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. After a year of plotting, the coterie now controls the three North-Eastern Baronies and has successfully weakened several others. Unfortunately other Barons have used the chaos they have created to consolidate their own positions.
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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
The PC'sMichael 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.
Introduction
After a tense meeting with Baron Abrams, Michael has discovered that his abilities have far more uses than he previously imagined, though his relationship with his own followers has suffered because of it.
While Mr Hertz continues to work on unravelling where in Griffiths Park Jeremy MacNeil hid his system, Michael is beginning to strengthen the North-Eastern baronies connections to the more powerful of the cities kindred in anticipation of their discovery of The MacNeil system increasing the coteries influence exponentially.
Scene Thirty One - Carmelita's Warning
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| Lisa Irving - Ghoul of Michael Galerie Sanguine Manager |
It contains a plain business card with a mobile phone number on one side and Carmelita Neillson's signature on the back. The number is different from the one you normally associate with her. "There is also a large parcel addressed to you, though we have no scheduled deliveries of materials or goods of that size. It's wrapped up like a present if that means anything to you..."
Putting the business card to one side for a moment, Michael made his way to the loading bay to see exactly what his 'present' was.
The elaborately wrapped parcel contains a selection of files, neatly packed in blood-stained boxes. Almost certainly those taken from San Fernando by the MacNeils and subsequently stolen from them in return after their massacre. A note tucked into the top simply reads. 'From a secret admirer.' though this secret admirer seems to have missed the point of the concept by signing the note.
The initials take some time to decipher as it's if someone decided that Copperplate Calligraphy needed making more elaborate and in doing so forgot that the purpose of writing is to be read. You guess that the initials are meant to be a C and a H though you could be wrong.
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| Christopher Houghton - Toreador 5th Generation Elder |
Mr Hertz began to look through the files while Michael waited for an initial assessment. The Nosferatu stated that some of the paperwork looked like accounts or lists of names and addressees, while others were possibly personnel files. All were in some sort of code though this seemed to be in no way off putting to Hertz. "An interesting challenge. I'll get right on it..." He stated cheerfully and began to take the boxes into his office. Though the Nosferatu showed many of the signs of the disease known as 'consumption' which had almost killed him as a mortal, he was surprisingly strong and simply dragged the large packing case outside his office before selecting a box at random on which to begin. Michael made a point of avoiding looking into the office as the door swung open as he had no desire to see what a mess Mr Hertz's vermin helpers had made of the room.
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| Carmelita Neillson - Toreador Archaeologist and Camarilla Archivist |
"Forgive the unorthodox contact method, but we need to talk, urgently." "I'll be landing at Hollywood, Burbank Airport in about an hour. It's within one of your protectorates so we should be undisturbed. I'll text you my exact location when I arrive. You may bring your surprisingly talented Driver come Bodyguard Daniel if you wish but no-one else, especially not any of your people with other loyalties. Vincent still communicates with his Sire Desdemona, Mr Hertz is with you at Fiorenza's request and Hope is a former student of Marius's..."
Michael phoned Daniel and asked him very politely if he could make some time to join him for a meeting with Miss Neillson. After Daniel and Hope had been unfortunate victims of an uncontrolled mental outburst by their Baron, Michael had been attempting to rebuild their trust. He was unfortunately overcompensating somewhat. Daniel parked at the galleries rear and entered via the loading bay door where the selection of half-opened boxes were still piled up outside Mr Hertz's office door. "Not art supplies, then?" enquired Daniel as his Baron came downstairs to meet him.
Daniel's suspicions first went to Marius but he was informed by Michael that the handwriting on the card was not his though he didn't elaborate. At this point a text message arrived from Carmelita saying quite simply that she would be landing soon. Due to the implication that Carmelita trusted next to no-one, Michael left his driver Dion behind and was instead chauffeured by Daniel. Dion, though a very skilled driver, was still an employee of the coteries Camarilla contact, Fiorenza Savona, and therefore reported back to her on some issues.
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| Victor Girard - Toreador Manipulative Media Magnate |
"I've been thinking..." began Michael. "...that it might benefit Victor if he was given something unpredictable to deal with, so as he can grow and expand his abilities. If he succeeds then wonderful, if he fails then that will be a learning experience also. Perhaps in the latter case he may turn to others for guidance?" this was a first for Daniel as pre-emptive actions against the coteries rivals usually needed to be done behind his Barons back. Yet here he was being given, more or less, permission to go and fuck with someone. "I'll see what I can come up with." replied Daniel.
Storytellers Note - So at some point in the near future I'm probably going to have to wing an entire solo session...
