Editor-in-chief & lead writer

Issue #1, SEP ‘19

Kelly Black

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The Masquerader

Contents
Bloodlinebook:
Fleet of Tehom
pg 2
REVIEW

Bordeaux by Night
pg 6
REVIEW

Beckett’s Vampire
Folio Omnibus
pg 10
REVIEW

How to Harpy pg 14
Excerpt from The Toreador Handbook
The Masquerader REVIEW ~ Bloodlinebook - Fleet of Tehom

REVIEW
Bloodlinebook:
Fleet of Tehom

B
loodlinebook: Fleet of Tehom is a 61 page news clipping near the end. The authors clearly
clanbook for Victorian Age Vampire by know the look and feel of this period of Vampire
Sam Myatt and Ben Allsop, who brand their and aim to hit that mark. The writing throughout
creations under the S&B imprint. Sixty-one pages supports this, with a mysterious vibe ever present.
is a lot of pages for a single bloodline, even if it’s
The Fleet of Tehom as a bloodline begins with a
not such a high number on Storyteller’s Vault these
Tzimisce founder of the line fleeing Transylvania
nights. The authors describe the Fleet of Tehom
after refusing to honor the powerful demon
as half-bloodline half-sect, which explains why
there, Kupala, and destroying one of its Cainite
there’s so much to explore. This is not just a history,
worshippers. Those familiar with the Transylvania
splat page, and Discipline write up. There’s a lot
By Night or Transylvania Chronicles books will be
more going on here. A mystery at sea to unravel.
quite familiar with this demon. It’s the one that
As a book set within the Victorian Age line seems to give the Tzimisce access to their blood
Bloodlinebook: Fleet of Tehom holds to the official magic and forms the basis of their ties to the land
style of those books, with the familiar look and feel beyond the Danube, their homeland. This is an
of that era. It’s got about one piece of art for every six extremely fitting way for a clan member to establish
pages and most of it appears to be work that is openly a separate bloodline, as it represents a fundamental
available for use by SV authors. However, the style of rejection of an important aspect of the clan. Its
Victorian Age is well represented, with a foggy looking corrupt relationship with an infernal being said to
quotation early in the book a simulated modern have bargained with the Tzimisce antediluvian itself.

2
The Masquerader REVIEW ~ Bloodlinebook - Fleet of Tehom
The backstory goes on to mix in an alliance with On mechanical balance, the bloodline initially comes
a member of the Nagaraja bloodline, sending off a bit overpowered, with two specialty Disciplines
the founder into the shadowlands of the dead to (Vicissitude and their own path of Necromancy) as
escape her supposed pursuers in Transylvania. well as their choice of one Discipline from their clan
There they build the namesake of the bloodline, of origin. This potentially gives a character three rare
a tower of flesh called Tehom; a name taken from Disciplines to develop, with a plethora of special
Judaic lore, meaning ‘abyss.’ They continued powers for Vicissitude and Necromancy outlined
their strange fleshcrafting for hundreds of years, in the book. However, members of the bloodline do
developing some kind of fleshy sea vessels with suffer two weaknesses; their original clan’s flaw and
which they came to travel the world’s oceans. the need to sleep on water or suffer from a rather
With the aid of Tremere antitribu, the bloodline severe curse which affects Health and Appearance.
discovered a ritual means of converting vampires
Chapter two of the book is an impressively detailed
of any clan into members of the Fleet of Tehom.
explanation of the flesh vessels that members of the
Though the story is complicated, the authors Fleet sail upon. It’s got a well-thought out concept
do a great job of keeping it readable and most for their creation and maintenance and rules for
importantly easy to interpret. Too often Vampire how to handle them within the game. In fact,
books allude to bloodlines and supernatural the explanation of seagoing here is so developed
creatures without spelling things out, all in the that we’d actually suggest this chapter for anyone
name of suspenseful writing. This can make the looking to make a water-based Chronicle for any
basics of a described group’s background hard to World of Darkness campaign, particularly those
actually understand. BB:FoT is easy to decipher, with vessels sporting supernatural properties.
even when tackling obscure areas of the lore. It’s a great system and a perfect launching point
for further development of seagoing rules.

