Thousand Year Old Vampire 1: Creating The Character

This is an attempt to play Thousand Year Old Vampire, a creative storytelling narrative game. 

1) Start by imagining a person in the distant past. This person will be your vampire. Create a short history for him before he became a vampire. 

As a Chinese-American, I wanted to explore a bit of history in the distant past, and the choice is clear: Ancient China. But the question is... How far back? My first thought was around Qin Dynasty, roughly 220 BC, but that felt a bit too far back, so I shifted to Ming Dynasty, probably Early Ming dynasty. 

M1: I am Weijun, son of a navy veteran who fought alongside Zhu Yuan Zhang, aka Hongwu Emperor at the battle of Lake Poyang (1363). My father and fellow veterans were all decorated and became the core of the new Ming Dynasty's military. I was barely a teenager and joined the military, and my martial prowess made me one of the first to join Jinyiwei (embroidered uniform guard) in 1382, basically emperor's special police. 

2) Create three mortals, who have relationships with your vampire, be it friend, family, business, work, love, etc. 

Yonglin: frenemy and fellow jinyiwei, son of a fellow veteran, used to be best friends, now sort of enemy

Peony: love interest, could not quite decide between me and Yonglin, and her father is in no hurry

Sifu: the guy who helped trained me to my potential, second father, knew my father, never called him by name, just "sifu". 

3) Create 3 skills for the vampire, and 3 resources they would have

Swordsmanship

Archery

Charm, ability to negotiate

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Ancestral sword from father

A hankerchief from Peony, as a symbol of her promise. 

A special jade charm from sifu, supposed to ward off evil

4) Create 3 experiences, using 2 of the previously mentioned mortals, skills, resources, etc each. These will be memories 2 through 4. 

M2 / EXP1:  On the day I graduated from the academy, my father passed onto me his sword, the one he carried at the battle of the lake. 

M3 / EXP2:  The day I was genuinely able to land a fist on sifu, he nodded, and gave me this charm, and told me to wear it proudly. He claimed it can ward off evil, and since he had taught me all he could, I need it more than he did. 

M4 / EXP3:  The evening Peony promised herself to me... She said she will tell her father, and I will let my father know so we may bring up the subject of marriage properly per protocol. And she gave me her hankerchief as a symbol of her promise. 

5) Create the immortal who turned you... create a "mark", that permanently marked you as a vampire. And write the experience, as your 5th memory. 

M5: I was investigating Baron Wong for allegedly seditious activities when I was ambushed on his houseboat. Before I can strike the lethal blow, his fangs were on my neck. I somehow survived and landed in the river, and drifted somehow to shore much later. There are toothmarks on my neck that will not heal, and I cover it with collars and scarves. 

Well, that's the character all setup. Next entry, we'll play the game as a journaling game.