Dragon Ball Z Uncensored

[Jason]

Jason: You enter in and silently close the door behind you, unseen in the darkness. You're greeted a sight that takes you unpleasantly back to last night: the Malkavian you recognize as the intruder in your home, dancing around two bonfires where the dead dropped during the fight.

Kang: Is he the only one?

Jason: He's both gathering up different objects left around the warehouse, mostly just boxes, and loading them into a brand new van that you can see standing outside, past the open freight entrance, as well as stoking the crashed van from earlier with pieces of wood and newspaper.
Jason: Yes, he's the only thing moving.

Kang: Okay
Kang: I'll scan the warehouse very carefully
Kang: Just to make sure no one else is there.

Jason: You make absolutely sure, and wait for about five minutes for any activity besides this Malkavian's childlike dancing, but there's nothing.

Kang: Okay, I'm going to go back outside and grab Zero.
_________________
Last edited by God on Fri Apr 05, 33 4:00 am; edited 1 time in total

[Jason]

Richter: I'll answer my phone.
Richter: Actually
Richter: I'll check the caller id.
Richter: Before answering.

Jason: Blocked number.

Richter: I'll answer the phone.

Richter: "Who is this?"

Jason: "Richter, you have my Malik," says the voice of Anselme Pavel.

Richter: "Yes, he and I were having a spirited conversation."

Jason: Perception + Empathy, six.
Jason: Actually, I'll roll that.
Jason: Secretly.
Jason: You notice nothing.
Jason: Anyway ...
Jason: "Have you hurt him?" he asks.

Richter: "No, he's fine."
Richter: "I'm impressed about your concern for your subordinates."
Richter: "So, this can't be the only reason you're calling me, can it, Anselme."

Jason: "Of course I'm concerned. I am not some Camarilla prince who would send four hapless Kindred into life-threatening peril simply to save a co-conspirator."
Jason: "I regret to say, that I am calling you exactly for this reason,

Richter. I want you to return Malik to me. I trust you have that decency left in you."

Jason: "I am in your office, Richter. I have your staff, here, at my command. Bring Malik to me and they will not suffer."
Jason: "Let's talk."
Jason: The phone goes dead.

Richter: Hmmm
Richter: Nothing seems particularly great so I'm looking for the one that seems the least retarded.
Richter: I guess my guys staff are more important to him than the assholes he was forced to work with tonight.
Richter: Especially Zero.

Jason: How hungry you are certainly doesn't escape you as well.

Richter: I'll use my cell phone to call a cab.
Richter: And head to my office.

Jason: Bringing Malik?

Richter: Well I assume he follows me.
Richter: I don't want to give him a new command yet.

Jason: Unless you tell him otherwise.
Jason: All right.

Richter: I got a lot of successes, and I don't want to heal.
Richter: So I doubt I'll beat that roll with my next one anyway.
Richter: So I'll just let him continue following the first command.

Jason: You do so, and Malik joins you out in the night. The dark black taxi drives you comfortably through the snowy, icy streets of Nauset. As you go, you regain a Willpower point in satisfaction of Malik's obedience.
Jason: However, as you happen to drive down the road that the Elysium sits on, your eyes are naturally drawn to it, and you can't help but notice the looming black smoke emanating from its roof.
Jason: The taxi continues on its course.

Richter: I tell the drive to stop by Elysium real quick.
Richter: Or at least stop on the street and wait.

Jason: He hears you, and pulls over. No one of the few people on the street seem to notice the smoke. The building simply doesn't catch their eye. You can see that both the car you four had taken earlier that night is gone, as well as the second car which Anselme and his group presumably arrived in.

Richter: I'll approach Elysium cautiously and see if the door is unlocked.

Jason: It is. It swings open at your touch, revealing a hallway of smoke and heat.

Richter: Is the fire too dangerous to proceed?

Jason: You can't actually see any fire from where you are.

Richter: Alright I'll enter the building cautiously and as quickly and cautiously as possible look for survivors.

Jason: The smoke is very strong, it gets into your eyes and you count your blessings that at least you don't have to breathe. Malik trails behind you.
Jason: Soon, it's so thick that you actually can't see in front of you. You feel Malik's hand on your shoulder, helping himself to follow. You're blind in the smoke, with one hand on the wall of the hallway. It might be possible to guide yourself like that.

Richter: That's what I'll do as I make my way through.
Richter: And I'll try to remember what sort of turns I took so I can exit the building when I need to.
Richter: Or have a path out.
Richter: And I'll try to make my way to the main hall with the Prince's glass chamber.
Richter: Or wherever else in here a lot of people my congregate.

Jason: You slowly works your way through the winding, twisting hall of the building, until finally it opens and you can see once again. Helped by the illuminations of all the flames, you see the prince's court, little bonfires burning up all the bodies of the harpies and deputies.
Jason: At the center of far wall is the glass chamber. There, the prince's body, slumped in his throne, clearly dead. Next to him, Lucy, still alive, crying, praying for help. Around the chamber is a ring of fire.

Richter: I'm going to try to get to Lucy.
Richter: I'm assuming Malik will stay near me out of the fire.
Richter: Since he won't directly injure himself.
Richter: But will still obey the command.

Jason: Perception + Occult, five.
Jason: Minus one die.

dicebot: Richter rolled d10 --> [ 1d10=9 ]{9}

Jason: It wouldn't be impossible to somehow make Malik walk through fire.

Richter: Oh I don't want him to walk through the fire.
Richter: I just want him to not stop obeying the command.
Richter: I was going to go for Lucy myself.

Jason: All right ...

Richter: I was asking for a confirmation.

Jason: Yes, he'll follow, and keep himself safe.

Richter: I don't want him Rotschrecking in the middle of my command.
Richter: That would fucking suck.
Richter: Also I don't think Lucy would go with him.
Richter: I'll use a blood point to heal myself.
Richter: And then attempt to get to Lucy to rescue her.

Jason: You begin to walk through the Elysium, fires raging all around you. It's horrific, possibly the most frightening experience of your unlife, but you brush the smoke from your face and reach the platform, and its border of flame.
Jason: Lucy doesn't notice you, she's still staring at Percival's body.

Richter: I yell at her to try to get her attention.
Richter: "Lucy, come on we need to go!"

Jason: She turns and you can see her face coated in blood. Her eyes recognize you. "You!" she exclaims, weakly.

Richter: "Can you get to me?"

Jason: She presses her hand to the glass and immediately pulls it back. It burns just to touch it.

Richter: "Do you have something to cover your hand with or break the glass?"
Richter: "I'll look for something over here!"

Jason: She can open the door, without too much pain.
Jason: The problem is getting through the actual fire.

Richter: Is there any debris, or anything I could use to put out a small part of the fire to quickly get to her?
Richter: Or I look for something along those lines.

Jason: Wits + Survival, difficulty eight.

dicebot: Richter rolled 3#d10 --> [ 1d10=5 ]{5}, [ 1d10=2 ]{2}, [ 1d10=3 ]{3}

Jason: Nothing. Everything is either burning, or is a wall.

Richter: Could I reach out my hand and help pull Lucy through the fire quickly?
Richter: So it's minimal risk for either of us?

Jason: You'll have to roll for it, of course.

Richter: Yeah I expect to do that.
Richter: But my guy crossing the fire twice seems stupid.

Jason: It would be Dexterity + Survival, difficulty nine.

Richter: What would running through and then running back be?

Jason: Same roll, difficulty ten, but less of a chance of hurting Lucy.

Richter: I'll run in and grab Lucy and run back out with her and use a willpower point for an automatic success.

Jason: Oh jeez.
Jason: All right.
Jason: Roll it.

Richter: Before doing that I tell her to open the door though.

Jason: She does. It flies open and the flames lick inside it.

dicebot: Richter rolled 2#d10 --> [ 1d10=1 ]{1}, [ 1d10=3 ]{3}

Richter: FUCK
Richter: My rolls are always so bad.
Richter: So bad when they need to be good.
Richter: I should have just given her an inspiring speech about survival.
Richter: TO get her to take the risk herself.
Richter: Oh well, c'est la vie.
_________________
Last edited by God on Fri Apr 05, 33 4:00 am; edited 1 time in total

[Jason]

Jason: Zero, Perception + Alertness, difficulty six.
Jason: Minus a die.

Zero: k

***Zero rolls a d10 4 times: 1, 2, 8, 10, total: 21

Jason: You scan the area directly around you, and something bothers you, but you can't quite ascertain what it is.
Jason: Before you can act on it, Kang exits the warehouse.

Kang: "There's only one. It's the one that escaped from this place earlier."
Kang: "I'm fairly confident that we can overpower and question him."

Zero: "I got a feeling just before he showed up..."
Zero: "We should stay on our toes, I doubt he'll be the only one we deal with here."

Kang: "You take him from the front. I'll hit from behind or the side."

Zero: "Okay."

Kang: "No, I checked the place out."

Zero: "Yeah, but there could be someone on the roof or nearby, I dunno man. It could just be me."

Kang: I'll go back in with unseen presence on and quickly circle around the warehouse so I'm behind him.

Zero: I head inside with my gun out ready to fuck shit up.

Jason: All right, Zero first, Wits + Stealth, difficulty seven, minus a die.

***Zero rolls a d10 3 times: 4, 1, 7, total: 12

Zero: I fall over and shoot myself in the face.

Jason: And now Kang: Wits + Stealth, difficulty seven due to Zero.

dicebot: Kang rolled 8#d10 --> [ 1d10=10 ]{10}, [ 1d10=1 ]{1}, [ 1d10=5 ]{5}, [ 1d10=5 ]{5}, [ 1d10=2 ]{2}, [ 1d10=8 ]{8}, [ 1d10=4 ]{4}, [ 1d10=1 ]{1}

Kang: Man
Kang: These botches are fucking obliterating me.

Jason: You both enter the warehouse and Zero forgets to let the door close gently behind you. It slams shut, and the Malkavian drops the box of shit he's currently holding and looks up at you. "Oh," he says.

Zero: "So you were expecting us? Did you at least get pizza and beer this time?"
Zero: "Look, we'd rather not turn this place into a blood bath again. Are you going to cooperate?"

Jason: Oh, Zero, I should tell you: in the warehouse are two fires burning where the dead bodies were. Additionally, he's working at the crashed van, filling it with timber, while he simultaneously loads items into a new van.

Kang: I'll use vanish from mind's eye

Jason: All right, Charisma + Stealth, difficulty seven.

dicebot: Kang rolled 6#d10 --> [ 1d10=3 ]{3}, [ 1d10=3 ]{3}, [ 1d10=4 ]{4}, [ 1d10=1 ]{1}, [ 1d10=9 ]{9}, [ 1d10=10 ]{10}

Kang: Well, I guess I'm MISTY now

Jason: Kang suddenly becomes a semi-transparent, incorporeal figure.
Jason: Then: the man you're both staring at begins to shift, change, his body reshapes itself and morphs into the man you saw in the Elysium: Anselme Pavel. He radiates a dark charisma and intelligence.
Jason: "Well done, you two," he says.

Zero: "Pavel, if you want to end the Masquerade, why bother destroying the evidence?"
Zero: "Also, why do you want to end the Masquerade?!"

Kang: I look at Zero.
Kang: "I'm not convinced that this is actually Anselme."
Kang: "He shifted forms at my house."

Zero: "Oh? So you've run into this jackass before?"
Zero: "Is he the one that hurt your friend?"

Kang: "Yes, this is most likely the Malkavian that murdered every Nosferatu in the city."

Jason: "I'm not destroying evidence, Curtis, I'm destroying those vampires who were not strong enough to execute my will," he says. Then, while you talk among yourselves, he snaps his fingers to get your attention. "Look at me!" he commands.

Kang: "Why did you wipe out the Nosferatu?"

Jason: "Because they're ugly!" he says indignantly. "They smell."
Jason: "Duh."

Zero: I turn to face the shape shifter, shoving my hands into my pocket.
Zero: "Why did you attempt to recruit me?"

Jason: "Because I like a man with a strong back and good runner's legs," he says with great conviction.

Kang: "You aren't Anselme! Just drop the charade!"

Zero: "This guy is beginning to piss me off!"

Jason: "I am Anselme! I am the great Anselme Pavel! Now, I'll extend you a proposition. You both turn right around and head to my very, very, very big tower and I will reward you with ... medals."

Kang: I'm going to shoot him, Jason.
Kang: Is my dex still at 5?

Jason: No, it only lasts the scene, I'm sorry.

Kang: sigh
Kang: I'll use two more blood points then
Kang: And then fire at him.

Zero: I shoot Pavel or whoever this is in the leg.
Zero: Actually.
Zero: I change my mind.
Zero: I'll shoot out the tire of the van.

Jason: Which van?

Kang: Probably the one that isn't totaled

Jason: You can never tell, with Zero.

Zero: Right.
Zero: The working Van.
Zero: Gosh!
Zero: You have no faith in me!

Jason: All right, well, from the entrance where you are standing, Anselme is thirty yards ahead of you and the van is forty.

Zero: Oh... That's far.

Kang: I guess I'll close the distance a little
Kang: Before I fire

Zero: Okay, I'll walk up 20 feet to Pavel.

Kang: Yeah, I'll do the same
Kang: And then fire

Zero: I'll fire at the tire.

Jason: If you walk, you can only move seven yards. The maximum you guys can move without a multi-action is seventeen yards.

Kang: Haha

Jason: It will be enough to get in range of both him and the car.

Zero: Okay, I'll do that.

Kang: Okay, I'll move as close as I can without incurring a multi-action
Kang: and fire
Kang: sigh

Jason: All right, combat begins.
Jason: Both of you roll initiative.

***Zero rolls a d10: 5

dicebot: Kang rolled d10 --> [ 1d10=2 ]{2}

Jason: Zero: 6 + 5, Anselme: 6 + 3, Kang: 6 + 2.
Jason: Zero, you run forward, withdraw your gun and fire at the tire of the van.

Jason: Dexterity + Firearms, difficulty eight, minus one die.

***Zero rolls a d10 6 times: 6, 10, 10, 9, 2, 5, total: 42

Zero: BOOM!

Kang: The bullet ricochets into the gas tank and the van explodes and flies into the air
Kang: And through the top of the warehouse

Jason: Your shot hits the mark and the tire begins deflating.

Kang: And it goes all the way to the Prince's Elysium and lands on top of the real Anselme
Kang: And we win

Jason: Anselme Pavel runs at you, Zero, and lunges at your hand, holding your gun.

***Jason rolls 4 10-sided dice: 9 1 4 5

Jason: But fails to break it from your grip.

Zero: "Get the FUCK off me, you bitch!"

Jason: OK, Kang, you run forward, take out your shotgun and fire at Anselme's chest.
Jason: Dexterity + Firearms, difficulty six.

dicebot: Kang rolled 6#d10 --> [ 1d10=4 ]{4}, [ 1d10=4 ]{4}, [ 1d10=9 ]{9}, [ 1d10=4 ]{4}, [ 1d10=10 ]{10}, [ 1d10=10 ]{10}

Jason: He's blown five feet back, with a gaping wound in his chest.
Jason: Anselme then suddenly cringes, shifts, and morphs once more, until he becomes Prince Percival.
Jason: "Our subjects!" he announces.
Jason: "You've succeeded admirably! Return to my Elysium and there will be a great party!"

Zero: "This guy is insane."
Zero: "Though we may need him alive."
Zero: "I'd rather not kill him."

Kang: "Yes, I'd prefer not to kill him."

Zero: I attempt to grapple the insane Malkavian to the ground.

Kang: I'll wait until it's my turn to declare my action.

Jason: You succeed, Zero, and you mount him.
Jason: "Ack!" he screams, "Eduardo, get this crazy man off of me!" he says to you, Kang.

Zero: "Stop fucking around, lunatic. Show us how you really look!"

Kang: "Answer our questions coherently, or we will kill you."

Jason: He remains Prince Percival. "This is a HUGE breach of the traditions," he tells you.

Zero: "Your highness, should we take you back to your throne?"
Zero: I whisper over to Kang "Maybe playing along will get us somewhere?"

Kang: Well, I'm certainly not going to shoot him while Zero is on top of him.
Kang: I'll walk up to the two struggling vampires.
Kang: With the barrel of my gun pointed at them.
Kang: I won't say a word.

Jason: "No, no," he says happily. "We have business here, but... but you two go! We'll meet you there!"

Zero: I use dominate on the Malkavian.

Jason: What command will you give him?

Zero: "truth"

Jason: All right...
Jason: Manipulation + Intimidation, difficulty five, minus one die.

Zero: k

***Zero rolls a d10 3 times: 9, 8, 1, total: 18

Jason: Percival looks around, confused, struggling beneath your weight. He looks at you and says "Fiber promotes regularity."

Kang: Keep trying!

Zero: "Ugh."
Zero: I use dominate again!

Jason: What command?

Zero: surrender

Jason: All right, roll it.

***Zero rolls a d10 3 times: 1, 4, 1, total: 6

Zero: FUCK

Kang: The worst vampire ...

Jason: Zero, he knees you in the back, sending a shockwave of pain up your spine, and tosses you off of him, nimbly grabbing your gun in the process.

Zero: "K... Kck... D... Don't let him get away Kang!"

Jason: And then... he reverts. Long, curly blond locks, pure white clothes, a dimpled smile. And gun in hand. "Never surrender!" he announces.

Kang: SIGH
Kang: I'll shoot him again.

Jason: Dexterity + Firearms, difficulty four.

dicebot: Kang rolled 6#d10 --> [ 1d10=4 ]{4}, [ 1d10=2 ]{2}, [ 1d10=2 ]{2}, [ 1d10=8 ]{8}, [ 1d10=1 ]{1}, [ 1d10=6 ]{6}

Jason: The shell blows off the front of his torso.
Jason: He drops limply to the ground.
_________________
Last edited by God on Fri Apr 05, 33 4:00 am; edited 1 time in total

[Jason]

Jason: The remaining man turns his head to see you. You watch his expression change: from surprise at your sudden appearance, to recognition as he notices the body, then to fear and anger as he is forced to address the deputy again. "Easy now..." he says, backing away.
Jason: The deputy grabs him by the shirt and raises him up off the ground and offers him in your direction. "You need this one alive?" he asks.

Wetzel: "Yes!"

Jason: You happen to notice, however, that the man, as he's being held in the air, is reaching an arm behind him, around the back of his pants. His hand raises his shirt, there's a very large gun tucked into his waistband. "Why?" the deputy asks you with interest as the man slowly wraps his fingers around the gun's grip...

Wetzel: "Shit!"
Wetzel: I dash and grab his wrist and elbow. "He's got a gun!"

Jason: Dexterity + Athletics, difficulty five.

