Nocturne V.2
A World of Darkness Sim
SETTING AND EVENTS
Nocturne is set in the current time frame. If its 2020 in the real world, it's 2020 in the nocturne world. Presidents and world leaders are the same, Nation shaping events are the same. Real life history is the same, Only New Orleans is slightly different.
Nocturne exists slightly to the left, or right of current real world continuity, there are minor differences that have no overall effect on the setting, other than the Mayor Of New Orleans is not the real world mayor and the chief of police and other characters are not their real world counterparts either.
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As far as events that shaped the world of darkness at the turn of the millennium, the following information offers slight variations and departures from Classic World Of Darkness Canon which allows the greatest amount of flexibility and playability to exist.
The aim of this page is two fold.
A. To allow the greatest flexibility while honouring significant events in the classic world of darkness timelines.
B. To lay to rest arguments which come from conflicting sources or simply misunderstanding.
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WORLD OF DARKNESS NOCTURNE
The following is canon for Nocturne. Everything prior the week of nightmares, including Dark Age supplements is considered Canonical. The only exception is the New Orleans By Night Supplement and Vancouver Dark Alliance.
NOTE: None of this is common knowledge in character.
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WEEK OF NIGHTMARES
Monday, June 28 to Sunday, July 4, 1999
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No Red Star appeared in the sky.
No Perfect Metis was born.
The Kuei-Jin were winning the war against the Ravnos present in India, Ravnos vastly outnumbered began mass embrace tactics to bolster their numbers, the deaths of the new fledglings and thin bloods brought many Ravnos Methuselah into the conflict, their deaths were sufficient to be felt by the slumbering Ravnos Antediluvian Zapathasura.
Zapathasura awoke in the Ravnos homeland of India, it devoured all its nearby childer in moments, and sent psychic ripples across the world and spirit realms. Psychics, madmen, and anyone even vaguely touched by the supernatural felt on edge or suffered visions and nightmares. The nightmares usually featured the Demon-King Ravana (representing Zapathasura).
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Zapathasura rampaged across India to Bangladesh for two days, calling its childer to it, but on the third day was attacked by three of the eldest Kuei-jin Bodhisattvas. All this supernatural activity did not go unnoticed by the forces of the Technocracy, who used orbital mirrors to focus the power of the sun on the Antediluvian, but the Boddhisatvas and their allies had called a supernatural storm to shield them from sunlight while they battled the Antediluvian. The Technocracy then employed magical "neutron bombs", killing all of Zapathasura's combatants – including those who were controlling the storm. As the clouds parted, Zapathasura had been weakened enough by the bombs and battle that the focused sunlight destroyed it.
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The awakening of the Antediluvian had a profound effect on all its childer. While the battle raged, Ravnos vampires' power over Chimerstry grew stronger, though harder to control. But at the instant Zapathasura died every Ravnos on Earth felt an uncontrollable bloodlust, compelled to destroy or Diablerize other members of their clan. This madness lasted for four days, and only a small number of Ravnos still survive.
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Zapatharusa's death blasted open long-sealed trods in the Dreaming, releasing the Denizens, the Adhene, to once more walk the Autumn world.
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SIXTH GREAT MAELSTROM
The storm brought by the Sixth Great Maelstrom is unique, caused entirely by events in the Underworld rather than triggered by tragedy in the Skinlands as previous Great Maelstroms were. Metaphysically, it is the most important event in the World of Darkness even eclipsing the Week of Nightmares.
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The Maelstrom occurred in 1999 during the assault on Stygia by the Yellow Springs, the underworld of Asia and the empire of Yu Huang. The soldiers of the Dark Kingdom of Jade, with the treasonous aid of the Smiling Lord, assaulted major Stygian strongholds throughout the West, with the Hierarchy barely holding on only due to the bravery of its defenders and the extremely shoddy equipment Yu Huang had manufactured in bulk for the assault.
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At the time, the rest of the Stygian military was partly paralyzed; they had received word from the Ferryman Severus (via his apprentice Erik) that the underworld vampiric city of Enoch actually existed. The warning that caused this siege was actually a subtle manipulation of Stygian society by the Ferrymen, who in turn were fulfilling an ancient debt to Anubis, the grave god of Amenti, the Dark Kingdom of Sand. To the Undying, Enoch was an obscenity, and its destruction was a major victory in the eternal struggle between Horus, Osiris, and Set.
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The Hierarchy besieged Enoch for several weeks until they finally used a relic nuclear weapon to destroy the city.
At the same time, in the Labyrinth, a Void Engineer, Xerxes Jones, prepared his greatest experiment: detonation of a second relic nuclear device in the mouth of Oblivion. Interesting idea, bad timing.
