Saturday, July 21, 2018

Avice Kokinos - Avian and Chosen Scion of Frigg - The Clean Harpy

Scions of the Second Refinement


Background: Avice has always looked toward the sky and had issues with a terrible temper. In her early years she became a fan of anime and especially the various raven winged characters that were found within it. She would often fantasize about being a powerful tengu warrior come to deal death to some evil scum. And her young mind the tengu were always the heroes and she hated the shows where they were villains instead. She often found herself trying to ignore the legends of her own people, the horrific harpies know for defecating on food and harassing blind men.

She somehow managed to track down a retired wolf-warrior to teach her how to fight and found a legitimate relic somewhere in a second time around shop. She never really questioned how easily she found such hints of the divine around her and always assumed that the people on the deifan forums who talked about how they so wished to meet a real supernatural person must just be unlucky. That is, until the first time she met her birth mother at the age of 16.

Friday, July 20, 2018

Lucy West - Chosen Scion of Kali - The Forgotten Victim



Background: Lucy woke up with almost no memory to speak of. She had some vague memory of being helpless and immobile, but now she'd suddenly found herself looking about to see a pristine, almost unnaturally clean, room with harsh light streaming in from the window and setting a glare on everything around.her. She'd later come to learn that this was a hospital of some variety.

Monday, July 16, 2018

Míša Kedzierski - Chosen Scion of Veles - A Modern Red

The tail would come when she gained an omen later.
Scions of the Second Refinement

Background: 

Míša had heard the tale of Little Red Riding Hood of course, most people had. It was a popular folktale all around the world. She just hadn't given it much mind at all. You heard stories of supernatural wolves, of course, as well as werewolves. But who ever actually ran into one. That was something you heard from rumors or the odd news story. People liked to talk about the documentary filmer who announced an intention to interview and film werewolves and then vanished, but nobody could remember his name. It's just that you never one of those stories.

Her mother had asked her to walk down the street to return some flour to her grandmother. The door was ajar when she arrived and things were a mess. She had been nervous and called out for her grandmother and was relieved when she heard the old woman's voice, though it sounded a bit strained. She complained about an intruder and Míša walked in to see if there was anything to be done.

Sunday, July 15, 2018

Pequod's for Tea - Blackmouth Nightmares - Session 0


Character Journal

The mists stretch on and on. The hallway is impossibly long with two many corners and intersections that curved on themselves or should have done...but didn't. The walls were mirrors that she could see through the mist. The glass must have been warped, or maybe the water droplets on the mist were warping the image itself. 

She was barely able to make out her silhouette and features on the twisted and flat surface of the blackened silver. But she undeniably knew it was there and behind her, and at the end of the hall, and on any other surface she could cast her eyes on. She could just reach out and trace the edges of it.

Much more visible was the cracked jigsaw image of herself sitting in the back of the Pequod's with a cup of Earl Grey because what the coffee house called sweet tea was a blaspheme on anybody who grew up south of Mason Dixon.

You make toys of tools.

The voice was just behind her ear. It wasn't English. She wasn't certain if it was even words at all, though she heard the sibilant lisps and clicks.

Charts and charts and charts. 

Was it laughing at her? She could feel it on the back of her neck. Just breathing there and stirring the mist. She whirled around to find nothing and stepped unsteadily down the hall looking for the source of the sound. 

The Nightmares of Cheyenne Belmont - Chronicles of Darkness - City of Blackmouth

At the beginning of the year, a friend of my spoke of plans to run a Chronicles of Darkness game and now, after several bumps and bruises of life, we've come to the first sort of session for it. Mostly we finished up characters, but had one small scene that we got to play out before we ended for the night, next session yet to be scheduled. So time to open up a journal for this character.

Yes, that is Agam Darshi.
I built the character without realizing which splat we were moving toward and I didn't exactly have an idea of what character I wanted to play. I started with a random name generation on the Behind-the-Name website and got Cheyenne, I picked up the surname Belmont due to having watched the Castlevania anime at about the same time. I had also had one of my periodic cases of Rally Vincent appreciation, who is half Indian and half English, resulting in me going looking for pics of Agam Darshi since I can't afford to commission art right now. Amusingly, Cheyenne isn't the action sort, she's a computer investigations specialist.

