LostKnightsRPG.org

This game has been determined to link to the continuity created by the Through the Ages game. Several people are already opting to play childer of one of the Methuselahs from that game.

Character creation involves or requires the following:
1) Characters MUST have a reason to participate. The game starts with sires or mentors sending characters a letter summoning them to Buda-Pest in order to engage in a task. There are promises of lands, titles, and monies for successful completion. Thus, despite being ancillas, characters are either not in possession of that already, or are down on their luck for some reason (perhaps because of the machinations of a rival or elder).
2) Character must not be a Tremere - there are already a Tzimisce, Salubri Warrior, an Assamite, and a Gangrel in the coterie so far - they fucking hate the Tremere. Character must not be Malkavian (because I don't want to deal with that, fuck you). Doubling up on clans is okay - you could even have the same sire if desired.
3) The following merits are banned: Iron Will, Blase, Unbondable; on the flip side, I'll note that Discipline Prodigy and Additional Clan Discipline are both available for purchase.
4) Characters should be created according to the following scheme:
Attributes: 8/6/4
Abilities: 16/11/7 (1 free dot in Linguistics to represent common coterie language)
Disciplines: 7 (at least 5 dots of this must be in clan disciplines)
Background: 10
Virtues: 7
Freebies: 18
100xp (characters are approx 100 years old. Xp for this game will come at the rate of 1 per year during downtime with standard xp during sessions.)
Generation is set to a static 6th generation with no cost. Age is not an available background. Domain and Resources are probably going to be small (so you have a reason to participate).
Blurbs for characters will be posted below. Those characters can be taken as Allies or Contacts by the NPCs.
Statically assigned dots cannot be used to exceed 5 total dots (ie: your 8/6/4, 16/11/7, etc). XP can be used to buy up to your generational maximum, but remember that you're only around 100 years old, having a 6 or 7 in anything is exceedingly unlikely at this age under virtually any circumstances.
Players are encouraged to check out the paths available for their Road (in the various Road of X books for Dark Ages: Vampire).

Dark Ages: Vampire (not Vampire: The Dark Age) is the main core book for this game. We'll be incorporating a few of the V20 rules. Dodge will be eliminated from the sheet. Potence and Celerity will work as their V20 counterparts. Vicissitude will run off of Medicine rather than Crafts. Clan Gangrel's flaw will function as it does in V20 rather than as it does in other material (for what it matters, so does the Tremere flaw). (Contact me if you think other V20 stuff should also be implemented). Obtenebration is being house ruled so that extra actions it grants with Arms of the Abyss are treated as Celerity actions and do not stack with Celerity.

Current players for this game are: Zach, Cheyne, Angela, Adam
Need confirmation from: Chris
Wait list: Paul

Azraq al-Hazeen, Assamite Sorcerer, formerly of the Ahl-i-Batin and currently on a mission of justice and discovery, awaits play.

If you haven't seen it already, the first post has been edited to update character creation guidelines as questions have been asked of me. Here are some very brief writeups for potential allies or contacts. Each of these characters is worth Allies 2 or count as a Major Contact for the purposes of the Contacts background.

Nicholaus Giovanni is a Cappadocian Giovanni and nigrimancer, he has been dealing extensively with eastern Princes in and around the Transylvanian area in order to extend his family's trade networks and secure loose economic alliances. He's not above selling his necromantic services if it will help business. Frequently disappears into old ruins or catacombs for extended periods. Claims these trips are for "research."

Helena is a Greek Brujah and childe of a long-term associate of some of the character's sires. Helena is a scholar and frequently finds herself schooling fellow Cainites who did not have the benefit of a basic education prior to their Embrace. She'd rather be playing politics, but is biding her time, as she anticipates that change is coming soon.

Sir Arthur hails from the island of Briton and from Clan Toreador. His sire is also a long-time associate of some of the character's sires. He may, in fact, form the historical basis of Arthurian legend. He certainly meets the visual criteria, and the sword he wields is exquisite. His arms prominently feature rampant lions.

Uzoma has traveled to Europe from beyond the great Sahara. He calls himself a 'Laibon' when prompted for a bloodline. He enjoys hearing and telling stories, hunting in the wilds, and meeting new and (to him) strange people. Those with an eye for such things would note that he enjoys a very... unique relationship with his Beast.

Jeremiah is obviously Nosferatu - if you can catch him in decent lighting. Deformed as all members of his clan are, Jeremiah dwells on the outskirts of society - or at least that's what he lets people believe. His mastery of Obfuscate is sufficient to allow him to go where he will much of the time. Few would identify this or that nondescript peasant as the misshapen Cainite he really is.

