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

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

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Image

It is the evening of April 12th, 1205. Day 24 of the lunar cycle, and so there is a half moon (waning) in the sky tonight. Except that the sky has become overcast late in the day, and now the moon and stars cannot be seen. Without some source of light, it will be very difficult to see while outside (mystical powers not withstanding). Other than the overcast, the weather isn't expected to get worse for another couple days.

Lucretia

Lucretia wakes in her haven. Everything is as she expects it.
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Post by Lucretia »

She preens then makes a house call to the place of holding. The Doktor may need an assistant.
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Post by Goatkiller666 »

When she arrives at the holding cells, there is the smell of blood in the air. This tickles her hunger, but she has no trouble suppressing any inappropriate behavior.

The Doktor is already there, with Rashid standing outside the jailhouse in the yard. He nods to Lucretia when he sees her, but otherwise makes no movement.

All of the cells except for the one with tonight's subject in it are empty. Even the jailer isn't here. The Doktor is studying the man in the cell. "Oh, this is very interesting. Do you see what they've done?"
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Post by Lucretia »

"Was ist Das?"
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"There's a spirit of some kind attached to this man." He squints at it. "Oh yes, it's torn apart part of his mind. He doesn't seem to be in danger of dying, if you can call this state living."

Traugott arrives at this point. "Learned one, I did not expect you so soon. Please accept my apol..."

"Yes yes, tedious formalities. You are forgiven, now hush."

"Of course." Traugott notices that only the three vampires and the caged man are present in the room. "Where are all..."

"I said 'hush', man."

"Now, where was I? Oh, yes. This spirit that's bound to him. It's not happy to be there, no it isn't."
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Post by Goatkiller666 »

Brother Jurgen arrives then. "Garrit? Are you here?" He spots the Doktor and Lucretia. "Oh, you've already begun? Where are the..."

Traugott interrupts him, looking at the Doktor nervously, "They have been sent away. Only one strong of faith should witness these events. Pray, come stand by me and leave the good Doktor to his work."

Jurgen looks sheepish, and obeys.

Shortly after, Lament joins them as well, sidling up quietly and standing with the others.

The Doktor continues, "I can free him from the spirit, by destroying the flesh. His soul would be free, and the spirit would return from whence it came. However, I believe we hope to accomplish his freedom without his death. This is a little more tricky."

He opens his satchel and removes a rosary and a small bible. He counts those present, "Good. There are four of you. Two men, and two women."

He aproaches Traugott, "Holiness, you will stand to his North. You will represent the Archangel Michael." With one finger, he traces a cross on Traugott's forehead, which leaves a tiny red smudge in its wake. "Michael, General of Heaven, wielder of the Holy Flame, we ask that you imbue your servant Traugott with your essence, so that he may help your troubled lamb find its way back to the flock. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Spirit, Amen."

To Lucretia, "Necromancer, you will stand to his West. You will represent the Archangel Uriel." He traces a faint red cross onto Lucretia's forehead and says, "Uriel, reaper, angel of Death, dark Uriel who dwells in the darkness, we ask that you imbue your child Lucretia with your essence, so that she may help your troubled lamb find its way back to the flock. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, Amen."

To Lament, "Healer, you will stand to his East. You will represent the Archangel Raphael." He traces a faint red cross onto Lament's forehead and says, "Raphael, Light over the Horizon and Driver of the Sun, we ask that you imbue your daughter Lament with your essence, so that she may help your troubled lamb find its way back to the flock. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, Amen."

Last he turns to Jurgen, "Brother, you will stand to his South. You will represent the Archangel Gabriel." He traces the cross on his forehead, using holy water from a small vial. "Gabriel, Lord of Mercy, we ask that you imbue your son Jurgen with your essence, so that he may help your troubled lamb find its way back to the flock. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, Amen."

He turns to the caged man, opens the door, and deftly catches the Sergeant's throat in one hand as the wild man springs upon him. The Sergeant tries vainly to escape the grip, but soon falls quiet. Jurgen steps forward to... to do something... but then sees that he is not needed. The Doktor carries the Sergeant out of the cage, and places his body on the ground.

"Please, take your places around him. [I assume both of you do this thing. Traugott and Jurgen do.] No action is required of you, other than to stay in these places, and to give yourselves up to God's protection."

Then he begins to read from the bible. He speaks in a language not spoken for many centuries, slowly and confidently. After a few minutes, he comes to an end to the chapter, and closes the book. Then he repeats the whole verse again from memory.

He repeats it a third time, and then a fourth. He repeats it a fifth time, a sixth, and a seventh. The Sergeant groans, and his eyes open. He struggles to rise, but it is as if he is bound to the floor with heavy chains of iron.

The Doktor repeats the verse another seven times, while the Sergeant thrashes about on the floor, clearly panicked by what is happening to him. But in spite of the fervor of his struggles, his actual movements are less and less extreme.

By the third set of seven, the Sergeant is grunting as if struggling mightily, but the only movement which can be discerned is his breathing and his frantic eyes.

After the fourth set of seven verses, even the grunting has stopped. The eyes are still, and open; staring straight ahead. The Doktor puts his bible down, and reaches down to pick up one of the Sergeant's arms. He lifts the still man from the floor, and carries him back to the cell, where he lays him gently on some straw.

