Topic: Chapter 1: Dark Tides Rising (Read 302786 times)

Drakilian · « **Reply #650 on:** March 13, 2015, 12:31:03 pm »

When Sylvian finishes translating Anatole seems to grow confused - almost shy. He backs away a little bit and does not answer Kiril.

Anton, looking at the madman with Darksight, notices that the shadows behind him are so incredibly bright as to obscure his sight... the others see deep darkness. Darkness that begins to move.

The shadows open as a curtain might, revealing a young woman with raven hair, dressed for travel but bearing the aplomb of nobility. Even as she came into the light her face remained obscured by darkness.

“What are you doing in this place?” – the shadowed lady asked in spanish.

Steeple, meanwhile, carefully stepped closer to the grave that Anatole had been digging. Inside he found not a corpse, but a stairway, roughly cut from the mountain itself. The madman had been digging it out, and doing very well for himself save that he’d met a dead end in the form of rubble that must have once been a part of the tower.

BerkaZerka · « **Reply #651 on:** March 13, 2015, 01:05:06 pm »

"Hmm... Seems that you need a bigger shovel..." Steeple muses - intent on moving back to his wagon to go look for one.

Not Aman · « **Reply #652 on:** March 14, 2015, 08:23:06 pm »

Anton looks bewildered, and replying in German, quickly asks,

"What is a Lasombra doing here?"

Daedalus · « **Reply #653 on:** March 14, 2015, 11:36:55 pm »

"Frekkin foreigners, think i understand their weird language." Lucien mumbled to himself. He noticed Anton said something, but he did not know what he said either.

"Who are YOU and what are you doing here?"

Prince · « **Reply #654 on:** March 15, 2015, 10:28:24 am »

"Instead of panicking, could someone translate this conversation, please?" Suggests Daniel in an off-put tone.

Drakilian · « **Reply #655 on:** March 15, 2015, 05:24:32 pm »

“We are here by order of Count Radu, we are to build a fortress here. Who are you?” – Sylvian replied, as no one else was bothering to answer the question.

Anatole wrapped his arm around the lady’s shoulder.

“This is Lucita! She and I are here for God has decreed it be so for we and his most holy agents are to uncover, in this place, the ancient writings of such import that the world might shudder at their revelation!” – Anatole says, in reply to both Anton and Sylvian.

Steeple leaves the group to go to the wagon for a shovel - though he isn't entirely sure he has one, the villagers were supposed to have the necessary tools. Andreas could probably help out, the prodigiously strong Nosferatu could shift through the rubble with ease.

BerkaZerka · « **Reply #656 on:** March 15, 2015, 05:43:58 pm »

Steeple returns with a spoon.

"I've got this!" he says triumphantlyt, jumping down into the hole and tinking it off the rocks.

Not Aman · « **Reply #657 on:** March 15, 2015, 05:50:50 pm »

Anton looks at the two.
"This land is Count Radu's land, fellow kindred. Anything found here is his." Anton warns.

Forge · « **Reply #658 on:** March 15, 2015, 11:34:44 pm »

"More religious fanatics, I do not like this situation, though we outnumber them for now."

Heldric remains invisible and a safe distance away while still being able to hear and see everything that transpires, after the last madman they met talking about God he does not want to take any chances.

BerkaZerka · « **Reply #659 on:** March 16, 2015, 06:26:54 am »

"Yes, who do you serve really?" Steeple calls up from the hole.

Prince · « **Reply #660 on:** March 16, 2015, 10:17:44 am »

This will either go really well... Or not at all.

Daniel backs up Steeple's question if his capacity for language will allow it.

Sethaniel · « **Reply #661 on:** March 16, 2015, 12:25:12 pm »

"Tell us more about these holy writings, please," says Kiril.

Daedalus · « **Reply #662 on:** March 16, 2015, 02:18:30 pm »

Lucien nods at their reply. Then he will stare at Steeple in disbelief at the state of his mind.

