EPILOGUES
TENTPOLE PLOTS
CHURCH OF SET
The Church of Set, despite the misconceptions of outsiders, is not a force of corruption, but of liberation. It seeks to feed you that which your soul desires but represses out of fear, in so doing, it teaches you to be free from conformity from the social moors and embrace a destiny of your choosing. For the crime of making him feel compassion, Hesha Ruhadze embraced Elizabeth Dimitros and left her to greet the sun as a sacrifice to Set. Set chose differently, so the Ministry claims.
Abandoned by her sire, Elizabeth Dimitros turned away from her clan and their faith to join the Anarch Movement where her acumen and ability allowed her to rise in prestige. When the Ministry chose to join the Anarch Movement en masse, it created a point of tension, one that became exasperated when Elizabeth was chosen to help lead Las Vegas and when she showed interest in the overtures the Bahari made to her. The Church of Set within the Ministry sought to rectify the situation.
Identifying the levers that might move Elizabeth Dimitros, such as her love for antiquities and her hatred of her sire, the court members surrounding Elizabeth began recruiting others to their cause, some unwitting. They required four canopic jars that had been stolen decades back by a local necromancer, a task that the Auroral Shield was only too happy to assist with. They required the current location of Hesha Ruhadze, something his enemies among the Banu Haqim and the Tremere could assist with, but likely not if they knew the reasoning behind it. Lastly, they needed true believers in Set, fresh faces not already strategically placed near Elizabeth to preach the truth of Set and guide her through a ritual using the canopic jars to construct an altar and give her sight beyond sight, a vision of her sire, a way to track him and plot her revenge on her terms.
Although cold towards her clanmate's faith and wary of their intentions, Elizabeth was at last convinced to give the Church of Set an audience to hear their petition. The temptation of her sire found just enough purchase for her to give them genuine attention. The ritual gave her pause. A voice spoke with whispers of secrets and power should she continue her studies of the faith, not simply for her, but for those who aided the return of this wayward childe back to the faith. Elizabeth has since re-embraced the faith of Set, and has resumed her devotions with newfound purpose. While it is likely that this change of faith has reached her sire Hesha, he has not yet openly acknowledged her newfound faith, her position or her success. Some say it’s only a matter of time before a reunion takes place.
THE PLAGUES OF VEGAS
During the high-roller event on Thursday evening Rachel Rothstein, Hecata and Capo of Las Vegas, welcomed the gathered kindred and the Las Vegas Anarch movement to her city. She explained that things are done a certain way to ensure that powers beyond those of mere kindred remain happy, and so the workings of the City of Sin can continue smoothly. She warned that something was coming and told all gathered that if feeding became more difficult, they knew who to come to. That same evening, the first plague befell the city and made all blood turn to water making it much harder to slake thirst.
A prescient Tremere meditated on what she said and saw a vision of a sea of red parting, while locusts and gnats blotted out the moon. They saw rats running through the streets and the sun rising over the skyline of Las Vegas. They had a dreadful idea of what was to come.
The next night Rachel returned to seek audience with the Triumvirate and discuss any issues the gathered kindred may be experiencing. Various scavengers and critters of Las Vegas began surrounding the gathering of kindred en masse, and those who typically held sway over animals found that they were powerless to control these creatures. A resurgence of a virus requiring quarantine broke out among the kine of Vegas. All the kindred of the city, aside from Capo Rothstein’s Hecata, found it especially difficult to repair their wounds.
The kindred of Las Vegas were already hard at work trying to find a solution to these problems, many approached the Capo and she told them that certain conditions needed to be met to please Dis Pater, god of the underworld and of wealth. They had to ensure that the flow of money through the city remained unchanged to keep Lady Luck happy and keep harmful spirits at bay. Rachel told everyone she could speak with that these entities had placed curses on Las Vegas and only when things were set right would they see relief.
Small origami boxes containing figures were found scattered around the gathering, or held by influential kindred within the city. Each figure was an effigy that bound a curse to Vegas. Intrepid kindred searched for these boxes, bargained for them, or purchased them and gave them to Rachel. She told them once the necessary demands were met they could destroy each one together. The kindred of Las Vegas worked as they could to meet her demands while the Triumvirate were occupied with other important work.
When the festivities adjourned for the night, Rachel Rothstein warned the Triumvirate that they had best make time for her when all were reunited, or none of these curses would end. Elizabeth Dimitrios capably assured her compatriots that she had the negotiation under control.
