# Character Creation Challenge 2024: Day 09 - Elegy :: Milton Warner, Vampire Cable Installer tags: #thoughts/CharacterCreationChallenge/2024 #game/rpg/elegy > [!quote] [[Character Creation Challenge 2024]] > > ![[Character Creation Challenge Image.png]] Do you like **[[Vampire - the Masquerade|Vampire: the Masquerade]]**? Do you like **[[Vampire the Requiem|Vampire: the Requiem]]**? Do you like moody early 90s vampires – or, like myself, do you like *subverting the entire idea* of the moody early 90s vampire? Then, my Childe, do I have a game for you! It's **[[Elegy]]**! ![[Elegy (cover).jpg]] I think it's fair to warn you right up front that this is a game that specifically traces its evolution down from **[[Ironsworn]]**, so I'm inherently predisposed to speak well of it. That it does what it intends to quite well, providing an excellent solo context and set of mechanics to work with? That's just gravy, really, isn't it? I'm not going to put nearly as much work into today's character as I did [[Character Creation Challenge 2024 - Day 08 - Wicked Ones|yesterday's]]. Bugger that for a lark. But I don't have to because **Elegy** is a much more streamlined game.^[Funny thing, ha ha. "Not as much work as yesterday" just means "still a lot." I should know these things.] > [!quote] **[[Elegy]]** > > An elegy is a type of song that ex presses sorrow, lamentation, or mourning for the death of individuals, groups of people, or even abstract concepts. In vampire society, it can also mean a special demonstration of profound respect. To sing an elegy means to promise to accomplish something in dedication to a person or ideal. > > The act is a reverence to the eternal grief born from the certain demise of every soul that leaves a vampire behind; a vow vampires make each other, or themselves, over their own mourning. > > The biggest ordeal a vampire faces might be not the insatiable hunger, the deadly sunlight, or blending in among mortals, but the eternal grief she feels for her life, now lost forever. > > A whole world of relationships, plans, and dreams was killed, and its place seized by the obligation to the Façade and the nature of a monster. To vampires, death is truer than life, and grief is eternal, and that’s why they swear on theirs. I'll be honest – even when VTM came out and I was part of the scene, I was never able to get behind this as a central, omnipresent pressure in the life of any kind of character, much less a vampire. Insatiable hunger, an excuse not to go out during the day, I never really bothered trying to fit in with human society without even the excuse of being a vampire. What I'm saying is that among the ranks of the dead, I never really went with the whiny, masturbatory ridiculous people who never ever had a real problem so thinking about being a vampire got them off by pretending to have real problems. I'm not bitter. I promise. I was just always more of a Sabbat guy. ([Tzimisce](https://whitewolf.fandom.com/wiki/Tzimisce) if I must I must at least pretend to go along with the group, [Baali](https://whitewolf.fandom.com/wiki/Baali?so=search) if I get to have my preferences.) I'm just saying I might not be [Louis](https://vampirechronicles.fandom.com/wiki/Louis_de_Pointe_du_Lac), I'm more [Vampire Lestat](https://vampirechronicles.fandom.com/wiki/Lestat_de_Lioncourt). The writer of Elegy has been good enough to give us a playlist of *"Songs to Create Vampires To"*, and while a good chunk of it is post my particularly strong goth phase, it's not bad. The [original's on Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3l6KCPZqnrUiJ02679jUFi?si=071a93984e924484) but I made a YouTube Music version for us rarefied sorts. [![[Playlist - Songs to Create Vampires To.png]]](https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPds0FG8uEYSIaOfgTJ2R9xXEepK3BADy&si=VyEUosC1W9ZZAxMA) Okay, let's get to it. ## Chargen We won't actually be using the sheet in the book^[It's like I see the future and know how much I lie to myself. Still, straight text is probably easier to work with.] because as clean and concise as the rest of the layout is, I don't really care for it. We'll just build something in our traditional way, right here. Besides, isn't Markdown the true pinnacle of presentation? Of course it is. Unlike a lot of **[[Ironsworn]]**-inspired games, this doesn't start with a *Session 0* of working out the traits of your setting – at least not at the top of the book. I think this is an organizational problem. In my mind, we should progress through figuring out the truths of our setting and then once those have been worked out, put together a character that lives within that setting. Instead, **Elegy** opens with character generation which refers to a lot of things which don't