Blood Will Out! Lots of Vampire things.


These are notes for a Vampire game set in Paris (France). This is for all three versions of Vampire I own (Masquerade, Dark Ages and Requiem) as I'm system agnostic and there's a lot of crossover between the games. I'm approaching this as 'plot skeleton first, specific details second' as the vast majority of stories conform to this idea and in RPGs tropes are frequently only there to provide flavour.

As is the case with my Hellfrost notes, feel free to pillage what you'd like and do whatever you want with them - I doubt I'm going to be running anything for any game in the near future (though I do dream of going back to run Vampire at some point, as it's easily one of my favourite games if not the favourite of all the games I've played and run... Certainly, I think only Mage and Werewolf get close to Vampire in my poor, black, heart). 



This chronicle was inspired by a game a friend ran in the late 1990s, an abortive game which crashed when a PC used Dementation to spark a deadly fight between the vampires of Paris, and if I recall right, Werewolves then gatecrashed the party and wiped out at least half the Cainite population. This picks up after that, twists it a bit and throws in a few other loops and curveballs to try and make it mine. I'm using fresh characters, though Kaira, Witch Queen of Paris, might make an appearance (though I suspect she might be the subject of a Blood Hunt).

Acronyms used: CWoD- Classic World of Darkness

Vampire Population in any version would be in the 50 - 70 area. 

Creative Agenda
  • To create a Vampire sandbox game - allowing players to pick plots from a series of low hanging fruit, without an obligation to take up every plot. 
  • To make the setting varied and interesting, engaging the senses as much as possible without creating confusion.
  • To establish the feeling of a busy city without swamping the players' senses.
  • To build in key events to create the chronicle's arc, provided this can be done without conflicting with the sandbox.
  • To make more use of setting elements I've neglected in the past - though if this were to end up being a Requiem game, it's all new.
    • Unused parts of the Masquerade setting: The Inconnu (though I'm still not really sure what use to put them to), Anarchs, the Sabbat as anything other than bogeymen, Golconda, Prestation (in a true sense), Lextalious (spelling? - the law stuff) and the Salubri. So quite a lot really.
  • Use Prestation more thoroughly to underline the issues that Kindred face and to act as a plot feeder. (Trouble Board)
  • To develop character led plots at every level from Neonate to Elder. 
  • To develop and create a mature game (or game with mature themes) that doesn't focus on gratuitous amounts of sex, violence and 'edginess'. I think this probably means having as much of a focus on the mortal world, social change and politics as on the vampire's world. Which probably means putting off a lot of potential players, even though I only plan to use it as a ground for plots to grow in. 
  • Develop once, mutate twice, use three times?
  • I think I need to develop this with an eye towards recyclability - if the ideas can be switched towards writing then all the better.

Setting Specific Goals
  • Masquerade, explore the setting more, use the unused parts, and make a more 'cut and thrust' Jyhad between the Camarilla and the Sabbat.
  • Dark Ages, create a compelling world and explore the nature of the Cainites
  • Requiem, splash about in the setting a bit...

Different Cities
Each version of the game is going to develop a different Paris, simply because of the amount of history each will have and the slightly different focuses of each version of Vampire. Masquerade, for instance, has more 'deep history' with a focus on the shifting tides of the Jyhad (the city was a Sabbat stronghold from the mid 17th Century to about 1945, and the Camarilla used the Second World War to mask their takeover). Requiem's nature abhors this as vampires aren't long-lived immortals who go on and on, they need to enter Torpor more often. Whilst the cities are the same in physical terms, in story terms (mood, theme and atmosphere) they'll probably be quite different. Requiem feels as if the city should be more mysterious and divided, with the various coteries operating far more independently and the past something of a blank slate. 
Dark Ages feels more courtly, stately even, with a real sense of a clash between the genteel nature of the established order and the often horrific violence that the PCs will have to face. History is a tricky subject here, on the one hand there are Elders who were about in the Roman period, on the other the Medieval setting is very much its own beast and shouldn't be overshadowed by the events of the past. I find myself wondering if the old saw about Neonates having an advantage because they understand the world more thoroughly than the Elders is actually true here, given technological development (it might be best to emphasise the 12th Century Renaissance and what it wrought). I think in terms of running a game, this is the most conservative version, and the version most bound to the city - Masquerade and Requiem have the option of moving the action elsewhere with relative ease, but travel is hard in the Dark Ages, especially for the undead. 


