Veilfall: City of Eternal Night - Interest Check (Dark, Supernatural, Urban, Noir)

[LaCroix]

Veilfall: A City of Shadows and Secrets

Welcome to Veilfall

“Veilfall doesn’t sleep. She watches. Her streets hum with neon and rain, her shadows whisper debts unpaid. Step lightly, friend—this city’s got teeth, and she’s always hungry.” — Grey Maddox, ex-detective, last seen in Blackbarrow.

The City Between
 
Veilfall is a modern metropolis where the mundane and supernatural collide. A century ago, a ritual to harness forbidden power tore the Veil—the boundary between worlds—flooding the city with dark forces. Now, rain-soaked streets, gothic spires, and neon-lit skyscrapers hide vampires, Fae, sorcerers, demons, werewolves, and mortals vying for control. Every deal is a risk. Every secret has a price.

A History of Blood and Neon
 
Once a gritty industrial hub, Veilfall changed when the Veil shattered in 1925. A cabal of sorcerers sought to bind an ancient entity, but their hubris ripped reality apart. Buildings warped, streets twisted, and those who crossed the rift returned changed—or not at all. The Dark Court rose from the chaos, forging the Concord of Shadows—a fragile pact to prevent war between factions. The Veilwatch, a council of Judges, enforces this truce, but whispers of corruption and a predator stalking their ranks threaten to unravel it all.

Supernatural Laws of Veilfall 

• Vampires must register feeding grounds and respect sanctuaries.
  
• Fae are bound by oaths; breaking one invites death.
  
• Demons cannot lie outright but twist truths with deadly precision.
  
• Sorcerers need Veilwatch approval for soul or memory spells.
  
• Werewolves follow Pack Law; blood challenges are sacred.
  
• Mortals wield cunning but lack supernatural protections.
  

Playable Races & Their Burdens 

• Vampires: Wield blood sorcery and hypnotic allure. Sunlight burns, and each feeding risks frenzy. Cost: Your soul frays with every bite.
  
• Fae: Weave illusions and seduction. Cold iron wounds, and oathbreaking brings ruin. Cost: Deceptions blur your true self.
  
• Sorcerers: Cast arcane spells and bend time. Magic backlash scars mind and body. Cost: Power breeds addiction and madness.
  
• Demons: Conjure hellfire and tempt mortals. True names bind, blessed ground repels. Cost: The beast within erodes reason.
  
• Werewolves: Shapeshift with primal fury. Silver burns, and rage can consume. Cost: The wild threatens your humanity.
  
• Mortals: Rely on ingenuity and alliances. Fragile and short-lived, they face temptation. Cost: Power comes at a steep price.
  

City Districts & Faction Territories 

• Nightward — Vampire Court: Gothic mansions and sleek penthouses where bloodlines plot in boardrooms and blood rituals. A crimson chandelier in the Grand Salon glows with stolen life.
  
• Silken Hollows — Fae Enclave: Velvet alleys of cabarets and brothels where desire is currency. A mirrored fountain reflects truths best hidden.
  
• Iron Archive — Sorcerer Cabal: Labyrinthine libraries and arcane labs where time warps. A sealed Gate of Thorns guards forbidden secrets.
  
• Ashen Ward — Crimson Hunters: Burned-out factories and fortified churches where mortal hunters wield fire and steel. A shattered bell tower tolls warnings.
  
• Blackbarrow — Demon Court: Sulfur-tinged tunnels of black markets and vice. A glowing sigil marks their forbidden bazaar.
  
• Foundry — Werewolf Court: Roaring factories and fight pits where Pack loyalty is forged in blood. A rusted wolf statue stands as their oath.
  

Tone & Style 

Veilfall is noir fantasy—rain-soaked, neon-lit, with smoke and musk in the air. It’s a world of whispered threats, seductive promises, and secrets that cut like knives. Expect dark intrigue, moral ambiguity, and tension that coils like a lover’s touch.

Gameplay & Rules 

This is an Extreme-rated freeform RPG. Dark themes (violence, horror, mature content) are allowed with player consent. 

