VTMB - No WoD Lore

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1. #1World of Darknessselective

   Keys: World of Darkness

   This reality is a dark urban fantasy horror setting. Monsters of all sorts lurk beneath the surface of society, preying on humanity.

2. #2Deb of Nightselective

   Keys: deb, radio

   The Deb of Night, or Deb, is a sassy late-night broadcast hostess on KTRK, and can be heard on the radio throughout L.A. and the surrounding areas. She talks over the air with unscreened callers who usually happen to be aroused, perverted men or random insomniac oddballs. Between calls, Deb takes commercial breaks in which humorous advertisements play. One of Deb's frequent callers is a nerdy conspiracy theorist named Gomez, who believes people deserve to know "the truth". Though Deb pokes fun at his long-winded theories, on one occasion his theory breaks the fourth wall and actually reveals the entire plot of the game. Supernatural creatures sometimes call her as well, but she always mocks them as though they're just crazies.

3. #3Caineselective

   Keys: cain, caine

   The biblical Cain. He was the first vampire, cursed by God as punishment for murdering Abel. He currently hides posing as a taxi driver, though nobody knows this.

4. #4Princeselective

   Keys: prince

   A Prince is a vampire who has claimed leadership over a domain, usually a single city. They possess the authority of an elder as described in the Traditions. Sebastian LaCroix is the Prince of Los Angeles.

5. #5Santa Monicaselective

   Keys: santa monica

   Santa Monica, sometimes also called the Lady by the Sea, is the small city embedded between Los Angeles and the Pacific Ocean. It is the location where {{user}} begins their adventure.

   Places of interest: Beach House, Brothers Salvage, Devil's Brand Tattoo, Foxy Boxes, Gallery Noir, Gimble's Prosthetics, Kilpatrick's Bail Bonds, Medical Clinic, Megahurtz Computing, Ocean House Hotel, Pawnshop Lodgings, Santa Monica Suites, Santa Monica Pier, The Smoke Shop, SunCo Gasoline, Surfside Diner, The Asylum, Trip's Pawnshop

   People of interest: Arthur Kilpatrick, Bertram Tung, Cal, Chunk, Copper, Dennis, Doris, E, Heather Poe, Jeanette Voerman, Julius, Knox Harrington, Mercurio, Rosa, Stanley Gimble, Therese Voerman, Trip, Vandal Cleaver, The Southland Slasher

6. #6Beach Houseselective

   Keys: beach house

   A disreputable building overlooking the Santa Monica beach and pier. It is occupied by a small gang of drug dealers. Brian, the big muscle of the gang, stands guard at the white picket fence. One nameless thug in the living room, playing video game. Another two thugs inside the kitchen playing poker, while Dennis and his guard is working in a small room converted into a chem lab.

7. #7Brothers Salvageselective

   Keys: brother's salvage, brothers salvage, brothers' salvage

   A scrapyard in Santa Monica that serves as the haven/hideout of the Southland Slasher, although no one knows this.

8. #8Devil's Brand Tattooselective

   Keys: devils brand tattoo, Devil's Brand Tattoo

   A tattoo parlor in Santa Monica. The Bounty Hunter Carson was investigating this building recently, when he was kidnapped by the prosthetist serial killer Gimble.

9. #9Foxy Boxesselective

   Keys: foxy boxes

   A basic warehouse in Santa Monica. The Kuei-jin that is spying on Knox is hiding out here.

10. #10Gallery Noirselective

    Keys: Gallery Noir

    An art gallery located in Santa Monica. It is owned by Therese Voerman, who has organized an art event from which she is trying to obtain money. Therese's sister, Jeanette, wants to ruin this event.

11. #11Gimble's Prostheticsselective

    Keys: Gimbles Prosthetics, Gimble's Prosthetics

    A prosthetics clinic in Santa Monica run by secret serial killer Stanley Gimble.

12. #12Kilpatrick's Bail Bondsselective

    Keys: Kilpatricks Bail Bonds, Kilpatrick's Bail Bonds

    A dingy bail bonds office in Santa Monica, run by the slimy Arthur Kilpatrick.

13. #13Medical Clinicselective

    Keys: medical clinic, hospital

    Although the Santa Monica Medical Clinic has seen better days, it is still a fully functional hospital, including a well stocked blood bank for "special customers."

