The Affliction

There are those creatures that exist beneath the skin of the city, some walk among its people, they could be your neighbour, your butcher, the whore in the ally who waits for a sailor or a drunk to stumble past. They are the dark touched, those who born or somehow later changed have been afflicted with a difference that separates them from their fellow man, perhaps a thirst that is almost unquenchable, a whisper in their ear of voices from those long passed from this life or a more bestial nature waiting inside of them.

Most hide themselves from their fellow man, keeping to a creed of secrecy to protect the sanctity of the cities tentative peace. Others embrace humanity, creating a circle of confidants trusted to know of their darkness, and others still hide from the very city itself, in its sewers and back streets they lurk, waiting for the sun to set, for the lamps to be lit to stalk the streets in search of the things they desire.

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From aristocrats to beggars there is a resilience to mankind that had carried on through the ages, perhaps it is the frailty of these creatures that makes them so hardy in their own right, or perhaps that there are simply so many of them, such a competition for food and resource and territory that they have learnt such unique ways to survive. Very few humans are aware of the presence of the dark touched, occupied with survival or society the city is awash with people from all walks of live, beggars and brigands, factory workers and poets, painters and cream of London society all pressed together in this singular melting pot.

N.B when playing a human not all of your stats have to be a two, sometimes its more interesting to play a weakness than a strength, think about your character, what job do they have ? what sort of life do they live, what might they not be good at ?

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Blessed with an ethereal beauty and grace the Elites are perhaps one of the touched that can most easily pass for human save for their razor sharp teeth and yet there is something about them that puts people naturally at edge, invoking a sense long forgotten from a time of hiding from the larger predator. Their natural allure allows them to take positions of power and influence in society, Lawyers and landowners, politicals and socialites. But as with all blood touched they suffer from an undeniable thirst for human blood that must be sated daily, if it is not that natural allure soon turns to something else, leaving them looking more sallow, more predatory. But don't let their beauty fool you, Elites are capable and deadly killers naturally faster than others they can appear to move across a room in the blink of an eye. But these are not the vampires of books, they do not burn with the touch of silver, though copper hurts them as it does all Darkness touched, they have reflections and their hearts most certainly still beat, the sun does them no harm and they can enter your home without invitation, save for their hunger and their skills they are almost the same as you or I.

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Though cursed with the same thirst for blood as their closest kin, the Ravaged where not gifted with their beauty, often seen with pale skin, dark veins that creep beneath the surface of their skin and bloodshot eyes that look as though vessels have ruptured. This appearance gives them the look of someone suffering great sickness, making people more wary and cautious of them, because of this the Ravaged have become masters of blending into the shadows, moving without sound, finding ways to get their next meal without being seen. Their bodies are weaker than several of the touched kin but what they lack in bulk they make up in a near elite like speed. The Ravaged are often found in the slums of the city, taking positions where people turn a blind eyes to the labours of a sick man. However this a natural madness to the Ravaged, not one that comes from the blood they consume or even their appearance, but their closeness to the source of the thing affects all touched, a sort of spiritual connection to the darkness. Just as their closest kin these are not the vampires of books, they do not burn with the touch of silver, though copper hurts them as it does all Darkness touched, they have reflections and their hearts most certainly still beat, the sun does them no harm and they can enter your home without invitation, save for their hunger and their skills they are almost the same as you or I.

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There are one sect of the touched who seem to be the most effected by it, who live almost between worlds, cursed with knowledge of things that have not yet come to pass, whispers and visions of the futures and contact from those who have passed, those who themselves were touched by the darkness and now linger in this in-between place, able to reach out to the mystics and share foreboding warnings and secrets. These visions and whispers of the dead give them an advantage over the strength of the bone touched or the speed of the blood touched, for there are times when the other side forewarns them of dangers and other times where it leads them directly to danger. Many try to hide this gift, preferring to live as normally as possible but others embrace it, making a name for themselves as seers and occultists. But they are not witches, they cannot conjure fire or make curses, there are no magical spells to change the laws of nature nor can they make teacups float in the air.

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Unlike mystics toughs do not hear the whispers of the dead, nor do they see the glimmers of past and potential futures, but they are still toeing the line between this world and the next. These men and women have an uncanny ability to take damage, their bodies naturally healing fast, skin and bones tough and impervious to much that might harm a human. But it is their rage that forces them more to the fringes of society, touched by the spirits they often find themselves half possessed by the will of things unseen, feeling anger and rage and hate that is not their own, fighting not to act upon it or finding safe places to let out that rage, often as fighters in illegal gambling locations or finding professions that allow their fists to talk first. Despite this they are still capable of being killed, their tenacity aside these men and women can be cut, can bleed and die, you might just find it very hard to do so.

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There are men born more of beast than man, like a coin with two faces they can choose to walk either path, as a beast, a create of bear or wolf or some other predator or as a man stronger than all carrying the presence of that other nature with them at all times. Hideborn cannot be made, they are born this way, sometimes of parents such as they but other times their animalistic gift can skip generations. Where some have mastered their two natured spirit others struggle, their sheer power and heightened senses can give them a serious advantage over other dark touched. Most choose not to live in the cities, preferring the countryside to let their true nature roam free, but others chose a life where they walk that delicate balance, thrusting themselves into society often in positions of power where sheer brutal strength and presence is valued.

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Unlike their two spirited kin the moonsick are not born with the darkness but touched by it, often infected directly by a Hideborn attack they do not have a second form but their bodies become stuck, somewhere between man and beast, unable to change back. This tell tale visage forces them to hide much as the Ravaged must, preferring solitude or becoming man beasts of myth and legend. Despite their inability to change their skin they retain much of the strength of their closest kin, their senses sharpened so much that the world can overwhelm them, very few sneak through the streets of London, risking being caught with their unnatural visage. Yet just as their Hideborn kin they too struggle with that animalistic nature, torn between two world, man and beast. This can make them volatile and unpredictable, lending more to their need to hide from society.

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