INTEREST CHECK BECOMING - A 'Vampire: The Masquerade' RP

[Hecatoncheires]

[size=+1]'Becoming' is a 'Vampire: The Masquerade' RP set in the modern nights of London, where players take the role of a young collective of vampires attempting to find their place amidst the monolithic, unflinching society of the Kindred. Danger lurks in every corner, even words are dangerous and the power-plays between factions of vampires have been raging from centuries and could easily consume those who are not careful or cunning enough to adapt to such a cut-throat, unforgiving society.

The game will likely be run via Skype or in one of the RPBoxes, though I could be convinced to run it via the forums.

But yes, in short, anyone interested in a Vampire RP?[/size]

 

[Professor Crane]

I think I'd be up for it.

 

[Vay]

GOD DAMMIT GRUMPY!

 

[Ochalla]

*twitchtwitch* I hate Vampire!


.....


but I've always wanted to try playing Caitiff....


No no I don't want to play vampire. *twitch*

 

[Hecatoncheires]

Ah, Caitiffs.

Everyone loves/hates/questions the point of Caitiffs.

 

[CosmicWeinerDog]

I'm in for this.

I'm totally playing a Nossie.

 

[Hecatoncheires]

The Nos are easily my favourite clan to play as well. Slippery bastards coupled with stealth and strength. And they're damn good fun to RP as.

Anyhoo, I'm writing more material for this, including background info for people who don't know as much about Masquerade and it's setting. Here's a fucking ginormous info dump as I construct the OOC.

Camarilla

[size=+1]The Camarilla is also known as "The Ivory Tower," and the Sect lives up to that moniker. Created in the 15th century, the Camarilla was formed to preserve and protect vampire society against the decimation brought on by the Inquisition as well as the power drain presented by the War of Princes during the Dark Ages. The leaders of the Camarilla ruthlessly enforced the Tradition of the Masquerade, elevating it to the Sect's highest law, a priority they continue to pursue even in modern nights.

The Camarilla considers itself to be vampire society, and there is some validity to their hubris. It is the largest Sect of Kindred, after all, and nearly any city on the globe likely has some Camarilla presence. A Kindred who walks into a new city and looks for the local vampire population will, more often than not, find a Camarilla court. Camarilla cities are not as cosmopolitan as the Sect asserts. While Kindred of any lineage can claim membership, most come from the founding Clans of the Camarilla: the Brujah, Gangrel, Malkavians, Nosferatu, Toreador, Tremere, and Ventrue. These Clans helped to create the Camarilla, and they have a seat on the Inner Circle. Vampires of other bloodlines can attend conclave and meetings, but they are treated as minority voices or simply ignored.

After the Sabbat formed, the Camarilla opposed them as the only way to preserve and protect the Masquerade and its own Kindred. Since then, the Camarilla has been in an alternating cold and hot war, trading territories like two warring nations, and anyone who does not stand with the Camarilla against the Sabbat may be considered to be aiding the enemy.

As a result of this ongoing conflict with the Sabbat, in modern nights the Ivory Tower is crumbling, losing a few bricks here and there while it proudly proclaims itself to be strong and whole.

NOSFERATU

Any who doubt the monstrous nature of the Kindred need look no further than the twisted visages of the Nosferatu Clan.

Cursed in a far more physical way than any other clan, those who undergo the Embrace of a Nosferatu vampire are transformed into hideous monsters in their transition from human to Kindred. This marks them out amongst the undead, and the Sewer Rats, as they are colloquially known, suffer heavy social stigmas.

To their credit, the Nosferatu come to possess many of the whispered secrets of their reluctant fellows. The Sewer Rats enjoy a grudging respect as the information-brokers of the Kindred, given their supernatural acumen at stealth and the fact that many Kindred would rather ignore them than acknowledge them. Savvy Nosferatu exploit this for all it's worth, turning the hypocrisy of other vampires to their own profit.

"Oh, wow, you haven't flinched in almost two minutes. Guess I get prettier when you want something."​

GANGREL

Perhaps more than any other group, the Gangrel Clan embraces the Beast that exists within them.

Wary, aloof and frequently taking on aspects of animals associated with the Kindred (indeed, some Gangrel are capable of shifting into animalistic form), most of them prefer to spend their nights stalking prey or wilding on the rooftops than minding Princely edicts or lobbying for recognition of domain. Theirs is a tense relationship with vampire society, and Outlanders are among the most frequent to turn Anarch or Autarkis. In some localities, the Gangrel have collectively abandoned membership in any Sect — insofar as the Gangrel truly ever do anything collectively.

