Baltimore: The Kiddie Pool Saga (Actual Play) Part 8

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The Kiddie Pool Saga Continues!

Previous Chapters and Character Portraits can be found here [LINK]


It's Not Paranoia if They're Really Out to Get You

Ever since the night Alice and I saw Seville's Nosferatu chasing down and executing a rogue vampire on the orders of the Prince, we have stepped up our efforts to ferret out traitors. Alice has spent a lot of time looking into the minds of newcomers for the slightest sign of disloyalty.

I have joined in, using my Dominate to question newcomers and then erasing their memory of it. It is distasteful, I know. However, if I am to take on the responsibilities of the Mekhetocracy then I must use all tools at my disposal. Whenever possible, I have had a mekhet observer present during questioning (in addition to Alice) in an effort to maintain my reputation for integrity.

Anyway, one night we tag teamed Abigail Taft (daeva, carthian) with the Auspex/Dominate interrogation and something kinda crazy happened. I looked into Abigail's eyes for signs of mental tampering... and rolled 17 successes on my Dominate roll. In doing so, I unlocked some memories which had apparently been buried deep by another practictioner of Dominate. Here is what we learned:


1. Abigail is the childe of Ferdinand (mekhet, older neonate, invictus, former hound.)
2. The memory of her true origins have been hidden from her.
3. She has been programmed to seek out those who would attempt to overthrow the Prince and aid them.

I have heard rumors of the lengths to which the mekhetocracy will go to ferret out sedition, but this is ridiculous. I do my best to put her back the way I found her, but make it a point to talk to my Grandsire about this. My current belief is that a member of my family did this at the order of the Prince, but it never hurts to check.


Status Report

In the time since the last write-up, there have been some changes to the status quo. Council Territory, which lies to the south and east of Baltimore, has fallen to the Werewolves. I don't know how many of the resident vampires remain there, how many have fled, nor how many have met their final end in the conflict.

Closer to home some of the younger vampires have been recruited by some of the older ones:

1. Terry the Mekhet has been recruited into the organization of Michael Seville. She continues to make her haven in my Cousin Antony's territory and pay him corvee for the privilege, but her loyalty is ultimately with Michael Seville and the Carthians.

2. Eve Liebsch (gangrel): Eve has been a resident of the kiddy pool since the very beginning of the game. Since that time, she had been wanting to find for herself a sponsor into the First Estate. For whatever reason, she never found one. Michael Seville has recently convinced her to give up her ambitions in favor of membership in the Carthian Movement.


Delegation

Well, Alice and I consider Antony's allowing Terry to slip through his fingers to be a serious failure. even though we have discussed the matter with him once before, we decide to speak with him again. One of the reasons we are a bit upset about it is, we probably would have recruited Terry into our line of fealty had we not believed that Antony had his sights on her.

So, we arrive at Antony's bar but discover that we have to wait our turn. Antony is already having a meeting with the Archon Helen (mekhet, ancilla, crone.) The door to Antony's office opens, and both he and Helen approach us.

Helen: "Oh, what serendipity. I can delegate a task to you. Are you familiar with Pedro?"

Pedro is a gangrel and a member of the Circle. We have attended some of his 'observances' in the past (some of you may remember that just such an event was used to sour Felicity on the idea of joining the Circle.) Anyway, Pedro has a pair of goat skin pants that he wears when conducting ceremonies. Well, it has become something of a game amongst residents of the Quarantine Zone to steal Pedro's pants. The last time Pedro's pants went missing, Cooper (daeva, almoner, sadist) recovered them and returned them to Pedro in exchange for a boon.

So, Helen explains to us that Pedro's pants have gone missing again, but this time Pedro has raised the issue with Appolonia (daeva priscus, priestess of the Crone.)

Helen: "Please see to the return of the property to its rightful owner and identify the thief. We need a sacrifice for next month's festivities."

Finger Wagging

Helen leaves and we begin our conversation with Antony. We tell him again that we are disappointed with his failure to seal the deal with Terry. We are worried that perhaps he is too narrow minded and unwilling to sign a long term service deal with someone who is not Invictus. We even point to Kat (gangrel, carthian) with whom we have made a service arrangement.

Antony counters that while it is true that their difference in covenant is in fact the reason he did not recruit her more aggressively, his motivation was not snobbery. It was order. Round pegs belong in round holes. Terry is Carthian. She belongs with Seville.

Antony (changing the subject): "Helen has asked me to host an official City Court, here in my bar later this week. There are several minor grievances which will be arbitrated for the members of the Quarantine Zone. I'd like you two to be on hand in case there is any trouble."

We agree to be there, of course. This certainly fits into our duties as Marshals.


Care and Feeding of Ghouls

The two of us head across the bay to the Quarantine Zone and begin asking questions about Pedro's missing pants. After asking around, we get a tip that a ghoul named 'Blood' belonging to Trenton (i've met the guy... like once. So many unfamiliar vampires running around these days.) has the pants.

Alice and I look for Trenton inside the Jiffy Lube where vampires of the QZ like to socialize. When we arrive, we are approached by Shaman. Shaman asks Alice and I for a private word and we follow him upstairs. Shaman wants advice from us about how to take custody of a ghoul away from another vampire by way of the Baltimore legal system.

Apparently, the very public way in which I stole Caroline (daeva) from Fitzgerald (daeva, deceased) is not a secret even amongst the newcomers of the QZ. (I wrote about this way back in part 1, if memory serves.) Well, I am not in the habit of giving legal advice, but I do ask him for more information. Shaman wants to steal Snow (ghoul of Getter) and take her for his own.

Shaman: "Snow has a big heart. Before we came to join Baltimore, Getter asked Mortimer (nosferatu from Council Territory) to find him a good candidate to be made a ghoul, and Mortimer found Snow. When he moved here, Getter saw that one of the only vampires doing well financially was Fishy" (Fishy [daeva] makes her money and gets her meals via prostitution)

Shaman: "Getter wanted Snow to do what Fishy was doing and bring him the money, but Snow refused. Well, Getter doesn't have the right powers to control her directly. So, he started withholding the blood. Snow was allowed to lapse back to mortal and made ghoul again several times but still refused to whore for Getter. She turned to drugs to ease the pain of withdrawl from vitae. She doesn't deserve to be treated that way."

I gave Shaman the best advice I could think of: "Stay away from the courts. They are dangerous." However, something tells me Getter is not long for this world. He will slip up. When he does, I will bring her to him rather than disposing of her. Shaman agrees that he will owe me a boon if that should come to pass.

