Teach your childer well (pre-dawn Mon. 4/2/07)

[Detritus]

It's shortly after 2 am when a quorum forms in Jack's bedroom for starting the tactical briefing. The Kindred present by clan:

Brujah - François, Jocelin, Uma Hatch, Yuri the Talon
Caitiff - Antoinette DuChamp
Gangrel - Jack, Camille Devereux, Roman Alexander, Anastasia Grey, Erich
Nosferatu - Leo
Toreador - Dee Dee, Anneke, Radeyah, Ramiel Dupré
Tremere - Prince Rebekka, Sabine Lafitte, Sarah Cobbler

Rebekka, Dee Dee, and Anneke stand in the middle of the room, about the length of Jack's bed away from its foot. The rest of you are arrayed to either side of the bed. Rebekka wears a calm, almost laconic, demeanor. Anneke's face betrays little emotion with her shades in place, but she gives a faint impression of a tightly coiled spring. Dee Dee does her best to project a confident image, but it's obvious that the new Sheriff of New Orleans isn't nearly as practiced in hiding her emotions as her Prince or fellow brood mate, and some anxiety creeps through her façade. The Prince begins speaking.

"This briefing will be the first meeting to coordinate a defense of New Orleans at the street level. As happens so often in these situations, much of the brunt of this effort will be borne by the Brujah and the Gangrel. It is my belief, however, that both the Tremere and Toreador will make many valuable contributions of their own during any potential siege. Given the unusual power structure that held sway in the city until very recently, the presence of the other clans of our sect is stunted, and it will be a high priority to increase their presence enough that they can be near-equal partners in holding New Orleans.

"For the moment, Camille Devereux and Sabine Lafitte are the respective acting Primogen of the Gangrel and Tremere clans. In the very near future, a Gangrel named Zack North and a Tremere named Muaziz, both archons of their clans' Justicars, will arrive here and assume seats on the Primogen council, at which time Camille and Sabine will move into deputy Primogen roles much as Mr. Johnson now holds for the Toreador.

"This leaves the Brujah as the only clan with a major presence in New Orleans that lacks a formal leadership structure. Before turning things over to the Sheriff, we should address this lack. As you no doubt realize by now, my preferred organizational structure is to have the best field commanders in the role of Primogen, to be supported by a deputy that is more familiar with local affairs.

"Were I to continue following this philosophy, it suggests that our Brujah newcomer from Paris, François Petit, best meets the qualifications for a position in a war cabinet Primogen council. I am given to understand that you have some depth of experience as a commander of squad-level tactics," Rebekka says to François. "Is this true?"

[Brother Brian]

Francos nods. "Indeed, I am well trained in military philosophy, and have experience as both large scale and skirmish tactician.

[Kalzazz]

Jocelin blinks and looks toward the French guy with some confusion, not at all expecting he was part of her clan, or now in charge of it

"Well . . I have some training in tactics, and I know the area"

[Detritus]

Jocelin blinks and looks toward the French guy with some confusion, not at all expecting he was part of her clan, or now in charge of it

"Well . . I have some training in tactics, and I know the area"
"I believe everyone else from your clan is more or less equally qualified," answers Rebekka. "As neither the Tremere or the Gangrel have their deputy primogen yet, I shall wait for the best candidate to emerge, who will then be installed when the other archons arrive. I should warn all who might be interested in the post that it will require a certain amount of finesse from time to time."

The Prince then levels an impassive gaze at each of the other members of the Brujah clan present, and for some reason includes Antoinette in this.

"Are there any other questions before I turn the floor over to the Sheriff?"

[Detritus]

After her question meets with silence for several seconds, Rebekka turns the discussion over to Dee Dee. She actually seems to relax a little bit once she's given the floor.

"Let's run down the personnel intel we have first," she says.

"We've got 26 active Kindred on our side, and three more who might wake up. But the visiting Princes will be going back and forth between here and their home cities before the Conclave, and if Prince Casimir doesn't wake up soon, then Tatiana will most likely return to Houston with her. That'll be 23 or 24 for a night or two until the other archons arrive.

"The Sabbat is going to be pretty close to that total already, and maybe a bit ahead of us, which is kind of unusual. It appears that there's at least eight Kindred in Samantha's pack, and it sounds like there were at least a dozen with Lucian in the encounter with the investigators from Dallas. Maybe it was 15, or even 20, and there's also the rumor of Samantha's illicit brood. That might be another five or so, but considering that the rumor was first put forth by Bianca, maybe it was just a smokescreen to hide the Sabbat's true numbers here."

"I saw several strange Kindred patrolling the grounds of Drake Manor before the encounter there," says Anneke, "and none of them matched the descriptions given to me of the attackers from later that night."

