A Vampire Like No Other (OC, White Wolf-style Vampire in Gotham)

Dark Lord Zero · Apr 7, 2024

Prologue: I Wish It Was The Batman

Leaning nervously on the side of a dark blue Toyota Corolla from eighteen years ago, a highschooler named Julius Montgomory shifted nervously. He glanced at the slightly opened trunk, and then dragged his attention away from it.

Anything to keep his mind off of what was coming up.

His outfit had been painstakingly chosen to be as nondescript as possible; dark gray sweatpants, a slightly-darker hoodie that he'd picked up at a garage sale the other day, and black running shoes. He'd left his wallet and phone at home, no way was he ending up on America's Dumbest Criminals for dropping his wallet or something else stupid.

He checked himself out in the side mirror of the car; nondescript hopes or not, he also wanted to make a decent impression. His blonde hair was still neatly combed back, like the last seven times he'd checked, and his blue eyes were just as twitchy as he felt.

He took a few deep breaths, then decided calming himself was a lost cause, and reached into his car for a pack of menthols. As long as he made sure all the butts ended up in his car, it was probably safe enough, and he really needed to calm his nerves.

It didn't take him long to get one lit, and with a few puffs he was already starting to feel a little better.

Glancing around, he wished that this could have happened somewhere else. The upper east end wasn't the worst part of Gotham, but this was one of its rougher patches. The road was fine, but the buildings on either side looked run down, and there was even a boarded up window in sight.

He was halfway through his smoke when he noticed a duo of guys approaching, a brown-haired kid about Julius' age and an older man with a duffle bag in hand. They slipped out of an alley and the man with the duffle quickly slipped it in the trunk and shut it.

The other one, Julius' best friend Cody Willis, practically vibrated with excitement next to Julius, who resolved to ask what happened when they got back in the car.

After dropping off the duffle, the older man gave the kids a stern look. "You got the addresses, right?"

Cody dutifully whispered the address they were supposed to deliver the duffle bag to, and then the one they were supposed to deliver the money to. "Don't worry Luka, we've got this."

Luka just frowned. "This is your one chance to prove yourselves; don't screw up." Seeing Cody sober a bit, he nodded and stalked away.

Julius finished his smoke, threw the butt back in his open passenger window on to the floor, and then the two of them got in the car. Julius started the engine, checked his mirrors, and inquired about his friend's good mood.

Alarmingly, Cody just opened up his hoodie to show off the shoulder holster he definitely hadn't had earlier tonight, with a pistol inside. "Luka gave this to me, just in case we run into trouble."

Julius straightened out and wished he had his phone to navigate, it was taking attention he really wanted to be spending on the conversation. "Cody, I thought this was supposed to be safe, what trouble?"

Cody just shrugged. "Luka didn't say, just that things are getting a little touchy right now, that's why this opportunity is even coming to us in the first place."

"That wasn't a small duffle. What if the Batman shows up?"

"Way ahead of you bro, I asked Luka that earlier. Apparently the Batman is way too busy with the recent Arkham breakout to deal with some weed deal."

"Great, I guess the Joker being out again has an upside. What about his three sidekicks?"

"Stop letting MHO rot your brain Julius, there's only one batgirl, not two."

"Fine, what about his two sidekicks."

"Probably the same, but even if not, it's a big city for two sidekicks to cover, and we aren't exactly waving red flags around. No way they notice us. Besides, worst case I cover our retreat with my sweet new glock."

Instead of answering, or debunking that stupid plan, Julius just lit up another smoke. For some reason his nerves were back.

Cody poked him in the side, hard. "If you're going to smoke with me in here, crack the damn window." Julius did, a tiny bit, and after another poke cracked it open for real.

Getting to their drop off address ended up being relatively easy; an apartment building in the diamond district. The two of them traded glances, Cody evidently finally feeling some nerves over the whole thing, and then they got out of the car.

Julius might have had some misgivings about this, but that wouldn't stop him, not when he needed the money and needed not to have a hit on his head.

Cody picked up the duffle, and handed it to Julius. "I need to have my hands free, you know why."

Julius almost growled at him, but held it in. They were barely a few blocks from the GCPD headquarters, if Cody started shooting they'd be toast. "Keep it in your pants man, you know where we are."

They strode up to the building, and Cody hit a number on the buzzer by the door. A voice with a strong indian accent came over the speaker, "Hello? Who is it?"

Cody responded, "Doordash for Mr. Ashwin, thin crust and extra green peppers."

The door buzzed open. "Come on up."

They made it to the room in short order, and Cody knocked. "Doordash!"

The door opened, but it wasn't who they expected. Rather it was two men in suits, holding Mac 10s on the two kids. One of them ordered "Get in here."

They did, and when they did, they were relieved of their duffle by one of the suits while the other kept his weapon trained on Julius and Cody, who was clearly itching to fight back.

The one with their duffle poked around inside, and then nodded. "Yep, all ten kilos, and it looks like the right quality. Good job kids, the Penguin thanks you for your contribution. Now get lost before my friend here shoots you."

Julius spoke up, mostly to prevent Cody from getting the two of them killed. "You can't shoot us, we're right next to the GCPD headquarters. No way you can fake or clean the crime scene in time."

The one with the gun aimed snorted. "Kid, I live next door. I was just defending my neighbor here from your breaking and entering."

And that was good enough, if Ashwin backed up his story. The GCPD didn't really have a forensics department these days, and everyone knew it.

Julius started backing up, and had to all but drag Cody with him out into the hallway. They didn't get very far before Cody stopped and started trying to pull out his gun.

Julius grabbed his arm, now holding his new glock and hissed "What are you thinking?!"

Cody glared back. "I'm thinking that if I go back to Luka and tell him I lost thirty grand worth of product, he's going to give me cement shoes."

That was… an excellent point, and before Julius could debate the merits of that plan, the two suits exited Ashwin's room.

There was one crystal moment, in which both sides looked at each other, and Julius could almost feel their gazes sliding onto Cody's gun.

Then all hell broke loose, and the next thing Julius knew, he was on the ground in incredible pain. Everything except the painspots was cold, and the world was going dark.

Just before he fully passed out, he could have sworn he saw a shadowy figure appear above him.

To Be Continued...

And that's the prologue. If you don't love Julius' character so far, don't worry too much, he'll be going through some changes real soon.

So the gist of this quest is thus: a native Gothamite is bestowed with a curse most potent; white-wolf style vampirism, by a passing ROB. So now it's time to build him.

For starters, there are several basic abilities he gets just for being a vampire:
(See Character Sheet + Mechanics for those)

Finally, Julius has access to disciplines, the supernatural powers of vampire folklore. There are many Disciplines, but the ones Julius will have access too will depend on his Clan, as will some of the personality shifts he goes through due to his embrace. And so, finally, after five thousand years, we get to the part with the voting. Choose his clan.

(Parts of the descriptions reference WoD/CoD lore, none of that is relevant, it's merely left in for the context of how they would generally function. I'll do a more personal writeup of the weakness for Julius for whichever one you choose.)

[ ] Ventrue

Description: The will to power drives every Ventrue from the moment of their Embrace until the final death. Pride is the besetting sin of every member of the Clan. In every city, every domain, in every covenant, you will find Ventrue among the leaders. They are the movers and shakers, the driving force behind almost every political activity among the Kindred. Often a member of another clan will attempt to rise to a position of power only to discover that all her plots and plans have been anticipated, manipulated and, ultimately countered by a rival Ventrue. The Ventrue are born to win at all costs.

Weakness: Power corrupts, and among the Ventrue, even the thirst for power can corrode an ambitious Kindred's moral bearings. Over time, some Ventrue grow paranoid, ever more wary of rivals' desires (real or imagined) for their own holdings. Others become willing to do whatever it takes to acquire the smallest iota of additional power. Still others turn inward, delude themselves as to their ability and importance, or trouble their minds with other maladies.

Disciplines:

Animalism: Animalism is a versatile Discipline that gives its user the ability to communicate and control animals, as well as their inner beast.
Resilience: Resilience grants Kindred unearthly toughness.
Dominate: Dominate overwhelms another person's mind with the vampire's will, forcing victims to think or act according to the vampire's decree.

[ ] Mekhet

Description: The often called Shadows are superb spies and information gatherers. Stealthy and quick, masters of Auspex, the Mekhet are unsurpassed when it comes to uncovering the secrets of the world. They watch and hide, and the other clans don't seem to take much notice of them. Because Mekhet alone from the major clans have no powers of control over animals or people, they prefer to work in secret behind the scenes, via conspiracies and shadow cults.

Weakness: As creatures of darkness even more sensitive to light than most of the Damned, the Mekhet suffer certain banes of vampiric existence more acutely than do their fellow Kindred. Whenever Mekhet suffer damage from sunlight or fire, they take additional Aggravated damage from that source.

Disciplines:

Obfuscate: Obfuscate is a versatile Discipline that gives its user the power to cloud minds so as to become invisible, or better.
Auspex: Auspex grants a character superlative sensory capabilities.
Celerity: Celerity grants Kindred the ability to move at supernatural speeds, increasing their reflexes and improving their reaction time.

[ ] Gangrel

Description: Gangrel are consummate survivors. Though stereotyped as primitive and uncultured, they are the Kindred Clan best adapted to the rigors of existing outside the comforts of a city, outside "The Gilded Cage." Nicknamed Savages, the Gangrel are far more honorable than such a cognomen would imply. Self-reliant and courageous, their shape-changing Discipline of Protean is a prime example of their ability to adapt to survive.

Weakness: As befits their sobriquet, the Gangrel are more closely tied to their Beasts than are other Kindred. The more they feel the call of the Beast, the more bestial they become, and the more their minds become those of less principled animals.

