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V20 Dark Ages: Transylvania

Started by Kythia, August 30, 2016, 06:57:59 AM

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Kythia



Transylvania By Night
A V20:Dark Ages game set in 1237 Transylvania
Run by Kythia, from whom all blessings flow.

Game Information

Transylvania in 1237 is in the grip of a war between its ancestral Tzimisce overlords and the upstart Tremere.  Despite the hold the Tzimisce have had over the region for millennia, victory is far from assured.  The Tremere's magic and Gargoyle servitors helps them, certainly, but no less an advantage is their formidable unity.  The basic unit of the Tzimisce is the individual, the basic unit of the Tremere is the clan.

It is for this reason that you have been dispatched to Bistrița.  For generations Bistrița fell under the control of Daecaneus, a venerable elder of the clan and widely respected.  It is right on the edge of his domain though and within the last few years a newcomer to the clan, the Saracen Hafza, has been attempting to wrest control.  While strong in the blood, she lacks the reputation of Daecaneus and the clan as a whole would rather see him prevail.  However, what is more important is that this situation is resolved, and quickly.  While the struggle continues neither are devoting their full attention to the war and while the region isn't firmly in anyone's control it creates a gap the sly Tremere would doubtless be only too happy to grant.

Your character has been asked to travel to Bistrița by their sire to bring a speedy resolution to the situation.

  • Allowed Clans
Brujah, Cappadocian, Gangrel, Lasombra, Malkavian, Nosferatur, Ravnos, Toreador, Tzimisce, Ventrue
  • Allowed Bloodlines
Caitiff, Giovani, Lamiae, Lhiannon, Salubri (any Caste)
  • Backgrounds
Domain is forbidden.  Other backgrounds are allowed, but bear in mind you arrived in Bistrița the night before the game starts.  Any location dependent backgrounds have been brought with you, they are not native to Bistrița
  • Politics
You, at least at game start, support the Tzimisce and view the Tremere as usurpers.  None of you are secretly Tremere spies.  While the clan as a whole supports Daecaneus, how fervent you are about that depends on you.  None of you are agents of either him or Hafza.

The game will, given the nature of the Tzimisce, be set in the extreme forum.  I personally don't have anything planned that would necessitate that, but it seems a wise precaution.  Experience will be given every two weeks, to qualify for experience you must have made three in-character posts in that time (so we're looking at a posting minimum of just less than once every five days).  When I give experience I will also be asking all players to nominate (secretly) a post they think is well-written, funny, whatever and whose author should receive extra xp.

I will be limiting the game to five players, at least initially.  As this game sprang from a request in the "Looking for GM" thread, slots are currently reserved for:

AndyZ
Blythe
RedPhoenix
Riveda

So there's one definitely free, and potentially more if one or more of those passes.

If you're interested in playing, post a brief character concept in this thread.
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Kythia

Transylvania By Night
A V20:Dark Ages game set in 1237 Transylvania
Run by Kythia, True Queen of Britain

NPCs
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Kythia

Transylvania By Night
A V20:Dark Ages game set in 1237 Transylvania
Run by Kythia, look on her works, ye mighty, and despair.

The Town and Area
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Kythia

Transylvania By Night
A V20:Dark Ages game set in 1237 Transylvania
Run by Kythia, the lurking horror in the breast of man

Misc
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Kythia

I'll make a better banner when I have some time.
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Blythe

I'm in.  ;D Will think up a character concept later today, but definitely going with a Tzimisce~

Kythia

@Red - That looks fine in principle.  Roll it up

@Blythe - Welcome
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Jaded

I did not realize there was a V20 Dark Ages book, drats.  I'm assuming V20 and the old Dark Ages Vampire book wouldn't work?

Kythia

Errrrrr.  Kind of?  There's a few mechanical changes and more fluff changes.  Throw a concept up and we can see if it works in the new fluff, if you like, and I can hold your hand through the mechanical changes.
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Jaded

Their weakness is different between the two editions I have, but hopefully a Lasombra isn't too different in V20 Dark Ages. 

