Journal Entry 2: The Red Lamb Inn

1444 (at sea)
Mordecai de Firenze

I stare out at the blackness of the sea. I know neither what lies ahead nor why I go so willingly. I find myself contemplating my motivations to take this journey. I trust not the person who asked me to go on this journey--much less the reason he so readily provided. Was it the lightly veiled threat he gave as I took the invitation? Is it the blood on my hands crying out, the ghosts of my conscience making me flee? I know little. Yet I find myself standing on the prow of a ship headed east, to endure a few more days travel on horseback. As I look ahead through all the uncertainty, I feel a nagging fear for my life, and as proposterous as it may sound... I feel as if my very own soul was in danger of being devoured.

I stare out at the blackness of the sea, like a dark maw gaping wide to swallow me whole.

April 3rd, 1444

I arrived at the inn of the Red Lamb along with my retainer Khalid just as the sun set on the horizon. Guides employed by the Giovanni helped us make our way from Florence to the Carpathian region. The trip on land proved to be uneventful, but tiring nonetheless. I offered to pay the guides' services but they declined.

We were welcomed by the innkeep, Sigismund. He knew my name. Whether he knew more than that he would not say. Seems he was employed by the Giovanni's to welcome their guests. I asked a few questions but did not get anything worth noting down. I met some of the other guests invited by our mysterious host: A storyteller, a drunk, some weapon makers, a priest, an english lord with his aide and some others. Other than being invited to a "dinner" by the Giovanni's I did not see any other thread that binds us together. I spend some time talking to the priest Alessandro but he was as in the dark as i was so to speak.

One person of note would be that beggar-woman sitting by herself. She wasnt bothering anyone in the inn. I had Sigismund bring her food. She thanked us kindly enough. What struck me as odd was for a beggar she didnt seem at all interested in her food. It was as if she was waiting for something.

I offered to pay Sigismund for the woman's food and for the second time this night I was declined. It seems that the Giovanni are paying their people well. But when did working men ever turn down a chance to earn some extra coin? This had me wondering what kind of masters the Giovanni were.

The candles shed their sickly light in the Red Lamb Inn. While nothing remarkable happened, I could not shake the unease that settled like lead in the pit of my stomach. Maybe it was the days travelling here, maybe it was the gloom of the night, but everything didnt seem as it should. Everything seemed to be out of place.

I went up to my room. Khalid stands watch by the door as i write this entry. What awaits us tomorrow?

Game Review 2: It was Torture!

Last Sunday, I ran the 2nd session of the Giovanni Choricles for my friends at the office. Although my players said they had a good time, I felt that I was severely lacking in making the experience more detailed. I have to admit that part of it was due to exhaustion. Unlike the previous game, I was playing several different characters extensively. And the players asked some questions that I found it difficult to answer. Here are some highlights:

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- After having been rounded up by the Founders, all but 1 of the Children of the Conspiracy (CotC), was active; Father Alessandro, an NPC, surrendered and was left unmolested.

- Mordecai, Faolan, Lucy and Wilfred were all beaten into torpor; Raven was staked. The other guests had died...at least, that's what they all thought.

- First revived was Raven, then Mordecai, Faolan, Wilfred and Lucy. The order came about by assigning numbers to the people and rolling a die. Not really scientific, I know but it worked out fine.

- Raven was in shock; Mordecai was acting hysterical (good job Karlo!); Faolan was desparate to escape; Wilfred was in mourning for the death of his lord; Lucy, however, didn't wake up immediately. Unlike the rest, when she was fed blood, she awoke a few minutes after.

- The scene with the sunlight didn't turn out well, at least for me. Though they understood it's significance, I felt I hadn't played it to full impact. The Brujah was directly in line of it; due to his Potence, he was able to break the hooks attaching the chains to the wall. However, he was not free as the others were tied to him. All he did was have Lucy and Raven stretch their arms uncomfortably.

- Because Wilfred's player had a shift then, we had to improvise. We decided that Wilfred had been beaten back into torpor during the torture session.

