The Alley Men
Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and thy neighbor’s heart as well.
The gulf between rich and poor widens every year. Among the urban sprawls, the wealthy celebrate their luxury in towers of glass and steel, or in secluded mansions tucked away from the metropolitan tangle. The poor live in apartments unfit for most animals, and the poorest among them don’t live in apartments at all. They are consigned to the streets, alleys and abandoned buildings. The numbers of homeless have swelled in recent decades, men and women cast away from society. Some are merely destitute, some are addicted, and others still are lost to madness.
Among the countless numbers of homeless, some unique madmen dwell. These madmen are also addicts, hungry for the taste of blood. These dispossessed men and women were once servants of an old and powerful vampire, a vampire who made many enemies and was left hanging from a construction crane as the sun rose. Over the last two decades, these Ghouls lost their original purpose but gained a new one — to no longer be slaves and to take what they want from the wretched bloodsuckers by force.
It wasn’t always like that, however. While always homeless, the ancestors of the Alley Men were street preachers, a small family of a mother, father and two boys, who shouted the word of God in the alleys and hollered Sermons from street corners. One night, a hirsute individual in a long coat and with a fierce black beard approached them calling himself the “Wild Angel.” He told them that he was “a representative of God on High,” and would give them a taste of divine power if they aided him in a few small tasks. He was gruff but captivating. He showed them a few tricks (“little miracles,” he called them). They agreed, eager to be a part of something larger than themselves, happy that someone was not only listening to them, but had directly approached them. They asked few questions. Before morning, the destitute family was on the way to becoming enthralled, through the power of the Wild Angel’s blood.
Their task was simple. They must be the eyes and ears of this man on the streets, in the places that the dispossessed go and dwell. It is in these places, the Angel said, that the Devil breeds dissent against God. The Wild Angel explained to his new servants that he was one of God’s spies (he sometimes even called himself Zophiel) and that he was working to undermine a diabolical group he called The Spear.
The new thralls agreed to its task without question. Not only did their desire to serve the Lord outweigh any personal needs and wants, but the blood on their lips sang to them, commanded them with what they believed was the power of Christ Himself. The family remained unaware of what its “holy benefactor” really was, and simply never wanted to ask.
Over the years, the Wild Angel encouraged the family to grow. He spat Bible passages at them as evidence that God wanted them to procreate, passages from Genesis such as, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the Earth,” or, “With spasms of distress you shall bring forth children.” And so, the family grew. He gave it “communion,” asking his thralls to partake of him (i.e., consume his blood) so that they could be closer to God. They spied for him. They watched as others, ones he called “devils” and “dyubbuk,” passed information in alleys or exsanguinated homeless victims in the shadows between buildings. They even brought him food, capturing any mortals who seemed corrupt and impious (ideas relative to each ghoul).
Then, one night, he was gone. His blood (still fresh on their tongues) cried out as he was destroyed.
Over time, this practice was muddled by the burgeoning madness of the bloodline members. Eventually anybody became fair game for the hunt, provided they were unholy and impious — two distinctions that could conceivably be anybody on the street. The mere idea behind the consumption of blood fueled the family, feeling that God and His servants had granted a secret mandate to destroy the wicked by consuming them. The family recognized that some blood was different from others. Drinking the blood of mere humans and not devils was nowhere near as powerful, but they still felt it a necessary and suitable action. After that, the family devolved further, and drinking blood became coupled with flesh-eating. After all, the consumption of flesh and blood was a cornerstone of the family’s faith, was it not? It seemed only a natural way to vanquish its enemies (and, subconsciously, find and consume the Vitae of other vampires to help quench the addiction).
