31 Days of Horror

We had some trick-or-treaters. :)

Why did the vampire need mouthwash?
Because he had bat breath!

I did a thing on the Twitter.

Happy Halloween!

Same.

Red Sands: Six

Vampire: The Masquerade fifth edition

Red Sands

Session Six

Shae leads the group to a nightclub, which is loud and dark and dingy.

"Good so far..." Jamie says with a cold smile. "This on the Rack?"

Shae nods, and Jamie slips into the crowd like a shark into water.

Jacob suppresses a shiver.

Once Jamie returns, with a spring in her step, Shae takes the group to a booth near the back, and to a man called Lucas. He draws them a rough map of the city, noting the basics of who's where. Several gangs, a commune... and a Camarilla outpost by the port.

"Of course this varies from night to night..."

The Starlight is safe enough, being in the space between various factions. At least for now. "City's lost a leader, might be why you came. Either way, olds are going to try to move in. Too much nice beachfront property not to. They run the big shipping, keep close to the border."

A few more questions: Simon asks where's good to score bagged blood, and Jamie manages not to laugh.

Then away to talk to someone else. Miguel. He keeps watch on the border, but doesn't answer to the Camarilla representatives.

He can be found by carrier pigeon. If he feels like talking.

After an hour, a figure with a hoodie pulled down low and a heavy coat joins them. Eyes glint catlike in the light from the streets below.

"New friends. Here for business, or here to make a stand?"
"Which answer would make you happy?" Louise asks.
"I like the quiet... but I know I'm strange like that."

Red Sands: Five

Vampire: The Masquerade fifth edition

Red Sands

Session Five

Louise steals a car while it's being stolen.

Simon, Jamie and Jacob wait to see the reaction. Which doesn't take long, as two more of the chop shop crew rush out and get into a pickup and drive off to meet them.

So now there are just a handful inside. Jamie moves in, heading through the skylight to observe, and hits the fire alarm. The three inside spread out to look, then get out.

Which is when Jacob actually starts a fire.

Mariah seems to think this is enough. She steps away, waving off her men, and lets them go back to speak with Shae.

"So, ah, thank you for that."
"What next?"
"We can go and meet someone who's really worth talking to."

She leads the way out, glancing around warily, and has them follow in another car Louise has acquired. Heading into the city...

Halloween planning update

I know it's eleven days early but I'm eating these chocolate eyeballs.

Red Sands: Four

Vampire: The Masquerade fifth edition

Red Sands

Session Four

Mariah takes a seat while the mortals stand. She lays out her demands to get her to leave the coterie and Shae alone. She looks to Louise. "So I hear you're a car thief. I need you and your, ah, friends to bust up a gang of them for me. They're bad for business."
Louise narrows her eyes. "Nice to know folks around here are so up front about being crooked."
"We can do the high-falutin' courtly double talk if you like, but seems like a lot of trouble. I know what's important not to say."

Mariah glances at Simon. "How about you, doesn't offend your morals and such, does it?" He says nothing.

She watches Jacob for a moment, her mouth staying closed but shifting her jaw like she's thinking about food.

Jamie smiles ever so slightly as Mariah doesn't aim any "I know you better than you know me" comments at her.

The somewhat older vampire gives them an address, the boss's name and some numbers of people who might be at the chop shop.

With no real options, they go to check it out briefly, before crashing in a shuttered motel for the day, with Jacob going to look it over by himself. He confirms that the boss can go out in daylight as well. Which used to mean mortal, but these days who can say...?

So they head out of the Starlight to take a more thorough look. Louise follows a couple of men out, they're heading to 'collect some merchandise' and she figures she can steal it out from under them and start some trouble...

I love you, Trick or Treat Rat

"Doot-de-doo... This looks like a good spot! Oh, thank you! In it goes!"

News

Sadly, the chewy vampire fangs have not come back this Halloween. Sure, I could get the potato chip ones, but it's not the same.

Waiting for a new Crow movie is forever

Hey, that new version of The Crow with Jason Momoa is due out today!

What? Oh.

Oh well, in a month we'll get the start of another comic series.

Red Sands: Three

Vampire: The Masquerade fifth edition

Red Sands

Session Three

Jamie scowls. "Some things never change."
Shae nods. "Yeah, sucks all round. But now you're here, maybe you can help."
"So this is the part where we pay for your help?" Simon asks with a grimace.
"If you're willing. Gets that sense of obligation out of the way, right?"
Louise growls to herself.

Shae outlines what they can do to get Mariah off her back. "If you'd rather buy her off than wipe her out."

So they head over to the bar, to see if the observer is still there. He is. He smiles coldly. "New arrivals,  new friends, how nice."
"Is everyone in this city snippy?" Louise asks.
"Yes."
"Good to know."

He makes a call, and soon another vampire walks in, with two men following her.

"So, why are you all here?"

A talk show in a chat game

If I ever help run a WoD-ish chat game, or play in one big enough:

Mental note to add an in-character late night talk show to a chat game. Like the news and The Deb Of Night in Bloodlines, but with more awkward entertainment interviews.

(I'm imagining the Craig Ferguson run of The Late Late Show would port over pretty well.)

Beam me up

Star Trek: Picard and Discovery trailers, Short Treks, and Riker and Troi sniffles.

Red Sands: Two

Vampire: The Masquerade fifth edition

Red Sands

Session Two

Jamie notices the observer. He sees that he's been spotted and just meets her gaze in a silent challenge. She points him out to the others. Jacob frowns. "He's one of Mariah's." Only Simon knows who that is - a rival to the power in the city. Hearing that, the observer gets up and heads out, with a backward glance as he gets to the door.

"If he's watching the place, and there's no sign of Shae, could be she's not coming. Either she decided to stay away, or..."

"Well, that's just perfect," Louise mutters.

Jacob steps out to try to call Shae. Simon keeps an eye on him through the window.

"Okay, let's try this again. Eleven, at the parking lot in back of the Red Circle."
"Sounds nice..." Simon deadpans.

They take two different cabs to get there. Jamie goes with Jacob. "We can get to know each other better." she says with a false smile.

And Louise notices that she and Simon are being followed.

She has the driver drop them off at a bus station, and pulls Simon along with her to lose the tail.

They manage to get to the rendezvous apparently solo, to find Jamie and Jacob there already, and Shae arrives just a few minutes late.

"Sorry for the rearrangement. I didn't really feel like meeting with Mariah tonight."
"Why not?" Louise asks.
"Oh, she's planning to kill me."

OCTOBER

IT IS OCTOBER

OUR TIME IS UPON US