I'm currently running a Vampire the Masquerade chronicle using the 5th Edition rule-set for a small group of fellow role-players.
Our primary 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. This however is the second one of several planned interludes which will centre on the expansion of Baron Michael Tomassio's 'Galerie Sanguine' franchise to other domains.
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The now obligatory warning bit - These session write-ups will contain swearing, sexual references and other references that might offend. 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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Links to our main campaign, with a summary of each session can be found HERE.
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The now obligatory warning bit - These session write-ups will contain swearing, sexual references and other references that might offend. 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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Links to our main campaign, with a summary of each session can be found HERE.
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Links
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The PC's
Luthor Constantine - The Ministry, Conspiracy Debunker
Ethan Holst - Samedi, Mortician
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Luthor Constantine and Ethan Holst
Chronicle Tenet - "Don't bite the hand that feeds you."
The Storyteller
As everyone else...
If I think something needs a bit of out of character explanation then those will get a storytellers note that will helpfully be in red. Introductory pieces that I read to the group are in Blue. Where particular NPC's have a mention in a faction profile you will be able to reach it by clicking on their name or faction beneath their picture.
Trigger Warnings for This Session: Blood (Obviously)
Introduction
After cutting a deal with the duskborn leaders, with an offer of feeding rights in exchange for information, Ethan and Luthor believe they have began to make some progress in their investigation. Unfortunately Baron Tara's actions almost immediately undermined this arrangement, but this was beyond their control.
They have also been informed that the recent visitors to San Diego, The Ventrue Anika Norton, and her Brujah allies, Alec Doherty and Jaime Bartlett, are expecting them this evening. Anika's name had been bought to their attention as part of the investigation into the recent murders within the city. Rumours that her preferred feeding vessels were young children needed to be investigated.
Scene Thirteen - Escalation
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| Josef Moyer - Caitiff In Torpor |
Unsatisfied with the the Caitiff and Duskborn leaders protestations of innocence, the cities Constable Absalom Hood was despatched to speak to Josef Moyer and Sapphire Khan, and tensions apparently escalated. One of Absalom's childer has been severely injured and two of the Duskborn contingent have met their final deaths, with Josef now in torpor.
Sapphire and the rest escaped the carnage and are now on the run. Tara's sweepers are in pursuit, but it seems that Sapphire had prepared for this eventuality and is proving difficult to locate.
The hunt has been further impeded by an apparent reluctance on the part of Constance Carson, The Oratory representative within the city, to join in the search. Most believe she is just holding out for a better price. Others are speculating that she's waiting to see how this effects the balance of power, before picking a side.
In light of these events Tara's emissary, Cassie Rosales, has spread the word that all visitors to the city from this night onwards must introduce themselves to the cities Constable within one night of their arrival, and furthermore that any kindred caught aiding Sapphire in any way will be severely punished.
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| Cassie Rosales - 'Free' Ventrue Emissary of Baron Tara |
Meanwhile, they have their own tasks to perform.
Anika and her followers have based themselves in a residential area of Point Loma, on the top floor of an apartment building above a real estate office. Taking control of such an area indicated that Anika must have had access to some financial resources of her own, and presumably ghouls too.
Given the current situation, Absalom has given them access to one of his armouries. Whether they avail themselves of this resource is up to them.
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Absalom seems to have been preparing for open warfare for some time. The armoury contained body armour, combat harnesses of various kinds, and a variety of light and heavy weaponry.
The pistols were divided between Sig Sauer 320's and a variety of different models of Glock, as well as some unusual weapons with built in suppressors that Ethan recognised as Maxim 9's of various configurations. There were also a number of compact sub-machineguns, including Mac-10's chambered in both 9mm and .45ACP sub-sonic rounds, as well as modern variants of the Micro-Uzi and a few Skorpion machine-pistols in their own holsters.
Mossberg 500 Pump Action 12 Gauge Shotgun
Next to these were a rack of military assault rifles, but none of these were particularly practical for their current needs. Ammunition for all these weapons was plentiful, as were the usual accessories such as laser sights, flashlights and various optical and fixed sights. Several shotguns, mainly Mossbergs and similar, were also there.
