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COME PLAY, M’LORD
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Aug 8, 2023 22:02
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Gatto Grigio posted:COME PRAY, M’LORD
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Aug 8, 2023 23:24
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The Guide to the Apocalypse kinda reminds me of the big problem I always had with the Matrix sequels - it takes a scenario that should be about spreading truth and bringing enlightenment to the masses and ends up just ignoring all the ordinary people in favor of the superpowered protagonists. And I understand not wanting to make a campaign all about proselytism, but if you're doing the Book of Revelation, you kinda have to deal with that aspect. All the battles and boss fights are irrelevant if you're not actually breaking the Anti-Christ's hold on people; it's a bit of a phyric victory if Satan takes all the souls in Jerusalem down with him when you beat him.
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Aug 9, 2023 04:41
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Joylessdivisions World of Dorkness Presents The Book of Chantries - Haighters Gonna Hate Volume 4 Part 8 Purpose RP#4 was founded for the sole purpose of developing new sentient creatures to serve the Progenitors, with the creation of Kaltee being a nice bonus. While the Progenitors hoped to breed a superior species, they have instead bred their downfall. History In the 1850’s the Masters were just another Amalgam working within the Construct. However, once they started their research into splicing human and animal genetic material, they approached their superiors and asked to be allowed to create their own Realm where they could pursue their research in private. They used the Tass captured from a powerful Marauder to create the Realm, and within a year Moreauvia was born. Strange things do occasionally happen, possibly because of the Marauder tainted Quintessence used to create the Realm. Some Hybrids are developing aggressive tendencies, and a few have turned on their Sleeper overseers. Autopsies conducted on these rebellious Hybrids have uncovered no reason for the aggression, and the Progenitors now fear an uprising. They are still unaware of the Verbena’s attempts to end their work. Construct Inhabitants Along with the Mages, there are a few trusted Moreauvian servants and 15 Superiors. The Mages used to let the servants serve in the Earthly aspects of the Chantry, but after one of the most trusted, Jeremiah, ran off never to be found, they are restrained to the Realm. Heckler 
Now he’s caught between the Verbena and Montgomery, facing a dilemma: who does he sell out to? He genuinely likes Montgomery and has been able to temper the Overseer’s cruelty, but the Verbena and their talk of freedom and other worlds have intrigued him. For now, he is content with playing both sides, assuming he’ll figure it out when the time comes. Image: A cross between a fox, an ape and a man with broad shoulders, long arms and a vulpine face, with whiskers, reddish fur and large steel-blue eyes. He moves at a quick lope, using his arms to swing himself across the ground or trees. He speaks well and is a quick learner. Roleplaying Notes: Your eloquence has been your salvation, so you almost reflexively engage anyone you meet in conversation. You’re always trying to stay one step ahead of everyone else, and though you fight reasonably well, you prefer to avoid combat. When all else fails, you have plenty of friends to call on. Internal Structure and Relations The Masters have no hierarchy, seeing it as too restrictive of their needs. Instead, they treat each other as professional colleagues, voting on all matters affecting the Construct and Realm, and abide by a simple covenant.  External Relations The Progenitors of this Realm are very xenophobic and have no desire to involve themselves in the Pogrom or other Technocracy activities, nor do they want to be singled out and attacked by the Traditions, as well as fearing other, more powerful members of their own Convention who may take credit for their work. Because of this paranoia, they do not inform the Conventions leadership about their activities, leaving the Construct to be virtually unnoticed. Status and Reputation The plantation is virtually unknown but is a recognized part of the Technocracy. It has minimal Status and the few outsiders aware of its existence consider it a bad joke staffed by fools. A small number of older Mages remember the Progenitors that run the Construct, and fear they are breeding an army of superhuman creatures to conquer the Technocracy with. Status: 1, Reputation: 1 Policy Regarding Outsiders The Mages of RP#4 do not allow anyone into the construct or Realm, other than potential victims. They do not use Rogues but have no issue doing so if needed. Allies and Enemies RP#4’s allies consist of the other three Research Plantations, which are also their rivals. Another Progenitor facility, an Onieran Dream Lord named Kli Qu and two Umbrood Preceptors. Their enemies include a Chantry, a Cabal of Nephandi, a sept of W—--- Garou called the Winds of Retribution, and an Umbrood Lord named Sphinx that also serves as a Totem to the Garou. Research Capacities RP#4 exists for research, and its resources are vast. The Mages are on the cutting edge of genetics, and most of their equipment is not available to other Progenitors. They do not, however, keep a force of genetic monstrosities favored by other Progenitor Amalgams, assured of the passive nature of their Hybrids. Surely, nothing could possibly go wrong, right? The Mages of the Construct train themselves, as none are more knowledgeable, and they train their own apprentices. The Constructs arcane library is entirely dedicated to the Constructs work, though many of the Mages have private arcane collections relating to other areas of magic. The mundane library is so big it takes up an entire floor of the “Big House”, and through the trading of Kaltee for Tass, they have accumulated more than enough Quintessence to power their experiments. Stories Slavery is the obvious theme of Plantation #4, but it is a Construct that simmers with rebellion, despite the Masters not seeing it, instead ignoring the lessons of history, psychology and their own general humanity. Their hubris has led them directly into a trap that now simply waits to snap shut. Story Ideas
And that brings Chapter Two to a close. If I’m being completely honest, I think a lot of this chapter is boring as poo poo. The broad Construct information at the beginning of the chapter is at least somewhat interesting, but every Construct that gets a write up, apart from Moreauvia is the same thing, a heavy focus on sterile industrial looks and a heavy dose of oppression. I get it, the Technocracy sucks and are the bad guys, but God drat, nothing about any of these Constructs inspires me as an ST to engage with them. Moreauvia at least goes into an interesting sort of sci-fi horror direction with the Hybrid creatures, but even then, it’s just more oppression and slavery like the other Constructs. Like I understand that the Technocracy are the bad guys and are the authoritarian evil of the magic world but if I’m being honest, as presented here, they’re just dull and uninspired. Oh cool they’ve got ray guns or whatever, and sure there are HIT Marks all over this chapter, and while I do like that they shoved Terminators into the setting, it feels wasted when the Technocracy are just so goddamn boring here with their entire plans being “Enslave a whole bunch of people and take their Magic Juice.” It’s like the Technocracy's plans for Ascension are
Also, isn't the Technocracy supposed to be fighting the Nephandi and the Umbrood and such, but we just got a few Umbrood just hanging out with Technomancers like it's no big deal. Make up your mind, are they xenophobic fuckwads attempting to control all of reality or not because having them team up with the other villains of the Mage plot doesn’t make sense, especially when we spent a good chunk of the corebook explaining what assholes the Technocracy are and how they built the loving Gauntlet to specifically keep the Nehphandi/Marauders/Umbrood out of reality. Which as I pointed out in that review, is an objectively good thing considering the aforementioned horrors beyond the Umbral stars that want to destroy the world. And speaking of the horrors from beyond the Umbral void, let’s jump into Chapter 3!   Chapter Three: Nephandi Labyrinths As the title of the chapter suggests, Nephandi Chantries are known as Labyrinths (and I will be using the term interchangeably with Chantry). To the Nephandi, Ascension is Descent, a fatal embrace of damnation, and in the far reaches of the Deep Umbra, they howl their praises to the Wyrm and the abyss laughs, welcoming them. Labyrinths keep a tenuous hold on the Earth via Nodes of corruption and despair, places where the dark passions of humanity have poisoned the Quintessence and raised boil like Nodes. Oh, you mean something like loving Dachau?! The Nephandi seek these venomous places, piercing the Gauntlet and carving out their own Realms quickly before either the Technocracy or Traditions can shut it down. Through their earthly infiltrators, the Nephandi and their Acolytes encourage human corruption, and through his corruption, they construct new Nodes. Labyrinths reflect the twisted, alien minds of their creators, containing twisted corridors, brain-wrenching geometry and nightmares shapes dancing just out of sight. Most take forbidding shapes, suggesting a deeper, potentially living essence. Visitors often complain of disorientation, headaches, and dizziness long after leaving, and many suffer lasting neuroses or worse. Renunciates The Nephandi speak of themselves as “Soul Mirrors”, reflecting the darkness within the mortal soul, while some claim they exist to provide an example of the Left Hand Path to the Awakened, to give those who strive to Ascend a bad example. Still, others simply revel in the knowledge that they are damned and determined to enjoy it. The Renunciates, better known as Barabbi, include Mages of both philosophies. Barabbi are former Tradition and Technocracy mages who have left their chosen path for the corruption of the dark side of power, and many remain with their fellows, disguising their true nature and corrupting from within. They keep a public facade of their former lives while privately indulging in their passions for oblivion, posing a double dilemma for their friends. Can the Barabbi be saved, and should they be? quote:“The hazards of Mages dedicated to deliberate evil (and spreading that evil) should be obvious” Oh my god, gently caress you. First off, miss me with this “The Left Hand Path is bad” poo poo, literally every single loving wizard in this game is walking the Left Hand Path by virtue of using magic. Second, THE TECHNOCRACY ARE RIGHT THERE DOING EVIL poo poo BUT THE NEPHANDI ARE WORSE?! SOMEHOW?! Get off your loving high horse Brucato, and shove this new age moralizing about magic up your rear end while you’re at it. The Drachus Vachor: Chantry of the Ulic Batu, The Sea of Ash  Drachus Vachor is an alien Realm where a group of young Tradition mages have sold their souls to the Nehandus, Galarius. They were young and inexperienced, and did not know the cost of their greed, willingly giving themselves to the darkness in exchange for power. Now they regret their actions but are in too deep and there is no way out. Reluctantly, they now corrupt the souls of their fellow mages, promising them what they were promised - unbelievable power at the mere price of a soul. Again, this literally doesn’t sound that different from the Traditions or Technocracy and how they do things. Except they don’t require your soul, they just expect you to follow all their dumbass rules about using magic and not incurring Paradox because for REASONS THAT HAVEN’T BEEN EXPLAINED EVERY OTHER SUPERNATURAL BEING IN THE WORLD OF DARKNESS CAN DO MAGICAL poo poo WITHOUT INCURRING PARADOX EXCEPT GOD drat WIZARDS. Galarius, Master of the Realm 
One of these cults took up residence on a small barrier island off the coast of Georgia where the cult had three powerful Nodes and served three powerful Nephandi. On an especially unholy day in the cultists calendar, Galarius was born. Galarius was groomed to lead from birth, and the Nephandi realized that his Avatar was strong and that this power could be used to their own ends. Galarius grew up among the damned on this island, eventually becoming its leader, being the epitome of corruption, decadence and destruction. When the Technocracies Horizon was installed, the island was overrun with Technomancers who wished to destroy the Nephandi. Thanks to Galarius' combat skills, the Realm was saved and the Nephandi’s power secured, albeit in a reduced manner. Today, he continues to serve his Nephandi masters, and over the years has successfully corrupted several Cabals into the service of the Nephandi, and he is currently serving as Mentor to a new Cabal, the Watchers of the Void, for future sacrifice. Image: Originally Native American, Galarius has since taken on the appearance of someone of Eastern European descent. He’s tall but of average build, with medium length dark brown hair. His eyes have a permanent Paradox Flaw, having been transformed into emeralds. Chaos Emeralds perhaps?  He hides this by wearing sunglasses but doesn’t bother when in the Horizon Realm. On Earth he wears expensive, custom-fit suits, and in the Realm, he wears robes of blood-red or black. Roleplaying Notes: You are totally evil and utterly dominated by your masters. You are a pawn, but your guile and power are forces to fear. You will try to befriend all Mages you meet, hiding your secret allegiance. You offer your services to put others in your debt, so they feel obligated to repay you. You are a merciless killer and derive great pleasure from your work. Sanctum: Galarius rarely appears on Earth, preferring to remain in the Chantry where he is safe and unknown. His chambers have not been seen by anyone but the Hooded Horrors. The Sanctum is much like the rest of the Chantry, except there is a private shrine dedicated to his Nephandi masters that functions as a personal Node. The Watchers of the Void (All are Barabbi) Members: Joanne Myers (CoE), Lester Giles (SoE), Abdel-Aziz Hummein (Euthanatos), Hiram Jencks (OoH), Bernard Monfort (Celestial Chorus) Background: Originally a group of young Tradition Mages who were about to be destroyed by a pack of Marauders when a strange Mage named Galarius saved them, offering them both magical gifts and an opportunity to join his Chantry. It was an offer that was too good to be true….and it was. Joanne Myers 
On opening night, she froze, and the jeering of the unruly audience literally brought her to her knees in tears. When she looked up, some of the audience had burst into flames. So, the opera scene from Parasite Eve? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPXS8xMXzOQ In a panic, she ran but was tracked down by the Mage who would become her Mentor. She served the CoE as an apprentice for seven years before joining the Lightning Seven Cabal in fighting the Technocracy. She did not know Galarius was a Nephandus until she’d already become one herself, as he provided her with designer drugs that altered her senses in previously unimaginable ways. The pleasures and revelations were beyond anything the CoE had given her, and in time she became addicted. Now she serves the Nephandi reluctantly and has secretly overcome her addiction and has never made a soul-pact with the Nephandi. She’s planning her escape, just as soon as she can find some trustworthy Mages. Her interests include exploring the World of Darkness, developing friendships with anyone who can save her, reading Sci-Fi and fantasy, and studying parapsychology. Image: An attractive, athletic woman in her early 30’s, with curly, coppery-red hair and bright green eyes, dressing in comfortable, but trendy clothing. Roleplaying Notes: You are a strong-willed, tough woman, persistent and independent. You hated your dependence on Galarius, which you have overcome. Now you seek a way out of your current situation and will aid any Mages who can save you from the Nephandi. While you would prefer to return to the Traditions, you are willing to go with the Technocracy or Marauders, if they get you out. You fear death, but you fear damnation more. Sanctum: Joanne spends most of her time in the Charleston house, where she keeps a five-room sanctum, as well as a private apartment near the Chantry, decorated in a comfortable, modern style. Lester Giles  Man looks like he says “Smashing!” a lot when excited about something. And “Indubitably”