BerkaZerka · « **Reply #663 on:** March 16, 2015, 02:27:47 pm »

Steeple makes it a point to also ignore Lucian, not wanting to feel left out.

*ignore, ignore, ignore ...

Drakilian · « **Reply #664 on:** March 16, 2015, 03:51:34 pm »

Anatole points towards the hole he has dug into the ground.

"These are not holy writings, no my fellow wanderer. But they are ancient texts that I have been charged with finding, hidden beneath the earth for centuries. They lie hidden in this dark haven."

Lucita, meanwhile, answers Anton's remark sincerely - "We ask only that we receive a copy of whatever Anatole is after, we know that this is your domain and we would not dare to offend your graciousness, but if he is right than who are we to argue with God’s wishes?"

Anatole appears to be getting edgy, like he wants to start digging again. He nods gratefully at Steeple's attempt to help.

"I merely follow my visions friend."

Sherazhina edges forward, and speaks quietly into Kiril's ear.

"Kiril - I believe I know what they are talking about. You remember that I told you that this land was my family's in the time of my grandfather? The fire that it burned down in... the land was taken from my grandfather in a great battle. He started the fire himself to keep his enemies from his master's library. I am sure it is still there. He said it was hidden beneath the foundation, hidden where no one but one who knows the earth itself could find it."

Not Aman · « **Reply #665 on:** March 16, 2015, 08:25:15 pm »

Anton nods.
"Everything that occurs is god's will." Anton replies in kind. "And, if, there is anything of value still here, I am sure a copy could be made."

"But it would only be given to a reputable group, as you must understand." He adds, insinuating that the two should introduce themselves, properly this time.

Drakilian · « **Reply #666 on:** March 16, 2015, 09:07:14 pm »

Lucita nods in apology for her companion's antics.

"I am Lucita of Aragorn."

Anton and Kiril both immediately recognize the full name - this was Lucita, daughter of king Alfonse I of Aragon and childe to the infamous archbishop Ambrosio Luis Moncada, a powerful and influential Lasombra who holds domain over the city of Madrid.

Anton might hold some admiration for the archbishop, the ancient cainite being an avid supporter of the principle that the Embrace has always been God’s will, and through the instrument of the Curse of Caine, vampires had all eternity to do the Lord’s work.

Anatole does not seem willing (or perhaps even able?) to introduce himself any further, and Lucita shrugs for him.

Not Aman · « **Reply #667 on:** March 16, 2015, 11:23:39 pm »

Anton nods his head in recognition.
"Anton Petrov Veranin, of Sofia. It is great to meet the Childer of the Archbishop Moncada. His work in Spain has been a great inspiration."

"We would be glad to assist you in finding these 'ancient texts,' if they lie here."

Daedalus · « **Reply #668 on:** March 16, 2015, 11:36:12 pm »

"If we did not have more pressing matters to attend to" Lucien adds with a annoyed look.

"Do not forget of our mission Anton. And do not presume you speak for all of us in this matter. if you wish to forsake your wish to your sire so be it. But dont be so quick to offer the rest of the companys aid."

Not Aman · « **Reply #669 on:** March 16, 2015, 11:45:20 pm »

Anton quickly retorts.
"I am not forgetting our mission, Lucien. We were ordered to find the library all the same. Aiding the childer of the great Arch Bishop as well, is all the better for us all."

Daedalus · « **Reply #670 on:** March 16, 2015, 11:52:41 pm »

Lucien thinks it over for a moment. "Very well. We should have the time for it most likely. And its probarly good to have the childer of someone you think highly of owe you. And some Luny aswell..."

Then he looks at Sylvain."dont translate that last part for them."

Them ofcourse meaning the spainards

Prince · « **Reply #671 on:** March 17, 2015, 06:36:24 am »

Daniel approaches Anatole cautiously.

"Are you seeing anything right now?"

BerkaZerka · « **Reply #672 on:** March 17, 2015, 07:43:36 am »

In preparation for searching, Steeple climbs out of the hole and heads back to his wagon.

