Strangers in the Night
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Author: Brian Nisbet
Homepage: http://www.irishgaming.com/
System: World Of Darkness
Type: Scenario
Category: Horror
Requirements:

A Vampire: The Masquerade Scenario for Vaticon ’99

By Brian Nisbet

GM’s Introduction: No, I’m not going to call you Storytellers, put it down as being against my religion or something. Anyway, that isn’t the point. First off, this is not a rules heavy game. Very, very few of the games I write these days are. To be honest, I couldn’t be bothered. Now I know that some players and GMs love watching all the pretty little dice roll around and the opportunity is there, there are chances for wits + alertness roles, dodge roles, discipline use and maybe some combat, so if you want them, use them. I’ll probably have some players roll some dice myself, but the point is, if you don’t want to, then don’t, and if you do, then do (but you may have to decide where to put rolls yourself as I sure as hell ain’t going to mention every possible one). What else? Oh, yeah, the characters are all in the bodies of children. They’re a lot older than they look, but reactions to them should be as to kids, unless I’ve noted otherwise. There are NPCs who know them, so unsurprisingly they will have figured out that the PCs aren’t eight. Also, the PCs are all related, they come from a good and proper Roman Catholic family.

Important thing, which kinda crops up a lot, is that they are protected from on high, three of them by a guardian angel, three by a demon. This doesn’t make them immune to stakes, but it does let them, sometimes, walk where Justicars fear to tread. The actual game impact of this is very dependent on their actions and the situation. If they do something god awfully stupid, punish them, but the presence of these guardians is the reason they’ve survived so long and that should be reflected. They don’t get mugged, or bullied by other Kindred, they don’t get accidentally caught by Hunters, that kind of thing. Oh, and while the angel and demon are perfectly aware of each other the kids aren’t aware of either and the two can’t fight, they are perfectly matched.

The plot is fairly simple, well, the framework of it is. The PCs are all members of a family who were prophesised to either bring great pain or succour to the world. Some Kindred then decided that pain was the way to go and that Embracing the kids would be the best idea. However it didn’t quite work out the way anyone thought it would. The family stayed together and seemed to be protected from those who wished to control them. Even as Kindred their potential is still there, they can do great good or great harm, but in the end it has to be their choice. The game takes place at Samhain 2000, the real new year, the turning point, the point where the walls between the worlds get that little bit weaker. Things don’t happen in the centre, there it is peaceful and static, things happen on the edges, that’s where all the real fun is…

Player’s Introduction: What do the players need to know? They’re all the one family, two sets of triplets, one set nine months older than the other is. The parents didn’t waste much time. The first set was born on Easter Monday, 1916. They were all Embraced in 1925. Oh, yup, missed something, this game is set in Dublin, ‘cause I can and I haven’t set a game in Dublin in ages. What else? They’ve always been protected, even when their sires abandoned them, even when they were declared illegal, even when a Bloodhunt was threatened, that isn’t to say they’re fantastically lucky, rather that they seem to survive. Oh, and the one time they separated bad things happened. Now they feel that something is definitely in the air, something is happening as the nights draw in and the air gets colder. As the old Celtic spirits start to move and become restless they feel power in the air and potential in their bones. Fate waits for no man, no woman and certainly no child.

Scene One: Virgin State of Mind

It’s a couple of days before Samhain, it can vary, mainly due to the fact that I’m not one hundred percent sure how many days this can spread over. The only really important thing is that it ends after dark on the 31st of October. The kids are just waking up when they’ll hear angry voices from one of the other rooms in the Haven. They live in the basement of a house in Ranelagh that is divided up into three rooms. The voices should have a slightly inhuman quality and some of the words should be indistinct. They seem to be arguing about whether it is the time or not and which way something will go. One of the voices is lighter and sweeter, while the other is heavier and angrier. The angry voice appears to be trying to convince the other that it isn’t worth it, that something will win out in the end, no matter what happens in the dark. These voices are, of course, the two guardians arguing about what’s going to happen at Samhain. The heavier voice is the angel. The moment one of the kids says they’re going to have a look the voices will stop and all that will be left in the other room is a quickly dispersing cloud of smoke with a very neutral smell. Auspex will reveal nothing and there are no other clues. The PCs can speculate all they want, but eventually they will have to go out and feed.