- The book indicated that during the individual torture scene, Hardestadt would be the chief inquisitor. I decided to change it by having each of the Founders take charge for each of the torture sessions like the harrowings. How I paired them off was pretty random. Unlike the vignettes in Casa Giovanni, I didn't have the players choose who among the Founders they wanted to be tortured by.

- The first to be tortured was Alessandro. Since he was an NPC, I simply gave the other players the impression he was in pain by the screams and moans emenating from the torture chamber.

- Like Tobie, my mentor, I decided to give the players to understand how their actions can affect the lives of other people. Faolan mentioned that Roderigo was the one who brought them to Claudius's castle. Hardestadt had him dragged to the torture chamber where they heard him screaming until he "died".

- First tortured among the PCs was Mordecai. Like a true Ventrue, he kept his cool and tried to find ways to make himself valuable. His torturer was Hardestadt, who found his attempts at brokering laughable but interesting.

- Lucy was retrieved by Camilla Banes. Because they both suffered from a multiple personality, I thought it to be quite apt. Here, I showed Hardestadt displeasure in dealing with Malkavians, giving Camilla a good reason to be the one asking questions. Mina, Lucy's alternate personality, appears and makes comments about the Founders present. What she does not realize is that Camilla's sadistic personality can see her, corners her and asks the same questions the one with Lucy asks.

- Mina found an opportunity to get out of the situation unscathed by cooperating and telling them everything she knows, much to Lucy's chargrin. As a "reward," Mina is pushed into Lucy's body while Lucy is locked away - reversing their normal arrangement; Mina was now in control. Joan did a pretty good job of portraying Mina with just a few suggestions from myself.

- Faolan seemed to be ready to throw in his lot with the Founders, offering them his fealty for a chance to kill Marchettus, his sire. Josef, the Nosferatu founder, could not help but ridicule him and accuse him of being dishonorable.

- Rafael "tortured" Raven with seduction. This was the hardest session as I wasn't sure Maybelle, the player, would react to it. Luckily enough, she seemed to share Raven's disappointment at not being able to find release. Hardestadt found Rafael's technique to be ineffective.

- After each torture session, the Children were brought to another dungeon. When a new PC was brought to be tortured, Hardestadt was described to have been brushing away ash or wiping away blood to give the impression that the previous victim had suffered final death.

- After the last victim had been tortured, Mordecai mentioned to alessandro that the Founders were less inclined to torture the female sex than the male sex. Perhaps. But there is more than one way to skin a cat. Hehehe!

- As Roderigo helped the CotC get cleaned up, he answered their questions regarding Kindred in general. Mordecai was infuriated that Roderigo had pretended to be tortured. But then, Roderigo explained, he did not have much of a choice. Like the OOC reason, it was a test to gauge the characters to find out if they were telling the truth.

- Before being sent to the Conspiracy of Isaac (CoI), I allowed the players an opportunity to talk to other characters as a way for them to put player and character knowledge at more or less the same level.

- Mordecai chose to speak to Hardestadt and Durga Syn. The former in order to learn what it means to be Ventrue. The latter, to get an idea of what they needed to do. In both instances, the answers were not what he expected. Hardestadt demonstrated how Kindred were made to rule over men through the gifts of Caine. Whereas Durga Syn spoke to him of

- Raven/Blyss chose to speak to Rafael and Milov. I chose to make the meetings opposite from one another. Whereas Rafael exhibited the importance of being a "modern" Kindred by having her dressed up, Milov showed that all Kindred were animals deep inside and that dressing up was just their way of moving among their prey.

- Faolan spoke to Adana and Durga Syn. The latter was to get an idea of what it means to be Brujah. I was afraid that Dennis, Faolan's player, may end up patterning his character into a stereotypical Brujah rather than being his own person. As for Durga Syn/Synovea, Dennis was in for a surprise when she mentions that his son is still alive.

- Lucy's discussion with Synovea became a philosophical debate about good and evil. The old crone makes mention of the story of Caine and Abel, revealing to her that the first murder was not borne of jealousy but love. And that Caine's sin was not murder but pride.

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I had intended to have the game encompass act 2, from the moment the characters are captured by the Founders until their decision on which side of the conflict to be on. However, the characters spent a lot of time talking to the Founders and Durga Syn to get an idea of who they are and what they are.