A Wider World

In the CWoD games at least, I need to consider the bigger picture. For Masquerade that means the Jyhad and the more international flavour of the clans. Given that I'm wiping the Tremere out at the start of the game the reaction from Vienna needs to be taken into account. Arbitrarily, I've decided that a couple of French cities need to be Sabbat held, I think this fits Marseilles and Calais quite well though that does mean the sect is a bit too far away to really be a threat. If I'm going with the idea that Paris was a Sabbat stronghold then I can factor that in as a way to develop things further.

In Dark Ages, if I'm using the War of Princes plot from Revised then Paris might be caught in a proxy war between Mithras and Hardestaart. 

In both cases, its something to build up to; initially I want to keep things simple and bound to Paris and its environs.

Within Requiem, I'm less sure that the outside world should be a thing, as the Kindred there are less connected to each other on a global scale (there should be some links though, or it just gets silly). Perhaps a league of some sorts, similar to the Hanseatic League?

The Event

A gathering of Kindred went horribly wrong, leaving two-thirds of the vampires dead. Nobody knows exactly what happened, memories are hazy and most of the survivors simply remember arriving and waking afterwards. Between is a frustrating slice of amnesia. What is known is that the former Prince, Eloise, had arranged the gathering and was killed during the Event. 

The fallout from this was that a Council was hastily assembled by the Primogen Council and that the leader of the Nosferatu demanded to become Prince. This has resulted in the creation of two Courts, the Council's and the so-called Beggar Court, ruled by Berangere the Nosferatu Prince. Neither side is strong enough to completely rule and as a result, Paris is torn into small domains, each owing allegiance one way or the other. The Council has occupied the old Elysium whilst the Beggar Court has established itself in an abandoned building. 

There can be months of peace, and then suddenly the fighting will break out before fading away. A number of vampires have died as a result and the Police/City Militia are baffled and frustrated, especially by the 'stops' that crop up to prevent investigations. A few of the officers are starting to investigate in private.

The Beggar's Court has a number of 'safe havens' for its members, tucked away from prying eyes. Berangere doesn't even demand favours in return for using them. In modern nights, the Metro is used by vampires of all kinds to travel and is considered neutral (to an extent). 

The Council is composed of:
     Masquerade - Ventrue, Toreador, Malkavian and Brujah
     Dark Ages - High Clans (and a sole Malkavian)
     Requiem - Representatives of the Invictus, Circle of the Crone and Ordo Dracul

Dark Ages and Masquerade
  • Adam - Ventrue
  • Olaf - Toreador
  • Sofia - Malkavian
  • Raoul - Lasombra - not sure about the Masquerade version, perhaps a Nosferatu on the other side?
  • Estelle - Brujah

Requiem
  • Adam - Ventrue/Invictus
  • Olaf - Daeva/Circle of the Crone
  • Sofia - Nosferatu/Invictus
  • Raoul - Mekhet/Ordo Dracul
  • Estelle - Gangrel/Circle of the Crone

This isn't to say that it's an even split between the clans and covenants, there's a lot of crossover between the two Courts. It's important to remember that vampires are individuals and the clans aren't political blocks.

The Council's court is 'pretty', there's a lot of focus on arts and entertainment but it has the vacuity of polite society, almost as if Kindred are frightened to discuss anything of significance; something the Harpies enforce fiercely. Despite this Elysium remains important and acts as a sort of 'trouble board' for plot lines (in meta terms).  

The Beggar Court is more forthright, there's a lot of talk and discussion (in Requiem this is where the Carthians have ended up) but also a certain amount of paralysis because of the number of opinions expressed. Berangere has reluctantly made a deal with a group of Anarchs/Unaligned to bolster her numbers. The Anarch leader, 'Satan' (Brujah) supports her for now and directs her efforts. He and her war leader, Lupin, egg each other onto greater heights of violence.

