094. Vampire: The Masquerade - Heritage

The Vampire conclave comes to a head.

### Play of the Game:

Kate as Patches, for shooting Sophia in the health track and sending her to safety.

***"One day they were there, and the next day they were not. Sometimes, people leave."***

"Do anything, and she dies!" Prince Jerric hisses at Patches, pinning Sophia to the wall. The nocker whips out her rifle and fires a huge blast of energy directly at Sophia: Zistor's Grace is able to heal her and get her back on her feet, but damages the rifle. As Jerric tries to grab Sophia, Patches manages to get off a Flicker Flash on the both of them. While the sidhe teleports safely back to The Spark, Patches is caught by surprise, causing her cantrip to fizzle. "Join me," the vampire Prince orders, and Patches starts to spill her guts. When he orders her to give up her treasure, though, the nocker's greedy instincts kick in, and she outright refuses.

Arriving back at the Spark, Sophia is furious that her plan failed. She starts to take out her anger on the furniture, but is stopped by Pasebakhaenniut, who finds out where the leeches out and immediately heads out to call his pack. His melodic howl chills Sophia, but she understands that soon, Garou will be descending on the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, and she still wants a chance to make a difference….

Braum, having made it inside the museum, spots the hall full of undead and starts to panic. How on earth will he get past them to find Sophia? Kyoko, too, makes it inside and cautions the troll to not become a casualty himself by rushing in. Braum decides to cause a distraction, and uses his Skycraft to cause the lights in the building to fail, plunging the room into darkness. When candles begin to be lit, Braum watches as an unconscious Patches is dragged into the room by Jerric, who barks out a command to bring Veritas to him, taunting the vampire about his failed coup.

Outside, Sophia meets with the other Garou: Kaylie, Layla Measures-Twice, and Ash Bleeding-Edge. Kaylie, the pack leader, tries to find out all she can about the enemy, and impresses on Sophia the fact that *she* is the alpha now. Sophia is understanding, but begs of Kaylie to parley once more. "What they did is unforgivable," the werewolf warns, but Sophia convinces her to have some time to at least "command some respect from them".

In the candlelit basement hall of the museum, Prince Jerric has Veritas on his knees in the centre of a ring of vampires, ready to execute him for his failed coup. Suddenly, from the stairs, a voice rings out: "We have you surrounded." Sophia, in all her blazing sidhe glory, wielding Whisper, crackling with lightning. Most of the vampires shrink back from her presence, but Jerric is unfazed, calling her a foolish girl. A battle of the leaders begins as Sophia attempts to command respect, calling for those who support Veritas to unite with her and overthrow their prince. When Veritas lies to her face about wanting to work with her, Sophia understands that these creatures will never negotiate in good faith; Patches disappears from view and is rescued by Kyoko.

Braum leaps into battle, sliding across an ice-strewn floor while reclaiming Whisper from Sophia. He brandishes it at the monsters, roaring at them while from above comes the howls of Garou. The vampires pour out of the room, trying to escape the troll and werewolves, but Sophia hears a familiar voice from above commanding them to "stay inside". As Braum cuts off the leg of an escaping Veritas, Jerric manages to grapple Sophia, bound to her by vines conjured by the sidhe. Patches manages to get a shot off on the prince, breaking his hold of Sophia, who calls out to the Dreaming to "make them fear me!" Vampires begin to scream, frenzied and terrified, as they flock to their prince. Kaylie enters the room next to a fiery Pasebakhaenniut, who calls down to the vampires that "there is to be no hell for you!" The alpha Garou tosses a small bag at Sophia, who also erupts into flame, channeling her mastery of the elements to blast the assembled creatures with a cone of flame.

There is nothing left of the vampire threat in the museum but ash. Sophia is elated, but inconsolable about the damaged art: Pasebakhaenniut escorts her out as Kaylie hisses at her that she is a "silly girl" for starting the whole event. "I am not silly, and I will prove it to you every day," Sophia promises. On her way out of the museum, a battle-hardened Hirgo awaits her, thanking her for her service. "There are others who need me," Hirgo says, gruffly, but before he heads off into the darkness, congratulates her again for not giving in to a monster who wanted to own her.

Outside the museum, Ash suggests they all get the heck out of there before the fire department shows up. Sir Xaeron, exhausted, emerges from behind the museum and explains that he was ordered to "keep them inside". When Sophia tearfully informs him of all of the lost art inside, the sidhe takes a deep breath and channels the last of his energy into reversing their fate. Riding back to Heart's Light with Braum, he admits that he has found weakness with Sophia, and is happy for that. The motley Ignite, reunited at Duke Granville's freehold, agree with Pasebakhaenniut's view that while they won a great battle that night, they also owe the Garou much. When asked how they could repay their debt, the Ragabash vows to teach them contrition….