Krewes With Members From Other Gamelines

[Leliel]

So, with the full Krewe rules, I'm looking at them, and I'm already wondering what happens if the core membership of a krewe, aka the PCs, includes monsters who didn't necessarily die before they became more than human. Since anyone can do Ceremonies, it's not a stretch to imagine even a situation where Bound aren't the majority, and this dead man's party is a total monster mash (with the right members, they can start up a real thriller with the proper time warp, though if they're strapped for time they can conjure up some spooky scary skeletons...I'll stop now).

So, I was wondering, what would motivate other supernatural beings to join (or, if mortal necromancers can make them, form) a Krewe of Sin-Eaters? My ideas.

Vampires: Imagine this; you're a neonate, still trying to process how you are now officially one of the dead that walk. When feeding, you taste the blood of a man who seems infused with something just as dead as you are. A bit of deescalation later, you learn where a bunch of other dead things that aren't always trying to screw you over to survive live (for lack of a better term), but a lot of them are in an even more miserable situation than you are. What better Touchstone than to liberate the unquiet, and with it something that isn't an inherent weakness? Screw that, what kind of dirt can you find where all dirt goes in the process?

Werewolves: If the Shadow is imbalanced, the Underworld is outright ass-over-teakettle. Ghosts are people, but seeing the dearly departed act like, well, spirits in the River Cities, and the only gods being parasitic mad tyrants that send out priests to make the whole situation worse makes it clear you have to expand your jurisdiction a bit. It doesn't hurt that you've possibly met the only Claimed who seem to still be able to tell between themselves and their passenger - perhaps like you, though they weren't born that way. Maybe these are children of Moon from a different marriage? They seem awfully close to the sea, and thus, tides, after all...

Mage: An entire alternate dimension built from the ruins of dead places and obscure laws to explore!? Where!? And uh, the whole religious duty to free these pieces of the soul and let them rejoin the rest of themselves, but oh yes ghost library gimme gimme gimme.

Changeling: The more you listen to ghosts, the more you develop an uncomfortable sense you're pretty familiar with their experiences. The more you learn of the Underworld, the more that becomes a conscious thought. The more you listen to the weird priestess with a grim reaper coiled around her soul, the more you realize that, even if you can't set your Kept brethren free, you can do a good substitute.

[ThomasM]

I haven't read through the previews enough to be grounded, but I am hoping that I will be able to have a Werewolf or a Mage in a Krewe. That way I can get my wife to play since she has no real interest in playing a Bound.

[marin]

Promethean: You see the opportunity to learn how death shapes human lives, both before and after. You see the opportunity to learn about humanity from those who have already passed through it. You see what awaits you after the New Dawn, and you will not have it. You will not let this be how it ends.

Mummy: How much of Irem survives in the Underworld? How much of yourself, of your memory, of Descents past and forgotten? How much is down here, being swallowed by the Devourer? How powerful must she be now, with six thousand years of human history to eat? (Then you feel the tickle of a treacherous thought about the Judges and ruthlessly squelch it before it can go any further...)

Beast: Why? Because they're Family. Because they give you deserving targets for your Hunger. Because they're trusting you with their world, teaching you about it. Because you're learning what people *should* be afraid of when they fear death. Because you wonder if the Mother of Monsters is here, in the form of the Underworld, or whether it's a sibling, or another aspect of hers, or her cradle, or... who knows? And of course you know it's dangerous, but that danger offers a lot of things to learn.

Deviant: It's a fair enough deal: They help you fight *your* bastards, you help them fight *their* bastards. Admittedly, their bastards are rather more powerful than you were expecting, but you didn't let that stop you fighting *your* bastards, now, did you? And they're all of a muchness anyway, all predators who'll use and abuse anyone to get what they want. Fuck 'em all.

[Caedus]

WTF The Pack talks about how Krewes and werewolf packs can often synergize into one strange mystery religion together. Like think about a krewe/pack consisting of sin eaters, humans, ghosts, wolf blooded, uratha, spirits and even wolves or dogs...we are talking some major weirdness here

[SunlessNick]

Vampires: What better Touchstone than to liberate the unquiet, and with it something that isn't an inherent weakness? Screw that, what kind of dirt can you find where all dirt goes in the process?

