Editing LeviathanTempest:IntrodLex (section)

==Introduction==

Leviathan: the Tempest is a fan-made game based on White Wolf's popular World of Darkness (TM) setting and rules. It has been written collaboratively by members of the RPG.net forum boards, and is not intended in any way as a copyright infringement. We love you, White Wolf, don't sue us!

In writing Leviathan: the Tempest, we had several objectives. First, we wanted to explore the thematic and narrative possibilities of writing a game about classic horror monsters such as the Creature from the Black Lagoon or H. P. Lovecraft's Deep Ones. Although at first this was a semi-serious attempt at brainstorming, it quickly became apparent that the field was so strong a real, albeit fan-made, game could come out of it. Second, we wanted to avoid overlap with the thematic cores of either the official World of Darkness games or the most well-known fan-games. Finally, we wanted to follow the guidelines that the other games followed: the game should be able to stand alone, but allow for cross-overs; characters should be a cross between humanity and something monstrous, with most of the game experience resting on the balance between the two; and finally, the game should be fun and rewarding. We hope to have succeeded.

In Leviathan: the Tempest, players take on the role of an individual whose bloodline is tainted by the essence of primordial monster-gods, causing strange transformations of both the body and the mind. 

===Theme===

The main theme of Leviathan: the Tempest is that of ''monstrous puberty.''Leviathans are constantly experiencing a deep, painful transformation into something that is utterly alien. Their body and mind change, they realise they can do things they would never have been able to do before, and they have to assume new responsibilities. They also experience new, often uncomfortable desires that they can't quite explain. This often makes the Leviathan experience a quest for meaning, striking out on their own or with a close group of friends to find their own path. All these elements mirror closely the events of adolescence, with a supernatural twist on it that makes Leviathans true monsters, albeit sometimes reluctant. This can provide the general framework of the story, as that in a bildungsroman, where the characters come out of the story, deeply changed by its events.''

The second theme is that of ''isolation'' and ''responsibility''. Leviathans exert a pull on the human psyche, which makes people want to worship and serve them, or at least get out of their way. The responsibility this bring on is immense, as are the potential abuses a Leviathan can get out of willing subservient humans. With a few specific people, called Atolls, the relationship is reversed: they fascinate Leviathans and could utterly subjugate them. Some Leviathans choose isolation to deal with this, but the monstrous part of their being actively wants worship and sacrifice, and will fight to get it. In any case, Leviathans can hardly have normal relationships with humans. That is a core conflict that drives the stories in the game.

===Mood===

The general mood of the game is that of ''Stagnation''. Stagnation is an unusual mood to find alongside themes of puberty and change; the connection is that individual Leviathans are undergoing monstrous changes, the Tribe is stagnating. Though an individual Leviathan may make great accomplishments, older and wearier members of the tribe have seen it before. The same ideas, the same achievements, young Leviathans they knew from the cradle have become old and weary yet accomplished nothing truly new. There is constant change, but it's all going round in circles. 

Sometimes a Leviathan will manage to escape this fate, but even then the Tribe's stagnation is absolute. If they're particularly lucky they will be able to mentor a student or nurture a tradition that lasts for a few generations but these are only temporary. As a people Leviathans seem incapable of standing upon shoulder of giants. Every generation must start from the beginning, retreading old ground again and again. Every year the world moves forward leaving the Tribe further behind.