Lester became fascinated with the occult at an early age, joining a secret society of hedge wizards to learn the ways of magic. One of the members happened to be a Mage who took Lester aside and promised to teach him the real ways of magic, so long as he abandoned his family business and committed to full time magical study. He agreed, if his family would be provided for financially. His Mentor agreed and Lester spent the next 10 years in study, eventually becoming a Son of Ether. He traveled for many years, serving various Cabals, before joining the Lightning Seven 10 years ago. He was easily corrupted, as he sought power and understanding, and Galarius was all too willing to provide these to him. He’s recently taken up experimenting with reanimates, as well as taking an interest in developing a means of altering Avatars. He believes one day he will develop a means of converting one Essence into another, and that it may be possible to develop new Avatars. Image: A slightly overweight man in his late 40’s, he has thinning, dark brown, wavy hair, a mustache and brown eyes. His clothing is outdated, and his pipe is never far from his mouth. Roleplaying Notes: You’re a jovial and curious man, and while you don’t realize you’re working for the Nephandi, your corruption has been total, and you are beyond redemption. You will not hesitate to use people and betray them; however, you always appear as a proper English gentleman. You’re more than a little insane, and suffer from several phobias (of the ST’s choice) Sanctum: Lester conducts most of his “Research” in Drachus Vachor, in a huge sanctum set aside for the creation of reanimates. He also keeps a large sanctum in the tunnels below the lighthouse Chantry. His sanctums are filled with body parts, dissecting tables, medical devices and other disgusting things. The rooms in the tunnels are lit with fluorescent light and the walls and ceilings of both sanctums are covered in dried blood. Some of his previous experiments, the ones with sufficient intellect to follow one-word commands serve as his Retainers. The Nodes of Drachus Vachor  All of the Chantries Nodes are located within a mile of each other, forming a triangle with the Chantry in the center. Colirus Bri A seven-foot, conical rock jutting from the earth like a miniature volcano, those that look into the hole see nothing but blackness, and there is apparently no bottom to the pit, as any object dropped into it disappears into the abyss. This opening is just wide enough for a person to seize through. The rock is blackish-blue and covered in organic looking carvings of an unknown design. Colirus Dre Like Colirus Bri, except that a stench of sulfur and brimstone emanates from the hole, and the interior has an orange-red glow. Colirus Gu Like the previous two Nodes, except that it emits the smell of flowers and a purplish-white smoke. The interior is filled with this wispy smoke, and with a careful ear, one can hear many voices speaking from the depths. The smoke cannot be seen through, and any objects dropped into the hole are ejected back out. The Horizon Realm Basic Concept Ulic Batu is an outward manifestation of the Nephandi’s corruption. Malformation and evil are everywhere, and the Resonance is extraordinarily strong, warping nature itself through the infestations of the Dark Lords, turning its twisted essence against the Mages who live here. Worse yet, the Labyrinth is in its Spring, having survived an earlier attack, its powers are now coming into a new fruition. Environment The Sea of Ash is more than just a body of water, it is a Realm, filled with dark, salty water with no surface or sky. The only light coming from the seabed, and at the center of the Realm at the very bottom of a massive abyss lies Dracus Vachor. At the Realm’s “bottom”, phosphorescent ooze illuminates the seafloor with visibility of about 50 feet. As one swims upward, the sea grows darker and darker until it is pitch black, save for the bioluminescent predators. The water is just cold enough to be uncomfortable, and oddly, the Nephandi and their guests can freely travel through the water, breathing the water like air (though this may have a corrupting effect on the guests), and Nephandi can speak under these waters as if they were on land. The flora and fauna of the Realm is horrifying and monstrous. Besides the glowing coral, there are whales with human arms (including hands with opposable thumbs), octopi with giant fangs, two-head sea serpents, eels with human faces, razor sharp exoskeletoned fish, manta rays covered in tiny mouths, and many other nightmarish abominations. These creatures do not attack the Mages, their servants or guests, and the Mages or servants are capable of summoning even larger, more horrifying creatures from the depths if attacked. Denizens of the Realm There are no known intelligent creatures in the sea itself, though there are likely some that are unknown to the Nephandi Other Details Magical Ratings: Correspondence +2, Entropy +1, Life +1, Matter -1, Prime -2, Spirit -1, Time +2 Labyrinth Description Drachus Vachor A massive metal fortress of unnatural appearance and design, colored blood-red and jet-black and roughly resembling a castle, it is filled with air and cannot be flooded by the ocean, even with the door wide open. The interior is equally strange, with tubular hallways, and domed rooms that constantly change locations. The walls are covered in massive tapestries and huge wall curtains. It is lit by giant, water filled tubes holding glowing coral and bioluminescent creatures. All furniture is made of metal but covered in plush red upholstery. Giant porthole-like windows provide a view of the ocean, as well as an observation room made entirely of glass. Each Mage has their own personal living and study areas, and secret passages honeycomb the entire complex. The Mages have yet to venture into the lower depths where the servants live. Even the Nephandi are afraid of what they might find there. The Watchers Lighthouse  This Earthly aspect of the Chantry was once a large fortress that was destroyed hundreds of years ago. Now a lighthouse stands in its place. It is still functional, but no longer used. At its base is a communal meeting and work area for the Cabal, and six small houses have been built nearby by the Mages. The Cabal has a helicopter, a large boat and all the weapons and equipment they need. The computers are tied into countless systems, and the lighthouse itself is located on a small island off the coast of Georgia. The Charleston House An antebellum house in one of Charleston, South Carolina’s oldest neighborhoods, filled with secret passageways and has a large basement. This Chantry serves as an additional place to stay, though it is rarely used, and the local Sleepers are convinced it’s haunted. Purpose Drachus Vachor is a Nephandi outpost with ties to Earth. It has expanded dozens of Cabals, most dying horribly in the service of their masters, while others were simply taken by Nephandi demon lords after they ceased to be useful. History Created long before the Horizon gained its current strength, the Realm has served as a Nephandi stronghold where corrupt Mages slaughtered Sleepers to appease the appetites of their masters. The Realm was nearly destroyed by the VE, but survived somehow, leaving the Nephandi vulnerable. All attempts to return to Earth to collect Sleeper souls were thwarted by the Technocracy Shock Corps and bands of Marauders, forcing the Nephandi to feed on spirits of the Umbra. Eventually, the Fanlooran Confederacy, an Umbrood legion guided by Umbrood Lords, laid siege to Drachus Vachor and drove the Nephandi to the other side of the Horizon. Eventually, a Nephandi priest, the leader of the Chantries Earthly aspect, made it back into the abandoned Horizon Realm, and into Drachus itself. He found it abandoned but boosted his own powers with a Talisman in the Chantry and a ritual involving the sacrifice of twelve virgins he had brought with him. This ritual allowed the priest to communicate with his Nephandi masters who explained how to reopen the Portal that led to and from the Deep Umbra, however this ritual did not work. A new Portal would need to be constructed, and with the help of the Chantries Talismans, the priest created a race of sentient, humanoids from a species of fish Indigenous to the Sea of Ash. While these creatures lacked souls, they nonetheless possessed the terrifying powers of the Nephandi. Wanna guess the priest's name? It was Galarius, and he worked long and hard, eventually building the device needed. Now, he must collect 1301 souls to power it. For his troubles, he was gifted eyes of emerald, allowing him to see pure souls. He started corrupting Mages to continue his dirty work and continues to do so now. Soon, he’ll have enough souls to fully power the Portal. Chantry Inhabitants The Chantry and it’s Mages are cared for by beings known to the Mages as “Hooded Horrors”, though they never call them this to their…. faces…if they have faces. These frail humanoids stand roughly five feet tall and wear black, cowled robes, keeping their faces hidden. Occasionally a bristly mandible or dripping tentacle pokes out from beneath the hood. The Mages are not entirely sure if they want to know what the Horrors look like. The Horrors do not speak, but understand commands, and have their own, indecipherable, even though magic, language and are always around when needed. When the Mages are asleep or otherwise occupied, the Horrors sometimes swim to the Node sites of the Realm, where strange rituals are conducted, and sacrifices are made of sea creatures and even other Hooded Horrors. Internal Structure and Relations Galarius dominates the Chantry, but the Mages are allowed to do as they please, if they work towards their master's goals, and are carefully watched by both Galarius and the Horrors. The stress has caused the Mages to question their duties, and they would all prefer to be free of their chosen masters, though they cannot confide this secret, lest someone snitch to Galarius. Instead, they feign loyalty and carry out their duties as if they enjoy them. The mages often corrupt others by setting up ambushes with monstrous creatures, only to arrive “just in time” to “Save” the victims, making the victims more inclined to trust them and feel the weight of a debt owed. External Relations The Technocracy is aware of Drachus, but the Traditions are not. The Watchers of the Void are known only by the Traditions for their excellent service to the Traditions, and most members of the Traditions believe the Watchers to be loyal. The Labyrinth’s only contact is with other Nephandi strongholds. Status and Reputation Status: 0 (3 w/Nephandi), Reputation: 0 While the Chantry itself is unknown, it’s Mages are not. Many suspect the Watchers are hiding something, while others speak of them as selfless heroes, willing to help other Mages without asking for repayment. This is, however, a Reputation that the Watchers themselves have been spreading. Policy Regarding Outsiders No outsiders, other than converts and sacrifices are allowed entry. Rogues are never used, and apprentices are never taken. While others do the teaching, the Watchers do the corrupting. Allies and Enemies In addition to its three Nephandi masters, the Chantry supports another Labyrinth and three small Cabals of Nephandi infiltrators into Technocracy Amalgams. These corrupted Amalgams often share information about Technocracy activities, and the Watchers are allied with a pack of BSD Garou, and a powerful Sabbat elder in Charleston, South Carolina. The Chantries' enemies include six Constructs, one rival Labyrinth, and two Umbrood Preceptors who took part in the original siege of the Realm. Research Capacities Drachus Vachor has exceptional research facilities, though the Mages receive no training other than personal study. The arcane library is adequate to the needs of the Mages, with tomes in various languages, and most in decent shape. Most information that the Mages receive is from their Nephandi allies, as well as five spy's privy to information relating to the Technocracy and Traditions. The Chantries computer systems are incredible, thanks to the work of a now dead VA Barabbi, and the Mages have enough Quintessence to support the Realm, but regularly raid other Nodes to acquire more, often laying waste to the raided Nodes. Stories Menace is the theme of Drachus Vachor stories. Galarius prepares to breach the Horizon and considering the remote nature of the Labyrinth and its Earthly aspects, it’s likely this breach would take a while before anyone noticed. Alien strangeness is the mood, and Lovecraftian eeriness and half-remembered fever dreams are not out of place here. It should invoke a foreboding terror as all things are distorted in the dim twilight of the underwater Realm. Story Ideas
Why would the Nephandi be shoring up the breach they just created? That’s counter to their entire plan, which as previously said, involves Galarius powering up a Portal to breach the Horizon. I assume that’s got to be a mistake. And that’s Drachus Vachor. I feel like the Lovecraftian elements didn’t need to be explicitly called out because they are obvious from the first words describing this place, but I guess because Lovecraft is in the public domain it’s easier to admit where you’re stealing from than it is when you’re ripping off something more modern. Which, speaking of ripping off something modern brings us to our next Labyrinth. The Household of the Jade Demon: In the Maze of Ebon Gates  A being of unspeakable evil and power resides in Chicago’s Chinatown. Known as the Jade Demon, as his true name is a secret, this powerful mage once served the Nephandi but has since gone Rogue, breaking from the Nephandi out of fear of the punishments destined for him. The Nine Chinese Hells loom nearer as his life draws to its conclusion, and the Jade Demon’s longevity potions no longer work as they once did, and no manner of magic will slow his aging. The Demon must find a source of immortality soon, or it will be too late. In his desperation, he’s surrounded himself with any new Mages willing to accept his offer, and while he has learned to feast on the souls of the innocent, Sleepers are no longer abating his aging as they once did. The Jade Demon, Master of the Realm  Hello Mr. Burton
He has managed to create his own Realm to hide from his former masters but knows they will never stop searching. He has gathered a small group of Rogue Mages to serve as his well-rewarded minions. These minions will protect him with their lives, but he understands when he does finally die, he will return to the Nephandi and have his soul cast into the Nine Chinese Hells, and this is why he now seeks eternal life. Aside from the whole “quest for immortality” thing, he also controls Chicago’s Chinatown through the Wing Kong, and his influence over organized crime reaches as far as mainland China and Hong Kong. He has allied with several strange Asian supernatural creatures, and collects antique weapons and armor, spending a great deal of his time playing Chess and Go. Image: The Jade Demon has two forms. On Earth, he is a feeble, nearly bald Chinese man who appears to be at least 100. In the Horizon Realm, he resembles a Chinese Mandarin in the prime of his life, sometimes growing his fingernails to extreme lengths and other times not. In this form he has long, shiny jet-black hair down his back. On Earth, he dresses in plain white robes, while in the Realm he dresses in emerald and crimson robes trimmed with gold. In his old man form he carries a wooden staff, while in his Realm he carries nothing, preferring to use his magic, but keeps an ancient, jewel-encrusted Talisman Kris nearby if needed. Roleplaying Notes: On Earth, you appear to be a confident, humble and generous old man, and you’ve provided massive amounts of money to charities, hoping it will aid you in cleansing your soul. You are wise and good-natured, with a wry sense of humor. Those around you may sense great power and even evil but will have a tough time pinpointing the source. In the Realm, you are more energetic and virile, putting your younger form to effective use. Sanctum: The Demon keeps a large, plush sanctum within an old building in Chinatown, but spends most of his time in his Realm. The Realm sanctum is his palace, and his “Inner Sanctum” takes up a single floor within the palace and is decorated in an ancient Chinese style. Cmon now, ya’ll weren’t even trying to hide this one. It’s loving Lo Pan from Big Trouble in Little China. I mean scroll back up and look at that character portrait and then look at this  you telling me they didn’t rip off Big Trouble? I’m not complaining, because I’ll be real, Lo Pan running around the WoD is hysterical and I appreciate just how blatantly they ripped him for this book. Most of the time when they slide a reference into these books it’s a smidgen more subtle, but the Jade Demon’s write up and image are literally on the first page of this Chantry, so they knew exactly what they were doing. Cabals Two Cabals serve the Jade Demon, both share the same interests and work together in their master’s service. The Jade Demon’s Brood Members: David Warita (AB Barabbi), Wesley Mercer (VA Barabbi), Robert Lo Chu (CoE Barabbi), Martin Roelig (Euthanatos), Kim Vachon (Euthanatos) Background: The Brood was assembled over the last decade, and all were individual Rogues seduced by promises of wealth and power. Now, they are trapped Barrabbi and the Demon has collected a lock of hair, a drop of blood and a fingernail clipping of each, casting a ritual over the pieces. Should any of the Brood refuse to serve, the Demon can snuff out their lives without a thought, regardless of their distance from him. He has proven this power once before on a former Cabal member to show he’s not making idle threats. Interestingly, the two Euthanatos did not join because they were entrapped, but because they wish to get closer to the Demon so they can kill him, and they intend to act as soon as he lets his guard down. But until that happens, they continue to serve him faithfully to prove their loyalty. Kim Vachon 