3
The Masquerader REVIEW ~ Bloodlinebook - Fleet of Tehom

The third chapter lays out the crunchy bits, with a new
Necromantic Path of Haruspicy. It’s spicy. Actually Final Thoughts
it’s a really gruesome set of divinatory powers, Overall Bloodlinebook: Fleet of Tehom gives us
incredibly evocative of a seagoing fleshcrafting group. everything we need to run a seafaring campaign,
It’s got additional Necro Rituals and Vicissitude including an entire sect/bloodline to center it upon.
abilities that fill in the The style is horrific,
gaps of what would be with fleshy vessels, in
needed to maintain flesh
ships on the high seas.
“The demon Kupala, she reasoned, keeping with the horror
of Vampire. Those who
The additional Combo
had seen fit to respond to her rejection love fleshcrafting will
Discipline powers are in turn, barring her forever from the have a great time with
this concept. While
a little on the obscure
side, focused on soil over which he ruled.” the layout is visually
combining levels of evocative of Victorian
specialty Disciplines -Bloodlinebook: Fleet of Tehom pg 6, Age Vampire, the book
(such as Visceratika, discussing the relationship between earth and ultimately shies away
M e l p o m i n e e , water for this seafaring bloodline of Tzimisce from getting too specific
D ement at ion, about Victorian era
Thanatosis, etc.), society and themes.
but since the bloodline has access to a lot of While this keeps it from
those it’s not exactly unexpected or without integrating into its supposed time period, this
use in this context. The implication here seems makes the supplement ultimately more useful as
to be that nearly every clan and bloodline is it has a timeless quality. If you wanted to place the
being brought into the fold, all over the world. Fleet of Tehom in a modern or Dark Ages setting
More crunchy bits are presented in the Appendix, The book does rely heavily on gruesome activities
which offers a variety of diseases, a way of handling and seems to revel in the concepts surrounding
Domain aboard a ship, a collection of Merits and high-seas slavery. If you’re not into those kinds
Flaws, as well as a system for ship quirks. These of things, this may not be the product for you.
are all extremely thematic and impressively well- But if you’re a Tzimisce lover, you’re probably
researched. The flavor of seafaring Chronicles really ok with those topics in your games. If you
comes through. are looking to run nearly any campaign with
seafaring elements, this is a smart starting point.

4
 REVIEW
Bordeaux
by Night
B
ordeaux by Night is a 208 page “city book”
by Secrets of the Masquerade. It is a sizeable
set up for a campaign set within the famed
Bordeaux region of France, known for its production
of fine wine. The setting is presented as a location for
“huis clos”-style backroom intrigue (pronounced
“wee cloh”) at an important territory on the verge
of being attacked by the Sabbat. It includes regional
political concerns as the powerful prince of Paris
offers assistance at the price of political autonomy.
It’s a volatile situation, well-presented and
steeped in the existing World of Darkness canon.
6
Visually, the book has its own style, borrowing from
the traditional Vampire: The Masquerade layout,
but employing a simple ivy border design which
really dovetails with the French setting material.
The massive book is stuffed full of art, taking
some from the available stock art for the Vampire
line, some from Creative Commons, and a few
from images of public domain paintings, but also
providing new commissioned and donated pieces
just for this guide. All together the art feels wholly
appropriate to the setting and quite evocative.
The Masquerader REVIEW ~ Bordeaux by Night
It’s clear that Secrets of the Masquerade made artwork
a priority in this book. Rarely is there a page without
some adornment beyond the page borders, and even
then the subheadings break up the text nicely. It’s a
pretty looking book that feels fairly professionally
done. It does at times come off a bit more eclectic
than we might be used to in a By Night book. In
particular, the different art styles found in the NPCs
can be a little jarring. The commissioned portraits
made for that section, though, are really great. If every
character had them it would really look amazing.
After an introduction inspiring further investigation
of the text, the book launches into a history chapter
with extensive details on the domain. Anyone
familiar with the history of France will see familiar
names and political forces at work in shaping this
important region. The history can get a bit confusing,
so it’s important to know there’s a color coded
timeline in the Appendix at the end of the book.
For those who want a bird’s eye view of the politics,
it’s worth skipping to Chapter IV: Group Dynamics,
which outlines all the coteries and conspiracies
in the city. Those political notes really help to get
a broader sense of what’s going on as you move
your way through. The Appendix also includes
notes on areas of Influence, with categories
that will generally look familiar to anyone who
has played the live-action version of Vampire.
The second chapter details the culture of Bordeaux
at the kind of granular level you’d expect from a
tourist guide. At times it feels like a fantasy or sci-
fi supplement, describing a foreign culture in a way
that’s practical to any Storyteller who might be on the
fence about putting their next Chronicle somewhere
outside the more traditional North American
settings. It also goes over the various parts of town
and who’s active there among the supernaturals. This
is always a critical section, as giving a city a sense of
place really requires a plethora of locales with political
importance and character. Bordeaux by Night delivers
here, though it has an emphasis on non-vampires.
A sizeable portion of the book is dedicated to non-
Player characters, just as one might expect in a great
city book. The book does a great job of showcasing
the characters, with at least one page for each one.

