Vampire the Masquerade - V5 - Session Ninety One - 'Resistance' (Part Two)

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

Our chronicle is set in Los Angeles and features a small group of Camarilla agents sent into the 'Free States' to bring them back under Camarilla control. Over a year of plotting allowed the coterie to gain control of two North-Eastern Baronies and a large part of a third. Now they are moving on to the final stage of their campaign and have their eyes on taking over the entire city, either directly or by proxy.

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The now obligatory warning bit - Unlike my other RPG write-ups this one will contain swearing, sexual references and other references that might offend. If you can't tell the difference between real             peoples opinions and grown-ups role-playing predators who crave blood then this probably won't be for you. I've also used actual photographs to represent some characters which I'll give acknowledgements to at the end if I've any idea who they are.
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The introduction to this campaign, the first story and all the other parts can be found at the following links and are in chronological order. If you'd prefer a summary of each session rather than read everything then there's a more detailed link page HERE as well as links to the first episode of each story in the blog sidebar.
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Chronicle One - 'Infiltrate L.A.' 

Welcome to L.A. - Introductory Session
Story One - 'Three Murders' - Part One, Two, Three, Four and Five
Interlude Session - One
Story Two - 'The Pasadena Problem' - Part One, Two, Three, and Four
Solo Session - 'The Neillson Library'
Story Two Continued- 'The Pasadena Problem' - Part Five, Six, Seven and Eight
Story Three - 'Becoming Baron' - Part One, Two, Three, Four and Five
Solo Session - 'The Gather'
Story Three Continued - 'Becoming Baron' - Part Six, Seven and Eight

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Chronicle Two - 'Foothold L.A.' 

Solo Session - 'Hostile Takeover'
Story Four - 'Countdown' - Part One, Two and Three
Story Five - 'The Missing Chantry' - Part One, Two, Three, Four and Five
Solo Session - 'The Anaheim Assassination'
Story Six - 'A Meeting of Barons' - Part One, Two and Three
Story Seven - 'The Carmelita Situation' - Part One, Two and Three
Story Eight - 'The Blount Sisters' - Part One and Two
Story Nine - 'Blood Money' - Part One, Two, Three, Four, Five and Six
Story Ten - 'Anathema' - Part One and Two
Story Eleven - 'Predators and Prey' aka 'The Blount Sisters' - Part Three
Story Twelve - 'Aftermath' - Part One and Two
Story Thirteen - 'The Messiah Complex' - Part One, Two, Three and Four

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Chronicle Three - 'Incursion L.A.'

Story Fourteen - 'The Rant'
Story Fifteen - 'Ties of Blood' - Part One and Two

Solo Session - 'A Gathering of Roses'

Story Sixteen - 'The Southern Solution' - Part One, Two and Three
Story Seventeen - 'The Baker Disappearance' - Part One, Two and Three

Story Eighteen - 'Inevitable Betrayals' - Part One, Two, Three, Four and Five

Story Nineteen - 'The Marius Contracts' - Part One and Two

Story Twenty - 'The MacNeil Protocols' - Part One, Two, Three, Four, Five, 

Story Twenty - 'The MacNeil Protocols' - Part Six, Seven, Eight, Nine and Ten

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Interlude Session One - After Griffith Park

Interlude Session Two - Divide and Conquer

Interlude Session Three - On the Brink of War

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Chronicle Four - 'Conquest L.A.'

Story Twenty One - 'Veni, Vidi, Victor' - Part One, Two, Three, Four, Five

Story Twenty One - 'Veni, Vidi, Victor' - Part Six, and Epilogue

Story Twenty Two - 'The Unbound' - Part One, Two, Three and Four

Story Twenty Three - 'The War Council' - Part One, Two, Three and Four

Interlude Session - Recon

Story Twenty Four - 'Resistance' - Part One

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The PC's

Michael Tomassio - Toreador, 'Baron of the North East'
Vincent 'Vin' Ghast - Brujah, 'Constable'
Dr Daniel Matthews - Banu Haqim, 'Fixer'
Hope Romero - Gangrel, 'Census Taker'
Mr Hertz - Nosferatu, 'Seneschal'

The Storyteller

Garreth - Everyone else...

The player characters stats and backgrounds can be found HERE should any-one be interested, but be warned that the page is usually several stories ahead of the most recent write-up and may contain some spoilers. 

There's also some minor 'house-rules' HERE that have occurred as we went along.

