Still Standing

MES Domain Code (Name): Dead Man’s Hand Domain Code: AZ-010-D VSS Boundaries: Phoenix, Tempe, Scottsdale, Chandler, Fountain Hills, Cave Creek, Carefree, New River, Glendale, Peoria, Sun City, Surprise, Litchfield Park, Avondale, Tolleson, Mesa, Gilbert, Casa Grande, Stanfield, Blackwater, Coolidge, Randolph, Florence, Apache Junction, Youngberg, Queen Creek, San Tan Valley, Queen Valley, Buckeye, Liberty, Goodyear, Wickenburg, Maricopa, Indian Reservations, Southern Tonto National Forest, White Tank Mountain Regional Park, McDowell Mountain Regional Park, South Mountain Park, Estrella Mountain Regional Park. VST Name: Bryan Himebaugh VST Email: dmh.garou@gmail.com

Sept Type: Garou Controlled Territory Boundaries: West boundary - Maricopa Peak, East Boundary – Fat Man’s Pass, North and South Boundaries to the Edge of South Mountain Park. Theme: Survival – The cities have bloomed around the South Mountain Park, all but encircling the Sept with the threat of the encroaching Weaver. Mood: Moods will vary and are highly personal depending on how characters interact with the setting. Some likely moods will include: Stoicism, heartbreak, community, revenge, curiosity, fear, desperation, and belonging. Theme Songs: Alive - Pearl Jam, Titanium - David Guetta (featuring Sia), The Show Must Go On - Queen, I Won’t Back Down - Tom Petty, I’m Still Standing - Elton John Shard Caern Level: 3 Caern Totem: Chuckwalla - Spirit of Tenacity. Chuckwalla manifests as a three foot long, stocky, wide-bodied lizard with black scales save for his tail - that is a fiery orange. He is a totem that embodies survival and tenacity. He looks favorably on those who do not admit defeat, when there is still a chance for success.

   Ban:  Followers of Chuckwalla must avoid causing harm to any chuckwallas they see. They must immediately seek atonement for any chuckwallas killed accidentally. They must also work to preserve lands where chuckwallas currently thrive.

Traditional Setting Elements: 0 -Never Present, 1 -Rarely Present, 2 -Sometimes Present, 3 -Often Present, 4 -Usually Present, 5 -Always Present

Action (Combat and challenges): 3 Character Development (Personal dilemmas and choices): 4 Darkness (PC Corruption): 3 Death (PC Death): 2 Drama (Ceremony and grand story): 3 Intrigue (Politics and negotiation): 3 Manners (Social etiquette and peer pressure): 3 Mystery (Enigmas and investigation): 4

Chronicle Teaser: “I live by two words: tenacity and gratitude..” - Henry Winkler

VSS Description:

The area that encompasses South Mountain Park once contained a large Sept and Protectorate watched over by the Spirit of the Lights. The mysterious totem was revered for the creativity and dreaming it espoused. The Garou held the entire preserve, and fought valiantly against the Wyrm and the encroach of the city around it.

In 2011, the Sept scored a dramatic victory, seemingly having cleared out the Hive that was based in the Lost Dutchman's Mine. Unfortunately, the very next year, the Gnostic plague would wipe out the Sept of Mysterious Lights.

In 2013, the tattered remnants of Garou who had narrowly escaped death reformed, seeking aid from overseas. After obtaining a Shard Seed from the Sept of Steel and Glass in Beijing, China, they were able to rededicate a portion of the preserve to Chuckwall and re-establish a Caern.

After a couple of years of rebuilding, they were moving to clear the rest of the preserve of Weaver which sparked a furious battle with the Spider and her minions. Seeing an opportunity, the Wyrm, who had been lying dormant for several years, made their move and joined the battle. All sides were severely weakened but the Sept remained.

In 2016, the remaining members of the Sept called for assistance from the Garou nation - needing able-bodied Garou, Kin and even Fera to maintain the Caern. The Sept has been building since - constantly fending off the ever-expanding influence of the Weaver. VSS Timeline

Year Event 1997 The Sept of Mysterious Lights is established in the South Mountain Park on the same night the Phoenix Lights are seen. 2011 The Age of Apocalypse begins, with the Sept scoring an early victory and wiping out a hive that had been located in the Lost Dutchman Mines. 2012 The Caern and Sept fall to the Gnostic plague. 2013 Sept is rebuilt with a seed from the Sept of Steel and Glass in Beijing, China. The Sept is brought together under the totem Chuckwalla, Sept of the Rocky Hearth. 2015 Sept suffers significant losses when the Weaver and the Wyrm attack from seperate fronts. The attacks were rebuffed, all sides suffered major losses. 2016 Surviving members call out to the Nation for able-bodied assistance. 2018 The first Kitsune arrives with knowledge of the Rite of the Harmonious Journey. 2019 The Sept acknowledges the Gaian Alliance, while still remaining Garou controlled.

