fall of london

C h apter 5 – R ed L ists & R ed C aps

called Arwyn to warn her how hostile and violent the Three sealed metal vats stand in one corner, containing
characters are. In this case, Chun brings two ghouls in remains of the butchers’ illicit cuts. A bare light bulb
addition to gangsters. overhead casts the only illumination. Chun sits down
in the second chair.
Chun Hei does not know Tony, despite them both
being of Arwyn’s lineage. Both of them were embraced During this conversation, Chun uses Charisma +
in such tumultuous circumstances that Arwyn never Intimidation to get answers: who are the characters,
bothered with introductions. what do they want with Arwyn, and what is their end
goal? Any lies require a Manipulation + Subterfuge roll
Chun doesn’t join the first round of combat, in- opposed by Resolve + Insight. Chun breaks one bone
stead observing the coterie before attacking the phys- for any lie she catches the character in, though the
ically weakest character in the second round. Spotting unbound character can certainly fight back.
her requires a Wits + Awareness opposed by Dexterity
+ Stealth, or else Chun too launches a surprise attack. Conversation with Chun Hei:
On Equal Terms
Chun Hei plans to grapple her target in a Strength
+ Brawl contest, and drag them into the slaughter- Chun Hei’s plan need not succeed. The coterie may
house. If she succeeds, the gangsters quickly disperse catch her as she flees into the slaughterhouse, or
– their mission was to provide a distraction, rather beat a captured gangster to reveal where she is. The
than harm the coterie. The characters can give chase to characters might even stop the violence right when
capture one of the mortals for interrogation. it happens if recognize the attack for what it is: an
attempt to distract and subdue, rather than kill
Following Chun through the slaughter house’s them – which means Chun wants to talk. The latter
maze-like corridors requires a Wits + Awareness roll requires a social roll opposed by Chun’s Resolve +
at Difficulty 4. If the coterie loses her, Chun drags Insight. The coterie receives a +1 bonus die to this
the grappled character into a secret passage under the roll if they favorably impressed Chun at Queen
floors. If the coterie captured one of the gangsters or Anne’s party in Sunset of Flames.
ghouls, they only reveal the secret passage under duress
at a Difficulty 5 Manipulation + Intimidation roll. In the latter case, the Brujah suggests talking in the
meat packing plant away from accidental witnesses.
As several things may unfold at once – Chun She takes them through a series of hallways, until they
dragging a lone coterie member down for questioning, enter an office. The overhead neon light flickers in
while the others pursue her gangsters – the Storyteller an erratic pattern. The room, peculiarly for an office,
should keep careful track of time. Letting each group holds neither telephone nor computer.
take a single round of actions before switching helps.
In this case, it takes Chun one round to enter the ware- Chun Hei sits down in room’s only chair, behind a
house, another to enter the secret passage, and a third metal desk. She demands to know who the characters
to reach the butcher’s abattoir. are, what they want with Arwyn, and what their end
goal is. Telling lies requires Manipulation + Subterfuge
Conversation with Chun Hei: roll opposed by Resolve + Insight. The Brujah visibly
The Butcher’s Abattoir twitches at every lie she catches.

Chun drags a lone character to a room under the “Tell me lies,
abattoir. The air is thick with the scent of cattle blood,
with a faint whiff of something altogether sweeter. and YOinUth’eLDLIRliTe!”
The butcher crew above cuts all manner of meats upon – Chun Hei
request, including the one usually taboo.

The Brujah throws the character into one of two
steel chairs sitting in the center of the room. Lone
droplets of blood still fall from the grate in the ceiling.

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Opportunity Chun Hei
Comes Knocking
■ EPITAPH: Arwyn’s Enforcer
If Chun is satisfied that the coterie ■ QUOTE: “Comply, or I will break your bones.”
only wants to meet with Arwyn, ■ CLAN: Brujah
– and not arrest her – a foolish ■ GENERATION: 9th
proposition, she scoffs, but one the
Camarilla occasionally tries – she MORTAL DAYS: LONDON ANARCHISTS
offers the characters an opportu-
nity. A team of Antigen agents has Chun Hei is the daughter of Korean immigrants, coming of
Gwenllian Arwyn surrounded in age as Europe descended into xenophobia and violence.A
one of her Havens, and the elder member of the kine anarchist movement, she – and many
cannot safely leave. While she is other anarchists, communists, and Jewish people – clashed
unharmed and well fed, the lack of violently with fascists in the Battle of Cable Street. Chun
freedom chafes her. died that night, holding the line against fascism, until Zawadi
Locke spirited her corpse away and brought her back.
Chun Hei will reveal where Ar-
wyn is and arranges for a peaceful KINDRED NIGHTS: ARWYN’S MUSCLE
meeting if the coterie promises to
free her. Admittedly the coterie al- Chun’s Embrace was messy and unplanned, though
ready knows Arwyn is in the British miraculously it took. She was still unsanctioned, requiring
Museum, but Chun doesn’t know intercession from her grandsire Gwenllian Arwyn to
this and a peaceful encounter with retroactively get permission from Mithras. If Arwyn
an elder Brujah is surely a great punished Zawadi for breaking the rules and forcing her to
advantage. spend goodwill with the Prince of London, she never took
it out on Chun. She did, however, make use of her new
If the coterie doesn’t concede to grandchilde to serve as her muscle on the London streets.
these terms, Chun Hei leaves. If the Chun received her training from Zawadi, and her orders
coterie agrees but lies, Chun flies from Arwyn.
into an anger Frenzy and attacks.
Both of these cut off their avenue of Zawadi Locke was one of the first Kindred to fall to
meeting Arwyn peacefully. Operation Antigen, instilling Chun with a burning hatred
against Antigen.Arwyn’s need of her, so long as the elder
However, if the coterie agrees, is physically unable to leave the British Museum, prevents
Chun Hei confirms Arwyn is Chun from acting on this rage, which grows nightly.
in the British Museum. Antigen
agents suspect the museum, which PLOTS AND SCHEMES:
served as Elysium, holds vampiric
activity and keep it under watch. ■ FREE GWENLLIAN ARWYN: Chun is Arwyn’s
Arwyn is exceedingly powerful, main enforcer on the streets of London, serving as
Chun says, but she prefers not to messenger, muscle, and spy alike. She is over-extended
leave in a rain of blood, and lacks and increasingly frustrated, yet unwilling to leave her
the right contacts to leave discreet- grandsire trapped.
ly. If the characters can get into the
museum however, surely they can ■ AVENGE ZAWADI LOCKE: Chun believes Operation
also leave and take the Brujah elder Antigen killed Zawadi. She is wrong – they took
with them. In exchange, Chun sets Zawadi as a test subject to determine vampires’
up a meeting between the coterie strength and weaknesses.The Korean Brujah might
and Arwyn. uncover this as she hunts down her sire’s killers,
though Zawadi’s mind may already have broken under
the sustained torture.

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FALL OF LON D ON

DOMAIN AND HAVEN: assuming the traditional sire role. Still, Chun and
Zawadi entered a brief period as lovers before both
■ POD LAUNDRETTE (HAVEN 2, RESOURCES 3): Pod decided the power imbalance and blood bonds
is a Korean owned launderette which serves as front, involved made this a toxic mess waiting to happen.
and money laundering operation, for the Maryle Boys. Chun still loves Zawadi though, and would abandon
Chun sleeps in a steel-reinforced sub basement under even Arwyn if she knew there was a chance of
the laundry service. finding Zawadi.

THRALLS AND TOOLS: ■ GWENLLIAN ARWYN (GRANDSIRE AND
CONTROLLER): While Arwyn did not fully blood
■ KIM SUN (RETAINER 3): Kim Sun is Chun’s ghoul bond Chun, she did feed her grandchilde enough
and right hand in the Maryle Boys. Like Chun, they’re vitae to ensure her loyalty. Chun adheres to her
the child of Korean immigrants. Kim studied business grandsire’s tenets, though – Embraced only years
and gender theory at the University of London, until before Mithras entered torpor – she has little
disillusionment with the status quo led them to patience for her strange cult. Nor does Chun have
abandon their studies.They originally fell in with the much patience for the Ivory Tower, as her ideals run
Maryle Boys as bookkeeper, but Chun elevated them wholly more anarchistic than that. Chun bows to
after she recognized their hyper focus and how their Mithras and the Camarilla so long as Arwyn does, but
ideals align with hers. would welcome breaking free of both.

■ MARYLE BOYS (ALLIES 3): While Chun is mostly ■ AYSE DHANIAL (KINSHIP): Chun was an anarchist
interested in using the Maryle Boys as mortal anarchist in life, while Ayse clearly leans toward that Sect as a
troops, Kim keeps them on task when it comes vampire.
to drug operations, extortion rackets, and money
laundering.They’re also responsible for maintaining WHISPERS:
the Boy’s territory, which predictably extends across
Maryle.The gang’s name is a misnomer, as it accepts ■ ILLEGAL GET: Despite Arwyn smoothing things over,
people from all genders. Kindred talk about Chun’s illegal Embrace.Those
who found themselves in a similar situation especially,
KINDRED RELATIONSHIPS: resent Chun survived when their own unsanctioned
childer were put down.
■ ZAWADI LOCKE (SIRE AND MENTOR): Arwyn
absorbed Chun as her own asset after smoothing ■ GRANDSIRE’S CHILDE: Kindred certainly noticed
the illegal Embrace over with Mithras, leaving Zawadi acted more as a blood sibling to Chun, while
Zawadi to function as a big sister rather than Arwyn commanded both of them. Some believe Arwyn
was Chun’s illegal sire, and then ordered Zawadi to
take the fall.

■ SECRET ANARCH: Chun makes no secret of her
support for mortal anarchism, leading Kindred to
assume she also rebuked the Camarilla in favor of the
Anarchs. Others claim she has not – and won’t as long
as her grandsire remains a member of the Ivory Tower.

MASK AND MIEN:

Chun is a short Korean woman in her early 20s. Her hair
is dyed like an oil slick, and she sports various tattoos
proclaiming her loyalty to the kine anarchy cause and
Maryle Boys. She has a surprisingly deep and soft voice.

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C h apter 5 – R ed L ists & R ed C aps

She never bothered to set up Scene Three:
a fake identity, though Kim Sun Making Deals
recently provided her with an ID
and a record that should withstand The characters know to find Arwyn at the British
passing scrutiny.As far as the Maryle Museum, and they may even have a meeting scheduled,
Boys are concerned, though, she’s an but they still need a way inside. Regina Blake is the right
illegal immigrant. vampire for the job. Blake serves as London’s Keeper of
Elysium, though Queen Anne leaves her little to do – if
■ SIRE: Zawadi Locke the Threat Level is 3 or lower, the Prince is slowly relegat-
■ EMBRACED: Sunday October 4th ing Blake’s Keeper duties to Lady Scarlett, while a Threat
Level of 4+ sees all Elysia shutdown. She is too emotion-
1936 ally invested in her mortal contacts to simply abandon
■ AMBITION: Chun’s loyalty them, though, and thus retains all of them despite the risk
of discovery. She knows someone who can smuggle illicit
to Arwyn muddles her own visitors into the British Museum. That is the good news.
ambition, which is indeed to
break free of the Camarilla. The bad news is that Blake is imminently wary of
■ CONVICTIONS: If people try to anything to do with Mithras, after she was swept up in
put you down, put your fist in his schemes as a neonate. She knows Gwenllian Arwyn
their face. is trapped inside the Museum, and deliberately makes
■ TOUCHSTONES: Jet (real name no effort to free her. It makes no difference whether
Nam Hi), a Maryle Boy bearing an the coterie wants to revive or destroy Mithras, Blake
uncanny resemblance to Chun’s wants no part of it. Fortunately for them, Blake is in a
long passed mortal sister. bit of a tight spot herself.
■ HUMANITY: 6
■ ATTRIBUTES: Strength 4, Finding Blake
Dexterity 4, Stamina 4; Charisma 3,
Manipulation 2, Composure 2; The coterie has a few ways to learn Blake is the person
Intelligence 3,Wits 4, Resolve 4 to ask about getting into the British Museum. Darius
■ SECONDARY ATTRIBUTES: Shirazi from A Dark and Stormy Night has museum
Health 7,Willpower 6 contacts similar to Blake’s and can arrange a meeting. If
■ SKILLS: Athletics 3, Brawl (One Chun Hei arranged a meeting for them in Scene 2, the
on one) 5, Drive 2, Firearms 2, Brujah tells them to ask Blake – but also warns that the
Melee 4, Stealth 3; Intimidation 5, Toreador previously refused to aid Arwyn. If the coterie
Leadership 5, Streetwise 4 did not get a meeting from Chun Hei, but did favora-
■ BLOOD POTENCY: 3 bly impress Daria, the Nosferatu telephones them: she
■ DISCIPLINES: Celerity 3, did some follow-up research, and Regina Blake is their
Potence 4, Presence 3 way into the Museum. If they alienated Shirazi, Chun,
and Daria, the characters are on their own. Another
Charisma + Investigation roll at Difficulty 3 leads them
to Regina, but this means more legwork and thus more
risk of running into Antigen agents.

The coterie can find Blake, in the face of all danger,
hosting an unsanctioned Elysium in The Trunk night-
club, with quite a few Kindred relying on it for blood
and shelter.

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FALL OF LON D ON

PARTY AT THE TRUNK

The Trunk is packed at all hours.
Queer folk in the latest fashion line
up to get in. A drag queen wearing
an extravagant leather cape cuts the
line, amazingly drawing no resent-
ment. A Wits + Streetwise roll at
Difficulty 3 lets the coterie decipher
a graffiti tag on the wall that brands
the venue as Kindred friendly.

The club occupies a low under-
ground space, curtains of beads and
gauze creation little areas. The main
stage sees a drag queen competition,
the crowd favoring each contestant
with exuberant applause. The crowd
is highly physical, licking and biting
while they sway to the music. A
Wits + Awareness roll at Difficulty 3
lets the coterie spot several couples
where one looks to be feeding, while
the same roll at Difficulty 5 con-
firms them as definitely Kindred.

Regina Blake sits on a low sofa
with a prime view of the stage. A
beautiful youth rests their head in
her lap, puncture marks still visible
on their neck as Blake strokes their
hair. An older woman has her
head on Regina’s shoulder, gazing
love-struck at the Toreador as they
make quiet conversation. A dark-

HACKNEY

C h apter 5 – R ed L ists & R ed C aps

Regina Blake presented good optics – though if DOMAIN AND HAVEN:
Anne expected to turn Blake into a
■ EPITAPH: Keeper of Elysium vassal later, she failed. Regina expends ■ SOHO APARTMENT (HAVEN
■ QUOTE: “I make my own fate.” personal resources to host Elysia, 3): Regina keeps several Havens
■ CLAN: Toreador arrange for free mortal vessels, and throughout London, many of
■ GENERATION: 9th provide other Kindred with safe them highly secure boxes to loan
havens, just so she can keep an eye to other Kindred when they’re
THE VICTORIAN ERA: on them. She grooms favors just in caught out at dawn. Her own
case, and she observes – ever ready Soho apartment is far more than
ANCIENT SCHEMES to disentangle herself if need be. that though. Covering the top
floor of a modest apartment
Regina Blake, daughter of Emma Nowhere does Blake’s trauma building, the haven holds every
Blake, was happily engaged to be show more than in her refusal to advance in security as well as
married when a scheme between leave London.This is where her a team of mortal guards.The
ancient vampires upended her life. mother died – where she herself apartment itself is opulent
Disgraced Ventrue Valerius, working died – and Blake can’t stop looking with furs and soft lighting, and
with a sect of Tremere, planned to back.Above all that, though, this is reinforced steel shutters and
use Emma Blake as a poison vessel where Mithras resides and Blake doors which close automatically
to destroy Mithras – who was in an daren’t take her eyes off him. He before sunrise.
asylum after Kemintiri, ancient Setite is the danger she can’t run from,
and former lover turned enemy of because that would mean turning ■ THE TRUNK (HERD 5,
Mithras, drove him mad.Toreador her back – and Blake doesn’t believe RESOURCES 3): Blake claims The
Victoria Ash served as Regina’s guide for a single moment he’s actually Trunk as her domain, carefully
in the night, endeavoring and failing gone. crafting its image to draw a
to keep the mortal safe. In the end, steady stream of tourists while
Victoria saw no alternative way to PLOTS AND SCHEMES: limiting the presence of cameras
keep Regina safe than Embracing the inside. She opened the club to
unwilling mortal. ■ KEEPER OF FAVORS: Serving as Kindred in an effort to collect
Keeper of Elysium allows Regina more favor for herself.
KINDRED NIGHTS: NEVER AGAIN to rise in power and collect
favors from other Kindred, ■ ASH SHIPPING (RESOURCES 4):
Regina never wished to be a vampire, without having to choose sides. Victoria Ash departed London
but greater powers forced her She has so much that standing shortly after Regina’s Embrace,
destiny.Those same powers used and Primogen, and even Queen Anne, and the centuries barely softened
eventually destroyed her mother as must factor her into their plans the resentment between childe
a mere pawn.Trauma shaped Regina’s – even if it’s only to give Blake a and sire.Ash deeded her London
first nights and every next step she heads up so she can remain safely based shipping company to Blake,
took, and is key to understanding her on the sidelines. though, and it remains a steady
centuries since. source of revenue to this day.
■ ALL EYES ON MITHRAS: Regina’s
Blake uses her formidable social trauma-fueled focus let her do THRALLS AND TOOLS:
skills to track the movements of what even Queen Anne could ■ TIANNA PALMER (RETAINER
other Kindred. She resists all efforts not – gain a spy within the
from others to draw her into their Mithraic Mysteries. Jan Evers 2): Jamaican-born Tianna serves
schemes, instead maintaining a is a Kindred initiate of the Leo as Blake’s bodyguard and head of
neutral position even in the face rank, keeping Blake informed of security. She is utterly devoted
of Queen Anne.This in turn won any developments in the largely to Blake, and never more than
her the position of Keeper of broken cult. a step from her side. Palmer is
Elysium, as Queen Anne reluctantly trained in Capoeira and Systema
admitted having a neutral Keeper