7
The Masquerader REVIEW ~ Bordeaux by Night
Each clan is given a genealogical tree, usually taking feel this way, but even official settings often lack the
a full page. It at times takes advantage of the purely feeling that the Players are the missing element in
digital format to supply a horizontal page, to better the political landscape. This design is backed up by
view the tree. This is a smart innovation in layout the final chapter of the book, The Stories, which goes
and something I really didn’t expect to see. Kudos over specific plot hooks for use in your Chronicle.
to Secrets of the Masquerade for thinking of this. All tied up with a neat little bow, essentially.
It should be noted that the characters detailed are
not provided with game stats within the book itself. Final Thoughts
Instead, the download includes a separate folder
Bordeaux by Night is a lovingly assembled By Night
with 41 separate character sheets. The design of
book with a very particular style to it, both from
these sheets is half-page and compact. A readme file
a game design and a visual/layout perspective.
within the folder mentions utilizing the character
This is no generic guide to a city in France. Design
write-ups within the main setting PDF for guidance
elements are clearly assembled with intention
on which secondary abilities and specializations
and forethought, coming together as a work of
the Storyteller might want to implement, as
art. There are areas where one might want more
those are not included in these simplified sheets.
detail, but the rather lengthy volume toes the line
Characters are extremely well-detailed, with complex between too much and not enough information
motivations intentionally designed to provide hooks very well; a difficult thing to do in such a large book.
for Player characters to get caught by. This flows
For those looking for an interesting location to
from an overall design throughout the book which
set their Vampire Chronicles, focused on political
seems to really create a hole in the politics which a
intrigue and leveraging the important history
coterie of Player characters might fill. This is not an
of the region, Bordeaux by Night is an excellent
autonomous, functioning society of Kindred. This
choice. It’s got great production values and many
is a broken political system on a knife’s edge, ready
layers to uncover as you read. It’s also a must-read
for someone to take their shot at changing things
if you’re publishing your own By Night books,
up. In a perfect world all By Night books would
as it sets a high bar for the rest of us to live up to.

8
 REVIEW ~ Becketts Vampire Folio

REVIEW
The Masquerader

Beckett’s Vampire
Folio Omnibus

E
arly last year Onyx Path published a vast work of metaplot engineering
called Beckett’s Jyhad Diary. It’s a 559 page book; easily one of
the largest World of Darkness books ever constructed. Through
the narration of the famed Noddist scholar Beckett, the tome updates
the metaplot of Vampire: The Masquerade through Beckett’s gonzo
journey around the world. It is in essence a massive set of interviews
which reveal possible new truths about the World of Darkness. It’s in-
character though, so who knows exactly what’s true and what’s lies.
Pretty cool stuff. But that’s not what we’re reviewing here in The Masquerader.
See, Joshua Heath and a team of writers called High Level Games went to work
adding in what just couldn’t be supplied in an already impossibly expansive
559 page book: the stats. They created a set of “folios” containing character
sheet info for each of the interesting figures the Jyhad Diary introduces. Each
folio is a book in its own right, but now they’ve gone ahead and compiled
them all into Beckett’s Vampire Folio Omnibus. That’s a mouthful, but it’s
a short way to say that this is an entire ecosystem of interesting vampiric
predators, ready for use in your own games, based on a wonderful story that
expands upon the already amazingly deep lore of our favorite game setting.

