Vampire Characters in the World of Darkness

Use this space here to present and discuss player characters, both your own and other people's.

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Here is a summary of how to go about creating a character sheet.

1 ) Character Concept.
At the top of the character sheet are 9 blanks, fill them out as follows:
Name: Your character’s name
Player: Your name
Chronicle: Name of the story the character is in.
Virtue: One of the 7 virtues. Helps you regain Willpower.
Vice: One of the 7 vices. Helps you regain Willpower.
Concept: Short 2 to 4 word sentence summarizing the character
Clan: One of the 5 vampire clans
Bloodline: In addition to your clan, a vampire with a blood potency of 2 or higher can be a member of a bloodline.
Covenant: (One of the five available political parties among vampires)
You must fill out the underlined sections.
Covenants are technically optional, but carry a lot of advantages. Try to decide if one works for you before leaving this blank.

2 ) Attributes
Next you will see three columns of Attributes that are designated as Mental, Physical, and Social.
Select the columns in order from greatest importance to least importance (example: Mental > Social > Physical). Allocate 5 points into your character’s favorite column, 4 into their 2nd favorite column, and 3 into their least important column.
Note: All attributes, regardless of points, start out with at least one point in them. This does not count against the 5/4/3 points you allocate.
To bump a stat from 4 to 5 at character creation you have to use 2 dots (so you have to use all 5 in your favored attribute column to get it to 5).
Here is a short summary of each attribute.
Intelligence: Your character’s raw mental power.
Wits: Your character’s capacity to think quickly on their feet and process information.
Resolve: Your character’s focus, determination, and ability to stay on task without getting distracted.

Strength: Your character’s raw physical strength.
Dexterity: Your character’s grace, response time, and quickness.
Stamina: Your character’s sheer physical resilience.

Presence: An accumulation of your character’s bearing, stature, assertiveness, and ability to sway an audience or stick out in a crowd.
Manipulation: A measure of your character’s charisma, charm, and persuasiveness.
Composure: The ability of your character to keep their cool, dignity, and poise while under stress or pressure.
Note: Each clan has 2 favored attributes. Pick 1 of these and allocate a bonus point into that attribute.

3 ) Skills
Skills are similarly set up into 3 blocks divided into Mental, Physical, and Social.
Decide what priority each block has for your character, note this does not necessarily have to be the same order as your character’s attributes.
Once decided, allocate 11, 7, and 4 points respectively.
Note: Skills do not start at 1 like attributes. If you use a skill with 0 points you will actually take a penalty for, effectively, having no idea what you’re doing. Untrained mental skills are particularly harsh.

Here is a very brief rundown of each skill.
Academics: An accumulation of your education, particularly in the Arts and Humanities especially English, history, economics, research and law.
Computer: Effectively a measure of how computer literate you are, from simple computer use to hacking.
Crafts: The sum total of your experience and training in the creation or repair of physical art or construction. Painting, carpentry, metalworking, sculpting, and mechanical repair all fall under this.
Investigation: The art and science of solving mysteries, connecting pieces of seemingly unrelated information, or answer riddles.
Medicine: How experienced or trained your character is at providing medical care, from basic first aid to surgery.
Occult: Your character’s comprehensive knowledge of legend and lore concerning the supernatural.
Politics: The character’s first-hand experience with bureaucracies, politicians, and the political process. Unlike academics, this is also a grasp on knowing who to call and an understanding of how it will play out in the political arena.
Science: This represents your character’s understanding of the physical and natural sciences such as biology, chemistry, physics as well as mathematics or engineering.
Athletics: Running, swimming, jumping, climbing and all those other things they might have made you do in P.E. as a child.
Brawl: Unarmed combat; punching, kicking, wrestling, and grappling.
Drive: The character’s experience behind the wheel of a vehicle.
Firearms: The identification, operation, and basic maintenance of guns as well as your marksmanship.
Larceny: A broad skill intended for less than legal purposes. Lock picking, sleight of hand, pickpocketing, safe cracking, and knowing how to bypass security all fall under its purview.
Stealth: Your character’s ability to go without notice, hiding, moving quietly, or blending into a crowd.
Survival: Another broad skill category indicating the character’s ability to live off the land. Finding or building shelter, starting a fire, foraging for food, predicting the weather, and hunting all fit here.
Weaponry: Your character’s experience or training in the use of weapons, from broken beer bottles to swords.
Animal Ken: How knowledgeable about animals a character is or gifted they are in interacting with them.
Empathy: The capacity of a character to read expressions and body language to know when they’re lying, hiding information, or have ulterior motives.
Expression: The art of communication that evokes emotions in the audience. Singing, dancing, writing, journalism, music, etc.
Intimidation: The art and technique of persuading others with fear.
Persuasion: The characters capacity to inspire or change minds with logic, charm, or even glib fast-talk.
Socialize: The capacity of a character to interact with others in a variety of situations such as the local bar, a state dinner, a frat party, or any number of Formal (or Informal) Events.
Streetwise: An urban sibling to Survival, this represents your character’s knowledge of survival on the streets. They know who to talk to if they need to find someone, what parts of town they need to avoid if they don’t want trouble, how to lay low, or keep an ear to the ground for rumors and information.
Subterfuge: The art of deception. Knowing how to lie convincingly, disguising one’s self, pretending to be someone else, hiding one’s emotions, or trying to pick up on the same when other people do it to them.

4 ) Specialties
You get 3 specialties. Look over your skills and decide on 3 that you’d like to expand upon. A specialty is essentially a small bonus to a major skill that arises from specific situations. This helps give life to a character by giving them things that they’re “especially good at”.
Examples include: Animal Ken (Dogs), Brawling (Boxing), Expres​sion(Singing), Athletics (Climbing), Firearms (Rifles), Subterfuge (Lying), Streetwise (Rumors), Socialize (Bar Hopping), Persuasion (Seduction), Intimidation (Physical Threats), Empathy (Lies), Survival (Shelter), Stealth (Moving in Darkness), Larceny (Lockpicking), Drive (high performance cars), Science (Physics), Politics (Bribery), Occult (Ghosts), Medicine (Pharmaceuticals), Investigation (Riddles), Crafts (Sculpting), Computer (Hacking), Academics (Research).
Specialties can be essentially anything. They should be things that your character can use often, but not necessarily all the time. All specialties must be run-by the current Story Teller for approval.

