Character and World Creation

We should put together our ideas about the World and the Characters at the same time, these choices will definitely affect each other and we may have to go back and change a previous choice based on new information ("Oh? That's sounds like a fun idea... but if the world is like that, then I would rather play a < ... >", or "If I am playing a < ... > then that means we need to make < this > must be true about the world.").

Urban Shadows is not the most versatile game, so we probably won't be able to run our favourite setting in it, but we can talk about what Urban Fantasy books, TV, or movies we like to help us all get on the same page. I might add an Appendix N thread if that turns out to be a thing we do a lot of.

I have thrown together a first rough draft two possible character sheets samples, the only differences is the order in which the Stats/Circles and Moves are presented.

They should be visible below the Rolls box. I think I prefer Character Sheet test 1. This also probably works better on mobile or any single column view.

They also include an out of date version of the Aware playbook text for us to think about how we want this information laid out. Once we have decided which we like I will make proper Templates for the each of the playbooks. You can get an idea of what each character type is like from the Playbook PDF.

Okay, so I like the Wizard and the Veteran playbook. What is everyone else thinking about their characters?

I’ve got my eye on the Vamp! I was reading over the playbook and the Harbour feature gave me an idea for a vampire busker whose harbour is the train station where he usually performs.

Both the character sheet options look good to me on mobile!

When reading that chapter I was also drawn to placing the harbour/haven in a bustling train station. It adds so many cool complications... (and opportunities, but the complications are more fun). :)
I don't test very much on mobile, I find it to be too inconsistent. I have one device where they look fine and another where the Stats checkboxes end up offset and vertical if any Scars are checked. /shrug.

The character I envision is a fighter. A though guy, not a party face, not a learned character. Swinging swords & fists is more what I am looking for.

I have a (in my mind) pretty exotic idea of a sworn that speaks by fare the most to me. Hand of Destiny, Bringer of Justice, Oathkeeper, Destroyer of Dangers, ...
My second choice would be a wolf character. This one would be as close to OWoD as possible. *g* Coming from an old bloodline of lycanthropes, deeds done by his ancestors remembered through the ages, ready to ... well ... RAAAAAGE! ;)

Do I understand it correctly, that the wolf can change NEVER excapt when the character sees the moon? *wonders*

There are many Playbooks that can provide that experience, but do keep in mind that Urban Shadows is a game of city politics and not an action adventure.
The Sworn sounds like good fit for what you describe as they are more of a 'justice orientated' character than most. The Wolf could also be that way orientated, though on a different scale (from my reading of the book you are homeless and alone). Both are tough, fight capable, and probably care for a community.
I am not sure that is possible. Read the playbooks and see what options they give you and see. Maybe set aside your previous concepts of what a character would be in other systems, that way lies inevitable disappointment.
By default, you can change into your wolf form —at will— in the sight of the moon, even during the day, so long as you can see the moon, whatever phase except 'new moon'.

The book does not talk about what happens on an overcast day, but 'sight of the moon' kinda implies that you have to be able to see it, or at least see where it is, so if you can see the clear glow through the clouds at night you might be able to transform, though you may have to make an extra roll first to overcome such challenging situations.

You can also, always, under any circumstances, transform by Letting It Out (one of the Basic Moves (we can talk about Moves in the Rules clarifications thread if they are not clear to you after you have read the relevant sections of the book)) and choosing your option to transform from one form into the other without seeing the moon, so you always have the option, it just might cost you.

I’m looking at Hunter (likely demons) primarily and Aware as a second in case hunter conflicts too much.

If your Hunter hunts demons then there will be demon problems that need to dealt with. People will consider demons a problem.

If another player wants to play a demon (Imp or Tainted, I think) then we will talk about conflicts. But we have all seen vampires working with vampire slayers.

Hunter it is then. I’ll work on a sheet tomorrow

Then sworn it is for me. I am gone on tuesday until sunday (holiday with the gang) and will start to read when I return.

Are we supposed to be able to copy the new sheets?

Halloo hurrah, I have created Playbooks!

I did not put them in [ charsheet] tags, so they don't appear peach-coloured and collapsed. This makes it one less click to view them, but mean a lot more scrolling. Let me know what we prefer, I can easily add [ charsheet] to them.

They also don't display quite right in the thread (they never do), but you can see a sample of what the Aware looks like below, in 'Character Sheet test 1'.

Let me know if you spot any problems or errors or omissions in any sheet you are interested in using. We can make changes later, but it is slightly harder once people are using the sheets.

To copy them to you own sheet, make a Custom Sheet, hit the Quote button at the bottom of the post of the sheet you are interested in, trim off the [ quote] [ /quote] text (else they will appear in your sheet, and it will be pretty obvious and you can just remove them later, no biggie:), and paste it into your sheet. You can do more than one in a sheet, though only to experiment, it will be strange to have one start halfway down the page.

You are all welcome to submit empty sheets to this game. I will blindly approve them and we can see where we stand more easily as you make your characters.

Remember, for others to see them you have to Add them the Library (see Help!).

Thanks for putting all those character sheets/playbooks together! I think you might need to unlock the thread in order for us to be able to use the quote button

Mutter mutter, always demands ... :) and always mistakes. :(

Yeah, unlocked now, you should be able to quote. Thanks.

Don't discuss stuff in the Resources subforum, let's keep that as a neat reference.

When it becomes relevant we will find a place to discuss things. General Chat should work for now; or here if it is about character sheets, though I don't want to clutter the Character Creation thread too much either. /shrug

I’ve submitted a character sheet! Mostly blank right now. Are we limited to the names in the provided list or can we pick our own?

Hi!

So, perhaps we should start agreeing about which city we're we going to play in? Also, I guess we're playing in modern times, but we should agree on that too.

I see how an Irish Fae from 2020s would play very differently from, say, a wizard in soviet Russia.

They do encourage (page 61) you to use the Look and Demeanor options, but the Names are mostly for flavor. Either try to keep something consistent... or go with something jarring and incongruous (or whatever feels right).

Your 'name' could also be your 'nickname', of course. It is what you are know by in the City and what we will call you in posts.

If the name is hard to type, make sure you have the familiar form in the character sheet's 'Character Name' box so we can two-click paste it into our posts using the quill icon on the Characters menu at the bottom of the screen.

Does anyone want to play at a significantly different date? We can talk about it. I think I consider anything post pandemic to be 'modern times', so we don't need to care about the exact dates or years.

Defining the date too closely can become a problem when the rules call for time to skip forward a few months, and suddenly we find ourselves in the future. This happens less in PbP where we are more likely to be lagging behind as the two years of play has only covered a few 'time passes' phases and gametime has only moved months. :) Unless we find we need to know, maybe we just don't worry about it?

All we need is a general idea of time-period.
I am thinking this needs it own thread. I will set that up next.

Yes, we don't need a specific year, but I'd say just defining the decade. So we know for example, if smartphones are widely available, if we need to rely on old mobile phones with no Internet access, or if we need to carry cash for telephone booths. ;)

The book assumes smartphones, but does not rely on them. This is all completely up to the players. State your opinions.

@Ysolde, what do you think about not having guns? [ref] If you are a Hunter you get to make your own weapons, and they could be swords and spears.

Or you could have a fancy bow. Getting stopped by the police in London will get you questions about why you are carrying a bow and arrows, but they are likely to let you go without incident... unless there have been people killed with arrows, then you are in trouble, but this is the same as guns in America.

You may have to produce some sort of certificate to show you have a reason to carry a dangerous bow, but 'HEMA', or 'competition', should be good enough.

I'm actually fine with any option, so I'll defer to anyone who has a strong preference. If that's not the case, we can default to modern day.

Regarding characters, so I see we already have a Wizard, a Vamp and a (demon) Hunter.

I'm thinking it would be cool to play as the Imp. Someone who owns an antiquarian bookshop where he sells magic relics and stuff. Nobody would know he's actually a demon, and that would include the PCs. In fact, it would be awesome if they were close friends with the Hunter, so it would bring many interesting narrative scenes and/or moral dilemmas if he finally finds out ("oh, no, so you were a demon all these years?!")

What do you think? (especially Ysolde, of course)

I do not believe that is an option, under the rules. Everyone know what you are, you are a Status-1 personality in Wild, they can not engage with the you or your Faction/Circle otherwise. See the Open Secrets heading on page 54.

You could deliberately try to hide your nature from the Hunter, but that will not last long and could prove a problem when (not if) it comes to light that you are not just a demon, you were also lying to them and manipulating them. If you are interested in this storyline, then maybe you can say that is something that happened in the past and you worked through it... or didn't and now have to rebuild your old friendship? We can see it in flashbacks as it becomes relevant, rather than have it looming over the game as a sword of damocles, set to potentially kill the game at any point.

Hmmmm, I see.

My idea was that everyone knows I'm something (Status-1 in Wild), but not necessarily a demon. It could be a fae, or something else, completely different, perhaps even unique.

You have a point, though, that my proposal could have turned into a sword of damocles if not handled with care. @Ysolde, let me know if you're fine with a complicated relationship with a demon (maybe we are forced to work together, because I am the only one who can provide you with something you need to do your job, so I'm seen as the lesser/necessary evil). If that sounds complicated, I'm happy considering other playbooks too! :)

The Imp is sorta trying not to be a demon and doesn't serve the forces of 'hell', that is their whole thing. They are, therefore, the least offensive example of their ilk. It should not be a problem to have a demon Hunter and an Imp in the same game.

Remember that the Hunter hunts "demons who corrupt the good and the just", not all demons, there are too many of them in the city for that. This is a little less black-and-white than the Vampire example they give in the Notes on Your Society in the Playbook, but still applies.

If you do engage in regular 'corruption of the good and just' then you may have to hide that from the Hunter.. but you probably shouldn't do that anyway?

You might even, regularly, help the Hunter against other demons, or you may, regularly, need the Hunter's help against demons sent to try to get you back —remember, if they can break you establishment, then your loophole is gone— and this could be a reason you are close... despite your differences?

Yes, that totally depicts what I had in mind. :-) Let's see if Ysolde is on board with the idea.

@VagueDM sorry I wasn't around yesterday usually I check in once per day. Yes, I am entirely okay without guns and, in fact, would prefer not to use them.

@Gnomius looking at Imp I think she would be wary of them (they might revert) but okay with working with them.

It happens. Which is why I tend to phrase my 1/day as 'most days' (that and because I have been using the phrase for longer than these 'sites' have had dropdown lists to choose from:).
Excellent. We may seldom see them, but, when we do, you will be able to hold your own where most won't.

Guns have a 'fear factor' when brought out in populaces that are not jaded to their presence, so, if guns appear, they will quickly change the landscape of the scene.
Do you find the idea appealing and interesting? It may be a high friction relationship, and those tend to easily grab traction, so we might see it a lot. We can adjust the prevalence to suit both your desires to see it in play, we just need to know how much you want.

In fact, we could not only work together from time to time, but instead we could be actual partnerrs. I have to fill this in my playbook:
So, you could be my "man on the ground', the one that helps me get objects and stuff in the streets. And I would be your main provider of weapons, blessed arrows, or any other gadgets you need for your hunting.

I could even choose the "A demonic ex-liege seeking your immediate return" complication, and we could have a first antagonist, a Status-3 demon that sends out goons for you to hunt down.

These are only suggestions right now, and I'm open to revisiting any of them if vagueGM, Ysolde or any other player has better ideas.

I have no objections. That all sounds good. We can definitely run a 'parallel story' of Imp trying to get rid of that ex-liege's grip on them, that occupies both the demon Hunter and the Imp, the others might participate or do their own thing, but everyone will be drawn into each other's drama.

Remember the options on your sheets are both prescriptive and descriptive, that means, in the above case, that the Imp could get rid of the pesky complication by taking an Advance that clears it (I am guessing, I have not looked at the sheet:) or by taking action with the help of their friends and dealing with it in the fiction. Either way, it is resolved.

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I tend to try to stay away from making character choice suggestions unless explicitly asked for. Even a casual suggestion from a GM can carry a lot more presumed-weight than it is meant to. I will shape the world around your characters, so don't worry about trying to shape your characters around my world.

Would you like us to get started on the intro questions and such or should we wait until we've completely decided on a city?

I am not sure. The city may affect the into questions.

Let's at least wait till be have all the characters, though. Some of the Intro Questions are tied to Debts so we may need to think about those at the same time, and that needs all the characters.

If you have enough to introduce your characters to us, go ahead and tell us about them. Tell us what input you need on anything. If any of the Intro Questions are obvious and part of the basic introduction, you are welcome to answer them, too.

Rhiannon McClanahan: A child will be born with the Raven birthmark. She will be the favored of the Morrigan. She is to be trained to defeat the demons who corrupt the good and the just. Rhiannon was born with the mark and has trained since she was a child, she's never known anything except battle. She wields an ancient Celtic bow (antique, blessed), a Seax (bladed, silvered), and a Chain (cold iron, heavy).

Rhiannon herself was nearly killed by Fierna, a Demon Lord that pretended to be a pretty college girl. Fierna had tricked Rhiannon into dating her and then into an ambush that nearly killed the Hunter. Rhiannon will never forget that betrayal.

Rhiannon is 26 and despite her rough upbringing and her profession Rhiannon is upbeat and friendly. Her training has given her looks that allow her to mingle with the college crowd and most people think she's part of it. She can usually be found around the college or as a high school teacher's aide because Demons prey on the young.

The Imp's Ex-Liege that Demon has a target on them, perhaps they worked with Fierna or know something about her?

Sure, could it be Fierna herself, who is messing up with us after all those years?

Good stuff Ysolde. Lots to work with there. (And some pretty awful-to-type names too, thanks for that.:)

Do you require any help with the character sheet? Just give a shout and I can handle any details you need.
Is Morrigan a hunter who trained you? Are they still around? Still in the City?

Can you tell us more about them? You don't need to, we can learn more as we play, but if there is anything you particularly want to be true (or believe to be true) in the fiction, tell us so we can aim for it.
Let's maybe keep this 'college' so we don't accidentally stray across the 'no violence against children' line. We can explain this in-fiction if need be.
I was sorta labouring under the assumption that, whichever city we settle on, we would probably use the 'Downtown' 'City Hub'. But this might nudge us more towards 'The University' (see page 229 for details).

