CONFLUENCE Global Requiem Reset Document May 1 - June 8, 2009 Author/POC: e White, aMST Requien Email: requiem@gmail. com Scope: Global Distribution: All STs at all levels within the Requiem Venue edited and compiled into Acrobat format by B ‘Simon’ smith, us2004011007PRELUDE THE PRESENT HAS BECOME THE PAST The rine is now. Peetu be Ir hascome agin Cah wp within tere Regn helio and | aun: Nocona _elF centered have not observed the undercurrents oF Fite that have ben fo Ye mr | inexorably pull of their overty decadent society reward a realignment of priorities, | Dase: 151 eeptage — hunting gs, a reminder thar they are not gods or apex predators, UP Tha? \ sing ox owing gether ein theyare subject ro frailty and weakaess and fear. Rae het 4 aeingaton int sucha conPboenc has come efor, rhouoh none recall it nor even these who Jived through it or Wh claim perfect reelection oF Vir univ. For none ca have such perfection, ‘no matter bow muuch they strive Fr ible they hae it. Al are afte by the Fog of Aes, whether they recognize it for Whar iti 0° no, Thar lest conPuence Was the es. great Fall of Kindred Society the Fal of the Camara ‘fearkened to now by the desire Fara return of the memories and knowledge of hat rine; memories and krewhedge bared deep by rhe las contlaence oF such events; memories ad krewedge thar rhs confluence wil ike a car hue, either Bary yet deeper or cause fo erupt fo the surbtce ina Violen? _sptom, ashattered puzzle toattempt ro pece painstakingly back roger. Kindred saiety bas again Become decadent and Filed with avarice, rite ther ascen- ancy ever the Children of Seth res the descendants ofthe Camara an far of rh adversaries «and she unk bas been Fargotten, An ancient nemesis as aren an been dsm. te organ zations of bath Rebs Broed and VI passed over as unimportant; madera rerorsrewly aren Sgvored those whe would be alles ried. The Covenants ih between theselves Far sypremacy, bt even worse rey fight within Pheseves= fractured and petulant witheut direction, cause, or purpose. The Traits offen «appear to mean less than nothing and ths Fr ther weakens Kindred Secey, Rumanty isnot beld a= sacred and the Beast begins 10 shp re each holding it win each Kindred slackening grap. “The times noCONFLUENCE ‘THE LIES ARE SUCH THAT THERE 1S NO ONE TRUTH. As fractured as Kindred Society is, and as Little as Tradition and Humanity appear to ean, 90 too ave the causes that flow together to create the Confluence. Each event flows to- Gether into the next to bring about the downfall of a society grow decadent and forgetful of wnat it was meant to do- remind those within it from whence they came~ to keep then from falling to their cwn deep-held cears and their own avarice, greed, Iust, and peide Storyteller Notes: Logether to create the overall societal shift that occurs near the start of June Choose the story best suited to your local gane/player cast/ character backgrounds/¥SS Renenber that the setting of the situation cannot change, but that local events can be Snvestigated by the cast. if they wish to attempt to understand the interaction of all of the different events and how fate has created this Confluence they may attempt to do so by contact me at? anst.requienfgnail.com. 2) No one of these individual events are; unto thenselves, solely responsible for what hap- Pens, but ali do feed into the overall fated effect of the Confluence. Tf you have Egeas for your local game other than those Listed here- things that will tle up Local plots for example- please feel free to be creative and use them, and send me your story ‘be amst.requiengnail.com for my records, and the potential investigations that may cone ny way: 3) Several of these ideas may £1t together neatly for your local game and create 2 snaller/ minor confluence of your own. Please feel free to link ideas within this docunent for your local game in ofder to be able to create good story for your cast. 4) Gross-Venue Interactions: Because of the nature of this settings document, cross-venue investigations may be possible or occur within your domain game at the discretion of both the WS? and DST in concert. Please be cautious with these investigations and in- tice of, and investigate, the confluence that you have chosen to utilize in your game. General Cross-Venue Notes: Awakening: here 1s a strong Fate component to this confluence of events, and the eddies of both fate and tine may be a bit overvielming to those who attempt to look into it. However, it is sore a simple sense of ‘things to come’ that should get all mcked up with the other Venue docunarte, and not give anything specific, or di- rectly tie to the Awakened thenseives. Forsaken: Very feu of the events Listed as Confluence involve spirits in