"That's true, but we don't know whether they were part of Lucian's gang. No one has seen both they and the patrollers you saw, Anneke. This brings us to the first action item. In order to get a better handle on the numbers game, one of the things we need to do is have Anneke compare notes with the investigators from Dallas. By my count, things could be anywhere from basically even to about 3-to-2 against us, and it's worth it to get a better handle on that, although that can wait until we're done here.

"The Sabbat don't like to fight with those odds. They'll make more Kindred, shock troops to wear us down. Action item #2 is to watch the places where the mass Embraces will take place. That means keeping the cemeteries under surveillance, specifically those that have burial grounds instead of vaults. We get a little lucky in that New Orleans only has a few such cemeteries.

"Watching won't be enough, though, we need to nip any mass Embrace in the bud. That brings us to the third thing on the to-do list, figuring out a way to coordinate ourselves so that we have the advantage in numbers at any cemetery engagement. My best idea here would be to split us up basically evenly between patrollers and a centralized reserve, with exchange of relevant cell phone numbers.

"But, this briefing isn't just going to be a lecture, especially with the top of the power structure filled mostly by out-of-towners. Anything about the city that I might be overlooking that would help in its defense would be pretty useful. Anyone with experience against the Sabbat that might know about other tactics of theirs needs to speak up, too, as do those of you with more general command experience."

[SD Anderson]

"Not quite a city defense point, unless locating Drake counts as one."

"No one's briefed me on how Justicar Walsh died. However I'll assume Drake drank him dry based on her previous MO." Jack says. "Now, we got that detector die functioning going through Leo's blood which had years old contact with the Justicar's."

"With her, we've got more recent and more voluminous blood drinking."

"We might be able to exploit that. I'm hoping for something that works a lot longer range say, GPS range."

"I know Drake is supposed to be detection proofed, but there are some things she can't control. 1st, her pet, Heather. Detection worked on her. If she's drinking from Drake - right now they may well be celebrating - she's likelier to show up on screen. Same thing for any ghouls in service to her. If she's one of the kindred who eats regular food, she deposits it into the sewers like all kine. Once that gets far enough from her, it may well turn up on the radar."

[Detritus]

"We'll be looking for Samantha, of course, but she hasn't come back to her manor grounds yet, nor to any of her usual hunting grounds. She might not come back until the main assault is decided either way. But it's a decent bet that if we find any of her pack mates, we'll find her," says Dee Dee.

"The die is not a homing beacon, either," says Rebekka. "It reveals certain information about a Kindred's generation, and perhaps lineage as well, but you must find its intended subject by other means. That returns us to more traditional means of scouting and surveillance."

"And that leads us to the disposition of our personnel," says Camille. "Our side may number around 25, but we can't all be out on the street looking for Sammy and her gang. I don't know very much about military tactics, but I do know that Conclaves don't just organize themselves, and we've got one coming up in a hurry."

"That is true," says Rebekka. "Mr. Johnson and Bonnie are both working with Gwynnis, and I shall be joining them. Perhaps you should, too, Camille." She does some quick mental sums and says, "I count 18 who would be available to patrol, if we assume that Thomas and Merill will not be joining Prince Strauss in Dallas."

"Hmm," says Dee Dee. "That could be three groups of four with a reserve of six. There are three cemeteries in particular that might be used for the Sabbat mass Embrace. Does this sound reasonable?"

[Brother Brian]

Francois steps forward.

If I may, there are a few weaknesses left exposed.

Primarily you assume that watchers must be kindred. I am loathe to assume that our enemy won't utilize non-traditional grounds for their creation rite. I would hate to have us watching the sleep of the dead while at some out of the way park they build their forces unmolested.

I would advise that we put any ghouls out as our sentries, in large part because they will be more expendable in the upcoming battle.

Secondly, we need to maintain perspective here. If a group of 4 comes across a single Sabbat operative, then engagement makes sense. However, even if the odds are more closely in our favor, the Sabbat will make every effort to turn our victory against us.

My understanding is that the graveyards of this town are somewhat akin to beacons for kine of a certain mindset. Thus engagement in that setting will put the masquerade at risk, even without our displaying the full aspect of ourselves.

[SD Anderson]

"We'll be looking for Samantha, of course, but she hasn't come back to her manor grounds yet, nor to any of her usual hunting grounds. She might not come back until the main assault is decided either way. But it's a decent bet that if we find any of her pack mates, we'll find her," says Dee Dee.

"The die is not a homing beacon, either," says Rebekka. "It reveals certain information about a Kindred's generation, and perhaps lineage as well, but you must find its intended subject by other means. That returns us to more traditional means of scouting and surveillance."



