CHAPTER 1 - Abyssal Sorcery: The Path of Obtenebration

Antagonists


Cultists

T.A.L.O.N. (The Achromatic Lodge of Night)
Every now and then it so happens that humanity learns something it wasn't supposed to. The majority of the time they report it to their authorities, the media or even the government, where it can be controlled and retaken by the insidious vampires. Not so very often though they keep the knowledge for themselves, hiding it far away from others and learning from it. Secret societies and orders arise to protect knowledge such as this, and before long for one to get but a mere glimpse of this knowledge, one must spend years upon years proving themselves. So secret is this knowledge that only a chosen few may fully learn it, and with this wisdom can decide how much the rest would be worthy to learn. A solid brick pyramid has been built around such a secret, and not only is it obviously bulletproof, but most vampires don't even know it's even there.
Like many other secret societies seen from the outside, The Achromatic Lodge of Night comes off as a social club for rich gentlemen who like small-talk and smoking cigars. For many of the members who walk the lower floors of the pyramid, this is in fact true and they know little about the occult practices going on under the same triangular roof above them. The more advanced members know better though, and for them the order has become an obsession where they will do anything many times over to know more. T.A.L.O.N. has its roots in Germany but its power and numbers now lie in the major cities of South America. Its leader, Supreme Grand Master Milton Schmidt, an Argentinean of German descent, is the grandchild of the founder Gerald Schmidt—a former SS officer who discovered a lair full of hidden occult books during the second World War. They eventually learned that these books—which became the foundation of the Order's teachings—had in fact belonged to an Abyss mystic from clan of shadow-wielders called “Lasombra,” and they were detailed enough to bless the mortal reader with a greater understanding of true darkness and its powers. Milton Schmidt claims that he still communicates with both his father and his grandfather, whom he says now exist in the abyss as supreme beings of shade that cannot die.
Their sacred rites are a mix of Catholic traditions, pagan darkness-worship and sick excuses for twisted sacrificial ceremonies. Members' authority varies depending on their rank; lower-ranked members know little of the occult elements and mostly use the order to exchange favors and live out perverse fantasies through the bloody rituals. Higher-ranked members, on the other hand, don't care much for earthly, superficial agendas anymore and are often obsessed with trying to reach the metamorphosis that the previous leaders are said to have reached reached. They know that nothing is forever and that the world will one day return to the darkness that was all before creation. If they can understand the abyss and learn to control it, they may—like Gerald Schmidt—be able to conquer death and rule the darkness beyond. Finally, within T.A.L.O.N. there exists a faction of “field-agents”—referred to humorously as the Nights Templar—whose job it is to track down and collect more abyssal lore for the order. These young men aren't often interested in the lore itself but are more of a vampire-hunter-type, who of course enjoy a hefty salary from the top dogs of the order.

SIDEBAR: A Fang at T.A.L.O.N.'s Throat
Nothing is completely immune to the disease known as the kindred... not even T.A.L.O.N. Even though the structure of the Order would suggest it's impossible to infiltrate, one should never underestimate the patience of the Undead. Unique as he is, one Cainite has not only managed to hide within the order but has also climbed to the position of local Grand Master in La Paz with only the Supreme Grand Master Milton Schmidt himself above him. Being himself an Abyss mystic, the Cainite spy is studying their approach to the dark powers and trying to understand how mere mortals manage to perform similar task to those that usually would demand the blood of Caine. Not being able to solve that riddle makes him of little threat to the order, presently. He does knows that if other kindred become aware of T.A.L.O.N. it might endanger the Order and he may never get the answers he seeks from his Supreme Grand Master. Milton Schmidt, incidentally, has the vampire eating from his hand—but so far neither one of them is yet aware of it.

Bernard Schmidt, Transcendent former Supreme Grand Master, father of Milton Schmidt
Physical: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2
Social: (none)
Mental: Perception 4, Intelligence 3, Wits 4
Talents: Athletics 1, Brawl (Grappling) 2, Intimidation (Darkness) 5, Subterfuge 1
Skills: Stealth 5
Knowledges: (none)
(Equivalent) Disciplines: Obtenebration 6
Virtues: Conviction 0, Instinct 1, Courage 4
Humanity: 3
Willpower: 7
Notes: Bernard Schmidt, like his father before him, is now naturally immaterial, as per Tenebrous Avatar, thus the Fourth Level Obtenebration power Black Metamorphosis allows him to manifest portions of the physical body he once had. He sees clearly in natural and unnatural darkness, and may freely use Obtenebration powers without the need for blood, though he may use Willpower Points in place of Blood Points to increase the effects of a Discipline. He regains Willpower by the hour by retreating into deep darkness, and suffers Aggravated Damage from sunlight, which can be soaked as normal.

