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, Two, Three and Four
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, Two, Three and Four
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
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
The coterie now believes it has a good idea of where the missing Chantry may be located and where the key may be found. Unfortunately the key is in the possession of members of House Tremere who may not be happy about just handing it over to members of a rival house. Also terms have yet to be negotiated...
Scene Sixteen - House Carna
Baron Tomassio has contacted the members of House Carna to discuss what they had discovered about the subject of their search and the price they'd require for both the sharing of it and their assistance in utilising it.
As far as the rest were aware Daniel was keeping his head down in light of the dispute between him and Therese Voerman's scourge as despite Roach negotiating a solution on his behalf it was decided that lying low for a few extra days might help. He was of course doing nothing of the sort...
Storytellers Note - Daniel's player wasn't available this session but I have a solo planned for him so we've presumed that it will take place in the background while this is occurring.
Michael invited Hope to the meeting as extra security in case Marie's suspicions came true and these kindred weren't actually part of House Carna at all. Vin was as normal treating the matter with his usual pragmatism and was as armed to the teeth as it was possible to be without being too obvious. Their meeting room had been prepared to give the best impression as possible and Marie had retrieved several of her best bottles of blood enhanced wine from her own collection so as to avoid the need to provide 'living' refreshments.
Marie had given Michael a number of symbols and occult runes that should only be known to House Carna kindred so as to verify their identities as well as preparing a ritual that would allow her to pass through the walls of the meeting room so as to provide support one way or another. Either she would be needing to assist with negotiations or to counter the blood sorcery of the mages should things go bad.
Ruby and her three followers arrived exactly on time and were escorted by Vin up to the meeting room. Unusually he made some attempts at casual conversation as he was trying to work on his social skills in light of his new roles within the coterie. Their leader Vanessa 'Ruby' Rubeus was diplomatically polite, Brianna 'Brea' Rush slightly flirty and Matilda 'Maiti' Beck seemed curious about the security measures but Nicholas 'Nic' Wilkerson was dismissive in the extreme. Though a certain air of arrogance could be detected from all of them, Nic wore it like a badge of honour and Vin took a dislike to him almost instantly.
Vin found himself quite irritated that this was an occasion for diplomacy which unfortunately precluded him from beating the irritating vampire hipster to death. As they entered, Michael was at the head of the table and Hope was seated on a chair to Michael's left though 'crouched' would probably be a more apt description. Vin showed them to their seats and then took up a position from where he could view everyone while keeping an especial eye on the subject of his ire in the hope that he would do something stupid upon which he could act.
"Please take a seat and help yourself to refreshments, they're quite palatable for our kind." Offered Michael. Ruby picked up a bottle and as she poured herself a drink paid close attention to the ritual trappings used in it's creation, seemingly attempting to discern it's source. The wine used had been a 1990 Latour, a red Bordeaux considered to be quite possibly one of the best wines ever made and Marie's skill had blended it perfectly with blood in which a complimentary resonance was preserved.
Storytellers Note - Though 'Preserved Blood' is only mentioned in passing in the V5 core book I have arbitrarily decided that a whole vampiric sub culture is based around it's creation.
It was obvious that Ruby appreciated the skill involved in it's creation and though not experts in wine both Brea and Maiti also showed their appreciation. Nic meanwhile was making a big deal about swirling it around the glass and generally showing all the signs of some-one who actually knew bugger all about wine but had seen some-one who did. All he really succeeded in doing was adding Michael to the list of people at the table who would have been quite happy if he didn't survive the meeting. "This was made with some considerable skill..." said Ruby, indicating the wine "...unusual that the emphasis has been on preserving the taste of the wine, rather than the blood with which it's expertly blended.".
Michael pointed out that suppressing the flavour of a wine of this quality would have been bordering on a criminal act in his opinion. Maiti and Brea laughed at this last comment and Ruby gave a nod of agreement while Nic continued his preposterous wine-taster act.
Michael reached into an envelope and pulled out the piece of paper on which Marie had written the identifying runes and slid it over to Ruby. "Before we continue I'd like you to have a look at this symbol and tell me what you think...". The surprise of everyone at the table at seeing the symbol was evident to even the uneducated negotiator but to Michael it spoke volumes. "Where did you get this?" There was a hint of anger in the tone "...only members of our own House use this combination of runes for identification..."
Confident that the kindred at the table were indeed of the same house as her, Marie gripped the mirror in her hand hard enough to break the glass and spilt her own blood upon it. Grasping a single shard of the glass she passed through from the adjacent room in an incorporeal state deciding that as the ritual had been prepared already that there was no harm in a dramatic entrance. "I gave it to them..." stated Marie somewhat unnecessarily given the method of her appearance within the room "...I wished to ensure that you were indeed Carna and not an interloper from Tremere, Goratrix or indeed Ipsissimus. I apologise for the subterfuge but we deemed it necessary under the circumstances considering the power we were potentially putting in your hands"
Looking to their leader for her decision, all the mages relaxed as Ruby confirmed that she did indeed understand with only Nic showing any signs of annoyance. Judging from their general reaction to his outburst it seemed that Nicholas wasn't particularly popular with his own coterie either. Michael laid out his terms for the alliance which broadly speaking would be an item of his choosing from the museum of items their research had indicated that the chantry contained. They also would need to be free to offer similar to the former members of Maximilian Strauss's House Tremere who it seemed had the only key to the buildings entrance when they negotiated for it.
It was also suggested that it might be possible to gain their support by offering to allow them to rejoin the clan as they may no longer be supporters of House Tremere due to their abandonment. This last idea was treated with some trepidation but after discussion it was established that such a thing might be possible but only if they rejoined the clan as members of House Carna, not House Tremere. Ruby also was adamant that any gifts of items from the rediscovered chantry would not include books containing ritual knowledge. Michael could see that this was going to be a sticking point so decided to ignore it and deal with the consequences later if necessary.
With an agreement in place Michael stated his attention to visit the mountain dwelling Tremere in two nights time. He stated that these intervening nights would be needed in order to prepare themselves for the journey on the chance that things became violent. Realising that this would give them time to make their own preparations they gained the agreement of House Carna and picked a location to meet. Vin then escorted the group outside, making a point to ignore 'Nic' completely as he was doing so. If the belligerent blood mage had any idea of Vin's current body-count of obliterated kindred enemies it's possible he would have been more careful about making an enemy of him.
Storytellers Note - First NPC that Vin's player has genuinely hated, lol.
Interlude - Hidden in Plain Sight
With the geographical location of the chantry discovered in theory it was decided to seek out the location in Downtown LA and confirm that the building was indeed there for if it wasn't then they were going to have to deal with several disappointed mages.
It was agreed that between Roach's unique insights and Marie's knowledge of sorcerous wards that they would be the ideal pairing to confirm their theories. Their discovery on arrival was strange in the extreme.
