Vampire the Masquerade V5 - Session Forty Eight - Aftermath (Part Two)

I'm currently running a Vampire the Masquerade chronicle using the 5th Edition rule-set for a small group of fellow role-players. These are the chronicles of their adventures.

Our campaign is set in Los Angeles and features a small group of Camarilla agents sent into the 'Free States' to search for ways to once again bring the Ivory Tower to dominance under the pretence of being disillusioned neonates looking for the freedom of the Anarch way of life. Now with a barony of their own it's time to consolidate their position and then plan their next move.

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The now obligatory warning bit - Unlike my other RPG write-ups this one will contain swearing, sexual references and other references that might offend. If you can't tell the difference between real peoples opinions and grown-ups role-playing predators who crave blood then this probably won't be for you. I've also used actual photographs to represent some characters which I'll give acknowledgements to at the end if I've any idea who they are.
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The introduction to this campaign, the first story and all the other parts can be found at the following links and are in chronological order. If you'd prefer a summary of each session rather than read everything then there's a more detailed link page HERE as well as links to the first episode of each story in the blog sidebar.
'Infiltrate LA' Chronicle
Welcome to L.A. - Introductory Session
Story One - 'Three Murders' - Part One, Two, Three, Four and Five
Interlude Session - One
Story Two - 'The Pasadena Problem' - Part One, Two, Three, and Four
Solo Session - 'The Neillson Library'
Story Two Continued- 'The Pasadena Problem' - Part Five, Six, Seven and Eight
Story Three - 'Becoming Baron' - Part One, Two, Three, Four and Five
Solo Session - 'The Gather'
Story Three Continued - 'Becoming Baron' - Part Six, Seven and Eight
'Foothold LA' Chronicle
Solo Session - 'Hostile Takeover'
Story Four - 'Countdown' - Part One, Two and Three
Story Five - 'The Missing Chantry' - Part One, Two, Three, Four and Five
Solo Session - 'The Anaheim Assassination'
Story Six - 'A Meeting of Barons' - Part One, Two and Three
Story Seven - 'The Carmelita Situation' - Part One, Two and Three
Story Eight - 'The Blount Sisters' - Part One and Two
Story Nine - 'Blood Money' - Part One, Two, Three, Four, Five and Six
Story Ten - 'Anathema' - Part One and Two
Story Eleven - 'Predators and Prey' aka 'The Blount Sisters' - Part Three
Story Twelve - 'Aftermath' - Part One

The PC's
Player controlled characters
Michael Tomassio - Toreador, Baron of Pasadena
Vincent 'Vin' Ghast - Brujah, Sheriff
Dr Daniel Matthews - Banu Haqim, 'Fixer'
Hope Romero - Gangrel, Scourge
Mr Hertz - Nosferatu, Mob Accountant
The SPC's
Storyteller controlled player allies
Priya Haynes - Gangrel, Hound

The player characters stats and backgrounds can be found HERE should any-one be interested. There's also some minor 'house-rules' HERE that have occurred as we went along.

As I have written out introductions and dialogue for certain NPC's and some location descriptions I'll post these more or less as I wrote them so they'll be in a 'reading to the group' style and they'll also be in blue so you can tell them apart from the more traditional write-up sections and occasionally an obscure Premonition will turn up in purple. If I think something needs a bit of out of character explanation then those will get a storytellers note that will helpfully be in red. Anything covered via player handouts will also be in blue as they're written in the same style as introductions and the like. Where particular NPC's have a mention in a faction profile you will be able to reach it by clicking on their name beneath their picture.

Week Three
Introduction
True to his word Marius has cleaned up the scene of the battle between the coterie and the Blount Sisters. He has also successfully spread the word throughout the kindred community that rather than being benevolent providers of feeding rites they were in fact murderers of their own kind as well as serial killers of epic proportions.

Enough evidence has been provided to prove to even the most dedicated kindred fan of the sisters that they were deserving of their final deaths. The mortal authorities meanwhile have been convinced that the Blounts butler was in fact a prolific serial killer and that the sisters were almost certainly complicit. This has had the added benefit of undermining their political and business connections leaving them open to acquisition by someone with the means to do so.

Free at last from the acts of physical reprisal the coterie now has to navigate the political minefield of those who now believe that they have a little too much territory now under their control.

