Let The Streets Run Red

LET THE STREETS RUN RED

Milford Graveyard Chicago, though only one occupies the town at a time. In
reality, despite their epithet, they were all banished by
Willerton has a sprawling cemetery holding more than sires, Primogen, or even Prince Jackson himself. At least
three thousand graves — a macabre peculiarity for a town one of them ran afoul of the Second Inquisition, and was
of 665 souls. The cemetery holds all manner of interest- given an option between banishment or execution lest
ing features, including the grave of a Revolutionary War he bring the Inquisition down on all Kindred of Chica-
veteran on the north side, prestigious old family crypts, go. Another backed the wrong contender in the race for
and many abandoned graves. Willerton’s children scatter Prince after Lodin’s apparent destruction. Few of them
seeds on neglected graves to appease whatever ghosts they remain in Willerton for long, often ending up grist for
hold, and a field of purple, yellow, and red flowers covers the sacrificial mills.
the cemetery in spring. Occult symbols representing the
passage and ephemeral nature of time, as well as several Loyalists hold out hope to be forgiven someday, and
symbols denoting Fox River spirits, mark many of the so the one vampire identifying as such remains in nearby
headstones. A small chapel on the south side serves as Willerton. They’re adamant about upholding the Prince’s
secret church for the Congregation of the Harvest God. edicts, and indeed remain in contact with the domain via
proxy with Sheriff Damien. The Nomads unerringly refers
to Loyalists as Exiles, which is probably a truer epithet.

Sam’s Motorcycle Shop Nazeera
and Diner
Nazeera is a member of Clan Tremere. Or at least,
Across the street from the graveyard, clients trickle in the vampire hopes they still are. Nazeera is a grandchilde
and out of Sam’s Motorcycles. The shop has been a town to the infamous Carna, and when Carna absconded with
staple for almost as long as the Last Chance Saloon, servicing the Book of the Grave-War and founded her own House,
travelers whose motorcycles break down on the winding many within the Pyramid naturally wondered how much
Goblin Roads of the Midwest. Next to the shop, visitors can Nazeera knew. The Kindred faced a summary visit of their
wait for their repairs to finish up in the new Sam’s Diner, clan’s enforcers, when someone up the chain — Nazeera
created by the brother and sister pair that owns Sam’s to get never learned who — intervened and instead arranged for
a stake in the new tourism push. Vera Smith runs the motor- their exile to Willerton while the Pyramid sorted out the
cycle shop, and Edward “Big Ed” Smith the diner. The diner mess. Determined not to waste this reprieve and to prove
is small but clean, and Ed makes a mean cherry pie. their worth to Camarilla and clan alike, Nazeera remains
loyal to the sect. They have some knowledge of the local
Across from the Sam’s buildings on the other side of oddities, including the Goblin Roads, Willerton’s divine
the T intersection that divides the Smiths’ property from geometry, and the odd, seemingly free ghoul known as
the graveyard stands an abandoned, partially demolished gas Starchild, but won’t share this information with just
station. The Sam’s, gas station, and street together form divine anyone. They aren’t privy to the sacrifice of Kindred yet,
geometry that surrounds the “Harvest God” under the nearby but they do know how easy it is to feed from the kine in
crossroads, though neither of the Smith siblings knows this. this town.
Though Kindred of Willerton may assume the Harvest God is
a vampire. In fact, it may be the empowered land itself. The Nomads

Kindred and Kine The Nomads are a gang of bikers led by a couple
of Anarchs whose allegiance to each other is entirely
Willerton is home to three resident Kindred, several cults, pragmatic. Willerton sits just on the outer edges of Prince
and a mortal population as canny as it is small. Jackson’s reach — which is only a concern to Warrington
and Mariangel, the vampires among the Nomads — and
The Loyalist staying this far away from Camarilla authority and the
big city suits the gang just fine. So far, the Nomads suc-
Several vampires have come to occupy Willerton as cessfully navigate the line between being loud enough for
Loyalists, claiming to seek a “temporary reprieve” from other Anarchs and bikers to hear them, but quiet enough
that Jackson can ignore them without looking weak.

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They Dying Fields

Robert Warrington still releases a Farmers’ Almanac yearly, noting all the best
times to seed, plant, and harvest corn as well as remedies
Robert Warrington was a ranking influencer in the for common crop pests and plagues. A careful reading of
gay Instagram community, and his sire Embraced him to the Almanac reveals a certain bent toward Paganism with-
bring her up to speed on “all these social mediums.” While in its pages, with details of sacred harvest festivals. Still,
Warrington’s skills indeed served her excellently, something it seems harmless enough with simple references to the
was off about the new childe. Neither Warrington nor his “sacred fertilization of the earth.” What the Almanac does
sire put together that Warrington is a thin-blood, but they not mention, but what farmers pass down to their children
do know he’s not like other Toreador. Fearing he’d embar- orally, is that fertilization involves finely chopping up
rass her in front of her peers, yet not able to bring herself animals, a process now done by machines, and tilling their
to destroy him, Warrington’s sire instead sent him away blood and ground bodies into the soil. At least, that’s how
from Chicago. He didn’t go very far, and landed in Will- it was for many generations. A Malkavian preacher took up
erton. Warrington since put his skills to good use building in Willerton many years ago, and under his guidance, the
his own cult of personality within the existing herd of Congregation moved to using mortals for fertilization. The
Willerton. The clique maintains a robust online presence, Congregation of the Harvest God is responsible for picking
in addition to visitors traveling to Willerton specifically up Mariangel’s discarded prey, as well as snatching tourists
to meet Warrington. It even includes four of the normally who come to Willerton.
distrusting locals. Warrington noticed a recent push back
on his influence though, and he fears another magnetizing Though the Malkavian was subsequently destroyed
power has come to Willerton. Since he’s still evaluating and fed to the land, his followers gather in the old chapel
the threat, he won’t share his concerns at first meetings. in the graveyard, led by his former ghoul. They perform
Warrington is fully aware of the sacrifices of both kine and their killings at the roots of a Judas tree in the middle of
Kindred, and frankly, is happy to support them if it means the cornfields.
maintaining his influence.
Starchild
Mariangel
Starchild is a ghoul who until recently fed from the
Mariangel doesn’t know who her sire is. She was Kindred of Willerton, but is now a blood slave of the
never a member of the Camarilla, though two decades Harvest God. He’s caught in the entity’s nightmares. He
of experience taught her the ropes. The Gangrel came to sees a pattern in the Goblin Roads, and in dark veins
Willerton simply passing through, but then never left. holding the town in their grasp. Believing the Harvest
Sometimes she does get on her bike to leave, only to find God gleaned the secrets of death and rebirth and desper-
that a night of travel simply brings her back to Willer- ately seeking this knowledge for himself, the ghoul pledg-
ton. She doesn’t mind though, as she’s since found a new es his service to the creature. Sensing the Harvest God’s
calling in the One True Way (Vampire: The Masquerade, hunger, the ghoul sheds his own blood on the rich soil as
p. 389). Mariangel hunts the cornfields outside Willerton, well as that of mortal sacrifices. He plans many more, and
snatching up farm hands working late, lovers trysting actively seeks to abduct Kindred so the sacrifices might
in the fields, and tourists looking for that perfect selfie be rich in potency. For all his fervor and visions though,
amid moonlit corn. She hasn’t realized yet that almost the Starchild cannot coherently articulate whether rebirth
entire populace is a willing herd. Mariangel hunts to feed means immortality, losing his addiction to vitae, breaking
and not to kill as part of her philosophy, and leaves most free from the chains of the Blood Bond, or something else
of her victims dazed and traumatized but alive. Recently, altogether.
her victims have begun to disappear. Mariangel isn’t sure
if she unwittingly became more lethal in her feeding, or if Townspeople
someone is snatching up her leftovers.
The mortals of Willerton are a force of their own. With
The Congregation only 665 people, everyone connects to each other through
of the Harvest God friends or family. Not all of them may know “Bobby,”
but they do all know “Bobby from the Earl family, out on
Willerton has always been farm country, growing Church Street.” This also means they, even more than local
first potatoes and now corn. The local Agrarians Society Kindred caught up in their own ambitions, know exactly
how many people have gone missing. They’re well aware that
a cult of farmers operated in Willerton for centuries. They’re

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LET THE STREETS RUN RED

not willing to speak of this to outsiders
though, nor do they mind much so long
as the missing people are just tourists
and seasonal farmhands.

Vera and Ed Smith

Of all the townsfolk, Vera and Rumors • The Harvest God hails from a
Ed Smith, by dint of their occupa- Drowned Legacy of indigenous
tion, have the most contact with • The Harvest God is a cornfield descent. If this is true, it may
outsiders. They’re friendly, if discreet grown semi-sentient as a result be kin to Nerissa of Chicago.
about the town’s secrets, and both of centuries of absorbing blood She does not seek it though,
excellent at their trade. Vera needs and vitae sacrifices at the center indicating she likely believes it
just two minutes with a broken down of a nexus of Goblin Roads. Its destroyed, or never knew of its
motorcycle, and three minutes with influence permeates those who existence at all.
any other vehicle, to determine what consume its fruit, and it has held
needs fixing. Meanwhile Ed’s pie is so the townsfolk in its thrall for • The Harvest God lies chained
good truckers deliberately schedule generations, improving fertility, in slumber through natural
their stops in Willerton, and a Chi- health, and longevity for those ley lines enforced with divine
cago pastry shop orders several pies who tend its needs. geometry. While the Harvest
each week. Their cousin Cas — short God lies physically bound under
for Cassandra — grew up with Vera • The Harvest God nearly awoke the crossroads near the Sam’s
and Ed after her mother sent her to on May 31, 1888. It brought a Motorcycle Repair Shop though,
live in Willerton after Cas joined a reign of terror and sacrificial its blackened veins reach far into
street gang. Cas since cleaned up her murders, until it fell (or was the earth and drink any blood
act and joined the army, and both forced) back to sleep in Septem- spilled in the town and nearby
Vera and Ed are in regular contact ber of the next year. cornfields.
with her. Vera knows that Cas is a
member of some kind of special forc- • The Harvest God is an ancient • The original author, predating
es and has mopped up some problems Caitiff. The creature was Em- even the translation Carna uses,
in town before now. What she doesn’t braced before the clans coalesced wrote the Book of the Grave-
know is that Cas works as a FIRST- into their current forms, or War in a trance after being
LIGHT operative and plans to point hails from a now extinct clan, summoned to Willerton. Hidden
her agency’s eyes directly at Willerton and stands wholly outside the under the promise of breaking
the next time she’s on leave. ties of blood that bind modern Blood Bonds lies a complex ritu-
Kindred. al that, once brought to fulfill-
The ment, releases the Harvest God
Harvest God • The Harvest God’s presence is from its prison.
marked by magpies on every
According to the now-destroyed tree, streetlamp, and rooftop, • The recent push to gentrify the
Malkavian who claimed to commune and by the limbs of the Judas town to draw tourists chipped at
with the Harvest God, it is a Shad- tree hanging from being so satu- the chains binding the Harvest
ow-Sleeper, as named in the Book of rated with blood. God. One building in the divine
the Grave War. That does not exactly geometry, the worn gas station,
narrow it down though, nor does The is already partially demolished
Dying Fields try to — whatever the
truth is, it is so vast it could alter a
story, and thus is left to the Storytell-
er to decide. Here are some facts and
possibilities though.

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They Dying Fields

to make room for a larger building. While this on resourceful, Prince Jackson may even commission them
its own can’t wake the Harvest God, shaking those directly. The Storyteller should carefully weigh the elder’s
foundations does bring it closer to wakefulness or status against that of the coterie. The elder should stand
increased Hunger. high enough above them that the characters can’t say no
even if they wanted to (that’s the stick), but close enough
The Dying Fields that doing this could get them a valuable ally in addition to
a boon (that’s the carrot). The elder further instructs that
The Dying Fields is a story for three to five players, if the coterie is absolutely forced to choose between them,
though the Storyteller should note the feeding Difficulty the missive is more important than the courier, and that
is +1 for up to three characters, and +2 for four or five. the letter is not to be opened under any circumstances.
This scarcity is deliberate, looming over the characters
so they never feel quite on top of their game. Characters Anarchs
can be either Camarilla, Anarchs, or unaligned, and the
Storyteller can pick and choose from scenario options The coterie receives a plea for help from Warring-
accordingly. ton, after a Camarilla messenger went missing in the
domain of Willerton. Warrington sees this as an excellent
This scenario, while ordered in chapters, offers sever- opportunity to make the Loyalists appear incompetent
al ways for the coterie to skip ahead or revisit avenues of and weaken their ties with Chicago, while grabbing the
inquiry. The Storyteller should remain flexible, and read message for the Anarchs. Unfortunately, no one in the
the entire scenario start to finish during their preparation local coterie has the right skills to investigate the matter
so they can easily move back and forth as needed. and not alarm the Loyalists. He offers the characters a
boon if they can find York and steal the letter, or if they
The scenario starts with the characters preparing can bring both courier and message back to Warrington.
to depart for Willerton to find a missing person. After Discretion is key though, as Prince Jackson will send his
questioning the reluctant local Kindred, the even more Sheriff if he knows the Anarchs took his message.
reluctant kine, and possibly a frightful excursion into the
corn, the coterie catches up with the Congregation of the Either or Unaligned
Harvest God. Or, if they’re not careful, the Congregation
catches up with them. The characters must fight to save One of the coterie members discovers a Touchstone
their missing person and themselves. missing. A quick perusal of the mortal’s calendar reveals
a trip passing through Willerton, which is also the last
Players required: 3-5 location of their cell phone (if the coterie has access to
Duration: 9-16 hours that information) and social media log-ins. A picture on
social media reveals the Touchstone posing in front of the
Chapter One: WELCOME TO Willerton sign, corn growing high in the
A Missing Person background and guarded by a leering scarecrow.

The Storyteller has several options to start the scenario If several coterie members share a Touchstone, or
and send the coterie on its search into Willerton. If the have interconnected Touchstones, the Storyteller can
Storyteller uses The Dying Fields in an ongoing chronicle, use those. If not, the Storyteller can use a Touchstone of
they can also devise a new reason that works for their the character who has the most clout to pull the entire
campaign. coterie into a search and rescue.

Camarilla In this scenario, the Storyteller decides whether
Everett York was never kidnapped or whether the coterie
Depending on the coterie’s standing in Chicago, discovers him and the missing letter later. This also affects
an elder or Primogen tasks them with finding a missing the local Kindred’s reactions to the coterie, as Nazeera
courier in exchange for a boon. The courier, a Kindred and Warrington immediately suspect the Touchstone and
named Everett York, carried an important missive from the York are taken by the same force.
Prince but went missing around Willerton. If the coterie
already established itself as exceptionally trustworthy and Research

The characters may want to research Willerton on-
line, which is easily done with an Intelligence + Investi-

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LET THE STREETS RUN RED

gation roll as they delve into online newspaper archives. the Storyteller should emphasize how incredibly strange
The Storyteller has two options to set the Difficulty for and unlikely it is that even one (let alone three) Kindred
this roll. The first is to let each player make a Difficulty maintain permanent havens here.
3 roll, and the Storyteller releases a piece of information
for every succeeding player. However, with Storyteller’s Successes Information Information
permission, the group can choose one player to make an 1 (Camarilla) (Anarch)
Investigation roll and the Storyteller divulges one piece of The local Camarilla The local Anarchs
information for every die that comes up 6 or higher. 2 call themselves the form a single
Loyalists, and were coterie, called the
Successes Information 3 all exiled for a vari- Nomads.
1 4 ety of reasons.
2 Willerton is a farming community, grow- Nazeera is the only Robert Warrington
ing mostly corn, with a population of 665 5+ Loyalist in town. is Willerton’s lead-
3 people. The town holds only one hotel, ing Nomad and he
unimaginatively named the Willerton Nazeera resides at makes up one of
4 Hotel, and a cemetery of 3000 graves. the Willerton Hotel. two Anarchs.
5+ Warrington is found
Willerton counted exactly 665 people Robert Warrington at the Last Chance
since the 2010 census. The Willerton is Willerton’s lead- Saloon.
Hotel is new, and the town only just ing Nomad and he Nazeera is the only
increased its online presence as a tourist makes up one of Loyalist in town.
draw. The cemetery is moderately popu- two Anarchs.
lar with self-proclaimed ghost hunters. Warrington is found Nazeera resides at
at the Last Chance the Willerton Hotel.
Before Willerton promoted itself as a Saloon.
tourist destination, it served mainly as
road stop to bikers and truckers. The Last Chapter Two:
Chance Saloon and Sam’s Motorcycles Welcome to Willerton
and Diner serve both. Sam’s has old
roots: A building has stood on that spot The coterie arrives in Willerton. Presumably the char-
as far back as the town’s records go. acters want to get right to finding their missing person,
and asking local Kindred what they know. If they rolled
Four people have gone missing around well for their information gathering, they know where to
Willerton in as many years, but the local go. Willerton’s Kindred also know the coterie is coming
police determined all to be cases of thanks to spies of their own, and they are only too willing
runaways. to meet with members of their own sect. If the coterie
is unaligned, they can seek out either the Loyalists or
There is a gap in the microfilm copies of the Nomads, though after this the other group refuses to
the Kendall County News, the primary receive them.
newspaper in the Willerton area, from
May 31, 1888 until the September 4, If the coterie failed to gather relevant information,
1889 issue. they can roll an Intelligence + Investigation roll (Dif-
ficulty 4) to recognize vampire cant graffiti indicating
If the coterie wants to find out about the local either an Anarch or Camarilla domain, leading to the
Kindred, they can quietly ask around with a Charisma Last Chance Saloon or Willerton Hotel respectively. This
or Manipulation + Subterfuge. The information gleaned
depends on the coterie’s sect allegiance, and the Story-
teller chooses if the coterie adheres to no sect. As above,
the Storyteller has two options to set the Difficulty for
this roll. Each player may make a Difficulty 3 roll, and
the Storyteller releases a subsequent piece of information
for every succeeding player. However, with Storyteller’s
permission, the group can choose one player to make an
Investigation roll and the Storyteller divulges one piece
of information for every die that comes up 6 or higher. If
the PCs discover at least one vampire in this community,

54

They Dying Fields

roll gains -1 Difficulty to recognize markings of their Asking about the missing person makes Nazeera
own sect, or +1 to recognize the other sect. If this fails nervous, which the characters can glean with Wits +
too, leaving the characters to wander Willerton aimless- Insight (Difficulty 3). The coterie’s missing person stayed
ly, their sect (or the Anarchs if the coterie is unaligned) at the Willerton Hotel, though Nazeera honestly doesn’t
seeks them out. However, the local Kindred now consider know what happened to them.
the coterie incompetent and all future Social rolls with
Nomads or Loyalists are at a +1 Difficulty. Getting Nazeera to open up about Willerton requires
a Charisma + Persuasion roll, or a Wits + Occult roll if
Meeting with the opposing sect is out of the question the character takes the route of “talking shop” with a
at this time — the local Kindred simply won’t see the fellow occultist. Nazeera reveals all information up to the
coterie. Making visitors wait before you receive them is successes rolled.
part and parcel of politics.
1-2 Successes: “Take care when you travel here, for
Meeting the Loyalist these are Goblin Roads. They twist and turn to lead
travelers astray. Don’t rely on your cell phones either —
Nazeera is the epitome of grace and a warm wel- you’ll find they get no reception. Curiously the local kine
come, regardless of the first impression the coterie makes. seem immune, but no number of amulets crafted from
They haven’t abandoned hope of returning to Chicago, their hair, skin, and bone seem to transfer their protec-
and so are extra cordial if the coterie works on assign- tion. Oh, and I’d hate myself if I didn’t warn you about
ment of Prince Jackson or Abraham DuSable. Nazeera the Starchild… He’s a ghoul, or was. Somehow he seems to
freely offers use of the Willerton Hotel as the coterie’s be without a master, and in my book, that makes a ghoul
haven, and pledges to abide by their sovereignty within hungry and dangerous.”
their rooms. They do tell the coterie not to feed on the
hotel staff or guests, even outside hotel grounds. 3 Successes: “I suspect the Goblin Roads are a
symptom of a larger effect. Towns like this come and
go, buildings erected from prefab. Yet look at a map of
Willerton, and you see some spots always held a building.

55

LET THE STREETS RUN RED

First of wood, and now a container, either case, he tells them the person all the prerequisite assurances of not
or in rare cases an actual stone abode. stayed at the Willerton Hotel. He being here to usurp anyone’s domain,
Something always sits in those spots, claims to know no more than that. take up most of the first night. If the
and I can sense power there. Oddly, I characters did that, all but the bare
suspect the Kindred of Willerton en- Plying Warrington with flattery essentials of finding a haven must wait
force the rite by their very presence.” or outright intimidating him allows until the second night.
for a Charisma + Etiquette or Persua-
4+ Successes: “I am not the only sion, or Charisma + Intimidation roll. Talking to the Police
one to notice the power coursing Warrington reveals all information
through Willerton’s winding roads. up to the successes rolled. Willerton doesn’t have a stand-
Mortals revere their Harvest God, ing police force, due to its small size.
and the corn fields reek of blood. 1-2 Successes: “Willerton is a A local state trooper or cops from a
Even walking off the road makes dump. No reliable phone signal, no city like Chicago might occasionally
me want to fall to my knees in an decent Wi-Fi, and nothing but corn show their faces or receive a sum-
undignified display. I do wonder if as far as the eye can see. I’ve carved mons if a crime is reported, but for
the bewitchment would fade, were all out a nice following for myself all intents and purposes, the town
Kindred to leave. I suspect it’s vitae though. Even had a ghoul here for regulates itself. During this story, the
that acts as the binding agent. Still, a while before he went and found police are absent unless the charac-
exile is exile, and here we remain.” himself some other vein to tap.” ters call them in.

