On the second flash forward session, Basket's player was unable to make it.
The way things went over. Kokoro's player decided to take a houserule that the VTR mechanics related to courtoise (frenzy checks are higher in certain social situation) would be applied as she essentially became part of a bloodline in the process of learning it, and then spent xp on conscience on top of getting a dot in drive.
Basket's xp was spent on dominate, weather control, self control, intimidate, and getting another dot in appearance (appearance 5 now)
The player also changed their icon to reflect it.
Bruce's thaumaturgy xp was spent on Biothaumaturgy (Mad science) and Spirit Summoning (Nature spirits, not ghosts)
The players also chose their teammates between sessions (I gave them a list of people older vampires might recommend or that would have potentially met over the time skip, they chose a Chinese ex-Sabbat Lasombra Pirate with faith magic (long story involving the Afghan-Soviet war of 1980s), and a recently awoken 8th gen Lhiannan which is essentially a celtic witch vampire)
So, they are an almost all blood mage party
Me: Okay, we are going over more of the time skip. Lodin eventually tries to call a treaty where they agree to stop fighting and just leave things as they are since Sabina has carved out a massive domain including multiple princedoms and Lodin still technically has the backing of the Camarilla, mostly due to Eletria's influence
Kokoro: Which isn't what happens in the end
Me: No, no it doesn't. So. You are all meeting in an opera house….would you and Bruce know each other at this point? Is there a rivalry between Jazz and Punk
Both: Probably
Me:…Well this is definitely interesting. So, Critias one of the Brujah primogen. Is between the two groups, declaring his neutrality, but stating that there are preexisting issues. And so he starts talking about democracy and tyranny, and goes on, and on, and on
Kokoro: Wow, this is annoying
Sabina: He is Greek, we allow them to do this.
Bruce: Seriously?
Me: It continued, is there anyone you would like to talk to while the philosopher has a diatribe?, Baby Chorus is there. Most of them are not happy with this situation. Kokoro, also know Bruce because he helped Guiseppe, Basket, and the Sherrif knock out Damian and take him over to Critias to be blood bonded. Damian hates that.
Kokoro: That would be weird
Me: Blood bonds don't stop hate. Damian does not like his sire since he is an old Greek man
Kokoro: It could be worse, like he could have become romantically in love with him
Me: Critias is an ancient Greek man from Athens, dislikes women, and spends most of his time with men including attractive young ones. However, their relationship is strickly Fatherly on Critias's side. Also, despite being super tall, Damian is a teenager
Kokoro: I apologize for going there
Me: In case you didn't look it up. Baby Chorus is Damian, Garwood Marshall of the Tremere, Raymond Falcon of the Malkavians he is the childe of Jason 'Son' Newberry, and the last member is Kathy Glens of the toreador. Her sire is Tamoszius or Nero as Kathy calls him. Nero organizes Baby Chorus and deals with the factions for you guys. Unlike most examples, The two of them have a perfectly amiable relationship between sire and childe. Nero does not however like that he has to essentially work for Sabina due to Lodin trying to get the group killed
Kathy: I really hate that we have to work for a theocrat
Kokoro: Not having red lights is a definite benefit
Nero: She has also been helping fund us, and giving us expensive equipment
Me: You have upgraded to rusty van to a SUV that is from this year and is really spacious. Along with great sound equipment, a recording studio, and everything else you guys could dream of.
Kokoro: Lots of benefits. Though, I'm worried about what happens if we piss her off.
Me: The Chancellor, Florent, his job is to keep record of boons and such, will answer you *taps icon*
Kokoro: He looks like Castlevania Alucard
Me: he does
Florent: Blood bonds for the first strike
Kokoro: Like one step
Florent: Two steps. If you really anger her it is full blood bond combined with Presence and Dominate warping your mind to accept the blood bond, possibly some time imprisoned in your own body through vicissitude. Especially egregious events will get you eaten, often by someone else as she rewards one who pleased her with your generation and disciplines.
Kokoro:….Fair enough.
Florent: That's mom. The other option is getting an ax in you. Really, just agree with her and stay on her good side.
