[X][BFF Knowledge] You'd hold back, just like you always have. It's safer that way. (Your best friend knows nothing about vampires. This keeps you on the right side of the Masquerade, but makes it harder to maintain a relationship with her)
[X][Tomorrow Night] Meet with the Anarchs first, get some backup.
[X][BFF Knowledge] You'd tell her everything, just like you always have. It's easier that way. (Your best friend knows about vampires. This is technically a Masquerade breach, but will make it easier to maintain a relationship with her)
[X][Tomorrow Night] Present yourself at Elysium first thing, try to avoid trouble.
[X][BFF Knowledge] You'd tell her everything, just like you always have. It's easier that way. (Your best friend knows about vampires. This is technically a Masquerade breach, but will make it easier to maintain a relationship with her)
[X][Tomorrow Night] Present yourself at Elysium first thing, try to avoid trouble.
You know... Strider would make a decent necromancer. She already has two sagacity and I am pretty sure any faction we join will be glad for the magical support. This is a setting where if you are a vampire your options are realistically:
Treacherous vizier wizards, who everyone knows are treacherous and who you can't even turn because of blood-bond nonsense (Tremere)
Venetian necroamncer/merchants who think your soul is fine collateral (The Giovani)
Body Horror, the Clan, who think humanity is icky and want to get away from it (Tzmice)
Literal abyss worshipers (Lasombra Abyss Mystics)
Various odds and sods who are insane, have an axe to grind, are the puppet of an elder evil or all of the above
'Magical fledgling who just dreams her magic' may be suspicious, but it is still better than all of the alternatives.
You know... Strider would make a decent necromancer. She already has two sagacity and I am pretty sure any faction we join will be glad for the magical support. This is a setting where if you are a vampire your options are realistically:
Treacherous vizier wizards, who everyone knows are treacherous and who you can't even turn because of blood-bond nonsense (Tremere)
Venetian necroamncer/merchants who think your soul is fine collateral (The Giovani)
Body Horror, the Clan, who think humanity is icky and want to get away from it (Tzmice)
Literal abyss worshipers (Lasombra Abyss Mystics)
Various odds and sods who are insane, have an axe to grind, are the puppet of an elder evil or all of the above
'Magical fledgling who just dreams her magic' may be suspicious, but it is still better than all of the alternatives.
I think I do want to make you work for your necromancy/sorcery slightly rather than just relying on past-life dreams. Steal a magical tome from the Tremere, trade favors to learn under an Assamite sorcerer, beat up a Mage until they cough up their secrets, something like that. No more than an arc's worth of effort, but you would need something to justify your sorcerous/necromantic initiation.
I think going to sleep one day and waking up as a sorcerer worked for A Desperate Measure because you're meant to be an OCP in that quest: there is no existing magic that you as players know of that you can seek out to learn from, so the options are denying you sorcery or handwaving the requirements through past-life shenanigans. I obviously opted for the latter, and I don't mind it there, but it does take away some of the mystique of sorcery.
Here, there's existing sources of magic, and learning necromancy/sorcery is an obvious source of plot. It can hook you deeper into the setting and create some interesting conflicts if I put requirements on your learning sorcery/necromancy instead of feeling like weird gatekeeping, as it would have in the other quest.
So yeah, if you want to learn necromancy, that's a sidequest that's gonna pull you deeper into the world of the supernatural.
I think I do want to make you work for your necromancy/sorcery slightly rather than just relying on past-life dreams. Steal a magical tome from the Tremere, trade favors to learn under an Assamite sorcerer, beat up a Mage until they cough up their secrets, something like that. No more than an arc's worth of effort, but you would need something to justify your sorcerous/necromantic initiation.
I think going to sleep one day and waking up as a sorcerer worked for A Desperate Measure because you're meant to be an OCP in that quest: there is no existing magic that you as players know of that you can seek out to learn from, so the options are denying you sorcery or handwaving the requirements through past-life shenanigans. I obviously opted for the latter, and I don't mind it there, but it does take away some of the mystique of sorcery.
