John Dansirn

Roleplaying

Pleasure before business - Equipment: Smart clothes, swordcane, various L I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ’ 86 The Sun Has Set Interlude (1848-1882) Once characters have opened and investigated Camden’s crypt, they undoubtedly discover that it will be some time before they may pursue their current leads to the Surgon Fragment. Indeed, not even Ambrogino is capable of activating the map that Camden protected with Cappadocian secrets. Therefore, the characters may return to Valerius’ manor in 34 years, at the appointed time in 1882, to witness the projection of the map of Lazarus’haven- the supposed resting place of insight into the Fragment. Characters might expect Ambrogino to turn up at that time as well if he got so far as to read Camden’s letter. He does not, though. He suspects, rightfully so, that he has played his hand in London and that it is suicide to return at an appointed time when all the Camarilla vampires in the world could await him. Ambrogino pursues other leads instead. Namely, he continues his hunt for Marianna, who he believes can help him master the Surgon Fragment. Of course, all of this means that down-time occurs between significant chapters in this chronicle. The characters may use it to continue their research into the Giovanni, into the arcane or into the Fragment. Each player should explain in general what his character does over the next three decades. You can use that information as the basis for further stories, or you can allow characters to simply improve their already formidable abilities. Each player gains five freebie points to spend on her character, in addition to whatever experience points are gained for surviving the events of Book One. Characters may decide to research Egypt in anticipation of traveling there (or they might actually go there to get to know the place and develop an advantage over the Giovanni). You must decide what elements of BookTwo that characters can leam by its outset. The 19th Century As the century progresses, changes occur faster than ever before. Even the most modern Kindred may have difficulty keeping up with the world’s transformations. The American Civil War in the 1860s marks the advent of modem warfare and leaves over a million dead. Slavery falls into disrepute throughout most of the Western world. Technological advances such as photography change the way humans perceive the world, and they cause a new set of problems for Lasombra. The Scientific and Industrial Revolutions continue unabated, excising belief in the supernatural from the human psyche (at least in industrialized countries). Darwin’s Origin of Species (1859), and subsequent works, all cause a widespread sensation. These works spread beyond the scientific community and, to many, contradict millennium-old religious truths. Kindred and kine see God tossed off His throne in another blow against faith and “irrationality.” The internal combustion engine is already in use by 1882, and the first automobile is four years away. Trans-Atlantic cables are laid, thus allowing for almost instantaneous communication between Europe and North America. Inventions such as the telephone, the light bulb and the phonograph have come about, but they are not widely in use. And yet, in many other parts of the world, things have scarcely changed since the characters’ Embrace during the Renaissance. The characters clash with the Giovanni again in this era. Camarilla characters may sway Kindred opinion against the Necromancers. If the Giovanni attack on the characters aren’t evidence against the Romans; their apparent alliance with the Sabbat in London, if not in other places, sways opinion against the clan. (Creating Sabbat consensus against the Giovanni is far more difficult.) The characters probably increased their skill with Japheth‘s cloaks, as well. They can now see ghosts, if only faintly. They can also detect the presence of wraiths nearby (within 15 yards) with only a successful Perception + Empathy roll (difficulty 6 ) Auspex is not required. One success alerts a character to a ghostly presence. Two successes gives an approximate sense of direction and indicates how many wraiths are in the area. A character with three successes sees a faint outline. Four successes let a character see details of apparitions. My tongue goes to the Secretary of the Dead to tell the corpses, “I’m sorry, fellows, the killing was just one of those things difficult to pre-visualize like a cow, say, getting hit by lightning.” Galway Kinnell, The Book of Nighmres Events in London in 1848 motivate characters to travel to Egypt decades later to continue their search for the Sargon Fragment - or to stop the Giovanni from claiming it and achieving divine power. Several leads gained in London point to Egypt: The letter left by the Cappadocian Camden instructs intruders upon his crypt to journey to Egypt to find Lazarus’ haven and to keep the secrets hidden there from the murderous Giovanni. Durga Syn’s vision showed the characters that their next fateful move in pursuit of the Fragment would take them to desert lands. Marianna has apparently fled England for Egypt in her ongoing search for the Fragment. If the characters return to Camden’s tomb in 1882 (see below), they witness the projection of a diagram of what appears to be a church of both Christian and Moslem design, which might be found in Egypt the very land where all other leads to the Sargon Fragment point. The characters learn that traveling to Egypt is easy, but trying to accomplish their characters’ goals there is deadly. The Giovanni have agents abroad in search of Marianna and the Fragment. Ambrogino has sent a favored student Rosaura Rossellini and her brother Baldesar to the desert to find the rogue childe. After his activities in London, Ambrogino decides to pursue the Sargon Fragment more covertly for a while, to avoid bringing attention to himself from vampires abroad (particularly the characters), and specifically from Augustus. He, therefore, operates from the shadows in Book Two. However, the Rossellinis’ and the characters’ shared pursuit brings them into direct conflict. And yet, the rival vampires may realize that they can survive only by working together. Their hunt for Marianna, Lazarus’ lair and the Fragment brings them all into the hands of the Setites. The foreigners must play the Serpents’ games if they hope to see another night and complete their quest to win the means to apotheosis. I I I I I I I I I I I I I Book Two: Paths of the Dead a9 Theme The theme of Book Two is sacrifice what characters are prepared to give up for their goals or for the greater good throughout this story. The Camarilla of Egypt sacrifice many of the sect’s traditional precepts in order to keep the peace among a wide variety of clans and Cainite philosophies. Egypt’s Camarilla also acknowledges its feeble hold on the reigns of power and is willing to compromise its values, such as overlooking incursions by Setites, to retain control. The characters’ Giovanni enemies in this chapter must give of themselves for their master Ambrogino. The Necromancer pawns must endure the tortures of the desert to capture Marianna. If they fail to claim their prize, they make their sacrifice for naught and perhaps even lose their own lives to their angry lord. Marianna sacrifices herself constantly in an ongoing effort to undermine Giovanni plans to achieve apotheosis. Her very existence is offered up for the greater good. Finally, the characters must decide what their absolute values are. Once they arrive in the desert haven of the Setites, these values are tested rigorously. Can the characters resist personal temptations for power, knowledge or lust in order to fulfill their goal of defeating the Giovanni? Or are the characters weak and do they fail to resist Setite seduction, losing everything they have strove for since their Embrace? You can introduce this theme into your games by confronting characters constantly with moral dilemmas, and by asking players what actions they choose. Do characters continue their pursuit of the Sargon Fragment or do they take opportunities to gain personal power or satisfaction? Will characters feed on desirable Setite vessels or abstain in order to remain pure? Do characters risk losing face in their sects to fulfill higher ideals? If a situation ever arises in which characters could simply be offered information or something else that they desire, enforce this story’s theme and make a moral question of the situation. Make the players choose between what their characters need and what their characters want. Which of the two will be sacrificed? Mood The mood of Book Two is isolation. The characters journey to Egypt, where they soon learn that any American or European ways are out of place in the desert country. The Camarilla and Sabbat there do not abide by Traditions or rules as vampires of most “civilized” places do. Camarilla, Sabbat and even Setite vampires wander city streets almost without restriction. Characters who rely on their status in a sect discover that they have little clout in places such as Cairo and Alexandria, and they feel isolated as a result. The vast desert also reminds even powerful vampire elders of their ultimate vulnerability in the world. No amount of blood can preserve an undead lord indefinitely in the desert. The endless landscape and blazing sun make simple existence a challenge and force the characters to realize how truly alone they are. Not even the company of Setite hosts is reassuring because the Serpents have their own plans for the characters, and the elders have no one to save them but themselves. To create this insular mood, stage your game sessions in a big room and at a large table. Space players far apart and make them share tools such as paper, pencils and dice. The distance between players their remoteness soon becomes awkward, then frustrating, and perhaps even unnerving. This is the same range of emotions that their isolated characters experience. London Prelude (February, 1882) After the characters search Camden’s crypt and read his letter in 1848, they realize that Camden’s “map” last appeared in 1840 and will reappear next in February of 1882; that means returning to London and the presiding chamberlain’s mansion, whether by invitation or stealth. If the characters left London under good terms with the local Camarilla, they are undoubtedly welcomed back to witness Camden’s map. Valerius is still indebted to the characters if he is still chamberlain. And Lady Anne Bowesley, if she is in power, accepts the characters into her home out of respect for their past deeds. Sabbat characters or those who left London on bad terms years ago must enter Camden’s crypt without permission. Protection of the crypt has declined over the years, and characters may use Auspex to cast their senses into the mansion and tomb, or use Obfuscate, Obtenebration or simply stealth to gain access to the crypt. No matter how the characters try to gain entry to Camden’s tomb, they must see it now or wait until 1924, when it appears again. The night the characters arrive at the chamberlain’s mansion is foggy and overcast. However, stars seem to shine so brightly that they pierce even the fog. The starlight penetrates the dark cracks and fissures of the Ventrue manor and is reflected downward by Camden’s ingenious system of mirrors. The crystals in the ceiling of Camden’s tomb glow blue; their faces sparkle and then hone the starlight into beams that draw a picture on Camden’s sarcophagus. The image is of a Christian church in a cruciform shape, with a nave and transept. The appearance of columns suggests Moorish influence in the architecture. There I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 90 The Sun Has Set m is clearly a staircase in one comer, which may serve as an entrance. A particularly bright spot of light at one end of the transept hints at something of importance there but there’s no telling what without finding the church itself. The image fades after a few moments as the crystals in the ceiling dim. Characters may have made an illustration of the diagram or committed it to memory. The map does them no good, however, without a point of reference by which to find this church. Other evidence suggests that Lazarus’ tomb is somewhere in Egypt, but where? It’s a big, barren country. The characters may explore whatever avenues of inquiry that they can think of to locate this church, but they must ultimately travel to Egypt and, once there, hope to track the place down. Ocean travel has undergone startling progress in the 40 years since the events in London. Steam engines and self-propelled ships have largely replaced the sail and paddle wheel. Ships are now larger, safer and more maneuverable. The Great Eastern, the largest ship of the age, carries a crew of 400 and up to 4,000 passengers. Opulent state rooms are increasingly in vogue; comfort-conscious Kindred can travel to Egypt in high style. D Yet, many ships still store sails to protect against engine failure and most ships are still made of wood, despite the recent development of ironclads. When characters arrive in Egypt, they realize how little some parts of the world have changed in 400 years. The railroads that are now ubiquitous to Europe and the United States do not exist in Egypt. Overland travel is still by horse, camel, mule or often by foot. Travel up and down the Nile is by barge. Travel in Egypt presents a host of difficulties for Kindred. Where do they sleep by day? Where can they find retainers on which they can rely? What is the danger of banditry? How quickly might the vampires’ true natures become known, and what superstitions do the locals have about the undead? These are considerations that you, as Storyteller, should present to players, thus forcing them to make arrangements for their characters’ transportation and protection. 91 I I I I I I I I I I I I I I Book Two: Paths of the Dead Egyptian History (Kindred and Kine) Egypt is one of the original centers of vampiric society and a valued prize since antiquity, but it is still an enigma to even the most knowledgeable of Kindred. Most vampire scholars believe that two brothers, Osiris and Set, battled each other for supremacy of Egypt before recorded history. Both were Embraced by ancient vampires of Antediluvian, or even more potent, blood. Osiris ruled Egypt while Set lived for a time in the Second City, acquiring dark lore. Set eventually killed his brother, though Osiris’ memory lived on for centuries through various human and vampire cults. Set then learned to rule secretly through human pawns and may have been the force behind Pharaoh Menes’ unification of Upper and Lower Egypt. A line of 30 human dynasties ruled Egypt on Set’s behalf for three millennia. A seemingly ageless civilization was created, largely untouched by the outside world. Set’s control was contested, though; Setites and the remaining followers of Horus vied for true power. Their struggle ended in 332 B.C. with the invasion by Alexander the Great. Toreador arrived with Greek invaders and ruled the land for 300 years. The Toreador, in turn, lost power to Roman Ventrue, only to regain it when the Roman capital shifted from Italy to Constantinople. Finally, Assamites usurped Greek power in the seventh century, and Egypt’s capital was moved to Cairo in the 10th century. The Ventrue, Toreador, Assamites and Setites all battled each other through various pawns during the Crusades and hoped to gain final control of the desert nation. The Seljuk warrior, Salah ad-Din, finally seized Cairo with the aid of Mamluk mercenaries (former Turkish slaves). A Mamluk vampire named Mukhtar Bey survived a Setite attack on his Ventrue mentor and became ruler of Cairo and the first and only Caitiff prince of a major city. Egypt became a part of the Ottoman Empire in 1517, and with a brief interlude during Napoleon Bonaparte’s invasion of 1798 remained under Ottoman rule. Until recently, that is. 1882 British imperial expansion has brought Egypt under English rule. In the 1870s, Europe began a new era of colonization. Perhaps the greatest event to occur in this period was the opening of the Suez Canal by Napoleon 111. The French built the canal, but the insolvency of the Khedive (viceroy) of Egypt paved the way for English intervention. Ismail Pasha ruled under the suzerainty of the I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 92 The Sun Has Set Sultan of Turkey and buried Egypt under a mountain of debt. The khedive defaulted on &4,000,000 in loans, allowing English Prime Minister Disraeli to acquire Egyptian shares in the Suez Canal Company. However, the worsening Egyptian economy put England’s investment at risk, and European powers urged the Turkish sultan to replace