155

FALL OF LON D ON

martial arts, well-versed with a she knows where the Toreador MASK AND MIEN:
machete blade, and an excellent stands. Blake spends increasing
markswoman. Palmer sends most resources assuring the Queen Blake is the epitome of Victorian
of the money Blake pays her to that her neutral stance is exactly beauty with alabaster skin, dark
her family in Jamaica. that, and not a decoy. Even curls, and large brown eyes.While
■ TRENTON ADEBAYO (RETAINER so, Blake finds her position in she updated her wardrobe since
3): Trenton serves as Regina’s London increasingly undermined her mortal days to include mostly
daytime man and procurer by Lady Scarlett whom she – leather, Blake still wears corsets to
of various illegal services. He rightly – suspects is working on emphasize her waspish waist. She
maintains contacts with hackers, orders from Queen Anne. smells of roses.
smuggles drugs as needed, and ■ JAN EVERS (INFORMANT): Evers
ferries vulnerable Kindred guests is a Nosferatu initiate of London’s Regina maintains a full cover
to and from Elysium.Trenton is Mithraic cell – or rather, what is (Mask 2, recently upgraded from
also Regina’s on-and-off lover, and left as the Mithraic Mysteries fell Mask 1) as an entrepreneur of some
excellent at calming her when apart when Mithras disappeared. renown in the entertainment industry.
she has a panic attack. Evers keeps close tabs on his The arrival of Operation Antigen led
fellow acolytes, as well as any her to patch any holes in her cover.
KINDRED RELATIONSHIPS: remaining cult movements. He
■ VICTORIA ASH (ESTRANGED recently caught on to activity ■ SIRE: Victoria Ash
shipping Mithraic artifacts to and ■ EMBRACED: 1880 CE
SIRE): Regina resents Victoria fro, and though he doesn’t know ■ AMBITION: To be wholly
for Embracing her, even if she of Pater Thomas’ plot or the
realizes the alternative would characters’ return, he did catch independent from the
see her – a mortal who knew far on that ‘something’ is happening. machinations of others
too much – murdered.The two ■ CONVICTIONS: I act with
exchanged letters after Victoria WHISPERS: kindness even in a cruel world.
departed London in 1880, but I protect me and mine.
they’ve had no physical contact. ■ THRALL OF MITHRAS: Victoria ■ TOUCHSTONES: Tianna Palmer,
Blake did send a lovely ballet Ash abandoned Regina because Trenton Adebayo
dancer as present for Victoria’s she is blood bonded to Mithras. ■ HUMANITY: 6
wedding to Tegyrius. This also makes her an excellent ■ ATTRIBUTES: Strength 2,
■ ROSE ABAWI (CONTENTIOUS barometer to the methuselah’s Dexterity 4, Stamina 3; Charisma
CHILDE): Regina embraced existence – Blake remaining in 4, Manipulation 4, Composure 5;
Rose, believing she found a London proves he still survives. Intelligence 3,Wits 4, Resolve 4
friend to spend eternity with.
Ever since then, Rose has grown ■ CAMARILLA SPY: Blake’s ■ SECONDARY ATTRIBUTES:
increasingly rebellious, seeding independence fuels much Health 6,Willpower 9
just enough trouble for Blake to speculation, including a rumor
be cumbersome, but not enough the Ivory Tower tasked her with ■ SKILLS: Athletics 3,Awareness 3,
to warrant a heart to heart. keeping an eye on either Mithras Brawl 2, Etiquette (Fetish clubs) 5,
■ QUEEN ANNE (WARY PRINCE): or Queen Anne, depending on Insight 5, Intimidation 3,
Queen Anne does not like whom one asks. Persuasion 3, Streetwise 3,
unaligned, powerful Kindred. Subterfuge 4, Politics (London
At this point, Bowesley would ■ TOO SENTIMENTAL: Regina has Kindred) 4
rather Blake declared for one a hard time letting go of mortal
of her enemies – at least then assets, even after they outlived ■ BLOOD POTENCY: 4
their usefulness or become a ■ DISCIPLINES: Auspex 2,
liability.
Celerity 3, Dominate 2,
Presence 4

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THE TRUNK to match the penis mural in the
Located in the Soho area, this basement club hosts drag parties, bathroom, and a rather large dildo
spoken word events, and genre-spanning parties. Its LGBTQ+ in a display case.
audience is creative and fashion-forward, dressing in anything from
home-crafted latex catsuits to a glittery top and cut-off shorts. The A RELUCTANT AGREEMENT
club is famous for the large purple penis mural in the bathrooms,
which serves as the background for many a selfie and is one of the Blake’s immediate reaction to any
few spots in The Trunk to allow cameras. question involving Mithras is “No.”
However, a Wits + Insight opposed
Mortal Activities: Tonight The Trunk hosts a drag compe- Manipulation + Subterfuge reveals
tition, featuring the best queens from the greater London area. a slight hesitation. If the charac-
They audience grinds hips as the stage performers sing and twirl. ters press for a deal, or ask what
People laugh at the jokes, while a few peel off to the bathroom for Blake wants rather than discuss
a more intimate rendez-vous. what they want, Blake replies: “The
police took my Trenton. I’m fright-
Tomorrow the club hosts a post-apocalyptic themed kink par- fully worried for him, but I lack
ty. The night after, a barefooted ecstatic dance event. The Trunk connections with the station. Nor
is all about creating experiences and connections, stripping away dare I go in person and abandon
taboos and the mundane so people can truly be themselves. my duties here.” If the characters
already revealed they need access
Dominant Vampires: Regina Blake controls The Trunk, to the British Museum, Blake adds:
both as Kindred domain and as legal owner. She even personally “Trenton knows the way into the
approves all themed evenings, and holds office in a backroom. museum, so our goals align here. I
shall take that as a good omen. If
Kindred Activities: Blake uses The Trunk as private domain you free him, he will accompany
for herself and select allies, and impromptu Elysium as she feels you there.”
like it. Despite her demeanor as perfect hostess, Blake constantly
weighs the need for access against the risk of alerting Antigen If the coterie agrees to free
agents. Currently, she believes the club remains undetected. In ad- Trenton, Blake directs them to
dition to offering mortal vessels, The Trunk is a camera-free zone the Bishopsgate Police Station,
save the bathroom mural, and hosts a number of secure landlines. which is open 24 hours. She also
gives them a locket from around
skinned woman, Tianna Palmer, do not shirk my duties.” Feeding her neck to give to Trenton “so he
stands just behind Blake and at The Trunk requires no roll for knows to take you to the Museum,
watches the coterie like a hawk. Lady Catherine as Siren, though but he must immediately return
she might want to use one of the to me once you’re inside.” If the
Unless the characters take bathroom stalls. coterie struck a positive note with
efforts to sneak around, Blake spots Blake, she kindly informs them to
them and she waves them over. If the characters indicate they bring a change of clothes – “some-
Blake recognizes the characters want to talk to Blake about sen- thing nice” – to the Museum, but
from 1940, a fact she doesn’t bother sitive matters, she frowns ever so she conveniently forgets to men-
hiding, though – staying as far from briefly before disentangling herself tion this if they annoyed her.
the Mithraic Mysteries as she can – and rising: “Let’s talk in my office.”
she can tell them no more than that Blake doesn’t waste words on
they were part of Mithras’ cult. Blake’s office looks very much threats, but if Trenton dies in
like a regular office, with a desk Scene 4, be it at the coterie’s hands
“Welcome friends and drink,” and chairs, laptop and Rolodex. It or anyone else’s, they make a dead-
the Keeper of Elysium says, “for I also holds a giant mural of a vagina ly enemy of her.

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FALL OF LON D ON Scene Four:
Into the Depths
Trenton Adebayo
The coterie must first release Trenton from the police,
Trenton drew Blake’s eye when he after which he guides them through the underground
performed in a jazz competition to the British Museum.
at The Trunk.Trenton’s band, the
Smashing Gazelles, didn’t win, but Bishopsgate Police Station
Regina did invite him for a private
meeting afterward.After a brief The police arrested Trenton on drunken disorderly
bout of wholly unbalanced and near charges and possession of narcotics, but they are deter-
Masquerade-breaking dating, Blake mined to teach him a lesson after he resisted arrest and
blood bonded him.That was 20 broke one policeman’s jaw. The police held Trenton for
years ago. three nights and counting, and ‘lost’ both the paper-
work to process him – which would likely lead to time
Trenton knows London inside served and a fine – and the bail paperwork after Blake
out, smuggling drugs by day and sent someone down with cash. They don’t harm him,
Kindred by night.The former is but Trenton gets increasingly agitated each night he’s
largely a ‘him’ enterprise, to keep way from Regina.
him busy and augment funds as he
waits for Regina to rise.The latter The coterie has several options to free Trenton. The
sees him ferry Kindred to and from easiest are again Dominate or Presence. Failing that,
Elysium, usually by way of the London they can try Charisma or Manipulation + Persuasion.
Underground as some of these The Difficulty is 5, but every Resources dot will reduce
vampires are unsuited to walking the difficulty by 1 (to a minimum of 2). The coterie can
the streets, while others have secret try Charisma + Intimidation at Difficulty 6, but failure
meetings they prefer their rivals not brings the police force down around them.
know about.
If the coterie fails at talking Trenton out of jail, they
Trenton dresses according to can always try sneaking in (Obfuscate helps) and steal-
the latest fashion, from a hoodie ing the key to his cell. That renders Trenton as escaped
and jeans on the street to tight from custody, but fulfills their agreement with Blake.
latex at The Trunk. No matter his
dress,Trenton finds it impossible to If the characters go the extra mile and erase Tren-
blend in with his flawless ebony skin, ton’s arrest record, Regina grants them a Boon for their
irrepressibly charming smile, and generosity.
towering 6 ft 3 height.
The Underground
■ ATTRIBUTES: Strength 3,
Dexterity 3, Stamina 3; Charisma 4, Trenton takes the coterie to the British Museum upon
Manipulation 2, Composure 3; seeing Regina’s locket. The first leg of the journey is
Intelligence 3,Wits 3, Resolve 2 above ground and on foot. This is by no means a neces-
sity – they could certainly take the Tube or a black cab
■ SECONDARY ATTRIBUTES: – but Trenton relishes the open sky after being locked
Health 6,Willpower 5 in. This gives the coterie a chance to observe him, and a
Difficulty 3 Wits + Insight test reveals he’s skittish and
■ SKILLS: Athletics 4, Brawl 3, his hands are shaking. It’s been a while since the ghoul
Insight 2, Intimidation 2, drank from Regina, and he needs his fix. The characters
Performance (Jazz) 4,
Streetwise (London) 4, 158
Subterfuge 4,Awareness 3

C h apter 5 – R ed L ists & R ed C aps

can offer him a drink of their veins, which the ghoul tunnels, old London streets paved over, and sewers.
declines after a long hesitation. Charisma or Manipu- The tunnels overflow with rats and mice, and the
lation + Persuasion at Difficulty 4, or Difficulty 3 for coterie even comes across a pack of feral dogs. Blake’s
Toreador, coaxes Trenton into it. This earns the enmity arrangement with the Nosferatu allows Trenton to
of Blake once she learns of it, though she won’t dismiss take Kindred with him – the whole point is getting
Trenton from her service. Blake’s guests to Elysium unseen – but they still take
note of their visitors.
After half an hour’s walk, Trenton finally enters the
London Underground. He rides a series of trains going The Storyteller can run any of the encounters
back and forth across London haphazardly. The ghoul below, or add their own – the underground is strange
doesn’t tell the coterie, but the pattern signals the local and spooky enough.
Nosferatu that Trenton enters their domain per their
agreement with Blake. A Wits + Streetwise roll at Dif- THE BLOOD BANK
ficulty 5 allows characters to memorize the schedule,
though it changes on the first night of each month. A While most Nosferatu feed on Underground com-
lone businessman at Chancery Lane offers a feeding muters, a few saw Operation Antigen upend their
target for Tommy, the Alleycat. usual supply. This Nosferatu, introducing himself (if
the coterie asks) as Z, used to drink from his sire’s
After this train excursion, Trenton enters the veins, until Antigen agents left her out for the sun.
abandoned Aldwych station and the journey continues He’s now reduced to drinking from other vampires,
through maintenance and decommissioned subway though the Blood Leech is clever enough to avoid a

159

FALL OF LON D ON full blood bond. He approaches the characters from
the other side of an iron grate.
Underground Nosferatu
“Hey, hey! Come over here for a sec,” he begs, “You
■ CLAN: Nosferatu got the good stuff for me? I can pay.”
■ STANDARD DICE POOLS:
Z can hand over money as he got early stocks in
Physical 6, Social 1, Mental 5 a tech company that since went global, Boons, and
■ SECONDARY ATTRIBUTES: information. If the coterie wants information, the
Storyteller can simply decide if Z knows something,
Health 8,Willpower 7 or make a Difficulty 4 test with 7 dice for most
■ EXCEPTIONAL DICE POOLS: questions and 8 dice for anything tech or finance
related. If they ask about Richard de Worde, he can
Animal Ken 5, Intimidation 5, point them to the abandoned station in Scene Two in
Stealth 7 What Lies Beneath.
■ DISCIPLINES: Animalism 3,
Obfuscate 1, Potence 1 As a regular of the underground, Z also knows
if the characters are about to run into Get the Fuck
Nosferatu Ghoul Out and The Blockade, detailed below, and can offer
this information as payment. The Storyteller decides
■ CLAN: Nosferatu if this allows the coterie to take a different route and
■ STANDARD DICE POOLS: skip the encounter entirely, or if it merely lets them
prepare for it.
Physical 5, Social 1, Mental 4
■ SECONDARY ATTRIBUTES: The openings in the grate are large enough to stick
an arm through, and Z drinks hastily before fleeing
Health 7,Willpower 4 into the tunnels. He won’t drink from this coterie
■ EXCEPTIONAL DICE POOLS: member again, but the others can strike a second bar-
gain with him at later nights.
Brawl 6, Melee 6,
Investigation 5, Stealth 5 URBAN EXPLORERS
■ DISCIPLINES: Potence 1
The abandoned tunnels and metro stations are closed
Animal Ghoul to the public, yet urban explorers continually defy au-
thorities and explore the darkness. The coterie comes
■ STANDARD DICE POOLS: across a group of three teenagers, wielding torches
Physical 4, Social 1, Mental 2 and video phones. Down here, no one will hear them
scream and any of the disused nooks and crannies
■ SECONDARY ATTRIBUTES: could hide a corpse for weeks or months.
Health 5,Willpower 2
GET THE FUCK OUT
■ EXCEPTIONAL DICE POOLS:
Athletics 4, Brawl (Claws) 4, If the group previously ran What Lies Beneath, they
Stealth 4,Awareness (Tracking) 5 now come across a coterie of angry Nosferatu – de
Worde, if he survived, sent them, or alternately they’re
■ DISCIPLINES: Potence 1 looking to avenge their erstwhile master.

The Nosferatu plan their ambush in an abandoned
maintenance tunnel. The only light comes from a
sparking cable overhead. A pile of concrete railway
sleepers sits next to the track, and a metal vat holds
coils of unused cable. The walls are marked in graffiti,

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C h apter 5 – R ed L ists & R ed C aps

the phrase OBEY THE LAWS THE BLOCKADE ture a guess though, and suggests
repeating over and over. either the Roman Britain exhi-
Antigen agents (see p.23 for sta- bition in the Weston Gallery, or
The characters see one Nosfera- tistics) hunt for vampires in the Roman Empire exhibition in the
tu and two hunched ghouls, though underground, and they’ve effective- Wolfson Gallery. The latter holds
the shadows further in the tunnel ly set up a blockade here. Trenton the Phrygian cap, if the coterie
are too thick for comfort. Sense the knows no way around and the knows what they’re looking for.
Unseen (Auspex) lets them see two characters must pass through, unless
more Nosferatu, and something Z from The Blood Bank gave them Beyond the boiler room lies
that’s either a very toothy dog or a an alternative route. The coterie can a series of hallways, offices with
very large rat. attack the five agents, but their first one curator still at work late, and
response is to call in back-up which broom closets. One door opens to a
One Nosferatu sidles closer and complicates the coterie’s return changing room replete with shower,
throws a ring at Trenton’s feet. The route. Sneaking through unseen, us- which Blake offers to Kindred who
ghoul visibly flinches – the ring ing Obfuscate, or making the agents want to freshen up after trekking
is Regina’s, and refusing it signals forget the encounter with Forgetful through the underground. It doesn’t
a suspension of their agreement. Mind is more judicious. have a change of clothes though.
He carefully steps aside to let the
coterie do the talking. Scene Five: The coterie hears the telltale
sound of laughter, conversation,
“Made a mess of things you Night at the and clinking glasses as they enter
did.” the Nosferatu hisses through the museum’s public space. The
a broken mouth. “You deserve a Museum museum is hosting a party to cel-
good beating. Unless you want ebrate the opening of a temporary
to come to terms?” If the coterie Trenton finally takes the cote- exhibit on Victorian jewelry. The
pissed off so many vampires they rie into the abandoned British event consists of private tours, a
have to ask what this is about, the Museum tube station. Rats scurry lecture on new dig sites and res-
Nosferatu smiles his rotting gums about watching the coterie warily, toration projects, and drinks and
wide and answers “de Worde sends and more graffiti marks the walls. finger food in the Great Court.
his regards.” The ghoul leads them to a pile of
foul-smelling trash bags, which are Characters can blend in with
The characters can try to talk glued together to hide a dug tunnel Charisma + Etiquette at Difficulty
their way out, or use Dominate leading to a metal trapdoor with 3. This roll takes a -1 penalty dice if
or Presence. The characters can number pad above. Trenton types they’re still wearing their under-
also ‘come to terms’, which means in a number behind his hand, but ground clothes but did use Blake’s
buying off the infraction through Wits + Awareness at Difficulty bathroom to freshen up, or a -2 pen-
a combination of immediate pay- 4 lets characters see it’s 1839144. alty dice if they’re completely un-
ment (cash, jewelry, new techno- He delivers the coterie to a boiler washed. They can also impersonate
logical gadgets, and vitae are all room in the British Museum, then catering staff with a Manipulation
acceptable, and the Nosferatu also prepares to leave as he came. + Subterfuge at Difficulty 3, and the
accept money transfers) and Boons Court Café has several black aprons
to be called on later. If coterie asks Trenton where which lend +1 bonus die to this roll.
to find Arwyn, he shrugs to indi- Simply sneaking past the museum’s
If none of that works, the cate he doesn’t know. He’s never Syndexioi Ltd security personnel
Nosferatu attack with the inten- even met Arwyn as she, a Kindred requires Dexterity + Stealth at
tion of roughing the characters up. of high stature, never needed Difficulty 4. Lastly, the coterie can
They flee into the tunnels if they smuggling in. He’s willing to ven- return to the boiler room and wait
fight goes badly for them. Trenton until the event ends.
remains firmly on the sideline –
this is not his fight.

