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  1. - Top - End - #241
    Titan in the Playground
     
    SamuraiGuy

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    Default Re: (IC 2) San Francisco by Night: A Requiem in Fog

    Aisling insists that she must go, but that she will meet Karl and Anna at Elysium to discuss things with Nicholas D'Agostino. She leaves her coterie outside the Night Owl, seeming to slink into the shadows like the nocturnal predator that she is. Her movements are a chilling reminder of just how far she is from the teenager that was embraced.

    Unless they pursue any detour first, Karl and Ann arrive at the garishly decorated Tommy's Joynt just a little before 1 A.M.. The mortal's downstairs tavern is relatively quiet, though filled with the usual mix of rabble, police officers, and struggling artists.

    Once upstairs, they are greeted by Lady Stardust, whose hair is a wild red and styled into wicked glam rock mullet. She is wearing a black eye patch and a navy polka dot scarf around his long pale slender neck. A flowing frilled cotton blouse is tucked into a bright red vest and matching trousers. Grinning widely, Lady Stardust fluffs his hair and walks forward to embrace the two. "Darlings", she says regally, "come in, come in. Glad to see you both tonight. Can I get you a table? Are we meeting someone, or maybe something tonight?"
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  2. - Top - End - #242
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    Thundercracker's Avatar

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    Default Re: (IC 2) San Francisco by Night: A Requiem in Fog

    Anna

    “Good evening Lady Stardust, it’s so good to see you,” Anna said, returning the embrace, “we will be meeting someone later, but in the meantime we’re wondering if there are any private rooms available?”
    Last edited by Thundercracker; 2019-01-12 at 07:33 PM.
    TC for short

    "I like the sense of chaos this game provides. OOC, I like that I cannot know every available avenue, but that I can pursue whatever avenue I so choose. IC, I like that what I am doing has consequences. It's very very real." --Noedig

  3. - Top - End - #243
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    SamuraiGuy

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    Default Re: (IC 2) San Francisco by Night: A Requiem in Fog

    Lady Stardust pouts devilishly and says, "Well there aren't any separate rooms up here, but I can guarantee your privacy during your time at our Elysium."
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  4. - Top - End - #244
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    Thundercracker's Avatar

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    Default Re: (IC 2) San Francisco by Night: A Requiem in Fog

    Anna Wu

    “A booth then, if one is available, otherwise a table will have to do,” Anna said.

    She smiled at the androgynous vampire.
    TC for short

    "I like the sense of chaos this game provides. OOC, I like that I cannot know every available avenue, but that I can pursue whatever avenue I so choose. IC, I like that what I am doing has consequences. It's very very real." --Noedig

  5. - Top - End - #245
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    SamuraiGuy

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    Default Re: (IC 2) San Francisco by Night: A Requiem in Fog

    Some time later, Aisling arrives at "The Kink", which appears to be a night club in The Castro. The streets of the Castro have already started to empty. The primarily queer neighborhood is populated by a number of garishly decorated clubs and bars, all sporting rainbow flags. Their storefront windows are covered with posters advertising "Drag Race Wednesday" and "Karaoke in Heels Endless Brunch", many with pictures of scantily clad, but well built male models.

    However, the Kink appears to be far more surreptitiously advertised. Ailsling wouldn't even know it was there if not for a pink neon sign that cuts through the heavy fog to indicate that the bar is down a flight of stairs in some sort of basement level space. From street level, Kara can hear the distant but heavy pound of some sort of pulsing dance music. A nondescript man who smells faintly of vitae, but whose heartbeat marks him as mortal stands outside the club. He is thin, dressed in a heavy knit wool sweater, jeans and a conservative pair of loafers. He has a gaunt face and thinning hair, and a thick brown mustache over full lips and a strong overbite.

    He notices Aisling approaching, and admonishingly says, "Girl you shouldn't be out so late. What are you doing in the Castro at this hour?"

    ************************************************** *********

    Lady Stardust grins, "Well of course my dear. Let's make sure you are comfortable, and that there is enough space for when your friends arrive." She gives Anna an almost cheeky wink, before turning and leading the two vampires through the hauntingly hazy room. Again is the whirl of distant shadowed silhouettes seated at tables lit only by a single small candle. No single face is clear in the thick fog like atmosphere of the Elysium. The three seem to walk for longer than either Anna or Karl have ever traveled. It is as if the room has suddenly defied the rules of space and logic, seeming to extend for almost a mile till Lady Stardust leads the two to a large and luxurious booth attached to a wall. A window over the booth looks out over the streets below.

