Any man could tell you that. They could tell you of the Spanish flu that rips through the districts of our dying city like a scythe. Of the bodies that pile up under white sheets, and the boarded up houses where the sick are quarantined.
A symptom perhaps, but not the true disease.
Creatures of the night stalk our streets, preying on the healthy and sick alike. Sucking our city and it's people dry like so many leeches. They hunger not for base lucre, or power, or anything else a human being would want, but the very blood that pumps within our veins.
Vampires
The legends are real. The Nosferatu stalk our streets, and take their bloody toll from any they wish. They are a worse enemy of mankind than the flu, than even the War that consumes so many of Europe's sons. They are plague carriers and predators, slaughterers of the innocents and the enemy of god. London is truly tested to face a revival of their kind in this bloody decade.
But at the very least, London has a defender.
We are the Guard of Priwen, and for nearly a century we have guarded sacred England against these creatures. Seventy five years ago we led a great hunt to purge these leeches from our sacred soil. In the intervening time the survivors of their filthy species have bred and multiplied like the pests they are, and now the plague carriers stand posed to sicken the entirety of mighty London.
It's time to take a stand against these Leeches and take our city back, with fire and steel.
It's time for a Second Great Hunt.
+++++++++++
Priwen Shall Prevail is an RPG campaign in the making based on the setting of Dontnod Entertainment's Vampyr videogame. This game will be based around playing members of the Guard of Priwen, an unruly collection of Vampire Hunters and vigilantes out to solve London's growing Vampire problem by force of arms.
As implied by the IC intro, this game (like the videogame) is set in 1918 London, a city ravaged by the Spanish Flu and the strain of the First World War. It will heavily feature violence, disease, poverty, and moral ambiguity. It will be a perspective heavily focused on the little people-the Guard is primarily composed of normal people who took up arms, and this will be a game about trying to keep a part of London healthy, sane, and free of Vampires, not saving the whole country.
Expect this game to be fairly gritty in tone. Don't expect to cut down a dozen Vampires in the first session-or even the first dozen. You are the underdog, relying on tried and true Vampire hunting techniques and new technology to overcome the vast advantage even the newest born Vampires have over humans. Expect desperate fights in the back alleys against even one or two Vampires, relying on tactics and sheer numbers to win the day. Outside of combat you can expect disease and crushing poverty to be major themes, mechanically and narratively. You will have to scramble for resources and funding, while avoiding the Flu that claimed so many people.
Vampyr is defined by the choice between saving people's lives as a doctor or taking them as a Vampire. Similar to that, your job as the Guard of Priwen is to protect humanity against the threat of the Vampire, but you may also feel pushed towards hurting and robbing people to find funding and show authority. You might want to protect everyone, but you might be forced to practice Triage on entire neighborhoods. The choice between doing the more difficult right thing and the easier ruthless choice will be a major theme.
So will the people of London and the impact you will have on their lives. Exploiting people might be expedient in the short term, but these people will have friends and family who might be people you like and rely upon. Letting someone die or killing someone who's been turned into a Vampire will have effects on their friends, family, and other intimates. No man or Woman is an Island, and in times of crisis these connections become all the more important.
You can also expect issues of social class, race, gender, and other social issues of the day to be important, if in a secondary capacity. 1918 London is not an equitable society by any means, but there were people who strove to make it so even in such turbulent times. Like Vampyr, this game will strive to depict and explore those issues,
This will be set primarily in the Battersea Borough, a heavily industrialized section of London on the Southern Banks of the River Thames. Containing a cross section of social classes and political ideologies, you'll have plenty of people and groups who all have their own interest who might be allies or enemies to the Guard of Priwen.
System:
The system this game is using is a 1d100 roll under system with a high focus on tactical, gritty combat that is not without consequences even if you survive.
It's injury system ensures that getting hit comes with painful penalties and other consequences, but is only rarely crippling or instantly fatal. Expect Vampyr claws to leave wounds that might bleed you to death if not bandaged or even severe limbs, rifle buts and clubs to smash bones and stun people, and bullets to punch through you and leave bleeding and internal injuries. Getting injured is never a safe proposition.
On the other hand, armor is very useful and you have plenty of defensive options. A steel breastplate or even a thick leather coat can turn a crippling bullet or a maiming claw slash into a much less severe injury, or negate lesser wounds entirely. Good cover can easily save your life even from heavy fire or Vampyr sorcery. You also can dodge and parry to negate attacks entirely, if you have the skill and talents for it.
Ultimately, good positioning and proper tactics matters, as does the right equipment for the job. Do not expect to win if you just charge in or stand in place shooting. Such will make you easy prey.
There are, of course, modifications made for the purpose of this game being set in 1918 London-a completely redone armory, disease mechanics, and a rewritten talent list.