any fashion Req lem 4s not a spiritually centered venue. Spirits that the Forsaken may already G0 to for information (wether via bribe, force, or other situation) have very Little to tell the Oratha. gach confluence may have its own snount of information that the spitite may Re sunze of; not by and Jarge this will be anecdotal - the spirits may realize or know that’ there are New spirits of = certain type being created, but not necessarily the cause. If the bratha investigate further, The local Sf staff should work together and creaze the best story they can for their local gane. Of course, the Uratha ace going to have plenty on their plates as well, se this may all end up flying under their radar Lost: Several of the Confluence listed below will make Harvesting Eaotion easier for a few of the courts, most specifically Summer and Fall, Spring will not gain from this, as it is a dark, violent, and fearful time,CONELUENCE A PLAGUE ON BOTH YOUR HOUSES THE FRENZY PLAGUE Reference Material for Inspiration: ‘The Frenzy Plague’, Mythologies: p. 125-130) oniy the vaguest of runors have been whispered of this dread plague on the winds. None can corroborate them, for either there are no survivors, or those who have survived the initial frenzy were driven into torpor or fugue, the Fog of Ages taking their menories. Some have prof fered the idea that those who claim to have suffered from this ‘plague’, do so in order to ex= cuse their bestial behavior and nature, and that it does not, in fact, oxist at all. ‘The only evidence of the plague hitting a community, are news ‘reports, all too quickly siienced for fear of Hunters and the Masquerade, or strange and violent outbursts that have Focked communities both snail and large. Individuals going crazy in a mall or Burger Joint, cults going crazy in ritualistic and frenzied blood baths, mobs at sports stadiuns and religious pllgrigages the world over. Good cover stories all, but what lurks beneath? ‘nd what is this plague, really? How does it spread from Kindred to Kindred? Why do sone die in their beast-ridden frenzy while others only born the gifts of the blood from their Hinds and bodies as they deteriorate and weaken themselves the longer they struggle? And why do Chose who do survived not recall what caused them to succonb in the first place? Or even, in Some cases, to recall that they were any different or more poverful than what they are after the frenzy bolle their Anowledge and gifts fron their blood? Storyteller Notes: 1) the Confivence of the Frenzy Plague allows for varying degrees of infection within your city. Characters may either a) die (those players who are choosing to retire thelr characters}, of b) be weakened by the disease (those players who are rewriting their Characters). Of those within the second category, players may choose to have their Characters gain the Sderangenent’ of Amnesia~ essentially allowing them to “not recall boing ony different’ then what they are upon waking from the plague once it has coursed through their system, Either way, none who survive the plague will bs able to recall what it was that set then off or infected them. 2] There should be some opportunity for news articles to either hit the papers in your lo- cal aea or have other characters in the cast ‘catch’ them if they have the right al~ Lies/recasners to Keep them out of the news. This may span post-reset Hunter plot, oF cause political backlash for those who may not have the ability to cover things up. 3) Crose-venue Applications: The violent and likely fatal responses from thie confiu- fence may generate any number of spirits, at the local sf's discretion. The “usual sus- pects" would be spirits of anger, hate, murder, death, and disease. Sone of these spir- Ets, at Sf discretion, may end up under the welcoming arms of any local Maeitinet, if any. In addition, any’ particularly graesoms or highly emationally-charged event could potentially open up a Wound in the shadow, which holds its oun problems. This should not be done Lightly, however. For mare information on what ia going on with Meeitinet ana Wounds, consnlt’ the Porsitlen reset kit “The Shadow"s Breeking”. This doesn’t ascount any mundane strracticn that will attract the Forsaken for any violent acts perpetrated within their territory, of course. They will lilely take an extrenely dim view of those Who mess with their terestory in such a fashion. Sunner Courtiers may find it easier to harvest in locaticns where the plague has created significant violence or Autuan Courtiers due to the fear.WHATS GONE AND WHATS PAST HELP THe URSIPHAGE Reference Material for Inspiration: ‘Wsbiphage’, Mythologies: p. 139-142) ‘there are creatures of which Kindred should be afraid. But