SAN ANTONIO EPILOGUES

THE AURORAL SHIELD

The Shield, raised to defend kindred and masquerade alike, rose together to hunt, contain, and destroy relics and magic too grim, powerful or esoteric for the general kindred population. In the halls of one of their reliquaries of knowledge they gathered and discussed the evening and the chances they knew were coming to perform their sacred duty.

Working diligently, members of the shield gathered relics and items of power including pieces of a mysterious mask, a mysterious black pearl, warding charms, and a relic called the Sphere of Souls. As part of their role as protectors, the faction held an intense debate on what to contain, destroy, and research.

Some artifacts they decided were too powerful to risk their misuse. Their conclusion was to destroy the mask, and the pearl, but the Sphere of Souls was deemed too important by the prince. The Sphere of Souls was warded by a mage against spiritSan Ants and currently sits inert and waiting, under the guardianship of one of the members. Toward the end of the night, the Auroral Shield performed the Ritual of Oroborus, a powerful magic which rendered the most dangerous of artifacts dead and devoid of magic. The prince noted the faction’s bravery and persistence, they were rewarded with additional pieces of the mask to keep protected or destroyed as soon as they are able. The Auroral Shield Persists, protects and learns furthermore.

THE CHIMERA GROUP

The hungry wolves of the Chimera Group gathered in San Antonio, united by two common threads: Their desire for personal wealth and power, and a directive to spread the reach of their mercenary collective. They had petitioned the Prince for space to call their own and set up a permanent facility in the bounds of San Antonio to more effectively operate in the southern United States. However, the Prince was hesitant to work with such eager and ruthless mercenaries. In a surprise move, the Prince requested a payment be made for the territory. But it wasn’t just any payment - it was in this new and untested FangCoin. A shrewd move by the prince to put the abilities of the Chimera Group and the viability for this peculiar digital currency to the test.

Unfortunately, the disparate nature of naturally competitive predators all driven by individual wants and desires proved to be too much to surmount for the Chimera Group. While singular licks were able to amass sizable individual wealth and FangCoin, the mercenary group did not present the Prince with sufficient funds for the transaction to be completed. While their efforts in returning stolen goods from FIRSTLIGHT - and even absconding with some of the coveted technology of the hunter organization - they had too many opponents to overcome in the form of other Kindred likewise vying for precious and coveted things, making cashing in on a number of the bounties offered a difficult task indeed.

Perhaps the Chimera Group will look elsewhere for their next endeavor. Maybe to the west in the heart of the Rockies to set up an ingress to the coastal United States? …Or maybe returning north to their home turf in Chicago?

THE DIGITAL COLLECTIVE

It’s not easy to find the Digital Collective. The group is known to never meet in-person, and its members don’t advertise or recruit. However, word had spread among tech circles that they could be found in San Antonio on a particular weekend, and a select few managed to find their meeting place. Once assembled, a package arrived from a group called The Elites. The group had been working on a new tech platform that could help preserve the Masquerade, and they needed beta testers.

The Elites provided the group with three prototype phones equipped with their new Masquerade platform, Mercury. The collective was given an extensive FAQ and number to call if they observed any Masquerade issues, with rewards promised if they could observe 3 potential incidents.

Early in the evening, the gathering was notified of a potential FIRSTLIGHT issue, and a group went off in pursuit. The collective followed, and was able to prevent any Masquerade issues that arose, soon meeting their quota. At the end of the night, an additional unforeseen Masquerade issue was identified. The collective called the number, however, the operator announced that following the successful beta test, they had transitioned to a paid services model. Preserving the Masquerade can prove costly! Ultimately, a sum of the new Anarch cryptocurrency FangCoin was transferred, and the issue was resolved.

THE EXECUTIVE BOARD

In a boardroom high atop the downtown district of San Antonio, the Executive Board gathered to discuss an opportunity. A member of the Hecate clan sought their help in brokering the sale of a special Ceremony, one that could only be cast during The Day of the Dead. This ritual would summon a ghost to carry a message to someone who died, and return with their reply. The Hecate needed help finding the right buyer, and was certain one could be found at the weekend’s gathering.

