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
The now obligatory warning bit - Unlike my other RPG write-ups this one will contain swearing, sexual references and other references that might offend. If you can't tell the difference between real peoples opinions and grown-ups role-playing predators who crave blood then this probably won't be for you. There are however a list of potential triggers listed before the introduction. I've also used actual photographs to represent some characters which I'll give acknowledgements to at the end if I've any idea who they are.
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The introduction to this campaign, the first story and all the other parts can be found at the following links and are in chronological order. If you'd prefer a summary of each session rather than read everything then there's a more detailed link page HERE as well as links to the first episode of each story in the blog sidebar.
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Chronicle One - 'Infiltrate L.A.'
Story One - 'Three Murders' - Part One, Two, Three, Four and Five
Interlude Session - One
Story Two - 'The Pasadena Problem' - Part One, Two, Three, and Four
Solo Session - 'The Neillson Library'
Story Two Continued- 'The Pasadena Problem' - Part Five, Six, Seven and Eight
Story Three - 'Becoming Baron' - Part One, Two, Three, Four and Five
Solo Session - 'The Gather'
Story Three Continued - 'Becoming Baron' - Part Six, Seven and Eight
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Chronicle Two - 'Foothold L.A.'
Solo Session - 'Hostile Takeover'
Story Four - 'Countdown' - Part One, Two and Three
Story Five - 'The Missing Chantry' - Part One, Two, Three, Four and Five
Solo Session - 'The Anaheim Assassination'
Story Six - 'A Meeting of Barons' - Part One, Two and Three
Story Seven - 'The Carmelita Situation' - Part One, Two and Three
Story Eight - 'The Blount Sisters' - Part One and Two
Story Nine - 'Blood Money' - Part One, Two, Three, Four, Five and Six
Story Ten - 'Anathema' - Part One and Two
Story Eleven - 'Predators and Prey' aka 'The Blount Sisters' - Part Three
Story Twelve - 'Aftermath' - Part One and Two
Story Thirteen - 'The Messiah Complex' - Part One, Two, Three and Four
Chronicle Two - 'Foothold L.A.'
Story Four - 'Countdown' - Part One, Two and Three
Story Five - 'The Missing Chantry' - Part One, Two, Three, Four and Five
Solo Session - 'The Anaheim Assassination'
Story Six - 'A Meeting of Barons' - Part One, Two and Three
Story Seven - 'The Carmelita Situation' - Part One, Two and Three
Story Eight - 'The Blount Sisters' - Part One and Two
Story Nine - 'Blood Money' - Part One, Two, Three, Four, Five and Six
Story Ten - 'Anathema' - Part One and Two
Story Eleven - 'Predators and Prey' aka 'The Blount Sisters' - Part Three
Story Twelve - 'Aftermath' - Part One and Two
Story Thirteen - 'The Messiah Complex' - Part One, Two, Three and Four
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Chronicle Three - 'Incursion L.A.'
Chronicle Three - 'Incursion L.A.'
Solo Session - 'A Gathering of Roses'
Story Sixteen - 'The Southern Solution' - Part One, Two and Three
Story Seventeen - 'The Baker Disappearance' - Part One, Two and Three
Story Seventeen - 'The Baker Disappearance' - Part One, Two and Three
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Interlude Session One - After Griffith Park
Interlude Session Two - Divide and Conquer
Interlude Session Three - On the Brink of War
--------------------Chronicle Four - 'Conquest L.A.'
Interlude Session - Recon
Interlude Session - Damage Limitation
Interlude Session - The Killing Spree
Story Twenty Seven - 'The Fiorenza Sanction' - Part One
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Michael Tomassio - Toreador, 'Baron of the North East'
Vincent 'Vin' Ghast - Brujah, 'Constable'
Dr Daniel Matthews - Banu Haqim, 'Fixer'
Hope Romero - Gangrel, 'Census Taker'
Mr Hertz - Nosferatu, 'Seneschal'
Vincent 'Vin' Ghast - Brujah, 'Constable'
Dr Daniel Matthews - Banu Haqim, 'Fixer'
Hope Romero - Gangrel, 'Census Taker'
Mr Hertz - Nosferatu, 'Seneschal'
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), Sex Trade, Torture
Introduction
The coteries meeting with Fiorenza Savona went fairly smoothly, though Michael has been placed in a moral quandary after the offer of a sanctioned diablerie of one of his torpid ancestors. He has asked for some time to consider the ramifications of this, which he has been given.
