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.
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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. There are however a list of potential triggers listed before the introduction. I've also used actual photographs to represent some characters which I'll give acknowledgements to at the end if I've any idea who they are.
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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
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. There are however a list of potential triggers listed before the introduction. I've also used actual photographs to represent some characters which I'll give acknowledgements to at the end if I've any idea who they are.
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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.'
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
Chronicle Two - 'Foothold L.A.'
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.'
Chronicle Three - 'Incursion L.A.'
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 Seventeen - 'The Baker Disappearance' - Part One, Two and Three
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Interlude Session One - After Griffith Park
Interlude Session Two - Divide and Conquer
Interlude Session Three - On the Brink of War
--------------------Chronicle Four - 'Conquest L.A.'
Interlude Session - Recon
Interlude Session - Damage Limitation
Interlude Session - The Killing Spree
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The PC'sMichael 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'
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.
Trigger Warnings for This Session: Blood (Obviously), Drug Use, Self Harm, Sex Slavery (Implied).
Introduction
The Anarch Free States are returning to a state of relative normality after the tumultuous events of the last few months.
Los Angeles at Night - Aerial View
Though some spies certainly remain, the Camarilla has evacuated the construction sites that were the basis for it's invasion plan. These sites are now effectively the property of the kindred rulers of the baronies in which they were situated. The Camarilla evacuation was thorough and so no secrets of use have been unearthed, much to the disappointment of many of the cities Barons.
Scene One - Old Rivalries
At Michael's request, Mr Hertz has acquired as many of the abandoned Camarilla sites as was feasible.
Abandoned Construction Site - Former Camarilla Base
Through various of the coteries legitimate businesses the Nosferatu businessman now owns properties in Anaheim, Burbank, Covina (The Wilds), Long Beach, South Central L.A. (The Crypts Sons) and Whittier (El Hermandad). All these were once Camarilla bases to support, the now defeated, plan to takeover the city. Careful investigation has failed to reveal any information of use. It seems that the Camarilla were careful to leave nothing of value for the Anarchs to either discover or use. Mr Hertz has some ideas for how to best utilise these locations but is fine-tuning his plan before he takes it to Michael.
Mirko and Marius
Mirko Mirkonnen has withdrawn his request for the San Gabriel mountains to be shared territory after a 'debate' between him and Marius in front of several Gangrel witnesses from both the Anarchs and The Camarilla.
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| Mirko Mirkonen - Gangrel De-facto Gangrel Primogen of San Francisco |
Unfortunately for Mirko his own resilience could do little against Marius's claws as the Baron of Downtown struck him repeatedly and with impunity, first crippling him before beating him to the ground with little to no effort.
Unexpectedly, Marius has allowed free travel through the mountains for any Gangrel from San Francisco, as long as they first announce themselves to the kindred of either Santa Clarita or 'The Wilds' depending on the direction of their approach. This is on the condition that travel from the opposite direction is given the same allowances.
This mutually beneficial agreement has allowed Mirko to save some measure of 'face' after his poor showing in the fight itself. Possibly this was Marius's intention as though such magnanimity is highly unusual for 'The Fixer', he does tend to show more consideration to members of his own Clan.
Hank, Gloria and Allison
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| Henrique 'Hank' Boyd - Brujah Baron of The Crypts Sons |
Hank and Priss
The relationship between Priss of 'The Border' and Hank has also returned to it's 'pre-war' state of distrust. The situation has not been helped by rumours that Priss is once more in negotiations with Marius about adding her territory to his in return for his protection and access to his considerable resources.
Harvey and The South
Harvey Caplan has maintained complete control over the South Coast in his position as it's Baron. Those kindred who had attempted to create their own domains have kept to the agreement to instead consider these areas as merely feeding grounds, granted by their Baron.
Harvey has rapidly established himself as an efficient and fair leader with a genuine interest in the well being of those under his influence. Favourable comparisons are being made to Louis Fortier's similar style of leadership. Of course, these are the early nights of his rule and power has been known to corrupt, especially with kindred.
