Vampire the Masquerade V5 - Session Forty Four - Anathema (Part One)

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.

--------------------
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.
---------------------
The introduction to this campaign, the first story and all the other parts can be found at the following links and are in chronological order. If you'd prefer a summary of each session rather than read everything then there's a more detailed link page HERE as well as links to the first episode of each story in the blog sidebar.
'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, Four and Five
Solo Session - 'The Anaheim Assassination'
Story Six - 'A Meeting of Barons' - Part One, Two and Three
Story Seven - 'The Carmelita Situation' - Part One, Two and Three
Story Eight - 'The Blount Sisters' - Part One and Two
Story Nine - 'Blood Money' - Part One, Two, Three, Four, Five and Six

The PC's
Player controlled characters
Michael Tomassio - Toreador, Baron of Pasadena
Vincent 'Vin' Ghast - Brujah, Sheriff
Dr Daniel Matthews - Banu Haqim, 'Fixer'
Hope Romero - Gangrel, Scourge
Mr Hertz - Nosferatu, Mob Accountant
The SPC's
Storyteller controlled player allies
Johnny 'Roach' West - Malkavian, Seneschal
Marie - House Carna, Occult Advisor

The player characters stats and backgrounds can be found HERE should any-one be interested. There's also some minor 'house-rules' HERE that have occurred as we went along.

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. Where particular NPC's have a mention in a faction profile you will be able to reach it by clicking on their name beneath their picture.

Pre-Session Player Handouts
At the start of certain sessions I distribute local news reports and information relevant to certain individuals. Some relate to previous sessions, others are things going on that the players may or may not wish to investigate or involve themselves in. Others of course are complete bollocks red herrings...

Introduction

Karen Anatos - Gangrel Anathema
Childe of Brunhilde

In an effort to secure their borders and consolidate their position within Los Angeles, Michael Tomassio, Baron of Pasadena has decided to see if an arrangement can be made with his apolitical neighbour, the defacto Baron of Burbank, Karen Anatos to manage her barony on her behalf. The matter is complicated by the fact that Anatos is listed as one of the Anathema, the thirteen most wanted vampires by the Camarilla due to serial masquerade breaches. However Michael has deemed it worth the risk and as he is a long way from Camarilla rule and was told that he could attempt to take over the Anarch Free States on their behalf by "Whatever methods he wished"

Despite her location being no secret and there being just reasons for hunting her, some Gangrel, Brujah, and Toreador Alastors are reluctant to infiltrate Anatos’s camp. The Gangrel are worried what will happen when her sire Brunhilde finds out she’s been declared Anathema, the Brujah think Anatos is living by her own rules and should be left alone, and the Toreador secretly love and support her efforts.

As Mr Hertz has chosen to stay in Los Angeles but still has considerable Camarilla contacts and has accumulated a number of minor boons from neonate kindred, Michael has delegated the task of researching Karen Anatos to him rather than Daniel as he usually does.

Scene One - The Midnight Queen

Barony of Burbank, Night

Storytellers Note - Mr Hertz's player couldn't make this session due to family commitments so most of the information in this next scene was established before the session in consultation with the player. Hence his activities being relayed to the coterie in a 'Reading to the group' format for the benefit of the players who were there.

Mr Hertz has done some research on your behalf and has discovered that Karen Anatos, the de-facto Baron of Burbank (whether she knows it or not) has a charity involving a number of acting schools where 'celebrities' occasionally give guest lectures and other learning experiences.

The main purpose of these schools is to find budding actors, actresses, writers and directors for her own burgeoning empire though charitable contributions pay for scholarships for those with the talent but not necessarily the finances to attend.

Though a small donation would be enough to draw some attention, it is Hertz's opinion that a sizeable enough contribution could be used to leverage a personal meeting with the star herself. He has pointed out that you have considerable quantities of cash that currently outstrip your ability to launder and that if you truly wish to ingratiate yourself enough to negotiate a deal that a nice round figure like a quarter of a million dollars would do the trick. As Mr Hertz has already made you more than that in unforeseen profits it wouldn't actually make that much of an impact on your operations.

