Welcome to Gaia! ::

Metropolita became one of the fastest growing cities in America around the turn of the century. It's strong technology and electronic development centers have brought great wealth and prestige to the city and over time, rivals even New York and Chicago in size and population. The main attraction though is the film industry "Tycoon Pictures", who are one of the few movie studios to set up their shop this far north in the country. Their presence has brought a wave of starry eyed hopefuls and wanderlust individuals who chase their dreams straight into the skies or down to the gutters. As the population grew, so too did the homeless society, as is expected in any large city.

Beneath all of the glamor and simultaneous depression in the working stiffs and high life celebrities, there is a completely different society taking root in this thriving civilization after the sun goes down. This society is one far older than the city or even the country. Vampires have set up within this city and have begun their plans to make it their own. The Camarilla, the largest sect of vampires in the world, are comprised of six clans and use that versatility to their advantage. They have utilized subterfuge, bribery and in some cases force, to solidify their position in this "new" city. While the Camarilla are composed of the creatures of night, they simply wish to "live" in peace and coexist with humanity while remaining in the shadows.

Another dark organization known as the Sabbat are the greatest threat to the safety of the way of unlife for all who wander the shadows. These vampires embrace their predatory nature, and cause trouble constantly no matter where they go, it is often they, whom occult enthusiasts often catch pictures or videos of and risk revealing their entire society to humanity. The Sabbat are overwhelmingly bloodthirsty, diabolical and evil and wish to destroy the weak Camarilla while using humanity as its cattle for the extraction of blood.

Surprisingly enough, there are whispers of others within the city who belong to neither faction. Werewolves typically dominated the northern territories until Metropolitan was built, there are rumors that a handful have stayed behind, preferring to leave the safety of their packs in order to keep an eye on the place they once called home.

And what of the humans? Do they all remain completely unaware and unassuming of the invisible battles going on in front of their faces? Mostly, yes. However, there are a few, who know the truth and have dedicated their lives to rooting out all evil in this world. These Hunters come from all walks of life and while some might say their faith blinds them, it also empowers them. The Camarilla recognize them as a threat, but do not move upon them, as they may prove useful in the long run.

Clan/Class Information

The Camarilla (Playable Vampire Clans)

Brujah -
Clan Brujah is largely composed of rebels, both with and without causes. Individualistic, outspoken and turbulent, Brujah hold social change near to their undead hearts, and the clan's ranks contain some of the most violent of the Camarilla Kindred. Most other vampires perceive the Brujah as nothing more than punks and miscreants, but the truth of the matter is that genuine passion lies behind their outward aggression.

PROS: Increased Physical Strength, Increased Intimidation
CONS: More Susceptible to Frenzy

Tremere -
Clan Tremere is one of the youngest vampire clans, having just come into existence during the dark ages. In the little time since then they have made incredible progress within vampiric society and are arguably the most powerful clan in the modern nights. This is due in no small part to their strict heirarchy, secretive nature, and mastery of Thaumaturgy, all of which elicit suspicion, fear, and respect from other vampires. The Warlocks stand as a pillar of the Camarilla and are one its main defenders, despite the fact that they exist almost as a subsect. Some even go so far as to consider themselves the evolution of vampirism, citing their extreme versatility of blood magic and lack of a true clan curse. The Final Nights have many things in store for the Tremere, however, and the more powerful they grow the more their enemies gather.

PROS: Unique Discipline: Thaumaturgy.
CONS: Physically weaker than most other clans.

Ventrue -
Clan Ventrue has long been one of the proudest lines of vampires, and its members work hard to maintain a reputation for honor, genteel behavior, and leadership. A sense of noblesse oblige has ever pervaded the clan, accompanied by the genuine belief that the Ventrue know what's best for everyone. Considering themselves the oldest Clan, it's no surprise they see themselves as the enforcers of tradition and the rightful leaders of vampire society. Unsurprisingly, they've long been chosen from the ranks of nobility and privilege, traditionally those roles have included kings, knights, and merchant princes; in more modern years, businessmen and lawyers and government leaders have filled the void.