5 ) Disciplines
Vampiric supernatural powers are called Disciplines. Each clan has 3 disciplines they can innately draw from, but vampires are not inherently limited to these 3.
At character creation you get 3 points to allocate to Disciplines. 2 of these must be spent on clan disciplines, but the 3rd can go wherever the player wants (including out-of-clan disciplines or covenant powers). Disciplines are ranked from 1 to 5 and each point must be purchased in sequential order.
Refer to clan and covenants for further information.

6 ) Merits
Merits are aspects of your character that aren’t necessarily depicted by skills or attributes, but may modify them in some way. Examples include Resources (how much money your character has access to at any given moment), Status (how influential your character is within a certain group), Striking Looks (how above averagely beautiful/hideous your character is), Fleet of Foot (how much faster you are than normal), or even Language (to demonstrate how many languages you’re fluent in beyond your native tongue).
Characters have 7 points to spend at character creation.
You may sacrifice 1 point of humanity at character creation for 2 extra merit points (house rule). This can only be done twice.
Additionally you may use 3 merit points to increase your character’s Blood Potency by 1. Ask for the Storyteller’s permission if you want to do this more than once.
Merits vary in their cost. Some are only 1 dot, some are multiple dot, and additionally there are tiered dots such as Fighting Styles that range from 1 to 4 or 5 dots and must be purchased in sequential order.
Merits are, unfortunately, so extensive that listing them is impractical. Please look them up on online wikis or, preferably, if you have a book. Additionally other players may be able to help you.
Special Note: Vampires have special merits including Haven, Herd, and Covenant Status.
Haven: Your home, headquarters, or hiding place. This is a special merit in that it is sub-divided into three sections: Location, Security, and Size. Each one is purchased separately and ranges from 0 to 5. Additionally multiple players may donate points into Haven to share i: Location, Security, and Size. Each one is purchased separately and ranges from 0 to 5. Additionally multiple players may donate points into Haven to share it.
Herd: A collection of humans or ghouls that the player’s character has ready access to for blood or favors, generally these people are either in service of or addicted to the character in some way. Basically pets. Ranges from 1 to 5.
Covenant Status: In order to gain the tangible benefits of your covenant, you must have status with them. The bonuses are dependent on the covenant, but each tier of bonuses has the prerequisite tier of Covenant Status. For example, only members with Covenant Status (Lancea Sanctum) 5 can learn the highest level Theban Sorceries of the Lancea Sanctum.

7 ) Flaws
Flaws are optional disabilities or conditions that might cause problems for the character. Any time the character is somehow hampered or impaired by their flaw, they gain a small amount of EXP.

8 ) Clan Weakness
Every clan has an inherent weakness, record it here.
They are explained further below under the clan description.

9 ) Health
Fill in a number of dots equal to your size (five by default) plus your stamina.
So if your stamina is 3, then you have a health of 8.
The story teller will handle health loss from damage during stories and relay it descriptively.

10 ) Willpower
Willpower comes in two forms: Dots and Points.
Willpower Dots are passive and determine your overall willpower for the purposes of effects and abilities used against you. It can go up or down depending on special supernatural circumstances, but otherwise remains constant. The absolute maximum is 10.
Willpower Points are a special resource that every character has access to. The maximum amount a character can have is equal to their Willpower Dots (So someone with a willpower of 5 can have up to 5 willpower points at any given time).
You use Willpower Points when you want to exert a heroic effort on an action.
Mechanically this translates into a +3 for one action.
Willpower points can also be used to increase your resistance stats (stamina, resolve, composure, or defense) temporarily by +2.
No more than 1 Willpower Point can be spent per turn. If an action requires 2 willpower points, then it takes 2 turns to accomplish (and so on).

Some abilities use Willpower Points as fuel.
You can regain willpower through a variety of methods that help reaffirm the character’s goals or wishes. They can be anything from getting a good night’s sleep to accomplishing an important goal.
Additionally you gain willpower points through your character’s Virtue and Vice.
Virtues are difficult to accomplish as they require the character to risk personal injury or social decline, but the reward is an immediate rejuvenation of all spent Willpower Points.
Vices are somewhat easy to accomplish and often come at the expense of somebody else, but immediately replenish a single Willpower Point.

11 ) Blood Potency
Blood Potency is a rough breakdown of a character’s potential strength. As your BP goes up, the amount of Vitae you can have at any one time and can expend at any one time goes up as well. Furthermore your BP determines what kind of blood you can feed upon and how high attributes and stats can be raised.

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12 ) Vitae
At character creation a vampire has a number of Vitae (read: blood mana) equal to their humanity.
This is not their maximum vitae, merely how much they have at character creation.
Vitae can be used in a large number of ways:
-Upon awakening for the night one Vitae is spent automatically.
-To imitate living tissue, a vampire may expend one Vitae to perform the “blush of life” and bring it up to the skin for one scene.
-Additional to the “blush of life” a vampire may expend one Vitae to consume normal food, however later on the vampire must regurgitate it in a bloody mess.
-A vampire may temporarily augment one of their physical stats (Strength, Dexterity, or Stamina) by +2 for one turn by expending a single Vitae. This can only be used once per turn.
-Vampires can heal their wounds at a rate of two bashing (light) damage or one lethal (moderate) damage per Vitae. Aggravated (severe) damage (example: damage from sunlight or fire) requires five vitae to heal per point.
-Many Disciplines use Vitae as fuel.
To regain Vitae a vampire must feed. Biting and sucking blood from a victim counts as an attack action and requires grappling if resisted. You regain 1 Vitae per point of damage dealt to the person in this way. Since the average human has 7 health, this means that most humans provide about 7 vitae before dropping dead.

13 ) Humanity
Humanity is a stat that acts as the character’s moral foundation on a scale of 1 to 10.
Characters start out at 7 by default.
A character’s Humanity is a measure of their connection with their humanity and resistance to the Beast.
A variety of things are impacted by Humanity, including how easy it is to Frenzy, how long one spends in Topor, and how well one can interact with normal humans.
The lower a vampire’s humanity, the less innately moral they become. Additionally they become less human-looking, resulting in pale flesh, powerful odors, and increasingly inhuman features (especially in the case of Nosferatu or Gangrel). This acts as a cap on how well they can interact with humans who invariably notice their increasingly inhuman nature.

