Vampire: Dark Ages - Scene 4: In the Halls of the Dead

[Sabine]

I drop the deer onto the ground, and let the dogs eat.

I walk over to Szolt. He should still be eating. I bite my hand, and hold it out to him, so he can lick the blood.

[Animalism 1]"You're mine, now."

[Goatkiller666]

The Red Lamb Inn
----------------------

Roderigo turns back to Taduz, "Slave? I may be that, but I'm none of yours." Then he thinks through the questions asked of him. "The inn is out of the way, and quite large. Both floors are of timber, solidly built. It's built as a square, with stone on the exterior. There's an exit on each side of the square, all leading to the central courtyard. All of the rooms open to this courtyard as well, though there are walkways to keep the rain from you. The second floor is all guest rooms, as is most of the first. The rooms to the front are the kitchen and dining hall. There's a privy to the rear, near the stable. The innkeeper's family stays above those, I gather."

"But, as My Lord Hardestadt said, he has always been capable to destroy them. He must capture them in the act of breaking our laws. You must gain their trust, so that you may share their secrets with the Founders, and they can witness the events. Then, destroying your sires may easily happen."

Bojan stares into Seska's eyes and says "I follow you wherever you go." His eyes begin to wander downwards, then jerk upwards again. "I have failed you before, but I will not do so again." Then he lowers his face to the table again, so as not to be caught oogling his Lady.

Pierre notices Bojan's reaction, and smiles. He pats him on the shoulder roughly, "Aye. It gets you like that at first. Just go with it, lad." Turning to Seska, "Milady, I only did what was right, and I've no doubt God has rewarded me through your blessings this evening. You owe me naught for that. But from here on, I think you swim in very dangerous waters. I will take up with those who go to protect you." His eyes also seem to wander a bit more than is completely appropriate, though he doesn't seem to chastize himself for it.

Vida waits until all the lechary is done, and all of the bold statements, and says, "But yon traitor says that we may not attend your Ladyship now. That we would be in danger, or put you in danger..."

As Taduz discusses changing faces, Roderigo turns from Seska's conversation and says "Wait... who's faces would you change? Who else would join us against your sires?"

The Hunting Estate
------------------------

Szolt comes over to Sabine, scraping low in submission. He licks gently at her hand, then more eagerly when he finds the blood... invigorating.

He whines between licks, "You are our person. We are your pack."

[Sabine]

I smile. Then I scratch his back while he finishes eating.

When they're all done, I turn back into a puppy and lead them back to Zombar.

[Animalism 1]"Let's go find my person."

[Taduz Illyannovich]

I snicker at it's incomprehension

"Slave, in one breath you say to keep the Lady's man at arms, and the popinjay out back away, and in another expose your gross ignorance on subjects you parroted back so prettily like a kept bird."

That fop must be hard up if he's using this as a spy.

"Your master said he wanted them dealt with. You have evidence of their crimes." Exaggerating my counting of the others in the room, Lady Seska, Olaf, Alina, Pierra. "And by your masters whims they are to die. With such evidence, why would he need more?"

Lapdog. No wait, Sabine takes on the form of a dog, he's more of a capon.

"Thus, sending us, into their lair, against 13 experienced ones" glaring at him "is a death sentence."

Poke poke.

"And who did he send in there also with his...conscripts?"

Why yes, those chains go so well with your pasty complextion Slave.

"Why, it would be his most trusted slave. That can't even see it's time has past, and is being sent to it's death also."

Slave to the cross, slave to his damned master.

"Now, do you want to survive the next few nights, or shall we just dismantle you here and now and save the Cur and his dandys the trouble."

"We are to try to save your life if we can, but if you insist on dieing, I am more than willing to help you."

Looking at Slave.

"Why, I could change your face, since you're a well known lackey. I'd hoped you'd retained some glimmer of your survival instinct, even beasts retain that much when kept."

To Lady Seska

"With your leave, I could change theirs also, while it may not even the odds, it would tip the scales into a bit less of a precarious position."

Still to Seska

"I even promise to return them to their original shapes." Grinning slyly at Vida "Mayhap even be convinced to fine tune things. After all, such gifts are not to be used in half measures"

You Slave, you get no such promise.