Scene Two: Temptation Waits

So what’s outside in the big, bad world? It’s cold and dark and the party have no particular place to go. They can wander and feed (first priority) and do other such fun things. Don’t forget though, this is WoD Dublin, much darker, more decay, bigger gaps between the rich and the poor. Yes, the Celtic Tiger is here, but it’s a shiny, Pentex induced one. Possibly the strangest thing that’s going to happen that night is a beggar walking up to Timothy in the middle of whatever street you want to put them on and gasping, stepping back and saying something like, “You’ve a shadow on your soul! You are evil! Evil! Turn away before you are lost!”… things of that kind. The people on the street will most likely pay her no attention whatsoever, she is mad after all. Of course her harping on will probably eventually annoy Timothy, who will have to be moved in order to avoid a situation that people would notice. It might be mentioned to him that he is beginning to feel slightly more edgy, more likely to fly off the handle. If some bright spark decides to look at Tim’s aura, then yeah, maybe it is a little darker, but no so as you’d get overly concerned. The concern’ll come later, be patient.

This beggar may light some fires under some of the party and they might decide to go somewhere and figure some stuff out. There are a couple of possibilities for this. Temple Bar is always good for a laugh with women practising palmistry and guys talking bullshit, shops like the Flying Pig and little enclaves of weirdness amongst the sameness and banality of the concrete city. It’s very hard to describe where they can and can’t go. I’m assuming a familiarity with Dublin that might be erroneous, but I’m willing to take that chance. Let them wander through the squares of Trinity, or though the narrow streets between George’s Street and Grafton street. Let there be people, beggars, wanderers and the earliest signs of the coming new year.

If anyone comes up with anywhere interesting to go, then let them, let them create their own contacts (there are a couple to go around) and go and ask questions, they may even get answers. If you want there might be a few people around who can see glimpses of the guardians, but never the full thing, there may be people who shy away from Timothy, but are extra kind to Gráinne, the little things, ‘cause that’s all there is yet. They might find out a few other things, that something is coming, something big. No-one will know if it’s good or evil (‘cause it doesn’t know yet), no-one will know what might happen. What they do know is that the world will never be the same again and that very far away might be the place to watch. They may well talk about potential and keys (big theme).

This night should set the atmosphere for the entire game. It’s in the air, the change is coming, and some people are reacting to it in different ways. There are some fights, but some of the music being made by the buskers is of a quality no-one has heard in many a long year. Everyone is on the edge; everyone is working up for something. Get the idea yet?

Scene Three: Teenage FBI

The next night (however much closer to Samhain) is the night during which the Kindred of the city generally make at least some appearance at the Prince’s Elysium. They don’t have to wait all night and they don’t have to be all humble and stuff, but it is considered polite to turn up. The main Elysium, contrary to popular belief, is in the Bank of Ireland on College Green. Entry is gained through Foster Place, a nice quiet easy to get to kind of place. The kids will know this is the night (i.e. tell them) and they should be encouraged to at least show up. They may want to feed first. Tim should be encouraged to feed on something younger, more innocent, as opposed to Gráinne, who is should be becoming less interested in the whole thing. The scale between them goes thusly Pat, Mark, Peter, Ivan, from most like Tim to most like Gráinne. Of course as they feed together this may well cause tension.

When they get to the court everything should be as normal, ppl gossiping, talking, plotting, the usual stuff. The kids will probably be approached by a few random Kindred, pick a few. While the kids aren’t really of any particular clan, they are afforded respect due to their family links, and the strange stories about them. I’m not going to try and introduce plots or NPCs, they’re all going to become reasonably irrelevant soon, but try and give the impression of a living, breathing (sic) court. Oh, and yes, I know, there should only be 10 Kindred in Dublin, I know I’ve talked to people about this before, it’s the End Times, sue me.

They may even decide to talk to the Prince, or rather he may decide to talk to them. He’s a Tremere by the name of Andrew Jade, a powerful and very smooth individual. Impeccable in all things, but occasionally he has been known to react very, very dangerously to perceived slights etc. He will ask them how they are and the such, but he will definitely notice that something is up, that they are changing. If you want him to then he might even notice a shimmering in the air behind them. He’ll probably comment on some of this, I’ve no idea what the players will say, so I’m not going to try and second guess them. He isn’t going to do anything about anything, there is no threat, yet, but he will be aware of it.

