Vampire the Masquerade - V5 - Session One Hundred and Eleven - 'Hunter's Hunted' (Part Five)

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. 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

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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, Two, Three, Four and Five

Interlude Session - Damage Limitation

Interlude Session - The Killing Spree

Story Twenty Five - 'Personal Agendas' - Part One, Two and Three

Story Twenty Six - 'Strange Bedfellows' - Part One, Two, Three, Four, Five and Six

Story Twenty Seven - 'The Fiorenza Sanction' - Part One, Two and Three

Story Twenty Eight - 'Hunters Hunted' - Part One, Two, Three and Four

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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'

Eric Moore - Nosferatu, 'Vigilante Hacker'

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. Introductory pieces that I read to the group are in Blue. 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).

Introduction

Arla Hartley - Ventrue
The Circulatory System - L.A. 'Farm'

After a tense stand-off, The Circulatory System have withdrew without the two recently rescued kindred that they wished custody of.

Arla Hartley, leader of the Circulatory Systems forces, had been placed in an impossible position by her superior Marcelina Black and had little choice but to comply with Michael's requests. This was in no small part due to his impressive negotiation skills and position as Arbiter of the Anarch Council.

The backing of a disgruntled Marius and three of his most dangerous sweepers was also a fairly useful deterrent to threatening posturing by The System.

Judging from the number of Catherine's ghouls compared to the vehicles available, it seems like she has bought additional transportation with her. In an unusual display of emotion, she is hugging the recently rescued Mariel tightly, apparently they are closer than you had been led to believe.

A Jeep and trailer have also arrived driven by a man you don't recognise. The passenger seat is occupied by Marius's grandechilde Rebecca who is holding an anti-materiel rifle which is almost as big as she is.

Storytellers Note - This was yet another long session so you might want to get a nice beverage and some snacks before starting reading.

Scene Twenty Eight - The Rescued

The rescued kindred had fed upon the blood, and in some cases their own vitae that had been stored by The Young Bloods, in order to restore themselves and heal some of their injuries. Both Nosferatu, the naked man, and the young teenage girl had also fed from the still warm bodies of their former jailers. 

'Hatchet' - Gangrel
Former Young Bloods Prisoner

The naked kindred was now clothed in the leathers of one of the bikers and though his t-shirt had a large bloody hole in it, he didn't seem bothered. As well as a  shoulder holster for a handgun, he had also helped himself to some close-combat weapons, including a machete, a claw hammer and several combat knives in scabbards which he had tucked into his belt. He was speaking to one of 'The Circle' who were still in hybrid form and yet seemed to be unconcerned that he was chatting to a seven foot tall, humanoid bat. 

The young girl had latched onto him, and was standing nearby. He had wrapped a leather coat around her shoulders despite her undead flesh being unaffected by the cold.

They noticed him gesturing towards the aloof looking woman who somehow seemed to still look regal despite her tattered dress. She nodded briefly in his direction before looking away. It seemed that they were familiar with each other, but were obviously from very different strata's of kindred society. A tall handsome man in the remnants of a once expensive suit was talking to her, it seemed that he had gravitated to one he felt was of a similar class.

The prodigiously muscled Nosferatu had also approached the formerly naked kindred and a three way conversation was now ongoing between the pair and the member of 'The Circle'. The girl remained silent.

Lorna Davies - Caitiff
Former Young Bloods Prisoner

They also noticed that several of the others had also helped themselves to clothing and weapons, hardly surprising considering what many had been through. Though they followed Vin's lead as they were guided through the bunker, they were now milling around, waiting to see what happened next. This was obviously an unfamiliar situation for all concerned.

The biker and the pretty woman had also paired up. She had a handgun, but didn't look like she had any idea what to do with it. The biker had an assault rifle which he handled as if familiar with the weapon and had spare magazines tucked into various pockets.

He had replaced his own tattered leathers with those of The Young Bloods but understandably had ripped off all their badges and insignia. He was currently attempting to repair the least shot up of the gangs bikes and he looked like he knew what he was doing. Eric may have been able to give a more professional opinion but he was currently investigating the purged bunker.

