Vampire the Masquerade - V5 - Session Four - Galerie Sanguine: San Diego

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

Our primary 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. This however is the second one of several planned interludes which will centre on the expansion of Baron Michael Tomassio's 'Galerie Sanguine' franchise to other domains.

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The now obligatory warning bit - These session write-ups will contain swearing, sexual references and other references that might offend. There are however a list of potential triggers listed before the introduction. 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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Links to our main campaign, with a summary of each session can be found HERE.
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Links

San Diego: Chronicle Briefing

Galerie Sanguine: San Diego - 'Part One'

Galerie Sanguine: San Diego - 'Part Two'

Galerie Sanguine: San Diego - 'Part Three'

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The PC's

Luthor Constantine - The Ministry, Conspiracy Debunker

Ethan Holst - Samedi, Mortician

Luthor Constantine and Ethan Holst

Chronicle Tenet - "Don't bite the hand that feeds you."

The Storyteller

As everyone else...

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. Introductory pieces that I read to the group are in Blue. 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.

Trigger Warnings for This Session: Blood (Obviously)

Introduction

After cutting a deal with the duskborn leaders, with an offer of feeding rights in exchange for information, Ethan and Luthor believe they have began to make some progress in their investigation. Unfortunately Baron Tara's actions almost immediately undermined this arrangement, but this was beyond their control.

They have also been informed that the recent visitors to San Diego, The Ventrue Anika Norton, and her Brujah allies, Alec Doherty and Jaime Bartlett, are expecting them this evening. Anika's name had been bought to their attention as part of the investigation into the recent murders within the city. Rumours that her preferred feeding vessels were young children needed to be investigated.

Scene Thirteen - Escalation

Josef Moyer - Caitiff
In Torpor

The pair are to undertake this visit without their guide Cecilia as she and the rest of Tara's 'muscle' are currently occupied due to recent actions by Baron Tara.

Unsatisfied with the the Caitiff and Duskborn leaders protestations of innocence, the cities Constable Absalom Hood was despatched to speak to Josef Moyer and Sapphire Khan, and tensions apparently escalated. One of Absalom's childer has been severely injured and two of the Duskborn contingent have met their final deaths, with Josef now in torpor. 

Sapphire and the rest escaped the carnage and are now on the run. Tara's sweepers are in pursuit, but it seems that Sapphire had prepared for this eventuality and is proving difficult to locate.

The hunt has been further impeded by an apparent reluctance on the part of Constance Carson, The Oratory representative within the city, to join in the search. Most believe she is just holding out for a better price. Others are speculating that she's waiting to see how this effects the balance of power, before picking a side.

In light of these events Tara's emissary, Cassie Rosales, has spread the word that all visitors to the city from this night onwards must introduce themselves to the cities Constable within one night of their arrival, and furthermore that any kindred caught aiding Sapphire in any way will be severely punished. 

Cassie Rosales - 'Free' Ventrue
Emissary of Baron Tara

Though the exact nature of this 'punishment' hasn't been spelt out, it's generally considered that Final Death will be Tara's 'go-to'.

Meanwhile, they have their own tasks to perform.

Anika and her followers have based themselves in a residential area of Point Loma, on the top floor of an apartment building above a real estate office. Taking control of such an area indicated that Anika must have had access to some financial resources of her own, and presumably ghouls too.

Given the current situation, Absalom has given them access to one of his armouries. Whether they avail themselves of this resource is up to them.

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Absalom seems to have been preparing for open warfare for some time. The armoury contained body armour, combat harnesses of various kinds, and a variety of light and heavy weaponry.

The pistols were divided between Sig Sauer 320's and a variety of different models of Glock, as well as some unusual weapons with built in suppressors that Ethan recognised as Maxim 9's of various configurations. There were also a number of compact sub-machineguns, including Mac-10's chambered in both 9mm and .45ACP sub-sonic rounds, as well as modern variants of the Micro-Uzi and a few Skorpion machine-pistols in their own holsters.

Mossberg 500 Pump Action 12 Gauge Shotgun

Next to these were a rack of military assault rifles, but none of these were particularly practical for their current needs. Ammunition for all these weapons was plentiful, as were the usual accessories such as laser sights, flashlights and various optical and fixed sights. Several shotguns, mainly Mossbergs and similar, were also there.

Amongst the more unusual equipment was a rack filled with wooden stakes, machine sharpened to wicked looking points, beneath a selection of crossbows. Heavy bladed combat knives and several axes and trenching shovels completed the anti-kindred portion of the displays.

"Just in case..." says Absalom.

Uzi-pro SMG

Ethan took one of the shotguns as well as a selection of both shells, and solid slugs, though opted to keep it in his car, rather than on his person. Luthor, on the other hand, took an Uzi-Pro, mainly as it was, in his opinion at least, "...the coolest looking gun they had..." he also selected one of pretty much every accessory that would fit on it, much to Ethan's amusement.

"I'm not even sure if this is worth our time..." began Luthor as he settled himself in the passenger seat of Ethan's car. "...If these three have got themselves established in the city then what's the point in rocking the boat?"

Ethan admitted that he had no idea, but if it turned out that there was something to it, and then Tara subsequently discovered that they had a lead, but had done nothing with it, then that would cause them a lot more trouble than one quick visit to a potential suspect. Baron Tara and Constable Absalom were on the warpath, so keeping on their good sides was more important than ever.

Scene Fourteen - Anika

'Katherine' - Ghoul of Anika
Personal Assistant

The offices below Anika's haven were closed, but there were lights on, and a woman was sitting in the office, apparently catching up on paperwork. There were also several security cameras on the outside of the building, but this was hardly surprising in this day and age.