The threat comes a little later, but not too late that you have to stop the players leaving to slot it in. One of the elder Malkavians will enter the room and start doing the rounds. He isn’t a giggling fool, rather he is very controlled and very civil, about his only obvious sign of madness is his habit of wearing a Trinity scarf wherever he goes. However he will start showing other signs of something very, very soon. He will notice the kids at some point and gasp; he will begin to mutter Latin under his breath very, very fast, occasionally lapsing into Hebrew. He will then say, “It is them… the time has come…” At this point the kids should be able to see a heat current pass over their heads towards the Malcavian at speed. He will start to scream and point at them and then he will melt, very simply dissolve, quite quickly.

Talking their way out of this should be fun, but it should be doable. They can blame a vast number of other things, no-one, not even the Prince, saw enough to directly convict them, but suspicions have definitely been… created? Is that the word? If people continue to whisper about them (which they will) and the kids continue to argue that it wasn’t them, then the Prince will suggest that they should be the ones to investigate this horrible crime, this murder in Elysium and the various Kindred will head out into the night, all keeping their distance from the kids.

Scene Four: The Devil You Know

No, this isn’t the start of some mad murder mystery, yes, if the kids can convince themselves it wasn’t them, then they can go searching, but it’ll do them no good. It was their guardians trying to stop the Malkavian telling too many people and binding the angel and demon to act no further. It is very possible that some of the PCs should be able to remember some of the Latin/Hebrew that he was talking and if they go on a wander they might find someone to translate it. They shouldn’t have too much trouble finding people who can help them. They know the city, let them look, and let them find people wherever you think they should. The translation will talk about the end, about a choice to be made, light and dark. It will talk about an angel and a demon, the two soldiers of both sides and there will be an ancient Cabalistic incantation to bind same, to stop them doing anything. The Latin stuff, combined with any other aura readings, or occult knowledge on the part of the translator will point more and more towards an imminent conflict between good and evil and by this stage it shouldn’t be hard to see who represents what. However, it should be important to note that it isn’t just Tim or Gráinne, all of them are affected and the balance of Mark and Peter is just as important, they could go either way and this will tip it all. Knowledge at this stage should be given out depending on how time is going or how the players are reacting. There should also be a few other encounters to see how things are shaping up, which way people are jumping. Vulnerable little children, old women, cocky young men, priests, punks, are they killed, helped, asked for advice?

In order to spice things up the Prince’s minions might give a deadline for evidence or a suspect in the case. Obviously if they can’t get someone else then they’re the prime suspects. This should cause further conflict, do they finger some poor Kindred or try and talk to the Prince about the entire situation? There are enough Kindred, the trick would be getting away with it or providing the evidence. I’m not going to give you a list of all the Kindred, if the players ask, then yes, there are people who could possibly do it, the Prince for one, but they ain’t gonna win that argument. The Malkavian had very few enemies, but probably enough to point a few more fingers, make up a few motives and maybe roast someone over a barbecue. If Gráinne and Ivan go along with this then something is very, very wrong, but equally Tim and Pat are unlikely to approach the Prince and theoretically own up.

As the nights go by they all should be able to see a shimmering in the air around them, an obvious presence. Some of Dublin’s more colourful characters should also notice it, and steer very, very well clear. Turning up to Elysium looking like this is only going to hinder their case, but by the time they notice this the Prince will definitely have set a deadline, Samhain eve.

Scene Five: Over My Head

Things can go a lot of ways now. If they really looked hard enough the characters could probably dredge up the spell the old Malkavian was trying to cast, they might even manage to say it. If they do, the Angel and Demon will be bound, but that’s not going to change much at this stage, just leave the kids very vulnerable. However it may give them the chance to get some real answers, i.e. they are the chosen ones, they are caught between good and evil, the embodiment of both, the ones who have to choose. The two celestial beings can’t give everything away, even though they have to. Something will intervene, some power greater than both and they will die horrible deaths. Don’t forget, if this happens the kids are out on their own.

They could approach the Prince, who might try the spell, or who might try to sway them to his way of thinking (which is the evil way, Jade is not a nice person when you get to know him), he might try to use them, or he might try to kill them, it all really depends on what they say to him. In the killing option, if they still have their guardians they’ll be fine, if not, well, they’d better run. With the guardians around anyone who tries to impose the sentence will most likely end up like the Malkavian, but they kids should probably run anyway.

Fingering some poor Kindred will most likely lead to a courtroom scene with defence and prosecution. Supply them with whatever info they need on a particular Kindred (they should be able to get it if they’ve been spending the last few days constructively). However what happens is entirely up to their roleplaying skills. If they win, well, they’re fine for a couple of days, if not, see the comments about the bloodhunt.

