Character and World Creation

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Apr 19, 2024 5:45 pm
The Society of the Morrigan: The society goes back into the pre-history of Ireland when the Gaelic Celts faced the terrors in the night with cold iron and silver. Rhiannon’s family has always been part of the society continued the ancient worship and traditions in Seahill. Rhiannon was trained as a huntress from a young age because of her birthmark. Unlike her parents, who were just supporters and regular worshippers, she was honed into a killing blade for as long as she can remember.

Seahill, where Rhiannon was born, is a small town on the northern coast of Ireland. Population barely more than a 1,000. It’s a small rustic seaside village.

London: Rhiannon was sent to London at 16 where she could be better educated and where the most of her prey would be. The more people there are the more demons who will come to prey on them. Rhiannon has been in the city since she was 16 and is now 26. She’s not likely to leave any time soon.

Infamy: The Eligos kill made her infamous because it was so high profile. No one had ever dared kill a demon that was pretending to be a Member of Parliament before. Rhiannon killed him and left his head on the dashboard of a taxi. It was a warning to all others like him.

Fierna: Rhiannon was in university, she knew her own preferences and The Society of the Morrigan certainly had no issues with them. So, Rhiannon had been out and proud on campus. She met Fierna, going by the name Fianna, in a women’s studies course and even "saved" Fianna from another demon. It was only later that Rhiannon would learn the truth and with that truth came the scar that is still in her heart. The woman she loved hadn’t only betrayed her but, she’d been always out to do so. Rhiannon may likely always hold that pain and might not ever be able to trust another person with her heart again.
Last edited April 19, 2024 5:45 pm
Apr 20, 2024 3:50 am
@gnomius:

Are there other 'imps' in the city? Or are you 'unique'? How many? Common? One of two others?
When was this raven-trapping done? Ravens only live, maybe two decades? So, are you becoming worried that your time is running out? Or are you hoping that 'fae-ravens' will live longer? None of us know much about the Fae, they are alien and unknowable and hard to understand, so there may be a solution there.

Do note that his does deviate a bit from your Establishment being the thing that keeps you 'free', but we can probably work with this without problems.
Where is your bookshop? In the bustling city center? Near a research university that makes frequent use of the information contained in your artifacts and relics? In your fancy home? Somewhere else?

Are your artifacts and relics mainly books? What else do you deal in?
Apr 20, 2024 3:56 am
Ysolde says:
... her parents, who were just supporters and regular worshippers ...
So they are still back home in Seahill? Are you in regular contact with them? Is this contact independent from the Society or handled by them?
Ysolde says:
... she knew her own preferences and The Society of the Morrigan certainly had no issues with them. ...
Is your sexual preference an issue that will come up, or are most people fine with it? Basically I am asking if you want such prejudices to be a part of the game and something you have struggle with? It is up to you how much this comes into play.
Ysolde says:
... might not ever be able to trust another person with her heart again. ...
You can drive how much you want to explore this in the game. Just let us know if you want another potential love interest to come along and we can take it from there. The other PCs are fair game (with their permission), though they may not be quipped to your liking.

Let us know if you want or don't want the other PCs to flirt with you and need to be rebuffed for whatever reason. This can change over time, we are all grownups and can follow the tone. And they may not be interested in you.
Ysolde says:
... kill a demon that was pretending to be a Member of Parliament ...
Dramatic! There has to have been blowback from that. Clearly there must be some sort of mechanism for dealing with the aftermath of hunts in the middle of London. Do you let your Society take care of that or do you know people in city hall or the MET and have to deal with it yourself?
Ysolde says:
... The Society of the Morrigan ...
Do you work closely with them now that you are London? How many are there (in your character's guess)? This can change as we play and you gain more independence or they meddle more in your affairs.

Who is your main point of contact? (If any.)