The Alley Men — a name not recognized among the members of the family, but instead a name given by those Kindred who are aware of this degenerate bloodline — are wretched creatures. They hunt vampires, recklessly seeking the taste of Kindred Vitae. Some mumble Biblical passages as they Hound their prey, while others are hardly capable of human speech anymore, instead resorting to feral hisses and snarls. Many of the older ones are quite competent at tracking and incapacitating vampires. These destitute and itinerant Ghouls tend to hunt in packs of three or four, picking off Kindred who have strayed from “other devils.” Should one of the family members die, so be it. They breed in hopes of siring more of themselves, either with one another or by seducing strangers into seeding the wombs of their women. When one member of the bloodline falls, the rest consume him, eating his flesh and drinking his blood.
Of course, the Alley Men do not just hunt vampires, though that is the primary task that drives them. They destroy anyone who stands in their way, and they hone their hunting skills on humans. They drink the blood of “corrupt” humans and sometimes eat their flesh. Some cook the meat over barrel fires; others are happy to have it raw.
Many Kindred don’t believe in the Alley Men, believing instead that any mention of such cannibalistic, urban “beast-men” are nothing more than scary tales or object lessons on how to properly treat Ghouls. Others believe that they cannot be Ghouls at all, but are probably shapeshifters relegated to the fringes of the city. (Or, if not shapeshifters themselves, they are probably relatives of those cursed animals.) Some few vampires know the truth about these cannibal Ghouls, and mostly go out of the way to avoid the homeless, for among the ranks of the destitute, these blood-hungry fiends might dwell.
Annals of the Balaur Gard: the so-called “Alley Men” or “Wild Angels.”
“Here recorded is the of the rogue thrall bloodline known commonly as Alley Men, but self-titled the Wild Angels, as set down by Dr. Aaron Jorgunson, Guardian. This selfclaimed title seems to stem from the Kindred who called himself Zophiel, thought to be of The Lancea Sanctum, who discovered and fostered this family within the last three decades. He was an unruly sort, and through his apparent insanity and Megalomania, he represented such a threat to the Masquerade that the Prince of the city was forced to invoke the Lextalionis upon him. It is then that the most interesting thing happened: Instead of disbanding, the small family of fanatics put together by this Zophiel began hunting Kindred! Searching the minds of those subjects we have captured and interrogated, it seems that they possess no true knowledge of what it isthey hunt. Zophiel told his followers that they were to hunt demons, and to feast on their flesh and blood in holy communion, for when you slay a true demon, God will change the flesh into that of Christ, and grant you his Spirit and Power. This, of course, is consistent with some of the rhetoric we have all heard from the Sanctified, but the covenant has been quite uncooperative in helping us to identify Zophiel. Regardless of the allegiance of their progenitor, the fanaticism of these mortals makes them very dangerous. Still, observing them from a distance may prove fruitful, as their persistence and growth has proven that it is possible for a family of thralls to exist and thrive without a master to tend them.”
Among the countless numbers of homeless, some unique madmen dwell. These madmen are also addicts, hungry for the taste of blood. These dispossessed men and women were once servants of an old and powerful vampire, a vampire who made many enemies and was left hanging from a construction crane as the sun rose. Over the last two decades, these Ghouls lost their original purpose but gained a new one — to no longer be slaves and to take what they want from the wretched bloodsuckers by force.
Call of the Wild Angel
They don’t look like it, but the so-called “Alley Men” are all part of a larger familial network, a bloodline of thralls once bred to serve. They do not act like a family, and they hardly recognize one another as mother and son or brother and sister. Instead, they treat one another as members of a disconnected tribe. A pecking order exists among them, but it rarely remains stable for long. Night after night, somebody new stands atop the hierarchy after beating or torturing another for dominance.It wasn’t always like that, however. While always homeless, the ancestors of the Alley Men were street preachers, a small family of a mother, father and two boys, who shouted the word of God in the alleys and hollered Sermons from street corners. One night, a hirsute individual in a long coat and with a fierce black beard approached them calling himself the “Wild Angel.” He told them that he was “a representative of God on High,” and would give them a taste of divine power if they aided him in a few small tasks. He was gruff but captivating. He showed them a few tricks (“little miracles,” he called them). They agreed, eager to be a part of something larger than themselves, happy that someone was not only listening to them, but had directly approached them. They asked few questions. Before morning, the destitute family was on the way to becoming enthralled, through the power of the Wild Angel’s blood.
