Place/Time:

Powers Hall on the campus of Central Michigan University.

Directions from South:

From I-69:
Take I-69 north to M-27 north. Take the first Mount Pleasant exit which is a left-hand exit. This will turn into Mission Road. Take it down three lights to Preston and turn left. Take Preston down to the third stop sign (Washington) and turn right. At the first stop sign, Powers Hall will be on your right and parking will be just beyond it on the same side.

From I-75:
Take I-75 north to US-10 West (exit 162). Take US-10 to the Business 10 exit from Midland, which is a left hand exit. Follow Business 10 through Midland to M-20. Turn left where indicated for M-20 and follow M-20 into Mount Pleasant, where it will become Pickard Road. At the fifth light in Mount Pleasant, turn left. This is Mission. Take Mission down to Bellows (the fourth light) and turn right. Take Bellows down to the third stop sign (Washington) and turn left. Go down to the stop sign and Powers will be across the intersection on the left. Turn left into the parking lot. The entrance to the hall faces this parking lot.

Directions from North:

From M-27:
Take M-27 south to the Mount Pleasant exit which turns into Mission Road. Take Mission down to Bellows (the fifth light) and turn right. Take Bellows down to the third stop sign (Washington) and turn left. Go down to the stop sign and Powers will be across the intersection on the left. Turn left into the parking lot. The entrance to the hall faces this parking lot.

Directions from East:

Follow the same directions as from I-75. Get on US-10 west and follow directions as above.

Directions from West:

From M-20: Take M-20 East into Mount Pleasant and turn right on Washington and follow it to campus. At the second stop sign, Powers will be across the intersection on your left.

There is a $1.00 site fee (players traveling from out of state will have this fee waived).

Domain Name: Mt. Pleasant by Night
Domain Number: MI.015.D
Lead Venue Storyteller: Steven Appel
Storyteller Contact: vstawakened@gmail.com

Games hosted on the Second and the Fourth Friday of the month. If the VST is not able to make the Friday game or will be leaving early because of work, he will make sure the ST staff knows in advance.

Intrigue: 2

Politics come up as there are internal power struggles but this is not the focus.

Action: 3

The Magic system alone is, in its nature, challenge heavy. Though some of the game is political maneuvering and sabotage the most important is searching for knowledge and opposing enemies. Almost all antagonists are ones who hate your very nature for one reason or another so they will try and destroy your world not sit and chat.

Mystery: 5

Nothing comes to light directly. The use of magic reveals secrets in their subtle mysterious form. Enigmas will be present in almost everything because true knowledge gives you a great deal of power that people don�t want you to know. This mystery will come for the strange world, the blank history of the city, and even the other players because secrets are the keys to knowledge. And knowledge the doorway to ascension.

Drama: 4

The ceremonial nature of magic gives its own aura of drama which will be present at all times. The story's drama will be driven by the characters because it is the role playing that makes the game not the plots or the NPCs.

Darkness: 4
Corruption and Depravity are all around you. Everything will try and corrupt you and even control you. Deadly situations will not be thrown at you often, but if you walk into a fight unprepared there is a good chance you may die. If there are plots that are not being resolved for long periods of times they will grow to become life threatening. Death is not the goal of this venue but it may become an inevitable part of situations that the player enters or creates.

Part 3: Description of Venue

Description

Isabella County was formed in 1831 from parent counties, Saginaw and Midland. The county is located close to the geographic center of the lower peninsula of Michigan. While primarily rural in nature, Isabella County is also noted for its oil and gas production and the manufacturing of machinery for industry, food service and wood products.

Mt. Pleasant is the county seat and also the home of Central Michigan University and the Clarke Historical Library, the second largest genealogy and historical library in the state. Central Michigan University was opened in 1893 as the Central Normal School and Business Institute. The school was operated by the city of Mt. Pleasant until 1895 when it was taken over by the State of Michigan and became Central Michigan Normal School. CMU became a four year institution in 1918 and a university in 1959. The county also encompasses the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Reservation, home of the Soaring Eagle Casino.

