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 all of the sessions so far on the main Providence by Night page.
In this session, Elysium continues to buzz about the announcement of the Chicago Blood Accords, an old associate trashes Spencer’s car, and Beth meets a somewhat more pleasant connection from her past.
Session 5 – “Peace Frog” – January 24-25, 2015
Primogen Reiss was not pleased with Spencer’s insolence. Reiss gave the still-seated Tremere neonate a dark look before leading the rest of their clan from Elysium. As the remaining Kindred in the room began to buzz about Nosferatu Justicar Warwick’s announcement of the Chicago Blood Accords and the ensuing events, fellow Nosferatu Philip gushed to Beth about Warwick’s tenure as Providence’s Prince. Meanwhile, Spencer was approached by the Toreador Patrick. Patrick was very concerned with the news that Warwick imparted. He made no secret his belief that a Justicar in the city was bad news and made the Spanish Inquisition look like a PTA meeting. Patrick and Spencer discussed whether the announcement was even genuine, whether the Sabbat would ever live up to their end of the deal, and the wildly unlikely “coincidence” that the Tzimisce’s request for sanctuary was proposed within minutes of the announcement?
Beth and Spencer eventually untangled themselves from that evening’s Kindred politics and left Elysium. On the way to the attached parking garage, Spencer revealed his past as a member of the Anarch Free States in California. When he arrived at his car, Spencer found all four of his tires slashed and his cherry-red sports car’s windshield shattered by a brick. While Spencer dealt with the mundane aftermath of the incident, Beth pulled the brick from the glass and examined the yellow paper wrapped around it:
“I want you to know that I have finally found you./You are not safe./I want you to know what it’s like to live in fear./I want you to know how bad I hurt.”
Beth agreed to take Spencer back to his haven in Newport, as the worsening snow conditions meant that Spencer’s car wasn’t getting help anytime soon. Beth pulled her thoroughly sensible all-wheel drive car out of the garage, and was stopped at a nearby red light, next to a black sedan with tinted windows. Sitting at the light, Beth heard motorcycle engines closing quickly on the intersection. Nervously, she started her car forward into the intersection, barely getting ahead second before a black SUV slammed into the side of the black sedan, still stopped at the light, flipping it on its side. As Beth cruised further away, four motorcycles arrived and spat automatic gunfire into the belly of the sedan. Beth and Spencer saw Providence’s law enforcement and emergency services vehicles speeding towards the scene as Beth continued on.
After some tense words between the two Kindred, and with worsening weather conditions, Beth rescinded the offer of a ride further south. She pulled the car into a local gas station while Spencer texted his herd for a ride. Conrad eventually arrived at the gas station. Spencer presented him with a thank-you beverage from the attached convenience store, and they exited the scene.
Still seated in her car at the gas station, Beth sighed at the events of the night. Preparing to leave, she looked into her rear view mirror and saws a familiar face at the gas pumps. The woman was filling a red gas can and shivered despite layered winter clothing. Beth, still wearing only the dress she had on at Elysium, emerged from her vehicle, and walked over, nervously unable to get out more than a simple greeting to Tracy. The two managed to catch up. Tracy remarked that Beth hadn’t aged a day in the last decade before lifting the filled gas can into the trunk of her SUV. Tracy, after failing to get her phone’s touch screen to work in the cold, penned her new number on Beth’s arm, noting how cold Beth’s bare arm was.
Spencer and Conrad drove back to Newport, with Conrad expressing how incredibly relieved he was that Spencer was okay. Hearing about the incident at the intersection, when they returned to Newport, Conrad opened the glove compartment, removed his 9mm, and presented. Spencer is reluctant, but Conrad tells the vampire that he needs to be safe out there. Spencer accepts, and Conrad smiles, offering his wrist to Spencer for a brief moment of pleasure.