She was selected by her superiors to infiltrate the Jade Demon’s Brood, to learn as many secrets as possible and then give him the Good Death. To gain the Demon’s trust, she posed for two years as a Rogue, and was then contacted by the Demon to perform assassination work, then offered a place within the Brood. She has increased his trust in her by saving the lives of three of the Demons minions, and by giving information about a rival Euthanatos Chantry, allowing the Demon to destroy it and acquire its tomes, secrets and treasures. Her personal interests include the continued study of various forms of dance, and she has managed to work her training into her combat styles. She also collects expensive cars and jewelry, which the Demon provides in abundance. Image: A beautiful, athletic Middle Eastern woman who appears to be in her mid 20’s, with a preference for the latest fashions, always in black of course. She has medium length black hair worn in assorted styles, and wears extensions from time to time, and has bright green eyes with black flecks. She speaks with an English accent as she was born in London and always carries a blade somewhere on her body. Roleplaying Notes: You are greedy, fanatical, evil and hedonistic. Still, compared to the Jade Demon, you’re an angel. You're a determined and patient individual who will let nothing stand in your way. You’re aloof to all but your closest “Friends” while undercover. You can be charming and seductive when necessary. Sanctum: Kim keeps a nice loft near Chinatown, though not in Chinatown proper. It is filled with luxurious and expensive decorations, though she spends much of her time in the Realm, where her sanctum is much the same. The Wing Kong Elite (All members are Orphans) Members: Mao Tu Tzin, Cho Quan, Lee Ho Wu Background: Formed in the late 1800’s, the Mages were the leaders of a Chinese fighting tong called the Wing Kong. The members answered to them, and in turn they answered to the Jade Demon. The Cabal is charged with protecting Chinatown and the Wing Kong runs all organized crime within Chinatown, but stays an invisible organization only known to locals. The Mages of the tong are considered Orphans, or at worst Barabbi by other Tradition Mages, as they were trained by a Nephandus Mage and his servants, rather than a “true” Tradition. Mao Tu Tzin 
So, he broke in, and was immediately seized by one of the guards, though he managed to wound the guard rather horribly with a knife. The Demon, knowing potential when he saw it, had his most skilled servant take the boy in as an apprentice instead of having him killed. Mao learned the arts of magic and has since served the Demon faithfully. While he does not like doing evil, he knows his debt must be paid, and his family has remained well provided for since he took up his apprenticeship, though they now refuse to acknowledge his existence. While they have spurned his aid, he has managed to support them through “luck” without their knowledge. He is now the leader of the Wing Kong, who serves the Demon, overseeing all organized crime in Chinatown and handling many of the Kong’s activities outside of Chinatown as well. Image: A Chinese American of sturdy build, he has short black hair and black eyes and well-defined musculature. He dresses in expensive suits and appears to be in his late 20’s. He usually carries a concealed pistol as well as a concealed martial-arts weapon on him while out. Roleplaying Notes: You’re a man with a tortured soul. You wish to respect your family but have abandoned them to serve another master. You are an honorable man, but your duties have made you hard and ruthless. You have killed many times and have no remorse. You’re slightly arrogant but will protect the people of Chinatown from all threats. If approached in a proper, businesslike manner, you are extremely civil and proper. Sanctum: Mao keeps a large penthouse suite to himself, with several personal guards, though they are not allowed entry into his private sanctum. The penthouse is decorated in a modern fashion that incorporates old Chinese styles. Tomorrow: Nodes of the Jade Demon and the conclusion of Chapter Three
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Aug 9, 2023 15:19
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Whatever happened to Joshua Gabriel Timbrook, anyway?
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Aug 9, 2023 18:32
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"Shut up, Mr. Joyless! You are not brought upon this world to get it."
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Aug 9, 2023 19:12
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Really enjoyed the writeup, thanks for that, Libertad. It's odd that the adventure based on hanging out in actual Bible times felt significantly less... Veggietales than this adventure did. I think the grounding in some degree of historical accuracy (or historical-feeling vibes, I guess) and the detailed description of people and places made the first campaign feel more like an adventure that happened to take place alongside Biblical events, while the vague no-place, no-time setting of the sequel makes it seem significantly more didactic, on rails, and way less interesting to me (despite the fact that if you asked, I'd probably say I would be more interested in an acid-trip apocalypse than hanging out with historical Jesus).
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Aug 9, 2023 20:06
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Halloween Jack posted:Whatever happened to Joshua Gabriel Timbrook, anyway? There's actually a reddit thread that popped up when I googled his name asking literally the same question.  tl:dr no one's entirely sure.
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Aug 9, 2023 20:07
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 quote:Yes, there is a conspiracy, in fact there are a great number of conspiracies that are all tripping each other up. And all of those conspiracies are run by paranoid fantasists and ham-fisted clowns. If you are on a list targeted by the CIA, you really have nothing to worry about. If however, you have a name similar to somebody on a list targeted by the CIA, then you are dead. Now that we know who the Tal’Mahe’Ra are and where they come from, you probably have a lot of questions about how it works. How do they recruit new members and indoctrinate them into their noxious ideology? How do they keep their organization a secret? How do they wield influence in mortal and Kindred institutions? What’s going on in Enoch? The answers may surprise you, because they’re mind-numbingly stupid. Dirty Secrets is infamous for introducing some wacky ideas to the World of Darkness–namely the Souleaters and the new clans and Disciplines. We’ll get to them. But the real problem with the book is that the Tal’Mahe’Ra conspiracy is just implausible. Hell, it’s fractally implausible. The book’s big ideas are hard to swallow, and when they explain them, every detail serves to make them even less convincing. But wait, you say. Isn’t this the World of Darkness, you smugly chortle. The setting where cyborg astronaut wizards dropped the ghost of a nuclear bomb on a battle between an Indian vampire and the bad guys from Encounters of the Spooky Kind, which created a storm that killed all the mummies. Yes, even in that context, it’s loving stupid.  Part 2: She’s Got the Whole World in Her Hand The first thing I want to say is that I haven’t tried to review this book chapter-by-chapter. Some are very long while others are very short. More importantly, some ideas are so wacky that you have to read the book back and forth to make sense of them, only to learn that they just weren’t very well thought out. I’ll give credit where it’s due: Dirty Secrets is very clear about the actual number of Kindred involved in the Tal’Mahe’Ra conspiracy. Out of the few thousand Sabbat Kindred, about 300 are members of the Black Hand. Of those, only about 60 are members of the True Hand. Add to that 40-odd members of the Camarilla and 50 or so hiding out among the independent clans. Plus a few mages, a few wraiths, an Abomination, a Mummy, and a partridge in a pear tree. They also have 4 families of ghouls who serve them exclusively. The Tal’Mahe’Ra has fewer than 200 members, but almost all of them run a network of unwitting pawns. Few are younger than 300 years old. In the Sabbat, their pawns believe they’re carrying out the business of the Black Hand; in the Camarilla, they’re just repaying favours. Assamites and Setites probably believe they’re serving their horrible Antediluvian god. Which is true, I guess. The supreme leader is the Del’Roh, a mysterious unnamed woman who’s been running Enoch for about 250 years. She rarely leaves. She’s advised by a council of 13 people called the wazirs. Ten are Kindred, while three are ancient Euthanatos mages, called liches, who act as her representatives. Odd that these ancient mages identify as a monster from Dungeons & Dragons. Below them are leaders called dominions. This is the level where factions start to emerge within the Tal’Mahe’Ra. (There are always, always rumours that someone’s plotting to betray the sect, but it’s mostly down to disagreements about strategy.) Also at this level are three groups of respected Kindred with fewer than a dozen members apiece. The Erinyes are responsible for Enoch’s security and training the chatterlings, who will be discussed later. The Qadi are the Tal’Mahe’Ra equivalent of justicars, each overseeing their clanmates. The Rawis are Enoch’s librarians, protecting the sacred Guarded Rubrics and other ancient texts. Besides these, hierarchy in the Tal’Mahe’Ra is more a matter of age and experience than rank. (After all, these guys take respecting your elders to its most extreme logical conclusion.) Marid, for example, is a term of respect for Kindred over 700 years old. I don’t know, man. A sect made up of mostly elder vampires, some of whom never leave their isolated ghost city? These don’t sound like the kind of people who can run an ultra-secret conspiracy in a constantly changing world.  The Tal’Mahe’Ra believe that they’re the only Kindred who have truly followed the ancient commands of Caine. They serve the Antediluvians, who serve Caine. When Gehenna comes, which will be soon, the Clan Sires will destroy their wayward childer–but they’ll also need Kindred servants who understand the modern world. Not even all of the Tal’Mahe’Ra will be spared, but the survivors will serve the Antediluvians as they guide humanity into the future. They call their plans for Gehenna “The Silent Agenda.” The Tal’Mahe’Ra also believe that they’re the “guardians and protectors of humanity.” This is the part where the book flat-out tells you that they’re the good guys. The Tal’Mahe’Ra is both a “source of ancient good” and a “source of ancient evil.” That sidebar in the introduction is Brown letting himself off the hook for some wild poo poo. Individual humans are expendable, and feeding on them is only natural. But, well, this is where it gets vague and confusing. They believe that Kindred are meant to “guide” humankind for its own good, in ways that are never specified, while remaining aloof from them. The problem with other vampires is that they want to rule too openly, living among humans and corrupting human institutions. Whenever there are power struggles among the undead, ordinary people suffer. To the Tal’Mahe’Ra, the relationship between Kindred and kine today is more brutal than anything Caine or the Antediluvians ever did. That’s why Gehenna needs to happen so Grandpa Munster can eat all the bad children and reward us with treats. To this end, the True Black Hand manipulates Kindred sects into fighting each other to keep them from gaining too much power and influence among mortals. They infiltrate mortal institutions to the point of controlling the policy of nation-states. And then there’s the neverending war against the Souleaters, which they call the "Shadow Crusade." When other Kindred deceive, exploit, and assassinate people, they do it because they’re jaded and greedy. When the Tal’Mahe’Ra do it, it’s because they serve a higher purpose. All of their murderous plots are carried out in the name of preventing greater atrocities and moving the world into a golden age of peace and enlightenment. Again, credit where it’s due: it’s explicitly stated that this is unsustainable. The Tal’Mahe’Ra has too few members, operates in too much secrecy, and fights on too many fronts. Spurring conflict among the sects just encourages them to use even more people as expendable pawns. The Shadow Crusade against the Souleaters is both a holy mission and a massive drain. If Gehenna doesn’t come soon, the whole conspiracy must eventually fall apart.  Reaching Out The Hand You don’t choose the Hand, the Hand chooses you. For a typical recruit, the process is basically the same whether they come from the Sabbat or the Camarilla. The Tal’Mahe’Ra scouts young vampires from the 6th-11th Generations who are ambitious, cunning, and share their sense of noblesse oblige toward mortals. Then they study them for anywhere from 25 to 100 years. They orchestrate events to test the prospective member’s judgment and resolve, tucking away information that can be used to blackmail them. Those who fail these hidden tests might still be useful pawns. When the Tal’Mahe’Ra makes an offer of membership, no one refuses them and survives. When a vampire accepts, they’re whisked away to Enoch where they drink the blood of the Del’Roh and three other members of the ruling council. When they return, their former “watcher” mentors them in the beliefs and rites of the sect. Even after this “apprenticeship” ends, their watcher keeps an eye on them for years and years. I don’t know, man. This doesn’t sound like a great way to recruit loyal fanatics to an ancient conspiracy. It sounds like a better way to blackmail a bunch of people who will betray you the first chance they get. So you’re in the Sabbat. Some rear end in a top hat bit you and buried you. You dug your way out of the grave and were forced to participate in Satanic rites and brutal hand-to-hand combat to strip away your Humanity. Now you’re a certified badass, an up-and-coming leader in the sect, a disciple of an inhuman morality, even a member of the feared and respected Black Hand. One night some slimy elder asks you to join an ancient death cult that worships the hated Antediluvians and wants them to win. Refusal means death. You’d think that the Tal’Mahe’Ra would have an easier time recruiting from the Camarilla. But what those Kindred lack in belief, they make up for in jaded self-interest. Can’t wait for great-great-great-grandma to come out of her crypt and kill all my friends and tear off my head and poo poo down my neck because I didn’t say a prayer to Caine when I Dominated the city comptroller. Is this a good time to mention that a lot of clans aren’t welcome in the Tal’Mahe’Ra, at all? As a general rule, clans seen as loyal to their founder are prized, while those seen as betrayers are despised. They don’t give a poo poo that the Anarch Revolt ended 500 years ago. So no Lasombra or Assamites, except a handful of antitribu. No Tzimisce, because of the whole Vicissitude thing. No Tremere, no Brujah, no Setites, no Giovanni, no fats, no femmes. That’s right. This is a sect headquartered in the Sabbat and they don’t recruit Lasombra or Tzimisce. They’re more willing to accept the odd Ravnos.  