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 chronicle is set in Los Angeles and features a small group of
Camarilla agents sent into the 'Free States' to bring them back
under Camarilla control. Over a year of plotting allowed the coterie
to gain control of the three North-Eastern Baronies and a large part
of a fourth. Now they are moving on to the final stage of their
campaign and have their eyes on taking over the entire city, either
directly or indirectly.
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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.
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Chronicle One - 'Infiltrate L.A.'
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
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.
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Chronicle One - 'Infiltrate L.A.'
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
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Chronicle Two - 'Foothold L.A.'
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 and Two
Story Thirteen - 'The Messiah Complex' - Part One, Two, Three and Four
Chronicle Two - 'Foothold L.A.'
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 and Two
Story Thirteen - 'The Messiah Complex' - Part One, Two, Three and Four
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Chronicle Three - 'Incursion L.A.'
Chronicle Three - 'Incursion L.A.'
Solo Session - 'A Gathering of Roses'
Story Sixteen - 'The Southern Solution' - Part One, Two and Three
Story Seventeen - 'The Baker Disappearance' - Part One, Two and Three
Story Seventeen - 'The Baker Disappearance' - Part One, Two and Three
Interlude Session One - After Griffith Park
The PC's
Michael Tomassio - Toreador, 'Baron of the North East'
Vincent 'Vin' Ghast - Brujah, 'Constable'
Dr Daniel Matthews - Banu Haqim, 'Fixer'
Hope Romero - Gangrel, 'Census Taker'
Mr Hertz - Nosferatu, 'Seneschal'
Vincent 'Vin' Ghast - Brujah, 'Constable'
Dr Daniel Matthews - Banu Haqim, 'Fixer'
Hope Romero - Gangrel, 'Census Taker'
Mr Hertz - Nosferatu, 'Seneschal'
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 or faction beneath
their picture.
I'm getting the players to give me a brief overview of a
conversation with one of their contacts, or a job allocated to a
retainer (mainly via messenger at the moment) and then giving
them a reply and so on. This will be slightly uneven as some
players really enjoy this and others are happy to wait for an
actually session. The players also get an initial situation
overview of goings on in the city to give them a bit of
inspiration.
In game terms, a week went by as every sensible kindred kept
their heads down during the werewolf civil war during session
seventy five, and then after that I've divided up their
interactions into 'weeks' which correspond to a session (ish)
worth of stuff. Dividing it up into scenes wasn't practical
using this format so I've instead divided it by PC. There's
also a lot more here than the first time so you might want to
make a cup of tea before you wade into it all.
Week two was the first interlude session entitled 'After
Griffith Park'. This is week three, where they have become
somewhat more proactive...
Week 3 - Divide and Conquer
Introduction
The increased law enforcement and federal agencies presence around many
subsidiaries of Pentex throughout Los Angeles has however been a blessing in
disguise as it has forced many of the grudges between baronies to be put on
hold as they deal with their own internal security. The only exceptions to
this has been the continued push by many packs from The Wilds into the San
Gabriel mountains. That they are looking for something seems obvious. What
that is, is less certain.
Isaac Abrams and Louis Fortier have had a face to face meeting to resolve
their current tensions and clarify what exactly Ralph Harwood's intentions
and aims are. Ralph was apparently incensed that he wasn't invited to a
meeting during which he was the primary source of conversation and it now
seems increasingly likely that he will attempt to carve out a domain of his
own. With tensions between The Crypts Sons and El Hermandad, threatening to
bring The Border, Downtown and Anaheim into their conflict, the last thing
the kindred of the city needs is open warfare along the West Coast too.
Newspaper Clippings
Michael Tomassio
Hallowbrook
With Michael once again on good terms with Marius and their political
differences if not resolved, at least defined, He finds himself with his
access to 'The Fixers' eclectic collection of advisors and employees
restored.
His first port of call is to Marius's ghouled Verbena Mages to enquire
about the vampiric artefact mentioned by Velvet Velour as being desired by
Isaac Abrams. While there he also encounters another of Marius's occult
advisors, his childe Eleanor Braun. Though it was The Drake sisters
who searched for the reference material, it was Eleanor who explained
about the item itself.
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Eleanor Braun - Gangrel Childe of Marius |
"Wearing the ring allegedly removes all fears, phobias, derangements,
and any mental flaws the individual wearing the ring might have. However
there is a side effect. Removing the ring brings back any removed
psychological disorders at a significantly increased severity, and the
wearer becomes obsessed with recovering it. Perhaps because being used
to a mind free of insanity becomes psychologically addictive."
"Not much use to a kindred such as yourself of course, but to an elder,
or one of the clans more prone to mental instability. It's value
increases exponentially."