The result was the most potent physical and spiritual destruction in the history of the Underworld. The carnage led the Labyrinth to vomit forth armies of Spectres under the control of the infamous Nephwrack, Coldheart. These armies in turn assaulted the Isle of Sorrows, Stygian outposts, soldiers of the Yellow Springs, anyone they could find. Stygian society buckled under the strain. The Yellow Springs retreated after taking damage far beyond their worst-case expectations.
The fury of the storm was so great that it also also had the unfortunate side effect of awakening many powerful beings who were sleeping until the force of the storm jolted them. The most destructive of these was the mother of the Malfeans, Grandmother. Hungry, she began to set plans into motion to feed, the first action of which was to fling her own offspring (The Spectres) into the Maelstrom, making the once all-powerful Malfeans completely helpless. The Fallen were also awakened by the Maelstrom, and began to escape from the Abyss and resume activities of their own.
All through the tragedy and struggles, the Underworld was now enveloped in a storm of indescribable fury which continued for some time.
Charon did not ascend and is still missing.
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AFTERMATH: SIXTH GREAT MAELSTROM.
The events of the 21st Century, a greatly increased worldwide population, wars, terrorist atrocities, natural disasters, famine, disease have all contributed many dead to bolster the ranks of both of these kingdoms of the dead, The wraith setting still bares the scars of the sixth great maelstrom, but it survived them.
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The storm still flares up from time to time, making travel to and from the kingdoms of the dead difficult during flare ups.
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The Hierarchy and Empire of Yellow Springs slowly recovered a fraction of their former strength. Many of the,"old guard" fell during the war between the kingdoms of the dead and the ensuing Maelstrom. The Hierarchy and Yellow Springs are shadows of their former selves. Neither side have the resources to mount another war, neither side want another war (currently). During the release of the Malfeans and Spectres, the two empires found themselves fighting a mutual enemy, and put aside their differences.
Now the two empires can at best be described as on a cold war footing. Watching each other, spying on each other and engaging in acts of sabotage against one another. Another invasion, such as the one that led to the Sixth Great Maelstrom, is furthest from the minds of the two Dark Kingdoms. The Hierarchy lost a lot of resources during the war and the Maelstrom, as such its police force, so to speak, only pursue those who commit the most hideous and abusive violations of the Dictum Mortem.
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The most notable causality of the storm was the Abyss.. A crack formed in the prison, large enough to allow the smallest and weakest of the Elohim to escape, Their task is to free their former commanders and pave the way for a second great war on heaven itself. The storm also had significant impact on the Kingdom of Sand, after the Dja-akh, (sixth great maelstrom) smote the Egyptian Underworld and shattered Amenti, (the ancient Shadow Realm of the mummies and resting place of Osiris), new kinds of mummy were created by the Reborn King with a new spell of life. These "Amenti" seldom travel outside of Egypt, unless tracking down stolen Egyptian relics or chasing down The Followers Of Set.
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Despite the destruction of Enoch, most of the Tal'Mahe'Ra (The True Black Hand of The Sabbat) survived its destruction, a few minor lieutenants perished, but the hand and the mysterious Del'Roh survived. As for the four rumoured Antediluvians who were in the city... No psychic backlash has been felt by any of the clans, leading to speculation that they were never there, or that they survived the nuclear blast and ensuing maelstrom.
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ASCENSION WAR
The Technocracy rose up at the end of the millennium, nuked the spirit world, and then cleaned house and drove all mystic factions skittering into the shadows. Triumphant, the Union stood like a conqueror over the Earth, its metallic boot heel planted firmly on humanity’s collective trachea.......
Not quite.
Yes, the end of the 20th century sees various upheavals, But those upheavals might also have cracked parts of the Technocracy’s vaunted command. After a briefly intensified Pogrom, the Union confronts its excesses and refocuses on perfecting science and technology for their own sakes. One particular event, referred to as the Greylocke Incident of 2006, causes a major rift between Iteration X and the New World Order. Stories differ, of course, but the end result of a fight between Iteration X shock troops and the Hermetic mages of the Greylocke Chantry is a monumental explosion that kills or injures hundreds of Technocrats, particularly among the NWO. This, combined with the financial crash of 2008 and the rising tide of rebellion among the Masses, pushes the New World Order toward a defensive leadership role. The Syndicate and Progenitors grow closer, Iteration X flounders, and the Void Engineers – having suffered the worst losses from the Dimensional Anomaly – close ranks, adopt a military leadership called the Existential Threats Directorate, or ETD, and wage a determined campaign of salvage and war. By 2012, the Union faces a potential split down the middle with the NWO on one side, the Syndicate on the other, and the other three Conventions deciding which way to go if and when a civil war erupts. Is all of this a reflection of a supposedly infallible machine? Or are internal forces deliberately playing the Union against itself? The truth, like so many other elements of the Technocratic Union, remains mysterious.
