Vampire: Dark Ages (Vienna) - Chapter 1: The Colony

[Goatkiller666]

The crinos twitches his whiskers at this, rat laughter. "Just know that the Gnawers are counted as Grandmother's friends here in Vienna. I'm not sure what Wendell's game is, following those crusaders around, but it might get him in trouble. Mother said he was playing spy, but... there will come a time when they no longer wish to wait here in the big tainted city, and they're going to expect him to keep his oath and go with them."

[Kaldrenzi Culls-The-Chaff]

"The boy swore to their oaths? This should prove...interesting. Then again, those who follow Grandmother seem to disappear safely when the time is right."

"The Crusaders probably will be cause the leeches more trouble, with their conversion tactics towards mortals. And their self aggrandizement."

"Grandmother keep him safe if they do It again"

[Goatkiller666]

Champion's whiskers twitch again. "Wendell isn't much bigger than me at his largest. But his dog form is still too big to fit down here. Still, I dare say one of the Mothers will stash him away somewhere when the time comes." His eyes flare up as he adds, "Or maybe Grandmother will allow us to rise up and destroy all 8 of those arrogant mutts. We could meet them all on the way out of town some afternoon. Then we turn them into pain daggers made from their own thigh bones."

After some time, the flow of rats begins to slow. Champion mentions that these are all kinfolk, not true changers. Mother sends them out spying for her, and then they come back and share what they saw with her. She does the rite daily, and it keeps her unaware of anything but what the rats show her for the few hours she enacts it.

Perhaps 15 minutes after the final rat has left Mother's tunnel, an older rat comes walking out slowly. At first sniff, she seems identical to the Ravaging, but when she gets a little closer, Kaldrenzi can pick up some very subtle differences. It's hard to describe what scent it is, but she seems somehow less angry. More... naive. No, that's not it. But more filled with wonder. Perhaps the difference Kal smells is Wyld taint instead of Wyrm taint.

Champion leans forward and picks Mother up entirely, cradling her Rodens form in his giant clawed hands, like a demon gently holding a baby. He asks her, almost reverentially, "What news, Mother?"

"Hello my friend. Carry me to my nest, will you? I'll just rest up there for a bit, shall I? And the news is... strange."

Champion carrys Mother to a pile of torn rags to one side of the large room. It looks quite comfortable for a rat. "The leeches have left. Not all of them, but many of their knights. One of ugly ones, the ones who enslave our rats sometimes, has been killed far off. They all ride off to avenge him. They say it was lupines who killed their man."

"Also, Majid seems to have finally been given a clue about what they're supposed to be doing here in town. We didn't hear what it was, but they're heading into town to start their next quest."

She sees Kal, and asks Champion, "And who is this one? I do not think I know him."

"Mother, this is Kaldrenzi Culls-the-Chaff. He's the one who killed the garou and regained a lost pack-killer blade. The Ravaging sent him to offer his assistance, now that he is mostly recovered."

Mother pokes her nose farther out of the next to sniff at him further. "Come closer, child. Ah yes, I sense the new scar the Ravaging enchanted for you. That smells like one of her 'reminder' fetishes, I'm guessing."

"Well then, what service would you offer to me, Kaldrenzi Culls-the-Chaff?"

[Kaldrenzi Culls-The-Chaff]

Bowing to the Mother "I am a Knife-skulker, my birth is shown in my form. My job brought me here to Vienna, and the words of the Mother of the Ravaging have sent me here. You know of my aspects specialities, even though I am only Voto, my services are available."

"With the word of the leeches afoot, and even though they have left, and this pack of garou knights in town nosing around where they don't belong and are currently at the Church of Mary Magdeline, I sought to bring news of them, and the child with them. A fresh pair of eyes, unused to the daily toil of Vienna may see something the jaded local eyes overlook."

"Mother of Ravaging said you may have wisdom to impart on my mission for her from your visions of the Wyld. Wether it's about the leeches, this knight band, or the humans who overrun this land. Something specific to look for, or to accomplish."

[Goatkiller666]

Mother nods. "The church of Magdeline? Indeed. They must be about to ride off now. Hrmph. Well, my rats cannot follow them outside of town, and so I would be blind to what they do there. So, follow them to wherever they go. See what it is they do, and then come back and tell me of it."