You have no trouble getting runway access as arrangements for your arrival seem to have been put in place. Waiting at the bottom of the planes steps is a handsome gentlemen who you would guess is Arabian, probably Egyptian in origin. He has a Heckler & Koch Mark 23 handgun in a shoulder holster and possibly a back-up piece in an ankle holster though it's hard to tell. "Mr Tomassio, Miss Neillson is waiting for you and your companion inside, I'll ensure you aren't disturbed."
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| Abasi Khalil - Ghoul of Carmelita Bodyguard, Driver and Pilot |
The inside of the private plane is luxurious and Carmelita is seated at a table with a bottle of what is almost certainly not merely wine in front of her. "Please take a seat, we have much to discuss and I have limited time..."
Daniel remained standing, his jacket open so as to have easy access to his weaponry, and kept his eye on the open doorway where Carmelita's guard was waiting. Carmelita nodded in greeting, acknowledging his presence though it was clear that it was Michael to which she wished to talk.
"I acted upon your request to draw from the archives any information that I could find on one Isaac Abrams. However the file itself was missing, while digging further I hit a brick wall, in the form of Diana Iadanza, Camarilla Justicar of Clan Toreador." She pauses a moment o allow that to sink in before continuing. "She was very keen to know why I was looking into Issac and the reasons for my previous interest in Victor Girard. Though I got the distinct impression that they were only peripherally involved in whatever had drawn her into the situation."
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| Isaac Abrams - Toreador Baron of Hollywood |
"Seeing no reason to lie, I explained that an agent of Fiorenza's currently operating in Los Angeles required the files and Iadanza told me in no uncertain terms that all information on that bloodline, in both directions was now the sole province of the Justicars and the Inner Circle. The fact that Isaac Abrams file was also missing does, however, lead one to jump to certain conclusions..."
It did indeed. The fact that Isaac was more than likely a descendent of Christopher Houghton would explain a lot about how he had kept his position as Baron of Hollywood even through it's stint as a Camarilla domain. Carmelita's next supposition was equally concerning.
"The simple fact is that no-one in the city of Los Angeles has the power to influence the Inner Circle in that manner, Yet actions have been taken that involve it's residents in some peripheral manner, or at least information about them. I'd advise you to be careful, very careful in fact. If I find out anything of note then I'll inform you if I'm able. I have time for a few questions as long as your succinct..."
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| Fiorenza Savona - Ventrue Camarilla Power Broker |
Carmelita revealed that the Camarilla was aware that Victor was advising both of Garcia's childer within Los Angeles. The Ivory Tower wasn't overly concerned about this as "Victor will work for anyone as long as he's the 'power behind the throne.'" and they were sure that he would immediately change his allegiance to any Camarilla Prince he thought he had a chance of ingratiating himself with. This was exactly as Michael had expected however Carmelita had some other information that was more surprising.
"Victor knows that he will never have enough backing among the Anarchs to become a Prince himself, or even a Baron, but he does appear to have had an idea. It is Fiorenzas belief that Victor figures that if things become bad enough in the Free States, with too much chaos and too many wars, one of two things will happen. Either Jeremy, if he has escaped destruction, or another significant Anarch will have no choice but to declare themselves Prince, in which case Victor will once again be sitting on the right hand of the throne, or the whole of the Free States structure will crumble and the Camarilla will return, in which case Victor has a pretty good chance of winding up on top again."
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| 50. Cal Sniper Rounds Daniel's Favoured Problem Remover |
Daniel immediately concluded that if he couldn't implement Michael's plan to disrupt El Hermandad by undermining Victor, that a .50 cal bullet to his head would definitely be a viable option.
Carmelita then checked the time. "I must leave now. The powers that be believe me to be somewhere else and a long stop here will create me a variety of problems if discovered. I have an officially scheduled visit to this city in a fortnights time to check on your ancestors tomb and ascertain it's level of protection, we can speak again then."
As they were leaving Michael gave his thanks once more and then complimented Carmelita on her bodyguard. She revealed that he had been her ghoul for several decades. He had acted as security for archaeological digs across the middle-east and was a logical choice for her to take on as a ghoul. She also informed them that he has been given extra training by Camarilla operatives and was now skilled in a variety of armed and unarmed techniques with an emphasis on supernatural foes. She concluded with "...and he's a very good pilot."
The Pilatus PC-24 - Carmelita's Transportation
The guard then entered the cabin and moved towards the cockpit though neither Daniel or Michael had heard Carmelita summon him. "I'll see you in a few weeks then." said Michael as he and Daniel left the plane and headed back to Pasadena.
Interlude - The Fifth Tradition
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| Baronies of Santa Clarita and Simi 'Farmer' Baronies, Gangrel Domains |
"Evening Baron Tomassio. I need to visit the Gaspers in Santa Clarita and the Goodwins in Simi and I'd like to go via your North Eastern domains rather than trying to work out which bits of the East belong to Isaac and which belong to Fortier, as it seems to change nightly."