they are not. They are not either because of the:r om childish lack of fear of the unknown, because they believe then Selves to be untouchable, or because they have forgotten the stories and legends that tell of the Ronstere that prey upon Kindred. nd ubile the Kindeed may forget, those creatures do not ‘They know their needs, watch and stalk their prey. And, when they are hungry, they feed. ‘The Urbiphage is one such creature-an Urban Legend, long forgatten by most, Laughed at by othere-lurking and waiting. Tt recalls the fa11 of Rome, one of it"s first times drawn into this world, and it's part in many, many other urban disasters the centuries over. Fires, floods, riots, earthquakes and tsunamis; all have been blaned for it's feeding upon the Kindred shen the overpopuiate, become too decadent, draw it’s attention, are forgetful. Te desires to ELI above all, but often those of it's kind that are smaller do not have the power to ensure the destruction of all of it’s prey within a city. It is in such times that the Urbiphage dravs power and energies fron it’s prey, weakening then and strengthening itself for the next time it Mill inevitably appear, after they have again forgotten, Such a draving of energy 19 terribly debilitating to those within a city and this, Linked with the Urbiphage’s natural ability to leech the prosperity from a city and it’s rortal residents can have a devastating effect upon the economy, the arts and the very fabric of soci~ ety itself, sickening the city that has been it's prey, darkening it immeasurably Storyteller Notes: 1] the Confluence of the Urbiphage allows for varying degrees of destruction within your city. Characters may either a) die (those players who are choosing to retire their characters}, or b) be Weakened by the creature (those players who are rewriting their Characters). Of those within the second category, players may choose to have their Characters gain the ‘derangement’ of Annesia~ essentially allowing them to ‘not recall being any different’ than what they are upon being affected by the creature as it drains thei menories along with their energies. Either way, sone who survive the Urbiphage ‘ill ever have a clear understanding of what happened to them, beyond catching odd Hlashes of the creature out of the corner of their eye se it preys upon then. 2) There should be some opportunity for news articles to hit the papers ahout the downfall. of the city-crime 1s up; prosperity is down, ‘stories Like that. This confluence fe an exceptional opportunity to explain the loss of merits from character sheets-allies lose their jobs, retainers are caught within the Urbiphage''s web as close to the Kindred, contacts afe too seared to give information Be creative with st 3) Cropscvenue applications: Since the Urbiphage ie not 4 epizit, the Forsaken should be not overly interestes in this creature ax it does not overly apply to them. The Ur- wiphage may appear to voms knowledgeable werewolves 25 2 spirit-Like creature, or even one of the alien Idsgun. WS2h a succeesfal Wite + Geealt draw, an Usatha may perceive the Urbiphage as it is in Twilight, if they are in proximity to it. This is unlikely to secur, ahd At 1s entizely possible for this confluence to fly entirely under the were wolves! radar. Death Mages can ‘sea’ the Dat-1ike form out of the comer of thesr eve, and can feel the ‘death of the city’ that it is causing. the fear created as people Jose their jobs, and the city becomes are darker place are a boon for the Lost who food ‘upon such emotions.CONFLUENCE AS FLIES TO WANTON BOYS ARE WE TO THE GODS: THE LASA (Reference Material for Inspiration: ‘Blood Gods’, Mythologies? p. 37-40) ‘The internet is a remarkable invention. It allows for the creation of new culture, new information, new words and references. It is the future. Sut within all of that invention and newness and forward thinking and technology lurks another allowance, @ forgotten ability-the internet's ability to dredge up from the depth information that is as old as the written word or Sonetines older; knowledge buried deep and purposefully forgotten, that which is dangerous and terrifying, alluring and promising, that which can destroy those who have forgotten their an cient faiths and moved on to other religions Ta small, obscure universities the vorld over, in small archaeology and occult classes ought by seemingly ancient professors themselves thought to have ‘lost it” in their growing paranoia over their research, ancient religions and cults are studied. Sometimes writings cone fo light detailing their rituals. And, sometimes romantic and adventurous students take those writing and rituais and enact them, urged on by inner voices often intent upon mocking and