Scene Five - Hank

Henrique 'Hank' Boyd - Brujah
Crypts Sons Baron

Three large black Cadillac's roll up outside the gallery and you find yourself being paid a visit by Hank Boyd, Baron of the Crypt Sons and a number of his guards. All are well dressed and have chosen to look less like gang-bangers and more like the legitimate and respected businessman that the baron aspires to be.

Some of his men stay with the cars while four others accompany him into the gallery and casually take up positions that give them a good view of their boss and the entrance. Hank makes his way over to Lisa who is behind the counter. "Is the boss man about? I'd like to a word about adding a little class to my abode."

Michael was somewhat surprised to see Hank in an art gallery but covered his surprise perfectly, acting in all respects as if the situation was entirely normal. Daniel had made his way downstairs to keep an eye on things and make his usual assessment of the security precautions of a potential foe.

As expected, all of Hank's guards were armed but none had weapons on show. Daniel could detect a concealed blade or firearm with the slenderest of clues and all present had shoulder holsters underneath coats and jackets. At least one and possibly as many as three also had back-up pieces but it was harder to tell for sure than with their main weapons. Their positioning was also fairly well thought out indicating that the men were experienced in close-protection though probably not formally trained. The cars outside were of course armoured. Michael meanwhile had begun to give Hank a tour.

Hank Boyd's 'Ranch House'

"I have a place of my own away from the areas that have a bad reputation for obvious reasons. Your average legitimate businessman shits himself if you ask him to meet you anywhere near the projects so I have a reputable looking ranch near commerce." Michael agreed that prejudices were rife amongst the rich and powerful which made image an important factor. "I'm looking for something that says 'This guy has taste' without saying 'is also a pretentious dickhead', got anything like that?"

Michael found this amusing as though a customer had never phrased it that way before, it was more or less what all his customers with wealth wanted. As before though he hid it well. He had correctly assessed some time ago that Hank craved the respect of his peers and wished to rise above his no doubt humble beginnings. The fact that many of the barons looked down on him made the fact that Michael had always shown him respect all the more noticeable.

Lisa Irving - Ghoul of Michael
Galerie Sanguine Manager

At this point, Vin appeared via the loading bay entrance and made his presence known. Though the visit seemed amicable, Lisa had sent him a message anyway as Michael had obviously had no chance to do so. As the situation didn't seem tense, Vin refrained from his usual default position of intimidating any other kindred he met. A few of the bodyguards looked in his direction but none were confrontational, either because of their bosses orders or due to Vin's reputation.

Michael had been quoting prices for items of note but Hank didn't seem to be paying much attention. After he had made a significant amount of purchases based mostly on the Toreadors recommendations he nodded at one of his men who retrieved a sports bag from one of the cars. "This should cover it I imagine?" said Hank with a slight grin. The sports bag was filled with bundles of hundred dollar bills which would cover the purchases about three times over. While gingerly handing over the bag to Lisa, Michael made a mental note to throw in a few extra items with the delivery.

"It's been a pleasure doing business with you of course..." said Michael "...but I detect you have other things you'd like to discuss?" He was quite correct. "Well, yes now you mention it. While I'm here I do have another minor matter or two to discuss, you have somewhere private I imagine?"

Mr Hertz who was busy sorting out the remnants of the Vignes accounts and finalising his plans for the Apostles gang was invited into the meeting. Daniel also entered as most kindred believed him to be Michael's personal driver and bodyguard so his absence would have been remarked upon. Vin had remained downstairs to keep his eye on the other guests.

The North-East Baronies
Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena

Politely refusing Michael's offer of refreshments, Hank began. "A minor gang of half a dozen Brujah and a couple of Gangrel have been making plans to move to a nearby barony to you that's suddenly become empty." "I presumed that you were going to slide your borders over and take Glendale for yourself as...compensation for the trouble the sister bitches caused you?"

Michael confirmed that the sisters had cost him one of his coterie and that he felt entirely justified in taking their domain as some measure of compensation considering the trouble they'd caused. Hank agreed that he'd have done exactly the same in their situation. All present felt a moment of relief as they realised that this was one less Baron that they needed to convince of the rightness of their claim. Hank then continued.

"Well, One of the Gangrel got cold feet considering the rep some of your people have and spoke to Priss about the possibility of joining her along with her bro and a couple of pet ghouls rather than take the trip to Glendale. Priss consulted with me about the recruitment as we have an 'arrangement' involving what she does with the turf I granted her."

