The setting is 1500 AD, Spain. It's going to be largely set in Barcelona, but the campaign will start along a pilgrimage to the St. James Cathedral.
The following characters, all in 'human' state:
- Sidonie: Nun-Inquisitor of the Catholic Church. Decent orator, seeks to torture out the sin of heresy, etc.
- Rodrigo Borgia: Not the Pope, but a lesser member of the noble family. Black sheep of the family, and currently on the pilgrimage for heresy (and avoiding execution) after publicly calling out contradictions in dogma with the Church. 'Uncle' in the family (Nosferatu in disguise) had been grooming him as an intellectual to rise up and get a foothold in the mortal Church, which is currently ruined.
- Shaquille al-Neal: Amnesiac Egyptian, currently living as a very physically imposing monk (the branch that doesn't live in a monastery) after working as a mercenary, and prior past is reason for pilgrimage. Originally woke up in a cave. In actuality an Android/prayer-bot made during the Islamic Golden Age (powered by gears and water) for the purpose of charging up an amulet to act as a weapon to slay one of the King with Three Shadows's lieutenants. The maker was slain before getting the amulet, and the android was forgotten until its prayers finally overcharged the amulet and made him become sentient (unaware of true nature).
- Aaron (cover name): Woman disguised as a man, working as a smuggler and mercenary and embroidery merchant as a cover. Picking up old Islamic prayer mat/rug to smuggle along the route, as well as extra muscle at the Cathedral.
- Juan (name subject to change): Similar religious position to Shaquille, but Italian and actually human. Largely a scholar, but also the closest thing to a doctor this day and age has.
Upon reaching Leon to rest, they are treated as honored guests due to Rodrigo & Sidonie's positions by the Bishop. The Bishop has a private conversation with Sidonie to help with a public Inquiry of one of his priests, Father Clement, who is accused of harboring Muslim activities. The Bishop believes him to be innocent, but another priest, Father Abel, is insistent of seeing him on a prayer mat (facing Mecca) and praying in something non-Catholic. Clement meets with Aaron in private that night to provide the prayer mat (good money, and off his hands), and pays a bit extra to plant a phylactery in the rectory.
Using a bit of subtle threat (you wouldn't want me to have to wake the Bishop just to do an errand he asked me to do?), Aaron gets into the rectory and plants the item. The next day, Sidonie holds the public inquiry of Clement, and directs the accusations to Abel for making such terrible remarks of a fellow man of the cloth. With a good 6 hits (she had 9 dice) on her Appeal to Authority, she convinces the crowd/mob for Abel to prove his good intentions by being burned at the stake; truth of his statements shall be shown by not being burned.
Abel burns.
Clement intervenes with his own Appeal to Style, also with 6 hits (I had 8 dice), by jumping into the fire and not burning to show that he was blessed by St James himself AND that the true heretic is the Bishop, and directs the crowd to proof by a phylactery in the rectory. Rodrigo, thinking the Bishop is a good idea to keep alive because of his dreams saying he'll go far, convinces the crowd that he needs a Cardinal to pass judgement (nets 5 or 6 hits himself). And thus, the Bishop is locked away until a Cardinal decides to spare the time and investigate.
Over the next several days after leaving, Sidonie and Rodrigo both are subject to increasingly unstable/raging dreams of the Bishop ranting at them for imprisoning him.
About a day or two before reaching St. James Cathedral, the group is intercepted by five road bandits (and their two hunting dogs) who demand all of their money. Shaquille, Aaron, & Sidonie all make a teamwork Appeal to Force to convince them of how bad an idea that would be; and get 10 hits. The group runs the hell away.
Contemplations: Next session, we will see the introduction of the players' sires. As it turns out, all but al-Neale want to be vampires. Rodrigo's going to become a Nosferatu, Sidonie a Strigoi, and Aaron/Juan will be Daeva. I have an idea on why a group of Luminaries are going to be targeted by three different vampires, and will reveal that later. The real question is one of design. I want the Strigoi and Nosferatu to have the same extra powers that the players will start with; Repel & Dismissal for Sidonie, Supernatural Senses & Theft of Vitae for Rodrigo. The Daeva & Nosferatu are going to be 'En Media Res' power level, and the Strigoi is going to be an elder (with an Elder power Magnetism). The conundrums I'm faced with are deciding the age and Potency of the Strigoi (as well as ethnicity/style), the powers/nature of the Nosferatu, and the genders of the Strigoi or Daeva.