Story Notes
Book III
Book III: O'er the Ramparts we Watch’d
A Camarilla Chronicle
Story 1: New Eyes in the Night
Story 2: Escape from Georgetown
Story 3: May Old Acquaintance be Forgot
Chapter 1: The Narrow Paths
BOOK III, Story 3, Chapter 1, part 1: A New Understanding
Asa and Zachary hear gunfire in the farmhouse courtyard and bound down the stairs, Asa bringing with him his sword. Gwen is performing her necromantic rituals on her newest of specimens in the farmhouse basement and misses the commotion at first, though once she does, she makes use of the bones collected from Ashûr’s would-be ossuary in crafting a retinue of skeletal warriors to join her as she ascends the stairs to get outside. All see Rose in the courtyard abandoned to frenzy, polishing off one Giovanni ghoul and moving on to another. The ghoul fires into Rose’s face, the bullet embedding itself in her skull. Though vitae trickles out of her, Rose continues in her rampage as a blur.
Zachary inches closer to Rose, attempting to calm her down. Asa pushes out with his power, opening his third eye and allowing a small cone of True Light to encircle him and his friend, Zachary.
Even while the Beast of Rose is tearing through the Giovanni firing upon her, her soul rests elsewhere . . . alongside her conjoined spirit, Tala. Whether Rose is in a compartment in her own mind to stave off the horrors of what her body is doing or has crossed somewhere into the Astral Plane or another dimension is a matter of belief. To Rose, she knows only that she is in a calm representation of the Shenandoah and with the wolf spirit, Tala.
Tala desperately speaks without words to Rose, entreating her to understand a new Path. For the Path of Men will lead her only to the Beast, the spirit wolf warns. Rose teeters on the brink of wassail, but the Beast is not the only spirit within Rose. Tala begins imparting the tenets of a new mode of morality and Rose pledges her oath to protect the Spirits of the Land and maintain the balance of nature.
And thus it is Rose herself who ends her frenzy and regains her senses, surrounded by the carnage she created. Rose sits on the ground. Zachary moves to hug her, in a sign of support. Gwenevieve, seeing one Giovanni ghoul dead and another grievously wounded, is less than enthusiastic about the mess she surveys as she calls on her skeletal warriors, Paolo and other emerging ghouls to stand down. Asa uses his healing touch to stabilize the dying ghoul as Gwenevieve has her dead family member brought to her basement.
The coterie gathers for an unobserved conversation in the vitae pumps in the central shaft deep in the Temple. Leaning among the tubes and shafts, the troupe hashes out their differences and concerns. Together, they come to a new understanding. Rose and Gwen have a private conversation between the two of them afterwards. Gwen floats the idea that she will use the story of having blood bound Rose to keep her family from seeing Rose as an obstacle to their plans.
Gwen retires to her bones and corpses in the farmhouse basement: she has her skeletal retinue outfit themselves with Enochian armor and sees to her necromancy studies with all of her new specimens…
Rose meditates alone in the belly of the Temple.
Zachary lays next to Asa in the servitor barracks.
The sun crests the sky and all die.
Zachary dreams of the end of a world, though it is unclear if it is the material world he is seeing or some other plane of existence, but it is certainly swept up in a storm of near- unfathomable magnitude, wherever it might have been.
Asa wakes before Zachary. Zachary’s prophetic dreams cause his pores to leak blood in the form of sigils on the ground. A starving Asa is tempted by the blood spilled around him, but manages to hold on long enough for a roused Zachary to bring him a Giovanni blood bag. They decipher the blood sigil and find it saying something about the biblical Abel and a maelstrom being unleashed by fools.
Zachary can feel the tickle of a tendril of the Cobweb at the back of his head. He knows that it is someone with whom he has connected before, and so could be either good news or bad news, but he chooses to allow the feeling in as he examines further. He is relieved to find his friend Joan. Joan, the Malkavian Primogen of Georgetown now hunted refugee in Alexandria, opens her frantic mind to Zachary and the two appear in a hastily-designed approximation of Joan’s library (as was) in Gallaudet.
Zachary tries to be comforting and encouraging, but Joan is in a hurry to impart as much information as she is able: for she is being actively hunted by the methuselah, Hirut. Joan recounts in fragments that Hirut and Samal had been in some sort of battle, and Joan had stolen the demon hand of Hirut’s lover from the ancient’s side as she sank her teeth in Samal. Joan says she hoped this would cause Hirut to follow her and give Samal an opening.
Zachary encourages Joan to try to make it to the Tremere wall to break through with the hand before Hirut finds her. Joan hopes for this as well, but knows the moment has been prepared for. Zachary must save her in November of 885 A.D. in Paris on the “third day of the siege.” Joan entreats Zachary to find her and that she will follow him and travel with him. She warns Zachary that changing the past comes with a cost, a physical one.
