A Cordial Invitation (OWoD Victorian Era) - Looking for new Talent!

[Senti]

Looking for new and enthusiastic players to join us.

The story so far

They say the sun never sets upon the British Empire, yet it certainly sets in London of 1888. Although officially Saucy Jack has not started his work, the streets, are filled with shadows and lurking creatures. Perhaps they are even worse than he…And yet worse still than the creatures that skulk in the filthy back streets and factories… yet worse still then are the secrets which hide behind the heavy velvet curtains of respectability and false morality?

This as it says on the tin is a ‘Victorian OWoD Vampire game,’ however I would like everyone to start as a human. Players can petition me with the clan they might like, or I can surprise you after said character has been noticed. Sometimes there is no choice when one is embraced.

The game has since moved on from the Mummy unwrapping in the rather splendid London home of Lord William Winterstone, he and his brother had recently returned from a most exciting excursion to Egypt and they wish to share this with guests. Certainly it appears they had quite a find, and thus the evening proved to be rather eventful. Indeed it was as it included two murders, one of which was William and the other his wife’s nurse.

Since the dinner party character’s have met up in numerous locations and are soon to venture forth to a shooting weekend run by the now Lord Robert Winterstone at their country residents in Sussex. The characters are still human, but they are now being noticed by different clans. The majority of current characters are from London or the surrounding area as the story is based around that city.

Feel free to PM with any ideas you may have for your character or indeed post here on this thread with thoughts etc.

One more thing, please do not expect the embrace any time soon. Vampires after all have many lifetimes to choose.

Important links

Characters and other information
https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=100066.0
OOC
https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=100068.0
Downstairs with the servants
https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=100394.0
Upstairs at the Gathering
https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=100393.0
Cooper in the Darkness
https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=102146.0
Not quite Mary Poppins
https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=101509.0
Downtimes
https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=109976.0
The Shooting Weekend
https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=117841.0

[Prakkie]

Well you know I'm in  ;)

Thinking to do a governess in the service of the Winterstone's... They have children?

Also, wondering if you want us to do stats for this.

[Senti]

yes they do have children a boy and a girl....

as for stats

I can wait for them, but as a guideline they help me as an ST. Use supernatural stats rather than mortal.

[Sabriel]

I am both intrigued and interested  :-)

[BenedictWolfe]

I'm actually not sure if I should sign up or not. On one hand I worship the Masquerade, but on the other hand, I don't know what character I would play for something like this.

[Acid Lips]

I am in, let me know in case it comes off the ground

[Prakkie]

Found a couple of useful links and thought I'd share. They helped me come up with my char idea, maybe they'll help you too Benedict:

On Victorian life: http://www.victorianweb.org/
On Victorian London: http://www.victorianlondon.org/

[Senti]

Thank you Prakkie.

[Cadavar]

Me??? In the women's dormitory??? With my reputation???

I’m definitely in. I will be playing Major Tyler Harrington who has recently returned from his tour in India, with his Man Servant Harry Cooper. He is a war Vet of sorts with a long history of ‘Keeping back the Darkies’ as he would say. I would like to RP both characters if the GM would permit. Chin Chin.

[Senti]

How could I refuse, you terrible man.

[BenedictWolfe]

Thank you Prakkie, you ordinary person you!

[Senti]

at least there is not Thirteen for dinner what could go wrong...

[Sabriel]

So I have started making up a character - Rowena Bleakmore Ashwin



She is a daughter of aristocracy and wealth her mother died during childbirth but passed on much of her gift and persona to her new born daughter, her father is a eccentric member of the upper classes and is as famous at times as he is notorious, an explorer and expeditionary he is an enigmatic man who was instilled a quest for understanding and knowledge in his daughter.  He has always encouraged her gifts but she has taken to hiding them and instead presenting them to the world  as an interesting curiosity, stagecraft clever tricks and art.  Her Mother's sister who has taken it upon herself to straighten out Rowena's life and bring her a way from her Father's influence, now seeks to make her into a more respectable woman and have her hide her gift from the world.  Rowena is happy to hide her gift and rarely allows people to know the truth of her ability and works, although she has acquired some measure of fame under her stage name "Countess Bleakmore" performing as a spiritualist at her own theatres and tea rooms.  Rowena also performs other parlor tricks and creates them from scratch or captures the spirits in photography, despite her open mind and keen interest in mystery and the obscure Rowena is quick to debunk and question things.  She only performs in her true capacity for those who know her secret and her fathers friends.

[Senti]

Looks good to me :)

thank you. I leave this up for another day or so and then set up OOC's, imformation, and IC things.