Here, there's existing sources of magic, and learning necromancy/sorcery is an obvious source of plot. It can hook you deeper into the setting and create some interesting conflicts if I put requirements on your learning sorcery/necromancy instead of feeling like weird gatekeeping, as it would have in the other quest.
So yeah, if you want to learn necromancy, that's a sidequest that's gonna pull you deeper into the world of the supernatural.
[X][BFF Knowledge] You'd tell her everything, just like you always have. It's easier that way. (Your best friend knows about vampires. This is technically a Masquerade breach, but will make it easier to maintain a relationship with her)
[X][Tomorrow Night] Meet with the Anarchs first, get some backup.
[X][BFF Knowledge] You'd tell her everything, just like you always have. It's easier that way. (Your best friend knows about vampires. This is technically a Masquerade breach, but will make it easier to maintain a relationship with her)
[X][Tomorrow Night] Present yourself at Elysium first thing, try to avoid trouble.
[X][BFF Knowledge] You'd hold back, just like you always have. It's safer that way. (Your best friend knows nothing about vampires. This keeps you on the right side of the Masquerade, but makes it harder to maintain a relationship with her)
[X][Tomorrow Night] Meet with the Anarchs first, get some backup.
[x] [BFF Knowledge] You'd tell her everything, just like you always have. It's easier that way. (Your best friend knows about vampires. This is technically a Masquerade breach, but will make it easier to maintain a relationship with her)
[x] [Tomorrow Night] Present yourself at Elysium first thing, try to avoid trouble.
[X][BFF Knowledge] You'd tell her everything, just like you always have. It's easier that way. (Your best friend knows about vampires. This is technically a Masquerade breach, but will make it easier to maintain a relationship with her)
[X][Tomorrow Night] Meet with the Anarchs first, get some backup.
Meeting the Anarchs first gives us a chance to calibrate our expectations for what we're actually capable of now, which gives us more information to make our meeting with the Prince more interesting and useful.
Keeping a line open with our BFF is more interesting in its own right, and gives us hooks for our girl to both discover and exploit her lack of vampiric weaknesses more easily (e.g. - accidentally staying up past the point where she'd expect to enter torpor).
Together these add up to an interesting picture of a character who is intensely personally loyal to Leila but not super bought in to Kindred orthodoxy or norms.
[X][BFF Knowledge] You'd tell her everything, just like you always have. It's easier that way. (Your best friend knows about vampires. This is technically a Masquerade breach, but will make it easier to maintain a relationship with her)
[X][Tomorrow Night] Present yourself at Elysium first thing, try to avoid trouble.
[X][BFF Knowledge] You'd tell her everything, just like you always have. It's easier that way. (Your best friend knows about vampires. This is technically a Masquerade breach, but will make it easier to maintain a relationship with her)
[X][Tomorrow Night] Meet with the Anarchs first, get some backup
[X][BFF Knowledge] You'd tell her everything, just like you always have. It's easier that way. (Your best friend knows about vampires. This is technically a Masquerade breach, but will make it easier to maintain a relationship with her)
[X][BFF Knowledge] You'd hold back, just like you always have. It's safer that way. (Your best friend knows nothing about vampires. This keeps you on the right side of the Masquerade, but makes it harder to maintain a relationship with her)
@Amazing Abzan can we buy a Charm version of the Kiss? I was thinking of a rationalization of the charm that allows Strider to drink blood to begin with. After all even though we do not strictly need it blood is a very convenient way to get essence and it would be nice if the mortals did not all run for the hills. Plus it makes faking being Kindred all the easier and its a useful ruse.
@Amazing Abzan can we buy a Charm version of the Kiss? I was thinking of a rationalization of the charm that allows Strider to drink blood to begin with. After all even though we do not strictly need it blood is a very convenient way to get essence and it would be nice if the mortals did not all run for the hills. Plus it makes faking being Kindred all the easier and its a useful ruse.