While Mt Pleasant has faced many great challenges over the years, the city always seems to overcome; however, the affect upon its community, is not the same. Competition has drawn many a young mover and shaker to the growing resources of Mt Pleasant. Many residents seek personal power and gain. During their personal struggles for power they are unaware of the mages who often times forgo the control of the mortal world for supernal knowledge. Those mages that do try to work in the mortal world easily exceed beyond the human competition with arcane assistance.

Mount Pleasant is a city steeped in Native American heritage. It brings its own magical legacies and mystical foundation. There are many secrets hidden in the history of this area. Lost to death and buried by time. No matter how lost or buried, however, the past always comes back.

There are several sites around this city that no one can explain. There is a cave near the edge of town that leads down into an endless chain of puzzles. One room after another has a a door locked with different mundane and magical puzzles. Some of these riddles have never been solved, some can't even be seen. Many Mages have gone into the cave and not returned, whether they have faced some strange dangers, found the exit to the other side or are lost inside still, no one knoews. Many that have come out of the cave say that this is the short cut to what is trapped beneath the city but no one is known to have solved them all. Some say it goes all the way down and the puzzles are locks to keep them out of our world.

Mages are wary of ladders to the heavens now, but what about the tower that stretches beyond sight? Few have stepped foot within this looming tower, its presence sends a strange ripple in twilight where ghosts and spirits both fear the area, while the shadow reflects nothing at all. The trusting say that it is the next point of ascension but they don't risk being wrong. It rises higher than the moon and no one can see the top. The few that have tried to observe it, however, have yet to figure out why or how it keeps moving. Who built it and where does it lead? Who will risk entering with no information? The combination of these two points and the tales that grew up around them has made Mt. Pleasant into a myth. The way station between ascention and the darker places, between heavan and hell.

The biggest mystery of Mt. Pleasant must be the fate of the previous leaders. The leaders of the city all died in one night when they met to discuss the paradox problems of one man. A simple meeting ended with every member and the entirety of their cabals dead, save one. Blade Wing lived and tried to take over the city but with his arrogance and incompetence he was soon challenged and overthrown. He fought back and the city killed him, now will the secrets die with him? All that is known about that night is that their meeting place is now a tainted hollow and there are stories and visions of large stone scorpion being held together by silver cords of light.

Where do these tales stem from and what other secrets lie in the chambers of this city? Who can you trust? Where is reality? Why does the past haunt us literally as well as figuratively? In a city where the only safe place for Mages to meet is a house controlled by a dead Master of space, mind, and forces, is there really any safe haven?

Part 4: Storytelling Mechanics

Venue Geographical Boundaries:
Gratiot, Isabella, and Midland. counties

Proxy rules:
Although proxy play is permitted by the Camarilla rules supplement, proxy characters are discouraged within the first six months of this venue. This is due to the nature of Mage The Awakening. In Mage, Mages do not trust others with their secrets they must protect them and work on them. Proxy separates the Mage from his places of power and leaves his secrets open for anyone who want to try for them. Characters are expected to find what they need in their own Domain, or arrange to create what they need as per the rules of Awakening. All proxies to the Mt. Pleasant by Night Mage venue must be received by the Storyteller in writing or by email no less than 48 hours in advance, and must contain all standard information, as detailed in the Camarilla World of Darkness Addendum. Any character or items requiring Regional or higher approval require prior approval from the Presiding Storyteller of the game to participate. Players who have not received prior approval may not be allowed to participate with those characters or they may participate only without their High-level approval items. If you know you are attending game and do not want to have your approval documentation with you at game, please email the character and the approvals at least 48 hours before the game to the VST at vstawakened@gmail.com. Players who proxy into "TWISTED ECHOES PAST" must accept all terms of the VSS. Visiting players must provide a copy of the character for the ST staff to hold on to for the night. These sheets will not be kept by the storytelling staff and will be returned upon the end of game. This is a mandatory rule. Visiting players who do not have a extra copy of their sheet will be required to fill out a new sheet with their information on it and hand it over to the ST prior to entering game. Outside plots will not intrude upon this game unless they receive prior approval from the Domains of both the city they come from and the Domain of Mount Pleasant.

