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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: |
| Operation Nightwatch | |
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| Topic Started: Thursday, 6. August 2015, 22:11 (568 Views) | |
| Fallenkezef | Thursday, 6. August 2015, 22:11 Post #1 |
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Fledgling
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A map covered the dining room table, a good quality ordnance survey map of Epping forest and the surrounding area, a dense block of light green surrounded by the lines and map symbols donating London suburbia. West of the forest a river was indicated, along with a golf course and a few markers representing industrial estates. east of the river a few fields acted like a buffer between civilisation and nature. John Hacket, an old, balding man with a burned face and a beer belly clutched his mug of tea and sighed. "Why do they bloody care? I've been in that forest, it's a bugger the deeper you go, couldn't squeeze one of those skinny models through let alone a proper bloke. If you ask me it's a natural block to owt your friends don't want running around Enfield." William looked up at his Thrall and cocked his head to one side, smiling that toothy, canine smile of his. There was no humour to the expression, a predatory look that made John clutch his mug to his chest like some holy icon warding off evil. "John, let me teach you something about history. Back in 1940 the big wigs expected Jerry to come through Belgium same as they did in the great war. So we Brits set up ready to go into Belgium, the forggies kept an eye on the south in case the Germans where dumb enough to try the maginot line. The bastards came crashing through the Ardennes forest and cut a line between us and the frogs, folding us up and chased us out of Dunkirk. Apparently they tried it again against the yanks later in the war from what I've read." He leaned down and started to draw on the map, carving the forest into five smaller sectors. "Whenever you think the other guy can't do something, start planning on him doing it. I want you to do some homework, missing person reports for people in and around the forest, news articles about anything suspect, even UFO reports. I'll start working patrols tomorrow night and have a chat with the locals, see if any little guys have seen something worth looking into. Five search areas, five nights, I can cover allot of ground when I need to." A wolf and a raven could investigate further and farther than any man and William had decades of experience in the wilds to draw upon. If there was anything to be found in that forest, he'd find it. |
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| Fallenkezef | Friday, 7. August 2015, 19:40 Post #2 |
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Fledgling
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Sector One, Aerial Reconnaissance![]() The Raven flew low over the fields, long gone wild with yellowish grass over two meters tall in places. The avian shadow evoked silence wherever it fell, for the beasts of the wild knew in their souls that the creature above was far more deadly than any raptor. An unnatural apex predator that struck terror on a primal, instinctive level that humans where too ignorant to listen to, a flaw that left them easy prey for the hunters that prowled under the cover of darkness. The forest drew near, a dark, foreboding expanse that evoked images of ancient days when the wild held sway. An era before the rise of Mankind with their addiction to steel and stone. The raven gained altitude, high in the night sky as it gazed down upon the vast canopy below, it's secrets hidden below an ceiling of interlocking branches and leaves. The untrained mind often found it hard to navigate, to reconcile what the eye sees with a flat, two dimensional map. The raven's mind was not untrained, neither was it inexperienced as it circled and imposed a map upon the mind's eye and began to measure and identify what few landmarks could be visible. The occasional clearing or pond, a thinning along the canopy that indicated a stream or trail, what appeared a blank canvass of green, revealed it's secrets to one who had spent decades roaming the wilds. The first of five sectors roughly identified and measured, the raven flew down under the canopy. Flitting from branch to branch, the avian crisscrossed in a methodical pattern, quickly covering ground that a man would spend hours trying to navigate. As the creature traveled deeper into the forest the woods became thicker, the trees became obstacles that even a small raven began to find difficult to avoid while flying at speed. It settled down on the ground, looking around, pecking idly at the undergrowth before stretching and yet it kept stretching, defying natural physics as the creature lengthened, gaining mass. the wings elongated and became legs, feathers transmuted to fur, a beak became a muzzle. Sector One, Ground Reconnaissance ![]() The wolf sniffed and shook itself, now the real work begins. It wandered in deceptively random pattern till it picked up the scent, then following it to a badger set or fox den. The wolf tracked down it's prey but not to kill and feast, not at first. Demands where made, information and watchfulness in return for protection and assistance. each time the pact was simple, the unnatural demon in a wolf's skin demanded knowledge of it's own kind. It wanted to know if the dead walked within the forest and where they lurked or came from. Some animals where reluctant, stubborn or possessing a rare courage to defy the abomination that demanded fealty. They became food for the lupine predator, it's jaws ran red with the blood of the reluctant and a message was spread, obey or die. Such sustenance lacked the