Archived-Perth Requiem CofD (PANTS)

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Venue Style Sheet: PERDITION: A NOCTOURNE TO SIN

Follow this link PANTS Requiem 2.0 VSS to view the PANTS Venue Style Sheet. (TOPAUS0242) Follow this link SRC nWoD 2.0 DSS to view the Domain Style Sheet (TOPAUS0243)

This VSS is coupled with and exists under the DSS (Domain Style Sheet) for the SRC Domain. All history, settings, themes and rules contained therein apply to this VSS. The intent at the beginning of this chronicle is to emphasise the core themes of Requiem 2.0, whilst highlighting the changes between this, and Requiem 1.0. There will be a lot of education in the early days.

This will be a game of story, and genuinely collaborative storytelling. OOC competition, cheese mongering and play-to-win tactics should be left at the door. You’ll notice later in this document, that a big chunk of your monthly beats (XP potential), is based on what you do for the game OOC, up to and including running recurring NPCs, and plots for other players.

Be rad and awesome to one another. Understand that it is just a game, but that like with all games, it’s less fun for everyone if someone isn’t enjoying themselves. Everyone should, at all times, keep the enjoyment of every other player in mind. I want to know as soon as you’re not having goodtime, or suspect someone else may not be, and we’ll fix that right up.

The Perth Court

Court Positions

Archbishop (Prince):
Bishop (Seneschal):
Inquisitor (Sheriff):
Inquisitor (Sheriff):
Archbishop’s Harpy:
Keeper of Elysium:

The Primogen Council:
The term Primogen denotes a Kindred of age and/or power, of good standing in the court. The Primogen act as advisers to the Prince of the city, and shall be selected from those outside existing positions.

Unannounced

Non-Court Positions

Daeva Priscus:

Whip:

Gangrel Priscus: -

Whip:

Mekhet Priscus: John Zerek

Whip: -

Nosferatu Priscus:

Whip:

Ventrue Priscus:

Whip:

Priscus Harpy: -

Members of the Court

Character	Arrival	Covenant	Clan/Bloodline	House	Position	City Status	Player
Test	2015	Lancea Sanctum	Ventrue	-	Archbishop	5	That Guy
Test 2	1978	Invictus	Nosferatu	-	Harpy	3	Also That Guy
Test 3	1960	Circle of the Crone	Gangrel	-	-	1	Bob
Test 4	1996	Carthian Movement	Mekhet	-	-	2	Ben
Test 5	2014	Ordo Dracul	Daeva	-	-	1	Bill

Former Members of the Court

Character	Arrival	Covenant	Clan/Bloodline	House	Position	City Status	Player
Test	2015	Lancea Sanctum	Ventrue	-	Archbishop	5	That Guy
Test 2	1978	Invictus	Nosferatu	-	Harpy	3	Also That Guy
Test 3	1960	Circle of the Crone	Gangrel	-	-	1	Bob
Test 4	1996	Carthian Movement	Mekhet	-	-	2	Ben
Test 5	2014	Ordo Dracul	Daeva	-	-	1	Bill

Laws of the Court

The First Law

The Tradition of Masquerade.
Above all else, mortals hate and fear what they do not understand. They must never truly understand the Damned. They must know only that hunters lurk in the darkness, waiting to devour.

The Second Law

The Tradition of Progeny.
All vampires realize that the act of the Embrace diminishes some aspect of the self. The moral blame for each Embrace falls squarely on the individual sire, rather than the vampiric society as a whole that allowed it.

The Third Law

The Tradition of Diablerie.
The abomination of the Amaranth. The Amaranth, is a sin and a distraction from moral unlife, and that those who engage in it suffer from corrupted souls and should be put down for the benefit of the entire race.

The Forth Law

The acceptance of Domain.
Those Acknowledged by the Praxis holder, or any that might visiting the domain, accept they fall under the Domain of the Praxis holder"

The Fifth Law

The Destruction of Kindred is not permitted.
Only in the most dire circumstance of Heresy, can destruction be tolerated. Those determined to be criminals of the most serious crimes, can expect to spend the remainder of their requiem in internal torment, never again to see the night sky, remaining there until their final day of Judgement.