The other Nosferatu was standing apart from the crowd, carefully observing the activities of the others but making no effort to mingle. 

Eugene 'Romulus' Bargen - Toreador
Former Young Bloods Prisoner

Hope noticed that one of the prisoners, the weaselly looking man, was nowhere to be seen.

She presumed he had disappeared into the woods in the confusion, and guessed that he'd head towards the nearest road and resume his unlife. She had no desire to interfere but made a mental note of his likely route in case he needed to be intercepted.

'Romulus' was sitting in the back of one of Catherine's vehicles quietly gibbering to himself. After his rescue he had barely spoken at all except to himself.

The other two members of 'The Circle' had entered the bunker along with a team of Fortiers ghouls. They had been informed that Eric was already in the facility so that no mistakes occurred. Vin had accompanied them in order to ensure that certain items they had laid claim to weren't appropriated by anyone else.

Marius meanwhile was now talking to Catherine and Mariel, he had shed some of his mass and armour, but was still to all intents and purposes a hybrid of wolf, bat and man, though was now closer to seven and a half feet tall than nine.

Scene Twenty Nine - The High Clans

Lucinda Everett - Toreador
Former Young Bloods Prisoner

Michael noticed that the regal lady and the suited gentleman had apparently decided that he was the person they needed to talk to in order for anything to be done and were heading in his direction.

"You appear to be the one who we should be thanking for sending the rescue party and in all honesty I feel more comfortable talking to you than a nine foot tall wolf-bat whose claws appear to be dripping poison everywhere." 

Michael smiled to himself. It appeared that Marius's somewhat cinematic entry had made an impression. In this case, it hadn't been a particularly positive one.

He was also mentally re-evaluating how much credit he'd give to the Circulatory System. Their earlier threats had annoyed him more than he liked to admit. His musings were interrupted as the woman continued.

"My name is Lucinda Everett though many of San Jose's populace call me Lady Lucy. I prefer Lucinda, if given a choice. This is Mr Beltane whom the people you shooed away were looking for. Who do we need to throw money at in order to get the hell away from this place?"

"That..." replied Michael. "...rather depends on where you need to get to?"

Sara Anne Winder - Ventrue
Prince of San Francisco

He discovered that Lucinda was an independent former resident of San Jose who had been captured by The Young Bloods during Vannevar's invasion. She was also quick to inform him that she was still independently wealthy from when she was alive and despite having no political status with which to reward one who helped her, could certainly improve their financial position.

Michael broke the bad news to her. "San Jose is now under Camarilla control, not Anarch, and unfortunately this means getting permission from the current Prince of San Francisco, Sara Winder, is a necessary, if irritating, step to becoming a resident once more."

Michael could clearly see that Lucinda was a snob and valued her independence, he also noted that she recognised the name of the new Prince.

"Of course if this is an issue then I'm sure we can find you somewhere within Los Angeles where your independence will be respected and you can mix with those of your own class." She thanked him for the offer, though wished to have a few moments to consider her plans in light of this new information.

Ricardo Beltane on the other hand was a resident of San Francisco. He had been ambushed while feeding on what he described as "...several companions hired for the evening..." in one of his families apartments outside San Francisco. Michael presumed he meant prostitutes, but didn't comment on the fact. 

Patrick Hodge - Ventrue
Sire of Ricardo Beltane

He was the Childe of a powerful San Francisco Ventrue who controlled much of the cities sex trade through what Ricardo described as "...various organisations of varying degrees of legitimately..."

This made sense and confirmed information Michael had already received from other sources. The Circulatory System obviously wanted him so as to get contacts in San Francisco's sex trade. He was also reluctant to give the aforementioned 'System' any credit for his rescue despite Michael promising them that he would "Put a good word in..."

"I understand that you needed to make compromises to ensure a diplomatic solution was reached..." began Ricardo. "...and therefore I will make some mention of the Circulatory System's involvement, but I will also, in private, make it clear to my sire that it is you and your own organisation that are primarily responsible for me gaining my freedom."