The Chantry is quite clearly there but also...well...not...you can almost see it out of the corner of your eye now you know where it is but when you look it it directly the two adjacent buildings appear to fill the gap where it was without any space between.
Roach focused his powers of premonition upon it while Marie attempted to navigate the assault on her senses that the two different coexisting realities were causing and eventually it began to become clearer. Marie could see that the door was warded and that the windows appeared to be illusory, there merely to give the appearance of a normal building. An unusual purple glow from an upstairs attic window seemed to be the only genuine entry point other than the actual door. The doorway was understandably warded against everything and Marie suspected that when Strauss was a resident the wards were 'switched off' to enable access for visitors. She doubted whether it would be possible to force there way within without deactivating the defences unless you wished to end your unlife as a bloody smear.
Now with the knowledge of the long sought after chantry available only to them they at least had something to offer if all went well with the negotiations that were to follow.
Scene Seventeen - House Tremere
It was decided that at least one person should keep an eye on the chantry while the rest negotiated with the Tremere based in the mountains of Santa Monica and as the most stealthy member of the party was currently in hiding the job was given to Roach. This was also partly due to the fact that Roach was little use in a combat situation but excellent at avoiding them completely by hiding.
The four members of Clan Carna accompanied Michael, Vin, Hope and Marie on the journey to the commune in the mountains that had been claimed from Verbena Mages by the remnants of House Tremere. Vin had taken an assault rifle with him to compliment the vast array of large bladed weapons he normally carried around his person while Hope had her shotgun and a large fire axe borrowed from the gallery. Hope had developed a liking for the axe as a weapon as it was fairly easy to find one and no great loss to dispose of it when used and locate another.
Marie was armed only with her ritual blade and a large number of prepared rituals and potions, an arsenal no doubt mirrored by the rest of Clan Carna who were making the journey with them. As it had been mentioned to them several times that the paths they were about to take were dangerously close to Lupine territory, several of the more combat orientated party members began to lament their lack of silver weaponry. Loading up Hope's jeep and one of the heavy SUV's the coterie and the mages began their road trip.
There's a somewhat treacherous road leading through the mountains paths that twists and turns as it goes eventually reaching what was once a car-park for some wildlife or nature trust of some description but is now in some state of disrepair. it contains a couple of battered jeeps, an old station wagon and a couple of dirt-bikes though the bikes look in need of repair.
Hope found tyre tracks which looked like they were from several motorbikes leading from the carpark further into the hills and mountains and it looked to her like this was as far as could be travelled in a traditional manner. They therefore parked their vehicles and continued on foot.
Several of the group with supernaturally heightened senses and Hope's Protean enhanced vision detected that they were being followed. They seemed to be being tracked by a small group on each side of them and possibly there was at least one slightly ahead. They didn't appear to be using supernatural methods of concealment rather they were just very, very good at it. Several of them did appear to be several feet taller than would be expected of a normal human and the rumours of werewolves immediately sprang into the minds of those who could observe their pursuers. Marie who could only see the pursuit rather than any specifics of them prepared to use one of her abilities to draw blood directly from the pack, not realising the nature of the foe. Fortunately one of the other members of Clan Carna saw her readying the ability and warned her that it might not be the best idea.
Storytellers Note - So thanks to a Storyteller NPC we didn't get to find out if five Tremere, One Brujah, one Gangrel and a social Toreador could beat seven Black Spiral Dancer werewolves in a fight...spoiler alert...they'd have all needed new characters. Instead I decided a TPK needn't happen today because I have that power, lol.
After being tracked for approximately a mile the flanking forces veered off and Hope concluded based on some of the knowledge that Marius had passed onto her during his training that they were probably just ensuring that the boundaries were kept to. Though random werewolf attacks still happened they were currently quite rare without sufficient provocation and though the reasons for the reduction in hostilities were unknown some had theorised that they were occupied by their own internal power struggles. Hope suspected that Marius knew exactly what was going on but was keeping it to himself but then she generally presumed that about most things. Her musings were interrupted as they spotted activity in the distance.
The settlement in the mountains is more compound than commune. Guards are at watchtowers on each corner though are lightly armed with bolt-action rifles and shotguns though the gate is open. Through the open gate you can see a number of men and women in practical clothing engaged in what from this distance looks like mundane domestic tasks. A pair of guards at the gate move forward "What brings you to the Alannah commune at this time of night?"
Michael introduced himself and his companions before deferring to Marie, presuming that she'd be better equipped to navigate the wants and needs of the mages they were to meet. At this point one of the guards eyes seemed to glaze over as if he was momentarily the vessel for another consciousness before beckoning the group to follow him. Once inside their opinion of the commune as a militant compound became confirmed as a vast proportion of the men and women within were armed.
Though there were surprisingly few children, the lateness of the hour may have accounted for that. Marie also noted that the layout as described by the Verbena Mages of Marius who once lived here was still surprisingly accurate considering it had been many decades ago. At the centre of the compound was a large building far more sturdily constructed than the rest of the ramshackle fortress and it was to this that they were escorted.
Marie could clearly see the sorcerous wards bound within the entrance and watched with interest as they faded slightly as the door opened, presumably to allow entrance without consequence. Deciding that five blood mages traipsing in along with Michael and a pair of obvious warriors could create the very confrontation they wished to avoid, she requested that Ruby and her followers stayed behind while she negotiated on their behalf. As usual the quite reasonable plan was excepted by all except Nic but he was once again quietened by a look from his leader, Ruby.
"I greet you in the name of House Carna, mages of House Tremere and wish to speak with you on a matter important to all of our clan." Stated Marie, which she followed with a formal curtsy. "Then I suppose you best enter then" Replied a gruff male voice from inside. Receiving no further encouragement she entered, followed closely by Michael, both of them flanked by the towering Brujah, Vin and the predatory Gangel, Hope.
The focal point of the temple's interior was a throne at the far end upon which sat the former pupil of Maximilian Strauss. The architecture within had been subtly designed to make the occupant of the throne seem more imposing by subtle alterations of the scale of the decoration and other tricks that Michael noticed immediately with his architectural background. Michael once again introduced himself though he was sure that the woman to which he was speaking had heard it previously when he spoke to the guard outside. As before he then deferred to Marie. "We seek the chantry of your former Regent Strauss at the bequest of members of House Carna on whose behalf I speak." She began. "It is our understanding that you possess the key required for entry?". "The key is indeed ours" Spoke Alannah in a commanding and aggressive tone. "Little use without a lock in which to use it though, don't you think?".