In (coming soon) post there will be an info post telling you everything you need to know to be able to play this game, detailing a brief version of the mechanics relevant to you as a player.
Format:
This game will be a session based game on Roll20, using text chat. Hours are highly negotiable on my end. I intend reasonably sized sessions of ~4 hours each week, if possible, but again it's all flexible on my end.
Character Creation:
This will not be first come, First served. I will be selecting Sheets based on quality (In this case, having a personality matters the most).
(If you are going to roll, please use SV's built in Die Roller.)
Note, when the abbreviation of a stat+B, it means the Bonus of that stat. For example, SB means Strength Bonus, or the 10s digit of your Strength stat.
-Wounds: 10+TB
-Fatigue Threshold: X/TB+WpB
-Encumbrance Threshold: TB+SB.
-Encumbrance: X/Encumbrance Threshold. X is the current weight you are carrying, minus reduction for load bearing gear or talents.
-Fate Points:Available/Max
Skills: Your Skill levels
Talents: Your Talents
Traits: Your Traits
Weapons: What weapons you're carrying
Armor: Head/Body/Legs/Arms (Qualities)
Gear: Any misc gear you're carrying
Money: How much money you currently possess (At start, 5)
Priwen Influence: How many points of Priwen Influence you have (At start, 0)
Spare Time Points: 2/6 How many spare time points your character has stored up. By default, you start with two, and have a maximum of six. Also note any special ones that can only be spent on special purposes.
Berserk Charge
You hurl yourself at your enemies with reckless abandon, using the force of your Charge to add force to your strikes. When you make a Charge manoeuvre you may score an additional hit for extra two additional DoS.
Clues from the Crowd
When gathering information from a group of people, the character may re-roll a failed test with a -10 modifier.
Defensive Fighter
Guard gives +1 DoS to successful Parry and Dodge until the start of your next turn.
Duelist
When fighting an enemy in single combat hand-to-hand, the character gains +2 DoS on all Weapon Skill tests.
Evasive
You keep out of the way of enemy fire. Your first dodge test of any combat is at a +20 bonus.
Face of Judgement
The character can re-roll any Intimidation, and can substitute his Willpower bonus for his degrees of success on these tests.
Fitness
You may make a +0 (Athletics) Test with Toughness as a full action. If successful, you may clear a single point of fatigue. This test is affected by the weight you are carrying as if you were resisting fatigue. This may only be done once per combat, and only once outside of combat per night.
Glancing Hit:
When a character makes a successful dodge test against an attack but fails to achieve enough DoS to fully negate the attack, they may voluntarily take a point of fatigue, and reduce the damage of the successful attack by their unmodified DoS on the dodge test. Against attacks with multiple hits, the character reduces each hit by half their unmodified DoS (round down) instead.
Keen Intuition
After failing an awareness or scrutiny test, the character may reroll the test with a -10 modifier.
Lead Your Shots
You gain +1 DoS on ranged attacks which only is applied for the purpose of your target's dodge tests.
Know a Guy
You know a few people who might be able to help you out. Inquiry checks to locate merchants or services are at a +20 to you. Once per session, you may spend a fate to be owed a favor by one of your existing contacts, allowing a +30 bonus on a related roll or the temporary loan of some equipment (10 Cash points or less).
Leech Sense
Though all Priwen Guardsmen are given rudimentary training in how to detect Vampires, you just have an uncanny knack for it. When rolling to detect a Vampire hiding under Glamor, you gain a +10 bonus, and +1 DoS.
Lightning Reflexes
You react like a flash of lightning. When rolling for Initiative, you may roll twice and take the better of the two. When trying to Parry or Dodge you gain +10 Bonus.
Knowledgeable (Crime, London)
You are very knowledgeable about an area of study, having many years educating yourself. You may reroll your selected Lore Skill once at -10 if you fail a test of it. You also add +1 DoS with it.
Nimble
When the character succeeds on a Dodge or Parry test, she adds one to the total degrees of success scored on the test.
Peer (Suffragettes)
You gain a +10 bonus to all Fellowship Tests when interacting with your chosen group.
Priwen Influencer
Everytime you or members of your squad would lose or gain multiple influence points at once, reduce or increase the gain or loss by 1. Every time you would lose or spend a single point, roll a 1d10, and on an 8+, you don't lose that point.
Rapid Reaction
When Surprised or ambushed, you may make an Agility Test to act normally. You also add +1 to your Initiative rolls.
Rapid Reload
You have spent so long practising weapons drills that you can reload a gun in an instant. All reload times are reduced by half (round down)—so a Half Action reload become a Free Action, a Full Action reload becomes a Half Action and so on.
Riposte
Reroll failed counter-attacks.
Smooth Talker
Once per conversation, the character can re-roll one Charm or Deceive test.