get even referred to or may not even be *relevant* until after you think about the architecture of your setting itself. That starts on page 59. We are going to do things the right way and start with the basic setting stuff, figure out the truths of the universe, and then – put together someone who lives in it. ### The World #### Basics The chapter opens with setting out the basics of what you probably already understand if you've ever read a vampire RPG. Vampires only drink blood, they spend it to wake up every sunset, when they spend blood they risk getting hungry, and when they get to starvation they fly into a rage. They look like corpses even though they aren't rotting, but they can deliberately choose to look more human by spending blood, which makes going to most clubs a lot easier. Vampires get extremely tired during the day so most of them sleep. Fire, sunlight, and claws/fangs of supernatural creatures can inflict fatal injuries. ("Aggravated damage" to use the term that White Wolf has been leveraging forever.) Vampires, being pretentious bastards, refer to the act of sucking blood out of a human as "the kiss," which causes an ecstatic trance and short-term memory loss. Bite wounds are removed simply by licking them. If you're high on meth when a vampire pops your top, he gets high on meth. Vampires are hiding from humanity in general, you're not supposed to drink other vampires, nor are you supposed to create offspring without permission of your local feudal leader. These are considered cultural taboos as well as laws – which just goes to tell you how often they must get broken. Cities have a feudal hierarchy with a queen at the top. Given that cities are independent polities, this implies that cities must have a relatively small vampire population. There is a reference to the main governing body of vampiric society called Olympus, but come on. How well do you see that working? Progenitors. Progeny. You know the drill. People get embraced for a whole pile of reasons, including a deliberate blood link, which causes an artificial state of affection between vampires from the one who drank to the one who provided the blood. Three drinks and you're deeply addicted. Humans, animals, all also susceptible the same effects. But don't call it a bond! It's a "link." And despite the legal and cultural taboo against drinking from another vampire, blood links are used frequently between progenitors and progeny to control them and the queen of the city often uses them on criminals. Remember what I said about *"how often do you think these are followed?"* Welcome to vampire society. The queen can pick areas to call neutral ground and usually plays the role of manager and host. It's Elysium. It's just not called that. #### Your truths One of the few times I will use that phrase and not laugh about how ridiculous it is, because we are literally going to set the truths of the world. Like **Ironsworn** and other **Ironsworn**-derivatives, each section has three options that you can choose from or you can make up your own if you feel motivated. I really like this sort of thing because it pushes people into thinking about how to make the world their own. As this mechanic has spread through TTRPGs, I feel like it's spurred local creativity and that's always a win. #### History By default, the name of the city **Elegy** plays in is Santa Maria, clearly intended to be a cipher for San Francisco. I'm not sure why vampire enthusiasts can't seem to get away from one of the sunniest states in the United, but there you are. I'm not doing that. We are going for [Atlanta](https://www.atlantaga.gov). Why? Even though it is ridiculously sunny? Because it's *my city*. And I get to choose. The first major split is the question of when vampires first started inhabiting Atlanta. In the dark ages? Somewhere between the 16th and 19th century? Or at the beginning of the 20th century? I'm quite fond of the idea that the majority of the vampire population in Atlanta moved in after the conclusion of the American Civil War, as European vampire politics tends to be extremely slow, even sluggish, and that they were hesitant to do any significant investment in the New World until after it had proven that it could survive at least one significant bit of infighting. > *Vampires inhabit Santa Maria since its early development, which happened…* > > - *…at the beginning of the 20th century.