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
Story Twenty Six - 'Strange Bedfellows' - Part One
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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, Execution, Torture.
Introduction
A number of diplomatic calls by Michael have alleviated the few curious queries by fellow kindred about the recent running gun battle in Pasadena. This event occurred during the attempted kidnap of a Circulatory System asset by the Young Bloods unbound ghoul gang.
The coterie has obtained a potential, but quite unwilling, information source in the form of a Young Blood gang member that they had taken during their recent battle with the gang.
Some of the more complicated clean-up has been sorted for the coterie by the Circulatory System themselves out of apparent gratitude for protecting a valuable resource. They also wish the coteries assistance in eliminating the Young Bloods, who they have decided are 'bad for business'.
Scene Nine - Borders
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| 'The MacNeil System' |
The computer expert and manager of MacNeil's 'system' on the coteries behalf, Zipper, has successfully ensured that the details filed by the police were vague and contradictory in the extreme. Anything approaching solid evidence has been buried deep or 'lost'. It's the first time that they had used MacNeil's system for such a wide-scale cover-up and it, combined with Zipper's expertise, had been a resounding success. Along with his assistant, bodyguard, sire and lover 'Rose', he has wholeheartedly embraced his place as one of the coterie's assets and is enjoying the benefits of their protection. It is fair to say that he is in his element.
'Zipper' and 'Rose' - Caitiff
The prisoner acquired during the operation has been kept securely at one of Mr Hertz's scrapyards while the coterie decides exactly what to do with them. Michael doesn't approve of torture, yet the information they require is unlikely to be given freely.
The rest of the city has been relatively quiet in kindred terms with only a few events of significance.
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| Harvey Caplan - Ventrue Baron of the South Coast |
A small group of South Coast Brujah, unhappy under the rule of a Ventrue Baron, and one with a far more active interest in his domain than his predecessor, have attempted to establish their own barony within Harvey's domain. Harvey's response was swift and deadly. The gang of kindred neonates previously known as 'The Rats', now 'The Water Rats', joined 'The Hunters' under the control of the Bahari Gangrel Vinicius Santos. They assaulted the rebels in a perfectly planned operation and wiped them all out.
Harvey has made no excuses for the act, simply stating that they were offered a chance to discuss their grievance's and that when his olive branch was rebuked, he removed the threat to his barony in the only other way left to him.
This hasn't overly effected the security of the South Coast as a number of newcomers to the city had already taken residence in the large barony, attracted by Harvey's fairly straight-forward conditions for residency. Namely, keep to the feeding ground allocated to you and don't cause any trouble that you can't clean-up yourselves.
The general consensus amongst the other Barons is that Harvey was well within his rights as Baron to act as he did, especially as the last thing the Free States needs is more disruptions to the current power structure given the many recent turmoil's.
Relations between Priss of 'The Border' and the rebuilding Crypts Sons have once again become strained. Apparently impatient with Hank's more 'softly, softly' approach, some of his lieutenant's had been pressuring Priss to add her strength to that of their own gang. This has included some aggressive posturing at the borders of her domain to which her own sweepers were less than cordial in response.
To their surprise, their last pass by the border was met by Marius's sweepers known collectively as 'The Circle' who warned them in no uncertain terms that The Border was now under the protection of Downtown and that any action against it would be taken by Marius as an attack upon himself.
The exact details of this arrangement are currently unknown to any but Marius and Priss but some are concerned that this is another 'stealth' expansion of Marius's domain and effectively gives him a second vote within the Anarch council.
Also of concern is that the two main counters to Marius within the city, namely Louis Fortier and Isaac Abram's, don't seem inclined to get involved and haven't even made any comment on the situation one way or another. However it certainly doesn't seem to have taken either of them by surprise.
Garcia's Childer
It has been noted that there now seems to be considerable cross-over between the domains of Barons Allison Maller and Gloria Martinez. Their respective sweepers seem to be patrolling both domains and legitimate businesses under their control have also begun to cooperate. It now appears to the casual observer that they are acting as a single domain, with two rulers. This, like Marius's relationship with Priss, is a concern as it also effectively puts two votes in the hands of a single barony.
Gloria Martinez, Baron of El Hermandad - Allison Maller, Baron of Anaheim
Rumours
There are also some interesting rumours doing the rounds via the Gangrel information network known in L.A. as 'The Oratory'. The Gangrel sweepers in the city have a tendency to exchange pertinent security information with one another, though it's also fair to say that much of this could be described as 'gossip'.
