Sam: When last we left our unwitting debtors, they had just finished promising to help Werewolves find a warehouse full of Bane-infested toys in London.
Bill (ooc): Leaving us to wonder which one of those they want.
Sam: They had also arranged for the Technocrats to leak their secret plans to build a Voldemart in the area. They had also sent a check to Voldemart that will make Pluto's Curse seem like an attractive alternative.
Bill (ooc): Except they don't have an alternative.
Sam: Right. So, what is everyone doing?
Fanny: Christabel is going to send another pigeon, this time with the Werewolves' request attached. A little Life to hasten its journey, but that's it.
Sam: Give me a Mentor check, dif 6.
Fanny: One success.
Sam: Okay.
Nate: Walter is going to track down the media and give them an earful about how horrible it would be if Voldemart displaced all the poor people living in the neighborhood. He'll be sure to include a couple warm and fuzzy stories about the good work the hospital does.
Sam: Check. Give me a Charisma + Performance check, dif 7.
Nate: Two successes.
Sam: Okay.
Ed: Allan will arrange for the haters of Voldemart to meet the friends of Serenity Hospital in the very near future. It's time to get a petition started.
Sam: Okay.
Mary: Clara will, um... She's a daredevil pulp scientist with a really nice sports car.
Nate (ooc): Since when is a minivan a sports car?
Mary: My other car is a Porche.
Nate (ooc): That's what they all say.
Mary (ooc): No, really. It is.
Sam (ooc): It is.
Mary: Anyway, with a really nice sports car. Aside from the hideous number of dots of Resources, she's just not especially useful in this situation. I guess she'll pour more of her energy into those headlight lasers and help Allan get signatures.
Sam: Okay. Homer?
John: I'm going to write an annonymous letter to that elderly couple that's marked for death, threatening them, their children, and everything they stand for with horrible destruction and/or death unless they stay out of the Voldemart/Serenity Hospital business. Arcane 3 should prevent them from tracing it back to me, but Homer will take pains that it is mailed from somewhere outside of Edinburgh. Taking a trip to London, if necessary. Homer will also stalk the couple as subtly as possible so he knows enough about their movements to snuff them with ease.
Sam: Okay.
Fanny (ooc): What are you up to, John?
Bill (ooc): Oh, I have a theory. It's best he keep his silence, for now.
Sam: Right, so here is what transpires in the next couple days. Voldemart cashes the cursed check, which quickly reduces the hospital's accounts to nothing. Allan and Clara start getting signatures, though the response is initially lukewarm. Fanny's mentor responds by pigeon with the location of the warehouse and even sends word of where allies of convenience can find them if they'd like some help knocking it over. Homer's letter scares the hell out of the couple, so they immediately go to the police and then to the press.
Nate: Breaking the spell so Walter can access the hospital's accounts, again.
Ed: Helping.
John: Ditto.
Sam: Given that you're sitting on a Node, have time to spare, and only have to slap it with Prime 1 for a while, you'll eventually break the enchantment.
Nate: Once that's done, Walter will go to the bank and object to the poor customer service and especially to the sudden disappearance of the hospital's money.
Bill: Draw will send the gaffling to the Garou with the information.
Sam: The elderly couple becomes even more vocal once Walter reveals that the hospital's money has just vanished and demands an investigation by the bank and the police.
Bill (ooc): Here it comes...
Sam: The police, however, dismiss the accusastions, and the bank quickly loses the complaint in the bowels of its bureaucracy.
Bill (ooc): Good old Technocracy. Always taking care of its own.
Sam: The elderly couple fill out a report, but the police don't appear to be taking their worries very seriously. They come to Walter to warn him about voldemart's threats.
Mary: Clara gets the interview on video, with their permission, of course.
Sam: Of course.
Bill (ooc): And the moment of truth?
John: Patience, Bill. First, going to set up a slightly different mail bomb. This time, it's going to find a few fat bank accounts and pour them into Voldemart's coffers. Burning all my remaining Quint and as much Willpower as you'll let me spend without reducing myself to 0.
Sam: Why would a want to stop you from making yourself an easy target for later? Spend away.
