Michelle On - Giovanni Ghost Whisper

[TiffanyKorta]

 

Personal Details

Real Name: Michelle On Nature Pedagogue Demeanor Traditionalist Clan: Giovanni (Della Passaglia) Generation: 8th

Sire: Antonio della Passaglia Date of Birth: August 27th, 1967 (27) Date of Embrace: March 23rd, 1993 Place of Birth: Hong Kong, China Place of Death: Kowloon, Hong Kong

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Background

Kowloon Walled City
With the urban jungle that was Kowloon Walled City, it was important to deal with the recently dead, sometime the bodies would raise as the hungry dead. So since the 19th century, the women of the On family had been taught the rare arts of calming the recently revived, leading them to a sacred place where someone, or something, would deal with them. Those that didn't rise were passed on to those who would ensure proper treatment of the body, so most of those living in the City would tell the On's of the bodies and keep them safe from even the most brutal of Tongs.

This had been noticed by the few Western Kindred living in Hong Kong including the Della Passaglia family of cla Giovanni, who wished to learn the secret ways the On had with dealing with these strange local Risen. In the narrow danger-filled streets of the Walled City these Kindred stood no chance, other supernatural defending the place aggressively, but in the 90s things were changing and with a few nudges the Della Passaglia was there when the walled city fell. On that night they entered the city and finally got their hands on the last of the Walled City On, Michelle On.

A disappointing Embrace
after being denied this necromantic secret for a century Antonio wasn't gentle biting into Michelle's flesh and rapidly drawing out her blood and life force. On the edge of death, Michelle was ready to use the last of her will to cross over and deny this Westerner the secret, but as she was about to she felt a hand take her own and the voice of her grandmother telling her that instead of death she could gain revenge on this monster before her. So mostly unwilling she joined the Della Passaglia family of the Giovanni Clan.

For Antonio, it was a further disappointment as Michelle told her sire that she could not recall the secret they were after, and even after (apparently) blood bonding her she would not or could not divulge the ritual he was after. Too prideful to admit that all this was for nothing he instead abandoned his childe to the lesser Kindred to teach her the ways of the clan.

They didn't have an easier time of things with Michelle playing dumb, pretending not to understand their instructions or even language, whilst with the help of NaaNaa On she rapidly outstripped their knowledge of Necromancy. Eventually, as the years went on they gave up trying to train this dumb local, instead giving her simple errands to carry out. This was perfect as she used them to carry out small petty revenge on the family. A missing component here, a misplace important message there and the none the wiser Della Passaglia gained a reputation for general incompetence. With increased pressure from both the local supernaturals and the Tremere, who had managed to keep a foothold in Hong Kong, they finally gave up and abandoned the city for greener pastures.

 

 

Edited July 6, 2023 by TiffanyKorta (see edit history)

[TiffanyKorta]