"Not all things lost remain so." Replied Marie "The knowledge of House Carna has led us to both you and the chantry..." Before she could continue the gruff voice that had greeted her earlier interrupted "Yeah, but we're of House Tremere, Not House fucking Carna, or didn't your knowledge cover that difference?". Marie rolled her eyes as if a particularly idiotic pupil had spoken and was surprised when Alannah seemed to smile at the gesture. "I consider Carna to be a modern form of Clan Tremere, free from the corruption and backwards attitudes that plagued our clan and may well have led to it's downfall...." She then turned to Odrahn and despite making it seem that she was simply talking to him was in fact focusing her attention on him in case she needed to deal with him having identified him as the biggest immediate threat. She also noted that Vin seemed to feel the same way. "...In fact were you not abandoned and made homeless by the Tremere Regent to whom you'd pledged your loyalty?"
"She makes a good point..." This from the remaining member of House Tremere, Elizabeth 'Etain' Brooker "...But I have no desire to become a member of a clan filled with hedge witches. Perhaps there's a solution where we share rather than merge?" Though not the ideal solution for Marie she did have to admit that it would give her time to work on them later. "Of course that is also an option, perhaps you'll find the sisterhood good enough company to consider a later conversion?" She laughed as if it was a joke but noticed with some satisfaction that Odrahn visibly grew angry at the use of the word 'Sisterhood' which had of course been exactly her intention. Acting as if she hadn't noticed she continued her sales pitch "If it's a joint operation that you desire then we can come to an agreement that strengthens both our Houses." Seeing that Marie had done her job well, Michael began to frame the vague agreements into something more formal. After some more debate and consultation with Ruby and her followers who had been listening intently from outside they broadly speaking agreed on terms.
Resources of the chantry would be shared between all parties equally but nothing would be removed and this would be after Michael's coterie received their own reward from any items available. The key as it turned out was a ritual as well as a physical key and Alannah would not allow it to be used without her house accompanying it and on this point she would not move obviously fearing betrayal. Marie and Michael agreed to await their arrival before acting and deciding they had nothing to lose, Alannah handed over the ritual before placing information directly into Marie's mind via a powerful talent for Telepathy that caught Marie almost completely by surprise. The intrusion contained only the information she needed yet nonetheless she felt somewhat violated by the aggressive nature of the transfer. Having done the best they could the coterie and the mages of Carna made their farewells and then left.
Scene Eighteen - House Goratrix
As Roach observed the chantry from a dark corner nearby he saw the member of Therese's commando's known as 'Mandi' approach his place of concealment with a directness which clearly showed she knew exactly where he was.
"Greetings Roach, So this is the location of the elusive chantry?" The question was of course rhetorical as by now their own discovery of the occult building had seemed to weaken the cloak surrounding it. "I had been seeking it myself of course but it was just too well concealed. Fortunately you are much easier to find than it was."
Roach pointed out that they had made arrangements with both House Carna and House Tremere to share the secrets within and that if she wanted the chantry for herself she'd have to fight eight other blood sorcerers for it. He also informed her that it was more or less House Carna that had the best negotiating position and so it would be with them with which she'd have to debate if she wanted access. If Roach thought for a moment that the kindred before him would be phased by such opposition then his skills at reading others immediately told him he was wrong as she seemed completely un-phased. He then tried a different approach.
"Of course your bond to Baron Voerman might be tested by such a dual allegiance. How do you think she'd react to your betraying her?". Mandi once again seemed to find little to be concerned about by what the Malkavian was saying. "Therese is well aware of my reason for agreeing to work for her and I have already accepted her terms in the event of just this occurrence. As long as my duties to her are fulfilled what I do in the remainder of my time is up to me as long as it doesn't conflict with her own operations."
Concluding that she wasn't going to be put off and deciding that it wasn't really his problem once everyone turned up, he lit up a joint and leaned against the wall once more. "You might as well wait here then..." He said, once again adopted his usual pose of casual indifference "...everyone will be along shortly and you can debate it with them."
Smiling in a quite disconcerting manner Amanda McBride made herself comfortable and awaited the arrival of the coterie and their new allies. Meanwhile Roach continued his observations of the area noting that even for such a rundown area of town there were surprisingly few people around and even bums and beggars seemed to avoid the place. At least thought Roach this meant there wouldn't be a lot of witnesses to anything untoward that might occur when they attempted to gain entry.
Some time later a number of vehicles arrived including Hope's distinctive Jeep and Michael's subtly armoured car. The vehicles began to disgorge their cargoes of coterie members and the full membership of both Houses. As they approached the building they were met by Roach and his new acquaintance.
Scene Nineteen - The Chantry
"My name is Amanda McBride of Baron Therese Voerman's commando coterie..." She then paused, presumably for dramatic effect "...also of House Goratrix...if this chantry is to become a shared repository of knowledge then surely all houses should be part of it?" Seeing the tension in all those present, Roach stepped alongside her and added his own observation "She has the full cooperation of her Baron in her endeavour..." The implication was clear, oppose her and it was possible that they would make an enemy of one of the most powerful and influential kindred in Los Angeles. "Welcome to the party Miss McBride." Was Marie's response.
Marie began the ritual provided by Alannah to neutralise the impressive wards protecting the chantry while the cars they'd bought with them blocked the street and the rare wanderer through the area was convinced to leave by the more persuasive members of the coterie either via supernatural gifts or sheer intimidation. Those with supernatural sight could see each ward and warding circle fade as the ritual progressed though none disappeared completely seemingly becoming dormant rather than being removed altogether. Once the last protection had been deactivated the last remnants of the spell of concealment faded along with it and the chantry appeared to all as part of the row of buildings, simultaneously all kindred who knew of the place felt it's location return to their minds like a long lost memory bought to the surface by a familiar experience.
Marie turned to the others and laid out the terms that she and Michael had agreed upon earlier. "Each House shall be permitted one representative to investigate this place until we ascertain any danger that might remain within. I shall represent the coterie and Vin shall act as bodyguard should any threats be encountered. The rest shall remain here until we return. Agreed?" As usual the only objections came from Nic of House Carna and Odrahn of House Tremere who on the journey here seemed to have formed an uneasy alliance as the only two dissenting voices about the direction in which the agreement was heading. Alannah represented her house as it's leader and Ruby did the same. As the only member of House Goratrix present, Mandi of course nominated herself. Using the only physical component in the ritual which was a key containing a glowing purple jewel, Marie opened the door and those nominated entered.
You enter a pleasant hallway, with a couch (presumably for waiting guests), a stairway leading upstairs and a corridor leading to a 'T' junction. Several doors are along the hallway on the left. Those with supernatural senses however gained a far different impression...
Nothing is where it should be, the stairs going up are also going down, two of the doors aren't actually there and there's one where there shouldn't be. The only consistent feature is the corridor which stays in the same place through all the overlapping versions in your mind. You all get the uncomfortable feeling that the building is as dangerous as any potential inhabitants...and that it would rather you left...
As a former resident of the building Alannah was asked the way ahead but was forced to admit that the layout seemed subtly different than before. As she entered a side door that she remembered leading to another room the rest were surprised to see her emerge from a door at the top of the stairs. Marie who on a previous occasion had adapted a ritual known as 'Illuminate the Trail of Prey' to allow her to find a specific location rather than a specific person used it once more to find the chantries museum as it was described to her by Alannah.