Scene Two - A Difference of Opinion
The Anarch War Council has generally been considered a success and is an institution that is likely to continue though the 'war' part of the moniker has now been dropped. The real debate has been about whether to formalise it's structure based on it's first iteration or to amend it based on the current cessation of hostilities. The main bone of contention is the role of 'Arbiter' which some now consider to wield too much power to be left permanently in the hands of a single kindred.
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| Marius Walker - Gangrel 'Fixer', Baron of Downtown |
Isaac Abrams, Baron of Hollywood, was apparently completely unconcerned with either the role, or Michael's position within it. This was a relief as having such an influential and powerful kindred opposed to the concept could make things difficult.
Unfortunately, Louis Fortier, Baron of West L.A. and arguably the most powerful of the cities Barons, wasn't happy about the concept at all. This was more problematic. Louis, despite being Ventrue, had the respect of much of the cities kindred population and could sway opinion if he so desired. As Marius was to be accompanied to their meeting by Louis's childe Catherine DuBois, he presumed that he would hear more about Louis's objections when they sat down to talk.
Gloria Martinez, Baron of El Hermandad and by extension her ally Allison Maller, Baron of Anaheim also had strong objections to Michael being in a position to influence the council.
Gloria Martinez, Baron of El Hermandad - Allison Maller, Baron of Anaheim
Their issue, as Michael understood it, was his association with their rival Hank Boyd. They seemed to be concerned that he would take Hank's side in any dispute and weaken their own negotiation position as by kindred standards Michael and Hank were 'friends'. This, of course, meant that Hank was extremely happy with the way things were.
Some casual enquiries with other allies revealed that Karen Anatos was effectively neutral as though she liked Michael, her grasp of the wider field of kindred politics was sketchy at best. As long as it didn't effect her, she couldn't have cared less.
A quick meet-up with Damsel revealed that Nines was unhappy with the council concept in general as he saw it as dangerously close to the Camarilla's system of a council of Primogen. At least, thought Michael, this meant that Nines would be focussed on the council in general rather than his specific role within it.
With the crucial time approaching, Michael ceased his fact-finding exercise and prepared for what was likely to be a far from enjoyable meeting.
He decided to take Vin and Daniel with him. Both were excellent choices as bodyguards and were somewhat less 'explosive' than his sweeper Hope. Dion, Michael's chauffeur would be their driver.
Scene Three - The Head of the Table
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| Dakota Kassidy - Ghoul of Michael Succubus Club Manager |
Dakota understood that 'special' meant vampire, and despite being a ghoul who was relatively new to this world, had been extensively prepared by Michael. He was sure that she would have everything ready for when his guests arrived. He wasn't disappointed.
Marius and Catherine are surprisingly comfortable in each others company, indicating a long-standing business relationship between the two. The nature of these businesses can be guessed at but are probably best not to be delved into too deeply given the services that Catherine provides to the kindred and kine elite of L.A. and beyond.
Marius began.
"Louis doesn't like the idea of you as Arbiter given the organisation of the war council, he see's it as a position open to corruption and abuse. Don't misunderstand this as a reflection on you personally. He has seen the maxim 'power corrupts' in action and has no desire to see your unusually enlightened attitude be...turned into something less savoury, due to your choice of friends and allies."
He then turned to Catherine and they exchanged a knowing glance. "In particular he has some suspicions that I will attempt to turn you into my puppet and attempt to control the council through you..."
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| Catherine DuBois - Ventrue Mistress and Childe of Baron Fortier |
Storytellers Note - It was a good speech, but I asked for a persuasion roll as well. Michael's player succeeded spectacularly.
"And very effectively..." added Catherine. "...Louis was more than satisfied with the plans implementation..."
