Vampire: Winds of Change (OOC) [M]

[TheBarbarian]

!!!THIS RP IS CLOSED!!!

Rated M for violence, blood sucking, swearing, drug use and scenes of a sensual nature

Setting inspired by Vampire the Requiem and Vampire the Masquerade
Story inspired by Choice of Vampire

This RP is reserved for the following players: TheBarbarian, Mysteria, Elizabeth16 and Breggo13

And as softly thou art sleeping
To thee shall I come creeping
And thy life's blood drain away.
And so shalt thou be trembling
For thus shall I be kissing
And death's threshold thou' it be crossing
With fear, in my cold arms.

An excerpt from The Vampire (1748) by Heinrich August Ossenfelder

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...Your maker is dead...
His death echoed through your blood like lightning from a clear sky. The pain of it woke you despite the earliness of the hour. His old dour face swims before your eyes and you shiver. He had been one of the most powerful vampire on this continent and now he lies dead. You feel the subtle power that connected you with him break.

With that the spell breaks. You start to grow calm again. After all what good had the old man ever done for you except make you a creature of the night. Even then he had only taught you only enough to survive before kicking you out of his house. He had never much liked you anyway so why should you care about his death. He certainly would not have cared about yours. With these thoughts going through your head you fall back to sleep waiting to wake again when the moon is high and the stars are out.

Yet when you again awaken to again hunt your prey through dark and winding streets you feel your blood calling you home. You try to resist but it is hopeless to fight against your own blood. So you find yourself slowly trekking back to that town of your vampiric youth: New Orleans.

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The date when our story begins is January 19th 1862. The American Civil War a conflict that was expected to be resolved quickly shows no signs of stopping. The city of New Orleans along with many important ports of the Confederacy are suffering from Union blockades. The city yet teems with thieves, war profiteers and prostitutes all seeking to strip the soldiery of their money. Among the regular citizens fear and excitement both rule over their hearts. No one yet sees the tragedy of the coming war only the nobility of it.

Yet there are other conflicts brewing inside New Orleans itself. Recently the city's vampires have suffered a loss. The Prince Quaestor who had ruled the city since its establishment was killed in a mysterious assassination. His death has upset the very precarious political balance he had maintained through sheer force of personality. Now the various vampiric factions are gearing up for a civil war of their own. Into this turbulent city return the two prodigal children of the Questor seeking to sate the power of the blood call.

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On the nature of Vampires, A treatise

by Professor Abraham Van Helsing

First published in 1854 all copies of the Treatise were bought up and destroyed by a Transylvanian count. Attempts to republish the treatise have been met with little successes. Professor Van Helsing has also come under fire by his university colleagues who believe the entire treatise based on legends and hearsay not scientific fact. Van Helsing has withdrawn from the scientific community mostly concentrating on the medical profession. He however stands by everything he has written.

Spoiler: Chapter 2: Myths and facts about the vampire 

Excerpt from Chapter 2: Myths and facts about the vampire

/.../
Vampires must sustain themselves on the blood of the living: Fact. For the Vampire, the act of feeding becomes highly sensual. The feedings I have witnessed are not unlike sexual congress in their intensity and privacy. The vessel from which they feed show symptoms similar to an opium addict partaking, and the feeding vampire undergoes a similar heady rush though their reaction is more similar to an orgasm rather than a drug high. Certain vampires are capable of sustaining their undeath by drinking the blood of animals, but rarely for long, as the needs of their cursed bodies seem forced them to seek human blood.

Vampires are “immortal”: Myth and fact. Although vampires do not appear to age, and some survive for centuries,the word “undead” rather than “immortal” fits their kind better. As the word word "immortal" implies life which certainly is not the case among the cursed. Vampirism is still a sickness not a blessing.

A vampire’s prey becomes a vampire: Myth. A person does not necessarily become a vampire if bitten or killed by a vampire. Indeed it takes a conscious act of will on behalf of the creature to create another of it's kind. They call the act of creation the Embrace. Indeed, most vampires I have observed leave little to no mark of their passing if they are careful. All a vampire must do to hide the wound left by the feeding is to lick it when finished with the prey.

Vampires have every manner of supernatural power, such as turning into animals, flying and wielding the strength of a dozen men: Fact. While only superhuman healing and toughness are universal to all vampires the other powers still exist. There are many different vampire species (they prefer the term Clan) some of them are able turn into animals or drive others insane. These powers are called Disciplines. The different vampire types are discussed in more detail in chapter five of this book.