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

Introduction

The infiltration of the construction site thought to be one of the Camarilla bases poised to overthrow the Free States from within was a complete success. Computer data has been obtained as well as a detailed layout of the complex, numbers of personnel and visual confirmation of the operations apparent leader. All that remains now is to decide upon a specific plan of action based on what they have learned.

Scene Seven - Knowing is Half the Battle

Vannevar Thomas - Ventrue
Prince of San Francisco and San Jose

The combined spies of Gary Golden and Marius have confirmed that whatever is being planned by Vannevar is certain to occur within the next two nights. Shipments in, have far outweighed those out and their San Francisco origins are obvious.

Personnel and heavy vehicles have also travelled from other sites to the one near the South Coast docks.

Harvey Caplan has had his people delay any suspect shipments into the docks with their origins in San Francisco, disrupting any reinforcements via sea. 

He is also currently investigating their cargo's covertly to see what can be discovered.

Vannevar's diplomatic assets have been traced to what is presumably their temporary bases.

Peter Kwan - Ventrue, Camarilla

Peter Kwan, who approached Therese Voerman with a promise of a pact of mutual none-interference has been traced to a hotel on the edge of Koreatown. This is bordering, but not within, the area ruled by the kindred terror referred to as 'The Nameless One'. He is protected by at least a dozen mortal guards and at least one kindred. Possibly Nosferatu due to them apparently concealing their face at all times.

Kelvin Wee, the kindred diplomat who spoke to Marius, is based at a hotel in Chinatown. He announced his arrival to Lyko Wu, the kindred who was granted the area of Downtown as feeding ground. However he has his own guards. His security are apparently representatives of the largest Triad gang in San Francisco which has caused Lyko difficulties of both a political and criminal nature.

Acting against him would start a war between mortal gangs that would draw significant attention to the area, attention that no-one wants. Kelvin is also, apparently, an agent of the Camarilla Justicars, and not a direst employee of Vannevar. This makes planning his potential assassination into a political nightmare. Not even the Anarchs murder diplomatic envoys on a whim.

Luna Demian - House Tremere
Regent and Primogen, San Francisco

Luna Demian, Tremere regent and Primogen is currently enjoying the hospitality of the Consolidated Chantry in Downtown. The presence of three different Houses within the chantry apparently intrigued Luna enough for her to ask permission to remain for a few nights to exchange knowledge.

It also seems that despite the reconnaissance operations success, that the South Coast construction site's kindred organisers have become suspicious and security there has tripled. These extra guards have been drawn equally from the other locations so haven't weakened them in any significant manner. 

Meanwhile in San Jose, a number of Marius's packs have launched retaliatory strikes against several of Vannevar's bases, disrupting supply lines in a deliberate and systematic manner. This has been in response to Vannevars scouts making sortie's into the Gangrel baronies in the North West. 

Marius 'The Fixer' Walker - Gangrel
Baron of Downtown

As he has pointed out to the other barons "Not acting against him was beginning to look suspicious...plus the bastard insulted me by sending a fucking Ventrue as messenger when he has a Gangrel fucking Primogen available..." 

He is also suspected to have killed several mortals suspected of being Camarilla infiltrators within various Downtown operations. Though he possibly has a point, it has raised doubts with other barons about whether Marius can be trusted to cooperate fully with the other members of the so-called 'New Anarch Council'.

Gloria Martinez has suffered a significant setback as a pre-emptive strike by the Unbound ghoul gang known as the Young Bloods against the bike gangs under her influence has crippled their numbers and resulted in the destruction of many of their weapon stockpiles.

The gang were well armed and armoured, struck with precision and being exclusively comprised of ghouls, were more than a match for the few gang members who tried to put up a fight. Gloria and the kindred of her barony have had to fall back to secondary havens as their primary base is now more or less undefended during daylight hours.

Scene Eight - The Asp Hole

Henrique 'Hank' Boyd - Brujah
Baron of The Crypts Sons

It had been agreed by the council that The Crypts Sons required a leader and that therefore it was necessary to revive Baron Hank Boyd from torpor.

He was currently hidden in the Nosferatu Warrens and was under the protection of Gary Golden, de-facto leader of the majority of the cities Nosferatu.

Hank had shown that he only trusted two kindred within the city. One was Gary Golden who was currently guarding his torpid body and the other was,Michael Tomassio, Baron of the North East. It had been decided that Michael would be the one to use his own vitae to, hopefully, restore Hank to activity. 