Strength	⚫⚫⚪⚪⚪	Charisma	⚫⚫⚫⚪⚪	Intelligence	⚫⚫⚫⚪⚪
Dexterity	⚫⚫⚪⚪⚪	Manipulation	⚫⚫⚫⚪⚪	Wits	⚫⚫⚫⚪⚪
Stamina	⚫⚫⚪⚪⚪	Appearance	⚫⚫⚪⚪⚪	Perception	⚫⚫⚫⚫⚪
Alertness	⚫⚫⚪⚪⚪	Animal Ken	⚪⚪⚪⚪⚪	Academics	⚫⚫⚫⚪⚪
Athletics	⚫⚫⚪⚪⚪	Crafts	⚪⚪⚪⚪⚪	Computer	⚪⚪⚪⚪⚪
Awareness	⚫⚫⚪⚪⚪	Drive	⚫⚪⚪⚪⚪	Finance	⚪⚪⚪⚪⚪
Brawl	⚪⚪⚪⚪⚪	Etiquette	⚫⚫⚫⚪⚪	Investigation	⚫⚫⚫⚪⚪
Empathy	⚫⚫⚪⚪⚪	Firearms	⚪⚪⚪⚪⚪	Law	⚪⚪⚪⚪⚪
Expression	⚪⚪⚪⚪⚪	Larceny	⚫⚪⚪⚪⚪	Medicine	⚫⚫⚪⚪⚪
Intimidation	⚪⚪⚪⚪⚪	Melee	⚪⚪⚪⚪⚪	Occult	⚫⚫⚫⚪⚪
Leadership	⚪⚪⚪⚪⚪	Performance	⚪⚪⚪⚪⚪	Politics	⚫⚫⚪⚪⚪
Streetwise	⚪⚪⚪⚪⚪	Stealth	⚪⚪⚪⚪⚪	Science	⚪⚪⚪⚪⚪
Subterfuge	⚫⚪⚪⚪⚪	Survival	⚪⚪⚪⚪⚪	Technology	⚪⚪⚪⚪⚪
Dominate• Command The vampire locks eyes with the subject and speaks a one-word command, which the subject must be obey instantly. The order must be clear and straightforward: run, agree, fall, yawn, jump, laugh, surrender, stop, scream, follow. If the command is at all confusing or ambiguous, the subject may respond slowly or perform the task poorly. The subject cannot be ordered to do something directly harmful to herself, so a command like “die” is ineffective. The command may be included in a sentence, thereby concealing the power’s use from others. This effort at subtlety still requires the Kindred to make eye contact at the proper moment and stress the key word slightly. An alert bystander — or even the victim — may notice the emphasis. Still, unless she’s conversant with supernatural powers, the individual is likely to attribute the utterance and the subsequent action to bizarre coincidence. System: The player rolls Manipulation + Intimidation (difficulty equals the target’s current Willpower points). More successes force the subject to act with greater vigor or for a longer duration (continue running for a number of turns, go off on a laughing jag, scream uncontrollably). Remember, too, that being commanded to against one’s Nature confounds the use of this power. Being told to “sleep!” in a dangerous situation or “attack!” in police custody may not have the desired effect, or indeed, any effect at all.	⚫⚪⚪⚪⚪	Generation	⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫	Path of the Bones
Potence	⚫⚪⚪⚪⚪	Herd	⚫⚪⚪⚪⚪	⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫ ⚫⚫⚪⚪⚪
Necromancy	⚫⚫⚫⚫⚪	Memento de MorteLore of the Clans (p107-108) Michelle had a small shrine shipped from Kowloon that is used to burn spirit money. When lit and given an offering of "normal" spirit money it provides the bonus to her Necromancy. You have a relic of middling power or two minor ones. +2 bonus dice to Necromancy rolls.	⚫⚫⚪⚪⚪	Conviction	⚫⚫⚫⚪⚪
The Sepulchre Path• Witness of Death Before it is possible to control the dead, one must perceive them. This power allows just that, attuning a vampire’s unliving senses to the presence of the incorporeal. Under its effects, a necromancer sees ghosts as translucent phantoms gliding among the living and hears their whispers and moans. She feels the spectral cold of their touch and smells their musty hint of decay. Yet one cannot mistake the dead for the living, as they lack true substance, and appear dimmer and less real than creatures of flesh and blood. When a vampire uses this power, her eyes flicker with pale blue fire that only the dead can see. Ghosts resent being spied upon, and more powerful shades may use their own powers to inflict their displeasure on the incautious. System: The player rolls Perception + Awareness (difficulty 5). Success allows the vampire to perceive ghosts as described for the rest of the scene (in the mortal world — seeing ghosts in the land of the dead requires Shroudsight, on p. 163). Failure has no special effect, but a botch means the vampire can see only the dead for the scene; everything else appears as shapeless, dim shadows. While the vampire’s other senses remain attuned to the living, he is all but blind in this state and suffers a +3 difficulty to most vision-based Perception rolls and attacks. Ghosts notice the glowing eyes of a vampire using this power only with a successful Perception + Alertness roll (difficulty 7). •• Summon Soul The power of Summon Soul allows a necromancer to call a ghost back from the Underworld, for conversational purposes only. In order to perform this feat (and indeed, most of the feats in this path), the vampire must meet certain conditions: • The necromancer must know the name of the wraith in question, though an image of the wraith obtained via Witness of Death (see above), Shroudsight (see p. 163), Auspex, or other supernatural perception will suffice. • An object with which the wraith had some contact in life must be in the vicinity, though it need not be something of significant importance to the ghost’s living consciousness. A piece of the ghost’s corpse works well for this purpose (and even provides a -1 difficulty