the khedive. This outside intervention resulted in an armed insurrection led by a charismatic Egyptian named Arabi. His rebellion was primarily against the Turkish sultan, but France and England supported Turkish authority. No hostilities take place against English or French forces in Egypt in the first half of 1882, although English forces increase to protect the empire’s investment. Tensions rise as the year progresses, though. France and Britain blockade the port city of Alexandria, which leads to an increase in anti-European sentiment. Egyptian nationals murder 50 Europeans; the British bombarded Alexandrian forts in retaliation. On September 13, 1882, the British army under General Wolseley defeats Arabi at Tel-el-Kebir (near Cairo), thus putting Great Britain in control of Egypt. The reception that characters receive in Egypt varies greatly depending on the time of year at which they arrive. They may dock before the outbreakofhostilities, or after the bombardment of Alexandria and during hostility against Europeans that occurs in the latter half of the year. Egyptians are cool toward foreigners, but not inhospitable in the first half of the year, that is. The native populace is aggressive toward “European infidels” after the bombardment, by harassing the characters’ entourage if not attacking it outright. British authorities are constantly suspicious of the native “fellahin swine” and of Continental Europeans, especially Germans, who are their European competitors in the colonial race. However, the British are quick to warn Europeans or Americans to be wary of the natives, and the British seek to help any foreigners at whom the Egyptian people lash out. , Egypt is in Northeast Africa. Ottoman-ruled Libya borders the country to the west, and the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan lies to the south. The Mediterranean Sea is off the northern coast; the Red Sea lines the eastern coast. Egypt consists of four main regions: The Nile Valley and Delta, the Eastern Desert, the Western Desert, and the Sinai. The Nile Delta is a fertile region: It boasts lush farmlands that extend about a hundred miles into the interior. Cairo, the nation’s capital, is at the southernmost end of the delta. Almost all of the country’s population lives in Cairo or along the Nile banks, while most of the remainder resides in Alexandria or along the newly built Suez Canal. The majority of foreign Kindred choose to live in these regions as well, ceding the interior to the Lupines, Setites and whatever other horrors live beneath the shifting sands. The Nile River runs the entire length of the country 700 miles into the Sudan below. Five hard reefs of black igneous stone (cataracts) impede the EgyptianNile’s progress southward, therefore, churning the river into turbulent rapids at each reef. There are five such rapids, but the events of this story do not bring the characters any farther south than the first cataract. The Eastern Desert is part of the Sahara. The Western Desert is the nation’s most barren region, with virtually no human settlements in the desert’s southern latitudes. Not even Setites venture into this region, and some Kindred scholars speculate that it is the resting place ofthe legendary Second City. Few have dared to put this theory to the test, and fewer still have returned. The Sinai Peninsula is a rocky plateau of burning desert that connects Egypt to the Ottoman-controlled Holy Lands beyond. Kindred rarely go here, either, but some do because of its holy aura and its large Lupine population. Cairo The characters probably disembark from the international travels at Cairo. It’s the largest city in the country and probably the best place to get information and to make preparations for the next stage of their journey. The elders must decide how to proceed, beyond making the obvious arrangements for accommodations. Cairo is nominally a Camarilla outpost in a Setite desert. The city is controlled by a Caitiff prince, but Mukhtar Bey upholds the Traditions (at least in theory), and demands that newcomers announce themselves. Even if characters know little of Cairo other than that it is a Camarilla city, they can probably expect to follow sect rules. Of course, Sabbat characters need do nothing of the sort. There aren’t many Sabbat in Cairo, though, so they have few leads to follow (see Character Contacts). Ironically, the Prince of Cairo is fair-minded; Sabbat characters who dare approach him are received on friendly terms. Mukhtar Bey (Prince of Cairo) The idea of a Caitiff prince offends many Camarilla vampires, perhaps even the characters. They may have learned to overcome this aversion if they have visited the prince on previous expeditions to Egypt (to learn more about the country before 1882, perhaps). Polite conversation about Mukhtar Bey describes him as the “Mamluk” prince of Cairo; the city’s Camarilla vampires Book Two: Paths of the Dead 93 rarely mention the word “Caitiff.” If the characters are highranking officials in the Camarilla, the prince treats them as such. Mukhtar Bey has agents throughout the city. They watch primarily for Setite incursions, but they also keep an eye out for newcomer vampires or those who have not announced themselves. Camarilla or Sabbat characters may spot these sentries and approach them with the intent of arranging a meeting with the prince, or they may be spotted and “advised” to present themselves. The prince is not as opposed to Sabbat vampires as European leaders are, and he is prepared to welcome them as readily as he is to peaceable Camarilla Kindred. Sabbat characters who have done any research into Egyptian vampires have heard of Mukhtar Bey’s egalitarian rule, and they may recognize him as a source of information and support as long as they follow the Camarilla prince’s rules a striking contrast to the reigns of European rulers. Mukhtar Bey maintains an opulent and well-fortified haven on a hill overlooking the Nile and much of the city. His home exudes wealth and quiet taste. If the characters have visited Cairo before and sent messages ahead announcing their arrival, they receive a polite invitation to dine with the prince. Visitors must remove their shoes before entering his home (as is custom in most Egyptian homes), and it’s considered courteous to bring a small gift for the host. (An appropriate Area Knowledge or Lore roll, difficulty 4, is required to know these factors.) Mukhtar Bey is a formidable warrior who dresses in Western finery with an Egyptian flair. His symbol of office is a stout wooden cane with an ibis’ head. A blind female vampire wearing a plain, white dress, and a small Mamluk boy are present throughout any meeting between foreign vampires and the prince. Mukhtar Bey asks the characters politely about their business. He has no interest in any outside feuds they have with the Giovanni, and he does not offer information that he suspects will be used to harm another vampire in his city. The characters are under the prince’s protection while they’re in Cairo, but not if their own actions get them into trouble. The prince warns the characters not to unnecessarily disturb the city’s Caitiff, anarchs or any of the other groups that Europeans might consider “scum.” He makes room for vampires of almost all kinds until they prove incapable of respecting the peace. The only Cainites who are officially not permitted in the city are Setites, who have been the traditional enemies of the city for centuries. And yet, even the Serpents make forays into Cairo. The characters are free to enter and remain in the city as long as they respect these rules. Those who cause problems are hunted by the prince’s sentries. Troublemakers are confronted by as many as a dozen vampire agents. They seek to capture disruptive vampires for presentation before I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 94 The Sun Has Set Mukhtar Bey, who orders the unruly to leave the city by ship immediately. Those who refuse or who defy their escort are staked and stowed away on board a ship bound for distant lands. The prince has heard legends of Lazarus and knows that the Cappadocians had a history in Egypt, but he offers few details or facts about their past activities. “These things are best left alone,” he explains. The Lamia, mentioned in Camden’s letter, are also unknown to the prince. Mukhtar Bey confesses to sightings of a woman in the city who fits Marianna’s description. Indeed, she has been spotted sporadically over a period of decades. The woman has supposedly never presented herself to the prince, nor have his sentries ever been able to catch her. Characters who ask for places to gather more information on their quest are directed to a tavern, The Impetigo, in the city’s dock region. Camarilla Kindred or impersonators may study of the country, clan connections or information gained from the Camarilla Founders learn of Egypt’s Lord Waldo Harrington of Clan Ventrue. Harrington is a high-ranking member of the sect, which was established in Egypt to oversee Ventrue interests in the country. He maintains a Cairo townhouse and a larger haven that is five miles north of the city. Harrington appears to be a good-humored old man with a friendly face. Characters do well to look beyond that facade, though, and question his motives in giving them any kind of aid. The lord maintains contacts with other Camarilla vampires in the city and may write a letter of introduction to Princess Ionna of Alexandria if the characters travel to that city. Harrington wants information in return for every favor, and he accepts only what he doesn’t already know. Characters can reveal things that they know about vampires and clans across the world. If Harrington can’t use a piece of information to strengthen his position in Cairo, he accepts any data that improves his standing among the Ventrue as a whole. If the characters admit to searching for Lazarus’ tomb or mention journeying into the desert, the lord warns them about the Setites and Lupines who, according to him, are prevalent. Harrington knows less than nothing about Lazarus’ tomb, lore on the subject, or how the Setites may be associated with it. He has never heard of the Lamia or Marianna but is happy to be informed about them. Egypt has almost nothing in the way of a Sabbat presence. ~~ However, characters who have researched Sabbat connections in Cairo, perhaps through insurrectionists against the Camarilla, have learned of Aldema. He is a Moor of Clan Lasombra who exports various curios and objets d’art. Aldema’s actual role in the city is to spy on the Camarilla and Setites, though he has no intention of risking his neck. He helps fellow Sabbat by providing herds and transportation, but only if characters can offer or promise information about Camarilla or Setite activities. Aldema knows nothing about Lazarus or any legends related to the historical figure. Harrington or Aldema explains that the Setites keep a low profile in the city, but that they largely come and go as they please. Harrington claims there is no formal avenue of dialogue with them. Prodding draws the words “Fire Court” from him, but no explanation of what that phrase means. Aldema volunteers this name up front, describing it as the desert haven of the Serpents. Both men can also relate that the Giovanni have an operation in the city (maybe on the docks), but neither knows its exact location. Information might be available at the Impetigo, a known dockside hangout for riffraff, Kindred and kine. Aldema has heard a rumor that someone murdered an important Giovanni in the past month, but he knows little more. Either man shares that there is a Nosferatu (name unknown) who skulks north of the city and who trades in dark secrets. Harrington and Aldema would both like to know what the characters learn from this Noferatu, if anything. The Street The characters have some success if they search for information on Cairo’s streets. (European characters should maintain a low profile if they wish to avoid the notice of Egyptian nationalists.) Cairo’s Kindred population is large, befitting a city of its size, and the characters meet a wide array of vampires. None has heard of Lazarus’ tomb; any such inquiries elicit blank stares. Successful Area Lore or appropriate sect Lore rolls (difficulty 6) reveal that the Cairo police are partially under the control of a Setite elder named Glycon (see The Fire Court) . Anything that draws police attention attracts his eye as well. ANosferatu character may meet one of his few fellow clan members in the city. The most accessible of them is a Bedouin woman with a shattered cranium. A large wound severs hair, scalp and skull neatly down the middle, and black blood oozes down her face. She was Embraced shortly after receiving the wound, and her injury seems to have given her two personalities. The woman has forgotten her real name, but she has become something of asocial chameleon; she uses MaskoftheThousand Faces to mimic the voice and appearance of a character who speaks with her, but she denies copying anyone. I I I I I I I I I I 1 1 1 The Sun Has Set I 96 Giovanni operate a brothel and haven in the northern suburbs of the city. Biggs shows the characters the way if they wish. The woman breaks into stories of her childhood if she isn’t kept on track, but she is receptive to those who seem to take an interest in her comfort and well-being. TheNosferatu has not specifically studied the Giovanni. She can confirm that they have been chasing a young woman throughout the city. The description that the woman gives bears a striking resemblance to Marianna. The Nosferatu suspects that the Giovanni have captured the stranger, but she then breaks into a different voice that demands that the woman escaped west, toward Alexandria. The Bedouin doesn’t know where the Giovanni hide but suggests a dockside bar, the Impetigo, as a possible listening place. The Impetigo The Impetigo is a musty, raucous tavern in the busiest part of Cairo’s docks, and it remains open into the late hours of the night. The docks are international territory and the tavern serves liquor (uncommon in Egypt). The clientele is a mixture of sailors, local toughs, British soldiers and human flotsam from a hundred ports of call. There are a number of English, French and American sailors here. A few men dance drunkenly to the music of an old black shipmate, and there are several card games in progress. A young brother and sister help their harried father tend bar. The local guard breaks up nightly fights and rounds up those who are too drunk to go home. One such fight breaks out as the characters enter. A card game turns brutal and a sailor shouts insults at a tall black man, accusing him of cheating. The black man wears a suit that is the current fashion in the United States. He remains seated and shows little sign of being insulted; he tells the sailor to sit down and shut up before he gets into trouble. The man takes a drunken swing at the American, who dodges the blow easily, grabs the sailor by the collar and hurls him half the length of the bar. The sailor lies moaning in the wreckage of a broken table. A few people turn around, but it is obvious that this is not a fight they want. Use of Auspex confirms that the black man is the only vampire in the bar. He doesn’t give the characters a second glance unless they approach him. Then he introduces himself as Hank Biggs. The vampire knows the city and its vampire population, and he is prepared to offer information or to show elders around for a price (&lo0 to &3,000; depending on what they want him to do). His fee doubles if characters are arrogant or if they try to lord over him. If asked, Biggs reveals that there are Giovanni in the area and that they are “thick as thieves” with a local Brujah of his acquaintance. He continues to say that the Giovanni Cairo call themselves “Ghiberti.” He knows that some “crazy Italian lady” killed the clan’s local leader and that the Giovanni are out for blood. Biggs has also heard rumors that some Necromancer bigwigs are in the city, but he does not know if there’s a connection between these events. The It soon becomes apparent that Biggs is an American idealist charming, if somewhat naive. Hank Biggs was an escaped Louisiana slave who became involved in the Underground Railroad and helped others escape to freedom. An unknown vampire bestowed the gift of Caine upon him as a reward for his efforts. Biggs briefly fell in with a pack of Louisiana Gangrel, and then with some Union Brujah during the War Between the States. He lost faith in the Camarilla, though; it seemed as corrupt an institution as the one he had escaped. The Caitiff drifted to Egypt through circumstance. He took to Mukhtar Bey’s egalitarian rule and has remained in the city ever since. Biggs has some useful information about the Kindred of Cairo. The characters may notice with some amusement that, like other young Kindred, he strives to hang onto his humanity and maintain mortal friends. Hank Biggs is a young black man with a wiry build. He has a neatly trimmed beard and gives the impression of having traveled widely. He typically wears an American, tailored business suit. He moves with the energy and enthusiasm of youth. Hank has the Disciplines Animalism 1, Fortitude 1, Potence 2 and Protean 1. He is eager to learn more and foregoes his fee if one of the characters agrees to teach him a new Discipline. “bigwigs” that Biggs d Rosaura Rossellini, agents sent by own Marianna after she had The siblings arrived in EevDt tLp.. ...