Right, post your character's background and all, save for the character sheet.
Some House Rules When to Roll Dice
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I prefer to avoid rolls unless needs be. These are situations you should roll the dice.
-Combat
-Trying to do something that is being challenged
For example: Your character is in a fiddle playing challenge. Also it could be trying to get the cute guy to pay attention to you over his girlfriend or buddies. In the first case, it would be you rolling against the other fiddler, in the latter it wouldn't be the target, but those around them in contest.
-Something that puts into play the targets sixth sense of danger
For example: "Hey babe, why don't we head back to my place?" "Can you hold onto this package for me, I'll step out only for a minute." "Trust me."
-When something is challenging for your character
-Because you just want to for the fun of it.
When you don't need to
-Simple tasks in the realm of your characters potential
For example: Our computer experts really don't need to roll unless they're hacking into something highly secured. Erica really doesn't need to roll many finance rolls.
-Casual actions that don't put the person in danger
For example: Simply talking to someone at the bar (they're not in danger until you actually try to leave with them, right?), asking a small favor from a friend, saying hello.
Combat
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My goal for combat is one post, one turn. Here's how combat will work for this game.
Wits+alertness for initiative.
Doesn't matter what order you post your combat for one turn, so long as each roll is clearly marked.
1) Brawl or Melee or Firearms + Dexterity* to hit. You need at least one success. Any additional successes automaticaly count as damage.
2) Strength: All successes count towards damage.
3) Steamina for soak: If you are being attacked my multiple people, roll a separate soak for each attacker.
4)Dodge+ Dexterity*
*Dexterity must be split between the attack and dodge roll. You can't use your full dexterity for both.
Wound penalties count as normal, only ignored if your characters spends a willpower point or frenzies.
One exception I can see to the attack roll is sniping. If a character is trying to shoot a target from far away and has the time to calculate the shot, it's perception, not dexterity.
Two Abilities at Once
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On a rare occassion a character may be trying to do something which really requires more than one ability. For example a gymnastics routine is both performance and athletics. Writing a business letter could be finances and expression depending on the nature of the paper. In this case, the player can choose between two options.
Roll them separately and they will be averaged out.
Average the rating of the two abilities and roll it together. Round up since I'm a nice ST.
Controlling NPCs
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For the most part, I will control NPCs including allies and retainers. If it's something small like asking your ghoul to check out the back of the warehouse, we can assume they'll do it. Same with if you ask your friend to meet you after they get off work.
The reason for this is twofold. The first is to create a small bit of uncertainty. Why is your ghoul late? Will your contact sell you out? Is your friend going to accept you? The second reason is for the potential for conflict. Friends argue, companions disagree. This isn't going to happen every time (it would make the backgrounds pretty silly to take), but it's a possibility now and then.
Character Deaths
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It's possible. There are antagonists out there that I've designed with varying levels of power and influence. There are neutral players out there who could turn into antagonists too. Also, the oWoD series has a pretty brutal combat system.
That being said I promise not to be gunning for your characters. With what I have set up so far, I'm guessing between 0-1 characters will bite the dust. So be rest assured that odds are your character will persevere, but know that final death is possible. It should make your successes more rewarding because of it.
Team killing
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This is a tricky one. Vampire is a game that depending on the circumstances, can lead to one player's character killing another. Kindred politics puts one against the other. Ideological differences go to the extreme. One kindred hurts another's loved one. There's not enough money/turf/power to go around.
This is partly mitigated due to the group we have where I don't see immediate conflict. If there had been a Setite and a Giovanni, or a priest and an infernalist to be, or something else, I'd see it more likely.
If two or more players agree that their characters are deadly rivals, it can be laid out in the OOC first. Players can agree whether they'll try to ruin each other but not kill each other (I want to gloat and prove my superiority, not give him an easy death!), to straight up duel, or whatever.
Basically, be gentemen and ladies about it in the OOC. Make it a part of the story. No hard feelings. I don't see it happening any time soon or at all, but there's my house rules for those who care.
Absences and Posting Rate
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Life gets busy. Internet problems arise. Writer's block kicks in. It'll happen to me and all of you. That's all cool. I do expect people to post most days on most weeks. Consistently only once or twice a week is not going to cut it. For extended absences, just give a quick shout out in the OOC. Don't have to say why.
No Color Dialogue
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In games where I'm not ST, I generally do color dialogue since that's what's asked. That's fine. In my games I say no. There are two reasons.
First, I disagree with the notion of color adding to one's character. Royal blue does not describe someone in a way that dark red does not. Yes, color does evoke emotion, but it's different depending on the person observing.
Secondly, I don't like the idea of dialogue being highlighted. Dialogue is very, very important, but I don't think it's any more important than a character's internal observations, from their actions, from other descriptions. I don't want colored, spoken words detracting from the rest of the posts.
Bowing Out
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Sometimes you have to drop out of one or all your games due to time constraints. Sometimes you just aren't enjoying the game. If you plan to leave, I'd appreciate it if you let me know. Don't need a reason. Won't be offended if there's a post the following day asking for a new VtM game in the recruitment thread. For one, we do have an alternate right now. Two, I'm more than willing to let a character exit how you want them too (within reason).
A Few Changes to Which Attributes You Use
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In the rules system, I believe it's dexterity+alertness for initiative. I prefer wits+alertness because that just makes more sense to me.
Occasionally I may put up other examples as they come along.
Erica Lee, along with her parents, emigrated from Beijing as a child, and grew up in an Asian household as an only child. Her parents made her practice violin endlessly, and though she disliked playing, after 9 years of lessons, she became quite adept at the instrument. She was also a member of choir all through high school. A studious child, she has worn glasses since the age of 9 and contacts since age 14, ever since being hospitalized for a week after a venomous snakebite earned while playing in her backyard. The daughter of an engineer, Erica showed natural talent with numbers and computers, even among her friends, and was class president and a star of the debate team for her freshman and sophomore years in high school.
