Vampire the Masquerade V5 - Session Sixty Seven - The MacNeil Protocols (Part Two)

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

Our chronicle is set in Los Angeles and features a small group of Camarilla agents sent into the 'Free States' to bring them back under Camarilla control. After a year of plotting, the coterie now controls the three North-Eastern Baronies and has successfully weakened several others. Unfortunately other Barons have used the chaos they have created to consolidate their own positions.

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

---------------------
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 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

The PC's
Player controlled characters
Michael Tomassio - Toreador, 'Baron of the North East'
Vincent 'Vin' Ghast - Brujah, 'Constable'
Dr Daniel Matthews - Banu Haqim, 'Spymaster'
Hope Romero - Gangrel, 'Census Taker'
Mr Hertz - Nosferatu, 'Seneschal'

The SPC's
Storyteller controlled player allies
Priya Haynes - Gangrel, 'Sweeper'
Carla Doyle - Gangrel, 'Sweeper'
Orla Riviera - Gangrel, 'Sweeper'
Rosalind Perkins -  Thin-blood, Alchemist

Sofia Rivera - Toreador, Michael's contact with Sire

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.

As I have written out introductions and dialogue for certain NPC's and some location descriptions I'll post these more or less as I wrote them so they'll be in a 'reading to the group' style and they'll also be in blue so you can tell them apart from the more traditional write-up sections and occasionally an obscure Premonition will turn up in purple. If I think something needs a bit of out of character explanation then those will get a storytellers note that will helpfully be in red. Anything covered via player handouts will also be in blue as they're written in the same style as introductions and the like. Where particular NPC's have a mention in a faction profile you will be able to reach it by clicking on their name or faction beneath their picture.

Storytellers Note - This was quite a long session so you might want to make yourself a cup of tea before you start reading...

Introduction

The coterie is investigating a theory put forward by their ally, an Elder Nosferatu known as Alonzo. 

Alonzo has theorised that Jeremy MacNeil had access to, or had created, a computer system that was connected to every police station in the city. This had allowed him to control information on potential masquerade breaches, assist the baronies in cleaning up their own messes and almost certainly compile prodigious amounts of useful information. Such a system, if it truly existed, could give an ambitious group of kindred considerable power.

Having decided to avoid the information brokers connected to kindred who may wish to take the system for themselves, the coterie have opted to meet with Gary Golden in order to acquire information on potential havens of the missing Jeremy MacNeil.

Scene Four - 'Gorgeous' Gary Golden

'The Asp Hole', Hollywood

Michael arranged a meeting with Gary Golden via the usual convoluted channels that seemed to amuse the warren dwelling Nosferatu. Having no intention of wading through a smelly, rubbish strewn sewer, Michael arranged to meet Gary in the basement meeting room of a Hollywood club called 'The Asp Hole'. 

This was slightly risky as the club was one of Marius's establishments and should any of his people be present then their curiosities may end up being aroused. Fortunately, meetings between barons and information brokers were common enough that only the most spurious of explanations would be needed. No-one expected kindred to be honest with others about their activities anyway.

Daniel was pleased to note that Venus Dare, manager of Marius's three clubs was not present there this evening. The coterie had hoped this would be the case as she tended to favour Club Confession most of the three clubs under her control. The staff were, of course, aware that certain customers had 'special' needs and were also well aware of the fatal consequences of asking too many questions.

Club Confession, Downtown and Glaze, Chinatown - Marius's other Clubs

The sub-basement had only a single meeting room as it was mainly only used so surface dwelling kindred and those who made their havens beneath the city could meet. It did however have several tables with fairly comfortable seating and a number of fridges that were used to store any 'refreshments' that guests might require. The fridges were currently empty, however one of the previously empty chairs was now occupied.

'Gorgeous' Gary Golden
Baron of the Hollywood Warrens

Gary is impeccably dressed in a dinner suit, white shirt and bow-tie and as usual appears as if from nowhere upon your arrival. "Evening boss. What can I do for you?"

Michael had already prepared a vague reason for needing the required information. He was however reasonably sure that as long as a price could be agreed that Gary couldn't really care less about the 'why'.

After a polite handshake he got straight to the point. Michael claimed to be "Curious.." about certain properties owned, or utilised by Jeremy MacNeil back when he was the de facto Baron of all of Los Angeles. He mentioned the locations learned of by Daniel as a starting point. These included a mansion in Hollywood, a pair of locations in San Fernando and a possible location near a seat of government.

Though obviously intrigued, Gary as expected asked no questions. "I'd love to help of course..." replied Gary. "...but unfortunately I have quite a serious problem on my hands currently that requires my undivided attention..." Michael could see where this was going but waited for Gary to finish. "...so as long as I have this on my mind I couldn't possibly take on any other tasks."

"Perhaps I can help." said Michael. "That could certainly change the situation." Replied Gary.

Tilly Kelly - Gangrel
'Mistress of the Swarm'

"You are aware of the unpleasant offspring of Marius who dwells below the city?" the Nosferatu began.

Michael nodded, but it was Daniel who spoke. He confirmed that he and several other members of the coterie had seen the so-called 'Swarm' in action and had even been in the presence of their mistress. "She's not someone that I'd like to trifle with on a whim..." concluded the Banu Haqim.

"Don't look so concerned, I don't expect you to destroy her. To be honest I doubt that's a viable option for anyone in the city at the moment. However, during the recent unpleasantness below ground in L.A. they have been spreading far and wide and then withdrawing back to Downtown. However, she appears to have inherited her sires parenting skills and the dregs of the dregs get left behind. I'd like you to clear out a small number of 'nests' for me..."

Michael's empathy immediately allowed him to detect the half-truths within the statement, Daniel's talent for profiling had led him to a similar conclusion. Gary was an experienced enough negotiator to tell when some elaboration was required so he provided a slightly more detailed explanation.

Storytellers Note - The players rolled well enough to get some extra exposition, but not quite well enough to learn everything that they potentially could have.

Marius Walker - Gangrel
'Sometimes Prone to Overreaction'

"Well, when Marius fell out with Ramirez I made an arrangement that the Nosferatu of the Warrens would stay out of the way of his childers swarm. Now I'm just the tiniest bit concerned that wiping out groups of the leftovers could be considered me breaking that agreement, if the kindred I made it with happened to be an unusually picky and unpredictable lunatic with a psychopath for an assistant. However your coterie made no such agreement and you're also on unusually good terms with the Gangrel in question."

Michael confirmed that he had people that could deal with such an issue but that they would need a guide to the appropriate locations. Gary agreed to arrange to "...have Caleb guide you to the approximate areas of 'infection'...". A meeting point was then arranged for the following evening to begin their clearance operation. "I imagine..." said Michael, turning to Daniel. "...that you'll be needing Miss Romero's assistance?"

Hollywood Cemetery

With the deal arranged, Michael and his bodyguard Daniel left Hollywood. Michael did however make a small detour to check upon the tomb of his ancestor Countess d'Adhemar within Hollywood's cemetery. The cemeteries guardian 'Romero', a ghoul of Baron Abrams, had ensured it was undisturbed as agreed with the Baron of Hollywood.

Storytellers Note - The full account of that discovery can be found in part one of a three part story beginning HERE.

A security guard, an unusual sight in a cemetery during the early hours of the morning, was stationed nearby, equipped with night vision gear and a selection of ranged weapons. Michael also noted that there were several security cameras mounted subtly around the tomb. Precautions added by Baron Abrams at the request of Carmelita Neillson no doubt. The guard came to attention at Michael's approach but relaxed slightly when he recognised him. Presumably he had been well briefed on who and who not could approach the area. Satisfied that adequate precautions were being taken he returned to his vehicle and his chauffeur Dion drove him back to his haven.