"And try to protect poor Wendell. That fool means well, but he's in over his head and he doesn't know it. Tell him of your presence, but do not reveal yourself to the rest."

With that, she nuzzles under, burying herself in the scraps of cloth to keep warm. Champion backs away from the nest and smiles at Kal. "She puts great trust in you, Knife-Skulker."

[Kaldrenzi Culls-The-Chaff]

Bowing again to Mother

"I shall do my best."

To the Champion smiling back

"With Grandmother's blessings, her trust is placed well I hope. Let us meet again, and with more news of the dogs follies"

Bowing to the Champion, I turn, as I make my way to the exit, shift to Rodens, and scurry in the shadows towards the church the Garou knights entered, find a cozy bag on the boys mule, try to get comfy and see what/where they are going.

[Goatkiller666]

With the amount of time Kal spent waiting for The Swarm to rise from her rite, he has only just settled into his hiding spot before the crusaders file out of the church. The eight knights clank in their armor and mount up with military precision. Wendell sort of skips along, almost giddy with excitement. He strokes his mule's head for a moment, it seems deep in inspecting the reins.

As the knights ride off, one of them calls back, "Do not tarry, squire. We cannot wait for you to catch up." Wendell calls back, "No my Lord. I shall arrive presently."

And as they ride off leaving him there, Wendell turns to where Kal is hidden and whispers, "I can smell you in there." [Scent of the True Form, 2 successes] "You shouldn't be in there. I'm about to leave town with my new pack. We won't be back for several days, I think." He carefully doesn't reach for the pack or make any gesture that might be seen as an attack, and keeps his tone respectful but urgent.

[Kaldrenzi Culls-The-Chaff]

Pushing towards the top, while trying to remaining out of sight, I peek my sleek little head out of the pack, and nod trying to reassure him that I know what I'm doing.

Scuttling back down, I turn an ear towards what the peoples are saying.

[OOC: Ratkin have -1 difficulty on perception rolls involving hearing, scent, and some touch from ears, noses, and whiskers]

[Goatkiller666]

Wendell wuffs impatiently, a very dog-like noise, and then mounts the ass and urges it on to follow the crusaders. Since the beast is smaller and slower than the knights' horses, and he was a minute or two behind them, it's quite winded by the time he catches up to them.

He whispers again, "Don't say I didn't warn you. I'm following my new pack, and they don't know about you. Please don't get me in trouble.[/i]"

They're at the eastern gate, waiting for some wagons of trade goods to enter and clear the bridge before they can take their turn exiting. Wendell calls to them, "I'm here, My Lords. Ole Virgil's harness had come loose and I had to tighten it." He pats the ass on the neck, and it's too winded from its quick march to do more than flick its tail.

Two crusaders wearing strange foreign costumes with kilts instead of pants, and only light armor turn to look back at him, and both smile. The others don't even look.

Soon, the wagons are off the bridge and the crusaders head out of the city. For hours they ride, saying nothing. The one in the lead, who seems to be a saracen of some kind, though in Christian garb, takes them to the north and to the east. Once in a while, he stops at forks in the roads to consider, but always the path is to the north and to the east. They ride late into the night, gifted by the light of a nearly full moon and clear skies. Around midnight, they stop to make camp for the rest of the night. Still, there is little talk while they set up camp, and only camp rations are taken out from saddlebags for food.

The one in charge, who has not yet been named, turns to a man of Russian descent to say "Constantin, would you lead us in prayers over this meal?"

Constantin nods, then begins, "Lord, we thank you for this food and the strength it will grant us to carry on your battle against the minions of the great Serpent. We ask only that we be allowed to serve as your instruments on this world and in the next world. Please grant us the wisdom to know your wishes when they are shown to us, that through our mistakes we do not bring further suffering upon the world."

All eight chant out "Amen" in chorus, with Wendell's quiet "Amen" arriving a second or two later.