One may raise one’s humanity through EXP, but it may also be lost through the use of increasingly abhorrent actions.
As one’s humanity lowers, their resistance to these actions lowers. IE: A vampire with humanity 7 will still feel guilty if they murder a human while feeding but a vampire with a humanity of 3 won’t think twice about it.
If a vampire transgresses their current Humanity’s moral limits than a degeneration may occur. If it does, they go down one peg on the ladder and have a chance to pick up a derangement to represent their fracturing psyche.
If a vampire reaches Humanity 0, they are now longer playable. They are mindless beasts whose sole purpose is to eat, sleep, and survive.

14 ) Other stats!
Here is a list of useful stats to keep in mind.
Size: Average human is size 5. The Giant merit can raise it to 6 and the dwarf flaw can lower it to 4.
Speed: How many yards you can casually cross in one turn. Strength + Dexterity + Size.
Defense: How quickly you can notice and dodge impending doom. The lower of your Wits or Dexterity.
Armor: Extra armor to help prevent damage. Comes in two varieties, Normal and Bulletproof. Ranges from Thick Clothing (leather jackets or layered clothes) to SWAT gear.
Initiative Mod: This stat determines how quickly you react to danger in general. The ST will use this to help determine the posting order during combat.
Experience: Experience Points (EXP) starts at 0 during character creation and will be handed out periodically when the player’s characters rest.

And there are others to keep in mind.
Perception: How observant you are. Wits + Composure
Resist Frenzy: Resolve + Composure

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Clans and Covenants

There are five clans and five covenants available to players at character creation. The following is a general summary of each.

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I'll worry about making this prettier later.

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Name: Inez Maria Correa Rivera
Born in: 1951
Became Vampire in: 1975
Age when turned: 24
Clan: Gangrel
Covenant: The Carthian Movement

Height: 4’9
Eye Color: Brown
Hair Color: Dark Brown (Long,Curly)
Skin Color: Light tan

Virtue: Fortitude
Vice: Pride

Concept: "ROW ROW FIGHT DA POWAH!"

Powers:
-Protean Discipline:
1-)Aspect of the Predator
2-)Haven of Soil
3-)Claws of the Wild

Weapons: None, Inez prefers to brawl with her fists, elbows, legs and claws. However she is not against utilizing objects found in her environment as weapons.

Character Sheet: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Brief History: Born in Chicago, Inez grew up in a small Puerto Rican community. During her late teenage years she joined the PSP (Puerto Rican Socialist Party) and participated in various rallies and protests. Her activism continued well into the 1970’s until she caught the attention of a member of the Carthian Movement, a Gangrel named Vidal Martinez Sandoval, during a socialist rally. Vidal stalked the young woman for some nights before surpising and Embracing her.

Inez and her sire stayed together for a decade, traveling from Chicago to New Orleans, Austin and finally San Francisco. In the early 1980’s circumstances forced them to part. After landing in serious trouble with some local vampires, Vidal hatched a plan; In order to keep Inez “safe” she would have to go into topor until he “straightened it all out”. Promising to come back for her, Vidal left his childe buried in the woods outside of San Francisco. Twenty-six years later, Inez is awoken not by her sire, but by humans who stumbled on her hiding spot.

Inez has spent the two years since then trying to catch up with everything she’s missed during her long sleep. Her long sleep has also weakened her greatly, reducing her to the level of a neonate. With her sire still missing, her contacts in The Carthian Movement helped in making her transition a smoother one. Still, certain things (Like newer technologies) have proven to be quite frustrating. Although she’s gotten the hang of things like cell phones and certain MP3 players, she’s pretty illiterate when it comes to computers, tablets and the like.

Following a flimsy lead, the Gangrel has made her way to Seattle; the last known whereabout of her sire. New to the area, Inez’s interactions with other undead have been very limited. In fact, her main social interactions outside of Carthian contacts come from her upstairs neighbor (Steve Jones) and his little daschund (Dorito).

Name: Aurel C. Von Baltair
Born in: 1911
Became Vampire in: 1940
Age when turned: 29
Clan: Nosferatu
Covenant: The Lancea Sanctum

Height: 6’1"
Eye Color: Pale Blue
Hair Color: Black (Long, balding)
Skin Color: Pale

Virtue: Faith
Vice: Wrath

Powers:
-Nightmare
1) Monstrous Countenance
2) Dread

-Theban Sorcery

Weapons: Aurel prefers to refrain from weaponry when possible, and so fights with his fists. It is uncertain whether this is out of a reprehension of armed conflict, or a deep, hidden desire to "feel the kill." It could be both.

Character Sheet: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

History:
Aurel was born to the Baltairs, a wealthy Romanian family stooped highly in Christianity. From childhood, Aurel was emotionally unhinged, habitually putting on a serene façade that rarely betrayed his inner emotions, with a voice that rarely raised over an octave. His unusual behavior unnerved his parents who eagerly doted over his younger sister who cried, laughed, and genuinely smiled. Consequently lonely at a young age, he was a fervent reader of the Bible, firmly attached to the notion of a God that loved his children equally. Aurel was quick to see the Almighty’s hand in the world, and even sometimes imagined himself doing miracles.

This faith he had though was to be challenged very soon. World War soon started, and the Romanians were pressured to join the Allies. For this, the Central Powers invaded Romania, and in turn forced many denizens to flee from the fighting. The Baltairs were among them. Leaving behind their wealth, the family was beleaguered on many sides from scavengers, opportunists, and desperate folk. In a particular incident with an armed highwayman, Aurel was separated from his family when he fled with his sister at his parent’s insistence.

Parentless, alone with his sister, and in the middle of a warzone, Aurel life took a turn for the worse. Why had God done this to him, he immediately wondered. Did he not eagerly pray to him, look up to him as a child? Unable to come to terms with his broken faith, Aurel forsake God in turn and looked elsewhere for their survival. They managed to find refuge with a troop that was on its way out. While there, Aurel picked up some pointers in fighting, but refrained from gun lessons.