I should mention a cultural difference between the Vampires of the Council and those of Baltimore as regards the treatment of ghouls. Due to the fact that there has been an ongoing conflict with werewolves and the council, council vampires die with more regularity than do citizens of Baltimore. Further, the Council has a less well developed infrastructure for the preservation of the Masquerade. As a result, when a vampire dies the final death their ghouls are more likely to be adopted by other vampires rather than to be murdered and cremated as tends to happen in Baltimore. (It's important to stop the spread of cooties.)


Gone Fishin

We left the Jiffy Lube and soon found Trenton. There was a brief conversation in which we inquired as to the whereabouts of the goat skin pants. I tell him that we have heard his ghoul has the pants, and that a citizen of Baltimore has made a complaint. We further tell him that if the pants do not find their way into our hands, there will be trouble.

Trenton agrees to retreive the pants. Alice and I make it clear that this is not in any way an exchange of boons, and Trenton leaves. Not satisfied to take a hands off approach, Alice and I follow him under cloak of Obfuscate. Trenton travels to the north end of the Quarantine Zone near the water.

There is a small shack and a boat launch. On the door to the shack is a hastily written sign, "Gone Fishin." Trenton finds a place to sit and wait. Alice and I do the same. In about 2 hours a small boat arrives, apparently from across the bay. Two ghouls disembark from the boat, one of whom is Blood. Trenton approaches the duo and dismisses the unnamed ghoul.

Trenton: "Do you have the pants?"
Blood: "Yeah. You interested? I'll give them to you, and you'll owe me a boon and stuff."
Trenton: "Are you fucking stupid?" *SMACK*
Blood: "What the fuck?"
Trenton: *SMACK*

Blood runs into the shack and returns with a box which presumably contains Pedro's pants. I step out of the shadows and take the box. Alice remains invisible (which she often does.) I open the box to confirm the contents, which for some reason have been spray painted gold, while Alice does her patented Mekhet telepathy maneuver. Here is what she learned:


1. Blood is not the ghoul of Trenton. He used to be the ghoul of Charles Wood (recently deceased.) Blood has thus far been unable to find a new regnant. However, a vampire from Council Territory (Nick) has been arranging feedings for him in exchange for favors. I don't know why Nick would want Blood to sell Pedro's pants, but ... whatever.

This is precisely the reason the city makes you ask permission to create ghouls. In the event that you should meet your final death, they want to know who all your ghouls are so they can be rounded up, rather than become little random elements running around willing to do anything to get another taste of that sweet sweet vitae.

2. The other ghoul in the boat was named Sara, and she belongs to a nosferatu named Broom.

I thank Trenton for his cooperation and head for home.


Home is Where the Heart is

We arrive at home to spend the last few hours before dawn to find we have a visitor. My eldest Cousin Rosalyn Burnett is here. Rosalyn is a member of Invictus and is the sire of Susan Small. She is also very uptight, which is the reason I greet her with a warm embrace and kiss on each cheek. She hands me an envelope containing an invitation to the next family dinner. It is set to happen tomorrow night.

In spite of the short notice given for the gathering, all members of the family arrived at the Von Berg estate at the appointed time. Per usual, there is a bit of small talk and mingling before the doors to the dining room are opened. We arrange ourselves at the table according to age, with my uncles and aunt closest to the head of the table where Konrad, our Patriarch, sits.

There is a long silence. Septimus has an expression on his face as though he is chewing on particularly sour lemons. My cousin Sandy breaks the silence.

Sandy: "Well... What's going on?"
Septimus: "There has been a change in the family, and there is no need to keep you in suspense. Octavia has decided to leave the covenant of Invictus."

There are some surprised looks on the faces around the table. None more than Christina (Octavia's childe) who looks like she might even cry.

Octavia: "I will of course relinquish all holdings that I procured during my tenure with the Invictus."
Septimus: "Yes, we will have to divide your lands and holdings and make sure everyone is well bribed."

Septimus continues to explain how many Invictus vampires will need to be given pieces of the pie to maintain the balance of power in the city. (ie: maintain the size of Invictus lands) He elaborates that people who have sworn their fealty to Octavia will be given the opportunity to be relieved of their obligations.

Konrad: "No. The balance will be maintained. Invictus holdings with remain in Invictus hands and Ventrue holdings will remain in Ventrue hands.

Septimus begins to protest but he is interrupted again.

Konrad: "No. We will not give up our holdings. We will not give up any territories. We will not give up any money. If anyone has a problem with this arrangement, we will fight."
Felix: "So, are we here then to make battle plans and contingencies?"
Konrad: "I have already made them, which you will see soon enough."


Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

With that, dinner is served and in about an hour there is a knock on the door. Helen (mekhet, archon, circle) is admitted into the house.

Helen: "He has been informed. I am His eyes and ears."

Not long after, there is another knock. This time several vampires are admitted into the house:

Michael Seville (nosferatu priscus, carthian)
Boris (nosferatu, ancilla, circle)
Spider (nosferatu, childe of Boris)
Jerome James (nosferatu, carthian)
Sam Bast (nosferatu, carthian)

Konrad stands before Michael Seville and begins speaking in german. He welcomes Seville into his home and offers him hospitality. Michael Seville thanks him for the offer, but prefers to get down to business.

In a nearby study, several chairs are arranged. One each for Seville and Konrad are positioned near to each other within comfortable speaking distance. There is a third chair not far from those for Helen. Behind each elder is seating for their respective retinue.

Konrad explains the situation that we have just discussed an hour ago in the dining room. "This change in the city will bring opportunists. I therefore propose an alliance of mutual defense. A move against our territory is a move against your territory. A move against your territory is a move against our territory."

There is a long pause before Michael Seville responds.

Seville: "How about this: Before, during, and after the transition House Von Berg and House Seville shall remain."
Konrad: "Agreed."
Helen: "Witnessed. I saw no transgressions."
Septimus: "This agreement, is it to be kept secret?"
Seville (switching back to English): "Print brochures if you want." And with that Helen, Seville and his retinue depart.

I wasn't 100% sure as to what terms the two Elders had agreed. So, I had a brief conversation with my uncle Quintus who explained it to me. Basically, Von Berg and Seville have agreed to come to one another's defense in the face of existential threats. Seville will not intervene because a rival vampire has made a move on one of our territories. However, if there is a conflict which escalates to all out war we would be obligated to come to one another's aid.

