Welcome to Providence by Night, the continuing recounting of our tabletop Vampire: the Masquerade chronicle. Providence by Night is a low-powered, “street-level” game featuring a group of very new vampires adjusting to unlife in Providence and the vampiric condition. You can read the whole story so far on our main Providence by Night page.
In this week’s update, the coterie addresses the problem of the public spectacle of Spencer’s ghoul. Then Spencer and Tony go off to pursue a vendetta against the Tremere Whip, while Beth, having breached the Masquerade, enjoys the freedom of not having to lie to her girlfriend all the time anymore.
Session 17 – Oblivion – March 19-20, 2015
The coterie gathered to discuss the elephant in the room: practically every older vampire in New England was now aware of what Conrad would do for even the chance at a sip of vampire blood and the lengths that Spencer would do to protect his ghoul. And who knew how much Conrad knew about the coterie’s activities? It was a security threat. However, upon promises of favors and a assurances that Conrad would be kept under control and would not be further informed about the coterie’s secrets, it was one that they were willing to accept. Shortly after this conversation, Beth cashed in the several favors Spencer now owed her for a supply of the Tremere’s blood, which Beth had been informed no longer possessed the power to form blood bonds [editor’s note – this Chronicle does not use the V5 rule where vitae loses the ability to form bonds shortly after leaving the vampire’s body].
***
Tracy had been curious about Beth’s newest time-consuming project (“Please not another anthropology thing!“) and Beth was anxious to show it off. That Friday night, Beth had asserted exclusive use of Quintessence. The two toured the club and things finally sank in for the mortal as Beth lead her through the door marked “Employees Only.” Beth lead her girlfriend upstairs to the catwalks overlooking the mass of humanity and explained that places like this were highly desired among ‘her people’ as they made for easy hunting grounds. The night went on with Tracy’s questions interspersed with periods of dancing, Beth taking satisfaction in Tracy’s enjoyment – clubs had always been more Tracy’s style than Beth’s when the two were younger. Later, both spotted a slumped figure at one of the booths and a security guard was quickly summoned to extract the man and call an ambulance. Another pink powder bag, like the one Beth had found on the club’s opening night, lay behind the man. Beth handed it to the EMT, who related that there had been several other cases of the stuff. He identified it as cocaine mixed with something new. The MET stated that other users had awakened with a crazy strength and crazy anger. It didn’t take a chemistry degree for a vampire to recognize vitae-infused narcotics.
***
Spencer was already heading out when he saw that a strange figure stood at his door. He recognized an unobfuscated Kurt Densch, who had arrived to start his “cultural exchange” with the Tremere, as arranged at the Salon two nights prior. Densch ‘allowed’ Spencer to open the back door of Spencer’s red sports car for him, climbed in, and the two sped off back to Providence proper. Densch explained that he “would be grateful for a ride back downtown” and the two carried on small talk. Spencer pulled up to Tony’s house and Densch made a small slit in his wrist. Spencer mimicked the action and, crossing arms, the Kindred drank of each other’s blood. With promises of formal training in obfuscation, Densch vanished and departed.
Tony watched as Spencer’s car arrived and was a bit confused as he watched the back door open and close by itself. Spencer exited the front of the car and Tony’s head ached trying to make sense of the scene. The two then gathered at Tony’s kitchen table and pulled out a burner phone and texted the number Beth had obtained at the pizzeria during the coterie’s earlier investigation:
1: “10 pizzas for 135 Benefit Street?”
2: “Who is this?”
1: “Let’s meet up. Providence Station, tomorrow night?”
2: “No. Twenty minutes. Elysium. M&S Bar.”
1: “Done.”
A bit later, Spencer and an obfuscated Tony arrived at the restaurant at the Biltmore and found Kevin waiting at the bar. They took a seat and Kevin, not recognizing Tony through his obfuscation, assumed that there was trickery afoot. Tony and Spencer offered Kevin an out by saying that they would drop the inquiry if Kevin simply apologized to Casimir for sending the pizza boys to his haven. Kevin responded that he “would not belittle himself and grovel before that Tzimisce scum,” and that was that. Tony and Spencer then departed for Benefit Street and informed the subject of Kevin’s pranks. Casimir welcomed the duo into the house and was elated to hear the news. Spencer then asked if Casimir had plans and Casimir stated that he would “be very busy over the next few nights.”
***
Tony’s phone rang. It was Philip who explained that he was in trouble and wanted Tony’s help. Philip conveyed that he believed that he was being made a scapegoat for a recent lapse in ShreckNet network security. Tony departed at once for the Warrens, taking the long way to avoid closed sections. A live wire, broken computer equipment, and Philip’s shriveled body greeted Tony at his friend’s usual haunt. A loud roar that was too close for comfort warned the Nosferatu of the presence of the unidentified sewer monster’s that had been plaguing the warrens. Tony messaged his clan, who began to completely lock down the warrens pursuant to their emergence protocols. Tony had only precious minutes to escape. Hurrying down the passages, Tony found himself in an unfamiliar area and sealed the final door behind him. He was in a foul-smelling room lined with military grade tough boxes. Peering into one, Tony recognized the visage of his sire staring back at him from torpor, a stake rammed into her chest. End Session 17