***Wetzel rolls 3+0: 2 5 1

Jason: You grab his arm, but he wrenches it out of your hands, and as the deputy says "Huh?" he fires four shots into his head.
Jason: The deputy collapses and the man lands on his feet. First, he looks over to his companion, who, you notice, has suddenly decomposed to an immense extent. Then, the man points the gun at you, sweating and heaving angrily.

Wetzel: I'll use Heightened Senses to try not to die.

Jason: Your back is against the wall, to your right is the deputy with four bullets in his face and neck, lying limply on the ground. Near the entrance is a revolting, decomposed and decapitated body of one of the men that followed through the sewer behind you.
Jason: To your left is the half-gone Malkavian that you were sent to question, and Sigmund sitting obediently beside him. Directly in front of you, the other man who trailed you, looking like he's had a very long night, pointing a gun at your forehead.
Jason: Self-Control, difficulty seven.

Wetzel: [1, 6, 1]

Wetzel: oh gawwwwd

Jason: The smell of shit all around you and the very real possibility of your death, compounded with the fact that you've been running life-threatening errands all night long, awaken the Beast inside of you, and you throw yourself ineptly at the man with the gun, tackling him to the ground.
Jason: Remember: you can spend a Willpower point at any time to regain control for a turn.
Jason: Mounting him, you extend your fangs and force them into his face, and begin biting and biting him, puncturing his very skull, until he's limp and lifeless, and his body too begins to rapidly decompose.
Jason: Roll Self-Control once more, difficulty five.

***Wetzel rolls 3: 9 1 8

Jason: You collapse and pass out.
_________________
Last edited by God on Fri Apr 05, 33 4:00 am; edited 1 time in total

[Jason]

Kang: Hahaha

Zero: ....
Zero: I walk over to see if he's still alive.
Zero: "It can't be helped, I mean you are using a shotgun."

Jason: Well ... he's not breathing.

Zero: Vampires don't breathe though!

Jason: Yeah, I know.
Jason: He is unresponsive to you. His eyes are closed.
Jason: It's torpor.

Zero: "Should we just throw him into the car?"
Zero: "We could feed him blood later."

Kang: "We agreed to meet at my place, correct?"

Zero: "Yes."

Jason: Kang, roll Intelligence + Occult, six.

Kang: "Let's take him to my house and wait then."

dicebot: Kang rolled 4#d10 --> [ 1d10=6 ]{6}, [ 1d10=8 ]{8}, [ 1d10=10 ]{10}, [ 1d10=4 ]{4}

Zero: I'm glad you rolled that.

Jason: Because this is torpor due to injuries, it occurs to you that blood won't revive him.

Kang: We just have to wait until he heals, right?

Jason: Yes.

Kang: Okay
Kang: I'd like to carefully search this place
Kang: Both vans
Kang: And the building
Kang: See if there's anything interesting.

Jason: Anything interesting, hm?

Zero: Do we find a bowl of dicks?

Jason: All right, roll Perception + Investigation, difficulty seven.

Kang: Hmmm

dicebot: Kang rolled 7#d10 --> [ 1d10=2 ]{2}, [ 1d10=1 ]{1}, [ 1d10=6 ]{6}, [ 1d10=10 ]{10}, [ 1d10=5 ]{5}, [ 1d10=6 ]{6}, [ 1d10=9 ]{9}

Zero: I guess I'll help.

***Zero rolls a d10 2 times: 2, 1, total: 3

Kang: suck shit

Zero:

Jason: Well, Kang, you TRY TO LOOK AROUND, but ZERO'S INCESSANT BOTHERSOMENESS MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE TO FOCUS AND FIND ANYTHING.

Kang: Heh

Zero: "I'm sorry, I'm just in the way." I tend to the unconscious Malkavian.

Kang: I'll give it another shot
Kang: Just in case
Kang: Then I'll help Zero take incapacitated dude to the car.

Jason: In the van that isn't crushed, you find, most noticeably, the AK-47 that the one man conjured during the fight.
Jason: That's about all that's of use to you, though.

Kang: I guess I'll grab that
Kang: "Let's head out. We'll wait for the other two at my house."

Jason: As you both exit the warehouse, you carrying the Malkavian over your shoulder, Zero, and you with the machine gun, Kang, you are greeted to the sight of the car you stole on fire.

Zero: "Goddammit."

Kang: "Uhh, what could have possibly set it on fire?"
Kang: Do I see anything around?

Jason: Perception + Alertness, difficulty seven, both of you.

dicebot: Kang rolled 7#d10 --> [ 1d10=10 ]{10}, [ 1d10=8 ]{8}, [ 1d10=10 ]{10}, [ 1d10=10 ]{10}, [ 1d10=7 ]{7}, [ 1d10=5 ]{5}, [ 1d10=10 ]{10}

Zero: "I guess that presence I felt earlier wasn't just me."

Kang: oh fuck yeah

***Zero rolls a d10 4 times: 9, 4, 6, 7, total: 26

Zero: We see everything.

Kang: The secrets of the universe are revealed to me.

Jason: You both spot the old car again, parked across the intersection some distance away.

Kang: The old car? The one that tailed us?

Jason: Yes.

Zero: "Our car."
Zero: "I guess they knew where we were headed."
Zero: "We can't exactly walk around with a guy who has a hole in his chest."

Kang: "Let's take the sewers then."
Kang: "They WILL NOT be able to follow us down there."

Zero: "Why are you so sure of yourself?"

Kang: I'll ignore him.

Zero: I reluctantly agree to take the sewer route.

Jason: You can't easily enter the sewers. Manholes are bolted to the ground. The only real way in is via subway tracks.

Kang: "Let's get to the other side of the warehouse -- out of site of the car."
Kang: And that would probably be pretty impossible with this body, right?

Jason: And the gun.
Jason: However...

Zero: "Okay."

Kang: However ...?!

Jason: Wits + Survival, difficulty six.
Jason: Both of you.

dicebot: Kang rolled 6#d10 --> [ 1d10=9 ]{9}, [ 1d10=10 ]{10}, [ 1d10=7 ]{7}, [ 1d10=10 ]{10}, [ 1d10=2 ]{2}, [ 1d10=6 ]{6}

Jason: Or just Kang.
Jason: It occurs to you there is another car that you can reach fairly easily.
Jason: Parked on the other side of the warehouse.

Kang: Zero will have to hotwire it, right?

Zero: Yeah.

Jason: Not necessarily.
Jason: It IS the property of the man you're currently holding.

Kang: TELLING US SECRETS
Kang: I figured the van would be HIS vehicle!

Jason: You asked!

Kang: Okay, I'll search the guy's pockets for keys

Jason: Nothing.

Zero: "Ew."
Zero: "I'm sure he left them in the car."
Zero: "Let's go check it out."

Kang: "Either the car or the van."
Kang: Yeah, I'll go check the car.

Jason: The VAN outside does indeed have the keys still in the ignition.

Zero: I swing over the back door and throw the Malkavian in the rear, then I jump into the passenger side.

Kang: Yes, I'll start to drive to my house.
Kang: Trying to make sure I'm not being tailed.
_________________
Last edited by God on Fri Apr 05, 33 4:00 am; edited 1 time in total

[Jason]

Jason: You run in and the flames immediately eat at your body, biting through your clothes. You roughly grab Lucy, throw her over your shoulder and try to run back out. She slips from your grasp, tumbling to floor, singed but safe. You aren't as lucky, however, and the flames catch your leg and begin to grow, and grow, and grow.
Jason: Courage, difficulty eight. Extended, five necessary.

dicebot: Richter rolled 3#d10 --> [ 1d10=8 ]{8}, [ 1d10=2 ]{2}, [ 1d10=7 ]{7}

Richter: Well that's one.
Richter: Do I just keep rolling or can I try an action?

Jason: You grab Lucy by the arm and get a few steps away from the glass, but the flames around you are rising.
Jason: No, keep rolling.
Jason: Go again.

dicebot: Richter rolled 3#d10 --> [ 1d10=2 ]{2}, [ 1d10=7 ]{7}, [ 1d10=10 ]{10}

Richter: Man this is going to be rough.

Jason: The fire has nearly encompassed your lower body, you trip and fall to your knees.
Jason: Again.

dicebot: Richter rolled 3#d10 --> [ 1d10=6 ]{6}, [ 1d10=10 ]{10}, [ 1d10=6 ]{6}

Jason: Through sheer force of will, you drag yourself further away, desperately trying to roll your legs to extinguish the flames.
Jason: Again.

dicebot: Richter rolled 3#d10 --> [ 1d10=4 ]{4}, [ 1d10=3 ]{3}, [ 1d10=2 ]{2}

Richter: Shit.

Jason: It's no good, they're burning through your clothes, you feel it on your skin. You have to start your rolls all over again.
Jason: Again.

dicebot: Richter rolled 3#d10 --> [ 1d10=10 ]{10}, [ 1d10=4 ]{4}, [ 1d10=6 ]{6}

Jason: Through the smoke, you can see Malik, unsure of what to do, fruitlessly trying to blow the flames out. Lucy is panicked, staring back at the glass.
Jason: Again.

dicebot: Richter rolled 3#d10 --> [ 1d10=7 ]{7}, [ 1d10=10 ]{10}, [ 1d10=5 ]{5}

Jason: You refuse to give up. You absolutely refuse. You're almost halfway back to the hallway.
Jason: Again.

dicebot: Richter rolled 3#d10 --> [ 1d10=8 ]{8}, [ 1d10=6 ]{6}, [ 1d10=4 ]{4}

Jason: You've made it past the worst of the bonfires. You're going to make it, you have to.
Jason: The difficulty has been reduced to seven.
Jason: Again.

dicebot: Richter rolled 3#d10 --> [ 1d10=10 ]{10}, [ 1d10=9 ]{9}, [ 1d10=6 ]{6}

Jason: You finally make it to the hallway, covered in smoke, and you violently, viciously slap the flames away, off of you, back to Hell. Malik is quivering, but you don't care. The Beast is fading away, defeated, your soul feels lighter in your undead body.
Jason: You take two levels of aggravated damage, but you goddamn make it out of the building, with a shellshocked Lucy and a still-obedient Malik in tow. The legs of your pants are burnt off, and you skin is noticeably, gruesomely charred. But you can walk.
Jason: Regain a Willpower point, as well.

Richter: I hurry with Lucy and Malik to the cab.

Jason: Malik even opens the door for you, but suddenly you feel a tug at your shirt. it's Lucy, still crying, screaming at you "No! We have to go back! We have to save him!"

Richter: "Save who?"

Jason: "Percy! We can't leave him!"

Richter: I summon up all of my leadership skills and try to get Lucy under control.
Richter: "Lucy, I'm sorry but Percy is dead, and now we, as Camarilla, as Kindred, have a bigger threat to face. So do not focus on the impossible, instead help me. Help me put a stop to this."

Jason: Manipulation + Leadership, difficulty seven, minus one die, specialty roll.

dicebot: Richter rolled 6#d10 --> [ 1d10=4 ]{4}, [ 1d10=7 ]{7}, [ 1d10=8 ]{8}, [ 1d10=6 ]{6}, [ 1d10=2 ]{2}, [ 1d10=4 ]{4}

Jason: She grabs your collar and sinks her face into your chest, crying, staining your shirt with her red tears. She screams again, agonizingly, but she stays with you.

Richter: I gently pull Lucy into the car with me.

Jason: The driver looks back at you, his eyes very, very wide. "You OK, man?"

Richter: "It's been a rough night."
Richter: I tell Lucy.
Richter: "I have to go face Anselme. I have to make an exchange. Do you have somewhere safe you can hide until we can meet up?"

Jason: Lucy clutches her stomach, pained. "The only place would have been the chantry... with Esma..."

Richter: I was trying to also think of what to do.
Richter: "Then come with me to my office to face him."
Richter: "He won't do anything to us as long as we have the Malkavian."
Richter: "They have some connection and he isn't likely to risk him being harmed."
Richter: "And in my state I may need your help to survive."

Jason: She sniffles, wipes the blood from her face, and in a rasp so weak that you have to strain to hear, she says: "OK."

Richter: I tell the driver to take me to my office.

Jason: You get there quickly. There's nearly six inches of snow on the ground when you exit, icing your scorched legs, uncomfortably. You stand outside of your building, Lucy and Malik beside you.
Jason: Paid, the taxi drives away.

Richter: I tell Lucy.
Richter: "Be ready for anything."
Richter: And I head into the building and to my office.
_________________
Last edited by God on Fri Apr 05, 33 4:00 am; edited 1 time in total

[Jason]

Jason: You pull out of the back lot and learn right away how difficult it is to drive a van that's had a tire shot out. You carefully avoid the road near the Lincoln that was tailing you, but, unfortunately, halfway to your home, it appears in the mirror. And it's speeding up.

Zero: Don't bother trying to out run them.
Zero: "Just keep in the direction of your place, if they get any closer I'll take them out with the AK-47."

Jason: If you recall, the man unloaded the AK's clip. It's empty.

Kang: fuck
Kang: Okay

Zero: "Kang, mind if I use your shotgun?

Jason: Shotgun's also empty.

Kang: noooooooooooooo

Zero: Awesome.

Jason: However, Zero, you do happen to notice that there's a few boxes of .45 ammo that would suit your pistol in the back of the van.

Zero: I grab the ammo and stuff them into my pocket.
Zero: I fully load my gun's clip.

Kang: How many people are in the car?

Zero: I'll look.

Kang: Can I tell by looking in the mirror?
Kang: Or can Zero tell?

Jason: Perception + Alertness, eight for Kang, seven for Zero.
Jason: Minus one die for Zero.

dicebot: Kang rolled 7#d10 --> [ 1d10=7 ]{7}, [ 1d10=9 ]{9}, [ 1d10=1 ]{1}, [ 1d10=1 ]{1}, [ 1d10=9 ]{9}, [ 1d10=2 ]{2}, [ 1d10=8 ]{8}

***Zero rolls a d10 4 times: 7, 7, 4, 3, total: 21

Jason: Working together, you can make out two heads in the car.

Zero: "Just continue driving normally, if they try anything, I'll try and take out the driver."

Kang: "I don't really want to drive to my house with those two on us."
Kang: "I guess we could just drive around endlessly and hope they get bored."

Jason: As I said, they're speeding up.

Zero: I open up the back door of the van.
Zero: And aim for the front tire of the car!

Jason: Awesome.
Jason: Dexterity + Firearms, difficulty nine, minus one die.

Kang: Use a willpower point
Kang: For an automatic success
Kang: If you're going to try such a difficult shot

Zero: I'll use a willpower point.

Jason: Metagaming!

Kang: kekekeke

Jason: OK, roll.

***Zero rolls a d10 6 times: 10, 8, 3, 6, 6, 9, total: 42

Zero: MAN

Kang: The greatest ...
Kang: The best vampire ...

Jason: You hit! They buckle and swerve a bit, but don't lose control. The gap between your cars widens noticeably,

Kang: "Keep shooting at them."

Zero: Okay.
Zero: I'll take out the other front tire.

Jason: Same roll. Willpower point again?

Zero: Yes.

***Zero rolls a d10 6 times: 2, 6, 1, 9, 7, 8, total: 33

Jason: You hit the tire and it's gone, but the driver speeds up aggressively and he's closing the distance.
Jason: The passenger leans out of his window and aims a shotgun at you, Zero.

***Jason rolls 6 10-sided dice: 8 5 8 9 2 10

Jason: And he hits.

***Jason rolls 10 10-sided dice: 3 2 6 1 4 4 7 9 1 1

Zero: I cough up blood.

Jason: Fortunately, you're only blown back by the force of the shell. You take no actual damage.

Zero: I'll empty my gun's clip into their car engine.

Jason: So, aiming at the hood?

Zero: Right.

Jason: That gun can't do automatic fire, only a three round burst.

Zero: Ah, semi-automatic, that's right.
Zero: Okay, I'll fire three rounds.

Jason: Dexterity + Firearms, difficulty nine, plus one die.
Jason: Willpower?

Zero: plus one?
Zero: Or minus one?

Jason: Yeah, you normally gain two dice from this maneuver.

Zero: Ah.
Zero: Okay.
Zero: No willpower.

***Zero rolls a d10 7 times: 5, 8, 4, 4, 9, 2, 9, total: 41

Jason: Two bullet holes appear in the hood and FLUID begins to splash out of them. The car is right on your tail, hitting you with its bumper. It's difficult to keep your footing.
Jason: Kang, Wits + Drive, difficulty eight.

Kang: Oh, I'm sorry!

Zero: Please don't end up knocking me out of the car, Mike.

dicebot: Kang rolled 4#d10 --> [ 1d10=3 ]{3}, [ 1d10=4 ]{4}, [ 1d10=6 ]{6}, [ 1d10=3 ]{3}

Jason: Zero, the van takes such a hit that you're knocked to the floor. Roll Dexterity + Athletics, difficulty seven, minus one die.

***Zero rolls a d10 4 times: 6, 1, 1, 2, total: 10

Kang: Hahahaha!

Zero: I roll out of the van into the street, before I can roll to my feet the oncoming car runs my shit over.

Jason: It's no use, you can't stay inside. You roll out of the car and land onto their hood, breaking their windshield. The gun is still in your hand.
Jason: Oh, you take a level of lethal damage.

Zero: I'll use a single blood point to heal myself.

Kang: What's happening with the car now?
Kang: Is it still STABLE?
Kang: And after me?

Jason: Their car?

Kang: Yes

Jason: It's stable for now, as it keeps bucking your van, but it can't withstand much more.

Kang: I'll just keep driving forward then.

Jason: The passenger fires his shotgun through the windshield at you, Zero.

Zero: Fuck.

***Jason rolls 6 10-sided dice: 8 3 8 4 8 9

Zero: FUCK

***Jason rolls 11 10-sided dice: 5 3 4 1 5 3 3 6 4 8 4

Jason: Incredibly, you're not hurt by it. The glass shatters and mingles with the snow falling on you, and you grip the sides of the hood to keep from tumbling forward with the force.

Zero: I attempt to kick the driver in the face.

Jason: Dexterity + Brawl, difficulty ten, minus one die.

Kang: Is it even physically possible to do that?
Kang: He flew through the windshield face first, right?

Jason: His back is to the windshield.

Zero: I thought I just landed onto the windshield.

Jason: If he grips the sides of the hood with both hands, he may have the strength to kick through and not fall.

Zero: I'll use a willpower point.

Jason: All right, roll it.

***Zero rolls a d10 5 times: 6, 3, 10, 2, 2, total: 23

Zero: FUCK

Kang: Well
Kang: That's two successes!

Jason: Your foot lands squarely on the driver's chin!