161

FALL OF LONDON

THE BRITISH MUSEUM currently war-torn Middle East. Guides take small
The British Museum sits in the Bloomsbury area of groups of mortals into the British Museum to visit
London. A public institution dedicated to human the various exhibits.
history, art, and culture, it hosts both permanent
and temporary exhibitions. The British Museum Dominant Vampire: Queen Anne declared
also funds educational programs and archaeologi- the British Museum a neutral space, though she
cal field research. allowed Regina Blake to host Elysium here. Behind
the scenes, however, agents of Gwenllian Arwyn
The British Museum is a tourist staple, consist- control the British Museum.
ently making the list of Top Ten Places to Visit in
London – or even the Top Three. Cultural activists Kindred Activities: The British Museum
have recently honed in on the British Museum, previously served as Elysium, but attention from
however, questioning its long history of looting ar- Operation Antigen sees it empty of Kindred save
tifacts from other cultures. The Parthenon Marbles Gwenllian Arwyn, who remains as the suseum still
are an especial source of contention since Greece’s hosts Mithras’ Phrygian cap in its Roman Empire
bankruptcy, as returning the statues to Greece exhibit. Arwyn cannot remove the cap without
– or even leasing them at a proper rate – could drawing undue attention, nor does she have a
bolster the Greek economy. quick means of escape. She uses Earth Meld to
sleep in the floor in the Roman Britain exhibit,
Mortal Activities: The museum hosts an feeding on the occasional night janitor or profes-
evening for Friends of the British Museum, from sor working late.
small donors to the London elite. The party is
black tie and the kine dresses in their finery, but Notable Features: Operation Antigen caught
the Museum’s stable of small donors and working on to vampire activity in the Museum, though not
aficionados stops the event from being overly yet on Arwyn personally. They erected a discreet
posh. Several rooms see professors giving lectures, siege around the building, performing heat scans
with the main draw being a discussion panel about on anyone leaving or entering. The agents tag and
saving archaeological artifacts and sites in the track anyone not clearly human, working with Lon-
don police to arrest them for ‘questioning.’

EXCELLENT CATERING from the party and coax them into dripping blood into
a cup under the guise of a blood fetish, although this
The characters have several opportunities to feed at requires a Charisma or Manipulation + Persuasion or
the event. Lady Catherine, the Siren, has it easiest, Subterfuge at Difficulty 4.
assuming the characters freshened up. A haggard-look-
ing mom fell asleep on a bench in a quiet corner, her Note that, even though each character has a Preda-
two children playing nearby, to offer a target for Dr tor type, all characters can feed from any other kind of
Banerjee as Sandman. victim if necessity arises.

One guest comments how much Alice looks like an THE HUNTERS’ BALL
old stele of ‘Mithras’ Handmaiden’. Getting rid of this
mortal politely requires a Charisma + Etiquette roll at Operation Antigen suspects a vampire is in the British
Difficulty 4, though Alice can also use the opportunity Museum, and has the building under watch. Antigen
to feed on him. agents (see p.23 for stats) attend the party undercover,
hoping the vampire will show itself with so much prey
Tommy can pull one of the guests or hosting staff about after dark. Ironically, they passed Arwyn twice
into a supply room, indulging his Alleycat instincts already, not discerning her nature.
to feed. Even Tony, the Bagger, can lure a mortal away

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If the coterie encountered Operation Antigen THE TEMPORARY EXHIBIT ON VICTORIAN JEWELRY
previously, for example in Spider in a Web, they
recognize one or both of the undercover agents. That Any character can visit the new temporary exhibit,
complicates things if the agents also know their faces, though Lady Catherine feels most drawn to it. The
but gives the coterie a potential weapon against Ar- pendant Angelique gave her is on display in the exhibit
wyn in Scene 7. and instinctively draws her. This could invoke a Memo-
riam for her.
The agents are reluctant to start a fight with so
many bystanders, allowing bold characters to formally THE WESTON GALLERY:
introduce themselves. If they have any plans of striking
a deal with Operation Antigen, such as “leave us ROMAN BRITAIN AND GWENLLIAN ARWYN
alone, and we’ll lead you to the big shots,” now is their
chance. Such efforts require a Manipulation + Persua- The characters find Gwenllian Arwyn reminiscing in
sion or Subterfuge roll at Difficulty 5 or 4 depending the Roman Britain gallery, observing a group of guests
on how compelling their offer. and their guide. She looks up immediately as the
coterie enters, though she does not rise to meet them.
The Storyteller should immediate move to the first
flashback in Scene 6.

163

FALL OF LON D ON

THE WOLFSON GALLERY: Scene Six:

ROMAN EMPIRE AND THE PHRYGIAN CAP The Mithraeum

If the coterie visited the Roman Empire gallery first, This scene consists of three flashback encounters de-
they see the Phrygian cap on display in a locked, en- signed to let the coterie experience Mithras’ all-con-
vironment-controlled glass case. They have a moment suming power. The methuselah was already ancient
to examine it, and may even discover the iris scanner, when London was just a speck on a Roman map –
which is not standard for the British Museum, as Ar- which should give the characters pause what he would
wyn arranged for it to be installed. Before the coterie be like some 1700 years later in 2010 CE.
can do anything else, though, the Storyteller should
move to the first flashback in Scene 6. Flashback 1:
Arcadius Augustus Observes
THE PHRYGIAN CAP
Gwenllian Arwyn hid her artifact in the British The coterie finds itself in Londinium, 240 CE, a small
Museum. Hiding it in plain sight seemed a piece of Rome in the uncivilized British lands. Kin-
smart ploy when Arwyn firmly controlled the dred faithful work to erect the Mithraeum in honor
Museum. The Brujah elder also derived a great of their God.
deal of wicked joy from seeing Regina Blake, so
desperate to be free of Mithras, near Mithras’ The coterie experience this encounter through
prize possession at every Elysium. Operation the eyes of Arcadius Augustus, the architect of the
Antigen’s crackdown on the Museum however Mithraeum’s. Arcadius is childe of Marcus Verus and
trapped both Arwyn and the cap inside, and grandchilde of Mithras. He too was present at their
rendered her little joke quite bitter. Blooding, though he did not remain in London to
the present day. Seeing either the Roman artifacts or
The Phrygian cap is of a rusted red color the Phrygian cap, though, brings his memories to the
and unadorned. The information card on the surface now.
display dates the cap to Rome in the first cen-
tury BCE. The card also mentions the red caps The characters’ minds reinterpret Augustus’ single
originally hailed from Phrygia and Anatolia, view as multiple Kindred following the same encoun-
now in Turkey, but rose to fashion again in ter, but the Storyteller should drop hints something is
Rome as symbol of freed slaves. Its excellent- off. The Storyteller could have them switch places mid-
ly preserved condition renders the cap, one scene or even mid-conversation. If the players catch
of the oldest Roman specimen, as an item of on and call the Storyteller out “hey, wasn’t I walking
great historical value. in front / talking to Verus?” the Storyteller simply
confirms “you were – and so is she.”
A sliding panel to the side of the display, re-
quiring Wits + Awareness at Difficulty 4 to find, The Mithraeum consists of two main levels. A win-
hides an iris scanner keyed to Arwyn herself. dowless vaulted building above ground allows kine to
worship Mithras. The temple is long and narrow, with
low walls separating the central space from two side
passages. The builders began construction at the back,
where a currently empty apse waits to receive a mural
to Mithras, and are working their way to the front
which holds the only door. The apse reveals a passage
down, which the mural will hide once it’s in place.

The encounter opens with Augustus overseeing a
group of builders, inspecting their masonry and dis-
cussing the progress.

164

C h apter 5 – R ed L ists & R ed C aps

MY BLOOD It’s impossible to see the physical form of Mithras,
as he radiates power and light in blinding brightness
Marcus Verus approaches the characters. A Roman le- – an Amalgam the methuselah developed centuries
gionnaire Embraced as Ventrue, Verus exudes author- ago. The characters feel an overwhelming urge to
ity and power even at a mere five decades in age – of kneel, and beg for forgiveness for sullying the God
course, the potent vitae coursing through his veins with their lowly presence. The players may roll Will-
helps too. Augustus loves Verus as a brother, lover, power at Difficulty 5 to resist this urge, or they can
and sire alike, and the characters all feel a variation of follow Verus’ lead as he immediately kneels. They
these emotions. may also roll Wits + Awareness a Difficulty 5 to spot
an opening to another hidden passage in the apse
Verus asks how the work goes, but it takes the behind the throne.
characters a few moments to process the words. They
sound like gibberish at first, until the characters realize “Come forward, my son,” the Sun acknowledges
Verus is speaking Latin – which they suddenly remem- Verus, and the characters feel deeply disappointed the
ber they do too. If the players want to know the “right” God does not acknowledge them too. Mithras asks Ver-
answer to Verus’ question, an Intelligence + Craft roll us about the work to the Mithraeum and while Verus
at Difficulty 3 reveals the mortal temple progresses takes most of the credit, he does praise the characters
excellently, but the underground temple suffers from for their dutiful oversight. Now Mithras finally ges-
shifting rock. The coterie can answer whatever they tures the characters to come forward and kiss his ring
like though – and that will be the answer the historical – the same Sri Sansa holds in Family Matters. Being
Augustus gave. this close to Mithras is an ecstatic experience, akin
to feeding, and the characters feel the Sun’s warmth
Verus then asks Augustus for a viewing of the without the usual sense of panic.
underground Mithraeum.
If the characters disappointed Verus in the
The underground Mithraeum consists of a second previous scene however, they are not supposed to
temple mirroring the one above with a stone throne be down here and he does not praise them. The
before the apse. Thick, wooden support posts keep the Storyteller should describe an overwhelming desire
ceiling up, yet even so the mortal work crew struggles to crawl forward and beg the God’s forgiveness, as
as pieces of rock continually fall down. Verus asks how well as a weeping despair they disappointed him.
Augustus is handling this problem, to which the char- If the players point out that’s not a reaction their
acters can again reply anything. The “right” answer is characters would have, the Storyteller can again
the vaulted design, once it’s bricked, is strong enough confirm – these are Augustus’ reactions made worse
to hold up the ceiling, but they might sustain some by Mithras’ use of Presence. The Storyteller should
casualties before then. still allow a Wits + Awareness at Difficulty 4 to see
the ring which Verus kisses instead, so they may link
If Verus likes the characters’ answers – any vari- it to Sri Sansa.
ation of “yes, we have problems but I am handling
them” – he invites them to join him in worship of the THE ARTIFACT
Sun. If they did not impress Verus, he instead dismisses
them back upstairs, but Dexterity + Stealth at Difficul- Mithras dismisses the characters from his presence (if
ty 4 lets them follow. Either way, the encounter moves they were invited down), but they can hide around
to the next scene. the corner with a Dexterity + Stealth roll at Diffi-
culty 4. They observe as Mithras pulls forth a weath-
THE SUN ECLIPSES EVERYTHING ered-looking Phrygian cap. It nearly matches the red
cap, adorned with a golden sunburst, which Mithras
The flashback jumps slightly. The characters still currently wears, except this cap is plain with a rust-
find themselves in the Kindred Mithraeum, but now red color.
a God sits atop the stone throne. The characters
struggle to remember the God’s name is Mithras,
but he is so potent no mere name can contain him.

165

FALL OF LONDON

“My son,” the God speaks to Arcadius Augustus
the still kneeling Verus, “this I
trust to you. Keep it well. If you ■ EPITAPH: The Praetorian
must ever choose between saving ■ QUOTE: “Kneel before your God, or die.”
yourself or saving the cap, choose ■ CLAN: Ventrue
the cap.” ■ GENERATION: 6th

Verus weeps red tears as he MORTAL DAYS: THE PRAETORIAN GUARD
thanks Mithras for this honor, and
swears to keep the cap safe above Arcadius served as Praetorian legate to the Roman
everything else. legion stationed in Londinium. He was commander,
brother in arms, and lover to Marcus Verus. Mithras
“Whom do you love more than Embraced Verus in 192 CE, and the soldier immediately
me?” the Sun asks. turned around and offered immortality to Arcadius too.
The Praetorian refused, as he would not abandon his
“No one!” Verus answers. duty to Rome. He finally accepted after his retirement,
“Whom do you love more nearly three decades later.
than me?” the Sun asks again, the
warning in his voice so dire it chills KINDRED NIGHTS 240 CE: THE ARCHITECT
to the bone.
“Arcadius Augustus,” Verus an- Arcadius slipped easily into the mantle of night, serving
swers, now crying even harder. “My Mithras as he once did the Roman emperor. He rose
Lord, I beg your forgiveness.” among the ranks of the Mithraic Mysteries quickly,
“It is natural for a father to aided by both Verus’ mentorship and Mithras’ blood
love this son above all others,” the coursing through his veins. His arrogant demeanor, and
Sun answers soothingly, extending unwillingness to adapt to local customs, made him no allies
a golden hand to gently caress Ver- among the British Kindred, though.
us’ head. “Swear on your son, you
will keep the cap safe. If the night A mere two decades after his Embrace,Arcadius
comes you must choose between designed and oversaw the construction of the new
Augustus and the cap….” Mithraeum in Londinium. He worked more closely with
At this, Verus hangs his head. “I Verus than he did with Mithras, the roles between general
swear it, my Sun. I choose the cap.” and soldier now reversed. While Arcadius was never
At that the encounter ends trained as an architect, his theoretical knowledge of
and the characters are propelled Roman architecture elevated him above other contenders.
to the next. To ensure the project’s success, he summoned his family’s
mortal architect from Rome to aid him.

KINDRED NIGHTS 1176 CE: CONSUL OF BATH

The medieval era saw Arcadius installed as Mithraic
Consul of Bath, where he struggled with British vampires
who resented the outsider set above them.At Verus’
behest, rather than deem Arcadius a failure, Mithras
sent Gwenllian Arwyn to aid the beleaguered Consul.
The Brujah diplomat negotiated a treaty, and sealed it
in marriage, between Arcadius and the Brujah Olwen,
thus granting legitimacy and much needed stability to
Arcadius’ rule.

166

C h apter 5 – R ed L ists & R ed C aps

ALL STATISTICS BELOW PER 240 CE WHISPERS:

PLOTS AND SCHEMES: ■ LOVER OF VERUS: Verus Embraced Arcadius
because they were mortal lovers.Those in the
■ FINISH THE MITHRAEUM: Mithras, relaying orders know, additionally claim that Verus sought Mithras’
through Verus, instructed Arcadius to build a permission beforehand and received it because the
Mithraeum.The project advanced well initially, but the Praetorian is both intelligent and loyal.
underground layers give Arcadius trouble and slow the
work down considerably, while ruining worker morale. ■ LOVER OF MITRAS: The same rumors often name
Verus,Arcadius, and Mithras in a love triangle.Arcadius
■ SECURE LONDINIUM: Arcadius kept the British kine in is certainly an acolyte of Mithras, others claim, and
line as Praetorian legate, and intends to do the same if they shared carnal pleasure during a Mithraic rite,
as Kindred. Quite convinced of the superiority of this must have been a sacred devotion rather than an
Rome, he never wonders how the local Kindred feel expression of personal affection.
about this – if anything, he is continually surprised at
the Britons’ resistance to proper Roman rule. MASK AND MIEN:

DOMAIN AND HAVEN: Arcadius is a fit middle-aged man of Roman descent. He
■ WALBROOK (HAVEN 3, HERD 3, INFLUENCE 3): is tall with noble features, and his once-broken nose gives
him a roguish air. His silver-gray hair is well groomed.
Arcadius holds a domain on the Walbrook river. He The Roman’s muscled arms and calloused hands reveal a
views his rule as an extension of his grandsire’s, and warrior’s road.
upholds all edicts of the first circle of the Mithraic
Mysteries. He officially retired in Britain, and retains all his
contacts in Rome.The new Praetorian legate is unhappy
THRALLS AND TOOLS: with his predecessor looking over his shoulder, but
begrudgingly makes time when Arcadius requests a
■ JULIUS (RETAINER 2): Julius serves as Arcadius’ ghoul meeting.
and daytime overseer at the Mithraeum’s build. He
previously served in Rome as architect for Arcadius’ ■ SIRE: Marcus Verus
family, and is dreadfully unhappy in cold, wet Britain. He ■ EMBRACED: 218 CE
is a loyal acolyte of Mithras, though, and accepts this ■ AMBITION: To serve Mithras.
sacrifice as the price of spreading the faith. ■ CONVICTIONS: Rome above all nations. Mithras above

KINDRED RELATIONSHIPS: all Gods.
■ TOUCHSTONES: Arcadius is close to his mortal sister
■ MARCUS VERUS (SIRE, LOVER, BROTHER): Arcadius
and Verus have a layered relationship as lovers, Aurelia.They still exchange letters, though hers come
brothers in arms, and general and soldier.While Verus less frequently since she suffered pneumonia – a
served under Arcadius when both were kine, they potentially deadly illness in this era.
reversed roles as vampires.Their mutual dedication to ■ HUMANITY: 5
Mithras waylays any chafing Arcadius feels at his new ■ ATTRIBUTES: Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 5;
subservient role so far. Charisma 3, Manipulation 3, Composure 5; Intelligence
3,Wits 3, Resolve 4
■ GWENLLIAN ARWYN (RIVAL): Gwenllian is a British ■ SECONDARY ATTRIBUTES: Health 8,Willpower 9
warrior woman, resisting both her proper role as ■ SKILLS: Academics (Architecture) 3,Athletics 2,
a woman and the natural rule of Rome.Arcadius Brawl 4, Melee 4, Survival 2, Etiquette (Roman) 3,
could forgive the former – the rules are different Intimidation 4, Leadership 4, Politics (Roman Britain) 5
for Kindred, after all – but never the latter. She only ■ BLOOD POTENCY: 4
recently bowed to Mithras, and Arcadius does not ■ DISCIPLINES: Dominate 2, Fortitude 2, Presence 1
trust her loyalty.