Michael was thrown for a moment by Marius using his correct title. As far as he could remember it was the first time he had ever done so. "I can see no problem with that..." said Michael once he'd overcome his initial surprise. "...as long as you're willing to obey my rules as you travel through."
"I'll have two other 'friends' with me..." continued Marius, avoiding the use of the word kindred over the phone. "...but they'll have had supper so won't need to stop anywhere to eat." revealed Marius. "While your in the area, I'd like to have a word with you about some issues I'm having that you might be able to help me with. If you have the time that is?" After a short pause, Marius replied. "This business should only take a few hours. I'll let you know when I'm returning and we can meet at a place of your choosing." Michael agreed that this would be satisfactory and then hung up.
"Trouble?" asked Daniel. "Apparently Not..." replied Michael. "...which is, for some reason, more worrying."
Scene Thirty Two - A Temple of Set
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| Dawn Cavanagh - The Ministry Seductress and Corrupter |
"I've being doing some cross-checking of the various information we've accumulated, combined with a little bit of data-mining and some confirming of rumours with my various sources and I've come up with an interesting correlation that I think may mean something..." He then added what could be considered a dramatic pause. "Jeremy MacNeil destroyed a Temple of Set in about '65 after being tipped off to it's location. It's been heavily rumoured that Ms Dawn Cavanagh was the intended target and one of her disciples the traitor. However it seems that she discovered the plot and somehow managed to turn the tables so it was her disciple who lost his unlife and she who escaped...three guesses where that temple was?"
Almost at once the rest of the coterie said "Griffiths Park?"
"Yes, Griffiths Park. Such a temple would almost certainly have been somewhere respectable and no doubt had a hidden area for the actual ceremonies and such. Might Jeremy MacNeil have not repurposed it as a back-up location for his system?"
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| Griffith Park at Night - Los Angeles |
"On the subject of those files you gave me. The code was fairly simple once I worked out the slightly unconventional staggered number substitution system they'd used."
This meant nothing to anyone else present but they nodded politely anyway.
"The accounts are fairly mundane and are for some company called Multi-Finance which seemed to have only four employees, those whose names you discovered in the notebook. It apparently invested quite heavily in what was at the time a state of the art computer network and peripherals and then consistently updated them until some time in 2010 at which point the records stop."
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| NikNak Computing - Destroyed by Arson |
Daniel was impressed at the amount of information that Mr Hertz had accumulated in such a relatively short time. He began to understand why Michael kept him nearby in spite of his distaste for some of his personal habits.
"More work was carried out in the late 1980's through to the early 90's. After that there's no involvement with Aegis until around 2000 when a payment of several hundred thousand pounds is made though it doesn't seem to correspond to any actual work being done. It's fair, I think, to assume that Marius provided some service to MacNeil and he simply paid him off through an exchange of funds via their respective legitimate organisations."
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| Aegis Acquisitions - Los Angeles HQ Marius Walkers Business Empire |
"On a different subject, the personnel files are also quite interesting. some kindred, MacNeil presumably, kept files on the significant kindred within the city spanning several decades. These are more comprehensively ciphered than the accounts and may possibly be somewhat out of date. A few are for kindred who are no longer an issue for us such as Hank's predecessor Mohammed al-Muthlim, but may prove interesting nonetheless."
"I'll continue my research but if any of you have sources that might have more information on the subject then I suggest you pull in whatever favours you can. With the arson at NikNak Computing removing any records they might have had, we are running out of options."
Michael confirmed Mr Hertz's request was a good idea. He also added that he knew that Sir Ralph Hamilton of the Brujah idealists hated Dawn Cavanagh with a passion so might be a useful source of information if other avenues failed.
Then the number for Velvet Velour appeared on Michaels phone. He excused himself from the meeting before answering.
Scene Thirty Three - A Shopping Spree
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| Velvet Velour - Toreador Dancer and Owner of Club Vesuvius |
Michael attempted to be conciliatory and explained that he understood Isaac's reasoning. Velvet was however having none of it. "There's no need for you to defend him, I've told him he needs to sort things out between you or I'll stay cross at him..." The thought of Baron Abrams having his ear bent by a woman in her underwear amused Michael in spite of himself. "I'll look forward to seeing you both." he concluded. Velvet blew him a kiss before hanging up.
Baron Tomassio decided to warn everyone so those who wished to avoid Isaac may do so. Specifically Daniel. It was no surprise that Daniel had no desire to speak to a kindred who had made him cut off his own trigger finger, not two days ago. A loss which had incidentally cost him considerable quantities of Vitae to restore. "I'll stay nearby, but out of sight." conceded Daniel. Vin decided that it was no longer necessary to monitor the other of Jeremy's properties and Havens so left to gather his followers and deploy them elsewhere. Hope left to undertake her usual patrols and ensure that the other three sweepers were doing their jobs properly.
