If you already know about V:tM, then go directly ahead to the characters. This section is for those who don't know V:tM, or have never role-played.

Everyone gone? Good. Now, for the rest of you....
If you have never role-played, then I'd recommend reading this before we continue. Don't worry. I'll wait. Back? Ok. : )

Vampire is a game of personal horror, created by White Wolf game studio. In this game, you are a vampire. You drink blood, can't stand the sun, and can, if you can survive that long, live to be hundreds of years old. But - crosses, etc. hold no power over you, unless the individual holding it has True Faith, and believes it will hurt you. Running water, garlic....likewise, none of these things will hurt you. And oh yeah...those stories about your reflection, and your native soil are nothing but old wives tails as well.

You became a vampire by your sire - the vampire that made you - first draining you completely of blood, and then giving you some of her/his blood. This is known as the Embrace, or the Becoming. As a vampire, you are a member of a clan, the same clan that your sire was. These clans have different strengths, weaknesses, and basic characteristics. Depending on your clan, you have certain powers - the unusual strength, flight, shapeshifting, etc. from vampire folklore. I won't go into details...if you're that interested, go buy the book from White Wolf ! You won't regret it. : )

These clans are divided into two sects or groups of clans: the Camarilla and the Sabbat. The basic difference between these is that the Camarilla follows the Masqurade, meaning they actively hide their existence from mortals. The Sabbat, on the other hand, see humans as nothing more than vessels for blood...at best, as animals. They could care less if the morals know about them. Generally speaking, unless you specifically choose otherwise, assume your character is in the Camarilla. There is a third group of vampires: those who claim allegiance to neither the Camarilla, or the Sabbat. They are known as Anarchists. Some clans fall under this category, but any vampire may choose to leave their sect. Depending on what that sect was, they may even "live" through the experience.

The sects control different parts of the world. For example, the Sabbat control most of the southern United States, and the Camarilla more of the northeastern Untied States. California is mostly controlled by the Anarchs. For a vampire to go into a city controlled by the other sect is extremely dangerous, because the sects are at war for control. Some cities are disputed; this can often lead to battles in the streets, and assassinations of powerful vampires.

The world of Vampire is a lot like our world, but you must remember that it is not our world. It is much darker. It is full of corruption and other petty evils; it is a much scarier place to live. In just about any major city, you can find vampires, and in most cases, they are the ones in control. This is one reason the world of Vampire is so dark.

In these cities, among the vampires all is not equal. In every city controlled by the Camarilla, there is a prince and a council of elders in charge. It is their job to ensure that the masquerade is followed, and to cover things up when it isn't. They control whether a mortal can be made a vampire, and the right to "life" or death within their realms. If a vampire breaks the Masquerade, be it by tearing the throat of the major out, on national television, or by creating childer (other vampires) the prince has the right to declare a blood hunt on a certain vampire. This means all vampires within the city will seek to destroy the vampire the hunt has been called on. They may even seek out the unlucky vampire. Oh, and BTW: prince is a title; the prince can be either male or female, they are still the prince. There is no such thing as a princess.