• Follow forum rules and respect player boundaries. OOC drama or toxic behavior will result in removal.
• Include warnings for sexual content, excessive violence, or triggers.
• No controlling or killing another player’s character without permission.
• If a player becomes inactive, GM may convert their character to an NPC or remove them for story continuity.
• Communicate openly. Reach out to GM LaCroix for issues or ideas. I try to be approachable and friendly with any and all questions.

GM Roles & NPCs 

CO-GMs @LaCroix and @Nowherewoman will play key NPCs. These characters drive plots, mediate disputes, or spark drama. We encourage player-driven stories as well as there will overarching GM events with a central narrative to explore.

Plot Hooks & Roles 

Forge your story with these ideas or create your own: 

• Run a nightclub in the Silken Hollows, balancing Fae deals and mortal clients.
• Join the Veilwatch as a Judge, navigating corruption and a killer in the ranks.
• Play a vampire powerbroker caught in the Prince’s mysterious disappearance.
• Lead a werewolf Pack in the Foundry, vying for Alpha after a brutal death.
• Uncover the Iron Archive’s Gate of Thorns, risking reality itself.
• Broker demon deals in Blackbarrow, but debts come due in blood.
• Hunt rogues in the Ashen Ward, but question the Crimson Hunters’ motives.
• Weave Fae glamour as a courtesan, twisting fates in smoky cabarets.

Faction Restrictions 
Only Mortals can serve as Veilwatch Judges or hold city-wide offices (e.g., councilors, mediators). Supernatural races (Vampires, Fae, Sorcerers, Demons, Werewolves) are bound by the Concord of Shadows and cannot hold these roles, though they wield influence within their districts.

Plot Hooks & Roles 
Shape your story with these suggestions or craft your own: 

• Run a neon-lit nightclub in the Silken Hollows, juggling Fae deals and mortal patrons.
• Serve as a Veilwatch Judge in the Ashen Ward, rooting out corruption while dodging a killer.
• Play a vampire fixer in Nightward, unraveling Prince Cassian’s vanishing act.
• Lead a werewolf Pack in the Foundry, vying for Alpha in a blood-soaked ritual.
• Guard the Iron Archive’s Gate of Thorns, risking madness to protect its secrets.
• Broker demon deals in Blackbarrow, but beware—debts demand blood.
• Hunt rogues as a Crimson Hunter, questioning the cost of your sanctified steel.
• Weave Fae glamour as a cabaret star, twisting fates with every performance.

Veilfall Awaits 

Will you rise as a vampire lord, a Fae manipulator, a sorcerer chasing forbidden power, or a mortal defying the odds? Align with a faction, betray them, or carve your own path. Veilfall’s streets are yours to conquer—but the shadows demand their due. 
Join us. The city’s watching.

Character Creation 
Create a character from one of the six races: Vampire, Fae, Sorcerer, Demon, Werewolf, or Mortal. Submit your character via PM to the GMs @LaCroix or @Nowherewoman  using the template below, embedded in a scrollable box. Ensure your character ties to Veilfall’s noir world and the Veil’s instability.

Code Select Expand

[center][b][size=14pt]Character Name[/size][/b][/center] 
[center][i]“Quote that captures your character’s essence.”[/i][/center]

[center][img height=200]PICTURE URL[/img] [img height=200]PICTURE URL[/img] [img height=200]PICTURE URL[/img][/center]

[b]Facelciam:[/b] You characters faceclaim here.
[b]Race:[/b] Choose Vampire, Fae, Sorcerer, Demon, Werewolf, or Mortal. 
[b]District:[/b] Specify your character’s primary district (Nightward, Silken Hollows, Iron Archive, Ashen Ward, Blackbarrow, Foundry) or if they’re a wanderer. 
[b]History:[/b] Summarize your character’s past, including how the Veil’s influence shaped them. For supernatural races, note the moment they crossed or were touched by the Veil. 
[b]Additional Info:[/b] List key skills, occupations, or notable traits (e.g., ex-cop, illusion-weaver, street informant). 
[b]Powers:[/b] For supernatural races, detail specific abilities (e.g., blood sorcery, hellfire conjuring) based on the race descriptions. Mortals remove this section. 
[b]Weaknesses:[/b] Note race-specific weaknesses (e.g., sunlight for vampires, silver for werewolves) and personal flaws (e.g., addiction, paranoia). 
[b]Connections:[/b] List relationships with other characters (PCs or NPCs) or faction ties (e.g., loyal to the Vampire Court, indebted to a demon).

