleasure in their new associates. They agreed to meet there, traveling from their own territories, on the aniversary of their meeting. Every year, Fidel traveled from barcelona, corinne from marseille, and ambrogio from naples, simply to play games. i

initially their games were limited to chess, or cards, but after the first few years, the novelty faded. likely they would have never continued for more than the first few years, if Corinne hadn't started teasing her food one night, playing with the kine using her presence, which encouraged the others to join in. After the poor wench was sobbing with confusion, torn between which of them to run to, the kindred knew they had found a knew game. Over the years the played with mortals in novel and ever more complex ways, even setting up several ongoing games, long term projects with the citizens of Venice, that they worked on while they were there, and maintained from afar. But, after more than four decades, their games were once again growing tedious. But inventive little Corinne rescued them once again.

Ambrogio: “I tell you fidel, these creatures are beneath us. Only royal blood is fitting for embrace.”
Fidel: “And again I tell you, friend Ambrogio, that it is not the blood of a man that makes him a worthy kindred, but the Blood of his embrace that uplifts his soul to new heights, overpowering the impure mortal blood.”
Corinne: “And I say you’re both fools. Clearly it is the sum of their life’s experience that makes them what they are. A royal heir, pampered and spoiled, or the purest blood Lasombra or Ventrue Childe lacking training, will both fall short of a childe embraced for their worthy life experiences.”
Ambrogio: “Like whoring in the streets of Paris, Corinne.”
Corinne: “Go watch the sunrise, you Italian peacock.”
Fidel: “Alas, I suppose this argument will never be settled.”
Corinne: “Why not?”
Fidel: “Well, it isn’t as though we can… Just go… Embrace… [a look of realization crosses his face]
Corinne: [a small smile and pointed look are all the reply she gives her companions]
Ambrogio: “Hah! You’ve saved us again Corinne. Next year, we shall have a new game! Maybe there is something to the idea of peasant ingenuity after all…”
Corinne: [sends a withering stare toward the ventrue] we will have to have rules you know. I think we should… Hmmm… I think we should find our potentials first, and then draw lots. You can agree, can’t you, that our blood, while different, still “uplifts” a mortal soul equally, yes brother Fidel?”
Fidel: “Si, Corinne, BISHOP Fidel agrees with you. Who should our candidates be? We need a mortal of pure breeding, descended from noble and worthy princes to test Ambrogio’s idea…”
Ambrogio: “And someone utterly devoid of merit or bloodline, someone barely above a beast, to test yours fidel…”
Corinne: “You see now why I said we should draw lots. Who on earth would wish to be burdened with such a childe [dramatically shudders]. My idea will require one of no particular bloodline, but one who is nonetheless well educated, and who has made their own fortune, a rarity in this world.”
Ambrogio: “Yes, such a one will be difficult to find. But something you said… “burdened with such a childe.” I don’t believe we should interfere in their lives, aside from to tell them what they are, and what they can do. A night or two at the most. Nor should we tell them what qualified them for the embrace.
Fidel: “Agreed. If they show worth, in a decade or two we can bring them back to the fold. And if they die… They were failures.”
Corinne: “How will we determine who wins?”
Ambrogio: “I think we will have to rate them each separately. Assuming all three of them live, we will have to rank them on several different categories: Their skill and cunning, their power and mastery over the kindred nature, and their temporal power and control over the mortal world. We would all vote, and could not vote for our own child. The vote would be secretly cast…”
Fidel: “I am not certain that would be the best method of voting, but I am not concerned at this time. The real question is when the contest is over.”
Corinne: “I propose that it is only over when all but one of them is gone. Until then, we vote each year, and the winner for a given year gains a prize.”
Ambrogio: “And what would this prize entail?”
Corinne: “Each of us would bring a treasure, something unique, with us, to give to the winner. And of course there is the honour to be gained from winning. And finally, the winner would decide the game for next year.”
Fidel: “I like it. This sounds exciting. Though after considering it, I think it would be unwise to draw lots. I think, that as the one possessed of the weakest blood, I should be the one to embrace your “talent”, while you should embrace the “noble” with your blood, and Ambrogio, with his older blood, should test my theory. Also, I think we should avoid purposefully killing one another’s childer. I say this not to insult your honor, but to clarify the rules… Though really, I am certain both of you already realized that one whose childe died under strange circumstance would soon kill the other childer…”
Ambrogio: “Yes padre, we will behave honorably and in accordance with the rules. While we’re at it, why don’t we just make sure they don’t die? That way we can keep playing forever [scoff of derision]”
Corinne & Fidel: “Good idea! Don’t do that…”
Ambrogio: “What are you married now?! Bah! I suppose it isn’t a horrible idea. We could at least see how it turns out, watch the trends. Maybe a noble makes the best in the end, with a little experience, while some street whore wins the short race, eh?”
Corinne: [pointed silence]
Fidel: “One of these days Ambrogio, she is going to turn into a whirlwind of pain, and I am going to laugh seeing you torn apart [smile]. But, bickering aside, we are agreed? Yes? Next year.”
Corinne: “Next year!”
Ambrogio: “Indeed. This should be very, very intriguing.”

[mario’s embrace]

After a particularly rough night of carousing, Mario escorted the priest back to their room. He was surprised to find an old, rich man lying in his bed, staring up at him. But, being too drunk to either comprehend or care, he simply collapsed on the bed beside him, and snuggled close, dropping the old priest on the floor beside the bed. He began snoring loudly almost immediately.

Ambrogio, too stunned to move, just looked on in amazement at the mortal. Truly, in all his years, never had he seen such a worthless individual. Perfect for Fidel… But to taint the Ventrue line with this… Ugh. A bet was a bet. As warm urine flowed over his breaches, Ambrogio decided that the faster he was done, the better.

Mario gurgled happily as Ambrogio bit into him, and struggled not at all as the last of his blood was drained away. When he tasted the kindred vitae, he slurped contentedly, then greedily, at Ambrogio’s wrist. Finally, Ambrogio took his arm away. Mario was wide-awake and very hungry. Seeing the priest on the ground, he instinctively sunk his new fangs into the old man, and grew drunk once more on the inebriated priest’s blood. When he was finally done, Mario finally realized there was someone else in the room with him.

Ambrogio: “Listen closely. Listen [Dominate] and Remember [Dominate]. You are a vampire. You drink blood. Don’t go into the sunlight. Find a save place to sleep before the sun rises. Do not reveal your nature to those not like you. Do not kill other vampires if you value your unlife. Respect the territory of others of your kind. Your blood carries gifts, the ability to manipulate the minds of others, shrug off attacks, and perhaps other abilities as well. I will meet you again, but until then, try not to get yourself killed. If you need to contact me, leave a message for me at this inn, and the innkeeper will send it to me. But do not expect me to answer.” [Ambrogio exits]

Mario did not know what to do. He was growing somewhat upset. He was confused, and he had just killed the priest that had raised him for the last several years. But, for whatever reason, a stable personality, stupidity perhaps, or maybe just a lack of morality, Mario couldn’t bring himself to be more than somewhat upset. He got up, disposed of the body, and then hid before the dawn.

The nights that followed, Mario learned slowly. He knew he had power, but with his limited imagination, all he could think to do was eat and celebrate. But, as he grew careless, and the citizens began to take notice, the kindred of Venice chased him out. From then on he lived as an animal, digging holes to protect himself during the day, feeding on livestock and travelers by night. He thought of visiting his village, but he couldn’t face his family. Instead he traveled to the nearby monastery, in hopes of begging a place to sleep. And he found that he rather liked priests…
Last edited by rydi on Thu May 01, 2008 10:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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