Let's Play Alien Hunger

What follows is an experiment in Solo Gaming, or at least an experiment for myself. I have run a few games in the past, but I wanted to try out a pre-published module. To see how it would be different from a normal game, how it would be the same, and what I can learn from it. 

The end result is more of a "fan fiction" take on the concept, rather than a standard recap. Unlike a typical Solo Game, in which you play the character and allow a Emulator to take the roll of the Game Master, I decided to try a "PC Emulator."  The characters and their reactions were determined by random rolls, and the result was, for me at least, a fascinating story with plenty of unexpected twists and turns. 

The module I choose was one of my all-time favorites, Alien Hunger.   The system used was Vampire: The Masquerade (1st Edition). The Emulator I choose was Mythic. All characters not defined by the module were created using the Universal NPC Emulator. Names were from Everyone, Everywhere. I hope you enjoy!

Night 1: A Fiery Awakening Stolen from their mundane lives, three average college students find themselves suddenly changed into something Other.

On their first night alone, the college students struggle to understand just what it is they've become. 

Night 2: Daron  Daron seeks out help from the one person he thinks he can trust.

Night 2: Trent Frustrated and beaten down as a mortal, Trent tries to embrace the monster he had become.

Night 2: Maya Terrified at what has happened, Maya flees from her old life

Night 2: Never Alone The characters reunite, forced to work together if they want to have any hope of survival.

NIght 3: The World Around Them The characters begin to figure out how to survive as the monsters they've become, while other forces begin to coalescence around them.  

Night 4: The Heist The characters make a desperate gamble to find blood without killing.

Night 4: Reaching Out New plans form, and they contact those they hope can aid them.

Night 5: Retaliation They begin their investigations and the other Kindred begin their hunt.

Night 6: Stealing from Thieves The coterie strike out to get the resources they need.

Night 6: Things Fall Apart Everything that can go wrong, does.

Night 7: In the Land of Dead Hunters track the coterie down.

Night 8: Plans And Alliances Fresh allies offer some hope for the coterie.

Night 9: Reprieve A quiet night reveals how far they've fallen.

Night 10: Confrontations & Answers As tensions threaten to tear the coterie apart, they find the answers they have long sought.

Night 11: To Live and Die Again With answers in hand, they must make their final decisions. 

Concluding Thoughts

Want to know more about Sole Gaming? Checkout out here or here. Or the Lone Wolf Google+ Community. 

Concluding Thoughts on Alien Hunger

My "PC Emulator" take on Alien Hunger has come to a close, and it's been an interesting ride. It didn't go quite the way I thought it would, but I think the game and story went better for that.

First off, the core of the game was to experiment with the idea of using the Mythic Emulator to replicate PC's in a module. And I have to say it worked extremely well. Now, Alien Hunger is something of a "sandbox" module, which is a bit different. Sure, there are plots and threads and the like, but how the players approach and resolve each one is up to them, and can vary greatly troupe to troupe. In fact, in my play through, they pretty much skipped two of the three plotlines. And one really awesome sub-plot.

If you've read along, you'll notice some 'red herrings' dropped into the recaps--during their second night,  I mention the character of Tony, but he never shows up again. His role in the module is to be something of a mentor figure, to explain the basics of being a vampire and the existence of the others in Denver. And then to disappear and be killed. On night five, I spent a bit of time on the "court" of Denver. The conflict between Edward and the PC's is a major element in the module, and I was sure if was going to come up sooner or later.

But neither did come back up. I really wanted Tony to show up. I had an entire speech written out for him, where he gives the coterie shit for being damn idiots and, I thought, a pretty poetic explanation of the inherent paradox of vampiric existence--A Monster I Am, Lest A Monster I Become.  It was haunting, and beautiful, and just what the characters needed to hear at that point. But, I didn't do it. It just didn't make sense from the point of view of the story that was unfolding to just jam this random NPC in and highjack the narrative.

Similarly, the other vampires of Denver just...never showed up. I kept trying to game the system, to keep the numbers in their favor, but the results never worked out. Now, I could have forced the issue. Just had Tony show up because, you know, I'm the Storyteller and the dice work for me, not the other way around. Same thing with the various hunters and enforcers for Edward. And that's where the inherent hybrid nature of this game became clear to me. I was running a module, but filtering it through the Mythic GM Emulator, so I wasn't the only one running it--Mythic was as well. And I wasn't the only one playing it--the Emulator was on both. In a way, it felt less like playing a game and simply recapping a story someone else was telling me.

And honestly, I think it was for the best. By keeping Tony and the vampires of Denver "off screen," the story remained hyper focused on the trials and reactions of Maya, Trent, and Daron. And, to a lesser extent, Suzanne and Zoe. When I run modules and games for "real," I sometimes force the tale to go the way I had envisioned it. But sometimes it's best to lay off a bit, and let the characters and their desires drive the game.

Anyway, it was different experience, but one I think I want to keep working on. I probably won't be posting updates for future games, though if I get another bizarre bug to novelize them, who knows?

Oh, so, the reason why I "novelize" the recap--it's a bit of an odd thing. Most of the solo gamers don't bother with it. Instead they focus on the mechanics, and let the story form "between the lines" so to speak. I think that style works for the majority of Solo games, since most are based on D&D or one of it's derivatives. Pretty much everyone "gets" D&D, and so you don't need to go into detail.

Vampire is...different. For one thing, it's not nearly as popular as it once was, so I can't assume a reader will understand what's happening if I just posted the mechanics. Also, the module I was running is obscure even among Vampire fans, and I really can't assume that anyone is even remotely familiar with it. So, yeah, hence why I "novelize" my recaps.

That, and I sort of play that way even on my non-posted games. Sure, I don't get quite as detailed as I did here. But, pieces of dialog, quick descriptions, notes about emotional states--all these things matter, whether one is playing Vampire or D&D or what have you.

Random additional thoughts:

The other plot they missed is the Investigation. There's an awesome Detective that's on their trail and uncovering all their lies and mistakes. He's just great. But, since they went on the run so fast, he never got a chance to talk with the characters. He makes a brief cameo on Night Two interviewing Daron's neighbor

That subplot I mentioned? Yeah, Prestor kept samples in a Bank, and the players get to break in and steal it. A bank job! You have no idea how excited I was to see what they would come up with and how they would, probably, fuck everything up. But, Zoe botched her roll,  so they never even knew about it.

The PC Emulator did a really good job making the PC's act like PC's. They forgot about Suzanne on Night 1. They would have a plan at the end of one night/session then just drop it and aggressively pursue another. Sometimes they were all about talking and scheming, and the next scene they just want to fight people. Which is what ends up happening in every game I've run. And, to be honest, played in.

BUT, it's not what happens in Solo games. Ultimately, because in a Solo game, the GM and PC are one. Which means if I (wearing the PC hat) think a plan is reasonable and fair then, by definition, I (wearing the GM hat) will also think the plan is reasonable and fair. By adding in a randomizer, that's not always the case. For example, the coterie would have been much better off staying at Daron's and talking with the cops earlier. Or, calling up Klondike at the end and talking it through with him. Or a number of other cases where they just screwed up because they didn't know what the hell they were doing.

Honestly, though, I think it ended up being a better story.

Night 11 -- To Live and Die Again

Night 11

To Live and Die Again

Tuesday, November 17^th, 1992

They drive as far and as long as they can, heading north away from Denver, hoping to avoid all their problems and pursuers. As the stars began to fade, they seek shelter at a random roadside motel, just an anonymous dump where no one would look for them. The vampires take one room, sealing themselves away in the bathroom, while Zoe and Suzanne get their own. While the vampires were forced into their own paralyzed slumber, the mortals slept fitfully, and not for long. 

Zoe gets up first, and begins feverishly going through the notes and logs that have been recovered. The answer to the mystery is in front of her, if only she can unravel it. But neither Prestor nor Liverman had any intention of writing for publication, it seems. Their notes are a mess, most barely legible and key elements of their research left out, clearly assuming anyone who read these would know what they had done. She goes through most of her own notebook, just trying to make some sense of what they were up to.

Suzanne spends her day slower, more still. Calmer. She sleeps longer, lost in dreams and nightmares, until forced awake by the sound of Zoe's scribbling and quiet curses. She is the one to head out to get them food and drinks, and herself fresh packs of Camels. Away from the demands of the group, she finally allows herself to think, to plan. She was the one who asked about what happened with Klondike, how they had escaped, if they had killed him. None of them had wanted to tell her, but she had her ways to convince them.

And what she heard both intrigues and infuriates her. So, it was possible for someone to be turned into a vampire, even without the mad doctors experiments. And there were more out there, an entire world of unearthly gods. And she had come so close. She had brushed up against that power, but had been rejected. Could that be undone? And if so, why had none of her "friends" attempted to? Daron and she had been close once, very close. But now, he seems to want nothing to do with her. Well, she can't really blame him. She hadn't understood what they were back then. It wasn't her fault, not really. And Maya, well, no one seemed to know or care if Maya's condition was contagious. And Trent was...Trent. Nice enough, at times, she supposed. And he always had a crush on her. Most boys did, to some extent. Though she couldn't imagine spending her life with someone like him. Would she have too?