appeal and kick of human blood, but served to keep the beast at bay for the time being. On four legs the wolf covered much ground, it's sleek form padding between the trees and sniffing out the nooks and crannies, staying in the shadows and marking areas of note. A small clearing littered with the detritus of the lost and the damned, empty cans of special brew, discarded needles and aluminium foil that betrayed the existence of addicts and alcoholics. the wolf snarled and noted the place for a later date, such vermin would need to be routed from the forest. A secluded pond fed by a forgotten stream, a place of sacred solitude that evoked calm and internal reflection. The wolf claimed this spot with an ancient rune, it's claws elongating and becoming sharp enough to cleave stone. The night passed as the wolf patrolled and scouted this new territory, an idea forming within it's mind. This forest, foreboding and fear inspiring to some, reminded the wanderer of the wilds he'd spent many decades exploring. If all went well it had every intention of claiming this forest, or at least part, for it's own domain. Time passed and all too soon the first heralds of the dawn began to sing their morning prayers for the arrival of the sun. The creature snarled, it's nemesis was about to flood the forest with pain and death for it's kind. The wolf retreated to the pond, paced around until it found a a safe place under a mighty oak and then it transformed into the form of a man before sinking into the earth to sleep until the blazing orb retreated and made the world safe for the dead to rise once more. The first sector had been scouted and claimed. |
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| Fallenkezef | Tuesday, 11. August 2015, 21:11 Post #3 |
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Fledgling
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Sector Two, Aerial Reconnaissance As darkness fell upon the forest, banishing the hateful light of the sun, the earth gave up it's dead. Like some macabre image from revelations, an undead fiend emerged from the earth at the foot of an ancient oak and the many creatures of the small clearing fell silent in grim fealty. Garbed like any mortal man, this creature's heart beat no more, he had embraced death and the shadows long ago. He sniffed the air, smiled a predatory, canine grin and changed into his avian form. Taking to the air, he called the map to his mind's eye and worked out the rough boundary of the second sector to scout. As before he flew down and flitted from tree to tree until he could fly no more before landing and changing into his lupine skin. Sector Two, Ground Reconnaissance The wolf padded to and fro, establishing his network of contacts and informants amongst the lesser creatures. This time he heard of another creature that held sway within this part of the forest, something that claimed this arboreal realm as it's own domain. He followed the directions until his sensitive nose picked up the boundaries, trees marked with the pungent scent of canine urine, the wolf barred it's teeth and found his rival's den. An old shack, long given to over to the ravages of time, perhaps once belonging to a homeless unfortunate. Roughly made from materials scavenged, a plank of wood here, a sheet of corrugated metal there, almost collapsed and barely a shelter from the elements. A low, angry growl came from within, a warning and a challenge. The monster slowly crept from her shelter, low to the ground, tail straight and teeth barred. She was perhaps a proud pet in the past, a well groomed show dog once upon a time. Now she was a feral stray, a hulking English Mastiff, over 200 lbs and nearly twice the size of the Wolf who dared to violate her territory. ![]() She smelled the air and scented the wrongness of the creature before her, raising the hackles upon her back, yet she showed no fear. She shook from the rage welling within her breast and snarled her challenge, ready and willing to rip the intruder apart. For the first time in his unlife, William found himself intimidated and stepped back slightly. the monster before him was clearly no stranger to violence, no stranger to defending her realm. He tried to negotiate, calling out in the tongue of Freki and Geri, Odin's wolves and the ancient language of all canines. [Feral Whispers] "Calm Sister, I mean no harm." The reply was less than reassuring. "My ground, you flee or die, tear your flesh, crush your throat, mine, not yours." She advanced and began to circle the wolf, eyes wild with rage and hate, there would be no peaceful end to this encounter. She lunged, paws outspread to pin the foe down, jaws ready to crush the back of it's neck and end the fight before it had begun. Another canine, even a wolf, may of died right there and then but this wolf had the mind of a man and a soldier at that. His instincts, experience and supernatural condition combined and the wolf dodged low and fast under the mastiff, darting behind her. She spun with a speed that defied her size and lunged out, catching William on the haunch and leaving an ugly, crimson gash. The wolf snarled and lashed out, tearing a chunk out of his foe's neck but not deep enough to incapacitate. Blows where exchanged, William compensating for his comparative size and weakness when compared with the mastiff with speed, experience and clear thinking while his opponent rode a rage that allowed her to ignore all her wounds and throw herself into the fight. Slowly, steadily, William's beast began to wake. His wounds combined with the scent of spilt blood began to cloud his mind and he felt the darkness within rise to claim him. that dmocles sword that every Einherjar must face, the berzerker rage that the children of Caine mistook for a curse they called frenzy. To those who knew the ancient ways, recognised