PROS: Domination is an added option when dealing with mortals and lesser vampires. High-born status grants recognition and acceptance from other supernaturals.
CONS: Unable to gain any nutrition or benefits from drinking the blood of animals or low-class humans due to delicate tastes.

Toreador -
The Toreador are some of the most beautiful and glamorous of the Kindred. Famous (and infamous) as a clan of artists and innovators they are one of the bastions of the Camarilla, as their very survival depends on the facades of civility and grace on which the sect prides itself.

PROS: Able to control their humanity more easily than other clans. Bonus to Seduction and Persuasion.
CONS: Any actions that would cost humanity are doubled.

Malkavian -
The Malkavians are a Clan of Kindred cursed with insanity. Every Malkavian is in some fashion insane; in game terms, they have at least one derangement they can never remove. They are one of the original seven clans of the Camarilla and, strangely enough, a pillar of the organization. Throughout history, the Malkavians have been the seers and oracles of the Kindred, bound by strange compulsions and insight.

PROS: Insight allows periodic bursts of clear thought that pierce all lies or subterfuge. Unique Discipline: Dementia/Hysteria
CONS: All Malkavians are incurably *insane*. Their insanity varies with the individual, it could be something as simple as rambling words that make no sense to an outside person, or as extreme as unprovoked near homicidal tendencies or even near-catatonia.

Nosferatu -
The most visibly cursed of all Kindred, the Embrace warps each Nosferatu into a hideously deformed creature, though the curse has any number of variations. The Nosferatu are the spymasters of the dead, collecting information and selling it for a dear price. They are also the masters of the underground, living in the sewers for protection.

PROS: Masters of stealth. Able to gain sufficient nourishment from rats and animals.
CONS: Unable to use Seduction. Appearance is a breach of the Masquerade and as such must never be seen by mortals.

NON PLAYER CLASSES

Werewolf "Birth" Packs

Uktena -
Uktena are said to be comprised of animistic peoples from all over the world. Most are of Native American heritage, though adopted werewolves are from a variety of backgrounds. The Uktena are a tribe of mystics, shamans and arcanists; because of their close ties to the magical and knowledge of the arcane many fear that there are those among them who may be turning to the Dark Arts, and their history of having their land gradually taken from them have made some of the Uktena very bitter indeed.

PROS: Unique Discipline: Arcane Magic while in human form.
CONS: Lower Defense against supernatural attacks.

Wendigo -
The Wendigo are comprised of wolves and indigenous peoples of the Arctic and Sub arctic of North America. Unlike their Brother Tribe the Uktena they have not actively begun to include other cultures outside of their traditional Kinfolk into the tribe. As a whole the Wendigo tribe carries a grudge against the rest of the Garou Nation (of which they only consider themselves nominally part of) for the conquest of their caerns and protectorates during the European colonization of North America.

PROS: Extreme physical strength and speed.
CONS: Highly Aggressive, difficult to avoid using force.

Hunter Organizations

Society of Leopold -
The Society of Leopold is a vampire-hunting organization unofficially sponsored by the Catholic Church. As the modern-day Inquisition, the Society continues its practice of research into supernatural and occult lore, discovering the best ways to hunt and kill vampires using the latest technology and tactical methods. A great number of their members are quite overzealous and fanatical.

PROS: Always deal increased damage to supernatural enemies.
CONS: Unable to regenerate health due to mortality.

Independent Hunter -
There are some soldiers of the night who avoid the fanatical call brought on by religious zealots and find their own way in the world. These hunters are extremely resourceful and while lacking some of the faith that their organized contemporaries sport, they make up for it in their ability to move undetected even by their supernatural prey.

PROS: Able to remain hidden in stealth against most supernatural enemies. Increased Lockpicking and Hacking abilities.
CONS: Normal damage to supernaturals. Unable to regenerate health due to mortality.

Statistics Information

Primary Stats

Strength - Determines physical power. A high strength score will mean your character is allowed to do more forceful actions and also hit harder in melee and unarmed combat.

