conversations.from: system
conversations.value: London has many faces.
  
  The upper echelons of society enjoy unparalleled luxury and decadence while, minutes away, the desperate poor beg, steal, and kill for their daily bread. The deep-rooted histories of the most storied noble families are in evidence on all sides, and yet the splendours of the world's far corners are never more than a coach ride away.
  
  But you, to your misfortune, are one of the few who know that London's duplicity goes ever so much deeper.
  
  The booming metropolis, for all its filth and all its beauty, is merely the surface. There are deep shadows in London, and in their seclusion and obfuscation, a darker city is taking shape:
  
  It is a place where Resurrection Men ply their gruesome trade in service to scientists who seek to wrest the ultimate secret from the hands of the Creator himself.
  
  A place where nightmare creatures stalk their human prey, the city's anonymity and ever-changing populace leaving them free to feed upon a humanity which dismisses them as the stuff of novels and penny dreadfuls.
  
  A place where Saints and Demons war for human souls, their battles fought both in lightning-torn skies and in the secret hearts of the faithful and the lost.
  
  Splendour and squalor. Life and Death. Light and Dark... And you, who by fate or folly or ambition, have chosen to walk the twisting paths between these things. 
  
  ***
  
  Shadows Over London is a horror/mystery/adventure story intended as an homage to Victorian London's rich Gothic tradition, with a dash of early Weird fiction thrown in for good measure.
  
  Players will take on the roles of investigators, adventurers, monsters, or other oddities who have, one way or another, become aware of the city's supernatural dark side.
  
  I don't wish to put out excessive plot detail here, because I would prefer to specifically tailor the plot to player backstories to give the greatest possible sense of relevance and engagement to the players, but suffice it to say that the story will begin with a disappearance, a baffling crime scene, and a nightmare that is too real to ignore.
  
  Players ought to use the natures, strengths, weaknesses, and sub-plots provided as a guide toward making characters prone to becoming embroiled in this dark mystery, but please don't feel bound to using only those cards. If you have a different idea on what to play that fits into the Gothic/Weird theme, I'd love to discuss it via PM.
  
  You'll surely notice the lower number of strength cards than weakness cards. This is because I strongly believe that each character should start with a strength that is based in their personality or mind, rather than overt powers or physical prowess (not that your characters can't be incredible in these regards. Wild strengths and all that). Once again, if you have something to add, I'll be glad to chat about it.
  
  I intend on this being a very "yes, and" type of story, with players exerting lots of narrative control. I have some ideas, but I enjoy a good surprise as much as anyone :)
  
  Ideally, I would like 3-5 players for the game, all of whom are willing to post in the neighborhood of every other day if not more frequently. 
  
  I value open communication above all else, by PM and in the comments section. Every issue, from character generation to posting to schedule issues, and anything else that may occur, can be handled far better if everybody's on the same page.
  
  Feel free to PM me with any questions. I look forward to discovering what dark intrigues lurk in the shadows with you all!
  
  
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Scientist: You are an explorer in the exciting new revelations provided by careful experimentation and observation. How "mad" you may or may not be is up for debate.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Adventurer: You have traveled widely and along many dangerous roads. The mysterious Orient, Darkest Africa, even the lawless frontiers of America are not vistas beyond your ambition. 
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Spiritualist: Whether it is through séance, mediumship, tarot, psychometry, prophetic dreaming, or some other method, you observe and interact with a world scarcely guessed and seldom believed by others.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Scholar: Through long, hard study, you have achieved true expertise in the area of your scholarship. There is nary a minute fact or bit of lore with which you are not intimately familiar in your chosen field.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Foreigner: Hailing from the deserts of the Near East, the dark heart of Africa, the American West, or some other far-flung place, you bring with you the skills, knowledge, and perspective of a truly exotic foreigner.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Upper Class: Whether by blood or by industry, you have risen to command great social status and monetary resources. You walk in elite circles and are well-respected, if only to your face.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Lower Class: London's shadowy alleys, miserable gutters, and hidden ways have been home to you for long and long. You may not have much, but you navigate the city and its various underworlds with savvy and pragmatism.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Clergy: London is as a machine whose workings are fueled by human misery. If ever there was a city that needed the mercy of the Lord, London is she. You endeavor to spread the light of your faith and charity to all you can.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Werewolf: Cursed blood flows in your veins, and the full moon brings forth the beast in red rage and slaughter. Do you fight against your affliction? Do you revel in it? The one certain thing is that you are unique, and dangerous.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Vampiric Thrall: Having been fed upon by your dark Master, you have begun the slow change that will end with your transcendence over mortality. Already, the Master's power has begun to grow within you... along with its thirst.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Homunculus: Created, not born. You are the product of mad experimentation, ancient alchemy, blasphemous sorcery, or some other unnatural process. Are you more than human? Less? There are none like you; to whom do you turn?
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Charming: Putting people at ease and convincing them to see things your way, or merely to like you, has always come naturally to you.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Observant: Your eye and mind are sharp, and few details escape you.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Expertise: You are well-versed in even the most minute details of your craft or area of study, and are among its most accomplished practitioners.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Lore: You have access to knowledge that would break lesser minds, the secrets that lie in the shadows of this world are weapon and armor to you.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Determined: You don't back down, and you never shrink from the task that needs be done, no matter how unpleasant or difficult.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Arrogant: Your opinion of yourself is over-inflated, and you often feel the urge to assert your superiority.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Haunted: Whether it is what you have seen, what you have done, or merely what you are becoming... Something casts a shadow over your mind that distracts and threatens to pull you apart.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Undesirable: By affiliation, behavior, reputation, or some other means, you have become a persona non grata in London, and find it difficult to function well in social situations.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Reckless: Your tendency to spring into action without careful thought about consequences has gotten you into more than a little trouble.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Timid: You are easily frightened, easily bullied, and adept at convincing yourself that problems you encounter are problems best solved by others.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Sickly: Your constitution is weak, and you are prone to fits of coughing, dizziness, fainting, or other maladies. Strenuous exertion is an excruciation to you when it is not outright impossible.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Ruthless: The harsh realities of life have ground you down to a hard, sharp thing indeed. You have little time for mercy or sympathy, and this makes you an uncomfortable person to be around.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Cynical: You've lost the spark of joy that every person is born with. While your bleak outlook guards you against unpleasant surprises, it often blinds you to all that is good as well.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Naive: Your lack of experience, particularly of negative experience, makes you easy prey for the unscrupulous and the cruel.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Uncouth: You have no interest or ability with the social graces, and tend to offend people who value such things.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Obsessed: You have devoted your life to the pursuit of a singular goal, and will sacrifice all else in its pursuit without a second thought.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Stubborn: When your mind is made up, there's no changing it. You never admit the slightest fault, and you'd sooner walk to your grave than along a path chosen for you by another.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Exploration: Whether scientific, geographical, or otherwise, you crave the thrill of new experiences or knowledge.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Discover Your Past: Some affliction or event has robbed you of some or all of your knowledge of your past. You deeply desire to reclaim your memories.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Atone for Your Past: A past deed or circumstance haunts your every waking hour, and you must find a way to atone, if you are to know a moment's peace in this world.
  
