Prologue

All the stories talk about vampires being mysterious and charming masters of the night. They’re rich and powerful and connected, and they never really have to worry about getting caught or where their next meal is coming from.

That must be nice.

You’ve been Kindred for all of 3 months. Only the first month had any kind of guidance from your sires. They all died when a ‘coterie’ of Kindred from a big city rolled into town. You’ve taken to calling them the ‘Outsiders’, and their motives are unknown to you. One thing is clear – they’re not here to fuck around, and this town isn’t big enough to sustain you all.

Whether you want revenge or simply to survive, you won’t make it much longer than your sires did without finding a way to deal with them. Not to mention all the other dark secrets Grey County has to offer…

Themes

You Are From Here - No matter what you are now, you’re a child of Grey County. You know this place like the back of your undead hand – and everyone knows who you are. That gives you an edge against the Outsiders, but it also poses a problem. How much are you willing to use your community to survive? These people watched you grow up; it’s only natural to want to show them kindness. The Beast always hungers though, and if you don’t make use of them, the Outsiders will.

You Are Alone - Your sires mentioned nebulous concepts of Covenants and Princes and other things that concern urban Kindred. You might have even learned a thing or two from them, but those organisations didn’t stop them from meeting the Final Death. Probably because they’re not out here at all. Only the Outsiders seem to have those connections, and they aren’t inclined to share them.

You Are Not Alone - Your sires called it ‘The Beast’, and there’s definitely something Bestial about it – about you. They warned how it would tempt you into destructive acts of animal instinct, and how dangerous it was to let it off its leash. What they didn’t tell you was that it would talk to you, a dark reflection whispering in your head. Probably because that doesn’t normally happen at all. Like most things, you’ll just have to figure it out on your own. What’s concerning is how much sense they’ve started making…

Disclaimers

The Vampire sphere for this chronicle is a story of personal-horror and existential crisis. While it is our goal to scare you, to unsettle you, to surprise you, and to thrill you, it is never our goal to trigger you or upset you. If images, audio, or descriptions of the following would make you too uncomfortable to enjoy the game, we gently recommend you consider another sphere.

Blood and Gore
Jump Scares
Violence
Mind Control
Claustrophobia
Body Horror
Self-Loathing
Death and Dying
Suicide and Self-Harm
Torture
Psychological Manipulation & Mental Illness (specifically PTSD)
Abduction/Kidnapping

Please note that sexual assault is never an acceptable plot theme at Dark City, in this sphere or in any other.

Playing The Beast

In Dark City: Jericho, the Kindred PCs experience their Beast in a very particular way. Whereas the Beast is typically portrayed as being little more than bloodthirsty, animalistic instinct, the Beast of the PCs is far more sapient a menace. It is a silent spectator living within your very soul, whose voice you can hear during moments of weakness. Who exactly is your Beast? Perhaps it’s your worst self… or perhaps it's your true self.

When you frenzy, it’s as though another person is piloting your body. Or… perhaps it’s that you suddenly become that other person? Who can really say? The ST will usually be the one to provide the actual voice of the Beast urging the Kindred towards its own desires, especially during an ST scene. However, it is understandable that players may wish to incorporate their Beast’s thoughts in their own scenes! To help facilitate that, here is a guide to best portray the Beast without the ST on hand:

The Hard Rules

You should never use your Beast as an excuse to be a jerk out of character. Antagonism is an inherent feature of the Beast, but as players you are expected to cooperate and reach an understanding for anything that happens IC.
The Beast can only gain full control during frenzy. Otherwise it can only taunt you.
Nobody else can hear your Beast talk.
Character applications will feature a conversation about the PC’s Beast, where their primary personality traits can be established. If in doubt, this can be based on one of the seven deadly sins.
Actions that could result in martyrdom (such as literal self-sacrifice, or sacrificing comfortable social standing for the benefit of another) will result in a base frenzy check.

Roleplay Guide

Golden Rule: Your Beast is there to challenge the Humanity of your character.
Golden Rule #2: Your Beast is not your friend, but they do want you to do well – just according to their own, bloody, twisted definition of ‘doing well’.
There are many ways you can flavour your Beast, but the most appropriate approach is to think of them as a dark mirror of your character. This can take many forms. Consider a Kindred who works as a park ranger and is known for rescuing people late at night. Their Beast might encourage them to prey on those who get lost, calling them weak and unworthy of survival, and express many animalistic traits. Alternatively, they might express a cold aloofness of a seasoned hunter that looks down upon others as undisciplined and feeble. Both of these personalities have similar themes and serve the same purpose, but their flavour is still very different.
Your Beast always has an angle, and it’s always to the detriment of others – even if that plays out in the long run.
Your Beast is not a good person. If they are kind, it is a product of selfish interests.
Your Beast should share at least one value with your Kindred. This doesn’t need to be a moral value (though it could be, within reason, and allowing for perversion thereof). The argument that your Beast is just your Kindred needs to have teeth, and so they should share a common interest or belief a step above pure survival.
Your Beast does want survival most of all though. It will actively try and stop you from martyring yourself, literally and socially.

House Rules

What's Out

City Status -- There are no Princes here, though the Outsiders might mean to change that.
Covenant Status 2-5 -- Your community matters so much more than any political organisation of undead monsters ever could.
Clan Status -- People might care about who your family is out here, but not like this.
Bloodlines -- This isn't exactly a vampire melting pot.
Resources 4-5 -- You're not sure why exactly your sire picked you, but it wasn't because you were wealthy, and you haven't had centuries to accumulate power.

What's Different

Blush of Life -- Kindred do not need to spend Vitae to activate the Blush of Life unless directed to by the ST.
Young Blood -- Kindred do not need to spend Vitae to rise each night.

What's Special

The Outsiders -- At the start of each scene, the ST will roll a chance die to determine if the PCs may encounter any one of the Outsider Coterie Kindred. Note: This will apply in addition to any scene that will deliberately include one of said Kindred.
Parting Gifts -- The PCs may discover safehouses and resources left behind by their late sires. These may provide the coterie with bonus merits (such as Haven) if acquired, but are vulnerable to destruction if discovered. Note: The Outsiders may also find and use these resources.

Custom Content

Vampire will not be accepting Custom Content submissions for the Jericho chronicle.

Sphere Index

PCs

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NPCs

	Template	Occupation	Concept
Walter Dusan

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Logs

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Application

To apply for a player position in Vampire, please open a ticket on Discord with the information below.

Once reviewed and accepted by the ST, you can create a Vampire character sheet using a copy of this. Link this in the same ticket.
Once reviewed and approved by the ST, please create a wiki profile for your character using this Form. It's easy, and should take no more than a few minutes, depending on how much information you want to include in your description, background, and hooks.

A link to your user page on the wiki.
1. Please consider if any of Cults, Mind Control, Self-Loathing should be added to the lines and veils of your user page.
A brief backstory in bullet point format that answers the following
1. Your character's history in Grey County.
2. Who your sire was, and the kind of relationship you had.
3. The (perceived) reason and circumstances around your Embrace.
4. A brief description of how becoming undead has impacted your character's life.
A local in Grey County who depends on you.
A local in Grey County with power over you.
A third local with a relationship of your choice.
Describe a place in Grey County that's special to your character, and why.
What do you hope to bring to the venue?
What are you hoping to see in the vampaign (vampire campaign)?