The brief catastrophe of the week of nightmares and subsequent avatar storm came and passed, it did change the Union’s tactics, priorities, and resources, but many Constructs are operational, the Colonies have suffered losses but are rebuilding, and the potential malignancy within the Union is perhaps more intense than it had been before… but the Union has become more humane and is looking at long-term reform. The Union has problems but is not metaphysically corrupt, despite a few bad apples and a ruthless approach to Ascension, the Technocratic Union is not overrun with Nephandi. The corruption that does exist is an extension of hubris, not infiltration by the Nephaldi. Essentially, the Union means well but has a brutal way of taking care of business.
TIME OF JUDGEMENT
None of the other "Time Of Judgement", Scenarios came to fruition . They did not even begin. Gehenna is still waiting, brewing, building. The Apocalypse is yet to come, Lucifer, Caine, Lilith, Charon all still are considered myths or missing. No Antediluvians ever awoke apart from Ravnos. Judgement is still an end of world scenario that many are waiting for.
The Apocalypse has been postponed indefinitely. However the rise of the second inquisition has had a huge effect on the camarilla and their influence on mortal institutions.
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IN A NUTSHELL
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Week of Nightmares decimated Ravnos numbers. Lower generation is a rarity among the clan.
Week of Nightmares allowed the Adhene to re-enter the Autumn World.
Week of Nightmares resulted in cutting off Horizon from the Physical world and the creation of the Avatar Storm. This generally led to the Technocracy losing a great many of its resources and support staff.
Sixth Great Maelstrom occurred, releasing a great many wraith and lesser risen (zombies) into the physical world.
The Sixth Great Maelstrom destroyed Amenti, resulting in the creation of the New Spell Of Life, which resulted in the Amenti (The Reborn)
The Sixth Great Maelstrom cracked the Abyss, releasing Demons who were originally loyal to Lucifer to enter the Earth realm.
Around this time, spontaneous imbuing occurred across the globe, resulting in a new type of hunter.
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HOW THIS AFFECTS NOCTURNE:
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VAMPIRE:
The Camarilla:
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The Sect lost its "muscle" when the Gangrel and later the Brujah left it. They made room for new blood with the Banu Haqim and the Lasombra, yet what was previously considered to be their most powerful clan, the Tremere, suffered several setbacks and was consequently diminished. The Ventrue, traditional leaders within the sect also lost a couple of their most prominent elders.
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The Camarilla today is much more elitist and doesn't consider all kindred to be members, like it or not.
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The sect lost a few important cities like Washington DC and Berlin but gained Mexico City due to the Sabbat leaving for the middle east to fight their Gehenna Crusade.
The Sabbat:
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They took 9/11 as an omen and marched to the middle east where they search to bring battle to the Antediluvians and their spawn. Their political power crumbled as a result and most of their domains fell to the Anarchs or the Camarilla.
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The Sect is said to have become less visible but more dangerous.
The Anarchs:
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They managed to repel the eastern kindred invasion to their free state in the American west coast.
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They grew in power thanks to the Brujah, Gangrel and Setites joining.
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They captured a few important domains, Berlin chief among them.
Ravnos:
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is considered now a bloodline rather than a full fledged clan. The Ravnos numbers are pitifully small and those of a lower generation are extremely rare.
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Those Ravnos with a lower generation generally carry the stain of Diablerie, however it is not a rule, but those who do carry the stain, are considered -forgiven- as the mass madness leading to children to consume their clan elders was rampant during the week of nightmares. Not ALL Ravnos of lower generation Diablerized their Elders, some may have safely slumbered, though -few- did.
Assamite: (Banu Haquim)
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Around a third of the clan officially joined the Camarilla, mostly Viziers and Sorcerers but also some Warriors who don't wish to leave their morality behind for the Road of Blood preached by Ur Shulgi. These Banu Haqim follow Al-Ashrad,Tegyrius and Fatima al-Faqadi.
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Most Assamite antitribu left the Sabbat and returned to Alamut after Ur-Shulgi broke the Tremere curse on the clan. They are now devoted servants of the Black Shepherd.
Brujah:
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Most Brujah left the Camarilla and joined the Anarchs en masse after Theo Bell killed Hardestadt during the Convention of Prague in 2012.
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A few Brujah remained loyal to the Camarilla and call themselves Hellenes
Followers of Set:
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Most of them changed the name of the clan into The Ministry, recognizing a different relationship with their clan founder. They don't follow Set. They carry Set into their own blood.