pro- Eaning that which is ancient superstition Such is happening now. A graduate Class, unearthing a scattering of scholarly writings ‘on ancient gods called “The Lasa’—Blood Gods last seriously worshipped long before the fall of the Ronan Empire, with small cults cropping up throughout the centuries only to be rapidly Grushed as heresies by the church. A group of students vho have scattered hone for the summer, after setting up a private chatroom and blog, after determining the optimal date to enact the Fitual, after signing a pact, jokingly in blood, to enact the ritual to raise the servants of the Easa from their alunber and to feed the Lasa of the essence of their failed worshippers that they may be strengthened for their eventual rise from their millennia-long slumber. But-ie's only # superstitious rstual, right? Storyteller Notes: 21 the Contiuence of ‘the 1asa’ allows for varying degrees of character death witnin your city. Characters may either a) die (those players who are choosing to retire their Characters), of b) be Weakened by the creature (those players who are rewriting thelr characters). Of those within the second category, players may choose to have their characters gain the ‘derangement’ of Annesia~ essentially allowing them to ‘not recall being eny different’ than what they are upon being affected by the ritual as it drains their menories along with their energies. 2} Investigations into this Confluence that go beyond the city Level should be directed to Christian Stephenson at Lccrequientgnall.com 3) Crose-Venue Applications: Blood Spirits in the areas where the ritual takes place Shoula increase in power and potentieily sank, affecting the balance of the Shadow and Should concara the Foreaken. Howsvsr, these opixite arg also afraid of "the coming’, as they renenber Uhrough their choirs te Mast coming” of theas creatures. The Diood spirits no doubt created during this confluence may of may not interfere with 1ccal Spirit courts, at local 87 discretion. In addition, 1¢ 1s possible for there to be spir~ ite of faitn Created, if there are “worshippers” who are sufficiently full of faith. In npithsr case should these spirits really go beyond the level of a Greater Gaftling Rank 21, and so should pose little threat to an average Forsaken pack. Mages may be ‘concerned about the use of ancient rituals by what may appear to be a mortal cult, or a (Group of misguided university students out for a thrill. If the investigate, they will Setermine that sonathing did actually ccasr at the apex of the situal-eepecsally if An~ vestigated with fate, spirit, or death magic-but no real specific:ALL THE THAT THE SUN SUCKS UP INEECTIONS BLOOD CURSES AND THE WEEK OF NIGHTMARES (Reference Material for Inspiration: ‘Blood Curses’, mytholagiess p. 110-118) ‘They alxays forget. They shouldn't, because of the nightly curse of their existence, the banes that set the boundaries of their unlives, but they do. Sunlight, fire, staking, he Fog of Ages- these are all curses of the Vanpiric Condition~ things meant to teach humility and caution. But they always forget, and when they do, they need a reminder. The reminder that they ave not natural beings, that they break the cycle of life and the older of the universe ‘hey need the reninder that the natural worlds detests their very existence, and can cause then strife. Such a reminder ie due. Reminders sent in dreams~ nightmares of wnat it Le to be at the mercy of the banes of their nightly existence, to die at their tender mercies, Mightmares of death snd decay, of watching mortal loved ones die a part of the natural cyele wnile they then Selves hang on, unnaturally, afraid of death, desiring to defeat it. Nightmares of amassed poxer being forgotten, allies and clan and covenant turning on then in their weakness. Night Rares of the very blood that sustains them becoming a part of the curse itself, falling as dust from dey lips, granting no sustenance. Nightmares that steal, each night upon’ waking, some Ror sel of knowledge or memory, sone skill or gift of the blood, sone miracle of the faith or abil~ ity of transcendence Te ig time for their reminder, and the world is prepared to give it to then. Storyteller Notes: 1] The reference material specifically being utilized for this Confluence are the sections within the ‘Blood Curses’ write-up relating to ‘Drinking Kindred Blood/Learning Disci~ lines’ and ‘iyetical Contluances’. The effect created by the curse of these things is fhat the blood itself, and the natural world is "backlashing" against Kindred, creating the permanent effect of a ‘Week of Nightmares’ that implants 2 fog of Ages upon the Kin~ dred mind, causing then to forget things that they have known to be true, 2] the Confluence of ‘the Slood curse’ allows for varying degrees of character death within your city. characters may either a) die (those players who are choosing to retire their Gharacters), or b) be Weakened by the Nightmares (those players who are rewriting thelr characters). Of those within the second category, players may choose to have thelr Characters gain the ‘derangement’ of Annesia~ essentially allowing them to ‘not recall being any different’ than what they are upon waking each evening from their Nightmares ae the curse drains their memories along with their energies. 