The Lost Conscience Society
Article by Matt Machell (May 2001)
Introduction
The coterie below is designed to slot into a camarilla chronicle. The kindred who are members are all young, and somewhat jaded camarilla members, the type of people who starting PCs might fall in with all too easily. I've been brief with stats, only mentioning notable abilities and disciplines, give coterie members stats which you think are appropriate to your chronicle.
History
The lost conscience society was formed in 1998 by a group of ancilla
lead by the Brujah Anita Sykes. The group is made up of young kindred,
most of whom are no older than 50 years. They have one thing in common,
they are already tiring of their unlives and are looking for something
new. Most find life in the comfotable camarilla too dull and constraining,
but are not really brave enough to strike out on their own or become
anarchs. They need the safety net provided by their sires protection,
and the Camarilla's heirarchy. They meet at a club owned by Anita, here,
in an endless series of circular discussions they try to find reason
in their unlives.
In 1997, Anita went to Paris with he sire, where she visited a particularly torid elder Salon. On her return she decided that what the young kindred really needed was to experiment with new experiences, to this end she began the Lost Conscience Society. The basic premise of which was simple, in order to experience events from a new perspective, one must leave behind ones mortal perceptions of what is right. Early on they experimented with all sorts of mortal perversions and fetishes, though none of these fads actually lasted for more than a few months. The cities elders watched with amusement for a while, then eventually bored of their childers antics and returned to their nightly politiking, reasoning that if the neonates were busy experimenting, they weren't plotting to kill them.
Things changed in 1999. The group had lost the support of some of it's more fleeting members, leaving a core of 4 kindred. Anita, Harry Baker of the Ventrue, Simon Warwick of the Toreador, Edmund Holst of the Malkavians. The group might have folded then, had not random chance brought a Sabbat Pack their way. A group of Nomadic Sabbat had entered the city, and by poor choice and or poor scouting, had chosen Anita's club as a place to take over. The Pack started on the mortals in the front of the club, only to quickly be set upon by Anita's ghouls and the members of the society, who had been meeting in a back room. The battle was brief and bloody, but concluded with the final death of all but one Sabbat member.
The survivor was Nico, the least combat ready of his pack. Anita and the others, after vacating the building and calling in a favour to cover up this "gang violence" with the local police, set about interogating him. Baker and Holst did most of the work, Bakers dominate and Holsts knowledge of Psychology combined to make Nico very forthcoming. After a months worth of questioning the Society had something new to experiment with, they had discovered Paths of Enlightenment.
The group are currently engaging in all sorts of research and experimentation, not all of which has been successful. Their interogation of Nico has given them much in the way of new knowledge, but their are serious gaps. To this end they are currently consolidating that knowledge and attempting to acquire information from other sources, including several older camarilla kindred and members of independent clans. They have never mentioned to the cities authorities that they captured a Sabbat member, and thus have to be careful of keeping secret the Cainite chained in Anita's basement.
PCs will likely encounter the society as it attempts to dig up information on paths and kindred philosophy. If the characters have occult connections or are members of independent clans, they may approach them for information. The Society are always interested in anything new, so visitors to the city will often be appraoched just because they break the monotony of city life. Characters whose PCs seem jaded with Camarilla society may be approached with a view to joining the coterie.
The Members:
Anita Sykes
10th generation Brujah
Sire: Phillipe Jouon
Apparent age: Late 20s
Embrace: 1969
Appearance: Anita favours modern trouser suits in plain colours,
prefering fringe labels and new designers to big names. She has blue
eyes and dark brown hair, is of average height and slightly bulkier
than normal for her height, she has a very attractive face.
Background: Anita was a philosophy student in the sixties, and
involved in the student activism of the time. She protested against
globalisation and the vietnam war. Her heart wasn't really in the causes,
but her good looks and natural charisma made her a noticable member
of the group. She gained quite a reputation on campus, which was more
than she really wanted, and by the end of 1969 was ready to drop out
of it. However media coverage drew the attention of her sire.
Anita was less than enarmoured with the world of the Camarilla, and
fell in with other neonates who thought the same. She went Anarch for
a few years, but found the atmosphere too violent and returned to her
home city. She dislikes the Camarilla heirarchy, but enjoys the comfort
it provides, especially due to her well thought of sire.