* > > Santa Maria embodied the dynamism of a new era. Positioned as a cultural melting pot, it became a hub for cultural movements, scientific breakthroughs, and the pursuit of new ideas. > [!info] Quest Starter > > It is said that a building designed by a vampire architect at the turn of the century contains hidden chambers that hold some kind of treasure. What does this building serve as? Why do you agree to invade and investigate it? There we go. Handled. Every option in the world section comes with its own clever little quest starter, in case you need some ideas to kickstart your mind. #### Origins > *It is widely accepted that vampirism is…* This is always a good question to have options for. [I'm rather partial to the first vampire being Judas who was cursed to walk the earth forever by God for his betrayal of Jesus, which explains the issues with silver and Christian religious iconography,](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0219653/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt) but I realize not everyone is into this. Let's pick something a little more unusual. > - …an eternal enigma. > > Even the most enlightened vampires harbor conflicting opinions on this matter. Each individual’s perspective significantly shapes their interpretation, and there is no definitive answer to this question. > [!info] Quest Starter > > Vampires form a cult around the idea that it’s possible to turn back into mere humans, but mortal authorities suspect something is not right with them. Why do you step in this situation? Nobody knows. And because nobody knows, there have to be people looking into the reasons, and those people have to be fairly interesting. #### Superstitions I want something that is a fantastic combo with the idea that no one really understands how and why vampirism occurs. There's a perfectly good option right here: > *They reflect the real deal.* > > They’re not superstitions. Garlic, holy water, crucifixes, and other religious symbols are actually harmful to vampires. A stake to the heart will kill them, and they can’t enter a home or private domain if they’re not invited to. This alternative enables the Superstition optional damage rule in page 40. > [!info Quest Starter] > > Quest starter: Garlic gas was released in the ventilation system of your progenitor. Who is the culprit? Why does she want to harm your progenitor? In a world where nobody really knows where vampires came from but all of the traditional superstitions are real and do exactly what they say they'll do, what does that actually mean? After all, [there is a perfectly scientific explanation of why crosses might harm and repel vampires](https://worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/questions/39842/why-would-vampires-be-incapable-of-entering-a-non-vampire-human-s-house-uninvite#:~:text=In%20the%20novel%20Blindsight%20by,but%20comes%20with%20a%20price.). What does any of it mean? I love questions. #### Genealogy Or "does blood really matter?" As much as I enjoy the idea of vampire lineages or clans which effectively "breed true" there vampire powers and tend to manifest one of the central vampire archetypes – it's been *done.* I also feel like such things cheapen the idea of embrace-as-family by removing the ability to deny or push against it. But I also don't want vampires with completely random powers, because that's boring. We have an in-between choice. > *Vampires inherit one power from their progenitor.* > > While powers may develop in a more diverse fashion over time, all new vampires begin their undead existence inheriting one special ability from their progenitor. This ability is random. > [!info] Quest Starter > > Two newborn vampires don’t know where they come from, but believe their share the same progenitor. What power do they share? Why do you agree to help? Who is the progenitor? This gives you the chance to have vampires with very unique powers which may accidentally create a bloodline, given the chance to make enough progeny. In fact, a particularly useful power to have going into the future may lead to aggressive allowance of said vampire to create more progeny by the local queen, I would think. Lots of ideas available in here. #### What Mortals Know > *Secret organizations know vampires exist, and hunters are a threat.* > > While vampires may go unnoticed by the majority, certain secret societies possessing occult knowledge remain vigilant. Among them are black ops agencies dedicated to unveiling the vampiric nature, alongside centuries-old religious circles committed to eradicating every monstrous entity. Investigators, spies, vampire hunters, and paramilitary units pose a tangible threat to the vampire community. *This alternative gives access to the Mortal Threats NPCs.