Storytellers Note - This session will also contain a secondary story for the character of Daniel who is attempting to redeem himself after losing control to his Beast one time too many. These are only short 'solo' sequences but will run parallel to the main storyline.
Scene Six - Mary the 'Mother'
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| Mary 'The Mother' - Gangrel Bahari, Children of Ennoia |
Mary's explanations of the Bahari's principles were quite vague. Daniel had expected this as he wasn't a true convert.
Vampire adherents of the Path of Lilith, otherwise known as the Lilin, Lilitu, or Bahari, revered the progenitor vampire as a primal entity. They believed Lilith was the first, usurped vampire, the mother who births the vitae, and that all Kindred are her children. Stagnant, patriarchal vampire society perpetuated the lie of Caine as progenitor.
The Bahari sought enlightenment through pain and conflict, turning this masochistic urge into the strength to endure and overcome. As Lilith rebelled against God’s commands and fought against her curse, her followers defeated the weaknesses and curses upon them to become something else. Some Bahari led other Kindred to enlightenment, others become perfected predators. Bahari deprecated compassion in favour of fleshly pleasure, transient love, and strict parenthood over lesser Kindred.
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| Lilith, the Dark Mother |
'The Children of Ennoia' differed in their worship of Lilith in several ways as well as having several beliefs unique to them. As Daniel had no knowledge of either, the differences were, to him at least, largely academic.
The name Ennoia, Mary explained, meant "...the female half of God", and it was said she was a child of Lilith. It was clear to Daniel that Mary firmly believed that this was true, though he himself was dubious about the translation. Mary continued, seemingly oblivious to Daniels doubts.
"However, she was abandoned by her mother to a pack of wolves. The animals raised her to become a great predatory hunter. According to our legends Ennoia took a mate from the pack and... bore him children... and it is from them that Lupines trace their ancestry."
"Eventually, Ennoia left the wolves and travelled to the City of Enoch where she was Embraced, becoming the Gangrel Antediluvian. Obviously this is very different variant of the ancestral legends of the majority of Lupines and is a subject of much contention on the rare occasions that The Children of Ennoia's missionaries interact with werewolf packs."
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| Lia - Gangrel Bahari, Children of Ennoia |
He also learned that though many Lilitu cults were effectively matriarchal, The Children held no such restrictions upon leadership roles. Such positions were held by those who had bought the most converts into the cult with any disputes being resolved with ritual combat.
These battles were rarely to the death, instead the victor was the one capable of inflicting the most painful and crippling wounds to their opponent, without killing them. Death taught nothing, after all.
That said, Daniel was convinced that their undisputed leader and 'Mother', was Mary as she had led them for over a century. Though Marius was certainly the eldest follower of Lilith that he was aware of within the city, Mary was indisputably the most influential. She was aided by one of her surviving childer, Esther and Esther's childe Lia.
Given that the The Bahari believed both in siring childer and sacrifice, and that the ultimate sacrifice was the murder and diablerie of their own childe, only the most useful of her childer could hope for long un-lives.
Daniel was then introduced to Lia.
Given his skill as a surgeon and killer, the basic rituals of pain, both as torturer and tortured were a simple matter for him to pick up though he did so under the watchful eye of 'Lia', Mary's grandechilde and the Bahari Priestess given responsibility for the most junior of those inducted into the cult.
He did, however, begin to learn some very basic techniques of self-control to mitigate the raging Beast within as it reacted to the pain and the scent of blood that filled the air during The Children's even most basic rituals. Given his recent failings of willpower, even these trivial victories gave him some hope that redemption was possible.
Storytellers Note - I gave Daniel the first dot of the Bahari Loresheet 'Dangerous Reputation', however the player decided that he'd be keeping his new associations to himself for now.
Scene Seven - Carmelita
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| Carmelita Neillson - Toreador Archaeologist and Archivist |
Michael was keen to know what her objections to the offered sanctioned diablerie were. Carmelita was a valuable ally that he didn't wish to lose, he also cared about her a great deal on a personal level.