Disciplines:

Protean: Protean is the Discipline of physical metamorphosis and transformation.
Animalism: Animalism is a versatile Discipline that gives its user the ability to communicate and control animals, as well as their inner beast.
Resilience: Resilience grants Kindred unearthly toughness.

[ ] Lasombra

Description: The Lasombra exist for their own success, fighting for personal victories rather than solely for a crown to wear or a throne to sit upon. They believe that might makes right, and are willing to sacrifice anything to achieve their goals. A clan that uses spirituality as a tool rather than seeking honest enlightenment, their fickle loyalties are currently highlighted by half their clan's defection from the Sabbat.

Weakness: Whether from their tendency to select particularly ruthless mortals for the Embrace or that something gnawing at their psyche, Lasombra vampires tend toward the inhuman, regardless of sect or unlifestyle. Something just seems off about them and Lasombra who care about their sanity must be extra careful, lest their Beast take another bite out of their Humanity

Disciplines:

Vigor: Vigor is the Discipline that endows vampires with physical vigor and preternatural strength.
Obtenebration: Obtenebration is the unearthly control over shadows.
Dominate: Dominate overwhelms another person's mind with the vampire's will, forcing victims to think or act according to the vampire's decree.

[ ] Toreador

Description: The Degenerates are responsible for the legends of vampires who seduce and entice their prey with beauty, love and sensuality. Famous and infamous as a clan of artists and innovators, they are one of the bastions of the Camarilla, as their very survival depends on the facades of civility and grace on which the sect prides itself.

Weakness: The curse of the Toreador is that they feel too much — sometimes literally — of the sensations around them. Especially in intimate moments such as feeding, a Diva physically suffers the agony they inflict on a mortal, damage to their dead bodies mimicking the harm inflicted on the vessel. When a Toreador vampire feeding causes damage to a mortal, the vampire suffers similar (usually Aggravated) damage in return, though a single feeding cannot cause fatal damage. The damage takes the form of involuntary internal bleeding, the vampire exhibiting vivid bruising in whatever spot matches the bite location on the victim.

Disciplines:

Auspex: Auspex grants a character superlative sensory capabilities.
Celerity: Celerity grants Kindred the ability to move at supernatural speeds, increasing their reflexes and improving their reaction time.
Majesty: Majesty is the Kindred Discipline of preternatural charisma and charm.

[X] Banu Haqim

Description: The Judges of the Banu Haqim are torn between their hereditary thirst for vampiric Blood and their passion for justice. Stern adjudicators, they are fiercely devoted to upholding a moral code, and Embrace mortals capable of assessing and handling threats, enforcing laws and traditions, and punishing transgressors. Regardless of the individual Banu Haqim's stance, they all adhere to some type of strict code, be it blood laws, personal ethics, governmental or religious rules. Nevertheless, that doesn't mean they are free of self-interest, and often such codes of conduct are a self-regulation method to keep in check their desire for Kindred blood.

Weakness: Banu Haqim are drawn to feed from those deserving punishment. This is especially true for vampire Blood, the very essence of transgression. When one of the Judges tastes the Blood of another vampire, they find it very hard to stop, requiring the expenditure of a willpower point lest they do their best to drain their victim dry.

Disciplines:

Obfuscate: Obfuscate is a versatile Discipline that gives its user the power to cloud minds so as to become invisible, or better.
Celerity: Celerity grants Kindred the ability to move at supernatural speeds, increasing their reflexes and improving their reaction time.
Ichor: Ichor is the Discipline of direct blood manipulation.

[ ] Tzimisce

Description: The Tzimisce have left the human condition behind gladly, and now focus on transcending the limitations of the vampiric state. At a casual glance or a brief conversation, a Tzimisce appears to be one of the more pleasant vampires. Polite, intelligent, and inquisitive, they seem a stark contrast to the howling Sabbat mobs or even the apparently more humane Brujah or Nosferatu. However, upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that this is merely a mask hiding something alien and monstrous.

Weakness: Just as many Tzimisce are deadly serious about their own haven and property, so are they compelled to treat that of others. A Tzimisce vampire entering someone else's home uninvited suffers severe distress and an almost physical desire to leave. A Tzimisce vampire wishing to enter a place of residence (homes and havens alike) uninvited must spend a Willpower and find all of their abilities weakened during their stay. The invitation must be made by someone who lives (or unlives) there, and thus only actual inhabited homes or havens fulfill this condition. The Tzimisce can freely enter public or abandoned buildings; and flats or apartments count as separate homes for this purpose.

Disciplines:

Auspex: Auspex grants a character superlative sensory capabilities.
Animalism: Animalism is a versatile Discipline that gives its user the ability to communicate and control animals, as well as their inner beast.
Vicissitude: Vicissitude is the Discipline that gives a Vampire the ability to permanently alter their own form, and others' as well, for weal or woe.

In addition to the disciplines under each of those, Julius will be given Celerity, Vigor, and Resilience, because all three physical disciplines are required in a setting like this. If he already has it from a clan, it doesn't stack or anything, so for most of those he'll have 5 disciplines at this step (the three physicals, plus the other two they have).

Yes, I'm aware that choosing Tzimisce would therefore come with one extra discipline, but that's also the most inhuman option on the list by a decent margin so it probably should come with the most power. To represent that, choosing Tzimisce will come with an automatic loss of 1 Humanity.

WoD/CoD savvy people might notice a little strangeness here, allow me to explain;
Quietus is kinda a mess and I don't love it, so I patched the holes with some other stuff (largely Sakti Pata), and that's what Ichor is.
Blood Bonds are absent because I didn't feel like writing about the hoard of blood junkies that would be made. It's already a strong ability and it gets way stronger when nobody else knows about it.

Voting will be open for two days (subject to extension if I don't get many votes), at which point I'll post a small update to open the voting for the rest of character creation… this is already pretty long. I'll be happy to answer any questions though!

This is my first quest, and I did make an account here just for it because google said this was the place to be for quests lol. Thanks to the guy who did the site tutorials, they were very helpful. ~~If I fucked up somehow lmk, i'm still kinda confused about threadmarks, and idk what tags to apply~~.

Dark Lord Zero · Apr 9, 2024

Alright, honestly I wasn't expecting Banu Haqim to win (especially not by such a landslide) but here we are. As promised, a more personal description for Julius (which will soon be edited into the OP as well):

Clan: Banu Haqim

Description: Julius is one of the Judges, a clan with a powerful predisposition towards Law, though it may not be mortal law, or anyone else's but his own. The early days after his embrace are likely to be even more turbulent than normal, as Julius finds himself increasingly unbalanced by his lack of such convictions, but once Julius finds a code worth devoting himself to he's likely to become very stalwart about it. Julius is most likely to desire to embrace mortals capable of assessing and handling threats, enforcing laws and traditions, and punishing transgressors. Those with personal competence and integrity, in other words. An honorable mafioso or clean cop might both be valid options to embrace, depending on what Julius' own moral code winds up being.

Weakness: Julius is drawn to feed from those deserving of punishment, either by his own code or whatever codes that person would normally be subject to (such as, for example, the United States legal code if they happen to be citizens of the United States). This is especially true for vampire Blood, the very essence of transgression. If Julius tastes the Blood of another vampire, he finds it very hard to stop, requiring the expenditure of a willpower point lest he do his best to drain his victim dry. This may also trigger for non-vampires with massive transgressions under their belt (serial killers, mass murderers, serial rapists, etc).

Now, for the 3 physical disciplines and the two others that the base Banu Haqim template comes with;

Obfuscate: Obfuscate is a versatile Discipline that gives its user the power to cloud minds so as to become invisible, or better.

First Level: Touch of Shadow
- Description:This first level of Obfuscate allows Julius to hide a single object from sight, unless someone actively searches for that specific item. "Specific" is very literal here — a character looking for "an Obfuscated book" does not find it, though if she's looking for "the Ordo Dracul Kogaion's handwritten and leather-bound copy of 17th-century rituals" and has seen it before, she would find it.
- Cost: Free
- Duration: One hour, though it can be ended early.
- Modifiers: It works best on items small enough to be hidden in a jacket or fit in a man's pants pocket, though it can be used on objects up to the size of an average human with only a bit of extra effort.
  - For the expenditure of a Vitae it can be used on items up to the size of a car.
  - For the expenditure of a Willpower point, it can also be used to hide areas of unfilled space, like an open window, or a peephole.
- These two effects are separate, but can be used together (such as to hide a section of hallway).

Ichor: Ichor is the Discipline of direct blood manipulation.

First Level: Blood Essence
- Description: Blood Essence demonstrates one of the most frightening aspects of this Discipline: the ability to distill the essence of a being into their "heart's blood," the holy or unholy life force that contains a being's soul. To use it, Julius must have the target entirely incapacitated, and then he concentrates his spent vitae into a few drops on the target's chest, near their heart. That blood will seep into the target, damaging them very painfully, until it reaches their heart. Once it has done that, Julius can tear open their chest and pull their heart out at his leisure. Said heart has calcified into a semi-translucent grayish-white flask known as a "Debitum," which endures indefinitely. The Debitum enshrouds the spiritual essence (the "heart's-blood") of the victim-which, if examined in detail, can be seen encased within, swimming in despair. If vampiric fangs pierce it, the heart reanimates, pumping a cupful of celadon-colored, aqueous, non-burning flame vaguely resembling the victim into the vampire's maw. Doing so counts as diablerizing the victim (see below). A Debitum crumbles to ash if left vulnerable to fire or sunlight, or when emptied of its contents, all of which free the soul within.
- Cost: 1 Vitae and 1 Willpower
- Duration: Permanent
- Modifiers: None.

