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Return to Requiem
-A tale of swedish people playing Vampire: the Requiem
“I had been on the road to oblivion for months. Working the New York night shift for years as a paramedic, it was finally catching up to me. The deaths, the misery, the casual disrespect for life and humanity.
My constant companion through this was Andre, basic-level EMT and partner in crime. Polite people would describe him as calm and steady, a real bloke. Less polite people would describe him as stupid. Never-the-less we had become a duo over the years, and during the last month I think Andre was the only one willing to team up with me.
It was a miracle that I wasn’t fired, but New York wasn’t exactly crawling with paramedics willing to work the graveyard shift. My boss needed everyone he could get his hands on, even the burnt-out wrecks.
Car accident, drug overdose, knifed in a pointless barroom brawl, dying in my own vomit in the bathtub. Those were the ways I expected to die. A death that I was intimately familiar with, having seen it again and again over the years. It was a known friend, gruesome but known.
In the back of the ambulance though, throat ripped out by a body I was certain had no breath and no heartbeat. That was unexpected.
It was even more unexpected that it wouldn’t be the end.
Fucking vampires.”
-Alex
Now who am I, and who is Alex?
I’m a swedish roleplayer. I’m 31 years old. I’ve been roleplaying for about 20 years now, but during the last 10 I’ve had trouble finding people to play with on a regular basis (until I met my current group this autumn). I started playing Vampire back in the mid 90s, but I haven’t played old World of Darkness (Masquerade) since maybe 2002, and I’ve never played New World of Darkness (Requiem) at all.*
And Alex? Alex is my character in this campaign.
Alex is, or at least used to be, a paramedic (and a drop-out from the University of Columbia). He’s british, mouthy, frequently obnoxious and foul-mouthed, occasionally manipulative and features a definite mean-streak. On the other hand he’s easily moved towards acts of empathy and has a strong sense of loyalty (to his friends). As a vampire he belongs to the Mekhet, a clan with even stronger ties to the shadows than other vampires..
Though most of the character was invented on the spot, inspired somewhat by Nicholas Cages self-destructive EMT in Bringing Out The Dead, the british dialect wasn’t a part of it until I started talking in character. I just couldn’t channel Alex mouthy personality without instantly falling into a fake british accent. I blame the prevalence of sarcastic british villains in popular culture.
“It had all been very confusing. Not only do I get my throat ripped out and find out that I’m in fact still walking and talking, despite the experience. Then I’m manhandled by a bunch of different vampires, not that I had quite grasped that they were vampires back then. All I knew was that the world was noisy, bright and with a thousand scents creeping up my nostrils, a pandemonium that kept making me dizzy until hours later that night. Anyway, I’m brought before some pontificating potentate representing ‘Mr.Fancy-pants Lord Fang of New York and All Domains beneath it’. Given a whole list of little rules to follow.
I really only remember the part about respecting the all-mighty authority, not revealing myself to humans and not even fucking thinking about ‘draining’ a vampire older than me. Like I’d not be able to think about it after you brought it up thank-you-very-much, whatever it is.
Then there is the predictable ‘Lets make a few lethal examples’ bit, like some eastern-european mobster or maybe a Hollywood villain.
Then I’m foisted off on some sort of Irish bloke named Finn.
This Finn says that he’s going to lead me to my future boss, ‘Wolfgang’. I could feel his eyes on the back of my neck the entire way to the meeting place, which was some sleazy little rathole if you’re wondering. Not only is Finn crazy, a fucking IRA mos’ likely, but he’s fucking gun crazy too. I bet he sleeps with the fuckers.
So, not a terribly awesome night thus far. Meeting this Wolfgang wasn’t pleasant either. Up until then I hadn’t really been close to what I’d call a real vampire. Not like me and Joan, she’s a little professor looney that got embraced at just about the same time as I was, or Finn who I felt was unnerving but not really you know...otherworldly or something.
This Wolfgang was pants-pissingly terrifying.
First time I felt my fangs flip. They’re not long and pointy all the time really, only when I need them. And somewhere deep down I felt I fucking needed them. Like a shih tzu faced with a Bully Kutta, I was hissing and showing fangs. At least before I realized how fucking stupid that was and got a hold of myself.
The rest of that evenin’ was fairly pleasant.
