Vampire: Dark Ages - Scene 7: The Offering

[Sabine]

All this wind is too much for being a bird. I fly into the ground and swim over to where the other bird was. But when I stick my head up, it's not there no more.

Stupid dove. I can't hunt anything today.

And it's all rainy, so I stay in the ground so I don't feel it.

[Seska Karantanija]

[I'm told GK was waiting on me, although I thought there was more NPC stuff coming.]

As the winds pick up, Seska hugs the ground and coils into a ball. Once they have died down and the rain begun, she dejectedly slithers next to Amisa.

[Gedeminas]

[ooc]Please note that this is going to interrupt Goatkiller's post, which was part of why I had to consider what I was about to do for so long instead of immediately posting.[/ooc]

After drinking Joseph's blood, Gedeminas was filled with a sense of physical power far beyond anything he had ever before experienced. In the rush, he fails to remember his plan to take some small revenge on all of the Sires for the torment of the dinner by usurping their plan for Japheth, and instead of resuming his watch on the progress of the diablerization, he immediately aims for the only other target seemingly drained enough to take immediately: Hardestat. The taste of dirt clears his mind somewhat, and he suddenly realizes that his entire plan has just been wasted as Claudio finishes his goal.

Then, as Cappadocius appears, and Claudio's own sire begins to attack him, Gedeminas finds that he now has another, better, chance to cause extreme havoc among the Sires. Unfortunately, it was all he could do to hold his ground against the wind, so he could not get close enough to usurp Cappadocious either. Having stayed still, though, he is within 50' of the dove when Augustus suddenly shouts to 'get it!'.

He decides on the spur of the moment to take advantage of this.

Use Theft of Vitae on the dove, before Marianna reaches it.

[Goatkiller666]

[Um... wow. Didn't see that coming.]

[Alína Nyárí]

Her eyes only on the injuries of her comrades, the Jewess makes her way over to Olaf, who she guesses to be the most in need of the training and trade of her past life.

Glaring up at the huge Norseman, Alína puts on her most stern bedside manner, and starts instructing him to aid her ministrations. "Find a spot and make yourself comfortable. Some of these wounds are beyond my ken, as they should need tourniquets to quench bleeding. But let me apply some herbs and poultices, and some bandages over them, and we'll hope to at least stave off infection.

"This may sting or burn a little bit where I apply them..."

As the Viking settles himself and humors the herbalist, he breaths a sigh of relief as he at least takes a load of his feet. His whole demeanor is one of skeptical appreciation...

[Goatkiller666]

Spoiler

From a few feet away, she bites her own hand and lets the blood be carried by the wind onto the bird. As soon as the night-black blood touches the pale white bird,

GM EDIT: Before Marianna can get to the bird, Gedeminas' power sucks all the blood from its body, and pulls it through the wind of souls to him. As the small dollop of avian vitae enters his body, Gedeminas seems to curl in upon himself. Augustus and Claudio both cry out "NO!" And suddenly lightning crashes far overhead as rain pours down in a torrent. As the water falls, the screaming souls of the winds depart.

GM EDIT: Gedeminas looks at Augustus, raises one hand and waggles a finger at him, before he suddenly spasms and falls to the ground, almost as if shoved by an invisible foe.

[Please note the above edits I made to my last big post, based on Gedeminas' post above. I tried to word it so that the later posts by other players weren't invalidated. If anyone feels that those updates would change their actions, please let me know. We'll get the chaos sorted out.]

[Gedeminas is now an NPC. His player is invited to create a new character and to learn caution in the future.]

[Goatkiller666]

To set the scene:

There is a wide area, with rock cliffs to the north in a sort of an alcove. There's a stone altar near the cliffs, and behind it carved into the cliff walls are several thrones, mostly unoccupied. Kneeling in two groups are several monks.

The old man with a deformed arm (Augustine) and Claudius are standing by the altar. Marianna is on the far side of the alter, glaring at them. The remaining sires are in the area south of the altar, between the two groups of kneeling monks. It's raining. It's not a torrential downpour, but it's a good solid rain. It feels cleansing, more than oppressive.

Most of the party is standing behind the western group of kneeling monks.

Alina has moved to Olaf's side, and begun to treat his wounds, with some success.

Sabine is in the soil beneath the area.

Seska is standing with Amisa and Taduz and Gedeminas' collapsed body.

Augustine and Claudius are looking at Gedeminas, and then looking around worried. Augustine's body then also falls to the ground, and Claudius steps closer to it, still looking around. He doesn't really notice that the standing monk across the altar from him is Marianna, as he continues searching the skies above the area.

Marianna takes this opportunity to back away from the altar. Dimitra and Al-Nasir are behind her, though, and take her by the arms. She struggles, but doesn't speak.

Gedeminas' body stirs. His eyes open, and he sits up. His mouth opens for a moment. Mieczyslav glances at him then, and begins to walk towards him. "You there, Boy. We must speak of manners."

Lord Valdemar's form rises up from the ground in front of Marianne, a blackness that takes his body's shape. As the blackness fades, his normal black robes and human visage become visible. He steps forward to say, "And who might you be? Even the degenerates in Rome could spot such a poorly disguised woman in a monk's robes."

Amisa calls over, "I believe that's Lord Claudio's childe, just as these are ours. It would seem that Hardestadt didn't capture or destroy all of them like he thought."

Several of the monks rise from their kneeling position. One of them, a seemingly frail older monk in faded and torn robes approaches Valdemar. "She is one of ours. You will release her."