Throughout the day, while Zoe works, Suzanne keeps herself busy with her thoughts, bouncing from scheming to self-pitying rage.  The two speak little to each other. Understanding, perhaps, that whatever happened next was not entirely up to them.

When night comes the coterie finds Zoe resting on the bed, attempting to nurse a headache. The mattress she lays on remains covered in notes, ranging from detailed logbooks to loose scraps of paper. A collection of vials stored in a rack stand on the nightstand. Suzanne lounges next to the open window, chain smoking another cigarette, contemplating the night sky.  An empty pizza box and cans of soda fill the trash.

The vampires stand around Zoe, looking at her expectantly. She glances up, startled at their presence. She’s flustered, tired and exhausted and barely getting by on caffeine and Excedrin. She rubs her eyes, and looks back at them. “I hate to say this, but I’m just not sure.

“Whatever these guys were working on is way above my head.  I mean, it looks like they followed all the necessary precautions and tests, but they were doing it the most bizarre way I’ve ever read about. This is more fringe science than anything real. And I don’t know even where they would have gotten some of these chemicals, they’re all so tightly restricted that they require a Federal permit. How did these guys pull this off in their freaking garage?”

“Zoe,” Trent says, interrupting her. “Is it a cure? Can it change us back?”

She sighs, and walks away from them, pacing around the small room. “I just…I don’t know ok? They keep referring to a substance called ‘Alpha,’ but never explain what it is. But it’s what they’re testing, what it can and can’t do, how it affects living organisms. I mean, I assume that what it is, it’s what makes you guys, well, you. Why you can be clinically dead and still walk and talk and everything else. See these vials here?”

She picks up the vial rack, ticking off its components. She points at the first set, each containing a red fluid, which all the vampires recognize as blood. “All right, so, see these. There’s a whole set. The first is labeled 'Serum #1/Georges.' I have no idea who or what ‘Georges’ is. The second is 'Serum #2/Neutral'—ok, great. Neutral what? Again, no idea. I think it’s a synthesized variation of the Georges, but without this ‘Alpha’ chemical. Then, we have these—Serum #3, which appears to be another variation on the Georges serum. But see this—three letters written by hand: 'M/S/V?' What does that mean? Well, here’s a hint, Serum #4-6 are all from some different source. I think he was trying to see which one would work, and how. Not the best lab procedure, to be honest. But, #4 is marked with another M, #5 is marked with T, and #6 is marked D. So, yeah, I think Mavis, Suzanne and Vince all got dosed with 3.”

“Why?” Suzanne asks, suddenly very interested in the conversation.

“I don’t know why this guy was doing anything. But, it looks like you were all supposed to be 'turned', not just you three. I guess her had plenty of access to Serum 1, and so he wanted to use that, but he also used 4-6 as a backup. I guess Serum 3 just…just didn’t work. I’ll need to do a lot more digging and testing to figure out why.”

“So, I was supposed to be turned, too,” Suzanne says contemplatively, as she blows smoke out the window.

“Fine,” says Trent. “So, serums 1 through 6 are what made us, what about the rest?"

"Well, more accurately, 4 through 6.” Zoe corrects.

“Fine, whatever. What about the clear ones? Or the powder?”

“Well, the clear ones are 'Anti-Body 1' and 'Anti-Body 2.' The powder is just marked residue. Oh, and check this out.“ She rustles through the scattered papers, until she finds the one she needs.

“Anti-Body #1 should, in all cases, destroy substance Alpha, on contact. Analysis of Residue #1, however, indicates that the resulting residue is extremely toxic.

"Anti-Body #2 has a similar effect, neutralizing any concentration of Alpha with which it comes in contact. It does not form a toxic residue. The residue it forms is an interesting biological substance which will cause an allergic reaction in human beings, and in fact, in most mammals. In high enough concentrations, it could well be fatal."

“So, yeah, long story short, I think the anti-bodies should destroy whatever Alpha is.”

“Well, just 2 though, right? I mean, that’s the non-toxic one. But only if you’re low on blood,” Trent trails off, thinking.

“Low on blood?” Zoe asks, confused. “I mean, wait, can you guys get ‘low’ on blood? How does that work? But, yeah, if you had ‘less’ blood, but then you would die, regardless of how allergic it is. Everyone needs blood, right?”

Maya walks forward, and takes the vial marked Anti-Body #2 from the rack, gazing at it thoughtfully.

They all watch her, waiting. She turns, questions on her lips which fade before she can speak them. She sits on the bed, slumped over, starting at the vial. “How can I know? Will it even work? Will it kill me?”

Turning to the group, she asks them “What should we do?”

“This is your call,” Trent assures her. “Whatever you choose, I’ll back you. 100%.”

“What are you going to choose?”

“Me? No, I’m not. I don't want to take the risk. Besides, I was always crap at being alive. Now? Now I think I’m starting to get the hang of this. I guess I should wrap it up in some sort of poetry, about experiencing a new world, and the Promise of Eternity and all. But that’s bullshit. I like what I’ve become, and I don’t want to go back to what I was.”

“Great,” Daron says. “Really glad we went through all that to get a bunch of poisons that will probably just kill us anyway.” He grabs the keys from the table and turns, looking at the room. He’s supposed to grab something, a suitcase or a backpack or anything. But then he remembers that he really has nothing left, and so, with a final look at his friends, he heads out into the night.

“Wait,” Trent tries to say to him. “Shit. Maya, like I said, it’s your life, it’s your call. Whatever you want to do, ok?” And he heads outside, trying to catch up with Daron. Suzanne flicks her butt out the window then follows them out.

The door closes, and Maya and Zoe are left alone in the room. Zoe sits across from Maya, and reaches out, holding her hand. Maya instinctively pulls her hand back, alarmed. It’s the first non-violent touch since she was changed. “There might be another option,” Zoe says softly. “We have these compounds, and we have you. I might...it might be possible for me to replicate their research. Perhaps even enhance it.

“I can’t promise anything. I would need, fuck, like my doctorate and a shit ton more knowledge to start. And money. It wouldn’t be cheap, and I don’t know how I would get grants to event start paying for it. But, it’s possible. If you can wait.”

“10 years?” Maya asks fearfully.

“Just to get started. I’m not the best person for this, but I want to help you. Besides, this might just revolutionize medicine, and ‘Nobel Laureate’ has a pretty good ring to it.”

Maya has been seeking this since that first night. It’s been the one thing keeping her focused and disciplined. Now that she has it, what does she do? Does Maya truly want to try the cure? Very Likely, Exceptional Yes. She was lying to herself, or deluding herself. She wants to be human again. Does she take it now? 50/50 No. She is still Maya, still focused on doing what is necessary. And if all she had wanted was to commit suicide, there were easier ways to accomplish that. She reaches out to Zoe, taking her hand, and relieved that her friend doesn’t flinch from her grasp. “Money, you said? I might have a few ideas of what we can do about that.”

Trent follows Daron outside, calling to him just as he was about to get into Maya’s car. “Yo, Daron! You’re just going to take her car, man?”

Daron stops and turns around. “Well, fuck it, right? Figure I’ve paid for it.”

“Don’t go. Please.” Trent steps forward, hoping to meet Daron’s eyes. “Look, I’m sorry about…about fucking everything up. I didn’t know what I was doing. None of us did. And, yeah, I admit, I was wrong about things, but we can still figure this out. Together.”

“Trent,” Daron sighs. “First off, it’s not about you. Yeah, you’re a self-destructive asshole, but that’s not what bothers me. You want to go off and find more vampires and get involved in more bullshit? Fine. You do that. Me? I need to rebuild my life. I mean, you didn’t have a life, no wonder you’re so happy to be dead. But I had friends, and family. I know that sounds mean and shit, and I know you were alone, and I’m sorry as hell about your parents. But mine are still alive, and right now they’re crying over their son who died in a drunken car crash and they don’t know why, and I don’t know why. And I don’t know what I’m going to do.  But I need to figure it out.”

“I get it. You may think I don’t, but I do. If you ever get in trouble, or need something…”

“Yeah. You too. I’ll, uh, send Zoe a postcard or something when I get settled.”

They say their farewells, and Daron drives off, heading east, leaving Denver forever behind him.

“You’re going to miss him, aren’t you?” Trent turns around to see Suzanne, bathed in the yellow glow of the light post she was leaning against.

“Not very manly of me, huh? But, yeah, I am. I guess...I guess I thought, after all we had been through, that we would stick together, you know? Three Musketeers and all that. That we were, you know, family. Guess I was wrong.”

She walks over to him, laying her hand on his shoulder, looking deeply in his eyes. “You’re not alone Trent,” she whispers.

“Daron’s gone. Maya, well, who knows what Maya is going to do. And I have a bunch of pissed off vamps in Denver looking for me. Yeah, I think I’m pretty alone.”

“I mean,” she whispers even softer. “You don’t have to be alone.” She leans in, pressing her lips against his cold neck. “No one should be alone.”