That he had been observed the entire time by another individual was a fact that he unfortunately completely missed...

Scene Five - Old Friends

Caleb - Nosferatu
Childe of Gary Golden

Caleb, third childe of Gary Golden, and an expert on the sewers and warrens below Los Angeles, was waiting for them at the agreed upon meeting place. The coterie had rescued Caleb during the thin-blood uprising known as the Cross Rebellion and he was therefore quite well inclined towards it's members. It was Gary's apparent willingness to sacrifice his own childe during those events however which had soured Daniel towards him somewhat.

Daniel was armed with his usual compliment of suppressed weapons and knives and as they were hunting below the surface had taken far fewer precautions to conceal them than usual. As they were currently lacking information about enemy numbers and capabilities, Daniel had bought along extra ammunition.

The coteries Gangrel census-taker Hope had some weapons with her but rarely used them as she much preferred the sensation of tearing apart enemies with her claws. Her claws were somewhat of an issue at the moment as after a recent frenzy they had remained in their extended state. Most such transformations amongst frenzied Gangrel faded after a night or so, these had not. Though she wore specially made gloves when out in public, the fact that each of her fingers ended in a several inch long ravens claw was still difficult to conceal.

Hope's duties currently were ensuring the security of the baronies borders along with directing the activities of the coteries three other sweepers. She had separated herself from the night to night activities of the other coterie members of late as had recently found that only the vitae of kindred gave her sustenance. This was something she wished to keep to herself for obvious reasons.

Alchemical Tools

She currently resided in the basement of an abandoned hotel that she had acquired with borrowed funds along with a number of duskborn whose number included an alchemist. Currently Hope sustained herself by using duskborn blood 'thickened' by alchemical means. Hope ensured that her pair of duskborn guests were well fed though a certain measure of fear was also part and parcel of ensuring their cooperation. Certain areas of the haven were strictly off limits to all but Hope herself. No-one amongst her retainers and herd asked what they contained though they had their suspicions that they themselves weren't her only source of sustenance.

Hope and Daniel engaged in some small talk before a subtle and biologically unnecessary cough from Caleb indicated that he required their attention. 

"The swarms left-overs have currently infested three areas. There is a small and fairly isolated group near to here. A marginally larger gathering which seems to have based themselves around an abandoned surface access that they occasionally utilise to hunt prey that are a mile or so away. The third and largest of the groups has taken a disused underground station for themselves and seem to be the most organised. I'll guide you as near as possible to each group but i'm afraid that I've been instructed to take no part in any aggressive activities."

"Is Gary that concerned about breaking his agreement with Marius?" asked Daniel. "Who Knows? They have a weird relationship..." answered Caleb. "...they're still playing their stupid tit for tat scavenger hunt game. If I didn't know how busy they both were, I'd think they were bored..."

"Shall we get this done?" Interrupted Hope.

Interlude - Gary's Game

Sebastian LaCroix - Ventrue
Former Camarilla Prince, Destroyed

During the Sabbat invasion of Los Angeles in two thousand and four, LaCroix, then Prince of the city used a wide variety of agents and resources to obtain intelligence, resources and occult items in order to cement his position. Amongst those agents were a newcomer to the city, several information brokers and Marius 'The Fixer' Walker and no doubt many others. Marius, having no known political leaning was just as willing to work for the Camarilla as the Anarchs, though he drew the line at the Sabbat.

After completing several tasks for Gary Golden that enabled him to obtain the information the prince required, it was thought that the matter was closed. That was until the first of a selection of slightly odd e-mails was received via ShrectNet.

Since then their game has continued on and off for fifteen years. Gary tasks Marius with locating an item for him and on it's acquisition the payment is invariably a photograph or poster of a notable female kindred within the city. Sometimes these are covertly taken photographs, or posters and pictures taken when the kindred in question were mortal. It is also suspected that Gary plays this game in varying forms with other kindred throughout the city though the 'rewards' vary considerably in format. Why he would put such effort into such an ultimately pointless activity is unknown to anyone but himself. 

A Selection of Gary's 'Posters'

What is certain however is that Marius is one of only three kindred who bothers to play the game in return. Marius invariably responds shortly after each of Gary's 'jobs' with a request for a piece of obscure and generally useless, yet difficult to obtain information. He pays for each of these with a piece of memorabilia from Gary's mortal film career during the nineteen thirties and forties.

It is apparently Gary's turn next.

Scene Six - An Infestation

The Hollywood Sewers

Daniel suggested that they dispose of the group with surface access first as they had the greatest potential for a breach of the masquerade. He was also concerned that they may learn of any assault upon the other groups and make their escape. Hope was largely indifferent about who she killed first and so left the planning to Daniel.

As they moved through the underground passages, Hope noticed that Daniel was significantly different from when they had last worked together. He had always been careful but now seemed almost paranoid, his movements were quicker but less measured and he hadn't made a single pop-culture related wisecrack since they met. It had always been him who was a steadying influence on her and he who had prevented her from letting her beast have full rein. Whatever changes had occurred with the Banu Haqim began to worry her. Caleb interrupted her musing.

Kindred Disciplines - Obfuscate

"The second largest of the three groups is just down the next passage on the right. These have found a store-room near a surface access. There's definitely more of them than the first lot and at least two are kindred. I think they've been up a few times so they might be a bit better fed than the first group."

"Some stealth is going to be required. You stay here, I'll scout ahead " Said Daniel and promptly blended into the shadows and disappeared around the corner without making a single sound. "Whatever..." began Hope, but he had already left. "You're friend has gotten awfully serious since I last encountered you both..." observed Caleb. "Yeah..." said Hope, noncommittally.

The side room was exactly where Caleb had described and seemed to be a disused equipment store of some kind. Extending his preternatural senses to their fullest, the Banu Haqim observed the area. A lock on the door had been ripped clean off and left to dangle uselessly from the frame. He could hear voices talking softly within but couldn't make out exactly what was being discussed. As he contemplated moving closer, the door opened and a scruffy looking man emerged and headed down the passageway towards where Hope and Caleb were waiting.

Daniel could see that they were not human by the simple observation that they weren't breathing as he stalked them in silence. He briefly considered taking them intact for interrogation and to see if they had any tactical information before abandoning the idea. They were here to destroy everyone and Caleb already knew their numbers and locations so it would just be a waste of effort.

Daniel Matthews - Banu Haqim
'Significantly More Ruthless'

Storytellers Note - The character has recently become Humanity 4 and so the player is roleplaying him as far more ruthless than he was before and slightly less careful. Expediency has now become more of a priority than anything else. Unfortunately for the player this was possibly a bad move as there was useful information to be had from an interrogation which is why I put them the target there in the first place, lol.

The victim never saw the blow that granted him his final death as Daniel emerged from the shadows behind him and drove his blades deep into their body. As he dragged them into a nearby alcove to finish them off he tasted a small quantity of their vitae. He concluded that they were a new embrace, barely even a vampire judging from their bloods relative lack of potency. The lack of decomposition on their death confirmed this hypothesis. Daniel then returned to his companions.

"They're where Caleb specified, there was one wandering about but I dealt with it. One entrance, so it looks like surprise is our best bet." Summarised Daniel. As expected, Caleb elected to wait exactly where he was. Hope was the most resilient of the pair so was to be first through the door. Daniel readied two of his pistols and waited for his Gangrel ally to begin the assault. 

Daniel - Precision Shooting

Daniel swung the door open and Hope launched herself into the room. She selected an enemy who was beginning to raise a drum-fed assault rifle. He never got a chance to fire as she leaped across the room and tore into them with her raven-like feral claws. Quickly scanning the room, Daniel noted that two of the occupants had, or were near to, handguns and promptly put several bullets into each of these targets killing them instantly.

