Chicago By Night - for Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition
Created by Onyx Path Publishing
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Kindred of Chicago: “Flyboy” Noah Grewal
about 6 years ago
– Wed, Nov 14, 2018 at 05:54:47 AM
Hello Kickstarter Coterie,
In terms of the number of days, we have just reached the mid-point of this campaign. It seems amazing that we've been running for just over two weeks - it simultaneously feels like it just started and that we've been living in this version of Chicago for some time.
It may feel like we've been here longer than 14 days, and that's most likely because we've already seen over 200 pages from the manuscript. Three times each week of the campaign, I'm sharing special Sneak Peek downloads of the manuscript for Backers only. If you haven't jumped on yet, here's another taste of what we'll be talking about tomorrow:
“Flyboy” Noah Grewal
Epitaph: The Enemy Within
Quote: “Of course I want it all. Why else would I become immortal?” Clan: Thin-Blood
Mortal Days: Code Black
Flyboy’s history is divided between two men: Raphael de la Pole and Noah Grewal.
Raphael de la Pole enlisted in the Marines for the free college, but got caught up in something bigger. His exceptional performance oversees caught the attention of a CIA recruiter, who tapped him after a tour of duty to take part in a blacker-than-black operation. Raphael was skeptical, but video evidence of the “blankbody” phenomenon convinced him to take part.
He knew he would need to be declared Killed in Action to take on the mission, but he hadn’t expected that he needed to actually die. The procedure, logged as a “total blood transfusion,” was an agonizing 18-hour process where Raphael’s blood was completely drained from his body and replaced with 12cc of “preserved abnormal hemoglobin-based solution.” He should have died, but instead became a Thin-Blood.
After an intense, messy orientation, he was granted a handler and a cover identity: Noah Grewal. He was deployed outside of Chicago, ordered to infiltrate the city’s blankbody community and perform reconnaissance.
Kindred Nights: Waiting to Detonate
The first recorded appearance of Noah Grewal dates to 2009, when he begged for his life before the Primogen Council. Portia had discovered Noah on her assigned feeding grounds, slicing open an unconscious victim’s arm (in reality, Noah’s handler) with a fillet knife. The Toreador had him staked and presented for judgement.
Noah told the Primogen that he was a Marine who fell on hard times after an honorable discharge, records of which the Prince’s information security team discovered easily. He came to Chicago looking for work, and ran afoul of a man stalking people at a rest stop outside the city. The man subdued and Embraced Noah, and he had fed outside the city ever since.
Portia saw a potential pawn in Noah, and seconded his please for clemency, surprising everyone. The Prince obliged, and Noah was branded with the mark of the crescent moon. He fell in with the Thin-Bloods, and resumed contact with those he knew in life. To this day, the Camarilla reads everything he texts, save for a few encrypted accounts he keeps to himself.
Under the Camarilla’s watchful eye, he flourished. Portia mentored him in secret, and the Thin-Bloods taught him alchemy. He took an interest in Kindred politics, and recorded the highlights in a diary.
He took a night job at O’Hare Airport, where he learned of Tyler, the infamous Brujah who ruled the city’s air travel system. He became fascinated, and learned what he could from those who once served her. They told him that sometimes before Noah’s arrival, the woman left Chicago with little warning, at the side of an infamous Kindred named Theo Bell. Her departure left an immense power vacuum, one other Kindred tried to fill to no avail.
For the first time, Noah understood what it meant to be a vampire. He had all the time in the world to make a legacy, and unlike other vampires, he could appear human nearly anywhere. When he discovered the gifts his blood allowed him, he knew what he had to do. He vowed to take the Windy City’s skies for himself, and took the name “Flyboy.”
Over the next decade, Flyboy played his hand carefully. He discovered his blood cannot bond others, but money can, bringing some of Tyler’s old power base into the fold. Tapping into an “undisclosed inheritance” brought others under his banner. He became the first point of contact for Kindred traveling by air.