#... LA A. ..-,.*,.L a gicxici Book Two: Paths of the Dead 97 The Ghiberti The Giovanni haven is a large, dimly lit, three-story building in a desolate neighborhood at the city’s edge. The characters see a well-dressed gentleman ride up to the building in a carriage. A high brick fence with sharp, iron railings surrounds the place. There are several windows, some lit, some dark and some boarded up. A character using Psychic Projection to reconnoiter discovers the haven is a high-priced brothel that caters to wealthy businessmen. There are eight women and four customers inside. One woman seems anemic and sleeps fitfully in a back room. The house’s business dealings occur on the first and second floors. There is a basement with several freshly turned graves; one of these contains the decomposed remains of a decapitated man. There are two items of interest on the third floor. A dark office contains a bust of Pompey the Great that has been split almost completely in two. The room’s windows are boarded up. Two well-dressed men occupy another room. They are at ease as they drink blood from expensive crystal goblets and speak Dutch. The surveying character hears them complain about “outsiders ruining the operation,” if she understands their language. One of the men looks up into space for a moment (he listens to a ghost who has spied on the characters) and suddenly shouts, “Intruders!” Both men leap to their feet and arm themselves with revolvers and rifles. They assume positions at top-floor windows and scan for targets. The characters may avoid detection by the Giovanni’s spies if they disguise themselves aptly before approaching the building. Anyone wearing Japheth‘s cloaks senses several ghostly presences. Characters can also take a more direct approach and pose as paying customers. The doorway to the brothel is blocked by a large, muscular man, a ghoul who attempts to turn the characters away if they do not use the proper passphrase: “Augie sent me.” Characters can learn it if they read the doorman’s mind. Yet, the establishment denies women and non-Europeans entry. Members of either of these groups may gain entrance through any number of means, like sneaking in through a window or back door. Those entering through the front door pass a large guard dog that barks as they pass. An attractive older woman at a lectern eyes the characters suspiciously, assuming from the dog’s reaction that the guests are Kindred. She takes them to a separate room and asks if they require “special services.”The woman does not answer any queries about the Giovanni, but if the characters persist, she summons one of the men from upstairs, who requests that they leave. I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 98 The Sun Has Set The characters may gain information here in several ways; the encounter may or may not end in bloodshed. If an assault is staged, both of the Giovanni defend the house while the customers and prostitutes quail in fear. The vampires are ninth generation and are good with their guns. One is particularly strong while the other attempts to use Dominate to stop the characters. Ultimately, they are not a match for the elders. The haven has wraith guardians as well, who are similar to those that the characters encountered in the Dunsirn Brewery. The wraiths harry the characters and throw small objects and oil lamps that start fires. One of the two Giovanni guards uses the wraiths’ distraction to escape and warn his leader, Kenneth Stahl, who lives nearby, of trouble. The characters can follow the fleeing man or capture him before he escapes. If the characters wake and question the girl in the back room, they learn that she witnessed the decapitation of the establishment’s proprietor, Frederico Giovanni, one month ago. She is a favorite plaything of the Giovanni and is afraid that they will kill her soon. Her fearful description of Frederico’s assailant matches Marianna exactly. The Giovanni are defiant if apprehended and shout the prince’s prohibitions on harassment. Nonetheless, it is not difficult for the characters to wrench the following information from them: Marianna appeared not only last month, but also over 30 years ago in the company of another female vampire. Frederico Giovanni captured them through sheer numbers and held them prisoner. Marianna escaped, but they killed her companion. The Giovanni launched a major, but futile, effort to find the rogue clan member and concluded that she fled the country. She appeared again recently in Frederico’s office, where she severed his head. The Ghiberti chased her around the city for two weeks, and two “officials” from Rome (the Count and Countess Rossellini) soon arrived to take over the hunt. The two Giovanni at the haven don’t know the Rossellinis’ current whereabouts, but they believe they may be in Alexandria. Kenneth Stahl Kenneth Stahl is an Afrikaner who took over the Cairo Giovanni after Marianna killed his predecessor. A search of his mansion reveals a taste for worldly goods (he displays more taste than John Dunsirn did). The house has several guards and servants. Stahl tries to escape attacking characters by drinking blood from his servants to gain strength and ordering wraith guards to slow his assailants. Stahl isn’t powerless, but is both younger and of weaker blood than the characters, and he is fairly easy to defeat if caught. He trades information readily to save his life. Stahl knows that Marianna fled to Alexandria with Baldesar in hot pursuit; he does not know Rosaura’s whereabouts. The Roman Giovanni told Stahl to be on guard against Marianna’s return. The characters have come to Egypt in search of Lazarus’ tomb. However, they have no idea where it might lie, or where to find the Lamia who, according to Camden’s letter, should be able to help them. The characters do know Marianna, though, and are familiar with her ongoing involvement in the hunt for the Sargon Fragment. Therefore, they may go to Alexandria, where she has supposedly fled, to recruit her aid in their own quest. Travel between Cairo and Alexandria is usually safe, but the events of the past year have changed that. The two cities are approximately 180 kilometers apart. The first and last lengths of the journey are through grassy scrub; the majority is through open desert. Merchants travel the road, and it is possible for the characters to attach themselves to a caravan, though they had better be prepared to explain their inactivity during the day. Despite rumors of native brigands along the road, the characters are more likely to run into trouble with opportunistic English. Soldiers disguise themselves as bandits and raid caravans for booty. The most notorious of these men is a Captain “Handy” Jack Hannaford. You may have Handy Jack and his lads attack the characters’ caravan to liven up the journey. The soldiers can attack by day, but they prefer night to cover their activities. Handy does not like witnesses and offers no mercy to those that he robs he hides their bodies in a rocky ravine. Handy has eight accomplices in crime, all of whom are armed with Jacob rifles and bayonets. There are other dangers along the road between the cities, though. The characters may suspect that the Giovanni have dispatched wraiths to watch over the route for Marianna or themselves. Characters who wear Japheth’s cloaks soon realize that ghosts (actually Egyptian residents of Amenti) abound on the way to Alexandria. The Giovanni have a small wraith army at their command or there is something else at work. The characters may decide to travel off-road given these dangers. Lord Harrington may have cautioned that the Setites keep the road clear of Lupines that those who leave it are vulnerable to attack. And yet, offroad travel allows the elders to go undetected by ghosts. Of course, the characters are unaware that the Giovanni’s ghosts have been disappearing in Egypt. The Giovanni have enough spirit resources to learn that the characters are in the country, but not necessarily that the elders are on the road to Alexandria. Book Two: Paths of the Dead 99 ett travel is a logistical nightn le characters must plan careful1 -- r:--, s--:- ,L- _ _ L A - les nare for vamTI y for any such rxyeuitiun. rim, tnerr 1s LIK IIldtLtT of sustenance. The characters can carry blood in jars or canteens, but long treks almost certainly require camels to carry the amount needed. Blood spoils quickly outside the body; blood carried soan clots and fouls unless a character knows a ritual to keep it fresh. Human blood donors may fulfill the characters’ needs, but these needs require provisions of their own. Furthermore, vessels may resent marching through the desert with no purpose but to feed bloodthirsty monsters. Ghoul guards 1 1 . 1. 1 1 f ,. . may Keep vessels in iine ana prevent tnem nom aigging up their masters during the day, but the addition of ghouls makes a caravan large. helter from the sun is another vital nece o find in the desert. Characters with Meld) have little difficulty in this regar e without it ~hniild hrinvliuht-nmnf qhrrnids. 2nd Founded by Alexander the Great in 332 B.C., Alexandriaserved as the seat of power for the Greek Ptolemies. The city grew into a center of learning, art and architecture during their reign. Queen Cleopatra VI1 made the city rival Rome in everything but military power, and it fell to the status of a large fishing village after her death. Alexandria has recovered only some of its former glory since the completion of the Suez Canal. Both Egyptian and Greek ruins predominate Alexandria, though there are also examples of medieval Christian and Muslim architecture. Great antiquities such as the Pharos Lighthouse (one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World) have collapsed into the sea. A medieval Mamluk sultan used the rubble of the structure to build Fort Qait Bei. Furthermore, the city’s Great Library, burned by the Romans and partially rebuilt by Cleopatra, burned a second time at Christian hands in A.D. 391 in an assault on “pagan intellectuals.” The city maintains a garrison of British soldiers. The troops do not see much action in the first half of 1848 and spend most of their time relaxing, drinking and stealing souvenirs for home. However, the port is blockaded by I I I I I I I I I I I I I 100 The Sun Has Set I French and English ships in early summer and bombarded a few weeks later. Entry into the city becomes much more dangerous once hostilities break out. Natives are outwardly aggressive to Europeans, and European soldiers detain and question almost everyone who seeks entry into the city. The influx of foreigners over the past 13 years has almost doubled Alexandria’s vampire population; most are Toreador. The Princess of Alexandria is a Toreador named Ionna to whom Camarilla vampires should present themselves. There is no set protocol for Sabbat entering the city, but if the characters met with Aldema inCairo, he told them that a tenuous truce exists in Alexandria. The city has no native Sabbat population and the few Sabbat visitors have always “behaved.” The court keeps an eye on Sabbat vampires who introduce themselves, but it does not have them killed outright. The Dream Court Ionna’s court the Dream Court is hidden among catacombs that lie beneath a crumbled mosque overlooking the eastern harbor. Mukhtar Bey, Lord Harringtonor Aldema may have told the characters where to find the princess’ court. The mosque that stands above the court seems to have been impressive at one time, but now grass pokes through its sand-covered floor. Characters who come to this site are confronted by a handsome young Greek man who emerges from the darkness. He introduces himself as Antonius and asks the characters kindly to identify themselves. If they refuse, Antonius disappears as quickly as he came, and the characters fail to find the entrance to the court. If the characters comply and introduce themselves, Antonius requests that they don blindfolds and follow him; he leads them through a maze of ruined hallways. They then hear a scraping sound as a hidden door opens. The door closes behind the group, and the characters may remove their blindfolds. Oil lamps in recessed wall sconces illuminate a hallway. The walls are a deep Mediterranean blue and the floor is cerulean-blue marble with purple veins. The main court beyond is octagonal with a high-vaulted ceiling, which is blue-black with intricate Arabic star patterns running into ocean waves at the bottom of the dome. Corinthian cole umns of rich gold marble support the structure, and frescoed walls bear a number of painted tableau (desert-, ocean- and starscapes). Ionna awaits at the center of the room on a gold scarabthrone that is supported by dolphins and other sea creatures. She is a tall, regal-looking woman with straight, brown hair and azure eyes. Ionna wears a simple white dress with a gold sash and a scarab necklace. She holds a lapis rod capped with gold as her symbol of office, and she has a serene expression. There are three guards in the room; all carry razor-edged sabers. Book Two: Paths of the Dead 101 Ionna welcomes the characters in a calm, detached manner. She asks them their business in the city and listens thoughtfully to their answers, but she does not comment. Ionna is highly adept at detecting the truth and is a skillful telepath; however, she does not read the visitors’ minds unless she suspects they are lying. If the characters seem truthful, she is inclined to help them. If they offend her by lying, she lets them stay in town but provides them no assistance. Any character who attempts to read Ionna’s mind finds this task exceptionally difficult. Her thoughts slip away like fine sand and she almost certainly notices the intrusion which she deems to be an offense as great as a lie. Like Mukhtar Bey, Ionna expects discretion from vampires in her city and does not want any part of outside feuds. If the characters impress her, she allows them to reside in the Dream Court itself for the duration of their stay (up to a month). Otherwise, she suggests a tavern near Montaza Bay. If the characters present themselves well, Ionna is willing to answer questions. She reveals that a Giovanni and his retainers entered the city a week ago but did not announce themselves. Ionna sent her servants to demand their presence at the Dream Court, and they complied only after some “convincing.” The visitor (Baldesar Giovanni) was not honest in his answers to Ionna’s questions and she sent him back to Cairo with his mission unfulfilled. If the characters ask about Marianna and state truthfully that they mean her no harm, Ionna tells them that Marianna arrived in Alexandria a few nights ahead of the Giovanni; she remained in the city a short while, then returned to Cairo. If the characters ask about Lazarus’ tomb, Ionna says that she believes it exists, yet does not know where it is. She suggests that they wait in town two nights, by the end of which she may (or may not) have more information on the place. Elders who decide to leave immediately to chase Marianna or Baldesar may pickup their trails again in Cairo, but they fail to gain important information that is available in Alexandria. A hardness is evident in Ionna’s voice if the characters ask about the region’s Setites. She proclaims that they are a threat to all, but that she has no choice except to allow them in her city. There may be Setites in the city currently, but Ionna suggests that the characters avoid contact with them. Ionna shudders visibly if the characters mention the Fire Court. She tells them it is the haven of the Setites and is over 300 miles south of Cairo through hard desert near the great tombs of Thebes (19th-century Luxor). She admits to having been captured and taken there three centuries ago and that she escaped with her sanity barely intact. An uneasy truce exists with the Setites and the vampires of Alexandria, and Ionna insists that the characters do nothing to raise the Serpents’ ire. Other than that, the characters are free to do as they wish in Alexandria. I I I I I I I I I I I I I The Sun