(Year 125 - and 200 years back) I don't really play occults. I have yet not even set foot on Sixam, or explored space in a rocket. I always focused most on everyday life with just a little drama, generations, community structures and - well, in the past there were a couple alien extras, just to add some unexpected twists tight there in the background.
But I guess I needed a change, because I got The sims 4 Vampires game pack (on 50% sale until October 20th), and I'm having a blast from creating background stories! Love Vlad and his pipe organ, the generous system of vampire perks, the sweet little forgotten hood, and lots of the build and buy stuff. Here's a picture thread from my early planning in case you are into these things :)
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| He is the link between Forgotten Hollow and one of my oldest dukedoms - but you never saw him before. |
Yes, Vlad titled himself Count of Hollow, or was that his great grandfather - but his noble title has no connection to a real peerage, and was never confirmed by the Royal Chamber. No wonder my Dukes and Duchesses never heard of him. I'm not designing the Straud tribe's coat of ams etc., like I did for my real nobility, they'll just use the generic old decor stuff available...
This is a closeup showing some of Anima's spectacular features. Vlad thinks his tribe might obtain the power of a lion if their genes blend.
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| Vladislaus IV and Miss Hell, with their offspring Vladislaus V and Bonehilda. |
The Straud tribe goes several long living generations back, and they resided the Straud Mansion most of the time. But they were quite lonely and had to travel quite far to find their favorite prey as well as spouses. Vlad wanted to change this, and my take on his story starts about 200 years ago. Vlad never married, but had a long lasting relation to Miss Hell, resulting in daughter Bonehilda and son Vladislaus V. Vlad must have seen his son as his main heir, but the boy never was really interested in the lore, while Bonehilda rapidly raised in grades. So, will next generation be girl power! Vlad is no sexist, after all he thinks female and male Plasma taste just as good!
In addition to the Lore and the 5 grades of vampires, I use two main groups; Traditional and Modern. It helps defining how they live. Vlad is head of the Traditional clan, who will only feed from sims and sleep all day. The Modern clan will feed from plasma packs, only (and perhaps their spouse at holidays) and they try to live normal lives and sleep at night. There is also the Undecided (not really a clan, though) who mixes the two and which is not respected by the Master Vampires. Combining Clan, Lore level, and the 3 available Vampire-ish Aspirations, I have the base of a rivaling community and it will also be easier to pick from the many cool vampire perks. Vlad's daughter is naturally of the Traditional clan, and set to become their next head, while I think his son (aged 141), who moved out, might still be undecided.
Every 25th year there is a fight between the two clans, ongoing until one vampire is sacrificed. The "lucky" fighter is picked by each clan's Grand Master Vampire (head of clan), and is normally anyone but his/her main heir.
In Straud Mansion's basement I added a wing where Vlad keeps his prisoners that his household can feed on. There are two cells, but most of the time just one prisoner. I'm not sure how many vampires can feed on one victim, there is a cool down time involved, but they can of course bite random strangers, too. The prisoner is very in handy if they by any chance get desperate for plasma during daylight. The prisoner plasma gets less tasty after a few years, so in these circles a prisoner is normally lasting 3 years only. Afterwards the victims traditionally were offered (killed), not out of evilness but as a premature way of releasing their drained soul...
Lately Vlad has now decided to adjust this routine...
I was surprised that Vlad had very little Lore knowledge from the start, but he builds his skill eagerly.
Wanna learn more about his new plan? Well, I might post more on this subject later on (and I think I will also make a film this Winter), but basically he wanted to use those victims to build a small village, that would then secure his tribe with young plasma for generations to come...
In the dark hours random visitors can be spotted in Forgotten Hollow. This sparkling fine lady pictured above seemed lost as she desperately tapped on her cellphone for her GPS to help her finding her way back home to Del Sol Valley...
This place is beautiful at night, but not bad during daylight either. Days are short, though.
Especially a snowy Winter makes the landscape stand out. The area to walk freely is quite limited, but this is a place where residences typically keep to themselves most of the time. Vlad's great plan includes only one community lot. Pictured above is the Bruenig Farm, renting the land from Vlad and paying their rent with Plasmafruit for Plasma packs production to meet the request from a growing community of modern vampires. The farm is (so far) the only household including no vampire.
A stray cat showed up - not a bad specie considering the theme of this place.
Above - just another day in the park... Creating backstories can be gruesome...
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| I captured this for wallpaper on my desktop ;) . |
Yes - it's Miss Hell. She was enjoying the park in the morning, and forgot that she should rather hurry back home. Because so many kids were born vampires, I'm fine with sunlight randomly being this deadly to them. I don't want to spread the vampires to other worlds for now, and with only 4 residential lots in Forgotten Hollow I need to keep the total number down. Miss Hell wasn't highly ranked anyway, and I think the eternal life should be more likely to those Masters. Sorry Miss, you only reached age 162.
This is the Bruenig farmers. Felix was originally trapped in the Straud cellar, and the first prisoner to be given a new life as a villager. Few years later Vlad offered him to buy another prisoner, Anima, who has got a cat gene and used to travel with a Circus until bought by Vlad to feed on. Felix and Anima had 3 kids where of none are turned yet.
Renting land from Vlad seems generous, but the conditions are horrible though; Human teenagers must accept to be fed on by the Straud family - it's part of the rent to pay! Anyone refusing doing so volunteerly, will be brought to a cell in the basement at the Straud Mansion, and kept there for 3 years. The Count had additional plans for that cat gene, though...
In another household the prisoner Dora Wickery was sold to Sophus G. R. Gorgel - the man on the opening picture who was turned vampire by Vlad himself back in Year 52. They had 3 sons, Handuct, Benony and Lazarus, all born vampires.
Bonehilda is already flirting with one of Anima's sons, Felinus. I can't decide who is the most charming of the two... If they get things going, I'll be very excited to see how their child's facial structure turns out! Bonhilda was not very lucky with her profile, at least her nose is not in the way when she drinks from a victim. Smart as she is, she arranged an impressive hairstyle to move attention off her face...
(to be continued either on blog or as video this Winter:) )
PS: All new characters will be listed on my online Residents Registry, I just need a few days to complete their profile pages.
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