Unfortunately, another cruel twist of fate was in store for him. In his mid-twenties, he was sorted out by a Nosferatu vampire, who was interested in him for whatever reason. One night, Aurel was out getting supplies for him and his sister and was returning home when he was ambushed. After a brief struggle, the Nosferatu overpowered his prey and drained of all his blood. Then he replaced some of it with his own, leaving behind a new vampire. Visibly altered by his transformation and feeling a thirst he had never known, Aurel chose not to return to his sister for her own safety.

Now Aurel was broken, enraged more than ever, Aurel tried to resist his new instincts. However, before he could feed upon a passing couple, a Ventrue emerged from the shadows and stopped him. Recognizing the newborn vampires plight, the Ventrue took pity, and guided him to a debauched man, and allowed Aurel to feed. Afterwards, the Ventrue, introducing himself as Lionnel, taught to Aurel the philosophy of the Lancea Sanctum, and that vampires had a duty to god.

Aurel was an intent student, realizing the plan that God had set for him all along. He was to be a test for the faithful and a curse upon the faithless, a crusader through the night. A purpose found in life for him, and he eagerly assumed his duties and reaffirmed his devotion. Over the years, he rose to the rank of an inquisitor within the Lancea Sanctum, an agent of his church to be sent across the land and overseas to do the will of God and the Arch Bishop.

One day he was called upon by his superiors to hunt down a rogue vampire menacing a French countryside. Upon finding the vampire though, he was soon overpowered and mortally wounded. Barely escaping his foe, his only chance of survival was through torpor. Performing the Theban ritual to enter Torpor, he fell into that deep sleep, unsure of when he would next wake and see the night sky. When he finally came to, it was modern day, and he was cast into a time unfamiliar to him.

Regardless, he was eager to reach is superiors and return to his duties. Informed that his previous mark had evaded further attempt by the Sanctum, Aurel volunteered to go after him once more and to set right a wrong (and settle a personal score). The Sanctum ultimately decided his services would be better served in a city in the States called “Seattle,” where tensions between the Covenants were rising over territory. Aurle was informed that he was to try and keep the peace, but more importantly serve the interests of the Invictus prince (and the Sanctum’s of course) should a true conflict erupt.

Name: Alan Stackeford
Born in: 1920
Became Vampire in: 1944
Age when turned: 24
Clan: Ventrue
Covenant: The Invictus

Height: 5'11"
Eye Color: Blue
Hair Color: Brown
Skin Color: Pale

Virtue: Prudence
Vice: Greed

Powers:
-Dominate:
1- ) Command
2- ) Mesmerize
3- ) The Forgetful Mind

Weapons: Usually keeps a concealed sidearm in one of the pockets of his suit.

Character sheet: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

History: The Stackefords were old money. For generations, Stackeford men and women were among the most prominent movers and shakers in Massachusetts, their luster unfading until the height of the Great Depression.

It was thus that Alan was born into a privileged family in the quiet Bostonian suburb of Needham, Massachusetts. His father, Joseph Stackeford, was the second son of the legendary Kurt "Stash" Stackeford, a gunslinging financier who carved out his own fortune by way of a lucrative drug ring in southern California. His mother, May, was also an heiress, although of considerably more humble beginnings. Joseph, while not first in line to inherit the family fortune, shared a special relationship with his father. He was thus free to drink, gamble, and party his days away, so long as his ventures did not greatly pressure the family coffers.

Due to the bon vivant lifestyles of his parents, Alan was neglected for much of his early childhood, his care being left to a variety of faceless nannies and nurses who came and went every month. Once he was potty-trained and able to walk, he spent many of his days at the side of his grandfather, Kurt, a jovial man who was glad to bring the boy to his many business ventures. It was not long before Alan was slowly chiseled into a precocious protege, obviously being prepared to enter the family business himself.

Alan's quiet demeanor and refined tastes alienated him from his peers in the school setting. Once more, he sought refuge with his grandfather during these troubled years of early adolescence. It was from Kurt that Alan received his love of firearms. When time allowed, the aging businessman would take his grandson to the nearby shooting range and give him lessons in marksmanship. All the while, Alan continued his increasingly formal training in the business setting. By the age of fifteen, he was all but groomed and tailored to take over the family steel company from his uncle John Stackeford, who had recently been dubbed infertile by doctors.

Disaster struck in the form of a tragic car accident. John and his wife Moira were both killed. John, an able manager in his own right, had managed to steer his firm in the right direction, even during the darkest days of the Depression. His death left the company in the hands of his inept partner, who soon drove it into the ground. Kurt and the newly-christened heir Joseph made the conservative decision to retreat from the fiscal world entirely and weather the increasingly worsening storm, in hopes that their ample stores of gold bullion would support the family.

Alan spent his later teen years in a dejected haze, brooding with anger at everyone around him. In particular, he blamed his grandfather and father for the loss of the family's once esteemed status. Lacking direction, he enrolled at West Point in 1936, hoping to secure for himself a prestigious career as an army officer.

When the United States finally joined the war in Europe, Alan found himself in command of a reserve unit meant to guard the homeland from foreign invasion. Once more feeling spurned and rejected, he spent several years lobbying with all his family's money and power in an attempt to be deployed to the front. Finally, in 1944, he received his chance. The Allies had made a massive invasion of occupied Europe, but the Germans were fighting tooth and nail for every inch of land. Alan's new unit was being deployed to France in hopes of bolstering the Allied push. Unnaturally overjoyed at the prospect of going to war, Alan left his home without so much as a goodbye to his family.

While stationed in the French city of Strasbourg, Alan became acquainted with a strange youth named Emile. Emile was a vagrant, according to the townspeople, and only staying in Strasbourg for several weeks. Inexplicably, Alan found himself attracted to the man, in a bizarre, almost sexual manner. The two quickly became good friends, despite Emile's enigmatic nature.

In late December of that 1944, Alan found himself out drinking at an unholy hour alongside Emile. He passed out in an alley, only to awaken with a strange bite mark on his neck and Emile nowhere in sight. Exhausted and ill, he staggered back to his unit's barracks, only to find his men scrambling preparations for departure. The Germans, it seemed, had made a massive counterattack to the northwest, and reserve units were being called up to fight them back.