Michael was of course curious about it's current whereabouts.
"It's not one of the items in Xaviars, Marius's or my collections. I'm
also reasonably sure that the Chantry doesn't possess it either. It may
have been buried with the ghoul themselves, or perhaps they found a new
regnant? The ghouls name? No idea, the Malkavian was called Ezra. You
could try Pisha, her memory is like a catalogue when it comes to such
things. You can check out her new haven while you're there..."
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Victoria - Ghoul of Marius Psychotic P.A. |
"There's three main reasons. Firstly it was cheap, especially with some
of the concessions the mayors office made and gives Aegis, and therefore
us, some leverage with City Hall. Secondly it'll go a long way to
keeping the Bone Gnawers and Uktena tribes happy as they're all about
helping the underprivileged. Thirdly, and this bit you'll need to keep
to yourself, Marius plans to build a significant number of kindred
friendly havens within the area that Nines can use as a sort of 'neutral
ground' for new recruits to the Free States. Nines of course knows, but
very few others do."
"While I have you here, and on a similar subject, a number of
unaffiliated Anarchs have heard about your offer of an allocated feeding
ground within your domain and have began to make enquiries. Many new
Anarchs to the city have no real desire to join an 'army' on day one so
your relatively catch free offer of "Report in, stay in the bit I give
you and don't kill anyone or break the Masquerade", is definitely
preferable to them. We've pointed a few towards your bar as I imagined
you wouldn't want them turning up at the gallery?"
Leanna also happily supplied Michael with a particularly expensive bottle
of 'Blood Wine' for him to use as a gift for Isaac.
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Carmelita Neillson - Toreador Archaeologist and Archivist |
The increased presence of federal forces operating in the city has
forced Carmelita to postpone her inspection of the security surrounding
the Toreador ancestor of Michael Tomassio, given into his care. The
situation will be re-examined in two weeks time to see if a visit is
going to be viable.
Michael has some questions for her in the meantime.
"I have a thorn in my side called Ralph Harwood, a Venture who is riling
everyone up. He used to run one of the small gangs in what was the
Barony of the Angels. Do you have anything on him, or his blood line? He
got lucky and ended up in Louis territory so Louis won’t rescind his
offer of shelter as he sticks to his word. The traditions, not the
Camarilla ones but those respected by all non-Sabbat Kindred, are there
any stipulations where offers of shelter and protection have to be
withdrawn, not just may, but have to be?"
Carmelita is surprisingly helpful.
"Harwood? I know the name, his sire was a rival to Vannevar. They
mysteriously disappeared and the next night Ralph made a tactical
withdrawal through San Jose. Bought his way through with information on
a potential incursion by Vannevar's agents, then hid himself in the
Anarch Free states. Formed himself a gang through force of
personality."
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Ralph Harwood - Ventrue 'Would-be' Baron |
"Ventrue culture places a heavy emphasis on dignitas, the Latin word for
"dignity." In modern days, it is often described as "Face". Ventrue are
completely aware of the unsavoury aspects of power, and while a Ventrue
leader is just as likely to lead organized crime as he is a Fortune five
hundred company (the Ventrue really do not object to theft, so much as
petty theft), he must always comport himself with dignity, with grace
and with honour. At least publicly."
"Ventrue take assaults on their stature very seriously. Spreading
rumours, taking credit for another's work and insulting a Ventrue
without just cause (publicly or privately) are just a few of the ways
one can diminish dignitas. Doing so is a sure way to make an enemy for
all unlife, and it can indeed be cause for severe punishment or
discipline."
"Should Harwood do any of those things to Louis then he would be obliged
to 'punish' him. Regardless of earlier promises..."
Velme
Michael had a few questions for Velme in El Hermandad, also. "Could you answer a question regarding Gloria? Do you think that she’s
going or likely to, make a move on Hank’s border? After all I’m
prepping for a war that may not happen."
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Velme - Toreador? Suspected Daughter of Cacophony |
"Were Allison and Gloria always close, if not why not? It seems odd with their shared sire that it would take Victor Girard
to unite them – I suppose fostering alliances between those related by
blood comes naturally to him, back in his Camarilla days he likely had
to do it often to prevent bickering."
Velme decided to give Michael some background information on the two
childer of Salvador Garcia.
Gloria Martinez had been a smart gang girl who had discovered the
existence of vampires in her community after being fed upon. One week
later Gloria tracked Salvador to his sequestered hideaway, there she
confronted the vampire, and told him that she had figured out what was
going on. Gloria offered him a choice, he could either make her a
vampire or kill her then and there. Impressed by her bravado, Salvador
agreed to initiate her into the unlife.