As soon as the final gathering commenced many visiting Hecata banded together to gather the origami effigies early and keep them hidden from the rest of the kindred present. They passed them on hand to hand to make their location difficult to ascertain through mystical means.
Formal negotiations began with the Capo listing the demands that Dis Pater required to remove the curses, and explaining that these steps ensure the flow of money is maintained as it should be. She warned the sun would rise two hours early tonight, unless the curse was lifted, while outside the negotiation room, illusory fires erupted around the venue stoking fear in the hearts of kindred unprotected by Rachel’s rituals. Elizabeth Dimitrios ably led the negotiations while trying to tease out information on the magic being used. Deals were made and rituals were performed to destroy the effigies connected to some of the curses, bringing those plagues to an end. Each time a curse was ended the kindred responsible for its end received a token from the Capo that protected them from all the curses’ magics.
A recess in formal negotiations was called but many kindred took no rest, making deals, calling in favors, and owing others to continue to end curses. One young Toreador even made the heroic sacrifice of much of his own sway over the Vegas underworld to end the fires. He was lauded by his fellows and rewarded for his sacrifice. Capo Rothstein assured him that all was not lost, she would use him as her agent and in his way he would retain much of his ability.
When formal negotiations reconvened a much changed Elizabeth Dimitrios led all involved to smooth resolutions to all plagues but the last. No decision could be reached on whether the Triumvirate would consult a Hecata representative in all governing decisions going forward, until a decision is reached only Capo Rothstein’s Hecata, and those in possession of one of twelve cursebreaker tokens, will be able to successfully embrace a childe in Las Vegas.
REFORGING THE SWORD
On Thursday night, triumvirate took time to hear formal petitions from the kindred in attendance. Dignitaries and emissaries formed a line, each seeking to have their issue aired. Amidst the hopeful few was the Sabbat pack known as The Iron Voice, a group of refugees feeling conscription to the Gehenna Crusades. “Lucky” Donovan spoke on behalf of his pack, seeking amnesty and the opportunity to join the Anarch movement. They spoke of how their leaders were bringing them to destruction, to devastation, and how they had been misled. In exchange for consideration, they promised the truth about their motivations and circumstances, and to make a genuine attempt to understand and assimilate into the lives of the Anarchs.
While The Iron Voice's past exploits were vile and violent in the extreme, the Anarchs seemed to take a liking to them in rapid fashion. Theo Bell, however, staunchly opposed their petition, having fought opposite them during his time in the Camarilla. He quietly organized a group of investigators to dig up dirt on them. However, when the spy he sent could only uncover a single unsubstantiated rumor, he reconsidered his stance. Meanwhile, the rest of the assembled Anarchs who met the Iron Voice found a genuine connection, a group whose conduct and morals were close to unforgivable but who might still be capable of genuine efforts in the futurae.
Ultimately, the matter of their petition fell to Jaromír Černý, who gathered a large group of guests to hear what they had found. When he asked Theo Bell his thoughts, a startling thing happened. Theo Bell, former Camarilla Archon and pride of the Brujah clan, gave what could be the closest thing to an apology he might ever give a Sabbat: the admission that the Movement could lose out on powerful allies because of his selfish vendetta. Those assembled were shocked and struck silent by this display of humility.
Jaromír finally called for a vote, and the majority landed on keeping the pack but only if they abandoned their chosen philosophical paths. The Pack leader and their priest told the gathered Anarchs that to do so would be no different than to give up their souls, and that demanding this would make the Anarchs no different than the Camarilla in any way that mattered. The vote was called again, calling for the pack to stay under a heavy probationary period. Finally, the matter was settled, and the refugees from the sword of Caine, once shattered, were remade as new members of the Anarch Movement.
UNDOING GREED
A quarter century past, the greed and depredations of the Las Vegas kindred attracted the attention of Coyote, the trickster spirit of legend. Tired of the vampires' hoarding and ill treatment of humanity, Coyote cursed a collection of prized objects belonging to seven kindred leaders to punish their avarice and to compel them to give back to the people they took so much from. Not comprehending the puzzle they faced, the leaders of Las Vegas turned to the Tremere, hoping that the curses could be undone by their magic. The Warlocks were confounded by the magic of Coyote, whose powers belied any conventional hermetic paradigm. When their efforts failed and the Tremere’s priorities shifted, the objects were simply contained and forgotten. Decades later, they were abandoned as the city’s kindred fled the Second Inquisition, only to be recovered when an early band of Anarchs plundering former kindred assets stumbled upon a forgotten vault. Perplexed by the object and not understanding the nature of the curses at all, they quickly traded the objects away in exchange for money for aid escaping town.
