Mid-MO/Cross Genre CofD

The Protectorate VSS

Key Locations

 * '''The Guitar Mansion


 * '''The Boonville Ranch


 * '''Ellis-Fischel

History
The city of Columbia was founded in 1821. Kindred didn’t move in to the area until the founding of the University of Missouri in 1839. The Invictus were first, followed by the other covenants. The kindred survived the chaos of the Civil War and reconstruction by a strict adherence to The Traditions, a practice that continues to this night.

Many have held the title of Prince through the years, mostly Invictus. In 1998 the sitting Prince met with final death under very mysterious circumstances. After that, a string of Kindred trying to claim Praxis also died, and by thoroughly unexpected means -- spontaneous combustion, pulled into a wheat thresher, pulverised by a falling jet engine, crushed and then electrocuted beneath a vending machine, etc. Some even tried to skirt the strange curse by claiming praxis over other cities in the region -- Jefferson City, Fulton, etc -- but all met the same mysterious end. Some have started calling this phenomenon the "Praxis Scourge" or just "The Scourge".

As a result the Kindred moved to a council system led by the heads of the Covenants. Elders left the city in 2013, after the last attempt to claim praxis failed, leaving the ancillae in charge. While the views toward the Scourge varied from covenant to covenant one thing was clear, whoever solved its mystery would be Prince of the City.

Recent History:

In the winter of 2016, "The Scourge" took a turn for the worse. No longer was it limited to declarations of Praxis; now any Kindred in the area who tried to commit an act of violence -- of any sort -- would burst into flame.

Faced with this dire new threat, the handful of Kindred who did not flee picked up on leads left by those who had, and traced the problem to its source: a mortal with mental talents who had been bound somehow to a spirit of fire. Despite the risk, this band of Gangrel took on the threat... and finally, despite grave burns, brought an end to "The Scourge".

Afterward, they started putting together the rudiments of a society again. Other Kindred, hearing of the end of the problem, have begun cautiously returning to the city, making their way to the longstanding Elysium of the Guitar Mansion to introduce themselves. But with an Unaligned Prince, stability has been hard to secure.

But all of this activity, all the turmoil with the final death-throes of The Scourge, alerted the hunters. They arrived well-armed, well-trained, and with what appeared to be government backing. The small court of Columbia was insufficient to deal with the threat. As a last resort, the vampires reached out to other creatures of the night...

...and to their surprise, they responded. Initial discussions were tense, to say the least. But eventually, they agreed that mutual defense was the best option. And a protectorate was formed.

What's Happening in Mid-MO this Month
3/17/2017 (OOC: these two articles were published in the Tribune in the Friday edition)

Columbia residents missing ''Police are following leads but have no suspects so far by Erin Reece''

As many as ten people are missing under unknown circumstances, according to undisclosed sources within the Columbia Police Department. The missing range in age and circumstances, and no common ties have been found between them. At this time, there are no suspects and few leads.

In a statement released by the Columbia PD, Detective Charles May stated that “while this is unusual uptick in the number of missing, there’s nothing to indicate that we have a situation. We urge people to take sensible precautions and avoid dangerous situations.”

The most prominent among those reported missing was MU Professor Arlin Scaggett, whose TA alerted authorities after Dr. Scaggett missed two days of work and remained unreachable. The elderly professor has no family in the area, according to his work associates, but many friends. Several faculty in the Anthropology Department have pooled their resources to offer a $5,000 reward for information leading to his rescue or recovery. Individuals with information should call the CPD crime tips line.

Eclipse Labs: their long journey

''One year after a strange tragedy, one man is restoring what was destroyed by Ryan Mackle''

Last year, CSI tech James Fallon was on duty when he received a call about a break in at a nearby house. It was in a less-than reputable part of Columbia, and there was nothing unusual about being called out to houses in this area. The buildings would fall into disrepair and become homes for squatters. When spotted by a neighbor, the police would be called and clear them out. This time, Fallon knew something was different. There was equipment scattered and broken, throughout the building.

“There was all this lab equipment,” he said, “and at first, I thought we were dealing with a meth lab.” Instead, the equipment was not for drug production, but genetic research. “I couldn’t imagine what they were trying to do here. It just seemed so bizarre.”

He processed the scene as normal, looking for any signs of whom had broken in and why. He took the evidence back to the lab and studied it, then wrote his report and submitted it. That should have been the end of it.

Fallon couldn’t get it out of his head, though, and something drove him to persist. “Science has always been something that I’ve been interested in,” he said. He kept an eye on the case, and when it closed with no resolution, he tried to forget it too. Instead, his mind returned to the strange lab built in someone’s empty home. Then he saw that the remains of the equipment was on sale through a police auction site. He bought the lot of it, then rented office space. “It was almost a compulsion to take what had been tossed aside and make it work again.”

He fixed the equipment himself, replacing broken parts in his free time. Thanks to an angel loan, he was able to hire staff and start taking jobs. “We did paternity tests at first,” Fallon said, recounting his long journey from the Columbia forensics lab to his own genetics lab, “but I always wanted to do more.”

This week, Fallon received a government grant to do research into a potential genetic link to autism. “This is what my lab was meant to do,” he said, folding his hands and looking very much a proud businessman. “In ten years, we’ll be on the cutting edge of genetics research. Just wait and see.”