167

FALL OF LONDON

Flashback 2: location of the Mithraeum back in OPTION 1: SERVE MITHRAS
A Need for Sky 2012, Intelligence + Streetwise at
Difficulty 4 lets them realize the An overseer named Julius orders
The characters stand at the bank Walbrook street and city ward now the characters back to work, and
of the Walbrook river. The sun cover the river. they obey. The above ground
overhead shines down brightly. The Mithraeum is now completed. The
Storyteller should let the characters The characters can take some windowless space is damp and
panic and scramble for cover, before time to walk around. The Storytell- claustrophobic like a cave, and the
letting them realize they’re fine – er should emphasize the beautiful workers need torches to see. The
they’re Briton kine. This flashback blue sky and shining sun – and far side holds a relief of Mithras
draws from memories of Augustus, mention that now, as they make slaying the Bull, which swings to
Arwyn, and Valerius, and with so the comparison freshly, they realize the side to reveal a passage down.
many older minds abound, the char- Mithras’s light is a pale imitation
acters’ psyche reinterprets the event of the real thing. Bleed over from The characters descend to the
with themselves as mortals. Arcadius Augustus Observes underground Mithraeum. The
makes this thought heretical, cavernous room is half-finished
Behind them lies the Mithrae- though, and they must make a – bricks keep the first part of
um, still mid-build but further Willpower roll at Difficulty 5 if the vaulted ceiling aloft, but the
ahead than in their previous they want to hold onto it. second part still relies on wooden
flashback. If they want to find the support poles. The characters can

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talk to other workers, quickly + Athletics at Difficulty 5 lets them wary and resistant – in just another
learning most of them are Briton dodge out of the way, leaving the decade, the Romans will have a
slaves to the Romans. Arcadius others trapped under a large slab of rebellion on their hands.
Augustus treats them reasonably rock. These trapped characters can
well, allowing them to remain hear the overseer’s shouts, dimmed Come nightfall, a terrifying
with their families and granting by the stone, and occasionally shadow attacks the characters –
one day off every fortnight to tend feel it shift as people try to rescue this is Arcadius Augustus, but
their own affairs. They remain them. They feel life slip from them. the characters’ fear and lack of
slaves, however – a dehumanizing The Storyteller should describe the night vision cloaks his appearance.
atrocity no person should ever find overwhelming need to breathe, and Fighting back likely won’t do
themselves in – and the Storyteller the realization how precious their much good, but they can certain-
must be sensitive when handling blood truly is – perhaps one of ly try. The characters can run to
this. The other workers also tell them suffers a collapsed lung, while escape, and making off in different
them Arcadius inspects the work another slowly bleeds out. Above directions could help some of them
at night, which is certainly an all, they desperately long to see the survive – Augusts can’t follow mul-
oddity. Charisma + Persuasion at sun and sky again. tiple people at the same time.
Difficulty 3 coaxes the kine to talk
about a terrifying night shadow Just before the characters die, Augustus takes any captured
which visits those too old or ill to someone lifts the slab of rock like it characters to the underground
work, and sometimes takes them, weighs nothing. The sun appears to Mithraeum, where he throws
never to return. them, bringing a light of mercy and them before Mithras seated on his
compassion. Mithras lifts them care- throne. The methuselah does not
After an hour or so, the overseer fully, handing them to a small group speak, but his displeasure radiates
sends the characters down a further of Kindred behind them – Marcus off him. The characters may roll
passage behind Mithras’ throne. Verus, Arcadius Augustus, Gwenl- Wits + Awareness at Difficulty
This second underground level lian ferch Arwyn, and Valerius. 4 to recognize various Kindred
holds two adjacent rooms, the first around the room. The first is their
empty while the second holds a Mithras bends towards the attacker, who initially looks exact-
stone sarcophagus. The sarcophagus nearest character, and bites into ly like them as their mind blends
is partially decorated with scenes of their neck. The other vampires A Need for Sky with Arcadius
Mithraic myth, one where Mithras follow his lead. Arwyn caresses Augustus Observes. They make
sits at the side of Sol Invictus their hair and says in British: “You out Augustus if they keep looking
during a great banquet, and another served the Sun well. Go into the af- though, as well as Marcus Verus.
as he rides the Bull to exhaustion. If terlife with honor. We will provide Gwenllian Arwyn is also present.
any character spontaneously begins for your families.” The characters The vampire cultists number
work on the sarcophagus, their feel their life flow into the Sun, more, but the visages of the others
player may use their existing Craft, granting them a blissful death. At remain blurred to the characters.
or roll 1d10/halved (round up) to this point the encounter ends.
determine their Craft rating for The cultists feed from the
the scene. The rest of the characters OPTION 2: RESIST MITHRAS characters with deliberate vicious-
are set to work bricking the room, ness as Mithras watches in silent
with stones falling down from the Eventually an overseer named Julius judgment. Gwenllian Arwyn locks
unstable ceiling. sends the characters back to work. eyes with them and says in British:
They resist and run, at which point “This is what happens when you
Despite the characters’ best ef- they can explore Londinium as long defy the Sun.” The characters die
forts, eventually a part of the ceil- as the Storyteller wants. Rome still an agonizing death, and the Story-
ing collapses atop them. Dexterity controls Londinium, but the British teller should end the encounter if
people are growing increasingly the players grow uncomfortable.

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FALL OF LONDON

Flashback 3: THE MITHRAEUM
Arwyn Receives the The Temple of Mithras stands on the bank of the Walbrook river
Phrygian Cap and counts three layers: an above ground temple for kine, an under-
ground temple for Kindred, and two rooms for Mithras’ personal use.
The flashback then jumps for-
ward in time, characters seeing Mortal Activities: The temple is long and narrow, its win-
Londinium grow and change dowless vaulted space designed to resemble the sacred cave. A
around them. They arrive in marble relief of Mithras slaying the Bull stands at the far end, and
1176 CE, 22 years after Mithras several statues of the god line the room. The central space holds
assumed rule over the Baronies room for sacrificial worship, mortals offering bread, fruit, and cups
of Avalon. The coterie experienc- overflowing with mead and blood unto their god. A man kneels
es the memories of Gwenllian naked, slitting his wrists so he may join Mithras in the afterlife.
Arwyn, again translated into
separate characters. Armed Roman soldiers keep guard outside, for the Mithraic
Mysteries have many enemies in both Britain and Rome.
The characters stand at the
entrance of the Mithraeum, Dominant Kindred Faction: The Mithraic Mysteries fully
now nearly 1,000 years old. They control the temple.
have trouble seeing each other’s
faces, though they see each of Kindred Activities: The underground temple holds the
them wears a sickle at their side. same lay-out with a narrow central space flanked by columns.
An Intelligence + Occult roll at Where kine make do with an effigy of their god, though, Kindred
Difficulty 4 lets them remember worship before Mithras on his throne. They too bring sacrifices,
the sickle is the attribute of the from virile bulls to supple mortals ready to bleed and die at the
Perses in Mithras’ cult. They also methuselah’s feet. The sun’s glory never reaches here, for Mithras
remember the cult separates tolerates no competition. A hidden passage leads further down to
ranks into Seven Steps to the Mithras’ personal abode consisting of an audience chamber and
Sun, with Perses being the fifth. sarcophagus room. Two ghouls stand keep vigil here, denying all
Perses tend Mithras’ garden, who seek Mithras uninvited. Even then he does not always sleep in
be it by overseeing his secular the chamber, and rumors fly that the sarcophagus room holds yet
enterprises, or guarding reli- another hidden passage leading to a maze below London.
gious items. They also remember
Mithras selects some Perses for a Notable Features: The Mithraeum was later rededicated
ritual named the Blooding, but to Bacchus and Venus, before falling in disuse as Christianity rose
the characters were not chosen through London. A team of archaeologists excavated the temple
for this great honor. 1954, and, come 2012 the above ground temple is slowly being
reconstructed in the Bloomberg Space where it will become a
The characters instinctively tourist draw. Agents of de Camden saw the entrance to the un-
know to open the secret latch derground blocked, erased from all records, and hidden amidst the
behind the relief of Mithras and foundations of the 14-story Bucklersbury House.
the Bull. This leads them down
to the underground Mithraeum, celestial banquet. The room smells power. Even if they make the roll,
where Mithras awaits on his heavily of mortal blood, though Mithras seems too large for the
throne. A scowling Marcus Ver- no kine are in sight. room as sunlight streams off him.
us kneels before the throne. The
ceiling bears a relief of Mithras The characters immediately “My daughter.” Mithras invites
seated next to Sol Invictus at a kneel upon seeing Mithras, unless the characters forward. If the
they succeed at a Difficulty 5 Will- characters take note of Mithras

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NOT TOUCHING THAT Scene Seven:
The characters as Gwenllian may choose not
to enter the Mithraeum, or refuse the Phry- The Keeper of the
gian cap. The real Gwenllian Arwyn, however,
yielded in the end. The Storyteller should Phrygian Cap
give the coterie time to walk around London,
where craftsmen build the first stone version If the characters ended Scene 5 in the Roman Brit-
of the London Bridge. They can also find new ain gallery, Gwenllian Arwyn watches them warily
identifiers for the Mithraeum’s location on the as they exit the flashback. She served as a Pater in
Walbrook river, with a Wits + Awareness roll Mithras’ cult, and knows exactly what they are. More
at Difficulty 5. importantly, she knows Tony as her great-grandchilde,
but is not sure how much of Tony remains after the
Eventually though, Mithras summons them Blooding. As she herself is undecided on how to handle
to the Mithraeum. He acknowledges their fear the situation, she waits for the coterie to make a first
at such a great duty, and even their resentment move. Arwyn is more welcoming if Chun Hei arranged
towards him as a Roman conqueror, but insists a meeting, and the Storyteller should roleplay her ac-
they take the Phrygian cap. With no other cordingly. She is also well disposed toward Tony, if the
options, the characters take the cap and the coterie does not attack her.
flashback ends as above.
If the characters ended Scene 5 in the Roman
addressing them in the singular, the flashback briefly Empire gallery, they have another chance to study the
merges them into one body before their minds sepa- Phrygian cap. The display case is made of reinforced
rate again. glass, and covered in security sensors. Smashing it trig-
gers the alarm, sees reinforced gates drop down to close
“Lord Verus serves me well, but I require him the exhibit, and sends Syndexioi Ltd guards to the
elsewhere for now. I have chosen you among all my room. Disabling the alarm or hacking the iris scanner
faithful to take his holy charge from him.” Mithras requires an Extended Wits + Larceny roll at Difficulty
says. 10. After the coterie’s first roll, mortals suddenly clear
the room and a foreboding Arwyn arrives. While not
At this Marcus Verus offers the coterie the Phrygian immediately aggressive, she believes the coterie has
cap. Both his body language and facial expression hold come to steal the artifact.
resentment, allowing an Intelligence + Wits at Difficulty
4 to realize Verus wants his childe Arcadius Augusts to Gwenllian Arwyn is one of London’s oldest remain-
receive the cap. ing Kindred, though being stuck in the British Museum
and potentially on the Red List restricts her. Still she has
The characters can also glean their own emotions plans to grab power, which Mithras’ return would ruin
with a Resolve + Insight roll at Difficulty 4 revealing for her. Arwyn would be content had the methuselah
both awe and loyalty, as well as fear and rebellious remained missing and presumed dead. As Mithras did
resentment. Mithras is a generous God, but he is also not, Arwyn must now weigh her options. She can retake
an oppressor who conquered their own lands and peo- her place by Mithras’ side, likely rising even higher as
ple. Gods do not require approval from their servants, Mithras is cross with Queen Anne for taking London’s
though, only worship and obedience. throne, and reap the benefits of working for a very an-
cient and usually generous master. Or she can sabotage
The characters reach out for the Phrygian cap with Mithras’ return and pit herself directly against Queen
a single hand, and looking up see Arwyn’s face reflect- Anne for control of London – a fight the Brujah believes
ed in each other’s before merging into one body. The she can win if she can get herself off consideration for
flashback ends. the Red List. The Storyteller should take this ambiguity
into account if the coterie negotiates with Arwyn.

171

FALL OF LONDON

Start Trouble the characters seem to side with Mithras, Gwenllian
Arwyn reveals the truth to them.
The coterie can try to take the Phrygian cap by force,
even if it’s not their cleverest option. Both the Roman “I served my God long and faithfully. I have seen
Britain and Roman Empire galleries hold swords, him lift servants into the light, and reduce his enemies
spears, and shields separated from the public by only a to ashes. It is the Sun’s prerogative to use and destroy
glass case. If it comes to this in the Roman Empire gal- as he sees fit, and he did so with you. My Lord Mithras
lery, Arwyn quickly smashes a case to grab a well-kept subjected you to a ceremony called the Blooding,
and sharp gladius. where his divine blood and that of his servants – my-
self included – mingled to create the perfect vessel. My
As a small stroke of fortune to the coterie, Arwyn Lord filled this vessel with duty and loyalty, and an
hasn’t been properly eating during her confinement. unquestioning drive to serve him. If the Blooding also
She starts at Hunger 4, or Hunger 2 if Chun Hei or erased whatever soul the vessel previously held…. Well,
Daria alerted her to the coterie’s arrival. it is not our place to question a God. This is why your
memories are so fragmented. You do not exist in the
A fight in the Museum breaks the Masquerade, singular, but are merely a collection of shards distilled
and sees the two undercover Antigen agents from The by our God.
Hunter’s Ball arrive on the third round. Additional
Antigen reinforcements arrive on the sixth round, if And look at you, submitting to our God’s divine
the fight lasts that long, and raises the Threat Level by right! My people watched you, scurrying all over Lon-
1 for the next scene. don retrieving these items. Do you know what they do?
My Lord Mithras did not deign to tell me, but I think
Call Antigen I know. More vessels, this time filled with soul rather
than emptied. This is how the God returns to us. Hail
If the coterie struck a bargain at The Hunters’ Ball, Mithras!”
they can send the undercover agents to fight Arwyn.
The Brujah elder likely kills them, but the coterie can Here Arwyn stops abruptly. A Wits + Insight roll
grab the Phrygian cap while she’s engaged. This also at Difficulty 4 reveals her concern on how easily she
sees the agents call reinforcements and tighten Oper- slipped back to worshiping Mithras despite all her
ation Antigen’s siege on the British Museum, but the plans for independence. If the methuselah exerts
coterie has an escape route via the underground. such pull over a vampire as old as Gwenllian Arwyn,
the characters should fear how fully Mithras can
If characters want to send agents after Arwyn subvert them. She also seems to regard Tony with
without outing themselves though, they need to get something like sadness, which may invoke a Memo-
clever. The coterie might talk about a woman match- riam for him.
ing Arwyn’s description with blood on her face within
earshot of the agents, or stage a conversation where one Negotiations
claims that woman just tried to bite them! They can
also impersonate agents requiring back-up. All these Arwyn is undecided on her next course of action, giv-
require a Manipulation + Subterfuge roll at Difficulty 5. ing characters a chance to sway her to their side. Any
Failure immediately rouses the agents’ suspicion, though deal involves smuggling Arwyn out of the Museum as
fast-talking characters get a second roll to deflect it as a she’s no good to Mithras’ or her own plans trapped –
prank. If the agents suspect foul intentions, they pull out and she, never being part of the underground, doesn’t
real police badges and place the characters under arrest. know where Blake’s secret exit is.

The Truth Revealed Arwyn strictly refers to the methuselah as “my
God,” “my Lord Mithras,” or “the Sun.” Old habits
If The Fall of London nears its end, the coterie already die hard, even if she currently debates her continued
believes the flashbacks are not their characters’, or loyalty to him.

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SERVE MITHRAS: GIVE US THE CAP attempt a social roll opposed by Resolve + Insight to
persuade Arwyn to trust their word and hand over
The coterie can use Charisma + Persuasion to sway the cap now. Otherwise, Arwyn asks for their contact
Arwyn back to Mithras’ side by emphasizing how gen- information to schedule a second meeting after they
erous he is to his servants. Alternately, Manipulation meet with Queen Anne.
+ Intimidation reminds Arwyn how terrible Mithras’
wrath is. Either roll receives +1 bonus die if the char- AFTER QUEEN ANNE: GWENLLIAN ARWYN RETURNS
acters recount matching memories from the flashback
Scene 6. The roll is opposed by Arwyn’s Resolve + The coterie promised Arwyn to have Queen Anne re-
Insight. move her from Red List consideration. If the group did
not run Sunset of Flames yet, this is an excellent time
If the coterie succeeds, Arwyn uses her Amalgam to do so – Arwyn will wait in one of her Havens out-
technique Clear the Field to clear the room of vis- side the Museum until they return. If the group already
itors, then walks over to the Phrygian cap’s display ran Sunset of Flames, Lady Scarlett is willing to serve
and opens it with the iris scanner. She bows lightly to as an envoy between them and Queen Anne, who is
whichever character exhibited the strongest personali- currently mounting a counter strike with Justicar Parr
ty during negotiations, and offers them the cap. (see Gods and Monsters for details).