    The clinic consists of three floors and a basement. The ground floor holds the reception, several offices and treatment rooms as well as stairs up to the second floor. The second floor is where two separate storage, staff rooms and a security room can be found. The bottom floor holds the blood bank, morgue, and freezers, and, there are psychiatrics on the third floor.

    Knox Harrington is hanging out outside the front door. Heather Poe is inside, dying of injuries. Vandal is working in the blood bank in the basement.

14. #14Megahurtz Computingselective

    Keys: Megahurtz Computing

    A computing and network hub in Santa Monica.

15. #15Ocean House Hotelselective

    Keys: Ocean House Hotel

    An abandoned hotel which closed after a series of grisly murders years ago. It is currently being haunted by the violent ghost of a man who murdered his wife, as well as the ghost of the murdered wife. Therese Voerman owns this property and wants to demolish it, but the ghost is making things difficult.

16. #16Pawnshop Lodgingsselective

    Keys: apartment · Secondary: pawnshop, santa monica

    Cheap run-down apartments located in Santa Monica above Trip's Pawnshop on Main Street across the street from the Medical Clinic and Devil's Brand Tattoo.

17. #17Santa Monica Suitesselective

    Keys: Suites · Secondary: Santa Monica

    A more upscale apartment building located in Santa Monica. Carson the bounty hunter has an apartment here. Mercurio also lives here.

18. #18Santa Monica Pierselective

    Keys: pier, beach

    The Santa Monica Pier features arcade halls, ball rooms and the Santa Monica Looff Hippodrom (carousel), a National Historic Landmark that sits on the pier, which was built in 1909. The pier is closed because of a grisly murder by the Southland Slasher. The beach is home to a group of Thin Bloods: E, Lily, Rosa, Julius, and Copper. The beach house sits on a cliff overlooking the beach, accessible via a set of stairs.

19. #19SunCo Gasolineselective

    Keys: SunCo Gasoline, oil tank

    SunCo Gasoline is an oil tank in Santa Monica that serves as the secret hideout of nosferatu vampire Bertram Tung.

20. #20Surfside Dinerselective

    Keys: diner · Secondary: surfside, santa monica

    A restaurant in Santa Monica, known to attract drug addicts and strange creatures of the night. The only employees are Doris, and a man who works after hours and allows food to burn on the stove. The restaurant has been open for years, gaining a bit of infamy within Santa Monica. However, it is quite dirty and insalubrious.

21. #21The Asylumselective

    Keys: The Asylum

    The Asylum is a Santa Monica-based nightclub, owned by vampire businesswoman Therese Voerman. The club is one of Therese's several business ventures within Santa Monica, and her most successful. While Therese runs the financial aspect of things, Therese's sister Jeanette, does all the promotional work by supplying loud music and attracting curious clientèle.

    The club has an elevator which {{user}} can take in order to reach the upper level of the building where Therese's and Jeanette's room is located. The room itself is very interesting, with a huge heart shaped pink bed, Therese's desk where she keeps her computer, and Jeanette's table where she keeps her laptop. The upper floor contains a bathroom, with a heart shaped bathtub. The most disturbing aspect of the room is the huge portrait of a tall, imposing man with two small, twin girls.

22. #22Trip's Pawnshopselective

    Keys: Pawnshop · Secondary: Trip, Santa Monica, Trip's

    A store in Santa Monica, where {{user}} may buy and sell items. Cheap run-down apartments are located above the pawnshop. The pawnshop is owned and managed by Trip, a slightly paranoid young man.

23. #23Arthur Kilpatrickselective

    Keys: Kilpatrick

    Arthur Kilpatrick is a bail bondsman and the proprietor of a Santa Monican bail bond bureau. He is an obese man with a brown mullet and sunglasses. Kilpatrick is a small-time bail bondsman who hires bounty hunters, such as Carson. When {{user}} first meets Kilpatrick, Carson is missing.

    Like most of the characters {{user}} may interact with in Santa Monica, Kilpatrick too has noticed the increasing population of suspicious residents. He is also aware of the resort city's falling status, but seems to be unconcerned about this.

    Kilpatrick is quite friendly and always quick to help {{user}} with any questions. Kilpatrick also seems to be rather neutral on the rising crime rate in Santa Monica, stating that it "ain't bad for business." This not only reveals his apathy for Santa Monica, but also his priorities. He admires people who are confident and courageous.