In order of Importance, list these five things as what you seek in this setting:[i](Drama, Romance, Smut, Social Interaction, Character development)[/i]

 
[b]Ons & Offs:[/b] Link to your player Ons/Offs or list character-specific preferences and limits.

[b]Plot Ideas:[/b] Provide at least two plot ideas for your character, tying them to Veilfall’s factions, districts, or the Veil’s instability (e.g., investigating a Judge’s murder, stealing a forbidden tome, sparking a Pack rebellion).

[i]Example: “Lila Voss, a Fae courtesan in the Silken Hollows, weaves glamour to manipulate Nightward elites, but a broken oath threatens her life. Plots: 1) Uncover a conspiracy behind the Vampire Prince’s disappearance, 2) Infiltrate a demon deal to steal a soul-binding relic, 3) Mentor a mortal caught in Fae politics, risking exposure.”[/i]


Character sheets and general questions can be directed to me @LaCroix or our new CO-GM @Nowherewoman

[LaCroix]

VEILFALL: A CITY OF SHADOWS AND SECRETS

“She was just a city once. Bricks and bridges, unions and smog. Then came the rift. Then came the night that never really left.”
— Archivist Auren Kells, The Veiled Truth

Welcome to Veilfall

Veilfall is a city unlike any other. It stands not only at the crossroads of trade and culture—but between two realities. One foot in the mundane, the other in the arcane. Here, gothic spires claw the skyline beside humming neon towers. Steam and shadow mingle with the scent of rain and blood. It is a place where ancient nightmares walk in designer shoes, and the truly powerful don’t bother hiding their teeth.

Once an industrial titan of the American Northeast, Veilfall earned its name after the events of 1925, when the ritual known as the Concord Binding tore a hole in the fabric of reality. The Veil—the metaphysical membrane separating our world from the unseen realms—shattered. And through that breach came the Otherkind: beings of myth, dream, and nightmare, irrevocably altering our world.

The public never saw the whole truth. A fire, a gas leak, a strange epidemic—the headlines were manufactured, the truth buried beneath decades of shadow treaties and supernatural silence. Yet those who dwell in the city’s undercurrents know better. Something came through. Something stayed. And something else... still wants in.

This is Veilfall now:
A city where laws are enforced by mortal Judges under the eyes of vampire Princes.
Where Fae whisper contracts beneath silk veils in smoky parlors.
Where sorcerers walk time's edge and demons sell damnation by the ounce.
Where mortals—fragile and fleeting—may yet rise to power or be consumed trying.

It is noir. It is urban fantasy. It is home.

The Shattering of the Veil

In the autumn of 1925, a cabal of occultists—known as the Velencourt Circle—sought to harness the essence of a primordial entity known only as Ioth'Ziniel. They were elite industrialists, former academics, and exiled mystics, each bent on transcending human limits. Their aim: to fuse Veilfall’s industrial prowess with sorcerous dominance and become god-kings of a new age.

They succeeded… and failed.

The ritual, performed in the bowels of an abandoned power station beneath Ironward, went horribly right. The Veil tore—a metaphysical membrane that separated the human world from deeper planes: the Dreaming, the Bleed, the Black Flame, and others. From these realms, creatures long locked away by ancient covenants poured into our world.

Not all who came were mindless horrors. Some were sentient, cunning, and ambitious. They claimed territory, waged secret wars, and eventually forged a truce: the Concord of Shadows. This pact formalized Veilfall’s supernatural hierarchy and established the fragile peace that persists to this day.

Yet, the Veil remains damaged. Some say it is healing. Others insist it is fraying still—and when it finally tears again, nothing will survive the flood.

The Factions of Veilfall

Veilfall is ruled by influence, not governments. Officially, it is a modern American city with mayors, judges, and business councils. But in truth, power lies in the shadows—divided among the great supernatural factions who maintain their own courts, codes, and dominions.

Each faction traces its lineage back to the Shattering, claiming their place in the new order through blood, fire, or bargain.