Baron Abrams arrives an hour or so later and is of course impeccably dressed. Velvet is wearing a long dark coat, presumably as she's still in her underwear beneath it. Issac greets you with a nod but it's Velvet who speaks. "I'm going to look around your wonderful gallery and pick a few presents for myself from Isaac as an apology for him using me to lure you to his silly shop. You two go have a private chat..." and with that she glides away to look at some of Michael's darker recent works.
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| Leanna - Duskborn Blood Sommelier and Alchemist |
"I understand the reasoning behind what you did..." began Michael. "...but it was an issue that could have been solved with a conversation between us."
"It's possible that I overreacted..." confessed Isaac. "...I saw disrespect in what may have merely been a failure of communication."
Issac slides a small jewellery box over to you. "A gift..." he says. Inside is an exquisitely crafted signet ring made of platinum. The face has an intricate rose upon it inset with diamonds and a reddish brown stone that you at first mistake for ruby but on closer inspection appears to be something else.
Michael's field was art not antiques but he recognised the stone as painite. Due to its rarity, painite could cost anything from fifty to sixty thousand dollars a carat. The gift was therefore of immense value and rarity. "It's quite beautiful." stated Michael. "Is it from your own store?"
"Actually it's one of my own creations from many years ago. I wasn't always merely a patron of the arts, once I created too. It's more a hobby now than anything." Isaac then changed the subject. "You have power but it's unfocused. Have you ever used that particular aspect of your abilities before? The one you used in my store?"
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| Stéphanie Mayoux - Toreador Sire of Michael, Infamous Harpy |
Seeing the obvious benefits to such an arrangement, Michael agreed. He wasn't sure how Daniel would feel about the matter though. Hopefully he'd be pragmatic to understand the reasons behind the decision. Michael decided to test Isaacs commitment with a few questions.
"In the interests of our new cooperative relationship, perhaps you could supply me with a little information on Dawn Cavanagh and Sir Ralph? The Idealists are now part of my domain so it would benefit me to have advance knowledge of potential conflicts. Ralph quite obviously despises Dawn and I wondered why."
The Baron of Hollywood explained that Sir Ralph Hamilton had once associated with Kindred of the Ministry, or the Followers of Set, as they were then more commonly known. While involved with them he had engaged in a wide variety of activities that he was very keen to keep to himself. In fact, the mere association would damage his reputation with his friends in the Camarilla. Especially as the Ministry was now allied extensively with the Anarch cause. "As you can imagine, Dawn uses this to her advantage. Ralph hates her but can make no moves against her without risking his past being revealed. I trust you will also keep his secrets?"
Sir Ralph Hamilton - A Past That He'd Rather Forget
Michael agreed that he would though he got the distinct impression that Isaac didn't really care too much one way or the other. "If you find him uncooperative then I can get Dawn to persuade him to be more helpful." offered Isaac.
"We've also had several run-ins with a group calling themselves The MacNeils. One was amicable, the second not and on the third occasion we seemed to arrive late to the party. A party that you employed Marius to clean-up after?"
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| JoaquÃn Murietta - Toreador Childe of Christopher Houghton |
Isaac revealed to Michael that he was a descendent of 'C.H.' but was vague about just how close. He explained that C.H. had supported him in the early days of film but got distracted by one obsession or another so frequently that sometimes Isaac didn't hear from him for months or even years. He theorised that Christopher was displeased that the MacNeils were targeting someone who he had become interested in so decided to eliminate them, most likely with his deadly childe at his side. It was also possible that he was upset at their use of the name MacNeil as he would no doubt have considered them unworthy of it.
He then takes a presentation case from within his jacket, it's about 12" x 4" and an inch or so deep. "Something for your bodyguard also, It might be best if you give this to him yourself. I sense he may hold some resentment towards me despite my actions being understandable, if somewhat excessive and perhaps this will help mitigate that somewhat..."
It was obvious to Michael that he didn't really give a fuck about Daniel, He's just being conciliatory presumably because Velvet had been giving him earache over his conduct. "I'll leave you to your nightly business then. Your profitability has no doubt been enhanced considerably by VV's impromptu shopping spree." Concluded Abrams.
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| Heather Taylor - Ghoul of Marius Employee of Galerie Sanguine |
As he's about to leave he seemingly remembers something he'd forgotten. "It almost slipped my mind. When you open your new club let me know and I'll ensure that you have some suitable celebrities there for the opening..." Then he and Velvet leave.
"Can we close early tonight?" asked Heather. Michael looked at the receipt handed to him by Lisa before answering. "I don't see why not." replied Michael. He then located Daniel and handed him the box. "A gift from Isaac." he stated simply. He also made clear that any trips into Hollywood would need to be cleared with him in advance.