Street Fighting
You are a master of dirty tricks such as the low punch and the knife in the gut. When dealing Critical Damage with an unarmed attack, improvised weapon or weapon with Unarmed quality, you deal +2 points of Damage. Half the effect applies to Trench Knives.
Step Aside
You are quick at getting out of the way of attacks. You may make an additional Dodge once per Round. This allows rerolling failed Dodge or Dodging failed Parries.
Vampire Killer
You no longer suffer penalties when attempting to Intimidate Vampires. Additionally, as long as you are visibly carrying a Holy Symbol or a traditional symbol of Vampire Hunting (Stakes, Torch, Silver Blade, etc) you gain +1 DoS on such tests.
Wrestler
The Character may reroll all Grappling tests if they fail or they are beaten.
Traits:
Professional: Scrutiny, Knowledge (Crime),
Choose two of the skills gained from this class. You may reroll any failed test of them at -10 if you fail the first time. If you take extra time, you gain a +20 bonus instead of +10.
Investigation:
You gain one free Spare time point each downtime. It can only be spent on Research or Inquiry actions.
Influenza Survivor (Traveler)
+20 vs. Spanish Flu
Known and Unknown Facts:
Once per session, you may automatically succeed on any unpenalized Lore or Scrutiny test. You gain an amount of DoS equal to one half your Intelligence or Perception Bonus.
Brotherhood Facts (5 remaining)
+10 to Occult tests relating to the Brotherhood of Saint Paul's Stole.
Occult contacts
+10 to Inquiry and research checks made in downtime
For Occult stuff
Requisition Bonus
+10 to next requisition
-Encumbrance: 5.5/6 Weapons (2.5 Weight)
Revolver
25m, 1/2/- 1d10+1, Pen 0, Mag 6, 2Full Reload, Revolver, Pump, Reliable, Concealable. Concealable -10 due to holster.
1 Weight. Reduced by 1 to 0 when in holster.
6 Bullets (Loaded). 6 in reserve.
Speedloader attachment:
½ Weight
First Revolver Reload takes only full action.
Ammo Restock: 3 bullets. Max 6.
Best Quality Trench Knife
1d5+5 P, 2 Pen, Primitive, Balanced, Fast, Light, Precise, Proven (3), Concealable, Impact (Melee). +5 WS.
0.5 Weight
Duelist's Grip: Grants +5 and +1 DoS to parry tests
Mail Collar
(Imposes -15 on Vampire bite tests. If struck a headshot (Including called shots), roll 1d10. On a 7+, it's against AP 3 (Primitive) armor. Concealable (+0))
2 Points, ½ Weight, Rarity (+0, Priwen)
Gear (0.5 Weight)
Mask
+10 bonus to resist gaining disease, and +10 vs. gas, Obvious.
0 Weight.
Flashlight
An Electric Hand Lantern. Negates penalties from night to visual perception in a cone in front of you for 10m, but obviously makes stealth futile. Battery lasts two hours (Each additional battery is ½ point and 0 weight).
0.5 Weight
Jackboots
Civilian. +5 to Cold Tests, and +5 to Intimidate and Command tests.
0 Weight.
Holster
Reduces the weight of a pistol or Sword by 1 point. Weapons held in it can be concealed. Concealable (-10)
1 Point, 0 Weight, Rarity (+0)
A holster or sheath for a pistol or sword.
Cigarettes (3)
Locket: Given to her by Calvin
Backstory:
Before she joined the Guard of Priwen, Evelyn Cook had never held a gun in her life before. But fighting for a cause she believed in, serving in a paramilitary organization, risking her life and reputation to do what she felt right, patrolling the dark streets of London and watching for suspicious activity? Evelyn was familiar with that, for she'd patrolled the very same streets she now walks with the Guard as a member of the Women Police Service.
Born the daughter of an upper-middle-class mercantile family, a career as a suffragette and vampire hunter hardly seemed likely. Her parents, Ashton and Madison Cook were far from social radicals or superstitious, and as Evelyn grew up her father taught her to follow in his footsteps. Even from a young age, he tried to teach her numbers and logic. From her mother, an ardent socialite, she learned a great deal about social graces and etiquette-Or at least, how to make and keep friends. When she came of age, her parents paid for the best education they could afford. Her performance in school was debatable, for though she was a clever and willful child with a sharp wit and curious mind, not everyone approved of those same traits. For each teacher she won over with her gregarious nature and passion for those subjects that drew her interest, another disciplined her for her unruliness or sharp tongue. Yet, their efforts ultimately had little effect. As she grew older, Evelyn's passion only grew.
