Scene Ten: Another Disappearance

Not all GM's will opt to include this scene, but it can be used for.two purposes. First, if the PCs were unsuccessful in investigating the witness, it gives them another opportunity to find their missing friend. Secondly, it gives the group a second objective (other than rescuing the abductee) with a possibly greater reward should they be successful.

If the PCs have already teamed about the cemetery lead, they are likely to search them immediately at the next nightfall. The GM should arrange to stall them with an external issue for the first few hours of the evening. This is where characters with Allies, Contacts, Retainers, or even a Mentor can be useful. Any of them may have a small problem, or simply demand a meeting with one or more of the PCs, and brushing them off will require some time.

The Players will be contacted by Kelly Grove, Cage, and Thomas Barber. It seems that the Sage has disappeared, and the three are frantic. He vanished shortly after speaking with Claire, who seemed very shaken by recent events. She thought' that the BCT is being used by someone within the city as a scapegoat, and plans to cancel further shows and move on.

The actors don't know what to do: Claire was very convincing, and they find it hard to doubt her, but at the same time, the Sage raised questions which they can't ignore. It should be remembered that the Sage is the "father" of their line, being Godwin's sire. All of them are bothered by ambivalent feelings on the subject. If the PCs can give them some direction, they wil appreciate it. GMs can use them as potential allies for later confrontations. They are not combat oriented, but could provide just enough support in a conflict to make the difference.

Should the group decide to confront Claire at this time, they will not be able to find her. (She is desperately trying to figure a way out of the situation, and is in conversation with Lucas Hall and Valasky. The arrival of the Sage has greatly increased the risk of Camarilla discovery. Claire is deciding if she can salvage the BCT, or if she should take the new recruits and flee back to Toronto - after ordering Sivak to kill the BCT actors.)

If they need more clues, the ghoul Tom Jones can serve as a perfect foil. The stagehand/bit player has been watching the peculiar circumstances around the Theater for weeks, and has been trying to muster the nerve to tell someone. Tom will arrive and mention that "someone" has been sneaking around the performances ever since Claire joined, and that he thinks she has been meeting with this person regularly. Once he overheard her saying something about "Mulberry", but he didn't know what it meant. He thinks that might be the name of the shadowy stranger. In truth, this is the name of the cemetery where Sivak's pack is initiating recruits.

Scene Eleven: Dead Man's Party (Who Could Ask for More?)

The danger of the cemetery is highly variable. It could turn into a stealth mission if the PCs are cautious enough, or an all-out deadly brawl if they aren't. Also, the GM should adjust the various factors to suit the power and capability of the PCs.

As mentioned in Scene Nine, the abductee and various mortals have been buried, and most of Sivak's pack are standing vigil to wait for them to emerge. The fresh nature of the graves is obvious, and the Players can presume foul play. They may also assume the Sage is buried here, but that is not the case. He's been torpored and put in the nearby tomb until the Sabbat can decide what to do with him.

The objective in this scene is straightforward: the PCs want to dig up their friend and save him. However, there are many ways the PCs could go about this, and creativity is encouraged. They may wish to distract Sivak's pack and get them to abandon their vigil, or they may engage them in combat directly. If they fight Sivak's pack, they had better take care of them quickly or Sivak will get a call and return to help them, along (perhaps) with Lucas Hall and Valasky (although these two are more interested in getting Claire safely away).

Even without Sivak's personal attention, the scene could become extremely nasty. The graveyard is full of soon-to-be Sabbat, all insane and frenzied, and digging them up will not snap them out of it. They are likely to attack anything that moves, including the abductee, who has been clawing his way up through the earth for at least an hour or two. For a more dramatic and ftighten~ ing scene, the GM could have the new Sabbat spring from the earth right after the PCs have vanquished Sivak's pack.

What the PCs do with the other recruits is up to them, but these people are not likely to become "normal" Kindred, even if rescued. They will suffer permanent derangements and low Humanity. It might be best to "put them out of their misery", although this is left to the GM. The PC abductee, as mentioned, will probably recover given some time and perhaps a little therapy. If the actors are present, they will immediately demand that the cemetery be searched for signs of the Sage.

Scene Twelve: On the Vengeance Trail

In theory, Scene Eleven could be the end of the story. If the GM has had enough excitement, he can decide Claire and her pack have fled the city, using the cemetery conflict as a distraction to get safely away. Optionally, the GM may wish to play out the PCs finding and hunting them down. They can be found back at the BCT, getting their belongings together and making ready to leave.

The ghoul Sarah Hilton accidentally interrupted them; her body is still on the premises. At the GM's option, Marc Sivak could be here (perhaps with other pack members who were not waiting at the cemetery) to intercept the PCs, giving Claire time to flee. Depending upon how situations have unfolded up to this point, she may still try to keep the BCT under her direction. (This would only happen if the PCs had focused entirely upon recovering the abductee, and didn't ally themselves with the BCT cast or try to rescue the Sage.) More likely, she will consider the mission blown (although not unsuccessful since she has already added numerous recruits to the Sabbat), order Sivak's pack to kill the actors, and flee ASAP

Stopping and destroying Claire should be extremely difficult. If the PCs wait too long to recover from their fight at the cemetery (including hunting for a few hours), she will be gone. If they immediately rush to overtake her, they are likely to be weakened and thus ill-prepared to face Claire's packmates Valasky and Lucas Hall. Most likely she will escape, and could become a recurring foe, or perhaps the target of a second story to try to track her down and bring her to justice.

One exception to this will be if, after the cemetery, the players wisely decide to enlist outside aid from the rest of the city's Kindred. If they have adequate proof of Sabbat involvement, the elders will throw their weight behind the effort and Claire may be stopped. Even here, the PCs will need to work swiftly. Should the players rescue their friend, free the BCT cast, and save the Sage from diablerie, they should consider themselves successful and fortunate. They will have gained good potential allies in Chicago and throughout the Toreador community.

It is even possible that Godwin is still alive somewhere (perhaps in torpor), and can be restored to his place as Director of the restored BCT.

Black Curtain Theater Vampire Adventure

Introduction
Chapter One: A Night at the Theater
Chapter Two: A Case of Missing Person
Chapter Three: Digging Up Some Old Friends
Appendix 1: NPC Stats
Appendix Two: Alternate Scenarios