Regardless, this is an interesting case where I don't have a set forward plan for a character to guide myself other than some basic notions of what type of creature she's going to be and what her current goals are. That said, the GM provided us with a 100-question survey to optionally fill out to build the character. So I have a very firm idea of where she's coming from. I'm looking forward to this.

As a side note, this is in the same campaign city where Emma Terreal lives.

Character Sheet

 

100 Questions

 

All is Prologue

Cheyenne Belmont Character Sheet

Concept: Police Computer Forensics Specialist
Chronicle: Blackmouth
Virtue: Righteous
Vice: Perfectionist

Attributes

  • Mental
    • Intelligence ***
    • Wits **
    • Resolve ***
  • Physical
    • Strength **
    • Dexterity **
    • Stamina **
  • Social
    • Presence **
    • Manipulation **
    • Composure ***

Cheyenne's 100 Questions - Self-Images and Etc. 84-100

84. Describe the routine of a normal day for you. How do you feel when this routine is disrupted?

Wake up at about 4am, do some time on the treadmill, eat breakfast at about 6am after a shower. Head to work, check the day’s task roster and get started. Pick somewhere to eat lunch that sounds interesting, return to work. head home and choose a game to play. Go to bed at about 8pm. Most of this is obligation based, so when her routine is disrupted, he gets a little bit frantic, but otherwise it doesn’t much bother her.-

85. What is your greatest strength as a person?

Focus and Intelligence.-

86. What is your greatest weakness?

Hesitation and the desire for perfect information-

87. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

She’d undo the prank she pulled that got some killed and arrange for her to realize that the place was corrupt some other way.-

88. Are you generally introverted or extroverted?

Closer to introverted, but she can sometimes be mistaken for extroverted.

Cheyenne's 100 Questions - Likes and Dislikes 70-83

70. What is/are your favourite hobbies and pastimes?

Cheyenne is a gamer, mostly online with video games, but also a fair amount of tabletop gaming either face-to-face or virtual tabletop. -

71. What is your most treasured possession?

She has a key-chain as a gift from her parents that consists of an old American coin and an old Indian coin woven together decoratively with bronze wire. -

72. What is your favourite colour?

Earth tones.-

73. What is your favourite food?

What her mother calls “Southwestern Curry” which is a mix of curry and rice with chili.-

74. What, if anything, do you like to read?

She mostly likes intrigue stories with complex plots and clever gambits. This ranges from things like murder mysteries or court dramas to espionage stories. Superheroes are a recent appreciation, mostly because of the complex interconnections of the MCU.-

Cheyenne's 100 Questions - Relationships with Others 53-69

53. In general, how do you treat others (politely, rudely, by keeping them at a distance, etc.)? Does your treatment of them change depending on how well you know them, and if so, how?

Until she gets to know someone, Cheyenne can come across as friendly but guarded, often appearing extremely straight-laced and conservative. If she comes to trust a person, then she becomes a lot more casual and relaxed around them.-

54. Who is the most important person in your life, and why?

The most important person in Cheyenne’s life right now is her best friend Maya Osren, a police dispatcher, and the woman with whom she formerly shared a lover. This is entirely a friendship and has developed since the marriage since the husband is often busy with his career in the DA and doesn’t often have time to join them on outings. Maya is one of the people in her life right now who most understands the difficulties she faces due to being mixed heritage and non-standard sexuality (Maya is hetero but quite a bit more poly than Cheyenne. Her heritage is African/Korean) so she’s one of the few people around whom Maya can relax. They also share an interest in games of many sorts.