And in the cold dark night, Suzanne gasped her final breath. 

Night 10 -- Confrontations & Answers

Night 10

Confrontations & Answers

Monday, November 16^th, 1992

Day

On Monday morning, Zoe and Suzanne skip classes to focus on the tasks ahead of them. Rolling Mythic, I do get an Interrupt--NPC positive (The Coterie) Ruin Environment.  Nothing inspires me about this result, so I disregard it.

The investigation takes most of the day, as they call various banks and government agencies, pretending again to be interns with the San Jose Mercury News. They are both working on this, but I have Zoe make the rolls, as she has the highest pools of either of them. Besides, Suzanne is increasingly distracted, obsessed with the dark world she has been exposed to and being "left behind." 

First, they call around to banks and mortgage companies, trying to find out where Prestor came from, his previous addresses, and where his money originated. This is an Intelligence + Finance roll, base difficulty of 6. They “spend” three of Trent’s earlier successes, and reduce it to three. Neither has the Finance skill, so they roll Zoe’s Intelligence of 4--1,8,2,1. Botch.  Hrm, maybe they should have made friends with Business Majors.

Tracking down Prestor’s mysterious visitor is a tad easier, mainly dealing with public information sources, such as the DMV, phone numbers, and the like. They roll Intelligence + Bureaucracy with a base difficulty of 5, also reduced to 3 thanks to Trent’s roll. 5 dice 7,7,7,10,1. 4 Successes. They get his name, Roger Liverman, his phone number, and his home address.

I am curious about their botch though, and so I roll a random event on Mythic: Move Toward Thread (Kindred of Denver) Oppress Advice. While the local Kindred were content to wash their hands of Suzanne, her questions about Prestor quickly catch their attention. One of Duke’s mortal servants, a ghoul named Steven, is alerted by their contacts at the bank that someone is making odd inquiries. He looks into it, and is particularly curious when he finds a college student behind the questions. He tracks down Zoe, and when he sees her connection with Suzanne, he knows they have a problem. He leaves a message for his dominator, and keeps them in his sight.  Around midnight, one of Duke’s followers will approach her and find out what the hell she thinks she’s doing.

Night

They wake in their hotel room, Trent and Maya more relaxed and happier than they’ve been in a while, while Daron is moody and quiet. Leaving him be, Trent and Maya walk a few blocks from the hotel and call Zoe from a gas station pay phone. They’re annoyed that she couldn’t find out anything about Prestor, but mollified on the information with Liverman.  Trent is willing to wait a few more days, but Maya insists they head back. They agree to meet Zoe and Suzanne at the theater, since they kept the call to vague generalities. They know just enough about wiretaps to be leery of saying too much on the phone. When they get back to the hotel, Daron surprises them with being more than willing to return to Denver. Better the hellhole you know, he figures.

On their way back, they stop briefly to run some errands. They again hunt among the cattle, Trent with glee, Daron and Maya more perfunctorily. They also stop at a Walmart for some better clothes, and some basic camping gear. Trent figures that if they need to return to their basement haven, they’ll want some improvements—a battery lantern, tarps, clotheslines, etc. He also gets a pair of survival knives and a baseball bat. One can’t be too careful, after all. Maya and Daron just want to get this over with, though Daron does note sourly that their cash is starting to get low again. Trent and Maya shrug it off. He figures there’s always more money out there for the taking, while she is clinging to the belief that soon it won’t be an issue, anyway.

They carefully drive onto campus; aware of how dangerous it is if they are seen by anyone.  Trent scans the area, while Daron gripes that they should have met them somewhere outside of town, his miserable mood only worsening as they got closer. Trent does notice something off (Perception + Alertness (Auspex double Perception in 1^st), dif 10—10, 3, 8, 3, 7, 10, 10, 9, for 3 Successes), and sees Steven’s car in a parking lot. He’s not near the entrance to the path that leads to the theater, but he has just a good enough view that it worries Trent.

What does he do? Trick Death. He directs Daron to take a roundabout way, and has Maya get out to keep an eye on their new friend.

They drive around for a few minutes, then double back. They park in front of the entrance, and walk casually towards the theater. Does Steven follow? Yes. He was worried about what Suzanne knew, but her association with these “rebels” propels him to action. He also knows better than to get too close to a vampire, of any sort. He pulls out a long rang, directional microphone, and plans to just get in range enough to record their conversation. As he moves towards the woods, he is brought short by the sound of a gun being cocked next to his head. (Maya spends a blood point on Dex, and rolls Dexterity + Stealth against a difficulty of 6 (the ghoul is good, but distracted), and gets 1,7,9,8,8,4,--3 successes).  She grabs his tape recorder and smashes it on the ground. “Walk” she says, and leads him towards the isolated theater.

Zoe and Suzanne were nervous meeting the coterie, but begin to freak out when Maya walks up with a strange man held at gunpoint.  Daron and Trent are no longer shocked by such things. They have him sit, and begin asking him questions. Who are you? Why were you following Zoe and Suzanne? Who do you work for?  But Steven is loyal, and refuses to answer. He’s been in the game just long enough to know that his situation is hopeless. He’ll talk eventually, he knows, but he’s going to make the bastards work for it.

Daron moodiness switches from sullenness to anger. He gets in the mans face, ordering him to talk, to tell them what they want. Or else. Trent pulls him away, saying he has an idea, something he wants to try out. Something he had been working on in Colorado Springs (he increased his Presence to 2, giving him an “entrancement” ability). Trent rolls Appearance + Empathy, at a difficulty of 6, with 3 dice. 5,1,1. Botch.  Steven spits in Trent’s eye, laughing at him.

Daron throws his hands up in disgust, and Maya pistol-whips the captive, the sudden violence drawing all attention to her. She levels the gun, first at Steve’s eye and tells him to start talking. When he glares back she moves the gun to his foot and stares at him with her horrific visage. “We have all night, and you know that. No one will hear your screams, and you know that. We don’t care about blood or severed limbs, you know that. You are going to talk, and you know that.

Because the more you bleed, the hungrier we get. And you know that.”

Manipulation + Intimidate, difficulty 6. and gets 6,10,4,1 for 1 Success. He grumbles, but is also aware of the inherent hopelessness of his situation. He hadn’t checked in before coming here, and the odds of his people getting to him before he is eaten are mighty slim. What does he say? Inform Wounds. Fuck it, he tells them the basics. He knows they’re vampires, and he’s not impressed. He works for creatures much scarier than them.  There’s a whole crew that run Denver, and they are on the hunt for all of them—the vampires and now the mortals, too. They're rebels and illegals, or just know too much. The coterie can either turn themselves in for whatever judgement the Prince decides, or get killed. Surrender or death are their only options.

They knew there was at least one other vampire, but hearing about an entire group? And one that wants them dead? Or, perhaps, worse? Trent is curious, he wants to meet them, find out what he can, an idea which also intrigues Suzanne. Maya has no interest in delving any deeper into this horror than she must. Zoe has no idea what any of this means for her, and demands to know how she was found. And Daron? Daron is officially sick of this shit. 

How do the players respond? Desert Randomness.

Everyone in the group begins talking at once, arguing this point or that point, asking questions and giving no one time to answer. There’s a cacophony of voices, all trying to speak over the other. And their captive smiles smugly at the chaos in front him.

All except Daron. He remains quiet at first, but as the voices grow louder, he walks up to Maya, holding his hand out for the gun, which she hesitatingly gives him. He then turns, and shoots their captive in the head. (Cold Blooded Murder—Conscience roll 4,5,3. His Humanity begins to slip away.) Everyone stops, and turns to him. Even the vampires are shocked by his callous act.

“I just wanted my life back. I just wanted to be normal again. And I don’t think that’s ever going to happen. So, I wanted to leave.” He turns and stares at Trent. “I said ‘we can just go. Get in my BMW, go anywhere in the country. I have enough in my trust fund that we can get by wherever we choose.’ But no. You said we had to stay. You said we needed to find a way to undue this. Fine. And since then I’ve lost my car, my trust fund, my fucking LIFE. My parents think I’m dead, my friends think I’m dead. And, ok, maybe we are dead. But we are not staying here, do you understand. No more of your plans and schemes, no more ‘finding out more.’ We are getting the fuck out of here. And then, we’re done. You go your way, I go mine. I don’t know what the hell you want, Trent, but I just want to get someplace where no one knows me, where I can walk in public without being terrified some asshole from 101 might notice me.Somewhere I can just be.”

He turns to Maya, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry you got fucked so hard by all this. And I do care about you, so we’re going to talk to this Liverman guy, we’ll see what he knows. What he can do for us. If he can fix this, great. We’ll, I don’t know, claim amnesia or some shit and try to rebuild our lives. If not, well, I am sorry. But I’m out.”

He looks to the group. “Does anyone have a problem with that? No? Ok, let’s go talk to Liverman. Maya, Zoe, Suzanne, you ride with me. Trent, you drive the other car.” And then he sullenly stomps off.