Before Alice and I left, we had a brief conversation with my Grand Sire. There were two points he wished to impress upon Alice and me.

1: "Your territory is the most likely place where our adversaries will test our resolve. Be vigilant. Do not allow them to take what is ours."
2: "Antoni is stubborn and proud. Watch his back. Help him even if he does not ask for it." (Antoni's territory is adjacent to ours and he is the city's Reeve.)

Also, this move puts an end to Uncle Septimus' Princely ambitions. His strategy depended heavily on convincing Octavia to swear her fealty to him, and with the combined might of his organization and hers plus his alliance with Pilgrim (gangrel priscus, archbishop) and presumably the rest of the family and their pull with the Ordo Dracul would form the coalition needed to push him onto the throne and keep him there. However, it is unlikely the rest of Invictus would fall in line now that Octavia has left the covenant. "You can't even keep your own family in line. How can you expect to keep the whole city together?"

Another consequence of this move is that Felicity, who had been having trouble choosing between Invictus and Ordo Dracul will now almost certainly join the Order. Felicity had told me that Octavia and I were her two main role models and she was trying to decide which path to follow between Dragon and Invictus.

When the game began the family was about 7 invictus to 4 dragons. This will make it 7 dragons to 6 invictus.


Tears
Alice and I take the rest of our coterie (Susan Small and Christina) to Susan's house to talk. Susan lives in the guest house of Konrad Von Berg, so it is a short trip. Christina is very upset to hear her mommy has switched covenants.

Christina: "I'm so alone. Everyone in my Coterie is a Dragon and now my Sire is leaving Invictus!"
Alice: "What about your brother Antony? I doubt he will be switching sides any time soon."
Christina: "He doesn't count! He's adopted! And besides, he has a stick so far up his ass, he doesn't even know the meaning of the word fun." *sob*

We try our best to console Christina, who is about to become a very wealthy vampire. Octavia's lands and fortunes will be divided amongst Invictus members of the household. As Octavia's heir, I suspect Christina will be getting a better than even share.

After the crying is over we agree that we need to do our best to aid Octavia during her time of transition. This mission will start in Elysium, where we will keep our ears open for opposing propaganda whilst catapulting forth our own. This is mostly Christina's and Susan's responsibility. They are harpies, after all.


Empty Nest

A few chapters ago, Alice and I captured Aika and Aiko (daeva twins, lancea sanctum.) We won their freedom in court, threw them into human sized birdcages in our basement (what? who doesn't have birdcages in their basement?) We blood bound them and did terrible things to their minds using a custom Dominate devotion I call "the Stepford Devotion."

Well, I have wanted to make them follow Alice and me around to help keep us safer as we execute the duties of Marshal. Who am I kidding? I want us to look cool when we enter rooms flanked by kickass twin vampires.

Well, we have not seen the twins in several days. I have assumed up to this point that they joining Felicity's diners club in the kiddie pool. I ordered them to do so when Elliot Jr. was in town, and I haven't told them to stop. So, Alice and I visit the speakeasy which we helped to build and is now being run by Felicity and her coterie.

Felicity confirms that Aika and Aiko have continued to join her for diner's club, but she doesn't know where they go after. Next, we travel north to the territory where the twins made their haven prior to their new legal status. No luck. Well, perhaps there is trouble. So, we travel to Elysium in search of Alice's grandsire Peter (seneschal.)


Wiretap

We arrive at Elysium and Alice climbs the stairs to the floor where several higher status vampires are given offices. She finds Peter and tells him about the lost twins. Peter tells her that the twins are being used by the city on a mission of some kind. They will be returned to us soon enough. Not to worry. Well, that's a relief.

So, as we are walking back down the stairs we are approached by Caroline Key. Longtime readers might remember that Caroline was sired without permission and blood bound to her Sire, Fitzgerald in New York. The two fled the authorities and arrived in the kiddie pool at the same time Alice and I did. Entirely to satisfy my own Envy, I arranged to steal Caroline from Fitzgerald and see him to his final death. Later, during a night of Indulgence I tricked Caroline into signing herself over to me as a slave in exchange for safety. Since then, I have sold the girl to the Master of Elysium (Madeline Ross) in exchange for the right to open an official Elysium which will be run by Christina. Sorry for the rambling. The game has been running for a long time.

Anyway, Caroline Key asks us to join her in the office of Madeline Ross. There, Madame Ross asks us to have a look at one of her ghouls. Alice and I use our wondertwin (i mean wonderspouse) powers and discover the following.

1. This ghoul has been dominated by (I assume) a rogue ventrue.
2. The ghoul, who is an attendant who works at Elysium overhear Michael Seville's travel plans and destination for the evening.
3. She passed that information along to a ghoul attendant belonging to Hope (QZ resident.)

We look and see that Madeline Ross is having a conversation with Michael Seville. It is obvious that Seville wants to leave, but Madame Ross is a skilled conversationalist. She is making it really hard for him to leave the conversation before she has finished explaining the finer points of some aspect of art history while remaining polite.

Well, we get her attention and that of Seville and let them know what we know. Madame Ross further explains that they became aware of the situation because all outbound calls from Elysium are monitored. Apparently the ghoul attendant of Hope picked up the phone and called her to let her know when and where Seville would be this night.

Seville lets Madame Ross know that he in no way blames her for what has happened, and then excuses himself.

So, it looks like we have a security breech on our hands, and a likely assassination attempt on Michael Seville in progress.


Anti-Climax

Alice and I head down the lower level parking garage. There, we see a van being filled with fighter type kindred. Luis (mekhet, dragon) invites to climb aboard. Alice and declines, saying we have our own ride. In the car, Alice tells me the reason she wanted to drive separate is that in times such as this, the chain of command would go to the senior Mekhet. Luis is a little older than Alice and Alice is not in the mood to follow orders.

We travel to the QZ, which is where Seville was planning to be that night. We travel under cloak of Obfuscate looking for trouble, but we can't find any. All the kindred residents of the QZ seem to be up to their normal activities. After a long night of searching for trouble, we check in with out superiors and go home.


Small Claims Court

The next night Alice and I are expected to provide security at Antony's bar for some kind of dispute resolution. When we arrive there, we can see that several kindred from both the Quarantine Zone and Kiddie Pool are walking in. Among them is a vampire I have never seen before.

