“Fighting “Fighting to survive, in a world with the darkest powers...” powers...” -Queen
H ig hl a nd e r-st r- styl yl e immo im mo rta rt a l s fit fi t pe r fe c tly into the World of Darkn ess. The mov i e list ed as one of the inspirat inspi rat ions Highlander Highlande r is listed for the Wo rld of Da rkne ss - a wo rld wh e re su p e rn atu ral being be ingss walk wal k among amon g us without with out our k n ow l e d ge . Ho we ve r, i m m o rt al s ar e ve ry different different from other supernatural creatures in one very important important way way - Unlike the Kindred, Kindred, Garou and Mag e s , i m m o rtal s don ’t have the ir ow n s o c ie t y, for ve ry obvi ob viou ouss reaso re asons ns.. In a wo rl d where various various groups such as the Sabbat and the Te ch n o c ra cy vi e fo r p owe r, i m m o rt a ls ar e wildcards - powerful individuals; mavericks who can be useful allies or dangerous enemies. They have no cl early define de fined d role, unlike the th e Garo Ga ro u, for instance, and instead, fo l l ow the ir own destiny, destiny, towards the Prize. Immortals rta ls don’t go around arou nd in gro ups, fo r ve ry obv iou s re aso ns. Th e re fo re , t h e re wil l n o rm a l ly only be a sin gle imm or tal pla ye r character character in a Chronicle Chronicle,, and the other PCs will p resu mably ab ly be one on e of the other oth er ch aracte ra cterr types typ es detailed in the Storyteller games released so far Kind re d, G a ro u , Mage ag e or Wraith. rait h. This Th is bri ngs up the interesting t opic o f wh at the other ch ara c t e rs ac t uall ua lly y k no w about the immort a l character. Given that immortals are probably the ra rest re st of all the th e super su pern n at u ral ra l being bei ngss (ex c ept in g Mummies), it’s reasonable reasonable to assume that it’s not ex actly common com mon know ledge that th at these the se guys guy s are immort immortal, al, and can only be killed if their their head is cho pped off. If asses sed usin g supe rn at u ra l powers, an immortal’s aura will look very similar to a Mage ’s , or perhaps per haps a Change Chan geling’s - Th ey s t o re within them a large well of powe r, n o t
u n l i ke Quint essence. Howeve r, it will soon become obvious that an immortal cannot manipulate manipulate magick, nor does he possess powers powers l i ke that tha t of a Fa e ri e. No rm a l ly, an imm ort a l won’t reveal his true nature to people, without without a very very good good reaso reason, n, and it is very unlikely that he will reveal the method by which he can be killed. A lt l t h ou ou g h im i m m or or ta t a l s ar a r e, e , a f te te r a ll ll , i m m o rt a l , and an d don’t do n’t nece ne cessa ssa ri ly n e e d to eat ea t , sl e ep , and so on, failure to do so will result in them becoming weak, although they can never die of hunger or exposure. However However,, hunger and cold make immortals as uncomfo rt able as they do mortal mortals, s, and theref therefore, ore, it is is desirabl desirablee to have have a roof roof over over one’s one’s head, head, and money money,, in order order to make your life more comfo rt abl e. Unlike other othe r s u p e rn at u ra l b ei ng s, i m m o rt al s do n’ t h av e Caerns, Caerns, Nodes or or Crypts. Crypts. Instead Instead,, they will will most probably live amongst mortals. During their extended lifetimes, lifetimes, immortals immortals a re lik e ly to amass ama ss huge hu ge amoun amo unts ts of we a l t h . H ow ev e r, l i ke Va m p i re s , i m m o rt a l s m u s t maintain a masquerade - the illusion that there is nothing strange about them. This can be difficult, and can involve having havin g to leave leav e wo rl d ly assets asse ts be h ind. In the film, Conn Co nnor or use d to leave le ave his goo ds to ch i l d ren wh o had die d whi lst ve ry youn young, g, and “die” “die”,, only to return return after after a suitab suitable le interval to assume the identity of the dead person and claim their their inheritanc inheritance. e. This is probably probably the best way of ensuring that an immortal doesn’t have to give up whatever worldly possessions he has earned when he has to move move on, in order to to p reve nt his tru e nat u re be ing dis cov e re d. D o u b t l e s s , t h e re a re im mo rta ls wh o tr ave l