Zero: Yeah!
Zero: I kick his head off!

***Jason rolls 5 10-sided dice: 10 2 1 1 6

Jason: You do no actual damage, but the car slows.
Jason: And swerves.
Jason: Maybe this wasn't the best idea.
Jason: Dexterity + Athletics, difficulty eight, minus one die.

***Zero rolls a d10 4 times: 8, 2, 6, 1, total: 17

Jason: You lose your grip on the hood and tumble to the passenger side. You quickly reach out for the mirror, which breaks, then grab onto the window frame. The car is literally dragging you with it.

Zero: GOD

Jason: You still have your gun in hand. Your wrist is hooked on the frame, since you can't grab.

Kang: This driver is incredible.

Zero: I yell to Kang, "Just hit the breaks. We can't do this forever!"

Kang: There's no way I can hear that.

Zero: I'm using a banshee like scream.

Jason: Perception + Alertness, eight, Kang.

dicebot: Kang rolled 7#d10 --> [ 1d10=3 ]{3}, [ 1d10=3 ]{3}, [ 1d10=10 ]{10}, [ 1d10=9 ]{9}, [ 1d10=10 ]{10}, [ 1d10=5 ]{5}, [ 1d10=4 ]{4}

Jason: You do hear him.

Kang: Hahaha
Kang: Might as well
Kang: My seatbelt is buckled by the way

Zero: Wow.

Kang: I'll slam on the breaks

Jason: Their car is hit by the sudden inertia and it stalls, both of their necks WHIPPING BACK.
Jason: Zero, Strength + Athletics, difficulty eight.
Jason: Minus one die.

***Zero rolls a d10 2 times: 3, 9, total: 12

Jason: You lose your grip, but roll into a bank of snow nearby, without taking damage or losing sight of the cars.
Jason: They're stalled, smoke seeps out of the hood.

Kang: Hmm
Kang: The van is fine I take it

Jason: It's dented, but it still runs.

Zero: I lay in the snow for a brief moment, breathing deeply. Then I get up, brushing the snow from my body and reloading my gun.
Zero: Besides the bumper, it should be fine.

Kang: I'll give Zero some time to make it to the van
Kang: My eyes will be on their car
Kang: I'm read to PEEL OFF at any time

Jason: The passenger exits the vehicle. Kang, now that you're both stopped, you can tell that these are the two guys who were with the Malkavian last night. The passenger is the big one.
Jason: He's definitely over six feet tall, and very heavy.
Jason: All right.
Jason: Roll Initiative.

dicebot: Kang rolled d10 --> [ 1d10=9 ]{9}

***Zero rolls a d10: 6

Jason: Kang: 6 + 9, Small One: 7 + 7, Zero: 6 + 6, Big One: 5 + 6.
Jason: Actions.

Zero: Want to see if we can run away?

Kang: Can they reach the van in this turn?

Zero: Are we allowed to do what we're doing right now?
Zero: (Coming up with a strategy)

Jason: Yes, it's too close. They'll reach unless you drive, now, leaving Zero.
Jason: If you start driving, they can't catch up.

Kang: Yeah, hahaha
Kang: I'm going to step on the gas and drive off.

Zero: :O

Jason: Kang, you regain a Willpower point.
Jason: Zero, you watch in horror as the van takes off and disappears in the distance.

Kang: *flex*

Zero: "Guess that's my fault for trusting someone I just met."
Zero: While smiling at the two henchmen I say "Which one of you want to go first?"

Jason: "Fuck!" the driver, a smaller, bearded man, exclaims. "Forget it," the big one says as he walks toward you, Zero. "We'll find him."
Jason: "How about me?" the big one asks, aiming at you.

Zero: "As long as you both agree with this a one on one fight. No weapons."

Jason: The small one leaves the car and actually leaps onto the roof of it, predatorily.
Jason: They both laugh, the big one does lower his aim.
Jason: It's your action.

Zero: I put my gun in my pocket and run towards the big guy.

Jason: And then?

Zero: And I'll go to kick the big guy in the shin.

Jason: Zero, you really do take notice that these guys aren't interested in a fair, one on one, unarmed fight.

Zero: I figured they wouldn't!
Zero: But I don't have a chance in the matter.
Zero: I doubt they're going to let me chit chat my way out of this.

Jason: All right, goddammit, you fucking kick this asshole.
Jason: Dexterity + Brawl, difficulty six.
Jason: Minus one die.

***Zero rolls a d10 5 times: 10, 8, 10, 6, 5, total: 39

Jason: You manage to summon a vast reserve of strength and actually break his shin with your toe! He drops down to one knee, in pain.
Jason: Then he shoots you.

***Jason rolls 6 10-sided dice: 9 3 4 9 4 3

***Jason rolls 11 10-sided dice: 3 1 5 4 7 1 2 9 1 3 6

Zero: I'm going to die.
Zero: .... Again.

Jason: You take no damage, however, which really pisses him off.
Jason: Initiative again.

***Zero rolls a d10: 6

Jason: Small One: 7 + 5, Zero: 6 + 6, Big One: 5 + 6.
Jason: The small one stays crouched on the hood of his car, licking his lips.
Jason: You act now, better make it good!

Zero: I take a shot at the gas tank of the car the crouching vampire is on.

Jason: Fuck YES.
Jason: Dexterity + Firearms, difficulty six, minus one die.

***Zero rolls a d10 6 times: 2, 4, 4, 4, 3, 4, total: 21

Jason: You miss.

Zero: Damn.

Jason: The big one stands up again, but he can't put his weight on his broken leg.

***Jason rolls 4 10-sided dice: 2 3 5 4
***Jason rolls 8 10-sided dice: 3 1 1 9 6 1 7 1

Jason: He fires at you, but his predicament keeps him from aiming correctly. The shot goes wide above your head and he starts cursing in frustration.

Jason: Initiative.

***Zero rolls a d10: 8

Jason: Zero: 6 + 8, Small One: 7 + 2, Big One: 5 + 1.
Jason: Here's your chance to act again.

Zero: I'll aim again for the gas tank before the small one can react.

Jason: Same roll as before.

***Zero rolls a d10 6 times: 1, 7, 3, 10, 3, 4, total: 28

Jason: Fuck it, you hit and the goddamn car explodes.

Zero: Haha!

Jason: It's a massive fucking fireball that scorches the Earth, creating a burnt crater in the snow and ice. The two enemies are instantly incinerated, meeting Final Death. You take two levels of aggravated damage and pass out in the snow.
_________________
Last edited by God on Fri Apr 05, 33 4:00 am; edited 1 time in total

[Jason]

Kang: Yes, I'll drive to my place.
Kang: When I get there, I'm going to grab some rope, a saw, and a chair from my place
Kang: Then I'll take all of that and the Malkavian into the sewer

Jason: All right, you drive home and unlock the gate, driving up the parking lot. You get inside, and once more can inspect the damage that that Malkavian did.

Kang: I will carry him into my home
Kang: Make a wooden stake out of whatever.
Kang: Stake him
Kang: Then take him into the sewer and tie him to a chair.

Jason: All right, you have all that stuff in your home, in the garage somewhere, WHY NOT.
Jason: You crawl down into the sewer and find a little cut off section directly below your home, where you tie him up, helplessly staked.

Kang: Okay, I'll alternate between checking on him and going up and watching the driveway of my house
Kang: Waiting for Richter and Wetzel
Kang: Or even Zero, I guess
Kang: Heh
Kang: And I'll do that until they get there.

Jason: Well, you do that until you're just too tired. Still no sign of either. You need to sleep.

Kang: Okay, I'll take my CAPTIVE to a place that I consider to be secure
Kang: And then rest

Jason: Your home?
Jason: Or elsewhere?

Kang: In the sewer
Kang: I'm not going to rest in my home!
Kang: Those two guys know where it is!
Kang: When I say secure
Kang: I mean a secluded remote part of the sewer

Jason: Fair enough.
Jason: You take a few turns and wind up in a septic system that is actually outside of the Nauset city limits. The very edge of its subterranean civilization. It used to be something of a haven from werewolves, where unlucky Kindred who couldn't make it back to the city, either banished by the prince or too injured, could stay the day, for a modest price. It's empty now. No one should know about its existence.

Kang: Okay, I'll sleep then.

Jason: You plant this murdering motherfucker beside a stained, moist old mattress, which you crawl into for yet another night of down home sewer luxury. 2009 is not looking to be such a great year.
Jason: End of Chapter Three.
_________________
Last edited by God on Fri Apr 05, 33 4:00 am; edited 1 time in total

[Jason]

Jason: The night guards immediately spot you three. They give several intensely discerning looks, but do nothing to stop you. An elevator happens to open up.

Richter: I head to the elevator.

Jason: The three of you travel to your offices floor. As the numbers on the elevator rise, Malik seems just as calm as he ever was, but Lucy is shaking. You reach the door to your office.

Richter: I put my hand on Lucy's shoulder and say "It's all right."
Richter: And then head into my office.

Jason: The entrance is barren, still and lifeless. To your right, however, you can see some movement in the conference room.

Richter: I cautiously make my way to the conference room.

Jason: The back wall of your conference room is a row of windows giving a beautiful glimpse of Uptown Nauset, made all the more poignant by tonight's frenzied snowfall. The centerpiece of the room is a long mahogany table, perfectly polished, a few modern speakerphones placed around it.
Jason: Facing you, in an array of chairs, are your seven staff members. Your chauffeur, your receptionist, your assistant, and the lobbying staff. They're all blank, unresponsive, barely even blinking.
Jason: On the opposite side of the table sits Anselme Pavel, facing them, with his back to you.
Jason: He spins around. His arms are folded, his legs are crossed. He looks you up and down. "My God," he says, "what in Hell has happened to you?"
Jason: Then he sees Malik, and says his name softly, compassionately.
Jason: Then he sees Lucy. And his eyes darken. It's the same way he looked at Kang earlier at Decimus Tower.

Richter: "Meeting you hasn't exactly made my life easy, Anselme."
Richter: "Now release my staff, take your pawn and go."

Jason: He thinks for a moment, rubbing his chin with a finger. He makes eye contact with Malik and tells him: "You're free. Go back to Decimus and sleep."
Jason: Malik obeys, and exits without a word.
Jason: Anselme nods his head in the direction of your staff. He says "They'll be fine in the morning. I've only told them to sit patiently until the sunrise."
Jason: "Now," he says, standing and walking past you, straight into your personal office, "feed if you must, then we'll talk."

Richter: I'll take a little bit of blood from each staff member until my blood pool is full.
Richter: Enough to not put them at risk.

Jason: You're just barely able to keep your composure as you bite each one, drain them slightly and lick the wounds closed. It's arduous to be so moderate in your condition, but you keep calm. Lucy watches you feed, making you feel slightly uncomfortable.

Richter: I spend a point to heal the one point of lethal damage I still have.

Jason: And drink it right back, presumably?

Richter: Yes

Jason: All right.

Richter: After I'm finished I turn to Anselme and say, "All right, what did you want to discuss?"

Jason: You find him sitting on the side of your desk, his arms supporting his weight behind him, casually tapping one foot. He's looking out the window, more wistfully than you've ever seen him before, even considering his apparent soft spot for windows.
Jason: "Sit down," he suggests.

Richter: I sit down and motion for Lucy to sit as well.

Jason: He abruptly holds out his hand. "She can wait outside. What I have to say, I have to say to you alone, Richter."

Richter: "Fine."
Richter: "Lucy go wait in the lobby. Make sure the security guards stay with you until I get there."

Jason: Anselme says nothing. Lucy goes, and you hear the door shut behind her. Anselme reaches over and closes the door to your personal office, isolating you both. He never takes his eyes from the window, he continues watching the snow.
Jason: "Aryans," he says.
Jason: "That's an interesting taste, why do you think it manifested?"

Richter: "I grew up being told it was a sign of good breeding. Besides, I had a thing for blonds in college."
Richter: "What is your particular taste, Mister Pavel?"
Richter: "Apart from enjoying scenic views, of course."

Jason: "I'll tell you," he says, then blinks and asks "Were you alive during the second World War, Richter?"

Richter: "No, I'm afraid I didn't have the pleasure."

Jason: "I was. I was embraced some time earlier. My sire, he was a very, very wise man, in his time."
Jason: "But the world broke him."
Jason: He shuts his eyes.

Richter: "What happened?"

Jason: "I killed him. I drank the soul from his body." His voice lowers: "And he deserved it," he adds.
Jason: "You asked me for my taste," he says, finally turning his neck to face you.
Jason: "Would you believe me if I told you that I could only drink from those who are stronger, more able, more powerful than myself?"
Jason: "What an oddity, eh?"

Richter: "You wouldn't be the first vampire with such an affliction."
Richter: "It's a shame they don't exactly have therapy for the undead."
Richter: I chuckle.

Jason: "What will happen to me, Richter?" he asks. "Soon the day will come where I'll be forced to diablerize Caine himself."
Jason: "And then where will I be?"
Jason: His voice is euphoric, dreamy, as he speaks. You can tell he's still feeling the effects of diablerizing the Prince.

Richter: "There's always Golconda."
Richter: "Dedicate yourself to good and overcome your vampiric weaknesses or some such nonsense."

Jason: "No," he says, not even hearing your facetiousness. "That's not for me."
Jason: "You might be able to tell this by now, but... I'm a bit of a megalomaniac."

Richter: "Yes, I noticed that by this point."
Richter: "Would take one to plan to be both mayor and prince."

Jason: "Mayor," he repeats. "That's why you're here."
Jason: He finally seems to regain some lucidity, and can focus directly on you. "This election will come down to myself and Vance Cunningham."
Jason: "On January eighteenth, the people of Nauset will not turn on the news to find that Cunningham has died, or been caught in some heinous scandal, or dropped out."
Jason: "This must remain a fair race. The voters must choose me to best of their own volition."
Jason: "As far as they know, of course."
Jason: "I'm asking for your help, Richter. Leave Cunningham's campaign. Join me. You've already seen what I've done to this city's Kindred, imagine what we can do together with its kine."
Jason: "And when the time comes," he snaps his fingers, "the Masquerade ends forever. We are they, and they are us. No more, no less."

Richter: "The sad thing is, I don't necessarily find your plan terrible"
Richter: "Prove to the mortals we're necessary, and then our differences won't matter."
Richter: "Unfortunately your end to the masquerade has meant the death of anyone who opposed you."
Richter: "You made reference to World War 2 earlier."
Richter: "I remember certain leaders in those times followed similar paths, and look what became of them."
Richter: "I have no desire to put the next Hitler or Stalin in power over some promise he has already demonstrated he has no intention of fulfilling."
Richter: "It's one thing to destroy those who fight you."
Richter: "It's another entirely to try and wipe the Nosferatu off the map because of their appearance."
Richter: "How can you possibly justify your goals considering what you've done to get to them?"
Richter: "A castle built upon the backs of the dead isn't what I call paradise."

Jason: Anselme inhales sharply through his nose, purely superficially. He states with divine confidence: "Everything I have done, I have done to better this world. I am stronger and more capable than all those dead leaders of men."
Jason: "And I will not fail."
Jason: He stands, brushing the wrinkles from his clothes. "You're right, Richter, about one thing. Opposing me is death."
Jason: He looks into your eyes.

Richter: I look away to avoid being dominated.
Richter: Out the window or something inconspicuous.
Richter: At least if I have time.

Jason: He leaps forward in a sudden burst of action and noise and grabs you by the neck, squeezing your throat, twisting your head to face him. "Look at me," he hisses.

Richter: "I won't be your slave, Pavel."

Jason: Are you avoiding his eyes?

Richter: If I can.
Richter: Yes

Jason: Every time you look away, he violently twists your neck, forcing you to face him.

Richter: "If you kill me you'll never get what you want, and if you force me you won't get it either."
Richter: "You know it."
Richter: continuing to try and look away.

Jason: "What I want is for you to see my world!" he shouts, spittle flying from his mouth and landing on your face. "See everything that I can do!"
Jason: Even as he's shouting at you, though, there's a weakness in his voice.

Richter: "I've seen and experienced what you can do. A never ending hunger for power that means the death of everyone around you, is that what you really want and intended your world to be?"

Jason: "I have never killed unnecessarily, everything was for the greater good! Can we really say the same for you?!" he demands, but by now his grip is nearly crushing your neck, making it almost impossible to speak.

Richter: "Yes, I've done and felt things under the grip of the beast, but can you possibly tell me that killing the Nosferatu for existing was for the greater good? that killing the Tremere for disagreeing with you was for the greater good? That killing me will be for the greater good?"

Jason: "I won't kill you," he says with a voice that's rising deep within the bowels of his throat, seeping through his clenched, fanged teeth like smoke. "I'll make you see." Every wrinkle in his face is apparent, the veins in his forehead are throbbing, his hair is tumbling out of shape. Finally, he brings his other hand to your head and with it, forces open your eyelids. He's leaning so close to you that your eyeballs nearly touch his.
Jason: He says: "Go home. Sleep. And when you rise, watch me as I rule the world."
Jason: And you feel hopelessly compelled to do so.
Jason: End of Chapter Three.
_________________
Last edited by God on Fri Apr 05, 33 4:00 am; edited 1 time in total

[Jason]

Jason: You wake up sometime later to the horrific sight of the sky beginning to lighten. You need to get off this back stretch of country road, quickly.

Zero: Goddamn....
Zero: I begin dragging myself to Kang's home.

Jason: You won't make it.

Zero: SHIT.

Jason: Wits + Survival, difficulty six, minus two dice.

Zero: I have no idea where I am.

***Zero rolls a d10: 5

Jason: It's not getting any darker.
Jason: You can try again, plus one difficulty. Maybe you should use a Willpower point.

Zero: Yeah, I'll use a willpower point.

***Zero rolls a d10: 10

Zero: Of course.

Jason: There is still shelter, very close. The car wasn't completely obliterated.
Jason: It will be enough to block the Sun.

Zero: I make my way to the car and dig myself a hole deep enough to protect me from the sun.

Jason: Well, it's pavement.
Jason: But you can crawl under it.

Zero: Oh.
Zero: Haha
Zero: Gosh.
Zero: I highly doubt this road will go unpassed for a full 12 hours.

Jason: You're going to have to risk it.

Zero: I attempt to go to sleep, knowing that I may not be here when the sunsets...

Jason: End of Chapter Three.
_________________
Last edited by God on Fri Apr 05, 33 4:00 am; edited 1 time in total

[Jason]

Jason: You awaken an indeterminable amount of time later, by Sigmund licking your face.

Wetzel: I sit up and look around.

Jason: The scene is unchanged. The smell of the two rotting bodies is putrid. You can detect fear in Sigmund's eyes when he looks at you, but also steadfast loyalty.
Jason: Roll Conscience, eight.