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Salvador Garcia - Brujah |
Allison Maller was originally just one of the thousands of runaways who
throng the streets of Hollywood every night. She had fled her home in
Northern California at the age of fourteen to escape an abusive father
and alcoholic mother. By the time she was fifteen she was a professional
hooker, working along Sunset and Western. One night, straying far
afield, she dropped into A Taste of L.A. and unfortunately the Brujah
she met there was running close to the edge and frenzied. Salvador had
arrived too late to stop the attack, but he didn't believe Allison
should die because some pinhead had forgotten the rules and lost
control.
He offered her the chance to live forever, and she grabbed at it. At
first Salvador kept Allison close and tried to instil his revolutionary
fervour in her, but she was a practical girl with ambitions of her own.
She used her position at the Taste to recruit a small gang of newcomers,
and then looked around for an area to move in on.
Gloria Martinez - El Hermandad Baron, Allison Maller - Baron of
Anaheim
Velme explained that though the two had ended up as Barons, their
attitude to their sire was very different. Also, until recently there
had always been other baronies between them so their interaction had
been minimal. They do however confirm Michaels hypothesis that it had
been Victor who has been the driving force in uniting the pair.
Michael then made the point to Velme that with The Wilds at their back
the last thing they should be doing is antagonising Hank, even a
weaker Hank.
"I made the same point," replied Velme "...but Victor says that the Wilds Pack are too busy with some
business of their own to get involved in ours. He is concerned about
Marius though, he thinks he's too unpredictable and that bothers
Victor a lot. He likes to know peoples motivations and none can tell
how Marius is going to react until it's too late. Well, except you
apparently..."
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Victor Girard - Toreador Advisor to Baron Martinez |
Realising that Victor was keeping his long-term plans to himself and not
informing even those he was supposedly advising, Michael decided on a
more direct approach.
"My association with Marius may cause a conflict of interest, well
that has piqued my interest rather than dissuaded me. I would hope
that you are not thinking of getting Baron Walker involved in any
scheme that could cause him irritation. The entirety of L.A. stands
on a knife edge with other conflicts brewing elsewhere. Don’t light
the fuse on another one."
"Hank Boyd may not be on my doorstep, but El Hermandad is. I believe
that after what we have done for you in the past, when your people
couldn’t, I deserve to know ahead of time if you are going to start
a war that could drag me and mine into it. I understand being a
politician but please? It’s me asking."
Victor thought on the request for a moment and then replied.
"A war is my last resort. I intend to, and have been, using my media
empire and political influence to create an atmosphere where the
authorities have no choice but to begin cracking down on the mortal
assets of the Crypts Sons. The focus is now firmly upon them and off
The Blood and I'm keeping it that way."
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Henrique 'Hank' Boyd - Brujah The Crypts Sons Baron |
"Once Allison joins us officially, El Hermandad will be the largest,
most powerful Barony in the city and with Hank and his Crypts Sons
crippled, we will have no effective rivals that we can't roll over if
necessary. Of course we will make no moves against those who have
supported us, only those who have opposed us. Priss will, of course,
need to go. We presume that Marius will be pragmatic enough to accept
the new balance. Not even he is that unpredictable..."
Priss
In their previous meeting Priss had agreed to accept Michael's offer of
political assistance but questioned the need to get Hank Boyd's
permission first, her barony being hers.
Michael decided that a reasoned laying out of the facts was the best way
to go. He was however, slightly thrown by her appearance. Gone were most
of the piercings, the colours in her hair and some other trappings that
had clearly been there to create a certain idea of her in the minds of
other kindred.
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'Priss' - Lasombra Baron of 'The Border' |
"I agree, but I need permission to establish ties with politicians
in his domain, which may then effect yours. Human politicians are
rarely polite enough to draw their political boundaries in line with
ours. I need the flexibility to intervene quickly and effectively,
besides, me having some pull in Hank's domain won't harm your
prospects will it?"
"On the subject of politics, provoking things with El Hermandad is
making it harder to get this ironed out, I keep having to divert my
attention to stopping a war breaking out. If it does kick off Marius
may even get involved and it takes time and effort to stand him down
from a war footing. I'd prefer to get my negotiations resolved
before that occurs. Is it possible for your people to stop their
provocations, at least for a while?"
Michael was expecting an argument, but surprisingly got her agreement
instead.
"You are, of course, correct. I'll do as you suggest and use the time
to consolidate a little just in case it all goes wrong. Now control of
this border barony is mine I have considerably more resources to play
with so have contacted Marius about some modifications to the building
I use as my base. A secure day-room, some security measures, you know
the sort of thing. I also need somewhere to hide the new weapons
shipment I'm expecting in the next few days..."