He invites Nadia to join him and goes through the Ritual of Incorporeal Passage - intent on using it to walk through the hillside here and there, in an attempt to discover any hidden chambers underground ...

Not Aman · « **Reply #673 on:** March 17, 2015, 02:30:23 pm »

Quote from: Daedalus on March 16, 2015, 11:52:41 pm

Lucien thinks it over for a moment. "Very well. We should have the time for it most likely. And its probarly good to have the childer of someone you think highly of owe you. And some Luny aswell..."

Then he looks at Sylvain."dont translate that last part for them."

Anton nods.
"If she truly is the childer of the Archbishop, assisting her would be certainly worthwhile."

Drakilian · « **Reply #674 on:** March 17, 2015, 03:30:36 pm »

Anatole answers Daniel - "No fellow traveler, only the urge to complete my task. Let us not waste more time then, as you have agreed to aid us in our holy quest!"

The cotterie begins work on excavating the underground passage - except for Steeple, who, using a fine mirror with gilded silver edges, enacts the ritual of incorporeal passage, moving straight through the blocked stairway. Nadia is unable to join him, as the ritual only affects the caster.

It will take the cotterie and the two travellers several hours to clear the rubble from the entrance - so Steeple has quite a while to do what he wishes.

On passing through the rubble Steeple activates his Heightened Senses in an attempt to migitate the effects of the total darkness. He can hear his companions working outside, Andreas heaving and grunting as he clears massive stones and various boulders from the entrance.

The room is cold and damp, he feels that the floor is covered in broken stones and footing is treacherous in the darkness.

"Be careful, can't really see much in here old chap." Prince Maurice says.

"Perhaps you should set everything on fire." He suggests idly.

Walking around the edges of the room and counting his steps the Malkavian deduces that the room is roughly rectangular, about 40x20 feet. There does not appear to be a library here - at least as far as he can tell in the darkness.

BerkaZerka · « **Reply #675 on:** March 17, 2015, 04:24:55 pm »

"I suppose a little light is in order," Steeple replies to Prince Maurice - taking the time to cast Will O The Wisp before trying to stumble around in the dark chamber.

Drakilian · « **Reply #676 on:** March 17, 2015, 05:13:14 pm »

Clearly having had the foresight to bring a stick with him, Steeple summons small wisps of light after a bit of chanting.

The light reveals that the room he is in appears to be the castle cellar. It also happens to be completely empty.

BerkaZerka · « **Reply #677 on:** March 17, 2015, 05:15:43 pm »

Steeple spends time tapping on walls, searching for secret doors, and singing show tunes (even though they have not been invented yet).

Drakilian · « **Reply #678 on:** March 17, 2015, 05:28:16 pm »

Half an hour passes as Steeple laboriously searches the walls for hollow backs, hidden entrances and secret doors. He finds nothing after sticking his fingers in the many crevices the place possessed - despite all of prince Maurice's wise and intelligent suggestions.

About to give up and head back into the light of the moon to tell his cotterie not to waste their time, something caught his eye. The stones on his right seemed to be off somehow. Their mortar seeming to hold the dirt he'd cleared more than the others. After a few moments of pushing and prodding he found a catch in a low stone, which when pushed allowed the whole of the wall to pivot away from him.

BerkaZerka · « **Reply #679 on:** March 17, 2015, 05:31:50 pm »

"Ooh, Maurice! You were right! There really was a secret door along this wall." Steeple says, taking his rock out to bow before it's all-knowingness.

Then, tucking it back into his pocket, he moves the Will O Wisp in through the opening to see what's on the other side ...

Drakilian · « **Reply #680 on:** March 17, 2015, 05:38:30 pm »

"Yes, worship me." Maurice says smugly.

The door led into another staircase, this one much older and much better made than the one it came away from. It led down fifteen steps into a large tomb. The hollow walls filled with ancient scrolls and codices.