Vampires can have sexual congress: Fact. While the act of feeding replaces all physical urges, vampires can still indulge in the act of copulating and even take pleasure from it. Curiously, however the subject I have observed have no understanding of the emotional aspect of this act. A vampire might enjoy the physical sensation of sexual congress, but no more than she enjoys a particularly savory smell or the touch of a luxurious fabric.

A wooden stake destroys vampires: Myth. Vampires aren't destroyed upon being staked, they're held in stasis. A vampire’s body slowly withers and turns inward while trapped in this state, desiccating and becoming ever more corpselike. However upon the removal of the stake and providing them with a pint or so of blood they revert to their usual monstrous state.

Vampires don't show up in mirrors: Fact. Vampires either don't show up or show up with their features obscured in mirrors. After a few experiments same goes for the new photography technology. They can temporarily counteract this effect with an effort of will but the image will become blurry or completely disappear after a few minutes unless the vampire keeps concentrating on the picture.

Sunlight burns vampires: Fact. As part of their disease, vampires recoil at the touch of the sun, its vital rays scorching their undead flesh. Vampires typically spend the daylight hours in the cold sleep of undeath, and only the most resolute can shake off the weight of the day’s forced slumber for even a short time. There are however rumors of ancient vampires who can walk in the sun if need be.

Garlic and running water repels vampires: Myth. Such notions are nothing more than old wives’ tales, cultural biases or weaknesses of very specific vampires. My vampire contact told me he knew of a Transylvanian vampire count who had aversion to garlic. Yet I have found none who are affected by running water.

Vampires are repulsed by crosses and other holy symbols: Fact. If a person truly believes that the symbol of his faith can protect him then it will. However the belief has to be absolute. By themselves articles of faith do not harm vampires in any way.

Vampires can drink as much blood as they want: Curiously a myth. While it is true that a vampire can drink a LOT of blood in a day there is a limit. Vampires that have drunk too much blood start vomiting it back up and their powers take more effort to work. Their mind also becomes clouded and thinking becomes more difficult. This limit seems to be different from vampire to vampire but usually draining two humans completely is about the limit. Young vampires who have not yet developed the ability to know when to stop drinking are the ones the most easily afflicted by this.

Vampires are soulless creatures: Unconfirmed. Although I am a man of science I have been a good Catholic for all of my life. Subjects of souls and morality have always fascinated me. This was what first drew me to these creatures. Yet having spent almost a year among them disguised as a ghoul to one who supported my cause I have come no closer to an answer. They are predators whose prey are humans and some of them treat humans as such (or sometimes even worse than that as the hunter prey relationship entails at least some mutual respect). Yet there are others who seem to truly care about the ones they regularly feed upon. Still it seems as a general rule of thumb that empathy comes harder to them than it does for the average man. These lapses in empathy proved to be the hardest part of my time spent among these creatures. Seeing a vampire laugh as it's prey cried and tried to escape from it's grasp might be some of the most harrowing images my hash had to tolerate. /.../

Spoiler: Chapter 5: The Species or "Clans" of the Vampire 

Excerpt from Chapter 5: The Species or "Clans" of the Vampire

/.../ During my time with vampires I soon came to learn that the generic term vampire although fitting them all included some very diverse creatures. From what I came to learn from my guide when a vampire is Embraced s/he goes through a change based on the worst aspects of his/her personality and thus becomes apart of a certain clan. I originally asked if the aspects mapped to the seven deadly sins but it seems they do not. Instead they seem to map very well to the Five Poisons of the Buddhist tradition. Why this is no one seemed to be able to satisfactorily explain. Whatever the case six distinct clans are to be found among vampire kind. The following is a list and description of all the vampire clans (the latin names are devised by myself not the vampires):

Colloquial Names: Venture (most common), Blue Bloods, Patricians, Warlords
Latin name: Hominin succo nobilis
Poison that leads to the change: Pride/arrogance of nobility and those in power
Physical changes suffered: This clan seems to suffer the least from the Embrace. No outward physical changes seem to affect the clan. One thing that changes is their physical presence and voice which seem to gain some power of command even if they missed it before.
Disciplines: Animalism, Dominate, Resilience
Personality: While all vampires I have met have their own unique personality within clans there are similarities between the members. The Venture are no exception. It seems that all Venture desire to lead or command be it as a leader of a group of warriors or the political head of a city. They prefer and seem to rise into positions of command. Most of them are also polite to a fault very much caring about rules set by the general society. They also seem to very prideful and arrogant believing themselves to be right whatever the circumstance.