Dominique wanders from town to city and back every year or two. She'll almost never give the same reply when prompted for a bloodline - sometimes she even truthfully identifies as a Ravnos. She seems willing to try just about anything once, but tries her damnedest to stay out of the sights of authority figures - with mixed results. It isn't as if she makes trouble though, she just finds herself mixed up in high-profile events more often than she'd really like. More often than not, such scrutiny will lead her to pack up and head out within the next fortnight.

Samir al-Masri hails from the Nile delta region. He unabashedly identifies himself as a Follower of Set. Unlike so many of his clan, he has readily integrated into European culture, though he does maintain a few flairs of Egyptian style. He portrays himself as a sort of mystic priest for his god, though he understands that most Europeans are Christians and don't want to hear about his pagan religion.

Clara d'Este has prominently Italian features and is a proud member of Clan Lasombra. She readily admits to political ambition, but has been having trouble penetrating the glass ceiling created by her elders. She's currently on the move, seeking territory that she likes and that either lacks strong leadership or lacks leadership altogether. Clara seems to have a particularly strong affinity for controlling the shadows, even for a Lasombra. They seem to always be at her beck and call.

Goliath could not be anything but a Gargoyle. Born in a Tremere lab, he escaped with the help of (some of the above, maybe one of the PCs too) and has come to loath and despise his former masters. As big as his name implies, Goliath towers over anyone he meets (he's nearly 10 feet tall!). While he's not terribly bright, he is eager to learn more about life outside of captivity. He's also eager to recruit allies willing to help him free his people.

(Clara and Goliath are currently under consideration to be GMPCs for this game.)

A note on languages. Everyone will get 1 dot for free in Linguistics to represent whatever common language we pick for the Coterie. This might be anything.

The Transylvanian area is host to several different groups of people, and all arrived speaking their own language. For the purposes of this game, there are 5:
Slavonic (spoken by Slavs), Hungarian (native tongue of the Magyar people), Romanian (currently spoken by inhabitants of eastern Hungary), Baltic (spoken in the regions of Lithuania and along the Baltic Sea), and German (spoken by Saxon settlers from the Holy Roman Empire).

The book suggests German as a common language for the party, but I'll wait to see if characters invest heavily into Linguistics or not first to see if any other common language suggests itself as a better option (the game notes that one of their playtests used Arabic as the common coterie language, which looked suspicious to native Europeans, but also meant that the coterie could talk amongst themselves and not worry too much about being understood).

Some more character sketches:

Bernadette is a Hungarian member of a bloodline that will one day call itself the City Gangrel. She is a follower of and advocate for the Path of the Grey Hunter. Her hunting and tracking skills are top notch, and you can hardly tell she's a member of the Feral clan, aside from the vertical slit of her pupils anyway.

Sevastos actually is a Brujah, and a native of Greece. He manifests all the zeal his clan is renowned for. He cares nothing for the Brujah loss of Carthage - that's history, and there's nothing they can do about it now. His particular cause primarily involves railing against the rule of the elders - opinions that neonates and some ancilla share, but generally aren't very popular. In a few hundred years, he'll form one of the many focal points for the Anarch Revolt - if he survives that long.

Katherine is a Frankish member of the Followers of Set, though she only admits her true bloodline to those she considers friends. She doesn't agree much or at all with the main clan and generally masquerades as a Toreador or particularly even-tempered Brujah. Like Sevastros she's not a big fan of authority figures, but she's both less vocal and less militant about her opinions.

Arina Ciobanul is a Romanian Malkavian known to have prescient visions. She variably travels (at her own insistence) with other characters described here insisting that she will witness some sort of important event while in their company. Once that event comes to pass, or she claims it does, she moves on. She's usually remarkably lucid, for all the rest.

Altair al-Basir is an Assamite Vizier scholar, astronomer, archeologist, and adventurer. One of the more far-flung and wildly traveled members of his clan, Altair is an avid explorer and enthusiastic student. He's learned to protect himself from his warrior clan mates, but doesn't sell his sword. Often masquerades as a foreign Toreador when he suspects that his clan may cause people to take issue with him.

Further info:
The game begins in April of 1198. You can be from wherever you like, though you will receive a summons to Buda-Pest at the beginning of the game.

May edit with more as I am asked further questions.

Notes from the last game. The tablets translate as this:

Thus, I set down my true visions that I may remember and keep to the Path I have chosen. Only I of us all shall know the truth and this shall be my shield and my spear. Most exalted shall I be in the time of the Final Days. Even the Father shall quail before my might.

Let the lesser ones war upon the other, each hearkening to the omens that I have forseen. Fools, all. By my guile, they know not the actual signs, but merely shadows of those things that shall be.

Let the world tremble when I come in my might and majesty, for I shall rule above our Father, above the Mother who gave succor to our Father, above the children of Seth, yea, even above God himself. Let the reign of blood commence.