Having already made an enemy of The System, Michael decided to turn the screws on them a bit harder so casually dropped into the conversation that the recent problems were the fault of Marcelina Black of the L.A. 'Farm', not Arla. He also mentioned that Arla "...would probably make a better leader as at least she bothered to turn up herself..."

Michael finished by assuring them that he would give the matter of their transportation his personal attention.

Scene Thirty - The Low Clans

Michael noticed that Marius had waited until he had finished his conversation before approaching him. This was unusually polite so he guessed that 'the Fixer' probably wanted something. Unusually, it turned out to be something that didn't involve Michael or any of his people being put in any danger.

"Hatchet over there..." Marius gestured to the recently naked kindred. "...was a resident of San Jose. He made the mistake of sleeping in the same cave on a mountain trail too many nights running while spying on Mirko Mirkonnen's forces and was somewhat embarrassed one night when he awoke in chains."

Lola and Layla Mae - Gangrel, Sweepers for Santa Clarita

"He's also the sire of Lola and Layla Mae, the two Gangrel refugees from San Jose who I took in, who believed him destroyed. I've given him permission to enter Santa Clarita and speak with them. I've told him he's welcome to reside there, mainly because the sisters are excellent sweepers and I don't really want to lose them, however if they choose to leave with him then that's their choice. I won't put obstacles in their way."

'Little' Lily - Caitiff
Former Young Bloods Prisoner

"He also seems to have adopted the little Caitiff girl so I guess she's part of the package too. Apparently he reminds her of an uncle who was nice to her, I haven't pried because, lets be honest, we both know I don't really care. If it keeps the troops happy and costs me fuck all then why not? Any objections?"

Michael saw no reason to put difficulties in the way of this plan. Santa Clarita did a good job of acting as an early warning system for kindred enemies of the Free States who approached via that area.

Them keeping the sweepers they had, and perhaps gaining another one, benefitted everyone. Besides which, the Caitiff was basically a nobody. Though Michael wouldn't see harm come to her, politically she was beneath his notice.

With that agreed, Marius continued.

"The giant Nosferatu is also a former San Jose inhabitant. It doesn't look like anyone he knows survived, though oddly, he is familiar with Alonzo, from the old days when his haven was that cave in the hills. Someone would have to get Gary Golden to agree but there might be a place for him in the Warren's..."

'Lumpy' Lewellen - Nosferatu
Former Young Bloods Prisoner

Michael, like many Toreador had little to do with neither Gangrel nor the Nosferatu if he could help it. Clan Gangrel because they had nothing in common, and Clan Nosferatu given their preference for underground havens. "That sounds like a job for Eric or Mr Hertz..." concluded Michael who apparently just presumed that all Nosferatu knew one another.

Storytellers Note - This genuinely made me chuckle and was very in character for a Toreador.

"What are you doing about the Ventrue Beltane and Malone the Nosferatu?"

It was a reasonable question so Michael decided to just be honest.

"I'm going to arrange transportation back to san Francisco for Beltane, probably via Harvey Caplan at the docks, but I've asked him to put in a good word for my own people and place the blame for any problems at the door of Marcelina Black. As for Malone, I haven't really had that conversation. I seem to recall you mentioning that he was from San Diego?"

The Toreador Baron could tell from subtle observations of Marius that he only cared about Malone. Michael presumed that Beltane was too tied into San Francisco's existing structure to be subverted by 'The Fixer'. Marius indicated that he could get the Nosferatu back to San Diego fairly unobtrusively and Michael decided to let him do just that.

It was then that Marius changed tack somewhat.

Storytellers Note - The next two scenes were actually roleplayed in parallel but for narrative purposes I've written them up separately.

Scene Thirty One - The Spoils

"So what are we doing about the bunker full of weapons, equipment and masquerade breaking corpses?"

Michael had already considered this.

"The only problem I foresee is that amongst the belongings of The Young Bloods is a considerable stockpile of weapons and equipment specifically designed with the destruction of kindred in mind. I think it would be best if this was separated and placed somewhere where it won't ever fall into the wrong hands. It also needs to be in the custody of a kindred that is trusted enough so there motives for possessing it are not considered to be...dubious..."