Jeanette Voerman - Malkavian

Using his contacts amongst the kindred he has helped over the few months he's been in the city he has identified a small list of kindred who he can connect to Miss Anatos, any of which may be able to start the ball rolling as well as several locations where it may be possible to arrange a 'chance' meeting. When Karen is seen partying in Hollywood with her swarm of toadying sycophants and fans she mainly uses three places. Club Vesuvius owned by Velvet Velour, the Asp Hole ran by Venus Dare for Marius Walker and the Hollywood Asylum. The latter she only seems to attend when Jeanette Voerman is hosting which is something that's difficult to predict.

Of the power players in LA, Baron Isaac Abrams uses several of the studios within Burbank and is certain to have the contacts necessary to set up a meet while Dawn Cavanagh, a current favoured guru of the Hollywood elite has been seen at several parties also attended by Karen Anatos and is also a kindred associate of Baron Abrams. Marius Walkers legitimate enterprises in the form of Aegis Acquisitions are an investor in her projects so he also may be able to help. Amusingly his so-called mistress of the herd, Leanna had appeared in several low budget horror movies with Karen in the nineteen eighty's though would probably not relish being reminded of the fact.

Approaching the problem from a different angle altogether, Catherine Du Bois's stable of stunning debauched beauties of both sexes that she uses to provide entertainment for the very wealthy and very bizarre have many former models and starlets amongst them, some of which might still have usable contacts.

Scene Two - Two Birds, One Stone

Shawna Jones - Blood Doll

Michael's preference for a 'chance' meeting was at Velvet's club if it could be arranged as he saw Velvet as having a similar attitude to his own in regards to the value of humanity as well as being of the same clan. The fact that she was also beautiful was probably a factor as well. He was also considering that if he made a substantial enough donation to one of Karen Anatos's charities then he might be able to use that to 'motivate' them to take his new house guest Shawna Jones. He had 'inherited' her when the Ventrue using her as a blood doll had been brutally executed by agents of another Baron and he had taken her to avoid any potential masquerade breach resulting from what she knew of kindred.

He also wished to speak to one of Marius's employees, a duskborn called Leanna whose talents including extensive skills in what was effectively brain-washing. Though she mainly used these skills to keep the aforementioned Marius's substantial herd of blood-dolls under control, she also did freelance work for those willing to pay the price. Though Michael wasn't a fan of playing with the minds of mortals he knew that it was an avenue he had to explore for Shawna's own safety. She was effectively under house-arrest at Michael's home and this was a state of affairs that he couldn't morally justify indefinitely. With that in mind he gave Leanna a call to see when she was next free for  meeting.

Victoria - Ghoul of Marius
'Busy' Personal Assistant

"I can see you this evening if you can be here in a couple of hours, otherwise it'll be a few days. What's it about?" Michael explained that he might need some-ones memories 'modifying' for their own good. Also that he'd also like to see what she knew about Karen Anatos so he could work out the best way to approach her about a mutually beneficial relationship relating to their respective borders.

"I'll see you in two hours then.". Covering his back he also left a message for Victoria informing her that he was visiting Hallowbrook Apartments that evening as she wasn't picking up for some reason.

Having a little time before his appointment he decided to give Shawna a visit to appraise her of what was going on. He once again reassured her that she was there for her own protection and that he was working on creating an opportunity for her to potentially help with her career as an actress after which things would become a lot easier for her. As he left he reaffirmed his orders regarding Shauna's 'safety' and left this team a cash 'bonus' to ensure what was basically the illegal house arrest of some-one was continued without question.

Dion once again drove him as he headed to his meeting with Leanna but this time he was also accompanied by Daniel. He had informed Leanna that he might have a guest with him and he also wanted his input about any security implications to his plan for Shawna as well as any pertinent questions he might have about Karen Anatos.

As they approached Marius's place of business and home of many of his mortal operatives Daniel noticed a black van parked up the street that he was sure he'd seen before but couldn't place where. Something about it bothered him as it reminded him uncomfortably of surveillance vehicles and he told Dion to stop before he reached Hallowbrook Apartments and let him out so he could double back and have a look. As he moved down a side street he disappeared from sight and circled around before reemerging from another street adjacent to but not opposite the suspicious van, still cloaked. As he peered around the corner the vehicle started up, drove very slowly past Daniel's location then sped off. Either that was one hell of a coincidence or whoever was within the vehicle had definitely seen through his supernatural cloak.