***Wetzel rolls 4: 7 2 9 4

Jason: You hate to admit it to yourself, but after committing murder four times in one night, you're beginning to adjust to it.

Wetzel: And why not? After all, what is moral behavior?
Wetzel: Preventing people (and other creatures) from dying may feel good, but where is it written that it's right?
Wetzel: But then I look over at the corpse of the man I killed.
Wetzel: He's mutilated. No silver lining here. My head swims, my stomach turns, but then it goes away.
Wetzel: Must be my body reacting to the fatigue.
Wetzel: I pick up the messenger bag and observe the Malkavian.

Jason: The bag is wet. Looking inside of it, you see that in the scuffle, at least one of the blood packs burst. There are still about five or six in there.
Jason: Perception + Occult, difficulty five.

***Wetzel rolls 3+0: 2 10 7

Jason: You observe the Malkavian. You know he's Kindred, so this kind of wound wouldn't kill him permanently. He must be in torpor. Blood will wake him, but once he's up he'll frenzy until he's fully sated.
Jason: Of course, you also realize that the deputy is most likely in torpor as well.

Wetzel: It's not an option to leave either of them in this state.
Wetzel: But the thought of the deputy frenzying is something I'm not prepared to deal with.
Jason: Perception + Medicine, difficulty six.

***Wetzel rolls 3+4: 2 1 6 7 2 1 10

Jason: Specialty roll, you can roll again from the ten.

***Wetzel rolls 1: 9

Jason: All right, you can ascertain a few things about the situation: the Malkavian has some holes in his clothes that do not lead to flesh wounds, so he must have spent blood to heal himself. Therefore, he can be revived through blood intake. However, and all you can do is guess at this, the deputy most likely succumbed to torpor from injury, rather than lack of blood. Therefore, he cannot be revived until his body chooses to do so.

Wetzel: It doesn't matter anyway. I could use his protection, but if it means surviving a frenzy it's not an option.
Wetzel: I'll just have to have someone sent for him later.
Wetzel: Having resolved to give the blood to the prisoner, I begin to plan how to do it.
Wetzel: When he wakes up, he will frenzy. My only hope is to make sure all the blood gets down his throat successfully. If I'm lucky it'll be enough.
Wetzel: I examine his restraints, if any.

Jason: He's tied up pretty well. You can tell that under the physical duress he was in, if he could have broken them, he definitely would have.

Wetzel: Are his arms and head restrained?

Jason: Only his body. Tight white ropes binding his arms behind his back.

Wetzel: I don't want to waste any of this blood - it came from a person, after all.
Wetzel: And I may need all of it to get him coherent.
Wetzel: I don't want him squirming about and getting it everywhere except his mouth.
Wetzel: So I look around for something stiff to use to keep his head from moving. A sheet of wood or metal, or just a chair the deputy may have been using.

Jason: There's nothing in this room. You could search the rest of the sewer, but it does occur to you that you don't know for how long you were unconscious. You may not have the necessary time.

Wetzel: I pull the leash out of my pocket.
Wetzel: How long is it?

Jason: Six feet.

Wetzel: That might be enough.
Wetzel: Thank god the restraints he's already got are as tight as they are.
Wetzel: I roll him over onto his chest.
Wetzel: I'm going to tie his head back to restrict the amount of jerking he can do.
Wetzel: I run the middle of the leash over the bridge of his nose and pull back on his head, stretching his back.
Wetzel: I'm trying not to leave him in a painful position, but I want to prevent him from bouncing around.
Wetzel: I tie a decent knot around the restraints already in place on his back.
Wetzel: It looks secure enough. If I'm fast with the blood he might not slip out before I can finish.
Wetzel: I turn him over and have a look at the finished product.

Jason: Are you keeping his mouth held open?

Wetzel: It looks like the leash is tight enough that his mouth doesn't naturally close all the way.
Jason: Intelligence + Crafts, seven.

***Wetzel rolls 4+2: 7 6 6 6 3 10

Jason: It looks tight enough to inspire moderate confidence.

Wetzel: Better than nothing.
Wetzel: I take the pack and begin to administer the blood.
Wetzel: I feel jealous, like it's too good for him.

Jason: You empty one pack into his mouth carefully. Where are you keeping the bag with the rest?

Wetzel: Behind myself, close enough to reach for it without moving away but keeping my body between it and the prisoner.

Jason: The one pack has no effect. It's going in his throat, but he doesn't stir.

Wetzel: I pause and examine him, keeping my distance in case he springs to life.
Wetzel: No use wasting blood on a dead Kindred.

Jason: As you examine him, you do notice one thing: his leg wounds are becoming warmer.

Wetzel: Reassured I'm on the right track, I administer another pack.

Jason: The second pack emptied, you are greeted to a shrill, ear-piercing scream as his eyes bulge from his skull and his mouth opens wide enough that it seems his jaw is nearly dislocated. He begins to thrash and scream and salivate, but his restraints hold.

Wetzel: I clutch his ropes with one hand and reach back for another pack. I open it and drip a little blood into his mouth.
Wetzel: Beasts need to understands who it is that feeds them.

Jason: He is not bound down to the floor, unfortunately, and he summons the strength to lean upward and snatch the pack from your hand with the precision of a hungry shark. If you didn't know it already, your treatment to that man earlier lets you know that you do not want your skin in the path of those fangs. He is perfectly willing to bite the hand that feeds him.
Jason: He drains the blood from the pack, shakes it in his mouth and then spits it aside, like a dog over his kill. And then, he smells the rest, the wet blood soaking the bag. You see his eyes catch it behind your legs and he does his best to predatorily stalk it in his bondage.

Wetzel: Hah. Fine, go nuts. No sense letting it go to waste.
Wetzel: I take the packs out of the bag, then let it drape over his face.
Wetzel: Slurp it up if you're so hungry.

Jason: He tears through the bag, sucking it dry, ripping it to its threads with his teeth. When he can get nothing more from it, he spits it to the side as well. Sigmund darts between your ankles in fear. The Malkavian is trying like hell to break free.

Wetzel: OK, I'd better hurry.
Wetzel: It doesn't seem like there's much chance of wasting this blood as long as he's like this. He's like a vacuum cleaner.
Wetzel: He seemed pretty conservative with the pack he snatched out of my hand, so he can have the rest like that.
Wetzel: I dangle a pack over his face and drop it into his open mouth.

Jason: Common sense tells you that this is a very dangerous position to put yourself in. Continue anyway?

Wetzel: Maybe he's too rambunctious for this. I didn't secure his hips, after all.
Wetzel: It would be better just to toss it to him.

Jason: Standing on the other side of the room, he eyes you and Sigmund and the deputy and the blood packs ravenously. You toss one to him and he is amazingly, primaly dexterous enough to catch it in his teeth, whereupon he does the same as he's been doing, showing no signs of satisfaction.
Jason: Two left.

Wetzel: I push Sigmund back with my foot.
Wetzel: I toss him another pack.

Jason: The same results. Blood is splashing around, running thickly down his lips and neck.

Wetzel: I consider whether he's actually getting enough blood out of these. These packs need to be doing more than just getting on his face.

Jason: Unless you have a funnel handy, it's as good as it's going to be.

Wetzel: I toss him the last pack.

Jason: And he imbibes it. For a moment, he curls up, heaving. Then, in a shriek that takes you a long way back, a wet, frenzied shriek, he announces: "MORE!"

Wetzel: Well this is an interesting development.
Wetzel: Greedy bastard.
Wetzel: Maybe he'll calm down if I give him a minute.

Jason: You give him a minute, and he becomes a minute's more agitated. You're really starting to wonder how much the ropes and the leash can withstand, as he thrashes around, a gruesome half-body.

Wetzel: There's me, the deputy, and the intruder.
Wetzel: And Sigmund, but that would be stupid. He's probably got less blood than one of those packs.
Wetzel: I'm certainly not cannibalizing the deputy after he saved my life.

Jason: The intruders have both decomposed. No blood there.

Wetzel: So it's down to me and the corpse.
Wetzel: I see

Jason: And, of course, it hasn't left your head that the intruder's gun is still lying on the floor.
Jason: Plus, who knows what the deputy might have on him.
Jason: It might also be necessary to mention that, considering what you know about the human (and inhuman) body, it's not a risky bet that Sigmund might be just enough...

Wetzel: How heavy is the deputy?

Jason: Probably in the range of two hundred and fifty pounds.
Jason: Big guy.

Wetzel: Who knows how long the deputy will be asleep. Days, maybe.
Wetzel: He can spare a little.
Wetzel: I have to have someone sent down here either way.
Wetzel: But on the other hand, I can't just entrust his sleeping body to this lunatic.
Wetzel: So it's just me, Sigmund, the man who killed to save me, and this creature.
Wetzel: I don't want to do what I'm thinking.
Wetzel: I pick up the gun and check the ammunition left.

Jason: Two bullets.

Wetzel: Is that counting the one in the chamber?

Jason: Yes, sorry.

Wetzel: Hardly enough to make me feel safe.
Wetzel: I guess he already used this tonight.
Wetzel: I give the deputy a cursory glance for any weapons.

Jason: Nothing on the outside. He could be concealing some, though.

Wetzel: Do I have time to check?

Jason: You can't tell. The Malkavian's certainly not prepared to wait for you, though.

Wetzel: I could really use something with a blade, but if he breaks out of his ropes it would be a disaster.
Wetzel: No time.
Wetzel: I can't believe what I'm doing.
Wetzel: I hold the gun tight with my finger on the trigger.
Wetzel: I close my eyes and lean in with my neck, offering it to him.
Wetzel: I press the barrel of the gun against his chest.
Wetzel: I really hope this doesn't damage Sigmund's ears.
Wetzel: I wait for him to bite.

Jason: (Secret roll.)
Jason: OK.
Jason: Keeping the gun planted on his heart, you lean your neck in closer... closer... and then the first bite. It's a searing pain, unimaginable, excruciating. Never if your life or unlife have you suffered something as painful as this vampire's bite.
Jason: Roll Willpower, difficulty seven.
Jason: Additionally, you take a level of aggravated damage, so subtract one die from that roll.

***Wetzel rolls 8: 6 4 7 5 10 2 10 4

Jason: It's tremendously difficult, but you stay in place, suppressing the urge to retreat. The Malkavian laps at the blood pouring from your neck, then prepares to bite again. You realize he doesn't have the ability to simply kiss and suck, he can only attack and scrounge. This is your last chance before it comes.

Wetzel: Of all the things I have on my mind, I think of home and the last time I saw my father.
Wetzel: I stay in place.

Jason: His fangs tear through your flesh, ripping it open into a gaping wound, which cascades blood all over his mouth. He shrieks and shrieks with hunger. It's your embrace all over again.
Jason: You take another level of aggravated damage. You can tell he's ready for the next go.

Wetzel: Greedy piece of shit, why won't he stop?
Wetzel: I push the weapon fiercely against his chest but don't move.

Jason: With one final shriek, he rips your neck open, tearing your jugular vein. It's a waterfall. He licks up everything he can, then finally, finally, collapses, still and soothed.
Jason: You take one further level of aggravated damage and lose three blood points, losing one more for every turn you don't spend one to heal your wound just enough to stop the bleeding.

Wetzel: I lost track, how much do I have now?

Jason: Six out of thirteen blood. Three levels of aggravated damage with one further level of lethal damage, leaving you at Wounded (minus two die on all rolls).

Wetzel: If I heal fully, I'll have 3?

Jason: Aggravated damage takes five blood points per level to heal, and a day's rest. You can't heal any more than the one level of lethal right now.

Wetzel: I'll do that.

Jason: The bleeding stops, Sigmund runs to your side, panicked. The Malkavian is motionless, but you can actually watch the grisly, macabre process of his legs beginning to reform.
Jason: (You're at Injured, -1 on all rolls.)

Wetzel: I collapse against the wall, not least from the shock of the intense pain.
Wetzel: I keep the gun in my hand.
Wetzel: "You're a real piece of shit, you know that?"

Jason: A weak voice says: "That's what my mother always told me."

Wetzel: "I'm not your mother. Her milk didn't come from her neck."
Wetzel: "I think I'll take that blood back when I'm done asking questions."
Wetzel: "You're one of Anselme Pavel's men. Tell me about him."

Jason: With his leg strength back, he's able to push himself up and sit with his back against the opposite wall, facing you. Finally getting a chance to take a good look at him, you see he's a relatively attractive man, despite the leash around his face. Well-worn stubble around a jawline that would succeed in a professional environment.
Jason: He looks confused and licks his lips, still wet with your blood. "Anselme Pavel?" he asks. "Who's that?"

Wetzel: "The one who was captured and put in torpor by the prince's men while you've been down here."
Wetzel: I use Heightened Senses to check for any involuntary response.

Jason: He doesn't automatically believe you. You can tell by his eyes, by a curl in his lip, that he's trying to figure out if you're telling the truth.
Jason: He looks you in the eyes: "Sounds like a pretty bad guy, then. Good for our prince."

Wetzel: "Bad guy indeed. He tried to assault the prince's Elysium. Two other Malkavians serving as his enforcers were also captured."
Wetzel: "Somehow someone got the idea that there was a third such person in torpor himself in the sewer."
Wetzel: "I don't suppose that would be you?"

Jason: He bites his lip. Then: "That fucking Nosferatu CUNT! He told the prince about me?!"
Jason: He tries his best to regain his composure, then asks you "Rucklin. What about Rucklin? You must want him dead too, if you're with the prince, right?"

Wetzel: "Rucklin's none of my concern, whatever he's done to upset the prince."
Wetzel: "I'm here because the prince wants the loose ends tied up on this Pavel matter."
Wetzel: "The prince is a reasonable man, and he respects reasonable people, so be reasonable and start telling me about the plan."
Wetzel: "What gave him the idea he could pull off such an audacious plan? Was it madness?"

Jason: He's still thinking, chewing his lip, darting his eyes aggressively around the room. Finally, he leans forward and says: "There's no fucking way in Hell that the prince captured Anselme Pavel."
Jason: "Any second now there'll be a half-dozen Kindred here to free me. You'd better run while you can, skinny."

Wetzel: I laugh, injecting as much confidence as I can.
Wetzel: "Alright, Malkavian. You're right. The prince has been deposed. Anselme even killed a few antediluvians, if that fits your derangement better."
Wetzel: "I'm here on a suicide mission to bother you a bit before Caine himself floats in here and saves you."
Wetzel: "So please indulge me and describe how Pavel accomplished this feat."

Jason: "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Malkavian? Do I look like a fucking Malkavian to you?"

Jason: And as he asks so, something hits you. That buzz, that whispering that accompanies a Malkavian's presence, the network firing up between you two... is missing.

Wetzel: Despite my intentions, my face surely betrays some surprise.
Wetzel: "The intelligence may not be all it was cracked up to be. The Nosferatu may have an axe to grind of his own."
Wetzel: "I can see this is a misunderstanding. Why don't you tell me who you are so we can get it sorted out."

Jason: He smirks. "My name is Malthe. I'm a Toreador, under the special protection of Anselme Pavel."
Jason: "You, on the other hand, seem to just be some poor out-of-his-element neonate who doesn't know what the fuck he's even doing down here in the sewers."

Wetzel: "Pavel didn't specially protect your legs, I see."

Jason: He forces a laugh. Then he arches his back to pivot on his head and turn around, until his back is to you and he's on his knees. Then he stands up.
Jason: (Secret roll.)
Jason: You suddenly feel very pleasantly pre-disposed to him. Your will to argue or upset him plummets.
Jason: (You may spend a Willpower point and roll Willpower difficulty eight to fight this predisposition.)
Jason: Then spend an additional point every turn until you can no longer see him.

Wetzel: A) What if I'm looking at his back?
Wetzel: B) It doesn't sound like this is the sort of thing Wetzel would know?

Jason: A) Counts as seeing him.
Jason: B) The point and the roll are just Wetzel trying to fight the power. Having to stop looking at him would be beyond Wetzel's experience.

Wetzel: I'll roll and spend.
Wetzel: What's the order?
Wetzel: And the -1 is included, is that right?

Jason: Spend first, but it doesn't matter, and yes.

***Wetzel rolls 7: 3 1 1 7 10 9 5

Wetzel: Wow

Jason: You try to fight it, but it's no use. He turns and looks at you, smiling, and you can't help but see what an attractive, intelligent man he is.
Jason: (You can keep trying, but you'll have to spend another point.)

Wetzel: "Look, man, Pavel lost. Just tell me about him and maybe I can take off that head restraint."

Jason: "Pavel, is an incredible man, my friend," he says, "and he can help you. He can bring you into the fold. You can be part of the revolution."
Jason: "Now, how about undoing these damn ropes?"

Wetzel: I'll spend and roll again.

***Wetzel rolls 8: 5 7 9 3 3 7 9 1

Jason: You maintain control, you realize it's a bad idea to free him.
Jason: You can resist him as long as you spend another point every turn now. No need to roll again.

Wetzel: Better make my turns count!

Jason: Start now.

Wetzel: Fuck, I have no clue what to do next.
Wetzel: "You need to show more humility considering those gifts from me you're standing on."
Wetzel: I shoot between his legs.
Wetzel: "Now if you don't want me to fill your lungs with sewage you need to tell me what Pavel's goal was, and what made him think he could achieve it."

Jason: Dex + Firearms, difficulty four.

***Wetzel rolls 3+1: 6 10 7 1

Jason: The bullet dents the ground between his feet, making him back up a step or two. He looks curious, and says "All right, all right. Stay cool."
Jason: He visibly searches for the right words, before saying "Anselme's going to take over the city."

Wetzel: "And then what? He expects to keep it?"

Jason: You spend a Willpower point.
Jason: "Anselme has a great vision for the world. He's going to implant Kindred in every walk of life, make our kind inextricable from human society. Force them to need us for their own survival. Then, he'll end this Masquerade once and for all, and we can be free."

Wetzel: "Lie down on your stomach." I gesture with the gun. "I want to take that uncomfortable strap off your face."
Wetzel: "I don't suppose he explained to his grunts how he expected to do such a thing?"

Jason: You spend a Willpower point.
Jason: "We're the ones who are doing it for him," he laughs. "We get the jobs at the banks, the credit card companies. We take over the drug trade, we spy on the prince. I got the mayor recalled," he says with pride. "Now I don't really have to be on my stomach for you to get this thing off of me, do I?"

Jason: (You have four Willpower points left. If you run out, you won't be able to resist him.)