Dropping the shredded remains of the kindred she had butchered, Hope cleared the corpses of Daniel's victims before their bodies had even hit the ground and tore the throat out of a panicked looking swarm member before he had a chance to move. The two that remained alive made a break for the door. They never made it there as Daniel's pistols accounted for two more victims. "One down..." said Hope, expecting Daniel to respond. He didn't.

Half-Empty Assault Rifle

The magazine of the drum fed assault rifle was half full, as were the two pistols. The rest had been armed with nothing more than sticks and knives. As well as Hope and Daniel's targets there were two additional corpses in the corner. They appeared to belong to a vagrant and a young woman, possibly a prostitute. They had both been drained of blood and partially consumed. Caleb then appeared at the door. "Where next?" he asked. Both the Banu Haqim and the Gangrel could clearly see that Caleb was uncomfortable with the scene of destruction before him.

"I've reconsidered that first group." said Daniel after a moments thought.. "I don't want the main group to have a fall back position with potential covering fire. We'll wipe them out, then take out the main force." Hope agreed, though she was growing increasingly concerned about some of Daniel's new personality traits apparently his ability to think tactically hadn't suffered.

Storytellers Note - For those of you who haven't read previous write-ups featuring this pairing, some explanation might be needed. Hope and Daniel bantered a lot in character and so the fact that he's not doing so would be very noticeable to the character. The characters are also friends in a very real sense and so it's understandable that Hope would be concerned about her friends radical change in outlook. There was some good role-playing this session which was enjoyable to watch.

Scene Seven - Fodder

Caleb took them back towards the first group of swarm dregs via a different route. He had circumvented them originally to get close to those that Daniel and Hope people had just destroyed but this time led Michael's people directly towards them.

"The first lot are lurking down that side passage, they have a guard by the entrance but I doubt that will deter you much. They number approximately half a dozen, none are actual kindred as far as we're aware..."

A brief reconnaissance by Daniel confirmed that there was a single mortal, possibly a ghoul keeping watch and four others around some form of campfire. The fact that they were casually warming their hands using the open flames indicated to Daniel that they must be all mortal as Caleb had surmised.

Hope used some of her reserves of Vitae to further enhance the fortitude for which her clan was famous and rendered herself temporarily immune to the vampiric bane of fire, Just in case of complications. Daniel had already reloaded both his pistols. "I'll take out the guard on the way in..." suggested Hope. "...then you can give me covering fire then follow?"

Daniel had initially planned to take out the guard himself but as the location could be clearly observed from within the tunnel they would gain little time by doing so. "Okay." he confirmed. Once again trying to awaken some of her friends sense of humour, Hope made reference to "...Super Mario games leaving her unprepared for the realities of sewer related combat..." but as before the cultural reference was either ignored or went unnoticed.

True to her word, Hope removed the guards throat with brutal efficiency and leapt upon another mortal by the fire before they even looked up. A moment later Daniel appeared at the entrance and killed two more with precise shots from his paired 10mm pistols. The sole survivor sat frozen, not knowing what to do and having no avenue of escape. Daniel calmly walked over and executed them without a second thought.  

Though several poorly maintained handguns were discovered, there was barely enough ammunition between them to fill a single magazine. Their improvised weapons were merely sticks and a rusty old knife. "Let's hope the third lot are that unprepared and poorly equipped..." quipped Hope. Though she doubted that it was likely. "...I also found their lunch." she said, indicating a partially consumed corpse in one corner.

Storytellers Note - I figured they would take out the targets in the order that Caleb had listed them so this was meant to be their first target. It was basically a warm-up and the first indicator that their prey were cannibals, amongst their other issues...

Scene Eight - Lynch's Mob

Abandoned Subway Station
Hollywood Warrens

Caleb agreed to take them to the outer limits of the final and largest groups territory but stated that he had no intention of going any further. "I'm staying well away from this lot, they've spread through an abandoned subway station. It has multiple surface entrances and plenty of hiding spaces. They patrol too. I'll wait here..."

Daniel once again acted as scout using his natural abilities at stealth and his more supernatural abilities to remain both silent and invisible. It turned out that Caleb was correct about patrols as a pair of swarm members moved down the corridor before crossing over a makeshift bridge and returning the way they had came. Not wishing to act prematurely, Daniel pushed down his instinct to kill and instead quietly followed the patrol into their recently acquired territory. As he did he noticed that the lights were working so either this station still had power or the swarm had somehow tapped into a power line somewhere.

Abandoned Subway Station
Sniper Nest

Stopping a safe distance from an abandoned subway platform ahead, Daniel settled into a shadowy corner and observed the area ahead. The concealed sniper nest almost escaped his notice as whoever was manning it made no movements at all.

The assassin concluded that they were probably kindred as he couldn't even see the rise and fall of normal breathing. They did however have an excellent view of the approach to the station. Daniel decided not to risk moving any closer as he had no idea what supernatural abilities his opponents may have and instead crossed to the other side of the corridor for an alternate view.

A second sniper, this one probably mortal, was stationed in another nest at the opposite corner of the gantry containing the first. Daniel didn't like to jump to conclusions but their positioning seemed to imply a third nest of some kind just out of his view. While contemplating this he noted a second patrolling pair moving across the platform. Deciding he had seen enough he returned to Hope and Caleb to discuss their options.

'The Swarm'
Ghouls, Blood Bound and the Insane

That there was a tactically experienced kindred controlling this group was obvious to all present. This probably meant that there were at least two kindred to deal with and at least half a dozen other experienced fighters. This was without taking into account any cannon-fodder that was so common amongst the swarm and was almost certainly lurking around somewhere.

Caleb interrupted the tactical conversation. "Actually, we believe that they have at least three full kindred amongst their number. The leader and two others. They also had a lot more of those blood bound or ghouled lunatics, that they seem to favour, than you've mentioned so far..."

"I can take out at least one of the nests, quickly..." stated Hope. "...unless they're in the habit of taking pot shots at any random bird that might be flying around down here. I imagine my transformation back will draw enough attention in my direction for you to do some damage of your own. Especially from the sniper I'm standing over at the time..." Daniel agreed that it was a decent enough distraction plan, and began to calculate the head-start Hope would need before he made his own way forward.

Hope Romero - Raven Form
Protean - Metamorphosis

Hope transformed into her raven form and launched herself down the access corridor, skimming the ceiling to minimise the chance of being targeted. A moment later, Daniel broke into a run timed to intercept the closest of the two patrols.

Hope transformed in mid-air, a technique she'd utilised many times before and plummeted into the kindred sniper below. Near to starvation due to her casual and consistent use of vampiric disciplines she grappled the enemy and drover her fangs deep into their throat, draining them dry and leaving them in torpor. The patrol that Daniel was heading to intercept, turned at the commotion as did the first of the other sniper nests to react.

Daniel emptied both of his handguns, one into each of the patrol members backs and reloaded on the run as the bodies before him fell to the ground dead. Ignoring the sniper aiming at her, Hope leapt across the gantry to the slower reacting nest as it turned to focus upon the now visible Daniel. They were merely mortal and soon fell to the claws of the experienced Gangrel. As the surviving lookout attempted to target the fast moving Gangrel once more, Daniel riddled their nest with suppressing fire but couldn't see if he'd hit anything. Then the doors to a series of broken windowed retail units ahead opened and the ragtag horde mentioned by Caleb emerged.

