Where Montreal shone as the bright jewel of the Sabbat's hold over Canada, Toronto existed in its shadows, a city of bright lights, powerful yet understated. Though even in shadows it could not be saved, its vampires revealed and hunted by the Second Inquisition, and then as it reeled to recover, came the call to join the Gehenna War in distant lands. Word spreads now in kindred sects, that the great city of Toronto lies ripe for the taking, with what Sabbat that once held it now all but ashes or simply too few to stand against the march of Camarilla, Anarchs, and Thin Bloods that flock to feed on Blood in Bright Lights.

Chronicle Convictions
• Courage is the highest value.
• My sect, right or wrong.
• Always keep your sworn word.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:09, Mon 12 Apr 2021.

Why They Came

It is no small feat to leave behind safe haven, familiar streets and take the risk of the open road with the threats of the Second Inquisition, Lupines, fellow Vampires, and the myriad of monsters that stalk the night to wind up in strange lands.

What would push a vampire to take such risks? Why would they come? What do they hunger after?

Money: Toronto may not be the capital of Canada, but it is the financial centre of the country, with Bay street at the heart of it. Left untouched, a cunning kindred could make a lot of money in a city like Toronto. They'll just need to hide it well from the prying eyes of the hunters that threaten North America.

Power: Yet unclaimed by kindred of either the Anarchs or the Camarilla, a chance exists to dictate who will run the kindred of a domain as large and powerful as this. Promises of title and domain draw kindred hungry to carve a place they can call their own. A place they can rule over and ascend to the ranks of privilege and authority.

Secrets: A city this large held elders and neonates for decades, even centuries. Whispers speak of a Tremere, Tzimisce alliance that controlled it, with one of the only Tremere Antitribu Archbishops ever mentioned. And then come the talk of the blood cults dedicated to Lilith that held sway under a sect that venerated their enemy, Caine. Surely in their departure, and their murder at the hands of the Second Inquisition something can be uncovered by a kindred who understands their worth.

Freedom: The most prized of all desires, a chance to break the chains and free oneself from the games of elders and ancilla. Toronto claims to have none, a city made barren. Here Thin Bloods and neonates can escape the clutches of those that would be their masters. Here a kindred can live nights free of the struggles of ancient vampires, if for only a while.

Loyalty: For clan and blood. For sect and cause. There are ideals greater than the interests of one's self. The Camarilla and the Anarchs are but two causes in a thousand causes seeking to claim a prize like Toronto as their own, and from it expand these virtues. It matters not to whom or what a kindred is loyal to, there are reasons for many to be sent to Toronto in service to these causes.

Unending: But the reasons do not end there. The hunted, the artists, the daring, those wanting to feel alive, those seeking to hide, those wishing to leave a past behind. Some come for the love they share with a touchstone. Others simply to leave a place with too much pain. The reasons are unending. Toronto draws them in, its bright lights transfixing its host of hungry dead in its unspoken promises.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:19, Thu 08 Apr 2021.

The trip may have been short, one of only a night. It could have been long, week or month. Cars, pick up trucks, vans, the means of transport the dead use are varied.

What challenges, if any, did the trip provide? And more importantly, did they come alone?

Coterie: Coteries provide the protection many neonates seek in undertaking such a dangerous trip. Thin Bloods clinging to each other for security is a world they are only starting to realize the depth of dangers that lie within it. Trust is hard to find however, and trips like these may lead to treachery, or death at the hands of dangers along the way. Once in Toronto, did the coterie remain as one, or had it served its purpose getting the kindred to the city.

Ghouls and Loved Ones: Kindred can find more trust in those bound to them in blood, or in mortal loves. Perhaps they didn't come with those mortal loves, fearing they would reveal their true nature to them, but they followed them none the less. A ghoul however is a vital resource for such a trip, managing the affairs of their kindred master. Some will have failed their masters, where others prove resourceful. Some may have been needed to sacrifice themselves to protect themselves in the effort to ensure their master reached Toronto.

Cults: Pilgrimages are the duty of the faithful. Among these faithful, within these blood cults, are the vampires guiding them. Some vampires have made the trip with cults at their back. Sacrifices may have been made, promises made to uproot them, and secrets may have been witnessed in the journey to Toronto by those not initiated enough in its secrets.

Alone: The most dangerous, and the safest method of travel, for there is little trust among kindred. This is the most common method of travel, but also the method by which many met their end. No one to turn to but themselves, kindred needed both luck and wits by their side to make the trip.

In a domain without an authority to guide the actions of player characters, players will find more enjoyment by having characters with well defined desires and passions to push a story. While this is not a sandbox game, with narratives, and stories, both big and small, many of my plots will come from the stories that I see players reveal to me that their character wants to pursue. This means that players will get as much out of the game as they put in. If you wish to create a mad scientist that is locked away in their lab, that is well and good, but stories are less likely to find you, so create reasons to link your character to others instead of always expecting the ST to push the character beyond his lab.

In short, inspire me to think of fun stories to tell by giving me characters that are complicated, passionate or driven. Don't worry about going crazy with a thought, throw it to me, and we can dial it back from the crazy and maybe in the process think up of something unique and different. I want this to be a collaborative experience, from the stories I tell, to the characters you play. I also want the players to be as much storytellers, weaving plots of their own with their characters, and I will support you in the process.

Welcome to Toronto By Night.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:45, Thu 08 Apr 2021.