drmoo1@lindblat.cc.monash.edu.au
Sean O'Connell
9-APR-1994 02:11:31.03
I watch her. She moves awkwardly down the street, carrying two
plastic shopping bags, both obviously heavy.
Damn, she is heading straight for the gang. I was hoping to catch
them tonight, but if they roll someone....
She hasn't noticed them at all... not surprising, she looks tired.
And they are remaining in the shadows of the factory fronts. Damn, damn,
damn.
Now they move. She catches them just as they move into the light.
Maybe she will have the sense to run... no, shit, she's going to try to
bluff her way past. Move, now.
I draw the shadows around me, and move towards them, they shouldn't
notice me, but its best not to be careless... been surprised before...
christ, that shit's confronting her.... maybe they'll just want to play.
Fuck. A knife.
Sprinting, shit, they going to kill her, the world blurs, and shifts
and fades.
Blood. What? Where, smell everywhere, feel everywhere, where, who.
Me. Right. I live. I think. Look around, oh christ, where is she?
I find her under another body... I think she's dying. Listen for
a heartbeat, yes, its there, but faltering... a thought... should I?
I need no Prince's permission, for the Prince knows not of me, and
that is how it should be, look at her, pretty, certainly, but that is no
qualification, place my hand on her head, she stirs!
Those eyes, not quite dulled with death, plead, a whisper "Help me."
Decision.
The Life flows strong within me, can afford to give to her so that
she will not hunger, is she still strong enough to drink, fangs across wrist,
shooting pain, fading quickly, place wrist at mouth, "Drink"
She is feeble, her mouth moves, a drop, two. She moves more strongly
now. I place my wrist across her lips, blood on red, she sucks strongly, the
desire to Exist lives on in this one, she is a good choice. Such strength of
spirit.
I pull away, lest she draw on the Beast in me. She slumps, and eases
into unconsciousness. Enough for now, she has had shocks enough.
Dusk. I wake early, my act weighing on my mind, but is it not
better to Be rather than to not Be. A small smile tugs my mouth. Shakespeare
knew. A merry chase that mortal led.
She is watching me, I feel her eyes. Not yet, let her wake truly.
She is calm, although confused, she thinks me to be one of the gang, or
worse.
"Hello."
She is startled, not expecting this approach.
"Who are you?"
"My name is Craig."
"How did I get here?"
"I brought you." Ah, suspicion.
"Why? When?" memories flood back."Oh god" she checks her stomach,
wound that was there is gone, but memory of pain remains. No scar, the
Life heals all.
"You were foolish, walking the streets late at night, have you
not been warned of street gangs? They tried to kill you."
"I remember... being stabbed... and screaming..thinking no one
would come, then something hit the guy in front of me."
"Me." I walk over, and lay my hand on her wrist. Startled by my
chill on her still slight warm. No pulse, of course. "I was watching them,
trying to find where they hid... you disturbed them."
"Are you police?"
I smile. "No, although I have been.". I sigh."What is your name?"
"Sally."
"Sally.".I breathe deeply, habit ingrained by long contact with
mortals. "Things have changed. The gang would have killed you. I ...felt
a need to help." Demonstrations work better than words, as always. She
starts to speak, I stop her.
"Feel my pulse." She moves to the wrist, notices the slight cut,
uses her fingers, not her thumb, perhaps the child is a medical student. She
frowns, tries again. She can't find a pulse, moves to my wrist. Falls back
and looks shocked. "I am dead. I am the undead. I am a vampire."
Sceptisism, slightly hysterical laughter. The pieces fall together,
she touches her wrist, feels no pulse, her neck, the same.
"No, no, vampires are impossible, I can't be."
I move towards her, she backs away, I stop "Sally, you were dying,
you had lost too much blood, and the knife wound had cut through more
than one vital organ... not even your blood transplants could have saved
you." Recognition, ah, she is a medical student. "I gave you my blood so
that you may Exist."
She starts to look wild, I must tell her now.
"Sally, the vampire legends of the movies, of the stories, of
modern culture, they have elements of the truth, but a distorted truth.
Vampires are no more all monsters than all humans are. We are sentient, we
have our own wills." She starts to settle, calm, despite her fear. I try
to broadcast calm, to let the fear flow away.
"Vampires are part of reality, part of a food cycle, the same as
humanity. We feed on blood, yes, but there are mosquitoes and vampire bats
are there not? They also feed on blood.
Once we were not the monsters who feed on virgins, who capture and
steal lovers away, who would move from Transylvania to prey on accountant's
betrothed." She smiles slightly, good, she knows the legend.
"Vampires were the guardians of humanity". Incomprehension, disbelief
are showing in her expression. More "We guarded those that slept at night,
we protected the babes, the women, the men, from the darkness, from that
which they could not see."
