What was Teriel doing there in the first place? Was he just trying to recruit for his personal war? Daniel blinks. Wait, that's not me asking that question. That's not my thought. Who's doing this?
Daniel shakes his head, trying to clear away the thoughts cluttering his head. "Salubri? Is that what you call his kind of vampire? My kind?" He shrugs. "I'm not sure what to tell you. We were brought to the estate ostensibly as part of a group doing work there of some kind. The dinner was that night. All those weird people asked us all sorts of weird questions. I was taken outside, and I wasn't there for their turning or anything else. Like I said, they probably wouldn't have turned me into one of them even in case of an emergency. I was food."
Hardestadt clasps his hands behind his back as he resumes pacing around you. "The blood holds a great deal of power if you know how to use it, particularly the blood within you. It does sicken me to see one Embraced in this manner. You've done nothing to show you deserve such power." He pauses noticeably, pacing all the while. Then he chuckles. "In truth, all I really made you do was sit down. The rest was entirely of your own will. I expected more fight, honestly, but perhaps you're not quite as unintelligent as all that. Perhaps you know when you can't win."
"Tell me who you are, where you came from. What is it you do, and what brought you into contact with the Conspirators? Why were you at that estate?"
"Yes, silly boy, you are of the Salubri." Camilla says. "That uncomfortable itching feeling in forehead is your third eye trying to emerge."
Maintaining her pleasant demeanor, for now , Camilla asks, "Our sources had not previously identified your Sire as one of the conspirators. Why was he there?"
In response to Camilla's words, Daniel again reaches up and brushes his hand over the lump on his forehead. It definitely hadn't disappeared since the last time he'd touched it. A third eye? How am I supposed to do anything with a third f$+~ing eye?
Daniel scratches absently at the side of his head as he meets Camilla's eyes. "You'd be better off asking him, honestly. Isn't he associated with your group in some way?" His brow furrows. "If I had to guess, I'd guess he was trying to keep tabs on what those people were doing. He said he stayed apart from the slaughter because it's not something he would enjoy. I suppose he could have been one of them, but that's not the impression I got..." Daniel trails off as he thinks. "That, and maybe he was looking for new recruits. New Salubri."
Hardestadt continues pacing slowly. He scowls, as if not hearing as much information as he'd hoped. "Tell me of the banquet. Of your selection. Your Embrace. What did the Conspirators say to you? Did that fool Jadviga tell you anything useful? Or anyone else, for that matter?"
Camilla smirks. "I suppose I should ask your sire, since it seems you truly are clueless."
With a sigh she adds, "No matter, we will get to the bottom of this."
Calling out to a pair of servitors outside the room. "Take him back to his cell...I am done with him."
The guards silently escort you back to the cell, shove you into the small chamber, lock the door and leave.
After you are all individually interrogated for what seems like a few days you are left in the dart torture chamber. After those days which seem to stretch forever you find yourself looking at the old gypsy woman who you all swore you had seen. This is the old grandma from the wagon train. All of the Founders are standing with her and looking at you in the cell.
The Old Gypsy speaks. "Tell Old Durga Syn what happened after you were made. Did you hear anything or see anything in your last moments? Tell me little doves and I will speak on your behalf."
She walks down the line of you clucking her tongue and pinching your cheeks and then when she reaches Joel she gives him a hard slap and a smirk and then turns and walks back past you all awaiting some sort of answer from any of you.
Joel grins as she slaps him in the face, much like his grandmother used to when he sassed her. He remembers trying to communicate with her but he could not speak Russian and she could not speak English or Italian, it seems she can speak many languages now, a ruse that much is clear in hindsight. He has questions for her but now does not seem the time to ask them.
"The Host, this Claudius Giovanni encouraged his companions to... what's the word... make us like them - like you. The intention was to slow you all down so they could make a clean get away. Their distraction it seems worked, they got away.
How about this? How about we help you? Swear allegiance to your Founding, whatever it is. Call it Goodwill work. Once we've shown we can be trusted, we can go our own way to seek what it is we seek which is not to join any conspiracy that's for sure".
He turns to Fanchon and narrows his eyes giving a brief nod.
"After the shadows seemingly swallowed me, all I heard was something about the Founders coming and seeing everything go into blur with the exception of what I can only describe as a ghost...I guess that doesn't seem so insane now given my current condition." Justin says.
"The ghost said something to the effect of we were the sons and daughters of the conspiracy, what ever the f&#! that is, and that we were to defend it? Them? It wasn't overly clear."
"After that, the three-eyed guy came in and tried to calm us down, convincing us that resisting would be a really bad idea. After that some other memories came out of the fog. The host telling the others to 'embrace the food' and damning some guy called Japheth Cappadocius.
