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| Welcome To The Night You find yourself in London on a dreary, foggy night like any other. But what lurks in the shadows is the stuff of fantasies and nightmares, far from mortal reality. This game uses the cursed and immortal vampiric condition as a backdrop to explore themes of morality, depravity, the human condition, salvation, and personal horror. We are a writing and roleplaying community dedicated to telling complex and engaging stories. Your fate is your own. Mingle among the ivory-tower elite in the Camarilla, join the fight of the discontented and chaotic Anarch rabble, or set out independently and attempt to survive in London's nighttime underworld. Anything is possible in our World of Darkness. Create Your Account! If you're already a member, please log in to your account to access all of our features: |
| Hunters Hunted [ATTN: Franca | NSFW | Closed] | |
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| Topic Started: Tuesday, 21. October 2014, 14:01 (2,604 Views) | |
| Annabelle Strauss | Wednesday, 22. October 2014, 18:01 Post #41 |
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Anna laughed sadly. "Yeah. But those people? End up locked up. Or out of the lives of people. What do Kindred get to do? Nothing. If we find out what they're doing? Oh, then it's a punishment. Until then, humanity is one big whore for them to fuck up the arse as loud as they want to - because who gives a shit about us, y'know? That's what The Masquerade is. It keeps you lot from being killed. It isn't for our sake." Anna clearly had a lot of anger in her. And from the way she spoke, how long had she known about everything? But that made her pause. "You know I don't hate Vampires. Not for what they are. I hate them for what they do. So a society filled with Kindred that could be held accountable for the shit they do? That did away with their criminals or hoary old bastards that wanted the old ways? That wouldn't be a bad thing... if it worked." |
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| Franca | Wednesday, 22. October 2014, 19:06 Post #42 |
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Franca took a step back, bit her tongue before saying anything. Yes, Anna was right in many ways, and surely her anger wasn't directed to her. Still, she wasn't that comfortable being close to someone - and someone she liked - if that person was being confrontational. She took a needless breath and mentally told her Beast to shut the hell up and stop seeing provocations where there was none. After a few seconds she spoke again, her voice now less relaxed, her tone more closely guarded. "You are right. The Camarilla wasn't created out of good will; it was born when mortals appeared to be more of a threat than they used to be". ...well, that and a few other things, but she could have skipped the history lesson for that time... "And the Masquerade, of course, is its first shield to protect our immortal asses. I won't deny that. But as for now, the Masquerade is also the main reason why some people don't just go out and slaughter people down the street. It used to drive me nuts, you know?, and it still does in a way. But in the end, if it's the only way at hand to keep them at bay so be it. I am not that concerned with the reasons why people behave themselves or not - they say that keeping an acceptable conduct only out of fear is the lowest and most immature level of morality, but honestly, it's not my concern. What bother me is that the system is not effective, or more accurately, that it is only concerned with its own interests and that any other outcome, while appreciated, it's just accidental. So yes, basically we're saying the same things, except I see it from the other side and it's not much more pleasant". |
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| Annabelle Strauss | Wednesday, 22. October 2014, 19:18 Post #43 |
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There was a long pause before Anna grinned. "I think I could marry you." She winked playfully before nodding. "But no, you're... shit, talking a lot of sense. Same argument, different side of the coin. Aren't your clan all supposed to have been like, scholars and shit? You're a shining beacon on that front." |
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| Franca | Thursday, 23. October 2014, 11:06 Post #44 |
