CbN022: The Plight of the Nosferati
General Summary
October 8th, 2017, Southside Chicago
It’s a Sunday night and the streets of the city are bustling with activity as people venture out to make the most of the end of the weekend. Maude looks out the window of a bus to the dirty and busy streets of Southside. They’re on their way to meet with the rest of the Coterie and Wauneka somewhere near Downtown.
The bus stops frequently, jolting its passengers each time, but Maude's eyes remain fixed on the outside. It’s just then, while looking out the window that the scenery starts to seem overlaid with something else- a bright and blurry new scene, like an ephemeral dream of sorts.
They see a room that at first fills them with disgust but the feeling is quickly replaced by happiness. They see themselves drinking from Jason’s wrist with no hesitation, while the Primogen speaks clearly.
Adze walks forward towards the group around the stage, "Is this what we've been reduced to? Gathering in some trash hole like those LA SchreckNet rats?" He exclaims in a loud voice that echoes around the railyard and gets the attention of everyone nearby.
"Jesus fuck Adze," Crook screams, freefalling right on top of Adze who collapses on the floor from the unexpected weight. He chuckles and steps off the other vampire, “get off your high horse, man.”
Adze seems righteously put off by this, quickly standing up and frantically brushing off the dirt. "What the fuck, Crook!” He then shakes his head as Crooks smiles wide at him. He rises an eyebrow and continues, “We ran a fucking empire! And... this?" He scoffs in offense.
Crook wraps an arm around Adze’s shoulder and shakes him with familiarity, "What a fucking show brother, you about done? Alright, get off that horse and scooch over, I've got some juicy bits for ya."
Despite himself, Adze smiles a bit and the two walk together a bit away from the group and sit down on one of the cushioned boxcars. Wauneka shakes his head and turns to the group. "Well, this is it. Mingle I guess, if you want the nosferatu's favor what you really need is to understand us a little." He then walks away from the group and disappears around a corner without further explanation.
“As it seeps into every cell of every organHe then keeps talking about accepting one self and other such comforting things until his voice fades again and the scene slowly changes back to reality, the scenery having drastically changed to the tall buildings and cleaner streets of Downtown. The bus stops, jolting Maude out of their thoughts of this new vision, or was it a dream? Well, no matter. They step out of the vehicle and make their way to the meeting spot, left with only the feeling that they have another counseling session sometime soon.
Prime them, preparing them to accept into your soul
The vision of your one true self.”
MEETING WAUNEKA
The skies are cloudy and the night is cool as the Lost Boys gather and meet Wauneka, the nosferatu hound. They had asked him if they could meet with other nosferatu in hopes of expanding their influence. Wauneka had needed a few days to arrange something and asked to meet them in Downtown Chicago today. Now, they find themselves following Wauneka north of Downtown, into a park and near a lake where a group of people live in tents. The tent city is expansive and extends to an underpass, people sit around or talk amongst each other as they walk past, eyeing them occasionally. As they walk, the hound explains that when he asked the Prince for a Domain, Jackson had said that he can have any space under a tent in Chicago, foolishly thinking there’s no way any kindred would chose to sleep under a tent, but Wauneka had taken the words seriously and now every space under a tent city is his Domain. They reach a door that needs a code to access, it leads to the sewers. Wauneka speaks low as they make their way through the labyrinth-like space. "So you want influence with the Nosferatu? Well, in the old days I would have said to gain favor with Khalid, by providing him secrets; but lately he is not holding any audiences or making deals. So the next best thing would be to just talk to the Nosfies, they don't get a lot of interaction and getting to know each one should provide some context. Like in the time of the vote, as long as most Nosferatu are okay with you, it should be fine. I've got a fix for that, should cover the price of your ticket with us. I've also got an opportunity for you, but that can come later."THE DEN