I didn't mind really. It gave me a chance to explain the game to them further. But I was also hesitant about giving them too much information. I didn't want to limit their choices or follow a set path simply because that was expected of them.

Still, it turned out great. The next game looks to be just as wonderful.

Journal Entry 1: The Arrival

April 2, 1444
Alessandro di Rossi

The invitation warned not to arrive early. One would have thought of it as an advisory, surrounded with flowery letters and perfumed paper. But for someone in my profession, one must learn to read between the lines. And what I learned was most intriguing.

I arrived at the Red Lamb Inn just before sundown. The proprietor, Sigismund, was surprised to learn I was a guest of the Lord Claudius Giovanni. He had been told that we would be arriving on the 3rd. Immediately, he set about cleaning the main room and cooking the stew. Though I protested and said it was unnecessary, he continued on.

He showed me to my room when I asked for a place to rest. It was small and spare, but not rundown as the inns I had passed on my way here from the Holy Land. The travel had been long and weary. I decided to take a nap after washing up.

I awoke a few candlemarks later; I hadn't meant to fall asleep so deeply. I suppose the journey was taxing. The sun had completely set and the moon had just risen. Below, I could hear people talking, though their voices were subdued, almost whispering. Dressed in my cassock, I went down to the common room to eat and learn more of my host from the common folk. However, conversation soon died when they realized there was a stranger in their midst.

Smiling as friendly as I could, I sat in a quiet corner and waited for Sigismund to arrive with a bowl of stew. All eyes were on me in those few moments. I think I understood what Moses must have felt when he returned to Egypt. When Sigismund arrived with the food, I began to eat heartily; conversation among the other occupants of the tavern began once again since I seemed no more than a priest.

I say this because I overheard an old man sigh in relief. They all assumed I did not understand Slavic. I did not correct them as this kind of assumption has served me well over the years, especially in my travels. It allows me to know what people truly feel, since they may be intimidated to talk to a man of the Church.

Bits and pieces of conversation drifted from the farmers and shopkeepers. Most were regarding the coming harvest and the safety of roads between here and Wallachia. Tradesmen could not travel south as the war between Christians and Moors had reached Transylvania. Hunyadi's plea of support from the Holy Roman Empire remained unheeded.

I was told the reason why and it makes me ill knowing that this was a political move by the Holy See. Just as my move to Prague came as a result of it; I was tasked to monitor the political situation and ensure that Hunyadi remained pressed for support. As if by divine Providence, I was given that opportunity.

The invitation came a few months ago by messenger. Claudius Giovanni, Earl of Stavlachia, requested my presence for dinner. To what purpose, I did not know. I had the vaguest feeling that he was interested in me as I was in his political leanings. As a native of Italy, I know of the Giovanni and the considerable wealth they have accumulated. Wealth they have used to buy land and acquire titles. I also know of less savory rumors.

Though peasants are prone to exaggerate, I found their stories similar to those told in my native land. Servants from the Giovanni manse are known to become sick with a wasting disease. This is usually evidenced by a deathly pallor due to an imbalance of humors. Most of the prominent members of the family exhibit this. They also share an aversion to sunlight. As a result, they have become more nocturnal.

One would think that this would put a strain in their business dealings and day to day activities. But due to their considerable financial clout, people are more than willing to do business with them regardless if it night or day.

Finishing the stew, I felt I had learned more than enough for the night. The Cardinal may be interested to know of these things, especially the rumors being similar here as they are in Italy. I felt it best to retire to my room and draft a letter to him.

Game Review 1: Dinner was a Success!

As the title will tell you, the first Act of Book 1 of the Giovanni Chronicles was a success. The dinner guests are now vampires, hastily Embraced by their sires to aid in their escape. The Founders, seeking to capture the Conspiracy of Isaac, have instead captured their childer.

Suffice to say, I didn't follow the book to the letter. I didn't feel it would be right to restrict my players to it. However, they pretty much followed the path set for them. Here are some highlights and changes I made:

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- The dinner guests were 13 in all: 5 of them NPCs, 5 of them PCs and the rest were companions of the latter. I didn't follow the book in choosing only those living in and around the Carpathians as I felt this would restrict my player's character concepts. Most of the players came from England, strangely enough. The rest were scattered as far off as Jerusalem. Also, I didn't make the guests individual, some came with other guests.