During her junior year, she came home from school one day to find two FBI agents sitting at her kitchen table. Erica was arrested for credit card fraud after purchasing over $100,000 worth of merchandise by mail order over 9 months, selling to students in her district and neighboring districts. For her crimes, she received 250 hours of community service and 2 years’ probation as a minor, a slap on the wrist. The punishment and disapproval from her parents was severe, but the consequences from her classmates were far worse. Part of the reason why her sentence was so light was because she implicated several others who were doing the same thing as her, though to a much lesser extent. She became known as a snitch, a rat, and many students were fined by the police and punished by their parents once they found out and confessed. The student body made Erica’s life a living hell for the next two years, and she was subjected to taunts, threats, and outright physical violence. On probation, Erica didn’t want to risk jail time, and refused to fight back, while the school administration conveniently looked the other way.
After graduating high school, her criminal record as a minor was wiped clean and she attended Columbia University, where she majored in Finance and Computer Engineering. While at school, she ironically secured a summer intern position at Visa, tracking down perpetrators of identity theft through their paper trail. Upon graduation (a year early), she went to work full time for the SEC as a consultant. There, she found a niche in the forensic accounting department, tracking down individuals committing financial crimes, rather than simple credit card fraud and identity theft. During her tenure at the SEC, she was aggressively courted by both Drexel and JP Morgan, and ultimately settled on JP Morgan due to the scandal still surrounding Drexel and their former star trader, Michael Milken. At JP Morgan, she joined FX trading desk, and used her knowledge of programming to propose integration of automated settlement, a proposal which was accepted, helping to speed transactions. This helped her catch the eye of an exeutive director, who then shifted her responsibilities to assist in the development of computerized arbitrage algorithms to take advantage of turmoil in the currency markets stemming from the collapsing Soviet Union. After only a few months at JP, she has already managed to pay off the remainder of her school loans and begun the process of amassing a financial nest egg.
With her personal life settled, Erica had intended on setting her family affairs in order.* (Un)fortunately for Erica, she had been under surveillance by more than the FBI since high school. Upon hearing of her exploits, and move from Visa to the SEC to JP Morgan, an acquaintance of one of her colleagues requested a face to face meeting with her. The Kindred have great knowledge of history, politics, enemies, and things unknown by mortal men, but none had the ability to unite the shadowy world of finance with the budding industry of integrated electronics like Erica Lee, and Clan Ventrue needed to have an agent in this new arena. Fully expecting another job offer, Erica Lee had no idea the meeting would be the last of her mortal life.
*When Erica was growing up, her uncle (father’s brother) moved to Sao Paolo and started a business trading raw materials. He moved his wife and young daughter from Shanghai (where he had moved to from Beijing), and his wife took charge of his accounting books. Several years down the road, the wife and the company’s lawyer, a local Brazilian, gave him some papers to sign, and, as he had done so many times over the years, he signed without reading. Unfortunately for Erica’s uncle, the papers gave sole ownership of the company to his wife and the company’s lawyer, with whom she was having an affair. Erica’s uncle was then served with divorce papers.
Having lost both his family and his business, and, now being threatened by the local mafia, Erica’s uncle was prepared to murder his wife and her lover, then turn his rifle on his daughter and himself, but Erica’s father was able to talk him out of the deed, convincing him to return to China and start over. Erica’s uncle maintained his contacts in Brazil, and began importing/exporting raw materials between Shanghai and Sao Paulo anew. He even got himself a new, young, wife, one with no ambition aside from raising children. He used to see his first daughter from time to time, but the child’s mind has been poisoned by Erica’s former aunt and she hates her birth father. On her final trip to Beijing, she went so far as to push her father’s pregnant wife down a flight of stairs (declaring that her father’s money should pass to her, and only her). After that day, Erica’s uncle shipped her back to Sao Paolo and cut off all contact with his first daughter. Unable to do anything at the time, Erica has never forgiven her aunt-by-blood or her new husband for what they did, and yearns to see the day her aunt, her cousin, and her aunt’s husband live in abject poverty. She also blames the mafia organization in Sao Paolo, which she is almost certain the lawyer is part of, and wishes to see them disbanded and destroyed.
Appearance:
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Erica is about 5’4” and 120 lbs, with a small nose and cream colored skin. Her straight black hair is kept about shoulder length, and if she is working, she will have it tied in a simple ponytail or clipped to one side. Her clothing is fit for the corporate world, pressed slacks and light colored blouse. When not working for extended periods, she will tend to dye either the tips of her hair bright green or red, or eschew the tips to paint a bright stripe along one side of her head. Her clothing changes as well, depending on the venue and ambient temperature, but typically she will wear jeans and a fitted shirt.
Driving goals:
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Originally, my character was simply working hard to please her parents. Never one for following the rules, this turned into an advantage when she needed to think outside the box. Just before Embrace, my character is on a single-minded mission to gain enough independence to support her parents financially, then gain enough influence to take down her aunt, uncle, cousin, and possibly an organized crime syndicate in sao paolo, brazil.
Personality:
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Thanks to her parents, Erica is an extremely hard worker and tends to focus on a single task until it is completed. She holds herself to a very high standard, and expects her friends and loved ones to meet equally high standards. She loves her parents very much, and will struggle greatly with how to handle becoming a vampire. She knows her parents want nothing but the best for her, but she will not be able to reveal her condition to them, which will be difficult as she has never kept anything from them in the past. They also long for a grandson (as evidenced by increasing references to Erica’s lack of boyfriend) and the full implications of her inability to carry on the family line will hit Erica like a freight train sooner rather than later (but not immediately). Ultimately, she may decide to fake her own death, but that would be devastating to her parents. In the short term, she may simply delay, putting the day of reckoning off to sometime in the future.
Edit: And Daelrog, thanks much for accepting my character.
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TC for short
Malcolm Reynolds avatar by Strawberries
Last edited by Thundercracker : 07-12-2012 at 04:21 AM.
