(DA:V) Bloodstains by Torchlight [System | Extreme | Interest Check] Closed

[Hades]

A Dark Ages: Vampire Story

I have decided to try my hand at running a small system game here on Elliquiy.  There is a world building thread that contains useful bits and bobs like character creation guidelines and the character sheet coding to be used for making a character.

The game is set in late 1250s Bohemia, giving players an opportunity to get involved in the political affairs of the Holy Roman Empire, the Papacy, as well as the usual nest of intrigues that comes from a Vampire game.  This will be a systems game rather than a sandbox, though some minor changes form the published rules to make it fit both an play-by-post environment as well as fitting into the landscape of E. 

If anyone is interested, sound off below and we'll go from there to see about getting the ball rolling for everyone.  And feel free to ask any questions along the way since I know there are things I've missed already.

[Blythe]

YES SWEET JESUS YES

*cough*

By that I mean "I am very interested"

>_>

[Hades]

Woot, woot.  :D

I feel the thread just got classier just by virtue of dapper eldritch horror avatars. 


Of course, now that someone has actually noticed here I'll have to actually write up NPCs and look for some layouts of the city.  >.>  <.<   Dangit Bobby.

[PixelatedPixie]

I'd be interested.  Assuming I have the right book :P I will dig it out and make sure I am not getting it mixed up again. 

[Hades]

I'd be interested.  Assuming I have the right book :P I will dig it out and make sure I am not getting it mixed up again. 

If you happen to have the 20th anniversary edition instead, that would probably be acceptable as well.  I don't have that version myself but I'd be willing to help explain any differences that would come up mechanics-wise.

[Drowdeviant]

Possible vampire lady knights? Where do I sign up? :3

[Imogen]

I am interested, been missing my vampire fix since the last game ended!

[Blythe]

I'm currently very interested in playing a Follower of Set on the Via Serpentis. ^^

[Imogen]

There is too much to like! Giovanni, Assamite warrior or Toreador are what I'm looking at right now, but a Malkavian could be fun -flails-

[Drowdeviant]

I'm currently very interested in playing a Follower of Set on the Via Serpentis. ^^

Possible snake brother/sister! xD

I'm pondering tziscme or Followers of Set because of their cool discipline abilities in this setting. xD

[Hades]

Sees all the new postings, and has this reaction

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzM_-YTnQo0


Like literally, I just tried posting this twice and there were already replies each time I tried to his post.

[Drowdeviant]

Sees all the new postings, and has this reaction

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzM_-YTnQo0


Like literally, I just tried posting this twice and there were already replies each time I tried to his post.

Hades I wouldn't be surprised if this came out about the current pope during the story. xD


Nosferatu Pope best pope. Use that hat to hide those big ass ears! :3

[PixelatedPixie]

If you happen to have the 20th anniversary edition instead, that would probably be acceptable as well.  I don't have that version myself but I'd be willing to help explain any differences that would come up mechanics-wise.

I have 20th (and the Revised I think, or whatever the pre-20th 'modern' one is), but no I have mixed up Vampire: Dark Ages and Dark Ages: Vampire before.  I have the right one though it looks like.

I'd be tempted by a Cappadocian or Tremere, maybe a scholarly Lamia. 

[Hades]

Sends an army of midget cacti to stab Drow...because reasons

It's easy to do between what's basically the 1st and 2nd edition books since they are so similar in name.  I think they changed the naming style just to see how many of us keep getting confused.

Also, I am quite happy with all the considerations being bounced around already.  :D

[PixelatedPixie]

Is there a difference between what is in the Guide to the High Clans and the ST Companion for the Lamia?

[Hades]

The only difference I see between them is that the Mortis path Path of the Four Humors isn't included in the Guide to the High Clans.  So if you want to use that power obviously you would need the ST Companion, but otherwise they appear the same mechanically.  GttHC obviously had more space to go into detail about the bloodline than the Companion did, but they both have the same discipline set and weakness listed so any differences between the books are thematically in nature.