“What about him?” Suzanne asks, fascinated by the corpse left in front of them. And more fascinated at the calmness the vampires express. Her heart is racing, and just being near such death is enough to make her sick. But they don't seem fazed. To Suzanne, the vampires don't appear scared of death, or dying, of anyone ever hurting them. They seem invulnerable. Her question draws Maya and Trent's attention, and they casually look at each other and shrug. They grab the body, put some rocks in his pockets, and toss him into the not yet frozen lake.

The casual violence is almost too much for Zoe, and she's ready to quit, to get out. She wants no part of murder, no matter who the victim might be. Only Suzanne seems to notice, or care, and she convinces her to stay with it. They need to find out how all this was done, and what they can do about it, and only Zoe can provide them answers, Suzanne assures her.

She does not clarify who she means by "they," however.

As they walk up the path, Trent whispers to Maya “Daron’s losing it.”

“Maybe. But he’s not wrong—all the shit we’ve done. That you know we’re going to have to do. How can you even want to meet people…things, like us?”

“Fine,” he says peevishly. “But we’re still doing it wrong. How many things have gone to shit because we didn’t think them through?”

As they get to the cars, Trent turns to Daron. “Look, I know your pissed at me, but think! If we’re going to talk to this guy, we shouldn’t just pull up ready for a fight. We should call him first, feel him out. Make sure he wants to talk to us.”

“And what makes you think he would ever want to talk to us,” Daron demands, as the others get into Suzanne’s car, avoiding the argument between the two.

“Cause this guy’s a scientist, man. And we’re…we shouldn’t exist. He was doing some fucked up weird science, and we’re the result. And the guy he was working with got killed. We call him, say, I don’t know, that we’re fellow researchers—other people Prestor was working with.”

“Whatever,” Daron says, grudgingly. “But I’ll call. When we’re on the way. You take Maya’s car; we can’t leave any more crap laying around.” He gets in the car, and leaves Trent to follow.

Along the way, Daron stops at a pay phone and calls Liverman. The man is initially wary on the phone, but when Daron mentions Prestor’s name, he becomes extremely friendly, and is very receptive to Daron’s offer to meet that night. It is too easy, and that makes Daron nervous. He makes sure to have one of the knives the purchased on his hip when they show up.

Trent is waiting for them when the pull up in front of Liverman’s house.

With the scene change, I roll against Mythic. Chaos Factor is now at a 9, and I get an Altered Scene, Remote Event, Judge Disruption. Duke and his crew are aware that Steve hasn’t checked in, and begin looking for him. It’s only a matter of time before the find his abandoned car, and the blood stains aren’t too far away.

Daron orders Suzanne and Zoe to stay with the car, not wanting to put their lives at any more risk than he needs to. Suzanne protests, arguing that they need her and Zoe with them, to help figure things out. But, Daron is hearing none of it. The coterie walks up to the house, Trent ready for a fight, Maya ready for answers, and Daron ready for this to be over with.

An older man opens the door as they approach, eager to speak with them. His friendliness disarms them a bit, and they enter his house. They walk into the living room, and the place is a mess, looking like a tornado had struck it. They spin as they hear the front door slam shut, and Liverman stares at them. “So, which one of you broke into my house? Or was it all of you, eh?”

Daron sighs. “Seriously? Dude, we JUST found out about you like this night. We didn’t even know you existed before now. Trust me, we’ve never been here before. If we had, why would have come back? Sorry, buddy, but we’re not your crooks.”  (Charisma + Leadership, 1,7,6,8,7 -- 3 Successes)

Liverman laughs. “Of course,” he says, bidding them to sit. “One can’t be too careful, you know.”

They speak about Prestor, though Liverman begins with more questions than they have.  He asks them about test results and “Alpha compounds” and other terms that make no sense to them. Maybe we should have brought Zoe, Daron thinks. Instead, he tries to steer the conversation. He doesn’t want to tell this stranger more than they need to, but he needs information. What was he doing with Prestor, and what happened with the break in? This is tricky, since Liverman believes they know more than he does (well, he’s right, but not the way he thinks he is.) Daron rolls Manipulation + Leadership against a difficulty of 8: 9,8,8,10,10. 5 Successes, which is a complete success. Liverman doesn’t even notice how the conversation has changed, with none of his questions being answered. Instead, he tells them about the cutting edge research he and Prestor were working. Some odd drug compound, that could change everything about how they treat blood borne pathogens. He goes on for a while about this, the coterie lost in the details of cellular analyses, but one thing does strike them. He mentions a “dirty little guy” who had wanted to purchase their research, and was willing to pay a lot for it, too. Well, of course, Liverman claims he doesn’t care about the money (he does, he just assumes that patent money would be far greater than anything this man could ever have paid), and refused. Trent presses him on this, and Liverman reveals that, yes, he does have his number and a name, Robert Klondike.

The coterie puts two and two together while Liverman rambles on. Who else would have broken in and stolen his research notes? As soon as they see an opening, they make their excuses, and promise to get in touch with him again, and to bring their “notes” next time. They need to find Klondike, a fact even Daron is forced to admit.

What do they do? Kill Peace.

Trent thinks they should just call this guy, since that worked out pretty well.  Maya points out the obvious—if they’re right, he’s already a criminal, and probably won’t be too happy about strangers asking questions.. She recommends they break in and steal the stolen notes and samples back from him. There’s a bit of back and forth, but Trent is down with some action, and Daron doesn't care, so long as they get the answers.

They try the obvious first, and call information, getting an address for Robert Klondike. As Daron exits the phone booth, Trent is waiting for him. “Hey man, before you start, let me just say I get it. I’m frustrated as hell to. But, maybe we can let them go, you know? They don’t need to be a part of this.”

Daron stops, refuses to look at him. “In case you haven’t noticed, they are part of this.”

“Yeah, ok, but maybe they don’t need to be part of this, you know? Why don’t we just drop them off at like Denny’s or someplace? They can eat some Moons over My Hammy, drink coffee, complain about euro-centrism in contemporary American films. You know, what we used to do before Armed Robbery became are go to way to spend our nights.”

Daron doesn’t laugh, but agrees. They drop the girls off with Suzanne’s car, and drive to the address, a small house in a decaying blue-collar suburb of Denver.  It’s a rambling ranch style home, and the yard is an uncared-for mess, full of weeds and broken glass. The house looks like a fortress, with iron bars on every window, and multiple locks clearly visible of the front door. They watch the house for a while, checking to see if there is any movement, any sign of anyone being awake or even alive in there. Seeing nothing, they decide to move forward.

“How the hell are we going to break into that?” Trent asks.

Daron says “I thought you were the expert at this stuff.”

“Yeah, I'm good, but not that good. Ah, fuck it! Ok, let me check it out, see what I can find.”

Daron and Maya keep a lookout while Trent approaches the house, trying to find any vulnerable point. Perception + Security at a difficulty of 6, 7,3,1,5,6,10,8,9,2 – 4 Success. The bars on a window in the garage aren't as tight as they should be, and Trent thinks that Maya should be able to tear them off. We waves the other two over, and she quickly puts the crowbar to work, prying the bars loose.

They crawl through the garage, and then easily enter the house itself. It's a depressing shambles. The kitchen is bare and spartan, containing only a handful of utensils or plates. The living room is even worse, with only a beaten old tv and a Lazy Boy in one corner. The other contains a writing desk and a wooden chair. A drab, filthy carpet in front of the fireplace complete the look of barren desperation.

The do a quick once over through the house, avoiding what they figure are the bedrooms. They find little in the house, though what they do find alarms them. Under the desk and the lazy boy, they find wooden stakes. A flare gun. A machete. Whoever this Klondike is, he knows about them. And he's ready.

Without a word passing between them, the start to slowly make their way down the hall, towards what they assume would be the Master Bedroom. Whatever Klondike knows, or thinks he knows, it's too dangerous to wait. They ready themselves, Daron taking out the gun, Trent drawing his knife, with Maya wielding the machete they had found. Once ready, the open the door, as quietly as possible.

A shot rings out, deafeningly loud.  Daron and Trent leap back, as Maya crumbles to the floor, her intestines spilling out of her. They curse, and Daron fires blindly into the room. A small metallic object is thrown at their feet, and they look upon it with alarm. "Grenade? What the shit?!?"

The grenade explodes, filling the hallway with a think, blinding smoke, foiling even their enhanced senses. More shots ring out, wounding the vampires and forcing them to cower behind the thin drywalls. Trent shouts at Daron to cover him, and rushes into the bedroom, knife ready to strike, only to be slammed in the head with a stock of a shotgun. Seeing his chance, Daron fires, but the weak pistol hardly seems to faze the man. Or whatever he is. Klondike fires a round into Trent, exploding his chest, then turns with alarming speed and hits Daron.

Daron falls, struggling to sit up, to reload the gun. As the smoke clears, he sees the man walking up to Trent, with a stake in one hand and a mallet in another. Daron cries out, and empties the clip at the man, who continues with his cruel task, driving another one into Maya. "Fuck you," Daron weakly gasps, drawing his knife, daring the man to approach him.