Request of proxy play should include at a minimum:
- Character sheet and xp log
- PC's reasons and motivations to be here
- PC's personality and attitude
- PC's actions in possible situations
- PC's travel arrangements to and from the area
- PC's security measures

The Mount Pleasant storytelling staff reserves the right to pursue any character from the Mount Pleasant game including visitors, who attempt to flee back to their home Domain or a different Domain while other characters or forces are in pursuit during a game night. These scenes will be limited solely to the pursuit of the fleeing characters and will not involve any characters or influences from that Domain. If the scene becomes embroiled in the other domain's conflicts the scene will be frozen and all other characters involved frozen until the DST of that Domain is contacted and both Domains agree on a course of action.

Canada:
Since we share a close accessible open border with Canada, any scenes that involve crossing the border in pursuit will be frozen until the NST of Canada is contacted and we get full permission to run the scene. This includes the character fleeing and all those involved in the pursuit. If the character is not being actively pursued or the players pursing will not continue the pursuit, the character may flee to Canada without a freezing of the scene. That character however is considered out of play until they cross back over the border.
Once a pursuing character decides to pursue that character into Canada the scene will be frozen. No scenes will be run in Canada or from Canada unless the permission is granted from their NST and characters involved may be turned over to the ST Staff of Canada depending on their request. These characters will be handed over without hesitation to their Staff and all ST’s involved will be notified. Players from Mount Pleasant are discouraged from crossing the Border during game. Players send their characters to Canada during game at their own risk. Please note: This does not in any way include traveling to games in Canada or vise versa. We encourage our members to attend the games in Canada and we welcome our neighbors from Canada to attend our games. The rule above is only when characters travel to Canada during a Mount Pleasant game.

Travel risks:
Travel in the surrounding areas is not without it's risks: In general, travel is subject to the usual daytime or night time hazards of the World of Darkness. All PC's traveling into and out of the area are assumed to have taken general precautions to preserve their lives and avoid problems. It is expected that you have made such arrangements, and will be able to answer preparation questions fully if they are asked by the Storyteller staff of Mount Pleasant. As this is a heavily policed area due to the presence of so many Police Departments, including Government agencies, please be aware that the possibilities of delay is highly probable, since so much precaution must be taken to enter the Domain without being discovered. Other travel risks may arise due to in-game circumstances. Characters normally travel through the area in a wide variety of transports, including automobile, small plane/jet, train, bus, and magic as appropriate.

Experience award guidelines:
1. We follow the Experience Trait award guidelines in the Camarilla World of Darkness Addendum section 8.1.
2. Each character who participates for at least 90 minutes receives an automatic award of 2 Experience Traits. Characters that play for a period longer than this shall receive 3 Experience Traits.
3. Players may earn up to a total of 3 Experience Traits per month by providing downtime reports, game Summaries, and meeting with other players. (not over cap of 10)

Players from Mount Pleasant who wish to obtain extra experience must fill out a monthly Downtime Report (DTR) and send it to the Venue Storyteller and by the last day of the month. DTR's should include player name, membership number, character name. If a player wishes to get all 3 of the downtime XP points, it must also contain not only what the player has been doing in local downtime, but also a summary of character activity on a Regional and National/International IC mailing lists, as well as IRC (Do not send logs). We play in a global game and participation in the game outside of our Domain enhances the game for all members of the club. It should be noted that the average downtime will receive 1xp while only the exceptional downtime (all of the above elements and a clear element of a lot of hard work and thought behind it) will receive 4xp. Note this award cannot exceed the player's monthly cap.

Check In:
All players must sign in, and have their characters checked by one of the ST's conducting sign in. If you are not willing to show a character sheet, you may not play, that character. The Presiding Storyteller reserves the right to disallow ANY character to participate if that character presents a direct contradiction to the theme & mood of the game, or is otherwise incompatible with the game and/or setting. Such determinations are made by the VST. When signing in players must have a character sheet and exp log, signed by their home venue ST or the ARST for Solitary Members. Proof of Member class, and Camarilla card or Photo Id are also required. Players without proof of member class will be allowed to play either a new MC 1 character, or have their appropriate Coordinator vouch for them, once. After this a signed proof of member class will be required, or a print out from membership verification from the Camarilla Web Page. This will hold true for character sheets without the appropriate ST's signature. A one-week grace period will be provided. Exceptions will be made to this for players who are from areas without a domain, and who do not have access to the next level of ST on an easy basis. One of the ST signing in, with be able to check in the sheet and sign it, at ST discretion. Any out of Chapter players, who wish to have in chapter influence, must purchase separate influences, and have them approved by the VST or AVST, or grow them in standard cross-domain manners, with ADST/DST approval.