The world was finally NOT spinning anymore, I’d gotten used to the unreal clarity of sound, smell and sight.
While still pants-pissingly terrifying this Wolfgang turned out to be possibly the most reasonable bloke I’ve ever met in my life. The things he said made sense you know.
We head off to an opium den, a place of some bad reputation. The police won’t do fuck, and as a meat wagon driver I’ve never made a pickup there. Which is hella’ suspicious if you know what I mean. There ain’t no block in this part of New York where you don’t make no pickups, except there. But I’ve made plenty o’ pickups a few blocks away. Overdoses, stabbins’, junkies beaten to death, trackmarks all over ‘em. Well, anyway, the way Wolfgang was actin’ I think he had been responsible for at least few of those pickups. Suggested I’d drain and then slash the stoned and smiling fuck he brought up. Didn’t do that. Didn’t feel right. I drank though. Felt like erasing that stupid smile on the vics face, but changed my mind. Wasn’t worth it. Wasn’t right.
Drinking was one helluva rush though. Never felt anything like it. Never felt anything that felt that right. Felt like never stop drinking. I’ve tried pretty much every type of chut, candy, glitch and glitter this town has to offer, and never felt like that. Did stop drinking though.
After that it was nap time at a hotel nearby. Dawn was coming, and given how tired I felt before even a sliver o’ light headed over the horizon I’m pretty sure I’ll never party until dawn again.
Things felt good then, despite being crammed into a hotel apartment with three other vampires. Well, that didn’t last”
Now, I’m not the only participant (because that would be sad and pointless). The others are, thus far:
Niklas, as the Storyteller of this little adventure of ours.
Trulls, a.k.a. Orpheus, playing Wolfgang, the leader of the coterie. A mid-powered Gangrel and a member of the Cult of the Crone. History unknown, but he’s been around for a century or so and is apparently associated with the University of Columbia in some way. A scheming and ego-centric toady, quite willing to compensate for any flaws in his personality with liberal use of Majesty.
Markus, as Finn. He’s Wolfgangs second in command. Like Wolfgang he’s also a Gangrel, but in terms of personality he’s the polar opposite. A former (or perhaps not so former) IRA terrorist with a stoic demeanor and a barely contained appetite for destruction.
Irene, as Joan. Joan is a professor at Columbia, mad scientist and recently embraced Daeva. Obsessed with the perfection of mankind through the means of genetics and medicine. Viewed as somewhat odd even in life, her transition into a Daeva has only enhanced those parts of her personality. Who knows where it will end...
It’s a fairly interesting constellation, with the older and more experienced vampires being both gangrel, so they’re likely to back each other up if challenged. On the other hand they have different personalities and given the natural instincts of vampires they’re not sufficiently tight either that it would be impossible to drive a wedge between them. Joan and Alex aren’t very alike, but they share a common history and they’re in the same situation (being vampire neonates in a very strange land).
It’s also interesting how Vampire makes you really aware of the difference between character and player perceptions. In the eyes of Alex, my character, Wolfgang is awe-inspiring, terrifying and charming, thanks to a combination of strong presence, blood potency and use of Majesty. To me, as Alex player, Wolfgang is a little toad who gets high on power, schemes in secret and cowers before anyone more powerful than him.
“Waking up made me pretty aware of how much more fucked up my life is as a vampire. That’s an accomplishment, considering how fucked up it was before.
So, waking up I feel some freaky presence that made me want to jump out the nearest window. Until I realized I was on the 5th floor. I might be a vampire, and who knows if I’ll learn to walk on walls or some crazy stuff like that, but I wasn’t ready to try just yet.
So, sneaking into the main room there is a bloody skull on the table.
Well, it wasn’t bloody per se, but it was still a fucking skull. And that thing was radiatin’ evil I can tell you. The boss acted mostly like it wasn’t no big deal, except he borrowed a piece from the resident gun-nut and then he left. After orderin’ us to stay in the same bloody hotel room as the bloody skull.
Not my idea of a good time I tell you. And it was about to get worse. ‘cause shortly after the boss left we’re visited by Mr.Fishface.
Now, you might be wonderin’ why I’m calling Mr.Fishface Mr.Fishface.