Leanna - Duskborn - Mistress of the Herd
Former Model and Actress

While navigating the usual security measures Daniel enquired if Michael could deal with Leanna alone as he was concerned about the mystery vehicle that had seen through his cloak. He felt like it was something that Victoria at the very least needed to be informed about. As it turned out the aforementioned Victoria was still unavailable though he was told he could see Yukio as long as he was brief. They were then escorted to the appropriate floors of their respective appointments.

A bottle was already open on the table and Leanna poured Michael a glass as soon as he entered. Michael usually drank more traditional beverages with the duskborn as both were capable of consuming and enjoying mortal wines. This time the bottle was one of the more 'special' beverages being wine mixed with blood and preserved through thaumaturgy rituals. "It's been a busy evening...Will you join me?" Michael couldn't quite place the wine though it was exquisite, the blood was also particularly sweet and complimented the beverage it had been mixed with perfectly. "One of my creations. Marie has a talent for mass production but in my opinion these things shouldn't be rushed." Michael hadn't been aware that Leanna's talents encompassed blood sorcery so filed the knowledge away. "But you didn't come here to discuss wine. How can I help?"

Michael explained that he had located the woman for whom they'd been searching when they last spoke and had her 'secured' in his haven. As he needed to speak to Karen Anatos anyway he thought he could kill two birds with one stone and tie his meeting in with a donation to her charity which would hopefully give him the opportunity to get Shawna into her acting school.

Dominated Blood Doll

Leanna reminded Michael that the accepted protocol for mortals who knew of kindred but were without any controls in place was their permanent 'removal'. The baron was however adamant that after his problems with Susannah that he didn't want another blood bound slave.

Leanna reassured him that she managed a herd of over fifty blood dolls for Marius and had no concerns about any of them. She could, to be blunt, give them any memories she saw fit and place triggers within their minds to effectively govern their responses in any situation. Michael wasn't sure he felt comfortable creating what was effectively an enslaved puppet out of Shawna so moved the conversation onto Karen Anatos while he gave it some thought. "As I said on the phone, I'd like to discuss some border issues with Miss Anatos but would like to arrange the initial meeting in as organic a manner as possible. Especially given the complications involving her status..."

'Misadventures of the Vampire Cheerleaders'
Not exactly a movie classic...

"I wouldn't worry overly about her position on the so called 'Red List'..." Replied Leanna. "The kind of Alastor or Archon capable of taking her out without falling foul of her security, blood cults and also without ending up plastered all over the internet would also be unlikely to take the task on. The Gangel clans significantly reduced power within the Camarilla would make any reward they might give as trophy clan worth very little compared to the risk." It seemed that Leanna's assessment matched what he'd been told by Mr Hertz. "As for approaching Karen she is much more likely to do a favour for a friend than respond to a bribe. She's also very open to flattery and not very good at dealing with criticism so bear that in mind." Michael decided to make some enquiries about particular movies she may or may not be particularly proud of as he realised he was now going to have to do a lot of research into her back catalogue. "Well I wouldn't mention 'Misadventures of the Vampire Cheerleaders' which I was unfortunate enough to have a starring role in. It made money to be fair but it was never going to win any Oscars..."

Yukio Hayashi - Ghoul of Marius
Assassin and Security Chief

Leanna's fee for 'reeducating' a mortal was three measures of Vitae though she required nothing in advance. Still unsure about creating a slave he made small talk for a while before making his apologises and leaving to see if Daniel had finished his own meeting.

Daniel had informed Yukio about the van surveilling near to their location and also mentioned his concern that they had detected him while he was supernaturally camouflaged. She had requested that he follow her to a room within her apartments where she had her own system tied into the buildings security systems. Daniel watched as she expertly navigated the security footage from multiple cameras until she found the van in question.