The connection in the Cobweb is suddenly severed.
Read Gwenevieve’s Cronache della Sindone for “A New Understanding” here.
Read the Canticles of the Prophet Zachariah for “A New Understanding” here.
BOOK III, Story 3, Chapter 1, part 2: An Old Nemesis
[WIP] - Hirut and gang have confrontation at Bull Run train tracks. - Marcus intervenes and time is rewritten. - Escape Hirut crater, return to Temple. - Aunt Lucretia arrives
Read Gwenevieve’s Cronache della Sindone for “An Old Nemesis” here.
Read the Canticles of the Prophet Zachariah for “An Old Nemesis” here.
Chapter 2: The Drawing Board
BOOK III, Story 3, Chapter 2, part 1: Know These Times
Gwen meets with her unexpected guest, Aunt Lucretia. Cedric, Comet, Joan, Zachary, Asa and Ben all hide in the farmhouse. Rose changes into nicer clothes. Lucretia offers back the thin bloods who had been left at the Embassy. Further, she has established transport in the Underworld between Sudley Cemetery in Manassas and the Embassy. Using this as pretext, Lucretia suggests Gwen get more help and pries into her progress. Gwen deflects and insists her aunt leave.
After Lucretia and her ghostly retinue depart, the coterie discusses the Temple and what to do with the thinbloods. They finally decide to keep the thinbloods in the attic with Rose as their protector, though they worry about the ever-increasing amount of blood they will need to keep their undead army out of torpor. It is decided that Asa will work to “source” some blood bags from Prince William Hospital. The coterie also decides that they will deal with George after they find blood and deal with small matters.
Rose speaks with the thinbloods and finds that they were told that they would bring the end of the world. One of the thinbloods, Pam, sees the animated skeletons and frenzies in fear. Rose grabs her and calms her down. After she explains about blood bonds, she offers her spirit-touched vitae as a “clean” alternative. Rose feeds Pam.
Benjamin wakes up with Joan’s help. He rises and begins spouting prophesy from the Book of Nod. Ben regains control of himself and is shocked by everything that has transpired. Asa, Ben and Zachary all talk at Benjamin’s bedside.
Benjamin and Zachary settle in. Gwen and Rose hunt, killing a couple of campers and staging it as a bear attack.
The Malkavians Cobweb to discuss their next steps.
Read Gwenevieve’s Cronache della Sindone for “Know These Times” here.
Read the Canticles of the Prophet Zachariah for “Know These Times” here.
BOOK III, Story 3, Chapter 2, part 2: Premonitions and Preparations
In the Temple, The Malkavians disengage from the Cobweb and split off to die for the day. Zachary pulls Comet aside to thank him and discuss Prentiss and Nathaniel. Zachary dreams of the destruction of the universe through the actions of Marcus of the Mekhetim. Rose allows Zachary to drink from her when he wakes, nearly frenzied. Zachary sees visions of Rose’s life and then tells the others of his ability.
The coterie gathers and makes a plan to deal with George once and for all. Asa makes plans to find a secure blood supply in Manassas.
Read the Canticles of the Prophet Zachariah for “Premonitions and Preparations” here.
Chapter 3: Eyes of the Tremere
BOOK III, Story 3, Chapter 3, part 1: Needs
Rose and Gwen travel together on the outskirts of Manassas to hunt. They kill with abandon, leaving a man and woman dead in a tent. The pair then travel to Sidley Cemetery to lay their trap for George. Rose digs up human remains and reburies them just below the surface of the earth. Gwenevieve practices her grisly art and ritually prepares the bones and rotting sinew to quicken upon her command. Gwen also takes the opportunity to open a portal into the Sudario, in a place weakened already. She passes through with Rose. Rose calls upon her power over the Spirit plane, immediately attracting unwanted attention from the local flora and fauna of the realm.
Asa sets out to Manassas General Hospital to use his knowledge and wits in a blood heist. He charms and bluffs his way into the blood stores where more drastic action is taken. Asa delves into the mind of the night nurse in charge, only to find that the man had already been conditioned by another Childe of Caine. Asa reorders the man’s memory and leaves with only a few blood bags, so as not to raise suspicion. As Asa leaves, shortly after the strike of midnight, he feels eyes upon him. His preternatural senses tell him of the danger and his sixth sense can see Number 4 through the ether … who looks back at him with glee.
Back at the Temple, Benjamin reveals to Zachary an insight into the operation of the Irad. The pair then have a heart-to-heart about their new situation and settle in at the farmhouse with the thin bloods for a night of “Indiana Jones” movies.