modifier). Certain types of ghosts cannot be summoned with this power. Vampires who achieved Golconda before their Final Deaths, or who were diablerized, are beyond the reach of this summons. Likewise, many ghosts of the dead cannot be called — they are destroyed, unable to return to the mortal plane, or lost in the eternal storm of the Underworld. System: The player spends one blood point and rolls Manipulation + Occult (difficulty equal to 7 or the ghost’s Willpower, whichever is higher). The vampire must know the name of the ghost and have on hand an object the ghost had contact with in life. Provided that the target has died and become a ghost, success means the shade appears before the necromancer as described above. Not everyone becomes a ghost — it requires a strong will to persevere in the face of death, and souls that have found peace pass on to their eternal rewards. Moreover, it is possible for the dead to suffer spiritual dissolution and destruction after they become ghosts. The Storyteller should consider all these factors when deciding whether a particular ghost exists for a vampire to summon. Vampires know if their summons should have succeeded by a feeling of sudden, terrifying descent as they reach too far into the great Beyond, so this power can be used to determine whether a soul has endured beyond death. While a failure means the vampire wastes blood, a botch calls a spirit other than the one sought — usually a malevolent ghost known as a Spectre (see p. 385). Such a fiend torments the one who summoned it with every wicked power at its disposal. Once a ghost is summoned, it may not deliberately move out of sight of the vampire, though it can take any other actions, including direct attack. The vampire’s player may spend a Willpower point to dismiss the ghost at any time (unless he rolled a botch). Otherwise, at the end of the scene, shadows engulf the spirit once more and return it to its original location. ••• Compel Soul With this power, a vampire can command a ghost to do his bidding for a while. Compulsion of the soul is a perilous undertaking and, when used improperly, can endanger vampire and wraith alike. System: The vampire locates and approaches the intended ghost or calls it to his presence with Summon Soul. As with the previous power, he must have the ghost’s name and an object it handled in life. His player then spends one blood point and rolls Manipulation + Occult in a resisted roll against the ghost’s Willpower (difficulty 6 for both rolls). If the vampire wins, the number of net successes determines the degree of control he has over the ghost (as described below). Moreover, the vampire’s control keeps ghosts that have been called with Summon Soul from returning to their original locations at the end of the scene. If the ghost wins, the vampire loses a number of Willpower points equal to the ghost’s net successes. On a tie, the roll becomes an extended contest that continues each turn until one side wins. If the vampire botches at any point, the ghost is immune to any use of the vampire’s Necromancy for the rest of the scene. If the ghost botches, it must obey as if the vampire’s player had rolled five net successes. Successes Result 1 success The ghost must perform one simple task for the vampire that does not place it in certain danger. It must attend to this task immediately, although it can delay the compulsion and pursue its own business at a cost of one Willpower point per scene. The ghost may not attack the vampire until this task is complete. It is possible to issue the task of answering one question, in which case the ghost must answer truthfully and to the best of its knowledge. 2 successes The vampire may issue two orders or ask two questions as outlined for one success. Alternatively, the vampire may demand a simple task with a real possibility of danger, as long as the danger is not certain. The ghost may delay this compulsion with Willpower. 3 successes The vampire may issue three orders as outlined for one success. Alternatively, he may demand the ghost fulfill one difficult and dangerous task or a simple assignment that has an extended duration of up to one month. The ghost may delay such orders with Willpower. 4 successes The vampire may issue four orders, as outlined for one success, or assign two tasks, as for two successes. Alternatively, the vampire may command the ghost to perform one complex assignment that puts the ghost at extreme risk, or perform any number of non-threatening tasks as the vampire’s slave for up to one month (or, if the necromancer spends a permanent point of Willpower, for a year and a day). It is possible for ghosts to delay individual tasks, but not put off enslavement. 