Celerity: Celerity grants Kindred the ability to move at supernatural speeds, increasing their reflexes and improving their reaction time.

All Levels: Celerity
- Description: The use of Celerity grants Julius the ability to move at supernatural speeds, increasing his reflexes and improving his reaction time, with each Discipline level granting him a greater degree of speed.
- Cost: 1 Vitae
- Duration: 1 Minute

Vigor: Vigor is the Discipline that endows vampires with physical vigor and preternatural strength.

All Levels: Vigor
- Description: Vigor allows Julius to strike opponents with the force of a falling boulder or speeding car; to lift enormous weights as though they were paper; to shatter concrete like glass; and to leap distances so great it might as well be flight.
- Cost: 1 Vitae
- Duration: 1 Hour

Resilience: Resilience grants Kindred unearthly toughness.

All Levels: Resilience
- Description: High Resilience makes Julius capable of walking through a hail of bullets, shrugging off even the most punishing blows, and even resisting the deadly claws and fangs of supernatural foes.
- Cost: 1 Vitae
- Duration: 1 Hour

You get all of those disciplines at Level One, but one of them comes with a little more. Vote for one to start at Level Two.

[X] Obfuscate
[ ] Ichor
[ ] Celerity
[ ] Vigor
[ ] Resilience

Next up, Bloodlines, and Julius is getting spoiled a bit here. Vote for 2 of them, each of which comes with an additional up and down side.

[ ] Vizir

Description: Viziers are the scholars and artisans of the clan. In many ways, they are similar to the Toreador, but while the Toreador become lost in contemplation, the viziers explode in frenzied creative activity.

Weakness: Viziers lust after knowledge or artistic perfection. They suffer from an obsessive-compulsive derangement that causes them to pursue their art with the tenacity of a pit bull. A Vizier in the throes of his derangement will pursue it to the exclusion of all other activities.

Boon: Gain the Majesty Discipline. Adds additional uses for some Ichor powers.

[X] Sorcerer

Description: Scholars and mages who've been practicing magic for so long that it's ingrained in their very blood and soul, a supernatural beacon passed from sire to childer.

Weakness: Their weakness comes from their lust for magical power. A Sorcerer's aura is so stained with magic that there is little way to mistake him for anything else. They also have trouble using powers to hide themselves due to their blazing auras.

Boon: Gain access to Blood Sorcery. Adds additional uses for some Ichor powers.

[ ] Iltani

Description: Dark sorcerers and subtle assassins, members of the Iltani bloodline are as clever, spiteful and venomous as snakes. They operate in stealth and secrecy, and are masterful manipulators and deceivers. Vipers are unusually adept at controlling their own emotions, and they cling to their anger in death, fueling and transforming its corrosive energy to suit their own purposes. A vampire meeting an Iltani for the first time could never hope to see or understand the depth of the seething anger that is forever just beneath the surface of her stoic gaze – at least, not unless she chooses to unleash her fury.

Weakness: An Iltani's Beast makes her blood seethe with anger and resentment, and never misses a chance to try and seize control, especially when the Iltani is making heavy use of their Disciplines.

Boon: Gain access to Merges Sorcery, and gain Animalism.

[ ] Anvari

Description: The bloodline traces is origins to Sepehr Anvari, a Persian opium merchant in what is now Baghdad. Anvari was Embraced by an opium-addicted sire, and he himself found his clients to be an easy and abundant source of blood. His childer followed the opium trade around the world, pushed nearly to extinction where it was suppressed and flourishing where it ran wild. Bearers of this blood suffer obsession with altered states, whether for themselves or by inflicting them upon others.

Weakness: Anvari only gain half vitae if they attempt to feed on a human who is not currently intoxicated by an opium derivative or synthetic substitute (morphine, heroin, oxycodone, etc.)... though someone intoxicated by Nepenthe also counts. Of course, Anvari also experiences the effect of the drugs after feeding, which can leave them vulnerable.

Boon: Gain Nepenthe, a pseudo-discipline that mimics the feelings produced by drugs, specifically opiates and derived drugs such as Ecstasy or heroin, though it can also be used to inflict sobriety.

[ ] Gehim

Description: Risen from the twisted households of the Austrian aristocracy, the Geheim seem to outsiders equal parts depraved extended family, bizarre esoteric society and cunning aristocrats. The Geheim are notorious hedonists, and their tradition of experimentation with vampiric vitae makes them prone to vitae addiction. Their younger generation is largely composed of corporate climbers and crime lords, a far cry from their aristocratic origins.

Weakness: The Geheim refuse to deny their hunger and believe that no others should deny it either. A member of the line does not regain Willpower during her daysleep if she failed to feed the night prior. For the following night she is irritable, and has a harder time resisting the Beast because of that anger, though this penalty fades once Vitae has been consumed. Additionally, it's easier than normal for the Gehim to fall into addiction.

Boon: Gain Blut Alchemie, a pseudo-discipline that can be used to discover properties of the blood and, more importantly, transmute and concoct with the blood. Additionally, gain access to more general blood alchemy.

[X] Annunaku

Description: The Landlords are fiercely territorial. They see the land and anyone who dwells there as their property, to dispose of as they wish--meaning they can be simultaneously terrifying tyrants and fiercely protective against outside threats. They can be extremely gracious to guests, but brutal against intruders, and it takes very little for someone to slip from one category to the other.

Weakness: The Annunnaku find themselves significantly uncomfortable when not in their own demesne, such that they underperform a little at pretty much everything. If the territory is friendly they might be less impacted, and similarly being accompanied by a dear companion can also lessen it, but it can never be fully nullified.

Boon: Gain Estate, a Discipline that supernaturally connects a Kindred to their domain, for a myriad of effects.

[ ] Lygos

Description: Light is noise. Darkness is the absence of that noise. At least, that's how the Lygos lineage see it. To them, the darkness is pure. They are ribbons of shadow deeper than the shades of night itself. Light is garish. It does not reveal: it only confuses. They worship the darkness. It is a living thing, to them. It has no name, and it has no face, but it is a real thing, an encompassing entity deserving of veneration. A Lygos whispers prayers and entreaties to the darkness to keep them safe if not sane. He begs the darkness to swallow his enemies. He might even leave little treats and baubles behind as gifts for the shadows, and none are surprised when those trifles go missing by moonrise the next night.

Weakness: Lygos are not merely comfortable in the darkness: light is physically disorienting to them. Their perception of light is synesthetic, so a bright light may also be experienced as a piercing noise or unpleasant crawling of the skin.

Boon: Gain Auspex and Nightmare.

[ ] Volgirre (Can only be chosen if you also choose Vizir)

Description: The darkly beautiful Volgirre were experts in the blackest pursuits of art, employing Vicissitude to produce twisted and horrific works of repugnant beauty.

Weakness: The members of this bloodline are as much prisoners of their artistic vision and sensitivity as they are its beneficiaries. They are often overcome by the beauty they see around them and can become immobilized with fascination. Such things as masterwork paintings, particularly artful neon signs, or even sunrises can captivate them... though so can artful blood spatters, beautifully mutilated corpses, or other, more horrific, forms of art. Breaking free quickly requires spending willpower.

Boon: Gain Vicissitude.

[ ] Xi Dundu (Can only be chosen if you also choose Lygos)

Description: Taking their name from the Bavili word for "shadow", the Xi Dundu originally hailed from the Congo until a rite gone wrong forced them from their homelands. The Xi Dundu are aggressive overall, and seek to supplant the Guruhi as the Laibon rulers of Africa. Ambitious, sneaky, and able to adapt to non-traditional situations, the Xi Dundu may very well pull it off. Those prized for Embrace include the ruthless, shrewd, and manipulative from any background.

Weakness: The weakness of the Xi Dundu is similar to the Lasombra weakness of casting no reflection; the Xi Dundu cast no shadow of any sort. They also must not be touched by their native soil when they rest else they are greatly weakened; this is perhaps a further reflection of their original banishing.

Boon: Gain Obtenebration.

Vampires Julius embraces may be given one of those bloodlines, or none, but never both.

And lastly, there's a few miscellaneous options. Unlike the above options, you may be able to gain these later, through other means, if you refuse them now.

A Touch of Madness

[ ] A Touch of Madness - Yes
[X] A Touch of Madness - No

This will give Julius a touch of madness, enabling the Dementation discipline, which draws on the vampire's own insanity and uses it to achieve profound insights or inflict madness upon others. The cost of that should be clear.

A Bloody Bargain

[ ] A Bloody Bargain - Yes
[X] A Bloody Bargain - No

This will start Julius out having been gifted a pact with a mysterious being who only appears in reflections; granting Julius access to Ars Speculorum, a pseudo-discipline that grants Julius power over (and eventually, through) mirrors and reflections. Aside from the vitae cost to use this discipline, there appears to be no downside.

Pseudo-Disciplines function the same as Disciplines, except they only go to Level 5, instead of Level 10 like full disciplines do.

Estate is the culmination of several location-based VTR disciplines being smashed together into a single full discipline.

Yes, most of those bloodlines aren't actually Banu Haqim bloodlines, but I wanted some variety so I stole them for you. They all fit the theme enough for our purposes.

As before, I'll do a more personal writeup for whichever bloodlines you pick.

Dark Lord Zero · Apr 12, 2024

Flash Vote: Julius' background

[X] Picking Up The Slack

Julius and his mom were never well off (and his father died years ago to cancer), but they usually manged to scrape by where it counted; enough to keep Julius in school and the lights on. Recently his mom was injured in a drive by, and the medical bills (plus her inability to work while at home in recovery) have pushed Julius into an ironic method of making ends meet, until now.