10
The Masquerader REVIEW ~ Becketts Vampire Folio
Here’s the thing though: the character stats are only and just what his stats look like right now. Included
the half of it. Each character includes a basic history are nuanced details, such as a list of level 6 Animalism
/ story of who they are that keeps you up to speed powers he should have and a more general view of his
on what’s going on with them in the metaplot. It Linguistics ability, with language groups provided
looks like the brief story you’d seen in any book and the note that he “shouldn’t be caught up with
containing a character and their rules numbers, language issues often, if ever”. Nearly all characters
such as a city book or Children of the Night. Easy are presented with an attention to detail in specific
to read and get the gist of nearly any character in areas that matter for the character in question.
there. That’s pretty useful for those of us who may
The artwork for the book seems largely to be taken
have fallen behind or who may not have shelled
from art packs and available pieces of the canonical
out all the money to pick up Beckett’s Jyhad Diary
character art, when possible. The book’s cover art
itself. It’s essentially a shortcut to understanding the
is commissioned and looks nice. It’s always good
newer lore that brings the Revised Edition and V20
to see new artwork on Storyteller’s Vault products,
ready to set up the newer 5th edition of Vampire.
especially gracing the covers. The layout isn’t perfect.
From the PDF’s easy-to-use bookmarking (both There’s no attempt to begin or end each character
imbedded in the document and accessible from the section at the start of a new page and sometimes
Table of Contents) you can click on a character name, the artwork looks like it was squished into a smaller
say “Xaviar”, and your PDF viewer shoots you to the space than it should have been. This supplement is
right page. You can then see an update on what Xaviar more about providing a vast amount of useful content
has been up to since the Gangrel left the Camarilla, for your game than an evocative look and feel.

11
The Masquerader REVIEW ~ Becketts Vampire Folio

Beckett’s Vampire Folio seems to be grabbing up stats swarms of cockroaches as a now purchasable 6th
from all kinds of books, sourced through the White level Discipline power called Fourth Plague. It’s little
Wolf Wiki which the authors call out in the credits. touches like this that really make this supplement
What’s nice is this means that much of the content is sing. Why not include such a power? White Wolf
canon. Each entry includes a list of official supplements didn’t when Cock Robin was first written up,
to look to for additional information, which is a perhaps in the name of mystery or maybe just to save
lifesaver, honestly. If official books that referenced precious print space. This is where the Storyteller’s
major characters did this, it would be amazing. Vault comes in, filling in the gaps where needed to
fully flesh out The Masquerade for our community.
The book also goes ahead and fleshes things out
where it’s not already known, such as for characters
whose sheets have never been published. This is Final Thoughts
particularly great for methuselahs, most of whom
For some of us, simply looking up characters on the
White Wolf and Onyx Path have often hand waved
White Wolf Wiki is good enough. We’re poor and
the rules around. While anyone can just keep
scrappy and willing to make do with what we’ve
powerful ancient vampires as forces of nature if they
got. But if you’re looking
want, those who don’t
for a massive resource
can have the solidity of
of cultivated characters,
cold hard numbers and
dots as guidance. There’s
“It was long thought Orthia didn’t with appropriate write-
ups on background,
still a stated option to survive the battle, and she was torn to
metaplot, and mechanics
expand on powers in
some cases (such as shreds and ashed by those same Brujah
this is the book for you.
If you’d like an army of
with Ur-Shulgi), but the who rose to defend the city. Such NPCs to drop into your
willingness to provide
more than we already thoughts were wrong.” game to push the plot
in a new direction, this
know is greatly useful to
those of us who need it. -Beckett’s Vampire Folio Omnibus, pg 179, is a great book as well.
here making a quick update to the status of a And if you’re a fan of
Finally, it’s worth noting methuselah who may have been the first and most Becket’s Jyhad Diary,
that the book sprinkles cherished childe of the Ventrue antediluvian well this might be a must
in new mechanics here buy for you because
and there, such as a it’s what was missing
write up of Cock Robin’s from that supplement.
ability to summon

12
EXCERPT:
How to Harpy
[from The Toreador
Handbook by Kelly Black]

H
arpies are an important and seemingly naturally occurring part
of a Camarilla city. They are the Elysium gossips who snipe at
those who fail to uphold the rules of decorum. So what’s so great
about them? And why are the Toreador so associated with them? Well
kids, the harpies serve an important function in the Camarilla. They
monitor and protect the Masquerade when Kindred gather in public
spaces. They help to enforce Prestation; the use of Boons to pay debts.
Toreador are strongly associated with the harpies within the Camarilla. In
particular, harpy is seen as a place to put Poseur (non-artistic) Toreador. It’s a
way for them to be the cool, bitchy, mean kids at the party. But the harpies, and
by extension the Toreador who engage in their behavior, can be so much more.
Let’s talk about just what it means to ascend to the heights of cool on Elysium.