The knights all eat salted meat, in large amounts, bitten off cold from the strips they carry. Wendell then takes the time to get out a small cooking pot and puts it on the fire. He pours some water from his canteen into the pot, and picks up some twigs from the ground to add them as well. He mutters a quick incantation as he stirs it, and by the time the water has finished boiling, it's a somewhat thin stew. The other eight start to complain loudly of the smell, and eventually force Wendell to take the noxious stuff and leave the camp, downwind, before he can even start to eat it. He stops at his pack and whispers, "There's enough for two, if you stay small."

He heads downwind from the camp a ways, then sits down by a stream that crosses the road.

[Kaldrenzi Culls-The-Chaff]

Scurrying out, slinking towards Wendell and his gruel. I nod my head in appreciation.

"I shall be no trouble if I at all can help, I am here to watch and learn. Friends of Grandmother are well kept by her children."

Feeling sheepish, er, rattish(?) I realize he doesn't understand Ratkin and that was just a series of quiet chitters and soft squeeks.

I begin eating my small portion of the stew.

[Goatkiller666]

Wendell replies, "I can't speak Rat, but I can understand it well enough. We grew up with the rats of Vienna. They taught us to understand them, even if our mouths can't make the sounds."

"I cooked this intentionally so they'd send me away. The smell is a good excuse to be off by myself, and they won't come near to hear us talking. But what are you doing here? I told you we'd be leaving the city. I think we're going to a battle, though Majid wouldn't say anything specific."

[Kaldrenzi Culls-The-Chaff]

Stopping in mid gulp....

The Mothers must learn of this if they don't already know.

In Rat, softly "I am Kaldrenzi, Knife-skulker. I knew you were leaving, I was also given orders to follow and report back. Pretend I'm not even here, but know that if it is required, Grandmother does not turn away from those who worship her, and nor do her Children."

"There is much afoot, I know little of it myself, and I am to keep my eye on things, and my ears open. Who knows what careless information maybe the key to whatever is going on. Anything you can tell me maybe of use when I report back to the colony."

[Goatkiller666]

Wendell almost chokes on his food, before gulping it down quickly with a swollow of water. "One of the mothers sent you along to watch what these knights do?" He steels his nerves, and adds, "I will do what needs to be done. I won't run from this danger."

"Well, I might hide from it sometimes. But only so I can get behind it. That's not cowardice, that's just tactics."

"All I know is that Majid and Mauricio, and the rest of them, but they're the leaders. Oh, Majid is a theurge and Mauricio is a Philodox. But they have some kind of vision of a new homid kind of pack that works within Christianity and civilization to fight the Wyrm. They got these others to join them, and they went out and fought. Majid read something in some entrails one time saying that they'd be needed here in Vienna. Well, he thinks it was in Vienna. Or near Vienna. So they all came up here from Constantinople."

"But that was months ago. And they haven't found anything they really could be doing to fight the Wyrm. I mean, sure, there's leeches running all over Vienna, controlling the whole duchy and manipulating a lot of the Holy Roman Empire's attention on the crusades and the war to bring Christianity to the east. But they didn't think that was worthy of them. So they just spent months out in Mauricio's cousin's estate."

"Stupids."

"But, this morning, as he does every week, Majid read the entrails again, and saw an urgent need to go... somewhere. He wouldn't say where, exactly. I'm not sure he really knows, even. Maybe he just has directions and not a place? Or just knows signs? Anyway, we packed up and mounted up, and here we go. All I know is that there's to be a huge battle between gaia and the wyrm somewhere, and the pack is rushing to get there. Should be there sometime tomorrow afternoon, is all I know."

[Kaldrenzi Culls-The-Chaff]

I nod, taking it all in.

"Tactics work as long as you live through the fight. I'm sure you will do what needs doing."

"If I say run though, would be best if you took off, or stepped to the Umbra and ran. Grandmother likes her children alive to fight another day, not die stupidly when they are overmatched."

"You've been of great help Wendell, I shall make sure the Mothers know of your work, and the assistance you have given. Ere it pleases Grandmother that you are doing so with such skill for one your age."

"Keep your eyes open, and we shall see what this band has in store for this battle they seek."

"Charging into battle, knowing not what they face, valiantly jumping off the cliff hoping they fall onto their enemies. Idiots."