[ ] Lone Wolf

Julius and his mom were never well off (and his father died years ago to cancer), but they usually manged to scrape by where it counted; enough to keep Julius in school and the lights on. Recently his mom was killed in a drive by, leaving Julius alone in the world and without a source of income. This pushed Julius into an ironic method of survival... until now.

[ ] Write In (Requires my approval)

I had a background in mind, but now that you point it out to me, this is also the kind of thing we should be voting on.

This vote will be open for 24 hours.

Dark Lord Zero · Apr 13, 2024

Julius Montgomory

Background: Julius and his mom were never well off (and his father died years ago to cancer), but they usually manged to scrape by where it counted; enough to keep Julius in school and the lights on. Recently his mom was injured in a drive by, and the medical bills (plus her inability to work while at home in recovery) have pushed Julius into an ironic method of making ends meet, until now.

Clan: Banu Haqim

Description: Julius is one of the Judges, a clan with a powerful predisposition towards Law, though it may not be mortal law, or anyone else's but his own. The early days after his embrace are likely to be even more turbulent than normal, as Julius finds himself increasingly unbalanced by his lack of such convictions, but once Julius finds a code worth devoting himself to he's likely to become very stalwart about it. Julius is most likely to desire to embrace mortals capable of assessing and handling threats, enforcing laws and traditions, and punishing transgressors. Those with personal competence and integrity, in other words. An honorable mafioso or clean cop might both be valid options to embrace, depending on what Julius' own moral code winds up being.

Weakness: Julius is drawn to feed from those deserving of punishment, either by his own code or whatever codes that person would normally be subject to (such as, for example, the United States legal code if they happen to be citizens of the United States). This is especially true for vampire Blood, the very essence of transgression. If Julius tastes the Blood of another vampire, he finds it very hard to stop, requiring the expenditure of a willpower point lest he do his best to drain his victim dry. This may also trigger for non-vampires with massive transgressions under their belt (serial killers, mass murderers, serial rapists, etc).

First Bloodline: Sorcerer

Description: Though he hadn't touched the occult even once before his death, Julius has been infused with the power of blood sorcery, and has consequently gained a new interest in the occult.

Weakness: Julius' aura (and thus his soul) is so stained with magic that there is little way to mistake him for anything else but a sorcerer. He also tends to have trouble using powers to hide himself due to his blazing aura resisting concealment.

Second Bloodline: Annunaku

Description: Julius has become both territorial and more assertive, seeing his territory and anyone who dwells there as his. How he treats his territory and his people is up in the air as of now, but whether his leadership is as silk or iron will not change the fact that he will abide no other true authority in his territory. A lord loves guests but hates intruders, and Julius is no exception, though the line between those can be blurry for others.

Weakness: Julius finds himself significantly uncomfortable when not in his own demesne, such that he will underperform a bit at pretty much everything. If the territory is friendly to him he might be less impacted, and similarly being accompanied by a dear companion can also lessen it, but it can never be fully nullified.

General Vampire Powers/Mechanics

Healing and Damage
Julius can easily heal himself of injuries by burning vitae to allow his dead flesh and bones to repair themselves, although some wounds, such as those inflicted by fire or sunlight, can only be healed slowly and with great effort. (Healing damage takes 1 Vitae and takes a few seconds, Healing Aggravated damage takes 5 Vitae and takes the whole night).
This quest will not have a health bar; damage to Julius will be handled narratively, as will him possibly losing combat. You can assume that one heal, once paid, will fully heal him over the duration. If he is defeated by non-aggravated damage, he enters Torpor. If he is defeated with Aggravated damage, such as fire or sunlight, he suffers final death.

The Kiss

Julius is also able to subdue his prey with an intoxicating effect known as the Kiss, a flood of pleasure and lassitude that overcomes anyone he bites. Mortals in the throes of the Kiss are almost physically incapable of fighting back or doing anything but giving in to the overwhelming sensations; even other impressive beings, while not necessarily incapacitated, have trouble resisting the physical bliss. Additionally, bite wounds are special in that they can be easily closed with just a lick from Julius, so long as he's in control and has the time to do so. [/SPOILER]

Ghouling and The Embrace

Feeding his vitae to mortals while they are still living can create immortal ghoul servants to aid him during daylight hours and in the human world, and feeding vitae to a dying mortal results in the Embrace, allowing him to create a new vampire, though that act is spiritually taxiing in the extreme. (Creating a Ghoul takes 1 Vitae and 1 Willpower, Embracing a new Vampire takes 1 Vitae and 1 Willpower, and reduces your maximum willpower by 1 permanently)

Blush of Life

Julius can force Vitae into his outer tissues to give his skin a lifelike flush, called the Blush of Life, and to force his heart to beat and his lungs to inhale and exhale in a normal rhythm. Kindred who want to engage in sexual intercourse — perhaps to feed upon a suitably distracted mortal vessel, or perhaps for simple pleasure — can force blood to the appropriate section of anatomy as well. (This costs 1 Vitae and lasts a few hours at most)

False Consumption

Normally Julius automatically vomits up any food or drink he consumes immediately. If he wishes to consume food or drink, must spend a Vitae. This is in addition to the "blush of life" a character may have already paid during the course of the scene, though these are entirely separate abilities. Before the end of the night, Julius noisily, messily, and bloodily eliminates the consumed matter by way of regurgitation, so it's best to make sure that no one's around to see Julius when that happens. (This costs 1 vitae and lasts a few hours at most)

Lost Visage

Lost Visage distorts Julius' appearance in mirrors, reflective surfaces, photographs, and even video over CCTV or film. His image distorts gradually over the first three nights after his Embrace until it becomes unrecognizable. He can make his reflection or images momentarily clear, but it requires a degree of mental concentration (spending a willpower). In the case of photographs and video, the picture will remain clear only while Julius concentrates, before it blurs again. Vocal recordings are not affected by this power. Any recordings made after his Embrace are automatically funny distorted, and he always appears blurred in mirrors and other reflections.

Vitae and Willpower

Vitae is a unit measuring Julius' stolen blood and the power contained within. He spends 1 Vitae every night just to continue existing. You start with a maximum Vitae Pool of 10, but will be able to increase that later (see Blood Potency). There is no inherent punishment for Julius' Vitae Pool reaching 0 during the night, aside from him being at risk of a Hunger Frenzy, but if he goes to sleep with 0 fall into Torpor.

Willpower is a unit measuring Julius' mental power, and is usually only spent on powers that require a lot of mental focus or to push through some debilitating effect. Julius starts with a maximum Willpower pool of 5, and might be able to increase that later. If his willpower reaches 0, Julius blacks out and falls unconscious. If his maximum willpower reaches 0, Julius burns out his soul and becomes a drauger as if he had reached Humanity 0.

Humanity and The Beast

The change from life to undeath affected more than just Julius' body. It changed his soul. Julius shares his human consciousness with The Beast, a force completely opposite to humanity; a thing devoid of reason, conscience or any emotions except hunger and rage. In times of extreme duress the Beast can overwhelm Julius and force him into a state of pure animalistic drive out of rage, fear, or hunger.

Julius' Humanity measures the strength and integrity of his soul, the reasoning part, the only part which keeps the Beast from taking over and turning him forever into a draugr. If he finds his Humanity decreasing, he'll face an increasing inability to interact socially with normal people, except through intimidation and Disciplines. Low Humanity also limits his ability to function, even merely to remain awake, during the day (such as if he were to awaken while being attacked in his sleep). Julius' Humanity starts at 7, and can be raised to a maximum of 10. He becomes a mindless draugr at humanity 0, which is the death of his soul, though not his body.

Julius stands to lose Humanity when he experiences a breaking point; an extreme psychological stresser. They can vary widely, but often occur when he performs certain actions or endures certain experiences (often traumatic in eithe rcase) that outstrip his ability to rationalize or handle.

Blood Potency

The trait that determines how deep Julius' Vitae pool is, as well as what he can gain sustanance from. At low levels, his vitae pool is limited to 10, but he can feed on animals or drink bagged blood if he must. At high levels, he might only gain vitae from superhuman beings, but in exchange might be able to hold three or more times as much vitae. Additionally, high blood potency will increase the potency of his Disciplines and reduce their Vitae cost, but will exacerbate his clan/bloodline weaknesses. [/SPOILER]

Torpor

The word torpor refers to the state of deep slumber that vampires enter into for prolonged periods of time. Torpor may be entered into voluntarily, such as when one seeks to escape the monotony of eternal life and awaken in a different age, or, more commonly, involuntarily if Julius starves, is staked (with a wooden stake), or suffers damage sufficient to kill a mortal. The amount of time he spends in torpor depends on the reason for hibernating, his Humanity, and his Blood Potency, ranging from one day at the shortest and five centuries at the longest.

During this time his body swiftly dries out and takes on the appearance of being mummified. The skin contracts around the bones, the eyes dry out and sink into their sockets, hair become fine and brittle. The muscles of one's mouth retreat, forming a rictus around the teeth. To all appearances, Julius is a long dead corpse.

Diablerie

Consuming the hearts blood of another being always costs 1 Humanity. Drinking the soul of another vampire would permanently enhance Julius' own vampiric power. Drinking the soul of some other type of being... who knows what that would do? Do note, however, that only vampires can be diablerized just by drinking them dry; other beings will require you to use Blood Essence to capture their soul first.

Disciplines, Psuedo-Disciplines, and Devotions
Disciplines are the supernatural powers of vampire folklore; things like shapeshifting, invisibility, super speed and strength, and more. There are many, though Julius doens't have access to all of them. They often require the expenditure of Vitae, Willpower, or both. Most disciplines have 10 levels, each of which comes with a new power in addition to making all uses of that discipline more potent. Psuedo-Disciplines function the same, except they only have 5 levels.