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As their traditional north African domains got invaded during the event known as the Gehenna Crusade and with the Beckoning claiming several of their elders they petitioned for admittance into the Camarilla. They got rejected (in a rather flamboyant way) and opted to join the Anarchs instead.
Gangrel:
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The clan left the Camarilla and after briefly staying independent joined the Anarchs.
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Xaviar, former Justicar and the kindred who led the clan out of the Camarilla was killed under mysterious circumstances.
Giovanni:
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The clan fell on hard times and joined with the Harbringers of Skulls and the Samedi. It was renamed the Hecata.
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Lord Cadmen, Cappadocian and servant of Mithras survives and leads Mithras cult after the Ventrue's destruction.
Lasombra:
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Most of them decided joining the Gehenna Crusade to fight the Antediluvians mano a mano wasn't such a great idea after all... and promptly left the Sabbat for the Camarilla. The conditions for joining the new club are rather draconian though.
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Vitel, Lasombra prince of Washington DC previously believed killed by Theo Bell, reemerged and reclaimed his title. Today DC is an independent city under his rule.
Toreador:
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Victoria Ash entered a mutual blood bond with the assamite Tegyrius in a blood wedding ceremony which sponsored an alliance between the camarilla and the Muslim vampire sect known as the Ashirra.
Tremere:
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The Council of 7 got annihilated by the Second Inquisition via drone strike in the very heart of Vienna by year 2008. They are still a Camarilla clan but they lost power and face competition from the Banu Haqim.
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The old pyramid is no more. Now the Tremere are divided between traditionalists, led by Karl Schrekt, House Goratrix led by "Goratrix" and House Carna led by Carna.
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A few Tremere joined the Anarchs under House Ipsissimus.
Ventrue:
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Hardestat the younger was killed by Theo Bell during the Convention of Prague, year 2012 along with his childer Jan Pieterzoon.
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Mithras of London, inhabiting the body of a 6th generation Assamite was killed by the Second Inquisition.
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WRAITH.
Now the Maelstrom has subsided
Travel to the underworld is possible. Occasional storms flair up.
The Hierarchy does not have the numbers to punish each infraction of the Dictum Mortem and only punishes the most serious and grotesque abuses of it.
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MAGE:
Now the Avatar Storm has subsided
Travel through the umbral realms is possible again.
Occasional complications with the remnants of the avatar storm occur. Though generally it is safe to travel.
The Technocratic Union has regrouped and continues to be the dominant consensus shaper, though its numbers are too small to enforce the "pogram" against "Reality Deviants" and is only concerned in eliminating the most -serious- offenders.
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WEREWOLF:
Other than several thousand Eastern Beast Court Aligned Garou and Fera lost to Zapathasura's rampage through India, the effects of the Great Maelstrom and Umbral nukes have passed leaving the Garou and Remaining Fera relatively free from the consequences of the events that shaped the rest of the world of Darkness. However Garou and Fera numbers are generally in decline due to the corruption of the Wyrm on potential kinfolk. As a whole, the shifter species is in decline. While the Wyrm is in ascension. The Garou have lost the war but are determined to go out with a defiant roar rather than a whimper.
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CHANGELING:
The week of nightmares has a massive effect on the dreaming. The realm was flooded with all kinds of nervosa and chimera and became a very dangerous place for a great many changelings. The death of Zapathasura also blasted open many lost trods and enabled the Adhene to re-enter the autumn world. King David has returned, but over all it is a dark time for the changelings. Banality creeps across the world and glamor is in short supply, Noble and Commoner rifts are growing and the whispers of the Shadow Court are growing louder, To add to the tensions the Caillte (the lost) have been showing up in increasing numbers fleeing the deep dreaming on mass and causing somewhat of a refugee crisis.
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KUEI-JIN
The week of nightmares saw the loss of three bodhisattva and many other Kuei-Jin. The Imperialistic Quincunx were unsuccessful in their "Great Leap Outwards"
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The Kuei-Jin have ( since Hong Kong was handed back to China) abandoned the mantle of Kuei- Jin and have taken up their regional titles once more , the Wan-Kuei (Chinese, ) ,Gaki (Japanese ), etc "The great experiment " of the Quincunx attempting to unify all Eastern Risen is over, The name Kuei-Jin only now used by the most die hard Quincunx loyalists.
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The American Kuei-Jin have not adopted the regional titles of their countries of origin, as naturalised Americans simply identify as "The Returned" or the "Followers Of The Way", The later change in identification shows more of a focus on Dharmas than courts, The American "Returned" have become more dedicated to personal improvement (through Dharma) than through Court mandates. The second Inquisition is as much a threat to these individuals as they are to Cainites, building an alliance of convenience.