Some would say that being a cop was always in Rick Valentino's blood. His dad was one, and Rick knew from an early age he was going to follow into that line of work. He joined the academy right out of college as an idealist, convinced he could change the world. And indeed, for the first few years he was regarded as a rising star.
All of this came to an end when Rick caught his partner Steve taking bribes to avoid arresting drug dealers. He threatened to report him to internal affairs, only to have Steve laugh it off. He quickly learned why. Internal affairs did nothing, and indeed the very fact that Rick had snitched destroyed his reputation in the department.
Despairing, he went to his father, his idol, only to have the man tell him that that's just the way things work in Havensworth . "The sooner you realize that son, the better off you'll be."
Hearing these words destroyed Rick's faith in everything he had ever known. He quit the department and severed ties with his family. Five years later, he makes his living as a private investigator, but is steadily losing his affection for this work as well, as the majority of his cases are frivolous affairs that he takes for the money.
Appearance
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, Rick's of average height with a solid build. Never the most attractive guy in the bar, he nonetheless attracts some stares, though anyone who tries to hit on him tends to wind up disappointed when they actually talk to him. He has brown hair and hazel eyes.
Personality and Goals
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Above all else, Rick wants to find something to believe in, without having to sacrifice his morals. This idealism is both a blessing and a curse. Certainly it assists the former police officer in not compromising his morals. But by the same token, he can be stubborn and uncompromising, and he has a tendency to look down on those who don't live up to his high standards. As a result, he has few friends.
Rick is a lapsed Catholic who goes to church only on the holidays. He's right of center politically, and his office proudly contains a picture he took shaking hands with former President Reagan. A patriot, he believes America is the greatest country on earth.
Claire Russo would like to tell you she is just an ordinary girl. That would be something of a lie. The daughter of a Seattle banker she was brought up in the sweet spot of the upper middle class, not deprived but not spoiled. Her parents were (and are) loving caring people who encouraged their daughter to be whatever she wanted to be. She however chose to become a geek.
Breaking sterotypes Claire never had too much interest in the typical girly things (though she does not dislike them) but always loved math and anything electronic she could find. As a teen she was the only one she knew to actually own a personal computer, which she'd taken to upgrading herself before entering college. A course which she pursued academically
Though not hurting for options Claire decided remain relatively close to home attended college in at the Havensworth College just outside of the city of the same name. Here she earned a BSc in Computer Science then enrolled in the post-graduate studies where she is currently working on her doctorate.
That covers what most people know about Claire. Fewer know that while certainly earnest in her academic studies of computers, she also dabbles in the darker side of computer science. While more mischievous then malicious Claire has a good understanding of the principles of hacking and is an associate in a loose (and deliberately nameless) group of hackers who communicate through a private BBS system. She uses the name Lady Black Box (or variations like LBB) in this capacity, causing much speculation among her friends as to if she is really female.
At present Claire is between part-time jobs, but thanks to her father's financial acumen can live a thrifty lifestyle through several funds. At present she has elected focus on finishing her studies, but considers herself well supplied for fund. Recently experienced heard an odd story from a friend over Usenet that he'd discovered several bank accounts whose users were over 150 years old. When he later disappeared she decided to ask a few questions herself.
Description:
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Still young at 25 and 5'2" and 104 lbs Claire has maintains a mildly athletic build. Of Italian-American extraction she has a faintly Mediterranean appearance. Her brown wavy hair is of moderate length, hanging to just past her shoulders but she generally pulls it up into a pony tail, finding that simpler then styling every day. Dresses in clothes based more around comfort then style but has no real favorites, but the most common ensemble would be shorts and a tank top which she will wear around her apartment. Wears glasses and fairly minimal make-up. The overall effect is generally considered somewhere between brainy and girl-next-door.
Her parents raised Claire as a secular-athiest though she has drifted into being more agnostic over the years. She is left leaning politically and mostly in 'liberated' social views, but is no activist. Publicly has no problems with authority, but privately finds it fun to tweak the staid institutions she feels have grown fat and decadent in the 80s, hence her "hobby" activities. Not anti-social, but only has a few friends by choice and prefers to talk more seriously thus does not go in much for small talk. While she doesn't put much personal stock in her looks she is confident in them so feels no need to dress them up.
Last edited by Soras Teva Gee : 07-12-2012 at 01:09 AM.
At a first glance, Amy Everett is just one of the faceless, under-qualified, minimum-wage grunts that make up most of the lower-middle class of any decently size city. She was born in Havensworth 23 years ago, and has never left the state in her entire life. Her family cannot be defined upper-class by any stretch of imagination: her father, John, is a bartender, and her mother, Sarah, a waitress. Her parents met on their job, and went on to marry and have two children: Amy herself and a younger sister, Mary.
Formal education was never very high on the Everetts’ list of priorities: they were much more concerned with making ends meet. As such, Amy just completed the compulsory education, and left school when she was 17, getting a minimum-wage job in retail, as a clerk store in a small shop that sells food, household items and beer. She left home, too, four years ago, moving in a small one-room apartment in the most rundown neighborhood she could find.
However, there is one thing Amy is good at. If she had excelled at something in her school years, this had been computer science – as a sort of rebellion against the depressing destiny that life seemed to have decided for her, she taught herself a lot about computer securities and information networks: she has become a fairly known name in the computer geek under-community, under the nickname “Evaz”.
Amy may not be educated, but she’s smart… and she loves knowing things she shouldn’t. Her boss, for instance? He has some shady deals on the side. Amy knows this because she started monitoring the stores CCTV once that she was bored. Oh, and the nice lady that comes by in the morning, every morning, to buy milk and bread? Apparently, she’s blackmailing someone…her lover, Amy supposes. It does explain the large sum of money that mysteriously finds its way on her account every month. Amy’s not planning to use these information any time soon, because she can’t work up the courage to, but it gives her a thrill of power. She doesn’t do it for the potential money she may hope to earn, just for the satisfaction she feels when she manages to uncover something: being one step ahead the other people is a feeling she has very rarely experienced in her life.