RESIST MITHRAS: DESTROY THE CAP A lot rides on how well they manage to hide Ar-
wyn’s plans to become Prince of London some night
Persuading Arwyn to grab power for herself grants a soon. Anne Bowesley is a cunning vampire who has
+1 bonus die throughout, as this is her true desire. The ample experience outwitting her elders, and there is
players can gain a further +1 bonus die by recounting a fair chance she’s onto Arwyn’s plans. Even so she
Arwyn’s resentment of Mithras as foreign invader from eventually agrees, as she has an immediate plans to use
Scene 6. Even so, having Arwyn break with Mithras re- Arwyn against Operation Antigen and a contingency
quires a Charisma + Persuasion roll opposed by Resolve plan to deal with her later.
+ Insight. If Tony remembers his connection with Ar-
wyn, though, he may play on her sentiments by offering Chun Hei calls the coterie two nights later to
any variation on “we waited for our revenge – and the arrange a meeting at a backroom of the Vaults (see
right time is now” to sway the elder without a roll. p.18). Toreador Emily Anastas and the Nosferatu Alan
Chang, well connected at the Vaults, facilitated the
This plan presents one additional problem though: meeting. Unless the coterie previously made their
Gwenllian Arwyn is about to make the Red List – acquaintance and requests their presence though, the
would have already, if the Beckoning and Second Inqui- couple makes itself wisely scarce – Chun pays them
sition didn’t keep the Camarilla so occupied. Arwyn is handsomely for the use of their space, but beyond
confident she can defeat any Alastor, but they would that they prefer not to get involved. The Vaults hosts
be both a hassle and distraction to her rule. Before an underground circus tonight, with clowns riding
Arwyn betrays Mithras and destroys the Phrygian cap, unicycles and acrobats spinning in ring hanging from
she wants the characters to intercede with Queen Anne the ceilings. The show even hosts a fire eater in clear
on her behalf. They need to convince Queen Anne of violation of health and safety codes, and prompting
Arwyn’s loyalty, and beg her to petition the Camaril- a terror Frenzy check at Difficulty 2 if the characters
la for Arwyn’s removal from Red List consideration. pass too closely. The packed and dimly lit underground
Arwyn promises to give the coterie the cap after Queen space does provide plenty of opportunity to feed. The
Anne has done so. She also promises to remember the meeting room lies beyond the circus area, and is closed
characters “fondly,” hinting to future Boons, once all is to the public.
done and Arwyn sits the throne of London.
If the coterie destroyed Chun Hei, one of Arwyn’s
Arwyn uses her Amalgam power to clear the ghouls arranges the meeting and the coterie suffers a -1
Phrygian cap room of visitors, and uses the iris scanner die penalty on all social tests with Arwyn.
to open the display and take the cap. The coterie can

173

FALL OF LONDON

“Will you serve

PoOrWrEfiisRgeh, ttiot? ”

Arwyn is in a good mood if
the coterie succeeded as she has
an Alastor contact who keeps her
informed of her status. She hands
over the Phrygian cap, and grandly
promises the coterie a Boon.

If the coterie failed to remove
Arwyn from consideration for the
Red List, they can try a Charisma +
Persuasion roll opposed by Resolve
+ Insight to still get the Phrygian
cap from her. If they fail this roll,
but Chun Hei is still at Arwyn’s
side, the ancient Brujah lets them
leave freely and with little ill will.
If they fail the roll and previously
destroyed Chun Hei, the Brujah
flies into a rage and attacks. Unless
the coterie contains the fight to the
backroom, the ensuing Masquerade
breach sees Antigen agents arrive
in four rounds.

The characters can also lie,
though Arwyn is suspicious as her
Alastor contact hasn’t called her.
This requires a Manipulation +
Subterfuge roll opposed by Resolve
+ Insight. If the roll fails, Arwyn
narrows her eyes and threatens to
“meet” the coterie later.

As a last resort, the coterie
could send Operation Antigen
into the Vaults and retrieve the
Phrygian cap when the dust dies
down. This does earn them a spot
on the Red List should anyone
find out.

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Gwenllian Arwyn Now, however, Gwenllian is ready.Whatever is left of
Mithras in the body of Montgomery Coven is not enough
■ EPITAPH: The Lioness of Britain to enthrall her any longer.As Pater in his cult, and more
■ QUOTE: “You cannot hope to defeat me.” attuned to him than others, she still senses him in his false
■ CLAN: Brujah and weakened body, but efforts to alert the Camarilla –
■ GENERATION: 7th hoping they’d believe Mithras Sabbat and destroy him – only
led to a mark against her. She killed Jackdaw, Prince of Bath.
MORTAL DAYS: THE WAY OF TREES Rumors began to swirl she was a danger to all, and needed
to be destroyed. Rather than move freely, Gwenllian had to
Gwenllian was a girl from a no-name village in East Anglia. restrain herself to avoid placement on the Red List.
She possessed courage and cunning, however, and when
the Romans came only Gwenllian survived the massacre. Arwyn tires of playing other Kindred’s games. She
She stumbled into the forest where a druid found her. wants to be rid of Mithras,Anne Bowesley, and – once
The druid taught Gwenllian the ways of the trees, of she is firmly entrenched as Prince of London – even the
quiet growth and patiently waiting for the sun.When the Camarilla. For two-thousand years she silently grew and
Romans came a second time though, Gwenllian discovered waited for the sun. Now is her time.
that silence and patience did not suit her. She took up
arms, and would have died alongside the rest of Boudica’s PLOTS AND SCHEMES:
rebellion, had her spirit not drawn the attention of a
fledgling Brujah named Lannosea. ■ PATER OF MITHRAS: Gwenllian spent most her nights
serving Mithras. She knows how powerful he is, and
KINDRED NIGHTS: QUIET AND WAITING can still feel his radiance in her veins. She wishes to
be free, yet is terrified to make her move.The coterie,
Nearly two centuries Gwenllian fought alongside her sire she senses, holds the key – if they dare defy Mithras,
– until Mithras arrived with the second Roman invasion. so will she.
He slew Lannosea without thought, and stood poised to
destroy Gwenllian had she not seen the truth of her old ■ ANNE’S WARLORD: Arwyn wants to be free of the
mentor’s words: grow silently, and wait. Resolving all things Camarilla eventually and rule an independent council
would pass – even the might of Rome – she bowed down of British vampires, but she needs allies and resources
before Mithras. to withstand the Ivory Tower – and she spent most
her nights accumulating resources on behalf of
Gwenllian, assuming the surname Ferch Arwyn (and Mithras’ cult. She offered her services as warlord to
dropping the ferch in modern nights), served Mithras Queen Anne, if she reassures the Camarilla there’s no
dutifully. She recognized he would accept nothing less, need to place Arwyn on the Red List.
and she lacked the skill to deceive the ancient vampire.
Decades turned into centuries, and Mithras remained ■ PRINCE OF LONDON: Gwenllian is content to let
invincible even as Rome’s might waxed and waned. Anne handle Operation Antigen – she knows keeping
Servitude once intended to wait him out grew into London safe requires more diplomatic connections
admiration, and then dedication and loyalty. Gwenllian than she herself currently has. Once the dust settles
finally learned the value of patience in her service though, Gwenllian intends to take both Bowesley’s
to Mithras, rising to prominence as one of the cult’s head and the throne of London.
strongest diplomats.
DOMAIN AND HAVEN:
It wasn’t until the Victorian era, when Mithras’ own
mind slipped, that Arwyn could conceive of independence ■ WESTMINSTER BRIDGE (HAVEN 3): Arwyn keeps
again. Mithras’ mind returned before she could act, multiple Havens, but the one she’s most fond of lies
however, and Arwyn once more fell in step behind him. under the bronze statue Boadicea and Her Daughters
She rose to Pater in in the Mithraic Mysteries, while first near the western end of the Westminster Bridge.This
Valerius and then Anne Bowesley governed Mithras’ haven is little larger than an underground container
secular kingdom in London. and holds a small library, writing desk, and a single bed.

175

FALL OF LON D ON

■ THE BRITISH MUSEUM (HAVEN 1, HERD 1, permission.Arwyn and Saeth never recovered from
INFLUENCE 3): Gwenllian controls the British Museum this rift between them, and Saeth since departed
through a series of shell companies and blood bonded London for Berlin.
thralls. She never intended the museum to serve
as Haven though, and the reinforced steel metal WHISPERS:
box under the floor of the Roman Britain exhibit is
cramped and cold. ■ PATER OF MITHRAS: Arwyn was High Priestess of
the London Mithraeum, before Montgomery Coven
THRALLS AND TOOLS: diablerized Mithras and the methuselah’s hold on
the cult broke. Most Kindred assume her loyalty is
■ PROFESSOR DANICA MERITT (RETAINER 3): Meritt still true.
is Arwyn’s ghoul and main contact at the British
Museum. She leads the Department of Britain, Europe ■ KILLED JACKDAW: Kindred whisper Arwyn killed
and Prehistory and is an expert on Ogham. Meritt Jackdaw, the Malkavian Prince of Bath.They are quite
understands on an intellectual level that Arwyn is a right too, except Gwenllian can’t remember why. Her
very old vampire, and views Gwenllian as a fascinating only connection to Bath is her erstwhile rival/ally
study object, whom she is strangely compelled to obey, Arcadius Augustus, but she hasn’t heard from him in
rather than a person. decades.Trying to remember makes her head hurt.

KINDRED RELATIONSHIPS: ■ ANATHEMA: Those same Kindred say Gwenllian
Arwyn is an Anathema, but this time they’re wrong.
■ DARIA (DISTANT FONDNESS): Daria is an expert at The Alastors discussed it and the decision is all but
replicating old clothes and, forward facing as Arwyn is, made, but no one actually signed the edict before
she does occasionally grow sentimental. Daria indulges the Beckoning and Operation Antigen came crashing.
this longing for the past by adding historic touches to the Which works well for Gwenllian, as being removed
Brujah’s clothing. Sometimes Arwyn realizes she doesn’t from consideration from the Red List is much easier
recognize these touches anymore though – scholarly than being removed from the List itself.
knowledge and Daria alike tell her styles and tokens date
to the first century CE, yet they mean nothing to her. MASK AND MIEN:

■ CHUN HEI (BELOVED GRANDCHILDE): Chun Hei’s Arwyn is short and stocky with dark red hair. Her hazel
Embrace was a spectacular mess, and one Arwyn had eyes shift color depending on her mood, from green when
to beg Mithras to let her handle. Determined to make the elder is content to a reddish brown when she angers.
the most of it, however,Arwyn carefully groomed Arwyn prefers clothes of unadorned linen and leather.
Chun’s loyalty towards herself – unconsciously She still wears the insignia of her rank as Pater, an ancient
mirroring the techniques Mithras once used on bronze ring and short wooden staff denoting her fealty to
her.The two grew even closer in shared mourning Mithras and authority over his flock.
when Zawadi Locke,Arwyn’s childe and Chun’s sire,
seemingly died at the hands of Operation Antigen. Gwenllian’s last persona was “born” in 1919, and she
never bothered to create a new one or even have the old
■ TONY CASTELLI (GREAT-GRANDCHILDE AND declared dead. She has no Mask, nor does she need one.
VESSEL FOR REVENGE): Here is another messy
Embrace, as Arwyn’s grandchilde Saeth took the ■ SIRE: Lannosea
mortal Arwyn wanted for herself.Whatever came of ■ EMBRACED: 61 CE
Saeth,Awryn took it upon herself to prep Tony for the ■ AMBITION: To claim London as her own, independent
Blooding, hoping enough of him remained when he’d
awake to turn against Mithras. of sect or clan.
■ CONVICTIONS: None active.
■ SAETH (WAYWARD GRANDCHILDE): Saeth embraced ■ TOUCHSTONES: Arwyn abandoned silly mortal
Tony Castelli without Arwyn’s, or indeed the Prince’s
sentiments long ago.
■ HUMANITY: 3

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C h apter 5 – R ed L ists & R ed C aps

■ ATTRIBUTES: Strength 5, GWEN’S BECKONING
Dexterity 5, Stamina 5; Charisma 3, These nights, most Kindred as old as Gwenllian
Manipulation 4, Composure 4; are beset by the Beckoning: a maddenning urge
Intelligence 4,Wits 4, Resolve 5 to travel east, to the origin of human and vam-
pire civilization. Something prevents Gwenllian
■ SECONDARY ATTRIBUTES: from leaving, though: the Phrygian cap. Part of
Health 8,Willpower 10 a Mithraic warding enacted to keep her from
running amok, the cap is acting as a lynchpin
■ SKILLS: Athletics 5, Brawl (Against in a sorcerous weave that imprisons her in
multiple opponents) 5, the museum. Her mind fraying by the tug of
Melee (Gladius) 5, Stealth the Beckoning, Gwenllian has lost much of her
(Woodland) 4, Survival Humanity, and her composure at this stage is
(Woodland) 4;Animal Ken 3, brittle-thin. Once the cap is removed, the ward
Etiquette (Medieval decorum) keeping her will fail. What happens when she
4, Insight 4, Intimidation 5, realizes it is up to the Storyteller. She might
Leadership 5, Persuasion 4; rampage through the Kindred of London in a
Academics (Roman Britain) 3, betrayal-spurred frenzy, or she could turn her
Awareness 5 ire towards Antigen, causing untold collateral
damage before being taken down in a concert-
■ BLOOD POTENCY: 6 ed effort. Or she may simply leave, quietly, for
■ DISCIPLINES: Animalism 2, the east. In any case, it is unlikely she will be
heard from after this chronicle.
Celerity 4, Dominate 2, Fortitude
3, Potence 5, Presence 3 Aftermath
■ AMALGAMS: Clear the Field
■ This chapter has a ready-made segue into Sunset of
CLEAR THE FIELD Flames as the coterie goes to negotiate with Queen
Anne on Arwyn’s behalf.
■ Presence 3, Dominate 3
■ If the coterie seeks Sri Sansa next, Daria can get
Arwyn developed this Amalgam to them in contact with Najma Elmi in Family Matters.
clear a battlefield of weak foes, as she
found no honor in killing them. In the ■ If the characters seek Richard de Worde in What
modern era, she uses it more often Hides Beneath next, they can use Trenton’s tube
to clear a room of people so she may pattern, or simply enter Aldwych station, to draw
enjoy solitude. the attention of the Nosferatu. This takes them to
an encounter with Gabriella in Scene Two of that
■ COST: One Rouse check chapter. They can also ask Z, who can point them
■ DICE POOL: Composure + to the abandoned station in that same scene.

Presence ■ If the coterie delivered Arwyn to the waiting hands
■ SYSTEM: This roll is Difficulty 3 for of Operation Antigen, they may have gained a con-
tact to call on in the last chapter of this scenario,
mortals and ghouls, and opposed Gods and Monsters.
individually by Wits + Composure
by other vampires. Gwenllian can ■ If the coterie aided Arwyn, she returns to stand
select a number of people equal with them if they decide to fight Mithras in Gods
to her Composure to be exempt and Monsters.
from the effect. Everyone else
clears a space equal to a large 177
room around the Brujah, in a calm
and orderly manner.



C h apter 6 – Gods & M o n sters

CHAPTER 6

gods &

monsters

“Only victory is true.”

– MITHRAS,
PRINCE OF LONDON

The characters gather in the ashes of what Storyteller Goals
was once Kindred London. No Elysium is
safe since the wrath of Operation Anti- The Storyteller needs to bring all the events of The Fall
gen came down upon the unsuspecting of London to their conclusion. This might be a final
Kindred population. Queen Anne is nowhere to be goodbye to mortal allies, a strategic scene with a tense
found and, for most Kindred, the city is leaderless. In rival, a showdown with an enemy after a character
this final chapter the characters must decide which betrayed them, or the return of a beloved friend for
power in London they want to support. Their decision moral support. Then the characters need to decide
will influence who is left to rule the ruined remains what they are going to do with the artifacts they have
of darkest London. Now the characters feel their old collected. The plan was to bring them to Mithras, but
master Mithras calling to them across the broken city. after all they have seen, where do their loyalties truly
They must decide if they are still the willing servants lie? Finally, having made their choice they need to play
of his regime, or if they will side with his enemies and it out with all its consequences. Operation Antigen is
strike him down before he becomes too powerful for still on the character’s tail unless they’ve made a deal
anyone to stop him. and, even then, their every move is still being closely
watched . Mithras waits for them at the Mithraeum,
and so does his – or Monty Coven’s – pack.

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FALL OF LONDON

This chapter is about morality, choice, and conse- a new Golden Age. They are certainly traits that make
quences. Regardless of the choices the characters make, him dangerous to cross. While most Kindred believe
they will have to deal with what they have wrought so him dead, Mithras’ name and legacy still carries weight.
far, and perhaps this has taught them a lesson about Those who believe he returned from “final death” are
the weight of their decisions. Perhaps not, and all the terrified of him, which may include the characters,
decisions they will make in this concluding chapter of given they have seen the extent of his sheer force of
the story will be completely selfish. will over the ages.

