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.

This week’s update sees the coterie dispatched to a salon being held by one of the local Toreador, and event some of them had been eagerly awaiting. Once there, however, the coterie finds that the event caters to the more senior members of the city’s court, and that older vampires do not have the most gentle or refined of amusements. They will, perhaps, learn more than they bargained for.   Session 15 – The Beautiful People – March 17-18, 2015 Having been primed for a motorcycle threat, Tony was quick to notice the Ducati Streetfighter as it pulled into Quintessence’s parking lot. Tony alerted the rest of the coterie, who assembled in time to greet the leather-clad figure at the bar. Caoimhe removed her helmet and smiled, and the group retired to the VIP area for a discussion. Caoimhe, the coterie’s Shadow, explained that she had a small matter that needed clearing up and wanted the coterie’s help. Patrick, one of the city’s Toreador, had planned a little get-together for the elite Kindred in the area and Caoimhe wanted a to send him a message –  one that would thoroughly embarrass him but not ruin the fun of the other attending guests. Beth and Spencer, already owing boons to Caoimhe, had no real choice to but agree, and Nathan and Tony agreed with the promise of a favor owed later. Caoimhe produced a small rectangular box wrapped in brown paper and string and asked that her gift be left for Patrick to find. Caoimhe confirmed that the Salon would take place at the Black Box Theatre and that the Coterie would be expected attendees. Before she left, Caoimhe took a moment to congratulate Beth, cryptically warning her that she was “playing a very dangerous game.” Tony jumped on SchreckNet and did a little digging on Patrick. Patrick’s dossier on the Nosferatu database, which Tony shared with the coterie, was extensive and detailed his IRA membership, emigration to Providence in 2004, a rumor that he had blood-bonded Allison, and his talent for producing snuff films. Spencer spent some time fishing for stories from Nathan’s past and learned that Nathan’s introduction into the vamp life wasn’t nearly as chill as Spencer’s had been. Less than thrilled to hear of the rumors about a possible blood bond involving her sometimes friend, Beth phoned Allison to pry some advice on what to expect at the Salon, but mostly received unhelpful fashion advice [Allison’s personal style is very Goth; Beth’s is very not], along with the promise of piano music, fun and games, and the visitation of another Camarilla Prince. The following night, the coterie met up outside the one room theatre waiting for it to open. A long line stretched down Empire Street and Tiny, one of the Prince’s bouncer-ghouls, handed out slips of colored paper to a few individuals in line, including the coterie and a few recognizable members of Providence’s Kindred. When they arrived at the entrance, Allison instructed the neonates to write their names on the paper slips and place them into a top hat. The coterie complied and entered the confined room, noting jet black brick walls, a tripod with a VHS-C camcorder, a pair of small closets, and an upright piano where a blonde woman played a somber nocturne. Spencer took notice of a corner table where Nosferatu Seneschal Gregor and Malkavian Pickman played an intriguing facsimile of a chess game.  Pickman moved a pawn from its to the center to board, completely disregarding the piece’s legal moves. Gregor took the piece with one of his black knights and Pickman then replaced it with a queen produced out of nowhere. Gregor smiled, shrugged, and continued play as normal. Patrick made his way to the center of the room to welcome his guests and announce the evening’s activities. The paper slips in hat turned out to be a mash-up between a Secret Santa game (gifts to be exchanged prior to the next Elysium) and the teenage classic “Seven Minutes of Heaven.” Patrick drew names from the hat and the first couple ushered into the closet was Tony and the visiting Prince. The piano music died down and Prince Elsa Linden of Hartford rose from the bench and pulled the Nosferatu into the closet after Tony was able to figuratively pick his jaw up off of the ground. Blood play commenced with the two vampires mutually edging towards a blood bond. Spencer ended up being paired with an obfuscated Kurt Densch and the two decide on a sharing of blood and disciplines. The entire process froze Beth in place, terrified about even the slightest step towards another blood bond, and so she was immensely relieved to find that she was paired with coterie-mate Nathan. The Malkavian made it very clear that nothing was going to happen and the two waited out their time in the closet, discussing how to surreptitiously drop off Caoimhe’s package. The first activity completed, a bloody variation of “Knifey-Spoony” commenced on top of a blue tarp, a blindfolded doctor sitting in the corner to attend to the losing contestants and their knife (or spoon) wounds. The doctor and contestants were each handed wads of cash. Tony nervously shuffled his feet as he recognized one of his few friends – Matthew Cooks was apparently on call as the “no questions asked” medic. As Matthew and the contestants were ushered out, Patrick turned on his video camera and announced the final party game: a battle royal between mortals with a grand prize being a sip of vitae straight from Patrick’s vein. Spencer recognized ones of the contestant as Conrad, one of the members of his entourage, to whose desperate pleas for ghouldom Spencer had only recently succumbed. The Tremere caused quite a commotion as he interjected himself and began arguing with Patrick. Nathan, noticing an opening while Patrick was distracted, sidled up and powered the camera off. Spencer managed to convince Patrick to allow him to take Conrad’s place in the fight. The brawl ensued, and Spencer was quickly bloodied after the mortals teamed up against him. Their luck did not hold, however, as his Beast came to the front, fueled by the power of the Blood, and Spencer defeated and consumed his foes in a frenzy. The Beast was satisfied by the kill, and Spencer found himself the center of attention among the vampires, exulting his his ability to entertain through the bloodsport. The coterie left the salon intact and having completed the task set for them by Caoimhe. Beth, however, was despondent, feeling the weight of renewed realization that everyone is the court of Providence was a monster, even the other members of her coterie. And, no matter how she tried to escape it, even her. End Session 15