Darkness Unvailed

Well the game got called tonight as the DM wasn’t felling well, so I went though and put up all the back logged logs that I had, to give me something to do.

Enjoy.

http://www.darknessunvailed.com/adnd/

NPC: Alexander
Clan: Gangrel
Covenent: Lancea Sanctum
Apparent Age: Early-to-Mid 30’s

Alexander doesn’t like some of the things he does in Vidal’s employ, but he is loyal. He remembers when morality & Faith meant much more to him, but that was a long time ago. The circumstances of his Embrace was similar to our group & he sees a lot of himself in them, but he believes they are honestly better off serving Vidal than working against him.

NPC: Andrea
Clan: Nosferatu
Apparent Age: 30’s

Andrea was involved in the plot to Embrace our erstwhile group. Initally she thought it would be a good idea, but was having second thoughts on the night they were Embraced. So much so that she went back for Edward to help him through it and to teach him Kindred ways.

NPC: Father John Marrow
Clan: Daeva
Covenent: Lancea Sanctum
Apparent Age: 40’s

Marrow is a devout priest in both the Kindred and Kine senses of the word. He is also one of the single most-well-informed Kindred in New Orleans. Marrow is firmly in Savoy’s camp. Marrow’s loyalties are unmistakable & well-known. He holds allegiance to Lancea Sanctum first and Antoine Savoy second. So long as the two don’t conflict, he is one of Savoy’s fiercest supporters. He is interested in the most obscure pieces of knowledge & believes that anything & everything might prove useful against hi enemies at some point.

NPC: Augusto Vidal
New Orleans
Clan: Ventrue
Covenant: Lancea Sanctum
Apparent Age: Mid-to-late 30’s

Augusto Vidal’s star has not shifted from the mansion of fortune for two-and-half centuries, and the simple truth is he is growing weary. Unknown to even his closest ally and advisor, he has recently slipped beyond the veil of mortal sustenance and into the dark realm of cannibalism. He has not yet degenerated into actual diablerie, but fears that will come for him very soon, and the pressures to get his affairs in order before that happens is taking a serious toll on him in recent nights.< The truth is that Vidal has spent so long maintaining the grip on the reins of power in New Orleans that he simply doesn’t know how to hand the domain over to someone else. Decades ago he was stripped of the power to sire a worthy successor, and it is proving devastating to the family-obsessed Catholic Ventrue. Vidal is waging a war of attrition against his own sanity. The appearance of weakest has signaled a call to arms amongst his enemies. Even bitter rivals have joined forces against him to take advantage of the one time----the only time---- when the great Augusto Vidal is at his most vulnerable. Vidal even suspects those closest to him except for his Seneschal, who disappointed him by refuse to run the domain for the time he will be in torpor. Vidal knows that he is on borrowed time, and he struggles nightly with not only what must be done but with how he could have ended up in this situation after so long in control. He had been so careful!!

NPC: Miss Opal
Role: Primogen
Clan: Nosferatu
Covenant: Carthians
Apparent Age: Middle-aged

Miss Opal is regarded among neonates as one of the most accessible of the Domains luminaries. Her dedication to the Carthian cause has won her numerous supporters, and she strives to encourage the impression that any resident Kindred (especially a fellow Carthian) can come to her whenever legitimate need arises.

Miss Opal refused the title of Priscus. It strengthened the relationship she has with Baron Cimitiere, the clan’s true elder in New Orleans, for whom she holds great respect. It showed the rest of the Kindred how dedicated she was to her responsibilities as one of Vidal’s Primogen.

She has spent the better part of 25 years “working” Vidal from within. She knows that her fellow Carthian and Primogen, Coco Duquette, has been unable to accomplish much, given her relative youth and the difficult choices the Prince seems to enjoy giving her. Thus, Miss Opal’s plan is to try to tag team Vidal by making it seem as though she has her eye on either political or ideological matters. In truth she admires Duquette’s passion, while pitying the situation the Mekhet finds herself.

Miss Opal has recently come to the realization that the fortunes of her clan, ever her top priority, are solidly linked to those of the Carthian Movement than she ever before realized. Given Vidal’s crackdown on Baron Cimitiere, it is only a matter of time before clan and cause merge into purpose.

NPC: Philip Maldonato
Role: Seneschal to Vidal
Clan: Mekhet
Covenant: Lancea Sanctum
Apparent Age: Early 40’s

Perhaps the only vampire in New Orleans who is under more pressure than Vidal, Philip has borne the brunt of the responsibility of the domain, especially when it came to cleaning up the Prince’s political messes or image, and as Vidal grows more and more erratic in his behavior his loyal Seneschal must work harder and harder to keeps things from coming apart at the seams.