Devotions are stand-alone powers, which require and build off of the powers gained from Disciplines. For example, Animalism Level 4 comes with the power to possess an animal. If someone wanted to be sure they couldn't be detected in that animal, there's a Devotion that requires Animalism 4 and Obfuscate 3, which makes the vampire undetectable to supernatural perception while posessing an animal. Most devotions require a combination of 2 disciplines, though some can require more.

Blood Sorcery
Blood Sorcery is different from Disciplines, and even Devotions, both of which come naturally (almost instinctually) to Julius as he grows in power. Blood Sorcery requires study, research, exparimentation, materials, time, and a lot of blood. Blood Sorcery uses a system of paths and rituals to focus the thaumaturge's will. Paths are learned expressions of thaumaturgical principles developed into reliable, repeatable effects. Paths have 5 levels, much like pseudo-disciplines.

Rituals, by contrast, are elaborate, sophisticated and codified instructions for producing set magical effects. Rituals vary in complexity, and require varying levels of thaumaturgical knowledge to complete successfully. They often require the trappings of Hermetic magic – circles drawn in chalk, locks of the victim's hair, meditation, chanting ancient words of power, and the like. Rituals can take hours, days or even months to perform, but - if successfully completed - will always produce the same result.

Disciplines:

Obfuscate:
Obfuscate is a versatile Discipline that gives its user the power to cloud minds so as to become invisible, or better.

Touch of Shadow
Description:This first level of Obfuscate allows Julius to hide a single object from sight, unless someone actively searches for that specific item. "Specific" is very literal here — a character looking for "an Obfuscated book" does not find it, though if she's looking for "the Ordo Dracul Kogaion's handwritten and leather-bound copy of 17th-century rituals" and has seen it before, she would find it.
Cost: Free
Duration: One hour, though it can be ended early.
Modifiers: It works best on items small enough to be hidden in a jacket or fit in a man's pants pocket, though it can be used on objects up to the size of an average human with only a bit of extra effort.
- For the expenditure of a Vitae it can be used on items up to the size of a car.
- For the expenditure of a Willpower point, it can also be used to hide areas of unfilled space, like an open window, or a peephole.
These two effects are separate, but can be used together (such as to hide a section of hallway).

Mask of Tranquility
Description: Julius' beast hides itself well, making it very difficult for other beings to sense the beast within him. Those who can discern auras/souls are also likely to fail to register Julius as undead; his aura is no different from a mortal's (the colors are not pale like a normal Kindred's).
Cost: Free
Duration: Until deactivated.
Modifiers: None
Note: This does not counter the Sorcerer Bloodline weakness; it just means when people sense you through powers, they'll see you as a mortal sorcerer instead of a vampire sorcerer.

Estate:
Estate is a Discipline that supernaturally connects a Kindred to their domain, for a myriad of effects.

The Web Speaks
Description: Julius knows automatically when the boundary around his property has been crossed, even if he's in daysleep or torpor. Additionally, he can automatically distinguish if the tresspassor is another vampire or not, and can even sense flying or incorporeal tresspassors (though he may not be able to do anything about them).
Cost: Free
Duration: Until deactivated.
Modifiers: None.

Ichor:
Ichor is the Discipline of direct blood manipulation.

Blood Essence
Description: Blood Essence demonstrates one of the most frightening aspects of this Discipline: the ability to distill the essence of a being into their "heart's blood," the holy or unholy life force that contains a being's soul. To use it, Julius must have the target entirely incapacitated, and then he concentrates his spent vitae into a few drops on the target's chest, near their heart. That blood will seep into the target, damaging them very painfully, until it reaches their heart. Once it has done that, Julius can tear open their chest and pull their heart out at his leisure. Said heart has calcified into a semi-translucent grayish-white flask known as a "Debitum," which endures indefinitely. The Debitum enshrouds the spiritual essence (the "heart's-blood") of the victim-which, if examined in detail, can be seen encased within, swimming in despair. If vampiric fangs pierce it, the heart reanimates, pumping a cupful of celadon-colored, aqueous, non-burning flame vaguely resembling the victim into the vampire's maw. Doing so counts as diablerizing the victim (see below). A Debitum crumbles to ash if left vulnerable to fire or sunlight, or when emptied of its contents, all of which free the soul within.
Cost: 1 Vitae and 1 Willpower
Duration: Permanent
Modifiers: None.

Celerity:
Celerity grants Kindred the ability to move at supernatural speeds, increasing their reflexes and improving their reaction time.

Celerity
Description: The use of Celerity grants Julius the ability to move at supernatural speeds, increasing his reflexes and improving his reaction time, with each Discipline level granting him a greater degree of speed.
Cost: 1 Vitae
Duration: 1 Minute

Vigor:
Vigor is the Discipline that endows vampires with physical vigor and preternatural strength.

Vigor
Description: The use of Vigor grants Julius more physical might, with each Discipline level granting him a greater degree of strength.
Cost: 1 Vitae
Duration: 1 Hour

Resilience:
Resilience grants Kindred unearthly toughness.

Resilience
Description: The use of Resilience makes Julius more resistant to damage, with each Discipline level granting him a greater degree of durability.
Cost: 1 Vitae
Duration: 1 Hour

Devotions:

None Yet.

Blood Sorcery Paths:

None Yet.

Blood Sorcery Rituals:

None Yet.

Current 'Stats':

Maximum Vitae: 10
Maximum Willpower: 5
Humanity: 7
Blood Potency: 1

Dark Lord Zero · Apr 13, 2024

Vitae: 0/10
Willpower: 3/5

Julius came back to consciousness cold, pained, and hungry. The first thing he registered was the knife in his chest, and the man holding it, looking down on Julius with a horrified expression.

The second thing was how ravenously hungry he felt; as if he hadn't eaten in a week. It was a level of starvation the boy had never experienced… and above him, just starting to regather his wits, was something that smelled deliciously like food.

A mere second after Julius opened his eyes, the man tried to pull away, but Julius was losing to the beast he hadn't even been aware of, and he immediately pulled the man back in. Before the poor confused medical examiner could do anything but try and push off the weirdly strong teenager, Julius had his fangs in the man's neck, and his struggles ceased immediately.

It was the sweetest thing Julius had ever tasted, and even as the man's heartbeat became more frantic in response to the blood loss, Julius almost couldn't bring himself to contemplate stopping.

+3 Vitae (3/10)

[ ] Let your Frenzy run its course; finish your food to sate your hunger. (+3 more Vitae for 6/10)

[ ] Take back control and stop drinking; if you take any more he's going to die. (-1 Willpower)

After coming back to his senses, standing over the medical examiner, Julius couldn't help but pause to examine himself. He was paler than before; going from a light but healthy skin tone to something a few steps away from paper-white. He was naked, probably because his clothes had been moved to evidence, which made it easy to see that he wasn't breathing.

It also made it easy to see the bullet holes in his body, and the vertical cut wherein the medical examiner had been intending to cut him open. A deep feeling of discomfort pervaded Julius at the sight of his own wounded body (wounds which only hurt collectively about as much as stubbing his toe, which was painful, but not nearly as much as it should have been)... and as if in response to his displeasure, he felt the blood in his body shift around.

Moments later, his body was unblemished. No holes, no cuts.

Healing: -1 Vitae.

He did, however, have a little something on one of his big toes, which he pulled off to read. John Doe.

Julius snorted. Leaving his wallet and phone at home had definitely been the right call.

Still, he couldn't go outside naked. Glancing around, the only solution he saw was the poor medical examiner… who was only a little bigger than Julius. A full body scrub-suit wasn't exactly a good disguise for most places, but it would be fine here until he could find the locker rooms.

Julius chose to leave the poor guy at least a little dignity, and left him his underwear.

Finding the locker room only took a few minutes of poking around. Shockingly, the lockers were locked, which posed a bit of a problem. He'd gotten lucky earlier, whoever that guy was had shut the door already, which kept most of the sound in, so nobody heard Julius' freakout.

The locker room didn't have a solid door though, so if Julius just broke into one of these lockers (and he was pretty sure he could, he felt stronger than he ever had) there was a good chance the sound would carry. He paused for the moment, to consider if it was worth it.

It was, he decided a few moments later. A normal outfit would let him blend in in the outside world, whereas scrubs would keep attention on him all the way home. He might even get lucky and find a set of keys in one of the lockers. Besides, the alarm would be up soon when they found that medical examiner from earlier.

He kicked a locker, and left a sizable dent. The sound echoed out, and it would probably take several more hits like that to make real progress. A spike of fear went through Julius at the idea of having to run with nothing to show for it.

Once again, he felt the blood in his veins shift around, as if responding to his fear.

Activating Vigor: -1 Vitae

A manic grin split Julius' face as he felt the power rushing through his veins. The aluminum door of the locker was suddenly barely an obstacle; one good kick smashed it in, and it was no effort at all to rip it back out with the newly created handholds. Inside he found everything he'd hoped for; a set of civilian clothes, complete with a set of keys and even a wallet.

He grabbed them and booked it. He'd be exiting hot, but it would be at least a minute or two before any of the cops could get moving, and that was more than enough time for him to get the distance he would need to disappear… hopefully. If not, the covering nature of the outfit (which includes a medical mask and cap) would keep him from being identified while he fought his way out.

He couldn't go to jail; mom needed him.

Getting out of a morgue wasn't particularly hard, even in Gotham. Most security was designed to keep people out.

When he got outside, holding his stolen bundle, he confirmed that the police were not here yet. Then he pushed the unlock button on the keyfob he'd stolen, and a nearby car beeped. A white honda civic, and not a particularly new one either. It was perfect.