Loosed upon the world once again, the seven cursed items were put on display during the unveiling of Las Vegas, where they found their way not into the hands of princes, but of pawns. Nevertheless, the Beasts all kindred make them prone to greed, and Coyote’s magic remained strong. Aided by a journal from the past and an antiquarian from afar, new investigators bent their own occult acumen to discern the true nature of the curses. They determined that the first curse depended upon selfless acts of charity, a flow of wealth from kindred for the betterment mortals; such a simple thing, but one that would never normally occur to the Beast. As the first curse was broken, Coyote’s involvement was revealed. Others followed, each time Coyote offered the curse-breaker a choice:
“You may keep the item. Its curse broken, its magic wanes, but others will seek it out. Always over your shoulder must you look. That is the price of power. You may destroy the item, shattering any hold it ever had. Finally, you may pour out all your blood upon it. Anoint it with your sins, and you will know what it is to be mortal again. Decide by dawn.”
By the end of the weekend, only one kindred among many truly understood the lesson as only one of the seven cursed items was destroyed. Four others were kept by greedy hands that just couldn’t let go of a prize. With the majority of curses broken, the power over the remaining two objects faded by dawn, leaving them ordinary once more. Only the forced good works remained as lingering evidence of Coyote’s curse.
URBAN PLANNING
The newly formed Free City of Las Vegas had a dilemma. While the Anarchs had made impressive progress in the 6 months since they took Las Vegas, there were still large parts of the city outside of their control. The city had key vulnerabilities in the areas of Masquerade protection, feeding, and security, and was reliant upon the rest of the Anarch Free State for support. While the Movement was glad to help out its latest prize, supporting it from afar was certain to prove too much of a long-term strain. The Anarch leaders knew they had to work quickly to secure the rest of the city, and sought to do so as efficiently as possible. However, the three leaders couldn’t agree on how to best accomplish this.
Committees were formed to represent each of the leaders. Jaromír Černý sought to allocate resources toward fortifying the Masquerade, Elizabeth Dimitros sought to expand the city’s feeding grounds, and Theo Bell sought to bolster city security. As resources were limited, progress in one of these areas would come at the expense of another, and if the committee members couldn’t work together, resources would be lost, and the city would suffer. It was vital that they worked together and not fall to infighting.
For an hour, the committee met, arguing, debating, and pressuring one another, each insisting their issue was the most important. The talks were momentarily interrupted as a fight broke out, but soon returned to order. While there was every potential for failure, somehow, the negotiators more or less worked together as discussion progressed. During the final round, Elizabeth’s negotiators attempted to pressure the other groups into ceding a large pool of resources to them, and found themselves excluded from an agreement which took control of Caesar’s Entertainment.
In the end, Theo Bell’s team was able to command the largest share of resources to improve city security. As a result, Las Vegas has achieved security independence. Jaromír Černý’s team commanded the second highest share, and the city is now capable of independently handling most Masquerade incidents. Elizabeth Dimitros’s team gained the lowest share; however, they secured enough support to expand the city’s feeding grounds, and establish a safe rack for visitors and locals.
Las Vegas, while still growing, is in much better shape as a result of the negotiations, and is on pace to grow into a world-class destination and a jewel of the Anarch Movement. It is expected to be fully independent within the next 6 months.
SIDE PLOTS
CONFLICT RESOLUTION
Over the past year, large-scale kindred gatherings have had surprisingly favorable contact with the occasional lupine. First, it was a cub seeking help with her coming of age. The kindred of San Antonio chose to help her rather than pursuing a far more lucrative opportunity to help a Pentex subsidiary. In Chicago, a lost Garou weapon was returned, and a potential issue between city inhabitants was diffused through a series of backroom deals.