Meeting 3 Successes: “I used to get what- Talking to the Townsfolk
the Nomads ever my little undead heart desired
— money, clothes, all the pretty boys. The coterie might try to speak
Robert Warrington is the Nomads’ But now, it’s getting harder to hang with bar stewards and patrons,
spokesperson, and he meets with the on to my followers. Luckily, the kine especially at the Last Chance Saloon
coterie in the Last Chance Saloon. here are pretty dedicated to me. Well, or Sam’s Diner. It doesn’t take
Bikers have parked their motorcycles and the Warlock over at the hotel. I the characters long to realize that
outside the bar, several bearing logos of think they just love a special kiss once despite their recent turn to tourism,
the Outlaws Motorcycle Club formed in in a while.” the people of Willerton do not like
McCook, Illinois. The FBI raided several outsiders. After all, it’s just a method
Outlaws’ clubs on suspicion of criminal 4+ Successes: “I don’t know of attracting further sacrifices. If any
activity, though the Last Chance Saloon what’s causing the push-back. Could of the Kindred bear military tags
is not among them. While the Outlaws just be there’s another Influencer in or anything else that indicates they
have no further bearing on The Dying town. But I smell blood on the air. It served in the US forces, Ed Smith
Fields, they’re offered here to pursue makes me nervous and excited. Lots does buy them a free drink in honor
for Anarch characters seeking influence of passion in those cornfields. And of his cousin Cas. Other than that,
with the underworld. whenever the townsfolk get excited getting townsfolk to open up is like
out there, everyone’s blood gets a tiny pulling teeth and requires a Charis-
Warrington offers the coterie a bit tastier. You should head into the ma + Persuasion or Manipulation +
perfunctory welcome to Willerton, cornfields some night. Everyone gets Subterfuge roll, both at Difficulty 4.
then gets right to business telling them a little fun.” Intimidation rolls are at Difficulty 5,
patrons of the Saloon are off limits and if they fail, they immediately lead
when it comes to feeding. If asked for Hitting the Town to the coterie being forcibly thrown
a place to stay, he shrugs and says the out. The Kindred can resist, which
Willerton Hotel is as good a place as Rather than meeting with local leads to a brawl and someone calling
any. He doesn’t bother to tell them the Kindred, the coterie might hit the the police. The coterie can also use
hotel is controlled by a supposed Ca- pavement and see what they can sniff Presence or Auspex instead of, or
marilla vampire, nor that its patrons out. All attempts to find a specific in addition to, mundane powers of
are likewise off-limits. place, even with a map, require a persuasion.
Wits + Streetwise roll (Difficulty 4).
Asked about messenger Everett A single success gets the coterie to If the coterie is successful in
York, Warrington’s voice drops. If the where it wants to be. Failure means getting answers, the townsfolk only
coterie is looking for a kine Touch- they get turned around a few times, admit that a few people have gone
stone, the Anarch merely shrugs. In and don’t even notice it until later. missing over the past years, but they

Traveling to Willerton and meet-
ing Nazeera or Warrington, along with

56

They Dying Fields

claim they’re not worried because on what animals the Kindred talks to. the small populace, and willingness
the police determined they did not The local vermin (mice and rats) love the vessels have for being victims in
go missing in Willerton. In reality the cornfield because there’s always plain view of other patrons.
though, they’re not worried because something to eat, even if it smells
the missing locals were sacrificed for bad. Meanwhile the local preda- The very moment the charac-
the good of the community, and they tors (cats and birds of prey) love it ters enter the Willerton Hotel, a
don’t much care what happens to because the field always offers good message appears scrawled in blood
travelers, visitors, or seasonal farm- hunting and it smells great. Domes- on the nearest mirror: “Welcome to
hands. The same applies for winding ticated dogs don’t like the field, and the Willerton Hotel. Please stay as
roads turning people around, or cell especially don’t like their humans to long as you like — your sovereignty is
phone reception constantly failing enter the corn. respected here. Kindly do not bother
— it doesn’t happen to them, so why the staff or other guests though, as I
should they care. They also reveal Getting the Lay of the Land claim them in name of the Camaril-
an incident where a woman who la.” The writing disappears immedi-
had lived in Willerton for six years Wits + Occult at Difficulty 2 lets ately afterwards. Nazeera has a simple
went missing, but she wasn’t born in the character receive an odd tingle, ward placed on the Willerton Hotel,
the town so that still makes her an while the same roll at Difficulty 4 which triggers when a vampire passes
outsider. reveals Willerton is built on principles over the threshold.
of divine geometry. The character
Talking to Other Tourists may make another roll after a night That leaves the Sam’s Diner.
of wandering Willerton with a map Unless it’s early in the evening, before
Wits + Awareness (Difficulty (note the difficulty in keeping to said 7 PM, Vera closed the Sam’s Mo-
2) reveals two other tourists, both map) and jotting down where they feel torcycles for the day and joined her
kine, wandering Willerton. A few something. In this case, an Intelligence brother Ed at the diner. Ed is in the
moments of observation and a Wits + + Occult roll (Difficulty 4) yields that kitchen preparing food, while Vera
Insight (Difficulty 3) lets the Kindred Willerton’s sacred geometry serves as operates the counter. The characters
speculate they’re brothers or very a cage, and that the Sam’s Motorcycles can sit at the counter or in any of
close buddies. The pair doesn’t seem and the gas station across the road the more private booths. The diner’s
to have any romantic or sexual ten- are lynchpins in this design. Visiting patrons consist of hungry bikers
sion between them. If the coterie is either building reveals nothing further (the diner serves much better food
looking for a mortal Touchstone, they though — their existence holds the than the Saloon) and locals treating
might ask the men about them. This cage in place, but their function and themselves to a good, affordable meal.
requires a Charisma + Persuasion or purpose are irrelevant to the geomet- While it’s not quite as packed as the
Intimidation roll (Difficulty 3), and ric working. Saloon, the diner has enough people
the two men, Dillan and Henry Jones for the coterie to feed on, which is at
from Chicago on a midweek trip to Feeding the usual Difficulty +1 per three Kin-
Willerton, reveal they shared a drink dred in the coterie (rounded up). The
with the Touchstone at the bar of the When the characters enter the Difficulty modifier exists due to the
Willerton Hotel. They don’t know Last Chance Saloon, assuming they’re inhabitants’ reticence around outsid-
anything more but promise to keep not Anarchs come for a meeting ers, but once the feeding begins, any
an eye out for the Touchstone. with Warrington, the bouncers stops patrons who notice volunteer their
them. “We don’t serve your kind here,” own veins. These townsfolk enjoy
Even if the Kindred do not talk he says. The coterie can push past the their role as a herd and refer to it as
to the brothers, mention they see bouncer (see Appendix II for stats, “special kissing.”
them about — they become rele- p. XX) with a Charisma + Persuasion
vant in Chapter Six: Missing at the or Intimidation roll (Difficulty 4) Vera keeps a close eye on the
Willerton. or the right Dominate or Presence PCs — not enough to hinder their
technique. The bouncer does growl, feeding, but enough to let the char-
Talking to Animals “No drinks for you.” Despite the initial acters wonder if perhaps she knows
reluctance, however, if the characters about vampires. She does, and while
Charisma + Animal Ken (Diffi- bypass the bouncer, they find several she’s a member of the Willerton herd,
culty 3) reveals nothing unusual about willing blood dolls in the bar. This she feels a particular enmity toward
the local animals. Feral Whispers should be highlighted as odd, given outsider vampires coming in and
yields more information, depending draining the local populace. If the
PCs use Charisma + Persuasion (Diffi-
culty 3) to prompt her to open up

57

LET THE STREETS RUN RED

about her feelings, she spits that any outsiders who feed town now. The Storyteller can refer to Hitting the Town
in her diner will pay for the privilege. Her cousin Cas is a (p. XX) also in Chapter Two for things they might pursue.
combat veteran with Special Intel and Vera has contacted The Storyteller can also suggest they visit the local library
her before about removing problematic vampires from for more information on Willerton, as perhaps this holds
the town. In truth, Cas is with FIRSTLIGHT, known to a clue to the reason for the missing people.
Kindred as the Second Inquisition, and while she’s previ-
ously hunted a couple of solitary vampires who refused to The Library
go along with the cultish herd’s plans, she’s planning on
pushing FIRSTLIGHT to burn the entire town down. The coterie can visit the newspaper archives in the
Willerton Library which is still, if just, open in the first
Finding a Place to Sleep part of the evening. The size of the library is impressive
for a town this small, but it is their pride and joy as a
Wits + Streetwise (Difficulty 2) reveals the Willer- community, having been cultivated since 1898. Visiting
ton Hotel as a decent temporary haven. The Willerton needs to be the first thing on the characters’ list for the
offers single and double rooms at affordable rate, and the evening, even before feeding — if not, the library is closed
Storyteller should try to separate the characters out a bit for the night. Breaking in requires a Dexterity + Larceny
— this becomes relevant in Chapter Seven: The Congre- roll (Difficulty 4).
gation Attacks. The staff currently working the reception,
a friendly black woman wearing a name tag that reads If they didn’t check online sources before depart-
Kristen, does not remember the coterie’s missing person, ing Chicago, the characters can do so now as per the
should they ask. Wits + Insight or Scry the Soul reveal Research on p. XX of Chapter One: Missing Person. If
her to be truthful, as Kristen alternates one week of work they did, however, the local archives have several papers
with one week off, and wasn’t working those nights. on microfiche that the online records don’t hold. As the
If the characters take rooms at the Willerton, a Wits + library closes soon, the Kindred only have time to pursue
Investigation roll (Difficulty 4) reveals sticky patches one topic per character unless they hide until after hours,
from duct-tape on the doors and windows of one room, which requires a Dexterity + Stealth roll (Difficulty 4) to
as well as small holes where someone nailed the wooden evade the lone guard.
door and shutters close. Spirit’s Touch reveals a Kindred
(Everett York) staying here recently, as well as a brief Intelligence + Investigation (Difficulty 4) reveals
struggle followed by blissful nothing. The latter is the effect more about these topics:
of Sleep of Judas. • Willerton as a farming community: The local Agrar-

Chapter Three: ians’ Society functions as both a practical gathering
The Second Night of farmers and as a historic society. They publish the
Willerton Farmers’ Almanac in physical print to this
Traveling to Willerton and either meeting Nazeera or day. The Kindred can find a copy of every Almanac
Warrington or investigating the town takes up most ever published, including this year’s, in the physical
of the first night. The characters can spend the day at library. The Almanacs are reference books, and there-
the Willerton Hotel, which has oaken doors and thick fore are not available for lending.
wooden shutters that are easily hammered closed and • Willerton as a new tourist destination: An aban-
light proofed with duct tape. If the coterie opts to spend doned chapel at the north end of the local graveyard
the day elsewhere though, they must find their own safe was considered and then discarded as idea for a
place to sleep. Earth Melding into the cornfield yields potential tourist draw. One scathing opinion piece
terrible daymares and a +1 Difficulty on all Mental rolls by the paper’s now deceased editor mocks it as giving
next night. tourists “the Local Witch package.” Another article
was written by a local pastor, also now deceased, who
The Kindred might also want to feed if they haven’t opposed the idea of using the Judas tree as a tourist
done so yet — the Storyteller can refer to Feeding on p. draw, as he claimed it was sacrilege. No location for
XX of Chapter Two: Welcome to Willerton. the Judas tree is given.
The coterie may decide to check out the chapel after
Assuming the coterie met with Nazeera or War- their visit to the library. The chapel sits at the north
rington on the first night, they might choose to walk the end of the graveyard. Strange markings cover three
headstones nearby, and an Intelligence + Occult roll
(Difficulty 4) deciphers these to mean Harvest, Sac-

58

They Dying Fields

rifice, and Rebirth, respectively. DIVERGENT PATHS
The chapel itself carries the same Once the characters wrap up their research, they have different avenues
markings on the peeling white to explore. The Dying Fields assumes they investigate the cornfields
limestone. The small altar at the first in Chapter Four: Into the Corn, then meet their opposing sect in
back of the chapel is cleared of Chapter Five: Meeting the Other Side, and finally regroup at the ho-
any Christian trappings. Instead, tel for the day in Chapter Six: Missing at the Willerton. They might
a human skull adorned with deer even still be pursuing options from Chapter Two: Welcome to Wil-
antlers stares at the characters lerton. The Storyteller can move chapters around, or skip them entirely,
from the altar — a Wits + Med- based on their group’s actions.
icine roll (Difficulty 3) reveals
both skull and antlers to be real. can’t physically make inquiries. can try to smuggle it out of the
Offerings of silver coins, seasonal Any emails or message left at library with a Dexterity + Larceny
harvest, and a bowl with a dried the paper go unanswered. If roll (Difficulty 4). This allows them
rust-colored substance sit before they break in with a Dexterity + to check the Almanac at their leisure.
the skull. A simple taste reveals Larceny roll (Difficulty 4), they They can also flip through it in the
the rust-colored substance to be can discover that the writer of library, but again, closing time means
dried animal blood. The grave- the op ed was dismissed from the they can only check one topic. If the
yard and chapel are eerily silent, paper’s employ and moved away player doesn’t specify a topic, the
and though the coterie feels as if from Willerton back in 1917. Storyteller chooses one.
they’re being watched (they are • The missing microfilm copies: • Year Calendar: May 1st and
in the presence of the Harvest No amount of researching the
God here), they can detect no microfilms reveals anything new. October 31st are typically
other people. However, searching the physical important dates in farmers’
• The location of Sam’s Motorcy- library records yields a clipping communities, marked by Spring
cles: This requires an Intelligence in an otherwise empty and (sowing) and Autumn (harvest)
+ Occult roll rather than Inves- unmarked Manila folder (a lucky festivals. Willerton celebrates
tigation. If the coterie did not find, really) on a Wits + Academ- theirs on May 21th and October
glean the town’s sacred geometry ics roll (Difficulty 3). The clip- 14th though, for no discernible
yet, they can see its outline now. ping is dated May 31, 1888 and reason. If the characters know
They also realize pinning down titled “Speaking Out Against the about the divine geometry cage,
the geometry’s purpose requires Blood Orgy.” The article makes an Intelligence + Occult roll
feet on the ground to map what frequent references to a blood (Difficulty 5) lets them know
exactly they sense and where. See orgy with no further explanation these dates are when the chains
Hitting the Town (p. XX) for as to what this entailed, but does of the geometry are at their
more. claim the celebration got out of weakest.
• Missing people: While the hand in Spring of 1888. Surely • Tilling the Soil: Willerton cel-
official count remains at four this, though the article does not ebrates their Spring festival by
missing people, the newspaper explain what “this” is, can no tilling the earth with fertilizer
carries many more articles about longer remain hidden. Referenc- and blood, to make for a better
family and friends outside the ing the microfilm paper leading harvest. Intelligence + Occult
town claiming a missing loved up to May 31st yields only local (Difficulty 3) lets a character
one was last seen in Willerton. news (no missing people), obitu- know that fertilizing soil with
The newspaper spends increasing aries, and a wedding announce- blood was not uncommon in pa-
wordcount on these cases, even ment, and announcements for gan Europe. The characters can
writing an op ed titled “What is both a school spirit celebration do a quick flip to the Autumn
the town hiding?” on November and a Spring feast. festival, but nothing unusual is
4th, 1916. After that though, the there.
paper seems to move on to other The Farmers’ Almanac • The Judas Tree: The characters
topics. find a map of the cornfields de-
The newspaper’s office closes If the Kindred find a physical noting the location of the Judas
every day at five, so Kindred copy of the Farmers’ Almanac, they tree in the center. Even with this

59

LET THE STREETS RUN RED

map, finding the Judas tree requires a Wits + Survival Judas Tree
roll (Difficulty 4). The page preceding the map notes
the Spring and Autumn festivals are both held at the The Judas tree stands in an opening in the field,
Judas tree. towering above the corn. Its branches hang downward, as
• Making Fertilizer: Fertilizer can be made all year if something thick and heavy drags on them. The Kindred
through, and stored in vats to ripen for use during immediately recognize the scent of blood on the air. The
the growing season. soil under their feet is muddy, even though no rain fell
today. A closer look at the soil reveals it’s saturated with
Chapter Four: a thick paste of blood and ground up meat. Cutting into
Into the Corn the tree lets red sap run out the limbs — an Intelligence +
Survival roll (Difficulty 2) reveals the sap of the Judas tree
The coterie decides to investigate the cornfields after is not supposed to be red. While the blood in the dirt is
hearing several strange references to Spring and Harvest mostly animal, it does carry a faint telltale Resonance of
celebrations or Judas trees. At this point in The Dying human blood, though the Resonances are too jumbled to
Fields, the cornfield offers no confrontation with the pick out anyone in particular. The blood inside the tree
Congregation of the Harvest God, nor does it lead them is sap mixed with blood, specifically the Harvest God’s.
to their missing person. But it does offer other encoun- This blood does not work as a proper conduit or target
ters, and the Storyteller can run the group through any for Thaumaturgy, though if drunk in sufficient quantities,
they like. The Storyteller might get another chance to it can establish something akin to a Blood Bond. If indeed
run cornfield encounters in Chapter Eight: All Roads the Harvest God is a “Shadow Sleeper,” this bloody sap
Lead to the Corn. Visiting the cornfield now gives the is a key component in the Book of the Grave-War’s ritual
characters a lay of the field and makes things easier for for breaking existing Blood Bonds.
them in Chapter Eight, or when trading information with
Nazeera in Chapter Five: Meeting the other side. Magpies

Getting Lost The coterie comes onto an opening in the corn
where a large hawthorn shrub grows. Red ribbons, now
By now, the characters have likely figured out how faded and worn, hang from its branches. The flowers
easy it is to get lost in Willerton. The cornfield is a great woven into the ribbons have long since wilted, and the
place to introduce the Goblin Roads, their winding ways, small bells tied to them are so rusted they no longer
and the strange wind that almost sounds like grunts ech- ring. Magpies cover every branch of the hawthorn.
oing through the corn. The Storyteller should time this They’re utterly silent, staring at the characters. A Wits
event near dawn, so there’s a sense of urgency to finding + Animal Ken roll (Difficulty 3) reveals this is not
their way out. The more time then spent wandering lost, normal magpie behavior. Using Animalism on the mag-
the more strongly they can feel something tugging at their pies triggers an immediate Hunger Frenzy roll (Diffi-
veins. This is the Harvest God, hungering for the blood culty 2) as the Harvest God’s hunger overwhelms the
they carry but powerless to take it — for now. character. If the character resists Frenzy, they can use
Animalism as they intended. The magpies watch, they
wait, and they hunger for blood and freedom. They
serve the blood-soaked land itself.

BOOK OF THE GRAVE-WHAT?
The tome potentially responsible for Clan Tremere’s recent fracturing and the severing of Blood Bonds all along
America’s West Coast is the Book of the Grave-War. Originally written by some manner of Malkavian blood sor-
cerer, it lays down theories relating to breaking bonds with sires, clans, and domitors, and the waking of ancient
vampires known as “the Shadow Sleepers.” Only recently has the book drawn widespread Kindred attention due to
Carna of Clan Tremere using it to slip free of her clan’s Blood ties and passing on its content to other inclined Kindred.
More information can be found in Beckett’s Jyhad Diary and Vampire: The Masquerade p. 385.