"It's just a pity that I will never get to interview the Countess d'Adhemar. I'm sure she would have had some interesting insights into her sire Madame Guil, but I'm afraid that the Camarilla see her merely as a commodity to be traded."
"I hold no grudge against you should you accept Fiorenza's offer, after all I'd rather it was you than the other potential candidates for this 'gift'..."
Carmelita then revealed that Fiorenza had in mind several kindred from San Francisco to offer the sanctioned diablerie to should Michael refuse. One of these was the cities new Prince, Sara Anne Winder. Michael was a skilled observer of kindred behaviour and noticed many things that his allies and rivals attempted to conceal.
He was positive that behind Sara's 'cute as a button' image, hid an utterly ruthless individual. He was sure that she would jump at the chance to gain any advantage over her rivals in San Francisco.
She then began to reveal more information, that she thought might help Michael to make his decision.
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| Fiorenza Savona - Ventrue Camarilla Power Broker |
Michael gave his word to Carmelita willingly. He was also one of the few kindred in L.A. who could be trusted to keep it.
"I have obtained plans purported to be of that particular crypt and it looks like the cover stone supposedly covering the tomb of the Countess d'Adhemar is actually just there to conceal an entrance to a larger area. Given some information I have obtained from recently awakened Elders it seems that Madame Guil may have created it as a place where her childer or other chosen individuals could lay in torpor undisturbed. It has been hinted to me that Madam Guil's other significant childe, one Michael Unther, may also be in torpor beneath this tomb..."
"In theory that means you could, if I'm correct, still take advantage of the sanctioned nature of the diablerie but select a different candidate and no-one need ever know that the Countess survived. Of course there is a downside...given the countess's nature she would be relatively easy to mentally subdue, perhaps even be a willing participant. Your namesake, on the other hand, would fight you all the way as it's rumoured that Unther sought his sire's position when she was Justicar..."
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| Michael Unther - Toreador Childe of Madame Guil |
This information changed the dynamic of the situation significantly. If Carmelita was correct, Michael would certainly have to conceal the Countess in a new location if he diablerised Unthur. It also made the act easier to justify. To his knowledge Countess d'Adhemar had, by kindred standards, been a relatively benign individual. Unthur on the other hand had been renowned for his efficient but cruel punishments.
Michael was also interested in what Carmelita knew of the Sabbat. Fiorenza had spoken of them as a significant threat to Los Angeles but Michael also knew that she wasn't above using misinformation to push kindred into actions that benefitted herself.
"The Sabbat have many enemies in this city. Isaac Abrams, Gary Golden and Nines Rodriguez all have grudges against them and the Sabbat may simply be motivated by revenge against a city that's repelled them twice before. Marius has indeed provoked them recently but then he has done so before and he's not the only one. I'm concerned that Fiorenza may be exploiting a perceived paranoia about Marius for some purpose of her own...but don't quote me on that...Is he up to something? ...probably...is it something you need to be concerned about? probably not..."
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| Marius 'The Fixer' Walker - Gangrel Baron of Downtown |
Carmelita let her information sink in for a moment before continuing.
"The pack that sought the tomb originally were destroyed except for their leader, who I believe never had any intention of diablerising the Countess. It is my opinion that her sole purpose was the destruction of the pack she led, and the Brujah cult who were also seeking the hidden tomb. My suspicions about her identity must, for now, be kept to myself. There are political considerations that may involve kindred who it would be unwise to attract the enmity of. More influential individuals than myself have fallen at her hands...I will speak no more on this subject..."
It was obvious to the Baron that Carmelita would not be budged on the matter and was sure that pushing her would gain him nothing. He diplomatically moved the conversation from specifics to more general enquiries. Though he was particularly interested in what Fiorenza had to say about the red list, or 'kindreds most wanted' as some referred to it as.
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| Kyoko Shinsegawa - Tremere Potential Anathema |
Michael was reasonably sure that Fiorenzas intention had been for news of the threat to reach Marius via himself rather than one of her agents.
She then gave Michael a kiss on the cheek before leaving. It was a surprisingly tender gesture that caught him by surprise.