Me: At the end of the time skip, Capone, who had gone Anarch previously, is blood bonded and under heavy Discipline mind control to ensure his loyalty.
Kokoro OOC: I forgot that Capone was alive and a vampire in this universe
Me: Because you guys never went to Chicago before. Bruce, would you be talking to anyone during the meeting?
Bruce: No
Me: Would you have been spending the time skip hanging out with the werewolves on Sabina's side
Bruce: Yes
Me: You learn weird things.
Bruce: really?
Me: *Puts in Icon of a Kinfolk* So, this man, Isaac, is involved in a lot of the joint operations between your groups. He does not turn into a werewolf, ever. As you guys have continuous operations, including killing enemy werewolves, he does explain werewolf culture
Bruce; What is is like?
Isaac: I am Kinfolk, I am related to werewolves, and we are essentially second or third class citizens
Bruce: That's terrible. Wait, werewolves spend time with humans?
Isaac: Werewolves create Metis if they reproduce with other werewolves, and are sterile. They are the second class citizens if they aren't left out to die or exiled, if they are still around, then they are treated better than Kinfolk since they are still you know, werewolves.
Bruce: Well that is shitty, so why do werewolves fight each other?
Me: The majority of werewolves on your side describe themselves as Black Spiral Dancers. The BSD explain that they are the descendants of the White Howlers, Pictish Werewolves who had fought against the invasions of the Romans
Bruce: Wow, that is cool
Me: The BSD go on to explain that for an incredibly long time, the werewolves were lead by the Silver Fangs, who they describe as the Nazis of werewolves who believe that they are an especially pure breed meant to rule over all werewolves
Bruce; Ew
Me: They agree with you on that, the Black Spiral Dancers explain that the Silver Fangs had spent a long time manipulating the Romans and were invading Pictish land alongside other tribes of werewolves for the purpose of taking their land, their magical artifacts, and kidnapping their kinfolk to use in their breeding programs. Which is where the comparison they used come from
Bruce: That is just really horrible, so why do other werewolf clans work together
Me: They share a religion. The Black Spiral Dancers also assure you that the other werewolves hate humans. with an entire clan of them having been assigned by the Silver Fangs to manipulate humans and curb their development. The clan was originally called the Watchers of the Apes
Bruce: But the werewolves reproduce with humans
Me: Yes, they still consider humans apes, or less than apes. With non kinfolk humans considered even lesser than the kinfolk who are considered less important than real werewolves
Bruce: They are just kind of terrible, so what do the Kinfolk on our side have to do on this
Isaac: We call ourselves the Skin Dancers, we kill the Gaian werewolves and take their pelts. If we can get five of them, we become werewolves
Bruce: That's cool, how?
Isaac: Wyrm magic
Bruce: Like dragon on worm?
Isaac: Dragon, the Wyrm is one of the three entities meant to create balance in the world. Wyld is unformed chaos, Weaver gives it form and is stasis, Wyrm is change and destruction. You can probably guess that the Weaver wasn't happy about its job when nothing it did ever stayed, you know, how it made them
Bruce: Yeah, that doesn't sound like a good way for things to go
Isaac: Yes, so, the Weaver trapped the Wyrm and wants to defeat the wyld. That is why things are so horrible now. The Gaian Werewolves love the Wyld, but hate everything else and want it to win.
Bruce: I don't think uncontrolled chaos is a good thing
Isaac: Exactly, they talk about balance and all of that, but they really aren't trying to fix things, just destroy the other forces which are already out of balance and doing things they aren't supposed to, or not doing their job. And if the weaver wins, everything magic dies
Bruce: That would be bad
Isaac: So, if we free the Wyrm, things will either be in balance, or the apocalypse happens and everything resets
Bruce: I'm not so sure about that part
Isaac; We can agree to disagree
Bruce OOC: So is this a thing where we are short term allies
Me: Both sides agree that the world ends in under twenty years so short term is long term as far as they are concerned. They disagree about how the world ends but are working together since you know, magical spirits and dragons help when fighting the Sabbat and Soviet Anarchs with military weaponry. Also both sides want to kill the other werewolves and take their shit
Bruce OOC: That seems fair
Me: Do you still hang out with them
Bruce: Yes
Me: If you hang out with the Skin Dancers especially. You will see them performing rites where a Bull Man made out of smoke talks to them
Bruce: Is that a Minotaur
Isaac: It is The Minotaur, I think it used to be a vampire of your bull dancer people
Bruce: The toreador?