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Isaac Abrams - Toreador Baron of Hollywood |
As Isaac had offered himself as a mentor, Michael began with a
conversation to feel out his opinion of the current state of the
Anarchs.
"It sounds like you'd support someone like Nines to be a leader, only
with his naïve approach that's probably not viable yet, however if the
right person came along and could be held accountable? From all
accounts Jeremy was such a leader, why now do most Anarchs associate
the Anarch cause with being leaderless and have such a static
interpretation? Why, in your opinion is a movement built on being
progressive in such a static state currently?"
Isaac seemed to consider the question for a while before replying.
"Jeremy MacNeil refused any titles, claiming that without artificial
laws and hierarchies, a natural resemblance of this would eventually
form. He was nonetheless, the new Anarch Baron of L.A. and apparently
unironically considered as such. The flaw in his plan for a self
evolving and natural system was, of course, that we are not in any way
natural. Our drives change the moment we are embraced and no natural
creature has a voice at the back of their head constantly pushing them
towards acts of depravity."
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Brujah of the Anarch Free States |
"The real issue, however, has always been to find a leader powerful
enough to control such a disparate mass of kindred, who also cares
about their fate. Unfortunately in kindred, the two concepts are
almost always mutually exclusive."
Michael used this line of conversation to turn the conversation to
Victor Girard.
"Victor Girard has said similar things about Kindred needing a leader,
though I get the feeling he may be less concerned about their overall
considerations of the needs of their people. He is my neighbour so I
must pay attention to what he is doing, by all accounts being the
power behind the baronies of El Hermandad and Anaheim."
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Christopher Houghton - Toreador Ancestor of Victor and Isaac |
Isaac's opinion on Victor was less than complimentary.
"He wants power but none of the culpability. He wishes to dispense
advice and then should there be a problem blame the way his idea was
implemented or the skill of the leader who did so. On the other hand,
should the plan succeed, it is suddenly his success. Pathetic
really."
"I would normally interfere but unfortunately we share a bloodline and
our mutual ancestor might not be very happy about it should it turn
out that Victor was acting in a manner of which he approved. If,
however someone he currently favoured was to interfere, that kindred
might be given far more leeway with his actions..."
Next on the agenda was Ralph Harwood. Michael decided to be diplomatic
during this exchange as he didn't wish to appear critical of the Barons
involved, only of Ralphs actions.
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Louis Fortier - Ventrue Baron of West Los Angeles |
"I don’t question the esteemed Barons at all, but is there something
we can do to reign in Harwood. He’s antagonising factions I don’t
think anyone wants antagonising."
Isaac seemed to agree but was also being diplomatic. Presumably due to
Louis Fortier, Baron of West Los Angeles's, involvement in the
situation.
"Again, my hands are tied. Fortier would have to agree to allow me to
make the problem go away. Unfortunately he gave his word and will
never break it, except under incredibly exceptional circumstances.
Should, Louis change his mind then I would of course be able to end Mr
Harwoods career as an antagonist, permanently."
Mariel St. John
As Mariel was considered to be Baron Fortier's ambassador, Michael
decided to probe her for information on Harwood and the relationship
she had implied existed between Ralph and one of Fortier's other
childer and mistresses, Elena.
"Which business ventures is Harwood in? I hear he is expanding into San
Fernando, wouldn’t that take him out of your domain and make him someone
else’s problem? You suspect that Elena merely has to tell him to stop
causing issues, she is acting as some form of sponsor then."
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Catherine Du Bois - Ventrue Most favoured Childe and Mistress of Baron Fortier |
"What if someone else was to become his sponsor and could tell him to stop,
or we could prove that Elena was positioning people against Louis simply to
win her position back. A sponsor with no power is useless, she can make all
the deals she wants. If we, and by extension you, can prove that she
has been disloyal to Louis for her own petty gain, I imagine that could
prevent her climbing up the pecking order for quite some time?"
Mariel agreed that it might work, but she'd need to do some further
investigation to ensure that such a plan didn't backfire. Michael needed to do
the same. Mariel was also concerned that if an internecine dispute between her
and Elena caused too much trouble for their sire that Louis's most favoured
childe Catherine would end up with even more power.
With Nines increasingly stubborn about the Anarch Free States needing a
completely neutral area like the Barony of the Angels had once been, Michael
took the potentially dangerous step of seeing if he could get Damsel to
help, without the input of Nines.
"I understand Nines’ point, I also respect his ideals and idealism.
However in the current climate I worry that taking no action unless it is
the perfect actions leaves many of our kind in danger of starvation or
worse breaking the masquerade and bringing a whole world of problems down
on us when we can scarcely afford it." Damsel clearly agreed with him and so he continued.