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| Marius 'The Fixer' Walker - Gangrel Baron of Downtown |
Two of these rumours are worthy of note.
The Night Circus, a roving band of kindred, ghouls and perhaps other things, who travel between kindred domains are rumoured to be heading in the direction of Los Angeles. They stay for no more than a night in each location, but in its wake, it leaves behind terrifying memories, blood drained corpses and municipal authorities confused about who exactly gave the permit for them to set up their tent.
They have played in Camarilla and Anarch domains and have even entertained the Sabbat. Though the occasional Prince, Baron or Bishop has objected to their presence, their popularity amongst the jaded kindred makes turning them away an extremely unpopular decision especially with Neonates. The performers of the Night Circus have also reacted poorly to such insults in the past.
The Night Circus
The circus even attracts the occasional elder creature who remembers them from previous visits to their domains. Attendance is also not the sole purview of a domains kindred and werewolves, mages and other stranger creatures have been seen in the circuses audiences.
The second rumour is of more concern. Especially if, like many of the coterie, one is a Camarilla spy...
The Ravnos Irena, who was instrumental in locating the havens of the Camarilla Elders during the Anarch revolt is said to be on her way back to the city.
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| The Camarilla - Sect Symbol |
After the Revolt, Irena returned to her wandering. She continues to travel throughout the United States, mainly up into the Northwest, where she attempts do as much damage as she can to the Camarilla in those cities. It has been a decade since she was last in the city, perhaps she is merely visiting old acquaintances, but it seems more likely that she is making the journey with some purpose in mind.
Given the historical differences between Ravnos and Gangrel, this visit, if it happens, may create some tension. There are now far more of Clan Gangrel within the city than there were when she last came to town. She is also one of those rare chaotic presences which Marius has no time for whatsoever. Rather than a relief from the boredom, he considers her unpredictability to be potential dangerous, especially in the current era of the Second Inquisition's monitoring of any potential kindred activity. It's possible that he may share this view with Gangrel over which he has influence, and he himself has killed with far less provocation.
As an aside, the fact that there are no rumours about Sabbat is worryingly. As it seems unlikely that they have left the city, they are obviously up to something. In this case 'No News' isn't necessarily 'Good News'.
Intrigued by these rumours the coterie has gone to their various information sources to discover what they can. As Irena is relatively young in kindred terms, Carmelita hasn't bothered to accumulate a great deal of intelligence on her. She does however have some brief biographical information.
The Night Circus is a different matter. There is much information on them, but none of it is particularly reassuring.
Storytellers Notes - I provided the players with some handouts on both Irena and The Night Circus. This doesn't necessarily mean that either of these 'problems' will appear anytime soon. They are, after all, just rumours...
Interlude - Player Handouts
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| Irena - Clan Ravnos Anarch Agitator |
Clan Ravnos
Generation Unknown but probably around 10th
Appearance: Irena is a small woman, with black hair and dark skin and eyes. She typically wears black T -shirts, black jeans, motorcycle boots and a leather jacket.
Personality: She is known to have a great zest for life. Laughs a lot, plays jokes on her friends and cheats everyone else with a flashing smile and a kiss on the cheek.
Haven: Usually travels in a large van.
Influence: Irena tends to make her presence felt wherever she goes, but she never stays anywhere very long, so her influence tends to be somewhat spotty.
Biography
Irena was born in a Chicago ghetto during World War II.
Her parent's both died when she was young, and Irena became a street child. She managed to survive through sheer determination, but Chicago is an inhospitable place for street people, and Irena hit the road, joining the many migrant workers who had been displaced by the Great Depression.
She travelled widely throughout the United States, hitching and riding the rails. She worked when she had to, but preferred to steal when she could. One night in California she was picked up by some very strange people traveling in a caravan of old trucks and cars.
Irena fit right in with the Ravnos, who saw in her a Kindred spirit, and Embraced her when they felt she was old enough. After several years of traveling throughout the Southwest with her family group, she pulled a scam on its leader.
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| Clan Ravnos Symbol Survivors of the 'Week of Nightmares' |
In 1943 agents of Don Sebastian slaughtered Irena's entire family group, apparently in retribution for a small con they pulled on one of the prince's favourites. When Irena learned of the deaths she swore to avenge herself on Don Sebastian, but she lacked the resources to make an attack on him. She joined the Anarchs, who were thrilled have the use of Irena's considerable skills in subterfuge and she was instrumental in helping them track down the havens of the elders of Los Angeles. When the Revolt came, Irena insisted on being part of the team that attacked the Dan's rancho, although she never managed to get inside.
