This is the end of the world. It's also the birth of a new one, or an old one, depending on who you ask. Maybe it's more like an overdue arranged marriage. You might not have been fully aware, but the world used to cast a Shadow: a separate realm of spirits, kept away by a barrier that only a certain few were ever meant to cross. Spirits are capricious, rarely logical, and often dangerous beings composed of the essence and energy of all things real; scuttling reflections with their own arcane hierarchies and motivations. But every wall has its rats, and the barrier between your world and the spirit world was no exception. The Beshilu are a nasty manner of demon - derived from and connected to the spirit world, but fettered to the world of flesh, and gifted with many terrible abilities. They massacre and they multiply, and their only desire has ever been to tear down that wall between worlds... to gnaw at its foundations in greater and greater numbers, until the wolves could no longer keep them at bay.They succeeded. Too many tears. Too many crumbling wounds between worlds. The gauntlet was sundered, and when that wall crumbled away, the world of mortals and the world of spirits were merged into one. In those first terrible moments, everyone on Earth could hear a trillion shrill voices screeching out in triumph, and swarms of rats swelled across streets and forests in writhing tides. The fabric of reality is now like a sieve, the threads wavering apart and stretching in new directions; space and time operate differently. The sun no longer rises, or sets, and light instead seems to meander from one place to the next according to whim. Places seem to stir and shift, reacting to their occupants in sometimes unpredictable fashion. The rules have changed, and will likely change more, but things will never go back to the way they were. That was three days ago, and it would be a stretch to say the dust has settled, but you are adjusting to the chaos. You're a survivor, and while you may not fully grasp what's going on, you're not unfamiliar with the supernatural. You are determined to knuckle down and make your way in this fucked up new world....>Cont'd
>>6319556Welcome to Gauntlet Sundered, a quest revolving around a survivor attempting to eke out some kind of life in a terrifying new reality. This is based on the lore and rules of nWoD, taking inspiration from the Broken Mirrors sourcebook and plenty of others. Those familiar with Werewolf: The Forsaken will recall the Beshilu, or rat-hosts, verminous little demons that possess humans and seek to destroy the barrier between the mortal world and the spirit world. This is an apocalyptic scenario where they have managed to do exactly that. Rolls will use a d100 with modifiers based on various factors - your equipment, your proficiencies, the environment, etc - attempting to overcome a Difficulty Threshold that will vary based on the circumstances. The actions you take will be determined by votes. Your votes will sometimes be limited between 2-4 options, and other times will allow for a write-in. I will wait 24-72 hours between votes most often, but may indicate otherwise from time to time, generally waiting for input from at least three players before proceeding. We'll start by selecting your name and the city where you are located in.
>>6319557The following is an overview of your character. You will begin with a couple of basic objectives, and once you have completed (or failed) them, you will hit a time skip that will bring us to the next story arc. I will provide a pastebin for your basic inventory, but I am not going to get overly granular about things like ammunition. ABOUT YOU Your name is [XXXX], you are a 34 year old [Man/Woman/Other] with a family to protect (sort of), and a checkered past. In your twenties you were a burglar, either operating for hire from other local criminals, or out for yourself. You usually targeted low level drug dealers, landlords, rapists, white supremacists or gangsters that you saw as parasites on the community. During the day you worked as a handyman and contractor, at night you broke into houses and had dealings with fences, or dealers moving drugs you didn't see as dangerous to others (weed, LSD, etc). Then came the night you broke into the wrong house. You wouldn't have survived if a neighbor hadn't already been watching the place, and come in after you. After you killed the vampire inside, he invited you to join an organization called The Union, made up of working class people like you trying to protect their communities from the things that go bump in the night. You met your [Husband/Wife] not long after. He/she knew about the crime, but not the monsters. He/she was okay with your late night antics and it made for a good cover. You had a baby girl together, and she is now eight years old. It was a good life, for a while. Then, four years ago your spouse was killed by a witch. His/her ghost, however, has stuck around, bound to your wedding ring, and your child. He/she is a powerful enough shade to remain lucid, and has saved your skin more than once. Not everyone in your hunter cell is aware of your marital situation, and in fact not all of them are members of The Union, but the ones that do know are accepting. You have some idea of what's going on, having dealt with spirits and werewolves before, but you're still figuring out the details. OBJECTIVES>Protect your daughter at all costs >Link up with the five members of your cell, or at least discover what happened to them in the last three daysOPTIONAL>Figure out what the fuck happened>Cont'd