"Well I'm going on what I was told when I proposed what turned into the die magic. 'Magic can do almost anything.' I take the long view on the word anything sincd I don't know anything about it's limitations. If it can do anything, there ought to be SOME method of connecting Walsh's Vitae with the one who drank it."

"If it can be done, it should. There are three ways to win battles. Get there fuhstest with teh mostest, Hit 'em where they ain't and turn their strength into their weakness. Their Strength in this case is Drake upgenning her way to whatever goal she's after. Inherent weakness: Take her out of the equation and everything they're planning around her going up again, goes bye bye."

"Taking her out may not win the war, but it's at least the equivalent of getting Allied Troops on Italian Soil."

[Brother Brian]

"Well I'm going on what I was told when I proposed what turned into the die magic. 'Magic can do almost anything.' I take the long view on the word anything sincd I don't know anything about it's limitations. If it can do anything, there ought to be SOME method of connecting Walsh's Vitae with the one who drank it."

"If it can be done, it should. There are three ways to win battles. Get there fuhstest with teh mostest, Hit 'em where they ain't and turn their strength into their weakness. Their Strength in this case is Drake upgenning her way to whatever goal she's after. Inherent weakness: Take her out of the equation and everything they're planning around her going up again, goes bye bye."

"Taking her out may not win the war, but it's at least the equivalent of getting Allied Troops on Italian Soil."

"I must disagree my friend. If indeed the person I seek has thrown his lot in with Ms. Drake, do not expect the troops to crumble at her demise. He has done this far too long to allow such. "Cut off the head and the snake dies" has become very popular in fiction, but soldiers, and leaders die in war, and the when the leader die the soldier keeps going.

I think it is safe to say that once the Sabbat commits to taking the city, they will have to be driven back, and there will be no shortcut.

That said, we must consider if the Sabbat actually cares about taking New Orleans, or if it is but a distraction, misdirection away from their real goal.

[Detritus]

"I must disagree my friend. If indeed the person I seek has thrown his lot in with Ms. Drake, do not expect the troops to crumble at her demise. He has done this far too long to allow such. "Cut off the head and the snake dies" has become very popular in fiction, but soldiers, and leaders die in war, and the when the leader die the soldier keeps going.

I think it is safe to say that once the Sabbat commits to taking the city, they will have to be driven back, and there will be no shortcut.
"Yes, when the Sabbat come, they will come at you in waves," says Anneke. "The outcome is almost always total victory for one side or the other, with few standoffs."

That said, we must consider if the Sabbat actually cares about taking New Orleans, or if it is but a distraction, misdirection away from their real goal.
"Yeah, I've thought about that, too," says Dee Dee, her face carefully neutral. "That's one reason why Prince Strauss and Prince Casimir will be returning to their domains between now and the start of Conclave, to step up our readiness there. Lucian's been seen both outside Houston and in New Orleans, so we really need to locate his gang." Rebekka's mouth tightens at mention of the renegade Tremere.

"This idea about Ghoul scouts, let's think about that," Dee Dee says. "If the idea is to prevent the Sabbat from mass-Embracing new Kindred at the graveyards, even Ghouls have no hope of intervening on their own. We still have to figure out a way to get enough Kindred on our side to where they're needed in a timely manner."

"There are the military contacts that Mr. Johnson has," says Rebekka.

"Now there's a thought," says Dee Dee. "How much firepower can he bring to bear?"

"I do not know," replies Rebekka. "I shall have to speak with him about it."

"Still, it'd be nice to have some Kindred in the field who can read auras," says Dee Dee.

"If the Ghoul's Regnant is of low enough generation, it is possible to teach them advanced Disciplines," says Anneke. "I assume that this is what you have in mind, Rebekka."

"It is," the Prince replies.

"Ghoul super-soldiers?" Dee Dee asks, impressed. "I didn't know you could do that."

"In a manner of speaking. We will have to be judicious in our creation of Ghouls, but I believe I can convince Gwynnis of the necessity."

"Will that work for you?" Dee Dee asks François.

[SD Anderson]

"I must disagree my friend. If indeed the person I seek has thrown his lot in with Ms. Drake, do not expect the troops to crumble at her demise. He has done this far too long to allow such. "Cut off the head and the snake dies" has become very popular in fiction, but soldiers, and leaders die in war, and the when the leader die the soldier keeps going.

I think it is safe to say that once the Sabbat commits to taking the city, they will have to be driven back, and there will be no shortcut.

That said, we must consider if the Sabbat actually cares about taking New Orleans, or if it is but a distraction, misdirection away from their real goal.