The pair of Cainites you met at the site were Anatole, a French Malkavian. The woman did not identify herself (since you never asked), but over the next hundred years of downtime, and via subsequent visits from the pair, you come to know that she is Lucita, a Spaniard and member of Clan Lasombra.

The three major cities available as fiefdoms are:
-Balgrad (which over the next hundred years or so becomes known as Alba Iulia, and is still known by that name in modern-day Romania), which is tenatively claimed by Brother Ignatious, and is sort of the center of Catholicism in the region - it also has a fortress designed by Zelios, and he visits at one point to take some measurements of its walls before leaving again. The former Cainite ruler left behind a considerable library with many old writings on Dacia and Transylvania.
-Schaasburg (known as Sighisoara in modern-day Romania) -it will be the birthplace of Dracula in 1431.
-Kronstadt (modern day Brasov) which is a thriving trade center and is guarded by Bran Castle, which is a stronghold of the Teutonic Knights.

Minor areas available as fiefdoms are called Timisoara, Deva, Tirgo Mures, and Oradea. Of these, Tirgo Mures and Oradea are near the western border of the region (to the west and northwest of the overall area, respectively).

The two closest to the three large cities are Tirgo Mures, which is about 30 miles north of Schaasburg and Deva which is about 40 miles east of Alba Iulia. If Suriel and Azraq wish to jointly claim adjacent territories and rule them in tandem, the Tirgo Mures/Schaasburg pair is probably the best for them. That leaves Brother Ignatius in charge of Alba Iulia and Zrinyi Miklovich ruling over Kronstadt. Ulfir is free to claim whatever territory he wishes - Deva would be the closest to one of the other PCs, the others are a bit more far-flung from central Transylvania.

Of some note might be that Glaukos has claimed a city in the region far to the east on the coast of the Black Sea since about 600BC called Constanta, which was founded as a Greek colony called Tomis.

I'll probably make another post with some information about historical happening (both IRL and in-game) which happen during the downtime period.

A brief history of the roughly 100 years of downtime (mostly taken from the prompt in the book):

-The Fourth through Ninth Crusades take place, several are complete disasters
-In 1241 you weather the invasion of the Mongol hordes.
-King Phillip the Fair, of France, used his influence over Pope Clement to attack and arrest all of the Knights Templar in France on Oct 13, 1307. He sought the famed Templar treasure (rumored to contain the Ark of the Covenant, the Shroud of Turin, and the Holy Grail), but it was never found.
--The Knights Templar were major land holders and Christiandom's first international bankers. This was also part of Philip's motivation for their arrests.
-The last grand master of the Templars, Jaques de Molay, was burned at the stake in 1314 (the year the game starts).
--Many templars had admitted to bizzare and heretical acts under extensive and heinous torture.
--He died cursing both the king and the pope, challenging them to meet him before the throne of God within the year. Both died shortly thereafter.



Characters ruling over the Tihuta Pass (now known as the Birkau Pass), Alba Iulia, Shaasburg, and Kronstadt recieve visits from Zelios during the early years, as he stopped by to check the fortifications of their castles and to make measurements of the curtain walls.

Anatole and Lucita dropped by every now and then, rarely for more than a week. They exchange news. Rumor has it that the Malkavian has undertaken a campaign of diablarie, claiming God has commanded him to do so. None of you have seen him or his Lasombra companion since the rumors started.

Vykos has written once or twice inquiring after your fortunes and wishing you well.

Some updates for NPCs and some questions to consider.

Balgrad/Alba Iulia - Prince/Brother Ignatious
-Helena petitions for residence and puts herself forward as a competent Seneschal
-Sir Arthur sort of resident, but mostly itenerant
-Goliath takes up residence in Deva which is 'only' 40 miles away; claims the city, but no title

Schaasburg/Sighisoara and Tirgo Mures (Targu Mureș) - Princes Azraq al-Hazeen and Suriel
-Clara petitions for residence, puts herself forward as a potential seneschal
-Bernadette petitions for residence
-Altair is a frequent visitor on his way to and fro

Kronstadt/Brasov- Prince Zryni Miklovich (pick a title, Tzimisce love them: Count, Duke, Prince, whatever)
-Nicholaus Giovanni makes a home there, if allowed, is frequently out of town
-Jeremiah petitions for residence, puts himself forward as a potential seneschal
-Dominique establishes semi-primary haven here if allowed

Hermannstadt/Sibiu - Prince Titus Popa
-Samir petitions for residence, keeps to the outskirts of town
-Arina petitions for residence, travels often
-Sevastos petitions for residence, puts himself forward as a seneschal candidate

<somewhere> - Prince Ulfir (do you even claim a title?)
-Katherine petitions for residence

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Your position grants you an effective Domain 7 (except for the princes of Tirgo Mures and whatever Ulfir takes, which are Domain 5). Most of these have some sort of keep that comes with it that serves as a haven (the haven background has basically been subsumed into Domain in V20 and DA:V). All of the Siebenburgen cities have a castle built by Zelios. You also gain a Status of 3, as recognized by Cainites outside of your city (this will grow gradually until it settles at 5 sometime in the mid-late 1400s). Being the prince of a city gives you one free fortune path roll for city-centric backgrounds per 100 years (local allies and contacts, influence in the area, herd, domain to increase domain-security).

