CbN009: The Price Of Knowledge
General Summary
CbN008: Like heads of a Hydra | Sessions Timeline |
"Indulge an old man in the retelling of old history, followed by a question." "70 years, almost to the day, a little over, January I believe it was. 70 years since Alphonse's supposed death, and real birth into the world of Kindred." "I was there you know, I was born into the same world as Capone, I suffered through the same depression, and saw the same chaos of this city. I was embraced as part of the same brood as him. The ruleship, of one man, one vampire clan. Lodin, Ventrue, , the prince of Chicago, born of the fire of 1871, father to the brood. Not just Capone, but Neally, the betrayer who turned to the Sabbat, Ballard, my own father who is, unfortunately, alive, Peterson, the lame prince, Bobby the hurricane who plays with the anarchs, even prince Jackson himself, all and more, sons of Lodin. He had a type: men of effect, men of greed, but also men efficacy; men of violence. For a 120 years, Lodin ruled this city in a iron grip, Ventrue first; scraps for the rest. He fucking basked in the violence of it all, first with fires, then with the prohibition, the devastation of Gary, the race riots, and finally with the War of Chicago, where all hell broke lose, lycans fell on us all, and, blissfully, Lodin lived his final night." "A chaotic century where a lot of us learned the price of disorder. The price of the uncaring, the reckless. A century we all hoped would end with Lodin's final death, but we were all wrong, for 20 years we contended with those that sick to grasp the vacuum left behind. Gang violence, assassinations, havens of fires, open fucking warfare of which you my friend are pretty familiar, being one of the many cans of petrol brought in to fuel that fire; all led by a single man, the then primogen, who 70 years ago pretended to die in a prison of syphilis. Fucking Al Capone. His final death under Ms. Santos, is a blessing." "7 years, seven years of peace. Seven years where Jackson has kept all in check. The kines, with their gangs, the bloods, the latin kings, the sinaloa, what's left of the ridiculous italian Outfit, the russians, the asians; all brought to heel. The lycans, the mages, the fallen, the ghosts, the goblins, the hunters, the fucking Second Inquisition. Even Kindred; the Anarchs, the wiped out Sabbat. All tied together in a delicate web; of persuasion, subterfuge, lies, promises, alliances, isolation, intimidation, law ... order; business." Seven years... and until not long ago. Chad... a year is it since you're here? A few months... " The screen behind Alan shows pictures of Chad talking to business people in south side, the man they left from the casino talking to a reporter, a coroner report from chad's death, pictures of the nine hells, eerie pictures of Chad's touchstone. "A known dead body, asking questions, making people uncomfortable, mentally breaking Kine, poking, poking, and poking in the web. "So my question is... which is it? Is this it? After a decade of being pushed out, a decade of peace, a decade of hard work by us, the prince, the Primogen, is this it? Is this how you break the web? How do you declare war? How you come back; bring back the violence. Bring back the chaos. With a fat Mexican man, and shitty tequila?" He takes a moment to calm himself. "Or is it... perhaps... incompetence? Is it just fledglings, trying to do their very best and coming short? Is it your ignorance that this city's businesses moves through me, through the praxis, through the camarilla, through the web or do they move not at all?"
The Coterie managed to explain to Sovereign how they were not, in fact, trying to fuck with the Camarilla and bring chaos to it. That they operated in different terms. More importantly, they understood, that above everything, leaving witness is never acceptable. "I don't want the chaos of Lodin, Capone, of Maxwell, of Neally, of Fucking Ballard , to come back." "I want to believe is just you, not knowing the rules, and getting ahead of yourself. Because that, that I can work with. I'm a businessman after all, I believe in setting people up for success, there are ways to make us respect you, to make us trust that your alliances lie in the correct place. Let's start with the basics." "This? All of this? you're cleaning this. You'll kill the fat man. You will hunt every person in that bar, and kill them as well. Make it look like gang violence. Seal tight, no mistakes, and nothing gets out of hand." "Then you will do something for me. I had a deal with the Hecata, one that involved a large sum of money. A few years ago they pulled a dissapearance act, and my money is now stuck somewhere. I want you to get this back to me." "Finally, as a symbol of mutual trust, and to further my apology to you Maude, here is what you seek. * Alan get the Coterie a manila folder that included a liquor license for the Confessional's operation, as well as a contract with a supplier for alcohol that was deeply beneficial for the Coterie.