Daniel thanked her for her kind words but praised the team as a whole rather than taking the credit himself. Vin raised an eyebrow at this somewhat false modesty, but said nothing. Vin doubted that any other kindred than Daniel and Chick had the combination of talents necessary to perform the infiltration. Though Vin preferred problems that could be punched in the face, he still appreciated that this wasn't always the most effective solution. Between Hope, himself and Daniel they had access to a variety of levels of response. It had been joked that they were the choice between a hand grenade, an ice-pick and a scalpel.
Marius interrupted his musing.
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| Louis Fortier - Ventrue Baron of West L.A. |
Michael needed the position to move forward with his plans for the city but he decided that looking too keen wasn't necessarily a good idea, politically speaking.
"Of course, I believe that the position is necessary and wouldn't have accepted it if I thought I was incapable of fulfilling it's requirements. Should the council's will ever become definitive then perhaps it can be phased out, but that eventuality seems a long way away. If another more suitable candidate springs to mind then I would be willing to step aside, of course."
Michael was well aware that the current infighting between certain Barons made him by far the best kindred for the job, but refrained from saying so.
Catherine then laid out the compromise that Marius had mentioned.
"Firstly, I have suggested that the permanency of the position still be reliant on the goodwill of the rest of the council and that any vote to remove the Arbiter that gained a two thirds majority would be considered binding. It was first suggested that a unanimous decision would be needed but it was Louis's opinion that would mean that you could maintain control with merely a single ally..."
Marius interrupts briefly. "One guess who he was referring to there..."
"...he is also anxious to avoid the council becoming a Prince and Primogen in all but name..."
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| Isaac Abrams - Toreador Baron of Hollywood |
Catherine continued. "...I have suggested that we take the position literally and that the Arbiter only be allowed to vote in the event of a tie. In short, the arbiter would relinquish his right to vote in any circumstance where a majority was already present. However should the council ever be split equally, six to six, then you, or whoever holds the position, would get the deciding vote. Marius has convinced me that speaking to you directly would be far more practical than behind the scenes politicking..."
"Thoughts?"
Michael had considered making almost the exact offer and these conditions did little to limit his power. He paused long enough to make it appear that he was considering the ramifications, before agreeing.
"Hopefully that'll keep Louis relatively happy." stated Marius, though there was doubt in his tone. "Now if you'll excuse me, the hour grows late and I still have much to do." He then left Michael, Vin and Daniel with Catherine DuBois
"Is there anything else to discuss?" asked Michael
"Actually, while I have you here, I have a small favour to ask." replied Catherine.
Scene Four - A Favour for Catherine
Michael was intrigued, Daniel and Vin both began making mental notes of the tactical assets at their disposal. A favour for Catherine was sure to have some unsavoury elements. She wasn't exactly the most moral of individuals. Catherine's delicate, innocent appearance belied the depraved character of a woman thrust into unlife at a time when her appetites were at their height and her morals undeveloped.
She smiled and then began to lay out the 'favour'.
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| Marcelina Black - Ventrue The Circulatory System - L.A. 'Farm' |
"I was hoping that you would arrange an escort for the Circulatory Systems vehicle from your border with The Wilds. I will, of course, compensate you appropriately. The recipient is an important man within the Pasadena elite and might be worth cultivating yourself should you have the time to involve yourself personally."
Michael briefly considered saying no. "Marius is correct about my sensibilities but I don't consider this a weakness. We rely on mortals more than we like to admit, not just for sustenance, and so I consider their welfare to be important for our own survival."
Vin was reasonably sure that Catherine, despite nodding her head in agreement, had absolutely no concept of what Michael was trying to say. Vin's own involvement in the sex trade necessitated some crossover between the interests of other kindred who also dabbled in this area. This made him well aware of Catherine's activities in West L.A. as well as those of 'The Blossoms' in Downtown. The Blossoms, despite pandering to the baser desires of their customers, still cared for the basic needs of their workers. Catherine, not so much.
Catherine's stable of stunning debauched beauties of both sexes provided entertainment on a level of excitement that only the very wealthy and very bizarre could appreciate and she herself had an insatiable appetite for new physical experiences, which even death had been unable to quell. Mortals however were nothing to her outside of their immediate entertainment potential. Nonetheless he was sure that Michael was going to indulge her request. However, it would be him, Daniel and Hope who would be certain to be handling the 'messier' aspects of any deal.
