In Brief: A society that has had a rough peace of sorts between the Legion and the Heretics suddenly breaks down. Is the head of the Necropolis responsible, or is the situation more than meets the eye?

The events in this campaign take place at the "Toreador" Necropolis. This Necropolis is situated on a peninsula, on the very edge of Stygia.

A map of the Toreador Necropolis is found below. You may use this one, or come up with your own.

Map Locations:
Kolonis District
1. Legion Headquarters
2. Legion Headquarters
3. Legion Prison
4. "Soho" Clubs
5. Church of Our Lady
6. Chapel of Resurrection
7. Kolonis Marketplace
8. Martyr's Cathedral
9. Sandmen Theatre
10. Main Heretic offices
11. Necropolis Library

Berrin District
12. The Marketplace

Welarc District
13. Graumm's Cathedral
14. The Zealots of Lethe Offices
15. Welarc Park

Note: Three other key locations, Lady Maria's Haunt in Welarc, The Flesh and Bone in Nogdia, and the Gion Tea Shop in Berrin were accidently left off of the map. We'll let you decide where you want them.

The name has nothing to do with the Vampire clan of the same name; it is simply a way to distinguish this district of Stygia from the rest.

The Toreador Necropolis is a small district of Stygia, set on a small peninsula on the edge of civilization. This Necropolis is more orderly than most, no thanks in small part to a series of Regents who kept a tight control over the events in this place. Toreador is composed of four distinct districts: Kolonis, Berrin, Welark, and Nogdia. Each of these four districts hosts a different walk of life; although people from all places mix to a degree in each of these places, especially Kolonis, wraiths who end up at this place very rarely mingle with those from another district.

Kolonis is the “major” district, in the northern part of the Necropolis. This place crawls thick with the Legion, who make their headquarters in two colossal towers near the northernmost edge of the city and next to the walls of a colossal Citadel that belongs to the next Necropolis over. The Prison for this Necropoli is down the street, nestled in the most northeastern corner of the Necropolis. Despite the heavy Legion infulence, the Heretics have put down roots here as well. This place is also home to the colossal Martyr’s Cathedral, a monolith that puts any gothic European cathedral to shame. The offices of several Heretic sects share a building a couple of blocks over. There is also a small marketplace, several small churches and temples, a number of small specialty shops and clubs, and clusters of tiny studio apartments, where many Legion grunts keep themselves in their off time.

Berrin is the district in the southeast corner of the Necropolis, known for being the center of Toreador trade, as well as the main social center of the Necropolis. There is an enormous marketplace in the center, from which a number of streets spin outward like spokes on a wheel, giving the district the nickname “Wheel of Fortune.” The Marketplace staggers the mind; if you can dream it, it can be found there, but usually for a large price. A number of smaller shops surround the Marketplace, as well as old Victorian-style townhouse Haunts shared by wraiths. Most of the citizens in Berrin are “middle-class” Heretics and Renegades. The Legion has a regular patrol here, but due to the erratic and confusing nature of the Marketplace itself, Heretics and Renegades exchange ideas freely among the stalls without danger of being caught. In addition, the main Ferry landing to cross the River is located at the southern-most point of Berrin. Most any wraith who ends up at Toreador will find themsleves here at some point in their travels.

Nogdia is a small, long strip in-between Welark and Berrin that runs to the edge of the Necropolis to the south and into Kolonis in the north. Berrin and Welark, the district to the west, are pressing together to form a chasm; Nogdia lies cramped in this tiny space, full of broken buildings, run-down ghettos, and Spectres. The Tempest actually meets with some of the buildings in the southernmost part; unwary wraiths may suddenly find themselves literally walking off the end of the Necropolis. This neighborhood is the closest thing to the inner city in Toreador. It is usually referred to as “The Alley” by locals. The Legion refuses to endanger its officers by sending them into patrols in Nogdia. Only the roughest Renegades, usually those with no other choice, take refuge in this district and survive for very long.

Welarc, the southwestern-most district, mostly consists of Haunts, and large ones at that. Wealthy wraiths of all ages usually settle in Welark, usually kept nice and quiet due to numerous Legion patrols. Even with a Legion prescence, Welark also serves as home to several small organizations, several rumored to be trouble, as well as a small cathedral.

Philip Lucilius: A Legion officer who is the Regent head of the area. A member of the Grim Legion, and a pious man both before and after death, he was a well-respected police chief in Chicago in his time who was killed by a hit man who was hired by the corrupt city government for interfering with their “politics”. He once attended services in the Martyr’s Cathedral, the largest in the Necropolis, but as of late has worshipped at a smaller church, Graumm’s Cathedral.

