Part 36: XXXVI - Gargoyle Removal Service
After a quick visit to our friend Mercurio, we're taking a taxi back...
...to Downtown. Remember that little quest Isaac had for us, regarding a Gargoyle and the Asian Theater?
Like I said before: Maximillian Strauss, Tremere Regeant extraordinaire, should have some information pertinent to our gargoyle situation.
Which is not to say that the only stop we're making is the Tremere tower. Rather, we're going to be visiting many of our old friends.
Although some, like the Anarchs, have nothing new to say. Others, such as LaCroix, aren't accessible.
As a result, I'm showing off three different places. The first clearly demonstrates that siding with Venus was the right choice; a constant supply of money for the rest of the game obviously outweighs a one-time cash bonus from the Russian Mafia.
It's a good idea to stop by our apartment. It's been a while, so we should have a couple new emails. And there's also our ghoul to check in on...
...Heather?
A while ago in the LP I asked Heather to change her appearance -- well, ordered her, really. I'm doing the same now for obvious reasons.
We've accumulated a lot of experience in recent updates.
I'm putting a dot in Scholarship and Intelligence. With one more dot in Computers, we can use a skill book we acquired some time in the past.
We haven't watched the news in some time, so let's see what the media coverage of our recent adventures is.
Another murder in Hollywood tonight at an adult bookstore. A peep show dancer was killed in the basement of the store, and investigators are still trying to put the pieces together, since no one present saw or heard anything. It is unknown at this time what the motives were, but the police are ruling out the Southland Slasher as a suspect. Tourists attempting to pay their respects at actress Ginger Swan's grave at the Hollywood Eternal cemetery were shocked to discover the grave of the former sex symbol had been vandalized. The star was entombed in the Hollywood Eternal mausoleum after her death in 1964. Nothing was stolen from the crypt, but estimates put the damage at over a thousand dollars.These next few might be repeats :
A tourist bus destined for the ancient city of Angkor Wat that failed to return Wednesday night, was found this morning, though without any trace of its operator or passengers. Cambodian officials have dispatched several military units into the area to search through the surrounding jungle amidst concerns that it is related to one of a number of Southeastern Asian terrorist organizations based in the region. Three American citizens are among the missing. Concerned parent groups joined several senators on the step of Capitol Hill to protest the latest wave of violent video games. Senator Limperman called the games "pornography" and was offended by crude shots taken at him by one recent game. Among the titles the group is trying to get banned from stores are "Manglegarten", "Rape and Pillage", and "Abe Lincoln Teaches Killing". Protestors say that extended media attention towards exploitive games such as "Meth Tycoon" promotes parental awareness of their adult content, and lessens children's interest in the taboo-themed games. Religious tourists have been flocking in droves to the Santa Maria church in Santiago, Spain after several pilgrims claimed to have seen statues of the Madonna begin crying blood. The site dates back to the period of the Romans, and has several reported weeping virgin sightings throughout its history. One pilgrim reported that they witnessed blood coming from no less than six statues at around sunset, and that the courtyard felt full of sadness. Skeptics have been quick to point out that this phenomena has been debunked, and witnesses are no more credible than those that report UFOs.That's it for the news.
We have two new emails. The first is confirmation of a completed quest:
The second is initiating a new one:
This library quest is arguably WESP's biggest addition to the game. Troika originally planned to include some sort of quest involving the downtown LA library, but that idea never materialized. WESP and crew decided to make it happen.
inflatablefish posted:
New content is always interesting... but given that this seems to be WESP's idea of how an erudite scholar would write, I can't say I have high hopes for how it'll turn out.
Regardless, we aren't going to the Downtown Library in this update.
We're instead heading back to Strauss' demesne after collecting LaCroix's reward.
We've already learned a small bit about Gargoyles:
Part 16 posted:
Thaumaturgical Creatures posted:
E. Bankins, Regent, Chicago
Gargoyles: During the medieval conflict with the Tzimisce, Clan Tremere delved further into secret blood magicks and created a race of protectors known as Gargoyles. Since their inception, Gargoyles have been used as scouts, warriors, and sentries. Gargoyles are monsters, vampires by virtue of the blood and flesh through which they are created. They are no more than the detritus of other clans, given a second chance to serve their Tremere creators. Unfortunately, many have wrongly come to view their service as slavery, and have fled their masters in search of some delusional Utopia. Most escaped Gargoyles live in isolation, preferring solitude to even the company of their own kind.
Homonculi: For the most menial and mindless tasks, many Tremere create what is called a Homonculus. These are mindless creatures which take many forms, winged, many-legged, or otherwise. Homonculi are unfailingly loyal, but their appearance makes them a serious threat to breaking the Masquerade.