    "Here we are darlings," Lady Stardust says with a grin, "Please make yourselves comfortable. And rest assured that your privacy will be protected while you are in my care. Can I get you anything else?"
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    San Francisco by Night (Vampire the Requiem 2E)

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  6. - Top - End - #246
    Ogre in the Playground
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    Default Re: (IC 2) San Francisco by Night: A Requiem in Fog

    The Gangrel had paused in her silent stride down the streets and alleys of the Castro to look at the myriad of garish advertisements on the walls. She had heard of karaoke from Bernardo….but the notion of a drag race struck her as odd. What exactly were they dragging around? Aisling had visions of people pulling wagons, or ploughs like the horses that tilled the fields in her father’s earldom.

    When she arrived, finally, at The Kink, she was still feeling a little uncomfortable from gorging on blood earlier from the pig-like ghoul, but the trip had allowed her to work through some of it.

    ”I am here to see Alejandro Perez.” Aisling states simply to the gaunt man outside the club. Her glacial blue eyes flickered across him curiously, but it held the glint of a predator sizing up prey. He wasn’t Kindred. Maybe a Ghoul. Likely, even. But the Gangrel wasn’t truly exepcting any trouble from him.

    Then again….if this was a gathering of the Circle, perhaps there would be threats about.

    Spoiler: OOC
    Show


    I assume that she went back to fetch Gazren’s book, Benno?

    I hope that you have had success on your journal article!

    "Even in these chains, you can't stop me!" - In This Moment, Big Bad Wolf

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  7. - Top - End - #247
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    Thundercracker's Avatar

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    Default Re: (IC 2) San Francisco by Night: A Requiem in Fog

    Anna smiled.

    “No Lady Stardust,” she replied, “I hope you have been well, and to continue to see you for visits for decades to come.”

    Once Anna and Karl were alone, she starting looking through the photos to figure out where was under surveillance.
    Last edited by Thundercracker; 2019-01-15 at 04:02 AM.
    TC for short

    "I like the sense of chaos this game provides. OOC, I like that I cannot know every available avenue, but that I can pursue whatever avenue I so choose. IC, I like that what I am doing has consequences. It's very very real." --Noedig

  8. - Top - End - #248
    Titan in the Playground
     
    SamuraiGuy

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    Default Re: (IC 2) San Francisco by Night: A Requiem in Fog

    ”I am here to see Alejandro Perez.” Aisling states simply to the gaunt man outside the club. Her glacial blue eyes flickered across him curiously, but it held the glint of a predator sizing up prey. He wasn’t Kindred. Maybe a Ghoul. Likely, even. But the Gangrel wasn’t truly exepcting any trouble from him.

    Then again….if this was a gathering of the Circle, perhaps there would be threats about.
    The man's face turns so pale it almost looks blue, his eyes going wide with sudden fright. The ghoul takes a step back, his balled fists finely trembling. "My apologies my lady," he says as if expecting to be suddenly struck, "You must be here for The Gathering. I apologize, but I have never seen you before. Are you a... 'member of The Circle'?"

    ************************************************** ************

    "I have been," Lady Stardust says with a smile. She gives a gracious bow and says, "Just ring me if you need anything dears." Of course there are no bells on the table, or any methods of summoning, though the Master of Elysium has slipped away into the miasmic haze before this point can be raised.

    OOC: Just wanted to double check, Karl and Anna brought more than just the phone pics Karl took, right? You've brought a laptop or something to go over all the video footage before D'Agostino arrives, and then to show him when he does?
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    San Francisco by Night (Vampire the Requiem 2E)

    New Bedford by Night (Werewolf the Forsaken 2E)

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  9. - Top - End - #249
    Ettin in the Playground
     
    RedWizardGuy

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    Default Re: (IC 2) San Francisco by Night: A Requiem in Fog

    Karl nods respectfully to Lady Stardust, eager to get to work. Once alone, he looks to Anna, "So, I think we probably ought to start by identifying all of the places with a camera, make a list of who and what is being spied upon."

    "In the interest of avoiding accusations of betrayal, I suggest setting the files for D'Agostino to the side, along with any that might exist for your own sire. We don't bargain with that information. The rest is going to be quite valuable though. To keep and peruse, or to trade."