Since this chapter is the conclusion of the chron- There is no doubt that Mithras has far less
icle, the Storyteller should try to tease out a main humanity than any of his peers. He’s committed a
direction from the players ahead of time. Having them multitude of atrocities in his long existence, and no
discuss the different options for whose side they’d like matter what prosperity he may bring to London he is
to take, and which way they’d like to see the chroni- still a dictator from an obsolete age. It’s possible the
cle end both in and out of character. This should give characters might see the greatest potential reward in
players some agency to help guide the narrative with staying loyal to Mithras. They may hope for remuner-
the Storyteller, thereby creating a satisfying conclusion ation for all they have done, and for supporting his
to the scenario. desire for revenge against the Kindred who killed him
and separated him from his lover and his power for so
While this chapter is the end of The Fall of Lon- long. Mithras will need loyal followers in the nights
don, it is also the conclusion of the character’s journey to come, to take back control of London and restore
to reclaim their memories. They should have had him as the city’s rightful ruler. It was what the char-
several flashbacks by now and understand more about acters were designed to do, and why should they mess
their own history, leaving the players to decide which with fate? Mithras’ return promises to be glorious and
direction their character’s personality should take. bloody; and maybe a position by his side would be far
They can give into the elders’ drives and ambitions, more favorable than trying to piece back together this
rekindle their own, or claim the best of both of them. ruined land on their own. Failing that, the Mithraic
Mysteries cult is relocating to Edinburgh, so it might
A Series of Choices be worth serving Mithras just to get safe passage out
of the city.
This chapter is a toolbox. There are any number of
outcomes to the previous chapters and, depending on A SIDE DISH OF REVENGE
the paths the characters took, any one outcome could Mithras has manipulated the characters like
look vastly different from another. The characters have pawns since the Blooding, leaving them unable
several options as they approach the conclusion of the to control even their own memories. The cote-
chronicle, and the Storyteller should prompt them to rie has very little agency or standing in Kindred
consider them carefully. A few of these options include: society, despite the fact that they are so old, as
they are merely tools of Mithras.
Stick to the Plan
Maybe, rather than any lofty plans for
The obvious path is to do as they have been told, themselves or London, the coterie is moti-
and return the artifacts to Mithras. There are several vated solely by a burning desire to destroy
reasons why the characters could choose to back up the Mithras. Fortunately, they can do that siding
ancient vampire who has been manipulating them for with Queen Anne or Antigen, as none of them
centuries. Mithras is powerful, intelligent, and angry, are keen to let the methuselah survive.
and these may be the traits needed to lead London
beyond ruin and the assault by Operation Antigen into

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Join Queen Anne Betray London to Operation Antigen

It’s possible that, as the characters The characters are a group of immortals out of time and it’s possible they
meet more of London’s Kindred have no desire to remain as Kindred in this hellscape. Maybe they’ve seen
elite, and learn more about the true enough to convince them that all Kindred must be eradicated by Oper-
nature and intentions of Mithras, ation Antigen, and that the mortals are right to turn the tables on their
that they would choose to back the predators. However, the characters don’t have to die with the Kindred here
lesser evil of Queen Anne as Prince. in London. They might escape to another city or even another country,
They could have several reasons for having decided that London is in too much of a mess to save and that none
doing this. Perhaps they are person- of the city’s Kindred deserve the right to do it.
al, as during the flashback with her
perhaps they respected her cunning
in manipulating all the Kindred
around her even when she was still
human. Maybe they support her
because she ruled the city by bal-
ancing all opposing Kindred, rather
than crushing anyone not perfectly
towing her line.

Queen Anne fled her party in
Sunset in Flames, then stepped
back to marshal her forces. She has
the backing of the Camarilla, in the
form of Justicar Parr aiding her to
fight Operation Antigen. Queen
Anne may be the only Kindred
who can stand against Mithras, but
she will need a lot of help to do
so. Despite her ruthless desire to
murder her sire, and her penchant
for diablerie (which the characters
may or may not know about), she
is in touch with the modern age
and its needs. Queen Anne is no
ancient Roman general with a desire
to rule everything in sight. She’s a
known quantity, and a safer bet in
many ways because of that. Queen
Anne is the current ruler, who has
managed power so well there is no
other claimant to the throne except
Mithras. She is the devil they know.
The Kindred of London have fol-
lowed her and would likely continue
to do so if Mithras and Operation
Antigen are no longer a threat.

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FALL OF LONDON

The characters might also just feel no connection by now they are already in deep, having potentially
to London whatsoever. Having been resurrected after antagonized or allied with powerful elders, and owning
seventy years of torpor, with most of their strong at least one artifact (the cup) Mithras wants. To make
connections to the city gone, they may have devel- matters worse, Operation Antigen has put the city
oped a nihilistic attitude to the city and their own under siege as far as Kindred are concerned. Blindly
existence. Alternatively, Operation Antigen might running might just prove the most dangerous option
offer them a surprisingly good deal to act as double – they need an ally, be it Mithras, Justicar Parr, or
agents. They might leave the city unscathed if the Antigen to see them safely out of London. Which, in
characters give them the intel they need to destroy turn, leads back to one of the options above.
the remaining Kindred in London. This might be the
darkest choice, since they are betraying their own The State of London
kind to militaristic annihilation.
London nights are now considerably darker than
Grab Power in Ruined London they’ve ever been, perhaps even since Mithras first
conquered the city all those centuries ago. The court
With most of the elders gone, maybe if the characters has mostly been eradicated and scattered to the
kill Mithras they can have the city of London all to winds, with those remaining in the city gone into
themselves. Sadly, it is not as simple as that. A few of hiding. Rumors abound about Queen Anne. Some say
the Primogen remain and there are more than a few she has deserted the throne, others that she is gather-
elders hoping to wait out the storm to take control ing her strength for a counter strike. Either way, the
of the ruins. However, alliances can be made, or the throne of London is vacant and even Elysia are no
coterie can rule together, and it may be possible to sell longer safe. London has fallen, and yet, it could still
out rivals to Operation Antigen if the characters are fall much further depending on the choices now laid
careful. Their inheritance will not be easy, since they before the characters.
will have to rebuild London after the wreckage. But
the power will be theirs, and they will no longer be Several Kindred have survived, but are in hiding
anyone’s pawns. as Operation Antigen is out in full force. The raid on
Queen Anne’s recent party proved to Antigen that the
Killing Mithras is vital to this plan, for so long as city is indeed infested with IC0s.
he remains he will always return to rule London. Fortu-
nately, while he is an exceptionally powerful elder, he By this point the Threat Level will have reached at
is also arrogant and this might grant the characters an least 4, possibly 5 if the characters’ actions pushed it
opportunity. He thinks himself invulnerable, believing even higher. Regular patrols are now out every night in
himself a god on earth. most areas of London. Some are armed units making
raids, others blend in with mortals as wolves among
There is still the lingering threat of Operation An- the herd. However, a discerning Kindred using Wits +
tigen which they would have to deal with, but at least Composure at Difficulty 3 might spot a camouflaged
they, and the government behind them, are just human headset, or the extra padding under clothing indicating
– if nothing else, the coterie can wait them out. When military grade street armor.
the storm dies down, London might be the safest place
in Britain for Kindred. Several Elysia have caught fire in recent nights,
including The Trunk, the Foundry, and the Oubliette
Just Leave nightclubs that doubled as safe feeding grounds – all
courtesy of Operation Antigen. Both the Kindred
Perhaps the characters simply decide it’s time to and hunters have been covering up the fires as sudden
get the hell out of London. It’s sensible, given how outbreaks of gang violence or terrorist activity, but
dangerous London has become. The problem is that it’s quite clear to the Kindred of the city that these

182

C h apter 6 – Gods & M o n sters

were direct attacks by an enemy with inside infor- city properly. This means that even if a Justicar can
mation. However, no one seems to know where this end the Antigen threat, they will also be there to pass
intelligence may have come from, although plenty of judgment on the failures of the local Kindred.
Kindred are happy to make baseless accusations at
each other. In truth, both rumors are correct. While no Justicar
wants to enter a war zone, the Camarilla cannot afford
The attack on the Shard has been reported in to lose a city of such power and standing. So Justicar
mortal media as a valiant action by Special Forces to Juliette Parr of Clan Malkavian has been dispatched
end a hostage situation. Fires in Elysium buildings to resolve the situation, as she was once Sheriff under
are part of a “rise in terrorist activity” and some of Mithras in the Victorian age. She intends to descend
the street violence is reported as looting or demon- on the city with the full force of the Camarilla.
strations ‘getting out of hand’. Several media outlets
call for calm as ‘unruly mobs are taking advantage of London feels like an empty wasteland. The streets
the reduced resources of the police’. However, for all are filled with kine going about their usual business,
this violence, London carries on as usual for the most but eerily empty of any Kindred presence. The occa-
part. Few Londoners can afford to stay home from sional Kindred is spotted skittering under a sewer lid,
work, and it takes more than a few fires to keep the or fleeing in terror from an invisible enemy. It should
British out of a pub. feel to the characters like another coming of Gehenna,
as if vampires have been eradicated from the world,
Specific buildings, or parks where clans and and they are the only ones remaining. It is a sudden
Anarchs typically held territory in the city (such as and painful loneliness, compacted by any of the recent
The Electric in Brixton) are mostly deserted. There are discoveries regarding who they actually are and why
a few stragglers who refuse to leave, and even one or they’ve been after these artifacts all along.
two of the Primogen remain steadfast amid this chaos.
Most notable among these is Edward Bainbridge of the The Court of London lies in shambles, with many
Tremere, and Reginald Moore of the Brujah. They have destroyed or presumed missing, or fled from London.
made a loose alliance to try and hold what they can,
or at least protect their clans well enough to mount an The Powers That Be
orderly exodus. It’s possible they could become allies to
the characters in the coming nights. QUEEN ANNE BOWESLEY (PRINCE OF LONDON)

For the most part though, the city is being aban- Reports about Queen Anne’s whereabouts are con-
doned by the Kindred who previously called it home. flicting. Some think she was killed in the attack on
They are heading out through secret passageways, down the Shard, but few really want to believe their Prince
into private lairs hidden from all those who might find fell so easily. The sparse Kindred who survived the
them, or gathering the remains of their troops for some party are angry, blaming her for a failure to stop the
kind of last stand against the hunters. The numbers are attack or see it coming. However, there are other ru-
dire though, and unless something drastic happens, the mors that Queen Anne and Justicar Parr are working
Kindred of London will lose. together to purge Operation Antigen and restore
Camarilla control. The idea of an organized counter
Rumors abound that a Justicar has come to the city. strike has given many Kindred hope things might
Such rumors are met with either incredulity, or fear. return to normal.
Powerful elders reach such great ages precisely because
they don’t enter war zones, and many Kindred think VALERIUS (SENESHAL)
that whatever the Camarilla says, no Justicar is going
to willingly come to London. Those who do believe a Dead if the characters killed him. Otherwise he has
Justicar is coming, are very frightened they might be left the city as quickly as possible. While he will want
right as the Camarilla is likely to see this whole affair revenge on Queen Anne one night, he is patient and
as a failure of the Kindred of London to manage the pragmatic enough to wait for a better time to take it.

183

FALL OF LON D ON

REGINA BLAKE (KEEPER OF ELYSIUM) CYRIL MASTERS (SHERIFF OF EAST LONDON)

Last seen defending The Trunk against an Antigen raid Dead after several of his own contacts in the police
before it was burned to the ground. If she survived, betrayed him to Operation Antigen.
she could be called in as an ally in the fight against
Mithras, so she can finally feel free of him. LETITIA SHY (SHERIFF OF NORTH LONDON)

VIOLET MARY (HEAD HARPY) Died in the Operation Antigen raid on Queen Anne’s
party.
Has been underground with Oscar Anasov organiz-
ing escape routes for Kindred. She has key informa- ROWENA (SHERIFF OF WEST LONDON)
tion about several Kindred, which has been useful in
coordinating covert movement across the city without Last seen leading a rogue group of Kindred to fight the
Operation Antigen noticing. hunters on the street. Could potentially be found if
needed to face down Operation Antigen.

OSCAR ANASOV (HERALD) MARCUS KILEY (SHERIFF OF SOUTH LONDON)

Currently hiding deep underground with many other Captured by Operation Antigen as he fought them
Nosferatu. Clever use of graffiti has created an un- alongside the Anarchs and Duskborn he is usually at
derground escape network for those Kindred wishing odds with in his territory. He’s currently being used as
to flee London. He has been pivotal in saving several a research subject in order to create better biological
Kindred who wanted to escape Operation Antigen. weapons against IC0s.

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TERENCE GARDENER (SCOURGE) The Coterie’s Contacts

One of the first Kindred to do real harm to Operation ADISA (SUNSET OF FLAMES)
Antigen’s forces, he terrorized them with his extreme
style of violence. While several agents of Operation Seen fighting alongside several Sheriffs, though lately
Antigen fell during his violent attack, so did he. she seems to have withdrawn to Southall to ally with
the remaining Duskborn. Willing to help the coterie
JUSTICAR JULIETTE PARR out in a scrap, but unwilling to take big risks – she
won’t fight Mithras with them.
Working with Queen Anne to drive out Operation
Antigen. If successful, Parr will recommend the Ca- AYSE DHANIAL (FAMILY MATTERS)
marilla support Queen Anne’s claim to London if the
sitting Prince can deal with Mithras. Ayse is laying very low, hoping to evade attention from
both Antigen and Bainbridge, who might kill her and
HAFSA (ARCHON) claim a casualty of war. So far, through a combination
of some skill, a lot of luck, and her enemies otherwise
Hasn’t been seen since Queen Anne’s party, but is being engaged, it’s working.
secretly watching events from afar. She plans to wait
it out until the opportunity arises to return, and has DARIA (RED LISTS AND RED CAPS)
no stake in who survives or dies except for herself. Her
apparent disappearance is one of the reasons Justicar Not seen since the Mortlake Theatre was evacuated due
Parr herself has been sent in, and the Justicar will want to a “bomb threat”, though it’s anyone’s guess if An-
a word with her errant Archon. tigen actually found her or if she simply went deeper
into hiding.
The Artifact Bearers
GABRIELLA (WHAT HIDES BENEATH)
GWENLLIAN ARWYN
Gabriella yet survives, alternatively working for Oscar
Arwyn has no choice but to remain in London, Anasov and other Kindred who can pay her for infor-
bound by the ward in the museum. However, once mation.
the Mithraic sorcery keeping her imprisoned fails, she
unwilling to yield the city to either Mithras, Antigen, NAJMA ELMI (FAMILY MATTER)
or Queen Anne. If the characters haven’t alienated her
too badly she can fight alongside them against any of Najma rallied several remaining Duskborn before going
these, before leaving or spectacularly expiring. into hiding – with Sri Sansa already gone, she hopes
Antigen won’t look too closely at Southall.
RICHARD DE WORDE
LADY SCARLETT (SUNSET OF FLAMES)
Whether the coterie destroyed him or not, he’s no-
where to be found. Survived and remains at Queen Anne’s side. If the
characters wish to ally themselves with Queen Anne
SRI SANSA and Justicar Parr, the telephone number they have for
Lady Scarlett remains in service.
Sri Sansa and his family are long out of London.
VICTOR (WHAT HIDES BENEATH)

Poor, trusting Victor was never made to survive an
organized hunter assault.

Z (RED LISTS AND RED CAPS)

Working for Oscar Anasov in his escape network. He’s
the coterie’s best bet if they seek to flee London.

185

FALL OF LONDON

Scene One: Before Queen Anne could put woman in a neat business suit who
anything into motion, Justicar Parr introduces herself as Sarah Chou.
Recruitment caught up with her and insisted She asks if she can come in and
the Prince explain how one of the talk, and that she represents Op-
Drive Camarilla’s greatest cities was in eration Antigen but means them
chaos. Queen Anne, possibly for no harm. A Wits + Insight test at
The Fall of London moves into its the first time in since her Embrace, Difficulty 3 reveals she is clearly
endgame, and whoever the char- told the truth, and Parr decided terrified for all her calm demeanor.
acters choose to side with may to be merciful. A major assault by
decide the fate of the city. Mithras hunters and the return of a power- If Sarah is invited in, she
will make himself known to the ful methuselah would stretch any remains standing and near the
Heralds when he needs them, and Prince to breaking point after all. door. She immediately informs
the characters can decide to make Together they have been gathering the characters she is a minor agent
a run for it whenever they choose. the remaining elders and their of Operation Antigen and they
However, there are two other fac- resources to make a counter strike should be aware she has no current
tions the characters should come against Operation Antigen. After operational intelligence if they are
across before they make any final that, if Queen Anne can also find a considering interrogating her. She
decisions about their allegiance. way to deal with Mithras – who was is just here to deliver a message.
These are Queen Anne, come to always more independent than the
reclaim the city, and Operation Camarilla strictly liked – she may Operation Antigen has been
Antigen’s amnesty for “helpful” remain as Prince. very successful, and they are
Kindred. offering amnesty to any IC0 who
Lady Scarlett makes contact to agree to be tagged and monitored.
If the players have already tell the characters a counter strike Any who have survived this far will
made their choice, and the coterie is being prepared by Queen Anne be hard to root out, and Antigen
is actively trying to contact and Justicar Parr. She also under- doesn’t want to waste any more
Queen Anne or Antigen, the lines that any Kindred still in the resources than strictly necessary. If
Storyteller should take their lead. city who decides to sit this one out the characters agree to have a sub-
Otherwise, the following short had better not remain a resident of cutaneous transponder implanted
scenes can be played out to ensure London when this is all over. How- in them, and comply with a few
the characters know of all the ever, Queen Anne has promised rules, Antigen agents will ignore
options available to them. rewards for those who distinguish them unless the characters become
themselves against Antigen. With hostile.
Queen Anne’s Invitation that on the table, Scarlett inquires,
does the coterie wish to ally with The “few rules” are quite com-
Queen Anne didn’t run very far their rightful Prince? She gives prehensive, and include no killing
after she fled her party. She always them a new phone number they (but feeding “within reason” is fine)
has an escape plan, but wasn’t may call when they have made and the characters must report for
quite ready to give up on her city. their decision. periodic checks at an Operation
She also put the clues together and Antigen facility. They will have to
realized Mithras is definitely back, Antigen offers Amnesty also agree to a series of medical tests
in some form or another, but needs and an assessment of their abilities
the artifacts the characters have to Wherever the characters are, how- for Antigen records. What Sarah
regain his full power. Despite her ever safe they think they are, there describes is a life under constant
terror of Mithras, she realized this is a knock at their door right after surveillance with an organization
may be the only opportunity to sunset. The visitor is a Mandarin that can extinguish any of them if
destroy him for good. they deem them a threat. However,
if the characters agree to offer any