"Lucien spoke about something Drake was after that he wanted. I think Drakes' goal is what the Sabbat wants too. If they wanted to attack New Orleans the best time to have done so was when they killed Walsh. Everyday they've let us consolidate and prepare hurts them needlessly, IF New Orleans is their goal."

"Walsh was their goal. New Orleans just happened to be the location."

[Brother Brian]

"Indeed. I would recommend creating a low key headquarters somewhere that would allow us to respond to the ghouls post haste. This keeps our firepower together, reducing the chances of being picked off in smaller groups."


"Yes, when the Sabbat come, they will come at you in waves," says Anneke. "The outcome is almost always total victory for one side or the other, with few standoffs."


"Yeah, I've thought about that, too," says Dee Dee, her face carefully neutral. "That's one reason why Prince Strauss and Prince Casimir will be returning to their domains between now and the start of Conclave, to step up our readiness there. Lucian's been seen both outside Houston and in New Orleans, so we really need to locate his gang." Rebekka's mouth tightens at mention of the renegade Tremere.

"This idea about Ghoul scouts, let's think about that," Dee Dee says. "If the idea is to prevent the Sabbat from mass-Embracing new Kindred at the graveyards, even Ghouls have no hope of intervening on their own. We still have to figure out a way to get enough Kindred on our side to where they're needed in a timely manner."

"There are the military contacts that Mr. Johnson has," says Rebekka.

"Now there's a thought," says Dee Dee. "How much firepower can he bring to bear?"

"I do not know," replies Rebekka. "I shall have to speak with him about it."

"Still, it'd be nice to have some Kindred in the field who can read auras," says Dee Dee.

"If the Ghoul's Regnant is of low enough generation, it is possible to teach them advanced Disciplines," says Anneke. "I assume that this is what you have in mind, Rebekka."

"It is," the Prince replies.

"Ghoul super-soldiers?" Dee Dee asks, impressed. "I didn't know you could do that."

"In a manner of speaking. We will have to be judicious in our creation of Ghouls, but I believe I can convince Gwynnis of the necessity."

"Will that work for you?" Dee Dee asks François.

[Detritus]

"Indeed. I would recommend creating a low key headquarters somewhere that would allow us to respond to the ghouls post haste. This keeps our firepower together, reducing the chances of being picked off in smaller groups."
"We'll have to look around for a bit," says Dee Dee. "It'll be helpful to have someone who knows the lay of the land a little better than I do along for the ride."

"I'll do it," Uma says quickly, and shoots a furtive look towards Anneke. A sly grin creases the elder Toreador's lips for a moment.

"OK, that's settled," says Dee Dee, who looks back and forth from Uma to Anneke without deciphering the undercurrents in the interplay between them.

"Lucien spoke about something Drake was after that he wanted. I think Drakes' goal is what the Sabbat wants too. If they wanted to attack New Orleans the best time to have done so was when they killed Walsh. Everyday they've let us consolidate and prepare hurts them needlessly, IF New Orleans is their goal."

"Walsh was their goal. New Orleans just happened to be the location."
"The Justicar could have been a personal goal of Miss Drake's that happened to align with Sabbat interests," says Rebekka. "We need to locate Lucian's gang, or determine if they are not in town, to have a better idea of their motives."

"There is another issue that we have not yet spoken of," says Anneke. "Crusher. He claimed to me in private to have been an archon of Don Cruez, the Brujah Justicar, and he knew that I was more than I was letting myself on to be when we spoke. My sense is that he was not lying about his allegiance, but he has not shown himself since the encounter at Drake Manor. He may be a double-agent. We must locate him, for I believe he would be a formidable combatant."

"He arrived with this Rake and Anvil, did he not?" asks Rebekka.

"Yes, and that is troubling, but if he was bonded to Don Cruez, then he may have some extra resistance to the Sabbat bond. It may be one cause of any delay in the main Sabbat assault."

"Well, that's one more thing we have to look for," says Dee Dee.

"We don't have our Ghouls yet, either," says Radeyah. "We might want to have look at the graveyards tonight ourselves."

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea," says Dee Dee. "How many will we have available for the rest of the night?"

"Are you ready?" Rebekka asks Jocelin and Leo.

((If you want to break in before Rebekka's question to Jocelin & Leo, feel free. Otherwise, she's going to want to see Jocelin's penance completed tonight, if possible.))

[SD Anderson]

"Could have been, but... if they're targeting New Orleans, why did they leave Leo, Joceline and Anneke alive? why didn't they take advantage of their sociallizing before hand to set up other defenders here?

[Detritus]

"Could have been, but... if they're targeting New Orleans, why did they leave Leo, Joceline and Anneke alive? why didn't they take advantage of their sociallizing before hand to set up other defenders here?
"I'd like to think I managed my own escape," replies Anneke. "Perhaps they thought to target Walsh first, and then New Orleans, although admittedly this is just speculation. It is easier to rally around Justicar than an Archon."