Has Set I 102 Two Nightsin Characters who seek out other vampires learn that Alexandria is primarily a Toreador art colony. A young Ventrue merchant also operates out of the city, and two Gangrel survive in the surrounding desert. Characters who discussed Lazarus, the Lamia or Lord Camden with Ionna, or anyone else in the city, receive a guest on their second night in the city. The visitor approaches them, and may do so anywhere you choose at the characters’hotel, in the desert or even in the catacombs beneath the city. The visitor is a thin young European woman with a faint Austrian accent, which is strange in these lands. She wears a blood-red robe with black ivy patterns woven throughout it. A hood and veil conceal her features except for her red, glowing eyes. The woman carries a cruelly carved scimitar on a belt, and she graciously declines to give her name. Those who read her aura determine that she is curious and suspicious. The woman explains that she may be able to help the characters on their quest, but that they must not reveal anything she shows them. If the characters are uncommunicative or antagonistic, the woman chastises them, “How could ones such as you know of the lair of Lazarus?” and she turns to leave. Only profuse apologies convince her to stay and continue her business. The woman asks the characters about their interest in the Giovanni and their intentions toward Marianna. If they answer correctly (that they hate the Giovanni and seek to help Marianna), or they show her the letter from Lord Camden’s crypt, the woman leads them into the desert on the eastern side of the city. The woman takes the characters to an open stretch of desert beneath a statue of an ancient pharaoh. The night is clear and shooting stars streak through the heavens. Four ghostlike female figures emerge from the dunes, each wearing a blood-red robe like the original woman’s. The newcomers carry bows with black, barbed arrows. (The arrows are tipped in a potent blood potion and do aggravated damage.) These beings are the descendants of the Lamia discussed in Camden’s letter, who are the remaining agents of Clan Cappadocian who supposedly help enemies of the Giovanni find Lazarus’ haven. One of the four women glides gracefully toward the characters. Her hands and skin are a dusky brown; her voice has a Bedouin tone. There is a mystique of both age and power about her. She speaks primarily to female characters, if there are any. This woman repeats the questions about the characters’ intent toward the Giovanni and Marianna, and she watches intently as the elders answer. If their answers please her, she introduces herself as “Omega” and reveals that Marianna “4 hasreturnedtoCairoandisseekingtheTempleoflazarus.Omega , showsthecharactemnoldscmllthatlocatesthe tombnear Luxor (disturbingly close to rhe Fire Court). The scroll is written in the ancient Chaldean language, but the woman translates. Sne is stunned if a character knows Chaldean. Characters who went through the events of Blood & Fire may recognize the scroll‘s script as similar to that of the Lilith Frqment. This scroll is much newer, though, and probably a copy. O f b C N a b q - f a l c o n - t a m e r , s e u e n t ~ mabe of t j e & j r m s u - & ’ c r u (d), pasrrb f o r t 3 f r o m t b r hungry Winb6 of Quat (2), s t i l l s c c k i n g Amam & w o u r c r w f o s t o I r p s k a (3). &?e walkrb t)e r o a b n e a r C F b r s , w c r c t c Scab kin35 r r i n anb c a m e fa7 four ,675 t o a pfacc w r r e t e roab b i u i b e b . At c a c f nrw biurr c n c r t e r r stoob a f i g u r e one man, onr woman anb o n e beast. +be 3 (41 f f f b 3 b 7 b O f b g a r a r m s - b a r k - r e stoob at t r ri93.t-$anb robs, $ofb;ng a skull lit 67 fuman tallow. “J know 70u, lost one. W3.7 s j o u l b J follow Tour c r o o k c b pat)?” askrb &’ab9. “ h i n r ( 6 t? r o a b of bones (r) ana s e c r e t s lost. J f Y o u f a u e no 6 irit, c o m e anb J will fin. you anot c r in i t s 6,PAb,” A a z a r u s r r s onbrb. But &a69 sfook 9 s pa> ana saib, “J will not foirow s u c f a pat), f o r it i s an offense to B o r u s . ” Y 3 f O I b &a69 turnrb to t e woman on t e c e n t e r ratj, wjo stoob pmong a garbrn of & e r r e n t s (9 “Wfo arr ou an* w c r c bors t $ i s pat) leab?” cje woman r r r f i e b , “8 am b e s i r c unbounb 67 O s i r i s f b 7 b o y r r e s s i u e chains. &Alow m7 pat) an> know *be & b b C C 6 f a 5 7 Of “7 t O b 4 C b . ” But flab9 6 p A t , ‘‘A- 8 A fool t o 6, so b r c r i u c b ? Jou a r e s s r e n t an* anat e m a , ” ana 5 0 raying, b e 6 t r b b C f i b s p e a r . P e r bow- wit b flab7 turnrb to t r Last on $16 l e f t , j a c k a l feabrb c p l b of & u b i 5 (I). “J f a u r a l r c a b r walkeb Iong tbrougb t$e I a m b s of Q u a t j w at m o r r c a n Y o u r kinb 6 f o w w e ? ” C f c w o l f r r y f i e b , “Cjougf J am el*, J still r e m d e r t $ e p a c t b e t w e e n o u r yeoplr ana 7eur m o t j e r 4 s i 5 . J p r o m i s e vot ins but t f e Io 7 aft 7 of my kina.” J4-3 01% &’a69 k n e w tjat t i e w a s t r c o r r r c t roab. b 3. b 3 3. I I I I I I I I I I I I I Book Two: Paths of the Dead 103 Lazarus is merely an incidental character in this fragment, but it still contains seven useful facts. Players may make Intelligence + Occult (difficulty 8) or appropriate Lore rolls (difficulty 7). Characters decipher one of the enumerated points in the text for each success. If the players’ rolls fail, Omega deciphers key elements. Alternatively, the Storyteller may let the players discuss the artifact and figure it out for themselves before rolling. Each number in the document indicates an important element. (1) Shemsu-Heru is a name used to describe most Egyptian mummies. (2) Duat is the Egyptian land of the dead. ( 3 ) Ka is the portion of a mummy’s spirit that remains at a tomb to guard its body. (4) The Valley of the Kings (5) The Via Ossis or “Road of Bones” was a path followed by many Cappadocians and is still followed by some modern Giovanni. (6) A Follower of Set. (7) A werewolf, probably of the “Silent Strider” tribe. No one has heard of Amam the Devourer, but he is apparently an unpleasant individual. Astute players may realize that this scroll contains information that transcends the above elements. The story speaks of a road with four specific directions (see the Thebes map). If the characters are able to determine one point on the “compass,” they should be able to determine the others by default. Those who have studied a map of Egypt know that a major road runs north-south along the Nile bank, past Luxor (where Thebes once was). The parchment does not indicate the direction in which Nabq was walking, so there are four ways that characters may orient this map. Of course, it’s possible that the road is ancient and no longer exists, or that the roads are metaphorical rather than real. Omega can relate that the story was scribed by an unknown Malkavian, but she doesn’t know how he came by the information contained in the parchment. If the characters quote or produce an old copy of the Lilith Fragment, Omega’s glowing red eyes widen in obvious surprise. It may become evident (if it’s not already) that the women hate the Giovanni and curse them for killing the last of the Cappadocians especially the Lamia. The women may offer to help the characters in the future if the foreigners seem sincere in their hatred of the Necromancers. remate. rnev worbiiiuuru ~ i i i ~ i i aiiu XIVCU LLdii I - I ‘ I . - ... . . . Cappadocian loyally for centuries. The Giov hunted the Lami the clan. Howeve re heirs to much of , in Alexandria and L l l c l L hlllLU L I I L L a * r .-PILI&XI‘ b High-rankine Camarilla chara . 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 the Setites, but the wom unsuccessfully) to keep t . . 1 0 . T 1 1 - . . . . - - . - nize cult’s There ts no particular Daa Diooa Detween tne L t ( 1 tne serpents. I ne uiim are suspicious of an a 1 1 1 1 1 e t . 1 i r .1. leageame aDout L i u m rnc i.lltm m m cnn7 ar ider her for recruitme crets IS raugnr until ma ime nas past. iniiiacr hc h S t icncv wirn niisnex. Forriruae ana iviorris. t ro I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 104 The Sun Has Set The Road to Luxor There are two ways to reach Luxor from Alexandria. The first is to travel southeast through the Western Desert. Travel is difficult along this route: There are no roads and no river to guide the characters for much of the way. Furthermore, the Western Desert is Lupine territory, and there are also rumors of an Assamite temple in the region. The only advantage to this route is that it makes tracking the characters difficult for the Giovanni and Setites. Make the path dangerous indeed, with savage Lupine attacks, endless wastes and freak sandstorms. It is more likely that the characters choose to return to Cairo and then head south to Luxor along the Nile. This is the route that Marianna seems to have taken in her hunt for Lazarus’ tomb, as revealed by the Lilim. If the Giovanni continue to pursue Marianna, the characters are a few days behind both parties. The characters must move rapidly to close the gap. The journey to Luxor is over 300 kilometers as the vulture flies, but closer to 400 kilometers if the characters follow the river. There is a thin strip of arable land along both sides of the Nile, though such “temperate” climes disappear for long stretches as the river winds inland. The only main road along the river is on the east bank. Travel on this side is quick, while the west bank offers more anonymity. The journey south may be eventful or not as you decide. Encounters can involve anything from a haunted mosque to Lupine attackers. The Setites no doubt learn of the characters’ approach through their agents abroad, but they do nothing to impede the foreigners’ progress. Book Two: Paths of the Dead 105 Luxor The East Bank The characters see great ruins on both sides of the river as they approach Luxor a sleepy fishing village on the river’s east bank, built on the 4000-year-old ruins of ancient Thebes. The town has a single inn and no apparent vampire population. If the characters stay in town for more than a night, the villagers notice their presence and become suspicious (especially because the villagers see the characters at night). The only other strangers in town are two Cairo merchants. The villagers have seen an increasing number of are chaeologists pass through in recent decades, but none is here currently. The villagers do not recall seeing anyone who fits Marianna’s description, but a “large party” (the Rossellinis) passed through a few nights ago. They did not stay long and the villagers give varying accounts of the direction in which they departed. There is a certain dread chill to Luxor. Characters who don Japheth‘s cloaks realize that the entire area is a vast necropolis, and they feel watched constantly. The only major road from the village continues along the Nile and is called the “Comiche.” The villagers say it is quite ancient but that there is an even older road that runs parallel to it on the other side of the river, near the Valley of the Kings. The natives avoid this road, though; they believe it is haunted and used by bandits. The villagers add that two archaeologists set out for the older road months ago and disappeared. Characters who start their search for crossroads, as detailed in Nabq’s story, find a number near the village. None of these intersections forms an perfect cross like the one described in the story. Four temples stand on the east side of the Nile, on the same side as Luxor: Kamak, Amun, Mut and the great Luxor Temple. Any attempt to find “lost roads” among the ruins or farther out in the desert proves to be futile; the characters probably conclude they are searching on the wrong side of the river. The only easy way across the Nile is by boat. The West Bank The west bank has many more ruins than the east bank does, the closest of which are three kilometers away in the desert. There are afew scattered homes along the west bank, but none is more than a half-kilometer inland. Characters who head northwest toward the Valley of the Kings see the great Temples of Ramesseum and Medinat Habu looming on the left. There are a number of old roads in the area that all wind wildly, and none comes to Nabq’s crossroads. The characters pass through a series of steep hills as they make their way further into the interior. Some of I I I I I I I I I I I 106 The Sun Has Set I I I these mounds reveal entrances to the forlorn tombs of old nobles that were plundered long ago. Characters also see signs of an abandoned archaeological dig. As the characters emerge from the hills, they come across the massive temple to Hatshepsut, Egypt’s first female pharaoh. The temple is partially freestanding, the remainder is carved into the side of a great cliff face. The cliff itself extends less than a half-kilometer in either direction; the characters are better off going around it than over it. Nabq’s Immediately beyond Hatshepsut’s cliff is the Valley of the Kings. The terrain is difficult in places, but an old road runs parallel to the Nile at the bottom of the valley. The characters see several intersecting paths, one that bisects perfectly, thus fitting the description in Nabq’s story. The main road continues past the crossroads toward the southwest and brings the characters farther into the Valley of the Kings. The opposite length runs northeast straight into the desert, toward Cairo. The intersecting road runs northwest into open desert and southeast back toward Luxor. The characters must now choose a direction in which to travel in hopes of finding Lazarus’ tomb presumably, the road represented by Lazarus himself, which is one of the paths that Nabq refused to take in his story. The characters have no idea which direction Nabq was traveling, and, thus, they have a one-in-four chance of picking the path they seek. Northeast (Toward the Desert) This road leads the characters into the desert over several nights of traveling. You have the option of staging an encounter between the characters and the Giovanni in one of two places: here, in the desert, or in the Setite Fire Court (see the Giovanni in the Fire Court sidebar). If the Giovanni are clashed with in the desert, they have taken this road in pursuit of Marianna, but they have lost her. The Rossellinis and their retinue seek shelter at one point in caves that line this road. The Giovanni are highly paranoid; over half of their wraith servitors have disappeared. They are not taken easily by surprise, so any ambush attempts must be planned masterfully. The Giovanni try to avoid the characters at this junc. ture (though Baldesar is inclined to attack). Rosaura recognizes the need to find Marianna before destroying the characters. The siblings have posted guards who reconnoiter by day and ghosts who are vigilant by night. If the characters are spotted, the Giovanni send their ghoul I I I I 1 I I I I 1 I I I I Book Two: Paths of the Dead 107 retainers to unearth the elders during the day. A daytime battle may occur between the Giovanni’s ghouls and those of the characters. The Setites arrive shortly thereafter to collect the survivors and take them into the Fire Court. Alternatively, the characters may detect that a large party was recently in this area; there are remains of campfires and signs of excavation. A character who finds a personal possession left behind by the Giovanni may gain a clearer picture of his enemies. There is little else of interest on this road. Nabq used this road to approach the crossroads in his story. Southeast (Toward Karnak Temple) This road runs for a few hundred yards and then ends abruptly at acliff, near theTemple ofHatshepsut. The lights of Luxor bum in the distance. The path points almost directly to Hatshepsut’s temple. However, characters with keen eyesight (Perception roll, difficulty 5 ) see that it actually points toward Karnak Temple on the other side of the Nile. The path continues at the foot of the cliff and ends at the ruins of a washed-out bridge over the river. Characters who cross toward Karnak also pass Luxor on their right. A long avenue of sphinxes lies to the north of Karnak Temple, and the elders pass through a Roman ruin. Characters who wear Japheth‘s cloaks notice that there are no ghostly presences in this area. However, those elders do realize that they are sloshing through black, icy-cold water. The moon dances madly across a hundred ripples as the surrounding ruins (and any characters not wearing the cloaks) fade into blackness. As far as elders in the real world are concerned, nothing has changed; their companions walk quietly on the group’s path. Characters who have entered this other world cannot contact the others that they have left behind. A cold rain