"They picked a good position..." said Yukio "...against most standard systems they'd have been safely out of range. Our camera's are however significantly better than average." She paused the high definition footage and zoomed in on the license plate which Daniel immediately memorised. "If they were using technological surveillance devices then your supernatural talents wouldn't have been any shield, if however they were kindred then that possibly narrows down your search a little given the different clans natural talents." Yukio then handed Daniel a card. "That's my direct number so you can keep me informed if you see them again, though I'd still avoid 'key' phrases. All our phones are encrypted but technology moves fast."

"Speaking of things that move fast, did you get whatever you were after with the gun Carmelita purchased from us for you?" The assassin told her of how he'd hit the target twice with the high calibre incendiary rounds but that they had inexplicably still had enough strength remaining to escape.

"They probably crawled somewhere they thought was safe and slipped into torpor." Yukio attempted to reassure him. "After all, if they had survived intact they would have been back to kill you by now." Strangely that was somewhat of a comfort. She thanked him for the information about the van and then he returned to meet Michael in the lobby.

Daniel relayed what he had learned and laid out his intention to get his own ghouls to implement some counter-surveillance precautions of their own. It was possible that they were monitoring Marius and not themselves though the fact that the Banu Haqim was sure he'd seen the vehicle before made that seem unlikely unless he was mistaken. Danile didn't like to leap to conclusions and there were too many possibilities at the moment to come up with a plan. With all they could do on that particular problem put into place the discussion moved to the arrangements for a meeting with Velvet in order to get closer to Karen Anatos.

Scene Three - Velvet and Vesuvius

Isaac Abrams - Toreador
Baron of Hollywood

Michael made the usual phone call to the Hollywood Baron, Isaac Abrams to let him know he was visiting Velvet's club at some point during the evening. Isaac sounded as indifferent as ever though gave his approval as he usually did. Then Michael rang Velvet.

He explained to her that he needed to contrive a meeting with Karen Anatos and he understood that she sometimes visited her club. Velvet told him that Karen was "A lot of fun..." but that she hadn't seen her for a few weeks but that they might be able to come up with something. She then invited him over to discuss it personally. Michael wanted to know if it was okay if I bring some-one with him as he had planned to involve Daniel in case there was any trouble. "Are they like us?" She asked. "Well...they're not as bad as Vin..." was the honest reply.

Dion drove as usual but Michael was also accompanied by Daniel. He was going to have to be involved in the Anatos meeting anyway so he might as well also be involved in the initial arrangements in case security expertise was needed.

Daniel was surprised at how stylish and upmarket the club was as he had a mental image of strip-joints, admittedly recently reinforced by their visit to the Sin-Bin that didn't fit this place at all. He then remembered Michael's briefing about terminology from earlier. "She is not a stripper, she's a dancer, don't use the 'S' word in front of her as she's very particular in her dislike for it, okay?" Daniel didn't see that there was much difference but as etiquette was in Michael's ball-park not his he agreed.

'Al' - Yakuza
Velvet's Security Chief

The Banu Haqim overlooked the place with his usual eye for security. The camera's were good quality and pointing in all the right places, while the guards were definitely Yakuza rather than Triad based on their tattoos. This struck Daniel as unusual as it was well known that any kindred that entered Los Angeles 'Little Tokyo' district was never heard from again as something old and powerful lived there that seemingly had an intense hatred for vampires.

The inside of the club had also been decorated by some-one with an eye for style and the music wasn't quite as loud as was normal for such places. It was also difficult to avoid noticing that all the dancers, waitresses and women working the bar were very beautiful indeed and seemed to have been selected so there was something for every taste in shape, hair colour and ethnicity spread across the club. Their beauty however instantly meant nothing as Velvet Velour appeared at the bottom of the stairway to her office and all attention both male and female was drawn to her. "Evening Michael..." Daniel was well aware that the majority of the Toreador clan possessed preternatural levels of presence and charisma, and despite him being sure that she was using such abilities his own talents failed to detect them and he found himself temporarily unable to look anywhere else.

Velvet Velour - Toreador
Owner of Club Vesuvius

"...and this must be Daniel. He's certainly better presented than the 'other' Brujah you employ..." Daniel's cover identity as a Brujah had served him well but he couldn't help but feel that Miss Velour had seen straight through it. She then turned back to Michael "I have arranged some refreshments for your acquaintance here while we talk." She gestured to one of the alcoves where a dark haired beauty was apparently awaiting him. Once Michael and Velvet had made their way upstairs, Daniel politely turned down the offered girl and stationed himself where he could see the club entrance as well as the stairway to Miss Velour's boudoir.