[Blythe]

I know the points in Linguistics in particular look crazy, but I justified it in the backstory, I swear. (...coterie translator in the house!) I'm also not remotely a history expert, but I tried to make a sensible backstory as best I could, though admittedly I got a bit wordy. ^^;

Radames (rough draft)

Name: Radames
Clan: Follower of Set
Gender/Sex: Transman
Nature: Celebrant
Demeanor: Penitent
Generation: 12th

Attributes

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

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

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

Abilities

Talents:
Alertness: ***
Athletics:
Brawl:
Dodge: *
Empathy: *
Expression: **
Intimidation:
Leadership:
Legerdemain: **** [Specialty: Picking Purses]
Subterfuge: ***

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

Knowledges:
Academics:
Hearth Wisdom:
Investigation:
Law:
Linguistics: **** (Native: Egyptian) [German, Latin, Italian, French, English, Greek, Arabic, Portugese]
Medicine:
Occult: ***
Politics:
Seneschal:
Theology: ****

Advantages

Backgrounds:
Resources **
Status *
Herd **
Disciplines:
Obfuscate ***
Presence *
Serpentis *

Virtues:
Conviction: ***

Instinct: ***

Courage: ****



Road of the Serpent (Aura: Devotion): 6

Willpower: 6/6

Blood Pool: 10 / 10



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

Merits/Flaws

Merits:
- Eidetic Memory (2 pt.)
Flaws:
- Hunted (4 pt.)

Statistics

Freebies: 17/17
-2 from Eidetic Memory
+4 from Hunted
2 points on 1 dot of Stealth
2 points on 1 dot of Theology
2 points on 1 dot of Linguistics
6 points on 3 dots of Archery
2 points on 1 dot of Legerdemain
1 point to gain the Legerdemain Specialty of Picking Purses
2 point to gain 2 dots of Willpower

EXP: 20/20
Spent 10 to raise Obfuscate to 3
Spent 4 to raise Strength to 2
Spent 4 to raise Stamina to 2
Spent 2 to buy 1 dot of Etiquette

History: Radames isn't his real name. In fact, he left his real name behind in the dust just under fifty years ago and never mentions his real name or the name of the village he came from. And fifty years is such a long time. Long enough to let him recreate an identity for himself. He was born female. Somewhere under all those clothes, he still has a female body, but his birth body would never really be seen as 'beautiful' in a feminine sense. He was tall and his body lacking most feminine curves. He was always able to pass, in his youth, as a boy with remarkable ease. It got a little harder as an adult, but it was nothing binding and wearing heavier clothing didn't fix, even though he couldn't disguise his voice easily. But in so many ways, Radames is before his time. He was born in a world that was not equipped to truly understand being transgender. And in a lot of ways, Radames himself doesn't 'get' what he is. He knows his soul is that of a man. He knows his body is female. He can't articulate it beyond that.

He grew up in a small village that was unusual in that it was predominantly Christan, given that certain pagan beliefs and Muslim beliefs were the majority belief system in Egypt at the time. Christianity was a religion much persecuted at the time in the general area, and the community was unusually militant, moreso than others, about making sure nothing was out of place or wrong. They had fought so hard for their community and did not intend to see it rot from the inside.

So it was to the residents' shock in 1210 when Radames's father had discovered his now very-adult offspring dressing as a man and slipping into the beds of married women, with about four or five purses that looked to have been stolen from their husbands. The reactions were...poor, to say the least. His father, screaming of shame brought on the family, gave up Radames for punishment. Had Radames only agreed to repent, he would have been spared. But he wouldn't. All he said was, "I have tasted Eve's apple, and I am content." The town gathered to stone him to death. And the damage they did was considerable. Yet...he managed to hang on during the day until the night came. That was when he met Eshaq, a tall and slim merchant who had the eyes of a Damned serpent.

