So, it looks like I'll be starting an old World of Darkness vampire campaign. The problem is, the person I usually go to for plot ideas will be one of the players. So I need someone else to brainstorm it with. I have a general idea for the game area, but lack the binding idea that would bind the plot.
LOCATION
The Polish city of Lodz, once a melting pot of Polish, Russian, German and Jewish cultures, famous as "the promised land" for daring businessmen, as it grew into a center of textile industry.
Nowadays the factories are mostly gone, the largest one converted into a giant shopping mall, but the mansions of the industry moguls still stand, serving as museums or administrative buildings. While many speak of the city's decline, others still enjoy its pubs, cinemas and picturesque old houses. The architecture ranges from old tenement houses to long blocks of flats from the times of communism, and the modern facilities of glass and metal stand just blocks away from dilapidated backyards where one would not go at night.
VAMPIRE SOCIETY - key clans
Brujah - the current Prince is a female noble from the 16th century, known both from her cunning and from her tendency to manhandle and defenstrate those who make her lose her temper. She's the second oldest vampire in the city (the oldest being the Gangrel primogen. She feels threatened by his power, but he mostly doesn't care) Her children and grandchildren are either nobles from the decline of Poland, or various resistance members from the partitioning times, while the youngest brujah have been carefully selected from the local organized crime.
Ventrue - there are two big power players in the Ventrue. One is the primogen, Boguslav. He is an infamous historical figure who once betrayed Poland during the Swedish invasion, an act that made him the villain of one of Poland's most famous novels, and made him the local 'evil aristocrat' archetype. He definitely plays the part, though he lacks the manpower to shift the power directly - he has lost most of his first children so most of his progeny is less than 200 years old. His favourite daughter used to be a textile factory worker who gain a level of influence through her cunning, despite low education. Most modern ventrue are recruited from big business, as it the current trend.
Boguslav used to be a duke in life, which is the same as 'prince' in Polish, but he can't use the title for obvious reason, a fact that frustrates him to no end.
The other power player is the Marquis, a mysterious French ventrue, who, upon arriving in Lodz discovered that several houses in the city center are covered by surprisingly powerful wards, left there by the previous owner - He set up a night club there and, thanks to its added safety, managed to get the Prince to declare it the new elisium, taking the position away from the Toreador.
Nosferatu - a mix of old Jews and Russians, the nosferatu rule much of the old town in the city centre, even though the city doesn't have much in a way of impressive sewers, barring the oldest part that is now a museum. Their influence comes chiefly from the primogen's son holding the position of the Sheriff.
RECENT EVENTS
The Great dig - The city center is undergoing major changes, split in half by road works as the main road is being modified and partially moved underground to reduce the traffic jams at key intersections. On the other side of the centre, the old train station has been demolished and a new, much larger one is being constructed - it is said that it will be connected underground to the other train station across the city, but this will require years of digging tunnels under the old town. For this reason the investment is closely monitored by the nosferatu, who intend to use it to make some changes to their own network.
PLAYERS
1 Nosferatu. A 50 year old expert from the historical buildings preservation office, who discovered some nosferatu tunnels while overseeing the plans for the dig. She was embraced rather than killed because one of the nosferatu was her old university professor. Right now she's officially alive, but unable to leave home due to some severe mental condition, allowing her to sign whatever papers her new bos needs, while not showing her face to her old colleagues. Her big problem is that she has little usefulness to the nosferatu beyond that - she is going to have to learn fast.
2 Malkavian. A psychiatry student embraced by one of the kindred in the local hospital. She is a great observer and very persuasive, but also a compulsive liar.
PLOT?
Obviously something about the dig, but what will it be? Possibly some betrayal by Boguslav at some point - though he has to be careful since literally everybody expects him to try a coup sooner or later. Some organized crime or business-related plots?
No big conflicts with the local werewolves (that would interfere with our other campaign too early) but it would be fun to make them cooperate with Black Spirals for a quest or two.