If we go London, there are universities all over the place, and we can have a mix (I am not convinced about the new City Hub mechanic) and center our area of play somewhere on a border that spans both.

What does everyone think about starting in a University focused 'Hub'? It seems like a good fit for what we have heard of the other characters so far.

Why don't we leave his unclear; to be discovered later?

@Ysolde, if you would prefer to not bring your Ex- back in this capacity you can X-Card it now, else it very well might be them, or they might be involved in some way. We will learn more about Fierna as you tell us and the other PCs about them as we play, and what we learn about their character will guide and direct what their involvement is.
Unless you say 'no', of course. You are welcome to revise your answer at any time.

The Morrigan is the Goddess of the hunt in Celtic myth and legend. Basically the Hunter group she’s part of are all following Celtic mythology. Her parents and the hunters believed that her birthmark is a sign that Rhiannon is special and so she ended up loosing her childhood to training.

We’ll stick with College and yes it’s okay to use Rhiannon’s ex.

Cool.

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Glancing at your sheet:
Note that the others can not see it till you Add it to the Library.

Don't forget to add 1 to a Stat and add 1 to a Circle Rating.

We will need to improve the Arsenal area of the sheet, it needs to be replicated three times, once for each weapon, though that is really once for your Ranged weapon and twice for your two Hand weapons, so a little hard to do before the character is made :(. Maybe the checkbox format does not work here? For now, add a summary and itemised list of your weapons along with descriptions to the top of that section.

We also need more place for general character descriptions and details. These issues will becomes clear as we make and meet characters.

I can fix the weapons and just put a basic description of them and their properties instead of the check boxes. I’ll also add 1 to a stat and circle tomorrow.

We will find what works before thinking about releasing the sheets to the rest of GP. I just scraped the book and used their formatting/layout to guide things, but clearly the Arsenal is not a checklist, it is a 'pick from this list to construct...' type deal.

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The checkboxes are useful, though, as the player can use them to mark which options they have picked while making the weapon, but they may be more of a distraction, and there are only three picks, so not really needing that aid.

Did you find being able to check-off item useful? Would you have preferred it if it was just a list you had to pick from? Would it have been more clear that you had to do more than just check the boxes (I am sure it became so while making your second Hand weapon:)?

Do you think it could use a 3column layout with three whole sets of picks? (That could get messy when the Character Advances and adds two more weapons, but Advancement is always a problem that needs sheet editing.) I have added 3 columns to the Character Sheet test 1 sheet and it looks like a good solution. Let me know if you want me to edit yours with this change.

The University district would fit perfectly well with my bookshop idea, so I'm all in for it.

I'm just waiting for confirmation of which City we are finally settling on to start drafting some background for my Imp.

I put a spoiler in for the choices and created 3 lines for the actual weapons with their full features.

The University Hub is fine with me! I've written up a general introduction for my vampire:

Let's go with London. I was waiting for the characters before deciding, but that leaves us at an impasse. :)

Objections, anyone? Speak now. (Or speak later and we can adjust, now is just easier.:)

That works. I do think I will go with the three column layout for the choices for the default sheet, it can help visualise the choices. They should then be moved into a spoiler after use, as you did.

Nice stuff. Though I never understood this site's habit of tucking the important information away in a spoiler.

OK. Settled, The University Hub it is.

London has one of the largest concentrations of universities, with between 40 and 90 (depending on how/which you count).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_universities_and_higher_education_colleges_in_London

There is an apparent cluster in the middle, allowing a merging of The University Hub with the Downtown Hub:
https://www.google.com/maps/search/universities+in+london/@51.4874639,-0.4678526,10.26z?entry=ttu

This area is also well fed by Public Transit for our Vamp:
https://www.google.com/maps/search/universities+in+london/@51.5103999,-0.2652409,11.79z/data=!5m1!1e2?entry=ttu

It is all working out.

@oopsylon:

Is Benji's deteriorating mental state something we need to address in the game? Do you have ideas about why it is happening or what can be done? It is equally fine to just leave it a thing we don't try to solve in the story, up to you.

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Maybe take a look at the MC's Behind the Playbook section on the Vamp, on page 225. Remember that the Playbook is ultimately one of manipulation, so your persona of affable friend can work, but the underlying mechanics push something more sinister.

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Your Hunger drives you to be a bit of a monster.

How do you feed? We can work out details together if you like. I came across the Blood Bikers as an interesting idea, something like that might play a role, or not.

@Ysolde:

• Your Society

You mention you have been in the city for ten years.

Where did you come from?

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• Why London?

Where you sent here by Your Hunter Society? Why? To get and education? On a Hunt? Why did you stay?

Or did you flee in rebellion, in an attempt to exert some control over your life? Do you even know yet that this is where you were destined to end up? (The last point may not be true, but there may be assumptions.)

Did Fierna lure you here? Or was she the target you were sent to hunt? Or was she secondary to your target and grabbed the opportunity to have a go a at a irresistibly tasty morsel? How long were you two 'involved'/an item?

This are more 'things to think about' then actual questions. We can chat about them as you like.


Does The Imp know that their Ex-Leige is the same person you have baggage with? Do you know there is a connection there? Talk to each other.


Are your local supporting Society the same ones who trained you, or are they other Hunters that took you in after you came to the city? Do you know the extent of their connection with those back home?

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• Age

You say you are 26, but that you came here 10 years ago when you were 18. Strange as our world is, I don't believe maths works that way here. :)

Let us know which numbers we are correct.

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• Infamy

The Starting Question asks:
What impressive kill are you infamous for?

What about your kill on Eligos was so impressive that it gained you a level of infamy?!

It could be something subtle, like that you saw through the deception at all; or something bloody, like how you ended the duke's 'life'; or something orthogonal, like how you coped with it afterwards. Or you can ignore this if noting comes to mind.

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• Wounds that Haunt You

You say "Fierna left a wicked scar on Rhiannon's right hip." Is it a physical scar from a fight, or... maybe, a tattoo that you tried to (or need to) erase? :)

The wound can be non-physical. That might fit this situation.

But a scar is equally fine. This just seemed a little out of tone with the rest you wrote. Do with this what you will.

@Stalker05: We have not heard from you in a while. How are you doing? Do you need anything from us? Do you want to introduce your character or do you have questions first? Do you want me to look at your sheet, or do you still want to finish it first?

It is largely a function of time—Benji has forgotten his human life over the centuries much as a human forgets their childhood memories as they grow up. In forgetting, he has become increasingly disconnected from his own humanity and he now occasionally behaves in strange, inhuman ways (the Cold Blooded move) and has trouble controlling his Eternal Hunger because it has become more difficult for him to view mortals as anything but prey. He is trying to cling to what little humanity he has left because that is what has kept him safe and secure for centuries and he knows that if he were to completely surrender to his true nature, it would not be long before some vampire hunter decided it was time to put him down. This corruption/deterioration likely happens to all vampires over time but manifests itself in different ways. Some become cold and detached, while others are driven completely feral. I was thinking of it mostly as an in-fiction way of representing the corruption mechanic, if that makes sense to you?
Oh yes, that’s sort of what I was trying to get at. Being outwardly sinister is not especially conducive to manipulation. It’s a lot easier to manipulate someone who actually likes you. He’s genuinely very nice and that makes it easier for his human friends to forget that he’s also a bloodthirsty parasite.
Benji drinks blood. As for how he gets the blood, one of his starting debts is "Someone makes sure you get fed regularly, without attracting too much attention. You owe them 2 Debts." so I figure I’ll sort that out with whichever other player wants those debts.

Cool. Noting that down in the Lore.
Absolutely.
Perfect. I should look at the sheets and make sure they have not already asked the questions that come to my mind. :)

Good, good.
You still need to add 1 to one of your Circle Ratings.

You don't start with Eldritch Blast, you earn the Corruption Advancements during play.

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• Your Ward

Tell us a little about your Ward, and maybe the S3 who charged you with taking care of them. Who are they, how long have they been with you?

Do you 'plan' to have the Ward stay on your sheet, or are you wanting to resolve that situation and replace that mechanic? It might not be possible —anything is 'possible'— but are you wanting to play towards that end, or wanting to avoid such a story-line or outcome, or ambivalent?

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Cool.
Names are hard. What you suggested sound pretty good. Names can also change, and if you find you don't like one of them, you can just say "let's pretend we always called them < ... >" or have them get angry when you use their old name and remind you that "we are now called < ... >, and don't forget it!"

@oopsylon:

Benji, what do you know about the S3 Vampire Lord whose territory your Harbour and Haven are in? Do you deal directly with them? Maybe not since you suggest you try to fly under the radar, so do you they normally reach out via a S2 intermediary? Maybe the S2 looks after the trains and stations in the area, while the S3 (whom you may never have met in person?) operates above-ground (as well)? Or are even the top-tier Vampires confined to the underground most of the time?

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If we assume we are in the general area I linked above (which is close to the palace and a lot of famous London landmarks:), do you know yet which station you would like to call your home? Right there is King's Cross (with its hoards of tourist looking for Platform 9¾), and Waterloo (with its sheer size), and massive junctions like Tottenham Court Road (with people mixing from different lines, and getting lost), and other names we have all possibly heard of.

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

There is a chance we might not locate ourselves there, but we can start thinking about it.

"Don't even dare to come back without the book, and before the offender is dead". Jacob will always remember these exact words. Word for word. What seemed to be a worrying threat from an archdemon turned into his passport for freedom.

The offender was a faerie knight, one who had dared to steal the Akhal'baum from his demonic master. That old tome of forgotten lore included dark rituals for summoning and binding demons, so it could be very dangerous in the wrong hands. Jacob's master, a duke from Hell, commanded him to recover the book and kill Maels, the faerie knight.

When he finally tracked him down, the fight had an unexpected result. Maels' magic misfired, and he was turned into a black raven. Then, Jacob realized he had found a loophole in his orders. Nobody could force him to come back to servitude unless Maels was dead, so he just trapped the raven and stole the Akhal'baum away for his own profit. He decided to open a bookshop to hide both.

Today, what started as a cover, has resulted in a profitable business. Jacob sells antique books and magic relics to the supernatural entities of London, and nobody suspects that the yellow-eyed black raven in a golden cage is really a trapped fae. And Jacob is the first interested that the raven is well and alive, as he's the only assurance for his liberty.

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

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

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

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

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

@gnomius:

Are there other 'imps' in the city? Or are you 'unique'? How many? Common? One of two others?

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

Do note that his does deviate a bit from your Establishment being the thing that keeps you 'free', but we can probably work with this without problems.

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Where is your bookshop? In the bustling city center? Near a research university that makes frequent use of the information contained in your artifacts and relics? In your fancy home? Somewhere else?

Are your artifacts and relics mainly books? What else do you deal in?

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

---

Is your sexual preference an issue that will come up, or are most people fine with it? Basically I am asking if you want such prejudices to be a part of the game and something you have struggle with? It is up to you how much this comes into play.
You can drive how much you want to explore this in the game. Just let us know if you want another potential love interest to come along and we can take it from there. The other PCs are fair game (with their permission), though they may not be quipped to your liking.

Let us know if you want or don't want the other PCs to flirt with you and need to be rebuffed for whatever reason. This can change over time, we are all grownups and can follow the tone. And they may not be interested in you.

---

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

---

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

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

Tell us about them. How and where do you meet? What are they like? Were they with you in Ireland or are they a new contact since you came to London?

London is so big and has so many centuries of history that Jacob knows he can't be the first one who has found a way out. He knows there are more like him in London, but doesn't know the exact amount, perhaps half a dozen, perhaps hundreds. And he only knows one of them personally, Crowley (yes, please allow me this small tribute to Good omens), who is in fact the competitor chosen as complication in my sheet.
Let's say it was 10 years ago, and yes, Jacob is kind of worried, as he doesn't know if the fae-raven will live as long as the fae would have lived in his original form. So he's trying to do some research on that, perhaps even looking for magical rituals that ensure the raven doesn't get old.
Sure! I think it was an interesting twist, and after all, the raven should never leave the magically protected establishment (or at least, that's Jacob's intention).
Near a university campus. However, no mortals ever go inside the shop (save the occasional absent-minded student), as the books there are too old/irrelevant. Mortals often ask themselves how this business is profitable.
Mainly books, but also any relevant magic relics, such as talismans, icons, scepters... you name it.

The S3 Vampire Lord is a man named Elliot Parry who owns a number of hotels and other buildings in the area around the station Benji busks at. He’s been a vampire for only a few decades but his wealth has enabled him to amass a considerable amount of power and influence within the Night Faction during that time. He is outwardly calm, collected, and polite, maintaining a charismatic, professional façade, but underneath it all he is driven by cold-hearted ambition and greed. He resides in the penthouse of one of his hotels and usually deals with Benji in person, sending one of his underlings to fetch him whenever he wants something from him. He finds Benji very entertaining and seems to derive great amusement from toying with him, exercising his power over him to push him around as he pleases.
I don’t think vampires would necessarily be confined to the underground. I imagine that direct sunlight burns them, but staying in the shadows is enough to protect them from that. So if a vampire wants to go outside during the day, they could do it but they’d need an umbrella or something to keep them in the shade which might look a bit strange on a sunny day.
Not sure if it’s outside the bounds of the area we’re interested in but I came across Piccadilly Circus station which is nice and dingy and labyrinthine AND it has a bunch of old hidden unused tunnels (they do Hidden London tours there irl) which seem like a great place to hide a vampire’s haven
Found this virtual tour of the modern station: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=588JZAMUy0s
And a map: https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/picadilly-circus-platforms.jpg
And here’s a blog post with pictures of the abandoned tunnels: https://alondoninheritance.com/under-london/hidden-london-piccadilly-circus/

Wow, those abandoned tunnels are awesome!
Good that we're in London then, not so many sunny days to worry about. :)

Cool. What do you know about their establishment, or do they have different rules keeping them 'free'?

Why do you compete?
So around the same time our Hunter came to town? Any connection?
This could possibly be the subject of one of your Schemes, though maybe not the starting one. Maybe later when you have the time...
Sure, if you say so. :)

There is also the book, so even losing the raven is not the end of the world... or so you, maybe, tell yourself. :)
Sounds like it is on a public high-street?
And that is 'mortals', which are different to Mortalis, the faction. I assume you deal with those-in-the-know.
Noted.