Radames saw this, alone under a moonless sky and covered in blood, and in his last breath said softly, "So there is a serpent with the apple after all." Eshaq Embraced him immediately, seeing in Radames a potential in the worship of Set that he had never dreamed he might see. Radames took to the Via Serpentis immediately. It spoke of freedom to him, told him he wasn't selfish or wrong for his desires, and filled him with a desire to strike at the order of law whenever he felt it was not part of his needs. This did not mean that he could no longer interact with those of different beliefs--on the contrary, Radames deeply enjoyed encountering people he could have a chance to convert. He does, however, generally mask his beliefs in Muslim or Christian dominated areas and comports his worship of Set and selfishness in secret.

One thing he knew would be important was that he couldn't stay in Egypt. He begged Eshaq to let him travel, and Eshaq agreed. The two stayed together decades. Eshaq knew Radames didn't have the patience for true mercantile affairs, so he cultivated in him other skills--languages, for one, so that Radames would find it easier to try to approach anyone he pleased. He taught Radames that through numerous religious and occult tomes, which ended up serving to inadvertently educate Radames on those subjects as well. He cultivated his already natural talents at stealth and cutpursing. While Eshaq plied a 'respectable' mercantile trade, it was Radames who was sent to steal what could not be bought, to take what could not be given.

And now Radames is in Bohemia. He came a couple of years ago, and Eshaq told him it was time to part ways, that Prague would be Set's test for him. Radames quickly established himself as a useful spy and thief amongst the local Cainites, and when he wasn't doing that, he used his skill with languages to make money as a translator, which let him establish himself in Prague comfortably enough to get himself a small herd of mortals--his neighbors--to feed from. Local Cainites initially viewed him as dexterous and educated, and sometimes bumbling in a charming way, as sometimes he could be blind to certain gendered social cues. For a Setite, his 'devout' nature is known...just not as an adherent of Set. Radames views secrecy as the best way to spread the word of Set without alerting the major religions, so he puts on a pious look of the faith of whatever person happens to be looking at him at any given time. Given his acumen with language, he can often sound quite sincere and realistic, though his voice has a softness to it (due to his birth gender) that often leaves people disconcerted and wondering if he's a eunuch.

But now he's being hunted. An Inquisitor caught a glimpse of Radames bathing and discovered not only was the flesh on his bones dead, but it was the flesh of a woman--two abominable acts at once. Luckily, Radames is stealthy and capable of altering his appearance or hiding easily with Obfuscate...but it has deeply increased his caution in Prague, as he knows that this hunter must have had Ra's own golden fortune to have stumbled on him. He knows he must play the political game in Prague, to be useful to influential ancient Cainites, to gain power and wealth, to gain allies...maybe, dare he think it?...friends...so that he might eliminate this hunter and secure his safety. And truly? At the end of the might, Radames just wants to be himself and enjoy life's pleasures. Set is the way he can do that. And he wants to sincerely help others find the joy he's found in his new life.

Your O/Os for this character: See my thread here. For the most part, I have few limitations, but my major limitation is going to be 'ask me OOCly before trying to push sexual content with the character.' I'm open to it, but I'd vaguely want a heads-up.

[Hades]

A Wordy Blythe makes for a Happy Hades.  *Does the dance of his people* (>* * )>  <( * * <)

The sheet looks good to me, and I like the backstory quiet nicely.  The only thing I see missing is a mention of what his native language is, to go with him being the Dark Ages version of Google Translate. :P  But he's got a tentative thumbs up for me, in case you want to make changes between now and when the story kicks off. ^_^


That said, I don't want anyone worrying about getting bogged down in the minutia of history.  After all, this is a game and not a thesis paper, so getting more detailed than a quick search engine use or a little peek over at wikipedia isn't necessary at all. 

