Darkness Unvailed

Carthian Mekhat

My name is Paul Betrand…Well that is what my parents named me at least. I was born in 1980, May 7th to be precise. I do not know if me being born in the same year as Ronald Reagan is why I feel the way I do about so many things but it could, and we will get to that a bit later…
I stand about six foot one and weigh about one hundred and ninety five pounds. I have reddish blond hair and green eyes. I guess I am attractive… Never any trouble getting laid at least… I am pretty fit and pride myself on staying in shape physically and mentally… My training in Kung Fu has gone quite a ways in both those areas…
I was raised by ex-hippie parents. They are sell outs. They taught me all of these things about protest and collectivism and civil rights and equality and that the capitalistic principals of our nation make for poverty and racism (do not even get me started on Republicans) but as soon as a chance to live the “GOOD LIFE” came around….. Never mind that…. Let it be that they now live in a very nice home in the Hamptons…. But I played their politics against their guilt and rode the money all the way through school, college and Law School. You know they never hurt me or neglected. They gave me all that I deserved and then some. I never suffered any tragedies (despite the abandonment of my parents’ core principals). I am the epitome of the normal 90’s school kid. And according to one prof. I had, with the right influence I could have been the next Ted Bundy. (If he could only see me now huh?)
I finished dead centre of my class from the NYU law school. I probably could have finished higher but I spent way too much time rubbing elbows and schmoozing. Got me what I wanted though. I made some nice connections and right after I graduated and landed a job with a firm associated with the ACLU. (The true protector of freedom if you ask me.) I took almost all of my cases on Separation of Church and State and the rest on gay discrimination cases. Rumor has it that the Right-Wingers call me the “Pretty Boy Persecutor”. Supposedly I am a bit to rabid for their taste. Well hey the guilty hate the facts do they not?
I must admit that I have a propensity to be a bit of a mad dog. And demanding. An ex of mine has called me sadistic, ego-centric, and possessed of a streak of self involvement. You would think she could narrow it done a bit. A friend of mine once told me that he thinks I am gay. I am not (not that there is anything wrong with being gay) I maybe a metro sexual but not gay. I am very hetro in my tastes if you follow me there. I like my women. Yes my women. If you want to be involved with me you had better be ok with being my woman. If you come expecting hugging and kissing you are in for a bit of a surprise. I like my play rough and my sex even rougher.
I have a hard time with loyalty. It never gets me anything. If I ever do become loyal to some one though it is forever. If I call you friend…..You Are My Friend, count on it!
I do not want to say too much about my embrace or my sire Dianna. Suffice it to say we do not always see eye to eye on many issues. But damn she is hot and knows how to work that body if you know what I mean.
If you had to ask I am a Carthian and Mekhat. Mekhat by default and Carthian because the rest of the lot are too committed to old ideas of domination by tradition. Fuck that and fuck them. To Hades with the status quo. I want power in the hands of those who deserve it. The people!

Ventrue Invictus

Gracey was born and raised in Queens, NY. She had it pretty good growing up. She has always had a lot of friends. When she was 17, she went to Italy to visit her grandparents for the summer between her junior and senior year in high school. When she was 20, she moved to Minneapolis, MN going to work at the Mall of America for a glamour shot studio. After about a year and a half in Minnesota she moved back home to Queens. She worked to save up for college, eventually gets her money saved, and moves to San Francisco, CA where she goes to college. She majored in photography, and was a cheerleader for the 49ers. She also had a job working for a Catholic church taking pictures of weddings, funerals, and other church functions. She belonged to a Pentecostal church though. She has very high morals, and to this day, she is still a virgin.

Mekhat Invictus

Thomas finds himself using the time that he has been given to indulge in what ever project that currently hold his fascination. He has always searched for the truth in religion as he holds that there must be something greater out there. He has already been proven right once in his life when he was brought into the darkness. Spending all of his time within books has had some draw backs as he does get much respect from those around him and with the error of bring Hannah over he has had to try twice as hard to show his usefulness to the new order in New York so as to keep himself and her safe. This has lead him to make some very bad deals with the “wrong” crowd. This is not the first time this has happen to Thomas as for a long time he was a member of the Carthian Movement and only left after he found that the movement would no longer let him look into what his heart really wanted. The Invictus leader at the time told him that this was the main problem with those rebels; they could never chose a direction and stay with it. This made Thomas uneasy with them and started the move to the Invictus for him. Those shortly after her left the Carthians he found that the rules of the Invictus were harder to follow but at lest they did not change decade to decade. Though this move left him with out much support in the city it also left his estranged from his only other passion Stacy. He had brought her of into the night a short time after himself to have some to share his thoughts with and help him move forward in his research. They did have many years in which they both flourished, he had to keep moving in on his goals and she got more and more into the movement.