'Priss' - Brujah Gang Leader
Granted Domain by the Crypts Sons

Priss had been granted a domain along the border between the Crypts Sons Barony and the Barony of the Angels in return for their support when Hank had retaken all the territory his gang had lost some time ago. She had proven her loyalty to Hank on several occasions since but it was well known that there were still conditions attached to the deal. "Do you think this is something that I need to worry about?" asked Michael. "Not anymore..." was the Brujah's reply. "...My predecessor Mohammed al-Muthlim had some bad ideas but his deterrent to other kindred wandering through his turf is one I happen to agree with. In short they didn't survive the trip to Glendale..."

Michael gave his thanks but he was now sure that this was not the matter Hank wished to discuss but merely a sweetener for what was to come. Mr Hertz had reached the same conclusion. Decades of dealing with gang leaders of all kinds had made him savvy to most of the ways. Daniel however was trying to work out who would win in a fight out of 'Hank' and 'Vin'. Both the Toreador and the Nosferatu were therefore not surprised with the next turn in the conversation. "Call it a gesture of respect, in return for the same that you've shown me. There is another matter I'd like to feel you out on if you have some time?" Their curiosity piqued, Michael asked him to continue.

"How do you feel about the 'off limits' status of the Barony of Angels? Cuz it seems like a piss-poor idea to me just cuz Jeremy MacNeill had a bright idea about creating a neutral ground right in the fucking middle of LA..."

He started off with none-committal approval of the concept. "Well they would certainly benefit from having some order placed upon their activities. Their actions cause many problems, of that there is no doubt." Hank's opinion of the gangs within the so-called 'Barony of the Angels' was well known. When the Crypts Sons had been almost completely wiped out by alleged agents of Salvador Garcia it was those gangs who had seized the newly vacant turf. The majority of the domain had now been reclaimed but it was understandable that the Brujah gang leader would like to ensure it never happened again.

"Of course there's also the issue of Downtown as a domain..." added Michael "...Marius and Fortier are in dispute over it and that's almost slap bang in the middle." It was obvious from Hank's reaction that he'd already considered this.

"Well that would still belong to the winner of that particular pissing match don't you think? I don't see that we gain anything by rolling into their domain and fucking with that result. There are some rocks you just don't kick over, am I right?"

Downtown Los Angeles at Night

Michael was glad that Hank was considering the finer points of this idea rather than just going for a politically disastrous land grab. He agreed that Downtown should be considered a separate barony to all intents and purposes.

Mr Hertz immediately began to mentally carve up the financial resources of that part of LA while Daniel had already started to calculate how the change in borders would effect the security of their own barony. Michael's concern however was the political ramifications though even he had to admit that many of his problems over the last few weeks had come from that direction.

"Anyway..." concluded Hank. "...I'm not talking about starting any immediate shit. I just wanted to see how it's neighbours felt about it, you know, just in case. You're the only other baron I've discussed it with, for now anyway." Michael thanked Hank for his business and asked to be kept informed of any future plans he might have before escorting the gang leader back to his car.

Interlude One - The Vignes Accounts

Putting aside the potential benefits and downsides of an expansion into the Barony of the Angels for a moment, Mr Hertz had something to discuss with them all. As they were all in the gallery it made sense to put forward his findings with them all present.

Storytellers Note - I went through all the various bits and pieces with Mr Hertz's player and discussed what he wanted to do about them as he couldn't stay for a full session. I then converted his findings and conclusions into a piece to read out to the remaining players.

Vignes was very rich, the nearly one hundred thousand dollars Mr Hertz initially discovered was peanuts but gave him a starting point for his investigations. Where the wealth came from originally has proven tricky to discover even for one of his capabilities though most of the bank accounts were created in banks based in Boston for what good that information does any-one. He also had a lot of investments whose progress seem to have been left to stagnate, it seems that as long as enough money to maintain his lifestyle rolled in he deemed that sufficient. The coterie could of course do so much more with the money though it would need Michael's involvement as many of the accounts are tied to others that he had already taken possession of. This however has led to other discoveries.