The box contained a pair of Karambits with silver inlay within the blade as well as a ring knife that matched the set. All three were works of art but also completely functional. They reminded Michael of the work of 'The Blossom' Karla Bray that she had displayed at the Toreadors 'Gathering of Roses'.
Baron Isaac Abram's 'Gifts' to Dr Daniel Matthews
"While you in your meeting you had a phone call from Marius." said Heather. "He said he's on his way back to Downtown now so if you want to speak to him he can make the time on his way through, just message him." She then hurried out of the door before Michael changed his mind about closing early.
"We'll meet him at the bar, if you'd like to join me?" asked Michael of Daniel. "We best invite Hope and Vin too." he continued "Mr Hertz?" asked Daniel. "We'll leave him to continue working on those files." Stated Michael. He then sent the message to Marius and prepared for what would be his third meeting of the night.
Scene Thirty Four - An Ally Once More
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| Eleanor Moreno - Agent of Fiorenza Assigned to Marius |
Michael had recently made some enquiries relating to this new chauffeur. She was apparently a somewhat taciturn individual named Eleanor Moreno, or 'Ellie' as Marius called her, presumably because he knew it annoyed her. She had been sent by Fiorenza Savona to keep an eye on Marius after Fiorenza's former agent Dion was compromised by Victoria. Dion now worked for Michael, though still reported to Miss Savona.
Mrs Savona has learned from her previous mistakes. Eleanor has no living relatives or Victoria to get to, had extremely low empathy so didn't even have friends that could be used against her and was asexual. This last aspect of her was to counter Marius's unusual talent for seduction and the similar talents possessed by other of his operatives. Michael also noted that she was also physically very much Marius's 'type' so he was presumably more likely to keep her around. According to Heather, Marius has describe her as "A new challenge for Victoria..." but seems to be amused by the situation rather than annoyed.
Michael decide not to bother with his normal preamble and get straight into the point of the meeting.
Marius took another sip of the wine and Michael could see him considering his response carefully. This was also a positive in his experience. When forced to react, Gangrel were invariably aggressive and dangerous, a thoughtful Marius was far more likely to be open to negotiation.
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| Tara Kearney - Brujah Baron of San Diego |
He paused a moment and looked at each of the coterie in turn as if to cement the idea that what he was about to say applied to them all. "I will not allow the Camarilla to have this city. At least not in any official manner. No Prince, Primogen or the usual accoutrements. I have somewhat of an allergy to their traditional titles. I would certainly be unable to resist the urge to...disrupt such a hierarchy...Tara is also aware of my feelings in this matter, though she firmly believes that the Camarilla fucked her over so she would seek power as an Anarch not on behalf of the Ivory Tower. Not after what happened last time..."
Michael's expression changed slightly at the mention of Tara's name. He had some suspicions that Marius had been assisting her in a campaign to become Prince, or something very similar. It seemed that 'The Fixer' picked up on this.
"...if you're concerned about me supporting Tara then you need not worry yourself. I hid her after her staged destruction, then destroyed her enemies for her, but it was as a 'Fixer' not an interfering Baron. I have been paid, the arrangement is now done."
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| MiKaIl of Constantinople - Toreador |
Daniel and Hope were both aware that Michael, Vin and the possibly destroyed 'Roach' had ben sent here by the Camarilla but Michael's long-term plans had only been hinted at. Daniel also noted that Vin was now paying very close attention to Michael's words.
"The Camarilla have been unhappy with me for two decades and I'm doing splendidly." pointed out Marius. Michael used this statement to segue into something that he had picked up on at the Bahari's temple. "Really? I thought I detected a difference of opinion between you and your childe Mary? I would have thought that would be a concern to you? Though not being an initiate of your faith I may have been mistaken..." Marius explained that not all Bahari expressed their worship in the same way and that he and Mary differed on certain key points. Deciding to push a little, Michael was about to ask another question but was pre-empted by Hope "Such As?"
Ennoia - Gangrel Antediluvian, Lilith - The Dark Mother
"I venerate Ennoia first, and Lilith second. Mary, exactly the opposite. Though in real terms it matters very little. I highly doubt that either of them will turn up at one of our ceremonies." As soon as it became obvious that Marius wasn't going to elaborate, the conversation was turned to Isaac Abrams.
Marius confirmed what Michael already suspected. That Baron Abrams had far more than mere political power. "Isaac is as adept with the mental applications of the clans abilities as I am with the physical ones. Possibly this makes him even more dangerous than myself given his more flexible skill set. It's difficult to attack a foe that you inexplicably want to hide from or suck the dick of, figuratively speaking. My mental defences are considerable but we all have our limits."
