Development and Revenge

Lethbridge is a developing City. Green areas are fast being swallowed. Cranbridge McAdam Construction sees to that. The fastest growing property development and land management company in Lethbridge. The 9 Hole Golf course which ate up the gorgeous wooded park was one of theirs. Complaints were made but never acted on. Now they turn their sights on areas of Norwood where they intend to turn 10 Acres of woodland into Meridian Leisure. Protesters are routinely turned off of the land where semi permanent squatters camps risk the allegedly haunted and cursed woods even though several of them have had “accidents”. The council are also considering their tender for the urban renewal of the Overthorpe and Underthorpe districts.

The entertainment area of Lethbridge is diverse. Crown jewel of the section is the Casino known as The Fools Gambit. A testament to the governments relaxed gambling license laws it stands in the middle of a complex of Cinemas, Hotels and assorted Eateries. If only the mortal populace knew more about what lies behind the glittering facade. It now lies under new ownership as it once was held in the hands of the local Invictus but with Holden-McDowell’s disappearance two years ago the Lancea Sanctum swooped in and swept it up. You might think it odd but the Sanctified do not. You see with their laws against feeding off of the holy and belief they are the reapers of Gods vengeance against the sinful what better honey trap than a casino.

In Old Lethbridge the criminal community live in fear. It seems someone is playing vigilante. Several drug dealers have turned up killed with either their own weapons or overdosed on their own merchandise. Police are baffled but to be honest aren’t really trying to put it together as long as only the scum dies. The last case however involved Rodney Danvers serial rapist. Local kids found him in an abandoned tenement block with his trousers round his ankles. His face was full of terror and his alimentary canal filled with a nail studded baseball bat which according to reports had been rammed in and out several times by someone with unnatural strength. The names of his victims were written in his blood on the four crumbling walls. The problem was Danvers was a Police Constable and none of his victims reported it until after they were questioned by the Police. So how could any vigilante know about the crimes and names especially the names of those who had died from his attentions? The Police had at first thought it unconnected till they found the burnt handprint on his chest which matched all the others. Of course they deny Rodney was a rapist but then they would wouldn’t they?

Yes Lethbridge is a developing City but what is it developing into?

On Shaping Life?

It’s so refreshing to know you have done something positive to change the world. I do a bit in the local community to help redirect the efforts of troublesome youth. Recently I attended a catch up which amply demonstrated the changes that had been made. One of the newer kids was one of the most troublesome kids around here and now he is behaving and hasn’t been a trouble for months. The provided site has gone from a mess to a fairly decent allotment and crime is down. Not only that but its won awards. Next target is an alliance against an increased BNP vote in the area of 3.9% at last election and the dressing down of a so called community leader who doesn’t represent the community.

I need to say happy birthday to Carl Anderson over in Hell-A. I hope Torrance is suiting him well.

Moaning about the world is one thing however in this life doing something about it is far more important. In a world where apathy is the new way of life I am glad I do not follow the new way of life.

This blog may be a lot of dreams and imagination but behind it all is hard bitten reality. It’s fine to have dreams but life also exists and has to be dealt with. If you can shape dreams then why not shape life as well? That’s my philosophy. Life is hell but it is easier to live in hell within which a little bit of heaven exists than it is to bear heaven blighted by a little hell for one shows hope and the other shows the onset of despair!

Justice and the passage of paradox

Things have taken another twist for the bizarre in Lethbridge. The Black Cat of Lethbridge aka Dr Raines was sent along with the tortured artist and the hacker Moorish to check on the arrival of a newcomer. No one knows how Rastanavic knew of the new Mekhets arrival but they went and met him bringing him before the council where he and Raines were told they would decide on their respective rights to live in City limits. The votes were tight but they were both allowed to stay however Raines was warned not to let his aquisitionist habits stretch to any of the Lancea Sanctum territories. Rastanavic then pulled them aside and informed them of the urgency of the Hopkins murder case and how the sooner it was proven that Bishop Corvis's crew were guilty the better.

On arrival Stewart was greeted by the ghosts of the dead and noted that their were no ghosts from the similar deaths in 1955. The ghosts proved harmless and gave the investigators the clue "Bring Justice to our Killer" as a way to lay them to rest. However their investigations alerted the Malice spirit secreted behind the shield boss that mounted the murder weapons which promptly attacked possessing Dr Raines and turning his Calamitous capability against his colleagues. Stewart transferred to Dire Wolf form and crossed the gauntlet as the Mekhet and Raines/Malice spirit jousted with pool cues. Stewart the n attacked the spirit in the spirit world forcing it to relinquish Raines who soon located the spirits anchor for its bans and severed its hold on the world. The Ghosts however did not leave so more needs doing.What could it be?