Though Marius knew that it was himself to which Michael was referring, he chose to ignore the critique. Mainly because he knew that Michael was right.

"Regardless of the high regard in which many hold you..." replied Marius. "...the possession of such an armoury might make even your most trusted allies a little suspicious. I therefore suggest that we keep that information between the absolute minimum number of kindred."

Michael agreed, and then made mention of certain security cameras that Vin and Hope had discovered that could apparently differentiate kindred from mortals. Marius didn't look overly concerned about getting his hands on them, presumably because he had acquired some already when his childe Tilly and her so-called 'Swarm' had overrun a Second Inquisition facility some time ago. 

Michael had experienced the result of SI operations when he had escaped London and was paranoid about them as a result.

"I would also like to keep word of The Inquisition's assistance to these ghouls to ourselves in order to prevent any panic. That is until we can ascertain if they are entrenched in the city or not."

Marius Walker - Gangrel Elder
'Still Partially Transformed'

It was agreed that this was a good idea, for now. Marius was being unusually agreeable during these negotiations. Michael wasn't sure whether he was getting better at second guessing the Baron of Downtown or if the bastard was up to something and Michael had missed it. Marius had, however, seemingly deemed the situation now resolved.

"I was going to suggest that we split all that we discover three ways between you, me and Catherine. You can have first pick as it was your operation, then my people will sanitize the scene, weld the doors shut and get the place listed as condemned, dangerous, full of hazardous waste or whatever is most likely to keep people away."

It was as good a plan as any, so Michael agreed. Though he had more information on the Inquisition to share.

"My operatives encountered some presumably Second Inquisition operatives, supported by several individuals with a distinctly religious aspect to them. Of concern is the fact that many of Vin's supernatural abilities were either reduced in effectiveness or negated completely..."

Michael noted that Marius wasn't even vagally concerned by talk of the Second Inquisition but had began to pay attention when the religious types had been mentioned. 

"Great, now the fucking Society of Leopold are back..."

The Society of Leopold - 'God Wills'

Michael asked Marius to elaborate.

"They've been around for centuries but it's only recently that they've become a threat again. After two thousand and four, when the NSA managed to crack SchreckNet and suddenly realised that there were vampires every-fucking-where, they began sharing their knowledge with other intelligence agencies."

"These fuckers contacted the Vatican, whom they suddenly decided might have been onto something despite being considered batshit insane for even mentioning the likelihood of supernatural beings about an hour before. The Church accepted an alliance, and granted them access to its resources as well as the experienced witch-hunters of the, you've guessed it, The Society of Leopold."

"The Society of Leopold fully believes that the Apocalypse is drawing near and that all supernatural, willing or not, are part of the army of the Antichrist. As self-appointed soldiers of Christ, they believe it is their divine duty to slay or otherwise neutralize as many supernatural threats to Christianity as possible before Christ returns to the world. So despite being mostly nutters, they're dangerous because of their extensive knowledge, training, equipment, preparation and fanatical zeal."

Some of this Michael already knew. However, it was Marius's use of the word 'back' that intrigued him. It implied that they had been a threat before. Though he was tempted to ask Marius about this, he instead decided to make his own investigation. That way he didn't have to worry about what 'The Fixer' had left out or 'spun' for his own purposes.

Before leaving to continue liaising with those prisoners he'd taken responsibility for, Marius made a final suggestion.

Catherine DuBois - Ventrue, Childe and Mistress of Baron Fortier

"It might be better if you allowed Catherine DuBois to arrange for Beltane's transport home, rather than let Caplan do it. She was your ally in this endeavour after all."

Michael agreed that Marius made a good point and decided to approach her about exactly that.

Scene Thirty Two - Eric Investigates

Seeing the devastation in person was a hell of a lot different from watching it through security cameras.

'Quite the Mess...'

There was blood, body parts and the mangled corpses from which they originated, pretty much everywhere. Navigating his way between them had become more and more difficult and he had been forced to give up any hope of emerging from this slaughterhouse without tripping over some mangled body. It was already bad enough that he had been present for Hope's first kill and had gotten a face full of arterial spray by virtue of not ducking fast enough.