After the Revolt, Irena returned to her wandering. She continues to travel throughout the United States and up into the Northwest, where she attempts do as much damage as she can to the Camarilla in those cities. Over the years, Irena has managed to found her own "family" of mixed Kindred and Kine. The twelve of them travel throughout the Free States, joyfully scamming and stealing from vampires and mortals alike.
Irena sees herself as something of an avenging angel and does her best to help Anarchs in trouble, and to fight the Camarilla and Sabbat wherever she can.
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| The Night Circus Performers - Fire Dancers |
"Come one! Come all! For tonight only, the Night Circus is in town. Get your tickets, bring your family and see miracles like you’ve never seen before!"
"Witness the amazing Princess of the Trapeze fall to her death!"
"Marvel at the Hypnotic Man and the illusion of lost time!"
"Delight in the tortures of the Screaming Mermaid!"
"Watch the Tigers and the Bears, the Elephants and the Seals cavort for your pleasure and edification!"
Laugh at our uproariously hilarious clowns as they beat each other with sticks!"
"Founded in Victorian England, the Night Circus is closing in on two centuries of touring all across the world, going from town to town to delight the young and old alike. Taking its aesthetic from the burlesque shows of old, anachronistic wunderkammers and the most suicidal circus performances, it’s the most deranged show on Earth."
"Inside, you will see the centuries melt away as ancient monsters prowl the land once again. The limits of the human form are exposed as the merest fantasy as our acrobats perform the impossible. Feel the madness of the crowd as you participate in a show of cruelty and comedy, terror and wonder so amazing it’ll change your life."
Fleshcrafted Creations of the Night Circus
"Step right up and come right in. It’s the most incredible show on Earth, and you’ll find you’ll never want to leave its shimmering wonderland."
The Night Circus never stays in town for more than one night, one show. In its wake, it leaves behind terrifying memories, blood drained corpses and municipal authorities confused about who exactly gave the permit for them to set up their tent.
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| The Night Circus Ringmaster and his Ghouls |
Between cities, they set up camp in a small town somewhere and relax. They rehearse the numbers, train new members, organize weddings and funerals. For many in the Circus, these private days and nights lived inside a rolling camp are the happiest of their lives.
When showtime comes around, it’s time for the greatest trick in the repertoire of the Night Circus: Convincing the audience that the supernatural has a mundane explanation. Every trick is realized through the abilities of an inhuman creature, and every time there must be just enough ambiguity for the humans to imagine they know how the trick was done.
Sometimes at the end of a show, someone from the audience wanders backstage to ask questions. Perhaps they’re a circus professional wondering about the amazing stagecraft, seeking to improve their own circus practice. Many of these end up dead or confused, having lost their memories, but a few appear in the ring after a few weeks, as new members of the family.
Scene Ten - Options
Vin had some opinions of his own about the best methods for extracting information. He had apparently done his own research at some point in the recent past. Daniel theorized that it was possibly to do with his search for his 'sister of the blood' on behalf of his sire. The trail had gone cold but it seemed that he had been preparing for the possibility that some of his potential sources of information might be reticent to share what they knew with him.
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| Desdemona 'Demonmaw' Moore - Brujah Praetor and Red Alastor of the Camarilla |
Vin laid out what he had learned.
"Though she is the one with which we have the most experience, Victoria isn't the only creature within the city with a talent for information extraction."
"The Circulatory System has their own medical teams to provide the necessary 'care' for their valuable resources and also personnel responsible for ensuring that all involved with them are suitably cooperative and willing to share any information they learn from clients and pass it on. Catherine DuBois also has her own people with equivalent expertise."
"If occult methods are to be considered, then our options expand to include The Downtown Chantry and other notable Tremere and Duskborn Alchemists operating within the city. Marie might be willing to help too."
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| Catherine DuBois - Ventrue Childe and Mistress of Baron Louis Fortier |
Some time ago, rumours had been spread that a Banu Haqim answering Daniel's description had been seen in the city. He had feared that such information might lead his Sire to the city, something he was desperate to avoid, having successfully convinced the kindred of L.A. that he was of Clan Brujah.
His sources had determined that the rumours came from the Fortier household. Though he still believed that Mariel St. John was most likely to be responsible, he hadn't ruled out Catherine or Elena as the point of origin.
In the case of Victoria she was both a sociopath and a psychopath, neither of which were qualities that inspired trust.
"Marie it is then..." concluded Daniel. "...and I'll deal with the 'hand-on' aspects..."