[SD Anderson]

"I must disagree my friend. If indeed the person I seek has thrown his lot in with Ms. Drake, do not expect the troops to crumble at her demise. He has done this far too long to allow such. "Cut off the head and the snake dies" has become very popular in fiction, but soldiers, and leaders die in war, and the when the leader die the soldier keeps going.

I think it is safe to say that once the Sabbat commits to taking the city, they will have to be driven back, and there will be no shortcut.

That said, we must consider if the Sabbat actually cares about taking New Orleans, or if it is but a distraction, misdirection away from their real goal.

"Decapitation works, but.. why leave New Orleans able to defend itself it is is the target? They may or may not follow Drake's star but where ever they go, I think they are like the German Kommandant of Rome when Italy was invaded in '43. He said the Allies were making such a wonderful POW camp for him."

"Over protecting the city may be what they want."

[Detritus]

"Decapitation works, but.. why leave New Orleans able to defend itself it is is the target? They may or may not follow Drake's star but where ever they go, I think they are like the German Kommandant of Rome when Italy was invaded in '43. He said the Allies were making such a wonderful POW camp for him."

"Over protecting the city may be what they want."
"If decapitation works, then by the same reasoning eliminating Justicar Walsh as a prelude to an assault on New Orleans makes sense," says Rebekka. "Although, it also stands to reason that Mr. Johnson would have been another logical target."

"I don't think Mr. Johnson is part of the Sabbat, my Prince," says Ramiel.

"That was not necessarily what I was implying, although the thought had crossed my mind," replies Rebekka. "He did tend to keep to himself on his boat, and Miss Drake did have a tie to Arcadian, especially after the episode at Jackson High. That combination might have made Justicar Walsh a particularly inviting target, regardless of whether it was in preamble to a larger assault.

"We cannot guard every possible place where the Sabbat might strike, however. We are charged with defending New Orleans. Dallas and Houston have been put on alert, and their leaders will be returning soon. New Orleans will prove a relatively convenient staging ground if we are amiss in our surmise that it is the next target."

[SD Anderson]

Justicar Walsh wasn't part of the city's adminstration. His presence was arranged to a site convenient to Drake and her allies. If the city's the target and he's a factor to eliminate, I'd make sure to kill him elsewhere to distract forces from the target.

[Detritus]

Justicar Walsh wasn't part of the city's adminstration. His presence was arranged to a site convenient to Drake and her allies. If the city's the target and he's a factor to eliminate, I'd make sure to kill him elsewhere to distract forces from the target.
"He would be more vulnerable in the field," Dee Dee puts in. "Why go to Dallas if you can bring him here? The upheaval probably has a greater impact in the case of New Orleans, given the hands-off nature of Mr. Johnson's rule."

"New Orleans is also considerably smaller than either Dallas or Houston," says Rebekka.

[SD Anderson]

"He would be more vulnerable in the field," Dee Dee puts in. "Why go to Dallas if you can bring him here? The upheaval probably has a greater impact in the case of New Orleans, given the hands-off nature of Mr. Johnson's rule."

"New Orleans is also considerably smaller than either Dallas or Houston," says Rebekka.


If that were true, they'd have made a much more thorough job of making Johnson look bad. They had days in the city unrecognized as enemies to set things up.

Set up reasonable extra defenses for the city yes, but keep an eye out.

Where have most of the reinforcements been drawn from?

[Huxley]

"Are you ready?" Rebekka asks Jocelin and Leo.


"Yes"

(filler)

[Detritus]

If that were true, they'd have made a much more thorough job of making Johnson look bad. They had days in the city unrecognized as enemies to set things up.

Set up reasonable extra defenses for the city yes, but keep an eye out.

Where have most of the reinforcements been drawn from?
"There are well over 50 Kindred in the Domain of Houston," says Rebekka. "I believe at least 50 remain in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, even with so many from there presently in New Orleans. I would say that the Sabbat may even have been caught off guard by the quick response from Gwynnis and her agents. For all their seeming skill in attacking our holdings, they are not omniscient.

"As for Mr. Johnson, he is already removed from office in disgrace, and serves in his present capacity at the sufferance of a Toreador archon. How much worse could they have made him look?"

[SD Anderson]

"Sometimes I feel like a Chlderless Sire" Jack sings.

"Remember: Things can ALWAYS get worse. Hell, to truly humilate him you would have put the Tremere BACK in the city and in charge, undoing his works here. All the Grand Guignol's Kommandant did was bring in a new guy. Nothing of a truly personal vengeance occured here."