My brother and I used to fight over the top bunk, but nobody got Obtenebrated. There’s another way to join the Black Hand, which is to be a chatterling, or nasnas. Chatterlings are orphans who are abducted to Enoch and raised to serve the Tal’Mahe’Ra. Yes, seriously. They somehow identify particularly intelligent and talented street urchins, lure them into the back of a van, and raise them in a city in the Underworld. We’ll get into more details about Enoch later, but it’s probably exactly what you’re picturing: an ancient Mesopotamian city in the loving Underworld. It’s surrounded on all sides by the ghost of the Atlantic Ocean, too. They’re raised by really old vampires, and wraiths and mages and revenant ghouls, I suppose. Like, what do they eat? I’m not a big Wraithhead, so I don’t even know if plants grow in the Underworld. I do know that you can’t travel there by opening a big glowing portal you can drive a school bus through. The Tal'Mahe'Ra travel to Enoch with a ritual that involves getting buried unalive. Maybe they bury a Schwan’s truck full of chicken tendies for the kiddos. Chatterlings spend their childhood in intensive training in martial arts, academic studies, and the inhuman ideology of the Paths of Enlightenment. “By the age of 10, they know far more than any high school graduate.” Around the age of 23 they choose their clan, choose their Path, and are Embraced. By the time they become vampires they’ve already become inhumanly zealous warriors for the Tal’Mahe’Ra. I don’t know, man. These don’t sound like people who can function in the modern world as agents of a secret conspiracy. By the age of 10 they’d probably be totally insane. Not the cool badass kind of insane, but the kind where you can’t make breakfast without feeling overwhelmed. General Buck Naked probably did a better job raising kids than these freaks. The whole idea reminds me of the episode of Clone Wars where we learn that Darth Maul grew up fighting other children in a stone arena on a dead planet.  Okay, but what if Vampire Tina Fey asked you to join? Setting aside the Black Hand’s awful beliefs, and the death threats, there are plenty of reasons to take the deal. In the real world there are people who can’t pass up the opportunity to join the ruling class, no matter the cost. The Tal'Mahe'Ra can’t prove that they’re right about Gehenna, but they can prove that they’re the most powerful and influential conspiracy on earth. If you’re not True Black Hand, you’re little people. And joining the Tal'Mahe'Ra is good for your career! The more power and status you gain within the Sabbat or Camarilla, the b etter you can serve the Hand, and now you have a network of extremely influential and well-connected elders who are all too willing to help. As long as you’re not seen to put your own interests ahead of the Tal'Mahe'Ra, you’re free to do what you were doing already, only better. Of course this means they own you. I don’t know, man. It seems like the Tal'Mahe'Ra would quickly be made up of a bunch of amoral, obsequious Buttigieges rather than devoted crusaders.  Hand Jive The Tal'Mahe'Ra is a very ancient cult with its own customs, rituals, and laws. First and foremost is veneration of elders. Members of the True Black Hand are always extremely polite to Vampire Dad. They follow a code of honour similar to the Sabbat’s Path of Honorable Accord, which is all about loyalty to the sect. In fact, they invented it. They don’t follow it, of course. The other most important features of the sect’s culture are the need for absolute secrecy and horrible punishments for failing to maintain it. The True Black Hand even has its own Lexicon of super-secret vampire jargon. I’m not going to list them because they’re almost entirely superfluous. Many of them are just terms from other games that a Vampire player might not know, like Euthanatos and Silent Strider and Dark Umbra and Tempest. Most of the rest are just “Middle Eastern” equivalents for terms you already know. Dalhan for Kindred, Azazel for Caine, Daru el-Bawar for Underworld, Hatif for wraith. Only a handful are unique. Shakari are the sect’s assassins. The ruling council of the Del’Roh and her advisors is called the Diwan. Marid is a term of respect for Kindred over 700 years old. There are a few related to the Antediluvians: the four sleeping beneath Enoch are called the Aralu, supposedly made up of Loz (Toreador), Nergal (Ventrue), Ninmug (Nosferatu), and an unnamed fourth. Perhaps it’s actually one of the 2nd Generation, perhaps it’s Caine Himself. Perhaps monkeys will come flying out of my butt. Also mentioned are the Nictuku: 4th Generation childer of Nosferatu who hunt down all his ugly kids for him because he hates them so much. The sect’s beliefs are ultimately based on the Guarded Rubrics, a collection of ancient writings of unknown provenance. They believe that when Caine was banished from Eden, he encountered Lilith, who taught him the Disciplines. “Some believe” that Lilith is the actual creator of vampirekind. But the Guarded Rubrics are, y’know, guarded. Only the top leaders are allowed to read them at all. You just have to take it on faith that the Antediluvians chose you to be their goody-goody boy. The sect also practices unique, ancient rituals. Many members find them outmoded and vulgar, but they still begrudgingly practice them to remind themselves what awful monsters they are. First, the sect is big on oaths of loyalty. And instead of secret tattoos or handshakes, they learn a subtle series of gestures and phrases to signal their membership. Sometimes the Del’Roh uses a vial of her own vitae to anoint underlings about to take on an important mission, or as a sign of forgiveness for past mistakes, in a ritual called the Anele of Purification. They also like sacrificing ghouls and young vampires, sometimes several at once. Their favourite has to be the Danse Macabre. They slice off the front of their enemies’ heads and make them into masks that they wear during ritual dances, accompanied by “terrible music and chanting.” I’ll bet it is.  The Tal’Mahe’Ra practices the Blood Hunt, same as the Camarilla and the Sabbat, albeit rarely. In fact, they invented it. But diablerie is against everything they stand for, punishable by slow, fiery death. Unless you kill another sect member, in which case death by diablerie is the mandated punishment. Do as I say, not as I do, or I’ll do it to you. Speaking of punishments: Lying, cheating, and stealing among sect members is typically punished by beatings, torture, or dismemberment. More serious offenses like deceiving or disobeying leaders, divulging secrets, or betraying the sect can result in slow death by torture, impalement, and dismemberment. Even associating with Setites or Baali can get your head cut off. On the lighter side, the True Black Hand is fond of “vision seeking” by drinking the blood of people hosed up on hallucinogens.  One Hand Washeth the Other So what do these crazy assholes do, anyway? A great deal of the Hand’s activities involve managing and instigating conflict within and between the sects, often for its own sake. Members spend a great deal of time gathering as much information as they can through their network of contacts, feeding it to the Tal'Mahe'Ra, and feeding misinformation back to the Sabbat and Camarilla. Kindred can be made into assets through Domination or blackmail, but simply offering and collecting favours is the best way. The True Hand is very big on the Rite of Prestation, a formalized act of influence-trading used by both the Camarilla and Sabbat. They also make use of Alternate Identities which is always capitalized because it’s a game-mechanical Trait. Even moreso than the Sabbat, the Tal’Mahe’Ra always has a lot of plans going that are organized on a need-to-know basis. Even once you’re in the one true conspiracy to rule them all, you’re in the dark most of the time. The Tal'Mahe'Ra also makes use of kamuts, which is just their word for coterie. They got the idea from the Silent Striders in ancient days, because this book drops as many pointless references to the other games as it possibly can. The only difference is that kamuts are mission-oriented. Younger members form them on their own initiative and the True Hand’s leaders form them on an as-needed basis. When pawns fail to carry out their mission, or can’t be used in the first place, kamuts step in. A kamut’s mission can be as broad and long-term as “take over this city” or as immediate as “go wipe out this fortress of Souleaters tomorrow night.” The Tal'Mahe'Ra also “controls mortal institutions.” Their “religious, political, social, and financial institutions.” It never gets more specific than that. This is an issue throughout the book: Brown writes about political intrigue like someone who is only familiar with the idea from bad action movies. A conspiracy means that you have big secrets, and if anyone finds out, you send a squad of ninja assassins to kill them.  Although the True Hand has been reunited, it’s effectively split into four branches based on geography and what other sect they’re infiltrating. Those in the Sabbat Hand try to strike a balance between honing the False Hand and preventing the sect from wrecking itself fighting the Camarilla. They look forward to Gehenna because they’ve got the biggest army. Oh, and they have to make sure the Inquisition doesn’t figure out what they’re up to. Meanwhile, the Camarilla Hand is even more careful and conservative than most, always worried about hiding their activities from the Justicars. The Eastern Hand has a shocking amount of control over the Middle East. Forget about vampire politics for a minute: the Tal’Mahe’Ra is “overseeing much of daily life” and “active in Middle Eastern conflicts.” A note in the Appendix even says that a particular NPC “is responsible for much of the continued bloodshed in the region.” So the Tal'Mahe'Ra has more influence on global politics than AmeriKKKa’s lust for oil. And by the way, it’s only ever referred to as “the Middle East.” No nations in the region are ever specified. There’s also an African Hand which spends most of its time spying on and foiling Camarilla and Setites activities on that continent. I’m not sure Steve Brown knew that the Middle East includes part of Africa. The Tal’Mahe’Ra have had no presence in Russia for the past several decades because the USSR was secretly ruled by a council of Brujah. (I’m offended by the notion that Brujah would put Brezhnev or Gorbachev in charge.) Now that those guys are gone, they’re kept out of Russia by Baga Yaga, a Nosferatu NPC who was an important part of the metaplot for a while. Besides the Sabbat and Camarilla, they have issues with the other clans and sects. They fear the Inconnu because they can’t infiltrate them, and the Inconnu probably know more about them than vice-versa. They have an uneasy relationship with the Assamites ever since the Setites manipulated them into a war in the 5th century. The only clan the Tal’Mahe’Ra hates more than the Followers of Set are the Baali. They don’t know much about the Kindred of the East, but as a general rule, they despise them. With all these shenanigans and goings-on, it appears that there are as many rumours within the True Hand as there are about the True Hand. An Italian Prince discovered the Camarilla Hand and is blackmailing them. Some within the Sabbat Hand secretly adhere to actual Sabbat beliefs. Some high-ranking member is spilling secrets to the anarchs. The Hand has already been infiltrated by the Souleaters. None of these rumours make any sense, because the Tal’Mahe’Ra’s core mission and ideology are utterly anathema to both the Camarilla and the Sabbat. If anyone were spilling secrets to anyone who mattered, it would immediately instigate a violent purge of both sects, the likes of which haven’t been seen since the Anarch Revolt. They don’t have to worry about any of these rumours, because if they were true they’d already be dead! Oh, right. I should tell you more about the Souleaters.  The Shadow Crusade Ah, the Shadow Crusade, the secret war against the Souleaters. It happened like this: thousands of years ago, not long after Kindred joined the Tal’Mahe’Ra, a Tzimisce named Andeleon was exploring the Deep Umbra when he was attacked by a strange shadow-thing. He fought it off and escaped, but the creature infected him with what we now call Vicissitude. It was decades before the Black Hand realized what was truly happening. When Andeleon began manifesting his new powers, many assumed that this was just a side-effect of a vampire passing through the Deep Umbra–until the same powers manifested in Kindred who had never been there, and even in ghouls. By the time the sect’s Thaumaturgists realized that Vicissitude is a disease, Andeleon and his childer had become Souleaters. They were tracked down and destroyed at great cost, but Vicissitude was too widespread to stamp out. So how does Vicissitude transform people into Souleaters? For starters, Vicissitude can infect any living creature, even plants. Souleaters rarely choose to do such things, because if the host isn’t sentient the Souleater that consumes them never will be either. Simply drinking the blood of a Vicissitude-haver doesn’t guarantee infection, either–many Sabbat will practice Vaulderie with Tzimisce and never get infected, as long as they’re not consuming plenty of tainted vitae on the regular. But it can happen, and the process of being taken over can take a day or a millennium. (It says that it’s incurable, but also that the Hand has Thaumaturgical rituals that can purify the blood. I’m at a loss.) You’re probably imagining that Souleaters work a lot like John Carpenter’s The Thing, but it’s not quite like that. Vicissitude affects its victim both anatomically and neurologically. Tendrils wind their way around major organs and eyestalks work their way up and attach themselves to the back of the eye sockets, while microscopic hooks work their way into brain cells and form “parasitic synapses.” When the takeover is complete, the Souleater has all the memories and abilities of its victim but with a new consciousness. They can mimic their victim perfectly and keep the ruse going for decades or centuries. It’s likely that many high-ranking Kindred leaders are Souleaters. Besides having Vicissitude powers, Souleaters have all the strengths and weaknesses of their host. Kindred have Disciplines and are vulnerable to fire and sunlight, Garou have Rage and Gifts and are vulnerable to silver, trees are trees. (By the way, this idea of Vicissitude-as-disease originated in the Players Guide to the Sabbat. In that book, they suggest that Vicissitude drives you crazy and gives you Derangements. It didn't seem like they were teasing some big reveal, just that the Tzimisce are loving nuts and their Discipline makes them loving nuts.) What do Souleaters want? To feed and to spread. They’re calling Souleaters because they feed by sucking out the souls of sentient creatures using lamprey-like proboscises that extend from the mouth or eyes. They don’t need to feed often, but when they do, they tend to go into feeding frenzies and kill half a dozen people or more. That’s it for the actual book content, for now. I have a lot of general complaints about the style and tone of this book. I couldn’t cram them all into the introduction, but they can’t all wait until the end, either. Fish Heads posted:I was expecting the usual unreliable narrator pablum you get from every clan/tribe/cliquebook about how they’ve secretly controlled history since the dawn of civilization and so on but this is much dumber. The “unreliable narrator pablum” runs through the entire book. The writing is peppered with phrases like “some claim” and “it is rumoured.” “Some believe” that "it is rumoured" things are happening, while other things are “believed to be” or “thought to be” happening. And the whispers! Vampires are always whispering poo poo. It’s maddening. I like rumours in games. I like them so much that I think they should be explicit story hooks: “There’s a rumour that the Malkavian primogen is cutting a deal with the Sabbat, go check it out.” Instead