"Now, now," the man says, crouching down a few feet from him, resting the shotgun casually over this knees. "There's no need for that. You must understand, childe, I have no desire to harm you. Nor do I wish to harm your friends over there. The truth is you have something I need. And I have something you need, yes? So tell me, are you willing to make a deal?"

"A deal? What the hell are you talking about? What kind of deal," Daron asks, looking around wildly, hoping to make sense of things, or find someway out.

"You want what I stole from Prestor and his lackey, Liverman, yes? Oh, I have it. I have everything you might want. Though are you really sure you want it? Is it so valuable to you? I imagine it must be, or you wouldn't risk coming here. Particularly not so late. As for what I want, well, it should be obvious. I want to be you. I want you to turn me into a vampire."

"What the hell are you talking about? Why would you want to be a vampire?"

"Why would I want eternal life? Eternal freedom? Ha! For too long I have served your kind. Hmm, but I suppose it's really more their kind, isn't it? No more, though. I will no longer be a slave, instead I will be a master. You have nothing to fear from me, of course. No, as soon as I complete my transformation, I will leave this town and never look back. I doubt we will ever cross paths again, and I'm pretty sure I'm far better equipped to survive this than you, my friend.

"I can call you friend, can't I? I don't want this to be anymore unpleasant that it needs to be. No need for me to threaten you, or your other friends. None of that nonsense, just two reasonable men making a bargain that leaves both in a better position than before. Isn't that the way the world is supposed to work?"

"I don't...I don't know how."

“What?!" Klondike says with alarm. "Ah, of course, you're the results of Prestor's little experiments, aren't you?” He explains to Daron how it would be done. That he must drain Klondike of his blood to the point of his death, and then feed him some of his own blood. He won’t need much, he assures, just enough to make the change happen.

"What about my friends?"

"Hmm? Oh, they'll be fine. A little sore perhaps, shotguns hurt like the dickens. But no worse for wear."

"They're not dead?"

"Hmm? No, of course not. You really don't know how any of this works, do you? Well, if we had more time, perhaps...but we don't. No, as soon as the stakes are removed, they'll be fine again. Sore, perhaps, but fine."

"Ok, let them go, give me the material from Prestor and Liverman, and I'll do it."

"See, I wish I could believe you. But you do understand what a delicate position I'm putting myself into.  No, your friends remain where they are, as does the material. In addition, I am not a young man, as you can see. I have a heart condition. A little machine, a pace maker, keeps everything ticking as it should. And that pace maker is tied to a bomb in the basement of the house. Once it stops, I have five minutes to disarm it, or the whole place explodes. You, I'm certain, will be able to escape just fine. But your friends? The material? Poof."

"Ok, fine. Keep the material hidden. But let my friends go. I want to know for a fact that they'll be ok."

Klondike thinks this over. "Very well," he sighs, and drags Maya and Trent into the living room. Daron limps in after them, and sees his friends being chained to the walls, with gags pressed into their mouths.

"Is that really necessary?"

"One can't be too careful, young one. A truth you would be wise to learn." Once secure, he removes the stakes from Maya and Trent, and two begin to thrash and twist, straining at their bonds. Daron rushes over to them, and hearing him calms them. He explains the situation, and their predicament. Trent shrugs his shoulders at the idea of turning Klondike, while Maya furiously shakes her head "no." Daron tells her he's sorry, but he doesn't see any other way.

Klondike stands in the middle of the room, and repeats his instructions as Daron approaches him, fangs extending. It has been a long time since he tasted human blood, and its heady and intoxicating rush overwhelms him. He soon loses himself in what had started as an unpleasant chore, clinging to the man and sharing his warmth and his heart. A heart that beat strong, and true, until it turned desperate and rushed and then quiet, and faint, as all life was taken from the man.

Daron lets the corpse slide to the ground. Trent and Maya lean forward as far as they can, eager to see what would happen next. None of them had any memory of their own creation, and they watched with an alarming intensity. 

Daron then takes out the knife, and slashes his own wrist. The intoxicating scent of vampiric vitae comes over the room, and he brings the wrist to the mans mouth. At first, nothing happens. The blood spills out into the empty shell. Then, he begins to convulse, shaking and throwing himself with an unearthly vigor, until he lies still again, seeming devoid of life. Daron looks to the others, wondering if there had been a mistake, but he is then pulled down as Klondike grabs his arm in a deathless vice, drinking more and more from Daron, taking his life to replace that which had been taken from him.

Maya tears the chains from the wall, and rushes forward, pulling the two apart. Daron is weak, and collapses to the ground,  pressing hard on his arm, trying to stop the bleeding. Klondike stands, laughing and cackling, raving on and on about his long years of waiting, of denial, and finally, finally, his own victory. Trent, spitting the gag from his mouth, yells at him, trying to get through his madness. But the new vampire is in a daze of spinning and laughing and ranting. Maya finally clocks him, hard. “The bomb! Turn off the bomb.”

Klondike looks at her, seemingly confused at her presence, if not her very existence. It takes him a few moments to blink back his giddiness. “Oh,” he says, laughing. “Right, the bomb.” Giggling to himself, he wanders to the back of the house. Maya tears Trent's chains free, and the two of them rush to check on Daron, who assures them that while he’s weak and hungry,  he will be fine. After a few moments, Klondike returns to the room, caring a duffel bag and the shotgun. Seeing the weapon, the coterie begin seeking cover, but Klondike waves away their concerns.

“Oh, no need for that. We’re friends! Hell, more than friends, we’re family! Speaking of which, which Clan am I? Ventrue, Toreador? Wait…not Tremere, am I. That would be…unfortunate.”  Seeing their blank faces, Klondike sighs to himself. “And of course he choose you lot. Well, no matter, I’ll figure it out on my own. And, yes, in case you were wondering, I am leaving. I’ve dreamed of this moment for, well, longer than any of you have been alive, that’s for sure. And I have no desire to live out eternity in Denver, of all places. Nor do I want anyone to know where I am, until I’m ready to reveal my presence.”

He walks to the kitchen, heading to the garage. “What you want, it’s in the fireplace, just a little bit up. As for everything else, “ he looks around at the remains of his pathetic excuse for a life. “Burn it, for all I care.” 

Trent runs over to the fireplace, reaching and searching for, well, anything. Maya calls out “Wait a goddamn second! You’re not going anywhere until…”

“Maya,” Trent says. “We have it.” 

Night 9 -- Reprieve

Night 9

Reprieve

Sunday, November 15^th, 1992

Suzanne and Zoe spend the day pretending that everything is normal, having lunch with Lucas. Zoe does some preliminary research into the information that Trent left them, figuring out for herself who to call and what they need to figure out. Suzanne tries to help, but becomes morbidly fascinated with the potential mysterious deaths associated with vampires. She asks Zoe some vague questions about how such creatures could exist, and how they might have come about. Zoe has little to offer in the way of answers, and Suzanne soon finds herself delving into the folklore section of the university library

Chaos Roll 10—nothing unusual happens.

The coterie finally has an “off night”—they are decently fed, have nowhere to be and really nothing to do but kill time. Trent wants to do some more research, as much as he can, so he heads out to the nearby libraries while they’re still open. He had already done most of what he could have hoped, and becomes bored going over the same material over and over again. Daron and Maya have no desire to be part of that, and head out to walk around town. It’s a bit awkward, both wish to be alone, but neither wants to hurt the others feelings. It takes a while before they’re willing to admit it this, 

though. 

What happens to each this night? Daron: Increase Suffering.

Daron finds himself on Tejon street, surrounded by small crowds of mortals. It’s Sunday night, but there are still people out and enjoying themselves, and Daron watches them, jealously. Jealous that they can drink, and smoke, and socialize, and just be out and be alive. While he’s standing there, he catches the attention of a group of party goers.  In particular, a girl named Shelly. She chats with him, her mild state of inebriation helping her be more outgoing than she normal. And for the first time in over a week, Daron finds himself feeling normal again. They talk, she introduces him to her friends, and he finds himself honestly enjoy himself. He joins the group as they hit a few of the bars in the area, doing his best to blend in and act as if he was just one of the guys. Daron rolls Charisma + Etiquette at a difficulty of 6 (1, 7, 1, 5, 7, 8) -- 1 success. He’s a bit awkward, refusing drinks and occasionally being oddly still, but fortunately the mortals are just drunk enough that they don’t notice, or don’t care. The group shifts and morphs—new friends joins, others leave, until only a few remain. As the bars close around 1, the few decide to head to one of their houses, to keep the party going, and Daron is dragged along.  At the house, they start hanging out in the living room, but when the beer pong is setup, Daron and Shelly find themselves left alone. A week ago, Daron knew exactly what he would do in this situation, but now? Now things were different. He wanted to desire her, but all he felt was an unholy urge. He isn’t starving or driven by desperate hunger, but a constant need to feed, to kill. He is aware of her, vividly aware of her presence. But it’s her heat, her heart, her blood that calls to him.  All thoughts of being “normal” vanish from him, and a bestial hunger begins to rise. Daron makes a Self-Control Roll (Dif 5)—3, 9, 4. He is compelled to reach out to her, and as she pulls herself close to him, offering herself to him, he feels her warmth and her heart beating through him. As he feels his fangs distend, he tears himself away, offering weak and nonsensical excuses and runs away. Cursing himself, he is pissed and angry at everything. Pissed that everything was going so well only to turn to ash in his hands.