One way or the other, don’t forget, this is Samhain, there should be spirits, visions, the wall is thinner and things break through, the city should be at fever pitch, ready to break itself, ready to fall into hell or ascend into heaven, a true city on the edge. This again should be evident, the kids should be displaying it themselves, possibly seeing images to point them the way they believe they should go. There will, literally, be ghosts and ghouls and witches and faeries walking the streets of Dublin that night, maybe some of them even have their own piece of advice, maybe there’s a bloodhunt on, maybe the Prince of Dublin has just been convicted of murdering his own subjects. Sorry about this, there is no set plot, no set rhyme, no set reason, anything can happen on the edge.

Scene Six: It Doesn’t Matter

However if you live on the edge you eventually run out of places to stand. It’s Samhain and certain things are due. The decision must be made. The actions over the last few days will have decided certain things, it will have made people’s mind up, shown them the possibilities, shown them what can be achieved with power and what with passion. If the guardians are still around they will be visible by now and whispering in ears all over the place. The end scene (yes, this is it, yes, I know it snuck up on you, I’m in that kinda mood) can take place anywhere, but it’s gotta be epic. I reckon it should either be during the case (if there is one) or somewhere like O’Connell Bridge or Trinity Front Square, somewhere big and important and cool. Get the idea?

What form it takes… hmm, well, to start with it’s both good and evil, it is mere potential, that speaks. It should be like the Northern Lights, a shimmering, iridescence in the sky. It’s only going to say one thing, “CHOOSE”, in a very booming kind of voice. By this stage the players really should have copped that they were going to have to do this, so it shouldn’t be any surprise. Also by this stage it should be near the end of the night, the edge of the night. So, they have to choose. They can do this in any one of a number of ways, democracy, will power or diablerie, it’s going to be up to the players and how you think what they’ve done has gone. There is absolutely no way of adjudicating this. The players will be pitched against each other and it’s up to their devious minds to come up with a way to get their philosophy first past the post and up to you to decide whether it deserves the chequered flag or not. I could go on for hours on the various possibilities but I’m immeasurably tired and you’re not going to have that long to read this anyway, so I’ll stop.

Scene Seven: Close Your Eyes

So, the choice has been made, you’ve decided that whatever should happen has happened, so what happens next? It’s fairly simple really, the world changes. Samhain is the new year, the change, the edge, what happens during it changes all around it. If evil wins out, if it becomes dominant, then that is the way the world goes, it accelerates on it’s downward spiral, deeper and deeper into the pit that the Wyrm has dug for it. The young children die, the old are left alone to fester, the sky is darker and there are fewer stars. The wind howls through the thickest coats and the smog brings a cough to everyone’s lips. It ain’t gonna be a nice place to live.

Of course if good wins then the world will brighten up. I’m not talking end of all evil, but rather the renewal and strengthening of hope, of pleasure rather than pain, of that light at the end of the tunnel turning out to be the sun, rather than a flamethrower. The people might slow down, might smile a little more, help children, give money to charity, take their time with each other and the world around them. They might think happy thoughts and fly.

Tell the players these things, make them feel like it was worth their while one way or another, make it feel like their choices made a difference, because sometimes all we have are choices and sometimes it’s nice to be reminded that none of us can move without making waves.

The End.

So you’re thinking, isn’t this the part where he usually thanks people? Yup, it is, but this time with a difference. If you’re still reading this you’re about to find out that this is my last Vampire scenario of any kind, in fact it’s probably my last scenario for any published system, but that remains to be seen. I know I’ve had my fill of Vampire, but maybe I’ve had my fill of expectations and preconceptions about how things are going to work within a particular game. Of course it’s possible I’m just doing this for attention.

From now on it might get a little strange, but as long as I have some of you along for the ride it will be worth it.

Now, to return to your normal programming, I would like to thank, in no particular order.

John, my dear brother who once thought candlelight was the only way to light a Vampire game.

Pat, Dorian, Paul and Susan, names which don’t appear together very often anymore for very good reasons, but people who allowed Lir and Karl and Liter into the world for which I will never forget them, or forgive them.

Justin Achilli, for showing Gaelcon the human face of Whitewolf and being one of the few Americans who can show the Irish how to drink.

Nick, for many great years of Vampire and for the advice I listened to then but somehow forgot.

And finally, Colm, for showing me in the last few weeks why I do things the way I do them and why I shouldn’t forget that the difference between people at a con is often little more than where their name is on a programme.

