Editing LeviathanTempest:ArchivedConflicts (section)

== Themes ==

=== Transition ===
Thematic elements focusing on the in-between state; unceratinty about one's future. The Leviathan comes into his or her power at a point in their life, and that alteration in their basic nature makes everything else go haywire. They can't have a white picket fence and a wife and two-point-five smiling children and soccer practice and track meets. Not anymore. Hell, they might not be able to hold down a real job. That sort of thing might stop seeming, y'know, relevant, in the face of the real history of the world.

Transition elements in plots are meant to give a sense of loneliness and isolation to a game of Leviathan. They have some strength inasmuch as they cover fertile ground in terms of social status, personal security, and anxieties about the future. However, the heavy use of transition means that some other elements of the way that Leviathans function, in-game-wise, means that settling down isn't an option for some reason. Things always go wrong, or whatever. To make the theme meaningful down the line, participation in "everyday" average life has to become increasingly problematic for the Leviathan.

Leviathans are fluid; they know no peace.

=== Transformation ===
You're something that isn't finished, not yet. This element of Leviathan hinges on the conception of them "coming into" their blood, and reaching a stage in which their physical body is no longer familiar or comfortable. The ability to change shape - perhaps the inability to avoid changing shape - adds a degree of body horror to the characters, who no longer can claim to have even semi-reliable self-knowledge. The distortion of the body to a new and grotesque configuration further distances a Leviathan from mankind.

Transformation forms the physical aspect of the Transition theme - elements of forced or inevitable transformation mean that a character is repeatedly confronted with their monstrous nature in raw physical terms. Transformation should be inevitable - the Leviathan is eventually going to become something - and horrifying - he or she has no idea what.

Leviathans are changing; they are becoming something (what?) else.

=== Monstrosity ===
The Leviathan bloodline is composed of primordial entities that, even if perhaps they are the original owners of this world, are not its allies. Their blood is tainted with the lineage of hostile, unknowable entities that would like nothing more than to sweep all Creation down into the briny deep. The Leviathan are not the inheritors of a heroic legacy or a divine charge, not really - they're the footsoldiers and infiltrators of horrors. They are Things which Should Not Be.

Monstrosity themes threaten some overlap with, like, almost every other World of Darkness splat, but it's important to recognize their place. Leviathans aren't Primordials cut off from their proper place of residence - they're hybrid abominations that belong properly to neither world.

Leviathans are monsters; they aspire to perfection.

=== Excavation ===
The inability to know your past. Leviathans can only come to understand their place in the world, and indeed to understand the real world in general, by investigating and considering relics of their past. Each Leviathan is indoctrinated into a mystery religion in which he does not know the handshakes or meeting places, and he will be hunted for it and haunted by it regardless of whether he cares to find out or not.

An important thematic accompaniment of much of the above, Excavation is about the drive to find a place to belong. It is meant to provide a motive for Leviathan actions beyond mere survival - after discovering some of the horrific truth of their lineage, they are compelled to discover more.

Leviathans are archaeologists; they seek to know themselves.

=== Covetousness ===
The desire to control things. Inspired by the image of the isolated monster as a guardian and keeper, this theme hinges on the idea of a Leviathan's connection to this world - real or unreal as it may be - being grounded in psychological attachment to an object or location of significance. The theme revolves around the necessary conflicts undertaken to secure that object, and the morality of hoarding revelations.

Leviathans are jealous; they want to keep what makes them feel good.