The Vampire Court — NIGHTWARD

“Blood remembers. So we rule.” — Prince Cassian Draev

From marble penthouses to ancestral crypts buried beneath the city, the vampires of Nightward hold dominion over wealth, influence, and memory. They are the inheritors of aristocratic traditions, but they adapt faster than most give them credit for. Banking on centuries of manipulation, the Court weaves Veilfall’s upper echelons into its silk-and-thorn grip.

Each vampire is claimed by a lineage—an ancestral bloodline tracing back to an origin sire. These lineages compete for favor beneath Prince Cassian Draev, whose disappearance has shaken Nightward to its core.

Goals: Preserve the Veil of Shadows, consolidate power, and find their missing Prince.
Style: Gothic elegance, political maneuvering, blood-soaked secrets.

The Fae Enclave — SILKEN HOLLOWS

“We trade in want. Yours. Theirs. Ours.” — Lady Vael of the Hollow Veil

When the Veil shattered, the Fae did not invade—they returned. Long exiled from the mortal world, they reestablished their presence in Silken Hollows: a velvet district of cabarets, pleasure dens, and illusion-laced alleyways.

Bound by ancient laws and treacherous beauty, the Fae are masters of charm and deception. They speak in riddles, trade in favors, and hold to oaths like sacred scripture. Break your word to one… and pray death comes quickly.

Goals: Secure mortal influence through desire, maintain the sanctity of oaths, protect glamour-founts.
Style: Decadent, sensual, enigmatic.

The Sorcerer Cabal — IRON ARCHIVE

“Magic has a cost. But cost is negotiable.” — Archivist Soria Neph

Not all practitioners of magic were devoured by the Shattering. Some learned to survive—some even thrived. These are the Sorcerers of the Iron Archive, a secretive network of arcane scholars, memory engineers, and reality-weavers who claim dominion over the city’s oldest magic.

Operating out of twisted libraries and sanctified laboratories, the Cabal is obsessed with maintaining magical law and limiting Veil instability. But power never comes clean. And the Gate of Thorns—the epicenter of the Shattering—still pulses beneath their feet.

Goals: Research Veil anomalies, restrict forbidden magics, expand the Archive’s dominion.
Style: Intellectual, secretive, alchemical-noir.

The Crimson Hunters — ASHEN WARD

“If it bleeds, I can end it.” — Paladin Ava Cross

They were once a religious order. Now they’re militant zealots. The Crimson Hunters are mortal-born, fanatical warriors who see the supernatural as infection—and themselves as the cure.

Operating from charred cathedrals and repurposed armories in the Ashen Ward, they wield sanctified steel, alchemical fire, and relics of fallen gods. They despise all supernatural races, though alliances of necessity sometimes blur the line.

Goals: Cleanse corruption, protect mortals, uncover Veilwatch secrets.
Style: Gritty, militant, righteous fury.

The Demon Court — BLACKBARROW

“You came to us. That’s how it always begins.” — Baron Umbrak

They didn’t crash through the Veil. They were summoned. Bargained for. Fed upon despair. The demons of Blackbarrow exist in forms both monstrous and seductively human. They offer power, pleasure, revenge—everything you didn’t know you needed.

But every deal binds you. Every name spoken is remembered. And every gift has its price.

Goals: Expand their market of souls and pacts, unravel mortal institutions, find new hosts for greater demons.
Style: Temptation, infernal chic, contractual horror.

The Werewolf Clans — THE FOUNDRY

“We are what they fear in the dark.” — Alpha Korran Vale

Born of rage and ancient pacts, the werewolves of Veilfall do not kneel. They hunt in bloodlines called Clans, organized under shifting Packs, led by those strong enough to hold dominance by claw and oath.

The Foundry is their domain—an industrial wasteland of scrap, steel, and sacred blood. Here, their rituals echo under smokestacks, and challenges are met with tooth and flame.

Goals: Maintain the Pack Law, protect sacred grounds, challenge the weakening Alpha.
Style: Brutal, tribal-punk, feral politics.

[LaCroix]

Claimed:
Ben Barnes
 Gregory Harrison
Tom Hiddleston
Wallis Day             
Zara Axeronias               
Tilda Swinton
Rhona Mitra
Sharon Alexie

[ArtemisHighmore]

Leaves a reminder to keep an eye on this. Can never pass up a werewolf story.