Dexterity - Determines agility and speed. A high dexterity score will mean your character is allowed to perform faster actions and also be more accurate and deadly with ranged combat.

Defense - Determines resistance to physical and aggravated damage. A high defense score will mean your character is able to withstand stronger hits and keep fighting unhindered.

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Conversation Stats

Seduction - The ability to manipulate others through your physical appearance and sultry use of words. A high Seduction score will allow your character to use Seduction to get your way with others without the target complaining (i.e. vampires are able to feed on humans who are seduced without fear of breaking the Masquerade, even in public.)

Persuasion - The ability to charm others through your wit and insight. A high Persuasion score will allow your character to convince NPC's to see your point more easily, thus avoiding unnecessary bloodshed or inconvenience.

Intimidation - The ability to bully others into submission. A high Intimidation score will allow your character to threaten others more effectively. Some people will be more easily intimidated than others.

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Stealth Stats

Lock Picking - The ability to break through security. The higher the skill level, the more challenging lock you are able to break into.

Hacking - The ability to read and write electronic code. The higher the skill level, the more cryptic passwords you are able to crack and reprogram.

Sneaking - The ability to move silently. The higher the skill level, the more quickly and effectively you can move without alerting others to your presence.

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Combat Stats

Unarmed - The higher your Unarmed skill, the more powerful your fists/feet or claws will be. This score also determines how easily you can be disarmed.

Melee - The higher your Melee skill, the more effective you are with using melee weapons, such as hammers, swords or knives.

Ranged - The higher your Ranged skill, the more effective and accurate you are with using guns, bows or crossbows.

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STATS EXPLANATION

All characters will have 25 points at their disposal during creation. The max skill level for any statistic is 5. Your choices of where you place these points will determine the success of future actions. IMPORTANT: You are more than welcome to create a powerhouse character who has nothing but strength and brawling capabilities, but you will be sorely handicapped in social situations. The reverse is also true, a socialite with no combat strength will likely have to rely on allies to survive in a fight.

Accepted Profiles/Inactive Players

Gaia UserName: EmpyreanFlight
Character Name: Émeric Lavoisier
Class: Toreador
Gender: Male
Age: 29
Height: 6' 0"
Weight: 150lbs.
Disciplines Known: Auspex, Celerity
Appearance: Émeric is a picturesque example of handsome: tall, blonde, blue-eyed and a smile no one could bring themselves to say "no" to. On the palm of his left hand is a small tattoo of two hands shaking, a trophy of his commemorating his very first sale.

Background: Luxury car dealer by day, saxophonist by night, Émeric was always a night-crawler with a silver tongue. Whether it was pitching a Lamborghini, or getting a free round at clubs, His penchant for smooth-talking usually got him his way. Being born in the dazzling downtown of Paris, France meant Émeric has always been acquainted with the night life, an acquaintance that soon turned into a good friend when he picked up the saxophone at the age of 16.

Selling luxury cars meant sometimes selling to people who just couldn't afford them, and sometimes that meant the kind of people you don't tick off. After being confronted by an angry customer with unsavoury connections, Émeric was forced to move to Metropolita for safety reasons. Unfortunately, he was followed, and in the shroud of the night, he was attacked in the street in front of his new apartment. Bones snapped and bleeding profusely, he should have died. But while most people nearby fled the scene, a woman stepped forward to examine him more closely. Barely able to speak, Émeric pleaded to her to help him. She knelt down and spoke told him how she could help him, and just what it'd cost. Despite thinking she was a bit insane, He agreed anyways, desperate to live, and so he recieved the Embrace.

The life of a vampire is one Émeric has wholeheartedly welcomed; it was almost like being off work every waking hour. Keeping his saviour happy is something he didn't hate either.