Some other questions to consider: Do you make any ghouls? Do you take any childer? As the ruler of your domain, you don't really need permission to do that sort of thing.

Goliath attempts to 'save' a leper or other chronically ill or dying person every now and then. Most die horrifically or go mad from the transformation and have to be put down. A few have managed to survive the process.

So, the geomantic web is in place. Goratrix has been delivered to his Tremere clanmates, and the characters now have quite a bit of information that they lacked at the start of the session.

I'd like everyone to make a brief post about what they do for the next 99 years of downtime in terms of their city ruling, and how they deal with the information they've got. Do they pass it on to allies and mentors? Do they take action in one direction to another?

Some other questions to consider, again: Do you make ghouls? What about childer? Do you travel at all?

There was a reward of 5xp for this session and then the downtime grants another 99. The next game starts up in 1413. Your Status background ranks up to 4 dots automatically.

During the downtime you probably hear rumors about the demise of the Lasombra Antediluvian (just a few years prior to when the game starts up again). More info on historical and meta-historical events will probably come in a future post.

I inform my sire of the important information, and attempt to uncover more from any passing kindred.

I ask for permission to create progeny. Aside from a single well-trained servant, always a criminal (this one is an evil lord punished for his crimes against his people), I keep only my animals as ghouls.

I fully establish my revenant families and make money selling sterilized revenant horses and birds to allies, those who will pay me a fortune, and those who will be nice to the animals.

I make a point of traveling during the winter months (long nights) every other year, leaving my Salubri companion to care for my lands. I do the same for her if she chooses to travel in the years I remain in my city.

I further establish contacts with regional magi, as well as any old Batini contacts I can dredge up. I pass on information on the Order of Hermes and the abomination that is House Tremere, and warn of the powerful demon Kupala to anyone that will listen.

I work on dredging up more rituals (you said we get some, but not sure how many) and working on the Path of the AoE Dmg.

I convert promising kindred to the Path of Tears or, failing that, Blood. I eliminate kindred that walk counter to my morality when I can. In the chaos of the Anarch Revolts I eliminate any Tremere or other shitty kindred I can.

I maintain my metalcraft as a hobby, and maintain correspondence with smiths both living and undead from across Europe and the Middle East.

Of note, as the Prince of a city, you do not need permission to create progeny. Who do you seek to Embrace, or just generally promising targets?

Rituals list the following time to learn in Blood Magic (this is for my own future reference, if nothing else):
Level 1: 1 week
Level 2: 1 month
Level 3: 1 season (about 3 months)
Level 4: 2 seasons (so 6 months)
Level 5: 1 year

You also get a ritual at the level of each new dot in Thaum purchased. The times listed above assume you're also actively doing other stuff while researching rituals.

Let us then assume that during any 100 year downtime you find the time to learn a total of ten levels worth of rituals, but not to include more than one ritual at each level 4 and up (so its fine to learn a level 5, a level 4, and a level 1, but not two level 5s; it's also okay to learn a level 6 and a level 4; you couldn't take two level 4s and a level 2, but you can take any combination of rituals level 3 or lower). If this ends up being way too much or way too little, we'll work on some other rate. This also goes for Zryni (and his Koldunic Sorcery) and anyone else with a blood magic investment.

We'll say it takes about 200 years of work to establish a stable family of revanent animals (as long as they've got life cycles that are generally faster than that of people) and about 300 to establish a line of humans.

I embrace promising targets. Convert them to my path and give them a calling of "dark protector" or something. I'd like twins preferably, a male and a female. They will learn to hunt witches and other monsters. Or something. Whatever.

Brother Ignatius ghouls and sires followers to build and maintain the heretical Ashen priesthood established in the city. He gathers text related to the occult and works to acquire books from abroad to add to this growing library.

Eventually (early 1300's), he briefly travels to Italy and helps establish a new Heresy stronghold at The Abbey and temporarily serves as the head librarian. After many interesting and well-written exploits at The Abbey, Brother Ignatius returns to Balgrad. The Abbey continues to serve as a stronghold and unrivaled occult library. Mario protects the treasures within...

Mario destroys something beautiful, then wallows dejectedly in its entrails.