Special Notes:
Chronicle takes precedence over individual characters (If Timmy wants to blow something up just because that is his derangement, the answer will be NO). The presiding storyteller over any given scene has wide latitude to make spot rulings and judgment calls (like what constitutes dangerous territory/situations, for Summons) and even alter in minor ways certain powers will work (see ST for more details). This is not intended to allow extreme modifications of discipline or abilities, and such minor rulings should be consistent. Players are encouraged not to argue with a storyteller during the scene, but are welcome to appeal any decision. Abuses or misuses of this clause will be dealt with as appropriate, this is for the benefit of the story, not for abuse of the rules. As always everything within is subject to storyteller's discretion, this is a game designed to be fun and enjoyable and we will endeavor to make it so.
Also game starts at 6 pm. Note that if there is any information to be given out before game starts there will be a meeting no later than 5:45 and if you are not there, you may not get the information. Extenuating circumstances will always be considered such as work, school, or unexpected problems.

Challenges:
Any player who excessively questions rule calls in a combat will be asked to leave their character with the VST and to step out of the combat. Once the combat is over the character will be returned to the player. Excessive is defined by more then two rule challenges in a row. Combat can be very confusing for all involved and can be the biggest event and longest event of the night. This rule is invoked so that challenges will go smoothly. If the player resists handing over their character. The character that was presented to the staff at game opening will be used instead. The matter will also be turned over the Coordinator on duty. If the player leaves, the scene will be run with the copy of the character presented at check in and the VST of that player will be notified of the outcome of the combat. Any combat which is not resolved within a few Challenges will be considered to be disruptive to nearby roleplaying. At this point, a member of the ST Staff will escort those involved in the conflict to what we affectionately refer to as the Kill Box. Challenges will be resolved here in a fast and effective manner. Once actions are resolved within the Kill Box, players are encouraged to return to the scene they left and roleplay the conflict according to how the Challenges were resolved.

Positions:
Gaining positions is encouraged in Mount Pleasant. To be a leader among Mages can be a lot of fun. It is asked that before a position is accepted that the player evaluate their real life situation. Position holders are expected to be at nearly every game since we have two-three games a month. Players who attend sporadically may think twice about claiming positions in city or individual groups as your character missing several meeting will affect IC relations.

Player Advisory:
From time to time, the Storytellers in this venue will use adult themes, vivid descriptions, and contentious social issues to bring the World of Darkness to life. For those familiar with the White Wolf tabletop material, some plot elements or themes could be considered "Black Dog" material. Such themes and issues may include racism, sexism, foul/dirty language, bigotry, prejudice, sexual assault, and extreme violence. If, at any time, a player feels uncomfortable with a scene, the player should immediately inform the Storyteller. The Storyteller will either tone down scene so that the player is once again comfortable participating in it, or will excuse the player from the scene without penalty in or out of character, adjusting continuity as necessary. The goal of our games is to have a good time, bringing the World of Darkness to life as much as possible, but keeping the sensibilities and comfort of all players in mind, so that all can participate.

Meta-gaming will not be tolerated. Any questions of meta-gaming shall go through the Lead ST present and the matter will be investigated and/or acted upon. Accusations of meta-gaming or continued reference to such after the storyteller has been spoken to shall be referenced to the coordinator staff to take action upon as if the accuser was a problem player. The ST staff will aggressively pursue meta-gamers.

Mt. Pleasant by Night is a part of White Wolf's Camarilla fan club. All images, logos, etc., © White Wolf, Inc., are used with permission.

Ever-present disclaimer: This site is for a series of live-action role-playing games. We only pretend to be vampires.