I'm currently running a Vampire the Masquerade chronicle using the 5th Edition rule-set for a small group of fellow role-players. These are the chronicles of their adventures.
Our campaign is set in Los Angeles and features a small group of Camarilla agents sent into the 'Free States' to search for ways to once again bring the Ivory Tower to dominance under the pretence of being disillusioned neonates looking for the freedom of the Anarch way of life. Now with a barony of their own it's time to consolidate their position and then plan their next move.
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The now obligatory warning bit - Unlike my other RPG write-ups this one will contain swearing, sexual references and other references that might offend. If you can't tell the difference between real peoples opinions and grown-ups role-playing predators who crave blood then this probably won't be for you. I've also used actual photographs to represent some characters which I'll give acknowledgements to at the end if I've any idea who they are.
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The introduction to this campaign, the first story and all the other parts can be found at the following links and are in chronological order. If you'd prefer a summary of each session rather than read everything then there's a more detailed link page HERE.
'Infiltrate LA' Chronicle
Welcome to L.A. - Introductory Session
Story One - 'Three Murders' - Part One, Two, Three, Four and Five
Interlude Session - One
Story Two - 'The Pasadena Problem' - Part One, Two, Three, and Four
Solo Session - 'The Neillson Library'
Story Two Continued- 'The Pasadena Problem' - Part Five, Six, Seven and Eight
Story Three - 'Becoming Baron' - Part One, Two, Three, Four and Five
Solo Session - 'The Gather'
Story Three Continued - 'Becoming Baron' - Part Six, Seven and Eight
'Foothold LA' Chronicle
Solo Session - 'Hostile Takeover'
Story Four - 'Countdown' - Part One, Two and Three
Story Five - 'The Missing Chantry' - Part One
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.
'Infiltrate LA' Chronicle
Welcome to L.A. - Introductory Session
Story One - 'Three Murders' - Part One, Two, Three, Four and Five
Interlude Session - One
Story Two - 'The Pasadena Problem' - Part One, Two, Three, and Four
Solo Session - 'The Neillson Library'
Story Two Continued- 'The Pasadena Problem' - Part Five, Six, Seven and Eight
Story Three - 'Becoming Baron' - Part One, Two, Three, Four and Five
Solo Session - 'The Gather'
Story Three Continued - 'Becoming Baron' - Part Six, Seven and Eight
'Foothold LA' Chronicle
Solo Session - 'Hostile Takeover'
Story Four - 'Countdown' - Part One, Two and Three
Story Five - 'The Missing Chantry' - Part One
The PC's
Phil as Michael Tomassio - Toreador Baron of Pasadena
and Hope Romero - Gangrel Scourge
Tom as Johnny 'Roach' West - Malkavian Seneschal
and Marie - Clan Carna
Matt as Dr Daniel Matthews - Banu Haqim 'Fixer'
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 Malkavian 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
Introduction
With as much information gathered as possible on the mysterious Banu Haqim so concerning Daniel from the Thin-bloods of Santa Monica Pier, Michael has decided to attempt to obtain further intelligence from the Baron of Santa Monica herself under the guise of a business transaction. Roach meanwhile seems to be preoccupied with the strange vision he experienced in Downtown.
Scene Five - The Baron of Santa Monica
Michael summoned his driver Dion and told him to get the car ready for a visit to Baron Therese after making the arrangements through the usual diplomatic channels. Though Dion was effectively a spy in the coterie on behalf of Fiorenza Savona, Michael didn't care particularly if he relayed back information that could easily be discovered anyway, besides which, Dion was actually a very good chauffeur.
Leaving his driver with the vehicle at a nearby parking facility, Michael began to walk the rest of the way to Therese's offices above her 'Asylum' nightclub. On the way a well dressed oriental woman who was waiting patiently by a side-street called out to him as he passed. "Your message was received, we're here to escort you to your meeting." Michael politely thanked her for the escort as the commando's leader 'Lee' was joined by a man in greasy hair wearing a leather bikers jacket and an attractive black woman in a casual dress. Behind him a woman with her face half covered by a hooded top and a large red-headed man, in jeans, a plain black t-shirt and a grey greatcoat moved into position. Though Michael didn't have the same tactical awareness as some of his fellow coterie members he could detect the confidence emanating from the group as they made their way towards the club.
'The Asylum' Nightclub is very busy indeed considering this isn't a weekend and loud music can be heard from within even at this distance. There's a considerable queue outside though your guides take you through a side entrance past a stocky fellow with tattoos across the right of his face who is presumably an employee of some kind. A particularly heavy dance tune is playing through an excellent sound system and there are the usual club mix of dancers, poseurs, drinkers and huddled groups in corners either trying to look cool or avoid being noticed altogether.
The music was very much not to Michael's taste but the mix of fashions and classes amongst the crowds did at least give him something to distract him.
Their oriental leader presses a button next to an intercom speaker by a lift in one corner protected by two bouncers and announces your arrival. An authoritative voice that those who have met her instantly recognise as Therese Voerman says simply "Send him up..." the elevator's keypad is unlocked with a key produced from around her neck and a few moments later the doors open, you are gestured within but only the leader 'Lee' and the hooded figure of 'Chick' enter with you.
After a short elevator ride Michael was escorted to an office door which was opened for him. His guides however showed no sign of entering the room along with him.
Therese Voerman is as usual impeccably dressed in a business-like manner, standing by a desk in what seems to be an odd combination of office and sleeping quarters as if the room is used by two different people for entirely different purposes. A large painting of a man and two young children dominates one wall. "So Baron, what brings you to my club?"
"Thank you for seeing me on such short notice, Baron Voerman. I wished to discuss some potential business opportunities with you as we both seem to be patrons of the arts in our own ways." "So what exactly did you have in mind?" Enquired Therese. Michael explained that cross promotion between their two galleries would no doubt increase their respective businesses especially as he had access to several target demographics that might not normally make their way to Therese's own 'Gallery Noir' and that several promising young artists were amongst their number.
Taking a chance that Roach's assessment of Therese being open to a Camarilla takeover of LA was correct he steered the conversation to some of the problems experienced by the Anarch State and cryptically added that it was "Almost a pity that the Camarilla failed with LaCroix..." Michael noticed that Therese didn't argue the point he'd made about the Camarilla but did comment that "LaCroix lacked the subtlety needed by a true leader..", "...misused the tools available to him" but that at least "Marius got to buy two thirds of a building on the cheap".