Storytellers Note - This was initially allowed in a previous session as it suited the plot but the player doesn't misuse it so I've house-ruled that it can be used this way but that the results are far less precise in proportion to the information the caster has. Basically they might find what they're looking for...or they might be guided to somewhere similar in appearance fifty miles away, lol.
Perceiving a faint but intermittent trail through the building she could almost feel the chantry fighting against them as corridors ended abruptly, junctions disappeared and doorways led nowhere. Meanwhile Vin who had little interest in such esoteric concepts was more concerned about the fact that he was more and more sure they were being watched. The Brujah had been taught by his sire long ago to pay attention to such feelings as sometimes the unconscious mind noticed things the conscious one did not and so slid his hand beneath his jacket and gripped the handle of the two-handed kukri-like melee weapon he had selected for this particular mission.
The wall next to you seems to expand outwards as an ugly angular face appears to flow from the wall as a heavy muscular arm with a claw tipped hand lashes out.
As the hand grabbed at Alannah, Vin stepped between them, drew his blade and swung at the forearm of the grasping attacker, cutting deep into surprisingly resistant flesh. As the ambusher seemed to flow back into the wall from which it had appeared Vin swung once more but this time simply tore into the chantry wall a moment too late to catch the retreating foe. As he stepped back he noticed that despite slicing through plaster and brick the chantry wall now showed no signs of damage.
Meanwhile outside a heated debate had begun about the relative benefits of certain houses of Clan Tremere, who was responsible for the current predicament in which the clan found itself and a number of other factors relating to internal clan politics. A particular source of contention was who exactly was the official 'owner' of the chantry should it prove to be habitable. Sensing that at least two of the assembled group were contemplating reinforcing their opinion with action Michael stepped forward and launched into an impressive speech about domain, the benefits of co-operation and made several pertinent points about how it was only through the coming together of the different houses with his own coterie that had enabled this discovery. He then somewhat less diplomatically pointed out that perhaps they should all shut the fuck up for a bit until they knew if they had anything to actually fight over.
Vin was now in a state of high alert, moving between the various members of the search party and constantly observing the walls, ceiling and even the floors for any signs of movement.
There's a crack of splintering stone beside you as the lights in the chantry begin to fade and flicker. The wall there is now obscured by a large figure seemingly constructed from the very substance of the chantry, there's a red glow from deep set eyes.
Once again putting himself between the creature and it's chosen target Vin ducked a clawed limb with skin like stone and drove his weapon deep into it's chest, tearing downwards and then stepping back to give himself some distance to assess the foe. Taking advantage of it's focus upon Vin, Marie who had been the original target of the attack, coated her blade with paralysing blood and lashed out herself but her attack glanced off it's thick skin. Then the creature stepped back towards the wall and flowing into it like liquid was once again gone.
The mages were now reasonably sure now that they were being stalked by a gargoyle created no doubt by Strauss as guardian for the chantry despite that fact that the creation of such creatures had been forbidden since the Tremere's entry to the Camarilla.
Sure now that Vin could hurt the creature Marie turned her attention to the constantly changing chantry and on a whim announced out loud that she was of House Carna of Clan Tremere and that they were here to reclaim the chantry for the clan. As if the building itself had been awaiting for just such an introduction the illusions faded and a clear path to a flight of stairs revealed itself.
Storytellers Note - I'd have settled for some-one just yelling "Hi" to be honest, lol.
The ground begins to shake and you can hear floorboards creaking alarmingly. A large winged creature with skin like grey stone rounds the corner at the top of the stairs. A deep gravelly voice comes from a mouth within the angular face you recognise from the earlier attacks. "That...is far enough...Leave...or meet your final deaths..."
The damage inflicted by the Brujah 'Vin' could still be clearly seen on the gargoyles grey flesh. The one arm was sliced almost through at it's forearm and it's chest was cut deeply. The fact that it had made no attempt to heal itself led them to believe that it hadn't the vitae to spare to do so and Marie stepped forward to address the guardian as the others prepared to defend themselves from the inevitable attack. "It is you who is closest to final death I think and it is you who should yield to us". Unfortunately it seemed to consider it's duty more important than it's survival and leapt forward wings spread, and ready to fight.
All the mages present had prepared themselves and either drew weapons, or assaulted the guardian with supernatural means by extinguishing the potency of the creatures Vitae, boiling what was remaining of the blood within it's body or enhancing the potency of their own blood in anticipation of combat. Vin however had a more practical solution in mind and leapt at the descending monstrosity meeting it halfway down the stairway and aiming for the neck, cleaved it's head from it's shoulders with one mighty swing.
Storytellers Note - The roll basically just contained tens. I really didn't see the need to add them all up to see how dead the gargoyle was, lol.
Scene Twenty - To the Victor the Spoils
This floor of the Chantry seems to be much larger than the exterior proportions of the building. The hall is wide and has doors along each side and there are several larger doors in an open area ahead. The larger doors are conveniently labelled 'Library', 'Museum' and 'Laboratory'. The doors along the corridor are each labelled in the same neat script as those ahead. On each of the nine doors there is a name matching one of the blood mages gathered either within or waiting outside including one with the name 'Marie' upon it. Alannah pushes open the door to the room with her name upon it and looks within. "It's exactly as I left it over a decade ago..."
After a cursory examination was carried out by Vin to ensure no other gargoyles were lurking in any of the rooms, he returned to the entrance which was now a direct route without defensive illusions. Swinging open the doors somewhat melodramatically for the normally pragmatic Vin he stepped outside and announced that the chantry was now clear of danger. The assembled mages outside viewed each other warily and then entered.
The Library was smaller than expected and many of the volumes were in locked cabinets. Several were open and there were gaps on a number of shelves as if some-one had grabbed a number of volumes and left in a hurry, presumably Strauss.
The Laboratory contained a bewildering array of containers, intricate and seemingly random connections of glass pipes and other areas that seem to be for preparing potions or elixirs. Less traditional in a lab were a number of bloodstained slabs with archaic surgical tools lined up nearby. At the far end a number of what can only be described as cells could be seen presumably where 'living', raw materials were kept in direct contravention of the agreement against the creation of gargoyles.
The Museum however was more traditional in appearance being a rectangular area containing upright sealed glass cabinets each containing a single item. Of course the items within the cabinets were anything but 'traditional'. Each was labelled with a name and had a brief description beneath it but their actual purposes weren't always obvious. Ruby gestured to the items and addressed Michael. "I believe our agreement was for an item of your choosing from the contents of the chantry? Make sure you and your coterie pick wisely, not everything in here is necessarily as it seems. One item each...no more..." Then please join us as we discuss the chantries future.
Hope helped herself to a fang of a mighty creature of some description, labelled 'Tarulfang'. as the heavy fang could only have belonged to a ferocious predatory beast she inexplicably felt at ease knowing there was one less of those in the world.