CONTACTS
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Most of Amy’s contacts are online. Of those, of particular note would be ProphetFreak. Yeah, the nickname is a bit... quaint, if Amy ha to be completely honest with herself, but he is the go-to person for most of your legal and less-than-legal needs. Amy doesn't know his real name (or face, for that matters), but she has spoken to him online and on the phone. She is at least pretty sure he is a man.
One of the few people she knows face-to-face which could be a good source of information is James Goldsmith. Jim, as he prefers to be called, is a cop. He is a client in the shop where Amy works, and they have, with time, developed a passing acquaintance - and maybe a distant friendship of some sort. Jim may not look like much: just a typical middle aged cop, but he is the sort of person who knows things. Amy has had that distinct impression every time she has talked to him: that the man has himself an extraordinary network of information, and an ear on the ground for most of the things happening in the city.
She has recently come in contact, online, with a certain “Mike”, that contacted her and seems very interested in her. He seems like a clever, funny and unconventional young man, and Amy is wondering if she should meet him in real life as he has requested. She is inclined to say “yes”. After all, what does she have to lose?
APPEARANCE
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She’s never been anything special to look at. Short-ish and plain, with straight brown hair that reach her shoulders and brown eyes, she’s the kind of person you don’t turn around to look at a second time. She has never worried too much about her appearance, either. She honestly can’t see the point in that.
PERSONALITY
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She is accustomed to make the most with the hand life has dealt her, even though she knows it’s not a very nice hand. A bit cynical, and a bit fatalist, she is prone to black humor and pessimism. Her parents are very religious, but she’s never believed in God, not since she was a very small child. And she doesn’t really care enough about politics to identify with any party, but most of her ideas are close to the leftwing area.
GOALS
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Amy feels like she’s adrift, somehow. Probably, if you asked her about her goals, she wouldn’t know what to answer. This is partly because she’s still young, and partly because she knows most of life’s doors are closed for her: no instruction and no money usually don’t bring you very far in life. She knows she’d like to amount to a little more than an anonymous clerk. She just hasn’t figured out how to do it, yet.
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Moving house. Posting schedule and PM replies may be erratic for a while. Pokes are very appreciated if I forget to post somewhere.
The middle child of seven, Faruq ibn Khaled ibn Mohammed al-Assad was born on February 7th, 1971, in Edinburgh, Scotland, first of his family to be born outside of the Arab World. While his early life was less than spectacular, mainly being your typical immigrant childhood in Europe during the '70s - if somewhat heavily involved with drugs and petty crime from very early on - much of his path was laid out for him from day one. This was partially due to the nature of the family business - in which Faruq, of course, was expected to become involved - and partially due to the nature of the family itself.
When asked about his beginnings, Faruq is quick to recall a certain relative, whom his father and older brothers (he does not, in fact, have older sisters) refer(ed) to as "Uncle Ahmad" in hushed and reverant tones and who was the one to pull the proverbial strings necessary to allow the family to move to the Islands at all. This man, a brother of his father's father, far as he's aware, came to visit every once in a blue moon, and whenever he would, he would carry with him a crate of bottles filled with a most mysterious, reddish drink, which the men of the family would consume in something of a celebration, particularly Khaled, Faruq's father, being known to act more readily at ease than ever else on such occasions. Furthermore, recurring topics in such instances would be the state of business, Ahmad being not only part of the family, but also Khaled's and his adult sons' boss, and the numerous blights and misfortunes they wished upon a man they called Haqim and all his henchmen.
Faruq inferred that they were among the reasons for the move that saw him born a Scottish citizen, yet he did not care much for such things (and it's not like he would have been told if he'd bothered), being content with living his life and enjoying the odd fill of weed here and there (meaning too much, too often) - until his eighteenth birthday came, once again and with a certain air of inevitability to it bringing the presence of Ahmad about. While they had rarely interacted much beyond the very basics of familial hospitality, Faruq finding his uncle a most sinister and creepy sort - even through his father's repeated insistations that he was the furthest from a bad man you could be in the whole world - he was on that day taken aside by the latter, and made an offer of some import: Slacker, stoner, criminal and disappointment that he was, and knowingly, for he would never hear the end of it despite most of those goings-on not having come about by his own choice, he was nonetheless a family member, and would as such be expected to act like one, namely in getting his act together and thereafter working for Uncle Ahmad. As it stood, the newly-adult had the kind of subterfuge his sponsorous relative had been looking for, and certainly the kind of background to allow him to be useful to them all (thereby suggestively winking at the door to Faruq's room, in which the very had previously been hitting the pipe). He would, if he wanted to be of worth, therefore share his uncle's drink for the first time that night, and start an apprenticeship under one of the elder's business partners. When initally he was reluctant still, Faruq was informed that that would, in his case, entail living in America (and that the drink was "non-alcoholic and mainly just a symbol of allegiance, so don't you worry about that, my boy"), and sung the praise of the USA, where apparently everything was that much bigger and the chances limitless and everywhere. And all he had to do was shake on it and make his father proud...
The official family business is transportation, specifically transportation of heavy or fragile or otherwise rather demanding sorts of machinery (and, for some reason, also extensive amounts of mass-produced little trinkets the likes of which you can find on any reasonably sorted flea market), and more specifically yet a sizeable company based out of Edinburgh that goes by the name of "Al-Assad and Flockton Transportation Co." (or "AFCo" for short) - The inofficial side of it being the carefully pre-packaged masses of hashish stored in the interior of sound and speaker systems and smuggled from the heartland of Arabia towards the West Coast of America. The actual chain of supply distribution is still not known to Faruq entirely, other than that it involves ships crossing the Pacific Ocean and exchanging what lies in their cargo bays out on blue water and far from sight, and he is not yet so high on the ladder as to draw much in the way of benefits or know about what other venues of profit the company entertains: Rather, his appointment is to supervise things in and around the city of Havensworth, not overspend his (sizeable, if quite modest) allowance, distribute payments and bribes and learn the ways of the trade from Charles Flockton, a British-American who is both the business partner I have talked about and, unbeknownst to Faruq, involved with the human-trafficking part of the darker side. What this concretely means for Faruq is a standing order to infiltrate local scenes, make friends and partners, network, and assure the flawless continuation of the money-making process, as well as run errands as needed, for while the city is a vital part of the chain, so to speak, Havensworth itself remains nigh-completely un-tapped by AFCo, who have so far been confined to the hinterlands as well as the areas further inland and are yet to muscle in on the town-level drug market for good.