Michael got the impression that the comments about 'misused tools' and Marius might have been connected. He was aware that Marius did a significant amount of work for both Therese and Jeanette but what form these jobs took was unknown to anyone he had enquired with though he had heard a few interesting theories on how Jeanette paid many of her bills.
Taking the opening provided he spoke of his plans to create an Elysium of his own where meetings could take place in privacy and comfort together with "appropriate refreshments" and somewhat more cultured surroundings for those who appreciated such things. Therese seemed intrigued by the idea and as she pointed out it had to be more professional than "Meeting in a disused train station...". As the subject of professionalism came up Michael complimented the Baron on the leader of the escort who had bought him here.
"Indeed...She was recruited for her leadership potential and a knack for diplomacy though her combination of combat skills also come in handy. Somewhat of an unusual skill-set for Toreador, don't you think?" Michael confirmed that many of the clan of the rose had a somewhat superficial reputation though there were those like himself and 'Lee' who went against the accepted stereotype. "...and what talents does the other woman who escorted me here bring to the table?" he said, finally getting around to questions that might interest Daniel. "Charlie? Her talents extend to more direct methods of problem resolution, like you I have a variety of ways of dealing with unforeseen problems."
Perceiving that he'd done enough prying he turned the conversation back to business matters before politely excusing himself after giving his thanks for the audience.
'Lee' was no longer outside when Michael left the office though 'Chick' or Charlie as Therese had called her was there to escort him out. Before he could attempt to make any small-talk of his own, Charlie spoke first. "I hear there's been a significant reduction in the criminal element in Pasadena since you took control?". Knowing a leading question when he heard it Michael attempted to deflect the enquiry but could soon discern from the tone of her questioning that Charlie was herself fishing for information on his own equivalent of her, namely Daniel. A enquiry about methods of "Professional problem removal..." in Pasadena was especially leading.
She was also fishing for information on several gang leaders in his barony who had all had a variety of fatal 'accidents' on the same day. The fact that she was obviously aware of Daniel wasn't the best news he could have left the meeting with and after politely declining her offer of an escort back to his own barony she left him to his own devices and he made his way back to the waiting Dion and returned to his gallery.
Scene Six - Personal Schemes
Storytellers Note - I had a lot of messages from the players over the previous weeks about things their characters were interested in or were pursuing as personal goals. I therefore prepared some extensive hand-outs for them relating to these matters.
'Daniel'
Storytellers Note - For those of you who haven't read the previous stories (shame on you) the coterie came into possession of a map made by scouting Sabbat logging potential havens of LA kindred. Hence Daniel having a clue about the havens of the two competing kindred in Anaheim, the coterie have of course kept this useful piece of paper to themselves...
Your ghouls investigations into the two potential havens in the Anaheim area have revealed several useful facts. The 'Odd Fellows' Hall seems to have several guardians watching it day and night though your two skilled operatives are reasonably sure they weren't spotted. As these 'guards' were seen day and night they are presumably mortal or ghouls.
A large fellow matching the description you have for Tom Weaver was seen at the location with three others on at least two occasions. As you had informed them to be careful to avoid confrontations they withdrew from the location after the second sighting fearing that the three others may have also been kindred or ghouls like themselves and that was a potential fight they'd want to avoid as per your instructions.
The warehouse in the industrial sector of Anaheim is another matter entirely. Heavy gates and locks, high end security cameras and armed guards patrolling in regular patterns. Both Keith and Andrew are sure that the security guards are actually ex-military in rent-a-cop outfits. There were look-outs along approach roads as well. As short woman with dyed red hair wearing a leather jacket left the warehouse under heavy guard one of the nights but they deemed it too dangerous to follow her presuming she was kindred and may have abilities they couldn't counter. She matches the description you gave them of Alison Maller though she had blonde hair not red at the rant according to your coterie.
'Vin'
Storytellers Note - Vin has acquired a ghoul assistant and one of her duties is teaching him to read as he's currently aware that his lack in this area is holding back his progress.
Your education under Sarah has made operating the 'girls' under your control much easier and has also revealed that several of the fences you use have been underpaying you by a significant margin. Business is going fine though one of the more interesting of the high end hookers known as 'Felicity' has gone missing according to Sarah. Though transience is common in that profession her disappearance was quite sudden and possibly worth investigating if and when you have time. You don't really remember her by name or appearance though her blood was particularly interesting in flavour.
Michael's new 'pet' police officer has made use of the brothel's 'services' several times over the last week. You were informed by Michael that this was part of his arrangement with him so his appearances weren't a surprise. According to the girls he has selected his tastes are fairly pedestrian and mundane, he has a preference for chesty blondes which is hardly original.
'Michael'
Storytellers Note - Michaels player used 'Lingering Kiss' on a blood doll and due to him pandering to her she has now become an obsessive stalker but his character is too high humanity to have her dealt with.
Susannah has become increasingly obsessive of late and you now awake most mornings to an extensive selection of missed calls either direct or via Lisa as a result of her phoning the gallery. She has also began to claim she is receiving anonymous calls that hang-up without speaking and that she is convinced she's being followed. Whether this is a cry for attention, a sign of slipping sanity or a genuine stalker is debatable however. You have also noticed that Daniel is aware of her erratic behaviour but has shown no sign of acting upon it. Your empathetic nature leads you to believe that Daniel would consider her the 'victim' in this scenario and is therefore unlikely to do anything to harm her...unless the situation threatened his anonymity of course, then necessity might sway his opinion.
In better news Roach has handed over a meaningful amount of cash from his 'operations' to enable you to begin to invest in legitimate businesses and 'charitable' contributions.
'Roach'
Storytellers Note - Roach expressed to Daniel that it might be a good idea if the other three major impediments to his criminal empire went away. A week later all were mysteriously killed in unrelated incidents on the same day...
You now have some one hundred and fifty gang members under Reuben and therefore your control. The operations of Zack John have been integrated into your own giving you extensive coverage over the areas of Pasadena previously out of your range as well as increasing your stockpiles of basic weapons and vehicles of which he had plentiful supply.
The meth and crack operations of Jeremiah Cherry though somewhat unsavoury are unfortunately a necessary evil if your control over the drug trade in Pasadena is to be complete though the amount of automatic weapons his men had between them has shown the wisdom of using Daniel to remove their leader Jeremiah rather than assault them directly.
Vin also seems to be doing a surprisingly good job of running the sex trade aspects of your organisation but this might also have something to do with his new ghoul Sarah's assistance.
Vin currently seems content to simply skim off enough money to fulfil his immediate basic needs so the operation is quite profitable.
