E M E R A L D C I T Y C H R O N I C L E S
C W O D S E A T T L E : P E R S O N A L I T I E S
In the various White Wolf game lines, various characters were marked as signature characters, and thus used extensively in example text, in fiction, splatbooks, source material and the like. In the original Classic World of Darkness games, signature characters were often involved in advancing the metaplot. While Dark Seattle does have signature characters, (Non-Player Characters or NPC's) the game's less rigorous metaplot means that they are far less significant.
Signature characters can also represent certain aspects of Classic World of Darkness concepts, such as a Clan, a faction, or another division of power, or perhaps to teach and highlight in-game the differences between older styles of play from the Revised edition of Vampire: The Masquerade to the new V20 rules that we exclusively use.
For example, we introduced Prince and Harpy NPC's at the outset of the game to highlight the differences between the Status Background and Titles that operate differently in V20 than in the older Revised setting, and how much of the Status in V:tM is based on lineage, rather than merit (especially within our Camarilla Modern Nights setting). Other NPCs exist to show how certain Clans view Prestation in V20 and even in some cases how differing Sects of Kindred view the same new systems.
None of our NPCs are built using different systems than the standard PCs or have powers that they wouldn't eventually have access to. None of our NPCs are invincible. All of them have character sheets and stats (though some may be rudimentary if they are 'mooks').
B R U J A H H A R P Y M A T H I A S E B E R H A R T - D E N V E R, C O
Mathias' sire was a traditionalist Brujah, loyal to the Camarilla. It was the job of the warrior-scholars, he felt, to question and poke at society. Not with the intention of breaking it, but of dismissing the elements that were uneeded. Stagnation is death, and the kindred were so prone to stagnation. The Anarchs, he felt, had a similar purpose, but existing outside the system would forever banish them from making any sort of actual political change. While some degree of social mobility benefits a society, people still needed a 'place', as evidenced by every caste system humanity ever birthed.
These were the messages brought to Mathias and the education he received. They traveled all over the country, learning from different elders and watching different political cities. They were in California, having watched the gold rush fever and seeing how it brought such ugliness to the surface of people when they first learned of the existence of
Seattle. They weren't quick to visit, instead attempting to educate the local Anarchs about the glory of the Camarilla an the foolishness of isolation.
It was shortly before the Great Fire that Mathias' sire got word from Seattle about needing Kindred to expand and assist with city development. Now was a good time for the Brujah to find wings in a city that could use his wisdom. So, he was sent in his sire's place with a message of support from the Elder to then Prince, Bruce of Ventrue (a rival, but one that he owed a debt to).
Arriving shortly after the fire, but before widespread proclamations went out about the devastation, Mathias was in a key position to see the wheelings and dealings of the handful of Kindred left to the budding town. He quickly set up shop as a catty fellow intent on educating his peers. Harpy of Seattle for a number of decades, the Elder is presumed to have some remaining stake in Seattle's future from afar, whether out of nostalgia or amusement, it's unclear.
F O R M E R T R E M E R E R E G E N T B R E N T T R E L A W N Y - V I E N N A, A U S T R I A
Trelawny was brought into the fold of Clan Tremere as a ghoul; answering his fear of death nicely. Renewed, he redoubled his efforts to prove his worth to this new minorly noble family. Shortly after receiving the Embrace, he
served as a visiting dignitary, moving about the European Courts with a rarely seen talent.
His move to the Americas was sudden and decidedly unwanted. While he still performed his duties, he was not at all happy of living in the dirt of this 'land of opportunity'. His higher ups either didn't notice or didn't care. He was stationed in New York, Quebec and Atlanta before being given the opportunity to be a Regent in his own right. He was sent to Seattle in 1855, then hardly more than a logging settlement.
There was skirmishes with the natives, constant supply problems and a complete lack of appropriate Apprentices. Most of all he hated the clumsy, high handed politics of the city. The Prince of the town at the time was a Scottish Ventrue named Bruce MacTowan who fancied himself a grand explorer. Racial animosity aside, they did have a suitable working relationship. MacTowan would often make subtle jabs at the Brit, and the Brit would offer polite condensation back.