© Brian Nisbet, 1999

Timothy

Background and Outlook:

You were born when times were hard, when Dublin was the second biggest slum in Europe, next to Moscow and when the land was still ruled by a foreign power. When Yeats spoke of that time he said, ‘A Terrible Beauty is Born’ and truly the events were terrible and beautiful, as were the memories and wounds and echoes which were to move down through the century, just as you did yourself. Your family was poor, but it coped, it scrimped and saved and went to mass and praised God for the few things that it had and it joined with it’s neighbours in hoping that their actions and sacrifice would be enough to justify a place in heaven. A year after your birth there were six of you, more hungry mouths to feed, more ways to stretch the meagre funds your father brought home every week, but you went on, and you kept praying. When you were nine you realised that prayer was not enough anymore. When you were nine your eyes were opened to the world. When you were nine you died. You came back; you awoke with a strange craving in your soul and a thirst on your lips. You arose to the news that you had a destiny awaiting you, you arose to mystery, but you arose with your family, and that was most important. Your mother and father might be dead, but the six of you would go on.

You have always been the oldest, the one who led the others, showed them where to go, showed them how to get of things, to dodge the hand of the law, of the church and of your parents. People said you had the devil’s smile, that winning grin that would prove to adults you couldn’t really be doing something wrong, and the wink to your family which said, ‘Got them again’. Pat always followed you most eagerly into these adventures. He was never quite as bold as you, as willing to cross that invisible line, but he always took his lead from you, deferred to you, waited to see which way you would jump before making that leap himself. Sometimes people called him a sheep, but as he was always big for his age that didn’t last for long. Admittedly sometimes you used him just a little, but he never got too badly hurt or in trouble, so that’s alright. However you were never as sure about Mark. He never followed quite so quickly, quite so enthusiastically. He hung back a little, waited to see what was going to happen, analysed and decided. Sometimes he went with you; sometimes he took the weak option, the boring option, the girl’s way. Of course the whole landscape changed as your other siblings grew up. Peter was a bit like Mark, always watching, sometimes going with you, sometimes not. However more often than not he’d go with his sister, follow her lead rather than yours. But once in a while he’d surprise you and follow you, help you and make life more fun. Ivan never did that. He’d always protect his sister, always defer to her, and always back her up in arguments. Maybe once in a while you’d see him look at you in longing as you headed off on another adventure, but he never followed through. It was Gráinne who controlled him, she always, always, always did what your parents considered the right thing, she was always the good one, the nice one, the good little girl. You argued like mad, but you could never persuade her, and due to Ivan’s presence you couldn’t just beat her up. Then again, she is family, and that’s kinda important.

Roleplaying Notes: You’re nasty and evil at heart, but on the surface you’re not too bad. However as the game goes on your dark side is going to come more and more to the surface, you’ll become more obviously evil, take pleasure in others pain, allow the potential within yourself to come to the fore. However you should still stay with your family, there are some things that don’t change that quickly.

Pat

Background and Outlook:

You were born when times were hard, when Dublin was the second biggest slum in Europe, next to Moscow and when the land was still ruled by a foreign power. When Yeats spoke of that time he said, ‘A Terrible Beauty is Born’ and truly the events were terrible and beautiful, as were the memories and wounds and echoes which were to move down through the century, just as you did yourself. Your family was poor, but it coped, it scrimped and saved and went to mass and praised God for the few things that it had and it joined with it’s neighbours in hoping that their actions and sacrifice would be enough to justify a place in heaven. A year after your birth there were six of you, more hungry mouths to feed, more ways to stretch the meagre funds your father brought home every week, but you went on, and you kept praying. When you were nine you realised that prayer was not enough anymore. When you were nine your eyes were opened to the world. When you were nine you died. You came back, you awoke with a strange craving in your soul and a thirst on your lips. You arose to the news that you had a destiny awaiting you, you arose to mystery, but you arose with your family, and that was most important. Your mother and father might be dead, but the six of you would go on.