I was thinking a Lasombra, a former Italian Nun or other woman associated with the Catholic faith.  She was very slowly tempted by her Sire, and eventually fell into the belief that she was being corrupted by the Devil just in time to be embraced.  She has taken on a bit of a wolf among sheep (a bit more than a normal vampire, that is) attitude, believing that she is now truly a childe of Lucifer and it is her sacred duty to spread his influence.  She'd be a follower of the Path of Cathari if it is available.

Otherwise, I've always wanted to play around with the idea of a Norse Shieldmaiden (I had the old Wolves of the Sea book somewhere, though I think it is yet another edition.  Vampire Dark Ages or some such). 

Rook Seidhr

Thinking about a Lamia Embraced in Constantinople who left after the Crusaders sacked it in 1204. Road of Lilith, Path of Thorns.

Kythia

@Jaded:

Lasombra weakness is:

QuoteWeaknesses: Lasombra cannot be seen in any sort of reflective surface, which makes it difficult to conceal their supernatural nature from mortals. Additionally, members of the Clan of Shadows cannot abide the presence of bright light; they take an additional level of aggravated damage from any exposure to sunlight.

Concept looks fine - my only question would be why an Italian nun is in deepest darkest Transylvania.  While I've tried to make that question easy to answer ("Sire sent me"), it is one I'd like answering.

@Riveda - Looks fine in theory, flesh it a little and answer the same question as Jaded.

Roll ups for people (Jaded) without the book:



Fair use, personal use only, blah blah blah.
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Jaded

I was thinking that she had fled hunters/inquisitors, given her nature.  Either east from the Venice area, or she may have ventured from Genoa to Genoese territory in Crimea (which I think they had control of around this time).  From there she may have been sent just because she is seen as expendable, was relatively close, and her clan wanted a bit more of a Lasombra presence. 


Blythe

#13
Concept -

Favored ghoul originally from around Kievan Rus, a distant sickly descendant of the Rurik dynasty (who would have never seen overt power in life, but nobility nonetheless). Showed an extremely clever wit despite their physical sickliness that drew the attention of his Sire and warranted the Embrace. Sire is an ally of longtime ally of Daecaneus (although distant in these nights; they were closer many years ago) and has sent their childe to assess the situation in Bistrița. His Sire has made it clear they strongly favor Daecaneus over Hafza due to some manner of long term debt the Sire owes Daecaneus, although what caused the debt is unknown. Character follows the Road of Kings (Via Reglis). Generally will be a character who is taciturn and devoted to duty, priority would be Mental attributes (where he always showed talent) and Physical attributes (a long period as a ghoul and the Embrace helped remove that pesky mortal weakness).

Jaded

It isn't done, but I thought it might give a better idea of what I am thinking.

Character Concept
Name: Simona Montanari
Clan: Lasombra
Gender/Sex: Female
Nature: Monster
Demeanor: Bon Vivant
Generation: 10th

Attributes

Strength:     *
Dexterity:    ***
Stamina:      **

Charisma:     **** - Smooth Talker
Manipulation: **** - Seductive
Appearance:   **** - Otherwordly

Perception:   ***
Intelligence: ***
Wits:         **


Abilities

Talents:
Alertness:     *
Athletics:
Awareness:     **
Brawl:
Empathy:       **
Expression:    *
Intimidation:
Leadership:
Legerdemain:   *
Subterfuge:    *

Skills:
Animal Ken:
Archery:
Commerce:
Crafts:
Etiquette:     **
Melee:         *
Performance:   **
Ride:
Stealth:       ***
Survival:      *

Knowledges:
Academics:     ***
Enigmas:       *
Hearth Wisdom:
Investigation: **
Law:           *
Medicine:
Occult:        **
Politics:      *
Seneschal:
Theology:      ***


Advantages

Backgrounds:
Generation: **
Resources:  **
Retainers:  * (A former Priest turned ghoul/heretic)

Disciplines:
Obtenebration: ****



Virtues: Path of Cathari
Conviction: **** (started at 0 due to path)
Instinct:   **   (started at 0 due to path)
Courage:    **





Path: 5 (max 5 due to path?)

