Children of the Lost Eden

I. Information

Domain Name: Children of the Lost Eden
Domain Number: NY-004-D
Venue: Mage the Awakening
Venue Name: The Fallen Bulwark
Venue Storyteller: Rachel Sankersingh
Storyteller Contact: nyc.awakening@gmail.com
Games Hosted On: First Saturday of each month.

II. Styles of Play

Action Combat and Challenges: 2
Character Development: 5
Darkness – PC death and corruption: 2
Drama – Ceremony and grand story: 3
Intrigue – Politics and negotiation: 3
Manners – Social etiquette and peer pressure: 2
Mystery – Enigmas and investigation: 4
Pace – How fast stories develop: Moderate
Rating Description: 1 Never present, 2 Sometimes present, 3 Often present, 4 Usually present, 5 Always present
The Storytelling Staff reserves the right to ask participants of a scene to run the scene theatrically and with role-playing rather than with challenges.

III. Venue Description

1. Setting
The city of New York has been home to many of the supernatural forces within our world, calling this place home and residing within it’s tallest of buildings and darkest of alleys. Throughout the years, the mere presence of the supernatural has warped and twisted the Tapestry within the city and has made the streets of New York a dangerous place to walk through. The Consilium of the local Mages has fallen to paranoia in the past year due to the pernicious influence of a powerful Tremere Lich that seized power as the Hierarch of the city and twisted many of the most powerful Mages to his service, capturing the newly Awakened to be used as his food and subverting the five Orders to do his bidding by oaths enforced with powerful Fate-magic. Mages that traveled from neighboring Consiliums finally helped to put this Lich to rest once and for all, leaving the untainted Mages paranoid about what influences might still be lingering amongst their fellow Mages to capture their brethren and work towards the destroyed Lich?s subversive goals… or in the Westchester Division of the New York-Presbyterian Hospital, an asylum for the clinically insane that was used to house individual Mages to await consumption. Many of them scattered to the Islands that surrounded New York, there to be left alone while they sheltered and defended themselves from the angered Spirits and Ghosts that grew in numbers and strength over the years of strife.
In Manhattan, many of the recently Awakened have found themselves being visited by those who survived the time of troubles, coming forth from their secluded Islands around New York, starting to tread once more on the more solid ground of the New York Boroughs. The future of the city now rely upon what the experienced mages and the newly awakened alike can do to find a balance amongst staying in the city, repairing the Gauntlet and the Twilight Realms, and re-establishing a new Consilium out of the ashes of paranoia that drove the five Orders apart from each other as the paranoia surrounding the fall of the city leadership burned all too brightly, not just lancing the wound upon the Consilium?s heart but sparking all too near to a witch-hunt as distrust and grudges cast the spotlight of distrust upon everyone in the Consilium, each in their turn.
Queens & Brooklyn are connected by the same landmass they share, and while not sharing the same fate as the fall of the Bronx, the local Gauntlet seems to thin more and more as the landmass stretches out towards Long Island, seeming almost non-existent once the more rural areas of Long Island begin. The local parks and trees seem to grow a bit greener then the other areas of New York and the cultures of the local neighborhoods seem to be vibrant with an almost mystical feeling. The Spirits here pay notice to many of the superstitious, mystically inclined, and religious immigrants who bring their practices with them from far-away countries. Just walking the very streets of these neighborhoods and not respecting the local cultures or the natural wildlife could bring ill fortune to those who wouldn’t believe in such superstitions.
Staten Island is home to quite a few of New York City’s residents, and housed a major dumping site for most of its trash as well. Here, the borough seems to be very strongly tied to the Twilight, but not in the sense that the worlds intertwine. Instead, the ghosts of the dead seem to dwell within the area, perhaps not by choice, but the landfills hold many of their fetters that give them the strength to exist within their Realm. Junkyards and landfills in the Twilight are graveyards of memories and accomplishments, brimming with Pathos for the Dead who no longer have any more experiences to share or enjoy. They find themselves re-enacting their favorite or most traumatic life experiences over and over in the places that they are confined too, giving off the rumors that many of Staten Island’s barren landfills are haunted. While very few Mages reside in this area, those who do understand that they must give the Dead their space and respect their fetters unless they would wish to join them in the Twilight.