The central point of your young life was your elder brother. You always wanted to be like him, but sometimes the things he did made you a little nervous. He was always lithe and slick, a smile there, a grin here and he’d get away with it. You looked more like a bully, bigger, nastier, more likely to do the things that Tim put you up to. However even after all these years you still admire Tim, even after years of seeing him get away with things, of nearly a century of seeing him as a Kindred you would still follow him into the fire, still do as he asks, even if, in the back of your mind some of the things seem a little wrong. Then again, Tim has always been so easy to follow, compared to your slightly younger brothers, Mark and Peter. There’s nine months between the two of them, and between you and Peter, but they seem so similar, so alike. Where Tim makes blunt decisions the two of them analyse and watch, they decide, they think a lot. Sometimes they talk to each other and you can’t follow them, you can’t figure out why they do the things they do. And for two people who are so similar sometimes they act totally differently. One day they’ll go along with Tim’s plan, the next they’ll defend Gráinne to the hilt and argue that you should all restrict your feeding to criminals and the like. It’s really strange and you’ve never really spent too much time worrying about it, there’s always something more interesting to do. Ivan is far easier to understand. He’s kinda like you in many ways, big, not too worried about the finer things in life, always trying to show that just because you’re small that doesn’t mean people can push you, or your family around. There’ve been lots of times you’ve fought back to back against some enemy or other, only to be fight each other a few minutes later. Sometimes it’s over a plan, or something trivial, sometimes it’s over Gráinne, the perfect little girl. She’s always disagreeing with Tim and Ivan is always backing her up. She always wants to do the right thing, or more usually what Tim calls the ‘wrong’ thing. But sometimes you wonder which way is right…

Roleplaying Notes: You’re big, well, for a nine year old kid, and you worship Tim. You are basically nasty and you have very few qualms about doing nasty things to people, especially if Tim says so. However sometimes you wonder, but usually Tim can interrupt this by giving you something to do, and it all starts again.

Mark

Background and Outlook:

You were born when times were hard, when Dublin was the second biggest slum in Europe, next to Moscow and when the land was still ruled by a foreign power. When Yeats spoke of that time he said, ‘A Terrible Beauty is Born’ and truly the events were terrible and beautiful, as were the memories and wounds and echoes which were to move down through the century, just as you did yourself. Your family was poor, but it coped, it scrimped and saved and went to mass and praised God for the few things that it had and it joined with it’s neighbours in hoping that their actions and sacrifice would be enough to justify a place in heaven. A year after your birth there were six of you, more hungry mouths to feed, more ways to stretch the meagre funds your father brought home every week, but you went on, and you kept praying. When you were nine you realised that prayer was not enough anymore. When you were nine your eyes were opened to the world. When you were nine you died. You came back, you awoke with a strange craving in your soul and a thirst on your lips. You arose to the news that you had a destiny awaiting you, you arose to mystery, but you arose with your family, and that was most important. Your mother and father might be dead, but the six of you would go on.

You quite like your oldest brother, but then again, it’s very difficult not to like him, not to like someone who can skip in and out of trouble without a care, flashing that grin of his about like a dangerous weapon, persuading people that he would never do a thing like that, that it must have been some misunderstanding, obviously. Some of the things he does unsettle you, but others make you laugh and smile. Tim has the knack of saying the right thing at the right moment and you would imagine, if he looked a little older, he’d be a lady killer. He’s certainly a hell of a lot more interesting that Pat, somebody who has too much bouncer in him. He’s big and slow and he follows Tim around like a dumb dog, doing what his master wants. Sometimes you reckon you might have sensed some kind of movement behind his eyes, but you’ve always dismissed it as he carries out yet another act of violence. It’s hard to imagine a nine-year old, even a big one, doing the things he’s done, but it gets a lot easier after you’ve seen it for real. Peter is… well, Peter is very, very similar to you. Born nine months apart, but you could be twins. You notice the same things, sometimes you say the same things. Your reactions are similar, but never the same. It’s as if you are both reflections of each other, albeit through slightly warped mirrors. He sees more evil in Tim’s actions, but you think Gráinne can be incredibly boring at times, it all balances out, even if your arguments sometimes last for nights. Speaking of twins, Ivan sometimes seems far, far too much like Pat, but again, there’s a flip. He’s big and occasionally violent, but he’s also your little sister’s knight in shining amour. You’ve seen him kill grown men who’ve tried to do bad things to her, but you’ve seen him object to Tim feeding on some random Kine. You’re sure there’s hidden depths somewhere, but there are more interesting things to do than plum them. Finally there’s Gráinne, the perfect one, mam and dad’s little angel, the girl who can’t seem to get dirty and the only one who can match Tim’s smile beam for beam. She’s good, she’s nice, but if she wasn’t your sister you don’t think you could stand her for more than about five minutes.

Roleplaying Notes: You’re almost a twin of Peter, but you’re slightly darker, slightly more prone to darkness and laughing at misfortune. But which way you’ll jump is anyone’s guess, it all depends on how things go.