Amongst the more unusual equipment was a rack filled with wooden stakes, machine sharpened to wicked looking points, beneath a selection of crossbows. Heavy bladed combat knives and several axes and trenching shovels completed the anti-kindred portion of the displays.
"Just in case..." says Absalom.
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| Uzi-pro SMG |
"I'm not even sure if this is worth our time..." began Luthor as he settled himself in the passenger seat of Ethan's car. "...If these three have got themselves established in the city then what's the point in rocking the boat?"
Ethan admitted that he had no idea, but if it turned out that there was something to it, and then Tara subsequently discovered that they had a lead, but had done nothing with it, then that would cause them a lot more trouble than one quick visit to a potential suspect. Baron Tara and Constable Absalom were on the warpath, so keeping on their good sides was more important than ever.
Scene Fourteen - Anika
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| 'Katherine' - Ghoul of Anika Personal Assistant |
Ethan parked right outside. After all, they were here by invitation.
As they approached, the woman rose and unlocked the door. Evidently they were expected. She was dressed in a sixties style skirt and blouse, her blonde hair was also styled like something from an older time and she exuded confidence. Both suspected that she was likely a ghoul, and seemed to be an experienced and competent one.
"Can I help you?"
Luthor dealt with the introductions. "I'm sure you can, we've been given permission to speak to Anika this evening. We're expected." Ethan noted that locks were sturdy and that the glass was reinforced, which would slow down any potential retreat, but not by much, but in that situation every second would likely count.
The Samedi was well aware that his ally Luthor never considered such things, he however, liked to know that there was a way out of this place if they needed one. The more they looked into this Anika person, the more he suspected that there was far more to her than first appeared.
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| Alec Doherty - Brujah Ally of Anika Norton |
Luthor offered Katherine his hand to shake, which she accepted, and thanked her for her assistance, while Ethan Holst introduced himself and his companion to the new arrival.
Their guide was a black man, a few inches over six feet tall, embraced in his forties or fifties, and was in excellent physical condition. A handgun was holstered at his right hip, with three spare clips on his left. He introduced himself as Alec.
"You're not Tara's usual lot?"
"We're new to the city,..." explained Luthor. "...and we'd been tasked with providing some expertise to the city's Constable, Absalom Hood, and afterwards Tara insisted that we stay and help some more. You know how it is when the powers that be make a request like that. Refusal wasn't really an option..."
The Brujah acknowledged the explanation with a nod, but made no further comment.
They were then escorted into a meeting room, presumably it had some purpose related to the business downstairs. Anika was seated at the far end of a heavy wooden table. At her left shoulder was another kindred, well over six and a half feet tall, with a shaved head, beard and wearing a leather jacket. He was also armed, though his guns were in shoulder holsters, not at his waist.
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| Jaime Bartlett - Brujah Ally of Anika Norton |
Alec indicated several chairs at the opposite end of the table, then moved to stand in one corner of the room, where he had a view of both themselves, Anika, and the door. Ethan noted his positioning with some concern, it was looking more and more like getting back out of this place was going to be a lot trickier than getting in, if the shit hit the fan that was.
"Are you here as representatives of Baron Tara of San Diego, or Baron Michael Tomassio, Arbiter of the Anarch Council of Los Angeles?" asked Anika, without pre-amble.
"At this particular instant..." replied Luthor, "...were agents of the Baron..."
Ethan, however added a comment of his own. "We're more concerned citizens at the moment." Ethan wanted the guards unsure of the relationship between them both, so as to split their focus. The deeper he got into this place, the more concerned he became, something just wasn't feeling right. Luthor on the other hand seemed oblivious to any danger they might be in.
"What brings you to our door?" asked Anika, though Luthor would have been amazed if she didn't already know.
"A curious murder has occurred..." he replied. "...I'm surprised you hadn't heard about it?"
Anika's voice and facial expression were quite neutral and Luthor was unable to get a 'read' from her as she answered. "Oh that? Everyone knows about that. As soon as they tried to keep it a secret the information became like currency to kindred. What I mean, is why are you here specifically? I Fail to see what it has to do with me."
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| Anika Norton - Ventrue |
Anika, raised an eyebrow "A family.,, Yes, I see where this is going..." She then elaborated.