Regardless your control is bordering on complete and the amount of spare cash has enabled you to give Michael enough to begin to potentially fund his political and legitimate business ambitions. Your 'bar' is also effectively complete to your specifications but doesn't have a large mortal clientele mainly due to it's previous reputation as a dive hangout for psychopathic drug dealers.
Somewhat surprisingly a messenger from Victoria arrived with the legal documentation you need to set up a legitimate drug dispensary. Seemingly this task was given to her at the initial meeting you had with Marius and she has been working on it between other projects as you doubt it was considered high priority as you suspect she doesn't like you very much. As you've watched her skin people alive this might become a concern in the future.
The documents also contain a list of the legal requirements of the dispensary itself such as accurate book-keeping and inspections which you imagine are in the 'your fucking problem' column of her calculations.
Interlude - A War Begins
Good to their word the Crypt's Sons started their campaign to retake territory seized by the gangs from The Barony of the Angels during the time their numbers were depleted by an attack allegedly by mysterious vampires from the east. Just over a third of their former territory has currently been reclaimed after a series of brutal assaults under the cover of an increase in gang violence. The expected resistance by an alliance of several of those the Crypt's Sons consider invaders was shattered by a completely unexpected preemptive strike by a gang of Caitiff under a Brujah named Priss which has revealed the mystery of what service they traded in return for holding onto their own turf. Effectively they have become vassals of the Crypt's Sons though where they suddenly acquired the skills to launch an effective military assault on their larger neighbours is still open to debate.
Several turncoats from other gangs have joined their numbers and they are making good use of the increased domain granted to them. In fact the gang led by 'Priss' has now increased in size to about a dozen kindred members, they are mainly Thin-bloods and Caitiff though there are also a pair of Brujah amongst them. The gang has been granted a domain by the Crypt's Sons between their own turf and that of the barony of the angels of around three square blocks as well as some feeding rights within The Crypt's Sons own domain.
Though there have been considerable Final Deaths on both sides, the firepower of the Crypts Sons mortal allies and the kindred's aggressive recruiting of late has given them the edge in the conflict Though their leaders considerable grasp of gang warfare must not be underestimated as a factor as it is said that he has personally led many of the assaults.
In other news of note, Louis Fortier has made it known that he has granted 'Atarah' domain over all churches within west Los Angeles and that these are now off limits to any kindred he grants feeding rights to and also that Atarah has been given permission to punish any transgressors as she sees fit. What he himself has gained out of the arrangement is of interest to many but known only by Atarah and the Fortier's inner circle.
Scene Seven - Vanessa 'Ruby' Rubeus
There was a knock on Michael's office door that he recognised as Heather's distinctive 'keep knocking until every-one nearby answers or is rendered deaf' style.
Storytellers Note - Heather is a ghoul blood doll of Marius's that the aforementioned Gangrel's most senior ghoul Victoria blackmailed Michael into employing in return for a favour. He's now stuck with her...she's very good at her job though so that's some consolation I suppose, lol.
"Come in Heather..." Michael braced himself for the inevitable excitable onslaught of information he'd need to filter through.. "Hello Michael...there's some 'special guests' wandering around the gallery, they went to see Marius about three times so I recognised them." "The boss lady is the red-head, her name is Miss Rubeus, I think someone called her Vanessa though so that might be her first name but some-one else called her Ruby so one of those might actually be a nickname but I don't think Vanessa is a nickname unless your actual name was reallllly long..." Michael was now used to Heather's seeming ability to go without breathing for extended periods of conversation so waited for her to finish. "...not sure about the others, they're from one of the 'new' Tremere Houses, Carna?.." "I thought you might like to know as Roach is on his balcony, in one of his 'fuck off Heather you're an idiot' moods so I told you instead". Heather then left without closing the door which to be fair was marginally better than her usual habit of asking him three times if he wanted the door shut before leaving it in exactly the opposite condition to the one he'd asked for.
Marie had been teaching Daniel the rudiments of the Auspex discipline in exchange for access to his ability to acquire blood bags from the hospitals he worked at so both were currently on site. Considering Daniel's clan had a habit of craving more kindred blood once they tasted it they had decided to undertake the activity in the relatively relaxed and secure gallery. Michael called Roach to inform him they had guests and messaged everyone else that their presence was required.
Already aware of the exchange due to her habitual habit of using her enhanced senses to eavesdrop on other peoples conversations Marie let Daniel know she was going to make herself scarce till she knew that the visitors really were House Carna. Daniel meanwhile strolled downstairs and after a secretive nod to Heather and Lisa began to walk around the gallery as if he was an ordinary customer. A few minutes later Vin came in through the rear loading bay having left his ghoul to manage the brothel and found a corner from which to observe the area. As prepared as he was going to get, the Baron of Pasadena made his way downstairs to greet his unexpected and uninvited guests.
One of the group, a tall black woman is surreptitiously watching the door while the woman you've been told is Miss Rubeus and another man and woman are looking at some of the sculptures in the alcoves. They seem particularly interested in the two stone statues claimed by Roach you've marked as 'Not for Sale, Display Only'.
"Welcome to my gallery. What can I do for you 'Special' guests?" Miss Rubeus looked around to ensure that there were no kine nearby before answering "Perhaps you have somewhere we can talk not protected by overlapping blood magic wards?" Nodding in acknowledgement he beckoned them to follow him to the meeting room they reserved for such circumstances. Vin followed them as Roach moved into the room ahead of them and took a seat and then took one himself once their guests were seated. "Should I address you as Miss Rubeus, Vanessa or Ruby?" enquired Michael "I was given all three as an option." "Ruby will be fine" was the reply, then she continued. "I'll get straight to the reason for our visit. It has come to our attention that you seem to be quite capable in the area of problem resolution. Apparently even the resident fixer 'Marius' occasionally has you perform tasks for him?" Roach confirmed that he had called upon their assistance on several occasions and had been more than happy with the results of their work. "So what can we do?" was the next obvious question.
"Our problem is that a senior member of the Tremere Pyramid before the unfortunate events in Vienna had a Chantry here in Los Angeles years earlier. When he left rather abruptly in 2005 after LaCroix's final death it was believed that the Chantry remained here, sealed and awaiting his return that we would like to claim for our House. Are you familiar with Maximillian Strauss at all?"