"This is not a place for you, and it is too late to turn back. Run, little man."​

TOREADOR

The socialites and visionaries of the Kindred, the Toreador, or Degenerates as many call them, are the vampires most likely to be found in the affairs of mortals. From their perspective when the sun fades, darkness gives rise to an eternal and wondrous world. Everything is fraught with wonder and terror, low politics and sensual glories, the profound and the profane, and an undeniable undercurrent of the sanguinary.

Toreador culture is a mixture of sybarites, dilettantes, and visionaries. Some
Toreador, with echoes of mortal passion, Embrace lovers or "project" progeny who seem to fly in the face of every Toreador custom. Ideas, trends, and "the next great thing" spread through the Clan, and other Kindred often look to the Toreador to guide them.

"Long after you die, I will still be young, beautiful and adored by all whose lives I touch."​

TREMERE

Possibly the youngest of the Thirteen Clans, the Tremere have fought fang-and-claw to carve a niche for themselves in Kindred society.

Stories claim many things about the clan; that they were once a cabal of human mages whose exploration led to their becoming Kindred; that they stole the Curse of Cain from an unknown Antediluvian; that they attempted to create an elixir of immortality from vampire blood, but the flawed results transformed them into monsters. The history — and, indeed, the modern legacy — of the Tremere is one marked by Clan war, centuries-old grudges, and the stain of unwholesome mysteries long left unsolved.

Tonight, Clan Tremere is a Clan shaped by its practice of blood sorcery. A flexible Discipline, Thaumaturgy is heavily entrenched within the Tremere, and their hierarchical Clan structure maintains cultic havens known as chantries to study its uses and share secrets among each other. To the Tremere, blood is both sustenance and the source of mystical power; they gather in their witch-houses to further their understanding of the vitae that is such a focal point of their unlives.

"When the world refuses to give, he who makes himself a master of the world may still take."​

BRUJAH

Fiery warrior-poets, rebels and provocateurs, the legacy of the Brujah is one of halcyon greatness marred by their own fiery natures. Theirs was the glory of ancient Carthage, but Ventrue treachery in ancient Rome brought the dream to an end.

Since then, the Brujah have borne a grudge, a grudge carried into these modern nights.

As rebels, it's in their nature to challenge the status quo — though sometimes, without adequate opposition, they embody the status quo themselves. It works out fine, because there's always a hot-blooded Brujah waiting in the wings to bring down an uppity Clanmate grown too comfortable in the role of rebel-turned-dictator. More so than any other Clan, the Brujah still feel the flames of the passions that once inspired them as mortals. Clan Brujah loves a cause and is quick to act on a stirring speech, accusation of injustice, or a call to arms.

"I'll give you a head start. You're the tortoise and I'm the hare — a pissed-off, fuck-the-world hare with a score to settle and a thirst like the devil's own."​

MALKAVIAN

Clan Malkavian shows that it is possible to be damned twice.

Once damned for the Curse of Cain that they carry in their veins, the Lunatics are damned again by the turmoil that disturbs their hearts and minds. Upon the Embrace, every Malkavian is afflicted with an insurmountable insanity that fractures her outlook for every night thereafter, making her unlife one of madness. Some consider this a form of oracular insight, while others simply consider them dangerous.

Make no mistake: Malkavian insanity is a painful, alienating phenomenon, but it occasionally provides the Lunatics with bursts of in-sight or heretofore unknown perspective. Their precarious stability makes it hard for other Kindred (or, indeed, any vessels with whom they may meet) to interact with Malkavians. The Clan some-times indulges in elaborate, terrifying, and dangerous "pranks" which do little to endear them to other vampires. These incidents are nominally meant to educate the target, but the lesson can often be lost between the vampire's scramble for safety and the inability to parse the Malkavian's inner logic.

"I was trying to turn water into wine. Where the fuck did all this blood come from? Oh, well… waste not, want not."​

VENTRUE

Throughout history, while the other Clans have skulked about their petty intrigues, the Ventrue have curried favour with Caesar, whispered into the ear of Charlemagne, bankrolled the Age of Exploration, and even swayed policy in the Holy See. Theirs
is a legacy of rulership, from Ventrue fledglings starting their climb to the top to the mightiest elders whose influence spans the world.

Tonight, the Ventrue are a synthesis of the modern and the ancient, often in stark contrast within the Clan and among one another. Theirs is money of old, from the vaults of Croesus, but their young manipulate stock markets and influence currencies. Elders may command armies or even whole governments, while neonates conjure their assets from a website or smart phone app.