Michael found himself drawn to a pearl described as 'The Pearl of Dubai', though he had only the most basic of senses where the supernatural was concerned he nonetheless could feel that it was full of a magical vibrancy.
Vin had his eye upon a glassy stone that appeared to have a liquid core. The stone itself was was milky translucent yet rock solid and unlike anything he'd seen before and he decided this 'Heart of Eliza' would make a suitable pommel for his favourite weapon. Roach had little time for ornaments and trinkets but was surprised to detect that one of the cabinets contained an item with a living aura. As he focused on it he inexplicably discovered through a flash of premonition that he 'knew' that it was in fact the perverse creation of a Tzimisce fleshcrafter, an abomination forced to live a tortured eternity in servitude to the damned. He decided to take 'The Odious Chalice' as his own reward and uncover it's secrets later.
Storytellers Note - Occult items and descriptions shamelessly stolen from the bloodlines PC game.
With Daniel not present to make a selection but as part of the coterie still entitled to an item, Roach randomly picked an item described as a 'Fae Charm' and then left to join the discussion on the future of the chantry going on outside. Marie was far too involved in the debate currently going on between the three houses to pick anything, deciding she had plenty of time to do that later.
Alannah was claiming that as an original resident of the chantry that it belonged to her, Etain and Odrahn. Ruby however stated quite clearly that if it wasn't for their involvement it would never have been discoverd and therefore it was rightly there's. As the lone representative of her house, Amanda had sided with Marie's point of view that they could share the location and that judging from the rooms that had appeared for each of them, that the obvious intelligence within the building seemed open to the idea too. Michael had lent his debating skills to this latter argument also and could see that many present were warming to the idea. Odrahn and Nic had however become quite vocal in their objections to any alliance and seemed to have closed themselves off to any thought of a compromise. While Michael was watching the arguments go back and forth he noticed that both Alannah and Ruby had become less involved in the ongoing debate, in fact he was sure he could observe the slight glazing of the eyes that he always noted when Roach communicated telepathically with another.
Odrahn stopped talking abruptly and looked down to see several inches of a ritual blade wielded by Etain sticking out of his chest. As Nic turned with a look of surprise on his face he had a moment to witness the blade being withdrawn and Odrahn's head being lopped from his shoulders before the blood within his own body reached boiling point and he collapsed to the ground in agony. Correctly assessing that the respective house leaders had made a decision to unite and at the same time remove any dissenting voices, Vin stepped over to the prone Nic who he had disliked from the start and drove his foot down hard, decapitating him quite messily indeed.
It seemed that the new ownership of the chantry had been decided...
Scene Twenty One - Epilogue
Two less rooms now existed on the residential floor of the chantry as those earmarked for Nic and Odrahn had mysteriously disappeared upon their final deaths. A meeting room that hadn't existed before had now appeared on another floor of the building dominated by a large table that seemed to change based on who and how many people utilised it and it was within this room the six remaining mages and the coteries own Marie had decided to share the resources within. They were currently deciding upon certain guidelines in order to ensure that the three houses within could cooperate adequately enough to prevent problems.
As the rest of the coterie left to return to their own havens, Michael couldn't help but worry about what this new alliance might do to the delicate balance of power within the Anarch Free States. that was, however a worry for another night.
To Be Continued in 'The Anaheim Assassination'
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...
I was expecting a mage war and I got a chantry full of mages...oh well, I'm sure it wont go badly at all. Though strangely it was largely decided by Vin being really good at hitting things so that was pretty random too.
To be fair to the players, they were on form with all their roleplaying and social encounters so railroading them into the ending I wanted seemed like a dick move. I therefore now have to integrate a new power player into my version of Los Angeles and decide just how the other barons feel about it...
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, Ruby is a Gothic model called Leila Lunatic, Alannah is either La Esmeralda or Threnody in Velvet as they inhabit the same folder on my PC, Etain is another Gothic Model whose name will be added when I find out who she is and Mandi is a suicide girl called Jeckyl Suicide though no doubt goes by other names too. 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 Sixteen - House Carna
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| Carna, the Princess Witch House Carna Regent |
As far as the rest were aware Daniel was keeping his head down in light of the dispute between him and Therese Voerman's scourge as despite Roach negotiating a solution on his behalf it was decided that lying low for a few extra days might help. He was of course doing nothing of the sort...
Storytellers Note - Daniel's player wasn't available this session but I have a solo planned for him so we've presumed that it will take place in the background while this is occurring.
Michael invited Hope to the meeting as extra security in case Marie's suspicions came true and these kindred weren't actually part of House Carna at all. Vin was as normal treating the matter with his usual pragmatism and was as armed to the teeth as it was possible to be without being too obvious. Their meeting room had been prepared to give the best impression as possible and Marie had retrieved several of her best bottles of blood enhanced wine from her own collection so as to avoid the need to provide 'living' refreshments.
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| Vanessa 'Ruby' Rubeus House Carna |
Ruby and her three followers arrived exactly on time and were escorted by Vin up to the meeting room. Unusually he made some attempts at casual conversation as he was trying to work on his social skills in light of his new roles within the coterie. Their leader Vanessa 'Ruby' Rubeus was diplomatically polite, Brianna 'Brea' Rush slightly flirty and Matilda 'Maiti' Beck seemed curious about the security measures but Nicholas 'Nic' Wilkerson was dismissive in the extreme. Though a certain air of arrogance could be detected from all of them, Nic wore it like a badge of honour and Vin took a dislike to him almost instantly.
Vin found himself quite irritated that this was an occasion for diplomacy which unfortunately precluded him from beating the irritating vampire hipster to death. As they entered, Michael was at the head of the table and Hope was seated on a chair to Michael's left though 'crouched' would probably be a more apt description. Vin showed them to their seats and then took up a position from where he could view everyone while keeping an especial eye on the subject of his ire in the hope that he would do something stupid upon which he could act.
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| Matilda 'Maiti' Beck House Carna |
Storytellers Note - Though 'Preserved Blood' is only mentioned in passing in the V5 core book I have arbitrarily decided that a whole vampiric sub culture is based around it's creation.
It was obvious that Ruby appreciated the skill involved in it's creation and though not experts in wine both Brea and Maiti also showed their appreciation. Nic meanwhile was making a big deal about swirling it around the glass and generally showing all the signs of some-one who actually knew bugger all about wine but had seen some-one who did. All he really succeeded in doing was adding Michael to the list of people at the table who would have been quite happy if he didn't survive the meeting. "This was made with some considerable skill..." said Ruby, indicating the wine "...unusual that the emphasis has been on preserving the taste of the wine, rather than the blood with which it's expertly blended.".
