Vampire: Dark Ages (Vienna) - Chapter 4: The Woods

[Goatkiller666]

Kaldrenzi arrives at the manor of Sir Boris Angsthase, a small ride outside the city. It seems that Wendell has gone directly to the manor's gates, and then through the woods behind them.

In the distance, the sounds of several wolves howling can be heard. The wolves are hunting.

[Kaldrenzi Culls-The-Chaff]

[Is the sound getting closer or farther away?]

[Goatkiller666]

The howling is coming from the south of the manor, and is moving to the east. It's staying about the same distance from Kaldrenzi, but will eventually move away.

[Kaldrenzi Culls-The-Chaff]

Climb a tree. My scent now goes up that tree. Shift to rodens up in the branches, crawl across thinner branches to a few trees away, climb down the tree and backtrack the Stalk trail towards the manor.

Look at the tracks, find the smallest, Wendels most likely, do they seem hurried as if being chased (Spaced unevenly for a human/wolf gait), was he part of the pack, or the hunted?

[Perc+Survival, tracking in a nature setting]

[Goatkiller666]

Wendell was in lupus form. His gate was a very fast run. The prints of the others (some in lupus, some in crinos) land on top of some of Wendell's, so they must have come after him.

[Kaldrenzi Culls-The-Chaff]

Finding some clay scraped up, some trappings....

THEY CALLED THE HUNT ON HIM?

[Gift: Call to Duty: That spirit that keeps talking to me via Unhinged. Spend a willpower, this is urgent and needs to happen.]

"Message, to the Mother of the Warren. You know her, we were there earlier"

Drawing in a breath.

"Found the workings of a rite, they have called The Hunt. Wendel is the target. They are currently running him down. I will try to slow them, run them away from him."

"*Give the location of the manor, and where we are in woods around it*"

"This task was given to me, but I know it is beyond me in their territory. I seek not the wolves way to be slain in folly, what they would call glory. I shall try to fulfill my task. If there are any who wish to come to the aid of one whom Grandmother has taken into her nest, and chances to slay the curs in their own wilderness, I ask that you not hold them back."

"I hope to return with Wendel safely, if not, then you know what has befallen one or both of us."

"Kaldrenzi Culls-the-Chaff"

Shift to Crinos.

Focus. Stop them from slaying Wendel, I can probably lose them if I can get them to follow me. Or at least run them until any help arrives, or Wendel escapes.

Draw the Pack Slayer, and head off to save the young Bone Gnawer.

[Goatkiller666]

The spirit takes the message and zips away. Kaldrenzi must defend Wendell until help arrives. [Why does this feel like a WoW quest?]

The rat moves towards the howling, which soon makes itself out to be several wolves, or at least wolf throats, howling.

They're moving at a pretty good clip, but Kaldrenzi's speed is high enough that he can catch up to them in a few minutes. However, before he arrives, the howls stop. Moments later, he sees three naked homids with blood on their mouths and hands, standing around Wendell's body.

Eric looks at Majid. "He ran from us less well than he ran from those guards." He looks down at the bite wound on his arm. "But I was surprised by that spinning trick at the end. I can't approve of an attack that starts with running away from the enemy, but I'll credit the boy with getting a solid blow before he died."

Majid grunts. "It is done. Let all the garou know that Wendell payed his debt, and he paid it with honor."

Constantin, standing back from the other two, says quietly "I feel no honor in this deed. Three of us against a boy? A boy who ran from a fight that felled several of his betters, no less. He was no knight. He'd taken no vows, other than to learn at our feet. What has he learned from this, I ask?"

Eric steps towards him, anger suddenly bursting forth. "This lesson was not for him, fool! It takes a brave boy to grow into a brave knight. That craven was never meant for knighthood. But perhaps in his failure, he can teach others."

Constantin shouts back, "The mistake was ours, not his! We should never have expected a ragabash to be fit for knighthood. Their kind weren't meant for boldness and forthright attacks. They might still serve Gaia, but... not in this way. We were fools to think we could shape him into something he wasn't meant to be. Fools!"

Majid puts a hand on each man's arm. "Peace, brothers. This was a hard thing we did, but it was necessary. There is no room for post facto doubt and recriminations. We must move on. We were once nine, and now we are three. Our task remains unfinished. We don't even know what the task is. I fear, we have failed in this. Failed, and our pack has suffered the consequences. So, let us depart here. Wendell's family lived in Vienna. Whatever our task is, we cannot hope to complete it here, under their anger."

Constantin jerks his arm away from his fellow Theurge. Saying nothing, he shifts to lupus and returns to the household.

Eric says to Majid, "What then? Where will we two go? How will rebuild the pack?"

Majid shrugs. "Who knows? Let's give Constantin some space. He'll be gone in an hour, at the most. It's best not to intrude, I think."

[Kaldrenzi Culls-The-Chaff]

Seeing the two blood soaked homids, standing triumphant over the opened corpse of a boy trying to do what was right...

Grandmother, see me safe, let their ways lead to their doom. Here and now.

Once Constantin leaves and is a bit away...

[Spend 3 Rage]

I have surprise.

(Action One) Charge into the midst of the pair and strike Majid with the Packslayer blade. [Spend Willpower]

(Action Two) If he's still standing, strike Majid with the Packslayer Blade again, otherwise strike Eric with the Packslayer Blade.

(Action Three) Strike Eric with the Packslayer Blade, unless both are felled.

(Action Four) To be determined depending on what the first three actions resolve.

They shall pay. For their ways, for their bloodlust for the sake of battle. Their unjust war upon everything. For the lives their kind have taken, of the unchanged, and of the Fera.