Description and character traits, ideals, goals, personality:
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Other than a noted preference for long white hoodies, Faruq's sense of style is not markedly different from your average teenage slacker-type. He goes with what works or looks cool to him, however, in a move rather atypical of Arabs abroad, he has made efforts to let his hair grow out and received an impressive mane in return. He is less attractive than he thinks he is, if still arguably a handsome sort underneath the ravishes of his hobby and unhealthy lifestyle, and his low stress resistance has left him somewhat pale and thin-skinned recently. Having been your standard chav way back in Edinburgh, he tends towards a rather thuggish, don't-mess-with-me attitude which some would consider typical of young males in his demographic - when he's out and about, that is, and not "on duty", as it were. A little smarter than his looks would indicate, and while tougher than that, not a good fighter by any means, however, he tries to keep out of genuine trouble, and has always tried.
Seems skinny at first glance, used to aspire to Olympic swimmerdom when younger, can be described as wiry, or rattily tough. Likes to refer to himself as "The Ferret", which has not, so far, caught on. Habitual wearer of sunglasses, smokes "mere" tobacco on occasion, mainly when invited or having five bucks and some time to kill, not a devout muslim (he does like his vodka-mixes way too much for that), quiet guy when not trying to get his way or convince somebody of things. Thinks of himself as a liberal, harbors some leftist tendencies, is far more conservative in some ways than he likes to admit. Shaves, still sports a diehard goatie-pattern stubble though. Tends towards arrogance he mistakes for "actively-projected confidence", and occasionally does poorly at taking a joke. Happy to aid in the shipment and trade of green undercover because he's a fan of the plant and considers providing it outright heroism. Does not intend to be considered a failure by his old man until the end of his days. Would like to be powerful and successful, while investing the least possible amount of work.
Dislikes men wearing jewelry, people yelling when indoors, sudden fast and unheralded movement, the smell of vanilla, people who mouth dislike of him, bright light, and those that brag about their knowledge of computers.
Likes various sorts of music, his coffee with milk and sugar, tight-fitting dress on women, the taste of vanilla, the idea of one day owning a muscle car, the sound of rain, and movies featuring excessive violence.
Afraid of big dogs, his uncle on his worst days, Flockton on his best, and real-life excessive violence.
Recent goings-on:
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Still up to his old shenanigans, yet without much in the way of a social network to draw upon (other than see below), he improves his in- and outcome by personally dealing on the side and otherwise making himself known throughout the nightlife of Havensworth. Still being merely twenty years of age (official paperwork, including his fancy British passport, doctored and "cooked" with some amount of mastery, says twenty-three), he's in the dying throes of adolescence, puberty even, and the kind of guy to occasionally sit inside for days, look at the rain outside his (company-owned) one-room appartment, nurse his bong (called "Faith", originally named after a porn starlet he was fond of, later "re-fluffed" into being a pun about how "my Faith is my pillar and keeps me going, you know?") and ponder the various more-or-less imaginary indignities and troubles life has piled upon him. Not much of a reader, but with a strong and enduring love of over-the-top action flicks, he would at times bide his days and nights away on seventy-two-hour movie binges, and on whims and chances strike out to hit up parties he'd heard about or peddle his wares (both the legal and illegal kind, namely trinkets and weed) in the streets of the city, all the while trying to find his way in life.
As for working alongside Flockton, he's creeped out by the man as much as before by his uncle, all the more since he once spied a photograph in the American's private rooms depicting Flockton, Ahmad, and a third, far older man, smiling and posing in front of then-barren fields. Apparently, neither his uncle nor his new boss had aged notably since it was taken, which seemed all the more interesting considering the photograph was apparently dated 1913. He never saw Flockton eat or partake of the shippings, and could swear at times that the man didn't breathe. When asked about it, he would only ever urge secrecy and change topic, or grin to himself and imply his charge was mistaken. At times, however, he would make comments along the lines of "Noone told you, then? Doesn't surprise me in the least. You will find out in time. Just don't mention this. Ever. To anyone. Understood?" Given the guy's reputation for being merciless against those who'd cross him, he tended to understand.
This went on until not too recently, when upon a cold night his uncle called, having made an agreement of some kind with "certain elements of my acquaintance". It was time, Ahmad declared, for his nephew to be let in on a secret, and if he could please move his sorry ass to Seattle, where Flockton would await him in a hotel room come (then-)next Thursday, ready to "officially promote" him to the inner ranks of AFCo politics...
Allies:
Spoiler
His family in Edinburgh: Still likes to keep in touch, occasionally lets them know how he is doing when he finds the time and inclination. Particularly his older brothers work in functions much similar to his own, if higher up the ladder and in Europe, not America. They rarely talk, and Faruq only met the oldest, Hussain, since his travel across the pond.
Uncle Ahmad: Gets his own entry, despite being family. Well-connected criminal of some importance, likes to keep his secrets in the family for fear of betrayal, made an exception for Flockton, who's family in a way. Out of his nephews, most fond of Faruq, readily citing the latter reminds him of himself on his more talkative days. More fond still of his niece, the youngest al-Assad child, Aaliyah. Witty guy, if intimidating. "Probably" older than he looks. Possibly Flockton's sire.