The board members discussed the opportunity and organized. Finding a buyer was not entirely straightforward. The ghost demanded payment for its services depending on two things: the length of time since the death of the recipient, and whether or not the departed had led a virtuous life. A wealthy buyer was of little profit if they sought a tyrant or a criminal.

The board called their contact and introduced him to their buyer, a Ministry member who would write to his mortal husband. The ghost appeared and bade them show the princely sum they had negotiated. But when the messenger learned of the letter’s recipient, he demanded only a single coin. The husband was a good man and a good father to their children. It was his honor to carry the letter. With the transaction concluded and their mastery of commerce established, the board members were left to split the profits.

THE FREE SPIRITS

Although the city licks took the brunt of it, no one expected the Second Inquisition would be as rough on nomadic Kindred as it had been. Looking to change things in their favor, the Free Spirits sat down to negotiate free passage through San Antonio, so that when the hammer of First Light fell, they wouldn't be caught between the hunters and obstinate Princes.

Three hurdles stood in the way of the nomads; three tasks set by the Prince of San Antonio to gain free passage. They had to bribe the Scourge, provide the city a way to bolster the Masquerade, and they had to bribe the Prince with something extra.

One of these tasks proved easier than the rest, but in the end, more was placed on the table than mere boons. The true price of freedom is learning that all Kindred must play the great game.

THE HUNT CLUB

The hunt club has gone through a few bad years and needed to make up for the lack of prestige and good hunts.To help facilitate this the hunt club scouted out the event and learned of premiere targets giving their hunters a direction to go. When the call went out to go hunting however, only a brave few showed up to make the night theirs.

The hunters tried their damndest, but time and again they were outwitted, outmatched or out maneuvered. The restrictions of elysium outwitted them and made the hunting difficult; a few vampires volunteered for being hunted but only one was ever caught meaning the total prestige of the club was less than they could have hoped for. The werewolf they tracked down was whisked away by some well-to-do member of the Hecata.

The San Antonio chapter of the Hunt Club has fallen on hard, and it never really recovered. The failure of the hunt event around the festival has left its members in bad spirits relative to the other lodges. Will they have a chance to redeem themselves next time?

LE LYS FLETRI (THE WILTING LILY)

Recognizing the duality of Humanity and the Beast, artists and patrons gathered to question the nature of the vampiric self. San Antonio provided the perfect locale for this, as it would gather Kindred from across the world for the first time since the terror of the Second Inquisition. What was intended as an exploration of the soul to better guide society through its future became something else. The journey itself became a piece of art, a tapestry to inspire, as true art does.

The goal was both simple and sublime. Le Lys Flétri sought to learn which held sway in the hearts of San Antonio's Kinded: Humanity or Inhumanity. To this end they sought out their peers, as observers and questioners, to find and present the greatest story of grace or depravity. This they would announce as the new theme for the season.

At the penultimate hour, the Wilting Lilies gathered to share their gathered stories. Although they chose one Kindred's struggle to survive during the Week of Nightmares as the greatest tale of the night, they found that the art of these turbulent nights is not simply a struggle of this basic duality, it is a struggle to preserve that which is being lost as the world burns. Inspired, the artists have set forth a new purpose.

THE MIDNIGHT CONGREGATION

On the eve of the Day of the Dead, restless memories of forgotten deeds stirred the Midnight Congregation to action. Some whisper it was the guiding hands of the Methuselahs themselves that coaxed the Congregation onto their path. Some say it was the guidance of younger generations of the Bahari or the Church of Caine. Others say that Mithras’s spirit had visited that night in the body of a young Ventrue woman to oversee the deeds of the collected Kindred church. None may ever know the truth of the matter.