Six months ago, a furious Jacob Schumpeter cornered Flyboy at Elysium, calling him a worthless Thin-Blood, and Prince Jackson a fool, blind to Masquerade breaches. A few days later, Jacob’s haven was raided by a SWAT team. No one has seen him since, and no one is sure if the raid was Prince Jackson’s doing, or Flyboy’s. Since then, he has had an uneasy but tolerated presence in Chicago’s Camarilla.
Plots and Schemes:
• Secret Agent: Flyboy’s mission hasn’t changed. He observes Chicago’s Kindred, notes behaviors and power structures, and reports them back to his handler via daytime dead drops. The operation is highly illegal, extremely unethical, and will absolutely cause a rift in the CIA Directorate of Operations if discovered. His Thin-Blooded nature keeps him at arm’s length from the inner workings of the city, making the information he brings back barely useful. Still, the agency is patient.
• Aspirations Toward Power: Unfortunately for his superiors, Noah’s desire to control Chicago’s air transportation is genuine. He’s pitched it as a means to get closer to the inner circle, but that’s just to gain funding. What’s important is that it snatches a highly treasured sphere of influence from the ancillae and elders. Their visible discomfort sustains him, especially when he’s the only dusk-born in a Camarilla VIP room.
• Amateur Historian: In his free time, Flyboy writes a history of Chicago’s Kindred. Aside from its potential usefulness to the intelligence community, he feels that the Beckoning wiped away important stories and lessons from vampire culture, and that his book will preserve what he can glean for future generations. The book won’t ever see the light of day, but he enjoys the research.
Domain and Haven:
• O’Hare International Airport (Haven 5, Herd 5, Influence 4, Resources 3) Flyboy has discovered Tyler’s old haven in the airport, and he has remodeled it to his needs. He’s hoping to find notes and documents that would help him gain a tighter hold over air transportation. His handler is far more interested in the prospect of locating an incredibly ancient blankbody. He feeds on the airport’s travelers, specifically those laid over for extended periods of time. Since he has no fangs, he must resort to cutting them open with a fillet knife and feeding from the wound. He claims that the knife holds on to the resonance of its last victim. No one knows if he’s joking.
Thralls and Tools:
• Felicity Miller (Contacts 1)DoA Executive Team (Contacts 2) Unlike O’Hare’s last master, Flyboy influences the airport publicly and privately. Officially, he’s on the Department of Aviation’s executive team, and answers to Felicity Miller, its commissioner. He’s well liked among the team, and it’s not just because he bribes them. Flyboy is driven to make O’Hare the best airport in the country for the living and the dead.
• CIA (Allies 3, Contacts 2, Resources 2) As a CIA agent, Noah receives funding and official identification papers from the agency’s undisclosed escrow accounts. Whenever he feels threatened, he can request assistant, summoning law enforcement to unknowingly do his dirty work. He gets all this through his handler, a case officer living under the cover “Daniel Bailey.” As long as the information keeps flowing, Noah has the power to force his way up the Kindred social ladder.
Kindred Relationships:
• Sierra Van Burrace (Interested) Flyboy’s trying to get to know Sierra Van Burrace better. Not only is it important to the mission that he keep tabs on Clan Lasombra joining the Camarilla, her hotel connections seem like a natural fit to his control over the airport. He hopes that one day, they’ll make a great partnership.
• Rosa Hernandez (Rivalry) Noah’s heard the rumors that Rosa Hernandez is coming for the airport, and it scares him. Unlike other would-be rivals, Rosa has the power and connections to throw him out of his hard-earned prize. He’s cordial with her like he is with all the Primogen, but he keeps an eye on her, hoping to find a weakness he can exploit.
Whispers:
• Poisonous Blood: Never drink blood from Noah, no matter how desperate you might be. If he’s offering himself to you, it means he thinks he can use you for something.
• Poor Meets Rich: Flyboy’s taking Portia for a ride. She’s furious, and looking for anyone who’ll find some good dirt on him.
• A Dangerous Enemy: Everyone who gets close to figuring out Noah’s deal gets harassed by the law. Sometimes it’s a lawsuit, sometimes it’s a cop breaking into your haven mid-day.