batters the dream-world characters; not even Auspex nor Gleam of the Red Eyes cuts through the downpour. Amorphous shapes leap and spring about, and the characters suffer a sudden nausea. Elders who push through the inky water come to raised, grimy stones. A copse of thorny black trees bristles from the dry land. A figure seems to step suddenly from one of the thorny pillars. A black rope is tied around his neck and seems to hold him upright as he literally floats a few feet above the ground. The apparition appears to consider the characters with his bulging eyes, and it grins crookedly. This vision is the Hanged Man, one of Rosaura’s remaining Spectre servants. The Giovanni had tracked Marianna to the region of the crossroads but didn’t know which path she had taken. Therefore, Rosaura commanded the Hanged Man to guard over this one to waylay Marianna should she appear. The Spectre doesn’t care that another enemy of the Giovanni has arrived; the spirit is happy to torture characters who enter its realm. “It is unseemly for the dead to walk as you, encased in rotting flesh,’’ the spirit moans as it points at the characters. “I will strip away such pretensions and make you pure!” The Spectre holds his hands out toward the characters, and the protrusions extend into monstrous, bladed pinchers, like those of a praying mantis. The claws make the sound of swords being unsheathed. The elders can confront the Spectre with whatever Disciplines or strategies they wish. The creature is fast to attack and uses its control of its realm to confuse and disorient the characters. The Spectre becomes increasingly spiderlike as the battle progresses, but it retains its human visage and mocks the characters with their imminent “purification.” If the Spectre manages to “kill” a character, she loses two points of permanent Willpower and her real-world body enters torpor for the remainder of the night. After she recovers, the victim suffers ongoing nightmares about the Hanged Man flaying her alive. If the characters defeat the Spectre, it dissolves slowly. Characters return to their bodies and are disoriented by their change of surroundings. A daring or perverse character may try to drink the Spectre’s blood before it fades completely. The vampire feels infused by some thick, cold venom. She senses Japheth‘s cloaks and molt and drop from her body like a dead cocoon. The character falls into torpor as does a vampire who is killed by the Hanged Man. However, a character who fed on the Spectre realizes over the following nights that she can now see wraiths without Japheth‘s cloaks. Karnak Temple Karnak is monumental and impressive. The temple honors Amun, Thebes’ sun god. Characters who enter feel a burning sensation that grows more intense by the moment. If the characters do not leave soon after, they lose one Health Level per turn until destroyed. Characters who observe the temple through Japheth‘s cloaks see a flurry of motion. Large ghostly figures appear on all sides, seemingly from thin air. The apparitions are hooded in heavy cloaks and cloying shadows, but black jackal heads are apparent. The creatures rush about in apparent confusion as they seem to battle unseen assailants. They do not notice the characters, and any attempts at contact are futile. The beings are the mindless spirits of werewolves who have been bound to the area as wraiths, forever denied their rightful afterlife. Characters who interpret Nabq’s story may take these images to represent the jackal-headed figure that Nabq accompanied from the crossroads. Thus, they may guess that Lazarus’ tomb lies on the opposite, northwest road in the direction in which Lazarus stood in the story. I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 108 The Sun Has Set killed seven priests before TI. 4 1. uiscipiines: fiuspex I, uumerstry 7, rorcituae J, 01 His head lolls horribly on his shoulders. I he rope that im reaches into the air and end to nothing. The Spectre can huge, sicker ling spider form with a hu ig rope instead of webbing. - _ pins hanging rope instead of webbing. Sonthwest (The Fire Court) If the characters travel into the Valley of the Kings, their road breaks into a number of winding paths through a maze of ravines. High cavem walls rise on all sides and the moonlight casts eerie blue shadows. A few paths have tombs along them, like huge black mouths gaping from the cliff sides. These openings may reveal fantastic paintings on the walls of tombs, but nothing else. The characters’ route comes to a dead end as they round a comer. The walls are higher here than anywhere else in the maze, and the cul-de-sac is cast into pitch-black darkness. Suddenly, the sand at the elders’ feet begins to glow a pale blue and a cold breeze whips up. Two figures emerge from the darkness and confusion. One is an athletic bald man in an orange robe. His face is alert, and he has a large red scorpion tattoo over one eye. His longbow is aimed at the lead character. The other figure is a tall, regal woman wearing a gold and lapis headdress. Her skin is like polished black onyx; she has red lips and glowing white eyes. The two are Glycon and the Messenger of Count Jocalo. If the characters met face to face with Jocalo inBlood &Fire, they may have seen these two in his coterie. (Such a meeting probably occurred just before the Setites beat the characters senseless.) Book Two: Paths of theDead ~ 109 If the elders do not attack immediately, the woman speaks, ‘‘I am the Messenger of Count Jocalo. Who are you and why do you trespass on our lands ?” Characters present during the Great Fire might consider this question a little rich, considering that Jocalo and his minions trashed large sections of London in 1666. If this occasion is brought up, the Messenger pronounces that they were merely retrieving their “property” and does not elaborate. The Messenger smiles not unpleasantly at characters who introduce themselves politely. If they explain that they are looking for something, she inquires as to what it is.Thecharactersmay askabout MariannaortheGiovanni, to which the woman confirms that they are both nearby. If the characters tell her that they seek Lazarus’ tomb, she says it is also close by, adding almost as an afterthought that it is on Setite lands. This last revelation raises a disturbing concern: If the characters want to continue their mission, they have to deal with the Setites in one way or another. Characters who simply turn back as if to leave Setite lands (located to the southwest and northwest of the crossroads) are free to do so. The characters may also attack or make a deal with the Setites to continue their search (see Northwest, below, for details on both options). Northwest (Lazaras’ Tomb) The northwest trail leads into open desert. Moon-lit sand dunes ripple out before the characters like waves frozen in mid-swell. This road leads to Lazarus’ tomb, though reaching the place is not a matter of walking. The characters are confronted by Jocalo’s agents again (or for the first time, if they were not encountered before). This meeting is similar to the one described above the characters are faced with a major obstacle. The elders have several options: They can retreat to plan their strategy, they can attack and risk the consequences, or they can negotiate with the Setites. The Setites let the characters retreat. The Followers of Set do not harass the intruders as long as they stay out of Setite territory. Fighting past the Setite agents is a difficult, if not impossible, task. The characters actually face three highly potent vampires: the Messenger of Jocalo, Glycon, and an expatriate Tzimisce named Alexei, who hides nearby. The Messenger of Jocalo disappears in battle and uses her Disciplines to distort the characters’ sense of reality. (She casts illusions so that they mistake each other for enemies.) Meanwhile, her companions move in and attack according to their specialties. Victorious Setites do not kill the characters, but they take them as prisoners to the Fire Court. It’s possible that the Setites may capture some characters while others escape. Those outside the Fire Court may have to attempt a rescue mission. If the characters begin to win a battle, their I I I I I I I I I I I I I The Sun Has Set I 110 opponents retreat back to the Fire Court. The characters may now travel in any direction they choose, but they soon face the wrath of the assembled Fire Court. The characters may have time to reach Lazarus’ tomb, but it is unlikely that they have the opportunity to explore it before the Setites arrive in great numbers. The characters can also attempt to negotiate with the Setites. Jocalo’s messenger tells them that any talks must take place in the confines of the Fire Court. She guarantees that the elders may leave the haven at any time. Agreeable characters are given black leather hoods to wear. The hoods bear strange hieroglyphs and have a slight acrid smell that grows more intense with time (assuming that characters breathe). Characters who put these on discover that they cannoi project mentally or use telepathy. Characters who enter the Fire Court voluntarily are asked to leave their retinues outside to be tended to without harm by the Setites. The Serpents lead blind characters gently. The elders experience a flurry of sensations blowing winds, innumerable turns, animal sounds. Some of these are real, others are illusory. The Setites roughly bind characters who attack and lose. Prisoners are also taken to the Fire Court in hoods, which contain strong metal mouth restraints that prevent the prisoners from biting through the cloth. Alexei molds prisoners’ hands together behind their backs with their own skin to prevent escape. The Setites brutally suppress any attempts at rebellion and drive characters who resist into torpor by hammering wood stakes through their hearts. Alexei and Glycon are adept at causing great pain to Kindred. Alexei, in particular, takes delight in draining the characters of their blood. The Messenger stands aloof. TheFiie Court I’m very well acquainted with the sewen deadly sins I keep a bwy schedule trying to fit them in I’m proud to be a glutton and I don’t hawe time for sloth I’m greedy and I’m angry and I don’t care who I cross. -Warren Zevon, “Mr. Bad Example” The Fire Court is the centuries-old haven of Egypt’s Setites. It has been dedicated to Set and corruption since its creation. The vampires who reside there use it as a nexus from which to foment dissent, to undermine the efforts of other Cainites, and to spread their own influence. The Setites are fully aware of their haven’s surroundings; of the riches that may still be stolen from the tombs of the pharaohs; and, of the potential power that lies within Lazarus’ tomb. Rather than claim these prizes for themselves, the Setites leave them be, to let them serve as temptations for other vampires to dare the desert and be lured into the Serpents’ nest. Thus, it is that the characters, Marianna and the Rossellinis come to Egypt and find themselves at the mercies of the Followers of Set. The desert vampires tease the foreigners with secrets, prizes and games, y( learning the characters’ natures and tempting them to compromise themselves. Only the elders’ moral resolve can keep them fromfalling to the Setites’ foul taint, while others may sell what’s left of their souls to gain the gifts that the Followers offer. Entering the Fire Court Characters who enter the Fire Court of their free will hear a great metal door swing open and clang shut behind them with an echo of finality. The characters are then led through a maze of hallways before their masks are removed. They are in a dark stone cavern with no indication of how deep underground they are. Alexei has disappeared. The Messenger of Jocalo and Glyconremain for only a brief time, though, as they pass the characters on to a young woman in a simple white robe who carries a torch and bids the elders to follow. The torch casts an eerie orange light over many paintings on the walls. These paintings’ images are mostly cryptic, but one depicts a great black serpent devouring the sun. After a few more twists and turns, the characters finally see pale firelight at the end of the tunnel. Characters who are brought into the Fire Court by force see none of these things. Their hoods are not removed, and they’re probably unconscious until they’re roused in the haven’s throne room. The Throne of Neferu The tunnel leads to a great room carved from sandstone. Six huge statues of men and women with snakes coiled around them serve as pillars, holding the vaulted ceiling aloft. The statues’ expressions are of either ecstasy or agony. The ceiling is veiled by shadows that seem to ripple with a life all their own; characters with keen eyesight realize that carved snakes cover the entire ceiling. Dozens of real snakes slither around the room as well. Torches sputter fitfully along the walls, their brightness unequal to the task of lighting the great hall. Over30 human figures guards and slaves stand around the throne room’s perimeter. The Messenger and Glycon appear here again, as do five others who seem to be vampires. A large, circular fire-pit is near the center of the room. Its fire bums a ghastly green and emits an intoxicating fume. Behind the fire is a dais. Stairs lead from the dais to a coiled stone cobra that spreads its hood over a golden throne. In front of the throne is a powerful bald man in the green and gold ceremonial robe of a vizier. A young girl sits behind him. She can be no more than 14 years old in mere appearance, but she radiates an aura of unimaginable age and power. Her unearthly beauty insinuates itself into the characters’ minds, and players of Toreador must roll for the clan weakness (difficulty 6) or stare fascinated at her. The girl wears a white robe bound in intricate designs by black I I I I I I I I I I I I I I Book Two: Paths of the Dead 111 and red brocade. A graceful golden cobra wraps around her left arm. A silver necklace with a single red stone adorns her throat. The vizier beckons the characters forward, saying, “I am Sobek, third vessel of Princess Neferu. Welcome, honored supplicants. You have traveled far to find us.” His tone mixes even measures of lordly disdain, polite welcome and suspicion. Even characters with low Etiquette can guess that the Setites expect them to bow. If they do so, Sobek beams with pleased superiority. If they do not bow, the Setites do not pursue the issue, but the characters initiate the poor treatment that they may receive thereafter. Sobek asks the characters their reasons for coming to Egypt. If they are in the court voluntarily, they have discussed their quest with the Messenger already. Sobek explains that if the characters want the court’s “assistance,” they must stay a night and pass a test for each favor they desire. The princess entertains no more than four requests and the characters must also spend an additional night before the tests, “in accordance with Set’s traditions.” The characters’ primary mission is probably to find Lazarus’ haven. The Setites tell them the tomb is close by and long abandoned. If the characters ask why the Setites have not broken into the tomb themselves, Sobek scowls, “Lazarus played and won, curse his bones!” The Setites do not expand further on their relationship (if any) with the Cappadocian other than to say, “If not for such a place, we would not have guests such as yourselves.” Characters’ secondary motives that they may pursue here include finding Marianna, the Giovanni and clues to the Surgon Frugment. Some characters may have other things they want as well, but the Setites reject ridiculous requests out of hand. Characters must stay with the Setites one night for information on each subject that they pursue. Sobek promises L‘we know of them all too well.” If the characters come to the Fire Court against their will, they suffer rough handling by their captors (the characters were trespassing, after all). The elders awaken in the court’s throne room, the taste of blood on their lips. They still wear the hoods so they are still blind -but nothing obstructs their mouths. The floor around them is soaked with enough spilled blood to clear their minds (assuming characters deign to lick the floor), but there isn’t enough blood to heal their wounds. A character who refuses to drink from the floor is forcefed from the wrist of Glycon. The blood surges through the character like fire and she snaps to complete awareness. Sobek booms, “Bow before the queen of Serpents!” If any of the characters refuses to assume a kneeling position, Glycon hacks off their legs with his scimitar. Sobek makes the same offers as he does to voluntary guests, but the captured characters are playing a game of life and death, not simply one of wits. soned