Wetzel: The drug trade. Zero ...
Wetzel: "I'm feeling so nice today. Your teeth must inject vitamin C."
Wetzel: I spin him around forcibly and push him against the wall face first.
Wetzel: Keeping the gun on him, I use my other hand to undo the knot and pull on the leash. His arched posture finally relaxes.
Wetzel: "For some reason I feel like letting you keep your legs today."
Wetzel: I loop the leash around his ankles and pull tight. He hops to keep his balance.
Wetzel: I loop it a few times and tie as many knots as I can, as tight as I can.

Jason: Whoa, now.

Wetzel: ?

Jason: You'll need to roll just to push him to the wall.

Wetzel: OK

Jason: Dexterity + Brawl, five.

Wetzel: I was scrambling to get a lot done in one turn.

***Wetzel rolls 3+0: 6 7 7

Jason: You're able to get him pressed up against the wall. He struggles, and shouts at you, but he can't push you back.
Jason: Now you can undo the leash and try to get it around his ankles.

Wetzel: "Don't move unless you want to die," I warn. "I'm sick of your bullshit and ready to hang you upside down to drain into my mouth."
Wetzel: I undo the leash and loop it around his ankles.
Wetzel: And tie the best knots I possibly can.

Jason: All right, roll Manipulation + Intimidation, difficulty six.

***Wetzel rolls 1: 7

Jason: He remains still, momentarily.
Jason: Now, Dexterity + Crafts, difficulty eight, minus one die.

***Wetzel rolls 4: 5 3 2 3

Wetzel: sigh

Jason: You undo the leash on his head, but you simply can't manage to wrap it around his ankles while still holding the gun to his back.
Jason: You're down to two points.

Wetzel: I shove the leash in my pocket, frustrated.
Wetzel: "Now, I know how to get out of these sewers, and I've still barely got time before dawn."
Wetzel: "If you try to run, all you're going to accomplish is a night's rest face down in piss and shit."
Wetzel: "Considering that the prince and his guards are sitting pretty with a major enemy vanquished, we've got nothing but time on our hands."
Wetzel: "So rest assured you're going to be found while you sleep and dream of the sludge of the kine."
Wetzel: "If I were you I'd hope I'm lying about that last part, spend the day here, and try to escape this shitty labyrinth tomorrow night."
Wetzel: Shit, I can't leave him with the deputy.
Wetzel: Forget everything I just said, I guess.
Wetzel: At this point I think I have to put him in torpor.
Wetzel: I need to stake him somehow.
Wetzel: This room has nothing in it?

Jason: Completely bare concrete.

Wetzel: OK
Wetzel: Fuck
Wetzel: I think I'm 100% defeated in this situation.

Jason: Well.

Wetzel: OK, well, I leave him alone with the deputy and head to Kang's place.

Jason: You have one bullet, and him at point blank.
Jason: Oh.
Jason: Do you say anything to him?

Wetzel: "Have a nice unlife!"
Wetzel: I thought about putting the leash around him and walking him to the surface until such time as I find a suitable stake, but I'd just end up letting him eat my face after two turns.

Jason: You want to take off running?

Wetzel: Sure, with the dog.
Wetzel: And in the wrong direction.

Jason: All right, you run away and leave him behind, hastily trying to remember and follow Kang's directions.
Jason: It takes you a while, at least a half hour by your mental clock, but you finally arrive to the steel ladder leading to a curbside opening to the surface, which Kang told you led to his driveway.
Jason: Unfortunately, sunlight is pouring through it.

Wetzel: I look around for a place to fall asleep.

Jason: On your way, you noticed a small maintenance room, full of janitorial equipment and not much else. Its door has been forcefully removed from its hinges. You're unprotected, but it's away from the shit at least. Or you could spend more time searching for a Nosferatu outpost somewhere.

Wetzel: I'll just sleep there.

Jason: You drop to the floor, extremely fatigued. Sigmund curls up next to you. It's been a long, horrible night, but before you can allow yourself to finally get some rest, you're forced to confront the question: if that one wasn't him... who is the third Malkavian?
Jason: And then: the scream comes back.
Jason: Roll Perception, difficulty nine.

***Wetzel rolls 2: 1 6

Jason: You just cannot place this voice, and your continued failure to do so is actually making it worse. The scream grows louder and louder, drilling into your skull. And soon, it's joined by the cacophony of the network. You hear whisperings, secrets, lies, revelations, and like graffiti on an already covered city wall, you can make out the words: "He's a liar."

Wetzel: "Who's a liar?!" I yell.

Jason: "Malthe," someone says.
Jason: Then: "Kang."
Jason: Then: "Zero."
Jason: Then: "Richter."
Jason: Then: "Anselme."
Jason: And soon: "Percival. Lucy. Abigail. Anselme. Malik. Mikhail. Anselme. Dad. Anselme. Mom. Anselme. Sigmund. Anselme. Anselme."
Jason: "Anselme."
Jason: "Anselme Pavel is a liar!"

Wetzel: "He lied about his ambition?!" I yell, not thinking about the possibility of being discovered.

Jason: "Anselme Pavel hates his blood. He drinks and drinks and drinks to try to replace it, but he never will."
Jason: "Anselme Pavel is a liar."

Wetzel: "Who is he really?"

Jason: A million and two voices are all speaking simultaneously. And each one is saying something different, and each one is saying exactly the same thing. "Anselme Pavel is a genius. Anselme Pavel is a visionary. Anselme Pavel is a criminal. Anselme Pavel is a lunatic. Anselme Pavel is us. We are Anselme Pavel."
Jason: "Anselme Pavel is..."
Jason: And then they all shut up. Then they all wait for you.

Wetzel: "A murderer? Or a hero! Which is it?!"
Wetzel: "How can he be stopped?"

Jason: They're silent, but they haven't gone. You can still feel them inside your skull. They're all watching you, waiting for you.
Jason: You hear it again: "Anselme Pavel is..."

Wetzel: "Someone I know?!"
Wetzel: "Why did he appear to me last night? Why does he care?!"

Jason: The silence, the anticipation, is becoming louder than all of their voices ever could be.
Jason: "Anselme Pavel is..."

Wetzel: "Me! He's me! I don't care!"
Wetzel: "I don't give a SHIT about vampires and princes! I don't care who he kills!"
Wetzel: "He's killing killers! Vampires are killers!"
Wetzel: "Either kill me or let me go home!"

Jason: The network dies.
Jason: Your mind goes blank.
Jason: And you fall fast asleep.
Jason: End of Chapter Three.
_________________
Last edited by God on Fri Apr 05, 33 4:00 am; edited 1 time in total

[Jason]

Chapter Four: The Rise or Fall of Anselme Pavel

The object of a New Year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul.
- G. K. Chesterton

Jason: Before you open your eyes, the world shakes around you.
Jason: And again. A sound of decrepit metal, and a few burnt shards jostling your skin.
Jason: As you wake, you remember your surroundings: the cold snow, the ice, the burnt car. You're still alive, or undead, what have you. And someone is beside the car, kicking it in an attempt to rouse you from your sleep.

Zero: I pull myself from under the car to see who's attempting to wake me, actually surprised I lived through the day.

Jason: A smartly dressed middle-aged man stands above you, looking humorless and tired. "Zoe Lockett?" he asks, offering his hand to help you up.

Zero: While brushing myself and taking his hand I say, "Not to many people know me by the name, mind sharing yours, also how'd you know where to find me?"

Jason: He steps aside and raises his arm to a very expensive car, parked in the middle of this stretch of back road. He says "Mr. Pavel can answer your questions," and looking closer you can see Anselme Pavel, the man who invaded the Elysium last night, sitting in the back seat.
Jason: The man opens the car door for you, inviting you to take a seat beside Anselme.

Zero: "Great, the man that's been trying to kill me for the past three nights is now giving me a ride. I guess it can't get any worse." I get into the car without hesitation.

Jason: Anselme doesn't make much of an effort to address you. You can easily tell that he seems preoccupied. The man walks to the driver's seat and Anselme instructs him to drive, and the car begins moving.
Jason: "First things first," Anselme says to you while still looking ahead, "here." He reaches between his legs and hands you a large Balthazar bottle of blood.
Jason: "It's not much, but it has been ... tailored to your... specific tastes."

Zero: I sniff the bottle and notice the faint smell of cocaine. I chug it in seconds.
Zero: "What's with all the generosity?"

Jason: You regain three blood points as your brain fires back to life. The world becomes clearer around you. You definitely needed this.
Jason: "Zero," he says, "you would actually find me a very generous man if you didn't spend your time with all these propagandizing Camarilla bloodhounds."
Jason: "But, no matter. Time is of the essence. You see, last night, you and the Nosferatu kidnapped a very dear friend of mine. And then I am to see that that sewer rat abandoned you to die on a lonesome stretch of road."
Jason: "What I offer you is two-fold. You have seen by now that I am a very powerful man, and I can make things happen as I want them to. Firstly, Zero, you already know that I plan to infiltrate the mortal drug market. How would you feel to no longer be the kingpin of downtown Nauset, but of the whole of North America?"

Zero: "I've never considered running a territory bigger than what I have now..." Looking at my hands I regain focus and regain my train of thought. "Before I consider your offer, answer me this one question. What's the motivation behind ending the Masquerade? What could possibly get out of it besides putting our entire kindred in harm's way?"

Jason: "I promise you, Zero, I can explain all of this given time which I currently do not have. Suffice it to say, there is a reason I am putting Kindred in the drug trade, the same as I am putting them in the financial sectors, and the government."
Jason: "Imagine, if you can, a world in which our kind was inextricable from their kind. Where they couldn't cast us out even if they wanted to, as we were wholly a part of their society."
Jason: "That is the world I see, Zero, that is what I am going to achieve. And that is the end of the Masquerade as we know it."
Jason: "But I get ahead of myself. There is another offer. Zero," he says, "have you ever committed diablerie?"

Zero: "No, I've never been interested in such a thing. What are you suggesting?"

Jason: "It's a phenomenal feeling," Anselme says wistfully, "I promise you it's a sensation a thousand times greater than the contents of that bottle I gave you."
Jason: "I am suggesting that you follow my driver here into the sewers, where he will lead you to that cretinous Nosferatu who left you to die in the Sun. Once there, you will tell him that I am offering clemency to both of you, and the other two, in exchange for the return of Mikhail, the young boy he absconded with."
Jason: "Bring him to my Decimus Tower, along with Mikhail, and I will offer you a free place, to exact whatever sort of revenge you desire on this rat."

Zero: "Drinking vampire's blood... A new high eh? What if we refuse?"

Jason: Anselme's voice grows deep. "You have seen what happens to those who stand against me. I trust you to learn from their foolishness."
Jason: "I desire you in my company, Zero," he says, finally looking to you, "and not only that, in my new world order. This is an opportunity I do not extend freely, but I believe our interests have finally aligned."
Jason: The car stops, then, and you recognize the location outside as Kang's mansion.
Jason: "What say you?" Anselme asks.

Zero: "I'll see you at your tower."

Jason: He grabs you by the arm, then he looks to the driver and says to him: "Scout ahead. Make sure it's clear. He will follow you."
Jason: The driver leaves, and walks through a pedestrian gate to Kang's driveway, and you watch him slip down into a curbside entrance to the sewer. Then Anselme leans in toward you. "Listen," he says.
Jason: "To assure your conviction to the Nosferatu, allow my ghoul to enter first. Let him intimidate him. Then, run in, and kill him, before the rat's eyes. Leave no doubt as to your... good intentions."
Jason: "Understood?"

Zero: "Fine. Let's get this over with."

Jason: You exit the car and follow the ghoul's trail, down to the sewer.
Jason: You follow the ghoul through the cavernous, odorous sewers for sometime, before he finally arrives at a major septic system. "He's in here," he growls. "I'll go in first."

Zero: I hang back as instructed.

Jason: From the room you hear him storm in, pause, then faintly hear him call out for the Nosferatu... asking him to show himself...

Zero: I continue waiting. Expecting Kang to show up.

Jason: It's quiet, still, inside. You wonder what could be happening in there.

Zero: I walk inside to see what happened to the ghoul.
_________________
Last edited by God on Fri Apr 05, 33 4:00 am; edited 1 time in total

[Jason]

Jason: You're fast asleep on an old mattress, and unconscious Malkavian in torpor beside you.
Jason: Roll Perception + Occult, difficulty six.

***Kang rolls 5 10-sided dice: 9 1 4 5 9

Jason: In your sleep, you feel... ever so slightly... disturbed...
Jason: But you don't wake.
Jason: An indeterminable amount of time passes; your blood burns and you wake to the wet sound of footsteps approaching, quickly.

Kang: I'll use unseen presence to meld into the shadows.
Kang: And look around to see if I can figure out who or what it is.
Kang: I LISTEN SUPER HARD, TOO

Jason: The metal door to the septic plant you're in flings open and a thick, serious man stomps inside. He instantly sees the Malkavian, and you can watch him make a mental check mark. Then, he starts looking around for you. "All right, rat," he says. "Come on out." He moves back his jacket and you see the glint of a knife on his hip.

Kang: Christ, I need to find better hiding spots.
Kang: I want to get a good look at him, so I'll move to a good vantage spot
Kang: I'll stay hidden, though

Jason: Wits + Stealth, difficulty seven.

dicebot: Kang rolled 7#d10 --> [ 1d10=3 ]{3}, [ 1d10=7 ]{7}, [ 1d10=3 ]{3}, [ 1d10=1 ]{1}, [ 1d10=7 ]{7}, [ 1d10=4 ]{4}, [ 1d10=2 ]{2}

Jason: Oh.
Jason: You nimbly crawl up and onto a control panel, getting higher than him. He is dressed smartly, looks a little tired, and is breathing. You don't recognize him.
Jason: He continues to walk through the room, searching for you.

Kang: Oh, he's breathing
Kang: I'll use vanish from mind's eye on him

Jason: Charisma + Stealth, difficulty eight.

dicebot: Kang rolled 6#d10 --> [ 1d10=1 ]{1}, [ 1d10=8 ]{8}, [ 1d10=10 ]{10}, [ 1d10=3 ]{3}, [ 1d10=6 ]{6}, [ 1d10=10 ]{10}

Kang: Blarrgg
Kang: So close
Kang: Oh well, I'm in my mist form, I suppose
Kang: I'll circle around him
Kang: And try to get behind him

Jason: You fade into an apparition, translucent and barely able to be seen. You slowly move around him, treading lightly, aided by shadows. He's moving slowly, but cautiously, forward.

Kang: I grabbed a knife from my place earlier
Kang: And I'll PULL THAT SHIT OUT

Jason: You did, huh?

Kang: I grabbed a fresh change of clothes, a flashlight, a backpack, and a knife.

Jason: All right.

Kang: If I remember correctly.
Kang: Anyway
Kang: I'll approach his back
Kang: And slit his throat!
Kang: I'll burn two blood points and max out my dex.

Jason: Wait, before you do that - !

Kang: Oh?

Jason: You step, step, step, and you approach the invader, the door to the room behind you swings open once more!
Jason: Pause.

Kang: SIGH

Kang: I'll backpedal into the shadows and see who just came in.
Kang: Try to stay hidden

Jason: Suddenly, Zero walks through the door with trepidation.

Kang: Hahaha
Kang: Does Zero see me?

Jason: No, he doesn't seem to be looking at you.

Kang: Okay, I'll stay hidden and see what happens.

Zero: I notice the tied up Malkavian. "Aren't you supposed to be at the mansion?"

Jason: You do remember that that Malkavian is in torpor, right?

Zero: Oh shit, that's right.

Jason: eh heh heh

Zero: "Ungh, looks like he's still unconscious."
Zero: "If he's here, that asshole Kang can't be too far away."
Zero: Calling out to the ghoul, "Looking around is useless, you're not going to find him until he wants you to see him."
Zero: I sit on the Malkavian's lap and wait.

Jason: The man turns to see you've entered, Zero, and sighs. He walks over to you, agitated. "He has to be somewhere in here. I just can't smell him apart from the rest of the sludge." When he sees you sit, he shouts "Get off of him!" Then he restrains himself, and says "Don't risk damaging him any further."

Kang: I'll get close to the door -- JUST IN CASE.
Kang: And I'll say, "How did you find me?"

Jason: Your Obfuscate instantly vanishes, Kang.

Zero: "Looks like I was right. We've been watched from the very beginning, did you honestly think you were safe here?"
Jason: The man begins to storm threateningly in his direction, growling, "There you are, you bastard."

Zero: I throw my hands into my pocket.

Jason: I SHOULD SAY:
Jason: The SHADOWS around Kang dissipate.
Jason: Zero, Kang is a ghostlike apparition, however.

Kang: "We need to get the Malkavian to Richter."
Jason: You can see him, but the man is seemingly moving by sound alone.

Zero: "Actually we don't."
Zero: "The Malkavian is useless. I have a lead and we should follow it instead."
Zero: "Though you should probably be worried about the ghoul ready to bash your head in first..."

Kang: "Explain."

Zero: "I can't say much more under the current circumstances."

***Jason rolls 7 10-sided dice: 2 8 8 4 10 7 2

Kang: Man those rolls

Jason: Kang, you watch the ghoul's eyes go from scanning warily to sharply positioned on you. He lunges forward and grabs you by the neck, pinning you to the wall. "Lockett," he says, "get the Malkavian up. Let's go."

Kang: "Is this your ghoul?"

Zero: "I work alone. Ghouls aren't my style."

Jason: "I serve Anselme Pavel, you fucking rat," he says, squeezing your throat tighter.

Kang: "Well, I guess your ghoul wouldn't talk to you like this."

Zero: I run up and punch the ghoul in the back of the head.

Jason: His grip releases and he stumbles, holding himself up with his back on the door. "What the hell ... !"

Zero: Before he can react I take my gun and pistol whip him.

Jason: The ghoul?

Zero: Yes.

Jason: His jaw cracks and breaks, blood flies from his mouth. His words slur as he shouts at you "What the fuck do you think you're doing!"
Jason: He reaches to his hip and grabs a knife.

Kang: I'll stab him.

Jason: Where?

Kang: I guess his torso
Kang: Whatever is easiest

Jason: Dexterity + Melee, six.

Zero: "Stop, Kang."

Kang: hmm

Zero: "We already have one Malkavian in torpor, do we really need another body to deal with?"

Jason: Zero, he stabs you.

Zero: FUUUUUU

Kang: Yeah, I'm going to stab him

Zero: I'm stabbed.

dicebot: Kang rolled 4#d10 --> [ 1d10=10 ]{10}, [ 1d10=6 ]{6}, [ 1d10=2 ]{2}, [ 1d10=7 ]{7}

***Jason rolls 5 10-sided dice: 4 5 4 1 2

Jason: Well, HE TRIES TO STAB YOU.
Jason: But KANG GETS IN HIS WAY.