She started the Society as a foil for her boredom, and has kept the
members together with her natural charisma. Her interest in philosophy
has made her particularly keen on investigatring the paths of enlightenment.
Her experiments so far have unfortuantely brought her closer to the
beast, and it is only a matter of time before this change is observed
by ther cities kindred.
Roleplaying notes: You need new experience to brighten your unlife,
and the capture of Nico has provided an opportunity you must capitalise
on. The important thing is to keep the whole affair secret, but keep
up with research and get your head round this new morality thing. Be
calm, charming and considerate, and hope that you can grasp these new
concepts before your beast overtakes you.
Notable traits: Humanity 3, Charisma 4, Manipulation 4, Leadership
4, Academics 3, Potence 2, Presence 3, Celerity 1
Edmund Holst
11th Generation Malkavian
Sire: Unknown
Apparent age: early 30s
Embrace: 1983
Appearance: Holst dresses in badly fitting suits and doesn't
really care for his appearance. He has a permanent stubble, and scruffy
brown hair.
Background: Edmund Holst was one of the brightest stars of the
Criminal Psychology department. His ability to profile the pysche of
criminals was unsurpassed. He profiled killers and terrorists with ease,
with his natural ability to get inside the heads of those he followed.
He was shot on duty in 1981, and had to receive an emergency blood transfusion.
It would only be later that he discovered that the doner was the cities
sherif.
The last case he worked on was that of a serial killer, who only attacked
at night and left horrific cuts all over the victims. Holst's profile
of the killer was perfect, right down to the fact that the killer believed
himself to be a vampire, unfortunately, it wasn't a belief. The hunter
became the hunted and Holst didn't escape with his life. His sire fell
to a camarilla bloodhunt, and the Sherif who destoryed him spared Holst,
due to his usefulness as a tool. He has since proved useful to the Kindred
of the city during bloodhunts, where his profiles help when tracking
renegade kindred.
Derangement: Holst has a need to understand his enemies, and
to truely understand them he must become them. Whenever he studies somebody,
or even just talks to them, he will slowly begin to pick up their character
traits and mannerisms, the more involved in the study he becomes, the
more obvious these signs become. Eventually it will reach the point
where his original personality is completely subsumed.
Roleplaying notes: You would have left the Society a long time
ago had it not been the the opportunity to study Nico. He intrigues
you, almost too much. If it weren't for your other duties to the cities
Sherif, you'd be studying him full time.
Notable traits: Humanity 4/Path of Power and the Inner Voice
5(due to the current target of his derangement), Dementation 3, Auspex
2
Harry Baker
9th gen Ventrue
Sire: Roger Deacon, Ventrue Primogen
Apparent age: Late 30s
Embrace: 1992
Appearance: Well turned out in a smart business suit, he wears
thick glasses and has short cropped hair.
Background: Harry Baker made his money by selling those little
bits of computers which don't seem important: wires, cabling, LEDs.
He sold his company in 1989, and used the profit to fuel a technologies
investment firm. His success on technology based stocks brought him
to the attention of Roger Deacon, a notable stockmarket analyst, who
needed advice on the new technology firms. Baker served well, and was
rewarded for his service by the embrace. He still makes considerable
money by finding the companies who sell essential components for larger
products and buying them out.
His enthusiasm has waned in the last few years, especially after the
DOTCOM crash. He joined the society in the hope of finding something
more exciting than endless share trading. He liked the idea of distancing
himself from humanity, because he was never really that close to begin
with.
It was his idea to keep Nico and interrogate him, and his competance
at dominate that has allowed the Society such success. Baker knows this,
and basks in the prestige it grants him. He worries that the others
are too indiscriminate in their dealings and may get them all in very
deep trouble. He is therefore preparing to betray the group, and better
his Camarilla standing in the best possible way at the same time.
Roleplaying notes: Details are important, other people, and other
Kindred, always overlook the details. You are strategic and believe
in forward planning. Some might consider you dull, and it is that repeated
misconception which drove you to branch out and seek new horizons though
the Society. You worry about being discovered, and believe that it is
inevitable. You mean to avoid being discredited at all costs.