* > [!info] Quest Starter > > Vampires are being killed in a serial fashion that seems to be the work of a skilled vampire killer. What’s her modus operandi? How do you intend to catch her? What’s in it for you? It's the most interesting choice, frankly. Unless you really, really liked **[True Blood](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0844441/)**^[I maintain that **True Blood** would be more accurately and perfectly named **The Erotic Adventures of Jason Stackhouse** -- because it is.], and while I really enjoyed watching it through the first time and I've seen it multiple times all the way through – unless I'm playing the king of Mississippi, I'm not having enough fun in that setting. I've heard "oh, Sookie" enough times to start worrying about [the supernatural inhabitants of the woman's vagina](http://www.the-isb.com/the-stark-existential-horror-of-tarot-53/). [![[Your Vagina is Haunted.png]]](http://www.the-isb.com/the-stark-existential-horror-of-tarot-53/)  #### The Internet > *Using the internet is permitted.* > > As long as you keep your unnatural habits away from social media and use fake accounts, you may use the internet however you want. > [!info] Quest Starter > > A couple of young vampires share their unlives openly in social media. Why do you step in to stop them? What’s the last Façade-breaking thing they tweeted? This is a great little world building option because the three choices are each individually interesting. In the first, using the Internet by vampires is prohibited by law. One assumes vampire law, not international law – but you can never tell. In a setting where vampires are widely known to exist, they may just not have freedom of speech to talk about their lifestyle. And the fact that they generally have to murder people to live. The second is basically just our world. Everybody can use the Internet and some people are going to fuck up deeply. That's fun. But the third one is an idea that I tinkered with for another White Wolf setting. Here, it suggested that the vampires might have their own network, the umbernet, which is generally functionally identical but can't be hacked by humans and remains private. A long time ago, when I was really into the old World of Darkness and hanging out with the White Wolf guys, I really wanted to introduce an idea to **[[Wraith the Oblivion|Wraith]]** (which I still maintain is the best of the World of Darkness settings) in which ghosts have their own Internet called *WraithNET*. The twist is that it's largely run by Specters because only they have enough understanding of and access to the Labyrinth/Maelstrom to keep connectivity up to any degree between locations, and you can tell that it's run by Oblivion because everything is written in .NET. I can tell all the programmers out there because you're cringing right now. Cringing. You understand that would be truly a manifestation of Hell. #### Rebels > *Plenty of vampires don’t agree totally with the queen, and sometimes they form groups.* > > These groups can be united by any social or political idea. The bigger ones can even have some influence, but they are never powerful enough to actually challenge the queen. > [!info] Quest Starter > > A small group of vampires is accusing and exposing a corrupt, bloodthirsty captain they want to take down. Why is taking part in this situation important to you? Who do you support? This isn't actually an interesting question as far as I'm concerned. The options are: - *Yes, there are rebel factions that sometimes come along.* - *The queen's law is absolute and anybody that disagrees will be eliminated.* - *There is an organized group which seeks to make a more egalitarian and liberated existence for vampires.* You would think that the third one would have the most opportunity for interest, but you'd be wrong. Not unless the whole thing is a sham and exists as an independent power grab that pays lip service to individual freedom and self-governance. You know, like the [Sabbat](https://whitewolf.fandom.com/wiki/Sabbat). There is and always has been a bit of an annoying movement to make vampires clean and pretty and sanitized – and I reject it out of hand. It's boring. It's one of the reasons that **[Twilight](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1099212/)** has almost no narrative tension in the only interesting characters are the active antagonists. Guys, if you're going to play characters that literally survive on the acts of rape and murder, let's not pretty it up. Let's just not. #### Blood Sorcery > *The Circle of Circe is a large, influential group of vampire mystics.* > > They are meticulous in their studies, developing complex rituals, and mastering the manipulation of supernatural forces. Their focus on the arcane arts gives them a reputation for being scholars and guardians of occult knowledge within the vampire society. *This alternative gives access to the Circle of Circe NPCs.