Scene Five - The 'Package'
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| Dennis 'Dion' Hart - Ghoul Chauffeur, Agent of Fiorenza Savona |
Vin would ride shotgun in Michael's armoured car with Dion driving while Michael would sit in the back with their temporary guest. Daniel, meanwhile, would drive his own car which though also armoured, was considerably faster than Michaels and at as a 'blocker' of sorts should such a course of action be necessary. In order to ensure that no trouble occurred in their own barony during their absence, Hope was patrolling Pasadena with her sweepers.
The ever suspicious Daniel had a full compliment of weapons in his vehicle. This armoury consisted of a variety of bladed weapons, two 10mm handguns, a Browning Hi-Power converted to fire full-auto and an assault rifle in a sniping configuration hidden in the trunk.
Vin had a high calibre revolver in a shoulder holster, his trusty machete strapped to his back and a fully automatic assault shotgun in a canvas carry bag. The bag also contained several drums of ammunition of various types. Vin liked solid slugs for dealing with kindred adversaries though switched to more conventional ammunition when dealing with mortal enemies.
Daniel's weapons were all suppressed in some manner. Vin's were obviously not. Dion was also armed, In deference to the fact that any enemy of his client was usually either kindred or a ghoul, he also favoured higher calibre options. He also carried a back-up piece in an ankle holster.
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| 'Lola' - Gangrel of The Wilds Pack |
"All yours gentlemen, though I believe I should warn you that Lezabel claims to have seen several motorcycles moving parallel to our route from the direction of the San Gabriel mountains. It may be a coincidence of course, but I'd keep my senses on full alert if I was you...."
"Did she give you any idea of numbers?" asked Daniel
"Two groups of three and one group of six including a trike." was the reply. Lezabel was the youngest of The Wilds Pack and the others were protective of her in the extreme so Daniel didn't query the information or request confirmation. Lola's relaying of the conversation would have to do.
Lola handed Daniel a scrap of paper with a phone number on it. "Call if you have any trouble. If I don't answer straight away it's probably because I don't have any hands at that point." Daniel wasn't sure if this was an attempt at humour, but smiled anyway, before putting the note into his pocket.
Both Daniel and Vin noticed the look of disdain that Lola had for Michael though she showed no signs of being a threat. Hope had received some training from Lola when she had first experimented with transforming her physical form and had learned a few things about her. One of which was that she had killed a Toreador who she had once served. Apparently the reason for this had effected her perceptions of the entire Clan. Michael noticed that he was being observed but chose to ignore the attention, certain as he was that she was no threat, not at the moment anyway.
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| Their 'Passenger' |
"Do you have a name?" asked Michael, politely.
"If there's a name you like, call me that..." was her somewhat odd reply.
Daniel's assessment was that she was showing many of the signs of long-term amphetamine use and possibly sedative use as well, probably to balance the effects. He could guess that her use to The Circulatory Systems vampiric clients was so they could experience their own highs while drinking her blood. Her use to a mortal client was less certain though was likely to be equally unsavoury.
He also decided to keep these theories to himself. Hopefully Michael would never need to discover the full horrors of what he had involved them in.
Once the passenger was safely in the custody of the coterie, Lola's form flowed back into that of an overlarge predatory bird, and together with her flock, she disappeared into the night. The vehicle in which their passenger had arrived drove back into the territory known as The Wilds, presumably returning to The Circulatory System's 'Farm'
"Vin?" prompted Daniel. "I need a moment of your time..."
One of Vin's 'Weapons of Choice' - A Fully Automatic Shotgun
Daniel shared the information he'd learned with Vin, noticing as he did that the threat of violence seemed to relax him, rather than make him more tense. He could tell that the hulking Brujah much preferred this kind of threat to the petty internal politicking that made up most kindred interactions.