Not long into their walk through the sewers they meet the familiar face of Adze. He’s dressed in casual and clean attire and seems surprised to see them here and being led by Wauneka. He approaches the hound. “Really? You gonna let them into the Den? Bold move, dog." He says a bit impressed, then follows them down the path, joining the conversation with ease but being careful of what he says around these parts. “You never know who’s listening.” They’re led through narrow paths and take many turns, their guide following seemingly invisible signs until they reach a service elevator that takes them down deep beneath the streets of Chicago. They can feel the rumble of passing trains shaking the very foundation of the city, the tight lightless tunnels of abandoned debris opening up to an abandoned rail yard that has been transformed into a cozy den.The air is thick with the scent of rusted metal and oil, but the space is filled with comfortable furnishing and lit up warmly with buzzing bulbs to make it into a welcoming and inviting space.The rusted hulks of abandoned boxcars have been repurposed into seating areas, with plush cushions and blankets draped over them for added comfort. At the center of the yard there’s a clearing with a simple stage made of pallets, where a band of five vampires is playing soulful blues music that echoes through the darkness, blending with the low rumble of the passing trains overhead. To the Coterie’s surprise, the band members don’t seem to be Nosferatu, unlike every other person they pass by or are gathered around the stage. While they make their way towards the stage, they take note of all the Nosferatu looking at them curiously, some seem worried or confused at first but relax as soon as they realize Wauneka is leading. There’s a brief interruption in the relaxed and playful mood but soon enough everyone seems to go back to appreciating the music or minding their own business. The band never seems to stop playing, as the kindred around the stage close their eyes and sway to the music, lost in the moment. There is a sense of camaraderie among them, born of shared experience of a life in the shadows. Among the group of Nosferatu gathered here today in plain view is The Painted Lady, who smiles with eyes closed and waves at Liliana and Mary in greeting. She has two young looking caitiff women at her side who seem to be there to assist her, but seem equally lost in the music. There are some other familiar faces from the day of The Vote, but no names come to mind.Maude looks upwards, towards the rafters and notices “Crook” Dawson, hidden with Obfuscate, smiling at them. The Malkavian waves and Crook’s smile grows larger as he puts a finger to his lips.
Adze walks forward towards the group around the stage, "Is this what we've been reduced to? Gathering in some trash hole like those LA SchreckNet rats?" He exclaims in a loud voice that echoes around the railyard and gets the attention of everyone nearby.
"Jesus fuck Adze," Crook screams, freefalling right on top of Adze who collapses on the floor from the unexpected weight. He chuckles and steps off the other vampire, “get off your high horse, man.”
Adze seems righteously put off by this, quickly standing up and frantically brushing off the dirt. "What the fuck, Crook!” He then shakes his head as Crooks smiles wide at him. He rises an eyebrow and continues, “We ran a fucking empire! And... this?" He scoffs in offense.
Crook wraps an arm around Adze’s shoulder and shakes him with familiarity, "What a fucking show brother, you about done? Alright, get off that horse and scooch over, I've got some juicy bits for ya."
Despite himself, Adze smiles a bit and the two walk together a bit away from the group and sit down on one of the cushioned boxcars. Wauneka shakes his head and turns to the group. "Well, this is it. Mingle I guess, if you want the nosferatu's favor what you really need is to understand us a little." He then walks away from the group and disappears around a corner without further explanation.