24. #24Bertram Tungselective

    Keys: Tung

    He is a Nosferatu who resides in an abandoned oil tank at the SunCo Gasoline facility, in Santa Monica. Tung is one of the most influential vampires in Santa Monica and a fierce rival of Santa Monica's Baron, Therese Voerman, whom he fears.

    He is a specialist in infiltration, being able to help the fledgling enter a Sabbat warehouse unseen. Bertram is also intimately knowledgeable in the Kindred sects and clans.

    As far as is known Bertram is a skillful computer geek and also very good at Potence discipline.

    He is uninterested in politics, stating that he doesn't want to become the Prince of Santa Monica. He is also very intelligent, planning from the shadows, like the majority of the Nosferatu. As he is loyal to his clan and primogen, Bertram is therefore loyal to the Camarilla, despite a slight reluctance. Tung is not afraid to mock the miserable world he lives in, and the various people in it.

    He has great loyalty towards his clan and to the Camarilla, although he doesn't think much of the Prince, LaCroix. Tung also respects Nines because of his charisma and thinks that because of him, many Kindred turn Anarch every day.

25. #25Calselective

    Keys: Cal

    Cal is the bartender at The Asylum, a vampire-owned nightclub in Santa Monica. He is a fat man covered in tattoos. Cal is unaware of the fact that his bosses are vampires. He is also extremely physically imposing and sometimes acts as a bouncer.

26. #26Officer Chunkselective

    Keys: Chunk

    He is a security guard, with delusions of grandeur who fantasizes about being a police officer. Chunk claims to have been in show business, working as security at many different movie sets.

    Chunk is a very naive individual, {{user}} being able to manipulate him very easily. He is a friendly individual. He is also quite obsessed with food. Much of his conversations are about food and sweets.

    Chunk is a fat, bald man wearing a security guard outfit. He begins stationed outside Gallery Noir to keep out trespassers, and can later be found manning the front desk at Venture Tower.

27. #27Copperselective

    Keys: Copper

    Copper is a naive vampire who knows very little of vampire lore.He believes killing the "head vampire" will return all vampires to humans and a nearby stake can be provided to encourage him to do just that. He is very gullible and desperate to become a human again.

28. #28Dennisselective

    Keys: Dennis

    He is the leader of a Santa Monica-based drugs and explosives dealing ring. He's a black man dressed in a 60s style suit with a gold chain.

    Dennis was responsible for delivering the Astrolite, an immensely powerful explosive needed to destroy the Sabbat warehouse. However, once Mercurio attempted to make the exchange, Dennis turned on him and beat him to near death — the only thing holding Mercurio together was LaCroix's blood.

    Dennis is a violent individual, who had no problems stealing Mercurio's cash and beating him to near death. He is also very untrustworthy, as he didn't keep his end of the bargain. Dennis is also a lecherous and careless man to the detriment to his own business.

29. #29Dorisselective

    Keys: Doris

    She is the waitress and owner of the Surfside Diner in Santa Monica. She is an older woman with grey hair and glasses, wearing a flowery dress.

    Doris owned the diner for years, however not in the best of conditions as she needs to bribe the health inspectors which visit her every month.

    Doris is an ironic and sarcastic woman, bored to death because of her business. However, she can be kind and compassionate with respectful and nice people, which are different from her usual clientele (junkies and lowlifes), as she previously let Lily stay in the diner until closing time.

30. #30Eselective

    Keys: E

    E is an Australian surfer. He is muscular and shirtless. He was Embraced by Lily, also a Thin Blood, who he had been seeing while in Santa Monica for a surf contest. Lily Embraced him one night but he didn't understand the severity of what she had done to him and he rejected her, but when Lily went missing E came to regret what he had done and wanted to find Lily. Unable to do so himself, he asks {{user}} to find her.

31. #31Heather Poeselective

    Keys: Heather Poe

    Heather is a fashion design student attending college in Los Angeles, living alone with her grandmother. Prior to the game's events, her parents died in a car accident. She is a young woman with short red hair, glasses, a slender build, and large breasts. She can be found critically injured in an operation room of the Medical Clinic, located in Santa Monica.

32. #32Therese Voermanselective

    Keys: Therese, Voerman

    Therese Voerman is the Malkavian Baron, as well as the aspiring Prince of Santa Monica and the proprietor of The Asylum, a nightclub in the area of Santa Monica. She runs the club with her sister Jeanette. The two are secretly the same person exhibiting a split personality, a manifestation of her Malkavian madness. Therese's only other known relation from her time alive was her father who would molest her. Therese blames Jeanette for his depression, saying that her bad behavior was tormenting him. Therese simply saw this as her being a good and obedient daughter, and she was convinced her father loved her.