"I appreciate you working on Nines for me, if I could ask one further
favour. Tell those who need it that they should enquire with me, those
that need shelter. You know my terms and you know my character. Nines may
struggle to agree, but I cannot stand by the wayside or sit in my haven
and do nothing. I am not the ivory tower. I will act before I see our kind
suffer."
Damsel was easily swayed by both Michael's fervour and his disparaging
comments about the Ivory Tower of the Camarilla. She agreed that as long as
Michael was offering shelter and feeding grounds without the recruitment to a
gang that Barons normally demanded, that she would help in any way she could.
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Captain Atkins - Ghoul of Michael |
With all that he could do about the Free States troubles now implemented, he
contacted his ghoul Frank to discuss other matters.
"Federal forces in the city are on the rise. Can you, or do you know anyone
at that level who might be open to a similar arrangement as we have? I may
not be able to grow their career as much but anyone you can point me
towards."
"I realise that sooner or later I may end up needing early warning, if
nothing else."
Frank agreed to be on the lookout for such an individual but made no promises.
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Heather Taylor Ghoul of Marius |
Michael also realised that he'd been neglecting his social status so made a
few subtle enquiries about Jeanette Voerman, who Heather had indicated had
considerable sway over many powerful kindred. Marius included.
"I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting Jeanette, I can understand that
Velvet can change Marius's mind but is there anything I need to know about
Jeanette, in case our paths cross? I also operate in Hollywood with the new
club, it seems prudent to be at least on good terms with my fellow club
owner and kindred"
Heathers reply was about as subtle as he was expecting.
"She'll probably want to fuck you. She fucks everyone. If they're pretty,
interesting, if it'll annoy Therese, in fact, especially if it'll annoy
Therese. On that subject, you need to be careful. Jeanette's little
'favours' are sometimes calculated to piss of Therese."
"Therese is hardly likely to destroy her own sister, but she might take her
frustrations out on the kindred she got to do it. Of course by then Jeanette
will be onto her next bit of entertainment so don't expect her to help out.
Bertram ended up hiding in an abandoned oil tank for a year, see what I
mean?"
Vin
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| Shawna Jones - Blood Doll |
This has, in part, been to help Priss of the Border
Barony between the Barony of Downtown and The Crypts Sons Barony gain some
political contacts. This was an arrangement between Michael and Priss, though
it was Vin that had to do the dirty work. Not that he minded particularly.
The problem he had come up against was that much of the power in individual
areas of the city was still under the influence or outright control of the
centrally located political centres.
To rectify this issue, Vin has contacted
the three Toreador known as 'The Blossoms' who control the sex trade of
Downtown and the surrounding areas. He has offered them an arrangement whereby
they share information on potential threats to their trade, 'swap' information
on useful individuals that might assist each others baronies and also exchange
vessels that may match the preferences of individual customers.
After a meeting at Club Confession, their leader Tayla has accepted the offer
and the two baronies have began to cooperate. Vin and their enforcer Karla
were already on particularly good terms and have also now began to exchange
information on troublesome customers, both mortal and kindred.
Daniel Matthews
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| Leo Frost - Brujah El Hermandad |
As Leo is from El Hermandad, Daniel is curious about the rumours of border
probing on both sides.
"Oh that? Yeah. Hanks guys have been patrolling their Eastern border pretty
aggressively right up to Priss's bit, you know, the corner by Marius's turf.
So Gloria's moved our guys and gals from the Anaheim side to keep an eye on
them."
"Apparently she doesn't think we'll have any problems from Anaheim and
that's freed up half a dozen hitters. Our lot reckon Priss's 'Survivors',
that's what they call themselves, just kicked off after a bit of banter from
some of our more vocal Brujah. Just fists but they're talking about going
tooled up next time."
"Victors told them to calm down as he's working on
something. Gloria backed him up so that's that. For now at least..."
 |
| Mohammed al-Muthlim Crypts Sons Founder |
"Victor reckons Priss is the problem too, says her sire was the original
Crypts Sons leader and she wants the job for herself. She'd have to do it
sneaky though."
"Hank's a bad motherfucker when he's riled, like madman
strong, no-one with any sense is going toe to toe with that bastard without
a very good reason."
Daniel asked if Leo was expected to fight too and how he feels about it.
"If it comes to an all out war I'll fight, like any of us would to defend
what we've got. I have a feeling that Victor wouldn't risk that without more
of an edge than just numbers though. A war that close to Downtown might draw
Marius in, and with a big chunk of our domain sandwiched between The Wilds
and him that could end badly."
 |
| Maikki - Brujah Barony of Anaheim |
Maikki is from Anaheim so Daniel catches up with her at Ike's Brujah Fight
Club to see what sort of influence Victor has over Allison.