"Lucian had 20 vamps with him between Dallas and Houston. Joceline didn't recognize any of them so the "Visiting Team" crowd was another four to 8, Drake and Heather raise their number by two plus any bloodline vamps Drake has, could be ten might be twenty. Assuming that at one point Lucien's 20 were anarchs until he went Sabbat, we have as many as fifty-one vamps who are not regular Sabbat troops."

"Should the Sabbat actually supply regulars, figure 30 to 50 assault troopers with Ghoul Auxileries, and "Indpendent Contractors" of an unknown number should they be willing to throw money into the equation. This group won't stick around long, they'll want to defend their own turf against retaliation, but they can take out the Camarilla in either Dallas, Houston or New Orleans and install a 'New Order" out of Lucien and Drake's forces with some of their people in key positions."

"I think New Orleans is the least likely of the three because it's defenses are being shored up. It's still a possiblity. But if you think Mr. Johnson's seen Camarilla harshness for the last fiasco, you'll see a lot worse if Dallas falls while New Orleans is fortified."

[Brother Brian]

Francois has been listening quietly, and finally speaks.

"What you say has merit my friend", he says "however we need consider what our role is. We are generals on the battlefield. We can not fight the entirety of the war here today, but only the battle in front of us. The justicars are involved, and their archons, who have vast experience battling the Sabbat. They have made New Orleans our priority.

If New Orleans is a ruse, then it is a ruse, and we will fight another battle another day. Have faith in our leaders, that they will prepare for the possibilities, even if we do not know the details of these plans."

[Detritus]

"I did not realize you had your sights set on the position of Court Bard," Rebekka says to Jack with a droll little smile. "The Toreador will surely provide you with stiff competition, I must warn. Perhaps Court Jester is more suited to you. We certainly lack suitable candidates from the Malkavian clan."

After François speaks, Rebekka says:

"We will certainly take your warnings under advisement, but the fact remains that we are still outnumbered here, and there has been regime change here recently, in addition to the Justicar's destruction occurring in New Orleans. Neither of those things is true of either Houston or Dallas."

"Yeah, this meeting can't be about defending New Orleans *and* the whole state of Texas," says Dee Dee. "We have to have this city foremost in our thoughts, since we're here. The Texas option becomes more plausible the longer we go without seeing any of the Sabbat here, but that just brings us back to the need to compare notes between Anneke and the Texas Kindred."

[Detritus]

"Before we determine assignments, there is one last thing to do," says Rebekka. "Do you believe that Miss Danis is ready, Sarah?"

"She can do it, Sire" replies Sarah. "No problemo."

"If you are equally confident, Miss Danis, we shall proceed. Will you find us a candle, Sarah?"

"Sure thing, boss." Sarah lifts her right hand to head height and snaps her fingers. A small, waist-high flash of light and a faint, high-pitched sound follow, and then the candle you were using downstairs appears before Sarah, floating at the same height as the flash of light that immediately preceded its arrival.

"Fiat lux," she says, and a small flame pops up from her right fingertip, which she uses to light the candle. She takes a couple steps backward, and then with a wink for Jocelin she blows out her flame. Anneke lowers her shades, and she and Rebekka wear near-identical looks of mild approbation, right down to how each has her head tilted slightly forward, their irises near the tops of their eyes. Dee Dee seems to be trying very hard not to laugh.

"Everyone wants to be a Toreador," Ramiel says under his breath, and you see Camille biting her upper lip. Uma looks back and forth between Sarah and Jocelin, and Antoinette seems only to have eyes for the candle.

None of this seems to phase Jocelin, who confidently steps up to the candle and pinches out the flame in one assertive, fluid motion. A trace of surprise crosses her face after it's done. Sarah nods as if there no were other outcome possible. Anneke gives Jocelin the hairy eyeball for a while, when Rebekka lays a hand on the archon's arm.

"Peace, Anneke, she has completed her penance." Anneke slides her shades back into position with more force than is strictly necessary, but says nothing.

"You will see that she is properly armed," the Prince says to Leo.

[Huxley]

Leo nods, and hands Jocelin's katana to her.

[Kalzazz]

"Your Highness, Leo, Sarah, gracias"

Jocelin curtseys, then bounces back to where she was with a much lighter step and neatly stashes her blade away at her side

[Detritus]

"She's with me," Dee Dee says, pointing to Sarah, a grin on her face.

"She still has some tasks left to do tonight," Rebekka says. "I would like to know the results of both paternity tests by sunrise."

"But they take three hours apiece!" exclaims Sarah.

"You did not seem to have any trouble finding extra energy to burn a moment ago," the Prince says, her face impassive. "You will have them ready for me when I arise tomorrow night. I will not have anyone patrolling the streets without this information."