MEETING RATS
The Coterie splits to go talk to different people around. Liliana and Mary approach the Painted Lady while Maude and Clementine go talk to Crook and Adze.THE PAINTED LADY
When they approach the Painted Lady she seems to be swaying a bit to the music with her eyes closed but greets Liliana and Mary all the same. As they sit, Edith pulls out two red candies from her purse and offers it to them, “Use them at the right moment.” They both pocket them. She seems to think dearly of Khalid and when Liliana asks about the Primogen she says that he is not around a lot anymore and appears to be very busy. Someone named Celdric has been taking care of the Nosferatu in his absence and said that Khalid wants them all to stay away from the Labyrinth. She’s surprised that Khalid is not letting them in the deep tunnels and implies there are great places of power to be found there, especially closer to Chinatown. “If you find them, don’t shy away from them, looks can be deceiving.” she says mysteriously. Mary mentions that she really likes the band that’s playing and wishes they can be invited to the Confessional some time. Edith tells her the name of the band is “The Midnight Bites“ and that she can try to make that work in the future. She then takes notice of the glasses Mary’s wearing, asking if she can see them for a moment. Mary gives her the glasses and the painted lady seems fascinated by them. She pricks her finger and lets a drop of dark blood fall on them and puts them back on. She looks around for a bit and asks Mary if she could possibly have the glasses. Mary explains that she’ll need them but that after her business is done, she can certainly make a trade and Edith seems very happy with this outcome, giving the glasses back to her. When Mary puts the glasses back on she can see green bright pipes glowing in high contrast to the rest, but only as long as she stares at the same spot for a while. It seems to lead farther into the tunnels and away from the rail yard. As Liliana steps away, Mary asks more about the band and finds out that they’re a blues music band with five thin-blood members. They hang around Lower Wacker Street and play at underground bars in the area. They used to hang out in abandoned stations and play for the Nosferatu any time they could gather. The Nosferatu protect them like children, but their existence is not allowed under the stricter interpretations of Camarilla law, so they’re a little secret.Fang - Lead Guitar and Singer
Bella "The Bat" - Bass Guitarist
Count "The Cadence" - Drummer
Scarlet "The Shadow" - Saxophonist
Raven "The Riff" - Harmonica player
ADZE AND CROOK
As Maude and Clementine approach the two Nosferatu, they hear the tail end of their conversation. Crook has been trying to convince Adze to mess around with the Camarilla again, he wants to do something involving Annabelle. Adze on the other hand does not seem to be interested, explaining again and again that he’s not into that life any more. Clementine sits right next to them unceremoniously and asks: “What’s this about Annabelle?” to which Crook smiles and implies that they’re too green to be part of things like this. He seems a bit disappointed that they did not take his “gift” that day at the airport. Maude explains that it was too obvious, not subtle enough, but maybe next time. They gather that Crook is a person that enjoys chaos, aggression and mayhem and does not like politics or slimy tactics. "Enjoy this eh,” he says while gesturing around, “this stuff rarely happens now, the Nosfies used to be an even closer bunch and gather around the Booze Box, a bar on lower wacker off an alley not this wreck. The place is beautiful, impossible to find if you don’t know about it, and every one there is a vessel ready for consumption. Our tiny little velvet, eh?" Adze scoffs at this and recounts that he used to love hanging around Khalid, Celdric and Charles (Crook). The two of them recall when they used to mess with Ventrue gangs, stole art all around town and ran booze. But after the war for Chicago everything has been different. Adze explains that Celdric has a mind for politics now, Khalid started looking into weird religious stuff and Crook is more chaotic than ever. And so he left them 10 years ago and prefers to be part of the Blood Disco instead where there’s less drama. To this Crook scoffs, he thinks Khalid’s tactics are very boring and misses the old days as well. He doesn’t know what is happening right now and is very bored in general. Maude says that maybe they can help with the boredom; they suggest he can show them the Labyrinth. Crook laughs excitedly and Adze immediately exclaims that they should not go there, since Khalid forbade it. Clementine points out that it sounds like only Nosferatu are not allowed in the tunnels, but the Lost Boys are not Nosferatu. Crook claps and nods with glee, immediately standing up and disappearing right in front of them. Maude can still see him sneak away deeper into the tunnels, he looks back and notices them looking at him. Maude waves, Crook shakes his head and keeps going. Clementine then turns to Adze, explaining that she’s also interested in deepening their relationships with the Blood Disco. He says that maybe resources could help and also a lot of caitiffs have nowhere to go or feed. Clementine thinks they can come into an agreement about those things later and asks him to come see her when he can at The Confessional.MARTIN