Other pieces of fall out are that the Tremere have no presence in the city, having all died in the Event. In Requiem, this becomes Lancea Sanctum. Both groups were the driving force behind the Event.
     In the CWoD version, the Tremere have left behind a well-stocked Chantry and interest is growing in seeing what it contains.
     In Dark Ages, the Gargoyle slave the Usurpers had has escaped. The rest of the clan don't know their chantry has gone.
     In Masquerade the clan is well aware of the situation, a team has been sent in and failed to return. Consequently, word has been sent to Vienna, though as yet the Inner Circle have not reacted. 
     In Requiem, the Lancea Sanctum church is sitting open and waiting for someone to venture in (I would need to read up and work out what defences Theban Sorcery gives the Covenant).

It is rumoured that someone is coming to look into the situation as a whole.
     Masquerade - a Justicar with their Archons
     Dark Ages - a Methuselah's minions
     Requiem - a hastily assembled team from the other Princes. 

Vampires entering the city is up, flocking to get real estate and demense. 

Other Plots

  1. The Outsider: Something is stalking the streets, killing Kindred. Some say that it is connected with the Event and is looking to complete the job it started, whilst others talk about a Neonate who had enough occult power to summon a demon but didn't do anything to contain its power. This may be a Strix (in either game as an Owl Demon would work in Masquerade/Dark Ages). About one vampire vanishes every fortnight/month.
    1. Churches seem to ward it off
    2. There have been 2 survivors so far, Nicole and Bruno, who describe it in utterly different ways. Bruno thinks it's a Niktuku (CWoD), Nicole, a demon.  
    3. CWoD - could this all be the work of a Ravnos Diablerist? 
    4. In Masquerade - the Ravnos could be part of the Theatre des Vampires?
    5. If the thing was an angel, is it an angel of justice, bringing doom to the Damned? Might Paris run the risk of becoming like the 1st City?
  2. Bring Up the Bodies: A Cappadocian/Giovanni (or Ordo Dracul vampire, most likely a Mekhet) has sided with the Beggar's Court but is acting more out of the desire to have fresh samples than anything else.
  3. Nerdy Hunters: A group of mortals have stumbled onto the truth of the vampires' existence, either by phone hacking or by finding a vampire's kill. They've started to organise but they're also not the toughest bunch, they're nerds (or the Medieval equivalent). A greater problem for the Kindred lies in escalation - in the modern era one of the wannabe hunters has left a comment on a board that may get other people interested, whilst in the Dark Ages version they've stolen some holy water and the local priest, Father Gaston, has noticed and may start asking questions. This can all lead to a situation where hunters start to get involved and make the PCs lives difficult. 
    1. To make things worse, there's an increasingly large number of Youtube videos showing vampires... Sooner or later something is going to snap.
  4. The Ranter: Migrants are entering the city and there's a lot of resistance to them, xenophobic feelings are being stirred up and riots are common. This isn't helped by a vampire, Henri (Brujah or Daeva/Carthian) whipping up rabbles and sending them out to attack. Henri's real enemy is the wave of development that's gentrifying new parts of Paris, his mobs are supposed to remind the vampires behind the new developments how much they have to lose. The problem is that he's becoming a prisoner of his own weapon and the scum he associates with are starting to wag the dog so to speak. 
    1. What happens when one of the riots hits the PCs territory? 
  5. Such Hideous Strength: The gargoyle has set up shop in the PCs neck of the woods, they must deal with it before it attracts attention. 
  6. A Shot in the Dark: An assassin has struck, killing a member of the Council on the way home from one of the furtive meetings between the courts. Who was responsible and who will bring the killer to justice?
    1. Requiem: how do I make an assassin? With the translation guide, I could just port the Assamites across as a Mekhet bloodline.
  7. The Killing Blow: Lupin plans a killing blow - a raid that will gut the Council's court. The problem it runs the risk of blowing the lid of Kindred society and bringing down the wrath of humanity on all of them. What can be done to either stop the plan or at least moderate it?
  8. Chaos at the Gates: A group dedicated to chaos has entered the city and is creating havoc, in Requiem, this is a coterie of Belial's Brood, in Masquerade a group of Sabbat. To make things worse they're making it look like the Courts are responsible, stoking the antagonism between them. 
  9. The Muse: a goldsmith/jewellery designer has a muse when they visit he falls into a trance and creates beautiful pieces. The local Toreador/Daeva are very interested and want to know who this figure is. 
  10. For Art's Sake: The local Artistes, are trying to put on a special show, but they need the nuts and bolts of the exhibition sorting out. And they'd like something unique to display