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| Brianna 'Brea' Rush House Carna |
Michael reached into an envelope and pulled out the piece of paper on which Marie had written the identifying runes and slid it over to Ruby. "Before we continue I'd like you to have a look at this symbol and tell me what you think...". The surprise of everyone at the table at seeing the symbol was evident to even the uneducated negotiator but to Michael it spoke volumes. "Where did you get this?" There was a hint of anger in the tone "...only members of our own House use this combination of runes for identification..."
Confident that the kindred at the table were indeed of the same house as her, Marie gripped the mirror in her hand hard enough to break the glass and spilt her own blood upon it. Grasping a single shard of the glass she passed through from the adjacent room in an incorporeal state deciding that as the ritual had been prepared already that there was no harm in a dramatic entrance. "I gave it to them..." stated Marie somewhat unnecessarily given the method of her appearance within the room "...I wished to ensure that you were indeed Carna and not an interloper from Tremere, Goratrix or indeed Ipsissimus. I apologise for the subterfuge but we deemed it necessary under the circumstances considering the power we were potentially putting in your hands"
Looking to their leader for her decision, all the mages relaxed as Ruby confirmed that she did indeed understand with only Nic showing any signs of annoyance. Judging from their general reaction to his outburst it seemed that Nicholas wasn't particularly popular with his own coterie either. Michael laid out his terms for the alliance which broadly speaking would be an item of his choosing from the museum of items their research had indicated that the chantry contained. They also would need to be free to offer similar to the former members of Maximilian Strauss's House Tremere who it seemed had the only key to the buildings entrance when they negotiated for it.
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| Nicholas 'Nic' Wilkerson House Carna |
With an agreement in place Michael stated his attention to visit the mountain dwelling Tremere in two nights time. He stated that these intervening nights would be needed in order to prepare themselves for the journey on the chance that things became violent. Realising that this would give them time to make their own preparations they gained the agreement of House Carna and picked a location to meet. Vin then escorted the group outside, making a point to ignore 'Nic' completely as he was doing so. If the belligerent blood mage had any idea of Vin's current body-count of obliterated kindred enemies it's possible he would have been more careful about making an enemy of him.
Storytellers Note - First NPC that Vin's player has genuinely hated, lol.
Interlude - Hidden in Plain Sight
With the geographical location of the chantry discovered in theory it was decided to seek out the location in Downtown LA and confirm that the building was indeed there for if it wasn't then they were going to have to deal with several disappointed mages.
It was agreed that between Roach's unique insights and Marie's knowledge of sorcerous wards that they would be the ideal pairing to confirm their theories. Their discovery on arrival was strange in the extreme.
The Chantry is quite clearly there but also...well...not...you can almost see it out of the corner of your eye now you know where it is but when you look it it directly the two adjacent buildings appear to fill the gap where it was without any space between.Roach focused his powers of premonition upon it while Marie attempted to navigate the assault on her senses that the two different coexisting realities were causing and eventually it began to become clearer. Marie could see that the door was warded and that the windows appeared to be illusory, there merely to give the appearance of a normal building. An unusual purple glow from an upstairs attic window seemed to be the only genuine entry point other than the actual door. The doorway was understandably warded against everything and Marie suspected that when Strauss was a resident the wards were 'switched off' to enable access for visitors. She doubted whether it would be possible to force there way within without deactivating the defences unless you wished to end your unlife as a bloody smear.
Now with the knowledge of the long sought after chantry available only to them they at least had something to offer if all went well with the negotiations that were to follow.
Scene Seventeen - House Tremere
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| Lord Tremere - House Tremere Missing, Suspected Destroyed |
The four members of Clan Carna accompanied Michael, Vin, Hope and Marie on the journey to the commune in the mountains that had been claimed from Verbena Mages by the remnants of House Tremere. Vin had taken an assault rifle with him to compliment the vast array of large bladed weapons he normally carried around his person while Hope had her shotgun and a large fire axe borrowed from the gallery. Hope had developed a liking for the axe as a weapon as it was fairly easy to find one and no great loss to dispose of it when used and locate another.
Marie was armed only with her ritual blade and a large number of prepared rituals and potions, an arsenal no doubt mirrored by the rest of Clan Carna who were making the journey with them. As it had been mentioned to them several times that the paths they were about to take were dangerously close to Lupine territory, several of the more combat orientated party members began to lament their lack of silver weaponry. Loading up Hope's jeep and one of the heavy SUV's the coterie and the mages began their road trip.
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| Black Spiral Dancers Lupine Tribe |
Hope found tyre tracks which looked like they were from several motorbikes leading from the carpark further into the hills and mountains and it looked to her like this was as far as could be travelled in a traditional manner. They therefore parked their vehicles and continued on foot.
Several of the group with supernaturally heightened senses and Hope's Protean enhanced vision detected that they were being followed. They seemed to be being tracked by a small group on each side of them and possibly there was at least one slightly ahead. They didn't appear to be using supernatural methods of concealment rather they were just very, very good at it. Several of them did appear to be several feet taller than would be expected of a normal human and the rumours of werewolves immediately sprang into the minds of those who could observe their pursuers. Marie who could only see the pursuit rather than any specifics of them prepared to use one of her abilities to draw blood directly from the pack, not realising the nature of the foe. Fortunately one of the other members of Clan Carna saw her readying the ability and warned her that it might not be the best idea.
Storytellers Note - So thanks to a Storyteller NPC we didn't get to find out if five Tremere, One Brujah, one Gangrel and a social Toreador could beat seven Black Spiral Dancer werewolves in a fight...spoiler alert...they'd have all needed new characters. Instead I decided a TPK needn't happen today because I have that power, lol.
After being tracked for approximately a mile the flanking forces veered off and Hope concluded based on some of the knowledge that Marius had passed onto her during his training that they were probably just ensuring that the boundaries were kept to. Though random werewolf attacks still happened they were currently quite rare without sufficient provocation and though the reasons for the reduction in hostilities were unknown some had theorised that they were occupied by their own internal power struggles. Hope suspected that Marius knew exactly what was going on but was keeping it to himself but then she generally presumed that about most things. Her musings were interrupted as they spotted activity in the distance.The settlement in the mountains is more compound than commune. Guards are at watchtowers on each corner though are lightly armed with bolt-action rifles and shotguns though the gate is open. Through the open gate you can see a number of men and women in practical clothing engaged in what from this distance looks like mundane domestic tasks. A pair of guards at the gate move forward "What brings you to the Alannah commune at this time of night?"
Michael introduced himself and his companions before deferring to Marie, presuming that she'd be better equipped to navigate the wants and needs of the mages they were to meet. At this point one of the guards eyes seemed to glaze over as if he was momentarily the vessel for another consciousness before beckoning the group to follow him. Once inside their opinion of the commune as a militant compound became confirmed as a vast proportion of the men and women within were armed.
