"What a lovely n-"

The crack of gunfire interrupted the voice. It had been melodious, even sing song, before it had been interrupted.

Baby there's a Shark in the Water

"Now, that was quite rude."

I might rejoin; posting my Character Sheet:

Gwen Strong [+]

Name: Gwen Strong

Age: 35 but appears 25

Species: Mage.

Appearance:



Personality: Gwen is a protective person towards those under her care, as well as those she finds innocent, mostly Sleepers. Although adverse to Vampires and their machinations, the Mage is pragmatic enough to know that if her new organization is to survive, she needs whatever help she can get. Once a believer in the cause of the Technocracy, Gwen's disillusionment with both it and the Traditions' programmes has led her to believe that all major Mage organizations were in error to keep the Sleepers controlled, misinformed, and miseducated. Despite the good intentions of all of them, Gwen has come to the conclusion that most Magi are (unintentionally at best) preying on the Sleepers.

And that must be stopped.

Biography: Gwen's first memories were living a life in the streets, before being taken in by a charity in San Francisco, which later turned out to be a front for the New World Order, one of the Technocracy's Conventions. She then remembers being taken care of, and observed for the potential to Awaken; this potential was fulfilled in late adolescence. She thus became an agent for the Technocracy itself as soon as she reached legal adulthood. Stationed in San Francisco, she participated in several missions against 'Reality Deviants', clearing out several Traditions Cabals in the aftermath of the Avatar Storm. Many Mages were killed, others were captured, some to vanish from Technocracy records.

Gwen, on a whim, decided to investigate the fate of those who had vanished; instead of being subjected to gilgul, the act of severing one's Magi soul, the vanished Traditions Magi instead had their brains used to power a new class of HITMark. This, in turn, was allowed because the project in question was ran by a secret cell of Nephandi that had infiltrated the Technocracy and were using the latter's hatred of 'Reality Deviants' to encourage corrupt and sadistic tendencies within the organization. And Gwen didn't know if her superiors had been subverted, nor was she stupid enough to act alone.

So, she sought out the Harbingers of Avalon and the Friends of Courage, as well as information on the Technocracy's past as the Order of Reason. Not just that, but she also acquired and persued all the information on the Traditions and other, smaller organizations of Magi that can be accessed. This time, Gwen parsed over the information with a clear mind, trying to be as objective as possible. And it was then that she realized something about the Technocracy: It had lost its way. No, all major Mage organizations have lost their way, or never walked it in the first place. By neglecting or abusing the Sleepers, by not valuing how they and their beliefs propped up Magi, the Awakened have denied themselves Ascension.

This had to stop, even if it meant committing treason to do it. But not even the Harbingers of Avalon or Friends of Courage would help her, except for a few.who were radical even for them. And so, using what contacts she can, Gwen arranged for the transfer of herself and her new 'friends' to LA, where an opportunity had appeared to form a new amalgalm (a Technocracy cell whose members were drawn from multiple sub-organizations). There, she sought out the local Vampires, and swallowed her distaste long enough to negotiate for protection from them in exchange for what services the Awakened can provide.

Then, with her back covered by protection from Eva's coteire, Gwen announced her betrayal in the most blatant way possible: She and a few other Magi snuck into a secret Technocracy prison using a Correspondence portal/gate, and freed several Traditions prisoners; some which she had put in there in the first place. Barely making it back to Los Angeles with their freed captives, Gwen then released a video message proclaiming the formation of the Reborn Craftmasons, and inviting people from both the Technocracy and Traditions to flock to her banner. Surprisingly, some did, enough to encourage her in her road to war...

Priscilla's Spheres are Prime (Level 4), Forces and Correspondence (Level 3), Life (Level 2), Entropy (Level 1).

NPCs:

Edwin Carter - A former Iteration X engineer who was disillusioned with the Transhumanist ethos of the Convention, and decided to side with Gwen; he also has the ability to create Primium, a material that negates supernatural attacks and defenses and which can harm Werecreatures like Silver can. Has Prime (Level 3), Matter (Level 4), and Forces (Level 3).

Meredith Ann Mae - A former Syndicate member who joined the Reborn Craftmasons because of disillusionment with the corporate structure and monopolies taking control of everything. She believes that if there is an 'Invisible Hand' of rational self-interest driving the global economy, then it must be freed from large organizations taking advantage of it - not just governments, but corporations. Has sided with Priscilla in founding the Reborn Craftmasons' 'New Coin Initiative'. Has Entropy (Level 3), Prime (Level 3), and Mind (Level 3).

Lance Joyous - A member of the Traditions' Celestial Chorus who has been won to the Reborn Craftmasons' views; God sides with the poor and oppressed, does he not? Acting as the 'Knight' of the R. Craftmasons, Lance is a bruiser who qualifies as a Special Forces soldier even before using Magic. Has Prime (Level 3), Forces (Level 3), Life (Level 3), Mind and Time (Level 1).

Craftmasons Reborn/Reborn Craftmasons [+]

Organization: The Craftmasons Reborn

Origins: Several Local Traditions and Technocracy Cabals in the LA Area decided to give both organizations a big 'fuck you' and restore the Craftmasons instead.