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C h apter 6 – Gods & M o n sters

intelligence on any of the remain- potentially meet final death at the gain a last new Mawla (if they’re
ing elders, Operation Antigen hands of their elders or Operation Kindred) or Ally (if they’re kine),
will grant them further freedoms Antigen. The Storyteller should and the Storyteller should be
and exemptions from some of the accommodate the player here, and honest if the player chose some-
rules, although the tracker remains potentially turn back the clock on one who can’t serve that purpose.
non-negotiable. the SPC’s fate – if they want to For example, if the player chose
speak to Sri Sansa, he hasn’t left Blake, the Storyteller can either
Sarah tells them they need not quite yet; if they choose to speak decide she survives the attack on
agree now. She gives them a card the Blake, The Trunk hasn’t burned The Trunk (and thus can serve as
with a phone number, and tells down yet or perhaps she’s simply an ally), or warn the player and
them that if they call the number using the attack as a cover to final- ask (but not dictate) if they want
they will be given instructions on ly escape Mithras. to choose someone else.
how to give themselves up. Then
she hopes to leave. If the charac- Thematic resonance also mat- The Storyteller then sets the
ters manipulate, or even torture ters in this vignette, and the Sto- vignette somewhere clandestine
or kill, Sarah they won’t learn ryteller should let the chosen SPC in London. While it should be
anything more than she has told serve as a mirror up to an aspect of secret and safe, there should still
them. Operation Antigen doesn’t their character the player wants to be a certain lingering danger of
send agents who know too much explore. For example, if a charac- being discovered at any moment by
to meet monsters with mind con- ter cares greatly about justice, the Operation Antigen. Great choices
trol abilities. Storyteller should help the player would be a restaurant, a nightclub,
choose an SPC who can highlight a garden, a monument, or a bar.
Scene Two: the theme of justice, or its oppo- These are public and likely to be full
site: injustice. Playing out these of kine, therefore less likely for the
A Farewell short vignettes can help catalyze hunters to attack, but also iconic
and characterize the characters choices for a dramatic personal
and a Plan in this last chapter, and remind moment to occur. They may also
them of who they are, right before serve to remind the character how
This scene focuses on loss, as the they have to make the big decision the kine appear blind to the titanic
characters need to pick and choose about what to do in the climax. events going on around them.
what to save amid the ruins of Examples of themes you may wish
London. If the characters feel to pick for the pre-generated The meeting may be about the
a need to tidy up some of their characters are: blind faith (Alice), decision to trust Mithras or not,
affairs, or say any goodbyes, they a soldier’s duty (Tommy), paying or a problem the SPC needs solved
must do so now. This scene is also your debts (Tony), love and loyalty instantly. They may want to get out
a good opportunity to take stock (Catherine), and the importance of of London, need money or blood,
of each character’s personality and humanity (Henry). or even need to confess their af-
who they are becoming as they fection to the character as London
learn more about themselves. Structuring the stands on the brink of destruction.
Vignettes Alternatively, the characters might
The Storyteller should allow need something from the SPC,
each character to have a small The Storyteller and players have such as guns, good luck, a promise,
vignette scene with an SPC that a short discussion about who or just backup.
is important to them. This person would be a good SPC to have
may be anyone the character has one last conversation with. They The SPC know them well, and
unfinished words with, before they can also use this vignette to can give advice, call them out on
their denial and attitude, act as
support, or beg them not to do

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FALL OF LON D ON

what they’re about to do. Whatever is important to the highlight the characters together as a coterie one last
character, have the SPC highlight that by pointing it time – not all of them might survive what comes next.
out in the conversation, and prompting the character to The Storyteller should allow the players to have this
confront their feelings surrounding it. These vignettes conversation in character with little interference.
serve as the emotional crucible before the apocalypse.
The scene should be set somewhere the characters
The vignette should end after about five minutes feel moderately safe, but should not let them forget
of conversation. At the end of the vignette, if the what is going on around them. The Storyteller might
character confirms the bond they share with the SPC, make them run into an Operation Antigen patrol on
they get a bonus trait. If the SPC is a Kindred the their way to whatever haven they have chosen, only to
character gains them as a two-dot Mawla. If the SPC find the place on fire, thus forcing them to choose an-
is a mortal the character gains them as a new Touch­ other place. The atmosphere of the meeting should be
stone. They will also gain a new conviction to go tense and anxious – it might be quiet now, but violence
with the Touchstone which should reflect what they and death are constant, nearby companions.
discussed in the vignette.
The safety of the characters’ Haven is relative right
The Coterie Meeting now, and they may be gathering the few things they
have stashed away here. If so, the Storyteller should ask
Now the characters have resolved some of their unfin- each of them what object might be the most precious
ished business, they need to decide what to do next to them here, and why.
as a group. While this is a time for each character to
express their opinion, this scene is also designed to The characters need to come to some sort of
consensus about how to move forward, and develop
a plan of action. The Storyteller might offer them

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C h apter 6 – Gods & M o n sters

some options to discuss if they are having trouble Scene Three:
making a decision, and should encourage all players
to voice their character’s opinion no matter how Fate and Fortune
contentious it may be. The Storyteller should put the
spotlight on them and allow each player to showcase At its surface, this scene is a final confrontation with
who their character is and what they care about. Let Mithras, and a great excuse for a dramatic showdown.
their conversation show how much they’ve grown At the heart of this scene though, lies the future of
together over the course of the chronicle, and how London and the souls – or what passes for such in
it has shaped their beliefs. If they’re having trouble vampires – of the characters. Scene Three offers several
getting started, the Storyteller can prompt them with different routes, depending on the choices the characters
imagery from the flashbacks they experienced. They made previously and the direction they want to go with
might then consider how this makes them feel about the story. It details five specific outcomes: siding with
who they are. Does it change what they were going Mithras, supporting Queen Anne, allying with Opera-
to do about Mithras? Do they support him ruling tion Antigen, grabbing power for themselves, or just run-
London or not? ning away. Whatever they choose though, there’s always a
knife twist – a price to pay for surviving another night.
At the end of the conversation the characters’ plan
doesn’t need to be solid or even specific. However, If the characters choose a different path, or change
they should have decided roughly who they’re going to their minds halfway through, the Storyteller should
back and why – any details can be worked out as they have enough detail in the scenes we provide to rework
go. Now they need to get in contact with one of the the climax.
factions in order to move forward.
SIDING WITH MITHRAS Mithras is powerful and
giving him the artifacts was always the original plan.

189

FALL OF LON D ON

They don’t need to find Mithras, ALLYING WITH OPERATION RUNNING AWAY This is the
as he can use his connection to least exciting end for the chroni-
summon them. Unfortunately, Op- ANTIGEN It the characters want to cle, but possibly the most sensible
eration Antigen agents are tracking join Operation Antigen they will option for the coterie. However,
the characters in the hope they have to prove themselves. They will running away is not as easy as it
will lead them to a powerful elder. have to lead the hunters to Mithras sounds. They will need a place to
Everyone is about to get a lot more and help take him down. They go and a way past the Operation
than they bargained for, with the will then have to turn traitor on Antigen agents. If they don’t have
characters in the middle. any other elders they know. If the a way of their own, the Nosferatu
choose this path, the Storyteller can take them – for a price.
SUPPORTING QUEEN ANNE should hold off on any SPC deaths
to lie them squarely at the coterie’s Finding Allies
Queen Anne made a deal with feet later. It will be a night of dark
Justicar Parr to reclaim the city and bloody deeds. Regardless of their endgame, the
from both Antigen and Mithras. If characters may need to gather
the characters choose to side with TAKING POWER FOR THEM- allies, weapons, supplies, or simply
Queen Anne, they are tasked with feed to regain their strength before
leading the attack on Mithras as SELVES The characters must see the coming confrontation. The
they are the only ones that can get to it that enough elders are out of Storyteller should allow them to
close to him. They will also be given the way that they can claim praxis look up any contacts they have,
a fake seal to replace the real one, to in London for themselves. Once or collect any weapons they have
ensure the ritual to rejuvenate Mi- this is done, they must prove their stashed. These meetings or supply
thras cannot succeed. Alternatively, claim by leading the counter strike runs can be played out as short
if they can capture Pater Thomas against Operation Antigen. How- encounters depending on how
they may be able to make a deal ever, if they can impress or make a
with the methuselah. deal with Justicar Parr, she might
back their claim.

190

C h apter 6 – Gods & M o n sters

convincing the characters need to be, or how difficult MONTY’S PACK
their supplies are to reach. They have limited time and Montgomery “Monty” Coven commands the
their movements are likely to be caught by Operation loyalty of five Kindred who are all with him in
Antigen if they aren’t careful. Still, this is a small win- the Mithraeum. They each have the statistics
dow of opportunity to prepare. of an ‘Anarch Revolutionary’ per Vampire
p.374. All of them were initially loyalty to
Pater Thomas Returns Monty rather than Mithras, but recognize the
value of following power. Each was originally
Before the coterie can put their plan into action, a inducted in the Sabbat, and has horrifically
contact approaches them with an interesting rumor. low Humanity scores.
Ideally this should be someone the characters already
know – Daria and Gabriella make good choices, as The five pack members are:
both have reason to want Mithras gone before he
thinks of blaming all of Clan Nosferatu for de Worde’s ■ Caliper: A tall, androgynous Kindred with
treachery. Regina Blake makes another option, though short cropped hair in a well-made suit.
the Storyteller has to postpone her death then. If all
the coterie’s contacts died, or plain hate them, former ■ Lice: A round and short Kindred with a
Head of Harpies Violet Mary contacts them – as one shaved head and goggles covering his eyes.
of the elders getting Kindred out of the city, she picked
up a lot of rumors over the last few nights and man- ■ Honey: A young woman with a shaved
aged to put some things together. head and several piercings dressed in tat-
tered clothes.
The contact, whichever one the Storyteller chose,
heard rumors about an elder of the Mithraic Mysteries ■ Manticore: An older man wearing a
returning to London. They can even give the coterie a shirt and waistcoat, who never removes
physical description, which matches Pater Thomas. All his sunglasses.
five Heralds know that Mithras cares a great deal for
this Kindred. ■ Feral: A growling woman with long matted
hair, wearing worn military fatigues.
The contact hopes the coterie will use this informa-
tion to strike against Mithras, but gives the informa- Option 1: To Serve a God
tion even if the characters acted loyally so far. Perhaps (Siding with Mithras)
they might still take the shot, and otherwise Mithras’
return seems inevitable and there’s no harm in playing Regardless of what the characters chose, Mithras reaches
nice with his Heralds. Because of this, the contact un- out to the characters one evening shortly after they
der no circumstances actually suggests treachery. awaken. All of them will feel drawn in a particular direc-
tion towards the center of the city. Composure + Insight
How the characters decide to use this knowledge at Difficulty 2 reveals Mithras is Summoning them –
is up to them. They could ignore it, but it’s potentially there’s little mistaking his pull. They instinctively know
leverage to use against Mithras. As de Camden – then they should bring the artifacts, but are not compelled
already Pater Thomas – has been used against Mithras to do so. The call is weak at first and easily ignored, but
when Valerius and de Worde betrayed him, this is a grows in strength if they resist it. A Wits + Insight test at
strategy the two ancient Kindred will be ready for. De Difficulty 3 lets the character sense that their connection
Camden knows he’s putting himself at risk, and he through the Blooding is beginning to weaken, as a Sum-
and his small entourage are extremely cautious as they mons from Mithras should be overwhelming. This means
move about London, but he doesn’t trust anyone else the characters have time to make contact with any of
with the ritual to restore Mithras to power. their allies to tell them the confrontation is imminent, if
they decide to betray Mithras.

191

FALL OF LONDON

Following the call leads the coterie to the under- of standing they would have under his rule, and who
ground Mithraeum, under the demolished remains of he might be willing to pardon for them. Mithras is
Bucklersbury House. The characters are greeted at the strangely patient with this line of questioning, wisely,
door by two members of Monty’s pack, Caliper and for he senses that the characters are not under his con-
Lice. They lead them down several flights of stairs, trol as they once were. He will answer their questions
through a thick metal door, and into the subbasement honestly, and according to his agenda, as he does truly
where the Mithraeum still stands amid the foundation value them as Heralds doing his bidding. The coterie
of the Bucklersbury House. The temple, much like Lon- can even try and sway Mithras in any of his decisions,
don above it, lost most of its former glory hidden in the but must make opposed rolls if they ask for pardons
shadows, and is in need of repair as several stones fell for Valerius, de Worde, or Queen Anne.
inward as Bucklersbury House’s foundation was erected.
After a while, Mithras will say:
Monty sits upon a throne at the back of the
Mithraeum, but his posture, mannerisms, and even “Enough of this. I have answered all of your questions.
his voice are very clearly Mithras’. He looks regal, Now hand me my artifacts, and let us begin.”
terrifying, and radiant like the sun, but also tired. The
characters do not feel compelled to kneel, and can He will turn his godly gaze upon them then, and
easily see through the godlike aura surrounding Mi- they can feel a glimpse of his former glory like a ray of
thras as the Blooding’s grip no longer tightens around sun, as a hint of what is soon to come.
their hearts. Mithras notices this, and a Wits + Insight
roll at Difficulty 4 lets the character see Mithras’ eyes If the characters believe siding with Mithras is
narrow in response. De Camden, or Pater Thomas as the best option, this is where they hand the artifacts
the characters know him, kneels to the right of the to Pater Thomas. Thomas anoints the artifacts in his
throne. Monty’s pack members stand to the sides of own blood, then dresses the methuselah in them. Once
the room. they are all upon Mithras’ body, the methuselah begins
to shine with a bright pure light, which makes any
Mithras turns to look at the characters intent- Kindred instinctively recoil. Mithras appears to be the
ly when they enter the ancient space. Mithras’ in- sun incarnate, but the light doesn’t harm any of the
tense gaze looks out through Monty’s eyes, creating Kindred. It does, however, remind them of all they
a cognitive dissonance for the coterie. A Resolve + have lost in the eternal night, and to feel of warmth on
Composure roll (Difficulty 3) is needed to remain calm their faces and experience how daylight banishes the
while standing in Mithras’ presence. Failure leaves the shadows if precious to them.
character noticeably shaking, and reduces their dice
pool in actions against Mithras by 1. Mithras regains his full glory in what can only be
described as a metaphysical transformation. He seems
Mithras speaks. to stand taller, though he still remains within Monty’s
body, and there is no longer a tiredness about him. In-
“My loyal friends. I can see you brought the items I’ve stead he looks more complete and ethereal than anyone
asked of you. It seems you are more yourselves than ever be- the characters have ever seen. Mithras is terrifying and
fore. You know who I am and maybe who you are too. Come, beautiful to behold as he stands before his throne. The
and let us rebuild London as Rome was rebuilt, together.” characters may show deference as they please, for even
though they are no longer blooded and bound, they
He holds out a thin, clawed hand as invitation to are compelled by Mithras’ great majesty to kneel or be
the characters. It is almost paternal, and does in fact gracefully humble. The methuselah smiles broadly, as
seem genuine. This is a chance for the characters to though taking in everything around him for the first
engage Mithras in dialogue if they wish. They can ask time. He exchanges a brief glance with Pater Thomas,
him questions about what he plans to do with the city, and Wits + Insight at Difficulty 5 lets the character
if he is working with Operation Antigen, what kind sense the true love between them.

192

C h apter 6 – Gods & M o n sters

Mithras stares past the characters for a moment, as Mithras
if noticing something for the first time. Then he frowns
and looks toward the characters. “It seems the hunters ■ EPITAPH: The Prince of Light,
have finally found me. Follow me and see how a God The Conqueror of Britain,The
deals with such absurd creatures!” Lord of Light,The Sun

The coterie, along with Monty’s pack, is com- ■ QUOTE: “I am your God, bringer
manded to follow Mithras from the Mithraeum where of light. Bow before me or die.”
they run into a small army of Operation Antigen
agents still in the basement of the Bucklersby House. ■ CLAN: Ventrue
The agents may have followed the characters, been ■ GENERATION: 4th
watching the Mithraeum, or been tracking Monty or
Thomas. The moment he sees them, Mithras moves MORTAL DAYS: A SOLDIER’S DREAM
with impossible speed and tears into the hunters.
Monty’s pack gleefully follows, and the characters Mithras has always been a soldier.
can decide if they want to hide, fight, or make a swift Even as a youth in ancient Persia,
exit. Pater Thomas hangs back – physical combat is he played strategy games with
not his expertise. the other youngsters, testing out
different weaknesses in both the
The characters only need to engage a few Antigen game and in his opponents. It was
agents, whatever they choose to do, as Mithras and the rare that he lost, though one time
pack can more than handle the rest. Still, if any of the he did, he lost his temper and nearly
players craves combat the Storyteller should indulge beat the other child to death. From
them now. At the end of it, Mithras stands among a then on, nobody would play games
pile of bodies, some of which belong to his pack. How- with Mithras anymore.
ever, the sound of helicopters suggest more agents may
be on the way. Mithras joined the Persian army
and rose quickly through the ranks.
Mithras smiles at the characters – and gleefully Military life suited him, and he found
slaughters any of the remaining pack, his last connec- nothing more satisfying than fighting
tion to Monty Coven. He then offers his blood soaked alongside other soldiers, employing
hand to the characters and says it is time to leave. He tactics he gained increasingly better
will offer them a place by his side in Edinburgh, as an mastery over as time passed.
honored part of Mithras’ new order in Edinburgh. If
they agree, Pater Thomas quickly smuggles the coterie, He and his soldiers were sent
Mithras, and himself out of London and to Scotland. If to crush an army of rebels holed up
they refuse he will thank them for their service and let in an old temple.When the sun set,
them go – he owes them that much at least. they were overrun by a force with
supernatural strength the likes of
THE TWISTING KNIFE which Mithras had never seen.While
many of his soldiers fled in fear, he
Mithras is, for all intents and purposes, a God. and a small group stood and fought.
Mortals and Kindred mean nothing to him, with the After a hellish last stand he lost, but
exception of Roger de Camden. Mithras likens him- the vampire who killed his soldiers
self a magnanimous God, but he was born of blood took a liking to Mithras. Next night,
and slaughter. The characters leave London, all their Mithras arose as a vampire and
Kindred allies, and mortal Touchstones, to serve a ripped the remaining rebels force to
creature who will discard them the first moment they shreds.This night was the first time
lose their usefulness. Mithras believed himself a god, but
it would take some time before he
193 convinced others.