"My preference is for young men, but eighteen years, not eighteen months, and I'm more than capable of talking such vessels into my bed entirely of their own accord, Perhaps it's coincidental, but these unpleasant rumours came about almost immediately after I told one of this city's kindred residents that I had no desire to be his ally. I believe you've met Mr Justin Rush as part of your investigations?"
Luthor commented on how well informed Anika was, and suspected that she was about to spread some rumours of her own. Before he could continue, the Ventrue asked another question.
"So, what did you think of Justin Rush?"
Luthor decided to be noncommittal in his response. "He's a businessman and a favoured ally of Tara. It seems that he's had a run of bad luck lately. This recent incident has left him in somewhat of a weakened position. But I'm interested in your opinion of him..." Anika seemed to be anticipating this question.
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| Justin Rush - Brujah San Diego Businessman |
While talking to Anika, Luthor had been observing the reaction of the other pair of kindred associates of hers too. He had considerable experience in observing hierarchies of various kinds. Some relationships were based on fear, others on love, or blind devotion, but one thing was a constant, and that was that obtaining the trust of another took time. This was something that 'The Ministry', of which Luthor was a clan member, was well aware of.
He therefore had his doubts that the relationship between these three was as recent as the city had been led to believe. In his opinion these three had been a team for a long time. Ethan had also been making some observations of his own. These weren't neonates. They had the confidence of age, and a mutual trust based on experience.
Luthor suspected that they were a commando coterie of some description. They had learned that many believed that Tara would be best removed, and considered her to be San Diego's weak link. Someone with a working relationship with other kindred of influence might want to take over. Luthor's first thought was that The Oratory might be ready to insert their own candidate. Marius, like his sire Xaviar, had often inspired regime changes through manipulation rather than outright aggression, and Luthor was reasonably sure that Constance Carson would jump at the chance to rule the city.
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Luthor had also been carefully observing Anika but could discern nothing from her voice or demeanour that gave him any additional clues to her intent. He decided to see if he could provoke a reaction, perhaps prompting her to fill in some of the gaps for him.
"Many are better positioned to pull off such a coo than Mr Rush. Maybe the Camarilla, or maybe someone local. It's suspicious that he, and others, direct us to you. Who else has influence at the airport I wonder..."
Scene Fifteen - Archon
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| Symbol of the The Camarilla |
"You're very observant..." Anika replied, her tone now much colder. "...Though perhaps a little arrogant too? A sensible individual would have kept those observations more closely concealed, until they were sure, exactly who they were actually dealing with..."
"Perhaps it might be best if these theories of yours never left this room, in case another kindred were to jump to the same wrong conclusions about us?"
Both Alec and Jaime's postures had subtly changed, and they now seemed poised and ready to act upon Anika's decision. Luthor concluded that now might be a good time to convince her of their good intentions. Ethan, meanwhile, was reasonably sure he could get to the door before any of the kindred within could stop him. Primarily because he was almost positive that they'd open fire on Luthor first.
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| Tara Kearney - Brujah The Baron of San Diego |
"It would be strange if the people sent to talk to you suddenly disappeared, what if we were to walk out of here, leaving you with an ally who sympathised with your position?, the city is not exactly in a steady pair of hands currently. Sooner rather than later some kindred will attempt to change this domains leadership, and it would be easier if they had the help of someone they could trust, perhaps someone who knew where Absalom hood's armoury was kept. A relationship between us would be beneficial."
Worryingly, it seemed that Anika had already weighed up this eventuality "Tara's anger is a possibility, however, should your bodies be found next to obvious clues to Sapphire's involvement in your final deaths, then the logical conclusion is that she blamed you for Tara's actions and took her revenge. As this fits the Baron's internal narrative perfectly, I doubt any real investigation into the matter would ever be done..."
There was a pause. Anika had evidently came to a decision. "As you have guessed, I am not some Ventrue on the run from my sire, and my companions have not been driven from their havens. Mainly because anyone who attempted to do so would be very destroyed, very quickly. My name is indeed Anika, but my actual title is Archon."
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| Society of Leopold Religious Arm of the Inquisitor |
Anika abruptly changed the subject "What do you know of the Second Inquisition?"