3] This Contiuence can be used to hit groups within Kindred society uno have close ties to Dreans and Portents more heavily than others. This mast directly relates to Acolytes with a greater degree of prophetic Cruac, Alucinor, or any Mekhet who have bought the Dream merit. 4) This Confluence alzows for an ‘extendea” removal of powers, a the Curse of Nightmares and renoval of powers may begin with this document going Live and, in consultation be Ekeen the 87s the players, creates an opportunity for ongoing story leading up to the reset date that may be used £0 sow paranoia and fear 5) This Confluence is not meant to he ted to the Lost reset docunent, however it may be done if a donain desires it, in consultation between the Requiem and Lost VSTs and the Dst. 6) Gross-Venue Applications: Forsaken in cities where this Confluence is active may Finda sense of Hartony and Balance being restozed to the natucal world around them as the Curse becomes active in the Kindred Comunity. While Haxnany 1s not dizectly e- Asted to any sozt of Mastural cyclo” tastead being a moacure of wexewolito optxicuat balance - most werewolves probably will not natic= this, However, at ST discretion, par~ Ekeularly hatmouious Gratha (Marmony 8+) may be permitted a Wits + Onoulr draw vo notice the balancing eftect’s “reflection” affecting the local Shadow. This reflects the paral- lel of Balance found in both Harmony and the intent of this confluence. spirit mages aay ‘algo sense this, hovever it ie more abstract for them as they do not tie themselves to the sorality of the Uratha, Fate mages vill get a strong sense of a destiny (er don) boing enacted upon the world as this iss curse being enacted. Lost may be most di rectly affected by this Confluence, as they mey see it as an extension of the Dream Plague affecting their own kind,NEL NOTHING CAN COME OF NOTHING ‘ALSE Vi [Reference Material for Inspiration: old VIT plot and Archangel Decunents) ‘They know. They have seen the coming of their destruction. Tt cones at the hands of those that they called by the simple use of their name, They summoned them by using their name, thinking them to be legend, ox a tribe dead to history their menory decaying. Ranting to be feared they stole their name to empower thenselves and instill fear in the covenant, and now find that names do have power, and that in stealing 2 name they have sealed their oun fate. ‘Untess..uniess they can turn the power Dehind the True VIT against then and bind him to their own cause. Donons are known to be fickle, and must be tired of serving the VII that have arisen from the sands of the Saharra. A simple’ call and binding, and Shaddad will serve them and they will become his master and the True Inneritors of his power: ‘A notion for the scared and weak, a notion by those who do not—cannot—understand who is truly the master in the complex relationship between Shaddad and the Akhud. But a notion to be be tried, nonetheless. And, a notion that will fail, Bringing about the utter destruction of those false VII who attempt it when the ritual turns in on itself and those of the Akhud offer up much of their essence and power to Shaddad to ensure the destruction of those who desired But even Shaddad can be wrong, and in destroying those False Worshippers who attempted to bind him he allows his desire for his akhud to triumph to get the better of him. He decides that Lf his Ruhud are to be Weakened in their offering, he oves then for their service, he can ‘ensure that the Inheritors of Rome are upon the footing, causing their weakening as well Storyteller Notes: 2) This ds a good way to tie up any old VIT Plotkits, Like Archangel, in a domain or re- gion. Akhud (True VII as per the Global Settings’ Docunents) are fot involved as the an- fagonists in this kit in any way, and are in fact the ‘target’ of this Confluence. The coming of the Akhud have shown the False VII that they are not the favored of shaddad, and they wish to be. 2] This confluence does not allow tor signiticant Pc death as several of the others do. However, it does allow for a renoval of false VII from the chronicle in a simple maaner that can allow eT to focus on the Teve VII ae laid out in the global settings docunent. 