De los Activos
4. AGROSEMEX, S.A, no pertenece a ningún Grupo Empresarial
Once all these decisions have been made (if not before), you should have a look at the players’ prospective characters. Much of how the chronicle progresses will depend on their nature and goals. Don’t be afraid to disallow or encourage certain character types if you think doing so helps the fl ow of plot or troupe cohesion (though you should certainly make this much clear to players before they develop characters). Play through Preludes — with special atten- tion to developing Backgrounds — then go back to the drawing board. Do some detail work before the next session. The design for the opening story and the initial antagonists should be based on the characters’ situation, which should now be fi rmly established. Natural curiosity can carry them only so far, especially in the be- ginning; give them a genuine stake in the course of events. Even if you are counting on one particular character to provide most of the momentum for that fi rst story, make sure you have something for everyone. It’s all too easy to lose people in the beginning, and commensurately diffi cult to recapture them later on.
COTERIES
Several different ideas for character coteries in the Time of Thin Blood are presented here.
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OTERIEWhen thin-blooded reach out into the night, occasionally they are lucky enough to fi nd each other, rather than the countless predators that lie in wait. The bonds of loyalty in such a coterie are often unusually strong. After all, who else can really understand? All they have in the world is one another. To survive, the young vampires may have to share not only herds and havens, but what- ever scant wisdom and experience they might possess.
The vampires of a thin-blooded coterie will probably have to devote much of their attention to survival; the search for a safe haven, where they can live in relative peace, can take up a large portion of the chronicle. However, the need for meaning will haunt them almost as relentlessly. Lacking an inherited vampire culture, they are bound to go in search of one eventually. This can end in their discovering Kindred society, or even the societies of other supernaturals; or they might fall prey to the seductive philosophy of an apocalyptic cult. Alternatively, they might create a cult of their own, modeling themselves on something they’ve seen in a movie or heard from mortal guru. Kindred of the major sects can only shake their heads in wonder when they encounter the bizarre unlifestyles that proliferate among the vagrants.
A highly mystical chronicle can be built, for example, around a coterie comprising thin-blooded seers (and perhaps a follower or two). On top of all the other reasons to ally, seers experience a great multiplication of their clairvoyant powers when they work in tandem. A coterie of seers might have been hand-picked and assembled by some powerful vampire with a Gehenna-obsession, or they might have found one another, having been drawn to the same place by premonitions of the same disaster. Seers frequently
travel the world looking for items, locations and people that can inspire their vision. If they share their talents with Kindred society, they are likely to attract a sizable audience, some of whom will persist in their interest even between omens; the seers might fi nd this attention welcome or troublesome, but at the very least, it will make their unlives interesting. Of course, they will no doubt gain a number of enemies as well.
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OTERIEA thin-blooded character in a coterie of normal vampires is often viewed as something of a burden. He is far weaker, particularly in combat, and may need protection — especially if the scourge should happen to pay a visit. On the other hand, he can bring unique skills and abilities to the group, as well as a fresh (some would say naïve) perspective. If he has enough personal charm, he may be able to establish himself as a sort of “mascot” or “kid brother” for the coterie. If not, he should be prepared to put up with constant ribbing and even bullying.
In the present climate of prejudice and misunderstanding, the most plausible scenario for a mixed coterie is one in which the thin-blooded members are the childer of the other characters; however, it’s not the only possibility. Neonates in a coterie (or a pack or gang, for that matter) are not always in a position secure enough that they can afford to disdain an outsider’s help, however minute. If a member of the highest generations manages to obtain some prestation over them, they may allow him to skulk on the edges of their group, rather like a neighborhood cat permitted to eat on the porch but not to come inside. In cities that don’t yet have a scourge to sniff around investigating illegitimate sirings, anarchs and Caitiff might be willing to take in a weakling childe, as long as she doesn’t show defi nite signs of being on the run. Lastly, seers’ abilities are so prized (and feared) that a character who possesses them has far less trouble than other thin-blooded fi nding a coterie to accept him. Of course, said coterie may well have less than entirely altruistic motives in extending the generous invitation, but unlife is full of such Faustian bargains.
Whenever and however a mixed coterie comes about, any chronicle in which it is involved is likely to deal extensively with the subject of prejudice. The coterie may struggle for acceptance among the Cainites, or it may eventually declare sour grapes and withdraw into hermitage, but while the battle lasts, it can provide the chronicle with countless little dramas. Another good point of the mixed coterie is the opportunity it provides to reverse the usual progression of things. Most thin-blooded chronicles are sure to explore the viewpoint of the thin-blooded as they gradually encounter more and more of other vampires’ bizarre customs. But the trials a mixed coterie faces often end up drawing it away from Kindred society, even when the majority of the coterie’s members are legitimate Kindred of established clans. In the fi rst case, the process is one of assimilation, in the second, of alienation. When the two things happen at the same time — i.e., the thin-blooded in the group become more comfortable with the Kindred outlook, while the rest grow disgusted with the cruel and fearful behavior of their former colleagues — it’s especially fascinating to watch.