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| Odrahn - House Tremere |
Marie could clearly see the sorcerous wards bound within the entrance and watched with interest as they faded slightly as the door opened, presumably to allow entrance without consequence. Deciding that five blood mages traipsing in along with Michael and a pair of obvious warriors could create the very confrontation they wished to avoid, she requested that Ruby and her followers stayed behind while she negotiated on their behalf. As usual the quite reasonable plan was excepted by all except Nic but he was once again quietened by a look from his leader, Ruby.
"I greet you in the name of House Carna, mages of House Tremere and wish to speak with you on a matter important to all of our clan." Stated Marie, which she followed with a formal curtsy. "Then I suppose you best enter then" Replied a gruff male voice from inside. Receiving no further encouragement she entered, followed closely by Michael, both of them flanked by the towering Brujah, Vin and the predatory Gangel, Hope.
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| Alanis 'Alannah' Ward House Tremere |
"Not all things lost remain so." Replied Marie "The knowledge of House Carna has led us to both you and the chantry..." Before she could continue the gruff voice that had greeted her earlier interrupted "Yeah, but we're of House Tremere, Not House fucking Carna, or didn't your knowledge cover that difference?". Marie rolled her eyes as if a particularly idiotic pupil had spoken and was surprised when Alannah seemed to smile at the gesture. "I consider Carna to be a modern form of Clan Tremere, free from the corruption and backwards attitudes that plagued our clan and may well have led to it's downfall...." She then turned to Odrahn and despite making it seem that she was simply talking to him was in fact focusing her attention on him in case she needed to deal with him having identified him as the biggest immediate threat. She also noted that Vin seemed to feel the same way. "...In fact were you not abandoned and made homeless by the Tremere Regent to whom you'd pledged your loyalty?"
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| Elizabeth 'Etain' Brooker House Tremere |
Resources of the chantry would be shared between all parties equally but nothing would be removed and this would be after Michael's coterie received their own reward from any items available. The key as it turned out was a ritual as well as a physical key and Alannah would not allow it to be used without her house accompanying it and on this point she would not move obviously fearing betrayal. Marie and Michael agreed to await their arrival before acting and deciding they had nothing to lose, Alannah handed over the ritual before placing information directly into Marie's mind via a powerful talent for Telepathy that caught Marie almost completely by surprise. The intrusion contained only the information she needed yet nonetheless she felt somewhat violated by the aggressive nature of the transfer. Having done the best they could the coterie and the mages of Carna made their farewells and then left.
Scene Eighteen - House Goratrix
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| Goratrix - House Goratrix |
"Greetings Roach, So this is the location of the elusive chantry?" The question was of course rhetorical as by now their own discovery of the occult building had seemed to weaken the cloak surrounding it. "I had been seeking it myself of course but it was just too well concealed. Fortunately you are much easier to find than it was."
Roach pointed out that they had made arrangements with both House Carna and House Tremere to share the secrets within and that if she wanted the chantry for herself she'd have to fight eight other blood sorcerers for it. He also informed her that it was more or less House Carna that had the best negotiating position and so it would be with them with which she'd have to debate if she wanted access. If Roach thought for a moment that the kindred before him would be phased by such opposition then his skills at reading others immediately told him he was wrong as she seemed completely un-phased. He then tried a different approach.
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| Amandi 'Mandi' McBride House Goratrix |
Concluding that she wasn't going to be put off and deciding that it wasn't really his problem once everyone turned up, he lit up a joint and leaned against the wall once more. "You might as well wait here then..." He said, once again adopted his usual pose of casual indifference "...everyone will be along shortly and you can debate it with them."
Smiling in a quite disconcerting manner Amanda McBride made herself comfortable and awaited the arrival of the coterie and their new allies. Meanwhile Roach continued his observations of the area noting that even for such a rundown area of town there were surprisingly few people around and even bums and beggars seemed to avoid the place. At least thought Roach this meant there wouldn't be a lot of witnesses to anything untoward that might occur when they attempted to gain entry.
Some time later a number of vehicles arrived including Hope's distinctive Jeep and Michael's subtly armoured car. The vehicles began to disgorge their cargoes of coterie members and the full membership of both Houses. As they approached the building they were met by Roach and his new acquaintance.
Scene Nineteen - The Chantry
Marie began the ritual provided by Alannah to neutralise the impressive wards protecting the chantry while the cars they'd bought with them blocked the street and the rare wanderer through the area was convinced to leave by the more persuasive members of the coterie either via supernatural gifts or sheer intimidation. Those with supernatural sight could see each ward and warding circle fade as the ritual progressed though none disappeared completely seemingly becoming dormant rather than being removed altogether. Once the last protection had been deactivated the last remnants of the spell of concealment faded along with it and the chantry appeared to all as part of the row of buildings, simultaneously all kindred who knew of the place felt it's location return to their minds like a long lost memory bought to the surface by a familiar experience.
Marie turned to the others and laid out the terms that she and Michael had agreed upon earlier. "Each House shall be permitted one representative to investigate this place until we ascertain any danger that might remain within. I shall represent the coterie and Vin shall act as bodyguard should any threats be encountered. The rest shall remain here until we return. Agreed?" As usual the only objections came from Nic of House Carna and Odrahn of House Tremere who on the journey here seemed to have formed an uneasy alliance as the only two dissenting voices about the direction in which the agreement was heading. Alannah represented her house as it's leader and Ruby did the same. As the only member of House Goratrix present, Mandi of course nominated herself. Using the only physical component in the ritual which was a key containing a glowing purple jewel, Marie opened the door and those nominated entered.You enter a pleasant hallway, with a couch (presumably for waiting guests), a stairway leading upstairs and a corridor leading to a 'T' junction. Several doors are along the hallway on the left. Those with supernatural senses however gained a far different impression...
Nothing is where it should be, the stairs going up are also going down, two of the doors aren't actually there and there's one where there shouldn't be. The only consistent feature is the corridor which stays in the same place through all the overlapping versions in your mind. You all get the uncomfortable feeling that the building is as dangerous as any potential inhabitants...and that it would rather you left...
Storytellers Note - This was initially allowed in a previous session as it suited the plot but the player doesn't misuse it so I've house-ruled that it can be used this way but that the results are far less precise in proportion to the information the caster has. Basically they might find what they're looking for...or they might be guided to somewhere similar in appearance fifty miles away, lol.
The wall next to you seems to expand outwards as an ugly angular face appears to flow from the wall as a heavy muscular arm with a claw tipped hand lashes out.
As the hand grabbed at Alannah, Vin stepped between them, drew his blade and swung at the forearm of the grasping attacker, cutting deep into surprisingly resistant flesh. As the ambusher seemed to flow back into the wall from which it had appeared Vin swung once more but this time simply tore into the chantry wall a moment too late to catch the retreating foe. As he stepped back he noticed that despite slicing through plaster and brick the chantry wall now showed no signs of damage.Meanwhile outside a heated debate had begun about the relative benefits of certain houses of Clan Tremere, who was responsible for the current predicament in which the clan found itself and a number of other factors relating to internal clan politics. A particular source of contention was who exactly was the official 'owner' of the chantry should it prove to be habitable. Sensing that at least two of the assembled group were contemplating reinforcing their opinion with action Michael stepped forward and launched into an impressive speech about domain, the benefits of co-operation and made several pertinent points about how it was only through the coming together of the different houses with his own coterie that had enabled this discovery. He then somewhat less diplomatically pointed out that perhaps they should all shut the fuck up for a bit until they knew if they had anything to actually fight over.
