Events from “Tumult”

Notes by Anthony

“Welcome back, dear listeners, to the pirate broadcast bringing you the real WRXL 102.1 FM. Pay no attention to those posers on the radio telling you they are showcasing the latest and greatest alternative and grunge rock. I heard them the other night, and all these guys are playing are Top 40s hits and our pre-recorded ad reads! Now, I hate to speak ill of the folks who kept me slightly above the poverty line for the past decade, but I’m afraid our managers are so out of touch with modern audiences that they can’t tell the difference between Nirvana and Nine Inch Nails. 

“Last we left off; it was Tuesday evening, December 6th. I and the rest of my Malkavian brethren had received a vision of some poor college kid getting drained dry and his guts smeared across the walls of a fancy bedroom by a young woman. We awoke when she Embraced him. Joan told me that was her grandchilde, Jinx. Not much we could do about that, so Joan went off to do something while Cedric was left babysitting. I’d heard from George about the vampire clans and Camarilla, but I figured this was a good a time as any to get the Malkavian perspective on things. Cedric wouldn’t let Benjamin take any notes, so let’s keep this information between ourselves, shall we?

“According to the Malkavians, or at least Cedric, the following is our view of the other clans in the Camarilla. The Ventrue are unimaginative, greedy, and manipulative. They are in positions of power and like to rule but aren’t currently ruling either side of the Potomac. The Tremere rule south of the Potomac. They are jealous and secretive. The Nosferatu are also secretive, with awful, twisted visages. They know about the monsters in the dark. The Gangrel are martial and strong. They tend to be outlaws and on the outskirts of town. They can change their form into animals. The Brujah are also strong. They are fast and quick to anger. 

“Now, here Cedric said the Brujah could be easily controlled. Based my interactions with Thaïs, I can’t see that being the case. She’s a person who knows her own mind and wouldn’t let anyone push her around. But I didn’t think it was the time to contradict my generous teacher. Cedric also said that the Toreador are most in touch with mortal society and like to stay involved with mortal affairs. That made sense, given Desirée is so invested in her club. Cedric also said they are easily physically bested. Given my own lack of martial skills, I’m in no position to judge. 

“Then Cedric talked a little about our history. The Malkavians had, apparently, been high and mighty way back when with the Ventrue in Rome, but we lost that during the dark ages. We know ancient mysteries, but our knowledge is dismissed as mad ravings. The Camarilla were founded in the 1400s at something called the Convention of Thorns. The Sabbat split off soon after. Turns out the Sabbat have members of all the sects, not just freaky ones like the Lasombra and Tzimisce. I asked how it worked with the Malkavians, and Cedric said that we can still communicate via the Cobweb, but while Camarilla Malkavians use our power to manipulate the mind, they use theirs to spread madness to others. 

“Cedric also talked about the different disciplines, or powers that the clans have. Celerity for moving faster than thought. Obfuscation to prevent us from being perceived. Potence for super strength. Presence for making people fall in love with you. Protean to change their body and move through the earth. Animalism for talking to and controlling animals Disney Princess style. Dominate for manipulating the mind and memory. Fortitude for recovering from injury and withstanding the light of the sun and fire. Auspex to see the truth. Cobweb might be a sub-discipline of Auspex or a new dimension entirely. 

“Sorry for the info-dump there, listeners. Feel like one of my biology professors listing out all the different organs and their functions. Hope you were taking notes because there will be a pop quiz. Fortunately, the worst you can get is an F. If I mess this up, well, I told you about the time-traveling cultists and Tremere government spooks out for my blood, right? 

“We were interrupted by a knock at the door. While we’d been chatting, Jinx also decided she needed some advice from Joan. Cedric and Joan refused to let her in, given that we were downstairs, and together they walked out to a gazebo in the nearby courtyard. George and I snuck out and followed. He just acted casually, while I used Obfuscate to hide my movements. Joan put up some kind of Obfuscating barrier around the gazebo but let me listen in with the Cobweb.

“Jinx was, understandably, a little distraught given everything that had happened with her new Childe. Joan revealed she was part of a group called “OTCAL” and was following the Prophet to try and save the world. Jinx took it poorly, calling it a doomsday cult. She wondered if I was a False Prophet and questioned my intentions, to put it politely. Joan refused to say much, telling Jinx that it was important to keep the timelines pure.

“I’ll admit, listeners, it was a little hard to sit idly by. I wish I could have told her that I was just as confused as she was. That I don’t know what I’m supposed to do or why these people are so devoted to me. All I know is that I’ve seen the world end in a dozen different terrifying ways, and that somehow, someway, I have the power to stop it. Or find the least terrible future. 

“Jinx asked about a lady in a lake, then, and I realized that we had been dreaming of the same woman. Jinx called her, well, apparently this name has power, so I won’t say it to you. Just imagine I am saying, “hi, Ruth,” but dropping the “h” at the end. Let’s call her “Ruth.” So, Jinx had wanted to help Ruth escape, but Joan warned her that Ruth was dangerous. We needed to stop Ruth from embracing herself and messing up all of time and space. But Words have power, and if Joan said her name or revealed too much, Ruth would kill her. Of course, they get into a big emotional discussion, and Joan said her name. Jinx broke down then, sobbing and hugging Joan and begging her not to die. I retreated from the Cobweb, then. Wanted to give them their privacy. Joan disappeared from the hug, and Jinx left in tears in the arms of another person. They were androgynous. Tall and lean, with long brown hair. Pretty eyes. 

“Back in the library, Cedric gave George and me some blood and we headed to “bed.” I had the same nightmare as before. The ice sculptures melting, giraffes and pandas fleeing, all that jazz. But this time it was more real. Like a documentary rather than Lynchian fever dream. A well-dressed fat man was staked in the middle of a fancy outdoor party. If I had to guess, that was the humpty dumpty I’d seen before. Shadows spread and encircled the party. I saw Jinx running away from the fight with that same androgynous person. But maybe that person was a wolf? They seemed to be both at once.

“When we got up, it was just past sundown on Wednesday the 7th. Benjamin was reviewing our journals in the library. Theodore was getting ready to leave with the four girls. Joan instructed Theodore to drop them off near GWU hospital and to use Dominate to have them walk inside and tell the nurses they needed help. When they left, I told Joan about my latest vision. She looked scared, listeners. Shaken like I hadn’t seen her before. Apparently, I had just seen Prince George getting staked at the Elysium tonight. Cedric and Jinx were already on their way. She told us to stay inside as she raced upstairs and out the front door. 

“I wish I could leave it there, listeners. In another universe, Joan runs up and grabs her Malkavian family and we all hide underground in Gallaudet while the rest of the world burns. But the party had come to us. Joan screamed in my head to stay inside. She pulled me into the Cobweb so I could see through her eyes. Three creatures waited for her outside the library door. Two looked human, but wrong, somehow. The third was a large, ant-like creature. It clicked at her, saying “Colette sends her regards,” before stabbing something into Joan’s chest. Then the vision went dark, and I fell to the ground, shaking.”