I approach her, identify myself, and ask who she is and what she is doing here. She tells me that she is from Montreal where her sire was diablerized. She has tracked the diablerist to this city and she will have justice. Johnathan Poole diablerized her sire and he will not escape her.

Johnathan Poole (daeva, carthian, white night to women everywhere) arrived in the QZ several months ago, but is not a diablerist. During his initial mekhet screening it was discovered that he left Montreal because someone started a rumor that he was a diablerist or had helped one or something like that. Anyway, we are quite sure that Johnathan isn't the vampire she is looking for.

Well, I know that if she walks into that gathering and starts pointing fingers it isn't going to turn out well. So, I do what comes natural: I hit her with Dominate and escort her to my basement, where I lock her up in a bird cage. I'm a busy man, she'll have to wait till I'm free to settle her problem for her. And because I'm not a monster, I leave her a radio and some books to read.

It's a good thing that Antony's bar is not far from our Haven. We are able to arrive in time for the proceedings to start. In the hallway, Abigail Taft is rabble rousing a little more than usual. Alice and I pass her by and head in.

Sharon Winter (gangrel, invictus, sire of Kade) is presiding today. There are some minor cases heard. One case involves a rare book which is owned by a coterie of three. The book is loaned out in exchange for a boon. 1 book. 1 boon. 3 vampires. Who gets the boon?


The Death of the Prince

What had been intended to be a court for minor dispute resolution now has one serious case to try. Hope, the vampire whose ghoul attendant made the phone call to let her know where Seville was planning to be later that night is on trial. However, before the trial can begin the doors to the bar burst open and in comes Getter.

Getter: "It's happened! It's finally happened!! The Prince is dead!!!"
Felix: "You shut your whore mouth!" *STAB*

I couldn't help it. I was really angry. Sharon clears her throat.

Sharon Winter: "Yes, yes. The Prince is dead. Long live the Prince. Court is still in session. Order please."

This took the wind right out of my sails and I let Getter limp away.

Hope: "Does this mean I get to go? The Prince is dead so...."
Sharon: "Of course not, your trial will continue."
Hope: "This is bullshit! Let me go!"

Hope is restrained and Alice and I follow Getter out of the bar, where Abigail Taft is make a speech to the assembled kindred. She is telling them that they need to create an interim government as soon as possible so as to prevent chaos. To that end, there will be a meeting at the Drum Club to discuss it more.


The First Thing We Do, Let's Kill All the Lawyers

The Drum Club is owned by Dorris Bettes. It is located in the northern part of Seville's territory (all carthian territory is Seville's territory.) Alice and I make our way (obfuscate) there to listen in and take names of those who will have to be punished. Abigail begins by explaining the situation.

Abigail: "Last night while the security apparatus of the city was distracted by a false lead, the prince was slain by his own slaves."

Alice assures me that the Prince cannot be dead. She is His great grandchilde. She would have felt something.

So, the meeting continues with Abigail saying that they should have Carthian Prince. Or maybe they shouldn't have a Prince at all. But whatever they do have, it should be Carthian led. Soon, people are calling for Michael Seville to be present. Seville arrives and people begin to bombard him with questions and encourage him to take control of the city.

the crowd: "We need a Carthian Prince!"
Seville: "What makes you think you don't have one already?"

That's a weird comment.


Debriefing and a Little Out of Character Information

When we arrived back at our haven, Aika and Aiko were waiting for us. We asked them where they had been and what they were up to? The explained to us that they had been scooped up by the seneschal and sent on a mission to expose the disloyal in the city.

Out of character, the ST occasionally grants special awards instead of XP. over the course of the this game Alice and I have each been awarded 1 Fate Point each. They can be used to change the way the world works in ways both large and small. We had been saving them but finally decided to spend them.

For me, I spent my fate point to ensure that when I used 'the Stepford Devotion' on the twins, the results would be perfect. So, no rolls were required. It just worked. The personalities of Aika and Aiko have been changed on a fundamental level, and their loyalty to House Fox is assured.

So, the Seneschal looked into the brains and Aika and Aiko and decided that it was safe to use them as double agents.

Alice was a little more ambitious with the expenditure of her point. You see, Konrad had been trying to convince Octavia to join the Order for decades with no success. She just wasn't going to budge. But with the use of a Fate Point, Alice and I were able to tip Octavia over the edge and convince her to change the course of her unlife.

Alice and I as players thought it would be fun to help Octavia pick up the pieces and regain her status in the city. Alice and I as characters wanted to ensure that House Von Berg would maintain hegemony within the Baltimore Ordo Dracul now and in the future of Konrad's eventual torpor.


Book Keeping

A few notes:

1. We did release the newcomer looking to avenge her Sire from the bird cage. She was a member of Invictus. She would not take Alice's and my word for it that Johnathan Poole had been vetted. So, we arranged a meeting between her and Antony (invictus.) She did believe him. We arranged transportation out of town for her and sent her on her way. And yes, of course Alice and I did out Auspex/Dominate tag team interrogation to make sure she wasn't part of something more nefarious.

2. The Golden Fleece was handed over to Helen, who I presume handed it over to Pedro. We did not mention the name of the thief as we have not yet finished our full investigation. We've been busy.

3. There are a few more orphaned ghouls in the QZ, including Blood. We rounded them up and had a ghoul pageant at the Jiffy Lube. The event included a talent show and a swimsuit competition. Of the orphaned ghouls, two were adopted. Blood was one of them. The rest were creamated.


Finish What You Started

Soon after, we were approached by Peter (seneschal) in his official capacity. He was flanked by a few members of the mekhetocracy and bearing a writ of destruction.

Peter: "Why don't you go finish what you started."

The Death Warrant bears the name of Getter, who is to be executed for the crime of not showing sufficient grief when the Prince (fake) died. Before we went looking for Getter, we went looking for Snow. We remembered our agreement with Shaman. And in all honesty, I am happy to hand her over to him. I much prefer to see orphaned ghouls adopted rather than have to go to the trouble of having to kill them and cover it up.

Anyway, Snow is the second girl to end up in one of the bird cages in my basement this game session. She is provided with books, radio, tv, food, and a portable toilet. We are humane jailors. Getter proved neither hard to find nor to kill.

We informed Shaman that his adoption was about to go through.

Shaman: "Can you use your powers to make the transition a little more... smooth?"
Felix: "That costs extra."
Shaman: "Fine."


Reward

The game session ended with one last visitor to our haven. It is Peter, Alice's grandsire. The Seneschal/herald has arrived to thank me for the hard work I have been putting into the QZ. He hands me an indulgence granting permission to sure a new vampire.

