Underworld of Paris - a Vampire: the Masquerade RP (OOC, open)

[Fitzwilliam Jinglesworth]

Hello everyone!

Lavender_Stripes and I have been plotting out an RP set in the Vampire: the Masquerade universe, and we are pleased to announce our OOC thread!

Our setting: Paris, France, in the days following the French Revolution. The aristocracy has been overthrown, and Napoleon is about to be crowned Emperor. But little do the people know what is happening in the darkest corners of the City of Light. Among the countless nobles sent before the National Razor were much of the city's vampire population, leaving the Kindred population a shadow of its former self. What clans remain find themselves among the outcasts, most prominently the Malkavians and Noferatu, with a relatively small amount of Ventrue managing to escape the chaos. But with the country in chaos, some have seen an opportunity...

We're looking at having two members of each of the three main clans (Malkavian, Ventrue, and Noferatu), as well as four mortals. Humans and animals are both welcome. No knowledge of the game is necessary - we're going to be doing this in a regular describe-what-you-do action, so don't feel like you need to make any dice rolls, and knowledge about the canon setting won't be that important. Of course, if you have any suggestions to make, don't be afraid to speak up - we want this to be as fun as possible for everyone.

And most importantly, have fun!

Players:

Spoiler for Hidden:

Malkavians:

* Barthomieu Grandjean (Fitzwilliam Jinglesworth)
*

Nosferatu:

*
*

Ventrue:

* Annabelle LeFrancois (Lavender_Stripes)
* Maku Delvi (shkkf)

Mortals:

*
*
*
*

Character Sheet:

Spoiler for Hidden:

Name:
Age:
Gender:
Species:
Clan: (Malkavian, Ventrue, Nosferatu, or non-vampire)
Abilities: (can be vampire abilities or regular old skills you know)
Physical Description:
Personality:
Background:

Information on the Clans:
Malkavian:

Spoiler for Hidden:

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.

Abilities: Malkavians have the ability to alter the emotions of others or induce temporary insanity. They also have heightened senses and can see through illusions, read minds, or send telepathic messages to others.

Nosferatu:

Spoiler for Hidden:

The most visibly cursed of all Kindred, the Embrace warps each Nosferatu into a hideously deformed creature; the archetypal Nosferatu resembles Max Shreck's Count Orlok, 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.

Abilities: Nosferatu can attract (non-sentient) animals to them and possess them in order to control their actions. They can also create illusions and turn themselves invisible, so long as they don't attract attention.

Ventrue:

Spoiler for Hidden:

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. The general belief is that the Ventrue, a clan considered old-fashioned by most, is floundering in these latter nights; however, the Ventrue have a long history of adapting to keep hold of their power. In the modern nights the Ventrue are more politician than warrior, more CEO than baron. They remain the largest supporters of the Camarilla and the Masquerade, believing both institutions to be the surest means of protecting vampires from the mortal masses... and of guarding their own power.

Abilities: Ventrue can influence the minds of man and beast alike. They are also tough and can withstand more damage than other clans, including that from fire and sunlight.

More information is available here (I got those descriptions from it anyway).

[Lavender_Stripes]

Name: Annabelle LeFrancois

Age: 21 (appearance) 240 (actual)


Gender: Female


Species: Human/Vampire


Clan: Ventrue


Abilities: Can influence the thoughts of man, and has a higher pain threshold


Physical Description: Tall and thin, often wearing gothic-style dresses. Long, dark hair pulled back into a fishtail braid, often adorned in onyx jewelry.


Personality: Very hoity-toity kind of person, always looks down on others not from her clan or even below her economic class. Likes the finer things in life, and tends to splurge on sweets whenever she can.

Background: After the Revolution, where most of her family was sent to the guillotine just for being aristocrats, she became the sole heiress to her family's estate. She owns everything her father had; the butler, the grounds, his business, his horses and dogs, everything. She has a great influence upon the higher political figures, and is well-known through the city for her very regal parties and meetings where she worms her way into everyone's good graces.

[Fitzwilliam Jinglesworth]

Name: Barthomieu Grandjean
Age: 19 (biological)
Gender: Male
Species: Human vampire
Clan: Malkavian
Abilities: Heightened senses, telepathy, ability to induce insanity
Physical Description: A very thin and somewhat short young man with wild brown hair and a dirty face, with a short, thin beard. Wears filthy, patched clothes and no shoes.
Personality: Relatively more lucid than most Malkavians, but has no concept of right and wrong or acceptable and unacceptable. He doesn't really give any thought to the Masquerade and sometimes blathers on about vampires, but most people just think he's having another one of his bouts of insanity. Since becoming a Malkavian, he's taken to hearing voices in his head at times, making him even more incomprehensible to people. Even still, he never gives up and doesn't get discouraged, mainly because he doesn't know when he should.
Background: Born to a prostitute and disowned immediately afterwards, Bathomieu lived by begging on the streets all his life, never learning the rules and customs of society or common sense. He accidentally wandered into a Malkavian haven and was Embraced to maintain the Masquerade, though it soon became apparent that he didn't understand the concept of hiding his vampirism. Nevertheless, he was deemed not to be a danger, since no one would believe him. He's generally a loner, though mostly because he tends to drive people away from him.

[shkkf]

Name: Maku Delvi

Age: 127 (Appearance of 25)


Gender: Male


Species: Human/Vampire


Clan: Ventrue

Abilities: Can influence the thoughts of man, and has a higher pain threshold

Physical Description: Tall, very pale in skin with dark brown hair up untill his shoulders. He has the clan's symbol on his left chest.
 
 Personality: Maku has a very uptight persona. Seeing himself grander then even most of his own clan. He isn't easily to anger, but once he is he will rain down the bowls of even hell itself as a punishment. He wears a fake smile and is charming to all, easy going even. But he always has some alterior motive behind him that he will never reveal untill it is too late.

Background: One of the rarest of feats, a fullblood vampire. Maku has never been graced, or cursed to see the light of day. He grew up and has witnessed the decline of the French Royalty, partially via the vampire's own internal struggle. But then saw the birth of what they call the revolution in France. Now in the late 18th century, with a Republic that will gain an emperor he seeks to restore his own clan to former glory and beyond.