of sprinkling phrases like “some claim” in every paragraph until the book is almost illegible. The abundance of vague rumours was another trend in the World of Darkness which made me feel like the writers were losing the plot. Vampire is a game of secrets and lies and conspiracies, and Kindred are gossipy bitches, no doubt. But another very important thing about vampires is that there aren’t very many of them. When Kindred talk, other Kindred are listening. There doesn’t seem to be room for all these vague rumours and unverified claims that, and this is important, can’t be attributed to anyone and no one bothers investigating. At some point, all these rumours don’t make the World of Darkness feel like it’s laden with intrigue. It feels like everyone is an idiot who can’t remember their own name. It’s an old joke among White Wolf fans that with all these different types of monsters, they must be half the world population by now. I don’t think it’s really a problem–if I remember right, vampires are the most populous at one vampire for every 50-100,000 humans. Even if we assume that there are as many werewolves, mages, changelings, wraiths, mummies, Kue-Jin, hunters, fomori, and so on, you’re still at a tiny fraction of 1% of the population. I think the actual problem is that the writers sometimes talked about monsters as if they were far more numerous than they actually are, and perhaps more importantly, far more organized than they actually are. You start seeing phrases like “The Toreador believe that…” or “The Ventrue are up to such-and such…” or “The Nosferatu whisper that this is what’s going to happen.” Here’s a pure and simple example from the book: “The Setites are among the few who know of the existence of the True Hand and its ancient origins.” The Setites? All of them, I guess? It also says that the Assamite alliance allows the True Hand “safe passage” in the Middle East. What, does the Assamite clan have an office that issues vampire passports? How do you establish diplomatic relations when you’re a criminal motherfucking conspiracy? To me, statements like this just don’t make sense in the World of Darkness as it presents itself. The Ventrue are not, collectively, up to anything besides trading stocks and buying real estate. You see, Kindred in particular tend to govern themselves something like feudalism and a lot like the mafia. One thing they both have in common is that it’s practically impossible to exercise power over your subordinates who are far away. The Camarilla and the Sabbat are not rigid top-down organizations. Even with particularly conspiratorial clans like the Tremere or Giovanni, the Tremere justicar isn’t a circuit judge who constantly travels around riding herd on their clan, enforcing orthodoxy and keeping everybody on the same page. The Nosferatu don’t all agree on anything, except that the Toreador are stuck-up bitches. But wait, you say, what if they’re just talking about the Toreador in this city? That brings us back to the numbers. Let’s say you’re in New York City, and start with the population of the whole metropolitan area, so 18 million. Let’s say it has a very high Kindred population at 1 per 50,000 people. That’s 360 vampires. How many of them are Toreador? In my view, not enough for there to be nonspecific Toreador Rumours that can’t be attributed to anyone and that, apparently, no one is checking out. It’s not that Kindred don’t gossip. They gossip, and they also gossip about who was poo poo-talking who, and where, and when. (Dirty Secrets makes a lot of connections to the other WoD games, seemingly just for its own sake. I wonder if there’s a bit of “Mage envy” going on. The mages’ Traditions aren’t running their members’ daily lives, but they’re not incapable of coordinating their activities, nor are they all Machiavellian by nature. The same could be said of the Garou, though they do loving love killing each other at the drop of a hat. The Tal’mahe’Ra is a bit of both: an extremely powerful, well-coordinated, highly ideological conspiracy, devoted to protecting the world from ultimate evil, who also react to any perceived threat by ordering purges and assassinations.) Besides making sourcebooks more difficult to read, this may seem like a small thing. But I feel like such a loose grip on the setting is the slippery slope towards “The Daughters of Cacophony have a secret fortress on Jupiter where they make Welsh Pembroke Corgis into vampires and teach them the Path of Funyuns and how to shoot lasers out of their eyes.” Next update: LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT MY CHARACTER
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Aug 9, 2023 20:25
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While it might be a bad book about conspiracies they at least go the language down pat. Seeing as the usage of unreliable narrator phrases is exceedingly prevalent in that kind of fiction.
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Aug 9, 2023 20:51
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Does this book come with a vague rumor creation tables? " The Sons of Mayhem are secretly bankrolling the Vatican's experiments in creating an elite force of actual frog-man who will raid Technocracy installations on Mars?" "but, this is only a cover for the Shadow Wyrm's takeover of a local bookstore chain'
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Aug 9, 2023 21:07
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Halloween Jack posted:I don’t know, man. A sect made up of mostly elder vampires, some of whom never leave their isolated ghost city? These don’t sound like the kind of people who can run an ultra-secret conspiracy in a constantly changing world. I think they can be ultra-secret, I just doubt they can also be powerful and relevant and pulling strings. Halloween Jack posted:When other Kindred deceive, exploit, and assassinate people, they do it because they’re jaded and greedy. When the Tal’Mahe’Ra do it, it’s because they serve a higher purpose. All of their murderous plots are carried out in the name of preventing greater atrocities and moving the world into a golden age of peace and enlightenment. Halloween Jack posted:I don’t know, man. It seems like the Tal'Mahe'Ra would quickly be made up of a bunch of amoral, obsequious Buttigieges rather than devoted crusaders. I get the feeling this all fits together decently well if you disregard anything that says they're good or have a particularly coherent plan and just treat them as justifying to themselves how their exploitative structures are totally good, actually. They're just another faction of self-interested Elders. Halloween Jack posted:You don’t choose the Hand, the Hand chooses you. For a typical recruit, the process is basically the same whether they come from the Sabbat or the Camarilla. The Tal’Mahe’Ra scouts young vampires from the 6th-11th Generations who are ambitious, cunning, and share their sense of noblesse oblige toward mortals. Then they study them for anywhere from 25 to 100 years. They orchestrate events to test the prospective member’s judgment and resolve, tucking away information that can be used to blackmail them. Those who fail these hidden tests might still be useful pawns. When the Tal’Mahe’Ra makes an offer of membership, no one refuses them and survives. It does sound like weird cult/Stasi poo poo, though. Get some people who won't have qualms about loving over other Sabbat,, keep blackmail on them and have the watcher keep notes on them just in case, and immediately bind them to Del'Roh when they join. Halloween Jack posted:That’s right. This is a sect headquartered in the Sabbat and they don’t recruit Lasombra or Tzimisce. Makes sense if you consider them a parasitic alternate power structure: they're recruiting people who aren't going to be as loyal to the Lasombra/Tzimisce-elites of the Sabbat. Halloween Jack posted:
Sold. Sign me up.
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Aug 9, 2023 21:43
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LatwPIAT posted:I think they can be ultra-secret, I just doubt they can also be powerful and relevant and pulling strings. You reminded me of a bit I left out of the review proper because it wasn't that relevant: one of the things I dislike about these books is long convoluted histories that ultimately don't mean anything. The Inconnu are this sect of mostly elder vampires who supposedly keep to themselves, stay out of Jyhad, and try to achieve Golconda. Shortly before the death of the WoD, they put out an Inconnu book with their secret history. They were a conspiracy of vampires who've been meddling in Western civilization since the days of the Peloponnesian League, pushing republicanism over other forms of government, favouring Athens over Sparta, and so on. They accidentally played a role in the fall of Constantinople, which prompted them to pull back and forswear Jyhad. All that to tell us that the Inconnu are exactly what they claim to be, and all the rumours about them being diabolists or agents of the Antediluvians or whatever aren't true. (At least, I don't remember anything in Gehenna that contradicted this.)
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Aug 9, 2023 21:55
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Loomer posted:There is actually very little unreliable narrative until very late in the game or around a handful of key events, and the idea of each book being written in-universe is... Complicated. Half of them take that tone, but are also given a very firm third person omniscient position and, crucially, nothing that ever meaningfully contradicts their claims in the same or a rival book, just puts a slightly different perspective on it. The closest it comes to having a genuine fog of confusion is around events in the prehistory of the setting. The majority of the inconsistencies are instead the product of different authors, different zeitgeists (you can chart VtM's evolution through the 3 stages of 90s/early 00's Vampire Horror), new authors reading things wrong and taking certain things either literally or metaphorically, and in the case of Mage, a combination of Brucato being unreliable in his positions and other authors wanting to add a little more nuance to his extremely black and white concepts. What are the three stages? Like, Anne Rice > ? > Blade?
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Aug 9, 2023 22:04
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Generally when the WoD does "unreliable narrator" it's in the sense of "apparently-objective facts related to you by someone who is clearly so far up their own rear end they're navel-gazing backwards."
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Aug 9, 2023 22:06
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PoontifexMacksimus posted:What are the three stages? Like, Anne Rice > ? > Blade? Ann Rice>Blade>Twlight
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Aug 9, 2023 22:39
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Angry Salami posted:The Guide to the Apocalypse kinda reminds me of the big problem I always had with the Matrix sequels - it takes a scenario that should be about spreading truth and bringing enlightenment to the masses and ends up just ignoring all the ordinary people in favor of the superpowered protagonists. If I had to guess, that's what the Two Witnesses encounter was for, basically a consolidated version of "winning hearts and minds" that in a more plausible scenario would be a longer, drawn-out affair. But given that 5e's strongest suit is in combat rather than the social and exploration pillars, it focuses first and foremost on the cosmic battles, a bit too much IMO. BinaryDoubts posted:Really enjoyed the writeup, thanks for that, Libertad. It's odd that the adventure based on hanging out in actual Bible times felt significantly less... Veggietales than this adventure did. I think the grounding in some degree of historical accuracy (or historical-feeling vibes, I guess) and the detailed description of people and places made the first campaign feel more like an adventure that happened to take place alongside Biblical events, while the vague no-place, no-time setting of the sequel makes it seem significantly more didactic, on rails, and way less interesting to me (despite the fact that if you asked, I'd probably say I would be more interested in an acid-trip apocalypse than hanging out with historical Jesus). This is just an educated guess, but when it comes to writing historical fantasy for the past a lot of what is known and has happened is more set in stone, so there's more affordance to play around and go "what if?" given that there's a more concrete foundation upon which to build. There's also a kind of "theme park ride" feel, where a lot of the famous locations and figures form adventure hooks and encounters which helps the appeal. "Oh cool, we can visit the Library of Alexandria? Let's have our party go there!" "Oh wait, if our status with Rome is set to Allied we won't have to rely on the Zealots to move through Jerusalem without being harassed. Let's see if the local proconsul has any jobs for us." "Oh, you murdered Jesus Christ? Well, he martyred himself to redeem humanity's sins, that still makes the archdemon's plans fail. You just have to find a way to live with yourself for killing an innocent man." When a majority of gamers, even non-believers, are familiar with the broad details of Jesus' life, there's less of a need to stick to what is already known. Contrast this with the Book of Revelation. So much of it is vague and hasn't happened, so there's less of a foundation. Which you'd think should create a kind of freedom in building your own personal End Times without the constraints of an historical period. But with that vagueness comes people with wildly different interpretations of what the End Times actually hold, so that may have constrained the writers into narrower route where a lot of it is just left undetailed.
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Aug 9, 2023 22:47
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Having thought about it some more I think the unreliable narrator stuff in oWoD was their weak way of saying "this is a toolbox of ideas, use it in your game how you like" but being too concerned with the implications that might have for Canon and The Metaplot to explicitly come out and do so (something nWoD is obviously much better about since it was built without the expectation of canon/metaplot in the first place). That said even as I type this I'm having doubts because DSotBH certainly isn't concerned about injecting it's inanity into the metaplot, I don't know, it's probably also just an editorial out for when there was the sense that the writer(s) were cooking up something dumb and they didn't want to commit to it too much but also didn't want to get rid of it.
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Aug 10, 2023 00:45
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Playing Mage with the right group was great fun. You got to be super creative with combining spheres and trying to figure out coincidences to mask your use of magic. But the Technocracy in general just isn’t very interesting. Their end goal is to make everything boring and their methods are mostly banality of evil poo poo. Are they worse antagonists than the Banal in Changeling, who are literally so boring it’s painful to be near them for cool wacky people like you? Pentex is so mustache twirling over the top evil with pollution factories and gum that will turn your teeth into evil spirits and mercenaries who want to skin you that you can just enjoy clawing their heads off. The Sabbat (before they got overexplained) are also over the top in their own weird way. And it’s also clear that there is so much Camarilla intrigue that you can easily have whole campaigns without the Sabbat appearing.
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Aug 10, 2023 03:08
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The Revised Storyteller Handbook presented the Tal'mahe'rah as mostly dead and never as influential as they claimed to be, and I heard good things about the V20 re-imagining.
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Aug 10, 2023 04:12
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Yeah I haven't read any of the attempts to fix them in Revised, so in that sense I'm going in blind.
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Aug 10, 2023 04:39
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I had a Nagarajah deck in V:tES. It's main gimmick was a lot of deflection and being incredibly annoying.