Hollywood at Night - The Domain of Baron Isaac Abrams
Marius also revealed that Isaac had begun to change in temperament. "I deal with him on his terms though it's become more of a juggling act over the last ten, fifteen years or so. He has begun to exhibit a cruel streak and the occasional outburst. It's possible that he has started to feel the looming call of the Beckoning pulling him away from all that he has built. It's only a theory of course. He could just be going fucking insane..."
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| The Oratory - Gangrel (Mostly) 'Sweepers' Information Exchange Network |
Michael needed to weigh the pros and cons of this. Influencing the flow of information between baronies would potentially be useful but if it required giving Marius a detailed list of the coteries friends and foes then it might well be too high a price. Before he could answer Marius interrupted.
"In the interests of this new relationship we're developing, I have a confession to make." "I have been cultivating somewhat of an alliance with Karen Anatos in Burbank in a manner that could possibly be construed as 'behind your back'. It's mainly professional though we have also been exchanging knowledge on a more personal basis, we have shared experiences with absentee parenting you see..."
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| Karen Anatos - Gangrel Childe of Brunhilde, Anathema |
"She's a voracious student of kindred lore and our clans particular talents. You understand, She's far too powerful a member of my clan for me to leave to her own devices?" "This is not a criticism. You running her domain has I'm sure caused far less problems for the kindred of the city than she would have created if left to her own devices which is why I have counselled her to allow the arrangement to continue. It is however inevitable that she will one night wish some measure of personal power amongst our kind. Between us however, I believe that an appropriate direction can be encouraged, in that eventuality."
Michael was politically astute to note that Marius had made it clear that it was his council that kept Miss Anatos involved in her arrangement with the coterie. The inherent threat was that it was also something he could council her against. "I believe that we can overlook such a minor trangsression..." started Michael. "...as I'm sure you could overlook me establishing political connections within Priss's border barony in order to assist her in maintaining her independence."
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| Henrique 'Hank' Boyd - Brujah Crypts Sons Baron |
"You have no need of another handful of followers and the ambitious Priss would chaff under your rule and certainly cause you many future problems. Having had a taste of leadership she would not surrender it easily." Marius conceded the point and Michael continued. "My future plans for the city would also be made more complicated should Hank overcome his current weakened position. As it stands he will be more receptive to assistance from a friend he respects."
Marius leaned back in his chair and seemed to be contemplating Michael's statement. As he did so his jacket slid open, revealing a large revolver in a shoulder holster. The Gangrel Fixer seemed to notice it for the first time. "My apologies." he said, and seemed to mean it. "Would you like me to leave this outside? I quite forgot I was wearing it..." Michael waved the question aside. "It is of little consequence given the abilities within this room." "Though you haven't answered my question yet..."
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| Priss - Baron of 'The Border' |
Expecting no less, Michael gave his agreement. "Of course, if you're going to be dealing with Priss then I have a piece of information that might be of interest to you." "She isn't Brujah as everyone presumes, she is in fact of Clan Lasombra."
"That actually explains a lot." stated Michael. "Is she in any way associated with or related to Atarah?"
The question had occurred to the others too. Atarah had been freed from her imprisonment and slavery in the service of the now destroyed Baron Vignes, in part, by the actions of the coterie and so was fairly well inclined towards them. This was despite the fact that they had contemplated her destruction while she was in a weakened state after her awakening. A fact of which she was very much aware.
She now resided in the domain of Baron Fortier who had granted her all the churches within his territory as feeding grounds. Though no-one new for certain what she had offered in exchange for these considerations, it had been noticed that Fortiers enemies within West L.A. had an unfortunate habit of disappearing without trace, and did so with worrying frequency.
"She is not. As far as I'm aware that is..." replied Marius. "...she is most likely a childe of Mohammed al-Muthlim, former leader of the Crypts Sons and probably fled to the Barony of the Angels to avoid sharing her sires destruction at the hands of the Kindred of the East." "I'm guessing of course..." continued Marius. "...but given the rarity of Lasombra Anarchs it seems likely. His other childe was seemingly less fortunate."
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| Brunhilde - Gangrel Valkyrie Sire of Karen Anatos |
Taking advantage of Marius's unusually cooperative state of mind, the coterie used the opportunity to gain what information they could on a number of subjects and share some of their own insights in return. Marius elaborated somewhat on Atarah and warned the coterie that she was more than capable of bypassing their havens defences, destroying them and leaving again should she know their location and have reason.
He also cautioned against any pre-emptive actions against Karen Anatos should they believe she was about to declare Burbank independent once more. He told them that her sire was a very powerful and influential Gangrel with access to a small army of loyal kindred and that drawing her attention was a very bad idea.