The Kindred that came together in San Antonio were far from alone that night. Lost and stolen artifacts of Kindred past were found, bringing with them the spirits of long dead ages, and memories of greater times. The faithful few of the Congregation tasked themselves with tending the Prince’s ofrenda, and made it into something worthy of the Methuselahs, and perhaps worthy of the Antediluvians themselves.

For those that held firm to their faith in their ancestors, there was a moment of calm and tranquility as the darkest hours of night spread over the Alamo city. Despite the chaos of the evening, FIRSTLIGHT and the Second Inquisition, there was an assurance that the Kindred way of life would continue. And so, the vigil continues, but the Midnight Congregation does not carry this burden alone.

COMING OF AGE

Alicia Gonzalez came to the city of San Antonio with much fear and anxiety. Her coming of age task, required to be an adult in werewolf society, had quickly gotten out of control. What was supposed to be a simple task had revealed the involvement of Pentex, an evil corporation with vampire connections. Alicia was so desperate, she went to the gathering seeking vampire help. Surprisingly, they left with not only their life, but also the respect of the Prince of San Antonio.

Upon arriving at the gathering of Kindred, Alicia was despondent and terrified. She was soon discovered, and brought before the prince in her protest. The Prince was curious of the Garou crashing the party, and asked her purpose. Alicia revealed had been sent to quiet the disturbed spirits of the Day of the Dead. They had been made restless by a wayward blood mage who had stolen photos and objects from the ofrenda throughout town. He further disrespected the festival, the spirits, the Garou, and others by working with Pentex to harness the spirits’ energies.

The Prince, respecting the purpose of Alicia’s mission, granted her protection while in the domain and granted sanctioning for the city to assist her. A volunteer squadron of nearly 20 vampires rose up to help the young wolf, and followed a marigold trail to a well-guarded warehouse. They found an artifact, the Sphere of Souls, that was at the heart of it, and set protective wards around the building to keep spirits away. The volunteers took up positions, and ambushed the guards, killing several, while the Sphere was stolen and carted off. The blood mage himself, Theodore Kemly, ran away into the dark of the night as his experiment was found out, feeling the city.

The Sphere was cleansed by the Garou, and after much searching, the missing photos and objects from the ofrenda were found by another group of vampires. Alicia pleaded with them to give them to her, and the group acquiesced once the Prince’s will was made known. Alicia thanked the Prince, and went to leave the party and return to her pack. However, some members of the Hunt Club saw an opportunity to accomplish their objective, and told her once she was off the property, she would be hunted. Other kindred took pity on her, and escored her safely back to her people. The unexpected success of Alicia may prove a bridge between the Garou and the Kindred of San Antonio.

COWBOYS AND EXORCISTS

Early in the evening, three attendees of the Day of the Dead celebration were each visited by a ghost. The ghost identified itself as a member of the Butch Cassidy gang, the Wild Bunch during its life. Each explained that the gang had broken up before they could pull off one big score, and that during Day of the Dead, the veil was thin enough that they could get together one last time.

Each of them had the same request: if they could occupy someone’s body until 10pm, they would go on a heist later. All three parties agreed.

Elsewhere in the city, a Malkavian medium had a vision that a gang of wraith outlaws was planning to cause commotion in the city during the Day of the Dead. As the first kindred gathering in years, it was under special scrutiny; any disruption ran the risk that the Justicariate would rescind their permission for future gatherings. She quickly assembled a group and provided them with protection against possession. The group then set out to find out more information on the outlaws, learning that each outlaw had a social tick during their mortal life that could identify them. They then set out in the crowd to find them, one who could only whisper, another who compulsively avoided eye contact, and another who couldn’t sit still.

The next morning, media outlets reported a bizarre robbery that took place overnight at an antique store. The robbers got away clean, having stolen a variety of antique watches, historical weaponry, silverware sets, and other curios. No cash was taken except for some antique bills from before the turn of the 20th century. The would-be exorcists nearly caught the robbers, but were a half step behind. Perhaps their services will prove useful in the future?