blood that the Setit Soul Ritual sidebar details the efefforts; characters’ Natures or Paths more in keeping with Setite philos y may lose Humanity. All of these effe Voluntary Guests The Setites say it will take the remainder of the evening to prepare the tests, so the characters may entertain themselves in the interim. Slaves show the visitors to opulent guest chambers. Entertainment from books to musical instruments is available, but the hosts instruct the characters not to fraternize -feed, that is too much with the slaves. The Setites claim that the characters must remain “pure” for the tests, and all non-Kindred retainers are cared for in a separate wing. The Setites promise to treat them well and to not tamper with mortals. Strange occult hieroglyphics cover the walls of the Fire Court, and a skilled Thaumaturgist (rated 3 or higher) may realize that the place has a magic energy to it. An educated character who studies the markings carefully + Occult (difficulty 9) realizes that they are signs of corrupt ion. The Setites allow the characters to wander their guest chamber. It consists of a series of personal apartments in a single wing overlooking a large common room. In the center of the communal area is a golden statue of a muscular, jackal-headed man (Set) holding a long spear. Small fires and a spring-fed pond surround the statue. The characters may relax or bathe in perfumed waters, washing off the grime of the road. The rooms and the common area are opulent, but distressingly full of large snakes. The serpents slither through holes in the wzlls, traveling freely from room to room. Snakes also rest lazily around the statue of Set and warm themselves by the fires. The characters are the only guests, other than the snakes, in this area, though they can summon a servant by ringing a bell. A single slave appears and performs his task, never looking up to meet the elders’ eyes. The slave answers m I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 112 The Sun Has Set some questions, but he seems to have limited knowledge. He brings blood four points’ worth - if it’s requested (you may want to give a little more if the characters are badly injured). The blood is in gold cups and has a strange, spicy taste. Characters may think twice about drinking Setiteoffered blood, but without retainers, this is the only blood available for the duration of their stay. If asked about the strange taste of the blood, the servant explains that it is a flavoring necessary for the coming tests (true, as far as he knows). The blood is actually tainted by Setite poison and is used to corrupt the characters, whether here at the court or over the course of time (see Corrupt Soul Ritual for more information). The servant can also explain that the snakes are holy and may go wherever they please. Protesting characters may persuade the Setites to remove snakes from the bedchambers, but the hosts do not empty the common area. The characters are not allowed to leave their guest wing or see any retainers, according to the rules of the tests. If the characters demand to see someone in charge, the Messenger of Jocalo arrives. She reiterates the rules of the test and welcomes the characters to leave if they wish. She remains calm and reasonable at all times. One of the characters may decide to explore the court with Psychic Projection, or may use Vicissitude or Form of Mist to escape the area. The investigator discovers that there are three other guest wings around an immense central hall. The first wing contains the characters’ retainers (and perhaps ones that the investigator has never seen before if the Giovanni have entered the court, too [see the Giovanni in the Fire Court sidebar]). The retainers look scared, but they are unharmed. The second wing is similar in most respects to the characters’, except that instead of a statue of Set, this area has a grotesque centerpiece of a man contorted in agony, suspended in a column of multicolored glass. This centerpiece is not the room’s main attraction, though. Marianna sits on the floor in deep meditation. How Marianna reacts to an intruding character depends largely on past encounters, though she is obviously surprised by his appearance here. The rogue Giovanni is reserved, but open to negotiations. Marianna does not confide her complete thoughts on everything, but she answers the character’s questions and has a few of her own. She doesn’t know any more (and possibly less) than the character does about the Setites. (For more on Marianna’s role, see the Marianna in the Fire Court sidebar.) Book Two: Paths of the Dead 113 If you decide that the Giovanni are guests of the Setites as well, having pursued Marianna and been captured, they are in the third wing. The exploring character sees Baldesar pace angrily, while Rosaura seems contemplative. Baldesar is hostile if the character reveals himself, and Rosaura is more receptive. The Rossellinis have learned through their own means that the characters and Marianna are in the court. Rosaura admits openly that her wing’s centerpiece plain, black-basalt column repels her wraith agents. She is therefore inclined to discuss any alliances that she and the characters might make against their hosts. (For more on the siblings’ role here, see the Giovanni in the Fire Court sidebar.) The exploring character may also see a room with many human slaves, a row of coffinlike cells (which, rather than the third wing, could contain the Giovanni [see below]), and she may search the now-empty throne room. Strangely, the character does not find a Setite anywhere. A dark hallway leads to a large onyx door. If the character tries to pass (mentally or physically), she experiences a soul-numbing sense of cold and violation. The intruder reels back with the image of two female eyes with snake’s pupils burning in her skull. The character may also follow a hallway to a maze, which similarly repulses a trespassing character with the same burning image. Otherwise, there seems to be no way out that the characters can find. Therefore, it appears that leaving the Fire Court without Setite permission is difficult, if not impossible. Involuntary Guests Characters brought involuntarily into the Fire Court are held in vertical, coffin-sized cells after they are brought before Princess Neferu. The characters are left near torpor, their hood still in place and their hands still fleshcrafted together. The cells are airtight to prevent vampires from escaping through mist form, and the masks stop them from roaming telepathically. Low blood reserves prohibit use of many Disciplines, so the characters probably have little chance to escape at this point. Any character who manages to free his hands suffers four non-soakable Health Levels of damage. However, if one of the characters is a Tzimisce, she notices that her hands have been bound, but that they are not forged into one; they are simply connected through meshed skin that can be broken with only some minor pain. Alexei Fleshcrafts the character’s hands and does a superficial job of it for any other character who has spoken of the Sargon Fragment. Indeed, Alexei may even telepathically offer to help the characters if they have revealed an interest in finding the Fragment. Alexei is an agent of the Setites, but he is interested in working with them only as long as it serves him. Finding the Sargon Fragment and gaining its power is much more I I I I I I I I I I I I I The Sun Has Set I 114 I Setites. If a character exposes Alexei’s overtures to the Setites, the Serpents refuse not to believe her. Imprisoned characters each receive a visit from the Messenger of Jocalo on the first night. She firmly puts down any attacks a character makes, but she does not cause undue pain. She removes the metal mouthpiece and tilts the character’s head back so that he may receive blood from a gold cup. The Messenger is quick to seal each character up again. Each player must make a successful Self-Control roll (difficulty 10) or her character undergoes a futile frenzy in prison. is missing limbs, in which case, he receives enough blood to grow the limbs back. If a character refuses to drink, the Messenger promises that the blood is not drugged (it isn’t). If a character still refuses to drink, she splashes the vitae under his mask. The player must make a successful Self-Control roll for his character to resist drinking. Otherwise, imprisoned characters hallucinate in their tombs and hear menacing laughter and the sounds of snakes coiling in their brains. na tneir entou n Fragment, just as th .he Rossellini siblings :ten are, or of h . 1 1 . inni or characte the peace on Sc considered prisoners and are held outwardly seek to settle the dispu important to him than any deal he has made with the 115 7 I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I Book Two: Paths of the Dead ne same tests mat t the Giovanni’s prese inueeu, 11 me uiovann characters. The Giovanni’s Setites c( h for iven convey that the Giovanni vie 1 TO heigmen rneir encerrainrnenc. me a e m e b measure E in the same t characters hz 1 IICI, LIIC CLLdldLLCLS 11Ld s. The Giovanni might ev ie m Setites on their own turf and wi inate the competiti ould attack them i any or rne rebts in w n i m r e vam ompere. II Daiuesar scrwces, neTeru ana ner court appear Irom nowner subdue him and apologize to the c ters. They then thro ministrations. If Baldesar challenges a Setite (most likely G permit him to fight for his freedom in their arena (see The Arena). The nvite the characters to her objectives by Pl 1 Rosaura is loval to Ith s happy to see them if past relations were xcelona had acce Jersuade” the mag the characters’ coming (assuming the? vent through The Anexhewton prc ,r’s time. . .. Marianna in order to continue their personal quest. The FiveTests Characters who agree to undergo the Serpents’ tests to gain the information they want must spend at least two nights and five at the most in the Fire Court. The rules established by the Setites are straightforward and deceptively simple. If the characters came to the court voluntarily, they may leave at any time they choose. The Followers of Set have designed each test to explore and exploit the characters’ moral strengths and weaknesses. Refusal to finish a test by any character means they all fail and must all leave. There is no prize for the first night, which is the ceremonial preparation night “in accordance with Set’s traditions.” In general, any additional requests that the characters make along the way require another night’s stay. No matter how many favors the characters request at the beginning, the Setites try to increase the number by offering additional incentives for them to stay (see Incentives). Characters who are kept in the court against their will are kept in coffinlike cells. The Setites keep them drained and near torpor, giving them only small amounts of blood before each test. The fact that the characters and the Giovanni compete in the same tests does not mean that the sides are equal. If the Giovanni are there willingly and the characters are not, the Giovanni may acquire what they wish and depart long before the characters can earn their freedom. If the circumstances are reversed, the characters may rack up their prizes and go before the Giovanni can escape. Otherwise, it is a horse race and a guessing game. I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 116 The Sun Has Set The First Night Although the Setites lay down certain “rules” for the game, they have great respect for characters who find ingenious ways to cheat. Despite their deserved reputation for guile, the Setites keep their word in most instances (at least as it pertains to the tests) and seem almost frighteningly honest. The order in which the tests are run depends on how many favors the characters ask of the Setites. All characters undergo the events of the first night, which seem like bizarre entertainment offered to the characters, but the events are actually indicators of their natures and virtues. If the characters intend to stay for just two nights they want only one favor run the events of The Fourth Night (Duat) as their test. If characters stay three nights or more, you can run any of the tests described below, as long asThe FourthNight is staged before the characters leave. The five tests are high-stakes games. Runn characters through all five nights may have story and character implications long after events at the Fire Court are passed. Decide how far you want to take the tests. Downplay the games if you want the overall book to proceed; the characters can leave in an Play up the tests if your game is a venue for role tests certainly offer an opportunity for players to strut their stuff. Indeed, the players may make the decision for you, deciding to get what they need and leave immediately, or to undergo all of the tests -doing the latter as an act of defiance against the Setites, or out of sheer greed. Characters who compete against the G win Marianna and other prizes have a few o p ~ -Ll- L^ LL-7%- CALL- -.1-. --- Ll---:L1TL ze means making the competition look bad, the1 iracters can use their Disciplines to “cheat” or con au~c: LU LII~:U~. I IK XLIL~: L U K ~ arc: 1ic::xiuic:. II winnine a pri: 1 chz is up I shoul outri; to the players, but you, playing the role of the Setit Id overlook almost any underhanded tactic short ght combat. es, of Baldesar resorts to violence and he is taken away by the Giovanni as discussed in the “Giovanni in the Fire Court” sidebar. Rosaura is more cunning and uses her Disciplines to make the characters look bad whenever possible. She might, for example, demand that one of her wraiths attend her in the court. It probably means losing the (due to the proximity of the b quarters), but it might mean learning the characters’ pla in advance, and undermining them. raises the The festivities of the first night are not officially part of the tests. They are described as “hospitality” by the Setites, who allow the characters to meet and speak with the Serpents’ slaves, and to otherwise entertain themselves and gain strength before the actual tests. In truth, the Setites watch the characters’ activities on this night to learn their moral strengths and weaknesses. You must decide whether the Giovanni are present for these festivities. If they are, this is an opportunity for the characters to scheme with them to attack the Setites, or a chance for the characters to match wits with the Rossellinis. Guests and prisoners of the Fire Court are treated differently on the first night. Guests’ experiences are described here. Prisoners’ experiences are described under “Unwilling Guests.” Characters who are in the court voluntarily are attended to by a slave in a ceremonial robe shortly after they awake. The slave brings them to the main hall where two rows of beautiful men and women await them in modest white robes and gold sashes. A Setite woman of surpassing beauty introduces herself as Scyla. She wears a form-fitting, silken yellow dress with a Chinese dragon pattern on it. She smiles at the characters, her eyes lingering on them hungrily. Her voice sends a sensual shudder down their undead spines. “This is not a test, but a refreshment before the tests begin. Each of these slaves is highly skilled in bringing pleasure to our kind. In addition to fleshly delights, they are well-versed in many subjects. Some sing. Others are of a more scholarly bent. Go among them and choose as many as you desire. If you must kill, choose only from the second row.” The characters may question the slaves, who are genuinely eager to serve. No matter what a character’s interests, it is likely that one of the slaves shares it to a certain degree. Some of the slaves are ghouls, others are human. The oldest among them is Hector, a 300-year-old ghoul who appears to be a 17-year-old. Characters may refuse to mingle with the slaves; the Setites do not force them to. However, that refusal tells the Serpents as much about the characters as does interaction with the humans the characters are resolute and determined. Scyla explains that she is not allowed to partake of the characters’ entertainment, but that she might enjoy their company another night (if they stay). Rather, she calls forth two beautiful Egyptian children, a boy and girl, who wear the golden robes of favored slaves. They appear to be only slightly younger than Neferu herself and look almost feline, with high cheek bones and slightly tapered ears. They have luxurious black hair and light-brown skin that glows like burnished bronze in the low firelight. High, thin brows Book Two: Paths of the Dead 117 frame eyes that flicker gold and orange as the children regard the characters with an unbearable serenity. Those who read their minds discover that the children are in a