By the time he reached level B5, his expensive trainers were now almost completely blood red but at least he's made a couple of useful discoveries.

Documentation on one of the shipping crates containing equipment supplied by the Second Inquisition related to a shipping company based in central Los Angeles. A later search of the delivery codes led to a bonded government holding area in the area claimed by what remained of 'The Blood', a gang of rivals of The Crypts Sons who also contained a hidden inner circle of vampire hunters. Eric theorized that this could possibly be an Inquisition storage area and/or distribution hub.

'The Church of St. Joan'

Somewhat out of place in a separate box was a pile of leather bound bibles. The stamps within revealed the address of a charitable Christian association that organised soup kitchens, charity drives and other similar street level activities. Their logo was a phoenix, presumably meant to represent rebirth or a new start. They called themselves 'The Church of St. Joan'.

The armoury also held several useful morsels of intelligence. The military weapons serial numbers matched those of a shipment to a reserve unit in San Francisco. This unit existed only on paper. Some documentation with them, and stamps on the boxes led Eric to believe they were shipped from San Francisco docks.

All three of these useful discoveries gave Eric starting points into an investigation into potential home bases for the Second Inquisition within LA.

Other than giving the Nosferatu an interesting insight into just how many ways a human body could be torn into chunks, the next level held no surprises. Level B7 however was for more enlightening.

Z and Vera's Ledgers

Mr and Mrs Z, as Eric had decided to call them, had been surprisingly diligent with their bookkeeping. While rummaging through their quarters he discovered a ledger with information on the gangs criminal activities and officials they'd bribed, threatened, or both, in the surrounding area.

These were mainly rural cops they've paid off or intimidated. All emails, documents, letters and the like that could be incriminating lead not to former Prince Vannevar Thomas, but instead to the Ventrue Kyran Velez who The Circulatory System had tortured to death. Vannevar had covered his tracks irritatingly well.

It was then that he noticed the door.

An armoured security door, sealed by an impressive lock with biometric security precautions built in, was hidden near a pile of empty boxes. From the way they were strewn about, Eric guessed that up until recently they'd been concealing the door from casual observers. 

Biometric Security Precautions

Never one to pass up such a challenge, Eric opened up his bag of tricks and began to test just how good the security actually was. 

Unfortunately the answer to that question was 'very good indeed...'

Some time later, after a few frustrating setbacks, the lock disengaged with a satisfying click.

Beyond the door was a stone tunnel dug through the cliff face. Eric's curiosity once more got the better of him and he decided to see where it led. He also sensibly activated all his supernatural abilities of concealment before he did so.

At the end of the stone tunnel was a still serviceable ladder running some fifty metres to the top where it ended at a metal vent of some description. Cautiously Eric climbed the ladder and discovered it unlocked. Slowly he pushed it open and stuck his head out. When nothing leapt out at him or shot at him he climbed out and found himself in a cave of sorts. 

'A somewhat obvious clue'

It was clearly hidden from the outside by several piles of rocks which seemed to be the result of a natural rockfall. 

It was then that he noticed the tracks of three quite heavy individuals in the dirt, which rapidly disappeared once they reached the nearby rockpile. He recognised one set of footwear as motorcycle boots, though the others could have been anything.

Deciding that he had no real desire to chase three unknown enemies down a cliff face in the dark, he came to the conclusion that some help would be nice. 

The real decision was whether to ask 'Tweedle machete or Tweedle claws', but given the terrain he phoned Hope presuming that as a Gangrel she must have some tracking skills.

"You guys missed a huge fucking door..." Began Eric.

Scene Thirty Three - A Short Trip

Eric gazed into the night sky, thoroughly convinced that Hope would arrive in raven form. He therefore was fortunate that as one of the undead he couldn't die of a heart attack, when she instead appeared right behind him. "What the fuck!!!..."

"I don't know why your so surprised..." replied Hope, making no attempt to hide her smile. "...you invited me here, remember?"

Marco 'Joey' Joseph - Gangrel
Scourge of Baron Louis Fortier

Eric explained that there was a dirt track below that might have been the destination of any escapees from the bunker. It wasn't on any official maps but had been noted by Louis Fortier's Gangrel 'Scourge' Joseph, during his initial scouting of the surrounding area.