Why not both? As well, despite its dangers and terrors, the Underworld offers refuge from one of the Kindred's biggest. And the vibrancy of Bound culture can be a way to get past the counter a vampire's tendency to become jaded. From the other side of the coin, while the Bound have great power over the dead, they can't match a vampire when it comes to the living, and that can be useful - and the Bargain isn't possible in all times and places (even if it's worldwide now, can they be sure that will last) - an immortal in the krewe will allow its traditions to live on through fallow periods.

Werewolf: If the Shadow is imbalanced, the Underworld is outright ass-over-teakettle. Ghosts are people, but seeing the dearly departed act like, well, spirits in the River Cities, and the only gods being parasitic mad tyrants that send out priests to make the whole situation worse makes it clear you have to expand your jurisdiction a bit.

The pickering Lodge from the first edition was a big extended family of werewolves, wolfblooded, and humans that devoted itself to necromancy and otherwise dealing with the dead. It seems a prime family for some members to become Bound - enough that the Lodge might give rise to an intermingled krewe.

Promethean: You see the opportunity to learn about humanity from those who have already passed through it. You see what awaits you after the New Dawn, and you will not have it. You will not let this be how it ends.

Regarding the first point, ghosts are born out of lingering obsessions and great catastrophes, meaning that they do not just record human lives, but the most extreme aspects of those lives - the ones humans found so central to themselves as to live on after death - that must be an intoxicating field of study. At the same time, according to Sineater lore, ghosts aren't the same entity as the original person, but new beings born in echo of them - a new created being whose genesis lies in the intensities of human obsession? - Prometheans can relate. Perhaps there is the chance for ghosts to become something more, some analogy of the Pilgrimmage?

Mummy: How much is down here, being swallowed by the Devourer? How powerful must she be now, with six thousand years of human history to eat?

In the Mummy forum, I suggested the idea that Ammut is the Underwold.

Beast: Why? Because they're Family. Because they give you deserving targets for your Hunger.

Ghosts come about because of things lost in life - passions unfulfilled, chances missed, lessons unlearned - the dead have much to teach the living. Maybe Beasts can help them with that and do a little good into the bargain.


Hunter: The Vigil is the defence of humanity from supernatural atrocity. Are ghosts not humanity, and do they not suffer atrocity from the Underworld?

[Tessie]

Mummy: How much of Irem survives in the Underworld? How much of yourself, of your memory, of Descents past and forgotten? How much is down here, being swallowed by the Devourer? How powerful must she be now, with six thousand years of human history to eat? (Then you feel the tickle of a treacherous thought about the Judges and ruthlessly squelch it before it can go any further...)

Mummy: How much is down here, being swallowed by the Devourer? How powerful must she be now, with six thousand years of human history to eat? In the Mummy forum, I suggested the idea that Ammut is the Underwold.

The only second edition material on Mummy and the Underworld says that "Mummies can never travel to the Lower Mysteries of the Underworld, voluntarily or otherwise." (Dark Eras Companion, p.136)

[xiongrey]

Demon: The Underworld is a filthy and unpredictable hive of who knows what. It's confusing and mercurial. But that is it's strength. What better Hell then one created in the land of the dead with a group of necromancers who actively want to shape it the way you would. In a way, you're all trying to find the same thing: A safe place from the oppressive madness.

[Vent0]

The only second edition material on Mummy and the Underworld says that "Mummies can never travel to the Lower Mysteries of the Underworld, voluntarily or otherwise." (Dark Eras Companion, p.136)

Almost as if they are already kept from Ammut's maw by their Deathless nature...

[Mad_Maudlin]

Demon: The Underworld is a filthy and unpredictable hive of who knows what. It's confusing and mercurial. But that is it's strength. What better Hell then one created in the land of the dead with a group of necromancers who actively want to shape it the way you would. In a way, you're all trying to find the same thing: A safe place from the oppressive madness.

I'm pretty sure somewhere it's been said that the God-Machine doesn't fuss much with the Underworld, and when It does, the action doesn't extend past the Upper Reaches. A Dead Dominion might already be the idea place to hide from It, except for the lack of convenient sources of Aether.

