Chronicle and Character Creation

Sorry, I am generally not able to be active on weekends, so I'm catching up on what's been discussed here...

No worries. I’m excited about this game, but I don’t expect a fast posting pace. 3 or so posts a week is good.

Five dot limit. Heard.
Removes the private jet from the online cart.

lol

Okay, i've redone and submitted the sheet. Will write the summary later today. I've also pulled both Nature/Demeanor and one Merit from Revised core, hope that's fine. Will post screens of them later just in case.

Sounds good.

Summary.

Description: John (Dorgraff) is his mid to late 30s; Caucasian; slightly taller than average height; slim, bony build; starting to get that receding hairline a little bit.

Background. Originally from midwest, John grew up in a regular, full family, with multiple siblings (3 sisters). It was a bit overwhelming at times, being a quieter one in a family of rambunctious loudmouths, but it was a happy childhood. Not wanting to get stuck in the place he grew up in, he moved all the way to Texas for college, settling at UTSA. After finishing with a degree in Economics, he joined the workforce, entering Credicorps as a low-level office drone. He managed to get promoted to a mid-tier manager, but never advanced further (nor had any interest in it).

Personality. John is a quiet, calm and collected type. He listens more than he talks. He offers his opinion when he feels it is needed, but otherwise follows the status quo, unwilling and uninterested in challenging it. In group settings he mostly falls behind the most charismatic leader, unless there is someone with more sound ideas. What he really enjoys are the quiet times, when the time seems to stay still. His awakening really traumatized him and since then he became much more gloomy and contemplative. The guilt and fear are looming over, affecting both his sleep and waking hours.

Awakening basics. Invited by his cubicle-mate, a girl by the name of Latisha, on whom he had a pretty strong crush on, to a meeting of group with dubious name "HAPPINESS! NOW!", he inadvertently joined a small new-age cult. It began pretty simple, but soon the rituals and ideas performed by their leader became more and more involved. He never believed in the whole occult nonsense, but he didn't want to leave Tish alone there (and, thought loath to admit it, simply wanted to spend time with her). The final ritual is when his awakening happened. The memories of the event are hazy, but what he does remember vividly is being covered head-to-toe in guts, blood and god knows what else. He seemed to be the only survivor of this event.

Goals and dreams. He truly believes that whatever "awoke" him has left its mark on him. It's like this invisible slimy hand that caresses his back that he can't shake. He tries to learn more about magic in hopes to get rid of the feeling. The idea that there was no monster or magic at the ritual and that it was him who killed everyone in the cult group due to violent awakening is incomprehensible. He believes that there is an unseen force, an unspeakable horror who brought him over to this world of supernatural, because he needs it to be true, otherwise he is simply a murderer, one who lost control and killed a girl he really liked.

Habits and hobbies. He took to smoking again after his awakening. He is pretty thorough and keeps a bunch of notes, both handwritten and digital. For hobbies, he enjoys reading, music and most of all walk in nature, especially near water, which always had a calm effect on him. He even wanted to get a boating license and a boat, but was always putting it off.

Sheet explanations.
His Wonder, the lighter, is a gift from one of his hermetic teachers.
The Demesne realm is also something that came from his hermetic teacher - as his sleep became worse and worse, plagued by nightmares each night and affecting his studies, he was advised to try and take control of his dreams. Little by little this small corner of his psyche grew, becoming his own dream-fortress. It looks like the office that the "HAPPINESS! NOW!" rented and inside are all the people who were in the group with him, acting like his confidants and advisors.
Natural Channel Merit is something others noted, which he completely attributes to his awakening beliefs. "Touched by the Other to be a gate of some kind".
Similarly with his heightened sensitivity to supernatural phenomenons (Awareness 5) - "it is the taint of the Abyss that lets me feel it all so keenly".

I think this is all. Feel free to ask any question, or provide corrections.

@JoshuaMabry I'm leaning toward a "modern Mesoamerican" member of the Celestial Chorus. But I want to clear the concept with you first, as the character would not be a very standard member of that Tradition. As indicated, the character would view the Divine not through a/the "One", but through the Mesoamerican pantheon.

Not a Los Sangrientos, or even Itz'at or anything.

But, the character would be a part of a Sect of the CC, that is polytheist, or that accepts polytheists (the Monists?), but doesn't subscribe to the usual Christian-vibes of the CC.

Short of that, I'm wondering if an Orphan would work? Since we're all starting as a member of a Chantry, doesn't seem like a great fit, but wanted to ask.

Maybe my problem with Ascension War-focused chronicles is I really just don't like the Traditions that much :P

We can work an orphan into the chronicle if that’s what you’d prefer. I’m interested in your Choirister though. Could be fun.

I hope to have the first preludes for John and Ezekiel started in the next twenty four hours.

Would it bother anyone, if I were to play a character of an ethnicity/culture that I, as a player/IRL person, am not of?