Baron Fortier had been confident that Hank was strong enough to overcome any lingering bias towards Michael that consuming his vitae might induce via the Blood Bond. The Council had agreed, as they tended to do when Louis Fortier made known his opinion on a matter.

Michael had agreed to meet Gary Golden's guide in the basement of The Asp Hole. The Hollywood club was once owned by the Baron of Hollywood's childe, Ash Rivers. After Ash's disappearance, ownership reverted to Baron Isaac Abram's who subsequently sold it to Marius Walker. The memories it bought back of his lost childe were seemingly too much for Isaac to bear.

The Asp Hole, Hollywood

The Asp Hole had basement access to the sewers below Hollywood and therefore also had convenient access to the Nosferatu's warrens. Marius therefore converted the sub basement into a meeting area where the cities kindred could interact with the cities Nosferatu without having to enter the sewers. This also suited the Nosferatu themselves as it meant that they didn't have to take the usual precautions their hideous appearances usually required of them when venturing above ground.

Barabus - Nosferatu
Spy and Enforcer for Gary Golden

Their guide on this occasion was to be Barabus, Gary's most favoured spy and enforcer.

Michael elected to take Vin and Hope with him on this venture. If there was any trouble in the confined area of the underground then these were the best at dealing with it. Though Daniel was a skilled killer, his expertise was best used when there was time to plan ahead.

Michael had decided upon slightly more practical clothing than was his norm, considering where they were heading. 

Hope always dressed practically so felt no need to change for this particular occasion. She had a short, pump action shotgun with her that had had the trigger guard modified. Her hands now bore permanent claws and so fine manipulation was something of an issue. Vin had his trusty machete strapped across his back and was carrying a canvas bag containing a fully automatic assault shotgun and several drums of ammunition of varying types. One wit had once described Vin, Daniel and Hope as an ice-pick, a scalpel, and a hand-grenade. The description was actually quite appropriate.

They were led into a particularly precarious area, deep below the warrens and the journey took quite some time. Eventually they came to an area protected by a heavy wooden door, held together by bands of iron. despite the dank environment the door seemed to be well preserved. Barabus unlocked the door with an unusually shaped iron key. Ahead were a selection of prison cells built into the rocky walls. Some cells were open, others had doors that were rusted shut. "What the fuck do the Nosferatu have this place for?" asked Vin.

"We inherited it from the Tzimisce that your coterie removed from the sewers a few years ago, though it seems to be far older than that. We believe it may have once been part of the Labyrinth." replied Barabus.

"The what?" enquired Vin.

As they continued on, Barabus began to explain

Interlude - The Labyrinth

Abandoned 'Superstation' to Nowhere

"Many years ago a number of cities decided to construct what they called 'superstations' for a series of underground and overland train networks which were then subsequently never built. These stations around the country all had one distinguishing feature, each leads to a series of tunnels that are in various stages of disrepair, since construction on them was halted. The series of connected stations and places they lead to is known colloquially among Kindred as “The Labyrinth.” There's one in Chicago, this one in L.A. and a few more scattered around the US and possibly even the world."

"Its outer layers consist in part of sewers, disused drains, cellars, storage facilities, and utility maintenance tunnels. As one penetrates toward its centre, things get much weirder. Much of it is smooth stone construction, making it very difficult to say how old it is. There are yawning pits, false doors, pivoting floors; impossible angles, endless stairs, metal catwalks, weird intersections. It is tangled, gloomy, endless and quite bewildering in all honesty."

'The Labyrinth'

"There are various lairs and hideouts within the Labyrinths, but they are chaotic places that are difficult for the various cities rulers to police. It’s said there’s all manner of Kindred and other things down there, and sometimes when Kindred head down into the Labyrinth they never return. Others however, have come back with everything from useful knowledge to new allies. If you believe the stories then some have entered a Labyrinth in one city and inexplicably emerged from one in a completely different part of the city, perhaps even a different city altogether."

Michael was surprised that he detected no humour in Barabus's voice. It seemed that the Nosferatu believed that there was some fact to these outlandish and improbable tales. It was also obvious that Barabus was uncomfortable with the conversation. Perhaps there was more to this 'Labyrinth' than the Nosferatu spy was willing to share. It might be a subject to raise with Dillan Fitzgerald, Marius's Malkavian architect who seemed to have somewhat of a labyrinth fetish himself.