• Damning Dossier: Someone’s spreading around records of a “Project HARKER,” some government program that makes things called ‘enhanced assets.” It’s heavily redacted, but Flyboy’s picture is in it.
Mask and Mien:
• Flyboy is a broad, muscular man in his late-30s. His thin blood hasn’t given him the pallor of death, so his black skin keeps its warm, rosy undertones. His hair is in a high-and-tight hairstyle, with very short hair at the top of his head. He prefers sensible and moderately expensive clothing, and always wears a pair of green-tinted mirror shades.
• Thanks to the CIA’s protection, Noah uses his identity among Kindred and kine. That said, two oddities threaten to give him away among humans. The first is the filet knife he carries with him. It’s a cheap piece of metal, but he keeps it peeking out from his pants pocket at all times. The second is the occult formulate tattooed on his biceps, making his body an alchemical furnace (Mask 2).
• The Beast is alive within him, and when he falls into frenzy, his eyes become bloodshot. Every vein in his body rises to the surface of his skin.
Sire: Subject L9
Embraced: 2008 (Born 1969)
Ambition: Secure O’Hare Airport as my own, unshared territory
Convictions: I must always rise to the top; I will always see the mission through
Touchstones: Felicity Miller — Aviation commissioner and “boss”; Daniel Bailey — CIA handler Humanity: 6
Generation: 16th
Blood Potency: 0
Backers Only Sneak Peek - Kindred Part 4
about 6 years ago
– Tue, Nov 13, 2018 at 06:07:35 AM
This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.
Kindred of Chicago: Cedrick Calhoun
about 6 years ago
– Mon, Nov 12, 2018 at 07:53:19 AM
Hello Kickstarter Coterie,
We're well into the middle-stretch of the campaign, where things slow down a bit. We've had a tremendous run so far - really, really excellent - so let's do what we can to keep the enthusiasm and excitement up during these slower middle weeks so that we can be in a good position for our final push in 10 days' time.
And with that, it's time to share another Kindred of Chicago -
Cedrick Calhoun “Khalid”
Epithet: Nosferatu Visionary and Impostor
Quote: “I can protect you. I must protect you.”
Clan: Nosferatu
Mortal Days: Hope of Escape
When Cedrick Calhoun was born in 1902, the social mores of the time dictated that his cleft lips, withered left arm, and other physical disabilities precluded him from being part of his family’s Illinois political dynasty. His uncle, with whom all major Calhoun decisions rested, shipped 13-year-old Cedrick off to a school in the Colorado Rockies where he’d be out of the public eye.
While he studied in the school’s meager library, he plotted his escape. The plan took a year to perfect, plus another two for him to gather the necessary supplies. Cedrick broke out with little trouble. He couldn’t shake the suspicion that someone was following him, however, and on the third night he set a snare trap and lay in wait. When the trap was sprung, the rope went taut, but he saw nothing suspended from the branch.
Rasping laughter alerted Cedrick to yet another presence. What he saw both horrified and fascinated him: a monstrous figure leaned against the tree, laughing. His amusement was cut short when the rope snapped, and the ensnared figure materialized. It lunged for Cedrick, but the monster — now snarling rather than laughing — rushed to meet it. The laughing horror tore out the stalker’s throat and drank from the wound. When he finished, Cedrick watched with dread fascination as his savior’s wounds closed. The ghastly man introducing himself as Tommy, then Cedrick fainted as the strangeness of it all caught up to him.
He woke the next evening in a cave, where Tommy had brought him. The other man explained he was a Nosferatu, and he’d been tracking another vampire in the mountains. His victim, a Malkavian, had made his haven at the very school Cedrick had fled.
Kindred Nights: Eternal Guilt
Tommy made Cedrick his ghoul, and when the young man reached adulthood, Embraced him. Cedrick joined Tommy in diablerie, until the night they encountered Gangrel Archon, Nathaniel Simmons. The vampire killed Tommy and Cedrick barely managed to escape. He fled home to Illinois.