Maldonato being loyal and a spiritual anchor to Vidal is a role he takes very seriously. What began as a casual alliance, back before they traveled to America. During the chaos of the Seven Years War, rival Kindred tracked Maldonato to Cordoba and set up what amounted to a dragnet that would have ensnared its target before he could escape the city. Vidal aided Maldonado’s disappearance. When Vidal left for Louisiana shortly thereafter, a grateful Maldonato proudly accompanied him and has neither lost that loyalty nor left his service to Vidal. Maldonato believes he owes his unlife to Vidal, and that fact has shaped most of their history together.

Philip feels guilty about not wanting to rule the Domain in Vidal’s absence but he cannot don the mantle of Prince under any circumstances. He fears even he is causing Vidal troubles in most recent nights, Maldonato recently sent word to his contacts within the Mekhet clan, asking for assistance from the Agonistes bloodline, who are famed for their ability to facilitate the transition to and from torpor. He feels that this would be helpful to Vidal, but he has not as yet told Vidal the visitor is coming because he doesn’t know how to Vidal will respond to this news.

Unbenouced to Maldonato, his invitation while honorable, was changed by his contacts in the Old World, and that the person who has arrived to help is not an agonistes, but is actually a Judge form the Sons of Khalil. Depending upon what the Judge sees the domain and the embattled Prince, Maldonato may have just signed Vidal’s death warrant.

Maldonato is noted to greet visitors and take meetings in exquisite custom-tailored suits in muted tones. In private, Maldonato is a child of tradition who prefers loose fitting clothes of his mortal life, and typically walks around barefoot so that he may always feel the ground beneath his feet.

NPC: Coco Duquette
Role: Primogen
Clan: Mekhet
Covenant: Carthians
Apparent Age: Early 20’s

When Vidal extended the offer to Coco to join his Primogen council, Coco suspected some strings would be attached, but she had no idea she’d be in for this. While it has given her the opportunity to bend his ear on occasion, and certainly to be informed as to all the important issues at work in the city, she fears that the truth may be that the appointment did more to neutralize her than to give her an opportunity to use her stirring voice to political advantage.

What puzzles her is that she has never been anything but a true supporter of Augusto Vidal’s. She knows that some vampires in the city actively seek to oust Vidal, and she has always been vocal about how she feels this to be an extremely poor idea in the long run. She, like many others, has always viewed Augusto Vidal as an eternal fixture of the city and, taking that as a given, always framed her ambitions accordingly. Better to make one’s self indispensable to a powerful ruler than to try and bring him down in flames.

With the recent rumors of Vidal’s impending torpor, however, and all the erratic behavior that has accompanied them, Coco is beginning to wonder how best to adapt to the changes going on. One way or another, the truth is Vidal will not be sitting on the throne of New Orleans< much longer. Given her age and politics, she knows she will not be named his successor, she feels she may be able to influence who is named and how that successor plans to actually administrate the domain.

New Orleans
Game Date: 18 Oct 87
Chronicle: TBA
Play Date: 05 Mar 06

We pick up with the players at Corpus Christie Church talking with Father John & Antoine Savoy. Savoyexplains the Kindred Traditions, clans, covenants, Elysium, and what sites are included in Elysium in New Orleans. He answers questions they have. He gives them a map with Elysium sites and other places of interest to Kindred. Savoy also explains Sire/Childe Bond and how it seems to work. Jack adds to info since he knows who his sire is and what that feeling was like.

They left the church in search of their sires through the use of the Sire/Childe Bond. They started out by just cruising up and down the streets of the French Quarter. Kapian & Charles get some weird feelings so they stop out front of the Twilight club. Charles finds a handwritten copy of Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Treasure Island” on one of the book shelves and sits down to peruse the book. Jack & Kaspian “eavesdropped” on four vampires in the back rear corner in an agitated debate. They heard there was some kind of trouble at Corpus Christie Church. They quickly leave the Twilight Club, when they get into Jack’s van they hear the S.W.A.T. team being dispatched to Corpus Christie Church.

While enroute to the church they all get an overwhelming desire to get there ASAP. They arrived to a complete Police blockade. They mingle with the rest of the on-lookers. They notice Vidal, Savoy, Alexander & a female standing across the street from them. Vidal motions for them to join him. He explains that Father John is presumably inside the church, but won’t answer repeated calls to come out.

Our ever zealous group decides to get inside & help Father John. Vidal sends Alexander with them, and advises them to clean up any signs of vampiric activity.

They meet no resistance getting into the church. Might that be because of Vidal’s influence with the police department? The back door of the church is unlocked, when they enter here are obvious signs of a struggle. They find Father John unresponsive at the bottom of the basement stairs. As they continue their search they find several pews overturned in the sanctuary and the font at back of church shoved over and water running down the center aisle. They also notice a black woman who stands up and starts to move towards them.