* > [!info] Quest Starter > > A bag of werewolf blood has been located in the local medical clinic. This not only endangers the Façade, as it would make a potent concoction for rituals, according to the vampire that contacts you. Why are you trusted with this quest? What do you get in return? The real question here is "is there vampire magic?" You can make a legitimate and reasonable argument that folding magic as a separable practice into a vampire setting is unnecessarily gilding the lily. You already have the pseudo-mystical effects that vampires pull off simply by existing, why do you need active, operational mysticism? I would argue that it's because I would want the same thing with scientific exploration, and frankly I would use this group to do *both* things. Science and sorcery in a land gone mad? That's my jam! #### Religion Here we have run into a bit of a brick wall. I don't like any of these choices. - The government has tons of faith (and effectively operates as a State religion of vampires). - The Epitaph Order is a large and influential religious organization. - Almost no undead believes in a bigger power. All of those suck, not to put too sharp a point on the end. The first one is possibly salvageable, but not on its own. It's obviously trying to go for the Anne Rice thing but it's way too shallow. A single vampire religious organization? A single anything is dull. Almost no one believes in a higher power? A nothing is dull. Let's do our own! > *Religion has been one of the greatest, most powerful human motivators over the last – ever.* > > Even when it's just acting as a cover for personal interest, it's massively important. Why wouldn't vampires follow classic dogmas, invent their own variants, and even entirely new religions based on vampiric experience? > [!info] Quest Starter > > An emissary from the vampiric hierarchy of the Catholic Church has come to the city looking to solicit testimony about a potential miracle. How are you involved in what constitutes a vampiric miracle, anyway? #### Deviance > *A large group of vampires called the Egregoros rejects the three basic vampire laws and opposes anyone standing by them.* > > They embrace a more anarchic and brutal existence, engaging in open warfare against their enemies and resorting to violence. *This alternative gives access to the Egregoros NPCs.* > [!info] Quest Starter > > Rumors say the Egregoros are planning to turn a serial killer into a vampire in one of their macabre rituals. How will you stop their plans? It's the Sabbat again. This is really a question about how often the rules of vampire society are broken by vampires. You could decide that the Façade is very rarely even desired to be broken, that vampires don't really want to violate the laws against turning mortals, or using blood links to control other people. (But that's boring.) You could decide that it happens *all the freaking time* – and that sounds really cool, too. Laws which exist as just an excuse to bring down the power of the State against individuals who rouse the wrong attention? I think I could work with that. But I'm going with the Sabbat equivalent because I'm loyal. Besides, turning a serial killer into a vampire? Sounds like you're planning to make someone who's actually happy with their existence. Why would I want to interfere with someone else achieving happiness? #### Werewolves > *…Are a subtype of mindless solitary monsters we call beast people.* > > Beast people are mortals who turn into mindless monsters when the moon is full. Some turn into wolf-people, while others assume forms that remember cats, rats, bears, etc. They’re never organized. This alternative gives access to the Beast People NPCs. > [!info] Quest Starter > > A werecat is terrorizing an area of Santa Maria and bringing unwanted attention from mortals. How will you eliminate this threat? I'm *sick to death* of werewolves. At least as that they have been portrayed in tabletop gaming for the last couple of decades. "The noble savage", the defender of nature, all that garbage. Generally spouted by the same people who consider wearing hoop earrings "cultural appropriation" and couldn't get any whiter if I gave them a a Wonder Bread mayonnaise sandwich.^[For the record, I *love* Wonder Bread mayonnaise sandwiches and I'm as pale as a deep sea fish's belly, so …] I'm so tired of them. Making them the victims of a curse or disease they can't control but which has a natural cycle – that has potential. **[An American Werewolf in London](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082010/)** is a great movie. More of that, please. #### Mortal Magic > *There are a few occultists in Santa Maria.* > > They’re not that many or that powerful. When they’re organized, they form small groups. *This alternative gives access to the Occultist Mortal NPC.