Willpower: 5 (must raise to min 5 due to path)

Blood Pool: ?/13 (1/t)




~Health!~
- Bruised
- Hurt  (-1)
- Injured  (-1)
- Wounded  (-2)
- Mauled  (-2)
- Crippled  (-5)
- Incapacitated (X)

Merits/Flaws

Merits:
Multi-Lingual (2) - Latin, Greek
Lingua Franca (1)

Flaws:
Outsider      (1)
Enemy         (3)
Demon-Hounded (3)




Personality:

History:
Simona was born to one of Genoa’s powerful merchant families.  She was chosen, due to the date of her birth being the same as a local Saint, to join the Church.  At a young age she was shipped off to an Abbey to be raised, and taught the ways of the Catholic Church.

At sixteen, Simona met a man in the garden of the Abbey.  He claimed to be a local nobleman, here for medical treatment.  Simona knew that no such man was present, but he was so kind, so attractive.

For a period of a year and a half they met in the garden for brief trysts, Simona losing sight of her vows as she fell slowly in love.  The night of her eighteenth birthday she went to meet him, only to find him in the garden in the embrace of another woman.  She confronted him, heartbroken, only to find not a man, but an inhuman monster.  She turned to flee, to get help, to do something.  Only to feel pure ecstasy as his teeth sank into her neck.

The world, and the lies of it all, seemed to come into sharp clarity as she awoke.  She didn’t know if she had failed in a test against temptation, she didn’t really find herself caring.  If god cared, he would have aided her.  Now, now she was one with the darkness.  A childe of Caine, perhaps, but also a childe of Lucifer. 

In the decades that followed, Simona found herself doing all she could to corrupt the clergy.  To bring murder, sex, and heresy to the church’s of god, and to turn his children against him.  It put her at odds with many of her own Clan, and she is still convinced that it was one of them that set the ‘Demon Hunter’ after her.  She fled her playground of northern Italy for Crimea, where she found orders waiting.  The clan wanted her to go inland, to the darkness of Transylvania, to watch and report.   

Simona has a single companion, ?, a former Priest turned Heretic and Ghoul.  He still acts as a traveling Priest, feigning belief he no longer holds. 

It was in a rural church, as Simona taught the Priest just what a monster was, that the demon came.  He confirmed what she was, certainly, and offered aid in exchange for service.  Since then he has returned repeatedly, trying to push her towards some purpose she doesn’t understand.

Your O/Os for this character: Link to your O/O thread or the E matrix. If there are any O/O exceptions that aren't mentioned in your thread for your character, be sure the mention them here.


Freebies
-3 for Willpower
-2 for Subterfuge
-2 for Awareness
-5 for Charisma
-5 for Appearance
-2 for Empathy

Kythia

OK


@Red - Looks good to me.  Am I taking it you have no merits/flaws or just haven't picked any.  And could I get a bit more about the Malkavian alter ego, specifically, is it a "real" malkavian who happens to look like you or is it a new persona created out of whole cloth.


@Blythe - Sounds good to me.  Roll it up

@Jaded - Looks good.  I'll stat Simon up for you some point in the not too distant.  Is he a ghoul?  I'm assuming he knows you're a vampire?
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Kythia

They're all cool.

Things are moving quickly, I'm toying with starting the game soon and giving you a chance to chat ICly if people think that would be a good idea?

AndyZ is out, I've offered his slot to Pumpkin Seeds who PMd me about the game.
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Rook Seidhr

Quote from: Kythia on August 31, 2016, 09:06:35 AM
Things are moving quickly, I'm toying with starting the game soon and giving you a chance to chat ICly if people think that would be a good idea?
I don't want to hold you back, but I'm having trouble finding the time to put together a character sheet and background. If you've got another taker, go ahead and give them my place.