Charles Flockton: British-American entrepeneur of a most questionable kind, still influential though. Shareholder and co-founder of AFCo. Involved with its most unsavory workings, allegedly also owner and sometimes supplier of brothels all over the states. Always in suits, likes to wear neckties, shares Farug's fondness of shades. Thinks precious little of Faruq, as far as he lets on, despite being in charge of training him, considers "Maddie's boy" to be the kind of guy to profit of his powerful relatives and then fail to do his work. Possibly Ahmad's childe, potentially soon Faruq's sire.
Steve: Corrupt member of the Havensworth police force, Faruq having been advised to call him over "that one house for sale in Wyoming" when (potentially) in trouble with the law. They get along well enough, far as Faruq can tell, but he did not so far have to call in the favor.
Isaac: Something of a friend of Faruq's. Technically low-ranking company subcontractor. Remnant of when the company's "agents" successfully ran afoul of a resident gang. Hulking African-American with a bit of a track record, friendly enough when you know him, officially manager of the small chain of electronic supply stores the AFCo maintains as fronts. Due to his gang relations and the nature in which the conflict that won him over was resolved, able to call upon what he calls the "clean-up crew" of Havensworth area thugs. However, only Flockton actually has the authority to make him do so.
And the questionnaire:
Spoiler
Quote:
Originally Posted by daelrog
Define Faruq's style of subterfuge. I don't want to know just that's he's sneaky, but how as well.
Well, it's not so much being sneaky as being deceitful and hard to get a hold of, really. You know this one guy who likes to claim he knows a guy who can score drugs? Faruq is the guy that guy you know likes to claim he knows, but it's unlikely that you know Faruq, or that Faruq knows you. He doesn't so much try not to be seen as to make sure he's only seen by the right people or those he wants to see. He isn't exactly elusive by nature, instead he eludes for a living. This dude that doesn't stick out, but seems to always stick around somehow, and yet when you're looking for him, he can't seem to be found. The guy you need a month's worth of information gathering to meet once, but only a second's worth of looking promising to be met by repeatedly. He would, for example, ask people for their number, say he'll be calling them, actually call them - anonymously - and only agree to another meeting for which he dictates the terms.
People underestimate a stoner, people need their dealer, he just is himself, and thus he thrives off certain someones being dumb, and other someones being smarter, all is well. Or at least that's how he sees it, and the way he likes to see himself.
Ultimately, The Ferret is someone who does his darndest to be the last person anyone would suspect. This one individual noone recalls inviting, yet everyone was expecting to be invited, anyhow. One of those quiet types nobody ever thought to be capable of the things he does. The unassuming dude in the concealing clothes that approaches lone drunk people in dark alleyways and asks them whether they need a fix, only to then convince them they need a fix, and milk them for all it's worth, never to be seen again unless an ongoing business relationship is established. That kind of guy, but likely a little more friendly and well-meaning in character than my descriptions would evoke. Does that work?
Quote:
Originally Posted by daelrog
How does the "farret" get along with the ladies?
Arguably rather well, though probably nowhere near sex-god-tier. When hit on or approached, he's likely to respond in kind, though as the middle child of seven (five of the other six being guys of about his age, and arguably more "manly" as well as certainly more extroverted than him to a man) he is rather used to being overlooked, meaning that when he does receive female attention, he's likely to ride it out, being as loud, alert, active and in-your-face about it as possible. He's given to a certain degree of machismo, meaning he will typically act as if it's the most natural thing in the world for all the girls in the vicinity to unconditionally be all over him (especially when they aren't), or, otherwise, try to play everything absolutely cool, acting as unaffected and "well above it all" as he can. Then again, he's also been known to be rather outgoing and over-the-top flirtatious at times. And occasionally undergoes long episodes of crippling arkwardness as well, especially when in a rain-watching mood for long enough. In the end, though, he's simply a moderately attractive, debatably self-centered guy with a mood-swing-dependent attitude meaning it varies immensely from day to day and from context to context.
Then, of course, there's the saddening fact that having easy access to illegal drugs tends to make you quite popular in certain circles, and as that has been a long-standing thing with him, he's used to the idea of having interest in him faked to attain a goal other than to have him respond in kind, even and especially in terms of "personal relations". He's also well aware that being stoned can make one horny. In conclusion, he is'nt "roofying date-rapist" levels of pathetic, nor "drug-shilling junkie pimp" levels of scum, actually having a notable and outspoken dislike of folks like that, but he's not above using the means he has at hand to attain the ends he has on his mind, provided, of course, they are urgent enough, and certainly wouldn't turn down opportunities that arise. Actually, "opportunist" describes the character quite well overall, in this regard as well as in others, I'd say.
Quote:
Originally Posted by daelrog
What's his stance on murder?
Morally reprehensible, hard to pull off without it coming around to make things difficult for everyone, a rather severe harshing of his mellow and not useful in the least. As a general rule of thumb, that is. He will of course act tough at times and pose around a lot, but that's mainly chest-thumping meant to intimidate. "Will threaten murder when really irate, will not go through on it unless desperate, did not, so far, have to go through on it, knock on wood" likely sums it up. He's your typical small-scale crook at heart, much talk and little to back it up, key being that he actually knows that much. The Ferret won't threaten a guy who's three times his size and mass, and he won't switch the blade he carries around on some dude without provocation, but he will try to establish that he is not to be trifled with, and isn't afraid to use (threats of) violence where he does not have much to fear or finds himself at the end of his rope. All told, however, he's wont to try and weasel his way out of a problematic situation by other means first.
Quote:
Originally Posted by daelrog
How does he rationale a life of crime?
By order of importance: Ease of gain, familial obligations, this being a decent life all things considered (/ he gets free ganjah and coin to spare), bare necessity. It's the family business, it's profitable, they have a good thing going and there's really not much else for him to do. Before Ahmad "roped" him into doing this, his days consisted of roaming the schemes of Edinburgh with a bunch of losers and thugs, robbing convenience stores where convenient, only going to school to shill weed in the restrooms, at least by the end of his stay, and generally being a layabout who could already visualise himself growing old on welfare in boredom and misery. Now, he has something of a goal, something resembling an opportunity, he gets to visit America, makes a pretty penny with the work he loves, and doesn't actually have to do much other than hang out and talk with people every now and then. Plus, he gets to act all serious and dangerous at times, and can imagine himself as some sort of mafia boss or big, bad spymaster, which is a plus.