Ethan parked right outside. After all, they were here by invitation.

As they approached, the woman rose and unlocked the door. Evidently they were expected. She was dressed in a sixties style skirt and blouse, her blonde hair was also styled like something from an older time and she exuded confidence. Both suspected that she was likely a ghoul, and seemed to be an experienced and competent one.

"Can I help you?"

Luthor dealt with the introductions. "I'm sure you can, we've been given permission to speak to Anika this evening. We're expected." Ethan noted that locks were sturdy and that the glass was reinforced, which would slow down any potential retreat, but not by much, but in that situation every second would likely count. 

The Samedi was well aware that his ally Luthor never considered such things, he however, liked to know that there was a way out of this place if they needed one. The more they looked into this Anika person, the more he suspected that there was far more to her than first appeared.

Alec Doherty - Brujah
Ally of Anika Norton

The P.A. returned to her desk and pressed a button on an internal intercom system. "Your guests are here miss Norton. Shall I escort them up?" The question was answered by the presence of a formidable looking kindred who entered the room a moment later. "Don't worry Katherine, I'll take it from here..."

Luthor offered Katherine his hand to shake, which she accepted, and thanked her for her assistance, while Ethan Holst introduced himself and his companion to the new arrival.

Their guide was a black man, a few inches over six feet tall, embraced in his forties or fifties, and was in excellent physical condition. A handgun was holstered at his right hip, with three spare clips on his left. He introduced himself as Alec. 

"You're not Tara's usual lot?"

"We're new to the city,..." explained Luthor. "...and we'd been tasked with providing some expertise to the city's Constable, Absalom Hood, and afterwards Tara insisted that we stay and help some more. You know how it is when the powers that be make a request like that. Refusal wasn't really an option..."

The Brujah acknowledged the explanation with a nod, but made no further comment.

They were then escorted into a meeting room, presumably it had some purpose related to the business downstairs. Anika was seated at the far end of a heavy wooden table. At her left shoulder was another kindred, well over six and a half feet tall, with a shaved head, beard and wearing a leather jacket. He was also armed, though his guns were in shoulder holsters, not at his waist.

Jaime Bartlett - Brujah
Ally of Anika Norton

Both of these weapons were huge, though they imagined they still looked like toys in this kindreds gigantic hands. Presumably this was Jaime Bartlett, the second of Anika's allies.

Alec indicated several chairs at the opposite end of the table, then moved to stand in one corner of the room, where he had a view of both themselves, Anika, and the door. Ethan noted his positioning with some concern, it was looking more and more like getting back out of this place was going to be a lot trickier than getting in, if the shit hit the fan that was.

"Are you here as representatives of Baron Tara of San Diego, or Baron Michael Tomassio, Arbiter of the Anarch Council of Los Angeles?" asked Anika, without pre-amble.

"At this particular instant..." replied Luthor, "...were agents of the Baron..." 

Ethan, however added a comment of his own. "We're more concerned citizens at the moment." Ethan wanted the guards unsure of the relationship between them both, so as to split their focus. The deeper he got into this place, the more concerned he became, something just wasn't feeling right. Luthor on the other hand seemed oblivious to any danger they might be in.

"What brings you to our door?" asked Anika, though Luthor would have been amazed if she didn't already know.

"A curious murder has occurred..." he replied. "...I'm surprised you hadn't heard about it?"

Anika's voice and facial expression were quite neutral and Luthor was unable to get a 'read' from her as she answered. "Oh that? Everyone knows about that. As soon as they tried to keep it a secret the information became like currency to kindred. What I mean, is why are you here specifically? I Fail to see what it has to do with me."

Anika Norton - Ventrue

Luthor saw no need to hide what he'd been told. After all, it was someone else's accusation, he was merely investigating it, "Cities such as this are a rumour-mill, as you yourself just attested to. Things have been said relating to your preferences, some flattering, some not. Some of the victims apparently match your,,, tastes?

Anika, raised an eyebrow "A family.,, Yes, I see where this is going..." She then elaborated.

"My preference is for young men, but eighteen years, not eighteen months, and I'm more than capable of talking such vessels into my bed entirely of their own accord, Perhaps it's coincidental, but these unpleasant rumours came about almost immediately after I told one of this city's kindred residents that I had no desire to be his ally. I believe you've met Mr Justin Rush as part of your investigations?"

Luthor commented on how well informed Anika was, and suspected that she was about to spread some rumours of her own. Before he could continue, the Ventrue asked another question.

"So, what did you think of Justin Rush?"

Luthor decided to be noncommittal in his response. "He's a businessman and a favoured ally of Tara. It seems that he's had a run of bad luck lately. This recent incident has left him in somewhat of a weakened position. But I'm interested in your opinion of him..." Anika seemed to be anticipating this question.

Justin Rush - Brujah
San Diego Businessman

"I believe he sees the future of San Diego in different hands to those that currently hold tightly to it. I also have some suspicions that this might explain why Constance Carson isn't trying quite as hard as she might to dislodge him from his position. No-one wants to antagonise someone who might rise to power in the future. Our kind have a tendency to hold grudges..."

While talking to Anika, Luthor had been observing the reaction of the other pair of kindred associates of hers too. He had considerable experience in observing hierarchies of various kinds. Some relationships were based on fear, others on love, or blind devotion, but one thing was a constant, and that was that obtaining the trust of another took time. This was something that 'The Ministry', of which Luthor was a clan member, was well aware of.

He therefore had his doubts that the relationship between these three was as recent as the city had been led to believe. In his opinion these three had been a team for a long time. Ethan had also been making some observations of his own. These weren't neonates. They had the confidence of age, and a mutual trust based on experience.

