Home Blogs Font TTRPGs Vampire the Masquerade

Vampire the Gentrification

Session 2 - Magda's Solo Session

Domains and Havens

Magda is standing outside the library where the protest was supposed to be happening — but was somehow reorganised for elsewhere — when a woman approaches her. This woman is tall, with dark hair, and far too overdressed to be attending a demonstration outside a community service. She looks more like she’s coming from an important business meeting than she does to fight off fascism, or even just borrow a book.

The woman introduces herself as Jessica Grant, and says she has something for Magda, an envelope. All this was privately arranged between the woman and Magda’s Sire who sent her to Cork.

Inside are a set of keys, some paperwork and a card loaded with money to travel on the unreliable bus system.

Jessica tells Magda she’s due to meet Magda’s friends later on, but for now Jessica has good news... The entire group of Rex, Estaban and Magda have been granted a domain within the city, they’ve somehow impressed. Then she questions if Magda would like to see it.

Magda does wish to see it — after checking through the envelope and showing a little doubt about her new position within the city, being granted so much, so soon — whereupon Jessica strides down the main street in the coterie’s new domain.

Eventually she stops in front of what looks like two old houses, obviously former semi-detached homes and connected internally, but that used to house two separate businesses, long ago. This premises, or the both of them, are for Magda, Rex and Estaban; part of their welcome to Cork; part of the territory they’ve just been granted.

Magda peers through the windows and sees a lot of old junk, mainly furniture. There’s bookshelves, desks, armchairs, nightstands, drawers, a few couches. Some of it looks somewhat decent quality, if not in great nick. The room Magda can see is absolutely packed like this, including the second business next to the old tool hire shop. It looks like it was used by a formerly wealthy person, or couple, to store the contents of the houses they used to rent out, but most likely they were taken by debt and this final business they owned — not worth very much due to fronting a small industrial park with warehouses — was the last blood from the stone they could offer for what they owed.

It’s inclined Estaban, Magda and Rex would do well to setup a business here. To establish themselves in the community. Also to get Jennifer Hussey’s old phone network equipment setup in the roof or attic of the buildings. This would be part of continuing the growth of the Nosferatu telecommunications system in the city for kindred, and it’d serve to further protect the network from surveillance with more bases to switch around broadcast and reception of the 3G signal to and from.

Magda seems a little shocked by all this; the speed with which everything is happening — including this woman making good on what Madga’s sire said before she left Poland, that she’d be setup with a private haven. She doesn’t really know what to say.

Sensing Magda’s hesitance, and keen to get Magda to the private haven Jessica arranged through contact with Magda’s Sire Jessica offers to walk Magda to the bus stop, on a different route and road than what runs through this part of the city; this brand new domain the coterie must spend time wielding influence and control over.

Magda takes her up on the offer, still a little stunned, as Jessica again strides powerfully ahead.

Eventually, alone, Magda is standing, then sitting, then standing again at the sheltered bus stop waiting for the bus to call on her route.

Despite the timing on the city’s transport network tracking system never actually counting upwards on the signage it does spend, at one point, 5 minutes on the same 15 minutes to the bus’s arrival, and when it says the bus is due the bus doesn’t arrive for a few minutes longer.

When it does arrive Magda boards, her travel card showing no issue paying her fare and obviously being funded at least enough for her trip; probably more given the minimum it takes in topping up the account; Magda is good for a return journey, too.

Transport

The bus takes off, not too busy being beyond the rush home after work and with most people coming the opposite direction into the city to party.

It takes a main road out of the city, then onto a motorway that cuts directly through — or more over — a town, with very little green space between the city and this area that hundreds of years ago would have been a rural outpost of the city proper.

Magda observes the changing scenery between the city itself, its outlying expanse, and then suburban sprawl as the bus travels. Like most of Cork she’s seen so far the disparity in wealth is obvious. There are a lot of new apartment blocks obviously built on land that formerly held one off dwellings. Still, in some patches between the apartment blocks there remain a few, old, large ramshackle houses kept on by elderly owners. A few of these homes even look well cared for, owned by those with money and a streak of octogenarian stubbornness.