[LaCroix]

Leaves a reminder to keep an eye on this. Can never pass up a werewolf story.

Glad you liked it. I have really put a ton of time into this one. I've been working on the lore and word for about almost half a year before I returned to Elliquiy. 

[SilkenVenom]

Sooo...basically a custom designed World of Darkness without the insane rule bloating?

Yep. I can get behind that.

[LaCroix]

Sooo...basically a custom designed World of Darkness without the insane rule bloating?

Yep. I can get behind that.

Yes. I enjoy WoD, but I prefer a more freeform approach that will offer players a chance to create what they want, enjoy dark, thematic stories and relationships without worrying about keeping track of a ton of rules.

Focus on the story, the interactions, building the world together. That was my thought for this project. Make it easy for anyone to jump in if they like it.

[Lovely Complex]

Consider me tentatively interested. 💕

[Raven Rawne]

There's an idea slowly coming to life in my head. A demon dealmaker running a casino or such establishment,  with a human assistant in tow. Using brass tokens as means of showing debts and favors owed or paid for.

[LaCroix]

Consider me tentatively interested. 💕

There's an idea slowly coming to life in my head. A demon dealmaker running a casino or such establishment,  with a human assistant in tow. Using brass tokens as means of showing debts and favors owed or paid for.

Love seeing the interest and the creativity. 

[LaCroix]

Prince Cassian Draev

“Power is not inherited. It is carved into the world with blood and patience.”

Faceclaim: Ben Barnes
Race: Vampire
District: Nightward (with strong political reach into Blackbarrow)
History:
Before the world bled shadows and the sky turned black, the Draevs were merely mortal — noble, proud, and dangerously curious. House Draev traced its lineage through generations of highborn scholars and occult philosophers who sat at the fringes of Veil’s aristocracy, their wealth inherited through centuries of landownership, their power built not through armies or coin, but through secrets. They were one of the founding patrons of the Sorcerer’s Cabal, an esoteric order of elite minds who studied the boundaries of existence itself — and who, in their hubris, sought to tear through them.

It was in the Draev ancestral manse, a towering estate perched at the edge of what is now Nightward, that the ritual began — a summoning meant to bridge the realms of thought and reality, to bring forth a being of pure knowledge from the beyond. House Draev had provided the blood, the ancient texts, and the forbidden glyphs, convinced that whatever lay behind the Veil could be reasoned with… controlled.

They were wrong.

When the Cabal opened the gate, something came through — not a god, not a spirit, but a wound. The Veil, the invisible skin between worlds, shattered. Reality split like glass. The city was plunged into a permanent twilight, and the dead began to speak. From the rent in existence poured entities of hunger and fire, glamour and madness — the birth of the supernatural. Vampires, fae, demons, and beasts that had never walked this world before spilled into it all at once.

In the chaos of the Veilfall, power structures collapsed. Governments fell. Magic ran wild. And those who had called it forth paid the highest price.

The Draev family — once trusted guides of knowledge — were branded monsters and blamed for the catastrophe. Their libraries were torched. Their estates besieged by mortal mobs and newly born horrors alike. But their crime was greater than hubris — it was survival. Unlike many of their peers in the Cabal who perished in fire and madness, the Draevs changed. The Veil had not merely cursed them; it had marked them. Whatever being they had tried to summon had touched their bloodline — and it had left something behind.

Cassian Draev was only seven when it happened. The last gathering of the Draev court is a memory is till etched into the dark annals of his mind: terrified nobles clutching iron-bound grimoires, blood weeping from the walls, and his mother, Liraine Draev, screaming into the dark as the sky ripped open above them. On the third night of the Veilfall, as the world reshaped itself into nightmare, a rebellion surged within the burning city. Young zealots, fearful humans, and desperate survivors hunted down the families who had caused the shattering, the beginning of the Crimson Hunters.

Cassian watched his kin slaughtered in the ceremonial halls of the Draev manse — elders torn apart by thother worldly unspeakable terrors, servants driven mad by the dream-plague. In the final moments, Liraine raised her hands, shrieked into the encroaching darkness and summoned her burgeoning blood power to wrap her son in a protective shroud of blood and darkness, and before she rose and, walked away slowly into the night. She was never seen again.