Makhat Carthian

The first chide of Thomas Huntly she has not had an easy time of it. As soon as she was embraced Thomas found a calling in the Invictus and left the Carthian movement and Stacey. This never set right with her and thus left them leading very different lives. Stacey has continued with the Carthians although she can not seem to get very far into the movement after many years of work. Many in the movement remember Thomas leaving and don’t want to have Stacey repeat his history. She tries hard to show her commitment to the cause by bring in new members at every chance, but her failure to bring in her own chide has made even this seem to be a wasted effort. Though Hugh was not turned to become a member as his talents are not condoned by the movement they have always seen the need for such people in the company. Her first chide was the perfect choice to add to the movement though a bit on the unstable side after the embrace. Joan was very good at what she did. Mainly getting the attention of everyone around her and not letting go. This served the movement well until the old prince took a liking to her and decide to have her for himself. Taking her away from the movement took a few years, but Jacob got the job done. This alone would have been enough to make Stacey go off the deep end but, to have Joan spy one the movement though their relationship was too much. Shortly after the defection Joan got a suntan and though no one could be blamed on the record Stacey knew who she blamed. Hugh and Stacey got a free pass do to the power change in the city. Though this change was something Stacey thought would be a good thing as it brought Jacob down a peg what could be so bad. Soon her resentment of Jacob waned as she started to see what Vern was about as he started to show just how much he hated the Carthians in the city. Stacey doesn’t see Hugh too much as this would only make things harder for him she does make sure that he stays with in the rules and does not make too much of a trouble for the rest of the kindred in the city. Even at this many of the elders in the city see him as something to be squashed to keep from having more of his kind show up.

As the title states I have not even begun on night eight yet although I have put down some interesting ideas to start night nine off with. I do have hopes that this will be the spark needed to set fire to the group and start the story moving in a way that make them interested in it.

Ok so I took a few days off to rest my wrists, sue me. This night we got some more hooks out there and a few mysteries added to the mix though it wasn’t planned that way.

We get there and have to wait for the last player to show up. He had to make an unexpected stop to help some one on the side of the road who had car troubles. The pain of living in Minnesota. Everyone gets settled in and I start the game like normal having them awake from their daily rest. A couple of quick feeds and off into the night we go. Victoria thinks that there could be more information on Robert’s computer and goes digging into it. (A great roll with her Computer + Intelligence and I need to come up with something quick.) I filling in some of the blanks that I had left last week and gave her some more information about her sire’s business dealings, throwing in addresses that may matter later. An address to a bar that will come in to play later in the night and in the game hopefully. After a phone call to James to discuss the information she found she has the bright idea that she wants a copy of all the e-mails that he gets and forwarding a copy to another e-mail to hide the fact she is looking at them. (Damn should have made that roll harder for her.) (I also finish giving out addresses that others had found to fill in more of the blanks that I had left. Though I do make a few mistakes on the continuity of the information that I give at this time it gets corrected later in the night.) This leads James and Victoria to get together at the bar address from the information. Gracey and Paul talk some about the information Paul got from his contact. Paul pawns that off until later not wanting to repeat himself for the rest of the group. Christian and Hugh talk about what to do for the night and end up waiting to see what ideas Paul has for the night. Christian talks to Paul and gets some of the information out of him. Gracey has been call around trying to make amends for leaving the other night. After a lot of talking Paul, Christian, Hugh, and Gracey all plan to get together so that they can help quell Paul curiosity. Victoria and James arrive at the bar and figure out that this is were they meant Hugh. They go in to take a better look around, to find that the crowd is not that different from the last time. About this time the limousine starts its rounds to pick up everyone who is still at home. With some more investigating they find a locked door that doesn’t seem to belong were it is. They check it carefully, smelling gunpowder, Victoria then picks the lock and they proceed to go down into the basement on the bar to find a firing range. As they enter the range the others enter the bar. Using a “taint” check all but Gracey enter with out a problem, though Paul does go back to bring her in. Though do to the timing Victoria and James disappear into the basement shortly after the other enter so they can’t find were that “taint” feeling came from. Paul, Christian, Hugh, Gracey, and Hannah stay in the bar looking around at what is in there. Gracey finds the dart board and starts to try to convince the two drunks to let her play. About this time they are looking around at the range and decide that they need to talk with Hugh about this place. They head for the bar feeling the others James was a little hesitant about enter the bar until he hears Gracey’s voice though the door. Hugh tries to keep Gracey from causing a scene in the bar by talking her out of it. Christian using Dominate tells one of the guys to let her play as Paul just tries some go old fashion intimidation on the other and they give Gracey the darts and go off drinking. As James and Victoria enter the bar they say some hellos and ask Hugh out side to talk. They get outside and he tells them that this is a place that he comes a lot to blow off steam. This NPC that I had added as a lark the night they meet Hugh makes another showing. This was one of the things that had brought Paul back to this bar. (It is just something to add some fun to the game and who knows on night she mite end up dead.) James, Victoria, and Hugh enter the bar again to get the rest of the group to take them to another place to look for some clues. After a short decision they all go out side and fight about not taking the limousine to this other address as it would draw a lot of unneeded attention. They do end up in two cabs and make their way to the address that ends up being the building were Hannah’s haven is. (Though Hannah didn’t know it was her place until I spilled it to her after they were there and thinking about breaking in.) They get to the address and start to take a look at it and mention that they may need to break in and Hannah pipes up with why don’t we use my key. They all stare at her and she goes you never asked. They enter the building and go up to Hannah’s haven take a quick look at her place and then have her show them to her Thomas’s haven on the top floor. Hannah takes Victoria to his place and she picks the lock and enters the apartment and heads straight for the office and the computer to check it out and see what she can find. Not finding too much she sets-up another e-mail forwarded and leaves it alone. (At this point I really start to think that I should not have sent them the link to THE CHRONICLES OF MICHELLE at http://www.forumchronicles.dk/ . That damn gazebo keeps popping into the conversation.) They start to talk about going to break into yet another place, but time is running out. (The game night was just about over, so I didn’t want to start too much.)