Read the Canticles of the Prophet Zachariah for “Needs” here.
BOOK III, Story 3, Chapter 3, part 2: They Lurk in the Shadows
[WIP] - Rose makes some stakes at Sibley Cemetery and then melds into the earth with Nana and Vousette. Gwen requisitions equipment and practices her necromantic arts. Asa, Comet, Cedric, Zachary, Joan and Benjamin stay in the Temple. Zachary talks to Joan. He asks her to stay behind in the battle ahead and she offers to pilot the Temple into the sun. Zachary dreams of Caine sitting as a lonely and bored “king” sitting on the wreckage of life at the end of the world. Caine perceives Zachary at last and swats him away. Zachary wakes screaming in the car. The stealth team of Asa, Ben, Zachary and Cedric leave before most have awoken for the night. The team sets an ambush for George, but George doesn’t arrive in-person. Number 7’s human flesh puppet, Walter “Wally” Peabody, arrived and was swiftly despatched from behind. Gwen returns to the Temple site to deal with Family matters as Rose and Zachary speak with a frightened “Birthday,” deciding to let him go.
Read the Canticles of the Prophet Zachariah for “They Lurk in the Shadows” here.
Chapter 4: The Ball Drops
BOOK III, Story 3, Chapter 4, part 1: Happy New Year
[WIP] — Group splits. Gwen returns to temple. Meanwhile, rest of coterie decides to go out for New Years to hunt and let their hair down. Benjamin starts freaking out over his new powers, and Zachary works to calm him and hone his abilities. The group has an exchange with the Toreador patron of the establishment (Crossroads Tavern), smell fae, Zachary has a confrontation with Damien in the Cobweb. Gwen stabs and bonds Paulo and sets him to her mode of thinking. Gwen has a very pleasant conversation with Wally, who earnestly tells her everything he knows. She learns that Number 4’s haven is next to the club the group said they were going to. She enters shortly after George. Gwen arrives at the club and sees George, having just Dominated Benjamin, yells “He’s Got a Gun” as ghouls pull fire alarm.
Read the Canticles of the Prophet Zachariah for “Happy New Year” here.
BOOK III, Story 3, Chapter 4, part 2: Be Forgot
[WIP] - Gwen sends John Edgar to attack/possess George. Zachary unobfuscated. Rose undominated Benjamin. Zachary, Asa, Ben reunite upstairs. Zachary goes to window to read George’s mind and finds his amalgam (including Birthday) trapped inside George. Asa stays behinds, calms people down and stabilizes them. George is shepherded into the car. Rose drains George’s blood. Cedric obfuscates van as coterie strips George. Find items and kill switch on him. Coterie returns to temple from downtown Manassas. On trip, Gwen hears from Prentiss (tells her of Number 4’s plans/position/Vittorio’s involvement), Zachary senses Joan in Cobweb and to close door. Gwen then speaks with Paulo (about Temple attack and Griselda’s murder of him/probable possession). Gwen then speaks with Wally who tells her of Jinx. Coterie gets to the farmhouse area. Rose drinks from a Malkavian she reaches out of the van to consume. The group drives on to the Temple site, noticing the torpid Malkavians and skeletons ruined by the demon. Group arrives at temple, hears laughing inside, sees blood on door from Jinx (used Gateway blood to get into). Rose runs in first, sees Griselda with head ripped off and Xaxil’s head atop the headstump. Group gets to Pillar of Irad. Sees Joan on floor, bound. Sees demon, Jinx. Rose shoots Jinx with stake, and doesn’t send her into Torpor, though wounded (in more ways than one). Zachary and Asa run down in obfuscation. Rose summons an other-worldly beast. Zachary and Asa get Joan to safety. Gwen animates and empowers the body of Dominico. Jinx pulls the stake out of the Heart of Irad.
Chatpter 5: Heart of the Temple
BOOK III, Story 3, Chapter 5, part 1: The Fall of Irad
[WIP] -- Jinx looks at demon and says, “Sorry, Xaxie, not like you said it would be at all.” She cries and runs upstairs. Xaxil does battle with the Eldar Beist, Zachary makes psychic contact with Irad and sees only hatred and bestial hunger. Boxcar calls out “You have betrayed me for the last time, Lucifer!” Jinx runs as Temple moves into the Interstitial. Zachary sees some of Irad’s memories, including “his” own hands involved in the killing of his dark Father’s. Boxcar is burned by Asa’s eye-light. Rose runs up to re-stake Irad. Gwen joins with the Temple using her Gateway powers to force it to the Plane of Death. Rose pummels the head of Xaxil into a paste. Joan is saved, but announces that it feels wrong. Coterie realizes they are in the shadow lands and that Jinx is not there, nor did she go into the Underworld, as the wraiths cannot find her about.
