Mind's Eye Theatre - Vampire The Requiem.pdf - RoseRed

chapter one: society chronicle of the outline
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but providing added confl ict and character development. For instance, while the would-be
usurper gathers support, she might decide that she could undercut the Prince’s power by
Embracing a key mortal at a company under the Prince’s sway — a company that supplies
much of the Prince’s wealth and other social connections. That mortal, however, is also close
to one of the players’ characters. Alternatively, the characters might oppose the Embrace on
grounds of principle, even though they support the idea of overthrowing the tyrant Prince.
At least one character faces a signifi cant choice with far-reaching consequences no matter
what he decides.
Stay alert for potential subplots, both at the start of the story and as it develops. Incorporate
them when you feel they enhance the chronicle, and resolve them quickly when you feel
they distract the characters too much. Of course, you may fi nd that a number of subplots
unexpectedly converge into a new, major plot that the characters follow on their own. If that
happens, don’t be afraid (or too proud) to chuck your carefully planned plot and follow the
new story to its own conclusion. If you and your players fi nd the new story entertaining and
dramatic, you have still done your duty as Storyteller.
OTHER SAMPLE CHRONICLES
Other ideas for potential chronicles, and the themes they incorporate, include:
• The Search for Truth: Secrets and lies permeate the World of Darkness, and the Kindred
possess more than their share. Seeking the truth can be both diffi cult and dangerous.
Some secrets are straightforward: The law-and-order Prince once committed diablerie, and
as a result, he doesn’t like anyone probing too deeply into his past. Indeed, the Kindred of
other cities form a mystery few Kindred dare to investigate.
Other secrets are more arcane: What is the nature of the Beast, really, and can it be tamed
or excised? Even the most metaphysical inquiry can feed back into the game’s moral and
political themes if someone else thinks that the characters should not ask such questions,
or doesn’t like the answer he fi nds. For example, the leader of the local Circle of the Crone
won’t be pleased if the characters fi nd that some cherished mystical notion she espouses
simply isn’t true.
Such a chronicle centers on mystery and deception. Themes include the confl ict between truth
and social harmony, the past not being dead after all, and discovering the truth about oneself.
• Liberty or Death: The characters are unaligned Kindred who rebel against the heavy
hands of their sires. They cannot tolerate the idea of remaining beholden to a sire for decades
or centuries. Their sires, of course, insist that the characters toe the line for the common
good because they insist that only strict order and obedience can protect the Masquerade, or
keep the Lupines at bay, or some other overwhelmingly important goal.
By going independent, the coterie drives its sires to put aside their own differences to support
the traditional order. The characters fi nd most of the city’s powerful Kindred against them,
or at least unwilling to help them because they don’t want their own childer getting notions
of rebelliousness. The Carthians might help them, if the city has any, or the local Carthians
might want to drag the characters into some agenda they don’t want. Can the coterie carve
out a niche for itself despite the hostility they face?
Relevant themes for such a chronicle include the price and nature of freedom, self-will
versus the common good, and how far one will go to get one’s way.
• Golconda: Rumors spread of a mysterious new vampire in town, who claims she knows
the secret of salvation from the Beast, Golconda. Does the stranger speak the truth, or is she
spinning lies to lure local Kindred into some diabolical scheme? Is it all just big talk in hopes
of conning the Prince and Primogen into letting her stay? The characters decide to fi nd out.