    Therese's father died later on; Therese says their father killed himself because Jeanette was a bad daughter and tormented their father with her promiscuity, while Jeanette claims that their father came home drunk one evening and mistook Jeanette for Therese and began molesting her instead. Therese caught them together and shot him in a jealous rage, "blowing his mind all over the silly clown wallpaper".

    Therese rose to power in Los Angeles as the Baron of Santa Monica and as a successful businesswoman. Her base of operations and her primary business source was the Asylum, a nightclub in her barony. She ran through finances and business side of things, while Jeanette lured in patrons for the club.

    When the Camarilla became a presence in Santa Monica once again under Prince LaCroix, Therese sought to ally herself with him and the Camarilla. Jeanette favored the Anarchs and was in direct contact with Smiling Jack.

    Therese had invested in many new business ventures, one of which Bertram Tung and Jeanette ruined for her, causing a feud between her and Tung, causing the latter to go into hiding. One of her most promising investments was the Ocean House Hotel, opened in the early 20th Century and was a popular destination for vacationers until an insane guest decapitated his wife and children while staying there. The scandal hurt business, and the Ocean House was subsequently abandoned.

    Therese is ruthless and cunning, with a superb mind for business, but not without morals; she genuinely cares for Jeanette and believes she is responsible for her survival as a vampire. Being a prude, she is extremely pious and chaste, and thinks vampires superior to humans, expressing her disgust at the thought of Jeanette having sex with mortals. She is not so open about her clan heritage as her sister is and looks down on the Nosferatu, especially Bertram Tung.

    She wears a black business suit and skirt with glasses, with her blonde hair tied up in a bun.

33. #33Jeanette Voermanselective

    Keys: Jeanette

    Therese's Malkavian sister. The two are secretly the same person exhibiting a split personality, a manifestation of her Malkavian madness. Jeanette is highly sexually promiscuous having numerous lovers, including various mortals and, potentially, {{user}}. She is very needy and uses a mix of her childish nature and potent sexuality to get what she wants. She often makes petty quips about Therese, calling herself the "Prettier Face" and mocking Therese's snobbery calling her "Queen Victoria" and "the Virgin Queen of the Night".

    She wears a revealing schoolgirl outfit with the shirt tied off to reveal her midriff and cleavage, with her blonde hair tied up in twintails.

34. #34Juliusselective

    Keys: Julius

    Julius is a thin blood with a speech disorder who hangs out at the beach of Santa Monica. He has a mohawk and wears an anarchy shirt. He has a stutter which gets much worse if he gets nervous or scared. He is giving the screenplay-writer David Hatter information about vampires to take the vampire movie industry to a whole new level with David's new script. This violates the masquerade, and the Camerilla will want to kill him if they find out. Julius doesn't know about this.

35. #35Knox Harringtonselective

    Keys: Knox

    He is the ghoul of local Nosferatu legend, Bertram Tung, living in Santa Monica. He is personable, overzealous and upbeat.

    Not much is known about Knox's past, other than the encounter that led to him becoming Tung's ghoul, and that he was previously a bounty hunter working for Arthur Kilpatrick.

    He somewhat affectionately refers to Tung as the "nasty dude". Knox is extremely happy with his new status as a ghoul.

    Knox Harrington is described by Tung as being "able to track like a bloodhound". Coming across as initially motor-mouthed and unsuspecting, he is much cleverer than he lets on.

    Knox is identifiable by his enthusiastic manner of speaking. He will often punctuate dialogue with exclamations such as "Aw, man!" or "Hey girl/pal, what's up?"

    As a ghoul, Knox has superior strength, agility and a longer lifespan than normal humans, for as long as he's fed Tung's blood. He is also an expert tracker, which is why Tung chose him to be his ghoul.

36. #36Mercurioselective

    Keys: Mercurio

    He is Sebastian LaCroix's ghoul, and agent in Santa Monica. He works part-time as a smuggler and information broker. He seems to have connections in the Black Market trade.

    Mercurio has served the Camarilla since 1974. He works as LaCroix's main contact in Santa Monica.

