As you enter the Gerding Theater for the first time in your brief unlife, you feel a twinge of rage deep inside of you. You had gotten used to the Predator's Taint, but this gathering... which you've been told is Elysium... brings the rage of the Beast to you like you've never felt before. About 150 Kindred were present, some spread loosely in the seats before the Main Stage, looking bored, while others gathered in clusters talking quietly amongst themselves. You might marvel at the variety of Vampires there are.... some exemplify pale, calm beauty, while others are revolting beyond measure. But what really grabs you is how dead these animated beings truly are. For all the sizes and shapes, a dull stillness seems to define the environment.

With a loud snap, the lights of the stage are on and all is quiet. A short young (in appearance, at least) woman with long, curly blonde hair dressed in a pink gown with lace trimmings extending to her feet and a scabbard at her side, steps on stage. She smiles upon the audience, as if bestowing them with the gift of her gaze. A haggard looking woman, hair in a bun wearing a dull grey dress about 200 years out of date steps up to her right hand side. A man with fierce black sideburns, wearing a brown trenchcoat and spurred boots steps up to her left.

"Good Evening, my brothers and sisters of the night," the younger-looking woman starts. "As always, thank you for appearing at my court. I have called this gathering on such short notice to discuss a most dire matter for our community. It has recently been brought to my attention that a serial murderer has been plaguing Portland. Three of our Kindred have been found dead in the past month, with no sign of the perpetrator. And just last night, I am sad to announce, my Herald... and dear dear friend... Secretary Goldman has joined the ranks of the victims.

"Do not let it be said that your Prince does not take interest in and action upon this city. It is as important to me, as it surely is to you, that we find and deal with this vermin in or around our ranks. On that note, allow me to make this official notice: the Kindred responsible for discovering the criminal (or criminals) in our midst and bring them to justice will be granted the title of Sheriff!"

Excited murmuring fills the stage. The man standing next to the Prince hangs his mouth open in an almost cartoonish display of shock before shouting. "'Sheriff!?' But, Prince Ausubel, I--"

"You are a failure, Murphy! Your lenience... your weakness... has cost four of our brothers and sisters their lives!" The stern, older-looking woman moves behind the Sheriff in what appears to be an instant, and wraps her arms around him, binding his limbs to his sides. "It will cost this community no more," the Prince continues.

Ausubel withdraws the sabre from her scabbard and points it at Murphy. They stare into eachother's eyes for a moment, and then in an instant the man's head is on the floor and flecks of his blood are on the Prince's lips. She drops her sword to the ground with a clatter that echos across the stage, and slowly, as if fatigued, turns to face the audience. There is a moment of silence.

"FIND THE KILLER!" she screeches into the night.

The City of Roses is a weekly Vampire: The Requiem game played by IRC. I'm looking for three to five players to join me in a game of paranoia where our starring Vampires will be forced to ask themselves where and if loyalty fits in the world of the damned.

In this story, Portland's five quadrants (North, Northeast, Southeast, Southwest, and Northwest) each serve as a base for one of the five Covenants. In this city, appearances matter as much as substance and action. As a result, volatile politics played by capricious Kindred rule the night. The structure of power is constantly (in Vampire terms) changing. The Danse Macabre in Portland is experienced as a fluctuating rhythm, and the signs in the wind tell us that change is once again coming.

You are a neonate in the city. Your Embrace was anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 days ago. You've barely begun learning the ways of the night, and you can tell that harder lessons are on their way still.

Because this is an IRC game, timing will of course be a function of who can participate. The game is expected to occur on Tuesday from 8 PM to 12 AM pacific or Friday from 7 PM pacific to whenever your atrocious, unbeating heart desires.

If you would like to participate, please post a character concept, along with a short description of your Embrace and the times you are available to play.

I'll be accepting submissions until 12 AM Sunday, October 23.