* > [!info] Quest Starter > > Occultists are conducting rituals in a beach that belongs to an elder, attracting mortal attention. What do you get in return for stopping them? What do their bizarre rituals involve? I'm quite fond of the idea of mortal magic but [even having been a writer for **Mage**](https://whitewolf.fandom.com/wiki/Convention_Book:_Iteration_X)^[Why yes, [William Albacastle](https://whitewolf.fandom.com/wiki/William_Albacastle) was my playtest character when **Mage** was being developed.], I'm generally sick to death of the "highly organized global major organizations." Possibly because I've met human beings and recognize how much like herding cats that would be. It's hard enough to maintain a global corporation. Trying to hold together a group of more than 20 people who all have access to powers beyond moral ken? I'm much happier with individual practitioners or small groups who have some commonality. Weirdly enough, it's also more historically realistic. #### Elegies > *The precious promises vampires make one another…* We finally get around to the core mechanics that drives so much of games which derive from **Ironsworn**: the swearing. The vows. The promises. The motivations. They get called a lot of things in different games, but the thing they always do is act as a central point which motivates characters in a mechanical way to pursue things which are clearly defined – or at least defined clearly enough to allow you to select a next action to pursue. I actually like all three of the ones given here but – I'm going to make a judgment call. > *…are sealed by a bloody handshake.* > > After a vampire sings an elegy to another individual, each one bites her own palm. They then shake hands, allowing the blood of both to intermingle. When a vampire sings an elegy for herself, she bites both hands and holds them together. > [!info] Quest Starter > > According to your progenitor, the mummified hand of an ancient vampire is somewhere in Santa Maria. I'm fond of the idea that swearing a vow is a ritual action but it doesn't need to have some form of material evidence after the fact. It certainly can; individuals can choose to do otherwise, but simply enacting a ritual behavior suffices to solidify the intent. The only reason documents didn't win in this case is that it effectively just makes a huge target that every single scheme involving someone would have to engage with. Boring. But that does it for world creation! We have determined many, many things that we could not have known if we had started with generating our character. Since all of that has been revealed… Let us move on. ### Character Now that we have a general idea of what's going on, where we are, and what's on the table – we can actually start making a character. #### Concept and Name Milton Warner. Six months ago he installed cable for a living. Not a great living but as long as you were willing to bust your ass, show up to the job, do the job, and then show up to the next job, you could do okay. He was doing okay. Until a vampire needed cable. It wasn't so much that the vampire needing cable was bad as much as it was the fact that they were starving at the time and Milton's entry was awkward. The only reason he survived, despite being physically outmatched in every way, was due to the sheer insane intensity of his intention to remain living. An instinct for survival enough to match the will of a feral vampire. It obviously didn't keep him alive, of course. But it did shake the leech enough to come to her senses and only turn him, not drain him dry. Now he's got to watch his ass, step lightly, and make it until his progenitor can properly present him before the queen. #### Stats There are five surprisingly traditional stats in **Elegy**, laid out 7, 6, 6, 5, 5. These numbers are a lot higher than we might normally be used to – but we *are* a vampire. And we are rolling against D10s. | Stat | Bonus | | ---- | ---: | | Force | 5 | | Dexterity | 7 | | Glamour | 5 | | Intellect | 6 | | Heart | 6 | Milton certainly has a way with handling tools and undeath has not impaired that talent in the least. He was always smart and obviously sheer gumption got him through a particularly ugly time. Beyond that he's not powerful or charming unless you're into that sort of thing. #### Assets The core of every **Ironsworn**-progeny, ironically enough. A combination of skills, powers, backgrounds, and a dozen other things built in with a multipoint advancement track for each one. We get to pick three to start with. Since we are creating a character, we can pick Nature Assets among them. ##### Home Invader ![[Elegy Asset Home Invader.png]] Our man has been in a lot of houses and he's good with his hands. It's not so much that he's engaged in criminal enterprise but you'd be surprised how often you have