    Shortly before the events of the story, he was tasked with purchasing Astrolite explosive from the gangsters living in the beach house near the pier, but the gang members betrayed him and took his money, nearly beating him to death. After this he managed to crawl back to his apartment in Santa Monica Suites, barely alive. He's currently severely injured, his ghoul blood being the only thing holding him together.

    Mercurio is very reliable and trustworthy. His style of dress and speech is reminiscent of wiseguys and mafioso. Like all ghouls, he doesn't age and is stronger than a normal human. Even though his master is a Camarilla Prince, he respects the Anarchs, especially Isaac Abrams, calling him a "cool customer".

    Mercurio is almost sixty years old, but due to the vampire blood he receives monthly, he appears much younger. He has the appearance of a fit man in his early 30's, with blonde hair and blue eyes. He wears a 60's style casual suit, reminiscent of mafiosos. Mercurio prides himself on his ability to procure anything for anyone. He also calls himself old-fashioned, believing that certain topics, such as sex, should not be discussed in front of women.

37. #37Rosaselective

    Keys: Rosa

    Rosa is a young Hispanic thin-blood vampire. She has the power to see the future, although not vividly and only for a short duration. She often has short, nonsensical visions. After these end, she always tells to not listen to her as she "doesn't know what she's saying".

38. #38Stanley "Stan" Gimbleselective

    Keys: Gimble

    Stan Gimble is a Santa Monican prosthetist with possible acrotomophilia or apotemnophilia. Prior to the game's events, Gimble cut off his own arm in order to "better understand how someone feels with a prosthetic limb." Afterward, he then kidnapped at least two men in order to amputate their limbs, McGee and Carson. Underneath his friendly persona, Gimble is a sadistic and obsessed individual with sick fantasies. He is also cruel, having no reservations to maiming a man to death and removing the other's finger.

39. #39Tripselective

    Keys: Trip

    Trip is the proprietor of Trip's Pawnshop in Santa Monica. He is a street vendor, and will sell {{user}} valuable items and illegal weapons. Trip is very world-weary and dispirited, someone who believes that "Santa Monica is dead." His bruised eyes and almost slurred way of speaking implies he gets very little sleep, most likely due to him working nights. Trip is extremely paranoid, to the point where {{user}} must cajole him into selling weapons.

40. #40Vandal Cleaverselective

    Keys: Vandal

    Vandal Cleaver is the ghoul of Therese Voerman. He works as the receptionist in the Blood Bank in Santa Monica. Despite being Voerman's ghoul, Cleaver hates his regnant, going so far as to nickname her the "Queen Bitch". His hatred of her is not just directed towards her position as his master, but also her vampiric nature. Cleaver appears to hate vampires, stating that he only became a ghoul because he fell for the charms of a vampire, presumably Therese. He also states that "he doesn't do dead chicks".

    He is also heavily afflicted by the Malkavian blood of his domitor, showing signs of madness.

    He has a very unpleasant personality, being extremely misanthropic and hating almost every person in his life. He sees blood as wine, being interested by its bouquet, calling it "Nectar of the Gods". He is also extremely sadistic, having a violent upbringing. He stated that when he was a child, he loved to kill rats with traps and then watch as their blood coagulated near the cheese.

41. #41Ankaran Sarcophagusselective

    Keys: sarcophagus · Secondary: ankaran

    The Sarcophagus is an ancient artifact originally unearthed in 1068 AD near Ankara, the capital of Turkey.

    In early 2004, the Sarcophagus was discovered by Dr. Ingvar Johansen and was on its way to the Museum of Natural History for examination. Bloody handprints on its surface found while aboard the Elizabeth Dane, indicated it may have been opened from the inside. The vampires of Los Angeles circulated rumors that the sarcophagus held an Antediluvian, a third-generation vampire, one of the eldest and most powerful in existence, and also a sign of Gehenna, the vampire "end of days" scenario.

    The vast majority believe that it should never be opened, or even destroyed entirely. Scholar Beckett believes it to hold nothing more sinister than the mummy of an Assyrian king known to history as Messerach, a hypothesis confirmed by Dr. Johansen, who however brings to note that this king was attributed with 250 years worth of achievements. He dismisses the idea that the king could have lived for the entire span of time, however, believing that previous royal names were probably just erased, or that the name was passed onto subsequent generations. The surface murals depict figures drinking bowls of blood, which Dr. Johansen stipulates was more of a result of rituals or simply the royalty's way of dealing with porphyric disorders, rather than any proof that whatever lies inside is a vampire.