Zero: Haha

Jason: And plunges his own knife deep into the ghoul's chest, pushing him back.
Jason: The ghoul looks at you wide-eyed, spitting up blood

Zero: I face the ghoul and use dominate.

Jason: What's your command?

Zero: Surrender.

Jason: Manipulation + Intimidation, difficulty six.

***Zero rolls a d10 4 times: 5, 7, 2, 1, total: 15

Zero: Ugh.

Kang: haha

Jason: He stabs you.

***Jason rolls 5 10-sided dice: 4 3 5 7 6

Kang: I'll stab him again!

Jason: Roll for it, but it's only AFTER he stabs Zero.
Jason: In the throat.

dicebot: Kang rolled 4#d10 --> [ 1d10=7 ]{7}, [ 1d10=7 ]{7}, [ 1d10=5 ]{5}, [ 1d10=10 ]{10}

***Jason rolls 4 10-sided dice: 7 3 6 9

Zero:

***Jason rolls 2 10-sided dice: 7 2

Jason: All right, Zero, you take one level of lethal damage as the knife pierces your neck, but as soon as it does so, Kang drives the ghoul back with another stab into his heart. The ghoul falls to the ground, gurgles up blood, and begins to decompose.

Kang: "Okay, explain what's going on."

Zero: Coughing up blood. "Give me a moment..."

Kang: "Who was that ghoul?"

Zero: "Before I explain myself, why don't you tell me why you left me to die in the sun?"

Kang: "I didn't want to lose our captive."

Jason: He also left you with two murdering psychopaths, Zero.

Zero: That too...
Zero: "Our captive was in torpor, and I doubt that's why we were being tailed. You could have easily put the car into reverse so that I could jump in. Thanks man."

Kang: "None of that is important."

Jason: By the way, Kang, now that you get a good look at him, you notice Zero is fairly injured. His clothes are burnt and much of his skin is noticeably charred.

Kang: "Who was the ghoul?"
Kang: "What is this lead that you mentioned earlier?"
Kang: I grit my teeth while I say this.

Zero: "The ghoul already told you, he worked for Pavel. Until you murdered him."

Kang: "Yes, but what were you doing with him? How did you get to this part of the sewer?"
Kang: "Just tell me everything."

Zero: "The lead is, we're finished. I spoke with Pavel personally. He's not giving us a choice. Our only option is to either join him or kill him."
Kang: "Do you know where Richter and Wetzel are?"

Zero: Sighing, "He said he expects all of us to go to Decimus Tower and join his agenda."
Zero: "I figured they would be at your home, where we agreed to meet."

Kang: "I'm not going to do that."
Kang: "He murdered all of the Nosferatu in the city, and he's tried to kill me multiple times. It's pretty obvious what he plans to do to me."

Zero: "I never said I was. I'm just sharing you what he told me."
Zero: "Why are you in the sewers?"

Kang: "I was hiding down here. My house isn't entirely safe."

Zero: "Well he's been taking over my territory and forced me to spend the day under a car, sounds like we're even."

Kang: "Apparently, this spot wasn't terribly safe either."
Kang: "We need to find Richter and Wetzel."

Zero: "He made me an offer, I never gave him an answer. I'm my own boss, shit, I have a hard time working with YOU guys."

Kang: "That's great."

Zero: "Fine, I'll go look for Richter, you go after the other."
Zero: "We'll meet at my apartment downtown."

Kang: "Haha, do you have any idea where to look?"

Zero: "Wetzel was heading towards the torpored Malkavian, right?"

Kang: "I already know where I'm going to search for Wetzel. That isn't the issue."

Zero: "I'm guessing Richter is still in the vicinity of the late Prince's dwelling."

Kang: "I'm talking about you going after Richter."
Kang: "Let's move HIM to a safer location and then go to where Wetzel was headed."

Zero: "I have contacts, finding Richter won't be difficult."

Kang: "Okay."

Zero: "Mind if I walk ahead? I wouldn't want to be left behind again."

Kang: "Do you have a cell phone?"

Zero: "Sure, who do you need to reach?"

Kang: "Give me your number."
Kang: I'll give Zero my number.

Zero: I text message Kang my number back with a smiley face.

Jason: Charisma + Expression, difficulty ten, Zero.

***Zero rolls a d10 4 times: 2, 1, 3, 5, total: 11

Zero: Great roll.

Jason: Kang finds your smiley face rude and inappropriate, he hates you.

Zero: :O

Kang: I'll grab the Malkavian and start dragging him to another part of the sewer.
Kang: Then I'll go to where I left the dismembered Malkavian

Zero: I'll head to the Prince's building to look for clues regarding Richter.

Jason: All right, let's just say you both walk to the ladder to the curbside sewer entrance in Kang's driveway, and there you split up.
_________________
Last edited by God on Fri Apr 05, 33 4:00 am; edited 1 time in total

[Jason]

Jason: While your mind had cleared when you first fell asleep, throughout the day, your dreams have gotten progressively more horrid, and the nightmares have clutched at you for hours.
Jason: You can see a thin, pale man, dancing like some kind of archetypal savage, under a full moon, while his followers chant and dance around him.
Jason: Your blood tells you that this is Malkav, the progenitor of your clan, the source of your insanity.
Jason: As he danced, you watched his seed speed through generation after generation, travel and twist through time, until finally latching onto your mind parasitically, and forcing your humanity to decay night by night.
Jason: Roll Willpower, difficulty seven.

***Wetzel rolls 8: 7 9 9 3 9 4 2 3

Jason: Your eyes shoot open, damning your visions and forcing them away. You're aided by the array of sensations that greet you when you wake: the dull, earthly browns of the maintenance room in this sewer you camped in, the smell of sewage, the wet chill, and all other manner of putridity. Looking around, you find Sigmund, resting peacefully.
Jason: And then, a vision appears before you.
Jason: It's Anselme. Once more a transparent, ghostlike visage, the cord extending from his navel.
Jason: He looks to you and says, without threat or menace: "Wetzel, come to Decimus. We should talk."

Wetzel: I wonder what time it is.
Wetzel: It seems like a needless risk to look for a clock.
Wetzel: They'd have one back at the station, but I'll just go check the surface again.
Wetzel: I rouse Sigmund and head in that direction.
_________________
Last edited by God on Fri Apr 05, 33 4:00 am; edited 1 time in total

[Jason]

Jason: You are both currently walking through the sewers, and actually, at the moment you leave the room, Wetzel, you can see Kang coming around the bend in the pipeline. He's carrying a body, whom you eventually recognize as the curly haired man who ran away from the fight in the warehouse. He's taken serious damage.
Jason: Kang, you see Wetzel exiting the maintenance room in which you first found the half-body. He's looking far worse than when you first met, paler, heavier in mind, and he has very bad gash wounds on his neck. There's a small dog with Wetzel as well, following him obediently.

Wetzel: "Kang?"
Jason: (The curly haired man has taken serious damage, not Kang, who looks merely unhappy.)

Kang: I'll put the body down.

Wetzel: "What are you doing here?"

Kang: "There have been some complications."
Kang: "I've managed to hold onto this guy, though."
Kang: "What happened to you?"
Kang: "Did you find out anything useful?"

Wetzel: "I found the third Malkavian ... well, actually I didn't."

Kang: "What do you mean?"

Wetzel: "There was a prisoner, it was definitely the person we talked about, but he wasn't a Malkavian."

Kang: "Oh."

Wetzel: "He must have escaped. I had to leave him. I didn't feel like myself around him, he was doing something to my mind."

Kang: I point to the staked vampire.
Kang: "Getting information out of him is nearly impossible."

Wetzel: "What do you mean? He won't talk?"

Kang: "Well, he's Malkavian."
Kang: "He's insane, and nothing he says makes any sense or is even remotely useful."
Kang: "That's why we need to find Richter."
Kang: "Maybe he could use his gifts to coax what we need out of him."
Kang: "Zero is supposedly looking for Richter, but he's a worthless imbecile."

Wetzel: "Kang, the man I found was a Toreador named Malthe. He betrayed that he had an unsavory connection to the Nosferatu, or to one at least. Does any of that sound familiar?"

Kang: Also, I'd like to point out that I repeated Peter's GIVE IT A SHOT line because that's from Living On a Prayer
Kang: "I only really acquainted with one Nosferatu."
Kang: "I had very little to do with any of the vampires in the city after I got my inheritance."
Kang: "I don't even know that much about the Nosferatu here in Nauset."
Kang: "Well, the Nosferatu that were in Nauset."

Wetzel: "I see."
Wetzel: "Well, the third Malkavian is still out there, even assuming Richter was successful."
Wetzel: "We'd better find Richter and figure out how to proceed."

Kang: "Yes."
Kang: "Do you have any idea where we might want to begin looking?"

Wetzel: "I was hoping you did ..."
Wetzel: "Did you make it back to your place to rendezvous this morning?"

Kang: "Yeah, I made it back and I waited all night."
Kang: "No one showed up."
Kang: "What's interesting is that I waited at the rendezvous point and nobody EVER CAME."

Wetzel: "That is interesting."

Kang: "But when I went and hid in a secluded OUT OF THE WAY part of the sewer, the entire fucking city showed up."
Kang: "It was great!"

Wetzel: "There's no need for such brusque language, Kang."
Wetzel: "Do you think the prince's Elysium is safe?"

Kang: "Didn't we just watch half of the vampires in the city die there?"

Wetzel: "Well, where else might he have gone?"
Wetzel: "Surely we have some lead better than to wait at the rendezvous point once more?"

Kang: "Oh, I'm not saying the Elysium is a bad place to check."
Kang: "It's just that it's most likely a very dangerous place at the moment!"
Kang: "I suppose we could go search for Richter there."
Kang: "I certainly can't think of anywhere better to look."

Wetzel: "Alright. What about this guy? We can't really be carrying him around on the surface."

Kang: "Let's just hide him down here."
Kang: "Although it might be just as prudent to kill him, too."

Wetzel: "Well, no one bothered me in this closet and I slept there all day. We'll just cover him with something and make him look inconspicuous."

Kang: "Okay."
Kang: I'll do that.

Jason: Ironically, Kang, you end up putting one Malkavian right back where you found the other one. Or, you know, who was thought to be the other one. There remains no door after you kicked it from its hinges, but you stow him away in the shadowed corner.

Wetzel: "Do you know the way?"

Kang: "Yes."
Kang: How far away are we from the prince's Elysium, Jason?

Jason: Half an hour's drive.

Kang: "Let's go to my place. I have a car there."
Kang: I'll lead Wetzel to my fabulous mansion.

Wetzel: That sounds fantastic.
Wetzel: On the way, I'll start a conversation with Kang.
Wetzel: "So exactly what happened to you since we saw each other last?"

Kang: "Zero and I found, confronted, and incapacitated the Malkavian that we dumped in the sewer."
Kang: "Zero and I got separated, so I went to my place and waited there for you and Richter."
Kang: "I suppose I was waiting for Zero, too."
Kang: "Nobody showed up so I hid myself in the sewers."
Kang: "Somehow, Zero and one of Anselme's ghouls found me."
Kang: "I killed the ghoul, and had an absolutely awful conversation with Zero."
Kang: "Then he left to do whatever, and I came and found you."

Wetzel: "I see."
Wetzel: "My night wasn't so interesting. I was followed by a few men, probably agents of Anselme."

Kang: "I learned absolutely nothing useful."
Kang: "Oh?"

Wetzel: "They were killed, by one of the prince's deputies, and by me."
Wetzel: "Anyway, we still don't know who the third Malkavian is."

Kang: "Why are we searching for the Malkavian's again? I was never terribly clear on why finding and questioning them was a crucial part of defeating Anselme."
Kang: "I'm so tempted to just leave the city."

Wetzel: "Yeah, me too."

Jason: All right, you two finally climb the ladder which leads to Kang's driveway and find his van in the mansion's garage.

Kang: Here, I might as well be careful.
Kang: Before I let Wetzel out
Kang: I'll scan my house and the driveway
Kang: Make sure nobody is there

Jason: Scan, with Unseen Presence?

Kang: Ahh, yes.

Jason: It's all clear. The whole block is still and cold. The snow has left sheets of ice in its wake, there's no movement anywhere.

Kang: Okay
Kang: I'll jog to my van and hop in the driver's seat
Kang: And wait for Wetzel

Wetzel: I let Sigmund into the back and get into the passenger seat.
Wetzel: Assuming there's room in the back.
Wetzel: Otherwise he's on my lap or something.

Kang: Is that the faggot dog?
Kang: Kang didn't actually say that
Kang: He conveyed it via body language

Jason: Kang, you pull out of your driveway and as soon as you hit the street, a taxi stops in your path and Lucy, the Tremere you saved, exits its back seat and races up to the passenger window. "Oh God," she says, "I'm so glad I found you here."

Wetzel: !
Wetzel: "Lucy! How did you escape? What happened?"

Jason: "Anselme... he left me to burn in there, but Richter saved me. Have either of you, either of you seen him since last night?" she asks, hastily, wiping the hair from her brow frequently.
Jason: Her eyes are sunken in her skull, she looks absolutely traumatized.

Wetzel: "You'd better get in. We're on our way to search for him now."

Jason: "Where are you going?" she asks.

Kang: "We were going to CAREFULLY check the Elysium."
Kang: "We honestly don't really have a good idea where to look for him."

Wetzel: "Did he say anything to you when you saw him?"

Jason: Lucy shouts: "No!" Her lips quiver and she restrains herself. "No... that place is a tomb." She closes her eyes and says "Richter is in his home. That's why I was looking for one of you, any of you. You're the only allies I have now. And... I'm scared to go to him alone."

Kang: "Okay, let's head there. Just give me directions."

Jason: She gives you the address of Richter's high rise, saying "I can explain on the way," and pulls the door handle to get into the van, hoping for you to open it.

Kang: Okay, I'll open it.
Kang: Then I'll start driving to Richter's pad.

Jason: She hops inside and tries to clear her mind. "After you left, Anselme and his men built pyres on each of the dead bodies, and left me trapped in the glass with Percy, a fire around us."
Jason: "Then Richter appeared, along with the first Malkavian that I was able to see, and he saved me. We went to his office, where Anselme was waiting for him and... I was ordered to leave. I waited downstairs for him, but when he came out, he was blank. Anselme must have Dominated him."
Jason: "I followed him as he walked all the way back to his home, but he never acknowledged me. He seems set on stopping Anselme, but I don't know what was done to him."
Jason: "So I left... I met Abigail outside of the city... and... and..."

Kang: "Anselme seems unbeatable."

Jason: She hesitates. "Please... let's just go."

Kang: "I don't think there's anything we can do to prevent him from fully controlling the city."
Kang: Okay, I start the car and go to Richter's house if I'm not already doing that.

Jason: She remains silent for a few minutes, then turns and says "Oh. The other Malkavians... did you find them?"

Kang: "I found one but his dementia made it nearly impossible to press him for information."
Kang: "I ended up putting him in torpor, so I'm not sure how useful he is at the moment."

Jason: She says: "I know my visions were vague, but I'm positive they have some key to deciphering Anselme, and maybe finding a weakness."
Jason: "Where is he now?"

Kang: "We hid him in the sewer."
Kang: "He's staked and out of sight."

Jason: She clenches her fists. "I..." she searches for the right words. "I... I hope he'll be safe. But we can't go back for him now."
Jason: "What about the third? He's the one I can get the faintest reading one, but he's important..."

Wetzel: "He wasn't who we thought he was. That's all we know for sure right now."
Wetzel: "He's still out there somewhere."

Jason: "There!" she says, pointing at a very tall, expensive apartment building. "That's where I left Richter. His name was on one of the apartments."

Kang: I'll find a place to park.
Kang: Then head up to Richter's apartment.
Kang: Or I'll buzz him
Kang: OR WHATEVER HIS APARTMENT COMPLEX REQUIRES

Jason: All right, the three of you, Kang shrouded by Unseen Presence, walk into the building. You buzz his apartment and wait, but there is no answer.
Jason: None of you look as if you belong there, so you try to stay out of sight and slip in just as another person exits. You take the elevator up to Richter's floor and Lucy leads you to his door.
Jason: "Be careful..." she whispers, and knocks.
_________________
Last edited by God on Fri Apr 05, 33 4:00 am; edited 1 time in total

[Jason]

Jason: It's been a long day, and a deep sleep. As you regain consciousness, the entire world comes flooding back to you. Your mind has been a blank slate for almost twenty-four hours and the reinvigoration of your psyche hits you like a beating drum, a sound which gradually phases into a rhythmic knocking at the door of your apartment.

Richter: I'll get dressed and answer the door to my apartment.

Jason: At your door, you're surprised to see Lucy, looking pale and traumatized, even more so than last night, and Wetzel, looking just as wrecked, with some very noticeably gash marks on his neck. The hallway outside also looks distinctly shadowy.
_________________
Last edited by God on Fri Apr 05, 33 4:00 am; edited 1 time in total

[Jason]

Jason: The door opens, and Richter appears. He looks spent, injured, and noticeably the legs of his pants have been burnt off, and his legs are gruesomely burnt.

Wetzel: "You look terrible."

Richter: "I had a rough night."

Wetzel: "Sit down. Let me take a look at your legs."

Kang: "Have you spoken to Zero yet?"

Richter: "No, I haven't."
Richter: I'll also try to put on some clothes that cover the burns on my legs.

Kang: "Zero is so incredibly stupid."
Kang: "He did an incredible job of tracking you down."
Kang: I clench my fists and teeth.
Kang: I'll walk in to the apartment and sit down.

Jason: "Richter," Lucy says, "you are you again, right?"

Richter: "Yes, I'm me."

Jason: Kang and Wetzel, you both enter an extremely expensive high rise apartment, featuring a sleek, shiny kitchen area, leading to the open door of Richter's master bedroom. A very wide den is the centerpiece of the apartment, all of the interior looks straight out of a catalog.
Jason: Lucy hesitantly walks in, and asks you "What happened once I left?"

Richter: "He told me what he intends to do."
Richter: "He has already accomplished the first part of his goal, usurping the prince."
Richter: "Now he plans to become mayor, and then subjugate both the mortals and the kindred to his whims."
Richter: "I doubt he plans to stop at just Nauset either."
Richter: "He's also addicted to diablerie so it's likely he's quite powerful."

Wetzel: "Mayor!"

Kang: "We can't stop him."

Wetzel: "Richter, the Malkavian I went after wasn't a Malkavian."
Wetzel: "He was a Toreador named Malthe. Does that sound familiar to you?"

Richter: "No, the name isn't familiar."

Jason: As you all speak, Lucy sits on a couch in the den, her legs folded under her, her eyes closed. She's clearly concentrating on something.