Kythia

That's no issues from my point of view.  The only reason I suggested it was to keep some momentum going while we moved people through character creation.  I'd still rather have you than not.  If you know what I mean.  Rrrawwr
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Rook Seidhr

Quote from: Kythia on August 31, 2016, 09:21:17 AM
That's no issues from my point of view.  The only reason I suggested it was to keep some momentum going while we moved people through character creation.  I'd still rather have you than not.  If you know what I mean.  Rrrawwr

:D OK then!

Blythe

#20
I have every expectation of my character delightfully clashing with Red's. >_>

Edit: oh and Jaded's, due to the religious angle. ^^;

Anyways, if edits are required, just say the word.  :-)




Name: Václav
Clan: Tzimisce
Gender/Sex: Male/Male
Nature: Defender
Demeanor: Traditionalist
Generation: 8th

Attributes

Strength: ***
Dexterity: ***
Stamina: **

Charisma: **
Manipulation: **
Appearance: **

Perception: ***
Intelligence: ****
Wits: ***

Abilities

Talents:
Alertness: **
Athletics: **
Awareness:
Brawl: **
Empathy: 
Expression:
Intimidation: ***
Leadership: *
Legerdemain:
Subterfuge:

Skills:
Animal Ken:
Archery: **
Body Crafts: **
Crafts:
Commerce:
Etiquette: ***
Melee: **
Performance:
Ride: *
Stealth:
Survival: ***

Knowledges:
Academics: **
Enigmas:
Hearth Wisdom:
Investigation: **
Law:
Medicine: *
Occult: *
Politics:
Seneschal:
Theology:

Advantages

Backgrounds:
Generation **** (8th Gen., 15 blood pool, 3 BP/turn)
Status *
Resources **
Disciplines:
Auspex *
Vicissitude ****

Virtues:
Conviction: ***

Self-Control: ***

Courage: ****




Humanity/Path: [Road of Kings/Via Reglis] 6

Willpower: 6

Blood Pool: 6/15




~Health!~
- Bruised
- Hurt  (-1)
- Injured  (-1)
- Wounded  (-2)
- Mauled  (-2)
- Crippled  (-5)
- Incapacitated (X)

Merits/Flaws

Merits:
Multi-lingual (2 pts.) (1 extra language known per dot of Intelligence. Native language is East Slavic, languages known through this merit are Italian, Latin, Romanian, and Spanish. Poke me if I need to adjust these as suited to the time period)
Eidetic Memory (2 pts.)
Flaws:
Outspoken Heretic ( 4 pt.)



Personality: Cold, dutiful, arrogant, does not suffer fools lightly, hateful towards religion, but intellectual, enjoys debate, deeply curious, and honorable to a fault.

History: Václav never had a normal life. He had the fortune (or perhaps misfortune) to be born as a descendant of the Rurik dynasty in the Kievan Rus area. His family was a minor offshoot, never meant to ever acquire a princedom. Václav was the fourth son of his family, and he never stood to inherit anything at all...and worse, he was born sickly. It was expected he would die before adulthood, so he was allowed significant freedom, which he used to hone his natural intellect, studying any language he could acquire a teacher for and other skills that he felt would be helpful. On his twenty-third birthday and during a time of great illness, Václav drew the attention of a powerful Kindred of Novgorod, who decided to ghoul him and groom him for the Embrace.

Václav knew the attentions of this Kindred were...unnatural, but long years of illness had left Václav with no more faith in God, and so instead he put his faith in this stranger. He was not disappointed. Ghouling made for an immense difference in his life. Václav found, for the first time in his existence, that he could go forth from his family estate and play at swords as other men did. The Kindred who ghouled him, a powerful Tzimisce named Bor, knew that his charge's body needed to be as fit as his mind, and to that purpose spent considerable money training him in combat. Soon enough, he left religion and gave all of his devotion and duty to Bor.

And Bor gave him the stuff of nightmares, training Václav in the art of the human body, showing him how it was constructed. It was not a true study of medicine, but anatomy and its workings.