60

They Dying Fields

Mariangel hand, unconscious. Of the girlfriend, they find no trace.
Brought to with a Wits + Medicine roll (Difficulty 3), the
The coterie finds fresh footprints in the field, which farmhand Mona remembers being attacked by something,
hold a cross between human and large canine prints. If but no more than that. She is terribly concerned about
the characters follow the tracks, with a Wits + Survival her girlfriend Becca and goes off into the field to find her,
roll (Difficulty 4), they find Mariangel. She is barefooted, unless the coterie stops her. If the characters stop her from
with feet closer to a wolf’s than a human’s, and her fangs running into the field, Mona goes home instead. If they
are fresh with blood. If pressed (Charisma + Persuasion don’t stop her, Mona does not return.
or Intimidation, opposed by her Willpower) she admits
she just fed on a farmhand who brought her girlfriend Scarecrows
into the field. She denies having anything to do with the
disappearances, though reluctantly admits fewer of her Several scarecrows stand or slump in the cornfields,
prey return home than usual. Mariangel doesn’t think but one looms over the corn at nine feet tall. Pelted by
that’s on her, and she suspects that there is a scavenger Midwestern rains, its body is little more than a lump with
going for easy pickings but is not entirely sure — mortals four appendages. The sack serving as its head remains
are so frail it’s possible she killed a few by accident, she leering though, red eyes seeming to follow the characters
says with a shrug. wherever they go. A farmer cut a slit in the sack for the
scarecrow’s mouth, and the entire construct reeks. Near
If the coterie asks Mariangel about their missing the pole, someone has overturned a mound of earth from
person, she says she hasn’t seen them and gets aggressive if a freshly dug grave. Digging it up reveals a fox with its
the coterie presses or doesn’t seem to believe her. At this jaw sown shut on a cat’s belly, while the cat’s jaw is sown
point, they need to roll another Charisma + Persuasion shut on a mouse. An Intelligence + Occult roll (Difficulty
or Intimidation (Difficulty 4) to deescalate the situation. 3) lets the character know this symbolizes the circle of
Mariangel is truthful, however. predation — but then who eats the fox? If the coterie
investigates the scarecrow, they find a heart stuffed in its
The Kindred can follow Mariangel’s tracks further into
the field to find one girl in her mid-twenties, the farm-

61

LET THE STREETS RUN RED

straw body. The heart initially appears human, but a Wits Everett York
+ Medicine roll (Difficulty 3) reveals it belongs to a pig.
If the coterie can frame its search as anything other
Chapter Five: than “we’re hoping to steal him or his message for the
Meeting the Other Side Anarchs,” they can certainly try to broach the subject.
Nazeera is not willing to share anything with them,
The coterie has spent a few nights in Willerton, and while though.
by now they must realize something in Willerton makes
people go missing, they’re no closer to their own missing Divine Geometry
person. They apparently have waited the appropriate
amount of time, though, to warrant a meeting with a “A cage of sorts, certainly, but not divine. It’s the
representative of Willerton’s other sect. Goblin Roads keeping Kindred here, or at least making it
difficult for them to leave. Oh, the kine can come and go
Anarchs: Meeting Nazeera as they please, but Kindred? The few vampires who end
up here often don’t hang around for long enough to ask
Nazeera is distinctly cold to the coterie — whatever why the resident Anarchs stick to their roadhouse instead
else is going on, after the whole mess with their grandsire of taking to their bikes. I’m of the belief that we all go or
Carna, they do not want to be accused of aiding Anarchs. none of us go, but then, where do those solitary depar-
Even getting the simplest information from Nazeera requires tures end up…? Anyhow, Willerton was founded in 1880,
an opposed roll of Charisma + Persuasion or Intimidation and the geometry seems to have held since then. Whether
against Wits + Subterfuge, and they’re certainly not interest- the settlers stumbled on something they wanted bound,
ed in helping find the coterie’s missing Touchstone. Hopeful- or if they unwittingly built their houses on top of Meswa-
ly, of course, the coterie is smart enough not to mention its ki bindings, who knows. I wasn’t here for that.”
intention to steal York’s message from the Camarilla.
The Harvest God
However, mentioning Willerton’s divine geometry,
the presence in the cornfield, or anything else related to “Curious blend of iconography, that. It’s not quite
the Harvest God (even if the character didn’t learn its Celtic, nor is it Greek, Egyptian, or Mesopotamian. Yet
name yet) does immediately get Nazeera’s attention. With it borrows from Cernunnos, Persephone, and Tammuz.
regard to this one subject, Nazeera is willing to compare Possibly it was built on an indigenous myth, buried and
notes — and the coterie may even persuade them to share appropriated along with the original culture of this land.
information about their missing person in exchange for The farmers swear by it though, despite all their devout
findings about the Harvest God. Nazeera doesn’t neces- Christian pretenses, and believe its presence blesses the
sarily think the coterie found anything new — in fact, earth. They even sacrifice animals to it, led by that itinerant
that’s unlikely given Nazeera’s occult skills and how long ghoul, Starchild.” If the characters ask if the farmers might
they’ve been in Willerton — but rather views the charac- be sacrificing more than animals, Nazeera shrugs and admits:
ters’ findings as a way to verify their own. Likewise, they “All those missing people must have ended up somewhere, I
might not always have new information to offer, but they suppose, and you’ve got to admit, their willingness to give up
can confirm (or deny) the coterie’s conjectures. blood makes feeding a lot easier once you’re accepted.”

For every piece of information the characters can The Cornfields
share, Nazeera answers one question. Here are some of
the answers they might give. If the coterie knows (almost) all of Willerton’s occult
oddities, Nazeera opens up about what they believe is
The Missing Touchstone buried in the earth. Clearly these are skilled Kindred,
even if they are Anarch, and the Tremere figures they
“Of course I was aware of their presence. This is a might have new insights. Nazeera also, if more reluctant-
Camarilla domain, and I am its enforcer. I didn’t bother ly, shares information if the coterie is pursuing the Book
too closely though — what is one more kine to me, and of the Grave-War — they might not like their grandsire at
they didn’t seem intent on making trouble. They stayed at all, but obsession runs in their blood.
the Willerton Hotel, but I know nothing beyond that.”
“Have you ever heard of a creature called a Shadow
Sleeper? Folklore on them is scarce, between a few curi-

62

They Dying Fields

ous stanzas: When love and hate turn strange / And magpies Everett York
filch the hours / And Judas limbs betray / Know you are a
figment / A shadow-sleeper’s dream. Did you go into the corn “Who?” This is not technically a lie, as Warrington
yet? Did you see the Judas trees, or any of the magpies?” does not know York’s name. He also tries to obfuscate
anything he knows about ‘a vampire passing through’ as
If the characters haven’t yet ventured into the corn, he plans to snatch York’s message for the Nomads and
Nazeera recommends they do so now — the Storyteller is counting on his excellent social skills to lie or deflect
can run Chapter Four: Into the Corn for this. If however as needed. If the coterie successfully presses, Warrington
the coterie confirms (or lies) they saw strange things in does not know York’s current whereabouts but believes
the corn, Nazeera continues: “I suspect such a creature he followed some kine out into the cornfields recently.
lies under Willerton, and I’m worried that it seems more
active. I don’t know if your missing friend ties into this, Dark Influences
but even if they don’t — tread carefully.”
This subject is tricky, because Warrington neither
If the coterie presses for information on the Shadow knows nor understands anything about Harvest Gods,
Sleeper, the Storyteller can refer to Rumors on p. XX Shadow Sleepers, or divine geometry, and phrasing it as
and pick out two interesting tidbits for Nazeera to share, such only renders a confused shrug. If the coterie phrases
regardless of whether they’re right about them. it as a more general eerie presence in town, however,
Warrington answers. “I’m never one to point fingers, but
Camarilla: it started when that ghoul started speaking up. What was
Meeting Warrington their name again, Starlight? At first, I thought he was one
of us, until he started begging for vitae. Then the begging
Warrington invites the coterie to a back room in stopped and he went on his way. I felt a push-back on
the Last Chance Saloon where they can talk freely. He my influence ever since he arrived. I haven’t seen him in
rarely looks up from his phone despite his constant a while, so hopefully things will go back to normal soon.
frustration over his lack of signal, but other than that I can’t speak to what’s going on, but I know the system
seems friendly and willing to answer questions. War- around here works.”
rington does not know the deeper meanings behind the
town’s occult matters, but he does know about people Crop Festivals
and how they go missing regularly. Warrington gives
one piece of information for free if a character likes, “I don’t interact much with the farmers — that’s
follows, or friends him on social media (Instagram not my thing. Plus, most of their celebrations are during
much preferred). Subsequent information depends on the day. They do most of their festivals at the Judas tree,
the coterie’s behavior. but I’m sure they occasionally use the old graveyard
chapel too. They’re very intense about their rituals. Such
Warrington freely talks so long as they characters superstition. Or maybe all this hopping around and hand
are cordial, and deferential to his status as Willerton’s waving really does make the corn grow better, what do
most influential Nomad. If they try to intimidate him, I know, I’m not a farmer. Either way, I stay out of it.
throw around their weight as members of the Camaril- Occasionally one of your preferred vessels disappears,
la, or ask him to put the phone down, they must make but everyone seems happier afterward, and blood is never
a Charisma + Persuasion or Intimidation, or Manipula- hard to come by.”
tion + Subterfuge roll (Difficulty 4) to get anything. As
he speaks, he is surveying them as potential sacrifices Stay in Touch
in future nights.
If the characters remained cordial throughout the
The Missing Touchstone conversation and added Warrington on social media, he
offers to stay in touch. Accepting the offer does the cote-
“Yes, I know of them. Had them followed for a little rie’s standing with Nazeera no good, though unless they
while — this is an Anarch domain, such as it is, and I like make a frequent habit of hanging with rabble rousers,
to stay on top of things — but they didn’t seem interested it doesn’t translate to loss of Status. Nor is Warrington
in causing any trouble. My Nomads certainly didn’t grab willing to remain on the down low — he is the Nomads’
your friend, I trained them better than that. They stayed representative and turning all manner of people to his
at the Willerton Hotel, so you should ask there.”

63

LET THE STREETS RUN RED

side is part of the job. However, it does give the coterie a worker, who is far more focused on not tripping over the
contact within the Anarchs who is genuinely more inter- two suitcases than on potential pursuers, requires only a
ested in a fair exchange of information and favors than in Dexterity + Stealth roll (Difficulty 2) and automatically
screwing them over. At least initially. Warrington bears succeeds if the Kindred uses an Obfuscate power like
no ill will if they decline, though this does remove him as Silence of Death or Unseen Passage.
an option to revisit later. He’s quicker to suggest the cote-
rie as a sacrifice, should the townsfolk come knocking, if Hi, My Name is Bradley
the PCs and he are on the outs.
The hotel staffer, a pimply teenager with a cracking
Either: Revisiting Their Own voice who wears a tag that says Bradley, proceeds to toss
the suitcases in the dumpster that sits in the alleyway
It’s entirely possible a Camarilla coterie might go behind the hotel. If the characters approach the teen, he
back to speak to Nazeera again, or that Anarchs want jumps (“Oh! I didn’t hear you!”) but is otherwise unper-
to keep Warrington appraised of their situation. In that turbed — the Willerton is a non-smoking hotel and guests
case, the encounter runs much as the ones detailed above, occasionally use the alley to smoke. He does indicate he
with a few differences. Nazeera is more open with a Ca- needs to get back to work, but can stay a moment if one
marilla coterie, sharing mundane information freely and of the characters thinks to tip him $20 or more. Other-
proactively offering to compare notes about Willerton’s wise, talking to him requires a Charisma + Persuasion or
occult nature. The coterie still needs to impress Nazeera Intimidation roll (Difficulty 3). He reveals the following,
for them to open up about the being they believe sleeps depending on how the conversation unfolds.
beneath the fields, though, and they insist it’ll retain its • Bradley: If a character calls him Bradley, the teen
hold over the Kindred here until all of them are dead or
gone. quickly explains, “Oh, that’s my buddy from the
day shift. My mom didn’t clean my uniform yet. I’m
Meanwhile, Warrington is open about most infor- Chad.”
mation he has, so long as the clearly capable coterie gives • The suitcases: “It sometimes happens, people leave
him a way to contact them later. The thin-blood prefers without paying their bills. I’m not sure why we throw
a mutual Instagram follow (“Trust me, a follow from me away the suitcases — makes more sense to me to keep
will give you so much exposure. Your numbers will just them — but that’s hotel policy. It’s a fireable offense
be, like, woah.”), but he reluctantly agrees to another if I keep them.”
form of social media. He visibly scoffs at anything as bor- • Dillan and Henry Jones: “I’m actually not sure why
ing as a phone number or, even worse, an email address, management thinks they skipped. I mean, it’s only
and offers to help them establish a robust social media been a day? But honestly, I just do what I’m told. I’m
presence instead. saving up for college — mom can’t afford to send me
— so I gotta keep this job.”
Chapter Six: Missing • The missing person: “Who? Do you have a picture?”
at the Willerton If the characters have a picture, or just a solid
description, Chad continues: “I’ve seen them. They
That night, as the coterie walks the streets of Willerton, skipped too. Huh, we get a lot of those, come to
they don’t see the two brothers, Dillan and Henry, any- think about it. Anyway, their stuff got tossed last
where. That in itself is no cause for alarm — they could week and it’s probably at the landfill by now. Sorry I
have cut their vacation short, and they certainly weren’t can’t help you.”
so close to the coterie they’d feel the need to say goodbye.
The characters’ return to the Willerton Hotel reveals WE’RE NOT STAYING AT THE HOTEL
more though. Maybe the coterie is too suspicious of the local hos-
pitality and find another place to stay. In that case,
When the characters go back to spend the day in the characters can see Chad as he disposes of two
their rooms, a Wits + Awareness roll (Difficulty 2) alerts perfectly good suitcases, and the Storyteller can
them to a hotel staff member picking up two bright green take it from there.
suitcases from behind the reception desk and taking
them out through the back door. Following the hotel

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They Dying Fields

Chad genuinely doesn’t know that the two broth- TAKE IT OUTSIDE
ers were fed to the field, as not everything the cult does As an alternate tip to the Storyteller, run the at-
is agreed by committee. He does know that people go tempted kidnapping with the targeted player in an-
missing often, the farmers perform all manner of historic other room. This way the other players are just as in
rites, and Warrington sometimes comes by to give him a the dark as their characters when they awaken next
“special kiss,” but none of that pertains directly to Dillan night and find their coterie mate missing. Ensure
and Henry. they have something to do in the meantime, such
as getting drinks and applying experience points.
Searching the Luggage

Chad won’t let the characters search the suitcases A Rude Awakening
while he’s there, as that could get him fired. He doesn’t
hustle them back inside either though, and the suitcases The attackers prefer to target a Kindred sleeping
are still sitting right on top of the garbage when Chad alone (if the Storyteller convinced them to split up),
leaves. Searching the suitcases reveals the usual items: and with a little insight from the Congregation’s ghoul
clothes, shaving kit, a Trudi Canavan novel, hiking shoes. patron, they are uncannily able to choose the physically
The coterie does not find any identifying items — not weakest target. If none of the characters are sleeping
even a tablet or phone — and one wallet in the suitcase alone, a false fire alarm right before dawn forces them
holds cash but no cards. The Congregation of the Harvest into new rooms, and receptionist Combs, working for the
God kidnapped the brothers for their ritual, then re- Congregation, separates one target.
moved (and burned or buried) anything that reveals who
the men were. A successful Spirit’s Touch reveals imprints The attackers count Starchild (see Appendix II for
of cold detachment, with underlying emotions of zeal- stats, p. XX) and three to four mortal brawlers (see Ap-
otry, from whomever cleared the luggage. Even without pendix II for stats, p. XX). Their tactic relies on daylight
Spirit’s Touch, the coterie can likely put together than to overpower and subdue a groggy vampire. The ghoul
something ill befell the brothers, but there’s nothing to carries Sleep of Judas in a syringe, see Appendix III p. XX
do about it now — they can already feel the first rays of for details. Using the sedative during combat requires 1
sun just behind the horizon. If they check the reception, damage on a called shot at -2 penalty. The syringe, typical-
the name plate reveals an L. Combs currently at work, ly used on cattle and quite sturdy, has a damage modifier
but they’re not as the desk right now. of +0.

Chapter Seven: The If the Attackers Subdue the Kindred
Congregation Attacks
They shove the character into a heavy-duty garment
In this chapter, if the Storyteller chooses to run it, the bag, hoist their body onto a trolley cart, and wheel them
Congregation of the Harvest God tries to kidnap one of away. This definitely looks like an abduction — a garment
the characters. That can go a lot of different ways, and bag is not a discreet way to move a body — but reception-
the Storyteller should consider all of them. If the Kindred ist Combs ensures the Congregation’s path is clear. The
successfully wards off the attackers, the coterie may have attackers wheel the trolley out back to the dumpster area
a member of the Congregation to interrogate. This works where Chad disposed of the suitcases, where a dirty farm-
great for groups who really like to know what trouble er’s truck now waits. They throw the character into a large
they’re heading into, but lessens suspense for groups who toolbox mounted in the flat of the truck and drive off.
enjoy creepy mysteries. Alternatively, the Congregation
may succeed, in which case see Solo Play on p. XX. If the If the Kindred Stand Poised to Defeat
Storyteller decides they don’t want to run Chapter Seven Their Attackers
as written, they can instead skip right to You’re Not Kris-
ten on p. XX to segue from Chapter Six: Missing at the The Congregation members attempt to flee or push
Willerton to Chapter Eight. open the window shutters to let in the sunlight if the
Kindred blocks their way to the door. If the Kindred
thought to nail the shutters closed, the Storyteller rolls
Strength + Athletics (Difficulty 4, or 6 if the Kindred used

65

LET THE STREETS RUN RED

Potence to hammer the nails in) for the mortals to see if • The attackers took Dillan and Henry yesterday. One
they succeed. If both fail, and the Kindred can restrain of the brothers was badly injured in the attack, prob-
themselves from killing the intruders, the characters ably fatally if left untreated, but neither has been
might have a hostage to question. Between their fear of sacrificed yet.
the Harvest God and Starchild’s influence on them, any
attempt at persuasion or intimidation is against a Diffi- • The Congregation gathers tomorrow evening near
culty of 5. the Judas tree to do worship unto the Harvest God
HERE IS SOME OF THE INFORMATION and darken the earth with blood.
A HOSTAGE MIGHT REVEAL: The Kindred may use Dominate or Presence to
• Starchild, dark priest of the Harvest God, required
compel their hostage to take them to the Judas tree. This
the Kindred as sacrifice in his next ritual. is a fine idea, if not for the sun that’s still out. They can
• The Congregation of the Harvest God is ancient in confine their hostage to the bedroom closet until night-
fall, but it doesn’t have a lock and they risk the hostage
Willerton, a worship passed down from parent to making enough noise to draw attention or escaping when
child since the first European colonists stole the land the character sleeps again.
from the Meswaki.
• The Congregation of the Harvest God moved from The Sleep of Judas is too strong for the mortal body
animal to human sacrifices, but these no longer sati- to handle, and the hostage dies convulsing and vomit-
ate the God. ing as if they suffered a drug overdose if the Kindred
• The attackers snatched someone matching the de- administer it. The Kindred can certainly try other drugs
scription of the coterie’s missing person, be it their intended for humans, if they have them. Dominate and
Touchstone or York, a while ago. They have not been Presence might be an option, but their scene’s duration
sacrificed yet. certainly ends before night falls. The character’s safest
bet remains to kill the hostage, stuff their remains in the
bedroom closet, and deal with clean up in the morning,
though doing so runs the risk of incurring Stains.

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They Dying Fields

If the character decides to risk leaving the hostage SOLO PLAY
alive, the Storyteller can either roll a single die or simply If one of the characters was kidnapped, the Sto-
choose one of these outcomes: ryteller should switch between locations every five
minutes or so to ensure nobody gets bored while
1 The hostage, neither able to escape nor make the coterie is separated. The kidnapped victim
2-4 noise, bites off and swallows their own tongue. is wrapped tightly in rope before the stake is re-
The Kindred awakens at night to find them moved, and while they can use Strength + Brawl
5-7 blue, cold, and dead from suffocation. (Difficulty 5) to break their bonds, a cultist holds the
8-10 stake over their heart to convince them not to strug-
The hostage frees their mouth and starts to shout. gle. This separate scene could lead to the vampire’s
The noise re-awakens the Kindred, but not escape and flight through the fields, where they re-
before it also alerts the night staff. Assuming the unite with the coterie as they enter the field or as the
character can subdue and silence the hostage victim reaches town. Make any such running scene
quickly enough, persuading the hotel staff they fraught with tension as the cultists pursue their prey.
were just watching a movie or shouting in their
sleep after a nightmare requires a Charisma + • Ask the night clerk: Combs is manning the recep-
Persuasion roll (Difficulty 3). Charisma + Intimi- tion, and the Storyteller can move to You’re Not
date also gets rid of the hotel staff, but then the Kristen on p. XX.
staff member will call the police when they’re
safely out of the room again. • Ask Nazeera or Warrington: Both felt a darkness
stirring in the corn, but Nazeera doesn’t wish to
The hostage frees their arms and legs and endanger themself and Warrington has no desire to
opens the closet (breaking it down if the interrupt the sacrifice and fall into bad favor with a
Kindred hammered the door shut) to escape. town that’s been so good to him. If the coterie takes
As the Kindred is caught in day’s sleep, the that clue and heads to the cornfield, the Storyteller
hostage likely succeeds. They return to the can continue with Chapter Eight.
Congregation a failure, and Starchild marks
them for sacrifice in Chapter Eight: All You’re Not Kristen
Roads Lead to the Corn.
A man named Luke Combs (see Appendix II for
The hostage tried to kick the closet door down Receptionist stats, p. XX) works the reception desk to-
but failed, and a lack of oxygen finally caused night — either Kristen’s work week is up again, or she fell
them to pass out. They’re groggy and have a ill. Combs was also the one responsible for ordering the
headache, but remain alive and safely secured. brothers’ luggage destroyed, but if the coterie asks, insists
he was only following hotel policy. He’s lying, as either
A Coterie One Vampire Short Wits + Insight opposed by Manipulation + Subterfuge or
Scry the Soul reveals. Asking about their missing coterie
The coterie potentially awakens to find one of their member yields the same. Combs is a low-ranking member
own missing. This has a major psychological impact, as it of the Congregation of the Harvest God.
means none of them were safe from their first day in the
hotel. If any of the characters or their close allies ever ran The coterie has several ways to deal with Combs. No
afoul of the Second Inquisition, this certainly relives that Charisma + Persuasion or even Manipulation + Subterfuge
trauma. While this does not carry a mechanical impact, gets him to reveal anything — his zealous dedication to
the Storyteller should give the group wide range to role the Harvest God is simply too great for such betrayals.
play the trauma of the event before asking them what A Charisma + Intimidation opposed by Willpower does
they do next. not sway him either, though on a success, the characters
• Look for clues: A Wits + Investigation roll (Difficulty see him look at the phone as if he’s eager to call someone.
If the characters pretend to leave at this point, Combs
4) lets the coterie follow a trail of dirty boot prints promptly calls the Congregation and they overhear the
to the alley out back of the Willerton Hotel, and following: “It’s me. These people are getting really pushy.
then muddy tire tracks to the cornfield. The Sto- Are you sure it’s safe to meet tonight?” The receptionist
ryteller can move to Chapter Eight. The same trail continues after a moment: “No, I’ll be there. I was just
holds if they use Disciplines to follow.