3) Cross-Venue Applications: Only one thing £0 say-Ancient Pact with a Denon vs. an at~ Tempt to sway that denon that fails. Although this confluence should not be felt out~ side of the Requiem Venue as it impacts only tuo groups of NBCs and the #Cs and not the setting at large, if there are those who are into studying denonology, and they want to have a run-in with shaddad, 1'11 happily point them in the right direction.CONFLUENCE ALONG FAREWELL TO ALL MY GREATNESS 1AMLEGEND (Reference Material for Inspiration: tone Really He seened to have simply vanished. At least that is what the evidence showed. But why Mould ne? Theze wag no body, no ash, no evidence that he walked out the door because the secu- Tity system was still set. ‘There wag no sign of breaking and entering, no evidence of anyone rifling to place. Sverything remained exactly as it would have been if he had gotten up from his desk to apeat to his servant, The book left open on the heavy cherry desk, fountain pen sitting beside the cream vellun, correspondence to his childe half-written His ghoul called the sheriff, who called his Primogen, who called the Prince, who shrugged and sniied sardonically. “Our Siders disappear ai] ‘the tine. He will turn up, on day, decades or centuries for now. If not...” He teaile off with another shrug. Storyteller Notes: 2) Tie Confluence may tie into any other confluence unere characters simply “élsappear Te te algo the confiuence most Iikely to be Niavestigative in nature’ because of the na ture of the disappearances, especially if those who disappear are prominent PCs. Please try to keep these investigations local and airectly tied to anather confluence, unless Poe start trying to tie together this Confluence in different cities, Then send them to 2] Gross-Venue Applications: Any Cross-Venue tied to this Confluence will depend upon which ether confluence (if any) the disappearance is tied. If it is just as disappearance, then no cross-venus should occur unless the PC who disappears has Fane oz Status,CONFLUENCE THIS THING OF DARKINESS THE DESTRUCTION OF CLAN TTEMS (Reference Material for Inspiration: Clan Chalice and Item Plotkits! one now where they cane from, who crafted them, of what their purpose was meant to be- ‘They have given those pure of clan purpose, and given tantalizing visions of what may have been long ago. ‘They have given benefit to those of pure clan in 2 time when bloodlines began to Flourish, tempting many to remain of pure blood. ut many have taken those bonefits and then chosen to join a bloodline anyway, gaining the best of both worlds- that of the knowledge of thet full Lifetine and the new gifts of the bloos their new lineage grants then- without under standing what may occur. The Little that is known of these items, of how they work, is not enough, and cannot prepare those who hold then for what ia happening, as the Balance of mystical power shifts between that of the pure clana and that of the bloodlines. It has taken time, but with more and more Kindred finding that their blood is no longer pure, whether they see it as an evolution or a transcendence, or the creation of something new Sntively, the power of these items 12 relinquished, Lies dormant, becoues as nothing IL who have drunk fron the chalices forget what they learned about themselves and their clan, those who have held, touched, bonded with other clan relics find themselves lessened in Sone’ fashion, thoughts and memories and knowledge forgotten, It as if the Fog of Ages has re~ turned, even to those who have never been within it's grasp, and those who have felt it’s grip know snd understand what is coming £0. them. Storyteller Notes: ‘This Confluence may be used by any ST who has anyone in their local VSS who has drunk from their Clan Chalice- pure clan oF bloodline and effectively grants them the tenpo~ rary derangement of amesia regarding anything to do with their clan. This means they may forget that they are a bloodline, what clan disciplines they have, who other members of their clan are- really anything that you can think of that has to do with their Clans. Feel tree to have the players and sort out what dt is that they are forgetting about their background/nistory/cian to czeate interesting RP for them post-reset 2] This confluence does not allow for significant FC death as several of the others do. However, st does ailow for @ removal of clan items from the chronicle in a simple manner that will allow STs to focus on the Fog of Ages being portrayed as it should, and 1 turning questions as to the ‘truth’ of clan progenitors and histories back into the ane. 3) Gross-Venue Applications: None whatsoever.