>>6319563ADVANTAGES>Decent arsenal of weapons and ammo, as well as a few odds and ends you have collected from the monsters you've killed that may just come in handy. >Excellent stealth, larceny, athletics, crafts, and drive skills, with good combat, occult lore, science, and general social skills. You are a capable hunter, thief, carpenter, and mechanic. >Your spouse is a ghost, able to use telekinesis, possess human corpses for days at a time, and interfere somewhat with electronics. When not manifested or possessing a body, they're anchored in near proximity to either your wedding ring or your child, and are able to travel instantly between the two. If both are lost, she loses her tethers to this world. >You are part of a cell of hunters, with five other members. You don't know how many of them are still alive, or where they are, but each one you reconnect with will vastly improve your odds of surviving. You have contacts in the criminal underworld, among the homeless, and have even stayed in touch with a few of the people you've saved, they might help you out as well. DISADVANTAGES>Your biggest weakness by far is that, at the end of the day, you're a mortal human. That puts you at the bottom of the food chain and top of the menu.>You have an eight year old daughter to care for. Fortunately, when her other parent died you had The Talk, so she knew there were monsters in the world and that you protected people from them. She believes in you and knows the ground rules for when shit hits the fan. But she is still a young child. If something happens to her, you have no idea how it will affect your spouse's lingering ghost... Hell, you aren't sure what it will do to your own brain. Might break you completely. Best not to think about it. >Two members of your hunter cell that don't know your spouse is a corpserider, they are the two non-Union members. You honestly don't know how badly that revelation will go. Maybe you can continue to hide it, maybe they're already dead. Could be another problem.Reply to this post with votes for your name, your gender, your spouse's name/gender, and your daughter's name. You can also vote for the affiliation of one of the two non-Union hunters in your crew, choosing from any of the Compacts or Conspiracies in Hunter: The Vigil and it's sourcebooks, such as Slasher, or Night Stalkers. Note! This does not automatically mean he/she will have survived thus far (and in fact, certain choices might lower those odds), or that you will automatically have access to his/her endowments (if there are any). But it's possible, and whether you choose the Hunt Club, or Cheiron Group, or Lucifuge - or something else entirely - will likely impact the history of the group and how you all work together when/if you manage to reunite. Format votes like so: [Name][Gender] [Spouse name/gender] [Daughter name] [Wildcard cell member affiliation] Example: John Smith ManJane Doe/Woman Janine Talbot Group
>>6319565The following is an overview of the three cities you could start in. Charleston, South CarolinaEven before the end of the world, Charleston was an absolute hotbed of supernatural activity. Some of its ugly history left a major mark on the Shadow, and now that's plain to see for anyone unfortunate enough to have to navigate the plantations or old slave auctions. The ocean is a maelstrom of blood and grasping hands, while the battery has become a surreal mosaic of pastel brush strokes and towering colonial mansions. Cobblestone streets swarm with the occasional tide of rats, or boozy, lanky spirits of relaxation, ignorance, and lust elbowing past each other to parlay in speakeasies and bars. This is the smallest city to start in, with an urban district and suburbs sprawling along the fringes. Beyond that are the swamps of South Carolina, farmland, and of course the sea.Las Vegas, NevadaCasinos have become neon towers of babel, stretching up into cotton candy clouds, covered all over with gleaming windows and laser-bright signs beckoning for new patrons. The undercity, on the other hand, has expanded into a bleak warren of labyrinthine tunnels. The darkness stretches out into seemingly impossible convolutions, the Beshilu and much worse have made a malevolent nest of the place, and the former human occupants were immediately culled for their larders. Nomads, tourists, and townies are ripe pickings for fat monsters of greed or spindly haunts of despair and addiction. The desert has never been more alive with strange sounds and whirling winds, but surely it can't be as deadly as the strip?Chicago, IllinoisThe largest city you can start in, the windy city is possibly the most dangerous of the three. Reversing the flow of the river so many decades ago severely damaged the spiritual ecology of Chicago, influencing and contributing to many of the contemporary problems which are now tangible in a whole new way. Spirits of pain, of violence, of cruelty, and of panic clamor about in alleyways and housing projects. An old and powerful fire spirit that has long slumbered in the Shadow has awoken, and lumbers through the city like some kind of dark god, remembering fondly all the neighborhoods that birthed him when they first went up in flames. Blood spirits slither through the gutters, and as with Vegas, the robust undercity network has morphed into a mycelium of hellish corridors and caverns. The skyscrapers and high rises that line many streets reverberate with gunshots, and the sky is a twisting grimace of cold, angry storm clouds.Reply to this post with your vote for the city where our story beginsWill check back in a day or two, if there are enough votes I will kick things off(:
>>6319563>Name: Erdal Fisek>Man>Wife>Daughter’s name: Ihsan>Chicago basically the idea is that we’re a Turkish immigrant from the poor part of Istanbul who came here as a kid, made some dumb choices but mostly has straightened out. I’m also astonished that you killed our wife in the plotdump, you’re cold, QM, hahaAlso QM - you’re going to have to list some of the Compacts and Conspiracies that we’re supposed to pick from, most players here aren’t going to have the sourcebooks at home or on file to flip through.