After the Great Fire of 1889, Trelawny rejoiced at the sudden influx of new blood into the city - finally something that could eventually be called civilization had come to Seattle. He spent the next 20 years at the side of Prince Bastion Orleans as his Seneschal, and reveled in the recognition and courtly power it afforded him. The stint came to an embarassing end however, when failing to locate the cause of the Great Fire to Prince Orlean's satisfaction, or predict the Alaskan Yukon gold rush. The prince called him out publically on the matter, Trelawny faltered, taken by surprise, and that was that. Trelawny has remained rather reclusive since, tending to the small contingent of Tremere and their Chantry rather than seeking the limelight of courtly intrigues.
He was since implicated in the Great Fire of Seattle and returned to Vienna for 're-education' by the Tremere higherarchy. Hs true fate is perhaps unknown.
G A N G R E L E L D E R V I C T O R I A E V E R B L O O M - L I L A C C I T Y
Victoria lives free, taking what she wishes and courting who she wisheds The night liberated her, and she is powerful. She has met her dark monster and was instructed as to her nature. She has survived the tests and is one of them, the rustic warriors. She was delighted.
Victoria had been in the Pacific Northwest for a few years prior to the Great Fire. She liked the sport of it; hiding from the lupines, watching the humans eradicate themselves. These were amusements, and the politics of Kindred the cure to amusements. The green lady avoids people telling her what to do, giggles when she can to appear harmless, scuffs a toe or bats a lash if people grow suspicious. If that doesn't work, she shows them their insides. Being cute and harmless is better than being cute and terrifying, but whatever tool gets her quarry to shut up and accede to her wishes is usually the best one at the time.
Though Seattle had recently burned, she could smell the smoke on the wind from miles away. She watched to see just what they did about it. When the Kindred called for local help, Victoria was just curious enough to enter the dance of politics that ensued. And what a dance it has been.
She's rumored to have left Seattle for Lilac City, a smaller town with less firey politics.
V E N T R U E L I C H T O R E M M A Z Y L I - PRAETOR OF SEATTLE'S VENTRUE
The Swiss have a strong tradition of banking that dates back to the Knights Templar if some rumors are to be believed. Emma believes them. The pale noble that made Emma into what she has been for centuries had an eery and powerful presence. He spoke the language perfectly and crisply, his manners perfection, his clothing perfection. While he appeared to be in his forties, the weight of his stare carried so much more...gravity...
Emma is polite and quiet. It's a man's world, but they tend to be fools. She's no stranger to manipulating others
into thinking her ideas are theirs and juggling many investments at once. People, Kindred, money, they're all the same to the brand that is Emma Zyli; numbers in a book that she can close when they bore her. She is descended from the line of kings, but she don't remind people of this fact; if they aren't educated enough to know this on their own, she is simply likely to note their shortcomings and adjust their accounts to match.
Emma arrived after the Great Fire of Seattle to see what sort of investments the city was worth. Seattle seemed to be the the door to Alaska and trade with the Orient, perhaps not at the time, but soon. There was a vast wealth here in lumber and trade, but it was clear there were other assets not yet tapped, and it is always in the Clan's best interest to know every investment opportunity there is. Fires tend to eat up records, so that was a good time to 'find' old articles of ownership as well. Humans can be ever so forgetful...
M A L K A V I A N M A D M A N M I S T E R W H I T E - M I S S I N G
Mr. White doesn't remember much of anything before Seattle. In fact, prior to the fire he has no memories at all. He knows he knows certain things, though. He knows he knows he owes Prince Bastion something very great. He knows that. But he can't recall what. He knows he knew the previous Prince, but he can't close his eyes and find his face anymore. He knows there is more hidden behind something, but he can't know.
Some things aren't worth knowing? Yes. That.
Mr. White had served the Prince of Seattle (Bastion Orleans) loyally for years. He didn't remember why he did this thing, but he did it. He knows there was a reason, and the Prince always reassures him that his services are valued and that one night he will have repaid his debt. Until then, Mr. White was called upon from time to time to fix things for His Grace. Scenes that had gone wrong. Or police that needed correcting. Or finding someone who misspoke and bringing him back. His function was secret, and he didn't speak of these things to others. He knew that would upset His Highness.
Mr. White didn't really want for much. He performed a duty and was compensated for it. When the Prince held court, he generally was in the background, waiting. When the Prince needed a thing, he'd get it. Sometimes his curiosity got the better of him and the dissections went too far, but so far nothing unfixable has been broken... that he can remember.
