You hear nothing now but silence coming from the penthouse.
He shrugs and looks to the Brujah
The Brujah looks at you and goes storming off grumbling and swearing and saying I will watch the guards and send up the Gangrel, I don't feel like dealing with this!
A little time later, Ben walks up to the door and smiles at Craig. "I play dead really well."
"You had me fooled" He smiles at the gangrel, then whispers "Inside, I suspect a shotgun waiting for us."
"OK. I go first then." He smiled happily as he reached out to try the door.
The door seems locked at the side entrance to the penthouse
He shrugs
"Too bad the door opener went the other way. Don't think I am heavy enough to break it down myself."
Marcel calls upon his Cloak of Shadows and enters the plaza and begins looking to find the coterie while skulking through the shadows and darkened areas of the building.
Marcel finds a kindred in the lobby watching over two tied up security who have been moved out of the lobby proper and the woman who says her name is Triel directs you up the elevator and uses a key and then hands it to you and tells you to give the keys to the two kindred at the rear penthouse entrance.
Group: The elevator opens and is empty.
Marcel stays to the shadows as the doors opens and waits to see what might be waiting before exiting the elevator.
Marcel: you see two kindred standing at a side door to the penthouse looking it over.
Marcel will exit the shadows and move out to greet the other two Kindred. "Good evening. I am Marcel DuBouis. I am new to this fine city and I was asked to accompany you on this search." Marcel holds up his hand showing the keys he was given, "And I come bearing a gift provided by Triel."
"I'm Craig Lawrence. And... well, any friend of Triel is a.. mmm well, better than nothing."
"I like presents, will it open this door?" The one armed vagrant gestured towards the current impediment.
Marcel will walk up and try the keys to see if one will open the door. As he does he glances at the second Kindred and says, "I did not catch your name?"
"You can call me Ben. Unless you already know a Ben, then old Ben works. Or older Ben if you know an old Ben."
You dial through the master set of security keys and indeed you find a key that opens the penthouse door.
Marcel opens the door slightly and then listens to see if he hears anything in the room.
You sense movement very close by the side of the door as you open I in the blind spot and you see a ghoul with a shotgun aiming it at your head a balding man with a butlers uniform. Past him in the hallway you see two more ghouls in the shape of dobermen dogs. The Butler says you are entering the domain of Richard Maddox, Primogen of the Brujah uninvited.
"The Princess ordered us here. Do you deny her authority?" Marcel tries to look imperious as he looks at the ghoul.
this will be checked upon after the moot and if you are lying I promise the Brujah and Princess will have you. the Butler says even as he snaps his fingers and backs away from the door allowing for entrance.
"Charming." The tremere enters
"Here I was hoping to be hit with a shotgun." He shrugged.
You all step into a lavish penthouse. This is the side hall way. There is stained glass window of a city sitting overlooking a gulf bay. Next to the stained glass window is a wine rack. As you walk down the hallway the Butler leads you past the kitchen when looks like it was put in for high end cooking despite being owned by a kindred. Finally you enter the well appointed classical entrance. To your continued right you see an office and library and to the left a living room with doors leading to the rest of the penthouse.
The Butler says welcome to the house of Matrix,what might we do for you?
”We have been sent to find out what happened to your Master. We will need to investigate his office, and perhaps other areas, to see what business he may have had to lead to his unexpected demise. Did he say anything to you the last time you saw him that might be taken as a warning or hint of his disappearance?” Marcel asks the ghoul.
The Butler stares at you for a bit and then straightens his clothing and says I am sorry but that information is not available and I am afraid until I get some further notice from he acting Primogen of the Brujah or the Prince I cannot allow you to take the hospitality not offered you and trapse around as you like
Marcel frowns at the ghoul and says, "The Princess commanded that I come here in front of Jack Paulson and another of your clan, a man in a kilt. Both heard her and neither protested. If you have issue take it up with him or the Princess, but we are searching this building." Marcel pauses as he considers the feelings of an entire clan and decides some diplomacy might still be order before dealing harshly with what might be a favored ghoul, "If you wish to talk to Mr. Paulson, I will grant you a small time to do so, but the night is not infinite and we will do as we have been asked by the Princess." Marcel watches the man closely and prepares to close the distance if he makes a move for his shotgun.
Nudges Craig. "I like the new guy." He said, louder than he probably should have...
The Butler goes to a phone which is sitting on an end table and picks it up and starts to rotary dial the old fashioned phone and then you hear this:
this is Joshua Grant. Yes, Mr Mattox's ghoul. Yes please connect me to the Acting Brujah Primogen at the party there
You sit for about ten minutes.
Yes sir. I have some guests here whom claim to be acting on the Brujah and Princess's behalf. Yes that is the description of them. Yes sir they want to search the premises. Yes sir. Of course. Thank you Sir.
Grant turns back to you after hanging up the phone as if it had bit him but then his composure returns and he says simply:
You have been provided two hours to search the residence but are to touch nor take anything. I shall escort you to open doors and move items in case you wish to view beneath things or what not.
Marcel points towards the office and follows the man in. "We can start with the desk." Marcel looks over the desk to see if there is anything on the surface that might be important and to get an idea of how much there is to go through.
The ghoul opens the drawer on the desk and you see a small phone book, a pen, and a blank notepad. There is a scribes quill and a second desk with a typewriter on it which looks like someone sits there.
The desk looks to be tidy and seems well polished and used and definitely something prior to the 1800s.
Marcel leans forward to look closely at the pad to see if there was any indent from a recent note on a piece of paper above it that might have since been removed.
The note pad is brand new and looks not used what so ever.
Nudges Craig. "I like the new guy." He said, louder than he probably should have...
Craig has been watching and listening intently, but he chuckles at Ben's comment just a bit.
He looks about for secret compartments in the desk, a hidden space. Unlikely, but you never know
The phone pad is closed and looks like a black book from the fifties and there does not seem to be any hidden areas in the room.
Marcel points to the phone book and says, "Please place that on the desk and begin slowly going through pages." Marcel watches the ghoul as he looks to see if there are any signs of who the previous primogen may have been recently speaking to.
The ghoul looks at you and says Sir, the phone book has the numbers to many of the court. I am afraid it is not part of your viewing
"Who he has been in recent touch with might be vital to the search. I do not plan to take notes, but if he has made any of his own it might be important to know. Unless you just do not wish to know what happened to the Primogen?" Marcel says and raises an eyebrow at the ghoul. "You know that we are here on orders from the Princess. Do you think she does not have the contact information of her court already?"
the information of all of the princess and Primogen phone numbers is not for anyone to have and I know what you are here for, however, there are limits and this I know is one.
He truly fears for his life here and fears angering the Princess and the other Primogen and giving away information on his own Primogen who could have gotten boons or value from much of the information you might get.
Marcel gives the man a thin lipped smile and then kneels down to see if papers or other items may have fallen under the desk or other near by furniture.
There are three more drawers in the desk and a hidden stake under the desk when you look up to see the ghouls hand woefully trying to cover it or grasp it along with the shotgun which is cradles in the other arm.
Marcel points to the next drawer and waits to see if it looks as barren as the first.
Mal Steelcutter