March 15th, 2017
Wednesday Clementine Guerrero started a project to increase her status in the Camarilla. She put her politician contacts at the service of the camarilla members, mostly to the lowest ranks. Chad Smith started a project to increase his clout in the South Side gangs. He leveraged his own money, as well as the Capone Gang's.March 29th, 2017
WednesdayMeeting with Sovereign
The scene swoops into a sleek, modern office building. The room is spacious, modern and pleasantly lit with fluorescent lighting and large windows that allow plenty of light from the downtown area beyond to flood in. The atmosphere might be serious and professional, but the mood is more one of collaboration and negotiation. The Coterie sits on ergonomic chairs around a large conference table made of gleaming glass. The conference table was topped with a miniature representation of downtown Chicago, with paper buildings representing future possible projects. Alan Sovereign, the right hand of the Prince, sits at the head of the table, a room-wide screen behind him is projecting a moving abstract piece of art, his suit is sharp, and perfectly tailored and his expression confident and commanding. Overall, the room exudes a sense of professionalism, attention to detail, and success. The meeting started with Alan apologizing to Maude for his actions at the Blue Velvet. He mentioned these were not the ways a Kindred should behave at any time, even when faced with out-of-control neonates. Maude accepted this apology gracefully, impressing Alan who showed signs of changing his attitude to one that might see Maude as someone they can work with. Alan said that it has been a trying time lately and that he hoped to show himself to Maude and the Coterie as a source of stability and command. The Praxis must show itself as supportive of all Kindred, regardless of how young or clan they are from. Alan asked about Bear Creek, and how the establishment of their domain was going, they beat around the bush for a moment, but they told the Seneschal about the graffiti and what they had done at Warehouse 69. They told him everything but the fact that Maude's contact was involved and that they've found a note telling the gang to tag their domain. Not only did they manage to convince him that they were telling all of the truth, but made an extremely great case for themselves, gaining the Coterie a •• Minor Boon for their services to the Camarilla, and keeping the Masquerade. Towards the end, when it seemed they had spoken everything, Alan started a long speech:"Indulge an old man in the retelling of old history, followed by a question." "70 years, almost to the day, a little over, January I believe it was. 70 years since Alphonse's supposed death, and real birth into the world of Kindred." "I was there you know, I was born into the same world as Capone, I suffered through the same depression, and saw the same chaos of this city. I was embraced as part of the same brood as him. The ruleship, of one man, one vampire clan. Lodin, Ventrue, , the prince of Chicago, born of the fire of 1871, father to the brood. Not just Capone, but Neally, the betrayer who turned to the Sabbat, Ballard, my own father who is, unfortunately, alive, Peterson, the lame prince, Bobby the hurricane who plays with the anarchs, even prince Jackson himself, all and more, sons of Lodin. He had a type: men of effect, men of greed, but also men efficacy; men of violence. For a 120 years, Lodin ruled this city in a iron grip, Ventrue first; scraps for the rest. He fucking basked in the violence of it all, first with fires, then with the prohibition, the devastation of Gary, the race riots, and finally with the War of Chicago, where all hell broke lose, lycans fell on us all, and, blissfully, Lodin lived his final night." "A chaotic century where a lot of us learned the price of disorder. The price of the uncaring, the reckless. A century we all hoped would end with Lodin's final death, but we were all wrong, for 20 years we contended with those that sick to grasp the vacuum left behind. Gang violence, assassinations, havens of fires, open fucking warfare of which you my friend are pretty familiar, being one of the many cans of petrol brought in to fuel that fire; all led by a single man, the then primogen, who 70 years ago pretended to die in a prison of syphilis. Fucking Al Capone. His final death under Ms. Santos, is a blessing." "7 years, seven years of peace. Seven years where Jackson has kept all in check. The kines, with their gangs, the bloods, the latin kings, the sinaloa, what's left of the ridiculous italian Outfit, the russians, the asians; all brought to heel. The lycans, the mages, the fallen, the ghosts, the goblins, the hunters, the fucking Second Inquisition. Even Kindred; the Anarchs, the wiped out Sabbat. All tied together in a delicate web; of persuasion, subterfuge, lies, promises, alliances, isolation, intimidation, law ... order; business." Seven years... and until not long ago. Chad... a year is it since you're here? A few months... " The screen behind Alan shows pictures of Chad talking to business people in south side, the man they left from the casino talking to a reporter, a coroner report from chad's death, pictures of the nine hells, eerie pictures of Chad's touchstone. "A known dead body, asking questions, making people uncomfortable, mentally breaking Kine, poking, poking, and poking in the web. "So my question is... which is it? Is this it? After a decade of being pushed out, a decade of peace, a decade of hard work by us, the prince, the Primogen, is this it? Is this how you break the web? How do you declare war? How you come back; bring back the violence. Bring back the chaos. With a fat Mexican man, and shitty tequila?" He takes a moment to calm himself. "Or is it... perhaps... incompetence? Is it just fledglings, trying to do their very best and coming short? Is it your ignorance that this city's businesses moves through me, through the praxis, through the camarilla, through the web or do they move not at all?"