"I think," you say slowly, "that I'd rather not risk pissing off the Prince." You watch Leila carefully, wondering how she'll take this newfound show of independence. To your mild surprise, she just nods her head in agreement.
"Right, if that's what you want, that's what we'll do," she says. Then she sighs. "Well in that case, I need to go make some calls. Don't want you losing your shit because someone called you by your old name in the middle of Elysium."
"Does anyone even know my old name?" you ask. It's not like Leila's introduced you to many other vampires.
"The Prince does, I needed to tell her who I was Embracing in order to get permission," she replies. "Which, you know, is total bullshit and an invasion of privacy, but yeah, she knows and so do any of the goons she's sent to stalk you."
You weren't aware you were being stalked by goons, but given how talented some Kindred are at stealth…
You shiver.
"Well that's a comforting thought," you say dryly. Leila snorts.
"Yeah, what the Prince knows and how she knows it is always a spooky subject," she says. "Between you and me though, I'd hope it was her goons that told her everything she knows. The other way is scarier."
"You mean because she's a Malkavian?" you ask. Leila has ranted about the Prince to you a fair number of times: you've gotten the sense that she thinks of Prince Eleanor Blackwood as her personal nemesis, though the feeling likely isn't mutual.
Leila nods. "Right, so be prepared for her to say some spooky shit that makes just the wrong amount of sense. It's kinda her thing. Well, that and trampling all over our rights in service to 'our precious Traditions,'" she says, the last part coming out very mocking.
Then she glances at the clock. "Shit, I really gotta go," she says. You open your mouth to protest, but she cuts you off. "No, don't bitch, you're supposed to be a badass vampire now. Remember that, we need the other Kindred to respect you at Elysium."
You shut your mouth with an audible clack and give her a single nod. Right, badass vampire. You can do that. You are that.
So you watch as Leila gathers up her things and heads for the door. Once there though, she pauses with her hand on the doorknob. "Look," she says, turning back to face you. "I know that some things about tonight didn't go quite how we expected, but I am happy we've done this. Welcome to the rest of your unlife."
You give her a dopey smile. "Thanks, Leila."
"Anytime, A- uh, Strider. I'll be back here first thing tomorrow to get you for Elysium." And with that, she's gone.
You let the familiar hurt of watching her leave pass through you, then huff out a breath. What else are you supposed to do with your night?
Right, Trish. You were gonna call her and tell her everything.
You dial the phone and she picks up on the first ring, to your mild surprise. It's 3:00 in the morning, after all.
"An-" she begins, only for you to cut her off.
"Don't!" you interrupt. "Don't call me that name anymore."
"...okay," she says slowly. "What would you like to be called?"
"Strider of the Maelstrom of Life and Death," you tell her. "Strider works for short."
"Got it," she says without a moment's hesitation. "Is this a vampire thing? Like your new vampire name or something?"
"It… sort of is, I guess," you say. "I don't think I'm a normal vampire though. I think something went wrong."
You hear a deep intake of breath on the other side of the phone.
"Strider," says Trish, "I need you to understand how concerning it is for me to hear that when you've told me this is a process that involves you literally dying."
"I'm fine now, aren't I?" you say. "And Leila was there, she wouldn't let anything happen to me."
"I'm not trying to argue with you," she says. "I'm just worried about you. Why don't you take things from the top? Tell me everything that happened tonight."
So you do. You tell her about your Embrace, about hearing what may or may not have been the blood speaking to you while you were dead, then coming back writhing with shadows. You explain how you feel far faster and stronger than you should.
"And that's not normal for vampires?" she asks. "I was under the impression vampires could have super strength."
You shake your head even though she can't see it. "No, I've had a taste of vampire super strength and this is… I'm pretty sure I can push this way further than a fledgling should be able to go. I mean, I've managed to fight off fledglings as a ghoul, newborn Kindred aren't that impressive."