Apparently the Claudius guy had something to do with summoning the ghost. Said they were going to the reliquary, claiming that they couldn't be followed there."
"That's about all I know. If I knew more, I'd tell you."
The Founders erupt in arguments over what to do with you. They seem split down the middle. Hardestadt wants to kill you as does Raphael. Camilla wants to kill and blood bond you. Mistress Falchon wants to blood bond the lot of you. and Joseph has moved to undecided. The Old Gypsy listens to them all.
In the lull you all have time to speak at least once more in your defense.
"What about this Tiriel? Doesn't he have any say as to what happens next?
Or Old Durga Syn here?
The world ain't fair but to slay us for just being in the wrong place at the wrong time without even a chance to prove what we can do seems like a waste of resources. Heck, at least let us f&## something up before you eliminate us. You don't know, we may surprise you and turn out to be more helpful than you realize or can even contemplate".
Continuing on with Joel's line of thought, Justin says, "We've been as cooperative as we can be here. I know our story of when we are from is hard to believe, but if there is even the slightest chance that our story is true, which it is by the way, isn't a bit short-sighted to discard us without exploring that possibility?"
"You're obviously powerful enough to wipe us out if we aren't of use, so what do you have to lose by keeping us around? I won't speak for the others, but I know I don't have any loyalties to the ones who made us in violation of your traditions."
The Old gypsy holds up her hand and the entire group quiets down and then looks to you all in their own ways and finally departs once more leaving you alone. You hear the gypsy say as they go:
they may have uses. No reason to throw away possible resources and free Childer if it works well.
after some time the Old Gypsy and the Founders return.
As they return you hear the Old Gypsy saying
You want to wast even the precious resources that God sees fit to bestow upon you. To Risk facing the wrath of the entirety of the Kindred would make them more mad then the conspirators.
after some moments they round the corner and you see Hardestadt looking over you all.
The Old Gypsy cackles and pulls an egg from inside her bag and holds it up and cracks it and blood falls from the egg, surprising even Hardestadt and the others as it drips.
I see there is a sign of some important part that these chicks will play in this long, bloody drama.
Hardestadt finally says after a long pause Your divinations have not proven false so far nor your advise aged one. So be it.
Hardestadt turns to you all and says This day, the fifth of April 1444 I declare the consipiracy of Isaac and all its followers anathema. No child of Caine will give them shelter nor succor. Where they are found, fire and doom shall follow their sacrilege! His mailed fist pounds the wall in exclamation and the wall shakes.
Hardestadt continues You shall be our hunting dogs. You will be bound to us by blood each of you to your clan. You will hunt down your sires and you are given the same right as any to kill them if you can in blood hunt. You will return here and report at least once per year after this date to which ever founder is in residence.
With that Hardestadt opens your cells and you are released. You have all not had any blood for some days, so a cask is brought down sealed in some way as to keep the blood fresh and a tap is put to the keg and blood is served to you all enough to regain three of your lost pool. (you all lost six)
Joel drinks deeply of the Blood and when he is finished approaches Mistress Fanchon, "Can we speak Elder?"
Fanchon steps around the corner and brings you with her and you hear a hush fall around the area you are standing in and she says
Speak neonate, we have little time now, but much more later once you do as the Founders ask of you in moments
Jessica drinks deep. She may be a slave, but she’s alive. Hopefully she’ll have time to turn the tables on her captors.
She’s NO ONE’S slave.
"I wanted to thank you for your arguments on my behalf.
Tell me, if I am to hunt down this Lord Casmir, so wish him to be brought back into the fold or slain outright? He is a magus like us, a special breed I'd wager versus most of our kind".
Fanchon looks at you for some time and finally says you will be given a plan, transport and funds to accomplish this plan and at that time these questions will be answered
Justin, grateful for his survival, sups of the blood provided. The concept as a whole still seems foreign to him, but the beast disuades any arguments that may have been lurking in his mind.
Joel nods and returns to his allies.
A few moments later, Roderigo steps out from behind the crowd and two servants arrive and he clasps his hands with a clap saying well done lads and lasses, you survive another night. I might be glad or not that you have been spared, but now you are lifted out of that pit and what's done is done.
The servants bring you to lavish rooms where hot buckets of water are brought and baths are filled. You are allowed to clean yourselves at your own pace and new clothing fit for tradespeople are brought to each of your rooms.
When you are clothed and cleaned knocks on the doors occur and the servants once more bring you along through the castle to a room with a long table. Roderigo is here again, and another cask of blood is brought with a tap and you may all drink your fill.
He tells you of the new confederation of Vampires called the Camarilla, of the rules of the night, of hunting, and of torpor and stakes. He tells you of blood bonds, ghouls, and all the clans and their individual powers as well as how to create progency, and that you are restricted from doing so without permission of the eldest of a city. He finally tells you that you are in the Castle of Hardestadt so that his rules and his voice now are final in all things.