Then the Prince died and everything became clear. He began to make plans.
T H E D E C E A S E D
T O R E A D O R P R I N C E B A S T I O N O R L E A N S - FINAL DEATH VIA PRAXIS
For many years he enjoyed the rustic hospitality of the town he had helped settle. Bastion treated it as an extended holiday; like when he used to go to his father's hunting lodges as a mortal. It was dirty, yes; but no one minded if he ate the servants. It was the best of both worlds.
The city was still a dangerous place. They had skirmishes with the lupines and had to ward off this 'sabbat' nonsense on more than one occasion. Still, the city had become home and it was a joy to dote upon it.
The night of the Great Fire there were rumors of lupines moving through some of the natives staying in the town that drew Bastion's attention that night. He hadn't expected to miss the party as rumors of these kinds tend to be false. He found a fight, however, and went to ground to heal from the battle rather than fastening on his finer duds. This decision saved his life.
In the aftermath of the fire, with his coterie dead or missing, it was then that his true mettle came through. Using a combination of his own seal and that of his late friends, he sent out the invitations to neighboring cities and those as far off as Europe. He worked his influence to delay news of the fire, covered up the deaths that had occurred. He bought the city time to heal before the Kindred would come.
When they would finally arrive, they would find one ruler here, and it was Bastion Orleans.
Bastion Orleans ruled Seattle from 1889 to 2015. He was murdured by Praxis by Lady Elizbeth Stanton, Ventrue, who was Prince for exactly one month prior to being murdered by her political rival, friend to the former Prince, Cristiano Orisha. Cristiano claimed Princedom over Seattle in 2015.
V E N T R U E P R I N C E S I E G F R I E D - V A N C O U V E R B. C. C A N A D A - FINAL DEATH VIA RED LIST
Siegfried is the Cainite Prince of Vancouver, where he is the absolute ruler. His policy related to Seattle has been, over the centuries of his rule, to essentially ignore it, unless there's rumor of the greater traditions of the Kindred being violated surface. In that case he's sent spies, or tendered boons for information, usually through a third party, to learn if the issue is of any threat to his own Domain. So far, very little has warranted any but the ancient Caineite's most cursory attention.
Rumor has it that in life he was a Visigoth chieftain who helped defeat the Roman emperor's army and start the Germanic invasions.
It is known that he is the Progeny of Regulus, a roman consul, and that his sire me the Final Death by Diablerie under mysterious circumstances. In the modern nights, Siegfried is known for enforcing the policy of no fighting between Kindred and the local Garou via a truce or treaty.
N O S F E R A T U R E C L U S E D I S D E I N E N - B E L O W
Disdeinen is rather tight lipped (or what pass for lips) about his past, but he was once a prominent historical and student of architecture for one of the better royal universities of Moscow. He was an apt student and was particularly fond of the study of history and culture. Each culture, he felt, had its own charm and mastery of something. If they weren't good at something, no one had a name for them. This culture was great horsemen, this was great stoneworker, this was great traders. Each had a place and he learned of them all.
It was on a trip to Rome where he was lecturing on the histories of underground sewers, catacombs and fortifications that he caught the attention of the Nosferatu. He had been on their radar for some time, but it wasn't until they had agents attend one of his lectures that they found his spark of genius worth preserving. They crept into his rooms and stole him away, and he hasn't been to Russia since.
It was during one of the digs into the earth beneath New York that Alexander found something. Something terrible that he refuses to speak of. It scared him to his core and he fled the city, never quite recovering. He abandoned his name and became Disdeinen, and among the Nosferatu many consider this his true Embrace.
He decided to go as far as possible from that thing and landed in Seattle with intentions of traveling to the Orient. Something about the simple township charmed him, and he elected to help the new Prince Bruce McTowan find order and build a safe place for his family. It was because of his influence, and warring opinion with himself on the structure of a city that spawned so much contradiction with Seattle's city planning. Where New York had been a perfect grid, here Disdeinen designed something less intuitive.
Disdeinen is paranoid. He knows that politics get you killed, and Kindred pull one away from the purest pursuit of
knowledge. He has ignored the city's politics as much as he can. He got his designs into the right hands, but never stepped a clubbed foot on the surface again. He assisted in building the warrens and protecting them; educated his brethren when they asked, and never let anyone breath a whisper of his existence to the above world. Ever.