But for all their wealth, their distinguished history, and their status among the
Damned, each and every Ventrue must still seek that one resource that makes Kindred society egalitarian.

Blood.

"There is no shame to bending the knee to one such as myself, so pay your fucking tribute before I lose my temper."​

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Independents

[size=+1]Over the past few centuries, the fatal dance between the Camarilla and the Sabbat has changed vampire society. Their bloody Jyhad has shaped the secret history of the world, destroying millions of mortal lives in the process. However, there are some Clans who witness both Sects tear at each other's throats in the name of their ancient feud and decide that they would prefer to watch from the sidelines.

These four lineages can claim their place as proper Clans, but share a strong disinterest in getting involved in the war between the Camarilla and the Sabbat.
Granted, individual members of these Clans (usually younger Kindred) show up in the ranks of both Sects from time to time, but the elders of the independent Clans have their own goals in mind, goals that would conflict with allegiance or loyalty to a Sect.

RAVNOS

The Ravnos move like the rumours that surround them.

They are the thief in the night, the raksha chased by the wind, the nightmare-dream too fearful to be real. Whether associated with the Romani folk of Europe or the grave-robbing ghûl of Western Asia, Kindred society burdens the Ravnos with prejudices of foulness, uncleanliness, and wickedness.

With reputations like these, the Ravnos are considered outsiders even among those Kindred who do not ally themselves with Sects. Many young Ravnos tend toward nomadic unlives, moving from one domain to the next or hiding on the fringes of established territories where they can escape if local Kindred sentiment turns against them.

The Ravnos practice a unique Discipline known as Chimerstry that convinces their enemies that they see things that do not exist. Chimerstry does much to convince Kindred that the Ravnos trade in lies and misdirection, but it can also prove to be a Deceiver's salvation and ease the vagaries of an outcast unlife.

"What? Those aren't bones. They're wind chimes. Everything is going to be fine. Relax."​

GIOVANNI

Not unlike the Tremere, the Giovanni are seen as usurpers.

A powerful family in the Venetian Renaissance, the Giovanni family amassed a fortune. However, with the family's rise came hubris, as its paterfamilias sought ever more power, and with that hubris came horror. With his earthly power at its apex, Augustus Giovanni turned to the arts of controlling the dead, and in doing so, gained the Embrace from a forgotten Antediluvian. With a conclave of conspirators, the Giovanni plunged a now-forgotten Clan into oblivion and built their own legacy on its corpse.

Since those first nights, the Giovanni have accepted no limits on their ambitions, despite opposition from Kindred outside their Clan and a well-deserved reputation as
"Devil Kindred." They studied for-bidden arts, becoming formidable in the nigrimancy that allowed them power over the spirits of the departed. The Giovanni are known for the insular nature of their Clan and the incestuous practices by which they populate it. A few outside families and factions fall under Giovanni auspices, but the vast majority of the Clan comes from the debased mortal family.

In public view, the Giovanni make a great show of humility and respect. Part of this gentility is a habit of centuries, still in place from when the other Clans hunted the usurping Necromancers (and to preserve their hard-won neutrality from the conflict between the Camarilla and the Sabbat). For the most part, the Giovanni participate little in the Jyhad, pursuing their own agenda of cultivating wealth and building a foundation of power in the lands beyond the veil of death.

"You misunderstand the situation if you think you are important to me alive."​

ASSAMITE

The childer of Haqim, known as Assamites to the rest of the Kindred, are a silent knife in the dark, an order of bloodthirsty assassins who participate in the secret wars of the undead by operating as killers for hire. Outside the purview of the Sects, the Assamites are true independents and mercenaries, hiring out to whoever can pay their blood-price and ungoverned by the will of Prince or Priscus.

In truth, the Assamites are more than simple thugs and killers. Theirs is a complex but insular Clan predicated upon the three principles of wisdom, sorcery, and diablerie. Most Assamites that other vampires encounter are members of the warrior caste, however, so Kindred society has painted them all with that brush. For their part, the Assassins have done nothing to stop this misunderstanding. If it helps them acquire contracts and it occludes the true nature of their Clan, the better for them.

Long ago, the Assamites were brought to heel by a powerful curse to curb their bloodlust, levied by the Tremere at the behest of the Camarilla. They cannot taste the vitae of vampires without it causing them harm. In their ongoing quest to lower their Generation and bring themselves closer to their holy figure, Haqim (whom some outside scholars claim was of the Second Generation, while others insist he was a judge appointed by the other Antediluvians), the Assamites must re-fine the blood of Kindred into an alchemical solution.