"Right, okay," she says. "So what happened next?"
"Well eventually the creepy shadows died down, and Leila came back with some asshole she found on Tinder…"
You recount your botched attempt at feeding. You do not recount Leila's reaction, at least not until...
"So how did Leila take this?"
You wince.
"See, the thing is, I'm her childe now, so I'm a reflection on her. If I look like a useless fuckup-"
"You're not a useless fuckup," says Trish. "I don't like hearing you talk about yourself that way. Did Leila call you that?"
"She was stressed," you reply. "She didn't mean it."
"I see." There's silence on the line for a minute. Then you hear a sigh. "Strider, you know my door is always open to you, right? If you're ever in trouble, doesn't matter if it's vampire shit or personal problems, you know I'll be happy to help you with whatever you need."
"I know, Trish, I know."
The silence returns, neither of you quite knowing what to say. Then:
"We should do something together, have a little celebration," says Trish.
"A celebration?" you ask.
"Yeah, this was a big moment for you, right? Something you've been looking forward to for a while, the next chapter of your life. Er, unlife."
"Yeah, but aren't you, I dunno, uncomfortable? With the vamp stuff?"
"I'm uncomfortable with how often the 'vamp stuff' means you're not taking care of yourself," she says. "I don't have any problems with you being a vampire, so long as that vampire isn't neglecting my best friend. She's important to me, you know?"
"Right, thanks Trish," you say, feeling a little embarrassed. "So what have you been up to recently?" you ask, blatantly changing the subject. "Still seeing that guy? What was his name, Diego?"
"Ugh, do not talk to me about Dante," she says. "Self-absorbed ass. I broke up with him."
"What? Why? What happened?"
"Well we were on a date last weekend, and I wanted to try out this vegan place I'd heard of…"
Conversation continues in that vein for a good hour or so, you just chatting aimlessly with Trish about whatever comes to mind. It's nice to catch up with her, nice to have a conversation that doesn't revolve around the blood or Kindred politics. Not that you regret finding this hidden world, but a regular dose of mundanity is soothing for the soul.
Eventually, though, an alarm on your phone rings. Sunrise is coming soon.
"Shit, Trish, I gotta go," you say. "Sunrise."
"Right," she says. "Well then, sweet dreams, and let's meet up soon. It's been too long."
"We'll have that celebration," you agree.
A few more goodbyes, and you hang up the phone. Then you get ready for bed and wait for torpor to claim you.
***
Anima is now 0/10
You wake up much like you fell asleep: gradually, and then all at once. The realization that you are waking up from slumber like a normal person jolts you to full consciousness. Confused, you check the astronomical clock on your phone and discover it's not quite sunset yet.
So how are you awake? And how come you didn't fall asleep immediately when the sun first rose? More mysteries, more weirdness in your Kindred condition. You'll maybe keep this little fact to yourself: it does you no good to spread it around, and Leila has enough to worry about.
Leila. Right, she was going to take you to Elysium. Well, might as well get a head start on making yourself look presentable.
You take some time in selecting an outfit. Part of you wonders if going more formal might be the play here, but you eventually reject that idea. This is your introduction to Kindred society, people are going to see the true, authentic Strider.
So you opt for a leather jacket, a loose tank top with the logo of a band you like, some ripped jeans, and combat boots. Then you do your makeup, going heavy on the eyeliner as per usual, before finally looking yourself in the mirror.
Staring back at you is a tall, well-muscled desi girl with a face full of piercings that looks like she's been through the ringer. Your nose has definitely been broken a time or two, and there's a scar on your right eyebrow from where a shovelhead clawed you one time.
Overall, you can't say you look pretty, but you do look striking, and maybe that's enough. But something's not quite right.
You grab a set of clippers and contemplate your long, dark hair. Leila had urged you to grow it out before the Embrace, claiming it would give you more options for styling, and while that's true, it's also not you. So you shave it all off.