14
The Masquerader EXCERPT ~ How to Harpy

You Can’t Just position of harpy is more of a role you come to play
over time than a mantle you assume at a specific
Decide To Be Cool moment of glory. It’s informal, and its powers
are informal. The harpy wields a small part of the
First of all, you can’t just up and decide you’re a overall consensus on a political event. Like political
harpy any more than you can just decide to be news pundits, they shape opinions through incisive
prince. You’ve got to earn it, by becoming accepted or insightful commentary. They’re not as powerful
by the existing harpies or by supplanting them with as the politicians they comment on. Not usually.
your own political allies (a much harder, more So think of harpy as an unofficial city position you
exciting path). It doesn’t matter who you were might want to achieve, with political powers that
in life or what your clan is, you need to be more are totally informal and subject to the political
than just a pretty face. I know, it’s ironic, but you winds of the time. Grasping for this vague goal of
need to be a trusted voice for the status quo or the Elysium acceptance could easily be the plot arc of
crony of someone who is. You need to be cool or an entire Chronicle, if not more. It’s about kissing
have cool friends who make you cool by extension. ass, taking down rivals, and showing the cool
And the thing is, harpy isn’t even really an official crowd just how cool you are. You can’t be thirsty
thing within the Camarilla. In live-action Vampire about it, or the real harpies will catch on that you
the rules dictate how a Leader of the Harpies might want to impress them. No, you’ve got to be chill as
be chosen, but in general (especially in tabletop) the a popsicle as you maneuver your way to the top.

15

Limits to Power
The harpy isn’t all powerful and there are in
some limits to how powerful a harpy can be.
Sure, some princes were once Elysium regulars
who plied their influence over the primogen and
other powerful figures into the rulership of a city.
Most of the time princes come to power through
dint of their age, power, or violent overthrow
of the last prince. They’re not just Elysium
regulars, they’re true movers and shakers.
That doesn’t mean the harpies are without
power. In the night to night of it, they exert
an inordinate amount of influence over
who is on the rise and who is on the outs in
Camarilla circles. They are plugged into the
rumor mill, and so generally have a heads
up on what’s going on in the city, especially
where news concerns Kindred politics.
The true power of the harpies is in their ability
to represent the consensus of the powerful
and respected. Thus, their power is collective,
rather than individual. The cutting insult of
a single harpy might metaphorically slay a
rude Malkavian in a social encounter, but
if the harpies together decide the Prince
is losing favor, well, she is. She’s on the
outs. They’re the ones who decide that.
16
EXCERPT ~ How to Harpy
This means that group think can be really
important among the harpies. It also means
that someone who can influence them, wrangle
their ire or inspire them to voice their concerns
through gossip, is quite the power player in the
city. Again, the live-action rules have a name
for this: the Leader of the Harpies. It’s a position
that’s given a great deal of Status to work with,
under that system, and broad powers to destroy
the Status of others. It’s a bit mechanical, but it
expresses this idea that a leader among the cool
kids can make or break someone in the public eye.
Beyond expressing opinion, even a leader of the
harpies can’t do much. They can’t decide someone
is banished or remove their position in the city.
They can, however, make it hard for any prince
or primogen who doesn’t do those things. They
have power, one step removed. In a sense, this is
what “influence” always is about for vampires.
An elder with influence over a bank isn’t
literally the CEO of that institution. But they
might have a lot of sway over that individual,
and at the end of the night, isn’t that all
they really want? Being the harpies is half
the power and none of the responsibility
of any given position in the city. It’s a strong
chorus of voices that can move mountains
if the mountains sufficiently fear them.
The Masquerader
Becoming a Harpy
The first step is to show up. That’s the first step for a
lot of things, but it really matters here. You can’t be
a fixture of Elysium if you’re not there. That’s why
powerful elders are often unlikely to be harpies.
They’ve got better things to do than attend every
single social event. They’ve often grown tired of
Elysium after hundreds of years of those gatherings.
Thousands and thousands of parties. It gets tedious.
You’ve got to be willing to stick it out and go there
and you’ve got to do it with style. You can’t be
gouache in your attire or behavior. You can’t openly
insult anyone unless you pull it off with some
panache. You have to toe the line and do so in a cool,
refreshing, interesting way. It’s a nearly impossible
17
EXCERPT ~ How to Harpy
task, but you’ve got to be all of these things all the
time and for a very specific audience. You need to
learn the tastes of that audience and play to them,
without looking too desperate for their attention.
You must make a name for yourself, for something;
anything. The way you dress, the time you weathered
an insult, or the assistance you lend to the Keeper
of Elysium. You need some kind of reputation. You
must begin the long climb up the ladder of Kindred
status which means you need territory, influence,
and ideally domain. Those things are the way in
which you show everyone that you’re a rising star.
Going after those baubles of power can feel like a
real juggling act. How are you going to make time to
attend the regular Elysium functions, clan meetings,
and important high society events while you’re
also doing down and dirty favors for the sheriff
and prince to earn your domain? Hard to say, but
you’ve got to get it done if you want to be considered
important. Nobody said this would be easy.
The truth is you’re probably going to have to take
someone down to rise up. Think about it, in any
given city there might be a dozen or more major
figures that hold significant status and power within
the city. They can’t all be harpies. There can only be so
many people who hold that dubious title. For a new
one to rise up, often another must fall. And being
the one to take down a harpy could be a great way to
show everyone just how amazing you really are. Or it
could backfire; there’s always risk if you want reward.
The Masquerader EXCERPT ~ How to Harpy