Peter: "Keep up the good work."

I don't know why Peter rewarded me and not Alice in this way. But I do know that Peter is of the opinion that the newcomers should be destroyed whenever possible. Every one of them who earns Baltimore Citizenship takes a spot that could be occupied by childer born of Baltimore. Peter is very much a nativist.

[figurehead]

Sorry for the long silence. Scheduling has been difficult. Finding the time to write has been more difficult. Anyway, thanks for reading

EDIT: I updated the character portraits for clans Daeva, Gangrel, and Mekhet to include a few new citizens. Click the link in my signature to check them out.

[figurehead]

The Way Forward

I am told by the ST that Alice and I will soon be rotated out of the front lines for a time and given an opportunity to develop our land and knock antlers with some of the other neonates of the city. We have done what we can to screen the newcomers for rabies and now it's time to see which ones prove themselves worthy of Baltimore Citizenship and which ones will be destroyed.

To kick off the session, we received a request for a meeting with the Master of Elysium and Antony (reeve.)


Site Survey

Before our meeting, Alice and I take advantage of this time of relative calm to survey our territory and take stock of our House. Our territory runs along the shore of the Chesapeake Bay. It is bordered by the territory of my Cousin Antony (reeve), the territory of the Coterie of my cousin Darren (censor), and the Territory of Dorris Bettes (daeva, carthian.) The territory itself boasts three main locations of interest:

1. There are some industrial docks that have fallen into disrepair. The boat slips need dredging and cranes need maintenance, but the docks could be made serviceable again. This is relevant because Kade (gangrel, dragon, Alice's apprentice in coils) wants to get involved in organized crime. If we were able to get this operation running and hand it off to Kade (and his girlfriend Lorraine Reddington) we might create for ourselves some passive income.

2. Close to the new metro station which links this neighborhood to the rest of the city construction is almost finished on a new nightclub. The club was the dream of Kat (gangrel, carthian) who came to Baltimore because it has a reputation for having a thriving cosplay community. So, we made a deal with Kat: We would go in 50/50 on the construction costs of the venue and when it is open, she will run it. It will hopefully become good feeding ground in the near future.

3. Christina has also been working on a building project. You may recall that we have bargained to get permission from Madeline Ross (master of Elysium) to open an official Elysium of our own. Sure, there are other kindred meeting places in the city but none of them have the official status of Elysium. Ours will.


Trouble in Paradise?

One thing we notice while familiarizing ourselves with our new domain is that construction is not proceeding very quickly on Christina's future Elysium venue. There are other sites around locust point where crews are working twenty-four hours a day under the glare of high powered work lights. Not so at Christina's place. So we made plans to speak to Antony after our meeting with the Keeper. You see, one of Antoni's main mortal influences is that he owns more than one construction firm and has influence with several others. If you want something build quickly and discreetly, Antony is your man. We figured he could smooth things out for us.

The meeting takes place in Antony's bar. When we arrive there, we see that Antony has pulled out a dining table into the bar with place settings for 12. The settings have fine silverware and doilies and whatnot. I wonder if this is meant to be a formal affair. Fortunately it turned out not to be, but Antony was covering his bases. Anyway, Madeline Ross arrives and drops a bombshell on us.

Madeline Ross: "The Prince has ordered me to shut down Elysium and rebuild it at a new venue. As such, your Elysium will be the only Elysium for some time. Please do hurry in completing its construction. I do not want there to be a loss of continuity of service during the transition."

Holy shit, this is a big opportunity for our Coterie to show the city we are cool for reasons other than violence. However, before Madame Ross leaves she asks Antony to use his construction connections to speed the progress on her project. Fuck. Now we can't ask him. Gotta figure something out.


At Octavia's House

We hadn't had much time to speak to our Liege Lord since the family dinner as were busy babysitting the newcomers in the QZ. When we arrived at Octavia's estate, she was not home. We sat in her library and waited for a few hours for her return. Konrad Von Berg has become her mentor in the Ordo Dracul and she is therefore spending a lot of time with him. I'm not really comfortable with calling Octavia a 'slave' so I hope she learns some coils soon.

Note from the ST: "Octavia is a lot older than a neonate. It will be a lot more difficult for her to change herself. Also, she doesn't have a lot of XP to spend right now. So don't expect a meteoric rise within the Order." Fine...

Anyway, we did finally get to speak with Octavia and inquire as to her plans.

Octavia: "Right now, I am watching and waiting. But soon, I am going to make a lot of kindred very uncomfortable. I have been stripped of my lands and titles as a result of my choice to join the Order. That doesn't change the fact that I am very ambitious and very capable. I will soon make a move on someone's territory and take it for my own. I was once a regent of the City and I will be again."

There are two territories that Octavia has her eyes on now:

1. The territory of Sharon Winter (gangrel, ancilla, invictus, Kade's sire) is located on the eastern border of the University (dragon territory.) Sharon has sworn her fealty to Octavia. However, Octavia's change of Covenant will give Sharon an opportunity to have her agreement voided. If Sharon keeps faith with Octavia, Octavia will keep faith with Sharon. However, if Sharon does decide to leave Octavia's service, Octavia will attack Sharon's influence and holdings with the goal of leaving her landless.

2. Bellinsky makes his territory in Little Italy. Little Italy has changed hands a few times over the course of the game. It was initially Lancea Sanctum territory, but Pilgrim gifted it to Bellinsky (invictus) and Elliot Rex (carthian); the brothers nosferatu. The brothers divided the territory, each taking half for themself. Since the death of Elliot Rex I have wondered if his half of Little Italy would be inherited by his brother Bellinsky or if as a Carthian his territory would pass into the hands of the carthians and thus Michael Seville. In either case, if Sharon Winter keeps her agreement with Octavia this is where Octavia will strike.

Octavia: "And besides, you already have a perfectly legitimate casus belli with Bellinsky. He has been interfering with construction in your territory."

AHA! Wait, what? It's Bellinsky? I kind of assumed it was Dorris Bettes. Time will tell.


This should bring the story up to date. There might or might not be a session this weekend. Nevertheless, my interest in this game continues to be high. All credit to my ST who is really the best in the business. Thanks for reading

[Thorbes]

Thank you for writting! Curious and curiouser.

[Phersus]

So nice to have you back, figurehead!