The birth of her younger brother and sister, Jenson and Carmen, encouraged her to take up greater responsibilities in the household. If it also led to a great deal of friendly (And not so friendly) competition with her younger siblings, well, that's neither here or there. Even if, perhaps, she picked up some detective skills from tracking down stolen toys and the ilk. Regardless of such sibling rivalry, Evelyn became close with her siblings: Jenson, in particular, shared a love of reading with her, whilst Carmen was even more gregarious than she. Eventually, she began to help Ashton around the shop, performing clerical duties for her father, and for a time it looked as though she'd take over from him one day in the future. But she found she had little passion for it and began looking onto greater things.
Evelyn fell into campaigning for animal rights almost incidentally, having had a chance conversation with an activist named Meredith Brooks, who she became fast friends with. Before she was even legally an adult, Evelyn had begun to support the movement for animal rights and anti-vivisection efforts, with her parents giving their bemused support. She found a passion for activism, and though animal rights would be the first, it would be far from the last. She aided in drives for the poor, or helping build orphanages, among other causes. It was during her campaigning against vivisection she first heard of Margaret Damer Dawson, the militant feminist and animal rights activist, and though they only spoke briefly once, Evelyn found herself admiring the driven woman. Although it would be some years before Evelyn became a suffragette herself, it was here the seeds were laid, and her interest in feminism blossomed as fellow activists shared literature about the cause. Her mother certainly didn't approve of what she found Evelyn reading, but she was ever a stubborn woman. It was also here that Evelyn met Calvin Porter, a fellow animal rights campaigner who swiftly became close friends with her over a shared love of history, foreign culture, and literature. Their relationship eventually blossomed into courting.
As the war began, Evelyn sought to expand beyond her father's shop and began to set her sights on clerical positions around London. It began with an instant rejection by the banks of London, who viewed women as unfit. Undaunted, Evelyn sought out other positions, taking up a slew of clerical positions as she searched for something she enjoyed. But each position left her ultimately dissatisfied. As the Great War's continued, numbers and paperwork seemed meaningless busywork. Only her final position as a police clerk felt like it had any purpose at all to her. She volunteered wherever she could, particularly for the many Belgian refugees from the war, but she wanted to do more. As more and more men were being dragged away by the war, and so Evelyn threw herself into activism for feminism, soon joined by Calvin. Evelyn believed with all her heart that women had a role to play in the war too. When she heard of Margaret Damer Dawson's efforts leading the Women Police Service, Evelyn thought she'd at last found her calling.
But she wasn't the only one that'd found it. Her brother, Jenson, was going to enlist. The two decided to break the news to their parents together, and the shouting and arguing went on for hours. But Evelyn was a clever and willful woman, with a sharp wit. In the end, her parents acceded to both. The same day that Jenson shipped out, Evelyn put on the uniform of the Women Police Service. Perhaps it wasn't the most fashionable uniform in the world, but it filled her with great pride nonetheless.
The WPS was just one of the several different women's police organizations, and certainly not the largest. But it was the most militant and most organized. None of the others had the uniforms that the WPS did, and though they may not have had the same powers as male constables, Evelyn was eager to make a difference. The WPS' efforts were far from dramatic, certainly: Mostly helping enforce the curfew, especially on 'loose women', or being hired to supervise and search female workers at the munitions factories. But they also helped expose spying and drug-taking among the military or elsewhere, and helped protect many Belgian and French refugees from being preyed upon. Evelyn herself became fast friends with a pair of Belgians she helped. The first, the noblewoman Lissa Van Den Bossche had been harassed due to being confused for a German, but Evelyn managed to discover the identities of the vandals attacking her home and ensure her arrest. The other, Stefanie Benoit, she helped escape predation on the British rail lines and acquire a home in Battersea. Evelyn had done her part to make things better.
But it was a brief spot of light amid dark times. Calvin Porter was conscripted away and promised to propose to her upon his return. The plague swept through London, killing at random. Friends she'd long known were cut down by the flu and war both, but Evelyn kept her head high. Even as she saw more and more violence in her patrols, as the desperate turned to looting and robbery, and those left delusional from their fever lashed out at random, Evelyn kept her head high. Even when Calvin Porter was reported dead by a German artillery shell, she kept her head high.
She became aware of the Guard of Priwen long before she knew of their cause. They were a strange and growing group, armed and dangerous, that flocked to the most plague-ridden districts. Were they a gang, looters, perhaps some militia? Both what the papers and what little she saw of them left that unclear. As the plague grew increasingly intense and the Guard of Priwen grew in numbers, Evelyn became increasingly suspicious in the group and began to look into them on her own time. She saw them moving about at night with evident discipline, many of them having an almost military bearing. They warned away anyone that approached, claiming safety and sanitary reasons, blocked off whole streets. She kept her distance, both because they kept the most dangerous districts and because she had little wish to fall afoul of such individuals. It would've been wiser to keep her distance, for sure. Yet, Evelyn had always been a willful woman.