Isaac: Yes. It became a god after it died because of that whole be one with your beast thing or whatever
Bruce: It isn't one with the Beast
Isaac: Whatever your weird philosophy is, you can kind of transcend your current state
Bruce: Oh, that's cool
Me: The Minotaur will take note of you if you continue to be around the ceremonies
Bruce: Okay
Minotaur: If you meet my stepmother, Helena, summon me. She killed my father, and I need to punch his soul out of her.
Bruce: Okay….that doesn't sound like the myth I know
Isaac: Things were apparently lost in translation or something, we don't question it
Me: You know that Helena wasn't in the myth you knew. So, back to the party.
Florent: Also, don't mention the Inconnu to her
Kokoro OOC: What are those?
Me: Roll occult
Kokoro OOC: I don't have it, but Iskander *NPC vampire boyfriend gained through merits* does
Me: Roll
Iskander: 0
Bruce: 2 successes
Me: Bruce knows that the Inconnu are supposedly a secret sect of vampires that know about Golconda and spy on everyone
Bruce: Weird hermit spy people
Florent: Yes, Michael, the Methuselah, spoke of them before he went to Constantinople. Rome had many forces manipulating them such as vampires and werewolves. But the vampires were manipulated by elder vampires who hid themselves from their pawns. They were quite upset by Michael convincing the mortals to move the capital of Rome to Constantinople, the split of the empire, and the East being far more effective and prosperous while they got repeatedly invaded by other nations who they had previously defeated, abused, or were running from…the huns, if forget sometimes
Kokoro: So politics
Florent: They were also one of the forces along with the Baali and Setites who caused the fall of Constantinople to raving crusaders. Because they were petty and pissed off at Michael.
Kokoro: That is stupid
Florent: Yes, they then claimed to have sworn off politics and went in search of Golcanda, which they claim to have achieved. All while hiding themselves away from everyone at the same time as spying on and infiltrating everyone.
Kokoro:…That is being engaged in politics, and the same stuff they were doing before
Florent: Yes, they also claim to be above everyone, not being manipulated by anyone older than them despite that being a thing for everyone else, and don't go around spreading teachings about Golcanda
Kokoro:…That is just pretentious shit
Florent: Yes, I sincerely doubt that they have actually obtained Golcanda precisely because of all of that contradictory information.
Kokoro: Wait, Sabina is your mother
Florent: Not my sire though. I have around six or so parents when you count the vampires my parents were ghouled to, my sire, and the koldun involved in my conception. Actually, no I don't consider my sire a parent.
Kokoro: Who is your sire?
Florent: Vykos. Mother hates it since Vykos became a woman out of spite
Kokoro: That doesn't really make sense.
Florent: Vykos was part of the original Anarch Revolt. When it failed and the majority of the leaders met at the founding of the Camarilla, the treaty involved the Anarch leaders being blood bonded. Vykos proceeded to fleshcraft their parts off and throw them on the table while saying that it would emasculate itself rather than have it done to it by the Camarilla
Kokoro: Couldn't Vykos regrow their…actually, wait, wouldn't that be a different thing
Florent: Vykos changed their name from Myka to Sascha, used fleshcrafting, and lived as a woman…part of the time, others Vykos is genderless. I think Mother was offended by the idea of the original change being a statement about being metaphorically emasculated. They are Tzimisce, sex means rather little as vicissitude changes things.
Me: And Critias finishes his speech by pointing to Tyler. "And the blood feud between us for the diablerie of my child has not ended fiend. Which is why I called my nephew" You all hear, thonk thonk thonk thonk thonk, as something approaches
Kokoro/Basket: Is this something bad?