Were it not for this mystical yoke, the Assamites would surely be unchecked on a crusade of unholy diablerie.

"Your blood is anathema to me, but the act of spilling it brings me closer to Haqim."​

FOLLOWERS OF SET

Addiction, debasement, corruption, and desperation strike fear into many Kindred who worry that theirs will become an unlife of ruin, but to the Followers of
Set, these and more are the tools of the trade. Pimps, pushers, and priests, the Setites cater to the needs of the desperate, and convert them to a nihilistic cause in doing so.

The Followers of Set are as much a chthonic religion as they are a Clan, though the faith includes the Clan. Its mythology is complex and convoluted, an impenetrable pantheon of god-monsters. At the apex of this worship stands a syncretism of the Egyptian Lord of the Underworld Set and the Greek hydra Typhon, as much spiritual guardians of secret places as they are the "liberators" of other's souls. To outsiders, this is all blasphemous religious affectation, but to devout Setites, the cult and cause are real, and their dark lord works his will through them.

Needless to say, the politics of desperation and the placation of evil gods place the Serpents on the outside of Kindred society. The Setites are fine with this. The
Kindred can often find themselves in need of what the Followers of Set purvey, and the extra "service" of secrecy is one the Setites are happy to provide — at a premium. The Setites offer a devil's deal, but on their own terms.

"Yes, I think I can supply that… for the right price, of course."​

Sabbat

While the "Kindred" (a term the Sabbat despise) of the Ivory Tower cower among mortals and cling to outdated Traditions, the Sabbat prefer to indulge in their vampiric nature. They refuse to wear the tattered rags of humanity or to act as slaves and cattle to their elders. Besides, vampires are clearly and openly superior to mortals — do humans lie down with cows and call them brother? As such, Sabbat vampires consider mortals to be tools and food at best, and have little tolerance for "Cainites" who pretend to be human. They are inherently alien and literally inhumane.

But the Sword of Caine isn't just a collection of gore-streaked psychotics running around shopping malls with chainsaws, though this is the image most vampires outside the Sect have of them. They reject humanity as a moral basis for their lives, so they have turned to other alternatives. They adhere to a wide variety of Paths of Enlightenment, philosophical tenets that force the Beast into a narrow channel and allow the Cainite to maintain a day-to-day existence that resembles stability (if not sanity). Further, the Sabbat not only rebel against morality, but also against their own inclinations towards solitude. They frequently join together into packs that act as one part religious cult, one part political faction, and one part combat unit.

Between moral devotion, pack loyalty, and the need to rebel, Sabbat cities are devoid of the calm, quiet society of the Camarilla court. Tensions are always high in Sabbat "dioceses," and the Cainite's surroundings of-ten reflect their explosive natures. In cities controlled by Sabbat, murder, robberies, rape, and assault are commonplace. The Sword of Caine threatens every city it possesses, insinuating itself into urban landscapes until they become nothing but raw resources for the eternal crusade.

LASOMBRA

To the mind of a Lasombra, it is better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven.

Fear, frenzy, the power to determine whether another lives or dies: these are at the root of the power that the Lasombra hold dear. Whereas other vampires try vainly to hold the Beast at bay or give themselves wholly to it, the Lasombra beat the Beast into submission, invoking it when it suits them but leaving it trapped inside when they wish to govern themselves.

It is with these predilections that the Lasombra style themselves a "dark nobility," an aristocracy of the night that chose the supremacy of the Cainites over veneration of the Masquerade.

Their regard for such ideas as redemption and salvation are cynical at best, and much of the pomp that shaped the Clan's pre-Sabbat outlook remains only with a sense of blackest irony or open mockery. The grandeur and rituals of the Church and aristocracy remain dear to the Lasombra, however, and the Clan was instrumental not only in establishing many of the rituals of the Sabbat, but in the institutions that keep it from descending into chaos each night.

While the night belongs to all Kindred, the Lasombra are truly born to darkness, to the degree that their very Clan name reveals their tie to shadow. Theirs is the Discipline of Obtenebration, and it allows them to wield the stuff of shadow and darkness, and even reach beyond the darkness of the physical world into the abyss that lies beyond.

