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2025-02-26

Dev Diary #27: The Cast of Mortals

What makes a vampire distinct? What transforms them from “alluring nocturnal wizards” to memorable creatures of horror, monsters in all but looks? Tonight, we take a look at this element: the mortals.

The characters you are about to see are all caught up in Seattle’s vampire underworld in one way or another. Most are unaware, thinking their misfortune the result of bad luck rather than the interference of vampires. Such is the way of the Masquerade.

If Everyone is a Vampire

To achieve the stark contrasts essential to gothic horror fiction, the vampire must be viewed through the attraction, addiction, and terror they inspire. Every mortal is a lens through which the audience — and player — sees a sliver of the vampire as they appear to the living world.

They are the canvas on which the Kindred wield their bloody brush, for to be a vampire is to possess terrible powers, allowing one to use and abuse people as tools, food, and pleasure. (Of course, the ratio of these three also says something about a vampire’s moral nature.) Most of all, mortals elevate the vampire experience, providing the backdrop against which the undead stand in bloody relief.

After all, if everyone is a vampire, then no one is.

- World of Darkness Head of Creative Management, Karim Muammar

Mortals in Seattle

Pandora Graves

"I know that you are powerful. That you are artful. That you are dangerous. That you conceal a well of such pain, deep inside you. I share that pain too. I am so glad to be in your presence."

A girl calling herself Pandora stumbles into a bar in Seattle in velvet and eyeshadow knowing too much about the Kindred and yet knowing very little about life. Who is she really, who’s been feeding her information, and does she realise how close she is to death? It’s unlikely - she seems to have a bad case of main character syndrome.

Verona De Lancey

"A deep sleeper? A goddamn deep sleeper? It is eight o'clock at night and I've been standing out here for an hour! Well I am sorry to interrupt your me-time, but someone wants to kill me and no-one seems to care!"

Verona left her wealthy parents to come to Seattle to find a little excitement. Given the elegantly-calligraphed death-threat she just found in her purse after a night on the town, she has achieved her aim…

Dale Beecher

"Oh, hey there. I got your list, somewhere - check over by the pizza boxes? We brewed up a new batch of elixirs, but my guy took some and left me this neat cloudberry candle. You want a sniff?"

Dale is so laid back that he’s almost horizontal. He is certainly aware that Kindred society exists, but only in the same way that he’s aware that cleaning products exist, or personal hygiene. They’re out there, occasionally he crosses paths with them, but he wouldn’t call any of them close companions.

Mr. Lemon

"Ma frien', life'sss a bowl o cherries. Schweet, sticky, full o' color, an... an... uh... Lemony, lemony moss..."

No-one knows what Mr. Lemon’s real name is, but that’s okay, because neither does he. He’s been in the SPD’s drunk-tank for a few days now and still hasn’t sobered up. He keeps muttering about citrus fruit and seems to think Seattle might be his mother.

Guru

"Well now, my man, I can see the ghosts in your trail. Don't pay them no mind. You can always lay them down gentle. Just find your purpose."

There are a few people in Seattle who claim to sense the out-of-the-ordinary. Guru talks about seeing ghosts, but that doesn’t seem to disturb him. He’s usually to be found close to the rest of his biker friends near The Dutchman bar.

Carla

"You know how it is. When the call comes to you to help others, you see so many faces. They blur together for a time, and I guess, I guess, it all just got too much... I started to forget..."

Carla used to be a dedicated paramedic, but somewhere along the way something went wrong, and she parted ways with her employers. You’ll still found her out on the streets though, helping where she can, dispensing medicine that she must have got through less-than-legitimate means.

Reggie

"Do you hear the city? It's waiting there for you. Become one with its heartbeat... sharing is the route to nirvana."

Reggie is a bum. He’s philosophical about it - he has his own view of the city, how the city functions, and where he can make a difference. He haunts Pioneer Square and usually has a good idea what’s going on in the nearby streets.

Marigold

"For a few bucks I can show you the heavens - one way or another."

Marigold is a familiar figure in the streets near Atrium - she's been plying her trade to passing johns for a long time now. Her side gig is prognostication through astrology. Whether her predictions are accurate, who knows? She believes with a whole heart.

Shelby

"The end is nigh, yet it is a gentle end that will carry us to rapture."

Shelby was a trader in a major financial organization until six months ago, when she was granted a Revelation. Now she walks the streets of uptown Seattle making sure everyone is aware of the coming Rapture. According to Shelby it is nothing to fear.

Officer Wheeler

"I gotta wonder what craziness you're bringing into our station this time. Just do whatever you do, and I better not hear any... well, you know. Any. Just... don't."

Wheeler is a solid, dependable officer of Seattle’s Police Department. Although he does have problems with his memory, from time to time. And is aware that... everything isn’t quite as it should be. It’s probably best to focus on the things that he does understand, like desk duty, and not to think too hard about the rest.

Mortal outcomes

These are only some of the mortals you will encounter in the game. What you do with them is up to you. Whether you treat them with respect, contempt, or simply as the next meal, their lives may be irrevocably changed by the encounter. Some will never sleep easy again. Others will spend every night looking for you. And some — perhaps many — will face death, victims of Hunger, fury, or casual whim.

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