THE DEATH MASK OF ASHUR

The black stone of the fragments glittered in the failing candlelight. The Bahari and Church of Caine both reclaimed their objects from the ofrenda, taking the cherished photographs and mementos and tucked them away safely once more into lock boxes and trunks for travel. An eye and half a mouth sit missing from the broken mosaic mask.

Four pieces. Four small reminders of how the greatest of Kindred can fall to their own hubris. Unfortunately - or perhaps fortunately, depending on the prophecies you believe - the fragments were never reunited. Kindred historians will be left to wonder what the possibility could have been had the mask been remade whole.

Mercenary Kindred worked diligently to find and profit off of these dusty relics best left forgotten. The faithful followers of the ones that came before worked tirelessly to collect them all to honor the one the mask was named for. However, they did not plan on the intercession of the Auroral Shield, who deemed it a certainty the mask would not be reforged - at least not this night. Using ancient magics thought lost to the fog of ages, they were able to destroy two of the four fragments, preventing the death mask from being remade.

But the question still lingers: can a trinket of one who had mastered death ever truly be destroyed? The clan founded by Ashur himself was split into four pieces, and now two have reformed as the Hecate - what will become of the other two?

WEIGHT OF THE HEART

The first grand gathering of Camarilla Kindred in years provided too tempting of a target for a Minister who felt the sect had betrayed his clan. Through boons and bets, the Scales of Ma’at made its way from the Fire Court to San Antonio. Given a new, modern form, the scales would unleash their magic, judging the hearts of the assembled Kindred and burden the Prince with the weight of their decisions.

The new keeper set the Scales of Ma'at upon the ofrenda and activated its magic. A group of assessors were chosen on behalf of the scale, going forth to ask a simple question of morality: "have you killed while feeding?" Each answer compelled them to deposit a stone of crystalline blood upon the scales, a judgment of truth or falsehood.

What began with one lie and four truths swelled to a tally of six lies and thirty three truths. The scales’ magic caught a greedy eye, and for a time it disappeared, purloined and hidden. However, the scales' magic would not quit, and its unanswered questions still compelled the assessors to drop their stones upon the Scales, wherever they were hidden.

As the scale weighed further in the favor of the Feather of Ma'at, their power caused the Prince's heart to swell. No longer a callous shriveled stone, by evening's end Prince's heart practically beat with life. Though her strength of will controlled the most humane impulses, how many decisions went awry because Kindred would not lie?

BACKROOM DEALS

It was over and done before any were the wiser. The goods were moved and the Archon made enough money to fund a developing nation. It wasn’t his, though, and he didn’t care much beyond his cut of the deal. The important part is that his debt to one of the Prince’s Primogen was paid.

He knew that greedy prick he owed would become a problem again sometime down the line, and was close to outliving his usefulness. But the overall success of the night outweighed his contempt for the money-hungry Kindred. Like minds often clashed when put in the same room for too long, after all.

BAD ARCHON

Justicar Lucinde had a potential problem. She had an Archon who wasn't exactly clean. Where this let him gather more dirt for her and be extremely effective, he was a bit brazen and a potential political liability. To nudge him back into place, Luncide invited a performance review of her entourage.

Knowing that some of his recent activities might end in his death, the dirty Archon searched for a patsy, someone to whom he could shift the blame. While hosting a private auction of illicit goods, someone caught his eye.

The young ancilla would take the fall if she brought forth any dirt on the Archon, but if she let her ambition outstrip any sense of naive justice she would be rewarded. By the end of the evening, she was reborn under a new name and left her coterie behind, used and forgotten, for she was now a Servire of the Camarilla.

And the review of our bad Archon? Spotless.

EMBRACE OR DISGRACE

A mortal woman, Jane, lost looking for her daughter stumbles upon kindred feeding. “Jane Smith” couldn't be affected by any mental domination available to the kindred. The Prince, finding this at the very least interesting, left the fate of this mortal up to those in attendance and had them vote on what should be done.