- Shri Yantra, played by Maricor Dumlao, was not able to join the game due to time restictions. I am hoping she can catch up in the 2nd book so I can integrate her then.

- Instead of Lothar coming in on April 3 to talk to the guests, I had him arrive on April 4. It seemed more appropriate this way rather than how it was written in the book. Though it would change certain scenes, the character still managed to annoy the PC - Mordecai (played by Karlo), specifically.

- Mordecai almost lost his invitation due to 2 reasons: his objections to Lothar's treatment of Brother Clement (as he grew up with monks) and his insistence that he bring his manservant, Khalid. Lothar's response to the latter was that there was not enough room in the carriage but "your servant may run along beside it, if you wish."

- Faolan ordering ale was...unexpected. I did not know if beer had been invented or if it were available in the Carpathians. Sigismund, the innkeeper of the Red Lamb Inn, declined his request. But later, thinking that this was in a way, his last meal, I decided otherwise. But I didn't know how to make it available now. So I thought to rename it "Pale Pilsen". This brought no small amount of laughter from the other players that resulted in the Chronicale being nicknamed "The Pale Pilsen Chronicles".

- A fight almost broke out between Faolan and Godwin, the latter was Raven's "date" to the dinner. This was due to the fact that Faolan hated the English. It was a good thing though that Faolan had been drinking way too much pale pilsen. It resulted with him having tripped and knocked off conscious.

- The 4 NPCs that rounded out the cast were characters in my other game with TROPA. I decided to use them as it would be easier for me to play them rather than create whole new characters.

- The harrowings of the characters were changed slightly to accomodate their unique histories. Raven's harrowing with Dimitra centered on the latter's discovery of Raven being a woman and her disgust at her having to hide her sex. While Mordecai was questioned about nobility by Jadviga, but using Lady Amisa's vignette. Faolan's scene with Marchetus and Wilfred's scene with Wencesalas remained unchanged.

- Lucy's harrowing in the hands of Theopana was the hardest as it did not describe anything specific other than triggering the madness. Hence, I decided to have Theopana look for Mina, Lucy's "imaginary friend". This invovled speaking in a girlish voice asking Mina to "come out and play" while inclining my head from one side to the other. Though the other players looked disturbed, Lucy's player, Joan, looked fascinated.

- My first mistake was reading Claudius' dialogue from the book. I think it would have been better had I simply said the gist of it all: "You are our dinner and now it's time to chow down." That would have made it more terifying, I think. Rather than looking to the book every so often.

- When the Founders attacked, the player characters were in the process of transforming. As soon as they awoke, most of them frenzied since they only had a blood point in them. Two characters died as a result: Godwin and Guilliame were diablarized by Raven and Wilfred. Santiago and Harad died at the hands of Milov, with more than 8 levels of Aggravated damage. Wilfred's lord, Humphrey, died while escaping.

- Raven was staked by Roderigo, Lucy and Faolan were beaten into torpor by Adana and Hardestadt, Mordecai and Wilfred were subdued by Milov. Alessandro surrendered peacefully.

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I'm currently in the process of getting my players to write journal entries to chronicle what happens int he game. So far, everyone is open to the suggestion. To make it easier, I'm assigning a particular player/character to write a scene. That way, I don't have to make them write entry after entry. The only problem now is who will best be suited for the scene.

Also, Joan and Karl are pretty good artists. I'm hoping to scan some pictures online so we can exhibit their works here. I've commissioned them to draw character portraits and certain scenes - especially the memorable ones. Here's hoping this takes off and keeps flying.

Game Review: The Prelude

Last Saturday, I ran the Prelude Scenes for the players of my Giovanni Chronicles at the 5th floor pantry of my office. The venue wasn't really conducive to the mood as it was bright and noisy. People were wondering what we were doing, especially with our raised voices talking about crossbows, armor and religion. Not really the kind of subject you should be hearing from call center agents.