"Victor? Yeah he's been all over Allison like a rash. He's advised her a lot
on what to do with Amethyst's remaining assets so he's made her a lot of
money. Himself some too, but Allison's coffers have never been so full."
Daniel was sure that Allison would definitely support Gloria in a fight with
the Crypt Sons, He decided to ask Maikki what Allison thinks about it. Allison
is more level headed than Gloria so he is interested to see what sort of
stance she is taking on the issue.
"Between us and El Hermandad we outnumber the Crypts Sons kindred more than
three to one. Allison's used to being the underdog so having some weight to
throw around is a nice change for her, and us. If it happens we'll fight
with Gloria but only as back-up. It's still their fight, not ours, know what
I mean? Allison isn't going to risk making new enemies after only just
getting rid of the last lot."
 |
| Charlie 'Chick' Abbot - Banu Haqim Santa Monica Scourge |
As one of Santa Monica's enforcers for Therese Voerman, Chick can give Daniel
more information on Ralph Harwood, especially as he's been less than
complimentary about Santa Monica and they have no reason to placate him.
"Ralph is a pretty good tactician for a Ventrue from what I've heard. He has
eight kindred at his disposal. Five Brujah, three Caitiff and another
Ventrue that might be his childe. He had a Gangrel too but they fucked off
after a scrap with the other Ventrue who by all accounts is a proper
arrogant prick. We've been on the look out for that rogue Gangrel as he's
bound to have some useful tactical information. They called him 'Hogg'. his
real name is Robson Hogarth but he's gone completely off the grid."
He was also curious about what Therese thinks of the situation. In particular
whether Chick been asked to 'pay him a visit'.
"Therese is irritated by the rumoured insults of course, but going after
Harwood involves a journey through both Fortier and Abrams domains and so
we've been told by Jane Lane that it's not something Therese will
consider...yet..."
"Weirdly Jeanette turned up in Santa Monica last week. She'd come to see
Therese but she wasn't about. They fight like cat and dog but when one is
threatened they pull together, you know? We told her that Therese said that
it wasn't anything to worry about and she headed back to her Hollywood Club.
Good job really."
 |
| The Voermans "Most Dangerous When United" |
Before returning to his own barony, Daniel asked about the status of his
professional relationship with Chick, as she knew both his true clan and his
troubles with his sire. He was also concerned about whether he had made an
enemy of Chick's fellow coterie member Lex who he had recently defeated in a
knife duel at the Brujah Fight Club.
"I'm a woman of my word. I received the payment for my silence and that's
the matter closed as far as I'm concerned. But should you ever want to be in
my debt again I can tell you exactly who revealed your location in the first
place..."
"Lex? As far as I know he holds you no ill will. Admittedly, he has the look
of a villain from an 80's action film but he is actually quite honourable in
his own way. He'll probably want a rematch at some point but it'll be in the
ring not down some back alley. He's a fast learner though, so be
careful of using the same tricks twice."
Investigation and Surveillance Teams
In an effort to discover some way of disrupting Victor Girard's media empire,
Daniel had his firm of private investigators and their surveillance
counterpart look into some of the senior directors and managers of his three
major news publications that you know he controls, to see if they could find
any 'dirt'. They have had some success...
 |
| Cash 'Bonus' |
Lilly Hodgson, Publisher of the L.A. Horizon, financial newspaper seems to
have an odd relationship with someone called 'Victor' for whom she withholds
the release of certain stories. Presumably so he can benefit from the news
financially or politically.
The L.A. Vanguard, a newspaper known for it's hard-hitting factual stories and
exposés has been the recipient of a record number of lawsuits. Somehow it
always beats these claims. Witnesses inexplicably change stories (several have
then passed lie detector test that verify their new stories), records
disappear and sometimes people too.
Their parent company, Woodland Media, has gained a broadcast license but it's
enterprises have suffered a number of setbacks and so it's launch has been
delayed until later in the year. These setbacks have included three
unexplained accidents that required safety investigations, several technical
problems and the death by overdose of Tayah Witt, project
director. Edmund Metcalfe is her ambitious and apparently quite ruthless
replacement.
Though nothing was proven it's possible that some of these delays were due to
industrial espionage. The current major rivals to Woodland Media are Thorne
Multi-Media, Aegis Media and Golden Age Productions.
 |
| Alonzo - Nosferatu Elder Ancient Hollywood Warrens |
With a combination of Alonzo's knowledge, rumours from the Fight Club, The
Last Round and his own ghouls research, a helpful but incomplete profile of
the Ghoul gang known as the Young Bloods has been compiled.