PRIMARY STATS:
Strength: 2
Dexterity: 3
Defense: 2

CONVERSATION STATS:
Seduction: 2
Persuasion: 4
Intimidation: 0

STEALTH STATS:
Lock Picking: 0
Hacking: 0
Sneaking: 3

COMBAT STATS:
Unarmed: 2
Melee: 3
Ranged: 3

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Gaia UserName: Aihari
Character Name: Alyzabeth Marsden
Class: Toreador
Gender: Female
Age: About 135 years of age, though she appears as though she is still twenty-one.
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 124lbs
Disciplines Known: Presence and Celerity
Appearance: Alyzabeth is, in a word, beautiful, which was likely part of why she was chosen by a Toreador. Her lean figure sports long legs and a significant bust, much to the pleasure of many who gaze at her. Her hair is long and strawberry blonde and complimented by seafoam green eyes.
Background: Alyzabeth was born to a wealthy family in the late 1800's along with her twin sister, Elycia. From birth the pair seemed inseparable despite her own more open personality and ability to make friends. Her selective view on who she spent time with began when her sister began to rely on her more as they got older; anyone who did not accept Elycia was essentially tossed aside. Even young men who began to court her as she reached her mid-teen years were often shrugged off.

Around the age of fourteen was when Alyzabeth's love of art began to truly fluorish. She herself had played piano since childhood and her teacher had always praised her for always being able to have perfect pitch, a gift she remains proud of to this day. It introduced her, however, to other types of artists at different parties, people who were more accepting of her demand to never leave her precious twin behind. However, Elycia's shyness would often lead to Alyza spending more time alone with them, much to her parents' chagrin of course. But her love of art always had room for her love for her sister, the young woman always returning to be with her sister every night for the support the other needed.

It was at the age of twenty-one that she met the man who would become her sire. So smitten was she with him that she thought the curse of his clan was simply artistic vision as he would stare at paintings and scenery. She found herself more and more open to modeling for him than any other painter, which would lead to other things at times. An such that he was a Toreador, he persuaded her into the embrace easily despite her worry for what would become of Elycia. Of course, not long after she discovered Elycia had also been given the Embrace, though through a Malkovian sire instead.

Life as a Toreador has changed her throughout the decades. Still beautiful, she is not as accepting of others as she was before. If one is not attractive or of significant value, she usually takes no notice at all. However, her sister is still dear to her heart and she makes certain to take care of her and ensure she is happy whenever she can.

PRIMARY STATS:
Strength: 2
Dexterity: 5
Defense: 0

CONVERSATION STATS:
Seduction: 5
Persuasion: 3
Intimidation: 2

STEALTH STATS:
Lock Picking: 0
Hacking: 0
Sneaking: 3

COMBAT STATS:
Unarmed: 3
Melee: 2
Ranged: 0

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Gaia UserName: Watervoir
Character Name: Elycia Marsden
Class: Malkavian
Gender: Female
Age: 135 years, about 21 human years in appearance
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 120 lbs.
Disciplines Known: Auxpex, Dementation
Appearance: She is tall and lean and bears the same seafoam green eyes like her sister, but it is usually not difficult to tell them apart based on their demeanour. Whereas Alyzabeth is upright and poised, Elycia tends to shy away with eyes large and always on the lookout for threats.

Background: Even before the Embrace, Elycia's mind was bruised. The natural childhood fears of the dark, bumps in the night, and monsters in the closet never truly went away for her even as her years dawned upon young teenhood. As she grew older, the anxiety continued to sink its teeth into her being, pulling her away from crowds and towards the peace of the manors studies during the day and her bedroom in the evenings, where she would retire to her loving sister's company. As she spent more time with them, she grew ever closer, ever the more attached, to her twin and to the books she buried her nose in.

It was no great family secret that Elycia was quite brilliant and grasped concepts quickly, but it was not a well known fact because the family could hardly afford to take her to any parties. No matter what promises she made to stay calm, there was no overcoming the sheer terror that would overtake her when amongst the crowds. It would not have been a big deal because she was relatively quiet anyway, had often meant she also tended to pull her sister away from the social gatherings.

Distraught, the twins' parents whisked Elycia away in secret to see a doctor, who in his spare time dabbled in the then budding field of psychoanalysis. What no one knew was that in addition to being a part time psychologist, the man was also a full time Malkavian. When he discovered that Alyzabeth was taken by the Embrace, he took it upon himself to do her sister a favour and take her over as well. The rationale had been that it wasn't as if anyone would have noticed anyway, seeing as the girl was rather insane to begin with.