He also used the time to contact Vin about the vehicle that had potentially been following them so he was aware of the situation. The hulking Brujah didn't seem concerned but he promised to give his own security people and Sarah a heads up. Vin had decided to upgrade the security system on the basement where he made his haven along with his ghoul Sarah and had also began to look into recruiting some more security men who answered to him rather than being part of the Apostles gang.

Roach's increasing absences and odd behaviour had made him decide he needed his own people to ensure that things got done. He had also transferred some of the weaponry from the galleries escape tunnel to his own hidden armoury so he had ready access to it as well as the majority of his legitimate weaponry from his room in the gallery.

Sarah - Ghoul of Vin
Assistant and Adviser

The gallery as a haven had served it's purpose in the early days of their mission when they needed to be in close proximity but in Vin's opinion them all being in the same place now they were a known force was an invite to disaster. He had also had a brief chat with Mr Hertz about some ways of potentially increasing the profits from the prostitution business that the Brujah had found interesting. He needed Sarah to review the figures though as though he could now read and write he still liked her to double-check anything complicated.

Michael laid out his plan for Shawna to VV and asked for her help with an introduction to Karen Anatos. He also explained his scheme to donate to one of her drama schools for a scholarship or two in order to sweeten the offer he was making. "There's also the somewhat tedious political matter of making sure my baronies borders are secure. I'm sure a deal could be made that would benefit both myself and her." VV then asked if he had any other ideas that might help him with his plan, he then mentioned the name of Dawn Cavanaugh who had apparently interacted with Karen at a number of parties.

Dawn Cavanaugh - The Ministry
New Age Guru

"I'd have to advise against that as an avenue of enquiry..."interrupted VV "...Karen and Dawn had some kind of disagreement at the last party they were both at. If it wasn't for the kine present I hear it may have turned quite unpleasant and now Isaac is doing his best to keep them apart. If you were to be instrumental in putting them in the same room again Isaac would be quite unhappy I imagine." Michael assured her that he wouldn't wish to inconvenience Baron Abrams in any way and thanked her for the advice. "I suppose then..." she continued, talking quietly so Michael had to lean in to hear "...I'll have to help you out myself." Intrigued Michael asked her to continue.

"I'll give Miss Anatos a call and invite her to a private party at the club, We'll throw in a few influential kine for her to meet and then I'll organise an after-party just for the two of you and your entourages. It may take a day or two to organise but it should give you ample time to make your sales pitch." "I'll make a point of saying that I invited her instead of Dawn, that should be all the motivation she'll need..."

Michael thanked her profusely and said that if there was anything he could do in return, she merely had to say the word. "Well, darling, there is something you could do for me, if you can spare another hour or so..." As she walked over and shut the door to her rooms. "...It's rare that I meet some-one as like me as you are and I'm intrigued to see if we're compatible in any other ways..."  she then turned the lock.

Storytellers Note - I use the 'Fade to Black' method in such instances. There are some things I don't need to have described to me, lol.

Michael emerged from his meeting with Miss Velour an hour or so later and informed Daniel that he had managed to successfully negotiate for Velvet to get them an appointment with Miss Anatos that should give them time to discuss both his and the coteries proposals with her. It must have been a particularly good meeting thought Daniel as Michael seemed unusually pleased with himself. As they drove away, the observant Banu Haqim noticed a familiar looking Van at the roadside.

You're sure that this is the third time you've seen that same black van along the side of the road. It seems to have the same unusual dome section on the rear of the roof and despite the license plate being different you are convinced it's the same vehicle.

Andrew Francis, Investigator and Keith Chang, Assassin

As they passed by, Daniel phoned both his ghouls and gave them instructions to make their way with all haste to his current location and see if they could learn anything about the vehicle but to do so from a safe distance and if possible without stopping or getting out of their vehicles. He also advised Yukio that some-one seemed to be watching popular kindred meeting places.

Scene Four - Just Because You're Paranoid...