  11. The Sickness: A Vampire has spread sickness throughout the domain - Leprosy/HIV/Ebola(?), Berangere wants him to stand trial but that means venturing out of the city to get him back. (Road trip)
  12. Whispers From Beyond: A group of interested vampires are interested in discovering what the Tremere left behind. In Dark Ages, this links to the Cappadocians, who want to access the information to further their own plans. 
  13. Investigators: The fall out from the war and the Outsider, is that the Masquerade is getting stretched. A number of people are starting to poke around, frustrated by the lack of answers to their questions.
  14. The Dragon's Nest: Requiem Only! Ordo Dracul has identified a Dragon's Nest and wants to access it, but it's under the PC's territory. How do they deal? (okay this could just be the plague pit plot, lower down but with fewer 'what happens if there's still some infection there' to it). 
  15. Let's Watch that Again: Requiem Only! In a rare moment of collaboration, the Circle and the Ordo want to recreate the Event, but this time from a safe distance. To that end, they're willing to go quite far to create the right situation... 
  16. The Monastery: There have been reports of monks/nuns displaying strange behaviour at a nearby monastery/convent. The PCs are asked to investigate it.
  17. Chaos at the Tower: Dark Ages. A vampire with a small domain outside the city has fallen silent and isn't responding to animal messengers. The PCs are sent to investigate and discover that something is amiss. A new vampire has taken up residence and there's an aggressive group of Lupines in the area. 
  18. Old Ways: Dark Ages only, I think. Pagan rituals are being revived in a village south of the city, what's causing them to come back into use? 
  19. A Wolf in the Fold: Adam's feeding group is his own family. One of this relatives has run away after she was raped. Was it actually that or the brutal feeding from Adam?
    1. VtM/Dark Ages only - the Ventrue weakness in Requiem is different, though it doesn't necessarily scan that he couldn't be doing this in VtR.
  20. Life During Wartime: The war explodes messily in the PCs territory - can they cope?
  21. All Hail the Underminer: Am ambitious coterie has moved next door and they want the PCs' domain. A number of public incidents have attracted attention and things are getting hot (link to the various mortals in the game).
  22. The Virgin in the Ice: A shipment of ice has arrived, with a vampire frozen in the middle of one of the blocks.
  23. War of the Flowers: Two artists are squabbling and seek aid to destroy the other.
  24. The Carny: A circus comes to town and the PCs soon befriend one of the vampires in the troupe. They're less keen when he elects to stick around though, acting as their own personal tagalong and PITA.
    1. Dark Ages: the Seine has frozen, there's a market out on the ice?
  25. There She Goes My Beautiful World: One of the elders has fallen in love with a mortal. The PCs are 'hired' to either press the suit, or thwart it.
  26. Dig Lazarus Dig: A mortal secret is making trouble for the PCs (a murderer's dumping ground proved to be in their patch perhaps and its generating lots of foot traffic as well as a lot of nosy parkers). Sooner or later things are going to make life difficult. What do they do to fix it?
  27. Abattoir Blues: A Farmer (vamp that only feeds on animals) has been caught taking blood from the abattoir. Can the PCs help him out?
  28. We Built This City: Urban Renewal is coming, as the area the PCs are based in becomes gentrified. How do they react?
  29. Bricks of Blood: A new building development is suffering from a high number of accidents and has had a fatality amongst the constructors. What's going on and what does it have to do with the mysterious group who are paying for it? (Giovanni related plot with ghosts as unwilling guardians).
  30. Paying the Piper: A debt/boon gets called in, but the vampire calling it in isn't the same one the PCs thought they owed... (the joys of prestation)
  31. Red Right Hand: A mysterious vampire asks the PCs to help him recover something hidden in the city - a clay tablet that relates to one of the mysteries of blood. His secret is that he is a member of the VII or the Black Hand, the tablet relates to the core of the group's philosophy and their secrets. 
    1. He may attack them at the end of the adventures.
    2. More scarily, perhaps, he may let them live and walk away. This seems more plausible and more terrifying - why isn't this immortal monster moved to kill them?
  32. Where the Wild Roses Grow: A Toreador/Daeva has fallen in love with a mortal, but in a moment of passion killed them. Can she cover up her mistake?
  33. The Treachery of Memory: Someone remembers what happened at the Event... someone knows what happened. But they've been driven mad by the knowledge. Can they be coaxed to reveal what happened and is what they say true?
  34. A Call to Arms: Dark Ages only! A representative of the Kingdom of Jerusalem comes to whip up support for the Crusades. He doesn't know that someone else has come too - with the purpose of stopping his mission. 