As it turned out several of the coterie were aware that Maximillian Strauss was one of the Primogen in Los Angeles during the brief time the Camarilla had taken control in 2004, representing the Tremere. Among his clan, he had held the title of Regent and supervised the local Chantry in the city but following the events surrounding the Ankaran Sarcophagus, Strauss had left Los Angeles. According to gossip amongst the Anarchs the only Tremere left in Los Angeles were now the "marrow-sucking, divine-with-your entrails kind" and even prominent Anarch Damsel had stated that they almost made her yearn for Strauss and his "stupid shades" in comparison. Of course as it didn't pay to show your cards in such negotiations Michael only said that the name was "Somewhat familiar".
"Our issue is that no-one remembers where exactly it is, even those kindred who had visited it several times. It seems that Strauss has somehow cast a ritual that has erased all knowledge of it's location from the minds of all it's kindred visitors and then obfuscated it's physical location" "Though the knowledge required to do the latter exists in several forms, the former is a ritual of phenomenal complexity and power. As you know kindred minds are not so easily effected as those of the kine."
Both Roach and Michael confirmed that this was true and asked them to elaborate in as much detail as possible. It was obvious to Roach's mental powers and Michael's empathetic abilities that the one male member of the group was not happy that this was being discussed at all, he had also visibly grown angry when Marius's name had been mentioned earlier.
"I'm sure what occurred to us has occurred to you. Why hide it if it is empty? It's contents would no doubt be of little use to you all but our gratitude should you locate it for us would be considerable." "My colleague has voiced the opinion that perhaps Marius has already found the chantry and is keeping it's secrets for himself which might explain his reluctance to offer tangible assistance. I could detect no falsehood from him but it is still a possibility as I understand he has a surprising talent for subterfuge...for a Gangrel that is." "Regardless we would like to obtain access to this location before any of the other houses come to similar conclusions, will you help?"
Storytellers Note - I was about to be thrown completely off guard by the normally diplomatic Michael going straight for the throat, lol.
Michael who had been on the wrong end of many negotiations over the last few months and had had a number of bad experiences with betrayals went straight on the offensive this time. "We would of course be happy to help if the rewards match the risk. What exactly are you offering for our help?"
Ruby told Michael that any who helped them would have their gratitude and any assistance would be repaid appropriately. Michael who also had been bitten on the arse before by vague promises was in no mood to be fucked over, especially as he now had title and domain. "I'm sure your offer of your 'gratitude' is in earnest..." His tone indicated he didn't believe that for a second "...but what I'm asking for is for a specific answer of just what exactly we get in return. Marius is unforgiving in the extreme and if we're risking final death then what we get out of it is what decides if we help." The ginger bearded hipster who they later discovered was called 'Nic' was getting more and more agitated and seemed ready to speak but a sideways look from Ruby quieted him in a moment. "What then did you have in mind?" Michael made eye contact with Roach across the room enabling him to use his telepathy to speak to his baron without being over heard.
Roach was firmly of the opinion that they needed to speak with Marie and look into the issue before being tied down to a deal that might turn out to be inadequate. This mirrored the Toreadors own thoughts and he turned back to continue talking to the House Carna faction leader. Vin who had also noticed Nic's agitation readied himself to put him down before he could bring any occult talents to bear should he be foolish enough to try anything aggressive. The fact that he had taken a dislike to him almost instantly may also have been a factor.
Michael had come to a conclusion. "It seems that without knowing what resources we have to utilise, boons and favours we have to pull in and any enemies we might have to make that naming a price is impossible." He paused, presumably for dramatic effect. "Give us two evenings to look into the issue, after which we'll meet again and some to a firm and binding arrangement. agreed?" Ruby seemed to the terms and then added some more pertinent information. "The only useful piece of knowledge passed to us by the Gangrel was that if any-one had access it would be the remnants of Strauss's followers, however negotiations somewhat broke down at this point when one of my coterie accused him of deliberately with-holding information..." She then looked sideways at one of the female members of her party"...his ghoul suggested that we leave...it seemed prudent..."
"I also feel that I should inform you that we've also been in touch with several of the other barons including Therese Voerman and Louis Fortier due to a need to operate within their domains so they're broadly aware we're looking for something. Baron Fortier seemed completely disinterested though he at least made the effort to nod in the right places which was more than we got from the Baron of Santa Monica"."Also, Unfortunately my fellow kindreds premature accusation has removed access to at least two potential sources of information. Specifically the two Verbena mages under his roof and another resource he has access to. Are you aware of the unsavoury practices of a bloodline called the Nagaraja?" Michael would only admit that he knew of Pisha's reputation as an occult expert and that she was in LA under Marius's protection but that was all.
Michael then received a text from Lisa downstairs informing him that a 'Jane Lane'was in reception hoping to further discuss a suggested business arrangement between him and Therese Voerman regarding an exhibition of artwork. He texted back one handed that he'd "Be down in five minutes" and then turned his attention back to Ruby.
With the matter as resolved as it was likely to get under the current circumstances, Ruby indicated to her three followers that they should leave and Roach escorted them back downstairs but remained herself. "I feel I should apologise for the agitation of my follower Nicholas. He was somewhat irritated by having to deal with the Gangrel Marius as he considers that having to negotiate with a kindred of less than a century in age who has gained position by getting lucky a few times is beneath ones of our age and clan" Michael who was reasonably sure that the 'Fixer' was lying about his age to the tune of at least two centuries simply nodded noncommittally before Miss Rubeus moved to join her fellow House Carna mages.
As Michael returned to reception to deal with his second unexpected appointment of the day he passed Heather at the bottom of the stairs who immediately started chatting "They're fairly tolerable for blood witches, at least that's what Marius said and he's not a fan of Tremere for the most part. Though at least those four aren't as bad as the ones in the mountains, they were 'super' creepy..." "oooh, a customer..." She then headed over to a young couple looking at a landscape of a romantic sunset and started to chat with them about it's benefits in brightening up a room. Making a mental note to unravel her comments later he turned the corner into reception to deal with the Seneschal of Therese Voerman.
Scene Eight - Jane Lane
Miss Lane is as usual impeccably but conservatively dressed and is seated in the reception area. She is currently accompanied by a black lady in a dark dress and another woman in jeans and a hooded top. The hood is twisted to one side obscuring the right side of her face.
"I had some other business to deal with in downtown which finished sooner than expected so I thought it would be a good use of the time to discuss the possibility of some joint business ventures. Of course if you're too busy at the moment?"
As Roach glanced in their direction while escorting out the mages of House Carna he noted that the conservatively dressed woman before him was as the others saw her and simultaneously far more glamorous, beautiful and seemed to flow from business woman to socialite before his very eyes. As he probed further he could see she had two distinct auras that seemed to overlap, One was primarily a conservative lavender while the other was the deep red of desire. Currently the lavender was in ascendancy.