She would not encounter them in person until her brother returned fr his ship having arrived late. Nonetheless, she was there at the docks awaiting him having finished her nightly patrols. It was as they were skirting the edge of a quarantine district on the way home that they ran into the poor woman. Delirious, rambling, the feverish woman staggered out of the alley. She pleaded at them for a drink, something. The two swiftly backed away, Evelyn calming the woman down with soothing words even as her brother tossed her his canteen. Fear and pity in equal measure motivated them, neither wishing to catch the Spanish Flu. For a moment, the woman relaxed and glutted herself on the canteen, and the two of them slowly began to back away. Perhaps they moved too fast, or too slow. Perhaps their mistake was turning their backs to the woman.
The next thing Evelyn knew, the woman was lunging at Jenson, grasping onto the arm of his coat. The sudden violence was a blur of motion: her brother throwing the woman to the floor, her gnarled hands scrabbling at his ankle, the heel of her jackboot slamming into the side of their attacker's head before she had even had time to think. She helped her brother to his feet as the woman scrambled after them, and the two ran, quickly outpacing their attacker. It was almost a relief when they rounded a corner and, in their haste, all but slammed into a patrol of the Guard. A half dozen armed men confronted Evelyn and her brother. Noticing the blood on Evelyn's boots and Jenson's sleeve, they demanded to know what they were doing there so late at night. A cautious woman would have watched her words. But Evelyn had always been a willful woman.
She told them to piss off, much to their delight. She laid into them in truth, telling them off for accosting a policewoman and her brother, a veteran on his first night of leave, and explaining they'd been attacked. Perhaps shamed by her words (or at least, Jenson's military service), the Guardsmen relented. The officer, after scrutinizing Evelyn and her brother for a long moment, waved them off with an apology and a compliment for Jenson's service. Evelyn saw the leader's eyes linger on her. She saw recognition in his eyes. But if he thought he'd learned something about her, she noticed his tags and military haircut, and that even if his men lacked it, they too moved with a military bearing. That, and their armour and weapons, and the strange symbol on their uniforms, as though someone had combined the cross with the letter P, or perhaps a sword and a shield, caught her eye. As the leader asked where they got ambushed and warned them to move off, that the 'sick could be dangerous in their delirium' she knew she was hearing a half-truth. These looters or gangsters. As the Guardsmen moved out in formation, Evelyn took her brother home, but they'd barely made it two blocks before gunshots split the night air. Jenson all but had to drag Evelyn home to keep her from rushing to investigate.
It wasn't long after that Jenson caught the Spanish Flu. Her brother on the verge of death, herself potentially having caught it (her entire family, even), the events of that night ran through her head. Was it that night that her brother had caught the flu? That woman having gotten him sick seemed likely. But what had those mysterious men been doing there?
Alone she returned to the scene. She found scattered evidence of fighting. A spent casing there, droplets of dried blood there. The oddest bit was a discarded cuirass, battered and scraped with what looked all too much like claw marks across its front. She followed the trail to where it ended, a spent funeral pyre. The embers were still warm, and knowing that it must thus have been used repeatedly, she found herself a hiding hole and waited each night to see if the Guard would return. As she did, she combed through the news, spoke with people on the street. She looked into that strange symbol which led her down a rabbit hole. Even as she scoffed at some madman named Clarence Crossley talking about vampire hunters known as the 'Guard of Priwen', she watched the pyre. It was three nights before the Guard came through again, beginning their patrols into and around the quarantine district. She watched as they burned the dead. She watched with growing bewilderment as she saw them stake the dead, and place garlic cloves in their mouth before wheeling them into the flames. She waited well after they moved off before she considered moving. It was only when she heard shots that she followed, hurrying as screams split the air. By the time she'd arrived, the fight was long over. It had been frantic, clearly. The Guard had gotten split up, chasing or being chased by something through the alleyways. Spent casings, broken weapons and discarded armour were scattered through the alleyways, and there were dead. Both Priwen and what looked all the world like flu victims. Ill, unarmed men and women who shouldn't have stood a chance. That made the fallen guardsmen she found terribly curious and deeply terrifying.
As the Guard of Priwen returned on their rounds to secure the dead, they found her waiting against a wall. Their leader simply nodded, unsurprised. For all of Evelyn's skills, she wasn't much of a sneak and he'd known she'd been following. But when she asked what exactly the Guard of Priwen was, and if they were really hunting vampires, he could only smile. That night, Evelyn found out what a Skal was.
To fight, to kill, these were never things Evelyn saw herself doing. But she's seen the disease ravaging London, seen her own brother nearly succumb to the plague spread by one of the 'leeches'. Even having survived, his recovery is slow. She had already fought and struggled for the good of others. To risk her life to see Britain safe was nothing new. And as she spoke with that Priwen team leader, she felt a passion burning in her breast. So many men had fought and died in the trenches of the Great War. This was her time, her time to face the enemies of Britain just like Calvin, or Jenson had. Perhaps not from bullets, but the undead and unholy. When she joined with the Guard of Priwen, it was not out of personal loss. It was the desire to do her part as a Defender of Britain.