"Wielding the shadows is an extension of controlling the darkness into which we are all Embraced."​

TZIMISCE

A blood moon casts a crimson light over the land beyond the forest and something fearsome howls its ag-ony into the night. The Tzimisce call these lands their ancestral home. Since time out of mind the Fiends have been masters and lords of the domains of much of Eastern Europe. But theirs is a proud, selfish Clan for which tradition goes only so far despite their aristocrat-ic origins. In fact, the Clan claims to have destroyed its Antediluvian, and in the wake of that momentous event, helped establish the foundations of the Sabbat.

Tzimisce practice a strange Discipline known as Vicissitude that allows them to twist the skin and bone of their victims. In many cases, they refine their fleshly arts by practicing upon themselves, but they just as frequently use it upon their lackeys and retainers, turning their boyars and szlachta into monstrous thralls.

Clan Tzimisce is a Clan of extremes, and long, cold nights spent in remote castles have turned the Fiends' perspectives both greatly inward and outward.

"Why on earth would you think I wanted you to stop screaming? I find the results so much more melodious when you indulge your fear."​

LEXICON

Frequent Terminology

These words and terms are used throughout Kindred society, regardless of age or rank.

• Anarch: 1) A member of the Anarch Movement. 2) Any Kindred rebel who opposes the tyranny of elders.
• Anarch Movement, The: The Sect within the Camarilla comprised of Anarchs who want to reform or overthrow the rule of the elders.
• Barrens, The: The areas of a city unfit for life, including graveyards, abandoned buildings, industrial wastelands, and areas of irreversible urban blight.
• Becoming, The: The moment one passes from being a fledgling into "full" vampire status as a neonate. In the Camarilla, one may not Become until her sire deems her ready and gains the Prince's approval.
• Book of Nod, The: A collection of Kindred legend and history.
• Beast, The: The inchoate drives and urges that threaten to turn a vampire into a mindless, ravening monster.
• Blood: A vampire's heritage; that which makes a vampire a vampire. Usage: I doubt her claims to such esteemed Blood.
• Blood Bond: A mystical power over another individual engendered by partaking of a particular vampire's blood thrice; accepting blood from a vampire is an acknowledgment of her mastery.
• Caitiff: A vampire of unknown Clan, or of no Clan at all. Caitiff are typically of high Generation, where Caine's blood is too diluted to pass on any consistent characteristics.
• Camarilla, The: A Sect of vampires devoted primarily to maintaining the Traditions, particularly that of the Masquerade.
• Childe: A vampire created through the Embrace - the childe is the progeny of her sire. This term is often used derogatorily, indicating inexperience. Plural childer.
• Clan: A group of vampires who share common characteristics passed on by the blood. There are 13 known Clans, all of which were reputedly founded by members of the Third Generation.
• Coterie: A small group of Kindred, united by the need for support and sometimes common interests. In the Sabbat, coteries are called "packs."
• Diablerie: The consumption of another Kindred's blood, to the point of the victim's Final Death. Vampires may lower their Generation permanently through this abhorrent practice.
• Domain: The area of a particular vampire's influence. Princes claim entire cities as their domains, sometimes allowing lesser vampires to claim domain within.
• Elder: A vampire who has experienced at least two or more centuries of unlife. Elders are the most active participants in the Jyhad.
• Elysium: A place where vampires may gather without fear of harm (although some Sects, such as the Sabbat, respect Elysium less than the Camarilla does). Elysium is commonly established in opera houses, theatres, museums, and other locations of culture.
• Embrace, The: The act of transforming a mortal into a vampire. The Embrace requires the vampire to drain her victim and then replace that victim's blood with a bit of her own.
• Final Death, The: When a vampire ceases to exist, crossing the line from undeath into death.
• Fledgling: A newly created vampire, still under her sire's protection.
• Gehenna: The rumoured Armageddon when the Antediluvians will rise from their torpor and devour the race of vampires and the world.
• Generation: The number of "steps" between a vampire and the mythical Caine; how far descended from the First Vampire a given vampire is.
• Ghoul: A minion created by giving a bit of vampiric vitae to a mortal without draining her of blood first (which would create a vampire instead).
• Haven: A vampire's "home"; where she finds sanctuary from the sun.
• Hunger, The: The urge to feed. For vampires, the Hunger replaces all other drives with its own powerful call.
• Inconnu: A Sect of vampires who have removed themselves from Kindred concerns and, largely, the Jyhad. Many Methuselahs are rumoured to exist among the Inconnu.
• Jyhad, The: The secret, self-destructive war waged between the Generations. Elder vampires manipulate their lessers, using them as pawns in a terrible game whose rules defy comprehension.
• Kindred: The race of vampires as a whole, or a single vampire. According to rumour, this term came about in the 15th or 16th century, after the Great Anarch Revolt. Sabbat vampires scorn the term, preferring the word "Cainite" instead.
• Kiss, The: To drink blood, especially from a mortal. The Kiss causes feelings of ecstasy in those who receive it.
• Lupine: A werewolf, the natural and mortal enemy of the vampire race. Plural Lupines.
• Lush: A vampire who typically feeds from drugged or drunk mortals in order to experience their inebriation.
• Life, The: A euphemism for mortal blood. Many Kindred regard this term as affected and effete.
• Man, The: The mote of humanity that a vampire maintains; the spark of mortality that distinguishes him from the Beast.
• Masquerade, The: The habit (or Tradition) of hiding the existence of vampires from humanity. Designed to protect vampires from destruction at the hands of mankind, the Masquerade was adopted after the Inquisition claimed many Kindred unlives.
• Prince: A vampire who has claimed a given expanse of domain as her own, generally a city, and supports that claim against all others. The term can refer to a Kindred of either sex. In the Sabbat, this Cainite is called the "Archbishop," and in Anarch cities she is called the "Baron."
• Rogue: A vampire who feeds upon the vitae of other Cainites, out of necessity or depravity.
• Sabbat, The: A Sect of vampires that rejects human-ity, embracing their monstrous natures. The Sabbat is bestial and violent, preferring to lord over mortals rather than hide from them.
• Sect: A group of vampires arguably united under a common philosophy. The three most widely known Sects currently populating the night are the Camarilla, the Sabbat, and the Anarch Movement.
• Sire: A vampire's "parent"; the Kindred who created her.
• Vessel: A source of vitae for sustenance or pleasure, primarily mortal.