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Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…
— Emma Lazarus, “The New Colossus”
that most stirred you. The Three Musketeers, Le Morte d’Arthur, The Lord of the Rings, Treasure Island… you had devoured all these and more before you fi nished middle school. No one was surprised when you decided to double-major in medieval history and literature.
You were a mere 18 credit-hours away from your bachelor’s degree when Nicodemus found you. At fi rst, you knew him only as the odd old man who sometimes came by your study carrel late at night. He repelled you personally, but his fi rst few offhand comments revealed a deep understanding of the work of Victor Hugo, which happened to be the subject of the paper you were working on. Eventually, conversation with the strange man became a habit.
You even got into a friendly gentleman’s game: Every week, each of you would propose some odd, obscure trivia question The following templates are meant to provide inspira-
tion, as well as to show the variety of character types that can be created with Time of Thin Blood rules. They can also be used as quick-start players’ characters, however.
CINDERELLA
Quote: No, I can’t make it Thursday — Nicodemus wants me
to delouse the rat-guardians and sweep the library. Oh, I couldn’t do that either — Nicodemus says the Toreador hate us. Anyway, just look at me….
Prelude: You were always the shy little boy with the glasses.
The other kids teased you for your bookishness, and the more they teased, the more you withdrew, until the only life you knew was in your imagination, in the tales of passion and derring-do
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for the other to research, and whoever discovered his answer fi rst was declared the winner. At fi rst, Nicodemus beat you every time, but as you honed your research skills, you quickly caught up. You never realized that you were being trained until it was too late. A few months after your fi rst meeting, while you were desperately cramming for fi nals, Nicodemus found you in your carrel and invited you out for a breather and a cup of coffee. It was unexpected, but you’d long since decided he was harmless. Your mistake.
Now you know the purpose for which your sire was preparing you. A huge Nosferatu warren exists under the streets of your city, and within that warren is a library, bigger than the downtown city library and the
university library put together. The books date from the eighth century all the way up to last month. Pompeii-style murals, visible only to “Kindred” eyes, line the walls in a giant historical tapestry. It is truly a thing of beauty — but librarians are desperately needed, especially since a certain Nosferatu vampire recently began demanding research reports on the most bizarre and obscure subjects.
Nicodemus had marked you to become one of the library’s custodians. He’d noted your intellect, your social awkwardness and your love of books, and he decided that you would never miss your mortal life above. He underestimated you. Even worse, he over- estimated himself. When he Embraced you, his weak blood sparked a pitiful response in yours. Although your sire was a Nosferatu, you became a Caitiff, as his Blood left none of its disfi gurements upon you.
You are so naïve, you truly don’t understand why Nicodemus hates you so — but he indisputably does. He constantly insults you and belittles your intellect. He goes out of his way to make your existence unpleasant, providing you with only the fi lthiest, most maggot-ridden rags to wear and the scrawniest prey to feed on (you haven’t yet graduated to a diet of human blood, nor are you supposed to leave the safety of the sewers till you’re older, whenever that may be in a vampire context). He fi lls your schedule with at least as many menial chores as genuine research projects.
One night, when your Auspex had reached the point where you didn’t need your Coke-bottle glasses anymore (squinting at old texts in the dark was wonderful practice), you threw them away. Nicodemus saw your sea-green, almond-shaped eyes in the lamplight and went berserk. He chopped most of your hair off in uneven chunks and savaged your face with a pocketknife. Many times since, he has repeated this barbering and butchery, punishing you if you dare try to heal the wounds.
Concept: You’ve never thought of yourself as one of the beautiful people; in fact,
all your life you’ve considered yourself unattractive. But the truth is that you were just awkward, bespectacled and poorly dressed. Next to your Nosferatu peers, you look like a runway model, and they resent you for it. Despite the close eye they keep on you, you’ve managed to make a few Kindred and mortal acquaintances outside the sewer: a friendly mission worker and a small coterie of anarchs, who all keep encouraging you to grow a backbone and rejoin society. You are reluctant to do so, since you know what would happen to you if you got caught, but every so often you can be cajoled into sneaking out. You have heard wondrous tales of a power called Celerity, which would surely help you complete all those unfi nished chores before sunrise.
Roleplaying Tips: You are a gentle soul, and you do your work dutifully and patiently,
hoping that in time your usefulness will gain you acceptance. But the more you learn and excel, the more venomous your warren-mates become. You have been subjected to taunts and snide comments since childhood, and now genuine abuse, so you’ve become painfully shy. Flinch if people make sudden movements or try to touch your fi lthy body. You are a worthless creature. Although your heart dreams of adventure and noble deeds, so far you lack the courage to leave the confi nes of your cloistered world for long; your true Nature is almost completely suppressed. Note that you rarely enjoy the full benefi t of your Appearance Attribute, since you generally walk around fi lthy and disfi gured by your sire’s mutilations. You’re allowed to keep only your hands clean—for handling the books.
Equipment: Notepad, fi ne fountain pen (a premature graduation gift), personal library of