Their task was simple. They must be the eyes and ears of this man on the streets, in the places that the dispossessed go and dwell. It is in these places, the Angel said, that the Devil breeds dissent against God. The Wild Angel explained to his new servants that he was one of God’s spies (he sometimes even called himself Zophiel) and that he was working to undermine a diabolical group he called The Spear.
The new thralls agreed to its task without question. Not only did their desire to serve the Lord outweigh any personal needs and wants, but the blood on their lips sang to them, commanded them with what they believed was the power of Christ Himself. The family remained unaware of what its “holy benefactor” really was, and simply never wanted to ask.
Over the years, the Wild Angel encouraged the family to grow. He spat Bible passages at them as evidence that God wanted them to procreate, passages from Genesis such as, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the Earth,” or, “With spasms of distress you shall bring forth children.” And so, the family grew. He gave it “communion,” asking his thralls to partake of him (i.e., consume his blood) so that they could be closer to God. They spied for him. They watched as others, ones he called “devils” and “dyubbuk,” passed information in alleys or exsanguinated homeless victims in the shadows between buildings. They even brought him food, capturing any mortals who seemed corrupt and impious (ideas relative to each ghoul).
Then, one night, he was gone. His blood (still fresh on their tongues) cried out as he was destroyed.
Devolution
While the family did not recognize it as such, its members were addicted. Every one of them, weak without the precious Vitae, was desperate for another taste. It wasn’t long before the family members were able to unconsciously turn this preternatural hunger into action, spinning it into a task that they believed was demanded by God Himself. Knowing that there were “devils” out there, the family went on the hunt. Its members vowed to track down these vile degenerates and take their blood in the name of God and of the Wild Angel.Over time, this practice was muddled by the burgeoning madness of the bloodline members. Eventually anybody became fair game for the hunt, provided they were unholy and impious — two distinctions that could conceivably be anybody on the street. The mere idea behind the consumption of blood fueled the family, feeling that God and His servants had granted a secret mandate to destroy the wicked by consuming them. The family recognized that some blood was different from others. Drinking the blood of mere humans and not devils was nowhere near as powerful, but they still felt it a necessary and suitable action. After that, the family devolved further, and drinking blood became coupled with flesh-eating. After all, the consumption of flesh and blood was a cornerstone of the family’s faith, was it not? It seemed only a natural way to vanquish its enemies (and, subconsciously, find and consume the Vitae of other vampires to help quench the addiction).
Hungry Hunters
Over the last 20 years, this family has been largely cast adrift on the sea that is the urban sprawl. Those two decades have not been kind to these Ghouls. Madness has seeped in and has been bred into the blood. And they have not capped their breeding. In fact, their rate of procreation has only increased, as they are convinced that they must populate the Earth out of some twisted religious urge. Even before the Wild Angel was destroyed, they numbered at least two dozen. By now, the numbers have doubled or even tripled. They do not see themselves as family. Any patrilineal surname has long been lost to them, along with any scraps of sanity.The Alley Men — a name not recognized among the members of the family, but instead a name given by those Kindred who are aware of this degenerate bloodline — are wretched creatures. They hunt vampires, recklessly seeking the taste of Kindred Vitae. Some mumble Biblical passages as they Hound their prey, while others are hardly capable of human speech anymore, instead resorting to feral hisses and snarls. Many of the older ones are quite competent at tracking and incapacitating vampires. These destitute and itinerant Ghouls tend to hunt in packs of three or four, picking off Kindred who have strayed from “other devils.” Should one of the family members die, so be it. They breed in hopes of siring more of themselves, either with one another or by seducing strangers into seeding the wombs of their women. When one member of the bloodline falls, the rest consume him, eating his flesh and drinking his blood.