Michael switched from the confrontational tone he'd used with the House Carna kindred to a far more diplomatic one and assured Miss Lane that he had more than enough time to spare for a representative of Therese Voerman. Somewhat concerned that one of Jane's bodyguards was the Banu Haqim that so concerned Daniel he decided to keep his guests occupied as long as possible downstairs so that he could get out of the way if necessary.
This plan was greatly assisted when he was asked about the possibility of a tour of his facility. "Of course, please follow me...". While Michael gave the tour, Roach gathered Vin and Daniel together to discuss some of his plans, especially the ones with the potential for any violence that they'd want to keep from Michael.
Michael soon worked out that Miss Lane had no real interest in art outside of how much money could be made from selling it so switched the conversation to profit margins, turnaround and how easy it was to underpay desperate student artists for their work. As they moved towards the upstairs exhibition areas the group of visitors led by Michael passed the gathered coterie members, including Daniel. As the two Banu Haqim passed one another, 'Chick' smiled in Daniel's direction and presuming that this was somehow a prelude to attack went for his blades.
Roach sensed the sudden flare of red in Daniel's aura and quickly reacted by commanding his impetuous coterie member to cease his action using his powers of dominate. Despite the doctors attempt to resist the assault on his will he stood little chance against against one such as Roach for which such powers were pretty much his entire focus and felt his hands return to his sides. Apologising for his jumpy colleague Michael led the party away from his own coterie as Roach nodded in the direction of Miss Lane and felt himself link to her mind through the shared consciousness shared by all Malkavian's.
Realising that Michael's presumption that Jane was Ventrue was erroneous he added his own mental apology to his Baron's verbal one. Momentarily meeting Vin's gaze, Roach telepathically signalled him to guide Daniel to where Marie had been waiting and ensure that he didn't go anywhere.
"Care to explain, that?" Enquired Roach. Daniel explained that he had left his sire on less than amicable terms and that he knew he was being actively sought out by him and was reasonably sure he would have circulated his identity to any Banu Haqim who shared his viewpoint. Vin who had been under the impression that Daniel was Brujah as that's what he had been told initially started to pay attention, though to be fair it did make a lot of sense to him now he thought about it. The general consensus amongst the rest was that though 'Chick' might be Banu Haqim spy sent to find Daniel and murder him they had no evidence to show she was.
After listening to the debate go back and forth for a while Vin decided to enter the conversation in his usual direct style "Lets just find out!..". When asked how exactly he intended to accomplish this Vin laid out his plan "We arrange a meeting and I just ask her...". The rest of the kindred in the coterie were used to dealing with things in a less direct matter had to admit that the idea had never occurred to them. Though it would need Michael to arrange the meeting it was certainly worth a try. Marie interjected at this point to mention that Therese would no doubt have close control over the coterie under her command and that dealing with her might enable them to come to terms that her underling would have little choice but to obey. As they'd now reached a juncture where Michael's input would be needed, Roach sent him a mental message asking him to wrap up the meeting and join them.
Storytellers Note - It was a less convoluted plan that I was expecting based on previous experiences I must admit...
After finishing the tour and putting forward a number of business idea he wrapped up the meeting as requested, escorted his guests outside and then went to find out exactly what the fuck Daniel thought he was playing at...
To Be Continued in 'The Missing Chantry' Part Three
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...
Considering that Daniel's player usually considers every decision before making it, jumping straight to 'lets stab the guest in our gallery' was a surprise to say the least.
It did however give the players an opportunity to role-play some strife within the coterie as they've generally been on the same page up to this point so it was nice to see the conversations mixed up a bit.
Having both Marie and Roach in some scenes was amusing considering they're both played by the same player one effectively being the back-up character for combat orientated missions where his social character would have little to do (and vice versa). The player handled it well though so it wasn't a problem...well...not for me at least, lol.
Acknowledgements
I've used pictures of real people to represent some of the characters and art for others so in no particular order Michael Tomassio is represented by the actor Matt Bomer, Johnny 'Roach' West is quite obviously Kurt Cobain, 'Vin' is the actor Scott Adkins, Dr Matthews is Mads Mikkelsen, Hope is Deborah Ann Woll, Marie is Eva Greene, Therese Voerman is Whitney Moore, 'Lee' is Bai Ling, 'Charlie' is Lena Headey, Andrew Francis is Ray Stevenson, Sarah is Elesha Alice Thorn, Victoria is Lilith May, Hank Boyd is Michael Clarke Duncan, Heather is Liz Vicious, Marius is Tony Curran, Lisa Irving is Amanda Righetti. 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...
Thoughts and comments are (as usual) most welcome.
Scene Five - The Baron of Santa Monica
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| Ellie-May 'Lee' Li - Toreador Commando Coterie Leader |
Leaving his driver with the vehicle at a nearby parking facility, Michael began to walk the rest of the way to Therese's offices above her 'Asylum' nightclub. On the way a well dressed oriental woman who was waiting patiently by a side-street called out to him as he passed. "Your message was received, we're here to escort you to your meeting." Michael politely thanked her for the escort as the commando's leader 'Lee' was joined by a man in greasy hair wearing a leather bikers jacket and an attractive black woman in a casual dress. Behind him a woman with her face half covered by a hooded top and a large red-headed man, in jeans, a plain black t-shirt and a grey greatcoat moved into position. Though Michael didn't have the same tactical awareness as some of his fellow coterie members he could detect the confidence emanating from the group as they made their way towards the club.
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| 'The Asylum' Nightclub |
The music was very much not to Michael's taste but the mix of fashions and classes amongst the crowds did at least give him something to distract him.
Their oriental leader presses a button next to an intercom speaker by a lift in one corner protected by two bouncers and announces your arrival. An authoritative voice that those who have met her instantly recognise as Therese Voerman says simply "Send him up..." the elevator's keypad is unlocked with a key produced from around her neck and a few moments later the doors open, you are gestured within but only the leader 'Lee' and the hooded figure of 'Chick' enter with you.
Therese Voerman is as usual impeccably dressed in a business-like manner, standing by a desk in what seems to be an odd combination of office and sleeping quarters as if the room is used by two different people for entirely different purposes. A large painting of a man and two young children dominates one wall. "So Baron, what brings you to my club?"
"Thank you for seeing me on such short notice, Baron Voerman. I wished to discuss some potential business opportunities with you as we both seem to be patrons of the arts in our own ways." "So what exactly did you have in mind?" Enquired Therese. Michael explained that cross promotion between their two galleries would no doubt increase their respective businesses especially as he had access to several target demographics that might not normally make their way to Therese's own 'Gallery Noir' and that several promising young artists were amongst their number.