Me: The doors burst open as you see a much much taller and broaded Greek man with a face you all recognize. Plato, whose name means The Broad. It is not his birth name, and is his wrestling name much like Dwayne The Rock Johnson's name is not actually The Rock. IRL, Plato is a relative of Critias
Kokoro: This can't end well, is Socrates a vampire?
Florent: Yes, also Diogenes
Me: Plato slams Tyler through the wall.
Kokoro: Did this become DBZ?
Me: Remember part 1 of Jojo where Dio walks up a wall by shoving his feet through them and they are fighting up the wall?
Kokoro: Oh
Me: Plato is also clearly doing things for style purpose, there is lots of Presence being thrown around and neonates feel conflicted as this giant guy is beating her up, partly because she does look young and she was a peasant, so she is much shorter than the average woman in this era. But then other vampires with greater presence just shut them down.
The players learn that when two 6th gen vampires are fighting, the difference of over two thousand years of age and focus on martial arts on Plato's side making it horrifically unfair
Me: She does have celerity, fortitude, and potence, but hers are....much lower than his and this is very clear as Plato just uses high level disciplines that you have not seen before
Bruce: Ow
Me: It is horrible, it is unfair, and he isn't killing her, he is doing this because she shamed his family and murdered his brother, so he is spending the time to let her heal her broken limbs and ribs before doing it all over again. When she is able to get away, things like stone pillars being thrown at each other and being punched through floors happen a bunch.
Players: We are not getting involved
Me: Okay, Eletria runs in to stop it, she is 5th generation
Players: ....Does she win?
Me: It is two on one which helps and she has the celerity you'd expect from an over 2000 year old toreador of her generation. But she is relying on that and physical power, she also...as a toreador, focused on the arts that are far more traditional instead of you know, the art of combat, she is good, but...
Kokoro: Should I be making a roll since this is the art of combat and that is my thing?
Me: Yes
Kokoro: beats DC 9
Me: Some background rolls
Me: An ancient Greek man walks in, he looks at Bruce, "are you Lucian's boy?"
Kokoro: Can he smell it or something
Me: Gangrel, yes
Bruce: yes
Castor: Are you winning grandson?
Bruce: I'm not the one fighting
Castor *Notices the battle*: Niece, great-grand nephew, stop killing each other. *spots Portia/Helena* Sister, are you still trying to kill your husband
Kokoro: *realizes that there was a Methuselah staying in Chicago having a feud with another one* Well they haven't managed to yet.
Me: You then see the Nosferatu Primogen Deobfuscate, wearing full Middle Eastern Armor and holding a sword as he stabs Tyler saying "Sanbat!"
Kokoro: I don't think we can join in this
Me: The Nosferatu and Tyler are fighting each other, Eletria looks at Helena but then tries to fight Plato and fails horribly as she ends up with her head just being repeatedly smashed into the ground
Me: Then a tank rolls in, but that gets destroyed by a giant guy who looks like some kind of pirate from sub Saharan africa, he is quite clearly a Lasombra as he is wrapped in armor made of shadows and starts fighting against the sabbat alongside a woman who looks like Jean D'Arc along with a lot of other Lasombra pirates as he raised a sword at the Sabbat and says "Never again shall I serve the Regent" there are also anarchs, and this becomes just a four way war
Kokoro: I am going to fight
Bruce: same
Me: You are going to start needing to make rolls
The combat went fairly well with Kokoro managing to get over 10 successes on the damage dice (the character has additional discipline potence) to decapitate (less so on to hit) sabbat and Bruce doing even better on his to hits. Iskander, Kokoro's NPC boyfriend only got one success due to 1s
Kokoro: I am disarming and decapitating
Bruce: I am going full WWE
Kokoro: Can we assume that Bruce helps Isakander
Me: Kokoro, you sheer through a ventrue antitirbu's sword and decapitate him with a single blow, Bruce is tackling people off of different floors and taking them down with him as he smashes their backs on the railing and lands with his feet on them before ripping people's faces off then throwing one guy into Sabbat who was fighting Iskander hard enough that their bones break
Castor: *tearing people to shreds* You're WINNING GRANDSON!