Imagine you take a human skull. Something vaguely resemblin’ a human skull. Then you take a deep ocean fish, one of the ugly ones with huge spiky teeth. Then you gut that fish, take its skin and cram it over the vaguely human skull, knock out the skulls teeth and replace them with the fishs teeth.
Put that on top of a suit so fancy it would put a top notch Savile Row tailor to shame.
That’s Mr.Fishface.
Mr.Fishface was pretty much as terrifyin’ as the boss, but at least this time I didn’t go snappin’ at ‘em. Now I figured I was dead, for real this time. But considerin’ that Finn wasn’t that spooked I guessed that Mr.Fishface was on our side. Poor Looney-Joan freezed up though. Freezed up bad, so I kinda had to guide her to the couch to get her to sit down.
So there we’re sittin’ in the couch. Mr.Fishface in the chair across the table. And we’re sitting there until the boss comes back. Mr.Fishface was drinking some of the nicest fine alcohol I’ve ever smelled and acting like it’s perfectly normal for a terror from the deep to sit in a chair in a central New York hotel room. Although I guess he was a vampire of sort. I sure hope I myself ain’t that kind of vampire. With a face like that I’d look for the nearest beach facing the sunrise.
Then the boss comes back and Mr.Fishface left, like he was babysittin’ us or somethin’.
I took a look at that bottle of booze. I smelled like the whiskey of my dreams, but guess what.
I took one sip and I started to puke like mad, fainting right there and then.
The boss has good news and bad news. The good news is that we’re going after some sort of prophet with some sort of prophety book. The bad news is that I can’t fucking drink or eat regular stuff anymore. I finally have a nose and sense of taste like a fucking hunting dog, and I can’t enjoy whiskey and steak?
Life just ain’t fucking fair”
*As you might notice I’m using a lot of game specific terms. Old World of Darkness, New World of Darkness, Requiem, Masquerade, Mekhet, Gangrel, Embraced, Daeva, Majesty, Coterie, Cult of the Crone and even the word Storyteller all have a specific in-game meaning. I’m not going to explain these words every time, or even the first time, I use them. If you’re not familiar with the World of Darkness the World of Darkness wiki has explanations for pretty much every term I’m going to use in this or future posts.
Return to Requiem
-A tale of swedish people playing Vampire: the Requiem
“I had been on the road to oblivion for months. Working the New York night shift for years as a paramedic, it was finally catching up to me. The deaths, the misery, the casual disrespect for life and humanity.
My constant companion through this was Andre, basic-level EMT and partner in crime. Polite people would describe him as calm and steady, a real bloke. Less polite people would describe him as stupid. Never-the-less we had become a duo over the years, and during the last month I think Andre was the only one willing to team up with me.
It was a miracle that I wasn’t fired, but New York wasn’t exactly crawling with paramedics willing to work the graveyard shift. My boss needed everyone he could get his hands on, even the burnt-out wrecks.
Car accident, drug overdose, knifed in a pointless barroom brawl, dying in my own vomit in the bathtub. Those were the ways I expected to die. A death that I was intimately familiar with, having seen it again and again over the years. It was a known friend, gruesome but known.
In the back of the ambulance though, throat ripped out by a body I was certain had no breath and no heartbeat. That was unexpected.
It was even more unexpected that it wouldn’t be the end.
Fucking vampires.”
-Alex
Now who am I, and who is Alex?
I’m a swedish roleplayer. I’m 31 years old. I’ve been roleplaying for about 20 years now, but during the last 10 I’ve had trouble finding people to play with on a regular basis (until I met my current group this autumn). I started playing Vampire back in the mid 90s, but I haven’t played old World of Darkness (Masquerade) since maybe 2002, and I’ve never played New World of Darkness (Requiem) at all.*
And Alex? Alex is my character in this campaign.
Alex is, or at least used to be, a paramedic (and a drop-out from the University of Columbia). He’s british, mouthy, frequently obnoxious and foul-mouthed, occasionally manipulative and features a definite mean-streak. On the other hand he’s easily moved towards acts of empathy and has a strong sense of loyalty (to his friends). As a vampire he belongs to the Mekhet, a clan with even stronger ties to the shadows than other vampires..