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Aug 10, 2023 04:51
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Libertad! posted:I don’t like to end things on a bad note. I still want to see Red Panda Publishing continue to make Biblical 5e material, and I am interested in seeing what other famous religious figures from folklore and history they convert (pun intended) in their upcoming Heroes of the Heavenly Host expansion. I’ve seen how good they can be when they wrote Adventurer’s Guide to the Bible, and even in this product I can tell they put a lot of work into it. They are doing something precious few other publishers are able or willing to do in the tabletop gaming scene, so I view Azrael’s Guide as more of a setback than an inevitability for future productions. Really I'd like to see Red Panda do a more detailed take on the Earth of the Antichrist but as a prequel that maybe leads into this adventure feature ground-level humans trying to deal with this stuff. Left Behind but with people who are genuinely decent and not self-righteous fundamentalist assholes that make you start rooting for Satan and the Antichrist.
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Aug 10, 2023 05:52
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Bouquet posted:Playing Mage with the right group was great fun. You got to be super creative with combining spheres and trying to figure out coincidences to mask your use of magic. But the Technocracy in general just isn’t very interesting. Their end goal is to make everything boring and their methods are mostly banality of evil poo poo. Are they worse antagonists than the Banal in Changeling, who are literally so boring it’s painful to be near them for cool wacky people like you? The technocracy has terminators, so there's that. I admit to a level of fondness for them, the basic mission statement (protect the sleepers from vampires/werewolves/other stuff) is solid and playable and interesting, it's just paired up with the fascism. There's a game progression that can work there where you go from stopping a sabbat pack at the start and work your way up to reforming/removing the technocracy's leadership at the end. The real problem, I think, is that you have fascists on the one side (technocracy), and anti vaxxers on the other (traditions, or at least the verbena and a bunch of etherites). Unknown Armies handled a lot of the material is a more successful way just by declaring that mages are bad at handling their own lives and thus avoiding effective world spanning conspiracies.
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Aug 10, 2023 09:13
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Unknown Armies is also much better in not trying to pack the world full of everything and the kitchen sink. Repeatedly.
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Aug 10, 2023 09:22
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Joylessdivisions World of Dorkness Presents The Book of Chantries - Haighters Gonna Hate Volume 4 Part 9 Node of the Household of the Jade Demon The Hidden Chinatown There are certain alleyways in Chicago’s Chinatown that lead to secret rooms, which in turn lead to hidden tunnels that lead into a complex maze of rooms and tunnels. This is the secret side of Chinatown, known only to the Jade Demon and his minions. The residents of Chinatown know of the Demon, and they fear him and his tong of warrior-thieves. So, they do not enter areas marked with signs of the Wing Kong, knowing they will be killed or cursed for entering. Within this secret world there are several powerful ley lines that drew the Demon to Chicago, and he established Chinatown and built his domain beneath it. The Invisible Circle At the heart of the secret labyrinth is a room called the Invisible Circle. This is the nexus of the ley lines, and the Demon harnesses Quintessence from this place to support his Realm. The Horizon Realm Basic Concept The Maze of Ebon Gates is exceedingly small but difficult to pass. A juxtaposition of a huge hedge maze and an underground tunnel system, passage through the mage is tricky as it changes shape. Perception + Intuition (difficulty 9) rolls must be made every round to stay on the right path, with 20 successes required to reach the Demon’s palace. If a player botches a roll, they must start over with no successes. Environment The surface of the Realm is a large mage of trimmed sticker bushes that are always taller than the individuals within the maze, and they grow larger if the individual attempts to levitate or fly over them. They are extremely thick and cannot be walked through, resisting all attempts to reshape them or open paths through them, and are immune to all known forms of attack. Essentially, those trapped in the maze must make their way through it. Between these bushes are cobblestone paths with only a strip of black soil on either side. Gates carved from ebony wood are scattered throughout the maze, and each alerts a particular creature of the presence of intruders. Some of the gates lead to staircases made of platinum and mother of pearl, which then descend into the lower levels of the Realm. The lower levels are lit by torches bearing sconces, and there are many rooms and tunnels throughout the underground area with monsters scattered throughout. Aside from the monsters, there are doves in the hedge maze and enormous Sumatran rats in the underground. It is always midnight in the Realm, and the large, golden-hued crescent moon never moves. There’s always a chill in the air, but there is no rain or other weather conditions, as it is always a comfortable temperature. Strangely, in the past when the Demon has suffered some personal or emotional injury, the hedges temporarily withered and died. Denizens of the Realm The Realm is filled with horrible monsters, and ST’s should make the underground maze as large as they wish and should be as challenging as the maze described above, but more treacherous. Monsters can be pulled from other Storyteller System™ games and supplements or created by the ST as needed. Other Details Magical Rating: Correspondence -3, Entropy +3, Matter -2, Mind +2, Time -2 Labyrinth Description  The Palace of the Jade Demon Sitting at the center of the maze, the palace is a six-story building surrounded by 10-foot-thick, 30-foot-high walls of pure jade. The palace is also primarily composed of jade with an abundance of ebony wood, ivory and silver (gold is not found anywhere in the realm). The palace has an early Chinese design, carpeted with the finest rugs, windows adorned with silk curtains and the walls are covered in murals of mythological scenes. It is lit by magical torches that give no heat and cannot ignite other objects. The furniture is ancient, of royal design and ancient Oriental weapons adorn the walls. Everything within the palace appears to be equally old. The arcane library is located on the Demon’s private floor at the top of the palace, with the mundane library on the second floor, and all supplies stored in various storage rooms. The third floor is dedicated to the Demon’s pleasure rooms, where prisoners are kept to entertain him and those he wishes to reward. There are several traps in the palace that can kill intruders, but do not inconvenience the Demon or his servants. The basement attaches to the labyrinthine tunnels system below the maze, where cells for prisoners can be found. The Bamboo House Chinese Restaurant The Wing Kong conducts some business at this restaurant, and citizens who wish to contact them may do so here. In the back of the restaurant is an apartment complex where all the Demon’s servants live. Many of the other servants have private apartments elsewhere. Purpose The Labyrinth’s sole purpose is serving the Jade Demon. Presently, that means helping him find a way to gain immortality, with the Brood spending much of their time investigating leads and defending the Demon from Nephandi servants. They also take part in the Ascension War as Rogues, while the Wing Kong serve their master as the primary defenders of Chinatown.  History The history of the Chantry is entwined with that of the Jade Dragon. The Jade Dragon was once a respected member of the Akashics, his honor outstanding and he was loved for his kindness and generosity. He fought valiantly against the enemies of the Tradition, even before the foundation of the Technocracy. Unfortunately, his fort was attacked by the Mongols, and the Mages proved to be no match for the invading foes, aided by strange and magical creatures. The Dragon realized that his family and friends would be slain if he did not take drastic action, though his own magic was no match for the Mongol necromancers. Realizing the only way to defeat his enemy, as well as the cost of such a victory, he called upon the powers of Darkness to aid him. These beings knew the Dragon well, as he had defeated their minions many times. They granted his request, and the invaders were decimated by plague which they later brought with them to the West. The Dragon continued to fight for his Chantry but realized the powers the Dark Lords had offered and began to call upon them more regularly. In time, he became the most powerful Mage of his Chantry, and with his help, many innocents allied with the Chantry were spared of all manner of threats, both natural and supernatural. But there was a price, and eventually the Dragon lost his soul to the Dark Lords, and from then on, he cared less and less for others as evil built in his heart. Finally, the powers of Darkness came and destroyed his Chantry before his eyes. The Dragon did nothing to stop them. From that day forward, he was the Jade Demon. The Demon wandered for centuries, serving his masters as they wished, until 1900, the year of the Boxer Rebellion, the Demon fell in love. The Dark Lords, however, would not suffer such a weakness from a servant, and destroyed the woman as they had the Chantry. This time, the Demon did not accept things, and the hate grew in him until he could no longer stand it. Gathering his own servants, he devised a plan. Through devious maneuvering, he turned his masters against each other, and personally attacked the survivors. The Demon’s plan worked well, but he had not reckoned with the power of the surviving Nephandi. His servants were lost, as was much of his Infernal power, but he was successful in breaking his pact. He then fled to Chicago, where he found the powerful ley lines that he built Chinatown over and controls to this day. Once Chinatown began to thrive, the Demon summoned the few members of the Wing Kong who had survived the Nephandi war and began rebuilding the tong. Now, he fears death, leading to his expansion of minions to include a new Cabal. Labyrinth Inhabitants The Palace has an adequate number of household servants and a large harem of concubines that he gathers from around the world, kidnapping beautiful women and imprisoning them. Associates of the Demon include Pan Lung, a guardian dragon of hidden places, Krag the Bakemono, a squat, deformed little humanoid who loves to play mean tricks on people, Yul Yi the Tigbanua, a flesh eating creature of bizarre magics, Tri Ja the Lu Nat, an Umbrood who controls lesser spirits and consumes them, and Tashimoto the Oni, a powerful giant who can assume the form of a dove or man. Internal Structure and Relations The Chantry is totally dominated by the Jade Demon, and those that serve him are richly rewarded, while those who oppose him are destroyed in horrible ways. There is no covenant, as the Mages simply do as they are commanded. Failure to do so results in severe punishment. External Relations The Jade Dragon tries to stay hidden but is hopeful that his Brood will be accepted by Mages of other Chantries. To help instill that trust, his Brood has been instructed to aid other Tradition Mages whenever possible, so long as it does not conflict with their service to him. Status and Reputation The Labyrinth’s true nature is unknown, but the Mages of the Brood are considered valuable allies because of their willingness to help others acting against the Technocracy without asking for anything in return. Status 0, Reputation 3 Policy Regarding Outsiders While the Demon is always looking for young Mages to join his Brood, he is careful in his selections, as many Mages still know who and what he is, and he fears that some of the Akashics seek his death (which they do). He will use Rogues whenever necessary and will attempt to lure them into the Brood if they prove suitably capable. He’s become so desperate that he’s begun looking for Technomancers and Marauders who could serve him. Allies and Enemies Among the Demon’s allies are the Hellpissers, a BSD pack, the Star Children, a nomadic Sabbat pack, a powerful Chicago Tremere, an Umbrood Preceptor known as the Scaryman, and a gang of Fomori not in service to Pentex. His enemies include the four Nephandi Lords he betrayed as well as a Cabal of their servants, an Umbrood Preceptor known as Hadcak, Master of Dogs and Vider, a highly intelligent metamorphic elemental. Research Capacities The Demon has a love for learning and is willing to share his vast resources and knowledge with his minions, so long as they don’t pose a threat. After all, he wants servants who are as capable as possible. He spends much of his time in his Realm studying and practicing his arts. The palace library is phenomenal, and all works concern the magic of the Akashics and the Nephandi. The mundane library is large and mostly for his own enjoyment. There are computers supported by a VA Barabbi, as well as several Talismans allowing the Demon to spy on any being, so long as he has a part of them. He has spies in Doissetep, Null-B, MECHA and four other Chantries and Constructs, as well as many contacts closely tied to the Syndicate, IX and Pentex. All Quintessence controlled by the Demon comes from the Chinatown Node, and while this Node is powerful, it takes a great deal of Quintessence to feed the various magical creatures that live within the Realm. The remaining Quintessence is issued to his minions in Tass form as a reward. Stories Madness is the theme of stories involving the Jade Demon, as his age catches up with him, his mind spirals into the abyss, drawing both his subjects and his Realm down with him. Story Ideas
And that concludes Chapter Three. I don’t buy that the Nephandi are somehow eviler than the Technocracy, when we spent literally an entire chapter on three different Technocracy Constructs that were all explicitly using slave labor, and the best we can come up with for the Nephandi is “Lovecraftian Chantry” and “Big Trouble in Little China Chantry”. Which isn’t to say that I didn’t enjoy this chapter, because I absolutely did, and I got a chuckle out of the Jade Demon’s portrait and the first thought I had when seeing it was “drat, that looks like Lo Pan from Big Trouble…..they’re not going to…..OH MY GOD THEY DID”. The entire Jade Demon chantry is incredibly funny to me because it’s straight up just “Big Trouble” with the serial numbers filed off and a thin coat of WoD paint slapped on top of it. And if I’m being honest, it’s exactly that goofy “Smash some pop culture thing we love into the game” that I genuinely get a kick out of when it comes to these old books. But having said that, this chapter feels like a bit of a letdown, considering we got eight Chantries spread across the Technocracy and Traditions but only two for the Nephandi? I know these are just example Chantries and that’s fine, but if you’re going to have three separate antagonist factions, one of which has sub-factions, I expect a little more attention to be paid to the other evil factions beyond just the Technocracy, otherwise what are we doing with three God drat factions of villains!? Especially when the Nephandi are supposed to be the epitome of evil, and you’ve done nothing to show that. Like…what, am I supposed to be shocked by human sacrifice or something here? Is the mere thought of a soul being consumed by some otherworldly being supposed to do all the heavy lifting on the “Evil” side of things because I’ll be honest, it really doesn’t. Especially considering as I stated before, the Technocracy is explicitly kidnapping and enslaving both Mages and mortals, and in one place, straight up creating human/animal hybrids to be slaves. Sorry, but I feel like the group engaging in explicit slavery is worse than the monsters from beyond the stars that eat souls, but maybe I’m just crazy and find things that echo actual, real-life events to be more horrifying than some imaginary boogeyman who's going to come and take away my imaginary “soul”. That’s enough bitching for now, let’s dive into the next chapter all about Chantry Creation in   Chapter Four: Chantry Creation The Basics of Chantry Building Depending on your game, you may want to design your own chantry, and wouldn’t you know it, this chapter is written to help you do just that! While the Chantries provided in this book are intended as a springboard for ideas, this chapter fleshes out the process of creation, as well as there being a points-based system of creation provided in Appendix Two. Creation sheets are also provided to help with bookkeeping, but as always, ST’s should handle things in whatever way makes the most sense for them. The Creation Process The first step in the process is visualizing what the Chantry will be. If the players are going to be the ones to establish the Chantry, they should offer a list of things they would like to see as parts of the Chantry, so that the ST can read over the lists, pull the common items into the game, and put more emphasis on them. Remember you should incorporate as many of the players ideas as possible, as “Reality is malleable on the Horizon Realms, so have fun!” Questions of Direction The players and ST should agree on the basic concepts of what the Chantry will be, and the following questions will help to narrow the focus.