Alan and his small regiment were driving up a forested road when they were ambushed by a force of German scouts. Fire and death were everywhere, with cars and tanks overturned by German explosives. Men screamed and shouted frantically as they fumbled for their weapons, only to be gunned down in a hail of bullets. Alan himself dispatched two soldiers with his sidearm before being hit in the neck by a hidden sniper. He fell to the earth, bleeding profusely, and shut his eyes for what he believed would be the final time.

For sixty years, the prodigal prince lay sleeping.

"Bonjour, mon ami."

Name: Lillian Voss
Born in: 1932
Became Vampire in: 1953
Age when turned: 21
Clan: Daeva
Covenant: The Carthian Movement

Height: 5'9”
Eye Color: Green
Hair Color: White blonde (Long, to her waist, often styled fetchingly)
Skin Color: Pale

Virtue: Charity
Vice: Lust

Powers:
Majesty:
-Awe
-Revelation

Celerity 1

Weapons: Lillian prefers her rapier, but can make use of most swords and long knives. She's also never without a handgun that she can shoot with reasonable accuracy.

Character Sheet: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Brief History: Born in a small town in the Midwest, Sarah Michaels, as she was known then, dreamed of a life of excitement, of glamor. When the young woman was seventeen, she left home and, like so many others, struck west, for Hollywood. Also like so many others, fame did not come quickly, and she found herself working a couple different jobs between auditions to make ends meet. It was working as a waitress in a small diner that a director discovered her... or at least wanted to bang the beautiful young woman. To his surprise, though, she was more than just a pretty face, and could act, sing, and dance. After a year in Hollywood, she finally found success, and went on to star in many movies under the name of Lillian Voss.

It did not take long for the beautiful, charming young woman to find her way into the party scene. With her good looks and natural magnetism, she fit right in, and every night she was out, charming the elite of Hollywood. The years passed in a whirl of parties, lovers, drinking, and making the papers with her debauchery. But one night, in 1952, when she was just twenty years old, Lillian attracted the wrong sort of attention. She had fended off overzealous admirers before, but this one was determined, and things would have gone much worse if -He- hadn't stepped in. Tall, dark, and every cliché for handsome, masculine perfection the world has ever known, Mr. David Roske easily sent the rogue packing, but the second she laid eyes on him, she completely forgot everything else.

Unknown to Lillian, her savior was a vampire of the Daeva clan, and she was as ensnared as a butterfly in a spider's web. The beautiful young starlet quickly became a favorite of his, a lovely jewel for his arm, a creative and eager lover, and a rare, sweet soul who had not lost her warmth and become jaded at the corruption inherent in the movie business. She spent a year as his willing thrall, a year that passed as a blur of nightclubs, dancing, and ecstasy beyond words. He didn't treat her as a pet, but instead as an equal, a lover. She became addicted to him, first to his beauty and charm, and the incredible pleasure that only he had ever been able to give her, but in their time together, her addiction turned into real love.

It was the night of her 21st birthday when she was Embraced. The lovers were laying entwined in bed, basking in the afterglow of a night of passion, when he asked her if she would like it to last forever. Lillian had no idea what she was getting into when she said yes. All she felt was the familiar ecstasy, then oblivion. She woke the next night, confused, and possessed of a hunger the likes of which she had never before imagined. Only then did she learn what David had done to her. Fury warred with curiosity, but first things first: she had to learn to feed. Her sire took her out, and to his delight, she was a quick study. Her natural charms were only augmented by her change, and the hunt for a suitable meal was no more challenging than the hunt for a nightly tryst had been.

Sire and childe stayed together in Hollywood for decades, enjoying each other, the hunt, and exploring new depths of debauchery. David introduced Lillian to the Danse Macabre and the politics that ruled the Kindred. She proved an apt but ultimately uninterested student, which became a bone of contention between them. He believed that she needed to make a name for herself, because he could not be there forever to shelter her. But, instead, she turned her attention to frivolous pursuits. She learned a number of musical instruments and improved her singing, improved her dancing and learned new ones, both classical and contemporary, how to shoot a handgun with reasonable accuracy, and her sire taught her to fence, among other things. Every night they went out to hunt, and the way she treated the kine was another disagreement between them. She doted upon her prey, as though on a beloved pet, spending far too much time and money, in David's estimation, to draw a smile from them. Their relationship grew strained, but still they remained together.

Until a couple months ago. Lillian awoke at nightfall, as she always did, and reached across the bed for David, again as she always did, but he was not there. In the over fifty years since her Embrace, she had never woken up alone. Panic filled her, a certainty that he was in danger, but she held it in check and waited. By the third night, he had not returned, and she was beside herself with worry. In desperation, she turned to the political realm, turning in almost every favor David or herself possessed in her search for her sire. The only clue that she came up with was a mention of Seattle. After a short bit of time to liquidate assets in Hollywood and reroute them to Seattle, she made the move herself.

On her own for the first time, Lillian's been forced to throw herself to the mercy of her covenant for protection, shelter, and feeding rights. Time not spent working for her covenant is spent cultivating contacts and currying favors to help in her search for her sire, and learning the steps to the Danse Macabre that most childer pick up in their first decade of unlife. Thus far, there has been no word of a Mr. David Roske.

The former actress is beginning to attract attention, not all of it good...



(( I SCOFF at your 'brief'! Also I'll get my character sheet up as soon as I charm Veri <3

All hail the queen! ))

((NOTE: Character inactive at the moment. May return in the future.))

Name: Jasper Vandale
Born: 1986
Became Vampire: 2011
Age when turned: 25
Clan: Mekhet
Covenant: Ordo Dracul
Ordo Dracul Rank: Supplicant of Hunger
Concept: Studious Private Eye

Height: 6'0''
Eye Color: Gray
Hair Color: Auburn (Short, disheveled)
Skin Color: Pale

Virtue: Temperance
Vice: Envy

Powers:
-Auspex Discipline:
1) Heightened Senses
2) Aura Perception

-Coil of Blood
1) Blood Seeps Slowly

Character Sheet: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Weapons: Jasper owns a small pistol, but it rarely ever sees use. He also carries a small knife for more clandestine investigations, along with handcuffs.

Brief History: Three parts Dutch and one part English, Jasper Vandale was born in Amsterdam and raised as an only child. Though Jasper's half-English mother did not work, his father was a rather prestigious sociologist and psychologist, talented enough to attract attention overseas from America, where an esteemed corporation sought Professor Vandale's skills. This fit well with the Professor's plans; both he and his wife wished to leave the Netherlands for a time.