Lots of interesting potential there.
What fun! :)
OK. That is useful.
Sounds good.

Well, yeah. There is a reason the vampires like London so much. :)

I think we are about ready to start introducing our characters, answering the Intro Questions, and sorting out Starting Debts.

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

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

Let's try to give everyone a chance to form a Debt or two before we dump them all in one basket. That said, you don't need (or even want) to 'spread them out evenly', some clumpiness is fun.

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

So Crowley is not a competitor in the magic items business, but in this secondary line. He is a sneaky imp that has been around for many more years than Jacob, and he has some illusion powers, so he used to have the monopoly in the disguise business. He's now angry that a newcomer can provide false identities with more mundane methods (even if sometimes sparkled with some magic from his items).
Not that Jacob is aware of, but who knows... I'd suggest that we play to find out.
Not on a main street, but on a secondary one, quite close to it.
Exactly. ;-)

Good stuff.

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

---

No one in her family or the society. She has the same issues with it that the rest of us have with the bigots and idiots that plague the real world.
If other PCs are the same nature we can figure it out if they have chemistry. Maybe later a possible love interest could come in if that’s not a thing and, of course, Fierna will be somewhere in the background.

---

She made it as clean as she could and her society helped. That was one of her earlier ones and she’s gotten better at not being so showy.
She works closely with them in London. They often have the information that she needs and the jobs that need to be done. She thinks there are at least five in London and she works well with them all. She’s proven herself to be a good hunter.

She works closest with an older woman from London. She goes by the code name Circe and seems to have some bit of magic. Rhiannon started out closely under Circe’s wing and now the witch is more of a contact and confidante at need.

Cool, we can work towards that, as the story sees fit.
Since she is a Status-3 NPC she runs the Faction. That is what makes her S3. (see Faction Leaders on page 250)

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

When was that training? How long have you been a Wizard?
Is that enough time to pick up much magic? How is she doing?
If you are old enough we can look into Grandfathered Weapon laws, but we would need to change this to a long-barreled revolver and remove the 'concealable' tag to make it even vaguely legal.

You are welcome to have an illegal gun, but it will be a source of complications when it crops up in the story.

Does this also apply to the fact that you are a girl and "should be out having fun and not fighting monsters. That is men's work! Damnit!!", or do we not see much gender prejudice in this version of your world?

Being underestimated because you are a cute girl can be a powerful tool.

Guns are a big deal in London. The police don't carry guns and when guns come out they respond in extreme ways. SCO19 will be called in and they do not mess about, they a combination SWAT team and military who don't get to use their toys nearly as often as they want.

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

A long barreled pistol might be legal —under inherited, grandfathered laws— but using it will still bring lots of questions and attract lots of mundane attention. If you want to keep it concealable, you will have serious problems with the law, concealing guns is considered criminal behaviour, but we can deal with those as they come up. Up to you if you want to invite such troubles into your life.

Or HEMA, or fencing. Carrying any weapon around with you is unusual, people probably don't do so unless they have a pressing need. A sword in the street will probably get you stopped by the police and asked questions, just as it would in our world.

So, for the Intro Questions:

 • How did you escape your servitude?
See backstory before

 • How long have you been in the city?
10 years

 • Whom do you call family in the city?
Jacob is a rather solitary guy, he mainly has business relationships only, either with potential clients, with providers, or with competitors. However, he has befriended a couple of university professors, and one of them, Dr. Williams, is the only one he could actually call "friend".

 • Whom do you turn to when you're in trouble?
Rhiannon, as she is my woman on the ground.

 • Whom did you scam that still holds a grudge?
James, an oracle that wanted to buy a seer stone. Jacob thought he had one secured, but his provider scammed him in the first place, so he decided to do the same with his client instead of losing the investment.

I will also start looking at each other Debts and come with a few suggestions. @Ysolde, I'm assuming you're already okay with our previous agreement: "You partner with someone on your schemes, both of you profiting in equal measure. You owe each other 2 Debts."

@Gnomius that works for me

I’ll need:
- Someone helps you unwind and keeps you sane, despite the horrors of your hunts. You owe them a Debt.
- Your hunts incurred the wrath of a powerful person; someone helped smooth things over. You owe them a Debt.
- Someone has enlisted you to protect them from something dangerous. They owe you a Debt.

@Stalker05 and @Oopsylon are any of these something your character might be able to do?

Again, not from her parents or her mentor. There’s probably at least one hunter in the society that feels she’s not special and ought to be doing something more "girly" and, of course, other hunters who aren’t in her society.

Having dealt with such things IRL all my life it’s hard to imagine a modern type would without these issues. If we were doing full blown fantasy that would be different.
There’s a reason I picked a Seax and a chain for Rhiannon’s two hand weapons. Her bow is likely in her car and she can claim she’s in archery club if someone does see it.

@Ysolde: Perhaps Rhiannon’s hunts somehow incurred the wrath of the S3 Vampire Lord whose territory Benji’s harbour is in and Benji smoothed it over?
Or maybe we could just relate this debt ("Someone helps you unwind and keeps you sane, despite the horrors of your hunts. You owe them a Debt.") to this one of my starting debts ("Someone relies on you for their fix. Ask them what you provide that keeps them sane. They owe you a Debt; add them to your Web.")?
Or both?

@gnomius: I can’t imagine Benji was able to make much money busking during lockdowns/covid so maybe Jacob offered him some work on the side during that period ("You offered someone work when no one else would give them the time of day. Ask them if it worked out in your favor. They owe you a Debt either way.")?

@Stalker05: "Someone is your go-to when you get into trouble, providing information or muscle to get things done. You owe them 2 Debts." could work for Benji maybe (vampiric strength can come in handy) but I could also see that being a pretty good fit for Rhiannon… Maybe I’ll wait and see what debts the others want to take from you and I’ll see if I can work with any that remain

Those look good. Let me know if you need me to get involved, or if we need to clarify details about the world to help with interpreting the Debts.

Sold! :-)

For my 3rd and last input, I think it makes a lot of sense that @Stalker05 takes it with Mark: "Someone is a consistent patron or customer of your establishment, regularly relying on you for your services or assistance. They owe you 2 Debts." I'm sure I can be your provider of books, magical components and stuff. :-)

@Ysolde, following our relationship, I think it makes sense that I take this one from your playbook: "- Someone has enlisted you to protect them from something dangerous. They owe you a Debt.", so you can protect me from that demon who wants me back in Hell (be it Fierna or another minion of hers)

For Benji and Mark:

- Benji, I could either be your provider of a regular blood income, or the one who sold you out to one of your enemies. Both go well with the "no-regrets businessman" type of character I have in mind for Jacob. Let me know which one you'd prefer.

- Mark, I will propose you that I take this one from your playbook: "You are helping someone keep a dangerous secret from powerful members of their Circle. They owe you a Debt". So you would be the only one who knows about the true identity of my precious raven. ;-) Perhaps you noticed yourself with your magic powers, that this was not an ordinary raven, or maybe you learned it in other mundane ways, up to you.

@Oopsylon Let’s go with the combo he helps her unwind and relax with some of the leaf. His place is a good place to smoke and just vibe for a while before she has to deal with the world.

@Gnomius love that idea.

@Stalker05 does your character know someone who might fit?
-Your hunts incurred the wrath of a powerful person; someone helped smooth things over. You owe them a Debt.

Sure! I don’t think Benji smokes himself but he’s just happy to have a friend over :)
Great! What do you imagine that work would have entailed? Just miscellaneous errands or is there something specific Jacob needed done?
Either is fine with me! Let’s go with the former unless Stalker05 wants it. @Stalker05 are you interested in either of these debts ("Someone makes sure you get fed regularly, without attracting too much attention. You owe them 2 Debts." or "Someone recently sold you out to one of your enemies. You avoided the worst of the attacks, but your betrayer owes you a Debt; add them to your Web.")?

OK, I'll take the "blood supplier" then, so I'm basically the provider for all of you. :-) Blood for Benji, magical gadgets and books for Mark and weapons, ammo, magical stuff... for Rhiannon.

Makes sense. That fits your Establishment services and your Measure Your Mark Move that lets you know what people need.

I can make some obvious suggestions if you are struggling to come up with work orders.

Oh, sorry, I missed that bit. Well, once again, Jacob always needs people on the ground, so he could have hired Benji for many services: getting info or gossip from the Night Circle, helping him find some artifact in the subway tunnels he knows by heart, etc... I was thinking more about this kind of "mini jobs" instead of a specific mission, but I'm also happy to hear suggestions if anyone has a cool idea.

Okay, sounds good!
That works for me!

Good to hear.
I will let the other players fill you in on their established and outstanding Debts and such.
You can check out the character sheets via the 'Characters' menu at the bottom of the page (red bar). Though we can't see yours or Ysolde's since they have not been 'Added to the Library'.
Yes, gnomius is playing The Imp, Jacob.
The fae start out unknown, they are early game antagonist and you don't have much dealing with them till later. We have not heard from the fae in about 10 years, and your characters don't yet know that they are making a comeback.
Or maybe Mortalis? Cops/law enforcement (the MET)? Rhiannon did leave a politician's head on the dashboard of a taxi [ref] as a statement, she has learned since then not to be quite so showy [ref].
The fact that there is a Debt, now owed, means that Benji forgave you the transgression and understands you had good reasons for doing it. You still cost them, so their forgiveness comes with a Debt to be paid later, but this should not affect your starting relationship (unless you both want it to).

If a Debt text really does not work for the players, we can rework it and find some, slightly similar, reason for the Debt.

Perhaps Mark’s obligations to the Hermetic Order of Solomon led to him selling out Benji in some way? For instance, maybe the order briefly allied with some vampire hunters or something like that? It could have even been an accidental betrayal, if you like - maybe Mark provided some hunters with magic or information that ended up being weaponised against a number of vampires that just happened to include Benji?

@Stalker05 So, powerful fae, wizard or local authorities? Also, if you want Rhiannon to be Mark’s go to when he needs muscle she seems popular for that.

Please check that the Debt Ledge summary looks correct so far.

Also suggest if there are better posts to [ref] link to, in play this will be clearer as there will be a post where things happen and we nail down the Debt instead of this back and forth.

Ignore Alice and Bob, you don't know them...

Sorry to throw yet another thing your way @Stalker05 , but your last remaining debt falls to Benji (Someone tempted your ward away from you and into danger. Ask them what it cost your ward to return to you. They owe you a Debt.) and I was wondering if you had any ideas about that? I was thinking that the S3 Vampire Lord whose territory Benji’s harbour is in might have something to do with it. Maybe he wanted some of Josephine’s fae blood for some reason and pressured Benji into helping him get it?

@gnomius I just realized I never answered the question of whether or not employing Benji worked out in your favour! Let’s say it did, for the most part– Benji was determined not to let Jacob down, so he tried his best at all the odd jobs Jacob gave him and usually completed them successfully

Is that:
"• You are helping someone keep a dangerous secret from powerful members of their Circle. They owe you a Debt."

I believe Jacob was interested in that one? [ref]

I just read that. I think it would be nice, but what exactly is the Raven then?

See Jacob's intro post and reason be being allowed to stay on earth.

That's right, thanks, vagueGM!
Agreed then. :)

@Stalker 05 I'll add it to her debts!

Ok, so according to the handbook, I need to choose:

When you generate a scheme, choose a primary Circle, one of your services, and two complications—the MC will tell you what opportunity you’ve seized upon.

I'll choose Wild, and selling magical stuff as the service. For the complications, let's go with:

- you promised someone involved something you don’t yet have
- you must fool or deceive a powerful and dangerous NPC

All yours to come up with an interesting seed to get us started, boss!

I’m imagining Rhiannon asking just how he got her involved with this…again…

Okay, great!

Maybe Cecil Court, a Dickensian alley just off Charing Cross Road. Near Picadilly Circus where Benji lives? An unvisited bookshop does not seem out of place there. :)


https://www.google.com/maps/@51.5107171,-0.1278002,3a,75y,77.57h,83.42t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sp1qKrW0_qt1fCGpj3_1hDw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu

@Stalker05, do you have any idea where-abouts your home and Sanctum are located? I am just assuming your Sanctum is in your home, if not, where is it? Being near the others can explain why we often work together.

Do you live somewhere trendy and vibrant like SOHO? Or somewhere quiet like the hidden alley of Goodwin's Court.

https://www.google.com/maps/@51.5109429,-0.1265173,3a,75y,246.4h,94.02t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sy4KOKI-o0jzjVYfixx0Hnw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu

@Ysolde, you mention that Rhiannon works as (or masquerades as?) a teacher's aide [ref]. Is this at one college/university in particular or are you peripatetic? What subject do you usually focus on?

There are quite a few universities in the area where we start.

https://www.google.com/maps/search/universities+in+london/@51.5210764,-0.1430398,13z?entry=ttu

This is simply perfect! Exactly what I had in mind!

Finally got the answers to the Intro Questions done! :)

When did you become a vampire? How long have you been in the city?
Benji was turned in 1843 and has lived in London since he was born in 1818.

How do you keep your cravings in check?
Increasingly poorly. Benji genuinely doesn’t like to hurt people but he’s been a vampire so long now that he can barely remember his human life and as he gets more and more disconnected from humanity, it has become harder to control his cravings. He keeps the hunger at bay between feedings by throwing himself into his hobbies—music and books, mostly.

How did you acquire your haven?
Benji has made a secret refuge for himself in the old, abandoned stationmaster’s office hidden amid the disused tunnels at Piccadilly Circus. The stationmaster’s office has been left to deteriorate since the old station shut down nearly 100 years ago so Benji’s haven is a bit dusty and dilapidated and overrun with vermin, but Benji quite likes rats and doesn’t mind the spiders either. Benji stole the key to the office fifty years ago and no one has ever noticed.

What deal are you invested in right now?
Benji is currently most invested in the deal he has made with Jacob — a regular, reliable supply of blood in exchange for a cut of the money Benji makes busking.

Really? Does Jacob need 'busking money'? I thought it was the other way around, that Benji relies on Jacob for money/jobs?

You could always make the 'exchange' be blood for the work [ref] of being his 'person on the ground' [ref].

But if Jacob is struggling for money, that could add a new wrinkle.