I have one problem that I must solve in order to run the game “right”. That problem can be summed up in one word: SCHEDULING. Since my players have different shifts and day-offs, it’s hard to get them all together in one room for an hour or so. Also, I’m not always available to run the game for them as I have my own schedule for work and my own games. The only reason I was able to run it was because the TROPA (my original gaming group) had postponed our games. Tobie, our Storyteller, was in Cebu on a vacation for a week’s time.

As this is my first time to run an official game, I thought I should record it for posterity. The article herein will either be what has happened in the game and my thoughts/comments regarding its progress. And it is my hope that I am able to see it through the end - whatever the end might be.

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- Mordecai Di Firenze is visited by Ambrogino Giovanni who has commissioned the scribe to copy a mysterious text. Mordecai is curious to know more about the text, namely because his patron has paid him a substantial amount for his discretion. Khalid, his manservant, has misgivings about the Italian and warns his master not to deal with him.

- Faolan Macgowan is a soldier figthing against the English under the command of Lord Duncan. He is a celebrated hero of his people for the strong but light armor he has made. That is, until a druidess attemtpts to assasinate his lord. A follower of the druidic ways himself, Faolan decides to defend the woman and learn her reasons for wanting Lord Duncan dead. Hadrian, Duncan's second-in-command, has never trusted Faolan because of his beliefs. Those beliefs may well put him next in line for execution.

- Lucy Sommers sneaks away from her sister's wedding preparations. She is overwhelmed by the voices only she seems to hear. She runs out to a clearing where she faints. She is found by her uncle John who volunteers to have her examined by a physician. Her parents are apprehensive, not because she would be leaving but because her uncle is eccentric.

- Raven accompanies her mentor, Gilbert, to Normandy to introduce a new weapon that may turn the tide against the French. The weaponsmith is intrigued and welcomes them to his home as his guest to learn how to manufacture and use the crossbow. There, Raven meets the weaponsmith's daughter who has an air of mystery about her.

- Wilfred Calvin Smythe finds himself in Normandy, defending the last bastion of the English in what will be known as France. He is surprised to see his friend, Lord Humphrey, bethored to the Lady of Rouen. Although both appear to be united, each is convinced that the other means to have himself or herself murdered.

- Mordecai becomes obsessed with the tome given to him by Ambrogino and makes a copy for himself for further study. The tome is in an ancient language, one where almost all languges seem to have originated from. Ambrogino returns and is pleased with the scribe's work. He extends an invitation to him from his father, Claudius Giovanni, Earl of Stavlachia, as an additional reward.

- Wanting to learn more of the woman who attempted to assasinate his lord, Faolan questions her. The woman, a fortuneteller, instead tells Faolan that his son lives but he will never have a chance to find him as his future is shadowed by a man cloaked in darkness. Before he could ask more, he is summoned by Lord Duncan. He sends him off to meet with a man named Claudius Giovanni who is said to be negotiating with the English for support.

- Feeling bored in her uncle's mansion, Lucy makes her way towards town. There, she becomes witness to a trial where a young woman is accused of witchcraft. A mother tearfully testifies that her son was enchanted to steal their money. They were supposed to elope but they caught her just in time. Mina tells her that the mother is lying; the woman isn't a witch. Her son was in love with her and they were supposed to elope. The son, who managed to "escape", is already dead; killed in a fit of rage by the mother when he confessed his love for the woman.

- Raven discovers that the weaponsmith is an abusive father. The daughter is beaten for even the smallest infraction. Returning late from the smithy, Raven hears her pray to God for deliverance. When she finishes, a dark shape detaches itself from the wall underneath her window. Raven follows it only to lose it in the darkness cast by the cathedral's shadow. The next day, the weaponsmith catches a wasting illness and dies several days later. Gilbert decides to move on to meet with one Claudius Giovanni.

- Wilfred is caught between his lord and his wife's accusations of infidelity and murder. The Lady Rouen exhibits the bruises of her husband's beatings when she would not submit to him. She admits that the reason is because she is with child. Humphrey is often found sprawled on his bed, naked and drunk. He confesses that he has not been himself lately but suspects that his wife is trying to kill him. Unable to believe either, Wilfred decides it would be best for the two to separate. He urges his lord to accept the invitation of Claudius Giovanni for dinner.