I'm curious about one thing: Does that sentence you mentioned in the last 7th chapter post ("I am told by the ST that Alice and I will soon be rotated out of the front lines for a time and given an opportunity to develop our land and knock antlers with some of the other neonates of the city.") and the recent events mean that the whole "deadly external foes" and the Prince situation will be left more into the background and less into your hands?

[tsusasi]

<< I don't know why Peter rewarded me and not Alice in this way. >>

Felix is married to Alice. What's his is hers and what's hers is his.

[figurehead]

Hey thanks guys. It's good to be back

@Phersus: The external deadly threats are still very much a part of the story, but they are operating on a vampire time scale. Behind the scenes, parties from outside the city have been probing Baltimore trying to find out whether or not the Prince has succumbed to torpor yet. In this setting, the Prince of Baltimore is a seriously powerful Elder. He is feared far and wide. Those who look to Baltimore with avarice would probably prefer to wait until he is off the board before invading. There have been a few scenes in which the Prince has acted to remind outsiders that he is still very much active.

1. There was the night that a nosferatu elder from New York visited midnight mass. I don't know if it was a coincidence that that night was a night of indulgence, but the Prince assembled all the mekhet (and one ventrue) and together we destroyed that vampire.

2. Then there was the night the Prince asked us all to assemble and be ready to fight he gave a small speech/warning to a vampire who he then killed. If I am not mistaken, that vampire was merely a pawn who was being possessed by the Prince of Philadelphia.

So, there have been reminders sent to the nearest domains that Baltimore is still very much under the protection and control of the Prince. Also, the ST has been hinting that Philadelphia have been corrupted by Belial's Brood. I suspect that one way or another we will see a conflict with Philadelphia that will end in violence, and Alice and I will be there.


@tsusasi: So true, and she's not shy about it. Regardless, Konrad has made it clear that the next Ventrue who will allowed to sire will be Octavia. So, even if I were inclined to sire at this time I would have to get in line. As for Alice, I don't think she is interested in becoming a mommy yet.


Finally, I took a few minuets to create a chart of the Ordo Dracul roster with master/apprentice relationships shown. [LINK]

[Phersus]

Thank your for the answer. You know, figurehead... i'm dying to know how Felix and Alice would react to the Stryx. It will be (as it was) funny seeing the clash with Belial's Brood and of course other ancillae (we can take Felix and Alice in that power level, right?). But against the Owls... :3

[figurehead]

Some really interesting things happened during our last play session. I'll have to wait and see what comes of the developments before I write about them though. In the mean time, I created a chart of all the non-citizen vampires in the area to help me better understand what's going on. Hopefully it'll tide you over a bit. [non-citizen vampire chart.]

As for the strix, we will never know. Thankfully all members of our group are in agreement: the strix were a terrible idea and a terrible waste of pages in the new edition. Let's not discuss it any further in this thread though please.

Edit: Updated the chart to include vampires from all the territories surrounding Baltimore. Note that some characters' covenants are written with an upper case first letter and others with lower case. This is an indication of whether or not they have fully committed to their choice and/or have been fully accepted by the covenant. Known coteries are grouped in blue boxes.

[tsusasi]

Daeva - Canadian Johnathon Poole Is a Canadian invasion one of the latest developments?

[figurehead]

lol no. He's a carthian, but he did emigrate from Montreal.

[Phersus]

As for the strix, we will never know. Thankfully all members of our group are in agreement: the strix were a terrible idea and a terrible waste of pages in the new edition. Let's not discuss it any further in this thread though please.

Oh! Well, i personally enjoy them a lot, but i know others don't share my point of view. Fair enough. Keep the adventures coming!

[figurehead]

Security Measures

I forgot to mention two topics that came up when Antony, Alice, and I were talking to Madeline Ross (daeva, master of Elysium) at Antony's bar: Due to the recent breach of security at the city Elysium, two policy changes have taken effect.

1. Until recently, the Elysium was open to any who could find it. This included newcomers to the city and their ghouls. Due to the recent security breech, this default state of welcome has been rescinded.

2. Certain influential kindred in the city (read: invictus) will no longer accept letters unless they are written on watermarked paper and sealed with wax. The watermarks and wax seal should be unique to the kindred sending the letter.


Sherrie & Fishie

Over the course of the game, there have been several vampires who have done us wrong. The ones that have pissed me off the most were the ones that have targeted our haven, our family, or both. So far, we have prevailed against our enemies, and we have tried to do so in a way that sends a message to others who would consider similar actions. Such messages have come in the form of public duels and in one case the destruction of an entire bloodline.

And then there is the case of Fishie. Fishie, formally known as Sharol rebelled against her daeva sister Catherine and was expelled from the territory of Roy. She wound up working for Pasha in the now fallow NE side. In the course of her duties, she attempted to kidnap Felicity (my vampire sister) twice, and she has been paying for her crime ever since.

Alice and I decided to ruin her and release her into the Quarantine Zone. We beat her down again and again. We took steps to make sure that no coterie would ever accept her. Even the notoriously Canadian white knight Jonathan Poole gave up on her. Occasionally, a flicker of conscience will enter my thoughts and I remind myself that her employers intended to sacrifice Felicity in some kind of Blood Sorcery ritual.

In part 6 of the write up, I mentioned that after the "Dark Lord" and his progeny were destroyed we decided to take a prisoner. Sherry (daeva, unaligned) has been staying in one of the rooms of our haven for a while now. Both of Sherry's vampire siblings were blood bound to their sire. Somehow, Sherry managed to avoid that fate and convince her sire that she was in fact bound to him. We took it as evidence that she had a better head on her shoulders than her compatriots and offered her a deal: "Come with us and do what we say and you will live. Don't, and die the final death."

Our intention is this: We will groom this girl for Baltimore Citizenship and membership in the Circle of the Crone. It is our hope that we can gift her to Appolonia (daeva priscus) in an effort to make up for the fact that we have taken two members of her clan as our slaves (Aika and Aiko.) This is a long term project obviously.

Before we could begin training the girl there were some hurdles for us to leap:

1. I wasn't going to proceed with this plan if the only thing keeping her in line is fear of death or worse. When we brought her to our place, she was convinced that we were planning to turn her into a sex slave or something. It took several conversations to convince her that were not going to do that. We also had to shine a light on her previous situation (that she was spawned from a bloodline whose patriarch actually called himself 'the dark lord' with a straight face.) and convinced her that she is being given a gift in the form of an opportunity to be something other than sex slave/cannon fodder in the 'dark lord's army.

