September 28, 2010
Linking back up
Location: Various
- Keiko is woken up by a phone call from Jerome
- She eventually answers the phone, to find that apparently he has the phone in hands-free mode,
and she can hear what sounds like Arthur (and others) talking with some Black Court vampires
- She also receives a text message with an address
- On her arrival at the address, she is noticed by a Centaur (in human form), currently guarding
Orin’s convertible. The Centaur tells her that the group seem to be
in another nearby house.
- Keiko is unable to convince the Renfield guards to let her past, but does manage to barge in,
whereupon Stanislav prevents her from being attacked
Negotiations
Location: East Baltimore Development Initiative
- A rather tense discussion ensues between the Black Court vampires and the party
- Lord Orin’s easy confidence is obviously intimidating the vampires, but not sufficiently to get
them to abandon their demands entirely
- The Black Court
- Regards the group as trespassing
- Regards Carlos as (apparently) Devin’s problem
- Regards the rescue of Eugenia Fitzgerald from
Devin James as poaching on their territory
- Wants the White Council and Autumn Court to formally recognize
Hopkins Hospital as Black Court territory
- Wants an apology for the current trespass
- The party, with a combination of well-chosen words, interrupting one another so that their
arguments can’t be understood or answered, and yelling the loudest, manages to turn most of the
Black Court’s accusations back upon them, especially because
Hopkins Hospital is not recognized as Black Court territory in any
existing agreement.
- Ezra agrees to apologize for the inadvertent violation of Black Court territory in pursuit of
Carlos, and otherwise the group is allowed to take him and leave
- Devin James does challenge Ezra to a formal duel, and is accepted.
Discussions and Revelations
- The group continues to discuss the question of whether Carlos (and especially his conversion to
an apparent Renfield), was intended to frame the Black Court for Wayne’s
murder
- During a quick trip back to the Covington Estate, Orin exchanges
words with Daniel
- Orin recognizes Daniel as a former Winter Knight, perhaps the only one to retire alive
- During a rather elliptical discussion Daniel mentions to Orin that his successful retirement
owes much to the existence of his extensive collection of files detailing “trivial court
business”.
- Daniel also mentions that it’s probable that Orin never met Arthur’s father, as he was
“guarding a Lady at the time”
- In later conversation, Orin tells Arthur that there’s no shame in being afraid of his butler
- Arthur, knowing nothing about his father, insists that his father’s name was also Arthur
- Ezra reports the conclusion of the affair, including his unanswered questions, to the Council