When that's done, you smile back at the girl in the mirror. Shaved head and showing a hint of fang, you feel much more like yourself. Now to see how the Prince likes it.
***
Elysium is being held at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Despite the name, the place feels more like an eccentric rich person's house than a proper museum: there are few if any guides to the exhibits, and each room is decorated according to a specific theme, with the furniture, artwork, even the walls and floors fitting that specific style. You move through a room set up to look like a medieval Spanish church on your way to the courtyard, passing by several Kindred conversing in hushed tones. Their eyes track you and Leila as you pass, but Leila spares them no attention so neither do you.
You enter the courtyard, where the Prince is receiving visitors, and under other circumstances you'd be tempted to call it a pleasant place: the whole museum is built around this courtyard-cum-garden, balconies and terraces ringing the place and providing a pleasant view of the greenery down below, while the skylight above lets the moonlight filter down and illuminate the courtyard with a soft glow. Unfortunately, those balconies are currently home to the eyes of hungry Kindred who are analyzing your every move, eager for you to make a misstep they can capitalize on. You won't give them the satisfaction, of course, but damn if they don't make this harder.
The Prince herself is just off the center of the courtyard, at the edge of the central paved area. She's an older-looking woman with graying hair and severe features. She's tall and thin enough you'd call her gaunt, clad in a red blouse and pencil skirt. When you arrive, she's deep in conversation with a younger-looking man with slicked-back hair and an expensive suit as well as a Nosferatu whose gray skin looks like it was shrink-wrapped around his skull.
"Malcolm Voss and Seance," Leila mutters to you, "the Ventrue and Nosferatu Primogen. Wonder what they're up to?"
Before she can speculate further, the Prince's eyes turn to you, and you come to a stop at the very center of the courtyard.
Rolling Force + Awareness + 2 stunt dice against difficulty 5. You roll 5 successes, just barely enough.
You notice just the slightest flinch as her eyes meet yours. Is… is the Prince afraid of you? What was she flinching for?
The Prince holds up a hand and the two Primogen immediately halt their conversation, instead looking to you. The Prince regards you with a warm smile that doesn't reach her eyes.
"Welcome, Miss Harrow, and welcome to you too, Peacebringer."
That's not a term you're familiar with. From Leila's frown, she doesn't know it either.
"I thank you for receiving my audience, my Prince," says Leila, and you have to carefully stifle your surprise before it can show up on your face. That's the most formal you've ever heard Leila be.
You hear a snort over to your right, near the Prince, and carefully glance over to see an African American man with a deeply lined face bearing a look of disdain beneath his unkempt beard. Is that the Brujah Primogen? Leila's described him to you before, though you're blanking on the name right now. Something Freeman?
"Introduce yourself, fledgling," commands the Prince.
Whelp, that's your cue.
"I am the Strider of the Maelstrom of Life and Death," you declare, then cheekily you add, "but you can call me Strider, since that's a bit of a mouthful."
Rolling Force + Presence + 2 stunt dice against difficulty 3… and you get 3 successes, just barely passing
"A bold title, but one I'm sure you'll live up to," says the Prince.
"If I might ask, Strider," says Voss, the Ventrue Primogen, as he steps toward you. "How exactly did you choose such a title?"
You glance over at Leila, who gives you the faintest of nods. Right, honesty is the order of the day then.
"During the Embrace, I heard a voice I think belonged to the blood. It offered me power and survival beyond death, but asked that I abandon my living name and do Death's work. It was the voice that gave me my title."
There's murmurs now from the various Kindred in the balconies, and you wonder what it is they're saying about you. Unfortunately, you can't give them your full attention right now, much as you'd like to. The Primogen and the Prince demand your focus.
"I see," says Voss, a thoughtful look on his face.
"Anything else about your Embrace strike you as weird?" asks Seance, the Nosferatu.
You sneak another glance at Leila, who nods again, though she's scowling. Well shit, looks like you're not keeping this under wraps.
