[OOC] L.A By Night (Classic World of Darkness: Vampires, Werecreatures, Mages, Demons, Hunters and more)

[Grec]

Discord
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Welcome, one and all, to the City of fame and infamy. Where the lights of the night create a new day and the people are as beautiful on the outside as they are ugly on the inside. Don't be blinded by the lights, these lights drag characters from all corners, whether they be here for their own ambition, fame or personal vice.

The Supernatural underworld is alight with news of LA, with whispers of Gehenna/Apocalypse on the lips of many superstitious supernaturals. A possible Antediluvian's coffin has been spotted by one Sebastian Lacroix, the Prince of the Camarilla in the LA Area. The Anarchs and the Camarilla plot among themselves and with each other, and when they fight, the Sabbat watches on, eager to add another piece to its transcontinental empire of Fire and Brimstone. From across the boundless Pacific come the Kuei-jin, ancient undead of the Far East.

Fera packs hunt in the night, inhabiting the forests, desert and some even in the city, and they yearn for the blood of Kindred on the wind. Magi sit in their towers, towers of glass and steel, not stone, but all the same, gathering their power upon astral winds. Rumors of the Nephandi being spotted in L.A has the Magi on edge. Demon and changelings haunt the dark corners of L.A, the Demons having lost some of their power from a divine act. Through all this, the Hunters both organized and unorganized, track down whatever Supernatural Scum they can and eliminate them with extreme prejudice. The City of Angels is for the taking, but nobody wants to share.

OOC

This is more of a Sandbox RP, but you can complete quests and storylines from the game: Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines. There will be overarching storylines and greater threats over time, and these situations can take pertinence to the Bloodlines storyline. I'm allowing all factions besides Angels, Orpheus and Mummies. We are using the Classic World of Darkness setting.

Character Sheet

Name:
Age: (Apparent/Actual)
Species:
Appearance:
Personality:
Biography:
Supporting Characters:

[DepressedSoviet]

@Shifter_Master@The Whacko@tanderbolt@Plank Sinatra@kczrsk@HeySeuss Tagging you all here so you know this is a thing.

[Grec]

@DepressedSoviet Thanks

[Grec]

@DepressedSoviet Just for that I'm making you Co-GM

[Shifter_Master]

@GrecI'm always willing to help with plot lines, my knowledge of the actual Lore in the WoD is rather lacking however. I was a Storyteller for a Hunter game for a couple of years, and I was making up my own fluff for that game, so most of what I would assume to be cannon might actually be homebrew.

@DepressedSoviet I was asking out of curiosity, so feel free to take up the mantle. Congrats on the appointment.

[The Whacko]

Darby

Name: Clarence Darby
Age: 36/38
Species: Vampire (Brujah)
Appearance:

Personality: Darby is almost the perfect example of the typical 11th generation Brujah; In his mortal life he described himself as a "Law-breaker, troublemaker, beer-drinker and hell-raiser", and not much has changed, save the beer-drinking part, though now he's picked up an almost scholarly interest in Blood Magic, especially Necromancy. Not surprisingly, he fell in quickly with the Anarchs, though he isn't nearly stupid enough to openly challenge the Camarilla, and typically responds to their 'requests' for his skills when summoned if for nothing else but his continued unlife. He loves the new power he has, and it melded well with his already predatory nature as a criminal. He does however have a strong sense of camaraderie with those he calls friends, and will happily drop whatever he's doing to help a friend in need.

Biography: There isn't too much to be said about this piece of work. Darby doesn't talk much about his life before his Embrace, as he doesn't consider it very important, but his small circle of friends knows that he came from a dysfunctional family in the Louisiana, running away from home at age 14 and fell in with outlaw bikers, heading West like any good cowboy. He spent the next 12 years in California drifting around the outlaw MC and dive bar scenes, quickly establishing a reputation with the LAPD and various lowlives.

From here, however, things are fairly well known, if for nothing but the sheer amusement it brings to many a Kindred in the city. Darby's Embrace came at the fangs of a young Brujah fledgling with severe daddy issues who's name almost no one, even Darby himself, bothered to learn. What did matter was that it was one without permission from the Prince, and she was quickly executed. The biker, however, was spared, partly because his skillset and contacts with the various outlaw biker gangs would be of use, and because the situation had made Lacroix giggle. Whatever the case, he's now kept around as an expendable attack dog and burglar by Lacroix, though now he's also fallen in with the Anarchs in the area as well. Recently, he's started to show ambitions of growing beyond just another flunky, and rumors even circulated that he's been trading services with LA Samedi in exchange for lessons in Necromancy.

Supporting Characters: Cheyenne Clinton - A 20-something Ghoul 'old lady' of Darby's, Cheyenne serves as both a way for him to cling to his Humanity and a set of hands to help him in the daytime. She is one of the few people he treats with genuine kindness and affection.

Hope this is cool, boss.

[Grec]

@The Whacko Approved

[kczrsk]

Great. Working on a character sheet.

[DepressedSoviet]

@GrecHere's my character we talked about.

David Jones

Name: Officially he is David Jones, though to other Demons/Angels he is named Cidahl

Age: Apparent age of 27, Actual Age is unknown, at the very least predating the creation of humanity.