There, he found his younger brother enjoying the political career that ought to have been Cedrick’s. Furious, Cedrick broke into his brother’s house. He demanded information — bank account numbers, safe combinations, real estate holdings. Then the Nosferatu sank his teeth into his former kin, savoring the sharp tang of fear in his blood.
Reading his diary, Cedrick realized his brother wasn’t a corrupt politician. His words at the memorial weren’t hollow platitudes. He was a single father raising two children, grieving his lost brother, and trying to change Illinois for the better.
And Cedrick had murdered him.
He gave in to the Beast. When he finally felt he could face the world again, he emerged with two missions. First, Cedrick dedicated twenty years to providing for his niece and nephew, setting up a trust fund so they’d never lack for material comforts. He watched from the shadows as they grew.
Then Cedrick turned to his second mission. Though he couldn’t bring his brother back, Cedrick was determined to carry on his legacy. He traveled widely, seeking those in need of protection. Over the years, he decided every corrupt, murderous path led back to the Kindred.
With Prince Lodin dead in the Lupine attacks in 1993, the Nosferatu set his sights on the throne. His earnest, optimistic attitude earned him an almost universal distrust. Cedrick never became Prince, but he won the respect of Chicago’s vampires.
In recent nights, he’s risen through the ranks, though under deceptive circumstances. Khalid, the Nosferatu Primogen, had an encounter with powerful forces that sent him into hiding. Cedrick knows little more than that, but the loss of a prominent Nosferatu in a time of upheaval troubles him. To help maintain order, he’s begun masquerading as Khalid on the Primogen council. So far, the ruse has held, but Cedrick worries it’s just a matter of time before he gets exposed as a fraud.
Plots and Schemes:
• The Good Shepherd: With his authority as “Khalid,” Cedrick pursues his original goal of lessening the horrors Kindred visit upon kine. He’s careful to word policy proposals as Khalid would have, and defends his logic if he votes counter to the former Primogen’s known stances on an issue. On the matter of the Lasombra joining the Camarilla, Cedrick’s had to do a lot of dissembling while he figures out the best course of action.
• Paranoid Impostor: Leading a double life is exhausting. Cedrick’s managed to keep the illusion going longer than he’d anticipated needing to, but he’s had a few close calls. Last year, a neonate accused him of diablerizing Khalid and taking his place. Instead of paying the requested hush money, Cedrick killed his would-be blackmailer. Since then, he’s paid a mortal hacker to dig into the connection between himself and Khalid on a monthly basis, to see if there’s any chatter. He Dominates her to make her forget her research, though he always pays in full.
• Self-Promotion: In the short term, Cedrick finds using Khalid’s influence convenient. He lays the groundwork for his own plans, leveraging them with the authority acting as Primogen grants him. However, he wants to get the credit for creating a better world as Cedrick Calhoun. Therefore, as Khalid, he’s begun dropping hints to other Nosferatu that Cedrick would be an admirable choice for Primogen, hoping he can hold on to the position when pretending to be Khalid stops being feasible.
• Eyes Opened: While investigating Khalid’s disappearance, Cedrick discovered the elder’s suspicions about two Methuselahs fighting for control of Chicago’s Kindred. His notes reflected his paranoia: many of the pages were written in code, some were torn out and stashed in various hiding places. Cedrick is fairly certain he’s not under anyone’s control himself, though his name didn’t appear on Khalid’s list of independent vampires. He intends to meet with some of those named, to suss out what they know.
Domain and Haven:
• Sewer Office (Haven 1) Cedrick keeps his haven in the sewers of Chicago. He’s set up an office in a utility room that hasn’t been used since the flood. It’s as cozy as a damp, stone-walled room belowground can be.
• Morgan’s Steakhouse (Contacts 3) Politicians love Morgan’s, occupying several tables on any given night. Cedrick sits among them, a nondescript diner, listening to their conversations as he selects which will be his meal for the evening.
Thralls and Tools:
• Rufus Burri (Retainers 1) Rufus Burri is a local politician trying to do good. Burri’s goals mostly match up with Cedrick’s own, but when they don’t, Cedrick Dominates him to bring his views in line.