Milton Schmidt, current Supreme Grand Master of The Achromatic Lodge of Night
Physical: Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 2
Social: Charisma 4, Manipulation 3, Appearance 2
Mental: Perception 4, Intelligence 4, Wits 3
Talents: Athletics 1, Awareness 1, Brawl 1, Expression 1, Intimidation 2, Leadership 4, Subterfuge 3
Skills: Drive 1, Etiquette 1, Larceny 3, Melee (Ceremonial knives) 1, Stealth 1
Knowledges: Academics 3, Investigation 3, Occult (Abyss) 3
Equivalent Disciplines: Obtenebration 4
Virtues: Conscience 2, Self-Control 3, Courage 3
Humanity: 5
Willpower: 6
Equipment: ritual garb, ritual dagger, surprisingly useful Abyssal literature, expensive suits and ties, smart-phone, wine glass, solid gold refillable lighter

Night Templar
Physical: Strength 3, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3
Social: Charisma 2, Manipulation 3, Appearance 2
Mental: Perception 3, Intelligence 3, Wits 3
Talents: Alertness 3, Athletics 3, Brawl 3, Streetwise 1
Skills: Drive 3, Firearms 3, Larceny 3, Melee 2, Stealth 2
Knowledges: Computer 1, Investigation 4, Occult 1
Virtues: Conscience 2, Self-Control 4, Courage 4
Humanity: 6
Willpower: 5
Equipment: wooden stakes, UV-lights, expensive suits and ties, smart-phone, automatic weapons, silver ammunition

Werewolves

The Society of Nidhogg

Ragabash Adren, Veteran Trickster


Theurge Homid Fostern, Human-born Occult Adept


Camp Initiate Metis Cliath, Deformed Occult Novice


Magi
(V20, p. 380)

Mage of the Celestial Chorus, suspected Templar-turned-Barabbi (Infernalist)
Physical: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2
Social: Charisma 3, Manipulation 4, Appearance 2
Mental: Perception 3, Intelligence 4, Wits 4
Talents: Alertness 2, Athletics 2, Awareness 4, Brawl 1, Empathy 3, Intimidation 3, Leadership 1, Streetwise 1, Subterfuge 3
Skills: Drive 1, Etiquette 1, Firearms 2, Melee 1
Knowledges: Academics 3, Finance 1, Investigation 2, Medicine 1, Occult 4
Equivalent Disciplines: Chimerstry 4, Dark Thaumaturgy 7, Dominate 3, Obtenebration 7, Vicissitude 4
Equivalent Dark Thaumaturgy Paths: Fires of the Inferno 5, Movement of the Mind 5, Perdo Magicka 5, Rego Tempesta 5, The Taking of the Spirit 3
Virtues: Conscience 1, Self-Control 3, Courage 3
Humanity: 5
Willpower: 6
Quintessence: 10
Equipment:

SIDEBAR: Dark Magick
Qlippothic Spheres: Forces 5, Mind 3, Spirit 4, Prime 2, Life 3; Arete 7, Avatar 5
Rotes: Oubliette, Fires of Hell, Command the Sky's Wrath, Summon Angels of Death (cf. Night Shades p.XX), Form of the Dark Angel

Faeries

Wraiths

Demons

Screaming, the former slave-trader shook off another savage attacker in the darkness and reached out again, but this time his hand struck something besides gnarled and obviously decayed bodies and disgusting smelling, revolting, waist-deep filth and stickiness. Rock and packed dirt, it felt like, but wet, of course. He growled in pain but it turned into a scream muffled by clenched teeth—the hunger! The hunger he felt, the pain that it caused him, was unbelievable, he had no idea such a thing could hurt so much. He caught that scent in his nostrils again but it made him retch the last of what he had left in his stomach. He waded through it. In this complete darkness that he had awoken in, he still knew it already had much worse in it.
He realized not all the sounds he could hear in the darkness were of insane violence and the screaming, moaning wails of pain and hopelessness of those who could fight no more. Some of the slopping, splashing sounds were actually the sounds of those who were making feeble attempts to climb the walls of this pit—and continuously falling back into this pit of gore with him. He put the thought out of his mind again though as the pain in his stomach returned, doubling him over. Waist-deep in filth and decay, bending over like that almost submerged him in the thick pool of whole and partial corpses. He opened his mouth reflexively to retch again and instead got a mouthful of whatever it was he was immersed in. He threw out his hands as if to push his head up out of the gore, but—didn't. Instead, he found himself drinking, even eating it in. He couldn't help himself—he wanted to throw it all up, he could feel the pieces of flesh and rotting meat, taste every bit of it, but he couldn't make himself stop, and he realized that it was making the hunger go away, he found that he didn't want to.
Others in the pit with him brushed past him, bumped into him, climbed across his back, even fell on top of him after another failed attempt to scale the side of the pit to freedom and life—or whatever form of life they would have after this. The one that was once a trafficker in human lives finished feeding—the first, death-stained meal of the rest of his unlife—and then he began to attempt the climb himself.
An obviously flailing hand slapped his back, then began the almost instinctive attempt to start scratching away at his skin trying to find a hold on him—another mindless savage, not strong enough to survive this abyss, trying to tear him apart and devour him. The other arm would go for his neck, trying to smother him from behind but it was anticipated. The former trader in human lives easily avoided the clumsy blind-tackle and spun around them to their flank, instinctively biting deeply and ferociously at their neck in one smooth motion. Draining the weakling and tossing them aside, felt another's arm brush past his back and he spun, grabbing it and fiercly tugging them off their feet. With killer instinct he reach out for his victim's neck in the darkness and found it, clutching tight in his clenched fingers and diving in with his fangs for the kill again.