    Spoiler: OOC
    Show
    Yeah, we'd have at least brought a laptop. Probably two so we could work in tandem.
    "No man is an island, entire of itself, every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main... Any man's death diminishes me because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee." -John Donne-
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  10. - Top - End - #250
    Ogre in the Playground
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    Default Re: (IC 2) San Francisco by Night: A Requiem in Fog

    With Gazren’s book secured in a bundle of wrapped plastic shopping bags and tucked safely into her weathered satchel, Aisling sniffed thoughtfully at the ghoul before her.

    ”No apologies necessary, sir. I am here for the Gathering, yes.” She did not, however, admit vocally that she wasn’t a part of the Circle of Crone as of yet. The mutterings of her Beast instilled a sense of paranoia – she wasn’t keen on drawing any more attention to herself than necessary.

    ”Is Alejandro here already?”
    "Even in these chains, you can't stop me!" - In This Moment, Big Bad Wolf

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  11. - Top - End - #251
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    SamuraiGuy

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    Default Re: (IC 2) San Francisco by Night: A Requiem in Fog

    Anna and Karl begin running through files, each working on separate laptops.

    (OOC: I'm going to ask for a single Int/Wits + Computers/Investigation for each player, with +3 modifiers. Please specify goals, I think Karl's would be to catalog all the Kindred being spied upon and with what cameras?)

    ************************************************** **********

    The man does his best to smile, his lips twisting up in an uncomfortable rictus saying, "Welcome then my lady. I do believe Lord Perez is here. Please, follow me." The ghoul lifts up a trap door, revealing a flight of descending concrete stairs. The moment the door is open, Aisling is struck by the pounding rhythm of the downstairs night club. The cellar stairwell is lit with eerie red lights, that cast long dark shadows as the two descend. The concrete walls are festooned with graffiti and small pop-art posters and stickers; some with one decorated word phrase like "RAP" or "18 Rabbit". Many of the posters have been pulled down, worn away or covered with more graffiti.

    At the bottom of the stairs, there is a long hallway. Down the hall is what appears to be a small dance hall, though it is nothing more than a concrete room lined with cheap mirrors. The dance floor is covered with men in leather bondage outfits, if Aisling understands what this is, grinding on each other, kissing and licking. Many of the men have obscene body piercings, and many wear black plastic or leather masks. They mob moves in rhythm with the hypnotic and pounding music. It is unbearably hot and humid down here, and reeking of mortal sweat and body odor; it is both repulsive and delicious to smell.

    However, Aisling's guide does not lead her to this room. Instead, he opens up a door from what appeared to be more graffitied wall, and leads her into an unlit room. The man pulls out his cellphone to light his way, though Aisling's enhanced vision does not require the handicap. The hallways extends for far longer than Aisling would have extended, turning several times, and growing slowly colder and more damp.

    Finally, the tunnel ends in large and ornately decorated room, cramped full of Kindred. There are maybe 12-15 vampires in the room, sitting or standing around a large wooden table. The Kindred are all dressed in familiar dark green robes, and wearing ghoulish masks. The covenant watches silently as Aisling enters. Other than the subtle shifts of chins, or the tracking of luminous eyes, the vampires are statue still, and no one speaks or moves to greet Aisling as she stands at the threshold of this gathering.
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    San Francisco by Night (Vampire the Requiem 2E)

    New Bedford by Night (Werewolf the Forsaken 2E)

    New Orleans by Night (Changeling the Lost 2E)

  12. - Top - End - #252
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    SamuraiGuy

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    Default Re: (IC 2) San Francisco by Night: A Requiem in Fog

    As far as Anna can tell, it appears that mostly those being monitored are the relatively elder and powerful Kindred within the city of San Francisco. Every Primogen, and high ranking member of the Covenants is being watched, including Julian, Lady Miho, and Anna's Sire. Or at least they all appear in footage taken from within the Dragon's Nest!

    Anna recognizes each room from which video is taken, and it wouldn't be too hard to find and remove the planted cameras.