55. Who is the person you respect the most, and why?

Her elder sister for managing to get past the unreasoning dislike she used to have for Cheyenne as a kid and also for managing a respectable if not overly well-known career in entertainment through which she does a lot of charity work.-

Cheyenne's 100 Questions - Beliefs and Opinions 40-52

40. Are you basically optimistic or pessimistic?

Pessimistic Optimist. Hope for the best, plan for the worst.-

41. What is your greatest fear?

Unintended consequences-

42. What are your religious views?

Non-religious, mother is Hindu, father is Catholic. She has a bit of a mix, but doesn’t really think about it much. She will jokingly suggest she’s bisexual because of unresolved past lives.-

43. What are your political views?

Liberal authoritarian. Believes that tyranny, political and legal corruption are signs of a weak government rather than a government that is too strong. -

Cheyenne's 100 Questions - Past Influences 29-39

29. What do you consider the most important event of your life so far?

When her elder sister called her “sis” for the first time and they started to have a good relationship finally.-

30. Who has had the most influence on you?

Her mother’s intelligence, sense of justice, and determination.-

31. What do you consider your greatest achievement?

She helped convict the leader of a child prostitution ring.-

32. What is your greatest regret?

Failing to take advantage of the two times she had experienced love. She and Dale just let each other go across country without trying, though it was amicable so her guilt is manageable. Lydia is still institutionalized after her mental breakdown and Cheyenne feels that wouldn’t have happened if she’d been more mature and tried to support her more. -

Cheyenne's 100 Questions - Growing Up 15-28

15. How would you describe your childhood in general?

Complicated. Mother was often at work and expected high performance, father was often out of town. Both parents clearly love her. Her elder siblings often fought with her father and occasionally pulled pranks on her. -

16. What is your earliest memory?

Her mother was crying as her father comforted her, seen through a gap in the door.-

17. How much schooling have you had?

Master’s degree-

18. Did you enjoy school?

Yes. School is a chance to show off and show what she can do. In college she was part of a co-ed fraternity, pompously named Order of the Binary Code, focused around students in computer sciences.-

Cheyenne's 100 Questions - The Basics 1-14

1. What is your full name?

Cheyenne Belmont-

2. Where and when were you born?

October 31, 1993 in Denver, Colorado-

3. Who are/were your parents? (Know their names, occupations, personalities, etc.)

Mother (Deepa Tamboli originally, Choudhary first husband’s surname) was an immigrant from India who became a doctor and expert in immunology. Her father (Ian Belmont) is her mother’s second husband, an office manager for energy companies. Her mother’s first husband died in a car accident which is when she completed her education to become a doctor. Her mother was later hired by the CDC and her father travels for his work managing deals for an energy company.-

Friday, July 13, 2018

Naomi Medici - Chosen Scion of Hermes - The Squirrel Thief

Scions of the Second Refinement



Background: The Medici family is famous for its mercantile success through the Renaissance but one branch of the family delved into other means of power. One of their number came to the attention of one of the gods after which the family made the effort to keep that scion blood as strong as possible through the bloodline. Most of the time this didn't seem to produce anything special though the family claimed their practices were the reason so many of them were exceptional competent. A few parlayed their trace of divine blood into sorcery but only rare individuals, usually those that broke out of the family's hierarchy, attracted the attention of the Gods to be chosen as a scion. Naomi Medici ran away as a child to escape the practices of her coven of a biological family.

Opposing Teams...Plural - Yakki Koto Kiku - Session 3



We had a few plans. Leigh was gonna drive us off to somewhere out of the open and then we were going to either disguise the truck or get a different truck. Then I figured I'd set up a distraction or two or three. Leigh commented I was wonderful at distractions which I'm not sure what they're talking about really, but cool, thanks for the compliment.

Anyway, all that sort of went by the wayside when a bullet took out the truck's axle from out of nowhere. I mean, I didn't see it, I was in the back of the truck, but there was a sudden impact and then the truck was skidding to a stop. Then Morgan and I heard some muffled voices and maybe a pistol shot or two. So I did what a good little sneak does and dropped through the maintenance shaft, saw the massively broken axle and some massive guy with an axe slipping like an 80s lawn-toy ad on the oil and two other guys standing back away from him. 