Now that the body of the man is no longer there, Traugott glances at the floor between the four 'archangels', and gasps. "Is that the demon?"

"It is no demon, only a spirit of Nature. It is Wyld and raging, but not capable of true evil. It doesn't understand the difference, you see." [Anyone using Auspex 2 can clearly see an aura of extreme rage, in the shape of how the Sergeant's body had been lying, in the space between the four Archangels.] The Doktor reaches for Lament's elbow. "Go to your troubled lamb, healer. Do what you can for him."
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Post by Lucretia »

"Unglaublich."

She kneels down and looks. She sees nothing but pretends she does.
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Post by Corrozus »

Lament looks down at the spot in the floor a brief moment before glancing up at the Doktor and nodding, heading towards the man to assess the damage.
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Post by Goatkiller666 »

The Sergeant is calm now. As far as gross physical damage, he is mostly unharmed. There are some scuffs and bruises here and there, from trying to claw his way through the bars, etc. But his mind... there is a different matter. He is now as simple as a child; as simple as he was moments ago. He now just lacks the aggression.

There is naught that can be done with mere medicine to heal his mind. What is needed now is more a cultivation of his mind, a gentle coaxing of a stunted and scarred shrub back into some semblance of a tree. It will be a slow and difficult process, to be sure. If it works at all.

The Doktor walks towards the door to leave, but Traugott raises a hand, still watching the floor where the spirit supposedly lies. "What of... that?"

"I have no interest in it. You are powerless to affect it. When the bindings fade, it will leave I assume."
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Post by Corrozus »

Lament brushes the man's hair back from his head and gets up. She walks over to Brother Jurgen and softly explains what has happened to the Sergeant and what will need to happen for him to regain function.
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Post by Lucretia »

[Does Shrouding her Sight illuminate the spirit?]
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The Doktor continues to the yard, where he and his guard depart quietly.

Brother Jurgen listens to Lament's description, and nods with every point. He seems to be balancing on the edge of loosing his cool, so he's very attentive to what she says.

With Shrouded Sight, Lucretia still cannot see a spirit in the place where the Sergeant was bound. However, she does see something in the cell next to his. [See PM.]
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Post by Lucretia »

She waves to the empty cell.
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Lucretia's attention seems to strengthen the ghost in the cell.

"Oh, hello."

The ghost walks to the bars and grips them, as if they were real. "If'n it please m'lady, why am I in this cell? I've done nothing wrong." His face twists up. "Oh, I must have missed my walk on the wall. I was at the tavern... did I get drunk? I must have... I don't remember anything."
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Post by Corrozus »

Lament looks at Brother Jurgen carefully and lightly rests a hand on his shoulder. She whispers softly to him, "Is everything ok my friend?"
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Post by Goatkiller666 »

Jurgen was staring at the spot on the floor, eyes slightly wide. He's almost spooked.

"I... he... he read the holy word to cure a man from a curse. And it worked. With my own eyes, I saw a true Miracle performed in God's name."

He leans in close to Lament, and whispers in her ear alone "I have never been more in doubt of my faith than now. I have seen God's own grace, and the implications terrify me so much I cannot feel God's grace in my heart."

"What do I do?"
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Post by Corrozus »

Lament frowns slightly and gently leads Brother Jurgen to a more private location. She attempts to be reassuring despite her lack of understanding. If he perceives this as proof of God's grace, why is he is so much doubt and fear?

"You are a monk, you know there is more to this world then what we see with our eyes, but all we are required to do is believe, keep faith, and pray."
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Post by Goatkiller666 »

The monk is almost sobbing now. "I didn't know. I had faith. I had the belief that no matter what unknown horrors were there, God's love was stronger. And... <sob> now, I've seen the horrors. They're all true. Every nightmare story I've ever doubted... they fill my heart with dread. So much dread that there's no room for God's love."

"How do you balance one miracle of grace, with all the nightmares of your childhood?"
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Post by Lucretia »

Goatkiller666 wrote:Lucretia's attention seems to strengthen the ghost in the cell.

"Oh, hello."

The ghost walks to the bars and grips them, as if they were real. "If'n it please m'lady, why am I in this cell? I've done nothing wrong." His face twists up. "Oh, I must have missed my walk on the wall. I was at the tavern... did I get drunk? I must have... I don't remember anything."
[She hath returned!]

"Greetings, one who became one with their spirits."

"She would suggest this one returns to their routine if their spirit is willing." She makes a motion at the gate as if opening it, and gives a formal bow to usher the ghost on.

She ignores the monk suffering a crisis of faith, for the moment.
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Post by Goatkiller666 »

The ghost steps through the bars of the cell, and gets to the window. He looks out, as if there were stars visible, "Oh dear. I should be atop the walls by this hour." Then he runs towards the door, hardly noticing as he passes through it and away from the building. The ghost runs straight across the area where the sergeant had been recently lying, and he seems to step up onto something Lucretia cannot see before continuing past and ignore the closed door on his way out.

Traugott watches Lucretia's actions, as well as Lament's conversation with the priest. Oddly, he turns to Lucretia to ask, "What did you see?"
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