Colloquial Names: Brujah (most common), Rabble, Rebels, Agitators
Latin name: Hominin succo rebellis
Poison that leads to the change: Pride/arrogance of those of low station and those oppressed by power
Physical changes suffered: When Embraced these vampires skin turns slightly grey and their muscle mass grows visibly. Otherwise like the Venture their physical presence and voice gain power making intimidating to argue with.
Disciplines: Perfidy, Vigor, Resilience
Personality: The Brujah are almost reflections of the Venture. Only where the Venture aspire to leadership and power the Brujah aspire to destroy all such things. They have a hard time following rules or commands of any kind. This makes them get into conflicts quite easily especially with other vampires. They are also very prideful always believing that their way of living lawlessly is right.

Colloquial Names: Toreador (most common), Epicureans (Renaissance) Torries, Pretty boys/girls
Latin name: Hominin succo formosus
Poison that leads to the change: Desire/passion/lust/attachment
Physical changes suffered: The second most through physical change. Whatever the humans previous physical shape the Embrace leaves them as perfect physical specimens or at least it seems so to me whenever looking at one. That might a quirk of their power. They also seem to have some sort of power of seduction inflaming sexual desire purely through speech.
Disciplines: Celerity, Vigor, Majesty
Personality: Toreadors are slaves to their passions and desires. If they want something they will do all in their power to gain it. And if these desires are appeased they can seem to be one of the friendliest and most loving of their kind. If however rebuffed they can become frighteningly cruel and devious worse than even the other clans.

Colloquial Names: Nosferatu (most common), Sewer Rats, Lepers (archaic), Crawlers (Renaissance), Nossies
Latin name: Hominin succo monstrum
Poison that leads to the change: Jealousy/Envy
Physical changes suffered: The most affected by the Embrace. Their skin turns gargoyle gray no matter what their original skin color. Their ears elongate and become pointed. Their faces become pointed and rat like. These are the most monstrous of all the clans.
Disciplines: Nightmare, Obfuscate, Vigor
Personality: The Vampires who are cursed to become apart of this clan usually form very tight knit communities apart from the regular vampire society. I personally only met one of these broods and was surprised at the close links between it's members. They are also very secretive and stealthy as a rule jealously guarding any information they find. In general while dealing with them it soon became apparent that jealousy about wealth, physical appearance and power of others is a common occurrence among the Nosferatu.

Colloquial Names: Gangrel (most common), Animals, Bêtes, Outlanders
Latin name: Hominin succo fera
Poison that leads to the change: Wrath/anger
Physical changes suffered: Slight lengthening of the arms and shortening of the legs allowing for better movement on four legs. The gangrel are the only clan that can change their shape completely into that of an animal or bird. Apparently older gangrels also start to gain the traits of the animals they turn into like fur and other things (only rumors can not confirm at present).
Disciplines: Animalism, Protean, Resilience
Personality: Gangrels are as whole very similar to tigers. Predatory hunters who on the whole prefer solitude to pack dynamics they are the vampire clan who most enjoy the thrill off the hunt. My own contact among the vampires was a Gangrel and watching him I always felt like I was in the presence of a true predator. With all the relationship entailed. That aside they also seem to be as a general rule easy to anger (though my guide certainly did not).

Colloquial Names: Malkavian, Lunatics, Madmen, Clan of the Moon, Malks
Latin name: Hominin succo delirus
Poison that leads to the change: Confusion, bewilderment, delusion. That said this one of the only poisons that does not quite track as Madness (temporary or some more permanent affliction) is what really leads to the birth of a Malkavian. Though my contacted said that deep seeded irrational or delusional beliefs have been known to lead to the birth of Malkavian.
Physical changes suffered: None to the body but any madness they had before the Embrace worsens ten fold after it.
Disciplines: Auspex, Obfuscate, Dementation
Personality: The only unifying trait among this clan seems to be that there is nothing unifying about them. As they are all mad in their own strange way it is had to find anything unifying to say about them except that they are completely insane. /.../

Spoiler: Chapter 6: The Vampire Powers or "Disciplines" 

Excerpt from Chapter 6: The Vampire Powers or "Disciplines"

/.../Blood powers all the vampire does. From the simple act of walking to healing wounds they receive in a fight all expends the energy of the blood. Disciplines are what powers are born from harnessing this energy and shaping it to fit a purpose.

Resilience grants Vampires unearthly toughness, one of the only abilities that does need to be "activated" to be of use. This toughness adds to the already super human toughness of the vampires body.

Dominate is a Discipline that overwhelms another person's mind with the vampire's will, forcing victims to think or act according to the vampire's decree. Older vampires can also dominate other vampires.

Majesty is a Discipline of preternatural charisma and charm. Its applications allow the practitioner to impose willing submission, to elicit the confessions of dark secrets and more. It is a subtler and less powerful version of Dominate that can also affect crowds rather than single targets.