Tell us about them. How and where do you meet? What are they like? Were they with you in Ireland or are they a new contact since you came to London?
Apr 20, 2024 2:01 pm
vagueGM says:
Aree there other 'imps' in the city? Or are you 'unique'? How many? Common? One of two others?
London is so big and has so many centuries of history that Jacob knows he can't be the first one who has found a way out. He knows there are more like him in London, but doesn't know the exact amount, perhaps half a dozen, perhaps hundreds. And he only knows one of them personally, Crowley (yes, please allow me this small tribute to Good omens), who is in fact the competitor chosen as complication in my sheet.
Quote:
When was this raven-trapping done? Ravens only live, maybe two decades? So, are you becoming worried that your time is running out? Or are you hoping that 'fae-ravens' will live longer? None of us know much about the Fae, they are alien and unknowable and hard to understand, so there may be a solution there.
Let's say it was 10 years ago, and yes, Jacob is kind of worried, as he doesn't know if the fae-raven will live as long as the fae would have lived in his original form. So he's trying to do some research on that, perhaps even looking for magical rituals that ensure the raven doesn't get old.
Quote:
Do note that his does deviate a bit from your Establishment being the thing that keeps you 'free', but we can probably work with this without problems.
Sure! I think it was an interesting twist, and after all, the raven should never leave the magically protected establishment (or at least, that's Jacob's intention).
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Where is your bookshop? In the bustling city center? Near a research university that makes frequent use of the information contained in your artifacts and relics? In your fancy home? Somewhere else?
Near a university campus. However, no mortals ever go inside the shop (save the occasional absent-minded student), as the books there are too old/irrelevant. Mortals often ask themselves how this business is profitable.
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Are your artifacts and relics mainly books? What else do you deal in?
Mainly books, but also any relevant magic relics, such as talismans, icons, scepters... you name it.
Apr 20, 2024 2:11 pm
vagueGM says:
what do you know about the S3 Vampire Lord whose territory your Harbour and Haven are in? Do you deal directly with them? Maybe not since you suggest you try to fly under the radar, so do you they normally reach out via a S2 intermediary? Maybe the S2 looks after the trains and stations in the area, while the S3 (whom you may never have met in person?) operates above-ground (as well)?
The S3 Vampire Lord is a man named Elliot Parry who owns a number of hotels and other buildings in the area around the station Benji busks at. He’s been a vampire for only a few decades but his wealth has enabled him to amass a considerable amount of power and influence within the Night Faction during that time. He is outwardly calm, collected, and polite, maintaining a charismatic, professional façade, but underneath it all he is driven by cold-hearted ambition and greed. He resides in the penthouse of one of his hotels and usually deals with Benji in person, sending one of his underlings to fetch him whenever he wants something from him. He finds Benji very entertaining and seems to derive great amusement from toying with him, exercising his power over him to push him around as he pleases.
vagueGM says:
Or are even the top-tier Vampires confined to the underground most of the time?
I don’t think vampires would necessarily be confined to the underground. I imagine that direct sunlight burns them, but staying in the shadows is enough to protect them from that. So if a vampire wants to go outside during the day, they could do it but they’d need an umbrella or something to keep them in the shade which might look a bit strange on a sunny day.
vagueGM says:
If we assume we are in the general area I linked above (which is close to the palace and a lot of famous London landmarks:), do you know yet which station you would like to call your home? Right there is King's Cross (with its hoards of tourist looking for Platform 9¾), and Waterloo (with its sheer size), and massive junctions like Tottenham Court Road (with people mixing from different lines, and getting lost), and other names we have all possibly heard of.

https://www.google.com/maps/search/universities+in+london/@51.5178039,-0.1609357,13.88z/data=!5m1!1e2?entry=ttu

There is a chance we might not locate ourselves there, but we can start thinking about it.
Not sure if it’s outside the bounds of the area we’re interested in but I came across Piccadilly Circus station which is nice and dingy and labyrinthine AND it has a bunch of old hidden unused tunnels (they do Hidden London tours there irl) which seem like a great place to hide a vampire’s haven
Found this virtual tour of the modern station: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=588JZAMUy0s
And a map: https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/picadilly-circus-platforms.jpg
And here’s a blog post with pictures of the abandoned tunnels: https://alondoninheritance.com/under-london/hidden-london-piccadilly-circus/
Last edited April 20, 2024 2:13 pm
Apr 20, 2024 2:24 pm
Wow, those abandoned tunnels are awesome!
Quote:
So if a vampire wants to go outside during the day, they could do it but they’d need an umbrella or something to keep them in the shade which might look a bit strange on a sunny day.
Good that we're in London then, not so many sunny days to worry about. :)
Apr 20, 2024 2:25 pm
gnomius says:
... And he only knows one of them personally, Crowley, who is in fact the competitor chosen as complication in my sheet. ...
Cool. What do you know about their establishment, or do they have different rules keeping them 'free'?

Why do you compete?
gnomius says:
... Let's say it was 10 years ago ...
So around the same time our Hunter came to town? Any connection?
gnomius says:
... So he's trying to do some research on that, perhaps even looking for magical rituals that ensure the raven doesn't get old. ...
This could possibly be the subject of one of your Schemes, though maybe not the starting one. Maybe later when you have the time...
gnomius says:
... Sure! I think it was an interesting twist, and after all, the raven should never leave the magically protected establishment (or at least, that's Jacob's intention). ...
Sure, if you say so. :)