Luthor suspected that they were a commando coterie of some description. They had learned that many believed that Tara would be best removed, and considered her to be San Diego's weak link. Someone with a working relationship with other kindred of influence might want to take over. Luthor's first thought was that The Oratory might be ready to insert their own candidate. Marius, like his sire Xaviar, had often inspired regime changes through manipulation rather than outright aggression, and Luthor was reasonably sure that Constance Carson would jump at the chance to rule the city.

Marius 'The Wolf Spider' Walker, Leader of 'The Oratory'

Luthor had also been carefully observing Anika but could discern nothing from her voice or demeanour that gave him any additional clues to her intent. He decided to see if he could provoke a reaction, perhaps prompting her to fill in some of the gaps for him.

"Many are better positioned to pull off such a coo than Mr Rush. Maybe the Camarilla, or maybe someone local. It's suspicious that he, and others, direct us to you. Who else has influence at the airport I wonder..."

Scene Fifteen - Archon

Symbol of the The Camarilla

Ethan immediately noticed the change in atmosphere as the Camarilla were mentioned, though it took Luthor a little longer as he was in full flow at the time. The Samedi was reasonably sure that Luthor had just been throwing out names for effect before getting around to his actual point. Now it appeared that he'd stumbled onto something by accident, and that something might be about to get them both destroyed.

"You're very observant..." Anika replied, her tone now much colder. "...Though perhaps a little arrogant too? A sensible individual would have kept those observations more closely concealed, until they were sure, exactly who they were actually dealing with..."

"Perhaps it might be best if these theories of yours never left this room, in case another kindred were to jump to the same wrong conclusions about us?"

Both Alec and Jaime's postures had subtly changed, and they now seemed poised and ready to act upon Anika's decision. Luthor concluded that now might be a good time to convince her of their good intentions. Ethan, meanwhile, was reasonably sure he could get to the door before any of the kindred within could stop him. Primarily because he was almost positive that they'd open fire on Luthor first.

Tara Kearney - Brujah
The Baron of San Diego

Though on the inside he was terrified, Luthor's expression exuded confidence. Now was not the time to look weak, he needed to take control of this conversation before Anika decided to act. Luckily he did his best work while under pressure.

"It would be strange if the people sent to talk to you suddenly disappeared, what if we were to walk out of here, leaving you with an ally who sympathised with your position?, the city is not exactly in a steady pair of hands currently. Sooner rather than later some kindred will attempt to change this domains leadership, and it would be easier if they had the help of someone they could trust, perhaps someone who knew where Absalom hood's armoury was kept. A relationship between us would be beneficial."

Worryingly, it seemed that Anika had already weighed up this eventuality "Tara's anger is a possibility, however, should your bodies be found next to obvious clues to Sapphire's involvement in your final deaths, then the logical conclusion is that she blamed you for Tara's actions and took her revenge. As this fits the Baron's internal narrative perfectly, I doubt any real investigation into the matter would ever be done..."

There was a pause. Anika had evidently came to a decision. "As you have guessed, I am not some Ventrue on the run from my sire, and my companions have not been driven from their havens. Mainly because anyone who attempted to do so would be very destroyed, very quickly. My name is indeed Anika, but my actual title is Archon."

Society of Leopold
Religious Arm of the Inquisitor

Ethan was still considering his potential escape. The guards were now focussed upon Luthor, who Ethan was sure must be terrified right now, yet on the outside Luthor Constantine appeared to be completely calm and controlled.

Anika abruptly changed the subject "What do you know of the Second Inquisition?"

"Not a great deal..." interjected Ethan, before Luthor got them in trouble again. "We've both been fortunate enough to keep our distance from their activities, other kindred have been far less careful and paid the price for their carelessness. I've personally cleared up such scenes. They weren't pleasant."

Anika nodded, then elaborated. "The SI and their allies in the Society of Leopold had significant success against kindred in the early days. The so-called war on terror was at it's height so any act could be justified, and the funds obtained for these actions easily signed off. Early operations against many kindred, though mainly Ventrue, allowed the SI under it's various guises, to seize considerable financial assets which gave them a certain measure of independence to act as they pleased."

"Now, however, things are a bit different. Experts in finance such as Fiorenza Savona, and security geniuses like Ambrus Maropis, have made these finances far harder to trace, and our kind have grown wise to the warning signs of an Inquisition incursion. Infiltration of government agencies has also become a priority for 'us' so our ability to make these agencies lives difficult has increased. Nothing slows down a high-spending organisation like an oversight committee filled with bean-counting bureaucrats."

Fiorenza Savona - Ventrue Power Broker

"However, a new and worrying development has come to our attention..."

The conversation now had Luthor and Ethan's undivided attention. Something that worried the Camarilla enough to provoke them to send a team of Archons into Anarch territory undercover was going to be a significant threat.

FIRSTLIGHT
Military Arm of the Inquisition

"Though it has forced a wedge between the military organisations and the religious ones, we believe that the Second Inquisition has started to create kindred of it's own for infiltration purposes. Only the weakest are allowed to exist of course, but the end justifies the means." 

"We believe that the test-run for this plan involves planting one agent in a Camarilla domain, and another in an Anarch one. The Chicago infiltrator appears to have been tasked with taking over the area surrounding the city's main airport. Presumably as this enables him to be contacted and supplied easily, as well as giving him, or her, considerable power in their respective domain. Hopefully you can see where I'm going with this?"

Luthor was smart enough to see where this was going, as was Ethan, but it was Luthor who replied "Yes. You mean our mysterious kindred at the airport who seems able to bypass security with ease..."

Satisfied with the reply, Anika continued. "We also now believe that this fledgling was attempting to sabotage a competitor and succumbed to frenzy while doing so, then his handlers attempted a hasty cover-up. Given your own investigations do you have anything to add to this theory?"