The Coterie managed to explain to Sovereign how they were not, in fact, trying to fuck with the Camarilla and bring chaos to it. That they operated in different terms. More importantly, they understood, that above everything, leaving witness is never acceptable. "I don't want the chaos of Lodin, Capone, of Maxwell, of Neally, of Fucking Ballard , to come back." "I want to believe is just you, not knowing the rules, and getting ahead of yourself. Because that, that I can work with. I'm a businessman after all, I believe in setting people up for success, there are ways to make us respect you, to make us trust that your alliances lie in the correct place. Let's start with the basics." "This? All of this? you're cleaning this. You'll kill the fat man. You will hunt every person in that bar, and kill them as well. Make it look like gang violence. Seal tight, no mistakes, and nothing gets out of hand." "Then you will do something for me. I had a deal with the Hecata, one that involved a large sum of money. A few years ago they pulled a dissapearance act, and my money is now stuck somewhere. I want you to get this back to me." "Finally, as a symbol of mutual trust, and to further my apology to you Maude, here is what you seek. * Alan get the Coterie a manila folder that included a liquor license for the Confessional's operation, as well as a contract with a supplier for alcohol that was deeply beneficial for the Coterie.
April fools massacre
What followed was a one week EXPERIENCE, as the coterie expertly set about into the streets to set up the remaining gang members to end up in a massive shootout, killing themselves in the process and ending all lose ends they had from the Gooey business.Meeting with Naomi Stewart
Naomi met with the Coterie at a Black and Latina women's outreach site. There she informed the Coterie that rules of the Rack had changed, now there was a list, a list she was in charge of. The list was of people that were allowed to feed in the Rack, the way to get into the list was by accumulating boons owed from people. She offered the group of deal, they could permanently get into the list, earning feeding rights for the Rack, but they will be her patrol men. She needed at least one member of the Coterie to patrol the Rack for one hour every night, a huge ask, but one the only way to avoid owing boons. They decided to think on the subject. Chad decided to owe Naomi one • Trivial boon to be able to feed that night. Clementine had a few questions for Naomi: - How to win influence? You will have to demonstrate yourself capable in spite of being a Lasombra. Your clan has a milenial history of being the enemy, it doesn't matter if you are a monsanto lasombra, people here have heard horror stories of lasombra desintegrating societies. Get yourself ingrained in, make sure everyone owes you favours. Put yourself at the service of people, without burning yourself. You're going to hate this, but you gotta eat shit before you can rise up here. A day will come were we will rise up and gut open the White Masters, but not today. - Who should I watch out for? Balthazar , the was a racist asshole before, and now he's a racist asshole that has been stripped out of his power. He's testing the new sheriff, and that is going to throw out sparks. I'd either steer clear if I wanted to be safe, or I'd jump in and bring in Balthazar in a platter for the Sheriff. Easy way to earn respect in this town. Gotta catch him in the act tho. Oh Balthazar used to be the Sheriff under the old prince Lodin; that changed when the new goverment came up. He's a straight up, ex slave-owner, confederate south fighting, torture maniac psychopath. I was hoping he'd exploded at the Blue Velvet to give us a reason to make him face the sun. The other thing, is DuSable, the warlock's dark magic are a powder keg waiting to blow. You know that the warlocks stole their powers from Kindred? The legend goes they were not vampires, but Kine, actual mages, that stole their powers from an elder vampire by the name of Saulot. If you believe in Antidiluvians... nevermind. The point is they deal with blood magic, demon binding and forces better left alone. Their own sorcery has railed back and almost completely eliminated their clan. GOOD, but now DuSable is sniffing around the edges, trying to sell warlock favors as mercenary, more of a militant tremere clan, looking for the highest bitter. No.. not for the powers they wield, better that we kick them out of Chicago now that we can.Meeting with Marcel
Maude came to talk to the man of all smiles. They asked him many questions: - How come the Prince is so young? The public answer is that the Camarilla needed someone with modern ideas to combat a modern problems (Anarchs, Second Inquisition, New Sabbath). The real answer of why the Primogen all chose him? That was a costly secret that Maude was not able or safe in asking about. - There was no Sheriff until now, why? The last Sheriff was Balthazar, and he became a self proclaimed one when Lodin died, nobody paid him any mind. Then Jackson appointed Damien recently. (The perceptive audience will notice he didn't mentioned Jackson was crowned prince 7 years ago and yet had no Sheriff until now, something that Marcel did not answer). - The Nosferatu Primogen was missing, why? Indeed, Khalid, the primogen of the nosferatu was missing, but the Nosferatu are famous for pulling acts of disappearance. The gossip around his disappearance well... there's a price for that. What secret can you tell me in exchange? Maude mentioned EVERYTHING about the warehouse 69 to Marcel, including the weird note. Marcel loved this, and told them that Khalid had not only been missing events, but Primogen meetings, on top of everything, the usually chatty Primogen had become increasingly quiet and non communicative in the last few years. Indeed a source of concern for everyone; I feel I still owe you, you may ask me another question. - What do you know of the name... ELODIE? Ah, a dark thing. The rumour I heard was that there was some secret enfoncer for someone in the Camarilla or the Anarchs. A brutal, secretive creature that dealt with Sabbath Lasombra and the Capone Gang, and even Second Inquisition. My own investigation in the matter ended up in me being certain that asking around about this was dangerous and I stopped. No, I am not willing to further investigate the matter for any price at the moment.
Report Date
16 Dec 2022