He has traced payments to nearly every elected official in Pasadena and quite a few in Glendale. The planning commission officer he initially discovered was of little importance but the trail of payments to him enabled Hertz to back-trace to the appropriate payment methods and then locate the others he'd bribed with either property, cash or electoral donations.

With the Nosferatu's assistance Michael could control Pasadena politically within a few months and have significant inroads into Glendale and others into Burbank.

Storytellers Note - Much XP was then allocated to Influence and Status Backgrounds. They're still not having Resources 5 though, lol.

Interlude Two - Peace Through Superior Firepower

Michael had concluded that despite his distaste for violence that it was going to be necessary to adequately arm the mortals in their employ so as to deal with enemies that may strike at them through their weaker allies. To this end he arranged an appointment with the arms dealer Mercurio so as to acquire some military grade weapons, he had also purchased a car to replace the vehicle Daniel had lost. The new vehicle however was well armoured.

There influence and safety in Pasadena was also soon to be enhanced as news had reached them that Michael's 'pet' police officer was about to be put in charge of the task force that their own violent actions had been indirectly responsible for creating.

Taking both Vin and Daniel with him they went to the evening appointment taking with them a sports bag filled with cash. The bag being the very one that Hank had used to pay for his artwork. The secretary informed her boss of their arrival and they were escorted into the office by four men who were quite obviously mercenaries.

Mercurio - Ghoul of ???
International Arms Dealer

The guards were ushered out of the room as soon as the group was seated. Mercurio was of course well aware that the coterie were vampires, however he probably didn't want his security knowing that.

Storytellers Note - The coterie know that Mercurio is a ghoul but they've no idea of who. The rumours within the kindred community are that three significant Barons rotate donations of vitae between them. No-one knows for sure though.

"What can I do for you this evening Mr Tomassio?" Michael had already made a shopping list after some consultation with his more military minded allies.

An hour or so later, the coterie left without a bag of money but having placed an order for a significant quantity of firepower. Sixteen P90's and an equivalent number of FN57's had been purchased for their three security teams along with enough full metal jacket rounds and armour piercing incendiary rounds to put down even the most resilient unwanted kindred guest.

'Office Equipment'

These were also supplemented by three Heckler and Koch G36 Assault Rifles, three Mk8 Ultimax 100 LMG's and a pair of AA-12 shotguns. Mercurio had assured them that delivery would be within a few days to their specified warehouse delivery site. The bill would be for 'office equipment'.

On their return Michael had Daniel photograph the many conspiracy theory boards in Roach's room in case any of it was useful, and then box up everything for storage. The room was to become a security office so the coteries mortal followers could be managed and monitored properly. The Baron of Pasadena was taking no more chances. Any future attacks on their people or property would be dealt with professionally and permanently.

Week 4
Scene Six - Kindred Politics

Isaac Abrams - Toreador
Baron of Hollywood

With their influence spreading and feeling moderately secure for the first time in many months, Michael decided it was time to speak to the other barons of note in order to spell out just exactly what the events of the last month meant to the baronies of the North-East of Los Angeles. Of course he also took enough guards with him to ensure nothing untoward occurred during his visits. Deeming his first few meetings to be fairly safe he merely took Dion with him as a driver

Isaac Abrams had concerns about Burbank mainly concerning the fact that he utilised many of the studios there. He also implied with little subtlety that he would be continuing to do so regardless of who called themselves baron of the place.

Michael assured him that he had no intention of getting in the way of any previous agreements that had been made. He was merely running the aspects of the barony that Karen Anatos had neglected or had no interest in and was doing so solely with the masquerade in mind. Michael could see that Isaac doubted that any kindred did anything for unselfish purposes and it took considerable effort on his part to bring the Baron of Hollywood around to his point of view.

Storytellers Note - In fact it took nine successes on a persuasion roll.

Wishing some more pleasant company after a difficult hour with Isaac he decided to visit with Velvet Velour at her club in order to relax a little before his next appointment. His next appointment being with Gary in the sewers beneath Hollywood.

Velvet 'VV' Velour - Toreador
Exotic Dancer and Owner of Club Vesuvius

'VV' as Michael had been told to call her admitted to her horror that one of their clan could have sunk to the depths of the Blount Sisters. The dancer and owner of club Vesuvius prided herself on her humanity and this was one of the things that Michael admired about her. He told himself that the fact that she was incredibly beautiful was only a secondary consideration. He was of course well aware that was not even vaguely true.