Taking a chance that Roach's assessment of Therese being open to a Camarilla takeover of LA was correct he steered the conversation to some of the problems experienced by the Anarch State and cryptically added that it was "Almost a pity that the Camarilla failed with LaCroix..." Michael noticed that Therese didn't argue the point he'd made about the Camarilla but did comment that "LaCroix lacked the subtlety needed by a true leader..", "...misused the tools available to him" but that at least "Marius got to buy two thirds of a building on the cheap".
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| Jeanette Voerman - Malkavian 'Hollywood' Asylum |
Taking the opening provided he spoke of his plans to create an Elysium of his own where meetings could take place in privacy and comfort together with "appropriate refreshments" and somewhat more cultured surroundings for those who appreciated such things. Therese seemed intrigued by the idea and as she pointed out it had to be more professional than "Meeting in a disused train station...". As the subject of professionalism came up Michael complimented the Baron on the leader of the escort who had bought him here.
"Indeed...She was recruited for her leadership potential and a knack for diplomacy though her combination of combat skills also come in handy. Somewhat of an unusual skill-set for Toreador, don't you think?" Michael confirmed that many of the clan of the rose had a somewhat superficial reputation though there were those like himself and 'Lee' who went against the accepted stereotype. "...and what talents does the other woman who escorted me here bring to the table?" he said, finally getting around to questions that might interest Daniel. "Charlie? Her talents extend to more direct methods of problem resolution, like you I have a variety of ways of dealing with unforeseen problems."
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| Therese Voerman - Malkavian Baron of Santa Monica |
She was also fishing for information on several gang leaders in his barony who had all had a variety of fatal 'accidents' on the same day. The fact that she was obviously aware of Daniel wasn't the best news he could have left the meeting with and after politely declining her offer of an escort back to his own barony she left him to his own devices and he made his way back to the waiting Dion and returned to his gallery.
Scene Six - Personal Schemes
Storytellers Note - I had a lot of messages from the players over the previous weeks about things their characters were interested in or were pursuing as personal goals. I therefore prepared some extensive hand-outs for them relating to these matters.
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| Andrew Francis - Ghoul Investigator |
Storytellers Note - For those of you who haven't read the previous stories (shame on you) the coterie came into possession of a map made by scouting Sabbat logging potential havens of LA kindred. Hence Daniel having a clue about the havens of the two competing kindred in Anaheim, the coterie have of course kept this useful piece of paper to themselves...
Your ghouls investigations into the two potential havens in the Anaheim area have revealed several useful facts. The 'Odd Fellows' Hall seems to have several guardians watching it day and night though your two skilled operatives are reasonably sure they weren't spotted. As these 'guards' were seen day and night they are presumably mortal or ghouls.
A large fellow matching the description you have for Tom Weaver was seen at the location with three others on at least two occasions. As you had informed them to be careful to avoid confrontations they withdrew from the location after the second sighting fearing that the three others may have also been kindred or ghouls like themselves and that was a potential fight they'd want to avoid as per your instructions.
The warehouse in the industrial sector of Anaheim is another matter entirely. Heavy gates and locks, high end security cameras and armed guards patrolling in regular patterns. Both Keith and Andrew are sure that the security guards are actually ex-military in rent-a-cop outfits. There were look-outs along approach roads as well. As short woman with dyed red hair wearing a leather jacket left the warehouse under heavy guard one of the nights but they deemed it too dangerous to follow her presuming she was kindred and may have abilities they couldn't counter. She matches the description you gave them of Alison Maller though she had blonde hair not red at the rant according to your coterie.
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| Sarah - Ghoul Personal Assistant to Vin |
Storytellers Note - Vin has acquired a ghoul assistant and one of her duties is teaching him to read as he's currently aware that his lack in this area is holding back his progress.
Your education under Sarah has made operating the 'girls' under your control much easier and has also revealed that several of the fences you use have been underpaying you by a significant margin. Business is going fine though one of the more interesting of the high end hookers known as 'Felicity' has gone missing according to Sarah. Though transience is common in that profession her disappearance was quite sudden and possibly worth investigating if and when you have time. You don't really remember her by name or appearance though her blood was particularly interesting in flavour.
Michael's new 'pet' police officer has made use of the brothel's 'services' several times over the last week. You were informed by Michael that this was part of his arrangement with him so his appearances weren't a surprise. According to the girls he has selected his tastes are fairly pedestrian and mundane, he has a preference for chesty blondes which is hardly original.
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| Susannah - Obsessive Blood Doll |
Storytellers Note - Michaels player used 'Lingering Kiss' on a blood doll and due to him pandering to her she has now become an obsessive stalker but his character is too high humanity to have her dealt with.
Susannah has become increasingly obsessive of late and you now awake most mornings to an extensive selection of missed calls either direct or via Lisa as a result of her phoning the gallery. She has also began to claim she is receiving anonymous calls that hang-up without speaking and that she is convinced she's being followed. Whether this is a cry for attention, a sign of slipping sanity or a genuine stalker is debatable however. You have also noticed that Daniel is aware of her erratic behaviour but has shown no sign of acting upon it. Your empathetic nature leads you to believe that Daniel would consider her the 'victim' in this scenario and is therefore unlikely to do anything to harm her...unless the situation threatened his anonymity of course, then necessity might sway his opinion.
In better news Roach has handed over a meaningful amount of cash from his 'operations' to enable you to begin to invest in legitimate businesses and 'charitable' contributions.
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| Reuben Hart - Ghoul Leader of 'The Apostles' |
Storytellers Note - Roach expressed to Daniel that it might be a good idea if the other three major impediments to his criminal empire went away. A week later all were mysteriously killed in unrelated incidents on the same day...
You now have some one hundred and fifty gang members under Reuben and therefore your control. The operations of Zack John have been integrated into your own giving you extensive coverage over the areas of Pasadena previously out of your range as well as increasing your stockpiles of basic weapons and vehicles of which he had plentiful supply.
The meth and crack operations of Jeremiah Cherry though somewhat unsavoury are unfortunately a necessary evil if your control over the drug trade in Pasadena is to be complete though the amount of automatic weapons his men had between them has shown the wisdom of using Daniel to remove their leader Jeremiah rather than assault them directly.
Vin also seems to be doing a surprisingly good job of running the sex trade aspects of your organisation but this might also have something to do with his new ghoul Sarah's assistance.