Vigor is a Discipline that grants vampires physical strength beyond mortal bounds. This Discipline is responsible for the legends of vampires possessing the strength of 10 men. Vigor allows vampires to leap great distances, lift massive weights and strike opponents with terrifying force.

Celerity is a Discipline that grants vampires supernatural quickness and reflexes. My experiments have shown that this extraordinary speed violates the laws of physics in that the vampires don't experience any change in momentum, friction, etc. A knife thrown by someone using Celerity isn't any faster, and a vampire moving at incredible speeds will never catch fire no matter how fast they move.

Protean is a Discipline that gives vampires the ability to change form, from growing feral claws to turning into a full on beast. My guide also said it allowed his master to turn into multiple animals or even mist.

Animalism Discipline allows the vampire to use his Beast to associate with animals, including communicating with and summoning animals, and even cowing the bestial nature of other vampires.

Obfuscate is a Discipline that allows vampires to conceal themselves, deceiving the mind of others, or making them ignore what the user doesn't want to be seen.

Auspex potent Discipline grants vampires superlative sensory capabilities. At the lowest levels, it sharpens a Kindred's mundane senses. As Kindred with this gift grow in age and power, entirely new avenues of insight open up before said Kindred.

Perfidy sows supernatural dissent among mortals, ghouls and Kindred alike, leaving social destruction in its wake. This power can make an honest man cheat at cards or turn a peaceful protest into a riot.

Nightmare is the Discipline of striking fear and dread into the hearts of others. Practitioners learn to manifest their inhumanity in their appearance or by letting unfortunate onlookers peer deep into their Damned souls. The Discipline can have a variety of effects, from shocking even the most jaded individual to literally frightening a victim to death.

Dementation draws on the vampire's own insanity and uses it achieve profound insights or inflict madness upon others. Such powers are one of the primary reasons the Malkavian clan is often considered both insightful and very dangerous. /.../

Spoiler: Chapter 7: Age and it's relation to Power in Vampires 

Excerpt from Chapter 7: Age and it's relation to Power in Vampires

/.../ In the time spent among the vampires I came across a few truly old vampires. My guide himself was close to three centuries and he was not even close to the oldest being I met. We spent many a night talking about the relationship between age and power as it related to vampiric biology. From these conversations it was soon apparent that without long term scientific study we would not truly know how this connection actually worked. However I do have a few theoretical reasons why this is the case.

The simplest reason is that time equals knowledge and knowledge in turn equals power. There is a significant difference between a swordsman who has studied his art for twenty years and swordsman who has done so for centuries. The simple fact that vampires are at their physical and mental peak without decaying for much longer than humans gives them a much longer time to develop both their skills and their vampiric powers. However their undead nature seems to make it hard for them learn anything entirely new as some part of their mind is still stuck at the moment of their death.

The other reason is more esoteric. From my guides description every time a vampire drinks blood they get a rush of rejuvenating life force. I theorize that this rush of power stacks up over time to increase a vampires capacity to use and control his vampiric powers which rely on blood to be used. So the more the vampire drinks the stronger it gets though this effects are not instantaneous more they stack up slowly over long periods of time. This would explain why older vampires are so much more powerful in the use of their disciplines./.../

Spoiler: Chapter 10: Vampiric Society 

Excerpt from Chapter 8: Vampiric Society

/.../ The paradox of the vampire is that they possess both the solitary nature of the predator and the social leanings of humans. They gather in groups, though their competitive and aggressive nature often renders such gathering dangerous, or at least uncomfortable. They compete against one another plotting, scheming, backstabbing — yet they find themselves unable to function in other environments.

That is why vampire society as a whole seems to focus around city's. While there are vampires who live outside this society making their home in lonely castles or far away villages these are more the exception rather than the rule.

The base of this society is the relationship between maker and childe. This is the core from which all other rules, laws and power structures stem from. A maker and childe are connected through blood through this connection the maker can call his childe to him or issue commands. This is called the "call of the blood" and although it can not force a vampire to do something against his or her will it is usually enough to make the childe follow his progenitors wishes. Through this same connection the childe can also call for help or send simple messages (from what I understand these messages take the form of emotions and nothing more complex).

From the vampires I observed I have gathered that they usually either have no progeny or have at least two or more. There are exceptions but this is what generally seemed to be the case. A maker and two or more of his childe living in the same place is called a sidhe or brood. Hear the maker is king and what he says goes. If a similar group gathers only without the ties of blood they are called a coven. Covens are usually ruled over by the oldest and most powerful vampire in the coven. Some few covens elect their leaders but this is rare.