When the Kindred in attendance learned of a mortal beyond the powers of mental manipulation, there was an uproar to say the least. Bidding wars broke out, cries for death and embracing were called out. When the kindred had voted and spoke on the issue, the vote weighed in favor of making a ghoul of the odd human.

As the night progressed, one kindred stayed by her side with the permission of the Prince. He learned all he could, offering solutions to see her sent home. All were denied, but in him the prince saw devotion to this lost mother, and gave him custody over her. She will be his ghoul and be cared for while both reside in San Antonio.

FIRSTLIGHT WAREHOUSE

A fiery inferno illuminates the television of the 6-o’-clock news, followed by several stills of a burnt out cement building in the early morning light. Several fire trucks are on the scene, along with several squad cars and the fire marshal. The muted replay shows groups of officials talking in front of the building. Closed captioning indicates the cause of the fire as a faulty electrical panel that sparked and ignited improperly stored chemicals, quickly engulfing the whole building.

The Kindred of San Antonio know better though - the warehouse was a deathtrap for the handful of vampires that took it upon themselves to recover missing goods. While many of the priceless artifacts were recovered, there was significant loss: none of the vampires being stored by FIRSTLIGHT were recovered, and are presumed lost in the structure fire, along with many crates of goods that had not been fully searched yet.

A pyrrhic victory at best for the Kindred of San Antonio. It is not known how much was lost here, nor will the full picture ever truly be realized. At least the Second Inquisition was never given the luxury of moving the contents to their black site in Austin.

MYSTERIOUS CHESS PLAYER

Those wandering the halls of the Day of the Dead festivities likely walked past a bizarre board with a set of unconventional pieces. A note said that someone would return at 9:30 to play a game, along with a series of instructions. Some of the pieces of the set were missing. Additional pieces were not to be removed. The pieces weren’t chess pieces, but were for a game called Hnefatafl, otherwise known as viking chess.

The Justicar Lucinde allows herself few indulgences, but is known to enjoy games of strategy. While her identity as the writer of the note wasn’t immediately apparent, her Archons had been seen keeping an eye on the board as some of the Ventrue set about collecting the pieces.

At the appointed time, the Justicar excused herself and took her seat. A challenger sat down opposite her, the Prince of Spokane, who had gathered nearly all of the missing set. Lucinde’s Archons reported that a vigorous match ensued. However, the Justicar was called away, leaving the Prince to emerge victorious.

RAVNOS MERCHANTS

What’s better than getting what you came for? Not paying for it. And better than that? Making a bit extra on the side.

The Karavalanisha Vrana - an epic poem written in Hindi - is the prize they were here for. The text is said to detail the history of the Ravnos antediluvian. With the death of the powerful vampire god and the near-genocide of the clan he had spawned, it left many looking for answers as to their heritage and past. Wounds of the Night Sword, as the title is roughly translated, offers the first glimpses into rebuilding that culture… or perhaps abandoning it entirely in favor of something else.

It will be some time before the book’s metaphors and flowery language are fully understood, but the Ravnos have taken the first steps on the road to reconstruction. Will they find salvation in these ancient words? Or more ruin that seems to be the true legacy of Zapathasura?

RED Q(R)UESTION

The Red Question or someone pretending to be them sought to create chaos or or perhaps reveal the truth of events. Who can say?

A calling card given to several factions hinted for them to look for QR codes, and one industrious Ventrue set out to find them. Quickly she discovered that each code gave a clue as to where the next lay, and the scavenger hunt was on. Aided by a Hecata, she reached the end and the reveal of a terrible secret.

With a Prince of her clan at her side, our heroine presented the reveal of Jan Pieterzoon being the mastermind behind Haardstadt's death and the Brujah's defection to Justicar Luncinde. She denounced it as propaganda, raising the question: WHY DO YOU OBEY?