"Not a great deal..." interjected Ethan, before Luthor got them in trouble again. "We've both been fortunate enough to keep our distance from their activities, other kindred have been far less careful and paid the price for their carelessness. I've personally cleared up such scenes. They weren't pleasant."
Anika nodded, then elaborated. "The SI and their allies in the Society of Leopold had significant success against kindred in the early days. The so-called war on terror was at it's height so any act could be justified, and the funds obtained for these actions easily signed off. Early operations against many kindred, though mainly Ventrue, allowed the SI under it's various guises, to seize considerable financial assets which gave them a certain measure of independence to act as they pleased."
"Now, however, things are a bit different. Experts in finance such as Fiorenza Savona, and security geniuses like Ambrus Maropis, have made these finances far harder to trace, and our kind have grown wise to the warning signs of an Inquisition incursion. Infiltration of government agencies has also become a priority for 'us' so our ability to make these agencies lives difficult has increased. Nothing slows down a high-spending organisation like an oversight committee filled with bean-counting bureaucrats."
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"However, a new and worrying development has come to our attention..."
The conversation now had Luthor and Ethan's undivided attention. Something that worried the Camarilla enough to provoke them to send a team of Archons into Anarch territory undercover was going to be a significant threat.
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| FIRSTLIGHT Military Arm of the Inquisition |
"We believe that the test-run for this plan involves planting one agent in a Camarilla domain, and another in an Anarch one. The Chicago infiltrator appears to have been tasked with taking over the area surrounding the city's main airport. Presumably as this enables him to be contacted and supplied easily, as well as giving him, or her, considerable power in their respective domain. Hopefully you can see where I'm going with this?"
Luthor was smart enough to see where this was going, as was Ethan, but it was Luthor who replied "Yes. You mean our mysterious kindred at the airport who seems able to bypass security with ease..."
Satisfied with the reply, Anika continued. "We also now believe that this fledgling was attempting to sabotage a competitor and succumbed to frenzy while doing so, then his handlers attempted a hasty cover-up. Given your own investigations do you have anything to add to this theory?"
The Archons were obviously fishing for info. Ethan saw no reason to hold back and shared all their discoveries so far. He too had suspected that this mysterious killer had a handler of some description, though he had suspected another kindred, not the Second Inquisition. As Ethan explained the additional mystery of the children's wounds having signs of both feeding and extraction of fluids via syringe.
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| Blood Sample Vial |
"Well this puts a completely different spin on the evening now doesn't it?" replied Luthor. "The search for the S.I. now clearly has to take priority."
Ethan was reasonably sure that Anika was holding something back. He sensed a brief moment of hesitation whenever Tara's name came up in conversation. Clearly something about Tara was a concern to her. He decided at this point that he had nothing to lose, and decided to press the point.
"We are investigating for the Baron, but in many ways what we are doing is providing a degree of comfort for those in the city. If we can't find any more information, or you can provide none, we must continue to serve Tara's needs. Whether that is good or the city, or not, is open to debate. I imagine you must have gathered some intelligence on the Baron, do you have any insights?"
Neither Luthor nor Ethan could tell if Anika was impressed, or annoyed, but they were certainly onto something. Her reply didn't exactly fill them with confidence.
"Well aren't you the observant ones. Perhaps sparing you both wasn't such a great idea after all..."
Scene Sixteen - Fugitive
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| Sapphire Khan - Caitiff Fugitive |
Sapphire turned to Ethan. "I understand you have considerable knowledge of anatomy and the nature of life and death? Perhaps you have an explanation for what I'm about to tell you."
She had Ethan's undivided attention. This was going to be interesting.
"Me and the rest of Jenna Cross's carefully trained strike team, systematically wiped out Tara's security guards and punched through her physical security. She'd already been shot several times when we chased her onto the roof."
It was clear to all present that the memory gave her considerable pleasure.
"As she turned to face me, Jenna gave me the honour of the kill. I emptied the contents of a .357 magnum into the Baron's face, and then the rest of our people opened fire at point blank range. If she was hit by less than fifty rounds then it wasn't by many, then we threw her decaying corpse off the roof. What was left of her hit the ground like a chunk of meat. Short of then setting the remains on fire, she was as destroyed as it's possible for a kindred to be. No way she survived... ...no... fucking... way... either she is an imposter, or something far worse."
