Ramona

Ramona is the signature character for the Gangrel clan in Vampire: The Masquerade.

Biography[]

Ramona was alive just a few years ago, but already it seems like a lifetime away, memories bleached down to black and white. Los Angeles was a shitty place to live, but at least it was predictable: Staying away from drug dealers, pimps, and gangs of any color kept her alive to see another day. Ramona followed all the rules, but the vampire found her anyway – or maybe he found her because. Alone and starving in the city, she fled friends and family before she could not resist their blood.

The memories from this time have all bled into each other, shades of all the Los Angelenos who died while Ramona learned to control her hunger and her new powers. The city was pretty crowded with vampires, some of them a brutal gang called the Sabbat, so Ramona and three other "orphans" called Eddie, Jen, Darnell – but they were young and ignorant like her, and the coterie hit the road for a better place to eke out survival. Eddie died again in Texas, ripped in half by a werewolf's claws. Unable to find a place to settle down, Ramona and the others, kept driving until they ran out of road in New York City.

Here things became confusing for Ramona – events happened fast, and quickly snowballed out of control. She saw, stalked, saved, almost killed, then buried a beautiful young girl, Zhavon. A mysterious stranger, Tanner, followed Ramona from Los Angeles to New York, saving her from the Sabbat, the sun, and a stake. And worst, the monster, human-shaped but for that ichor-dripping eye, who tied the whole mess of them together in a flesh-colored knot. The monster stole Zhavon, warped and destroyed Jen and Darnell in Hayesburg. Tanner called the Gangrel together, and suddenly Ramona had a clan and a sire, a father and a family who expected her to know her place and listen to directions. There was even a grandfather, Xaviar, who treated Tanner like Tanner treated her.

It did not last long, though – the monster with the eye destroyed most of the assembled pack, leaving Ramona, the whelp, to drag the crippled Xaviar away from the fire and blood. Ramona remembers this last, the destruction of her newfound clanmates, with a horrifying clarity. She bears a gift from the Cherokee medicine man, Blackfeather, and the curse of his prediction of the future: "The Final Nights are at hand, and your road will be a difficult one." The ghost sight he pressed into her burned images of the lost and the chant of their names into her brain.

Ramona ran, from the creature with the eye, from the surviving Xaviar as well, from the field of so much death. She learned what she is, Gangrel, and who made her what she is. The litany of dead names does not allow her to rest, though. She felt compelled to give the list, and the story, to every Gangrel she encounters in her frantic wandering. And so the story spreads among the clan, and lost friends are mourned.

Clan Novel saga[]

At the end of the saga Ramona was finally able to avenge her Gangrel comrades in the streets of New York. Joining forces with a Setite called Hesha Ruhadze and the Camarilla Archon named Theo Bell, she stood against the Eye bearer, Leopold. However, the monster managed to impale them upon his very bones. It was then that Victoria Ash, Leopold's muse, arrived at the scene and softly spoke to him. Ramona freed herself and took the opportunity to use a special knife given to her by Hesha in order to cut off the Eye of Hazimel from Leopold's face and cause his Final Death.

Modern Nights[]

Her past guilt and the constant torment of her spirit vision eventually make her gouge out her eyes. As she is never heard from again, one can assume this to be her end. Spirits find her in this state and take her to the afterlife to reunite with her fallen people. Perhaps she even gets to reunite with Zhavon.

Description[]

A Gangrel who works with the Valley Coterie on occasion, Ramona is an LA native who looks like she was Embraced in her late teenage years and acts accordingly. She has an affinity with rats, employing her Rat Pack as spies and messengers. She currently takes pride in her domain over Griffith College.

Though she bore witness to some of the worst excesses of both the Camarilla and Anarchs in the late 1990s, tonight she refuses to indulge in the political machinations of the Camarilla or the violent zealotry of the Sabbat. She has also expressed outright contempt for Anarch leadership's hypocrisy in LA, pointing out that they failed to put their money where their mouths were, consequently allowing the Free States to slide into decay. She admires Annabelle, however, and suspects that the young Brujah might reignite the spark of freedom’s fire among the Anarchs.

Loresheet[]

Campus By Night: Provided that you return it and don't abuse the privilege, Ramona arranges for you to receive a student or faculty ID card that grants legal access to Griffith College. You may visit the campus freely without being harassed by security, students, or faculty who might otherwise object to your presence. While on campus, you may enjoy all the facilities and benefits that students or faculty normally enjoy.
Sketchbook: Ramona specializes in landscapes and architectural drawings. Because she thinks you're cool, Ramona will make an accurate sketch of any physical location you choose (possibly with help from her Rat Pack). When in possession of the sketch, you gain two dice on all Investigation rolls related to the place she drew. If Ramona isn't in the same city as the location you want sketched, your Storyteller determines what is required for her to visit.
Unlikely Connections: Ramona has managed to meet many Kindred in her travels. She is able to reliably get word to any of the characters who also have an LA by Night loresheet. Additionally, she can also contact a few very infamous Kindred: Beckett, Theo Bell, or Lucita. There is no guarantee they will respond, and what they do is at the discretion of the Storyteller.
Rat Pack: Ramona agrees to ask her Rats to spy for you. Once per story, the Rat Pack will infiltrate a place of your choosing and observe what's happening inside, then report back to Ramona, who will tell you what they said. The information you get might not be completely accurate (sometimes details get lost in translation from rat to Kindred), but the pack is uncannily skilled at describing what they've seen and heard. Gain 2 dice on all rolls related to any interactions that are connected to the situation or individuals spied on.
Infestation: There's no business or building that can't be ruined by an infestation of rodents. Pick a target building: within a week, the location suffers a devastating plague of rats. If it’s a private business, it will be closed forever due to structural damage and health code violations. If it’s a government-owned building, it will close for the duration of a story. If the building isn’t in LA, you need to get word to Ramona before invoking this benefit, and the Storyteller determines any consequences that result from the rat plague you unleash.