The Bronx, due to its unfortunate circumstance to attract the supernatural as well as the violent tendencies of the mortals, has become a place very few Mages would dare to travel through unless they had a master of Death or the Spirit Arcanum to guide them. Here, the Gauntlet barely stands between the Shadow Realm and the Fallen World, and the misery, hate, anger, and regrets all seem to awaken the souls of the recently deceased who feel they have to cling onto this world since it was unfairly ripped away from them. The very buildings themselves look as if they cry out in pain as crumbled bricks have fallen from their structures to the concrete below, the peeling paint gives way to murky and water-damaged walls and rusted iron grating, and the floors creek and bend with unsteady shifting as the wood clings on to the last semblance of sturdiness it has. The people seem to survive rather then live in the Bronx, as each day they are thankful for just not being taken by the dying borough or what watches them jealously through the Twilight.
City Island, known as one of the best places to get Seafood in the city amongst mortals, has become a sort of shelter to those who survived the times of troubles, making it a Demense to be shared by those of the former Consilium as well as safe-haven for traveling Mages who have to pass through the surrounding area and training-ground for the inexperienced youths who have been freed or Awakened since the Tremere-Lich?s destruction. The island always seems to be surrounded by a constant fog, as the waters always remain calm but give off the feeling that something beneath the surface lurks and watches you. During the daytime, the sun can rarely be seen as the illumination comes from gray-lit clouds up above. People go about their daily business while odd coincidences and occurrences happen frequently… making every green light while driving down the roads or finding a parking spot exactly where you wanted to go. The Mages use their magic freely around here since the sleepers have come to accept it as just part of the personal charm of living on an under-populated island rather then it being more than a coincidence. But at night, barely a soul is found on the streets as everyone stays in their homes and lock their doors, they know subconsciously to stay safe during these hours as the Mages of the Demense tend to have interactions… And sometimes battles with the Spirit Court on the Island.
2. Timeline
1928 – New Yorks first Consilium is formed after decades of having only a handful of Awakened within the city. With the influx of immigrants came cultures from far away lands… And the Mages who practiced Magic from those beliefes as well.
2006 – A powerful Tremere Lich decided to start slowly making Mages “Dissapear” from the Local Consilium’s population, having them captured and held in an Assylum in Westchester. There, he would feed of their life force and drain away their magical essence. It wasn’t until gathering Consiliums from afar decided to lend their hand and putting a stop to the Tremere Lich’s reign of terror and ending him once and forall.
2007 – Since the Mages have been away for far too long, the Spirit Courts as well as the Gauntlet have become uncontrolled and have allowed many entities across the Material Realm to do as they please. It was this year that the Mages left alive from the events of the Tremere Lich, gathered and discussed what could be done to reconstruct the Consilium as well as what is to be done with the uncontrolled spirits of New York.
3. Places of Power
City Island – On the edge of the Island lays the Sea Food Resturaun “Sal’s Seafood” A vast sprawling resturaunt that almost mimics a cafeteria, that stands on the edge of a rocky outlook over the Atlantic Ocean. Unknown to Mortals, it houses lower levels underneath the resturaunt that houses a vast library and audience chamber for the Mages of New York. It is considered a Demense with a 5 Security/5 Size Sanctum rating that also includes a 5pt Guardian Spirit and a Lowered Sanctum Gauntlet of -2. Sal’s Seafood serves as the only resting place and safe havens for a Mage to stay before travelling through the Bronx if they must.