The motorcycle club known as the Young Bloods started out as a gang of
thieves and brutes in the slums of Los Angeles. They were ghouled around
about 1992 presumably by a reckless Brujah, based on their disciplines. It's
likely the gang overcame their erstwhile domitor and drank him dry. This
incident no doubt gave them a taste for both the vitae and the destruction
of vampires, and since then, they’ve been riding through the southwestern
American states, hunting down other vampires to serve the same fate.
For many years, the Young Bloods were extraordinarily successful, partly due
to the instability in vampiric society in that area of the country. The
Anarchs were fighting to keep their holdings, while the Sabbat and Camarilla
were struggling to make inroads, and all three overlooked and underestimated
a mortal gang. In time, the Young Bloods have been blood hunted in three
cities, and their name was well known among Kindred of the area. It's
believed that’s when the gang’s leader, Bob Zalkovsky (also known as Bobby Z
or Big Z) came up with the plan that's now become their preferred mode of
operation.
 |
| The Young Bloods - Unbound Ghouls |
A month
later, they’d have their stooge vampire Embrace another one, and they’d
drink and kill that unfortunate soul, and so on, and so on. Nobody got blood
bound, and the motorcycle club would have a constant source without a lot of
effort. Periodically they destroy their primary victim anyway and find
another though those who tried to hunt them are unsure why they'd destroy a
viable kindred. Theories range from a fear that the captive vampire would
become stronger over time, to them simply enjoying doing it.
Judging from their attacks they're based somewhere along I-15 on the other
side of the San Gabriel Mountains. Meanwhile, the vampires of the southwest
are faced with an increasingly powerful, and ever-growing, army of ghouled,
unbound hunters riding the streets of Los Angeles.
Mr Hertz
 |
| Vera Vignes - Ventrue Former Baroness of Pasadena |
He has managed to close off the administrate loopholes that had allowed Vera
to siphon off much of the assets held originally by her and her husband. This
makes them now entirely under the influence of the coterie though they the businesses themselves are somewhat lacking in extra capital.
At Michaels request he has checked into the money withdrawals and is now sure
that whoever did so must be based in San Francisco as several of the
transactions were done personally. Mr Hertz is reluctant to delve to deeply
into the information dealers of that domain in case his activities are traced
by the Camarilla there. It is his fear that Vera is tied into the Camarilla
and may have more leverage than he could gain access to himself. He is, after
all, meant to be an undercover agent of Fiorenza's, which requires a measure
of subtlety.
Having arrived in the city long after the coterie overtook Pasadena, Mr Hertz
has only minimal information on what went on. he has however, been informed
that Vera was very dangerous indeed.
Mr Hertz has also been spending his time looking into potential areas for
expansion, based on their profitability and the level of competition.
Expanding on the groundwork laid by the now missing coterie member Roach, Mr
Hertz has used the mortal gang known as 'The Apostles' to control the majority
of the drugs trade within Pasadena and Glendale.
Burbank he has largely stayed
away from due to the presence of the Gangrel Anathema Karen Anatos and the
fact that she has some minor inroads into the drugs trade herself. Some of the
major cocaine dealers who supply the movie industry elite are under her
influence, though this mainly seems to be a matter of convenience rather than
a power-play.
Harvey who now controls the docks has been fairly reasonably with his prices
for allowing smooth transit of 'shipments' and runs the area far more
efficiently than was done, under the split rule of David Geduld and Steve
Booth. Deliveries are now far more consistent and therefore overheads from
lost shipments are significantly reduced.
 |
| Harvey Caplan - Ventrue Defacto Baron of The Docks |
Storytellers Note - Mr Hertz has Harvey Caplan as a 2-dot Mawla to
reflect this relationship.
Further expansion in this area is tricky as all the coteries neighbours also
have their own interests in this lucrative trade and he knows that Michael
would not authorise a gang war. Besides which, The Apostles aren't as strong
as the mortal elements of The Crypts Sons, The Blood or the nameless
power-players that control the trade in Downtown. Not in numbers, or firepower.
Sex Trade
Though this is Vin's area, Mr Hertz nonetheless keeps his eye on it. Hertz has
noticed with interest the mutually beneficial arrangements made with The
Blossoms in Downtown and sees this as a good move. It also potentially gives
them an inroad into other illegal trades where cooperation might be more
useful than competition.