[Drowdeviant]

I know the points in Linguistics in particular look crazy, but I justified it in the backstory, I swear. (...coterie translator in the house!) I'm also not remotely a history expert, but I tried to make a sensible backstory as best I could, though admittedly I got a bit wordy. ^^;

Radames (rough draft)

Name: Radames
Clan: Follower of Set
Gender/Sex: Transman
Nature: Celebrant
Demeanor: Penitent
Generation: 12th

Attributes

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

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

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

Abilities

Talents:
Alertness: ***
Athletics:
Brawl:
Dodge: *
Empathy: *
Expression: **
Intimidation:
Leadership:
Legerdemain: **** [Specialty: Picking Purses]
Subterfuge: ***

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

Knowledges:
Academics:
Hearth Wisdom:
Investigation:
Law:
Linguistics: **** [German, Latin, Italian, French, English, Greek, Arabic, Egyptian]
Medicine:
Occult: ***
Politics:
Seneschal:
Theology: ****

Advantages

Backgrounds:
Resources **
Status *
Herd **
Disciplines:
Obfuscate ***
Presence *
Serpentis *

Virtues:
Conviction: ***

Instinct: ***

Courage: ****



Road of the Serpent (Aura: Devotion): 6

Willpower: 6/6

Blood Pool: 10 / 10



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

Merits/Flaws

Merits:
- Eidetic Memory (2 pt.)
Flaws:
- Hunted (4 pt.)

Statistics

Freebies: 17/17
-2 from Eidetic Memory
+4 from Hunted
2 points on 1 dot of Stealth
2 points on 1 dot of Theology
2 points on 1 dot of Linguistics
6 points on 3 dots of Archery
2 points on 1 dot of Legerdemain
1 point to gain the Legerdemain Specialty of Picking Purses
2 point to gain 2 dots of Willpower

EXP: 20/20
Spent 10 to raise Obfuscate to 3
Spent 4 to raise Strength to 2
Spent 4 to raise Stamina to 2
Spent 2 to buy 1 dot of Etiquette

History: Radames isn't his real name. In fact, he left his real name behind in the dust just under fifty years ago and never mentions his real name or the name of the village he came from. And fifty years is such a long time. Long enough to let him recreate an identity for himself. He was born female. Somewhere under all those clothes, he still has a female body, but his birth body would never really be seen as 'beautiful' in a feminine sense. He was tall and his body lacking most feminine curves. He was always able to pass, in his youth, as a boy with remarkable ease. It got a little harder as an adult, but it was nothing binding and wearing heavier clothing didn't fix, even though he couldn't disguise his voice easily. But in so many ways, Radames is before his time. He was born in a world that was not equipped to truly understand being transgender. And in a lot of ways, Radames himself doesn't 'get' what he is. He knows his soul is that of a man. He knows his body is female. He can't articulate it beyond that.

He grew up in a small village that was unusual in that it was predominantly Christan, given that certain pagan beliefs and Muslim beliefs were the majority belief system in Egypt at the time. Christianity was a religion much persecuted at the time in the general area, and the community was unusually militant, moreso than others, about making sure nothing was out of place or wrong. They had fought so hard for their community and did not intend to see it rot from the inside.

So it was to the residents' shock in 1210 when Radames's father had discovered his now very-adult offspring dressing as a man and slipping into the beds of married women, with about four or five purses that looked to have been stolen from their husbands. The reactions were...poor, to say the least. His father, screaming of shame brought on the family, gave up Radames for punishment. Had Radames only agreed to repent, he would have been spared. But he wouldn't. All he said was, "I have tasted Eve's apple, and I am content." The town gathered to stone him to death. And the damage they did was considerable. Yet...he managed to hang on during the day until the night came. That was when he met Eshaq, a tall and slim merchant who had the eyes of a Damned serpent.

Radames saw this, alone under a moonless sky and covered in blood, and in his last breath said softly, "So there is a serpent with the apple after all." Eshaq Embraced him immediately, seeing in Radames a potential in the worship of Set that he had never dreamed he might see. Radames took to the Via Serpentis immediately. It spoke of freedom to him, told him he wasn't selfish or wrong for his desires, and filled him with a desire to strike at the order of law whenever he felt it was not part of his needs. This did not mean that he could no longer interact with those of different beliefs--on the contrary, Radames deeply enjoyed encountering people he could have a chance to convert. He does, however, generally mask his beliefs in Muslim or Christian dominated areas and comports his worship of Set and selfishness in secret.