On his thirtieth birthday, Václav was Embraced. He left behind much of his mortal ties, hitching his fortunes to his Sire's. He is grateful for the Embrace; he knows it would have only been a matter of time until some foul vapor or chill would have taken his life, and to be a Kindred is beyond all his hopes, even if this means he is Damned. He is=s to act as his Sire's hands and ears, to act as a knight for him and to uphold Clan Tzimisce's honor. He's served faithfully now for twenty years, and his Sire has promised Václav that he'll be given more trust in the Clan and trusted with more responsibility if he is successful in Bistrița sorting out things, ideally in favor of Daecaneus, whom Bor is indebted to, although the reasons for that debt have not been disclosed to Václav.

In short, he was a very physically ill man turned into a trained & monstrous killer...albeit an honorable and quite dutiful one. For Václav, there is no sense of personal pleasure, only duty.

Your O/Os for this character: Honestly, my only Off for Václav is probably scat, but due to his demeanor, he's not likely to be going around sexin' things up. Just prod at me if you want to plan something with him.

Freebies spent

(7) on 1 dot of Auspex
(2) on 2 Dots of Resources
(2) on 1 Dots of Investigation
(2) on 1 Dot of Intimidation
(2) for 2 dots of Willpower
Merits/Flaws currently balance each other in points.

Jaded

Quote from: Kythia on August 31, 2016, 08:33:10 AM
@Jaded - Looks good.  I'll stat Simon up for you some point in the not too distant.  Is he a ghoul?  I'm assuming he knows you're a vampire?

He's a ghoul and a fanatic to her particular heresy as I see it.  He would know she is supernatural and a vampire, though he might see her as a bit more of a demon or similar.  He'd help her travel, help her get into churches and such (that aren't holy ground), and generally help her with her schemes. 

Quote from: Kythia on August 31, 2016, 09:06:35 AM
Things are moving quickly, I'm toying with starting the game soon and giving you a chance to chat ICly if people think that would be a good idea?

I don't mind starting or waiting. :-)


Name: Simona Montanari
Clan: Lasombra
Gender/Sex: Female
Nature: Monster
Demeanor: Bon Vivant
Generation: 10th

Attributes

Strength:     *
Dexterity:    ***
Stamina:      **

Charisma:     **** - Smooth Talker
Manipulation: **** - Seductive
Appearance:   **** - Otherwordly

Perception:   ***
Intelligence: ***
Wits:         **


Abilities

Talents:
Alertness:     *
Athletics:
Awareness:     **
Brawl:
Empathy:       **
Expression:    *
Intimidation:
Leadership:
Legerdemain:   *
Subterfuge:    *

Skills:
Animal Ken:
Archery:
Commerce:
Crafts:
Etiquette:     **
Melee:         *
Performance:   **
Ride:
Stealth:       ***
Survival:      *

Knowledges:
Academics:     ***
Enigmas:       *
Hearth Wisdom:
Investigation: **
Law:           *
Medicine:
Occult:        ***
Politics:     
Seneschal:
Theology:      ***


Advantages

Backgrounds:
Generation: **
Resources:  **
Retainers:  * (A former Priest turned ghoul/heretic)

Disciplines:
Obtenebration: ****



Virtues: Path of Cathari
Conviction: **** (started at 0 due to path)
Instinct:   **   (started at 0 due to path)
Courage:    **





Path: 5 (max 5 due to path?)

Willpower: 5 (must raise to min 5 due to path)

Blood Pool: ?/13 (1/t)




~Health!~
- Bruised
- Hurt  (-1)
- Injured  (-1)
- Wounded  (-2)
- Mauled  (-2)
- Crippled  (-5)
- Incapacitated (X)

Merits/Flaws

Merits:
Multi-Lingual (2) - Italian(N), Latin, Greek, Arabic
Lingua Franca (1)

Flaws:
Outsider      (1)
Enemy         (3)
Demon-Hounded (3)



Personality:

History:
History
Simona was born to one of Genoa’s powerful merchant families.  She was chosen, due to the date of her birth being the same as a local Saint, to join the Church.  At a young age she was shipped off to an Abbey to be raised, and taught the ways of the Catholic Church.