Bruce: So that's where Lucian got it
Me: You see a Lasombra wielding a Dao sword, cutting people to pieces due to potence, he is mainly fighting Sabbat since he has no idea about the other factions here
Kokoro: That is understandable, I assume everyone ends up back to back at some point
Me: Yes, which is when the lasombra uses obtenebration for tentacles to fight even more of the sabbat while the rest of you are all making short work of your opponents. He nods at you
Kokoro: because Asian?
Me: No, if he cared about race he'd probably hate you given the histories of your countries. This is purely because all of you clearly don't like the Sabbat
Kokoro: *thinks on that* Yeah, I do not know what I was thinking.
Me: Florent looks at you guys and says "Would you like some help?"
Kokoro: Yes please
Me: You see ghosts appear everywhere and start ripping people apart, he just nods to you
Kokoro: Necromancy is OP
Florent: Yes, now. I shall make my leave
Me: He opens a portal to the Shadowlands and just walks through
Kokoro: Necromancy is bullshit
Me: Yes, it is. Eventually, the fight is over, Lodin is stabbed by Kevin Jackson, Tyler is diablerized by the Primogen of the Nosferatu who then goes insane and needs to get staked by his childe. She is crying in despair over this as she takes his unconscious body out. Maldavis, one of the anarch leaders, is nearly killed but then a bull kills the person about to do so, grabs her, and turns into mist, melding into the earth.
Kokoro: Well, this has been chaotic
Bruce: We are probably low on blood
Me: Everyone is.
Kokoro: So we eat the wounded vamp-
Me: Everything is ashes. The Lasombra vampire who was with you guys introduces himself as Abbas Kuang
Kuang: We might want to leave before the cops come, I would offer help but I do not have a car due to coming in on a pirate ship
Me: Do you talk to anyone else?
Both: No
Me: You see one guy dragging a pair of identical vampires up the steps, he then gets help by a man you know is Brennon Thornhill, owner of the Succubus Club. They both look at you guys and nod as they leave. Helena is in a daze, sitting on the ground. Nicolai *Puts in image of the kid from The Omen*
Bruce: He is a kid
Me: he is like 700
Bruce: Oh
Me: Nicolai is in a daze and sits next to Helena
Helena: I think my sire was eaten by my grandsire
Nicolai: I think I am a bad person
Kokoro: *looks to bandmates* What is happening with the scary little boy?
Garwood: I think my primogen gained a conscience after diablerizing someone
Kokoro: Hey, it isn't like eating your enemies is bad
Nicolai: No, I mean. All of the other things I did. I turned Gangrel, Nosferatu, and Tzimisce into Gargoyles. I dominates so many people, the blood bonds, I embraced a girl because I fell in love and then tried to make her love me, I…I think all of the people in the Chantry are in there because I tried to make a family unit
Kokoro: That last part isn't bad, but the rest, yeah. That is really fucked up
Nicolai: And DuSable, oh God, everything makes sense now. What is with this city and Incest?
Kokoro: Well my country can be weird. Cousins are kind of-
Nicolai: Lodin was blood bonded to his great-grandaughter and DuSable embraced his grand-niece for similar reasons. The age gap alone is a massive power imbalance
Bruce: Ew
Kokoro: Have to agree. I can see that you are having an existential crisis, but I think you might want to leave here for it. So, band van
Me: Hortensius is by the SUV as you guys including the two primogen get there. He was named Keeper of Elysium by Sabina
Kokoro: Hello scary guy
Hortensius: So, *enters van* have you determined the coterie you were to make.
Kokoro: Well I have some ideas
Hortensius: What was the purpose of the Coterie?
Kokoro: Whatever Sabina wants it to be?
Me: *gives them a list of coterie types from V5, doesn't include some of the types*
Kokoro: What about Questari, a grand purpose.
Me: Well Somnophile would be that you are guarding Menele's body
Kokoro: From Helena, which would be a problem
Me: Bruce is effectively from her brother's line, and your mentor is Annabelle, who is her grand-childe.
Bruce: Hmmm, the Minotaur might end up doing something, especially since I decided not to summon it earlier. Questari sounds good, we could travel the world?