One step above above covens and broods are Prince Questors and their court who rule city's. These vampires usually hold on to their power through a mixture of cunning and power. They enforce the Five Laws, (try to) keep the peace, carve up areas of the city to give covens and broods to be their feeding ground and keep the vampire population in check. They also have other duties like hosting social gatherings and mediating vampire disputes. The court of the Prince Questor usually consists of three important figures who help the prince keep the peace and rule well: the Sheriff, the Spy and the Socialite.

The Sheriff is most commonly a Gangrel or Brujha (though other vampire clans can also get the role). A combination police investigator, enforcer and inquisitor, the Sheriff is responsible for enforcing the Prince’s laws and dictates, for bringing outlaws before the Prince for judgment and — at times — for carrying out sentences. Some Sheriffs truly believe in the rule of law and believe that they serve their society and fellow Kindred by keeping the city as orderly as possible. Others love the position for the power it offers, as they are permitted to bully and push around other vampires, even those who would normally be too dangerous to touch. Some Sheriffs are clever, subtle investigators, while others are little more than bruisers with rank.

The Spy is most commonly a Nosferatu or Malkavian (again other clans can also take on this role) while the other positions are public the position of Spy is known only to the Prince and the Spy he chooses to serve him. This court member is tasked with gathering any and all information n s/he can about the vampiric population of the Princes city. They also makes sure that things run smoothly in the government itself. Being responsible for keeping track of the Prince’s assets and dealing with any problem that does need the Prince's personal touch.

The Socialite or sometimes the Master of Elysium is mostly commonly either a Toreador or Venture. They are tasked with the running of Elysium, making sure the Princes decrees are heard, scheduling appointments and generally seeing that those within the city that need to be kept happy are kept happy. They might seem the least powerful of the three but such estimation would be dangerous to make. The Socialite entirely control who can see and talk to the Prince plus he/she can effect a Questors opinion about vampire before they meet. Not to be underestimated.

The tradition of Elysium is an interesting one. In essence, a Prince may declare specific locations of his city to be Elysium, places free of violence, safe for all Kindred. Most official Kindred business takes place in Elysium. The Prince’s court is most frequently held in one such location, and most young vampires who need to speak with a leader or elder come to Elysium to seek them out. Politics and intrigue are as common here as rats on the street outside, with debate and negotiation heard as frequently as casual gossip. Many elders spend entire nights here, and while young vampires are welcome (most of the time), they are expected to remember their place.

In some cities in addition to these three there is also among the Questors court the Tribunes. Powerful elder vampires who advise the Prince on subjects of policy and other things. The precise nature of that advice varies from domain to domain. If the Prince is both strong and especially tyrannical, the Tribunes might be little more than a formality, a conclave of elders who serve to rubberstamp whatever the Prince wishes to do. In most domains, they serve as true advisors, and most wise Princes try to take that advice into account whenever possible, not merely because the advice might be good, but to avoid angering an entire group of elders. Tribunes are usually vampire elders from different clans and walks of life from around the city. If the Prince happens to die then the next Prince is selected from among them.

I mentioned the Five Laws before. These are the Laws by which all vampires are expected to live their according to. They are all simple and easy to follow mostly which is why the punishments are so severe.

1. Drink not the heart's blood of thy kine, Punishment death without a trial - Drinking the heart's blood of another vampire gives them the power of that vampire yet it decays the humanity of the vampire and once one heart has been tasted it is impossible to stop

2. Kill not thy kind, Punishment death trial first - This law seems to be very malleable and easily broken. Where the rest of the laws are pretty set in stone this is more of guideline than anything.

3. Draw not the eye of the mortal, First offence warning second offense trial usually ending in death - In other words feed and act circumspectly do not draw attention to vampire kind

4. On entering the domain of a Prince present thyself before him, First offense warning second offence trial usually ending in death - When entering a new city a vampire has to present himself to the Prince of that city.

5. Always seek the approval of thy Prince before handing out the Embrace, Death to the maker the childe receives a trial - Making other vampires without the approval of the Prince of the city is a grave offence as overpopulation might lead to vampires being noticed by mortal kind.

There are of course other laws that differ from city to city but these five are which form the basis for any major vampire settlement.

There is still one position higher than that of the Prince Questors. That of the Emperor King of the Vampires ruler of the Imperium Umbrae. From what I gathered from my vampiric guide these so called Emperors are chosen from among the oldest and most powerful Prince Questors in a yearly council that takes place in Rome. He did not know how this council worked or if it decided anything else other than the choice of king. The King's purpose is twofold.