He had a pleasant conversation with her about a number of unimportant matters, finding himself relaxing after the stressful time he'd had with Isaac. On a whim he decided to see if she considered their last romantic encounter to simply be a one off and turned his attention from politics to seduction. As it happened she seemed very receptive to another such interlude. Michael left just over an hour later feeling much better about having to travel into the sewers.

'Gorgeous' Gary Golden - Nosferatu
Hollywood Warrens

Storytellers Note - Ten successes this time...

As it turned out he was spared a trip underground as Gary arranged to meet him in the basement of 'The Asp Hole' club in Hollywood which had a meeting room for just such purposes.

Michael clarified the rumours surrounding the events at the Blounts mansion assuring Gary that self defence had been their only motivation. Of course with the neighbouring barony empty it would be foolish to leave it unoccupied and so he did intend to take responsibility for it.

After some time Michael managed to extract from Gary the information that at least one of the Nosferatu from the Warrens had disappeared in the Blounts territory and that it now seemed obvious that the sisters had disposed of them. The fact that one of the kindred that were his responsibility had suffered such a fate was something that he wished to keep to himself.

After briefly mentioning his plans for Burbank as well, the Toreador steered the conversation towards Gary's favoured subject of movies as a distraction. This worked spectacularly well as Gary became engrossed in talking about his own career with a kindred who seemed to be a fan and quite forgot to return to talk of borders and baronies.

Mariel St John - Ventrue
Harpy and Mistress of Louis Fortier

Storytellers Note - I didn't make a note of the number of successes this time but evidently it was enough. The other player was busy compiling a hit-list of kindred in LA that needed killing based on forty sessions of handouts and two notebooks of his own so didn't mind me focusing on Michael's character for a bit.

The first of his next group of meetings was to be with a representative of the Fortier clan. As luck would have it he was to speak to Mariel St John with whom he had a fairly good relationship. They were also instrumental in her elevation in the favour of Louis Fortier, Baron of West Los Angeles and also he and his coterie had done a favour for her and her friend Sophia Bartholomew many months ago.

Being more than a little self centred her primary interests were in what way Michael's expansion would effect Fortier's own interests. This of course was a concern as her power was directly proportional to his.

Michael pointed out that as they shared no borders the impact to domain was none existent and Fortier had no business relationship with the sisters so his financial interests were also unaffected. In fact the only impact was positive as the chance of a masquerade breach by Karen Anatos was now much less likely due to Michael's own guidance of her domains politics. Mariel promised to pass on her opinion that there was no need for Fortier or his agents to get involved, an opinion she was sure would be heeded.

Jenna Cross - Caitiff
De-facto Duskborn Baron

The next location on his political tour was going to be the most dangerous as many of the initial reprisals had come from kindred there who had relied upon the Blounts for feeding rites. He therefore decided to take Daniel, Hope and Vin with him just in case there were still ill-feelings.

If Vin's reputation for violence made many kindred nervous, the effect was infinitely greater amongst the thin-bloods. Most of them barely even counted as vampires in clan kindred's eyes and many lacked the resilience to damage that was common amongst vampires with actually potent blood. He was also personally responsible for massacring the rebel faction amongst them and the tale had become more exaggerated with each telling.

Lily and E were milling about and Laki was making his presence felt, perhaps in reaction to the effect Vin was having on his people. Several other thin-bloods had also swiftly left the pier when the Gangrel 'Scourge' Hope Romero had been observed given that several of them had been evicted from Pasadena for poaching. Hope's fang collection was now almost as infamous as Vin's massacre of the rebels.

Baron Tomassio approached, flanked by his infamous allies and Daniel. Despite being responsible for many deaths himself, most knew Daniel only as Michael's driver and occasional bodyguard. This suited the Banu Haqim just fine as it allowed him to continue his activities without notice.

Rosa - Clan Unknown
Duskborn Visionary

As they neared the security office, Laki intercepted them. "I was told to expect you, I'll escort you to the office." On the way he gave a half-arsed 'almost' apology for any attacks on them that might have originated from his camp during the first week after the news about the Blounts mansion had emerged. "Out of interest..." asked Daniel. "...How did you know to expect us? We made no arrangements." "Rosa said you'd be coming..." was the somewhat predictable reply.