a round quit e a bit, but it’s like ly that , a f t e r several several centuries centuries of travel travellin ling, g, an immortal may wish to stay in one place for a while. Obviously Obviously,, if an immortal has settled settled down in one place, place, they will need to to have have some way of paying for their lifestyle on a day to day basis. D u n c a n , for ins ta nc e, ha s ex t e n s ive sto ck h o ld i n g s, but he is also an anti que dealer, de aler, a s Connor was. was. What better job for a man who was a l ive when many anti ques we re new? Othe r p ro fess fe ssio ions ns wh ic h re quire a know kn ow le dg e of the th e past may also at tract rac t immort immor tals, like a history histo ry p ro fe s s o r, for instanc ins tance. e. Who better bet ter to descr de scriibe the Civil War than someone who was actually th e re? re ? Immor Imm ortta ls’ s u p e rn at u ra l abil ab il iti es me mean an that they the y are pra ctically perfe pe rfect ct as soldie sol diers rs, or someth something ing sim simila ilarr. What could could be better than a soldier who isn’t just simply unafraid of dy i n g, but is actually unable to die? Most immort a l s will no doubt have been involved in some sort of conflict at some point in their lives lives,, unless they actively avoided it. Were an immo rt a l ’s sec ret to bec ome k n ow n , the results could be potentially disastrous. rou s. Imagin Ima ginee what would wo uld happ ha ppen en we re a c o m p a ny su ch as Deve De ve lo pm en t Neog Ne og e n e t i c s A m a l ga m ate d or Pe n tex Inc . to di scover sco ver that th at i m m o rtals exist - they would stop at nothing in an attempt to discover the secret of immortality. Therefore, Therefore, an immortal immortal character must must be careful careful to guard g uard his secret, and maintain the facade of normality.
“How do you fight such a savage?” savage?” “With heart, heart, faith, and steel...” steel...” -Connor, -Connor, Ramirez Ramirez
In this section we will discuss how I m m o rtals are like ly to interact with the other supernatural beings in the World of Darkness, Darkness, as well as other individuals individuals and organizat organizations, ions, such as the Inquisition.
Immortals are quite likely to run up against the Kindred of any city they visit - Kindred feed off mort als, while Immortals Immort als are more like ly to try and protect the them. Kindred seek to control and they will normally try to destroy that which they are unable to control. Immortals don’t often fit into their sch e m e s , wh i ch mak es the m d a n ge rous. rou s. Howeve r, as mu ch as an immo rt al can be a powerful e nemy, nemy, t h ey can also be a p owe rfu l al ly. It is po ssi bl e th at in div i d u a l immortals and vampires can become friends and allies, allies, for both both have one major trait trait in common both have the potential to live live for an inordinate length of time. Both understand what it is like to live live for much longer than mortals. Added to this is the the fact fact that, that, unlike unlike mortal mortals, s, immort immortals als have have not hing to fea r from Va m p i res - as has been s t ate d befo re, i m m o rtal blo od hold s no sustenan suste nance ce for Vampires, and immortals immo rtals cannot canno t be Embraced, nor made into Ghouls. However, u n l i ke ma ny Kin dr e d, I m m o rta ls are stil l in nate ly human, huma n, and the bestial besti al nature of many K i n d red will repel them. If an immortal has a Vampire as a friend, it is likely tha t the Vampire Vampire will have a high Humanity.
Immortals are more likely to join the Garou than the the Kindred. Kindred. The Garou fight fight for a simpler simpler time, a time the immortal immor tal may well remember. The Garou also fight against the desecration of Gaia Gaia,, and, and, as PC immortal immortalss are likely likely to follo follow w in the hero mold of Connor and Duncan MacLeod, it is ex treme ly like lik ely that th at Garo Ga rou u and an d I m m o rtal s wou ld co nsid er eac h oth er to be b ro t h e rs , fighting on the same side, against the destruction of a mother earth the Immortals have wat ched being desecra ted over the cen turie s . Add to this the fact that Garou Caerns are Holy G ro u n d, an d a re f u ge for imm ort a l s , an d it becomes obvious that the Garou and Immort a l s are very likely allies.
However, there is a possibility possib ility that some i m m o rt als may co me up ag ain st th e Gar o u , especially especially if they have amassed amassed great wealth, wealth, and control portions of man’s world which the Garou do not ap p re c i at e. Su ch im mor ta ls may be c o n s i d e red by the Garou Gar ou to be ag ent s of th e Wyrm. yrm. In general, general, howev however er,, Immort Immortals als are are much more like li ke ly to fo rm fri endly re lation at ionsh ships ips and an d allies the Garou than anything else.