Lucillius carries himself with confidence. He is always polite and manages to seem interested in everything. He treats all Legion personnel kindly, from Marcellus to the lowest Legionnaire. Lately, he seems much more tired than usual; sometimes, his face will seem to darken, particularly if the Heretics are brought up.

Apparent age: 40-ish
Appearance: Height: 5’11” Weight: 210 lbs Hair: Brown-Gray Eyes: Brown
Dresses appropriately, but never perfectly. Hair is medium length, maybe a bit shaggy. Walks slightly stooped, but with great dignity.

Justin Marcellus: The Marshal second-in-command of the local Legion office, serving under Lucilius and as the local head of the Emerald Legion. Although he and Philip get along well enough, Marcellus has disagreed with Lucilius’s loose run of the Necropolis for a long time, believing it is causing a moral breakdown. He is far more likely than Lucilius to impose strict penalties on smaller offenses and much less likely to pardon those who have been proven innocent. He always keeps the Fetter of a wraith in his office to remind him of his power and the effect it has on all in his control.

Marcellus is the ultimate bureaucrat. He does everything strictly by the book, so if someone under him does not obey all the rules to a T, he will punish them. He has been known to send troublesome agents out on missions of great danger, where it will be certain they will never come back.

Apparent age: 50-ish
Appearance: Height: 5’10” Weight: 180 lbs Hair: Brown Eyes: Blue
Dresses like the picture perfect example of a Legion soldier. Hair is short and closely cropped. Walks aggressively, with shory jerky movements.

Nitta Sayuri: A wraith who was a famous geisha in Kyotoduring the 20’s and 30’s. She now runs her own little tea shop, the Gion Tea Shop, in the Berrin district. She is having an affair with the head of the Necropolis, Lucilius, one of two reasons why he did not persecute the Heretics before.

She is very small and petite, and fairly thin. She always wears kimono of bright colors and rich embrodery, and although her hair has no ornaments in it, she keeps it ornately styled. She keeps a horoscope book tucked into her obi(kimono sash), as well as her relic, a fan she used while performing dance, and an old handkerchief.

Sayuri is very soft-spoken and very patient. She does not beat around the bush when she needs something and is very straightforward with information. However, she wishes to keep her affair with Lucillius a secret to prevent the Legion from trying to butt in on the Necropolis politics.

Remember that since Sayuri is originally from Japan, her surname is Nitta, and her given name is Sayuri. Properly, she should be referred to as Ms. Nitta, unless she tells the party otherwise. She will not be offended by those that call her by the wrong name, but she gently correct them.

Apparent age: 30-ish
Appearance: Height: 5’2” Weight: 100 lbs Hair: Black Eyes: Blue-Gray
Always wearing ornate kimono, with her hair done up as a master Japanese geisha. Walks with grace and confidence.

Lady Maria Imaz: A former noble from Spain who has been dead for over two hundred years. Lady Maria is rumored to be affiliated with a Heretic group known as the Zealots of Lethe, known for their dark and disturbing ways of getting those who oppose them out of their way. However, this link has never been proven by anyone, and Lady Maria still roams freely. Lately, the Zealots have been rather quiet activity-wise, and Lady Maria may be the only independent one who knows of their plans.

Lady Maria is, to the average person, a total idiot. She talks, acts, and is just simply a ditz. She is very cheerful, friendly, and chatty, even when she’s poisoning enemies of the Zealots. No one has yet to find a way to discourage or depress her. However, she does exactly what she’s told, making her something of a strange asset for the Zealots. Not only that, but she occasionally lets on she's smarter than she acts.

Apparent age: 20-ish
Appearance: Height: 5’6” Weight: 130 lbs Hair: Blonde Eyes: Green
Breathtakingly beautiful. Wears modern designer clothes. Hair is always styled in a sassy, modern cut. Has a bit of a bounce in her step when she walks.

Father Bryant: One of the monks at a small cathedral in the Welarc district, Graumm’s Cathedral. Usually serves as the spokesperson for the church when questions are asked. Very cheerful. Keeps the church’s secrets while coercing new members into the flock.

Father Johann Bryant’s superior and the head of the cathedral. He never seems to be around when people need to talk to him. Is actually Johann Graumm, the builder of the cathedral and a Nephwrack to boot.

The party members meet for this campaign, preferably in Berrin. There, they witness the arrest of three Heretics. One has a small child, a girl, who runs towards the characters and grabs onto one of them. A woman of Japanese decent pushes through the crowd and demands the child. She persuades them to give the little girl to her. She pauses and stares at the party. She then reaches into her obi, pulls out a pen and paper, scrawls a note, and hands it to the party. The note reads “Joanne and others arrested. I have Kylie. Ask these people to help you. I have read of them in my almanac. Mameha.” Outside, the note reads “To Gion.”