2. In exchange for a boon, the notary created for us an Invictus contract solidifying our teacher student relationship. We also, made sure that Kade's girlfriend Lorraine met the girl. Lorraine knows Majesty, and in the event that Sherry tries to run away, Lorraine can call her back.

3. We invited Melissa Hopps (daeva, harpy, groom, circle) to join us at our haven one night. When she arrived, I introduced her to Sherry and asked her for some advice. When Melissa saw that there was *another* daeva under our roof she giggled.

Melissa: "Felix, do you have thing for daeva?"

Once she was done teasing me, she was willing to offer a little advice. She told me that I should be careful because of the relationship between Appolonia and her childe Calypso (daeva, crone, ancilla.) Calypso does not want to learn cruac. In our game, blood sorcery and standard disciplines are mutually exclusive. So, if Calypso were to begin learning cruac, she would lose access to decades of experience with other disciplines.

Anyway, if a new daeva were to join the Circle and embrace cruac, they may one day eclipse Calypso's position in the circle and perhaps in her mother's heart. Melissa advised us that if we were able, we should mold the girl such that she would accept the philosophy of the Crone, and train her to be competent in her chosen occupation. She warned us that if we do too good a job, we could make an enemy of Calypso. We shall have to walk a fine line, but in the end we owe a debt to Apollonia. Not her daughter.

So, since Alice and I have been rotated out of the Quarantine Zone we have more free time on our hands. I decided that it was time to start training Sherry. But first, I wanted to make it clear how high the stakes were for her. Well, I have a little while back learned the fifth dot of Obfuscate (cloak the gathering, not the 2nd ed holodeck power.) So I took her invisibly across the bay so she could see what life was like for Fishie.

We arrived at the 'Private Eye' which is a strip club where Fishie works a few nights a week. After she finished her shift there, we followed her back onto the street. Fishie wandered around for awhile until she found Shaman (nosferatu, carthian.)

Fishie: "Can I have a ticket?"
Shaman: "You still haven't paid me for the last one."
Fishie: "You know I'm good for it."
Shaman: "You owe me."

In the Quarantine Zone, newcomers have two options when it comes to legal feeding:
1. They can drink cold blood from the butcher shop. The almoner (Cooper) provides this blood as part of his official capacity as a city official. However, drinking here is a catch 22
a. Cooper is required to provide enough blood to keep the beast at bay to anyone who asks. However, taking your meals here is an admission that you are not able to feed yourself. You will lose face.
b. Any blood provided over and above what is needed to keep the beast at bay, and you owe Cooper a boon.
2. Your other option comes in the form of tickets. They are distributed in limited numbers and the color changes from month to month so as to prevent overfeeding.

Anyway, Shaman is something of a loan shark where the tickets are concerned. So, with a ticket in her pocket Fishie turns and heads north along the main road in the QZ. Eventually she finds a john and pulls him into an alley. Money changes hands and Fishie drops to her knees. In the course performing fellatio, Fishie sinks her fangs into her john. She leaves with a little cash, a little blood, and a very satisfied customer. As she leaves she pulls the ticket out of her pocket, tears it in two, and drops it on the street.

Sherry wants to know why we have made her watch this. "Because there are fates worse than death."


Broom

One fine evening, Alice and I are summoned in our official capacity as Marshals. We are to accompany Seville, Spider (nosferatu), and Jerome James (nosferatu) into the Quarantine Zone. Most of the newcomers have arrived from Council Territory, which is slowly but surely being abandoned by vampires.

There is one newcomer who is from farther afield. The vampire in question is named Broom, and he is nosferatu. There have been rumors of a powerful nosferatu in the area, and Seville has decided to look into the matter personally. So, the group of us arrive near the Jiffy-Lube where the area's vampires hang out. We ask one of the newcomers where we can find Broom, but he is not keen on telling us where he is.

Jerome James: "If you do not take us to Broom, you will regret it."

Alice, Jerome, Spider, and I are led to Broom. Seville is invisible and presumably following us. Our journey is not long, as Broom is hanging out in the parking lot behind the Jiffy-Lube talking to a few other vampires. There is definitely a feeling of power in the air. I am not sure if we are detecting blood potency, nightmare aura, or a little of both.

Seville emerges from the shadows and introduces himself to Broom. There is a little small talk in which Broom reveals that he is from New York before Seville gets down to business.

Seville: "I hear we may have a new priscus in town."
Broom: "Oh... You can call me that if you want to." (false modesty)


There is a blur as Seville closes the distance to Broom and grabs him by the throat. They lock eyes for a minute before Broom is frozen in fear. Seville releases him and walks away.

Back at Seville's office, he tells us that he may have made a mistake by losing his temper that way. Seville turns to Spider and orders him to travel to New York and find out whatever he can about Broom's pedigree.


Elysium

About a week later, Alice and I went to Elysium. A few things of note occured.

1. We were approached by Susan Small (ventrue, dragon, harpy, cousin, coterie-mate.)
Susan: "You didn't hear? Pilgrim has distributed a new batch of golden tickets to the newcomers."

Ah... the golden tickets. It has been several years since Pilgrim has handed them out. They are very valuable for multiple reasons. First is simple entertainment value. Pilgrim throws good parties. The greater value comes in the form of access. Some elders are easy to get an audience with, like Seville. Pilgrim is on the opposite side of the spectrum. I have only had two conversations with the man in all the years I have been in Baltimore. In fact, it was at the last golden ticket event that Pilgrim revealed to me that I had a sister. So yeah. I want the tickets.

2. As we were leaving, Simon (mekhet, ancilla, archon, lance) handed us a sealed envelope.
Simon: "Open it tomorrow when you wake."


Looking for Tickets

Well, if the tickets have been disbursed in the QZ, that is where we will go. After asking some questions we learned a few things about this year's batch of tickets.

1. Some of the tickets are issued to the bearer, meaning they can be traded and anyone can use them. Others have been issued to specific individuals.

2. Dorris Bettes has already made it a point to inform the newbies that the tickets are in fact valuable. I guess I won't be able to swindle the newcomers. That's a bummer. And also, I really dislike Dorris Bettes.

Another vampire who was upset that Dorris let the cat out of the bag was Shaman. As I have mentioned before he something of a trader. I know he would have liked to get his hands on them cheap and resell them. He did manage to get one though, and he did owe me a boon for our assistance with his ghoul attendant, Snow. So, Shaman gave us his ticket. One down. Four to go.