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Franca laughed. A real laughter, not just a small giggle to get rid of embarrassment. "I am not a shining beacon of anything!", she protested eventually, still chuckling. Then after regaining her composure, but still in a friendlier attitude than before, she continued: "Well, supposedly we used to be scholars just as well as warriors, but that was a long time ago - when my sire was a neonate, and even then the old glories had already been lost. Nowadays we're more famous - or infamous - as rabble and troublemakers, as I assume you know... While it's true that some of us apparently do their best to earn their reputation, I must say, I still find that my clansmates are usually less of a repulsive company than most; well, on an average at least". Because if most Brujah, even when rough, were at least somehow honest, she had to learn recently that some of them could be as deceptive and sly as anyone else. "And by the way, I am glad to see you've had the chance to learn some history and not just slander and stereotypes". |
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| Annabelle Strauss | Thursday, 23. October 2014, 17:04 Post #45 |
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Anna grinned at the laughter, seemingly more at ease than she had been before with The Brujah. Then again the wicked orgasm might have settled her down a little. "Thinking warriors? Sounds like a pretty cool gig." Anna grinned wickedly for a moment. "Well hey, you don't seem like manipulative cunts, at any rate. Say it how it is. At least the ones I've met and been told about. And fuck, even the rabble rousers of your lot have a purpose. I'm not an anarch by any means - I like having order and shit like that - but sometimes, a better system has to be made, y'know?" She paused and smiled. "I used to hunt Sabbat, without knowing it. Learning is what kept me alive." She exhaled. "And now I'm in up to my neck - literally - so, hey. I wanna keep staying alive. Besides, thank Lessa. She taught me not all of you are monsters." Edited by Annabelle Strauss, Thursday, 23. October 2014, 17:52.
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| Franca | Thursday, 23. October 2014, 18:42 Post #46 |
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"True, -most- are not manipulative bastards, although there are exceptions as usual. But I don't really want to go into that... Anyway, most of the times I have a feeling we are tolerated because we're useful as fighters, but who really cares about what the Brujah has to say? As for the Anarchs, the problem with them is what they hope to accomplish". Hunting the Sabbat? Lessa's Ghoul? Franca wasn't sure what she was even talking about. "How come you were hunting the Sabbat? If I may inquire, how long have you been a part of this world?". |
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| Annabelle Strauss | Thursday, 23. October 2014, 19:21 Post #47 |
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Anna laughed a little. "I do, if they all talk like you do." She grinned. "And have as nice of an ass. Because seriously. I envy you." Another playful, wicked smile before she hummed. "Honestly? The Cam is pretty rotten. I agree with the Anarchs - from what I know - on that it should be fairer. Shit, they treat people better as a rule, don't they? Ghouls, too. Plus, I think they get that a lot of the Cam's rules make sense. It's... just how they're enforced and shit." A pause and Anna fell quiet for a moment. "I grew up outside Chicago. It's a Sabbat city, I later found out. My dad was a hunter, taught me to be one too. And... well, I got ambush and almost killed by a Sabbat pack for killing one too many of the fuckers. And, well... I was found and saved. And here I am." She shrugged. |
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| Franca | Thursday, 23. October 2014, 20:01 Post #48 |
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Franca chuckled but didn't comment on the nice ass topic. A bit because she didn't want to encourage her, but mostly because she didn't know what to say. Yes, she could pretend she was a tacky sex mad girl, but if she had to be honest about it? Her mind went blank. "Hm, I am not sure they treat people better as a rule. Because mostly, for what little I know there isn't a rule. Which is quite good if you want to enjoy your own unlife without being hassled by petty regulations, but it doesn't mean they're going to change much. Or maybe they could, if there were only the Cam with its hierarchy and the Anarchs to oppose to it. But since we got the Sabbat as a prior threat, such kind of conflict would only detract from our chances to fight it, and simply being out of the Camarilla would most likely translate into irrelevancy". Although she felt already quite irrelevant, for what the Camarilla was concerned... but she couldn't be completely sure they weren't being heard, and what she had said was already close enough to treason. She froze at the word 'hunter'. Not that she couldn't understand Anna's story, but still. "Just tell me you were not one of those obtuse fanatics who work for the Vatican" she said, with a sudden strike of hostility in her voice. If she did, she really didn't look the part. Franca realized Anna was actually telling quite a tragic story and regretted her impulsive reaction. "Although, well, whoever helps to put down the Sabbat is doing something useful, in my book", she added, with a slightly contrived smile. |