"Yes, Sire," Sarah says, abashed, and then lets out a heavy sigh.

"Antoinette and Erich will be kept out of the field for tonight, and Sarah will be otherwise detained. You may schedule patrols with anyone else who is here," Rebekka says to Dee Dee.

((If there's anything else any of you want to do or have done before patrolling begins, now is the time to speak up.))

[Huxley]

((If there's anything else any of you want to do or have done before patrolling begins, now is the time to speak up.))

((OOC: I was going to wait until the meeting was finished up, but then I was going to confront Rebekka about presenting my lineage to her))

[Detritus]

((OOC: I was going to wait until the meeting was finished up, but then I was going to confront Rebekka about presenting my lineage to her))
Can you remind me why this action would be confrontational? Or do you just mean that Leo wants to formally present himself to Rebekka?

[Huxley]

Can you remind me why this action would be confrontational? Or do you just mean that Leo wants to formally present himself to Rebekka?

((Oh, sure I can. Just 'cause in my bio I have it written that I've always lied about my origin, and have never been formally accepted into the Camarilla.))

[Detritus]

((Oh, sure I can. Just 'cause in my bio I have it written that I've always lied about my origin, and have never been formally accepted into the Camarilla.))
OK, I had forgotten about that. I think "confide" would have been a better verb choice than "confront" in this case, however. ;)

I just realized that three of the four PCs have Sabbat sires. I think I have an idea about what the next IC thread will be about...

[Detritus]

"OK, everyone else who's available for patrol duty, please come to me," says Dee Dee.

"I must speak with Mr. Johnson about his military contacts," says Rebekka, and she Anneke, and Camille make to leave the room.

((The PCs may go to either group as you see fit.))

[Brother Brian]

What time is it? It must be getting fairly on in the evening for the...ahem...sun adverse to be starting a patrol?

[Detritus]

What time is it? It must be getting fairly on in the evening for the...ahem...sun adverse to be starting a patrol?
It'll be close to 3 am by the time the patrols get organized, so there'd still be a couple of hours of dark.

Maybe more to the point is, having thought about it some, I don't want anything serious happening on the streets until Jack is ready to roll, and that won't happen until tomorrow night. So nothing interesting is going to happen tonight during patrols, although they will occur in the background.

However, there's still the thing with Leo telling Rebekka who is Sire really is, and I want that to play out tonight for at least a few exchanges.

[Brother Brian]

It'll be close to 3 am by the time the patrols get organized, so there'd still be a couple of hours of dark.

Maybe more to the point is, having thought about it some, I don't want anything serious happening on the streets until Jack is ready to roll, and that won't happen until tomorrow night. So nothing interesting is going to happen tonight during patrols, although they will occur in the background.

However, there's still the thing with Leo telling Rebekka who is Sire really is, and I want that to play out tonight for at least a few exchanges.

Gotcha. I'm going to stay put then, because I'm pretty sure I have a role to play in the "Who's your daddy" fiasco to come.

[Huxley]

Leo motions to catch Rebekka's attention, "If you do not mind, Prince, and can spare a moment, I do have something of relevance to our situation to review with you"

(Can I make a Diplomacy roll to communicate "I would prefer this to be private"?)

[Detritus]

Leo motions to catch Rebekka's attention, "If you do not mind, Prince, and can spare a moment, I do have something of relevance to our situation to review with you"

(Can I make a Diplomacy roll to communicate "I would prefer this to be private"?)
Yeah, roll it.

[Huxley]

Yeah, roll it.

(it's away)

[Detritus]

You follow the three women out of the room. Rebekka tells Camille to find Mr. Johnson and Gwynnis, and that she will be joining them in a moment. Rebekka leads you to an empty room, and Anneke follows you both in.

((Because Leo is a pretty smart guy, it will occur to him without the need for an IQ check that Anneke may have somewhat of a bodyguard role in addition to her other duties.))

"What is on your mind?" Rebekka asks, with Anneke standing to her right.

[Huxley]

Leo rubs his neck in thought, trying to think of the best way to broach the subject.

"With the Conclave approaching, I thought it best to reveal myself before you, as I am in your haven, lineage will become more important, and my lineage is suspect"

"I am Leolin Friskin, child of Morey. Beyond that, I have no knowledge"

Leo looks thoughtful a moment, but stops there.

[Detritus]

((Can you remind me of what Leo's fake Sire's name is? Did he ever utter it in Rebekka's presence? I haven't found it because I don't know what I'm looking for.))

[Huxley]

((Can you remind me of what Leo's fake Sire's name is? Did he ever utter it in Rebekka's presence? I haven't found it because I don't know what I'm looking for.))