Kokoro: Yeah
Me: So, you want to travel the world while working for Sabina.
Kokoro/Bruce; Yes
Me: Are you sure?
Kokoro/Bruce: Uhuh
Me: You voice that
Kokoro/Bruce: Yes
Hortensius: So, I need you to help me find an Antedeluvian
Everyone:…..What
Hortensius: I want you to find an Antedeluvian and bring them here. Everyone else can leave if they do not want to hear more
Me: Everyone but Kuang leaves. The four of you, including Kuang and Iskander are just driving, taking directions from Hortensius as he directs you to the currently under renovation, The Drake Hotel. Kokoro has auspex, you can tell that this place is haunted. There is a floating woman in a red dress going through the windows, a woman with a gunshot wound in her eye, and a man who looks like he was tortured to death along with two men constantly hounding him.
Kokoro: Of course he bought a haunted hotel
Me: Yes, the ghosts are terrified of him. He leads you up to an office, none of you are able to stop yourselves from going ahead. You also notice that there is a coffin in the office.
Kokoro: Out of character, I know you said that he was an antediluvian
Me: You don't know that in character, but are about to learn that.
Hortensius: So, what do you know of the antedeluvians
Kokoro: There are thirteen of them
Hortensius: There are thirteen that you know of, but that is debated with people arguing about Set and Osiris, and all of the diablerie. So, there are, around twenty or so that are still around
Kokoro: Twenty?
Bruce: That is bad
Hortensius: Yes, so, what do you know about Lilith?
Kokoro: Not much
Hortensius: Ennoia
Bruce: She was the Gangrel Antedeluvian
Hortensius: Correct, so sit around while Uncle Hortensius tells you a story. First, who cursed Caine
Bruce: God
Hortensius: Ish, there was the first curse by God. Were Cain and Abel twins
Kokoro: No, because Cain was older
Hortensius: I am worried about how you think twins work. So, first of all, they were twins, but not twins of each other. As you can guess, Adam and Eve had children other than them since you know, you need a woman to reproduce without divine intervention.
Bruce: That makes sense
Kokoro: Oh yeah
Hortensius: So, they were twins, but their twins were their sisters. In the case of Caine, Luluwa, Aclima, whichever way you like to call her, their actual language is long dead. Abel wanted to marry and have sex with Luluwa, Luluwa did not, Caine was unhappy with this situation and suggested that Abel should not get to just do whatever he liked. Adam, being something of an idiot, decided that he should just have God choose who married who.
Kokoro: So that is why Caine killed Abel
Hortensius: Yes, Caine did not like the idea of Abel forcing his twin sister to marry him just because God said so. Then he was cursed with the mark. Luluwa, realizing that this might happen again, traveled with Caine after his banishment. God, realizing that he had fucked up again, decided that it would be best if he removed himself from the situation and didn't fuck around with mortals
Kokoro: That kind of makes sense.
Hortensius: The angels, were kind of pissed off about all of this, and started trying to 'fix' things themselves
Kokoro: And that can't end well
Hortensius: So, the angels repeatedly went to Caine, talking about how people had forgiven him. Caine promptly told them to fuck off and let him be depressed about killing his brother, which he did not forgive himself for. The Angels, being you know, not humans, got pissed off about that and kept cursing him for that. Which is how you got the Beast, and the whole, Burn in sunlight stuff.
Kokoro: So the angels are the bad guys
Hortensius: No comment. Caine and Luluwa then found Lilith, who taught them magic, but that mixed with the curse and led to Caine gaining disciplines and becoming what you would call a vampire. As Lilith was cursed by God so no one could love her, and Lilith has lots of mind control magic, Caine and Luluwa decided that it would be best for them to leave Lilith. She was not happy about that
Kokoro: I see where this is going
Hortensius: Caine now had to feed on blood, and often fed from Luluwa when he was not hunting animals and bringing them to her. But, the Beast is a thing, along with Frenzying, and when they were traveling through a desert, he entered a hunger frenzy, draining Luluwa dry. Out of remorse, he Embraced Luluwa, making the first of the second generation. They later found the descendants of Seth, and introduced technology to make the First City.