  35. The Emissary: The Inconnu send a figure to investigate the Event. They have a history with the city, from long before they achieved Golconda. Can they be trusted? To make matters worse the vampire is from a clan not noted for their pursuit of Golconda - a Setite or Lasombra perhaps (I would suggest a Tzimisce but I feel that's pushing things a little too far). Name - Camille
    1. The Inconnu is revealed to have been watching the city and are dismayed by the lack of movement on unravelling the Event. 
    2. Their purpose is to solve what happened, or so they claim.
    3. Concerns over Gehenna? Did the Event actually invoke part of the Antediluvians' power?
  36. Unicorn: A member of the Salubri has entered the city, another scavenger looking to profit from the Tremere's chantry being empty. He claims to be seeking Golconda, but something seems off... What's his real game?
    1. Dark Ages - the Salubri hopes Berangere will support him against the Tremere. 
  37. A Spy in the Camp: Word filters through that a Sabbat spy is in the city (not someone flashy, but a quiet, unassuming figure who's just gathering information and sending it home to the Bishop of Marseilles/Calais. Amidst the panic that spreads through the Kindred community, the PCs hit pay dirt, finding a drop point for messages which gives them a lead to a respected member of one of the courts. Can they prove their case though?
  38. The Crossing: Dark Ages only! An independent ghoul is taking over the various private ways in and out of the city (Garrets, tunnels, a small ferry service). As his monopoly grows he is charging more and more for his services. How long will the Kindred stomach this?
  39. In the Ghetto: Dark Ages only! The Jewish ghetto has become the home of a few vampires, many of them Autarkis. When a murder happens there and the PCs are drawn into the investigation (a mortal they are connected to is implicated, perhaps), they start to uncover something else. Could there be other reasons that the Autarkis gather here? 
  40. Dead Ringers: The Camarilla has apprehended a group of Sabbat, who by chance resembled the PCs enough to pass for them (and vice versa). Now, a Justicar wants them to run a message to a Camarilla spy in a Sabbat city. I think this would have to be once the initial plots were dealt with rather than something to put in when the Event/Divided City/Hunter plotlines are still in play. 
    1. Spawn a number of subplots as the PCs have to pretend to be Sabbat and learn their ways. 
    2. Doing a favour for the Bishop (who may remember Estelle and be less caught up in the Jyhad than it appears - the Sabbat often seems to be more smoke and mirrors than they're presented). 
  41. Flowers in Frost: The vampires are approached by another, one who has lost much of their humanity and wishes to atone after a moment of clarity. Will they help them or leave them to continue on their way to damnation?
  42. The Relics of St Giles: Dark Ages only! Some saint's relics are brought into the city. A vampire wants them, guess who gets to help out (darn prestation).
  43. The Club/Guild: a Blood Doll of the PCs acquaintance has gone missing, last known location a gathering of an exclusive club or guild. What happened to them and is there more at work than meets the eye.
    1. Twist it, don't have them a victim of violence - perhaps there's a cult they could have joined?
  44. Oh Children: A new cult has set up in Montmartre (check, as this might be inappropriate), offering enlightenment. Could their 'immortal master' be something rather less holy than they claim?
  45. Get Down with the Sickness: A plague pit has been discovered in the catacombs under the city.  A number of the city's mystics wish to use it for their own ends. If only it weren't under the PCs territory. 
  46. Of Wolf and Man: The PCs have done something that's attracted the attention of the local Lupines and they're not happy. Can the PCs deal with them? 
    1. I'm reluctant to do this in some ways, as Lupines are bad news for vampires. 
    2. It'd work better in Requiem as there's more balance in Storytelling than in Storyteller.
  47. The Theatre: Masquerade only! When the city was controlled by the Sabbat there was a coterie that delighted in staging plays and doing other things that skirted the edge of the Masquerade (the one the Sabbat have even if they don't openly acknowledge it). They were destroyed in the Camarilla take over of the city, or so its claimed. in recent nights, however, something suggests that the theatre might be back in business...
    1. Okay, there could be a Requiem version of this, perhaps using Belial's Brood as the covenant responsible.
    2. Style the new Theatre des Vampires after the circus in The Mysterious Case of the Disappearance of Miss Finch?
    3. Play on the whole 'nobody believes in vampires, so why is there a Masquerade' thing? (In Requiem 2nd ed the Masquerade is more like 'passing' for the trans community).
  48. An Auction: Something interesting has come up. An artefact/relic or otherwise has been unearthed and is up for sale. What is it and how can the PCs turn it to their advantage?
  49. The Killer in Me: A spate of murders has swept the PCs domain, drawing attention and making hunting more difficult. In VtR the killer is one of the Urged (driven by a spirit or spirits to kill) and the PCs must seek aid from the local Uratha pack (apropos to nothing, 'Werewolves of Montmartre sounds awesome).