There is also the book, so even losing the raven is not the end of the world... or so you, maybe, tell yourself. :)
gnomius says:
... Near a university campus. ...
Sounds like it is on a public high-street?
gnomius says:
... However, no mortals ever go inside the shop ...
And that is 'mortals', which are different to Mortalis, the faction. I assume you deal with those-in-the-know.
gnomius says:
... Mainly books, but also any relevant magic relics, such as talismans, icons, scepters... you name it.
Noted.
Apr 20, 2024 2:26 pm
oopsylon says:
... He’s been a vampire for only a few decades ...
Lots of interesting potential there.
oopsylon says:
... He finds Benji very entertaining and seems to derive great amusement from toying with him ...
What fun! :)
oopsylon says:
... they’d need an umbrella or something to keep them in the shade ...
OK. That is useful.
oopsylon says:
... Piccadilly Circus station which is nice and dingy and labyrinthine AND it has a bunch of old hidden unused tunnels ...
Sounds good.
Apr 20, 2024 2:27 pm
gnomius says:
... Good that we're in London then, not so many sunny days to worry about. :)
Well, yeah. There is a reason the vampires like London so much. :)
Apr 20, 2024 2:43 pm
I think we are about ready to start introducing our characters, answering the Intro Questions, and sorting out Starting Debts.

Ask as many questions are you need, of the GM and the players.

By the rules you pick which Debts and such are offered to which players, but, if you are open to it, I often find it efficient —especially in PbP— for us to look at each others' sheets and see if any of the options fit our character —or which we don't like for our character— and tell the player which you are interested in. It is still the sheet owner's decision, but knowing who is interested can speed things along a lot.

Let's try to give everyone a chance to form a Debt or two before we dump them all in one basket. That said, you don't need (or even want) to 'spread them out evenly', some clumpiness is fun.
Apr 20, 2024 2:46 pm
Quote:
Cool. What do you know about their establishment, or do they have different rules keeping them 'free'?

Why do you compete?
Jacob's other line of business is helping individuals with false identities, passport forgery and stuff like that. Once he started hiding Maels and himself, he just got better and better at the subject. Also, he used to be a scribe down in Hell.

So Crowley is not a competitor in the magic items business, but in this secondary line. He is a sneaky imp that has been around for many more years than Jacob, and he has some illusion powers, so he used to have the monopoly in the disguise business. He's now angry that a newcomer can provide false identities with more mundane methods (even if sometimes sparkled with some magic from his items).
Quote:
So around the same time our Hunter came to town? Any connection?
Not that Jacob is aware of, but who knows... I'd suggest that we play to find out.
Quote:
Sounds like it is on a public high-street?
Not on a main street, but on a secondary one, quite close to it.
Quote:
And that is 'mortals', which are different to Mortalis, the faction. I assume you deal with those-in-the-know.
Exactly. ;-)
Apr 20, 2024 2:49 pm
Good stuff.
Apr 20, 2024 4:22 pm
I made the necessary changes in the character sheet. For my ward, I kind of want to train her and make her a prominent NPC in the city. I think the name of my ward will be Josephine and she is a child of fae blood. Her parent is a distant powerful fae NPC who is currently disabled or lost but can return to claim her. The Wizard circle is torn about what to do with her. Some suggest in using her as pawn while some suggest in harnessing her power. The Hermetic Order of Solomon had many internal debates but it was finally decided that she would be trained in arcane arts and taken in the Order. When the time comes, she will decided her fate on her own.

Regarding the S3, I think her name will be Shelyna Artmitage. She is a powerful wizard and belongs to the upper echelons of the Order. Mark was trained by her and has fallen in love with her. She knows that fact and has shown no reaction regarding that matter. When it came to be known to her, she instead requested Mark to take care of Josephine and train her. To this day Mark has been unable to understand what her ulterior motive is. At the start of the game, 2 years have passed since Josephine has been his ward.
Apr 20, 2024 10:56 pm
vagueGM says:

So they are still back home in Seahill? Are you in regular contact with them? Is this contact independent from the Society or handled by them?

Yes, she calls and texts with them regularly. The same as any other young person might with the added fact that they are "in the know". Let’s call them Sinead and Hallister, they and her brother Connor are basically normal people who happen to be modern Pagans that help a secret society sometimes. Her mom probably tries to set her up with "girls she knows" and her dad talks way too much about fishing. Connor plays an e-sport of some sort and is decent at it.
vagueGM says:

Is your sexual preference an issue that will come up, or are most people fine with it? Basically I am asking if you want such prejudices to be a part of the game and something you have struggle with? It is up to you how much this comes into play.
No one in her family or the society. She has the same issues with it that the rest of us have with the bigots and idiots that plague the real world.
vagueGM says:

Ysolde says:
... might not ever be able to trust another person with her heart again. ...
You can drive how much you want to explore this in the game. Just let us know if you want another potential love interest to come along and we can take it from there. The other PCs are fair game (with their permission), though they may not be quipped to your liking.

