conversations.from: system
conversations.value: *The priestess stands at the precipice of the pit, which is still opening like the hungry maw of a great beast, eager to add more blood to its fetid belly. The priestess sings a song in a language that was dead long before the first syllables of Latin were uttered on this Earth. Though impossible to understand the lyrics now... one cannot possibly mistake the razor sharp cacophony of feelings that the shrieking, lilting tones create in the listener: the sorrow of a mother forced to bury her children, and the fathomless rage that follows such a loss.*
  
  *The sacrifices are nudged closer to the edge of the pit, ringing the edges of it... thirteen of them in total... all waiting for the Siren's blasphemous song to end... all unsure whether they want to song the end... and what that would mean for them.*
  
  *Something glistens in the dark depths of the pit... a bone? A pool of fresh blood? Or something lurking just beyond your sight in the darkness below...*
  
  -----
  
  Welcome ladies and gentlemen to The Circle of the Crone. What is the Circle of the Crone you might ask? Well, it is one of five Covenants... major political/religious factions among the undead in a little tabletop RPG by the name of *Vampire: The Requiem*... 
  
  what does the Circle of the Crone believe? They believe that vampires are the apex predators in the grand food chain of this world, and therefore, they should not have to feel any shame about what they do... do most humans shed a tear for the plate of fried chicken they are about to devour in order to satisfy their hunger? Of course not.
  
  The Circle of the Crone is also a gestalt, a heady and seductive melange of various occult belief systems... both ancient and modern, and all so very different in exact beliefs... but there is one thing they have in common, they represent cults and covens and other such groups that have been persecuted through the centuries now banded together.
  
  This short story, which I have crafted to help test out some new Storium features will be focusing on the Circle of the Crone, specifically, on a recruitment ritual I concocted... and partially based on certain passages from a propbook originally written for *Vampire: The Masquerade*... which book is that? Why, *Revelations of the Dark Mother* of course... which I believe is where the Circle of the Crone truly began in the World of Darkness (new and old).
  
  For the purposes of this game, you will all begin as mortals... some of you may have been training and preparing for this ritual for the last several years of your life, eager to prove yourself worthy of the Dark Gift that the Crones have promised you if you complete your training... others of you are simply hapless fools that wandered where they shouldn't have... or whom the Crones abducted to throw in a few wild cards into the proceedings.
  
  For character creation, I have set up a few **Nature** cards that are based around certain broad personality archetypes. You are free to pick from any of them, or none of them... just keep in mind that if you make a nature, please try to keep it thematically appropriate. Thank you.
  
  As for **Strengths and Weaknesses**... well the new way Storium handles things makes them a bit more flexible so go ahead and make them anything you want... except for weapons or magic or powers of any sort... as those you do not have as mere mortals... and even if you were a police officer or a soldier or a trained assassin or whatever... you will not have any weapons to go in there with you.
  
  Lastly... your **Subplot** should reflect why you are even at the initiation ceremony to begin with... are you a mortal cultist eagerly waiting her chance to prove herself and gain eternal life at the end of this trial you have spent years readying yourself for? Or were you simply at the wrong place at the wrong time and are hopelessly confused? Or have you been watching the Crones' "Nest" for some time and have been trying to connect the dots? Or anything else that might work.
  
  Just keep in mind... that if you are a cultist that has been a part of this group for years... your character is going to be female. No iffs ands or buts about it... the Circle of the Crone is a bit... picky in who they directly recruit.
  
  As to the other natures... anything goes.
  
  So... who wants to be a vampire witch?
  
  Or more to the point... who is going to live long enough to become one?
  
  Yes, character death is something that may happen in this game... but as with everything involving the undead, it may not entirely be the end of your involvement... if you are willing to make the right deal...
  
  **Warning NSFW** ... yeah... its a World of Darkness game... kinda goes with the territory... in this case however... definitely for graphic violence... probably for strong language as well... and maybe some sexual content... and whatever weirdness that the Circle of the Crone can pull off here.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The Dark Master: You know what you want, and are driven to pursue to the point of obsession at times. While this keeps you focused and motivated, others could use this to manipulate you... dangling your end-goal in front of you... always just out of reach... or tempt you with an offer you find impossible to refuse. You have already fallen victim to such a temptation, but this experience has also left you able to quickly gauge goals that others have and you can use this to your advantage... tempt others as you yourself had been tempted.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The Lovers: You feel incomplete, there is something or someone missing in your life. Perhaps you lost a child, a parent, a friend... or a lover.... and have been trying to fill that void for some time. Perhaps you lust for power, or recognition... or to be a part of something greater than yourself. Or maybe you are simply a junkie, wanting to get high on life... for all time. In any case, you are not going to let this opportunity slip from your grasp. 
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The Raven: You are a trickster by nature, and probably an expert liar of some sort by trade. You put on so many masks that you sometimes wonder who you are without them. Perhaps you are an agent of some kind, planted here for some agenda you barely understand yourself... or perhaps its something more personal... or perhaps you are lying to yourself more than anyone else... and are here for a much deeper reason than you realize. In any case, you are here now... so what are you going to do about it?
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The Traitor: You have been betrayed... whether recently, or in your more distant past, and this has left its mark on you... left you bitter or perhaps simply vigilant of future betrayal. You know one thing... the promise you'd made to yourself after you were wronged: Never Again.
  
