Monday, March 18, 2013

Tatters of the King Campaign Coterie

As the character write-ups are a lot longer than expected due to all of the history I'm trying to encapsulate, I thought I would split it up so that each character would have their own page.  On this page I'll give you a bit of information on the five main characters, four of whom are NPCs, who will be helping James Tyler through the beautiful Call of Cthulhu campaign - Tatters of the King - that I'm converting to the World of Darkness.  See the main article here.

In 1949, James Pattison was Embraced by a Daeva called Jack Tyler who was going by the name of Peter Walsh in a bid to infiltrate some nasty members of Belial's Brood who were troubling Australia.  James was to aid Jack's cover but Jack got himself killed by Brood that very night and it was up to the passing shapeshifter to claim Jack's appearance and identity in order to get James out of there intact.  They stole a car while the Brood tried to dig up the real Jack Tyler (who had Earth melded) and got out of town. 

Feeling sorry for his plight, Songbird (still masquerading as Peter Walsh) offered to take him into a nearby city so that he could join the local vampire court.  He refused.  Instead he joined her on the faux Walsh on monster hunts and after a few years together figured out that she wasn't a vampire at all.  Learning that it was Walsh was actually someone who could shapeshift and become theoretically any woman he could want, James began to look at his old buddy a little differently.

What could be better than friendship?  Friends with benefits!

Ahh, Daeva.

A few years before that little revelation, they had picked up a 10-year-old girl called Charlotte Adams, a rough and tumble orphan and hidden genius, who helped them solve a case involving a vampire serial killer.  She refused to be dumped in some orphanage and offered to help them with their cover in exchange for fostering.  James wasn't so sure but Peter thought it was a good idea and so she joined their little group and they started teaching her the ropes of being a researcher, and later a hunter, as she got older.  Luckily for her, she was never blood bound or ghouled her.  James identified as a hunter, after all, and being a nomad he didn't give two tosses about kindred unlife or the Masquerade as it affects individuals humans.

Anyhow, now Charlie is fourteen, soon to be fifteen, and the trio have traveled to London, ostensibly to get away from the Jim Crow legislation (blacks get one fountain, whites get another, etc.) that had plagued the Iraqi-appearing Peter Walsh for the past four years.  Walsh reunited James with his Aunt, Joy Tyler, but there was some tension there as James doesn't trust vampires, Joy was involved in teaching him his coils in a non-consensual manner (long story), and James is pretty sure that Joy's prior history with the Songbird means that Joy will try to keep the Songbird around.

Interesting team, huh?  Well, it is working for now.

In Summary

James Tyler (PC – Daeva Neonate) has protective, fatherly feelings toward his apprentice hunter, Charlotte Adams.  James is attracted to his old buddy and pseudo-sire, Peter Walsh, now that Peter has taken on a female persona and appearance (named Dr. Kellis).  James has a custom coil that allows him to feel true attachment to both Charlotte Adams and Peter Walsh.  He is suspicious of Joy Tyler’s intentions, resentful about her part in experimenting on him, and concerned that she will try to steal Peter from him. 

Peter Walsh / Dr. Kellis / Songbird (NPC – Shapeshifter) is concerned by James’ reaction now that he has shifted into the form of a previous identity, Dr. Kellis.  The Songbird doesn’t want things to change as she enjoys their friendship and playful rivalry.  She sees Charlotte alternately as a friend, ally, and pet, and sometimes even manages some maternal instinct there, though she has a habit of thinking of Charlotte as a peer rather than as a child.  She has mixed feelings toward her old flame and current colleague, Joy Tyler, but is enjoying the opportunity to follow an occult investigation with both her old flame, Joy, and new friend, James.  She’s worried that jealousies might flare, however, and finds any romantic dramas surrounding her to be stupid, frustrating and altogether annoying.  She has little to no patience for it.

Charlotte Adams (NPC – 14-year-old girl) is eager to prove herself to James though she’s not quite sure how yet, as she’s not dumb enough to get herself in over her head if she can help it.  She is largely unaffected by Walsh’s change in gender as her history as an orphan has made her quite adaptable.  So long as they don't try to ditch her, she's happy.  She does want to spend more time with the Songbird and get her attention somehow.  Joy Tyler is a mysterious entity and Charlotte has been trained enough as a hunter to know that you don’t go randomly trusting some vampire.  Err, other than James, that is.

Joy Tyler (NPC – Daeva Ancillae) has missed the exciting allure of occult investigations with Dr. Kellis (a.k.a. Songbird) and is glad to have her back.  Joy wants to rekindle their relationship and convince the Songbird to stay in London as Joy is too old as an ancillae to be willing to travel far out of London.  Joy sees James as a rival and as a potential student who could, ironically enough, enable her to keep hold of the Songbird.  Charlotte is an amusing distraction to her.  Joy hasn’t really said more than a few words her way and is aware that James wouldn’t take kindly to her paying the girl any attention.

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