Let us know if you want or don't want the other PCs to flirt with you and need to be rebuffed for whatever reason. This can change over time, we are all grownups and can follow the tone. And they may not be interested in you.
If other PCs are the same nature we can figure it out if they have chemistry. Maybe later a possible love interest could come in if that’s not a thing and, of course, Fierna will be somewhere in the background.
vagueGM says:

Ysolde says:
... kill a demon that was pretending to be a Member of Parliament ...
Dramatic! There has to have been blowback from that. Clearly there must be some sort of mechanism for dealing with the aftermath of hunts in the middle of London. Do you let your Society take care of that or do you know people in city hall or the MET and have to deal with it yourself?

She made it as clean as she could and her society helped. That was one of her earlier ones and she’s gotten better at not being so showy.
vagueGM says:

Ysolde says:
... The Society of the Morrigan ...
Do you work closely with them now that you are London? How many are there (in your character's guess)? This can change as we play and you gain more independence or they meddle more in your affairs.

Who is your main point of contact? (If any.)

Tell us about them. How and where do you meet? What are they like? Were they with you in Ireland or are they a new contact since you came to London?
She works closely with them in London. They often have the information that she needs and the jobs that need to be done. She thinks there are at least five in London and she works well with them all. She’s proven herself to be a good hunter.

She works closest with an older woman from London. She goes by the code name Circe and seems to have some bit of magic. Rhiannon started out closely under Circe’s wing and now the witch is more of a contact and confidante at need.
Last edited April 20, 2024 10:59 pm
Apr 21, 2024 4:55 am
Stalker05 says:
... I kind of want to train her and make her a prominent NPC in the city. ...
Cool, we can work towards that, as the story sees fit.
Stalker05 says:
... Shelyna Artmitage. She is a powerful wizard and belongs to the upper echelons of the Order. ...
Since she is a Status-3 NPC she runs the Faction. That is what makes her S3. (see Faction Leaders on page 250)

Was she in charge when she trained you? Leadership can be fluid.

When was that training? How long have you been a Wizard?
Stalker05 says:
... 2 years have passed since Josephine has been his ward. ...
Is that enough time to pick up much magic? How is she doing?
Stalker05 says:
(on sheet)... A snub-nosed revolver (2 harm, near, loud, reload, concealable) ...
If you are old enough we can look into Grandfathered Weapon laws, but we would need to change this to a long-barreled revolver and remove the 'concealable' tag to make it even vaguely legal.

You are welcome to have an illegal gun, but it will be a source of complications when it crops up in the story.
Apr 21, 2024 4:56 am
Ysolde says:
... She has the same issues with it that the rest of us have with the bigots and idiots that plague the real world. ...
Does this also apply to the fact that you are a girl and "should be out having fun and not fighting monsters. That is men's work! Damnit!!", or do we not see much gender prejudice in this version of your world?

Being underestimated because you are a cute girl can be a powerful tool.
Apr 21, 2024 12:37 pm
I think Shelyna is the current head of the Order and she was appointed to the position 6 years ago. As for the training, it would have been a decade ago when Mark completed his training under Shelyna. I think Mark is 36 now, and Shelyna is around 39.

Josephine has been taught the basics of magic, but due to her fae origins, she sometimes casts spells spontaneously. Mark is teaching her discipline and control since accessing the arcane is not a problem to her. He is also cataloguing her powers and abilities. Persons of fae origin have become powerful mages before, but each one has different powers and maturity.

I took the revolver because it was given as a choice in the gear section. I was thinking that Mark tries to use his gun first giving everyone the idea that he is a normal person. When something goes very wrong then he starts flinging spells and attacking others. So, I wanted to take the revolver, hoping that I could carry it with me without worrying about legal implications.
Apr 21, 2024 12:50 pm
Guns are a big deal in London. The police don't carry guns and when guns come out they respond in extreme ways. SCO19 will be called in and they do not mess about, they a combination SWAT team and military who don't get to use their toys nearly as often as they want.

Using a gun 'first' would be a strange response in London or most of England ... or most places are that not America... it will not make you look like a 'normal person'.

A long barreled pistol might be legal —under inherited, grandfathered laws— but using it will still bring lots of questions and attract lots of mundane attention. If you want to keep it concealable, you will have serious problems with the law, concealing guns is considered criminal behaviour, but we can deal with those as they come up. Up to you if you want to invite such troubles into your life.
Apr 21, 2024 12:57 pm
Well, the other weapon that I can safely take will probably be the sword. I will take it then, but I don't know how carrying a sword around will be normal. Maybe, I will have to pass as a cosplayer or something.
Apr 21, 2024 1:01 pm
Stalker05 says:
... Maybe, I will have to pass as a cosplayer or something.
Or HEMA, or fencing. Carrying any weapon around with you is unusual, people probably don't do so unless they have a pressing need. A sword in the street will probably get you stopped by the police and asked questions, just as it would in our world.
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