The Sixth Law

Elysium will be respected.
None shall defile, destroy or disrespect the Elysium, it's contents or those that find peace there.

History of Perth

The Native Kindred: Perth’s oldest Kindred are, without doubt those native to Western Australia. Descended exclusively from the Aboriginal peoples of Australia, they are nomadic, traditional, tribe-based and deeply spiritual vampires. They have existed alongside the native mortals for as long as either can recall. The Gnoytj-Ngoon, are equal parts bloodline, pack and covenant. They have nothing but disdain for the cities of men and the Kindred that inhabit them. They give such places a wide berth. Their history with Western culture, both kindred and mortal, is neither pleasant, nor peaceful.

The Gnoytj-Ngoon, as word has it, had a more amiable relationship with the mortal populace than the Western Counterparts. That relationship began to break down with the introduction of Western Kindred and their destructive appetites, causing the Gnoytj-Ngoon a considerable amount of trouble with their food supply. This tension escalated quickly and ended in many bloody conflicts that, contrary to the mortal battles, saw the colonists fare poorly. So poorly, in fact, that any survivors were driven into hiding for decades, waiting in squalor until the city grew large enough to shield them.

Westerners that survived these early, turbulent years are usually regarded as cowards and turncoats by both sides. Those that cowered under floorboards, in squalid start-up townships, feeding upon rodents or the occasional drunk, barely staving off torpor. Those that stood and fought and died for their place, were treated with a reasonable amount of dignity as they met final death. The legacy of this era is that Kindred still know all too well that the wild places, the rural lands are owned by the Gnoytj-Ngoon – and they are older, more numerous and stronger than we are.

The First Western Presence: Western Kindred presence in the Perth area actually pre-dates the regions colonization, though none can say by how many years. The historians of Lance, and the Or-do Dracul, have posited that the kindred in question most likely arrived in the early 1700’s, likely aboard one of the many exploratory vessels that visited the region at the time. Like these many ves-sels, the Kindred could have originated from any number of regions.

Ship manifests, old-world records, the scientific dating methods all corroborate the stories of local Aboriginal tribes and the Kindred that existed alongside them. Most accounts describe a human-like beast with horns and a maw full of barbed fangs that would steal away the tribes’ men in the night. The original Kindred Elders of the region, on those rare occasions, describe the Moorn-Ngorlak, a term that is now used as a derisive term to describe Western Kindred.

For whatever reason, those that have attained information regarding this Kindred pioneer have been kept secreted away for many long years, at the insistence of the Bishop, and the Inquisition. Natu-rally, their policing of this information is the cause for much speculation amongst the Kindred of Perth.

Colonization and Early Years: Beyond this early, mystery settler, kindred history in Perth pre-dominately shadowed that of Perth colonization. Things started small and steadily grew. There were considerable conflicts with the original inhabitants of the region most of which ended poorly for the kindred colonists. Despite this, progress continued at a steady pace, the kindred that managed to survive forming an uneasy, paranoid co-existence.

In the late 1800’s, the city’s mortal population was large enough to support a sizable number of kin-dred. The few crafty (or cowardly) vampires that had gained a foothold in the city’s early years were able to come out of hiding, whilst new blood arrived every year from Fremantle Harbour. And so the city, having grown large enough to shield the kindred from the perils of an untamed land, be-gan to take on a new, but all too familiar menace, in the guise of Kindred civility. The All Night So-ciety had gathered; a court had formed.

Recent History: The Court of Perth progressed the way young courts did. Power was gained and lost. Favours were exchanged and lives both saved and extinguished. The rulership of the city stayed predominately with the Invictus. Their roots in the seedier element of the city ran older and deep than any other Covenant, and their influence was difficult to combat. Their rule was ruthless, and as corrupt as it comes, but it was stable and secure for those who towed the party line. They were challenged only by The Circle of the Crone.