    Otherwise, Anna sees no unique pattern to who is and is not being watched.
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    San Francisco by Night (Vampire the Requiem 2E)

    New Bedford by Night (Werewolf the Forsaken 2E)

    New Orleans by Night (Changeling the Lost 2E)

  13. - Top - End - #253
    Ogre in the Playground
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    Default Re: (IC 2) San Francisco by Night: A Requiem in Fog

    With a simple nod to the ghoul, Aisling followed along silently. The intensity of the sound below thrums in her veins, stirring something old and primal that seemed to please her Beast and she felt it purring in satisfaction as she slipped down the stairs and into the club.

    The sight of the bondage outfits caused a stutter in her step, and had she been able to blush it was likely she would have. Her mother had once given her a simple explanation of a woman’s duties – especially those that came with being the daughter of an Earl – but her first brush with romance had been her sire, and while Gazren may have taken her to be his bride, but thanks to his advanced age and the potency of his vitae, his interest in her had never extended to the physical side of things. Now, in the modern age, she most she had seen was from Bernardo’s clumsy fumblings and his own reactions to the rather immodest Gangrel.

    This was something vastly different!

    Averting her eyes with, almost embarassement, Aisling continued along until she found herself in the ornate room where the Circle members had gathered.

    It was a little overwhelming at first, and Aisling fought the urge to fidget anxiously under the appraising stares of that many other vampires.

    Sucking in a deep, steadying breath that did little in truth but act as an affectation of mortality, Aisling raised her chin and tried to meet the stares of those gathered.

    ”I am Aisling O’Donnell, childe of Gazren, daughter of the Earl of Tyr Connell in Eire.” Aisling said, proud of her lineage as both progeny of Gazren and the child of nobility. Even if she didn’t particularly look the part any longer.
    "Even in these chains, you can't stop me!" - In This Moment, Big Bad Wolf

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  14. - Top - End - #254
    Titan in the Playground
     
    SamuraiGuy

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    Default Re: (IC 2) San Francisco by Night: A Requiem in Fog

    The vampires stare at Aisling, their eyes reflecting the Ghoul's flashlight in red like a pack of demonic wolves. The covenant remains statue still as Aisling speaks, the only other noise in the room being the Ghoul's shallow breath.

    There is a long pause after Aisling speaks. Finally a man in a plastic fox mask rises with arms open. Aisling can tell by his long greasy curls and slender frame that this is likely Alejandro Perez. As Perez begins to walk around the table towards Aisling, two more rise; Mother Blackstar, who is unmistakable and masked with the scalp of a deer that has been stretched over wood, creating an almost demonic countenance, complete with antlers. The other is wearing a screaming demon mask, that Aisling remembers from the attack in the streets of San Francisco. This one was almost certainly Indra!

    "Welcome Aisling O'Donnell, thank you for joining us!" Alejandro announces in a stage voice, breaking the hypnotic silence of the room. "Do you come seeking answers from The Mother? Do you come to devote your flesh to our circle and join our Covenant with the Dark Mother?" He walks around the table, gesturing as he speaks, till he has reached Aisling and placed a cold dead hand on her shoulder.

    Mother Blackstar and Indra remain standing, while the others remain seated and unmoved around the table. The bestial rage from Blackstar and a few others in the Circle is palpable. The hairs on the back of Aisling's neck go electric, and her muscles tense as if preparing for a fight. The Beast is howling inside Aisling's mind, half ready to flee, and half ready to rip out someone's heart.
    Last edited by Bennosuke; 2019-01-18 at 08:15 AM.
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    San Francisco by Night (Vampire the Requiem 2E)

    New Bedford by Night (Werewolf the Forsaken 2E)

    New Orleans by Night (Changeling the Lost 2E)

  15. - Top - End - #255
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    SamuraiGuy

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    Default Re: (IC 2) San Francisco by Night: A Requiem in Fog

    Karl's findings are similar to Anna's, however, on reviewing the footage of Prince's Gorman's private chambers, Karl makes a finding that could alter the political climate of San Francisco indefinitely. The Sheriff brings in a woman, maybe in her thirties with dark hair and a relatively voluptuous body; the footage is rather grainy. The woman is handcuffed, with a metal medieval looking collar around her slender neck, that drags her by a rope.