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| Victoria - Marius's Ghoul Assistant and Psychopath |
Regardless your control is bordering on complete and the amount of spare cash has enabled you to give Michael enough to begin to potentially fund his political and legitimate business ambitions. Your 'bar' is also effectively complete to your specifications but doesn't have a large mortal clientele mainly due to it's previous reputation as a dive hangout for psychopathic drug dealers.
Somewhat surprisingly a messenger from Victoria arrived with the legal documentation you need to set up a legitimate drug dispensary. Seemingly this task was given to her at the initial meeting you had with Marius and she has been working on it between other projects as you doubt it was considered high priority as you suspect she doesn't like you very much. As you've watched her skin people alive this might become a concern in the future.
The documents also contain a list of the legal requirements of the dispensary itself such as accurate book-keeping and inspections which you imagine are in the 'your fucking problem' column of her calculations.
Interlude - A War Begins
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| Henrique 'Hank' Boyd - Brujah Baron of the Crypt's Sons |
Several turncoats from other gangs have joined their numbers and they are making good use of the increased domain granted to them. In fact the gang led by 'Priss' has now increased in size to about a dozen kindred members, they are mainly Thin-bloods and Caitiff though there are also a pair of Brujah amongst them. The gang has been granted a domain by the Crypt's Sons between their own turf and that of the barony of the angels of around three square blocks as well as some feeding rights within The Crypt's Sons own domain.
Though there have been considerable Final Deaths on both sides, the firepower of the Crypts Sons mortal allies and the kindred's aggressive recruiting of late has given them the edge in the conflict Though their leaders considerable grasp of gang warfare must not be underestimated as a factor as it is said that he has personally led many of the assaults.
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| 'Atarah' - Lasombra |
Scene Seven - Vanessa 'Ruby' Rubeus
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| Heather - Ghoul and Blood Doll |
Storytellers Note - Heather is a ghoul blood doll of Marius's that the aforementioned Gangrel's most senior ghoul Victoria blackmailed Michael into employing in return for a favour. He's now stuck with her...she's very good at her job though so that's some consolation I suppose, lol.
"Come in Heather..." Michael braced himself for the inevitable excitable onslaught of information he'd need to filter through.. "Hello Michael...there's some 'special guests' wandering around the gallery, they went to see Marius about three times so I recognised them." "The boss lady is the red-head, her name is Miss Rubeus, I think someone called her Vanessa though so that might be her first name but some-one else called her Ruby so one of those might actually be a nickname but I don't think Vanessa is a nickname unless your actual name was reallllly long..." Michael was now used to Heather's seeming ability to go without breathing for extended periods of conversation so waited for her to finish. "...not sure about the others, they're from one of the 'new' Tremere Houses, Carna?.." "I thought you might like to know as Roach is on his balcony, in one of his 'fuck off Heather you're an idiot' moods so I told you instead". Heather then left without closing the door which to be fair was marginally better than her usual habit of asking him three times if he wanted the door shut before leaving it in exactly the opposite condition to the one he'd asked for.
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| Vanessa 'Ruby' Rubeus - Tremere House Carna |
Already aware of the exchange due to her habitual habit of using her enhanced senses to eavesdrop on other peoples conversations Marie let Daniel know she was going to make herself scarce till she knew that the visitors really were House Carna. Daniel meanwhile strolled downstairs and after a secretive nod to Heather and Lisa began to walk around the gallery as if he was an ordinary customer. A few minutes later Vin came in through the rear loading bay having left his ghoul to manage the brothel and found a corner from which to observe the area. As prepared as he was going to get, the Baron of Pasadena made his way downstairs to greet his unexpected and uninvited guests.
One of the group, a tall black woman is surreptitiously watching the door while the woman you've been told is Miss Rubeus and another man and woman are looking at some of the sculptures in the alcoves. They seem particularly interested in the two stone statues claimed by Roach you've marked as 'Not for Sale, Display Only'.
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| Matilda 'Maiti' Beck - Tremere House Carna |
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| Maximillian Strauss - House Tremere Regent and Primogen |
As it turned out several of the coterie were aware that Maximillian Strauss was one of the Primogen in Los Angeles during the brief time the Camarilla had taken control in 2004, representing the Tremere. Among his clan, he had held the title of Regent and supervised the local Chantry in the city but following the events surrounding the Ankaran Sarcophagus, Strauss had left Los Angeles. According to gossip amongst the Anarchs the only Tremere left in Los Angeles were now the "marrow-sucking, divine-with-your entrails kind" and even prominent Anarch Damsel had stated that they almost made her yearn for Strauss and his "stupid shades" in comparison. Of course as it didn't pay to show your cards in such negotiations Michael only said that the name was "Somewhat familiar".
"Our issue is that no-one remembers where exactly it is, even those kindred who had visited it several times. It seems that Strauss has somehow cast a ritual that has erased all knowledge of it's location from the minds of all it's kindred visitors and then obfuscated it's physical location" "Though the knowledge required to do the latter exists in several forms, the former is a ritual of phenomenal complexity and power. As you know kindred minds are not so easily effected as those of the kine."
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| Nicholas 'Nic' Wilkerson - Tremere House Carna |
"I'm sure what occurred to us has occurred to you. Why hide it if it is empty? It's contents would no doubt be of little use to you all but our gratitude should you locate it for us would be considerable." "My colleague has voiced the opinion that perhaps Marius has already found the chantry and is keeping it's secrets for himself which might explain his reluctance to offer tangible assistance. I could detect no falsehood from him but it is still a possibility as I understand he has a surprising talent for subterfuge...for a Gangrel that is." "Regardless we would like to obtain access to this location before any of the other houses come to similar conclusions, will you help?"
Storytellers Note - I was about to be thrown completely off guard by the normally diplomatic Michael going straight for the throat, lol.
Michael who had been on the wrong end of many negotiations over the last few months and had had a number of bad experiences with betrayals went straight on the offensive this time. "We would of course be happy to help if the rewards match the risk. What exactly are you offering for our help?"
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| Marius 'The Fixer' Walker - Autarkis Gangrel 'Unforgiving in the Extreme' |
Roach was firmly of the opinion that they needed to speak with Marie and look into the issue before being tied down to a deal that might turn out to be inadequate. This mirrored the Toreadors own thoughts and he turned back to continue talking to the House Carna faction leader. Vin who had also noticed Nic's agitation readied himself to put him down before he could bring any occult talents to bear should he be foolish enough to try anything aggressive. The fact that he had taken a dislike to him almost instantly may also have been a factor.
