The Baltimore Aftermath
The Baltimore Prelude
Greed and distrust drive the in-fighting and factionalizing that threaten to destroy the Sabbat's fragile hold on Baltimore. The Camarilla and other clans watch with great interest, waiting for a weak moment and a grand opportunity. The internal and external pressures are mounting and the arrival in the New World of the mysterious Kindred Semsith signals an inevitable tugging on the strings of power.
Read more about the events leading up to the struggle for Baltimore in the prelude.
The Special Promotional Card
The Meddling of Semsith promo card became legal for V:EKN constructed deck tournament play on March 4, 2002.
The Baltimore Epilogue
It took nearly twenty days for the great fires to be reduced to thin passionless wisps of smoke hovering over warm ash. Not surprisingly, the city shrugged-off the loss of the abandoned buildings, eager to believe their only purpose was to shelter the drug-addicted and the insane. The arson investigator's examination failed to note the bright white flames and the fire's violent reaction to the dousing it received. The uninspired inquiry raised no eyebrows and the matter was quickly forgotten by the few who even noticed the perfunctory motions being carried out.
The Ravnos who betrayed the location of Isaac Goldwin's haven naively believed the fire would not be set until after he left. His ashes now mingle with burnt timbers and blackened red brick.
Under the chaos of smoke and flame, and the panic it instilled in the Cainite population, hard facts were slow in coming. The majority of the reports that circulated, however, shared a theme: that there were Ravnos in the city reducing even the most carefully hidden havens to cinders.
Malachi, Lladislas, and Victorine Lafourcade each longed to move to safer areas of the city but feared leaving each other's company even more. A shredded corpse and yet another disappearance, the suspicion and distrust canceling at conception any thought that the source of these horrors might be from outside their ranks.
Before the last hot spot had been extinguished, Pier 13 received her precious cargo. From the shadow of a nearby warehouse Semsith emerged, seemingly followed by a darkness that was reluctant to leave his side. He greeted the elder Gratiano, confident that, with the controlled chaos securing the Lasombra grip on Baltimore, he would be more than satisfied.
The Baltimore Prelude
Greed and distrust drive the in-fighting and factionalizing that threaten to destroy the Sabbat's fragile hold on Baltimore. The Camarilla and other clans watch with great interest, waiting for a weak moment and a grand opportunity. The internal and external pressures are mounting and the arrival in the New World of the mysterious Kindred Semsith signals an inevitable tugging on the strings of power.
The brackish sea scents adequately cover the odor of decaying flesh aboard the Lionel Blaire. Stowing-away on the container ship for the duration of the Atlantic crossing, Semsith butchered her Cockney crew upon their docking in the Port of Baltimore. For the third straight rainy night Semsith returns unnoticed to the ship, once more soaked to his waist in blood and foul water. Tonight, however, his covert mission has been especially rewarding. Semsith achieves a full and proud sneer as he savors the perfume of the greasy smoke clinging to his overcoat. He rests in the Captain's quarters, racing toward sleep, warmed equally by the sight of the dawn sky aglow with fires set by his hand and by the promise of rewards for that which he has set in motion.
The Special Promotional Card
These events will mark the first distribution of the new promo-card, The Meddling of Semsith.
New to V:TES Tournaments?
If you are new to playing in Vampire: The Eternal Struggle tournaments, these storyline tournaments are the ideal time to try your first tournament. All you really need to play is a constructed deck per the guidelines below (or simply use one of the Sabbat War or Final Nights pre-constructed starter decks from the White Wolf Catalog or your local retailer) and to review the Vampire: Elder Kindred Network (the player community for the Vampire card game) tournament rules.
The Rules
Throughout the month of February 2002, the results of select Vampire: The Eternal Struggle tournaments from around the world will be recorded and used by White Wolf to determine the outcome of the seesaw struggle to control Baltimore.
Check the online calender of V:EKN tournaments for events near you (look under February, naturally). Check back often, as the calendar will be updated frequently as new events are added.
Attend a designated Storyline Tournament and bring a clan-based deck representing who you'd like to control Baltimore. All standard V:EKN Rules will apply. In addition, at least 75% of your deck's crypt is to be comprised of a single clan (for example, in a 12-card crypt, at least 9 vampires must be of the same clan). Complete the rest of your crypt in any manner you please. The tournament Historian will make a record of key battles and of the winning clan at your event and forward the results to White Wolf. Here's your chance to finish this chapter of Baltimore's history.
As this sanctioned event will not count toward player ratings and because of the fun nature of the event, this would be an ideal time for new players to attend their first tournament.
Fall 2002 - The Eye of Hazimel Aftermath
Hesha's hands continued their artful chiseling as he muttered encouragement to himself. "After all, haven't I proven myself strong enough to resist the Eye's temptations by burying it in the first place?" He stood more upright as he continued his soliloquy. "If I were to unearth the Eye", he rationalized, "it would not be a sign of weakness but rather a great testament to my discipline." Hesha ceased his carving and stood back from his work. "I just need a few more days of study. That's all."
The Special Promotional Card
The Eye of Hazimel promo card became legal for V:EKN constructed deck tournament play on December 1, 2002.
The Eye of Hazimel Epilogue
During a month-long period of intense experimentation, Hesha had learned to make contact with the Eye over greater and greater distances. However, San Diego was still a stretch -- even for one who has achieved complete attunement.
To complicate the procedure further, Hesha reserved a portion of his senses toward maintaining an awareness of the quiet observer. Hesha had hoped that this would not be a private show.
Hesha labored to lift the blackness before him and was rewarded with a slightly fuzzy view of the surroundings. Even still, he immediately recognized the displayed paintings as the requested pieces from the National Museum of Art and knew that things were progressing well. Hesha, after briefly scanning the Manet, watched as the Sabbat pack arrived. They were much earlier than he'd desired but still within the acceptable timeframe.
The pack tore through the place with abandon. Their frenzy took over and robbed them of the opportunity to block the exits and destroy all who were inside. The bright light of an exploding rocket-propelled grenade stung Hesha's mind and his contact with the Eye was momentarily broken.
He was able to re-establish the connection in time to see Lambach gather the Eye into his own hands. Raising the orb to his own eye, Lambach inspected the item more closely and thanked fate for delivering him Hazimel's Eye.
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