    She is thrown before the Prince, who hungrily falls upon her. He feeds and feeds, and though Karl has watched hundreds of Vampires perform the act, there is something monstrous in the Prince's feast. The feeding goes on and on, and the woman seems to be writhing in pain. Karl can only be thankful there is no audio, as the woman's lined and panicked face appears to be screaming as she squirms in agony, unable to brake free of the Prince's grasp. As the feeding finishes, the woman's body goes, limp. The Prince continues to feed. Then her body seizes and curls up, as if suddenly grasped by rigor mortis. The Prince continues to feed. And as the woman dies, her body seeming to shrivel as if leeched of all moisture, the skin turns paper thin, then crumbles, then turns to ash.

    The prince rises from what is nothing more than a pile of dust, and wipes his forearm across his face, smearing the ash of the diablerized vampire across his cheeks. The satisfaction and bloodlust in Prince Gorman's eyes is palpable, even from the grainy video footage.
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    San Francisco by Night (Vampire the Requiem 2E)

    New Bedford by Night (Werewolf the Forsaken 2E)

    New Orleans by Night (Changeling the Lost 2E)

  16. - Top - End - #256
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    Thundercracker's Avatar

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    Default Re: (IC 2) San Francisco by Night: A Requiem in Fog

    Anna Wu

    Anna cursed under her breath in Chinese.

    "I can't believe this is even on video," Anna said, "Karl, we have to do this right and somehow not get killed."
    TC for short

    "I like the sense of chaos this game provides. OOC, I like that I cannot know every available avenue, but that I can pursue whatever avenue I so choose. IC, I like that what I am doing has consequences. It's very very real." --Noedig

  17. - Top - End - #257
    Ettin in the Playground
     
    RedWizardGuy

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    Default Re: (IC 2) San Francisco by Night: A Requiem in Fog

    "I am glad you recognize the danger Anna. In any case, this footage is obviously the Sheriff's fallback. Should the prince, or indeed anyone else of importance in the city, cause him trouble, he can use these files to regain control of the situation. I'm only surprised he was foolish enough to keep this information so carelessly guarded."

    "So, do we tell D'agostino? This information could be exactly what he needs to ignite a coup. But I must admit, I don't think I want to get involved in that any more than I must. Small fry like us often end up being ground to a paste in such conflicts. It might be safer to sit on it for now."
    "No man is an island, entire of itself, every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main... Any man's death diminishes me because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee." -John Donne-
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  18. - Top - End - #258
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    Thundercracker's Avatar

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    Default Re: (IC 2) San Francisco by Night: A Requiem in Fog

    Anna Wu

    “No way, we’ve got to tell him,” Anna said, “there’s already a mark on our head, and he can use this to take over, for which we will certainly earn a boon or more. The only question is do we try to get boons from anyone else first, or do we go straight to him with this? Personally I’m in favor of going straight to him. Tonight. Here. Before we leave Elysium.”

    Anna considered whether she would be insulting the Ordo by leaving them out. Maybe she could try to secure a boon for the entire covenant...
    TC for short

    "I like the sense of chaos this game provides. OOC, I like that I cannot know every available avenue, but that I can pursue whatever avenue I so choose. IC, I like that what I am doing has consequences. It's very very real." --Noedig

  19. - Top - End - #259
    Ogre in the Playground
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    Default Re: (IC 2) San Francisco by Night: A Requiem in Fog

    Watching Alejandro and his showmanship gave Aisling the little boost she needed to stand up straighter. To stand taller. Her small hands came to rest on her hips imperiously, and she tilted her chin up. Aisling’s glacial blue eyes raked across the gathered Kindred, coming to rest on Indra and Mother Blackstar for a few tense moments. The corner of her lips quirked in a small smirk before she turned her attention back to Perez.

    ”Thank you for having me.” Aisling said, at length, while giving a small curtsey.

    ”I come seeking answers to my questions. I come seeking protection from my enemies….and I do come to join your Circle and to make my covenant with the Dark Mother.”

    The Beast inside was thrashing, Aisling torn between the desire to rend Indra and Blackstar apart for what they had done to her and the desire to run and hide in a dark hole where no one could ever trouble her again.

    Ultimately, the Gangrel knew that if she fled now there would be nothing to stop Blackstar from seeking bloody retribution.

    But the urge to tell Blackstar she looked good after the Prince had broken her neck was strong….
    "Even in these chains, you can't stop me!" - In This Moment, Big Bad Wolf

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  20. - Top - End - #260
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    SamuraiGuy

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    Default Re: (IC 2) San Francisco by Night: A Requiem in Fog

    As Anna and Karl discuss, the Invictus member continues to run through the files on The Prince's Haven. There was footage from multiple cameras. From the inside, it looked like some sort of Western European palace; all high ceilings and marble and polished stone. Though there was little ornamentation, the mansion was rather ostentatious. More interestingly, there appeared to be a number of hidden passageways that Karl identified as Prince Gorman slipped behind walls or through hidden doors.