Scene Nine - A Wake-Up Call

'Deacon' - Brujah
Emissary of The Crypts Sons

The room in which Hank lay had simple stone walls and a floor made from heavy dark tiles, also stone. Four Brujah, last survivors of The Crypts Sons, guarded their fallen Baron. A pile of dead, drained rats in one corner indicated their diet while protecting their master.

Michael scanned those present, attempting to ascertain the emotional state of those present. The guards were edgy and several still bore wounds that their vermin diet hadn't provided enough blood for them to heal. Deacon was apprehensive, but hopeful. Michael could tell that he wished Hank to revive, it seems that Deacon saw his role as leader as temporary and was eager to hand it back to Hank.

"I need each of you to grab a limb." requested Michael of Hank's guardians. "If he awakes frenzied, I'm going to be the first thing he see's..." Vin joined the Crypts sons and placed his hand on Hank's chest, before nodding to Michael that they were ready. Vincent Ghast's strength was prodigious. He was easily the strongest kindred of his generation that Michael had ever encountered, only surpassed by those elders who defied the physical limitations of others. Hope moved to stand behind Michael, ready to pull her Baron away from danger at a moments notice.

Neither Vin nor Hope were particularly subtle and so Michael had ensured that they were both well fed before embarking on this mission. One potentially frenzied kindred was more than enough to deal with.

Vin handed Michael a surprisingly ornamental folding knife from a pocket of his jacket. Michael decided against asking it's origin. Vin had an extensive collection of weapons and nearly all of them were taken from fallen enemies.

Michael wiped the blade, just in case, and then sliced open his own wrist and let the vitae drip into Hank's mouth and down his throat. After a few moments Hank's body began to change. The wounds in his chest and head began to heal but there was no sign that he was about to awaken. Michael looked over at Deacon who nodded back encouragingly. 

Michael continued to pour his own vitae into Hank's open mouth. More of Hank's wounds began to heal and Hank himself was beginning to show signs of movement. 

Then without warning Hank's eyes flicked open and he began to  fight against those holding him down. Michael could see that he was on the verge of frenzy. "Hold his head still." Michael commanded. Vin grabbed Hank's head and forced it back onto the slab as the others struggled to hold their leader down. Michael wasn't sure how much longer he could keep this up. Hank had consumed a great deal of Michael's vitae and he had little left to give without risking frenzy himself.

As quickly as the struggling had began, it ceased. "I'm fine now." said Hank. "You can all let go now."

The Crypts Sons released their Baron though Vin still held Hank by chest and throat, looking to Michael for his go-ahead to let go. Michael indicated that he should release Hank but he did so in a slow and deliberate manner. The Crypts Sons were tense as they waited for Vin to obey his Barons order but made no attempt to hurry him along. Those who had seen him fight were in no hurry to test themselves against him. "Is this all that remains of The Crypts Sons?" asked Hank.

"I'm afraid so..." replied Deacon.

Steve Booth - Brujah, Destroyed
Former Baron of the South Coast

Michael and the others began to fill Hank in on the events he had missed. Steve Booth's assassination, the attempts upon Nines, Skelter and Damsel, the assault on Gloria's base by the Young Bloods and the other many situations that were a result of the Camarilla's push into the city. They also told him of the construction site's used by Vannevar's forces to infiltrate the city and their own recon of the site they believed was to be used to attack the docks.

Hank was also surprisingly concerned about his mortal followers. Michael assured him that Daniel had saved as many as he could but that the body count had still been horrendously high. Hank thanked him for what his followers had done and his gratitude seemed to be quite genuine.

"A plan is being formulated as we sift through the information obtained during the reconnaissance." continued Michael. "But we need to act as a united free states, not individuals, therefore I must implore you to take no pre-emptive actions of your own. To do so against the forces arrayed against us would be suicide for a small force without a decisive plan of action."

Michael could see that Hank craved revenge but also understood the importance of what Michael was saying. Barabus then interjected. "I can have you and your men escorted to anywhere in the city you wish, via the underground. Just name the place." While the Nosferatu and the Brujah discussed their plans, Caleb, a childe of Gary Golden arrived in order to guide the coterie back to The Asp Hole.