"I'll be ready." he said with a slight smile. Daniel was sure that he would be. "Let's not worry Michael with this just yet." he added. Vin nodded his acknowledgment. Daniel then sent Hope a brief message indicating that trouble might be imminent.
Scene Six - Uninvited Guests
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| Converted Browning Hi-Power |
Just then his phone rang. It was Vin.
"Three, maybe four bikes on a parallel course, those who you mean?" he asked, almost casually. Daniel confirmed that it was. "I gave Dion an alternate route before we set out." Daniel replied. "Tell him to switch to 'Alt One' and I'll deal with the tail." He took Vin's grunt as confirmation. He also thought he detected a little disappointment too.
As Dion turned Michael's car to the right, Daniel put his foot down and then headed down a sideroad that he theorized would be their pursuers intercept course. As the bikers headed towards him, he realised he had guessed correctly. Swerving to the side at the last minute he looked with satisfaction as two men in the outfits of Young Blood prospects bounced over the hood of his car.
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| "Panic Fire..." |
As he forced it open, half a dozen rounds pinged off the vehicles armour but only a single one found it's mark. The damage was superficial and Daniel didn't even waste the time to heal the bullet wound as he advanced on the shooter and emptied half a clip of 9mm rounds into their face.
The two who had failed to stop in time were no threat. One had a broken neck, and the second was bleeding out rapidly from a deep wound in their right leg. Deciding that the survivor wasn't worth a bullet, he drew one of his Karambit knives and quickly and efficiently finished them off.
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| One of Daniel's Karambits |
He doubted that this attack had been trusted to a mere three gang members so he got back in his damaged car and put his foot down so as to catch up with Michael's own transport.
Vin meanwhile, had problems of his own.
Three motorcycles emerge from a side road ahead of you and immediately slow down, attempting to reduce your speed, you note that a pair of bikes have also emerged behind you.
"You might want to cover your ears. it's going to get a bit noisy out here." said Vin to his passengers as he lowered the window and levelled the shotgun one-handed at the closest Young Blood attempting to block the vehicle.
Solid slugs punched through his first target's back, killing them instantly. He then kept his finger on the trigger as he tracked across to a second. The first two impacts tore off their right arm, causing them to spin out of control, Vin was reasonably sure that if the crash didn't kill them, they'd be dead of blood-loss long before help arrived.
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| "Overkill is Underrated..." |
The third ambusher ahead of them had veered off to the left of the car, blocking Vin's line of sight. As they drew level with Michael, sitting in the car's rear, they made the mistake of making eye-contact. Michael's supernatural presence was generally used to cause the viewer to experience fascination with the subject, namely himself.
The Presence Discipline - Majesty
As he lost control, he crashed almost headfirst into the side of a nearby building. Death was instantaneous.
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| "A precise shot to the base of the skull..." |
As he caught up, Daniel saw Vin take out two enemies with his shotgun and a third lose control for no clearly defined reason. As the pair of ambushers behind the armoured car sped up to intercept, Daniel casually lowered his window and shot one in the base of their skull, before side-slamming the other.
His disappointment that they had seemingly maintained control lasted mere moments as Vin's shotgun vaporised their upper body via a dozen rifled slugs.
Realising that they were certain to draw police attention, Daniel contacted Zipper. through the so-called 'MacNeil System' he had access to police databases and systems across Los Angeles.
"The cops are about to get a lot of reports of a gun battle." he stated, matter of factly. "I need you to make as many of them go away as possible..."
"Already on it." was the reply.
Scene Seven - Blockade
"I'm beginning to feel like we're being herded." mused Daniel as he once more communicated with Vin. The Brujah agreed that it was a distinct possibility.
"If it was me I'd use a roadblock, with positions to give covering fire." theorized Daniel, mentally overlapping potential ambush sites onto their current route. "If they're going to put it where I think they will." continued Daniel. "I think I can get their ahead of us and hit them first. Hopefully you can either smash through the chaos or stop and mop up, depending on how it goes..."