[Seska Karantanija]

"No. I shall not have you twisting their faces. They have only met Pierre, and briefly at that while salivating over their impending meal. Why would it matter how they appear?" Her glare at the suggestion conveys she is set against this.

"Nor do I think trying to confront them directly is at all a wise idea. They have greater numbers and a full understanding of their abilities. Can any besides the brute here," she motions towards Olaf, "withstand a direct altercation? Nor do we know the extent or their more unusual abilities. No, such talk is utter folly."

She pokes the table to emphasize her points, "However, I have no concern about finding additional crimes. We have our own grievences. More may be learned while we use the time to gain their confidence and figure how to use their distrust to turn them against each other. Do you remember how they squabbled upon Hardestadt's assault? Time will give us the opportunity to learn their weaknesses, to isolate some so we can press the advantage, and to determine whom we should be most concerned with."

Looking over her retainers before continuing her address, "We have no idea where this will lead us, and they may prove absolutely invaluable to all our survival since they can move about during the day while we sleep. Now I see two options. The first is they follow a day or two behind, pretending to be a separate group travelling through the area who stops at the inn. Should our relationship be discovered we are all imperiled. The other is they come with us, state I simply would not leave them behind nor they abandon me, and that their loyalty to is assured. It is truthful and the inn sounds large enough they can stay mostly to themselves while still being nearby."

[Taduz Illyannovich]

"All right, fair Lady. But their Gypsy, if he has any true Rom in him, never forgets a face. I cannot speak for the others. I'm erring on the side of caution."

"Is the gaining of information vital, if we could dispatch them in a way that would destroy them, while leaving us safety, would that be an option?"

It and the others maybe useful still

"You make mention of them moving during the day. The inn's rooms have doors to the outside. Stone walls, but wood floors."

"With a minor alteration, skin darkened, or even, mimicry of someone else, they could light the place ablaze during the day. The Cur's band must sleep as we do during the sun's reign, they'd be helpless. Being so out of the way, help would arrive far too late."

Can we do this though?

"We feel the need to sleep during the day, can we stay awake through it though? The siren's call to drift off is strong, but, since we're not on a timetable, let us experiment further with our powers, and see what limits we have. If any of us can stay awake during the day, Gediminas's wagon would provide an excellent cover for any of us who can manage it, to lend assistance to our arsonists."

"Neat, tidy, and with little chance of ourselves being in danger."

"If their slaves manage to get some of them out, who do they see, mayhap a Saracen? A Moor? Or something more, whimsical. Their slaves will either not be believed, or the blame will lay elsewhere."

Can I do it that fine?

[Vicissitude 1]

Lean my head down, start pushing, pulling, prodding my face, viewing myself, seeing what I want...skin, lose your lush olive hue, blunt the nose, lower the forehead, grow hairs, if I must pull you out one by one, grow into a beard start working my fingers through my hair lose your raven color, lighten to that ones picture plying and making it look as close as I can in this short time.

I smirk "Imagine the story, they saw 4 of these come out of the nearby forest, set the building ablaze, and declared they housed demons in the inn." and laugh.

The face of Jesus Christ is looking at you all, snickering.

In an imperious voice I proclaim "My Will Be Done"

and dissolve into laughter.

[Goatkiller666]

The Red Lamb Inn

Roderigo visibly relaxes as Seska backs away from direct confrontation. He comments only "The Inn will be closed to all others while they are there. The innkeeper will claim that it is full, or some similar fabrication."

He thinks a moment, "While the Inn is near nothing else of note, there is a small village a few miles away. Perhaps the breathing could stay there, and then perform whatever tasks were needed during the day. Only the Innkeeper and his family... oh, and Wenceslas' boy Timothy, will be present otherwise."

In an imperious voice I proclaim "My Will Be Done"

and dissolve into laughter.

Roderigo glares, cold hatred. Then he makes the sign of the cross.

Hunting Estate

The pack follows Szolt, who follows Sabine, wherever she goes. They take an hour to arrive back at the Inn. [We'll pause to let them catch up.]