Dion - Ghoul of Fiorenza

On full alert after the third sighting of the van you have become aware of two cars observing you. Whereas the vans seemed to be merely observing areas to which you were headed, these seem to be tailing you.

Daniel noticed that the license plate of the lead car was mostly obscured by dirt and mud. It could have been an accident of course but the rest of the car seemed suspiciously clean in comparison. The front windows weren't tinted though the rear ones were and he could see a driver and passenger but recognised neither of them. He lent over to Dion and appraised him of the situation. "Take an alternate route back and see if you can lose the tail, if you can't we'll have to head somewhere else and make a plan for there." Dion confirmed that he understood and then put his foot down. Daniel was aware that the ghouls provided by Fiorenza to keep an eye on certain of her operatives were usually very well trained. Though they'd inherited Dion from Marius as his usefulness to Fiorenza had been reduced when Victoria had used his family as leverage against him he had proven to be an able operative since then.

Heather - Ghoul of Marius
Blood Doll

An unexpected skill was revealed as he left their pursuers long behind with an outstanding display of evasive driving that was a masterclass to watch. Dion went up several points in Daniel's estimation and certainly had Michael's gratitude as well.

On his return to the gallery, Michael announced to the assembled patrons that they had a minor electrical problem and that he was going to have to close early, offering them all a complimentary glass of wine on their next visit and ensured that it was shut up tight. Concerned about possibly endangering Marius's favourite ghoul and blood doll Heather who was a gallery employee he sent her home early. He offered her an escort but she simply said she'd ring Victoria and get a car sent to pick her up. True to her word one of Marius's armoured cars turned up twenty minutes later and whisked her away complete with a four man security team. Looking forward to the day when he had the resources to spare to send such teams out to pick up one blood doll, Michael continued with his precautions.

Daniel had once again reported in to Yukio about the latest incident and she had revealed that the license plate number they had discovered was a complete ghost. There was no record of it ever existing in the system anywhere. It occurred to Daniel that some-one capable of simply erasing vehicle information from a system would have no need to obscure their license plates as had been done to the cars who had followed them. Worryingly it was possible that they had two different problems rather than simply the one.

Lisa Irving - Ghoul of Michael

Daniel was congratulating Dion on his driving as Michael checked in to see if he had any news. After relaying his worrying theory to his baron, Dion offered to assist with any security operations they had planned. Michael's primary concern was his ghoul Lisa and he asked Dion to take care of her and ensure she got home safely and that there was no-one waiting for her there. Once Michael was happy Lisa would be taken care of, Daniel briefed his own team. Keith set himself up a sniper nest from where he could cover the gallery while Andrew was too be a more visible sign that the place was defended. All those who remained were armed to the teeth, just in case.

In one final precaution, Michael informed the barons of all the domains that the van and cars had been observed in to keep an eye out for them. Just as he finished his last call he received one of his own from VV. "Hi Michael. Just to let you know that Miss Anatos has accepted my invitation to a little private part tomorrow evening. I've let her know that there will be a big fan of hers there, a fan with financial resources who she may want to chat to." Michael gave his thanks and then began to inform the others that as well as being in a state of lock-down...they also had a party to go to...

To be Continued in 'Anathema' - Part Two

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...

Bit of a change of pace with this one though the upcoming threats I have planned are very dangerous indeed and should give the players a real challenge so an investigation session gave them a break from actual combat.

Making a deal with their neighbour will effectively give them two baronies under their control so I'm not going to make this easy for them. If their plan is good though I won't make it impossible though...nearly impossible..maybe, 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, Mr Hertz is Charles Dance, Karen Anatos is Christina Hendricks, Shawna Jones is Ashley Callingbull, Victoria is Lilith May, Leanna is Leeanna Vamp, Isaac Abrams is Gary Oldman, 'Al' is Al Leong, Velvet Velour is ilona-lab on Deviant Art, Sarah is Elesha Thorn, Dawn Cavanaugh is Emma Stone, Andrew Francis is Ray Stephenson, Keith Chang is Daniel Dae Kim, Dion is Clark Gregg, Heather is Liz Vicious and Lisa is Amanda Righetti. Special mention to the 'Evil Cheerleaders' who were Leeanna Vamp, Jessica Nigri and Karli Woods. 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...