Sending the will-o-wisps into the recesses normally made for candles and torches, Steeple takes in the room - and it becomes clear that he'd found the library. However, even Steeple's most gentle touch causes the texts he touches to crumble to dust.

“Bah, we dig for so long, and all we find some papyri so brittle as to be useless?” Prince maurice exclaims.

And that was the truth. Each scroll he finds is nothing but rods and dust. The few codices present were dry-rotted and faded enough to be illegible.

Examining the area, Steeple notes the following - the room was secure, and the cunning door easy to open from within. The room was dry even in this weather and obviously sun proof and would make a wonderful haven while they worked. It was just a shame that...

“That’s curious.” - Maurice, upon noting the following:

All along the library the walls were made from the same mud bricks. Over and over again, they were obviously cut from the same mold. So why was it that along the back wall on the bottom most shelf, were the bricks so much thinner? Where only six or seven bricks were used on the rest of that wall, the bottom row required twenty-five thinly cut bricks?

BerkaZerka · « **Reply #681 on:** March 17, 2015, 06:04:02 pm »

"Curiosity killed the Malkie," Steeple tuts.

Nevertheless, he is inextricably drawn to the strange pattern of bricks and begins toying with them to see if there is any way to open the wall there...

Drakilian · « **Reply #682 on:** March 17, 2015, 08:22:25 pm »

Pushing on the center brick Steeple finds that the wall is sturdy - but the bricks to its left and right moved slightly, so slightly that a mortal might have missed it. With a push he was able to move each back half an inch, leaving the middle block bare. Gripping it he pulled to find that it came free easily.

Steeple's blood burns as he brings the tablets up, into the wisp-light. There are thirteen in all. Each weighs at least four pounds and each is covered in delicate and ancient writing, unlike any he’d ever seen.

"Jackpot old boy! Now if only we could read the damned things."

BerkaZerka · « **Reply #683 on:** March 18, 2015, 06:38:41 am »

Steeple spreads the tablets out on the floor and closes the secret compartment.

He then returns to the surface to fetch paper and writing implements from his wagon.

"Dig faster," he says to everyone, "They're down there all right; stone writings. I am going to make a rubbing of them for you and bring it back up."

Steeple then returns below to make two rubbings of the tablets. A set for himself and one to take back to the Coterie.

Drakilian · « **Reply #684 on:** March 18, 2015, 07:01:51 pm »

Steeple does so - though he finds that soon after he's done making the rubbings, the cotterie has finished unearthing the cellar - and the secret library beyond.

On breaking through Anatole loudly exclaims - "Finally, we have unearthed this cursed library!"

Sethaniel · « **Reply #685 on:** March 18, 2015, 07:10:43 pm »

Kiril says quietly to Sherazhina, "found by no one but someone who knows the earth itself-- or some random malkavian, apparently."

Daedalus · « **Reply #686 on:** March 18, 2015, 07:39:28 pm »

Lucien will walk off, and begin to turn Barabus into a dog.

with a smile.

"Ignore any cries of pain you might hear." He says before trodding off.

Not Aman · « **Reply #687 on:** March 18, 2015, 08:36:40 pm »

Anton shrugs to Lucien's antics, and heads down the path to the secret library and Steeple.

"Yes, finally." He agrees with Anatole.

"So, steeple, how did you even get in here?" He asks

Prince · « **Reply #688 on:** March 18, 2015, 10:49:52 pm »

"What did you find, Steeple?"

Forge · « **Reply #689 on:** March 18, 2015, 10:51:40 pm »

Heldric follows along behind, letting Andreas do the heavy lifting. Once inside he will examine the stones to see if he knows the language

BerkaZerka · « **Reply #690 on:** March 19, 2015, 07:28:22 am »

"It's a little trick I learned a while ago," Steeple says, "basically you have to convince yourself that you are not really there - which then allows you to bypass what really is there, because you're not."