The Circle, locally, was comprised of a number of cults, forming the usual bloody alliance. The Cir-cle’s political potency, however stemmed from one in particular, “The Seed of Bones”. Their doc-trine was one of indulgence, of sensation and bloody stimulation in reverence to Dark Mother. The cult was not one to indulge in the messy, bloody murder of a terrified victim so frequently attribut-ed to the covenant so much as an ecstatic, drug-addled assisted suicide.

Their collective charisma and predication for vice seduced the beast of many a young vampire into their ranks over the decades. It was often suggested, quietly, that the only thing that stopped The Seed of Bones from usurping the praxis of Perth was, ironically, a lack of desire. Their leadership were often quoted, deriding the pursuit of political power as “a mere flame amidst the inferno of Her ecstasy”.

A lack of apparent ambition aside, The Seed was a considerable power that used their potency as a vehicle for their orgies and sacrifices more than anything else. Their parties were the stuff of legend, during which even the most sceptical of guests would find themselves enraptured, buried in naked bodies, and tripping balls. These parties took place underground, often over the course of several stimulant fuelled nights. It was not unusual for Kindred to report experiencing the touch, sight, or indescribable “presence” of the Dark Mother during the apex of these events.

Of course, every witness was high as a kite for the duration, but still… there were rumours that there were old photographs taken during these parties, photographs that can’t be explained. Photo-graph’s that have since been confiscated by the Inquisition and The Library. The Seed’s legend thrived from decade to decade, consistently growing until, that is, 1959. No one knows for sure what happened, let alone why, but the cult was all but annihilated.

Those present, and moderately lucid, describe a dreadful pain. A pain of the soul that swept in and filled the space the high had filled, then a sudden, desperate emptiness. In the nights following, The Seed of Bones entered a frenzy of activity. The city was in chaos until in one, bloody night, they all disappeared. Something had murdered them, 32 Kindred in all, and almost twice as many ghouls. The assailants were gone without a trace, leaving behind only token reminders of their passing, the numeral “VII” etched in blood.

The reaction was strong, but tentative. Many of the cities powers were secretly relieved that the cult has vanished, but at the same time the massacres clearly rattled them. The law of the land changed. Security was tripled. Events were cancelled. Naturally, rumour was abundant. The Lancea et Sanc-tum grew in strength, as those seeking faith were left too timid to test the Crone’s waters. The Carthians reared their head at this time, their new age charisma and flare for media let them capital-ise on the cult of celebrity that had been left in The Seed’s absence.

Things appeared to stabilise. Perth went from strength to strength. The city has sprawled enough that the nomadic Gnoytj-Ngoon were no longer a threat to those who didn’t go looking for trouble. Each Covenant had found their niche. Even the Circle of the Crone had recovered into smaller, albeit marginalised cults. In 1975, unlife was good for the most part.

Then The Owls came.

Of all the hardships, intrigues, horrors and oddities that have influence the modern court of Perth, none have sculpted the landscape so much as The Birds of Dis. The Strix. They were few, at first. Potent, immortal and terrifying. Their introduction to the court was during Black Mass of Christmas Eve. As most understand it, the guys up on those crosses were apparently touchstones to some of the cities elders. What happened to them next, made even some of Black Blood’s spew vitae.

One of the three stood out, its eyes burned bright, staring into the exposed souls of the congregation. Its name was Mr Finch. A small of small stature, but of a malefic nature so palpable even the other owls would shy away from him. Mr Finch was a being of pure spite. Not content to simply hunt and feed in his own twisted way, he set about making the Kindred suffer, however possible. His pre-ferred method, it seemed, was to possess revenants of the city, and commit the Amaranth upon their coteries and allies.

The Owls under his command were just as vicious and spiteful, they were just less refined. They were often seen, perched upon a Kindred body, taking it’s time pecking at the body of the still con-scious victim, tearing away long strips of vitae soaked flesh, relishing in the torment.

