Take Back the Night

Take Back the Night
Date 2082-05-28 GM Sarcarian Location Downtown, Seattle Metroplex Status Threat Level: Medium
Factions Involved
ShadowHaven Rose of Sharon Howlett	The Infected
Fidem Magnum Rhicter Rougarou	Vampires Vampire Thralls Bouncer Club Owner

Summary

In which the runners are hired to burn a vampire simp club to the ground.

Background

A club in the northern Downtown area near Bitter Lake called "Darklands" caters to a select clientele - Strain I Infected, and those who either wish they were or who have become addicted to the sensation of essence draining. Darklands, owned by a vampire of course, is one of a number of such "simp clubs" scattered around the Metroplex which provides a safe place for strain I's to gather and feed, and one local hunter has had enough of it's existence. Rose of Sharon Howlett has performed reconnaissance on the establishment and secured enough money to hire professionals who can ensure it is permanently closed.

The Meet

Rose of Sharon has the runners meet with her at Knutson's Country Home in Downtown Seattle. She offers the runners a meal before beginning to discuss the job, explaining that there are creatures that feed on the living, creating thralls and addicts that seek out the slow, horrible death that the Infected bring to their victims, or worse yet, they seek out to become infected themselves. Rose offers an initial fee of 10k to simply burn the club down and dragging any vampires inside out into the sun to burn in the streets, but also offers to double her price if the team is able to get the Strain I that owned the club. While Rose didn't have much information on the owner, she did have some images of what he looked like. The team agreed to the stated prices, and got a commcode for Rose for when they were ready to turn in the vampire they capture or to let her know the job is done. With that, Rose leaves and the team discuss their plan...

The Plan

Magnum questions for a moment if the job is suitable for his mentor spirit, but given that they will be helping people who are being enthralled that it's probably for the benefit of metahumanity. Rougarou and Rhicter discuss their options for who to contact in order to get a handle on the situation, and the team decide to leave the restaurant and instead go to Magnum's home in the Redmond Barrens. Rougaarou calls Father Augustine and asks him if the metahumans that the team pull out of the club before burning it down can have a safe place to stay and try and get over their addictions to being essence drained. To this same end, Fidem calls Dr. Isabel Wirth and asks if the doctor has any information about ways of curing essence drain addiction. Dr. Wirth has some files that she sends to Fidem and Fidem then calls Hanako Shinoda, though has to leave a message, saying that she requires some of the seer's particular expertise to get a question answered, while Rougarou goes to Isadora Windthrope and gets a divination of her own. Both divinations give a sense that the time to strike is in the midday where there will be less vampires, but Hanako provides an additional detail, that the club owner would be most vulnerable not in the morning, but when he believed he was fully in control.

Deciding to do the job somewhat out of order, Fidem suggests that she goes into the club and try and gather the attention of the club member, while Rhicter acts as her driver, with Magnum and Rougarou scoping out the club from the shadows. Fidem dons a disguise and a set of club clothes and prepares to go in.

The Run

The team arrive at the club, with Magnum sneaking around the rooftops nearby, and Rougarou in the shadows of a nearby alley. Fidem moves into the club after flashing her movie star smile at the bouncer. Once inside she got a drink and asked about the club owner. The bartender didn't have much to say, but Fidem was able to get some interest from the staff before moving to the dance floor and allowing her dryad's glamour to draw all eyes on her as she danced. Eventually she spots the club owner and motions him down to dance, seemingly oblivious to the danger of being close to the vampire. The two of them dance for a time and the vampire casts Control Emotions on Fidem to make her more and more interested in him, eventually the club owner invites Fidem back to his office for a "private chat." Taking advantage of the opening, Fidem admits to being Sionann Flanagon, and instead invites the club owner back to her penthouse. The club owner agrees and the two leave the club.

Rhicter has popped betakami in preparation for the extraction, and the club's bouncer was hesitant to let his boss get into the car with the person who was on obvious combat stimulants. However after a castigation by Fidem, Rhicter returned to the car and the vampire got into the car. While Fidem distracted the club owner, Rhicter pulled the car into an alley and got out of the car. The vampire began to attempt to essence drain Fidem, but luckily for the Face, before it can complete, Rhicter locked the vampire in the mage cuffs that Rose had provided, while Magnum shot the club owner with wood pulp just in case. The team drove to Fidem's penthouse and they pushed the vampire into her swimming pool to render him dormant. Fidem called Rose of Sharon and told her that they had the owner, getting him out of the pool and driving down to the docks where Rose was going to torture him and then put him in a silver-lined coffin.

Deciding it best to take the rest of the night to recover from drug crashes and Fidem's near-death experience, the team rest in the penthouse, waking up around 10 AM the next day. They formulate a quick plan of how to go into the club, as well as Fidem explaining that she'll stay outside and come in when it is time to treat the injured. The team head back deeper into downtown and the three street sams walk into the club ready for a fight. The fight is explosive and quick, with the runners coming out ahead thanks in part to Rougarou's UV drone. The runners then pull the humans out of the club and stabilize them before throwing them into a truck to to to Father Augustine's church, and then drag the vampires out into the sun where people have begun to film as the vampires begin to burst into flames and turn to ask.

After giving a quick speech about the risks of sin in the eyes of the Lord, the team get into their truck and drive away before Knight Errant can arrive.

Aftermath

Dropping off the thralls into the church and providing Father Augustine the information from Dr. Wirth about fighting against the essence drain addiction. The team go their separate ways, and Fidem makes a few copies of the BTL chip she was recording of her own near-essence draining.

Rewards

• 20k nuyen
• 4 karma
• 2 CDP
• 1 PA
• Optional Contact: Rose of Sharon Howlett (C2 Occult Bounty Hunter) @ up to loyalty 4 - 2-5 RVP or 4-10 CDP

Game Quotes

Fidem, on the sensation of being essence drained: "It was really good though... I've been a nun for a long time..."

Player After Action Reports (AARs)

Fidem

I was not sure of this job at first. It seems as though all living creatures have a place in the eyes of the Lord, even those who have contracted HMHVV. However after nearly being the victim to this virus' feeding I can say that he at the very least was not Godly in the least. The other vampires we fought were using metahumans as shields to protect themselves. They held these people with no value, and perhaps Father Uriel is correct about these creatures.

I do not know if I have ever been so frightened and so excited all at the same time. I don't know if it was due to the magic that I was subjected to, or the pleasure of the virus' feeding that still has me shaking days later, but as it is, I need the moment to focus myself and rededicate myself to the Lord through Father Uriel's teachings and my own studies.

Rhicter

"Vampires. Creepy blood sucking bastards with a club to call their own. At least that's what they had. We changed that. Can't say I am to disappointed in the nature of the job, the undead have always given me the willies. Never much liked the movies, and the reality is far worse. Taught them a lesson about openly gathering though, so that's a thing. Now let's hope it all doesn't come back to bite us in the... well you know."