The bus continues on, further out of the city, past what looks like bland suburbia and then arrives to an industrial area. There are a lot of factories with large parking areas, the odd vent or metal chimney coming out of the buildings, with stern security protecting the fences keeping people out, but still with amenities and green spaces for the workers. This isn’t just cheap, low paid manufacturing work, but businesses that value their employees, to a degree.

The signs for these plants highlight a mishmash of corporate sounding subgroups within subgroups; only indicating their purpose to those aware of the intricacies of the industry, and probably to the politicians who brought these companies to the city.

Further again — and getting close to where Magda has been sent — the bus passes a port and a maritime college. There are cargo ships tied up at the docks, as well as a few ferries transporting both road freight lorries as well as tourists. There are protected storage areas and warehouses lining the shore, workers and security guards in machinery and electric vehicles active.

Finally Magda is at what appears to be her destination after leaving the wide road filled with trucking and coming to a small village, the last major stop on the bus route.

There’s a sign indicating a naval base further on, and warnings to be prepared to be stopped and searched if venturing further. At the opposite bus stop, waiting for the bus to come back around from it’s not too far trip to the end of its route are students — late teens to mid twenties — obviously finished up from their weekend’s daytime studying and getting ready to head into the city for a heady night out.

The village Magda is in reflects these students attitudes; it’s small, with only a café or two, a bar or two, and a single shop, now closed at this time of night. It looks like the type of place that people would come to for a quick jaunt out of the city while still being an area fiercely protected by locals to stop over-development and intrusion into their way of life. The maritime college is a benefit to local business but they know these kids aren’t settling down here; they have no roots here nor do they intend to create them.

One of the cafés and both bars are still busy from the locals, though, and the few people finishing off their day trips with a meal and a drink.

The Divine

Magda begins looking around and is immediately drawn to a small, freshly painted building; a well kept church with large Virgin Mary statue held above the front door and a statue of a Jesus carrying a crucifix in the little, well kept garden area. The building is really quite small for a church, maybe holding 70 people at a stretch, should the pews be pushed tight together for a mass or ceremony.

Magda is peering through windows when a woman arrives up to her. The woman is retirement age and bubbly, although she has some edge to her. Magda gets the impression this is a local who’s active in the town and in some way out to protect their cosiness here.

The woman introduces herself as Sandra Devine, which causes Magda to do a double take thinking the woman said, ‘Sandra the Divine,’ at least until Magda pieces properly together the syllables the woman spoke from her immediate, almost stunned recollection.

This Sandra Devine woman begins to explain a little about the Church, its history and how the town has been looking after it, but with the reduction in dedication to religion the Catholic hierarchy decided to sell it. Despite being in good condition no buyer became interested until very recently.

Magda and Sandra are sitting on the bench in front of the building, Sandra explaining how it’s such a peaceful site, and a draw for many people, when something appears in Magda’s vision. It’s her opening the envelope with the keys and paperwork for her new haven and trying the key in the lock; the building giving indications in her vision of warmth, friendliness, and for some reason Magda getting her feet rubbed caringly while sitting in a comfy armchair with warm light around her.

Magda does exactly what her vision indicates, after standing, with the key from her enveloping successfully turning back the bolt; opening this converted church up; her new haven, seemingly.

Sandra slaps Magda on the shoulder and tells her she’s wicked, with a laugh, and she was obviously scoping her new neighbours out before she announced she was the new resident.

Magda introduces herself using her second identity (Magda has a two dot mask from running away from her awful husband back when she was still mortal and living in Poland.) Magda works in the city but wanted a small place out of the way and nearby just to unwind; when time allows and body demands.