Of course, the Alley Men do not just hunt vampires, though that is the primary task that drives them. They destroy anyone who stands in their way, and they hone their hunting skills on humans. They drink the blood of “corrupt” humans and sometimes eat their flesh. Some cook the meat over barrel fires; others are happy to have it raw.
Many Kindred don’t believe in the Alley Men, believing instead that any mention of such cannibalistic, urban “beast-men” are nothing more than scary tales or object lessons on how to properly treat Ghouls. Others believe that they cannot be Ghouls at all, but are probably shapeshifters relegated to the fringes of the city. (Or, if not shapeshifters themselves, they are probably relatives of those cursed animals.) Some few vampires know the truth about these cannibal Ghouls, and mostly go out of the way to avoid the homeless, for among the ranks of the destitute, these blood-hungry fiends might dwell.
Annals of the Balaur Gard: the so-called “Alley Men” or “Wild Angels.”
“Here recorded is the of the rogue thrall bloodline known commonly as Alley Men, but self-titled the Wild Angels, as set down by Dr. Aaron Jorgunson, Guardian. This selfclaimed title seems to stem from the Kindred who called himself Zophiel, thought to be of The Lancea Sanctum, who discovered and fostered this family within the last three decades. He was an unruly sort, and through his apparent insanity and Megalomania, he represented such a threat to the Masquerade that the Prince of the city was forced to invoke the Lextalionis upon him. It is then that the most interesting thing happened: Instead of disbanding, the small family of fanatics put together by this Zophiel began hunting Kindred! Searching the minds of those subjects we have captured and interrogated, it seems that they possess no true knowledge of what it isthey hunt. Zophiel told his followers that they were to hunt demons, and to feast on their flesh and blood in holy communion, for when you slay a true demon, God will change the flesh into that of Christ, and grant you his Spirit and Power. This, of course, is consistent with some of the rhetoric we have all heard from the Sanctified, but the covenant has been quite uncooperative in helping us to identify Zophiel. Regardless of the allegiance of their progenitor, the fanaticism of these mortals makes them very dangerous. Still, observing them from a distance may prove fruitful, as their persistence and growth has proven that it is possible for a family of thralls to exist and thrive without a master to tend them.”
Culture
Culture and cultural heritage
Origin: The Wild Angel was an unknown in Kindred society, until he created this family of thralls. Signs point to him being a Gangrel of the Lancea Sanctum, but this isn’t entirely certain. The Sanctified of the area won’t verify his existence and no one has taken credit for his murder. Even his clan is unknown, because now that he is dead and his thralls are not bound to a single master, they have tasted the blood of many clans and bloodlines. Therefore, different Alley Men exhibit different Disciplines. One might have Vigor and Celerity from a steady diet of Daeva Vitae, while another might possess Resilience and Dominate due to a feast of Ventrue blood. Almost all Alley Men are rogue ghouls, but a few small branches of the family have come under the influence of one Kindred or another.
Common Dress code
Appearance: These Ghouls earned their nickname the hard way. Alley Men, bag ladies, bums, cardboard housing residents — it’s all much the same thing. Word has gone out among the Kindred in some large cities that the homeless aren’t as easy a food source as they are in other locales. Any bum sitting in an alleyway is as likely to break his half-empty liquor Bottle over a vampire’s head and set fire to her as he is to just sit there in a drunken stupor while she feeds on him. The Wild Angels can be distinguished from other vagrants only in subtle ways. They tend to be slightly more physically fit, but this is hard to notice due to the tendency of homeless people to wear all the clothes they own. The detail-oriented might notice small bloodstains on their clothes and blood under their fingernails (Wits + Composure with a –5 penalty to notice). In general, though, it’s very hard to distinguish them from a run-of-the-street vagrant. Not all the crazy-looking, shifty-eyed ones are Alley Men, and not all Alley Men look as crazy as they are.