Immortals and Mages don’t mix well. This isn’t because because of any direct conflict, conflict, but because because Mages will often wish to acquire the immortal’s immortal’s Quickening, in order to empower empower their own node. A l s o , M age s , l i ke the Kind re d, a re often distrustfu rus tfull of that wh ich they can’t ca n’t contr co ntro o l, an immortals’ immortals’ immunity to magic of both the Prime and Life spheres sphe res makes make s them a dange dan ger. On the other hand, i m m o rtals make useful allies, powerful and ye t not be holden to any clan or trib tribe. e. Also Also,, the Mages Mages’’ nodes are Holy Ground, Ground, l ike the Caerns of the Garou. However, what immortal is likely to feel comfortable in a place surrounded by people who could gain a lot of power for themselves by beheading him?
It’s like ly that Immortals Immor tals and Wraiths raith s do not norm a l ly intera ct ve ry mu ch , due to the simple fact that while Immortals inhabit the mundane wo rl d, W raiths dwell in t he Deep Umbra and rarely manifest themselves on Earth. It should should be noted, howev however er,, that because because of of the manne r in wh i ch t he Quicke ning binds an immo rtal’s bein be ing g toge to ge ther, Immortal rt alss cann ca nnot ot be possessed.
L i ke the Garo u , the Sidhe are like ly to fo rm strong allian ces with Immort als, as they are, are, in many many ways ways,, kindre kindred d spir spirits its - huma human, n, and and yet wield ing powe rs wh i ch no mort al can possess. Both Immortals and Changelings strive towards a goal which is their destiny to pursue I m m o rtals strive to win the Pri ze, while the Sidhe dream dream of returning returning to Arcadia, Arcadia, to join with with their faerie kin. The Sidhe’s relationship with the Garou (espec (es pecial ially ly the Fianna), is also als o like ly to result in Changelings and Immortals becoming friends and allies. Certain members of the Fey m ay also hold clues to the ori gins of the Immortals...
existence existence of Immortals. Immortals. Howeve r, see the information on the Watchers below. Minions of the Wyrm Wyrm,, such as Fomori Fomori and the Black Spiral Dance rs are ve ry like ly to attempt to kill any Immortals they come across, as Immortals are likely to be considered to be of neither the Wyld nor the Weaver alone, but of both - their role as wildcards and mavericks is a trait of the Wyld, Wyld, yet the Weaver Weaver holds their body and spirit together. Suffice Suffice to say that th at the th e Wyrm Wyrm would consider Immortals to be enemies.
It is highly high ly unlike un like ly that tha t the th e Gove rn m e n t knows, or even suspects suspects that there are immortals out there, although there may may be a section section of the FB I or som e sim ila r orga n i z at ion wh i ch is carrying out an investigation into the possibility t h at the re is a ser ial kill er goi ng ar o u n d, chopping peopl e’s e’s heads off. Witnesses Witnesses of Immortal duels duel s are like ly to be given the same amount of credibility as the ex-Marine was in the m ovie - ie. none at all. O n the other hand, Immortals rta ls are ar e like lik ely to have hav e to tread tre ad care ca refully, and take ex tra care, when trying to hide their i m m o rt alit al ity y from fr om in div id ua ls in go ve rn m e n t departm department ents, s, and so on. Howev However er,, immort immortals als are much more likely to run into trouble when trying to deal dea l with the police. poli ce. Part ic ul arly if they are murder murder suspects, suspects, like Connor was was in the film. An i m m o rtal had better make sure that his cover is unshakable ab le if he comes com es unde un derr inve stigatio ga tion n by the police or FBI.
The Inquisition is like ly to have en cou nte red re d immo im mort rtal alss du ring ri ng the th e Dark Da rk A ge s , when they would have been considered to be w i t ch e s , or “in leag ue with Luci fer” , as Kat e s a i d. The pun ish men t for suc h her esy wa s burning burning at the stake, stake, and at least one immortal immortal in the series has survived such an ordeal. It’s very u n l i ke ly tha t the Inq uis iti on know s of th e
The Th e Wat ch e rs are ar e a g roup rou p wh ich pre pr e d at e s the the that that Arca Arcanu num, m, and, and, althou although gh they they have have link linkss wit h the A rc a nu m , the A rc a nu m pr op er is u n awa re of the existe nce of Immorta ls. The Watchers are. They have have spent centuries studying the immort immortals als,, chronic chronicling ling their their exploits exploits,, but but not i n t e r fe ri n g. Th ey ke ep accu ac cura rate te re cords rd s of a ll new immort immortals als,, who has has taken taken who’s who’s head, and ( l i ke the immortals themselves) wonder as to who will gain ga in the Prize, and what this Pri P rize is. Wat ch e rs are mort als, and are chosen cho sen for their the ir “normalness”. They don’t stand out in a crowd, they bl end. T hey don’ do n’tt tri gger gg er the th e immo im mort rt al’s senses, and are trained to observe. observe . Their only distinguishing feature is a tattoo on their wrists, wrists, a circle with a holy hol y symbol sym bol of their the ir order o rder within. w ithin. Thi s all ows th em to ea sil y re c og n i ze on e another, and to remind them of their mission.
