Robert Goudie#
For the full details on how to signup to run a storyline event in your area,
check out the storyline page on White Wolf's website at:
http://www.white-wolf.com/vtes/veknStoryline03.html
Keep your eyes on http://storyline.vekn.org to see the list of upcoming
storyline events around the world as they are added. This is also the place
to see the official tally as the results of each tournament rolls in.
Robert Goudie
Chairman, V:EKN
rrgo...@earthlink.net
************************************************************
Lambach's Legion
Beneath the city that never sleeps an eye opens.
* * *
Lambach temporarily established himself in Los Angeles after acquiring the Eye
of Hazimel and leaving Tara's San Diego domain in ruin. An unfinished yet
abandoned school made a serviceable haven for Lambach and his horde. Soon
after sundown that horde made another of its nightly excursions.
Outside a 24-hour convenience store, a number of Lambach's new recruits
pressed their faces to the glass to witness his work inside.
Peering through the window, Gage saw the front door open and observed two cops
enter the store. "We must help our sire," he squealed. Before he could move to
offer assistance, Lambach sent the first cop's head and torso flying along
divergent paths.
Dane, Gage's elder by 48 hours, shouted, "The Master is invincible!" Lambach's
kin released a unified roar.
The second cop drew his weapon but was unable to fire it before Lambach
crushed him with a frozen-dessert machine. Shaking off the distraction,
Lambach returned to the two store clerks feeding at his arm, simultaneously
undergoing their Embrace.
"That makes six recruits just tonight," Gage said.
Lambach casually exited with his new troops, ignoring the red light on the
security camera above the door. The security video had undoubtedly recorded at
least part of the action, and Lambach's disfigured face was sure to be
prominently displayed.
* * *
Hesha's ability to peer through the Eye continued to improve up until the
moment he saw Lambach install the orb. Thereafter, his actual sight ceased
completely. Fortunately, Hesha's gem continued to function by pointing out the
direction of the Eye. It would have been easy to be distracted by the Lambach
menace, but Hesha remained focused on a greater peril.
Hesha had previously felt the tug of the Eye upon his will but believed that
the orb had no inherent desires of its own. His experiments confirmed his
intuition. Since Hesha had first attuned himself to the Eye, however, he had
felt the presence of someone or something watching along with him as he peered
through the thing.
He cautiously sought the source of the energy behind the Eye. Probing with his
mind while burning mugwort, he observed emerging patterns in the smoke as they
solidified and dispersed in curious relation to his mental prodding. Hesha was
not surprised to determine that New York might be the source of the Eye's
power. The recent conflicting signals from the Middle East were unexpected,
however, and not easily assimilated into his theories.
* * *
Moving through the Hamidia bazaar, Sascha Vykos reflected on how little things
had changed over the centuries. The shopkeepers and their goods seemed mere
reenactments of scenes from her earliest memories of the place. Advancing
along the wide main thoroughfare, she turned right and continued down one of
the myriad narrow alleyways. Vykos proceeded past a closed copper shop and up
the stairs to the appointed place. The door, slightly ajar, was intricately
carved and set with various mother-of-pearl patterns.
"Hello Hazimel," Vykos said as she entered the shop. He was clothed in Bedouin
garb and seated at a low table studying the detail in a brass chess piece
belonging to a nearby hand-made board.
"My lady," Hazimel replied, briefly raising an eye to take in the sight. "You
are even more lovely than I remembered." He returned to studying a knight
while Vykos found a seat. "For some time I have wanted to meet with you again,
and there may be no future opportunity."
Vykos ignored the compliment but pondered briefly the comment concerning
future opportunities. "You said you had a message for me, what is it?"
Hazimel turned toward her, shifting his face from out of the shadows and into
a patch of light. His left eye socket was empty and dark. "These many years in
torpor I have observed the machinations of our kine through my Eye. Though it
served me well, I know that I was not the lone voyeur."
"Do you know the identity of your fellow spectator?" asked Vykos.