"I was covered in shadows when I came to, though they died down eventually, and there was a mark on my forehead, like a sun-shaped bruise. And when I fed, there was no Kiss."
Again, the room erupts in murmurs. Voss shoots you a disgusted look.
"Thinblood?" he guesses with a grimace.
"No," says Prince Blackwood, her eyes boring into you. "Not a thinblood."
Voss looks back at his Prince, and something unspoken passes between them.
Rolling Force + Embassy (which is 0) + 2 stunt dice against difficulty 5. No successes.
Eventually, Voss gives a nod. "Very well then," he says, returning to the Prince's side.
"It is customary," says the Prince, "for fledglings such as yourself to make a contribution to our community, to prove that you can be a loyal and upstanding Kindred. With such uncertainty surrounding you, it stands to reason that your contribution should be commensurately greater."
Your eyes narrow. You're not sure you like where this is going.
"A neonate of the Toreador by the name of Michael Simms has recently defected to the Sabbat. You will bring him Final Death."
Ah, okay, playing hatchet-woman. You can do that.
"Am I supposed to track him down?" you ask. "Because I gotta say, that's not my specialty."
Seance laughs, a dry rasping sound that makes your skin crawl. "No need for that, fledgling. I can give you the location. He's holed up in Dorchester with the rest of the pack he's joined. They've taken over one of the local gangs."
"That's Sabbat territory!" Leila objects. "You trying to kill off my childe?!"
"Calm the fuck down, Harrow," snarls the Brujah Primogen (you think his name is Jeremy? Or John? John Freeman? Something with a J, anyway).
"Indeed," says the Prince. "I would not ask her to do this alone. You are welcome to accompany her, as are any other Kindred who would see themselves invested in her safe return."
You frown. What exactly is the point of this? Is the Prince that interested in killing off one traitor? And why do you have to be the one to do it?
Attempting to read intentions on the Prince to discover her goals for this scene.
Rolling Force + Presence + 2 stunt dice = 9 dice
Prince Blackwood's resolve is 4, unmodified by virtues or intimacies.
You roll 3 successes, not beating her resolve.
You stare at her, looking for some hint in her expression, her body language, anything that would help you understand what her goal is here, but she's practically a statue. No, worse than a statue, she's a walking corpse. You remain clueless as to her motives.
"When do you want this done by?" you ask, hoping that'll give you some hint.
"Tonight," she says. "It must be tonight."
Leila hisses in frustration, but honestly you're not sharing her anger. You think you can take on some shovelheads and their mortal flunkies no problem. You just wish you knew what the point of all this was (beyond the obvious, of course).
"Fine," snarls Leila. "May we be excused, my Prince?" she asks, the last words sounding like a curse more than anything.
"You may," says the Prince blandly with a nod of her head. Leila wastes no time in grabbing you roughly by the arm and hastily pulling you aside into the bushes.
"Alright girl, this shit is gonna be rough," she says. "We've got a little time to rub elbows here if you wanna try and rustle up some backup, but we'll probably end up owing them for it."
"I'm not sure we need the backup," you admit. "I feel… strong. Really strong, a lot stronger than I was as a ghoul." Strong enough the Prince was afraid when she saw you, perhaps?
Leila grimaces. "Shit, I'm trying to give you more independence A-, er, Strider, but you make it hard as hell when you want to make calls like this. You're sure you want to do this just the two of us? Because even if we do manage to raid the Sabbat with just us and come out in one piece, that'll get eyes on us."
You frown. That's an angle you hadn't considered. Damn, this politics shit is annoying. And speaking of politics, if you choose not to look for backup, then that gives you time to chat with someone else at Elysium. Who would that even be?
[ ] Look for backup. You will likely owe boons, but this might help you pass as a normal(ish) Kindred.
[ ] Don't look for backup. Instead, use this time to…
-[ ] Investigate the Prince. What's her angle?