Raines and Stewart took time out. Stewart to carry out his work for "The Witching Hours" walls and Raines to bug his reluctant landlord Stewart. The Derelict Alpha Gorman or Councillor Dave as he has come to be known popped in for a wash only to be confronted by the over enthusiastic Dr Dieter Marcus Orthodontist to wolfen appearing from a door frame in a dressing gown in Stewarts front room. Things rapidly went worse particularly after Gorman decide to eat the tropical fish in a bag that the poor dentist had appeared with. The Universe got worse as Raines suddenly got turned into a series of Doctors of the Who variety, the tower block transported to Skaro, they fought a Cyberman, got turned into various charcters from the series, had Raines literally talk garbage and generally were subjected to a barrage of strangeness centered on Marcus. The upshot of which is that they now have a TV which gets free cable when not plugged in and a working Sonic Screwdriver and no idea why Dr Marcus temporarily gained the ability to alter reality at a whim! Only time will reveal!

Deals without Wheels?

The Council Macabre gains a new group. Due to a misunderstanding by various Urathan kin, Lethbridges more hairy community Dave Gorman and the tortured Urathan artist John Stewart met with Gregor Rastanavic at his business known as The Witching Hour. Gregors attempts to cover up the incompetent disposal of a body by the ex-Invictus Kyle Ramvana caused the two cultures to clash. This was further complicated by Zamiel one of Gregors Ordo Dracul Haunts spotting the arrival of a Bohagande riding his luck. Dr Stephen Reines was his name a collector of rare antiquities, Tomb robber to those of a less gracious favour. He had been run out of Sheffield for being a bit too good at Blackjack and Roulette. The local kindred showed their collective displeasure and Dr Reines relocated. Gregor wished him removed but has seen a possibilty for distracting his rivals in the Lancea Sanctum who had been sheltering the kin of the Uratha from his bullish ghouls ministrations. In Stewart he saw a chance to decorate his place in a manner befitting the usual custom. No human could delve so deep as to show true inner torment and no vampire had the creative spark necessary. Only the alienation of an Urathan would do. As luck would have it, apparently more common this luck thing since Reines appearance, Reines was in the company of the Urathans killing two problems with one stone. A little bit of manipulation and the artist was primed. The masquerade was preserved with the foresite of Gorman or Council member Dave as he is now known much to the displeasure of the Invictus and the Sanctified. The city Urathan have a say and means that the two races are less likely to clash. Well thats the plan anyway. The Bohagande is in the city and somewhat better off, at least until he finds the Casino known as Fools Gambit. The Wolf kin Hacker known as Moorish and the over enthusiastic dentist to Wolf kin lie in the side nave of the Cathedral unaware of how their bacon is no longer sizzling. The body of Franklin Smith, Kyle Ramvana's screw up and would be mugger, now is a pile of ash while his wife rots as an apparent suicide in her tower block squalor her body overflowing with anti-depressants and cheap blended whisky. Did she choose too kill herself not able to bear widowhood or did someone darker push it on her? Throughout all this Leonard Hopkins lies in his cell expounding on his innocence regarding the brutal axe murder of his entire family at his pub, "The George and Dragon", despite the evidence. Does the fact that something similar happened in 1955 have any bearing on the facts or is he really so evil as to be able to sleep so well that he is pulled from his own bed while his family still lie bleeding? Will anyone care enough to look into it or will he just serve life for a crime he may not have committed? Lethbridge has made up its mind but is his guilt that certain. Time and maybe luck will tell!

Matters of Sanity and Conscience

Black, red, black, red,
The sundered lash does strike,
Impaled on death cold wall,
Victim to the heartless Shrike,
Charybdis enfold me,
Drown me in salt stained hell,
For my torn ears listen,
As my head nods to Charons bell.

Drawn by lamb was I,
Wolf snared in a velvet trap,
Bound tight was I,
A petrified tree without sap.
The dark is silent,
Sibilant in its wanton ways,
to taunt the sense,
The will like bamboo in typhoon sways.

Am I fool to think,
that my soul still lies unmarked?
do I dream you think,
that untouched my heart lies parked,
In a garage white,
With walls of innocence made?
Should I my friend,
Have my kindness finally laid?

Am I a tool you think,
Of powers I cannot think to stop?
Do my efforts sink,
Under a blackened evergrowing crop?
Am I an Angel now,
Doomed to an everlasting Purgatory?
Or should I tear up my book,
Kick back ,ride and start another Story?

Shall I let it free?
Shall I became what I fear?
For sanities sake,
Should I, my conscience heavily sear?
In inhuman bondage,
And needles of white hot pain,
Or still fight the fight,
To be dragged down and screaming
as I lose all that is sane?

Tell me heart,
Tell me true,
Is there a monster in me?
Or do I see it in you?

Behind the scenes and an overview of a setting.