"Let's see what the council has come up with then." said Michael

Scene Ten - The Arbiter

Venture Tower - Downtown

The meeting room in Venture tower had been redesigned somewhat since their last visit. Before each seat was a symbol representing the clan of the Baron who sat there and each was placed in a stylised map, representing the barony that they ruled. Within the centre of the table was a large map of the city, also sub-divided by Barony that could be rotated to face in any direction desired.

Michael noted that the symbols and maps were in inserts which were obviously designed to be easily changed. Evidently the designer was expecting changes to these border changes to be frequent.

As the meeting began, several barons started to talk at the same time and it was obvious that all believed their own input to be most important. Some squabbling had been expected but this didn't bode well for the council's future.

Louis Fortier - Ventrue
Baron of West L.A.

"Enough..." said Baron Fortier, his voice raised only slightly yet commanding the attention of the whole table. "...This will not do..." he continued.

"We need an arbiter." stated Marius, in the uncomfortable silence that followed Fortier's statement. "Someone to guide the meeting, and ensure everyone gets time to speak..." he continued. "...I'd nominate myself but as none of you actually trust me, and at least half of you don't even like me, that might not be a popular choice..."

"I nominate Michael..." said Hank. "...though I might be biased as most of the vitae in my veins currently is his..." he smiled grimly after he said this.

Michael and Daniel scanned the table for the barons reactions.

Daniel concluded that Marius would support Michael just because he wouldn't want Baron's Abrams or Fortier to get the role. Michael had come to the same conclusion.

It seemed clear that Gloria Martinez, Baron of El Hermandad wished to object but was keeping her opinion to herself until she could see the mood of the other barons. Allison Maller, Baron of Anaheim had her attention focussed upon Daniel. 

Baron Gloria Martinez - El Hermandad, Baron Allison Maller - Anaheim

Therese Voerman, Baron of Santa Monica on the other hand was showing signs of obvious amusement but why could not be determined.

The following debate went back and forth but it was clear that opinion was gradually turning towards Michael. "Fine..." interrupted Baron Fortier. "...Michael will temporarily be given the task of acting as arbiter of our debate. Now can we get on with discussing the invasion of our city and put the petty politics to one side?"

It didn't go unnoticed that considerable emphasis had been put by Louis on the word 'temporarily'.

Scene Eleven - Information Overload

Storytellers Note - This part of the session went on for a long time so I'm going to summarise most of it.

Nines Rodriguez - Brujah

In his new role as arbiter, Michael pointed out that the absence of Nines from the council was significant and despite not being a Baron, he was an important voice for the opinions and needs of much of the cities population.

Gloria Martinez then informed the council that Nines was currently busy informing new arrivals to the city of the potential dangers that might soon engulf the city and attempting to recruit any that might be willing to fight for the Anarch Free States, and against the Camarilla invasion.

Harvey Caplan, Baron of the South Coast, let it be known that his predecessor Steve Booth's Sweeper and right-hand man had been located. Hector O'Neill had survived the attack upon his Baron but had been severely injured in the explosion. He had taken the pragmatic decision to withdraw and heal himself as hunting down the perpetrators of the attack was impractical in his wounded state. Once healed he had contacted his fellow sweeper Bilal Yang who had filled him in on the current situation. His loyalty had always been to Steve Booth and he had told Bilal that he wished no role under a different Baron. 

Harvey Caplan - Ventrue
Baron of the South Coast

He would however fight for them in any battle against the Camarilla incursion and would hold back from acting until the council had a plan. Harvey has granted Hector a feeding ground in his domain to use as he pleases in return for his assistance and tactical advice on Harvey's new barony. Though the role is unofficial, Harvey has stated that wasting such a valuable resource would be foolish and Hector has agreed with the terms.

Gary Golden then spoke on behalf of the Nosferatu who had been gathering information on the Camarilla representatives who had approached several Barons as well as the individual observed during the recon who seemed to be in charge.

They believed that the individual was Jochen Van Nuys a Ventrue diplomat with his eye on the Princedom of San Francisco. Evidently he saw this incursion as highly favourable to his reputation, should it succeed, especially as there were several highly placed individuals within the Camarilla who considered him to be an unsuitable Prince. Specifically the Toreador Justicar, Diana Iadanza. Despite this he was said to be favoured by the Inner Circle of the Camarilla as a diplomat and keeper of the peace if not as Prince. Given what Gary and the other information dealers had discovered about him it seemed likely that he was currently the most powerful and influential Camarilla kindred hiding within the city.