Art & Architecture
Haven: Anonymity is a more potent home and shield for this loosely connected family than it is even for the Kindred. It is near to impossible to discover which circle of bums huddling around a trash fire is contemplating their next target for exsanguination and cannibalism as opposed to the next place they can get some booze and a normal meal. Alley Men do not, for obvious reasons, have havens in the most traditional sense. For that reason, they should not be allowed to purchase the Haven Merit under normal circumstances.
Major organizations
Covenants: No covenant truly desires to deal with the Alley Men, preferring to pretend that they don’t exist. The family members themselves are unaware of the existence of such social structures among the “demons” they hunt. The disfavor shown to these rogue Ghouls has a different flavor for each covenant, however. The Invictus see them as a serious threat to the Masquerade. The Carthians, on the other hand, see them as an interesting, but failed, experiment. The Ordo Dracul’s position is that this is the unfortunate result when caution is not exercised with the gift of Vitae. As a whole, however, the Order of the Dragon shows little interest. Individual Dragons do keep tabs on various branches of the family, though, reporting their findings back to the Balaur Gard. Sanctified Kindred who discover the motivations of these strange mortals often take it upon themselves to guide these lost sheep of God’s back to the “true fold.” Doing so gains the Alley Men as thralls, but it is rare that any vampire pays enough attention to find out or care about said motivations. The Circle of the Crone hasn’t yet had much contact with the Alley Men, but the results of the ghoul family meeting Acolytes would probably be violent. Acolytes, after all, are not only demons but demons who willfully practice witchcraft. Unbound Kindred truly fear ravening packs of Alley Men, and not a few of these independent vampires have met Final Death at their hands, knives, axes and teeth.
Organization: The total number of Alley Men in the world is unknown to anybody except perhaps the Dragon’s Fence, but they are fairly numerous. This family is, completely by accident, organized like an effective guerilla operation. Each family member knows only his or her immediate relatives, meaning that no single person can give away the identity of more than three or four other Alley Men. Despite this, information can pass startlingly quickly, even across oceans, through the grapevine of connections within this group of homeless nomads. Wild Angels who notice the effectiveness of this organizational scheme credit it as evidence that they are doing the will of God.
Several rituals are common among many the “cells.” Few Alley Men follow all of them, but even fewer do not follow any. These rituals are never performed in the same place twice, but the only requirement for a place to perform them is that it be secluded. Condemned buildings, dark alleyways, and unlocked exterior basements all do the trick. The most common ritual is the sexual initiation of girls who have reached menarche. As soon as a girl reaches sexual maturity, the family puts the word out and finds a suitable man of the family to impregnate her. The family pulls in as many favors as necessary to keep the pregnant girls off the streets, to ensure the carriage of babies to term, but once the baby is weaned, The Mother is back on the streets to blend in once again.
As soon as the infant reaches the toddler stage, he typically undergoes a ceremony involving bathing the child in blood and giving him his first taste of blood and flesh, in a perverse imitation of the Christian sacraments of baptism and communion. After this, every time that a Wild Angel eats flesh and drinks blood, it is in the same twisted communion ritual. They believe that God rewards them for killing demons by transforming the blood and flesh into that of Christ, thus granting them power. When they manage to kill an actual vampire, it seems to validate this belief.
When male children become sexually mature, they are initiated into the priesthood of their cause. This involves drinking the menstrual flow of their mothers, directly from the source, soon after the taking of their “holy communion.” The final part of initiation into priesthood is to impregnate a girl from another part of the family. Due to the fact that this impregnation is necessary to continue God’s mission for the family, this second part of the initiation is as universal on the male side as was mentioned earlier for the female side. A girl cannot become a woman without carrying a baby to term for the sake of the mission, and a boy cannot be considered a man until his seed is carried to fruition.