Maya: Propose Disruption

Maya wanders the town, avoiding as many people as possible. She is filled her a nervous energy, finally allowing herself to dream that she might be able to wake from the nightmare her life has become. She finds her way to Anathema Books, a metaphysical book store.  She is drawn to the place, curious and hopeful. She spends her night flipping through the various books in the shelves, imagining all the ways to undo what has been done.

Trent: Carelessness competition

Bored and restless after wasting his time in the library, Trent also finds himself among the young mortals of Tejon. He lacks the personal magnetism and good lucks of Daron, and instead wanders alone, imagining himself a wolf among the sheep. He talks to a few, but he has learned the value of patience and taking his time. He doesn’t try to feed off of anyone, instead enjoying the “hunt” for its own sake. He takes a particular pleasure in finding women out with their boyfriends, and trying to seduce and entrance them, as he further hones his vampiric powers.

No random event due to Mythic. And, with finally a bit of a quiet night, the characters can spend XP. Daron focuses on further improving his social skills. Maya improves stealth, combat and animal ken skills. Trent focuses on improving his Presence Discipline. 

Night 8 Plans and Alliances

Night 8
Plans and Alliances

Saturday, November 14^th, 1992

Zoe and Suzanne can barely sleep. Their worst fears have been confirmed, and now they’ve made a deal with the very creatures that they had been hunting so recently. Both are freaked out and scared, both of what the coterie has done and of what they’ve become. However, both have a reason to follow the plan. Zoe desires to understand what, exactly, they’ve become, and how to use that knowledge. Suzanne wants both answers to what happened in the basement, why they were grabbed, why she was left as bait, and what she wasn’t “chosen.” They spend the day as if in a haze, mindlessly drifting around. Fortunately, it’s a Saturday on campus, and so everyone assumes they’re just hungover.

Both will wait for the night, to see if or when the characters contact them.

However, they did sneak into the Hospital, and are directly involved in the removal of two corpses. Do the cops think that they’re involved? They made a successful escape roll to leave, and were fairly competent about sneaking in, but a Hospital is a fairly secure setting. I set the odds to 50/50 (and the CF to 6 for these two characters)—No. They’re in the clear, for now at least.  Shortly before nightfall, they meet in Zoe’s dorm room, and wait for a phone call.

Night

The coterie awakens in their make shift haven. Now that all have fed and they’re more together (each is slowly regaining their Willpower, and hence focus), they’re able to talk. First, how do they all feel about the deal with Suzanne and Zoe?

Daron: Carry Enemies

Trent: Dominate Possessions

Maya: Create Hope

Daron is still leery of them, and not sure how much he can trust them. He was the one they directed their attack on, and he was sure they were trying to kill them. Trent argues that they can be used to their advantage—they need help, and having mortals who can do some dirty work for them during the day would make their lives so much easier. Maya is quiet, but argues that they couldn’t kill them. The hope for a cure almost compels her to trust anyone who can offer her even the slightest aid. They agree to work with them, but Daron insists that they keep as close an eye on them as is possible.

Each character has been changed by their experiences, and the coterie is growing apart. Maya still clings to a hope she can return to her old life, and she is the only one for whom this might even be a valid option—she’s still legally “missing,” while the other two are dead. Trent is enjoying his new form, and is developing a taste for violence and action. Daron is still torn, and indecisive about what he wants and what his hopes are. The truth is, he just wants to leave, get away from this, and try to rebuild something like a normal life somewhere else. The differences aren’t enough to drive them apart, but the strain is beginning to be felt.

They plan to contact the mortals, and to give them instructions. Trent needs a few hours—he wants to get to a library before it closes, so he can start work on further research into Prestor. He knows that they’ll need to make some inquiries, and it being the weekend means that not much can be done, even less at night. But, he wants to figure out what they need to find, and get some idea where to look, then have Suzanne and Zoe make the necessary phone calls and in person requests on Monday.

Daron wants to talk with them, now, and make sure they haven’t been betrayed. He and Maya will rendezvous with them earlier and set things up, most likely at the isolated theater where they had met one week ago tonight. Once Trent finishes his work, he’ll join them.

Trent

Trent takes Maya’s car to the nearest branch library. It’s not the best resource, but he can’t show his face at the University. His Mythic roll is a 9, so there is no alteration to the scene, and no planned encounter with the vampires of Denver this night.  He just needs to do some basic research and come with a general plan for the next steps into the investigation of Prestor.  This is a bit outside the normal bounds of the investigation of Prestor as presented in the module. I decide to set Trent’s roll to an Intelligence + Investigate roll, at a difficulty of 8. The high difficulty is due to two factors: 1) He’s “planning” on research, not conducting it and 2) he has minimal resources to draw on. Each success will reduce the difficulty for Zoe/Suzanne (or whoever actually does the work) on a 1 for 1 basis. Each “botch” increases by a like amount. He has 6 dice in his poll and rolls: 8, 8, 9, 9, 9, 3. Goddamn it, Trent. Ok, so, they have 5 successes they can spend to track down Prestor’s background, his mysterious visitor, and anything else they come up between now and Monday.

Trent is done with what he can and leaves for campus.

Maya and Daron

Maya and Trent get into Suzanne’s car, and drive to campus. On the way, I roll the Chaos Factor and get a 5—Altered Scene, Move Away from Thread (The Investigation), Persecute Nature.

The four meet at the theater, all equally awkward and nervous. Of course, neither Maya nor Daron gives any real sign of their nervousness, instead sitting almost completely still and just looking at Zoe and Suzanne. It’s the mortals who seem to waste their movement, to fidget and nervously look about. Daron finally breaks the awkwardness by asking direct questions—what were they doing at the morgue, what did they hope to accomplish, and why are they here, now? Suzanne and Zoe try to calm him, spinning a story about how they just wanted to know, to understand. About how they were scared, but they always did believe him, and had told no one about what was going on.

The truth is, they were prepared to kill them, and so they need to make a Manipulation + Subterfuge (5) roll opposed by Daron’s Wits + Subterfuge (5).  Suzanne gets 1 success versus Daron’s 0, and so he believes them. But, he has broken the ice, allowing Zoe to ask more about their nature, and for Suzanne to try and figure out how they were made, and to hear their story.  Neither are lying, each is being sincere, so Charisma is the correct roll. Maya is willing to talk, particularly to Zoe. Daron is less certain—will Daron share his story? Very Unlikely. Yes. He doesn’t want to, and he starts hesitantly and vague, but having someone to listen to him and to talk to that isn’t Maya or Trent, is a relief.

Zoe: Charisma + Science: 1 success. She has some ideas, but needs more information. And definitely wants samples.  Charisma + Leadership: 1 success. When she asks, Daron refuses, but Maya gives her a nod letting her know she’ll give her some later.

Suzanne: Charisma + Empathy: failure. Daron and Maya tell their story, but nothing placates Suzanne’s questions, particularly what she’s REALLY asking. Her jealousy, if anything, only increases.

While they are talking, another student creeps up on them, Lucas. He is a friend of Suzanne’s, a fellow Theater major, and is worried about her. When he saw her and Zoe heading off to the woods, he had decided to follow them. When he hears voices up ahead, he decides to sneak and find out what they’re up to.

Daron 5 Success vs. Lucas’ 1. While they’re talking, Daron grows quiet, hearing someone else in the woods. What do they do? Trick Exterior Factors.

He signals to Maya, and the two quietly walk to the woods. He looks to Suzanne and shakes his head. Maya is easily lost among the trees, and Daron gets 2 success on his stealth roll. Lucas, hearing the conversation end, walks forward and makes awkward small talk with them, not realizing just how “awkward” things really are. Suzanne tries to figure out how much he knows (Charisma + Empathy, 4 successes), and tries to get rid of him (Manipulation + Leadership 4 success).  He didn’t really hear much, but they hang out for a bit, talking about where Suzanne is and how she’s doing. After about twenty minutes, Suzanne is subtly able to get him to leave, citing her need to talk with Zoe one on one, but promises him that they’ll get lunch tomorrow. It’s an awkward situation, but Suzanne is quite adept at such things, and he eventually leaves.

Once gone, Maya and Daron reemerge. He’s somewhat more confident that Zoe and Suzanne are capable of keeping things to themselves. Soon, Trent arrives. He’s in something of a manic state, having carefully worked out not only who Zoe and Suzanne need to speak with, but their cover stories, fake contact information, the whole nine yards. He’s convinced that it will work. Daron remains quiet during his spiel, though Trent doesn’t notice. He’s on a roll. He believes he knows their questions, and answers them before they get a chance to be asked.

The crazy son of a bitch even brings handouts.

Once finished, an awkward silence comes over the group. Daron wants to leave, now. Maya concurs, though Trent wants to go over the plan one more time. Suzanne and Zoe assure him that they understand, so the coterie leaves.