The Night-to-Night
Business of Being a
Harpy (harping?)
Most nights it’s not all that complicated. You
gossip with your friends/frenemies, you make
sure to wear something you’ve never worn before
if you’re attending a social event, and you socially
rip anyone apart who steps out of line. But it
can get tedious keeping up appearances. You’ve
really got to have subtle, backhanded insults at
the ready as well as gushing insincere praise.
You need to stay up on who’s important, cool,
rising, falling, and above all who is “the worst”.
You should try to know who has come in from out of
town. You really don’t want to accidentally insult an
archon, visiting prince, or other dignitary. It’s your
job to watch out for other Kindred doing just that and
making sure they know they’re garbage for doing it.
You need to be funny. No really, this is the most
important skill you can develop. Ideally you should
have been funny before even joining the illustrious
ranks of the harpies. Why? Because much of what
you’ll do is whisper hilarious insults about other
people and then laugh uproariously at your own
little jokes together. People who are nearby will
hear your biting wit and envy your brilliance. It’s
essential that you keep this up or you’ll inevitably
become the butt of this same behavior. Then you’ll
be on the outs and that’s as bad as death to a harpy.
Ideally you need to talk in a kind of code while on
Elysium. There are a few reasons for this. One, you
want it to take a bit of work for someone to know
for sure if you’ve insulted them. Two, you want to
adhere to the Masquerade at all times. You can’t
just say “The prince is a fool.” You need to be able
to say “Oh he’s daring.” in a way that lets other
Kindred know whether you respect or despise “him”.

18
The Masquerader EXCERPT ~ How to Harpy

Princemakers Ok, But Why the

From time to time princes fall. When they do
the city needs to find a consensus on who is right
Toreador?
to fill that office. The harpies are a powerfully Look, the Toreador are the heart and soul of the
important part of that process. Even when a Camarilla. They established the Masquerade,
prince is killed by a rival who claims her position supported the practice of Elysium, and work
immediately, that candidate would do well to make to make sure Kindred social life is a beautiful
sure the harpies are on board for their ascent. as possible. They care only about drama and
the expression of true human emotion, even
Most powerful figures are smart enough to come
when they’re so old they no longer feel those
to the harpies and subtly seek their endorsement.
things. Nobody concerns themselves with what
Those who are received coldly by the harpies may
happens at Kindred gatherings more than them.
even decide to slow their ambitions down for a bit
as they find a way to impress the city. That’s the Most importantly the Toreador are the cool kids
power of being the cool kids. Everyone needs to because that’s quite simply their role in Vampire:
impress you if they want to make it, or at least they The Masquerade. Sexy vampires are a thing and the
think they do, which is basically the same thing. Toreador are that and more. They are the seductive,
sophisticated side of horror and the way that plays
You’re probably getting the picture here. This is
out in this game is that they are the group that is in
yet another situation where the opinions of the
when the newcomers (the PCs) are still on the outs.
harpies grant them indirect power. They have
They’re the people you want to impress because
influence over the outcomes of politicking at the
they appear to have the best, most refined tastes.
highest levels, but no one harpy wields it all. They
are, again, a collective with a great deal of power so The fact that the PCs can potentially become them
long as they find a consensus. And they must find is all the better. This is supposed to be a game
consensus or the rest of the city will decide their about personal horror; about becoming a monster.
opinion doesn’t matter. And being ignored is as bad One kind of monster we’ve all encountered is the
as death for the harpies as a group. The spotlight socially powerful, bitingly insulting cool kid. We
is all they have, even if they’re the ones point it. get to take on that role in the hopes of doing things
right this time around, but in the end we’ll just be
the same bitchy jerks the last harpies were. That’s
personal horror: becoming the very monsters
who tortured you on your way up and realizing
that’s where your newfound power comes from.

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