Michael uncharacteristically went on the offensive as soon as he was in Jenna and Rosa's presence.

He pointed out that Daniel and Hope had attempted to warn the duskborn of the dangers present in Glendale. He also told them of his certainty that it was duskborn from the pier that had reported to the Blounts of the Malkavian Roach's warnings some time ago. This had almost certainly led to his final death at the hands of the very kindred he had attempted to warn them of.

Switching tack he then acknowledged that he appreciated that the Duskborn needed help with locations to feed but that attacking the very kindred who had offered them help in the past was hardly the way to go about it. He then informed them that despite all that had gone on that he was a man of his word and would allow them to feed within his domain and perhaps even in Glendale though such activities would be monitored closely to ensure good behaviour. Turning his attention to Laki, Michael told him to pick half a dozen duskborn that he knew would behave and to send them to him where he would grant them feeding rites "As a test before I consider becoming more generous..."

Therese Voerman - Malkavian
Baron of Santa Monica

Though surprised by Michael's new harder-line stance the rest of the coterie understood that the last few months had been difficult for them all.

He finished by saying that he did what he did "For the good of all kindred, whether they believed him or not..." He couldn't help but notice that Rosa had been watching him the whole time with a strange grin on her face. He always had the uncomfortable sensation that she knew what everyone was thinking, all of the time.

Growing weary of having to explain himself all the time Michael decided he would speak to Therese Voerman and then the rest of kindred of LA could think whatever they damn well pleased. He did however take a moment to collect himself, Therese wasn't the kind of kindred you spoke to the way he'd dictated terms to Jenna.

Therese took the news that some of her issues with the thin-blood of the pier may be alleviated by the feeding rites issued by Michael fairly coolly. She pointed out that in her opinion the 'vermin' on the pier would never be satisfied with their lot but it was worth a try.

Michael didn't push the point as he knew that Therese despised the thin-bloods and their leader and he gained nothing by defending them. It was also still in his mind that they were indirectly responsible for Roach's death and may have sent some of the attackers they encountered after dealing with the sisters. By now utterly sick to death of the petty concerns of the Anarch Barons of LA, Michael returned to the gallery.

Scene Seven - The Last Round

As they were heading back to the gallery it was pointed out that Michael should probably speak to Nines Rodriguez as well. Now most definitely not in the mood he delegated the job to Hope and Daniel telling them to arrange a meeting if they could or to explain the situation themselves if they couldn't.

Storytellers Note - My favourite scene of the last two sessions is coming up...

Hope drove her own jeep into Downtown to the Last Round pub where Nines could usually be found. Daniel was in the passenger seat and was amused to note that Hope parked as close to the front door as possible, presumably as a protest against his own habit of parking out of sight and then walking to their destination. Industrial Metal greeted them as the door opened and they found themselves in what at best might pass for a dive bar on a good night. This was not a good night.

Damsel - Brujah
Anarch 'Den Mother'

The den mother of the LA Anarchs, Damsel was berating a group of kindred in the corner. The gist of the conversation appeared to be that these particular Anarchs weren't Anarch enough which was a coincidence as last time Daniel was there she was telling some Anarchs that they were too much like the Camarilla. It seemed that Damsel's lectures fit a fairly predictable theme. She turned as they entered but once she'd ascertained that Michael wasn't with them, lost interest.

Skelter was stationed on the top floor near the stairs as was the norm. "Okay if Hope has a chat with Nines?" Enquired Daniel. "Help yourself." was the reply.

Hope gave Mr Rodriguez ("Call me 'Nines'") a brief overview of the situation which turned out to be redundant as he was already well aware of pretty much every detail of what had happened. Sure that she could tell Michael that a meeting with him wasn't necessary she turned the conversation to a rumour she'd heard about Nines. Specifically that he'd took out a werewolf one on one.

Nines Rodriguez - Brujah
De-facto Anarch Baron

Hope asked if he'd tell her the story and anything else that he might be willing to pass on to her in case she found herself in a similar situation. Apparently it was a story Nines liked to tell.

"She'll be here for fucking ages if she's getting the warts and all version of that story." Said Skelter to Daniel with a grin on his face. "You might want to make yourself comfortable." Daniel decided to see how the debate downstairs was going on instead.

Storytellers Note - Here it comes...