Firstly to make sure that humans do not discover vampire kind. For this purpose they are granted extra powers: Removing Princes from office, executing any vampire regardless of age and station without any need for trial or reason, removing any humans and any of their contacts/friends who threaten the secret masquerade (such as myself), working against the Maskless Society (my contact belonged to this group but asked me to not write about them for he feared for the safety of the organization).

Secondly to maintain general order among the vampire society at large. This duty is much less serious and the Emperor King only get's involved when all out war between factions is about to happen. Otherwise the peacekeeping aspects are more in line with the duties of a Prince. On occasion however the Emperor has to send out his force to maintain order in places where the Prince is either dead or away on some important business.

Each Emperor King is granted control over a force called the "Prima Legio" or "The First Legion" that is best described as a cult composed of both mortal and vampiric agents whose singular purpose is to serve the Emperor. For mortal agents the positions within the structure are hereditary passing from parent to child in the primogeniture fashion. The vampiric members are however very carefully selected based on both their loyalty and power. However like with the council the activities of this organization are very secret and I have not managed to find out much about it. /.../

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Urgent Prima Legio report only for the eyes of her majesty Irina Orus, Emperor King of the Vampyr
- Prima Legio, Primus pilus, Herr Ernst Strauss

Spoiler: The political factions of New Orelans 

The political factions of New Orleans

It is as you feared your majesty. After the death of Prince Questor Ivar Ragnarson the city has devolved in to all out conflict some of it violent some more subtle conflicts. The dead Princes court is trying to maintain order but without Ragnarson there it's a fool's effort. If we don't act soon we might lose the city to either the Anarchists or the Reformists. Here's the rundown on the different factions and their goals that you requested.

Les Lions de Vieux Carré - A group of Creole and Spanish vampires who have banded together under the banner of a young upstart Toreador leader calling himself "The Lion". They seem to desire for New Orleans to declare independence from the Imperium and establish a system of democracy and justice based on a mixture of the French and American political system. I tried to find out more about the leader but his past is a mystery. Apparently he appeared on the New Orleans political scene a year or so ago and began to gather popularity among the younger crowd in the French Quarter. Currently ignored by the bigger players but I think that might be a mistake they will soon regret. Currently has a hundred or so vampires at his side all less than a century old but his numbers are steadily growing.

The Admirals Boys - One of the two loyalist factions vying for the position of Prince Questor. They are a mixed bunch with a good mix of younger and older vampires. They are led by a Venture who is a former British Admiral Sir George Rook though he usually goes by simply Rook to avoid mortal discovery. He and two of his compatriots (William Fennick and Arthur de Wesret) held positions in the Tribunes before the death of the Prince Questor. He generally seems like a vain and brash man though with a good head for tactics and politics. It has allowed him to carve out a strong presence in the river front over which he has established his rule. His main efforts are concentrated on his loyalist rival Madame Lafayette. They are numbered around a 150 or so.

Défendre l'honneur de madame Lafayette - This group did not seem to have a official name but when I asked what their purpose was they were pretty clear: "Defending the honor of madame Lafayette." According to madame Lafayette the erstwhile Socialite of Ivar Ragnarson she was to inherit the role of Prince Questor after the death Ivar. She backed this up with a document that said as much. The Council of Tribunes was split after that with one half believing her story the other half calling it untrue. Her force is mostly made up of the richer vampires mostly the plantation owners and others who live in the City of Lafayette from where she runs her operation. Her force is also a good mix of ages and clans I would say that the loyalist forces are about equal as both number around 150.

The Anarchist Movement - Made up of a strange mix of young vampires of every clan and old Brjuhas this faction is the largest (numbering around 200 or so) but very disorganized. There seems to be no clear leader or even hierarchy. Yet to call them true Anarchists (even though they themselves do) would be wrong as other philosophy's are also prevalent among the ranks. Basically anything that stands against the current government system and laws. In my time spent among them I could not determine any sort of goals they might have nor what exactly they were doing with their time except for arguing. Apparently the faction has existed for a long time in the city but Ivar left it be only interfering when someone broke any of the laws. This approach seems to have been effective as the faction as it is currently is really more focused on internal conflicts rather than any outside threats.

The Sheriffs Boys - The smallest of the factions but not to be underestimated the Sheriff and her retinue have remained neutral throughout this conflict. Their only goal has seemed to be to restore order to New Orleans and keep the law while the next Prince achieves power. Led by Sherriffe O'Sullivan these fifty or so vampires seem to be only thing keeping the mortals in the dark for now. I also suspect that the Sheriff is being helped by the Spy of Ragnarssons court but I have no proof of this as in my time spent in the city I could not find out who exactly the spy was in court.