Characters

Format: Name - Clan (CWoD) Generation/Clan & Convenant (Requiem)

  • Adam: Ventrue 6th/Ventrue Invictus. The leader of the Council, with plans to become its master, Adam is an opportunist who has an eye on the main chance. The driving force between the recent wave of gentrification, he has a lot of influence over the building trade.  He was not at the Event, which leads some vampires to suspect him of doing something to create it. Adam doesn't have any links with the underworld (that's why he embraced Marcus), his business is on the up and up, well for World of Darkness standards anyway. 
    •      In Masquerade/Dark Ages, his herd is his blood kin and the encourages them to breed a lot.
  • Berangere: Nosferatu 6th/Nosferatu Carthian, is a motherly figure, almost too motherly and has a tendency towards smothering her favourites. She's terrifying if crossed and personally executes those who displease her. She is strong in Animalism and has an army of spies.
  • Eloise: Toreador 5th/Daeva Lancea Sanctum, the charismatic former Prince who died in the Event. She was a committed Christian who believed in converting the unbelievers. If rumour is to be believed she may have found a way to summon what she thought was an angel. Red headed, pale skinned, green eyed. In CWoD she was prestationed into allowing the Tremere to do the ritual instead. In Dark Ages she was one of the city's co-rulers, the others being powerful vampires from the Ventrue.
  • Estelle: Brujah 8th/Gangrel (Bruja Bloodline) A Sabbat defector in modern nights, she is dedicated to learning and knowledge and is largely self-taught.
    •      In Dark Ages she has a strong tie to the university and is aware (and quietly supportive) of the Prometheans who use it to organise their activities. She was embraced because her sire was impressed by how much she'd learned and figured out by herself - the fact the world is round for instance (might as well dispense with the whole 'they thought the world was flat gubbins early on). 
  • Etienne: Brujah 12th/Gangrel Unaligned. Soldier.
  • Guillaume: Toreador 11th/Daeva Unaligned. Spy and information broker who focuses on Auspex to find out information. 
  • Henri: Brujah 10th/Daeva Carthian. Rabble-rouser.
  • Johann: Giovanni 9th/Cappadocian 9th/Mekhet Ordo Dracul: Reanimator and necromancer, with a strong interest in acquiring new samples.
  • Lupin: Gangrel 9th/Gangrel Circle of the Crone, Berangere's war leader, with a grudge against Adam, the leader of the Council. He's violent and crude doesn't recall his real name and is quite far down the track towards degeneration.  
    • Lupin has a problem - he attracts animals, especially dogs and its common for the mutts to escape their homes and masters to follow him through the night. 
  • Marcus:- Ventrue 7th/Ventrue Invictus. Enforcer, with his hooks in the police/city guard.
    • He works through ghouls and mortals mostly, only taking the field if something big comes up. In Dark Ages his men have black shields (or blank shields). He feeds on military guys.
  • Nicole: Toreador 10th/Daeva Circle of the Crone - Olaf's childe. She has survived the attention of the strange thing in the dark - describing it as a presence that smelt sweet and whispered her sins.
    •      She wants to perform for Elysium (she's a dancer) but the Keeper dislikes her - could someone help her out?
  • Olaf: Toreador 9th/Daeva Circle of the Crone. He's a Skald embraced during a raid on Paris in the 9th century. In modern nights he may be a Norwegian beat poet or have only recently emerged from torpor.  
    • Attends an Eyes Wide Shut style meeting on a regular basis.
  • Raoul: Lasombra (DA) 7th/Mekhet Ordo Dracul (not sure about in VtM). Adam's chief rival for the throne on the Council. He has a strong interest in the occult, though he doesn't really have the strength to be more than a petty sorcerer. 
  • Satan: Brujah 11th/Daeva Unaligned. Violent and unapologetic. He intends to betray Berangere when she wins power. 
  • Sofia: the Malkavian Primogen (8th generation) makes people nervous, they think she can read their minds and keeps order by weeding out troublemakers. (In Requiem she's a Nosferatu/Invictus). 
    •      As a Malkavian she has a form of OCD, chaos repulses her and she needs to have order. Her ghouls do their best to keep her happy (though one will occasionally take her somewhere chaotic out of spite). She wears a veil at all times. 
    •      She used to be Eloise's loyal opposition. 
  • Teresa: Toreador 9th/Daeva Ordo Dracul. Keeper of Elysium and leader of the Harpies. She feels slighted by the position, feeling that she's been sidelined. 


