Chapter 5: Results and Immediate Consequences

[Mooncalf]

Chapter 5 has come to a close today, and in general it was a very fun chapter which saw a lot more participation than usual, so thank you for that, Pathers!


Summary

After the Administrator sent out Helheim, his company of elite vampire soldiers, open war erupted in the back alleys of Harper Rock. Though the move was in response to growing threats from rogue vampires and the Lionelli family, in the end the rallying behind his battle cry was limited. Vampires found some victories in their decisive destruction of both the Order of St. James and the Exiled Brotherhood. But the Lionelli, the sirens, and the sorcerer-lead Yongheng Triads flourished and stood their ground. Meanwhile, the oldest gang in Harper Rock met their end, leaving a vacuum of power which would quickly be filled by the surviving crime syndicates and factions.

In the end, the underworld war claimed many lives -- mortal and immortal alike -- but it was the sirens of the Hebigumo foundation who came out on top, along with the powerful vampire faction known as Tytonidae. Though the fighting rages on between certain groups, all factions in the city seem better prepared and more careful now that the initial shock of the sudden war has worn off. As the factions return to their dark corners to lick their wounds, however, those left holding the most power prepare their next moves. Moves which could change the nature of the city itself...


Immediate Consequences

Destruction of Westwall Bricks
- A new raid will soon be replacing the gangster raid.
- The Yongheng Triads have filled much of the vacuum of power left behind. Triads can now be found in the gangland slums, and the sorcerer-lead faction will play a bigger role in future stories.

Destruction of the Order of St. James
- A new raid will soon be replacing the hunter raid.
- Sewer hunters have been ousted from their hiding spot, and leaderless vampire NPCs have moved in.
- NPC vampires will now find it easier to survive, particularly underground where there is no sunlight and very few humans. This could have consequences later down the line.

Destruction of the Exiled Brotherhood
- There are already less rogue vampires around the city.
- The rogue vampire boss of the undead will be replaced with a new boss.
- In general, NPC vampires are more afraid now of going against the laws of vampiric secrecy.

The Siren Victory
- As sirens already have their own raid, we've decided on another consequence instead. Although we usually don't like to make too many gameplay consequences (story consequences have less negative impact on the gameplay, and don't mess up ballance), the consequence of the sirens finishing on top is that the 4th human class is going to be Siren. It was something we were considering, but this chapter finishing as it did was the deciding factor. More details on this class will be coming soon, but for now suffice it to say that if you play as a siren, you'll be able to pick between two different types, which each have distinctive properties, but the same powers except for one mastery power (depending on which type you pick).
- A new sidestory about the sirens is coming very shortly as a direct result of this.
- Chapter 6 will be based very much on the results of this chapter, and will feature the direct consequences of the siren's forthcoming actions.