67

LET THE STREETS RUN RED

being careful, that’s all.” Then he hangs up. Combs ar- Wits + Awareness. Failing the roll does not mean
ranges for Chad to take his place, and heads out. Move to Combs sees them, but rather the coterie loses him in
Chapter Eight once the coterie is on Combs’ trail. the corn. Now they must find their way to the Judas
tree on their own, and the Storyteller can opt for
The characters can also unleash the power of the them to arrive at The Ritual rather than We Gather
Blood on Combs. Presence’s Awe does the trick for getting Here Tonight.
a single answer, and Entrancement prompts the reception- • The Kindred aren’t following anyone, but figured
ist to share everything. See If the Kindred Stand Poised to out the cornfield was the most likely place to find
Defeat Their Attackers on p. XX for information Combs the Congregation of the Harvest God and possibly
can share. The Kindred might also use Presence or Dom- their kidnapped coterie member. Without any boot
inate to make him take them to the Judas tree. If so, the prints to get them started into the field, navigating
Storyteller can pick up at the start of Chapter Eight. the Goblin Roads to the Judas tree requires a Wits +
Survival roll (Difficulty 5). Failing the roll still sees
Chapter Eight: All the coterie arrive at the tree, but the Storyteller can
Roads Lead to the opt for them to arrive at The Ritual rather than We
Corn Gather Here Tonight.
• If the coterie previously met Mariangel in Chapter
The coterie may arrive at Chapter Eight and the edge of Four (see p. XX for the encounter), they may try to
the cornfield through several paths. Let’s go over them to find her again now. This automatically succeeds on
determine what happens next. a declaration of intent, even if the coterie got lost in
• The Kindred used Dominate or Presence on either their the corn. Mariangel accompanies the Kindred if they
tell her they suspect the Congregation is responsible
Congregation hostage or receptionist Combs to take for her prey gone missing.
them to the Judas tree. If the Kindred used a scene-long ENCOUNTERS IN THE CORN
Discipline, they have to activate it again upon arrival at If the coterie skipped Chapter Four: Into the
the cornfield. If that succeeds, the hostage leads them Corn entirely, or simply didn’t dally long, the Sto-
straight to the Judas tree and they arrive at We Gather ryteller can use the characters’ hike to the Judas tree
Here Tonight (p. XX). If the Discipline fails, the hostage to run any desired encounters now.
runs into the corn where the Goblin Roads quickly hide
them from the Kindred. Following the hostage’s trail We Gather Here Tonight
requires a Wits + Survival roll (Difficulty 3). Failure still
lets the coterie find the Judas tree, but the Storyteller The coterie arrives at the beginning of the gather-
can opt for them to arrive at The Ritual (p. XX) rather ing and has time to observe and plan before The Ritual
than We Gather Here Tonight. begins. The Congregation of the Harvest God all wear
• The Kindred followed the van’s tire tracks to the corn- burlap sacks over their heads, similar to the Scarecrow
field after their coterie member was kidnapped. The on p. XX of Chapter Four, and many more arrive during
van drove a little way into the corn, and the tire tracks the ritual, approaching from behind the coterie. If it’s
in the mud require no rolls to follow. However, the not apparent at this point, make it clear to the players
kidnappers abandoned the van and continued on foot that the number of figures in the corn might amount to
near the magpies’ hawthorn from Chapter Four: Into half or more of the town’s population. The Kindred can
the Corn (see p. XX for the encounter). Following recognize some of them from their posture with a Wits +
their trail requires a Wits + Survival roll (Difficulty 4). Insight roll (Difficulty 4), or from small things like shoes
Failure still lets the coterie find the Judas tree, but the and watches with a Wits + Awareness (Difficulty 4). Suc-
Storyteller can opt for them to arrive at The Ritual cess lets the character spot two Ed Smith, Kristen, two
rather than We Gather Here Tonight. bikers from the Last Chance Saloon, one hotel cleaner as
• They followed Combs from the Willerton hotel. The well as receptionist Luke Combs, and one patron of the
receptionist is on edge, and following him requires a Sam’s Diner. They can also determine that none of the
Dexterity + Stealth roll, possibly enhanced by Silence congregants are Vera Smith or hotel boy Chad. They see
of Death or Unseen Passage, opposed by Combs’ one unmasked person, Starchild, leading the Congrega-
tion. A wiggling garment bag lies at his feet. The coterie
may decide to attack now, or pursue several other actions.

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Sneaking Around

We Gather Here Tonight gives the coterie chances
to sneak around, observe the gathering, or try to rescue
potential sacrifices. This involves Stealth rolls, which the
players might fail. When that happens, if everyone failed
their roll, the Storyteller can move straight to The Ritual
on p. XX. If only some are detected, Starchild gestures to
the discovered characters to come forward and join the
Congregation of the Harvest God.

“Join us,” the ghoul sings. “My God is great and mag-
nificent. There’s room for each of you at Its feet. You may
drink Its enlightenment when It ascends to rule the night.
What say you?”

Any answer that comes down to “no” immediately
sees Starchild call on the Congregation to attack the
coterie. But a yes or even hesitation might stall him long
enough for any undiscovered characters to attempt one
more task: examine the tree, join with Mariangel, or free
someone from a garment bag. A Charisma + Etiquette or
Persuasion opposed by Wits + Subterfuge to keep Starch-
ild talking could even buy them multiple rounds to act.

Where is Mariangel?

Mariangel, if the coterie didn’t pick her up at the
start of this chapter, also found her way to the Congre-
gation of the Harvest God, having finally figured out
they were killing her discarded prey. She’s not trying to
hide from the characters, and a Wits + Awareness roll
(Difficulty 3) spots her sneaking in the corn. If the coterie
draws her attention and encountered her in Chapter
Four, she makes her way over to them immediately. Oth-
erwise she simply watches what happens next. Mariangel’s
goal is to destroy Starchild, whom she met once before
and whom she rightly blames for the Congregation mur-
dering her prey.

Examining the Tree

If they didn’t examine the Judas tree (described on
p. XX of Chapter Four), the Kindred might want to do so
now. Sneaking close enough to examine the soil requires
a Dexterity + Stealth roll (Difficulty 4), and quickly lets
the character determine the ground is soaked with blood.
Examining the tree proper requires Unseen Passage, as
too many eyes are on the tree. By now the tree is pulsat-
ing slightly, which any character can feel if they touch its
trunk. The pulsating is akin to a heartbeat, but slightly
off — not a living heartbeat, but a faint memory of one.
Thick red sap mingled with the Harvest God’s blood
oozes off the bark.

69

LET THE STREETS RUN RED

Victims of Kidnapping WHAT ABOUT BECCA AND MONA?
Starlight likes the cornfield to fast then gorge itself
A little behind the Congregation, partially hidden when hunger finally overtakes. Becca, and Mona if
by the high corn, lie several other wriggling garment bags, the characters let her run into the corn, served as meals
which the characters can spot with a Wits + Awareness to the fields. An extensive search of the corn later re-
roll (Difficulty 3). These are the people the Congregation veals their remains unceremoniously discarded amid
kidnapped over the course of the week: York, possibly the growing stalks — Starchild has grown accustomed
the coterie’s Touchstone, Dillan Jones from the hotel, and to the Congregation cleaning up after him.
possibly one member of the coterie. One of Starchild’s
cultists (see p. XX) guards the bags. Sneaking toward the full of vitae. If any of the characters were hoping to Blood
bags requires a Dexterity + Stealth, or appropriate Ob- Bond another, now is a great opportunity to pretend their
fuscate power, opposed by Wits + Awareness. The coterie hands were forced.
needn’t worry about the rest of the Congregation though,
as they’re all watching Starchild and the Judas tree. The Ritual

Unless the characters have a way to determine which After the coterie takes two actions (e.g., join with
bag holds their rescue target (Auspex’s Heightened Senses Mariangel, examine the Judas tree, free people from the
might sniff them out), they need to open bags randomly. garment bags), Starchild begins the ritual. Alternative-
The Storyteller rolls a dice, increasing the odds of the ly, if the Storyteller is so inclined, a failed Stealth roll
coterie opening the right bag with each roll: 8-10 on in We Gather Here Tonight triggers the ritual rather
opening the first bag, 5-10 on the second, and either the than Starchild calling them to join him. The description
third bag is the last or their odds are now 2-10 (and then below details The Ritual if the coterie does nothing. The
then fourth bag is the last). On their first failed roll, they characters may interrupt at any time by simply stepping
find Dillan Jones badly injured and near death — only a forward (Starchild’s first reaction is to invite them to join
drink of vitae can still knit his organs together. the cult on p. XX), using the right Disciplines to drive the
congregation apart, or physically attacking. If they joined
The kidnapped victims, Kindred and kine alike, are forced with Mariangel, she eagerly helps in an attack and
heavily sedated. A single sip of vitae snaps a kine out of
it. Bringing a Kindred to their senses requires feeding
them a mouthful of mortal or Kindred blood. The nearby
guard and Dillan can both provide blood, though the
latter surely dies then, and the characters themselves are

70

They Dying Fields

goes straight for Starchild, though she to kidnap Nazeera or Warrington instead. Lastly, they could simply free their
needs help bringing him down. missing Touchstone or lift the sealed message from York’s inner pocket and make
a run for it. If they want to focus on just retrieving the Prince’s message, they
The Storyteller should narrate could even let Starchild kill York and search his clothes after the Congregation of
The Ritual slowly, to give players the Harvest God leaves.
time to declare actions.
Chapter Nine:
The ritual begins with all of the You Are Leaving Willerton
congregants, including Starchild,
slashing the palms of their left hands The coterie freed their Touchstone or retrieved Everett York’ message, but they
and shedding blood on the ground. can’t return to Chicago. The Goblin Roads are still in effect, and their binding
The Storyteller can check the Hunger power remains so for as long as vampires remain in Willerton. In that regard,
frenzy chart (Vampire: The Masquer- Nazeera is correct — the bond between the Harvest God, the Goblin Roads,
ade, p. 220) to see if this warrants and Willerton’s Kindred maintains a cage around the town. Either all the
a frenzy roll for the PCs. Starchild vampires leave, or none of them do. The characters will need to see Nazeera,
unzips the garment bag and lifts a Warrington, and Mariangel to persuade them to leave.
drugged Henry Jones into the air be- • Finding Everett York (Camarilla): The coterie’s best outcome is saving
fore effortlessly slitting the mortal’s
throat. The ghoul, a farmer with long Everett York and the message he carries, though Prince Jackson is also
experience slaughtering animals and content if they return just the message. The message carries a Letter Ward
mortals alike, is coldly efficient as he (see Appendix III, p. XX, this sorcerer had Intelligence 3 + Blood Sorcery
bends Henry’s head back so the blood 4) that allows only Jackson to open it. As reading the Prince’s secret mis-
can flow more freely. If the coterie sive has far-reaching consequences for an ongoing chronicle, the contents
is searching for a missing Touch- of the letter are ultimately for the Storytellers to decide, but we offer two
stone, the guard near the remaining suggestions here. The letter signed Decker leads to Innocence in Blood (see
sacrifices drags their bag to Starchild p. XX), while the one signed E. Sharpe leads to Rusted Jungle (see p. XX).
next. Otherwise, Dillan Jones goes
next instead — Starchild adheres to Prince Jackson,
a strict order of mortal appetizers I require your aid. My childe
before the main course. Everett York Heather has gone missing. My
and any abducted coterie members men can’t find any leads as to her
are sacrificed last. whereabouts, and this troubles me.
I call on you to lend me your people.
If the characters attack, ten mem- That should reveal if my own agents
bers of the Congregation (see Appen- are merely incompetent, or deceiving
dix II for Armed Cultists, p. XX) fight me. And perhaps they will also find
to the death unless the coterie uses my Heather.
Disciplines to force them to lay down I will compensate you accordingly.
arms. The rest panic and flee when — Decker
the characters kill a handful of targets
— the Storyteller can determine a
dramatically appropriate number. A
physical attack is not the coterie’s only
option though. The characters can
use Dominate or Presence to turn the
Congregation against Starchild, or to
make the kine flee — the Difficulty for
these are listed with the Discipline, or
against Difficulty 5 if opposed. They
can also try to mentally subdue the
ghoul himself, though his enthrall-
ment to the Harvest God makes that
difficult. The coterie can also try mun-
dane persuasion to convince Starchild
that these are not worthy sacrifices,
and they should combine their forces

71

LET THE STREETS RUN RED

Prince Jackson, they, Warrington, and Marian-
gel leave Willerton along with
I believe the Anarchs of Gary are responsible the PCs and York (if he’s not
for the attacks on your domain. I’m en route destroyed), and can be convinced
to Gary, which has fallen into disorder with the to do so if the PCs offer to vouch
death of Prince Modius and the disappearance for their good service.
of Baron Jug gler. I intend to restore order by • Blackmailing Nazeera (Ca-
any means necessary. If you and yours have marilla, Anarch, or Unaligned):
any Anarch associates within the city, I would Nazeera does not want word of
kindly sug gest you remove them before my the Congregation of the Harvest
arrival. God to reach Prince Jackson, as
it makes the Loyalist look inca-
E. Sharpe. pable of handling their domain.
The Tremere is willing to offer
The coterie also has a chance to Another option is to blood bond the coterie a boon to remain
partially Blood Bond Everett York, York before sending him back, silent and will enact a ritual to
who in an attempt to get into the though they’d need a cover story temporarily allow the coterie
good graces of Prince Jackson has so York does not appear com- out of Willerton. This avenue
undertaken the dangerous role of promised despite being gone so is incompatible with Aiding
messenger between domains for the long. If York is dead, Warrington Nazeera, as they do not trust the
Prince. This gives the characters ac- declares the Nomads must act on coterie anymore.
cess to an unrivaled source on infor- the information quickly, before • Aiding Mariangel (Camaril-
mation, and likely gets them hunted Jackson changes his plans. la, Anarch, or Unaligned):
if Jackson ever finds out. • Aiding Nazeera (Camarilla, or The coterie helped Mariangel
any character with Blood Sor- by exposing and potentially
If the coterie was neither able to cery): If the characters impressed destroying the Congregation of
rescue York nor retrieve the message, Nazeera, the Tremere asks the the Harvest God, though War-
they had better remain in Willerton Camarilla coterie to inform rington is unhappy his standing
until Jackson’s wrath subsides. Prince Jackson how helpful they buffet has now been dispersed.
were. If the characters can bro- Mariangel owes them a boon and
• Finding Everett York (Anarch): ker Nazeera’s return to Chicago, is good for it, though neither
The Anarchs have Everett York they make a lasting ally out of can leave Willerton due to the
or the letter, and they could do a the Warlock. Characters that are Goblin Roads, unless they can be
few things here. They could read not Camarilla, but are knowl- convinced to depart on the same
the letter (if the characters can’t edgeable in the occult, might night as Nazeera, the PCs, and
undo the Letter Ward, Warring- also impress the Tremere and York. The Storyteller should give
ton has a contact who does it they offer to remain in touch as the coterie about half a year to
for a boon) and put it back on a source of occult information. call in their boon before Marian-
a still drugged York and let the Nazeera knows the ritual slay- gel leaves under her own force of
messenger continue on his way. ings will only come to an end if will — the Goblin Roads finally
Now Prince Jackson doesn’t let her go, implying Starchild’s
know they have the information. death or the Harvest God’s dis-
turbed slumber.
If the characters are Anarchs,
Warrington calls them out for ruin-
ing a perfectly functioning Anarch
domain. If they’re Camarilla, he
promises the Nomads will make their
unlives hell for making his blood
dolls afraid of vampires. He will not
leave Willerton willingly.

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They Dying Fields

• Blackmailing Warrington (Camarilla, or Unaligned): his God, but enthusiastically shares information if
Warrington asks the coterie not to reveal the Con- the characters can convince him they also want to
gregation of the Harvest God to Prince Jackson. serve the Harvest God. While he doles out informa-
The thin-blood worries such a large-scale cult might tion piecemeal, thanks to his paranoid nature, he
finally prompt the Prince to send a Sheriff or Hound can eventually tell them every fact and rumor listed
to Willerton, which is bad for the Anarchs. He offers under The Harvest God (p. XX), including the ones
the coterie a boon to remain silent while secretly that are contradictory.
planning their destruction. Under duress, he leaves • The Cornfields (Any): Unless the coterie murdered
Willerton with the coterie and the other Kindred to nearly all members of the Congregation, or the charac-
break the Goblin Roads’ power. ters themselves died in large numbers, whatever lurks
in the earth or the earth itself remains as it did before:
• Bringing the Second Inquisition: If the characters hungry, capable of granting lasting health and fertility
roused Vera Smith’s ire during their visits to the to its worshipers, and producing bumper crops of
Sam’s Diner, or a great many of the Congregation corn. It still stirs, though. The characters can cham-
were wounded in Chapter Eight: All Roads Lead pion the rebuilding of the gas station opposite the
to the Corn, Vera calls her cousin. And while Sam’s if they believe the divine geometry of Willerton
Vera doesn’t know her cousin’s full affiliation, her will put the creature back to sleep, or find a way to
description of what’s going on certainly rouses Cas’ sabotage and tear down the Sam’s to do the opposite.
suspicion. The hunter (see Appendix II, p. XX) tracks However, Nazeera is sure the placement of buildings
the coterie. If the coterie doesn’t shake Cas or if they in Willerton is based more around the Goblin Roads
convince her they are definitely not vampires, the than the cornfields, and Starchild believes the Goblin
Second Inquisition will revisit Chicago. Roads formed around the cornfields, so the truth is
up to the Storyteller. A character with Blood Sorcery
• Dealing with Starchild (Any): Assuming Starchild or access to the Book of the Grave-War might realize
is not destroyed, the coterie can ask him for infor- that if there is a “Shadow-Sleeper” in the ground, their
mation about the Harvest God. Starchild remains a
zealot and resists any pressure to betray or abandon

73

LET THE STREETS RUN RED

vitae could break Blood Bonds. The roots of the Judas but with none of the networks or resources Clan bonds
tree potentially hold enough of the blood to use, once within the Ivory Tower usually bring. Ruled by small fish
distilled from the sap, but destroying the tree will in an even smaller pond, Willerton is a Straggler domain.
certainly rouse whatever sleeps beneath. As the ram- Events move quickly in Straggler domains, and a single mo-
ifications of such an ancient creature awakening are ment of weakness is enough to set predators on the Prince
impossible to overstate, the Storyteller should decide — if the domain even has a Kindred powerful enough to
on its nature and goals. claim that position. Bold and enterprising Kindred can rise
to power quickly in a Straggler domain, but they’ll spend
Appendix I: eternity looking over their shoulder for the next comers.
Small Town Dead
Kindred this far removed from the power of tradition-
Chicago may be the dark star of Illinois, but small towns like al Princes find that coterie is a far more valuable resource
Willerton still hold pull over vampires. Perhaps the coterie than sect or clan. One of Willerton’s Nomads is nominally
found a unique resource in town, like an ancient vampire full Anarch, left behind after a raid on Chicago, but mainly
of potent vitae slumbering under unraveling chains. Perhaps keeps the company of kine. Nazeera remains loyal to the
the Kindred seek to flee the scrutiny of the big city, with Camarilla only so long as they hold out hope of a return to
cameras and cell phones everywhere, and the Second Inquisi- the fold — without that hope, they’d likely form a coterie
tion. Or maybe they just need to lay low until the Prince with occult-minded Kindred of any clan or sect.
finally is moved to forgive their trespasses. Here are some
features a Storyteller can use to make a small town campaign The Storyteller can spend the first few story arcs
uniquely different from a big city setting. cementing the bonds between members of such a coterie
and let their goals align for a while. Then, introduce a sect
The Local Hierarchy conflict and let the characters decide which bonds hold.
One Kindred’s clan calls on them to defend the Ivory
The Kindred hierarchy in cities moves like an iceberg: Tower. Another character’s ductus finds her again. Can
mostly hidden, vast, and capable of sinking anything once the coterie navigate these conflicting loyalties?
it hits. Most Princes are well entrenched, even if some only
by the support of Primogen who’d rather deal with the devil Nests
they know. Unseating them requires schemes spanning dec-
ades if not centuries. Rural domains are not like that though, Nests center around a single ancient Kindred, who
and can broadly be categorized as either Stragglers or Nests. survived both the Second Inquisition and the Beckoning,
and is too old and blasé even for sect politics. Perhaps
Stragglers the elder was Camarilla or Sabbat once, but she left that
life behind. The town remains a small pond perhaps, but
Straggler domains, a derogatory term coined by city the elder is a deep trench that devours all hope and light.
Camarilla, consist of cast-off Kindred. They’re Camarilla, Around this elder move the other Kindred of the domain,
her childer and grandchilder chief among them.
VAMPIRE CANT
The local hierarchy may be ever moving and shift- Status in the domain depends wholly on a Kindred’s
ing, but vampire cant remains largely the same relation to the elder — do they hold her favor, or that
throughout rural America. Unlike urban Kindred of her favorite grandchilder at least? Accomplishments
protected by street gangs or coteries, rural vam- mean nothing, except those aimed at appeasing and pleas-
pires often travel alone and rely on cant being ing the elder in their midst.
readable no matter how far they’ve gone. “Beware,
werewolves!” is nearly identical whether a vampire Nests are rare since the Beckoning, but they exist
scrawls it in Los Angeles County or the New York still and they are a treacherous hotbed of manipulation
Catskills, even if that mark in Los Angeles or New and emotion. Where coteries form, they’re either cliques
York proper is wholly different. centered around favored childer, or survivors of the el-
der’s abuse banding together in their trauma. Secrecy and
a pleasing smile are critical to surviving a Nest.