John: 25 successes suffice? Three duration, seven subtlety, five for targets, ten to effect.
Nate (ooc): Um, wow.
Ed (ooc): I second that.
Bill (ooc): Shall we call a vote on it, then? Isn't this a touch on the overkill, John?
John: Once that check is safely placed in the trustworthy hands of a local teller, Homer is going to wait until nightfall, go to the old couple's home, and murder them horribly. Unless you want me to play out the hunt. I'd rather not, but I will.
Mary (ooc): What are you doing?
John (ooc): Punishing the guilty.
Nate (ooc): How are philanthropic old people guilty?
John (ooc): Ask my undead girlfriend. And this way, the police catch heat for ignoring a death threat connected to Voldemart. They're also going to catch heat for ignoring the Voldemart bank fraud, especially once all those rich people report the same problem. Then there's the bank. They're going to get slammed with a massive PR hit for not taking a fraud report seriously. To say nothing of Voldemart itself, which is about to have much bigger problems than a petition signed by concerned citizens. I'd say the best thing those old people could have done for us was die horribly.
Ed (ooc): And if we're really lucky, they left the hospital a huge windfall.
Mary: Important question, though. Is Homer telling us what he's done?
John: He'll fess up to the letter bomb, but the murder is between him and Mel.
Bill: Once that goes to press, it looks like Draw has every reason to call his HIT Mark pal and tip him off that whoever is running Voldemart - Syndicate or otherwise - is killing innocent Sleepers, abusing the banking system, and binding malicious spirits into children's toys.
Sam: You don't need to demonstrate for him, this time. He says he will investigate the matter.
Fanny (ooc): Everything seems to be going really fast, tonight. We're not even talking to anyone or playing out the scenes.
Sam (ooc): Sorry. There is a reason for it. I promise.
Bill (ooc): It keeps us from making Welsh used car salesmen daydream of sheep.
Mary (ooc): It also gets us past this bureaucracy plot thread so we can get back to fighting ninjas.
Nate: Walter will make sure the press gets a copy of the interview.
Fanny: "I think things will take care of themselves, here. We should help my mentor and the werewolves with this warehouse, though."
Bill: "I'm sure they can handle themselves, but they probably don't have an exit strategy."
Nate (ooc): Sounds like certain politicians I can think of.
Bill (ooc): No politics at gaming.
Mary: "So, we go to London?"
Ed: "I'm game. With no vampires left to kill, I guess I can start in on the demons and other evil spirits."
Nate: "I don't like to leave the hospital unprotected, but as long as it's a short trip, I guess it will be okay."
Fanny: "And I'm the only one of us with Verbena connections, so you need me."
John: "My destiny lies with you in London, but after that, I must leave your company to finish my original task."
Ed: "What are you talking about, Homer?"
John: "I joined you because you saved my life and because your goals coincided with my own. Mel tells me there are several people I must kill in London, but my next targets lie in the Americas, and my final target lies in Rome. Your presence would only make my task impossible."
Sam: John? I don't remember discussing this.
John (ooc): Just go with it, Sam. Trust me.
Bill (ooc): Are you getting tired of playing Homer?
John (ooc): It's not that.
Sam (ooc): Is something else bothering you about the game?
John (ooc): No. It's a long story. I'll explain after the session.
Sam (ooc): Well, okay...
John (ooc): Let's play. There's a lot I want to do, and we're running out of time.
Sam: Taking the van?
Mary: Yes. You have the stats I gave you for it, right?
Sam: Yes.
Fanny: Christabel will lead them to the meeting place.
Sam: The place the Verbena choose is a restaurant and pub called the Mayflower on the south bank of the Thames. The gimmick of the place appears to be the quotes from writers painted on the walls that talk about food and drink.
Bill: Great. Any sign of the shifters?
Sam: Not yet, but you're a little early. You've just ordered a round of drinks when who should come up the stairs but your favorite backpacker.
Nate (ooc): He's a Verbena, now? I thought you said he wasn't a mage or a supernatural at all.
Sam (ooc): He isn't. He's just a cameo.
John (ooc): No. You promised we wouldn't have to deal with him anymore, Sam.