In observation of the formation of a new city, and in acknowledgement of acts taken in good faith throughout the past year, representatives from the Garou offered to establish a limited means of conflict resolution, offering the Anarchs a choice of three options: single combat, which the werewolves would respect and consider decisive, tests of skill, which they would respect to a lesser extent, or diplomacy, which some would abide. Conversely, the kindred realized they were unlikely to succeed in single combat, that a test of skill would be evenly matched, but as creatures accustomed to byzantine politics, they held an edge in diplomacy.
The initial encounters were strained, as the Garou delegation, an honor guard of their most respected and proudest warriors, came upon a kindred wearing part of a fallen lupine as a trophy. Fortunately for all, their tempers held, though they issued a rebuke for what they considered a grave dishonor. With the matter resolved, the kindred chose diplomacy as their preferred means of resolution. While the werewolves made it clear they reserved the right to escalate to a state of war should they deem it appropriate, they agreed that diplomacy would be the first resort of resolving issues within the city of Las Vegas.
WEAVING FATE
At the height of the weekend, the Neon Prophets told some of their pilgrims that bamboo is a grass as opposed to wood. While this non sequitur was unexpected, it was not out of the ordinary for the mystics, so it was disregarded.
Late in the evening on the final night of the event at the Paris Hotel, three older women entered the venue approaching any and every kindred who would listen. They said they were human and they came to offer their support and assistance to any vampire present who would like to change their lifestyle.
They discovered the existence of vampires when one of their children was taken as a blood doll, and knew this sort of activity must not continue so they decided to appeal to the better nature of all involved. They came with their knitting and sat at a table speaking with any who sat down about how they could change the way they live their lives to protect the children of Las Vegas.
Elizabeth Dimitrios was called to deal with the humans, but she was occupied attempting to end the plagues. Kindred instead approached Jaromír Černý to speak with them, and after a short exchange, Jaromír realized he was woefully out of his depth and stepped away to leave it to the rest of Vegas.
Most kindred who spoke with them were very friendly, but then two kindred looked past the friendliness to the bamboo knitting needles carried by all three. They began to insist that the three of them had nefarious intent, they insisted they did not, but the Sweeper confiscated their needles nonetheless.
Once free from negotiations, Elizabeth Dimitrios spoke with all three and suggested that they should leave for their own safety. The three women were escorted from the gathering and placed in a car to take them home.
Rumors about them flew around in the days after Las Vegas. Maybe they were really just a knitting group. Maybe they were hunters. Maybe the Moirai came to gather in disguise to give Las Vegas a chance to change. Mysteriously, Jaromír Černý is rumored to have received a package a few days later containing a surprise gift: a handmade sweater.
THE MOUNTAIN COMES
The Banu Haqim of false heart and errant path fled the Mountain when ancient Ur-Shulgi awoke to remind them of their duty, their purpose, their strength. He shattered the fetters placed upon them by the Tremere, the Camarilla, the unlawful elders. They did not thank him; instead, they betrayed the Mountain, they begged the Camarilla to shelter them, they gave their jailors their esteem. Despite these acts, the Mountain stayed silent, but the Mountain kept watch.
The marriage of Victoria Ash and Tegyrius and the subsequent alliance of the Camarilla and Ashirra garnered attention, and so the Mountain decided to act. Centuries ago, the Clan of Justice stood beside the young who yearned for freedom. Now the Mountain extended their hand in friendship to the inheritors of that legacy. Once again the Clan of Justice would stand beside the Anarchs, providing material aid, sorcery, and martial training, all things the Anarch Movement would need to cement its hold, not just in Las Vegas, but in other cities. In return, all it asked for was assistance in locating lost members of their clan, so that they might ensure their safety and welfare.
After delivering the Mountain's pronouncement to the Triumvirate of Las Vegas in full view of their assembled august guests, the envoy remained three days to speak with any who dared engage. They held particular interest in Banu Haqim lost from the Mountain and those who had committed diablerie. Those who expected a monster, an assassin set to harvesting the blood of the wayward, were met by genuine interest in choices made and even absolution for crimes rightly justified. Not all were taken in by the soft words of the envoy - the Ashirra nearly attacked with the intent to kill; though peace ultimately held.
Not finding sufficient detractors within the Anarch Movement and weighing the potential loss of the small number of Banu Haqim within the sect's ranks, Theo Bell and the Las Vegas Triumvirate has agreed to further talks with the Mountain. News of this potential alliance has made waves throughout the Camarilla and Ashirra - where and when shall these talks occur and how will they shape the future?