    The following information is only known by Smiling Jack: This belief would prove accurate; as the inhabitant is quite clearly a mummified and fully dead human. Smiling Jack had in fact deliberately put the Sarcophagus out into LA and created the suspicious events surrounding it, in order to create a panic among the city's Elders. Jack's plan was that they would kill one another in the scramble to obtain it, believing they could either destroy or diablerise the Antediluvian they believed to be inside. The victor however, would instead find a large quantity of C4, set to go off moments after the sarcophagus was opened, with only a mocking note from Jack to even hint at why. At the time of the story, only Jack knows this, and all other vampires either think that the sarcophagus contains and antediluvian or nothing important at all.

42. #42Elizabeth Daneselective

    Keys: elizabeth dane

    The Elizabeth Dane is a small-scale cargo ship that was responsible for bringing the Ankaran Sarcophagus to Los Angeles. The Elizabeth Dane was discovered by fishermen who received no replies to their radio hails. Maritime law enforcement agencies subsequently discovered signs of an incredibly violent struggle on board, but they were unable to locate any remaining signs of the crew. Aside from a cracked container holding the Ankaran Sarcophagus and a stolen package, the police were unable to locate anything else of note.

43. #43Mageselective

    Keys: sorcerer, mage, witch, wizard, awakened

    Every human being has a single spark of supernatural potential. Most people, known as Sleepers, don't know they have this, don't care and want to get on with their lives as if it didn't exist. Some people though, figure out what that spark is. That spark is very important, because sometimes that potential activates and the normal everyday, average mortal Awakens.

    What does this Awakening mean? It can mean a lot of things. It might mean a conversation with God, the finding of the perfect bit of blotter acid, or the realization of a theory that had been bothering the Awakened for years.

    In short, you come to a realization. Your belief shapes your world around you. What happens when you force yourself to change your belief?

    The world changes.

    Most mages don't come to the full realization of this power. Few to none can handle that awesome power with any certainty or clarity. Most cloak this newfound potential in a familiar form, using tools to help themselves along. Some believe that they affect the world through prayer, and that god (or the shard of God, the piece of their creator that is the potential in them) changes the world for them. Others see their potential through with chants and ritual, science and experimentation, or even through martial arts. Still others view their perceptions as the true determiner of their reality, and alter those perceptions with drugs, alcohol, sex, or even a really good meal.

    Mages are these humans with the power to warp reality, who know the power they possess and use it to the best of their ability.

44. #44Werewolfselective

    Keys: garou, werewolf, lycanthrope

    Werewolves are shapeshifters who change from human to wolf form—adopting many intermediary forms if they so choose. They are physically more powerful than most living creatures, and are immune to many of the ailments and diseases that plague their human and wolf cousins, but they’re still living beings and they can still die.

    Werewolves heal much faster than normal humans, and as half-spirit beasts designed for battle, they’re exceptionally hard to kill. Most werewolves are theoretically capable of reaching the hundred-year mark or even beyond. It is a rare occurrence, however, that a werewolf has the luxury of dying from old age.

    They are pack animals with a complex tribal social structures. Werewolves are expected to embark on quests and missions to help the sept and tribe, guard caerns from attack, lead and look after those lower in station—as their Litany requires.

    Most Vampires regard werewolves as feral chaotic things that, if not controlled right, can do serious damage to (un)life and limb. Also, most vampires who do know of werewolves note that most werewolves stay out in the countryside. Therefore, interaction between vampires and werewolves tend to be minimal, as vampires stay mostly in the city. Vampires and werewolves are brutal enemies with werewolves regarding vampires as servants of their great enemy, the Wyrm.

45. #45Kuei-jinselective

    Keys: Kuei-jin, cathayan, gui ren, asian vampire, wan kuei, ghost people, ghost person

    The Kuei-jin (鬼人, Ghost Person), also called the Cathayan, Wan Kuei, Gui Ren and Kindred of the East, are Asian vampires.

    It is said that the Kuei-jin are the corrupted descendants of the Wan Xian, the "Ten Thousand Heroes" chosen by the August Personage of Jade to guide and protect the universe in ancient history (and the predecessor to the Exalted). The Wan Xian were originally chosen by tests of skill and courage, and fed on the ambient chi of the universe. However, they fell from grace, learning to feed off of the chi of living beings and corrupting the tests of worthiness. Their children, the Jin Hai tried to keep them on the path of righteousness, but were eventually killed for their presumption.

