-The Venatori Umbrorum acquire an artifact from the progenitor Black Court, which can serve as a powerful material link to all existing Black Courts. The Rukh (Black Court Elder) guarding it is killed in the process, and the Black Court is aware of who took it.
-My character is tasked with bringing a briefcase from Las Vegas to San Francisco. Unbeknownst to him at the time, the briefcase contains said artifact. My character takes a look at it, but cannot recognize what it is. The journey progresses smoothly, although a heightened military presence searching for contraband in the area is highly suspicious.
-The artifact arrives in San Francisco, and is brought to Alcatraz, a leyline nexus. The Venatori establish a base of operations there.
-The Black Court, in the meantime, starts raiding Venatori safehouses. A major safehouse is raided by someone with access to milspec equipment (flamethrowers, match-grade bullets). This is where our PCs come in. My character is friends with some Venatori, and with the assistance of the other two player characters, start investigating into the matter.
-We decide to investigate the artifact, and the only character we know who has access to a supernatural library is a Rukh, who we are on speaking terms with due to a prior adventure. The Rukh in question is
Catherine the Great, who has adapted remarkably well to the modern world, and has access to vast resources and contacts. She has a power akin to flesh mask, allowing her to pass as a good looking woman in her mid twenties. She dislikes my character, since he hit on her some time ago, not knowing who she was.
-She agrees to help us, on the condition that we tell what we know. Another PC readily agrees, and spills the beans. She tells us the artifact is cursed, but refuses to go into detail. She says the Black Court is out for blood, and will not rest until either the artifact is returned or all Venatori are dead. That point is non-negotiable. She has a phone call in another room, which one of the PCs listens in, finding out that the Rukh is the one responsible for attacking the Venatori. That PC does not tell this to the other characters. When she returns, she is hit by major thaumaturgical attack, causing her to vomit blood and shattering her human guise for a moment. She tells us to leave, which we do.
-Returning at a later point, she tells us that the Venatori Umbrorum are responsible for the attack, and with her help, we deduce that the attack is coming from Alcatraz. Running water will prevent her from going there personally, and we decide to investigate the matter.
-At nightfall, we arrive on Alcatraz with scuba gear, sneak past all the sentries, and infiltrate the base of operations, which is located in the old prison building. We watch a conference room where a team of commandos is given green light on an operation via teleconference. Recognizing the one leading the conference as an old friend, my character decides to reveal himself (and only himself), talking with him about their plans. He tells me of their plan to eradicate the Black Court, showing my character a map with the location of all remaining Black Court Vampires. He reveals what the artifact really is, and that they plan on invoking a magic ritual (similar to Changes) to accomplish it. The first step involved is the assassination of the Rukh in town, our acquaintance. The other characters listen in on the conversation via coms, and decide to warn and assist the Rukh. My character decides to stay and watch.
-The SpecOps team, with the assistance of thaumaturgy to weaken the Rukh, captures her minutes before the other two PCs arrive. They decide to give chase. Meanwhile, my character is told that the Rukh will be placed inside a known execution ground of the Black Court, a wide, deep well where their powers are suppressed and the sun will touch them (If you have read/seen "Interview with a Vampire", you'll know it). My character expresses serious doubts about 'deathtrap-style executions', and implores them to kill the vampire before tossing her down. He even offers to do it himself, and travels to the site via VTOL, arriving just in time with the other characters.
-The characters meet up at the execution site. One player has his assistant, an assassin NPC, hiding nearby with a high caliber weapon. My character calls for a ceasefire, and the three PCs step aside to discuss their motivations. Took us two hours in realtime, so I'll give you the condensed version below. At this point, the session ends, and we're scheduled to meet again next week.
-Meanwhile, the sun has risen.