** Story Recap ** Session 4 (April 10th)

Combat, combat, combat.

New Players: Max Price (played by Tim), a Daeva NYPD detective (night shift anyone?).

Plot: With Ivan ibn Amar being kept at Elysium until consummation of the blood bond to Eleazar, the rest of the group ventured out into the night to procure mystical items and query contacts for information. Eleazar, Shannon, Arthur, and Owen accompanied by Kamiko took up the latter task, continuing from Miss Cleo's up in Harlem down to the Lower East Side to an unnamed Jewish emporium. What would've been an otherwise routine stop was thwarted by a (storyteller thrown-in) gang of thugs who happened to be loitering below the giant Star of David marking the entrance to the stop. One of the hoods showed Eleazar disrespect, prompting a quick retort from the blunt end of El-Z's combat knife. A street battle ensued which was broken up by the arrival of half a dozen NYPD cops led by Det. Max Price. The final tally was: 3 downed thugs, 2 surrenders (who still got shot by the stimulant-adled night cops), two unnecessarily obfuscated vampires, one artists sketch, and one berserk black rooster with a handful of bashing damage to go around and a few broken windows.

Meanwhile, Belden Walls, from the comfort of his upper East Side apartment pinged several contacts knowledgeable in the study of the dark and obscure arts, finally arranging an impromptu late night dinner meeting at Olive Garden in Times Square. Additionally, in the dark damp subway tunnels beneath Brooklyn Heights, Void, who was being stalked by a group of suspicious 'mortals' who seemed able to track Void even while mystically cloaked (though with only a small measure of success), maneuvered himself out without revealing himself or making contact with the errant band. Taking a Manhattan train back to his haven, Void encountered a... "friend"... of his who 'suggested' he join in an 'event' to take place in midtown.

At around 1:30 a.m., El-Z et al. accompanied by Det. Price (who had taken an interest in this haphazard melange of a group), journeyed forward up to Columbia University (via Kamiko's stretch hummer). Arriving at Times Square, the group along with Belden and Void who "somehow" arrived at the same time, witnessed a building several blocks and one avenue to the Northwest explode one of it's top-middle floors in an impressive balled inferno. The group rushed to the scene. Elysium has been bombed!

Price, with Kamiko's help, corraled the outside of the building, each calling upon their own reinforcements to cordon off the area and keep as few mortal witnesses present as possible. El-Z took Russell, Belden (who had rushed to the scene with the promise of a cut of profits from any first hand reports he was able to grab), and Shannon into the building; Void trailed the would-be fire brigade under mystical concealment. In the staircase leading to the decimated 38th floor, Eleazar and co. 'bumped' into a curious kindred who, upon being revealed, attacked on sight. This would-be assassin was no match for Eleazar's Jewish-fu. However, the sight of one of Void's... umm... "acquaintances"... provoked him into frenzy. A fierce melee ensued. Whips were cracked. Knives were thrown. Trumpets were blared (not really). Russell finally pinned Void to the ground after Belden's successful application of his mental arts, after which the group drove this unknown stalker into torpor. Eleazar resisted the urge to finish the deed.

Arthur, meanwhile, feeling it unwise to limp his way up 40 stories, decided to rush back to his Chinatown haven to prepare for vampiric triage and support. On the way there, he spotted a group of obfuscated... 'somethings' (they must be vampires, right? right???) and began trailing them in his yellow cab. Kamiko provided Arthur with reinforcement in the form of an embraced ex-marine.

Next session will begin with the remaining events of Elysium under siege...