'The Blossoms' - Toreador - Downtown Sex Trade
Michael's resistance to human trafficking has significantly reduced their
potential profits in this area, though Vin shares that particular moral code
so they're unlikely to move into that trade anytime soon. He's also reasonably
sure that both Louis Fortiers childe Catherine Du Bois and Marius Walker,
possibly jointly, are involved in people trafficking and so the coterie
avoiding it is probably a wise move. Though it also removes any potential for
profiteering in the illegal organ trade which is a shame.
 |
| Mercurio - Ghoul Arms Dealer |
The LA market leader, Mercury Security Solutions was one of the top twenty
legal, and illegal, arms dealing companies in the world and is well on it's
way to making it into the top ten. Hertz had issues with entering this trade
as despite it's profitability, outright competition with established players
by definition put you into conflict with enemies who were richer, better
connected and most importantly, better armed. Keeping a low-key operation
active to ensure his own gang were sufficiently armed seemed to him to be
acceptable for now.
Despite extensive digging, Mr Hertz is unable to discover the identity of the
three Barons who allegedly control Mercurio. He is beginning to suspect that
at least one of them was Amethyst, which means that if he's correct, Mercurio
now only has two masters not three. That's if the whole 'three barons' rumour
isn't complete bullshit of course.
Media
Arriving late to the game in this area has severely weakened the coteries
chances of making any serious inroads. Karen Anatos's Thorne group of
companies is currently the fastest expanding kindred ran operation in this
area though the established player, Golden Age Productions is still the
largest.
 |
| Karen Anatos - Gangrel Anathema Media Magnate and Movie Star |
Mr Hertz is unconvinced about the profitability or necessity of moving into
this industry, though Michael appears to be a fan of the move. Hertz thinks
it's much better to undermine Victor Girard who he believes is stretched a
little thin currently and then short sell shares in his companies during the
inevitable collapse and make money that way to invest elsewhere. If they also
buy shares in Golden Age, Thorne and Aegis's media companies at the same time
they'll also benefit from those companies inevitable share increase as they
lose a major rival.
If successful, this move would give them enough money to revitalise the
companies inherited from Vignes and strike the deal with Don Maximillion
Alonzo, that Michael favours. They'd also still have shares in the surviving
media companies which might be enough to placate Michael's ambitions in that
area.
Looking for potential revenue streams without kindred competitors eliminated
many of the other possibilities. Mr Hertz then had an idea. Rather than simply
using the gallery to launder cash, they could also use it to break into the
illegal art trade.
This complex black market included the trade in stolen goods, the illegal
import and export of art, and the market for fakes and forgeries. It also, as
far as Mr Hertz could tell was something that no kindred in the city was
currently interested in. With only mortal competition to eliminate this could
be relatively easy to break into and potentially be very profitable.
He just hoped that Michael had no moral quandaries in this area...
In Conclusion
This second pseudo-session covered a lot more ground as the players got more used to jumping between their contacts and retainers and trying to achieve their goals via multiple sources. It has also given me the opportunity to show that situations are evolving around them and that prioritisation is the key. Not to mention throwing a load of new plotlines into the mix to see which pique the players interests.
I'm going to look into the practicality of us talking via video chat so we can try and get a more traditional style session done. But no promises, lol.
Acknowledgements
“Portions of the materials are the copyrights and trademarks of White Wolf Entertainment AB, and are used with permission. All rights reserved.”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 Matt Bomer, 'Vin' is Scott Adkins, Dr Matthews is Mads Mikkelsen, Hope is Deborah Ann Woll, Mr Hertz is Charles Dance, Sylvia Drake is Elisanth, Clara Drake is Absentia and Diedrie Drake is Daedra, Eleanor Braun is P J Harvey, Victoria is Lilith May, Carmelita Neillson is Salma Hayek, Ralph Harwood is D.B. Woodside, Velme is Ruby Rose, Gloria Martinez is Ariadne Artiles, Allison Maller is Chloe Grace Moretz, Marius Walker is Tony Curran, Victor Girard is Bob Hoskins, Henrique 'Hank' Boyd is Michael Clarke Duncan, 'Priss' is Sofia Boutella, Isaac Abrams is Gary Oldman, Louis Fortier is Eduardo Verastegui, Elena Gutierrez is Emmanuelle Vaugier, Mariel St. John is Kate Moss, Catherine Du Bois is Margot Robbie, Damsel is Irina Delnova, Captain Frank Atkins is Michael Chiklis, Heather is Liz Vicious, Jeanette and Therese Voerman are Whitney Moore, Shawna is Ashley Callingbull, Leo Frost is Danny John-Jules, Maikki is Sofia Helin, Charlie 'Chick; Abbot is Lena Headey, Vera Vignes is Helen Mirren, Harvey Caplan is Harvey Keitel, 'The Blossoms' are the cast of Charmed, and Karen Anatos is Christina Hendricks. .
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.
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