Michael had retired to his studio after they had returned from delivering their passenger to the location specified by Catherine and hadn't emerged. Daniel suspected that he may have slept through the day there before continuing his painting as soon as he awoke from his day-sleep. Michael turned as Daniel entered, then returned to his painting.
Michael Tomassio, Toreador - Painting in his Studio
Daniel couldn't help but notice that Michael's paintings were darker than usual and far more introspective. Michael's panting's often reflected his mood and it was clear that the necessity of taking a prisoner and the realisation of what they would need to do to them was weighing upon his mind. This was, to Michael, a form of self-flagellation. Works he'd discarded were scattered around him, thrown aside without care as soon as completed, and Daniel doubted any would ever be displayed.
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| Marie - House Carna The Consolidated Chantry of Los Angeles |
"I'll make the call..." responded Michael, but showed no signs of doing so. Daniel waited as Michael put the finishing touches to an abstract work of reds and black, before adding it to the pile of discarded canvasses. He returned to a barely started painting of a woman, then abandoned that too.
"With me and Vin gone, I'm going to leave Andrew and Keith here in case you need anything." added Daniel.
Daniel's ghouls were both loyal and skilled, though Keith was somewhat unstable having been a vigilante before tasting Daniel's vitae and so needed to be kept occupied so as to avoid him slipping into old habits. Daniel noticed that Michael was now actually paying attention.
"I think Andrew will be sufficient, Keith gives me the creeps..."
Andrew Francis and Keith Chang - Ghouls of Daniel Matthews
Michael normally defaulted to being diplomatic and the fact that he hadn't bothered to sugar-coat the statement showed just how distracted he was. Daniel suggested that Keith kept watch outside and Michael accepted the compromise.
"And Marie?" prompted Daniel
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| Eleanor Braun - Gangrel Childe of Marius Walker |
Eleanor was a childe of Marius Walker, Baron of Downtown, and acted as the liaison for those who wished to enter Downtown to visit the blood mages who resided at their Chantry. As most of the Houses within the Chantry were still nominally loyal to the Camarilla, it was deemed necessary to monitor their comings and goings.
Michael spoke without even looking in Daniel's direction. "She'll contact me as soon as she can, then I'll see if she can help..." He then took a blank canvass from a shelf and began painting once more.
Daniel excused himself then got in touch with Mr Hertz about the condition of his own car. The prognosis wasn't good.
"I'll get you a loan vehicle from one of the dealerships..." said Mr Hertz. "...as yours is, in the words of our mechanics, 'basically scrap'. He used some other words as well..."
Daniel could have a fair guess at what those words were.
Michael then emerged from the studio, phone in hand. "I've explained the issue to Marie and she has some solutions to our problem. She'll meet you at the scrapyard in an hour..." He then returned to his painting without elaborating.
Vin, Daniel and Mr Hertz all exchanged a look. Michael was going to be extremely difficult to deal with for the next few nights.
Scene Eleven - Interrogation
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| Fiorenza Savona - Ventrue Camarilla Power Broker |
Mr Hertz was in the former category, Michael was, perhaps, considered to be somewhere in-between. She also had an operative assigned to Marius Walker, Baron of Downtown. As his assistance was usually coerced via blackmail, he was definitely in the 'problem' category.
Zhi opened the door for Mr Hertz, who tipped his hat in thanks. The rest were ignored as they weren't strictly speaking her responsibility. Vin decided to ride 'shotgun' both figuratively and literally speaking as his ranged weapon of choice was a fully automatic shotgun loaded with a drum of solid slugs. For close-up work he had his trusty machete.
Daniel appeared to be unarmed, though he was far from it. Hertz had a well maintained luger in a shoulder holster and his flick-knife. He had a tendency to play with the knife while thinking which could be disconcerting to those unfamiliar with him.
Daniel's phone rang, it was Michael. "Marie says she'll need a sample of the 'subjects' blood in order to enact the necessary ritual. She claims that she will be able to discern the truth from falsehood which should speed up your enquiries." He then hung up without any of the usual pleasantries.
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| Alfa Romeo 4C - Marie's 'Ride' |
"Nice ride..." commented Daniel.
"Payment for a favour." Marie replied. Daniel decided not to ask.
It was immediately obvious that The Apostles, formerly under the direction of missing coterie member Roach, respected and feared Mr Hertz. They spoke to him with deference but Vin could see the fear too. As someone who ruled his organisation with a certain measure of intimidation, Vin could see the signs. Such fear was only obtainable through demonstration, not hyperbole and bluff. Hertz had obviously demonstrated his abilities at some point and his people had taken note of the consequences of disappointing their leader.