[Goatkiller666]

To set the scene:

There's a tree. Wendell's body is lying on the ground at the base, in crinos form. Standing by the body is Eric, and Majid is a step away; they are arms length apart.

Surprise Round

Kaldrenzi moves closer, in crinos form. He attacks Majid with his Packslayer Blade. [5 agg] Majid screams in pain and surprise.

Kaldrenzi attacks Majid a second time. [5 agg] Eric screams this time, while Majid falls to the ground. Majid's fallen body convulses, then begins to shift to Crinos form.

Kaldrenzi switches to Eric for his second attack. [6 agg] This time Eric falls to the ground, while Majid's prone form once again reverts to human form.

[Kaldrenzi Culls-The-Chaff]

Nodding, wipe the blade on the fallen Rank 5's corpse.

Wendell, I have failed you. But I will not see your violators go free. Two have fallen, the third, he shall be next.

Scurry up a tree, high up, in case Constantin heard the furious sounds of combat, or Majid's healing let him make loud noises.

Grandmother, I give thanks, for guiding my blade. The young cub, slain in this world, I hope finds comfort with Gaea, guided by you spirits, knowing his kind have been judged, and found wanting.

Watch.

They wanted blood, that is their way. They have shed it unjustly.

Look around.

They wanted to hunt, that is their way. They chose a boy.

Listen for sounds.

They sought glory in combat, that is their way. They fell as their kind always do.

Wait.

Looking ahead, proud of their work. And look where it has taken them...

Quitely, distorted through the long snout "Wendell"

Blink a few times, clearing my eyes when they pass over the torn corpse of the boy.

"Forgive me."

[Goatkiller666]

After some time waiting, Constantine fails to appear. The night is quiet, except for the normal sounds of the forest after dark.

[Kaldrenzi Culls-The-Chaff]

Scamper down the tree, sheathe the Packslayer blade. You have done me well since I reclaimed you for my kind. I give thanks. Rest.

Check the bodies of the curs and nearby clearing. Take anything that is fetish/talen related, or may have been used in their rites or rituals. [Perc+Rituals].

Once the bodies have been looted. It's time to get serious.

Foolish curs, foolish men. So bloodthirsty, what drives them to this..

Grinning through the long snout, "There needs to be something done." Move their bodies to be on their backs,"They made an example of young Wendell." A regular dagger in one paw, the other reaching towards Majid's body..."Now I make an example of them." One deft slice. One trickle of blood. "You men, fought a boy, 3 on 1." Put the removed part into one of my belt pouches."Men you were in life. Men you are no more."

Smiling at my handywork.

"Wendell is now more man than you are."

Look to Eric's body, "Don't worry, I haven't forgotten you either"

Repeat.

After taking the trophies, look in the direction Constantine went.

Constantine was his name...

[Gift:Stalk]

Let us see where he goes. He was against this ritual, knowing it was wrong.

Follow the trail sneaking quietly.

But he went along anyway. Pack mentality. He chose, poorly.

[Goatkiller666]

There are no fetishes or talens on the bodies. And all that remains of their rite is some runes on their bodies in blue mud.

Constantin's trail returns to the manner house, where he enters the rear door. It's really more of a hunting lodge for a noble, but it's still quite large. There are mortals present, including some men-at-arms around the place.

Kaldrenzi manages to stay hidden as it approaches the building, but its progress is slowed in the process. It moves through the halls to a room that smells of death. Day old corpses, at least. Several of them. There are several human women in the room, speaking quietly as the ratkin stops at the door to listen.

"I hear there was an attack in town by the monsters. These must have fallen defending us. God will surely take them to his bosom for such heroism. They weren't even from these parts, but they died defending our walls."

[Kaldrenzi Culls-The-Chaff]

Staying quiet, crouch down with my face sideways to the floor, an ear and some whiskers touching it.

[Perc+Alert, -1 difficulty for being in a form with whiskers and acute senses]

[OOC: A male would have a heavier tread then a female, most dark ages females tried to be light and fluffy, dainty and proper.]

Try to discern if it's just the women in the room by the sound/weight of their footfalls.

Listen to their patter to see if the cur that fled the murder scene stayed or has departed.

[Goatkiller666]

There are only women in the room. Constantin's trail doesn't go into the room at all, in fact. It continues further down the hall.

[Kaldrenzi Culls-The-Chaff]

Slowly, quietly follow Constantin's trail down the hall.

[Goatkiller666]

The trail moves to a sleeping room at the side of the house. Kal smells the trail enter and then leave the room afterwards, continuing out a side door towards the stables.

[Kaldrenzi Culls-The-Chaff]

Insert a regular dagger between the frame and the door to the outdoors, as a barrier to it opening.

If he tries to come back in, that should give me enough warning to vacate.

Look for any signs of rites or guards on the door.

Do I detect/find anything on it? If I find none, enter his room.

Let's see what the cur was hiding. The colonies may reap nice bounty from this manor.

Let's loot this dog.

[Goatkiller666]

There are no signs of rituals or other protections on the room. With the outer door jammed, Kaldrenzi slowly opens the door to the sleeping room and enters. With the heavy overcast outside, the room is nearly pitch black. However, his rat's vision allows him to see the room in detail.

There are eight beds here, each with a small trunk by its side. The beds are all neatly made. Of the trunks, three are open and empty. Two are closed and locked. The other three are closed but unlocked.

[Kaldrenzi Culls-The-Chaff]

Check the boxes for any sort of warding.

If none, open the unlocked boxes, one at a time and see what's there.