The Grand Elysium

A century of peace and prosperity has passed since Prince Portia exercised her praxis over the court
of Emona. The land has become civilized; at least by Camarilla standards. The Tremere and
Giovanni are at tentative peace, and the wild Autarkis have come into the fold. In a single century,
Portia has brought her Princedom to rival any in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, save perhaps
Vienna and Budapest.

So prosperous is her court, that the Prince herself has retreated from petty domain politics and
delegated them to her Primogen council, which runs itself like a well-oiled machine. Her duties are
of a different nature now; her iron fist has donned a velvet glove, as what were once political
councils have become salons of culture, beauty, and decadence. But what might appear as a “golden
age” for some, smells of rot and stagnation to others. A Vampire is not a creature of peace, and in
this boring time of plenty, personal vendettas thrive. Without the pretext of business or politics,
conflicts between kindred descend into deeply personal and ruthless territory.

During Elysium, when the kindred gather, such grievances seep to the surface, and during a Grand
Elysium such as this, what a violent crescendo they might reach. Between the balls and speeches,
the toasts and lectures, all the gathered scheme and hide knives behind their backs. Prince Portia
merely smiles.

Under the pretext of her domain’s hundredth anniversary, Portia has elected to hold such a Grand
Elysium, one dedicated to all the kindred of Austria-Hungary. As a Ventrue Elder of great political
power, she has been given the endorsement of both the Justicars and the Ventrue Ephorate, and
offered the power of arbitrating disputes between kindred of the entire Empire for the duration of
the event.

As such, Imperial Elders and ambitious Ancillae with problems their own Princes will for one
reason or other not arbitrate over flock to Carniola, hoping to elicit the favor of a new judge, one
with fresh eyes but whose word has equal weight. But then again, this event is a celebration of
peace and beauty. Any politics will have to be arbitrated behind a firm guise of etiquette and
culture, and favors elicited through wit and intrigue rather than force.

Regardless, an event such as this is a golden opportunity for any ambitious vampire; rarely do so
many influential kindred gather in a single place, kindred whose mere words can make or break a
Neonate’s unlife. For many a youngling, it will represent the very first look out of their gilded
cage, a mind-opening experience of unlife beyond their native cities and everything it offers.

For the sorcerers, too, this is an important time. The peace between the necromancers and the
warlocks is a tenuous one, as both Venice and Vienna hold great stake in the domain of Emona.
So far, they have managed to exist in relative harmony, aided by constant arbitration by Portia’s
advisors. Unfortunately, neither the Tremere nor the Giovanni can be said to enjoy contentedness.
Both Family and Pyramid have venom on their tongues as they exchange tomes and pleasantries
in Portia’s court, and each of them seeks to stay a step ahead of their counterparts in an endless
cold war. The resurgence of the occult in the recent century has brought many interested parties to
both their doorsteps, but to these ruthless Clans, they are just another resource to compete over.
The mortal world, too, stirs. Industrialization and revolution have eroded and changed the very
concept of society at an unprecedented rate, one which nary an Elder can stay abreast of. For
many, this has meant a retreat from mortal affairs, a weakness that few Neonates have and one
the canny can exploit. War is on the horizon, but what Elder, who has lived through a dozen
conflicts, would care? What Elder could understand what fire will engulf the old continent in
merely a decade?

But right now, their world is a beautiful one, with excess and mortal blood aplenty.
And so the kindred dance.

Story Structure

Our approach to the story is going to be somewhat different to what you might be used to. From
experience, we found that large events like these don’t benefit from a single “main plot” driving
the entire story since it is difficult to include more than a small group of players effectively. For
this reason, we have decided to structure the story of this event into several more or less
interconnected plotlines of equal importance. This way, several smaller groups of characters can
play important, meaningful roles in their own stories.

Your character will come with a variety of plot hooks to choose from, but they will be largely
optional, allowing you to pursue personal plots for the entire game if you so wish. The same does
not apply to Elders, however, as their players will be given some responsibilities they shall have to
adhere to. On that note, we plan to have several rudimentary and immersive systems in place to
enhance and drive the game forward, such as systems for social duels, gentlemanly pistol duels,
boon trading and domain disputes.

In addition, we will have a dedicated NPC team available for your specific wishes, as well as
constantly running optional, personalized scripted storylines for players to opt into.