"...and Michael...good luck...and stay in touch..."
This meeting had given Michael much to think about. It seemed to him that Fiorenza was deliberately attempting to blackmail Marius into cooperating with some scheme or other.
Rather than pressure him directly, it looked like she was trying to feed the information to him from alternate sources so as to lend some broader credibility to the threats. This made some sense.
Fiorenza had pressured Marius before, but had done so directly and it was obvious that as a strategy this was outliving it's usefulness. As Marius's personal and political power increased it was becoming much easier for him to weather the inconveniences thrown at him by Fiorenza. If however he thought that their was a vaster conspiracy against him then it was far more likely that he would accept any lifeline thrown to him by Miss Savona.
Though Michael grasped the strategy, he wasn't convinced that it would make that much difference. Besides which he had more pressing matters to consider.
Scene Eight - A Business Proposition
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| Piles of Money "Doing Nothing" |
The Nosferatu accountant was well aware of kindred etiquette and politics but when it came to business tended to get straight to the point. This time was no exception.
"We have a problem. To put it simply, the legitimate businesses we have are insufficient to launder the money from our criminal enterprises. Having piles of money doing nothing bothers me and so I have an idea that will help..."
Michael had a great deal of respect for Mr Hertz's skills in this area. He had completely reorganised 'The Apostles' gang that he had inherited from 'Roach', turning them from a minor drug gang into the dominant criminal organisation in Pasadena. His creative accounting skills had also been of great benefit to the coterie and his standard fee of two percent of the profits he generated was more than reasonable.
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| Lyko Wu - Ventrue 'Dragons Head' of the Blood Dragons |
Michael was also aware that Hertz and other coterie members generally kept from him any activities that he might find it difficult to morally justify. The fact that Mr Hertz had bought this to him directly probably meant that it wasn't anything too dubious.
"How do you feel about turning the Galerie Sanguine into a multiple outlet operation?"
Michael had to admit that the idea intrigued him, so he asked the Nosferatu to elaborate.
"So we could capitalise on your newly opened Succubus Club by creating a 'Galerie Sanguine, Hollywood' and then open others in appropriately profitable areas around the city. It's really easy to launder money for art as value is entirely subjective and art disappears into private collections on a regular basis. Not to mention how easily one could make charitable donations based on whatever value we attribute to various works...of course for that to work we'd need to get a critic or two on the payroll...but that's something for the next stage of the operation...so...what do you think?"
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| Johnny 'Roach' West - Malkavian Current Whereabouts Unknown |
"Is there anything else?" asked Michael.
Mr Hertz reached into his briefcase and removed a selection of random documents, scribbled drawings and notes written on a variety of different materials and in several formats. From their disorganised nature, Michael was sure they didn't originate with Hertz. They had a definite 'Roach' vibe about them. His assessment was correct.
"Roach had a plan to build a Mall. You were aware of this I gather?"
Michael nodded.
"He had acquired the land and necessary permissions..." he removed the only official looking documents from the pile. "...with some help from one of Marius's proxy companies, he also acquired some other land surrounding the proposed site. I've no idea how he managed the latter, but it's all quite official and professionally worded."
Michael perused the offered documents while Hertz continued.
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| Roach's Mall - Concept Drawing |
Seeing no immediate downsides, Michael asked if any other ideas of Roach's could be expanded upon.
"To be honest most of his other concepts either are too Malkavian for me to understand or are possibly complete bollocks..."
Roach had been a fine Seneschal, but Hertz's assessment of him was fairly accurate. For the first time in many months Michael pondered whether Johnny 'Roach' West had in fact been destroyed by The Blount Sisters or had left with the mysterious Sire who had been seeking him out.
It was possible that he'd never know.
Scene Nine - A Counter-Offer
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| An Invitation to Dinner... |
The messenger was patiently awaiting Michael's response. "I'd be honoured to accept Baron Fortiers kind invitation." replied Michael.
Once the messenger had left, Michael asked Mr Hertz and Vin to accompany him. Just in case. Given the location to which they were heading, Vin refrained from taking his shotgun with him, but still had his trusty machete and his handgun. He also changed into some more formal clothing. Mr Hertz always wore a suit so didn't need to change. An antique but perfectly maintained Luger was holstered under his left arm.