    Karl knew enough about Christoph Gorman that he was aware that The Prince's Haven was located in Pacific Heights, one of the most expensive and desirable neighborhoods in San Francisco. Even though Karl didn't know the address, he now knew the lay of the land and some of the Haven's secrets. Karl would be more comfortable infiltrating the Mansion should he ever need to.

    (OOC: Karl gains the condition Informed (Prince's Haven), from the CofD 2E bookd 289. He can resolve this when making a knowledge roll or when navigating the laberynth of the Prince's Haven).

    And there it was, a library that was somehow terrifyingly familiar to Karl. The sight of the tall wooden shelves lined with old tomes brought a sudden panic to Karl, and lit his brain on fire. The Beast was howling in Karl's chest, fighting to take control and run, even though it was just a little grainy black and white video on a laptop.

    ************************************************** ******

    Mother Blackstar tore her deer's mask away, revealing a hard square face and short blond hair. She stepped forward, as if to confront Alejandro and Aisling, and it was then that Aisling saw the woman was clutching a long curved knife. The handle appeared to be polished ivory, or maybe bone, and was gilded with an intricate pattern of geometrically aligned flowers. The golden pattern continued up the spine of the slender blade, which was set with double fullers.

    The Primogen's hard blue eyes darted back and forth from Alejandro to Aisling, then back to Alejandro, who had also removed his mask and was now grinning impishly. The two Crones stare at each other for several long moments, before Mother Blackstar turns her attention again back to Aisling. Her scowl softens and turns into a wicked grin. "Welcome Aisling O'Donnell," she says, her voice adopting a familiar old English accent as she says the name, "I am... WE are surprised by your presence." The Primogen of the Circle of Crone then turns to her acolytes, arms outstretched and ready to perform. Carrying her voice, Mother Blackstar says, "But our ranks are full, and in these nights it is not so easy to trust your fellow Kindred. If you wish to join us in our circle, then you will have to be tested!" She turns back to Aisling now, and the Gangrel can see that Blackstar is grinning maniacally, exposing long curved fangs. The weight of The Primogen's Beast hits Aisling with a powerful and wretched aura, as if It and Mother Blackstar were cackling and mocking her. Mother Blackstar was lashing out with her Beast, goading Aisling to run away, or to accept her challenge.

    (OOC: Mother Blackstar is "Lashing Out" with her competitive aura (see page 92). Aisling has the option of Fight vs. Flight. Fighting will require a willpower and would lead to a contested roll. Aisling would pick one of her Bestial Triad; Monsterous/Strength, Seductive/Presence, or Competitive/Intelligence and roll the associated trait + Blood Potency -1 vs. Mother Blackstar's Int + Blood Potency with the winner forcing an associated condition and a social penalty on the other. If Aisling instead decides to "Flee", Aisling would spend nothing, and simply gain the condition "Competitive" (pg 302), with no social modifier. However, this would be a social embarrassment for Aisling in the eyes of the observing Kindred.)
    Spoiler: Games I am Currently Running
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    San Francisco by Night (Vampire the Requiem 2E)

    New Bedford by Night (Werewolf the Forsaken 2E)

    New Orleans by Night (Changeling the Lost 2E)

  21. - Top - End - #261
    Ettin in the Playground
     
    RedWizardGuy

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    Default Re: (IC 2) San Francisco by Night: A Requiem in Fog

    Karl sighs, "Very well, I guess I'd just hoped I'd seen my last war. Blood will flow over this, make no mistake."

    His face seizes up at the sight of the library, stiffly, he turns the screen and asks, "Do you recognize this place?"
    "No man is an island, entire of itself, every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main... Any man's death diminishes me because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee." -John Donne-
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  22. - Top - End - #262
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    Thundercracker's Avatar

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    Default Re: (IC 2) San Francisco by Night: A Requiem in Fog

    “The way I see it Karl, he’s just keeping us around so he can eat us later,” Anna said, “every night we delay could be our last.”