The Swarm - Improvised Weapons

Armed with swords, knives and a selection of sticks and bats wrapped with barbed wire or pierced with nails, the group charged forward. Behind them, another individual was spurring them on, presumably one of the three kindred guiding this particular infestation. Hope jumped down from her perch, attempting to catch the kindred below her by surprise but mistimed the leap and stumbled as she landed. fortunately she regained her footing and avoided stumbling into the dozen blood-crazed lunatics charging towards Daniel. Less concerned about a dozen mortal scum with improvised weapons than a sniper, Daniel took careful aim and emptied both magazines into their skull, just to be sure.

Daniel could see the second patrol attempting to move towards Hope but found themselves caught up in the mass of bodies surging in the opposite direction. The assassin switched to his full-auto browning and emptied it into the pack before calmly reloading. He figured he'd get one more burst before he needed to break out his blades. Hopes chosen enemy meanwhile was attempting to heal a pair of gaping wounds in their chest and neck, but their reserves of vitae were inadequate to fully repair the damage before their head was brutally ripped from their shoulders.

Daniels Karambits

Ignoring their dead, the remainder of the swarms cannon-fodder continued forward into another burst of fully-automatic pistol fire. The closest almost impaled themselves on Daniel's pair of karambit's such was their momentum. The warrior had recently been taking training from Marius's ghouled assassin Yukio and was now at the peak of skill with both knives and swords. Taking apart such untrained opponents was childsplay to him now and he killed three more in as many seconds.

Out of the corner of her eye, Hope saw movement as a previously unseen figure made a break for a stairway in the far corner of the station and transformed once more into avian form so as to pursue. Seeing his team member transform, Daniel concluded that she must have seen a surviving enemy. Anxious to assist her he quickly finished off the remnants before him, stopping only to take a quick drink of blood to replenish himself.

Scene Nine - 'First, Do No Harm?'

Hope's prey was climbing up a ladder, leading to a service hatch of some description, with considerable speed. She noted they had a submachine gun over one shoulder. Attempting to slow them down, Hope glided down, claws extended and went for their eyes. Daniel meanwhile immediately burned through the blood he'd recently consumed and covered the distance to the ladder using bursts of superhuman speed.

Temporarily fending off Hope, the fleeing kindred hurled the hatch aside and began to climb through. Slipping through the gap in her airborne form, the transformed Gangrel moved to intercept as Daniel climbed the ladder in pursuit. The kindred saw Daniel climbing and aimed their MP5 downwards. Realising that his positioning would effectively result in the bullets going through the top of his head, the Banu Haqim pushed himself backwards off the ladder. Instead of potentially being decapitated he instead took the rounds to his legs and stomach. Not the best result, but far better than the alternative.

Feral Claws

The distraction created by Daniel had given Hope time to transform back and she launched herself at what was hopefully their final foe. The speed that they evaded the blow caught her by surprise. Their targets up to now had been weak-willed mortals and newly embraced weaklings. This one was different.

Having healed himself enough to climb, the Banu Haqim emerged through the hatch and found himself in an alley in Hollywood. His senses still at their maximum he immediately realised that they were dangerously close to a busy area of the town and that the burst of weapon fire would have echoed alarmingly in the narrow alleyway in which they stood. Another worrying fact was that Hope was still engaged in combat, her foe apparently proving more troublesome than their previous encounters.

Hope admonished herself for presuming that all those left behind by the Mistress of the Swarm would be easy marks. Her underestimating of this foe had already allowed him to wound her twice and evade her opening attack. As she gave herself some space to consider her options, Daniel tried to grapple them to the ground. Claws as deadly as those of Hope almost disembowelled him as he did and he too intended to take a step back. Instead he lost control. The urge to taste kindred vitae overwhelmed him and he tried once again to grapple their mutual enemy. This time however, he went straight for the throat.

Lynch could tell that he was outclassed. Perhaps he could fend off one or the other but not both. Deciding that it was time to depart, he cleared the charging kindred going for his throat in a single leap and zagged past the gangrel who had pursued him, while she was in avian form. Another figure turned into the alleyway entrance right in front of him and he slashed them across the throat without a second thought as he ran into the crowded street beyond.

Daniel watched the unfortunate cop who had come to investigate the gunshots, tumble against the wall, blood spurting from his damaged throat. It was obvious to a trained surgeon such as himself that without instant attention they would be dead within minutes. However he felt strangely indifferent to the fact. Hope shifted into her other animal form, that of a wolf and gave chase using her enhanced sense of smell to track them. She was sure that Daniel would be helping the wounded policeman so didn't give that a second thought.

Storytellers Note - We had a bit of a break here while a discussion was had about whether being Humanity 4 would completely undo a lifetime of training based around helping others. My personal opinion is that a Humanity score of 4 is on the edge of being a monster but that fundamentally you are still you and therefore would still know the difference between right and wrong. However I also believe that you'd be more than capable of letting someone die if saving them was too much of an inconvenience. Still being unable to decide, the player took a Willpower test and let the dice decide for them.

Daniel habitually carried basic medical gear with him though of late he had picked up the pouch more out of habit than anything else. Deciding that a dead policeman would cause them more trouble than a mysteriously saved one, Daniel set to work. The man had already passed out from shock which made the chance of a masquerade breach marginally less likely, especially as Daniel knew that their body would not heal unaided. Drawing one of his blades across his wrist he allowed his vitae to flow into the unconscious cop's mouth. Daniel knew that Ghouls healed quicker than mere mortals and right now the poor fellow needed all the help he could get.

In wolf form Hope darted between the legs of surprised mortals who had congregated in this seedy part of Hollywood's underbelly. She followed the scents of the sewer and traces of gunpowder that her quarry had left behind them and eventually tracked them to a side street. 

Hope Romero - in Wolf Form
Protean - Shape-change

They were leaning over an unconscious mortal and had began to sink their fangs into their throat. Now with the advantage of surprise, she flowed back into her humanoid form and advanced slowly towards the kindred and his victim. Her first strike severed their spinal column, the second removed their head completely.

After using an ability to cloud the memory she had learned after an act of diablerie a year ago, she left the woman by the alley entrance and returned to the decapitated corpse that had began to rapidly rot away. She quickly and deliberately dismembered the body, left a piece in each of a number of refuse bags dumped nearby and then became a raven once more and flew away.

Having done all he could to save the man at his feet, Daniel picked up their radio and called in an 'officer down' before heading back down to the abandoned station and sealing the hatch behind him. Caleb was waiting amidst the carnage below. "Any problems?" "All dead except one runner..." said Daniel, summarising considerably. "...Hope is running down the escapee. they're probably destroyed already so your boss can send Michael the information he requested." Caleb withdrew to make his report as the Banu Haqim checked all the bodies to ensure they were actually dead or destroyed. A single survivor in torpor was summarily dispatched and then, with the job complete, Daniel made his way back to make his own report to Michael.

Nicholas Rowland - Toreador
'Census Taker' for Baron Abrams

Hope flew low over the alleyway from which they'd initially emerged and landed upon a nearby wall. She could see that several law enforcement officers had cordoned off the area. An ambulance crew were loading a uniformed man into the back of an emergency vehicle before driving away at top speed. With all the attention focused on the commotion, no-one had yet discovered the woman she'd left behind but as Hope had licked her wound shut she should be okay. Strangely conscious of a man in dark glasses who was watching her intently from the back of a nearby car, she quickly became airborne and returned to her haven. 

A moment after the raven was out of sight the man in the dark glasses reached for a mobile phone as it began to ring in his pocket. "Mr Abrams?...Why, yes...an outside contractor has seemingly dealt with the infestation we were discussing...No...a minor breach but it's been contained...yes, I'll ensure it's been done thoroughly..." As his boss hung up, Nicholas Rowland, 'Census Taker' for Hollywood once again wandered how the Baron was aware of an event that had only occurred minutes before. He also recalled that his predecessor had once asked a similar question out loud and had never been seen again.