Daron is frustrated, and annoyed. They really CAN’T go back to their old lives, can they? They can’t risk anyone who knew them even seeing them again. He wants to get out, and he’s sick and tired of the stupid basement. He just wants to leave, be normal for a while. Trent wants to stay, he has more things he wants to look up, and he’d really like to make Zoe and Suzanne some fake business cards. See, he has this idea, hear him out, and Maya cuts him off. Daron needs to leave, and with only one car, they all go.

Trent finally agrees, finally convinced that there’s really not much they can do until after Zoe and Suzanne do their research, so they might as well get out of town. Can’t have a bunch of corpses walking around. Besides, he can do the research as easily in Colorado Springs as he can in Denver.

As they prepare to leave town, I roll once against the Mythic Chaos Factor to see if anything derails these plans, and get a 2—Interrupt. PC Positive Spy/Good. Nothing really comes to mind, so I decide that they leave town without incident. Away from Denver proper, the effective CF drops to 4—none of the current threads are active in Colorado Springs.

With the stolen cash from the drug dealers and free from the police investigation, the coterie is able to rent a hotel room, an extended stay at Residence Inn. They plan to stay in Colorado Springs till at least Monday night, but book the room through Thursday, just to be safe. It’s only an hour long drive, and once settled in the coterie experiences a sensation they haven’t felt if over a week. 

They’re bored.

None of them are terribly happy, honestly none of them have been since that night Prestor grabbed them. But, they had been so busy dealing with chaos and violence and bloodshed that they haven’t had a moment to do nothing.  They spend some time casually hunting in the ranches further south, then stay up late watching horrible movies. Finally, able to relax away from the chaos of Denver, the characters sleep more peacefully than they ever.

Night 7 In the Land of the Dead

Night 7

In the Land of the Dead

Friday, November 13^th, 1992

Maya

Maya awakens, and forces herself out of the shallow grave she had dug for herself.  Is anyone in the ruined house? It’s a ruined husk in the middle of nowhere, so the odds are “No Way.” I roll an Exceptional Yes! Who’s there? Imitate Friendship. She hears voices up ahead, a number of them. She creeps upstairs, quietly. Spending some of her precious remaining blood to heal her remaining wounds. She remains unnoticed as she peers into the remains of the house’s living room.

Inside are three men, two of them acting almost aggressively relaxed. The third is more nervous, with his eyes darting into every shadow and corner. He kept asking when “he” would be there, and why wasn’t he there now. The other two dismiss his concerns, insisting that “he” will be there soon, and offering him beer or cigarettes. The nervous one takes a  cigarette, but declines the beer. At least, he tries to, until it is forced into his hands.

Maya’s hunger has become a palpable thing, gnawing and screaming inside her. She needs to get away, but the men block the only way out. While she knows the shadows can hide her, she does not trust herself to get through the room, particularly with the nervous one jumping at every errant noise. So, she waits. Waits as the two trade jokes and stories about women and scores. Waits while the nervous one makes circuit after circuit around the house until he is finally ordered to sit the fuck down.

They go back to their idle small talk after that, drinking beers, smoking cigarettes and pot. Seeming to be completely content to spend their night in this ruined house in the middle of the woods, with no heat or lights. When the nervous one asks about starting a fire, he is quickly shot down, and told to drink his beer and relax. Maya doesn’t know how long they intend to wait there, but they must have a car she figures. If she needs to wait for them to drink themselves into a stupor, so be it. It’s still faster than walking.

Eventually, one of the men stands up, holding a buzzing pager in his hand. He looks at the nervous one, and reassures him that “he” just sent him a message, and he’ll be here soon. The nervous one eagerly gets up to look out of the paneless windows, desperate for this mysterious arrival. As he does, the other two calmly walk behind, draw their guns, and shoot him in the back.

The sudden and casual violence shocks Maya, but worse is the smell of blood gushing from the man’s wounds. She loses all composure and leaps out of the shadows. The two men turn on her, alarmed by the sudden presence of the screaming, blood thirsty monster. She tears them apart, their weapons firing uselessly throughout the house, and she drinks deeply.

Maya failed her Conscience check to resist Frenzy, so she just what into Fight mode. The fight started a bit rough for her, but she was able to overcomes them.  With two victims, Maya is able to heal all her accumulated wounds and still end up full and content. She has once again brutally murdered mortals, despite her repeated vows to not kill. But, she is able to retain her humanity, her guilt and remorse at her act eased with the knowledge that they were cold blooded murders.

She slashes the throats of her victims, hoping to confuse anyone who finds the bodies before the animals can dispose of them. She takes whatever cash she can they have, as well as the car keys. A curious glance at the pager shows only the number “7” listed—a code of some sort, she figures. Shrugging, she leaves the house and sees a beat up old pickup truck parked in the rear.  The key fits it, and it starts easily, obviously well maintained despite its decrepit appearance. Full and with a ride, she drives off to Denver, hoping she’s in time to save Daron and Trent.

Daron

Random Event roll 8. No event.

Daron awakens, still confined in his body bag and stuck in the refrigerator. His bones and skin ached and scream in pain, pain he had thought he would never feel again. He was hungry, in pain, and wondering where the hell is Maya? She should have been there last night, but as the hours ticked by and he and Trent had to remain as still as, well, as corpses, the realization that she wasn’t coming dawned on them. They were forced to allow themselves to fall to sleep, hoping that there would be no need for an autopsy. Apparently, there wasn’t. A small miracle, he thinks mirthlessly.

He knows they should have left town when he had wanted to. Just get in his car and drive the fuck away. A car that fucking worked, that could have gotten away from the cops. A car he would still have, if it wasn’t for them having to put it up as “collateral” to Trent’s useless ass friend. Why the hell had he allowed Trent and Maya to convince him to stick around? Fuck it, he thinks. He’s here now. He needs to focus on what to do. What does he do? Trust Legal Matters. Stick to the plan, he tells himself. The door to the refrigerator is locked, and in his broken state he doubts he has the strength to break through it. He forces himself to wait, to be patient. To wait for Maya.

Maya

Maya drives the pickup into Denver, stopping at a gas station to look up where the Coroner’s Office was. She had hoped that it was in some convenient, out of the way building. But, no, it’s located at Denver General Hospital. The very place they were afraid to go to together, and now she needs to sneak and steal two bodies without anyone noticing. Two, hopefully, mobile bodies, granted.  But still, an official building full of doctors and security is the last place she wants to be.

She drives to Walmart and picks up some clothes for the boys, figuring they’ll need it. Walking amidst the harsh fluorescent lights while surrounded by mortals is almost physically painful for her. She does her best to keep anyone from looking at her, but the clerk as she checks out catches a glimpse of her terrifying face, and is left staring in horror as Maya quickly exits the store (Manipulation + Etiquette, failure).

She parks the pickup near on the Hospitals secondary entrances. And tries to enter, hoping it was still visitor’s hours. Is it? 50/50—100 EXCEPTIONAL NO. The hospital is closed to all save patients and staff, and this provokes a roll on the Random Encounters. NPC Action (Zoe & Suzanne) Procrastinate Tension.

She walks to the front doors, hoping to be let in, but sees that they are locked, and that visiting hours are over. She looks in, trying to get the guards attention so he can at least buzz her into the building. And then, walking through the hospital far in the back she sees someone. A merest glimpse really, but she clearly recognizes Suzanne, and someone who is with her. Someone she knew. (Int check, 1 success). Zoe.

Suzanne was one thing. Suzanne, she could see being at the hospital—for a follow up or something. But Zoe? Zoe had no business being the Hospital. Didn’t Daron say he spoke with her? What the hell did he say to her? Why were they here? She needs to hurry.

She bangs on the door, until the security guard looks up from his desk. A click on the intercom comes on “Yes?” It asks.

What does Maya tell him? “My daughter!” She says. “My daughter is up in Pediatrics, and I need to see her. I’m supposed to sit with her tonight.” Maya knows that visiting hours don’t apply to immediate family, particularly those with children.

“Name?”

Maya has no idea, so she attempts to just baffle him, confuse him just enough to get him to open the damn door. Manipulation + Subterfuge (3 dice) against a difficulty of 8 (someone lying to get into the hospital for nefarious reasons is exactly why this guy has a job, after all), and gets 1 success. Just enough for the guard to buzz the door open so he can talk to her in person, and confirm with Pediatrics.

As soon as she’s through the door, she focuses on the guard and hopes that he will forget about her. 3 Successes, and not only does she seem to vanish from his view, but he forgets ever interacting with her at all. As he sits there, looking blankly at the door with glazed eyes, she quickly heads deeper into the hospital, feeling again the exhaustion and despair that overwhelmed her last night. (Obfuscate 2 requires a Willpower point, a resource she is rapidly running out of).

She can’t ask for help, but she needs to find out where the morgue is, and fast. She must get there before Suzanne and Zoe do, assuming that’s where they’re going. Wits + Bureaucracy, and she botches. The winding hallways and indistinct sitting rooms all blend together, and by the time she gets to the morgue…

Zoe & Suzanne

Zoe flips through the papers on the desk, while Suzanne nervously looks back down the hallway. “Relax,” Zoe says. “The attendant won’t be back for at least 45 minutes. We have time.”