A flick-knife, also an antique, was kept in his pocket. He doubted he'd need either but liked to have them with him regardless. Michael rarely carried a weapon himself and this was no exception.
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| Dennis 'Dion' Hart - Ghoul Assigned to Michael by Fiorenza |
Fortiers Mansion is as magnificent and imposing a sight as always, well protected by both his army of ghouls and the most state of the art technology currently available. You are allowed entry by the gate guards and a space near the front of the building is indicated.
Several subtly armoured, and very expensive vehicles are also arrayed in spaces near the entrance along with the a number of more obviously protected vehicles. The latter are those used by the army of ghouled security personnel controlled for Baron Fortier by Catherine DuBois. The rest are likely to be the personal vehicles of Fortier and his childer.
You are met at the door by Marco Joseph, Fortier's Scourge. Unusually for those in such a role, 'Joey' prefers to locate threats to the domain of his Baron through more traditional investigative means via a team of mortal and ghoul detectives, and investigators. You are also aware that he is nonetheless well versed in the use of firearms as well as being a formidable hand to hand combatant when the need arises.
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| Marco 'Joey' Joseph - Gangrel Sweeper for Baron Fortier |
The security personnel operating within the mansion are far less subtle with their armour and armament, though all are well dressed and handsome, their skills as enactors of Fortiers will, are well known and respected by the other Barons. After all, no-one wants a heavily armoured army of ghouls kicking down their haven door in the middle of the day.
Fortier's main meeting area where you have met him previously was effectively a throne room. This area is far more like a standard, though still luxurious, place of business. Fortier is seated at the head of the table, Catherine Du Bois is seated on his right. Elena and Mariel are nowhere to be seen. As you enter, Louis walks over to you and extends his hand for you to shake...
"I'm pleased that you chose to accept my invitation..." He said, as if them refusing was actually an option they may have considered. "Do you require refreshments before we begin? I can offer you sustenance from bottle or vein, depending upon your preferences..."
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| Louis Fortier - Ventrue Baron of West Los Angeles |
"The first matter is something I wished to raise with you personally. It regards the visit of several Camarilla luminaries to your club in Hollywood. Is this something that needs to be shared with the council, or a personal matter that you have resolved satisfactorily"
The kindred rumour mill being what it was made it inevitable that someone would have noticed Fiorenza's visit and Michael had already prepared a response should such a question be asked. In kindred society it paid to be one step ahead.
"It was, in fact, a personal matter. But it is one that I'm willing to share with you."
Michael could tell that Louis was intrigued, so he prepared himself to embed his lies in enough truth to be plausible. The Baron of West L.A. was arguably the most powerful of the cities leaders and so once he was convinced, any others that discovered the visit would be sure to follow Baron Fortier's lead.
"As you are no doubt aware I am of Helena's line, but even that is insufficient in order to gain permission to open a franchise of The Succubus Club. One needs to ingratiate themselves with those with the appropriate influence and unfortunately, in this case, that meant dealing with the Camarilla.
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| Helena - Toreador Methuselah Succubus Club Founder |
Fortier seemed to be convinced though Michael wasn't one hundred percent sure, though the Barons subsequent reply did reassure him.
"I was hoping it was something along those lines. I see no need to burden the others with such a matter especially one that may be easily misinterpreted by those ignorant of the difficulties that come with commitments to family. Fortunately no others are aware of the visit, with the exception of Isaac who informed myself, and it was his opinion that you would have a reasonable explanation. I'm glad that he was correct."
"Though kindred other than Isaac have some business interests within Hollywood, myself included, there are no agents of other baronies anywhere within. If Isaac says that the matter is between myself, him and your own inner circle then you can be sure that this is no idle claim. Within Hollywood his influence is absolute."
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| Isaac Abrams - Toreador Baron of Hollywood |
"The second matter involves a group of Unbound ghouls who call themselves the Young Bloods. It is my understanding that you are aware of some of their activities and have been 'encouraged' to deal with them on another's behalf?"
Michael simply nodded in reply, and Louis continued.