Quote:
Originally Posted by daelrog
What would his price be to betray his family?
He'd likely be the last one to admit it, but he loves them lots. He used to be kind of a disappointment to them, and they still ended up giving him another chance, one laden with great responsibilities at that, so he would have to be hard-pressed to readily and willingly betray their trust in him. Which is as much a matter of honor as well as gratitude, really. They're distant, not dysfunctional, and some of Ahmad's Ian-Starshine-approach to secret-keeping carried over to Faruq. Which of course doesn't mean he's suddenly and magically better at fulfilling expectations, but it is a driving goal of his to not remain(/become) a (greater/total) disappointment. Which naturally includes being true to them to the fullest of his ability. (As a sidenote, the bit with the drink Ahmad distributed at family get-togethers was meant to kind of imply there were ghoulings to reinforce family ties in some cases - which I understand to be heavily blooddrinking-based - so there is the possibility that failure in upholding this ideal will turn out to be a really unwise move. But such is, of course, up to you as the storyteller. )
Quote:
Originally Posted by daelrog
What sort of power is he looking for, or does he just want power in general and will figure out the specifics later?
The latter, primarily. He'd like to be a sort of "alpha male", as the term is commonly understood, and has the kind of aspirations someone who dearly enjoys the notion of maybe one day owning a personal musclecar might be expected to have, but mostly, he just wants more of all the good stuff in life, and he wants it to be where he wants it, when he wants it, all the time, the earlier, the better.
Quote:
Originally Posted by daelrog
I take it you are looking for an Assamite character?
Was thinking Ventrue, actually. Just in this case, several Arabic / Muslim ones who probably had their ways and beliefs shaped by exposure to them - I had considered something of an ongoing "be migrant, get embraced abroad" theme for these folks. The "human trafficking" bit about Flockton, and the whole "world spanning crime business" angle just screamed "potential cornerstone to a shadow society of progressively inhumane bloodsuckers" to me, even if good ol' Faruq is a bit of an unusual specimen, which I'll be the first to admit. Though, to be fair, I have been thinking about this for some time, and figure Assamite would also make some sense, maybe as antitribu viziers, what with the "hashashin" theme () and the fact that the clan kind of does control the Peninsula and thereabouts...
Born one of a pair of twins to a French woman named Melissa living in Havensworth where she worked as a post-doctoral botanist Danielle never knew her father or even her mothers extended family.
Her mother while caring and kind to her children was focused on her career more then her daughters leaving the two to be raised by babysitters and neighbours, this left both girls a bit at odds with one another for attention especially as few could tell them apart.
Where her sister Katrina throw herself into the social scene at school Danielle focused on more athletic pursuits, despite this (or because of it) they were very good friends and woe to those that tried to cross either one of them as both always had the others back.
This changed shortly after their thirteenth birthday Katrina became insular and sullen as puberty hit her harder then Danielle and she started suffering from nightmares, around this time their mother decided it would do the girls good to go on a camping trip, where they got to know her a good bit better over the week, she told them about their father she didn't have a lot to say other then to describe him, about his animal magnetism and charm, and how she had met him in a town near where they were camped, she mentioned how her parents had abandoned her after she got pregnant, how she wished she had been there more for them growing up but wanted to ensure that whatever they did she could support them, it was a lovely holiday occasionally split by the girls arguing and stormed off before forgetting about it later when they calmed down.
Unfortunately after one of these fights Katrina was never seen again.
Danielle and her mother were devastated, the police preformed a wide hunt and turned up nothing, locals were accounted for and the area that they were staying was not frequently travelled.
After the initial search and an investigation the remaining family members became the top subjects and after this was slipped to the media things got very bad for them locally, Danielle was tormented at school accused of being a murderer and worse Melissa retreated into her work in theory to secure a future for her remaining daughter really Danielle felt it was so she wouldn't have to be reminded of Katrina ever time she saw her, and through it all the worst of it was wondering what had happened to Katrina, Danielle was sure she was alive she felt it.
Danielle dealt with the grief at school by being quick to strike out when needed and took up martial arts to assist with this, the girls at school learned to steer clear as did most of the boys, she was not strong but she was skilled and that counted for a lot when it came to ruining a start footballer's reputation as a tough guy in front of his bitch of a girlfriend before hitting her a solid slap for saying something dumb, she also learned to play the piano to but her feelings to music and started picking up some more languages, but always focused on trying to find new ways to find her sister.
Now at seventeen she is considering a university course in Criminal Investigations, she feels her sister is out there somewhere and intends to locate her no matter what and bring her back home.
Appearance:
Spoiler
Danielle is a tall slight girl of about 5' 8'' and weighing about 115 pounds, her body is honed through constant exercises to ensure she can protect herself, she has long blond hair kept in a ponytail (and occasionally pigtails as she and her sister used to like to wear their hair when she is feeling nostalgic).
Despite the work she has done to ensure she can protect herself her muscle mass has not come in yet leaving her somewhat slighter then she might otherwise be, but most agree that this takes very little away from her appearance.
Personality:
Spoiler
Danielle is somewhat stubborn, when everyone else has given up on Katrina she still clings on and is working towards a plan to find her.
She likes to socialise providing but will not be insulted when it comes to her sister and has learned that the perfect comeback might be nice to have most people that would start on a topic like that deserve a sharp kick to the head to knock some sense into them.
Activities:
Spoiler
Danielle's likes compete with others in some martial arts competitions finding them a good way to ensure she is in fit condition, she finds music to be a more personal experience but has started occasionally playing in a club on quite nights to make some money, other then this she pays close attention to the news for missing people report and helps where she can donating time and money to organisations and searching personally when possible.
She has also found that she can get some occasional work in the the court house as a translator but this is infrequent.