“This just seems wrong,” Suzanne says. “I mean, we were wrong, weren’t we? What I saw, what Daron told you? It’s just…wrong, right?”

“No,” Zoe says, stopping her search and looking at Suzanne. “It’s the only thing that makes sense. What happened to you in that basement, what I saw Daron do. What happened to Mavis and Vince. Hell, it even explains the recent cattle mutilations.”

“But they’re dead. They’re down here, and they’re dead, and they aren’t supposed to be.”

Zoe doesn’t answer, turning her attention back to the files. She’s silent, until she finds the list she was looking for. She holds it up for Suzanne to see “Look, I don’t know how all this works.  All I know is that they’re here, and we’re here. And we’re going to get some real answers.” And she heads back towards the refrigerators.

Suzanne rushes after her, grabbing her arm. “Ok, ok, but what if they’re…what if it’s true. Is the middle of the night really the best time to be doing this? I mean, shouldn’t we wait until, like, noon. Or something?”

Zoe calmly removes her hand from her and says “It’ll be ok. We’ve gone over this, we have to do it now, because now, in the middle of the night, is the only time we can. The place is too populated during the day. And we have all the protection we could need. We just need to check the rigor of the bodies, see what they look like, and get a few samples. Then we’re gone. Ok?”

Suzanne calms down, and acquiesces, but she is far from “ok” with this. Being in a subterranean room full of corpses was hard enough for her to handle.  But worse was finding out the truth. Ever since the basement, she had been poked and prodded and made to feel like she had lost her mind. Zoe had been a reprieve, a strong anchor telling her that, no, she was fine. She was right. And the horrors she had seen had been real, not just a “childish fantasy.”

But now they were about to find out. Would Daron and Trent leap from the dead like the movies said? Have they become “unholy creatures of the night?” Or were they just dead, and everyone else was right. That she was broken, that she was crazy, that she needed to be locked up. She isn’t sure which answer would terrify her more.

Zoe finds the correct units. She draws her stake, and signals to Suzanne, who pulls out the crucifix and the super soaker they had loaded with holy water and crushed garlic. Do they open Trent or Daron’s first? (Trent even, Daron odd—5, Daron). Suzanne covers her, as Zoe unlocks the refrigerator. With one final look and nod at each other, she opens the door and rolls out the rack, keeping an eye on the body bag.

They pause for a second, but seeing no movement, Zoe decides to proceed. Fingers trembling, she unzips the bag, revealing the still corpse of Daron beneath.

“Took you long enough,” he says, opening his eyes.

Both girls scream. Daron screams. Everyone is screaming.  Zoe and Suzanne thought they were ready for this, but thinking and reality are two different things. They both need to make Self-Control checks to proceed, difficulty is only 6 since they were somewhat prepared. Zoe fails, and stumbles backwards, knocking over a tray full of instruments. Suzanne, however, has been waiting for this, and steps up, looks Daron in the eye, and tells him to go fuck himself before firing her super soaker in his face.

Daron recoils at the unexpected soaking, out of fear and shock rather than any actual pain. “What the shit?!” He calls out. Then, his eyes narrowing as Suzanne’s widen, he says. “Drop it.”

She does.

Zoe, regaining herself, takes this opportunity to rush at Daron, the stake held high. She is just about to strike him when a thunder clap fills the room and a nearby beaker explodes on to her.

“Drop the stick, Zoe,” Maya says from the doorway, a smoking 9mm in her hand.

What do Zoe and Suzanne do? Communicate Jealousy.

“Damnit,” Zoe says, dropping the stake on the ground. “Should’ve figured you would be around too. Where have you been, anyway?”

Ignoring her, Maya gestures with her gun for them to move to the opposite side of the room. “Ok, girls. Listen up, we’ve been really doing our best to avoid killing people, but don’t make us make an exception. You ok. Daron?”

“Yeah. I’m fine,” he says, examining his broken limbs for the first time, marveling at how they hang from his body and shaking the water from his head. “What was this? Garlic water?”

“Holy Water, with garlic.” Suzanne answered, angrily.  Pissed at Daron, pissed at Zoe, and pissed at every one who refused to believe her.

“Huh, well. That answers that question, I guess,” Maya says. “Ok, you wanna tell us what you’re doing visiting your old friends with a holy water gun?”

“What do you think?” Suzanne glares at her. She is about to continue, when a thumping begins to come from the other refrigerator unit. They all turn to look at it—it’s rhythmic, and constant, but with a clear sense of menace. And rage.

 “Trent.” Zoe says quietly.

“Maya, let him out.” Daron says. “I got my eye on these two.”

Keeping the gun trained on the would-be hunters, Maya slides over to Trent’s unit. “Trent?” She asks quietly. “Trent? You ok?”

The angry moaning sound is not the response she wanted. “I think…I think we just leave him in there for a few minutes.”

Zoe and Suzanne share a look, the absolute danger they’re in just beginning to dawn on them.

Maya and Daron also glance at each other, completely at a loss of what to do now.  Where does everyone go from here?

Maya: Stop Balance.

Daron: Betray Anger.

Zoe: Attainment Exterior Factors.

Suzanne: Haggle Masses.

“We can’t let them go,” Maya says, aiming the gun cleanly at Zoe's head.

“Don’t waste the bullet,” Daron says, standing up, exposing a naked, shattered body that moves with an unnatural gait. “We don’t want to spill anything.”

“Wait!” Suzanne cries.

“Did you wait?!?” Daron demands, glaring at her.

“We can help!” Zoe exclaims.

“Zoe, please don’t make this any harder.” Maya asks, sadly.

Maya is ready to kill Zoe and Suzanne. Daron is as well, but he wants to use them to feed himself, and possibly Trent.  Zoe is ready to offer her help to them, to find a cure. Suzanne as well, both to spare herself and for another, darker reason she’s not yet ready to admit to herself. She’s angry and hurt, yes. At the kidnapping and the murder of her friends. But more, she’s hurt that she wasn’t “chosen”—that she was left to die, to be a victim, and not to be one of them (the “Jealousy” element from earlier).

Since Zoe and Suzanne are the ones whose lives are on the line, I decide that they need to plead their case. They’ll both need to make their argument with a Charisma + Leadership rolls, at difficulty of 8, due to Daron’s current blood pool--he’s at 2 right now, and ready to snap. I don’t have stats for these two, so I decide that Suzanne, as a theater major, has a Charisma of 3 and a Leadership of 2. Zoe has a Charisma of 2, and a Leadership of 1. They’ll need 5 successes to force Daron to make a Self-Control, 10 to completely convince the vampires to let them live. They both, naturally, spend a Willpower point. Zoe—8,9,4. 2 Successes. Suzanne—10, 1, 8, 2, 9. 2 Successes. For a total of 6, all together. Maya is convinced in their sincerity to understand what is going on, and to help them. Particularly the hope that Zoe can undo whatever was done to them.  Daron’s desperate hunger for blood is urging him to rip their throats out—but he tries to push it back. Killing anyone revolts him, but killing a friend is a line he never wants to cross again. Daron rolls his Self-Control and gets a 7,1,7. With 1 success, he tears his gaze from them.

“Fine!” He says. “But we need to get Trent out of here. And then we ALL leave.”

They unlock Trent, whose broken and sunken visage is even more terrifying than Daron’s. Suzanne and Zoe are spared his frenzy, only thanks to the presence of Daron and Maya. Neither Daron nor Trent are in any shape to walk out, but they dress themselves in the clothes Maya brought, and have Suzanne and Zoe fetch wheelchairs from the hospital. The two girls will push them out to the cars, with Maya keeping her gun ready for any sudden betrayals.

Escaping the hospital is relatively easy (Manipulation + Subterfuge, 3 successes), as the security is in place to keep people out, at least at this level. Trent is barely conscious, and Daron offers to take him out, to try hunting on the ranches again. Maya will take the others back to campus.

Mythic Roll 10. No random event.

The night is growing late, and Daron and Trent only have two hours to hunt (2d10/hour). While the module says the difficulty for hunting is only a 4, I increase it to 5. The recent spate of dead cattle has the farmers and ranchers increasingly worried about their herds. They are both able to kill enough to sate their hunger and heal their wounds, though many cows die at their hands. Their barely controlled hunger is so great that they don’t even pretend to practice self-control, instead feeding and drinking with a savage abandon. The gross attack, ensures that even more ranchers will be worried, and future hunting rolls among the cattle will be at a 7.

Maya leaves Zoe and Suzanne on the edge of campus, but tells them to be at Zoe’s dorm tomorrow night. They’ll be contacting them, and they expect an answer. She also points just how lucky they were tonight, and there won’t be a second chance (Manipulation + Intimidate at difficult of 4) 2 Successes. They damn well believe her.

The coterie retreats to their haven, too exhausted from their adventures to even begin processing what has happened, let alone speak of it.

And the Chaos Factor increases to 8.