Organization: The total number of Alley Men in the world is unknown to anybody except perhaps the Dragon’s Fence, but they are fairly numerous. This family is, completely by accident, organized like an effective guerilla operation. Each family member knows only his or her immediate relatives, meaning that no single person can give away the identity of more than three or four other Alley Men. Despite this, information can pass startlingly quickly, even across oceans, through the grapevine of connections within this group of homeless nomads. Wild Angels who notice the effectiveness of this organizational scheme credit it as evidence that they are doing the will of God.
Several rituals are common among many the “cells.” Few Alley Men follow all of them, but even fewer do not follow any. These rituals are never performed in the same place twice, but the only requirement for a place to perform them is that it be secluded. Condemned buildings, dark alleyways, and unlocked exterior basements all do the trick. The most common ritual is the sexual initiation of girls who have reached menarche. As soon as a girl reaches sexual maturity, the family puts the word out and finds a suitable man of the family to impregnate her. The family pulls in as many favors as necessary to keep the pregnant girls off the streets, to ensure the carriage of babies to term, but once the baby is weaned, The Mother is back on the streets to blend in once again.
As soon as the infant reaches the toddler stage, he typically undergoes a ceremony involving bathing the child in blood and giving him his first taste of blood and flesh, in a perverse imitation of the Christian sacraments of baptism and communion. After this, every time that a Wild Angel eats flesh and drinks blood, it is in the same twisted communion ritual. They believe that God rewards them for killing demons by transforming the blood and flesh into that of Christ, thus granting them power. When they manage to kill an actual vampire, it seems to validate this belief.
When male children become sexually mature, they are initiated into the priesthood of their cause. This involves drinking the menstrual flow of their mothers, directly from the source, soon after the taking of their “holy communion.” The final part of initiation into priesthood is to impregnate a girl from another part of the family. Due to the fact that this impregnation is necessary to continue God’s mission for the family, this second part of the initiation is as universal on the male side as was mentioned earlier for the female side. A girl cannot become a woman without carrying a baby to term for the sake of the mission, and a boy cannot be considered a man until his seed is carried to fruition.
Nickname
While Kindred nickname these vagrants Alley Men, the ghouls call themselves Christians and servants of God, or sometimes wild angels, if they call themselves anything at all.
Clans: Of the clans, the Ventrue have the most interest, and have had the most success in bringing these vagrants under control. The respectable veneer with which these Kindred surround themselves is both intimidating and desirable to the generally homeless Alley Men, and the Ventrue’s ability to subjugate thralls’ minds helps to subjugate their murderous impulses. The Nosferatu and the Daeva have shown some interest in using Alley Men, but far less success at controlling them. The fact that the Nosferatu and the Daeva lack the ability to use Dominate is part of the reason, but the fact that these clans fit the Wild Angel’s description of “demon” is perhaps the greater obstacle. Mekhet Kindred tend to see the Alley Men as pests — sometimes amusing pests, but pests nonetheless. Some Mekhet feed the Alley Men tidbits of information designed to lead them to rival Kindred; others simply kill or Ignore the Ghouls. The Gangrel rarely come into contact with these rapacious thralls. If they do, the foolish thralls are usually viewed as territorial rivals and threats.
The Alley Men are aware that different types of demons exist, but what one “cell” of Alley Men knows is by no means indicative of the entire family. A small family might be constantly searching for a single demon called “Mekhet,” while another knows that “the Daeva are comely, but still demons” and nothing more.
Strength: Aside from the ability to blend in with the background in any city (+2 dice to avoid notice in an urban environment), a starting character of this family may choose the starting two Discipline dots in any Discipline or Disciplines the player wishes (subject to Storyteller approval, of course, and one of them must be a physical Discipline). These two Disciplines may be advanced without a vampiric tutor, so long as the character continues to receive a steady supply of Vitae.