Species: Demon inside a mortal host, though he doesn't actually know this at the moment.

Appearance: David is a somewhat average adult male, with brown hair and green eyes. He is clean shaven, though occasionally can be found with stubble if a particularly long case takes up his time. He wears prescription glasses, with a magnetic sunglasses attachment for bright days. His general outfit is a bit impractical for athletic activities, with him wearing dress shirts and slacks, differently-colored ties, with the occasional suit coat, blazer, or trench coat if the weather is poor. He also wears a suit fedora, styled after 1950s detectives, matching his jacket. He has a shoulder holster he wears under his usual jacket, which holds a semi-automatic pistol and some spare magazines. He also generally keeps a pack or two of cigarettes and a lighter on him at any given time.

Personality: David, the mortal, is a polite, gentlemanly individual. He does his best to help people in need, regularly taking up cases the police have thrown out, or investigating leads denounced as the ramblings of mad figures. This has earned him a reputation as a great help to the citizens of L.A., often bringing to light evidence that helps resolve cases, or(more often) brings closure to the people who brought him the case in question.

Cidahl, the demon, holds no qualms about his fall from the heavens, and betrayal of the Almighty. He sees the mortals as his plaything to twist and contort, and seeks to claim the earth as his own to rule over, his whims and desires subjugating the population. Or at least he would, if his memories weren't currently lost somewhere deep within the mind of his mortal host, following his conflict with a Hunter immediately after his possession of David.

Biography: David was originally a police detective, investigating a gruesome murder case where a man had been ripped to shreds in the wilderness near the city. This case eventually led to an encounter with what was revealed to be a Wyrm-infected Werewolf. David struggled to keep himself alive, but was saved by someone he would become good friends with, Bowyer Dolph. Dolph saw that David could be a useful asset, and introduced him to the supernatural aspects of the world. David would attempt to resolve the murder case, but issues in the department and courts left him with no choice but to resign from the force.

From there, with Bowyer's help, he established Jones & Dolph Private Investigations, and began to dig into the world of the occult and supernatural. These escapades would culminate in a missing persons case that would lead to David uncovering a cult, the members seeking to summon a demon from the depths of the underworld. They would capture David, using him as the host for the demon, a dark entity named Cidahl.

Just as Cidahl took control of David's body, a mortal Hunter broke into the cult's hiding place. The Hunter and Cidahl engaged one another, but due to the Hunter's own abilities, Cidahl would be defeated, but not banished. Instead, his memories would be buried under those of his host form, and he would find himself believing himself to be David Jones, awaking in his apartment above his office with a message on his voicemail, thanking him for saving the aforementioned missing person from the cult in question.

Now David hears rumors in the supernatural world that the supposed End Times are coming, the Garou speak of apocalypse, the Kindred of Gehenna, and creatures across L.A. rush to stake their claim on whatever they can. Bowyer hasn't contacted David in some time, and he now finds himself having strange dreams of a long-ago war between indescribable creatures, and that he can hear and see whispers of dead spirits.

Supporting Characters:
Jacki Edwards - The founder, chief writer and chief editor of The Occult Digest, a globally-online (and sold in print in L.A.) magazine dedicated to investigating and shedding the light on the truth behind the various supernatural happenings in L.A, the USA, and around the globe. She has been hounding and following David for years, ever since he began his career as a private investigator for cases believed to have a supernatural aspect. She desperately dogs him for answers to questions, interview rights, and knowledge about his dealings with the supernatural, usually to no avail, though he has been known to indulge her wishes on occasion.

Bowyer Dolph - A werewolf, and David's connection to the supernatural world. He hasn't spoken with David since the incident with the cult, but prior to that he was David's advisor and consultant on what supernatural creatures were known to operate in what areas, their general habits and activities, and major events in history that are frequently referenced, or influence more recent ones.

[Grec]

@DepressedSoviet Approved, I'm not too familiar with Demons but try to not do any OP reality bending. Also you're both free to post in the Character Tab

[Shifter_Master]

@GrecWhat systems of World of Darkness are you familiar with?

[Grec]

Tony Lee

Name: Tony Lee

Age: (30/30)

Species: Khan, Weretiger, Hengeyokai

Appearance:

looks

Tony is a white weretiger, he is 6'1 and is usually seen wearing sport coats and leather gloves. He has a thick beard and wears his jetblack hair in a bun. Like the stripes on his white fur, he is usually wearing black colored clothes and accessories on his pale skin.

Personality: Tony is a suave, highly fashionable man. He is a devoted Taoist and believes in Taoist principles, such as harmony and mindfulness. He can quote Lao Tzu for days, but in the end he ends up solving a lot of problems through actions rather than non-action.

Biography: Tony was born in China, to a Regent family of the Beast Courts. He was a rare breed, having white fur instead of the typical orange of weretigers. It was this that made him highly popular with other Khan, believing his coat made him special growing up. He was raised as any other member of the beast court, learning to fight, being bestowed with numerous gifts and abiding by the rules of the court such as never harming a human or beast.