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| Annabelle Strauss | Thursday, 23. October 2014, 20:27 Post #49 |
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Anna hummed. "Good point. But after the Sabbat are dealt with, do you really think The Cam could change? I don't. Fuck, you lot tend not to change as a rule. The guys sitting in their towers at the very top? How old are they? How many would want change?" She raised an eyebrow in silence before she blinked at the sudden hostility. "Wait, the pope has fucking hunters? No, no, I wasn't one of them. Neither was my dad. He didn't want me going into the world blind. I love him for it, I wouldn't change, but that's partially why I never want a family of my own. I couldn't... do that to a child of mine. So, I'll just not have them." She shrugged a little before eyeing her curiously. "So, can I ask why Pope hunters had you looking like you might punch me?" She smirked. |
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| Franca | Thursday, 23. October 2014, 21:00 Post #50 |
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"As we were saying, the Cam would change only if it's the only way to survive, and then we could go on and on until dawn, complaining about the injustice of the world and how little we can do. However, I don't think the Sabbat is going to disappear any time soon and until then I'd rather not rattle on things that would only cause troubles to you or to Lessa. Not that I am in a rush to meet True Death, either". She took another needless breath. A good observer would have realized she didn't breath out of habit any longer - although she did it when she needed to keep calm. Hunters, then. Okay, Anna and her father used to hunt Sabbat vampires, it was useful to repeat to herself that concept. "The Church - she said eventually - has its hunters and inquisitors to deal specifically with those like us. And they don't hunt us because of what we do, they don't run after those who have killed innocents or ruined lives - no, they want to delete all of us for good from their pretty precious Creation, just because in their view we are 'damned' and 'sinful', just because we exist. And you see, if someone hates me just because of what I am, because I have been made to be impure or some other dogma, I think I have the right to hate them back". A Nazi comparison flashed in her mind, but she decided it wasn't all that appropriate. "I lost a friend to the Church, not too much time ago - she continued, in a lower and pained voice - A younger clansmate; you know, the kind of guy who thinks he's invincible only because he hasn't seen enough. He was reckless and stupid enough to draw their attention, but that was the extent of his fault. He wasn't -bad-, he didn't want to harm -humans-. We were out to fight the Infernalists - shouldn't even the Church have approved of that? And yet they killed him because he was an undead monstrosity that their God wouldn't have liked well enough. You can't really ask me to understand people like that". |
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| Annabelle Strauss | Thursday, 23. October 2014, 21:17 Post #51 |
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Anna nodded a little. "Fair one. I think Lessa is gonna rattle enough for you both. She's very... vocal about what she believes, as you know. I mean fuck, so am I, but I don't do it in front of the people that could have my head hacked off." She snorted before her eyes widened and she fell quiet. It was clear from her face she didn't agree with what had happened, and she seemed genuinely sympathetic. "Yeah no... no, I'm sorry. That isn't right at all. Fuck I mean... do I think humanity would be better off without most Kindred? Yeah, I do. But that doesn't mean I'd go around slaughtering ones like you or Lessa just because. And I... believe there is something out there. Maybe just to keep myself from going batshit." A small laugh. "You're right, though. I'm sorry about your friend. That's really shitty." A sudden thought passed through her mind and Anna paled a little she'd even thought it as she looked at the other woman. The idea that if she was one of them, she could help. That... fuck, the Brujah sounded just like her. Warriors? She'd kick the fuck out of anyone that stepped to her. And scholars... But the very idea she could lose everything she loved - sex, the sun, food - made her cringe. Not to mention she'd be trapped in a big pond as a tiny fish and for a moment she looked like she might faint before she shook it off. "Fuck." She swallowed audibly. "You... almost make a good case for me to wanna..." She shook her head then and held up her hands for a moment. |
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| Franca | Thursday, 23. October 2014, 21:37 Post #52 |