Julius quickly got in, and got going. The car wouldn't be useful for long; whoever was responding to the call would quickly be told that they were looking for a white honda civic.

And since Julius wasn't one of the many people paying off the cops, they would actually probably respond to the morgue's call at the speed they were supposed to.

He made it a few blocks away before finding an alley to pull into. Once there, he changed, then got out and locked the car with the keys inside. And the guy's wallet, sans bills.

He'd need the cash to pick up the bus ticket to home; the best thing about their apartment building, hands down, was having a bus stop twenty feet from the lobby doors. The Gotham Metropolitan Bus System (affectionately referred to as gumbus by many residents of the city) ran 24/7, though with less buses active at night. Between them mostly sticking to larger roads and most people paying for the bus with a metrocard rather than cash, robbing them was even less worthwhile than sticking up a gas station.

Glancing back at the car… something tugged at his instincts. It would be really nice if he had a tarp or something to cover the car with, keep the fuzz of his trail for longer. They were behind now, but they would catch up soon, and any extra time would be appreciated. There was nothing around that would work, though.

But maybe, maybe he could hide it magically? His new… condition… responded to his need for healing, and his need for strength, maybe it could hide the car too?

[ ] Use Touch of Shadow on the car, to confuse anyone pursuing you. (-1 Vitae)

[ ] Don't bother, as long as you keep your lead there won't be an issue.

(This vote will be open until tomorrow night.)

Dark Lord Zero · Apr 14, 2024

Vitae: 1/10
Willpower: 2/5

Julius shook his head and turned away from the car. Even if he could hide the car, it would probably take some of his energy, and he was almost as hungry as when he woke up. He couldn't risk being that hungry at home… he barely remembered attacking that man, as if he'd been possessed by his new hunger, but at least he managed to stop himself in the end.

Unfortunately, Julius didn't know the bus route by heart, especially not over here in the diamond district. They usually had maps at the bus stops, but that still meant Julius had to find one before he could plot the way home.

Keeping a lookout for a bus stop, Julius kept moving away from where he'd stashed the car, quickly but still trying to make it look casual. He was too nervous to pull it off properly, but it was early morning in Gotham; the other pedestrians around weren't paying attention to him.

Sirens were a common sound in Gotham, especially once the sun goes down, and as a civilian he'd mostly gotten used to tuning them out. Even with his dip into crime, he hadn't been too stressed about it for a variety of reasons. It was only now, after all the events of this night, that those sirens made him feel hunted.

And they were getting closer… or that's what it felt like to Julius.

He picked up the pace in response.

Soon enough he got lucky and stumbled across a bus stop. It was probably risky to just sit down and stop moving, though. Approaching and checking the schedule revealed that the next gumbus would be here in five minutes… if it was on time. They were usually late, but the roads were less busy in the middle of the night, so he couldn't imagine that the bus would be more than five or ten minutes late.

He walked right by the stop, and kept moving. He didn't have the time to wait and pray the gumbus showed up before the cops; not when they already knew what outfit he stole.

Half a dozen panicked plans flew through his head as he moved; from carjacking someone and dumping it when he had a smaller walk, to circling back around to his own car and hotwiring it (he didn't know exactly how to do that, but it looked easy in the movies), to just finding a way to get a new outfit and taking the bus (there was probably a homeless man somewhere who would trade clothes with him), and more.

None of them were good plans, there was some hole or flaw in all of them (some of those flaws much bigger than others). Not to mention, he was still really hungry, and that wasn't helping him think clearly.

In the middle of his brainstorming, he got lucky. A pair of drunk men came out of a bar he was passing by. They weren't wasted, but they were both somewhat unsteady, and Julius still had Vigor active. They probably wouldn't even remember what happened, if he let them live, between the alcohol and the sudden anemia.

Julius couldn't help but wonder if, by drinking blood that had alcohol in it, he would intoxicate himself too. He was almost too hungry to care, though.

[ ] Drag both of them into a nearby alley and drink what he can from them without risking them as much as he did the medical examiner. (+4 Vitae)

[ ] Pass them by, the risk of intoxication is too much, even as the Beast churns unhappily within.

Just before Julius fully passed the bar, his brain finally clocked the opportunity sitting out front.

A bike rack, with bikes in it.

Sure, they were regular peddle bikes, but Julius had more strength than ever to peddle with. Just as importantly, even without Vigor Julius was pretty sure he could get a Master lock open, which at least three of the bikes were using.

Seriously, he followed a youtuber whose whole shtick was opening locks by hitting them with other locks.

With Vigor? Julius only took a few minutes to get one of them open. Most of that time was spent being confused about why it wasn't working, and he got it almost immediately after remembering that some locks needed to have the shackle compressed before they became vulnerable to blunt force.

At least nobody was around to see that, he thought as he set off on his new stolen bike.

Walking would have taken too long, but with the speed he could bike at now, getting home was much less a concern, and outpacing any cops who would have been looking for someone on foot would be much easier too. Probably.

Still, he had to pick a route to take. He could go directly home, as directly as someone can in a city, or he could take a less direct route. Given that he could bike pretty fast right now, going directly there would leave him with some extra time before dawn. A less direct route would make tracking him harder if the cops got this far in the investigation, but he would probably not have time to do much more than block off his windows and barricade his door before dawn.

Even Julius, as uninterested in the occult as he had been before now, was pretty sure that those with his condition had to sleep while the sun was up.

At least mom wouldn't be up until well past dawn, so that was one obstacle put off.

[ ] Less direct route home, a final push to keep investigators off of him.

[ ] More direct route home, so he has time to do some other preparation before dawn.

This vote will be open until tomorrow night.

Dark Lord Zero · Apr 15, 2024

Vitae: 1/10
Willpower: 2/5

Julius had only partaken in a little bit of underage drinking in his time; just the few times Cody had badgered his older brother into buying some drinks for their friend group, but he still knew what intoxication felt like.

After drinking from the two drunk men, and leaving them passed out in the alley next to the bar, Julius discovered that apparently drinking contaminated blood would pass that contamination on to Julius. Not entirely; Julius knew what he was feeling wasn't the same as what he felt before when he got drunk, this was more like an echo of intoxication.

The warmth was muted, he noticed most of all, but it wasn't just that. Rather than feeling just being tipsy, he was feeling all the effects of actual drunkenness but muted down to the level of mere tipsiness. It was, so far, the weirdest part of his condition.

The second weirdest part, he discovered, was how he fed. He hadn't noticed with the ME because he hadn't really been in control, but now that he was drinking from these men, he realized that the people he fed on apparently enjoyed the experience. A lot.

While it soothed his worries some, to know that at least it wasn't painful, he suddenly had new hangups. Mainly, that he was just a bit uncomfortable with the sounds that guy made when his head was right next to Julius'.

Starting with that second man, he resolved to drink only from the wrist when he had to drink from men, which he found much less awkward.

Even weirder, Julius could apparently lick his bite wounds away. Some foreign instinct caused him to flick his tongue over the neck of the first man he drank, and the wound vanished. Even before that it had already been shrinking.

Julius couldn't remember if the bite he'd left on the medical examiner had vanished or not.

Regardless, he was feeling much less hungry, and it was wonderful.

+4 Vitae

He didn't think he did a good enough job of vanishing earlier, so he decided on a more circuitous route, cutting through Robinson Park to cross the finger river, and then once passed there using alleys and some of the rougher patches of the Upper East Side that he knew were less likely to have working cameras.

Julius wasn't a mastermind of evading pursuit, but he was pretty sure this was better than riding home pretty much straight along the main roads and over one of the bridges, which would have been faster.

The park's landbridge wasn't stealthy for vehicles, as they had to pass through a checkpoint, but bikers could go around that pretty easily.

Unfortunately, biking through the park in the dark while tipsy wasn't the greatest combination. He decided to try and go straight through rather than sticking to paths, which meant biking through small forest sections… he fell over several times, and had to heal by the end of his journey through the park.

Healing: -1 Vitae.

By the time he finished biking through the park, Julius was starting to run into a new problem; apparently his condition didn't come with infinite stamina, and biking halfway across Gotham (back to the upper east side from the diamond district) wasn't the easiest thing. That was also about when Vigor wore off, making things even slower.

He managed to slog the rest of the way home, but by the time he did, the boy was exhausted, and it was maybe half an hour before sunrise. He used the spare key to their building/apartment that they kept taped under a nearby trashcan to get in, and then frantically tried to figure out how best to preserve himself.

First, he grabbed the duct tape and an old cardboard box, broke it apart, and taped it over his window. It wasn't quite big enough, so he filled the margins with more duct tape, and then taped a spare blanket over all of that. It was the best he could do on zero notice.

As he was finishing up, he began to experience a level of tiredness that went so far beyond even his exhaustion from biking halfway across the city. He almost passed out where he stood, but managed to hold on just a little bit longer.

-1 Willpower

Long enough to scribble out a short note for his mother, leave it on the living room table, and shove his desk in front of his locked bedroom door.

His mom was still in the stage of her recovery wherein she needed a walker to move; she didn't have the strength to force his door open.

Then he passed out, without even making it to his bed.

last night was crazy
i'm fine
tell you tonight
please let me rest

A New Night: +2 Willpower, -1 Vitae
Vitae: 3/10
Willpower: 3/5

Julius woke up at around six thirty in the evening, according to his clock, and at first did nothing except sit up from the floor (mercifully with none of the usual pains associated with sleeping on wood), and slip into bed.

He needed to think, and bed was as good a place as any for that.

Yesterday was Friday, so he didn't have school today or tomorrow, but that would have to be addressed soon. Him and Cody being conspicuously absent right after last night would probably blow the tatters of his cover apart.