Mr Finch and his small parliament began to grow. The Owls grew in number, and some, in strength. The kindred began to fight back, but Finch was potent and cunning. City leaders began to fall, one by one they would succumb to trickery, possession or outright assault. Kindred were turned upon one another. It was difficult to tell friend from foe. Once again, the domain fell into chaos and the Kindred population began to fall.

Seemingly from no-where, emerged Mahyar al-Sahand. A kindred-warrior of middle-eastern herit-age and an apparent command of the same darkness the as the Strix. His assistance was at first re-fused by the city’s leadership. al-Sahand was a barely known member of the Lancea et Sanctum, and of clan Mekhet. His faith was rooted in the Testament of Longinus, but viewed through the lens of Islamic scripture. Much more than this is not known about al-Sahand, at least not publically.

What is known, is that he took the fight to the Strix directly. He had some means of combatting The Owls, and he shared this knowledge. Many of the cities Mekhet of sufficient strength were adopted in al-Sahand’s bloodline in secret, and trained to combat the Strix. After a few brief years, and the Strix’s growth had been stymied by a combination of al-Sahand’s Asps, and ruthless law laid down by the cities rulers, law that decreed all revenant’s be brought into the fold, as one of al-Sahand’s Asps, or be executed.

Finch has not been seen in some time, but this was a time of war. Kindred and Strix alike met final death on what seemed like a weekly basis. The smaller Strix were frequently eliminated by the Asps, but their fellow Owls would just as regularly devour the Kindred. Eventually, and some might say inevitably, Mr Finch resurfaced. He resurfaced in the skin of Harrison Brandt. Elder of Clan Gan-grel and Inquisitor of the Lancea et Sanctum.

The damage was beyond measure. Brandt, with Finch behind the wheel, dispatched a coterie of bodyguards before sending the Prince to meet his final death, via the Amaranth. The rampage con-tinued, until the Asps arrived. Many kindred met their end, or worse were devoured by the maraud-ing beast. al-Sahand eventually cornered and confronted Finch, with a half-dozen hardened Asps by his side, all of whom met their end. Finch also met his end then and there, only to resurface mere minutes later.

As the story goes, al-Sahand requested he be left alone for in the temple for one last prayer in pri-vate, before setting off into the Strix heartland of Northbridge. Neither Finch, nor al-Sahand were heard from again. Finch’s parliament still existed, still functioned, but they seemed without direc-tion. They began to prey upon one another as much as the kindred, but stranger the Lancea et Sanc-tum were no longer subject to the Strix’s attacks.

It happened seemingly overnight. al-Sahand disappeared, and the presence of the faithful began to repel the Birds of Dis. The Bishop saw The Owls violently expelled from his domain entirely. An immense radius of sanctuary for the dispossessed kindred of the city. Clearly, the Almighty had witnessed the sacrifice, and extended his protection to those who conducted their Requiem’s in His name.

Present Day: The Owls still prey upon the Kindred of Perth. Finch’s legacy of spite and violence still plagues the domain on a nightly basis. In particular, the Owl’s now root out and hunt Kindred of clan Mekhet. Even orchestrating great schemes to end the lives of those Mekhet protected by magic of the church.

No doubt, at some point the Strix had come to realize that the greatest threat to their vile existence, ran through the Shadows’ veins. So it is that the Mekhet in Perth are an endangered species. al-Sahand’s bloodline, his legacy, is gone and with it, the means to combat The Owls directly.

The Lancea et Sanctum established control of the city, under The Bishop’s rule, on that fateful night, long ago. Since that time, their numbers have swollen dramatically. The Lance make up well over half of the cities Kindred population at any one time. The divine protection afforded by their faith, coupled with the greatly reduced risk of having their souls consumed by Strix-maddened revenants is all the convincing most kindred needed.

Those not of the church, either pay a considerable sum to enjoy tenancy within the domain of a ranking member of the Lance, or they live with the constant threat of being devoured by malicious owl monsters. The Ordo Dracul, ever the domain’s quiet observers, sit by the Lance’s right hand in a prominent advisory and administrative capacity, equipping the more studious Lance with the tools of the modern age. These Covenants are even rumoured to share a secret facility of considerable size and importance.