Notable traits: Humanity 4, Dominate 3,Fortitude 2, Resources
4, Prey Limitation: Blue Collar Workers
Simon Warwick
12th Generation Toreador
Sire: Wilson Garrick
Apparent age: Late 40s
Embrace: 1981
Appearance: Simon cares little about his appreance, his clothes
haven't been cleaned in several months and are covered in stains and
cigarette ash.
Background: Simon Warwick had a promising career as an artist.
His paintings and sculpture sold for millions, and graced the walls
of many of the worlds wealthiest men. He was winded and dined by admirers
of his work, he attended parties and had his ego massaged by critics
the world over. Then he was embraced.
The transformation to inhuman monster, combined with the social pressure
of camarilla society, broke him. Simon couldn't handle it, his creativity
fell, his concentration was destroyed. He couldn't focus on work with
a raging beast nagging in his ear, and his sire urging him at every
opportunity to create newer works to boost his prestige. He went to
pieces. He took to feeding from drugged up nouveau riche and intoxicated
clubbers in an effort to passify his beast and calm his mind.
It was Anita who picked him up off the gutter and gave him something
to do with his unlife. She saw in him somebody who really needed a new
purpose, and as such was an ideal member of her coterie. Simon enjoyed
the early degenerate evenings at Anitas club, as they reminded him of
his mortal days. Maybe there was something worth "living"
for afterall.
Roleplaying notes: You really care very little about anything.
You do your best to make your own life hell, if only everybody else
would let you get on with it. You respect Anita, because she seems to
genuinely care, and enjoy her little club, it provides a momentary distraction
from the emptiness of your existence.
Notable traits: Prey Exclusion (Only intoxicated mortals), Humanity
3
Nico Frost
9th Generation Lasombra
Sire: Lombardi
Embrace: 1925
Appearance: Nico would noramlly be wearing a armani suit, but his
current incarceration has left him chained and gagged in the basement
of Anitas club with a stake through his heart, wearing the ragged leftovers
of a biker outfit.
Background: Nico is much more capable than he is letting on. His
mission in the city is one of manipulation and conversion. The Sabbat
are making plans to take the city, but before the crusade begins there
is some subtle groundwork to be done, this work is Nicos department
and he plays his role well.
Early scouting missions to the city revealed the existence of the Lost
Conscience Society. They intrigued Nico, who recognised the fact that
with a little clever manipulation, some of them could be turned to the
Sabbat. They had already chosen to dabble in distancing themselves from
Humanity, all they needed was a push in the right direction. So,
with a group of newly embraced shovel heads, Nico "attacked"
Anitas club. Feigning injury, he let himself be captured and dominated,
carefully seeding ideas in the heads of his captors. Slowly he
is corrupting the members of the society, pushing them towards inhumanity
and rebelious acts against their sires. It is a slow and subtle stratagem,
but if it succeeds the Sabbat will have insider contacts with access
to the upper echelons of Camarilla society in the area. Even
if this fails, he'll still be able to give an extensive report of Camarilla
activities in the city
Roleplaying notes: You pretend to be the prisoner, to be a caged
beast, and to be cowed by Bakers inexpert dominate. You give out hints
and secrets every now and again, slowly moving the pieces into place.
Already the Malkavian is begining to think like a Sabbat member, and
others won't be far behind, as long as you can keep the act up and nobody
of real power discovers your existence.
Notable Traits: Willpower 8, Dominate 3, Potence 2, Manipulation
5, Path of Power and the Inner Voice 5
Story Hooks
There are many ways for PCs to become involved in the society. If they
are new Camarilla PCs Anita could invite them to join the Coterie. The
group still runs it's parties and experiments with inhumane passtimes.
PCs can quickly find themselves on the road to the beast if they stay
too long. Try to play up how reasonable the society seem, and the peer
pressure issues involved. Alternatively their sires, or primogen members
might recruit them into investigating the society and infiltrating it.
Maybe your PCs have something the society needs for it's research, this
is especially true if the PCs are independants who follow paths, or
former sabbat members.
Sabbat PCs may be sent to "rescue" Nico, when the local Bishop
grows bored of the softly softly approach. This can lead to the Sabbat
having many blackmail opportunities with members of the society, or
being sent to recruit Holst or one of the others.