The Themes of EFN: The Golden Years

Like any LARP, the Golden Years will have a set of overarching themes around which the game
will revolve. Apart from the standard themes of Vampire, we have selected some that we believe
will enrich the game and make it a unique experience tied to the area and time in which it is set.
We encourage you to keep these themes in mind as you design your characters. Please note that
these are guidelines meant to inform the game, not set rails which you must adhere to and never
stray from; this is still your game, and you are free to explore any theme you wish.
Classic Themes of Vampire:

 Humanity and the Loss of Control: To a mortal, morality is an abstract concept, one
discussed by theologians and philosophers and rarely dwelled upon by the common folk. To
a Vampire, morality is the very line between control and madness. What does it mean to
be human, and how does one reconcile it with an unending thirst for blood and the Monster
within? Some Kindred spend every waking moment trying to maintain their humanity,
sometimes becoming “more human than humans”, while others follow alien moralities too
depraved for mortals to even conceive of. Whatever the case, the Beast lurks behind every
Vampire’s eyes, waiting for a moment of weakness, ever ready to sate its bloodlust in the
flesh of loved ones.

 Personal Horror: No matter who they were in life, each Vampire faces a harsh reality: they
have become a monster, preying on those they once called friends and lovers. Their every
step is fueled by the pain of mortals, their every plan by slaves and unwilling accomplices.
To be a Vampire is to gaze upon the horror and violence hiding in our souls and not look
away.

Specialized EFN Themes:

 The Comfort of Power: For a Century, the Domains of Austria-Hungary have known
relative peace and prosperity. There is peace with the Giovanni and the Sabbat wages its
own bloody civil war, leaving the Camarilla Princedoms to grow and become comfortable.
Unlife for Kindred has rarely been so decadent, as balls, art, and beauty take center stage
and warriors and soldiers find themselves out of work. Yet behind this facade, the mortal
world prepares to burst at the seams. Who among the comfortable Kindred is prepared for
the wars to come?

 Nationalism and Political Paranoia: The Turn of the 20th Century is a time of rising
political tensions and ever-growing nationalism. The great European powers are locked in
an escalating arms race while their colonies and subject peoples begin to form national
identities and demand greater freedoms. Just 12 years after this Elysium, a Bosnian
Nationalist will assassinate Archduke Ferdinand and throw the world into the First
World War. While that event is yet to happen, national pride and similar sentiments that
will lead to it are already very much on the rise, with Neonates and Fledglings, products
of the era, especially reflecting this. The Elders, most of them children of Kingdoms that
no longer exist, find themselves struggling to adapt to the new political map, only fueling
their paranoia...
  The Undeniable Attraction of the Occult: In the Victorian Era, witchcraft and occultism
finally became a socially acceptable subject. Suspected witches are no longer burned at the
stake, but rather entertain high society with cheap tricks, becoming an integral part of
any salon. Rich gentlemen and ambitious laymen both find themselves investing huge sums
in promised arcane secrets. The relative peace between the Tremere and Giovanni of
Vienna and Venice respectively has done little to curb this fascination. Indeed, the
Domain of Emona has become something of a sanctum for both Clans, where their magics
are practiced freely, which in turn attracts numerous Kindred interested in seeking the aid
of either the Pyramid or the Family.

Original Character Creation Guidelines:

 To help balance the game, there are limited Elder and Ancilla spots open. They will be
filled on a first-come-first-serve basis.

 The older a character is, the more responsibility will fall to his/her player.

 There are also limited spots for non-Camarilla characters, with the Giovanni having the
largest pool among those.

 Characters from Austro-Hungarian domains will be prioritized, due to their greater

weight at the Elysium. It also encourages characters from the same domains to establish
pre-existing relations.

 You will be assigned a Clan from within three choices; if the first is already filled, you
will receive the second, and so on. If all three are filled, you will be contacted.

 Keep the listed game themes in mind when making your character in order for them to fit
into the game better.

 We do not suggest that you make either purely physical or completely isolationist
characters; while they might seem cool, larps are about deep interaction with others, so
having a reason to do so can make the game easier, and combat is not a focus of this event.

 All 13 Clans will be considered as valid, but try to stay away from Bloodlines.
 Contact Tim Jesih with specific character ideas you might wish to discuss.
For anyone that is new to the game, you can find basic descriptions of clans on our
webpage: efn.metuzalem.si