She had skills the Guard could use. She studied the Priwen's documents extensively, provided her knowledge of the streets and had an eye for the suspicious. Her night patrols had left her body ready for the harsh demands of Priwen's duties, and she took to the training like a fish to water.
Personality: A well-educated woman with a sharp wit and a sharp tongue, Evelyn is passionate and willing to fight long and hard for the causes she believes in. She is a suffragette with a history of campaigning for feminism and other causes, such as the anti-vivisection movement. She is curious and naturally empathetic and can be rather stubborn. She is a staunch patriot and an Anglican.
Appearance/Typical Outfit: Average height (slightly heightened by her boots). Reasonably fit. Dark hair and dark eyes. Freckles. Whilst working for the guard, she wears a thick leather coat, red scarf, and beret.
Miscellaneous notes:
Volunteer Woman Patrol: Not seeking powers of arrest. Less Militant. National Union of Women Workers.
Women Police Force: Margaret Damer Dawson, ardently hostile toward prostitution. Nina Boyle hoped to support women, forced out.
Bonds:
Ashton Cook: Evelyn's father. A supportive, even indulgent man, though one that's increasingly shaky as war, plague, and danger besets his country and his family. Owns the family shop.
Madison Cook: Evelyn's mother, a confident but conservative woman with little regard for the suffragette movement, or Evelyn's involvement thereof. Worries deeply about her children, or her Germanic heritage getting out. A socialite.
Jenson Cook: Evelyn's younger brother, who nearly died of the Spanish Flu after returning home from the war on leave. Is still recovering. Loves to read, and has a particular fascination for the macabre.
Carmen Cook: Evelyn's youngest sibling. Hopes to become an actress. Also a feminist, but not an activist.
Calvin Porter: Evelyn's betrothed. An ardent activist and feminist. Killed in action by a fragment from a German Artillery shell.
Lauren Burns: A down on her luck shop owner in the Battersea district and close personal friend of Evelyn.
Lissa Van Den Bossche & Stefanie Benoit: Belgian refugees Evelyn assisted and gained a relationship with. Lissa's husband died during the war, and uses what's left of her wealth to remain comfortable. She has been fond of Evelyn ever since she helped solve a case of anti-German vandalism that was affecting her home. Stefanie Benoit nearly suffered the same fate as many Belgian refugees by being forced into prostitution, but Evelyn got her out and helped her acquire a home in Battersea.
Meredith Brooks: A friend of Evelyn Cook from her teenage years, Brooks is an avowed anti-vivisectionist activist who introduced Evelyn to campaigning. Currently working as a nurse, and has a tumultuous relationship with the Suffragette movement.
Lily-Rose Hudson: A fellow member of the Woman Police Service and friend to Evelyn Cook. A militant suffragette, quite skilled at fisticuffs. Was wounded by a German zeppelin bombing and walks with a slight limp.
Money: 0
Priwen Influence: 0
Spare Time Points: 2/6
Irma is one among many of the Irish who found themselves in London after some years dubbed as the "Irish Troubles", a state of political and religious turmoil that has left the counties and countryside of Ireland in a state of ruin. Conflict between Catholic and Protestants would leave Irma as an orphan at an early age, the only item that reminded her that she had parents was a locket as their names and faces were forever lost to her. The only reason for her survival was that of a family friend that was traveling with them managed to bring her to a refugee ship, sadly due to the refugee ship being full and that she was only taken as a small mercy.
Though the luck of the Irish proved itself to be true still when the ship landed in London as herself and many others being taken immediately into the shadows by filth of the criminal underworld. Being young she was immediately put into labor where children were "fit" for the job because of their small stature and low maintenance due to the fact that they don't need to get paid as much as an adult would need to be.
Irma struggled with the conditions she lived in, starvation and sickness always lingered ready to take her to the hands of God or as many of the protestants she had encountered into the hands of the devil himself. She hardened herself to deal with these problems, stealing and even fighting just to get by day by day. Eventually her drive and ruthlessness for survival would be noticed by an Irish gang leader called Tara of the Lia Fáil, her name not of her own as it was the name of a hill which the Lia Fáil stone sat on. Tara was a woman who controlled actual power in a profession that usually one would think would have a male leader, of course the Irish boss lady proved her worth by being harsh to those who dare tried to hustle in her domain without tribute and brutal to those who would try to take what she owned.