Hoping that Daniel was correct, Vin indicated to Dion to take the route specified.
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| "Just the merest taste..." |
Unfortunately this worked rather too well as she demonstrated her adoration by slicing across her arm with a blade, seemingly kept for just such a purpose, and offered him her blood to drink. Not wishing to offend her with a refusal, he licked the wound closed, consuming only the blood from the surface and drank no more than that. He could taste the sanguine resonance in her blood, enhanced by the amphetamines which saturated her system, and was relieved that he'd consumed only the bare minimum of her essence. Now was the time for cool heads, not hyperactive ones.
It turned out that Daniel was quite correct as he approached the blockade he'd theorized, but from a quite different direction than it's defenders were prepared for. Several bikes, a trike and a van formed the core of the position, while a couple of other bikers were positioned in shop doorways. Knowing he had mere moments before Vin arrived, he drove his car directly at two of the gang using the van as cover.
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| Rapid Reflexes at Work - Reloading |
Sliding out of the car via the door that still worked adequately, Daniel opened fire at the nearest enemy, winging them but failing to get a killing shot. Blaming the crash for putting off his aim, he reloaded as he prepared to finish the job. As he did so, several gun barrels turned in his direction.
As the ambushers switched their focus to the rear, their actual target arrived.
Dion pulled behind a parked car to give them some cover, as Vin left the vehicle, shotgun in one hand machete in the other. He covered the twenty metre distance to one of the bikers in a mere second and took their head off with a single brutal blow. Before the one stationed opposite could react, Vin aimed one handed and turned them and their bike into a twisted mass of mangled flesh and twisted steel.
Daniel missed for a second time, swore, then drew his blades instead. Like Vin, he could also move at speeds that defied the eye so his opponent had no time to return fire before Daniel was upon him.
The side door of the van, slid open and several bikers started to emerge. Vin had reloaded his shotgun in record time and strafed across the emerging group, finally emptying the drum into the vehicles unfortunate driver. A single survivor, shielded by his doomed compatriots, raised an assault rifle in response. With no cover nearby Vin was an easy target. Fortunately, dead flesh was far more resilient than living and he weathered the onslaught.
Two more bodies fell as Daniel's blades eviscerated a pair of Young Bloods before they could raise their guns. Panic fire from nearby, missed Daniel by a significant margin as he moved to punish the gunman for the attempt.
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| "This is going to get very messy..." |
As Daniel drew twin blades across the gunman's throat he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. What seemed to be the last of the ambushers was making a break for it. Unfortunately for them, they were heading in Vin's direction.
"We need a prisoner..." shouted Daniel, hoping that Vin was listening and if he was, that he'd heed the request.
Vin crossed the distance to the last of the Young Bloods in a blink and grasped them firmly by the throat as they attempted in vain to escape his grip. "Looks like you're the lucky one..." he said as he choked the man unconscious.
Scene Eight - Quite the Mess
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| Reuben Hart - Ghoul of Mr Hertz Leader of The Apostles Criminal Network |
"I'm going to need several tow trucks, as many gang members as you can trust completely, and a miracle if you have one to spare." began Michael. "Because Vin and Daniel are about to turn this junction into a combination scrapheap and slaughter yard."
Mr Hertz had then contacted his ghoul Reuben Hart, leader of the gang known as The Apostles, and passed on his requirements. He also emphasised the urgent nature of his request.
As the requested vehicles arrived Mr Hertz noted that if anything Michael's prediction was inadequate to describe what he was witnessing. Michael had also contacted Zipper to see what could be done. Judging from the flustered tone, he was already doing his best.
"With all due respect boss...What the fuck?..."
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| 'Zipper' - Caitiff Hacker Operator of 'The MacNeil System' |
He then noticed Daniel approaching. "My car's kinda fucked..." he announced. Michael sighed. "Hertz will tow it away, but we need to get out of here and quickly."
"Normally I'd recommend picking up any shell casings that are left..." ventured Daniel.