Six of the Antedeluvians were children of Lilith. Each born in a set of three. These sets were Arikel, Malkav, and Nahema, or Malakai as some call her. The progenitors of the Toreador, Malkavian, and Daughter of Cacophony lines. The others were Ennoia, Churka, and Mekhet, spawning the Gangrel and Ravnos. Malkav and Nahema were lovers, as were Ennoia and Churka since really the options were limited. They were told by Lilith that their fathers were separately, Adam, Cain, and Lucifer, don't ask how or which was which because Lilith was a terrible mother who would not explain that.
Kokoro: Is this going to be a theme?
Hortensius: Yes it is. So, these six were some of the first mages, and as you might guess Mekhet was me. We all traveled the world, seeing the sights and all of that, talking with fey, Ennoia sleeping with some of the werewolves which makes it so all of them are descendants of Lilith by now, but most of us really didn't like them. They were always telling us about how they were superior guardians of the world and all of that, then there was their slaughter of other werecreatures because they believed that everyone should worship them for being the best warriors.
Bruce: That kind of fits what I learned
Hortensius: And so, we later heard of the First City and Cain's rule. So we went to our possible father. Cain, realizing that letting Lilith have access to powerful mages was probably a bad idea, bid his Childer, the Second Generation to embrace us. We lived there for centuries, but as all families do, we had drama.
Kokoro: I heard some of that involving the Toreador antediluvian
Hortensius: Yes, Absimiliard tried to sleep with Arikel and Ennoia, thinking that doing that with two children of Lilith was a good idea. He got beaten up and scarred while his brother Lucien, not the Gangrel one, laughed.
Kokoro: Oh
Hortensius: As I was saying, the drama continued and after the flood and Father left to consider his failures, we had a war with the Second Generation. Caine came back, saw that we had burned down the house when he was out, and cursed us all while also warning us about the rules he had put down. Most of us Embraced childer, Caine gave up trying to just tell us what to do and said that we'd regret it. Then Troile diablerized Ilyes, Saulot made the Baali, and we realized how bad things were. Father told us to hunt down the Baali and kill them all, but none of them actually paid attention to that and shit got worst. Caine told everyone to just listen to Ventru but no one listened to that and grabbed the stakes. Set ate Apep and became evil, and we all eventually left the city. Cappadocius started plotting to eat God, Saulot spent far too much with the Kuei-Jin and Osiris talked about how we should kill all vampires, I helped Set kill Osiris over that and then there was more plotting to deal with the other two idiots.
Kokoro: Wait you were involved in killing Antedeluvians
Hortensius: Would you let the death mage who wants to diablerize god and the guy who can suck out souls just go around with their own personal armies? Anyways, that didn't really work out since one is a Wraith and the other is staked in the middle of the Tremere Council's home, so they are compromised
Kokoro: Oh fuck
Hortensius: Anyways, the Baali seduced Troile and so Ventru and I had to make a ritual to seal them up underneath Carthage. But then Ventru got staked again somewhere. Now, Lilith wants to kill Caine and God which can't end well.
Bruce: So what are you doing then?
Hortensius: Well, I am blood bonded to Mother and she has four other Antedeluvians blood bonded along with The Crone, a second generation vampire working for her. I am stuck here making sure she doesn't get at Nahema since she is underneath the Great Lakes, also halfway in Hell and The Dreaming. Plus, that oil drilling rig was trying to dig her out. I don't want someone who can alter reality with her insanity dragged out and manipulated by mother
Kokoro: That does sound bad
Hortensius: Yes, so. *opens coffin and unstakes a vampire in there*
Lhiannan Woman: *Screaming in Latin*
Me: So, Kokoro, you have French for some reason
Kokoro: Yes
Me: She is speaking in a lot of different languages, really angry, and eventually starts using an archaic form of French.
Kokoro: What is she saying
Lhiannan Woman: Who holds Londoninium, does Arthur reign?
Kokoro: What?
Lhiannan Woman: *Repeats it*
Kokoro: He held it for a time
Me: She grabbed your shirt and slaps you several times, it hurts
Kokoro: OW
Lhiannan: Who holds Londoninium, does Arthur reign?