[ArcaneArts]

I'm pretty sure somewhere it's been said that the God-Machine doesn't fuss much with the Underworld, and when It does, the action doesn't extend past the Upper Reaches. A Dead Dominion might already be the idea place to hide from It, except for the lack of convenient sources of Aether.

And the active hostility of the Underworld.

[Vent0]

And the active hostility of the Underworld.

True, but most of the dangers revealed thus far pose more of a risk to the Dead than the Unchained. Depending on Form Abilities and Exploits, if a Ghost gets uppity, you can siphon out their Essence and rip their Corpus face off.

Besides, the Unchained are used to not being welcome. At least the Underworld doesn't (hopefully) know all their dirty secrets.

[Tessie]

And the active hostility of the Underworld.

If you can handle the Old Laws in whatever Dead Dominion you choose as home, you're basically set. No Essence Bleed or Chthonians eating you through their hands like Morbius from the 90's animated Spider-Man. The Underworld really doesn't care much about anything that isn't a ghost. It's mostly ghosts that can fuck you up if they get desperate because of the Underworld. If it weren't for ghosts it would only be the lack of resources that makes the Underworld directly inhospitable, but even that is something demons can circumvent.
As long as you're two or more Unchained you can always just roll Primum to regain some Aether and transfer it to the other demon(s) and just repeat. It takes a bit of time, but a ring can collect up to (their combined maximum - the lowest maximum in the ring + 1) Aether. It also takes a bit of trust (since one of them needs to stay at 0 Aether until they're done), but if your ring collectively decided to say fuck it and move down to the Underworld to escape the God-Machine, you're probably a tight-knit group in the first place.
With enough stockpile items you can actually do it on your own without needing to expose yourself as vulnerable to other Unchained.

[ArcaneArts]

True, but most of the dangers revealed thus far pose more of a risk to the Dead than the Unchained. Depending on Form Abilities and Exploits, if a Ghost gets uppity, you can siphon out their Essence and rip their Corpus face off.

Besides, the Unchained are used to not being welcome. At least the Underworld doesn't (hopefully) know all their dirty secrets.

Strikes me as not a safe bet-the Underworld is where you go to find secrets when secrets die, and also probably houses more than a few (hundred) Echoes. The former is more true, but I still wouldn't wager on things being rosy. Just because a lot of the raw abilities don't get in the way doesn't mean the barrenness and isolation, as well the hostility of the residents, aren't deterrents enough alone, and there's probably effects we're not aware of yet since the reading isn't crossover focused.

The Underworld is not meant to be really workable in the long run barring Catabasis.

[Vent0]

If you can handle the Old Laws in whatever Dead Dominion you choose as home, you're basically set. No Essence Bleed or Chthonians eating you through their hands like Morbius from the 90's animated Spider-Man. The Underworld really doesn't care much about anything that isn't a ghost. It's mostly ghosts that can fuck you up if they get desperate because of the Underworld. If it weren't for ghosts it would only be the lack of resources that makes the Underworld directly inhospitable, but even that is something demons can circumvent.
As long as you're two or more Unchained you can always just roll Primum to regain some Aether and transfer it to the other demon(s) and just repeat. It takes a bit of time, but a ring can collect up to (their combined maximum - the lowest maximum in the ring + 1) Aether. It also takes a bit of trust (since one of them needs to stay at 0 Aether until they're done), but if your ring collectively decided to say fuck it and move down to the Underworld to escape the God-Machine, you're probably a tight-knit group in the first place.
With enough stockpile items you can actually do it on your own without needing to expose yourself as vulnerable to other Unchained.

And with the Essence Drain Technology you should be able to leech Ghosts for Aether as well.

Now, since Barghests count as animals for the purpose of supernatural abilities... Barghest Hellhounds, anyone?

[ajf115]

And with the Essence Drain Technology you should be able to leech Ghosts for Aether as well.

I smell conflict, sweet sweet conflict, because you know the other big thing that leeches off of ghosts?

Now, since Barghests count as animals for the purpose of supernatural abilities... Barghest Hellhounds, anyone?

Double-supernatural demon not-dogs. I approve.