-[ ] Introduce yourself to the Brujah Primogen. Does he consider you part of his clan despite your weirdness?
-[ ] Speak with Seance, the Nosferatu Primogen. What other information does he have?
-[ ] Write in
[X] Don't look for backup. Instead, use this time to…
-[X] Introduce yourself to the Brujah Primogen. Does he consider you part of his clan despite your weirdness?
Rolling deep - I wouldn't even bring Leila if that was an option.
You can certainly write in to try and convince her to let you go alone. It would be an attempt though, you'd have to actually persuade her.
Edit: Now that I'm looking at Leila's virtues and intimacies, it would be a very difficult persuade, just warning you. Her resolve would be buffed by both her major virtue of courage and her minor intimacy towards you.
"You mean because she's a Malkavian?" you ask. Leila has ranted about the Prince to you a fair number of times: you've gotten the sense that she thinks of Prince Eleanor Blackwood as her personal nemesis, though the feeling likely isn't mutual.
Well, that's going to be interesting -- both that the Prince is a Malkavian, and also that Leila doesn't like her. It seems a bit further along than just Brujah disliking authority, too.
"See, the thing is, I'm her childe now, so I'm a reflection on her. If I look like a useless fuckup-"
"You're not a useless fuckup," says Trish. "I don't like hearing you talk about yourself that way. Did Leila call you that?"
"She was stressed," you reply. "She didn't mean it."
"I see." There's silence on the line for a minute. Then you hear a sigh. "Strider, you know my door is always open to you, right? If you're ever in trouble, doesn't matter if it's vampire shit or personal problems, you know I'll be happy to help you with whatever you need."
Man, poor Trish. Seeing your friend get steadily more hurt, addicted, and infatuated with something that by definition is going to kill her one way or another over the course of years, and there is... pretty much nothing you can do.
Or is there?
Haha...
It's going to be interesting going to that celebration -- I'm very curious on who Trish is, and how she's maintained this relationship. People are sort of like inkpots -- they spill into each other's lives and indelibly stain them. I wonder how our friendship has affected Trish.
You wake up much like you fell asleep: gradually, and then all at once. The realization that you are waking up from slumber like a normal person jolts you to full consciousness. Confused, you check the astronomical clock on your phone and discover it's not quite sunset yet.
So how are you awake? And how come you didn't fall asleep immediately when the sun first rose? More mysteries, more weirdness in your Kindred condition. You'll maybe keep this little fact to yourself: it does you no good to spread it around, and Leila has enough to worry about.
Well, for the true Friend-Shaped Sun, we'd somehow have to clean this Exaltation, but I doubt that's happening anytime soon. Or ever, considering the thematics and aesthetics of this quest.
Staring back at you is a tall, well-muscled desi girl with a face full of piercings that looks like she's been through the ringer. Your nose has definitely been broken a time or two, and there's a scar on your right eyebrow from where a shovelhead clawed you one time.
Overall, you can't say you look pretty, but you do look striking, and maybe that's enough. But something's not quite right.
You grab a set of clippers and contemplate your long, dark hair. Leila had urged you to grow it out before the Embrace, claiming it would give you more options for styling, and while that's true, it's also not you. So you shave it all off.
When that's done, you smile back at the girl in the mirror. Shaved head and showing a hint of fang, you feel much more like yourself. Now to see how the Prince likes it.
Man, also, how impressive is it that a Ghoul can take on Fledglings? I don't think it's... super crazy? But it's worth noting. The appearance in here is evocative to say nonetheless -- we sorta shaved our head, but before that this is sort of what I'm picturing? x.com
For hair -- how does that work? I've seen some conflicting stuff, in that like, you reset to the moment of death every night, or in others it's totally permanent. If it's the latter, things are going to get interesting.
Veeeery interesting. What are the Clan Heads doing here? Ventrues are the political types and the Nosferatu are the spymasters and underground type, so like, obvious connection, but that being pointed out to us...