And that brought him up short. Cody. Cody got shot too, and would have been sent to the same morgue. Should he have grabbed his friend? Maybe he was changed too, and it just took him longer to wake up. Maybe he wasn't gone.

Julius didn't stop himself from crying, just pulled a pillow over his head and held in the noise as best he could.

Maybe Julius should go back, just to check? And if not, stealing his body might help them not track the two back to their identities? And who knows, maybe someday he'd find a way to bring his friend back, undeath was the whole theme of his power so why couldn't he unkill his best friend if he put his mind to it?

But if he wasn't changed, then didn't he deserve to be cremated (as Julius knew was his family's preference) with dignity and a funeral? Would Cody want to be changed, or pulled back from whatever came next, even if Julius figured out how?

As he grappled with those thoughts, he eventually came to a decision.

[ ] Steal Cody's body back, maybe you can unkill him later.

[ ] Let them cremate him, let him go.

An hour or so later, spent mostly with his head under the pillow, Julius heard his phone buzz. Blearily he reached over and checked for the first time since before last night.

Four missed calls from mom, all from this morning.

Two dozen or so messages in his friends' group chat, which Julius couldn't bear to look at right now.

And one simple text from mom, just now. Are you awake yet?

He sighed, and laid his head back down on his pillow, distantly grateful that he turned read alerts off in his settings, and more directly grateful to have something else to focus on for the moment.

What was he going to tell her? He lived with her, their apartment was small, and his mom was a fitness trainer by trade. No way he could hide his condition from her, not passed a few nights. Especially since he needed her to withdraw him from school, which he couldn't attend anymore.

The sheer amount of effort it took him to go a few minutes past dawn made that abundantly clear.

So he had to tell her something, and he had two real options, neither of which he particularly liked.

First, he could tell her the truth. He died last night, and was a vampire now. He could prove it easily, and by its very nature as the truth, it would explain everything.

…unfortunately that involved telling his mother that he had died last night, which he knew would hurt and scare her. A lot. It also involved telling her exactly how he'd been picking up the slack, which would force her to acknowledge something the two had been trying very hard not to talk about. She'd definitely be clingy and emotional for a while, and he'd probably have to spend time comforting her because she would definitely blame herself, even though the driveby that almost killed her wasn't her fault.

Second, he could tell her enough and then try to hide the rest. He… and Cody… got shot at, but Julius was fine, and Cody was definitely fine last Julius saw him. He didn't want to be a criminal any more, so he should drop out of school and get a job; and whatever job he gets is always on the opening shift so he's definitely gone before mom wakes up and gets back before her, at which point he sleeps until evening. Then he just had to find a way to occasionally fake being normal, to keep suspicion off, and explain the paleness as not getting much sun anymore (not that Gothamites ever got much to begin with).

…unfortunately, he was still pretty sure she'd eventually see through his lies. Not to mention she would be pretty against him actually dropping out, even if he promised to get his GED as soon as possible.

[ ] Come Clean. It's going to be awkward and uncomfortable (for both of them), and he really doesn't want to, but it might be worse if she discovers the lie later. Also, she might be able to help him train. (-1 Willpower)

[ ] Cover Story. It doesn't have to hold forever, just until Julius has enough power to keep her safe. Until then it's best if she stays uninvolved, and unworried, so she can focus on her recovery. Plus, he's pretty sure he can swing the GED argument.

[ ] Write In. (Requires QM approval)

This vote will be open until tuesday night (about 40 hours from now).

Dark Lord Zero · Apr 17, 2024

Hmm. Well, if it's good and fits well enough I'm not against canonizing snippits.

At the moment all I can think of is giving omake authors a 'token' they can turn in to refil Julius' willpower, so that's what I'm going with for the moment. I'll keep a list of any here..

Willpower Surge Tokens:
Lord_Nib-Knob: 1

Dark Lord Zero · Apr 17, 2024

Vitae: 3/10
Willpower: 2/5

Julius had to tell his mother the truth. He didn't want to, but he couldn't lie to her like this. Not when she'd always been straight with him, not when she was the only person left in the world that cared about him.

Not when she was all he had left.

If he lied to her now, where would it end? With beings like the Man of Steel and Wonder Woman around, and their equally powerful foes, when would Julius feel strong enough to protect her? With monsters like The Joker around, when would Julius stop being afraid for the people connected to him?

How tempting would it be to use the mind-altering powers he (probably) had to keep her safe and separated from his new unlife?

Even the thought of it was a thrum of sickness through Julius' unbeating heart.

Leaving his phone on his bed, he changed into one of his own outfits, and slid his desk out of the way of his door. His room wasn't the biggest, but having a twin bed gave him just enough room to have a desk in front of the (now sealed) window.

Stepping out, he found his mom sitting in the living room area, just outside his door, with her walker standing next to her. When he poked his head out, she let out a long, relieved breath. Then she pointed sharply at the couch next to her, all without saying a word.

His mom was one of the few people in Gotham with a naturally upbeat demeanor, it was part of what made her so good at her job, half of which was motivating her trainees to push through the pain. When she got quiet like this, it generally meant she was feeling very strongly and trying to hold that in.

He sat down, unsure of how to start, especially since he wasn't sure what her mood was like underneath. When she didn't speak immediately, he took his best shot. "Hey mom. How, uh, how was your day?"

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "My day? My day was just perfect. I woke up to a lovely note from my son, telling me something wild had happened last night, in the sloppiest handwriting I've ever seen from him. And then when I tried to check on him and make sure he was okay, his door was locked, and when I got my spare key for his room, it turns out that he barricaded it from the inside. And sealed his window, I could see from the balcony. Oh, and don't forget how he ignored all of my calls. And when he finally comes out of his room, eleven hours later, he asks me how my day was."

They both let her rant hang in the air for a long few moments, while she caught her breath. Since she seemed to be waiting for some kind of reaction from him, he took a deep breath, and started in. "I'm sorry mom, I didn't mean to upset you, I just ran out of time, and I'll explain everything now that I'm up."

She just reached over and pulled him into a shaky hug. "In a minute. I just- I was so worried about you. I spent the whole day wondering if you'd been shot or worse, and imagining that when I finally called someone to break the door open I'd find you still on the bed, with a halfway stitched up bullet wound, or something equally stupid."

Julius hugged her back, letting her familiar presence ease the freshly-remembered pain of the bullet wounds that had claimed his life yesterday.

The thought of lying to her teased itself across Julius' mind again, seeing how upset she was by the mere thought of him getting hurt so badly. He crushed the thought, having already resolved himself to taking the straight road with her.

After a while he pulled away, and gave her a small rueful smile. "Alright, so, you're not going to like anything I'm about to say, but I just want you to remember that at the end of the day, I'm still here, and not going anywhere."

Having recovered some of her pep after venting some of the steam, and more importantly getting to hug him (though he was strangely cold), she at least tried to crack a little joke. "Julius, I've avoided alcoholism for thirty-four years, please don't cost me my streak."

It was funny, or at least both of them thought so, but other than a small chuckle from him, it fell rather flat. There was too much weight in the air.

Julius took another deep breath, and decided to just tell her the story of his night chronologically. How he and Cody had used his car to act as couriers for a drug deal, the biggest they'd ever been involved in by far. And it was just weed, none of the hard stuff.

There was a lot of silent tension through that part of the conversation. She knew, and he knew she knew, but being pretty sure that's how the bills were getting paid and hearing him admit it to her directly were very different things emotionally for her.

Then he told her how things had gone bad, and how he and Cody had been shot. How he'd woken up in the morgue, so full of strength and so impossibly hungry. How he was still hungry even now, as he regaled her with his tale. How he healed his wounds, broke out, and fled into the night; the men he'd attacked for sustenance, and even his passing out at dawn.

She leaned back on the couch. "I don't even have words for this, Julius. You're seriously telling me that somehow getting shot turned you into a vampire?"

Julius shuffled uncomfortably and nodded. It sounded so much dumber when she said it like that, in part because of the word vampire. He'd been avoiding it for a reason; vampires weren't real, they were video game bad guys and Hollywood villains.

Of course, a century or so ago most people would have said someone like Superman wasn't possible, but still, Superman was demonstrably real and vampires were just a myth. He wasn't unwilling to believe the facts, but it was difficult to swallow, even for the one living it. He didn't blame his mom for having such a hard time.

"Honestly Julius, you're pale and cold and telling me crazy things… I don't want to, but I have to… are you on drugs?"

He couldn't even be offended, he did just tell her he'd been selling, so he'd prove it to her. He walked over to the kitchen, ignoring her concerned look, and grabbed a knife.

"Julius, please, put the knife down."

"Sorry about this mom, but this is the only way I have to prove it without breaking anything valuable. Just a little cut on the back of my arm; if I was just tripping all night so hard that I forgot I was using, I'll have only a tiny cut and we can get me clean."

"Julius please don't hurt yourself, please."

He ignored her, and cut himself. As promised, it was a very shallow cut, though he made it two inches long so it was more visible. Walking back over, he held his arm up so she could see the cut, and tried to will the injury closed.

His blood shifted again, and now more used to it, he was able to feel that it also became less in the process. Moments later, after perhaps the most wasteful blood expenditure of his short unlife, the two inch nick was gone.

Healing: -1 Vitae.

She nodded slowly, and leaned back again. "Okay, okay. I believe you now, just, please never hurt yourself like that again."

He sat down sheepishly. "If it helps any, I don't feel pain very well anymore, that cut felt like a little pinch or a needle."

The annoyed look she gave him made it clear; that did not help at all.

After assuring him that, beating heart or not, he was still her son and she would always love him… she said she was exhausted and needed some time to process things, and left him to his own devices.

She made him promise three times to be careful if he went outside before going back into her own room, though.