>>6319578Yeah there are a LOT of them... I will link to the white wolf wiki and those unfamiliar can explore a bit. https://whitewolf.fandom.com/wiki/Compact And https://whitewolf.fandom.com/wiki/Conspiracy_(HTV)For some suggestions, if that's helpful, I would say some of the more interesting/helpful options are probably Night Watch, Long Night, Network Zero, or Bear Lodge for Compacts. For Conspiracies, I might recommend Aegis Kai Doru, Les Mysteries, or Cheiron Group. I like your Turkish immigrant idea! Pitch me a name for your ghost-wife
>>6319584>compact: night watchWould make sense for a connection here given our character’s semi-criminal background. Bonus points if this NW connection was a religious Muslim Turk who our character hates because he hasn’t stopped criminal activity.>conspiracy: Aegis Kai DoruWould be fun if this connection was sort of a bum who was always “one-upping” or hyping his/her AKD background, but come to find out that they’re not being totally honest…As for the wife, maybe she should be a white American? Katie?QM, I’m basically trying to set you up with as much points of tension as possible for you to mine later.Anyways I would encourage other anons to chime in with competing ideas
>>6319565[Name]: Mila Jovovich[Gender]: Female[Spouse name/gender]: Paul W. S. ANDERSON [Daughter name]: Anastasia Anderson (a name I came up with, don't worry)City: Las Vegas, NevadaKate Beckinsdale is better but these two are more memeable for their shit movies.
>>6319565[Dayvon Daquan Bennet][Male][Spouse name/gender] Misha Bennet (Female)[Daughter name] Milani[Wildcard cell member affiliation] Night WatchCity: ChicagoI would like to play spirit hunter king von
>>6319593I like your style, and will flip a coin between those two for you. >>6319673Why do you want to meme? >>6319699Beautiful mind, if you get backed up on this don't be disappointed if he is well spoken, honorable, and avoids being shot at the beginning of his career (or the quest, in this case)
>>6319569Oh SHIT, a Hunter The Vigil quest, I was running one of those poorly like a month or two ago before we went into hiatus due to scheduling. [Name]: Brandon Jonathan Clark[Gender] : Male[Spouse name/gender] : Megan Clark(Female)[Daughter name] : Anastasia ClarkCity: Chicago>>6319593 I +1 this for the Aegis Kai Doru
>>6319565[John Schmidt][Male][Luz/Female][Maria][Loyalist of Thule]
>>6319717-I get a clear image of the characters in my mind,-This role is similar to the kind of movies she makes and ruins so it just feels right.- I always like to know if I'm between like minded individuals
>>6319565Thomas "Tomcat" WeaverManMisha Weaver/woman (Russian immigrant)Anastasia WeaverLes Mysteres with the caveat that the spirit talker has a background in either Buddhism or Appalachian hoodoo, like a monk or weird redneck. >>6319569Viva Vegas
Looks like we got some good name options and doubles here and there, Chicago is looking popular! I'll check back later today, we need some tiebreakers I think. Please drop some +1's to help me out with that, if there are still some ties I will flip coins.