Chantry Creation Outline Sidebar
Part One: Cabal Creation Starting with the Cabals of your new Chantry is a good idea, as the number and relative power of the Cabals will also influence the number of Creation Points available (if using the points method). The power of a Chantry relies on the competence and number of members within. Cabals are the Chantry. Player Cabals Your player's characters are assumed to be a Cabal unto themselves, though an ST may have NPCs as part of the player's Cabal in some situations. Cabals serve a practical purpose, mechanically, as it gives the players characters an excuse to join together, usually around a common cause. Running a Cabal prelude is a clever idea to set the stage for your chronicles. Cabal preludes are like the standard prelude, except it involves all the players at once instead of being a single player and ST affair. A suitably dramatic prelude will keep the players working together.  Either before or during the prelude, the Cabal should gain a place within Mage society, establishing their rights, duties and responsibilities to the Chantry they are joining. The esteem and respect for the player characters cannot be purchased with creation points, and unless the players are founding their own Chantry, any Status they have must be earned. Storyteller Cabals Because Chantries are rarely home to a single Cabal, it falls to the ST to create the other Cabals residing in a Chantry, along with their goals, motivations, etc. These NPC Cabals are an important part of the game, as they provide potential enemies, friends, conflict, information, training and aid. Thankfully, creating ST Cabals takes considerably less time and effort than player Cabals. Once the methods, goals, motivations, etc. have been chosen, the members should be created. ST’s should write down a few details about each NPC and make up the rest as needed. The relationships amongst the NPCs should also be determined, but a simple one- or two-word description will suffice. The next thing an ST should consider is how the other Cabals view the players, along with the rights and responsibilities and a bit of background about what unifies the NPC Cabal. Creation Points (Optional) Because why wait until Appendix Two to start throwing point system poo poo at you when we can do it right now! In simple mechanical terms, # of Cabals and their degree of power = the rough power of the Chantry. Each non player Cabal is worth X creation points, based on the power of its members. Add those points together, and you have the total number of points for creating your Chantry. Taking disadvantages for the Chantry and its various components add to the total points available.
As has been established, Nodes are the source of Quintessence, which is the lifeblood of a Chantry. The more Quintessence, the more powerful. Nodes also dictate most aspects of a Chantry from Horizon Realm size (and if there is a Realm) to magical defenses. Quintessence Supply If you are using the points system, then assume the Chantry requires its total cost in Quintessence per day. If the players do not control the Chantry, keeping track of this number will be unnecessary. Quintessence can come from a single or multiple Nodes, but each Node must provide at least 10 points of Quintessence per day. Both options (single Node vs multiple Nodes) have their upsides and downsides. Multiple Nodes require more vigilance and upkeep but offer backups if a single Node is lost or drained. Likewise, singular Nodes are much easier to care for, but are more vulnerable to attack. Not to mention that securing a Node is its own bag of trouble, as Garou or other supernatural beings either want, or already control the Node and will defend it. Once control is established, tapping the power requires that the Node be Awakened. Botching this Awakening could cause a disastrous flood of uncontrollable energy. Even if a Node was previously activated, it may still need to be re-Awakened after its previous keepers leave, or are driven off, you know whichever. Finding a spot rich in untapped magical potential is a possibility and requires a trip into the Near Umbra to find where the Tapestry pattern is “loose” enough that Quintessence can be drawn and channeled through it. Node creation requires the use of vulgar magic, great skill and several strong-willed Mages. loving up while trying to open a new Node could start a chain reaction that invokes Paradox, or straight up rips the Quintessence from the Mage’s Life Pattern. Opening Nodes should be dangerous and difficult. Tapping a New Node Each faction has its own methods of opening Nodes. Dreamspeakers might call upon friendly spirits to grant them a gateway, while the Euthanatos might conduct some grisly deed at the site to unravel the fabric of reality. An Akashic might sit and meditate for days until harmony with the place is achieved, causing the ley lines to part on their own. The Virtual Adepts might craft complex mathematical formulas that prove that the nature of the spot is not as it seems. Regardless of how it is done, all Mages agree that opening a new Portal of Prime is serious business, and one that should only be undertaken by a full Cabal, rather than a single powerful Master. The powers of reality do not submit to the forces of Humanity easily, and assuming a suitable spot has been found, opening the Node requires at least Rank Three in the Spheres of Prime and Matter. Mechanically, this means that many successes are required in an extended action to open a Node. Teamwork will obviously help, and spending Willpower for auto-successes is allowed. Spending Quintessence however does not work, as it is pitting Forces against itself. Provided at the end of this chapter is a simple rote for Node tapping. Difficulty should be anywhere from 8 to 10, with 20 or more successes required to evoke the Node. Botching at any point will unleash a catastrophic response. Botching prior to 10 successes means the player only loses two Health Levels and any Willpower they may have spent, and this damage can be soaked. Botching after 20 successes (if more than 20 are needed) will unleash a blast of Paradox energy that inflicts one Heath Level of aggravated damage per five successes. So, botching at 25 successes will hit the player for 5 levels of non-soakable damage. Opening a Node with the minimum number of successes while avoiding Botches will mean the Node is open and yields 10 points per day. Each success over the minimum, add an additional 5 points of Quintessence per day. Remember that success is not without peril, and that opening a Node will alert the Technocracy due to psychic shockwaves produced by the Node, as well as “light shows” of raw energy that Sleepers may observe. While the Awaken the Sleeping Earth rote provided later covers the mechanics of opening a Node, it is up to the ST to make the event something memorable. Node Areas Sidebar Nodes can be divided into three basic areas, Aperture[/], Plat and Estate. Aperture refers to the very center of the Node where the Quintessence/Tass collects. The Plat refers to the area immediately around the Aperture and is where the guardian resides. [i]The Estate (or Dominion or Bawn)is the area outside the Plat, where an outpost would be located, to avoid interference with the Quintessence yield. Node Ideas Sidebar Quintessence, as the byproduct and building block of life, often gathers where raw life force is expended, like battlefields, cities, traditional festival grounds, sites of immense joy, sadness, passion, or ecstasy. Keep this in mind when creating your ley lines, as they can be thought of as the veins through which the lifeblood of existence flows. Nodes form in places of power, and these do not necessarily need to be in lost ruins or wilderness areas. A graveyard could be as potent as a glen. Dedicated Nodes: “Dedicated” Nodes are those created with a specific purpose in mind. The ley lines suitable for a Node will often have a particular Pattern woven into them, granting them an innate “leaning” towards a specific emotion or cause. Nodes created in this way may provide more Quintessence to a sympathetic endeavor. For example, a Node on an ancient battlefield is more likely to fuel feelings of discord or violence. Dedicated Nodes can also be created through ritual magic, as the Mage attunes the ambient energy to their purposes through force of will. This requires multiple Mages to work towards the same goal, as well as an extended Manipulation + Expression (or Culture) action. quote:“Dedicating a Node to passion, for instance, might require some sort of Tantric interaction, while dedicating a Node to healing might require a ritual healing or peaceful songs” loving gross dude, really? If there is anything I hate more than new age woo poo poo, its sexual new age woo poo poo. Not to imply that Tantra is all new age woo, but considering who one of the authors of this book is, in this case, its absolutely new age woo. The nature of the dedication ceremony is there for dictated by the Mages performing the ceremony, and the specific skills required are dependent on the ceremony. Some Mages believe that the life energies of a Node come in three flavors, Static, Dynamic and Entropic. Static energies bind Dynamic energy, shaping it into a form. Dynamic energies cause constant change and cannot be harnessed in any singular form for exceedingly long. Entropic energies maintain the balance of the other two energies, catabolizing Static patterns into Dynamic ones. Some Dreamspeakers familiar with Garou cosmology personify these energies as Weaver, Wyld and Wyrm, and these energies can be shaped to a purpose through dedication of the Node into one of the three forces. Many within the Traditions see Ascension as a balance between these forces, though what that “Balance” is, however, is up for debate. Some see dynamic energy as good, static as stifling but necessary and entropic as evil because it embodies death and decay. The Verbena and Euthanatos would of course disagree with this take. Regardless, the function of a dedicated Node is dependent on the nature of the forces invoked. ST’s can grant additional effects related to dedicated Nodes, though these should not unbalance the game, and magic related to a dedicated Nodes purpose will make it easier to cast that form of magic. Accessing a Node Tass is easy to collect, if the Mage recognizes it, and requires simply taking it (though reaching it is an entirely different proposition). Taking pure Quintessence, however, is more difficult. Under normal circumstances, it requires 24 hours of uninterrupted meditation and four successes on a Perception + Meditation roll at difficulty 7, to form a link to a Node, allowing the Mage to draw Quintessence from it. At this point, the Mage may draw a single point of Quintessence from the Node per turn, however this is not required to replenish an Avatar. To channel the Quintessence into a Chantry or Realm requires at least Rank 3 in Prime, as anything less will blast the Mage with pure Life energy. Taking Quintessence from a Node without first establishing a link is known as “Raiding”, and the Hand of the Siphoner rote at the end of the chapter explains how to do this. Quintessence and the Chantry Empowering a Chantry requires that Nodes be linked to the Chantry or its Earthly manifestations, either through natural or artificial ley lines, which causes the Quintessence to automatically flow into the Chantry. If the node is to far from the Chantry, the Quintessence can simply be collected and brought to the Chantry. Back in ye olden days, Chantries and Portals into Horizon Realms were built directly onto Nodes. With the expansion of Sleeper society and the Pogrom, attempting this method is suicide, leading to new methods of siphoning Quintessence to be devised. Ley lines provide the safest and easiest method of powering a Chantry, and once created, it is exceedingly difficult to destroy a ley line. Would you believe there is a rote for that at the end of the chapter? If ley lines cannot be created, then groups are sent to the Node to collect the Quintessence, with some Traditions and Conventions using Talismans or “Quintessence Batteries” that serve the sole purpose of collecting and holding Quintessence. These Talismans can take any form, from a specially prepared skull to an actual, factual battery. Once filled, they are collected, and an empty “Battery” is left in its place. These Talismans can hold up to 25 Quintessence points per dot in the Talisman. So, a 4 dot Talisman can hold 100 points of Quintessence. These Talismans can be used by the players (with ST discretion) but they should have at least Rank 3 in Prime to do so, and the portability of the Talisman is dependent on its form. Because as funny as it would be to see a Mage walking down the street with a 40-pound crystal in hand, it is going to draw a lot of negative attention. The Gauntlet and the Shallowing Effect Nodes (as previously established in Werewolf, Wraith, and Changeling) are found in places where the walls between the material and spirit worlds are thinnest, allowing for easier entry into the Realms than if such a feat were attempted elsewhere. In some cases, the Gauntlet may shift or ripple, and this is known as “Shallowing,” which can lead unintended visitors directly into a Realm if the node is connected to that Realm. In areas where shallowing occurs, the barrier between worlds becomes so weak that the two worlds begin to bleed together, making it possible to step from the material world into the Realm and vice versa with ease. Gauntlet Rating Chart!  Despite how much fun shallowing may sound, what with the easy hopping between realities, it’s actually a massive pain in the rear end for everyone involved, as beings from Horizon Realms can stumble into the material world, drawing the attention of Sleepers and Technocrats alike, and likewise, unwanted guests or unwitting Sleepers can simply wander into a Realm, causing all kinds of confusion or worse. quote:“For those familiar with Ars Magica, shallowing is similar in effect to regio. In areas where there is shallowing, two people could walk into a Node side by side and one could pass into the Horizon Realm while the other remains on Earth. The two will be separated, even though they were in the same place” Love to point at the game that is unrelated to this one beyond being published by the same company at the time and having the loosest of connections that could be considered fun winks and nods, in another book, for another game. When shilling WoD books in WoD books is not enough, shill Ars Magica books in a WoD book. While entering a Realm via shallowing effect is easy, finding a place where the effect is occurring requires effort and knowledge of what you are looking for. Numerous things can affect an individual's entrance into a shallowing, such as knowing the specific landmarks to pass in a specific manner, the travelers emotional state, knowledge of the correct time, day, and season to enter, weather condition, previous travel through the shallowing, Talismans, or even the assistance or hindrance of spirits. Under perfect conditions, you do not have to enter a shallowing, it simply engulfs you. ST’s should base the difficulty for entering a shallowing on the current conditions. Favorable conditions can start the difficulty as low as 3, while unfavorable can raise it to the point of impossibility. Players must make a Perception + Enigmas roll against the difficulty given by the ST to find and enter a shallowing deliberately. For the devious among us, ST’s can simply have a player enter a shallowing without warning, then ask for the Perception + Enigmas roll for them to realize that they are not in Kansas anymore. Entering a shallowing from a Realm requires similar rolls to the ones above, and some shallowings may only go one way, or exit in a different location than their entrance. Exits from Fae realms tend to be a lot harder to find than entrances. Shallowings themselves are a blend of the Realm and Earthly characteristics of their locations, and the further into one a character moves, the more the shallowing reflects the elements of the place. So, if you walk towards the Realm, the shallowing becomes more like the Realm until you are simply in the Realm, and vice versa. Note that shallowings do not link the Earth and Near Umbra, just the Earth and Horizon Realms. Entering the Near Umbra is conducted normally.  