As she gets closer to Alexander, Jack & Kaspian: Kaspian makes quick work of putting his fear down, Jack struggles a bit with his fear but he doesn’t retreat. Alexander attempts to talk with the woman, Andrea, she just stares “vacantly” at him. Charles moves closer and fights with his fear. Talons appear from Alexander’s fingertips and he lunges at Andrea. She nonchalantly throws him almost to the communion rail, seemingly effortlessly. Charles steps in to try to subdue Andrea. After a short battle Charles and Alexander get her subdued. While this brawl was going on Jack & Kaspian go to retrieve Father John from the foot of the stairs. Alexander calls Vidal to let him know situation is under control & for assistance getting out of the building. Vidal tells him he can’t help them out, but let’s Alexander know it’s going to be tough getting out ‘cause the building is surrounded.

Jack calls Mack from the Crescent City Knights, street gang, asking if he can arrange a diversion in the area of Corpus Christie Church. Mack says, “No problem & you owe me Jack!” The diversion is in the form of tear gas grenades being shot into the mass of cops out front of the church. In the ensuing panic the group makes their escape. In the process, unknown to our erstwhile group Jack is spotted fleeing with Father John in a fireman’s carry by a member of the press who snaps a couple of pictures. They get to Alexander’s car and start heading to the mansion Vidal uses as his offices. While enroute Alexander starts to question Andrea. She tells him that Sarah Cobbler was behind the siring of our characters & two others. She realizes Edward isn’t with them and asks if they searched the church thoroughly; they did but didn’t find anyone but Father John & her. Alexander let’s Jack, Kaspian, Charles, and Andrea out of the car to go find Edward. Also, telling them to meet him the following night at the cemetery where Jack got the phone call from Marie. He says he can stall Vidal but not indefinitely.

They find Edward in the aforementioned cemetery and head to the waterfront to an abandoned ship that Andrea knows about for the day…
To be continued…

Setting: New Orleans
Game Date: 15 Oct 87
Chronicle: TBA
Play date: 19 Feb 06

We open with our Characters in Louis Armstrong Park; they feel as if something is terribly wrong. The streetlights seem hollow & pale; they are suffering from a hunger they can’t quite figure out. They do know that even their favorite foods don’t sound good to satiate this hunger.

They each realize they are not alone as they look around they see each other. They seem to be drawn to each other. After the introductions are over they hear some partygoers coming from the direction of the French Quarter. As the partiers get closer they seem drawn to the body heat, the sound of heartbeats. Watching the jugular pound with the blood pumping through.

One of them is unable to resist the urge to attack; the others casually grab their prey and feed. We end up with two unconscious victims and one dead body. Fortunately, along comes Father John Morrow he gets them to walk away, he makes scene look like a routine homicide. He gets them to follow him down the street to his church.

Father John explains to them some of their new life, or is it unlife? Then the sheriff, Alexander, arrives and Father John advises them to just cooperate and follow direction as in the long run it will be better for them.

Alexander gets them to get into his car and he drives them to a mansion in the Garden District. He escorts them to a rear door and locks them in the basement to wait for their audience with Prince Vidal. Fortunately, this is a windowless room since they fell into a deep slumber.

Shortly after they awake the next evening, Alexander arrives to escort them to the main floor of the mansion where they meet Prince Vidal. He tells them he will take their confession(s) now. Our really confused players confess to Vidal things they did in their mortal life but they are too ashamed to confess what happened in the Park. Vidal advises them to return to the Park, which he believes to be the site of their Embrace, because maybe through meditation and prayer they can determine who did this. Vidal also tells them if they find out any more information he would like to know. Vidal dismisses them.