Being a GM is hard work especially inbetween being a dad. Have a whole City setting to design is taxing. So far i've been winging it but no doubt someone will eventually get all macho and want to kill something so I'd better get the non-cannon fodder designed. Mooks are easy, characters are hard. My fictional WoD City is called Lethbridge and is one of those Cities that borderlines Town or City Status. It's set in Derbyshire in an undisclosed nook between Manchester, Sheffield and Chesterfield. The River Lethe runs through it from which it gets its name. Vampires, Werewolves and Mortals all exist in my campaign and are all represented in the player group. Eventually Mages will also be added in. I'm going to vent these out over this Blog and maybe people will add to the world with their own input. I've always been that kind of GM/ST. I like my players to feel they have input. Now I am letting the World in.
Now Lethbridge is a difficult town to live in if you are a Vamp. You see it's not known why but no-one can hold Prince or whatever the holder called it before their fate. Everytime someone said "Okay I'm Top Dog and you can all lump it!", they disappeared during the day. All that was left was ash. The last attempt by Malcolm Holden-Mcdowell of the Ventrue/Invictus was also doomed. Malcolm calmly announced his position after a brutal series of status undercutting and influence destruction. He then surrounded himself with Retainers, cameras and automated defence weaponry and lay down in his bank vault for the morning putting a security seal on for evidence of tampering. The next night he didn't rise and the seal was intact. After much debate and after conferring with two of the Cities Elders Gregor Rastanavic of the Mekhet and Ordo Dracul and Bishop Edward Boskon of the Ventrue and Lancea Sanctum whilst being accompanied by the much younger Joseph Gravesen second in charge of the cities Invictus and also Ventrue they opened the Princes Chamber. All that remained was the same pure white ash that had been found at all the other deaths. This has the city in turmoil. The Carthians and unbound love it though as they now hold a lot of power. You see Democracy reigns in Lethbridge and that can only help both their goals. Representatives of all the Covenants meet and decide on how to go ahead. The Invictus are frustrated especially as they have lost the most members to attempts of rule and now feel overwhelmed by the power of those left and have the least members on the Council Macabre (Rastanavic came up with the name and no-one objected) That is just the one and thats Gravesen. The mostly Westminster Creed Lancea Sanctum now believe it is all Gods plan to show that temporal power means nothing. Their numbers have swollen from all the confused and lost. However with their recent loss of Boskon under unknown circumstances, The new hardline Bishop Corvis is advocating a prudent but directed approach. They have set themselves the task of ensuring that the Dracul and Circle do not get their way. The Ordo Dracul are resting on their laurels and looking to discover the reason for the lack of success in an attempt to surmount it and go beyond but they are very, very patient. They are not happy either because apparently Lethbridge rest on 7 places of power. 5 of these have churches on them, one has a Cathedral and they are all held by the followers of Longinus. The 7th the Dracul hold that being the Lethbridge Castle and Museum site. Their are rumours however of an 8th! The Circle of the Crone are few in numbers and do not care particularly but are worried about the Sanctifieds recent gains.
The openess of the Policies allow a radical mix of kindred but in matters of Progeny and Diablerie the Traditions are taken at their wording not interpretation. The Covenants all agreed this was Draconian but fair!

The Werewolves stay mostly out of Lethbridge but a few reside in the city and the rest roam the peak district. They have kinfolk in the city and a responsibilty to ensure the blood suckers do not abuse them. An uneasy truce exists between the two races. This does not mean that there are no incidents though. The Vampires agree that the City is their province and the Werewolves have the Peak District. Not much is known about their society.

Thats a bit about one of my worlds anyway. So far its going well. Feel free to suggest or send NPC's through on this Blog or even bars and clubs. Only one of each is set at the moment. This is an English campaign so try to bear that in mind and it is low on big fights and big on brains and horror. Even then though doesn't mean to say such people or situations do not exist.

If you contribute thanks.

Election Day

Well today Labour got in again, no accounting for taste. Being a Liberal Democrat I am both pleased and disappointed at the result for my party. It was the best result since Lloyd George. I wasn't always political but after doing a few things locally to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour in the area without resorting to heavy handedness I got asked to stand as an available councillor. Considering I am a long haired getting near to middle aged rocker wityh a goatee and leather I couldn't help seeing a funny side. Have since realised that its easy to moan about stuff but doing something about it is far more satisfying I now feel more fulfilled.
Pity about voting turn out though. People fought so we have control over our future even if it is frustrating and occassionally appears pointless. I am firmly of the opinion that if you don't use your vote you have no right to moan over the outcome. I did vote and I am not happy about the outcome consider this my rightful moan. 39% of eligible voters didn't and that could of changed things I guarantee that most of them will whine about something decided by the current government and if thats the case they had the chance to do something but didn't. Apathy will be the end of the human race.
Still I've spent most of my time today looking after my two year old daughter as I do most days. Children do change you and your whole world view. Those who have them will understand those who don't wont.
I have been evil this week enough. Running a New World of Darkness campaign. Would prefer to do Cthulhu but as a Democrat I let the players have a lot of decision power. I run slots twice weekly. One at the moment is usually Cyberpunk the other flip flops between many games however the campaign is kept running between sessions. Have been a GM for over 20 years now. Apparently I'm a good one according to my players so I suppose there must be some merit.
Hopefully future blog entrys will be less serious but that depends on the world really.

Welcome to the Pit

This is Sharpes Wolf Pit. I am an aging Roleplayer among other things and run many many different genre of game. I also do the odd bit of Larp. The name is in fact derived from one of my more recent characters. Bear in mind that my thoughts veer from my family to cruelties inflicted on my players. Please do not get them confused for yours and my own sanity