Jochen Van Nuys - Ventrue
Camarilla

They had also discovered that Peter Kwan, who had approached Baron Voerman to negotiate an arrangement of mutual non-interference, was a childe of Jochen Van Nuys. As you would expect, he is ruthless and ambitious. Van Nuys seemingly considers him to be a pupil and ally, a relationship that could, perhaps be used to the Anarchs advantage.

Kelvin Wei was a different matter entirely. Kelvin was a negotiator for the Justicars first and foremost and so would be certain to be someone looking at the bigger picture. The information brokers amongst the Anarchs had also learned that Kelvin favoured Sara Winder over Jochen Van Nuys. Gary's opinion was that he was either a con artist posing as a negotiator or a negotiator posing as a con artist. Either way, he made deals that always worked in his favour, and the Camarilla’s of course but it was rare that Kelvin came out of a negotiation without something for himself.

Michael had enquired about their Asian heritages considering that the so-called Kindred of the East had recently held a significant amount of territory in San Francisco before apparently being driven out. It was Gary's opinion that these kindred had been recruited due to their knowledge of the cultures with which they were dealing and given their histories it was unlikely that they were agents for an organisation other than the Camarilla.

Eleanor Braun - Gangrel
Childe of Marius, Blood Sorceress

Eleanor Braun, a childe of Marius now tasked with liaising with the Consolidated Chantry of Los Angeles due to her own occult knowledge, spoke of a meeting had with Luna Demian, Tremere Primogen of San Francisco.

She had implied that she could possibly ensure that Vannevar's forces gained no cooperation from the Tremere on the condition that travel between her own chantry in San Francisco and the one in Los Angeles be unimpeded. Access for the residents of each chantry to the other, without interference, was one of her conditions.

Though dubious about allowing any Camarilla representative free access to the city, it was deemed an acceptable compromise if it limited the resources available to Vannevar. It was Eleanor's opinion that Luna's priorities were her mystical researches and that she would keep to her agreement as long as the Anarchs kept theirs. She also made it clear to the council that Luna Demian was a blood sorceress of extremely high potency and that she was clearly an enemy that they should avoid making. Michael made a mental note, that someone needed to turn this from hints of cooperation to an actual agreement.

The discussion then moved to Marius's activities against Vannevar's forces in the San Gabriel mountains. These were being led by the de-facto Gangrel Primogen, Mirko Mirkonen. Marius had this to say about Mirko. 

"He's not of a particularly low generation but he has the potency that comes from a millennium of unlife, mostly spent killing things..." He also shared the following opinion. "The Camarilla offered him the position of Archon, which he refused, he basically spends his time killing whatever is currently in vogue as enemies, waiting for the next war. He doesn't even like Vannevar but if there's a war then he'll be leading from the fucking front." 

Vera Vignes - Ventrue
Former Baroness of Pasadena

Marius raised the point that destroying Mirko Mirkonen would seriously impact Vannevar's ability to supply the forces in L.A. as it was he who was keeping the supply lines open through the mountains, via San Jose. Talk of supply lines bought another individual to mind.

Given their own experiences with her, Michael bought up the subject of Vera Vignes. She was formally the Baroness of Pasadena along with her now destroyed husband Edward, but now effectively ran San Francisco's docks after leaving Pasadena.

Given her knowledge of Los Angeles and her influence on the logistics capabilities of Vannevar, Michael was concerned that she might need to be considered in the councils plans. Though the council agreed she may be a problem it was the general consensus that she was a low priority currently.

The Sabbat threat was also considered.

Meredith Lang, who had once infiltrated the Sabbat on behalf off the then Gangrel Justicar Xaviar, briefed the assembled Barons on what was known of the Sabbat likely within the city.

Rumours were spreading that Roman Pendragon was heading towards L.A. and may indeed already be within the city. Roman was a childe of Dark Selina, a Methuselah who had dedicated herself wholeheartedly to the cause of the Sabbat and it was possible that he was there to pave the way for the arrival of his sire. She also mentioned that two Sabbat packs favoured by Roman and his sire were certain to be in the vicinity if the other rumours were true.

Scarlet Carson O'Toole - City Gangrel
Pack Leader of The Misery Lords

Consuela Maria Martinez was the pack leader of The Killing Spree, she was a calculated and deliberate kindred who spread chaos in her wake, yet managed to always remain a safe distance from any fallout. Her pack, Killing Spree, is always eager for bloodletting. Their strategies call for mass Embrace and war parties, while Martinez’s approach demands subtlety and patience. She is therefore likely to be relying on the infiltration capabilities of another notable pack who called themselves the Misery Lords.