Finally, he tells you of the hunters, of the inquisition, and of the true fear of ever being revealed and that the secret of the kindred must be kept.
Last but not least, he tells you that you are decendant from Caine the first of the kindred whom was cursed by God to walk the earth and that this is the reason for the kindreds existance.
Any questions may be asked of Roderigo and he wil entertain any questions except about the plan against the conspirators of Isaac, which he says Hardestadt will reveal in due and good time.
You all have the rest of this night to wander the castle and speak to the founders and their servants or the Old Gypsy as you see fit until tomorrow night after a small dinner reception, where you will be told the Founders plans.
Joel looked oddly at the man who was his servant in another time and another place but he no longer knew this man and did not get the sense that any conversation now would be anything but awkward.
So he opted to see the Old Gypsy woman, "Durga Syn, have you time to speak?"
The old gypsy will nod when you find her sitting by herself in a chamber warming herself uncomfortably close to a fire for your tastes now.
yes young one, talk is free or at least cheaper then some things. Have a seat
"You were with us on the road yes? How did you come to be there?"
The old gypsy chuckles dryly and peers down her nose at you saying spying on enemies retainers and mortals is much easier and teaches you much of your enemy
Daniel takes his leave to move through the halls of the castle. He hopes to find Teriel specifically, if the man was even there in the first place; if not, then any of the Founders who don't seem too busy to answer questions. Regardless, to Daniel's mind, what he was about his own clan earlier said as much as what was left out, and he needed to learn more.
Daniel after wandering for a time you find a servant who directs you to a peaceful vestibule garden, and there in the moon light you find Ter-i-el sitting alone. ah Daniel, I am glad you have found me
"Why do you find these Conspirators to be your enemies? I get the sense you are more of an advisor than an ally to these "Founders".
"As am I. There's a lot here that's... odd. Odd even for this situation."
Daniel moves near his sire. He remains standing, however, unsure of the protocol of interacting with, well, elder vampires. I knew I should've just stayed home that night.
"Sir, I..." He falters briefly. "When our situation was explained to us, the Camarilla, kindred, remaining hidden, all that, there was a lot that wasn't said. You don't seem to be one of the Founders -- at least, they didn't speak of you like one. Yet you also seem distinct from the Conspiracy." He points at the lump on his forehead. "I was told this is the mark of our clan, a third eye. It's part of our power, what marks us as Salubri. But so little else has been said about us. As if we're not part of this or much of anything."
Daniel catches himself before he continues rambling even further. He straightens and asks, "What are we?"
Daniel, our clan once was strong as the rest. We were betrayed and our founder Saulot was destroyed by pretenders to his throne. Those pretenders userped his blood and became today the Tremere. They hunted our healers until now only seven remain. Our warriors proved more problematic for them. We killed them back until the cost grew too high and they were forced at the Founding to recognize us to their painful shame. Now the war of princes and the destruction of our clan are broken there is a peace in the night. A peace which has rules. So Sam-i-el is our Founder. I am what the founders call Justicar.
The gypsy cackles some more and says you've answered your own question. My clan and bloodline are very rare. We have always been seen as councilors and seers for the other clans. We stand independent from the Founders and the Conpirators. Yet I speak for my clan with the Founders so that we might be granted rights in their grand experiment. That is why I am here. In addition, I am an Elder to almost all here.
"So you side with these Founders then as you believe they will win?
Even if these Conspirators are not as powerful as the Founders what hope do we, only newly created have to stop them where the Founders cannot?"
The gypsy leans in with your statement and says every soul has a weakness and there are weaknesses in every bloodline as well. Finding those will help you. Also, the conspirators do not know you have been here or that you stayed to stop the founders. Come up with a compelling story that you can all match. Even dominate can be resisted. You might fall unconscious but I do not think the conspirators will use higher powers on you when lower powers and less blood expense would do, do you?
"I suppose not.
Tell me, you are old. Older than most if not all here as you say, have you ever before heard of time traveling such as we claim to have experienced?
Have you ever found anyone who has cured themselves of this affliction we now suffer?"
Chaucer says that time and tide wait for no man she says quietly as she considers what you have said.
I have seen a great deal of magic in my life and beings who possessed such power as to tear apart entire cities and sunder the earth. I have seen magical curses age a person and turn people to dust with a touch. If a magician came to me and said he could alter time I might believe him. I might also try to kill the fool who would do it.
Joel frowns and nods, leaving Durga alone he seeks some quiet time to himself.
Daniel frowns at this. "Then our very existence is a problem for the Tremere. I can't imagine they'll just let us be forever. Are we prepared for that kind of betrayal?"