"Fuck...Off..."" was Vin's carefully considered response.
Mr Hertz had adopted the oddly generic appearance he adopted when disguising the distinctive deformities shared by the majority of the Nosferatu Clan. After having their prisoner restrained and bundled into the trunk of one of the cars, he moved to speak to Michael.
Michael addressed him as he approached. "Zipper informs me that despite his efforts, that this place will be a police convention in no more than fifteen minutes..."
It seemed a good time for them to all leave. Besides which, they still had their package to deliver.
The property in South Arroyo is a Georgian style townhouse within it's own grounds, surrounded by a brick wall topped by decorative, but not particularly dangerous looking ornamental spikes. A security guard in a suit and jacket is evidently expecting you as he opens the doors for you as soon as you arrive.
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| Ben Walters - Mortal Corrupt Property Developer |
Michael identified him as Ben Walters, a property developer who had made considerable donations to charities supported by the cities various Mayors over the years. He had been involved in a minor scandal a few years ago involving bribery of public officials but the case was dropped due to lack of evidence after several witnesses withdrew their statements. This was at the time that the Vignes were Barons of Pasadena so they were probably involved in the cover-up.
Michael escorted the young lady to the door where she was taken inside by one of Mr Walters servants.
"Thank-you for your assistance in this matter." said Ben, as if this was the most ordinary thing in the world. Perhaps to him it was.
"You're the artist? Galerie Sanguine I believe?" Michael was complimented to be recognised, and a little concerned, considering what he was being involved in. "Should a man in my position be able to help an important citizen such as yourself then feel free to give me a call." he then handed over a business card with his name and number on it. "But if you'll excuse me, I have an interesting few days planned during which I'd like to be undisturbed..."
Michael had no desire to know what he meant by this, he just wanted to get as far away as possible.
His phone then rang. It was the phone number of Arla Hartley, assistant to Marcelina Black of the Circulatory System.
Arla Hartley - The Circulatory System, L.A. 'Farm'
"Miss Black would like to meet with you to discuss a matter of mutual concern. Namely a group of unbound ghouls who call themselves the Young Bloods. She has decided that they are becoming bad for business..."
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...
This session was basically designed to tie together a number of plots that had been dangling for a while.
It was also an attempt to expand upon some of the more unsavoury aspects of the cities trade in people and how the vampires of L.A. used it to their advantage. This had the expected response from the players as neither they, nor their characters, are completely amoral and therefore have strong feelings about people being used as something somewhere between cattle and sex toys.
I also wanted to show that despite being their enemies, that what the Young Bloods do to vampires is very similar to what vampires do to their ghouls and blood dolls...
Hopefully that didn't get too heavy for everyone in the middle, but vampire is going to get dark on occasion. This was one of those times. Therefore this 'In Conclusion' will refrain from also including an amusing meme as this doesn't seem entirely appropriate on this occasion.
Acknowledgements
“Portions of the materials are the copyrights and trademarks of White Wolf Entertainment AB, and are used with permission. All rights reserved.”
“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, Mirko Mirkonnen is Nathan Jones, Henrique 'Hank' Boyd is Michael Clarke Duncan, Marius Walker is Tony Curran, Gloria Martinez is Ariadne Artiles, Allison Maller is Chloe Grace-Moretz, Nines Rodriguez is Luis Carazo, 'Damsel' is Irina Delnova, Dakota Kassidy is Laura Prepon, Catherine DuBois id Margot Robbie, Louis Fortier is Eduardo Verastegui, Isaac Abrams is Gary Oldman, Marcelina Black is Carrie Anne Moss, The Blossoms (Tayla Quintana is Alyssa Milano, Karla Bray is Rose McGowan and Lottie Noble is Holly Marie Combs), Dennis 'Dion' Hart is Clark Gregg, 'Their Passenger' was Mia Goth, Reuben Hart is Ray Liotta, 'Zipper' is Johnny Galecki, Ben Walters is John Goodman and Arla Hartley is Claudia Black.
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.
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