[Alína Nyárí]

The Jewess sits and absorbs all that is said. While she had hunted with the bow all her life, and knew the way of ritual slaughter of animals so they were deemed "kasher" for consumption, unlike nobles or apparently the others, she had little to no training in combat. She had been born, raised, married and widowed all within the cosmopolitan setting of Prague, and such things were left in the hands of the strazniki. Even the violent passing of Danek she left to the authorities; she had rarely been incited to violence herself. She had instead healed, and still viewed herself in such a manner.

Her father and farm-hand were far away, both in geography and now circumstance, on the small plot of land outside Tótkomlós to which she fled from Prague after Danek's end. She hoped to return to them one day; to try and make some sort of life in her undead state. But for now it was best she put them out of her mind and do what she must to survive without involving them.

As she listens to the planning, she tries to figure out a place for herself in their efforts. The thought of trying to earn the trust of that dark one, of Casmir, chilled her. And yet, even after so much time after the dinner in Giovanni's villa, she yearned for the pleasure Casmir briefly gave her. She instinctively recoiled from the pain he dealt, but a hidden, forbidden craving for the ecstasy she experienced at his hand filled her being, which she instantly tried to quash.

...and yet.

[Olaf_Magnusson]

S grin briefly flits across his features as he is labeled "the brute", a backhanded compliment to be sure, but then, he's never measured considered himself aught other than a warrior. However, Taduz little trick merits guffaws of laughter. "Oh, well done, well done! " Still laughing as the "sign of the cross" is made, "Profane not Thor's Hammer with your hands, little man. He taught us that long before your puling nithing lasted only three days. The All-Father hung for nine, and lived."

[Dante Nachtzehrer]

Dante continues running towards Erick Shinnings, the low amount of blood in his system almost driving him to frenzy. Seeing his two ghouls in front of him he shouts to them, "Onward, brothers! This hellspawn must be purified! Do not let him get away!"

[Sabine]

I run. I run. I run.

It takes me a long time to get there.

phew...

[Erick Shinnings]

I recall the incline before me, and relying on my pursuers have no knowledge of this steep potential trap. Mustering what power is in me [Spend Blood: +1 Strength +1 Dexterity and begin to climb.

[Seska Karantanija]

"If there is a town nearby, that could work. We can travel most of the way together, then split as we get closer so that we are at least a few hours apart." Motioning to Bojan and Pierre, "They can gather the supplies we might need while we gain the trust of those at the inn."

Seska looking imploringly at Vida, "Would you be willing to go this town? You should not be in the way of danger there and these two would be with you for protection. I would worry about you trying to return to Tótkomlós alone. You should be able to find a guard they can vet for trustworthiness if nothing else."

"At the very least we shall want wooden stakes, mallets, a few bows and materials to maintain them, containers we can secure... anything else?"

"As for the Conspiritors, I say we keep things simple. We escaped Hardestadt's dungeon through trickery and by abducting Roderigo. He intended to kill us, and definitely will with our escape vexing him, so we have nowhere else to turn. 'The Ghoul'," she motions to Roderigo, " has told us some things, however we would like to learn more."

[Alína Nyárí]

The Jewess looked at her Lady with a wry grin.

"We may be getting just a bit ahead of ourselves. Our "sires" left Giovanni's on the run, leaving us to be killed off as a distraction..."

Turning towards Roderigo, "Do we know for certain that they even know we still "live?" Would the element of surprise that we survived come in to play in a useful way in gaining their trust?"

[Taduz Illyannovich]

[Vicissitude 1]

Put my head down to push and prod my face back to normal.

"It seems we must traipse into the lions den, necks bared, hoping it wishes to talk of wine and song"


Alone, without assistance, except for it being with us.

"Aye stakes, they don't kill, but make things so much easier to..dispose of things."

I hope they are ready for when this goes wrong.

"Now, what fanicful story do we tell them, multiple conflicting stories simply make us out as liars."

Some fakes wounds would be of assistance also.

Looking at Slave

"What weaknesses does your Master's little hovel have?"

I add quickly before it can respond.

"No claptrap about it's inescapable, impervious to harm, or any of that."

Reinforce the earlier ideals

"Your life depends on it also remember."

People are more manageable with death hanging over their heads.