The woman keeps talking to Magda, rooting for more info, but Magda is tight-lipped, busy observing her surroundings as she enters the church and turns the lights on; seemingly looking to spot something.

Sandra offers to get Magda the essentials from the café; there’d be no tea or milk for a morning cuppa with Magda just arriving and the shop is closed. Magda turns the woman down, quite plainly, but Sandra is insistent, still being sure to point out the various parts of the converted building; the open plan kitchen and living area in the main part of the church, with the TV set in front of a couch and two pews at either side also pointed towards the TV; closer to the front door in the open plan area is a meditation space with more pews around it — which Sandra admits the locals have been using; as well as two walled off areas; a bathroom at the front and the only bedroom at the back, the priest’s former sacristy.

Sandra again insists she’ll get Magda some bits and pieces leaving Magda to inspect but promising she’ll be back soon with what Magda needs.

Secrets and Promises

Magda knew about this new haven — not this specific house, or church, or its location, even how her haven would reach her, or if it would, but knew her Sire at the least said a haven would be waiting for her; and she knew there’d be some special modifications to it, or should be.

Searching around Magda finds the old priest’s wardrobe, in the bedroom, that would have held his vestments, can actually be moved; this might be what she was searching for. There’s a false panel beneath the wardrobe when she slides it away from the wall. Opening up the false flooring there’s a built in ladder leading down to a small room. Magda switches on the light, the electrics flickering. The wiring not been done by a professional electrician, probably an attempt to keep knowledge and awareness of the room low; possibly a handyman ghoul from a participating kindred.

Inside the room there’s a small writing desk, and bookshelves lining the walls. The room is the size of what would be a second bedroom for a child in an average European, semi-detached, suburban dwelling. On the bookshelves are occult books, many Magda has never seen before and some dealing with areas of the occult she’s never even heard of. Few of the books has she ever done more than flick through in her time researching the supernatural.

On the desk is a new, fancy, leather-bound notebook by an expensive manufacturer. It’s open to the first page and the words — in calligraphy style writing — ‘Life from Death’ are penned there. Searching through the notebook a little more Magda finds nothing else is written until she spots some of the leather peeling on the inside of the back cover. Lifting the little flap she see the letters, ‘J.G..’

Just as she’s wondering if this is a notebook from Jessica Grant — the woman who told her about her haven and who gave her the keys, bus pass and directions to the village — the TV starts making noise from the main living area.

Magda quickly goes up the ladder out of the basement and sees a man watching TV. He’s not holding the remote but the channels flick over to a documentary about the old Nosferatu film and how it relates to the new Nosferatu release coming soon. The man says to Magda, “I thought you’d be interested in this.”

Magda, not accepting what she’s seeing, asks the man, “Who are you?”

He responds, “Your new room-mate. We should get to know each other. We’ll be friends.”

What Magda has just seen dawns on her; this man is a ghost. She was told there’d be something funky with her new haven by her Sire. And the church aspect is strange enough, but a ghost? A friendly ghost? A Casper?

Just as she’s about to further question this man Magda hears a voice from the door. It’s Sandra Devine.

Magda is on the verge of calling out to Sandra, rather urgently, when the ghost disappears.

Sandra is carrying the bits and pieces Magda needs but Magda has very little time for her, offering a brief thanks but not even a friendly cup of tea for all Sandra’s efforts.

Taking the message, a little affronted, Sandra makes her leave diplomatically saying Magda must be tired and wanting to settle into her new home, but being sure to tell Magda to get involved with the local community; they all can’t wait to meet her.

With Sandra now gone Magda searches the former church for signs of this ghost, but he’s nowhere to be found.

Shocked at what’s happened to her that night, a ghost, and this all despite Magda being a vampire and certainly aware of the occult Magda quickly locks up and makes her way back to the Coterie house where the rest of the group are waiting for her; her bus pass containing more than enough credit for the trip home.

Link to the Coterie's Session 2.

Back to Vampire the Masquerade.