The Archons were obviously fishing for info. Ethan saw no reason to hold back and shared all their discoveries so far. He too had suspected that this mysterious killer had a handler of some description, though he had suspected another kindred, not the Second Inquisition. As Ethan explained the additional mystery of the children's wounds having signs of both feeding and extraction of fluids via syringe.

Blood Sample Vial

Anika believed that she had an explanation. "Mr Rush's ghoul fathered two children while kindred vitae was within his system. Ghouls, both male and female, have trouble procreating, so it's possible that someone within the SI was curious enough to take blood samples. It's also possible, though I'm guessing at this point, that if a more religious minded member of the SI was also present, that he might have objected to such 'creatures' being spared...."

"Well this puts a completely different spin on the evening now doesn't it?" replied Luthor. "The search for the S.I. now clearly has to take priority."

Ethan was reasonably sure that Anika was holding something back. He sensed a brief moment of hesitation whenever Tara's name came up in conversation. Clearly something about Tara was a concern to her. He decided at this point that he had nothing to lose, and decided to press the point.

"We are investigating for the Baron, but in many ways what we are doing is providing a degree of comfort for those in the city. If we can't find any more information, or you can provide none, we must continue to serve Tara's needs. Whether that is good or the city, or not, is open to debate. I imagine you must have gathered some intelligence on the Baron, do you have any insights?"

Neither Luthor nor Ethan could tell if Anika was impressed, or annoyed, but they were certainly onto something. Her reply didn't exactly fill them with confidence.

"Well aren't you the observant ones. Perhaps sparing you both wasn't such a great idea after all..."

Scene Sixteen - Fugitive

Sapphire Khan - Caitiff
Fugitive

"Please join us Miss Khan..." asked Anika, as the side door opened to reveal Sapphire Khan, currently the most wanted kindred in the city. "Be so kind as to tell this pair what you told us about the night Tara met her Final Death..."

Sapphire turned to Ethan. "I understand you have considerable knowledge of anatomy and the nature of life and death? Perhaps you have an explanation for what I'm about to tell you."

She had Ethan's undivided attention. This was going to be interesting.

"Me and the rest of Jenna Cross's carefully trained strike team, systematically wiped out Tara's security guards and punched through her physical security. She'd already been shot several times when we chased her onto the roof."

It was clear to all present that the memory gave her considerable pleasure.

"As she turned to face me, Jenna gave me the honour of the kill. I emptied the contents of a .357 magnum into the Baron's face, and then the rest of our people opened fire at point blank range. If she was hit by less than fifty rounds then it wasn't by many, then we threw her decaying corpse off the roof. What was left of her hit the ground like a chunk of meat. Short of then setting the remains on fire, she was as destroyed as it's possible for a kindred to be. No way she survived... ...no... fucking... way... either she is an imposter, or something far worse."

"I've stood a few feet from this 'Tara', and looked her straight in the eye and she had no idea who I was. If I shot you in the fucking head six times and you survived, you'd sure as hell recognise me, right?"

Jenna Cross - Caitiff
Messiah, Presumed Destroyed

Anika interrupts at this point.

"It's possible, based on Sapphire's testimony, that Tara's reasons for wanting Sapphire and Josef gone, aren't because they were almost responsible for her destruction, but because they know that she couldn't possibly be Tara and that fact would like to be kept a secret."

"Absalom Hood claimed to have found Tara in torpor and moved her to safety. If Sapphire is to be believed, and I see no reason to doubt her, then he would also have to be aware that Tara is either an imposter, or something worse. This, of course, complicates the issue of the Second Inquisition as we must be careful not to become involved in both matters simultaneously. We are only three, and despite being very capable, can only be in so many places at once."

"Also, and with all due respect to miss Khan, we couldn't really give a fuck who runs San Diego, unless a new candidate would be more inclined to help us. Then we might be inclined to help them."

Luthor was sure that Sapphire Khan believed what she said, and that Anika believed Sapphire. 

Luthor had no interest in getting directly involved in anything that might get him destroyed, so decided that the best plan was to manipulate someone else to do the job for them, "I imagine someone in the city who was in mind for a regime change, not us of course, not Justin either, might be the people to do this. Getting the information into their hands would be fairly simple."

Constance Carson - Gangrel
The Oratory, San Diego

Anika had considered this. "I believe you are referring to Marius's Oratory? It has been considered but for some reason he has been supporting Tara's regime, not undermining it, and his representative Constance Carson seems to have adopted a 'hands off' attitude to the airport issue."

Ethan had a question about an earlier point made by Sapphire "What do you mean by 'or something worse'?" 

"I've heard that things can animate bodies other than the original occupant..." replied Sapphire.

Ethan had looked into the occult in significant detail and had has his doubts. "Theoretically it's possible, and flesh can be rebuilt, but given the calibre of weaponry you described, not to mention the fall, it would require too much effort to rebuild a body. Such a spirit would be better served taking another host."

"An imposter would be more likely. As power plays go, installing a sleeper agent is a better plan."

Luthor had something to add. "It's painfully clear that Absalom's loyalty to Tara is absolute, and love is a powerful motivator, perhaps he just couldn't let the memory of her go? Many of Tara's followers were obsessively loyal to her and Absalom. Perhaps one of those was a candidate for the Baron's replacement."

"Having Tara on top keeps Absalom in power too. So his reasons could also be entirely selfish. But whatever the reasoning, If Tara is an imposter there's absolutely no way Absalom doesn't know."