Though most of the character was invented on the spot, inspired somewhat by Nicholas Cages self-destructive EMT in Bringing Out The Dead, the british dialect wasn’t a part of it until I started talking in character. I just couldn’t channel Alex mouthy personality without instantly falling into a fake british accent. I blame the prevalence of sarcastic british villains in popular culture.
“It had all been very confusing. Not only do I get my throat ripped out and find out that I’m in fact still walking and talking, despite the experience. Then I’m manhandled by a bunch of different vampires, not that I had quite grasped that they were vampires back then. All I knew was that the world was noisy, bright and with a thousand scents creeping up my nostrils, a pandemonium that kept making me dizzy until hours later that night. Anyway, I’m brought before some pontificating potentate representing ‘Mr.Fancy-pants Lord Fang of New York and All Domains beneath it’. Given a whole list of little rules to follow.
I really only remember the part about respecting the all-mighty authority, not revealing myself to humans and not even fucking thinking about ‘draining’ a vampire older than me. Like I’d not be able to think about it after you brought it up thank-you-very-much, whatever it is.
Then there is the predictable ‘Lets make a few lethal examples’ bit, like some eastern-european mobster or maybe a Hollywood villain.
Then I’m foisted off on some sort of Irish bloke named Finn.
This Finn says that he’s going to lead me to my future boss, ‘Wolfgang’. I could feel his eyes on the back of my neck the entire way to the meeting place, which was some sleazy little rathole if you’re wondering. Not only is Finn crazy, a fucking IRA mos’ likely, but he’s fucking gun crazy too. I bet he sleeps with the fuckers.
So, not a terribly awesome night thus far. Meeting this Wolfgang wasn’t pleasant either. Up until then I hadn’t really been close to what I’d call a real vampire. Not like me and Joan, she’s a little professor looney that got embraced at just about the same time as I was, or Finn who I felt was unnerving but not really you know...otherworldly or something.
This Wolfgang was pants-pissingly terrifying.
First time I felt my fangs flip. They’re not long and pointy all the time really, only when I need them. And somewhere deep down I felt I fucking needed them. Like a shih tzu faced with a Bully Kutta, I was hissing and showing fangs. At least before I realized how fucking stupid that was and got a hold of myself.
The rest of that evenin’ was fairly pleasant.
The world was finally NOT spinning anymore, I’d gotten used to the unreal clarity of sound, smell and sight.
While still pants-pissingly terrifying this Wolfgang turned out to be possibly the most reasonable bloke I’ve ever met in my life. The things he said made sense you know.
We head off to an opium den, a place of some bad reputation. The police won’t do fuck, and as a meat wagon driver I’ve never made a pickup there. Which is hella’ suspicious if you know what I mean. There ain’t no block in this part of New York where you don’t make no pickups, except there. But I’ve made plenty o’ pickups a few blocks away. Overdoses, stabbins’, junkies beaten to death, trackmarks all over ‘em. Well, anyway, the way Wolfgang was actin’ I think he had been responsible for at least few of those pickups. Suggested I’d drain and then slash the stoned and smiling fuck he brought up. Didn’t do that. Didn’t feel right. I drank though. Felt like erasing that stupid smile on the vics face, but changed my mind. Wasn’t worth it. Wasn’t right.
Drinking was one helluva rush though. Never felt anything like it. Never felt anything that felt that right. Felt like never stop drinking. I’ve tried pretty much every type of chut, candy, glitch and glitter this town has to offer, and never felt like that. Did stop drinking though.
After that it was nap time at a hotel nearby. Dawn was coming, and given how tired I felt before even a sliver o’ light headed over the horizon I’m pretty sure I’ll never party until dawn again.
Things felt good then, despite being crammed into a hotel apartment with three other vampires. Well, that didn’t last”
Now, I’m not the only participant (because that would be sad and pointless). The others are, thus far:
Niklas, as the Storyteller of this little adventure of ours.
Trulls, a.k.a. Orpheus, playing Wolfgang, the leader of the coterie. A mid-powered Gangrel and a member of the Cult of the Crone. History unknown, but he’s been around for a century or so and is apparently associated with the University of Columbia in some way. A scheming and ego-centric toady, quite willing to compensate for any flaws in his personality with liberal use of Majesty.
Markus, as Finn. He’s Wolfgangs second in command. Like Wolfgang he’s also a Gangrel, but in terms of personality he’s the polar opposite. A former (or perhaps not so former) IRA terrorist with a stoic demeanor and a barely contained appetite for destruction.