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| Bunker Blast-Door |
The basement area had been made to look it's purpose was merely storage, but the piles of crates concealed a short corridor that led to a heavy duty door.
"It's a cold war era bunker." explained Mr Hertz. "The previous owner had no idea this was even here, let alone it's original purpose as the area was bricked over. As soon as I discovered that such a structure had been built and it's location I bought the property immediately. The scrapyard is useful, but access to such a secure facility is priceless."
Given the bloodstains on the floor, Daniel was reasonably sure that the uses had been far from legitimate.
Before they reached the area where the prisoner was held, Mr Hertz gestured to table, off to one side, strewn with what were presumably the prisoners belongings.
"His driving license identifies him as Nicholas Penn. The license is a fake, as is the address on it, but the name is seemingly genuine." stated the Nosferatu. "Feel free to peruse the rest of his items, you might come across something useful that I missed."
The items were largely mundane. His armament had consisted of a colt handgun that he had apparently emptied during the gunfight and a large, cheaply made, combat knife seemingly modelled on the one from the film 'Rambo'. His personal belongings consisted of a pack of cigarettes, a zippo lighter with a blood-drop symbol on it's side and a few dollars in cash.
Daniel picked up the lighter and the cigarettes. Tucked into the lighter was a photograph of a girl in typical biker getup. There was no family resemblance so Daniel concluded she was his girlfriend.
In the next room, Nicholas was chained to a hook in the ceiling. The chains were wrapped around his wrists and secured with several locks. He had bruises around his throat where Vin had restrained him after the shoot-out in Pasadena but was otherwise unharmed. The pockets on his jeans were ripped, presumably from when he was searched. His eyes opened as the newcomers entered.
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| "The Unfortunate Nicholas Penn..." |
Two tables had been placed in the room. One had an alarming similarity to an autopsy table, perhaps that what it was, the other was a mundane table with fold-down legs. It was on this second table that Daniel began to lay out his medical paraphernalia and a number of weapons. Vin turned the prisoners head so he could clearly see what was occurring. He attempted to look away but Vin's grip was vice-like.
Most of Daniel's modern medical equipment was in pristine condition, though it contained several older items that were somewhat worse for wear. Daniel's medical knowledge was extensive and he could inflict pain almost as well as he could prevent it, but the placing off the equipment was more for psychological reasons. Hence some of the more vicious looking tools.
Daniel nodded at Vin who hoisted the man from the hook in the ceiling with one hand, before casually tossing him onto the medical table. As he struggled, Vin held him in place with a single hand upon his upper body. The man might as well have had an anvil on his chest.
Marie had been waiting in the corner out of the subject's view. "Does it matter if he see's me work?" she asked quietly. Daniel shook his head. Whatever happened, the man's fate was sealed. Vin locked Nicholas's arm in position as Daniel drew sufficient blood for Marie's ritual. Meanwhile she set up her occult paraphernalia.
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| Maria's Preparations |
"We'll start with an easy one. Is Nicholas your real name?"
When he received no response, he retrieved a long needle and inserted it underneath a fingernail and pushed. Three needles later, he got a positive answer. Marie indicated that he was telling the truth.
"Now onto the more difficult questions..." continued Daniel. Firstly he asked about their failed scheme to kidnap the blood doll purchased from The Circulatory System by Catherine DuBois, that the coterie had been transporting across Pasadena. Two needles later, he got a response.
They learned that The Young Bloods had been supported by Prince Vannevar Thomas, through one of his agents, and that they were to be given an agreed upon amount of Anarchs to use for blood. The situation was getting desperate as the gang had created a lot of new ghouls in anticipation of their windfall which wasn't now happening. The kidnap job was apparently to decide who was going to become 'full members'.
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| Truth of Blood - Blood Sorcery Ritual |
Nicholas had revealed far more information than the question had actually warranted. Daniel turned once more to Marie who smiled. Daniel presumed that this was a useful side effect of the ritual. Marie later confirmed that he was correct.
"..and San Jose?" he prompted.
Nicholas indicated that he wasn't important enough to be involved in the "...the San Jose operation..." as their leader 'Z' had decided that it was too critical for the prospects "...to fuck up...". All he knew was that they had been given a list of targets that were their's to take, in return for daylight raids on a number of locations.
That was seemingly all he knew on that subject.
