Contents 1 TM Sample file By Kraig BlaCKwelder and steve Kenson vampire Created By marK rein•Hagen 2 san FranCisCo By nigHt Credits “year-long road trip” speCial tHanKs Authors: Kraig Blackwelder and Steve Kenson. Vampire Daniel “Oh my God that sucked” Barclay , for watching and the World of Darkness created by Mark Rein•Hagen. double features of dubious merit, always sharing a laugh and Storyteller Game System Design: Mark Rein•Hagen. knowing who was better at DOA3. Developer: Lucien Soulban Matt “You’re... choking... me!” Keeley, for getting jumped Editor: Michelle Lyons by everyone he knows... in restaurants, stores, bars.... Art Director: Brian Glass Jesse “Watch the damn tape already!” Scoble, for being a Layout and Typesetting: Brian Glass & Mike Chaney saving grace at work and liquoring me up good. Interior Art: Becky Cloonan, Steve Ellis, Jeff Waye, Jen- Devinder “Yeah, but is it art?” Thiara , for turning debate nifer Quick, Kalman Andrasofszky, Leanne Buckley, Matt Foster into both a fine art and a blunt instrument for bludgeoning. Front Cover Art: Michael Gaydos The Stronghold Crowd: Adam, Dac, Heather, Penn, Chris, Andy, Keith, Ross, Jessie & many more who made life Front and Back Cover Design: Mike Chaney in Guelph... interesting. © 2002 White Wolf Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. 1554 Litton Drive Reproduction without the written permission of the publisher is expressly forbidden, except for the purposes of reviews, and for Stone Moutain, blank character sheets, which may be reproduced for personal use only. White Wolf, Vampire the Masquerade, Mage the Ascen- sion, Vampire and World of Darkness are registered trademarks GA 30083 of White Wolf Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Kindred of the East, Werewolf the Apocalypse, Changeling the Dreaming, USA Kindred of the East Companion, Killing Streets, The Thousand Hells, Dharma Book Bone Flowers, Dharma Book Devil Tigers, Dharma Book Thousand Whispers, Dharma Book Thrashing Dragons, Blood Magic Secrets of Thaumaturgy, Gilded Cage, Nights of Prophecy, World of Darkness Demon Hunter X, Loom of Fate, Immortal Eyes, Mind’ s Eye Theatre, Laws of the East, San Francisco by Night and World of Darkness Hong Kong are trademarks of White Wolf Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. All characters, names, places and text herein are copyrighted by White Wolf Publishing, Inc. The mention of or reference to any company or product in these pages is not a challenge to the trademark or copyright concerned. SampleThis book uses the supernatural for settings, characters and themes. All mystical and supernaturalfile elements are fiction and intended for entertainment purposes only. This book contains mature content. Reader discretion is advised. For a free White Wolf catalog call 1-800-454-WOLF. Check out White Wolf online at http://www.white-wolf.com; alt.games.whitewolf and rec.games.frp.storyteller Contents 3 TM Contents prologue: nigHt moves 4 CHapter one: introduCtion 10 CHapter two: interesting times 18 CHapter tHree: utopia lost 32 CHapter Four: san FranCisCo nigHts 60 CHapter Five: Honored sHen 76 CHapterSample six: storytelling san FranCisCo file 118 4 san FranCisCo By nigHt Sample file prologue: nigHt moves 5 prologue: Night Moves All warfare is based on deception. — Sun Tzu, The Art of War “Check,” said the First Oni and Devil of Heaven “Your queen can’t protect you forever, Van Nuys,” with a trace of a smile. “You haven’t many pieces left in he said. “ Sooner or later you will have to come out from play, Minister.” behind her skirts.” Jochen Van Nuys, Minister of the West and * * * former Prince of San Francisco, studied the board for Sara Anne Winder was not pleased. The Camarilla a moment. It was true. His white pieces were certainly had charged the newly named Prince of San Francisco outnumbered by Chiu Bao’s black ones, with a growing with regaining the city from the Cathayan vampires number of captured white pieces on his opponent’s who’ d taken it, but so far all she possessed were side of the board. Chiu Bao had certainly picked up speculations and theories from some of the finest minds the fundamentals of chess far more quickly than Van in the Camarilla about the nature and identity of her Nuys was able to master the subtleties of mahjong or go adversaries. She sighed heavily and pushed aside the . The Cathayan mandarin was a shrewd strategist, for all titanium-shelled laptop and the endless reports and his appearance as a simple country bumpkin. theories it contained. Sample“It’s not necessarily a matter of how many pieces Her bodyguard, Miriam, file looked over from where you have left, Mandarin, but how