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Franca was somehow taken aback: "Vocal like... what?" She was pretty sure that it was only a case of Ghoulish over-protectiveness and that Lessa was wise enough not to spoke her mind too much among her clansmates. But still. "Well, one could say humanity would be better off without Kindred, someone else could say Kindred would be better off if humans were just tastier animals who don't fight back. The thing is, we're both around and we must find a way that works for both. At least, this is how I see it". Of course Franca could not read Anna's thoughts, but could notice she'd suddenly turned pensive. "Hm? You want to do what?" |
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| Annabelle Strauss | Thursday, 23. October 2014, 21:42 Post #53 |
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"Vocal like almost breaking a Ghoul in two because he thinks he's okay when he gets treated as a glorified footstool. She doesn't take the abuse most put those like us under any better than I do. I actually think she takes it worse than I do." Anna snorted a little before nodding. "Yeah. I guess we do. I mean I support the idea, don't get me wrong. But I don't know how we'd even start to hold Kindred responsible for what they do until, as noted, we do something about the ones who'd want the old ways back." Anna cleared her throat and rubbed her eyes. "The uh... idea of being like you makes me sick. The idea of losing everything I love now. Food, sex, sun. But you put a pretty good fucking case for it, even if you didn't mean to." Anna sorted and took a deep breath. "Anyway. Yeah it was two of your clan that helped teach me about the whole Vampire shebang. I know more about your lot than I do the Ventrue, actually." |
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| Franca | Thursday, 23. October 2014, 23:57 Post #54 |
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Franca wasn't all that surprised, since she remembered what Lessa had told her in the park. She just hoped she wouldn't have been as vocal with the Prince or whatever. "I think she takes it worse because she's on the other side. You can be angry about an injustice you suffer, but what if you're expected to be a perpetrator? You'd have to hate yourself, not just someone else, and it steals much more from you than any external threat. At least, my two cents". She chucked, a bit embarrassed, when Anna said she was thinking of herself as a potential Kindred. "I wasn't really making a point of why one should -be- a vampire! And anyway, nobody's asking you to become one, or to give up in anything you love. A lot of vampires won't stop talking about how much they regret the life they've lost, although I wonder if they really believe it". So she had already met other Brujah - that was as little a surprise as possible, for a few reasons. "I suspected you must have met some kinsmen of mine, you seemed to know us a bit too well. Also you don't really strike me as the average Ventrue Ghoul, although that could boil down to Lessa not being your average Ventrue either". |
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| Annabelle Strauss | Friday, 24. October 2014, 00:33 Post #55 |
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"Exactly. And worse, she can't change it. Or, not easily. And she kinda knows that. She hates herself because she can't fix all of us, I think, and make us wake up." Anna clucked her tongue and smiled before smirking. "I know. But as far as clans go? S'pretty damn perfect." She trailed of into a wordless shrug. They suited her. Their ideals, from what she'd been taught. Still... the idea had her torn, and being sick was winning out so she pushed that aside. A nod, then. "Warrior poets? Fuck yeah - and it suited them. I guess I've been lucky in who I got into this shit with." She smirked. |
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| Franca | Friday, 24. October 2014, 13:33 Post #56 |
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"Yes, surely you did meet the right people. Which is ultimately the main distinction, regardless to the Clan. I mean, vampires tend to embrace those who find suitable for some reason, but their concept of 'suitable' can vary greatly. There is no lack of Brujah who were embraced just because they were, uh, big and dangerous, and you won't mention ideals close to them. Also, we never talked about it but I bet Lessa's sire had their own concept of what is 'noble'". She paused for a moment; she wasn't all that informed on the way the Ventrue selected their Childer. For what she had seen, they were mostly after political influence, but that wasn't always the case. "You probably know our clans were supposed to be rivals and some people seem not able to get over it - or maybe, once more, they just want someone to despise; however I really can't see how I could judge another Neonate due to ancient events we know so little about, or on anything that was done by some obscure ancestor for what is worth". |