Removing his glasses as he did so, he walked over to the most senior looking officer to ensure that any reports made on the incident were phrased correctly. "You and I need to talk..." without question the dominated officer began to explain exactly what he knew. Then Rowland explained to him that that wasn't what had happened at all...

To Be Continued in 'The MacNeil Protocols' (Part Three)

In Conclusion

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

Last session was to let the players get warmed up with their negotiation skills, this one was all about the action. Or avoiding the action so you could visit your ancestors grave, in the case of Michael's player.

Anyway, it went fairly well and they kinda cleared up their little masquerade breach. If you haven't read some of the earlier session write-ups then take my word for it, for them this was clean. Next session they'll get access to the information they require and we'll see what they do with it. Which will almost certainly be exactly the opposite of what I expected.

Acknowledgements
“Portions of the materials are the copyrights and trademarks of White Wolf Entertainment AB, and are used with permission. All rights reserved. For more information please visit white-wolf.com.”

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, Tilly Kelly is Anna Paquin, Marius Walker is Tony Curran and Nicholas Rowland is Matthew Mcconaughey.

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.

Vampire the Masquerade V5 - Session Sixty Six - The MacNeil Protocols (Part One)

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

Our 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. After a year of plotting, the coterie now controls the three North-Eastern Baronies and has successfully weakened several others. Unfortunately other Barons have used the chaos they have created to consolidate their own positions.

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

---------------------
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 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

Solo Session - 'The Marius Contracts' - Part One and Two

The PC's
Player controlled characters
Michael Tomassio - Toreador, 'Baron of the North East'
Vincent 'Vin' Ghast - Brujah, 'Constable'
Dr Daniel Matthews - Banu Haqim, 'Spymaster'
Hope Romero - Gangrel, 'Census Taker'
Mr Hertz - Nosferatu, 'Seneschal'

The SPC's
Storyteller controlled player allies
Priya Haynes - Gangrel, 'Sweeper'
Carla Doyle - Gangrel, 'Sweeper'
Orla Riviera - Gangrel, 'Sweeper'
Rosalind Perkins -  Thin-blood, Alchemist

Sofia Rivera - Toreador, Michael's contact with Sire

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.

As I have written out introductions and dialogue for certain NPC's and some location descriptions I'll post these more or less as I wrote them so they'll be in a 'reading to the group' style and they'll also be in blue so you can tell them apart from the more traditional write-up sections and occasionally an obscure Premonition will turn up in purple. If I think something needs a bit of out of character explanation then those will get a storytellers note that will helpfully be in red. Anything covered via player handouts will also be in blue as they're written in the same style as introductions and the like. Where particular NPC's have a mention in a faction profile you will be able to reach it by clicking on their name or faction beneath their picture.

Storytellers Note - There has been quite a long gap between this session and the last time we met as a group so I started with a rather long introduction to refresh the players memories about recent occurrences.

Introduction

Given the tumultuous events across Los Angeles over the last two years, the relative lull of the last month has been seen by many as the calm before yet another storm.

Victor Girard - Toreador
Seneschal of El Hermandad

El Hermandad is now under the undisputed control of Gloria Martinez and covers both it's original area and that of Gloria's own barony of Whittier. With Victor Girard at her side as adviser the pair have shown an efficiency bordering on ruthlessness that has united all of the disparate factions within both El Hermandad, Whittier and those kindred inherited from the disbanding of the Barony of the Angels.

With several of their neighbours weakened by war, Gloria is now one of the most powerful barons in the city. Relations with the Gangrel of the Wilds on her Eastern border have also improved, in the main because all the members of El Hermandad who had antagonised them are no longer present to do so.

Victor Girard has also recently negotiated a none-aggression pact between Anaheim and El Hermandad, and Gloria and Allison have seemingly been having frequent informal meetings apparently at Victor's prompting. The politically minded Anarchs believe that Victor is trying to unite the childer of Salvador Garcia under one banner in order to neutralise any attempt by Ramirez to regain power within El Hermandad, banking on Garcia siding with his childer rather than his deposed friend and ally.

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

Childer of Salvador Garcia

Meanwhile in Central L.A. The Crypt's Sons war with their rival gang 'The Blood' has been a costly one. Despite the elimination of many of the gangs vampire hunters by Priss's preemptive surprise assault, Hank lost many experienced fighters in the inevitable counter attack. His mortal gangs assets have also suffered major setbacks, especially as the authorities within the city have used the gang war as justification for calling in federal aid which has suspiciously targeted far more of the Crypts Sons operations than those of The Blood. Outside influence is suspected, but by whom is unknown.

Hank Boyd - Baron of The Crypts Sons, 'Priss' - Baron of 'The Border'

Priss has been granted a large strip of territory carved from the Northern border of the Crypts Sons domain as payment for her success and has wasted no time in recruiting replacements for her depleted forces. Hank's weakened position has been further undermined by persistent speculation that it's only a matter of time before Priss shifts her allegiance to Marius.

Marius 'The Fixer' Walker - Gangrel
Baron of Downtown

The Downtown barony of Marius Walker now covers almost the entire area that was once referred to as the Barony of the Angels. The only exception is an area still claimed by Isaac Abrams that Marius has inexplicably made no moves upon despite clearly having the resources to do so. Instead he has been given permission to operate certain businesses within Baron Abrams domain in return for some minor considerations and seems content with this compromise. Downtown is currently one of the most secure baronies within the city, being patrolled extensively both above and below the surface and with the majority of the authorities and criminal organisations within now being under the influence of 'The Fixer' in some manner.

Chinatown is still the feeding ground and domain of the Ventrue Lyko Wu and his two childer, though he still allows the younger and more desperate of the cities kindred access to animal blood from the Slaughterhouse district as Marius did when he managed the domain himself. Visitors are expected to announce themselves on arrival and leave as soon as they have fed or acquired blood, but as long as these conditions are met, they are allowed free passage.

Harvey Caplan - Ventrue
Defacto Baron of the South Coast Docks

Harvey's control over the two main dockyards and ports of the cities South Coast has been consolidated by the recruitment of a gang of refugees from the Barony of the Angels known as 'The Rats' and strategic removal of rival mortal gangs by the forces of Vinicius Santos, freelance Scourges currently affiliated to Harvey's Baron, Steve Booth.

Harvey has made no secret of these actions though whether this can actually be considered the same as asking permission is debatable. Kindred who utilise Harvey's services have noted that he is far more efficient than Steve ever was and considerably more reasonable and less condescending than David Geduld. Though some have commented that neither of those kindred were particularly hard acts to follow in those regards, and a close eye is being kept on the ambitions of this particular Ventrue given the importance of his granted domain.

Steve Booth - Baron of the South Coast, David Geduld - Former Baron (Destroyed)

The Western alliance between Barons Fortier and Abrams is still holding strong despite some alleged tension over the exact division of San Fernando. The domain of the so-called Brujah Idealists is now a part of Baron Tomassio's North Eastern group of baronies and so is no longer a thorn in the side of the alliance which has eased the transition considerably. Los Angeles airport which Fortier inherited from David Geduld has had several strategic employees replaced with The Fortiers own people and is now undeniably under his control.

Louis Fortier - Baron of West L.A., Isaac Abrams - Baron of Hollywood

Player Handouts

Michael Tomassio

Storytellers Note - Michael's player handouts take the form of conversation snippets from his social activities with contacts. I also add a more matter of fact analysis of what his character picks up via his empathetic abilities after each piece.

Damsel - Brujah
Nines Crew

Damsel

"Nines has met Marius twice in the last month, once at Hallowbrook and once in some abandoned shop near The Last Round. Nines wants Marius to open up what was once the Barony of the Angels to newcomers to the city again. Can't see it happening myself, I think he's just dragging out the discussion for as long as possible before he tells Nines 'no'..."