THE NEON PROPHETS
The prophets searched throughout the evenings’ festivities, offering promises of prophecy and aid to any who helped in their search for the pennies of destiny. The prophets needed these mysterious coins to avoid a mysterious fate which they lived in fear of, and sought to barter with bits of prophecy or gamble to obtain them. Unfortunately, the first night yielded only a few coins and left the Prophets a little desperate. The second night they became erratic knowing they would need the pennies to avoid a fate they deemed most dire.
They engaged in games, gambles over destiny as fortunes were exchanged over just a mere handful of pennies. Eventually, two significant gamblers of note came to the table, a member of the Auroral Shield who had somehow found most of the pennies, and a fast-talking shuckster card shark. The Shield member, lacking experience in games of chance, tried a few hands, but finding himself outmatched in the game, he took what pennies he had, leaving the Prophets no choice but to try and take everything they could off the card shark.
They began a duel of cheaters so epic that those who enjoy the splendid art of cards still whisper their song to this day. Having chosen a neutral dealer, a Harpy from Chicago on vacation, The prophets began their duel. Through confusion of each other, the dealer and most assuredly every one who was watching eventually came to a standstill and the prophets were left with only 10 pennies at the end of the night. This was not enough to accomplish their aim, and now the prophets, woeful and worrisome, trudge to the desert to face their inexorable fate.
PANKRATION
At the conclusion of his Rant, and to a fervent and inspired crowd, Theo Bell announced the start of a contest of strength, which was to take place throughout the weekend. The sport of pankration, whose rules were adapted for this symbel, has its roots in Ancient Greece. A combination of boxing and wrestling, it later influenced a number of modern martial arts. As a nod to the ancient olympians who competed for white strips of cloth, participants would compete for one another for bracelets. Each participant would be issued a bracelet by his lieutenants, and the goal was to accumulate as many bracelets as possible. If a participant had no bracelets remaining and still wished to compete, they could receive another from a lieutenant.
Participants received their initial bracelets and began to challenge each other. The contests were fierce as combatants each sought recognition for being the strongest. Many who lost their bracelets fought back savagely, looking to re-enter or to gain them elsewhere. Thankfully, the fights were largely contained, and did not disturb the weekend’s events.
At the end of the second night, Theo Bell invited any who believed they had the most bracelets to come forward to claim a reward. Two claimants emerged, both of whom had accumulated 25 bracelets. While the crowd instantly cheered for the two to fight, Theo Bell told them it would not happen, as he had a prize for each of them. The first claimant was a Gangrel Anarch, who Theo Bell rewarded with a role as his newest lieutenant. The second claimant was a Camarilla Brujah. Theo told the crowd that as he was a Camarilla member, he could not offer him a seat at his table, but instead he offered him something else, extending him a small pouch. The pouch contained a token which Theo explained were the keys to his freedom. When the day inevitably came where the Camarilla failed to uphold his ideals, Theo pledged to extract him and grant him a place within the Anarch Movement. Theo is believed to be in the process of organizing many of the combatants into a militarized force working toward the defense of the Anarch Movement.
RED QRUESTION
Twice in recent memory, Kindred have held large gatherings in the wake of the Second Inquisition's purges. Twice the Red Question has left clues that led inquisitive kindred to secrets that could destabilize the Camarilla. At each juncture, those who pursued the Red Question's version of the truth were challenged with the singular question: WHY DO YOU OBEY? This activity has not gone unnoticed; even the Tremere's former Justicar, Karl Schrekt dispatched agents to deal with the matter.
Given its recent history, it should come as no surprise that the Red Question arrayed their usual series of QR Code challenges, forcing curious kindred to crawl and climb in search of clues. The prize this time was not mere words, but a person gambling their fate. The tests, the quests; these were not the work of the real Red Question but of someone with access behind the Camarilla curtain, and they wanted to defect. They needed protection from agents of the Ivory Tower and they needed the help of those who had begun to question as to why they obey.
Boons, secrets, and power traded hands. Flesh was reshaped and a new identity was forged. A new Caitiff was born that night, one that apparently has been around for a while. How will the victors of this race distribute their spoils? Will they grow indolent and lazy or will they continue to ask the question: WHY DO YOU OBEY?
STORYTELLER AND EVENT SUPPORT STAFF
Jimmy ReckittCreative Lead
Kelley BarnesDirector of Events
Arcelia RaelPresident