• Political Activists (Allies 3, Influence 2) Cedrick has influence over several grassroots groups and nonprofits dedicated to making peoples’ lives better.
Kindred Relationships:
• Wauneka (Reliance) Cedrick counts on Wauneka’s dedication, and relies heavily on the information his childe provides. He keeps his double-identity away even from him, afraid of how he might react if the deception became apparent.
• Nathaniel Bordruff (Terror) Nathaniel terrifies Cedrick. If anyone’s likely to work out Calhoun’s fraud, it’s him, and his punishment will be excruciating.
• Primogen Council (Mixed Fortunes) Calhoun manages well with Newberry, Hernandez, and Jackson, but other members of the Kindred government, Critias and Annabelle, worry him. He tries to talk with them as little as possible in case they engage him on some historic issue about which Cedrick knows nothing.
Whispers:
• The Tenuous Lie: Kindred are starting to ask if anyone has seen Cedrick and Khalid in the same room together in the last year or so. Cracks in Cedrick’s façade are starting to show.
• Baby Kisser: Cedrick is a staple at Steadman’s parties. He’s not really a music aficionado, but watch how he’s shaking hands and slapping backs. He must be campaigning for something.
• Creature of Habit: Cedrick patronizes the same restaurant the first Sunday of every month. He sits in the same booth, alone with his glass of wine. He’s been on page 56 of The Great Gatsby for half a century.
• Time’s Up: The other night, all the Primogen met at the opera house. All of them. And yet one of the Malkavians swears she spotted Khalid in the tunnels.
Mask and Mien:
• Cedrick is exceedingly dapper. Though his double-breasted suits and bowler hats evoke a different era, he brings a certain charm to the style. He’s acquired quite the collection of pocket watches, and always has a chain peeking out from his vest.
• His silver cane is not merely decorative; a wooden stake is embedded in the handle and available
• For all his dashing looks, he is still a Nosferatu. His teeth sit haphazardly in his misshapen mouth, and his left arm hangs limp at his side. Diablerie marks stain his aura, even though the crimes that made them happened long ago.
• As Khalid, he bears the scars of the elder’s day in the sun, and trades his fine suits for more subtle modern clothing.
• Cedrick wears a Mask as mortal political journalist, Patrick Hampton. Doing so, he ingratiates with politicians and their staffers. Unintentionally, Calhoun acquires a lot of political gossip in this manner (Mask 2).
Sire: Tommy
Embraced: 1925 (Born 1902)
Ambition: Lay the groundwork for “Cedrick Calhoun, Nosferatu Primogen” to take the place of “Khalid”
Convictions: I will never let my family come to harm; It is our duty to protect the weak
Touchstones: Lana Calhoun — grand-niece; Rufus Burri — Progressive up-and-coming politician
Humanity: 7
Generation: 8th
Blood Potency: 3
Sunday Story: Second Trip to the Second City (part 2 of 4)
about 6 years ago
– Sun, Nov 11, 2018 at 06:00:12 AM
Four Trips to the Second City
2
The four of them came in from the rain, following the signs into the psychic parlor. The waiting room was small, dimly lit, and smelled of sage incense.
The visit was Nadine’s idea. Tyrus knew her name now. It was hard to forget it after hearing Ramrod say it hundreds of times in all kinds of tones over the past few weeks. After she helped them bury her brother somewhere off of I-80, she wanted to talk to his ghost.
At first, Tyrus was against it. He knew vampires who could talk to ghosts. They were not good people. Still, there was something in the way that Ramrod talked to her lately. He made akward attempts at gentle assurance and dime store platitudes about “being in a better place.” It felt wrong. So he brought them to Max’s parlor.
Tyrus didn’t know what to make of it. Maybe Ramrod was just getting soft. Maybe he was too, for even taking them here. He shuffled on the sofa, his damp clothes slipping on the upholstery’s protective plastic.
Max parted the curtain between his studio and the waiting room and stepped through.
“Careful there, big guy. The Galura Water Slide’s for paying customers only.” He smiled.
Tyrus didn’t smile back. He grabbed a wad of damp bills from his pocket. He was halfway to handing them over when Nadine spoke up.