FALL OF LON D ON

KINDRED NIGHTS: stopped looking for Mithras, however, show them. So, while he may be
sensing that he wasn’t actually dead, leaving for Edinburgh to establish
THE CONQUEROR and through an unlikely alliance a new base after the fall, he will
with the local Sabbat eventually eventually return.
Mithras knew little fear, and his Mithras’ body was uncovered. Here ■ DESTROY ALL ENEMIES: None
power grew as he harnessed the Sabbat showed their true face of the Kindred in London appear
himself toward warfare violence. He though, for rather than deliver the to show any deference to the
abandoned his Persian roots, and methuselah back to de Camden, Cult of Mithras anymore. Some
instead took an interest in Rome. Montgomery Coven diablerized of those he trusted have betrayed
He aided their military might and him. It takes more than amaranth to him.The legacy of his cult has
conquest of Europe, all the while destroy one so ancient, though, and waned and in its place several
presenting himself as Mithras, Slayer Mithras and Montgomery now wage pretenders have arisen. Mithras
of the Sacred Bull, and Harbinger their own war for control over their plans to purge London of any
of the Sun. He portrayed himself shared body. who aren’t loyal – any that are
as a divine judge of honesty and left over after Operation Antigen,
justice, gaining worshipers among PLOTS AND SCHEMES: that is.
merchants, soldiers, bureaucrats,
freedmen, and slaves. ■ REGAIN FORMER GLORY: DOMAIN AND HAVEN:
Mithras’ most important goal is
Mithras avoided dull Cainite to regain full control of his mind ■ MITHRAEUM (HAVEN 3): The
politics by fighting out on Romain and body. He must gather five Mithraeum has been maintained
frontier, and his worship cult spread artifacts imbued with his former by Roger de Camden as a safe
far throughout the Roman military. power in order to accomplish and secret place in London
When Mithras came to Britain with this. Mithras has awoken his for several centuries. Now it
the invading Roman forces in the most loyal cultists, the Heralds is being put to good use as a
1st century CE, he established the of the Sun, in order to retrieve place for Mithras to sleep and
isle of Britannia as his own territory. these artifacts for him. Until he plan. It is as though Mithras has
Londinium was Mithras’ home, and is restored, Mithras is trapped returned home.
while he allowed other Kindred to in the weaker body of the
remain there they had to do so under Kindred Monty Coven whom he ■ WAREHOUSE (HAVEN 1, HERD
his regime. sometimes struggles to control. 1, INFLUENCE 4): A warehouse
This struggle could end up killing Monty and his pack use as a
Mithras held Londinium with an one or both of them should base of operations is accessible
iron fist. He has maintained the Cult Mithras not regain his strength. to Mithras since he currently
of Mithras by slowly recruiting loyal inhabits Monty’s body.When in
Kindred and kine followers who ■ TAKE BACK LONDON: London this place Mithras’ mind struggles
could be trusted with its mysteries. has been left weakened by the to control Monty, though,
He’s been met by resistance over the careless rule of those he trusted because it is such an important
nearly two millennia he has ruled, to keep it. Mithras is deeply location for the pack leader. It
especially in the case of the Toreador disappointed in Queen Anne’s can still serve as a backup place
and Tremere who repeatedly lack of fortitude in the face to stay should the Mithraeum at
interfered in his affairs until they of Operation Antigen. Clearly any time prove unsafe.
were forced to sign the Treaty of Mithras needs to rule London
Durham. Mithras always managed once more, for it has suffered THRALLS AND TOOLS:
to quash his enemies, though, until under lesser Kindred.These ■ CULTISTS (ALLIES 2, CONTACTS 3):
Valerius betrayed his trust and staged youngsters don’t know what real
the capture of Roger de Camden and war looks like, and he plans to Mithras has retained a small
subsequent ambush that supposedly number of kine who do his
destroyed Mithras. De Camden never

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C h apter 6 – Gods & M o n sters

bidding under the guise of the occasionally more complicated MASK AND MIEN:
Mithraic cult.While he doesn’t ones like awakening the Heralds
look like Mithras, none of the of the Sun from centuries of Mithras’s Mask and Mien are
kine really knows what Mithras sleep.They will bring him vessels currently the same, as his mind and
looks like anyway.These kine when he is too busy to hunt spirit have been consumed by the
are used for various information himself, and generally follow his flesh of Montgomery Coven. Monty
gathering and resource fetching every command. Some members Coven is a Jamaican man with dark
missions around London. He’s of the pack have questioned brown skin, a medium build, and
not quite as connected as he Monty’s recent decisions, but neat braided hair. He wears well-
used to be, but as long as there not enough to consider rebelling tailored shirts and slacks, with a few
are remnants of his cult around, against him. pieces of gold jewelry and cufflinks.
Mithras will be able to use them Monty’s physical presence has a
to his advantage. WHISPERS: quiet rage just below the surface. It
seems to be the sort of rage only
KINDRED RELATIONSHIPS: ■ A TRUE GOD / CHILDE OF AN killing will appease, so he is only still
ANTIDILUVIAN: Many believe because he recognizes he can’t do
■ ROGER DE CAMDEN (TRUE Mithras was a true god, walking that all the time. It is a feeling both
LOVE): Roger is the most the earth in corporeal form Mithras and Monty share.The only
important relationship Mithras when the Ventrue Antediluvian physical indication that Mithras and
has ever known.They do truly himself Embraced him. Monty are struggling for dominance
love each other, and support inside his body are his eyes, which
each other’s schemes over the ■ DIABLERIST: Mithras developed occasionally shift from Monty’s dark
centuries – though mostly it has a taste for Kindred blood and brown to the lighter, golden tinted
been de Camden in the support diablerie over the ages. In fact, amber of Mithras’ gaze.
role, and Mithras in the lead. his current generation is owed
Their loyalty for each other to an act of diablerie, and this is ■ SIRE: Unknown Persian Vampire
over the centuries is practically the true meaning of the tale of ■ EMBRACED: 1258 BCE
unmatched, and important Mithras killing the Sacred Bull. ■ AMBITION: To regain full control
to Mithras above all other
relationships he has formed. ■ MITHRAS HAS RETURNED: of London and his ancient
Gwenllian Arwyn has been telling strength.Then, conquer all of
■ ARWYN (TRUSTED people Mithras returned, though Britain – and move from there.
LIEUTENANT): Arwyn was Pater few believe her.Those who ■ CONVICTIONS: I am a God.
of the Mithraic Mysteries, before used to be a part of his cult and ■ TOUCHSTONES: Mithras has no
Monty Coven diablerized Mithras never gave up hope, or those like mortal Touchstones.
and the methuselah’s hold on the Valerius who dare not make the ■ HUMANITY: 3
cult broke. Mithras assumes her mistake of underestimating the
loyalty is still true, and perhaps methuselah, pay attention to her MITHRAS BEFORE HIS
it may be once he regains full words though.
strength. She though, on her RESTORATION BY THE ARTIFACTS:
part, is far less loyal to him than ■ OPERATION ANTIGEN IS
Mithras assumes. MITHRAS: Some Kindred ■ ATTRIBUTES: Strength 4,
suspect an elder must be feeding Dexterity 4, Stamina 3; Charisma 4,
■ MONTY’S PACK (EXPENDABLE information to Antigen, for the Manipulation 5, Composure 3;
TOOLS): Monty’s pack serves hunters to be so effective. Many Intelligence 4,Wits 5, Resolve 3
as Mithras’ Kindred tools in pointed fingers at Queen Anne
London. Mithras uses them to and Valerius, but there were ■ SECONDARY ATTRIBUTES:
carry out simple missions, and also rumors that all of this was Health 6,Willpower 6
Mithras cleaning house.
■ SKILLS: Athletics 4, Brawl
(Grappling) 5, Melee (Swords) 4,

195

FALL OF LON D ON

Stealth 3, Survival (War) 4; Roger de Camden that flowed through his veins. Rowan
Etiquette 3, Insight (Emotions) 5, became obsessed with learning
Intimidation (Interrogation) 5, ■ EPITAPH: Speaker for the Dead everything he could about the soul,
Leadership (Command) 5, ■ QUOTE: “The dead talk all the and the various states it could exist
Performance 3, Persuasion (Cult) 5, in within the body of both Kindred
Subterfuge 5;Academics time, you just have to listen to and kine. He went on a pilgrimage
(History) 4,Awareness 3, hear them.” through Europe, studying the soul
Occult (Mithraic Mysteries) 5, ■ CLAN: Hecata in these various forms of existence.
Medicine 3,Awareness 3, ■ GENERATION: 5th He created many childer in this time,
Politics (Military) 3 not out of loneliness, but from a
■ BLOOD POTENCY: 6 MORTAL DAYS: SOOTHSAYER curiosity to experiment and collect
■ DISCIPLINES: Auspex 3, more intimate data.When he visited
Celerity 2, Dominate 4, Roger de Camden was born Rowan, Paris, a ridiculous mispronunciation by
Fortitude 4, Potence 3, in a small area of rural England. Rowan the local Toreador changed his name
Presence 4 had a gift for communing with the from Rowan of Campden to Roger
dead and hearing the whispers of de Camden. He decided to keep the
MITHRAS AT FULL STRENGTH: ghosts around him. Even as a child name, and remained in Paris for some
Rowan was obsessed with dead things, time studying the catacombs beneath
■ ATTRIBUTES: Strength 5, collecting small animals he found in the city and several Parisian elders
Dexterity 5, Stamina 4; Charisma 5, the fields and streams to listen to the who humored his research in return
Manipulation 5, Composure3; stories of their lives and deaths. He for boons.
Intelligence 4,Wits 5, Resolve 5 would spend his time in cemeteries
listening to those who had passed, When de Camden heard the
■ SECONDARY ATTRIBUTES: and then relaying their thoughts to methuselah Mithras returned to
Health 7,Willpower 8 loved ones who still lived. People London in the 11th century, he felt
were thankful for Rowan’s messages, compelled to learn more about one
■ SKILLS: Athletics 4, Brawl although some were scared and he of the oldest vampires of Europe.
(Grappling) 5, Melee (Swords) 4, fought against some persecution as He traveled to London with the
Stealth 3, Survival (War) 4; word of his gifts spread. intention of interviewing the ancient.
Etiquette 3, Insight (Emotions) 5, Mithras received de Camden well,
Intimidation (Interrogation) 5, Eventually he became the town’s and a rapport grew between them
Leadership (Command) 5, soothsayer, and was famously known over time. De Camden came to
Performance 3, Persuasion (Cult) 5, for his sage advice and ability to understand how lonely Mithras was
Subterfuge 5;Academics speak with the dead. Such was this beneath his godlike mantle.The two
(History) 4,Awareness 3, gift that it caught the attention of eventually became lovers, and Mithras
Occult (Mithraic Mysteries) 4, a Cappadocian named Constancia, promoted de Camden to Seneschal.
Medicine 3, Politics (Military) 3 who became his mentor as she took Throughout this all, they kept their
him to see the wider world.After relationship secret – love, true love, is
■ BLOOD POTENCY: 8 introducing him to the rest of her a liability among vampires.
■ DISCIPLINES: Animalism 2, clan, Constancia Embraced Rowan
under the moon of Constantinople. When the Giovanni began killing
Auspex 3, Blood Sorcery their Cappadocian elders, de Camden
(Quietus) 3, Celerity 3, KINDRED NIGHTS: became a target. He invented the
Dominate 5, Fortitude 5, Ritual of Transferring the Soul to
Obfuscate 2, Potence 4, SCHOLAR OF DEATH convince the Giovanni that he was
Presence 5, Protean 2 dead, and so Roger de Camden
As a vampire Rowan was able to became Pater Thomas, transferring
more intimately understand the
nature of death and the soul. He could
not only hear the spirits of the dead,
but command them with the vitae

196

C h apter 6 – Gods & M o n sters

his essence to a new Cainite body. maintained several tomes of gentle soul and caretaker, Nina is
Thomas continued to lead the Cult of information about his research de Camden’s ghoul and personal
Mithras, until Valerius and de Worde and experiments over the assistant, maintaining his flat and
discovered his true identity.They centuries, and has a makeshift experiments while he is away.
betrayed de Camden, and used him as lab that he sets up wherever
bait to lead Mithras to his final death. he goes.The Mithraic Cult has ■ CULT OF MITHRAS (ALLIES 3):
helped him perform various Roger de Camden is responsible
Now, after Mithras’ return in experiments on the kine and for the remaining Cult of
the body of Montgomery Coven, de neonates in London. Mithras.The organization of
Camden is reunited with his lover. meetings and rituals, making sure
Together they’re working to collect DOMAIN AND HAVEN: members are safe and loyal, and
the artifacts and perform the ritual ■ LARGE VICTORIAN HOUSE continuing the traditions of the
to restore Mithras to his full power. cult are all responsibilities de
(HAVEN 3): Roger de Camden Camden bears. In return, the cult
PLOTS AND SCHEMES: doesn’t require much in the form members are valuable allies in the
of luxury, merely a place to keep Greater London area, giving him
■ PROTECT MITHRAS: Mithras is his books and his necromantic information and resources greatly
ancient, powerful, and supremely tools of the trade.This house needed in these dangerous times.
arrogant, to the point of believing in London serves as both a
in his own divinity.The much place to sleep and work, and KINDRED RELATIONSHIPS:
younger de Camden tries to be is nondescript enough to keep
there when the methuselah’s people from bothering him. ■ MITHRAS (TRUE LOVE): The
hubris leads him into trouble. ■ OLD FLAT (HAVEN 3): De relationship between de Camden
Camden maintains a simple but and Mithras has lasted centuries,
■ PROTECT THE MITHRAIC secure residence in Edinburgh. a bond deeper than bond than
MYSTERIES: Roger de Camden, as He plans to obtain a more grand most Kindred ever get to know.
Pater Thomas, is still responsible Haven once he safely relocates De Camden trusts Mithras
for several of the cult’s domains Mithras and the remaining completely and would do anything
and treasures, aside from the members of the Cult from for him, including sacrificing his
main artifacts needed to restore London to Edinburgh. own life. He sometimes wishes
Mithras to greatness. He still has ■ WITCHES (HERD 2): Roger de they could be more open in their
quite some power in London as Camden has involved himself love, but understand Mithras’
well, protecting locations like the with a group of witches in ancient enemies would make
Mithraeum, and is in control of Edinburgh, both to obtain quick work of him.
many spirit agents who spy for needed herbs and objects for
him in his absence.The Ritual of his necromancy, but also to feel WHISPERS:
Transferring the Soul might be a part of a community that isn’t ■ THOMAS IS ROGER DE CAMDEN:
among the most treasured of the Mithraic. He will often feed on
cult’s mysteries, and resides only these witches as well. There are only a few Kindred
in de Camden’s mind. who know this secret, carefully
THRALLS AND TOOLS: tying Thomas’ behaviors and
■ UNDEAD EXPERIMENTS: De ■ NINA JONES (RETAINER 3): patterns back to de Camden.
Camden’s curiosity about Valerius and de Worde are two of
the soul and how it travels Nina is one of the most powerful them, and that proved disastrous.
has never died, but has only witches in Edinburgh, and has
grown stronger over the devoted her life to studying and ■ PATER THOMAS CANNOT DIE:
years.Whenever there is an caring for the dead and dying.A Pater Thomas should have died
opportunity to experiment in the explosion that left Mithras
on a soul he will take it. He’s in torpor.Yet, clearly, he did not.

197

FALL OF LON D ON

■ PATER THOMAS IS MITHRAS’ MASK AND MIEN: Thomas dresses quite different
LOVER: It didn’t escape in public, keeping with the young
the attention of a few very Roger de Camden has taken to professional fashions of the decade
observant Kindred at court wearing traditional Cappadocian to appear approachable, modern,
how Mithras and Pater Thomas robes while in the privacy of his own and to fit in with the crowds. Jeans,
acted around each other. It was Haven. Ceremonial in form, they’re a a t-shirt, and a jacket of some sort is
the small things, the glances and dark black linen edged with symbolic his current go-to outfit.This fashion,
gestures that were more familiar embroidery with floral and skeletal combined with his unassuming
than just a master and his motifs. His skin is pale and soft, eyes demeanor, allows other Kindred
servant. Perhaps this, more than round and hollow with age, hair to underestimate or overlook him.
anything, finally led Valerius to golden and shoulder length. He’s Thomas uses this tactic so that he
discover his true identity, though of average height and slender build, might get close to Kindred, or send
he is far from the only one who rather unassuming except for the his spies to watch them without
took note. ghostly connections that seem to them noticing.
emanate from him.

■ SIRE: Constancia
■ EMBRACED: 731 AD
■ AMBITION: To return control of

London to Mithras and himself.
■ CONVICTIONS: We never

truly die, we just change and
transform.
■ TOUCHSTONES: Nina Jones,
his ghoul.
■ HUMANITY: 5
■ ATTRIBUTES: Strength 4,
Dexterity 5, Stamina 4; Charisma 5,
Manipulation 3, Composure 4;
Intelligence 5,Wits 5, Resolve 5

■ SECONDARY ATTRIBUTES:
Health 8,Willpower 7

■ SKILLS: Athletics 3,
Melee (Knives) 4; Etiquette 3,
Insight 3, Intimidation 4,
Leadership (Organization) 4,
Persuasion 4; Academics
(Philosophy) 5, Awareness 3,
Occult 5, Politics (Camarilla) 4,
Science 4

■ BLOOD POTENCY: 9
■ DISCIPLINES: Auspex 5,

Fortitude 5, Oblivion 5,
Celerity 3, Dominate 3,
Obfuscate 5, Presence 4

198