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| Annabelle Strauss | Friday, 24. October 2014, 14:19 Post #57 |
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Anna nodded. "Yeah I see that. Still, sf'ar as the ideal poster child, I'd say you lot certainly win out for your Clan." She grinned a little. "But do I think Vamps have embraced just to fit a need? Fuck yeah. Like you said, you'll get big and dangerous Brujah that just wanna beat shit up. Why? Because their Sires wanted that. Just like in the Lords you'd probably get someone who can't do fuck all else but banking." A smile then, almost wistful. "Yeah. I heard that. Fuck... Carthage and Rome, right?" She snapped her fingers as her eyes wandered to the street and she seemed lost in thought. "Can I ask you something? What's being turned like?" She murmured quietly. |
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| Franca | Friday, 24. October 2014, 17:52 Post #58 |
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"It's not actually that strange. Most vampires will embrace someone to serve a purpose, be it a specific task or a more general contribution they might give. Actually I don't take too much issue about it, I am more concerned about what such purposes might be". Franca was surprised that Anna knew about Carthage and Rome - in relations to vampires, at least. It wasn't something that was usually taught to a Ghoul. "Yes, apparently it all dates back to then. How do you have learnt about it? Apparently there was much more involved than power and influence over the Mediterranean, that's why the hostility had lasted for so long. However I don't see how any of us could be praised or blamed for anything that happened millennia ago". The other question wasn't an easy one. "Being turned... It means surviving your own death, so you may see how it's a rather strong experience and not easy to describe. You probably know about the technicalities, but they are not the major deal. Any pain or ecstatic feeling are little thing in comparison to realizing you're dead, and yet more aware than you've ever been. I must say, losing the pleasures of life and facing an endless night have never been such important regrets, for me at least. What unsettled me the most, especially at first, when I had a looser grip on myself, was how my worst impulses were now screaming so much strongly in my ear. One has to fight against himself and for himself, if you know what I mean... But well, I've never been one to escape a challenge". She smirked; there was some bitterness in that smirk, but not real sadness. "Then I can't say I regret it. As I said, I hear so many Kindred who whine endlessly about their undead condition, but I can't fail to remember that otherwise I'd be most likely dead, or even if I had been alive I would have been too old for harboring any more dream or hope... I can't swear it's a fair trade, but I like to think it had been for me". |
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| Annabelle Strauss | Friday, 24. October 2014, 19:55 Post #59 |
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Anna nodded a little before grinning. "Not much. I know who ruled what, and that... supposedly the Ventrue got jealous as fuck so started a war which tore Carthage apart." She nodded a little before falling silent and listening as she looked over to Franca in relative silence. "Part of me..." She began before sighing. "The thought makes me want to be sick, y'know? But part of me... wants it. For some reason. But the idea of knowing I can never eat again, or feel the sun, and that even sex becomes secondary to blood..." She clucked her tongue and rubbed her face. "Thanks for explaining. I know how personal it is." A warm smile. |
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| Franca | Saturday, 25. October 2014, 14:19 Post #60 |
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"That is true, but it's not the most important part. Carthage was a society different form any other, where humans and Kindred were openly living together - or so I have been told, at least. It was something most would consider unthinkable even now and its destruction had been something worse than a military defeat, it had been the destruction of a dream come true and its reduction to despise and slander. Other civilizations had been defeated but their heritage was saved. Carthage was annihilated and its legacy was deleted as if it had never been". Franca had just denied having such strong feelings about ancient history, however she did feel strongly for what that history meant. "It's not that it's personal but that it's not easy to describe. Anyway most of us didn't have the chance to wonder if they'd -like- it or not, you get chosen and that is it". |
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