“Do you speak with the dead?” She looked at Max with hopeful eyes.
After a moment, he said, “No. That’s not really what I do.”
Nadine’s face fell. “Oh.”
Tyrus smashed the money into Max’s palm. “Nadine, it’s either him or the warlocks.”
Max counted the cash. “And good luck with getting them to do anything.”
“There you go,” Tyrus said to Nadine. He whispered to Max, “Her brother died. Just…make her feel better.”
The young man beckoned the group into his studio. “I’ll try.”
He asked Nadine to shuffle a deck of Tarot cards and drew enough of them to make a full-half circle. While she did so, Max sat back in his chair, eyes shut tight.
Tyrus frowned as Nadine revealed the cards. It wasn’t like anything in the movies. The deck was filled with images of flying dragons, iron forges, and celebrating skeletons. Max caressed each card as it came on the table, as if he read them with his fingers.
“I see a soul at peace,” he said. “It has moved on and it has forgiven.”
Nadine let out a happy sob. Ramrod patted her shoulder. Dread and Tyrus looked at each other, the former wearing a bemused smile.
Max continued down the spread. He frowned. “I see wolves.”
Tyrus raised an eyebrow.
The seer continued. “They’ve been running for years. They don’t know how tired they are. They don’t see the eagle watching them.”
Tyrus stood up. “What are you talking about?”
“The pack leader thinks he can hide in the forests. They follow but the eagle hops from tree to tree.” Max moved through the cards faster, tapping each one. “They think they’re all alone, and the pack leader takes a moment to lick his scars but the eagle comes down. And the last thing the leader sees before it tears out its throat is these big, gray eyes…”
Tyrus slammed his hands on the table. “Shut up!”
Max came out of his trance. “You’re all in danger.”
“Uh-huh. Nothing new there.” Tyrus stepped through the curtain. “Let’s go, Pack. We got what we wanted.”
“Don’t leave the city!” Max yelped. “The eagle’s going to finish the job if you do. You don’t know what that’ll start!”
“Let it,” Tyrus said. “I could go for a rematch.”
To be continued...
STRETCH GOAL ACHIEVED!
Achieved! - DIGITAL WALLPAPER: BECKETT’S JYHAD DIARY – An evocative digital wallpaper for your computer desktop featuring the art of Beckett’s Jyhad Diary. This digital file will be added to the rewards list for all backers receiving the Chicago By Night PDF.
I love the art we've seen for Chicago By Night, but I also really like the art I've seen for Beckett's Jyhad Diary! I think I'm going to have to work out a rotation schedule for my computer. But now it's time to think about more stuff to add to your Chicago chronicle, and adding more vampire to your table...
At $82,000 in funding - CHICAGO FOLIO: INDEPENDENT AND MORTAL PERSPECTIVES – A third section will be added to the Chicago Folio, tripling its initially planned size.
At $84,000 in funding - NEW ADD-ON REWARD: PRINCE’S GAMBIT CARD GAME – A new Add-On Reward will be created. For +$20, backers will receive the Prince’s Gambit card game. Only available to backers receiving the Chicago By Night hardcover book; the card game will be fulfilled as part of the same shipment as the Chicago By Night hardcover book.
Prince's Gambit is a casual card game where each player is a vampire called to the court of the vampiric Prince of the city. Players must cooperate to gain the favor of the Prince while deducing who among them are secretly the traitorous Sabbat infiltrators.
Designed by long-time Vampire: the Masquerade tabletop RPG developer Justin Achilli, Prince's Gambit is a fast-paced social deduction game set within the world of Vampire, but which requires no special knowledge to play. Neophytes and experienced fans of Vampire both can jump right in.
Mixin' it up, a little bit! More to come, so let's keep growing this campaign! Spread the word on your social media and in your social circles! And let's embrace some new backers and hit more Stretch Goals!
#ChicagoByNight
Backers Only Sneak Peek - Kindred #3
about 6 years ago
– Sat, Nov 10, 2018 at 04:07:54 AM
This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.