---

Outside of lockdown, is Benji a successful busker? Good musos can make a fair bit, and he has had time to practice and get good.

Sorry, that was me making assumptions. I assumed Jacob would want something out of the arrangement and figured money made the most sense? But it’s up to gnomius mostly.

I think Benji was only working for Jacob during the pandemic.
I think he is! He’s been practicing for 200 years so one would hope he’d be pretty good at it hahaha :)

I like the hidden alley location. So, Goodwin's Court will be the place for me.

Cool.

Does Mark know that his place is Cursed? Or is that one of the Secrets he does not know yet? Is that the whole house or just the Sanctum?

Mark knows that the place is cursed and he is trying to fix it as a long term goal. I think the sanctum is a different building. It's like he rented a place close to the Sanctum and is staying there and only visiting the Sanctum when he has learned something new about the curse.

Cool.

Are they both in the same hidden alley? Or not that close?

Queen Mary College and in University it’s called a TA (Teacher’s Assistant) she’s working on her Master’s in History so she grades papers and teaches some classes in Irish History.

OK, so like half an hour away from the others in good traffic?

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Piccadilly+Circus/Queen+Mary+University+of+London/@51.5169933,-0.1252831,13z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m13!4m12!1m5!1m1!1s0x487604d3ff201fc1:0xf08adf0cfb3eb2fe!2m2!1d-0.1342809!2d51.5098597!1m5!1m1!1s0x48761d2f4ebb40dd:0xc0cca7de33120519!2m2!1d-0.0403745!2d51.5240671?entry=ttu

But everywhere in London is 'far away' and traffic is seldom good. :(

It’s 4.5 miles so I expect that Rhiannon either runs (still about 30 minutes) or rides a bike (10-15 minutes) on the sidewalk (yes that’s illegal she doesn’t care)

Sounds good. We can work that into the events.

As I see it, money is probably the only thing Jacob doesn't need. Not that he's rich, of course, but he has a decent middle-class level of life. I thought the other way round: probably is not so easy for Benji to get cash, so Jacob would have hired him to get other kind of stuff: rumours, information, clues about where to find certain object, ...perhaps even helping with some muscle when needed.

Maybe Jacob hired Benji during the difficult lockdown (did anyone even consider how hard that would be on the poor vampires!) and your relationship (and blood supplying) persisted after that?

We know that Jacob has supplied blood to Benji at least twice with 'no payment', hence Benji owes Jacob two Debts. The next time Benji needs blood we will see how that deal plays out. There may be a trade of some sorts, but Debts are the only real currency.

Maybe Benji still keeps an eye or ear out for rumours, information, clues, that might help Jacob. And that act might, sometimes, pay for the blood?

Works for me!

Yeah, that makes sense! I didn’t get the impression Jacob ‘needed’ the extra money or anything - I just thought Benji needed to be offering something in return for the blood
Sure! That works for me as well!

That's what the Debts are for.

We could also have said that those are left over from lockdown, and that Benji now has other ways of getting blood, the Starting Debts text does imply it is ongoing, but doesn't dictate that this is your only source anymore, there are people in the underground again, lots of them. But remember your Corruption Trigger, your supplier is a way around that.

Excellent.

I will incorporate this ongoing relationship into the starting scenario in a few hours.

Any character creation stuff that is still unfinished can be filled in after we start, but obviously won't be factored into the scenario, so we may have to adjust if there are conflicts, but I will try keep it open-ended.

Yeah, that makes sense now! Thanks for the clarification!

Sure thing. That's my job. :)

Where is your house in relation to your bookshop?

Many of these quaint English buildings have businesses downstairs, on the street-level, and the proprietors live upstairs.
Just an option. It would still leave your house empty.

---

Are you going out to have the surprise party for them before they get to you, or are you waiting for them to come to you? They did not seem well acquainted with the map/route, so Benji (and anyone else) can easily make it 'there' first.

That seems like a lovely cozy British thing, and I love it. :)

Answering the rest in the other thread!

Here goes ;)

Intro Questions

♦ How did you discover the supernatural?
She investigated rumors about ‘Blood Dolls’; humans who freely let Vampires drink from them. Was contacted by an actual Vampire who offered her an exclusive interview, after she posted an online ad volunteering to ‘donate her blood’.

♦ How long have you been in the city?
Emma is originally from Bellingham, a small town in the north of England. She moved to London when she was 18, shortly after graduation from high school, to pursue her ex-boyfriend, and her dreams of becoming a writer. That was six years ago.

♦ What mortal commitment keeps you from leaving your old life behind?
Her marriage to David Harper

♦ What mortal aspiration have you given up?
Starting a family doesn't look like the most important thing right now. She has become less and less interested in a stable and secure lifestyle in general, instead favoring the risk and thrill associated with the supernatural. She’s also been involved in dubious, sometimes illegal, activities during her investigations.

♦ What powerful faction or person are you currently investigating?
The Vampiric Court of London. It could probably take decades to get to know every power player on an intimate level, but for now, it occupies most of her interest.

Relationships:

David Harper (A loyal significant other who expects you home by midnight)
David's calm and introspective personality is the perfect counterbalance to Emma’s exuberance. His position at the environmental Health Department in London’s City Hall pays the newlyweds bills – if barely so, but he is fine shouldering the burden while Emma focuses on her aspiration of becoming a published author. His patience and genteel manner are being tested to their limits these days, with his wife’s ‘research’ having her away from the house at very odd hours.

Henry Godfrey (An overbearing ex-partner who constantly worries about you)
Emma emotionally abusive ex-boyfriend from high school is a wealthy financier in London. He broke up with her when he moved to the city to ‘make something of himself’, while Emma stayed behind in their hometown of Bellingham until she graduated. He ignored Emma’s desperate attempts to reach out to him when she too moved to London a couple of years later, but has recently taken a renewed interest in her. He remains the same domineering and haughty self - more so, if anything, and his persistent advances and refusal to accept rejection cast a troubling shadow over Emma’s life.

Noah Thompson (A demanding boss who calls you into work at inconvenient times)
Emma is writing for the Independent’s lifestyle section to make ends meet. Strict deadlines, and little choice about which topics she covers, makes for a very stressful work environment, but as Mr. Thompson puts it, ‘there are plenty of hungry English Literature undergrads ready to take her place’.

Starting Debts
Throwing some ideas here, but I'm not sure if it mashes with your character concepts or not. Let me know ;)

♦ Someone befriended you long before you discovered the supernatural...and purposefully hid its existence from you when it mattered. They owe you a Debt.
Suggesting Benji, because she IS writing a series of books about Vampires, and him withholding information from her seems cruel! How/Why he befriended her I leave to you.

♦ Someone puts up with your questions about the supernatural. You owe them a Debt.
Mark looks like the best candidate for this. He is supposed to be knowledgeable, and she would have little reason to question his motives.

♦ You’re leveraging dirt you have on someone to get their help dismantling a supernatural scheme that targets innocent mortals. You owe them a Debt.
What kind of dirt could she possibly have on Jacob? She's not adverse to applying a little bit of leverage to get him to help her.

Welcome, Delirium! Excited to play with you :D
Sure, that could work! Benji busks at Piccadilly Circus station so, if Emma commutes by train, they might have met there and become friends? Or maybe they live in the same apartment building?

Alternatively, ‘Someone puts up with your questions about the supernatural. You owe them a Debt.’ might work better for Benji since Emma is particularly interested in vampires? If Emma is asking Mark about how vampires work in this world, then I might end up answering the questions anyway OOC and Mark would just be passing the info along. It might be more efficient to give Benji this debt and Mark the other

Good stuff, Delirium.

Do you want your home to be an hours travel away from everyone else? This can make your relationship complications more complicated, especially since you have a husband who wants you back before midnight, and that means you need to leave any nighttime engagements around 11.

For the record, the others are clustered around the small area where the story is focused (the City Hub, as the book puts it). Benji's Haven is in Piccadilly Circus tube station [map], Jacob lives and works in Cecil Court [map] (a quaint alley filled with book shops and such), and Mark is a short distance from there in Goodwin's Court [map] (a hidden alley). All are withing 10 minutes walk of each other [map directions].

It is not necessary, but living close to each other allows events directed at one of us to affect the others, even at odd hours. If you are an hour away then you will not be called to help when things go wrong at 5 in the morning, for instance [e.g.], this is fine, but does change how deliberate we need to be with events so you don't get excluded.

We are not making strong use the new City Hub rules from the book, and even they do not expect everyone to live in the few blocks defined by that area, but it is where most of the activity is centered. Placing your residence outside the main area of activity is a choice, it adds extra separation between your mortal life and the supernatural events, and will make any supernatural events that happen near your home more significant.

How does David feel about this? Does he want kids? Does her want them now or is he willing to wait for you to get over your time-consuming passion?
So naive. More like lifetimes, but you really think you are digging deep into the century-old secrets. :)
Around the time of your marriage? Just wondering.

Does David know about this?

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While it is, maybe, preferred, you don't have to put all your Starting Debts on PCs.

My first thought about your 'befriended and purposefully hid its existence' option is Benji's 'boss', Elliot Parry [ref]. He seems like the type to take an interest in someone writing a book about his kind, and would try to steer you to write what he thinks would be flattering and helpful to his cause. Pity the Debt goes the direction it does, it may have been much more interesting if you owed Elliot than the other way round, could have added some tension with Benji who does not much like his overlord.

Elliot also seems like the sort to learn about and take you up on your offer to 'donate blood'. Did you follow through or was it a ruse to get the interview?

From there you could easily have been fobbed off on Benji once Elliot lost interest.

Benji also has a few willing 'donors', though I don't think he would like the name 'Blood Dolls'. It is, of course, completely up to you guys how you want to put this relationship together.
'Dirt' is a loaded term. We have run into this problem before with the book assuming (or implying) a more antagonistic view than we want. It can be any sort of 'leverage', you can think of it as anything that could trigger the Persuade Move.

@gnomius, @Stalker05, @oopsylon:

Maybe we want to redirect some of the Starting Debts we put on Rhiannon to Emma? Or we can shift around some of those early ones that we have not seen in play to adjust for the lost character. [Debt Ledger].

Well, it's easy to find a lot of shades of grey in Jacob's schemes, so I'm open to anything here, actually. Of course, the most sensitive stuff for Jacob is anything that has to do with his liberty, so Emma could have found out about about the magical raven he's holding prisoner, and leverage that knowledge to blackmail him (althouh I'm not sure if you want that level of confrontation, as vagueGM points out).

Other possibilities include that she knows some dirty trick that Jacob used in one of his schemes, and she used that leverage. But wait, now I think about it, do we really need to define it? The Debt is the other way: Emma owes one to Jacob because he helps/helped her dismantling a supernatural scheme. Does it matter why Jacob got involded in the first place?

@Delirium, any thoughts about which supernatural schem is that, and whether it's still active and we are still fighting agains it?

Well, it's easy to find a lot of shades of grey in Jacob's schemes, so I'm open to anything here, actually. Of course, the most sensitive stuff for Jacob is anything that has to do with his liberty, so Emma could have found out about about the magical raven he's holding prisoner, and leverage that knowledge to blackmail him (althouhg I'm not sure if you want that level of confrontation, as vagueGM points out).

Other possibilities include that she knows some dirty trick that Jacob used in one of his schemes, and she used that leverage. But wait, now that I think about it, do we really need to define it? The Debt is the other way: Emma owes one to Jacob because he helps/helped her dismantling a supernatural scheme. Does it matter why Jacob got involded in the first place?

@Delirium, any thoughts about which supernatural scheme is that, and whether it's still active and we are still fighting against it?

Hmmm, mine is difficult to redirect:
You partner with someone on your schemes, both of you profiting in equal measure.

Rhiannon was protecting my business (and myself!), and I was getting weapons and stuff for her. Not sure is Emma's concept fits in here. She could be one of my providers of information, but I don't think I would be able to provide anything valuable back, as she's probably not interested in magical books and artifacts.

Which is what I mean by 'anything that could be used in a Persuade'. Enough to get him to help but she owes because it scored a 7-9.
It is up to you guys, but, since Emma seems to be a fairly new member of Mortalis, and is still learning about the world, a secret of such magnitude may be unreasonable for her to know, focused as she is on vampires.

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I think that many of them will be hard to redirect. The game does not really cater for losing PCs a few scenes in.

We may just have to suck it up and lose the ones on Rhiannon. In the fiction she has abandoned us and left us hanging, it may be possible to try going to other members of The Society of the Morrigan with her Debts. but that is a stretch.

If any of them work for Emma, or if any of the Debts we have on any of the existing PCs make more sense for Emma then this is the time to redefine them.

Else we can make up a few that do fit, just to get her started.

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It is also fine if she does not know some of the existing PCs, we can quickly come up with reasons to introduce her.

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Since she is a new character, it could make a lot of sense for her Debts to be on NPCs and we focus the next stage of our game on introducing her to the three PCs. This is particularly apropos for The Aware Playbook. I can see that working and being easier than trying to get the PC-PC Debts working.

What do we think?

We deliberately picked a city none of us know. We are making liberal use of google maps and guesswork. We are also choosing to ignore facts that don't fit our image of the world since this is not exactly our world.
You could have inherited a place that you can't really afford, or live in a tiny apartment with undesirable elements. Maybe you are in a swanky area, but no one really wants to live in The West-End with all the theaters or whatever.

A brief panning over the area in satellite view shows some closely packed housing and shops [map], but that turns out to be Chinatown, which might be awkward unless you are into that or David is Asian?

I also ran into many places like this: [map] where they are surrounded on all sides and possibly don't have windows except in the roof. There are all sorts of reasons to be able to get a place in an unexpected area.

Renting a room in a posh neighbourhood can also lead to interesting tension with snooty neighbors.

Just throwing out ideas. It has been helpful to have a pin on the map to draw from, but we can also leave your exact place vague for now.
It is up to you. It can make us focus on connecting your character to the others in play rather than trying to come up with tenuous connections now.
Benji (and possibly Jacob) are about to be summoned to Elliot's place for a meeting. Possibly you are there when that happens and Elliot gets fed up and tasks Benji with getting you out of his hair?
That will make Elliot happier about dealing with you in the future, but he can still task Benji as your point of contact. We can say that you would have owed Elliot even more Debts, but this paid one of them off. You can place more than one of your Starting Debts on the same character, and this bit of fiction does not change those numbers, just adds flavour to what else may have come about.
Note that this site does not tell us if you edit a post while we are busy looking at google maps to formulate an response to what you already wrote, so unless we happen to notice a new point added the new content is likely to be missed, see Don't Edit. Rather just add a new post with the new information so we don't miss it or have to carefully scrub though the post looking for differences.