Old Form

These words and terms are old and archaic, used far more often by elder vampires with several centuries under their belts than the younger generations skulking the modern nights. Some view them as a sign of stature, some consider them amusingly out-dated, and others, particularly Anarchs, consider them elder propaganda.

• Amaranth: The act of consuming another Kindred's blood, q.v. diablerie.
• Ancilla: A "proven" vampire, between the elders and the neonates. Plural ancillae.
• Antediluvian: A member of the dreaded Third Gen-eration, one of the eldest Kindred in existence.
• Antitribu: An "anti-Clan," or one who has turned her back on the Sect that her Clan has founded (usually by joining the Sabbat). Some antitribu have evolved into new bloodlines.
• Autarkis: A Kindred who remains outside the larger vampire society of a given city and often refuses to ac-knowledge the claim of a Prince, Archbishop, or Baron.
• Blood Oath: See blood bond.
• Cainite: A vampire; a member of the race of Caine.
• Canaille: The bovine masses of humanity, especially the uncultured and unsavoury. The Canaille are viewed primarily as a source of sustenance.
• Cauchemar: A vampire who feeds exclusively on sleeping victims.
• Consanguineous: Literally, "of the same blood," generally denotes lineage.
• Cunctator: A vampire who avoids killing when delivering the Kiss; one who takes so little blood as to avoid bringing about her prey's death.
• Domitor: A ghoul's master; one who feeds her blood and issues her commands.
• Footpad: One who feeds from derelicts and other chaff of society. Footpads may not maintain permanent havens.
• Gentry: A Kindred who preys at nightclubs, bars, and other establishments of the "red-light district."
• Golconda: A fabled state of vampiric transcendence; the true mastery of the Beast and balance of opposing urges and principles. Rumoured to be similar to mortal nirvana, Golconda is greatly touted but rarely achieved.
• Humanitas: The extent to which a Kindred still maintains her humanity.
• Kine: A term for mortals, largely contemptuous. The phrase "Kindred and kine" refers to the world at large; everything.
• Leech: A human who drinks vampire blood, yet acknowledges no master.
• Lextalionis: The code of the Kindred and the system for punishing transgression; the blood hunt. It suggests Hammurabian or Biblical justice — an eye for an eye, and punishment in keeping with the grievance.
• Lineage: A vampire's bloodline; the Kindred's sire, sire's sire, etc.
• Methuselah: A vampire who has existed for a millennium or more; an elder who no longer participates in Kindred society. Methuselahs are rumoured to hail from the Fourth and Fifth Generations.
• Neonate: A young Kindred, recently Embraced.
• Papillon: The red-light district; the area of town punctuated by drinking establishments, brothels, gambling houses, and other locales of ill repute (in London, this would be the Soho district). The prime hunting grounds of a city, where the disappearance of mortals goes hand in hand with the area's general seediness.
• Progeny: All of a given vampire's childer, collectively.
• Praxis: The right of Princes to govern; the Prince's claim to domain. This term also refers to the Prince's matters of policy and individual edicts and motions.
• Regnant: A Kindred who holds a blood bond over another.
• Retainer: A human who serves a vampiric master. This term is almost archaic, referring to a time when vampires kept vast entourages of mortal servants as part of their estates.
• Siren: A vampire who seduces mortals in order to drink from them, and then only takes a small quantity of blood, so as to avoid killing them.
• Suspire: The rumoured epiphany experienced just prior to the attainment of Golconda.
• Third Mortal, The: Caine, who was cast out and became the First Vampire.
• Thrall: A vampire under the effects of a blood bond, having drunk another Kindred's blood thrice.
• Vitae: Blood.
• Whelp: A derogatory term for a young Kindred, originally used with exclusive reference to one's own progeny.
• Wight: Human; man; a mortal.
• Witch-hunter: A mortal who searches out and destroys vampires.
• Whig: A contemptuous term for a vampire who possesses an interest in mortal trends and fashions.