In re cent ye a rs , a rog ue bra n ch of the Watchers atchers has has formed formed.. This group group has links links with the Inquisition. Fueled by paranoia, paranoia, it’s members members have decided that they cannot wait and hope that the immor tal who gains the Pri ze is a go o d person. rso n. Th ey active act ive ly hunt hun t and an d kill immort imm ort als, re m oving their heads and allowing their knowledge knowledge and and power power to be lost to the Ether. In this way, way, t hey seek to stop any immortal from a ch i ev ing th e po we r of th e Pr i ze . Th e s e “Hunte “Hunters” rs” view immortals as the greatest greatest danger danger ever to face mankind... bo th the Watchers Watchers and the Hunters are detailed detailed in the series, series, and some of of the main characters in the second season are members of these groups. grou ps. Although Alth ough the other supern sup ern at u ra l beings, such as Werewo ewolves and an d Vampires re s are ar en’t mentioned mention ed in the series, it’s possible possib le that in the Wo rld of Da rknes s thei r mis sion m ay have expanded expan ded to incl ude Va m p i re s , M agi , and any other beings they p erceive to be a danger.
Running a Chronicle with a group with an immortal is something of a challenge. Physically, I m m o rt als ar e am on g th e mo st pow e r f u l ch a ra c te rs in the Storytelling Storyt elling system, system , but there are disadva disadvantag ntages es to playing an immortal, when when compared compared to a Vam Vampi pire, re, a Werew erewol olf, f, or a Mage. Mage. All three th ree pos sess powe pow e rs wh ich an Immo rt a l cannot cann ot mat ch. Many Vampiric Disciplin Disci plines es and G a ro u Gi ft s be st ow ad va n t age s wh i ch th e Quickening Quickening is unable unable to match, and the Magick Magick wielded by Mages, Mages, while Immortals Immortals are immune to the effects effects of the Life and Prime spheres, spheres, can be ve ry dange rous indeed. Another major d ifference is that Immortals are bound to the mundane wo rl d, and cannot pierce pie rce the Gauntlet to travel to the Umbral Spirit World. World. The Last is designed to help even out these diffe re n c e s, and the Storyte Sto rytelle llerr should sh ould active ac tively be thinking think ing about what an immortal may sense through the Last throughout a Story. Note that an immortal player character should not have to ask whether he senses anything through the Last - it is designed to be a random way of giving the Immortal knowledge which he couldn’t normally k n ow, ow, and isn’t an ability or a Gift to be activated at will. Consider the various instances in the film wh w here an a n immorta i mmortall knew kn ew somethin s omething g he re a l ly sh ou ldn ’t ha ve - Co nn or fi n d i n g Brenda’s gun and tape recorder; Kurgan knowing that that “there is one among them named Connor”; Connor sensing Rach e l ’s presence and asking what she was looking at; and so on. It is also nec essary t o ke ep in mind the aims and desire de siress of the th e various riou s ch a ra c te rs in a group - obv i o u s ly, the aims of a Garo u , fo r example exam ple are ar e diffe rent ren t from that tha t of a Vampire. The Werewolf may wish to increase his Renown by comba com battin ttin g the Wy rm , while whi le the th e Va m p i re might mig ht want to extend exte nd his power powe r and infl uence. Howev However er,, an immortal has but one aim - to win the Pri ze. The only way of doing doin g this is to kill other immortals immortal s and take their Quickening. The Storyteller should always make sure that there is
a reason for the Immortal character’s presence in the gro u p , and for him aiding the other characters. The Mages and the Garou may have teamed up to thwart the Techn Technocr ocracy’ acy’ss plans, plans, as it is in in both their their interes interests, ts, but, but, a player with with an Immortal rta l character rac ter could cou ld quick quic kly disc over that he is just riding along in this situation, with no a d va n t ag e to hi s c h a ra c te r be in g re a d i ly ap p a rent. It is import ant to ensur e that the actions of the group as a whole don’t confl ict with the aims of any of it’s individual members. It can be adva n t ageous if the Immort a l character has ties to other members of the group, inste ad o f ju st b eing an ex tra m ember of th e team, whom no one really knows. He might be kin to a Garo u , or an ally of a Va m p i re or a Mage. Wh at is important imp ortant is that th at he is actually part of the team, team, and not just an add-on. add-on. H o p e f u l ly, this sup plemen ple men t will bring brin g a n ew dim en sio n to yo ur Wo rld of Dar k n e s s games, and an d will wil l provide prov ide even more mor e enjoy en joy ment for both Storyteller and players.