it for a holy gift from Odin, allowing them to overcome the greatest foe. Yet like all weapons it bore two edges and the more the Einherjar embraced the rage, the more they became marked by it. This taught the sacred sons of Odin to control themselves and only succumb when it was needed and this was not one of those battles. William had to end this quickly lest he be overcome by a frenzy and unnatural thirst that would force him to run rampant throughout the forest, destroying all he found until the berzerker rage had run it's course. He rode the beast as close as he could, darting in and out of the mastiff's reach, tearing chunk after gruesome, bleeding chunk from her flesh till she could fight no more and fell upon the crimson ground. the wolf fell upon the fallen foe, jaws burrowed into her throat, draining what blood was left as his wounds knitted and closed. He looked upon his work with disgust, such a proud and mighty creature torn apart and reduced to offal. he turned to leave, to walk away from this scene of brutality when a sound made his lupine ears prick up, a sound masked by the battle that came from the mastiff's den. Quiet whines and whimpers that clenched William's undead heart with sorrow, an explanation for the bitch's fury and unreasonable rage. he padded into the den and saw the horrific truth, four puppies calling for their mother, mongrels with an alsation for a father by the look of them. They withdrew in fear from the monstrous beast, bathed in the blood of their mother and whined. The wolf howled, a sound of grief and regret that echoed through the forest and a sworn oath to make reparation for this deed. William would find a way to raise these animals and save them. |
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| NPC | Wednesday, 12. August 2015, 10:35 Post #4 |
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The Game Master
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The sudden changes in the forest had not gone unnoticed. Fewer animals found themselves in these parts of the woods. They were starting to spread whispers among themselves. So much danger they didn't comprehend nor wanted to understand. From the tiniest animal to the biggest, all the hearts of those fearful creatures were filled with a rhythm that compelled them to leave and the sooner the better. Dangerous nights demanded more careful awareness from these animals who once tried to live in peace. Why was blood being spilled? They didn't understand and it left traces for darker beings that roamed around the trees. The wind played with the leaves and left music of rustling rhythms behind for the wolf to hear. Was it a warning? Was it Mother Nature trying to tell him something when dust of the earth blew in its furry face. Some small pebbles crunched under its paws when the wolf walked around. The blood smeared the ground and would leave a reminder for others to either leave or find who did such an atrocious act. Had the scent of the nest not been obvious? Had the small sounds of the young ones not carried far enough to give telltale signs that there was something more going on? No beast was merely a beast to be one. It always had a reason. It would be clear to what was hiding further down the forest that whatever was around needed to be taught a lesson. Whatever message the intruding wolf wanted to spread, it was reaching ears it shouldn't have reached. |
| The NPC is not an admin nor does it have one singular user behind it. No PM's may be sent to the NPC and neither can you communicate with the NPC outside of role-play. Please contact Staff if you have any questions or queries. The NPC serves to only bring new information into role-play, members of staff have access to the NPC and will regularly be different people. | |
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| Fallenkezef | Wednesday, 12. August 2015, 20:03 Post #5 |
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Fledgling
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The Gangrel have a certain reputation, a stereotype, that of animal friends and creatures with a special connection to the wilds. Certainly such individuals existed, perhaps increasing in numbers these modern nights. William descended from a very different bloodline, his sire had taught that animals where little more than prey or tools at best. He was a warrior who raided foreign shores in search of glory and honour. Later, William learned of modern nights from another old Gangrel who had been a merchant, a political animal that stalked the halls of the Camarilla bartering favour and boons. In truth he looked upon his more nature focused kin with contempt, their attempts to hide their nature from their animal friends as something beneath them. William revelled in his nature, his place as an alpha predator that took what he wanted and demanded fealty from lesser creatures. Standing in that den, covered in the blood of a mother desperately trying to protect her children, William felt shame. He began to realise the path his arrogance had led to, was there any wonder the mastiff had been so aggressive. Was William not hunting it to dominate and control these woods? How many animals had he killed last night, who's only sin had been to refuse William's cruel rulership? He transformed into his natural, human shape and tried to calm the pups, driven almost mad with fear. Using his powers to communicate with the canines. For the first time in his unlife, he addressed an animal without assuming he was their superior. [feral whispers] "calm young ones, calm, I will not hurt you, calm, please, please forgive me." The young creatures could not understand such human terms, only that this creature before them was covered in blood that smelled of their mother. Edited by Fallenkezef, Wednesday, 12. August 2015, 20:05.