[Goatkiller666]

[Pardon the fast-forward.]

Wendell wuffs again. "In a candid moment, Mauricio shared with me that... more often than not, rushing into battle will surprise and confuse the enemy, and allow for a quick win before they can realize they should be winning. It sounded like a very Ragabash kind of idea. That's why I thought of joining them. But so far, they've just sat around and told stories about how great they are."

"Maybe tomorrow, I'll get to watch them prove it. From a safe distance, of course."

With the noxious stew finished, Wendell rinses out his pot (he's a very cleanly boy) and walks back to camp, letting Kaldrenzi sneak in on his own. Everyone sleeps, except for those taking turns on watch. Wendell isn't even asked to help with that, and his sleep seems quiet and comfortable. All of the knights, sleeping in their armor, are much less rested in the morning.

Breakfast is uneventful and hurried, and soon everyone is back on the road. As before, Majid is in the lead, choosing which path to take whenever there's a choice, based on some criteria only he knows.

An hour after the sun has set, when they're descending a forest path following a thin stream winding down towards the Danube below them, Mauricio holds up his hand for a halt. He smells blood. They start moving again, and soon the rest can smell it as well.

Kaldrenzi, once he gets to that point in the trail can smell: old blood, freshly dug earth, a small amount of new blood, burnt wood, and fresh corpses.

Soon, the path comes to a large clearing.

She smelled death ahead. Blood. Cold blood. Lots of it. So, it must have been a large battle. There was some stale smoke, but faded with age. So, probably several hours ago, now. Could this be the land of pain and death?

She continued up the stream, and pushed through the bushes into a clearing on a flat section of ground. The stream ran along one side of the clearing. There were bodies, everywhere. A couple were lupus. Most were men; she assumed homid. The men had tattoos on their bodies, as well. Or markings on their clothing. They were of the 13 tribes. Some of them, anyway. She saw members of the Red Talons. And some Silver Fangs. One or two of the Fenrir, as well. Among the bodies were also several Dancers, mostly metis. All dead. The battle must have been horrible. There were burnt trees, sections of torn up earth, branches ripped from trees. Some of the bodies were almost unrecognizable.

[Continue this thread over here.]

[Goatkiller666]

In the early morning, Kaldrenzi returns to Vienna's Colony, taking himself to the Swarm and the Mother. He made exceptional time, roughly half the time it would take Wendell and the others.

He finds the Swarm as he left it, with Mother present in her nest and many hundreds of rats milling around, including some ratkin. The Champion isn't present.

[Kaldrenzi Culls-The-Chaff]

Bowing "I hope I do not disturb you Mother, I have returned, it's Kaldrenzi, and I bear news of the curs and much graver issues."

While seeing if I am disturbing her or not, I try to organize my thoughts for a report.

[Goatkiller666]

Mother comes out of her nest of warm dry rags. She skitters up to Kaldrenzi and sniffs him. "Ah, you are the one who was with that young Wendell. Is he all right, then? And what have our saviors the garou been up to outside of my walls?"

[Goatkiller666]

[In an effort to get Kaldrenzi caught up to the main Vienna timeline, its player and I engaged in some real-time role-playing. This is a summary of what happened.

Kaldrenzi tells Mother of the events in the clearing. He gives special detail to the signs of the Nexus Crawler, and to the events with Destroyer of Virtue, Sasha, and Ekaterina.

Mother is very agitated by this news, and sends other rats to summon the Mother of the Warrens, Squeak, and the Champion of the Swarm, to meet them at Ravaging. Kaldrenzi repeats his story for the larger group, and the Mother of the Ravaging is especially interested in the news about the Nexus Crawler. She and the Vengeance decide that they will return to the spot to investigate further.

[Kaldrenzi receives 2 temporary Infamy, 1 temporary Cunning, and 1 temporary Obligation.]

This ends with Mother of the Swarm instructing Kaldrenzi to meet Wendell and the dogs at the East Gate when they arrive. "Something has stirred up the leeches in town, and they've got the whole city in a tizzy. Nobody knows why, but there are silver arrowheads being produced all over the city. Wendell should be careful when he returns. Though, if any more of the dogs die, that would amuse me."