At the age of seven, Jasper left the Netherlands for dreary South Carolina. As his father immediately began a series of studies with his new colleagues, Jasper and his mother steadily grew accustomed to the American ways of life. The USA's somewhat lax (in comparison to their birthplace's) views on education were a little jarring to the family, but the Vandales had enough money to see their son placed at almost any college he chose once he got through high school. Despite being very bookish and prone to solitude in his free time, Jasper was moderately popular in school, and his foreign heritage brought him little trouble, save for a light accent. He breezed through high school with almost no trouble, graduating and applying to the University of Washington.

Suddenly, Jasper's life seemed to unravel. Now that his father's American sources of income were exhausted, and his peers back in the Netherlands were almost begging for his return, the homesick Mr. and Mrs. Vandale left the United States posthaste, trusting in their son to continue his education without their guidance. It proved to be a rather poor notion, for the student found himself beset with newfound freedom without any parental figures watching over his shoulder.

Jasper did exactly what every student is warned against. Idiotically trusting in his inborn intuition and general intelligence, he went to every party, outside event, and social gathering he could attend, typically outside reason. He was drinking before the age of twenty-one, suffered from a marijuana addiction for a time, and, when classes did not demand his time, traveled to far-off locales that hardly benefited his academics. Over the course of two and a half years he visited Vienna, London, Paris, and elsewhere, all while assuming that any time lost could easily be made up. After all, he was the son of a professor.

Sadly, his indulgent lifestyle wasn't the only thing to hamper his learning experience. In college, Jasper's studies were so broad and uncoordinated that he couldn't keep up with his own decisions. One minute his major was western history, then sociology, then psychology, then philosophy. By his third year, he was struggling with almost all of his classes. As much as he struggled to pull his act together before it was too late, he was forced to drop out of college.

Nevertheless, Jasper remained in the Seattle area. After a little string pulling, his father managed to land him a job as an interviewer and social psychologist for a chemical plant. It was high-paying, of course, but a boring, monotonous job that rarely made use of his background in psychology. Jasper sat at a desk for most of the day, listening to endless complaints from estranged workers, filing out reports that he knew would only be glossed over, forced to adhere to his superiors' criteria in selecting employees. Not only was the job practically brainless in its application, but Jasper quickly realized that by his boss' qualifications, he didn't even deserve the job. He'd stolen the opportunity from countless other graduates.

When his day-to-day routine of sitting at a computer became too much to bear, Jasper found himself reading fiction alongside the texts he'd forsaken in college. Inspired from a combination of the two, he sought a job that, unlike filling out checklists, would test his mental capabilities and actually provide a bit of entertainment. He attributed those qualities to something nobody, not even his distant parents, had quite expected: a private investigator. Purchasing a gun, handcuffs, and a few unnecessary suits, Jasper was spurred to take up minor cases, such as larceny and assault. Initially he forged the papers for his license, fearing that he would meet rejection, but his conscience won out and he properly earned his investigative license without a problem. His extensive groups of friends became useful during the late hours he spent skulking for minor clues and pieces of evidence, moving from the seedy streets of Seattle to notorious bars in search of the truth. Though not a glorious job, it at least put a little extra money in his pocket.

One foggy November night, Jasper sat alone in his dark office, drowsily finishing up last-minute reports before his weekend break. He almost failed to notice one of his previous applicants, a woman named Irene, silently slide into his secluded quarters. Of all his recent applicants, she had easily been the most impressive. The very image of an ideal employee, she was young, qualified, amicable, and playful, yet also thoughtful and perceptive, always dressed in crisp, well-kept clothes that favored darker colors. Many of her companions lauded her as being a joy to work with, and Jasper found it hard to deny.

Because of this, Jasper was shocked to hear that Irene was having difficulties with her station. She had come to beseech him for help and advice, which, as a social psychologist, he was only happy to provide. However, it didn't appear to be the basis of the conversation anymore once the matter was resolved. Somehow, through a series of tangents that Jasper currently has trouble remembering, they began to speak on, of all things, philosophy, specifically the human condition and its flaws and weaknesses. Borderline debating, the psychologist spoke with Irene for well over an hour, though he understood that she was well beyond his level of knowledge, and in many categories at that.

Their discussion was broken from a long yawn from Jasper. Abruptly, Irene dropped the conversation, seemingly satisfied, and left Jasper's office. From then on, Jasper's memory of the night is blurred. He distinctly remembers filing the rest of his reports and packing up for the night, but to the extent of his knowledge, he passed out before ever reaching his car. When he woke a mere two hours later, with an excruciatingly painful bite mark on his neck, he was collapsed on the bottom floor of his office building, disheveled, and with a small note in his coat pocket:

"You thoroughly meet my expectations, Jasper, but we've yet to see if you meet the Dragons'. Seek me out, should you wish to learn how to transcend both the natural and supernatural."

From then on, Jasper's life, ironically, has increasingly changed for the better. Irene's true purpose in visiting him, or even applying to his workplace to begin with, was to search for a suitable candidate to sire and mentor in the Ordo Dracul. Jasper, as it happened, was deemed the most qualified. Under her watch, he has traded most of his old studies for those of the Dragons, intent on exploring the occult and the vampiric condition. Furthermore, he has abandoned his undeserved job in favor of his investigative work. In addition to being an initiate to the Ordo Dracul, he solves mysteries for both mortals and vampires.

When it comes to the Danse Macabre, Jasper has only just begun to explore its depths. There's no telling whether his investigations will bring him fame or plunge him into danger.

Name: Avery Inalda Laurnier
Born in: 1888
Became Vampire in: 1920
Age When Turned: 32
Clan: Ventrue
Covenant: The Invictus

Height: 5’11”
Eye Color: Green
Hair Color: Brown
Skin Color: Tan

Virtue: Fortitude
Vice: Lust

Powers:
-Dominate Discipline:
1) Command
2) Mesmerize
3) The Forgetful Mind

Weapons: Avery possesses a dagger, a gift from a friend of his mother’s family. The seven-inch blade is a symbol of the Laurnier patriarchy, and was first bestowed onto Avery’s grandfather. Avery has only ever used the dagger as a weapon once, during a violent encounter preceding his topor in the middle of the 20th Century.