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| NPC | Friday, 21. August 2015, 21:29 Post #6 |
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The Game Master
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The pups which were imprinted with fear ran around in a mindless maze of circles. They had no use for his human words. They did not understand and instead just followed each other's tail and ran out into the darkness. Maybe they would survive. Maybe they would come back to snuggle up against their dead mother. Maybe they would not see the next night. Too many "maybe" possibilities and in truth to William it should not really matter, right? He is a creature of the night. A monster. But apparently even a vampire had emotions and could still sense the cringes in the heart when something happened he did not agree with in the deepest of his core. However the longer he lingered, the further the night would pass him by and he was on a mission, was he not? The rest of the forest had a strange peaceful atmosphere. It was calm as if the forest was a newborn place that still needed to be animated by the life of animals. Not a sound was around. The wind was a breezy current that flowed around each three, leaf and patches of grass. There was still so much to discover in the silver moonlight that peeked through the clouds every now and then. Come... Come... Come... Something was waiting to be discovered. |
| The NPC is not an admin nor does it have one singular user behind it. No PM's may be sent to the NPC and neither can you communicate with the NPC outside of role-play. Please contact Staff if you have any questions or queries. The NPC serves to only bring new information into role-play, members of staff have access to the NPC and will regularly be different people. | |
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| Fallenkezef | Sunday, 23. August 2015, 01:30 Post #7 |
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Fledgling
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William staggered out of the crumbling shelter and slumped down next to it. He had killed before and often, even before the embrace he was a trained and experienced killer who could slay his fellow man with little emotion. After embrace he had adopted a practical method of keeping the beast at bay, trying to maintain his basic humanity while leashing the inner monster that urged him to give into a darkness that awaited all of his kind. He lived an instinctive and basic existence. Feeding off animals, killing them to sate the beast in small ways, like a heavy drinker having a shot of whiskey before work, to tide him over till he could get home. Yet before this night, he had never killed or fed upon a canine, it was a rule he kept, a way to bolster his human feelings. Looking at the carnage before him, William beheld the obvious and brutal reminder that he was something else and could not, should not forget it. What was he thinking? That he could kill their mother and somehow raise them? What now, go off mission and chase down a pack of puppies like some child? Yet he was torn, part of him wanted so desperately to make amends, to find the pups and save them. With a feral, angry snarl, William turned on the rough shelter, tearing it apart, flinging pieces of wood and detritus across the clearing till he could think clearly again, till he could excise his conflicting emotions in mindless violence. He glared at the forest, despised it for showing a weakness within him. He adopted his lupine form and loped off. he had a job to do and woe betide anyone or anything that got in his way tonight, his mood was dark and his thoughts bloody. Edited by Fallenkezef, Sunday, 23. August 2015, 01:33.
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| NPC | Wednesday, 2. September 2015, 13:20 Post #8 |
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The Game Master
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The forest was mocking him. That was what every sound did. It let him know that he was not superior. It was Mother Nature who set the stage and made the rules. Every leaf at every branch and every bit of grass that peeked through the dirt was more important than the intruder. The undead man who had just killed was nothing that could not get crushed in due time and the forest would seek for those breaking points. Gangrel were lonely people by default and should be more sheltered towards these mental tests that nature had planned for anyone who wanted to defy it. However it always came in surprise and that was the hardest sensation to deal with. The reason why so many avoided and loathed the call of the wild and the life of the Wanderer. Not just because of the fact they have a fancier clan but because it is a different and unknown source of life that could kill them. The wind picked up again and challenged him by howling around his ears. It dared him to stop thinking and find more. More! Either victory or... defeat? Everything around him was determined to find his breaking point. Or was it? Maybe he was imagining it all. Maybe the forest was merely a collection of trees standing there and casting shadows that the bit of moonlight threw upon the ground. There was so much to find that could aid him but like everything it was all in the eye of the beholder. Would William see the menace that was there or the one that wasn't there? How far had he been pushed? Nothing or no one had done this but himself. Who was being a danger to who? Nature towards him or him towards nature? |
| The NPC is not an admin nor does it have one singular user behind it. No PM's may be sent to the NPC and neither can you communicate with the NPC outside of role-play. Please contact Staff if you have any questions or queries. The NPC serves to only bring new information into role-play, members of staff have access to the NPC and will regularly be different people. | |
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1:15 AM Jul 11