Slang/"Vulgar Argot"

Used almost exclusively by younger Kindred or lower members of vampire society. Looked upon with distaste by Elders (and younger Kindred with pretensions to something grander).

• Alleycat: A vampire who keeps no permanent haven, but sleeps in a different location each night. This term also refers to a vampire who feeds exclusively from the homeless, vagrants, and other elements of low society.
• Banking: The practice of "withdrawing" blood from blood banks and hospital reserves. This blood has little taste; though it will sustain a vampire, and elder Kindred eschew this base indulgence. A Kindred who en-gages in this practice is known as a Banker.
• Black Hand: A mistaken misnomer for the Sabbat as a whole used by Camarilla vampires (the Black Hand is actually a faction within the Sabbat).
• Blister: A vampire "Typhoid Mary" who contracts a mortal disease and spreads it to each vessel upon whom he feeds.
• Bloodline: 1) A vampire's heritage (see lineage). 2) A pedigree of vampires similar to a Clan, but that cannot trace their creation back to one of the Third Generation.
• Blood Doll: A mortal who freely gives her blood to a vampire. Most blood dolls gain a perverse satisfaction from the Kiss, and actively seek out vampires who will take their vitae.
• Butterfly: One who mingles among the mortal high-society element and feeds exclusively from the famous and wealthy.
• Casanova: A vampire who seduces mortals to take their blood, but does not kill them. Casanovas typically erase the memory of their presence from their vessels' minds (see Cauchemar).
• Change, The: The moment an individual ceases to be a mortal and becomes one of the Kindred.
• Damned, The: The race of Cainites; all vampires.
• Donor: A sarcastic term for a vessel, typically human.
• Farmer: A term of mockery for vampires who refuse to feed on human blood, instead taking sustenance from animals.
• Fief: A sarcastic term for a vampire's domain or claim thereof, most commonly used in reference to a Prince.
• Head: A Kindred who feeds upon those who have imbibed alcohol or drugs, so as to vicariously experience the same sensations. Those Kindred who prefer individual drugs have their "poison" prefixed to the term head (e.g., methhead, dopehead, smackhead).
• Headhunter: A vampire who hunts and feeds from other Kindred (see Rogue).
• Juicebag: A contemptuous term for mortals, indicating that their sole use is for sustenance. Also "juice box."
• Lick: A vampire; one of the race of Kindred.
• Rack, The: The hunting ground of choice, including bars, nightclubs, drug dens, whorehouses and other bacchanalian locales, where mortals go missing all the time (see Papillon).
• Rake: A habitual visitor to the Rack, especially in the interests of feeding (see Gentry).
• Sandman: A vampire who feeds only upon sleeping victims.
• Slumming: The practice of feeding from derelicts, the homeless, and other dregs of society; one who does this regularly is known as a Slummer.
• Stalker: A mortal who hunts down and destroys Kindred (see Witch-hunter).
• Tease: A term for a female Casanova.
• Turf:1) A modern affectation used in reference to a domain. 2) The area under a given gang's influence.
• Vegetary: A term of contempt for one who drinks exclusively from animals (see Farmer).