Brought in with the promise of a home and a proper life by Tara, Imra then accepted the offer to be taken into the fold, here Irma was shown that despite her ferocity Tara was by no means uncaring to people like her. Soon enough the young fledgling would be brought to a mission building where she and many other refugees like herself were housed. Here she was fed and taken care by the owner who was Laila Vallon, a former nun of who was ran out of her church. Here she'd find a semblance of family, love and respect that throughout the years she'd yearn for. To protect herself however from lynching just because of her hair color she'd dye it black with the help of some prostitutes that she knew.
Though this offer wouldn't go unpaid as she was sent out like many others to work the streets, mugging and breaking into homes to find anything that could've been pawned off as well as fighting rival gangsters. Irma would steal and fight with such eagerness that was unseen from others that Tara would take an interest in the young immigrant wherein soon she would become one of Lia Fáil's known enforcers. Brutal in combat and unforgiving to those who would try to stab her in the back as she patrolled the Battersea borough, yet she would always come back home to the mission with whatever gift she could give to the children and sister Liala. Life was as peaceful as it could be, but not when the Spanish Flu suddenly hit England.
Life on the streets that was still somewhat vibrant even with the war going on suddenly looked like the world was ending, bodies that could not be buried in a timely manner would pile on the streets while anyone who was not wearing a mask was staunchly refused for threat of infection was high. Despite this she along with many members of the Lia Fáil would still go out and about on their patrols, making sure that rival gangs were removed as not to bring the plague to them as well as to keep the stake they had in territory.
During one night however everything that she knew would change as she and four others were patrolling the night streets of Battersea, here they would come across several individuals that were crowded around a corpse. One of her companions would challenge the individuals asking who they were and if they did not disperse immediately they would have to face their wrath, he was replied with a swipe at the throat that would remove a chunk of his neck and leave the young lad a fountain of blood that the loose minded folk would waste no time feasting on.
Irma herself was stunned to silence at such quick swipe, the eyes of her comrade staring up at her in disbelief as he now just understood what had happened to him before they rolled back into his head. A powerful, rage induced roar she'd let out as she'd immediately swing at the nearest individual with her axe that would result in the creature's head cleaved in two. Wrenching her weapon back battle would soon be joined, herself and her companions backing up to give each other room as the blood hungry creatures would come at them.
A one sided fight it was as her comrade in arms would die as they were overpowered and devoured despite their best efforts, Irma herself struggling to fight so many individuals due to their speed and strength. The her agility was exceptional yet with so many now surrounding her she could barely keep up as slashes and scratches from near miss would paint her arms and legs as she able to take two more down with her axe cleaving them in half.
Worn down she'd stare at her opponents as she accepted the inevitably that she'd die there with creatures of the night gnawing on her body, there she would make her peace with God before the barks of guns filled the air along with the screams of the damned. She'd watch as each unholy creature of the night would fall before her, a spear soon flew past her head to see men and women cloaked in garbs and masks that was unusual. Only a glimpse she'd be able to take before the blood loss and fatigue settled in as she blacked out, and when she woken up she was greeted with bandages all over her body, her hair now red and a man in what seemed like chainmail waiting for her to wakeup.
In the hours of her waking she would come to know the existence of vampires, terror of the night that she thought were nothing more than myth and stories that were told to bring the children to sleep. Then and there she found that something else apart from the disease and war that could tear apart Battersea and the country herself, and in that moment she was recruited into the Guard of Priwen. The reason? In the time that she was unconscious and being treated treated people were lost and supplies were used, a debt the man would say to her was what she owed and through the service in the Guard in fighting the undead she would pay what she owed by any means necessary. This also meant she could keep the ones she cared about safe from harm, but a balance needed to be struck as she still worked for Tara.
After all, her words of wisdom rang true. "A debt left unpaid, unchecked is a lifetime of hell."
Personality: Headstrong and fierce from the years of hardships she had endured, Irma has no problems with getting into a fight if it meant ending the problem immediately. Though years of tutelage would show her that voice and reason can be just as effective, what matters to her the most is what's happening around her as the war in Europe was of no concern to her. To her friends she is a shoulder to lean on in times of crisis, to her enemies she is a force to be reckoned with. Despite all this however she is a believer of the catholic faith, and there's no changing that.
Appearance/Typical Outfit: Standing tall at a height of 5'10", red hair and somewhat muscular build with broad shoulders yet still holding a feminine figure. Though it is hidden under the coat, vest and shirt that she wears that were mostly that of men as it was easier to move with. (Left most outfit)
David Torres: Fishmonger and close friend of Irma, ears on the streets and merchant of lost belongings.(Benefit)
Sean "Pat" Benedict: A fellow Irish orphan that she had saved from being lynched, works in a Bakery. (Benefit)
Tara: The leader of the Lia Fáil and somewhat of a mentor to Irma, service still needing to be rendered after being taken in. (Obligation)
Laila Vallon: A mother figure to Irma and the young, cares deeply for those in need of help no matter what creed or race. (Obligation)
-Wounds: 13
-Fatigue Threshold: 7
-Encumbrance Threshold: 5
-Encumbrance: X/Encumbrance Threshold. X is the current weight you are carrying, minus reduction for load bearing gear or talents.