Absalom Hood, 'Constable' of San Diego

Ethan had another concern. "Given Tara's pronouncement about Sapphire, if it's revealed that we know of her location, we're all fucked." Anika then returned the conversation to the Archon's primary concern "We have a plan to oust this SI stooge, but we'll need more help than we currently have. So I have one question. Are you with us, or not?"

Luthor decided to push his luck a little. "The question should be 'are you with us', as it's our investigation..."  Anika smiled for the first time since they'd arrived before replying. 

"Don't make me regret not shooting you..."

To Be Continued in 'Galerie Sanguine: San Diego (Part Five)'

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Storytellers Conclusions

I sometimes 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....

We're approaching the endgame and the players now need to pick a side. I wonder which way they'll go?

Song Lyrics

Also, the quote in the header is from the following song, should any-one be interested.

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Further 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 Luthor Constantine is Michele Morrone Michael, Ethan Holst is Bryan Cranston, Josef Moyer is Sterling K Brown, Cassie Rosales is Claudia Black, 'Katherine' is Holly Willoughby, Alec Doughty is Hamilton Cobb, Jaime Bartlett is Tyler Mane, Anika Norton is Sarah Paulson, Justin Rush is Armie Hammer, Marius Walker is Tony Curran, Baron Tara Kearney is Melissa Rauch, Fiorenza Savona is Jamie Lee Curtis, Sapphire Khan is Uzo Aduba, Jenna Cross is Rhona Mitra, Constance Carson is Dina Meyer and Absalom Hood is Jamie Dornan.

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.

Vampire the Masquerade - V5 - Session Three - Galerie Sanguine: San Diego

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

Our primary 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. This however is the second one of several planned interludes which will centre on the expansion of Baron Michael Tomassio's 'Galerie Sanguine' franchise to other domains.

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The now obligatory warning bit - These session write-ups will contain swearing, sexual references and other references that might offend. There are however a list of potential triggers listed before the introduction. 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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Links to our main campaign, with a summary of each session can be found HERE.
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Links

San Diego: Chronicle Briefing

Galerie Sanguine: San Diego - 'Part One'

Galerie Sanguine: San Diego - 'Part Two'

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The PC's

Luthor Constantine - The Ministry, Conspiracy Debunker

Ethan Holst - Samedi, Mortician

Luthor Constantine and Ethan Holst

Chronicle Tenet - "Don't bite the hand that feeds you."

The Storyteller

As everyone else...

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. Introductory pieces that I read to the group are in Blue. 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.

Trigger Warnings for This Session: Blood (Obviously), Familicide, Occultism, Suicide

Introduction

The investigation into the mysterious and brutal deaths within San Diego, and their possible connection to several kindred of influence, continues.

So far they have had meetings with the Ventrue Justin Rush, and the Gangrel representative of the Oratory, Constance Carson, and they have been accompanied in these investigations by the childe of the cities Constable, Cecilia. The primary motivation for their involvement in the investigation is, however, the insistence of Baron Tara that they do so. She is not a kindred who takes kindly to the word 'No'.

Scene Nine - Ethan's Conclusions

Having had time to consider the evidence from both the crime scenes, and after listening to the input from several other kindred with their own theories, Ethan had begun to order the information in his mind more precisely.

As they travelled to the second of the nights meetings, these theories began to evolve.

His first conclusion was inescapable. A vampire was involved. Faking those bite marks would, in theory, be possible, but the exact wound size and impact damage, and additional damage to the arteries and veins from rapid, uncontrolled blood intake would be near impossible to mimic.

Crime Scene One - Conclusions

Secondly. The lone victim, the woman from the first scene, was tortured. Looking back at the symbols carved into, and drawn upon her flesh, their locations seemed suspicious. If one discounted the poorly added occult aspects, then the majority of the remaining wounds were on the parts of her body where the most pain could be inflicted.

He was also reasonably sure that two of the marks upon her wrists that he initially presumed were hesitation marks, could easily have been bite marks. After all, why would a kindred waste the opportunity to feed if they were planning on killing the individual anyway?

He couldn't imagine that she had any information of value to a torturer, until he took into account that her lover was an essential part of the smuggling operations of Justin Rush. Theodore Woodard was killed after her, had no official records linking him to his home, and would likely have taken precautions about being followed. given his chosen profession. It was therefore reasonable to conclude that she would be an ideal source of information on Theodore's location.

Justin Rush and Constance Carson - Possible Conspirators

As he was also now sure that Justin Rush and Constance Carson were cooperating on some level, and she as a representative of Aegis, may have provided the apartment above the medical centre as somewhere for Justin's agent to stash his lover. This would make the connection to Tara and Aegis either a coincidence, or a case of 'killing two birds with one stone', by accomplishing their own goals and inconveniencing the cities Baron with a single act.

Crime Scene Two - Conclusions

In his experience as one who cleaned up after 'accidents' involving kindred, and cross referencing knowledge obtained from events in the past, the scene showed all the signs of a vampire in the throes of a hunger frenzy. The relentless assault from one victim to another, the need to pursue one attempting to escape, possibly only ending when the kindred was full once more and the beast was sated. 

The children were likely collateral damage. They couldn't be allowed to live after they had witnessed the events at the home, but if this amateur had been responsible, it was clear that he was unhappy about doing it. He or she'd also have certainly been full of vitae by this point, his beast silent after killing a mortal while feeding, which made their draining at his fangs seem even less likely. 

The only conclusion is that he had an ally, someone capable of quietening, or controlling the children, who they called in afterwards. Clearly he (or she) had no mental control capabilities of their own, or the woman killed for information wouldn't have needed to be tortured at all.

The needle marks were an added complication. The bites came first, the needle marks came later, not the other way around as he'd initially thought. But why would someone want samples of blood from the children of a blood-bound ghoul? That was still a mystery.