[Prakkie]

Alright, here's the character sheet so far:

Helena Whitlock

A young lady of upper-middle-class descent Helena has had a good upbringing and, as an only child, quite a spoiled life until her father was financially ruined. Not wanting to be a burden to her struggling parents, she looked for employment as a governess. This provides her with a meager income and, more importantly, food and lodging.

She doesn't like her job. She considers herself a well-born, well-educated woman but now she's reduced to a servant and people who were once her equals or even her lessers look down on her. Also, the kids can be devils and some of their parents not much better. After several disastrous employments in the London area she now finds herself with the Winterstone family.

She is able to educate the children on such topics as History, Geography, Globes, Grammar, Writing, Arithmetic, Needlework, Housework, Literature, Drawing and Music – the last being a personal favorite. The woman loves the opera and herself is a good soprano, if an out of practice one.

She dreams of one day escaping this life as a governess and becoming a prima donna.

[RubySlippers]

I want to stretch the womens role being educated and have some profession opening up to women I'm thinking a writer of exciting tales of fiction involving science and the mysterious with truth in them so they are also educational with the odd book of natural science suited to the common person. In other words well situated in the literary and science communities, independently wealthy in a comfortable way and still feminine. I might make her around thirty years old to start.

If this would work?

[Senti]

As far as the writing goes I don’t see much of an issue though she may have to write under a Pseudo Name depending on the nature of the books.  Though there are becoming more female writers that no longer just write romantic novels. After all there is a good deal of change within the ‘arts’ of this time. I am fine with the idea for the most. An interesting one . She may find at times her chosen profession might be frowned upon by some.

[Senti]

Her are the NPC’s please add characters. Thank you.

https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=100066.0

Here is the OOC, if its needed.

https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=100068.0

IC threads coming soon.

[Acid Lips]

Jessica always has been a woman dedicated to this family. Ever since she was born she was instructed on how to serve the family. Being the daughter of a maid that worked there but died at birth Jessica was raised by the maids in order to become one of the house. She grew up to be one of the few that the family fully trusted and she was punished if she ever told anything that they did not wanted to. However inside Jessica wanted freedom, she wanted to know what it was like to feel loved, to love someone however her duties resided there and with the family. As a servant in the mansion it was up to her to keep the interest of the people inside, whatever that might be.

[Senti]

Please could people add their characters here.

https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=100066.0

I should get the IC things up either today or tommorow so we can get started.

At present there is no rush for character sheets ....after all its only a dinner party and a mummy unwrapping. What could go wrong.

Also another question, do people want me to do a sort of gossip page with rumours and also summaries of what is going on?

[BenedictWolfe]

I've got an idea for a character, but I cannot find any image that even remotely resembles him. Is a description and some inspirational pictures enough (plus background)?

[Senti]

indeed it is after all  my NPC's are just words.

[Sabriel]

Also another question, do people want me to do a sort of gossip page with rumours and also summaries of what is going on?

I think this might be a neat idea sure although I think it perhaps might work better as a post that is updated now and then, rather than individual posts if you get my meaning.   

[Senti]

https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=100393.0 (IC upstairs with the guests)

https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=100394.0 (Downstairs with staff)

[AndyZ]

Victoria Zondalis

Victoria was born into an aristocratic station, her family quite affluent and making sure that she could always find the finer things in life.  She speaks several languages, plays the flute beautifully and has been trained in all ways to be the perfect catch for the husband that she's arranged to marry within the year.

She's perfected the proper poses and actions to let everyone believe that she's quite happy in polite society.  She'd never want anyone to know that she finds most everything rather ridiculous, that her vast intelligence is seconded only by her ever-burning curiosity.  She knows she's not alone in this belief, but is rare to actually come across and say so.  Why deprive herself of the pleasures of her gilded cage if she cannot escape?

Sometimes it feels a little hypocritical of her, so easily going through the motions.  Sometimes she feels like she could lose herself in that life, if only she was willing to give up everything she knew she truly was.  Her betrothed, for example, had said that he expects her to be the perfect proper wife, but what if he was only faking as well, his true feelings to be revealed only when they were properly wed?  It was a hope, but not something she could ever bet the rest of her life on.

She'd had to call in quite a few favors to get invited to see the mummy in person.  It ached her that she'd have to wait and arrive fashionably late, that society demanded that she feign disinterested and appear only there for the party and social lifestyle.  Maybe someday she hoped to reveal her true self, if she hadn't been already subsumed by the nature of her current existence.