Damsel seems concerned about what might happen when this refusal occurs.

Heather

"Marius's creepy naked childe was at the penthouse with a bunch of her wannabe cenobites, last week. She wants his help to remove some other bunch of cultist weirdos apparently. Don't know why she needs him to get involved, it's not like she's never killed anyone herself. She's a bit too clingy for my liking as well...he's basically her vampire dad, you know...it's just icky..."

Heather is definitely jealous of the relationship between Marius and 'Mary' which is apparently more 'intimate' than is commonly known.

Mariel St John - Ventrue
Mistress of Baron Fortier

Mariel St. John

"Thank-you for your help with the Brujah Idealists. Now I just have to make sure Dawn doesn't use her influence to cream all the choice areas from San Fernando for herself...well, for Isaac, in theory. I suggested having her destroyed but Fortier will have none of it. I wish I knew how Issac controls that territory with just himself, one scourge and a stripper to call on, but every enemy that's ever moved on him ends up as dust..."

Mariel's curiosity is genuine, though there's also a certain level of fear too. It's possible she has suspicions about just how Issac keeps order and whatever it is, concerns her greatly.

Marius

Marius has been busy every time you've tried to meet with him, though you have spoken to Leanna who was incredibly evasive about what Marius was 'busy' doing. You sense an undercurrent of fear amongst his followers and agents and they seem unusually keen to keep Marius happy. This is unusual as he normally allows his agents a great deal of independence and freedom.

Priss

"Well, I have my own domain now. Lost a lot of my people but then sacrifices have to be made, though I would have had far fewer casualties if Hank had armed me better. Though it's quite obvious that he would have been much happier if I hadn't returned at all. Having seen how Marius arms his security people and the resources he allows those loyal to him I think he'd make a much better benefactor than the one I currently have.

Her vague dissatisfaction with Hank that you detected previously is now far more acute and she seems to feel far safer vocalising it. You also wander just how she knows so much about what Marius has to offer his allies....

At least I can recruit without asking for permission now so I'll soon build up a new army of followers."

Priss definitely sees her followers as ultimately expendable if she gets what she wants. Her lust for power reminds you more of a Ventrue than a Brujah and your doubts about her clan are becoming more acute. Of course Ventrue aren't the only natural 'leaders' amongst the kindred. You are also one hundred percent sure that she is at the very least a pathological egotist and a Sociopath, though perhaps not quite as psychopathic as you first thought.

Velme - Toreador?
Suspected Daughter of Cacophony

Velme

"Gloria's power is absolute over El Hermandad now. Victor seems to have an knack for working out whose plotting against who and his advice is allowing Gloria to preempt any problems with an uncanny rate of success. I expected him to be undermining her position at every opportunity, not strengthening it."

Velme's tone is very 'matter of fact' and they seem to have no strong feelings about Victor one way or another other except for a vague sense of amusement at their own surprise about his actions.

Velvet Velour

"I told Isaac I was worried about Dawn leading him astray but he's assured me that she's 'under control', whatever that means. I don't know what I'd do without him, even the thought of him being gone makes me feel so sad and lonely..."

Velvet seems very needy at the moment, you do your best to distract her...

Victor Girard

"I'm enjoying my new role greatly, thank you for asking. Gloria is quite open to guidance from myself on a number of matters. Together we can accomplish great things, I'm sure. I hear that Ramirez has gone running off to Salvador Garcia so I'm ensuring that if he does grace us with his presence that he finds a united Brotherhood. Not the fractured mess that Ramirez had turned it into."

Victor is unnecessarily pleased with himself and brimming with confidence.

Dr Daniel Matthews

Private Investigators and Surveillance Team

Your Teams have been tasked with counter surveillance duties due to your concern about reprisals from Baron Tara of San Diego and Prince Vannevar Thomas of San Francisco. Though Tara has promised no retaliation for the untimely destruction of her emissary due to his own pure judgement, It's only common sense to take some precautions. You believe however, that Prince Vannevar is certain to retaliate should he learn of your part in the destruction of his scouting party though you are reasonably sure you covered your tracks.

Tara Kearney - Baron of San Diego, Vannevar Thomas - Prince of San Francisco

So far your agents have discovered nothing, so either your concerns are unfounded...or your enemies are very, very good indeed...

Police Records

Your contact has informed you that more progress has been made against the gang known as the Crypts Sons in the last two months than in the previous decade. Multiple tip offs and new intelligence, much gathered by the new FBI task force, has enabled them to seize vast amounts of product, shut down manufacturing and distribution networks and arrest dozens of their leaders.

'The Blood' - Vampire Hunters concealed within a mortal gangs activities

They have been less successful against the other major LA gang 'The Blood' as they seem to have been one step ahead of the investigators, their operations seemingly moved mere hours before police arrived.

Scene One - A Messenger

Edward Kaya - Banu Haqim
Sire of Daniel Matthews

Daniel had once again resumed his normal job as a locum surgeon for local hospitals using the fake documentation obtained for him when he first arrived in the city. Though a legitimate surgeon by training and an experienced battlefield doctor, using his actual identity would certainly create some awkward questions. He was also still attempting to avoid the attention of his sire who is certainly still seeking his destruction.

One of Alonzo's rat messengers is sitting patiently waiting for you. There is a cylinder in a small pack upon it's back containing a note. The vermin he uses for such purposes are slightly larger and sleeker than a normal creature and there is a hint of intelligence behind the eyes in it's slightly oversized cranium that is slightly disturbing.

Daniel retrieved the note as the creature sat patiently on the desk. As he did he noticed that the creature had apparently made it's way into the consulting room by chewing a hole in the skirting board in one corner.

Alonzo's Note

Daniel,

"While sorting through the information compiled in Dexters vault by and some researches of the Tzimisce who previously inhabited this area I have discovered something that may be of interest to you, your baron and your other allies. Perhaps You and your baron could pop by when you have a moment and I can enlighten you both? My messenger can bring me a reply if you wish, just ask it to wait and it will do so. The matter is somewhat delicate so I'm afraid an alternate location would be somewhat undesirable. It's possible that if I am correct that the balance of power within the city could be significantly altered by my discovery."

Your friend,

Alonzo.

Michael Tomassio - Toreador
"Too busy to traipse around a sewer"

Daniel contacted his baron to see if he had any interest in joining him in visiting Alonzo. The reply of "I'm sure you can assess the situation and brief me on your return..." he took as actually meaning "I'm not going anywhere near a bloody sewer..." Deciding against contacting any of Michael's other agents, he made the journey alone.

Storytellers Note - Michael's player was busy making notes comparing his handout information to that in my introduction and his own jottings.

Having already completed his current consultation, Daniel made his excuses to the hospital claiming he had to deal with "...an emergency at another location..." and left without further explanation. As usual he drove to Hollywood and parked within walking distance of the entrance to the warrens below where Alonzo made his home. This closer entrance meant that Daniel had no need to travel through the domain of Gary Golden who ruled over most of the cities Nosferatu population.

Scene Two - Alonzo's Discovery

The ancient warrens are much as you remember them though significant tidying up has occurred. Sections blocked with rubble have been cleared, the remaining detritus has been piled up fairly neatly as if ready for removal and some of the areas with security gates and doors have been reinforced.

Some effort has been put into exposing the unusually decorative features that appear here and there in this most ancient section of the Warrens below Hollywood. Apparently at least one of the Nosferatu responsible for creating this area had architectural inclinations or experience.

Daniel made a mental note of the appearance of the structure as it may be something that would both interest his baron and give him some greater insight into the origin of this most ancient section of the cities underground warrens. When researching later he ascertained that the features were seemingly inspired by Spanish styles of building from the 1700's, perhaps earlier.