Smuggled from the wreckage by the last surviving loyalists, Cassian was taken beneath the city into the deep bones of what would become the Ashen Ward. There, in a forgotten crypt-temple buried beneath soot and stone, he was raised by the few survivors and lingering servants of the Draev House who had somehow managed to live through Veil’s first night. They taught him the old ways — the words no longer spoken, the glyphs that still bled through walls, the truths buried in the screaming silence of dreams.

But more than that, they taught him who he was becoming. The Draev bloodline had not died — it had awakened. Something ancient had taken root in Cassian’s veins, born from the first contact with the Otherworld. He stopped aging. His eyes darkened. His dreams began to show him impossible things — places he had never been, people he had never met, futures that hadn’t happened… yet. His shadow no longer obeyed the light.

The world called him a remnant of a cursed house. The few who remembered his name whispered it like a ghost story. But Cassian Draev endured. Now, a century later, he has returned to Veilfall — not as the child who fled its ruin, but as the thing the city helped create. In a world overrun with beings not born of Earth, Cassian is something older still. Not a vampire. Not a sorcerer. Not quite human.

He is the heir to the wound that split the world.

And he intends to make the city kneel.



Additional Info:

    Noble-born, fluent in multiple dead tongues

    Master of etiquette, subterfuge, and ritual diplomacy

    Former Judge-in-Exile (stripped of title, but not of secrets)

    Collects cursed artifacts and soul-bound relics

    Deeply loyal to House Draev, now secretly beginning to reemerge in Nightward after his disappearance

Powers:

    Blood Command: Can manipulate the blood of others within a short range — clot, burn, or slow

    Shadowform: Cassian may melt into shadows and move unseen, though not invulnerable while doing so

    Royal Compulsion: Enhanced hypnotic ability due to Draev lineage — allows limited manipulation of the weak-willed (ooc permission required)

    Dreamwalking: May step into a target’s dreams to observe or influence them (requires a blood tie)

Weaknesses:

    Sunlight burns his skin; prolonged exposure causes blindness or death

    Must drink blood regularly or lose control of his powers (and mind)

    Bound to his House’s ancestral vow — breaking Draev oaths causes intense psychic pain

    Haunted by visions from the Veil, not all of which are true

Connections:

    Former consort of Lady Siraine, a demon-bound whisper broker in the Silken Hollows

    Quietly sponsoring the rise of the Fangborne, a militant vampire sect working in secret in Blackbarrow

    Secret ties to Gray Maddox - Former Detective turned supernatural Gumshoe, presumed dead

In order of Importance, list these five things as what you seek in this setting:

    Drama
    Character development
    Romance
    Smut
    Social Interactions

Ons & Offs:
LaCroix's personal ons and offs
Cassian thrives on power and indulgence, both in and out of the bedroom. He’s drawn to:

In Character ons:
    Complex power dynamics and control
    BDSM -D/S elements with a leaning towards DD/LG play (not required)
    Exploring the curves of a lover’s body
    Seduction, teasing—words as weapons, dirty talk, and using others desires to his gain
    Corruption of Purity

In character offs: The same as my personal ones linked above.

[LaCroix]

I've put up the first of what will be a couple of GM run characters. The first is Prince Cassian Draev who was forced to fake his death after his family helped cause the Veilfall and plunged the city into Eternal Darkness. He has recently returned from afar in secret to begin seeking a way to reclaim his seat at the head of the court.

I just wanted to list a sample character sheet so people can get a general idea of how this will work. I'm trying to emulate the dark, gritty blend of supernatural and dark noir-driven storytelling that comes from a good WoD setting, with my own personal twist on the lore to make it bring to life something that I hope is an intriguing and rewarding experience.

The second goal was to provide a setting that offers all the wonderful, dark, drama-driven supernatural elements, but in a much more accessible, freeform playstyle that focuses on narrative and storytelling without the rules that can weigh down or scare people off a traditional WoD game world.

[LaCroix]

Gray Maddox

“I don’t believe in second chances. Just unfinished business.”