In conclusion I would suggest your majesty hold off sending the full force of the Prima Legio into the city as the situation in Europe is currently more dire. However we should hire some agents that could do some wetwork for our cause. I think this Smoke fellow my colleague recommended would be a good fit.

Your trusted servant,
Herr Strauss

Spoiler: The Map of the City 

Find enclosed the geographic layout of the factions of the city.

1. The Sheriffs Boys
2. Les Lions de Vieux Carré
3. The Admirals Boys
4. The Anarchist Movement
5. Défendre l'honneur de madame Lafayette

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Name:
Apparent Age:
True Age:
Nationality and Race: (I think this will play an important role in the plot New Orleans is an interesting melting pot of cultures during this time)
Description:
Clan:
Skills:
Weaknesses: (Aside from the obvious ones I mean)
Personality:

I would leave the Bio out for now as I think that would be fun to discover through play? What do you guys think?

Also since I lost the draft I really did not have the energy to remake all the full NPC sheets but I threw together some short ones to have some general idea about them:

Spoiler: NPCs 

The Dead Prince and our Maker

Name: Ivar Ragnarson
True age: It is thought to be around a thousand years exact dates are unknown.
Apperent age: 40 someting
Clan: Gangrel
Appearance: Here

The Ghoul

Name: Nancy (definitely not her real name)
True age: Three hundred years younger than Ivar
Apparent age: 20 something maybe younger
Clan: No clan she is Ivars ghoul.
Appearance: Here

The Sheriff

Name: Morrigan O'Sullivan
True age: Close to five hundred
Apparent age: Late 20s
Clan: Malkavian
Apperance: Here

The Madame

Name: Madame Angelique de Lafayette (An ancestor of the famous Lafayette)
True age: Somewhere around three hundred
Apparent age: Late 20s
Clan: Toreador
Appearance: Here

The Young Lion

Name: The Lion
True Age: Unknown
Apparent age: Early 20s
Clan: Toreador
Appearance: Here

The Admiral

Name: Sir George Rook
True Age: Slightly over a hundred
Apparent age: Mid 40s
Clan: Venture
Appearance: Here

The Turbulent Priest

Name: Father Samael "Sam"
Apparent Age: 26
True Age: 123
Nationality: Half Portuguese Half Taíno
Description: If someone were to describe Sam in one word it would be fervor. He burns with it. Other men look lost and with out purpose next to his straight backed fervent purposefulness. This is of course helped along by his copper skin combined with a tall and muscled frame that even without a singleness of purpose would still be an impressive sight.
That all said his most striking features are his deep blue eyes that seem to be almost angelic in their purity. However those who are more perceptive might see that in those sky blue eyes lurks a madness barely contained. And when he speaks, his priestly robes flapping, then you can hear it. Pouring out of a broken mind inside of a broken man.

Spoiler: Sam 

Clan: Malkavian
Skills: Oratory skills, knows the whole bible by heart, swordsmanship, deep faith, outwardly charming
Weaknesses: Truly mad, thinks he can hear god and does as he is told by the entity, only drinks the blood of sinners, whenever he drinks blood he always kills his victims

[Mysteria]

Name: Alisiandra D'Marqiue, (pronounced Da Mar quay)although she has held many names over the centuries. She is referred to as My Lady - My Princess and - Mistress, or Lisia for those who dare.

Apparent Age: 29

True Age: 962

Nationality and Race: Spaniard. Human Vampire

Description:

Spoiler: Alisiandra 

Not resembling what one might consider to be the typical vampiress, Alisiandra's skin is lightly tanned in color and appears to be flawless. Under dark lashes lie eyes the shade of meadow green. Only when she is angered or filled with a blood lust do they turn a deep dark hue of crimson.

Long raven colored hair would fall in the softest of waves that reach almost to her gorgeous backside if it were not for the fact that it is usually worn in a side swept braid, or pulled up into a sweeping do that accentuates her lovely face.

Standing of average height, not too short nor too tall, she boasts a body that most men would and have killed to be able to touch, just once. Full firm breasts spill out over the bustier of gowns that are reminiscent of a bygone age only ever read about in today's history books. Luscious, rose tinted lips complete the look of one who could easily be mistaken for a goddess.

Clan: Toreador

Skills: Wit, cunning, superior strength, seduction, along with many centuries of wisdom and knowledge gained make this Elder vampire a formidable foe.

Weaknesses: Other than the occasional blood lust for the warm blood drank straight from a beating pulse, her only other weakness is small children and her need to protect them in any way that she can.