-Fate Points:Available: 3/3
Talents:
Peer (The Wealthy) (1)
Rival (The Poor) (1)
Clinking Coins: Whenever you test to obtain money in a legitimate matter, gain +2 DoS.
Jaded: You may reroll fear tests involving normal violence and bloodshed once, and reduce durations of failed tests by one round.
Enhanced First Aid: Restore an additional 1d5 wounds with any successful Medicine test for First Aid special use.
Resist Disease: You gain a +10 bonus when making a test to resist or avoid the object of your resistance.
Traits:
From Wealth:You gain a +10 bonus to any test to acquire money legitimately. You start with 3 additional gear points
Regular Check Ups:
You always gain an additional Spare time point that can only be used for Medical Actions during each downtime period
Angel of Mercy:
If you provide or offer to provide medical care to a sick citizen or someone they care about, you may gain a permanent +10 bonus to fellowship tests against them.
Knife
(1d5+SB P, 0 Pen, Primitive, Fast, Light, Precise, Unarmed, Concealable, Weak, Impact (Melee))
1 point, ½ weight, Rarity (+40)
Armor: Head/Body/Legs/Arms (Qualities) Facemask:
+10 bonus to resist gaining disease, and +10 vs. gas, Obvious.
Cannot be worn with a Faceplate or Gasmask
1 Point, 0 weight, Rarity (+40)
A simple cloth face mask reduces the chance of someone coughing on you and giving you the Spanish Flu.
Gear: Doctor's Bag:
Adds +20 to first aid tests, allows non combat medicine. Comes with ten free medications, two free disinfectants and one free Morphine.
5 Points, 2 Weight, Rarity (+0)
A full kit of all the necessities for running a Doctor's practice on the run-for a few days at least.
four doses of Disinfectant
two doses of Morphine
Money: How much money you currently possess (At start, 8)
Priwen Influence: How many points of Priwen Influence you have (At start, 0)
Spare Time Points: 2/6 How many spare time points your character has stored up. By default, you start with two, and have a maximum of six. Also note any special ones that can only be spent on special purposes.
Backstory:
I spent my youth at various boarding schools. It was a happy enough childhood, distant from my parents except for holidays. I brought back good grades and stories of sports victories, they flaunted these at various social gatherings and in exchange showered me with gifts. It was a very mercantile arrangement. I understand from a young age love and money were interchangeable to them and I was in many ways an investment, they expected me to succeed and grow the family fortune. They love me as best they know how I suppose, and I can't blame them for that.
Eventually I found my way into medical school, war has a way of advancing medicine and my family was eager to invest on these new technologies and profit off of them. I graduated a little to late to join the war myself, though I suspect my parents were glad for that. No use in risking an investment. Medical school found us focused on trauma and war like injuries. Why was obvious but it did slant how I learned.
I graduated and my family put me to work. I was quickly an on call doctor for the wealthy and powerful. No matter how small the request, or how silly I could help for the right price.
"No a blood transfusion of a younger woman won't make your skin better, but let me give you an IV, and a prescription for some vitamins and a medicated skin cream, those should help nicely."
"Of course you caught that disease from a public toilet sir, obviously you would never cheat on your wife and I understand the need for discretion, wouldn't want people to get the wrong idea, let me write you a prescription"
This was my life until I was visiting one of fathers factories and I witnessed a traumatic injury. I rushed the mans aid and saved his life. It was life changing being a real doctor for the first time in my life. The applause and the feeling of actually helping people was addicting in many ways. The next day I was there as the factory let out and offered aid to any who needed it. I treated dozens of infections, reset bones, gave away medications, cleaned and bandaged a massive number of wounds. I made a difference.
Father... did not care for me spending money this way, but I was earning my own money anyway. Morale raising at his factory and ease of hiring people mollified him enough that he helped me start a clinic.
I got a reputation and eventually the same people kept coming in with odd trauma wounds, I'm not a fool and some frank and startling conversations left me with a now third job.
Personality:
I care. I think that is how I define myself now. I care about people, and learning of monsters that feed on them, I'm angry. A cold calculating slow burning anger just underneath the skin. I want to save and help everyone I can, I am fighting death from diseases, hunger, age and trauma. Yet still it isn't enough because monsters dare to stalk the night and kill freely. I try to smile, to joke to put my patients at ease, it doesn't always work my humor was learned for high brow dinner parties but I'm getting better at it every day. Underneath that smile though, I'm angry and I'm tired. I want better for people.
rivileged