Veins of Toronto (Vampire The Masquerade 5th Edition)

The Setting

"It's a mess
It's a start
It's a flawed work of art
Your city, your call
Every crack, every wall"

- Snow Patrol, Take Back The City

A Canadian city of five million people can withstand a lot before faltering. Unfortunately she is already suffering from collapsing economies, the falls of institutions once believed too big to fail and financial tsunamis that flood over the populace. The increasingly unpopular government is doing it's best for the town in this time of crisis, in this world of darkness. Yet the metropolis is wholly unprepared to the sudden emergence of several young vampires in the urban heart. This story follows the undead predators as they course through the arteries of the city: The veins of Toronto.

The Coterie

Desire

At first glance she looks like a lost, teenage girl, out at night way past her curfew. Her hair is dyed red and bones stick out of her thin frame just under the skin, giving her delicate features a sharp edge. She is dressed in bright colored stockings, short skirts and tight tops all year around, but of course in cold season most of it is swallowed inside a big, bright pink winter coat. Then you might notice the little signs. Her face is pale and there is a dead look in her eyes. Stockings are worn and unraveling as is her makeup of black eyeliner and red blush, the coat looks a bit too big for her size and the top a bit too revealing for her age. Besides, that skirt is so new she had barely bothered to remove the tag showing a price she never paid. At least not in dollars anyway. Soles of her footwear are worn and littered with little pieces of glass, cement dust and whatever else you pick up living on the streets. She calls herself Desire and realize its not her real name, but probably something her pimp gave her along with the cheap burner phone she is glancing nervously at. Just another teenage junkie, living on the streets and looking for next fix...

Desire is the Princess of her own mindscape, the ambassador of Unicornland with her business cards transforming into tart cards that prompt you to call her “for good time”. Half a decade of abuse and mental illness with interrupted treatment and self medication of THC and MDMA have left her brain scrambled and confused like an egg in a washing machine. At times frighteningly lucid she seems to see right through the veil of life into truth of reality but the reality shifts like waves on Toronto Bay leaving the truth subjective at best. At other times she is lost in the labyrinthine dreamscape of her imagination like Ariadne in a maze with no red string but still managing to ride the Minotaur into the night. In short she is barely functional in human standards but makes it work out okay as a vampire.

The Regency Coterie

The Regency coterie has the following starting values.

• Domain: Chasse **, Lien -, Portillon ***
• Status: ***
• Advantages: Loresheet (The Circulatory System) *** (Tap into the System, Little Black Book, Farm Upstate)
• Flaws: -

Coterie Creation: Select up to 5 more dots shared among Lien, Haven, Herd, Influence, Resources, Retainers. Then select the same amount of dots worth of Flaws.

Alternatively, the starting values can be increased and new advantages added by expending dots from the coterie members' personal Advantage pools.

The Others

"Everlasting Benefactor", The Lady on Tape

"Tell them I've gone
And nothing's wrong
In from the past
A sudden blast bang"

- Morcheeba, Blindfold

The woman referred to by Dr. Leeland as the everlasting benefactor is a face, a form and a presence but only on a video tape recording.

Dr. Leeland Ventresca, The Key to the Night

The nervous man known as Dr. Leeland was overwhelmed by the circumstances and quickly became the first victim of a legacy that he had apparently helped build.

Locations

The Hotel

"Immerse yourself in the excitement of the city at Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel. Perfectly situated in the heart of downtown's Financial and Entertainment districts, our 4-star hotel is ideal for every visitor."

"All of Toronto's attractions, from Eaton Centre to CN Tower, are within easy reach of our family-friendly hotel. The subway is also close at hand for added convenience."

"Whether staying with us for work or fun, we look forward to welcoming you to our downtown Toronto hotel."

- Hotel Description, URL: http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/yyztc-sheraton-centre-toronto-hotel

The Story

No Turning Back From This Party

"The throat is deep and the mouth is wide
Saw some things on the other side
Made me promise to never tell
But you know me, I can't help myself"

"Now I've got something you have to see
They put something inside of me
The smile is red and its eyes are black
I don't think I'll be coming back"

- NIN, Came Back Haunted

• Session Date: 20.4.2019
• Timeline: June 2008-February 2014
• Present: Baptiste Arsene, Gordon Chan, Desire, Jack Eskridge, Martin Roskop
• SPCs of Potential: Mrs. Eskridge, Ms. Maxine, Miss Roskop (mentioned only), Dr. Leeland Ventresca, "Everlasting Benefactor"