Storyteller Notes VSS Specific Rules Due to the timeline and story arc of the Caern, PCs may not have arrived in the Phoenix area until 2016, when they Sept reached out to request aid. Having been in Phoenix as a supernatural being prior to 2016 requires VSTs approval. Major Position Holder Expectations: This includes all Sept Positions except Guardians. Those in positions understand that another PC may demand a challenge to remove them from that position at any time as supported by setting. Position holders are expected to use their positions to further role play, and not to sequester or horde specific actions. Players will be required to attend games to maintain their position. If a player misses three consecutive games without any sort of indication to the VST or the DC as to why they are unable to make a game, they can be removed from their position and replaced as needed. Rank and Creature type approvals are a privilege and not a right. Abuse of approvals, or failure to uphold specific responsibilities outlined in an approval will result in a single warning. If the behavior continues the application/approval will be removed, even if this results in a character being unplayable. In such an event that character will be removed from play immediately, and stay out of play of any kind until any discussions and/or appeals are completed. Depending on the direction the players are taking the game, there may be restrictions on Tribe/Rank/Fera. There are no hard caps in place, but the VSTs discretion determines what is appropriate for new characters in the venue. Live Play/Virtual Play Live Play: Live games are held on the first Saturday of every month, during the evening. Locations will vary depending on ambient temperatures and player safety as determined by the VST and DC. For scheduling purposes the first Saturday of any given month is considered to be after the first Friday of that same month.

Please reference the DMH calendar for up to date game schedules:

https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=5iq3fekauri5bveg8a3rmtah84%40group.calendar.google.com&ctz=America/Phoenix

Virtual Play: Dead Man’s Hand has its own Discord venue found here:

https://discord.gg/WKrhKEu

Basic Rules: Once you join ensure your nickname is changed to some version of your name and your MES number including the letters. OOC and IC rooms are clearly marked. OOC commentary in IC rooms is not permitted. MINOR edits to posts in IC rooms are allowed so long as it doesn’t change the basic premise or intent of the original post. Edited and deleted posts can be viewed by channel moderators. Use of the OK check in system is Required. If conflict arises and/or there is a problem and you feel uncomfortable discussing it directly with the player please DM the VST. The VST will either discuss things solely with you or create a room for all relevant parties to be involved. This may include the Coordinator “on site” if the situation warrants it. If something is being requested to be removed from continuity: Game will be immediately paused by the VST Those who wish to have something removed will have approximately 5 minutes to explain the situation and provide any supporting documentation as to why what was posted cannot be amended and must instead be removed. The player who made the post will be given a chance to defend their post and/or the opportunity to amend the post prior to it being removed. The final call on if something needs to be removed is up to the VST. If there are disagreements then appeals can be made after the game following appropriate procedures as outlined in the Membership handbook. Downtimes Players will utilize a downtime form (Link Pending) to submit downtime actions. Downtimes are to be submitted by the Sunday prior to each game. Downtime, Influence and related background actions (Allies, Contacts, etc.) refresh on the 1st of every month. When listing XP expenditures use a bullet list in the form. If applicable, indicate the name of the teacher. If non-local, a separate email needs to be sent to the VST, the non-local player, and the VST of the non-local player. Results of downtimes will be resolved and emailed once they are processed, or the morning before the game whichever is most appropriate for the action. Influence actions will be run after the submission deadline to ensure that actions that would affect other actions can be considered all at once.

CvC/PvP CvC is part of the setting (challenges, staredowns, etc) and while the VSS generally assumes that fatal CvC will be rare, there is a likelihood that it will occur at some point.