The characters explore; in Berrin, they find the Gion Tea Shop, go in and meet Sayuri. She introduces herself and finds out the characters were sent by Mameha. After consulting her horoscope almanac in her obi, she explains to the group that Heretics are being arrested right and left, something that has never happened before. Lucillius has been cracking down, despite his religious fervor. The trouble started when he was persuaded to visit a small church, Graumm’s Cathedral in Welark. He soon stopped attending the grand Martyr’s Cathedral and began visiting Graumm’s in an almost religious fervor. Sayuri is concerned because even though he is becoming more religious, he is also taking out Heretics left and right. (At some point, Sayuri might accidently can admit she is his lover.) She also mentions that Graumm’s may be in league with a group called the Zealots of Lethe, though she does not know much about them. Sayuri wants the group to investigate; she asks them only “Fate has deemed it so.”

From there, they can go to Graumm’s, which, known to the ST, is a Spectral Cathedral. Inside, they meet Father Bryant, a jovial priest who explains the history of the church and that the Zealots are people who are welcoming (he mentions nothing of the doctrine). While there, they see and perhaps chat with Lady Maria, who is said to be the church’s largest contributor. They also feel a bit woozy, the result of the Cathedrals secret Willpower drain. They may inquire after Father Johann, the head of the church, who is currently busy and cannot be disturbed.

Any wraiths who have crossed Justin Marcellus, Legion or not, are summoned to his office at this point. He mentions that a notorious Renegade has been spotted in Nogdia, mostly hanging out at an establishment called the Flesh and Bone. However, no one knows his true appearance or even the bounty’s name. Marcellus should mention a hefty reward for him. If they venture into Nogdia and find the Flesh and Bone, they will meet an small, scrawney and elderly fellow who will give them drinks. If asked of the Renegade, he will say, “There’s one here all the time,” and that’s all. If asked what he looks like, the bartender will reply, “Different. Very different.” Have the barteneder taunt the party members. If one eventually attacks or confronts the bartender, he will transform into Badas Mofo, the Renegade they are seeking, and challenge them to a fight by pulling out two heavy revolvers. If the group beats him, they can turn him into Marcellus for a large sum of money. While at the Legion headquarters, they run into Lucilius. He is polite and treats them kindly, but seems very tired and exhausted. At the end of the meeting, he suddenly snaps at them and runs off.

They may visit with Sayuri, who tells them Lady Maria may be in league with the Zealots. If they visit Lady Maria at her haunt, she will tell them honestly about the Zealots. She has provided the financing for them and explains their goals. At some point, she will serve wine; be sure everyone drinks it! (A toast, if you will) The wine will drain everyone’s Corpus; you can either send them into a Harrowing or simply have them be poisoned and wake up trapped in the cathedral.

If they were Harrowed, they go back to Graumm’s Cathedral, or if poisoned, reawaken there; there they meet with Lucillius. There is something different about him; it becomes apparent he is in fact possessed by his Shadow. He decides they are “worthy” of meeting Father Johann and are lead to the altar, where he appears before him. It turns out Father Johann is a Nephwrack, and a damned ugly one at that. Father Johann explains that he is the real Graumm; he built this cathedral as a giant “battery” that drains Wraiths of their Willpower and transforms them into shades, which in turn he can force into his army, and he will use to overthrow Stygia and the Necropolis. Six shades appear behind the wraiths. If the shades are defeated, Lady Maria suddenly appears next to Father Johann, a gun firmly in hand. She threatens to shoot the wraiths; Father Johann suddenly grabs her and throws her into massive, unhinged jaws. His corpus takes on a twisted version of her appearance and he absorbs her corpus and Arcanoi; using these to attack, he takes on the wraiths.

If they succeed in killing Father Johann, Philip suddenly collapses to the ground. Sayuri rushes in and finds him. She promises to get him to safety while the Wraiths destroy the giant battery. They destroy it, no problem, and exit the church, only to find Sayuri and Philip missing, and Justin there instead. He thinks they destroyed the church out of spite and is about to arrest them when Father Bryant, really a doppelganger, attacks. The wraiths may help Justin if they chose; when it is destroyed, Philip and Sayuri step forward. Philip explains what has happened. The next day, the wraiths are rewarded by the Necropolis for service and Philip informs the wraiths that things will return to what they were before...peaceful co-existence.