Overview
The gala at Palazzo Giovanni was the server’s first major event following the first day1. A lot of players were there, a new one was introduced, and a lot of people did a lot of things all at once. It was very hard to keep track of! In order to keep things organized, this article breaks the usual RP summary format and will instead give a brief overview of everything that happened and link to related articles with more information if one is available.
For a genuinely pretty sloppy attempt at cataloging everything as it happened in order, with maximal detail, see 1 - The Gala, Unabridged Chaos.
Grand Opening
- Barry Ragebait Toward the beginning of the event, Thalia ragebaited Barry into throwing her across the floor and made a whole scene about it. Calimastia quickly went into damage control mode, no one was particularly happy, but in the end Thalia, playing the victim, offered a boon to Barry who used it to organize a future duel
Barry jabs a finger at Thalia. “You and me will finish this, soon. No claws. That’s the boon.”
- Jackal Dance The Jackal invited Calimastia to a dance which had some kind of undertones for sure. Unclear of what exactly, but something’s going on there. Calimastia managed to recognize them.
“I see a caitiff. A pander. Childer of Kellan. The destroyer.”
She says, with increasing intensity. Swifter tempo made for more focused footwork, but Calimastia was nothing if good at multitasking. She kept her eyes firmly on Jackal.
“You still bear that name? Bold. Foolish. Your designs have long been dashed.”
- Grand Theft Vitae Thalia assembled a crack team (Roy, and Kiri Sol) to secretly steal some of Amalia White’s blood. They managed this successfully, and Kiri left shortly thereafter, having frenzied and left to go kick rocks.
Meetings with Ernesto
Gabriela met with Francesca Pisanob and told her about what had happened the previous night2. She was then directed to Fiora Milliner, who took her, Kaveh, and Jensen to speak with Ernesto Giovanni. After informing him of the threat, which he dismissed as a problem for later3, Kaveh urged him to join the Anarchs. Gabriela insisted he instead remain neutral, and Ernesto seemed more likely to follow Gabriela’s advice than Kaveh’s.
Then, Simon and Calimastia met with Ernesto, twisting his arm with the Promise of 1528 until he signed a contract for an exclusive deal with the Camarilla though technically maintaining the Giovanni’s position as an independent party. Just an incredibly partisan one.
The Rest of the Party
-
Jackal stuff Jackal met with a man named Toby and after a conversation about Ernesto’s superstition regarding Gehenna, they went off to find some trouble. Jackal found said trouble in the form of two Ravnos goons trying to stir up some trouble with a poorly thought out plan. This eventually led them into a conversation with Vale which would later be cut off by the appearance of one Mazhar of Cappadocia
-
Luke and Thalia After coming back to the party, Thalia was chaperoned by Luke Grayson, who offered to bribe her to fuck off to LA. She said no, and he asked her to meet with him at The Ziggurat to discuss it further, using Dominate to ensure her presence.
-
Father Bernard sighting At some point during the evening, Jensen spotted his sire in the crowd, conspicuously just before the arrival of Mazhar. Perhaps the two events could be related.
-
Calimastia and Irene A personal 9/11, Irene ambushed Calimastia with a dance she couldn’t deny, during which they spoke of a similar strange relationship between Marouth and one Miss Ortega, the reappearance of Jackal, and their plans for the future of the Tremere Chantry.
Mazhar of Cappadocia
The Jackal disappears into a suddenly parting crowd. The Hound finishes briefing the Prince on her latest victory, her voice the last of a silenced crowd. The blacksmith takes the hand of the curator, only for her to look frightened at the door before their dance can begin.
The man with the clay colored toga steps through the front doors. His thin, curly hair is grey at the roots. His hands are discolored and emaciated. Across his face is a red mask, made of cheap plastic, and his black eyes reflect no light. The doors close on their own, behind him. He coughs and speaks up in a raspy voice:
“A gala. How lovely.”
Mazhar of Cappadocia appeared, declared that Augustus Giovanni had died, and that whoever helped him kill the most Giovanni would gain his help no strings attached. Chaos ensued. Here’s the gist:
- Mazhar killed everyone blocking him on his way to Ernesto, who he killed shortly thereafter.
- Javier heard “no strings help for Giovannicide” and thought it sounded like a great deal.
- Thalia tried to talk the bloodthirsty Anarchs down, and did so successfully, opening her up to an attack from The Talon who only backed off when Javier began attacking them.
- Gabriela grabbed a knife and interposed herself between Marouth and Francesca Pisanob, eventually fleeing under cover of magical shadow.
- Kaveh did the same between a litany of unnamed, bloodthirsty goons and Fiora Milliner who later helped him escape.
- Calimastia disarmed Irene and tried to attack Mazhar with the help of Jackal and Vale without much success.
- Vale and Jackal managed to grapple and trip Mazhar with Obtenebration and martial arts, respectively. Kiryu was also there but neither he nor Calimastia’s weapons were particularly effective against the Methuselah (nor those of anyone, for that matter).
- Mazhar sent out a wave of depression to his immediate attackers, incapacitating all but Vale which seemed to impress him. He allowed Vale to leave and even asked to speak with him sometime.
For more specifics, see 5 - The Gala, Unabridged Day 2. Lots of good writing. Worth a read.
After the Gala
For events after the gala, see 6 - Falcrones, 7 - Catch-22, 8 - Wake-up Call, 9 - Elysium, 10 - Kingsnake Blood Bonds Thalia, and 11 - A Walk Through Stygia.