It is closer to David's work as well... or is that just an excuse. :)
Well, Elliot Parry seems to be established. If you are focused on vampires maybe oopsylon can suggest another vampire? Maybe someone who introduced you to Elliot, his 'fixer' or 'finder'?

Then again, maybe we want something outside of the vampire sphere? Maybe Mortalis? Do you want to suggest anyone? We can make any new NPCs you need, though this game can end up with an overabundance of NPCs if we are not careful and you already brought us three new ones. :)

You can also be connected to some of the PCs if you want. Maybe Mark, for instance, may well be someone you befriended and did not know he was a Wizard. If you go with that, you can work out the details between yourselves and maybe see the reveal onscreen? (For the record, Mark has an assistant, Jena. She is 24, so you could know him though her, but having Debts on her could be weird since she is part of his sheet, same way David is part of yours.)

Scanning my list (which I really should organise and post somewhere), from Mortalis we have:

• Kenedi, a police officer (desk sergeant) who knows a little about the supernatural world and has had peaceful dealings with vampires and people who voluntarily let themselves be fed upon. If you don't connect to her you will quickly do so in play. You can also know her but not have Debts.

• Bev is another interesting option... for reasons I can't go into. She is interested in vampires and let Benji be the first to feed on her just last night. She is a nurse practitioner who may have come to you for answers. I don't think she fits the wording of your Starting Debts, though, but you could have asked her questions about late-night Accident and Emergency (A&E) room visits with strange neck-wounds and found in the end that she was pumping you for information more than you were getting from her (by that time it was a mutual exchange of information, but your Debt is because you started it, and talking about this stuff can get her fired)?

We can use the Starting Debts list as suggestions and make up our own. But maybe you are leveraging dirt on Elliot and keep the 'asking question' one for someone else? This would mean you milked Elliot for information and then turned around and 'blackmailed' him with the facts you learned after he fed on you? Depends on how antagonistic you want that relationship to go.

If you want something more exotic I have some ideas, but am not sure how to introduce them at this time. Do you want a 'museum contact' to help you with your research?

(You can go to the game's forum root and use the Search box to search for those NPCs. For instance: Kenedi or the less conveniently distinctly named Bev which will yield nothing since it can not seach for text that short.): )

I have just looked into it (to see if you may have met Kenedi while undergoing training) and it turns out that tasers are illegal in the UK (and London), only the police are allowed to carry them and only after they have undergone extensive training and evaluation. [ref]

A switchbalde is also illegal, but you can flavour that as a knife of some sort, or upgrade it to a Leatherman or multi-tool and treat it as part of your Kit?

Speaking of Your Kit. Do you carry a significant handbag with all sorts of stuff in it? This is a bit small to be your whole Kit, but I would allow you to Go to you Kit with what could reasonably be in your bag when you don't have access to your car (or wherever you keep you full Kit). Do bear in mind that carrying too much suspicious stuff in your handbag can get you 'looked at by the police'.

It is going to happen anyway, this game does suffer from it, the new book even gives advice on dealing with it (basically kill of a whole bunch or move to new city:). If you wanted an extra one it is no big deal.
Sure. Tell us about it. Particularly: Did Kenedi suit up and join the fray, or did she enlist some police help (possibly diverting a SCO19 (think SWAT) training exercise to the location)? Or was it a community effort or legal proceedings or something subtle?
Can do. If you want to 'mix things up', but might it not be tighter if your character assumed it was vampires, since that is what she knows? Kenedi is in the same boat and will make the same assumption. What was happening might not completely fit how you think vampires do things... because it was not vampires, but you don't know that? Just a thought.

When you learn about 'demons', possible after meeting Jacob, you can put two and two together and sum them to 'demon'. :)
Pronouns can get confusing (even before they made them more confusing:). It can make for clumsy sentences, but I try to avoid pronouns where they might be misconstrued. 'she owes her a debt' could be read either way, and both could 'make sense'. Which way are you seeing this? :)
Yeah, let's focus on the lower levels. You get two Debts that you owe, and one that is owed to you. Other than that, we can make up the reasons for those Debts so they fit. We can use the words on the sheet as guides to the sort of things they should be based on, but don't hobble your character idea by trying to fit the exact wording into what they did.

It looks like we have Elliot, Kenedi, and Bev. Which one do you want to owe you (or which one do you not want to owe:)? I don't think the other two make much difference, but whether you owe Elliot or he owes you will change things. Maybe focus on that one and tell us why and how.
Makes total sense. A fellow believer is not likely to report her for being crazy. Bev has seen things, but your investigations may have brought her more answers than she ultimately gave you.

Gotcha. Create a post in the Debt Ledger to keep a record of your Debts. See the Instructions spoiler and feel free to ask about it here if you have any questions.

I have added them to the top list as well.
Let's maybe leave the exact details a bit less defined than that. It is a strong element to have her 'fabricating evidence', but I also see that is is likely to be a thing that is needed in 'strange cases'.

I would actually like to see her pushed to the point of doing that, so maybe that would have been a better outcome than you got, and that is why the perpetrators 'went underground' instead of being arrested or exterminate? It was still a win, but not as decisive as it could have been? Maybe next time Kenedi's morals may be more flexible?
When did that happen? Recently? Very recently? Just now as we open?

Are you ready to start a scene with Elliot? Benji will be with you shortly.

@oopsylon: What is Elliot's place like? I believe you said something about him being into real estate? Presumably our meeting would be in his penthouse [ref]? Any salient details we should include as we set the scene?

OK. And that was also your first real encounter with vampires? Maybe the Kenedi thing happened before that, while you were still ignorant of if this was real, but you did not 'meet' those 'vampires'? Same with meeting Bev even earlier than that?

How long have you been trying to get an interview with a vampire? How long have you been what would be count as The Aware? Before you became properly aware you were a kook. :)
If a vampire is careful it seems it can be no more invasive than giving blood [ref]. Was Elliot careful? What was it like?
You can make up a lot about what Emma 'knows'...
Most of what being a vampire is like is up to the vampire player. So ask oopsylon.

The Vamp Playbook creates a certain type of vampire, not all the vampires in this world need to have the same limitations or abilities. Same way that other people who are 'aware' of the supernatural (Bev and Kenedi, for instance) are not The Aware as per your Playbook (or any of the Mortalis Playbooks), the Playbooks are purely for Player characters. They do serve as a starting point for the others of their kind, especially for the monstrous ones.

This is what’s been established so far:
I was also imagining that he probably uses the fact that he lives in the penthouse of a hotel to supply himself with as much prey as he likes ( guests occasionally go missing or wake up with headaches and strange wounds, etc). Other than that, I don't have a lot of concrete ideas, so feel free to make stuff up :)

Looking forward to it! ?

Perfect sense. It is up to you just how 'new' you are. You could have been in the world for months —as you indicate— or days or even years.

This seems like a good timeline. We don't need to nail down the exact details, we can address any specifics if we need to in play.
Looks good. [map]

Actually, Bridle Lane does not look all that expensive: [street view]. It is in/near an expensive area, but there may be many reasons it is (barely) affordable for David and yourself. :)

Good day all. Looking forward to join all the craziness I've been reading about. I am working on bringing an Oracle to the Party.

Welcome.

Feel free to submit a character sheet and I will 'approve' it, sight unseen. Make it visible and we can work on the character there when that is convenient.

Most of the character creation will happen in this thread, but having a sheet can help.

Welcome, Verrain! :)

Well let's get started with my intro questions I guess.

How old were you when your visions began?

Malachi's first vision was on his 14th birthday. He touched his first present and he not only knew that it contained the video game that he asked for but he felt his parent's worries about the money it cost and the furious argument they had over a boy his age still enjoying children's things at his age. They would be divorced within the year and he knew that too.

How long have you been in the city?

Malachi has lived in London for about 5 years now. He had led a more nomadic lifestyle before that but his visions and his benefactor led him to set up shop in London.

How did you originally convince your benefactor to trust you and your visions?

Ultimately by being truthful in my foretelling even when it was something she did want to hear. To many around her only shared flattery or echoed what she wished to be. My honesty was a slap in the face but one that spared her scars.

Who seeks to sway you from your service?

That is the one thing my powers refuse to show me and my investigations have failed to uncover. That someone is trying to interfere is obvious but it is always through minions and minor powers with no real knowledge of why they have been asked to meddle in my life. My best guess is enemies of my benefactor but that hardly narrows it down.

What signs hint your prophecy grows near?

It is perhaps no surprise that many of his visions of London occur in the rain but he knows the rain is not natural and that the persistent rain heralds a greater storm. Despite the wet, every roof top seems to have a raven or crow, gathering in anticipation of later feasting. Malachi can feel London is on edge in every stone his touch lingers on for too long.

How old are you now? Roughly? I.e.: Roughly how long ago was this?
Are you still in touch with your parents?
Where did you grow up? Another large city? A rural community? Does it matter?
How extensively have you traveled? Abroad?
Even before you came to London?

Does actually being out in the rain help? Or is it more about the mood?
Interesting...
Since when?

The persistent rain has only been a few weeks. Has this feeling of impending doom been bothering you for longer than that?
When you are ready we can talk about your Benefactor and iron out the details.
Maybe you knew Jacob? His shop dealt in old books and such. With him suddenly absent, maybe that creates a link to Benji who is 'looking after the shop while it is closed'? Or maybe we don't bother with that connection?

Whether you knew Jacob or not does not affect how you wish to introduce your character to the group. It could through that connection; or it could be because you had a vision about one (or both) of them; or it could be that they come to you, looking for your help. Whatever tickles our fancy can easily work to get you into play when the time comes.
Can I ask why you selected Dual Loyalty for your second Move? Having a second Circle association can be useful, but, just so you know, the City Move stuff is not going to come up very often. We can leverage that in the fiction as greater influence over what is happening to compensate, but that is mainly flavour text, so no promised you will get the full benefit from that Move.

I am always generous with allowing changes to these starting picks (Moves, Stat allocations, whatever), so long as they have not had a measurable impact in the story. So, if it does not work out, you may be able to swap this Move for another down the road.

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Remember that you add 1 to a Stat and Circle Rating as part of the Character Creation.

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Do you need anything from me or the other players? There is no rush and we don't want to nag you, but we also don't want you to feel like you are being left out in the cold. Let us know how much input and involvement you want, at each step of the process.

How old are you now? Roughly? I.e.: Roughly how long ago was this?

I was picturing him as early thirties so about 15 years ago.

Are you still in touch with your parents?

Email and social media contact mostly. They tend to keep their distance lest I glimpse their future again.

Where did you grow up? Another large city? A rural community? Does it matter?

He was raised in Manchester near the area known as Little Germany. His family were German Jews that fled to England just before WWII broke out. His grandmother's visions played a role in that.

How extensively have you traveled? Abroad?

Malachi has spent more time abroad than in England since he finished school. He started in Germany tracking down where his family used to be and kind of spiraled about Europe from there.

As for the visions, I see I explained poorly. His visions of the future that are tied to his big destiny center on a rainy London. At first, this did not seem unusual but over time, Malachi realized that the rain in his visions was the same long storm and that it was somehow unnatural. So when the persistent rain started, Malachi started looking for other signs that this is THE storm from his visions. The feeling of doom started shortly after the rain.

I have no objection to having the missing Jacob as a point of contact.

I chose Dual Loyalty because I like the idea of Malachi being a paranormal investigator as was a given example. I like the notion that the GM can drop mortal problems in my lap as needed to direct the story. And the mechanical usefulness of double Circles was there as well.

If I didn't do Dual Loyalty, I would switch to Foresight. I don't really want to be a mind reader with Skim the Surface and we agreed on staying away from Soothsayer.

As for my Benefactor, I was wanting it to be one of the Wild. I like the idea of having ties to three out of four Circles and since everyone else seems to have gone Vampire I thought I might buck the trend.

I am open to what kind of Prophecy I have seen for my Benefactor. I am leaning toward "They alone can destroy a uniquely evil foe within their own Circle" but all of them sound cool if there is a better one that fits behind the scenes stuff.

Strengths: They speak truthfully and honor their word (Rare in a fae and the fact that I am truthful about my visions earned their respect), They wield significant supernatural power.

Flaws: They are at war with powerful enemies. They are madly in love with you.

I've also got some Starting Debts to work out,

 Someone helps decipher your visions with unique insights. You owe them 2 Debts.
 You had a dark vision about someone, but gave bad guidance. You owe them a Debt.
 Someone interfered with your destiny. They owe you a Debt. Tell them if you’ve forgiven them—they owe you another Debt if
you still hold a grudge for their actions.

Either of the PCs want one of those to be them?

There are no Fae in England. They are off the table.

Unfortunately the composition of the player character choices at the start defined a low Wild game, and much of the current story centers around that lack of Wild (though the characters don't know that, yet).
Agreed. That is a cool idea. We will need to work something out, though. So far none of the Wild that we have really fit as Benefactors, but we can make something that does.

• We have The Statues of Parliament Square (and other statues all around London), but they are mainly passive observers.
• The Servitors are constructed people, but they appear to be mainly servants, and not really Benefactor material.
• We heard rumour of a Dragon in the Thames, but that was linked to a PC we don't have anymore, and the dragon was insular and not involved. There may be something we can do there, but it feels a little hard to make this work. If you really want it, we can see what we can do.
• The Night Sisters are Wild (don't let the name confuse you, and Benji is about to see them shortly). They are mysterious and we don't know a lot about them yet. They seem to be intent on destroying dangerous artifacts. We can work something out there, if that catches your fancy?

Being as you are (somewhat) Jewish, maybe a shem powered 'golem'? Full of ancient secrets but needing help to act in this world?
That is very sad.
Cool!

So it is hereditary? Maternal or paternal grandmother? Does it matter? Are male seers as common as female ones?

Does it often skip a generation? Maybe it used to be common for these things to do that, because two many seers at the same time leads to wars and schisms?