And from our own oWoD loremaster, Vicissitude:
Vicissitude posted:
Gargoyles are an interesting clan in the WoD because they're not technically a clan. They were artificially created vampires given the form of traditional church/castle guardians. The Tremere used captured Gangrel, Nosferatu and even Tzimisce prisoners and mingled the vitae of each to create a new breed of subservient vampires. In this, they both succeeded and failed. It's inherently inbred into a Gargoyle to take commands from a vampire. They have effectively 2 fewer Willpower dots when resisting Dominate or similar mind-affecting powers. On top of that, they can only ever have an Appearance of 0, like the Nosferatu. As such, they don't get out much and have to stick around being told what to do by their Tremere masters.
As to the failure, the Gargoyles are a "clan" in that they are capable of perpetuating their bloodline. They can give the embrace to mortals and create childer like any other normal clan. This led to the Gargoyle Rebellion a long time ago, which was put down by the Tremere but made them wary enough that Gargoyles aren't really created anymore. Or at least, not in any significant number.
The Sabbat also came up with their own false clan, but they learned from the Tremere's mistakes. The Blood Brothers cannot sire, and are fanatically loyal to each other and their sect.
Still, faced with the fact that a real Gargoyle is holed up in Hollywood, Strauss may be more forthcoming with information that could assist us.
I have a question for you about Gargoyles.
What can I tell you about them? What is a Gargoyle? A Gargoyle, put simply, is a creature that was created to protect the Tremere clan in the early years of our existence. They are very powerful, and not to be trifled with. The Tremere "created" them? Yes. We used our extensive knowledge of blood magics to create a race of protectors. They served that purpose well, but they have also caused many problems. It's a complicated issue. Just how complicated? Well, many Gargoyles still serve their Tremere masters, but a number of them have since rebelled and gone into hiding. They are a sentient race, but ultimately unfit for the freedom they desire. They need the guidance of their former masters.A loose Gargoyle seems to be one huge masquerade violation. Regardless, Max seems to be speaking from experience. With a high enough persuasion score, we can get him to spill the vampiric beans.
[Persuade] Sounds like you have some personal experience in this matter, Max.
What? YOUR creation?!? Yes. Many years ago, I created this Gargoyle to protect the chantry from our enemies. He was a faithful servant, and saved my life more than once.
Schmoozing like the Ventrue we are has served us well to this point. There's no reason to deviate from this path.
Completely. I will tell no one of your secret. I appreciate your discretion in this matter, neonate. Good to hear. Now, what do I need to do?
Thanks, but how do I best fight the gargoyle? With much difficulty, I'm afraid. Gargoyles are notoriously resilient. Their hides are made of stone. Firearms will be almost useless. Blunt force is the only thing they understand. Thanks. I'm outta here.There's nothing holding us to our word, meaning we could very well betray Strauss to Isaac, but trust me, there's a reason we won't be doing it.
Instead, we'll return to Hollywood with only the Rune of the Third Eye in hand. It just reduces the damage a Gargoyle does to its holder.
Our first stop is Vesuvius.
Whatever. I have news about Hatter's source.
Are they...? I mean, did you...? It's taken care of.
I'm willing to ignore the incredible lengths you've gone to be an asshole. 
That's it? Forget this... I'm out of here.We'll take our 1 XP and leave.
Goodbye Club Vesuvius. We will never return. As a parting gift, have a listen to an unused alternate version of the Vesuvius theme:
To Issac's room.
I've learned something about the Gargoyle.
I'm showing this off for its own sake. We have to head to the theater before we're even given the chance to beqeath Strauss' dark secret to Isaac.
Now, this theatre lies across the street from Isaac's office.
Unlocking the door, we head inside.
Suddenly...
Watch
Remember, Isaac wants this monster as an ally, though in honesty he'd be fine if we just removed it from the theater.
In any case, any type of negotiation requires us to be very careful with these upcoming dialogue choices. Gargoyles are hotheads.
That's an interesting way to start a conversation. I'm only here to talk.
[Listen] Talk? No! Always Kindred are talking, scheming, hurting others with their lies! Monsters, you all! Abominations! A curse upon the earth!If there is a monster in the room, its voice would sound like that, not Melissa's.
Wait! I come here in peace! I have an offer from Isaac Abrams!We could have mentioned Strauss there, but I'm sure you can guess it's not a good idea.
The Gargoyle question is this: do we attempt to ally the Gargoyle with Isaac Abrams, or do we destroy it?