Daniel raised his suspicions that Victor Girard had access to MacNeil's system and that he may have used it to pre-warn the the Crypts Sons rivals 'The Blood'. Marius however was of the same opinion of Carmelita. He believed that Victor was using his media empire to gain advance notice of issues and scandal and then feed positive or negative stories to the press to either suppress or enhance the potential results.
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| Salvador Garcia - Brujah Leader of El Hermandad |
The subject of Mr Hertz's discoveries were then bought up. Namely that Marius's company Aegis had converted a location for Jeremy MacNeil that later became the site of the System. "We built a haven for him in a former Setite temple he'd acquired. Usual sort of thing, reinforced, security updated, day-room, armoury, etc." Of course what they really wanted to know was where it was.
"Location? It was somewhere in the Oaks estates right on the edge of Griffiths Park, though still within werewolf territory of course. I don't remember the exact location but I can have it pulled from Aegis's files if it's important? No charge, I already owe you for sneaking in and out of Burbank I suppose..."
The conversation then turned to one of the significant difficulties in travelling through Griffith Park if you were a kindred. Namely werewolves. Fortunately, Marius's sire had been a successful hunter of them and had passed on a significant portion of his accumulated knowledge to him. He seemed happy to pass some of this on.
Scene Thirty Five - An Idiots Guide to Werewolves...
Storytellers Note - This scene was mainly to introduce the players to the idea that there are a lot of werewolves in the city and get them used to some of the basic concepts that they as characters would be able to learn. Of course as soon as I become generous with information on a subject the players get paranoid...
"Werewolves, Lupines, Garou, or whatever you care to call them can take any one of five forms. What they refer to amongst themselves as 'Homid' is indistinguishable from a normal human, except for the curse that makes humans and somewhat ironically wolves tend to feel uneasy around the Garou, other animals too of course. Their is also a weird effect when they change shape where people seeing it basically don't believe their own eyes and rationalise it."
Though both Vin, Daniel and especially Michael vowed to keep a healthy distance from any they might meet, Hope had a dangerous look in her eyes when werewolves were mentioned. As far as she was concerned, a werewolf kill would elevate her status massively amongst her own clan. If she survived that is.
They then enquired about whether the ones in Griffith Park were the same as the ones in the Santa Monica mountains, the ones below Downtown and the few rumoured to populate the San Gabriel mountains. Marius knew of four different tribes in the city and passed on some basic information to Michael's coterie.
"They're the scavengers and survivors of the Garou, the Bone Gnawers are seen by the other tribes as little more than mongrels who sift through the waste of mankind."
"The Bone Gnawers see themselves as underdogs, waiting to triumph against overconfident foes. The ones beneath Downtown refer to themselves as The Hood, others of the tribe live on the outskirts of Griffith Park and call themselves The Swarm."
"The Hood are dedicated to distributing the wealth from the rich to the poor, provided that the money they provide is used for useful things. The Swarm focus on the war-aspect of their tribe, concentrating on dirty fighting and exploiting every advantage they get over an enemy."
"They specialise in urban terrorism, striking against the Wyrm and instantly disappearing. It was probably the latter camp who were responsible for destroying NikNak Computing, though according to Bertram someone shut down their security systems remotely beforehand. He suspects Amethyst's former pet 'Zipper' was responsible for that. It's an unusual alliance don't you think? Still, stranger things have happened I suppose..."
"The Black Furies are the matriarchs of the Garou, they only accept women as members, well, save a few male metis. What do you mean what's a Metis?"
"A 'Metis' is the reason why sexual relations between Garou is forbidden by most of the tribes, the result of such a union is usually disabled in some way. This disability may be a physical deformity (such as a withered limb), a mental disability (such as severe mental illness), an intellectual impairment, or even a spiritual disability (which is somewhat out of my purview)."
"Metis are also born in their War form and that is their natural one. As you imagine that is somewhat inconvenient."
"...anyway the Black Furies are known for their honour, wisdom, pride, and fierce skills in battle. Furies mistrust written records, seeing them as tainted by the Weaver's webs. Thus they trust solely oral records passed on from mother to daughter. This makes much of their history more myth than certainty. Like the Gangrel in a way, though I wouldn't make that comparison to one of the Black Furies."
"The only Black Furies camp I know of are called Freebooters. Their mission is to find new Wyld places that can be consecrated to Gaia and opened as Caerns, sacred sites that they venerate."
Glass Walkers
"The Glass Walkers are steeped in technology, human religion, and the ebb and flow of the city, the Glass Walkers live and die by a creed of progress. They believe that each passing day makes them stronger, that every new invention may be appropriated for their cause, and that every new philosophy might strengthen their resolve."