Rules and Expectations: All players involved will maintain the highest standards of respect and civility with each other, and all those involved in the scene. Use of the OK check-in system should be used. OOC commentary during the scene must be kept to a minimum. When able, the VST will move the scene away from the main game space while an aVST continues to run the game for those players who are not directly involved in the scene. If a player must step away from the scene for any reason, the VST will pause the scene, check in OOC'ly with all parties, and determine the next steps. The VST may either: Freeze the scene to be resolved at a later date Continue the scene with another player (chosen by the original player) or a member of staff portraying the character Players who must excuse themselves always have the option of asking another player to portray their character to resolve the scene, have the VST or a member of the staff portray the character, and/or retain control of their character's actions when the scene is set to be resolved. There will be no tolerance of OOC shame, blaming, etc., if a player must excuse themselves from the scene. To help maintain continuity, the goal will be to have the scene resolved within 1 week. Be Kind. Be Patient. Remember that each player will react to this situation in a different manner, and may even suffer from bleed because of it. It is the responsibility of all players to ensure a civil OOC atmosphere during the course of the scene. Any characters that die during these scenes will be considered dead until such a time as any applicable appeals are completed.

Proxies Note: Proxies can be denied by the VST for any reason. Full character sheets (including complete xp logs and lists of approval numbers), must be received no later than 24 hours in advance of the start of the game. For face to face games, it is your responsibility to find someone who can attend the game and portray your character, otherwise, the ST and staff will have your character there only for the actions included in your proxy instructions. Be as specific as possible, but as succinct as possible in your instructions. Any unforeseen situations will be resolved by the ST staff in a manner most consistent with other instructions provided. A report will be emailed within 72 hours of the end of the game.

Combat Proxies All of the requirements for proxies listed above apply. Be as specific as to your characters exact actions, and the extent of their actions, in your instructions. Unless otherwise detailed, ST staff will assume characters proxied into combat situations will choose survival over death. Do NOT assume that STs and staff know all the gritty details about your character or will catch anything unique about it at a single glance. If you have something on your character sheet that you feel is integral to your actions or a specific combat order of operations, ensure that it is pointed out clearly in your instructions. A report will be emailed within 72 hours of the end of the game, and will include a chops log.

CCR Proxies: Aggressive proxies to the Venue for the purpose of attacking, intimidating, or killing local characters are highly unlikely to be approved unless they are in line with the chronicle setting.

The overall health and welfare, both in and out of character, are of paramount importance and decisions to approve CCR proxies will be made with this predominantly in mind.

CCR and other aggressive proxies to the Venue will be carefully considered both for their possible negative impacts on local play which may be against the concept of the venue and not allowed. Similarly, summoning players from this Venue to die is highly discouraged unless there has been a proper and, hopefully, voluntary lead up to such an event. However, local players will not be protected by “the local-play first” rule against fallout from their own aggressive or negative actions. Mass Combat Combat is a part of the Garou venue, more so than with many of the other BNS venues. The VST will make every effort to ensure that all characters are provided the opportunity to engage in the combat if they so desire. Characters who do not engage in combat will not be penalized OOCly for such actions. It is not in the habit of the VST to attack a caern if all characters leave to engage elsewhere. It is assumed there are enough NPCs to effectively protect it until the PCs return. Survival of those NPCs is not guaranteed.

In a combat, all players involved should have their sheets ready and gifts on hand. OOC discussion will not be tolerated in main chat rooms, and when live should not interfere with the discussion of turns and actions. It is strongly recommended that players pay attention to what is going on, and use the time between their turns to plan their own action or quietly coordinate actions with other players. Those players who are being disruptive will be given a single warning before being asked to OOCly remove themselves from the combat area/chat. If the VST has to remove a disruptive player, this does not excuse/remove their character from the combat; the VST or an aVST will run their sheet.

Some combats will be chops, others will have a more narrative focus. The VST will determine the best method in which to run a combat based on size, medium, etc.

Mediation will be offered by the VST if it appears that the combat has become one sided in the favor of the Player Characters. If a single player does not agree to the mediation then combat will continue in rounds. Any player may request mediation at any time. All players involved in the scene and the VST must agree not only to mediate, but to the exact terms of the mediation for it to be approved.

Shaming, bullying, or negative commentary towards any player that does not accept mediation will NOT be tolerated and the player doing such will be given a Notice of Guidance on the first offense and will be referred to the Coordinator for further action on subsequent offenses.

One Minute Rule When a player disagrees with a rules call made by the VST, they will be given one minute to make their case. After that minute, the VST will make a decision and the scene will progress. Players are expected to follow the MES Code of Conduct when making such a case, remaining courteous and calm during their statement. If the issue is not immediate, players are encouraged to instead put their concern in writing and contact the storyteller after the game.