Therefore...

A vampire killed a woman for information on her lover, frenzied while killing them at their apartment, then called in an ally to help them clean-up or confuse the situation.

But why the occult symbols? He was now moving from evidence based conclusions to conjecture, and perhaps a little paranoia given the situation they were in, but a worrying conclusion kept working it's way back into his mind.

The occult symbolism, and to a lesser extent, the actual location of the crimes, accomplished only one thing. They drew the attention of the cities Constable and Census Takers, who then promptly went and visited the cities Baron. If someone new to the city, or kindred society in general, wanted to know who the power-players were, they now had some excellent intelligence on who these were. If they also had tracking capabilities, they might also now know where they made their havens.

Unfortunately, that would also include himself and Luthor Constantine...

Interlude - Sacrifice

"You failed with the almost-leeches..." stated the robed figure as he carefully honed the sword on his lap. "...it appears your charms were wasted on them. Or perhaps they're better judges of character than you thought?"

Aaron knew that Abel despised him, not for who he once was, but for what he had now become, yet he knew that without his own sacrifice, none of this plan would have been possible. He was also in no mood to be lectured to by a glorified priest with delusions of moral superiority.

Aaron felt his anger rising, a voice in the back of his head urged him to tear the fool before him into pieces. He'd need to feed soon. The beast within always spoke loudest when he hungered. With an act of will he forced it once more into the background, vocalising his anger rather than expressing it physically.

"I volunteered for this because none of your so-called hunters had the fucking balls to do it themselves. You've been at this for centuries and as far as I can see have accomplished basically fuck all. We've had more successes against the blank-bodies in the last twenty years than your fucking priesthood managed in the last two hundred..."

Abel returned the longsword to it's scabbard, rose from his seat and slowly walked towards the door to the staging area where his own warriors awaiting his commands. "You wait here..." he stated matter of factly as Aaron moved to follow him. "...while I go and sort out another of your fuck-ups..."

The door slammed shut, leaving Aaron alone with his anger. Then the whispering began once more...

Scene Ten - Suspicious Devices

Cecilia Baird - Brujah
Childe of Constable Absalom Hood

Cecilia briefed the pair before their next meeting.

"Next port of call is the duskborn... which is the main reason why I'm doing this, and not Absalom. I don't hate them just for being what they are, but if it was up to my sire they'd be ran out of the city as soon as Baron Tara gave the word. I'm not sure why she hasn't. If anyone had reason to hate them it would be her..."

The pair decided not to interrupt the briefing with any queries of their own until she'd finished speaking.

"I'm casually acquainted with one of the Caitiff under Josef and Sapphire's protection, so I have an 'in'. They'd clam up in a second if Absalom turned up. I might have more luck. Hopefully the fact that their friend got beaten into torpor for feeding in your domain won't be held against you..."

This wasn't actually the fault of either of them, this being entirely the decision of Baron Tara and her agents. Hopefully the duskborn shared this opinion. If not, things might become a bit tense.

"Anyway, we're going to need to backtrack a bit because they're currently based in a homeless shelter, off San Diego's Skid Row, just outside of Downtown. It's dangerously close to Absalom's feeding ground, but they weren't given much of a choice. I imagine the fear of accidentally wandering into his poorly defined feeding ground is why they ventured into yours..."

Both Luthor and Ethan got the impression that she felt some sympathy for the Caitiff and thin-bloods of the city but wouldn't go against her sire to help them.

Absalom Hood - Brujah
Constable of San Diego

Luthor decided to use the time to learn a little more about Tara's relationship with Absalom, though approached the subject with unusual tact, for him at least. Cecilia was clearly loyal to her sire, describing him as a "...loyal protector..." of Tara, when Luthor broached the subject of Absalom's defence and rescue of his Baron from the assault by Jenna Cross.

"It's important to do what we can to protect those around us..." agreed Luthor. "...a balance of power is also important to maintain in order to ensure peace, of course, I'm sure you'll agree that this also means that a close relationship between San Diego and L.A., is more important than ever due to the activities of The Sabbat and Camarilla both." 

Cecilia's reply was noncommittal, clearly she didn't feel like she could speak for her superiors on this matter, though Luthor got the impression that she agreed with him, at least in principle.

Luthor had a talent for conversation, though often he simply went into auto-pilot while he considered other things. In this case, he was considering Ethan's suspicions, shared with him earlier, that they themselves may also have drawn unwanted attention. On a whim, he decided to have a quick look underneath their vehicle.

Luthor was no expert on cars, but he was pretty sure that the square box beneath, heavily camouflaged with dirt and oil, definitely wasn't meant to be there. Deciding this was a job for someone a lot smarter than he was, as far as gadgetry was concerned at least, so he called over Ethan.

Ethan was experienced at cleaning up crime-scenes, both legitimately, and not, and so knew his way around surveillance devices and worse. The hardware was professionally concealed, though had been done in a hurry, and was also in completely the wrong place if it was an explosive device. Even with this conclusion made, he still approached it's removal with extreme care.

"It's a tracker with an independent power source..." concluded Ethan after cleaning the crap from the contraption and examining it closely. "...it's better to connect these things to the vehicles power source so they last forever, but obviously our spies didn't have the time or opportunity. This was their next best plan, I imagine."

He then turned to Cecilia. "Do you want it destroyed?" The neonate Brujah shrugged. Clearly this was a problem she'd never had to deal with before. After some consultation between Luthor and Ethan, they decided to conceal the device on another vehicle in the carpark, possibly belonging to one of the building staff, and let the devices owners chase that around for a while instead of them. They then took an indirect route to their next meeting. If they were still being followed, whoever it was, was very good, because none of the kindred could spot any sign of a tail.