(Yes, I know it should be 'too' Don't @ me! :).
Not at all. It is my job to take what you say and build on it, to ask probing questions.
Cool. We may find that, after we resolve the current rain issue, that what you thought was your vision of doom was just the harbinger... (up the stakes for the sequel after the end of season 'save the world'. :)
It is there as an option, as is Beji's imminent meeting with Amira (speaker for the Night Sisters, and who they represent). If we can bring your character in based on their visions and they own abilities, that would be cool, but we have options if that does not end up working.
Sounds good. That is fiction, so you could, of course, do that anyway, but it is stronger —even in the fiction— if it is mechanically backed up as well.
OK, good. Me too (as a player). But I did not want you suffering the 'downsides' with only seldom 'mechanical benefits'. Some Moves give extra options when used with a Circle you are part of, so there is always that benefit.
You can always pick it up later. Foresight might help more later when we have higher Stats and will be rolling more 12+s, anyway.
Fair enough.
Cool. Don't tell anyone (it's a secret), but we have a fairly uniquely evil foe in the form of the Fae (Wild) who are threatening (and actually attacking, but they are subtle, so people don't know this yet) London (and England).

I am always dubious about 'they alone' and such, but they have a special, vital function.

Your listed Benefactor Strengths and Weaknesses could well fit the power behind the Night Sisters. If you want to go that route we can talk about it and reveal details. Else I can see ways to make this work with a 'rabbi-golem' or something similar.
You can put more than one on someone. They can even all go on the same character, though that is probably not ideal and spreading them around has benefits.

If the other PCs want any of these, and we don't start with them already knowing each other, we can make these happen around the time we introduce your character. It is also possible that they don't know about this, they might help you decipher your visions without having met (weak I know), or you might have given bad guidance through someone else, and they might unwitting interfere with you.

We can also take the general shape and number and make up our own reasons.

We can also take a look at Benji's and Emma's Starting Debts and see if any of the ones assigned to absent PCs should be transferred to the new PC to give them a boost.

Re My Benefactor: If the Night Sisters are weird, mysterious and inscrutable, then it sounds like a good fit. Having said that, a golem living among the statues of London acting because the rest of Statues will not has a nice ring to it. I would be happy with either so let's go with GM excitement level as the tiebreaker.

Re Family History: Family lore claims that we are descended from the biblical Malachi and that prophets arise in our family line as they are needed. No one in the family really believes that these days but it is known that members of the family do manifest these powers from time to time.

I will wait for Benji and Emma's input on the debts. I think I would prefer to be a known quantity to both of them at the least.

I could make either of the other two work, I think. For the 'unique insights' one, Benji has lived in London for 200 years so he knows the city very well. It's possible Malachi could use his help to identify obscure locations or factions within the city that feature in his visions? Otherwise, we could come up with some way that Benji (probably inadvertently) interfered with Malachi's destiny.

All of Benji's starting debts are available, if any of them are of interest to you:
• Someone makes sure you get fed regularly, without attracting too much attention. You owe them 2 Debts.
• Someone relies on you for their fix. Ask them what you provide that keeps them sane. They owe you a Debt; add them to your Web.
• Someone recently sold you out to one of your enemies. You avoided the worst of the attacks, but your betrayer owes you a Debt; add them to your Web.

Could be. The golem need not be a statue, it could have evolved to being near flash-and-blood, or anything else we choose. I was just looking through the available options for Wild and saw the Vessel Playbook. Maybe take a look at that experimental Playbook as to what a golem Benefactor could be like, if you want it.

This is so true. :)

I am not sure, but maybe this 'bad guidance' was what started you on your self-destructive path all those years ago? I not sure that really fits, though, just a thought.

Maybe, given your penchant for 'interfering with others, in their seat of power', you, inadvertently, cause ripples in the fabric of Malachi's visions can take the third one? Just a thought, would need some workshopping.

I was, beriefly, surprised by this. But, yes, all your starting friends are gone. :(

This is an awkward aspect of US, it does not lend itself to drop-in-drop-out as well as other city-games. Reassign them if it works, focus on what the new player gets from it since you have had time to build up more Debts during play.

The example Starting Debts seem focused on new games, and don't all quite work when introducing new characters that the others don't know. We can tweak —or completely rewrite— them, as needed.

Yes, we can focus on generating new, 'organic', Debts with the new players in play, instead of trying to shove the Starting Debts into our line-up.

@Verrain, if the Starting Debts don't immediately grab you or the other players, we can assign them to NPCs and just remember to get some inter-PC Debts going in play. Emma ended up with all NPCs as well [ref].

The book repeatedly entourages players to use the Debts mechanic between themselves, but it is hard after the decades training us to work as a party... I have seen this come back to bite players later, when the Advancement slows to a crawl after they have exhausted all the Put a Name to a Face they can do when all the NPCs are new. In the late-game, Debts are one of the main drivers of Advancement.

Hello all! I will be bringing Lillian, The Imp, to the party. I've created the sheet and submitted it to the game.

Welcome, Drgwen! :)

yay! OK Starting questions...
Lillian was one of the Lilu, femme demons of ancient Sumerian and Babylonian religion. She served Lilith, tempting mortal men and persuading them to sell their souls so their mortal dreams come true. Desiring freedom, Lillian eventually tricked one foolish young man into trading his soul for Lillian's freedom. Lillian executed the contract subtly enough that her master Lilith failed to notice until it was too late -- Lillian had won her freedom, at the cost of a doomed mortal soul.
Lillian has been operating in the city for some time, building connections to support her Establishment. She runs a prestigious, invite-only speakeasy-style piano bar called The Devil's Advocate.
Lillian's expert staff are her chosen family. They include the master mixologist Crowley, a minor demon in service to Lillian; Angelica, an entertainment director who meets the needs of the clientele, no matter how esoteric; she claims to be the child of a wayward angel; and Circe, a siren with an entrancing voice.
Lillian secretly prays to Inanna, the Babylonian goddess of sensuality, love, and political power. She knows the idea of a demon praying to a divine goddess is absurd, yet she does it anyway. When her troubles are more mundane, though, she confides in her friend Janessa, a mortal police detective who sold her soul to Lilith in exchange for a cure for her son's cancer. Janessa was willing to damn herself for eternity for her child, and Lillian was happy to help her do so. For some reason, Janessa sees Lillian as a friend, so Lillian takes advantage of her empathy to get help. Lillian might be slowly learning what it means to be a friend from Janessa, too.
Well, Lillian's former boss Lilith doesn't like being tricked, so that's a thing. Since arriving in the city, though, she did scam a former competitor out of his business, which is now the Devil's Advocate. She and her three associates, Crowley, Angelica, and Circe, conned him out of the deed and he wants it back. His name is Octavio Lanza.

I have accepted the character. I have not looked at it, we can sometimes deal with the details more easily when we have sheet to work with. Character creation is a collaborative process.

The other players currently can not see your sheet. To make it visible to others, you need to Add it to the Library by marking the grey 'note' icon that says "Add to Library" on your character list. Red means others can see the sheet.

@Drgwen:

Have you looked through what we already have in the game? Else we can talk about how to make your ideas fit. Some of your ideas may need a little tweaking, and we will adjust the world to match the new characters.

Lillian seems to be in a very different strata of society to all the others. This could make integrating them into the group challenging.

The type of establishment you describe also has the tendency to isolate that character from the world, expecting the world to come to them, and not forcing them to go out into the world to engage. This is often the source of such games fading (for The Maestro d' style characters, if you will pardon harking back all the way to the OG Apocalypse World:). I always encourage players to find ways to get their character out of their Establishment as much as possible. When creating a fresh world, we can make it center around the Establishment (in the Hard-Hold, ...), but, even then, most of the game happens outside the Establishment.

In an already-established world (and party), we will need to work to make this an important place to everyone playing. I can see ways to do that, but would prefer to have the character, rather than the Establishment, be the thing that brings the PCs together... or at least, the thing that keeps them together if the Establishment is what originally brings them.

None of the other characters (I don't know about Malachi) would have the economic ability to come to a 'prestigious, invite-only' place like what you describe. :)

I apologise for leaving you in the dark. We do not want to overwhelm you till you are ready to start chatting. Maybe talk to the other players a bit, and get a feel for what we have and what we are doing and how your new character could fit, currently they seem to have materialised, whole-cloth, without collaboration.

The character might need a few tweaks. Some aspects might be more aspirational than actually real. For instance: 'she claims to be the child of a wayward angel; and Circe, a siren with an entrancing voice' are mainly for advertising purposes. :)

I suppose that Crowley is a common name for demons, we can work to avoid or enhance confusion over these two characters [existing Crowley [seach]]. :)

First, thanks for the detailed feedback! It’s really helpful. I read the After Arundel thread and a bit elsewhere, but I clearly missed some context from an earlier threads.

I’m tempted to give you Lillian to use as an NPC and make a new character from scratch. I had a few ideas when I went to make her, so let me propose two others here in brief and see what people think.

The Tainted
Persephone was a Stanford grad working in the tech sector. She and her best friend had formed a startup. She had invested all she had in it, so when her 'friend' took the money and disappeared, she was devastated. A certain entity came to her then, when she was at her lowest. Now she other things to worry about. She arrived in town recently to complete a job, so she’s sticking around for a while. What awful business will her master demand of her next?

The Wolf
Selene is an anarchist punk who lives on the streets. Recently arrived in town, she has laid claim to a stretch of neighborhood in a rough part of town, filled with squatters, gangs, and abandoned industry. She most wants to join , or build, a pack, but she’s not the easiest person to get along with and she tends to have a problem with authority. Will she find the right people before the wrong ones find her?

And thank you for the affirmation. It is so hard to get tone right in PbP, and I am glad it did not come across wrong. :)
Yeah, that is going to happen. We obviously don't expect you to read all the ...wow... 2176 posts (by scrape-math).

We really need a summary, and I have been meaning to put together a NPC list since the start (my notes are a mess:).

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As Delirium points out, Emma is a struggling writer, and Benji blew hundreds of years of savings buying her dress for a swanky soireé a few nights ago (with the expectation of being reimbursed before his patron vanished, leaving him in the lurch). So that is the scale we are working on. Our previous Imp had a small bookshop as his Establishment, for instance.

We can make Lillian work, but it would mean retooling a lot of the flavour of the story. That sort of place would also result in an explosion of NPCs, changing the low-level feel of the world and discovery we have had so far.

Note that this world-flavour was purely because that is what we ended up with based on the original PCs, so it is not sacrosanct, the game shapes itself around the PCs, they are what is important.

It just might be hard to connect the existing PCs with Lillian, as you describe her. It would not take much to do so, or to bring her in line with the sort of power-level we already have. We can make it work.
No thank you, if she does not fit as a PC she does not really fit as an NPC.

However, all players are encouraged (asked and expected) to make NPCs, so, no matter what you end up playing, you could always bring her in if she seems appropriate to the events.
Only if you want to. We can work together to make Lillian fit into what we have, adjusting both. But, if you are happy to talk with the group about other options before deciding, that we can discuss all three (or more, if you have them:).
Both of these are a bit more ... militant than what we have, but that is fine. We have only had two 'fights' so far in this game, and they occupied less than a dozen posts. We started out with a demon Hunter, so we opened with some demons who ended up attacking. Then we heard about a Hell-Hound in the subway system, but when we encountered it, the demon Hunter set about trying to learn how to befriend and tame it.

If you go Tainted or Wolf, we will realign out game with a bit more fighting, to keep them relevant, but it will never be a huge part of the story.

Also: We are in London, in England. No one has guns, and we even discovered that Tazers® are illegal for civilians and the few cops that get to carry them only do so after receiving special training. There is a lot of restrictive legislation around owning swords and such as well, so any weapons will be a challenge. This actually makes both the Wolf and the Tainted good choices for fightery types, since they both have significant abilities to fight without need to carry 'weapons'.
We could make this Tainted work. With her being new to town we could link that into current events and have there be 'reasons' her Dark Patron had her come here, now.

We can also link her to Emma through the demon summoning/worshiping cult Emma has just (unwittingly) stumbled into. This demon could be your Patron or a rival, whatever works.
There are currently 'no werewolves in London', but that was just because we had no Wolf players and it fitted with the story, it is easy —and apropos— to bring them back with the future-current-events.

If you play this, I will reveal some lore to your character as it comes up. We have already heard reference to 'the werewolf wars' [ref], so this is fresh in some people's memories... but 'some people' are older than they seem, and memories are long.
Do you want to be alone in London: freshly arrived, but not all that freshly a Wolf? Or do you want to be freshly a Wolf, having been turned by the one remaining werewolf hidden in town? These are different stories (both about aloneness), and present different challenges. We can do either, as you like it, or something else. We can talk about these options.

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If the Imp is your first choice, we can make it work, either by toning down the 'power level' in the fiction to bring it line with- and into reach of- the other characters, or by doubling down on the class disparity and making that a even bigger part of the story.

Let's see what they other three players (yes, @Verrain, I am including you) think of the options. But you have the ultimate say in which character you play.

Ah, I think there's been a bit of a misunderstanding. I have zero interest in combat in Urban Shadows.

For example, my Tainted, Persephone, would be more like a soulless corporate drone doing her boss' dirty work. She's the one that shows up to evict people, or seize the family business that had fallen behind on its payments, or any other awful evil corporate activities. For me, the Tainted is all about working for someone evil while trying to maintain a shred of humanity. Her demon form is gonna be for intimidation purposes more than anything else. Similarly, the Wolf is more about protecting the neighborhood than fighting.

And I like both hooks you suggest, connecting my Tainted to Emma via the ritual, and my Wolf to the one existing werewolf left in town.

I think I would prefer to go forward with Persephone, but I'll wait to hear from other players before moving forward.

Fair enough. There should still be enough in those Playbooks to support that sort of play-style. They are both primary-Blood playbooks, and many of their options deal with fighting (the Tainted might be the only way to get permanent Armor in this whole game:)
There is no easy way for us to know that you have edited a post after we have read it (and are checking the rulebook, maybe), this can lead to missed points (of the: "Oh, and most importantly, I forgot to say: ..." type of point which is then missed:).

Rather than editing a post, just add a new post with the further content. This way the site notifies us about it and it is easy for us to see what is new. See Don't Edit.
Fine by me, but only if you want to take them over Lillian. We can make any of them work. Let's see what the others say.