When Tony took a gift for Elemental fire power, he took a vow to never wander into a city again and to stay and protect the wilderness. He was abiding by this rule fine, but when Kuei-Jin kidnapped his brother and held him ransom in the city, he had to do something. He went on a solo rescue mission and cut down the Kuei-Jin in a flurry of fire and fangs. When he came back to his home in the wilderness, Tony's father was outraged at him for disobeying the terms of his Gift and said he would have preferred if he let his brother die. After a tense argument, he was banished from the beast court and would be attacked on site by any member of the Beast Court.

Deciding he didn't want to live in a place that didn't accept him anymore, he took a sailing trip across the Atlantic Ocean and landed in California. He made himself known for being a Weretiger, and an even rarer White Weretiger at that, with a powerful control over fire. He vanquished many vampires and made himself enemies with the Kuei Jin. Fiercely independent like many Khan, he made his way across California making few friends and many enemies. One of those friends was Beckett, who he respected for his scholarly pursuits and his natural Gangrel appreciation of nature.

Supporting Characters: Beckett, the two have met each other on multiple occasions and he has learned many things about the Kindred and Beckett has learned about Hengeyokai from Tony.

[Grec]

@Shifter_Master I'm familiar with some CWoD lore, I've played Bloodlines and a text play by post (not dice) roleplay. If you need info on spells or talents you can always use the White Wolf Wiki

[Grec]

@DepressedSoviet We'll start when we have 6 characters. Also I like your guy's characters so far, whaddaya think of Tony?

[Shifter_Master]

@GrecI've got the core books for all the Old World of Darkness table top games except for mummy, I was asking because Demons aren't capable of reality manipulation that I am aware of, out side of one Lore but @DepressedSoviet seems like he has written up a Slayer so that wouldn't really be an issue.

The ones that play havoc with reality are Mages as that is literally their ability, they manipulate reality through force of will. I bring this up because I was writing up a Mage and wanted to make sure that was still okay, or if I was going to need to reeducated myself on what you would allow a Mage to do.

[Grec]

@Shifter_Master Well if you're playing Mage it's not gonna be a auto roflstomp against anything else, spells take time to cast and you're only as durable as a human. You can do something like say make a hard light construct and make a minigun but no Archmage destroying the universe spells.

[Shifter_Master]

@GrecI would never assume Autostomp, That would just make things unfun, I was more trying to determine what You would be expecting/allowing from the Mages. I would assume you would be dealing with their Paradox?

[Letter Bee]

I am interested in playing/being a Mage.

[Grec]

@Shifter_Master Yes, mage paradox is in effect.

@Letter Bee Yes, you can be a mage

The Nephandi and Apocalypse are updated in the story.

[kczrsk]

Hi, @Grec. I've worked on a character sheet I'd like to use in this.
I should say in advance that is my first WoD game in more than a decade (Played a little in my teens), so I'd appreciate some feedback if there's something not correct or that needs some editing. Feel free to contact me if that's the case. The same goes for other players.

Hider

Name: James D. Navaro or Mr. Navaro
Age: (52/98)
Species: Vampire (Ventrue)
Appearance: Mr. Navaro is 5'11, white skin and a slim body type. He looks pretty sharp for his (apparent) age and is always seen in public using a well-cul outfit. His almost white hair is present since his 30s and is a distinguished characteristic of him.

Something like this

Personality: Mr. Navaro can be ruthless doing business and really kind and fair with a very few close people (especially his protegé Dave Malas - see in supporting characters). He does not give seconded chances, what makes him feared among his associates.

Biography: James was born in Navarra, north of Spain - where his family, in the region since long ago took its name to escape inquisition.

He was embraced at the age of 51, in a ritual held by the males of his family and associates. He was turned into a Vampire by his grand-grandfather, the patriarch of the family. Navaro family held the ritual with some rules: only males are embraced - and the chosen ones are some kind of intellectual or financial elite. After showing that they are successful in their careers, they make a significant donation to "enter the club". That contribution is crucial to maintaining the family status and the operation in various places f the world.

Many of them manage to live a life without telling their secret even to very close people, like their wives and children - but every now and then make mysterious "business trips".
James' wife and kids are all dead now (they were never embraced) except for one son, now 75, that lives in an elderly hospital in El Paso. They haven't seen each other for more than 30 years.

That's not a rule (more of a tradition) that Navaro males only take as victims women that had never given birth. James follows that too.

That's how he was accepted among the Ventrue.

They kept doing their business on the underground and went to different places through the years. After some problems in France when younger, James moved to L.A. where he established as a well-succeeded businessman with investments both in construction and, more recently, funding technology startups. That gave him money and prestige to continue to operate family's century-old business of human traffic around the globe.

He is constantly targeted by media, that sees him as a recluse man, and there's a bet among journalists of who will be the first one to publish an exclusive interview with him, something they are trying for at least 14 years.

Supporting Characters: Dave Malas - a 27y.o. ambitious lawyer, whose studies were paid by Mr. Navaro. What kept him loyal - yet curious about his boss's secrets. He is kind of the personal legal tool Mr. Navaro uses for both personal and professional issues. For that job, he is very well paid and uses that sort of prestige to enter places and make connections with city's important people.