Storytellers Note - 5 Successes on the roll was a bit of a a waste as they weren't being followed at this point anyway, but at least they felt reassured...

"I wonder where we were when they planted that?" mused Luthor. 

"First place we went...." theorized Ethan, though he had his reasons. "...remember how all the lights were out? It would have been fairly easy, and we were in there a while..."

Scene Eleven - Duskborn

The homeless shelter was open, but there were very few people outside. Hardly surprising considering how cold it currently was.

Daniela Merritt - Duskborn

Cecilia reveals that her contact was a woman named Daniela Merritt, and was usually on lookout due to her keen senses. Fortunately, she was indeed lurking around outside and recognised their companion. Daniela walked over and shook Cecilia's hand, though initially ignored both Luthor and Ethan. "Who are they?" she asked after a few moments delay.

"They have some relevant expertise in the matter were looking into, and then they kinda got drafted..." explained Cecilia "...They were sensible enough not to say 'No' when Tara decided they were going to continue helping... are they here?"

Daniela merely nodded, and headed inside, clearly knowing exactly who they were here to see...

Luthor lent over and whispered to Cecilia "Now we're here, we'll rely on you a little, we may not be the most welcome visitors." She subtly nodded her agreement.

Josef Moyer and Sapphire Khan are waiting for you all in an upstairs store room, half filled with boxes of food, presumably for the mortal inhabitants of the shelter. A selection of crates seemingly act as both table and chairs. Both have their backs to the walls, and seem less than happy to see you all.

"What the fuck are we being accused of now?" asked Sapphire, her hostility evident in both her tone, and her facial expression.

Cecilia explained that it was just routine. Sapphire clearly had her doubts that this was anything but 'routine' but made an effort to pretend that she believed what she was being told. 

Josef Meyer - Brujah
Former Civil Rights Activist

"We're not conspiring against Tara, we're just trying to survive..." began Josef, but after hearing about the investigation, opened up a little.

"We heard that there might be a kindred operating out of the airport. Whoever they are, they're well funded and have apparently found a way round the cameras. I can't see it being related to your investigation though. If anything the last thing someone like that would want is the Inquisition turning up, surely?"

Luthor pointed out that if they had other suspects to look into, then the Duskborn might end up out of the spotlight for a bit. Sapphire seemed to consider this for a moment, perhaps deciding who exactly to throw under the bus. it seemed that someone had sprung to mind as she answered. 

"That Ventrue and her two Brujah pals might be worth talking to. I hear that they're establishing a presence in the city, and that seems like a strange move for kindred who are 'just passing through'. There's also a rumour that the Ventrue, Anika I think her name is? likes her meals young and tender, so maybe dead kids are her thing too?"

The connection seemed vague to Ethan, but Sapphire seemed very keen to point them in her direction, which only made him more suspicious. Luthor was also sure that this was a distraction, even if it might be true, and that she was withholding something from them.

Sapphire Khan - Caitiff
Former Civil Rights Activist

Luthor decided that the Duskborn desire for privacy was the best weakness to exploit and so began to explain that kindred of note were now taking an interest in the airport, that this would mean more people sneaking around, and that this might draw attention to Josef and Sapphire's followers that they could do without. He also subtly reminded them that Cecilia's fairness and consideration wasn't shared by her Sire, nor the city's Baron and that co-operation now might save them some less pleasant attention later.

Ethan let Luthor talk. He usually got results, despite Ethan wishing he'd get to the point a bit quicker than he normally did, especially given the recent revelation that someone was spying on them.

"Okay..." conceded Sapphire. "...about three months ago a duskborn neonate made contact with us. They were green as fuck, or at least that's how they acted, but had cash on the hip, and wanted a place to stay... after a private discussion between me and Josef, we told them we couldn't help... " She then turned to Josef, who continued.

"He smelt like a cop, and believe me bitter experience has made me wary enough to sniff those fuckers out from a mile off. The authorities were always trying to sneak people into the civil rights movement, as either spies, 'agent provocateurs' or whatever, and this fucker had that vibe. He was definitely kindred, but he had 'personal agenda' and 'self-centred prick' written all over him. whatever he wanted, it wasn't help. It was, in my opinion at least, credibility. Acting on our instincts has kept us safe, and something about this fucker screamed 'bad news'. We fobbed him off..."

'Aaron' - Caitiff
Possible Murder Suspect

Cecilia asked for a description. This was more in her ballpark now, having become a more traditional investigation once again.

 

"He said his name was Aaron, but if that's his real name then I'd be fucking amazed. I took a still from one of our security cameras and printed it off so the rest of our people would know to give him the same 'no thanks' message. I'll get you a copy..."

Ethan thanked them for the information, but had a few more questions of his own. 

"I'm hoping you might be able to provide a level of insight, people from my clan have an interest in more esoteric areas. Methodology differs, but something about the crime scene was especially unusual. In addition to fangs a needle was used to extract blood from some of the victims. As we're cooperating at this point, do you have any insights?"

Sapphire pointed out that some Duskborn and Caitiff lacked fangs and sought alternatives, but that none of those under their protection had that flaw. As for Alchemy, Josef lamented that they had no-one with such capabilities, as that would have been a useful resource, but despite rumours to the contrary this was a very rare ability amongst duskborn. Though disappointing, this was more or less the answer that Ethan had been expecting

Luthor, having has some success exploiting the groups desire for privacy, switched tactics.

"It's irritating that we have yet another seeming dead-end. Invisible, untraceable duskborn, supposedly in a place they shouldn't be. It would excellent to have some concrete evidence that this isn't some vagrant or straggler. If this is indeed the person we're looking for, of course,,." 