you deploy them.” she stretched, one foot held high above her head in a He shifted his queen on the board, deftly removing his classic ballet arch. Her black leotard sang every graceful king from check and bringing a subtle smirk to Chiu curve of Miriam Caravaggio’ s lithe form like a serenade. Bao’s face. She lowered her leg smoothly and assumed another 6 san FranCisCo By nigHt position, hands cupped demurely at her stomach as she before we can move against them. They’ ve shown that bent and flexed. they know far too much about us already. It’s time we “More reports from the Tremere?” she asked idly, turned those tables and showed them we are not to be without missing a beat of the practice that had become trifled with.” so intrinsic, so second nature to her. Sara enjoyed “Difficult to do that while we’re penned up here,” watching Miriam train. She was so graceful, and so Miriam noted, with a pirouette and swing of her arm deadly. Winder knew full well that many mortals and that swept the window nearby and what lay beyond its a goodly share of Kindred thought the two were lovers. heavy curtains. Winder bit back a harsh retort. H er They spent much time together in the prince’s haven bodyguard was right. The Cathayans gave her a haven in the heart of Frisco’s Castro district. Winder had only in the Castro, San Francisco’s famous “gay district,” a one love, however, and that was success. Let them think not-so-subtle snub. By Camarilla propriety, she should what they wanted. have a manor on Nob Hill and free rein to run her city “More idle theories and guesswork, if that’s what you as she saw fit. Under the auspices of the Cathayans and mean,” Winder replied with a note of disgust. “ Every their “New Promise Mandarinate,” though, she was little fact that Luna Demain and her chantry uncover about more than a prisoner. Still, even that could be turned these Cathayans spawns a hundred more questions. to her advantage. They think they’ ve confirmed that the Cathayans do “Allow the Cathayans to become comfortable,” she not make others of their kind through the Embrace, said, as much to herself as to Miriam. “They’ll decide but they have little inkling as to how they actually we aren’ t a threat while we watch, learn, and gather do it. The report states that it might be a special rite, information about them. And when they least suspect or perhaps simply killing the intended target and it, that’s when they’ll learn the lessons that took the breathing into her mouth. They could be more fertile Anarchs and Sabbat centuries to understand. We aren’t than we ever imagined, or they could be the victims going anywhere.” of circumstance.“ * * * Winder stood and paced irritably. “I can’t fight a “The queen’s protection and power are considerable,” war based on theories! I need facts, weapons we can Van Nuys told his opponent, much as a tutor would use against the Cathayans. And until we ascertain lecture a schoolboy, “but it’s the cooperation of all the their breeding capacity, the source of their strength, pieces, working together — their moves complimenting we cannot act… we mustn’t.” each other — that makes for strategy. No individual “Why waste time letting the Tremere dissect and piece moves without benefiting the whole.” study them?” Miriam asked, kicking one leg up to the Chiu Bao smiled. His people had grasped this lesson bar and leaning forward as she ran her hands up toward millennia ago under the august teachings of Kung Fu her toes. “ We know full well the Cathayans meet Final Tzu… Master Confucius. Death just like any of us. A stake through the heart and Van Nuys slid his king to the side and safety a severed neck is enough.” while he prepared to sacrifice other pieces to keep Miriam smiled at the memory of her last fight with the monarch safe just a little while longer. Victory them, snapping the necks of the Cathayan assassins who demanded sacrifices; a good gambit was never actually tried to kill Winder. They had fought well, but not well what it appeared to be. enough. They hadn’t expected such a demure-looking * * * woman to serve as prince’s bodyguard. It was a good The Castro was libidinous, with social freedom fight, almost fluid, like long ribbons sailing in the wind. unlike any Dan Gemmel had known before. He couldn’t She appreciated their grace and sense of motion. She help grinning when he walked into the club and scanned was looking forward to more. the room, bathing in the sea of guys, considering his The prince shook her head, however, bringing a choice in a banquet of denim and muscle-shirts. There lock of long blond hair across her face. She brushed wasn’t anything like this waiting for him in Nebraska.