  This approach has served you well... but, you can't have made many friends because of it... when comes the point where you accept what has happened... and move on?
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Death: You feel as if your life is fast approaching its end... or perhaps you feel that your life had already ended recently. In either case, you struggle to motivate yourself towards any goal or progress in your life. You are also very empathetic and are generally much better at giving advice than following it... at helping others than accepting their help. This self-destructive cycle can't last forever though... it has to end eventually... only question is... to what end? Death of flesh... or something much stranger... a rebirth?
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Make your own!: Nuff said.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Make your own!: Nuff said.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Make your own!: But keep in mind that this might be the card, aside from custom Natures where I might have the most feedback on.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Majesty of the Crone: This woman has an undeniable presence... love her or hate her, your reaction to her is a powerful one either way... no room for middle ground. PLEASE PLAY ONLY ONE CARD ON THIS CHALLENGE. WRITE AS IF YOU WON THE CHALLENGE BY YOURSELF WHEN YOU PLAY YOUR CARD... INDIVIDUALIZED OUTCOMES.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Why is this familiar?: It feels like you've been here before... something about this hallway, or this house makes it seem like you've been here before, maybe before the cult moved in? You know it'll come to you eventually...
  
  PLAY ONLY ONE CARD ON THIS CHALLENGE: INDIVIDUALIZED OUTCOMES.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The Baleful Song: You don't understand the song, but you feel that you might given enough time... wait, why are your ears bleeding?
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The Hierophant's Favor: Whether you are her obedient servant or a would-be suitor, or simply want to get to the bottom of all this, it would be useful, or at least nice to have the head priestess of this ritual like you.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Survive the Ritual: The paler robed cultists are inspecting the assembled initiates, and seem to be weeding out the "unworthy" with extreme prejudice. You may not wish to become a full time member, but you certainly don't want to be  dead.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The Lady's Vitae: You feel stronger, faster, even a little smarter with this blood lifting you up. And if things should get desperate, you may be able to recover from injuries that would otherwise kill someone else... as long as the blood lasts for you anyway. Heh, you might survive a broken neck, but it'll still paralyze you and hurt like hell. Don't push your luck too far buddy.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Frenzied Vampire: Declan's insult has angered one of the cultists and now he must fight back... or get someone else's help.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Survivor: When the odds are against survival, Felicia is the one left standing in the end - whether it is luck, strength, or sheer bloody-mindedness, don't count her out too soon.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Lonely: The same stubborness that has kept Felicia alive has lost her boyfriends and distanced her from her family. 
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Thirst for Power: Felicia craves the power of the Dark Gift and will do anything to win her place in the Circle of the Crone
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Sneaky: You lie, cheat and steal like the best of them.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Naive: You have no idea how The Circle of the Crone or the vampire world operates. But you'll manage....right?
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Catch Me If You Can: You stole some stuff, and ended up using The Circle's base as a hideout...oops.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Determination: "The truth is out there...."
  
  Declan is committed to solving the mystery of his mother's disappearance when he was a child.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Impulsive: Prone to making quick emotional choices, rather than considering all the consequences....
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Relentless: Declan knows that "something strange" came out of the darkness and took his mother from him. He has dedicated his life to learning the truth.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Blind devotion: Felicia is so certain that this dark path is the right one that she is blind to the signs of danger all around her.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Pretty Little Liar: For some reason lying comes as easy to her as breathing. She is incredibly convincing when pulling one over on someone, which is most of the time. Maybe its because she looks so innocent and harmless, but her body language lies along with the rest of her.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Hollow: She can't help but be hollow, without others around her to support her or manipulate her she is nothing. Without people for camouflage she seems to just fade away, and be nothing at all.
  Every girl needs to find a place to belong... even if said girl is a sociopath.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Belonging: Everyone needs a place to belong, where their special talents are appreciated. 
  So far she hasn't been able to find a place she felt at home... Of course plenty of others felt that she belonged in an asylum.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Lovesick: Your lovesick with this "Red Woman", she is your everything.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Frankie: Your mentor in the way of the thief.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Resolution: Declan overcomes his doubts. 
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Swear Fealty: You are loyal to one. That one is her.