As Hope headed downwards, Eric attempted to match her pace but lost his footing and began to bounce in an embarrassingly clumsy fashion down the cliff-side. As he passed Hope, she reached out and grabbed him by the leg and hoisted him into the air.

"I'm going to lower you down..." began Hope "...so try not to fall on your arse again." Somewhat sheepishly, he thanked her for the rescue, then they continued towards the dirt track. Though there were signs that at least three people and an equivalent number of motorbikes had been here, they were long gone now.

"Not Harley's." observed Eric, whose knowledge of motorbikes apparently extended to the kind of tyre tracks they left. "Probably dirt bikes, these are off-road tyres. Well maintained too. No oil leaks..."

"No people either..." countered Hope. "...so back the way we came?"

Despite their rivalry, Eric concluded that he might need help from the coteries other hacker, 'Zipper' as he could access police records and cameras through the 'MacNeil System' that the coterie had gained control of through considerable effort.

As they made their way back through the complex Hope noticed that the sword that had been embedded in the floor by the first Inquisition members they had fought, was gone. This was not reassuring.

Scene Thirty Four - The Shattered Spear

Other forces are now beginning to arrive. Lola and Lezabel of the Wilds Pack have made themselves known. 

Lola and Lezabel - Gangrel of The Wilds Pack

As has Blanche and several of her kin, collectively known as 'The Butchers'. Marius has also informed you that clean-up crews are on the way, but wont arrive til morning die to the difficulties associated with bringing equipment into the mountains.

Blanche Johnson - Gangrel, Pack Leader of 'The Butchers'

Meanwhile, Vin had returned from ensuring that the equipment that they'd laid claim to had not been liberated by any of Catherine DuBois's ghouls.

A single Circulatory System vehicle arrives from the direction that their convoy previously left. A cursory look seems to indicate that it's not one of those that act as weapon platforms for concealed heavy weaponry, but rather a simple transport. The driver and guards remain in the vehicle as Arla Hartley steps out and approaches you.

Marcelina Black - Ventrue
The Circulatory System - L.A. Farm

Arla approached Michael directly. Even a casual observer could see that she was nervous, but to Michael's finely attuned empathy she might as well have been having a full blown panic attack.

 "You said if I ever had a problem I needed help with I only had to ask. Well that situation has come up considerably sooner than I was expecting. Marcelina wants me to take back the two kindred she wanted, 'by any means necessary'. I've been informed that I have all the forces I need to take down 'a rag tag band of Anarchs', her words, not mine. So it looks like my options are to attack you and get myself destroyed, or return a failure, and then get destroyed by Marcelina."

Michael wasn't surprised that Marcelina had taken the situation so badly. "It doesn't look like you've been given a particularly fair choice." said Michael as he gestured at the newly arrived forces assembling around Marius and the sweepers he'd arrived with. His forces now consisted of nearly a dozen Gangrel under Marius's command, his own formidable operatives and a small army of heavily armed ghouls belonging to Catherine DuBois. This roll call didn't even include the rescued kindred, many of which would surely fight to maintain their own freedom.

Arla continued. "She's too well connected to remove from power and if I'm connected even peripherally to anything that might happen to her then I might as well walk into the sun because her sire will ensure I pay the price whether I'm guilty or not. She can trace her line back to Hardestadt and his childer cannot be seen to fail." 

Hardestadt the Elder - Ventrue
Destroyed by Theo Bell

This was interesting information. Though Hardestdt himself had allegedly met his final death at the hands of Theo Bell, his bloodline still held a lot of power.

"If that wasn't bad enough, Her sire is a member of the Shattered Spear, a Ventrue Cult of warriors. She will see my failure as cowardice and deal with me accordingly. Resources you cant even conceive of would be mobilised to avenge any slight against her. Vannevar was nothing compared to the power that bloodline wields within Clan Ventrue..."

This 'Shattered Spear' was something new to Michael who had never heard the name before, though it was evident that Arla feared them greatly. He'd have to do some research later in the Neillson library beneath Hollywood Cemetery, but now he had more immediate problems.