That had been a long conversation, several hours at least, but even then it was only eleven. Julius had most of the night left, and since he'd resolved to let Cody rest, that meant he had nothing pressing to focus on.

He might have spent more time agonizing over that decision, but he was so emotionally exhausted after talking to his mom that he just didn't have it in him at the moment. So, focusing on something practical it was.

First, he could start researching Gotham's myriad mask-wearing vigilanties and criminals. The best place for that was MetaHumans Online, a forum dedicated to all things cape and crazy. Not everything on there was trustworthy, but given how little exact information about a lot of the world's biggest events and most powerful people (the ones with capes and costumes) actually made it to the general populous, it was as close to a reliable resource as Julius could get.

Second, he could go hunting. He was very hungry, again. Not enough that he was afraid of losing control, but it wasn't pleasant. Even though he knew mom would let him bite her if he asked, Julius didn't have it in him to do so. It was traumatizing enough hearing her make certain noises when his father had been alive, Julius didn't have it in him to cause them himself. He'd sooner burst his own eardrums. So, that left him with going out for a bite to eat. He didn't know where would be good, since he didn't want to just keep leaving people unconscious outside bars, doing that would eventually become a problem. He'd have to think about it more after he left, if he decided to prioritize feeding.

Third, he could start researching Vampire lore. A lot of the old myths were on the internet, and there were wiki pages for a lot of popular vampire characters and settings with vampires. It would be a lot of reading, but it would give him some idea of what kinds of abilities he could expect to have available to him, and thus make things more efficient for him when it came time for testing his abilities out. And even if he didn't have some of those powers, knowing that they could, theoretically, be available to him would at least tell him what other things he could work towards developing. This would also tell him what weaknesses he should test to see if he has.

Each of those things were going to take the rest of the night to properly accomplish.

[ ] Get on MetaHumans Online and start researching Gotham's cast of costumed crazies. Knowing who Julius needs to be careful of (and a bit about them) is the best way for him to stay safe.

[ ] Go hunting; having the energy to actually use his powers is the best way to keep himself and his mother safe. Plus, if he wants to experiment with his powers later, he'll need the energy for that too.

[ ] Deep dive Vampire lore. Knowing what he could possibly be capable of would be a great way to focus his efforts going forward, and may raise extra opportunities for deception as well.

[ ] Write In (Requires QM approval)

This vote will be open until tomorrow night, about 20 hours from now.

Lord_Nib-Knob · Apr 19, 2024

Mr. Cross
Omake By Me (Obviously)

Gotham was a truly extravagant hell of humanity, and not many could claim to thrive in hell. It wasn't, by any means, impossible of course. It was one thing after all to merely make a living, working away at any number of jobs, careers, or positions to make ends meet and a little pleasure besides. It was certainly admirable enough, even if most weren't as... extraordinary as most would believe. Just look at those more gentle (relative to most Gothamites) souls working at Arkham, trying to, in some cases at least, offer mental treatment to those who truly needed it.

Admittedly, Mr. Cross was only thinking about the place since it had been compromised... again. The cops, media coverage, and usual sorts weren't sure who'd actually gotten out, too much property damage you see? But then, that was a good tell by itself. Perhaps, Bane, running amok with his Venom and other drugs on the streets again? It could've been Crocodile as well, the man was disturbingly powerful at times. Mr. Cross set his phone aside, pondering the street from an outdoor seat of a Café.

The place was good, nice and straightforward. The workers were no nonsense, the décor tasteful without being overbearing, and the coffee was divine. His tips were the things of legends, a side-effect of his unseemly behavior (and his guilt of such things) after pulling all-nighters.

Whenever the more unusual sorts from Arkham were on the streets, chaos was going to ensue. It was like clockwork, you see? Maybe bombs, or shootings, or other such unpleasantness. Mr. Cross, of course, might've had an opinion on such things, but no one paid him for that. Instead, Mr. Cross got paid for finding out what kind of chaos was coming.

The construction companies liked to know if extra work was coming in, hospitals if they needed to order extra supplies, car workshops if they should be worried about car wrecks or bullet holes, and countless other minutiae that resembled the whole of Gotham City seeming to tense, ready for a blow. Villains were just that, villains, irredeemable wastes of air and water that produced nothing of value for nonsensical reasons. Utterly shameful, especially the Clown. But even a flooding river was useful if you could set up a dam. Thus, his profession.

"Sir, another cup?" The waitress asked, pot ready and hot. He ignored the whim of declaring her a goddess and just gestured to his cup. He looked quite pitiful, sadly enough. The break-out at Arkham had happened by evening, because of course it did, so he'd been up for nearly 18 hours since yesterday poking around. It was rushed work, it happened, no reason to lose his mind about it. But there had been that one tip...

A hand nudged him out of his thoughts.
"Sir?" The waitress asked. Cross twisted, away from the street he'd been absentmindedly staring at, and let his eyes settle on the woman. No, girl, too young otherwise, a touch of baby fat to her cheeks still and with the inherent awkwardness of youthful sorts in their own bodies.

"Sir?" Her tone was more concerned, but Cross' mind was on autopilot, tearing the world down into pure logic and facts such that he barely noticed her mouth moving. There were bags under her eyes, recent, she wasn't sleeping well. The uniform scuffed, but too new, not worn out, but worn constantly. She was overworking, probably, missing sleep for something, chances were roughly 50% on that.

"Hey, are you ok?" The concern was still there, lesser though, more mixed with confusion as she moved a bit forward, beginning to wave her hand over his unblinking blue eyes. The motion revealed a small hand cast under the longer sleeves of her uniform, blue in color, the vibrancy of the shade said it was recent.

"How long have you worked here?" The words were almost curt, blunt to the point of impoliteness. He'd need to sleep soon after passing on his findings to his superiors. And tip the girl well, food service employees suffered enough from the more belligerent sorts without having to add to it.

"Uh," She blinked, more confused. "About, 2 months? Why?" A touch wary of him. Understandable, but he had all he needed. If he couldn't cultivate such an opportunity, he didn't deserve his position as Head of the Forecast Division of the Wayne Industries Insurance Company.

Without missing a beat, Mr. Cross rose to his feet, snatched up his coffee, and downed it. Quite hot, good to wake him up for now while it burned. As the girl stared, wide-eyed, he set his cup down and pulled a card from his suit, stenciled with the Company's Logo and relevant contact information. On the back was his own, with a QR code as well for reporting purposes. He left it on the table, along with 500 dollars to hook her attention. Presentation was important, after all.

"If you were to see or hear of any particularly notable events in the coming days, such as new rumors, notable gang violence, problems with your supply chain, or other such unfortunate circumstances, use the relevant information to report such for a cash reward," Mr. Cross declared blandly. The waitress was staring now, eyes flickering back to the 50 dollar bills on the table, considering. Good, as expected. He was always looking to expand his network, countless such souls saw what his own office mates never would, running endless numbers in a stale white office. Pathetically inefficient, utterly shameful.

A simple nod, almost a bow, and Mr. Cross set out without another word, already moving on from the encounter. After all, children may dream of being superman, but few remember the poor fool who's truck served as the Man of Steel's football. For such souls, it was Mr. Cross who would see due diligence done, that some absurdist happenstance or grand misfortune didn't ruin someone's job because the Clown had planted bombs in their office, or the gang wars had sent stray bullets falling from the sky.

Insurance was always a laughing matter, for those idiots who didn't respect it's purpose. Soon, dozens such life-changing events, almost none of them positive, would occur. Just this morning he'd spoken to another of his regular informants, Emanuel, about talk of changes among the sewer culture, old tunnels being used when they shouldn't be. Some would ignore that warning because it came from the sewers, until they realized that the Piper might be back to send a river of diseased rodent flesh to the streets for some other wastefully inept nonsense.

Yes, there were countless such reports to codify, business owners and employees of countless industries throughout the city who would require coverage. The lack of specifics of who exactly had escaped from Arkham was telling at this rate, most worrying. Mr. Cross foresaw many phone calls when he awoke from his 3 hour nap later. But the last report...

It had been smaller, from a bar tender near the more contested territories of the Penguin's ilk, Black Mask's thugs, and the Mob. Johnny was a useful sort, hopelessly in love with every woman who walked in his bar, and equally hopeless at actually impressing any of them. But the other night was noticeable for Johnny, for two reasons. The first was that there had been no women for him to flirt with (unnecessary information, but Mr. Cross allowed the man his nonsense for the sake of efficiency), but the second?

There had been some 'suits' as Johnny called them, slang for law enforcement of some kind. Three of them, and one had been attacked earlier. Not unusual, useful potential information. Only the young man, drunk under the flamboyant encouragement of Johnny the Bartender, had given more... concerning detail.

Bite marks in the young man's throat, blood flecks on his white scrubs...
The young man worked in the morgue, uncertain of what had assaulted him, but it was during his shift. In the Morgue. Mr. Cross, quite frankly, wasn't sure what to think. That was troublesome, such uncertainties ruined his chances to prepare appropriately for the chaos to come. The others, The Clown, the Riddler, they all had profiles on them. But Mr. Cross had reviewed those files, written half of them himself for streamlining emergency insurance plan templates, easily modified and ready to use in case one of the usual superpowered cretins reared their worthless heads.

But this wasn't one of them. It wasn't in any of the files, any history or notable cases he knew. The few things it might match were... troublesome to consider.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Behold, this thing I did. I don't know why the muse chose this, but apparently, I'll be offering a really overstressed insurance jockey working a literal info broker network, preparing for maximum GOTHAM. Mr. Cross needs more sleep, and less villains.

A Vampire Like No Other (OC, White Wolf-style Vampire in Gotham)

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