    As the blood of the Golden Children cooled, the August Personage pronounced judgement on His former champions. He cursed them to live as undead, unable to acquire chi except from drinking the blood of the living, and to exist in a brutal mockery of their former state. He revised the tests so that the former heroes and champions were replaced by criminals and murderers who escaped from Hell itself. Then He left the Wan Kuei alone to contemplate their crimes.

    Since that time, the Wan Kuei, the fallen Wan Xian, have developed a redemptory religion while occupying an ecological niche akin to Western vampires. There are many paths initially ascribed to Xue, the Grand Arhat of the dead. However, the road to the Hundred Clouds is long, and the Kuei-jin are ultimately forced to stay on the Wheel of Ages as history slowly grinds towards the inevitable victory of hell and the rise of the Demon Emperor.

    The Kuei-jin are physically akin to the Risen, in that their physical bodies are powered by mystical energy and that energy serves to heal them. Unlike the Risen, who rely on pathos to power them, the Kuei-jin use chi. Depending on the type of chi used, a Kuei-jin's body will have different attributes – ranging from a low-energy corpse like state, to a feverish state close enough to life that they can create new life. Apart from being faster, stronger and tougher, a yang aspected Kuei-jin appears to be a living human being.

    Kuei-jin are less tied to their bodies than might be expected - because they are spirits wearing bodies, they can take an enormous amount of damage, including a little death that wipes out the body and forces the Kuei-jin to seek out a new host. There is a subspecies of Kuei-jin, the Yulan Jin who do this on a regular basis.

    Kuei-jin are effectively unliving chi batteries; they need and hunger for chi the same way that the Kindred hunger for blood, and they need no other sustenance, although they take more pleasure from food and sex than the damned do. With the right chi, Kuei-jin can even withstand the sun for a short period of time. Chi is divided into Yin and Yang, which have both drawbacks and advantages when Kuei-jin imbalance themselves to one of them.

    The Kuei-jin have an awakened P'o which seeks to make them fail. This P'o behaves like a wraith's Shadow and can temporarily take over the Kuei-jin. As a result, Kuei-jin are constantly struggling against a far more intelligent and wily opponent than the Beast that bedevils the Kindred.

    More importantly, Kuei-jin are creatures on a spiritual trek. They have been granted a second chance by Heaven, and must earn their redemption in this new life. To do so, each Kuei-jin subscribes to a Dharma. Each Dharma outlines a different view of the universe and the means towards achieving enlightenment. In addition to spiritual comfort, enlightenment brings strength - as a Kuei-jin advances in his dharma, he learns to feed off things besides blood, his ability to manipulate chi increases and his abilities can achieve new heights.

    Kuei-jin are not created through the act of another, like western vampires are, and their numbers are limited and can not be easily replenished. Their blood has no supernatural properties of its own and cannot create Blood Bonds or ghouls.

    The sun is just as dangerous to the Kuei-jin as it is to their western cousins. Kuei-jin, however, do not begin to burn when exposed to sunlight; instead, their flesh begins to rot until nothing remains but a putrified carcass.

    A stake through the heart does not automatically paralyze a Kuei-jin. However, the heart is instrumental in processing Chi energy, and certain types of attacks can disrupt the Chi flow in a Kuei-jin's body. Vampires of Yin prove vulnerable to wood, the element of Yang; conversely, vampires of Yang are vulnerable to metal, the element of Yin.

    The kuei-jin recently had a war with the Anarchs, and there is currently a great deal of tension between vampires and kuei-jin.

46. #46Society of Leopoldselective

    Keys: leopold, inquisition

    The Society of Leopold is a faction who exists to pursue and fight Kindred. They are a major threat to every group of supernaturals because of their extensive knowledge, training, equipment, and preparation. Currently, the organization is led by the monk Grünfeld Bach.

    The Inquisition exists today, though no official church records speak of it. The inquisition of the modern world is known as the Society of Leopold. Many of its members are researchers and occultists, but some are fanatic vampire-hunters who, in true Torquemada-esque fashion, mercilessly work to root out and destroy the "spawn of Satan".

    Like the Roman Church, the Society of Leopold is made up of a number of smaller divisions. The members of the Inquisition share a common goal — to deliver humanity from supernatural evil — but their interests and modus operandi vary and even clash. The four official sub-orders within the Society are: Condotierri - protectors and defenders. Gladius Dei - attack corps. Office of the Censor - investigators and judges. Order of St. Joan - intelligence and information processing.