My desire and intent is to treat the character and culture with respect ofc (specifically, my interest for the character is in the ancient Mesoamerican theology), but as a person who doesn't have the lived-experience of a person of color, I may get things wrong about that person or experience. And so wanted to provide everyone the opportunity to say no.

I'm asking essentially as a Safety Tool (Lines, Veils, X-cards) so no hard feelings if the answer is "Please don't."

The character/concept would heavily pull from themes (for Paradigm, Instruments, and Practices, etc) and potentially names (of deities) of ancient Mesoamerican religion the likes of which I can discern by googling - which is to say, I do not and have never practiced this religion and have no first-hand knowledge or understanding of it - and would be basically entirely using it thematically, but with the desire to venerate it in our shared fiction that we'll be creating.

Apologies for delay, my etherite concept is shifting a bit as I (re)learn bits of the system.
Have I got it right that a Wonder/ Item has to be bought both as a background *and* as an item with freebie points? The example ones seem to have both costs…

Just to keep those involved abreast, my character is getting pieced together but it's a bit slow since I'm trying to cross check information so what I submit makes some sort of comprehensive sense and doesn't have any glaring oversights. (Which, it still will, but probably fewer.)

I ended up putting most of the weekend into the sheet, which put my character off. My week has been busier than originally planned. It was supposed to be next week that was busy, but it got moved up a week (money talks). Still, I should have my character sorted shortly in spite of the upswing in work.

I'm planning for a Syndicate member of the Union. (I was thinking he could be "on loan" as a sort of liason and an attempt to foster good will if we need a reason for an eclectic group.) Not a lot of experience as a Mage (very recently awakened), but a solid head for business and a keen mind for invention.

@emsquared I’m fine with your choice as long as you do your best to avoid stereotypes and be respectful.

@MaJunior You can run a technocrat if you want, I’ll find a way to work them in.

I also find myself a little behind this week. I’ll get preludes started as soon as I’m able.

@ThetaSigma I think that’s correct, but I’ll double check soon.

Appreciate the support GM, but after sleeping on it, I think I will back down from the idea and character concept.

Part of my motivation for the concept was to try to kind of just bring some southwest flavor to the chronicle.

But upon reflection I don't think that it's my place to do that in that way.

So instead, I think I will be reverting to the aforementioned Orphan concept, if that's ok?

Basically a "crustpunk" kind of "urban mystic" or shaman-esque mage.

I had never really looked at Choristers before, being an atheist IRL :P, but after reading up on them for my previous concept, I can probably actually spin this Orphan as Celestial Chorus if that helps fit the character into the chronicle/Chantry more easily?

@emsquared You can play a Choiristor (sp?) if you want to. I can make an Orphan work as well.

Ok then, I think I prefer the concept as an Orphan. Hurdy Gurdy, or "H.G." or "Hurdy" or "Wells" as his friends who are into brevity may call him... is the person you avoid on the street. The person you try hard to not even look at, but without looking like you're not trying to look at him.

Cuz he looks like the person that... has made some bad choices in their life (shall we start with the facial tattoos and facial piercings and hand tattoos?) and... anyway, by the looks of him, you just don't know what he's gonna do - and asking you for change looks like it could be the least of it.

He's a crusty, gutter-punk. Layers of loose, ragged, filthy clothing. More than one scarf... or at least one scarf made of multiple different fabrics... Sides of his head shaved. Short, bowl-cut bangs, with a long mullet-like cascade of unwashed hair down past his shoulders.

Just about everything about him is a transgression against societal norms.

Especially the fact that he's happy. What an asshole.

Word is that he grew up in Austin (yup, that makes sense). Happy kid, happy family, some natural athleticism, smart kid, did fine in school (up until he dropped out). Just wasn't into "that kind of life". You know the one: Get a job, so that you can buy a car to get to the job, and buy a house to sleep in while you're not at the job, so that you can work at the job until you're too old to work, and hope that in the meantime you saved up enough money at that job, to not die too quickly?

Pass.

So anyway he came of age on the streets. Doesn't have many people in his life from his past anymore. And those that are in it now are mostly transient figures. Maybe they're just on the Street for a short while. Maybe they're just some trustafarian that gets scared off when things get too real. Maybe they die.

And he's okay with all that. It's not like he doesn't like people, or doesn't make connections - he does. But... ALL of this is passing, he can SEE it. Everything. But especially people. And so he prefers to live in the Now.

He Awakened shortly after he moved out onto the Street for good (maybe 6 or 7 years ago now) - right before he almost died for the first time. What a trip that was... But despite almost dying several other times since, he's learned to survive. He's got his wits about him, streetwise, sneaky - you know; real survival skills. Learned some coding stuff even a few years back, through a youth training program after getting arrested (those non-profits, trying to get kids off the streets - Bless their hearts!). He learned a thing or two about his rights, also through a streets outreach program put on by some non-profit.

Anyway, he doesn't have a lot of money, but what he needs... the universe just kind of seems to provide.

He loves the city. He loves the streets.
Character sheet submitted.

A question for everyone. Right now this game is public, which I believe is the default here. Do we want to keep it public or change it to private?