Every one goes home in the cabs and they are safe for yet another night. I do answer a few questions as to how XP gets awarded and used. Then we talk about when we mite do D&D next and if the other vampire players would like to play that. With a little more chatter we all collect our things and head for home.

In further efforts to get caught up with the game I am going to try and get this out quick. Again not every thing stays in the order that it happened, thou I do try and keep it close.

We all meet for the gaming night and chat for sometime and then get down to the business of playing. They all awake from there daily rest and start with the chatter. From with in this they decide to meet up and go over what they have found so far. Paul sends out the limousine to pick everyone up. (Damn Limousine.) As they pick up Gracey, the last of the group, they start to talk over what they have found and been told that they need to do. They go over all of the information that I had given Gracey from the files and what Victoria discovered from Robert’s computer system. As some of the information over lapped they made a plan to go and check out a warehouse that Victoria “owned”. This was not whole heartedly accepted by the group, but it was something to do so they all went along with it. The limousine pulls up in front of the warehouse and every piles out and goes over to the closest door only to find it locked. They all start talk to each other about how to get in as Hannah steps over to the lock and picks it quickly. (Who would have thought the school teacher would be the best one a picking locks. The only thing scarier was the fact that her player got involved in the game.) This prompts the crew in to entering the building. I have them a do a “taint” check, and of course Gracey has to be the one to fail it. Gracey goes running back to the limousine with Hugh going after her because Paul told him to go get her. Ass I am telling them of the other vampires with in the warehouse, Victoria gets the bonus of knowing that Robert is in here with them. Gracey of course doesn’t want anything to do with going inside of the warehouse. Paul gives Gracey a call, not paying much heed to the feelings that he is getting, to tell her to get out of his limousine. She does this as Hugh gets to the limousine and starts to try and get her back into the warehouse with the rest of them. A short struggle later and Gracey is calling a cab to get away from this place and Hugh start to head back to the ware house were the rest of the group is now being held by some very unhappy elders. (See the “Meeting of Donald Riddel, Robert Bonnell, Riley Corgan, and Reed Veits” for more details.) Robert tells Hugh as he is about to enter to shut the door thou the dominate fails just be told is good enough for Hugh as he shuts the door. The cab for Gracey shows up, as she getting in she yells a Hugh to see if he wants a ride, Hugh declines the offer preferring to wait for the rest of the group. After a little conversation and a bit of a hug the elders let every one go with the admonishing that they do not look any further into the power struggles of the New and Old prince. Gracey take the cab to a club to try and sort thing out. Once at the club another vampire was already there she tries to get nearer to this one to see what he is doing, but he always stays just out of reach. After this little walk around she decides to go home and call every one. These conversions go over poorly as every one basically blows her off and is pissed because she left save Hugh who does not care one way or the other. This is upsetting to Gracey as she wants everyone to be her friend. The group has at this point has given up on the whole go on a mission thing and thinks that it would be great idea to just travel around the city looking for something else to do. As this degrades into idle banter I hurry the night along and they all retreat into to their havens for their day’s rest and another few safe hours of unlife.