[Okay, somebody start role-playing.]

[Taduz, PM incoming.]

[Alína Nyárí]

Alina has moved to Olaf's side, and begun to treat his wounds, with some success.

Getting slightly aggravated that her traditional healing herbs and poultices are not as effective upon one of the undead, the Jewess looks towards Olaf and apologizes. "The treatments I have been trained in all my life seem more ineffectual than helpful. However, it appears they do help some. With your permission, I would like to continue to treat them before we retire each evening until they are healed, should we continue to journey together."

[current status of Olaf's injuries, please]

Noticing Gedeminas awakening and sitting up, Alína takes temporary leave of Olaf and makes her way over to the blind craftsman. Addressing Mieczyslav, she says, "Allow me the time to assess any harm he may have done to himself before you cause potential stress to his recuperation, l-rd."

Kneeling next to Gedeminas, the Jewess reaches out and lightly pokes and prods his limbs and torso before palpitating his head.

[see PM, please]

[Taduz Illyannovich]

Cursing in Rom quite vehemently.

Turning towards my Sire.

"Sire, their witchling escaped. Some air beast was protecting her, I was unable to lay her low. She is not faring well though, and may bear scars of this fight, if our kind do scar."

Bowing to him

"I hope you do not hold your wounds as a personal attack against you. The one, Josef, that you were engaged with, made him seem as you, and you as him. My aim was true to my senses, but my eyes were clouded. I shall be more cautious in future dealings with those of his blood."

Looking at Alina's ministrations towards the eyeless mageling

Something is not right here....

[Seska Karantanija]

Seska asks Amisa, somewhat from the sidelines of what is happening with Gedeminas, "Is it over now?"

"What of Lady Almanov? She was from Prague, no? Might her estate cause trouble for my family in retaliation? What game was she playing?"

[Sabine]

I come up out of the ground. I'm still a birdy, so I fly over to Theophania. I can't pet her hair with my talons, but I rub my head on her hair.

She won't wake up. Why won't she wake up? She's not breathing, but maybe that's not so bad now. But she isn't being very hidey now. I'm sad for her.

I change back into a girl so I can pet her hair better. Maybe she'll wake up, then.

[Olaf_Magnusson]

"Your gifts are considerable" Said as wounds are examined....grievous damage near-miraculously restored..

"But, we have, have we not, met the duties laid upon us?"

[Goatkiller666]

Several conversations happen at once:

Valdemar turns to the monk who spoke. "We will? Why would we do that?"

"Because our sire is dead. And there is nobody left telling us not to destroy you. Make no mistake, young ones. We stood by and watched this travesty because we were bid. We must forgive what was done, but any further attacks against us will not be so blithely ignored. The girl is one of ours, and we will not allow her to be harmed. I suggest you take your victory and leave this place."

Al-Nasir says to the monk, "Learned One, if you have extended your attention to this one, then we have no claim over her." He steps away from Marianna and puts a hand on Valdemar's shoulder to get his attention. "Come, my friend. Only a fool attacks the sea."



Amisa replies to Seska, "Almanov, as well as Casmir and Theophania, were from Budapest. I do not imagine that her mortal estate will be seeking revenge for this; the squabbling around the scraps of Hardestadt's realm will be fierce. Her mortal estate will be involved in whatever that fighting is for some time to come, I imagine."



MIeczyslav picks up Alina and moves her away from Gedeminas. He doesn't harm her in the process. "I hope very much to stress his recuperation. He stole what was mine." Now to Gedeminas, "Many have died for less. Why should I spare you?"

Gedeminas turns this way and that, trying to see the giant Tzimisce. "You should spare me because… I am not Gedeminas. He is gone from this body. I am Cappadocius, sucked in by the same trick used to steal Josef from you." Mieczyslav looks uncertain (though, how can one tell his expression when he looks like an 8' tall walking bat?) for a moment, and steps back from Gedeminas.

Just then, a quiet chittering can be heard, as hundreds of bats fly towards the clearing. At the moment, they're still high up or at the edges of the clearing.

[Taduz Illyannovich]

Something sounds wrong...

"Sire, if those who founded the clans are near godhood in their powers, would something as slight as missing eyes stop them from seeing?"

[Sabine]

I'm hungry. Changing from a girl to a bird and back to a girl, and swimming in the ground made very hungry. I wish people would quit talking so much, so we can leave. I don't like the ugly bad man who killed the glowy man.

Theophania still isn't moving. Why won't she wake up?

[Seska Karantanija]

Seska seems appeased by Amisa's answer and nods in understanding.

She slithers over to Sabine and Thesphonia. "It is time to go child. Our task here is done."

[Sabine]

I point to Theophania. "She won't wake up."

I poke her in the arm with a claw. That should wake her up. But it doesn't. It just makes her bleed a little.

I'm hungry. She's bleeding.

I start feeding.

[Seska Karantanija]

Seska pets Sabine's head. "Dearest, you shouldn't feed from our allies. She must have taken an unpleasant blow, so she'll need that to recover. If you are hungry we shall see about food soon. I am rather famished myself."

Seska begins to lift Theosphonia gently with both arms. Although more petite than the Malkavian, her weight seems negligible to the Setite.

[Sabine]

I got three blood! I lick the blood off my lips.

"What's an ally?"

[Seska Karantanija]

"Similar to a friend. You can like them or not, in this case, but you have a pact to aid one another. To not get in one anothers' way."

"A lesson some of our allies need to learn lest they not be considered allies for long."