[Sabine]

I'm running. I'm running. Get there eventually.

[Goatkiller666]

The Red Lamb Inn

Vida reaches out to grip Seska's hand. "I will go where you need me."

Roderigo looks at Olaf. "Christ's three days on the cross were only the beginnings of his misery, northman. He suffered the infinite torments of Hell itself, enough for his blood to pay for all the sins of the world. If your All-Father survived nine days, it must not have been very rough. Did they build him a chair and an ottoman so that he might put up his feet? Did they bring him water, perhaps a blanket and some shade during the day? Mayhap some tall blonde women with tree branches, to give him a breeze and wipe his face?"

He spits on the ground. "Do not speak to me of the strength of your false god, giant. You lack even the understanding to judge true strength." [Olaf succeeds at his first roll to resist frenzy from being insulted, gaining two of the necessary five successes.]

Then he truns to Alina, showing his back to Olaf, "I doubt they know of your survival. They'll certainly be surprised to see you still moving, if not breathing. But… as to whether you can use that to your advantage… I know not."

Then to Taduz [Roderigo sure is popular today.] "Lord Hardestadt's castle is as inescapable as one can be for those of your kind. With proper guards, they can hold mortal prisoners quite well for long periods of time. When the prisoners can mold their flesh around their shackles, or turn into hounds or bats, or simply burst their shackles with main strength… and then bend the minds of the mortal guards to their whim… I suppose they're not very secure."

"Any such story would be believed, you are all more puissant than most neonates, due to the strength of your sires. Few are the vampires who can transform into a wolf, and yet the girl managed it within moments of her embrace. It could easily be explained that Lord Hardestadt underestimated your strengths when he captured you, and did not stake you as he might a serious enemy. From there, one of you overpowered a guard through force of will, drained his blood and used that to break the bonds of the rest. You recognized me about the castle yard, overpowered me with that heathen's" he waves over his shoulder at Olaf "devilish strength, and forced me to tell you the places Claudio would likely go. After not finding him here at the Red Lamb, you made your way to the other Inn where you discover them. That is close enough to the truth to even be believable."

"Which of you wishes to be the hero, then? The one to have freed the rest?"

Castle Giovanni

Dante continues to run after Erick, getting farther and farther behind them now. Wolfgang catches up to Gunter and the two are within only an arm's length of Erick as he approaches the edge of the incline. Erick spends two more blood, increasing his strength and dexterity, and then begins to descend the very steep hill. His increased dexterity serves him well as he nimbly moves down the slope. Gunter and Wolfgang follow behind him, but slowly lose ground, at one point Gunter gets in Wolfgang's way, forcing him to drop to his backside and hands to keep from losing control. He quickly gets back up but has lost ground in the process.

Dante seems to be barely running by this point, very carefully making his way down the hill. [For comparison, Erick / Gunter / Wolfgang have made at least 40 successes each; Dante is up to 13.] Wolfgang again slips and slides many feet downwards before righting himself, in effect catching up with his brother again.

They're nearing the bottom of this section of hill, where a large stream forms the bottom of a crevice. The stream is just wide enough to jump across, if one were careful on the wet rocks. The water is deep enough in sections not to have froth, and off to the left (farther downhill) the stream can be seen entering into a larger pool of mostly still water. On the far side of the stream, the other side of the crevice extends upwards; it is not as far the side they just descended, but perhaps steeper in places.

Zombar Village

Sabine and the dogs are approaching Zombar. The dogs are no longer barking, since they've been running full out for quite some time. As they move into the village, the local dogs begin to bark at the invasion, but soon quiet and cower off when they realize just how many dogs there are in this pack.

[Seska Karantanija]

Seska smiles at Vida. She quietly but very sincerely says, "Thank you," squeezing her hand in return.

[Taduz Illyannovich]

The Red Lamb Inn

Roderigo looks at Olaf. "Christ's three days on the cross were only the beginnings of his misery, northman. He suffered the infinite torments of Hell itself, enough for his blood to pay for all the sins of the world. If your All-Father survived nine days, it must not have been very rough. Did they build him a chair and an ottoman so that he might put up his feet? Did they bring him water, perhaps a blanket and some shade during the day? Mayhap some tall blonde women with tree branches, to give him a breeze and wipe his face?"