Q&A:
Spoiler
Who does your character care about most?
She would automatically say her sister, however in truth her mother might be the correct answer.
Where would they be the year 2000?
Likely finishing up a Phd in Criminology, and moving to become detective.
Where would they be today?
With new technology and methods she would be still hopeful of finding her sister throughout the years, but it would have moved on to finding other people also to help the families, she would also likely have followed her mothers footsteps into academia.
What's one really redeeming quality about this person?
They are utterly devoted to a noble goal while not being blind to the suffering of others.
What's one thing (or three things) which makes this character flawed?
She is overly emotional around the topic of her sister and can't accept that she is gone, while a good driving force she could hurt someone if she doesn't get an handle on herself, and this could really mess with her life.
What's something your character is good at, that isn't necessarily going to serve them well now that they're a vampire?
She is good outdoors, which will likely not be to useful as a vampire. Also her fighting ability while solid for someone her age would not hold up against a supernatural treat.
What are your character's political and religious beliefs?
She has no particular strong beliefs on either, her grandparents were apparently religious but they abandoned her mother and politics seems to be almost the art of not getting things done.
If your character was at a grocery store and a pair of robbers came in with guns out, what would they do?
She would hide, if she could get close enough and she thought they might actually hurt someone she would act to try to take them down.
Danielle at 14 shortly after returning from her summer holidays:
Spoiler
Danielle had hoped that this year would be better at school, after her sister went missing many of Katrina's friends had turned on her after the media painted her as a potential culprit, and in fairness it had died down somewhat, there were still jeers occasionally but most people were moving on with their lives ... unlike her, and unlike Natalie.
Natalie was a troublesome girl her family were poor and religious American to the core, and she had always resented the rich kids from an unmarried mother and of European decent, and that one of them was a suspected murderer and still walking free offended her greatly.
A heavyset girl she was a target for some abuse in the school also and when she saw Danielle crying in the toilets one day when they seemed to be alone she began to take out her own issues on her, asking if she finally felt guilt regret at what she had done how, how it felt to have killed her own sister, Danielle moved to leave after wiping the tears away in anger but Natalie grabbed her and held her face to a mirror, 'Every day, you will see her every day until you die. And then you will burn, both you and your whore of a mother for your sins'.
At this Danielle snapped beating the other girl bloody, the beating - you couldn't call it a fight was only ended when a teacher pulled Danielle off her after an other girl entered and then ran to get help.
Danielle would have been expelled baring three elements, her mother had always paid the full voluntary contribution that the school asked for and agreed to get Danielle into anger management courses and likely most importantly another girl who had been in a stall and overheard the entire thing spoke on Danielle's behalf.
Most left Danielle alone after that, some after hearing the full story of the insults she had taken even warmed to her a bit, others just steered clear or ensured that they kept there taunts to a certain level, Natalie for one never bothered her again.
Additional:
Spoiler
What drives her other than her sister?
She does care deeply for her mother and wants to see her happy, she also wants a good education, she doesn't give boys (or girls for that matter) much thought at the moment but she is looking forward to finding out a bit more about herself in college, and making a life for herself.
What gets her through the minor stuff?
She does like exercising and playing her music (and occasionally composing), she also occasionally she just cries or has a heart to heart with her mother if she is around.
Does she like to read?
She was never a big reader preferring action, but does make a point of reading the local broadsheet daily.
What kind of music does she listen to?
She does quite like the classical music and would normally listen to it, but when exercising she normally listens to Bon Jovi or Meatloaf as solid pieces to work out to, she is also a big fan of Frank Sinatra and his daughter Nancy Sinatra.
Same here. I recently learned that it's sort of an issue with the forums being basically rather small for just how much goes on in them, and so the bandwidth ends up being overworked and overcrowded on occasion. Perfectly normal, and typically temporary.
So... Remember how I pointed out Faruq's a little more conservative about things than he cares to admit? My last post is that in action. Also, I'm likely going to have to roll to bluff, as it were, sometime soon.
Last edited by Worlok : 07-13-2012 at 02:17 AM.
Reason: Roll to bluff!
So... Remember how I pointed out Faruq's a little more conservative about things than he cares to admit? My last post is that in action. Also, I'm likely going to have to roll to bluff, as it were, sometime soon.
Whatever do you mean? Nothing but good old casual fun going on the Weiman and Kirsch.
Ahem...which reminds me: is it okay if we look at each other's preludes or we may spoil something for ourselves? I'm usually good at keeping IC and OOC knowledge separated, but if there's something really big, then I don't want to know.
If it's okay, could we have a post here linking at all the IC threads? That would be nifty.
__________________
Moving house. Posting schedule and PM replies may be erratic for a while. Pokes are very appreciated if I forget to post somewhere.
Nevermind. I'm simply so conditioned to expect even a harmless mention of political subjects made in good fun going ballistic with people hissing and spitting that I get extra-paranoid about making sure that it's not gonna happen.
'nother thing though: The Forum acts like Faruq's Prelude got ten supplies so far, the last one from dael, as in, shows a "Replies" entry of 10 and a "Last Reply: daelrog" in the relevant columns when looking at the thread. That means that apparently, it didn't register my last post, even though it's there when I open the thread. Anyone else having this kind of problem or not receiving the things I write?
That's happened to me before as well. I think it's just one of the forum's quirks.
And I agree. Everyone's stories have been really interesting so far. :)
Alright. Just reposted my last entry in my Prelude. It simply wouldn't stop bugging me. Other than that, good to know that I am not the only one whom that problem jumps at times. Say, though, in-character-wise, do you have an idea for Rick's former partner Steve's family name? Just so we're all on the same side, seeing how I kinda nicked him from your backstory.
And yes, great stories all around. A pleasure rolling with y'all.
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Deathknell Chronicles OOC
) and the fact that the clan kind of does control the Peninsula and thereabouts...
Also, I'm likely going to have to roll to bluff, as it were, sometime soon.