But that wasn't the case at all. If anything, and as could have been expected, the transformation made it worse. It drew forth the inner demons, giving them the power of voice when she finally opened her new set of eyes. She still loves and thinks about her sister very much, and the two are still very close; but these voices, they speak to her loving words, these kind voices, and from them she draws her strength.

Ever since she met them, Elycia's voice has never been entirely her own. Things such as I or me does not exist for her. She is but a vessel, a slave to the voices of her mind. Sometimes they have stories to tell her, stories of the past, the present, and the future. But for the most part, they control her. Through her, they speak. Through her, they hunt. Through her, they lust. For blood.

PRIMARY STATS:
Strength: 0
Dexterity: 5
Defense: 3

CONVERSATION STATS:
Seduction: 0
Persuasion: 5
Intimidation: 0

STEALTH STATS:
Lock Picking: 0
Hacking: 0
Sneaking: 5

COMBAT STATS:
Unarmed: 0
Melee: 2
Ranged: 5

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Waiting List

The Story So Far

Metropolita has become a shining beacon in the northern territory, with "Tycoon Studios" arrival, the city is bustling with people on a daily basis and is ripe for the picking. Every night an invisible war goes on without the knowledge of the general populace.

The Camarilla leadership have set up their base within one of the city's skyscrapers, namely La Hire Corp, and have already begun controlling the media and are settling in nicely.

The Sabbat however also have their sights set on this fledgling metropolis, seeing it as a new foothold in the north and an entire field full of bodies ready for the harvest.

The Werewolves who remained after the city expanded to such dramatic lengths, are here to ensure that order is maintained and the metal madness remains contained within the city and devours no more of nature than it has already.

Finally, the hunters of the Society of Leopold are frantically searching the shadows for any opportunity to please their God with their bloodshed. There is no one that hides within the shadows that will remain safe from their zeal.

FAQ


Q: How do you plan on working a WoD style game without rolling dice constantly?
A: Review the Combat Information post above please.


Q: I didn't join the RP at the beginning, can I still join up?
A: OF COURSE! I will *always* be accepting applications and profiles. While the story will revolve around the most active players, other players will be allowed to join as well. The maximum number of players within the RP at any time may only be 8; *however*, we have a waitlist for this very purpose. People sometimes drop out for no reason or for good reason, in any event, the waitlist is there to ensure that if you are interested and active, we will jump you right into the action.


Q: If I die, is that the end of my character?
A: Yes, in this WoD adaptation, your character dies for good. You are free to create a new one, but that character is gone, as vampires that are reduced to dust... are nothing but dust anymore.

Q: You said romance was encouraged. I'm not really interested in romance, do I have to pursue a relationship with someone in this roleplay?
A: No, of course not. Romance subplots are wonderful, but that is *not* the focus of this role play. I want everyone to participate and have fun creating an awesome story.

Q: Can I haz cyberz?
A: No cyberz. BUT if you *are* going to romance with another player, do it well and do it with dignity and subtlety. Firstly, contact the other player and ask if they want to pursue that same option in game. *IF* you decide to do anything more than PG-13, take it to PM's and keep it there. Now, there is Seduction in this role play and it can be used on NPC's but everything must be behind closed doors so to speak because flirting does not equal cybering (And since I'm the one controlling the NPC's... You better believe I'm not cybering with you!) I realize that we're playing a modern day vampire game, and seduction is involved, but if you're a skilled writer, you won't need to be graphic to let us know that you are using seduction.

Q: If I bite someone as a vampire, won't that make a new vampire?
A: No. In World of Darkness style games, vampires are "born" through "The Embrace". Biting a victim merely attempts to drain them of their blood in order to feed the vampire in question.



Q: Will I gain more stat points as the story progresses?
A: At the moment, I do not intend to increase points as we go, but if I feel that people would benefit from it in the future, I may consider it. Perhaps as a reward for a well-written post or something.



---More will be added to this list if needed.