The creatures walk among us.

Scholars of the forgotten arts of bygone ages. Those who tampered with forces beyond human comprehension. Misshapen castoffs of the most extreme fringes of science. Those cursed to wander the earth in an undying and hideous frame. The lonely last survivors of prehistoric history. Even humans whose appearance and worldview were unsavory to their fellows.

Humanity has a simple term for them: monsters. They are viewed with hatred and disgust, and any contact the creatures may have with the normal everyday world has inevitably ended in violence. Torches and pitchforks, experimentation and vivisection, tanks and artillery: these are the fates of any creature of the night to come out of hiding. While their powers were great, human numbers and ingenuity proved their match. And so they have remained in seclusion, their distrust growing to such heights as to match only their loneliness.

Deep in the Carpathians, secluded within a mountaintop castle, the most powerful of the creatures of the night grew restless and bored. He had mastered warfare against the Ottoman Empire, a dozen different fields of study, even learned sorcery at the secretive magic school the Scholomance- and all this before attaining immortality as a vampire. For centuries Count Dracula continued his solitary existence, his few forays into the human world for anything other than sustenance rebuffed by violence.

Until finally, some thirty years ago, he sought to relieve his boredom and isolation by seeking out those like him.

It was not easy at first. The creatures of the night knew the value of stealth. But through patience, charisma, and the odd bit of magic Dracula was able to make contact with several of them. There were more than he anticipated, and Dracula began to realize the untapped potential of this disorganized community.

The creatures would need leaders, though, so Dracula began to gather the best and brightest of the creatures of the night to him. Unsure of exactly what direction to take and what goals to work to, Dracula was willing to listen to all opinions, viewpoints, ideas- after all, a man contemplating eternity alone was only happy enough to hear voices.

So was born the Council of the Night. While the project began mostly for the fleeting amusement of a man more powerful than all of them combined, it was very real to those who sat on the council. They were forming their own goals, their own agendas. Their solitude was broken and now they could find a way to truly live. But when distrust and solitude has become a way of life, scheming becomes a part of it. And the addition of politics only led to more.

Now, in 2020, there has suddenly been an urgent summons for the Council of the Night. Dracula has ordered all of them to convene at his Transylvanian castle, deep in the Borgo Pass, to advise him during an emergency facing all creatures of the night. But on their arrival, Dracula is nowhere to be found. There are no notes left behind, no signs of struggle. Just an empty fortress.

Now there are two questions facing the Council of the Night: what happened to Dracula, and who is in charge without him around. . .

Welcome to Council of the Night. This RP is based on the Universal Horror films of the 20s-50s, moved to modern day. Expect politicking, the supernatural, high-powered combat, and so on. This is a game where no one fully trusts one another: alliances, betrayals, and secrets are all encouraged. Out of game collaboration is suggested.

There are a few rules, though. I expect everyone to be respectful and civil. We're all here to have a good time. Don't step on someone else's fun.

Please submit all character sheets for GM review and approval.

As GM, I have final say in all matters. That said, I'm only human and make mistakes, so I'll always be willing to have a discussion with people about their concerns.

CHARACTER SHEET:

Name: How does the world know you? Is it a nom de guerre or real name? Any significant aliases, secret identities, nicknames, or sobriquets?

Inspiration: (optional) If your creature is based on one of the classic Universal monsters, identify them here. Don't worry if it's an OC, though! Original characters are always welcome!

Appearance: A good detailed description and/or a good picture of your character.

Abilities/ Skills: Any special powers you might have or special skills you have learned. Do you have the strength of ten men? Are you a master of hypnosis? Can you speak seven languages? Do you have connections with the Mafia? Here's the place to tell us.

History: Tell us a little about your character's background. Write as much or as little as you like, just so long as we get the general idea of who you are and where you came from.

Goals: What do you wish to accomplish in life? It can be as humble as getting a glass of water or as grandiose as conquering the world.

