The humble bar coaster was originally designed with absorption in mind to help prevent a mess at the bar. In nightclubs catering to non-human elements, the QBC, too, helps reduce the potential for a real mess, and can prevent ring-around-the-drinking vessel... though in this case, the vessel in question might not be your ordinary wine glass or beer mug. .
An experienced publican can tell you that bar fights tend to range anywhere from good-natured fisticuffs to a tavern-trashing brawl. Simply breaking a chair or bottle over the head of a rowdy troublemaker works only in the movies; in real life, that sort of behavior gets a person fired, sued, or both. Threatening combatants with lethal force by brandishing a loaded weapon or discharging a firearm scares away paying customers and places them at an unacceptable level of risk. Yet, simply doing nothing can lead to the escalation of violence, more people getting drawn in, and tavern furnishings and customers getting damaged. Altercations that turn into bloody tooth-and-nail tussles often result in severe injury or death, followed by loss of productivity while answering potentially incriminating questions from police investigators and lawsuits brought by the survivors and next-of-kin. What's a bartender or house security to do?
To help keep the peace instead of promoting further violence and bloodshed, ACME brings to you the Quintessential Bar Coaster. Appearing to be little more than a standard disposable drink coaster, the QBC was created specifically for non-threatening and non-damaging deterrence of certain anti-social elements in the World of Darkness. Whether flung like a shiruken, slapped against the target, or just left laying around on tables and countertops, the QBC safely and effectively denies the means of fuelling mayhem or continuing violence at unmanageable levels by bloodthirsty combatants. In use at some of Europe's more colorful nightspots, the QBC has reduced violence, employee injury, and bloodshed significantly, often before serious permanent injury or property damage!
The QBC figuratively takes the wind out of the sails and the fight out of the
fighter. Using a subtle variation on a well-known process, the QBC humanely
destabilizes and absorbs stored potential. This effectively transfers the
potential to the QBC, depleting the available potential to use for continued
violence
by an equivalent amount. As the stored potential diminishes and approaches zero,
logic dictates that the desire to risk any additional loss or confrontation
likewise diminishes. The process is practically instantaneous, leaving only a
wet "beer ring" on the combatant and the coaster, thus encouraging the combatant to
withdraw without loss of body parts, face, or whatever dignity yet
remains.
While some might call this pooled potential vitae, others are more apt to
recognize it as a form of quintessence.
At the heart of quintessence effect is Prime. Prime initiates a release of the
base quintessence contained in the vitae. Since the release of quintessence from
vitae is a normal process in kindred physiology, (burning blood for moving
around each night, as well as any blood-derived powers) the effect may usually
be considered coincidental.
Correspondence creates a connection between the coaster and the target. Prime transfers the released quintessence to the coaster.
While ordinarily this effect makes use of the bar coasters already on hand,
should said coasters be missing, the conjunctional application of Matter to the
Prime/Correspondence effect will serve to coincidentally create a generic disposable bar
coaster on the fly.
What of the confiscated quintessence? While the QBC does become a tass-charged battery, handle it carefully. ACME recommends classifying any saturated QBC as a mildly tainted source, suitable for external use only. You've been warned: DO NOT put a used QBC in your mouth, and be sure to cleanse your hands after properly handling the used QBC. In the event of intentional or accidental misuse, ACME assumes no responsibility for avatar damage due to pattern absorption. No kidding. You've been warned again.