Scarcity of Backgrounds

Small towns are small. Some Backgrounds are unaffect-
ed by these geographical limits — anyone can get rich online,
so an enterprising Kindred can still rack up Resources. Oth-

74

They Dying Fields

er Backgrounds by their nature are more localized, prime FLAWS
among them Contacts, many Influences, Herd, and Haven. If a player applies a Flaw to their Background, they
earn an equal reprieve from the town’s maximum. Ap-
Contacts plicable Flaws are Despised and Disliked for Influence,
and Compromised, Creepy, or Haunted for Haven. If
Everyone knows someone in a small town. All play- their haven is Haunted, a one-dot Flaw, that lowers
ers get one-dot Contact for free and can invest character the town’s total Haven Backgrounds by one for that
creation or Experience Points to raise this contact to two player only — they can expand their Haven in an oth-
dots. Beyond that though, Contacts get scarce — a small erwise tight market, when no one else can. This same
town may have only two law enforcement officers, one mechanic applies to shared coterie Backgrounds.
doctor, or two restaurant or bar owners.
Background. A player who wants to defend and grow
Discounting the free Contacts dot, the total re- the same Influence need make only one roll — successes
maining Contacts dots available is capped at three times equal to their current dots means they keep it as-is, more
the number of Kindred active in town. Once that cap is successes means they can grow one dot, fewer success-
reached, players need to whittle down another character’s es means they lose one dot. In all cases, the Storyteller
Contacts before they can increase their own. For example, refunds the experience point cost of lost dots, and players
they might get the sheriff (a rival’s Contact) indicted on still need to purchase new dots with experience points as
fraud charges so the deputy (their own Contact) can take normal.
her job. Or they might murder the town doctor (a rival’s
Contact) so she can no longer speak out on the dangers Characters may decide to sit out the rat race by nei-
of drugs, and their own drug dealer Contact can grow ther growing nor defending their Influence. They simply
her business. Keeping Contacts secret becomes vital to all keep what they have.
Kindred, lest rivals (or unscrupulous allies) find out who
they are and take them down. The scarcity of Influences does not hold if the Influ-
ence is specifically global, such as Influence (WHO), or
In all cases, the Storyteller refunds the experience online such as Influence (sunburst/occult). Players need
point cost of lost Contacts dots, and players still need to not roll to defend or grow that Influence, nor do dots in
purchase new dots with experience points as normal. it count towards the town’s maximum. Coteries can also
take a page from Willerton’s Nomads and use the shared
Influences Coterie Influence Background to relieve scarcity some-
what.
Local Influences are likewise limited — Kindred can
only pull the town council in so many different directions. If players roll well to defend or grow their character’s
The Storyteller limits the total amount of Influence dots to Influence, the total number of Influence dots can grow
three times the number of active Kindred in town. Once above the maximum. That’s fine; the cap indicates when
the cap is reached and someone wants to increase theirs, players should roll, not how many Influences a town can
they need to reduce another Kindred’s Influence first. hold.

After each story arc, players can choose one Influ- Herd and Feeding
ence to defend and one to grow. The player designs a
roll to represent what their character does to achieve The herd is large in towns like Willerton where
this, which includes Attribute + Skill + Background. For almost all the kine are willing recipients of Nazeera and
example, Wits + Finance + Resources to donate to a politi- Warrington’s feeding (and Mariangel’s, if she wasn’t so
cian and increase or defend their Influence (Politics). Or committed to hunting for her food). In most small towns,
Charisma + Streetwise + Influence (Street) to stay on top however, they’re limited to total dots equal to two times
of that Influence. The Difficulty is equal to the Influence the local active Kindred. Players resolve this as they do
rating they want to defend, or the new Influence rating Influences, by actively stealing people away from other
they want to grow to — keeping Influence (Street) 2 is a characters with an Attribute + Skill + Background roll.
Difficulty 2 roll, but growing it to 3 dots is a Difficulty 3 The characters can also, however, turn to a herd made up
roll. Success means they keep the defended Influence dots of migrating characters, such as bikers or truckers.
or gain the new dot, while Failure means they lose the
defended Influence dots or do not gain the new dot. A migrating herd, be they vagrants, hippies, tourists,
or truckers, does not suffer or count towards the town’s cap.
A player defending one Influence and growing an- But such a herd is also unreliable — it takes just one bad
other makes two rolls — one to represent each Influence

75

LET THE STREETS RUN RED

review for tourists to stay away, and the downsizing of one player may invest one dot in Haven without counting
trucker company to slow the flow of truck drivers to a crawl. towards the town’s total. Optionally, the Storyteller can
At the start of every story arc, the player rolls one die: 6-10 offer recluse characters this dot of Haven in lieu of the
means the character’s Herd is fine, 3-5 means the Herd loses Contacts freebie. Beyond that first dot though, the total
one dot of rating (to a minimum of 0), 1-2 means it loses two dots of Haven in town is limited to two times the number
dots of rating (to a minimum of zero). The first two times of active Kindred. Growing Haven beyond this limit
this happens, non-consecutively, the Herd is temporarily requires reducing someone else’s Haven — if you want to
reduced, and the player simply rolls again at the start of the move into the house on the hill, you have to get rid of the
next story. A third downsizing means the problem is perma- vampire currently residing there.
nent. The Storyteller refunds the player’s experience points,
and the character must build a new migrating herd. Appendix II:
Antagonist Stats
Feeding without the benefit of a herd also comes
with added risks. A failed feeding roll means people ARMED CULTIST
talk about the character, and a Kindred may develop a
reputation for being creepy. Or they might contract a Standard Dice Pools: Physical 4, Social 3, Mental 4
blood disease from their vessel. These consequences are Secondary Attributes: Health 6, Willpower 5
not immediately dire, but do carry a potential future risk. Exceptional Dice Pools: Awareness 5, Brawl or
The town’s entire blood supply could be tainted by a dis- Firearms 5, Occult 5
ease as it passes from kine to Kindred and back to kine, General Difficulties: 4/2
and the disease could even mutate to harm vampires. In
Willerton, all outsiders suffer a feeding penalty due to the BOUNCER
town’s distrust. The Storyteller can devise an interesting
complication (or in the case of a blood plague, even a Standard Dice Pools: Physical 4, Social 4, Mental 3
story arc) and tally the failed feeding rolls of all players. Secondary Attributes: Health 6, Willpower 4
Three failed rolls activates a prelude event, and five failed Exceptional Dice Pools: Awareness 5, Brawl 5,
rolls kicks off the arc proper. Intimidation 6
General Difficulties: 3/1
Predator Type: Roadside Killer
BRAWLER
You belong with the vagabonds, tourists, and truck-
ers of the world — always moving, never at home. You Standard Dice Pools: Physical 4, Social 3, Mental 3
know how to pick out the ones whose deaths are dis- Secondary Attributes: Health 6, Willpower 4
counted as the risk of a woman hitchhiking alone, or who Exceptional Dice Pools: Brawl 5, Intimidation 5,
simply won’t be missed at all. You still have to fight to Streetwise 7
keep other vampires away from them lest the herd thins General Difficulties: 3/2
too much, though.
HUNTER
In life, you either were one of them, or you met these
vagrants as they rested at your roadside stop. Standard Dice Pools: Physical 6, Social 4, Mental 5
• Add a specialty Survival (the road) or Investigation Secondary Attributes: Health 8, Willpower 7
Exceptional Dice Pools: Athletics 8, Awareness 7,
(vampire cant) Brawl 8, Firearms 9, Investigation 9, Melee 8
• Add one dot of Fortitude or Protean General Difficulties: 4/2
• Gain two additional dots of migrating Herd
• Gain the Flaw Prey Exclusion (locals)

Haven

Haven suffers from scarcity in much the same way
as Contacts: Every Kindred can find some dump to stay
in, but the number of mansions with full security is
limited unless the small town is Martha’s Vineyard. Every

76

They Dying Fields

RECEPTIONIST water) the practitioner has seen before and can mentally
recall, when the designated type of individual passes by.
Standard Dice Pools: Physical 2, Social 5, Mental 4
Secondary Attributes: Health 6, Willpower 5 System: The sorcerer makes the Ritual roll when
Exceptional Dice Pools: Athletics 3, Etiquette 6, enchanting the designated surface. For every success the
Streetwise 5 practitioner rolls, the message will repeat for each new
General Difficulties: 2/1 individual of the chosen type who passes the surface. The
message clears itself from the surface as soon as it’s been
Appendix III: read once. It appears in the handwriting and language in
Blood Sorcery Rituals which the sorcerer wrote it.

Letter Ward Herd Ward

LEVEL 1 RITUAL LEVEL 1 OR 3 RITUAL
Ingredients: Pigeon blood, wax, dog blood. Ingredients: Scorpion poison, sufficient vitae to
Process: The letter writer, who need not be the sor-
provoke a Rouse Check.
cerer, pens a missive in pigeon blood and clearly addresses Process: The sorcerer mixes scorpion poison with
the recipient. The sorcerer then melts wax and mixes it
with dog’s blood to seal the letter. their own vitae to draw the ward. The vampire can ward
a single kine at level 1, or at level 3 inscribe the ward on
System: The sorcerer makes the Ritual roll when an- a door so all who stay within the ward for that night are
yone other than the recipient opens the letter. The victim protected.
suffers one point of Aggravated Health damage if the
caster wins the Ritual roll, or three points of Aggravated System: The sorcerer makes the Ritual roll when
damage on a critical win, and the letter destroys itself in a another vampire tries to feed on the warded kine. The
burst of flame. transgressor suffers one point of Aggravated Health
damage if the caster wins the Ritual roll, or three points
Once the Letter Ward is triggered, anyone wanting to of Aggravated damage on a critical win.
open the letter must roll Stamina + Resolve at Difficulty
4 for a normal Ward, or Difficulty 7 for a critical-success Once the Herd Ward is triggered, a Kindred still
Ward. trying to drink from the kine must roll Stamina + Resolve
against Difficulty 4 for a normal Ward, or 7 for a criti-
Bloody Message cal-success Ward.

LEVEL 1 RITUAL Sleep of Judas
Ingredients: Mirror, sufficient human blood to write
LEVEL 3 RITUAL
the message, UV light. Ingredients: Blood of Willerton’s Judas tree (though
Process: The practitioner designates a type of indi-
possibly the blood from another mystical landmark),
vidual in their mind — e.g., mortal, ghoul, vampire, male, opium.
a child, unemployed — and bathes a mirror in UV light.
The sorcerer writes a message on the mirror with a finger- Process: The sorcerer distills and boils the blood
tip, using human blood as the ink. The message appears of the Judas Tree until only a black tar-like substance
on another reflective surface (a mirror, polished glass, remains. They mix this with an equal amount of opium,
which can either be used as a paste or re-liquefied with
no loss of effect.

System: The sorcerer makes the Ritual roll when the
target is drugged. On a normal success, the victim may
oppose by rolling dice equal to their remaining undamaged
Health boxes. A critical success immediately incapacitates a
vampire and kills a mortal or ghoul. Sleep of Judas wears off
after a number of hours equal to the sorcerer’s Intelligence.

77

“If you can believe in vampires, you can believe in the immortal soul, in gods, and in spiritual enlightenment.
Seek freedom through faith. There is something beyond all these struggles, and you can find it within.”
— Keisha, addressing fledglings of the Ministry

Innocence is hard to come by these nights, especially learn about different clans and factions within Vam-
for vampires, and there are those out there who look to pire. While the plot surrounds the capture of a fledgling
preserve what they find. But is innocence worth the cost? named Honor, both domains are sandboxes ripe for
Where is the line drawn when it comes to protecting it? exploration, introduced newly in this story.
Two domains — Orwellian Milwaukee and theocratic
Indianapolis — are pitted in a battle over an innocent The Storyteller has control over which encounters
and the opportunity she provides. The player characters they want to use in their story and can add or adjust
will tip the scales for one city or the other. anything outlined below. Each city has its own locations,
and with a little research into either city, a Storyteller
Introduction can add even more. The group of Kindred in the story is
referred to as the coterie, but an Anarch gang or a group
Innocence in Blood highlights the contrasting cities of of sectless Kindred are equally viable as player characters.
Milwaukee and Indianapolis, acting as a toolbox story with a
simple tale connecting the two domains. This story focuses on Players required: 3-5
the player’s decisions, which could turn the tide in an unknown Duration: 10-15 hours
power struggle between factions. The story starts off in Milwau-
kee, then travels to Indianapolis, before returning to Milwaukee. Story Breakdown

The Camarilla and Anarch sects are both represented This information is not for the players’ eyes.
in this story and can be handled in many ways depending Honor Mercer is a desperate fledgling with an
on how characters interact. New characters and locations intractable, controlling sire, Mark Decker, Prince of Mil-
are introduced in the story with the history of both cities waukee. His imprisonment of Honor, harsh tutelage, and
featured throughout. Innocence in Blood gives characters meticulous control over her nightly activities pushes her
the chance to explore the depths of each new city and further and further toward flight. Before she departs Mil-
waukee on her own terms however, something goes awry.

79

LET THE STREETS RUN RED

Freddie Montgomery of the Indianapolis Ministry into account the player characters’ motivations. Allow
ensured Honor fed from one of her blood dolls one recent them to negotiate, threaten, or investigate the plot rather
night and had her filmed. Realizing the compromising po- than forcing them one way or the other.
sition she was placed in, Honor panicked, blood dripping
down her face and front. When she was in need of a friend, Prologue
another Minister named Tyrone Soros offered a helpful ear,
because he was directed to do so by Freddie. When Honor Milwaukee is strictly a Camarilla city, and Indianapolis is
arrived in Indianapolis at Tyrone’s suggestion, Freddie sug- an Anarch Ministry-controlled domain. It is not neces-
gested her clanmate Keisha oversee her conversion, while sary for the characters to have direct ties to those within
Freddie handled the nitty-gritty of personal supervision. the story, but it can help provide characters with links to
the story.
The entire thing was a plot orchestrated by Freddie STARTING WITH NO KNOWLEDGE
in attempt to hold a dagger over Milwaukee’s staunchly
Camarilla heart. The irony is, Decker hasn’t even seen the If the characters are brand new to either domain or
footage or heard of it; he just knows his childe has fled, the players are new to Vampire, give them the following:
and that’s cause enough to send out a hunting party. • For mortals, Milwaukee is a city mostly known for its

Decker — or other vampires concerned with Honor’s breweries and baseball. On the edge of Lake Michigan,
departure from Milwaukee — enlist the player characters Milwaukee experiences bitterly cold winters and humid
to trace Honor, find out the meaning behind her flight summers. Milwaukee’s industrial ethos reflects a people
or kidnapping, and depending on the employer, request known for knuckling down for work during the day
her return, destruction, or information to destabilize the and enjoying their drinks come nightfall. For Kindred,
domain of Milwaukee. Milwaukee is also known for its governing regime: a
police state run by the Prince, Mark Decker of Clan
As all of this takes place, two FBI agents — Rick Gangrel. Called “Orwellian” by vampires outside the
L’Italien and Penny Cusick — search for Honor Mercer city, Decker’s constant surveillance on other vampires
and anyone involved in her disappearance. The two are and systems of reporting on behavior have created a
partners, but what Rick doesn’t know is that Penny is a secure but paranoid domain. No Second Inquisition
ghoul to Camarilla Archon Dawn Nakada. They are only operations are known to have been successful here.
on the case because someone reported seeing Honor — • Indianapolis is sometimes called the Crossroads of
her family having officially registered her with law en- America, with six interstate highways cutting through
forcement as a missing person — in Milwaukee recently. and around it. Often seen as a halfway city — most
L’Italien just wants to do his job and get Honor back to mortals pass through rather than stay in it — Indianap-
her family, while Penny needs to eliminate Honor for her olis actually does a thriving trade in tourism through its
domitor and will act to remove anyone in her way. scores of monuments and museums, conventions for all
kinds of businesses, and acts as the urban center of an
The story may start in Indianapolis or in Milwaukee, otherwise largely rural state. A taste of metropolitan life
with the PCs needing to travel to the other city to discov- in a sea of cornfields, Indianapolis acts as a rare jewel
er all the answers. This journey exposes them to radically for vampires in Indiana. Few Kindred from outside the
opposed Kindred domains — one Camarilla, one Anarch city travel to Indianapolis on a whim due to the long,
— and the conflicting forces that might benefit or suffer unsheltered distances required to reach it, but thanks
through exposure of Honor’s recorded feeding. All the to the number of noteworthy hotels and sights there,
while, the FBI are on the trail of anyone else who looks sects and clans occasionally use Indianapolis as a neutral
closely into Honor’s activities. meeting ground. The governing Kindred are of the An-
arch Movement, with the Ministry presiding. The clan
Ultimately, the characters will find Honor in Indi- mixes its messages of freedom from hierarchy with the
anapolis, where the Ministry wish to convert her to their surging evangelical Christian faith of Indiana.
philosophy and use her as a weapon against the Camarilla. If the players want their characters to hail from
Whether they eliminate her, return her to Decker, or en- either domain or to have visited regularly, or if they
courage her to remain with the Ministry is up to the PCs. wish to research the cities before traveling to either, the
Storyteller should provide any of the following prologue
Character Advice information they see fit.

The players’ chosen sect defines the approach the charac-
ters will take to enter this story. Each city has different
rulership, so the objectives will differ. Ensure you take

80

Innocence in Blood

The Camarilla Attending the city’s court — the Mil- was a note she wrote with an
waukee variant of Elysium which acts address and what appears to be
A Camarilla coterie starts off both as a court in a feudal sense and a four-digit entry code to get
in Milwaukee, though they may have a courtroom in a legal fashion —may inside a building or room. J.W.
arrived from another domain such as also help the coterie gain favor with states the location in the note is
Chicago before the story starts. At the city’s Kindred. for an old marble Mutual Bank
the start of the story, ideally when the building, down off the lakefront.
characters are involved in a leisurely THE BLACK ROSE The instructions make no sense
activity, a tall, suited black man with The bar is in the middle of the for gaining entry from the out-
grey hair and a friendly expression ap- side, based on his investigation.
proaches them individually. He intro- Milwaukee college campus area, Searching this location might
duces himself as J.W. Blue, a messenger where gaggles of students wander yield more information on what
for the Prince of Milwaukee, who up and down the street heading to happened to Honor.
has requested a meeting. J.W. informs the bars or restaurants. Inside, the • Honor liked to hang out with
the coterie he recommended them to bar area is narrow, but toward the Tessa, a young firebrand Tremere
Prince Decker based on their reputa- back of the establishment it opens staying in Milwaukee even after
tion or anonymity, depending on their to several booths and a larger private many of her clan left. It is possi-
past, for a sensitive matter. Should the back room. Blue leads them into the ble Tessa knows what happened
coterie accept, they are instructed to private room, where Prince Decker to Honor or may have some
meet at the Black Rose in Milwaukee, waits for them and invites them to ideas as to who might have taken
an Irish pub owned by a local Tore- join him at his table. her. J.W. hasn’t been able to
ador. J.W. provides an attainable time locate the Warlock but has heard
and date for the meeting. “J.W. tells me you’re the people she’s still in the city somewhere
MILWAUKEE DECORUM I want to see. Frankly, I’m in a bit of around Marquette University.
a bind. My youngest childe, Honor • J.W. spotted Honor around
The PCs need to gain permission Mercer, has gone missing. I need her Jones Island shortly before she
to remain within Milwaukee if they to be found. I’m not sure if she met disappeared. Not many vampires
do not already have it, so making final death or if she was taken. It’s travel through the area due to
introductions to Prince Decker is important she be located, if she’s the rumors about the dark pull
essential. A meeting such as this still with us, and returned to me. I of Lake Michigan and some
informs the characters the rules brought you here to provide you with ancient creature asleep in the
within Milwaukee and what the con- the information we’ve gathered so far. depths, so her being in proximity
sequences of an infraction are. This I’m even willing to offer you feeding to the lakefront is puzzling. He’s
introduction might occur before or territory in the city should she be heard she used to enjoy Grant
after the meeting at the Black Rose. returned to me. That territory will be Park, and found evidence of
If before, Decker is more favorably exclusively yours, provided you abide cultish activity there, but no sign
disposed to the PCs but won’t ad- by the laws of my domain.” of Honor.
dress matters of business with them • Milwaukee has vast amounts of
ahead of his meeting. If after, Decker If the PCs decline Decker’s public park space, so it’s possible
holds the coterie in low regard for assignment at any point, he’s unafraid she went to ground in one of
not following the correct formalities to use his clout as an established Ca- those areas after a Lupine attack.
of introduction. marilla Prince to threaten them with Werewolves have been encroach-
GAINING FAVOR disgrace in any vampire domain over ing upon Milwaukee for some
which he holds influence. He didn’t time, and Decker has locked the
There are several ways a cote- want to have to recruit outside help, city down in order to protect it
rie can gain recognition within the but he doesn’t trust his own domain’s (the PCs’ arrival being the excep-
domain before starting this story. Kindred with tracking his childe. He tion). Grant Park was one of the
Milwaukee is a contested domain, is open to negotiation, but will not areas they have been watching
with werewolves knocking at its be bullied. Decker gives them the closely due to some unusual ac-
doors and penning the city off, and information he has on Honor and her tivity in the area, though nothing
some flare-ups of fanatical Anarch last known whereabouts. so far has escalated.
activity. By securing city blocks for
the Camarilla, the coterie moves • Honor kept a small apartment
up in esteem of the city’s leaders. on the East Side from when she
was mortal. Decker’s people
have searched the haven, but the
only information they found