There's a crack of splintering stone beside you as the lights in the chantry begin to fade and flicker. The wall there is now obscured by a large figure seemingly constructed from the very substance of the chantry, there's a red glow from deep set eyes.
Once again putting himself between the creature and it's chosen target Vin ducked a clawed limb with skin like stone and drove his weapon deep into it's chest, tearing downwards and then stepping back to give himself some distance to assess the foe. Taking advantage of it's focus upon Vin, Marie who had been the original target of the attack, coated her blade with paralysing blood and lashed out herself but her attack glanced off it's thick skin. Then the creature stepped back towards the wall and flowing into it like liquid was once again gone.
Sure now that Vin could hurt the creature Marie turned her attention to the constantly changing chantry and on a whim announced out loud that she was of House Carna of Clan Tremere and that they were here to reclaim the chantry for the clan. As if the building itself had been awaiting for just such an introduction the illusions faded and a clear path to a flight of stairs revealed itself.
Storytellers Note - I'd have settled for some-one just yelling "Hi" to be honest, lol.
The ground begins to shake and you can hear floorboards creaking alarmingly. A large winged creature with skin like grey stone rounds the corner at the top of the stairs. A deep gravelly voice comes from a mouth within the angular face you recognise from the earlier attacks. "That...is far enough...Leave...or meet your final deaths..."
All the mages present had prepared themselves and either drew weapons, or assaulted the guardian with supernatural means by extinguishing the potency of the creatures Vitae, boiling what was remaining of the blood within it's body or enhancing the potency of their own blood in anticipation of combat. Vin however had a more practical solution in mind and leapt at the descending monstrosity meeting it halfway down the stairway and aiming for the neck, cleaved it's head from it's shoulders with one mighty swing.
Storytellers Note - The roll basically just contained tens. I really didn't see the need to add them all up to see how dead the gargoyle was, lol.
Scene Twenty - To the Victor the Spoils
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| Chantry Quarters - Alannah |
After a cursory examination was carried out by Vin to ensure no other gargoyles were lurking in any of the rooms, he returned to the entrance which was now a direct route without defensive illusions. Swinging open the doors somewhat melodramatically for the normally pragmatic Vin he stepped outside and announced that the chantry was now clear of danger. The assembled mages outside viewed each other warily and then entered.
The Library was smaller than expected and many of the volumes were in locked cabinets. Several were open and there were gaps on a number of shelves as if some-one had grabbed a number of volumes and left in a hurry, presumably Strauss.
The Museum however was more traditional in appearance being a rectangular area containing upright sealed glass cabinets each containing a single item. Of course the items within the cabinets were anything but 'traditional'. Each was labelled with a name and had a brief description beneath it but their actual purposes weren't always obvious. Ruby gestured to the items and addressed Michael. "I believe our agreement was for an item of your choosing from the contents of the chantry? Make sure you and your coterie pick wisely, not everything in here is necessarily as it seems. One item each...no more..." Then please join us as we discuss the chantries future.
Hope helped herself to a fang of a mighty creature of some description, labelled 'Tarulfang'. as the heavy fang could only have belonged to a ferocious predatory beast she inexplicably felt at ease knowing there was one less of those in the world.Michael found himself drawn to a pearl described as 'The Pearl of Dubai', though he had only the most basic of senses where the supernatural was concerned he nonetheless could feel that it was full of a magical vibrancy.
Vin had his eye upon a glassy stone that appeared to have a liquid core. The stone itself was was milky translucent yet rock solid and unlike anything he'd seen before and he decided this 'Heart of Eliza' would make a suitable pommel for his favourite weapon. Roach had little time for ornaments and trinkets but was surprised to detect that one of the cabinets contained an item with a living aura. As he focused on it he inexplicably discovered through a flash of premonition that he 'knew' that it was in fact the perverse creation of a Tzimisce fleshcrafter, an abomination forced to live a tortured eternity in servitude to the damned. He decided to take 'The Odious Chalice' as his own reward and uncover it's secrets later.
Storytellers Note - Occult items and descriptions shamelessly stolen from the bloodlines PC game.
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| Alannah - House Tremere Not Happy... |
Alannah was claiming that as an original resident of the chantry that it belonged to her, Etain and Odrahn. Ruby however stated quite clearly that if it wasn't for their involvement it would never have been discoverd and therefore it was rightly there's. As the lone representative of her house, Amanda had sided with Marie's point of view that they could share the location and that judging from the rooms that had appeared for each of them, that the obvious intelligence within the building seemed open to the idea too. Michael had lent his debating skills to this latter argument also and could see that many present were warming to the idea. Odrahn and Nic had however become quite vocal in their objections to any alliance and seemed to have closed themselves off to any thought of a compromise. While Michael was watching the arguments go back and forth he noticed that both Alannah and Ruby had become less involved in the ongoing debate, in fact he was sure he could observe the slight glazing of the eyes that he always noted when Roach communicated telepathically with another.
It seemed that the new ownership of the chantry had been decided...
Scene Twenty One - Epilogue
Two less rooms now existed on the residential floor of the chantry as those earmarked for Nic and Odrahn had mysteriously disappeared upon their final deaths. A meeting room that hadn't existed before had now appeared on another floor of the building dominated by a large table that seemed to change based on who and how many people utilised it and it was within this room the six remaining mages and the coteries own Marie had decided to share the resources within. They were currently deciding upon certain guidelines in order to ensure that the three houses within could cooperate adequately enough to prevent problems.
As the rest of the coterie left to return to their own havens, Michael couldn't help but worry about what this new alliance might do to the delicate balance of power within the Anarch Free States. that was, however a worry for another night.
To Be Continued in 'The Anaheim Assassination'
In Conclusion
I was expecting a mage war and I got a chantry full of mages...oh well, I'm sure it wont go badly at all. Though strangely it was largely decided by Vin being really good at hitting things so that was pretty random too.
To be fair to the players, they were on form with all their roleplaying and social encounters so railroading them into the ending I wanted seemed like a dick move. I therefore now have to integrate a new power player into my version of Los Angeles and decide just how the other barons feel about it...
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, Ruby is a Gothic model called Leila Lunatic, Alannah is either La Esmeralda or Threnody in Velvet as they inhabit the same folder on my PC, Etain is another Gothic Model whose name will be added when I find out who she is and Mandi is a suicide girl called Jeckyl Suicide though no doubt goes by other names too. 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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