Beliefs: Where the Traditions and Technocracy went wrong was that they decided to tell the Sleepers what to think, instead of teaching them how to think. Their methods involve the stronger dictating what the weaker believed; whether it was Faith or Reason, not allowing the common people to choose for themselves, for good or for ill. After all, aren't they better? Aren't they more 'Enlightened' and 'Awakened'?

Well, guess what? The common people are the ones that provide you with food, shelter, roads, and believers. They are the backbone that provides you with the necessary needs for survival so that you can 'lead and theorize' from your ivory towers. We have had enough of you putting them down as 'muscle power' or worse.

And so our ideology is this: The Sleepers must be allowed to choose what shape reality takes. We can argue with them, present the facts to them, teach them how to think clearly and recognize their biases, but we can no longer coerce them. Reality belongs to the Sleepers; Meaning and Identity are as important as Knowledge. Believe it.

Here's a fun art project I worked on over the weekend, which portrays my Ventrue, Nicolaus as well as his sire, Kivaria, who may or may not surface one day...

Smarts [+]

Name: Daisy 'Smarts' Jett

Age: 21/35

Species: Kindred

Clan: Malkavian

Generation: 10th

Appearance: Looks much like in the picture shown above. She couldn't have stood taller than 5'6" and weighed a little over 120 pounds. Her frame was lithe and her build was barely athletic. Long, matted dreadlocks flow from her mess of hair, adorned with crushed bottle caps and twine. A single bell is tied to one of her dreads, jingling as she moves. A pair of thick framed glasses rest on her face, above piercing blue eyes. Her clothes were simple and filthy and she wore heavy rubber boots. The woman carried a backpack that was equipped with a sleeping bag and other assorted gear.

Personality: The seemingly young girl is childish in nature, giving the impression that she is even more youthful than her apparent age. She would be oddly cheerful in most circumstances, trying to make the best out of most situations. It was clear that she saw things differently than other people however. Smarts would often treat people as if they were someone else completely, sometimes not even able to recognize whom she had previously encountered. It also seems that her flow of time is not consistent, as she would act confused by any mention of it. Still, her actions were oddly meticulous, able to take care of herself, avoiding sunlight, and properly intertwining into situations she saw fit. Although she has no need for the glasses, Smarts wears them because she claims that they help her see past obstructions. The young woman acts as if this gives her some foresight into future events, though these are hard for her to decode as they seem to have both already happened and currently be happening as well.

Generally, she could be seen as fairly kind, perhaps gentle in nature, hardly seeing any potential danger in the world around her... at least from an outsider's perspective. Though she could be hard or even impossible to understand and was prone to making questionable decisions. One who was aware of her situation might even take some pity upon her, as from time to time she seemed flustered by her inability to express herself to others.

Biography: Unlike many of her peers, Smarts only knew the relatively modern world. She had a fairly average existence for most of her life in Dayton, Ohio. Through her teenage years she had started to fall to drug addiction however and was soon kicked out of her home. Dropping out of school and living on the streets, Smarts was seemingly destined for a life of destitution and struggle. Everything changed one night when she met a stranger passing through the city, whom introduced her into the world of Darkness.

His name was Thaddeus, a traveler whom seemed lost and confused, though willing to share a meal and a bottle of booze with the young woman one night. He claimed that an otherworldly force had guided him there, calling for him to meet Smarts. Although she just chalked it up to the man being mentally unstable. Later in the night, he performed the embrace upon Smarts, changing her into a Kindred. When the young woman came to, she had found herself feeding upon a nearby homeless man, overseen by Thaddeus.

Thaddeus told her that she had been gifted and was now to exist for a greater purpose. Of course, she didn't believe this at first, and even shunned her sire, departing from him. She soon found herself struggling with her new identity however. Smarts discovered an aversion for the sun, a need for blood, and strange things starting to happen around her. Scared and confused, she began to accept her fate when Thaddeus returned to her.

It was from this point that Thaddeus began to explain the greater world. What he knew of their existence, their politics, their abilities. He promised her that she would find her purpose in this new existence and the two of them would simply wait for their calling. It was around this time that Smarts' mind began to 'deteriorate'. The way she viewed the world began to change along with her personality. Next thing Smarts knew, people faded in and out of existence around her, strange beings made contact in her dreams, inanimate objects had souls. The confusion completely warped who she was, though Thaddeus kept her safe and in check.

The two began travelling together, living on the streets, and moving city to city by hitchhiking and stowing away on freight trains. They would often feed on others in the homeless community and hid in abandoned buildings or under bridges during the day. They wandered without purpose, simply existing, keeping one another company, and waiting for their calling as Thaddeus had suggested.

One night that calling seemed to have come to Smarts. Thaddeus had disappeared, vanishing without a trace. The young Kindred was first confused to exist without her sire, though things soon became clear when voices began to beckon in her head. They called for the two to reunite, in a place where they may serve some purpose, where things were vastly changing. The voices called for Smarts to find the intricate world of California.