Peter

Background and Outlook:

You were born when times were hard, when Dublin was the second biggest slum in Europe, next to Moscow and when the land was still ruled by a foreign power. When Yeats spoke of that time he said, ‘A Terrible Beauty is Born’ and truly the events were terrible and beautiful, as were the memories and wounds and echoes which were to move down through the century, just as you did yourself. Your family was poor, but it coped, it scrimped and saved and went to mass and praised God for the few things that it had and it joined with it’s neighbours in hoping that their actions and sacrifice would be enough to justify a place in heaven. You were born a year after your 3 older brothers, more hungry mouths to feed, more ways to stretch the meagre funds your father brought home every week, but you went on, and you kept praying. When you were eight you realised that prayer was not enough anymore. When you were eight your eyes were opened to the world. When you were eight you died. You came back, you awoke with a strange craving in your soul and a thirst on your lips. You arose to the news that you had a destiny awaiting you, you arose to mystery, but you arose with your family, and that was most important. Your mother and father might be dead, but the six of you would go on.

You quite like your oldest brother, but then again, it’s very difficult not to like him, not to like someone who can skip in and out of trouble without a care, flashing that grin of his about like a dangerous weapon, persuading people that he would never do a thing like that, that it must have been some misunderstanding, obviously. Most of the things he does unsettle you, but a few make you laugh and smile. Tim has the knack of saying the right thing at the right moment and you would imagine, if he looked a little older, he’d be a lady killer. He’s certainly a hell of a lot more interesting that Pat, somebody who has too much bouncer in him. He’s big and slow and he follows Tim around like a dumb dog, doing what his master wants. Sometimes you reckon you might have sensed some kind of movement behind his eyes, but you’ve always dismissed it as he carries out yet another act of violence. It’s hard to imagine a nine-year old, even a big one, doing the things he’s done, but it gets a lot easier after you’ve seen it for real. Mark is… well, Mark is very, very similar to you. Born nine months apart, but you could be twins. You notice the same things, sometimes you say the same things. Your reactions are similar, but never the same. It’s as if you are both reflections of each other, albeit through slightly warped mirrors. You see more evil in Tim’s actions, but he thinks Gráinne can be incredibly boring at times, it all balances out, even if your arguments sometimes last for nights. Speaking of twins, Ivan sometimes seems far, far too much like Pat, but again, there’s a flip. He’s big and occasionally violent, but he’s also your little sister’s knight in shining amour. You’ve seen him kill grown men who’ve tried to do bad things to her, but you’ve seen him object to Tim feeding on some random Kine. You’re sure there’s hidden depths somewhere, but there are more interesting things to do than plum them. Finally there’s Gráinne, the perfect one, mam and dad’s little angel, the girl who can’t seem to get dirty and the only one who can match Tim’s smile beam for beam. She’s good, she’s nice, but if she wasn’t your sister you don’t think you could stand her for more than about five minutes.

Roleplaying Notes: You’re almost a twin of Mark, but you’re slightly nicer, slightly more prone to light and laughing at fortune. But which way you’ll jump is anyone’s guess, it all depends on how things go.

Ivan

Background and Outlook:

You were born when times were hard, when Dublin was the second biggest slum in Europe, next to Moscow and when the land was still ruled by a foreign power. When Yeats spoke of that time he said, ‘A Terrible Beauty is Born’ and truly the events were terrible and beautiful, as were the memories and wounds and echoes which were to move down through the century, just as you did yourself. Your family was poor, but it coped, it scrimped and saved and went to mass and praised God for the few things that it had and it joined with it’s neighbours in hoping that their actions and sacrifice would be enough to justify a place in heaven. You were born a year after your 3 older brothers, more hungry mouths to feed, more ways to stretch the meagre funds your father brought home every week, but you went on, and you kept praying. When you were eight you realised that prayer was not enough anymore. When you were eight your eyes were opened to the world. When you were eight you died. You came back, you awoke with a strange craving in your soul and a thirst on your lips. You arose to the news that you had a destiny awaiting you, you arose to mystery, but you arose with your family, and that was most important. Your mother and father might be dead, but the six of you would go on.