Alexander gives them a ride back to Louis< Armstrong Park. Alexander tells them to meet him in about an hour at the cemetery they passed. They spend sometime in the park, but the only clue is that Jack gets a feeling of unease coming from somewhere of to his left. Jacks van is parked nearby; they all pile into Jack’s van and proceed to cemetery. When they get to cemetery Jack’s feeling of unease becomes more pronounced, that he can actually track it to its source. In the back corner of the cemetery they find a circle of blood and that one of the crypt’s lids has been moved. After a short interruption from a local bunch of street hoods, they moved the lid of the crypt and found a bunch of trash bags with women’s clothes in them. They also found a cell phone, when they answered it the woman on the other end asked for Jack. She told him she was sorry and that he needed to be careful because “they were gonna get one of them and she hoped it would be her”…the battery on the cell phone died at that moment. Alexander shows up they tell him what they found and about the phone call. Alexander takes them to Maldanato. Where they relate the whole story again, and he tells them to search the area around the cemetery for clues. He also tells them they need to find a place to stay for the daylight is fast approaching, he tells them to make sure that all sources of sunlight are completely sealed off or they will die from the touch of the sun. They all retire to Kaspian’s apartment. Jack & Charles are mysteriously drawn back out of the apartment to the ground outside where they meld with the ground for their day of slumber. Upon arising, Jack tells the others that he has a woman stuck in his head. “She is a black woman with blonde hair, wearing a small gold crucifix.” They decide that this must have something to do with either the woman that called Jack or how he came to be Kindred. Kaspian decides he is gonna go talk to Det. Mike Rample at the New Orleans Police Department the others are gonna go check out the area around the cemetery and see if they can spot the black woman or see if anyone in the area recognizes her description. Kaspian finds out that the woman is, known to Mike Rample as, a prostitute that works the area just outside the French Quarter & her name is Marie. Kaspian goes to find the others. The others find out that a woman who fits the description of the woman Jack describes is named Mary and is often seen in the area and around “the old burned up physic’s place.” After they all get back together they exchange info and decide to check out the burned out building. After narrowly missing the trap on the back door they enter the building. Buckets of glass are helpful and make wonderful traps. They find Mary inside praying. Jack walks up to her and touches her on the shoulder. She proceeds to tell Jack that she is who created him but that she was blackmailed into doing so. She is very sorry. Jack makes decision to help her stay out of the Prince’s hands but while the players are arguing amongst each other over the wisdom of this decision Mary slips away unnoticed. They go see Father John and are introduced to Antoine Savoy... To Be Continued…

Jack was never exactly handsome, thin of build and very pale. He usually wore simple slacks and shirts usually in earth tones. However, he always wears expensive running shoes when he’s working.

The Embrace has made his features even starker. Where he used to be described as thin, he is now skeletal. He used to be described as pale; now he would be described as extremely, disturbingly lifeless looking, especially under fluorescent lights.

It wasn’t a glamorous work, but until last night Jack McCandless made a good living running envelopes and packages all over New Orleans, and was damned good at it. He knows the city inside and backwards, all the good thing about the French Quarter (which of course is a nightmare to drive through), and the neighborhoods best left alone.

He thinks he strayed into one of those neighborhoods last night, but he doesn’t remember for sure which is very disconcerting to him as he possesses a razor-keen memory. All he remembered was a last minute delivery, and that he was looking forward to going home, having a beer when he saw a really good-looking hooker on the sidewalk…

He still has his van, though, and that’s a big comfort. The package, however is gone, and that worries him for some reason.

This is a new character backgrounds for the Duluth game.

Player Character
Kaspian Corvin

Kaspian Corvin was born Jason Corvin in a map dot town in southern Ohio. His mother and father had been rather… ill-equipped to raise children when he was born, and as such, he spent most of his childhood left to his own devices. If anything had been different about his starting point, were it more involvement with his family, a different locale, or something as simple as a few more friends, then he likely would have remained Jason Corvin, and his story would have no reason to be told.

As he aged, the boy’s mind turned to books to fill gaps in his time. And, like any other addiction, his hunger for more only grew. After years, many of them where he was more or less part of the background, Jason officially adopted his name Kaspian, after a very old mariner he’d read about. Although the two of them didn’t have much in common, they did share a bond that mattered. A hunger for knowledge, and to know things that common men and women never even cared to learn.

When he went to college, after making his name change legal, Kaspian discovered one of the greatest puzzles of all. People. He’d never appreciated just how complex or deep (shallow too) that people could be. Unfortunately, though, staying in one place and learning from the pages of his old companions anymore couldn’t satisfy Kaspian. So, after a little bit of thought and time to decide, he packed up shop and rode down south, ending up in a permanent residence a hop, skip, & a jump from the French Quarter in New Orleans.

Ever the resourceful cully. Kaspian managed to get by his first year, when he turned 22, on a combination of looks and luck. So much time spent observing the human condition made him aware of how to judge what he saw, and how to deal with what he still considered to be one of the collective puzzles that was never truly solved.

Unaccustomed, or maybe just not fit for standard work, Kaspian had to get creative. As such, he made due. Genealogy chars made as a free lancer, occasional gossip columns that he’d contribute to, in addition to a few problems solved helped him scrape by. After years of residence, and exploring dozens of avenues that at least helped keep his mind sharp, and which sometimes netted him a consultants fee with the cops, Kaspian finds himself in yet another set of unusual circumstances. No more sunrises, no more front doors, and no more pizza, as he’s want to say with a particularly bitter grin that shows all of his teeth.

Always adaptable, Kaspian accepts things and moves on. He doesn’t know how he got like this, nor does he really care, but things change. Perhaps, once the novelty has worn off, he’ll realize just how royally fucked he is. Then he will try to solve the next of his pet mysteries. Whose fault is this?