He spits on the ground. "Do not speak to me of the strength of your false god, giant. You lack even the understanding to judge true strength." [Olaf succeeds at his first roll to resist frenzy from being insulted, gaining two of the necessary five successes.]

Then to Taduz [Roderigo sure is popular today.] "Lord Hardestadt's castle is as inescapable as one can be for those of your kind. With proper guards, they can hold mortal prisoners quite well for long periods of time. When the prisoners can mold their flesh around their shackles, or turn into hounds or bats, or simply burst their shackles with main strength… and then bend the minds of the mortal guards to their whim… I suppose they're not very secure."

"Any such story would be believed, you are all more puissant than most neonates, due to the strength of your sires. Few are the vampires who can transform into a wolf, and yet the girl managed it within moments of her embrace. It could easily be explained that Lord Hardestadt underestimated your strengths when he captured you, and did not stake you as he might a serious enemy. From there, one of you overpowered a guard through force of will, drained his blood and used that to break the bonds of the rest. You recognized me about the castle yard, overpowered me with that heathen's" he waves over his shoulder at Olaf "devilish strength, and forced me to tell you the places Claudio would likely go. After not finding him here at the Red Lamb, you made your way to the other Inn where you discover them. That is close enough to the truth to even be believable."

"Which of you wishes to be the hero, then? The one to have freed the rest?"

"So your christ on a stick, after 3 days, in which his followers did nothing but mew at his feet like the sheep his words had made them, dies. Goes to your hell..."

Anyone could have saved him, they're bred for it it seems.

"None of them thought to get a pair of pliers? Is docility really the doctrine, I may have to find a nice tree and hang out for a bit, it's almost Rom-ish in it's effectiveness."

"I'd be wary taunting him slave, you claimed he's...excitable. And I'm sure if your god let his own son be tortured then sent to your hell, he'd do little to save a slave to 2 masters. I'm sure your book mentions that somewhere."

Smirking "True strength, to cower, grovel, and be sent to your death, without questioning it. Such strength is admirable. I'm sure after enough of your type die, the mountain of corpses would be quite strong."

"But we're not here to debate about your voyeur god and his fetish for torturing his own family."

Focus on the task. Let Olaf beat him if he wishes. It'd be instructional to see just what he is capable of, and just what if anything being a slave has done to it's body.

"The castle is escapable for us, yet it's tight against cattle? Truly, his planning is inspiring. But it does have merit."

Stop playing with it. It's too stupid to know better.

"Do any of us have any facility with bending minds? We know some of us have senses beyond normal, power overwhelming with matching speed, shape changing, vanishing, animal mimicry, and a freezing look."

How do you test something like this?

"A viable story would seem to be the Lady enticed a guard into the cell, or else they came in to torture us at its Master's whim, Olaf burst the chains while I...slid out of them, Sabine similarly escaped hers, after Olaf disposed of the guard, and we freed the rest, we what, fought our way out? Snuck out? Such a large party would be hard to sneak. After we acquired it's services..."

Wait. Idea.

Turning to Slave

"This is information we can use, a layout of your Master's castle, or at least part of it. Information is key, and anything we can get to show we have been, or are, useful will give us that much more time."

"Spill it, about your master's keep, himself, and playmates, everything."

Is it enough to entice him into betrayal?.

"Don't worry, they won't be able to use this information remember, it's simply to get their confidence. They will be dealt with accordingly. And no one living will have escape to use it against them."

Hehe, you made a funny.

"Your master did say to be of assistance, this is what we need."

[Gedeminas]

After finishing his conversation with Danukas, Gedeminas enters the Inn proper again, to find a conversation going that he cannot understand having arrived in the middle of it. Needing to catch up on what has transpired as quickly as possible, he scans Rodrigo's mind for details on what has been said before. Just as he opens his mouth to say something, he realizes that everyone has been ignoring Sigismund and his son, and immediately searches for them, as it would be a very bad thing if they left to summon a mob from the town.

[ooc]Auspex 4 on Rodrigo, and probably a combination of Auspex 1, 2, and 4 to search for the other two.[/ooc]