Personality: Generally speaking, Alisiandra would be considered to be a kind queen but that is not to be confused with her being a push over either. She can go from gentile to vicious all with the same breath. A true and honorable Elder, she upholds the pact of the covenant while still attempting to balance old with the new. While she enjoys reminiscing of the past, her many years have given her the wisdom to know that all things evolve with time. Just as she has evolved, so has the world surrounding her. The only thing that remains the same is her appearance, both a blessing and a curse. The blessing of eternal beauty with the cursed knowledge that she will never grow a day older than that fateful day so many centuries ago.

Likes/Dislikes: The lady of the house takes enjoyment from the beautiful gardens surrounding her mansion filled with the lavish furnishings of the Victorian Era, one of her favorite time periods.

The elder vampire derives great pleasure from simple things to lavish things be it the sounds of children laughing, the scent of flowers in the air, clothing, jewelry, or the male species.

She has very few dislikes but if she were to name the one thing that she despises the most is disloyalty and betrayal. She is not an elder to be crossed.

Position/job: Alisiandra is the elder of her covenant and a childe of the Prince Questor Ivan Ragnarson. . She also owns an antiquities store in Lafayette where she sells some of the collectibles that she has obtained over her many years. The items that she can not bare to part with are not put on display in the store, nor are they for sale but instead are kept in lavish showcases held within the mansion.

Strengths/weaknesses: The vampiress's strengths are her wit, her cunning and the many years of wisdom that has come through trial and error. Her physical strength is unrivaled as all vampires that followed her do not possess the strength given to her by the master.

Other than the occasional lust for warm blood drank straight from the beating pulse of a wild animal, her only other weakness is a helpless child.

Weapon:Due to strength that might not be believed due to her lithe stature, she has no real need for weapons although she enjoys the thrill of learning new ways of defense, once again continually evolving with the ever changing times.

[Breggo13]

Wow......I am impressed (just finished reading it all). Thank you for letting me join this Now to figure out a character.....Help? I want a challenge so can I ask a big favor? Can each one give me something to work with? Like, a weakness or a character trait or something? Please? Sowwy

[TheBarbarian]

Be a vampire who actually cares about the politicking of the human realm but the conflicts of vampires seem trivial to you. As usually that sort of thing would be reversed.

[Breggo13]

Oooo, that would be nice BarB

[Mysteria]

I'm thinking mine will be a Toreador. Is there a limit on how old our vampires can be? The one I want to use for this is very old so I need to know if there's a limit on vampire age.

Also you say that the two prodigal children return. Are they NPC's and was the Prince Quaestor of the Toreador type? And she would actually care about the plight of both human and vampire if that sounds okay with you ?

If so and my character hated him then she would have reason to return to New Orleans or she could have been living out of town quietly, away from the simple bastard that she hated.

[TheBarbarian]

I originally planned for all of us to be prodigal children of the dead Prince but that does not have to be the case if you guys don't want it to be. The politicking still works even if we have no blood relation.

I would say that older than a thousand is a bad idea as that is basically someone who is almost a demigod in terms of their power.

EDIT: Sorry forgot to answer two of your other questions. The Questor is a Gangrel. And sure charecter motivation is completely up to you. Your charecter can care about whatever he or she wants. Just you know, most old vampires (and even some young ones) have a hard time bringing themselves to care for mortals. If your charecter is ancient then you have probably seen similar things repeat over and over again throughout history. However your charecter can always differ from the norm thats a fun angel to play

[Mysteria]

So she would have to be a Gangrel to be his childe? I don't think she'll be one of his then.

And basically she would have been created back in the days of the pharaoh a, but I can change it. She wouldn't be a demigod though. She'd just be one of the oldest elders alive.

I plan on a weakness to be she can't stand to see children harmed which ties into her mortal life. If that doesn't work let me know.

[TheBarbarian]

I changed how the Embrace works from the original game. Your creator does not matter. What matters is the the worst aspects of their personality. Toredor are uncontrolled passion, Gangrel are Wrath etc. I wrote some stuff about it in the Clan's part of the thing.

Someone that old would be seriously powerful true demigod like power. Like a Toredor that was that old could probably just look at a crowd of people or vampires and force them into a passionate orgy until they died from exhaustion. The way you could do it I think though would be to have her have been staked and left for dead for a thousand years (or more depending which part of Egyptian history you want to be a part of) but restored by some accident. (someone bleeding onto her in her burial chamber) Something like this.

Weakness sounds good to me.

[Mysteria]

I did read about the different clans and that's why I chose Toreador.

I was going to have had her turned back in the last days of the Ptolemy dynasty and she very well could have been asleep for thousand years or sleeping through the ages having become disgusted with the world. But being awoken accidentally by someone tomb raising who had an open wound...

I'll pm my char sheet to you when it's done so you can let me know if something needs changed.