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| Brianna 'Brea' Rush - Tremere House Carna |
"I also feel that I should inform you that we've also been in touch with several of the other barons including Therese Voerman and Louis Fortier due to a need to operate within their domains so they're broadly aware we're looking for something. Baron Fortier seemed completely disinterested though he at least made the effort to nod in the right places which was more than we got from the Baron of Santa Monica"."Also, Unfortunately my fellow kindreds premature accusation has removed access to at least two potential sources of information. Specifically the two Verbena mages under his roof and another resource he has access to. Are you aware of the unsavoury practices of a bloodline called the Nagaraja?" Michael would only admit that he knew of Pisha's reputation as an occult expert and that she was in LA under Marius's protection but that was all.
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| Lisa Irving - Ghoul Galerie Sanguine |
With the matter as resolved as it was likely to get under the current circumstances, Ruby indicated to her three followers that they should leave and Roach escorted them back downstairs but remained herself. "I feel I should apologise for the agitation of my follower Nicholas. He was somewhat irritated by having to deal with the Gangrel Marius as he considers that having to negotiate with a kindred of less than a century in age who has gained position by getting lucky a few times is beneath ones of our age and clan" Michael who was reasonably sure that the 'Fixer' was lying about his age to the tune of at least two centuries simply nodded noncommittally before Miss Rubeus moved to join her fellow House Carna mages.
As Michael returned to reception to deal with his second unexpected appointment of the day he passed Heather at the bottom of the stairs who immediately started chatting "They're fairly tolerable for blood witches, at least that's what Marius said and he's not a fan of Tremere for the most part. Though at least those four aren't as bad as the ones in the mountains, they were 'super' creepy..." "oooh, a customer..." She then headed over to a young couple looking at a landscape of a romantic sunset and started to chat with them about it's benefits in brightening up a room. Making a mental note to unravel her comments later he turned the corner into reception to deal with the Seneschal of Therese Voerman.
Scene Eight - Jane Lane
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| Jane Lane - Malkavian Therese Voerman's Seneschal |
"I had some other business to deal with in downtown which finished sooner than expected so I thought it would be a good use of the time to discuss the possibility of some joint business ventures. Of course if you're too busy at the moment?"
As Roach glanced in their direction while escorting out the mages of House Carna he noted that the conservatively dressed woman before him was as the others saw her and simultaneously far more glamorous, beautiful and seemed to flow from business woman to socialite before his very eyes. As he probed further he could see she had two distinct auras that seemed to overlap, One was primarily a conservative lavender while the other was the deep red of desire. Currently the lavender was in ascendancy.
Michael switched from the confrontational tone he'd used with the House Carna kindred to a far more diplomatic one and assured Miss Lane that he had more than enough time to spare for a representative of Therese Voerman. Somewhat concerned that one of Jane's bodyguards was the Banu Haqim that so concerned Daniel he decided to keep his guests occupied as long as possible downstairs so that he could get out of the way if necessary.
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| Amanda 'Mandi' McBride - Tremere Autarkis, former House Goratrix |
Michael soon worked out that Miss Lane had no real interest in art outside of how much money could be made from selling it so switched the conversation to profit margins, turnaround and how easy it was to underpay desperate student artists for their work. As they moved towards the upstairs exhibition areas the group of visitors led by Michael passed the gathered coterie members, including Daniel. As the two Banu Haqim passed one another, 'Chick' smiled in Daniel's direction and presuming that this was somehow a prelude to attack went for his blades.
Roach sensed the sudden flare of red in Daniel's aura and quickly reacted by commanding his impetuous coterie member to cease his action using his powers of dominate. Despite the doctors attempt to resist the assault on his will he stood little chance against against one such as Roach for which such powers were pretty much his entire focus and felt his hands return to his sides. Apologising for his jumpy colleague Michael led the party away from his own coterie as Roach nodded in the direction of Miss Lane and felt himself link to her mind through the shared consciousness shared by all Malkavian's.
Realising that Michael's presumption that Jane was Ventrue was erroneous he added his own mental apology to his Baron's verbal one. Momentarily meeting Vin's gaze, Roach telepathically signalled him to guide Daniel to where Marie had been waiting and ensure that he didn't go anywhere.
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| Charlie 'Chick' Abbott - Banu Haqim Therese's Scourge |
After listening to the debate go back and forth for a while Vin decided to enter the conversation in his usual direct style "Lets just find out!..". When asked how exactly he intended to accomplish this Vin laid out his plan "We arrange a meeting and I just ask her...". The rest of the kindred in the coterie were used to dealing with things in a less direct matter had to admit that the idea had never occurred to them. Though it would need Michael to arrange the meeting it was certainly worth a try. Marie interjected at this point to mention that Therese would no doubt have close control over the coterie under her command and that dealing with her might enable them to come to terms that her underling would have little choice but to obey. As they'd now reached a juncture where Michael's input would be needed, Roach sent him a mental message asking him to wrap up the meeting and join them.
Storytellers Note - It was a less convoluted plan that I was expecting based on previous experiences I must admit...
After finishing the tour and putting forward a number of business idea he wrapped up the meeting as requested, escorted his guests outside and then went to find out exactly what the fuck Daniel thought he was playing at...
To Be Continued in 'The Missing Chantry' Part Three
In Conclusion
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| Roach Vs. Daniel...re-created with Cats... |
Considering that Daniel's player usually considers every decision before making it, jumping straight to 'lets stab the guest in our gallery' was a surprise to say the least.
It did however give the players an opportunity to role-play some strife within the coterie as they've generally been on the same page up to this point so it was nice to see the conversations mixed up a bit.
Having both Marie and Roach in some scenes was amusing considering they're both played by the same player one effectively being the back-up character for combat orientated missions where his social character would have little to do (and vice versa). The player handled it well though so it wasn't a problem...well...not for me at least, lol.
Acknowledgements
I've used pictures of real people to represent some of the characters and art for others so in no particular order Michael Tomassio is represented by the actor Matt Bomer, Johnny 'Roach' West is quite obviously Kurt Cobain, 'Vin' is the actor Scott Adkins, Dr Matthews is Mads Mikkelsen, Hope is Deborah Ann Woll, Marie is Eva Greene, Therese Voerman is Whitney Moore, 'Lee' is Bai Ling, 'Charlie' is Lena Headey, Andrew Francis is Ray Stevenson, Sarah is Elesha Alice Thorn, Victoria is Lilith May, Hank Boyd is Michael Clarke Duncan, Heather is Liz Vicious, Marius is Tony Curran, Lisa Irving is Amanda Righetti. 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...
Thoughts and comments are (as usual) most welcome.
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