Me: You get the feeling that dancing around that question would just piss off the ancient vampire who apparently woke up after around two thousand years in torpor.
Kokoro: Um
Me: You know that Mithras is the vampire in charge there
Kokoro: Mithras is the Prince, and other people rule the humans
Lhiannan: Morgan is going to be so angry
Kokoro: Morty?
Me: Morgan
Kokoro: Morty?
Me: she slaps you again
Kokoro: I thought you said Morty
Me: An ancient vampire is talking about London and King Arthur, and you think I was saying Morty.
Me: Hortensius puts a hand on the vampire's forehead, she speaks English now.
Kokoro: That is helpful
Hortensius: So, this is Sadb. She will be helping you. Now, I want you to find Ventru
Kokoro: Why?
Hortensius: Because an Antedeluvian with ultimate mastery of Dominate and Presence is useful when trying to gather the Antedeluvians to fight Lilith. Also, probably easier than trying to find God or Caine. Also, we are dealing with the Crone so that can't end well
Kokoro: I'm not sure if
Me: He touches your head and uses Auspex 10, for a moment, you have near omniscience.Your brain is melting
Kokoro: Time to make a new character
Me: You are alive, this is him showing you how OP 10th level disciplines are
Sadb: Oh, my sire. Can I eat her
Kokoro: Wait what?
Hortensius: Sadb is the first Lhiannan. Part of their clan's problems is that they lose a generation whenever they embrace
Kokoro: Why?
Sadb: Because my sire fused a nature spirit to me and made it so that would happen by breaking pieces off of it, ensuring that I would become weaker than her.
Hortensius: If we win, we can stake her, drain someone of blood, and put some of her vitae in them so you can diablerize a Third Generation
Sadb: I am holding you to that. I lost my supernatural beauty from this curse
Hortensius: So much like Basket
Kokoro: So, why should we trust Ventru
Hortensius: Ventru was worshipped a Greek god, guess which one
Kokoro: Zeus?
Hortensius: No
Kokoro: No idea
Hortensius: Hera
Kokoro:…That doesn't make me feel better
Hortensius: Goddess of Motherhood and Protection, appeal to her Mom nature.
Kokoro: But she has dominate 10 and presence 10,
Hortensius: Talk to her like a person, and give her no reason to use those on her. Pretend to be a human being.
Kokoro: So, we are supposed to get a semi-reasonable Antedeluvian to convince the others to help. How are we supposed to find her?
Hortensius: Would I be asking for your help if I knew that?
Kokoro: But what are we supposed to do?
Hortensius: Research, talk to people, investigate. I need to make sure we don't have reality break from my sister waking up screaming in terror or Mother talking to her in her sleep to spawn horrible monsters that eat everyone.
Bruce: That would be bad
Hortensius: So, The Voivode will know of this operation, and I give this building and its grounds to you as domain. Do with it as you will.
Me: I imagine that all of you want to drink heavily after that, and go to a bar to drink from black out drunk people
Kokoro: Definitely
Me: Hmm, Sadb would be incredibly horrified by the bar
Kokoro: They had taverns in her era
Me: Yes, but there were certain things that were expected there which are illegal now, you probably see her looking around, asking you where the courtesans are and why that is rude to ask since she wanted to just give someone money she Presenced away from other patrons and pay them to let her feed.
Kokoro: Yeah, that is illegal now
Sadb: That must have caused problems.
Kokoro: So, you were Third Generation
Sadb: Yes
Kokoro: And are like…eight now
Sadb: Also yes
Kokoro: Why?
Sadb: Because of the mechanics of my curse, made so that my sire, The Crone, would have far more power over me. Imagine it, being a Blood God of the Third Generation and making a Childer to share your glory with, then being bumped down to the mere Mortal status of the Fourth Generation.
Kokoro: I can see someone putting that in as a failsafe.
Sadb: I am in this group to torture my sire.
Kokoro: Who tried to blood bond Caine
Sadb: Yes
Kokoro: We are in danger.