One thing he knew would be important was that he couldn't stay in Egypt. He begged Eshaq to let him travel, and Eshaq agreed. The two stayed together decades. Eshaq knew Radames didn't have the patience for true mercantile affairs, so he cultivated in him other skills--languages, for one, so that Radames would find it easier to try to approach anyone he pleased. He taught Radames that through numerous religious and occult tomes, which ended up serving to inadvertently educate Radames on those subjects as well. He cultivated his already natural talents at stealth and cutpursing. While Eshaq plied a 'respectable' mercantile trade, it was Radames who was sent to steal what could not be bought, to take what could not be given.

And now Radames is in Bohemia. He came a couple of years ago, and Eshaq told him it was time to part ways, that Prague would be Set's test for him. Radames quickly established himself as a useful spy and thief amongst the local Cainites, and when he wasn't doing that, he used his skill with languages to make money as a translator, which let him establish himself in Prague comfortably enough to get himself a small herd of mortals--his neighbors--to feed from. Local Cainites initially viewed him as dexterous and educated, and sometimes bumbling in a charming way, as sometimes he could be blind to certain gendered social cues. For a Setite, his 'devout' nature is known...just not as an adherent of Set. Radames views secrecy as the best way to spread the word of Set without alerting the major religions, so he puts on a pious look of the faith of whatever person happens to be looking at him at any given time. Given his acumen with language, he can often sound quite sincere and realistic, though his voice has a softness to it (due to his birth gender) that often leaves people disconcerted and wondering if he's a eunuch.

But now he's being hunted. An Inquisitor caught a glimpse of Radames bathing and discovered not only was the flesh on his bones dead, but it was the flesh of a woman--two abominable acts at once. Luckily, Radames is stealthy and capable of altering his appearance or hiding easily with Obfuscate...but it has deeply increased his caution in Prague, as he knows that this hunter must have had Ra's own golden fortune to have stumbled on him. He knows he must play the political game in Prague, to be useful to influential ancient Cainites, to gain power and wealth, to gain allies...maybe, dare he think it?...friends...so that he might eliminate this hunter and secure his safety. And truly? At the end of the might, Radames just wants to be himself and enjoy life's pleasures. Set is the way he can do that. And he wants to sincerely help others find the joy he's found in his new life.

Your O/Os for this character: See my thread here. For the most part, I have few limitations, but my major limitation is going to be 'ask me OOCly before trying to push sexual content with the character.' I'm open to it, but I'd vaguely want a heads-up.

A pocket watch in the dark ages?! xD

They are right to think he's a heretic! xD

...You know aside from the fact he worships someone is basically vampire Jesus...and is part of a cult that can make altars with dead bodies on top of them. xD

[Blythe]

Free pocketwatch to anyone who converts to Set!  :D

And Hades, I'll figure out native language soon--probably Egyptian, though, so would I need to pick a another Linguistics language to replace the native one?

[Drowdeviant]

Free pocketwatch to anyone who converts to Set!  :D

And Hades, I'll figure out native language soon--probably Egyptian, though, so would I need to pick a another Linguistics language to replace the native one?

and the ability to have three heads at once! xD

[Hades]

Free pocketwatch to anyone who converts to Set!  :D

And Hades, I'll figure out native language soon--probably Egyptian, though, so would I need to pick a another Linguistics language to replace the native one?

"Convert now, and we'll throw in a jar of scorpions at no extra charge!  Amuse your friends, torment an Inquisitor, act tonight because supplies are limited!"

And that is correct, yes.  Though no rush to figure it out just yet, if you'd rather wait and see what everyone else takes.

[Blythe]

Went ahead and fixed it : )

[Madam Striga]

Are you accepting newbies to the system?

[Hades]

Are you accepting newbies to the system?

We all start as newbies at some point.  :-)  So long as you have the core book in question, I'm happy to lend a helping hand along the way.