Galerie Sanguine's Feeding Ground

"Now I think about it, that's the sort of thing that could make a big difference to an investigation such as this. but we need to bring them to the fore, and though that information would be worthy of reward, I can't see Tara being particularly forthcoming. We, on the other hand, would be more than willing to share our resources. Voluntarily this time. Helping those in need is a noble cause, on that point at least we can agree."

"If only there was someone who could keep an eye out for this person, and keep us informed..."

Sapphire was clearly keen to expand the Duskborn's potential feeding grounds, especially without risk, though Josef was more reticent. Apparently life, and unlife, experience had made him suspicious of any offer that seemed too good to be true. Nonetheless, he too could see the benefits of keeping the investigators informed.

"We'll keep an eye out for him for you..." agreed Sapphire. "...but we'll expect you to keep your side of the agreement if we learn anything..."

It seemed that they were making some progress.

Interlude - Alchemy

Alchemical Laboratory

Ethan actually knew a lot more about the esoteric properties of blood than he'd let on.

Broadly speaking, as far as kindred were concerned at least, mortal blood generally fell into one of four categories, or resonances as they were more commonly known. Each was associated with a mood, and, in more archaic circles, one of the four elements. Choleric, Melancholy, Phlegmatic, and Sanguine, or Fire, Earth, Water and Air from an elemental perspective.

He also knew that thin-bloods, or duskborn as they themselves preferred to be called, used alchemical principles to mimic the disciplines and abilities of vampires whose embrace had given them all the kindred gifts, rather than the pale imitations possessed by most Duskborn. He was also aware that the methods they utilised varied considerably. Some used their own bodies to mix the necessary blood, vitae and other required ingredients of each ritual, some used a human body, and others utilised actual equipment, creating laboratories like something from a mad scientists movie.

The evidence they had gathered might point to the latter method, but Ethan was sure that Josef hadn't lied, and that alchemy wasn't something these duskborn had access to. Of course that didn't mean that 'Aaron', or some other conspirator, did not.

Scene Twelve - Pressure

There was the sound of scuffling from downstairs.

One of the staff shouted up to Sapphire and Josef. "A gang of assholes are causing trouble..." Sapphire asks if they're "...the same ones as before..." according to the reply, they were not.

Homeless Shelter - Caitiff Base of Operations

Sapphire sighs, then explained. "Sometimes they're locals who think the problem needs to be moved somewhere else, sometimes they're just assholes who like picking on the weak, the worst however are the local drug dealers who see the destitute and desperate as excellent potential customers, drug mules, runners, whatever. I'd like to tear them up, but the last thing we need is local cops harassing us like the kindred equivalents have been doing..." 

She looked pointedly at Cecilia "...the cops would also like to see this place closed and the homeless problem 'moved on' to someone else's jurisdiction ..."

Ethan moved to a position where he could observe the disturbance while remaining unobserved. Luthor meanwhile, just went downstairs to have a look, without any attempt at subterfuge. The 'gang' were easily distinguished from the shelters residents by the quality of their clothing, attitude, and the fact that several were obviously armed.

From his place of concealment Ethan could see that someone was watching the events unravel with considerable interest. Occasionally one of the trouble makers looked in this persons direction as if looking for directions of some kind, yet appeared to receive no reaction at all. He looked less like a gang-banger, and more like a school teacher or priest, and something about him set Ethan on edge.

Religious 'Gang' Tattoo's

Luthor was, as usual, in the thick of things and had made some observations of his own. The 'gang' didn't seem to fit the mould, like someone had dressed them for the part without really knowing what they were doing. The visible tattoos were also suspect. They were real, but were generally religious in nature. Though biblical imagery wasn't uncommon for tattoos, he'd expect a gang such as this to have gone with something a bit more 'satanic' for want of a better term.

Seeing that Luthor was in the thick of it, Ethan decided to intervene before Luthor did something to antagonise the situation.

"The police have been informed of your unauthorised presence in this area..." lied Ethan as he emerged from his hiding place, in so convincing a manner that even Luthor had to double-take. "...and I'm sure they'll be interested not only in the fact that you are refusing to remove yourself from private property after a reasonable request, but also that several of you are armed with what I can only presume are unregistered weapons. Though maybe you all have applied for the appropriate concealed carry permits required in this city..."

"Well?.."

Apparently trouble with the law wasn't something they'd prepared for, nor were they expecting someone in the shelter to be able to fluently quote to them the exact laws they were allegedly breaking, and after a brief look towards their puppet-master, left.

"Looks like 'Aaron', decided to send some guys around to apply a little pressure?" Theorised Luthor.

"There was a guy watching..." confirmed Ethan. ",,,but it wasn't this 'Aaron', and he made sure to stay out of the line of sight of the security cameras." 

Luthor smiled. "So it's a conspiracy? Excellent... that's right in my area of expertise..."

To Be Continued in 'Galerie Sanguine: San Diego (Part Four)'

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Storytellers Conclusions

I sometimes 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....

More clues discovered, more confusion, and some great roleplaying from the players. I especially enjoyed Ethan's player defeating an enemy by quoting San Diego firearms regulations at them...

Song Lyrics

Also, the quote in the header is from the following song, should any-one be interested.

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Further 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 Luthor Constantine is Michele Morrone Michael, Ethan Holst is Bryan Cranston, Justin Rush is Armie Hammer, Constance Carson is Dina Meyer, Cecilia Baird is Lynn Gunn, Absalom Hood is Jamie Dornan, Daniella Merritt is Sandrine Bonnaire, Josef Moyer is Sterling K Brown, Sapphire Khan is Uzo Aduba and 'Aaron' is Dave Franco.

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.