"Glass Walkers don't have the strong aversion to human populations that most Garou do. Pasadena is full of them. They're Corporate Wolves, who insert themselves strongly in the corporate world and strive to keep Wyrm-influenced corporations like Pentex in check. I believe you met one not so long ago."
Black Spiral Dancers
"Also known as the Lost Tribe, the dreaded Black Spiral Dancers are the Garou who turned to the Wyrm. Their are quite insane, and usually sadistic bastards too. There's something below Griffith Park that they protect fanatically, some mythical source of power sacred to them. The Swarm I mentioned earlier have been making hit and run attacks against them with some success, as they have the advantage of not being insane."
"That's great and all..." Interrupted Daniel. "...but what I really want to know is how to kill one if things go hideously wrong..." This made Marius laugh out loud. He then became more serious. "Silver hurts a werewolf like a metal slug would hurt a mortal in any form but their breed form. Sorry, That probably needs more of an explanation..." "The breed is determined by the natural form of a child’s mother. If the mother is a human or homid (human) Garou, then the child is born as a homid. If the mother is a wolf or a lupus (wolf) Garou, then the child is born as a lupus. If both the parents are garou, the child is born as a metis. Metis I already mentioned, right?"
The Black Spiral Dancers - Wyrm Corrupted Werewolf Tribe
"It’s difficult to fashion a weapon out of silver, but a skilled blacksmith or gunsmith can do so. Some items and weapons can be plated with silver, rather than being made entirely of silver. These items would deal damage as though they were solid silver weapons, but the plating is ruined after a couple of blows. Doesn't work with bullets unfortunately. There's just not enough silver in the plating to make a difference."
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| Silver Bullets |
"I hope you have a good guide." Said Marius. "Because you're going to need one."
Michael mentioned that they had provisionally booked the services of a Gangrel called 'Crow'. As Hope and Daniel already knew, Marius was aware of her. "I offered her a job you know? She told me to fuck off. I was that surprised I forgot to rip her head off." Though Marius was quite difficult to read, Michael could tell that he wasn't serious. "Lucky for her she caught you on a good day then." They both laughed at the same time. It seemed like a joke between friends but Michael was still under no illusions. Marius could change moods on the most slender of perceived provocations.
Velvet Velour - Toreador, The Very Persuasive Owner of Club Vesuvius
"Well I have stuff of my own to do so if you'll excuse me Baron, I'll be leaving now." Still unused to Marius showing him any respect, Michael was thrown once more. "You're wondering why I've been using your title?" Michael admitted that he was curious. "After Velvet finished bending Isaac's ear, she went to work on mine." replied Marius, though Michael wasn't convinced that was the whole reason.
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| Philippe Volgirre - Toreador Antitribu |
Michael was granted the rare pleasure of seeing a genuinely surprised expression on Marius's face. "You're Volgirre? Interesting. That makes your morality even more impressive."
This didn't seem to be a hollow platitude, Marius seemed actually impressed. "Just inform Victoria when you're ready and I'm sure she'll enjoy giving you the benefit of her experiences." Michael didn't relish the thought of being taught anything by 'The Fixers' psychotic personal assistant, but it seemed she was his only option.
After Marius left. Michael addressed the coterie. "Looks like we're just waiting on Marius coming through with an address. let's make sure we're ready to go as soon as he does..."
Daniel turned to Vin as he was the only other ranged weapon user present. "Where can we get silver bullets on short notice?" Vin fortunately had a suggestion that might help. "Did you know that Mr Hertz loads his own ammunition. His personal armoury is old so he makes his own bullets too..."
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 coterie have adopted the pragmatic approach of allying with the factions they can't beat immediately and gradually weakening everyone else. Hopefully that will pay off for them. It's certainly more subtle than their usual approach.
The coterie have adopted the pragmatic approach of allying with the factions they can't beat immediately and gradually weakening everyone else. Hopefully that will pay off for them. It's certainly more subtle than their usual approach.
Acknowledgements
“Portions of the materials are the copyrights and trademarks of White Wolf Entertainment AB, and are used with permission. All rights reserved. For more information please visit white-wolf.com.”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, Lisa Irving is Amanda Righetti, Carmelita Neillson is Salma Hayek, Victor Girard is Bob Hoskins, Abasi Khalil is Zeeko Zaki, Isaac Abrams is Gary Oldman, Fiorenza Savona is Jamie Lee Curtis, Dawn Cavanagh is Emma Stone, Sir Ralph Hamilton is Pierce Brosnan, Velvet Velour is Olga Bazanova, Leanna is Leeanna Vamp, Stephanie Mayoux is Emily Beecham, JoaquÃn Murietta is Danny Trejo, Heather Taylor is Liz Vicious, Tara Kearney is Melissa Rauch, Karen Anatos is Christina Hendricks and Hank Boyd is Michael Clarke Duncan.
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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