The central point of your young life was your younger sister. You always felt the need to protect her, even after she showed again and again that a smile from her could disarm the worst enemy. She always did the right thing, always, without exception. Sometimes you were a bit clumsy and got into trouble, but through all your childhood, even when dad was a big free with the belt, she got away with it. You always wondered how she did this, but never resented it, and even being turned into a Vampire hasn’t created any resentment. Once in a while you think maybe she needs to wake up to the real world, but that would only be for her own good and safety. If you know how you feel about her, you’re not sure how you feel about Mark and Peter. There’s nine months between the two of them, and between you and Mark, but they seem so similar, so alike. Where Tim makes blunt decisions the two of them analyse and watch, they decide, they think a lot. Sometimes they talk to each other and you can’t follow them, you can’t figure out why they do the things they do. And for two people who are so similar sometimes they act totally differently. One day they’ll go along with Tim’s plan, the next they’ll defend Gráinne to the hilt and argue that you should all restrict your feeding to criminals and the like. It’s really strange and you’ve never really spent too much time worrying about it, there’s always Gráinne to worry about. Pat is far easier to understand. He’s kinda like you in many ways, big, not too worried about the finer things in life, always trying to show that just because you’re small that doesn’t mean people can push you, or your family around. There’ve been lots of times you’ve fought back to back against some enemy or other, only to be fight each other a few minutes later. Sometimes it’s over a plan, or something trivial, sometimes it’s over Tim, the white-haired boy. He’s always disagreeing with Gráinne and Pat is always backing him up. He always wants to take the dangerous path, the way that you know Gráinne disapproves of. But sometimes you wonder which way is right…

Roleplaying Notes: You’re big, well, for a nine year old kid, and you worship Gráinne. You are basically nice and you try to be like Gráinne and follow her lead and do good for people. Sometimes you wonder what life would be like without all the moral stuff you have to think about, but then you just have to think of your sister.

Gráinne

Background and Outlook:

You were born when times were hard, when Dublin was the second biggest slum in Europe, next to Moscow and when the land was still ruled by a foreign power. When Yeats spoke of that time he said, ‘A Terrible Beauty is Born’ and truly the events were terrible and beautiful, as were the memories and wounds and echoes which were to move down through the century, just as you did yourself. Your family was poor, but it coped, it scrimped and saved and went to mass and praised God for the few things that it had and it joined with it’s neighbours in hoping that their actions and sacrifice would be enough to justify a place in heaven. You were born a year after your 3 older brothers, more hungry mouths to feed, more ways to stretch the meagre funds your father brought home every week, but you went on, and you kept praying. When you were eight you realised that prayer was not enough anymore. When you were eight your eyes were opened to the world. When you were eight you died. You came back, you awoke with a strange craving in your soul and a thirst on your lips. You arose to the news that you had a destiny awaiting you, you arose to mystery, but you arose with your family, and that was most important. Your mother and father might be dead, but the six of you would go on.

You have always been the youngest, usually this is the one who follows, but you’ve had to lead, to show your family the right way to do things, how to get things without hassle, without causing pain. People said you had the smile of an angel, that innocent smile that melted adults hearts and brought them over onto your side. You always knew you were right and that everyone should, agree. Ivan always agreed with you first. He was never quite as sure as you, as willing to enforce what you knew to be right, but he always took his lead from you, deferred to you, waited to see which way you would jump before making that leap himself. Sometimes people called him a sheep, but as he was always big for his age that didn’t last for long. He’s guarded you from some nasty people in all the years you’ve been together and you love him for it, you don’t know what you’d do without him. However you were never as sure about Pat. He never followed quite so quickly, quite so enthusiastically. He hung back a little, waited to see what was going to happen, analysed and decided. Sometimes he went with you, sometimes he took the weak option, the devil’s option, Tim’s way. Of course the whole landscape changed as you all grew up, and especially when you became Kindred. Mark was a bit like Peter, always watching, sometimes going with you, sometimes not. However more often than not he’d go with his brother, follow his lead rather than yours. But once in a while he’d surprise you and follow you, help you and make life nicer for all. Pat never did that. He’d always protect his brother, always defer to her, always back her up in arguments. Maybe once in a while you’d see him look at you in longing as you did a good dead, or helped someone, but he never followed through. It was Tim who controlled him, he always, always, always did what your parents considered the wrong thing, he was always the nasty one, but he got away with it none the less. You argued like mad, but you could never persuade him, he never seemed to want to listen to logic and reason, just his own voices. Then again, he is family, and that’s kinda important.

Roleplaying Notes: You’re good and nice at heart, and you’re pretty much the same on the surface. As the game goes on you’ll become even nicer, a beacon for good, always doing the right thing, but how often at the expense of somebody? However remember, even if some of them aren’t so nice, family is still family.