81

LET THE STREETS RUN RED

• Honor always used to talk about her family, so as a and diplomat to the Camarilla. Word reaches them via
last resort, the characters can approach her mortal coded email, letter, or voicemail as follows:
relatives. Under no circumstances are they permitted
to reveal anything about Kindred society, however. In the green Heart land of the Crossroads does the serpent
Once the coterie stops asking questions, Decker church wish to enlist you. Confirm time and date of arrival by
return.
excuses himself and leaves J.W. behind to escort them
out. J.W. informs the coterie he is their contact for this A telephone number is marked underneath the
investigation. J.W. is willing to show the coterie around note. Nobody answers when it rings; it goes directly to
Milwaukee if needed or to give them directions to loca- voicemail.
tions they can check out. Crucially, they’re to keep the
nature of their investigation a secret as far as possible. A simple Intelligence + Academics roll (Difficulty 3)
Decker doesn’t want the embarrassment of his having lost or explanation from the Storyteller explains the Ministry
a childe to get out. wishes to meet the coterie in the green space outside the
Heartland Church in Indianapolis. Within the timeline of
The Anarchs the story, this meeting falls after the initial investigation
in Milwaukee concludes.
The coterie starts in or travels to Indianapolis if they
are Anarchs. Emphasize the city’s open spaces and open INDIANAPOLIS EXPECTATIONS
minds, when it comes to Kindred hierarchy. It’s clear the
Movement holds sway in Indianapolis through its relative Indianapolis has a less formal ruling structure than
freedom, but naturally, when it comes time to disagree, Milwaukee when it comes to introductions and leave to
fight, or party, the volume shoots up. remain within the city, but it’s good manners to make
yourselves known to a member of the Ministry when you
After making themselves known in Indianapolis, the arrive. Ostensibly, this is so the Ministers can ensure your
PCs are invited to meet up with Keisha Phelps, a Minister safety and look out for your interests should something
unfortunate occur. In reality, the Ministry is just as
concerned about interlopers as any other Kindred regime,
they’re just less paranoid. Except in rare circumstances,

Innocence in Blood

Indianapolis Kindred point new vampire arrivals to a KEISHA’S ROLE
church, bar, office, or other establishment run by one of Any Storytellers who have read ahead will know
the Serpents. As word travels piecemeal through the city, Keisha is fully aware of Honor’s presence in Indian-
any vampires unfamiliar with the newcomers give the apolis, and is even working to break and remold the
same advice to make introductions until it’s clear the PCs Gangrel to become a loyal member of the Ministry.
have done so or are known by reputation. In an Anarch-led story, Keisha is aware of Honor’s
COURTING APPROVAL location. She wants the PCs to chase up a few red
herrings in Indianapolis before going to Milwaukee
Securing approval in Indianapolis is a simple affair to learn why Decker considers her so important. Their
by most domain standards: don’t start any wars, abide by investigations will allow her to use Honor as poten-
the Masquerade, show respect to the Anarch Movement, tial leverage to get the inside track on Milwaukee’s
and do not Blood Bond anyone in this domain — though workings. Keisha eventually admits Honor came to
the latter rule has been tested more than once, and is her while the investigation was ongoing, but seeing
almost impossible to enforce. Gaining favor is harder, the usefulness of the coterie’s digging, she decided to
as the faithful among the Indianapolis Ministry only allow their investigation to proceed.
make close alliances with vampires who work to further
the Anarch interests by disrupting Camarilla domains, Alternatively, it’s possible she’s in a farm on the city
spreading the word of faith in the Blood, and convincing outskirts, of which there are hundreds.
Camarilla Kindred to pick up the torch of the Move- • The coterie might be able to reach out to the Lhian-
ment. In the eyes of the Ministry, there is greater zeal in a nan Club, owned by a Camarilla Toreador named
convert than someone who buys the Anarch line from the Eletria, to see if she has heard anything about this
moment of Embrace. young Gangrel. She may be able to point the coterie
THE HEARTLAND CHURCH in the right direction of finding Honor, especially if
she swung by this popular Kindred nightspot.
Keisha Phelps, a small woman of color in a simple • Keisha will pull aside Ministry members of the
grey dress with a striking red flower in her hair, awaits coterie and tell them she wishes to know more about
the coterie in the park outside the Heartland Church. She Milwaukee, and Honor is less important than her
greets the vampires with smiles and handshakes before defection might pose to the Camarilla. She informs
settling onto a bench. them the Ministry would not be opposed to taking
control of another city by disrupting its power base,
“My associate in Milwaukee contacted me to ask and their insight would be valuable to her in plan-
if we’ve found an errant member of their flock in our ning.
domain. Her name is Honor Mercer. An academic type. From here Keisha takes her leave, but makes sure
White girl, brown hair, blue eyes, average height, last they have her contact information so they can reach her if
seen in jeans and plaid, though obviously she might have needed. Once they track down Honor, Keisha wants them
changed. Supposedly, she’s a Gangrel. There’s a possibility to question her and bring her in.
she came here, as the investigation in Milwaukee points The coterie can bypass Chapter One of the story for
to her fleeing the city. I need you to see if you can figure now, but the Storyteller should circle back to use some
out what’s going on, and whether it’s more beneficial to of the encounters and locations if the PCs do eventually
us to return this childe to her city or keep her for our visit Milwaukee.
own. While it’s always worth scoring points with Mil-
waukee’s Prince Decker, I’m curious to find out what’s so Mortal Interests and Archon Commands
important about a loose fledgling.”
The FBI is actively seeking Honor Mercer, so a dif-
• An initial investigation on the Milwaukee side de- ferent way of setting the PCs on the path to tracking her
termined she probably didn’t travel to Indianapolis would be by other SPCs mentioning her as Decker’s chil-
by bus, train, or plane, at least not under her actual de in an earlier story, only for the PCs to see her adver-
name. She could have traveled by private transporta- tised as a missing person in this one. Obviously, Decker
tion, or on foot if she had places to stay en route, so hasn’t reported her as missing, but her mortal family has.
these leads could be investigated. Two agents are on her trail: Rick L’Italien and Penny

• Milwaukee’s sources say Honor prefers parks or se-
cluded areas for her fallback locations and can sleep
easily within their boundaries. Garfield Park would
be a good place to start, as there are a lot of green
spaces accessible for someone traveling into the city.

83

LET THE STREETS RUN RED

Cusick. Rick is dedicated to finding her and bringing MILWAUKEE FOR MORTALS
her home, while Penny serves a Camarilla Archon, who Milwaukee’s Kindred may exist in a constant state
has asked her to remove this troublesome lost fledgling. of fear due to their Prince’s Orwellian rule, but
Working for a mortal agency would be an unusual start to for the kine, there are few safer domains. Feeding
the story, but might provide the PCs with opportunities grounds are firmly delineated, messy feeding is one
for influence in the mortal sector. of the crimes likely to see a vampire punished with
exile or final death, and despite the city Kindred’s
If the characters are of significant status within the paranoia, they take pride in how the domain laws
Camarilla at the start of this story, an alternative route translate to a form of moral behavior. Enforced eth-
in is via Dawn Nakada (see p. XX for her full biography), ics via fear may not be an ideal philosophy, but it
the Archon domitor of Penny Cusick. Currently based in works for Milwaukee. Storytellers should empha-
a Winnebago outside Chicago, Dawn is responsible for size to the players how safe the streets feel for the
ensuring Milwaukee does not crumble due to a perceived city’s mortals.
or real scandal. She’s not above using a coterie as a gang
of hitmen, but would prefer they arrange a convenient of mortal conflict, using their thralls and vessels to fight
“accident” to eliminate Honor and anyone harboring her. wars on their behalf. Only when the region’s werewolves
launched a concerted assault on the newly-arrived
Chapter One: Kindred during the early to mid-1800s did the vampires
Milwaukee start to seriously consider the establishment of a unified
domain. An uneasy peace reigned between vampires
The domain of Milwaukee is small by the standards of of Clans Ventrue, Brujah, and Toreador as Milwaukee
many American cities, but important for its position on calmed, the numbers of its resident vampires drastically
Lake Michigan, its proximity to Chicago, and its histo- reduced following the Lupine attacks.
ry of driving all Anarch influence out from its borders.
While many vampires would question the necessity of vis- The city of Milwaukee grew in population over the
iting a domain such as Milwaukee, the city is home to sev- decades due to immigration, but the city systematically
eral mysteries of an occult nature, a unique hierarchy, and segregated the migrant populations to selected areas. The
history replete with Kindred events of note, not the least Kindred who made havens there declared their loyalty
of which was Carna’s rebellion against Clan Tremere. to the Camarilla and created a hierarchy within the city
for protection. The Brujah Erik Pointene seized praxis
Milwaukee’s History and enjoyed popular rulership in accordance with the
Traditions until the turn of the 20th century, when the
Mortal and Kindred rivalries shaped the Milwaukee frequent Lupine marauders tore him apart. His replace-
of tonight. The European settlers in Milwaukee brought ment was a Ventrue named Merik, whose inconsistent
vampires with them who ravaged the area’s Native Amer- rule lasted a century but established the city’s Tradition
ican peoples. When the Algonquin and Winnebago tried of Defense, which obliged all vampires capable of doing
to defend themselves, the colonizers fought back and so to take up arms against werewolves whenever they
drove them from the land, clearing territory for French attacked, rather than hiding in their havens or throwing
trading posts. Werewolves who watched over the land their rivals to the wolves — sometimes literally. Merik
grew uneasy with vampiric influence within the settle- and a Gangrel named Decker established a coterie named
ment. The Kindred once present among the Algonquin the Anubi, tasked with the permanent defense of Mil-
and Winnebago were nowhere to be found, either choos- waukee against outside hostility. The Tradition of Defense
ing to ignore the plight of their people or unable to resist has since been adopted in other domains that frequently
the tide’s overwhelming force. face Lupine assault, such as Cleveland and Geneva.

The mortal colonizers divided the settlement that Come the 21st century, Milwaukee is now under the
would become Milwaukee into three distinct towns. firm rule of Mark Decker, Merik having fallen to suicide
When the founders could not decide who would rule over or murder — depending on whom one asks — in the 1990s.
the three settlements, angry mobs caused civil unrest and Decker has taken the Tradition of Defense a step further
conflict between each. As ever, Kindred rode the back with the overriding principle of “Decker’s Law,” which adds
new rulings and punishments above and beyond the Ca-
marilla Traditions to secure the domain of Milwaukee.

84

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85

LET THE STREETS RUN RED

Milwaukee’s a crown might kill a respected vam- sometimes referred to as “the
Hierarchy pire’s good humor and honor. coward Anubi” by Milwaukee
Kindred, but only the ones with
Though many outsiders look The Anubi brass balls.
at Decker’s Law and believe the • Akawa, Clan Brujah — Once,
Gangrel is a paranoid lunatic, they The Anubi act as soldiers on Akawa despised Decker and
have not experienced an extended the street and commanders for other stood for Anarch freedom. Then
stay in Milwaukee. Anywhere outside Kindred when Lupines and Anarchs he saw the cost of that freedom
the city center is at risk of werewolf make their attacks. While many of- in terms of lives wastefully lost.
incursion, with solitary vampires ficers might sit in their havens as they He stood by Decker’s side during
commonly disappearing by day and instruct lesser vampires to do this job the Sabbat war and earned his
night. Communal havens are com- or that task, the Anubi are frontline stripes as a respected member
monplace, and vampires are expected commanders by Decker’s order. Most of the Anubi. He knows more
to continue defending their domain command a great deal of respect for about the Anarchs and gang ac-
if they wish to remain there. their kills, trophies, and service to the tivity than any other Anubi, and
domain. is one of few Anubi to still hang
Milwaukee’s Primogen Council with younger Kindred, despite
steadily fell to outside attacks in the Decker undoubtedly abuses his impressive age.
last two decades, with few vampires the Anubi’s purpose by using them • Thomas Gerhieren, Clan Gan-
stepping up to replace their de- against Milwaukee’s Kindred popu- grel — Known as the child sol-
stroyed or departed brethren. With lace whenever a troublemaker needs dier, Thomas’s youthful appear-
that as the case, Decker formally to be made into an example. Each ance and high voice betray his
disbanded the council, considering it member of the Anubi has their own deadliness. Nobody has served
a useless decoration unnecessary for style and character, making them among the Anubi for as long
a domain on the permanent brink notorious celebrities among the as he and Decker, and nobody
of war. Instead, he rules the domain domain’s vampires. knows Milwaukee’s hiding plac-
entirely, though not capriciously. • Hrothulf, Clan Ventrue — This es, secret tunnels, and shortcuts
Decker does not find luxury or dis- as well as he. Thomas is the
traction absorbing. ancient warlord has occupied Anubi the domain’s foes most
the domain of Milwaukee longer fear, as his sadism has escalated
While many nightspots exist in than any other Kindred present. to monstrous levels.
Milwaukee for a Kindred’s leisure, He personally led the charge • Julia Calvin, Clan Gangrel —
none are exclusively for vampires against the northern Sabbat Decker’s blood bound childe
and all are mortal-run. Decker looks invasion a decade ago and the and preferred assassin, Calvin is
dimly on vampires attempting to fight renewed his spirit, though perhaps the least well-regarded
monopolize private enterprise as they he feels the Beckoning or torpor of the Anubi. She doesn’t wear
appear to have done in Chicago and will soon snatch him from his trophies, doesn’t inspire loyalty,
other domains, preferring the idea role as General. He is known for and doesn’t rally the Kindred.
that Kindred benefit more from rub- his combat experience and tired She kills. She also despises Hon-
bing shoulders with mortals in actual resolution against the domain’s or Mercer as a troublemaker and
mortal-run businesses. enemies. He often uses mortal distraction for her sire.
agents to eliminate opponents,
The Prince but challenges impressive foes to The Judges
one-on-one trials by combat.
Prince Mark Decker (see p. XX • Rubianna, Clan Nosferatu — A Milwaukee’s unique setup per-
for his full biography and stat block) new arrival in Milwaukee, drawn mits three vampires to sit as Judges
is the Gangrel who holds Milwaukee by the reputation of a Prince of other Kindred. Similar to a Sheriff
in his iron grip. He has no patience who governs his people absolute- role in other domains, but responsi-
for those who would flout his law, ly. Rubianna puts her knowledge ble for trials and sentencing, Decker
act as Anarchs, or imperil Milwau- of global Lupine behavior to expects all Judges to be without bias
kee. The Decker of tonight is a far good use as the Anubi’s chief except toward the safety of Milwau-
cry from the Decker of three decades tactician and strategist. She
prior, revealing to some Kindred how often utilizes mortal agents to
eliminate her opposition and is

86

Innocence in Blood

kee. Judges are permitted to carry out Milwaukee: domain Messengers. It many for his liking. Here are a few of
trials without their accompanying is their role to deliver news to the the notable residents:
peers when a situation demands it, domain’s Kindred and travel beyond • Elizabeth Forster, Caitiff —
but Decker prefers for the Judges to the city to pass confidential messages
sit as a panel of three. Prince Decker to other vampires. They are among Elizabeth drops in and out of
acts as one Judge, with the other two Decker’s most trusted lieutenants, as Milwaukee, making her an odd-
seats occupied as follows: Messengers are expected to risk their ity among many of its vampire
• Anastasia, Clan Nosferatu — own lives to prevent a message from citizens. She gained the right to
falling into an enemy’s hands. Several make a haven in the domain fol-
Following the disappearance of Messengers are employed at any one lowing her Embrace, but claims
Parovich, Primogen of Clan Nos- time, with the most notable being: to be hunted by Milwaukee’s
feratu and Sabbat informant, his • J.W. Blue, Caitiff — Blue takes witches, sometimes known as the
clutch of hunted childer broke Cult of Isis. Decker is aware of
free and asserted themselves great pride in doing an honest the Caitiff and isn’t sure whether
on the domain of Milwaukee. job, whether it’s fetching and she’s a Malkavian or if there’s
Anastasia’s prudence, humanity, carrying, delivering a parcel, something to her talk of cults in
and mercy appealed to Decker, strong-arming a fleeing fledgling, the city. He hasn’t ordered her
who favored the idea of a relative or simply acting as counsel to destruction because he wants to
innocent on the Judges’ bench. the Prince. This Caitiff has been know the truth. See p. XX for
• Arjun Shah, The Banu Haqim — at Decker’s side since the regime her full biography and stat block.
Arjun is a new arrival in Milwau- change, and the Prince trusts few • Wren, thin-blood — A
kee, dispatched to the domain vampires as much as he does blue thin-blooded outcast in the city
by London’s Cult of Mithras. In collar J.W. See p. XX for his full who bears the physical brand
an effort to introduce faith to biography and stat block. of a coward following her flight
the militant city and provide • Barth, Clan Toreador — Unlike from a Lupine attack, Wren
the benefit of Mithraic wisdom, most of Decker’s Messengers, hides most days and nights in
Arjun offered his services as one Barth never leaves the city of a state of shame. She wants to
of Milwaukee’s Judges. See The Milwaukee. His role is as it’s ever prove herself worthy, but doesn’t
Chicago Folios for Arjun Shah’s been: communicate the news feel like her vitae is potent
full biography and stat block. to the Kindred on the street, enough in the fight against
though it’s no longer via radio werewolves.
The Executioner these nights. Now, he relies more • Anton Nettum, Clan Gangrel —
on a carefully edited podcast and A former Herald who decided
The role of Milwaukee’s Execu- the rare livestream. Barth enjoys the role of Decker’s Messenger
tioner is an unenviable one. To have himself and has from time to wasn’t for him, this Gangrel still
the vitae of scores of Kindred on time narrated a play-by-play of ably defends the domain in times
one’s hands is a sure way to earn a the Anubi hunting a werewolf, of need. He openly abides by the
horde of enemies. The Executioner, or the other way around. He re- Prince’s laws, but secretly works
designated to carry out sentences lies on calls from other Kindred with Decker’s childe Honor to
the Judges hand down, wears an to acquire his news, and they’re undermine him. See p. XX for
elaborate costume comprising three never in short supply. his full biography and stat block.
cloaks to hide their body shape and • Honor Mercer, Clan Gangrel —
a long hood to cover their face. It is The Citizens Decker’s newest childe, his focus,
a crime punishable by death to use and his great loss. Honor fled
Disciplines in an effort to identify Milwaukee’s Kindred are tightly Decker’s “protection” and never
the city’s Executioner. controlled. According to Decker, wants to return to Milwaukee.
nobody exists in his city without She is still recorded as a resident
The Messengers his say-so. Anyone who tries finds here because as far as the Prince
themselves directed to the nearest is concerned, she will again be a
Diplomats, go-betweens, exit or punished for their arrogant vampire of this city. See p. XX
Harpies, and court entertainers are endangerment of the domain. At the for her full biography and stat
all classified as the same thing in Prince’s last count, Milwaukee acts as block.
haven to 31 Kindred, which is still too

87

LET THE STREETS RUN RED

• Kristian, Clan Nosferatu — Kristian has been DECKER ’S LAW
observing other Kindred for Decker for some time, Prince Decker has put into place several laws to
reporting back on transgressions and occasionally help keep those in Milwaukee safe from harm. Any
turning vampires over for judgement based on rumor who fail to abide by these rules will be branded,
and innuendo or due to their having insulted him. stripped of territory, or executed.
He was recently driven into torpor by his rampaging 1 The Traditions of the Camarilla all apply here.
sire, the wight once known as Parovich.
Do not break them.
• Felicia Page, Clan Nosferatu — Only recently awok- 2 Any who are not of the Camarilla are enemies
en from torpor, Felicia would be vampire number
32, if Prince Decker knew of her and permitted her of the Camarilla and treated as such. No An-
to stay. Currently her existence is a mystery and any archs nor sectless Kindred are allowed within
vampires stumbling across her path could benefit by the city without invitation from the Prince.
turning her in to the Prince, or make her an ally by 3 No other Kindred but Prince Decker and any
directing her to safety. See p. XX for her full biogra- with his permission may have influence over
phy and stat block. any transportation within the city. Movement
into the city is strictly controlled.
• Sundown, Clan Nosferatu — A pest to many of the 4 No Kindred may meet in groups larger than five
city’s Kindred, but a potent one, the grossly disfig- at a time, except by permission from the Prince.
ured Sundown spies on vampire meetings, listening Any groups larger than five are classified as
to conversations that might oppose Decker’s Law. “mobs” and shall be dealt with accordingly.
Sundown makes snap decisions whether to use 5 Only Camarilla controlled courts may be held
acquired information to blackmail Milwaukee’s within the city. No free Elysia are permitted.
errant Kindred or to go directly to the Judges with 6 Withholding information is considered a crime
his findings. In both cases, he has profited immensely against Milwaukee. If the Prince or Judges ask
from the informant system in Milwaukee. you to speak, speak only the truth.
7 All Milwaukee Kindred are expected to work
• Lucina, Clan Toreador — One of the only former in defense of their domain. If they cannot han-
Primogen left in the city and a strong defender of dle a weapon, they must provide intelligence,
Decker’s regime, Lucina has offered the Prince her morale, or sacrifice of their own assets to de-
advice on diplomatic matters for years, but declines fend this city.
the position of Messenger, preferring to remain aloof 8 Any Kindred executed for breaking these rules
from titles for the time being. Some suspect she is in must never be spoken of again in positive me-
fact the domain’s Executioner. morial or in jest. Their sins against the Camarilla
are too great for their memory to ever be puri-
• Tessa Greene, Clan Tremere — Reclusive, cynical, and fied. Any who defy this law or hold keepsakes
a bitter childe of the rebel Tremere known as Carna, of the deceased will be considered co-conspir-
Tessa occupies her infamous sire’s former haven and ators and handled as such.
attempts to establish herself as the preeminent blood
sorcerer in the domain while assisting Kindred such as Milwaukee Defense
Honor Mercer in escaping Decker’s so-called justice.
See p. XX for her full biography and stat block. Milwaukee City proper is only five miles in length,
but due to systematic housing discrimination practices and
• Dr. Mortius, Clan Tremere — When Carna fled, urban development programs, the areas around the city ex-
many Kindred assumed she destroyed Victor and pand and segregate on a regular basis. Ask a local, and you’ll
Mortius, two of her fellow Milwaukee Tremere. Only be told Milwaukee expands from the central point north to
one of those murders happened. Mortius was in Grafton, south toward Burleigh, and west out to Butler.
Prague exploring the local version of Blood Sorcery
when the clan schism occurred, and he returned to Fortunately, Milwaukee’s relatively small size allows
find a barely occupied chantry. Mortius cares little its Kindred to defend the domain against outsiders. Any-
for clan and sect politics, being more interested in one turned into Barth’s news network online or in touch
strengthening and expanding his knowledge, while with other vampires in the domain soon hear if the Anubi
quietly leading a cult known as the Ashfinders (see have been dispatched to handle a Lupine incursion.
Cults of the Blood Gods). He follows Decker’s Law
for as long as it remains convenient. If anything, the city’s defenders attack Anarch flare-ups
with more vitriol than the werewolves. Decker’s message of

88

“security first” leads to most of Milwaukee’s Kindred viewing this roll fails, Prince Decker allows their temporary visit
Anarchs as the worst kind of quislings, attempting to drag in exchange for information from their own city, or their
their safe domain into hell for their own enrichment. service on the front line against a Lupine pack incursion.