Irene, as Joan. Joan is a professor at Columbia, mad scientist and recently embraced Daeva. Obsessed with the perfection of mankind through the means of genetics and medicine. Viewed as somewhat odd even in life, her transition into a Daeva has only enhanced those parts of her personality. Who knows where it will end...
It’s a fairly interesting constellation, with the older and more experienced vampires being both gangrel, so they’re likely to back each other up if challenged. On the other hand they have different personalities and given the natural instincts of vampires they’re not sufficiently tight either that it would be impossible to drive a wedge between them. Joan and Alex aren’t very alike, but they share a common history and they’re in the same situation (being vampire neonates in a very strange land).
It’s also interesting how Vampire makes you really aware of the difference between character and player perceptions. In the eyes of Alex, my character, Wolfgang is awe-inspiring, terrifying and charming, thanks to a combination of strong presence, blood potency and use of Majesty. To me, as Alex player, Wolfgang is a little toad who gets high on power, schemes in secret and cowers before anyone more powerful than him.
“Waking up made me pretty aware of how much more fucked up my life is as a vampire. That’s an accomplishment, considering how fucked up it was before.
So, waking up I feel some freaky presence that made me want to jump out the nearest window. Until I realized I was on the 5th floor. I might be a vampire, and who knows if I’ll learn to walk on walls or some crazy stuff like that, but I wasn’t ready to try just yet.
So, sneaking into the main room there is a bloody skull on the table.
Well, it wasn’t bloody per se, but it was still a fucking skull. And that thing was radiatin’ evil I can tell you. The boss acted mostly like it wasn’t no big deal, except he borrowed a piece from the resident gun-nut and then he left. After orderin’ us to stay in the same bloody hotel room as the bloody skull.
Not my idea of a good time I tell you. And it was about to get worse. ‘cause shortly after the boss left we’re visited by Mr.Fishface.
Now, you might be wonderin’ why I’m calling Mr.Fishface Mr.Fishface.
Imagine you take a human skull. Something vaguely resemblin’ a human skull. Then you take a deep ocean fish, one of the ugly ones with huge spiky teeth. Then you gut that fish, take its skin and cram it over the vaguely human skull, knock out the skulls teeth and replace them with the fishs teeth.
Put that on top of a suit so fancy it would put a top notch Savile Row tailor to shame.
That’s Mr.Fishface.
Mr.Fishface was pretty much as terrifyin’ as the boss, but at least this time I didn’t go snappin’ at ‘em. Now I figured I was dead, for real this time. But considerin’ that Finn wasn’t that spooked I guessed that Mr.Fishface was on our side. Poor Looney-Joan freezed up though. Freezed up bad, so I kinda had to guide her to the couch to get her to sit down.
So there we’re sittin’ in the couch. Mr.Fishface in the chair across the table. And we’re sitting there until the boss comes back. Mr.Fishface was drinking some of the nicest fine alcohol I’ve ever smelled and acting like it’s perfectly normal for a terror from the deep to sit in a chair in a central New York hotel room. Although I guess he was a vampire of sort. I sure hope I myself ain’t that kind of vampire. With a face like that I’d look for the nearest beach facing the sunrise.
Then the boss comes back and Mr.Fishface left, like he was babysittin’ us or somethin’.
I took a look at that bottle of booze. I smelled like the whiskey of my dreams, but guess what.
I took one sip and I started to puke like mad, fainting right there and then.
The boss has good news and bad news. The good news is that we’re going after some sort of prophet with some sort of prophety book. The bad news is that I can’t fucking drink or eat regular stuff anymore. I finally have a nose and sense of taste like a fucking hunting dog, and I can’t enjoy whiskey and steak?
Life just ain’t fucking fair”
*As you might notice I’m using a lot of game specific terms. Old World of Darkness, New World of Darkness, Requiem, Masquerade, Mekhet, Gangrel, Embraced, Daeva, Majesty, Coterie, Cult of the Crone and even the word Storyteller all have a specific in-game meaning. I’m not going to explain these words every time, or even the first time, I use them. If you’re not familiar with the World of Darkness the World of Darkness wiki has explanations for pretty much every term I’m going to use in this or future posts.