Leila grimaces. "Shit, I'm trying to give you more independence A-, er, Strider, but you make it hard as hell when you want to make calls like this. You're sure you want to do this just the two of us? Because even if we do manage to raid the Sabbat with just us and come out in one piece, that'll get eyes on us."
You frown. That's an angle you hadn't considered. Damn, this politics shit is annoying. And speaking of politics, if you choose not to look for backup, then that gives you time to chat with someone else at Elysium. Who would that even be?
How do we want to play this? Either way, we're going to be digging into things we may not be the best at -- either politics, or social, which is probably political either.
Personally, I think the move if we're doing social, among the premades, is just talk to the Nosferatu. We need actionable intel, information wins conflicts. I feel investigating the Prince with our skills is going to be a bit of a wash. Introducing ourselves to the Brujah Primogen is going to be interesting -- it would be in line with us trying to figure out things for ourselves, but unlike us not wanting to piss off the prince, it looks like we're already not in good places thanks to Leila and Newman maybe having some beef.
Might be worth confirming that, though -- and I think either way, I think what choices we choose now are going to be character-defining.
Frankly, barring stuff we don't know about, as the situation is, I really do think we can just wash our opponents. Leila's skilled enough to hold her own, and we can uh, butcher anyone not a Methuselah with our bare fucking hands, I feel, if we can actually bloody an Antediluvian's nose. So in terms of actual, physical danger, I think we're fine.
Mechanically speaking, I'd prefer to not take backup. Frankly, less witnesses for what our capabilities of beyond scary, and this being our first Night flavors us being Weird in less a negative way and more establishing a legit reputation. I'm fine with being Weird so long as we're Weird but Clearly Capable. We won't owe anyone, we make a splash, and we probably gain some nice experience. And to be frank, I like martial arts and violence, and the more violence and martial arts, the better for me, tee-hee.
That being said, this is probably the only chance for us to meet peers without us having that kind of reputation hanging over us, and I think that may be worth considering. Sure, yes, we may owe favors, but we might roll the dice and see if we may have someone genuinely helping us out for the good of their heart. I'd honestly be more comfortable with favor-trading in that case though, because we're going to be displaying quite the resume in violence painted with that poor sumbitch Toreador's blood, and thus anyone who wants to call in a favor is probably going to do that with more fights.
We run the risk of that being an objectionable sort of fight, of course, but either way, I don't think we're going to be able to pass as being a normal sort of vampire after tonight.
Anyways...
In terms of Virtues, I think Justice is... fairly quiet, besides being A-okay with being able to kill the Sabbat. Shovelheads implies iirc nonconsensual mass embracing, which is a no-no, and I think Strider is fairly immersed in their culture to view the Sabbat as destabilizing and a negative on the world. So hatchet-woman-ing this person is perfectly fine!
For Courage... definitely just gunning it solo. It also sort of implies a sort of pride and arrogance, but that can also just be self-assuredness. It's your first night, you want to test your body out. You feel strong, and fuck it, you might as well embrace the weirdness. There's No Going Back.
Additional filtration of the character depends on social actions.
I don't really know what the backup implies -- beyond having probably some common sense, I guess, lmao
Anyways, I'm feeling...
[X] Don't look for backup. Instead, use this time to…
-[X] Speak with Seance, the Nosferatu Primogen. What other information does he have?
I don't think we're going to have a lot of chances to talk to a Primogen, especially a Nosferatu. Of course, if it's not too arrogant for a Fledgling to talk to a Primogen, but eh, we're a Brujah and this is us trying to complete a task to the best of our ability.
[X] Don't look for backup. Instead, use this time to…
-[X] Introduce yourself to the Brujah Primogen. Does he consider you part of his clan despite your weirdness?
[X] Don't look for backup. Instead, use this time to…
-[X] Introduce yourself to the Brujah Primogen. Does he consider you part of his clan despite your weirdness?
I think this is the most important person to talk to now, before any plots get off the ground.
