Seed of a Chronicle

There won't be spoilers because I haven't gotten that far.  I've only worked out the bare bones introduction to my own personal World of Darkness.  The following will serve as the basis for my Vampire: the Masquerade chronicle.  Without further ado...

All (or at least most - I love exceptions to the rule, as long as, their reason-for-being is exceptional) of the PCs are neonates (newly embraced vampires for those who aren't familiar with V:tM jargon).  A city (not sure which one - maybe it will go unnamed throughout the chronicle) has just lost its Kindred population; wiped clean... no survivors.  Most likely the handiwork of a vampire hunter gang.  There are several known throughout the country, but unfortunately (for the Kindred) they keep moving.  Nomadic gangs of vampire hunting badasses are difficult to kill.

Anyways, this kind of extermination is a rarity, but it does happen from time to time.  Kindred are practiced at keeping a stronghold for decades if not centuries.  The urban areas are their domain.  Sure, a few Gangrel exist out in the wilderness, but that's werewolf territory.  Kindred need cities to survive, they need people and civilization.  To lose one is definitely a blow to their bloodsucking ego.

There are many reasons for re-populating a lost city with Kindred: contacts, allies, investments... all will run dry if the Camarilla just leaves it be.  Plus, feeding grounds are valuable commodities - a vampire's gotta eat, and the masquerade dictates that a certain population can only abide a certain number of Kindred. So, abandoning the city is not an option.

In go the neonates.  They're the most expendable.  With all those vampire hunters running around (it's been determined that all the city's Kindred were wiped out by vampire hunters, but no one is 100% certain), the elders don't want to risk it and the ancillae are preoccupied with power struggles in their present domains.  Various neonates from several different clans, cities, and (possibly) covenants are being selected to re-populate the city, restore the Camarilla's influence, and, most importantly, eliminate the danger.

This allows players to come up with pretty much any character concept they want and still have a reason for working alongside dissimilar characters in a particular location.  There's a built-in threat to jump start the action.  Plus, great potential for upward mobility.  By the end of the chronicle, perhaps one of the PCs will become Prince of the city...

As for the tone/atmosphere, here's a vague abstraction: dark, gothic, industrial... rust everywhere, black rain falling on mean streets, broken concrete, graffiti, and corroding inner-city slums with traces of decadent opulence for those elitist 1% living behind wrought-iron gates.

Thanks for reading.  If you want to make a suggestion, comment, or pose a question, please do.


VS