Sam (ooc): I don't remember promising anything...
Mary (ooc): It's still crap. We're going to ignore him.
Sam: Okay. Eventually, Three witches and a warlock arrive. One of them is Moira (Fanny's mentor). They sit at a table next to yours. Fifteen minutes later, the two Scottich werewolves arrive and order rare steak. They sit near the Verbena. Moira speaks for the Verbena, while the Bruce (the blond werewolf) speaks for the Lupines.
Sam (as Bruce): "Thank you for offering your aid, magi."
Sam (as Moira): "Thank you for bringing this threat to our attention, elder."
Sam (as Bruce): "So, my cousin has apprised you of the graveness of the situation?"
Sam (as Moira): "I received word from Christabel. She is one of my students. She is sitting behind me."
Sam (as Bruce): "We've met, if only briefly. Welcome, friends of Gaia. I know we did not ask you to risk your lives on our behalf."
Bill: "It is an honor, cousin."
Ed: "I have fought monsters my entire adult life. This is not my usual prey, but I am glad to fight it."
Nate: "Voldemart has tried to destroy everything I have. I am glad to fight them at the expense of their own turf."
Fanny: "I would be a poor student if I did not take every opportunity to see my mentor in action. I suspect this mission will teach me much."
Mary: "I live for danger, and this will likely have plenty of that. Besides, these are my friends, and I wish to see them through this safely."
John: "Some of those we will face in this warehouse are marked by Fate for death at my hands. I have a duty to aid you, if only to pursue my assigned destiny."
Sam (as Bruce): "Have you found this warehouse?"
Sam (as Moira): "Yes. It is not especially well-defended, but its contents can certainly defend itself. Is it just the two of you?"
Sam (as Bruce): "No. Several others watch over us from the Umbra. Twelve of us, in all."
John: "When do we strike?"
Sam (as Bruce): "This one is bold even for a magus."
John: "The Wheel is becoming impatient with me, elder. I am not as skilled an assassin as my beloved, and I have been too easily distracted by personal connections."
Sam (as Moira): "We can be ready by tomorrow night. It will be an auspicious night for such an attack on a bastion of the Wyrm."
Mary: "We will be ready. We came prepared for immediate combat."
Ed: "I'm always ready for a fight."
Sam (as Bruce): "It is settled, then. Tomorrow night, we go to war with the Wyrm."
Bill: We just discussed this in front of Eric, didn't we?
Sam: Yes.
Bill: "Elder, magi, it seems we have been overheard. In the interests of keeping this meeting's events from becoming common knowledge, we might want to edit a few memories."
Sam (as Moira): "We will take care of it." She removes few herbs from a bag and murmurs softly in Gaelic. "There. No one will remember anything about our conversation."
Bill: "Let us disperse, then, and meet west of the warehouse tomorrow night."
Sam: The members of both groups nod and stand up to leave.
Fanny: Christabel will join her mentor and the other Verbena, tonight.
Bill: Draw will hang out with the Garou.
John: Homer will get a room at a bed and breakfast.
Ed: Same with Allan.
Nate: Ditto for Walter.
Mary: The same.
Sam: Same rooms or different?
Mary: Same place, different rooms.
Sam: Excellent. And that's where we'll end for the night.
John (ooc): Please, no. Can we keep going until the warehouse business is done?
Sam (ooc): It's already midnight.
Bill (ooc): There's always next week, John.
John (ooc): No there isn't.
Mary (ooc): what are you talking about.
John (ooc): Last night, I coughed up blood.
Fanny (ooc): Oh John!
John (ooc): I'm dying. This is probably the last time I'll roleplay. I have a lot of things I wanted to do in life but won't be able to accomplish, now. It'd be nice to at least finish off my Mage character's background.
Sam (ooc): Very well. We'll continue. Just give me a chance to make some tea.
ST (Sam) - Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Clara (Mary) - Mary Shelley
Christabel (Fanny) - Fanny Brawne
Draw (Bill) - William Blake
Homer (John) - John Keats
Walter (Nate) - Nathaniel Hawthorne
Allan (Ed) - Edgar Allan Poe