Also during our search, we stopped by the Jiffy-Lube made it known that we were looking for tickets, and that anyone interested in selling should speak with us. A newcomer named Mark West approaches us and states that he would trade is his ticket in exchange for advice and assistance in getting permission to blood bond another newcomer named Molly McMillan. He would be willing to accept Piper Morgan or Delores Nelson as alternate choices. We declined.


Abandon all Hope

The next evening after Alice and I awoke, we broke the seal on Simon's letter. It read simply: "Empty your house of anyone who is not Felix Fox or Alice Fox." So, we gathered Sidney, Mouse, Aika, Aiko, Sherri, and all our other staffers and sent them downtown with instructions to hang out at a hotel and not to return until dawn approaches.

Over the course of about an hour, three groups of kindred arrive.

1st: My cousin Antony (ventrue, reeve, invictus) arrives. He is accompanied by a retinue of ghouls. The vampire Hope is with them. She is gagged and in chains. Antony doesn't know why he has been summoned here. He received a letter from Simon just like us.
2nd: The doorbell rings and Spider (nosferatu) is at our doorstep. We invite him in, and he lingers in the doorway for a few moments before he shuts it at which point Seville appears. We welcome them both into our home and walk into the parlor where hope is kneeling on the floor looking very upset. Apparently, neither Spider nor Seville know why they have been summoned here either. Seville looks at Hope and says: "Oh. Is this entertainment?"

Seville also asks Alice and I to stop by his office tomorrow for tea.

3rd: "We hear the garage door opening and sounds of vehicles pulling in. Soon, a small parade comes marching up the stairs. First come Kyle (mekhet) and a ghoul. They pause, holding the door open for an unkown number of invisible kindred. Last to enter are Kyle (a second Kyle) and Betty (Alice's sister.)

The various guests arrange themselves in our parlor and one of the Kyles removes Hope's gag.
Kyle: "Relax. We are here to look into your grievance."
Hope: "Oh. Yeah, right. I want to see the Prince. I want to report a plot against the Prince. Felix and Alice are plotting against the Prince!"
Kyle stares at Hope for a while.
Hope: "Stop staring at me!"

Then Kyle turns to Alice and me.
Kyle: "These are very serious accusations. Of all the kindred in this room I would suspect Felix the most. Plotting. Travelling between cities. Carrying orders."

Alice and I each in turn feel a gentle pressure on our minds followed by a breeze as Kyle (obviously the Prince) searches our minds for signs of disloyalty or evidence of a plot against him. Next, there is silence in the room as the various mekhet commune in silence with one another.

Simon, who arrived under the guise of the first ghoul puts the gag back on Hope's mouth and asks: "Do you have any stakes in this house?"

Before we can respond, Antony pulls one out of his coat. Always prepared that one. Hope is staked and carried away by Antony, leaving only the 2nd and 3rd groups to arrive remaining. The mekhet in the room begin to trade places and faces with one another in an impressive display of obfuscate/shell game. When they finish, there are still two Kyles. This time, one of them obviously exudes the predatory aura of an elder.

Prince Kyle: "Be seated." Then he turns to Seville and says: "I see your agent has returned from New York. Have you any news?"
Seville: "I would have made a report if I knew your interest."

Seville gave us the following information about Broom:
1. Spider made contact with Lady Montessori (nosferatu, carthian, prince of Brooklyn)
2. Broom's age is that of an older ancilla, but due to various times spent in torpor his power is that of a mid-level ancilla.
3. He has fled New York due to blood hunt being called on him by Suzerane (Prince of Manhattan.)
4. He didn't linger in the outer boroughs for fear that Adhamar (ventrue, Prince of the Bronx, invictus, my grandsire's brother.) Would complete the blood hunt out of courtesy to Suzerane.
5. He has a reputation for cruelty, ambition, and determination.

Prince Kyle: "Well, well. You know how to pick your enemies."
Seville: "If you give me permission, I will see to his destruction this night."
Prince Kyle: "What do you think of him as Prince?"
Seville remains silent.
Prince Kyle: "What about you Felix?"
Felix: "No, I don't think he will make a good Prince."
Prince Kyle: "Why?"
Felix: "Because you have not named him so."
Prince Kyle: "How very politic."
Felix: "In all seriousness, he is not of our blood. He is not of Baltimore."
Prince Kyle: "But our enemies will not attack as long as I hold the reigns of power."

It never occurred to me that the Prince would really hand the reigns of power to an outsider, and as he continued to speak I could not hold my tongue.

Felix: "Oh my god, you're going to hand the throne to Septimus."
Prince Kyle: "No. That would be cruel, but I do think Broom would fit the bill. Perhaps we will fake the death of Michael Seville."

For the first time in the game's history Seville lets down his guard and we are able to succeed at an empathy roll against him. He does not like the sounds of this plan.

Prince Kyle Continues: "The city is unassailable as long as I am Prince. Therefore it is better to be attacked while I am Prince."

Seville: "Let me offer an alternative: We assist Adhamar to take all of New York, then combine our forces to remove the blight from Philadelphia. Adhamar believes Suzerane is completely under the sway of the priests. He has become lethargic.

Prince Kyle: "Suzerane's throne is built on the bones of those who have thought that. No. Adhamar is a great vampire, and would be a great Prince for another city, but his power is not great enough to take Manhattan."

Prince Kyle: "The Carthian voice will rise. Many will join Broom and he will strike you (Seville) down spectacularly. Publicly. Maintain secrecy of this meeting and prepare for an inhospitable rule. But don't worry. It won't last long.

After the meeting, Seville is the last to leave. "That offer of tea is still on. See you tomorrow night."


This covers about half of my notes from the last couple game sessions. More to come when I get a little more time to write. I hope you all enjoy if. Also... wow! We finally know the plan of the Prince.

[Thorbes]

Ha! I love the prince of your city.

[Phersus]

Risky gambit! Having the wisdom and power the Prince seems to have i trust his/her judgement... but there are outsiders as potent as him/her. I'd seriously worry about the power and knowledge of the shadowed enemies.

Other point i'd wonder about would be about that expression "it won't last long". Exactly how much time do qualify as "long" for the Prince?

And last, but certainly not least: won't be suspicious that an Ancilla (and one not that potent as Broom) take the Prince's Mantle uncontestedly? What about all the rest of Baltimore Elders? Will they suffer this boisterous newcomer in silence? This could very well spell civil war.