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Escape Your Past: Something from your past threatens to catch up with you, to disastrous result. You desire nothing more than to start fresh, and forget about what happened before.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Prove Your Worth: You know that you are capable of great things, and the need to show your prowess to the world, or perhaps to a specific person, drives you to great heights of achievement.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Revenge: A great wrong was perpetrated upon you, and you are consumed with the need for retribution.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The Greater Good: You are that rarest of God's creatures, a truly good person. You seek the betterment of all mankind, perhaps even all of nature, with no thought of your own gain.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Rise to Prominence: You seek to reach the pinnacle of achievement in your field, be it political, academic, occult, or otherwise. You wish to see your influence grow until you are a true force in the world.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Scotland Yard: As an officer of the law, you seek to uncover truth and maintain order in the mysterious and chaotic streets of London.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Daring: You don't let your fears or concerns hold you back from great feats of bravery. The positive flip-side of recklessness, as fortune favors the bold.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Discovery Club: A passion project of owner Harlan Maxfield, the Discovery Club caters to an exclusive clientele of explorers, adventurers, and scientists. Membership is only offered to those who push against mankind's frontiers, be they physical or abstract.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Sir Harlan Maxfield: A retired explorer, Harlan spent decades searching for a fabled subterranean kingdom in the African jungle.
  
  Upon falling too ill to continue in his adventures, Harlan turned to science with gusto, playing catch up to London's greatest minds and patronizing  promising students as well as explorers.
  
  His Discovery Club is a storied and enviable society, and he is seldom far from its common room.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Investigator: Though not affiliated with any official agency, you have a singular talent for uncovering the truth, whether through solving crimes or by unraveling various other conundra.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Whitby: The Discovery Club's soft-spoken barman. Has a way of putting just about anybody at their ease, and is nicknamed "The Apothecary" due to his felicity with his particular brand of potion.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Quincy Edmonds: Champion bare-knuckle boxer in an underground exhibition circuit run by the mysterious "Brighton." A notorious womanizer and prone to extravagant spending. 
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Elizabeth Marston: Server, conversationalist, and occasional tarot reader, employed at the Discovery Club.
  
  Often, patrons find themselves happily sharing their life stories with Elizabeth, without her divulging a single personal detail of her own.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Maurice Dryden: A somewhat eccentric scientist and inventor who came down from old, old money. Maurice has long been a member of the Discovery Club, though his health is allowing him less and less time away from home.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Brighton: Certainly not his real name. Brighton runs several profitable enterprises, none of them strictly legal, but it seems that the constabulary, the rich, and the poor all owe him something.
  