"I do. However, there is more to it than merely spectating-the watcher has
considerable power. After a time our roles reversed, and my preeminence was
usurped. Several weeks ago my ability to see through the Eye was shut out
completely. My final sight was accompanied by a rush of energy that flowed to
the bearer of the Eye. The identity of the observer then became clear to me.
The power your clan believes it destroyed still persists."
Vykos knew what he was implying. She juggled the possibilities, all of them
bad, in her head. "Who now bears your Eye?" she asked.
"One of your kin, Lambach, has possession of the bauble. I still sense his
movements and know that his actions are not his own. Lambach now exists only
as a thrall to it." Hazimel read Vykos's grim look and found pleasure that he
had brought the Fiend as close to fear as she might ever feel. "I survived my
Week of Nightmares. How will you fare with your own?"
"Go to Hell!" she barked.
* * *
Lucinde Alastor's visit was hastily planned, but she had little choice but to
agree to meet with the Brujah Justicar, Jaroslav Pascek. Recent events
demanded more of their personal attention and a coordinated effort.
"We've leaned heavily on our resources within the police force, and we were
able to have the security video conveniently misplaced," said Lucinde. "This
would have been more difficult if they had realized they were helping cover
for a cop-killer. We also found the missing city bus and sent it into a ditch
in the suburbs."
"And the bodies?" asked Jaroslav.
"Even without an autopsy it would be obvious the crash didn't kill the
passengers. We removed some of them and burned the bus to be safe. The bus
driver was missing, so he'll probably take the fall." Lucinde, changing the
subject to ask, "How is Tara faring in San Diego?"
"She's feeling pretty vulnerable not knowing how the Elysium ambush came
about. She managed to keep the media out of the whole situation somehow,
though. We might not be so lucky next time."
"Is it true that your people cleaned up a mess at a hospital where Lambach and
his shovel-heads juiced the night staff before leaving town?" Lucinde
inquired.
"Yes. That," said Jaroslav, curious as to how Lucinde acquired the
information. "Unfortunately, we had too little time to clean this one up and
could only scrawl satanic graffiti all over the walls. We're still working on
it."
Lucinde broke a building silence, "You know we can't continue this way. We are
no longer just putting out fires, we're trying to extinguish an inferno. We
must suffocate the source."
"Agreed," offered Jaroslav. "However, Lambach will not be put down easily, and
I am not willing to bear the brunt of a sacrifice of so many of my troops."
Lucinde replied, "Neither am I. However, that beast Xaviar would have no such
reservations, especially if Lambach does indeed possess the Eye. And even if
we were to offer our support, he would decline it, preferring not to fight
side-by-side with us." Lucinde called out for and was attended to by a
messenger. She composed a letter that both justicars signed.
During the month of September, results of select Vampire: The Eternal Struggle
tournaments from around the world will create the next chapter of this story.
With Lambach intent on raising up his own legion of loyal Tzimisce, you have a
voice in his rise to power and in the efforts of those who wish to stop him.
Each player attending a designated story line tournament will receive a
special promo-only card of an Advanced Lambach-one of two cards created just
for this event. In addition, new players (players who are not current Vampire:
Elder Kindred Network members) and current V:EKN members who bring new players
as their guests, will each receive a copy of the Legion promo-only card. The
Advanced Lambach promo-only card will remain in tight circulation for at least
one year before being released into general support packages. The Legion
promo-only card will be released into the standard support packages at the
conclusion of these story line events.
Each player is to prepare a standard constructed tournament-legal deck. At
least 75% of the crypt must consist of one clan. Players will have an
opportunity to add one Advanced Lambach card to their decks before play
begins. Only one Advanced Lambach card may be included in each deck. Players
who play the Tzimisce clan and include Lambach (advanced or otherwise) in
their crypts will be considered to be playing for Lambach's Legion. Tzimisce
players without Lambach in their crypts will be considered to be playing for
the standard Tzimisce clan. For the purposes of our tally of the winning
clans, these two Tzimisce factions will be considered separate clans.
We will compile the list of winning clans as well as the number of new players
registered in each region (US) or country. As the reward for the region that
adds the most new players to Lambach's Legion, we will create a
region-specific card in an upcoming expansion. The clan that wins the most
events will also receive a special card in a future expansion.