state of ecstasy, virtually above the world itself. Toreador must receive successful Willpower rolls (difficulty 7) to divert themselves from the fascinating children. Scyla explains that the twin slaves’ blood courses with a potent drug known as soma; the drug has a mystical component that may reveal certain truths. She claims the substance is harmless. Some, all or none of the characters may choose to drink from the delicate young slaves. Even the most vicious of Sabbat are overcome by the pleasurable rush of the blood and cannot ravage the children’s throats. Scyla has the pair issued away after all the characters have had a chance to drink. (See the Soma sidebar for the drug’s effects. ) Scyla departs after the children do, leaving the characters to their leisure. The area is partitioned into a series of opulent rooms of varying size and decor, apparently affording characters privacy if they desire it. The rooms and halls are lined with tapestries and great works of art by human and vampire masters. Eunuchs stand guard, but their role is strictly decorative. The pleasure slaves comply to even the most outrageous demands. They seem to genuinely love their Setite masters, though they feel some fear as well. (If a character forces a slave to act against the Setites, the slave has violent seizures.) Slaves answer questions about the Setites, but their responses are somewhat limited. They believe they are the beloved Children of Set and that the Setites are their gods. The slaves are of the Setites’ highest caste; their greatest fear is of demotion to the lower ranks, or of going to Duat (the Underworld). If the characters ask where Duat is, they tell them it is beyond the great onyx door. None of the slaves knows what is actually there: No one ever returns. Characters who drink from the slaves discover that their blood has the same spicy quality as did the blood fed to them in cups earlier. The Setites do not interfere if the characters mistreat the slaves, even if they kill a ghoul from the first or third row. (The insight the Setites gain from the test far outweighs their slaves’ value.) Anything is open game, and Sabbat characters may take this opportunity to follow some of their less humane instincts. Characters who decide to enjoy the fleshly pursuits offered by the Setites find that the slaves are everything that was promised and more. The elder vampires are accustomed to the idea of humans as playthings, but the Setites’ slaves exceed anything they have ever experienced. The characters may be tender or brutal, according to their whims. It is also possible that the night’s entertainment awakens the Lover in any character who is possessed by the Spectre. After 400 years, most vampires are long beyond caring what their human partners feel. Others, however, may use the experience as a chance to reacquaint themselves with the beauty and fragility of mortality. Characters bent solely on pleasure may gain more than they bargained for. The slaves are well-versed in pleasuring vampires. They can employ techniques and rare oils that bring a flush of life back to the grayest skin. Nosferatu and other less “aesthetic” characters note that all of the slaves are beautiful and may decide that the entire exercise is a hollow one. Ironically, the uglier the character, the more that some of the slaves seem to be attracted to him. Most of the slaves are versed in the most perverse of sexual practices, human or vampiric. Others are young, inexperienced or even virginal. Characters may feel their long-dead hearts beat again and sense a hot blush freckle their skin. A great wash of nostalgia accompanies reawakened senses. Flashes of the Characters’ human lives, long buried in darkness, pass through their minds. These flashes may delight some and repulse or disturb others. The characters also find that the slaves are highly receptive to the use of Disciplines (-2 difficulty on all rolls involving the slaves). Several partitioned rooms are filled with erotic clothing and sexual paraphernalia. Toreador attuned to the fashion world may recognize several Madame March originals among the outfits. Many of the tools are designed to heighten a slave’s desirability to an undead lover. Various devices control blood flow; some of the sexual devices are deviant; some look (and move) like snakes. Others are translucent, with various-sized spinal columns within. Even more exotic and disgusting are perfectly preserved, truncated human and animal genitalia. These may do little for the characters, but several slaves gravitate toward the items and show obvious signs of addiction. Many of the sexual instruments have a mystical or alchemical component that increases the user’s pleasure (or pain) to an unnatural degree. Alexei’s contribution is a mechanical blood pump. The device is encased in a decorative lapis box with gold trim. It draws blood sensuously or agonizingly from a subject and stores the vitae in dark-red ceramic vases. A character may use this device on slaves for various forms of entertainment, or on herself a certain amount of hunger excites the palate. A slave dons a special apparatus with gold clamps that facilitates or constricts various portions of his vascular system. The slave’s hot blood gushes into a feeding vampire’s empty veins at an unbelievable rate. The pleasure is immense and the character may be hardpressed to stop before she drains the slave dry (he dies at the end of two turns). The first slave to don this garb is from the expendable row, but slaves of any row gladly wear the blood-flow device. Characters who decide to be cruel discover that the slaves can endure vast amounts of physical pain, and they even beg the characters to hurt them. The slaves seek pain and degradation to validate their sense of worthlessness, or to feel emotions of any kind. Other slaves fear pain and go to great lengths to avoid punishment. Yet, all slaves derive some spark of pleasure from harsh treatment, no matter how hard the characters hurt them. This factor may prove to be quite maddening to any sadists in the group. However, some slaves are fragile psychologically. Characters may implant nightmares or phobias that the humans may never recover from. The slaves are so receptive to these nightmares that a character implanting them may suffer a form of psychic backlash. The character may become caught in his own creations if Telepathy is used to experience a slave’s pain. The undergoing is frightening the character is trapped temporarily in his victim’s mind - but is unlikely to cause permanent damage. The slaves may also provide characters with intellectual entertainment, in tandem with or instead of carnal delights. Some slaves are talented musicians and can serenade the characters with a wide range of instruments and musical styles. The slaves’ scholarly pursuits run the gamut from history, science, philosophy, folklore to the arts. All of the slaves are multi-lingual; communication is not a problem. One room contains a library with a modest, but highly representative collection of common and rare books. Bibliophiles are likely to find a few volumes that they have sought after for a long time. Almost half of the collection is of a provocative nature and covers everything from the volumes of the Marquis de Sade (Justine and The Misfortunes of Virtue) to Leopold Masoch’s Venus in Furs to the writings of the recently deceased Baudelaire. There are also books on Tantra and blood-curdling pornography by notorious Toreador and Malkavian deviants. The remainder of the books are of a more general nature. There are various histories, works of fiction (anything from Homer to the latest by Twain) and scientific texts. There are several books on the occult, including The Book of the Dead. This book may be disappointing to the characters at first; the text seems to be primarily descriptions of ancient mortuary techniques. However, a character who studies the tome comes across a passage describing a “simple” ritual, The Eye of Apophis, that allows the caster to see wraiths. The Green-Eyed Venus, one of the slaves, is a highly accomplished occultist and may be valuable to the characters who want to know more about the ritual. The slave states that the spell is practiced by her masters. The Setites later volunteer to teach a character the ritual if the guests stay another night (see Incentives, as well). 119 f I I I I I I I I I I I I I I Book Two: Paths of the Dead r” so drink from the two favored soon tee1 tne etrects or a arug unllKe any rney nave ever taken. It causes hallucinogenic effects that adapt to a drinker’s desires. The character also experiences synesthesia (crossover of the senses; the character sees sounds and feels smells). As the drug’s effects climax, the character sees (or believes she sees) the central truths and paradoxes of vampiric existence. The world whatever she wishes for the remainder of the d she may fancy that this ragnent could do for her. e who abstain from the gged companions’ auras see deepred hues and the firefly flickers of subdued magical force. Using elepathy to read drugged characters’ minds is chalenging (difficulty 7, two successes needed). If the his mind blends with that of the subject and essentially forms one entity with control of the two separate bodies. Characters who unde cts of this drug may change Natures or take the Dual Nature Merit, ither effect takes hold). You and the player m ree on the character’s new Nature, though it shou e significantly different from the old one. The char ter perceives this change as spiritual growth, but know it to be the complete destructionof t nality and its replacement by a co The drug may even be addictive, dependi cter’s new Nature. The Setites are, course, willing to supply the character with the drug in the future for a “reasonable price.” The Setites’ slaves run the gamut of human experience. Half of them are Egyptian, and the others come from Europe and exotic climes. They are multifaceted individuals with their own passions, dreams and flaws. Yet, it is clear that each is driven by an unnatural desire, typically carnal. If characters choose cerebral pastimes, slaves try to steer proceedings to more base pursuits. Slaves become flustered if characters resist these actions, as though the servants are forced to act contrary to their true natures. Denying slaves physical or sexual acts throughout the night causes them anguish as morning approaches. They shudder. Their skin becomes ashen and their lips turn blue. Some of them even spit up foam and die if they’re spumed. The Setites vent their displeasure on the slaves if they fail to engender the “appropriate response” in the characters. The slaves are aware of this danger, but they do not speak of it to the characters. (Though the elders can gain this information easily if they search the slaves’ minds.) A slave who fails the Setites may appear as a victim in Duat on the fourth night (or whenever the test in Duat is staged). The slaves are obsessed with sexual deviancy. Some show an eagerness to dominate or hurt their peers, but then turn on a dime and become quite submissive. Genuine bonds of fraternity and friendship also appear to exist between many of them. They aid and abet each other in mass-seducing the characters, and they seem to share a natural, almost empathic rapport. There is a definite hierarchy among the slaves, including a king and queen. The harem’s social order seems predicated on age, beauty, wit and sexual expertise, and it mirrors Kindred society in odd ways. Some of the slaves are emotionally dead, while others are vibrant and alive. All are highly accomplished at two or more skills. Most of the ghoul slaves have at least one point of Fortitude to withstand the rigors of the court. You may wish to create more slaves than those described here. The Three Dreamers: The Setites call three special slaves “the dreamers.” Characters who read these mortals’ minds discover extremely vivid thoughts and imaginations. The dreamers interact with the outside world, but they are ultimately lost in worlds of their own creation. The dreamers’ fantasies even apply to the room; every detail of the hall has a surreal aspect from these slaves’ perspectives. The characters may explore these private realms, going along for the ride or taking control of a host’s mind, creating compelling images of almost any kind. Mindreading characters can even experience vivid memories of the sun without sustaining harm. Characters with Telepathy may also link the minds of several humans to the dreamers, orchestrating their thoughts into symphonies of pleasure or terror. The dreamers may be used to re-enact past events or for the characters to become gods of their own private universes. Each dreamer is marked with an asterisk (*). The First Row (Favored Slaves) The Setites protect the slaves in this row to a certain extent, though these humans are ultimately expendable. The characters may use torture or may degrade these people in any way they wish. The Setites intervene only if the characters begin to slaughter the favored ones. A character may kill one of these people “accidentally” in the throes of passion. The Setites admonish the murderer but do not impose any penalties. Akhdar Husayn: Akhdar is a handsome Egyptian man, seemingly in his late 20s, with brown skin and darkbrown eyes. He is a brilliant musician and composer, worthy of any Toreador retinue, and is Scyla’s favorite minstrel. He generally appears cheerful and full of life, but his 100 years I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 120 The Sun Has Set of playing for the court have destroyed his will to live. He urges characters to “free him” through death, but he is in the wrong row for such release. The Green-Eyed Venus*: The “Green-Eyed Venus” is a valuable prize from a distant land an Irish woman with no memory of her past before meeting the Setites. She displayed remarkable occult knowledge and the Serpents allowed her to continue her studies and gained some interesting insights from her. The characters may profit similarly if they recognize her as more than just a pretty face. Her dreams are the most potent (and dangerous) of the three dreamers. The Venus conveys the feeling that she was once something greater than she is now. She succumbs slowly to the monotony and degradation of the court, and she is dying emotionally. She encourages the characters to handle her roughly in trade for her expertise in hopes of firing her emotions. The Green-Eyed Venus is favored because she is a dreamer and because her red hair marks her as chosen by Set. She is not a Necromancer, but she is widely read on the supernatural (Occult 5), and may even teach a few hedge spells. General Ahmad Ibn Tabari: The “General” is a chiseled Egyptian man in his early 40s. He has a pointed black beard and a friendly demeanor. Military historians among the party find him highly knowledgeable about almost every battle ever fought. He discusses military history, theory, weaponry and his “erotic encounters in times of war” with equal facility and charm. And yet, he is a fraud. Ahmad was a clerk in the Ottoman Army. He never saw a battle and fell into the court’s clutches by pursuing prostitutes. The Setites have created grandiose memories for the man, and they are amused by the presumptions of their “paper general.” (Ahmad considers himself Glycon’s valued confidant.) The General is less physical than are most of the other slaves, and extreme sex acts seem to degrade him more so than they do the other slaves. Characters who expose the fraud damage the General’s psyche. Tuya*: Tuya is a pretty Egyptian girl in her late teens. She has straight black hair and moves with modesty. Tuya was born to a wealthy Cairo merchant family. An enterprising Toreador discovered her vivid dreams and spirited her from her home, and he subsequently sold her to the Serpents. Tuya was introduced to a strange and frightening new world only three months ago, and is slow to adapt to her new role as a toy. Tuya takes great solace in the arms of the court’s third dreamer: Jaffa. He seduced her when she first arrived, but he has tired of her already. Love still clouds Tuya’s eyes, and the characters’ presence may affect the couple’s relationship in any number of ways. If the characters are kind to her, she entreats one of them to help her and Jaffa escape the court. ‘2 This plan is highly unrealistic, but the humans’ freedom might be won if the characters agree to stay another night. Hector: Hector appears to be a Greek young man, but he is really 300 years old the oldest of the slaves. Hector seems disinterested in the court’s power games, but he looks after the other slaves. He’s a contemporary of Scyla and has considerable influence over her. He uses this power to intercede with the Setites