IV. Storytelling Mechanics

1. Proxy Rules:
All proxy requests to the NYC Camarilla Mage venue must be received by the Venue Storyteller in writing or email no less than 48 hours in advance. Proxies fall into two categories; ?Soft? proxies (proxies which involve no tests, and may be run by players over IRC, IM etc) and ?Hard? Proxies (which are run by the Storyteller staff). The ST determines which category a proxy falls under, and may at any time change a proxy from Soft to Hard. At such time, the ST will freeze the scene to collect the needed information. a. Soft Proxies may be done with an email to the VST containing the following: Player?s Name, Player?s ST Contact Information, Character?s Name, Dates of Travel (Arrival and Departure), Means of Travel, Lodging Plans, and a Character on the local VSS who is aware of the proxying character?s presence. b. Hard Proxies require permission from the VST and require the following: i. Full character sheet. This includes any special approvals for items/powers/influence/merits/flaws that require special approvals. Without proof of these approvals, those special approval items will **NOT** be used in the proxy. ii. VST / DST / RST contact information (e-mail address at minimum). I will need to able to confirm things with them and give them the results of the proxy so they can incorporate said results into their games. iii. Clearly stated goals for your character. Preferably a copy of the character questions asked during the approvals process. You need to be as precise as possible when you state your character’s goals and actions for the proxy. Any information that is left out will be left up to the storyteller staff to include. Assumptions can and will be made if necessary. iv. Contingency plans & Exit strategy. Please include contingency plans as the best-laid plans are sometimes disrupted. Without the contingency plans, the storyteller staff will make decisions for the characters. These decisions may or may not be what the players would have done c. All Proxies: Players agree to the following conditions. If you are not comfortable with these conditions, then do **not** proxy your character. i. All proxy play is final. There are no do-overs. Death or worse are possibilities. In every proxy scene, there are inherent dangers. Players who agree to proxy are being made known these results are possibilities of proxy play. ii. While in proxy play, the character will not play any place else or in other proxy scenes, or electronic forums. This includes the use of powers to co-locate or move outside the body.
2. Experience Award Guidelines
a. Per Game: The experience reward for a game session is FOUR experience points per player. If a player plays two PC?s for the session, they may divide the FOUR experience points as they see fit between the two PC?s, but may never exceed FOUR total points between the two PC?s. Additional XP may be awarded by the STs for good roleplay, costuming, and other goodies. b. Chronicle: If a house player submits a chronicle (or Live Journal entry) detailing what their characters did at the session, she/he will receive ONE additional XP. c. Downtime: Two weeks after game, a house player may submit a write up of downtime and goals, where they will be rewarded ONE additional XP for their work. House Players may also earn this downtime award through Soft Roleplay with other players, if they notify the STs.
3. Visiting Character Guidelines:
As most players in the venue are low to moderate in MC; visiting characters will be asked about their goals when entering the city and asked to follow ?big dog? guidelines, deferring to characters with local status. The Storytellers reserve the right to deny entry to characters that will be unbalancing or detrimental to the stability of the game. The Storytellers also reserve the right to yank such a character from play.
4. Antagonists:
Focus will be on the internal social struggle of the city?s Mages. Political intrigue and mysteries lingering from the past will factor heavily on the city?s Mages, as well as potential difficulties with venue antagonists such as Abyssal manifestations, Seers of the Throne, and Left-Handed Legacies. Other monsters, spirits, and ghosts may on occasion appear to challenge characters for pieces of the WoD. Mortals will be used both as antagonists and victims, and to explore the implications of magical activity on the world at large.
5. Travel Risks:
With numerous points of entry, travel into New York carries a negligible risk. While travel into New York is easily negotiated, it is the city itself that is the greatest risk to mages. The NYPD has become one of the foremost law enforcement agencies in the world, rivaling that of many small countries. Any number of institutions are infiltrated by the city?s Vampires, making the comings and goings of outsiders almost certain to be noticed. Exactly who takes notice can make a character’s trip pleasant or painfully deadly. Manhattan is considered ?Safe? territory. Venturing through the other boroughs without knowing who controls what invites disaster.
6. Restricted Items:
Storytellers reserve the right to disallow the following: explosives, military hardware, WMD and other mass casualty or instant kill devices. No Cross-venue character will be allowed without appropriate approvals and convincing roll-playing reasons. The teaching of cross-venue lores or the gifting and/or trading of cross-venue items will be scrutinized. Items with custom mechanics may not be used without the appropriate approval numbers and written explanation of those mechanics.