As Daniel probed him about the Young Bloods base, 'The Bunker', he began to resist once more. A slap from Vin convinced him to stop moving, but Daniel was forced to retrieve some more needles and begin to work on the gang members other hand in order to get him to talk once more.
"So other than victims, what else did Vannevar's agents promise you?"
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| 'Drugs, Weapons and Cash' |
As their subject spoke, Mr Hertz was noting down information that he deemed pertinent in a small notebook. His casual manner annoyed Daniel for reasons he couldn't explain.
Of most concern to Daniel was the firepower that the gang had available. Especially as it seemed that they were going to need to take them on at some point in the near future. Seemingly without wishing to do so, Nicholas elaborated.
The guns they had obtained were standard American military gear. Beretta M9 pistols, M4A1 assault rifles, Mossberg 500 shotguns, and several LMG's that Nicholas didn't know the name of. Both Daniel and Vin speculated that as all the guns were standard American army weapons they could easily have been obtained from any army depot or army reserve armoury. Especially with a patron as well connected as Vannevar.
Realising he had revealed too much, Nicholas once more became obstinate and uncooperative. Realising that more extreme measures were going to be necessary, Daniel reached for a scalpel.
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| 'Big Z' and Vera - The Young Bloods Leaders |
On the layout of the Young Bloods base he learnt far less than he had hoped. The gangs 'prospects' were essentially nobodies and so only had access to the top few floors of the bunker. The security codes for the internal doors were unknown to him and passwords were changed daily, which was disappointing news.
The upper floors were basically a clubhouse of sorts with the extreme lower floors being where the gangs vampire prisoners were kept. In between these floors was where the other gang members had their armoury, offices, shooting ranges and other facilities. More disconcerting was that even with the losses the gang had experienced recently, they still had about sixty full members, all of which were ghouls.
 |
| Underground Prison Cells - The Young Bloods |
When shown a photo of the two individuals that had been observed by Daniel's ghouls entering the bunker, Nicholas confirmed that these were agents of Vannevar. It was this man and woman who had delivered the guns, money and drugs.
He didn't know their names, only that they were representatives of 'The Chief Bloodsucker' which was how Big Z had referred to Vannevar. It was also revealed that 'Z' had received some other guests too, a week or so after the summit in L.A. between the Anarchs and the Camarilla, but of these Nicholas knew even less.
They had been escorted quickly to the lower levels, stayed about three hours then left. They had apparently "Looked down their fucking noses at us all..."
He indicated to Vin that he could allow their victim to sit upright. He was far to weak to run, even if his broken body would have allowed him to. "So what happens now?" asked Nicholas, barely audible.
Daniel lit a cigarette for him and placed it into his mouth, before tucking the picture of the mans girlfriend into his now tattered t-shirt. They sagged visibly as they noticed the photograph. As soon as the cigarette was finished, Daniel raised a silenced pistol that had appeared in his hand as if from nowhere and put a bullet through Nicholas's forehead. Then, without another word he left the room. As he moved into the antechamber, he heard Marie ask Hertz if she could have what was left of the mans blood. He didn't wait to hear the answer.
Michael would need a report and Daniel was already working out how to share the information, without mentioning the methods by which it had been obtained.
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 difficult for both myself and the players.
All concerned portrayed their characters attitudes to their victim in excellent fashion. Vin's 'just another job' attitude, Daniel's moral crisis at using his talents for healing to cause harm, Michael's escaping into his art and Mr Hertz's casual indifference were all portrayed perfectly.
Sometimes it's fun to let the darkness out and hopefully I haven't inadvertently turned any of my players into serial killers...
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, 'Zipper' is Johnny Galecki, 'Rose' is Thylane Blondeau, Harvey Caplan is Harvey Keitel, 'Priss' is Sofia Boutella, Gloria Martinez is Ariadne Artiles, Allison Maller is Chloe Grace-Moretz, Marius Walker is Tony Curran, Irena is Fairuza Balk, Desdemona Moore is Amanda Donohoe, Catherine DuBois is Margot Robbie, Mariel St. John is Kate Moss, Elena Gutierrez is Emmanuelle Vaugier, Marie is Eva Green, Andrew Francis is Ray Stevenson, Keith Chang is Daniel Dae Kim, Eleanor Braun is PJ Harvey and Fiorenza Savona is Jamie Lee Curtis.
Much of the background material for Irena and the Night Circus comes from official White Wolf material that I've altered in several ways to fit my own chronicle. Irena is featured in the Los Angeles by Night sourcebook and the Night Circus is featured in Anarch, a V5 Sourcebook which I'd highly recommend.
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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