Well, Persephone doesn’t WANT to do evil. Her problem is, she is trapped doing so. The Tainted is a tragic character. I mean, don’t you know people in the real world who are good, but work for evil companies, because they have to so they can support themselves or their kids? It’s the same idea.

Look, what makes Urban Shadows interesting to me, and most PbtA games really, is that the characters are flawed and complex, often tragic. They are not two dimensional — this isn’t Vampire, where everyone is dark and edgy, but it also isn’t Monster of the Week, where there are clear good guys and bad guys, and you are the good guys.

Persephone is fundamentally a good person, or she’s trying to be, but she’s trapped. Same with Selene. And the same with Lillian! She’s a demon trying to be better. And her struggle would be trying to survive while figuring out who or what she wants to become now that her fate is her own.

I’m becoming concerned that this game has enough lore and history that only a very narrow character concept would fit, to be honest.

Like, the characters don’t have to like each other. They can hate each other! This isn’t D&D where we’re like found family. This is a game of social capital, of debt and manipulation and politics. But it might be that my conception of this game differs too much from your all’s to fit. I’m not sure yet.

What do y'all think?

Yeah. Even our Vamp is pretty much a 'good guy'. People struggle with the darker side of Urban Shadows, and often view Corruption as a thing to be avoided, or ignored in play, and sometimes lose connection with their characters when they get too Corrupted. This weakens the appeal of the ruleset.

Emma has racked up some Corruption already and will soon need to take a Corruption Advance (which tends to accelerate the Corruption). Maybe she needs to be dragged down into the gutter and learn that being in denial about the bad stuff can not last?

You don't have to be friends, but you do have to work together. The Tainted is a tragic figure, (hopefully) trying to be good, but compelled to do bad things. Emma freely associated with a vampire lord who she knows killed people (just so he can eat), and had no real redeeming qualities. I am sure she can be persuaded to work with a character like the Tainted, even if we have to put effort into making that work. It can be fun to play out the developing relationship, it does not need to be easy.

It would be simple enough to make the cult into the 'bad guys' that drive the two characters together, possibly out of mutual desire for their destruction.

We could also arrange a preexisting relationship between Emma and Persephone? That could give them a reason to need to work together. (One wonders why Emma will not talk about her family. :)

Or our Oracle might force them to work together for reasons that both can accept, even if only grudgingly.

I’m happy with all of what both Delirium and Vague have said here! I’m not interested in PvP, just tension and emotional conflict. Persephone was an A student, rising star before her world fell apart and she made a single horrible decision. Maybe Emma knew her from before? All Emma knows is that her old friend Persephone went to Stanford for grad school and hoped to debut a hot new art app, but it fell thru and now she has taken a high paying, cut throat corporate job.

That’s perfect! Did you have a school in mind? Say, LSE? Or maybe Cambridge or Oxford? Persephone was a creative person, writing, doing electronic art, and also designing video games and apps. She was definitely ambitious, but always friendly, so that would work!

Hey @Drgwen! Haven’t had much time to respond but I just wanted to chime in and say I’ve liked all of your ideas so far and I’m happy to work to incorporate any of them. Benji likes to be friends with everyone and anyone so there shouldn’t be any problems there. Benji is a vampire and a violinist, who has busked on the streets of London for a living for the past 200 years. His Harbour and his current favourite spot to play is at the Piccadilly Circus tube station.

He is currently helping a friend who found a mysterious magical artifact washed up on the shores of the Thames, helping Emma protect an acquaintance of hers from another vampire, and trying to find a missing book for a sentient statue to finish up a scheme on behalf of the previous Imp.

Lovely! Well maybe the job that has brought me back to London is related to one of this issues?

@vagueGM , feel free to assign whatever motivation to my Master you like. Though I would imagine they are the kind of demon who is *really* good about seeming to be a good guy until it is too late. Like, they probably are really good at luring in people with good intentions, you know?

Oops! Yes, I see that in the guidelines. Will do!

How about University of London? It's a good school, centrally located. Persephone was an art/comp sci double major.

I had leveraged everything -- my parents' retirement, angel investments from powerful and dangerous people, my reputation, everything -- for my startup. When my "friend" Meredith disappeared with the funding, I panicked. A friend I'd me recently offered a way out and, in a moment I have replayed in my mind every day since, I took the offer. Stupid company failed anyway.
I arrived last month and took care of some time sensitive work. Now I'm told I'll be working here for a while, so I might as well get comfortable. I lived here during college, after all.
Archibald Charlesworth III. He is the senior agent working for my patron here in the city. He is a million years old, distantly related to the royal family, and absolutely intolerable.
Hedonism and dissociation, mostly. I blow mad money shopping, indulge in vices at clubs and bars, or stay home in my PJs and eat pints of B and Js while binging shows.
A friend. A real friend. One over whom I don't have power and who doesn't have power over me. Just... a friend.

Given that we have a Tainted PC, we might not go with Fiendish Underlings as the reward. It was amusing when we had no other demons, but now that we have the actual Playbook it is stolen from that is a little tricky.

@Drgwen: As part of the ex-Imp's End Move, Benji is finishing the active Scheme and getting the Payout, only a couple of Payouts make sense for a non-Imp, and —being unfighty as are— we were not too keen on Arsenal, and +1 Circle —while possibly the most appropriate— seemed a bit boring. This is less interesting now that we have have demons in the game.

What do you think about the Vamp getting your class feature Fiendish Underlings? It could get messy —both in the rules and in the story— and I tend to make my players talk about it before taking (or getting) things from another Playbook that is in play.

I would only go with this option on a few conditions.
• First: That you think it would be more fun for you to have some outsider have demon's serving them.
• Second: That this would not influence your choice to take that Advance yourself.
• Third: That I still think it would be more interesting.
  • (I am actually thinking a "what do I need an Arsenal for?" type reward might be the way to go, and it makes some sense in the upcoming story. Even if we don't use it for fighting, it can bring social capital.)

@oopsylon: It is your reward. What do you think.

Accepted, without review. Most of the juicy stuff is in these threads.

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No worries. Different games have different expectations, and some feel it bad manners to post more than once in a row (waiting for someone else to post before they can continue their interrupted thought):. I have found it better manners to make sure everyone can understand what is being said and not to worry about number of posts. The guidelines are there because not everyone thinks that way, so you can't be expected to know them, or to not forget them and fall into old habits later and need reminding. :)

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More likely related to the overarchring Fae-Rain-issue.

But you don't know the reasons. Is this unusual or are you normally just told what to do without explanation?
• Will your DP learn that you can operate better if you know more? Or are they too set in their manipulative ways?
Cool. Will do. We will talk about it in more detail as it comes up.
Until it comes up in the story we don't really need to define these sorts of details. If/when they become important we can learn the detail. Feel free to define as much as you want, though, if it helps the character development or you plan to call on those contacts, or whatever.
Much more important than the school, after all. :)
Possibly —though not necessarily— with overlapping writing classes with Emma. Similar interests at least.
Late parents? Or are they still around as a burden you need to get off your back, or support?
'Friend', you say? 'disappeared' you say? 'they manipulate their friends, allies, and enemies alike' you say? ... Hmm... GM scribbles notes... Pay no attention to the person behind the screen... :)
Coincidentally around the time the rain started? (A few weeks ago, end of last month.)
Do you actually report to him, or does he just like to throw his weight around with you?
Do other people find him 'intolerable' or is that just you seeing through his mask?
Hyperbole? Could you 'live' forever, too?
Emma is a shopaholic, too. I wonder if she will be too proud to accept your treating her?
I hate to 'solve' these starting issues right off the bat, but I know someone who could be that... for a while. :)

It does not make much sense for Emma and Persephone to have been in (much) contact before now. We would have heard about it.

Maybe we introduce Persephone as she makes contact with her old friend from college?

Has Percephone met David? Was she too busy to make it to the wedding?

Hmm, interesting. I think it might lead me to characterize my own fiendish underlings (if I should ever get some) very differently than Benji's, if he ends up with some. Like maybe his look like classic little imps (small, red skin, goat hooves, bat wings) but mine look like soulless office worker drones. That sort of thing. And if you can't tell, I am really leaning into the trope that hell is actually just a dystopian office job working for an evil faceless omnipresent corp.

So if he wants them, it isn't a problem for me.

I get the feeling that Persephone is still fairly new at this and this is kind of her first big solo field assignment. But no, she is not normally informed of the why. Just the who, what, where.
Maybe they are back in the states, in New England, and Persephone is trying to keep up appearances with them that she just has a normal corporate job. The successful daughter. etc.
Sure! And if it ends up that my demon patron is or wants to be involved in that issue, it would make sense. But that's above my pay grade, so to speak.
I think he is trying to make sure the new girl -- a yank, if you can believe it -- "knows her place." He is a cruel bully, either by nature or because of his "line of work."

I think the demon patron likes to give us Tainted folk jobs that degrade our morality, eventually turn us to willing accomplices. But they do it over a very long time, so it's gradual, and you never really protest. Archibald is probably what Persephone would be like in 100 years.
Unknown! Unnaturally long life is definitely on the table, Persephone knows that. She's met other agents that have worked for her patron for many decades, or more. But forever? That's a long time.
I'm not sure Persephone would give her much choice! She's probably becoming the kind of person who struggles to show affection in any other way besides throwing money at them. it gores with her gradual loss of empathy, which is what happens to all of us when we are treated poorly in a workplace for long enough.
I don't know what this means but I am happy to find out! And don't worry, I am very good at generating more problems and trouble and needs for my characters!

Yeah I don't think Persephone was planning to reach out to old friends until she realized she was gonna be staying. Easier to avoid seeing them entirely, after all. I definitely think she was too busy -- that was probably when her life was on fire and she was at her lowest. She feels awful about ghosting the wedding, but hasn't found the courage to say or do anything about it yet.

Good place to start.

Do she have any idea that she is working for a demon, about how bad it will get? Surely she 'knows', deep-down, inside, but she could still be in denial?
Cool. Being new, we can work on changing this later if it suits the story better.
It is the 'season plot-thread', so simplest to make it about that, rather than something else that may be solved before we are ready. No reason not to involve the other side-threads as well, but the Lizabeth-artifact one could put you at odds with the other PCs, so we will be very careful about that one.
Are there a lot of you guys? Mainly in the States where that sort of thing goes on all the time?
'Emma', it means Emma, sorry, not much more going on there.
You are playing Urban Shadows, that's in the rules. :)
Do you reach out? Or do you bump into each other at random?
We can work out dates, but you may have been 'on fire' for a while before you (recently?) made your bargain?

Drgwen: Persephone's sheet looks good.

You do need to define your Demonic Jobs. Should we turn this into a list with checkboxes ? Do you want me to do that on your sheet? (If so, let me know when. We don't want to edit at the same time, or we will lose data.)

What do you look like when not in Demon Form? I assume the portrait on the sheet is not your 'regular look'?

I think she knows. She is trying to tell herself it won't be that bad, that her demon patron actually does help people, when literally no one else could. To get what they want, though, they eventually have to lose everything. She knows it. She just tries not to think about it. She hasn't lost her humanity yet, but she can feel it is in danger.
lol Actually, Urban Shadows aside, Yes, it does! Seriously though, I think she was trained by a senior agent, met a few other junior agents, and so on. Like a global corporation with satellite offices, or like a lot of sales work looks: Working mostly with "clients", but occasionally talking shop or collaborating with a co-worker.
I think it might be poignant if they run into each other at coffee shop or something and Pers is like, Oh yeah I've been meaning to call you, etc. but she is ashamed because she ghosted, etc.

Feel free to update the sheet! My forum-fu isn't amazing, and I assume yours is much superior! Checkboxes might be nice, sure, as well as place to add a description or notes or something about the current jobs?

I imagine she is the person that actually arrives with the demonic paperwork, who makes sure all the forms are signed in triplicate, with blood and smoke rituals performed correctly, etc, so that the deal is binding. She then arrives for other contracts at the agreed upon date to collect their souls. This does not mean executing people, however; perhaps it simply means reminding them of the deal they struck and then her patron sucks them down to hell in a vortex of hellfire or something. So she just has to watch. Once the deed is done, she fills out and submits the paperwork.

And yeah, I can swap hat out for her "normal" look if that's easier.

Cool. Do you have any ideas about how your deal was made? Crossroads at midnight? Corporate offices? Mountains of fine-print-paper-work? Etc?

Maybe we learn this when you —finally?— tell Emma (or whoever) the tale?
Sounds awful! Positively hellish.
Let's arrange that then.

Later 'tomorrow', maybe? If you are ready to start. Emma has a busy day, so it may be a bit rushed, which is good, letting you get on with your job.

Later tonight (we ignore 'midnight is tomorrow complications' as they complicate things)? Maybe after Emma meets with the vampire hunter. That way Benji is there too and introductions can be made...

... awkwardly since Pers isn't going to say "By the way: I work for demons" and Emma isn't going to say "By the way: he is a vampire", it may take a while for you to learn the other knows the supernatural world exists.
Done.
And done.

Updated the template as well.
Not 'easier', use whichever you think best captures the character, and how you want us to picture Pers when we think about her. You can change it anytime (though it changes for all past posts, and can get confusing if done too often).

We don't need to do a slow burn discovery that you are both 'in the know', it is just an option.

We could have Pers take a risk —needing to tell someone— with Emma: "You know those books you write?" —a good friend making it plural:). "Do you believe these things might actually be real?"

Or you two could have shared a supernatural experience in college?

Or, if Emma and Kat run into Pers, Pers may recognise 'demonic-taint' on her and warn Emma (kinda breaking my 'planned' use of Kat to reveal the cult, but, possibly saving Kat in the process.:).

Options abound.

As before, I’m not too fussy about it. I’m still not too keen on the Arsenal, but I’m always happy to keep it simple and take +1 Circle. If we do go with fiendish underlings, I was thinking about what form they might take to fit with Benji’s vibe and distinguish them from Persephone’s potential future underlings… I thought a trio of demonic rats might be fun to fit with Benji’s affinity for vermin :P

That is the simple option that we can fall back to if the more 'interesting' options don't work out.
No. But it was that juxtaposition with Benji's peaceful personality that I thought could be interesting. You could trade them for favours if/when people start to realise they may be going into a war with the Fae.