At sixteen, Simona met a man in the garden of the Abbey.  He claimed to be a local nobleman, here for medical treatment.  Simona knew that no such man was present, but he was so kind, so attractive.

For a period of a year and a half they met in the garden for brief trysts, Simona losing sight of her vows as she fell slowly in love.  The night of her eighteenth birthday she went to meet him, only to find him in the garden in the embrace of another woman.  She confronted him, heartbroken, only to find not a man, but an inhuman monster.  She turned to flee, to get help, to do something.  Only to feel pure ecstasy as his teeth sank into her neck.

The world, and the lies of it all, seemed to come into sharp clarity as she awoke.  She didn’t know if she had failed in a test against temptation, she didn’t really find herself caring.  If god cared, he would have aided her.  Now, now she was one with the darkness.  A childe of Caine, perhaps, but also a childe of Lucifer. 

In the decades that followed, Simona found herself doing all she could to corrupt the clergy.  To bring murder, sex, and heresy to the church’s of god, and to turn his children against him.  It put her at odds with many of her own Clan, and she is still convinced that it was one of them that set the ‘Demon Hunter’ after her.  She fled her playground of northern Italy for Crimea, where she found orders waiting.  The clan wanted her to go inland, to the darkness of Transylvania, to watch and report.   

Simona has a single companion, Aloisio, a former Priest turned Heretic and Ghoul.  He still acts as a traveling Priest, feigning belief he no longer holds. 

It was in a rural church, as Simona taught the Priest just what a monster was, that the demon came.  He confirmed what she was, certainly, and offered aid in exchange for service.  Since then he has returned repeatedly, trying to push her towards some purpose she doesn’t understand.


Your O/Os for this character: Scat and mutilation are offs, most anything else I'd be willing to discuss.

Freebies
Freebies
-3 for Willpower
-2 for Subterfuge
-2 for Awareness
-5 for Charisma
-5 for Appearance
-2 for Empathy

Kythia

Blythe - Coolio.  One last question - to what extent is his current appearance a result of Vicissitude?  And how much is training and the effects of being a ghoul?

While I'm on the subject of Vicissitude, one point I just quickly want to make.  There is no "body memory" or similar.  If you change your face using vicissitude and later want to change it back, the DC isn't inherently lower just because it's your "real" face.  There is no "real" face.  It might well be lower because it's one you know well (though, on the other hand, mirrors are rare - how many people know their face well?) but not for any other reason.

Jaded - Awesome.

All - I'll get the first post in the IC set up tomorrow for those who want it.
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Blythe

#23
Quote from: Kythia on August 31, 2016, 03:35:30 PM
Blythe - Coolio.  One last question - to what extent is his current appearance a result of Vicissitude?  And how much is training and the effects of being a ghoul?

While I'm on the subject of Vicissitude, one point I just quickly want to make.  There is no "body memory" or similar.  If you change your face using vicissitude and later want to change it back, the DC isn't inherently lower just because it's your "real" face.  There is no "real" face.  It might well be lower because it's one you know well (though, on the other hand, mirrors are rare - how many people know their face well?) but not for any other reason.

Current appearance will be the result of Václav being shaped by his Sire during ghouldom (in order to help make him more physically fit), and Václav would have been expected to maintain his new physique with training after that. He views himself as his Sire's weapon and as such as little attachment to his appearance. He's kept this general appearance as long as he has as a Kindred because his Sire had a mirror (so he could resume his old shape after practicing the Zulo war form), but during travel, Václav will avoid using Vicissitude on himself unless he thinks its necessary. Mostly because his allies need to be able to recognize him.  8-) Totally okay with there being no 'body memory.'

Quote from: Kythia on August 31, 2016, 03:35:30 PM

All - I'll get the first post in the IC set up tomorrow for those who want it.

Woot!

Kythia

Still hoping for this up today but it might end up being tomorrow. Bit of a house disaster has forced me to adult all morning and now I'm going to the beach to recuperate. Four solid hours of being a grown up was too much for me.
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