Richter: "I also don't think there's anything significant about the Malkavians, other than the fact that he seems to be overly fond of Malik."
Richter: "What's going on, Lucy?"

Jason: Without opening her eyes, she says: "I'm not sure if you know this, but I practice a very unique path of Thaumaturgy. It was invented by my sire, and combines with it the powers of Auspex to produce a kind of clairvoyance. Using it is why I needed a relic from Anselme's possession, to find a way to strike him."
Jason: "Obviously, that failed," she says, her voice shaking.
Jason: "But there's another power in this path, a power that my sire, Esma, forbid any of her childer from ever using. It provides almost perfect vision into another's mind, but... requires a sacrifice in order to execute it..."
Jason: She trails off.

Richter: "Maybe killing the Malkavians will weaken him?"
Richter: "Although there's no proof of that."

Wetzel: "What kind of sacrifice?"

Kang: "We can sacrifice Zero."
Kang: "He'll finally be useful."

Richter: "Where is Zero, anyhow?"

Jason: "To perform the penetration, a vampire has to effectively double her potency... that is... drink every drop of blood from a fellow Kindred."
Jason: "No," she says, "the sacrifice has been made. I... I..." she begins to tear up. "Abigail... offered herself to me."

Wetzel: I am unable to respond.

Kang: "Oh, that's a shame. You could have drained the Malkavian that we left in the sewer."
Kang: "I have no idea where Zero is."
Kang: "I have his cell phone number, though, so we can call him if need be.

Richter: "I don't know if I trust him exactly, but we're going to need all the help we can get if we're going to stop Anselme."

Kang: "We should let Lucy do her thing and then decide whether or not it's even worth it."

Richter: "Yes our best option might be to flee and fight again another day."
Richter: "Although I don't relish the thought of leaving everything in Nauset behind."

Wetzel: "We'd be killed by wolves."
Wetzel: I scratch Sigmund's back.

Richter: "I'm more concerned about getting far enough with the limitations sunlight imposes upon us."

Wetzel: "So, Lucy, is there anything we should know?"

Kang: I look at Lucy and wait for an answer.

Jason: Lucy bows her head and begins a kind of meditation. "Just keep me safe," she says. A few minutes pass, then she says very softly, almost afraid of someone else hearing "I've got him."
Jason: "He's a maniac... but he's also deeply self-loathing... I can feel how much he hates his own blood."
Jason: "He's lying about something. Something about himself. He's..."
Jason: "Oh... my God... He's... He's the third Malkavian. He's the one I sensed."

Kang: "Who is it?"

Richter: "Well that certainly explains last night."

Jason: "Anselme," she says. "He's not a Ventrue. He's been lying this whole time."

Richter: "Well that makes sense."
Richter: "Because no Ventrue could possibly survive by diablerie alone."

Jason: "He's... he's younger than he claims. It can't be more than fifty years since his embrace, probably even fewer."
Jason: "I can't believe he's gotten away with this..."
Jason: "Richter..." she says.

Kang: "Okay, how does this help us?"

Richter: "Yes?"

Jason: "He refuses to give up on you. He sees you... as everything he wants to be. A proud Ventrue that weaves himself completely between Kindred and kine. He refuses to kill you, because he wants your approval. He's desperate for it."
Jason: "You're right, though, he can't subsist on diablerie. There's something in that tower, something very, very precious. It's deep beneath the ground..."
Jason: "He's dependent on it... and he's terrified of it. If there's any way to stop him, that's it."
Jason: "But it's too shadowed, I'm sorry, I can't see it."

Wetzel: "So then maybe he really did speak to me ..."

Richter: "He claimed to have killed his sire."

Jason: "He can sense me. I can't stay for much longer. Is there anything else I should check?"

Richter: "What if that was a lie."
Richter: "What if he's been slowly feeding off his sire all this time?'

Jason: "No... his sire is... Anselme resents his sire, for being weak. He's surpassed him by now. His sire is a low generation even, tenth, eleventh, somewhere near there."

Richter: "Then what could be under the tower?"
Richter: "Something more powerful than him, no doubt."

Wetzel: "My sire was exiled from this city. I'm tenth generation."

Jason: "Wetzel..." she says. "He wants you... he wants you to join him."

Wetzel: "Yes, I remember now. I thought it was a hallucination."
Wetzel: "He wants me to visit him at his tower."
Wetzel: "Why does he want me?"

Kang: "Hahaha, I would assume he wants me dead."

Jason: "He does. He's livid that he hasn't killed you, Kang. And Wetzel... you two... are very close, somehow."
Jason: And then Lucy makes a small noise.
Jason: "Richter," she says, quickening her tone, "he's going to win this coming election because... he has a way... you've seen it, haven't you? He's going to force everyone in this city to obey him..."
Jason: Richter, you think back to the night you first met Anselme, and the ad he showed you. How after watching it, you were overcome with a desire to follow his leadership.

Richter: "Yes, he has an advertisement that manipulates the viewer into doing his bidding."
Richter: "It's not terribly overt, but it's enough to make someone pliant to his will."

Jason: "That shouldn't be possible, but with that artifact in his tower, he's found a way. If you could get to it... stop it... maybe..."
Jason: "Oh God," she says. "Richter... I... he's..."
Jason: Then Lucy slumps to the side, unresponsive.

Kang: grab her brests we've gotta revive her
Kang: "So, we have to find that artifact?"
Kang: I SIGH

Wetzel: "Hey, Lucy."
Wetzel: I touch her arm.
Wetzel: "What happened?"

Richter: "I would imagine doing something like that takes a lot out of you."

Kang: "I'm not sure how we're going to break into his tower."
Kang: "He can see through my obfuscate."

Wetzel: I put my finger to Lucy's neck for a moment, then feel stupid.

Richter: "He's too powerful for any of our vampiric abilities."
Richter: "We could fight our way in, but I don't care for our chances."

Kang: "Is he actually at his tower? Or is he still at the Prince's Elysium?"

Wetzel: "He's at his tower. Definitely."

Richter: "The prince's Elysium was destroyed."

Wetzel: "Will it really help if we stop him?"

Kang: "Oh yeah, Lucy did mention FIRES and such."

Wetzel: "Will the world really be better?"

Richter: "He's a genocidal madman."
Richter: "It will help."

Kang: "I'm looking at it from a different perspective."
Kang: "Do we really have to risk OURSELVES to stop him?"

Wetzel: "Forget that."

Kang: "The Camarilla is going to come down on him hard eventually."
Kang: "And I'm not even sure if I care if they don't."

Wetzel: "What he wants to do, in the final reckoning, is it at the expense of normal people, Kine?"
Wetzel: "He wants humans to be subject to us. As far as I'm concerned it demeans humanity that we even exist."

Richter: "Yeah but are we really prepared to give up everything we've built here over his threat?"
Richter: "Especially if he's not as powerful as we originally thought."

Wetzel: "I need to go talk to him."
Wetzel: "I'm going to the tower. You should all stay here."

Richter: "That seems like a terrible idea."
Richter: "I don't think splitting up at this point anymore is going to solve things."
Richter: "We need to combine our strength if we're even going to stand a chance of getting out of this let alone stopping him."

Kang: "I certainly wouldn't wait here if you went and spoke to him."

Wetzel: "What if I can find out what the item beneath the tower is?"

Kang: "Maybe this isn't such a bad idea."
Kang: "I'm not sure if we have any other options available to us."

Richter: "I doubt you can, but I suppose if you want to try."
Richter: "We still need to find Zero anyhow."
Richter: "Maybe he actually figured something out."

Wetzel: "He wants to speak to me, and she says we're close somehow."

Kang: "Zero is worthless."

Wetzel: "I'm not close to anyone as far as I know. I want to find out what he means."

Kang: "I've never encountered anybody with such an appropriate name."
Kang: "In my 98 years of fucking life."

Richter: "Well maybe they'll shoot him for once instead of me"
Richter: "Then he would be useful."

Kang: "But yeah, we should probably take advantage of his predilection for both of you."
Kang: "We can't fight him!"

Richter: "Well at least not until we can get the artifact enhancing his power."

Wetzel: "I'm going, and if I get the chance I'll destroy that item."

Richter: "We should take Lucy somewhere safe, and look for Zero."
Richter: "Wetzel give us your phone number so we can contact you."
Richter: "Also we should make plans to meet later."

Wetzel: "I don't have a phone."

Kang: "We're half-way there, guys."
Kang: "We'll make it. I swear."

Richter: "Hopefully Lucy will be awake by then and able to help us."

Wetzel: "If you see Zero, tell him I said sorry for yelling at him."

Richter: "Alright let's go."

Wetzel: "I agree."

Kang: "Let's meet where we left the Malkavian."
Kang: "In the sewers."

Wetzel: "Don't wait for me. I have no idea what's going to happen to me once I get there."

Kang: "I'm not waiting here a moment longer."
_________________
Last edited by God on Fri Apr 05, 33 4:00 am; edited 1 time in total

[Jason]

Jason: You head back up to the surface. Outside, you can see the car you drove here in, standing, empty.

Zero: Surprised to see the car, I walk over to inspect it.

Jason: The keys are still in the ignition. All the doors are closed, but it's unlocked.

Zero: I climb into the driver's seat and start the car. "Might as well head into the city to see if I can find Richy."

Jason: You'd like to drive to the Elysium, you said?

Zero: Yup!

Jason: You approach the Elysium and find it eerily still and silent. Its door is covered in police tape, as well as its coupled alleyway.

Zero: I park the car around back and head towards the front to see if anyone is hanging around.

Jason: The door is closed and the smell of smoke lingers in the air, but there's no one.

Zero: I decide to walk around back of the Elysium to find a way in.

Jason: There is no back door. Only the front entrance and the roof, which is locked.

Zero: I curse under my breathe and head back to the front to see if I force my way inside.

Jason: The door is open. You can get by the police tape.

Zero: I'll walk inside to investigate, hoping to find some clue regarding Richter's whereabouts.

Jason: You make your way through the hallways to the prince's court, a thick smoke hangs in the air, getting into your eyes and mouth. Everything is grayed.
Jason: The main room is a mausoleum, ashes are scattered where all the harpies and the deputies fell. The glass chamber's door is open, wafting back and forth, the prince's throne coated in his remains. A chill runs through your undead body.

Zero: Recalling the massacre from last night, I hesitantly make my way towards the prince's thrown. Afraid of what I might find.

Jason: You notice that there's a circular charcoal stain around the platform, fire was burning around it at all sides. There are bloodstains and ash on the floor, chairs and glass walls. Nothing else catches your eye.

Zero: I kick over the nearest chair and make my way back outside. "Might as well pay Jonathan another visit to see if he's heard anything about all of this."

Jason: Perception + Alertness, difficulty seven.

dicebot: Zero rolled 5#d10 --> [ 1d10=5 ]{5}, [ 1d10=10 ]{10}, [ 1d10=8 ]{8}, [ 1d10=1 ]{1}, [ 1d10=10 ]{10}

Jason: Before you leave, you hear a pair of footsteps coming quickly, though not running, down the hall.

Zero: I head towards the footsteps, hoping to catch a glimpse of who they belonged to.

Jason: They're advancing to the court, where you stand.

Zero: I run towards the footsteps.

Jason: You begin running and suddenly, Anselme Pavel turns the corner of the hallway. You charge into him, but he pushes you backward with one hand, knocking you down.
Jason: He's very clearly angry, and he asks through his teeth "What do you think you're doing?"

Zero: "Did you honestly think Kang would just go along with your plan?"
Zero: "I'm trying my best to get everyone together to head to your tower, just as you ordered."

Jason: "I ordered no such thing! All I wanted was for Mikhail to be returned to me and the Nosferatu to die, you worthless, miserable bastard." He walks menacingly toward you, looming over you.

Zero: "I can still carry out your orders, the sewer rat is currently searching for Wetzel. Should I make another attempt on his life?" I start to inch backwards.

Jason: "I am a fair man, Zero, I am, but I do not and will not abide incompetence. I entrusted you to act on your own free will once, never again. Count yourself lucky that you're too weak to appetize me."
Jason: He finally backs you against the stairs to the glass chamber and stops.
Jason: "I want my Mikhail," he growls.

Zero: Attempting to keep my composure, I take one step back then another forward and say. "If you want him so badly, why not get h.. him yourself!"

Jason: Slowly, a very thin, very sick smile forms on Anselme's face, and he says: "I will." Then he looks you in the eyes.
Jason: He gives you instructions to a specific point in the sewer, near where you left Kang. He says: "You're going to go there, and find Mikhail. You will bring him to Decimus Tower without arousing suspicion. If you find the Nosferatu Kang on your way, kill him, and behead him. Ensure that he meets Final Death."
Jason: He's speaking directly into your soul. You are powerless to resist his orders. Your free will, and your identity, slips away.
Jason: You black out for a moment, and when you come to, Anselme is gone. You must go to the sewer and retrieve the Malkavian.

Zero: The thought of murdering Kang and kidnapping the Malkavian are the only things on my mind.
Zero: Even pushing my addiction from my thoughts.
Zero: I leave the Elysium and make my way back to the stolen vehicle, driving towards the sewer.
_________________
Last edited by God on Fri Apr 05, 33 4:00 am; edited 1 time in total

[Jason]

Jason: You're standing outside of Richter's lofty apartment building, with Sigmund by your side. You've decided to meet Anselme at Decimus Tower. The night is chill, dark, and foreboding.

Wetzel: Is it within walking distance?

Jason: About half an hour so, walking.

Wetzel: I remember the gun that I've been carrying since last night.
Wetzel: One shot left.
Wetzel: I head off with Sigmund in the direction of the tower.

Jason: Walking to Decimus is like walking along one long sheet of ice. The entire city has seemingly frozen over. You try to remember the route you all took when you went there the night before, it's not easy as you're rarely if ever in this part of town, but you are aided by the hum of the Network guiding you in a sick game of warmer, colder.
Jason: You see the great tower in the distance, looming over all nearby buildings, and finally make your way to its door, just as another car pulls up. An expensive, black car. A man exits the driver's seat, opens the back seat and Anselme Pavel steps out. He seems almost surprised to see you as he says: "Wetzel."

Wetzel: "Anselme."
Wetzel: "That was really you in my dream, wasn't it? You wanted to see me."

Jason: "Oh yes," he says. "This is long overdue." He opens the large, metal door to the tower as the driver returns to the car and drives away. Anselme holds the door open for you, inviting you inside.

Wetzel: I've rehearsed it in my head the whole way over, but now it's not going the way I imagined.
Wetzel: I was going to tell Sigmund to wait outside.
Wetzel: Now I'm trying not to show fear to this man who's probably manipulating me right now.
Wetzel: I let the dog in after me.

Jason: You enter Decimus Tower and are greeted to an absolutely massive lobby. A grand staircase leads on the far left of the room, and there are two elevators on either side. The entire place is decorated with pristine ivory, the floor is buffed and reflects everything above it. There are some empty receptionist counters on the far side of the room, and a few comfortable chairs near them.
Jason: A man greets Anselme as soon as he enters, ignoring you, and takes his coat. Anselme indicates you and says "This man is my friend. We treat him well, understood?"
Jason: The man nods and, folding Anselme's coat over his arm, asks if you would like any vitae.

Wetzel: "No."

Jason: "Then may I take your pet? I assure you we can treat him to the finest luxury," the man offers.

Wetzel: "Ah ... he'll stay with me if that's alright."

Jason: "Certainly," Anselme interjects. "Go, Dim," he says to the man, who walks up the stairs and out of view.
Jason: You stand alone with Anselme, in his large, silent lobby. "So..." he says, licking his lips slightly.

Wetzel: "What are you planning?"

Jason: "Pardon?"

Wetzel: "Your grand plan. Certainly one needs a good reason for killing the prince."

Jason: As he speaks, he begins walking to the nearest elevator. "Wetzel, you don't enjoy being a vampire, do you?"

Wetzel: "No. I hate every goddamn second of it."
Wetzel: "You seem to rather enjoy it, though."
Wetzel: "What were you like, as a human? If I may ask."

Jason: "That's where you're wrong, my friend," he says softly. "As a human... I was very rich, very respected. But I never allowed that to dull my vigor. I never overlooked an opportunity to seek out an adventure."
Jason: "Did you know that I used to run with the bulls, in Pamplona? Every year of my adult life I made time for it."
Jason: "Since my embrace? I've never gone back."

Wetzel: Could a man that lives like this really hate his unlife like I do?
Wetzel: The words fall out of my mouth.
Wetzel: "I miss the day most," I say.
Wetzel: "Things look different at night. I used to go for drives and it was so easy to get lost at night if I'd only seen a place during the daytime."
Wetzel: I snap out of a narcissistic stupor. "So I know what you mean."

Jason: Anselme smiles at you, pleased by your offering. He presses the call button for the elevator.
Jason: "What I am planning, Wetzel, is salvation."
Jason: "Imagine a world in which our kind was inextricable from their kind. Where Kindred were so unarguably vital to society that we could stop reveling in a shadow of nonexistence and become... accepted, finally. The gap between us and them would diminish, slowly at first, but soon it will be unstoppable."

Wetzel: "I don't know what makes either of us different from a mosquito, and I've never heard of one being considered vital."

Jason: The door to the elevator opens behind Anselme, and he steps inside, waiting for you to follow. He says: "I cannot promise that you'll ever see the day again, Wetzel, but what I can do is make it so that you never feel lost during the night, ever again."

Wetzel: I step in and Sigmund follows.
Wetzel: My mind grasps at questions.
Wetzel: "What's my role in this? I'm sure that man back there could have crushed me into pulp if you'd asked."
Wetzel: "I don't see what someone like me can do, unless you need something neutered."

Jason: He frowns, and the elevator begins to move. You can see Anselme's eyes on the floor number read above the door, and notice that it remains on L for a time longer than it should. "No one can ever accuse me of not being a sentimental man, Wetzel," he says.
Jason: And then the Network, which has been suspiciously quiet this whole time, emits a scream, and it rises and rises until it is once again that same, infuriating scream that has been haunting you. It is frantic, and clawing at your skull, as if it were trying to escape your head.

Wetzel: I try to place it.

Jason: Perception + Empathy, difficulty eight.

***Wetzel rolled 3+3-1: 9 9 6 4 1

Jason: You struggle and Anselme takes note, curiously. You can nearly taste the screamer, it's a word, a face that you just can't picture. Through heated mental concentration, you're able to track it back... back to your hometown...
Jason: You suddenly feel Anselme's cold palm on your forehead.
Jason: His eyes are closed.
Jason: He opens them, withdraws his hand, and says to you: "It's your sire."

