Who Are Red Wake?

Red Wake is a theatrics-first rebellion against Crimson Harbour discipline. They turn feeding into immersive shows, bait cameras, and court mortal thrill-seekers to humiliate the Prince and destabilise Accord etiquette. The core are elder-adjacent malcontents and younger cast-offs; orbiting them are paid ghouls, DJs, promoters, and door staff who like cash more than rules.

Signature: an upside-down red lantern sprayed near service doors; donors poached with “members-only” QR codes; immaculate NDAs to terrify mortals after the fact.

Overview

Red Wake rejects licences, timetables, and “polite starvation”. They stage pop-up red rooms, crash charity galas, and push rival factions into on-camera mistakes. They prefer borrowed venues with fast exits, fog machines, and a legal shell company that dissolves after each event.

Maxim (heard on flyers): “Turn the lantern; own the night.”

Faces & Inner Circle

• Valentina Cross — Impresaria; ex-Lampblack socialite; curates venues, donors, and themes. Smiles for cameras she shouldn’t.
• Rook — Sheriff-in-Shadow; retrievals and muscle; ash-pole scars; hates Nyla Voss personally.
• Marcel “Glow” Dupré — Producer; rigs lights, sound, and escape routes; drones and jammers in a violin case.
• Sonya Pike — Ghoul Matron; recruits donors and staff; NDAs, med checks, hush money.

Structure & Cells

Model: Impresaria → Producer ring (tech/logistics) → Bite crews (3–5 vampires + 2 ghouls) → Mortal contractors (rotating).

• Scouts: map exits, cameras, and police patterns; plant the upside-down lantern.
• Hook Team: invite-only QR drops; poaches from licensed registries and private clubs.
• Cleaners: bleach, story kits, burner vans; swap plates, dump costumes.

Operating Habits

• Pop-up Windows: 90–120 minutes, then vanish; second location prepped within 8 blocks.
• Storywork: false fire alarms or “renovation nights” to explain closures; flyers styled as performance art.
• Donor Handling: “Consent theatre” paperwork to mimic Harbour licencing; real risks buried in small print.
• Camera Games: light strobe patterns to defeat BWV; drone footage held for blackmail or clout.

Red Wake “Rules” (as they claim)

1. Flip the lantern. No event without the mark.
2. Feed the crew first. Donors last; no frenzy on film.
3. Leave a story, not a body. Bodies bring Meridian.
4. Burn your name monthly. No one keeps a mortal identity long.

Note: They break their own rules when cornered.

Resources & Tactics

• Shell Fronts: event LLCs, short-let managers, a print shop that does high-end invites.
• Tech Kit: jammers, foggers, blackout cloths, cheap UV sensors to time dawn locks.
• Medical Coolers: suspiciously clean ampoule cases (dry, cold, wrong) for “edge boosts” — provenance unclear.
• Mortal Web: DJs, riggers, influencers, and a paramedic who moonlights for cash.

Relations & Enmities

• Crimson Harbour: mortal enemies; Wake targets licensed donors and parlour schedules to embarrass the Prince.
• Free Court: disdain; sabotage of salon nights with mask-slips and “art pranks”.
• Iron Belt: provokes chases to catch howls on camera; several near-fatal collisions in park corridors.
• Lodge: friction after stunt-fogs; pilots file complaints, Wake ignores them.
• Glasswrights: tries to rent mirrors without bonds; blacklisted; smuggles panes via third parties.
• Meridian: cat-and-mouse; Wake studies cordon habits to slip the net and seed counter-narratives.

Emerging Rumours (GM Guidance)

• Gold-Surge Clips: a few seconds of “too perfect” poise before tremors; ampoules linked to multiple scenes.
• Inside Hands: someone near the Donor Registry is selling slots; signatures look real.
• Second Lantern: a new mark variant with a hairline halo; decoded as a “two-venue night”.
• Policy (Accord): verify, seize coolers, no on-site trials; cross-post calendars to predict flips.

Known Nests & Pop-up Sites

• Warehouse 6B (Canton): black-curtained mezzanine; scrubbed after a panic stair incident.
• Old Boiler Room (Station North): hidden egress to an alley mural; lantern stencil under the ducting.
• “Members’ Loft” (Mt. Vernon): short-let with mirrored wall; crate swap noted by Glasswrights.

Notable Operatives (NPCs)

• Valentina Cross — the face; will parley on camera, then weaponise the footage.
• Rook — enforcer; believes fear is marketing; carries ash cuffs.
• “Glow” Dupré — tech; drones, strobes, escape routes; loves roofs.
• Sonya Pike — donor wrangler; NDAs and cash; frightened but loyal.
• “Tess” Alvarez — mortal influencer; sells “exclusive” RSVPs; doesn’t know the whole truth.

Open Slots: 1–2 bite-crew vamps, 1 ghoul medic, 1 venue insider with keys.

Hooks & Episode Seeds

• Lantern Flip Tonight: Upside-down stencil appears behind a museum. Can you pre-empt the pop-up without starting a riot?
• Borrowed Donor: A licensed donor is lured to a “members’ dinner”. Rescue without feeding a PR fire.
• Cooler Trade: Wake offers an ampoule for safe passage. Sting? Swap? Or track the supply chain?
• Two-Stage Scam: A gala diversion covers a second site. Split the team or guess right?
• Influencer Leak: A live stream is scheduled with coordinates. Kill the stream, or make it show something harmless.

Countermeasures (For PCs/Allies)

• Calendar Trap: feed false “available” venues; catch scouts painting the lantern.
• Light Discipline: ban strobe rigs; Glasswright drapes for cameras; Free Court “courtesy net” on loan.
• Donor Shield: rapid-contact tree; decoy RSVPs; Concord clause audits for fake consent.
• Second Site Sweep: Gloam door-ledgers + Belt spotters to find the backup venue in time.

GM Notes

• Tone: neon menace; nightlife politics; logistics vs. spectacle.
• Pressure Dials: Exposure □□□ • Rumour Heat □□ • Donor Safety □□
• Escalation Path: stencil → pop-up → cooler sighting → split venues → on-camera confrontation.
• Fail State: donor death on film; Accord fractures; daytime raids.
• Win State: event fizzles as “performance art”; donors safe; ampoules seized; Wake loses face.