  If Ambition itself put on a human skin and walked the streets of London, he would look much like Brighton.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Sir John James Marston: Elizabeth Marston's fabulously wealthy father. She is living by her own means and is never seen at her father's estate, but she doesn't seem to want to talk about the details of their falling out.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Bizarre Crime Scene: How can there be that much blood, but no body?
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Underground Boxing Venue: Brighton's infamous circuit of brutal, bare-knuckle boxing matches takes place in a different location every match, in hastily erected pavilions. Constable payoffs and hired muscle keep the law out of the enterprise.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Underground Boxing Venue: Brighton's infamous circuit of brutal, bare-knuckle boxing matches takes place in a different location every match, in hastily erected rope cordons. Constable payoffs and hired muscle keep the law out of the enterprise.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Temple of the Argent Pyramid: The Order of the Argent Pyramid is a collective of spiritualists. Their membership consist of the wealthy, the accomplished, and in some cases both. Their secrecy is a whispered legend in the séance circles of London.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Maurice Dryden's Laboratory: The space is cluttered with half-constructed machinery and smells sharply of oil and solder.
  
  The ponderous clank and churn of various contraptions have no doubt contributed to Maurice's ongoing hearing loss.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Marduk: Former member of the Order of the Argent Pyramid. Has since parted ways with the organization due to his perception that they are too interested in parlor tricks to grasp real power.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Bermondsey Alleyway: A spare and somber place at the best of times, this back alley is now home can now boast its status as the scene of a brutal murder.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Scrawled Addresses: A piece of paper in the dead man's coat, half soaked through with blood, has three addresses hastily scrawled on it.
  
  NOTE: This challenge is tied to the central mystery; the player who gains knowledge from this card should tell the narrator in PM what outcome they'll be getting, so the narrator can give them the information. 
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Silver Kukri: An exquisitely-crafted Kukri made of fine silver, or at least plated in it. Obviously worth quite a bit of coin.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Dryden Residence: Home of the eccentric inventor, Maurice Dryden, and his daughter Belle. The house is quite well-appointed, but is quickly deteriorating without servants, much like its master.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Scotland Yard: The central hub of British justice, where some of the country's brightest minds congregate for the sole purpose of maintaining peace and order.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: First Impressions: An Inspector, a Werewolf who's passing, an unofficial Investigator... and now a Vampire and a unique and strange creation.
  
  What could go wrong?
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Get Past the Guard: The tenement, now an active crime scene, is under guard. You'll have to get past in order to get any further in your investigation.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Investigate: No crime scene is not stuffed to bursting with information, but the trick is to separate the useless information from those data that point to the truth.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Seedy Tavern: A sparsely-furnished and eminently disreputable establishment, which Quincy Edmonds is said to often frequent.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Investigator: Though not affiliated with any official agency, you have a singular talent for uncovering the truth, whether through solving crimes or by unraveling various other conundra.   
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Observant: Your eye and mind are sharp, and few details escape you.    
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Obsessed: You have devoted your life to the pursuit of a singular goal, and will sacrifice all else in its pursuit without a second thought.    
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The Greater Good: You are that rarest of God’s creatures, a truly good person. You seek the betterment of all mankind, perhaps even all of nature, with no thought of your own gain.    
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Social Graces: You know how to behave in polite circles.  That might seem like a small thing, but it really isn't.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Live With Yourself: The duality of your life is troubling to you.  Somehow you have to learn how to reconcile the two halves of your identity.  It's either that or go mad, and you're not ready for the private sanitorium just yet.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Pride: You were brought up to think a lot of yourself, and despite everything that has happened to you, that hasn't changed one bit.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Werewolf: Cursed blood flows in your veins, and the full moon brings forth the beast in red rage and slaughter.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Quick Learner: You pick up new information and skills very quickly.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Discovery: You want to make a major breakthrough to finally prove your theories to those that were all too willing to dismiss your findings out of hand.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Something Worth Having: Living alone is hardly living. You need allies to watch your back. You need friends to fight for.   
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Royalty: As a Prince of England, Andrew Rothchester does not take "no" for an answer.  He is confident, brash and arrogant.  But there are many secrets behind his suave, sophisticated outward appearance.  What demons lurk beneath?  
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Vampire : Little does anyone in the royal family know that Prince Andrew has been turned into a vampire and now lusts for blood.  He searches the darkened streets of London for his prey in the hopes that his ugly secret will never, ever be found out.  
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Illiterate: You cannot read or write, either because you were too poor or too witless to learn.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Unseen: You are over looked often, or underestimated in some way. This has proved useful over the years. A sweet face and a dark heart is much like a kine in the dark. 
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Vampire Child: Your future was taken from you. You will never grow up. Never feel the sun again. Never go home. 
  
  But in darkness, you now have power. You are free in ways that no mortal could ever be, and in the years unending you have learned much.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Companions : So many years alone have all but driven you made. The one who made you is even gone.
  
  For the first time in a thousand nights you fell alone. Even if they are not with you forever, you still wish for someone to call your friend. 
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Reckless : 
  Your tendency to spring into action without careful thought about consequences, or on childish whims has gotten you into more than a little trouble over the years.    
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: I don't like you.: Mary can be a wicked little thing when she wants to be.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Keen Eyesight: You have eyesight that is much better than that of a human.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Deductive Reasoning: There aren't many problems which the principles of logic and science won't solve. 
  
  If there's a question where deductive reasoning won't work to come up with the answers, you haven't encountered it yet. 