Faceclaim: Gregory Harrison
Race: Mortal (Possessed)
District: Blackbarrow, though his cases take him everywhere
History:
Gray Maddox was a cop back when Veilfall was still just “the city,” before the sky cracked and monsters learned to smile. He worked homicide—bad cases, real bad—and carried the weight of every one of them in his eyes. Then the Veil fell. One minute, he was chasing a killer through a warehouse on the docks, the next he was bleeding out in a pool of his own guts, staring up at a sky that had turned black and started whispering.

Dying changes a man. So does what comes next.

Something answered him in the dark. Something with teeth, a voice like velvet soaked in gasoline, and an offer: “One more breath. One more shot. Yours... for a place to stay.”

He took the deal.

Gray came back from the dead in the middle of the Veilfall. But the demon that saved him didn’t just bring him back — it merged with him. Now it’s in him — always there, coiled and watching behind his ribs. The deal should have ended long ago, but something in the rupture trapped the entity inside. The demon is fused to his soul like a parasite in molasses. It can’t escape. He can’t get rid of it.

So now he works the city’s darker corners as a private investigator — handling cases too weird for the mortal cops and too messy for the supernatural courts. Missing persons. Hauntings. Demon debts. Magical fraud. Vampire blackmail. Sometimes he solves them. Sometimes he buries the bodies.

He keeps a bottle in one drawer, a revolver in the other, and a crucifix with a cracked spine around his neck — not because he believes in anything, but because it hurts the thing inside him.

He’s not a hero. He’s not clean. But he is still here. Still fighting and still burning.

And as long as the demon stays caged inside him, maybe he can use it to burn something worse.

Additional Info:

    Former homicide detective; now licensed Veilfall PI

    Carries a badge from the old city (refuses to turn it in)

    Has contacts the vampire, fae, and demon circles

    His office is above a pawn shop in Blackbarrow; rent’s never on time

    Chain-smoker, sleeps 3 hours a night, speaks passable Infernal

Powers:
While technically mortal, Gray manifests unnatural abilities due to his demonic passenger:

    Hellsense: Can perceive magical residue, cursed places, Veil fractures, and lies (to a degree)

    Infernal Surge: In moments of extreme stress, the demon may briefly augment his speed or strength — at a cost

    Soul Tether: Can track a person or object once he’s touched it — the demon sniffs their essence

    Intimidating Presence: Gains unnatural gravitas when threatening; shadows bend subtly around him
    (All powers are often painful to use. Overuse risks losing control.)

Weaknesses:

    Still mortal: can bleed, burn, break

    The demon inside him is always watching, whispering — if Gray weakens, it may try to surface

    Holy relics and certain magical wards cause him searing pain

    Suffers from chronic nightmares, rage blackouts, and guilt

    Addictive personality; abuses alcohol to try and keep control (mostly)

Connections:

    On retainer with The Iron Archive, though he hates working for them

    Tethered to a demon named Ravien Mal’kar, the one trapped inside him

    Trusted (barely) by some vampire enforcers in Nightward who owe him favors

    Loose ties (rumored) former Prince Cassian Draev

In order of Importance, list these five things as what you seek in this setting:

    Drama
    Character development
    Romance
    Smut
    Social Interactions


Ons & Offs:
LaCroix's personal ons and offs
In character Ons:
    Complex power dynamics and control
    BDSM -D/S elements with a leaning towards DD/LG play (not required)
    Exploring the curves of a lover’s body

Offs: Scat, gore, vore, the same as my personal offs

[Hellion]

Another awesome RP story idea @LaCroix. Love the dark, gritty, urban vibe you seem to enjoy as well :)

[Nowherewoman]

Tempting .

Thinking. 

[LaCroix]

Another awesome RP story idea @LaCroix. Love the dark, gritty, urban vibe you seem to enjoy as well :)

Love to hear it. I've always been a fan of that sort of a setting for amazing storytelling.

[LaCroix]

Tempting .

Thinking. 

Amazing, I'd love to see what you come up with, I'm really excited for this group idea. 

[Nowherewoman]

Two ideas; I'll need to dig through the lore and CS a little more before I decide.


A Shadow Fae courtesan:



Or a demon who deals in illicit substances:

[Nowherewoman]

@LaCroix -

How do you feel about PCs owning businesses of a modestly large scale? If, for example, my fae idea was the mistress of a very selective brothel?