The conversation had apparently moved onto the Brujah's favourite historical subject of Carthage. The loudest of the Brujah present had made several factual errors during the point he was trying to make. Bored, Daniel decided to correct him. "If I want your fucking opinion..." the corrected Brujah said from about an inch away from Daniel's face. "...then I'll fucking give it to you..." Realising that intimidation was unlikely to gain him the result he wanted, Daniel headbutted him on the bridge of the nose instead.

The assaulted Brujah staggered back into the nearby table, scattering the bottles and glasses of the few ghouls drinking in the bar everywhere. As he reached for a broken bottle, Daniel grabbed a pool cue from the nearby table and broke it over his head, driving him to the ground.

Dr Daniel Matthews - Banu Haqim
'Pretending to be a Brujah'

Another Brujah, presumably a friend of the first took a swing at Daniel who ducked under it, bumping into the pool table as he dodged aside. Dropping the broken cue stump to the ground, he reached back, picked up a pool ball and broke the second attackers nose with it.

Sensing movement from behind him he turned only to find a third attacker had been dropped to one knee by Damsel. "Two to one is enough!!!" she said and then promptly broke the floored kindred's jaw. Nodding his thanks, Daniel then broke a chair over the first Brujah's head only to get a punch in the face by another who he was reasonably sure hadn't even been in the bar when the scrap started. Reaching for an intact bottle he retaliated by attempting to beak it over their head. Their counter was a kick to the groin which had he been mortal might have been an effective tactic, however without the Blush of Life to activate such body parts it did nothing. Laughing out loud, Daniel had another go and this time the bottle shattered in a satisfying shower of broken glass.

Skelter - Gangrel
Nines Cew

Skelter's voice then echoed down the stairs. "Damsel, cut it out for fucks sake." "It wasn't fucking me..." She yelled back before punching a nearby Brujah in the face who as far as Daniel could tell had done absolutely nothing. Missing completely with the remains of the bottle, Daniel got an elbow to the temple from a flailing blow that he wasn't even sure was aimed at him. Regardless he grappled the elbows owner, hoisted them off their feet and then put them through one of the few remaining intact tables.

Skelters voice could be heard once more, this time with a bit more of an edge to it. "Even if it isn't you, fucking stop it or I'm coming down..." The combatants seemed to take him seriously and by the time he entered the wreckage strewn bar everyone had dropped their improvised weapons and were wearing their best "Who, Me?" faces. Skelter walked straight up to Damsel who promptly pointed at Daniel like a child confronted by a teacher then burst out laughing. Daniel shrugged and helped the Brujah who he had been beating to the ground since the fight started to their feet. "You were wrong you know." said Daniel. "You're probably right..." Was the reply. "...come tell me where I went wrong then if you're so fucking clever..." there was no malice in the comment though so Daniel sat down and began to give him a history lesson.

By the time Hope had finished talking to Nines, she returned to the lower floor to find a wrecked bar, a selection of battered and bruised Brujah and Daniel chatting to Damsel and another kindred as if nothing had happened.

To be Continued in 'The Messiah Complex' - Part One

In Conclusion

I like to do a round-up of how the session went in these features but if you couldn't give a shit what I think then feel free to skip this bit...

The players were enjoying the roleplaying elements and the political exchanges so I expected the session to be combat free. The 'Last Round' bit was initially just put in because Hope wanted to justify the first dot of the Lupine Expert Loresheet. Then Daniels player decided his 'I am a Brujah' cover story needed a little work. Ironically it became my favourite scene of this story...

Acknowledgements
I've used pictures of real people to represent some of the characters and art for others so in no particular order Michael Tomassio is represented by the actor Matt Bomer, 'Vin' is the actor Scott Adkins, Dr Matthews is Mads Mikkelsen, Hope is Deborah Ann Woll, Mr Hertz is Charles Dance, Hank Boyd is Michael Clarke Duncan, Lisa Irving is Amanda Righetti, Isaac Abrams is Gary Oldman, Mariel St John is Kate Moss, Jenna Cross is Rhona Mitra, Rosa is Mahafsoun, Therese Voerman is Whitney Moore, Damsel is Irina Delnova and Skelter is Vin Diesel.  Everything else is from vampire related folders and searches and is as far as I know is all of the 'fair use' variety. If there's something that you feel should be attributed to some-one then feel free to let me know and I'll happily add an acknowledgement...