"Ah here we are," Steeple concludes, showing everyone the hidden chamber and the tablets, but not pointing out the gaping hole in the wall where he pulled them all out - I may have use for such a void, Steeple thinks to himself.

Steeple then takes the last two tablets out of the thirteen.

"We should all take two of these and keep them," Steeple directs, "Study what we have and the rubbings of all the stones. But no one of us should be entrusted with keeping them all."

Prince · « **Reply #691 on:** March 19, 2015, 06:56:52 pm »

"I can agree with that; at least for now." Replies Daniel

Not Aman · « **Reply #692 on:** March 19, 2015, 09:41:00 pm »

Quote from: BerkaZerka on March 19, 2015, 07:28:22 am

"It's a little trick I learned a while ago," Steeple says, "basically you have to convince yourself that you are not really there - which then allows you to bypass what really is there, because you're not."

"Ah here we are," Steeple concludes, showing everyone the hidden chamber and the tablets, but not pointing out the gaping hole in the wall where he pulled them all out - I may have use for such a void, Steeple thinks to himself.

Steeple then takes the last two tablets out of the thirteen.

"We should all take two of these and keep them," Steeple directs, "Study what we have and the rubbings of all the stones. But no one of us should be entrusted with keeping them all."

Anton frowns in confusion to steeple's answer, but nods to the second half of steeple's point.
"Yes, quite. We must also make a rubbing for the spaniards. I trust these," he points to the 11 on the table and the 2 in Steeple's arms, "were the only ones you found?"

Sethaniel · « **Reply #693 on:** March 20, 2015, 05:59:29 am »

"Are you all right with this?" Kiril quietly asks Sherazhina. "After all, these are your family treasures.

By the way, do you have any idea what they say?"

BerkaZerka · « **Reply #694 on:** March 20, 2015, 08:25:15 am »

"This is them all," Steeple replies, "but it won't hurt to keep looking around for more while we are here."

Prince · « **Reply #695 on:** March 20, 2015, 11:50:44 am »

Daniel investigates the library for any more tablets.

BerkaZerka · « **Reply #696 on:** March 20, 2015, 12:32:19 pm »

Steeple sits down and casts Wooden Tongues on one of his two tablets (using Willpower if needed).

"So, tell me about yourself," he says to the tablet, "What's the message you guys contain? Been here long? You wouldn't happen to be related to Prince Maurice now would you?"

Drakilian · « **Reply #697 on:** March 20, 2015, 03:17:25 pm »

Quote from: Sethaniel on March 20, 2015, 05:59:29 am

"Are you all right with this?" Kiril quietly asks Sherazhina. "After all, these are your family treasures.

By the way, do you have any idea what they say?"

"It is of no matter to me, this land stopped being my family's decades ago.

Quote from: Prince on March 20, 2015, 11:50:44 am

Daniel investigates the library for any more tablets.

He finds none.

Searching the library all he finds are useless books and scrolls and the gaping hole Steeple had left. He goes to the hole and pushes and pulls aside all the bricks in the gap in case they were more tablets. Beneath them was some ancient, petrified wood, which had been lacquered and was still, so many years later, quite smooth - but no tablets.

Not Aman · « **Reply #698 on:** March 20, 2015, 03:23:10 pm »

Quote from: BerkaZerka on March 20, 2015, 08:25:15 am

"This is them all," Steeple replies, "but it won't hurt to keep looking around for more while we are here."

"I see Daniel took up that task." Anton replies.

"We will have to send word to the Count on our discovery." Anton then adds.

Drakilian · « **Reply #699 on:** March 20, 2015, 03:34:00 pm »

The tortured tablet spirit's scream tears into Steeple's dead brain like a hot blade - the malkavian stumbles back in surprise, slamming into and rocking back one of the library cabinets.

The screams continue to echo throughout Steeple's mind until Prince Maurice banishes them.

"There we go lad, the voices are gone, it's just you and me here again."

News:

Author Topic: Chapter 1: Dark Tides Rising (Read 302786 times)