Mortals

  • Father Gaston: Parish Priest, not particularly pious or important, but he cares about his parishioners.

Locations

  • Underground cinema
  • The Louvre (cliche but this is part of Elysium, though this is a piece of horse trading, a concession to artistic vampires)
  • Champs Elysee - neutral territory
  • Arch de Triumph - a meeting spot between the two courts. 
  • The Night Market - Dark Ages
  • A spot in the catacombs under Paris, strewn with bird feathers and bones. An owl statue sits there, obviously Roman in origin. It was left there by a Malkavian vampire in the days of the Roman Empire (well the Malks screwed over the White Howlers so they probably would have done this too).
  • The Happy Burrito? Twisted about to make it a Hipster joint (reflecting urban renewal). I'm not sure I want this in the game though, it feels done to me.
  • The Manor, a place where Eyes Wide Shut style shenanigans take place.
  • The Chalice - (Dark Ages) an inn where Cainites can feed safely. It sits near the site of the infamous Theatre des Vampire, which was destroyed in the 19th century. 
  • The Duelling Ground - somewhere for petty arguments to be settled. 
  • The university.
  • Notre Dame (modern nights)
  • Versailles - ruled/controlled by Eloise until the Revolution when she forced to flee (never abandoning her official title). 
  • Moulin Rouge 

Other Bits

  • It feels natural to fit the Baali in somewhere but would it over egg the pudding?
  • Shadows, a natural spying technique for the Lasombra/Mekhet?
  • Incorporate Touchstones from Blood and Smoke?
  • Just for fun - the worst Dark Ages Coterie ever...
    •      Tremere (the only Tremere in the village), a wandering mendicant
    •      Tzimisce - a warrior in search of aid
    •      Assamite - an assassin with a mission (to find a phial of Haquim's blood)
    •      Malkavian - a 'ghost haunted' minstrel and the coterie's social fu monster.
    • They're proto Sabbat, using the viniculum rite to stop them from killing each other (I can so see this as a PC group). 
    • In modern nights they're a Sabbat pack.
  • Sabbat are quite unnerving for outsiders, not just for their 'Sabbatness' but because the Viniculum rite makes them very 'close' and they are physically close, cuddling, touching and so on. It's far more intimate than the Camarilla. 
  • Dark Ages - Catacomb guardians (the slave of a Cappadocian)

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