The haphazardly acquired and fitted security cameras installed previously have been replaced by standard models that match those official versions used to monitor the public areas of the underground. Presumably to allay the suspicions of any casual observer who may mistakenly have wandered into Alonzo's domain. As you have come to expect on previous visits, the gates are unlocked and open as you approach, courtesy of his innumerable pets and helpers. These vermin are ever present and become larger and more unusually proportioned the closer you get to Alonzo's actual haven. As well as these cosmetic changes, several of the previously empty lower areas are now flooded along with some of the previously dried out waterways you were once able to navigate.

Daniel also observed that there were now only one or two practical approaches into Alonzo's territory and that neither of these necessitated crossing into Gary's domain. The ancient warrens were now more or less self contained.

'Eula' - Alonzo's Pet and Famulus
Nosferatu Breeding Pool Creation

The ancient network of traps that previously guarded the approach to Alonzo's inner sanctum has at some point in the recent past been removed and the area has been dug out. The room is now a large tank-like reservoir with a narrow walkway across the centre. The double doors on the opposite side have been replaced with those that you remember, once graced the vault of the long destroyed Nosferatu known as Dexter whose archive of knowledge you helped Alonzo discover over a year ago. Despite the lack of airflow this far down, the water still occasionally ripples as if something is moving beneath.

Fully expecting Alonzo's monstrous, tentacled pet 'Eula' to emerge any moment, Daniel somewhat gingerly crossed the narrow walkway. Though the creature knew Daniel and seemed to accept him as an authorised guest, the Banu Haqim was till wary of taking for granted the instincts of what was effectively a giant fang filled maw, surrounded by tentacles that could crush steel.

As usual Alonzo's home looks somewhere between a mad scientists laboratory, a library and a zoo, though is still organised in an orderly if somewhat unorthodox fashion. The cages containing his small army of rats have been moved into a large opened out side room and as before contains a wide variety of creatures ranging from normal looking yet oversized rats, to those with extra limbs, parts of other creatures and several that are closer in scale to wolves.

Their cages are all open and the rats come and go as they please through various sized pipes and tubes surrounding their lairs, though only those which you presume are messengers, venture into the central area of Alonzo's home.

Opposite them are a bewildering array of interconnected pipes and glassware containing bubbling concoctions of a variety of colours, though blood red is most common. The three large tanks observed by Daniel on his last visit, have been drained and there is no sign of the vaguely humanoid shapes that they previously contained. Where the cages once were are many rows of shelves containing files, books and paperwork, no doubt extracted from Dexter's vaults, but now neatly organised.

The centre of the room contains a water filled pit that regular visitors know as the home of Alonzo's tentacled pet Eula, it is currently empty. Eula is undoubtedly out enjoying the newly flooded areas provided by her master. As usual, Alonzo is lurking near the desk on which the computer system cobbled together by Gary Golden's childe Mitnick sits and is reading. He looks up as you enter.

"Greetings, Daniel."

Alonzo Guillen - Nosferatu
Ancient Hollywood Warrens

Daniel greeted his friend Alonzo in return. The Nosferatu lamented that Daniel had come alone as he had "Tidied up specially..." expecting the presence of Michael also. Daniel excused his baron, claiming that his newly expanded barony and several other projects were taking up his time. With the pleasantries out of the way, Alonzo laid out his discovery.

"I'll get straight to the point. I was somewhat curious about the police forces recent successes in getting to the businesses of our kind, and borderline masquerade breaches becoming noticeable at levels not seen before. It took little research to connect a timeline between these new success and failures and the disappearance of Jeremy MacNeil that fail to tie into Inquisition activities, which led me to look for another variable. As Jeremy's political contacts wouldn't have given him that level of control, It was logical to assume that he had another method of guiding the police of the city that ended along with his disappearance. I believe I have discovered it." 

Alonzo then shows you some formal plans of a spacious mansion, followed by some far less official looking drawings of an attached basement. He also has the layouts of a number of principle police stations from around the city. He then adds to this pile a number of plans of the cities electrical systems and phone lines though these have had the geographical information removed, they do seem to tie up with the details of the previous plans. The final piece of the puzzle is a large technical drawing "You see what this means of course?"

Jeremy MacNeil - Brujah
Baron of L.A., Presumed Destroyed

Daniel could see that the drawing seemed to relate to a computer network of some kind and that some of the drawings looked like their features potentially overlapped. Deciding to be honest he laid out his vague conclusions and allowed Alonzo to explain.

"Jeremy MacNeil, through the use of some very high-priced (and now presumably deceased) computer talent had somehow created a system that was, and hopefully still is, jacked into every police station in the Free States. Unfortunately a rather clever and motivated person has removed a great deal of identifiable references from these documents, presumably MacNeil himself or his agents. I can work out the purpose but not the specific location. You see the possible implications of course?"

Daniel could indeed see the possibilities. In the right hands such a system could be a benefit to all kindred of the city in concealing the kind of carelessness that could draw the Second Inquisition to the city once more. Under less benevolent control the possibilities for blackmail and manipulation were almost limitless. Based on what he knew of him, Daniel presumed that MacNeil had taken somewhat of a middle path between those two extremes. After some discussion with Alonzo, Daniel picked up some additional information culled from the Nosferatu's various theories.

 

Bertram Tung - Nosferatu
Marius's Information Broker

"I believe that the volume of information would have required 24/7 monitoring by at least 4 individuals, presumably blood bound or ghouled as any less would have been impractical..."

"Given the sensitivity of the project, the basement would almost certainly be in one of MacNeils havens. Unfortunately he had at least three and I have only vague information on them as staying out of Jeremy's' notice seemed wise to me at the time. There's one in Hollywood, and two in San Fernando, and almost certainly others. Rumours say he had one under some political organisation too, maybe in Downtown..."

"Kindred who moved in similar social circles might know some locations though the Nosferatu information dealers such as Gary Golden or Bertrum Tung will know them all, and likely some of their secrets too. Of course, informing Bertrum is effectively informing Marius which under the circumstances you may wish to avoid given that he's aggressively accumulating influence at the moment and those in the know seem to be either cultivating his favour or strengthening their borders. Of course, the politics I leave to you, though I would expect reasonable access to MacNeils system should my theory be correct."

It also crossed Daniels mind that should he just sell the information straight to Marius it would solve his problem of needing kindred blood, possibly indefinitely. Putting that idea to one side for the moment he arranged to meet up with Michael to discuss Alonzo's theory.

Storytellers Note - 'Daniel' is now Humanity 4 due to a diablerie that resulted from a frenzy caused by his clans inclination towards desiring kindred vitae. The players character has pulled in a number of boons to obtain an occasional 'fix' of kindred vitae to allow him limited control of this addiction but the effect of being Humanity 4 is beginning to effect his interactions with others. The player is roleplaying this change at the moment.

Scene Three - Scientia Potentia Est

Galerie Sanguine

Daniel had arranged to meet his baron at the gallery that served as the coteries original haven and was still the most secure of their properties. Using the value of the paintings within as justification, the gallery boasted one of the most sophisticated security systems that money could buy. It also benefited from a number of supernatural wards and defences.

Michael's ghoul Lisa was showing a customer around the gallery while Heather, another ghouled employee, sat behind the counter. Heather was a ghoul of the Baron of Downtown, Marius Walker, whom Michael had employed as a favour to another of 'The Fixers' ghouls, Victoria.

Victoria who acted as Marius's personal assistant considered Heather to be a useless inconvenience, and had foisted her on Michael to keep her from under her own feet. Fortunately she had proven to have a considerable knowledge of trends which had proven useful in keeping the gallery fashionable and was a surprisingly talented salesperson.