[LaCroix]

@LaCroix -

How do you feel about PCs owning businesses of a modestly large scale? If, for example, my fae idea was the mistress of a very selective brothel?

Perfectly fine by me! I welcome players establishing a bit of lore and shaping the world.

[Nowherewoman]

And a sheet is in!

[LaCroix]

And a sheet is in!

Wonderful, consider her approved.

Also everyone, I would like to make a big announcement. Nowehrewoman has agreed to help me by becoming a CO-GM running Veilfall with me. Everyone please congratulate and welcome her!

We're both very excited for this game and to see all the wonderful characters people can bring to it!

[Nowherewoman]

Lowenna Noir

“One can be one's true Self in Darkness. Or anyone else's, for that matter.”

Faceclaim:Unknown.
Race: Fae
District: Silken Hollows

History: Lo is something of a refugee in Veilfall. A millennial servant of the Court of Shadows, she spent many mortal lifetimes as a spy  and assassin for the Queen of the Night. The Court knew of the tear in the Veil, of course, but considered it no concern of theirs or, at best, an advantage to be pressed later.

Lowenna, bored with Court intrigue (and of an endless parade of same-old, same-old fae lovers) saw it differently and, for all intents and purposes, defected, passing through the tear before it was sealed. Without the Queen's leave.

Now she runs a brothel in the Silken Hollows, the Thorned Orchid, that is reputed to cater to any taste, however banal, depraved, sensual, or violent. It's unclear how objectively real her clients' experiences are, but neither attendees nor 'victims' have had cause to complain. So far.


Additional Info: Illusion and shadow weaver, brothel mistress, phantasmagorical consort.

Powers:

Inhuman allure: It's difficult for most mortals, and many supernaturals, to tear their attention away when she speaks to them. The truly weak-willed are in danger of being totally enthralled, much as by a vampire's gaze.

All things to all mortals: Lo's powers over illusion allow her to appear as the ultimate object of desire to mortal eyes. She's not a true shapeshifter; she simply wears an immensely powerful glamour. How much effect it has on other supernaturals is an open question.

Trompe l'Oeil: In low light, her powers over shadow and glamour can conjure nearly anything she or a client desires. Her illusions become less 'real' seeming as brightness increases, but never completely disappear.

Shadowskip: Like most associated with the Ancient Night, Lo can travel great distances in a heartbeat, but only between areas of deep darkness.

Walk Unseen: Like many fae, Lo can pass among mortals without notice if she chooses. In dimmer areas, this power works well among the inhuman community as well, including those who hunt by smell- she has no natural scent of her own.


Weaknesses: Cold iron; Oathbreaking is disastrous. As a member of the Court of Shadows, cannot enter hallowed ground. Extremely bright light weakens her substantially, and can cause her pain over time.

Connections:

The Queen of the Night wishes to have...words with her, but is on the other side of the Veil

Either in person or via glamour/illusion, has serviced a number of the wealthy and powerful of the city. NPC or PC links to be established.

Robert Salvatore. She uses certain of his concoctions to enhance her clients' experiences, and he's made enjoyed her hospitality on occasion.

She could use someone to act as her sort of major domo- if anyone has an interest, hit me up!

In order of Importance, list these five things as what you seek in this setting:

Social Interaction

Drama

Romance

Smut

Character Development


Ons & Offs: O/Os; open to modification by agreement, given the tone of the game.

Plot Ideas:
The Night Queen has found that her 'old friend' has fled beyond the Veil and, enraged, has ordered her sorcerers to find a way to force her back- or batter their own way into Veilfall.

A client somehow actually dies during an exotic tryst at Lo's establishment, involving both the Judges and the dead being's allies.

extra details:
-Lo's attire changes often, even right in front of people's eyes. Her clothing isn't real, it's a shadow weaving, and so is always dark in color. (There's even some question as to whether she has a real physical body, or if all anyone ever sees of her is a projection of the Night.)

-Not shown in the pics: when unbound, her hair sweeps the floor with length to spare.


 

[HaveStoryWillTravel]

Consider me tossing my hat into the ring here.

[LaCroix]

Consider me tossing my hat into the ring here.

Love it! Would love to have you joining us