    She looked closer at the screen to get a better look at the library. Maybe it’s where they were tortured...
    TC for short

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  23. - Top - End - #263
    Ogre in the Playground
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    Default Re: (IC 2) San Francisco by Night: A Requiem in Fog

    Aisling did her best to meet Blackstar’s gaze, and tried to stifle the Beast’s gnashing in her head. She felt the overwhelming urge to avert her eyes, but knew that if she bowed to Blackstar now, she’d be sealing her fate. Memories of that damnable electric collar itched in her mind, and Aisling worked to keep her back straight and expression impassive.

    ”I…will…submit myself to any tests that the venerable Circle of Crone feels are necessary. But…” Aisling paused, dark eyes flitting to Alejandro for the barest of moments, hoping that the next words she spoke would not be her doom. The Gangrel thought back to all the times she had been forced to sit in on her father’s court, and hoped that she could channel some of that into her presence. She swallowed down the urge to cry out and flee, swallowed down the fear, and before she could stop herself, her lips parted and she was speaking again…

    ”But…I concede to these demands, on the condition that it be known and acknowledge by all…that I am here to offer myself to the will and the desires of the Dark Mother….and not to any temporal agents who claim to speak in her name. All those present likely know by now of the events that transpired during my formal introduction to the court of the Prince of San Fransisco and of the history that we share, Mother Blackstar. I would submit to those honoured members of the Circle that the testing be overseen by someone with a more…neutral…opinion of myself. For the sake of being magnanimous.”

    The Gangrel turned her glacial blue gaze to Blackstar and Indra once again, trying not to let the trepidation fluttering in her dead heart to show on her face.

    Spoiler: OOC
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    Benno, I hope that was acceptable. I’d be prepared to spend an extra willpower if you feel that it would be suitable for a Child/Follower Mask/Dirge to stand up for herself like that.

    As for the contest of Wills? Aisling will roll off on her Intelligence of 2 considering she’s trying to use logic to sway the situation to her favour.

    So that’s…

    Intelligence 2 + Blood Potency 1 -1

    (2d10)[4][8](12)

    If I can spend another willpower point to bolster the roll, I will do so!

    (3d10)[2][9][9](20)

    Fingers crossed! This could go so bad!!!!

    EDIT: With the extra willpower spent, that's...not horrible. I still suspect she'll roll better.

    Last edited by Erulasto; 2019-01-20 at 05:11 AM.
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  24. - Top - End - #264
    Ettin in the Playground
     
    RedWizardGuy

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    Default Re: (IC 2) San Francisco by Night: A Requiem in Fog

    Karl nods, "There is that."

    "This is probably only a small portion of the data. I fully suspect the sheriff has been doing this for years. He might not have kept everything that was recorded, but if I were him I'd have a cache of the most important tidbits. Dozens of diableries by the prince, critical secrets he can hold over vampires both high and low"
    Karl is getting excited by the thought of such a treasure trove, if he could salivate he might even have drooled a little. "We're definitely going to have to go back and find the rest."

    Then he shakes his head, "But that's for later if at all. Okay, we give D'agostino his data freely and ask for something appropriate for the data on the prince. Hopefully we can avoid being ground to dust in the aftermath of that one."

    "But that leaves the question of what to do with the rest of it. Your own clan will definitely not appreciate you having a hand in selling the data on them away. And even the vampires we have no connection to won't like it. I'd rather not make unnecessary enemies."
    "No man is an island, entire of itself, every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main... Any man's death diminishes me because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee." -John Donne-
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  25. - Top - End - #265
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    Default Re: (IC 2) San Francisco by Night: A Requiem in Fog

    “They’re too powerful,” Anna said, “and we’re... if we got our hands on that much data on that many powerful Kindred, we’re almost as good as dead. I mean if we can, we should, but otherwise I wouldn’t care if it were all destroyed except what we need for d’agnostino to take over and get a few boons.”

    “I guess what I’m saying is, the most important thing is making sure you-know-who goes and we don’t get wiped out in the middle,” she said.

    “If we could get our hands on the data storage and sort through it....” Anna said, “but how could we do that? Unless everyone thinks it’s destroyed..?”
    Last edited by Thundercracker; 2019-01-20 at 07:23 PM.
    TC for short

    "I like the sense of chaos this game provides. OOC, I like that I cannot know every available avenue, but that I can pursue whatever avenue I so choose. IC, I like that what I am doing has consequences. It's very very real." --Noedig

  26. - Top - End - #266
    Ettin in the Playground
     
    RedWizardGuy

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    Default Re: (IC 2) San Francisco by Night: A Requiem in Fog

    "That's exactly how we would do it. Make a copy, and make sure enough people see the original being destroyed, supposedly unread. If we don't get a chance to make that copy unknown to others, we don't try to take the data."

