Spark In Darkness

And added bonus of all the suggestions is it showed some more objections I didn’t know I had :) I was aware of them as possible but didn’t think I’d have many options so I thought I may have to give up on them.

So, extra conditions I’m taking into account (AKA Sparky‘s Moved Goal Posts):

1) The Sept of Gaia Triumphant was a Croatan Caern that was brutally stolen/nobly liberated by the Silver Fangs. Part of the ongoing theme of peacekeeping in the plot will be making overtures to the other Native tribes - the Uktena and the Wendigo.
Soooo... the city cannot be in areas that are canonically Uktena or Wendigo (northern Canada, south west US)

2) The sept of Gaia Triumphant was also conquered relatively early in the settlement of the US - ideally the city shouldn’t be tooooo far west (it doesn’t have to be an OLD city, since it could have been conquered long before humans got there, but it does have to be an area that western Garou would have been able to reach)

3) Hopefully, canonically, it will have the right werewolf populations that I have in my Septs.

4) The urban Sept is dominated by Glass Walker werewolves which, in turn, are rather out matched by a large and powerful vampire population. This really means that the city has to be rather large and have a powerful and/or diverse economy otherwise it simply wouldn’t interest the Glass Walkers enough or support the vampire presence

5) There has to be an element of back of beyond to the forest. This is not a forest where people go picnicking and hiking. This is the trackless wilderness where Red Talons will EAT YOU nom nom nom if you get too close to the Sept.


I was doing a lot of research on each city (political history etc) but first I think i need to weed out the options that my moving goal posts can’t let me have. So a list of those that I’ve had to put aside. To come debates on which one to go for!

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This setting just spawns useful political plots I can drag them down :) It has more undercurrents than a Toreador fashion show.


Useful plot points
Neither the Silver Fangs nor the Shadow Lords are happy with the Children ruling and both will use whatever means, including the players, to grasp the throne.

During the war, the insane Queen used Black Fury scouts (the only tribe in the rural caern who knew anything about the city) to tell them where Scintillating Vision’s holdings were. Including a creche for their kinfolk families. Unknown to the Black Furies, the Queen gave the information to the Red Talons and sent them on a raid that killed everyone in the building - including elderly kinfolk, children, babes in arms, pregnant mothers and new fathers. If/when the Black Furies learn their information was used to slaughter innocent women and children they will NOT BE PLEASED.

The clumsy marauding of the rural caern in the city has caused the local vampires to sit up and get pissed - especially since one of the primogen’s place of business was raided by the lupines (even if the Brujah primogen DID rip the Silver Fang Queen limb from limb, he’s still not very happy)

Scintillating Vision is decimated and desperate - they will drag the players into any scheme since they’ve lost the majority of their kinfolk, many Garou and most of the next generation. They didn’t WANT to contribute to this pack, but are scared and fear more reprisals from Gaia Triumphant.

The Talons took the opportunity of the insane Queen’s directives to go on a rampage in the city, killing humans with impunity. The local, national and supernatural authorities have taken notice. This could lead to human, vampire, mage and/or hunter investigation.

The Get, seeing the power of the Wyrm in the city, are demanding both Septs go on an all out offensive. This can be referred to as “Operation: Utter Stupid Suicide” but they keep pushing for it and need to be mollified.

A secret from most Shadow Lords, but one of their own was the one who delivered to corpse of the cybernetic werewolf to the insane Queen. He (accurately) predicted it destabilising the Queen so the Shadow Lords can rise in power, though he didn’t predict the Children of Gaia ascension. He will do a lot it keep it secret and there’s some debate how the rest of his tribe will react.

Shadow Lord infighting: A large faction can understand destabilising the Queen, she was insane and a threat, unfit to rule. But the Children are proving themselves competent and, with their reputation, more able to rule the Sept now than the Lords would be. yet some Lords still plot for power - which the breakaway faction claim is just pure, selfish megalomania. As with any Shadow Lord politics, the infighting is deadly and any and all tools will be used.

The Pack: They’re made up of werewolves from both caerns. Their people have fought each other, hated each other for some time. There are vast misunderstanding between them and a huge gulf to cover for the Glass Walker Theurge and the Child of Gaia Philodox (the 2 tribes I know)


And that's just from Gaia triumphant

Your game setting is wonderful. IO have spent an insane amount of geeky hours in the World of Darkness and loved every minute. Your books fill innumerable shelves and threaten to take over.

But your campaigns SUCK sweaty monkey balls.

Normally I don’t do pre-set campaigns, but I wanted to try one with the new Werewolf game to a) give me time to get a feel for it and b) give me time to write something for myself.

But these? These are unworkable

I’m keeping this vague but here’s a cuty thing in case you fear spoilers

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I’m thinking of retiring my vampire campaign I’m running. We’ve run it for near 18 months now (I think) and it has been EPIC. They’ve made allies with the Inconnu, a cabal of mighty Aztec Vampire/sorcerers, become Archons, established vast influenced in Yuma, Arizona and virtually taken over Townsville, Queensland, Australia. The Setite clan owes them big, they have a huge in with the Tremere and they have made a pact with the Werewolves of Queensland. Oh, and they’re dripping in experience to a level most elders would envy.

And Saturday they finally finally killed DA BOSS. A very very dangerous boss that required them to use all their powers, all their influence, all their allies and still nearly die. I was extremely happy with the conclusion. So were the players.

But it was a conclusion. I now have a coterie of 5 extremely powerful elders with obscenely powerful contacts and areas of influence. Canonically, vampires at this level simply DON’T co-operate. They’re strong enough it pursue their own interests without needing to pack. I may return to them in due time for an elder chronicle, but for now I think they can be retired. I think a Werewolf campaign is called for :)