to get into a locked closet or a raised wiring floor. ##### Articulate ![[Elegy Asset Articulate.png]] More of the ability to be offhandedly charming through sheer awkwardness, Milton can focus and come across as trustworthy. Another useful talent in his line of work. ##### Lunacy ![[Elegy Asset Lunacy.png]] You don't always inherit the best aspects of your parents. In Milton's case, it's definitely not his favorite aspect of his new lifestyle. He has said *"these are not the droids you're looking for"* more than once, though, so it's not a complete bust. #### Equipment Not a concern. We're dressed and equipped appropriately for our vision for the character. We have anything that we might normally have but they don't actually provide any mechanical bonuses unless they're associated with an Asset. In Milton's case: - A low-rent apartment; cozy but unimpressive - His own set of wrenches and a power drill - A total beater of a car #### Background Connections As in many of the other games of its lineage, **Elegy** makes relationships with other characters a first-class mechanical entity. And we can start with three, but one must be our progenitor. Let's see what we can do. | Who | Rank | Progress | | ---- | ---- | ---- | | *Allison Sun*, Milton's progenitor, an adult vampire who ought to have known better. Self-control is not her best trait. | Formidable (1-box) | [*][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] | | *Lethe*, another fledgling vampire that Milton ran into while avoiding the attention of the queen. She lives the mopey-goth un-life-style, which is fine if you're into that sort of thing. | Dangerous (2-boxers) | [*][*][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] | | *Gerald Hakimoto*, Milton's old boss, who really doesn't mind if he takes all the night shift hours. | Troublesome (3-boxes) | [*][*][*][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] | Not going to lie, it took me a minute to figure out how to do a Progress Track using just text. Ten boxes that can have different kinds of marks in them. Challenging! #### Condition Meters We've got three condition meters: health, spirit, and blood. They all start at +5. At this point it's probably fairly obvious what they represent. You've played games before. Focus, the momentum-alike here, starts at +2 and has a max of +10. | Meter | Bonus | | ---- | ---: | | Health | +5 | | Spirit | +5 | | Blood | +5 | | Focus | +2/+10 | #### Background Elegy The capper. The big one. The valve that's going to drive the early part of your game – and potentially your entire game if it's big enough. It may be something that you can never actually accomplish but you're certainly going to try. (Eventually, even a Epic promise can be fulfilled. It just takes work. A lot of work.) In Milton's case, maybe more than usual. It wasn't enough for Allison to give Milton the gift that keeps on giving – and it's a fair question to wonder whether that's vampirism or the ability to drive people insane. No, she had to do it in a fit of absolute loss of self-control, making a childer that she didn't clear with the big boss first. That's often the kind of mistake you don't get to make more than once. The Queen of Atlanta has a sense of humor, at least. Instead of committing Allison to the sun in a fit of irony, she instead ordered that Allison remand Milton to the court of Atlanta for the purpose of serving the will of the elders alongside her. A full vampire with impulse control issues and a neonate with a power drill; they fight vampire crime. | Elegy | Rank | Progress | | ---- | ---- | ---- | | The Song of Service: Fulfill the commands of the queen and court of Atlanta and preserve the law until your obligation be discharged. | Extreme (2-ticks) | [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] | ## Character Sheet That's it! It feels like a lot because it really is kind of a lot. *Generating a setting* and then *building a character* is very much like building two characters in order to play – but now the heavy work is done. Let's see what it looks like. ![[Milton Warner, Vampire Cable Installer.jpg]] ## Exunt There we go. Only the kind of madness that could emerge from the mind of the truly disturbed. I should check; I might be under the effects of Lunacy. Believe it or not, **Elegy** has streamlined mechanics compared to **Ironsworn** and definitely compared to **[[Ironsworn - Starforged|Starforged]]**. There is less overhead discussion of what kinds of things to do, far fewer random oracles to roll on, but all that taken into account – I think it's a great place to start for people who are curious about solo role-playing, love modern supernatural as a theme, and just want to get their feet wet. Time to go make some dinner. Out.