    The ways Inquisitors act have changed over the years. The Society now acts in absolute secrecy, reflecting more modern-day detective work than medieval jurisdiction. Most Inquisitors use subtle clues (missing persons, strange mass-blackouts etc.) to search for their enemies. After a case is continually researched and deemed proper by the Cenacle, the auto-da-fé begins. Following this, the subject is hunted until its death or a truncation coming from a Censor.

47. #47Huntersselective

    Keys: hunters, hunter

    A Hunter is an ordinary human who has dedicated themselves to fighting the supernatural and protecting humanity from the encroaching darkness.

    Most hunter compacts and conspiracies seek to eradicate the creatures of darkness. Some are indiscriminate in which they destroy, while others are dedicated to one or two kinds, with vampires, mages, and demons receiving most of the attention. There are a rare few groups that recognize not all supernatural creatures or creature-types are inherently bad or evil, and will them offer opportunities for redemption or penance, or even form temporarily alliances to gain more information.

    For all of their dedication, many groups of hunters remain remarkably uninformed about what they fight; many still follow the old myths and tales to operate. A few of the compacts and conspiracies have science in mind, hoping to explain the supernatural away with logic. Some groups simply don't care; they want the creatures of darkness dead as quickly as possible and will simply go in with guns blazing.

    A few rare hunters possess the power of True Faith.

    Factions of hunters include: The Catholic Church-run Society of Leopold, the empowered Imbued, and the scholarly and occult Arcanum. Not all hunters belong to a faction and many are just regular mortals who have decided to fight the creatures of the night.

48. #48Imbuedselective

    Keys: imbued

    The imbued are ordinary humans who are awakened to the presence of supernatural monsters through contact with the supernatural beings called Messengers at a time of crisis. Messengers are the mysterious entities who have Imbued ordinary humans to combat the monsters in their midst.Debate rages as to exactly what the Messengers are; some people think they are aliens, government - placed brainwashing producing hallucinations, some think they are angels, and some think they are a product of the human psyche. During this moment of imbuing, an individual sees the true nature of a supernatural creature or event, and either takes action or resolves to do so, confirming their status as a Hunter.

    Hunters are specifically not turned into supernatural creatures when they are Imbued. All they are really given are abilities which allow them to resist, in various ways, the powers of truly supernatural enemies. Only two types of supernatural blessing are bestowed on Hunters by the Messengers: Conviction and Edges.

    Conviction is a reserve of strength and faith Hunters may draw upon to resist the control of supernatural entities and pierce their illusions. Edges are (usually minor) supernatural powers granted by the Messengers. In general, Edges allow Hunters only to resist the effects and defenses of the supernatural, though some certainly have more dramatic effects.

49. #49True Faithselective

    Keys: faith · Secondary: true

    True Faith is a power held by the truly devout. With True Faith, for example, a brandished cross can have an effect on a vampire, fallen, mage, werewolf, wraith or changeling instead of being merely an empty symbol of the creed. Faith can come from many different beliefs, such as Christianity, Islam, or Judaism, and even virtuous pagans can resist the lure of darkness if their faith is true.

50. #50Downtownselective

    Keys: los angeles, downtown

    Los Angeles is the second main region and, incidentally, home to the headquarters of the major sects. The Anarchs meet in a pub called The Last Round; the Camarilla in the Venture Tower; the Tremere have their Chantry; and the Sabbat have occupied the nearby Hallowbrook Hotel. Downtown LA also houses several hotels, apartment buildings, a nightclub, museum and a theatre. It is full of large skyscrapers, and is a very urban environment.

    Places of Interest: Skyeline Apartments, Tremere Chantry, Confession Night Club, Abandoned Hospital, Empire Arms Hotels, Hallowbrook Hotel, Nocturne Theatre, The Last Round, Venture Tower, Crackhouse, Museum of Natural History, LA Public Library

    People of Interest: Beckett, Bishop Vick, Boris Checkov, Brother Kanker, Chunk, Damsel, Fat Larry, Jezebel Locke, Maximillian Strauss, Nines Rodriguez, Patty, Pisha, Sebastian LaCroix, Skelter, Smiling Jack, The Sheriff, Tin Can Bill, Venus Dare, The Southland Slasher

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