With Elliot missing, you may be called upon to take a more active stance in the vampire leadership (descriptively setting your Status to 2). Your speech at the soirée has already started people looking to you (rather than Alasdair, thankfully:).

It was just a thought. We can resolve the fiction at its own pace, but leave the reward for later when we know more about what the new characters will bring to the story/world. Benji isn't doing it for the Payout, right? It might come as a surprise to him that there is anything more than a Debt involved?
That's so cool. Makes me want to go with that option, for the coolness-factor alone. :)

To an uneducated outsider this may look a lot like you are the one responsible for these deals. You might want to keep these actions secret from Emma?
To get your Patron to act on your behalf in this way you might need to '• summon your dark patron's attention directly on your location' (via Let It Out), this and the 'watching' is probably not good for your soul, leading to corruption. You may, eventually, find that is is cleaner and nicer to do it yourself (though that is also what underlings are for).

(Doing it yourself does not lead to Corruption, so that tells us something.)
Does this count towards your Corruption Trigger: When you convince someone to meaningfully act in your patron's interests, mark corruption.

It sounds like it should, or do you try to weasel out of that part even though you Patron wants you to? What does that cost you?

I see I missed quite a bunch in the last few days. Let's go with my starting debts going to NPCs unless our newest would like to claim one. I could not find the vessel playbook so let's just go with the Night Sisters angle to move things along.

Hehe. That can happen. This was a particularly busy weekend. :)
We can do that. Do you have anyone in mind?
Having you two know each other from before could provide a bit of an anchor in the story, but could also silo off the two groups of two. Do whatever feels more natural.

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@Drgwen: Here are the Oracle Starting Debts:

• Starting Debts:
 • Someone helps decipher your visions with unique insights. You owe them 2 Debts.
 • You had a dark vision about someone, but gave bad guidance. You owe them a Debt.
 • Someone interfered with your destiny. They owe you a Debt. Tell them if you've forgiven them —they owe you another Debt if you still hold a grudge for their actions.

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@Verrain: Here are the Tainted Starting Debts:

• Starting Debts:
 • You're protecting someone from a dark power, a rival and enemy of your demonic patron. Your charge owes you a Debt.
 • Someone is trying to save you from damnation and keeps suffering for it. Ask them why they care when no one else does. You owe them a Debt.
 • You hurt or killed someone's good friend or ally on your demonic patron's orders. You owe them a Debt.

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@Verrain: The other players still can't see your character sheet.

I am sure you know this, but to make it visible to others you need to Add it to the Library by marking the grey 'note' icon that says "Add to Library" on your character list. Red means others can see the sheet.

I think it felt like a friend with money was bailing me out, until the very end. The agent that turned me was supportive, friendly, and absolutely convincing. After things reached their worst, he stepped in and offered to connect me with a venture capitalist friend of his. I signed paperwork, I saw the massive sum and what seemed like *excellent* business terms for me. He encouraged me to start [I]dreaming[/I]
about the future with this money. She was all in. it was only then that my friend explained that the "investor" is very old school and idiosyncratic, from the old country, and he likes to hold a formal ceremony when deals are struck. You know, kind of like getting initiated into a secret society or something. Seemed weird, but she agreed. Thus when she arrived and was brought into a ritual chamber (modern, classy, but indubitably a ritual chamber, with sigils and folks in robes, incense and fire), she was willing to go along. The very last thing required was to sign in blood. That's when my "friend" made the truly hard sell, badgering me with reminders of what life was like before, how I'd destroy my parents, my family, my life, my future. How I [I]had no choice.[/I] I broke. I signed.

As for meeting Emma, I am fine with hand waving that. Maybe I had been avoiding her and finally saw her out somewhere. So I pulled the trigger and sent a text. An d then she invited me over "tomorrow". And even if Emma has forgiven or forgotten about Persephone's ghosting, Persephone hasn't and she feels guilty about it. Pers won't reveal the true nature of her employment, however. She tells everyone she works in HR, headhunting for new recruits, and completing contracts. "It's boring corporate stuff, but it pays the bills!"

And I think when I am executing one of my patron's contracts, I am not getting my patron to do anything for me at all. On the contrary, I wish it wouldn't[/I] happen. My job is to get a signature; after that, I may be required to watch, though I do what I can to avoid that. I can't invoke my patron to suck someone away in a vortex like an ability or anything. At other times, though, I can call on my patron for a favor or for assistance, in which case I might Let It Out or call in a Debt. But sure, I would imagine that my patron wants to gradually increase my Corruption, slowly turning me away from what little of my humanity remains. I'm happy to let you decide which jobs actually give me Corruption and which are merely distasteful corporate nonsense. I mean, some of the work is probably more like when a bank agent forecloses on a house -- it's gross and can be horrible, but it doesn't incur actual metaphysical Corruption.

But


To an uneducated outsider this may look a lot like [i]you are the one responsible for these deals. You might want to keep these actions secret from Emma?
To get your Patron to act on your behalf in this way you might need to '• summon your dark patron's attention directly on your location' (via Let It Out), this and the 'watching' is probably not good for your soul, leading to corruption. You may, eventually, find that is is cleaner and nicer to do it yourself (though that is also what underlings are for).

(Doing it yourself does not lead to Corruption, so that tells us something.)
Does this count towards your Corruption Trigger: When you convince someone to meaningfully act in your patron's interests, mark corruption.

It sounds like it should, or do you try to weasel out of that part even though you Patron wants you to? What does that cost you?[/quote]

Oops! Please ignore all the text below the "But" . I was using the Quote feature so I could keep track of all the questions and issues, and forgot to delete the "raw materials" I was using. I wanted to edit and delete real quick, but I resisted

Yeah, Benji has no idea there will be any kind of Payout. He’s just doing it because Jacob asked him to in his farewell note.

:) It happens.
'real quick' is the problem. Once you have put something out there on the internet, you have to assume people have read it, and having it vanish without trace can be disturbing for many.

The prohibition against editing is reasonable. It is meant to help us all understand what is happening. So long as we keep it clear, editing is fine.

In this case, I would just strike out the text, and add a note about what happened (right before it, so people don't bother reading the crossed out text to see what it was).

At first, yeah.
Yes. You have to know what you are signing for it to work. So, in the end, you might not have fully believed, but you were —more of less— 'fully informed'. You can't be tricked into signing over your soul. You are accountable.

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We can do. But I think it could make for a good scene. I would like to see it, but only if you two want to play it out.

If you decide to play it out, we can decide which of the many options we like. I think we suggested: Coffee shop while Emma nips out to get something in the midst of a serious discussion with David; Coffee shop with more time on our hands; Coffee shop with Sarah in tow and Pers can recognise the taint; Coffee shop 'tonight', after the meet with the hunter (or even with the vampire hunter in tow).

But we can also meet in a night-club, dancing, as you both do that. But Emma may have domestic issues that make that tricky... but tricky can be good? Possibly Emma needs to 'get out to blow off some steam'?

Just spitballing, here.
If you want. That can change the dynamic between the characters. Does it feel 'in character' for Pers?

That could get you into the story, but does not add much to the story. It won't really bring you in 'faster'.

PbP can be difficult to coordinate. We can wait for Emma to have a moment in her busy schedule, but we can't predict how long the scene with David will take, and we don't want to rush it. We can run a scene with Pers first, but we can't predict how long that will take, and we don't want to rush the introduction.

Honestly, the neatest might be to accidentally meet tonight, before David. That way we only have to wait for the vampire hunter scene, and we could incorporate that, though with difficulty if we don't reveal that Pers knows about the supernatural... It could even be fun for everyone to dance around the topic, but that could make it very hard to get anything valuable out of the vampire hunter. We could use ...what's her name? Miriam?... as someone Pers knows (in passing, she is retired), as a catalyst to talking about the supernatural (when we are ready for that reveal).

Up to you guys.

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OK. Though someone has to do the deed. It is your Job (with a capital J) to broker these deals, and to collect their souls. You have to do that Job.

Either it is you who makes the soul available, or you get someone/something to do it for you.

The person has to die? Fate worse than death if they don't. If so, and it is not 'old age' doing it, it is your Job to make them die. Them's the bones.

If you try to keep your hands clean, you can get your Dark Patron to 'drag them down to hell', but that may require you to Let It Out, which has a price. Or, once you have proved yourself, you could get your underlings to do that dead for you, but that could get messy.

You still have to do it. It is your Job, whether you like it or not.
It is not directly stated in the text, but that is the closest to 'and then her patron sucks them down to hell in a vortex of hellfire or something' [ref] there is:

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I am not sure how much they care about 'gradually'. :)
All they care about is not pushing it so hard that you break and can not continue to Corrupt yourself.
That is purely up to you. Your choices bring you Corruption, there are mechanics for it that we follow, and you know it is happening before it happens.

I could hand out Corruption as a GM Move, but that is seldom the fun option. Corruption is in the player's hands, and you would know beforehand what the price of a GM Move would be.

You can incur Debts instead of Corruption (though in your special case those Debts can translate directly back into Corruption), and you may have to Let It Out to bring your Dark Patron's attention to you so you can engage the Debt mechanics (unless you have a mechanic to do it at a distance? I can't check the book right now). Or you can get your hands dirty and do it yourself, force the signing of the contract, or 'free' the soul.

The fact that making someone's soul available for collection does not incur Corruption in the mechanics is definitely interesting in the fiction. It is almost like whatever the your Dark Patron does is worse than anything you can do to them. Like you are doing them a mercy by 'murdering them' (or whatever).

When you 'convince them to sign', or 'convince them to release their soul', though, that is your main Corruption Trigger, so honeyed words are worse than violence, it would seem.
Sure... the jobs we don't see, the ones that occupy your time off-screen or in the background. :)

They said it was an easy-out, they never said it would be easy. :)

That is the nature of The Aware. Your Relationships get in the way of your adventuring life, it is meant to be complicated and messy. The conversation with David is only really interesting because there are other things pulling your attention away; else you just talk about his work and sort it out.

You are welcome to ignore some of them, but there will be in-story consequences.
These people exist to drive your story. :)

Henry is slightly 'safe', as he is part of your sheet, and his story is just stating.

No. It would mean that Emma never 'resolves her personal issues' :)

Two of the options I listed above push that PC-to-PC scene forward to pretty soon.
Yes, but we don't really care about what Emma wants. Her life is a mess and that is the way it is. She won't have time to get it all nicely sorted before another complication comes alone, she will just to keep as many plates as possible spinning.

We also don't care that Emma is tired and it is late. If she runs in to Pers after/during the meeting with Miriam, she will need to decide if she brushes that off or accepts a little suffering to spend time with a close friend she has not see in years. Either option is fun.

Her relationships will always be pulling her in different directions. You specifically have 'A loyal significant other who expects you home by midnight', and say 'His patience and genteel manner are being tested to their limits these days, with his wife’s ‘research’ having her away from the house at very odd hours', so these are going to need to be contended with in play. The game tries to keep you out, your marriage tries to keep you in, that is the constant dichotomy of The Aware.

So, I am getting a little overwhelmed, if I'm being honest, by the level of scrutiny here.

I am much less interested in the details of how exactly the demonic contracts are enforced. My attraction to the character is to explore her emotions; she has to work for an awful boss, doing awful things, and she is trapped staying in the job because of her circumstances. That is literally me for most of my life! No, I wasn't literally sending people to hell, but working for a credit card company is pretty damned close. I want to explore that inner pain of knowing you are making the world worse, and hurting people, but feeling like you have no choice because of capitalism a demonic contract. The details are much less important to me.

So, sure, she can be the one who shows up with the paperwork. maybe she accompanies the senior agent who does the "hard sell" and she simply assists, like a secretary. That way she has to watch it happen. Or, if you prefer, she can be the one doing it herself. Honestly, at this point, I am happy with whatever.! I'd rather hand wave a lot of this, or find out in play.

As for meeting up with Emma, whatever is easiest. It sounds to me like Delirium has a preference and I'd prefer to do what they would want.

Sorry about that. Just trying to make sure we are on the same page, and that the rules work with how you see your character.
Cool. But game mechanics don't deal with your emotions, these emotions will stem from what your Jobs do to your soul.
We could do that, at the start. But it is your Job.
I am just trying to make sure you don't get blindsided when you find that you are the one who needs to make the contracts happen and collect their souls. You can not keep your hands clean.

Might be your character is blindsided when we first see them without the training wheels of the 'senior agent'. Do you want to do that scene?
We won't always be dealing with your Job, but when we do, we can't hand-wave that, it is a core mechanic of your chosen character, it drives your character development.

But we can see in play how it works out. I will want your help and guidance when we set up a scene for that so we end up with something you can play with.
Someone needs to make a decision. :)

'Easiest' is a loaded term, and all I care about with 'easy' is getting the new character into the action without too much delay. That can be achieved by forcing them to meet tonight, then Emma and Pers can both do their own things tomorrow. 'David' is an NPC, he does not have a player waiting and does not care if it takes us a month to get to 'tomorrow' to deal with his issue.

Or we can have Emma do her family responsibilities first and run a scene with Pers on her own. I am happy to do that, but do prefer to have scenes where the PCs can play off each other rather then just GM and PC. Trying to have separate scenes wrap up at the same time is hard.

OK.
If you don't want to play out that meeting, then it does not matter how it happened or why you get in contact (facebook update, text, whatever), we can meet later.
Alright. We make Pers' first scene be without you, so you can deal with your domestic situation.
It would not affect the character or that scene. That will still happen 'tomorrow'. This is about whether we play a scene 'tonight' before that happens.

But scrap that idea since you have said Emma would not do that.
Let's have them meet some other time. We will bring Pers in in her own scene. That may lead to reasons for them to make contact.
I was thinking of suggesting that. Not sure what it would accomplish (aside from freeing us up for you to post more frequently than the others, in two threads).

The issue with that is that we have to make sure what happens in one thread does not impact the other. I would still have us set the Emma/Pers thread after the David thread, in case something happens with the multi-PC thread that would change your getting home or something.

It does not matter to the game what happens 'tomorrow' or 'tonight'. I only care about optimising the players' time.
Yeah, so I am not sure why doing that tonight was being resisted. But let's run Pers in her own scene, which could be any time.