Morgan stepped out as well though she was a bit out of my line of sight and used a dagger to pin the axe man to the ground or something. 

Shi Shi Shi, Except mostly not Shi - Cage of the Demiurge - Session Four



"Okay. Seriously, Hilde, we have to talk about this," Taba said as the door closed behind them.

"What? What's the matter, we got back," Hilde said while avoiding eye contact.

"Don't you even try to lie to me," Taba snapped, black eyes glittering. "You almost died."

"The gorilla wasn't the problem," Taba said. "Well, it was, but not the real one. It was the idiot thing with the grenade. I mean you basically just froze there and stared at it until it blew up in your face."

"Okay, I don't really have an answer to that," Hilde admitted. "I may have been a bit surprised at finding it."

Melony Orleans - Chosen Scion of Sehkmet - The Lion's Thief



Background: 

Melony was born to a Canadian family of great wealth and descent from kings on both sides of the channel, at least so they claim. She was raised in privilege and while they may not have intended it, she learned about how to bend rules and subvert laws for her own benefit from watching her family. She took an interest in the ancient world and took to archaeology. With her ethical blind spot, she was able to work her way into a number of different sites around the world and acquire items wondrous items on behalf of the museum she worked for, one that had a lot of donations from her family.

Description:  Melony is brunette woman with the sort of beauty than can only be bought out of a life time of high end medical care and red carpet worthy wardrobes. She knows how to dress practically but if she's not on a job at the moment then why bother? She often seems only moments away from a smug and condescending smile, but recently more often seems to be fighting to contain expressions of lingering fear and frustration.


Divine Patron: Sehkmet

Monday, July 9, 2018

The Candlestick Disturbance - Set 4: Hellfire - City of Mist



What the fuck were these two doing in this place? My head is pounding like a damn sledgehammer-appropriate gong. It’s hot. It’s so hot. You’d almost think someone was doing real magic in this place with how bad I feel.

Nah, that lady was a doctor or something. There had to be some chemical. I’ve just got a bit of a high right now. The voice in my head, the heat, the pounding. That’s all just got to be some hallucinations or side effects from some chemical shit they were putting together.

That must be why they wanted my cargo. Maybe they thought it would be easier to steal a few gemstones and get funding that way than to just steal some cash, con an investor. They sure couldn’t hook a user on this crap. I feel horrible. Unless that’s supposed to be the thing.

“Hurry up! I want to be gone before either the cops or the security company get here.”

Wednesday, July 4, 2018

Mel Tadros - Born Scion of Sobek - The Slow Temper

Scions of the Second Refinement



Background: Mel's worked out at the alligator farm for years, since they were a child. Sometime back, a monster had appeared outside of town though few people know about it because it was defeated so very quickly. Mel's mother, Layla Tadros, tells how her husband had been killed by it, a monster thing like a panther formed of the mud of the bog. She had gone out to kill it armed with fire to dry it out and explosives to blow it apart, and firearms for if things got desperate. She gave a good fight but would likely have been the second victim if a protective but brutal man hadn't appeared to tear the monster apart. Over the next few months, he appeared with some regularity and eventually Mel was conceived and born.

Sunday, July 1, 2018

Madhu Kuiper - Scion of Durga - The Skillful Secretary

Scions of the Second Refinement


Background: 
Drawn from a set of stock photos


Madhu Kuiper's parents died in an attack by Asura when she was a child. Afterwards, she was taken in by a mystery cult. The outward face of the cult was a temp agency called Office Solutions that specialized in place women into office jobs such as receptionists, file clerks, accountants, and other less than glorious positions. Through these women, many of them trained in espionage, the cult was able to quietly take control of these companies These companies then funded training women for hunting those monsters and cultists that were within the reach of well-funded and trained mortals to tackle.

Daggerheart Analysis

  Daggerheart - What I've Seen So Far Template-Based Character Builds This will be familiar to players of D&D, Pathfinder 2e...

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