With business dealt with, Maude leaves Clem and approaches another nosferatu who seems interesting to them. He is very formally dressed in a vest, suit and coat combination and tells them his name is Martin. They talk for a while but Martin does not seem very fond of Maude, apparently he has seen them act out at gatherings, pointing out how chaos and violence seem to follow them. He mentions how Maude being close to Jason is highly problematic, and doesn’t seem to trust the Primogen at all. He then tells them about his Domain, a place called Avondale. He says people go there for his help often and that he takes pride in protecting and helping people but seems very hesitant to help Maude. As Maude comes to Jason’s defence, he makes it clear that Maude is not welcome in Avondale. As the conversation comes to a close and Martin stands and leaves, Maude pulls out a card from their coat and leaves it where he was sitting.DANTE OBLIVIATE
Liliana leaves Mary with the Painted Lady as she makes her way to a Nosferatu playing with a group of rats, Clementine joins her. They chat and pet the rats, learn their names and notice that this guy seems very normal other than the fact that every once in a while a very “creepy” wave seems to waff out of him. He tells them that he doesn’t get to interact with many people so he’s happy to chat and introduce his rats. He also tells them he runs a business taking care of animals but it hasn’t been doing very well lately due to his “condition”.SALT AND ROWAN
The group all head together to the last two Nosferatus in view. One of them is a tall man with many scarred tattoos covering his whole body and the other one is what seems like a little girl with wide eyes. They learn that both of them seem to be very new turned vampires and have nowhere to stay. Rowan is very naive and ignorant about how the Camarilla operates but is otherwise very agreeable while Salt seems to hate the Ministry for following the wrong faith, especially Marcel - going as far as to imply that they should kill him. Salt seems very upset that the tunnels are closed, since they don’t have a permanent place and the big abandoned areas were great for that. Salt says it used to feel like a community where they could all hang out, call in the Midnight Bites and just chill. She has conspiracy theories that it all changed when Marcel became “friend of the court”. Meanwhile, Rowan doesn’t even know how to access the deep tunnels and is not interested to try even if they were allowed to. He recounts that he had seen something in there, “something crawley and unnatural”. The Coterie tells them to come see them at the Confessional when they can and maybe they can help them find a place to stay or help with anything else they might need. As the conversation wraps up, they notice Crook standing by the end of one of the tunnels motioning for them to follow. They reach the Nosferatu who’s pretending to be leading them back outside just as Wauneka comes back with another person- a tired looking Nosferatu who they recognize as Celdric Calhoun, but they’re already making their way out as he sits down around the rest of the Nosfies who all seem very sympathetic towards him.THE LABYRINTH
In downtown Chicago there’s an abandoned superstation for the L that was built but never used, under Block 37. This leads to a series of tunnels that are in various stages of disrepair, since construction on them was halted. The series of connected stations and places they lead to is known colloquially among Kindred as The Labyrinth. There are various lairs and hideouts within the Labyrinth, but it’s a chaotic place that’s difficult for the Camarilla to police. It’s said there’s all manner of Kindred and other things down here and sometimes, when someone comes they never return. The ones that come back however, have found very useful knowledge, or new allies. While speaking nonstop, Crook takes a left turn in an intersection but Mary pauses. Using the glasses she can now see the green pipes leading her the opposite way, to the right. She does not say anything, but starts heading that way. The rest of the group minus Crook take notice and follow her almost with no hesitation, not saying anything to their guide, who’s voice grows faint and distant as they walk away. After an undetermined amount of time, walking through the darkness with only their phones’ flares illuminating their path, Mary stops again and holds out her arm, making the rest halt as well. They’re once again in an intersection, this one with three paths.• The green pipes follow the path to the right, where there’s a Pump StationMaude uses their auspex powers to see if they can spot more details about the cat and the Pump Station, deciding to leave the Monument alone after last time’s events. They notice that while the Pump Station seems dark and creepy, the cat is even more fascinating as when it yawns, it’s mouth opens in four different directions. At the same, Clementine uses shadow perspective to see farther in. She notices that the monument seems to be standing under a metal grid, above it is a mosh pit, where people are shoving and fighting aggressively to the sound of a metal band playing. Behind the cat, there seems to be a severed arm, but where bone and skin should be, there is a mouth instead. With all this information, the Lost Boys exchange looks and get ready to make a choice.
• In front further along a tunnel is a hairless cat who’s sat down, licking their lips and looking at them
• To the left they can see a Monument similar to what they witnessed back in The Big Marsh, accompanied by faint sound of metal music.
Report Date
13 May 2023