GLOSSARY OF GAME TERMINOLOGY

• Ability: These are Traits that describe what a character knows and has learned, rather than her physical and psychological make-up. Abilities are Traits such as Intimidation, Firearms, and Occult.
• Action: An action is the performance of a deed, which is a consciously willed physical, social, or mental activity. When players announce that their characters are doing something, they are taking an action.
• Advantage: This is a catchall category that de-scribes the mystical Disciplines and Backgrounds of a character.
• Attribute: These are Traits that describe what a character inherently is. Attributes are such things as Strength, Charisma, and Intelligence.
• Botch: A disastrous failure, indicated by rolling one or more 1s and no successes on the dice rolled for an action.
• Character: Each player creates a character, an individual he portrays over the course of the chronicle.
• Dice Pool: This describes the dice you have in your hand after adding together your different Traits. It is the number of dice you can roll for that action.
• Difficulty: This is a number that can range from 2 to 10 (but usually from 3 to 9) which measures the difficulty of an action a character takes. The player needs to roll that number or higher on at least one of the dice in his dice pool.
• Downtime: The time spent between scenes, where no roleplaying is done and turns are not used. Actions might be made, and the Storyteller might give some descriptions, but generally time passes quickly. It also refers to a technique of "off-scene" roleplaying that Storytellers can use.
• Extended Action: An action that requires a certain number of rolled successes, accumulated over several turns, for the character to succeed.
• Health: This is a measure of the degree to which a character is wounded or injured.
• Points: The temporary score of a Trait such as Willpower and blood pool — the squares, not the circles.
• Rating: A number describing the permanent value of a Trait — most often a number from 1 to 5, though sometimes a number from 1 to 10.
• Reflexive Action: A situation in which dice might be rolled, but that does not count as an action for the purpose of calculating dice pools. Examples of reflexive actions are soak rolls and Willpower rolls to resist mind control.
• Resisted Action: An action that two different characters take against each other. Both compare their number of successes, and the character with the most wins.
• Scene: A single episode of the story; a time and place in which actions and events take place moment by moment.
• Simple Action: An action that requires the player to get only one success to succeed, though more successes indicate a better job or result.
• Storyteller: The person who creates and guides the story by assuming the roles of all characters not taken by the players and determining all events beyond the control of the players.
• System: A specific set of complications used in a certain situation; rules to help guide the rolling of dice to create dramatic action.
• Trait: Any Attribute, Ability, Advantage, or other character index that can be described as a number (in terms of dots).
• Troupe: The group of players, including the Storyteller, who play Vampire, usually on a regular basis.
• Willpower: A measure of a character's self-confidence and internal control. Willpower works differently from most Traits - it is often spent rather than rolled.

[/size]

 

[Hydronine]

;____;

Goddammit Grumps.

I wanna join.

*Waves byebye to her remaining freetime*

 

[Hecatoncheires]

The Independent Clans are now up for all to peruse.

Just the Sabbat to come, now.

EDIT: Sabbat are up. Enjoy.

 

[unanun]

Ugh. I'd love this; I would play a Malkavian.

The only experience a prole like me has had with VtM is the Troika game, but god damn if it wasn't one of my favourite games of all time.

 

[Hydronine]

I NEED THIS. OH GOD, GRUMPY, PUT UP A OOC ALREADY.

 

[Hecatoncheires]

Patience, m'dear. You can't rush these things.

Also, just in case I haven't made it clear before now, [size=+3]THERE IS GOING TO BE DICE IN THIS RP. DICE AND THE ROLLING OF THEM IN THE DETERMINATION OF THE OUTCOME OF EVENTS.[/size]

There, that's that clarified.

 

[Hydronine]

0.0 this is gonna be my first time with anything of that sort... um... would it be troubling for me to ask someone to help m understand this? yes yes?

 

[Vay]

Bloody Malkav! >=(

 

[unanun]

My nose is bloody from so many attempts at trying to revive my Malkavian. I'm even willing to learn "Dice" for this.

 

[Hydronine]

I have finally come to the finals of the coin toss choice-helper:

Followers of Set and Brujah.

THAT TOOK TWELVE BAD COIN TOSSES, BECAUSE FOR SOME EFFIN REASON, CARPET IMPEDES AND THE COIN WOULD LAND ON ITS EDGE. HOW THE HELL?

 

[Karsikan the Berzerker]

Oh god, Grumpy and OWoD......I'm gonna need some new pants.


Edit: Finally Decided, I'm going to be a Salubri, leaning towards Antribu but not sold on it just yet.

 

[Hydronine]

GAHHHH, START THIS.

 

[ThE_DeAd]

I lost my mind when I saw this. So down! I was raised on the Old WoD!

 

[Hydronine]

Gruuuuuumps, I will riot for this RP.