    "But that's for later, this is the data we have now, shall we finish sorting through?"
    "No man is an island, entire of itself, every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main... Any man's death diminishes me because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee." -John Donne-
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  27. - Top - End - #267
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    Default Re: (IC 2) San Francisco by Night: A Requiem in Fog

    “Yes, but what are we going to tell d’agnostino today, that we have proof of surveillance, or the really nasty video we just saw?” she asked.
    TC for short

    "I like the sense of chaos this game provides. OOC, I like that I cannot know every available avenue, but that I can pursue whatever avenue I so choose. IC, I like that what I am doing has consequences. It's very very real." --Noedig

  28. - Top - End - #268
    Ettin in the Playground
     
    RedWizardGuy

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    Default Re: (IC 2) San Francisco by Night: A Requiem in Fog

    "He's going to need that proof of diablerie. Surveillance alone probably won't be enough to bring down the prince, and even if it was, the Prince could claim that it was all the Schultz's doing with no knowledge or direction from him, heck that claim even might be true."

    "Speaking of the surveillance though, let me go ahead and send D'agostino's files to that address Tony gave us. No need to be seen delaying on those"


    Karl picks out the footage that they knew for certain pertained to the primogen and sent a copy to the address provided, and then another copy to yet another dropbox he'd created tonight.
    "No man is an island, entire of itself, every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main... Any man's death diminishes me because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee." -John Donne-
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  29. - Top - End - #269
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    SamuraiGuy

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    Default Re: (IC 2) San Francisco by Night: A Requiem in Fog

    Finally, a noise cuts through the fog of Elysium; the approaching of footsteps. Nicholas D'Agostino shifts into visibility first. He is dressed like a true Ventrue; charcoal grey double breasted suit, dark blue and gold trimmed paisley tie, and a large faced designer chrome watch. His dark brown hair is combed and gelled back, revealing a small widow's peak. A soft smile plays across cold pink lips as he studies Anna and Karl.

    Nicholas is followed by his Childe, Tony, who has changed outfits since he met the coterie at the Night Owl. Now wearing an expensive looking navy pinstripe three piece suit and blood red tie, Tony grins at Anna and Karl, his face greedy with anticipation.

    A third corpse emerges from the haze. A dark skinned refrigerator of a man with a severe raisin face and fists like boulders. He is wearing a brown blazer and grey slacks, cut in a baggy fashion that contrasts Nicholas and Tony's more modern cuts. The man's cold brown eyes survey Anna and Karl, his face an unreadable mask.

    Nicholas is the first to speak. His small grin widens as he spreads his arm out and announces, "My dear friends, thank you for waiting so late into the night to meet with me." He offers a firm hand shake to both vampires, waiting to be invited to sit. He speaks as if it's business as usual, with a reserved friendliness. "My Childe has told me you have something very important and very private to discuss. Please," he gestures, "and let me introduce you both to my associate Frank Beato." The three hundred pound brick of muscle gives a curt nod to Ann and Karl.
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    San Francisco by Night (Vampire the Requiem 2E)

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  30. - Top - End - #270
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    Default Re: (IC 2) San Francisco by Night: A Requiem in Fog

    Anna Wu

    “Thank you for meeting with us, your excellency,” Anna said, “and apologies for the urgent request, but we’ve uncovered information of the utmost importance.”

    “First, the Sheriff has hidden video surveillance in these locations in your territory,” Anna said. She pulled up photos on her laptop and scrolled through still pictures of the surveillance relevant to D’agnostino’s territories.

    She left unsaid that they should be careful what they did or said in those areas to avoid tipping their hand or the Sheriff off that the surveillance had been compromised. D’agnostino wasn’t an idiot.
    Last edited by Thundercracker; 2019-01-22 at 08:27 AM.
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    "I like the sense of chaos this game provides. OOC, I like that I cannot know every available avenue, but that I can pursue whatever avenue I so choose. IC, I like that what I am doing has consequences. It's very very real." --Noedig

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