There ends yet another night of this game. I am just waiting to see what happens next time….

Ok, I am going to try and get another one of these nights out, soon I hope to be caught up with the game so these show up shortly after the night we play them on. So here we go…

On this night every one was at the game and we start with them awaking from their daily rest. (I like this way of starting as it gives the players a little time to settle in to their characters.) I as start by giving everyone the information that they found last week, that I finally figured out not that it was all the complete it was a good start. They also found out more about their sires, not that it was real complete. Paul and Christian have some discussion over the phone about what to do with the body they “found” yesterday. Gracey called Victoria to see if she had any plans for the night or here something from Paul. Hugh was bored do to having nothing to do so he heads down to a firing range to indulge his interest in firearms and explosives. Victoria starts to go through her sire’s computer to see what has happened to he money in resent times. About this time Hugh’s player gets informed about what happened last week. Paul feeds some more, by playing with his food in his “study”. Invites Christian over about this time James gives Paul a call to invite him out to meet with his contact from the city and a club called “Born Free”, not that they find out this name before they enter to talk with this contact to give him the information from the blue prints that they found yesterday. Hannah figures that it is time for her to relax in her hot tub. While Gracey thinks watching TV would be fun. (This to me is a good thing they finally know that these characters are people and have lives.) When they enter the club I give them a short description of the place that includes the fact that the place is heavily populated by males. (I wish that I could have done it with a straight face. Though it did cause a short laugh session.) James tries to explain that this is not the normal meeting places which Paul doesn’t buy right away, but slowly goes along with it. Victoria calls James shortly after he made to the bar and tells him about some addresses that she found on her sire’s computer. They take a seat in the club and wait a short time for James’ contact to show up. As soon as James’ contact, Kelvin, shows up James make apologies to him for Paul’s behavior, of course Paul is a little defensive about it, but lets it slide for now. Kelvin being less then enthused by his job, figures that he can get to it tomorrow. James orders a drink for Kelvin and sits at talks for awhile. Gracey calls Paul abut this time and wants James to give her a call. (Though it may have had more to do with OOC, it did have some in game reasons.) Paul calls Hannah to hear a female voice he can stand and makes some comments that are offensive to the club patronage. Kelvin makes note of the apology made earlier and leaves the table. This gives people in the club reasons not to like him any more. Christian spouts out so off comment that would make some one of that persuasion mad and gets smacked for the trouble. James goes to the “bathroom” to get away from the table. This sets Paul off with some more comments that get the attention of others in the club and the floor manager comes over to the table to tell them “You’re out of here.” This doesn’t impress Paul, so he continues to sit there as the three bouncers show up at the table. Two of these guys pick him off of his seat and start to drag him out. Paul of course finds this rather unsettling and fights back. The last one hangs by the table for a short time until Paul starts to get the advantage in the ensuing fight. This brawl goes through a few stages of Paul pushing them around and then the bouncers team up on him all time moving Paul closer to the door. I give James the chance to hear the cops coming, he does and starts to try and talk Christian and Paul who is still fighting the bouncers that is time to leave. They do make it out of there in time not to be caught by the cops. While all this was going on Hugh has progressed to putting C4 on the targets instead of just shooting them, and Gracey had gone out for a walk. While in the limousine James starts to chastise Paul about his behavior, Paul makes excuses. Gracey’s Player thinks to ask if she can walk to any of the address from the files and told her no. (More do to not having ant thing in mind for any of them then the location.) Christian calls Gracey after he gets dropped off and finds out what was in the files and that they should meet to go over it the next night. Gracey then calls Victoria, Hannah, Paul, and Hugh to set up a time to meet the next day to go over all of the collected information. Paul and Hugh start to talk about what to do with the body, Hugh first idea is to blow the body up. They all set it up that they will meet up the next night. Gracey and James finally talk and James rips into her about how she could have passed on through the other people. Paul drops off every one he has in the limousine and heads home to talk with his sire. Dianna give him the march orders to find who is trying to help the old prince back into power and tell him to mull this over.

Every one takes the daily rest and is safe for another few hours of their unlives. It was a short game night that we got a lot done in. I found my self hopeful that the game time will start to be used better.

Till Later….