Character Sheet:

Brief History: Avery was born the only child to Olivier Laurnier and Ester Inalda in France, during the winter of 1888. In 1898, when Avery was ten years old, Olivier’s financial prospects brought the family to New York. Olivier and Ester, both members of noble European families, had ample inheritances and a strong desire to invest in the American market. By 1909, when Avery was twenty-one years old, the Laurnier’s had put him through school and several years of New York society. It was at one of the seasonal gala events in 1911, shortly before Avery’s twenty-third birthday, that he met Julia Reswell.

The Reswells had established themselves with a great investment contribution to Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company. Julia, much like Avery, had just finished school and was enjoying the spoils of her birth. Though his father could arm Avery with a mastery of trade values and market anticipations, there was little Avery could do to protect himself against women. Avery and Julia carried on an intimate relationship well into the year. In 1912, Julia invited Avery over for her birthday celebration and to meet her parents.

In truth, it was not Julia’s birthday, and Avery was not going to meet her parents. Her birthday was much later in the year, and her parents were dead. Avery found out both of these almost immediately upon arriving at the Reswell manor, because the people that greeted him in the foyer did not resemble the photos Julia had shown him. He recognized some of them from encyclopedias and old photos in newspapers; indeed, some of them had been dead for several decades. This was Julia’s “family,” the Ventrue clan of vampires.

Over the next eight years, Avery built a relationship with the Ventrue, primarily as a financier and entrepreneur for the vampire clan. Under Julia’s mentoring, Avery learned about the Ventrue’s history and their influence in human high society. He also learned about the Ventrue’s enemies, who were plenty. His first encounter with one was during a meeting shortly after Julia had absorbed a steel manufacturer, Lionel Steel. Avery recognized one of the board members, Ian Vandermil, as being a member of the Carthian Movement. The loss of Lionel Steel would have an adverse effect on Carthian Movement finances, and Avery knew there was a reason that Ian Vandermil was still a member of the board.

The revelation came in 1920. After several years of insider observation and deliberation, Avery discovered that the Carthian Movement was planning an economic collapse to deal a heavy blow to the Ventrue. When Avery discovered this, he immediately sought out Julia, and upon finding her in her downtown office, discovered that Ian Vandermil was already there. To ensure the plan would succeed, Ian Vandermil had planned to blackmail Julia, who had no idea about the greater plot that was underway, and so would not be the wiser to the damage of her silence. But Avery did, and he had already committed when he confronted Ian Vandermil in Julia’s office. A fight broke out, and in the moment, Avery’s only concern was Julia’s safety, so he unsheathed the family heirloom and stabbed Ian Vandermil eight times.

The blackmail was foiled, but the Carthian Movement’s plot was already underway. The Ventrue’s contacts in Europe had called in at the first sign of trouble. The only option left was damage control, and as part of that, Avery had to disappear for a time. Julia made two promises to Avery: that his assets would be safe and that he would be handsomely rewarded for his loyalty. Julia flew herself and Avery to Seattle, away from the commotion of New York, where every Carthian sympathizer would be out for his blood.

Once in Seattle, Julia fulfilled her promise to Avery, and sired him as a Ventrue vampire. They both agreed that he could not return to New York for some time, and that it might be just as dangerous to be active in Seattle. So Avery went into a topor, knowing that when he woke up, he would return to New York and find Julia again.

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Born: May 15, 1990 Died: August 13, 2011 Age when turned: 21 Concept: Bad girl gone bad.	Clan: Gangrel Covenant: Unaligned Virtue: Fortitude Vice: Pride	Height: 5'2" Eye Color: Brown Hair Color: Blonde

Attributes:

Intelligence - 1
Wits - 2
Resolves - 3
Strength - 2
Dexterity - 3
Stamina - 4
Presence - 3
Manipulation - 1
Composure - 3

Skills

Mental:

Academics - 1
Crafts - 1 (automobiles)
Computer - 1
Investigation - 0
Medicine - 0
Occult - 1
Politics - 0
Science - 0

Physical:

Athletics - 3 (long distance running)
Brawl - 2
Drive - 1
Firearms - 0
Larceny - 1
Stealth - 2 (moving in darkness)
Survival - 2
Weaponry - 0

Social:

Animal Ken - 1
Empathy - 0
Expression - 1
Intimidation - 2
Persuasion - 1
Socialize - 1
Streetwise - 1
Subterfuge - 0

Disciplines

Protean - 2
Animalism - 1

Merits

Fleet of Foot - 1
Haven - 1
Direction Sense - 1
Resources - 1

Flaws

Clan Weakness

Intelligence/Wits based dice pools do not get 10 again rule. Additionally, any 1's subtract from successes. (does not affect dramatic failures) (does not apply to dice pools involving perception or reaction to surprise or to the Resolve Attribute)

Health - 9
Willpower - 6
Blood Potency - 2
Humanity - 5

Size - 5
Speed - 11
Defense - 2
Armor - 0
Initiative Mod - 6
Experience - 10

History

As it reads in her obituary, Stacey was a good girl, an athlete who enjoyed running and spending time outdoors. She was born on May 15th, 1990 and died on August 13, 2011. She died while out fishing with friends on the Trinity Bay. A storm came in and caused their boat to flip. Stacey and her two best friends, Kimberly and Jason, all died, though Stacey's body was never found.

Her obituary also said she was a track and field coach at Lamar High School, and according to her mother she was a perfect angel. She went to church almost every Sunday, and never got into any trouble. Of course, what mothers think they know about their daughters and what is the truth are often very different. Stacey lost her coaching job almost as quickly as she got it, and hadn't been to church in over six months before she died. She spent most of her nights out drinking or doing drugs. She hung with a bad crowd, and was a bit of a vandal. In truth though, it had little to do with a desire to ruin her life. She just liked the danger.

At her funeral her brother gave a eulogy. "Stacey.. what can I say about her. She was a fighter, and I know she tried as hard as she could to swim back to shore. I can see her now.. she probably went out cursing that storm to high heaven."