"Many vampires preferred not to be known by their protectorates, they
stayed at a distance, in a cave, or in a cellar. Others were known by all
the townfolk, protected during the day, and happily offered the small amount
of blood which they must have each night, for it was not enough to even make
the donor faint, and the vampirism would not pass in to a living being."
"But there were others who lauded their power to bring death during
the night, and used it further themselves. They became the basis for your
Count Dracula's, for the renevant that sleeps with the dead and kills
indiscriminately.
And there were others who discovered the 'benefits' of being
vampirim - immortality, powers beyond that of normal men, the ability to heal.
To some men, these far out-weighed the 'curse' of having to live from the
blood of their companions."
She looks confused, Hollywood again.
"None of this truly matters. What matters is what exists now.
There are two groups of vampires remaining. Neither of these are the
protectors that they were destined to be."
Ah, she is grabbed by the story. Good. Else she will not survive.
"The first of these groups call themselves the Sabbat. They are the
worst of all the corrupted vampires. They regard humans as cattle, to be
detroyed at their leisure, not as their wards. They are evil incarnate.
Beware, for they will kill you if they find you."
"The second group call themselves the Camarilla. These vampires
have to varying degrees, denied their true selves and attempt to pass as
humans. Some of these may support you. Others will kill you on sight. Most
will ignore you as long as you do not visibly break their rules."
Now she is more intrigued by the idea of being Kindred. This is
one who has no real ties to the mortal world. I have chosen well, as her
medical background shows her desire to help others. Or to make money, but
we shall see.
"I will help you to learn the limits of your new body, your new
existance. But you _must_ begin to take up your protectorate. There are
those who exist in the darkness who would take the light from humanity.
We are the only defence."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
VAMPIRE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Name:Sally McKinley Nature: Generation:12th
Player:NPC Demeanor: Haven:
Campaign: Clan:Caitiff Concept: Med student
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Attributes
PHYSICAL SOCIAL MENTAL
Strength.....***oo Charisma.........**ooo Perception.....***oo
Dexterity....**ooo Manipulation.....***oo Intelligence...****o
Stamina......**ooo Appearance.......****o Wits...........**ooo
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Abilities
TALENTS SKILLS KNOWLEDGES
Acting.......ooooo Animal Ken.......ooooo Bureaucracy....ooooo
Alertness....**ooo Drive............*oooo Computer.......ooooo
Athletics....ooooo Etiquette........ooooo Finance........**ooo
Brawl........**ooo Firearms.........ooooo Investigation..**ooo
Dodge........**ooo Melee............ooooo Law............ooooo
Empathy......***oo Music............ooooo Linguistics....ooooo
Intimidation.ooooo Repair...........ooooo Medicine.......***oo
Leadership...**ooo Security.........ooooo Occult.........ooooo
Streetwise...ooooo Stealth..........**ooo Politics.......ooooo
Subterfuge...**ooo Survival.........ooooo Science........**ooo
.............ooooo .................ooooo ...............ooooo
.............ooooo .................ooooo ...............ooooo
.............ooooo .................ooooo ...............ooooo
.............ooooo .................ooooo ...............ooooo
.............ooooo .................ooooo ...............ooooo
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Advantages
DISCIPLINES BACKGROUNDS VIRTUES
Auspex.......*oooo Allies..........*oooo Conscience....****o
Animalism....ooooo Contacts........ooooo Self-Control..**ooo
Celerity.....ooooo Fame............ooooo Courage.......****o
Dominate.....ooooo Generation......*oooo
Fortitude....ooooo Herd............ooooo HEALTH
Obfuscate....*oooo Influences......ooooo Bruised O
Potence......ooooo Mentor..........*oooo Hurt -1 O
Presence.....ooooo Resources.......**ooo Injured -1 O
Protean......**ooo Retainers.......ooooo Wounded -2 O
Thaumaturgy..ooooo Status..........ooooo Mauled -2 O
.............ooooo ................ooooo Crippled -5 O
.............ooooo ................ooooo Incapacitated O
.............ooooo ................ooooo
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLOOD POOL WILLPOWER.( ) Humanity/Path
********** *****OOOOO Path Of Humanitas
OOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOO ********OO
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Merits and Flaws Rituals
Blood Resonance_________ ____________________________ _______________________
Iron Will_______________ ____________________________ _______________________
________________________ ____________________________ _______________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Notes: Blood Resonance is a merit that I have conceieved but not formalised.
It in essenence gives the owner the ability to spend 1 point of blood
and gain 2 points of physical stat. They must both be in the same stat,
(ie no putting 1 in dex and 1 in strength). In addition, the maximum
physical stat is raised to 10.
***This is not a PC - available merit***
and may in fact be Sally's only... the caitiff blood line that
she arises from is strange in many ways....