Weakness: Whether they’re called Alley Men, Wild Angels or just plain bums, this family of Ghouls is habitually destitute. The following Merits are not allowed for a starting character from this family: Encyclopedic Knowledge; Fighting Style: Kung Fu; Gunslinger; Stunt Driver; Barfly; Fame; Haven; Inherited Ghoul; Regnant; Resources; Retainer; Status. Alley Men also start with Morality 5, one dot less than most other Ghouls. On the bright side, they may spend one or three Merit points to raise this trait to 6 or 7 (respectively), which is a far cheaper rate than usual. This is due to the fact that the Wild Angels are motivated by higher ideals, despite their gruesome methods. Growing up not only on the streets, but with the utter, cannibalistic depravity typical of these particular vagrants, leaves these Ghouls profoundly traumatized to begin with, however. Therefore, players of Alley Men may not lower their characters’ starting Morality in order to gain experience points. In addition, most Wild Angel characters have made enemies among the local Kindred, either by their own actions of those of their families. The player and the Storyteller should work together to decide who the character’s enemies are and how deep their hatred runs. (What Disciplines the Alley Man knows should be a good road map to the clan, at least, of the enemy vampire.)
Concepts: cultist/cult leader, mugger, lunatic, street-preacher
Homeless, murderous, cannibalistic… why would anybody live like this? No social group can survive for long on a diet of pure horror. In fact, the reason that it is nearly impossible to distinguish them from other homeless people is that most of the time they are exactly like most homeless people. If they have not decided as a group that someone is a sinner and a demon, interacting with them can even be pleasant. They have friendly conversations with people, often sharing the more socially acceptable parts of their faith like some sort of ascetic missionaries. The Wild Angels are in fact poor by choice. They put into action their belief that one cannot love both God and money, and they live to spread the faith. Many branches of the family go to church on Sundays regularly, or they hold their own private worship services that follow very traditional Christian patterns.
While Kindred nickname these vagrants Alley Men, the ghouls call themselves Christians and servants of God, or sometimes wild angels, if they call themselves anything at all.
The Alley Men are aware that different types of demons exist, but what one “cell” of Alley Men knows is by no means indicative of the entire family. A small family might be constantly searching for a single demon called “Mekhet,” while another knows that “the Daeva are comely, but still demons” and nothing more.
Strength: Aside from the ability to blend in with the background in any city (+2 dice to avoid notice in an urban environment), a starting character of this family may choose the starting two Discipline dots in any Discipline or Disciplines the player wishes (subject to Storyteller approval, of course, and one of them must be a physical Discipline). These two Disciplines may be advanced without a vampiric tutor, so long as the character continues to receive a steady supply of Vitae.
Weakness: Whether they’re called Alley Men, Wild Angels or just plain bums, this family of Ghouls is habitually destitute. The following Merits are not allowed for a starting character from this family: Encyclopedic Knowledge; Fighting Style: Kung Fu; Gunslinger; Stunt Driver; Barfly; Fame; Haven; Inherited Ghoul; Regnant; Resources; Retainer; Status. Alley Men also start with Morality 5, one dot less than most other Ghouls. On the bright side, they may spend one or three Merit points to raise this trait to 6 or 7 (respectively), which is a far cheaper rate than usual. This is due to the fact that the Wild Angels are motivated by higher ideals, despite their gruesome methods. Growing up not only on the streets, but with the utter, cannibalistic depravity typical of these particular vagrants, leaves these Ghouls profoundly traumatized to begin with, however. Therefore, players of Alley Men may not lower their characters’ starting Morality in order to gain experience points. In addition, most Wild Angel characters have made enemies among the local Kindred, either by their own actions of those of their families. The player and the Storyteller should work together to decide who the character’s enemies are and how deep their hatred runs. (What Disciplines the Alley Man knows should be a good road map to the clan, at least, of the enemy vampire.)
Concepts: cultist/cult leader, mugger, lunatic, street-preacher