Anarchs and Other Werewolf Hunting
Kindred Entering Milwaukee
Once the coterie has decided whether to undertake
Non-Camarilla vampires aren’t welcome within the city Decker’s mission, they are able to travel around the city
of Milwaukee, per Decker’s Law. PCs with these affiliations without too much problem. J.W. is quick to warn them
must convince Prince Decker their presence in the city is that any trips to the outskirts of the city bring with them
important and needed. If the coterie has any sort of message the threat of Lupines or attacks by their kinfolk cousins,
or information from Keisha regarding this, it may help with however. Anywhere outside central Milwaukee is a potential
their case. If the coterie decides to avoid meeting with Prince hot zone, and while they can call him for backup (and he
Decker, they will also need to skirt around any vampires in can get in touch with the Anubi), any immediate action is
the city. There are several Kindred within the city who may the responsibility of the vampires. J.W. is willing to meet the
be bribed to help conceal their presence while investigating. coterie wherever they need and to escort them around the
city if they choose, but he leaves the fighting to the experts.
If the PCs decide to ask for permission, they must
present their case to Prince Decker himself and make a Blue’s Advice
Charisma + Persuasion roll (Difficulty 6) to convince him
to let them into his city. If they can convince him, he Milwaukee has a werewolf problem, and J.W. isn’t shy
gives them 48 hours to do their business and then leave. If about explaining it. He provides the PCs with advice on

89

LET THE STREETS RUN RED

handling shapeshifters before they part ways. and teeth that deal non-halved Superficial damage
“I can’t say I’ve ever killed a Lupine myself. In fact, I (+3 damage modifier) to vampires, as well as +3 to
all Physical Attributes when shifting to their half-wolf
don’t know many Kindred outside the Anubi who have. war form.
Truth is, most of our skirmishes are short, bloody, and
end with both sides crawling away with wounds that take General Difficulties: 6/2
an age to heal. Sometimes I wonder if it’s more about the
display than the actual fight. Whatever, a few things to LUPINE SPIRIT-TALKER
know are that these monsters are indeed weak against
silver, they do indeed lose their shit when it’s a full moon, Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 4; Cha-
and they can shrug off most blades, claws, teeth, and risma 2, Manipulation 4, Composure 4; Intelligence
bullets without a second thought. They can shift in the 5, Wits 4, Resolve 3
daytime as easily as night, though they’re reticent to do
so for probably the same inquisitorial reasons we don’t Secondary Attributes: Health 7, Willpower 7
drink blood in the middle of the Avenue.
Skills: Athletics 2, Brawl 3, Firearms 1, Stealth 3,
In terms of fighting them, your best bet is to hit the Survival 4; Animal Ken 5, Etiquette 2, Insight 3,
things around them. If they’re in a car, go for the gas tank. Intimidation 3, Leadership 1, Subterfuge 1; Academ-
If they’re in a building, collapse it on them. If they’re ics (Nature) 3, Awareness 4, Medicine 1, Politics 1,
around their less feral family members, fuck them up. You Occult (Spirits) 4, Science 2
ain’t gonna make a scratch on a werewolf without some-
thing silver, and even if you do, their skin heals a lot faster Disciplines: Animalism 5, Auspex 2, Celerity 2,
than the dead shit on our bones. Bloody a werewolf’s nose, Fortitude 2, Obfuscate 1, Potence 2
drop a bomb, nails, an oil spill, or something to slow them,
then get the hell out of Dodge. They’ll have your scent for Special: Werewolves suffer Aggravated damage
nights, but provided you stick to the city center or the from silver weapons and fire only. They recover 1 Su-
other side of town, they’ll lose interest after a while.” perficial Health per turn. Werewolves possess claws
and teeth that deal non-halved Superficial damage
Blue’s advice is sound. The PCs may be able to take (+3 damage modifier) to vampires, as well as +3 to
down a solitary werewolf, but against a pack they’re unlikely all Physical Attributes when shifting to their half-wolf
to come away intact. However, engaging Lupines in a fight war form.
is a sure way to earn the Anubi’s respect, and in turn, that
of Prince Decker. The only time Decker punishes assaults General Difficulties: 6/3
on werewolves is when a vampire starts a fight, riles up the
Lupines, and flees, leaving them as someone else’s problem. LUPINE PACK LEADER

The following werewolves are designed as extremely Attributes: Strength 4, Dexterity 3, Stamina 4; Cha-
hard physical encounters, and a generous Storyteller will risma 4, Manipulation 3, Composure 2; Intelligence
remind players that these are creatures to be out-thought 3, Wits 4, Resolve 4
rather than out-fought.
Secondary Attributes: Health 7, Willpower 6
LUPINE WARRIOR
Skills: Athletics 4, Brawl 5, Drive 1, Firearms 1, Lar-
Attributes: Strength 4, Dexterity 4, Stamina 5; Cha- ceny 2, Melee 4, Stealth 4, Survival 5; Animal Ken
risma 2, Manipulation 2, Composure 1; Intelligence 2, Etiquette 2, Insight 2, Intimidation 3, Leadership 4,
2, Wits 4, Resolve 4 Streetwise 3; Awareness 4, Investigation 2, Occult 2

Secondary Attributes: Health 8, Willpower 5 Disciplines: Animalism 2, Celerity 4, Fortitude 4,
Obfuscate 2, Potence 5
Skills: Athletics 4, Brawl 5, Drive 1, Larceny 2, Me-
lee 4, Stealth 3, Survival 5; Animal Ken 3, Intimida- Special: Werewolves suffer Aggravated damage
tion 5; Awareness 4, Investigation 1, Occult 1 from silver weapons and fire only. They recover 1 Su-
perficial Health per turn. Werewolves possess claws
Disciplines: Animalism 3, Celerity 3, Fortitude 3, and teeth that deal non-halved Superficial damage
Potence 4 (+3 damage modifier) to vampires, as well as +3 to
all Physical Attributes when shifting to their half-wolf
Special: Werewolves suffer Aggravated damage war form.
from silver weapons and fire only. They recover 1 Su-
perficial Health per turn. Werewolves possess claws General Difficulties: 7/3

90

Innocence in Blood

Two Agents in Milwaukee worthy. A couple of open-sided bookcases occupy the
apartment’s living area, along with a desk, chair, and pad
A recurring issue for the PCs in this story is the pres- of paper. Honor didn’t own a television or computer, and
ence of the two FBI agents, Penny Cusick and Rick L’Italien, if she had a laptop or tablet, it must have disappeared
who like the characters are on the hunt for Honor Mercer. with her. The only thing to indicate her status as a vam-
Whenever the player characters do something like enter Hon- pire is the blacked-out bedroom and the fridge-freezer’s
or’s apartment, contact Honor’s family, or even retrace her lack of contents. Her kitchen cupboards still contain
footsteps to places she commonly frequented, the two agents canned goods from when she was alive.
should approach the coterie soon after with increasing suspi-
cion. Penny will keep a distance if the PCs are serving Dawn Little in Honor’s apartment tells a visitor about its
Nakada, but Rick can’t be dissuaded from getting in their owner. No photos hang on the walls, and she does not
faces and trying to discover what they know. This persistent even have magnets, notes from friends, or mementos on
mortal threat should escalate from a nuisance to a major prob- her refrigerator door. A simple examination of drawers
lem, as Rick L’Italien is unafraid to get local cops involved, in the apartment turn up bills and bank statements with
and if Penny has to eliminate her partner to maintain the Honor’s name on them, however.
Masquerade, she’ll expect the PCs to assist in the cover-up.
J.W. has already searched her apartment, and while
AGENT PENNY CUSISK he’s left it tidy, an Intelligence + Investigation roll (Diffi-
culty 3) reveals his incomplete job of returning everything
Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 4; Cha- to its rightful place. The only thing J.W. found of note, at
risma 2, Manipulation 3, Composure 3; Intelligence least to his mind, was the address of the old Mutual Bank
2, Wits 4, Resolve 2 building and the four-digit code on the same scrap of pa-
Secondary Attributes: Health 7, Willpower 5 per. If the PCs are Camarilla-aligned, they likely already
Skills: Athletics 2, Brawl 1, Drive 3, Firearms (Pistol) have this document. If not, an Intelligence + Investigation
4, Melee 1, Stealth 2; Animal Ken 1, Intimidation 1, roll (Difficulty 4) highlights the indentation of someone
Leadership 2, Persuasion 2, Subterfuge 3; Academ- having written on the desk’s pad of paper recently, and
ics (Law) 2, Awareness 3, Investigation 4, Occult 1, the note from Honor’s apartment can be made out.
Politics 2, Technology 2
Disciplines: Dominate 1 The Note
General Difficulties: 4/2
Mutual Bank Building
AGENT RICK L’ITALIEN (Abandoned)

Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 4, Stamina 3; Cha- 833 E Michigan St
risma 3, Manipulation 2, Composure 3; Intelligence 2-8-4-3
4, Wits 3, Resolve 2
Secondary Attributes: Health 6, Willpower 5 The Mutual Bank
Skills: Athletics 3, Brawl 2, Drive 1, Firearms 2,
Stealth (Tracking) 4, Survival 2; Intimidation 3, Mutual Bank is one of the largest banking groups
Leadership 1, Persuasion 1, Subterfuge 1; Academics with branches all over Milwaukee. The address on Hon-
(Law) 2, Awareness 2, Investigation (Missing Per- or’s note leads to a closed-down branch in the Lake Emily
sons) 4, Politics 1, Science 2, Technology 1 part of the city, where the earth beneath the buildings is
General Difficulties: 4/2 thin and the lake’s water leads to constant damp prob-
lems in the structures above.
Honor’s Haven
This branch is one of the oldest buildings in the
Honor’s apartment on the East Side is a small, city and preserved under order of the Milwaukee City
one-bedroom affair containing nothing obviously note- Council. Its carved marble exterior is considered a part
of America’s national architecture, and for that rea-
son, the abandoned bank branch has not yet been torn

91

LET THE STREETS RUN RED

down. However, the rising lake level beneath the bank it’s definitely safe from the sun and the last place most
has prevented anyone else from occupying the building, people would look for a vampire.
which has now been empty for two decades. The Mutual
Bank resembles a Roman temple stuck in the middle of Underwater and in the darkness, it takes a Wits +
the city. The roof is fitted with drainpipes feeding into Awareness roll (Difficulty 2) for the coterie to determine
the lake below, preventing any decay from the top down, the sub-basement has a single hallway with a locked door.
while scaffolding supports the building’s western wall. An Intelligence + Larceny roll (Difficulty 3) allows the
PCs to gain access through this door, if they don’t just
Despite its abandonment, the bank has security in choose to break down the flimsy rotten wood.
place. A night watchman sits in an office just inside the
building, while another patrols the perimeter to deter As the coterie enters the central room, which
intruders. Neither of the guards are permitted further contains the remains of a storage cellar, an Intelligence
inside the building due to the health and safety risks. + Investigation roll (Difficulty 3) highlights several clear
Characters might attempt to sneak by the guards with plastic bags ziplocked and containing objects, presumably
a Dexterity + Stealth roll (Difficulty 3) or, if they watch keeping them safe from the water. These objects include
their patrol routes and patterns, the Difficulty can be IDs, a copy of The Grapes of Wrath, some rolls of cash, and
reduced to 2. If they fail to sneak past, the watchmen con- an unused bus ticket to Chicago dated two weeks ago.
front intruders with harsh words before threatening to
call the cops. They’re disinclined toward physical action The PCs must now succeed at a Wits + Awareness
and are only armed with pepper spray and batons. roll (Difficulty 4) or be taken by surprise as a vampire
resting in the water lunges at them with a blade. The
If the PCs question the guards regarding Honor occupant of this room is Wren, a thin-blood who Honor
using a Charisma + Intimidation or Manipulation + Per- guided to this place as a form of sanctuary following her
suasion roll (Difficulty 3 for both), they admit to having branding in Decker’s court. Wren believes the coterie
seen a young woman matching her description around members are here to kill her and is determined to defend
here once or twice. She always bought them coffee and herself from this perceived assassination attempt.
said she was a student interested in studying the bank’s
architecture. One of the watchmen guiltily admits he let Any attempts to dissuade Wren from her attack
her inside once and lost track of her for an hour, before using Charisma + Persuasion are at a high Difficulty 6, as
she emerged soaked to the skin and laughing, explaining communicating peaceful intentions in an unlit, sub-
she’d fallen through some floorboards. They didn’t see her merged room is almost impossible. However, it may be
again. possible to wrestle her to the staircase and speak with her,
as she’s not a strong combatant.
The Code
If conscious and able to speak, Wren — who bears a
Finding where to use the code in the bank is a chal- circular brand on both palms and her neck — explains she
lenge that requires thorough exploration of the building is Honor’s friend, but she hasn’t seen the Prince’s childe
and careful navigation of the rotting structure with in over a week. She doesn’t know the full details of what
occasional Dexterity + Athletics rolls (Difficulty 2 to 4). transpired between Honor and Decker but does know
Failure leads to characters getting their feet stuck in the Honor was planning an escape for some time, deciding
floor and putting their hands through walls, potentially against Chicago due to the city’s sectarian ties with Mil-
alerting the night watchmen to their presence. waukee. The last Wren heard from her, Honor was going
to meet some friends on Jones Island. Wren expected
J.W. was unable to find where the code was needed another of Honor’s friends to join the sub-basement
because he didn’t delve deeply enough into the bank. Un- communal haven following Honor’s departure, based on
known to him, the note he found wasn’t for Honor, but Honor telling her to expect a room-mate, but nobody
for one of her friends to whom she wanted to bequeath showed up.
her hidden haven in the bank’s flooded sub-basement.
The digital lock beside the door to the sub-basement Wren believes Honor fled the city because Decker’s
staircase still works, but as soon as one opens the door, affections for his childe had entered a perverse realm.
they’re faced with a rotting, half-collapsed staircase, and a When pushed, she admits her theory is probably based on
well of black water where the lake has entered the bank’s her own prejudices against the Prince.
lowest levels.
WREN
Entering the sub-basement requires submerging
oneself in dark, fetid water. Honor’s hidden haven is Sire: Peanut Whistle
nothing to shout about, as personal affects are absent, but Embraced: 2018 (Born 1997)
Ambition: Prove her worth to Milwaukee

92

Innocence in Blood

Convictions: Always help my friends INFORMANTS EVERYWHERE
Touchstones: Israel Rogowski, a personal friend Decker’s reputation implies the Kindred of his city
and sometime fuck buddy are under constant observation for defiance of his
Humanity: 6 law. But the question many vampires ask is how
Generation: 15th does Decker spy on Milwaukee’s Kindred so effec-
Blood Potency: 0 tively?
Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2; Cha- Milwaukee has had problems with rats, mice, rac-
risma 3, Manipulation 2, Composure 4; Intelligence coons, opossums, and a variety of pest birds for
3, Wits 2, Resolve 4 years, but their numbers have increased dramati-
Secondary Attributes: Health 5, Willpower 8 cally in the last decade. Decker has elevated other
Skills: Athletics 1, Craft (Painting) 4, Drive 2, Melee Gangrel and some Nosferatu to positions of prom-
1, Survival 2; Animal Ken 1, Etiquette 2, Insight 3, inence and used their skills, as well as his own, to
Persuasion 2, Subterfuge 1; Academics (Art) 4, nurture this wildlife population so his city has a con-
Awareness 2 stant surveillance system in force.
Disciplines: Thin-Blood Alchemy 1 The Storyteller can have wildlife present in almost
General Difficulties: 3/1 every scene with the PCs, making the characters
roll a Wits + Awareness roll (Difficulty 5) to notice
Deadly Meetings the hidden creatures. After the PCs spot one, the
Storyteller should tell the players that it now dawns
One of Decker’s laws sets down that vampires may on their characters how there’s been an over-abun-
not meet in groups of larger than five at any time, or else dance of urban scavengers close by every night,
become subject to the city Judges’ charges. This law may and then leave the players to draw their own con-
interfere with the PCs meeting other Kindred if they clusions.
don’t split up to make their coterie smaller, or unless
they’re particularly careful about where they go to meet ask for their opinions doesn’t just endanger those vam-
other vampires. Notably, meeting with other Kindred to pires — the system of informants reporting on each other
is so ingrained in Milwaukee that the interviewed vam-
pire is as likely to go to the Judges to talk about the large
coterie wandering around in contravention of the law as
they are to hide their involvement to protect their ass.