((Yeah, no problem. Rebekka was there, and it was in Houston. The quote is ""I am Leolin Friskin, childe of Berone Hark, childe of Gina O'Donald, childe of Zacharia Muldowney. We have come to seek acceptance into your city"", and it can be found in my first post on this (http://forum.criticalfumble.net/showthread.php?t=3105) page.

[Detritus]

((Yeah, no problem. Rebekka was there, and it was in Houston. The quote is ""I am Leolin Friskin, childe of Berone Hark, childe of Gina O'Donald, childe of Zacharia Muldowney. We have come to seek acceptance into your city"", and it can be found in my first post on this (http://forum.criticalfumble.net/showthread.php?t=3105) page.
Thanks.

=========================

Rebekka looks at you in silence for a moment.

"I see. Was there a reason you concealed your true lineage from Prince Casimir in Houston?"

[Huxley]

Thanks.

=========================

Rebekka looks at you in silence for a moment.

"I see. Was there a reason you concealed your true lineage from Prince Casimir in Houston?"

"Yes, yes. One does not lie about these things without reason, I wouldn't think. I hesitate only because it may be best if you just accept this as my formal introduction. But, if you so wish, I will go on"

[Detritus]

"Yes, yes. One does not lie about these things without reason, I wouldn't think. I hesitate only because it may be best if you just accept this as my formal introduction. But, if you so wish, I will go on"
"What do you know of your Sire?" Rebekka asks.

[Huxley]

"What do you know of your Sire?" Rebekka asks.

Leo spits this out, quickly and a bit garbled. "He is Sabbat. He still lives, and last I knew he lived in New York. It was only through the grace of God and the kindness of another that learned of the Camarilla and its ways. I was never officially inducted into the sect"

[Detritus]

Leo spits this out, quickly and a bit garbled. "He is Sabbat. He still lives, and last I knew he lived in New York. It was only through the grace of God and the kindness of another that learned of the Camarilla and its ways. I was never officially inducted into the sect"
"Did Justicar Walsh know any of this?" asks Anneke, her shades low enough on her nose to expose her mismatched eyes.

[Huxley]

"Did Justicar Walsh know any of this?" asks Anneke, her shades low enough on her nose to expose her mismatched eyes.

"I haven't told her"

[Detritus]

"I haven't told her"
((Sorry, I meant Arcadian, not Gwynnis. That wasn't clear in the original reply.))

[Huxley]

"I told him after I was blood bonded to him. I'm... not used to speaking about it"

[Detritus]

"I told him after I was blood bonded to him. I'm... not used to speaking about it"
Rebekka: "When did you last see your Sire?"

[Huxley]

Rebekka: "When did you last see your Sire?"

"Just around the time I was sired. Oddly, when I returned to New York to assist in fighting the Sabbat, I never ran into him"

[Detritus]

"Just around the time I was sired. Oddly, when I returned to New York to assist in fighting the Sabbat, I never ran into him"
"Do you remember seeing him in New York?" Rebekka asks Anneke.

"No, but that was a very large operation, and I was there only for part of it."

"What do you think about tonight?"

"I would keep him off the streets tonight. There is not that much left to the night, anyways."

"That means keeping Francois off the street as well," says Rebekka. "His Sire is also of the Sabbat."

"So be it. If Gwynnis gives her approval, you will include them in the patrol roster?"

"Yes, of course, but she should know."

"I agree," says Anneke.

"Inform Dee Dee that you and Francois will not be available to patrol tonight," Rebekka says to Leo. "And before you go, I have one last question. Did your surrogate Sire give her approval for your using her lineage as yours?"

[Huxley]

"I did not want to bring my benefactor into trouble. The names I used are the product of research I did -- they come from a Nosferatu who resides in Chicago. But, yes, I was given permission"

[Detritus]

"I did not want to bring my benefactor into trouble. The names I used are the product of research I did -- they come from a Nosferatu who resides in Chicago. But, yes, I was given permission"
"I don't think she would have been in any trouble if you had gone ahead without her say so," Rebekka replies.

"Please apprise the Sheriff of the latest developments for tonight's duty roster," says the Prince, and then she and Anneke take their leave of you to meet with Mr. Johnson.

[Huxley]

Leo sighs and mutters to himself: "... feeling strangely guilty...", then goes off to find Dee Dee.

[Detritus]

Leo sighs and mutters to himself: "... feeling strangely guilty...", then goes off to find Dee Dee.
((Dee Dee et al. are all still in Jack's room for the moment. I invite the PCs to talk amongst themselves as much as they wish at the end of the thread here, but I think I've covered everything I wanted to by now.))