BOOK III, Story 3, Chapter 5, part 2: Stone and Blood
[WIP] — Coterie, seeing that they are in the Shadowlands, decide to stay there. Group explores a now- “living” Temple. Gwen sees a symbol for death that she recognizes and connects to the Tal’mahe’Ra. Begin to understand coordinate system in Temple, and planar shifting symbols. Zachary Cobwebs with Prentiss and the Malkavians to warn Comet, Benjamin and Cedric about the possible displacement by the moving of the Temple. The Malkavians discuss the fate of their friends in the battle (particularly Vousette’s wounding and Nana’s fall by the hands of Xaxil). The group figures out some things and Zachary uses his blood to move planes by slicing hand on sundial and earth stone. Reunite with Benjamin and others. Altogether, learn Temple is unobfuscated now in material plane. Understand markings on banks of stone buttons to find, among other things, tiny script over one which said, “Disciplines of Caine.” Zachary uses his blood on that grill, channeling Obfuscate. It takes a great amount of his blood, pushing him unconscious as the Temple goes into Obfuscation.
Chapter 6: Finding Allies
BOOK III, Story 3, Chapter 6, part 1: The Would-Be Prince
[WIP] — Group takes stock. Rose talks to Vousette and then Nana’s transcended spirit. Group plans together. Asa drinks from a Malkavian and loses Humanity. Zachary drinks from Darius and Sinéad and learns of their lives and unlives. Gwen sleeps in Ashûr’s room. Zachary and Benjamin fall to death together, listening to Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time.” Zachary sees a vision of an ancient city and a king falling to shadow. Later, he dreams with Jordan and “saves” him from madness, learning Middle English and Latin at the same time. Zachary learns a bit about Jordan’s backstory up to when Jordan was about to be the Prince of Georgetown. Zachary frees Jordan and Jordan’s stake falls out.
BOOK III, Story 3, Chapter 6, part 2: The Archbishop’s Gift
[WIP] —Group wakes and finds Zachary cannot speak intelligible (modern) English most of the time. He speaks, however (without control) Middle English and Latin. Asa stays behind. Gwen goes with her remaining few (sane) ghouls to D.C. to meet with Family (by way of the South). Asa heals Vousette and stay in the Temple, as 4 is hunting him. Zachary, Rose and Ben (with Prentiss, at the behest of her mistress) go to meet Sascha in Gaithersburg at an abandoned church. When Zachary calls Sascha, he speak to her (first Samantina, then Sascha) in Enochian. Sascha invites them enthusiastically to her repast. They talk of Enoch and Irad the old stories of Vampire myth. Sascha also lets it be known that she knows the identity of Zachary, Benjamin and Asa as well as Rose. She is sad that Asa is not there, as she has someone, a member of his Clan, Samael, who she would like to introduce him to. She talks about the politics of the Sabbat. Group makes plan to infiltrate Andrews Airforce Base. Group negotiates terms of alliance and possible timeline. Sascha unveils her masterwork and leaves quietly with Samantina as Rose and her friends are treated to the sight of the stretched remains of Bottleneck the Infested plied into a thin, pulsating sheet of grisle with a heart in the center, pumping with bees flying about, the flies joining them in perpetual dance.
Chapter 7: Death under Siege
BOOK III, Story 3, Chapter 7, part 1: A Clan Besieged
[WIP] — Asa talks with thinbloods and gets agreement to stick with the group until they can get them to the Anarch Free States or something… but that they can rely only on themselves as a “coterie.” Asa sees Cedric meeting with Dr. Ziegler and the mathematicians (who seem to be vaguly Dominated) beginning to work out the math problem. Gwen gets to the Giovanni estate and first talks to Lucretia and then pushes. Carlotta had disappeared on a mission. They sent wraith to find her, and they disappeared. Uncle Rocco and Uncle Giorgio went out to deal with the situation and went missing. It is an educated guess that it is the Sabbat necromancers. Rose destroys Bottleneck’s remains. Prentiss talks with the others using possession to meet Gwen at the Embassy. Zachary can speak English now. Rose discusses Prentiss’ evil. Zachary uses group Obfuscation as the group continues to Prentiss’ townhouse in Ivy City to meet with an addled Nathanial. Zachary offers him choice to have delicious blood or die (in a nice way). Benjamin ghouls Nathaniel to save Zachary’s soul. Rose and Nathaniel shower and the group grabs blood and continues to Giovanni embassy. Everyone but Nathaniel goes into Shadowlands. Gwen ushers into the battlements.
BOOK III, Story 3, Chapter 7, part 2: [Something]
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