Wetzel: I think about it.
Wetzel: It feels like he's right.
Wetzel: That shriek as he attacked me. It's the sound of my death.
Wetzel: Of course my mind would fixate on this.
Wetzel: It should have been the last things my ears ever heard. Instead, I hear it again and again every night.
Wetzel: For all I know it will end up being the last thing I hear.
Wetzel: Damn it.
Wetzel: "That was very impressive."

Jason: The elevator finally stops moving. There's a very small bell ringing, and you notice that the L is no longer illuminated. Nothing else takes its place. You wonder where you are.
Jason: The door opens and you walk into a very gray, very bare room. Literally just a cube, with no other markings of any kind. Once again, Anselme walks forward and waits for you to follow.
Jason: "Tell me what's on your mind, Wetzel," he says.

Wetzel: "Where is this?"

Jason: "We are in the Earth, buried deep below Decimus."

Wetzel: With my thoughts on display, I think about anything but what's in the basement.
Wetzel: "Everything's on my mind."
Wetzel: "I've felt that way for a long time."
Wetzel: "So what's happening now?"

Jason: "Now, I am preparing to show you something that very, very few people in this world have ever seen. But first I would like to know that you are ready for this."
Jason: "How often does that silly network force you to bear that scream?" he asks.

Wetzel: I eye him and consider my words carefully.
Wetzel: I tell the truth.
Wetzel: "Rarely, in the past. I had a nice routine for myself until this week."
Wetzel: "Lately, a bit more."

Jason: "It's their pathetic way of trying to spite me," he says. "They resent me, Wetzel, for not being insane."

Wetzel: "Who?"

Jason: "The Malkavians, of course."
Jason: "They're afraid to come near me, so they just plot and play these little games."

Wetzel: "What kind of games do they play?"

Jason: Anselme takes a moment, thinks, and then tells you: "I murdered your sire, Wetzel."
Jason: "I diablerized him."
Jason: "They cannot forgive me for that, but I believe that you can."

Wetzel: I study his face, contemplating what he just said.
Wetzel: "If you're telling the truth ..."
Wetzel: I search my stomach for some sort of strong emotional response, but there isn't one.
Wetzel: "... I really don't care."
Wetzel: "Our lives only barely glanced against each other, and it was the worst thing that ever happened to me."
Wetzel: "Doubly, in fact. The worst part of all was his mercy."
Wetzel: The two of us never exchanged a word. It's no surprise I have trouble thinking of him as a person.
Wetzel: Still, my apathy surprises me. I feel the seasickness that precedes my nauseousness, but it passes quickly.
Wetzel: "That helps explain the connection between the two of us."

Jason: The elevator closes, and you can hear it rise in its shaft. There are no other exits that you can see in this room, you are intimately alone with Anselme, who says, "Some time ago, I found myself under the beating Sun in the sands of Qal'at el-Husn."
Jason: "It's a small place in Israel, where there is seemingly a never-ending excavation going on. At this particular time, though, I was told that a team of diggers I had funded had come upon something extraordinary."
Jason: "It was a tomb, a large, wooden coffin, buried miles below the surface. Inside of it was a man, perfectly preserved, he looked to be simply sleeping. Eight feel tall, dressed only in rags. His chest was scarred and mutilated, but he showed no decomposition."
Jason: "I stayed there that night, watching over my team's discovery, and happened to notice this very odd, very small being darting around our camp site."
Jason: "I followed him, cornered him. He broke his leg trying to get away, he seemed petrified. I had never met anyone like him."
Jason: "Well," Anselme says, finally turning to you, "we talked for a while. And I made him tell me about who it was, there in the ground."
Jason: "And then I made him do something he truly did not wish to, something that he would regret, and in truth, something that I would as well."
Jason: Anselme grabs his neck and says: "I made him embrace me, Wetzel, just as he had embraced you."
Jason: "He was a very ambitious man, our sire, and it was his soured ambitions that led to our creation."
Jason: "So yes, Wetzel, I think it is somewhat appropriate to tell you that we do indeed have a connection. We are brothers."

Wetzel: I pause conspicuously.
Wetzel: "So then we both hate our existence, but differ in who takes the blame."
Wetzel: "How long ago was this?"

Jason: "Four years, six months, eleven days."
Jason: "Wetzel," he says.
Jason: "Would you like to see the man we excavated?"

Wetzel: My eyes widen. They avoid his face.
Wetzel: His power ... the artifact ... ambitious ...
Wetzel: I swallow.
Wetzel: "Who is it?"

Jason: "The man who is to blame," he whispers, then turns away from you and places his hands on the opposite wall.
Jason: The room shudders and quakes as the wall dislodges and sinks into the ground. The room opens up into a much larger cavern, which Anselme enters.

Wetzel: I follow him.
Wetzel: Sigmund follows me.

Jason: You enter the wet, brown, red cavern. Its walls are undecorated, save for structural enhancements to keep it from caving in on itself. There is movement, a figure cloaked in black, but you can recognize him as the first Malkavian, the one whom you saw in the library that Richter was meant to go after.
Jason: Then you finally comprehend the room's centerpiece: it is just as Anselme described, an eight foot tall man, scarred, resting. He is still covered in Earth and soil, like a freshly dug up carcass.
Jason: There are intravenous tubes plugged into him, his wrists, his neck, medically, you can tell that they're all attached to vital arteries.
Jason: The tubes run from his body, carrying dark, thick blood to small holes in the walls of the cavern. They look like electrical cables, powering the tower above.
Jason: Over the body is a raised vat of blood, locked in a clear glass chamber. One thin tube runs from its bottom into the body's mouth, keeping him alive.
Jason: Sigmund shivers, and follows you with great trepidation.
Jason: "Wetzel," Anselme says to you, while looking at the body, "meet Malkav."
_________________
Last edited by God on Fri Apr 05, 33 4:00 am; edited 1 time in total

[Jason]

Jason: You both are in Kang's driveway, climbing down into the sewer. Kang leads you to the room where he left the Malkavian. There, you find him - being carried away by a blank-faced, unresponsive Zero.

Kang: I'll yell his name.
Kang: And try to get his attention.
Kang: "Zero, what are you doing?"

Richter: "He's probably being dominated by Anselme Pavel."

Kang: "Well, yes."
Kang: "Can't you fix that with your powers?"

Richter: Maybe.

Kang: "You should do that then."

Richter: I'll try mesmerizing Zero.
Richter: "Clap your hands once."

Zero: "I'm here to take the Malkavian back to the master."
Zero: I focus my attention on Kang.
Zero: "But first I'll deal with you!"

Kang: I'll shoot Zero.

Jason: All right, combat starts.
Jason: Everyone roll 1 die.

dicebot: Richter rolled d10 --> [ 1d10=10 ]{10}

dicebot: Zero rolled d10 --> [ 1d10=3 ]{3}

dicebot: Kang rolled d10 --> [ 1d10=4 ]{4}

Jason: Richter: 5 + 10, Zero: 6 + 4, Kang: 6 + 3.
Jason: Declare actions.
Jason: Zero has dropped the Malkavian, we'll say.

Zero: How far is Kang from me?

Jason: Two yards, you're all in very close quarters.

Kang: I'll use vanish from mind's eye on Zero

Richter: I'll use Awe.

Jason: All right.
Jason: Richter, Charisma + Performance, seven.
Jason: Minus one die.

dicebot: Richter rolled 3#d10 --> [ 1d10=8 ]{8}, [ 1d10=6 ]{6}, [ 1d10=10 ]{10}

Jason: Kang and Zero, you both feel well disposed toward Richter, and find him attractive ...

Zero: <3> [ 1d10=2 ]{2}, [ 1d10=10 ]{10}, [ 1d10=5 ]{5}, [ 1d10=3 ]{3}, [ 1d10=8 ]{8}, [ 1d10=5 ]{5}

Jason: Zero, you watch stunned at Kang completely disappears from view. However, you know that he's still around here somewhere, so you don't give up pursuit.
Jason: Unfortunately, you can't make eye contact to use Dominate.
Jason: You roll Wits + Courage, difficulty five, first.
Jason: Minus one die.

dicebot: Zero rolled 3#d10 --> [ 1d10=1 ]{1}, [ 1d10=9 ]{9}, [ 1d10=2 ]{2}

Kang: Poor Zero

Zero: I've become a frightened little bitch.

Jason: Unfortunately, Kang's immediate and complete disappearance has left your brain completely dumbfounded. You cannot act this turn, or the next.
Jason: Kang and Richter, roll Initiative again.

dicebot: Kang rolled d10 --> [ 1d10=9 ]{9}

dicebot: Richter rolled d10 --> [ 1d10=2 ]{2}

Jason: Kang: 6 + 9, Richter: 5 + 2.

Kang: I'll wait and let Derek go first
Kang: I have my shotgun pointed at Zero, though.

Richter: I'll use Mesmerize on Zero.
Richter: "Lay down and do nothing until you are no longer under Anselme Pavel's control."

Jason: Manipulation + Leadership, six.
Jason: Minus one die.

dicebot: Richter rolled 6#d10 --> [ 1d10=5 ]{5}, [ 1d10=7 ]{7}, [ 1d10=9 ]{9}, [ 1d10=8 ]{8}, [ 1d10=4 ]{4}, [ 1d10=2 ]{2}

Jason: Zero, you don't feel obligated to follow his orders.
Jason: Kang, your turn.

Kang: I'm going to circle behind him
Kang: I won't fire
Kang: I'll pass on my turn

Jason: Wits + Stealth, difficulty four.

dicebot: Kang rolled 8#d10 --> [ 1d10=9 ]{9}, [ 1d10=1 ]{1}, [ 1d10=2 ]{2}, [ 1d10=8 ]{8}, [ 1d10=8 ]{8}, [ 1d10=8 ]{8}, [ 1d10=7 ]{7}, [ 1d10=2 ]{2}

Jason: You succeed, circling around Zero without him noticing.
Jason: Kang and Richter, Initiative.
Jason: You can act again next turn, Zero.

dicebot: Kang rolled d10 --> [ 1d10=5 ]{5}

dicebot: Richter rolled d10 --> [ 1d10=8 ]{8}

Jason: Richter: 5 + 8, Kang: 6 + 5.
Jason: Actions.

Kang: I'll wait to see what Richter ACCOMPLISHES before I decide

Richter: I'll mesmerize again with a different command.
Richter: "Stand still until you are no longer slave to Anselme Pavel's will."

Jason: Same roll as before.

dicebot: Richter rolled 6#d10 --> [ 1d10=6 ]{6}, [ 1d10=4 ]{4}, [ 1d10=10 ]{10}, [ 1d10=1 ]{1}, [ 1d10=3 ]{3}, [ 1d10=1 ]{1}

Kang: faggot

Richter: Well it wasn't a botch at least.

Kang: Man

Jason: Zero, you laugh off the pathetic attempt to dominate your mind. The difficulty to dominate you has been raised by one for the remainder of the scene.

Jason: Kang?

Richter: Gay.

Kang: I'll shoot Zero

Zero: :O

Jason: Dexterity + Firearms, difficulty four.

dicebot: Kang rolled 4#d10 --> [ 1d10=9 ]{9}, [ 1d10=1 ]{1}, [ 1d10=6 ]{6}, [ 1d10=7 ]{7}

Zero: "Kill Kang, take the Malkavian!"

***Jason rolls 9 10-sided dice: 8 9 1 1 10 5 5 10 6

***Jason rolls 2 10-sided dice: 8 10

Jason: Zero, there's a sharp pain on your back, singing your spine, but you take no damage from it.
Jason: Kang, Wits + Stealth, difficulty nine.

dicebot: Kang rolled 8#d10 --> [ 1d10=9 ]{9}, [ 1d10=7 ]{7}, [ 1d10=2 ]{2}, [ 1d10=1 ]{1}, [ 1d10=6 ]{6}, [ 1d10=6 ]{6}, [ 1d10=1 ]{1}, [ 1d10=2 ]{2}

Jason: Zero, you instantly notice Kang behind you, with his shotgun in hand.

Kang: That's the problem with having lots of die in a way.
Kang: *botches*

Jason: All right, all three of you roll initiative.

dicebot: Zero rolled d10 --> [ 1d10=9 ]{9}

dicebot: Richter rolled d10 --> [ 1d10=2 ]{2}

dicebot: Kang rolled d10 --> [ 1d10=7 ]{7}

Jason: Zero: 6 + 9, Kang: 6 + 7, Richter: 5 + 2.
Jason: Actions.

Richter: I'll use dread gaze, extended action on Zero.

Zero: I'll leap for Kang and tackle him to the ground.

Kang: I'll use Vanish from Mind's eye again, I suppose

Jason: Zero, Strength + Brawl, difficulty seven, minus one die.

dicebot: Zero rolled 3#d10 --> [ 1d10=6 ]{6}, [ 1d10=6 ]{6}, [ 1d10=4 ]{4}

Jason: You attempt to tackle Kang, but he barely steps out of the way.
Jason: Kang, Charisma + Stealth, four.

dicebot: Kang rolled 6#d10 --> [ 1d10=1 ]{1}, [ 1d10=5 ]{5}, [ 1d10=5 ]{5}, [ 1d10=10 ]{10}, [ 1d10=6 ]{6}, [ 1d10=3 ]{3}

Jason: Kang becomes ghostlike, thin, whispering out of reality. You can still see him, Zero, but barely.
Jason: Richter, Charisma + Intimidation, difficulty four, minus one die.

dicebot: Richter rolled 5#d10 --> [ 1d10=4 ]{4}, [ 1d10=9 ]{9}, [ 1d10=3 ]{3}, [ 1d10=10 ]{10}, [ 1d10=1 ]{1}

Kang: you fucking idiot
Kang: retard ...
Kang: gay lord ...

Richter: What it's an extended action and I got two successes.

Kang: idiot ...

Jason: Zero, you begin feeling a sense of fear when dealing with Richter, but it doesn't affect you, yet.
Jason: All right, Initiative again.

dicebot: Zero rolled d10 --> [ 1d10=10 ]{10}

dicebot: Kang rolled d10 --> [ 1d10=9 ]{9}

dicebot: Richter rolled d10 --> [ 1d10=8 ]{8}

Jason: Zero: 6 + 10, Kang: 6 + 9, Richter: 5 + 8.
Jason: Actions.

Kang: I'll shoot him again.

Richter: I'll continue the dread gaze.

Zero: I'll attempt to take Kang to the ground... again.

Jason: Zero, Perception + Alertness, difficulty eight, minus one die.

dicebot: Zero rolled 4#d10 --> [ 1d10=7 ]{7}, [ 1d10=4 ]{4}, [ 1d10=6 ]{6}, [ 1d10=8 ]{8}

Jason: You can just barely keep an eye on Kang through sheer determination.
Jason: Strength + Brawl, difficulty seven, minus one die.

dicebot: Zero rolled 3#d10 --> [ 1d10=4 ]{4}, [ 1d10=6 ]{6}, [ 1d10=8 ]{8}

***Jason rolls 4 10-sided dice: 7 10 2 5

***Jason rolls 2 10-sided dice: 8 10

Jason: You grab hold of Kang, and bring him down to the floor, although you inflict no damage.
Jason: You both roll Dex + Athletics, difficulty seven, minus one die for Zero.

dicebot: Zero rolled 4#d10 --> [ 1d10=1 ]{1}, [ 1d10=9 ]{9}, [ 1d10=2 ]{2}, [ 1d10=4 ]{4}

Jason: Zero, you may not act next turn.

dicebot: Kang rolled 3#d10 --> [ 1d10=7 ]{7}, [ 1d10=10 ]{10}, [ 1d10=4 ]{4}

Jason: Kang stumbles back and is able to lift himself up against the wall, but he remains unbalanced.
Jason: Kang, Dex + Firearms, difficulty five.

dicebot: Kang rolled 4#d10 --> [ 1d10=6 ]{6}, [ 1d10=4 ]{4}, [ 1d10=9 ]{9}, [ 1d10=1 ]{1}

***Jason rolls 8 10-sided dice: 9 5 6 10 8 10 2 5

***Jason rolls 2 10-sided dice: 2 7

Jason: Zero, you feel a shotgun blast on your shoulder, and suddenly your skin opens up, bloodied and pulped.
Jason: You take two levels of bashing damage.
Jason: Richter, same roll as before.

dicebot: Richter rolled 5#d10 --> [ 1d10=7 ]{7}, [ 1d10=3 ]{3}, [ 1d10=2 ]{2}, [ 1d10=10 ]{10}, [ 1d10=8 ]{8}

Jason: Zero, you look up for a moment to check out the wound, but catch glimpse of Richter baring his fangs like a ferocious animal. The sight makes you weep, and you curl up on the floor, defenseless. You can take no action unless you spend a Willpower point and succeed on a Willpower roll, difficulty eight.
Jason: I guess roll Initiative once more, everybody.

dicebot: Richter rolled d10 --> [ 1d10=2 ]{2}

dicebot: Zero rolled d10 --> [ 1d10=1 ]{1}

dicebot: Kang rolled d10 --> [ 1d10=8 ]{8}

Jason: Zero: 6 + 1, Kang: 6 + 8, Richter: 5 + 2.
Jason: Actions.

Kang: Hmm
Kang: I'll go check on the Malkavian

Richter: I'll continue the dread gaze extended action.

Zero: I'll use a willpoint and take my gun and shoot at Kang in the head.

Kang: Actually
Kang: I'll shoot at Zero
Kang: While he's on the ground

Jason: All right, Kang, Dex + Firearms, four.

dicebot: Kang rolled 4#d10 --> [ 1d10=10 ]{10}, [ 1d10=2 ]{2}, [ 1d10=7 ]{7}, [ 1d10=10 ]{10}

***Jason rolls 10 10-sided dice: 10 10 1 7 1 7 7 6 7 5

***Jason rolls 2 10-sided dice: 7 4

Kang: STOP
Kang: WITH THOSE ROLLS
Kang: YOU STUPID QUEER

Jason: I'm rolling damage, you FUCK

Kang: Oh
Kang: KEEP GOING
Kang: WITH THOSE ROLLS
Kang: BRO

Jason: The next bullet rips your chest apart, Zero.

Zero: I cough up blood and yell "I'm going to fucking kill you Kang!"

Jason: You can feel the ultimate pain of your muscles and bones failing.
Jason: You yell to Kang... then fall into torpor.

Richter: Ummmm...

Kang: Derek is a fucking pussy

Zero: This is the end of Zero.

Richter: I wonder how long Zero will be in Torpor for.

Jason: Combat ends as you two, Kang and Richter, see Zero become, for all intents and purposes, dead.

Kang: I spit on Zero's body.
_________________
Last edited by God on Fri Apr 05, 33 4:00 am; edited 1 time in total