Notes: Anything extra you might like to add that isn't covered by the above. A theme song, maybe.

^{No, not that Black Panther.}

Name:
Itimpu -- Panther Man -- "AAAAH WHAT IS THAT?"

Inspiration:
Terror Is A Man!

Appearance:
Standing at a height of 6ft 6in, this monster of muscle, built through a series of horrifying genetic engineering experiments, is in peak physical condition. They sport a full covering of black fur, ran through with scars, as well as bright yellow eyes, a very feline face-- complete with apex predator teeth and whiskers, and a tail long enough to help them balance. Their black claws are at the ends of thick half-human fingers. They sport a set of thick digitigrade legs, like the hind legs of a cat, and their feet are far more pawlike than their hands. Usually, the attire Itimpu wears is a simple set of cloth shorts but, when necessary for them to go into public, they manage to fit into a... Power Ranger's Halloween Costume.

Abilities/ Skills:
Speech Of Cats -- Naturally or Unnaturally, Itimpu has the ability to communicate with anything feline, with ease. He's even convinced a rather large group of Jaguars, Tigers, and House Cats to follow him around as a sort of "gang".

Very Strong, Very Tough -- Thick skinned and as strong as at least FIVE men, Itimpu is also very long lived, with no signs of age slowing him down. They've been shot, stabbed, thrown off cliffs, close to explosions, and even set on fire, and have recovered from all these things in time. There's definitely a way to kill him, of course, but it would take quite a lot.

Carnivore's Senses -- Enhanced smell, night vision, and acute hearing accompany their abilities, along with slightly faster-than-normal reflexes and running speed. They can't leap very high but they can climb very well and survive quite a long fall always landing on their feet.

History:
The first of his kind was a surgical amalgamation of human and panther parts which, after being sent out to sea in a boat, eventually found its way to an uncharted island in the Philippine island chain which, of course, was home to your classic MAD SCIENTIST. Several experiments later and the perfect "new-perfect-super-soldier-to-sell-what-could-go-wrong" was produced.

And like all of these stories, the product had different ideas.

Itimpu was created and almost immediately went on a murderous rampage. Decades passed. They earned their name in the wilderness and jungles. Somehow, they got into mercenary work. More time passed. And they just so happened to cross paths with a guy, who knew a guy, who knew a woman, who introduced them to Dracula, and they actually became... friends of a sort? Look, everyone knew that Itimpu's loyalty could be bought but was it really paid in fish as the rumors say? And his gang of cats? It's rather widespread. House cats here-- bobcats there-- lynxes, jaguars, lions, even the odd witch's familiar or two-- it's a well known fact he has eyes and ears in the weirdest of places and, simply put, clearly has a way with words, as plenty of cats join "his side" quickly. In terms of sheer numbers, no one knows quite how many "work" for him.

One thing's for sure-- Itimpu sure doesn't talk much.

Goals:
Itimpu has very murky goals, to say the least, and they seem to change based on the situation but, the theme is quite clear when one see what said goals have in common--

Notes: A THEME SONG YOU SAY?!

Rumors --
"Supposedly he communicates a lot sub vocally, as cats do."

"I heard he doesnt even speak English? Or maybe he was just ignoring me. I dunno."

"Apparently he's got this spot behind is ear that he really likes scratched..."

"Weaknesses? WEAKNESSES?! HA. A laser pointer!"

"...and he's got a whole cardboard fortress..."

Name: Lawrence Talbot; has been operating for the past 2 generations under assumed identities in order to maintain ownership of the Talbot estate; current alias is one "Frederick Talbot".