He beckoned over Marius, who somewhat to the amusement of his own forces, approached as requested. "Don't get too used to this as an arrangement..." began Marius as he moved closer. "...just because I deferred to your expertise as a negotiator, doesn't mean I'm now at your beck and call..."

Michael could detect no genuine anger from the Gangrel 'Fixer' so he presumed that the statement was more for the benefit of those kindred close enough to hear. "This is important." replied Michael. "Arla needs to disappear and the forces she commands need to be removed as a threat. In short, she's going to need to die, and I need you to take the blame..."

Arla took a step back but clamed down as Michael laid out his plan to her while Marius listened.

"

'A New Home in San Diego?'

Your forces need to fire the first shots, and those we have rescued who travel back to other domains need to believe wholeheartedly that your people provoked us, and that we were acting in self defence. Your 'Final Death' will have to look convincing, but I can assure you that between myself and Marius we can find you a home elsewhere. We can even provide you with a new face, or even a new body if you require one...unless Marius has a better idea?"

Marius didn't. In fact, Michael got the distinct impression that what he had suggested was very close to what the Gangrel Baron would have done himself.

"I'll have to kill them all." clarified Marius. "Marcelina will rebuild, but the bulk of her forces are committed here and if we want to avoid immediate retaliation, we need to put a considerable dent in her offensive options. So Arla, how do you feel about your driver?"

"He's one of hers." she replied. Her tone clearly indicated that he meant nothing to her and was therefore an acceptable piece of collateral damage.

Michael nodded to indicate that he understood, but didn't necessarily approve. "Hopefully..." added Michael. "Marcelina will be too busy pulling in favours to restore her military strength to bother us for quite some time." 

'A Completely Unprovoked Attack...'

"Well, there's no time like the present. Remember Arla, this is just theatrics..." Michael then amplified his countenance to supernatural levels. 

To all but the Circulatory Systems people, he appeared as heartrendingly beautiful, to them he became monstrously terrifying. As he grabbed Arla by the throat, those members of The System saw only their leader being attacked by an infernal monster. All others interpreted the gesture very differently. None of them could imagine this angelic individual acting in an aggressive manner, so when the Circulatory systems guards raised their weapons they were caught completely by surprise.

As the guards opened fire, Marius moved between them and Michael and spread his wings to act as a shield to both him and Arla, As the forces loyal to Marius observed him under fire, apparently without provocation, they fell upon the attackers outside their vehicles and tore them to pieces. As those within attempted to drive away, Lola leapt at the vehicle and tore the drivers door from it's hinges. The driver died at her fangs a moment later. As the Circle arrived and dragged the survivors from the wreckage, all the Gangrel who answered to Marius began to feed in brutal fashion on those who had assaulted their master.

One of Rebecca's many 'toys'...

Marius walked over to his grandechilde Rebecca and gestured towards the anti-material rifle which she had bought along with her. "Can that fucking thing shoot down a helicopter?"

With a smile, she confirmed that it could...

To be Continued in 'The Hunters Hunted' (Epilogue)

Storytellers Conclusions

I sometimes 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....

Michael's player was actual spot-on when he theorized about his and Marius's plans being similar as this was exactly what I had decided that Marius would suggest if his advice was asked. The fact that he came up with it himself was kinda cool as I had envisioned a debate between the two between this and a far less aggressive plan suggested by Michael's player. Character development is always nice to watch in real time and Michael's players more proactive approach is very interesting.

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, Arla Hartley is Claudia Black, 'Hatchet' is Bruce Payne, Lorna Davies is Sophia Bush, Eugene 'Romulus' Bargen is Shia LaBeouf, Lucinda Everett is Tessa Thompson, Sara Anne Winder is Saoirse Ronan, Patrick Hodge is Eric Bana, Layla Mae is Minka Kelly, Lola Mae is Leighton Meester, 'Little' Lily is Kiernan Shipka, Marius Walker is Tony Curran, Catherine DuBois is Margot Robbie, Blanche Johnson is Kathy Bates and Marcelina Black is Carrie Anne Moss.

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.