What makes a vampire distinct? What transforms them from “alluring nocturnal wizards” to memorable creatures of horror, monsters in all but looks? Tonight, we take a look at this element: the mortals.

The characters you are about to see are all caught up in Seattle’s vampire underworld in one way or another. Most are unaware, thinking their misfortune the result of bad luck rather than the interference of vampires. Such is the way of the Masquerade.

If Everyone is a Vampire
To achieve the stark contrasts essential to gothic horror fiction, the vampire must be viewed through the attraction, addiction, and terror they inspire. Every mortal is a lens through which the audience — and player — sees a sliver of the vampire as they appear to the living world.

They are the canvas on which the Kindred wield their bloody brush, for to be a vampire is to possess terrible powers, allowing one to use and abuse people as tools, food, and pleasure. (Of course, the ratio of these three also says something about a vampire’s moral nature.) Most of all, mortals elevate the vampire experience, providing the backdrop against which the undead stand in bloody relief.

After all, if everyone is a vampire, then no one is.

Mortal outcomes
These are only some of the mortals you will encounter in the game. What you do with them is up to you. Whether you treat them with respect, contempt, or simply as the next meal, their lives may be irrevocably changed by the encounter. Some will never sleep easy again. Others will spend every night looking for you. And some — perhaps many — will face death, victims of Hunger, fury, or casual whim.​