The Misery Lords consist entirely of vampires trained in information gathering, and the kindred's tendencies towards politics and rumourmongering is a weakness their leader Scarlet Carson O’Toole and her pack exploit to the best of their abilities. 

Neither have their efforts gone unnoticed by Consuela Maria Martinez. O’Toole knows that if she and The Misery Lords can prove their usefulness to Martinez, they may earn positions of power should the city fall to the Sabbat. 

This, in Meredith's opinion, makes them a highly motivated and therefore dangerous element. The kindred observed monitoring them during the reconnaissance of Jochen Van Nuys's construction site base also matches the description that Meredith has of O'Toole.

Daniel also noticed that Vin was paying a great deal of attention to the briefing on the sabbat. He suspected that he was looking for any clue to the whereabouts of his sister of the blood who had gone missing after infiltrating the Sabbat on the orders of their sire.

Desdemona 'Demonmaw' Moore - Brujah Archon and Praetor

Vin had indeed made several mental notes as Sabbat of note were named by Meredith. He was hitting more and more dead ends in his enquiries about the fate of his 'sister' and his sire was beginning to grow impatient. Desdemona Moore was not a kindred you wished to have annoyed at you if you wished your unlife to be long and untroubled.

Michael was paying attention as much to the other barons reaction to this information as the information itself.

'Atarah' - Lasombra
Ally of Baron Louis Fortier

Fortier was deep in thought, no doubt making tactical assessments for both his own defence and that of the Free states. Atarah, a resident of West L.A. and more and more relied upon to provide her Baron with security, definitely knew the name Maria Martinez. This could be a concern as Atarah was a particularly potent member of Clan Lasombra. Isaac Abrams, Baron of Hollywood had reacted noticeably to the mention of Dark Selina. The only other notable reaction was from Gary Golden who seemed annoyed that there was someone in the city with information that he himself hadn't known.

Of most concern to Michael was the fact that he was sure that Meredith was holding back information. several times she had paused as if about to reveal something then changing her mind. Though he couldn't be certain, she was showing some of the signs of a kindred fighting against a blood bond. Who she was bound to would need investigating.

"All this is certainly relevant information but it still leaves us with a decision to make." Interjected Baron Fortier. "Specifically, how we remove this threat, before they have a chance to strike against us in any decisive fashion..."

It was Gary Golden who replied.

"Assessing Van Nuys's likely next move based upon transport into and out of his sites has forced a reassessment of his timeline. It is our belief that he needs more time to prepare than we previously thought, but not much more. I suggest that we can only risk spending another night on reconnaissance and information gathering. After that we will need to act swiftly or allow the Camarilla to take the initiative..."

To Be Continued in 'Resistance' (Part Three)

In Conclusion

I like to do a round-up of how the session went in these features but if you couldn't give a shit what I think then feel free to skip this bit...

There's a lot for the players to digest after this session, and I expect my inbox to be full of messages over the next few days.

Let's hope they come up with something good ;-)

Acknowledgements
“Portions of the materials are the copyrights and trademarks of White Wolf Entertainment AB, and are used with permission. All rights reserved.”

I've used pictures of real people to represent some of the characters and art for others so in no particular order Michael Tomassio is represented by Matt Bomer, 'Vin' is Scott Adkins, Dr Matthews is Mads Mikkelsen, Hope is Deborah Ann Woll, Mr Hertz is Charles Dance, Vannevar Thomas is Bryan Dechart, Peter Kwan is Steven Yeun, Luna Demian is Andie Macdowell, Marius Walker is Tony Curran, Hank Boyd is Michael Clarke Duncan, 'Deacon' is Michael Ealy, Louis Fortier is Eduardo Verastegui, Gloria Martinez is Ariadne Artiles, Allison Maller is Chloe Grace Moretz, Nines Rodriguez is Luis Carazo, Harvel Caplan is Harvey Keitel, Jochen Van Nuys is Javier Bardem, Eleanor Braun is P.J. Harvey, Helen Mirren is Vera Vignes, Scarelt Carson O'Toole is Natalya Rudakova, Desdemona Moore is Amanda Donohoe and 'Atarah' is Madonna.

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.