5+ successes The vampire may issue multiple orders that have a sum complexity or danger of five successes’ worth. Instead, the vampire may order the ghost to perform any one action that it is capable of executing within one month. Such a task can place the ghost in immediate peril of destruction, or even force it to betray and assault loved ones. It is not possible for ghosts to delay a task of this magnitude with Willpower — they must obey. •••• Haunting Haunting binds a summoned ghost to a particular location or, in extreme cases, an object. The wraith cannot leave the area to which the necromancer binds it without risking destruction. System: The player spends one blood point while standing at the location for the haunting or touching the intended prison. She then has the ghost brought to her by whatever means she desires, though Summon Soul is quickest and most reliable. Her player then rolls Manipulation + Occult (difficulty is equal to the target’s current Willpower points if resisted, to a minimum of 4; otherwise it is 4). The difficulty rises by one if the vampire wishes to place the ghost in an object. As usual, the difficulty decreases by one if the necromancer has a part of the spirit’s corpse in addition to knowing its name (minimum difficulty 3). Each success binds the ghost within the location or object for one night. This duration extends to one week if the player spends a Willpower point or a year and a day for a dot of permanent Willpower. A wraith attempting to leave the area of a haunting must make an extended Willpower roll (difficulty 9, four cumulative successes necessary in a single scene) or take a level of aggravated damage for each roll. If the wraith runs out of health levels, it is hurled deep into the Underworld to face destruction.	⚫⚫⚫⚫⚪	Resources	⚫⚫⚫⚪⚪	Self-Control	⚫⚫⚫⚫⚪
The Ash Path• Shroudsight Shroudsight allows a necromancer to see through the Shroud, the mystical barrier that separates the living world from the Underworld. By using this power, the vampire can spot ghostly buildings and items, the landscape of the so-called Shadowlands, and even wraiths themselves. However, an observant wraith may notice when a vampire suddenly starts staring at him, which can lead to unpleasant consequences. System: A simple roll of Perception + Awareness (difficulty 7) allows a necromancer to utilize Shroudsight. The effects last for a scene. •• Lifeless Tongues Where Shroudsight allows a necromancer to see ghosts, Lifeless Tongues allows her to converse with them effortlessly. Once Lifeless Tongues is employed, the vampire can carry on a conversation with the enizens of the ghostly Underworld without spending blood or causing the wraiths to expend any effort. System: To use Lifeless Tongues requires a roll of Perception + Occult (difficulty 6) and the expenditure of a Willpower point. ••• Dead Hand Similar to the Sepulchre Path power Torment, Dead Hand allows a necromancer to reach across the Shroud and affect a ghostly object as if it were in the real world. Ghosts are solid to necromancers using this power, and can be attacked. Furthermore, the necromancer can pick up ghostly items, scale ghostly architecture (giving real-world bystanders the impression that he’s climbing on air!), and generally exist in two worlds. On the other hand, a necromancer using Dead Hand is quite solid to the residents of the Underworld — and to whatever hostilities they might have. System: The player spends a point of Willpower and makes a successful Wits + Occult roll (difficulty 7) to activate Dead Hand for one scene. For each additional scene the vampire wishes to remain in contact with the Underworld, he must spend a point of blood.	⚫⚫⚫⚪⚪	Spirit SlavesLore of the Clans (p 108) You’re the boss of three lesser ghosts or fewer who can do more.	⚫⚫⚫⚪⚪	Courage	⚫⚫⚫⚪⚪
RitualsCall of the Hungry Dead (lvl 1)				Bearing	Silence
Consanguineous Resistance	⚫	Permanent WoundOn the left side just above the collar bone, Michelle has an almost lamprey-like wound, caused by her sire draining her, that constantly leaks a black ichor. At the beginning of each night, you rise from sleep at the Wounded.	⚫⚫⚫	⚫⚫⚫⚫⚪ ⚪⚪⚪⚪⚪
LanguagesCantonese (Native), English, Italian, Korean, Mandarin	⚫⚫	Sire Resentment	⚫
Natural Linguist	⚫⚫
Spirit Mentor	⚫⚫⚫
⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫ ⚪⚪⚪⚪⚪ ⚪⚪⚪⚪ 2 / Turn		▶ When a Giovanni feeds upon a mortal, she does twice as much damage as the Kiss of another vampire would inflict.		0 / 50

 

Experience Tracker

Freebies:

• Backgrounds
  • Generation + 4 dots
  • Resources & Spirit Slaves + 2 dots
  • Memento de Morte +1 dot
• Willpower
  • +1 dot
• Merits
  • Spirit Mentor (3 points), Languages (2 points)

Experience:

• Disciplines
  • Sepulchre Path +4 dots, 5+10+15 xp
  • The Ash Path 3 dots, 7+4+8 xp

Edited July 6, 2023 by TiffanyKorta (see edit history)