Locked in an intense game of rock, paper, scissors, Korum Russell vied to overcome an evil vampire and turn his last living relative into a vampire.
The 34-year-old usually serves as the head storyteller for St. Augustine on Haunted Ground, a vampire masquerade live-action role-playing group in Gainesville. But on the night of Jan. 23, Russell handed over the reins to his partner, Jordan Pfost, and got into his vampire character.
St. Augustine on Haunted Ground meets twice a month at Meizon Church in Gainesville, acting out storylines in a supernatural vampiric world set in the historic city of St. Augustine. Role players assume vampire personas and take on challenges to keep their true nature hidden from mortals and rescue those kidnapped by evil vampires.
Thirteen role players crowded around Russell to watch him duel Pfost for his in-game relative's life. Some donated their “rematch tickets” to the rock, paper, scissors match to give both players extra chances, hoping to sway the outcome. Russell ultimately prevailed, and he converted his relative to vampirism.
“It was a big chunk of personal plot for a character that has been in the organization now for 10 years and has never gotten to explore that plot line in their backstory,” Pfost said.
Pfost has been active in Vampire the Masquerade LARPs since the summer of 2015, when she was a UF student and stumbled upon a LARP happening in Norman Hall. Pfost asked to watch, and the group invited her to make her first character.
Over the decade Pfost has been playing, she’s found many friendships and has traveled for games in different states. Her vampire LARP group, St. Augustine on Haunted Ground, is part of One World by Night, an international network of role-playing communities that coordinate their games.
“You now have a network of players and people and fellow nerds that you get to know over the years,” Pfost said. “We have two players coming to our next game who are some of my dear, dear friends.”
Another local LARP group, Gainesville by Night, hosts games featuring vampires, werewolves and mages in an alternate Gainesville universe.
The group's Jan. 31 meeting at a member's house was an “Art of the Flesh” vampire party, featuring dimly lit rooms, country music and various displays of fake body modifications. Along with the classic vampire teeth, there were bones painted over skin, a loose heart, a jawline decorated in teeth and scratch marks. One player’s character even went as far as gouging out his prosthetic eyes to show support for the vampire clan that was hosting.
About 30 vampires at the party investigated a mysterious sinkhole, which led to a betrayal by a vampire who gave others’ names and locations to vampire hunters. Next month's LARP session will be the traitor's trial.
Matt Asbell, the sales manager and storyteller for Gainesville by Night, manages the major plots of the crew. Asbell started roleplaying games around age 12, but at 17, he was introduced to Vampire the Masquerade. Twenty-five years later, Asbell finds himself as a storyteller for his friends.
“LARP is an incredibly cool way to express yourself with people who are accepting,” Asbell said, “and also interested in your creativity and what you have to offer.”
Jason Watson, a member of St. Augustine on Haunted Ground, found it allowed him to be a person beyond what he was in his daily life.
“It gives me a way that can be a little bit more free and do kind of what I want to do,” Watson said.
Elise Nascimento is a contributing writer for The Alligator.