93

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To enforce the feeling of para- Disciplines: Animalism 3, Ob- If the PCs confront Tessa on
noia and observation in Milwaukee, fuscate 5, Potence 3, Presence 1 campus, she attempts to steer them
as the vampires take their leave from General Difficulties: 6/3 away from other students and faculty
a meeting with another vampire and into the gardens on the campus
where they exceeded the allotted Finding Tessa grounds. She certainly doesn’t want
meeting size, a Nosferatu named Sun- them entering her haven and threat-
down should reveal himself to have J.W. explains he hasn’t seen Tessa ens to call the Anubi if they try to
heard and seen everything, and be Greene (see p. XX) in some time, but violate her sacred space. It’s a bluff,
quite prepared to report their crime believes she hangs out at the Marque- but likely to make them think twice.
to Decker. He either shakes them tte Campus. She only attends the city If the coterie accompanies Tessa away
down for cash and future favors, or, court when the rulings concern Clan from the university, the Storyteller
if the coterie is sizeable and threaten- Tremere. Should the PCs be familiar should stress Tessa’s concerns about
ing, he offers them “a good turn,” ex- with other Kindred in Milwaukee, being watched, either by the Prince’s
plaining he won’t turn them in if they they can ask around about Tessa. A people or Lupines, the latter of
remember how friendly he’s been. successful Manipulation + Persuasion which often intrude on this part of
roll (Difficulty 3) reveals she occa- the city. Make the players roll a few
Sundown is a creeping pest of a sionally likes to party at one of the Wits + Awareness checks to fuel the
Nosferatu, his distorted yellow skull bulg- local clubs: The Cage. paranoia.
ing horribly as his long fingers constantly
play with the buttons on his leather jack- If the characters find Tessa, it Jump ahead to Tessa’s Thoughts
et. If the PCs attack him, he makes every requires a strong Manipulation + Per- if the player characters convince her
effort to flee using his skill in Obfuscate. suasion or Charisma + Intimidation to speak about her absent friend.
He then reports the PCs to the Judges, roll (both Difficulty 5) to convince
setting the Anubi on their tails. her to speak up about Honor’s where- The Cage
abouts.
SUNDOWN The Cage, an LGBTQ+ live
Marquette Campus music venue, has been a staple of the
Sire: Sebastian Marley Walkers Point district for many years.
The Marquette Campus covers Named aptly for the suspended cages
Embraced: 1934 (Born 1901) several city blocks off Wells Street, clubgoers can dance in, it has been a
in the north end of Milwaukee. highlight of the Milwaukee alter-
Ambition: Get the goods on Low income housing surrounds the native community for many years.
someone tonight university, with a mixture of students The music in the club varies from
and migrants making up the foot hard rock to pop remix, but they do
Convictions: Never back down traffic in this part of the city. There have house DJs and theme nights. If
from a deal are a couple of dorms on each block the coterie goes to find Tessa late at
and the buildings for the campus are night, they find her rocking in one
Touchstones: Dr. Munson — a beautiful, even if their style fell out of the club cages, clad in her studded
mortal working on a cure for of fashion in the 1990s. Tessa can be leathers as a pretty girl hangs on her
vampirism found on the campus early in the arm.
evening, either studying in the lan-
Humanity: 5 guages library or in her own student Convincing Tessa to come down
housing. Finding out about Tessa’s from the cage, which is accessible via
Generation: 8th academic interests takes a Manipula- a narrow gantry, is easier said than
tion + Investigation roll (Difficulty 3) done. Her first response is to ignore
Blood Potency: 3 when interacting with a Kindred who the PCs, her second is to flip them
knows her. Tracing her haven requires the bird, and her third is to send her
Attributes: Strength 2, Dexter- an Intelligence + Investigation roll vessel of the evening out to tell the
ity 5, Stamina 2; Charisma 4, (Difficulty 3), with the Difficulty characters to piss off. This is Tessa’s
Manipulation 5, Composure 3; reduced if the PCs check university night off, and she doesn’t want other
Intelligence 2, Wits 4, Resolve 2 records online or physically, as Tessa vampires cramping it.
has yet to adopt a Mask and still
Secondary Attributes: Health resides under her own name. A mention of Honor’s name is
5, Willpower 5 enough to get her to climb out and
angrily address the coterie. She won’t
Skills: Athletics 3, Brawl 1, Craft attempt to hold a conversation in The
(Cameras) 3, Melee 1; Animal
Ken (Raccoons) 4, Intimidation
2, Persuasion (Blackmail) 4,
Subterfuge 3; Awareness 3,
Investigation 2, Politics 1

94

Innocence in Blood

Cage, suggesting they head to the al- a plane or train. Her daddy has those lake water clean while draining the
ley out back. Once there, she shoves transport networks locked down seasonal rainwater safely out of the
one of the PCs against the wall and tight. I guess she could have headed city. A quick look around reveals a
requires a calming influence, such as toward St. Louis, though I heard it retention pond, industrial factories,
via a Manipulation + Persuasion roll fell to the Second Inquisition, or and a large tunnel opening by the
(Difficulty 5). If not, everything she the city elders destroyed every other shoreline leading toward the city.
says is hostile and brimming with vampire there to resist the Beckon- Because it is a government facility,
the threat of violence. ing. There’s always Indianapolis, but it is hard to get into the buildings
I have no clue if she has any friends on Jones Island, requiring a Manip-
Tessa does not like having her down there.” ulation + Subterfuge roll (Difficulty
private existence being subject to 4) to justify entry or Wits + Stealth
interruption. Once they are done questioning (Difficulty 4) to manage it without
Tessa, she suggests they get bent and detection.
Tessa’s Thoughts leaves their company.
The Facility
If the coterie successfully Jones Island
persuades Tessa to open up about Mortal workers operate the
Honor, she has the following to say, Jones Island is an industrialized sanitation facilities and small docks
based on their questions: peninsula off the lakefront of Mil- on Jones Island day and night, and
WHAT IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP waukee, containing waste treatment perhaps due to the drudgery of their
WITH HONOR? plants, sanitation facilities, docks, work, they react with alarm upon
and numerous underground passages seeing anyone out of place on the
“Honor is my girl, okay? She rumored to be the old territory of island. A foreman boldly approaches
saved me from my Beast more times the former Nosferatu Primogen, any PCs walking around in plain
than I can count. We used to go out Parovich. sight and asks them their business.
dancing, pick up randos for late- Unless they succeed on a Wits +
night snacks. She put me at ease, While Lupines target much of Subterfuge roll (Difficulty 3) to
which takes some doing.” the city, the lakefront has not seen come up with a convincing lie, she
HOW DID HONOR CROSS THE as much activity. Access points to summons security to escort them
PRINCE? the area are few, and it can easily away. Alternatively, the coterie may
become a tactical nightmare to opt for stealth, requiring a Dexterity
“You mean other than being travel through due to machinery and + Stealth roll (Difficulty 3) to avoid
the childe of the biggest dictator workers laboring twenty-four hours mortal notice.
in North America? From what I a day on the docks. The logistics of
was able to piece together from an assault on Jones Island’s few vam- There’s nothing in the way of
the blood tears and panic attacks, pires might be putting the Lupines records or evidence showing that
some mortal got her on video doing off, or it could have something to do Honor Mercer has ever been here,
something funky. I honestly think it with the monster stalking this spit but speaking with some of the work-
could be explained away easily, but of land. ers with a successful Charisma + Per-
with her daddy’s issues and her daddy suasion roll (Difficulty 2) or bribing
issues, she’s rightfully worried. Maybe The numerous parking lots on them reveals that they think a group
there’s more to it than that, but if the opposite end of the bridge to of deadbeats are meeting up in one
there is, she never told me.” Jones Island are used primarily by of the tunnels running underneath
WHERE DID HONOR GO? college students and dock workers, Jones Island to shoot up drugs and
the former of whom take a bus to spray graffiti. They always emerge
“Listen, asshole. A friend the nearby campus. Jones Island can pale and looking dead, at any rate.
doesn’t just rat out a friend’s hiding be reached any time of year, either
place, even if Decker’s tugging your through the security booth at its The Tunnels
leash. It doesn’t matter, anyhow. I bridge entrance, via wading through
guessed she was leaving, but she nev- the sandbar, or walking over the Entering the tunnel indicated
er told me where she was going. My ice floe in the winter months. Jones by the Jones Island worker requires a
guess would be a city close enough Island holds the water sanitation Strength + Brawl roll (Difficulty 3) to
where the Camarilla don’t have a plant for the city and entrance to pry open the safety grating, or the use of
strong presence, and somewhere she the Deep Tunnel Project, which runs
could reach in a car or bus instead of under the city and helps keep the

95

LET THE STREETS RUN RED

Potence to smash the grate open. The smell of dampness and DO YOU KNOW HONOR MERCER?
mold is prominent inside, even to non-breathing vampires, and “Honor? Yeah, we know her. Anton Nettum in-
the floor is slick with a green slime, making running difficult.
The cement pipes have a constant trickle of water flowing troduced her to us. She came looking for help getting
through them and debris washes easily past. out of the city. We helped however we could, but she
endangered our group just by being close. She’s a good
The PCs arrive at a fork in the tunnel and must kid, but she never should have been Embraced. She’s too
decide on which way to go. Graffiti lines the tunnel, but an innocent.”
Intelligence + Streetwise roll (Difficulty 4) indicates they’re WHY DID HONOR MERCER FLEE?
Kindred street marks (see Vampire: The Masquerade, p. 322).
The art resembles a hole smashed through a door and the “She was deathly afraid of her sire. We guessed he’d
tags are stylized anarchy symbols. If anyone succeeds at iden- turned away from the Camarilla and she figured it out.
tifying the marks, they know these ones are commonly used It wouldn’t take much for that douche to go all out for
as rallying points for disaffected Kindred. The other tunnel himself. She never said though.”
leads to a quiet passage apparently heading into the city. Any WHERE DID HONOR GO? (REQUIRES A THREAT)
vampires heading this way may make a Wits + Awareness
roll (Difficulty 2) to recognize the roaring sound of water up “Jesus, fine! Indianapolis, an Anarch-held city.
ahead. It takes a Dexterity + Athletics or Strength + Athletics It’s the safest she could be, all things considered. She’d
roll (both Difficulty 4) to avoid or withstand the tide of dirty already hooked up with some Kindred from Indy and
water, which will otherwise wash them into an adjacent just needed to arrange transport. Our coterie has ties to a
drain and out to the waste treatment plant. shipping company and can get people across the Mid-
west if needed. Go to SVT and ask for Mike if you don’t
If the PCs decide to follow the tunnel marked with believe us. He’s in the know. I’ll even let him know you’re
the symbol, they start hearing voices echoing indistinctly coming.”
through the passage ahead. If they continue forward, they WHO IS MIKE?
start catching fragments of conversation: “I don’t trust...”,
“Decker is out of his...”, “dangerous in the city now...”, and “A mortal or ghoul, I don’t know. He seems to have
“illegal meeting…” a lead on what we are. His payment seems weird, but it’s
fair. He takes people where they need to go.”
If the PCs choose to advance, they must each make ARE YOU ANARCHS?
a Dexterity + Stealth roll (Difficulty 5) to avoid notice in
the echoing tunnel. Successful creeping allows the coterie “Absolutely not. We’re Camarilla Kindred through
to hear the group discussing the eventual overthrow of and through, all introduced to Prince Decker, all with the
Decker and installation of an Anarch Baron. This kind of right to exist in Milwaukee. Don’t worry, buddy: we know
information is valuable, but not easy to obtain due to the calling yourself an Anarch here is a death sentence.”
conditions prohibiting stealth here. Any failed attempt
gets the group noticed. It is apparent to the coterie Should the coterie choose to join the secret group
that nobody within the room ahead wants a fight. Ten and earn their trust, they learn the coterie is made up
Kindred stand in this underground tunnel, each looking of many Kindred who were either branded or had their
frightened about their discovery. territories stripped from them for infractions of varying
weight. Anton Nettum (see p. XX) is one of their number,
Several questions the group in the tunnel may ask but they don’t trust him enough to reveal where Honor
the coterie are “Why are you here?” “What are you look- Mercer went. The PCs may well report the large gather-
ing for?” “What led you here?” “What is your allegiance ing for Anarch behavior or simply exceeding the limit
to Prince Decker?” The group of Kindred are nervous imposed in Decker’s Law, for which the Prince will show
around the PCs and it takes thorough convincing to get gratitude with a trivial boon. Then, the accused Kindred
them to talk. They calm down if a PC makes a success- will find themselves brought before the city court.
ful Charisma + Leadership roll (Difficulty 3), but won’t
answer questions about Honor’s whereabouts without Exploring Grant Park
successful threats using Wits + Intimidation (Difficulty 3)
of Decker’s reprisals should they remain quiet. Grant Park is right off the lakefront. It features walking
paths that meander through the forests and down to the
TEN IS SLIGHTLY HIGHER THAN DECKER’S LAW beaches. J.W. can give directions or transport the group to
ALLOWS, ISN’T IT? Grant Park, although he lets them know that this area has
recently had a lot of Lupine activity, so best to be careful.
“Look, we know we aren’t supposed to be meeting in
large groups. But how else are we supposed to organize to
keep the city safe? None of these rules make sense.”

96

Carved Symbols The Wolves’ Den

The park entrance has a German-style covered bridge Following the pathways deeper into the park is a
with etchings in it. Upon close inspection, the coterie can dangerous proposition, as Lupines are stalking the area
see the words, “Enter this wildwood and view the haunts at this time. Luckily for the coterie, their kinfolk are
of nature.” As they wander the path, they move farther scouting ahead, and werewolf kin are not shapeshifting
and farther from the city lights. Eventually, they disap- warriors possessing inhuman strength and endurance.
pear behind the tree line, leaving their vision engulfed in
darkness. The pathway continues through the woods, and On a Wits + Awareness roll (Difficulty 4), the vampires
rock formations become visible from the pathway. spy four adults in camos creeping through the park, checking
the ground, stopping to look through infrared binoculars,
Should the coterie decide to explore their surroundings and occasionally blowing into apparently silent whistles.
closely, they must make a Wits + Investigation roll (Difficulty These individuals are kinfolk, though without Auspex it’s
3). If they are successful, the coterie can see carvings on the impossible to tell them apart from regular humans. Occa-
trees. Some look like faces carved into the sides, others are sionally they whisper to each other, and in the silence of the
signs and symbols. An Intelligence + Craft roll (Difficulty 2) night it’s possible to hear them say, “Those leeches escaped us
makes it clear the symbols are newly carved, and an Intelli- last time, but they won’t get out this time.”
gence + Occult roll (Difficulty 4, unless one of the characters
is of the Ministry in which case it’s an automatic success) The kinfolk are specifically looking for any occupants
reveals the symbols resemble the Ministry’s preferred of the park who don’t register on their infrared goggles.
iconography. On an Intelligence + Politics roll (Difficulty 4), They know this park has been used recently by Kindred,
this information might strike the PCs as odd, as there are no and hope to catch some vampires in the act of hunting so
recognized members of that clan in Milwaukee. they can make an example of an undead leech or two. The
coterie will need to use stealth if they wish to evade the
Though Honor is not present in the park, it’s appar- kinfolk, with a Wits + Stealth roll (Difficulty 4) most likely,
ent that someone acquainted with the Ministry has been. as the vampires are best off hiding and letting these track-

97

LET THE STREETS RUN RED

ers pass. If the kinfolk spot the coterie, KANGAROO COURT
they blow their whistles and summon To emphasize the brutality of the Milwaukee police state domain, J.W.
three werewolves from deeper in the should invite the coterie to attend the city court one night that they’re in the
park (use the Lupine Warrior, Lupine city, or, if they’ve not been introduced to the Prince, a coterie of vampires
Spirit-Talker, and Lupine Pack Leader comprising Sundown (p. XX), Tessa (p. XX), and Wren (p. XX) attempts to
stats from p. XX). The kinfolk fall seize them for a crime against the domain.
back in this case. Once in the city court, held amid cargo containers at the docks, the PCs
either witness a character being judged harshly, with nobody asked to
If the characters evade the kin- speak in the accused’s defense, or are on the receiving end of such a
folk, they may pass through the park trial. The Judges ostensibly act in the best interests of Milwaukee, with the
without incident. However, they may majority of punishments being brandings, stripping of territory, exile, or
choose to murder these werewolf kin destruction.
to earn favor with the rest of the city Storytellers should highlight to the PCs how the vampire they witness be-
or interrogate one on the subject of ing tried declares their complete innocence, but Decker’s court doesn’t
these other vampires supposedly in show an ounce of care. If Sundown, Felicia, Tessa, or Wren have been
Grant Park. A captive kinfolk knows encountered in this story, one of them makes for a suitable victim. If the
little about their objective, beyond PCs are on the receiving end, it’s a good excuse for them to roleplay their
vampires their elders refer to as justifications for whatever real or imagined crime they’re accused of.
“snake-heads” meeting here “a couple
of weeks ago to lure some desperate to visit the following locations and The art museum offers stunning
new leech away to Indianapolis.” explore them. Many of the places in views of Lake Michigan, though they
Milwaukee are haunted, or at least as- are of course at their best during the
The kinfolk know nothing else sumed to be, but mortal examination day. At nighttime, the expanse of
and don’t recognize Honor’s name of the supernatural in this domain blackness captures the Beasts of any
or description. They’ll act proud and hasn’t reached beyond conspiracy the- vampires who take the time to stare,
defiant until a vampire displays their orists and home-grown ghost hunters. calming any Kindred close to fren-
gifts, at which point the kinfolk lash- To date, neither FIRSTLIGHT nor zy. While Lasombra have in the past
es out and attempts to flee. any other vampire-killing group have explained this is a natural communion
given Milwaukee much consideration. between darkness and the Beast, one of
LUPINE KINFOLK the city’s former Malkavian inhabitants
The Milwaukee — the methuselah named Jacob —
Attributes: Strength 3, Dexter- Art Museum stated it’s because a vampire possessing
ity 4, Stamina 4; Charisma 2, great facility to pacify the Beasts of oth-
Manipulation 2, Composure 3; The Milwaukee Art Museum, ers lurks in the water and stares back.
Intelligence 2, Wits 3, Resolve 2 also known as the Calatrava, was
designed and built by a Spanish The Rave
Secondary Attributes: Health architect with the intent to create a
7, Willpower 5 building that resembles a bird flying The Fraternal Order of the
over the lake during the day. The Eagles — a non-profit organization
Skills: Athletics 4, Brawl 2, museum hosts a great many works of of art patrons established in the late
Drive 2, Firearms 3, Melee 2, art, from contemporary and classical 19th century — constructed and de-
Stealth 3, Survival (Urban) 4; pieces to complicated installments signed this grand building to serve as
Animal Ken 1, Intimidation 2, which invite audience interaction. a ballroom, gymnasium, and meeting
Leadership 1, Persuasion 1, Sub- place for members of their group.
terfuge 2; Awareness 2, Investi- The Milwaukee Art Museum was Back then it wasn’t called the Rave,
gation 3, Occult 1, Technology 2 once the city’s primary Elysium, but these but the Toreador who influenced its
nights neutral ground is a myth and only grandeur — the now-torpid Louis
General Difficulties: 4/2 the city’s scant Toreador and Malkavians Detonas — would remember its past
meet here. The PCs might meet Luci- even as he manipulated its future.
Other Places to na here, or could find an unexpected
Visit in Milwaukee Kindred such as Felicia Page (see p. XX) In the 1980s the building fell
looking for respite in the museum. into disrepair and Louis purchased it
Milwaukee has a rich history.
Should the coterie decide they wish
to stay for some time, they may wish

98

Innocence in Blood

from the Order. The Toreador mod- the hotel served as the location for at bridges for large boats to pass under-
ernized it and converted the struc- least one of Jeffrey Dahmer’s mur- neath, rowing teams practicing in the
ture’s many rooms into a six-tiered ders. The hotel is still in use today, summer, and families of migratory birds
music venue. The Rave contains though most of the rooms Dahmer making their way through the city.
two main stage areas and several occupied are closed to the public. The
bars with smaller stages. Bands both hotel itself is rather small, not much Naturally, the Riverwalk also has
local and famous get their start here, bigger than a three-story apartment its fair share of thieves and vandals
and many still return to perform in building. set on ruining the businesses and the
the venue, irrespective of their star feeling of safety this area attempts to
power. A pool area in the Rave’s The hotel was restored in the exude. One gang reports to Akawa of
basement proves popular for parties early 2000s and reflects Milwaukee’s the Anubi, as the Prince has reward-
of inebriated celebrities even tonight. history in its stylings. It serves as a ed his long service with part of the
Known in the music community for good location for traveling Kindred walk as territory. Akawa hasn’t yet
its unique acoustics, the Rave is said to use as a temporary haven, as it realized that his servants’ actions are
to be haunted, its perfect echoes pur- is low-key despite its grisly reputa- depreciating the area’s value.
portedly the songs of the dead. tion. Anastasia of Clan Nosferatu
sleeps in the hotel laundry room and The coterie has a good chance
Every one of the Rave’s interior has in recent years hired a series of of meeting Lucina, a Toreador who
walls is lined with posters of concerts construction crews to connect her owns a gallery off the Riverwalk and
hosted at the club, some dating back haven to the city sewers through a who sponsored some of the art along
to times before the current owner- series of tunnels and drops. Anton the pathway. She is always willing to
ship. An Intelligence + Streetwise roll Nettum (see p. XX) also stays here help if the price is right. She has ties
(Difficulty 3) even allows the PCs to when residing in Milwaukee for short to some of the other businesses in the
spot Baby Chorus — Chicago’s chief durations. He recognizes the value of area and can help make connections
vampiric musical export — in a pride sharing a haven. with influential mortals. Lucina does
of place over the main bar. know Honor and has an interest in
Mortals and vampires report keeping her safe. “Her innocence is some-
The city’s few Bahari enjoy hearing music from the hotel walls thing this city needs. With as vulnerable
frequenting the Rave, especially every night. While most ascribe this as the city is currently, sometimes you
since Louis’ recent slump into torpor. to the nearby Rave, when checked, need someone who has a soft touch to give
Detonas was apparently so incensed the music doesn’t line up and often a better perspective on things.”
when Prince Decker declared that no seems to come from a different time
club should be controlled by a single or genre. To date, no one has deter- In the Third Ward area of the
Kindred that he spat on the Prince, mined the source of this phantom Riverwalk, the coterie may be able
cursed him in French, and vowed to music. to smell burning gunpowder and feel
wake again once this folly of a praxis the earth tremor beneath their feet.
came to an end. For their part, the Milwaukee Riverwalk
Bahari enjoy the music and surround GANG MEMBERS
themselves with mortals who can lose The Milwaukee Riverwalk was
themselves to the pulsating beat. This built to encourage new businesses Standard Dice Pools: Physical
is a good place for PCs to meet Bahari to open in the lakefront area. Many 5, Social 2, Mental 4
Kindred for the first time, or connect local artists contributed to the walk,
with existing contacts within the group. making it a visually appealing area to Secondary Attribute: Health
explore. Aside from a Bronze Fonz, 6, Willpower 4
If the PCs ask the bartenders there are also statues of one of Mil-
about Honor Mercer or describe her waukee’s longest surviving family line Exceptional Dice Pools: Brawl
to them, they acknowledge she used of ducks and their matron, “Gerdie.” 6, Larceny 6; Intimidation 5,
to come in weekly to hang out, always Streetwise 4
leaving with different guys and girls. The Riverwalk stretches from
She’s not been in for a week, at least. Brewer’s Hill, where several brewing Special: Akawa’s gang mem-
companies have their headquarters, bers tend to equip themselves
The Ambassador Hotel through to the Theatre District and with knives and chains (both +1
into the Third Ward. It’s a long walk, damage). While they’re distant
The Ambassador Hotel is right but there’s a great deal to explore along from their vampire master, his
down the street from the Rave and it. People also still use the river itself edict has always been “no guns
bears a dark history. In the 1980s, to travel through the city, with raising on the Riverwalk.”

General Difficulties: 3/1

99