Nodes and Caerns Sidebar Caerns and Nodes function in similar ways but are different. The Garou consider Caerns to be sacred ground with special links directly with Gaia. Many Dreamspeakers agree with this view. Because of this, the Garou oppose any magical attempts to access or control a caern unless the Mages have powerful aid to offer. That the Garou can perform “minor miracles” at Caerns as well as travel from one to another via Moon Bridge lends some credence to the Garou’s view of Nodes. So far, no Tradition Mage, even the Dreamspeakers have been able to replicate this feat. Garou are also capable of creating Caerns nearly anywhere, using rites that allow them to access Nodes that do not have ley lines themselves, instead drawing the lines to the new Node. Even the Oracles are unable to do this. Few, if any Caerns are linked with Horizon Realms, though some guardian spirits known as Totems supposedly have their own Realms. Totems are often the personification of animals or mythical creatures and seem to be closer to Marauders than the spirits that Mages typically deal with. Of course, the Garou and their Totems are free of Paradox, and some guess that the folkloric elements of werewolf legends are what protect them from backlash. This would also explain why Kindred are unaffected as well. quote:“Sadly, no one knows for certain why these other supernatural entities can literally get away with murder.” Oh, I don’t know, maybe because PARADOX IS A loving STUPID MECHANIC. Honestly, the writers did this poo poo to themselves, you wrote two other games establishing that the players could do literally magical poo poo, and then when you rolled out Mage, decided the best solution for “Why can’t wizards do magic in the open” was “Because Consensus Reality says No.” instead of just you know….coming up with literally any other excuse for why the stupid wizards can’t just throw a fireball on the street. Having said that though, lol I WAS loving RIGHT ALL ALONG ABOUT CAERNS AND NODES BEING THE SAME GOD drat THING. Quintessence is just Gnosis is just Glamor is just whatever it is Wraiths gather I don’t remember. While I appreciate the small attempts to clarify these various aspects of the WoD universe within the context of it being a full universe where all these creatures (Vampires, Werewolves, Mages, Ghosts and Fairies) coexist, I really hate that they decided to do it with God drat Mage of all games. The pseudo-philosophical, pseudo-scientific thing this game does is just so very aggravating and making Mage the closest to a clear explanation of how the WoD universe functions is just…...I hate it. It sucks. But I was still right that Quintessence is just the dumb wizard's name for the same magical juice that the other creatures use and need to do things. Maintaining Nodes Once a Chantry controls a Node, it must be guarded against all comers, and many Mages “assign” a supernatural creature to protect a Node, either through bribery, good will or brute force. These guardians feed on the Node, and the more powerful the guardian, the greater their appetite. This means that a Chantry must balance the defense of the Node against the cost of doing so, as eventually, a guardian could siphon off more Quintessence than thieves ever could. Of course, not all guardians are willing, and beings who have been bound to a certain place or duty tend to resent that poo poo. Mages who try to bind spirits or other powerful beings should be aware that they risk the enmity of either the guardian itself or its friends, and an angry guardian may simply steal all the Quintessence, break free and come looking for the rear end in a top hat who put them on eternal guard duty. Not to mention that enslaving another creature to do your work is considered poor form, even if it is “Traditional”. Sample guardians can be found in Appendix Two along with their upkeep costs. Once again, Mages are dumb assholes who are only doing more damage to the universe than they are good. Leave the God drat Nodes to the Garou, or the Kithain or the Wraiths. You stupid wizard fucks can’t handle it because all you’re going to do is enslave some God drat being to protect it because you probably stole the poo poo from a different group of supernatural beings. Have I mentioned how much I hate Mages? Because I really, really do. The Sanitation of Nodes The Technocracy finds the old ways of collecting Quintessence to be too fantastical and unnatural for their vision of reality, and so they do not use Nodes in their natural form, instead masking them with science. Traditional Nodes, such as wooded glens, barrows, stone monuments, etc. are replaced with high-tech labs designed for geological surveying or similar cover activities, forcing the Quintessence to flow through the facility itself. These “Sanitized” nodes are changed with the Qui La Machinæ, floating mechanical devices that resemble ships. They cannot be seen in the natural world but are visible in the Umbra. Known as Sanitizers, clear away all physical manifestations of Quintessence, returning the Tass to its original form, as magic crystals or glowing mushrooms do not fit the Technocracies world view. After clearing a site of Tass, the Technocracy moves in establishing a factory, lab or other facility on the site. Larger Nodes can serve as Earthly manifestations of Constructs, while smaller ones are generally outposts. Technocracy Nodes do not use ley lines, instead the Prime force transfers from the Node facility to the Chantry via Sub spatial, trans-Umbral vortex, and it is believed that the most advanced Qui La can tap new Nodes easily. God drat this all sounds so loving stupid. This is a big part of why I hate this game. Oh, let’s say magic isn’t real, but we’ll cover up that we’re DOING loving MAGIC WITH SCIENCE. Fuuuuuuuck You. Come up with a better god drat explanation for why your stupid rear end wizards can’t do magic in the open or just don’t include full on wizards in your loving GOTHIC PUNK HORROR GAME SERIES. Part Three: Establishing Horizon Realms Horizon Realms are fascinating, limited only by the Quintessence resources and the imaginations of the players and ST. Realms can often set the mood and atmosphere for a game, and essentially any genre can be brought into the game via Realms, adding diversity and a greater sense of wonder. Creating a Horizon Realm In Realms, Paradox is suspended, and reality follows whatever patterns the founding Mage desires. The Awakened love these custom-built worlds, as they offer privacy, power and refuge. Forming a Realm is not easy, even for Masters or Oracles. Sculpting raw reality requires immensely powerful magic, and failure can have catastrophic consequences. ST’s are well within their rights to restrict Realm creation to NPCs, though if players are allowed to create a Realm, use the Node tapping process detailed later in the chapter. Creating a Realm can take time, sometimes months, even years as lines are laid and patterns woven to align Nodes with each other. Realms, when successfully created act as mystical convergence points between Nodes, hidden away in pockets of reality. Quintessence The biggest problem (besides, you know, creating the Realm) is finding sufficient Quintessence to support the Realm, as several powerful Nodes must be tapped and pulled in line. If Mages control a large and stable source of Quintessence, then Realm creation can be attempted. They must decide the form of the Realm, and the closer to the Technocratic reality they are, the lower the Quintessence cost, and the more it differs, the higher the cost. First, the Quintessence supply must be linked to a specific point in the Horizon, and a magical conduit system needs to be created to link the ley lines to the heart of the Realm to be. This requires at least Rank 4 in Prime, Spirit and Matter. This process creates an aperture that releases the Quintessence to feed the Realm. Once the flow has been established, molding the Quintessence to create the Realm can begin. This process requires expert magic, precise planning and patience, as the process can take months to centuries to complete, and some Realms are never really complete, like CyberTron, which is constantly under construction. Pockets in Reality Master Mages compare Realm creation to tearing a pocket in reality. The focused Quintessence “highlights” a spot on the Horizon, then the Mage uses their power to tear a small pocket into the Tapestry, and seals it again once a Portal has been established. There is no set method to creating a Realm, and it should rely on narrative with only occasional rolls. ST’s can require magic rolls to create certain aspects of a Realm, especially if a new, intelligent or unusual life is to be created, then magic from all the Spheres must be used. Broadly speaking however, building a Realm should require one month per factor of 10 Quintessence cost for the Realm, assuming that the Mages focus is entirely on the creation of the Realm (per Appendix Two), and the time can be shortened or lengthened depending on how much or how little assistance the Mages have and how involved in other matters they are. The magic rating of a Realm sets the parameters for reality within the Realm, and those rules can be found in the corebook (p.180-181), while Appendix Two has the cost of altering sphere ratings from those of Earth. Tomorrow: More about Chantry Creation
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Aug 10, 2023 14:34
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My first exposure to the Technocracy was in a short story anthology. There was a story where they sent gay cloned brainwashed assassins to kill a mage, with the guns registered to some random person so they'd take the fall, and a story where they were kidnapping mages and doing Dr. Mengele stuff to them. So the idea of presenting them as good guys always struck me as appalling. (Kind of like Magneto in X-Men--the first stories I read were ones where Magneto is just a genocidal maniac, so I never thought of him as ambiguously villainous in any way.) For me it's pretty simple: there are five branches of the Technocracy. One is life sciences, one is physical sciences, one is barely-tolerated hacker psychonauts, and the other two are purely devoted to deceiving and oppressing people. Even if IX and the Progenitors weren't putting people in tubes and doing Dr. Mengele stuff to them, it's a thoroughly evil organization.
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Aug 10, 2023 14:39
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Halloween Jack posted:My first exposure to the Technocracy was in a short story anthology. There was a story where they sent gay cloned brainwashed assassins to kill a mage, with the guns registered to some random person so they'd take the fall, and a story where they were kidnapping mages and doing Dr. Mengele stuff to them. So the idea of presenting them as good guys always struck me as appalling. (Kind of like Magneto in X-Men--the first stories I read were ones where Magneto is just a genocidal maniac, so I never thought of him as ambiguously villainous in any way.) The Guide to the Technocracy contains rules for torture and brainwashing, and the opening fiction involves an MiB learning that the Union is doing Unit 731 experiments on children and getting merked for having too much of a conscience about it. It is honestly pretty scary that so many people thought the book made the technocrats seem heroic. They were changed into three-dimensional villains with understandable motivations, but they were still very much presented as bad guys. Technocrat PCs were clearly supposed to be people like the MiB in the opening, who learn about the horrible stuff the Union is doing and tries to change it from within.
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Aug 10, 2023 14:59
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joylessdivision posted:But I was still right that Quintessence is just the dumb wizard's name for the same magical juice that the other creatures use and need to do things. YggdrasilTM posted:Quintessence is raw "stuff the world is made of", i.e. magic power. It's supergeneric. Other types of mana are specialized types of quintessence: Gnosis is a type of quintessence used by spirits, and glamour is a type of Dynamic quintessence that changelings refine from human immagination. I. E. Glamour is Quintessence, Gnosis is Quintessence, Pathos is Quintessence, Blood is Quintessence. But Glamour is not Gnosis is not Pathos is not Blood. Werewolves only want orange juice, Vampires only want still water, Changelings only want sparkly water, Wraiths want diet coke, but for Mages any drink is fine. YggdrasilTM fucked around with this message at 15:28 on Aug 10, 2023 |
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Aug 10, 2023 15:25
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Halloween Jack posted:My first exposure to the Technocracy was in a short story anthology. There was a story where they sent gay cloned brainwashed assassins to kill a mage, with the guns registered to some random person so they'd take the fall, and a story where they were kidnapping mages and doing Dr. Mengele stuff to them. So the idea of presenting them as good guys always struck me as appalling. (Kind of like Magneto in X-Men--the first stories I read were ones where Magneto is just a genocidal maniac, so I never thought of him as ambiguously villainous in any way.) Was there a particular reason the clone assassins all had to be gay? 
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Aug 10, 2023 15:32
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Something about ensuring their total loyalty to each other and the Technocracy. In the end, Penny Dreadful defeats them by casting a Horny Spell on them and they end up having an orgy instead of a mass shooting.
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Aug 10, 2023 15:39
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All right, I'll admit that WoD had some good moments. E: I highly recommend having a gay orgy instead of a mass shooting.
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Aug 10, 2023 15:42
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Halloween Jack posted:Something about ensuring their total loyalty to each other and the Technocracy. In the end, Penny Dreadful defeats them by casting a Horny Spell on them and they end up having an orgy instead of a mass shooting. That's some truly 90's White Wolf Progressive Writing. Also lol.
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Aug 10, 2023 16:10
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I specifically remember the line that's like (paraphrased) "They were naked. Bob was still wearing his boxers, but on his head."
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Aug 10, 2023 16:12
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Halloween Jack posted:I specifically remember the line that's like (paraphrased) "They were naked. Bob was still wearing his boxers, but on his head." Bob was clearly on some COE poo poo with that. He understood the power of keeping your boxers on in an orgy.
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Aug 10, 2023 16:23
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I suspect the reason the Technocracy get taken how they do so often comes from several places. One: Everyone in the World of Darkness is usually presented as pretty awful, and when you do that people start to protagonize some of the villains. Particularly commonly the 'recognizable' ones. Two: Their stated goal is something that sounds good. This comes up a lot. That they aren't actually working towards that goal at all and their actual goal is 'rule over the world with an iron fist of deception and horror' flies past people often. 'Stop the other supernaturals' sounds great to some readers so they latch onto it. Three: They have laser cannons and scary labs and an aesthetic, and when everyone is a monster sometimes people just pick the monster with the aesthetic they like.
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Aug 10, 2023 16:27
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I miss Technocracy's goofier stuff, even if it was admittedly a tonal clash. The Progenitors had something called Cyber-Tooth Tigers which were cloned smilodons with, and this is true, frickin' laser beams in their eyes and they were often used to hunt Garou because I wouldn't want to do that personally either and making saber-tooth tigers to do it sounds like a blast.
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Aug 10, 2023 16:51
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Dawgstar posted:I miss Technocracy's goofier stuff, even if it was admittedly a tonal clash. The Progenitors had something called Cyber-Tooth Tigers which were cloned smilodons with, and this is true, frickin' laser beams in their eyes and they were often used to hunt Garou because I wouldn't want to do that personally either and making saber-tooth tigers to do it sounds like a blast. See THIS I get. Like Pentex never stopped being Captain Planet villains, why did the Technocracy stop being Cobra from GI JOE?
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Aug 10, 2023 17:08
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Comics Cobra in particular is a fantastic source of inspiration for a Technocracy campaign:
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Aug 10, 2023 17:20
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| # ? Jun 7, 2024 12:02 |
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joylessdivision posted:Bob was clearly on some COE poo poo with that. He understood the power of keeping your boxers on in an orgy. Keep your wits about you and your shorts clean. 
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Aug 10, 2023 17:27
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