Lisa Irving - Ghoul of Michael, Heather Taylor - Ghoul of Marius

The downside was that she was almost certainly spying on them for Marius, Victoria, or more than likely, both. Michael had turned this to his advantage by using the notoriously loquacious, but amusingly naive Heather to acquire information about the goings on in Marius's organisation through supposedly casual conversation. He was reasonably sure that he was getting the better of the deal at this point as he discussed nothing of importance in her presence.

Once safe and secure in Michael's office, Daniel laid out what he had learned so far.

"So what you're telling me in effect is that Los Angeles worked better with a single strong leader overseeing the activities of all the barons? That's gratifying to know given our long-term plan for the city." stated Michael with a grin. Daniel agreed that it was somewhat ironic given Anarch ideals, but apparently a fact nonetheless.

Michael could immediately see the usefulness of such a tool, both in maintaining the masquerade and therefore keeping the Second Inquisition at bay and additionally as a tool that would enable him to match the influence of the other powerful barons. Daniel's thoughts however turned to the amount of boons that could be accumulated by the controller of such a system, effectively feeding his addiction for as long as was necessary.

Jesus Ramirez - Ventrue
Lieutenant of Salvador Garcia

Daniel also put forward his suspicion that perhaps someone already had partial access to this system. This was based on the information he had received that the gang known as 'The Blood' seemed to have emerged from their recent gang war with The Crypts Sons with far more resources intact than expected. Someone feeding them police information in advance would explain how so many of the mortal vampire hunters had escaped justice while at the same time so many of the kindred controlled Crypts Sons gang leaders had not. Michael also pointed out that very few elder kindred were computer literate so whoever created the system would certainly not have been MacNeil himself.

Daniel knew that The Blood had been at least partially funded by Salvador Garcia as a way of disrupting the Crypts Sons who were El Hermandads main rival amongst the kindred baronies. If they did have partial access to this system then one of Garcia's kindred within the city, possibly Jesus Ramirez, would be the most likely to be trusted. With Ramirez apparently destroyed, this link to the system, if it existed at all, might now be broken. "I hate to disappoint you, Daniel..." interrupted Michael. "...but I have it from a very reliable source that Ramirez escaped the Swarm's assault and fled the city to Salvador Garcia's side."

Having seen The Swarm in action on more than one occasion, Daniel had a newfound respect for Jesus Ramirez's abilities if he had managed to survive their attack and escape the city with them undoubtedly in pursuit.

Armando 'Nines' Rodriguez - Brujah

As he was listing potential problems, Michael relayed to Daniel some other pieces of information that he had acquired from his kindred contacts and allies. Firstly that Nines had been attempting to persuade Marius to re-open the Barony of the Angels, now the Barony of Downtown, to any kindred who wished to join the Anarch Free States but had no desire to align themselves to a baron. Daniel agreed with Damsel's assessment that given all the effort that Marius had taken to acquire the domain, he was highly unlikely to give it up just because Nines asked him too.

Nines didn't like the fact that the barons had split up the previously neutral ground between them and was attempting to undo that change. In fact it was Michael's part in facilitating the split that had soured his own relationship with Nines.

"There's definitely something going on with Marius at the moment..." continued Michael. "...his people are being very secretive about his movements and actions and a few I've managed to speak to seem to be going out of their way to stay on his good side. There's an undercurrent of fear that I've never seen before and they have far less independence than normal." Daniel decided to keep quiet. Especially as he'd undertaken two assassination jobs for Marius within the last month that he'd rather Michael never found out about. 

Mary - Gangrel, Bahari
'Mother' of the Children of the Wolf

"His childe 'Mary' is also trying to convince him to help her destroy some other cult, which is inevitably going to end badly for someone whether he helps her or not." "I've also spoken with Priss..."

This caught Daniel's attention as he had given serious consideration to destroying Priss on several occasions as he considered her to be both unpredictable and probably insane. Admittedly, Mary was probably insane too but she wasn't an immediate problem. He was also conscious that Priss was using her position bordering the territory between Hank of the Crypts Sons and Marius of Downtown to play the two off against each other for her allegiance. This gave her considerably more power and influence than the size of her barony would indicate. He relayed this suspicion to Michael.

"After being poorly equipped, her words not mine, by Hank for her attack on The Bloods, she is convinced that it was his plan that she be destroyed in the attack and is therefore now taking Marius's counter-offer quite seriously." Stated Michael, confirming Daniel's suspicions.  "However, I am working on a plan to keep Priss neutral and therefore continue her role as a balancing factor, but it's in it's infancy at the moment so I'll share it you when I've fine-tuned it somewhat."

Storytellers Note - He did however share it with me...and now I have more writing to do...

Gary Golden - Nosferatu
The Hollywood Warrens

Daniel then returned the conversation to the original subject. Namely which of the cities brokers of information would be the best source to help them locate the havens of Jeremy MacNeil. Given their previous discussion they decided that Marius would need to be kept in the dark for as long as possible, hopefully indefinitely. This also meant that Bertram Tung was out of the question as he was one Marius's sources and also excluded Daniel's hacker contact as he was an employee of Bertrams.

"Well that leaves Dawn Cavanagh or Gary Golden..." concluded Michael. "...which effectively means Gary is our only option. Firstly because involving Dawn means involving Isaac who we also don't want to have control of such a system and secondly because..." "...because Dawn is a two faced, lying, manipulative, blackmailer with all the morals of a rattle-snake?" interrupted Daniel. "Well, yes." agreed Michael.

Having already covered some of this with Alonzo, Daniel shared the Nosferatu's opinion that Gary Golden prided himself on his 'ask no questions' policy. As long as the price was paid, the service would be provided and it was as simple as that.

"Fine." said Michael, coming to the same conclusion as both Alonzo and Daniel. "I'll arrange a meeting with Gary at the meeting place underneath the Asp Hole club in Hollywood that the Nosferatu use, via the normal channels of course." Daniel smiled to himself as the meeting place was specifically designed so kindred like Michael could avoid venturing into the sewers. In fact it was supposedly originally built by Isaac when Isaac's childe, Ash Rivers owned the club before his disappearance in 2004.

All that remained was to see what Gary's price would be...

To Be Continued in 'The MacNeil Protocols' (Part Two)

In Conclusion

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

As this was an intro session to a brand new story a lot of time was spent discussing the handouts. A considerable introduction was also needed due to the amount of time that had elapsed since the last time the players were together.

As expected, the session was a little 'stop-start' as players asked questions to jog their memories about old plot-lines, as well as the current status of their relations with various characters.

Fortunately the players are still very invested in their characters so got back into the swing of things fairly quickly. For this first part I eased them back into things with some basic meetings, information retrieval and planning. Next time, we'll liven things up a bit.

Acknowledgements
“Portions of the materials are the copyrights and trademarks of White Wolf Entertainment AB, and are used with permission. All rights reserved. For more information please visit white-wolf.com.”

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, Victor Girard is Bob Hoskins, Gloria Martinez is Ariadne Artiles, Allison Maller is Chloë Grace Moretz, Henrique 'Hank' Boyd is Michael Clarke Duncan, Marius Walker is Tony Curran, Harvey Caplan is Harvey Keitel, David Geduld is Zachary Quinto, Louis Fortier is Eduardo Verastegui, Isaac Abrams is Gary Oldman, Damsel is Irina Delnova, Mariel St. John is Kate Moss, Tara Kearney is Melissa Rauch, Vannevar Thomas is Bryan Dechart, Edward Kaya is Laurence Fishburne, Lisa Irving is Amanda Righetti, Heather Taylor is Liz Vicious, Jesus Ramirez is Javier Bardem and Armando 'Nines' Rodriguez is Luis Carazo.

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.