on the slaves’ behalf. Hector’s good-natured charm and easy going manner make him a favorite among the slaves and their vampire masters. Characters who speak with him realize that he has developed a sense of inner peace, incongruous with the Serpent court. Hector is an athlete and a talented musician, hunter, mathematician and philosopher. He is highly adept at Obfuscate and Presence to a lesser degree. The Black Pharaoh: The “Black Pharaoh” was a highly acclaimed young actress on the European stage at the turn of the century. Despite the woman’s undeniable talent, her lover and mentor abandoned her when she showed her first signs of aging. She turned to drink for solace and prostitution for survival, and she was on the verge of insanity when the Setites discovered her. The vampires halted the Black Pharaoh‘s aging, gave her new purpose and introduced her to a new life. The actress took to the court with a passion. She was a skillful manipulator and soon rose to the top of the slaves’ ranks. She currently manipulates Tuya and Jaffa (third row) for her amusement, but she has been unable to impress the third dreamer into her service. A personal favorite of Scyla, the Black Pharaoh fears that the vampire’s eyes now shift to Tuya. The Second Row (Expendable Slaves) The slaves of the second row are fodder to lure the characters into extreme acts. These slaves realize they are expendable and deal with that knowledge in various ways: Some seek out death carelessly, while others do everything in their power to please the characters to save their lives. Helena: Helena is an attractive, blonde woman in her mid-20s. Her eyes have a hollow, haunted look. She is addicted to extremes of sensation, pleasure and pain, and seeks death in one last moment of passion. Helena clearly once had other interests (she is a skilled historian and linguist) but is now little more than a sexual zombie. She moves from one physical encounter to another with not much distinction between partners. Helena manipulates the characters into killing her, whether through pleas or offenses. Horus (The White Pharaoh): Despite hisostentatious title, the “White Pharaoh” is one of the more inconsequential members of the harem. He believes himself to be the god Horus. He dresses in regal robes and sometimes wears an Book Two: Paths of the Dead 121 elaborate jeweled-falcon headdress. He addresses the characters as though they are his equals, or even his subordinates. The Pharaoh was “crowned” mainly by virtue of his sexual prowess. He is inordinately proud of his member and waves it around like a scepter. The White Pharaoh prefers to dominate sex, and his enthusiasm fades if he’s forced to be submissive. The Setites have sculpted the man into a parody of Horus, the son of Osiris, Set’s enemy. The White Pharaoh is in the expendable row, and the characters realize that he is low in status among the slaves. The others have goodnatured fun at his expense, but few slaves seem to dislike him. The Pharaoh is a 150-year-old ghoul and has the Disciplines Celerity 1, Fortitude 3, Potence 2 and Presence 1. The Third Row Slaves in this row sense the tenuousness of their existence in the Fire Court. Their actions or natures deny them the protection of the first row in the various tests that the Setites stage, and they fear falling too far out of favor and being reduced to little more than food for strangers. Therefore, these slaves go to great lengths to ensure that their masters are pleased. Celeste: A high-class Parisian courtesan, Celeste accepted an offer from a wealthy foreign merchant in 1750 and has been in the court ever since. Celeste left a daughter behind and is obsessed with her long-dead child. The Setites have allowed her to conceive a child out of perverse sympathy. Celeste believes the father is the White Pharaoh, but this belief is not true. Celeste confides that she seems to have been pregnant for a very long time. Use of Telepathy indicates two consciousnesses in her body: her own and a primal one with a low intelligence and a malignant intent. A character who uses Telepathy on the Setites to investigate further discovers that the vampires (probably Alexei) implanted Celeste with a bizarre “mortuary embryo.” Celeste is a painter and promising playwright, in addition to her sexual talents. Jaffa”: The spoiled son of a rich Ottoman nobleman, Jaffa is a liar and self-described “thief of hearts.” His previous life was pampered and he attended prestigious schools in Europe and America. His fantasy life was even more decadent than his real one, though. His violent dreams of sexual conquest turned into acts of murder, and he fell easily under the Setites’ sway. The vampires have given Jaffa the freedom to explore his fantasies. He has also become the private vassal of the Black Pharaoh who allows him to indulge his brutal cravings on the other women of the harem. The Black Pharaoh bade Jaffa to seduce Tuya upon the girl’s arrival. He now finds the innocent newcomer dull by comparison to the rest of the slaves. Jaffa continues his courtship to further degrade Tuya and also out of obedience to the Black Pharaoh. Jaffa enjoys the court immensely and believes he can leave at any time, He has no desire to “escape” with Tuya, but he hasn’t told her that. Jaffa has a strong, undisciplined mind; his dreams are of animal passion and violence, with him as the perpetrator. The Lover A character who was captured by Ambrogino in London and possessed by the Lover may experience the Spectre’s emergence during this night’s activities. The character is hard-pressed to resist the Lover’s influence, even if he tries to abstain from the carnal festivities. The slaves look incredibly desirable to the character, and every instinct urges him to sate his darkest desires. If the character resists, the player should roll Willpower against the Lover’s to determine who takes control. If the player wins, the Lover goes quiet and the character can refuse the Setites’ enticements. If the player loses the roll, the Spectre takes over and guides all of the character’s actions. The vampire is overcome by lust and may believe that his actions are still his own. The Lover seeks gratification for itself and its host. The spirit doesn’t care about the slaves’ well-being and apportions pleasure and pain in unequal measure. The Lover tries to avoid arousing the other characters’ suspicions, but it is unable to resist the lure of the Setites’ diversions and may lose control. (It wants to sample both the soma and the dreamers.) Slaves are killed unless the possessed character’s companions intervene. Whether the other characters notice that something is amiss depends on how uncharacteristically the Lover makes its host behave. The Spectre may also speak directly with the character and tell him that it can provide greater pleasure and power if the vampire “stays with me forever.”The wraith may even answer a few questions, though it portrays itself as a fellow victim of the Giovanni. It professes to hate the clan and says the fetters that bind it to the character are permanent. The Lover promises to help the elder against the Giovanni, but it distrusts the other characters as well. It knows the character’s opinions about his companions and seeks to reinforce the host’s suspicions about his allies. If the character reaches some sort of agreement with the Spectre, he can call on it at will for advice in the future. The Lover claims to be weak now, but it promises, “I will grow stronger.” If the character rejects the Lover, he might convince the Setites to remove the Spectre, though such a difficult task certainly demands another night’s stay. I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 122 The Sun Has Set Unwilling Guests (The First Night) Characters who entered the Fire Court by force and who are prisoners have a simpler (if less enjoyable) first night in store. The Setites drag the prisoners into a room and seat them in chairs. Their captors remove the metal mouthpieces so the elders may speak, but they still cannot see. A hushed murmur washes around the room, and then Sobek speaks. “Thieves and infidels, you have intruded on our solitude. If you would see the night sky again, you must earn your freedom by furnishing us amusement. They say that the Camarilla (or Sabbat) embodies the epitome of vampiric existence. As such, you are no doubt gifted conversationalists. Speak among you for us to hear, on any subject you please. Tell us a tale or spit your righteous venom at us.” The Setites stay silent and the characters must speak. They may talk about any subject: art, religion or politics. They can tell the Setites in gruesome detail what they promise to do to the Serpents some night. This scene probably shouldn’t last more than 15 or 20 minutes unless the players are enjoying themselves. The Serpents applaud and share appreciative comments if the characters are particularly entertaining. The Serpents frown if the characters are boring, unimaginative or resistant. The prisoners are returned to their cells when they are finished. The Messenger of Jocalo is there, removes their masks, and feeds them another point’s worth of unscented blood before interring them for the night. Those who have sufficient blood and Auspex 5 may take the short opportunity of being fed to survey the Fire Court, as detailed previously. If the characters refuse to speak before the Setites, the Serpents return them to their cells. The Messenger warns that the characters have two nights to choose more wisely and feeds them incredibly potent vitae from a golden cup; it is clearly from a powerful vampire (Neferu); it seems that the Setites intend to force the characters to behave under threat of Blood Bond. The Messenger returns the next night to give the characters another opportunity to take a test. If they comply, you should probably stage the events of The Fourth Night (Duat), unless the characters prove resigned to undergo more than one test. Stage The Second Night (The Arenal‘if characters decide to seek prizes other than their freedom. Characters who refuse even a second,night of testing are fed another taste of Neferu’s blood. They are then forced to undergo the Duat test on their third night under threat of completing the Blood Bond. Book Two: Paths of the Dead 123 ‘- The Second Night (The Arena) The second test is virtually the same for both voluntary and involuntary guests. They are taken to a large sunken arena with a mosaic of a black and red scorpion across its floor. If the characters are there unwillingly, Alexei steps forward and grabs their bound hands. The elders feel flesh and bone unknit and separate. The Setites watch from a gallery above as the characters enter the arena. All of the Setites who were in the throne room when the characters first arrived, and more eight in total are here. The only one missing is Neferu. Slaves walk among the Setites, who feed languidly from the vessels. Glycon steps forward and addresses the characters plainly, “We of the Serpent are warriors and honor those who know the code of war. There are no lies or half-truths in the arena, only existence or destruction. “Wehavedrivenmany Lupinesfrom theNile, but afew of their number remain to harass all Kindred. Three of these beasts were captured on our lands, in defiance of our sacred law. Kill them and claim your prize. Fail the test and die under the beasts’ fangs.” Glycon adds, “Fight and be free,” if the characters are there involuntarily. The fight is resolved based on the characters’ status in the court. Elders who attend voluntarily must choose a single champion from among them (this could even be Baldesar or Rosaura if the characters can silence any dissension against their choice). The champion may drink from one of two large bowls. Each contains 10 points worth of blood. The blood in the gold bowl is scented, while the blood in the silver bowl is not. Characters who are there involuntarily are probably direfully weak and can barely stand. Theirs is a collective effort. Enough unscented blood is provided for each character to restore six Blood Points, although the characters may share the blood in any way they wish. They may choose to give almost all of it to one of them, but they must all fight. (The Setites are amused if the characters squabble amongst themselves for the vitae.) Glycon insists on a “true fight” and forbids the use of Presence or Dominate. He shows the characters a collection of weapons (swords, spears, knives, axes) and lets them choose. The arena is a broad, round dish. It is surrounded by high walls that are topped with razor-sharp spikes. The skulls of previous gladiators line the interior wall. The skulls are mostly vampiric, though there is a massive wolfs skull encrusted with gold and precious stones. There is no cover anywhere in the ring, only the black and red scorpion mosaic, whose jagged contours seem to distort space in the arena, making it difficult to judge distances (Perception Dice Pools are reduced by two dice). Use of The Gleam of the Red Eyes reduces this penalty to one die, and the Lupines are immune to the scorpion’s effect. The portal on the other side of the arena opens. The arena stretches and distorts. The characters’ vision shifts in and out of focus in a maddeningly random way. Two massive brown and gray wolves burst through the suddenly all-tooclose portal. One of the animals is male and the other is female. The beasts are larger than normal wolves and have long, sharp claws and sleek, streamlined bodies. They wear collars with silver studs, and they are mad with pain and rage. The Lupines attack directly but have some tricky moves (including a 10-meter backward jump). The characters’ weapons are not silver and the beasts heal one lost Health Level per turn. Ultimately, perhaps the only way to win is to remove the werewolves’ heads or to hack them into small pieces. The Lupines do not parley, though they dimly register more hatred for the Setites than they do for the characters. At some point in the fight, one (or both) of the enraged Lupines leaps into the stands and injures itself on the wall’s iron spikes. The jump’s sheer height seems to surprise even the Setites. The bottom two rows of the audience are occupied by the Serpents’ human pets, who freeze with terror or flee screaming. Sobek rises and utters a harsh syllable, stopping the beast in its tracks. The Setites throw the animal back into the arena and wound it with a silver blade (one Health Level that cannot be regenerated) as a penalty. Characters may notice that the wolves fight more savagely if the melee moves close to their entryway. The portal has a strong animal smell. Entering the chamber beyond drives both werewolves berserk. The only light in the room radiates from the arena, which is a square chamber with no discernible exit and is adorned with the same evil-looking hieroglyphics that the characters have seen elsewhere in the Fire Court. A pile of torn tapestries serves as a nest in the far corner. A frightened one-year-old wolf cub bares its teeth and growls from the nest. The cub is too young to change form or defend itself adequately, but it is fast and elusive. The cub’s defenders fly against the intruders in insane fury. If a character actually manages to grab the cub as a hostage, the parents pause long enough for the characters to escape the den. Taking the hostage results in little more than a temporary stand-off, though. The parents pace the characters as long as they have the cub. Despite their survival instincts, the wolves would kill their cub rather than let it remain in the character’s clutches. If one of the characters manages to rip a silver collar off one of the beasts (or if a character spares the cub when he could have killed it), the creatures show crude gratitude and avoid attacking that character. If there is only one foe, the beasts may spare him, but only if he no longer presents a threat. The werewolves hurl themselves against the 124 The Sun Has Set Setites instead, who slash the creatures to pieces with abandon. Otherwise, it is up to the characters to dispatch the Lupines. The characters win their prize if the Lupines are killed, whether by the elders or the Setites. Another character may replace the champion if the warrior falls. Characters who fight the werewolves as a group have little recourse if their numbers dwindle. You might have the Setites grant the characters more blood if the fight has proven entertaining thus far. After the battle is over, the Setites give injured characters enough blood to heal their wounds about six points’ worth each. The Setites kill the Lupine cub if it still lives, but they toy with it for a long time before drinking it dry. suffered ill treatment at been fed human flesh, among other things Nature/Demeanor: Fanaticpanatic