Of course the truth was a bit different. Stacey and her friends did go out on the bay, and they were caught in the storm, but that isn't what killed them. Noel killed them. Noel was a vampire, though none of them knew it. As far as they knew, he was just a cool guy they had met at a bar a few weeks back. He had taken a particular liking to Stacey, admiring her lust for danger and adventure. While her friends were just druggies, Stacey was doing it purely for the risk. Even their outing on the boat that night was solely for the risk of going out during a storm.

Stacey and Noel were making out below the deck when the storm hit and started to rock the boat. Jason and Kim said they wanted to go back, but Noel convinced them not to. While he and Stacey continued what they were doing below decks, Jason and Kim did what any sane person would do in such a situations, popped open a couple of beers and lit up a joint.

As they rode out the storm, Stacey was being drained dry beneath the deck. Noel brought her to the very brink, and then he gave her that life-altering taste of blood. Just enough to bring her back, but not much more. When she woke, the storm had calmed, and her friends were sleeping up on the deck. Noel was nowhere to be found, but she didn't think much of it. She awoke in a frenzy, and her friends were the only thing around to feed on. They didn't stand a chance.

For a few months Stacey and Noel hunted the streets of Houston, and Noel taught her the ways of the Kindred. While she was somewhat distraught over the deaths of her friends, and the fact that she could never see her family again, the new unlife was so full of adventure that she was able to put it behind her. Noel was one of the Unaligned, and despised the way vampires adhered to their covenants and city hierarchies. He tried to teach Stacey what she needed to know to survive, but also that she didn't need to be a part of the status quo. Stacy, for her part, was uninterested. None of the covenants spoke to her, though she never really tried to investigate any of them. Unlike Noel, she wasn't adamantly against them, but she just didn't care so early in her unlife to deal with politics.

Noel's hatred of the status quo is what ultimately drove the two apart. He got into a spat with some important vampire in the city, and both of them were banished. Noel because of his insolence, and Stacey due to her association with him. Finally, it all came crashing down. Stacey was forced to admit what Noel had done to her. He'd killed her, turned her into a monster and set her loose on her friends, broken her apart from her family, and finally, banished her from the city she'd called home her entire life. He'd done too much, and she left him. Stacey travelled for months, passing through cities but never stopping. She went North first, then west. She didn't stay long in any one place, and wasn't sure where exactly she was going. Eventually she ran out of money in Washington, and made her way to Seattle, taking a part time job and renting a cheap apartment. Stacey is a young vampire, turned only a year ago. She is pissed off at the world, but at the same time fascinated by her condition. She is one of the Unaligned, but not by choice. She doesn't know what she will find in Seattle, but hopefully it is far enough away from home that she'll never have to think about her old life again.

Other Information:

Haven:

Stacey lives with Inez in her basement apartment in Capitol Hill. The two met when Stacey first came to the city in September, and being a fellow Gangrel, Inez offered to let her stay at her place until she could get on her feet. Since she lives in the Carthian's home district, Stacey generally has to tag along with Inez in order to get from place to place.

Job:

Stacey currently makes most of her money by less than legal means. Whether it is mugging somebody in the streets, selling herself, or making low end drug deals in back alleys, she finds ways to get by (barely). Currently she is in the market for a more reliable way to make money.

Vehicle:

1993 Chevy S10 Black Manual Transmission 327,000 miles

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Other Items of Note:

Motorola EX124G Prepaid TracFone

Name: Journeyman
Born in: 1942
Became Vampire in: 1963
Age when turned: 21
Clan: Mekhet
Covenant: Circle of the Crone

Height: 5'6"
Eye Color: Brown
Hair Color: Brown
Skin Color: Fair

Virtue: Fortitude
Vice: Pride

Concept: The Hanged Man

Powers:
Obfuscate
1-) Touch of Shadow
2-) Mask of Tranqulity
Cruac
1-) Drops of Destiny


Weapons: None, Journeyman uses blood magic rather than weaponry.

Character Sheet:

ATTRIBUTES
Intelligence-3
Wits-2
Resolve-4

Strength-1
Dexterity-2
Stamina-3

Presence-1
Manipulation-4
Composure-2

SKILLS

Academics-1
Occult (Cruac)-4
Crafts-3
Medicine-1
Investigation-2

Athletics(Sprinting)-1
Brawl-2
Larceny-1
Stealth-3

Expres​sion(Sculpting)-2
Subterfuge-2

MERITS
Occultation-2
Eidetic Memory-2
Haven-1
Retainer-2
Covenant Status-1

Health- 8
Willpower- 5
Humanity-5
Blood Potency- 2
Speed-8
Initiative-4
Defense-2


History:
The idea of sacrifice in exchange for divinity or knowledge is common to many cultures. Odin, Osiris, Jesus, and Mishra are all examples of this mythological motif some occultists call 'The Hanged Man.' The Mekhet called Journeyman holds himself to be the incarnation of these themes of death, rebirth, and the knowledge that comes from their experience.

In the 60's there was no shortage of twenty-somethings dabbling in occult lore they didn't entirely understand. The man who would later become the Journeyman considered his studies to be the real deal. While his friends were fucking around with crystals and auras he had met up with a group of individuals who promised to change him forever. He would die, but in dying be granted immortality just like the archtypical Hanged Man. He was Embraced by Crones in the image of his deity and took on one of his epithets, the Journeyman.

In modern nights the Journeyman is not unlike his mythological counterpart. Like the Hanged Man, the Journeyman sacrifices for power. His tendency to ignore caution for the sake of a greater good is almost suicidal at times. As one might expect for someone Embraced as an unliving avatar of his god, the Journeyman has something of an ego. Though he isn't delusional enough to think he is a god himself, his ambitions can make it seem that way.

As I've mentioned in Death Will Have His Day's OOC thread, my rather lethargic work ethics are beginning to show themselves in my college grades. With my range of attention having become too thinly spread, I'm afraid I'll have to cut New Vienna from my worktable, if only for the time being. I hope to return to World of Darkness, and other RPs, in December, or hopefully within November, if the semester permits. I hate to pull out so soon into the project, especially considering my ongoing enthusiasm for it and the Calmargur threads, but I simply can't afford any distractions for a little while.

Jasper will be taken down, though I hope to return him to the thread when I can get back into New Vienna. Or, if the thread has progressed too far by that point, I'll come back when Werewolf starts up. Apologies for the inconvenience.