"I've stood a few feet from this 'Tara', and looked her straight in the eye and she had no idea who I was. If I shot you in the fucking head six times and you survived, you'd sure as hell recognise me, right?"
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| Jenna Cross - Caitiff Messiah, Presumed Destroyed |
"It's possible, based on Sapphire's testimony, that Tara's reasons for wanting Sapphire and Josef gone, aren't because they were almost responsible for her destruction, but because they know that she couldn't possibly be Tara and that fact would like to be kept a secret."
"Absalom Hood claimed to have found Tara in torpor and moved her to safety. If Sapphire is to be believed, and I see no reason to doubt her, then he would also have to be aware that Tara is either an imposter, or something worse. This, of course, complicates the issue of the Second Inquisition as we must be careful not to become involved in both matters simultaneously. We are only three, and despite being very capable, can only be in so many places at once."
"Also, and with all due respect to miss Khan, we couldn't really give a fuck who runs San Diego, unless a new candidate would be more inclined to help us. Then we might be inclined to help them."
Luthor was sure that Sapphire Khan believed what she said, and that Anika believed Sapphire.
Luthor had no interest in getting directly involved in anything that might get him destroyed, so decided that the best plan was to manipulate someone else to do the job for them, "I imagine someone in the city who was in mind for a regime change, not us of course, not Justin either, might be the people to do this. Getting the information into their hands would be fairly simple."
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| Constance Carson - Gangrel The Oratory, San Diego |
Ethan had a question about an earlier point made by Sapphire "What do you mean by 'or something worse'?"
"I've heard that things can animate bodies other than the original occupant..." replied Sapphire.
Ethan had looked into the occult in significant detail and had has his doubts. "Theoretically it's possible, and flesh can be rebuilt, but given the calibre of weaponry you described, not to mention the fall, it would require too much effort to rebuild a body. Such a spirit would be better served taking another host."
"An imposter would be more likely. As power plays go, installing a sleeper agent is a better plan."
Luthor had something to add. "It's painfully clear that Absalom's loyalty to Tara is absolute, and love is a powerful motivator, perhaps he just couldn't let the memory of her go? Many of Tara's followers were obsessively loyal to her and Absalom. Perhaps one of those was a candidate for the Baron's replacement."
"Having Tara on top keeps Absalom in power too. So his reasons could also be entirely selfish. But whatever the reasoning, If Tara is an imposter there's absolutely no way Absalom doesn't know."
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Ethan had another concern. "Given Tara's pronouncement about Sapphire, if it's revealed that we know of her location, we're all fucked." Anika then returned the conversation to the Archon's primary concern "We have a plan to oust this SI stooge, but we'll need more help than we currently have. So I have one question. Are you with us, or not?"
Luthor decided to push his luck a little. "The question should be 'are you with us', as it's our investigation..." Anika smiled for the first time since they'd arrived before replying.
"Don't make me regret not shooting you..."
To Be Continued in 'Galerie Sanguine: San Diego (Part Five)'
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Storytellers Conclusions
I sometimes like to do a round-up of how the session went in these features but if you couldn't give a shit what I think then feel free to skip this bit....
We're approaching the endgame and the players now need to pick a side. I wonder which way they'll go?
Song Lyrics
Also, the quote in the header is from the following song, should any-one be interested.
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Further Acknowledgements“Portions of the materials are the copyrights and trademarks of White Wolf Entertainment AB, and are used with permission. All rights reserved.”
I've used pictures of real people to represent some of the characters and art for others so in no particular order Luthor Constantine is Michele Morrone Michael, Ethan Holst is Bryan Cranston, Josef Moyer is Sterling K Brown, Cassie Rosales is Claudia Black, 'Katherine' is Holly Willoughby, Alec Doughty is Hamilton Cobb, Jaime Bartlett is Tyler Mane, Anika Norton is Sarah Paulson, Justin Rush is Armie Hammer, Marius Walker is Tony Curran, Baron Tara Kearney is Melissa Rauch, Fiorenza Savona is Jamie Lee Curtis, Sapphire Khan is Uzo Aduba, Jenna Cross is Rhona Mitra, Constance Carson is Dina Meyer and Absalom Hood is Jamie Dornan.
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.