Inspiration: The Wolfman

Appearance:


Abilities/ Skills: He's managed to maintain the wealth of his estate with careful stock trading, and expanding the land his family owned, collecting rent from local businesses. While some viewed his growing authoritarian attitude in managing his properties and land like that of a crime lord, they couldn't bring themselves to complain about his territorial stance on matters of criminal activity- he defends his village jealously, having privatized the local police force, and successfully fended off all attempts to get a foothold and use any portion of his "territory" as a front for anything that might draw unwanted attention from the outside world. He knows how to organize people and direct their activities, and often has an eye for the future, while having the patience of someone who has no interest in success or work; all the time in the world.

When The Beast overtakes him, he still retains some of his consciousness, allowing him to act with greater cunning than if he was purely a creature of instinct. This further enables him to act more effectively in a fight, as his admittedly great strength is less impressive when measured against other monsters. He relies more on his agility and cunning, and where applicable, the environment around him. (Try to imagine Freddy Krueger fighting Jason Voorhees; as long as he can keep it from being a straight test of might, he can manage very well)

History: He's managed to conceal his condition as a werewolf; owning the local police means he can get away with a fair bit, but he's also managed a fair bit of control, even when the moon causes his condition to overtake him.

It was after a confrontation with a Creature and a mad scientist who failed to rid him of his condition that he decided to withdraw, socially, from the world. Too many times he's known his soon to be victim, and decided it would hurt his conscious less if he simply never meets the people he's doomed to kill. This has led to him being known as a secretive recluse, as well as a rather stern and cold figure to the people that work for him.

It was also around that time that he'd been contacted by one Count Dracula, and was actually one of the earliest to sign on with this shadowy alliance. More than once, they'd even crossed paths or worked together in conflicts that had to do with trying to get The Monster under control, coming to eventually view this man-made monster as a strong rival- no one has clashed with this monster of Frankenstein more often than The Talbot Estate.

It was his hope that eventually, his fierce loyalty through building this council/legion of darkness might earn him the reward of, if not access to some of Dracula's more powerful magicks, at least gain him a boon of having it lifted, somehow. At the end of the day, though he presents the conviction of a true believer, his loyalty is merely a means to an end; Dracula has something he wants, and he's simply doing what he has to do until he get's it.

With Dracula seemingly gone, without a trace, he feels that he should be regarded as the rightful steward in Dracula's place. He expects, of course, that Dracula will return; he's "died" more than once, after all. In that time, he will do what he can to marshal what Dracula has left behind, and maintain his assets on his behalf, so that it won't fall apart in his absence. If nothing else, this also presents to him an opportunity to grant himself unlimited access to Dracula's vast resources, and find what he's been hoping for all these years; sweet release from his curse.

This task of course is not without considerable hurdles, since while he simply wishes to consolidate the power structure and address the absence of leadership, others, it seems, have their own ideas, and if it comes down to it, he at least hopes to keep the proverbial house standing long enough for him to find what he's after (some release from his affliction) before getting out and leaving the house to stand or fall on it's own.

Goals: Maintain what Dracula's built and/or avail himself of Dracula's resources while he can.

Notes: Has established some necessary contacts among his "peers", at least attempting politics over savagery, while out in the open using his resources and connections to try and attain legal control over Dracula's assets, in some capacity.

Resorts to their monstrous systems of power struggles only when he can't circumnavigate them through other means.

By withdrawing as much as he has, he's near unkillable- if nobody loves him, than there's no one to strike a killing blow.

Silver still presents a serious problem, not only are silver weapons highly effective, the substance itself burns just to touch, and drains his strength; chains could hold him, if they're silver plated, for example.

Is compelled to first seek out a person that is marked as his next victim; anyone getting in his way is liable to be grievously harmed, and if he makes the kill, he's free to continue as he sees fit. His consciousness is still there, when compelled by the curse to kill, but seems driven to achieve that goal as quickly as possible to resume proper control of himself. Control is much more difficult, otherwise, unless a greater force somehow overrides the curse itself (A feat previously only performed by Dracula, himself, thus far...) He has yet to see a pattern with the mark; some full moons he's compelled, while others he can simply stalk local livestock as he see's fit.