Our tabletop Vampire: the Masquerade chronicle, Providence by Night, continues, which features some very new vampires learning what unlife in the Camarilla is like. Several months have passed since last we saw our intrepid protagonists. Tony reaps the benefits of a powerful mentor, Beth has some difficulty hunting, and Spencer spends some quality time with his entourage. Oh, yeah, and there’s the Elysium scene where the Chicago Blood Accords are announced and a bit of a disagreement breaks out.
Providence by Night – “You Are The Blood” – January 2015
Tony was finally adjusting to his new unlife and had reaped the rewards in both blood and kinship. Nosferatu influence had re-secured Tony’s IT job at the hospital and he was allowed to remote work most days due to his “medical condition.” He had even taken over Dylan’s supervisory role after his mysterious death. Tony caught up with his mentor, and Densch educated him on prestation and boons in Kindred society. Densch also told tony that the next Elysium would feature an important guest with a special announcement – Nosferatu Justicar Stafford Warwick, Providence’s former Prince. Densch informs Tony that his services have been offered to the Justicar.
Providence in January wasn’t the best hunting, and Beth had been having little success with her usual methods. Hungrier than she has been before, she approached a vagrant who had recently been kicked out of a warm Brown campus building and sank her fangs into the man’s neck. His blood started to flow, and at the taste of it Beth felt something within her rise up, seeking to drain the man completely. Beth panicked at the loss of control, but mustered all of her will to tear herself free and fled into the night, leaving the injured vagrant in the cold. When Beth finally stopped and collected herself, she felt terrible, consumed by guilt. But the worst part was that she was still hungry, and knew that she would need to feed again that night. Beth was eventually able to accomplish this without further incident, but driving back through Coventry, her gaze was drawn to a house off the highway, ablaze in the night.
Spencer spent a quiet night at home mixing new album with talented sound engineer Aditi Singh, while his confidant Artemis Sanders attempted to design some sort of Franken-calzone in the kitchen. Fellow Tremere chantry member Kevin showed up carrying a large duffle bag full of books and implements and quickly explains that his haven has been firebombed. Spencer allowed Kevin to stay and Kevin headed down into the beach house’s basement. The third member of Spencer’s entourage, Contrad, finally arrived, much later than he was supposed to, and Spencer told Conrad he was grounded. Conrad shouted that Spencer wasn’t his mother and that he was perfectly safe from any harm, waving a 9mm Ruger as proof.
The neonates each received handwritten invitations from Marie-Claire to the January Elysium. Attendance was mandatory. Beth reviewed her closet, and went to retrieve the same ensemble she had been wearing in the picture she had shown to Nathan in his office – the one with her and her sire, Rupert Cartwright. When her hand touched the dress, blackness closed in on Beth’s vision, and she felt herself carried down a dark tunnel maze that terminated in a wet stone room with a locked crate. Beth’s dead heart beat. At Elysium, Tony cornered Patrick by the elevators and forced a smile and laugh from the English lick with a corny joke. Beth took the opportunity to speak with Tremere primogen Reiss, who disclosed that he and Rupert had together on some academic projects. Beth and Reiss discussed their mutual appreciation of Mesoamerican blood rituals, and Beth realized that her sire had been passing her work off as his own. Defiant, Beth was able to demonstrate this to Reiss, and the Tremere passed a business card to her.
Eventually, the formal dais was filled, and the Prince introduced Justicar Warwick to the gasps of many of the assembled Kindred. The Justicar addressed the masses and explained that just three nights ago, appointed representatives of the Camarilla and the Sabbat had signed an accord declaring a cessation of open hostilities for seven years. The Prince and Nosferatu are the only ones who seemed unsurprised by the news of the Chicago Blood Accords. Most of the gathered Kindred seemed doubtful of the Sabbat’s sincerity despite reports that a Tremere elder had sealed the pact with blood magic. Just minutes later, an obvious Tzimisce appeared in court to stunned silence and presented themself to the Prince. Heated words were exchanged, but the Prince accepted the Tzimisce’s request for sanctuary. Riess stood to lead the Tremere from from Elysium in protest. But Spencer, in defiance of his primogen and clan, remained seated.