"The Circulatory System have their own political agenda. Though I understand the necessity of such an organisation as theirs, I disapprove of many of their methods. Blood Dolls are a convenience for those of our kind, but even cattle deserve a certain measure of care over their wellbeing."
Vin, who was himself heavily involved in the sex trade, agreed with Louis's assessment.
Though the industry itself was notorious for the high toll it took upon those with which it traded, he always made sure that his girls were as safe as possible given their environment.
"That aside, I also suspect that given this gangs proximity to San Jose and therefore San Francisco, that your recent visitor may also have offered to involve themselves in a potential plan against these ghouls, am I correct?"
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| Marcelina Black - Ventrue The Circulatory System, L.A. 'Farm' |
"In return for my hospitality, a modest amount of resources were promised should I desire them." replied Michael. "But in all honesty, this wouldn't be my preference. The Systems help is also full of restrictions that favour them, but they are also closely tied with the Camarilla so that is to be expected..."
Baron Fortier turned briefly towards Catherine before continuing.
"I have a third option for you that involves neither the Camarilla nor the Circulatory System. I suggest that I sponsor and support your campaign against these so-called 'Young Bloods'."
"The Anarch Free States can deal with it's own problems without the need of external influencers or other 'Fixers'....are you interested in my offer?"
Michael certainly was, though didn't want to look to keen. "What are you offering, exactly?" he asked.
"My own Scourge would be placed at your disposal for both reconnaissance and as support during the actual assault and a significant quantity of Catherine's security would be available as back-up and for 'mopping-up' purposes. I am also willing to assist with any financial burdens that the operation may incur as well as the offering of favours that it is within my power to grant in order to encourage others to assist you..."
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| Catherine DuBois - Ventrue Childe and Mistress of Baron Fortier |
"One presumed you'd already have had the outline of a plan though I was surprised that your tactical advisor Daniel is not with you..."
Michael admitted that Daniel had thrown himself into more humanitarian activities of late. Though he gave no further explanation, Louis intuitively grasped the problem.
"The unlife of a kindred can take it's toll on even the strongest of us. Small compromise's inevitably lead to larger ones and the Beast's whispers can break down the inhibitions of even the most devout of individuals. Has he sought out the assistance of his original employer, Marius?"
When Michael didn't answer, Mr Hertz interjected. "I believe that Dr Matthews had been in touch with the Baron of Downtown in order to ensure that his medical credentials are up to date in order for him to be able to continue with his trade during this transitional period, it being Marius who originally provided them. It's possible that he also offered him additional aid of which we are not aware. They do, as I understand it, have a fairly long-standing working relationship."
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| Roxanne Weaver - Ghoul CEO of Aegis Acquisitions |
"Despite his many, many faults, Marius can be trusted to keep his word which is why it's so difficult to get a definitive answer from him. If he says he'll help then he will, if you can pay the price that is. His current obsession is the Sabbat. In a week, a month, or a year it'll be something else."
"It's why his empire is structured like a business, and why he recruits notable kindred, or mortals that can be groomed for a role. If Aegis relied on his own attention span to maintain it, it'd fall apart very quickly indeed."
Michael agreed with Louis's assessment. Marius's tendency to get bored was a weakness that he himself had exploited more than once. Louis and Louis then made clear that his intentions towards the Young Bloods.
"It is my intention to give these enemies no quarter. We must ensure that no vengeance seeking survivor manages to revitalise or recreate this threat. In short, they all must die and any prisoners be extracted from their clutches. This is not optional.
Though he had become more pragmatic of late, both Vin and Hertz were concerned that Michael might baulk at the prospect of such a massacre. They needn't have worried.
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| Mariel St. John - Ventrue Adopted Childe of Baron Fortier |
Michael decided to broach the subject of Mariel's absence but it was clear that this was not a topic that Louis was willing to discuss.
"Mariel is currently occupied with another matter. It is a subject that I may share with you at a later date. However it is not a conversation I wish to have now..."
It was obvious to all present that pressing this point was unlikely to be well received.
"Is there anything else I can assist you with..." asked Fortier
Surprisingly it was Vin who answered. "I think we need to do some planning first, then perhaps Michael can get back in touch?" The coterie left with a burner phone and the contact details for Louis Fortier's Scourge, Joseph Marco. Now they just needed to work out what exactly the Baron of West L.A. hoped to gain from supporting them.
Michael decided that his priority list for Eric might need to change. It was becoming more important for him to need to know exactly what Mariel was up to.
Interlude - The Water Rats
Velvet Velour's contact list included some of Hollywood's top stylists, hairdressers and makeup artists.
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| Harvey Caplan - Ventrue Baron of the South Coast |
One of the tasks on the 'to-do' list given to her by her Baron, Isaac Abrams was to gain him access to the docks but without having to deal directly with the domains own Baron. Unfortunately for Velvet, she only had one connection with the kindred of this area and that was the leader of a coterie of kindred who assisted Harvey Caplan in controlling the dockyards.
Shantelle, who led the gang formally known as 'The Rats', but due to their dockyard association were now generally referred to as 'The Water Rats', had visited Velvet's club once after running some errand for her Baron Harvey and had quite obviously been captivated by the dancer. Velvet on the other hand had no shortage of far more interesting suitors and had no desire to spend time with a kindred who she had described as "...completely unsophisticated, extremely dull and in need of a good wash..."
It was this last issue that Velvet was attempting to resolve.
"If we're going to get to know one another better then we need to do something about your...unique sense of style...It would also help if I could see what you actually look like under all the dirt..."
If she was going to sacrifice an evening of her time just so Isaac could get his way then at least she could make Shantelle look the part. She had also decided that the shopping trip that she'd be demanding from Isaac as compensation for her lost night would have a great deal of noughts on the receipt.
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| Shantelle - About to ruin some assholes night... |
She also found it amusing that the three men that the Gangrel neonate had beaten into a pulp would likely think twice before slapping a young lady on the rear and then getting aggressive when she protested. Once they got out of hospital that is.
"So what do you really want?" asked Shantelle, as the pair relaxed in the dancers private rooms above Club Vesuvius, after feeding on several of Velvets blood dolls.
"Am I really that transparent?" replied Velvet.
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| Velvet Velour - Toreador Owner of Club Vesuvius |
"Not that I haven't appreciated the chance to play dress-up, even if I did get some of those assholes blood on the dress...anyway, I figure I owe you for the evening even if you had an ulterior motive."
Velvet found her honesty and pragmatism quite endearing and so responded in kind.
"As long as it doesn't hurt anyone in my pack, or screw things up for Harvey then that shouldn't be a problem..." said the Gangrel after considering Velvet's request for a moment. "...and perhaps we can do this again next time you need a favour?"
"I'd like that." replied VV, and surprised herself when she realised that she actually meant it.
After Shantelle had left, Velvet contemplated her next objective. She'd deliberately left Marius to last as what Isaac required from him was no small request. She knew that her influence was only a small part of the leverage that Isaac was using to make Downtowns Baron comply, yet still it felt like she'd been given an impossible task.
Still, she loved Isaac like a father and would do everything she could to help him.
Acknowledgements
“Portions of the materials are the copyrights and trademarks of White Wolf Entertainment AB, and are used with permission. All rights reserved.”
“Portions of the materials are the copyrights and trademarks of White Wolf Entertainment AB, and are used with permission. All rights reserved.”I've used pictures of real people to represent some of the characters and art for others so in no particular order Michael Tomassio is represented by Matt Bomer, 'Vin' is Scott Adkins, Dr Matthews is Mads Mikkelsen, Hope is Deborah Ann Woll, Mr Hertz is Charles Dance, Lia is Shelly D'inferno, Carmelita Neillson is Salma Hayek, Fiorenza Savona is Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Unthur is Maximilian Schell, Marius Walker is Tony Curran, Kyoko Shinsegawa is Kiki Sukezane, Lyko Wu is David E Collier, Johnny 'Roach' West is Kurt Cobain, Dennis 'Dion' Hart is Clark Gregg, Louis Fortier is Eduardo Verastegui, Isaac Abrams is Gary Oldman, Marcelina Black is Carrie Anne Moss, Catherine DuBois is Margot Robbie, Roxanne Weaver is Gina Torres, Mariel St. John is Kate Moss, Harvey Caplan is Harvey Keitel and Shantelle is Marsha Thomason.
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.